In an explosion of originality, I’ll be reviewing my year. Try not to be overwhelmed by my awesomeness.

Well, let’s see…. How about we start with fitness? I worked out on 90 out of the past 365 days, which translates to one day in four being a workout day. Vast room for improvement there. I exercised for a grand total of 143 hours, covering 317 miles, and burning 107,800 calories, which is the equivalent of 30.8 pounds of fat. That’s all good. I’m also proud to say that my body fat percentage is at the lowest it’s ever been since I started keeping track of it. That means the changes I’ve made to my eating (and drinking) habits are working. I just need to strengthen my resolve and be more consistent on my workout schedule.

Financially, I’m totally in the crapper. I lost my job back in June and have yet to find any sort of employment. I have all of seventy dollars in the bank and no income. Finding a job has to be my highest priority at the moment.  On the plus side, I’ve made good progress in improving my photography and set my long term sights on pursuing it as a career. I’ve managed to make it to the finals in one photography contest and had my picture published in their annual. Definitely a good thing there.

Relationship-wise, I’ve made some new friends online and kept good friends offline. I’ve tried to be there for those who’ve needed me, with varying degrees of success, and I’ve managed to avoid doing anything (too) stupid to strain the relationships that truly matter. What mistakes I did make have been addressed and resolved, hopefully to everyones satisfaction. While I have no one in my life romantically, I’m also not feeling all that strong a desire for someone. There’s just too much to fix in my life right now before I’d be comfortable offering myself to someone. I have to be right with myself before I’m right for anyone else.

So, that’s where I’m at right now. All in all, I’m satisfied with the progress I’ve made this year. There’s definitely room for improvement, but I’m confident that I’ll get there. I just have to stay focused, make consistent effort over time, and not try for that magic wand quick fix.

Damn, didn’t that sound all kinds of mature?

Free association is described as a “psychoanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content.” Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

I say … and you think … ?

1. Memorable ::Mammaries (Couldn’t help myself)
2. Resolution ::Mega Pixel
3. Goal ::Working toward
4. 2008 ::Coming soon
5. Sensational ::Over hyped
6. Popular demand ::Media Blitz
7. Old ::Car
8. Music ::Dance
9. Intense ::Emotions
10. 2007 ::Almost past

At the end of the tax year the Tax Office sent an inspector
to audit the books of a synagogue. While he was checking the
books he turned to the Rabbi and said, “I notice you buy a
lot of candles. What do you do with the candle drippings?”

“Good question,” noted the Rabbi. “We save them up and send
them back to the candle makers, and every now and then they
send us a free box of candles.”

“Oh,” replied the auditor, somewhat disappointed that his
unusual question had a practical answer. But on he went, in
his obnoxious way: “What about all these matzo purchases?
What do you do with the crumbs?”

“Ah, yes,” replied the Rabbi, realizing that the inspector
was trying to trap him with an unanswerable question. “We
collect them and send them back to the manufacturers, and
every now and then they send a free box of matzo balls.”

“I see,” replied the auditor, thinking hard about how he
could fluster the know-it-all Rabbi. “Well, Rabbi,” he went
on, “what do you do with all the leftover foreskins from
the circumcisions you perform?”

“Here, too, we do not waste,” answered the Rabbi. “What we
do is save up all the foreskins and send them to the Tax
Office, and about once a year they send us a complete dick.”

Annnnd, we’re back. Didja miss me? I bet you barely noticed I was gone… Slacker.

So, I’m feeling pretty damned chipper at the moment. I don’t know how long the good mood will last, but I’m riding this wave as long as I can.  My holiday was a good one and extremely mellow. We had a delicious brunch at Pete and Kendra’s with a small present exchange. The only bummer was that I’m far to poor to give gifts, but it was a nice social time that I thoroughly enjoyed (And wow, did I just butcher the spelling on thoroughly. Thank you, Firefox, for the automatic spell check). I love my sister deeply, but having a family gathering without any drama is just so….pleasant.

After that, I visited my friend Jim for a bit. Unfortunately, the main reason for that was my needing to borrow money to cover my car payment (And thank you for bailing my butt out yet again Jim), but it was also nice to just sit and chat for a while. Then it was home for a yummy dinner with my father, which was also pleasant and sociable. Yep, all in all, a good day.

Now, of course, there are things to deal with. I got my last payment from unemployment this week, which was just a partial one, hence my needing to borrow money. After all the bills are covered, I have a whopping ninety seven dollars in the bank and absolutely no income on the horizon. I need a job, any job, and I need it now. Gone is the luxury of passing on anything because it doesn’t pay enough or just plain sucks. Any income is better than no income.

And yet, I feel oddly optimistic, energized even, like there’s nothing that’s going to get thrown at me that I can’t handle. I’m gonna do what needs to get done and enough with this angst ridden whining about it.

