Sunday, April 25, 2010

The Short Stories

“A Study In Scarlet”

As I mentioned earlier, I’d never read any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories. The character is so omnipresent in our pop culture, however, I felt like I had. 221B Baker street, Dr. Watson, Professor Moriarty, the pipe, the violin - it was all familiar to me(being a huge Star Trek fan helps, what with Data’s Holmes adventures).

Reading the story, it was very interesting to see how the world was first introduced to these characters. Some of it was shocking: reading that Holmes was unfamiliar with the concept of a Copernican solar system, I was astounded as Watson was. That quirk quickly establishes Holmes’ nature, though, as a man who has no use for anything that doesn’t aide his quest to catch criminals.

As is often the case with pioneers, what set Holmes apart is not readily apparent to a contemporary reader: his use of deduction and the scientific method is so commonplace today, I had to keep reminding myself of how novel the idea must have all seemed to someone reading the story in 1887.

Something I didn’t expect was the sudden backstory of the murderer, especially since it took place in America. That was the main draw for British readers at the time - a story set in an “exotic” locale, which to an English reader in the 19th century apparently meant Utah.

Doyle describes the wilderness of the American West as barren, lifeless, almost alien and inhospitable - and it’s new, utlra-religious inhabitants must have seemed just as alien to his readers. That’s right, the chief villains of the story are Mormons. As Doyle paints it, Mormons’ are a ruthless, brutal cult, killing anyone who dare speaks out against the church. Transgressors basically disappear, and never heard or spoken of again. Doyle actually compares the Mormons to the Spanish Inquisition, and the Inquisition loses!(which I’m guessing no one expected1). Bringham Young himself makes an appearance.

So the America West is basically a barren, desolate place whose only prosperous (white)peoples are bloodthirsty Jesus freaks. This could not have made any Englishman eager to visit the former colonies.

1I realize I’m going to hell for this joke.

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“Harrison Bergeron”

In the future, world peace and equality has been achieved. Finally, right? The only cost is handicapping the intelligent by blaring noises in their ears until they are unable to think, crippling the strong by forcing them to carry heavy weights, and hiding the beautiful behind hideous masks. All is going smoothly until the title character, a man-child who cannot be held back by any handicapping, threatens the order of society.

This was classic Kurt Vonnegut. It was disturbingly funny. I was laughing at a horrible dystopia; at humankind’s dark side taken to absurd extremes. I can’t wait to read the rest of the collection, Welcome To The Monkey House.

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“Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”

Two years ago, my friend Jamie made me watch the Shawshank Redemption. I hadn’t seen it, and I wasn’t keen on seeing it - as far I was concerned, I’d seen Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump, so I was pretty solid in the movies from 1994 department. It was a knee-jerk reaction that, for some reason, I was sticking to.

But Jamie was right. The movie was amazing, and so was the short story.

Stephen King is an author whose works will still be read long after the Grishams, the Pattersons and the Browns of the world have been forgotten. The academic-elites, whoever the fuck they are, don’t like him. That’s because, to borrow a term form Chuck Klosterman(who also borrowed the term), King is too “advanced” for them to understand.

The basic thinking behind “Advanced Theory” is that when a genius does something that appears to suck, it might mean that he is just doing something you can’t understand, because he has “advanced” beyond you.

Of course, we could qualify David Foster Wallace as “advanced” as well, and the literary academics love him. I think the difference is that Wallace is advanced in way people who take Literature very, very seriously can understand, while King is advanced in a way normal people(especially when his stories make the transition to film, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman) understand. Which, in the end, makes King infinitely more important1 and is why Shawshank Redemption will be on Top 50 films lists and rerun on TBS until the end of human existence, while the “Brief Interviews WIth Hideous Men” movie directed by Jim from The Office has never actually been seen by anyone2.

But ANYWAY, “Shawshank” was a great read. Of course, it was impossible to picture the characters without picturing Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, despite the fact that Andy Dufresne is described as short and Red is Irish. I don’t know what drove me closer to a stroke, trying to picture Robbins as a short man or Freeman as white.

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I didn’t make it to the Salinger story yet, or listening to an album. Moving plus a lot of extra work at the office has me stretched a little thin these days. I will get to those, however, and hopefully next month I’ll get to the violin, imitating Holmes in my free time, at my new apartment.

1Though not necessarily more talented; Wallace does acrobatics with the English language that are so dazzling they demand constant rereadings
2If you have seen it, be honest, you might have been dreaming

Monday, April 19, 2010

A New Project, A Day Late

I found an apartment! It’s on the Upper West Side, near Columbia(which would be awesome, if I was a Columbia student) and Central Park. This will be my fourth move in three years, but thankfully, this will be my first apartment without a roommate. It’s all mine: all mine to pay for, keep clean, sleep in, party in, relax in, stress in, hide in, pig out in, cook in, etc etc etc; and that is an awesome feeling.

It’s a relief to have the search over(with two weeks to spare). No more searching Craigslist and seeing apartments right after work. I can (sort of) get back to my usual schedule.

But I still have to save money(movers, new furniture since I don’t own any), so this week I’m doing another mini-project. I’m starting a day late, though, so this will go Tuesday through Saturday.

