Sleep, What A Concept

After confirming my suspicion that I was going to skip the iOS Developers meetup I coerced myself into going over to Taco Mac for some dinner and a few beers. My plan worked even better than I imagined (not what you might be thinking) because I also talked myself out of stopping at the grocery store on the way home, chatted with my mother for a while on the phone, and them promptly passed out some time shortly after 9:30pm. Needless to say I was a little more chipper this morning when the alarm went off at 5:00am, and even though it was noticeably chilly inside the ITP Estate I managed to rally my ass out the door by 6:15am. Now if I could have only convinced myself to get some exercise this morning…

My back is a little better today, though it still aches some.

A Rare Bit Of Politics
Many people and companies I respect are blackening-out their logos and websites today in order to fight the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). In a land that supposedly values “Free Speech” I am appalled at the companies who are using the Government (through financial support most likely) in order to “stop piracy.” In my opinion this “War on Piracy” will have as much success as the wars “on Drugs” and “on Terrorists” which is to say, none, other than to waste time and money and punishing the innocent.

*stepping off my soapbox*

ITP Flickr Pic
Warning: This photo may not actually show today because of my belief that SOPA and PIPA are bad for our nation

The photo above was taken inside the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. It’s a nice shot which would have been made better had I thought to bring my tripod inside.

*really stepping off my soapbox*

I Have A New “RealiTV” Guilty Pleasure
This past weekend I started watching the episodes of “Rocco’s Dinner Party” (whose Bravo TV link inexplicably takes you to Season 1 of “Shear Genius”) that I’ve had stored on my Dish Network-brand DVR since recording them last summer. The show’s formula doesn’t break any new ground…

• Three chefs arrive and prepare their signature dish
• One chef is immediately eliminated
• The remaining two chefs prepare a dinner party for Rocco DiSpirito and six dinner guests
• During the preparation of the dinner party a “twist” is introduced to fuck with the chefs
• A winner is declared, and that winner takes home a check for $20,000 (pre-taxes)

DiSpirito has been a TV chef for some time. I first remember DiSpirito being a part of a Food Network series called “Melting Pot” (which also featured wonderfully younger versions of Padma Lakshmi and Michael Simon) before going onto the painful RealiTV show called “The Restaurant” which chronicled the botched attempt to open an italian restaurant in Manhattan.

Looking Forward To Top Chef Tonight
I will be stopping at Kroger tonight to pick up the fixings for tonight’s dinner, as well as tomorrow’s lunch.

Tonight I’ll be roasting a chicken (assuming I can buy a bird which is not completely frozen), and am contemplating making some cheesy mashed cauliflower (never done this before). Because of Top Chef’s late start I should have ample time to shop and get home with enough time to whip up a delicious dinner. Roasting a chicken will also help heat up the ITP Estate through the use of my ancient, inefficient oven.

Tomorrow I’ll be crockpotting some beef stew for a communal lunch at work. I’ve been trying to get a handful of my coworkers to buy into this concept of a weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly communal lunch in which one person brings in the main course and others can bring in salad/sides/dessert. I’m trying to reduce some costs while raising the bar on the quality of food that I put into my body.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – better, not great, but better
Current Music – listening to this week’s “Back to Work” podcast
Website Of The Day – I have supported, through financial means, the Electronic Freedom Foundation because I think that they are one of the few companies I can trust to protect our digital rights.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – next week

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 2.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – ~6.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

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

Vegetarian Days – 0
Carnivorous Days – 17
Pancakes Eaten – 0

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

January Goals
– Lose at least one pound (net weight loss)
– “Completely” recover from the bike crash (though I’m beginning to think that this will never happen)
– Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Eat vegetarian no fewer than ten days
– Not get fired from my job, nor quit my job
– Follow up with doctors, lawyer, women in whom I have interest
– Participate in a least one dinner party (perhaps held at my house when plumbing issues are addressed?)
– Go out on a least one date with a woman in whom I have interest
– Submit 2012 paperwork for Sharpened Stone, LLC
– Gather all tax paperwork for 2011 income taxes
– Request free credit report
– Successfully arrange for automatic payments for my mortgage
– Watch all of the classes in the 2011 Winter semester of Stanford’s CS193P (iOS Development) course

2012 Goals [will be a little less fluid than last year]
– Get my weight under 200 pounds, or at least whittle myself back down to where wearing a 36″ pant size is comfortable
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Run Sharpened Stone as a real business
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
– Ride in no fewer than five 50 mile or 50K bike rides
– Run in no fewer than one one 10K
– Submit at least one application under the name “Sharpened Stone” to Apple’s iOS store
– Restore the ITP Estate to a condition where it can be put up for sale at any time
– Buy a new iPhone (iPhone 5?), a new iPad (iPad 3?), and MacBook Air [look, not all goals have to be altruistic]

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient and profitable programmer in Objective-C
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions
– Start, and continue to, make my own bread using my bread machine as well as using the technique outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
– Read and discard magazines during the month in which they arrive (even digitally)
– See more live concerts than I did in 2011
– Eat more pancakes
– Drive/Fly somewhere for a real vacation

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]