I Got A Lot On My Head

(Unlike me, today’s title won’t spur you to start singing The Cars).

There is a lot going on in my life at the moment. I wish that I could say that any of it was for the better, but that’s just not the case right now. Fingers crossed for me and all that are concerned.

Attack Of The Clones
I wanted a Taco Mac trip last night, so I meandered over after work. [note to self: You need to update your Taco Mac Passport list on the blog.] Desiring to sit in a section served by one of my friendly waitresses, I noticed that at the other end of the long, narrow room was a gaggle of “clones.” The crowd seemed to be in the caucasian, 21-30 demographic, all of which I’d categorize as “attractive.” All of the men were fit, wearing business suits with white shirts and ties. All of the women were slender, dressed in smart outfits, most of long, (unnatural) blond hair, and many of them were wearing large (formerly known as “men’s”), metal wristwatches. I never have, nor would I ever be able to fit in with a crowd like this. Part of me is saddened by this thought, but part of me is mighty alright with this.

I had two beers and a taco salad at Taco Mac last night (which was somewhat ironic since I passed on eating a Taco Salad from the cafeteria at lunch). To my shock each of my two beers cost more than my meal! I ordered two of the “new” beers, which on the “new” list never have prices listed. The first beer was $7.00 and the second beer, which was served in an 11-ounce glass, was $7.50. Yikes! I might need a new hobby. 😉

Sadly I was unable to write my soon-to-be Pulitzer Prize winning “Stuck On The Connector” piece last night because I got home too late, was too tired, and spent time talking to my mother.

I’m Hoping That I Won’t Get A Raw Deal
On my trip home last night I stopped at Sage Hill Kroger to pick up a big pork shoulder to cook all day today with the intent of bringing in for sharing with a handful of coworkers tomorrow. Unfortunately none of the pork shoulders for sale were as large as I desired (I was looking for 5+ pounds, the best I could get was 4.25 pounds) so I sprung for another pound of tenderloin to toss into the crock pot.

Speaking of the crock pot, I don’t actually remember plugging it in and turning it on this morning. Normally I can conjure a mental image of me performing such tasks, but I’m drawing a blank. I hope that it’s just my distracted mind which is keeping me from remembering and that I don’t return home to a crock pot filled with raw pork. You know you’ll read about it all tomorrow if I do, however.

Ugh, Looks Like I Need A New Battery
Yesterday I plugged in my black MacBook only to see a new message “Not Charging” near that battery icon. Huh. According to the “Help” this message means that the battery is functioning, just with far less capacity than it originally had. While it may be “functioning,” the battery’s capacity was nil — unplug the laptop, watch the laptop shut down immediately.

In better financial times I might be considering selling this MacBook and purchasing a sleek, new, MacBook Air. However, with things being the way they are currently I will have to take one of the following actions:

1. Buy a replacement battery, from Apple for $129 + sales tax.
2. Buy a replacement battery, from some other vendor for $40.
3. Use it only plugged in, making sure that I save content often enough so that if the power goes out I lose nothing.

Right now I’m not sure what I plan to do…

A Decree
Starting today, the tenth of August, I will not be going out to eat or drink for the remainder of August — that’s twenty-one days for those into the math. The only two exceptions to this rule are:

1. Going out on dates (History proves that this shouldn’t hamper my success at all)
2. Going out with groups, with the express intent of not hampering any social/professional success (e.g. a business lunch/dinner)

I’m hoping that my waistline with appreciate this gesture, I’m certain that my bank account will.

It’ll be interesting to see how long I can honor this.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – cautious
Current Music – listening to this week’s “MacBreak Weekly” podcast
Website Of The Day – While far from the nicest looking website (in fact, it’s quite ugly) the concept behind Georgia Wine Hiking intrigues me.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – stair climbing, 6 flights
Morning Weigh-In – crap, I forgot to check

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 30 flights

Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 0 (0)

Vegetarian Days – 0
Carnivorous Days – 9

Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0

August Goals
– “Completely” recover from the bike crash
– Ride my bike no fewer than 150 miles
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Not get fired from my job
– Run at least once
– Eat vegetarian no fewer than five days
– Lose two pounds

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 one half-marathon
– 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]