Chris Cooke

I’m going to try the hip-hop class at the gym tomorrow night. I don’t know if I’ll manage to do that and body sculpt immediately after, but I’ll see how it goes.

I’m going to go ahead and try out that hip-hop class at the gym tomorrow night.

I’m trying to save soda for one meal a day now. I don’t drink coffee, though, so I’ve really been craving my morning caffeine. I know I don’t really need it, though. If I keep busy enough, I don’t really notice I didn’t have it.

So, drink more water, and keep busy!

I’m not going to mark this one done just yet, though. I don’t feel that I’ve made a real lifestyle change yet. We’ll see what happens when I start up my new job, and make new routines.

Even though it’s been in the 80s (F) during the day, it’s dropping below 50 at night now, so I guess this one goes on the back burner until Spring.

I like this goal, but since it’s my birthday next Thursday, I think I’ll wait until then to start. Then on my birthday in 2008 I can look back on all the things that made me happy in the previous year.

It’s the sweetie that makes it worth doing. Otherwise it’s just wet.

I’ve been trying to take my three year old out camping all summer. We’ve managed our backyard, and a friend’s backyard, so now I want to go to a nearby National Park for a night.

The real trick is scheduling it. I think it’s getting a bit late in the year now, unfortunately, so this may have to wait until next summer.

I just realized that I have managed to introduce myself and get to know several people at the gym I joined at the end of July. Normally, I would just show up to my group exercise classes, do the thing, and hit the road. Somehow I’ve managed to get to know almost all of the regulars to my Zumba class, and a little about each of them.

I just did a little hack to OSSEC HIDS to let me change the display name of the email it sends. I might formalize this with a diff, making it configurable in the conf, and send it to the development list for consideration.

First I’ll monitor the dev list for a bit to see what’s shaking.

Before I could start the new job I got an offer for a better job. Now I get two weeks to work on personal and family projects, before I’m back to the daily grind.

I finally figured out that, as with money management, for me clutter control also comes down to time management. Partly the time to go through what I have, but also when things get busy, that’s when I tend to throw things in a corner intending to sort it out later, but later never comes.

I’ve been working out regularly with a body sculpting class, Zumba, and the balance ball, and find my posture is definitely getting better. I think it’s just a matter of strengthening my abs and back muscles more than anything. That, and I keep reminding myself to sit up straight. But I have to remind myself less and less, and I don’t have to straighten up as much.

I just realized that almost all money management issues I have are really time management issues. When time management fails, I get behind in keeping track of cash flow and other money management tasks.

So I’m not sure if I should keep this as a separate goal or not.

I arrived early for body sculpt last night and saw the tail end of the Hip Hop class at the gym. I normally wouldn’t consider a gym class as a “dance” class (I know I don’t think of my Zumba class that way), but these folks really had the moves, and the instructor was breaking it down as steps, teaching a dance, not just leading exercise based on dance.

I’ll definitely keep this in mind as a possibility for the future. I’m not quite ready for it yet, with the other exercise I’m working on.

The Body Sculpt class last night was great, but man am I beat. Hopefully it will get a bit better as I start getting in better shape, so I’m not totally wiped every time.

I’m just tired and a bit sore, though. I’m definitely not injured. I don’t think I’m overdoing it.

Taking a lateral out of the dead end to a job with more opportunity.

I’ve been confirmed to participate in an iPhone Tech Talk session in DC on October 12. I’m hoping to apply what I learn there to making MacIDOL stream with iPhones and iPod Touchs.

I consider my personal challenge met. I’ve got a regular schedule for exercise that I’ve met for two weeks, even when traveling. More importantly, I’ve really got the mindset now that it MUST happen. I’m no longer skipping exercise when things get busy—I’m skipping other things instead.

Saturday was just too darned busy, and Sunday almost was, but I decided to try out my wife’s exercise ball and do the demo total body workout on the DVD that came with it. It didn’t seem to bad at the time, though I did break a sweat. I’m a bit sore this morning, so I guess that qualifies as a workout.

I’m considering getting a ball sized to me and doing the 15 minute daily stretch routine every morning.

Finally got back to Zumba last night. Had a blast but it wiped me out.

So what does it take for me to consider I’ve passed my “personal challenge”, especially since I’ll be traveling from 9/21 – 9/28, so I won’t be able to do my normal “routine” that I’m building.

I’ll consider my challenge satisfied if I stick with my target routine from now until I leave (meaning a Sat. workout, a Monday or Tuesday class, and next Thursday Zumba), then work out at least three times while I’m traveling.