Share the Road

IS PUBLISHED!

My December goal was to get my first novel published by the end of the year, and I got it in just under the wire.

I finished off the latest edit back in October, and I sent off a copy of it to one of my beta readers to check for typos and grammar errors. While I was waiting to hear back, I read it again. And edited it again. This really could go on forever.

The book still needed a new cover before I put it up for sale. Back in May when I printed out a few copies, I put together a quick cover to experiment with some image software, and to see how the finished product would look. I used a nice shot I had taken at the Grand Canyon, but it had nothing to do with the story. I had some vague ideas what I wanted the new cover to look like, but I had done nothing for the past six months.

I took my vague ideas and a camera down the coast. I didn't find what I was picturing, but I ended up stopping at one of the beaches just to get something on film. Armed with a self-timer, I used benches, garbage cans, and the bike rack on my truck as makeshift tripods. I took several shots, dashing back and forth, trying out multiple looks, and trying to ignore the odd stares I was getting. I ended up with some good initial shots, and just seeing these first attempts gave me some more ideas.

I went out for another round a day later, and took home more good pictures, but nothing that really grabbed me. I showed the photos to a few people, and walked away with some good feedback and a better idea of what I wanted. Then I was in Seattle for eleven days.

I got my typo report back, fixed the, worked on the website and other background stuff while I was away, but I couldn't do anything about the cover until I got back in town. I returned the night of the 26th and headed out on the 27th for another photo shoot. After lots of dashing back and forth with the self-timer, I had thirty more photos. I couldn't really see how the photos turned out with the sunlight bouncing off of the camera screen, so I went home hoping I had something good. I ended up using the last photo I took, so I am glad I kept trying.

I updated the cover with the new photo, and was ready to submit it for file approval. And I was still messing with the text. I had to get this thing out of my hands. I uploaded it to CreateSpace and waited for them to make sure there weren't any formatting problems. I received their approval on the 29th and immediately ordered a proof. Now I had to wait for the hard copy to show up so I could make sure everything looked okay in print.

The anticipated ship date was sometime around January 6th, so I wasn't going to make my year-end deadline. But I was so close I was willing to call it a victory. Then, somehow, during the post-Christmas chaos of shopping and shipping, CreateSpace and the Post Office had the proof in my hands on the afternoon of December 31st.

I filled out all the last minute synopsis, author bio and pricing information and hit "Approve" at around 5:00pm. I was published. More or less. The book could have been purchased on the CreateSpace site that day, but it didn't show up on Amazon until January 1st. The listing still isn't completely ready as the web machines haven't attached the synopsis and preview, but it is available for sale!

So after much last minute scrambling, my debut novel is live.

I am still working on a website, and the Kindle version isn't live yet (Amazon appears to still be working off its New Year's hangover). There will be a Nook version as well, but the paperback version is now available for $7.99 at Amazon.com. Buy it through this handy Share the Road link, and I make an extra thirty cents on the deal.

My first novel. WooHoo!

Year in Review - resolutions

I don't normally make a lot of resolutions for January 1st. Sure, there are some goals that I shoot for year round, but I haven't been too tied to the calendar to start things off. But this year was a little different. It was all about the calendar.

Back in January, I decided to have a new goal every month. As I wrote then:

I was out on a run December 30th when I decided to take on the Dry January goal I had read about a couple days earlier. As I ran, I decided that I would keep this monthly theme throughout the year. Each month I will take on a new challenge. By focusing on one thing at a time, I think I will have a better chance at success. Also, there is a built in ending point so I think it will be easier to wrap my head around the commitment.

I didn't have the whole year plotted out at that point, just the first three months really. The monthly resolutions came into focus as the year went on. Some were things I wanted to improve, some were suggestions from friends, and others were challenges I wasn't sure I could complete. There is a list in the sidebar, but for review the resolutions were.

Jan - no alcohol
Feb - workout every day
Mar - write an hour every day
Apr - no fast food
May - no coffee
June - no tv
July - better food choices/lose 10#
Aug - meat only once a week
Sep - 30 minutes or less online
Oct - become a morning person
Nov - NaNoWriMo

Each month was challenging in its own way, but I was surprised to find that many were easier than I had built them up to be. Giving up coffee was not enjoyable, but there was little withdrawal and I wasn't a zombie without it. No tv and no fast food were more logistical challenges than anything else.

