Month to Month Resolutions: November 2015

I got some nice support for resurrecting the personal monthly goals thing for October, so here we go again.  After all, if a major internet dork luminary like Will Wheaton can blog for self-help, why not a minor internet dork luminary like myself?

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External Factors: In life as in war, plans -- and goals are plans with benchmarks, if you're doing 'em right -- plans, I say, go to hell as soon as the fray is joined.  For instance, when I was making my goals for October I didn't know that (1) Mrs.5000 and I would get hit with a late-night water heater blowout mid-month, which would keep us up into the wee hours doing damage control and leave us without running water for a few days.  Things like that affect one's running schedule, I'll tell you what!  Also, (2) a huge load of garden mulch appeared, and required many hours of labor to get on the ground.  The yard looks much better, and it was great exercise, but it made it hard to stick with the slate of stated goals.

Let's add two more: (3) Things are HOP HOP HOPPING at Work5000, albeit in a good way, and (4) there is the decline of the year, which is always a tricky time for the ol' emotional health.  So far, so good, but these things inform one's goal-making.

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Progress, October 2015, and goals for November 2015

Weighing-in: Failed. "Maybe I could try to be stable at about 211 by the end of October."  I was moving in the right direction with this until the water-heater incident, after which there were some lapses in discipline.

• November Goal: Maybe I could try to be stable at about 211 by the end of November.

Push-ups: Failed. "I will try to perform ([date] + 10) push-ups every day in October."  This didn't happen.  This is an important area to work on, though, because I really need to get some strength in my abdomen.  Seriously.  But, because I am -- let's face it -- no longer a spring chicken, I also have to figure out a less aggressive approach that doesn't strain my lower back.  There, I said it.

• November Goal: No actual push-ups yet.  No fancy algorithm, either.  Just 30 knee push-ups twice a day, getting up and going to bed, in double sets of 15.  Boom.  I can do that.

Pull-ups: Failed.  Madness.  I'm nowhere near able to do pull-ups.  But I do have a solid bar installed, finally.

• November Goal: I'll try again to do that hanging exercise where you pull your knees up: ten a day through the 15th, then 12 a day if it seems good for the back half of the month.

Cola: Success. I am more than two months clean on cola.

• November Goal: To continue not drinking any cola.

Running: Failed.  The goal was an 80 mile month, and at 68.7 I was quite short.  But I'm pretty comfortable with that number under the circumstances.

• November Goal: Run 80 miles

Bicycling: Failed.  I did not, per goal, get my own bike out of mothballs.  I did, however, ride Mrs.5000's bike from where it was stranded one day, in a rainstorm no less.  So, I know I am still capable of staying upright.

• November Goal: Try, try again: confirm that bicycle is still in working order.  Take it for a spin around the neighborhood.

The Transitive Property: Failed.  "I'm going to buy a monthly bus pass and not drive my car to work." This was pretty successful in the first half of the month, and led to some fun exploratory trips where I took transit rides and then ran home from relatively distant places.  Discipline broke down after midmonth, especially as the days started to close in.  I think I will do this again next summer, at a time when long days will give me more opportunity to enjoy playing with the system.

• November Goal: None.

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New goals for November 2015

Breaking up the workday:

• November Goal: Skip lunch no more than twice in any two-week period.  Take a break to go for a little walk at least two times a week.

Home Improvement:

• November Goal: Invest at least five good hours in shall we say a "capital project" -- which is to say, something requiring paint or tools, not just doing the damn dishes a reasonable approximation of my fair share of the time.

Getting Out in Front of the Holidays:

• November Goal: Putting in some effort to add joy to the family Thanksgiving feast; and, sailing into December with some of the labor of Christmas taken care of and a pretty good idea of how and when the rest of it is going to get done.  Speaking of which -- if you've read this far, please let me know whether or not the IAT Advent Calendar is something that adds value to your holiday internet experience.

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Obviously, while all this is happening, I'll be doing my damnedest to organize competitive art action, provide regional-class film criticism, fire up your cognitive processes of a Monday, and in general stoke the institution that is Infinite Art Tournament. Thanks for your support.

M5K