Dejá Vu! (kinda sounds like “April Fool”, doesn’t it?)
Actually, no.
I caved to peer pressure yesterday. “Let’s go to the Braves game tonight!” my boss said, but soon caved when I told him the price of tickets still available (I didn’t want to spend that much either). Let’s go to Taco Mac and watch some of it then.
It’s at that point I should have declined, but I didn’t.
I tried my best to be good, drinking one large beer, eating some chips and queso, and ordering a (barely healthy) grilled chicken wrap with (completely unhealthy) french fries. In other words, I failed at my desire to change my bad drinking and eating habit.
Today I try again.
Today’s Personal Project
No alcohol. Eat better. Do laundry.
Today’s Daily Challenge
Save money by unplugging appliances that aren’t in use.
Pulling out plugs can boost your bottom line and improve your financial health! Many homes have dozens of appliances that gobble energy even when they are off, which wastes your hard-earned money. Bonus: Doing this challenge is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, as well.
I have a couple of things that I could unplug, but truth be told, my household uses most of the appliances that I have plugged in (“to the mains” as they say in Britain) on a daily basis.
What Today’s Blog Was Going To Be Called
“All About Ni(c)k”
You’ll see why momentarily.
ITP Flickr Pic
While driving to happy hour on Friday I got stuck near this Arby’s sign on Chamblee-Dunwoody and Peachtree Industrial.
I was tickled by Nick’s attempt to get Amanda to go to the prom with him. (I wonder if it worked?) For anyone who knows my dating history, or more accurately my lack thereof, it should come to no surprise that I didn’t go to my high school prom because I never went out on a date while in high school.
Not much has changed.
I Like Saving Money
I have been spending money like its going out of style (not only on beer/food, very little on house repair), so I like when I get the opportunity to save money on something that I plan to buy anyway.
Such was the case thrice in the past two week’s with iTunes Gift Cards.
Two week’s ago I heard that Staples had discounted iTunes Gift Cards, a $25 card was selling for $20. I bought two.
Last week I heard that Best Buy had discounted iTunes Gift Cards, a $100 card was selling for $80. I bought one.
Last Friday while in QT I saw that they had discounted iTunes Gift Cards, a $25 card was selling for $20. I bought one.
What the hell am I going to do with $175 in iTunes credit you ask?
* books
* tv series (I buy “Top Chef,” “The Layover,” and “Mad Men” currently)
* iOS apps
* Mac applications
* music (though I don’t buy much more any longer)
Over time I am certain that I will erode that entire $160 credit.
You know, there really should be an app telling you where these sales are…
Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – mixed
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – On Saturday I bought the Nik Software photography editing collection. Nik Software, now owned by Google, is a leader in photo editing software (specifically plug-ins), and the price of their suite has been reduced to $149 USD. All I have to do now is take photos again…
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – weight lifting
Morning Weigh-In – sadly, 212.3 pounds
Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 1 (0 cardio)
Days Of Bed-Making – 0
Vegetarian Meals – 2
Carnivorous Meals – 1
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0
April Goals
– not get sick
– lose two pounds
– walk/run no fewer that 50 miles
– lift weights at the gym no fewer than eight times
– finish at least two of the books I am reading
– take at least one box of things to Goodwill
– post at least ten photos in the blog
– drink a lot less alcohol
– prepare a house repair plan and budget
– return ITP-Reader Martha’s coffee percolator to her
– return ITP-Terri’s crutches to her
2013 Goals: Measurable
– Get my weight down to 190 pounds so that I can wear a 36″ waist pants comfortably
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Dissolve Sharpened Stone
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Completely run at least one 10k
– Fix all (or at least most) of the things which are wrong with the ITP Estate
2013 Goals: Unmeasurable
– Simplify, simplify, simplify
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– 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)
– Take two real vacations, perhaps one abroad
– Take a more proactive approach to meeting women (read “stop being such a pussy”)
Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2013
- Pages 1.7 for iPad (Timestompers Guide) – by Sean Wells
- 60 Mountain Lion Tips – by David Sparks and Brett Terpstra
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
I thought most of the proms had already happened (which I thought was very early in the season, but what do I know?)
its Allan’s birthday today, he’s only 3 years younger than me for a few months now! He’s decided he wants to go to Tasty China tonight, so that is where we shall go for his birthday dinner. I’ll tell him y’all say Happy Birthday – since he is so anti phone/text/other social media.
Pretty clever of Nick, I have to say. I went to my prom, but I would qualify that as the only one I had in HS. I was incredibly shy/insecure in HS. I think I grew out of it, but not really.
There was lawn mowing, horse and dog feeding, and TV viewing last night. Had I not wrapped up all the chores so late, I would have ridden. Tonight, I shall suffer.
The dogs were quite suprised to be awakened at 04:45 this morning and the horses were really suprised to get breakfast at that time. Hopefully Debbie is getting in some quality beach time with Meg and the kids.
Go Braves. I think we need to ride our bikes to a game. Maybe one of those “businessman specials” that starts at 4.
-FP
Happy Birthday Allan!
I finally made it to the beach last night. It’s a little chilly, but it’s still the beach!
Happy Birthday to Allan!
Nick’s message may have been there a while, I don’t go home that way often.
I’ve thought about riding my bike to a Braves game, but the guarantee that it might not be there once the game has ended has always caused me not to do it.
I am one of the few people who doesn’t like the beach. I’d rather spend a weekend in the mountains (sans snow).
Dean (aka Jackass) says it not a problem to lock a bike up at the game.
I think that would be the ONLY way you’d get me to a Braves game (or with a parking pass). The fact that it is about impossible to park down there, and I don’t really like baseball all that much makes me not want to go to a game.
Oh, and I never went to prom, I had an older boyfriend, he wouldn’t even consider the idea of going, and I didnt’ really care, saved me a bunch of money buying a dress, etc.
Oh, I went to both my Jr. and Sr. prom. The Jr. prom was with my boyfriend, but we broke up right after (one of those we can’t break up until after the prom). For my Sr. prom I went with a family friend (he was older, like 21-22), came out of the closet a few years later…my actual boyfriend was in jail…oh, how I miss north central Indiana and my white trash roots.
I will offer my house as a starting point for a game day ride, at least until/if construction begins.
I failed on eating right yesterday as well. I was doing pretty good, until I went to Kroger for dinner and saw marked down Peeps. Even then I was doing okay, just at a couple, until I got stressed out and ate all of them. 🙁
Happy birthday Allan!! Mmmmm Tasty China. I’ve been having a hankering…
Martha, did you bring back any oysters?
No Steve, we did not. Jerry would have probably eaten them all by now anyway.
Happy birthday Allan! 🙂
Paulie, did it happen to mention WHICH appliances are such energy-suckers? I’d like to go ahead and start doing that unplugging thing! But I’d hate to have to reset the clock on my microwave and oven every day.
Stacy, think cell phone charger, computer monitor, printer, TV, cable box, etc. One option (we use this sometimes) is plug everything into a power stip then you just flip off the strip…no need to actually unplug everything every time.
Thanks Martha! Cable box, maybe not so much (gasp! how would it record my shows?) *grin* but I don’t even think about the other things sometimes.
It was a great game last night! The place was PACKED. Lotsa drunk people. Braves won, and so did the Red Sox. Good opening day!
Steve (& anyone else interested) – we could maybe do another Tasty China outing after Debbie comes back, we can go there again……..
You know I’d be interested, unless you do it on 4/13 as I am supposed to be going camping that night with a few coworkers (so, there is a good possibility that we won’t go).
irtwon’t be 4/13 – Allan is working that day.