Huh.
Yesterday I activated the new debit card for my Transportation Savings Account and found out that I have $845 in it.
Huh.
I started saving at $60/month back when I thought that I could convince myself to ride MARTA daily again. After a year or so of not doing that I dropped my contribution down to $1/month solely to keep the account active and not lose the money.
Today’s Daily Challenge
Jump rope with a real or imaginary jump rope for thirty seconds.
Aside from making you feel like a kid again, jumping rope is a great workout for your heart and lungs. Not only does it burn energy and fat and tone your muscles, it’s also good for your brain. By raising the heart rate, jumping rope pumps more blood to the brain, feeding it more oxygen and nutrients for increased alertness and mental focus.
Don’t envision me doing this, it’s not a pretty picture
I’ll Thank Last Night For My Commute Home Today
Let’s talk about the things that were all happening in town last night at about the same time of day:
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football game
- Atlanta Braves baseball game
- Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
- A play at the Hertz Stage (my event)
- Lecture at Woodruff Arts for Atlanta Celebrates Photography (where I ran into my friend Lee who was attending the lecture)
There were probably even more things about which I do not know.
I should have thought through my commute yesterday and taken MARTA, but I didn’t. Using my in-depth knowledge of this city I was able to get to midtown in a half-decent amount of time only to hit gridlock on 14th Street. I was not late for my play, but I cursed every idiot on the road along the way.
Today, when there are far fewer events with which to deal, I have taken MARTA. The commute “in” was fine, I hoping the commute “out” will be fine as well.
Oh, and I spent $42.50 of that $845 by loading twenty more rides onto my MARTA Breeze card.
ITP Flickr Pic
“Hertz Stage”
I like the Hertz Stage, it’s one of my favorite Atlanta venues for seeing a play.
From Midtown To Downtown
Perhaps I should have thought about parking in downtown this morning instead of in the lot along the East/West line in which I parked. The reason I didn’t is that I didn’t want to be toting around my iPad and laptop through downtown later when I go to Theatrical Outfit to see “The Guys” tonight.
The plan is to ride MARTA to my car and then drive into downtown in order to go see the play. And if traffic into downtown looks abysmal I could dump off all of my belongings and hop back on the train since I have so much MARTA money to spend!
Anyone want to go down to the airport or Decatur on MARTA with me this weekend? 😉
Small Weekend Plans
Other than tonight’s play and the Surfer Blood show at Terminal West on Sunday night I am free.
What?!?!
Sit down for this:
I do plan to start working on/around the house tomorrow and Sunday in preparation of bigger things.
I also plan to finish that “important document” (now a Will btw though I should start thinking about that one of these days) and send it on its way as well.
Today’s Personal Project
Laugh heartily as I watch at all of the suckers who are fighting traffic to downtown just like I normally would be as I pass them in the train.
You know traffic will be nonexistent tonight now, right?
Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – ready for the weekend
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – Have I linked to Little Big Details before? Don’t ask ITP-Reader Barb, she skips this section. 😀
Mode Of Transportation To Work – MARTA
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – I check again some day. For today I’ll just call myself morbidly obese.
Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~33.1 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 0 (0 cardio)
Days Of Bed-Making – 0
Vegetarian Meals – 34
Carnivorous Meals – 32
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0
September Goals
– exercise no fewer than twenty days (and I’m starting on Day 3 so I have my work cut out for me)
– clean my basement to the point where I could have people over
– hire a plumber to replace my malfunctioning faucets
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
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business — by Charles Duhigg
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy — by Douglas Adams
- Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness — by CC Chapman
- So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love — by Cal Newport
- Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life — by Steve Martin
- Who Am I: A Memoir — by Pete Townshend
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
Tonight – Lewis Grizzard In His Own Words. Big decision of the night is where to eat dinner on the Marietta Square or near the Marietta Square.
Saturday- I think I’m going to go to Ellijay to visit Sharon & go to the Cartecay Vineyard Crush Festival. I doubt I’ll actually stomp any grapes, but who knows. Sharon says the wine is pretty good, we will see, if anyone reading here wants to go, let me know. Plus, I think I want to buy some fresh picked apples.
