2022 Resolutions

[pinback]

Just the one, but this might actually be the year it happens.

[AArdvark]

Well, first let us all know what the secret resolutions were from last year and did you keep them.

THE CLOSURE WINDOW
AARDVARK

[pinback]

I don't think I had secret ones last year. If I did, I failed to keep them.

[AArdvark]

Ooooo, now there's skeletons in the closet!

[pinback]

I think I'll expand on this a bit. There is a lot of 2020 in this list, because other than getting my favorite job of the last 20 years, 2021 was not a banner year for ol' Pinback, and 2020 was great, so let's try going back to that a little, that worked out okay.

RESOLUTION: Get back to 185. It is a source of pride that after getting under 200, I never went back over it. However, I've crept back up pretty close, and I felt better at 185, so why not knock out the 10-12 extra pounds I put back on.
CHANCE OF SUCCESS: 90% I went from 320 to 195, certainly I can do ten more pounds. Does anyone doubt this?

RESOLUTION: Get back up to speed with the doctor. Haven't had a checkup in a while, was afraid to given how poorly I generally behaved health-wise this year. I need to get back there, if only to get refills on my blood pressure medication, which I just ran out of today, and probably could still use.
CHANCE OF SUCCESS: 95% Right down the road, and I like this doctor because his approach is to try to get you out of there and away from him as fast as possible. Approved.

RESOLUTION: Get back up to speed with the dentist. I cancelled my last checkup because I've been so bad about this, and I knew they'd need to call in HAZMAT to clear out the toxic blood spray that would have been all over the walls if I went in there. There's no excuse for this, but that's how I roll. I much preferred not skipping.
CHANCE OF SUCCESS: 85% Same as the doctor, except I hate/fear the dentist a lot more, so it takes more effort to force me to go do this.

RESOLUTION: Finish a project. I have made more progress in fun-coding in the last couple months due to my infatuation with Lua/Love2D than at any time in my history, so there's momentum here. But it'd sure be nice to actually finish something, get it out to the fans, instead of just starting and abandoning a new thing every two weeks.
CHANCE OF SUCCESS: 60% I realize the history here, but given that there has been momentum, hey, could happen.

RESOLUTION: Clean in 2022.
CHANCE OF SUCCESS: 30% If it's going to happen, this is the year. I've never been so disgusted with alcohol, and never felt better about being off of it, but there's no use kidding myself, we all know the urges and rationalizations are going to try to sneak back in eventually. So, 30%. Like I say, that's the highest chance of success I've ever given myself. Stranger things have happened. Let's see how it goes.

[Flack]

Amount that we're all rooting for you: 100%

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

We can add ours here? Can we resolve to do that?

[pinback]

Go for it!

[AArdvark]

Does you doctor frown upon your unique weight loss method even though it worked?

I called my doctor a drug dealer and walked out ten minutes later, no big loss.

THE ANIMOSI-MD
AARDVARK

[pinback]

Does you doctor frown upon your unique weight loss method even though it worked?

I have a semi-related story about this! After my quick, significant drop in weight, my wife implored me to go to the doctor to make sure I hadn't done any damage to myself.

I got an appointment, showed up, told them the story, and then the nurse started asking me when I noticed the weight loss starting, if I had been having other symptoms, etc. Eventually it became clear he hadn't heard -- or I hadn't made clear -- that it was voluntary and intentional.

After the nurse let the doctor know that I wasn't concerned about the weight loss, nay, I was proud of it, the rest of the appointment his manner was as if to suggest, what the hell are you wasting my time for, idiot? I had to explain that my wife made me come there because she was concerned I'd caused myself harm. He was like, you're concerned that LOSING all that fat might have been unhealthy? You fuckin' idiot? "It was my wife, I swear! Nobody wants me to be here!" I didn't say that last bit, but I hope I made it clear.

But no, in my experience, if you're a big fat fuck and then find a way to not be a big fat fuck, the doctor is not going to be overly concerned about your situation.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I would like to have a simple year. Rather than worry about outcomes, I am going to try process.

1. Count calories and lift weights each day. I started losing weight in August of 2020 and then didn't keep at it. Rather than say I am going to lose "x" pounds, I am just going to count calories and lift weight. My brother bought me a hammer bar for Christmas and I have two ten pound plates. I'll add plates as I get strong enough to throw around the plates I have. I will take a "before" picture on January 1st.

2. Work on Cyberganked every day. Again, process rather than outcome. It is DAUNTING, the amount of work left for this. But I can get it done if I work at it 365 times.

3.No new Steam games unless I know the creator. We are trying to pay our home off ahead of schedule and one area where I can save money is in buying Steam games at full price when they come out. I can go one year without Steam games. If I know the creator, like, if Pinback puts Pinneroids up or if one of my other game dev friends puts something up that is different. And this leaves money available for all the new homebrew C64 and Amiga games and whatever. But I just want a one-year pause on Steam. FarCry 6 will probably come to Steam, for instance. I can get it on 1/1/2023. Things will be fine.

That's it for now.

[Casual Observer]

I'm going to build my company to 6 or 7 clients, not drink during the week, set up my living room computer and download all the content I need to cut the cord on at least 7 streaming shitholes.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Seven!!!

