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Sunday, July 8th, 2007
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4:40 pm - How's this for out of context and out of the blue...
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Howdy home-people,
Just a quick e-mail to let you know that the cruise is great. I'm enjoying the "day at sea."
Tomorrow is Cozumel Mexico (I won't spell check to save myself time. Time = $ in internet connection)
We'll be swimming with the dolphins tomorrow.
I ran a 5k today on the treadmill. First time I've done 5k in years. The Gym is okay. There's a short, funny story as to why I ran a 5k... The treadmills are in kilometers, not miles. The only conversion I know is that 5k = 3.1 miles. Therefore, I went with what I know.
Tonight is formal dinner night. I brought and ironed my suit for this, so I hope it's suitably yummy.
I'm keeping my cell phone off because I don't want to get a phone call from a friend and get charged $2.49 for it.
I hope to post more updates later.
-- Joel
current mood:  cruisin
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, January 24th, 2007
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10:09 am - Thanks for the Help
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I'm very happy to have received some great motivating responses looking to help me towards my fitness goals.
I think I'll do a few things (not necessarily in this order):
1) Buy an mp3 player. Though this may wait until I can get an MP3/phone/internet device. (Hmmm... that may be too bulky to carry on a run)
2) Join an online diet/exercise plan. This will provide tailored workout suggestions and track my progress. I'll also see if I can provide a link to you-all for accountability.
3) Track your (yes, YOU) fitness activities / capabilities. I'd appreciate some concrete examples of your capabilities or goals. Tina's goal of a 10k in May, and April's 4m yesterday are great examples. More please!
4) Anything else I can think of.... I may edit this entry if I come up with more. Keep the suggestions coming.
-- Joel
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, January 18th, 2007
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3:16 pm - Exercising
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As most of you who have seen me recently know, I've packed on quite a few pounds. I love food, and hate exercise. I understand that exercise is necessary. I feel slightly better, and have far more self esteem, when I'm in shape.
The problem is that I lack motivation. The wife doesn't seem to care if I'm in shape. I have no one prodding me on to do well. I'd really like a workout partner or group, like I had in college, but I don't think that can happen.
So, how do I come up with the motivation?
One thing I can do is post my current weight and workout performance here. That way you-all can look empirically at my performance. Perhaps your words of encouragement and praise for success will help.
Still, that doesn't contain any real rewards for success and deterrents to failure. Does anyone have good ideas as to how I can build a reward/punishment system for myself? The problem is that it can't come from within me. I won't revoke my computer privileges if I don't run on a given day. I also don't think I'd reward myself for good performance. Does anyone have any ideas?
-- Joel
Weight: 188 Run: 3/4 mile @ 12 minutes/mile
current mood:  depressed
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2:47 pm - Okay, enough is enough
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Enough non-journaling. Time for me to frequently journal about little events and non-events in my life.
I don't have to wait for meaningful life changes, then author large theses in response.
Look for more entries coming to this space soon.
Welcome back Joel, you've been gone too long..
-- Joel
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Friday, August 25th, 2006
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6:45 pm - Root Canal Pt 1
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Part 1 of 3
I had always kept marginally good care of my teeth. I wasn't as regular as I should be with brushing. However, I tried to make up for it by going to the dentist every 6 months for a cleaning.
I had managed to stay relatively healthy, with only a couple fillings in my mouth... And then I moved.
When I moved from NJ to NY I lost my regular dentist. This meant I lost the helpful "reminder" cards I received every 6 months. I also had a lot on my mind, so going to the dentist just fell out of my routine.
About 3 years went by, and I decided it was time for me to suck it up, and find another dentist. I figured I'd be more motivated if Dana came along, so Dana and I made joint dental appointments. We scheduled our appointments for one fine Saturday morning.
Dana's appointment went fine. Squeaky clean teeth, and a good bill of health.
My appointment was a different story. The hygienist had to spend easily 1/2 hour picking away at my teeth. My gums were bleeding a lot from all of the poking necessary to get the plaque out from under them.
The x-rays were relatively good, except for one tooth. The dentist said this tooth had a large amount of decay. He was amazed that I wasn't in pain. He said that we'd drill into it in the next appointment, and see if it could be taken care of with a simple filling, or if it needed a root canal. Thus appointment #1 ended and #2 was scheduled.
To be continued...
-- Joel
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| Sunday, August 13th, 2006
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10:25 pm - Go Figure
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This just in from the "go figure" department:
I just learned that one of the side effects of Rozerem, a sleep medication, is "drowsiness."