My friend Miriam suggested this back in the comments of my last project. I’m going to read one short story/poem a day, and then post what I think about it. After picking my friends’ minds for suggestions, I have the following:

    •    Tuesday - “A Study In Scarlet”, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    •    Wednesday - “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, Stephen King
    •    Thursday - “Harrison Bergeron”, Kurt Vonnegut,
    •    Friday - “The Laughing Man”, J.D. Salinger

That’s four short stories. My friend Leslie had a great suggestion that, instead of a poem, I listen to a song. I’m going to go one step beyond that, though, and listen to an album of Leslie’s choosing, and post my thoughts about it Saturday.

So tomorrow, I get my first taste of Sherlock Holmes. When I was young, I read the Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown, but that never translated later into reading about the exploits of fiction’s first great detective(instead, it lead to reading about it’s second: Batman).

I did really love this episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks:

Friday, April 9, 2010

And it Ends

The week is over, and - again - I almost met my goal. 14 out of 15 meals this week, I did not eat out. I had instant oatmeal for breakfast each morning. For lunch, once I had pb&j, once I had a frozen Lean Cuisine, and the remaining three times I had leftovers. For dinner, I had steak and broccoli, barbecued chikcen and broccoli, and toasted pb&j twice(well, sort of, I’ll get to that later). That makes four dinners, leaving only Friday’s dinner, which I just finished a few minutes ago.

I caved; after a long day at work(and facing the prospect of working on Sunday), I went home, gathered my things, and headed to my favorite cafe for a burger and fries. I could have easily heated up some of my frozen leftovers. I just didn’t want to.

There were other factors. Twice while I was cooking this week, my apartment’s power went out: once while cooking my steak, and again in the middle of toasting a rushed Wednesday night dinner; leaving me with quarter-toasted bread for my pb&j sandwiches. The steak I finished cooking in the dark, but the power came back on soon enough that I was able to eat without the aid of my roommate’s candle. So tonight, besides being exhausted, I was also motivated by the prospect of eating an entire meal without fear of losing electricity in the middle of fixing and/or eating it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this little experiment. I enjoyed the cooking(if you can call it that), and I enjoyed not having to worry about where to go to lunch. I had more time to read, write, and just relax during my lunch break; plus fixing dinner felt kind of cathartic after a long day. Especially when it tasted good.

I’ll keep trying to cook more, especially in my new apartment, wherever that may be. I’ll have to look up a list of kitchen essentials, and some easy recipes to get started with.

Researching eating in, I came across an interesting book: The Art Of Eating In by Cathy Erway. It’s based on her blog, Not Eating Out In New York, and so far - though I’m only forty some-odd pages in - it’s a very good read. She spent two years not eating out(mostly). I’m sure I’ll pick up some good tips(and recipes).

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I’m not sure what to do for next week. Apartment hunting is taking up a lot of my time, but I can’t really make that a “goal”.

I’ll think of something.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

A Proper Dinner

I had a late dinner tonight, but I still cooked it. Steak and broccoli. Simple, plain, and after a spin class and a late trip home, delicious.

The steak had been marinating since the night before, so it was quite flavorful. I tossed the broccoli with a touch of olive oil and parmesan cheese; mixing a little sin with virtue, to make the virtue go down easier.

All in all, a good meal, and I still haven’t eat out. For lunch today I had PB&J, cheese and crackers, and some pretzels. If I keep doing that, though, I know I’ll get bored(especially since I’m using grape jelly - my preferred strawberry was absent from the grocery shelves).

So tomorrow I’ll have leftover steak and broccoli. The steak is in tupperware, mixed with a little A1, and should still taste pretty good coming out of a microwave.

Tomorrow night will be interesting, because I’ll be going to my girlfriend’s place after my pool match. I guess I’ll either fix something there, or just have cereal or something.

Thursday, though, I have barbecued chicken, rice&beans and some okra waiting for me.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

It Begins

I started my “no eating-out” week today, with a little help from yesterday.

Last night, my girlfriend and I stayed in and fixed dinner: breaded chicken breasts, mac&cheese, and broccoli. Today, I had the leftovers for lunch. My customary apples&cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast. So far, so good.

Tonight, I have to go grocery shopping for the week. When I do cook, most meals are MEAT plus VEGETABLE, and if I feel daring, a second side(maybe rice and beans). Breaded chicken and okra, steak and broccoli, barbecued chicken and rice&beans, a different type of steak and (the same type of)broccoli; so goes my pattern.

And, I don’t think this is the week to break it up. Though I do want to learn to cook with more variety, this isn’t the time for that; this is the time to lean on my...leanings, and do what I know. The point is to save money. Expanding my cooking will come later(I’m looking into cooking classes1).

This will be true for lunch as well. There will be a lot of PB&J, a lot of leftovers, and a lot of fighting the urge to walk over to Chipotle for a burrito bowl. It’s only a week, it’s only a week.

The problem with leftovers is they have to be microwaved. And the problem with that is I can’t take my heated lunch to my favorite place to read, write, and relax during my lunch break: a Starbucks a block from my office. They have a huge upstairs area. I’m writing this from it, taking a brief break from work. Ideally, I’d have a bag lunch I could bring here2.

