Archive for August, 2009
Lifehack Monday, August 31, 2009
Well, another week has passed, and I’ve lost another pound. Whoopee! I thought that I’d do better. It must have been that Sam Adams Light that I drank in celebration of another Yankee victory.
Exercise Highlights
I decided to mix up my exercise routine this week, and I only worked out on Monday and Friday. This was due to the fact that I incorporated the Tabata protocol into my workout. Here’s the rundown:
- Do as many reps as you can for 20 seconds
- Take 10 seconds to rest
- Repeat step one seven times
This set takes only 4 minutes to complete, and I was ready to throw up after only one set. But I soldiered on, and actually completed one set each of front squats, military presses, and barbell rows. I also used even lighter amounts of weight than I had been using for my Super Slow sets. The exercises were so intense that I had to give myself 4 days between workouts. I could barely make it up the stairs at work. I’m hoping the intensity will lead to a bigger weight loss number for next Monday. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Diet Highlights
Besides the self-sabotage with the Sam Adams Light, I also got off track on Saturday, and had a slice of pizza. My weakness. I’ll try to be a good boy this week, I promise. I’m shooting for a full-bore adherence to the Metabolic Diet.
Check back next Monday to see if I’ve made any progress!
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Goal Status: January in Review Spurred on by a fortune cookie, I wrote about my modest goals for the year in this post: My Goals for 2010 So, now that we're a month into the new year, I'll give you my status. Here goes: 1. Drop 50 pounds I lost 14 pounds in January, primarily...... -
Sun-Tzu Sunday, August 30, 2009 Photo by AmpamukA (Busy in ICU for 1 month) Here's this week's update for Sun-Tzu Sunday. Sun-Tzu was a military strategist of ancient China. Every Sunday this summer, I've presented an excerpt from his treatise The Art of War. This week's passage is the series finale, and comes...... - Bad Weekend for My Fitness Goals Well, the weekend started off strong. I reseeded the bare spots on my front lawn, and kept up my exercise routine. On Saturday, however, one of my buddies came over, and I had a few beers, a jumbo-sized cheeseburger at Applebee's, and too many chocolate donuts. I forgot to mention......
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55 Pounds in 10 weeks… 2.3 Pounds this Week In all honesty I had expected to lose just a touch more weight this week. I was pretty good on the eating front... I know I didn't get as much exercise as I had anticipated (there are fires causing very smoky conditions and a health warning all around the San Francisco......
Sun-Tzu Sunday, August 30, 2009
Posted by enrique s in Leadership on August 30th, 2009
Photo by AmpamukA (Busy in ICU for 1 month)
Here’s this week’s update for Sun-Tzu Sunday. Sun-Tzu was a military strategist of ancient China. Every Sunday this summer, I’ve presented an excerpt from his treatise The Art of War. This week’s passage is the series finale, and comes from the seventh chapter entitled The Fray.
The soldier’s spirit
Is keenest
In the morning;
By noon
It has dulled;
By evening
He has begun
To think of home.
Boy, Sun-Tzu hit it right on the head with that one. I’m way more productive in the morning. It coincides with my scripted to-do list, as I hit the ground running. The early bird gets the worm. Late in the day, I’ve usually had enough, and I begin planning out the next day.
How about you? Are you more productive in the morning, or are you a strong finisher?
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Corporate Barbarian Links: Chainsaw Massacre Edition
Photo by lancefisher
No, that’s not me in the picture. But I did take the chainsaw out this week, and cleaned up the look of the website a bit. I got rid of the big, ugly ad in the sidebar, and reduced the amount of categories. Hopefully this will make navigating the site easier (let me know in the comments if it makes a difference). I’ve also added a Tweetmeme button, so if you find a post that’s interesting, you can Tweet it by just clicking the button. Here are some good posts for your reading pleasure:
Jim at Bargaineering wants to know how often you check on your finances. For me, it’s a weekly endeavor, as I like to keep up on how my money’s doing.