What will they think of next! I bet we'll soon hear that one of the side effects of aspirin is a reduced sensation of pain.
-- Joel
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| Thursday, August 10th, 2006
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12:58 pm - Tech Support Hell
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I've been using a piece of software for several years called Window Washer. This software is made by a company called Webroot. I've seen Webroot grow from a small company to a much larger company. Most of this growth has been because of another product of theirs called SpySweeper.
The growth of the anti-spyware market and consequent growth of sales of SpySweeper has caused Webroot to change their focus away from Window Washer. However, they still sell and ***support*** Window Washer. Also, the latest version of Window Washer contains at least two bugs. Two bugs I was able to identify within days of installing the product.
Well, I'm hear to tell you, do not buy window washer. It is buggy, and it is clear that they're only supporting it like a "red-headed step child." They're insisting that bugs within window washer are problems with my computer. Lovely.
Below is the log of my support ticket with them. Read it, and see why I'm frustrated.
I really feel like I'm going crazy here.
Start at the bottom, the log is in reverse order:
( The Tech Support Log )
-- Joel
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, July 26th, 2006
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11:27 am - What, me worry?
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| Friday, June 30th, 2006
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2:11 pm - Happy Birthday, Dad!
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My father turns 60 today. Only 5 more years and he'll be a Sr. Citizen. We'll be marking the transition to his 7th decade by taking him out to dinner at Becco, a restaurant in Manhattan.
I introduced him to the place, several years ago after eating there myself with some friends. Becco is known for an unlimited pasta service, consisting of 3 different varieties of pasta & sauce. The types of pasta vary daily.
I haven't eaten there since dining with my family several years ago. Consequently, I forgot about the place. My sister Beth remembered it, and recommended that we take Dad there. Thus, the plan was born. So, at 7:30pm, we'll be sitting down to eat.
A couple weekends from now we're taking him to a Mets game. That's his actual b'day present. I'm sure he'll have a blast.
-- Joel
current mood: mildy happy, with anticipation
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, June 29th, 2006
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1:18 pm - H2O + Binghamton = ?
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Binghamton (my college town) has been on the news recently. The Southern Tier area of NY, as well as parts of NJ and PA are under several feet of water. Flooding this bad hasn't been seen in 30 or so years.
I wonder what has become of the nature preserve. It was always a low lying-swampy area. I think it will be interesting to see how the flooding has changed the landscape.
I have friends still living not to far from downtown Binghamton. I hope their house is okay.
-- Joel
current mood:  blah
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| Thursday, May 25th, 2006
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1:26 pm - My Contribution to Society
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I did it! I made a lasting contribution to society. One that may live beyond me, and enrich the lives of future generations. I can now die happy, having fulfilled my purpose in life.
What did I do, you're asking? I made a contribution to http://www.wikipedia.com! For those not "in the know," wikipedia is an evolution of the encyclopedia. It is free, and accessible online. It differs, however, from traditional encyclopedias in that wikipedia is edited by the public. No stuffy editors sitting in library towers (though they are welcome to contribute, if they want). Wikipedia contains a vast amount of information, and studies have shown it is about as accurate as Britannica.
What did I add, you're asking (you can tell I have a knack for reading minds)? I edited the entry on
mouse by adding computer mouse in the "See also" section.
I was doing a search on "mouse" looking for information on computer mice. I found out that there was no referring link. I fixed that oversight.
Ahhhh, my work is done here.
-- Joel
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| Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006
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12:41 pm - Amazed, Surprised, Awed, Happy
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Amazed, Surprised, Awed, Happy
That was my initial reaction to the elaborate surprise birthday party that Dana threw for me on April 29th - 30th.
The morning started out normally for me. I was meeting with Dad at 10:30 for breakfast, then visiting Grandma at Fountain View (her "assisted living" community). I needed to be back by 4(ish) in order to get ready to go to Nobu for my birthday dinner with Dana. So, I met with Dad, and headed back to The Bronx around 3:15.
Dad told me that he wanted to use the bathroom before taking the drive back to Huntington. I called Dana to make sure she was "decent." She said she wasn't, and wanted a few more minutes. This short conversation was Dana's only slip-up, my only clue to the fact that "something was amiss." Dana has a different way of speaking to me when she's alone, vs. when she's in a group. She chooses different words, and has a different tone of voice. She used her "group voice." I called her on it, and she just said that she was on the phone with her friend Saleen. I was slightly confused, but "bought it." I'm naive like that.
So, Dad and I gave Dana her "few more minutes" by driving around the neighborhood. When we pulled up, the block appeared normal. Everyone with a car I would recognize had parked on a different block, great attention to detail. We parked, walked into the house. I opened the door, took a couple steps in, then.... SURPRISE!!!
