So my car got stolen. That’s super fun.
It’s a 2010ish Hyundai, so I guess I should have expected this. But I’ve had it for over a decade and also, to be honest, I thought that was just the Elantra and whatever the Kia equivalent is that were being targeted. I don’t have one of those, so I foolishly thought mine was safe. Shame on me, I suppose.
I got a rental car today, so I’m able to get around. That’s important, because it’s nearly impossible to get anything done where I live without a car. It’s really just the bigger cities and a handful of older towns in the US where you can be autonomous without a car. Thankfully, ambitious people who give a damn have taken notice. Unfortunately, most of what’s being done is not by them. But here in my town, there have been some steps in the right direction, and here’s to hoping.
I don’t know what’s going to happen with my car. A friend of mine got his boosted a few years back, and he actually got his back. The way car boosting happens around this area on the class of models my car belongs to, if they aren’t taking the catalytic converter (and I would guess they are), it’s probably just a joy ride. That’s not great, and it does probably mean some amount of damage, but it also means that I have a good chance of getting it back. Which is great, because I doubt my insurance is going to cover enough to really replace it, and the more expenses that stack up, the less flexible I am in my current pursuits. And that would stink.
Speaking of which, let’s check progress on those pursuits in:
Health/Fitness: The numbers are more of less static, which is not my favorite, but it’s not all bad. It always takes a few weeks for my results to catch up with my actions, and I do feel like I just restarted for the season. Which means I’m more likely still leveling off from my winter indulgences. On that front, I got in a couple of decent strength training sessions this past week. This week that just started, I need to up that. I need a minimum of 3x each week, and should really be getting 4-6x sessions total, split between lifting, calisthenics, and HIIT. I also need to reintroduce my cardio HIITs, like that miserable indoor bike program that feels awful to do but feels great when done. Other cardio wise, I’ve gotten in a good few walks this week. Also not enough, I should really be getting a walk every single day, and I didn’t Saturday or Sunday. I skipped today, too, which is not how I should be starting my week. I gave myself a break because of the car and all, but… they aren’t actually related, so it’s a poor excuse. However, I did run last week. Three times. I didn’t make a full, unbroken mile on any of them, but I also wasn’t shooting for that. What I was trying for was reestablishing the routine and getting a sort of gauge like, where am I right now after that bit of a winter break? And it turns out, I haven’t fallen off all that far.
I’m not sure if I’ve stated or even really established a goal for this year, and we’re already a few months in, so let’s slap something on the table.
Here are this year’s main goals:
220 lbs – At or Below by End of Year. – If I can manage to hit that earlier in the year, I’ll readjust to the next class. But I’ve really been struggling to maintain the 240 I achieved last year, and I don’t want to stress out too much. Though I also think that combined knowledge is informing me to readjust my diet. On top of the needed increase in workouts and overall physical activity, one thing is for sure – I need to calorie count again.
End of Year Running Goal(s) –
1) Regain ability to run 1 unbroken mile (before Summer)
2) Make this a regular feat (before end of Summer – maybe weekly?)
3) Run the majority of my typical walking route at least once (any time – about 3.5 miles)
Academics: Did I mentioned I finished an Algebra test? Well, I did. I did pretty well, but as always, I found some shortfalls. Over the course of that Stats class and this Algebra rebuild, I’ve started to gain a strong routine of learning from my struggle problems – I do a review of my tests, log where I got anything wrong as correct answers that I struggled with, and try to work out them out. I try to get the answer on my own, if I can, but also try to identify why I got them wrong, what I didn’t understand, what silly mistakes I might have made. That really helps. I’m in Exponential Functions now, which I remember having trouble with in High School. More recently, I had a lot of trouble with logarithms, which is also a part of this section. The exponent portion of it is so far clicking, but every time I revisit logarithms, something just ain’t working for me. But it needs to, and it will, because this isn’t just the end of my college Algebra I. If I understanding correctly, this stuff in particular is also critical to Calculus, which itself is critical to all of the technical careers that I’m looking at. So this is do or die time.
I mean, not literally. I’ve at least proven to myself that I can do school and, at a minimum, I can take some classes to boost my resume. If I quit this year without ever getting to Calculus, I will have already done something important to me. And if that ends up the case, I now have some great foundations for other options, which will probably mean leaning all the way into coding with various IT certs. I’m already hire-able. I was when I left my last job. These moves have already been enough to improve my job market position. So I’m feeling pretty good about that at the very least.
I am still dragging my feet on that CS50 final, but I have now locked the code. And it looks great, if I can brag a little. I’m thinking about where I can deploy that to share it outside of the class and, kinda what I’m thinking is this is another chance to indulge one of my Elder-Millennial wants and buy another website. I’ve got a few ideas on my mind, but have thus far resisted actually checking if any are available. Because I just know that if I check and any of my top picks are available, I’ll buy them on the spot.
I’ve also pulled out a smidge of my old podcasting equipment so I can hopefully have some OK audio. Right, did I mention? I think I did, but not in today’s post. A video is required. So for the video, I think I’ll be using either (maybe both) my phone or laptop webcam. I don’t really think I have any other options. I don’t know the last time I bought a camera that’s… just a camera. I have been looking for an excuse to get a camera that’s capable of taking great digital video. It looks like a lot of youtubers use the same couple of cameras, especially leaning on Sony’s. Those are pretty pricey, though, and even more so in this bonkers inflation we’re living in, and then there’s the whole car thing, so… yeah, maybe the phone is the best idea. Webcam is more than sufficient for a student project.
I did get my README and video script written, and I did practiced a few times. I did a dry run yesterday and one where I actually recorded today. Today’s recording didn’t use the podcasting equipment, so the audio was predictably bad. But not so bad that it would stop me from using it if it was my only option. I have a Macbook, so I’ll be using the included iMovie to edit. This ain’t gotta be fancy, just concise and legible. And under 3 minutes, which it currently is not. My first practice run was something like 4 minutes 30 seconds. I think a little more practice and editing to clip out the pauses and um’s should tighten things up.
You know, every now and then I entertain the idea of starting a youtube channel. I ultimately back out for one reason or another, usually practical ones. It really does seem like a lot of work, for one. For another, it would be some real exposure, and I’m really not sure that’s something that I want. If I do, it means I need to be a whole lot more professional than I tend to come off as. Since the video in question is required for a program that I intend to finish, I have to do it. Thankfully, it can be unlisted, which means I get to have the taste of the experience without committing to the full exposure. But I might list it, because it will be a professional thing. Or at least professional enough. So I think when I do the real recording, I’ll throw on a tie, work out some flattering lighting, and make sure I don’t talk too roughly.
Probably the biggest boon from all of this is just being able to stretch my organizational skills again, along with my ability to learn new things. That’s been really nice.
Anyway, that’s been enough thoughts on all of this for now. I’ll report back when done, or I suppose… sheepishly next week if I’m still not done.