I am currently writing this post in the dark.  Lori and I have decided to participate in Earth Hour this year, turning off our lights from 8pm to 9pm.  Actually it is 7:40 - 8:40 for us since we are going out later and don’t want to leave the puppies home in the dark.

As I sit here, there are a few observations I would like to make:

•  The light on the pole outside our house is enough to keep me awake when I want to sleep, however provides little light when I want to see my way around the house.
• It is impossible to turn of all of the lights in your house without decreasing your personal safety.  Even candles only provide so much light.
• I don’t understand how anyone could get anything productive done by candlelight.  You need to get close enough to burn yourself to be able to use the light.

Finally, one interesting question pops into my head: how many candles do I have to light to produce the CO₂ output of a 13W CFL light?

I don’t understand modern art!

A couple weeks ago, while Lori and I were in New York City, we spent a rainy morning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art enjoying the impressive collection.  We started with the Egyptian collection (from my point of view more for the history), checked out the photography and then the 19th century European art.  I really enjoy Monet, so this was a treat for me.

Last, we decided to check out the modern art.  The collection includes some familiar work by Andy Warhol which was interesting have a chance to see somewhere other than the web or TV.  On our way down the stairs to another part of the exhibit, I noticed a florescent light mounted on the wall diagonally just before the stairs.  It wasn’t until Lori pointed out its title that I realized it was art.

Someone (the Artist, who’s name I don’t remember) attached a working florescent tube light to the wall on an angle, titled it and therefore it was art.  When I do this, it’s considered a DIY project gone terribly wrong.

Mind you, someone out there may enjoy that piece just as much as I enjoy Monet and I am fine with that.  However, at that moment I decided I had to admit to myself, I just don’t understand modern art.   I guess it can now keep modern dance company in the part of my brain where I store things I don’t get.

I have a problem. I am addicited to caffeine.

There, I have said it. That’s the first step toward beating my problem.

Back in October I noticed a trend that was having a lot of trouble sleeping on Sunday night. I basically thought that it was cause I slept in those mornings, or it was the stress of the week ahead. However, no matter what I did, I couldn’t get to sleep easily on Sundays. So I decided to visit my doctor.

He went through the basic list of what it could be, but decided quickly what he thought the problem was. You see, one of the first questions he asked was if I drank a lot of coffee or other caffeinated beverages. Of course the answer to that was yes. I was up to as many as 8 cups of coffee a day at that point. However, I had ruled that out because I could sleep most nights, just not Sundays. And I purposely avoided coffee on Sundays. What I didn’t know was caffeine could linger in your body for up to 2 weeks. Bingo! I think we had a winner.

Therefore, starting Halloween of last year, I gave up caffeine. All caffeine! No coffee, tea, soft drinks or anything that contained what the experts would call a “significant dietary source of caffeine.”

The first two weeks were awful. Headaches and a general feeling of malaise. With a little will power, I got through them and then it got easier. In fact, I went caffeine free for 6 months. That was the goal, and after that I planned to only have a cup of coffee a day since I enjoy it so much.

However, this is where I realize I have a problem. The cup of coffee slowly became a cup and a half. Then it was two cups. I am now back to 3 cups and starting to see a trend.

So, it is with this decree of my newly admitted problem, I am going to go back off caffeine. This time the goal is one month. After that, I’ll just have to play it by ear.

Let’s start with an update to my resolutions:

1) Be more organized.
Still trying to squeeze out those few extra wasted ours in the day. I have a new laptop these days (from work) and I am able to use Outlook as a secondary to my planner (I still working the “old fashion” paper route). I don’t really have a good way of measuring this on, but I think I am getting better.

2) Get into shape.
I have lost a further 3 pounds in the last two months. This is a little slower than I had hoped, but I am feeling much better these days. Two weekends ago, I finally finished my scuba certification and had no troubles with my dives. Last November when I tried, the first dive almost killed me.

3) Finish my thesis.
Still working on this, it just coming really slowly.

4) Improve my cooking skill.
Cooking is going well. I have started playing with breads and curry powder, no major mistakes yet. This is another hard to measure goal, but I am pleased (and Lori hasn’t complained yet).

I have also decided that the reason I don’t update my blog is because I am always writing rants, none of which ever seem to be short. I am going to try and start writing more personal blurbs, maybe then I will write more. Lori and I leave for Sydney on Friday for a two week vacation. Since we will have internet access, I am hoping to keep family and friends up-to-date via my blog. So be sure to check for updates.

Last year I posted my resolutions and then promptly forgot them, getting me nowhere. So this year, I have decided to give semi-regular (close to the beginning of each month) regular updates. So here we go:

1) Be more organized.
I have been keeping my day planner up-to-date, and it has helped me stay on top of some things. It is an ever evolving part of my life, but thus far, I have not missed anything really important this year. There are however a couple more hours I could squeeze out of each day, but I am trying.

2) Get into shape.
I have been going to the gym somewhat regularly. Over Christmas I had some problems with my back, which turned out to be related to a worn out disk. This has mode things a little difficult, but with the help of my Chiropractor, it is getting better. I am happy to say that thus far this year, I have lost 14lbs.

3) Finish my thesis.
Believe it or not, I have been working on this (Dave saw me in the university if anyone needs proof :). I am hoping to complete a chapter this week.

4) Improve my cooking skill.
This is ongoing but working out well thus far. I seem to be good and things that are bad for me: chocolates, cakes (especially cheesecake), cookies and other desserts. I am working on improving in other areas and have added about 10 new recipes to my rotation of meals, a couple of which are Brian Kidney originals.