New Year’s 2006

I hope that everyone had a better New Year’s celebration than I did. Rachel and I spent New Year’s Eve at my mother-in-law Pam’s house. We spent the time watching movies and removing Christmas tree decorations. Well, that is what everyone else did. I spent most of the time in another room playing on a computer. I was not trying to be anti-social. I just had a sore throat and I did not want to infect anyone. Aside from trying to not cough, it was an enjoyable evening. After going home, Rachel and I stayed up until 5:00 AM watching television.

I still have a sore throat. To make matters worse, I think that I also have a bruised tailbone. (I doubt that they are related.) It is difficult to be productive while coughing and being unable to sit for long periods. I thought about taking some sick days. However, I would hate to use them up so early in the year. Besides, it is uncomfortable to lie down for long periods anyway. I will just muddle along for the time being, sitting on pillows, and drinking fluids.

For the prior two weeks, I have had a break from school. But, with the new year came a new school session. This week I started two courses: The first course is “Finite Mathematics.” The other course is “Integrated Physical Science.” Since going to Saint Leo University, this is the first time that I will be attempting two classes simultaneously. The math course should be relatively simple (I already finished the first week’s assignments). The science course, on the other hand, will be a bit more difficult. However, as I like science and as there is not an insane amount of writing, I will be fine. It is funny; I can write a thousand-word blog entry without a problem. But, when it comes to writing essays for class, I tend to freeze up.

As typical for a new year, I like to create a list of resolutions. First, I will look at last year’s resolutions: The first resolution was to read at least one new book a month. As I finished over thirty books last year (not including books for school), I am happy to say that I not only kept my resolution but I crushed it.

My second resolution was to drop to my high school weight. Well, I did not do as good on this resolution as my first one. I do weigh less now than I did last year, but I am not losing weight as fast as I could. The biggest problem is consistently following my exercise routine. Typically, I do flexibility exercises six days a week, aerobics five days a week, strength training three days a week, and endurance training once a week.

The problem is that Sunday is my day off and Monday is my roughest workout. It is difficult to switch gears from being relaxed to maxing out. Consequently, I tend to skip working out on Mondays. This throws off the rest of my routine for the week. Additionally, I get depressed when I fill out my logs for the week. This causes me to skip my daily routine increasingly.

To combat this problem, I rearranged my routine. I still have the same amount of exercising planned. However, I spread the load out differently (and hopefully more efficiently). Sunday is still my day off, but now Monday’s workout is a lot lighter. I think that once I can do Monday’s routine without a problem, I will be more motivated to complete the rest of the week. In addition, since it has been a few months since I have exercised on a consistent basis, I have decided to ease into my routine. Last week I only logged my daily stats (weight, blood pressure, etc.). This week I am only doing my warm up (in addition to my logging). In the following weeks, I will add flexibility exercise, aerobics, strength training, and so on. By March, I should be on my normal routine again.

My third resolution from last year was to work on debt and income problems. Fortunately, our debt is not increasing. Unfortunately, our income is not increasing either. I have been looking for an additional job that I could do from home without much success. Economic conditions could force me to replace my current job with a higher paying one.

My fourth and final resolution was to work on projects outside of work. While I did not do as much as I wanted to, I did accomplish many non-work-related projects.

As for this year, I only have two resolutions: The first one is follow my exercise routine at least seventy-five percent of the time. That means that I will need about 270 days where I followed my routine. Fortunately, I have mastered the art of keeping exercise logs. I have an Excel spreadsheet that contains my exercise information for the last few years. Every week, it print out a new log sheet that tells me how much exercising I need to accomplish.

My second resolution is working on income problems. If that means that I have to drop school and take on a second job or replace my current job, then so be it.

Tagline for today: “You know how it feels when you’re leaning back on a chair, and you lean too far back, and you almost fall over backwards, but then you catch yourself at the last second? I feel like that all the time.” - Steven Wright