Small changes, big effects

They say if you make one small change every day (surely they mean week) then big effects are on the way. I read this in a magazine in a doctor's surgery.

The basic idea is to change one small thing each week. Not something big like give up smoking this week and cure world hunger next week. Something small, personal and not too discomforting. So, I thought, I will think what are the small things that I wish were not so each day. Now, I will choose one and change it. In a months time that will be four done and I will see how it has gone.

So much so quickly.

Went to the gym this morning and I can't believe how much I have slipped by not going regularly for the last while. I probably over did it today. Must get routine going again.

Crazy time.

No gym and no fun for the last few days.

Crazy work time.

Late, late...night,night.

Pat just wrecks my head. Nice guy and all that, but he really does me in. I think people will look back in years to come and laugh at how ridiculous & farcical it all seemd.

I think poor old JC was close to blowing a fuse. Very poor to treat such a serious and topical subject so flippantly.

Very odd topic.

So I went to an actual farm and got real vegetables. Eh? Real vegetables? Have you ever noticed how the vegetables in supermarkets are all remarkably similar? All the carrots are the same size, shape and colour. Parsnips are generally slightly larger than carrots and onions are typically about the size of a tennis ball. Shocked as I was when I saw onions about twice their normal size and ditto for carrots. The shapes varied too, not always prefect cones.

Ze farmer explained to me that the supermarkets will only buy vegetables that fit a certain specification and are not interested in any deviations. They prefer smaller size vegetables as they look younger, fresher and healthier.

Anyway, I took a consignment and cooked them, they were fantastic. I don't know if it was because I literally dug them up and ate them within 2 hours or because they were so big and varied. By the way, I got them for free. It was as much a novelty for me as it was for the farmer who couldn't believe that I thought all vegetables grew to a perfect shape and then jumped into a plastic bag.

So...the bottom line. Where should I get my vegetables next? I believe there is a farmer's market in Dun Laoghaire shopping centre (the old one, not Bloomfields) every Thursday and there is a farmer's market in Leopardstown race course every week too. I checked out the one in DL and they seemed to have some nice home cooked stuff and organic vegetables. The home cooked stuff was nice (I scoffed a pie) but the vegetables were very pricey. The vegetable (and fruit) shop in the basement is also very dear. I will try to get to the one in Leopardstown.

Home Sweet Home

Home at last! Wrecked.

Heading home.

I am starting the long journey home later today.....I am really looking forward to it. After a little experimentation I am going to stick to one of two runs, the 8km or 5 km.

Old dog, new tricks.

So I tried this new idea of running/walking at a fat-burning pace. It was very frustrating, because in order to stay within the fat-burning pulse rate I had to walk at a brisk pace. It took approximately 20 minutes to do 2 km. I didn't do anymore as I was bored. I was going to do a 5km jog but could be motivated to do it.

I have been clicking on the next blog link to see what goodies are out there. Some sites come and go very quick!

Can't wait to get home!

Always tomorrow.

I am off to a gym tomorrow. Somebody warned me that there may be a time limit on the machines. Eh? I am reliably informed that the maximum you can use certain machines for are 15 or 20 minutes. This is to allow everybody have a fair go. Okay, no worries, I understand.

CV template hunting is not going particularly well. There are billions for Word but few for Latex. I will keep going.

Slower running.

I am going to try to run at the "fat burning" rate. I am told it is 60% of (220-your age). So, 220-35=185, and 60% of this is:111. So I should keep my heart rate below 111 but above my resting heart rate. This could be hard because my resting heart rate is quite high (~90). My buddy's is 45. Smug git.

I need to get a good CV format in Latex, I am looking for a good example that I can adapt and use.

Nice site.

I found a good website, CoolRunning seem to have some good advice for beginners and some training plans that would suit me. I will read on and may adopt one of their plans. I opened up a running log so I could keep track of training there.

Tick...gym done.

It feels a bit like that, tick, chore done. I will get back into a regular routine and that will make it more enjoyable. I ran 8km in 55m55s. Again, no world record but I am happy for two reasons, first I am hitting the 8km (or 5mile) mark and secondly because I did it without slowing down. Some people have told me that varying the speed is better (as in required) and I shouldn't run the whole lot at the same pace. I don't know and for the moment don't care. My goal was to be able to run 5miles, without expiring and I have done it. Now I want to be able to do it regularly. I am going to go searching for a proper training schedule, Google should help. I am getting a bit tired of doing more or less the same thing on the treadmill (is that the correct spelling?). Next week I am going to alternate between a 8km run and a 4km run, the 4km being at a much better pace.

I am going to take the plunge and join WestWood in Sandymount.

Zulu and Mia Cucina

Went to Dun laoghaire to take some snaps, ate in Mia Cucina and came home to watch Zulu.

Been working all morning.

No gym yet, but I will get there today.

I found Michael Moore's site on somebody else's blog. I click on next blog every now and again to see who is out there and what do they do. Anyway, I read Michael's letter to president Bush and sympathised with it. I thought it might be funny to e-mail Michael that a good proportion of helicopters etc are probably down in Shannon. I was thinking of nipping across to the airport, taking some snaps and posting them to him. No, no.....must be a good boy so I won't be accused of moral turpitude.

Anyway, I am off to find a good place to store my pictures. Since Google supplies my email and blog, they must also have a picture service.

Later.

Long day.

I just caught some of the news videos of Katriona, wow! How could people be waiting since Monday to be rescued? I wonder how many people will die or suffer needlessly. I am starting to sound like a politician. I just can't get over how so many could suffer in a country which should be the best equipped. I wonder is it true, because the majority of people are black and poor that there was no big push. Again, sounding like a politician.

I am really enjoying Eddie Hobb's Rip off Ireland on RTE. Saw this site, interesting enough.

I am definitely going to the gym this weekend.

Good book has been returned.

2 years late, somebody has returned Machine Learning to me!