Down with a sickness

So I finally caught the cold that has been flying around lately.  I am trying to prepare for the 3 days of crap, and will be stocking up on some OJ to get me through the weekend.  Needless to say, I did not make it to the gym for a weigh in, and although I have managed to avoid red meat and pork still, I did have some pound cake and fruit with whipped cream for dinner.  Yes dinner.  Deal with it.

I have found a couple very interesting things in the last couple days however, on being this article on Lifehacker about finding your creative "sweet spot."  It has a couple quips about studies done showing that if you are sleepy, drunk and just got done exercising it is the best time for creativity.  Well, not all at the same time, but apparently when you are in those states of mind you thoughts wander more and you are better at problem solving.  So for you creative folks out there, do not pick up that coffee to open up that mind, but a beer instead.

I also stumbled upon this video of slow motion free runners.  Free running is a combination of multiple things, but the main components are gymnastics and well, running.  It is a really awesome sport that is more about expression and freedom than anything else.  If you have a little bit of time, let these fellas inspire you.

Tomorrow is Friday, and surely I should be excited, but knowing I will have this cold through the weekend is not really what I had in mind.  I am looking forward to next week however, because I have my follow-up MRI and finally will get some kind of plan of action for my knee.  Whatever the weather is like for you this weekend, enjoy yourselves.

I'm just sayin...

Valentines day, and the Office

It took me a while to post this week, I know. I have been busy/lazy and need to get back on the
motivation train.

Last weeks challenge went pretty well, had one extended nap on Friday, but it was needed. Being up
until 2 the night before working at 7, and then planning on going out that night, I needed some extra
shut eye. On a really good note, I found a Chipotle that is less than 90 miles away.

Last night was also Valentines day.  I know a lot of people think it is over monetized, and it is really a halmark holiday, but you have to make it about yourself and your love for another person.  Even if you do not have another person at the time, still make it about yourself, and do not get all moopy on us, we have all been alone on Valentines day, it is one stinking day a year.  I cooked for my significant other, I love cooking, she loves eating what I cook, works out pretty well.  First was lobster, cheese risotto made from scratch, and steamed broccoli tossed in olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and some red pepper flakes.  Desert was a sparkling Moscato, and pound cake topped in a raspberry and blackberry compote made with a little sugar and pear soda, with whipped cream and chocolate chips.

The challenge for this week is to stretch. More specifically get out of my chair every hour at work and get my blood flowing a little bit, and stretch. Many of us with desk jobs and aging bodies start to notice how we feel stiffer, and more creaky by the day. Being hunched over the keyboard for 8 hours a day is one of the main culprits. Getting up every hour and moving your body and stretching, especially the hamstrings and hips, helps keep the body from ceasing up and causing a lot of the common body issues, especially back issues. Even if you only have time for a few jumping jacks or pushups and getting a good hamstring stretch in, it is better than nothing and just sitting in that chair indefinitely.

Also I am on track with my no red meat or pork monthly challenge, and maybe I will weigh myself tomorrow and see if it has helped. Who knows, maybe it did me some good.

I’m just sayin…

Oh no, Paleo

So today went pretty well.  Attended an awards banquet to open the morning, and had to restrain myself from the bacon and sausage that was available.  It was tough, but I got through it.  Had an apple, walnuts, eggs and potatoes for breakfast, a sweet potato for lunch, and then chicken, asparagus sauteed with onions and cantaloupe for dinner. I also had a V8 while playing halo, instead of my customary beer.  I did slip up on accident once today, I had a coffee after coming home and without thinking used milk as a creamer.  Plus I do not think eggs count and super strict paleo, but close enough right?

On a side note, I have had a few friends swimmin' in the blues lately.  For this reason or that but it happens to all of us.  It even happens to me, strange huh, lately it has been my knee(yes give me the proverbial arrow to the knee joke) getting me down because I cannot participate in any sports, and as marginal as I am at most of them, it is one of my passions.  Sometimes you have to do something about it.  Try something new, watch a movie you love, listen to music, or apparently eat.  I found this list today of some foods that supposedly improve your mood, which sounds like a good cover to eat some dark chocolate:)  The article is here if you want to see the whole list.

