Okay... This is a quicky!
We are on a timeline people...
I only had a little bit of time in which I thought about #TheNewLent 2012 or 2.0 whatever you want to call it.
I think last year was a pretty good success. I didn't quite make it a full 365 days of working out but made it to sometime in November. I am working diligently to continue on that path. I am not what I would call buff yet but I think I look better than what I did a year ago.
If/when I get a job that is consistently paying me, I am planning on getting a gym membership, and one for next month when I am working on the East coast so I can do actual work outs instead of the minimal work that I am able to do at home.
All that being said. I need suggestions.
1) What do we call it? #TheNewLent2012? #TheNewLent2.0? #ReturnOfTheNewLent? What?
2) What do I do? The only thing that I had thought about trying was to drink more water. We are not going crazy here and giving up Diet Pepsi. Plus, that is not what #TheNewLent is about. It is about starting something new. Not giving up something old.
My initial plan was to drink the recommended 64oz. (Ironically it looks like 64 is not the magic number any more but I am not going to refigure... I still think it could be a good idea. Timeline 'member?) of water BEFORE I allow myself the sweet nectar that is Diet Pepsi or anything else.
What do you think? This sort of builds on last year and is a good improvement on lifestyle.
Let me know people... t-minus 11.5 hours before I have to begin this thing... Same deal though... If I am indulging in a beverage prior to going to bed, the new day does not begin until I wake up the next morning...
Bring on the suggestions...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Only Time Will Tell If It Was Time Well Spent
This is not meant to be an excuse for my last blog, but more of a reason behind my feelings held within said blog. This may sound whiny at times and bragy at others but it is just the stream of consciousness writing that is the way my brain works and what goes through it almost on a daily basis... Welcome to my mind... Maybe this is why I like to keep busy with work when I can, not giving my mind time to think about it...
Some may say that I am over thinking things and that everything will happen as it should. It is on God's timetable not my own. I can understand this but I am just looking at the numbers...
At this point in my life I do not have a Girlfriend, no real prospects, and not in a very stable job situation so if I were to have a prospect I would not feel super-comfortable thinking about starting a family with her.
Sometimes I wonder if I have done something wrong with my life. What have I accomplished? Did I make a wrong turn? Did I make a wrong choice? (Yes, everything we do and every choice that we make, good and bad, develops us into who we are.) What if I had made a different choice ten years ago, twenty? What would be happening in my life right now? Would I be taking a kid to daycare or fearing them becoming a teen in a couple of years? Your basic butterfly effect...
I see friends from high school and college who have gotten married and have a family and are able to watch them grow up. I see friends who are a good decade younger than myself in the same scenario. In theory they are in a stable enough job in which they can afford this. (I know I know, things can always be tight and money does not buy happiness. It does not buy happiness but it can make for a less stressful time of things.) Many will also tell you that you will never be completely stable financially, there will always be another bill, another expense. You will not always be ready for all of them.
What have I done with my life?
When I really look at it, I have done a lot of things that many people my age have not had the opportunity to do, if they will ever have the chance.
One of the first things is that I was able to go to college. Some of my cousins have attended but I am the first in my immediate family to get a degree.
The major thing that I have been able to experience was travel. I worked on Celebrity Cruise lines for several years and toured all over the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe. Not many can check off; Russia, France, Egypt, Jerusalem, Amsterdam, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Turkey,
Greece, Spain, Ireland, Aruba, Acapulco, St. Marteen, Jamaica, traversing the Panama Canal seeing the calving of a glacier on their list (bucket or otherwise).
So I have done some stuff with my life so far. However, there is so many more things that I want to do... Having a family and passing on the family name is the main thing.
IF... TOMORROW... I had a good job, a great girlfriend that I could see myself falling in love with and growing old with, and married her the next day, had a baby in the next nine months (preferably in that order)... I would be about 54 years old when that first child graduated from high school... This is all assuming I get married and get right into the baby making next week... Not likely to happen, so that is just pushing that age further and further along. Good thing men don't really have that whole biological clock thing going on for them...
This is all considering one kid. The way my mind is working I need at least two... One of each...
I would like a boy for my own desire to pass along the family name. It is pretty much up to me if decades from now there are to be any 'Berry's' running around in shorts in the middle of winter.
