And posted on January 1, 2011, no less:)
And for continuity's sake, I decided to copy the basic format, if not the exact same content, as the 2008 report. I apparently felt no need to do this last year.
Books read: 92 (sad)
Letterboxes found: 201 (quite the opposite of sad)
Summits of Stone Mountain: Many
Slip and falls coming off the summit of Stone Mountain: 1
Late night, fully clothed, not especially legal swims at Stone Mountain Park: 0 (Ok, I admit I'm only leaving this one in because it's funny to think back to 2008.)
National Parks visited: 4 (Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia (2 districts), Shenandoah (again, 2 districts))
National Battlefields visited: 2 (Antietam and Kennesaw Mountain)
National Historical Sites visited: 1 (Portage Railroad)
National Forests visited: 1 (also Sequoia. I think we actually went through another near Yosemite, but I don't recall seeing any big signs.)
National Scenic Trails visited: 1 (Appalachian)
National Monuments seen from a distance but not really visited: 1 (Fort Pulaski)
Times lost in forests of giant trees: 2 (Ok, perhaps not totally lost, but definitely not really sure about where we actually were other than "still inside the park, we think.")
Giant Sequoias seen: Let's just say a whole bunch of 'em.
Pairs of sunglasses lost: 0
Total miles biked: 1595.55
Miles biked outside: 1446.4
Miles biked inside on very boring trainer while watching mindless television or reading: 149.15
Best biking month: September with 278.4 miles (all outside)
Pairs of fancy socks purchased: Many, once again. There was supposed to be another blog post about this shortly after Halloween, and it could still occur. I did take the pictures.
New Halloween decorations purchased: Quite a few. It's best if I don't count these things.
Number of kittens adopted: 0 (But there were temptations)
Promotions: 1
Postcrossing cards received: 50
And once again I have reached the point where I'm just going to start making up really weird stuff. (And yes, some of you are thinking, "You mean some of this other stuff wasn't weird?") For now, we're off to start a new year!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
As another year ends...
Once again, we find ourselves at the end of a year--all of us saying how fast it went and that we can't believe it's over. You would think we'd get used to this. It does happen every year, after all.
As usual, I didn't get a tiny portion of the things done that I wanted to get done. So I spent some time thinking about that on my last bike ride of the year. (Side note--I want to thank Mother Nature for making the last day of December the nicest day we've had in weeks!) People are always saying that they don't have enough time to get all of the things done that they want to get done. Or they don't have enough money. Or they don't have enough talent. Well, while pondering this on my ride, I realized that none of that is really true. No, I don't have as much "me" time as I would like, but I do have a lot of time. And I may not be making as much money as, say, Donald Trump, but my husband and I are living pretty comfortably right now. As for talent, I know I have it, I just don't trust myself.
Now, I'm not going to make a resolution because I think that setting aside one certain day a year to decide to try to change your life is stupid. And I'm not even going to set a whole bunch of goals like I've done (and failed to accomplish) in past years. What I have decided is that I need to start making more conscious decisions about my life and about those things I chose, or chose not, to do. I need to make those things I want or desire to do a priority. I need to quit allowing myself to say, "I'll do that (whatever -that- is) in a minute," and start doing those things right when I think of them. Perhaps I'm deluding myself and just rephrasing what I've told myself in past years in a slightly different way, but I really hope I'm not.
So if any of you catch me lounging around saying, "I'll do it in a minute," please give me a kick in the butt. I won't mind. Much.
To end, I thought I'd share one of my favorite pictures from the trip my husband and I took to California this year. (Yes, a trip that almost nobody has seen pictures of except for the paltry few shots that I managed to get on Facebook. See, this is one of those things.)
As usual, I didn't get a tiny portion of the things done that I wanted to get done. So I spent some time thinking about that on my last bike ride of the year. (Side note--I want to thank Mother Nature for making the last day of December the nicest day we've had in weeks!) People are always saying that they don't have enough time to get all of the things done that they want to get done. Or they don't have enough money. Or they don't have enough talent. Well, while pondering this on my ride, I realized that none of that is really true. No, I don't have as much "me" time as I would like, but I do have a lot of time. And I may not be making as much money as, say, Donald Trump, but my husband and I are living pretty comfortably right now. As for talent, I know I have it, I just don't trust myself.
Now, I'm not going to make a resolution because I think that setting aside one certain day a year to decide to try to change your life is stupid. And I'm not even going to set a whole bunch of goals like I've done (and failed to accomplish) in past years. What I have decided is that I need to start making more conscious decisions about my life and about those things I chose, or chose not, to do. I need to make those things I want or desire to do a priority. I need to quit allowing myself to say, "I'll do that (whatever -that- is) in a minute," and start doing those things right when I think of them. Perhaps I'm deluding myself and just rephrasing what I've told myself in past years in a slightly different way, but I really hope I'm not.
