Happy Bastille Day!

I would have loved to run the annual Bastard Day Hash yesterday, but it just wasn’t in the cards.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Squat and twist to the left and right to pick up a wastebasket and put it down behind you.

Your thighs, lower back, and the muscles on your sides will power you through this exercise. In particular, you’ll be using the muscles deep in your lower back closest to your spine. These muscles support your spine, and though you may not use them consciously, keeping them strong can stave off pain and improve your posture.

I’m too tired to think about this, never mind actually do it.

Even With An Organizer I Forget
On Friday after work I joined coworkers for a happy hour at The Wing Factory. Many of these people had been there a week or so earlier and eaten some of the hottest wings they’d ever eaten; this intrigued others so we returned. I had two of the new dozen purchased for the challenge and they were hot. Of course those who had been there previously swore that these wings were nowhere near as hot as the ones they’d ordered previously.

Perhaps it was the camaraderie, or the beers that I consumed, but all I wanted to do was head home and relax when the happy hour was over. Truth be told, I should have headed home and done work, or prepared for my trip, but upon arriving home I did none of that.

It was around 11:30pm when I realized that Friday night was also the Minus 5 / Baseball Project show at The EARL that I’d been clamoring to see for months. Alas it was too late and I was in no mental condition to do to go out, so I sadly missed it.

ITP Flickr Pic
Wish I could have stopped and taken a photo of the hand-stenciled sign that read “NEW MANAGEMETN” in Tucker yesterday.

A Busy Saturday
I woke early on Saturday morning, perhaps because I stayed in Friday night, ready to take on the day. After packing a couple of weeks’ worth of dirty clothes into the Jackmobile I headed up to the Perimeter Mall area to do a little work in the office. [side note: if I can slay one more design bug in my code and produce a little documentation, I’ll be prepared to leave the office for two weeks with a clear conscience]

With a couple of scripts written and a hunger building I decided to think about lunch. It was then I found out about Himalayas, an Indian buffet located on Peachtree Industrial. And since I was going to have to do laundry anyway…

Have I mentioned I like Indian food, even mediocre Indian food? And you know that I love buffets.

After gorging myself I was feeling the need to get some exercise. I decided to “walk it off” (literally) so I drove down to LA Fitness in Brookhaven and set out on a nearly 6.5 mile walk. The walk was wonderful, even though about a third of the way through I realized that I’d forgotten to bring a water bottle. Luckily I remembered that there was a fairly new pocket park along my route so I was able to stop there for a few gulps of water.

Once I’d showered I reminded myself that I still needed to do laundry, so it was off to the lavanderia, which was surprisingly crowded given that the World Cup third-place game was being played when I arrived.

Laundry was completed by 6:30pm and I drove home. Honestly, I cannot recall what I did for the rest of the evening.

A Busier Sunday
Yesterday was Cheesy Yellow Sunday #8 and thankfully injury did not force me into “Designated Bacon Maker” status again. Along with ITP-Readers Barb, Bob, and Steve we headed out toward Stone Mountain for a lovely early-morning bike ride. While I sometimes question the accuracy of the MapMyRide app, it seems as if it was fairly accurate in recording a nearly twenty-two mile ride.

After having a few Belgium-style beers (see, I’m preparing for this trip in one way) along with some cheesy eggs, a cheese bagel, bacon, and a piece of blueberry coffee cake, I hustled home to give the lawn one final mow before my journey.

With only a little time to spare after I showered off the grime of yard work I headed up to Virginia Highland to get a haircut — I want to look good for the European lasses, you know.

I hadn’t been home more than thirty minutes (and was reading some of the literature sent out by the Brussels hash organizers) when I received a text from the boss asking me if I wanted to play some racquetball.

I believe that it was Confucius who said “A fat man can always use more exercise”. With these wise words I agreed to play racquetball, and I was out the door again headed to Brookhaven. The boss and I played racquetball for about 75 minutes before returning to Lucky’s Burger and Brew to “ruin it all”.

Unsurprisingly I was pooped by the time I arrived home again. I tried to stay up to watch last night’s “Halt and Catch Fire”, but I passed out on the couch before its start.

I’m Bad At Time Math
It was fortunate that I talked to ITP-Reader Steve yesterday who convinced me that I was nuts when I told him at what time I was to arrive in Brussels. After thinking long and hard about it I realized that he was correct, and that I was foolish to use the time listed in my calendar as gospel. I incorrectly believed that I was due to land at 2:30am “local” but that will be the time in Atlanta when I arrive in Brussels; it will be 8:30am in Brussels.

Math is hard, let’s go shopping!

With corrected information in my head I called the hotel that I’d plan to stay in upon my arrival (so early in the morning) and canceled my reservation. Now I am trying to decide if I want to step off a plane in Brussels and immediately on a train to Germany, or spend a day in Brussels and head to Germany the next day.

I suppose I should finally decide where in Germany I plan to visit.

No One Likes An Angry German
Fortunately for me Germany won the World Cup yesterday, that ought to make them a little happier.

Today’s Personal Project
Considering that I am flying out tomorrow I should probably pack my clothing tonight.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – nervous
Current Music – listening to today’s stage of the Tour de France
Website Of The Day – As a traveling n00b I’ve received a lot of great advice from friends, including being pointed toward The Man in Seat 61… by ITP-Reader Barb.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – Saturday = walking, ~6.5 miles; Sunday = cycling, ~22 miles AND racquetball, ~75 minutes
Morning Weigh-In – checking tomorrow, know I won’t like what I see

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~13.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – ~22.0 miles
Gym Visits – 4 (4 cardio)

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

July Goals
– be prepared for, and have fun on my European vacation

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]