Blunt Money celebrates the third anniversary of the blog. Happy Birthday!
Steve at Brip Blap discusses the myth of stable employment. I work in the defense industry, where layoffs are too common.
Flexo at Consumerism Commentary offers ways to save money at baseball games. I like going to the local minor league stadium, where parking is free.
The Weakonomist at Weakonomics ask the question: What kind of saver are you? The post discusses the different kinds of savers. I’m a sweeper.
Patrick at Cash Money Life argues that college students should get a credit card. There was a lively discussion for both sides of the issue.
Scott H. Young talks about loneliness and the unconventional life. He’s noticed that his deviation from the norm has made him feel like an outsider.
Matt at Debt Free Adventure is using what he calls the debt steamroller to reach his goals. He’s made great progress so far. Drop on over to cheer him on!
Craig at Bible Money Matters tells us to beware of the term”free”. Someone ultimately has to pay the cost.
Beks at Blogging Away Debt has payed off her credit cards. Nice going!
Mark at Productivity 501 lists the top 5 worst productivity ideas. He says we should do things that are important before trying to optimize our work.
Clever Dude tried to cancel his gym membership. The gym enticed him with an offer to stay.
Trent at The Simple Dollar talks about cultural divides, and how it affects his blog readership. I’ve found lots of useful advice on his site, even though we’re in different parts of the country.
David at My Two Dollars recycled dryer lint to make frugal fire starters. I prefer Vaseline-soaked cotton balls myself.
Captain eHow shows how to avoid having your article deleted from eHow. He lists 4 common mistakes that writers make.
Have a great Labor Day weekend!
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Burning Bridges
Posted by enrique s in Career, Rants, Self-Reliance on August 28th, 2009
Photo by raindog
Don’t look back
A new day is breakin’
It’s been too long since I felt this way
I don’t mind where I get taken
The road is callin’
Today is the day
- from Don’t Look back by Boston
Conventional wisdom tells you never to burn any bridges in your life. Being a person that questions the validity of conventional wisdom, of course I’ve ignored this advice. And it hasn’t hurt me one bit. More about that a little later on. First, some more song lyrics:
I can see
It took so long to realize
I’m much too strong
Not to compromise
Now I see what I am is holding me down
I’ll turn it around
I’ve never been averse to change; in fact, I welcome it. I’ve worked for many different companies over the course of my career, and I’m sure that my current job won’t be my last, either. I get bored when I stop learning, and then it’s time for me to move on. Stagnation at a job holds you back from achieving your goals. Sure, I may leave my friends, but I’m not going to let that stop me.
It’s a new horizon and I’m awakin’ now
Oh I see myself in a brand new way
The sun is shinin’
The clouds are breakin’
’cause I cant lose now, there’s no game to play
It’s good to get out of your comfort zone. Ditching the familiar surroundings can be scary, but also invigorating. Meeting new people can open you up to new experiences. A challenging new job can help you grow by snapping you out of old habits. You leave any baggage at your old job. You get a chance to start anew. A clean slate.
I can tell
There’s no more time left to criticize
I’ve seen what I could not recognize
Everything in my life was leading me on
But I can be strong
OK, but what does this have to do about burning bridges? I had left a hellish job for a dream job. Unfortunately, after two years, the dream job was soon to be only a wonderful memory, as my job was being eliminated. The natural reaction would be to go back to my previous, hellish nightmare, if only until I could find something else. Besides, all of my friends were still there. Sound familiar? I was even given the opportunity to do some consulting work. But there was a problem.
Decision time
They wanted me to come in on Super Bowl Sunday to fix a mess they had gotten into. I knew that I could solve their problem, and it would take about 12 hours of heavy number crunching to right the ship. But did I really want to go back there? After all, I (and all of my coworkers) had been treated poorly by management. I had counted the days until I was free of the place. But it was a safe refuge, and a steady paycheck, until I found something better. Should I cave, and stay in the comfort zone?
