Ham Fisted

I wish that I were ham fisted this morning because in the context in which I mean it I’d be eating bacon.

Today’s Daily Challenge
Kick your left leg and clap your hands under your thigh, then repeat with your right leg.

This quick exercise is a triple-threat: it forces you to engage muscles in your backside, thighs, and abdominals! The high-kicking and clapping also adds a few moments of cardiovascular activity to your day, making it a great way to get a quick energy boost.

And it helps you get ready for the big cheerleading competition you’ve always wanted to enter.

Dearly Departed
I was fortunate that surface street traffic was light last night allowing me to arrive at Burgess Peterson Academy (also known as “where I go to vote”) with ample time to choose good seating. Truth be told, I was so early that I could have chosen all but three of the seats occupied by others. I’m glad to say that by the time the play started there were approximately fifty of us in attendance.

The play, Dearly Departed, which is a dark comedy about a Southern family being brought together by the death of their father, was performed by East Atlanta’s Guerrilla Theatre. I am fortunate two be friends with two of the theatre’s ensemble — ITP-Reader Betsy, and Andrea (aka “Pull My String”) — as well as with its director Brad.

The performance was what you’d expect of community theatre, some people know their lines better than others, some people projected their voices better than others, and the props were sparse. It was also opening night, so I have to take that into account for any missteps which may have occurred. In the end I enjoyed the efforts put out by the cast of players, who do that much better than I could. They cast will have two more performances, one tonight and one tomorrow night, at the school; curtain rises at 8pm I wish them continued success.

After the play I joined some of the cast for a beer at East Atlanta’s The Elder Tree Public House. It was interesting to find out how many of the thespians live near my house.

Glad Not To Be Part Of The Dearly Departed
No, not the play…

While sitting in the school’s gymnasium/auditorium the weather turned frightful outside. We all could hear the wind pick up dramatically (see what I did there?) and through one of the transoms I could see the trees whipping in it. We could hear the driving rain, see the lightning flashes, and then watch the sky turn a brilliant orange/red. Go to any photo-sharing or social media websites today and I’m sure you’ll see many images about which I speak.

Turning “Field Day” Into “Flee Day”
This afternoon, weather permitting, my office will be having its annual “Field Day”. On this day a hundred or so nerds eat lunch outside and prove why stereotypes about nerds not being able to play sports exist. I would be the exception to that rule of course. 😉 Or perhaps I am not a real nerd?

Regardless, tonight I will be heading down to midtown to join my boss and a couple of other old friends at Smith’s Olde Bar for some hot cover band action. Because it is Friday, and this is Atlanta “Home of the Country’s Worst Traffic”, I will be trying to flee the office whilst the others attempt to avoid ankle sprains and jammed fingers.

Bummer, I’ve just been informed that the Field Day has been postponed due to last night’s rain.

Today’s Personal Project
Prepare a punch list of all of the things I hope to accomplish this weekend.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – pretty good, even though I woke up erroneously thinking that today was Saturday
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – Today I give props to Guerrilla Theatre.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 216 pounds (2014-05-30). Crap, I was supposed to weigh myself this morning.

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~3.8 miles
Wheel Mileage – ~33.0 miles
Gym Visits – 2 (2 cardio)

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

June Goals
– 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]