There my friends were, all standing in the living room. I was shocked. I was only expecting a small dinner out with Dana, and I end up with a big surprise party. Neil, Judith, April, Todd, Alan, Dan, Lynne, Stacy, and of course Dana were all right there (Mike showed up a couple hours later). Next I noticed the decorations. They had tried to recreate one of my favorite Binghamton experiences... Casino in the Woods!
The living room and office were rapped in a background designed to look like slot machines. There were "$" signs and large playing cards hanging from the ceiling. Little stars were throne everywhere for further effect. There was also a cork board with some pictures from my past, and a birthday card from my 22nd birthday! There were also cards from Tina, TJ & Ya-Ting, and Ellen, who couldn't attend but wanted to wish me a happy day. Dana had done a magnificent job decorating the place (with a lot of help from my friends)!!
In the middle of the living room was my 30th Birthday gift... an 8 person gaming table! It is awesome! The table is a dark (stained?) wood covered in plush green felt. It has cup holders and a cutout for playing chips for all 8 people. A gaming table like this is something that I've wanted for a long time, but would never actually spend the money on for myself. Thanks Dana for taking the plunge for me ;-) Now I have to make use of it. I'll throw a gaming night sometime in the near future.
The party was a lot of fun! There were tons of hors d'oeuvres, chips / salsa, and drinks. We ordered pizza and sushi for the main course. We had music pumping from my computer. We stood around chatting for a few hours. Some people (everyone?) took washable markers and decorated the house with drawings, messages and other "graffiti." Dan and I also spent some time discussing fantasy baseball and watching our teams play.
After eating the main meal, 8 of us sat down to play poker, and the others played Twister in the office. I'm sorry to say that I finished the poker tournament in the "stink hole," the first position to finish without winning any money. But, at least the table does its job very well!
The poker game went until about 12:30. People, especially Dana and Lynne were very tired at that point, and the party began to break up. Everyone went home, except for April and Alan, who spent the night.
Next morning I doled out most of the food to Alan and April, who took off around 2pm. I spent a good portion of the remaining day cleaning. I still have a lot of cleaning to do, but its well worth it. I'm sure I'll find little stars in the carpet and tile cracks for quite a while ;-) It's so worth it!
Its wonderful to have such great friends. I really feel loved. I had a better 30th Birthday than I ever imagined.
-- Joel
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| Tuesday, April 18th, 2006
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1:23 pm - Small (very small) fitness update
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Well, I'm writing this entry because a number of you have requested an update on my fitness.
Well, this past month has not been good for Joel-fitness. I took a number of days off over the past month, and wasn't able to work out as consistently as I would have liked.
I don't think I'm in any better shape today than when I had the fitness test a month ago.
Consequently, I'm going to skip getting tested again. Maybe I'll test my fat percentage after a couple of good months. After I'm able to achieve some fitness milestones.
-- Joel
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| Wednesday, March 15th, 2006
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10:23 am - Fatter than I thought
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Well, my fitness strategy (fitness = workout + diet) of the past few months has been proven a failure.
I thought that I could gradually increase my workouts to the point where I could eat almost anything I want. If I burn enough calories, I'll get back to the shape I was during my junior year of college.
But, no dice. After using this strategy for the past 6 months, I've possibly put on some muscle, but not lost any fat.
I had a rude awakening yesterday at the company wellness screening. This is an optional exam where they test your cholesterol levels as well as your blood pressure and body fat percentage. My cholesterol level was good at 161. Though I should work to raise my high-density lipoprotein (HDL) count from 43. My blood pressure was acceptable, at 120/80.
However, my body fat was (almost) off the charts. On a scale of excellent, good, fair, poor, very poor. I was poor. Only a fractional percentage away from very poor (> 24.2%).
Yes ladies and gents, Joel is made up of 24.0% fat. I would like to be around 12% or less. I'm no where near that.
I was very depressed after this screening. I flipped between being very discouraged, and being ultra-determined, to get myself into proper shape.
I decided that I should cut out the midnight large bowl of cereal and the 8pm meal. I'll see how I am if I set a "no food after 7pm" policy. I'll ask my gym to retest me in a month (4/14/06)
Wish me luck for better results.
Obesely yours,
-- Joel
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| Tuesday, February 14th, 2006
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10:55 am - Happy Valentines Day
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As I walked into my building today, I noticed a delivery man with an elaborate rose arrangement in a nice vase. I smirked and said to myself "What a waste of $70."