Sunday – hopefully a bike ride, then later in the afternoon I will be watching boys with chainsaws at Martha’s house about 4pm.
Bike ride will definitely avoid the Chattahoochee Hills area, that Tomorrowworld music fest is going on down there. I can just imagine how the quiet country folks will deal with all the traffic, etc.
If all (human) limbs are kept at Martha’s we can do a Round 2 at the ITP Estate sometime in the future.
I’m sure all will be fine, Allan is a CERTIFIED chainsaw tech now. I laugh, but he said he actually learned a lot at that class.
Is that Polish restaurant at which I’ve always wanted to eat still there?
I just typed a long comment that didn’t take. I want my money back!
To summarize:
Birthday was fun. The Farmhouse at Serenbe is lovely, but way overpriced.
The best desserts on the southside are at Frank’s which is attached to a Marathon gas station just off the interstate, go figure.
My mom called at 11:30 last night to wish me happy birthday. I nearly had a heart attack because I assumed the worst when her caller id came up at that hour.
Speaking of my mom, until I was 12 or 13 she celebrated my birthday on the WRONG day every year. She had to get my birth certificate for something or other and realized the error. I felt so loved…
Ah, finally a short break…it’s been a hell of a week.
As many FB followers may have gathered, my wacky, incompetent co-worker was escorted out of the building on Wednesday. I was left to deal with the aftermath…it has been two days of fixing problems she left behind and following up with both staff and client to make sure there are no (other) outstanding issues. On top of that I spend the first two days of the week, in a meeting off-site and there is a government shutdown looming (so everyone is freaking out).
I left the office about 6:30/7:00 last night, traffic seemed light to me. I got home pretty quick.
I’m really looking forward to Sunday, not just to have the tree gone but it will be really nice to relax (you know if we don’t destroy the house) and hang out with friends (Paulie, you know you’re invited…right). Heck if we destroy the house maybe we can get construction started sooner??
PS I’ve learned to always make a copy of my post before I hit submit…I’ve lost too many over the years.
If I get enough done Saturday I’ll pop down for a visit.
??? Is that Polish restaurant at which I’ve always wanted to eat still there? ???
what are you talking about?
Sunday Paulie – SUNDAY at Martha’s…….
I thought it was Czech or Slovak? But I think it is closed.
I do believe that is the place a large group of hasher went for V-Day, many, many years ago…I should have known the relationship was in trouble then and there!!
That’s the one.
Must get work done on Saturday to visit on Sunday.
Man, I am so tired right now that I might just hop on MARTA, get to my car, and drive home tonight.
Early Dr. appointment this morning, then a stop at Lowes for a new spark plug for the chain saw. Why do they have to make it so hard- I took a picture of the brand and model of the saw and went to find the plug- nope, sorry, not in the book. Call Debbie, look on the web, nope sorry, not there. Take a guess and buy a plug for other models of Homelite saws. Try it- WRONG. Look up the model on the web, nope, the identification on the outside of the saw is something else- the actual model number is on a plate under the handle. F-ers! Back to Lowes to swap plugs.
Debbie is off to the Dr. as she hasn’t been well for the last few days. Seems like all over body ache, maybe related to her unexpected exit from a horse last week? Maybe.
The food at the Farmhouse at Serenbe was good but waaay overpriced. Small salads, 3 glasses of wine, flat iron steak, crab cakes, no dessert. $91 not including tip. A cool old house and good staff, but not worth it.
Martha. we’ll be there Sunday, working chainsaw or not.
Off to ride my bike.
Blerg. This week has been BRUTAL. I’m so glad it’s Friday. Of course, as soon as I get off work I have the pleasure of braving the traffic all the way down to Macon. Did I mention, “Blerg?”
As I said on FB, I’ll be at the Braves game Sunday afternoon but if it gets over and I haven’t had too many beers I’ll stop by.