Sorry about yesterday’s failure to blog. I was awake early in Raleigh for my flight back to Atlanta. While I had forty-minute spans of free time here and there, none of those provided enough time for me to generate a blog.
Upon my return to the office (post Perimeter Mall lunch and Apple Store stop — returning with one, ridiculously overpriced cable for my Mac Mini) I was delightfully surprised to find out that I won a quarter in one of the “squares” competitions in which I participated, turning an $18 investment into $80. This is a much better way to start the week than last week’s notice that I was #2 out of two in a competition to win someone’s heart.
I Had A Great Time In Raleigh
Great friends, great food, great wine, a fun hockey game in which the local team beat my current home team, and old school bowling. I never got my Loco Pops fix, but that’s alright as it’ll give me a reason to visit during warmer times.
ITP Flickr Pic
Raleigh has a cool upstairs bowling alley that doesn’t offer electronic scoring — which I think is awesome!
I took this photo at just the right time because Randy went on to become a striking machine and my score wallowed.
Time To Return To The Training Bandwagon
I let cold temperatures and laziness interrupt my training schedule this past weekend, and travel interrupt it yesterday. I even allowed myself a Taco Mac fix last night.
This afternoon my fatter-than-desired body will be poking around the area known as “Perimeter Mall” as I attempt to get a four-mile “run” under my oversized belt. I would have gotten out there this morning, but the cold air and stiff breeze, combined with how tired I was this morning (cold coming on?) convinced me to stay in bed instead.
Time To Continue To Stay Off The Social Media
For the past week I’ve been trying to avoid Twitter and Facebook mostly to stop spending time that should be dedicated to other efforts on those services.
Truth be told, everyone’s proclamations of happiness and love, combined with the inundation of “Valentine’s Specials” (guess who will be Valentine-less again this year) has been bringing me down as well. So, while avoidance may not be the ultimate solution, it’s the one that I will continue for at least another week. Who knows, this might be just the sort of break I need to ween myself from the Social Media teats…
Huh, Thought That I Had So Much More To Say
But I don’t today. Time to make the doughnuts…
Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – meh, and actually not feeling that great physically
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – I’m not much of a sunglass wearer, but if you are considering buying a new pair in anticipation of longer days and hotter weather then check out Geek Sunglasses.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 206 pounds — apparently I can’t lose there either
Monthly
Foot Mileage – 10.3 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 1 (1)
Vegetarian Days – 3
Carnivorous Days – 4
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0
February Goals
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Not get fired from my job
– Run no fewer than 75 miles
– Lose two pounds
– Go out on a date with someone else
– Read an entire book
2011 Goals [will be a little more fluid than in past years]
– Reduce my weight by 25 pounds based on the my weight as measured on February 1st
– Completely read the book Daily Negations which I received as a Christmas gift.
– Run Sharpened Stone as a real business — one which does not get penalized.
– 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
– Ride in no fewer than five 50 mile or 50K bike rides
– Run in no fewer than two half-marathons
– Submit at least one application under the name “Sharpened Stone” to Apple’s iOS store
The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
Well, I suppose we can cut you some slack since you were travelling.
Sunday, even I got out and ran after I returned to the farm. Probably the first time all year. For some reason, I couldn’t face the rollers…
Glad to see the Pack survive the Steelers/Criminals. My co-worker Sam is a big Steeler fan and he would have been pretty unbearable. Instead, he had to put up with me, only slightly less so!!!
-FP
I bet most kids have no idea how to score bowling by hand.
I’m over the Valentine’s Day ads as well, I really don’t think that I will love Allan any less if he doesn’t get me a bunch of expensive gifts. If fact, it would make me mad if he did spend a bunch of money on that sort of thing. We have too many other things (like a deck & patio) that we need to spend money on.
It’s good to be back. And, starting tonight I am going to concentrate on dedicated “Paulie Time” each day during which I plan to better myself through reading, exercise, etc.
