Monthly update?

I've been shamed into updating this thing again.

On the diet front, I'm doing quite well... better than I expected. Down to 201.5 as of yesterday's weigh-in. I still have a bit of a gut, though... I really need to start exercising better!

I'm trying to improve other areas of my life, as well. Getting out of massive debt is a big one. Not much to say on that - Using the debt snowball method (Google it, I'm too lazy to link right now), I'm trying to pay down my two credit cards, without charging more to them. A recent, unexpected and decent-sized raise should help matters there, but it'll still take some time.

Another area I've always been kind of slack is just organization in general. Putting things where they belong, keeping track of projects and to do lists - my desk always looks like a tornado recently swept through. I previously mentioned Lifehacker on this site, which has lots of good tips in that regard. One of the things they push is the Getting Things Done method created by David Allen. It's just a way of organizing projects and tasks so that you never have to keep track of things in your head, and you're always able to identify the "next task" in any situation or project. I'm reading the book now, and while it's geared towards Corporate Executive types, it is definitely applicable to my job and even my personal life. I'm currently using Remember The Milk, with a GTD-oriented list and tagging system, to keep track of work and home projects, and my mind is definitely clearer and more focused.

Diet, debt, organization... I seem to have found myself in a "life makeover" without really planning it. Maybe it's the new year, or turning 30. Mostly it's that I've been thinking of all these things for months, if not years. It feels really good to finally be DOing something about all of it, instead of just thinking about it. "Someday" has become "now". And I'm less stressed than ever because of it.

It begins

I've been half-heartedly looking into various diets and exercise plans for a few weeks, with the goal of making a New Year's Resolution to lose some gut. None of them looked all that promising, until I saw a few coworkers calculating their Weight Watchers "points" when we were out to lunch one day.

I asked about it, and looked into it, and I liked what I saw. The idea that you can still eat pretty much anything you like appeals to me - you just have to moderate it. The points system makes sense - well, it does once you can figure out how many points a given food item has, and that gets easier with experience. And the fact that you have weekly "bonus points" allowing you to splurge once in awhile makes me happy. Much easier to follow than Dr. Ian Smith telling me I can't eat anything but fruits and vegetables (and only certain vegetables) for a month. And I've always been dubious about the "eat all the fatty red meat you want, just stay away from that pesky bread" diet. Plus, WW has been around, like, forever - they have to be doing something right.

So, I signed up last night. Current weight: 214. Goal weight: 192 (for now). That's their recommended "10 percent" goal. I'll see how I look and feel if when I hit that goal.

Short term goal? Lose 10 pounds by April 1st - going to Disney with my family that week. Gotta look good for the ladies on Pleasure Island!

I'll be updating my progress here as often as I can. Public shame is a good motivator. Might even work up the courage to post a "Biggest Loser"-style "before" picture... we'll see.

Feed of the week

As a relatively new homeowner, I want to get some artwork up on my walls. But anyone who's paid attention knows good art can be EXPENSIVE. And I'm not talking about original oil paintings here - even a decent print can cost a hundred dollars or more.

Enter We*heart*prints... A site that tracks affordable, beautiful art prints and originals. Every few days (give or take) it will showcase a specific print, how much it'll cost you (from as low as $10), and where to order and see more of the artist's work. It's a great way to discover new artists, new art, and maybe get something besides that rock band poster (not that there's anything wrong with that) and family pictures (ditto) up on your walls. Some seriously breathtaking stuff there. Well worth checking out!

Feed of the week

What websites/blogs do you visit every day? Or if you're so inclined, what feeds are in your RSS reader? (If you don't have one yet, I recommend BlogLines as a good start). In order to at least get something new up here on a regular basis, I present my feed of the week.

Lifehacker.com
Lifehacker is a great site full of tips on how to make your life better. Focusing on the Getting Things Done method, but with regular tips on Ipods, Budgeting, Food, Windows and Mac software... basically any and every part of life. For you RSS feeders out there, you can grab the entire site, weekly "best of" posts, or specify one of the many, many topics covered on a daily basis. I highly recommend checking it out, they've changed my life multiple times over already.

Google Maps

I've been playing with the Google Maps API a bit. It was tough to get it working with Blogger - I tried three different "this is how to do it" pages before I found the one that worked. Ironically, the one that worked wasn't Blogger specific like the others... It's the Google Map Maker by Richard Stephenson.

Now that I (kind of) know what I'm doing, I'll definitely play around with this more. For one thing, I think I can get different maps working for specific posts pretty easily (well, relatively easily).

Anyway, scroll to the bottom of this blog to see what I have so far. And no, I'm not pointing directly at my house, just the general neighborhood. Although in Satellite or Hybrid mode, you can, as they say, "see my house from here".