Baltimoremick.com

I am sitting here enjoying a quiet Saturday morning, drinking some coffee and catching up on things in advance of a day of enjoying a cookout with some good friends followed up with some beers with some friends.  Nonetheless, here are some things percolating in my mind over the last few days. 

• I am so happy to finally not have to worry about work this weekend.  The BlackBerry is peacefully quiet, and there is nothing occurring that requires my attention.  It is actually quite nice.  Although next week should be quiet based on a change blackout that begins on Wednesday, I have a feeling it will be a bit busier than I expect on account of colleagues being on vacation. 
• In a rare moment between meetings and phone calls yesterday, one of my good colleagues and I had a chance to discuss some home theatre options for my house in the next year.  I do not expect to pull the trigger soon, but it was good to just bounce some ideas off of someone who knows a lot more than I do.  I will probably be taking him up on his offer of assistance when I start pulling the trigger on some of those things. 
• Speaking of vacations, I am looking forward to being in St. Louis this time next week.  I leave on Friday morning, and I do not return until Monday afternoon.  It will be a well-deserved break, and it will be fun to catch up with one of my best friends. 
• In advance of said vacation, I finally stopped procrastinating and purchased a camera to replace the faithful Canon PowerShot that was purloined from my home last year.  Before I leave, I should receive my new Canon PowerShot A650 IS.  Much like my old PowerShot, the LCD panel swings out from the body.  I am pretty happy about that.  The purchase may be frivolous, but I miss having a camera to occasionally photograph some things from time to time.
• Thanks to Carol for accepting my package, but my new grill cover has arrived.  All the better to protect the awesome Weber! 
• Speaking of grilling, I have been considering an “End of Summer” celebration at the house.  I am shooting for the end of August or the weekend after Labor Day.  Who doesn’t like grilled food, adult libations, and a good time?  Thoughts from the local blogerrati? 
• Yesterday was my last Boot Camp session.  I had a great time, even though I missed a few sessions on account of one thing or another.  It was a good change and alteration to my workout routine, and it was a good way to get me kick-started back into the running thing again.  As a result, I have been giving some consideration to throwing myself into the Baltimore Running Festival and doing a 5K.  Nothing like some motivation to get myself training. 
• Speaking of running, I am looking to replace my now dead Sony headphones that I use when working out.  I am thinking about getting some good noise-cancelling earbuds.  The standard iPod earbuds suck and never stay in my ear.  I keep thinking about Shure, but I am open to suggestion.