Tonight, I was thinking about just fixing canned chili and letting my chicken and steak marinate overnight(the one slightly “cookish” thing I do), but I ended up having toasted PB&J, the greatest meal in the history of mankind(when I haven’t had it for a while).

Tomorrow, steak and broccoli.

1I was going to say “at the moment” or “right now”, but I think that’s pretty fucking obvious.
2No matter what lunch I bring, there is another ethical dilemma: do I have to buy something to use the upstairs area @ said sbux? The answer is obviously yes and obviously no. Yes, because the unspoken agreement is to use their facilities I should be consuming Starbuck’s product. No, because this particular Starbucks does not have the resources to police their tabled area. Now, I usually buy a bottle of water, but I have - I confess3 - eaten my lunch without buying anything. My logic is that, as a regular, I’ve earned this right, especially since I’m going to buy a drink on the way out anyway.
3Addendum to this confession: I have, on occasion, come back with my empty morning cup, as to avoid suspicion and public ire.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Change Of Plans

I have to move. And moving(especially in New York City) takes a lot of time and money. Money that, in an ideal world, I’d be spending on a violin and registering for violin lessons.

I’m not sure why I want to learn to play the violin;I did play for a year when I was in elementary school, but I hardly remember anything(other than being thrilled during my first and only concert, my mother and grandmother watching from three rows away). Classical, Jazz, Country and other music that a violinist/fiddelist(?) would feature heavy in don’t come up a lot in my iPod playlists, so it’s not wanting to play music I’ve “appreciated”. If that was the case, I’d be asking Dan Smith to teach me guitar1.

I want a new avenue to express myself creatively, and a musical instrument certainly fills that need. Plus, the violin is not something commonly taken up at my age, so that does appeal to my vain sense of wanting to be “unique”. Plus, the romantic idea of playing rich-sounding music, standing in a warmly lit apartment while letting my thoughts drift from the banal day-to-day problems to the questions of life, the universe, and everything; that also appeals to that same, damningly vain desire that started this entire project. Plus, violins are beautiful to look at.

All of that will have to wait, however, as in the name of personal responsibility I have to forgo spending money on luxuries until I move into a new apartment. My move-in date is May 1st, so I plan to start the violin the week after I move in.

And when I say I have to move, the “have” part is key: my current residence has lost power every day, for at least fifteen minutes but sometimes all night, for the last two weeks. Maybe longer. Sadly, I love the neighborhood; I’m a regular at a pool hall, a cafe, and a pizza place that are all within a five minute walk. There is a Redskins bar nearby as well2.

Anyway, because of this, I’m going to try and tackle inexpensive, smaller projects in the meantime. The first is going to be not eating out.

Eating out in New York is a way of life. There are so many options, abundantly available, at all hours3. I’ve been very guilty of eating out too much. In fact, I’m writing this from a restaurant right now, eating lunch. Clearly, I have money I can save.

So, next week, I will not eat out. And by eating out, I mean eating a meal. Getting a coffee or tea won’t count. Why? This is my goal, my rules, so I make them up.

Monday through Friday, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I’ll be making something. It’s going to be interesting. For one thing, since I lose power at random times and for intervals lasting ten minutes to ten hours, I can’t really get anything that requires refrigeration. My plan is to fix some things and freeze the leftovers, working with the theory that frozen things will last longer if the electricity craps out again.

If by Saturday I’ve met my goal, I think I’ll get myself a (relatively)inexpensive steak dinner. Hopefully, when I’m eating my steak, I’ll do it knowing where I’ll be living next month.


1Anyone whose spent more than five seconds on a New York City street will understand this.
2Although this past season, it was tough to keep going and wallow with my fellow fans each week.
3This cliche is mostly true, and totally annoying to anyone who is unfortunate enough not to live in Manhattan. At some point, everyone who lives here finds themselves bragging about how late the city stays open despite that fact that said person rarely stays up past one in the morning. But it’s there if you need it!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

The Reward

Even though I didn't reach my original goal, I did reach my abbreviated goal. So, I decided to reward myself with a new gym bag.

I'm such a dork; I'm getting really excited about a damn gym bag. But look at it, has padded laptop storage! The reviews are so positive - I can't wait, and it's on it's way.

Plus, my current gym bag - which I've had for the past two years, a realization that shocked me earlier this week - is falling apart:

That's my workout log, threatening to fall out of my bag. My phone charger made the same threat but followed through, luckily I heard it hit the pavement.

New bag can't get here soon enough.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Day Twenty Four - A Small Victory

I did it - five days in a row. I got up Friday morning, kissed my girlfriend goodbye, ran into a little trouble on the N train(the police were called - but not on me), and made it to the gym for an early run.

This week, I'll try for it again. But, since I've already spent over a month on being an early riser, I'm moving on to a new project to blog about. I'm confident I'll continue this habit. Maybe every week won't be a five for five, but it will be at least four.

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So what next? I'm not entirely sure. I'm debating between two things: basketball and violin. I've done a little research into both, but I still can't decide.

It's either a basketball camp with Never Too Late, or violin lessons at City Music Schools.

What to do, what to do...

I'll take this week to decide; I'll make a decision by this Sunday.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Days Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three - Same Old Same Old

Having a lot to do at work is making it harder to update everyday, but(as you can see on my Facebook wall), I've made it to the gym every morning this week so far. Tomorrow, and I'm five for five.

