Slow, Slow, Start

I had hoped to be rejuvenated today, but instead I’m tired and having bodily issues. I just couldn’t get myself out of bed to go for a walk, and paid dearly in the form of traffic. And now, back in the office I am unable to sign into my work iMac, which I need to do in order to update my schedule.

Ugh.

Today’s Personal Project
Get myself out of this funk.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Do a spine-strengthening stretch.

Many people complain of low back pain as they age, and sedentary lifestyles can contribute to weaker muscles in this region. This is a great exercise to strengthen the muscles along your spine in your lower back. This can help prevent pain during everyday activities or when you’re exercising.

I need to do more stretching in general.

Fun Times In Raleigh
As I mentioned in Friday’s blog we went to a Durham Bulls game on Thursday night.

Friday was spent doing a little shopping at REI while ITP-Readers Lisa’s and Randy’s kids were at day camp at the local YMCA. Friday night was Adult Night as Lisa and Randy hired a sitter and the three of us went out for Indian food at a really decent Indian restaurant called Mantra. As an added bonus this restaurant is within walking distance of the hotel in which I stay when I’m in Raleigh for work, so I may be visiting it again in the future.

Saturday was spent lounging around while Lisa took the kids to a birthday party. Upon return Lisa took the elder boy to a friend’s pool while Randy and I took the younger boy to the Raleigh science museum. The night was spent hanging out at the community pool watching the Olympics, and eating pizza.

On Sunday we packed up the family and back-traced an hour of my driving route from Thursday back to Asheboro, home of the North Carolina Zoo. I did my best to take some photos as we wandered (adults) and ran (children) to each exhibit. I’ll bore you with a couple of my shots, and probably one or two taken by Lisa’s and Randy’s boys (maybe I shouldn’t tell you who took which of the shots…). By Sunday evening I was ready to do no more than enjoy a family dinner and plop in front of the television for more tape-delayed Olympics coverage.

I left on Monday morning, after making a stop for four six-packs of North Carolina beer which I cannot procure locally. If you find yourself in Raleigh and in need of beer, might I suggest visiting Peace Street Market — which opens every day at 6:00am! If I had timed it right my choice of US 1 South to I-20 West in order to return home would have been great. I followed many empty roads along the way, passing through some of the smallest towns North and South Carolina had to offer. So small were most of these towns that their only restaurant was closed, which when traveling around lunchtime sucks. I was forced to consume a slice of pizza bought from an Exxon station in a town called Parker, NC, or was it SC by then? I did find a Biscuitville along this route, but unfortunately my timing was poor as I’d eaten breakfast not more than two hours previously.

About the only concern when traveling along America’s “old highway system” is breaking down. Even when I should be convinced differently I’ve had the utmost trust in the Jackmobile’s ability to get me from Point ‘A’ to Point ‘B’, and thankfully it did perfectly yesterday.

ITP Flickr Pic
We bought a zoo! Well, okay, we just paid to get in.

You may laugh when I say how ticked I am that there is that one branch which annoys the crap out of me.

Getting Back To It
I’m way behind schedule and need to step up my game greatly. I foresee many long days ahead, at least until I head to New York for my next vacation in a few weeks.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – meh
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – If I needed a vacation from this vacation I could always look on Vacation.com for my next idea. But, I don’t, and besides I already have my next vacation booked!
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – not checking

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

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Meals – ???, will calculate later
Carnivorous Meals – ???, will calculate later
Pancakes Eaten – 0

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

August Goals
– Eat no fewer than forty-five vegetarian meals
– Take at least one load of stuff from my house to Goodwill
– Take unused electronics to recycling center
– 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)
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
– Ride no fewer than 150 miles (might be hard given the amount of travel scheduled this month)
– Walk (or run) no fewer than 75 miles
– Do no fewer than 750 sit-ups
– Do no fewer than 300 push-ups

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

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

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]