Eating meat only once a week was not a real sacrifice, and July's goal of making better food choices was a nice lead in. I did not lose the ten pounds that month, but I was ten pounds lighter when showed up at the marathon start line a couple months later. 

The more difficult challenges were toward the end of the year. Spending less than thirty minutes online wasn't exactly a struggle, but it was enlightening. I waste more time than I use when connected to the internet, and the thirty minute limit really made me focus. October's goal of becoming a morning person was probably the hardest on me. The act of rolling out of bed by 5:30 wasn't that difficult, but as the month wore on, the missing hours of sleep took their toll. November's goal was the one that was clearly not accomplished, but I am still happy with the effort and the discipline it took to get as far as I did.

Of course, I was hoping to have some of these thirty day challenges carry over. I drink a little less alcohol, I definitely watch less tv, I spend less time online, I am making better choices with food, and this morning I weighed in twelve pounds lighter than I was at this time last year.

Having this rotating goal set up was an interesting experience. I haven't decided if I will do the monthly goal thing next year, but I would highly recommend it if it interests you at all. By attacking things in bite sized chunks, they were easier to take them all on. I certainly wouldn't have written down twelve goals for the year on January 1st, but now I can look back on a nice list of accomplishments,

December's goal was sort of a secret. I wasn't sure if I was going to accomplish it, but it looks like I will just make it in under the wire. More on that in the next post.

Fail?

I have given up (for now).

I am not going to make it to 50,000 words by the end of the day. I am not going to even get close. My word count sits at 30,194 at this point. I may add another thousand by day's end, but it was clear more than a week ago that it just wasn't going to happen this year.

 - Begin excuse portion - 

I don't have any valid excuses, but here is what seems to have happened. Some of the excitement was gone this year. You can never recapture that first-time rush, that panic, pain and ecstasy. Since I was successful last year, I knew I could do it again this time. And somehow, knowing that I could succeed took some of the motivation away. I wasn't working without a net.

In fact there were too many nets. I wanted to make this one different. There had to be more characters, more stories intertwining. I wanted the story to be more distant from my own experience. I wanted a book I could actually describe in a synopsis and make it sound interesting.

I don't know if you could call it a sophomore slump when your first effort wasn't a hit, but it felt like a slump nonetheless. I hit a personal rough patch mid-month, and lost all motivation. Nothing dramatic happened - no family crisis, no health problems, no accident that broadsides you on a random Tuesday - it was just a confluence of things that sent me spiraling.

This time around, I had more of an idea of where the story was going. This should have made it easier, but it did take away from some of the excitement of discovery. There are still many things that came to me in the moment, but somehow the scenes that I had planned a bit ahead of time were harder to start. There is sort of a fear that I won't be able to pull them off.

But of course I can't pull anything off that I don't start.

 - End of excuse portion - 

I may have failed to reach the 50,000 mark within the 30 day challenge, but I will finish this book. Though I haven't read it yet, I think there is something there, there. The pressure of a deadline forces me to sit down and write whether I feel creative or not, but I need to be able to do that on my own any month of the year if I want to continue to have this be a part of who I am.

I am digging my way out of the slump I fell into. Though I am disappointed I did not pull off the NaNoWriMo challenge this year, I do not consider 30,000 words a failure. Beating myself up over it (as tempting as that is for me) will not make me any more motivated.

I will get inspired again. I will sit my butt in the chair and write. I will finish what I started.

Just not today.

Programming notes

A couple of things...

National Novel Writing Month begins today! This will be my second attempt at writing 50,000 words in 30 days, on the way to a second novel. I am about as stressed out as last time, maybe a little bit more. Somehow the second time around is harder. The first time, you know it is going to be difficult, but you don't know something until you have gone through it. The first time, there is that ignorance is bliss, beginners luck thing you have going for you. The second time, you know how hard it was, but you signed up again anyway. Kind of like a marathon.

Speaking of which, I have another one on the calendar. I will be running the Carlsbad Marathon on January 22nd, a scant 82 days away. I was planning on taking some time off, but Sean H made a convincing argument that I should join him on his last marathon for the foreseeable future (he has a third child on the way). Of course he really didn't have to twist my arm that hard. I am anxious to see if I can figure out how to finish while still being able to walk a straight line and speak coherently.