Since I'm switching to a new lifting program next week, I've been resting and doing mostly cardio. Which, after four days, is getting boring. Next Monday(and doing something other than getting on the treadmill, stretching, and ab work) can't come soon enough.

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Seeing that I get to the gym around nine in the morning, a friend sent me a Facebook message asking if I worked from home, or if my office didn't care when I got into work as long as my work got done. Neither is the case.

I have the luxury, however, of working at an ad agency, and our standard start time is around 10am. Plus, my gym is about two blocks from the office. So, as long as I'm at the gym before 9:15 for a short workout or 8:45 for a long workout, I won't be late for work. In fact, I might be "early".

It does make this morning-gym thing a lot easier, I'll admit.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Day Twenty One - More Of The Same

I'm doing some steady-state cardio instead of interval training, just to change it up. I actually end up running about the same distance either way; I'll probably switch back to interval once I get used to steady-state again. The best program is the one you aren't on, my trainer likes to say.

It'll be hard to keep doing cardio three times a week, though, when I start lifting four times a week - which will be my new program starting next Monday. I've had pretty good results following(with some adaption) the programs in The New Rules Of Lifting, so I see no reason to stop now. Since I only have time to work out in the morning, doing (almost, just about) an hour of weights plus cardio is not realistic. At least not now - maybe if I start getting up really early, like six in the morning.

Three more days this week for five in a row...

Monday, March 15, 2010

Day Twenty - Back On Track

One down, five to go. My new, modest goal is to make it to the gym every morning this week. The first four weeks of this early-riser experiment, I made it four, four, four and then three times(though to be fair, twice circumstances were out of my control). This week, I'll be five for five. If successful, I'll go for consecutive five for five weeks. Then, hopefully, it will be such a habit I won't even have to think about it.

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Even though I didn't make it everyday the past four weeks, I still rose earlier everyday then I was beforehand. One benefit of this new, somewhat-early-rising lifestyle I've adopted is all the extra reading I've been able to do. Since I no longer workout at lunch, I read instead. I've finished Helter Skelter(a great read) and Food Rules(a very short read). I'm halfway through "The Art Of A Beautiful Game". All in all, I've read a fair amount of books this year.

Everyday I look forward to my "reading lunch"; it's a welcome break to the workday. The half-hour to hour I take(workload depending) has me refreshed when I get back to the office.

In the next few days, I'm going to try and add a variation to my routine: instead of reading, I'll spend my lunch writing or listening to a new album. When I lived in DC and wrote for a local music site, I'd often use my lunch break to listen to a new release and take notes. That's something I miss, even if I won't be writing for anyone else but myself.

For my first lunch-break album, I'll be listening to Born Like This, by Doom. My friend Allie, back in Maryland, suggested it to me a while ago and I still haven't listened to it.

That will change this week.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Days Eighteen & Nineteen - Running and Working

Work kept me from updating yesterday, and kept me from the gym today. I had an early meeting that required preparation, so I decided to just get up and come to work extra-early. Still, it would have been nice to have the early-rise habit so ingrained that rising even earlier would have been as easy as flicking on(off?) a switch. Alas, I'm not there yet.

Yesterday, I made it for a morning run. The new gym shoes are working out great. I ended up working late, missing a company happy our(open bar!). I completely forgot about updating the blog in a haze of work.

So, at the end of (almost) two weeks, the results are mixed. Through nineteen days, I was successful fifteen times. Not bad, but not my goal. Perhaps I was aiming too high.

With that in mind, I have a new goal, of going five straight days next week. A step down from four consecutive weeks, but considering the last two weeks I went four then three days, that's where I'm at right now. If I'm successful next week, I'll try for another.

No new gym bag yet.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Day Seventeen - Sleep In

I was up too late, and this morning I paid for it: I didn't get up on time, and I missed the gym. I was up late because of Helter Skelter, my book club's current selection. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it(especially if you enjoy the "True Crime" genre, though if you do, you've probably already read it). It's helped that going into the book, I knew only the most superficial things about Charles Manson - I was virgin territory for the shocking nature of the crime, the man, and his followers.

ANYWAY, I've already failed at my original goal of twenty straight weekdays getting up early and hitting the gym. Then, last Friday, losing my apartment power(which has been going off and on since, in an unrelated note) made me miss another day. And now today. So, out of 17 days, I've made 14. Not bad, not terrible, but not what the goal was. So, I failed.

However, even on the days I've missed, I'm still getting up earlier then I was a month ago. I've managed to move my wake-up "window" to earlier in the morning. Plus, when I was getting ready this morning, I knew I wasn't going to "make up" for missing the gym by working out at lunch. Now, if I don't go in the morning, I'm not going. That definitely will help me keep doing. Sure, when I was going at lunch I was going Monday-Friday, but I'll trade five lunch workouts for four morning workouts.

Yesterday I found out that I'll (probably)have to move by May. One my top criteria, in my apartment search, will be proximity to a New York Sports Club. The closer I am, the easier this will be.

