Did I Miss The Evacuation Memo?

Did I miss a zombie apocalypse evacuation memo last night? I was nearly the only patron inside The Elder Tree Pub (a dinner decision made much easier when I realized that The Shed is closed on Mondays) where I dined on half-price fish-and-chips and two Wells Bombardiers. And then I was one of fifteen people (generous accounting) to attend the My Jerusalem show last night at The EARL. Seriously folks, you missed an excellent concert.

Today’s Personal Project
Make it to the iOS Developers meeting tonight.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Make one of your meals meat-free today.

Although meat can be a good source of protein, some types of meats are high in saturated fat. By giving a nonanimal source of protein a try, you begin to explore a whole world of substitutions that are tasty and don’t raise your cholesterol. You may even find that going meat-free is easier than you thought it would be!

They have obviously not been keeping up with this blog…

Back To Walking, Running Again Soon?
After a slothful weekend I did manage to return to exercising yesterday, even if was only a five-mile walk. I walked again this morning (somehow I convinced myself to get out of bed and into the chilly air).

I need to start contemplating running, or more accurately running/walking, so that I can participate in that 15k in January for which I have already signed up.

ITP Flickr Pic
I like The Elder Tree Pub. Good food. Good beer. Smoke-free environment.

I like The Elder Tree so much that I don’t want it to go out of business so there is a good chance to find me there if you are in fact trying to find me in East Atlanta.

I Think I’ll Be Buying A Chainsaw
Wanna have a party?

When I was out and about in my yard on Sunday I realized that there is a lot of chopping and hauling of wood which needs to be done — and this excludes the work for which I will have to hire professionals. So I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I need to buy a new chainsaw (hey, it can always be an free add-in for when I sell the house).

My goal, and you know how well I do hitting my goals, is to do at least one chore in the yard during the weekends that I am at home (see the loophole that I just created for this weekend when I’ll be at LEAF)

To Beard Or Not To Beard? That Is The Question
It’s (mid?) October, the tradition beard-growing month for me and I’ve yet to start one. Honestly I put off starting a beard this year because I was hoping to be in a budding relationship and didn’t want to hurt my chances (though it turned out not to matter). The reason I haven’t started one in the past two weeks is mere routine — wake up, exercise (well, sometimes), shave, shower.

While I am well-aware that this year’s version of my beard will contain more white/gray than last year’s I’m still considering growing one. Opinions?

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – meh, there are some things going on with me which concern me
Current Music – silence again
Website Of The Day – It’s Okay To Be Smart. Really, it is. I love the demonstrations of Hexaflexagons (Happy Hexaflexagons Month!) on this site. As if you didn’t know my desire to be a geek.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – walking, ~5.2 miles
Morning Weigh-In – checking again tomorrow

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~46.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 14

Vegetarian Meals – 25
Carnivorous Meals – 11
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
10. White Jacket Required — Jenna Weber

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]