If you don’t know me by now…
Hell no! I gave them an outrageous price for my services, and my former boss was so pissed at my insolence that he basically told me to eat shit and die. Smell that? That’s a bridge burning. How’s that for motivation? I found out later that my former coworkers were howling with joy when they heard about what happened. I’m glad I didn’t disappoint them. Or myself. I went out and found a job that better suited my needs.
So the moral of the story is never look back, just like the song. You’ve left a job for a certain reason, and sliding back into an old role won’t help you grow. Always look to challenge yourself, and don’t get complacent. Force yourself to confront a new challenge.
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How To Save Money on College Textbooks
Photo by timetrax23
My son starts college next week. Obviously, he needs textbooks. In an effort to show me just how far he’s come with taking on responsibility, he told me he’d handle his book purchases. He’d use the money that he earned over the summer.
Holy Geez!
He visited the online bookstore, and was overcome with sticker shock. Textbooks are very expensive at the college bookstore, even if they’re used. As a child of the Online Generation, he started poking around the web for a bargain. He tried Amazon, Powell’s, and Alibris. He finally found what he needed at Half.com.
A solution
Here’s a chart that shows the savings between the bookstore’s prices and the Half.com prices:
Note: One English book and one Art book were new editions, so there wasn’t a used book available. For the other three books, the used editions were out of stock at the school bookstore. The Half.com price also includes shipping, while the bookstore’s prices do not.
A windfall
So, he saved over one hundred thirty dollars off the bookstore’s price for new books. That’s over 33 percent savings! Not bad comparison shopping for an eighteen-year-old kid. That will buy him several tanks of gas for his car. Or a few pizzas while he’s burning the midnight oil. I’m glad he didn’t wait until the first day of classes to get busy with his book-buying.
A take-away
My son did so well using Half.com, that I’m tempted to use it for any major purchase that may arise in the future. So, thanks kid, you’ve taught the old man something for a change. 
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Consistently Excellent
Posted by enrique s in Motivation on August 26th, 2009
My cousin used to take on various side jobs to help pay the bills. When I was a teenager, he would recruit me to help out. In most cases, I didn’t have any skills required for the job, be it roofing, or putting up drywall. He used to joke, “You aren’t worth a damn, but at least you’re here.” I took that as a backhanded compliment. After a while, and a great many hours, I would pick up some useful skills, and I became more of an asset.
“80% of success is just showing up.” - Woody Allen
I’ve found that many of my accomplishments are the result of merely showing up. Put in enough time at something, and you’re guaranteed to pick up a few rudimentary skills. Your consistency in showing up helps in your mastery. This is the way that I learned how to shingle a roof, hang drywall, use a chainsaw, mop a floor, etc. The greater the amount of time spent on a task, the more mastery you gain in performing that task. Even if you’re not trying.
“Do or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda
But what if you were trying? What if you made the mastery of a task the goal, rather than just a necessary evil? Contrast learning to mop a floor in order to finish for the day, and learning to play a piano to become a virtuoso. People used to deride Cal Ripken for his games played streak, saying that all he did was show up for work. But he did more than just show up, didn’t he? He hit over 400 home runs, and had over 3,000 hits. Better than journeyman’s numbers, I believe. He appeared on 19 All-Star teams, and made the Hall of Fame. Which leads to the question…
…the chicken or the egg?
Did his showing up every day lead to his excellence? Or did his excellence allow him to be in the lineup every day? I think that although he set out to break the consecutive games record, that was a by-product of his pursuit of excellence on the baseball field. Ripken did more than just show up. He excelled.
Are you feeling stalled at work? Maybe instead of just showing up, you should follow your passion. Use your workday for the pursuit of excellence. It will make a difference.