I did get some Rocksmith in today, trying to continue this long process of maybe learning a little bit of guitar.  It is videos like the one posted below that make me excited and jealous of the talent of some people.  You should watch some of their other videos as well if you like classical music with a twist, played by very talented people. Tomorrow is Friday thankfully, so lets finish up this week on a high note.


I'm just sayin...

No grain Wednesday, and Music

Had a pretty good day, especially from a trying to eat healthy standpoint.  I managed to go all day and not eat any grains, which is probably a first, like ever.  I started with 3 eggs, string cheese and coffee for breakfast.  Another very large BBQ'd chicken breast for lunch, a V8 as a snack when I got home with another string cheese.  For dinner it was sesame seed crusted ahi tuna, with sauteed bananas and walnuts and a mixed green salad with raspberry balsamic vinaigrette mushrooms carrots shallots and feta cheese.  As a small desert about a tablespoon of dark chocolate chips, and a beer.  So overall a good day, especially somehow not having any starchy carbs.

Motivation is also something that is hard to maintain, no matter what you are challenging yourself with.  One thing that I know keeps my energy up and allows me to focus better is music.  I try to always have some on, although at work that is difficult to because of internet restrictions and questionable cell phone reception.  I made a playlist on Youtube today that is a bunch of songs that either remind me of friends, or just times earlier in my life. It is not a complete list, but it was a good start from what I could think of today.  If you are interested here is the playlist.

Tomorrow I am going to try and make it a Paleo Pthursday.  Ya corny, but whatever.  Paleo is a diet popularized by crossfit aficionados that focuses on foods that were available to paleolithic man.  Nuts, fruit, meat, veggies, and that is about it.  No grain, no dairy a hunter gatherer type diet if you will.  I Have the book and have tried recipes out of it before, but I find it hard to change completely over to it, so for now, I will try one day a week.  Here is a link to the paleo diet website for more information on that.

Tomorrow should be another busy day, and hopefully I can keep up with the goals and plans I am putting forth.  Have a good night.

I'm just sayin...

Another month, another challenge

I have not been great at keeping up. Oh well.  Now that we have that over with lets get to the last week.

I did a pretty good job with the Rocksmith.  The biggest thing I learned?  Guitar is really hard to play.  That coming from someone who has basically no musical experience, and whose left hand dexterity only really applies to a controller and aswd.  The hardest thing was moving around to the different chords.  I will continue to play because it was fun, and I would still like to know how to play something someday.

The January challenge was to finish the book I was working on.  I finished a day or two early, because it got to a point where the action would just not stop until the book was over.  I plan on continuing to read books because I really do enjoy it, although it is probably one of the easiest thing to make excuses for.

For the month of February it is a pretty big challenge for myself, only eat birds or fish.  No beef, no pork, on chicken, turkey and seafood.  I am a big meat person, and my second biggest food crux is burgers, first is mac and cheese. I am going to have to try making some new dishes to not get bored of chicken which is something I always struggle with.  Just telling myself it is better for me is not enough, it has to still taste good and be moist.  the reason for this challenge is mainly because I know I need to lose some weight, and especially with possibly an upcoming knee surgery, being lighter than I am right now will help with the recovery process after whatever the next treatment is for my knee.

The challenge for this week is no naps after work.  Sounds funny, but that is really it.  I have not had a lot of energy lately especially because I cannot be as active as I would like(see previous knee injury comment.)  I come home, make excuses to do nothing and go take a 20 minute nap, that turns into an hour or more.  I should not be wasting time like that, and really need to do more with that time.  Also I would like to incorporate the rest of my challenges and continue to not drink soda, do more hobby stuff, finish a model this week, not go out to eat, and make it to the gym to do what I can a couple more times this week.  It is a lot rolled into one, but it is time to put some of this leg work into practice.

The last thing that I am going to do this week is do a food log, which should help me stay more active with updates.  Today I had a bagel, two pieces of string cheese, a piece of pepper jack, and apple, a turkey and cheese sandwich, a V8, some sunflower seeds, a whole grain cracker, a blow pop, a beer, and a chicken breast.  That should be most of it, and it is around 1900 calories for the day, which is probably about right for now.

For tonight, that is enough, and I am gonna head to bed.  Some sort of update is forthcoming tomorrow.

