late night, still awake

One of my goals is to not have such a fucked up sleep schedule. When I go back eastward, it will just be... BEYOND horrible.

Anyways, reading fitness blogs. It seems that weighing one's self all the time isn't the answer, and yet I am addicted to it. I know how silly it is, and yet... I am going to try to do a triathlon, though, so I think that will be my main goal.

I think there's too many 'one true' or 'best ways' in a lot of dieting and fitness advice... it seems from the research that what works is more a plan that one can stick to, and often is very personalized.  However, I'm a big proponent of documentation, especially in the beginning of the losing weight process. I think you can lose a lot of weight with just exercise, but I think that diet needs to be controlled. Exercise can lead to eating more, which leads to... no weight gain. So, even if its only exercise you need to know that you're not increasing.  I think.

I use fitday.com.  I have for years, very on and off.  Today I looked through my old food logging all the way to 2001-2002 when a combination of stress and insane coffee-drinking made me thinner than I've ever been.  Damn, I drank a lot of alcohol.. especially for how little I ate.  Of course, I was living in New Orleans. I think I actually drank less than most of my friends there.

I am trying to go without sweet and low... I think it is occasionally ok, and I've been switching it up with sugar in my coffee for a couple years now.  It used to be all pink packet! But I think I'd rather take the calories.  I don't put THAT much sugar in, and I'm trying to use less.

I've hardly been playing the accordion lately, which makes me sad.  I'd put it on my goal list, but I'm struggling to be productive at the things that I need to do enough... Maybe instead of reading a blog, I'll just sub practicing scales or an old piece or two.

Plan for tomorrow:
Swim 30 min
Run 3 miles (on treadmill, this is AZ)
Finish writing code for my video analysis software
Write emails for Spanish class...
OMG dinosaur shiznit.
Start going to TANGO again!!!
Start reconnecting with FRIENDS again!!!

OK! I just wrote one of the emails I was procrastinating on... gooo me.

I hit a snag with my video analysis code where I think I made a too hasty design decision back when I wrote it. However, it is the type of thing where I don't want to add too many features... since it is for personal use, and my time shouldn't be spent on this code!! The analysis is the important part, since the end result is a musicology paper. So I am undecided as to whether I should change a fundamental architecture thingy or else write a hack. The hack would be... OMFG@JHG#$!! hacky but will probably be faster than the architecture switch.  PROBABLY.  But maybe not.  And if the thingy is hacky, who cares because I won't touch this code again.  But it will be aesthetically displeasing.  Well, it is hard to make up my mind.  Or decide which is REALLY faster in the long/medium term.

Today, I bought a ton of swim equipment! Investment! I am going to kickass at swimming like I haven't since I was twelve, people.  Yes! That sounds sad.  My goal is also to not tan at all and stay super pale.  Tan == sun damage.  Lately I've been night-swimming, but it can be inconvenient, and hard to go to sleep after..

Also, went to a wine tasting.  Had the most original wine I feel that I've tasted in YEARS... since I moved from Ch. Hill and the best wine store ever. Oh, wait, except for that Napa Valley wine tour I did like a long time ago.... OMG that Cab Sauv. Anyways, it was the Lamatum, Ribera Del Duero 2010, and it was on sale @ Whole Foods for $11.99!!! Seriously, it blew me away.  It starts out way softer than you expect, almost like a pinot noir, almost fruity with a touch of sweetness.  And then, on the finish, and with the next drink, it opens up into a much more Old World kind of taste -- the oak influence, then mulled spice, earth. It can't decide what it is.  But that is what makes it so great.  It keeps on changing, and the flavor profile shifts over time.  It is like a time-based art, which is how fine wine SHOULD be.  It should be a process, a narrative, a journey!

And of course, they gave generous portions. I didn't drive home! It almost makes up for the price hit of shopping a bit at Whole Foods... almost. We ended up buying a $14 watermelon that was on SALE. It turned out it was 18 pounds.  Yes.  It is more than half eaten, now.