So if any of you catch me lounging around saying, "I'll do it in a minute," please give me a kick in the butt. I won't mind. Much.
To end, I thought I'd share one of my favorite pictures from the trip my husband and I took to California this year. (Yes, a trip that almost nobody has seen pictures of except for the paltry few shots that I managed to get on Facebook. See, this is one of those things.)
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Thanks, Janice!
Ok, this is probably not going to completely satisfy my friend Ernie who has been on my case to blog more, but this is too good not to share. My friend Janice sent me a link to a blog post that she described as, "This is so you." And it is. So without further ado, I share with you the elusive 'alot' from Hyperbole and a Half. Well, actually, he's not that elusive.
And Ernie, since I just had to get up and remind myself how to turn text into a link, consider your point made. Not that it will change my behavior, but the point is made.
And Ernie, since I just had to get up and remind myself how to turn text into a link, consider your point made. Not that it will change my behavior, but the point is made.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Annual Biking Update
And I'm even managing to do it before the first month of the new year is over!
The 2009 biking year started good, then got very strong, then fell off of a cliff. Some time in April or May, I started biking before work several days a week, gradually working up to biking 5-6 days a week. Shortly after that, I broke through the mental block about biking to Stone Mountain Park (pushed by a fellow biker I would often see), so my weekend rides started getting even better.
And then the rains of September came. And then I started climbing Stone Mountain with a friend several times a week. And then I started climbing the mountain on my own a couple more days a week. And biking basically stopped. But even with that, I had a decent year.
Total miles for the year were 1599.94 (and had I been totaling as I went, I would have gotten that last 0.06 miles just to make a nice, even number) with 1212.5 of those being actual road miles and only 387.44 being trainer miles.
This year, I've managed two outside rides so far and have been on the trainer a number of times. I'm trying to do a little better job of balancing the biking and the mountain climbing/hiking. We'll see how it goes!
The 2009 biking year started good, then got very strong, then fell off of a cliff. Some time in April or May, I started biking before work several days a week, gradually working up to biking 5-6 days a week. Shortly after that, I broke through the mental block about biking to Stone Mountain Park (pushed by a fellow biker I would often see), so my weekend rides started getting even better.
And then the rains of September came. And then I started climbing Stone Mountain with a friend several times a week. And then I started climbing the mountain on my own a couple more days a week. And biking basically stopped. But even with that, I had a decent year.
Total miles for the year were 1599.94 (and had I been totaling as I went, I would have gotten that last 0.06 miles just to make a nice, even number) with 1212.5 of those being actual road miles and only 387.44 being trainer miles.
This year, I've managed two outside rides so far and have been on the trainer a number of times. I'm trying to do a little better job of balancing the biking and the mountain climbing/hiking. We'll see how it goes!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Watch out Florida, here we come!
I would like to take some time to apologize to the state of Florida. Now, you may be wondering why, especially since I’ve never even been to Florida. However, after several weeks of debate, my husband and I decided to vacation if Florida this year and therein lies the problem (those of you in the western states should thank me now). See, whenever we travel places together, bad things seem to happen. Usually after we’ve been there, sometimes while we’re there, and at least once (maybe twice, depending on how you want to look at it) shortly before we arrived.
Here’s a list of the incidents I can remember (if anyone remembers any others, please let me know--they've gotten hard to track):
We went to Death Valley/Las Vegas in the spring of 2004, and Death Valley experienced severe flooding that August.
Another trip we took to Las Vegas, the Bellagio caught fire, literally the night after we left.
We went to Pennsylvania for my sister’s college graduation, and most of the east coast got hit by a nasty ice storm (which we drove through to get there) and then it was bitterly cold the entire time we were in PA.
Our first trip to Kure Beach, the area got hit by a tropical storm (Barry, I believe). (Note: This one may actually be my sister’s fault-she claims that bad weather seems to follow her.) (Additional note: I don’t ever want to be in the beach house during a tropical storm again.)
We drove through Sedona which experienced forest fires within the week.
We went to Reno which then experienced a week of record high temperatures. (We were there for the first part of this and enjoyed it immensely. Bring on the dry heat!) (Note: If you are not a good flyer, do NOT go to Reno by plane. The turbulence flying in and out of there is unreal!)
