I Blinked And It Was Gone

If you look up unproductive in the dictionary today you just may see a picture of me. Even thought I slept “late” (8:15am) when I arose yesterday I thought that I was in for an incredibly productive day. By 10:00am I had beaten the dust out of my bathroom carpets, written a blog (that only ITP-Reader Steve seems to have seen), and eaten breakfast.

The next time I looked at the clock it was nearly 3:00pm, and by that time all I had accomplished was eating lunch.

Then I decided that I was going to go to the hash!

Then at 4:00pm it rained heavily in East Atlanta, which took me out of the hashing mood.

Then before I knew it, it was 7:00pm.

Then I decided that I was probably not going to go out (I’d not even showered!) to hear Surfer Blood.

So then I made dinner, watched television, and before I knew it it was 11:00pm.

Did I at least clean my basement? Nope.
Did I at least prepare my bicycles for riding? Nope.
Did I at least get the lawnmower ready for its next use? Nope.

Unproductive Memorial Day!

Okay, I will give myself one credit, I (mostly) read the owners manual for my Nikon 1 V1 and tested out the lens I purchased for it a couple of weeks ago.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Place a small notebook and pen in your bag or pocket, or next to your workspace.

Even the brightest “Eureka!” moments can be forgotten when you become distracted or get pulled into another task. The simplest way to capture your thoughts and ideas is to establish a single place where you can immediately write them down. Keeping an idea notebook can even boost your creativity – which means more new ideas!

I’ve kept a notebook with me for years, and what I find is that I never use it. This is especially true since I started carrying an iPhone.

I Wrote A Blog Yesterday?
Yeah, I told you I would. It’s mostly about my introduction to hashing. Go ahead and read it if you want, we’ll wait.

Just How Unproductive Was I?
Last night I recorded, and then watched, MasterChef. This Gordon Ramsay faux-reality television show was one I first tried to watch during its first season but quit after one episode because they allowed someone to beg their way into the next round. Seems to me that if you are going to make a show based on “cooking talent” then the food should be the only thing that speaks.

I nearly gave up on this series after one episode yet again last night. During the initial round the chef judges booted a guy because his chicken liver pâté was under salted. Okay, so they are going to be tough guys, I’m okay with that. After one hour of cooking the judges eliminated nine of the remaining contestants — or so we thought.

The remaining nine contestants got another chance, ugh, this time they had thirty minutes to prepare another dish. During this thirty minute period one of the cooks was throwing food scraps on the floor, let me repeat that for you, she was throwing food scraps on the floor and was called out for this, but not eliminated! In her interstitial interview segment she flippantly says “I thought they hire people to clean.” Are you kidding me? So under salted is an offense beyond repair, but being an obnoxious slob isn’t?

I know it’s faux-reality, therefore it could be entirely scripted, but at least be consistent. I have little doubt that I will wind up giving up on this series prior to watching its finale.

Four-Day Work Week
I love Federal Holidays (at least the few that my employer pays me not to come into the office) but they really screw with my sense of time. I kid you not, already this morning I’ve had to remind myself that today is Tuesday and not Monday at least four times. And I’m sure this unfortunate trend will continue.

Today’s Personal Project
Play racquetball tonight.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – meh, wishing I had done more yesterday
Current Music – listening to Public Service Broadcasting’s album “Inform – Educate – Entertain” via Spotify. In June I am going to pony up for the premium service to eliminate the ad insertions.
Website Of The Day – Oh the rest of the world and their whacky electrical systems! I started doing research on sites like World Standards to understand what I’ll need to buy to use my electronics in Europe. Next up is trying to figure out how to buy SIM cards for my unlocked iPhone so I can use local data there.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing (BOOOO!)
Morning Weigh-In – 216 pounds (2014-05-26)

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~25.5 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 5 (5 cardio)

Marta Rides To Work – 1
Bike Rides To Work – 0

May Goals
– have European trip plans carved in stone
– 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
– go away two of the weekends

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
2. “Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative” by Austin Kleon
3. “Chaos: Making a New Science” by James Gleick
4. “What’s So Funny?: My Hilarious Life” by Tim Conway

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]