School done, and a party with Kanye West

It was a long week but I made it through pretty much unscathed.  I did not break my no TV challenge until dinner Sunday night, and although I did not get to watch the show I wanted to, I still had class work to finish.  I feel good getting everything done and sticking to the challenge set for myself for the week.  School was a little trying at the end getting everything done, but I am going to start up again in March.

This week I have some time to decompress a little and finish the monthly challenge of finishing the book I started a couple weeks ago.  I have a plan for February's challenge, but that will be a surprise reserved for Wednesday.

The challenge for this week is to play Rocksmith for 30 minutes or more everyday this week.  I have always wanted to learn how to play guitar.  I do not expect to become a rockstar or anything, but maybe someday I will be able to play a few of my favorite songs.  My roommate has an electric guitar so I am only in the cost of the game if I really decide it is not for me.  The 30 minutes is because in what I have done already with the game my hands and forearms get tired pretty quick, but I am going to do it.

Lastly I will leave you with a video that somewhat represents what happened this past Friday at a friends house.  Take it as you will, and stay tuned for a surprise on Wednesday.

NO TV! Plus a day of mourning

So last week went pretty well as far as the challenge goes.  I kept my eating out to a minimum, although I was not perfect, and did a pretty good job overall going to the gym and eating better.  That is the important thing about the challenged in my perspective.  It is not about being perfect, it is about doing things that you either never really set the time aside to do, or try and make a change to your lifestyle that will help you learn a skill, increase your health, or just find something that will make you happy.

Like I said, I am not perfect, and I all but imploded Sunday night.  I had some friends over to watch the NFC championship game.  Instead of cooking for an army like I have done in the past, we just went the lazy route and ordered pizza.  It was all when and good, and then it happened.  One guy prevented the 49ers going to the Super Bowl on two REALLY dumb mistakes.  I would have been happier if the other team just outperformed us, or made a big play at the right time, but that was not the case.  Two fumbled punt returns to give the other team almost guaranteed makes on field goals that gave them the win.  In response, I mourned on Monday.  My diet consisted of pizza for breakfast, burgers and regular soda for lunch, and Kraft deluxe mac and cheese for dinner.  I got it out of my system though and am heading back on track.

This weeks challenge is no TV.  That means no channel surfing for an hour a day and coming out with nothing.  Just sitting in front of the TV and watching whatever on really does not help anything.  The reward is going to be the 2 hour finale of Celebrity cook-off on food network.  I am not going to restrict myself from video games however because the large majority of my video game playing is social, I do not really play unless I am playing with friends, and there are few other minor things holding me from finishing up a couple other hobby projects.  This will allow me to finish my book sooner, the monthly challenge for January, and move on the next book that I have had for ages and have meant to read.  Hopefully this will also let me get everything done for my last week of the school session and make my steps towards making this challenge thing have its own site.  If you have good name ideas throw them at me.

Other than that, pretty standard week, work, home, school, eat, sleep, repeat.

I'm just sayin...

Fell off the bus

So did not make it through today eating only at home. Considering it was the 14th full meal this week, I feel pretty good about it.  That being said, I did not just stumble getting off, I flung myself off while going 60mph by having a 5 Guys bacon cheeseburger.  Go big or go home right.  I did not order fries, and had very few of my friends while we were out, and still did not have a soda while at lunch.  So it is what it is, and we soldier on.

Last night I made another recipe from Saveur and it was pretty successful.  It is a dish from Libya and has some very distinct spices and has a very low level of difficulty.  If you want to give it a shot the recipe is linked above.

A couple more days of this weeks challenge, and I am cooking up something for next week.  Keep on keeping on, and start challenging yourself.

i'm just sayin...

Delay on the move, and Mise en place

So I know I said I was going to be moving the challenge blog over to a new site.  It turns out, someone is using an almost Identical domain name to what I thought of, and I am going to take another week to really figure out what direction I want to take it.  But that does not mean I have slacked this week.

Yesterday I started with oatmeal, went to the gym, had ham and then cheese and a bunch of veggies for lunch.  I spent another good portion of the day using my new airbrush on a car model that has been sitting around for a while and had leftover rice and sauteed veggies for dinner.  It was a light day on food, but that is good after all the crap I ate over the weekend.

Today was of course back to work after a three day weekend, which is never easy, and always involves less sleep than I should be getting, but it went well.   Again started with some oatmeal, made it until about 9:45 before the coffee needed to be had, and actually did my extended lunch gym session with my roommate which we intend to keep up on every Tuesday and Thursday.  Lunch again boring, ham and cheese, carrots and trail mix.

