I Got 99 Problems

But hurricane cleanup ain’t one. I hear that my brother and sister-in-law have been bailing out their basement thanks to Hurricane Sandy. If you read this today (which I completely understand that you have more pressing matters) by best of luck to you and hopefully things get better soon.

My problems include some recurring tooth pain (which I’ve discussed in this space previously), a bit of sneezing this morning which is probably another “cold” due to weather changes (and related to my being cheap and trying not to use my central heat yet).

Today’s Personal Project
Hopefully fight off all of my ills.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Lie down with your head on your pillow, tuck your chin to your chest, and hold for a count of five.

Our necks get stressed all day long: we lean them forward to look at a computer, crane them as we drive, and bend them down to peer at a mobile phone screen. Giving your neck a quick stretch can help relieve some of that muscle tension. Bonus: Lying down for a moment to do the challenge is a nice way to fit in a moment of all-over relaxation!

If I lie down I fear that I’ll close my eyes and go back to sleep.

Whole Lotta Laundry
I left work at a fairly reasonable hour (6pm) so that I could head to the lavanderia with my two filled IKEA bags’ worth of laundry. The loads were significantly lessened thanks to the number of shirts that I took to the dry cleaner on Saturday, but still each were large enough to warrant the Jumbo washing machines.

Once I was finally finished folding laundry (I couldn’t get out of the lavanderia quickly enough as the tv which blasted audio was showing some dance competition show) I headed to get a bite to eat.

But where?

I thought about getting tacos, but nixed the idea. Asian is always tasty, but I eat a lot of it. I considered getting a sausage sandwich from Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand but I wasn’t in the mood to rush (to a knowingly-cool) home.

When I found a parking space on Flat Shoals near The Elder Tree Pub I took it as a sign that I should stop in for half-price fish-and-chips (and two Bombadiers). While there I watched some boring NFL Monday Night Football and admired some of the attractive patrons who had also chosen Elder Tree as their Monday night destination. I once again really liked my fish-and-chips but I really need to go back to Elder Tree for some of their Irish-inspired dishes such as corned beef or Irish stew.

You Can Pay Me Now, Or You Can Pay Me Later

I Thought I’d Be Going To The EARL Tonight
Tonight’s Diamond Rugs show, opened by Atlanta’s Gringo Star, has been moved from Terminal West to The EARL. My initial plan was to go out to the show, but the way I am feeling now indicates that I will be heading home after work and going directly to bed (on which I may put on my flannel sheet set to combat the cold temperatures).

Time will tell.

If you want to treat yourself to a good (and probably late) night of music then you should make your way out to The EARL tonight.

Speaking Of Atlanta Music Venues
I am very bummed to see that it appears Variety Playhouse has discontinued their own ticket-purchasing option and has turned over all reins to the hated (at least by me) Ticketmaster.

Buy another concert ticket from Ticketmaster is featured prominently on my “Things To Never Do Again” list because they usually charge so much money in fees.

This change in policy really sucks for me because now I either need to get to Little 5 Points during box office hours (highly inconvenient and unlikely) or hope that a given show (such as Chatham County Line‘s Electric Holiday Show on December 14th don’t sell out in advance.

I just checked and the fee Ticketmaster is charging i s$4 on an $18 ticket, 22% not bad — for Ticketmaster. I just might have to cave on this one.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – meh, things good be far worse, but then again they could be a lot better
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – If you are a nerdy Mac user like yours truly you’ll appreciate the tips shown on 60 Mountain Lion Tips.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – checking again tomorrow

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~60.3 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 19 (I suppose had I made my sleeping bag and blanket in Black Mountain I could have claimed credit)

Vegetarian Meals – 50
Carnivorous Meals – 21
Pancakes Eaten – 4

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