Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

In many, many ways this past year stunk on ice (the break up and my foot injury being the most notable). As many others are, I’m hoping that 2009 will be a better one for me and for those I know and love.

I’m working on an Uberlist now for 2009. I didn’t do one the past two years, after doing them the 2 or so years prior to that, and I think I miss the structure it imposed upon me, to think about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. Having something written just helps, so I’m at it again. Hopefully it’ll be complete by the weekend and I’ll get it up once it’s done.

Until then, have a safe and happy new year.

I’m killing the Uberlist for this year. I’ve gotten up to 80 items and I just can’t go any further, and now half the things I’ve put down I’m not sure I want to do this year, so phooey on it. I think I’d rather set up a rolling list of goals, like paying off two of the sub-loans with my student loan providers, and then build up from there. I do have temporal goals that will suit themselves to a yearly list (i.e., race goals), but some of the other stuff I found myself wanting to concentrate on is likely more multi-year than not, especially the financial stuff.

Long day of cleaning. It was very much needed, I’d let the dining table become a junk depository and it needed emptying, and laundry needed doing, and vacuuming, and dusting, and all that stuff needed to happen. Was more motivated than usual because FJ!! popped by before MG and I ran him up to BWI to fly home to LA. All was in order for his visit, so face was saved and he didn’t see how junky it looked 24 hours previous.

Not to say it’s a show apartment, but it’s gotten much better as I’ve concentrated on fixing individual areas.

One thing I had decided to do this year on the list was a charity event. With AIDS Marathon pulling out of DC due to the incomprehensible actions of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, I think I’ve settled on a biking event that helps Food and Friends here in DC. I’m going to an informational session for them tomorrow evening, and if I like the info I see from them I’m likely to sign up. The ride’s in July, and that’s a good time to build up to the distances we’re looking at. I like the work the charity does here in DC, so I’m favorably inclined to them, but I still want the chance to ask some questions before I make the plunge.

Up early this morning to run and get to work early for a meeting (I was in the office at 8:30, which is unheard of for me). Forgot, as usual, to body glide my thighs before the run; I always seem to remember that about 5-6 minutes into a run… Anyway, was irritating, but not fatal to the run. Did discover that my usual running path is very well lit, even before the sun comes up.

Inside scoop on the budget is that we should have our full-year CR the last week or January, or by February 1st. Which is good, since the executive budget proposal comes out on February 5th.

Swam after work. Also expressed a bit of irritation with some of the leadership of my tri club. I volunteered with our new triathlete program this past year, was in fact one of the co-leaders. Had attempted to get in touch with the other co-leaders in early December, was not quite blown off, and now suddenly a couple dates have been set for things for this year already, without any attempt to involve me. I let them know I was disappointed. I’m still going to help out, and hopefully I’ll still be a co-leader this year as I really do believe in the program, but was not pleased at how that was handled.

That said, if you’re in the DC area and you want to try your hand at triathlons, drop me a note.

Nice dinner just up the street tonight with MG. He’s currently off at the grocery store picking up snack stuffs. I’m trying to cool the apartment down – it’s in the low-to-mid-60s outside, but in the middle 70s in here. Too. Freakin’. Hot. This is supposed to be January, not April, ferheavenssake. At least it’ll be nice to get out on the bike tomorrow morning.

Not quite done with the Uberlist for this year, have about a third of the way to go yet, but have ideas to go do file. This weekend I should be able to post it, I hope.

Strikeouts are those items which did not get done, for one reason or another.

Household

1. Move.
2. Get another bedside table.
3. Get a new dining room table.
4. Get more plants for inside the apartment.
5. Replace the food processor.
6. Get a new carrier for the cats.
7. See about getting a cat tree for the beasties.
8. Cull my belongings before I move, not after.
9. Get a television.
10. Donate/sell extra stuffed animals.
11. Sell the Kirby vacuum cleaner.
12. Organize & put my CDs away.
13. Replace bookshelves.
14. Find and get a better storage option for my DVDs.
15. Take the cats in for their annual physical/shots.
16. Get rid of old computer equipment.
17. Give GLAA their materials back.
18. Sell my old Palm.
19. Repair or dispose of my old bedside lamp.
20. Get new dining room chairs.
21. Organize my book collection.
22. Get an ice cream maker.
23. Get new sheets.
24. Replace old towels.