Word.

It’s funny how things balance out sometimes. After having my pictures rejected yesterday, I get this in the mail:

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W00T!! I am now officially a published photographer! I’m number six on the page, for those who don’t recognize the photo. Looking through the whole anthology, I’m even prouder to have made it to the finals. There are some fantastic pictures in there and I’m surprised my photograph made it as far as it did. According to the publisher, I made it into the top five percent of over twenty thousand entrants. That really helps my confidence that I can actually do this. It’ll just take time and effort.

Good thing I’m so patient, eh?

Well, out of ten pictures submitted, ten were rejected and all for “Limited commercial value”. Translation: They’re pretty, but the won’t sell. At least, that’s how I’m choosing to translate it. I’m actually not too surprised. I’m the first to admit I’m not a professional photographer and my subject matter pretty much falls into the ‘artsy’ category as well as being fairly commonplace. More than likely, they have plenty of pictures of flowers, trees, and squirrels.  As I’ve said before (repeatedly), getting myself up to professional quality is going to take time, dedication, and equipment. The trick is to keep working at it and not get discouraged by minor setbacks.

I’ve had a strange craving for macaroni and cheese lately, so I got some the last time I went shopping (organic M&C, five boxes for six bucks) and I made some tonight. I even went the healthy route with low-fat milk and no butter (though I did add extra cheese) and a yummy kale salad on the side. ‘Twas tasty, but it sure didn’t satisfy the hunger pangs for long. Now my tummy’s all growly and I’m resisting the urge to snack. Actually, I’m resisting the urge to run out and get a bacon double cheeseburger (With extra fat!) and a chocolate shake, but that’s beside the point.

Yep, you know when I’m blogging about what I had for dinner that I just had a day filled with excitement. I faxed a couple of more resumes, which will hopefully show some results for a change. I also submitted another set of pictures to a stock photo company. If the pictures are accepted, I then become a member and earn a fee for every time one of my pictures is downloaded for use. A lot of professional photographer use this sort of service as a secondary source of income and the company I’m trying for is reputable (and it doesn’t charge an entry fee or anything), so I know it’s not some sort of scam. I definitely stay away from any company that promises I can make thousands of dollars if I just send them twenty bucks to find out how. So, here’s hoping I get accepted.

Well, I’m even boring myself, so here’s a pretty picture for you:

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I did get some good pictures on Friday morning before the sun came out and melted everything away. This one is by far my favorite:

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I posted more on my Photoblog, so check ‘em out there.

Free association is described as a “psychoanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content.” Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

I say … and you think … ?

1. Interview::Questions
2. Army ::Brat
3. Unwrap ::Reveal
4. Evolve ::Mutant
5. Bus ::Ride
6. The real thing ::A total lie
7. Streak ::Naked
8. Gorge ::River
9. Spicy ::Hot
10. Course ::Credit

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Inspiring, isn’t it? Go check out Sinfest and The Devil’s Panties for more funny stuff.

Since I don’t have a waterproof camera, spending any time outside to make more pictures isn’t going to work out. I snapped a couple of bad photos before giving up and  played with this one to make it purty. Funky, ain’t it?

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Well, the killer ice has arrived in New Jersey. It’s sleeting pretty heavily, but hasn’t really done much yet. However, I did grab my camera for some quick pictures. I figure I can use these for comparison shots later in the day.

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Like I said, these aren’t much. If you want to see some really beautiful ice pictures, check out this blog. The woman is highly talented.

Speaking of photoblogs, I’m considering moving mine from Diaryland. I’d either start one here on WordPress or over at Blogger. Diaryland just doesn’t have many features or get much traffic and it’s actually something I have to pay for. I want more exposure for my photography, so I think the move is a good idea.

While we’re on the subject of photography (I am the master of the segue!), I did get some good news in the mail recently. I got my official certificate for making the finals in the Photographer’s Forum Magazine contest. Woot!!

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The 2007 Annual will be coming out at the end of the month and my picture will be in it. That will make my first ever published photograph, so I’m very excited about that. I really want to enter more contests, but I haven’t had the cash for entry fees. Once I get a new job though, that’s high on the list of priorities.

 Your Score: Troll

You scored 50% Esotericism, 74% Power, and 84% Malevolence!

  In Scandinavian myth, trolls are ugly, malicious creatures and the enemies of mankind. They are much bigger and stronger than humans, and leave their caves only after dark to hunt. If they are exposed to sunlight they will instantly turn to stone. Trolls are very fond of human flesh. In later myths they are roughly the size of humans or elves, and thought to be the owners of buried treasures. They are sometimes, although very rarely, portrayed as friendly, less ugly creatures.

