Happy Halloween!

Boo!

Aw crap, I should have saved that photo of me that I posted on Monday for today. My mug has certainly scared its fair share of attractive ladies over the past thirty-five years (I give pre-teen Paulie a free pass).

Today’s Daily Challenge
Keep muscle tension in check by taking three stand-and-stretch breaks today.

Sitting down may not seem like a very physically demanding activity, but if you’re working at a desk or computer for hours at a time, this can lead to tense, tight muscles. Then there’s the poor posture many of us have while watching TV or using a laptop or tablet, which can lead to neck, shoulder, and back pain. Regular stretching releases this muscle tension and helps maintain normal muscle length. It also increases flexibility and circulation, sending more oxygen-rich blood throughout your body.

Yep, need to do a lot more things like this…

The Modified MARTA Rides
In an effort to get some exercise in my life I’ve hopped off the train at Medical Center and have walked the 1.5 miles to my office the past two days.

Yesterday afternoon I eschewed my return-trip home on the train an joined my boss on a journey down to Castleberry Hill where he purchased some dining room chairs. Prior to pulling the trigger (so to speak) we had some appetizers and a margarita at No Mas Cantina which is conveniently located across the street from the seller’s loft. My boss didn’t know the area at all, and me being his in-town confidant knew it well enough to get him to the area. My reward was getting a ride from Castleberry Hill back to my car, in addition to seeing the inside of the building whose pool I swam in fourteen years ago.

Today I’ll be pulling off a different modified MARTA trick which will seem like a treat later tonight. I drove and parked the Jack(o’ lantern)mobile to midtown, parked there, and the hopped onto MARTA at Arts Center and rode up to the work neighborhood. Tonight I’ll ride the train back down to Arts Center before attending a play at the Hertz Stage of the Alliance Theatre.

ITP Flickr Pic
“Playing With Fire #1”

Told you this was coming.

I love this shot, except for how closely the fire comes to the right-hand side. If I had Photoshop chops I’d be able to either shrink the shot in the frame, or add a bit of a buffer between the fire and the edge of the photo to give it all a little breathing room.

The Men Are Gone
One of the ways I’ve started using my Aereo subscription is to record over-the-air programming and watch it later (yes, this is just dvr technology and while I’ve had a dvr for a decade that might not always be the case for me so I’m trying something new). In addition to Modern Family I started recording a new CBS series called We Are Men since it looked as if it would appeal to me.

Last night I found out that CBS aired two episodes of “We Are Men” before canceling it and removing the show from its schedule.

Two.
Episodes.

Harsh.

From “We Are Men” I will take away the saying I am trying to instill as my new mantra “Dare to be great.”

Another Month Closes
Huh, ten months down.

To say that I “missed” my October goals is an understatement.

What I did accomplish to do was have some fun. I spent a few days away alone, a weekend with great friends at LEAF, saw a handful of concerts including two by a band that I never thought I’d get to see perform live, and made some attempts at improving my life.

More of that latter category will occur starting tomorrow.

Dare to be great.

Today’s Personal Project
Take care of some home business tonight after the play.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – getting by
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – There is no official website for “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” but there should be. So instead the Wikipedia page will have to suffice.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – MARTA
Exercise (b)Log – walking, ~1.5 miles
Morning Weigh-In – 213 pounds (October 21)

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~11.6 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 0 (0 cardio)

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Meals – 39
Carnivorous Meals – 34

Marta Rides To Work – 8 (ish)
Bike Rides To Work – 0

October Goals
– clean my basement to the point where I could have people over
– hire a plumber to replace my malfunctioning faucets
– submit to important documents, neither of which I can talk about at this time
– walk no fewer than 75 miles

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
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy — by Douglas Adams
5. Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness — by CC Chapman
6. So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love — by Cal Newport
7. Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life — by Steve Martin
8. Who Am I: A Memoir — by Pete Townshend
9. Still Foolin’ ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? — by Billy Crystal
10. Unstuff Your Life!: Kick the Clutter Habit and Completely Organize Your Life for Good — Andrew J. Mellen

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]