I’ve Almost Become Numb To This Cold Weather

Or perhaps I’ve just become numb.

One Glass Broken, One Glass Spilled, Now That’s A Party
I have to laugh. On Saturday I had a group of good friends over for a wine and regift party. Knowing the size would be no more than fifteen (fewer attended thanks to icy conditions and family emergencies), as well as knowing that we’d be drinking a lot of red wine, I decided to hold the gathering upstairs instead of the customary party basement. For those who’ve never been to one of my basement parties you should know that it is carpeted with real shag carpeting from the 1960’s; spilling wine on it would be more of a pain in the ass over a tragedy. My decision paid off big time as during the night one wine glass was knocked over and smashed, and the contents of one glass of wine was accidentally launched. The hardwood floor was much easier to clean than the carpet ever would be.

There must have been something in the air this weekend as I managed to break a fairly thick pint glass as I was washing it yesterday.

Over all the party was a big success. I wound up with some bizarre Island Princess karaoke head, which I gladly traded for ITP-Reader Sue’s Moonshine Jelly at the end of the gift exchange. That wacky Island Princess became the hit of the party, though, once Sue opened the package and new batteries were installed. Strange how shit like that happens.

Of all the gifts available the Moonshine Jelly was number two on my want list. ITP-Reader Barb scored a really interesting triplet of “See No Evil,” “Hear No Evil,” “Speak No Evil” monkeys. However, I was never in a position to steal them.

Oh, and with what did I part? That mixer set that I received at the last White Elephant Gift Exchange. Sure it was kind of neat, but I never saw myself using it so what better way to get rid of it than to pass it along.

Introducing The Monday Resolutionist
As we begin the second full week of 2010 I realized that waiting for a new year in order to make resolution makes little sense. So, I’ve decided to see if I can pull off making one resolution each Monday and keep that up through year’s end.

This week’s Monday resolution is to (re)start reading 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die at the pace of five pages a night. In a mere two-hundred nights I’ll be done!

ITP Flickr Pic
Believe it or not there are two photos on my camera that I took yesterday. Believe it or not I am waiting on something to arrive before I start cataloging and editing the photos I’ve taken in 2010. Perhaps if I get some time today I’ll take a stab in order to have something available before the arrival of my goods.

J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!
Well looky there, the Jets actually won a playoff game! Woo Hoo!

The Jackmobile Is Looking A Bit Clampett Today
This morning I braved the cold and loaded up the Jackmobile with five boxes of stuff that will find their way to Goodwill today. I thought about having a garage sale later this year; I thought about offering up the stuff to anyone who wanted it; but in reality there is nothing of great individual value in any of the boxes so one swift stop at Goodwill later will make me happy. The reclaimed space on the floor, in bookcases, and in closets will also make me happy.

Expect to see me recycle this sentiment in the blog again at some point. This purge was the “easy to part with” stuff. Later in the month / year I will be making another pass or two in order to get ride of the “Really? You don’t need this because you never use this.” goods.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay, not great but okay
Current Music – listening to a KEXP music podcast
Website Of The Day – I still have the shag carpeting. At one time I also had a boatload of Wallpaper from the 70’s too.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 199 pounds

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 8 (8)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 9
Marta Rides – 0

January Goals
– Not get fired from my job

2010 Goals
– Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds)
– Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
РEarn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalape̱o Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
– Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
– Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
– Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]