I’m Back, Back In The New York Groove

When I was a kid growing up in Queens, New York Hello’s song “New York Groove” was played on the radio a lot. The song was later covered by Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley for his solo album in 1978.

Have I ever mentioned that I was, and I guess technically still am, a member of the Kiss Army? Sadly there was more “kiss” in my life in the 1970s than I’ve experienced over the last decade.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Walk briskly from one place to another today.

Regular moderate-intensity physical activity (such as brisk walking) lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It can help you control your weight and even aid in managing stress. Bonus: Adding even a few moments of brisk walking to your day gives you a quick energy boost, too.

Not hard to do in these cold temperatures.

New York: Then And Now
Last week (I believe) I linked to a Flickr stream of New York photos from the 1970s. This week I saw this link to Time’s photo set of shots in the NY subways taken during the 1980s — a period know by some as “The Good Old Days” but you’d never be convinced by these photos.

While I giving love to my home state allow me to link to Wall Street Journal’s photo set of people slipping on the ice of 5th Avenue this week and remind you of one of the reasons I’ve never gone home again.

ITP Flickr Pic
“Puerco y Chiva”

I had forgotten that I took a photo of the meal, pork and goat with rice, beans, and plantain, that I was served for lunch at Mi Pilón in Norcross last Friday.

I Didn’t Wanna

“If you can work out on the days that you really do not want to, doing so on the days you do is a piece of cake.” — me

I didn’t want to work out.
I really didn’t want to work out.
However, I was feeling guilty for skipping on Tuesday night so I did.

My boss and I both made it over to LA Fitness. I’m not sure what he did, but I did “Weight Lifting Workout #3,” well, at least most of it. With the super-cold weather and it being January you can imagine how packed LA Fitness was last night. I could not get a treadmill on which to warm up, and by the time I finally got on the machine on which I do seated rows (usually the second of my upper-body exercises for this workout) I had enough. I managed to do five of my six upper-body exercises, both of my leg exercises, and one torso exercise, before doing some crunches and half-assed stretching (I’m being critical of my stretching, I did not stretch half of my ass).

With the workout and a shower complete my boss and I headed out to refuel. We’ve been trying to come up with some “new” options in the work neighborhood, so we ate at Genghis Grill, a restaurant I last visited over two years ago. I was good as I get when eating out, getting a “medium bowl” of beef, vegetables, and udon noodles, and drinking water.

Going to Genghis Grill, which is located catty-corner to REI allowed me to go into REI and buy some new shoelaces for my “hiking” boots (I snapped one of them the last time I wore them) and a new knit hat for this cold weather (I accidentally shrunk my previous favorite non-branded knit hat by drying it in a dryer).

Today’s Personal Project
One hour of cardio at LA Fitness. I’m going to lose this goddamn weight if it kills me — and it just might.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay, soreness from yesterday’s workout starting to build
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – I had another site in mind for today but my consumption of Talenti Gelato changed my mind. Sure, it’s a luxurious dessert and I am a man trying to lose weight, but only two spoonfuls of this rich gelato (I currently have Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup in the freezer) are satisfying enough for me so it’s not like I am eating a lot of calories.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – weight lifting (grade B+)
Morning Weigh-In – Oops, I failed to check. Let’s say 215 pounds.

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~18.6 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 5 (2 cardio)

Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0

January Goals
– clean my basement to the point where I could have people over
– hire a plumber to fix all of the sinks at the ITP Estate
– walk no fewer than 75 miles
– have European trip plans in place, if not carved in stone

2014 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
– 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
– Sell the ITP Estate (tentative)

2014 Goals: Unmeasurable
– Continue to 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)

Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2014

1. “Johnny Carson” by Henry Bushkin

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]