Exercise

25. Run the Cherry Blossom ten-miler in under 2 hours.
26. Run a 5k in under half an hour.
27. Run a 10k in under an hour.
28. Race two triathlons.
29. Complete a fall marathon.
30. Practice more Yoga.
31. Bike more when running errands.
32. Work on my core strength.
33. Try Pilates.
34. Get a wetsuit.
35. Get a professional massage after races.
36. Get comfortable riding in the aero position on my bike.
37. Decide whether I’m doing an Ironman race next year & if so, sign up for it.
38. Weights, weights, weights.
39. Get more exercise clothes.
40. Get speed and cadence sensors for the new bike.

Health

41. Cook at home more.
42. Get back to a flat stomach.
43. Get to bed earlier.
44. Eat less processed food.
45. Attend another body electric seminar.
46. Eat less, more frequently.
47. Refrain from drinking to excess.
48. Get below 155lbs…
49. …and stay there.
50. Develop and follow a stretching program.
51. Get a body fat scale.
52. Get a physical.
53. Lay off the spicy foods.
54. Try meditating.
55. Minimize my consumption of sodas.
56. Get an eye exam.
57. Get new glasses.
58. Cook more tempeh.
59. Price out tooth whitening with my dentist.
60. Find a good recipe for home made miso soup.
61. Use my cookbooks more.

Social

62. Have friends over for dinner.
63. Go to the Eagle.
64. Get out of the apartment more.
65. Go dancing.
66. Host some Bad Movies parties (2 or more).
67. Do more massage exchanges (6 this year).
68. Go visit friends in another time zone.
69. Dinner party.
70. Host a soup night potluck.
71. Send some more snail mail cards to friends & family.
72. Go see my new niece when she pops out.
73. Remember my brother’s birthday.
74. Go see my family over Xmas.
75. Take someone to CBE in the fall.

Money

76. Set up a filing system for financial records.
77. Squirrel away more money in savings.
78. Set a plan to save funds up for a down payment.
79. Make a plan & start the process to buy property.
80. Confirm with the credit agencies that my credit reports are now mine and only mine.
81. Close another credit card account.
82. Get a paper shredder.

Web/Computer

83. Post reviews of all the lube I’ve been buying.
84. Post reviews of my cookbooks.
85. Get a backup drive for the Mac.
86. Beat Kirby’s Canvas Curse.
87. Play a game with my niece on the DS.
88. Write more on my web site(s).

Work

89. Get some plants for the office.
90. Join the professional bar for my BGA.
91. Update my resume.
92. Figure out some lunches to bring in from home.
93. Find a source of Scharffenberger chocolate for work.

Misc.

94. Renew my passport.
95. Take a knife skills class.
96. Thank you notes.
97. Get a new toiletry kit bag.
98. Get more dress pants.
99. Finish watching The House of Flying Daggers.
100. Watch the other Chinese movies I bought on DVD.
101. Commission an original piece of art.
102. Get another piece or two of Nasty Pig clothes.
103. Get myself the ring I’ve been eyeing.
104. Make three recipes from Vice Cream.
105. Get new styli for the Treo.
106. Get more luggage.
51 out of 106. Not bad.

The following items from the Uberlist are now completed:

1. Move.
3. Get a new dining room table.
8. Cull my belongings before I move, not after.
9. Get a television.
10. Donate/sell extra stuffed animals.
11. Sell the Kirby vacuum cleaner. (well, donated it, not sold, but gotten rid of, so done)
16. Get rid of old computer equipment.
19. Repair or dispose of my old bedside lamp. (disposed of)
20. Get new dining room chairs.
34. Get a wetsuit.
37. Decide whether I’m doing an Ironman race next year & if so, sign up for it. (not going to do it)
39. Get more exercise clothes.
40. Get speed and cadence sensors for the new bike.
52. Get a physical.
56. Get an eye exam.
57. Get new glasses.
62. Have friends over for dinner.
63. Go to the Eagle.
71. Send some more snail mail cards to friends & family.
72. Go see my new niece when she pops out.
73. Remember my brother’s birthday.
76. Set up a filing system for financial records.
78. Set a plan to save funds up for a down payment. (quick plan, but since I bought…)
79. Make a plan & start the process to buy property. (yeah, again, quick plan)
81. Close another credit card account.
87. Play a game with my niece on the DS.
97. Get a new toiletry kit bag.
98. Get more dress pants.
103. Get myself the ring I’ve been eyeing. (only one I wear most days now)
105. Get new styli for the Treo.

