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Attended a party (actually, I helped host it). Played an unnecessarily complicated board game and watched LOTR with a Riff Track synced to it, resulting in a good three hours of nonstop laughter.

Stayed far away from Dick Clark. Made a bunch of new friends, including one I'm miffed at.

New Year's Resolution is to get my butt in gear on my practice.

I went to a shrine and warmed myself next to a big bonfire while some guy rang the shrine's bell 108 times.

2012: The year time stopped.

Any resolutions? I have a few.
- Get back into my workout schedule. I really dropped the ball in the last 3 weeks of 2011.
- Act like a goddamn homeowner. There are so many projects I let sit in 2011 because of a lack of initiative.

- Get a real job
- Get down to 175 lbs
- Go to ACEN for a J-Core concert
- Go to EVO with Riot and see Rico

So basically I want 2012 to be just like 2011 except I actually have a real job. Looking back 2011 was actually pretty cool and getting fired was probably the best thing to ever happen to me.

Merk wrote:- Get a real job
- Get down to 175 lbs
- Go to ACEN for a J-Core concert
- Go to EVO with Riot and see Rico

So basically I want 2012 to be just like 2011 except I actually have a real job. Looking back 2011 was actually pretty cool and getting fired was probably the best thing to ever happen to me.

You did it!

Two out of three ain't bad!

Actually get down to a lean 175 - should be doable with some lifestyle changes

Not get fired - I feel pretty confident that this will be the first job in a long time where I will not get fired after one year

Go to EVO - This is contingent on my fwends but I feel like we could make this happen

Rekindle relationship with Ho - This is also doable with some IRC chat, weekly meetups, maybe a PM or two

Earn (at least) my CCENT - I feel like I'm halfway there already on this, I just need to memorize and be able to recite how Cisco wants us to answer their questions

Continue to hate anime - This shouldn't be too hard, there's still a hate of hate to be given

Attempt at least one Let's Play with Chad - Again, this is more of a matter of taking that first step and getting the ball rolling. We have a game, we just need equipment and time.

Restrict gambling to exclusively poker - Again, shouldn't be hard. I really, really wish online poker would come back!

Spend less money on food, cook more - This is going to require some cooperation with the ladyfriend. I love to cook but going out is often just easier. Lady and I cooked a bunch over the holiday so I'm hoping that cooking momentum will carry us for a while.

Save $10,000 - Should be easily doable if I get a decent enough raise. I was able to save $8,000 this year despite not getting my first paycheck until February and that was with some unnecessary expenses and a shitty gambling year. My expenses *should* be going down this year which will help immensely.

Weight loss is such a common resolution, but with such a high failure rate. Why do you gentlemen think that is?

Probably because it's sooooooo boring. The majority of people decide to just go to the gym and hop on the elliptical for arbitrary amounts of time. The problem with that is there is no measure of progression, and most people just use scale weight as an indicator of success. Maybe they don't see changes on the scale so they get demotivated or bored with the routine.

To set yourself up for success, I believe one must set other (more measurable) goals. Examples: I want to take one inch off my waist, run a 7 minute mile, a 30 minute 5K, a 23 minute 5K, do a pull up, do 7 pull ups, pass [DDR boss song], AA [DDR boss song], or any combination of these. The idea is that it's extremely difficult to hit these marks while getting fat. Even if you "fail" your weight loss goal, you still succeeded in whatever else fitness related. Scale weight is irrelevant, time lapsed pictures are way more useful. There are a number of adaptations that accompany exercise: things you can see like muscle mass and things you can't see like bone density.

Diets:
Anyone can simply go cold turkey or "give up" something, but it takes true discipline to learn moderation. That's why omission type diets work so well. Moderation takes too much work, screw that. Personally, I have said "I'm giving up X for Lent" or "I'll try abstaining from X for 30 days." It was so effortless, and they accidentally became lifestyle changes. This can work for fast food, video games, profanity, anything really.

You could not pay me to count calories. Sure it works because ~science~, but it is not practical nor sustainable in the long term. I'm not a fan of working harder than you have to. It's just so easy to tell yourself something like "don't eat before 3 pm" (Intermittent Fasting), "no dairy or grains" (Paleo fad), or "no animals" (vegetarian pussy). Those methods work because it's difficult, but not impossible, to replace all those missed calories.

I hope SoDeepPolaris weighs in, he's da bes!

Stupid new years. Yesterday, being the first day of the semester, the gym was close to above capacity. It will be interesting to see these numbers are like next Monday. Instead of counting heads, I decided to estimate based on how difficult it was to breath. This week: Hypoxia.

Also I thought of another reason why people drop their resolutions so quick: one year is a looooooong time. They may get two months into it, make some progress, and since there's still 10 months left, they lax up and eventually forget about it. Or maybe two months in they see they lack the discipline, and even though they may still be progressing, they just give up.

Was this the SRSC or HPER?

The liked the SRSC but I'll be God damned if that wasn't the most crowded gym ever. The best time to go iny my experience is after an 8:00am class since most kids don't get up til like 11am for their 11:15am class.

Never went to the HPER for anything other than racquetball and basketball!

SRSC but this was midday, not the evening when they are always above capacity and there are lines just to get in.

Merk wrote:Was this the SRSC or HPER?

The liked the SRSC but I'll be God damned if that wasn't the most crowded gym ever. The best time to go iny my experience is after an 8:00am class since most kids don't get up til like 11am for their 11:15am class.

Never went to the HPER for anything other than racquetball and basketball!

Wallyball at the SRSC was a blast!

Seriously. If I have to be put on a waiting list just to use an elliptical then maybe that's a sign your gym is overcrowded.

What I don't understand is the basketball courts at the SRSC, they take up so much God damn room and they only have, if I recall, four courts and are filled seemingly from open to close. Any real ass baller is going to play at the HPER where there are a billion courts or at any of the many outdoor courts on campus. If they used even half the space those courts take up for more equipment it would be a Godsend.

Merk wrote:Seriously. If I have to be put on a waiting list just to use an elliptical then maybe that's a sign your gym is overcrowded.

What I don't understand is the basketball courts at the SRSC, they take up so much God damn room and they only have, if I recall, four courts and are filled seemingly from open to close. Any real ass baller is going to play at the HPER where there are a billion courts or at any of the many outdoor courts on campus. If they used even half the space those courts take up for more equipment it would be a Godsend.

That's what happens when a gym fee is mandatory for every student. People would find alternatives if they had the option.

Whiny babies.