Quitting Time
No, not my job — though the thought…. No, not the blog — that thought never really enters my mind…. much.
Funny aside: Last night I left “early” (6:00pm, I only worked a ten-hour day) to head to the lavanderia (more on this below). As I approached the Jackmobile I heard a woman’s voice behind me. “So you are the hard working person who drives that car.” the woman, easily ten years my senior, said. I turned and smiled, responding “Hard working? Perhaps.” She followed with “Well, a lot of hours then because I see your car parked there all of the time.” Ironically the Jackmobile is not parked in that parking space today, because of the predicted rain I’ve parked in the parking garage instead.
Yesterday’s Daily Challenge
Say something positive to someone you talk to today.
Everyone wants to hear that they are appreciated and understood! However, sometimes it’s easy to let situations pass by without saying something positive. Sharing how we feel helps build strong, supportive relationships. Not only that, speaking sincerely and from the heart can help reduce stress and anxiety – for you and for the recipient of your kind words.
I’m positive that the code with which I must interact is going to drive me batshit crazy — if it hasn’t already. I could go on a multi-day rant about this, but it will bore most of you and would go far to screwing up my goal of not getting fired. 
Okay, I’ll try to do better…
Quitting: Netflix
I’m on the brink of quitting Netflix again. With a lack of free time, a backlog of “Mad Men” episodes growing, Amazon Prime video, not to mentioned copious amounts of pre-purchased and free entertainment options, each time I look at that one disc which has been untouched on my nightstand for at least three months I think it’s time to save the $8/month that I am spending for Netflix. I’d consider switching back to online streaming, but that’s not going to help me find the time to use it either.
Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
Last Friday’s “Income Tax Printing Fiasco” launched me into purchasing a laser printer and an extra toner cartridge from Amazon. I purchased a relatively-inexpensive Brother printer (whose model number escapes me, and I’m too lazy to look up). Yesterday the toner cartridge arrived at the office, sans printer. Huh. I’m sure the printer will arrive today or tomorrow, but I find it unusual that the two didn’t arrive simultaneously. I suppose that they were shipped from different warehouses.
While not exactly “excited” to own a printer again it will facilitate printing personal documents such as “House For Sale” fliers and my resumé.
Not Quitting: Lavanderia Night
Last night I lugged a large amount of clothes (many blood-spotted/tainted black t-shirts, yes I hand washed them all when I could) to the lavanderia. It was a good night at the lavenderia, which meant that I was able to get the washers and driers I needed to accomplish doing everything within two hours. Oddly last night I was not the only non-latino at the lavenderia last night; normally I am, but last night I was joined by a caucasian woman most likely in her forties, and a cute twenty-something blonde and her hipster-fashionable boyfriend.
I would have completed the lavanderia and Las Tortas Locas daily double had it not been for the couple of not-so-local-ne’er-do-wells who couldn’t help but try to start a conversation with me each time I took a load of laundry back to my car. I understand when women give me the “just please leave me alone” look, I wish that they did as well.
Quitting: Stitches, And Hopefully The Pain They’ve Delivered
I’ve given many updates on my back since the surgery twelve days ago — some more gruesome than others. Today the stitches are due to come out. I’m really hoping that in the process the doctor can find a way to flatten out my back entirely since the pain derived from sitting in a chair is as great as it was prior to getting cut up. It seems as if the more I try to improve my life the more I wind up trading one problem for another, some times more serious problem. [see also: "hiring a plumber to fix a minor crack in a cast iron pipe which has developed into the bane of my house-owning existence"]
Not Quitting: iOS Developers Meetups
Tonight is the monthly meetup of the Atlanta iOS Developers group. I’ve been successful at skipping Roswell Photographic Society meetings, and skipped last month’s iOS Developers meeting, but tonight I want to jump back on that bandwagon.
Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – ready to be unstitched
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – Many thanks to The Free Dictionary for showing me how to properly spell “ne’er-do-wells.”
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – not checking this week
Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~7.5 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights
Days Of Bed-Making – 0
Vegetarian Days – 4
Carnivorous Days – 12
Pancakes Eaten – 3
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0
Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2012
- Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me — Mindy Kahling
- Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man’s Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science — Curtis Ebbesmeyer
- God, No! — Penn Jillette
April Goals
- Lose at least three pounds (net weight loss)
- Completely recover from my sebaceous cyst surgery
- Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
- Not to get sick for the entire month (may be a moot point as of today)
- 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
- Go out on a least one date with a woman in whom I have interest
- 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]
And for some reason “PIZZA!” keeps entering my brain for a late lunch. The doctor’s office is at Piedmont Hospital, perhaps I can head to Fellini’s on Collier, or down to Rocky Mountain Pizza after getting my stitches out.
Really, Rocky Mountain Pizza? I never thought their pizza was all that good. My pizza slice place up here by my office has another location at 365 14th St – Baby Tommy’s Taste of New York. Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza slice is a great lunch, or the garlic tomato bacon, but they have other slice options too.
I’m meeting Allan for lunch – might be an AJ’s (po’ boys) kind of day, but damn you , now I’m thinking pizza.
Rocky Mountain Pizza is semi-sentimental for me. Baby Tommy’s Taste of New York? Hmmmm, I might could try that…
here’s another pizza place I heard was really, really good (but I haven’t been there) Varasano’s Pizzeria – 2171 Peachtree Rd. NE 30309. I bet that is pertty close to Piedmont.
Wow, sad day for the Gator Nation (of my era)…
Ex-Gator star Dwayne Schintzius dies at 43
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Former University of Florida basketball star Dwayne Schintzius, who also played in the NBA, has died after a two-year battle against cancer. He was 43.
