I haven't been putting aside the time I need to post here on a more regular basis and it's been bothering me. Not because I have a lot to say (if you've read this drivel, you know I don't have much to say), but more because I started the blog to help me work on my communciation skills, to help me learn how to take what's in my head and turn it into something coherent. The less I try to get something out, the more I find myself internalizing everything and translating it all back into Walt-speak. The more I do that, the less I want to write here,
One of the reasons I haven't been as active here is because of work. I've been working my ass off since the holidays. There's been lots and lots for me to do at work and when there's such an abundance of work, there's overtime. Last year I went though a couple of months of not having as much to do and limited overtime. If there's nothing to do, there's no overtime (though try telling some of my co-workers that. Doesn't stop them...) Anyway, there's been so much to do and I've been taking advantage of the extra hours. But it's killing me. By the middle of the week, the exhaustion starts catching up with me and by the end of the week, I'm a zombie. This week it started catching up with me on Tuesday. Not a good sign. To put the number of hours I've been working into perspective, in 2008 I managed to work 87 paid* overtime hours. In 2009, I've worked 42 paid* overtime hours, nearly half of my entire 2008 output. Now can you see why I'm tired?
(*I've mentioned before how overtime works in my office. I work a 37.5 hour work week. The first 2.5 hours of overtime each week is given to us in comp time. Anything above that is time and a half in our paychecks. Most weeks in 2008 I managed to get in my 2.5 hours but not much above it.)
I haven't posted about my little iTunes OCD project lately. To refresh, I'm actively working on listening to every single song in my iTunes library at least one time. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now and it's getting me giddy. My iTunes library is currently 43,330 songs with the unplayed count at 2,739. iTunes estimates that's a solid 7.5 days worth of music. I'm really anxious to finish this up because I've let some great things kind of slip by me in the last year or so that I've been doing this. Most new things get a single listen and then I'm on to the next thing. If I had to guess, I'd say I have about 5 or 6 more weeks until everything is finally listened to.
Today I hit a weird little milestone that I initially wasn't trying for, but made anyway. Today marks the 500th consecutive day since I had my last soda. When I stopped, I think it was initally going to be for a month. I had plateaued in my weight loss and I thought kicking the soda for a little bit would jump start me losing again. I've lost 36 pounds in the time that I've stopped drinking soda, so I guess it worked. ;-) I kept reaching what I thought would be my soda restriction goals and then I'd challenge myself to see if I could go even longer. First a month, then two, then 100 days, then six months, etc etc etc. Now I've made 500 days. After I hit a year, I told myself the challenge was over and I could have a soda whenever I wanted. And I may soon. God knows I keep dreaming about the stuff. I'm good to have a dream where I have a soda to drink at least three or four times a month. The dreams are all generally the same. I'm somewhere (restaurant/friend's house/vacation) and before I realize it, I'm drinking soda. And in the dream, my next thought would be "so much for breaking that streak." I think what's helped keep me off the stuff is my competitive nature. Once I reached a significant enough period of time, I started pushing myself to avoid the stuff, challenging myself to continue to build on the number of days. I can't imagine going forever without having another soda, but at this point in my life, I don't really miss it... much. But there are some days when I would kill for a Diet Dr. Pepper. KILL!
One of the reasons I haven't been as active here is because of work. I've been working my ass off since the holidays. There's been lots and lots for me to do at work and when there's such an abundance of work, there's overtime. Last year I went though a couple of months of not having as much to do and limited overtime. If there's nothing to do, there's no overtime (though try telling some of my co-workers that. Doesn't stop them...) Anyway, there's been so much to do and I've been taking advantage of the extra hours. But it's killing me. By the middle of the week, the exhaustion starts catching up with me and by the end of the week, I'm a zombie. This week it started catching up with me on Tuesday. Not a good sign. To put the number of hours I've been working into perspective, in 2008 I managed to work 87 paid* overtime hours. In 2009, I've worked 42 paid* overtime hours, nearly half of my entire 2008 output. Now can you see why I'm tired?
(*I've mentioned before how overtime works in my office. I work a 37.5 hour work week. The first 2.5 hours of overtime each week is given to us in comp time. Anything above that is time and a half in our paychecks. Most weeks in 2008 I managed to get in my 2.5 hours but not much above it.)
I haven't posted about my little iTunes OCD project lately. To refresh, I'm actively working on listening to every single song in my iTunes library at least one time. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now and it's getting me giddy. My iTunes library is currently 43,330 songs with the unplayed count at 2,739. iTunes estimates that's a solid 7.5 days worth of music. I'm really anxious to finish this up because I've let some great things kind of slip by me in the last year or so that I've been doing this. Most new things get a single listen and then I'm on to the next thing. If I had to guess, I'd say I have about 5 or 6 more weeks until everything is finally listened to.
Today I hit a weird little milestone that I initially wasn't trying for, but made anyway. Today marks the 500th consecutive day since I had my last soda. When I stopped, I think it was initally going to be for a month. I had plateaued in my weight loss and I thought kicking the soda for a little bit would jump start me losing again. I've lost 36 pounds in the time that I've stopped drinking soda, so I guess it worked. ;-) I kept reaching what I thought would be my soda restriction goals and then I'd challenge myself to see if I could go even longer. First a month, then two, then 100 days, then six months, etc etc etc. Now I've made 500 days. After I hit a year, I told myself the challenge was over and I could have a soda whenever I wanted. And I may soon. God knows I keep dreaming about the stuff. I'm good to have a dream where I have a soda to drink at least three or four times a month. The dreams are all generally the same. I'm somewhere (restaurant/friend's house/vacation) and before I realize it, I'm drinking soda. And in the dream, my next thought would be "so much for breaking that streak." I think what's helped keep me off the stuff is my competitive nature. Once I reached a significant enough period of time, I started pushing myself to avoid the stuff, challenging myself to continue to build on the number of days. I can't imagine going forever without having another soda, but at this point in my life, I don't really miss it... much. But there are some days when I would kill for a Diet Dr. Pepper. KILL!
2 comments:
I swear to god you're Jed's doppleganger. He's completely and totally addicted to Diet DP. He drinks 8 a day.
Nice to hear from you. I missed you.
My word verification is litere. I wonder if that means a litere of Diet Dr. Pepper. I know that's not how you spell it, but...
I am doing the same thing with my music too. plus i plan on listening to every cd and digital album i own i have listened to and is on my last.fm. it is tough but going to do it. working through some huge discographies of tom waits, sonic youth, mozart, and beethoven too.
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