We went to San Francisco/Sunnyvale/Berkeley and an earthquake hit (3.6 or 3.7) just outside Oakland. (I slept through it.) (Note: Again, this may not be our fault--we were in California and earthquakes happen all the time.)
We took a trip to New Orleans in July of 2005, and we were actually scheduled to go back for Labor Day weekend. Well, we all know what happened there. Needless to say, the return trip was canceled. (I’m not sure if it was the trip made or the trip planned that was the tipping factor for this one. Maybe the combination punch.)
And last year, just a month to the day before our trip to Utah to visit the National Parks out there, including Arches National Park, Wall Arch collapsed.
Now, in all fairness to us, we have taken trips to places that have suffered no ill effects. Our trip to Mammoth Caverns resulted in no cave collapses or sink holes. We went to Laughlin, NV which suffered no ill effects (although some might contend that Laughlin is already suffering enough so our bad luck makes no difference). We have gone back to Kure Beach a couple of times, and also went to Hilton Head. They haven’t been washed out to sea yet. We’ve been to Ohio a couple of time with no bad mojo (see Laughlin comment, though). Okefenokee Swamp is still fine (the fires that happened there were way too long after out visit for those to be our fault).
So, Florida, I’m sorry. Within days of making the decision to go to Florida, the previously dead silent tropical season suddenly became very active. The only consolation may be that there is a very high chance that we will get to experience whatever happens to your fine state firsthand—either while we’re there or when it hits us too after we get back.
Here’s a list of the incidents I can remember (if anyone remembers any others, please let me know--they've gotten hard to track):
We went to Death Valley/Las Vegas in the spring of 2004, and Death Valley experienced severe flooding that August.
Another trip we took to Las Vegas, the Bellagio caught fire, literally the night after we left.
We went to Pennsylvania for my sister’s college graduation, and most of the east coast got hit by a nasty ice storm (which we drove through to get there) and then it was bitterly cold the entire time we were in PA.
Our first trip to Kure Beach, the area got hit by a tropical storm (Barry, I believe). (Note: This one may actually be my sister’s fault-she claims that bad weather seems to follow her.) (Additional note: I don’t ever want to be in the beach house during a tropical storm again.)
We drove through Sedona which experienced forest fires within the week.
We went to Reno which then experienced a week of record high temperatures. (We were there for the first part of this and enjoyed it immensely. Bring on the dry heat!) (Note: If you are not a good flyer, do NOT go to Reno by plane. The turbulence flying in and out of there is unreal!)
We went to San Francisco/Sunnyvale/Berkeley and an earthquake hit (3.6 or 3.7) just outside Oakland. (I slept through it.) (Note: Again, this may not be our fault--we were in California and earthquakes happen all the time.)
We took a trip to New Orleans in July of 2005, and we were actually scheduled to go back for Labor Day weekend. Well, we all know what happened there. Needless to say, the return trip was canceled. (I’m not sure if it was the trip made or the trip planned that was the tipping factor for this one. Maybe the combination punch.)
And last year, just a month to the day before our trip to Utah to visit the National Parks out there, including Arches National Park, Wall Arch collapsed.
Now, in all fairness to us, we have taken trips to places that have suffered no ill effects. Our trip to Mammoth Caverns resulted in no cave collapses or sink holes. We went to Laughlin, NV which suffered no ill effects (although some might contend that Laughlin is already suffering enough so our bad luck makes no difference). We have gone back to Kure Beach a couple of times, and also went to Hilton Head. They haven’t been washed out to sea yet. We’ve been to Ohio a couple of time with no bad mojo (see Laughlin comment, though). Okefenokee Swamp is still fine (the fires that happened there were way too long after out visit for those to be our fault).
So, Florida, I’m sorry. Within days of making the decision to go to Florida, the previously dead silent tropical season suddenly became very active. The only consolation may be that there is a very high chance that we will get to experience whatever happens to your fine state firsthand—either while we’re there or when it hits us too after we get back.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Resolved
(Post originally meant to be written over a week ago)
Ok, I don't usually make resolutions, especially not of the New Year variety. At one point in my life I did. And like all normal people, I failed miserably. So then I started "setting goals" for the year. Let's face it, that's just resolutions by a different name. So I stopped. And I had no intention of making any resolutions this year. A decision reinforced while I was watching the "same as last year with a slightly different set of faces" New Year's Eve countdown shows. I've also always believed that waiting for the "New Year" to make a change is ridiculous since 1) the fact that January 1 is the "New Year" is fairly arbitrary and 2) you shouldn't have to wait until one magic day to make new goals.
