Squandered Time

I was awake again at 5:00am when my alarm sounded, and continue to sound as I struggled to get the aged iPhone 3G that I use as my bedside clock to recognize my screen taps; it never did and I finally managed to shut the damn thing up by performing a hard reset.

Nevertheless I managed to check the morning radar and see a violent line of storms destined for our fair city, so I promptly went back to sleep until 7:30am. Ooops.

Today’s Personal Project
Get some exercise this afternoon and then head over to Terminal West for the Father John Misty show.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Share one way you’ve saved money recently.

Many of us don’t tend to discuss money with those around us. But by sharing a money-saving tip with others, it may motivate them to share great ideas with you – and this idea may add to your bottom line! Remember that every little bit helps, and that having better control over your finances can lower your stress level and increase your well-being.

I shared one way that I squandered money recently — by forgetting to pay my credit card. I guess one way that I’ve been saving money is drink out less. I sort of saved money last night by not going out to hear Tilly and the Wall perform.

Remember, the best way to save money is to spend less than you make. Sound advice in any economy!

It Just Wasn’t The Same
After getting a haircut I hoofed it over to George’s Bar for Third Wednesday. This month, sans the night’s “creator” ITP-Reader Steve the turnout was less-than-stellar. Regardless, I had a good time drinking a few (cheap) beers and eating dinner with ITP-Readers Laura and Bob (who may divulge the purchase he made in a comment today) as well as their son.

I also got to chat with some other hashers I don’t see all that often these days like Jackass, Public Enema, Highdicker, and Boner.

Good times. Good times.

Upon leaving Goerge’s I consider driving over to Terminal West to catch the Tilly and the Wall show. It was only about 8:30pm and I knew that the first (of three) bands was due to take the stage at 9:00pm so I had ample time. Instead I decided that I didn’t want to be out until midnight last night and started to drive home.

I took a slight detour from my path home, hitting a pothole that I swore dented the tire’s rim (looks okay though), and headed over to The Shed in Glenwood Park. There I sat and had one (expensive) glass of red wine, added my name to the reservation list for next month’s Wild Heaven Beer Dinner, and listened to a Glenwood Park resident bitch and moan about the planned Wal*Mart (or so I believe) which is to be coming their way. I can’t really say that I blame the guy, I wouldn’t want to live next to a Wal*Mart and all of its traffic either.

Jambox? More Like A Psstbox
With my use of my old iPhone 3G as my bedside clock I wanted to get a small bluetooth speaker that I could use to play music and podcasts through. My desire was to also use this speaker as a car stereo replacement since the Jackmobile’s cassette player no longer works.

I bought a Jawbone Jambox, which has decent reviews on Amazon. The very first time I used the speaker, after pairing it with my iPad I was pleased. However, all subsequent attempts to use the speaker with my iPhone 5, iPhone 3G, or my iPod Touch (2nd Gen) have all been lackluster; the maximum volume for the device is far too low to be of any use. Had I kept the packaging I would have sent the Jambox back to Amazon for a refund. Instead, I’ll just keep it bedside and use it with whichever Apple iDevice I am currently using as an alarm clock.

$141.50
Against suggestions that I keep my old iPhone 4 as a backup I packed it up and shipped it to Gazelle. Last night I received a confirmation email alerting me that the phone checked out as I reported and that they would honor their offer of $141.50 (in the form of an Amazon Gift Card, for which I earned 5% more than their original offer). Sure, I might have been able to get more money for the device, but the convenience factor (the lack of which is what keeps me from getting people to come over and repair my house0 was just too great.

I look forward to blowing my newly-found money at Amazon. New iPod Touch? Put that toward the rumored iPad Mini, or perhaps a new MacBook? Who knows…

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – not too bad, not great, but not too bad
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – I was trying to find an “official” link for Atlanta’s Hoallo-Weenie dog outing, but instead stumbled across Bring Fido. Find dog-friendly events in Georgia listed on Bring Fido here.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – tomorrow, before I head to North Carolina

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~51.5 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 16

Vegetarian Meals – 30
Carnivorous Meals – 12
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
10. White Jacket Required — Jenna Weber

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]