I listened to NPR Music’s “The Worst Songs Of All Time” podcast yesterday; Simon & Garfunkel’s “Feeling Groovy (59th St Bridge Song)” was not included.
Today’s Daily Challenge
Improve balance and increase ankle mobility with twenty ankle circles.
This challenge packs a one-two punch! It helps increase the mobility in your ankles and gives them a nice stretch. It also calls on you to balance for a moment as you isolate the rest of your leg and do the ankle circles. As we get older, our sense of balance becomes less strong, so this quick exercise can help you improve it.
Given my recent history of injury I’ve done quite a lot of these over the past three years.
Once A Workaholic, Always A Workaholic
Like shingles, workaholic(ism) never quite exits the body. At night’s end last night I realized that I had been working on a work project for over ten hours, not including breaks for lunch and dinner. And what’s worse? I was supposed to work on a second work-related project and never found the time to work on it.
I should have shut down my work at 5pm and started relaxing by watching the Olympics, any of the many unwatched movies or tv shows I have, or read a book. But I didn’t, I fought and fought with my code until I was too tired to do much else.
ITP Flickr Pic
“Snowlanta”
Taken yesterday afternoon before last night’s snowfall.
“Snowlanta 2”
Taken this morning. You can see the biggest difference on the tree branches.
Here’s To Fantastic Customer Service
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned joining the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild as an “Enthusiast” member? Well, I didn’t realize it at the time but I submitted my membership for with a t-shirt size of “Small” selected. I realized my error when my shirt arrived the other day.
You don’t have to have listened to me complain about my weight to correctly guess that I don’t wear a “Small” t-shirt; hell, I might have started wearing sizes larger than that forty years ago.
If you follow me on Twitter you’d know that I did a virtual face-palm mentioning my guffaw of shirt size selection. In my tweet made sure that it was evident that the error was completely of my doing.
Yesterday I received an email from GCBG (which, being a New Yorker of a certain age I always see as CBGB) telling me that if I wanted to mail back the small shirt they’d send me another in my actual size. I just might do this, once the post office reopens after this ice/snow fall.
Odds And Ends
I hope everyone is still doing okay, with ample food and heat to make life bearable.
ITP-Reader Ronnie, I owe you a phone call; expect to receive a call from me later today.
Laundry sorted. Wondering if I’ll make the effort tonight or spend my solo Valentine’s Day doing laundry (which seems fitting to me).
Today’s Personal Project
Get out of the house, even if it is for no other reason than going out for a long walk.
Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay, though I’m ready to get out again
Current Music – listening to the latest “iDeveloper Podcast”
Website Of The Day – Twice in a week someone has referenced SilverSneakers — Fitness For Older Adults. Waaaaait a minute…
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car (when the roads are accessible)
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – I continue to fail to check.
Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 3 (3 cardio)
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0
February Goals
– have European trip plans in place, if not carved in stone
– clean my basement to the point where I could have people over
– hire a plumber to fix all of the sinks at the ITP Estate
– walk no fewer than 75 miles
– publish an app to the iOS AppStore (new)
2014 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
– 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
– Sell the ITP Estate (tentative)
2014 Goals: Unmeasurable
– Continue to 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)
Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2014
- “Johnny Carson” by Henry Bushkin
- “Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative” by Austin Kleon
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
Steve & Debbie have no power, they are the only ones I’ve heard are out.
We got a new (to us) computer from Allan’s parents. It has this pop up occasionally that tells me I need to improve my posture, I’m too close to the screen. What’s up with that? And, I know that, but I can’t figure out how to adjust some fonts, and I’m going blind, I can’t see small print.
Speaking of eyes – I’ve got a eye doc appt over at Woodham’s Eye clinic by your office Paulie on Monday 2/24. I hope they have something new they can do , I really don’t want to wear glasses all the time. I know my corneas are too thin for any more lasik type of procedure.
Valentine’s Day is a non-event here. It is looking like our massage therapist friend is coming over that night, we’ve had to reschedule due to weather & illness 3 times. You can come join us, I’m making some sort of chicken, artichoke pasta bake for dinner.
Bummer about Steve & Debbie. Being further south I always assume they escape the ice/snow and would be the last of us to be affected.
That popup is good. In fact, I should have such a thing that also tells me to focus away from the screen for a minute to help with my declining vision. In fact, I’m going to the Mac AppStore to look for such a thing after finishing this comment.
Figures you’ll be near my office when I am not. 🙁 On that day I’ll be in Florida celebrating my mother’s [REDACTED] birthday. Good luck with your visit.
Ooh, that sounds great Barb. Let me get back to you on that later.
Whit THIS sucks. I got dressed, gathered my things, and was all set to go out to eat and then into the office, HOWEVER, the Jackmobile isn’t so keen. Even with my foot on the break I cannot get it to shift out of Park. Perhaps my separation from the Jackmobile will happen sooner than later?
The Jackmobile is just telling you to stay home for another day :-). There should be a slot next to the shifter where you can put in your key to bypass the stepping on the brake switch to get it out of park.
Now that you mention it, I know that slot. The internets also says that I should check my break lights.
I’ll wait until the weather is a bit warmer.
This is another time in life where being alone sucks. Ever try to tell if your brake lights are working when you are alone?
I’ve tried using my iPhone to video the back end of the car as I walk around to press on the brake pedal, but can’t get a great angle.
I’ve looked for sticks and bricks to depress the brake pedal so I could walk around and look for myself, but that hasn’t worked either.
DANGEN!
I just made it out to the office – it is very wet & slushy out there. My car is DIRTY.
There are just somethings that are so much easier for me to do here at the office.
Bummer about getting the car started – go find a neighbor to help?
So you know I’m like 2 minutes away right? You want me to swing by??
Martha, you know I hate asking for help. 🙂
Singleton Ingenuity strikes again!
I brought out a wall mirror and was able to prop it up and use a large stick to press the brake pedal. Here’s what I know:
– Engine starts.
– Fuse for “Stop” (light?) not blown
– Lights work (both front and rear)
– Pressing on brake pedal does not illuminate brake lights when headlights are either off or on
I assume whatever switch gets activated (still need to research this) when brake pedal is depressed is not switching, thus neither brake lights nor transmission think that I am pressing on the brake pedal. Therefore lights don’t illuminate and transmission won’t let me take it out of Park.
I still need to try the gearshift override and hope that I can drive it to Lam’s tomorrow morning.
have you wiggled the streering wheel – a lot?
I have no idea, I’d call AAA, since I pay for that service & rarely use it.
Tried steering wheel this morning, but not extensively. Seems more of a brake switch issue since I don’t see lights change when I depress pedal.
Brake switch seems to make clicking noise when I depress brake pedal. Switch may have died internally (and out of nowhere on Tuesday night). I’ll have to try to override transmission tomorrow and drive it (the brakes still have resistance so they should work) to Lam’s.
Final update for today. I was able to depress the gear shift override and drive the car halfway down the driveway and come to a stop, put it in reverse and drive back under the carport. After putting it into park I tried the normal way of starting the car, but the gear shift refused to budge again.
I should be able to drive it up to Lam’s tomorrow and if all is well have it back again for the weekend, else it’s off to Hertz for a rental.
Still no power. We’re over it and ready for summer. More tomorrow.