I'll be back on track tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Day Sixteen - Whoops

I got up, brushed my teeth, grabbed my lunch, my bag, and I was out the door. No major train problems(for once), so I rolled into the gym on time. Scan my gym card, up the stairs, set my backpack down, open the locker, get my stuff out and...I forgot to pack gym shorts.

Actually, checking my bag earlier that morning I mistook a blue shirt for my blue shorts. Blue is blue is blue, especially when you are in a hurry. I bought shorts from the gym, because after finally having a(relatively) pain-free path to the gym in the morning, I was sure as shitgonna work out.

Once I finally got on the treadmill, workout was fine. I still need to add some new cardio songs, though. I used to use Nike+ to track my runs, but the sensor died and I never bothered to replace it. Maybe tracking runs again would motivate me to do a little more cardio. Lord knows, with summer coming, running more won't hurt.

1Shit being very high on a scale of sureness, obviously.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Day Fifteen - MTA Hates Me

Friday, a train I was on was taken out of service. Today, the same thing. Tomorrow I'll go for the hat trick, and if I get that, Wednesday I'll go for the Tiger Slam of MTA delays.
My workout was fine; I really like how sparse the morning gym crowd is. It's a big advantage that I don't have to be at work until 10:00am; I get to avoid most of the pre-workday crowd who have to be at the office around nine or nine-thirty. In fact, I see them leaving the gym as I'm getting to the gym.


Sunday, my slept debt incurred during my week of waking up early but largely refusing to change my late bedtime kept me in bed until just past noon. It felt great to catch up on snoozing, but it was also a reminder that this week I need to buckled down and gradually go to bed earlier, when I first get tired.


I may keep this going another week, to really cement this new morning habit.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Day Fourteen - Epic Apartment FAIL

Yesterday morning, I woke up shivering. During the night, my building lost power. The heat stopped. My iPhone had died from running the Sleep Cycle app. I checked my laptop to see what time it was: late, way too late for me to make the gym. I'd overslept, because of a god-damned power outage.

Plus, no hot water for a shower.

Plus, the L train I was on was taken out of service before I even got out of Brooklyn.

Next week will be better. That's what I'm telling myself.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Day Thirteen - Crazy

I had pool last night, so I was out late; my match start time was nine. I finished fast(7-3 victory!), but stuck around for a few beers with my teammates. The plan was to go to my girlfriend's place afterwards. It was a good plan, except that I left my gym bag at my apartment when I left for the pool hall.

I didn't want to go back to Brooklyn, then come back all the way into the city. So, I convinced myself - after a couple1 beers - that I would go over to my girlfriend's place as planned, and get up earlier than usual the next morning so I could trek back to my apartment, get my stuff, and from there get to the gym. All before work.

Yeah, that didn't happen. I got up at seven-thirty, not seven. My original plan had no chance in hell of working(it was a precarious idea even I had gotten up at seven). So, walking to the six train(the dreaded, dreaded six train...) I decided I would just go to work, getting there really early, and I would count this as kind of a half-day; half-doing what I was supposed to do. Not a total failure. 

Then I remembered my running shoes are almost five years old. I've been meaning to get new ones.

So, at 8:15 in the morning, I was wandering the Modell's in Times Square - carrying my pool cue from the night before - shoe shopping. I got some mid-priced Nike running shoes, and some discounted gym wear(shirt, shorts, and socks). 

Now, I'm at my desk, a large plastic Modell's bag next to my desk. Inside it: my new, now sweaty gym clothes, and my old shoes(I'm wearing the running shoes, under the pretense of "breaking them in" but really because they are more comfortable then the shoes I was wearing).

Streak alive at lucky thirteen.

1The term "couple" can be explained by the following: 2 =< (true number of beers) < 10.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Day Twelve - I Really Have To Go

My roommate usually doesn't get up until 8:30. About every two weeks, however, on a random weekday he rises around my new wake-up time.

Waiting for the bathroom - we've all done it, whether for a roommate, sibling, the cat, whoever. The ten or fifteen extra minutes in the morning are really meaningless. None of that bothers me. What gets to me is the randomness. And, when I wake up having to pee, it makes for a fun morning.

I stand in the kitchen, staring at the closed bathroom door, and I have to pee. Read part of a magazine. I have to pee. Pace, from the front door back to the fridge, from the mirror back to the kitchen sink. I really have to pee. Read the magazine again - wow, look what Matt Damon is up to, bringing clean water to India - then walk to the fridge, study the magnet that tells us how to divide the recyclables, wonder who drew the anthropomorphic trashcans, peer out the window, think about the neighbors, see that's it flurrying and GOOD LORD I HAVE TO PEE.

Right before I consider relieving myself in an old beer bottle, the door opens. Thank god.

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Not much else to report. I'm waking up, going to the gym - so far so good. Eight more days.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Day Eleven - Sunshine

The sun is out, the air cold but crisp instead of biting, and the Subway wasn't as hellish. A much better start today.

I'm still mixed on the Sleepy Cycle app. I seem to always wake up before the half-hour window the app's alarm has, then I fall back into a deep sleep, and the app has no choice but to wake me up instead of waiting for a "light" sleep cycle. The first day it worked great, since then, nothing. At least it lets me track how much sleep I'm getting every night(not enough).