In other news, Amazon.com has made an agreement with the state of California to begin collecting taxes sometime next year.  As I wrote back in July, I think this levels the playing field for local stores, and restores revenue for states that are having to slash much needed programs. This agreement also means that the affiliate program has been reinstated for California residents.

You will notice that there is an Amazon.com search bar in the sidebar to the right. I also have an affiliate store set up with products I use, like and recommend. Many of us do our shopping online (especially around the holidays), and you can find nearly everything you want at Amazon.

If you stop by my blog and start your shopping with my search bar, I would really appreciate it. This one extra click will net me a small percentage of the purchase price for the referral, without increasing what you pay. Any money received will go toward paying off Sierra's vet bills.

With the month of panicked writing at NaNoWriMo ahead, I am not sure how often I will be posting in the coming weeks. I may disappear for a while, or I may be coming here to procrastinate and write about the bug I saw at work.

Happy November!

...early to rise

5:30 in the morning. A beautiful time to feel so ugly.

I am in the home stretch of the current monthly challenge. I have been getting up at 5:30am weekdays, and 7:00am on the weekends. It hasn't been any easier or more difficult to hear the alarm go off so early, but it is wearing me down physically.

As I suspected, I have had difficulty getting to sleep early enough to get a full night's rest. My body doesn't seem to shut down before 10 or 11, though the backlog of exhaustion has reduced the time between my head hitting the pillow and my eyes closing.

But there have been bright spots in the darkness. The house is so quiet and peaceful this early in the morning, and I am up an hour and a half before the sun. While I think the lack of light could be depressing in the long haul, it feels like that time is mine to use before the day begins.

I have been working on what I hope will be the final edit of the novel each morning, and after a final run-through looking for typos, I think it is ready to be put to bed. On several mornings, I have written for an hour, run for an hour, and still been able to get out the door by 8:00am if necessary. It is a great feeling to get things accomplished before the day really gets going.

I have found the appeal of being a morning person this month. but it is not what my body is built for. I am missing the all important "Early to bed" part that might make me "healthy, wealthy and wise." Through repetition, I could browbeat it into partial submission, but it is ultimately a losing battle and I think my health would eventually suffer.

5:30am is a time all to yourself, and there is beauty there, but staying snuggled up in bed on the weekends is sounding pretty good right now.

Good morning Merry Sunshine

Morning people. Who can understand them. Bouncing around before the sunrises, chipper to a point of needing to be punched. I certainly can't.

Friends and longtime readers know that I am not a morning person. I have great difficulty falling asleep before 11:00 or midnight, and my deepest sleep is the hour or two before the alarm goes off. As a teen, my alarm clock was something of an air raid siren, but most mornings I did not hear it going off inches from my head. My mother would hear it from the other end of the house, and after it was ignored for too long, come to my room to wake me.

I am not as bad these days. My alarm is really just a radio at low volume. Most mornings, the pooch wakes me with the click, click, click of her nails before it goes off anyway. But I am still coming out of my deepest sleep, and it is painful to rise.

The jobs I have had for much of my life have not required me to be up very early. There were exceptions, like  the year I had the morning shift at McDonald's. When I worked as a deck builder, I was up pretty early to get to the jobsite by 8:00am. But I would stay in bed as late as possible, leaving the house ten or fifteen minutes after waking up. Even after six or seven years, the morning routine did not stick. I would stay up late most nights and sleep in on weekends to try and catch up.

I could probably sleep in until 8:30 or 9:00 these days and still make it in to work on time, but the pooch generally wakes me up at 7:00. It still feel like crap every morning, but after a year and a half she has forced the routine. I have time to have breakfast and read the paper, and I have come to appreciate the chance to wake slowly instead of greeting the world at a dead run. On the rare occasion that I am up before dawn, usually race morning, I love the quiet hush of twilight, voices at a whisper so as to not chase it away.

When I was a child, my Mom used to wake me with a whisper of "Good Morning Merry Sunshine". These days it would be said ironically to my half-asleep, grumpy face. I am not morning person, but I am going to act like one for the month of October. The alarm will go off at 5:30am during the week, and I will still be up by 7:00am on the weekends. I plan to use the quiet hours primarily to write, but I have a few other projects that need focused attention. NaNoWriMo looms in just 28 days, and I hope to have ingrained the habit of early morning writing by then.

