Staying in or Going Outside

On my two days off this week I caught up on a lot of tv. I watched two movies that I rented and watched some of my favorite shows On Demand. This was planned. The weather was brutally cold and I just didn't feel like dealing with it. By mid-afternoon the second day, I was going stir crazy. I was cussing the cold and the fading sunlight. I made a decision that for me spring had come. Despite the three feet of snow and the 18 inches of ice, damn it, I was not going to waste away in the house.
Then I looked up the ten day forecast. Other than yesterday, just about everyday has a high around twenty degrees. Most mornings when we wake up will be around zero. This put a huge damper on my new plan to get outside. Lets face it, there is a huge difference between 35 degrees (roughly the average high this time of year) and the temps we are experiencing.

All last week I was shoveling roofs. Some for work, mine, and my best friend's Laurie. Laurie's roof is slanted. I was up there for three hours scared shitless of falling the twenty feet to the ground. It occurred to me that I was shoveling these roofs in below zero wind chills. Not once can I say I was cold. Of course on Laurie's roof, I concentrated each step. Shoveling is tiring, so I built up quite a bit of body heat.

So I decided that despite the below zero wind chills and the single digit mornings, I am not letting the weather stop me. Today I went snowshoeing at an RI Audubon Sanctuary after work named Caratunk. The weather was 18 degrees, wind chill of 4 degrees and cloudy. I hiked for about 90 minutes. I had more fun than if I sat home or went to the gym. I built up a sweat, but never enough to unzip my jacket, however I can say I didn't get cold.

My friend Dave and I talk all the time about how a 25 degree day with a bright sun can be down right pleasant. We agree that our bodies adjust to the cold if out in it enough. I have noticed that by the end of a winter striper fishing I'm just wearing a sweatshirt on thirty degree nights.

This year a sunny 25 degree day or a 30 degree night are nothing more than a pipe dream. So for this Arctic cold spell, I have not done much outside , thinking it was too cold. To Dave's credit, he has been out skiing and instructing all winter no matter the temperature. By no means had a been a couch potato, but I was selective on which days I'd "play" outside.That was until I shoveled those roofs. So even though I can't wait to fish open water or hike on dirt and rocks instead of the fluffy white stuff I'm going outside anyway.

Ronnie's first iced fish

I went ice fishing today with my young

Ronnie's second iced fish, but first
that didn't flop back in the hole

friend Ronnie. I've gone fishing with him a few times. He caught a 24 pound carp on his first attempt to catch one.

Ronnie had never caught a fish ice fishing. Today's high temp was near forty degrees so I cut out of work an hour early, picked Ronnie up and headed out for some icing.We bought a dozen shiners and set them up on some traps. He drilled a bunch of other holes for jigging.

Within 10 minutes we had three flags and no fish to show for it. On the jigging rods, we couldn't buy a fish. I feared Ronnie would leave without catching his first fish. Then another flag went up. Ronnie pulled in a decent yellow perch.  As he pulled it out of the water it spit the hook. It flopped on the ice for a second then fell back into the hole. It certainly counted as his first ice fish but we did not get a picture.

Luckily a few minutes later the jigging rods started bending. We got a couple sunfish and some perch. I didn't keep count but we ended up with ten to fifteen fish. We got all of them jigging except that first perch. I got the big fish of the day. It was a pickerel of about 14 inches. It swallowed my Kastmaster and somehow it did not cut me off. All in all fishing was only okay. I was just happy Ronnie caught some fish.

AC/DC and disposable income

On August 22 my favorite rock band is playing at Gillette Stadium. My favorite types of music are classic rock and country. AC/DC is by far my favorite musician/singer that I have never seen live. I just looked up tickets and the cheapest seats are 54 dollars after all fees. I didn't even worry about the more expensive seats.

Like everyone else, I have a certain amount of money at the end of a pay week to pay for things they want. Some people buy a case of beer. Some go to a nice restaurant. There's obviously many hobbies and there is no shortage of people that want to separate us from our money. Obviously, I spend a lot of money on fishing gear, hiking gear, and mostly on gas.

I will end up going to AC/DC. I really can't pass up seeing my favorite band. However, the day will cost over a hundred bucks if you add up tickets, parking, tailgating, and a drink in the stadium.

Here's the thing, maybe I am cheap, but I look at what else I can do with a hundred bucks. I can go to New Hampshire for a weekend for about seventy five dollars. I can have a great time for sixty hours for less than I can spend on a three hour concert.

 Before you get on me for whining, these are just thoughts. I will have a great time at the concert.  The point is I am careful what I spend my money on. I am always analysing money spent compared to fun had. I used to go to a couple Red Sox games a year. I realized, it just isn't worth it to me.I also used to go to a lot more concerts than I do now. I am a lot more judicious with my money.