February New Year's Resolutions

Did I mention I'm implementing  my New Year's Resolutions monthly this year? It just seems likely this will return a higher rate of success.

January, as you're all aware, was the one hour of TV per day.  This has gone well. My focus when I made the resolution was on weekdays. I'll still watch a movie or, for example, the Superbowl, on weekends. I haven't been perfect. There have been a couple of times I've indulged and watched 90-120 minutes of TV. But I'm thinking about it now, and I'm aware that I don't feel good, mentally and physically, after I watch TV at night. So I'll carry that resolution forward as I implement February.

February has to do with food. And after thinking about it, I think I'm going to implement this goal in stages throughout the month.  The resolution is not to read anything while I eat. This is huge for me. Unless Blair and I sit down to dinner together, I ALWAYS have a book or magazine in my face while I eat. Meals are how I keep up with my magazine reading: Newsweek, The New Yorker, Log Homes, NC Business Journal, and several other magazines are read while eating cereal and sipping coffee. 

The problem with this is twofold.  One, I'm unaware of what I'm eating. I look up and--surprise!--my meal is gone. This leaves me feeling like I've never really had a meal and I consequently go back to get more (which disappears while I read the next article). The other problem is that I've trained myself that I need to be eating to finish an article. If I finish my meal but there is still a page to go, I will walk back into the kitchen and find something to eat while I finish reading. Not a good thing.

To begin, I'm concentrating on breakfast. No reading while eating breakfast. If that goes well for two weeks, I'll include lunch. But I'd prefer not to rush it. I'd rather a small good habit take hold versus trying to force an instant overhaul that's unlikely to stick.

I can already tell I'll miss my reading. But I think about this as creating awareness versus a lifelong change. Once I break the habit, there's no law that says I can't read the occasional article at the table.  Moderation in all things.

Wish me luck.

Mangum Shirt Run - Photos

I found a site that has pictures of the 15 mile point-to-point run I did on Saturday. The Mangum Track Club (MTC) is a running club with no dues, no meetings, and no ambitions to be anything more than a bunch of people who get together to run. It's a great group. Click through the many pages on this site... a lot are of people but there are also a couple of great shots of the road we ran from Mangum to Ellerbe, NC. Pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. I'm in the newbie photo and the everyone photo but I left soon after the Shirt Run was finished (but did manage to eat a glazed donut and 2 pieces of pizza) and so missed being in the "newbies in their Mangum Club t-shirt" photo.

Click HERE for photos.

And I have to give a shout-out to my friend Dave, long time member of MTC who ran the 15 with me and coached me on the hills. "Pick an object and run to it." Got it, Dave!

More Bizarre Cell Phone Behavior

This beats all. I'm sitting in a Panera (where else?) and I look to my right. Two women are seated at a small table, coffee cups steaming between them. Both have a cellphone to their ear as they gaze in opposite directions over each other's shoulders and talk, not to one another, but to the people they have on the phone.

Here's my question: WHY BOTHER? Why bother meeting a friend for coffee if you're going to spend your time talking to other friends or family members on your phone? The fact that they're both doing it just cracks me up. I wish I had a camera. I wonder if they have any idea how silly stupid they look.

Good friends, good coffee, ... and cell phones. What a treat.

Checkmate

Blair is teaching me to play chess. We spent last night playing a game.  I made one brilliant move, completely by accident. Blair in fact had to point out that in my next move I would capture his queen. He's very patient. It's pretty much like he's playing against himself, as he's still allowing me to talk through every move.

I love the game and how tired I feel after I play it. Much mental exertion. However, I also find it frustrating because at this point, I just can't "see" the moves. I can see maybe 1 or 2 moves ahead (maybe), while you really need to be able to look ahead about 8-10 moves.

"I can't see my next move!" I say in frustration. "How am I supposed to maim my opponent if I can't see my next move?"

"Just enjoy the game," said Blair. "Look, I just enjoy moving the little pieces around the board."

This, I think, pretty much sums up our difference in attitude toward life.

He's pretty funny when we play. I'll go to move a piece and across the table I'll hear, "Cough, cough." So I'll put my hand on a second piece. "Arrrgh, cough," says Blair.

"What?" I ask.

He nods toward the board. "Your horse is in mortal danger."

It's amazing how much free time I've gained since my New Years resolution to watch only 1 hour of TV per day. I didn't really think I watched all that much, but I apparently was vegging out for a couple of hours each night. With no TV, there's now plenty of time for reading, chess, walks, cooking, and household chores.

But for now, I must go. My horse is in mortal danger.