I’m Not A Good Runner (Yet?)

This morning’s attempt at exercise was feeble and I even managed to tweak my back in the process. Dangen! I covered about 5.4 miles jogging/walking this morning (to be credited in tomorrow’s blog). At first I was proud that I convinced myself that it wasn’t too cold to go out this morning, and now I’m sort of wishing that I had not been so convincing.

Today’s Personal Project
Recover. Which is a word which is applicable in many different facets of my life these days.
Also, learn how to use the Jawbone Jambox (Black Diamond) that arrived yesterday.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Pick a perimeter – a building, your house or apartment building, or a shopping area – and walk it.

Whether it’s around the perimeter of a building, city block, or park, walking can provide health benefits such as lower blood pressure, an improved mood, and a smaller waistline. Picking a perimeter adds variety, too – the promise of seeing something new along the way may increase your motivation to stroll!

I picked a perimeter a long time ago…

Fire In My Belly Party
I met up with ITP-Reader Betsy at Woodfire Grill for last night’s soiree celebrating the upcoming release of Kevin Gillespie’s book . The place was crowded and Betsy and I decided to skip the book buying, waiting in line for a signing, routine. Unfortunately this also meant that neither of us could talk to Gillespie as he was engaged with book buyers all evening (read “from 6-8, because Betsy and I took off at 8pm”). We did manage to entertain ourselves by having some adult beverages, partaking in many of the hors d’oeuvres offered, and chatting with, and about, some of the other people in attendance. I also ran into Broderick, of Savory Exposure, and we met Fiona (aka “Lots of Practice”) who was there getting a book signed for her mother.

I guess I should of asked if a complementary book was actually part of the night’s festivities (I wish I’d think of these things when they are applicable!) but I didn’t.

After getting our fill of buzz-worthy attention we headed back closer to our ‘hoods and stopped into The Shed for one more glass of wine.

It’s 7:30pm, And It’s Dark?
As they do every year the days are getting shorter and the nights longer as we move into Fall and Winter. As it does every year this baffles my mind when I exit a building at 7:30pm and it’s already dark. “Huh, it’s only 7:30pm, this dark makes it seem much later.” my mind tells itself.

Calling An Audible Tonight
At the beginning of the week Wednesday night was going to be Prince Spaghetti Night Lavanderia Night. That changed yesterday when I found out via an email from Horizon Theatre that their run of “Time Stands Still” was scheduled to end this weekend.

I’ve also decided not to do the Tour de Farm this weekend (something about cooler mornings, and I’ll be getting my fill of “camping” on two weekends in the near future). So I could have chosen to go to the play on Saturday night, but I decided to go tonight and leave myself an option of going to the High Museum on Saturday night for this exhibit-opening party.

I’m making myself a busy, busy man and hoping to put myself out there for someone to find in the process. Now if I could only stay healthy and well..

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – tired, hurting
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – I’ve had plenty of missed opportunities but no Missed Connections in my life. At least none that I am aware of…
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – Dangen, I forgot to pop onto the scale this morning

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~35.4 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 10

Vegetarian Meals – 17
Carnivorous Meals – 8
Pancakes Eaten – 0

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

October Goals
– Wear “nice” clothes to work at least twice a week, if for no other reason than to have people wonder why I am dressing up. New!
– 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
– 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 100 miles
– Walk (or run) no fewer than 100 miles
– Do no fewer than 750 sit-ups
– Do no fewer than 300 push-ups
– Read a non-techincal book
– Find someone else to go out on a date with

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]