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It looks like there’s rain in the forecast for the next 5 days! It’s time, once again, to watch out for the drivers that have trouble with wet roads.

After work today, I’ll be catching some jazz with my girlfriend. The most recent 2 and a half months have been pretty much the most exciting and also scary ones of my life. I have the awesome luck to catch the fancy of such a strong-willed, yet fun-loving person. I’m very guarded with my feelings, but she has a way of making me open up a bit.

Sometimes, I get super excited about something I’m a fan of and she eats it up. Speedgaming, or speedrunning of games, is a recent example. That’s often when I see friends take on the dear-in-the-headlights look. I start to build up enthusiasm, and low interest makes me self-conscious fast.

She seems interested in learning about what I’m interested in. I want to get to know her better. That’s a challenge since I’m no expert in charm. Romance doesn’t come easy for me, only the observation of it, until now.

Alright, that’s enough mushy talk for a while. I needed to get a bit of it out of my system.

Photo Credit: Rowan Heuvel

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This may or may not have come about after a recent weigh-in at home, but I’ve rededicated myself to eating more carefully and have a goal weight for summer

The weight is less worrying than the general feeling of physical blah that’s bugging me. Just wanting to feel better is a reasonable intention. I already have made a habit of walking regularly on work days. I think that I’ll increase that daily goal soon.

To support that intention, I’ve reinstalled UnderArmor’s MyFitnessPal app to use its food-logging feature, which pushes data to and pulls from HealthKit on my phone, making it possible to have portable data. iOS users can get it here:

MyFitnessPal
I’m already using iHydrate to track and remind me about my hydration needs. That’s available here:

iHydrate
Well, there it is. I intend to shed weight. I shall add that the pace of this is slow and steady, so that it is not such a shock to the system. We’ll see how that goes.

honest Abe
Keep me honest. V.T. Polywoda via Compfight

All of this is in addition to the existing intentions for the year and I’m hoping that this helps me to be accountable for all of these goals.

Photo by Jennifer Birdie Shawker – Source

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I drink and I forget things. Like invitations.

That is totally my motto. That’s why I’m lucky that I’m good with technology that helps augment memory. If I make an appointment, I immediately put it in my calendar, a calendar available wherever I’ve got network access, which is always anywhere that matters.

Wacky things happen when I don’t, like double-(triple)booking and not making a move when a day shows no apparent events, only to later find out that a cool thing I wanted to go do happened that day I was navel-gazing.

Or, that awkward feeling of inviting somebody excitedly to an event you just found out about, only to get a gentle reminder you already are going to something at the same time period with that same person (oops!) I’m lucky that I have understanding friends.

Let this a fair warning to you, friends. If you invite me to something and I am excitedly accepting the invite, remind me to add it to my calendar as soon as possible. Otherwise, I’m in serious danger of forgetting, and I do not want to flake-out on something I actually want to be at. I don’t forget my debts, but I do forget my events, after all.

Want more? Here’s more takes on the word Invitation.

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A marathon is the very definition of a long race. The full length of 26 miles is a challenge for the majority of humans, and just finishing is  an achievement.

I think that’s why, especially today, the day we observe the life of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, that when we reflect on the long struggle behind us, and still to come, it’s important to remember that progress will come. It’s never as soon as most of us might like, and will almost always be a very uncomfortable situation for all involved, but that the key to making it through is stamina and sheer determination of will.

Quitters don’t win and winners don’t quit. I believe that’s how that saying goes.

via Daily Prompt: Marathon, for MicroBlogMondays #125
Photo by Martins Zemlickis

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If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that the week’s been a long stretch of work, with the fun stuff packed into the weekend. I’d also let you know that the coming week looks like a bit more of the same, but the weekend is a bit longer this time.

Today, I am looking forward to spending another solid piece of time with my main squeeze. Celebrating the anniversary of a Doctor Who club we’re both members of, followed by as more traditional date is definitely something I’ve been looking forward to all week long.

We’ll be seeing Hidden Figures, a very very relevant film. I’m gearing good buzz about it, and I think I may have heard part of the story on a podcast not-so-long ago.

[later…]

The movie was very good. Historical films can sometimes be disappointing, but this one, about some very important ladies, who were vital in NASA’s first manned orbital mission, turned out pretty well. Spent Sunday celebrating a friend’s birthday at another friend’s home. Saw Pacific Rim for the first time and Die Hard (again-it was a Christmas-themed party.) A thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all and I had to say good-nite too soon to my favorite person. Until next time.

More: #WeekendCoffeeShare: In Which I Am a Wee Bit Tardy

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It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another week in review. It’s also the 13th of January, one of the Friday the 13ths. That means that some of my friends are getting a new tattoo today.