Of course, on the bright side, maybe this habit of waking up before my alarm is evidence that my early-riser habit is starting to stick. I can only hope.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Day Ten - Evil Urges


Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket


My girlfriend's apartment is farther away from my gym then my apartment is. Geographically, this is a lie.

My girlfriend lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and I live on the outskirts of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. She lives closer, this indisputable. A New York morning commute, however, is it's own reality, and doesn't give a shit about something as insignificant as geography. It doesn't matter that the physical distance between my door and the door at the Theater District New York Sports Club is almost six miles and the distance from my girlfriend's door is less than half that; because of the constant stream of New Yorkers trying to force themselves onto the 6 train at 77th street, because of the fatiguing wait for a transfer at 59th street, because of the idling trains waiting for their fellows up ahead to get moving(we are delayed because of train traffic ahead of us, please be patient), because of all this I can leave my girlfriend's geographically, physically and for all purposes closer apartment at the same time I would leave my apartment that is not only further away but across a goddamn river, and still arrive at the gym at the same time regardless.

Not to mention being stuck, impatient and cranky, can make a man consider heaping horrible violence upon his fellow passengers. Especially those who don't pay attention and stand at the bottom of steps, those who plant themselves just one step into a newly arriving train(forcing the rest us to go around the prick to fit into the car), and those who think their newspaper is so fan-fucking-tastically fascinating they just can't put it away and let more people squeeze in and get to work on time. Fuck.

....

The gym was fine, waking was fine.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Day Nine - Snow

I missed yesterday, so I was determined to get back on track today. I got to bed earlier than I have been, had the Sleep Cycle App running, gym stuff was packed - I was ready for the morning. For some reason I wake up at six-thirty again, an hour before my wake-up time. I get back to sleep, but of course a deep sleep, so when I do get up at 7:30, I'm groggy. You can see the graphical evidence here:


A nice, light sleep cycle right before seven(when I wake up by myself, I assume), then way in deep sleep when the alarm goes off. So, while the app isn't working, it's not at fault. My natural tendency(of late) to wake up at six-thirty in the goddamn morning is. 

After two weeks, my desire to become an early riser has led to mixed results. Eight out of nine days isn't bad, but my goal was twenty days straight(weekdays). That one day missed was a result of my inability to change my night-time lifestyle to match my newly desired morning lifestyle. 

So, for the next eleven days, I'm going to go to bed earlier on weekdays. I love the results of getting up early: the gym is out of the way, more productive at work, a free lunch hour, more time after work, falling asleep right away...

I just have to get the bed time part sorted out.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Day Eight - Bump In The Road

I was out late, the weather sucks, the bed was comfy, morning sex - all reasons I failed to get to the gym before work this morning. Broke my early-riser streak at seven days. So, my original goal of uninterrupted 20 say streak won't come true(at least not in the original time frame), but, tomorrow morning, I'll get back on track.

I still got up earlier than I was prior to this experiment, and I still think I can cement this as a habit. Have to bear down for the next two weeks and two days. 

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Day Seven - Sleep FAIL

If I don't adjust the time I go to sleep, even if I make it through the next 13 days, I'm afraid this habit won't stick. The thought of missing a day(and the threat of being called a slacker on Facebook) gets me up as much as the motivation of forming a new routine. Will it stick, or will I sleep in the first day I don't "have" to do this?

Last night, I was in bed around one in the morning, which would be fine if I wasn't trying to get up at 7:30. Tonight, I have pool, so I'm not sure what time I'll get to bed, but it has to be earlier. It's been easier getting up but the lack of 7-8 hours sleep every night is starting to catch up to me; I get really tired late in the day before hitting a second wind after six. I met a friend for drinks last night. Waiting at the bar, I felt like collapsing(this was around ten o'clock). Then I hit my third wind;it's funny how social drinking does that. Talking, drinking, laughing - they all serve to keep me going. 

The Sleep App failed this morning, but it's at least partially(fully?) my own fault. Here's a graph(I do love that it generates graphs, such a stat geek!):


I slept for about six hours, but the big spike right before 7 is when I woke up at 6:30, an hour before my alarm was set. So, I went back to sleep, into a deep sleep and the app had no choice but to wake me up in the deepest sleep I was in all night. So, not really Sleep Cycle's fault, but I was really groggy, so at least it(seems) accurate.

At least pool starts at seven tonight, and not nine. These late nights are killing me.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Day Six - More Rain

Well it's back to gloomy weather. It's wet, cold and gray outside. My morning run went fine, though I can tell I've been neglecting my cardio. I do interval training on the treadmill, running for two minutes then sprinting for one, and I've had to reduce my sprinting speed a bit.

The sleep cycle app worked great last night. Set up was easy: I just put it on the corner of my bed, under the sheet. After testing it to make sure it could tell when I was moving, I set the alarm, and fell asleep. It woke up me up 13 minutes before my alarm time(it will wake you up during your lightest sleep phase during a half-hour window before your alarm time), and I was more refreshed than I have been just waking up at the same time every weekday. The app also keeps stats and graphs, which I'll be sure to share at the end of this experiment.

That said, I wasn't exactly bright-eyed and ready to go. I keep staying up late, even though I'm tired. Whether from being out or just chilling at home, I can't remember the last time I fell asleep before one in the morning. Granted, because of this new wake up time I'm falling asleep much, much faster. I'd say within five minutes of turning off the light, I'm out like one.