The 7-foot-2 center played for the Gators from 1987 to 1990, helping Florida to its first three NCAA Tournament appearances. He is Florida’s sixth-highest scorer with 1,624 points.
Schintzius was drafted 24th overall in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs in 1990. He also played for the Kings, Nets, Pacers, Clippers and Celtics during an eight-year professional career.
Hope all goes well with the doc.
Looks like the mizzus and I are all set for a refi on JEFDSDR. I believe BoA is working a racket as in order to drop our rate and refi in the current market, we are starting over with a 30 year note. I haven’t crunched the numbers, but I’m pretty certain it is only in our favor to lower the payments, and in the banks favor to reinstate the 30. Don’t you know as soon as we are able, we’ll be upping the $ paid on the premium. Take that BofA.
Tried riding the trainer last night but really only succeeded in having my butt in the saddle. My legs were still toast from Saturday. Guess I really needed that recovery ride Sunday and never took it.
A 43 year old man dying of cancer is always sad, Gay-tor or not.
-FP
Steve – if only you would have ridden slower……… hahahaha
We re-fi’d a more than a year ago now to a 20 year, and even at 4.25% I feel like I should do it again to see if we can lower it more.
Barb, I really don’t think slower would have made any difference, I think it was just time in the saddle. Haven’t been on the bike that long for quite a while.
I don’t remember the rate, but I don’t think it was much better (or as good) as 4.25.
I’m just hanging tight until I see rates start to rise a lot, right now my 1 year ARM is at 3.5%. Been paying my orginal payment for the last 3 years even though my payment has went down (a lot). I paid off the 2nd mortgage at the beginning of the year, next the car, then those god d@mn student loans…the rest of the house will just have to wait.
I felt pretty good after my marathon (for me) time in the saddle. Not that I could have complained. I rode almost twice as long as I was scheduled on Saturday. I did not want to hear an “I told you so” from Coach Tat.
I’m starting to notice a few things that need to be ‘tweeked’ that might make me a bit more comfortable on the bike. And after two days of messing with the cadence sensor (needed for indoor riding), I just bought a new one.
My very first computer had a cadence feature, and I learned what my normal cadence was.. about 95. I never worried about having it on another computer again. Now my indoor effort is measured by my heart rate monitor (when I remember to put in the fresh battery!!)
I’m getting a better feel now of what my ‘normal’ cadence is and she as me working out via my heart rate…however, I’m a geek, I like my numbers…I just want to see how far I “rode” and how “fast” I did it. Plus knowing the ‘distance’ helps me make sure I’m putting in the same effort when I do intervals, etc. Since the heartrate method isn’t that great for short intervals.
I started to look at power meters, I don’t think I’m that serious (nuts) yet to start forking over that kind of cash.
Martha – If you need a different stem or seatpost – have Allan look at your position, he might have something at the house that could be changed.
He changed Sal’s stem (way taller), she is less aero now, but more confortable. Not sure what all he did to JoAnna’s bike, but she says she feels much better now too.
Power Meter – YIKES!!!!!!!
You better get a new bike too, if you get one of those.
Might as well go all in, get a custom Independent Fabrications bike.
You get to pick your paint job with the thousands you spend on the frame.
Barb, I’ll be blaming you and your pizza suggestion for my full belly the rest of the day. I don’t want to know how many calories I just ate at Baby Tommy’s.
Actually, I think my seat is a little high. I’m trying to sit back a bit further on the seat (you know why) but then it seems like I’m really stretching to reach the pedals. I hope I can lower the seat…they don’t make bikes any smaller.
I spent a couple of minutes at REI today looking at the Cannondale Synapse 6, wow, so light compared to mine. But when I tried out Jerry’s SIL’s 44cm (Cannondale but not a Synapse), it was a smidge too big and they didn’t have a 44cm for me to try at the store. Not that I’m planning on a new bike, just nice to look.
We met a woman on the ride Saturday who rides a 650.. seems like she wasn’t a fan- hard to find tires, would much rather have a 700c.
Paulie, everything OK at the doctor?
Doc said things look good. He pulled the stitches and relieved me of some more fluid.
I’m rewarding my good behavior with a pit-pizza-pig out with a King of Pops pop. And now I am heading home to work, and will most likely remain there all night.
Paulie- what toppings on the slice(s) did you get?
Did you try our fav?
Oh yeah Martha – meant to tell you what Kerri (I actually remember her name) said.
She said most bikes even WSD are now regular 700cm wheels, because all the bike companies have worked on getting everything more standard. She just ordered a Trek Madone. Can’t remember what size.
and – remember – Cannondale is really Crack & Fail. (sorry, couldn’t resist, I am a Trek owner)
do you have a good “girl” saddle? Terry Liberator is about the msot popular.
One slice of chicken, bacon, ranch
One slice of eggplant parmesan
One orange cream King of Pops popsicle — which unfortunately underwhelmed
I tried to find a public library on the west side of town, but the west side is lacking in libraries. Instead I decided to wind my way home looking for a library at which I could work so that I’d be fairly close to the west side for tonight’s iOS meetup. Unfortunately the only library I came across was the one on Ponce — which didn’t seem conducive to my working. I thought about setting up shop in a coffee shop or bar, but I had too much time to kill.
So I am home again. Where I will attempt to work.
Oh, and this change of plans would allow me to go to tonight’s Mets v. Braves game, but I think it’s going to rain and I have too much to do. BOO!