Shopping - Ugh!

I (like most males, I guess) greatly dislike shopping.  But, I need to force myself to do so, as my wife's birthday is coming up and she deserves for me to give her a gift that tries to show how dear she is to me.  I have taken an easier route for me for part of her gift... I did buy something on-line... a much better type of shopping experience for me.  But I do want and plan to get her some type of jewlery as well.  And, for that I will have to venture into a real brick and mortar store.  Ugh.  I dislike it.  But, I have to bite the bullet, for she is worth it.

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New Grant

I am writing a new grant, this one is being earmarked for submission to NIH.  I think I have a very creative idea, hopefully it will develop well as I progress putting it together. 

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2570

I haven't counted in a while and was surprised to find today was day 2570 in my continual every day 5 mile walk.  For the past 2.5 months, I have been running (slow jogging) at least 3 of the five miles and sometimes the whole thing.  My resting heart rate most mornings when I awake is now around 55.  I am able to get my heart rate up to about 150 when I push the jogging.  I am hopeful it is helping me to be more fit.  It feels like it.  I also still am at a normal BMI too.

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From Mass

"

"Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.
Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,
your gold and silver have corroded,
and that corrosion will be a testimony against you;
it will devour your flesh like a fire.
You have stored up treasure for the last days."

I am very fortunate to have the job and career I do.  It has provided a lot of stability for my family.  And, it is one avenue where I do get to help others.  Please do not get me wrong, I also do a variety of things to try to help and give back to my community.  I volunteer at all sorts of community service events, donate to charity, give a lot of my time for other parts of the community.  But, as I suspect many of us feel, I never really feel like I do enough to help, but at the same time I feel exhausted a lot of the time by what I am doing.   The above in italics was from the second reading at mass this weekend.  It is hard to figure out how to proceed in life a lot of the time.

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"Compromise"

Well, I basically did a little bit of the two options I proposed yesterday.  I did some work, did some "nothing" and did a little bit of drinking (just two beers, not really worth it).

Hopefully the weekend is on an upswing.

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Not Sure What To Do

Well, I have been away a while mostly because of computer/internet problems.  But that seems to finally be resolved now.  I could have tried to post from work, but work has been pretty hectic with a grant writing deadline, so that didn't work out too well. 

With that said, I now have a choice to make.  My wife is going to be away overnight going to attend a service for a relative who died a while ago.  The location is far away and I am staying home to "mind the store" so to speak.  Now, with a free evening, I probably have two options... 1) relax at home, do nothing, drink some, or 2) use this time to really focus on work related things I *could* get done to get myself ahead of schedule a bit.  It is a decision that I am not sure how to make.  Either would be fine, but I am not really sure which is what I want to do.  Here are my thoughts:

1.  Relaxing at home is of course a good thing to do for me.  But relaxing without my wife is not particularly fun or enjoyable.  Don't get me wrong... it is "ok" of course, but it is not as fun by any stretch of the imagination.  Doing nothing is of a similar vein.... it is "ok" but without my wife, it is in some ways bound to feel like wasting time.  Drinking too.... I enjoy drinking... but drinking alone is not particularly fun either. My elderly father-in-law, my preferred drinking buddy is not available as he is going to the same service. 

2.  Working... while it has the potential to get me ahead and also has the potential to make next week a lot less hectic... hell, it doesn't seem very fun to work late into a Friday night.  Don't get me wrong... by and large I really do enjoy my job.  But, come on, priorities that I have set are such that I really strive to have a balance between work and non-work. 

I am sure most of you are yawning and perhaps annoyed by my post today, but it is really something I have been thinking about.  Neither route seems particularly great.  But, I should pick one of the two above.  Other options.... calling up a friend to do something (drink, play cards, fish)... doesn't seem to be in the cards either as most of my other friends are in pretty much in a hectic stage of the year as well and are more likely than not, not available.  I could work on something I want to do, like further clean, organize the garage, or do some needed household "honey-do" tasks.... but they feel pretty much the same as my "work" work.

I will figure it out... either by not deciding or deciding.  But any decision seems unexciting.  I am very much a creature of habit... I feel most happy when things are reliable, predictable, and routine.  Then I can add something extra on top if I want to.  This weekend is a significant departure of routine.  I would normally go visit my elderly father-in-law, have a few drinks and pipes with him, then come home to my wife, often times go and swim with my wife and some of our kids, then have a pleasant dinner and just sit around and chat and watch tv or go to a movie. 

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