‘F’

If my life were a set of Sue Grafton novels today’s edition would focus on the letter ‘F.’

Today’s Personal Project
Catch up on the Stanford CS193P courses. I’m now 2.5 hours behind.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Try your hand at acupressure and massage the skin between your thumb and forefinger for one minute.

Acupressure is an ancient Chinese healing art that is thought to reduce fatigue, improve mood, and relieve pain. It is based on the belief that the body has acupressure points along meridians, or channels, in the body. The major channels are connected to certain organs or organ networks. Pressing on the acupressure points – such as the area between the thumb and forefinger – can promote the healthy flow of qi (pronounced “chee”), or energy, through the meridians. Regular acupressure can boost your immune system, give you more energy, and relax your mind and body.

‘F’ Is For “Failure To Execute”
With an Armageddon-like rainstorm pending I decided to wait out the storm at Chuy’s with my boss rather than make my way down to the lavanderia. Around the Perimeter Mall area the storm was massive, proving that Chuy’s has a little roof work to do as there were a few points of failure last night, letting the rain drip through.

Chuy’s also failed me again by being out of Sweetwater 420. I spoke with a manager who said that they are having difficulty getting it in stock. When I reminded him that the beer was brewed right here in our very city he shrugged and said that he was still having difficulty getting it.

‘F’ Is For “Forgetfulness”
When I arrived home last night all I wanted to do was collapse in bed and read. And then I remembered that I promised to make pulled pork for lunch today and that I needed to go back out to the grocery store to get the meat. Had I only remembered to stop at the Sage Hill Kroger on my way home I would have been set.

‘F’ Is For “Frustrating”
I drove myself up to the Edgewood Retail District Kroger and was frustrated to find that they had no pork shoulders. So today I’m winging it, using a pork tenderloin instead. I could have tried to go to a different grocery store looking for a pork shoulder, but I was tired and just wanted to return home.

I’m hoping that the more-expensive cut of meat has enough fat in it to survive the twelve-hour cooking cycle that I am currently putting it through. If not I shall have to hang my head in shame and apologize to my coworkers for producing an inferior meal.

‘F’ Is For “Forecast”
On my walk around the Sandy Springs / Dunwoody area this morning I noticed quite a few branches down, including some snapped trees, all thanks to yesterday’s deluge. From what I see from today’s forecast we could be in for more of the same today.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay
Current Music – listening to today’s stage of the Tour de France
Website Of The Day – Googling for “F is for” this morning lead me to BookRags, a website for homework help, book summaries, etc. I wish that I had accesses to the internet back when I was in school.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – walking, ~4.9 miles
Morning Weigh-In – still forgetting to check

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~29.5 miles
Wheel Mileage – ~63.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Days – 2
Carnivorous Days – 8
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
8. Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays) — Arthur Miller
9. Fahrenheit 451 — Ray Bradbury

July Goals
– Take at least one load of stuff from my house to Goodwill
– Post at least ten new photos during the month (let’s try this again)
– Lose at least two pounds (net weight loss)
– Finish two books (audio or otherwise, comic books do not qualify)
– 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
– Ride no fewer than 150 miles

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]