Finish The Way I Started

Yesterday I played racquetball for over an hour and today my leg pain continues. The interesting thing about this pain is that when I am in motion it doesn’t occur. I ran mostly pain-free last night inside that court, only feeling discomfort when trying to stop hastily or bend down to pick up the ball. Today the pain is lower in the legs, between my buttocks and hamstrings — it’s as if someone has overtightened the muscles in the back of my legs. I tried stretching after racquetball tonight, but it was a sad a painful, mostly unsuccessful effort. Twice now I’ve contemplated using Tiger Balm or Icy Hot on my legs, but have forgotten prior to getting dressed.

I have to hope that whatever is causing this pain goes away before I spent over eight hours sitting in a plane seat in July.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Sit in a chair, cross your ankles, and extend your legs. Return your feet to the floor and repeat.

Crossing your ankles before you lift your legs allows one leg to act as a “weight” for the other. The thigh muscles that you engage in this exercise are crucial to everyday activities, like standing up from a chair and walking up steps. This move also calls on your core – you’ll feel your abdominal muscles working to support you as you sit up straight.

They are obviously not consulting this blog. 😉

A Week Without Coffee?
The last coffee I had was last Thursday. I had purchased a mugful at Einstein’s Brothers last Friday prior to my doctor’s appointment but not consumed because I was advised not to eat or drink after they sprayed stuff down my nostrils and esophagus. Since then I’ve been avoiding my morning/afternoon drug of choice due to its high acidity and caffeine. In fact, I’ve even switched to drinking green tea because its decaffeinated. How I’ve not ended it all even I don’t understand.

Speaking Of Coffee (Mugs)
Shhh, don’t tell her but when I attend ITP-Reader Martha’s housewarming a week from Saturday I will have the greatest gift with me — her coffee mug. Sure, the mile and a half distance between us (hell, not even a mile difference when she was renting KKGB’s house) should not have been a hurdle for the mug’s return, but what says “Welcome To Your New Home” more than a coffee mug that you’ve not seen since November?

Go ahead, nominate me for some sort oh Nobel prize, I won’t object.

Milk, I Hope It Does A Body Good
Even if it’s chocolate milk.

Along with not drinking coffee I’ve decided that I want to start drinking more milk. In the cafeteria yesterday I picked up a small bottle of milk and a banana and called it “breakfast”. I tried to do the same this morning but was thwarted when I discovered a lack of milk in the cooler case. They did have chocolate milk, which technically is still milk, so I purchased that instead. While I admit that Nestle chocolate milk is milk, I was concerned when I read “Contents: milk-ingredient” on the label, what the fuck is “milk-ingredient”?

Loooooong Weekend MuthaF*ckers!
Somehow this Monday is Memorial Day. Seriously?

Yes, and there will be a special “Holiday Edition” of this blog then as well.

I will be making a concerted effort not to come into the office on any of the three days I have off for this long weekend. As of now the only two things I’ve scheduled for this weekend are drinking tonight (hey, man’s gotta stay away from the long weekend rush hour traffic, right?) and having dinner with friends at Barcelona to celebrate the weekend return of one of my coworkers who has moved to Denver. Oddly this will be my first trip to Barcelona, an establishment I pass daily on my drive in to work.

Given the predicted temperatures and accompanying humidity I might have to give the ITP Estate’s air conditioner its first run this year.

Today’s Personal Project

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – surprisingly optimistic considering all of the bad things I’m facing these days
Current Music – listening to a KEXP “Music That Matters” podcast
Website Of The Day – I wish I were heading for one of these “One-Tank Trips” listed by the AJC.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – racquetball, > 1 hour
Morning Weigh-In – Monday?

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~16.9 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 4 (4 cardio)

Marta Rides To Work – 1
Bike Rides To Work – 0

May Goals
– have European trip plans 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
– go away two of the weekends

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
  3. “Chaos: Making a New Science” by James Gleick
  4. “What’s So Funny?: My Hilarious Life” by Tim Conway

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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4 Responses to Finish The Way I Started

  1. Steve says:

    A brief stop at JEFDSDR to do laundry, and now I’m off to Chattanooga for Pro Road Championships. It sounded like a good idea when I signed up in January, but at that time, I didn’t know I’d be going to SF. Oh well.

    A nice ride to the airport yesterday in one of the hotels Lincoln Navigators. A bit more than a taxi, but it smelled a lot better. Flight was a bit bumpy, but otherwise uneventful.

    Good to be back home, however briefly. I missed the humidity.

    -FP

  2. Barb says:

    Steve – you can bother TJ again. He’s up there too.
    And – just a little funny Skyline story, TJ brought a bunch of cans to CA to give to Kevin to take back to Spain. Boy oh boy were the kids excited for their Skyline dinner when he got home. The Skyline cult just cracks me up.

  3. Jenka says:

    Thanks for filling in for me yesterday, Debbie! I’m really falling down on the job.

    I read a study in which men who consumed a diet higher in dairy fat maintained their weight much more than men who did not consume dairy fat. So if you’re drinking milk, it should be whole milk. Might look into some full fat yogurt and cheese, too. YOU’RE WELCOME.

  4. Paulie [eatl/ga] says:

    Whenever possible I drink whole milk and eat real cheese.

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