My weeks don’t usually begin on Saturdays, but sine this thing happens on Friday, I suppose I’ll include the previous Saturday. This previous weekend began on a scary note. Apparently, I was slightly dehydrated at the beginning of an adventure-filled date and almost passed out. It was not a good look for me, but my lady is a rock, and took care of me, for which I am eternally grateful.

After seeing Moana (excellent!), we wrapped up the night with a visit to the very enchanting Descanso Gardens. That’s definitely a location I’d like to explore some more.

Sunday was a needed day of rest.

Photo credit: Cel Lisboa

Caught a bad case of the Mondays (and a cold, apparently) but I carefully fought it off during the early part of the week. Staying hydrated helped out there a lot.

Monday was the weekly Saberguild practice, and due to a forecast of rain, we relocated for the evening to a gym that a member works at. It was nice to be indoors, in a warm place, for once, although I was more glad because it’s easier to fight a head cold in a warm place.

Awesome Games Done Quick also kicked off on Sunday, and I’m catching parts of it live during the week, when I can. I’d mentioned it on Monday since I wasn’t sure if any friends shared such quirky interests. Now, I know that at least one would like to watch some of the gaming action with me. Hopefully, that’ll happen soon after the on-demand videos become available. I held off on watching some speedruns since they tend to be good the first time.

Photo credit: Lewis Ngugi

Work was fairly quiet, but after, in the hours before bedtime, I managed to squeeze in daily commits to the FreeCodeCamp challenges I’ve been working through for #100DaysOfCode. As of today, Ive completed 8 out of 100 days. It still feels like the beginning, but it’s less of a chore. That feeling when the tests all pass is kind of addicting.

Well, that’s it for this week’s recap. How’s your week been? Looking forward to anything fun this weekend?

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Putting these words down so they don’t drift away.

I like the smell of rain. The sound of steady rain at night. Stepping outside just after it’s stopped.

I like the way…

I also like the way you move…

and, that’s without ever knowing the way…

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If you could take a class in anything, what would it be and why?

The question really seems to be “if you could have any skill you don’t have, which would it be?” I’d personally take a pilot training class. It’s because I enjoy flying and would want to be in control of my own flight.

That’s just a real-life class I’d take. I think it’d be more interesting if I could take some fantasy classes, like shape-shifting from the world of many fantasy novels like Harry Potter or The Magicians. I’d definitely try out flight as a large soaring bird of prey, or maybe as a nimble tree-climbing animal. I’d finish off a fun session as an apex predator, like a shark, or a lion.

What about you, dear readers? What class would you take, if you could take a class in anything?

Source: Write Anything Wednesday – January 11, 2017 | Writerish Ramblings

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It’s another gray morning. Winter wants to assert itself down here in a place known for sunny days and palm trees. My reminder app again urges me to bring an umbrella. It’s fun to carry, even if I don’t get to use it.

Browsing a few of my regularly visited websites, I come upon a nice poem about kissing. A bit selfishly, I’ll share it here:

Not lip lock, but subtle exploration.
Light kisses, butterfly kisses, deep kisses.
A portal into the soul of your lover.
Too often the hurried prelude to the big score.
Meant for lingering and delight.
Complete unto itself. A foretelling.
Your mouth will teach me
more than the words it speaks.
Only kiss me for five minutes
and I will know who you really are.

— Mike Essig

I confess that I’m not much of a poetry writer, but I am starting to see more romantic things less cynically lately. I suppose my girlfriend could be a factor in that. I hope that she appreciates my small (for now) romantic gestures since I’m flying a bit blind through this, mostly playing it by ear and seeing where our whims take us.

I’m looking forward to sharing more of my nerdy interests with here such as a get-together to watch some of the current Games Done Quick marathon. In the world of gaming, it’s a bit like the Olympics of speed-gaming, but it is sometimes very fun to watch people who are great at completing games quickly. It also reminds me that quite a few classic games have nearly endless possibilities for fun.

I need a new calendar for my wall. I think I’ll enlist some outside help to find a fun one for 2017. If you’ve seen a fun calendar online, leave a link in a comment below. I might actually pick one if nothing catches my eye during my occasional trips to the local mall.

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I realized something recently. I have no idea if I share some of my interests with my friends. I suppose it’s because of the things that we already know we have in common, like our shared love of the Doctor Who universe.

I do have a few more deep interests that I might be less obscure than they seem to me, such as watching speed-gaming for fun. Hopefully, I’ll be less afraid to share some of my special interests to try and pull them a bit out of obscurity. The fear is of getting the blank stare of those who don’t quite understand what I’m describing. It’s the fear of being uninteresting if I must put a name to it.

I had this wild thought. Maybe showing interest in something, anything at all can be interesting. That’s my hope.

More interesting (possibly spooky)stuff: MicroblogMonday: Champing