Grumpy Old Man

I had to wake up early to honor a commitment, fought traffic on I-285 to get to work, and then when I arrived found that the project I used to work on doesn’t compile this morning because of someone’s recent changes.

On top of that I am having a hard time focusing, both literally and figuratively, this morning.

HARUMPH!

Today’s Daily Challenge
Use a new herb or spice, or use an old favorite in a new dish.

Herbs and spices are an age-old way to bring depth to a dish and add flavors that make it sing. But many people get stuck in a rut and use the same things over and over. Why not give something new a shake, and see how it affects the flavor? You may create a super, new dish. More bonuses of herbs and spices: They don’t have any salt, so using them can be a way to get flavor without excess sodium. And they add so much punch that you may not need to use as much oil, butter, or other fats.

If only I still had time to cook.

Take Em To Court
According to the email I received my boss had Court 1 of the Dunwoody LA Fitness reserved from 5:30pm-6:30pm. When we arrived there were four guys inside that court who assured us that they had it reserved from 5:00pm-6:00pm.

We were nice, so we took another court.

Two minutes later we were kicked out of that court.

So we took another court.

Five minutes later we were kicked out of that court.

At this time I decided that enough was enough and went to the front desk and confirmed our 5:30pm reservation for Court 1; when I returned I evicted the men from it. They were not pleased even though I explained to them that I had just come from the front desk and the only reason we were being sticklers was because we had just been bounced from two other courts. Tough titties as the kids say today. Well, I don’t think they say that any longer but I still do.

Last night I was the “bad cop” after working out and suggested dinner and beer to ruin it all. Hell, I was hungry because I had eaten a sensible lunch and had just ran my ass off (I wish my stomach would depart first) for about an hour. We went to the local Taco Mac where I had the veggie fajitas again (this could be healthy if I would order it without the sour cream) and a couple of beers.

By the time I got home I was pooped. I did little more than hang my wet clothes and towel to dry before plunking down with the iPad and then fall asleep.

I’m Flush With Cash!
In addition to the $8.38 from Amazon that I mentioned yesterday I also received delivery notice for my 2013 REI dividend — $2.40.

Now I am no math wizard but that means I have almost $11 in United States currency to spend. Oh boy, that is about what I am talking!

It appears that I only spent about $50 at REI last year which is a clear indicator that either:

• a) I did not do enough outdoorsy events last year

or

• b) I own too much shit already

Good-Bye Crutches
It’s unfortunate that I had to return ITP-Reader Terri’s crutches to her (finally!) because she needs them today, but I am feeling good about having one more thing out of the house.

Next up on the list: ITP-Reader Martha’s coffee mug, and Sharon’s tupperware.

A New Me, Part 1
One of the subtle changes in my life that I’ll be making today will be seeing a new hair stylist. My former cutter has left the place I go and rather than follow her I decided to try a new person. Hell, it can’t hurt my chances with the ladies…

Today’s Personal Project
Start gathering things for Goodwill, and for Austin.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – grumpy, but I’ll get over it (I assume)
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – When I return from Austin I will be employing Angie’s List to employ a plumber (or three) and an electrician to work on the ITP Estate. Related: Here is a list of seven home improvement tasks to complete before listing your house, according to Angie’s List.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – racquetball, ~1 hour
Morning Weigh-In – Arg, I keep forgetting to jump on the scale

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~10.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 9 (9 cardio)

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

March Goals
– have Austin CocoaConf trip plans in place (new)
– exercise no fewer than twenty days (new)
– ride my bike no fewer than five times (new)
– 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

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

1. “Johnny Carson” by Henry Bushkin
2. “Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative” by Austin Kleon

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]