Clean Start… Again

Yep, three weeks into 2012 and I’m declaring perhaps my third “do over.”

Today’s Daily Challenge
Find a healthy alternative to a food you crave.
I wish I had received this prior to consuming breakfast. 😉 I’ll work on this one at lunch and dinner.

Flushed, Perhaps Not Fixed, But Flushed
On Saturday I met up with ITP-Reader John (aka HamWithCam) at The Majestic for breakfast (can you say “pancakes?”). The original plan was to eat, do some photography, and then head to the ITP Estate to flush my hot water heater. However, the weather was far from agreeable for that so we called an option.

After breakfast the two of us headed to my house and flushed the hot water heater. I learned a lot along the way and gained a large measure of confidence doing so. The water heater still seems to knock, though perhaps anecdotally not as hard or for as long, as it did prior to our flushing it (2012 might see a new hot water heater purchase in my future). Even if I can eke out six more months from my hot water heater this maintenance was good to see the gunk which has accumulated within it over the past twelve-plus years.

Once the hot water heater was done we were invigorated to go out and shoot, indoors. With it then being after 10:00am we headed up to the High Museum and shot while we wandered the halls.

By the time we were through with the High we both wanted lunch, and John mentioned a barbecue restaurant I’ve seen a few times while going to the iOS Developers meetups. The place we went is on Chattahoochee Industrial and is called Pappy Red’s BBQ. You might recognize it as the place with the neon pigs and half of a plane crashing through its roof. Had it not been so crummy out I would have taken a photo. I ate a pulled-pork sandwich on jalapeño bread with bbq beans and a fried apple pie. Skip the brans, but the rest were worthy of a return trip.

Given that we were on the west side of town we made a stop in Hop City, where I ran into ITP-Reader Tony who happened to be shopping prior to his laying of the Pine Lake Hash. With three bomber bottles in hand we then made our way over to Gear Revival where I bought a pair of shoes(!?!). I would link you to Simple Shoes, the manufacturers of the shoes I purchased, except that when I looked them up online on Saturday I read that they are ceasing operations. Bummer.

When I finally arrived home I noticed that the large amount of rain which had fallen had clogged the storm drain’s grate at the end of my driveway by washing up leaves and mud. So, I decided to get a little exercise by getting my large shovel and shoveling away all of the leaves and mud which clogged the grating as well as lined the curb along my property line. When I was done it looked pretty darn good I must say. 🙂

ITP Flickr Pic
I got the bright idea to try and photograph cars racing through this large puddle as we sat inside The Majestic. This was the best of my efforts.

I Want A Mega Den!
Some of my former East Atlanta neighbors are apparently going to be on DIY Network’s “Mega Dens”. Man, I wish I could be on that show. Oh, who am I kidding, I only want to be on that show to meet its hostess Anitra Mecadon.

Gray Days Here, Gray Beard Gone
With the exception of the short excursions on Saturday the weather kept me indoors most of the weekend. I kept busy on Sunday (not coding unfortunately) by listening to a lot of loud music/podcasts while cooking, organizing, and cleaning.

For the past two weekends I’ve contemplated shaving again. My ever-graying beard and mustache have been getting ragged (though I’d received compliments over the past two weekends). I decided yesterday that looking like a sage, old man was not the way I wanted to appear at Clemson on Tuesday, so it was time to for it to go. Besides, when it comes to my facial growth it’s not “if” but “when” I shave again, and with it being so warm this winter “when” arrived sooner than in past years.

I Have To Walk Before I Run
I have been scared straight with my weight. Prior to stepping on the scale this morning I made a guess of “210 pounds” only to be further disappointed to see a reading of 210.4 pounds. Hey everybody! I have a great opportunity to lose twenty pounds this year!!!

Unfortunately for me the workout room at the office is closed this week for renovations. Therefore I can’t exercise before work (and shower, thus saving my hot water heater). So I will be (re?)starting my exercise routine tonight. I’ve packed some clothes which will allow me to walk, and resist the urge to try running, while listening to an audiobook (I’ve goals to reach, people!). My goal tonight is a 45-60 minute walk. Look for me to walk daily, at least during the days which are not raining, with the goal to step my pace up back to the slow run that I had pre-accident.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – fat
Current Music – listening to this week’s GardenFork Radio podcast
Website Of The Day – Apple is not the only place to buy self-published books. Lulu has been offering self-published books for some time.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 210.5 pounds. Oh boy, I have a lot of work to do

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 2.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – ~6.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 0 (0)

Vegetarian Days – 0
Carnivorous Days – 22
Pancakes Eaten – 3

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

January Goals
– Lose at least one pound (net weight loss)
– “Completely” recover from the bike crash (though I’m beginning to think that this will never happen)
– Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Eat vegetarian no fewer than ten days
– Not get fired from my job, nor quit my job
– Follow up with doctors, lawyer, women in whom I have interest
– Participate in a least one dinner party (perhaps held at my house when plumbing issues are addressed?)
– Go out on a least one date with a woman in whom I have interest
– Submit 2012 paperwork for Sharpened Stone, LLC
– Gather all tax paperwork for 2011 income taxes
– Request free credit report
– Successfully arrange for automatic payments for my mortgage
– Watch all of the classes in the 2011 Winter semester of Stanford’s CS193P (iOS Development) course

2012 Goals [will be a little less fluid than last year]
– Get my weight under 200 pounds, or at least whittle myself back down to where wearing a 36″ pant size is comfortable
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Run Sharpened Stone as a real business
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
– Ride in no fewer than five 50 mile or 50K bike rides
– Run in no fewer than one one 10K
– Submit at least one application under the name “Sharpened Stone” to Apple’s iOS store
– Restore the ITP Estate to a condition where it can be put up for sale at any time
– Buy a new iPhone (iPhone 5?), a new iPad (iPad 3?), and MacBook Air [look, not all goals have to be altruistic]

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient and profitable programmer in Objective-C
– 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)
– See more live concerts than I did in 2011
– Eat more pancakes
– Drive/Fly somewhere for a real vacation

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]