Taking advantage of doing my workout in the morning, today I'm going to have lunch with my girlfriend - something I couldn't do when I was waking up late and going to the gym during my lunch hour. Yesterday I read and wrote some during my lunch hour. Plus, I'm getting more done during the day at work(I think, I never really measure my productivity level at the office but I feel more efficient).

Monday, February 22, 2010

Day Five - Monday, Monday

A common tenet in the many strategies for becoming an early riser is to pick a time and wake up then, every day, even weekends. I totally ignored that rule this past Saturday and Sunday;it's hard enough in New York when any night can become a late night, but I was in Maryland visiting my family and me and my brothers always stay up late. I slept in, rested, drank, stayed up late, played Guitar Hero: Metallica(singing/screaming until my throat was sore, playing solos until my fingers hurt) and Super Mario Bros Wii(with four players, it's chaotic and hilarious), and drank some more. Good times.

Now I'm back, up in the morning, at the gym, five days down, 15 to go. Tonight I'm going to start using the Sleepy Cycle app I talked about Friday.

We'll see how that goes.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Day Four

Day four, and still going strong. I was running a little late this morning, but still made it to the gym. I had to pack for a weekend trip back to Maryland, plus, I was at my girlfriend's place and forgot to bring along gym stuff. So, train from UES back to Brooklyn, get gym stuff and pack, then back into the city for the gym. Still got up, still made it to the gym - four consecutive days of morning workouts. So far so good.


This week, I used my iPhone alarm combined with a sweet wake-up call from my girlfriend. Next week, I'm going to try something new: I came across the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock iPhone application:


The Sleep Cycle alarm clock is a bio-alarm clock that analyzes your sleep patterns and wakes you when you are in the lightest sleep phase.


So starting Monday night, I'll be using/testing this app. The idea of waking up in a light sleep phase is very appealing; that combined with the very positive reviews gives me high hopes for this upgraded alarm clock.


---


So how has it been with my lunch hour free? Pretty good - Tuesday I read, Wednesday I left work a little early with no worries because I'd gotten there early and had more than enough time to get everything I needed done, and yesterday during my lunch break I was able to get cuff-links that I needed for a dressy-dinner.


Plus, I fall asleep a lot faster now - but next week I want to get to bed before one in the morning(most nights... OK at least two).

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Day Three - Delays, Snacking

This was the hardest morning so far. Pool started at 8:30, and afterwards I stayed for a beer(or three). So I didn't get home until a little after one. I was asleep almost instantly, though, which is a lot better than when I'd be restless until about the same time and sleep until 9 or 9:30. This was good, deep sleep.

Had a couple of delays on the way to the gym: my roommate was unusually up at the same time I was(important morning presentation), and then there was half a fight at the Union Square subway stop. It's always very crowded, and one gentleman was trying to squeeze down the stairs to catch a train while another gentleman was forcing himself upstream along with 90% of the people on the platform. They must have bumped, or stepped on one another's shoes, because all of a sudden they were shoving and grabbing the other's face, as an old-school people-circle formed around them.

The downstairs gentleman then started shouting up the stairwell for...well I have no idea. It was a crazy yell - it could have been for a cop, it could have been for his own personal God. A brave woman tried to separate the two, but after the upstream(and possible saner) gentleman heard the yell, he backed off. Evil eyes ensued, the circle collapsed, and everyone went on their way.

Crazy Yell missed his train.

---

I read somewhere(probably Men's Health) that chocolate milk is a great post-workout drink, so I'm having a grande1 mocha. I'd be having one, eventually, anyway but now I feel like it's serving a purpose other than wiring me right for a functioning morning. It's not all milk, but it's at least one-half and hopefully two-thirds.

Snacking during the day can be a problem. We have a great vending machine here, and the last month it's addicted me to Strawberry Frosted Pop-Tarts. I'd feel bad about this, but the packaging clearly states it has seven vital vitamins and minerals(and frosting!).

So, I bought some trail-mix that mainly consists of dried cranberries and almonds, and I've been snacking on that. I like it, but I know I'll get bored soon. I have to come up with some new, interesting snacks; snacks that take away from the allure of the vending machine. Snacks always seem better when they fall though2.

1I'm addicted to Starbucks.
2Apologies to the late, great Mitch Hedberg.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Day Two - Running

Today, I actually dressed appropriately. My North Face coat on, hoodie underneath, I ventured out into the cold this morning.

I was running a little late because today, in an effort to save money, I packed my lunch: two chicken sandwiches. Monday night I fixed chicken-strips, the leftovers are now between slices of wheat bread. I feel economized.

The last few weeks, I've done a lot more lifting than cardio. In fact, last month I did hardly any running, and all lifting. I expected a little weight gain, but at first, the scale always read (about) the same every morning. Recently, though, winter comfort food and less cooking have added to my natural insulation. Which is fine, I don't want to look like a male model(rather, I would but I like eating more), but I'd still like to get back to running - being in good cardiovascular health has other benefits, especially once the weather gets warmer and it's time for sports.