Trying to eat all your meals at home, or prepared at home, takes a lot of effort.  Even for those like me who enjoy to cook, when I get home, I just want to do nothing.  There are many resources out there that have meal ideas to fit every budget, taste, and skill level, but two of my favorites so far are Shine,(which is a Yahoo affiliate) and Saveur,(which is a print magazine and website dedicated to food.)  Shine has meals for every day of the week if you like, and has many tips and trick especially for those slightly intimidated by the kitchen.  Saveur is a site I like a lot, as its recipes are very sophisticated, though not necessarily complicated, and the overall variety of techniques and types of cuisine is astounding.  Tonight I planned on making Quinoa Stuffed Pork Loin because I had some pork in the fridge and wanted to use it up. So I went out and bought the quinoa and the rest of the ingredients I was lacking and started cooking as soon as I got home.  Unfortunately the pork had gone bad, and I was at a loss for a minute.  I improvised and took some frozen trout filets and baked them with the beans and radishes and just served the quinoa on the side.  It still turned out pretty well, and at least I did it all at home right?

A quick technique lesson while I am at it with cooking.  This picture shows my mise en place, a french term in the kitchen referring to having all your ingredients and utensils ready to go before cooking.  What many of us try to do is complete a recipe step by step.  It says sautee onions, so you cut the onions and cook them.  Then it says add mushrooms so you scramble to cut the mushrooms and add it to the pan.  You fall behind, you rush, you miss something, something gets overcooked, and your meal does not come together like it should.  Next time you have a recipe, try preparing and measuring all of your ingredients before you start anything, and then just add at the appropriate times.  It may add a little to the overall prep time, but it will make it a less stressful experience.







That is enough of my blabbering on about something that I pretend to know a little about.  If anyone has any witty suggestions on a domain name pertaining to our weekly challenges go ahead and shoot them, could use a little help and encouragement on that myself.  Have a great week!

I'm just sayin...

End of week 2 with great football

So the last couple days I have been busy.  Went to Fogo de Chao on Friday night in Atlanta, and it was phenomenal as usual.  Saturday was spent getting ready to have people over to watch the first 49er playoff game since 2003, and it was a classic.  Knocking off one of the top rated, and most talked about offenses in the league, while not only playing great defense but having to actually outscore them was amazing.  That coupled with the Packers loss to the Giants made for a great weekend of football.  Last thing about football, this is why the NFL has a better brand than the NCAA, playoffs, nuff said.

I did not successfully complete this weeks challenge as prescribed, although I tried to at least be active every day this week. It is okay though, you do not have to be perfect with every challenge you set for yourself, pick yourself up, and reapply yourself with next weeks challenge, which is only eat food you cooked yourself.  A little vague, but I plan on not eating anything that is not cooked by me at my house, and I personally am also not going to eat out of a box.  No processed cereals, no macaroni and cheese, no rice-a-roni, nothing.  Just veggies, fruits, nuts, chicken, fish, pork, beef, and maybe some rice and oatmeal.  It should be a good step in getting me to some of my other goals.

I do not want to make this post too long, because tomorrow I am going to start a separate site just for this 52 week challenge.  I think I will be better for it to have its own page away from my general shenanigans that happen here, and I can provide specific articles and posts to help with the weekly and monthly challenges.  I leave a link here when I create it, and obviously you will see the self promotion on my facebook as well, considering that is the only traffic I get anyhow.

Have a good MLK day, I am off to play some Star Wars.

Daft Punk, Impressions, Magnets, and a Godfather

For one, Daft Punk never gets old, and Daft Punk youtube videos continue to make the songs even more memorable.  I have seen many of the versions with this song, including Daft Hands, and Daft Bodies and while this one is not quite as perfect, it is fun watching a classroom full of kids having fun with is.


This next video is some dude on youtube doing a bunch of impressions, and you know what, they are pretty good.  Now I know a lot of people can do a couple here and there, but by this video if fox wants to stop paying the simpsons people so much money, they could hire just this guy and they would still have a show.

