Let’s Try This Again

You might recall yesterday’s Personal Project of remembering that I was trying to lose weight.

FAIL.

Instead, I actually ate four meals (including a midnight gorging of leftover pasta) and drank way too much beer yesterday.

The beer, well my drinking of it actually, made it impossible for me to go to the gym this morning.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Unlink an unhealthy habit from the everyday activity that goes along with it.

We are creatures of habit – including health habits! If an everyday activity such as watching TV or driving is always connected to an unhealthy habit, over time we become unable to tease them apart. By taking a closer look at a situation and unlinking the two things even for one day, you may find that you can do one without the other.

Hmm, this shouldn’t be hard for me to accomplish…

Whirlwind Evening
Whew, what a jam-packed evening of looking better (read “got a haircut”), hanging with old friends at George’s, and then making my way over to Terminal West for the Bob Mould show.

There was something odd about the soundsystem at last night’s show for Bob Mould’s performance; I really had a hard time recognizing songs that I’ve listened to for up to thirty years. If this was a “me” thing then it was my hearing and not my memory as I know most of Mould’s catalog inside and out.

When ITP-Reader Terri arrived she said “There sure are a lot of dudes here.” and I replied “Yeah, I doubt that I will be meeting the future ‘Mrs. [my last name here] tonight.” And not long after three women walked in together and stood relatively close to us. Of course the night would not be complete without me getting irritated with myself for not trying to talk to the one pretty woman that I saw who was not wearing a wedding ring nor all over some guy.

Harumph.

There is no ‘i’ in “loser” but there is one in “single” and that is what I will be forever because I don’t have the looks and nads necessary to change that.

It’s A Small Town After All
In addition to my friend Mike I met up with ITP-Reader Terri and her husband Pat at the show last night. With Terri and Pat were two other folks, one of which I recognized from my past; it was Brad, the drummer of one of my favorite former bands Dayroom. Apparently Terri and Pat are friends with Brad’s wife girlfriend who I mistook for his wife.

“You’re Brad, right?” I asked.
“Yeah, remind me where we met.” he replied.
“We last met at Corndog-A-Rama two years ago. I was behind Michael’s (the former lead singer for Dayroom) brother and you thought that he put me up to asking you if you were in Dayroom.” I told him.
“Wow, you have a really good memory.” he responded.

Apparently he (or his music) has made a larger impact on me than I have as a fan on him. Que sera sera.

Also friend of the band many moons ago is Kat (aka “Kitty Kittg Gang Bang”), hostess of last night’s Bike Maintenance Night.

It’s a small town indeed.

ITP Flickr Pic
“Jackets Baseball At Night”

Another panorama taken with Microsoft’s Photosynth iPhone app.

Magical Mystery Bumps
I got a lot more sun last Saturday than I intended. At one point my arms were very red. Today most of the burn has subsided, but some small red spots remain. The spots almost look like they are part of an allergic reaction, or perhaps I encountered some poison ivy at the state park. I don’t really know.

As I do with most things in life I will wait for them to go away soon, and if they don’t I shall consult a doctor.

Wheeee!

It’s Pint Night
At Taco Mac and I am going over for one with dinner tonight.

One beer.
With a healthy dinner.

One beer.
With a healthy dinner.

I figure that if I type that twice it might actually sink in.

The Nerve Of Her!
Man, I can’t believe that ITP-Reader Jenka has gone on vacation (or so I believe) and has the nerve to not only skip the final “Slider Night” at The Shed as well as stop reading this blog. Of course, she may be reading it wondering how I’ve managed not to misspell words or botch grammar while she is away. 😀

Today’s Personal Project
Do far better than I did yesterday, which shouldn’t be hard even considering that I am going to Taco Mac tonight.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay, wondering about the red spots on my arms
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – I link today to HowStuffWorks’ explanation of Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), which saved me from rear-ending a car on my commute this morning.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – checking again Monday

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 7 (3 cardio)

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Meals – 25
Carnivorous Meals – 26

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

1. Pages 1.7 for iPad (Timestompers Guide) — by Sean Wells
2. 60 Mountain Lion Tips — by David Sparks and Brett Terpstra
3. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business — by Charles Duhigg

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]