Breaking Down

Last night a different tooth started to bother me and this morning my stomach is not handling the milk and Biscoff spread that I put into it as “breakfast.” I’m not feeling like I’m living the good life at the moment.

Today’s Personal Project
Stop the insanity that is the current state of my life.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Skip the multitasking and focus on just one activity for ten minutes today.

We may think that multitasking makes us more productive, but research shows otherwise. Not only are there the possible deadly consequences (as when talking on a cell phone or texting while driving), family life and relationships also suffer from our distracted behavior. Studies also show that heavy multitaskers have more trouble focusing and experience more stress.

I’ll try this once I get done answering email, writing this blog, listening to Coverville, while feeling as if I am going to puke.

Same As It Ever Was
I thought I’d be able to blow the popsicle stand no later than eight. The plan was to head over to Taco Mac for a beer and dinner, but that never happened. By the time I escaped the office (read “9:45pm”, with a nagging tooth to boot) I was ready to drive home and pass out.

Which is what I did.

“There’s Always Money In The Banana Stand”
Or so said George Bluth on “Arrested Development.” I suppose the same could be said about me, replacing “shoes” for “banana stand.” The other good thing about my momentary glimpse at spending time with a person in whom you have interest was getting me to look at shoes I haven’t worn in some time (these would be shoes known in my world as “Interview Shoes.”) This morning I chose to wear the pair that I didn’t choose for Saturday night and was pleasantly surprised to see $80 shoved into them (probably from the last time I traveled with them).

Guess I’ll be going through my shoes thoroughly before tossing or donating any. 😉

Hey, I Know Her!
Yesterday I went to Aida Mollenkamp‘s website to get the details about her book signing at Lenox Mall tomorrow (which I plan to attend — hmm, I should have saved today’s attire for tomorrow. Dangen!). On the front page of her website is a photo and short segment about Atlanta food blogger Tami Hardeman aka Running With Tweezers. Back in the early days of Twitter when we used to have meet ups I knew Tami and her (then?) boyfriend Mike.

It’s pretty weird and cool to see something about someone I know on another blog I follow.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – so tired, and so tired of feeling pain
Current Music – listening to the latest “Coverville” podcast
Website Of The Day – That part of town containing the Pencil Factory Lofts has a new bar/restaurant opening soon called The Drafting Table — which intrigues me.
Mode Of Transpor ttation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – walking/jogging, ~5.4 miles
Morning Weigh-In – yep, I forgot

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~10.6 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 3

Vegetarian Meals – 6
Carnivorous Meals – 0
Pancakes Eaten – 0

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

October 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
– Find someone else to go out on a date with

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]