It will be difficult to hear the alarm go off so early, but the real challenge will be in getting to bed at a reasonable hour. The mind and body do not shut down easily, even when exhausted.

The first people I told about the challenge were Kristy, Holly and Matt. The women are night owls like me, and can't understand why I will be getting up this early. It just seems crazy, stupid almost. Matt however clapped his hands in solidarity as he is up at 5:30am most mornings. He is one of those freaky morning people I am trying to understand.

He did however make the rule of no talking before 6:00am. Even early risers need a moment before facing the world. And we need to whisper to avoid chasing away stillness.

Focus in chunks of 30

The theme of the year might become, "It isn't as hard as you think."

Resolution nine is done! The plan was to spend less than 30 minutes online for the month of September. Every morning I would fire up Outlook and Chrome, and set a 15 minute timer. I couldn't literally hear the ticking of the clock, but seconds were clicking off in the back of my brain.

Much of the email I get these days are newsletters filled with links. With the timer rolling, I would have to evaluate whether the article or story sounded interesting enough to click. On the few I clicked, a browser window would open, but I wouldn't read the story until I was done with all the email.

When I moved on from Outlook, I would check the blogs to see if there were any new posts. I read those first before moving onto the article I had opened before. I would usually have enough time to get through it all, but if not, I left the article open in case I had some extra time later in the evening. Facebook was last in line.

As the month wore on, I found it easier to come in under 15 minutes. I have a few email accounts, and one is where all the memberships, newsletters and spam end up. After a few days, I would look through the inbox and delete several emails before opening anything. With the time limit, it forced me to focus on what was important these days, and I didn't even want to waste the few seconds it took to open and skim over.

As always, I want these 30 day goals to create longer lasting changes. I plan to keep that timer clicking in the back of my mind, and keep the bar high on what is worth my time. In order to reduce the clutter and noise, this morning I am unsubscribing from the newsletters that regularly did not make the cut during September. I have also cleaned up my Facebook feed to get rid of the clutter that is getting in the way of updates from actual friends.

The internet isn't evil. It opens all of us to the world like no other tool has before. But it can easily become a distraction. Many of us flip on the tv without knowing if anything is on, simply out of habit. For me, the same goes for opening up the laptop. I know I will find something to hold my interest, but if I stopped and thought about it, isn't there something I would rather be doing?

Over the last 30 days, I only fired up the laptop if I had something specific to do. I had more time to spend reading, writing and running. There are fewer books in the stack by my bedside, I ran 106 miles, and I am nearly done with the corrections, editing and rewrite of my novel.

By cutting back tv and internet time, I have found time I already had. But I am always looking for more, and that is what October's challenge is all about.

Time's up

The year is two-thirds over. Incredible. I can't believe it is already September. The time has flown by, but this year I can mark it off in 30 day increments. There are eight resolutions in the can, and I am three days into resolution number nine. I am planning to live less online for the month of September. It seems a little silly to make this decloration on an online blog, but there you go.

I am not raging against technology, and have no desire to go back to 'the good old days'. And although my memory is deteriorating, I am not shunning the Internet because of how the Google effect is rewiring my brain.  I am just wasting time that should be better spent.

I find myself surfing the web far too much these days.  After reading email and blogs, I follow link after link to articles, stories and videos, or spend time dithering on Facebook. Some of the stuff I read is valuable, but it is such a time suck! One link leads to another, and then another, and then hours disappear with little to show for it.

I even have the computer on as I watch tv, attempting to remain 'productive' as I relax. Our brains do not multi-task well, so I shouldn't be dividing my time between two screens. I am giving a fraction of my attention to the things I try to juggle, so nothing is done well.

Giving it up entirely is not terribly realistic. Too much of the world has moved online. And again the Internet is not the problem, just how I am using it. September's resolution will be to be online for only 30 minutes a day, probably split into two 15 minute chunks. I will prioritize emails from people I know, and the newsletters filled with links will likely be ignored. Blogs will also be a priority, as they are a connection to people and some fine writing, but Facebook will be ignored unless there are a few minutes left before the timer goes off. Unless it is for legitimate research, no getting online outside of the 30 minutes.

I have already unsubscribed to many of the emails and newsletters that fill up my inbox, and I will clean up the Facebook feed to get rid of the clutter that isn't keeping me in contact with my actual friends. As with all of these 30 day resolutions, I want to keep the benefits I discover as a part of my life after the month is over. October 1st, I want to have eliminated distractions and time wasters.

