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shawn (at) phantompower.org
August 31st, 2010
Some cockatiels are more vocal than others. We have (at least) two birds who sing regularly. Here, Pepper expresses his appreciation of the day with a nice song. It’s fun to watch him sing because sometimes it looks like the notes are really being pulled out of him by some external will.
(Another cockatiel, her name is Poke, does some video bombing towards the end.)
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:39 — 11.0MB)
August 30th, 2010
I’m somewhat discouraged to note that FIVE MONTHS AGO I wrote about how I had determined that, in order to lose weight, I had to keep my daily calorie counts under 1500. And since then, I’ve only managed to lose a couple pounds. This is kinda pathetic, and it’s the ultimate proof that I’ve been having far too many 1700 – 1800 calorie days. And when I get to this level of caloric intake, I don’t gain weight, but I don’t lose any, either.
Since the beginning of 2009, I’ve lost 25 pounds. And that achievement shouldn’t be downplayed. But I need to lose more. At the beginning of last year, I set a weight loss goal for myself. I started the year at 253 pounds. I wanted to get below 240 by my birthday (July 11th). I beat the deadline on that goal by almost a month. It was a big deal, because I knew that if I managed to get below 240, it meant I was doing something right, as all of my previous weight-loss attempts never passed the 240 mark. Right now, I’m at 228. And I’ve been at 228 for awhile. I’ve decided to give myself another goal. This time, I want to hit 220 by year’s end. It’s a reasonable goal, and I believe I can do it. I know what I need to aim for on a daily basis (1500 calories total). I just have to do it. And yesterday and today, I have! I made specific choices about my meals that helped me to keep my calorie counts low. Of course, these are things I’ve known about all along. But habits tend to control a lot of my behavior, especially when it comes to eating.
Breaking the cycle. It’s never easy.
August 29th, 2010
Yesterday, my sister held a luau-themed get together. Partially for fun and partially to celebrate her 10th wedding anniversary.
Jen, enjoying a pina colada.
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Ma with grandson (my nephew) Kyle.
August 23rd, 2010
Jen and I met with our insurance agent today. We wanted to go over our existing homeowners and car insurance policies to make sure they were still adequate for our needs, and we also wanted to get some information on life insurance as well as health insurance. Read the rest of this page »
August 20th, 2010
I added some wheels to my new Line 6 Spider IV guitar amplifier. Now, it’ll be much easier to move the amp around. I ordered the casters (wheels)
The amplifier on its side, with the new wheels resting on top.
I had to eventually turn the amplifier over completely, in order to get the wheels attached.
Fast forward to the last wheel.
A short video of the amp being moved about on its new wheels.
(A few more photos can be seen here.)
August 16th, 2010
I visited a local record store today, armed with gift card in hand. I didn’t buy anything.
Also, trains.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 14:48 — 8.5MB)
August 14th, 2010
Almost two weeks ago, I decided to upgrade from my old iPhone 3G to the new iPhone 4. Here’s a few photos of the new phone.
Brand new iPhone 4, still in the box.
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New iPhone 4 on the right, in comparison with the old iPhone 3G on the left.
August 9th, 2010
It’s been five years since Jen and I moved from Illinois to California. In this audio blog, which I recorded yesterday, I talked about some of my thoughts on this subject.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 12:33 — 7.2MB)
August 8th, 2010
As a belated anniversary present to ourselves, Jen and I spent a couple days last week in Solvang, CA. We stayed at the Kronborg Inn, which turned out to be a pretty nice place.
Kronborg Inn sign, with requisite windmill feature.
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Jen, sitting at the table on our hotel room’s balcony.
August 2nd, 2010
Jen and I had lunch today at Muzio’s Grocery & Deli in downtown San Luis Obispo. This is the first time we’ve been to Muzio’s, and it didn’t even dawn on me until after we got home that the business we visited had recently moved. Muzio’s used to be on Monterey Street, but it is now located in the new Wineman building on Higuera Street. (We mistakenly believed it to be a brand new business.)
Muzio’s has a kind of rustic decor, with comfortable seating inside, as well as some patio dining tables out front. The deli lists its sandwich offerings on a series of blackboards behind the counter.
