Emptying the Bucket List...

I really don't have much of a bucket list. If I want something, I "getter done". Although the one bucket list droplet I had was "to get a Kegerator".

Thanks to the support of the Training Payne Party Fund (TPPF), my "make a wish dream" was fufilled today.

The TPPF contributed $473 and I personally borrowed the fund $247. Which leads me to appeal to my blog followers to, "please donate to the TPPF".

Unfortunately the TPPF is now in a deficit position and needs your help more than ever. Please remember, for a limited time, for your generous contribution you will receive an "all access pass" to the first ever Payne-a-poolza Party, following the House of Payne Beer Run, on August 28th.

If you ever come to my house you'll see it's a haven for kids of all ages. I've made it my personal mission to have all the fun stuff I wished I had as a kid.

My collection includes a pool table, a slot machine, a bar with a TV-fridge-microwave-dishwasher, a dart board, a drum set, an electric guitar, a 500 cigar humidor, a kitchen refrigerator that dispenses ice and water in the front, a snow blower, carbon fibre bikes, a big screen TV, a huge deck, satellite radio, music speakers in the ceiling of bar area and outside on the deck, an outdoor fire pit, a cool office desk and chairs, a margarita making machine, a beer bong, quick pour tops on all our liquor bottles, naked ladies on my dart flights, great looking beer glasses, a home gym, an elliptical, a punching bag, swings in the backyard, a cigar store Indian, a bike hard shell caring case, a bike car carrying rack, a standee of a football player, an autographed NHL jersey in a case, a natural gas barbecue, an outdoor patio heater and a Weber Kettle charcoal barbecue.

What I didn't yet have was a Kegerator, a pinball machine, a jukebox, an old coke machine, a barber chair, or a dune buggy. Today I crossed the Kegerator off my list. Unfortunately, I don't think I have any room left in the house for the other stuff.

I had been spending a LOT of time thinking about my Kegerator and specifically where to put it. My "Man Cave Feng Shui" is very important to me. I had planned on building a Kegerator, but would have had to move my slot machine, until I found a Kegerator with the perfect dimensions.

I have a little alcove in the basement that is only 21 inches wide. It's were we keep a water cooler we never use. Most Kegerators are 24 inches and wouldn't fit that spot. Then lightening struck, I found one that holds full kegs and is only 20" wide.

The puzzle was solved. The Kegerator had the perfect home. There's no greater feeling than when a plan comes together, it felt like it was meant to be. The Gods were now speaking to me and saying "my son, you will suffer no more".

Having a Kegerator is going to solve SO many problems.

I will no longer have to spend time and gas money making numerous trips to and from the beer store. One Keg should last me a month. I won't have to keep storing and returning empties, I only have one Keg to worry about. I can start using my pint glasses without having to open two beers and pouring 1.5 into the glass. I also won't have to use a bottle opener anymore, or hurt my hands twisting off caps, and I won't have to remove beers from the cases and put them in the fridge and then put the bottles back in the empty cases. And it will be easier to clean up in the morning, the bar won't be riddled with empty bottles.

As you can see, having a Kegerator is a real problem solver. Aside from the practical benefits, having a Kegerator is also every man's dream. How cool is it to pour and drink draught beer in the comfort of your own home? Among your male neighbours, having a Kegerator elevates you you to the "I wish I was him" status.

My plan is to get it set up this week and let it chill until I return from IMLP. Alice and I were at Jamie and Barbs tonight and Jamie committed to helping me christen it with me when we get back from Lake Placid.

I was also a good boy at Jamie's tonight. I drank diet coke as Jamie drank beer and smoked cigars. The surprising part was watching him drink and smoke didn't bother me. I know my day will come soon enough, next Monday to be exact.

Today I did a 3:30 hour training ride. My bike speedometer broke, which is a good thing, better now than during IMLP. Luckily I also had my Garmin on and was able to track my time and mileage. I rode easy, but by the end of the ride I was in a quarter bonk state. I hadn't eaten at all on the bike.

I weighed in today down 3 lbs from yesterday. I'm very focused on eating perfectly until IMLP. As a matter of fact, on the bike, I was craving peaches and not Slurpee's. That's definitely a good sign. Another good sign is my low resting heart rate.

Long Bike - 3:28:45 / 107 km / 30.75 kph avg

186.4 lbs