The following are “in progress”:

12. Organize & put my CDs away. (they’re away, but not organized)
13. Replace bookshelves. (tossed the old ones…)
29. Complete a fall marathon. (training now!)
30. Practice more Yoga. (off and on)
31. Bike more when running errands. (heck yeah!)
32. Work on my core strength. (sort of)
36. Get comfortable riding in the aero position on my bike. (getting there)
38. Weights, weights, weights. (sort of – need to get back to it)
46. Eat less, more frequently. (definitely working this one)
50. Develop and follow a stretching program. (stretching is good)
53. Lay off the spicy foods. (sort of – see last week’s iron stomach comments)
55. Minimize my consumption of sodas. (cut down drastically of late)
58. Cook more tempeh. (love tempeh!)
64. Get out of the apartment more. (sort of)
67. Do more massage exchanges (6 this year). (one down…)
77. Squirrel away more money in savings. (upped the auto allocation)
86. Beat Kirby’s Canvas Curse. (gone through once)
88. Write more on my web site(s). (auto loading of page in the daily reads helps)

And the following are now OBE and not to be completed:

2. Get another bedside table. (no room in the newly rearranged bedroom for another bedside table)
25. Run the Cherry Blossom ten-miler in under 2 hours. (didn’t run it at all – tendonitis issues)

I should update those things I’ve already done on the Uberlist, but I’ll save that for later.

Richard came back in the apartment yesterday morning to tell me the wonderful news that they were painting the bed bug boys’ apartment and that the boys were now gone. Hooray! Keep your fingers crossed that the next person/bunch is better than this previous group was.

I’m still vascillating on the whole buying real estate thing, though am leaning more heavily toward buying. The listings aren’t bad, and reading more on the subject makes me more hopeful. Chatted with my bank about some short-term investment options as well, and the rates don’t seem terribly useful for that at the moment. Of course, the flip side of that is that borrowing rates for mortgages aren’t too terrible, either.

Today was the last day of physical therapy left from the car accident last month. Loved the therapist, she was very helpful, and we (finally) went over more stretches for my IT bands that should help with that little problem. Overall she seemed pleased with the stretching I’m doing now after we went over it, which was good to see.

Otherwise I’m staying busy between training and gearing up for the new triathlete program (sign-ups begin next week!).

Household

1. Move.
2. Get another bedside table.
3. Get a new dining room table.
4. Get more plants for inside the apartment.
5. Replace the food processor.
6. Get a new carrier for the cats.
7. See about getting a cat tree for the beasties.
8. Cull my belongings before I move, not after.
9. Get a television.
10. Donate/sell extra stuffed animals.
11. Sell the Kirby vacuum cleaner.
12. Organize & put my CDs away.
13. Replace bookshelves.
14. Find and get a better storage option for my DVDs.
15. Take the cats in for their annual physical/shots.
16. Get rid of old computer equipment.
17. Give GLAA their materials back.
18. Sell my old Palm.
19. Repair or dispose of my old bedside lamp.
20. Get new dining room chairs.
21. Organize my book collection.
22. Get an ice cream maker.
23. Get new sheets.
24. Replace old towels.

Exercise

25. Run the Cherry Blossom ten-miler in under 2 hours.
26. Run a 5k in under half an hour.
27. Run a 10k in under an hour.
28. Race two triathlons.
29. Complete a fall marathon.
30. Practice more Yoga.
31. Bike more when running errands.
32. Work on my core strength.
33. Try Pilates.
34. Get a wetsuit.
35. Get a professional massage after races.
36. Get comfortable riding in the aero position on my bike.
37. Decide whether I’m doing an Ironman race next year & if so, sign up for it.
38. Weights, weights, weights.
39. Get more exercise clothes.
40. Get speed and cadence sensors for the new bike.

