Ich Bin Ein Costcoer

Well I did it, and I did it big. Last night after doing laundry I drove down to Costco and rejoined (I was a member in the mid-to-late 1990s). As my first act of change I eschewed going to the bar as I had intended and ate a quick and cheap dinner of a Pepsi with a “Chicken Bake” (think “chicken, bacon, cheese, fat, goodness”) for a whopping total of $3.83. Hello Paulie McFrugal!

If all goes as planned during the next year there will be big changes in my life, some of which will benefit from being a Costco member.

And while I toil at an office near Perimeter Mall I shall avail myself of the Costco nearby as often as possible. Anyone want to get in on a 144-roll package of toilet paper? 🙂

Today’s Daily Challenge
Read about Body Mass Index and what it means for your health.

There are many benefits to maintaining a healthy weight, like better sleep and reduced risk for heart disease and cancer. But everybody is different. What does a healthy weight mean for you? Your BMI can indicate whether you’re at a healthy or unhealthy weight. As you read about BMI, think of it as one factor that can tell you and your doctor more about your overall health.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I’m fat — but working on it.

Where Were You When You Heard The News?
People my age (a young-looking 49, thankyouverymuch) should get used to hearing about the deaths of people with whom they grew up, even if these people are one of the many you’ve never met. However, hearing of Robin Williams’ alleged suicide yesterday took me down a few pegs. I had just sat down to eat my Costco dinner feeling optimistic about the changes I am about to undertake when I read the news. I did not know Robin Williams, but his talent was a thread that permeated my life from the first time I saw Mork and Mindy in the late 1970s. (Honest Side Note: As I was prepubescent I didn’t realize it at the time but I thought Pam Dawber was hot.)

I Might Be Reframed
One of the weekend activities I failed to mention yesterday was picking out five potential new eyeglass frames from Warby Parker. (Side Note: Warby Parker is going to open a store in Buckhead sometime this year!)

I received an unusual email from Warby Parker yesterday morning as well, one that thanked me for returning the frames and encouraging me to purchase any that suited me; this all before the frames even arrived. Last night I received another email from Warby Parker apologizing for the erroneous and confusing email sent to me earlier in the day. The apology was rather humorous and it made me like Warby Parker as a company a little more.

ITP Flickr Pic
“Inside Out” (Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany)
Inside Out
Okay, still cycling through Europe photos. Oh how cool would it be if I actually had photos of cycling through Europe?

This is a photo I took while eating dinner (that pig’s knuckle I posted while still on vacation) at a restaurant whose name I cannot recall in Bamberg, Germany. Though far from a “great” photo I like the way it captured my environment contrasted with all of the others who were worshipping the sun and heat that day.

Court Will Be Back In Session
Tonight the boss and I will return to LA Fitness to smack the racquetball around for awhile. It seems as if it’s been a month since we’ve played racquetball, and shit, it just may have been. No, I sit corrected. I recall at least one instance where I whined about my “shin splint” while playing, the “shin splint” that still haunts me a bit, which means that it really wasn’t a shin splint after all. Since I’ve been very bad at forcing myself to exercise I am really looking forward to getting onto the court tonight.

Today’s Personal Project
Get some exercise.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – fat, a little injured, but otherwise okay.
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The DayGoethe Instut Atlanta. Stay tuned?
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 215 pounds (11-August)

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~0.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – ~0.0 miles
Gym Visits – 0 (0 cardio)

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

August Goals
– clear out a room’s worth of things I no longer wish to own for the rest of my life
– hire a plumber to come in and fix the “small” repairs
– contact a realtor to make a hit list of things that need to change before the house can be listed

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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6 Responses to Ich Bin Ein Costcoer

  1. Martha says:

    It was very sad to hear about Robin Williams, since we belong to the same cohort, Mork and Mindy was also a big part of my childhood. I even had the rainbow suspenders (thank god there seems to be no photographic evidence of that particular fashion don’t). To be honest his manic personality was a bit too much for me some times, and I really hated some of his roles (Patch Adams anyone?) but he had so many memorable parts over the years it would be hard not to find something you like.

    I really don’t understand some of the marketing that businesses do these days. Not 6 months after I bought my new car the dealership was sending me offers to trade in and buy a new one…do people really do that?? Or Amazon (you know I love you) but if I just bought a new air mattress, what are the odds I need an email a week telling me about more air mattress that you carry?

    I’ve been limping a bit on my ‘busted’ ankle…I thought I twisted it but I think it was more like I bashed it while running (well when I did it I was just walking) at Sweetwater on Sunday. It’s slowing me down a little but I’ve still managed to make it to the gym the past two mornings. I’m sure the coach thinks I’m somewhere between a badass and an idiot for working out on it.

  2. I think it was watching “The Word According To Garp”, apparently released the day after my seventeenth birthday, that taught me that Robin Williams wasn’t always going to take comedic roles.

    Amazon does the same for me. Other big culprits are travel sites that continually send me hotel deals for cities that I have no plans on returning to any time in the near future.

  3. Barb says:

    I had the rainbow suspenders too. they could be still at my parents house in a closet somewhere, as they don’t throw much out until we start forcing them to when we go home to visit.

    Watched In Bruges again last night on Netflix, damn I love that movie. If you like a very dark comedy & the word fooking (typed with the Irish accent used by Colin Farrell) and haven’t seen this movie, you really are missing out.

  4. I have “In Bruges” on my hard drive at home but have never made the time to watch it.

  5. Steve says:

    Is it fair to say I’m not surprised by Robin. Williams? Jonathan Winters also suffered from extreme depression… I think the comedic personality can be a coping mechanism. He could quickly go from funny to irritating, but I don’t think we will see another comedian with such a speed of wit.

    Morning session done. I am the designated tintinabulator (laps and bell). I have already done 100 little circles and was a bit dizzy- a 250m track means a lap every 20 seconds or less. Doesn’t sound like much until you do it again and again.

    Off for a run…

    -FP

  6. Barb says:

    Paulie – make time. I think, I hope, that you will enjoy it.

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