So I got on the treadmill and did twenty minutes of interval training, listening to the following:

"All Summer Long", Kid Rock
"Worlds Collide", Powerman 5000
"The Wicker Man", Iron Maiden
"What You Waiting For?", Gwen Stefani
"Mama Said Knock You Out," LL Cool J

I have a random cardio play list in iTunes, and I have a good variety of tunes(I think) that it picks from - but I haven't updated it in years. These same songs(with the addition, last year, of "Poker Face" and "Let's Dance") have powered my running for the past three or four years.

Any suggestions? What gets you guys pumped?

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Day One

What a cold, wet, gray day to start my new morning gym habit. Wet, slippery sidewalks, cold winds, and sour faces. Still, one down, 19 to go. March 15th isn't that far away.

I woke up at 7:30 easier than I expected - a wake-up call from my girlfriend certainly helped. I brushed my teeth, grabbed my bag, and was out the door before I could think about it. Into the cold and the flurries, under-dressed in a hoodie1 and my fall jacket. See, I never check the weather before I leave my apartment - I just put on whatever I was wearing the day before. It has to be really, really cold to force me back up the three flights of stairs to my apartment to change, and this morning it wasn't that cold. A little uncomfortable, but I'd make it. Besides, I was motivated.

The gym is emptier in the morning;not a graveyard by any stretch but it was much easier to get the stations I wanted. At lunch, the squat rack and the benches are very crowded. The same trainers are there, working with different clients; the girl at the front desk is still the same, though perkier then she is at one-thirty;everything is slightly different, but mostly the same.

Thursday morning is going to be the real challenge, because Wednesday nights I have a pool league. Match time is 8:30 this week, and I usually stay for a beer or two afterwards.

Can't really worry about that yet, though, still have Wednesday morning.

---
1My spellchecker refuses to recognize the right of the hoodie to exist, insisting I replace it with "hoodoo": 1) a body of practices of sympathetic magic traditional especially among blacks in the southern United States, 2) a natural column of rock in western North America often in fantastic form, 3) something that brings bad luck.

Monday, February 15, 2010

First Thing: Become An Early Riser

It bothers me that I go to the gym at lunch. Don't get me wrong, I like that I go the gym. Having that habit has greatly improved my life(thanks Miriam!), but going during my lunch hour causes problems. For one thing, I never get to have lunch with friends or co-workers. If things get crazy at work, I miss my work-out.

I want to change this - I want to work out in the morning. More generally, I'd like to become an early-riser. Or, more accurately, an "earlier" riser: 7:30 seems an ungodly hour to me right now, but I'm sure a lot of people would read that and think Man, it'd be great to sleep in past six.

Since this is the first thing I'm attempting, I expect a few bumps in the road - and not just from trying to wake up earlier. The blogging process will undoubtedly evolve. For now, though, I'll try this: I'll define my goal, why I'm trying to achieve it, how I'll achieve it, and a reward.

So here it goes:

Goal:
To get up at the same time, every morning, for four straight work-weeks(five days a week, M-F), and make it to the gym.

Why: I want to get more out of my day. I have a lot of projects, personal and work-wise, I want more time for. Not having to workout at lunch will give more time for work, and I can use my lunch hour to read, write, or do whatever. 

How-to:
  1. Set wake-up time of 7:30 AM
  2. When my alarm goes off, I won't think, I'll simply get up, grab an apple and my gym bag, and head out the door.
  3. Instead of setting a bed time, I'll simply go to bed when I'm tired each night and gradually make my body adjust to me set wake-up time.

Reward: A new gym bag, something like this: http://reviews.lululemon.com/7834/Classy_Classic_Gym_Bag/reviews.htm, and a steak dinner.

The first day will be tomorrow, February 16th. I'll end on March 15th.

I should check in to New York Sports Club on foursquare in the morning, before going to work(I usually get to the office around 10-10:30 - it's the ad business), and it will show up on my Facebook profile. If I don't, feel free to write on my wall and remind me I'm slacking.

Wish me luck.

Kris in Beta

I'd love to be a superman, a man who gets up at five in the morning, trains for a marathon, hits the gym to lift(bench pressing twice his body weight, naturally), showers, fixes his own breakfast(eggs and turkey bacon, manly yet sensible), strides into the office impeccably(but not overly) dressed, inspires co-workers and impresses the boss, spends his weekday evenings playing basketball or pool or writing and reading in his favorite cafe, eats a sensible dinner(that, most nights, he fixes himself) before throwing back a few drinks with his friends, walks into his clean, organized, warmly-decorated apartment at the end of the night to fall asleep(nevermind the weekend, when the superman really cuts loose and plays with his band, runs in the park, reads to children, puts the finishing touches on his watercolor before having a few glasses of wine with his lovely girlfriend). He plays an instrument, is well-read, speaks another language, knows a martial art, writes short stories; all a product of his willingness to try new things. A never-ending life of awesomeness, self-assuredness and a small dose of cocky bad-assery.

I can't do that, but I can try for a slice. I can try new things. With this in mind, there are several things I'd like to change, add/subtract and otherwise shift around in my life. I'll use this blog to journal my endeavors, successful or not(hopefully successful).

I'll be trying to make new habits, learn new skills, and challenge myself - improve on the Beta version of myself and become "Kris 2.0". Hopefully, it won't be as stupid as it sounds.