End Of The Road?

Not for me silly, this weekend is the supposed end of the Car Talk show (original episodes). I’m going to miss this show, and I doubt that I will devote the hour/week to listen to reruns even if they consist of the “Best Of Car Talk.” Oh well, all things must come to an end I suppose.

Today’s Personal Project
Stop for pancakes along my travels to Brevard this morning. Geez, by the time I finally get out of this house it may be lunch time by the time I stop.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Save water at the kitchen sink: Wet dishes, turn off the tap, soap them up, and then rinse.

Washing dishes with the tap running is a major water-waster: a typical session can use up to 40 gallons (151 liters)! If you turn the water on and off, you can cut that number in half. This equals saved resources – and saved money for your household, because you aren’t paying to heat as much water for the task.

I’m surprised that everyone doesn’t do this already.

I Could Almost Call It Running
Yesterday was the best attempt at running that I’ve had in some time. Mind you no one will mistake my pace for actual running, but on the mean downsloping streets of Sandy Springs I actually managed a significant stride and pace for a while. Of the roughly 5.3 miles covered yesterday I may have loped for almost three of them.

Baby steps toward ridding myself of my forty-seven-year-old baby fat.

And Then I Remembered…
My brain is as old as my baby fat. Remember in yesterday’s blog I mentioned having another topic that I could not recall? It wasn’t until I got into the Jackmobile that it hit me.

Jackmobile Jeopardy:
A: “The corner of Randolf and Highland.”
Q: “Where was the Jackmobile when it hit 150,000 miles, Alex?”

That’s right, yesterday the Jackmobile crested the vaunted 150k mark as I drove into work. Here’s to hoping it has at least another thousand in him as I travel to/from Brevard, NC this weekend.

I’m A Taco Mac VIP
Or not…

After a long day of work I needed to unwind and watch a little NFL football.

An aside: Remember when NFL games were sacred, with two time slots on Sunday and a Monday night game? This season you can watch three games — 1:00pm, 4:00pm, ~8:00pm — on Sunday, a Monday night game, and a Thursday night game. Too much?

Anyway, I strolled into a packed Taco Mac Perimeter and was greeted by a friendly hostess who has greeted me often.

“What’s the estimated wait?” I asked.
“Probably twenty-five minutes.” She replied.
(dramatic pause)
“Okay, please put my name ‘Paul’ on the list.” I said.
“Oh, what’s the waiting time for a Taco Mac VIP?” I said, accompanying it with a playful wink and smile.
“Probably twenty-five minutes.” She replied immediately, in a friendly manner.
“Okay, I’ll wait. Thanks.” Was all I could muster at that point.

I had my normal svelte-busting dinner of beer and nachos and wound up leaving for home some time around halftime.

And Then There Was Siri
I resisted the urge to upgrade my iPhone 4 to iOS 6 yesterday. However, the same could not be said for my iPad 3 New iPad (which I still think is a dumb moniker). This morning I remembered that my iPad upgrade brought Siri into my life, so I asked her for the score for last night’s Giants game — to which “she” produced the results. I hope that this is the start of something special between “she” and I, or is that “she” and me, no that doesn’t sound right. Dangen, why must English be so confusing?

My New iPhone iPhone 5 is due to arrive some time in the next few weeks and will be shipping with iOS 6. Perhaps then I’ll update my iPhone 4 to iOS 6 as I transition it to a fancy-pants alarm clock or whatever.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – fair, work is still looming, but I’m on vacation today
Current Music – listening to GASHCAT’s “Reunion”. It’s totally Neutral Milk Hotel 2.0 but I love it. Rumor has it GASHCAT is planning an East Coast tour soon. Count me in.
Website Of The Day – Today I’m going to point you at a bit of new music. riverwolves is a band I found out via GASHCAT, and that is a link to their Bandcamp page where you can stream the album “G.B.G.S” (I have no idea for what that stands and don’t have the time to research). Go have a listen. It’s free.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – walking/jogging, ~5.3 miles
Morning Weigh-In – 204.2 pounds. Need less food/beer in my life — starting Monday

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~70.2 miles
Wheel Mileage – ~50.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Meals – 32
Carnivorous Meals – 24
Pancakes Eaten – 3

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

September Goals
– Wear “nice” clothes to work at least twice a week, if for no other reason than to have people wonder why I am dressing up. New!
– 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
– 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 100 miles
– Walk (or run) no fewer than 100 miles
– Do no fewer than 750 sit-ups
– Do no fewer than 300 push-ups
– Read a non-techincal book

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]