November Year's Resolutions

Yep, not 'New Year's Resolutions'. I need to get things on track, so I am making a list of things to work on in November beginning tomorrow (actually today):

• Visit more: I haven't seen some friends in over a year, and that's just wrong, no matter how busy everyone is. I want to get up to Portsmouth to hang out with Brian, Rob, Erik and Chris. I want to get into Boston to hang out with Jay and/or Gavin. And I want to hang out with Mike and Keith around these parts as well.
• Family Fun: I haven't seen Kevin in a long time (his fault mostly), so I will drop by on the next Sunday I happen to have off. I used to spend one day a week on average at Sarah's house when I was unemployed. I haven't been there since summer. And I will call Jason to gab with him and the kids at least once, since the likelihood of getting to California in the next 30 days is marginal at best (haha). Plus: at least two visits to Dad & Ma's.
• Exercise: I have had some success with this over the last two months. I added two hikes to "Mountain Quest 2012"; and I worked out ten times. I want to ramp that up to two hikes this month alone, and I will do my best to lift 3 times each week (except for maybe the week of Thanksgiving/Black Friday/my birthday).
• Eat Smarter: I need to stop eating after 7 pm, whether I work the day shift or not. And I need to quit the coffee in the afternoon as well. Plus, no Chinese or pizza delivered to my home! It's back to South Beach, as much as is practical with my schedule.
• Get rid of clutter: My apartment needs to be reorganized top to bottom. I will jettison anything I do not need. I will get rid of clothing that is useless. I will rearrange the place to be more conducive to artistic endeavors. And I will winnow my comics collection to a more manageable size.

I will update every weekend until the month ends, including this weekend, even though it's only three days away.

Mountain Quest 2012 No. 4

I decided at the last minute to hike Pratt Mountain today. It was cool and dry during my ascent, which took about 50 minutes. At the top I took photos, ate some almonds and an apple, sent my brother Jason a few pictures, and just enjoyed the view.

I also had planned to begin a series of Lego stories with a 'lost' Jedi named Kenzor Moh (who looks a lot like me, go figure!), so I snapped a bunch of pictures of 'me' and Boba Fett, and turned them into a photo tale (here).

The descent was rather humid, which wasn't too surprising, as I could see the mists rolling in while I was on the summit. I listened to Cocteau Twins' "Blue Bell Knoll" on the way down, and at the last minute decided to not drop in on my brother Kevin and his family, despite their house being right down the road. Some days I like to keep my hikes to myself for awhile, and today especially since I had the mountain to myself!

Hunters Warning

I designed a 'safety' t-shirt for my hikes! It arrived Friday, and I hope to wear it soon (this image is on the back, and the front has "Mountain Quest 2012" on the left front chest area)...

Alone

Offtober Day 4

Today I suffered from 'vacation fatigue'. I decided to wait until tomorrow to do the hike in Vermont, mostly because the weather will be better, but also because I wasn't motivated enough for a long drive.

I spent the day in front of the tv and the computer. I ordered a pepperoni, mushroom & anchovy from Liberty Pizza (always great). And I laundered a few blankets.

Then at 6:45, I jumped up and began a 90-minute work-out. After that I watched "90210", showered, and then did a lot more work on my 'X-Men' drawing as I watched "Revolution". Typical late-day heroic productivity frenzy, no pun intended!

Offtober Day 3

I had cereal and coffee for breakfast and then finished the latest issue of "Smithsonian" (articles on Jefferson's slaves; the real Tom Sawyer; and 'vampires' in New England) in front of the tv. I sketched my version of the original 'X-Men' in front of the Patriots-Broncos game, and had tuna fish sandwiches and chips for lunch. I did research for my hike of Mt. Ascutney tomorrow. I ate an apple, drank some orange juice, and watched "The Amazing Race" while I inked my drawing.

And last but not least, I will go to bed at a decent hour so I can get up early tomorrow!

Offtober Day 2

I made sure I got eight hours of sleep last night, so I got up at 11 am (haha). I had cereal and coffee for breakfast, and spent the first part of my day reading the latest issues of Wired and Smithsonian in front of the television, as I watched the latest episodes of "Copper" and "Revolution" .

Later in the day I finally took apart my old computer and scattered its parts throughout my various trash cans. I also sorted a bag of old comics that Dad got for me from Grammy & Grampa's house. It was a ton of old "Archie" comics, which I will most likely give to Sarah's kids, as they are the most suited for them. I had cold chinese food (leftover from yesterday) for a late lunch, and watched some of the KU / K-State football game, as well as most of "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull".

I spent the next several hours listening to my iPod, reading & playing games online, drawing, and working out (7:00 - 8:30). I got some cool new music from Tipi Valley and The Dust Mice too. It's 10:30 pm, and I am going to shower, make Ragu over angel hair pasta & ground beef, and finish my drawing. Then I will most likely veg in front of "SNL" before bed...

Offtober Day 1

I have the next six days off!

Today has been a 'sit around' day. I've watched tv, read, and played games online, in a random rotation all day. I got chinese food for lunch. I've pondered getting outdoors for some kind of activity, but it's already 4 pm, and it doesn't look likely at this point (haha).

Things I want to do before I head back to work next Thursday:

• Break in my new 501 Original jeans.
• Go on at least one hike.
• Leave Massachusetts for at least one day.
• Paint.
• Contribute to my new shared art blog, Balsa Wood Tree House, at least twice.
• Practice my guitar.

I'll keep you posted!

10:30 pm addendum: I got off my ass around 8:30 and showered, threw in my contacts, and jumped into the aforementioned 501's. I went foodshopping, and filled my fridge for vacation culinary satisfaction. When I got home I: changed out Mr. Ween's litter box; deleted & added songs to my iPod nano; did laundry; taste-tested a beer; and stayed up late doing creative junk.