2013 In Review: The Naughty

Long time readers may remember that in past years I’d wrap up the year with “Good,” “Bad,” and “Ugly” posts. This year I’m taking briefer approach by offering up a “Naughty” and “Nice” set of posts, modeled after the man in the red suit that passed through town last week. “Naughty” and “Nice” will be but one section during the next two days, taken strictly from memory, mostly because I don’t have the gumption to go through the monthly wrap-ups to dig out significant data.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Share one way you save on toiletries.

Shampoo, soap, and dental floss don’t usually make for exciting shopping, but we can all agree that these things are necessary – and that we have to buy them over and over again! Learning about new ways to save money on toiletries can put more cash in your pocket over the long haul.

I must admit that I’m the guy that takes the unused portion of shampoo and conditioner, as well as any unused bars of soap, from a hotel upon checking out. Hey, I paid for them!

Not showering is a good way to save on toiletries as well. 😉

2013: The Naughty
Just look at those 2013 goals, oh how I failed.

• Weight: Yep, I’m still too fat. I can blame the tendonitis all I want, and truth be told I was on track to lose weight before that injury ruined all my exercising, but I failed mightily in this category.
• Exercise: Without doubt the injury (and to some extent the constant rain this summer) ruined this, however I have no excuse for being such a lazy bum the last three months.
• Women: Yep, I’m still single. I was hoping that there was a prospect this year, but it turned out that I was wrong again. As a 48.5-year-old man I think it’s time for me to give up on the dream of meeting a women with whom I can spend my life. Sad, for I really am a romantic at heart.
• Concerts And Plays — the ones I missed. There were times this year where I felt that no matter what I did Life conspired against me and forced me to miss concerts and plays (see also: Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club and my inability to find parking anywhere near Masquerade. Work emergencies kept me from “A Christmas Carol” this year). And then there were times this year where I was the culprit (see also: skipping the Neko Case concert as well as “The Santaland Diaries” to hang out with friends instead).
• Plumbing: This is actually “Naughty,” and as you’ll see tomorrow, “Nice.” The naughty bit is that not only did I not take care of the notorious plumbing leak, I now have exactly zero sinks in the house that work at 100% (and discovered this weekend that the new shower head I put in a month ago leaks as well). This work will be done in the January/February time frame as finances allow.
• Business: I once again failed to dissolve Sharpened Stone, LLC. I also didn’t have the balls to invest money into the stock market. Both of these moves cost me financially. Oh well, it’s only money. Right?
• No Apps For Me: Another year has passed in which I am not a stellar iOS developer and still have zero apps in the iOS App Store (my apps, not my employer’s apps)

Happy One Year Anniversary, Blue Tarp Brewing
Though I was unable to escape the house to attend (former) ITP-Reader Betsy’s brunch on Friday I did make it over to Blue Tarp Brewing for their party.

I was a fairly early arriver even though I had a misconception on where the brewery was and erroneously wandered about East Decatur Station (home of Three Taverns Brewing, btw) for a bit. I also was corrected yesterday as to which MARTA station Blue Tarp is near; I believe on Friday I said the East Lake station, but in fact it’s the Avondale station. I couldn’t find parking at the brewery, so I parked at the MARTA station.

Blue Tarp is a small brewery, currently only kegging beer in fact. When I arrived I was surprised to see people standing outside under heat lamps which appeared to be over-powered by the frigid temperatures. I was not dressed in outdoor attire as I was wearing nothing thicker that my “Hot Chocolate 15k” hoodie (more on this later) so I was pleased to find that the inside of the brewery, while small, could accommodate people.

Entrance to the party cost a mere $5, which was a steal considering for that I received a(nother) beer goblet, ten tasting tickets, and a $2 coupon for food purchased from The Mobile Marlay, the food truck run by Decatur’s The Marlay House (which I am to understand will host a wedding reception in January — though I was not invited to the wedding so I shan’t be in attendance).

I took my first sample of beer (an IPA) and then bought some fish and chips from The Mobile Marlay, both of which — the beer and food — were very good. For my second beer I tried Blue Tarp’s “low alcohol” brew, which I must admit did little for me. And then I moved onto their stout (delicious) and another IPA.

It was while drinking that second IPA that I realized a few things:
I was standing in corners alone, with no desire to try and talk to anyone (typical).
Any woman there that I found attractive was married (also typical).
I figured more beer wouldn’t make the event more fun (typical).
If I consumed many more beers I’d have to find a different way home to avoid DUI.

So I left.

I’m So Ready For Cheddarhead
On Saturday I joined ITP-Readers Barb (with her mate Allan) and Steve (sadly minus his mate ITP-Reader Debbie) for an excellent Mexican dinner at El Ranchero and some bowling across the street at AMF Lanes; in tow with me was my coworker and bowling lover “K”, who I believe had a good time even though she had to spend it around four hashers. I was in rare form on Saturday night, scoring a 169 in the first game and then proceeding to drop the second game to Barb (I rolled a 153) and the third one to Allan (I’m not sure what I rolled that game but I think it was in the 120s). I’ll blame my decline on the Blue Moon. 😉

On Sunday I once again became Paulie Kringle for Cheddarhead by going over to Dave’s (aka “Public Enema”) house doing the slicing (and quality taste testing) of the Cheddarhead kringle (from Racine Danish Kringles) and storing them in my refrigerator until Wednesday. You’re welcome.

Of All The Times Not To Be Wearing It
With the cooler temps this past week I’ve been wearing my “Hot Chocolate 15k” hoodie (man, remember in January when I was optimistic about my exercising this year?). After leaving Dave’s yesterday I decided to stop at Your Dekalb Farmers Market to pick up a few vegetables I could roast for dinner to go with the chicken breasts I had in the refrigerator. Upon leaving the market I saw an attractive young woman wearing her “Hot Chocolate 15k” hoodie and I thought that this was my opportunity to impress, until I realized that I had chosen not to wear my hoodie yesterday. Fail.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – unsure
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – When I was a kid we used to watch Bowling For Dollars on television. In fact, I remember the mother of one of my friends getting on the show, though I also remember her not doing very well.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~0.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 0 (0 cardio)

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Meals – on hiatus
Carnivorous Meals – on hiatus

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

December Goals
– clean my basement to the point where I could have people over
– hire a plumber, and a painter to work on the ITP Estate
– dissolve Sharpened Stone, LLC?
– follow up on some critical life details
– walk no fewer than 75 miles

2013 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
– Dissolve Sharpened Stone
– 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

2013 Goals: Unmeasurable
– 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)
– Take two real vacations, perhaps one abroad
– Take a more proactive approach to meeting women (read “stop being such a pussy”)

Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2013

1. Pages 1.7 for iPad (Timestompers Guide) — by Sean Wells
2. 60 Mountain Lion Tips — by David Sparks and Brett Terpstra
3. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business — by Charles Duhigg
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy — by Douglas Adams
5. Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness — by CC Chapman
6. So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love — by Cal Newport
7. Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life — by Steve Martin
8. Who Am I: A Memoir — by Pete Townshend
9. Still Foolin’ ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? — by Billy Crystal
10. Unstuff Your Life!: Kick the Clutter Habit and Completely Organize Your Life for Good — Andrew J. Mellen

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]