When I gave up tv for a month, I found a bunch of time already at my disposal. By limiting my time online, I hope to find even more time to spend doing the important things. I want to be able to say at the end of each day that I made time for the people I love, the writing I enjoy, and the reading that expands my horizons. To stop staring at so many screens, and pay attention to all the wonder of the world around me.

Few animals were harmed in the production of this post

Last month I gave up meat six days out of seven. I did not think it would be overly difficult, but I've never tried before so you never know.

But it turned out to be pretty easy. Breakfasts were no big deal, lunch was PB & J, and dinners were veggies in a rotating variety of sauces. Lots of pasta and rice, and beans and peanut butter for protein.

The only times I really bumped up against anything were the few times I was grabbing lunch on the run. Burgers and sandwiches were basically out, but I found that the veggie burrito at Chipotle was very tasty, and the veggie patty at Subway was also quite good.

I reserved Saturdays as my day with meat to make sure I had enough protein to rebuild the muscles I was tearing down on my long runs. On other days of the week, I didn't notice any real difference in energy or strength levels. As an added bonus, I lost a couple more pounds and shaved off another fat percentage point.

I am not going vegetarian, but going forward there will be less meat on the menu. It is cheaper and better for all the reasons I mentioned at the start of the month. Meatless Mondays (or Tuesdays) will be a snap.

On to September's challenge.

August resolution

Have you heard of Meatless Mondays? It is a pledge to not eat meat one day a week for health and environmental reasons. By just making this small change, you can have a big impact.

From the Environmental Working Group Report:

Americans’ appetite for meat and dairy – billions of pounds a year from billions of animals – takes a toll on our health, the environment, climate and animal welfare. Producing all this meat and dairy requires large amounts of pesticides, chemical fertilizer, fuel, feed and water. It also generates greenhouse gases and large amounts of toxic manure and wastewater that pollute groundwater, rivers, streams and, ultimately, the ocean. In addition, eating large quantities of beef and processed meats increases your exposure to toxins and is linked to higher rates of health problems, including heart disease, cancer and obesity.

• Cows, sheep, and other livestock release substantial amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO2
• Most U.S. livestock are fattened on soybean meal, corn and other grains that require large amounts of fertilizer, fuel, pesticides and water.
• An estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into a single pound of beef.
• Adult men, on average, get twice as much protein as necessary. In 2009, the U.S. produced 208 pounds of meat per person. 
• Antibiotics and hormones used in livestock increase risk of resistant bacteria and certain cancers.

Grass fed, organic and pasture raised meat, eggs and dairy can reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals, and they have been shown to have higher vitamin content and lower saturated fat. Unfortunately, it does not reduce the environmental impacts in the same way. However, the type of meat you choose can make a difference. Chicken, turkey and fish have a much smaller impact than beef or lamb (or even cheese).

So this brings us to Meatless Mondays. According to the same report:

• If you eat one less burger a week, it is like taking your car off the road for 320 miles.
• If you and your four person family skip steak one day a week, it is like taking your car off the road for almost 3 months.
• If everyone in the U.S. ate no meat or cheese just one day a week, it would be like taking 7.6 million cars off the road.

Whatever your motivation - health, environment or simply your grocery bill, giving up meat one day a week does not seem like it should be that difficult. I think that this is something I can do indefinitely. But for the August challenge, I will flip it around and instead of giving up meat one day a week, I will only have it one day a week. I will probably choose Saturdays as this is the day I typically do my long runs, and when there will be the most muscle damage in need of protein repair.

I think this will not only give me a good jump start toward a lifelong commitment, but will help me to continue the weight loss challenge. It should also broaden my culinary horizons and increase the variety of foods that I put in my body.

Resolutions and the scale

For the ongoing resolution a month thing, the plan for July was to make better lifestyle choices and try to lose 10 pounds.

Well, I got it half right.

I did eat better foods, consumed fewer liquid calories, avoided drive-thrus and late night snacks. I did really well the first week, and then undid the progress when I was on vacation. I did relatively well the last couple of weeks, and ended up losing five pounds.

Ten pounds was kind of a long shot, and I was hoping that the difficult goal would scare me straight on my food intake. Turns out I don't scare that easily.