And then I heard from a variety of quasi-news sources that the most popular resolution this year was to not make resolutions. And you guys know me well enough. I'm not going to be just like everyone else. Uh-uh. No way. So somewhere relatively close to January 1, I made a resolution. Only one, but one with far-reaching repercussions. I have resolved to use my time more wisely. There are so many things I want to do, and I really have no good reason to not make them all happen. So with this one resolution I can cover all sorts of things like finishing projects, reading certain books, learning new languages, etc.
And now everyone wants to know, how am I doing so far? Overall, I'd say decently. Yes, I still spend way too much time wasting time on Facebook. Yes, I occasionally enter these fugue states where I stare blindly at the TV. But overall, I've seen some changes. I've finished a couple of craft projects, including one I started in the (early) 90s. (Picture coming soon on my craft blog. Really. I'll get it there.) I've done some organizing to get me set to do some other things. So I feel okay with it right now. The real challenge (I feel) is going to come when (if ever) I get put back in my regular position at work. The one that means I'll be going in the office far more often. Looking back, I waste a lot of time at work. Time I could use in many better ways. Sadly, part of my job entails sitting around waiting for things to explode, and I can use that time, I'm sure, in better ways. But we'll all just have to wait and see how this really happens, when it really happens. For now, just wish me luck. And if you see me on Facebook, ask me what I've done productive so far that day!
Ok, I don't usually make resolutions, especially not of the New Year variety. At one point in my life I did. And like all normal people, I failed miserably. So then I started "setting goals" for the year. Let's face it, that's just resolutions by a different name. So I stopped. And I had no intention of making any resolutions this year. A decision reinforced while I was watching the "same as last year with a slightly different set of faces" New Year's Eve countdown shows. I've also always believed that waiting for the "New Year" to make a change is ridiculous since 1) the fact that January 1 is the "New Year" is fairly arbitrary and 2) you shouldn't have to wait until one magic day to make new goals.
And then I heard from a variety of quasi-news sources that the most popular resolution this year was to not make resolutions. And you guys know me well enough. I'm not going to be just like everyone else. Uh-uh. No way. So somewhere relatively close to January 1, I made a resolution. Only one, but one with far-reaching repercussions. I have resolved to use my time more wisely. There are so many things I want to do, and I really have no good reason to not make them all happen. So with this one resolution I can cover all sorts of things like finishing projects, reading certain books, learning new languages, etc.
And now everyone wants to know, how am I doing so far? Overall, I'd say decently. Yes, I still spend way too much time wasting time on Facebook. Yes, I occasionally enter these fugue states where I stare blindly at the TV. But overall, I've seen some changes. I've finished a couple of craft projects, including one I started in the (early) 90s. (Picture coming soon on my craft blog. Really. I'll get it there.) I've done some organizing to get me set to do some other things. So I feel okay with it right now. The real challenge (I feel) is going to come when (if ever) I get put back in my regular position at work. The one that means I'll be going in the office far more often. Looking back, I waste a lot of time at work. Time I could use in many better ways. Sadly, part of my job entails sitting around waiting for things to explode, and I can use that time, I'm sure, in better ways. But we'll all just have to wait and see how this really happens, when it really happens. For now, just wish me luck. And if you see me on Facebook, ask me what I've done productive so far that day!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Feeling torn
Well, I made my weekly (roughly) trip to the library yesterday, where I discovered that they finally had the self-checkout totally up and running. Now, I knew this was coming, but you all know my feeling about U-scans (see post quite some time ago). It's going to be really hard for me to embrace this. Seriously.
Part of the fun, for me, of going to the library is chatting to the librarians when I'm checking out my items. I like knowing what they are up to, as well as listening to the comments they sometimes make on items I'm checking out and random suggestions they sometimes make about other things I might like. But now, it appears, I'm going to be getting a lot less of that. I also, having worked at libraries myself, have some concerns on how the self check-out is going to impact the inventory, shall we say. Maybe it's just me, but this somehow defeats the whole purpose of what a library is all about. Oh well, I must adjust and move on. And I'm sure I'll find a way to still chat up the librarians.
Part of the fun, for me, of going to the library is chatting to the librarians when I'm checking out my items. I like knowing what they are up to, as well as listening to the comments they sometimes make on items I'm checking out and random suggestions they sometimes make about other things I might like. But now, it appears, I'm going to be getting a lot less of that. I also, having worked at libraries myself, have some concerns on how the self check-out is going to impact the inventory, shall we say. Maybe it's just me, but this somehow defeats the whole purpose of what a library is all about. Oh well, I must adjust and move on. And I'm sure I'll find a way to still chat up the librarians.
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