Crash
2006-11-29, 2:51 p.m.

Day 829 Crash

NaBloPoMo #??

KeeeeeeeeeRASH! That�s the sound of me falling off the NaBloPoMo wagon. Hard. Never realized how difficult it might be, just getting something posted for 30 straight days. Serious lack of quality content. Think the guidelines hinted that you could post damn near anything (Today sucked, see ya tomorrow) and have it count. Could have done that, but that would have been even worse than the drivel I actually was posting. Besides, some days just don�t deserve comment.

I need to get one of those laptops that let you physically write on the screen, then save what you wrote like a document (or pdf even) Would have saved me about 500 steps yesterday. Was helping Circe out with some algebra problems. While I don�t have any trouble typing it out on a computer and interpreting the results, it�s not so easy to read it in that format if you�re just being introduced to the stuff. So I�d do a problem out on paper, trot over to the community scanner and scan the problem, save it as a pdf to a network share, then trot back to my desk and email the pdf.

Not a whole lot of steps and certainly not rocket surgery. But the community scanner is about 150 feet away from my cubucle. I did two problems as examples. Realized I screwed up the second one just before I emailed it, so had to do it again. In all, 3 round trips to the scanner, totaling all of 900 or so feet of travel. Could have saved all that if I had one of them there write-able screens. Like my company is going to fork over the bucks to buy everybody one of those. We wish. Should probably take credit on my mileage chart for the hiking. Like I�m going to notice that after this mornings little 6 mile jaunt on the elliptical machine.

Hmmm. Circe � do you have W0rd with Equ@tion Editor built in? Next time I could do up some examples in W0rd and bop them down to you. Makes for very readable problems. Better than my handwriting, that�s for sure. I get kinda lazy and forget to lift the pencil off the paper at times, then 2�s look like Z�s, 5�s and S�s get kinda funky, then there�s the whole zero vs oh complication.

Oh � and trading beer for taking tests? I�m in. Travel could be somewhat problematic, but the algebra will be a snap.

Speaking of beer, I kinda skipped my Al Anon meeting last night. Foggy as all get out in these parts last night. Actually, it was misty/foggy all day yesterday. Didn�t much feel up to traveling all of 10 miles for the meeting. Besides, Cindy was off chaperoning a school basketball game, so dinner was on me. Jill & I polished off the last of the left over turkey and some home grown mac & cheese. Killer meal prep. Hardest thing was slicing up some olives for the salad (that I made for dinner the night before).

Just couldn�t get motivated to go. Plus, since maybe this time last week, Cindy really hasn�t had much to drink. Had some Saturday night when we took Eric to the Dinosaur for his birthday, but so did everybody else � even Eric. Got to buy him his first legal public beer. Same place Zach had his all of 15 months ago.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Cindy. Not drunk. Except for maybe Saturday night. Once in a span of a whole week. Of course, we�ve been reasonably busy, her dad�s been over, I�ve been hanging out in the kitchen, kinda hampering her ability to sneak into the liquor cabinet. Not on purpose mind you, just by happenstance. For example: she�ll do her part for dinner prep, then turn the kitchen over to me. I�ll be working away in the kitchen, doing a rendition of Chicken Paillard (check it out, it�s great). I can see Cindy tiptoeing through the dining room, glancing back my way checking to see if I�m paying any particular attention out that direction. Technically, I�m not, cuz I don�t want to chop my fingers off, but I can see her out of the corner of my eye as I�m working. She�s hovering, like a vulture waiting for dinner to die, hoping for a gap that will allow her to dive in.

It apparently never happened. I�m thinking that if she can�t start imbibing by some predetermined hour, she bails on drinking for the night, knowing it�ll take her too long to bounce back and recover in time for work in the morning. Sounds like too much planning for the average alcoholic, but I think that�s precisely how it goes. Pretty sure that covers Sunday & Monday evenings. The remainder of the days in the past week she didn�t drink because her dad was with us or we were just plain too busy. The holiday kinda goofed up her pattern. Tonight is another matter.

I got goodies out to make stuffed pork chops. Hopefully this will be the last of the thanksgiving stuffing (we froze a big portion of the left overs. Hope it thaws by this afternoon) Dinner prep will be a breeze. Jill usually studies in her room right up to dinner time most afternoons. I won�t get home from work till 5:30 or so. Cindy will be home by 4:00. That leaves her an hour and a half to finally bust into that huge bottle of hooch she got before Thanksgiving. So even after all that �ooh, she�s been so good the past week� I am not looking forward to what I�m expecting to find when I get home tonight. Could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Bowling tomorrow night again. Finally! Hate the break over Thanksgiving. Especially as I was having a bit of a down turn recently and had maybe figured a way out of it. It�s all speed. Been having trouble getting my ball to turn up into the pocket. Blaming oil patterns, oil left on the ball, ball absorbing oil, surface of the ball getting too polished, all sorts of crap. Turns out I was throwing the ball too hard. Spends too much time sliding, not able to overcome the initial velocity. Ball would finally flop over too late and not drive hard to the pocket. Subtle thing. Slowed down (takes a whole shitload of concentration) and finally started getting the reaction I desired. But it is SO HARD to throw the ball that slow. It�s just not the pace my body prefers. But I will persevere. Slow steps, slow arm swing, slow follow through, lift through the ball, eyes on the target and above all else � RELAX! Sounds simple, no?

Back to the zoo. Post this later this afternoon prolly.

Holidailies? Couldn�t make NaBloPoMo, may as well try the dailies.

9 days till Zach graduates. I can�t believe I�m old enough to have a college graduate for a son. I certainly don�t act it!

Updated weight stats:

Start: 206.5 on 1/1/06 (265.0 on 1/15/05)
Current: 188 on 11/25/06 (Out of the rut, but wrong direction, durn stuffing)
Next: 12/2/06 (if I dare)

New target � Aim is 180, by Christmas. Better get the rear in gear.

The Keep on Truckin goal: (miles piled up on elliptical trainers and/or running)
Miles at speed 11/29/06: 953.55
Miles with cool down: 1049.15
Target for 2006: 1000 miles at speed (cool down miles don�t really count)

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