I do feel better overall though, and plan to continue to make the changes necessary to lose the next five pounds by marathon morning. And August's resolution should help in that regard.


Hey, this guy stole my bit. Sounds more inspiring and clever at TED.

Specific goals and vague details

From an article on Active.com titled How to Become an Athlete:

If your definition of an athlete is “someone who participates in competitive sports,” then you’ve probably made the jump from casual exerciser to athlete. But what does it really mean to be an athlete? My coaching definition goes a bit deeper.

An athlete is an individual who understands the principles of athletic training and proceeds systematically.

This distinction is important in order to understand an individual’s commitment level, which will help guide you (and your coach) in training. Sound too stuffy? Relax. According to the first definition, you’re still an athlete. 

The goal is always to improve performance. And while genetics plays a big role in an individual’s physiological ceiling, lifestyle choices, commitments, economic and social limits, desire and even luck prevent many athletes from achieving their full potential.

I am a marathoner. As I mentioned here previously, I do not hold to the theory that you must be so fast, so fit, so whatever to be called a marathoner. In several articles and other self-righteous diatribes, people are complaining that the boom of marathon running is messing it up for the purists. All the people who do it to check it off a bucket list, run/walk it, or raise money for charity are not marathoners. One blogger I follow feels that it cheapens her hard effort that someone who crosses in five hours said they "ran" a marathon.

Whatever.

If I had to make any sort of fine point, I suppose if you did it once, you say "I have run a marathon". If it hooks you, and you are training for another, you are a "marathoner".

But like I said, whatever. Whatever inspires you to take good care of yourself, to explore what is possible, and to make best use of this wonderful body you have been given - more power to you.

I want to qualify for Boston. I don't know if I ever will, but the pursuit is still on. Over the nine marathons I have run, I have cut an hour and twenty-two minutes off of my finishing time (helps to not train properly for your first). I am pretty happy to have accomplished as much as I have in running and biking in the years I have been at it. And to toot my own horn,  in the last eight races at various distances, I have set personal bests in seven of them.

Yet I still feel that I have reached a plateau, at least at the marathon distance. Even after training "better" for the last couple, the gains are getting pretty small. I know I can up the training more, but I think to make any sort of breakthrough (and to get close enough to even talk about Boston), something else needs to change. I need to take better care of myself overall.

So that will be July's resolution. I have already started training for the next marathon in October, and I want to take my best shot. In order to do that, I need to eat better, drink less, get more sleep, and lose some weight. "Taking better care of myself" is harder to quantify for these monthly resolutions, but there will be less food on the go, more fruits and vegetables, less liquid calories, and less food overall.

Not that weight is a clear indicator of health, but there is certainly a correlation. And if there is less of me to carry over 26 miles, it will be easier to get there quicker. So the resolution is to make some lifestyle choices to take better care of my body, but the measuring stick will be on the scale.

I am hoping to be at 160 pounds by the end of the month. I have hovered around 170 for the past couple of years. I have weight to lose, but I think it will take some noticeable changes to break through the plateau. I don't know if 10 pounds in a month is realistic, especially with a week of vacation surrounded by treats and home cooking, but I will try my best. This is more of a long-term commitment than a monthly goal, but having a tough thing to shoot for has always helped motivate me.

I don't know that I will ever call myself an "athlete", but it certainly won't be before I take things as seriously off the road as I do on. I need to stop counteracting the training I do with what I put in my body. I need to stop sabotaging myself.

So many minutes

So the month is over, and so is resolution number six.

Last month's resolution was to eliminate mindless tv. The hope was to gain back a few hours each night and do something more productive. The first part of the resolution was successful. I did not watch any network tv during the month. I did watch two movies and another hour of NetFlix entertainment. There were no moments where I flipped on the tv just to have something on or something to do, so I am calling that a success.

I did not however come away a completely changed man. I did get much (much) more reading done during the month. I also connected with some friends I had let fall away over the months and years. Emails and calls to friends and family were a little more frequent, a little more lengthy. But I didn't check hundreds of items off my to-do list or spend enough time getting rid of other clutter in my life.

But overall, it was good change in behavior. One that I think will stick around for some time. I have pretty much broken the habit of saying, "I didn't have time to do..." over the past couple of years. There have been plenty of hours out there to use, and after a month with no tv, I have found even more.

