Things I did today

I have a problem that I think a lot of people do. Get excited about the idea of doing something, but not actually following through to the goal... and sometimes not even starting the idea. I've had plenty of ideas that I've not really followed through on, like: Properly learning how to play trombone Sticking with violin lessons past 3 months Practicing guitar for more than two months consecutively Consistently writing in a personal finance blog (I tried this one twice!) Learning more than the basics about my new camera... that I bought in December 2015 Finishing all the levels on Super Mario 64 Painting regularly, though I did paint regularly with my friends in college There are ideas that I never got off the ground, like: Starting a piano vlog Starting a blog about technical stock analysis Starting a blog about music composition Writing a book Writing a symphony Last night, I watched a few YouTube videos from Matt D'Avella, WheezyWaiter and NateObrien. It

Today didn't quite go as planned - I was pulled in many directions at my job, between playing a Database Administrator role and a Project Manager role, did some analysis and code debugging, argued about the definition of "scheduled", and even logged in, in the evening to help with a full stack refresh issue for a half hour. After my workday was done (before the full stack refresh issue) I went to the gym and did all the exercises except for my PT exercises. Instead of doing two sets of 15 reps with a minute rest, I did two sets of 10 reps with 30 seconds between each set. While I think my legs can certainly increase either reps or weight, I think backing off on my arm exercises for a while is a good idea - 10 reps per set was a much better outcome. I think I was overworking my arms just because I feel like they're too wimpy! I'm sure they'll get there, with patience and consistency. After the gym, I was interested in clearing off my desk, backing up the da

It's January 2nd, and things are looking good for my challenge so far. Today and yesterday, I've had coffee with oatmik, picadillo, carnitas, lefse, shrimp stew sans coconut milk, cafe latte, cheese, chicken noodle soup that has no added sugar and some peanuts. I put away all the chocolate gifts I received over the holidays so I wouldn't be tempted, seeing it in plain sight (or relatively plain sight when opening the cupboard.) Still in the fridge is more cheese, more shrimp stew, and some chicken enchiladas. In the pantry is soup and more peanuts. Plenty of food so I don't start making bad decisions. Yesterday's total calorie count was 1350. Today, I ate 1281 calories, so I'm still within range of 1200 - 1450 calories per day. I'm tracking my weight, but only occasionally. I'm at my proper weight already, and just need to do a bit of distribution. Since I won't be travelling, and the friends that I often socialize with wouldn't give me (too

Another month, another year, and depending on how you count a ten year span, some people are in a new decade. New beginnings, new resolutions, and ... the same old you. Or, the same old me. The same Laura that has been 'going to run an entire 5k without walking' and 'study and pass my SQL certification tests' and 'finally play piano competently again'. I've been working on the 1st goal for five years, the second for 6 years, and the last for an embarrassingly long 11 years. How do I eventually meet them? Well, not the way I've been going in the past, clearly. Playing piano: I need to recall the last time that I played competently piano was in 2008, just before the stroke hit. I had been playing piano again from 2004, and got better - good enough to record an album in 2006 - but it didn't feel like it was a lot of work. Until I realized that I practiced for hours at church, after lunch in town (church was 35 minutes away from home and I didn&

I'm really pleased! I met my December challenge and even blew past my wussy goal of 5 times or more a week. I went to the gym every day except for December 25th (they were closed) and December 26th (the weather was finally so nice that I opted to go for a walk instead). I even have check in proof! I even made appreciable gains in my workouts! December 1st workout sheet: December 31st workout sheet: I changed from doing a machine that simulated the situp movement with some weights to just the situp bench. Clearly I still have some work to do on my arms and shoulders, but that's not a big surprise. I'll just keep on keeping on! I took a picture on the first and today - not going to share those, but I did see a little positive change in my arm definition and my midsection. I also need to work on lowering my shoulder and changing my posture - I'm starting to lean forward. I'll keep taking pictures on the last days of the month to make sure there'

Went to the gym as usual, and did a lot of stretching and my PT exercises. The high ended up being 73 today, so I didn't want to spend a lot of time indoors. Tomorrow is my last day to complete my 30 day gym challenge! This January, I'll be doing the No (Obvious) Sugar Added challenge. I threw in 'obvious' because I didn't want to fuss about added sugar when I go out to eat - I'll just pick items that I expect would not have sugar, like meats and vegetables. I won't order a cake while I'm out! But I'm not interested in bothering the waiter in case the salad dressing may have sugar in it. Technically, raw fruit has no added sugar. However, most fruit in January also has no added taste. I'm unsure if I'll be eating much fruit - I rarely eat that food group, though I should. Sounds like a different challenge for a different day. I downloaded MyFitnessPal again, with the thought that I MUST eat at least 1200 calories a day. If I don't,

Today was another success! Went to the gym after my two cups of coffee, warmed up the rest of the Picadillo for lunch, and finished a few chores. This evening, I was invited to a board game night with a few friends. We played Spinjas and Stuffed Fables. The gym was my last arm/chest routine day until the 31st, where I'll do the full body routine and see where I gained. I'm certain I didn't lose weight - way too many cookies and candies around to snack on, but hopefully I'm stronger. I certainly feel stronger and better, and that is enough to keep going. I'm looking forward to getting a better diet in January by not having sugar for the month, and continuing to go the the gym - just not daily. Stuffed Fables is a really cute game! We played Story 1 where a girl's blanket is stolen from a little girl's bed, and the Stuffed animals characters, Theadora, Stitch, Flops and Lumpy have to travel through the underworld to rescue the blanket and get back to bed b