Journal

Get Shiggy With It

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So I participated in the Beach Palooza 5k and adventure race on Galveston Island this weekend. Ouch. Every time I think I am fit enough, these events remind me of how much more work I need to do. The sadists who planned the course wouldn’t allow us to run the packed sand on the beach. That’d be too easy. Instead, we ran the coarse sand. This slowed everyone down a touch. 

Official time was 37 minutes and I placed 30th in my age group. I averaged 11 minutes per mile. With the obstacles and the slow pokes on them, plus the sand, I’m pleased with the results. More importantly, I ENJOY these things.

Minus

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I am in the process of minimizing everything. A great purge is happening. The “for sale” and the “toss” piles are getting larger.

Never Satisfied

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I’m doing it again. As the website’s current byline claims: “Never satisfied”, I am reorganizing and streamlining.

Project 1: Adding Daphne’s images to her web gallery which is tied into this website http://chrisdenbow.website/dvd

Project 2: Migrating all of my images off of both Flickr accounts (6 years worth). My Flickr Pro account will expire this month and I am not anxious to renew it after all these years. Lack of innovation and customer support has me looking to my own server. I tried SmugMug but can’t get into it.

Project 3: Uploading a majority of these to a photo gallery attached to my personal photography site

This is My Space

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This website was created about the same time MySpace was coming online back in 2000 and I’ve always said this is my main outlet. Sure, I’ve been lured by social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and now Google+, but always managed to find my way back here.

This website is the only place where I own the content. My thoughts, my images, the followers and even the privacy controls.

15 Day Challenge

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Yes, my first challenge was to abstain from social media and RSS feed reading for 30 days but it is just not possible at this time. I am postponing this challenge and taking up a new one. Here’s why:

I am actively looking for a career back into the I.T. industry and using today’s tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus and more will help accomplish this. I need to nurture and grow my network, my followers and my circles. In addition to this, I have created a career page for myself.

It is amazing how much information has been accumulated during this time. I have almost 3800 unread articles in the feed box. My Twitter followers has increased without effort. I am being included in quite a bit of circles inside G+ with no follow-up on my part to do the same. 

I’ve read new books, cleaned more, watched more Doctor Who, and learned more about MySQL and PhP (see the career page) during this self-imposed hiatus and am grateful.

My next 30 day challenge? Get that position in information technology of course! If I have to interrupt this and make it 15 days as well, I’ll let you know.

DarkTable

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The new, open-source photo editing software, Darktable looks promising. It is an alternative to the $300 Adobe Lightroom software which I already own on the WIndows laptop. Darktable is currently running on the Ubuntu Linux laptop. So far so good!

You Say You Want A Resolution

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So it begins. A new personal project that is not your average new year resolution. It is the Ground Hog Day resolutions. While similar to NYE, it is delayed for a month and starts on February 2 (today). I will also be posting monthly check-ins to monitor my progress. The goals are specific and personal to myself. Feel free to recreate and customize to your needs. These are huge steps for me and I think that if they are broken down into specifics, I’ll stand a greater chance of finishing strong.

All right, here are my goals in no order of importance:

  • Sleep- I am going to have difficulty with this one, probably more so then the rest. There is so much that I want to do in a day but find it difficult to accomplish. After a good workout and a long day of work, I’m sure this well send me crawling into bed. Just to be safe, I am removing late night snacking and caffeine before 8PM. Also, I downloaded an app simply called “White Noise” that creates ambient sound loops that seems to soothe my brain. Goal: 8 hours sleep daily
  • Pray- I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer. The chance to be still and communicate with God is not to be missed. The problem lately is that it has been missed. As the spiritual leader of my family, I have neglected this but now resolve to be stronger. Recently we introduced nightly prayers with our daughter who gets upset if we forget to perform them. With prayer comes meditation and devotion. The WonderWife and I will be devoting ourselves to family Bible study as well as a home study fellowship with others. Goal: daily prayer and meditation.
  • Eat- If it is true that you are what you eat then I must be greasy, cheesy and sugary. None of these sounds appealing. I will be partnering with the WW in making healthier choices for meal and snack times. Water, tea and juice will replace the soda. Beer will be permitted sparingly. I love fruit and vegetables and may experiment with the ones I used to detest (broccoli). Goal: Deliberate, healthy choices in limited portions. Reward self with MAYBE one eat out, soda per week. 
  • Fit- I’ve been wanting to drop 20 pounds for the past two years. I would say I have been trying but that would be misleading. Specific methods are vague at this point but will include weights, running (C25K) and a lot of hiking. I’ll be on foot every other day and pushing weights the next with a day off on Sunday. Music and podcasts will be pumping in my ears thanks to my Walkman and iPod. Goal: workout almost daily w/ emphasis on cardio, weights and drop 20 pounds by the 2nd check-in (4/4/11)
  • Marriage- On a more personal note, I have mentioned WonderWife many times here and it is only fair that I don’t take her or that title for granted. Truth be told, I am a selfish person and really do not appreciate her like she deserves. She is a brilliant woman who deserves someone far better than me. So now it is up to myself to be that man. Goal: More supportive to her needs by asking. Supporting her without asking and just doing what is needed. Communication and attention. Weekly family meetings.

There are so many issues I need and want to work with but they may resolve themselves with the above actions. Besides, I need to be careful not to overwhelm myself and just quit. Did you make New year resolutions? Are you still resolute in your actions?

#GHR

01-01-11

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Happy new year to you! This will be a break out year for me and my family and I hope it will be the same for you as well. And because I can’t leave a post without an image, here are a few from our NYE party with friends and family.