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8 Things that Will Get You Fired
Photo by clementine gallot
A recent Yahoo! Shine article discussed the 4 lies that can cost you your job. I’m sure that we’ve all experienced some of these first-hand. You can read the original article by clicking the following link:
4 Lies that Can Cost You Your Job
The article listed four lies, but I can think of more instances that lead to immediate dismissal. Here’s the list, with my comments:
Pulling the Healthy Sick Card - How many times has this happened? The person you have a scheduled meeting with suddenly calls in sick on a Monday. It usually happens when the weather is nice. These are the same people who bail out early on a Friday with various ailments. Even if your boss doesn’t see the developing pattern, you can be sure the people who you stood up will see it.
The Faux Emergency/Appointment - I’ve seen this happen to a coworker. He feigned a bad toothache, and left for an “emergency dentist appointment”. Yeah, right. A couple of hours later, the boss ran into him at OTB, betting the ponies. I think he got a letter in his personnel file for that little stunt. Another guy called in sick, and ran into another “ill” coworker on the train to Penn Station. They both had job interviews in Manhattan. They swore each other to secrecy. I have yet to break my promise. You better keep up your end, Ray! (Just kidding)
Pointing the Finger - You don’t want to get a reputation as a shirker, whether it be work or responsibility that you shirk. Blaming others for your screw-ups won’t win you any friends. Nobody likes an excuse-maker. If it’s your fault, take your lumps and learn from it. Even better, if you know that you’ve screwed the pooch before anyone else discovers it, point it out. It will win you points for honesty, as your mistake will inevitably surface.
Fudging Hours and Fudging Expenses - I know two guys who got in BIG trouble for this one. A manager and his employee would leave a couple of hours early in the afternoons to work on the manager’s boat. If that wasn’t bad enough, they charged overtime to the company. Not the brightest move. They weren’t terminated, but their reputations were trashed for several years.
Not mentioned in the article, but also grounds for termination:
Theft - Back when I was working retail, we had a large “shrink” in our inventory number in the electronics department. Someone was stealing video games, so headquarters launched an investigation. Everyone blamed the junior hoodlums, the local neighborhood kids who hung around the store. Not only did they find the source of the “shrink” (an employee from the department), but they caught a security guard throwing merchandise into the dumpster (they caught him while he was retrieving it after the store closed), and a cashier skimming from her drawer. All three were terminated, and then prosecuted. I guess they couldn’t use that job as a reference, either.
Cooking the Books - This cost a VP of Finance and some of his staff their jobs. Under-reporting income will do that to you. Being arrogant to the auditors didn’t help. He could have kept his little ruse going if he were a nicer guy. Let’s just say there is something to be said about karma.
Physical Violence - Want to get booted out the door in a hurry? Hit somebody. If you’re lucky, you may only get suspended, and have to attend therapy. But don’t count on it. The days of stepping outside and settling things with your fists are long gone. If you’re that pissed off, put your hands in your pockets and walk away.
Misuse of the Computer - Each morning, when I log onto my office computer, I get a message reminding me that the computer should be used for work-related purposes only. That means no Solitaire, Youtube, or porn. If your boss is looking for a reason to get rid of you, this would be a good one.
Did I miss anything? What else will get you fired?
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Lifehack Monday, August 24, 2009
Posted by enrique s in Motivation, lifehack on August 24th, 2009
Last Monday, I laid out my typical day’s diet. Today, I’ll shed some light on my exercise routine. But first, a trip to the scales. I weighed in at 211 today, so I dropped one pound from last week. Not as much as I thought, but I can attribute the slow decrease to some cassata cake that I had yesterday (an anniversary party). No excuses this week! Anyway, here’s my exercise routine:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
I started using the super slow method after suffering an injury a few years ago. I have a tendency to go overboard when I begin a new behavior, so I figured that I’d use the lower weights prescribed by the super slow protocol in order to avoid hurting myself. If you’ve never tried super slow, it can be grueling and monotonous. But I did get a good workout, as I can tell from the achy muscles.
