The spirit of Mardi Gras or “Fat Tuesday” overcame me last night. I’m not talking about beads and women flashing me their mammory glands either. I’m talking more of the pageantry and feasting and living in excess and then starting Lent on Ash Wednesday for 40 days of giving up a normal “vice” and giving pennance for sins. I was riding back home from a hill workout and noticed people walking around with beads and hats. My focus shifted from going home, eating a good meal, stretching, and getting some good rest in to “I should let loose, go out to eat, drink a few beers, and check out the scene on 6th st. for a little bit” Colleen was sick and couldn’t come with me, but she can rest assured I only took one bead necklace with me and it was not one I was not willing to give up. I had a nice southern comfort meal at Victory grill (highly recommended, by the way) before heading to some blues bars and throwing a few beers back on 6th. The scene down there is interesting, and pathetic at best. It used to be a lot more celebratory and in the true spirit of Mardi Gras, but these days, it’s mostly a bunch of minorities running around with a digital camera trying to find the next overweight unnattractive woman willing to expose her chest for a few plastic beads. It’s almost a legal form of prostitution if you think about it. Instead of paying the women directly with money, a guy buys some beads and gives them to a female in exchange for a 2 second viewing. The ironic thing is that the actual money goes to the sidewalk “pimps”, those nice folks selling the beads out of their corner store and that the men never get any real “service”. Oh well, I guess some guys get what they can take. Me, I just kind of hung around gorging myself with ice cream bars and pizza (PROCESSED CARBS!!) laughing anytime there was mass rapid migration of men to a gullible woman like a flock of pigeons swarm to a piece of bread. It’s actually more entertaining to watch from afar. Anyways, I consumed enough junk and processed carb calories to last me well over 40 days and felt my job was done so I retired early and actually got to bed before 11:30. As for what I’ll giving up for Lent, i think caffeine would be a good start. In the least, I can give up coffee, because I really do enjoy hot teas and the other benefits tea has to offer, it just so happens that tea has a little caffeine in it. I’ve done alcohol before, but truly, that’s not that hard. I’m already giving up carbs for my Paleo diet so that won’t be hard either. I barely watch any TV so I don’t see that as a worthwhile sacrifice either. Coffee it is! I will even fast all day Wednesday to help clear out all the gunk in my high octane engine. Even if you aren’t Christian, Lent is a nice way to realize all the blessings in your life and identify stuff that you really don’t need. Intermittent fasting just happens to be part of the Caveman diet too! Remember that cavepeople weren’t always able to secure a food source, so their bodies adapted to going a day or two every now and then without food. An abundance of food choices has made my mind weak, fasting will help make it strong. I urge you to give up something for 40 days that you might consider “bad”, and consider fasting on occasion. Let me what it is, and how you’re doing in 20 days. Good luck!