I don't need to fill every waking moment productively, and I think the reading I have done will pay off somewhere down the line, but I need to make every minute worthwhile.

Six months, and six resolutions. I am halfway home, and pretty happy with the experiment so far. Tomorrow, July's resolution.

Resolution number six

A new month, and new monthly resolution.

Last month's no-coffee resolution was successful. 31 days, zero cups of coffee. It turned out to be easier than expected physically. I had a couple of headaches early on, but they did not linger past the first few days. I had only attempted to give up coffee once before, and it felt like I couldn't think straight. I didn't notice any cognitive problems this time around, and it wasn't all that more difficult to get going in the mornings. As I mentioned before, I really missed it though. Even if I didn't need it, I still wanted it.

Of course part of the reason for these monthly goals is the hope that the behaviors will carry over on some level going forward. Since I normally had only a couple of cups a day, there isn't much to cut back on now that I am drinking it again. But two or three mornings this month, I have skipped coffee in the morning, and having a cup is more of a conscious decision now.

So, on to June's resolution - no mindless tv. I like many Americans watch entirely too much tv. It is not that there aren't programs of value, it is just the mindless habit of turning on the set without a particular program in mind that I need to break. The tv often goes on at dinner time, and stays on until I head for bed. I am often doing things on the computer at the same time, and as studies have shown, no one truly multi-tasks. I am not concentrating on either the tv or what I am doing on the computer, and hours slip away into nothing. It has to stop.

So, the goal is no mindless tv, and I plan to shoot for no tv at all. I have left myself a caveat that if there is a movie that I really (really) want to see, DVDs are allowed. But the bar is set pretty high. Matt and Holly have a changing stack of Netflix movies, and I haven't been tempted so far. Kristy and I did watch a movie over the weekend, but that is the only screen time in the last eight days.

I will now have a few extra hours each day to get stuff done. More reading, more writing, more catching up with friends via e-mail and otherwise. This is definitely one of those resolutions that I hope carries on after the month is over. Not that I won't watch tv again, but I hope to keep the bar high as to what is worth my time. Make tv less mindless, and shrink the amount of time I spend in front of it. And shrink TV into tv.

Picture of the day

The first cup of coffee (in a month) is always the best.

We’ve replaced their regular coffee with Folger’s Crystals. Let’s see if they notice!

So it has been three weeks without coffee. I have heard that it takes 21 days to make or break a new habit, so it should be smooth sailing until the end of the month (right?).

It actually has been easier than I imagined. There were mild headaches for the first few days, but they have subsided. I had imagined that mornings would be much more difficult than they have been. I have felt more tired than normal just getting out of bed (like I am ironically sleeping worse since ceasing coffee), but once I get moving I don't miss the caffeine boost as much as I thought I would.

But I do miss coffee so.

As I mentioned, I typically drink only two cups a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon when I can get it. I think I miss the afternoon cup the most. And quite frankly, I miss the visit to the coffee shop. Coffee shops are kind of my home away from home, and have been for more than fifteen years. I love a quality cup of coffee, and the shop has been where I go to read and write.

Work has been slow, so I have been spending much of the downtime editing and rewriting. I am more easily distracted at home, so I would normally head to Starbucks to write. But since I wasn't drinking coffee, it was like my office was closed. I still went in a couple of times, but without a cup of coffee, it felt like something was missing. I don't know if it was my body jonesing for it, but it seemed like the smell of the freshly ground beans was stronger than ever before.

When I said I was giving up coffee for the month, I "negotiated" that I could have four "emergency" cups during the month. I haven't had to go there, but there have been a couple of afternoons where it was tempting. I am glad that it has been easier than expected, and that I have found that I don't need coffee to function. But there is no doubt that I still want it.

I have been drinking decaf tea in the mornings, and I have discovered that I like Chai tea lattes, but it isn't the same. I will be going back to coffee in June. Not because I have to, but because I want to.

--

And for further encouragement, one of the podcasters I listen to - The Nutrition Diva - posted a video last week called, Coffee: Health Boon or Bust? As of now, it looks like moderate caffeine consumption is a good thing.

I could use a jolt

Be careful who you ask for ways you can improve yourself.

A number of years back, some friends and I were sitting around a campfire. We were exchanging stories and jabs at each other when a friend asked in mock exasperation, "what is wrong with you Sean?" I responded by saying, "do you want them in chronological order, or alphabetically?"

