A new me (or just another blog entry)

On Tuesday night, I went home with all intentions of going for a ride on my bike. I quickly realized that daylight is my enemy. There is a precious 30 minutes of usable daylight after I get home. This seriously puts a hamper on any ability I have to go for a decent ride. By the time I get home, change, and get in to a ride, I have to turn around and get home before dark. Where I live, the roads are not the most conducive to driver/cyclist appreciation.

So I joined the NYSC. Tonight is my first spinning class. I am fully anticipating lots of pain and sweat, but I am also looking forward to it.

Here are the things I have started to do to lose the winter hibernation weight:

• Stop drinking soda (completely)
• Stop drinking beer (only occassional binge drinking allowed)
• Stop eating junk foods (burgers, chessesteaks, apple pie)
• Drink water (at least 2 liters per day)
• Eat breakfast, a midmorning snack, small lunch, mid afternoon snack, dinner, dessert.
• Take the stairs at work instead of the elevator
• Work out daily
• Train for the 60 mile and 100 mile rides at the end of the summer

Yesterday's Weigh in: 215
Current weigh in: 213

The rain is my fault... sorry.

For those of you who are wondering why it was 40 degrees this morning, cloudy and threatening rain... it is my fault. I claim full responsibility.

This weekend, I did two important things that caused the weather to turn bad. First and foremost, I bought a new bicycle. The bikes I have are older, and in need of serious repair or just trashing... so I opted for trashing. The old road bike is a "Shogun Selectra" from the very early 90's. It was a great bike when it was made. It has seen over 1000 miles, and my last long ride took about the last of the life from it. By the end of the 150 miles I realized I might be walking the parts across the finish line.

The old mountain bike is a Specialized Hard Rock that I bought about 8 years ago. Not knowing what I was doing, I bought it about 2" too big in the frame, which has all of the potential for testicular disaster, and has made me think twice on occasion regarding to fall off or jump off of it. I put about $800 worth of new components in to it, but my days of hard core mountain biking are probably done.

The new bike is a Specialized CrossTrail. This is a bike that is lighter than my mountain bike, has a front fork suspension that I can lock out (for road rides), but is tough enough to handle mild mountain biking trails.

On Saturday my curiosty got the better of me when I took it out for a spin... I pulled back in to the driveway 2 hours and 25 miles later. I really was curious what was just around the next bend. Needless to say, there was no riding for me on Sunday, but I did plan on doing another 10 today... but the purchase of a new bike means rain for a few days, so for that, I apologize.

The second and most consequential reason it is raining? After owning my car for 1 year, I have finally washed it. Yep, washed and vacuumed. Today? RAIN. Figures.

Why don't people get it?

I don't understand something....

I have several friends that have the ability to make decisions that will clearly make them miserable. These are not stupid people... These are intelligent, college educated, tax paying people that draw a pay check every week. For some reason, they continually make active decisions that will inevitably lead to their own dismay.

Am I missing it? It doesn't make sense. I understand doing something because it "feels good", or the short term benefits can be worth the long term costs... but these are major decisions about marriage, relationships and jobs that have very clear immediate consequences.

Am I expected to feel sympathy for people actively try to screw themselves? How can I in good conscience sit across the table from these people and say anything other than "so? what did you expect? to be elected president after a ticker-tape parade?" C'mon! Lets be honest with ourselves, even if we can't be honest with others.

If a situation sucks, change it, or shut the fuck up about it!

Connecting.....

Why is it that it seems like every time I have a good time with someone... be it family, friends, friends of the family, hookers, homeless people, random people on the street, stray dogs, crazy, old, bag ladies, etc, that I have the tendency to say "This was fun, we should do it again!" and somehow, it doesn't happen until the next event and I say it again, as if I don't see the cycle that continues.

It should be a hallmark greeting, or the back of a business card, the standard "hello, this was fun, please schedule this again". Every time, I think, this REALLY was fun though, and I enjoyed this, we should do it more often than once a year or once a few months. I have to assume that the reciprocating sentiment coming from the other side of the conversation is as genuine as the one I express, and yet, it is only at celebrations and tragedies that we really get together with people.

