So Much Going On In My Life

Some of which you know, some of which you’ll find out about today, some of which will remain in the shadows.

Today’s Personal Project
I’ve already accomplished one (which you’ll hear about tomorrow).

Today’s Daily Challenge
Eat fruits and vegetables that include at least three colors of the rainbow

Colorful fruits and vegetables not only perk up your plate, they perk you up, too! Produce offers your body the mix of nutrients it needs to stay healthy. And the high fiber content helps you stay full longer than if you ate a processed snack, which can help you manage your weight in the long run.

I wish that brown were a color in the rainbow so that deep-fried vegetables would count.

I Hate Violating My Own Policies
On Friday I had a hankering to hear some Rush (I’d say “old Rush” but that would be redundant). Longtime ITP readers will know that since 2009 I’ve been living under a self-imposed edict that I only purchase physical media when digital equivalents are not available, or the digital version is measurable worse than the physical version. I checked into Amazon to buy two “discs” and was irked to find that the digital downloads were priced twice as much as their physical counterparts. WTF.

I hemmed and hawed, playing my desire for immediacy against my internal frugality. And finally, I decided getting two discs for the same price as one digital download would win out. Of course I now have to wait for the discs to arrive; I will then promptly rip them to digital copies and drop the plastic into a box so that they will not occupy space in the house.

I’ll never understand economics and sales…

As Saturdays Go, Mine Was Pretty Awesome
I started the day channeling my inner-seven-year-old by going to Phiddipides and running inside the store while I tried on four different pairs of running shoes. I was aided by a very helpful salesman, whose name I failed to get, and wound up purchasing Brooks Ghost 5s in stunningly bright yellow.

After getting shoes and killing some time by having coffee and eating an underwhelming piece of chocolate cake at San Francisco Coffee Roasting Co. I went to get myself all hansomed-up for my trip to New York this week by getting a haircut.

My goal for the remainder of the day was to not wuss out of going to the Twilight Criterium in East Atlanta Village. After catching a quick nap I drove up to the village a little after 4:00pm, camera in tow (that is the proper “tow” for that saying, it’s not “toe” is it?). Initially I planned to shoot some photos, drink a few beers, eat some dinner and return home. Instead I ran into my old friends (and hashers) Harold (BWanA) and Jill (Supersuck), who invited me to join them for a beer. After shooting a while longer I found them at Holy Taco along with ITP-Readers Betsy, Terri, Pat and others. Shooting stopped (although I should have started again when the women’s race was happening in the rain — I might have gotten shots of a pretty spectacular wreck), drinking started. As we sat at Holy Taco we ran into even more hashers so drinking naturally continued. At some time later in the evening Betsy and I wandered back to my car, which was conveniently parked in front of So Ba where we ate dinner before I drove her home.

ITP Flickr Pic
I promise that you won’t get sick of seeing shots from the criterium because I only plan to post a handful, only the best, of the nearly five hundred snaps I took on Saturday.

Unfortunately the Twilight Criterium was fairly poorly attended and some of the local businesses are griping about the event.

I Look Forward To Weekends Being Mine Again
Yesterday I couldn’t go out to the criterium at Grant Park. The biggest reason I couldn’t was that I had too many chores to do.

“Luckily” for me the grass had dried enough by early afternoon for me to go out and run the mower over it. At least I don’t have to hope that Wednesday will be dry so that I could mow the lawn before I skip out of town, and Wednesday night can now comfortably by “lavenderia y packing noche.”

I spent the majority of the rest of the day trying to write code for work. 🙁 As much as I love my profession I’m really looking forward to the days when I code on the weekends because I want to rather than have to.

Giving Myself A Break Tonight
I plan to work a long day and then head down to Little Five Points, Variety Playhouse to be exact, to go to the Brian Jonestown Massacre show. I’ve heard of BJM for years, including legendary tales about their live performances. I don’t know if I will enjoy tonight’s show, but I plan to try.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – pretty good
Current Music – silence because I don’t want to be distracted
Website Of The Day – You’ve probably her of Zappos before. Zappos sells shoes (and clothing), which like on Saturday I normally only buy in person. However, now that I know my proper running shoe I may buy a “backup pair” from Zappos.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – Friday = walking, ~4 miles
Morning Weigh-In – 206.8 pounds (ugh)

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~36.5 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Meals – 27
Carnivorous Meals – 18
Pancakes Eaten – 2

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

August Goals
– Eat no fewer than forty-five vegetarian meals
– Take at least one load of stuff from my house to Goodwill
– Take unused electronics to recycling center
– Post at least ten new photos during the month (let’s try this again)
– Lose at least two pounds (net weight loss)
– Finish two books (audio or otherwise, comic books do not qualify)
– Not to get sick for the entire month
– Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
– Ride no fewer than 150 miles (might be hard given the amount of travel scheduled this month)
– Walk (or run) no fewer than 75 miles
– Do no fewer than 750 sit-ups
– Do no fewer than 300 push-ups

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

Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2012

1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me — Mindy Kahling
2. Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man’s Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science — Curtis Ebbesmeyer
3. God, No! — Penn Jillette
4. The Elephant to Hollywood — Michael Caine
5. Here Comes Trouble — Michael Moore
6. How We Decide — Jonah Lehrer
7. Steve Jobs — Walter Isaacson
8. Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays) — Arthur Miller
9. Fahrenheit 451 — Ray Bradbury

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]