I need to have a little girl for my Mom... She desperately wants a granddaughter. My sister has had three boys. Every time my Mom sees a little girl or a little girls outfit or little girl shoes, she says that she wants a little girl to dress up, she only has grandsons... Every now and then she mentions that it is up to me... No pressure though... :-)
I do know Mom just wants me to be happy with whatever happens in my life...
I truly believe that age is a state of mind. You are only as old as you feel. I don't feel like I am 36. Most people when they meet me do not realize that I am as old as I am. Often, people think I am a good ten years younger than I am. I guess that is a good thing but it does not change the fact that, the way things are going, I will be in my 60's when my kid(s) are graduating high school, not to mention college and urging my kids to get to having kids so I can enjoy the my grandchildren...
Phew... You are now free to exit the craziness of my mind and proceed with your, hopefully, saner life.
Some may say that I am over thinking things and that everything will happen as it should. It is on God's timetable not my own. I can understand this but I am just looking at the numbers...
At this point in my life I do not have a Girlfriend, no real prospects, and not in a very stable job situation so if I were to have a prospect I would not feel super-comfortable thinking about starting a family with her.
Sometimes I wonder if I have done something wrong with my life. What have I accomplished? Did I make a wrong turn? Did I make a wrong choice? (Yes, everything we do and every choice that we make, good and bad, develops us into who we are.) What if I had made a different choice ten years ago, twenty? What would be happening in my life right now? Would I be taking a kid to daycare or fearing them becoming a teen in a couple of years? Your basic butterfly effect...
I see friends from high school and college who have gotten married and have a family and are able to watch them grow up. I see friends who are a good decade younger than myself in the same scenario. In theory they are in a stable enough job in which they can afford this. (I know I know, things can always be tight and money does not buy happiness. It does not buy happiness but it can make for a less stressful time of things.) Many will also tell you that you will never be completely stable financially, there will always be another bill, another expense. You will not always be ready for all of them.
What have I done with my life?
When I really look at it, I have done a lot of things that many people my age have not had the opportunity to do, if they will ever have the chance.
One of the first things is that I was able to go to college. Some of my cousins have attended but I am the first in my immediate family to get a degree.
The major thing that I have been able to experience was travel. I worked on Celebrity Cruise lines for several years and toured all over the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe. Not many can check off; Russia, France, Egypt, Jerusalem, Amsterdam, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Turkey,
Greece, Spain, Ireland, Aruba, Acapulco, St. Marteen, Jamaica, traversing the Panama Canal seeing the calving of a glacier on their list (bucket or otherwise).
(I almost didn't make it back to the ship in France and Alaska, I tried to walk under it in Amsterdam, and got my pocket picked in Russia but those are stories for another time...)
 | |
| Guggenheim Museum, NY NY |
 |
| Flam, Norway |
 |
| Helsinki Cathedral - Helsinki, Finland |
 |
| Hubbard Glacier, AK |
 |
| St. Basil's - Moscow, Russia |
 |
| Church in Honor of Mary Magdalene - Jeruselem |
 |
| The Little Mermaid - Copenhagen, Denmark |
 |
| Church of the Spilt Blood - St. Petersburg, Russia |
 |
| Barbados |
 |
| Kremlin - Moscow, Russia |
 |
| The Louvre - Paris, France (HUGE!!! Wish I could put up a panoramic shot...) |
 |
| The Sphinx and Giza Pyramids Sphinx was much smaller than it appears in pictures |
 | |
| My Camel and more Pyramids |
Again, not trying to brag, just give you a better idea of where I am coming from.
So I have done some stuff with my life so far. However, there is so many more things that I want to do... Having a family and passing on the family name is the main thing.
IF... TOMORROW... I had a good job, a great girlfriend that I could see myself falling in love with and growing old with, and married her the next day, had a baby in the next nine months (preferably in that order)... I would be about 54 years old when that first child graduated from high school... This is all assuming I get married and get right into the baby making next week... Not likely to happen, so that is just pushing that age further and further along. Good thing men don't really have that whole biological clock thing going on for them...
This is all considering one kid. The way my mind is working I need at least two... One of each...
I would like a boy for my own desire to pass along the family name. It is pretty much up to me if decades from now there are to be any 'Berry's' running around in shorts in the middle of winter.
I need to have a little girl for my Mom... She desperately wants a granddaughter. My sister has had three boys. Every time my Mom sees a little girl or a little girls outfit or little girl shoes, she says that she wants a little girl to dress up, she only has grandsons... Every now and then she mentions that it is up to me... No pressure though... :-)
I do know Mom just wants me to be happy with whatever happens in my life...
