Tuesday, 01 February 2011
Jennifer and I have been trying to make a more diligent effort to eat healthier and work out more lately. Jennifer has been pretty much heading up the eating department. I think we already eat pretty healthy, but there’s definitely room for improvement, especially in the grains and portion-control departments. For example, if you put ten pounds of potatoes in front of me, I’m going to eat them all. Fast. So I need to correct that.
We’ve also been visiting the work-out room at our apartment complex more. I’ve been using the exercise bike. This is a bit of a cop-out, since I should really be running on the treadmill for a more thorough work-out. But here’s the problem: running is really boring. Like, reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo boring. But sitting on the exercise bike is not boring because I can read while I do it. Today, for example, I finished reading The Far Side Gallery 2.
I get the feeling that I spend May –October working out, going for walks, riding bicycles, running, and stuff like that just to make up for what I did to myself during November-April. It’s easy to get sluggish during those months of cold and darkness. Anyway, I’m trying to get a head start on it this year. I’ve said this before (perhaps I’ve said it too much) but, with the birth of my children, I have this weird feeling that I need to stay alive for the next two decades. And I don’t want to turn into some bloated Jabba the Hutt (oh for God’s sake, another stupid Star Wars reference) along the way.
Wednesday, 02 February 2011
So, I’m less than 24 hours away from beginning another semester of college. Already I’m starting to feel overwhelmed, and I haven’t even seen the syllabus yet. I have all of these non-necessary things that I do with my time, and I’m starting to feel like they’re crowding me out. The problem is, each one individually is fun and enjoyable, but all together, especially when linked up with things I HAVE to do, makes for too much stress and pressure in my life.
I was going to devote today’s blog post to listing off the things I do with my time and ranking them by priority. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to figure out how to properly rnak them. I mean, first, there are things I have to do just to stay alive, like eating and sleeping. That takes up a lot of time. Then there are things I have to do in order to have some semblance of a good life: I have to go to work, I have to spend time with my wife and children, I have to devote time to recreation. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being with my family, and I even enjoy my job, but those things take up a lot of time. The problem is, I add in a whole bunch of other things: I’m an editor for The Minnesota Atheist, I co-host Atheists Talk, I’m a member of Toastmasters, I insist we work-out (see above), and, as of tomorrow, I’ll once again be a college boy. There are more things to this list (oh – I just thought of one – I maintain this blog). I need to write them all down and rank them by priority, and chop a few off.