Barb, I guarantee that most kids don’t know how to score bowling by hand. I also enjoyed that the lanes had ancient bowling balls, and old-school wood lanes on which my feet actually slid upon my approach. My final score of 134 didn’t please me, but the rest of the experience did.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that February 5th (last Saturday) was my fourteenth anniversary with my current employer. Holy Hell I’m old!
And not to spoil too much for tomorrow’s blog, I just opened up the bill sent to me by the City of Atlanta for my Business License renewal and it’s for $125, not $75. They have assessed me $50 for the license fee and $75 for the annual administration. I was under the impression that the $50 was a one-time fee which I paid as part of the $687 bill last year. It’s never going to be easy with them, will it?
Welcome back Paulie!
I’m sure I would struggle with manually scoring bowling too (but I’m not that smart anyway), I’ll bet there is an app for that 🙂
I’ve never been much of a bowler, so I know I wouldn’t be able to manually score… and I’m not sure I know how to do much with the computerized version, either.
Could CoATL just be on a mission to piss you off?
I can still manually-score bowling (I think it’s bred into you in Wisconsin), but, alas, I have forgotten how to manually-score a baseball game. 🙁 I remember learning that when I was little, seated out in the stands at Milwaukee County Stadium, scoring the Brewers’ games. Ah…good memories.
Many years of bowling in the pre-electronic era have engrained the scoring mechanism for scoring in my head. There is probably an app for that, though it’s use would be limited since most alleys have electronic scoring.
I used to love scoring baseball games as well. I’m sure if I dig up an old scorecard I could remember how to do so quickly.
If the CoATL is trying to piss me off they are doing a really good job. I will be calling them tomorrow and discussing the matter. At least the bill is not due until 4/1.
I’m sure the city isn’t actually “trying” to piss you off, I’m sure it is just because everyone there is incompetent. The things that Allan tells me about the fire department are so crazy, I can just imagine all the other departments are exactly the same.
I never learned how to score a baseball game, but that would probably be because I’m not a baseball lover at all, so if my dad tried to teach me, I wouldn’t have paid attention.
My legs are a little sore from a weekend of running. Ended up doing 9 on Saturday (was suppose to be 4) and then Red Top on Sunday. Red Top was fun, cold, but I was told not as cold as last year, must be why I was an entire minute faster (can you hear the sarcasm?). The hash was represented well, at least 10 ran and others came to cheer us on.
I’m with you Barb about VDay…I don’t want Jerry to get me anything (especially silly flowers)…too many other things we can spend money on. I think he has a work function Monday night anyway.
If you ever doubt I’m from the Midwest, just remember bowling was considered a sport, they would bus us over to the bowling alley for gym class.
Martha, they bussed our PE classes to the bowling alley in East Point as well. Just good for business. I never took that class, though.
My first “real job” after college was working for the American Bowling Congress (ABC – as well as WIBC and YABA)! Right there across from Southridge Mall in Greenfield (Greendale?) Wisconsin. It can’t NOT be a sport when the headquarters are right there!
Okay, looks like I’m the odd man out then: I LOVE ME SOME VALENTINES DAY!! y’all can send your stuffs to me, k? And Paulie, just ignore the Valentine already headed your way. Oops. 🙂
I grew up candlepin bowling (pre-electronic scorers) so I can score both candlepin and regular bowling. Go me!
VDay = Bah humbug.
Hmm, I had no idea candlepin bowling was scored differently. I wonder about duckpin bowling…
Well, you get three tries, so you get a certain amount of points if you clear the pins on the first, second or third throw.
Sorry but this is totally directed at Stacy. WOW! Southridge used to be THE mall. But, rembering that area made me think of Kopp’s frozen custard and the burgers with a pat of butter on top…
Lisa – TOTALLY! I remember that was always THE mall we went to! According to Mom, it’s really taken a turn (she’s not out in Muskego anymore though, and closer to Brookfield Square). Remember when Mayfair had the ice skating rink, too? Ohhh yeah. Good times at the malls!
I have been so craving the Kopp’s butter burger lately. I’ve been told the Steak and Shake have ’em but I’m skeptical….it just is NOT KOPPS.