On Holiday

I hope this blog finds you well today. In the United States it’s Memorial Day and many of us will be off from work, and in my case I’ll be as useless as I was yesterday. I had intended to go out for a bike ride today, and due to my enormous belly girth I just may yet, though I am feeling uninspired at the moment. I’m still looking at the half-(ass)-complete jobs from yesterday.

Yesterday’s Daily Challenge
Use 1 less one fewer paper towel today.

Destroying trees for paper degrades the ecosystem and releases massive amounts of stored carbon, which contributes to climate change. In addition, turning those trees into paper results in hazardous chemical byproducts in our air and water. If we all work together and take small steps to use less paper, we can help protect our health.

I’m going to challenge myself, as well as you, to use a lot fewer paper towels.

Long And Hot
On Saturday morning (seems so long ago) ITP-Reader Martha picked me and BlackJack up and we took a ride up to White, Georgia to meet ITP-Reader Barb, her hubby Allan, Sal, ITP-Reader Bob, and JoAnna at the Sosebee Cycling Park, which is really a nicely equipped and maintained piece of property which has been opened up for cyclists to use. We set out following the forty-eight mile route of the Beautiful Backroads Century. The ride was awesome, though a bit hot, and as we approached the forty-mile mark my quadriceps started to cramp (couldn’t be my lack of training, could it?) so I was extra-thankful when the forty-eight mile loop turned out only to be forty-seven miles long. At ride’s end we actually met and chatted with the guy who turned his piece of property into a great place for cyclists to meet, ride, and socialize. I thanked him for providing this, and donated $5 toward his maintenance costs. After a couple of beers (for me, Martha is far too disciplined to drink after exercising these days) we headed back ITP. I’d do it again, though driving that far to ride a bike seems a little ass-backwards.

After a nice shower and nap on Saturday afternoon I rallied. I “rewarded” myself by going to dinner at (I know, I was supposed to try a new restaurant. But I wanted to reward myself by overeating!). Six o’clock on the Saturday night of a holiday weekend may not be the best time to visit Fox Bros, but I managed to just beat the rush and bellied up to the bar for a beer and dinner. I ordered two “appetizers,” the chicken-fried ribs (which, truth be told, would be better without the battered coating) and half-order of a “Lopez,” which is a plate tater tots smothered with brisket and cheese. Did I mention that I rode a bicycle for forty-seven miles that morning? I “deserved” this. I could have sat and drank there all night, while trying to get the bartender to like me, but she barely warmed to me as she attended my needs. I was undaunted however, for I had more on my plate than just dinner.

With a full belly I waddled drove over to Horizon Theatre for that evening’s performance of “Waffle Palace.” So as not to prejudice myself I’ve been avoiding reading any reviews of “Waffle Palace” (and if you wish to do the same it’s time for you to jump ahead to the next section.) While I won’t say “don’t go see Waffle Palace” I have seen many plays at local theaters that were much better. “Waffle Palace” is a locally conceived and written play, and really felt that way to me. The acting, including the one of the play’s writers, was well done, but the play seemed a bit forced and off-target on occasion. If you like comedies, supporting the Horizon Theatre, and have time before the beginning of July then I suggest venturing out to see “Waffle Palace,” otherwise you may be more entertained by going to your local Waffle House

Long And Lazy
Bike riding, Fox Bros BBQ, and a play at Horizon Theatre? That’s a weekend in itself!

While there was still plenty for me to do, I focused on house chores, and then an immense amount of time watching Mad Men (funny how I can find the time to watch that, but not Stanford’s iOS Development course). Data backups, attempts at organization and the reading of techniques used to organize, and kitchen cleanup were the first attempted tasks. I scored a modicum of success, including making a oatmeal stout rye bread(!) before retiring in bed for “a second” which turned into a least an hour’s nap.

The day seemed to slip away quickly. As the heat of the day pounded on the ITP Estate I slinked into the basement to do a little A/V reconfiguring. With another job half-done I fired up the A/V system to see how well my handiwork performed, and before I knew it I’d made a dinner of sausage with roasted root vegetables (turnips, beets, radishes) and watched five commercial-free episodes of Mad Men.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – sniffly, which along with my laziness, is one of the reasons I’m not riding this morning
Current Music – listening to some KEXP podcasts
Website Of The Day – I looked for a “Powered By Pancakes” bike jersey this weekend. While I failed with that quest I did find many other items emblazoned with “Powered By Pancakes” at Powered By T-Shirts. (note: this appears to be the first month in many in which I’ve eaten no pancakes!)
Mode Of Transportation To Work – none, today’s a holiday!
Exercise (b)Log – Saturday = cycling, ~47 miles
Morning Weigh-In – don’t care

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 22.2 miles
Wheel Mileage – 90.5 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Days – 3
Carnivorous Days – 24
Pancakes Eaten – 0

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

Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2012

1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me — Mindy Kahling
2. Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man’s Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science — Curtis Ebbesmeyer
3. God, No! — Penn Jillette
4. The Elephant to Hollywood — Michael Caine
5. Here Comes Trouble — Michael Moore
6. How We Decide — Jonah Lehrer
7. Steve Jobs — Walter Isaacson

May Goals
– Lose at least two pounds (net weight loss)
– Completely recover from my sebaceous cyst surgery
– Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
– Not to get sick for the entire month (may be a moot point as of today)
– Eat vegetarian no fewer than ten days
– 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]