Health

41. Cook at home more.
42. Get back to a flat stomach.
43. Get to bed earlier.
44. Eat less processed food.
45. Attend another body electric seminar.
46. Eat less, more frequently.
47. Refrain from drinking to excess.
48. Get below 155lbs…
49. …and stay there.
50. Develop and follow a stretching program.
51. Get a body fat scale.
52. Get a physical.
53. Lay off the spicy foods.
54. Try meditating.
55. Minimize my consumption of sodas.
56. Get an eye exam.
57. Get new glasses.
58. Cook more tempeh.
59. Price out tooth whitening with my dentist.
60. Find a good recipe for home made miso soup.
61. Use my cookbooks more.

Social

62. Have friends over for dinner.
63. Go to the Eagle.
64. Get out of the apartment more.
65. Go dancing.
66. Host some Bad Movies parties (2 or more).
67. Do more massage exchanges (6 this year).
68. Go visit friends in another time zone.
69. Dinner party.
70. Host a soup night potluck.
71. Send some more snail mail cards to friends & family.
72. Go see my new niece when she pops out.
73. Remember my brother’s birthday.
74. Go see my family over Xmas.
75. Take someone to CBE in the fall.

Money

76. Set up a filing system for financial records.
77. Squirrel away more money in savings.
78. Set a plan to save funds up for a down payment.
79. Make a plan & start the process to buy property.
80. Confirm with the credit agencies that my credit reports are now mine and only mine.
81. Close another credit card account.
82. Get a paper shredder.

Web/Computer

83. Post reviews of all the lube I’ve been buying.
84. Post reviews of my cookbooks.
85. Get a backup drive for the Mac.
86. Beat Kirby’s Canvas Curse.
87. Play a game with my niece on the DS.
88. Write more on my web site(s).

Work

89. Get some plants for the office.
90. Join the professional bar for my BGA.
91. Update my resume.
92. Figure out some lunches to bring in from home.
93. Find a source of Scharffenberger chocolate for work.

Misc.

94. Renew my passport.
95. Take a knife skills class.
96. Thank you notes.
97. Get a new toiletry kit bag.
98. Get more dress pants.
99. Finish watching The House of Flying Daggers.
100. Watch the other Chinese movies I bought on DVD.
101. Commission an original piece of art.
102. Get another piece or two of Nasty Pig clothes.
103. Get myself the ring I’ve been eyeing.
104. Make three recipes from Vice Cream.
105. Get new styli for the Treo.
106. Get more luggage

Got hit with a big nasty right before I left work. Won’t go into details (not that I ever do, with work), but I actually brought work home tonight.

Yes, I’m as shocked as you are, gentle reader.

Thankfully this isn’t the norm for my job or I’d have to kill someone seriously consider other employment.

I see the physical therapist tomorrow. Have to have her run off a new copy of the exercises I’m to do as the original three sheets (6 per sheet) were a casualty of the exploding shampoo bottle (and did I mention that my gym bag smells of orange candy now? It does. The joys of using kids shampoo to get the chlorine out of my hair). Also checking on the progress of all the gut-sucking transverse ab work she’s had me doing.

Been having too much caffeine of late, which has left me somewhat restless & anxious. The fire alarm here in the building (something was going on, fire trucks showed up, though we did not evacuate) right at 10 p.m. was not a help, either. Stayed up a bit longer to make sure we didn’t need to herd the cats into carriers and head out, hence the writing, but it appears we’re in the clear. In the meantime I’m listening to my “mellow” song list in iTunes and trying to put myself in the mood to sleep.

The Uberlist is down to the last 20 or so items, which is always the most difficult part to me. The big stuff is on there, now it’s little things that might or might not need to go on a list. I think the uberlist idea might need to cut back by half or so or I’m not going to be able to get anywhere near finishing most items on it. While I love the concept, the sheer volume of things is a tad much to come up with.

Got up, went to pack my gym bag, and discovered that at some point in the night one of the “slimer” ghosts from the Ghostbusters movies had visited the bottom of my bag. Thankfully there wasn’t much in there for the shampoo that leaked to get all over, so it was just a matter of cleaning a few things (though the toiletry kit bag is ruined) and getting the majority of the gunk out, with the major cleaning to come this evening, post-gym.

How prescient that I’d added “get a new toiletry kit bag” to the uberlist last night…