I truly believe that age is a state of mind. You are only as old as you feel. I don't feel like I am 36. Most people when they meet me do not realize that I am as old as I am. Often, people think I am a good ten years younger than I am. I guess that is a good thing but it does not change the fact that, the way things are going, I will be in my 60's when my kid(s) are graduating high school, not to mention college and urging my kids to get to having kids so I can enjoy the my grandchildren...
Phew... You are now free to exit the craziness of my mind and proceed with your, hopefully, saner life.
 |
| Black Sand Beach - Puntarenas, Costa Rica |
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Darkness must go down the river of night's dreaming
That is right... It is that time of year again when a dark day falls on the calendar. Black Tuesday approaches. This darkest of days is more commonly known as Valentines Day.
I have nothing personal against the day itself, it is just an ugly reminder that for 36 years now I have been single (on that day). I know my Valentine could be right around the corner and on year 37 I could have a whole different outlook on the day. I like to be optimistic about life but 36 years and counting, no 'special someone' on that day so far...
It seems that the day begins to show it's ugly face the day after Christmas when the red and green candy is swapped with red and pink... Hearts everywhere... Little cupids mocking me and reminding me that I still don't have a "Plus One". If I was invited to a wedding, I would have to check the box admitting that I would be attending alone. Just one chicken... No guest for me...
To make it even worse the evil(er) twin shows up a short eight months later. I am referring to Sweetest Day. According to the link, it is meant to recognize all loved ones but lets be honest. It is a mini-valentine's day. The candy aisle mocks, "still don't have a girlfriend huh?".
Ironically the former holiday originated to honor martyrs but has evolved into the 'holiday' it is today. Candy hearts, overpriced flowers, and bitter singles sitting alone at the movies...
America spends about $15 million on gifts for loved ones. Pretty wild.
A friend mentioned (after being bummed about being single for the moment) that love should be celebrated all year long. It should not be saved up for one day (maybe two) during the year.
Back in the day, when finances allowed it, my Dad would always do special things for my Mom. At one point he would get a special gift for her each month.
I am not saying that it has to be monetary at all. If/when you find that someone special, you need to love them each day and make sure they know it. Remember the little things (like if they don't like pickles on their burgers), and love their idiosyncrasies and all of their little quirks.
If you are lucky enough to have a special someone right now, start this year off right and celebrate every day with them. Don't save it for the 14th day in February.
While you are doing that, I will be wearing black in 'honor' of the day.
Perhaps next year I will be ooey-gooey... Time will tell.
I have nothing personal against the day itself, it is just an ugly reminder that for 36 years now I have been single (on that day). I know my Valentine could be right around the corner and on year 37 I could have a whole different outlook on the day. I like to be optimistic about life but 36 years and counting, no 'special someone' on that day so far...
 |
| The dreaded candy aisle... |
It seems that the day begins to show it's ugly face the day after Christmas when the red and green candy is swapped with red and pink... Hearts everywhere... Little cupids mocking me and reminding me that I still don't have a "Plus One". If I was invited to a wedding, I would have to check the box admitting that I would be attending alone. Just one chicken... No guest for me...
To make it even worse the evil(er) twin shows up a short eight months later. I am referring to Sweetest Day. According to the link, it is meant to recognize all loved ones but lets be honest. It is a mini-valentine's day. The candy aisle mocks, "still don't have a girlfriend huh?".
Ironically the former holiday originated to honor martyrs but has evolved into the 'holiday' it is today. Candy hearts, overpriced flowers, and bitter singles sitting alone at the movies...
America spends about $15 million on gifts for loved ones. Pretty wild.
A friend mentioned (after being bummed about being single for the moment) that love should be celebrated all year long. It should not be saved up for one day (maybe two) during the year.
Back in the day, when finances allowed it, my Dad would always do special things for my Mom. At one point he would get a special gift for her each month.
I am not saying that it has to be monetary at all. If/when you find that someone special, you need to love them each day and make sure they know it. Remember the little things (like if they don't like pickles on their burgers), and love their idiosyncrasies and all of their little quirks.
If you are lucky enough to have a special someone right now, start this year off right and celebrate every day with them. Don't save it for the 14th day in February.
While you are doing that, I will be wearing black in 'honor' of the day.
Perhaps next year I will be ooey-gooey... Time will tell.
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