Well, this has been an interesting few days. This weekend I was ht by a severe desire to drink. Not just the passing “A beer would taste good right about now” urge I’ve had in the month since I took the Vow of Temperance, but more of a “I want to get so blitzed I don’t even know my name” kind of craving. I’m proud to say that I didn’t give in to the desire. Instead, I tried to figure out what brought it on. Last week was just a regular week, nothing bad happening nor anything to celebrate, so it wasn’t triggered situationally. However, this was the first weekend since I stopped drinking that I didn’t have anything going on, so it could be the default of “I’m bored, so I should drink” combined with the fact of it being over a month since I’ve had any alcohol. What really surprised me was the strength of the urge and the persistence of it. It’s like all weekend part of me was that whiny little kid in the supermarket, begging his mom for candy and just getting louder and whinier the more she says “no”. On Sunday, I had one of those dragging, no energy days and ended up sleeping for sixteen hours. Then Monday came and *poof* the urge was gone. Hopefully, it won’t return.

Today, I had a really good day at the gym. My numbers went up on all the cardio machines and I came out of the workout feeling really good instead of dragging butt. The only snag was that I broke one of the Cardio-wave machines while I was using it.  I was about halfway through my normal routine when one of the pedals just gave way, dropping down to the base of the machine and not coming back up. It must have made quite a noise too ’cause it got the attention of everyone in the gym. Happily, the only damage was to the machine and I finished the rest of my workout without incident. I’m hoping the rest of my week goes much better.

I was browsing Netflix a while back and discovered that they had The Man Show on DVD. I remember really enjoying that show back in the day, so I added it to my queue. Well, yesterday I got the first disc in the mail and, as I watched it, I came to a realization….. I was smoking a lot of marijuana back when this show was airing. As a matter of fact, thinking back, I even had a little ritual for doing bong hits during the opening credits and chugging a beer during the ‘Zigysaki’ bit (Don’t do drugs, kids, they’re bad). Watching it now, (straight, sober, and nearly a decade older) the show ranged from mildly amusing to simply annoying…. Except for the ‘girls on trampolines’ part, that never gets old (yes, I’m a pig).

On bit that was still pretty good was where they went out and got people to sign a petition against women’s suffrage. That’s the right to vote, for those who need an explanation, but since most people are ignorant and the word sounds like suffering, a lot of women were more than willing to sign. They even got a few women to go and canvas for them, all while never actually explaining what suffrage meant. When someone asked, they would just get evasive answers and usually end up signing anyway. Heh, and people wonder why the government is in the state it’s in.

Well, I certainly haven’t been very talkative lately, have I? That’s because there hasn’t been much happening and I really haven’t had anything to say. I still don’t, really. It’s been a blah kind of week, nothing to really complain about, but nothing to celebrate either. Heh, and no particularly deep thoughts to share, for that matter. I really need to be able to blog during my cardio workouts. That seems to be the only time my thoughts really flow. Unfortunately, by the time I soak in the jacuzzi, get cleaned up and get home to my computer, my brain is blank.

We got a light dusting of snow today. Just enough to look pretty, but not much else.  Every time I see snow falling, I hear Lilly’s voice in my head asking, “Is it pretty?” That always makes me pause and take a moment just to appreciate the beauty of the moment. I suppose that’s not such a bad thing to take away from such a messed up relationship.

Of course, that path leads to maudlin thoughts and I don’t particularly feel like walking it.

Well, yesterday was a good day. My father and I went for an early show of Beowulf and it was fantastic! The movie was just flat out awesome. It was action packed with a good story that really drew you in. Best of all, the theater we saw it in used digital 3D technology. Oh…. My…. God… Soooo pretty. If you have the chance to check it out, I highly recommend doing so. Oh, and the digitized, fully naked Angelina Jolie certainly didn’t hurt. Yea Gods, that woman is sex incarnate. Plus, there was much violence and carnage with just a bit of tragedy mixed in. All in all, an excellent heroic tale. Fie on the critics, Beowulf is great.

After that got my blood boiling, it was time for the bi-weekly D&D game, which went very well. We had plot with our heroes returning the girl they had rescued from slavers to her father, an earthquake striking the city, and mystic visions. We had violence with the mighty warriors delving into the fabled Undermountain (a vast dungeon beneath the city), getting ambushed by a group of goblins, retreating back to the surface to rest and regroup, then plunging fearlessly back into the depths to face the dread goblins again. Heh, it was much fun. I find that I’m really enjoying running the game again. I think part of the reason for that is the fact that I’m using source books and a prepared dungeon module to give me a solid foundation to build my plot off of. For years before this, I was coming up with everything from scratch, which entailed a lot more work. I game to have fun, not add to my workload. Happily, that’s not an issue so far and I’m looking forward to the next game.

Yep, all in all, a really good day. I seriously needed that.