An update

So February is over, well almost over.  Can't believe it.

I thought I'd post a little bit of an update on my live healthy goals for the year.

It's been 5 months since I've had a cigarette.  Yes it's hard at times, but other than a few days (vacation and one day at work) I have to say I rarely crave one.  I miss it more when I'm at home and Merinda goes out for one.  That was our time and I feel like I've lost that.

On the weight loss front it's been a LOT harder.  I'm going to Lifetime four times a week, and working out like a fiend, but the weight isn't coming off as fast as I hoped.  I missed my goal for February, but most of that was from vacation.  I shouldn't be disappointed, but I can't help it.  At least I ended out the month on a high note.  Overall I think I'm still on track to hit my goal.  We booked our cruise for next year so unless I want to be fat on the cruise I have no choice...

Well that's enough rambling for now.  It's late and my typing is worse than usual.

Oh and fuck the IRS.  Our refund is about 1/2 what I hoped for....

Sales people

You know, I've gotten used to push telemarketers calling me at home, it's just a fact when you have a home phone.  Even if you're on the donotcall list, you still get harassed.  The newest thing are charities asking if you want to donate.  Yes, I'm happy to donate old stuff, but let's be honest, I don't have clothing/household goods to donate weekly....  Anyway I digress

The new thing is the pushy sales people calling at work.  No means "No".  Don't make me be rude to you, if I say I'm not interested, I'm not interested.  Getting pushy will result in the opposite of what you want.  I promise.

This made me laugh

Apparently I can make money from the blog.  Not sure how that would work since I'm the only person who's ever seen it.  Can't see that making much ad revenue.

Update:

Apparently not, I actually looked at the page view stats and there are some other people out there.  I'm shocked.

A new toy

Let me open this by saying that I am a gadget whore.  I love gadgets and absolutely can't stand when I don't have something that I want.  On top of that I am a consumer and unfortunately fall prey to needing "retail therapy"

So with that in mind I got an iPad Mini.  Yes I had an original iPad and liked it.  I was surprised that I actually liked it, because I thought it was nothing more than an oversized phone (it is), but it's a great device to browse the web, email, read or play a game.  I'm sure if you're reading this you've used one.

The problem was I saw no need to upgrade.  Yes, the nicer screen would have been a boon, but I couldn't justify spending $500 on a new one, especially since I got the original one for free.  Really, the only gripe I had was it seemed heavy if I was watching netflix or reading in bed.

So, one of the guys at work got a mini and it's exactly the device I wanted.  Sharp display and better yet, the right weight for me to use as an e-reader.  So I promptly bought one.  I wanted it for our upcoming vacation as I plan to read in the morning before Merinda gets up.

Let me say it truly is a nice piece of electronics.  Yes, it's expensive, but all Apple products are overpriced, and to be fair, $329 seems a lot more reasonable than $499 when I can have an 11" Mac Air for about $1000 and the Air is a full computer versus a toy.

My resolution....

So my resolution this new years was to be healthier.  Yes, I've already quit smoking thank you very much, but now I want to lose this extra weight I've picked up over the past few years.

Yes, I've gotten fat.  I know it.  I'm not blind you know, nor am I stupid.

So, it's back to the gym.  I'm actually looking forward to it.  I have a goal in mind, which I think is quite reasonable, and I'm going to achieve it.

So if you're inclined you can wish me well...  If you're inclined to laugh about it, feel free.  At the end of this I'll be in better shape and a better human being.

If I'm inclined I might comment on this from time to time.

Last thought for today is I'm crushed by the ND game last night.  I'll be honest and say Alabama was the last team I wanted ND to play, but I hoped it would be close, and before anyone calls me a bandwagon fan, my Grandfather went to ND, so I root for them out of respect to him.

A moment of silence please....

The Pirate Bay is apparently down.  No, I don't download movies or other crap, but I had to respect how long they stayed up for.  Not to mention it's a pretty cool logo...

Actually, with this blogspot theme...

 Is a much better choice...

On lossless formats

So I'm curious, what does it matter if I convert a file in .shn or .flac to .mp3?  I'm not redistributing the files in .mp3, but instead putting them in a format that my iPhone can play.

Here's where the question comes from.

I download Dave Matthews shows.  Yes the band allows, and actually encourages the taping of their performances.  It's a nice change for a band to allow this as it's a nice way to remember the shows you've been to, as well as to experience ones you missed.

Either way, many of the shows have dire statements saying "DO NOT ENCODE INTO LOSSY FORMATS".

Honestly, who cares.  I don't upload the mp3's.  Even if my iPhone could play flac I would encode them simply for the size.  Also, unless you are listening on a professional sound system with some crazy speakers/headphones, you're not going to hear the difference.

It's a live recording folks.  Made with microphones...  You're probably listening on your PC or in your car.  On crappy computer speakers, or cheap headphones.

Granted in today's world, where HDD's are cheap, well based on this, it's not unreasonable to store your music in lossless formats, but it's a pain in the ass to convert to put on a portable player...