Giving flowers says "Honey, I don't care about our financial future. I'd prefer just to give you these very temporary smelly things."
I'll definitely agree that roses look nice and smell wonderful. But why spend so much money on something that'll last two weeks at best?
I'd be far more impressed if someone just gave me the money. Or donate it to Charity... That'll work as well.
-- Joel
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| Monday, February 6th, 2006
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1:58 pm - It finally Happened (probably)
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I think I was finally discriminated against! Its about time! I felt like I was missing out on one of the key experiences of being human.
Though I'm not completely sure if I was a victim. Anyway, here's a brief recap of "the incident":
I was taking my car for service at a Saturn dealership in Jersey City, NJ. I figured I could get a haircut while they were working the car. So I asked the service manager, and he told me that there was a barbershop two blocks up, one block to the right.
Great! So I could kill two birds with one hour (stone). So I proceeded up the block. Now this dealership isn't in the best of neighborhood. It's no Harlem circa 1980's... but it's definitely a lower class neighboorhood.
So, I walk up the two blocks, and make my right. The block is a dirty residential commercial mix. The bottom floors are shops and the upper two floors are appts. I see that a couple of the shops advertise "African Hair Braiding." I was hoping that I wasn't being sent to a Unisex (primarily focusing on women) salon, and continued up the road. I eventually saw the barber shop, crossed the street, and walked in.
This place looked like it could have been used in the movie "Barbershop." There were about 7 black men in the place. Two barber chairs with to black men working on two patrons. Three other people were clowning around in the back, playing darts and glancing at a TV. They heard the chime from the bells on the door, and looked up at me.
I've never been met with so many surprised and semi-hostile stares before. I definitely got the "what the hell are you doing here" kind of feeling. There really wasn't a silence though. They didn't all look at me at once. Rather each took a turn. The rough-housing and loud laughter didn't stop.
So, what do I do? Do I immediately leave? Do I sit in a chair and wait for a haircut? Or What? I just stood there frozen, with my hands in my jacket pockets waiting. And waiting... and waiting... After a few minutes I wasn't sure if the men sitting in the chairs were really receiving cuts, or just chatting with the barbers. Yes, the barbers were holding clippers, but they all seemed far more interested in the conversation. They were taking their sweet time.
I wasn't sure if they were making a point of not directly acknowledging my presence. However after standing there for (what seemed like) 5 minutes, I turned around and left. I think one of the barbers may have tried to call out to me as I was leaving, but I'm not sure. He could have just been laughing it up.
Anyway, that's my experience with discrimination.
As always I still am,
-- Joel
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| Thursday, December 8th, 2005
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2:18 pm - Murder vs. Attempted Murder
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Here's a question I've been pondering:
Should murder and attempted murder have different penalties?
I think an attempted murder charge should carry the same consequences as actually killing somebody.
Think about it; by giving someone a lesser sentence, we're rewarding them for failing!
The goal of putting a murderer in jail, is to keep him off the streets and protect society. Possibly to rehabilitate him, but that's another topic.
Does society need less protection from someone who only attempted murder?
-- Joel
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| Tuesday, December 6th, 2005
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3:09 pm - My very own wardrobe malfunction
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Hmmm... I have a slightly embarrassing event to share with y'all.
I must have been preoccupied with shoveling snow this morning... cause I just realized, I wore non-matching shoes to work today! The good news is I didn't wear one black and one brown. No, its not that bad. They're both black and have about the same level of polish. They do have different styles however.
I realized the error of my ways while trotting to the bathroom. I noticed that shoe was tighter than the other. Upon return to my desk, I asked a coworker if she noticed anything odd about my outfit. Luckily she said "no." She didn't even figure it out while examining me for a "wardrobe malfunction." She only noticed when I pointed towards my feet.
I guess my colleagues don't expect me to be a dumbass and wear unmatched shoes.
-- Joel
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| Thursday, November 17th, 2005
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1:51 pm - Music at work = improved quality of life.
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I'm amazed at how much listening to music while programming has improved my quality of life at the office. I haven't tried this before, as I usually like to hear when people are approching my cube.
However, listening to some driving 80's/90's music (yes, I've branched out) can really put a smile on my face.
I'll be a slightly happier Joel from now on.
-- Joel
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| Tuesday, October 18th, 2005
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11:01 am - Too much Rain!
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My basement river overflowed its concrete banks.
Minor flooding was reported from the washing machine all the way to the oil tank.
Luckily, no casualties were reported... At least of the 2 or 4 legged variety. Reports are still coming in from the 6 legged and 8 legged communities.
-- Joel
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