She then spent the evening listing my faults alphabetically. I don't remember them at this point, but I am pretty sure that the letter 'A' did not start it off well.

As you know, I have been doing the one resolution-a-month thing this year. Last month was no fast food. It went just fine, and I celebrated the victory with an awesome burger at Five Guys on May 2nd. I had left May's goal open for a while, not knowing what to do or give up.

Then one evening as I walked into Starbucks for a cup of decaf, Kristy turned to me and said, "you should give this up next month." Thinking she meant Starbucks, I agreed that I should cut it out for a month, save some money. When she clarified that she meant giving up coffee...aw crap.

So I am on day 6 without coffee. I am not going completely caffeine free, but coffee is my main delivery system. Though I  typically only drink a couple cups a day, I have had a few headaches likely from withdrawal, which is probably a sign that it affects me more than I know. I have said in the past that I couldn't imagine giving it up, so that in itself another reason for a system check.

It has been a little tough, but not brutal. Thursday morning was a little worse after a night of insomnia, but I managed to give myself a couple of electric shocks at work that day, and it perked me right up.

Next!

We've clicked over into another month, and it is time for another monthly New Year's resolution. Last month's goal was to write for an hour each day. It actually went reasonably well until the last week. Several days I was able to get in a few hours and make real progress on the book edit, but the last five days or so was pretty much a bust.

The goal for April is to avoid fast food. I have been eating on the run far too much lately, and my wallet is shrinking while my waist expands. When I have given up fast food for Lent in the past, I have exempted sub shops since they are not nearly as unhealthy as their deep-fried brethren. I will keep this option open if necessary, but I am hoping to cut way back on the money I spend eating out. I don't often spend money on a fine meal, but those too frequent $7 meals add up.

Resolution check in

click to enlarge

Carrying on with the resolution a month theme, February's was to work out every day. As mentioned earlier, I went 27 for 28 days, which is just fine. 

Part of the reason for choosing this resolution was in the hopes of developing a habit of working out, even without an event on the horizon to force the issue. To stay in shape for the sake of staying in shape. There was some success, but of course the resolution itself sort of forced the issue. And at times it became a tally of minutes and miles. 

What I did find was that without days off, the daily soreness slowly built upon itself. By the end of the month, there were small aches and pains each morning, and a couple of lingering muscle strains to deal with. When training for marathons, I have typically run only three days a week, fearing that if I did more, that I risked injury. 

In better months a threw in a bike and a swim, but almost never went out more than five days a week, and I think I will stick with the five day limit going forward. I do plan to add in some weight work to strengthen my core and protect my back. Apparently doing only cardio makes Sean a fragile man. Did lose another pound though. 

Next up for March - writing for an hour each day. I started on my second pass through of the novel yesterday morning. I plan to work on other projects as well, but I hope to have the second revision done by the end of the month. 

Streak broken

Well, I didn't work out yesterday.

After work, I went to a local brewery with my good friend Sean. There have been some very good and very bad things going on in the past few weeks, and it was just great to hang out with a friend over a beer. We didn't solve any problems, but there was certainly something gained in the sharing.

I could blame the missed workout on strained back and glute muscles, but I could have done some upper body work (Lord knows I need it). I had the time - I arrived home at around 8:00 and I could have stopped off at the gym on the way home to keep the streak alive. I even had the will to do it. I just decided against it.

Going 28 for 28 would be satisfying on paper, but these resolutions are not about perfection of status reports. Too many people look at a backslide as a failure and they give up on the effort to change. One evening of ice cream does not doom your new way of eating. One skipped workout should not derail your effort to get in better shape.

One of the things we talked about last night was my previous inability to accept my own shortcomings and failures. I used to beat myself up over mistakes, somehow assuming I should be perfect rather than human. I still have moments of frustration over stupid mistakes, but it no longer spirals out of proportion.

We are all flawed human beings, and I have found that pretending otherwise is damaging. Bottling up or unleashing frustration only serves to distance us from each other. Being honest and sharing our flaws and concerns (maybe over a beer) not only fosters humility, but it lets us know we are not alone in the things we struggle with.

We can aim for perfection, but can't reasonably expect it. And 27 for 28 is no where near failure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back out there and go for a run in the rain.