[Flack]

Here are my resolutions for 2022. I have printed this list out and taped it to my wall where I will see it every day. I am also working on a daily schedule to remind me of certain things. (It would be dumb to see the one about taking my morning pills right before bed.)

01. Diet: Less carbs, less sugar
Through a series of tests my doctor was able to convince me now is the time to make some changes.
-- Less than 37 carbs per meal.
-- In general, no calories from drinks (water, unsweet tea, coffee, Crystal Light).
-- Switch to low carb beer. Meals with beer must still fall under 37 carbs.
-- No sugary snacks. No sugary cereal.

02. Exercise: 30 mins a day/5 days a week
Same doctor convinced me that sitting in the same chair (with occasional moves to a different chair) is not the best choice...
-- 30 minutes of walking, M-F.
-- Can be substituted for some other intentional activity (pool, exercise video).

03. General health/hygiene routine
While working exclusively from home over the past two years, it's been hard to maintain a regular morning routine and as a result, I've let certain things slide. (Only showering and changing clothes on days you leave the house is not acceptable.) Get back into the habit of doing the following things every morning.
-- Take pills every day.
-- Take a shower every day.
-- Change clothes every day.
-- Brush teeth twice a day.

04. Learn Sign Language / Complete Course
I've been talking about learning sign language for years now. For Christmas, Susan purchased an online instructor-led course for me.
-- Complete Sign Language course.
-- Find a way to practice sign language.

05. Book Writing (30 Minutes a Day)
I earned a master's degree in professional writing and immediately stopped writing. What a waste!
-- Write on a book 30 minutes every day.
-- Self publish two books.

06. Blog (3 Times/Week)
I have multiple blogs, all of which are neglected.
-- Blog three times a week.

07. Podcast (1/week)
I'm planning on running four podcasts in 2022.
-- Research topics on Mondays and Tuesdays.
-- Record and release shows every Thursday/Friday.

08. Reestablish Nasty Pirate movie night.
I spent (tens of) thousands of dollars building a home theater and rarely use it. Due to people's schedules, a lack of motivation, and COVID fears, I only had the Nasty Pirates over twice last year for movie nights. This will change in 2022.
-- Have a Nasty Pirates movie night the last Saturday of every month. If people come, they come. If they don't, they don't.
-- Continue trivia and prizes. That was a big hit.

09. Home Office Organization
My home office is a wreck. I spend 80+ hours a week in this room and it's a mess. I would like it clean and organized. I want it to look cool. I want people to think it looks cool and not have to shut the door before guests come over.

10. Workshop Organization
My workshop is beginning to look cluttered. I need to add more shelves. Create a tub-based organizational system for electronics and spare stuff.

xx. Things I would like to do, but not enough to commit to adding them to this list:

-- Learning to cook/grill.
-- Go Stealth Camping.
-- Learn/Practice the guitar.

[Flack]

I always bite off more than I can chew -- that's part of the fun of life, I think -- but tonight I chipped away at one of the ones I was most worried about completing.

[odyssia76]

Does you doctor frown upon your unique weight loss method even though it worked?

What was the "unique weight loss method"?

[pinback]

Good point. Don't eat much and do a lot of walking/exercise. I guess it's unique in the sense that most everyone else tries the latest "eat whatever you want" or low-carb fad or whatever the hell instead of just reducing intake and increasing output.

[Casual Observer]

Wow Flack, what an impressive list. If I could do half of the things on your list I might have lost weight diferently.

02. Exercise: 30 mins a day/5 days a week

I'm going to put my NordicTrack Bike together this month, I'm going to put my bike together this month. It's literally sat in my home office for 2 years. Should have hired a taskrabbit for that when I had the money.

While working exclusively from home over the past two years, it's been hard to maintain a regular morning routine and as a result, I've let certain things slide. (

Yeah, I don't even shower to go shopping anymore. I don't even shave anymore, what's the point when I have to mask up everywhere?

04. Learn Sign Language / Complete Course

Curious what's the reason? Just so you can add another accomplishment to shame the rest of us? I started learning sign language at RIT to hit on a deaf chick in my juggling class because I'd heard they were, well, promiscuous. Quit ASL when I got friend zoned.

09. Home Office Organization

Putting together the bike and populating the bookshelf are the last steps. Already got my cold calling cockpit set up and the snake tank.

-- Learning to cook/grill.

This one shocked me, how have you lived all this time in OK of all places without learning to grill? No steaks? No burgers? You have got to be kidding me.

-- Go Stealth Camping.

This is why I responded in the first place: What is Stealth Camping? Sounds awesome.

[AArdvark]

What does 'got friend zoned' mean?

THE
UNSLANGUAGE
AARDVARK

[Casual Observer]

Its a new term, wasn't around when I was in college I think. Just the common situation where you want to date someone but they only see you as a friend. I was a shy kid (kind of a loud asshole now, heh) so was constantly trying the "friend game" instead of just going for it and asking her out. Took me many years of wasting time and doing nice things for girls who knew the second they saw me they would never have sex with me (got to see a couple of the friends naked once but that was it).