What happened to "We should fill our lives with the love of those around us." We try. We open our house and home to everyone. We invite everyone over, we cook, we throw events, and even then, it seems so difficult to have a steady connection with the people that we say "This was fun.... lets do it again".

One of two possibilities occurs:

1. People really are this busy. No one has the time to get together on a weekend, share some stories, laughs, reminisce about the old days, and to make new memories.
2. Others are not as genuine as I am when I like someone. They say they would like to get together, but they are just being polite, and as soon as I am out of ear shot, "I like you" changes to "Thank God they are gone".

Maybe this is the year. This is the year to make MORE effort to get together with people. This is the year to not have excuses, and to make it happen. Yeah, we are busy, everyone is, but what is the point if we can't enjoy it?

Enough rant for now... But if anyone wants to hang out... ;)

A Personal Statement

So the school I am applying for my PhD requires a million pieces of paper for admisson, as I eluded to in a previous post. Besides the 2 letters of referrence, a Curriculum Vitae, official transcripts and a letter of financial security, they also require a "Personal Statement" essay. According to what I can find on the web, this should be a 2 page essay about "me". But it should create a certain amount intrigue on the school's part.

There are so many things that this personal statement should NOT be about, I can't figure out what the hell to write about. Every time I look at the document, I write some setences about me, that are disconnected from the rest of the theme, save and move on. Too bad they can't take a bulleted list of things I can do.

Yoga is a cult

For all of you thousands of readers who read my blog on a daily basis, chomping at the bit for any little tidbit of new information about my overly exciting life, I was recently talking with a friend of mine who is into the art of yoga.

When she started, it was for health reasons... to gain strength, composure, exercise, etc. Then there was the dieting and eating 'yoga friendly' foods, and the cutting out of meats, dairy and such. At some point this typical behavior turned crazy, and cult like. Now before you start writing to your congressman to have the Internet police raid my house and remove my computer, hear me out...

They revere their yoga instructors as if they were gods. The believe that only through self-torture can they achieve the enlightened ability to contort their bodies in to strange and unnatural poses. They get up at some stupid hour like "sunrise" and all face east (sounding cult-like yet?) and perform some type of yoga ritual to say "hello" to the sun (as if the sun give a shit about it). They are devoted to practice, so much so, that the only time they don't practice is on the new moon.


Let that sink in.



The new moon.

I asked my friend to hang out and go for drinks one night, and the answer was "let me check the lunar schedule". Now I fully understand that there are lots of definitions of cult, and while the hale-bop cult, Waco, and the polygamy cults are more recognized, I think we should intervene with these Yoga nuts before they lock themselves in a room and start contorting each other...

Education, part two

So I have decided on my Ph.D.  I have decided that I absolutely want to do it, and to go after the "brass ring".  I have submitted my application, and the TON of associated paperwork to Pace.  The degree is a Doctor of Professional Studies in Computing (DPS, Computing).  

The interesting thing is that I have been asked "why" I am going for my doctorate degree.  I can't say that I have a good, compelling reason that everyone understands.  In fact, my best reason is "just because", or "because I am not done yet".  I feel like I am on a roll, and don't want to stop, knowing that if I do, I probably will not start again.  At this point, I feel like school is something that I should be doing, and when I have a break between classes or between degrees, I feel kinda empty, like I have all of this idle time that isn't being used.  Most people would take the opportunity to relax, build something, go on vacation, etc.  I read.  I read everything I can get my hands on.  I learn on my own.  I have become OBSESSED with learning everything.  

I am also looking forward to publishing work that is my own, and to be able to advance my ideas in the computing industry.  I constantly feel like I struggle against every organization I work for, pushing for the ideals in computing that make sense.  The use and adoption of technology for the purpose of automation and solution provision, and not because it is easy, fun or "cool and shiny".  Not all problems can be solved with bits and bytes, but complex business processes can be automated so that time is not spent on  the repetitive tasks, the menial tasks, but instead, value is what drives technology adoption, and not Microsoft, or Dell.   l

But enough of that for now.  Wish me luck!