random thoughts – Day 1,528 – (Saturday) – decisions

The list of options for the day was lengthy. Facebook events were flagged up and down the schedule, and the coffee-time decision analysis was conducted. For the morning's entertainment, I could go to the gym and walk on the treadmill at my preferred 4.0 mph pace, alone and freezing under the massive ceiling fans, followed by ten minutes in the massage chair. I would be home within an hour and free to move on to other activities.

Or, I could go downtown for the "Lowell Walks: Hamilton Canal District" group walk led by a local history expert. The pace would be significantly slower, with frequent stops along the route for the learning part of event, and the total time with travel downtown and back would be between two and three hours.

Learning about canals.

The decision swung solidly to the outdoor history walk. Walking indoors on a treadmill on a gorgeous day seemed completely insane and I knew at least one friend would be at the walk. It felt like a healthy decision for both body and mind and as a bonus, I saw three people I know.

I’ve been on quite a few of the themed walks over the years and they are always informative. Today’s lesson included information about the evolution and connectivity of the canals in Lowell and the competitive advantages Lowell manufacturing had once upon a time. The canals helped channel the power of the Merrimack River and today I learned we had one of the first railway lines to help move the textiles to Boston. And a mill builder who went to England to visit a successful mill, the design of which was protected like a trademark. He memorized the layout to replicate the structure in Lowell, which worked because his luggage was searched for notes and drawings, but of course none were found. Corporate espionage and intrigue was alive and well.

One of the recurring topics on nearly every tour, whether it be through downtown or at Lowell Cemetery, is the invention of Moxie Nerve Tonic which eventually became Moxie soda. It happened right here in Lowell, and despite its availability at Market Basket and hearing about it countless times, I still haven’t tried it. Every time I hear the story, I think that it is long past the time to do so. Considering the weird things I have liked over the years (anchovies, liver, black licorice, and Finnish salmiakki) there is a good chance it might be my new favorite beverage and I just don’t know it yet.

There was very nearly an evening visit to Market Basket, but not specifically for Moxie, which I’d forgotten about by then, and more generally for ice cream and bakery treats. I talked myself out of going with the argument that summer and swimsuit season is basically here and ice cream will not help with swim suit confidence. Last year I very deliberately avoided the beach and shorts, because, well, flab. I do not wish to repeat that this year.

Tasty treat.

Skipping MB was well and good, but then, because one of my top skills is self-sabotage,  I undermined the entire effort and made peanut butter and fluff Ritz crackers. Then I ate the rest of the just-opened sleeve of crackers and washed it down with a Wormtown Brewery Be Hoppy beer. The combination of light salt and heavy hops is pretty good, but in terms of overall damage, I should probably have just gotten the ice cream. The sinus issues it triggers is usually effective for curtailing consumption.