What the hell are those?  Crazy ass mushrooms that's what.  "Um sir, those are stools..." No they aren't, that is some bogus fungus bs.  "No sir look, see they use magnets, and plastic and..." Oh shut up now, I got it.  I want these totally awesome mushroom plastic magnet stools!  Man I love science.

We are going to end today with a little Jack Lalanne for gym motivation.  Jack was really the first fitness guru, and shaped much of what fitness is still based around today.  He stupied everything he could on the body and said Grey's Anatomy, the book not the stupid hospital drama, was his bible.  In the 50's people started to take notice of his practices and he got his own tv show that people nation wide watched daily.  Many of his ideas are now common knowledge in the medical and fitness industries and nutrition is something that he was really the first to focus on.  I will include a couple of his physical feats here, and you can his name above to see the rest of his site. At the age of 40 he swam the length of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge underwater with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks… an undisputed world record. At 60 swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat. At 65 towed 65 boats filled with 6,500-pounds of Louisiana Pacific wood pulp while handcuffed and shackled in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan.  His last major physical feat at the young age of 70 handcuffed, shackled and fighting strong winds and currents, towed 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen’s Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary, 1 ½ miles.  This Godfather of Fitness also started health clubs that have now turned into Bally's total fitness.  He died last year still young at heart at 96.

Tea Partiers vs Occupiers, and some fun stuff

Ya I know, I say that I do not like talking about politics, but there was a 70 minute video on MSNBC.com today that was a roundtable between 3 Tea Party activists and 3 Occupy movement supporters and there is a lot of good information presented from both sides throughout the video.  It is kind of cool to see that although some people refuse to recognize that there are similar sentiments between the two sides, that they do in fact agree slightly on some subjects.  Most people will not watch it, but here it is anyhow.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now since that is a really heavy long video about the social issues in this country, let us try a more lighthearted video from our neighbors to the north, the Canadia-ans.



Not a lot of other news today, did not go to the gym, but I have three days left this week, not including Sunday which is reserved for recovery, and we go to Fogo de Chao for dinner in Atlanta on Friday, and should probably start fasting now in preparation.

I will leave you with one of my all time favorite Youtube videos that definitely reveals my level of geek.

52 weeks

Lots going on in my little world.  Less than a year left of my military service, the wife less than a year away from having a masters degree, and then the whole world is our option.  I am still really no closer to any sort of final decision on what I am going to do, but that is why we must keep exploring.

I have a full calendar year that I need to fill with experiences, because without adventure and exploration, I will not be as complete a person as I intend to be, and probably will not be any closer to finding what I truly want to do for the rest of my life.  I accept that even if I find something, it is likely to change, and that is fine with me.  Stress really is not something I let get to me very often.

I tend to have a problem sticking to new routines, whether it is homework, hobbies, or working out.  People always stay you should start with short, easier to complete tasks, and have them build towards a bigger goal.  A lot of people make New Years resolutions, and as good as the intentions are, they mostly fail.  I figured I would start with something really easy, and not drink a soda during the first week of this year.  I know, not a ground breaking idea, but considering my computer programming environment and the copious amounts of MTN Dew being consumed there, it is hard to resist.  That combined with late nights, my fault, and early mornings, works fault, I usually need that caffeine boost to get me going.  I made the dedication to stay away from the soda and stick to coffee and tea, and I surprised myself and completed that challenge.  I had told myself that if I did stick to it, I would treat myself to a beer, which is fair right.  It was this amazing triple wheat beer from Unibroue which is a very good brewery from our neighbors to the north, the Canadians. 

 

Anywho, I figured I would make it a consistent thing, and do a new challenge every week this year.  This week, the challenge is go to the gym 5 times, and I am already at 2 so I think another beer will be in order.  Hopefully this new challenge will get me a little more active on this blog, and exploring and doing the things that I know I like and have at my disposal.  You are welcome to join me anytime and reward yourself with whatever you wish.

Lastly I figured I would throw in a monthly goal as well, and for this month it is to finish the book I started last night.  It is called Maxome Foe, and is the third book in a series written by John Ringo and Travis S Taylor.  It is a fun military Sci-Fi that does delve into some pretty neat theoretical science, and is an action movie in book form on top of that.  

New challenges start every Monday, and monthly challenges start on the first of every month.  Also if you have suggestions for monthly or weekly challenges fire away, because there is no way I have 52 ideas worth trying in my head.  

I'm Just Sayin...