Super slow reduces the chance for injury by using a lower amount of weight, and lifting it slowly. For example, when doing bench presses, you would unrack the weight, lower it slowly for 10 seconds, and raise it slowly for another 10 seconds. You would do 5 repetitions, and eachrep would take you 20 seconds to complete. The time your muscles are under stress from the weight is 100 seconds. Believe me, even with the lower amount of weight, my arms are trembling when I’m done with the 5 reps.
I did one set of 5 reps for each of the following exercises. I used about half the amount that I’d normally use:
- Bench Press: 100 pounds
- Barbell Row: 100 pounds
- Military Press: 80 pounds
- Lat Pulldown: 80 pounds
In addition to the super slow sets, I did deadlifts and squats in the conventional manner. These were 5 sets of 5 reps with heavy weights. Again, I started with lower than normal weights, starting at 180 pounds and ending at 220 pounds. I’d like to hit 300 on the deadlift by the end of the year.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
I avoided the weights on these three days, taking advantage of the nice weather to swim in the pool and take a walk for an hour. I even tried keeping up with my son during his morning run (I was unsuccessful). I hope the shin splints go away in a few days.
I’d forgotten the sense of peace that I got during my walk. It’s a great stress reducer, and when it cools off next month, I may walk during my lunch break. It will give me something to do while the lights are out.
What’s next?
I would like to add more exercises to my routine as time goes by, but I’ll probably stick to this routine for a few more weeks. Too much, too soon can be a turn-off. Maybe I’ll add chin-ups. Here’s a chin up bar that I’ve been looking at. It mounts over a doorway:
I’ll also have to behave myself over the upcoming Labor Day weekend.
How are you doing with your fitness goals? What has been the biggest challenge? Is it the dieting, or sticking to an exercise program? Let’s hear it in the comments.
Don’t miss fatso’s weekly update, as he tries to see his feet again: Subscribe
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Seek Discomfort Photo by colinedwards99 There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy. - Unknown Just about every piece of advice tries to make your workday less stressful. To-do lists help us rank our tasks in order of importance. ......
Related Websites - Walk More To Lose Weight Walking is an excellent way to help you lose one pound every week. It is simple to do and has multiple benefits. Walking, for most people, is a necessary annoyance. We use it to get from point A to point B. We have been doing it since we can......
- Week Roundup Week of June 08 This week from the Fitness Health Network I present to you more of my favorite posts: Taking soda out of your diet? NCN chronicles the journey this week with a wrap up in 6 Days Without Soda And Life Is Good. It's Not Your Fault You Regained The Weight Fat......
- How I Saved $500 While Losing 52 Pounds in 136 Days A Baby Boomer Says Enough The following is a guest post from ToughMoneyLove.com. You can subscribe to his RSS feed here. I am 57 years old. I am 6 feet tall. In high school and college, my weight fluctuated between 165 and 170 pounds. I am careful with my money.......
Sun-Tzu Sunday, August 23, 2009
Posted by enrique s in Leadership, Money on August 23rd, 2009
Photo by nuomi
Here’s this week’s update for Sun-Tzu Sunday. Sun-Tzu was a military strategist of ancient China. Every Sunday this summer, I’m presenting an excerpt from his treatise The Art of War. This week’s passage comes from the fifth chapter entitled Potential Energy.
Relying on the energy,
He sends his men into battle
Like a man
Rolling logs or boulders.
By their nature,
On level ground
Logs and boulders
Stay still;
On steep ground
They move;
Square, they halt;
Round, they roll.
Skillfully deployed soldiers
Are like round boulders
Rolling down
A mighty mountainside.
At first glance, the passage would appear to be related to the utilization of your employees. You want to fit their skills to the tasks you assign them. But it can also be applied to investing. Each dollar can be viewed as a “soldier”, sent out by you to capture other soldiers. You just need to match them up to where they’ll do the most good. In the investment world, that means doing your research, and investing thoughtfully.
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Corporate Barbarian Links: Sports Physical Edition
Posted by enrique s in Blogging, Frugality, Leadership, Links, Motivation, lifehack on August 22nd, 2009
My son had his sports physical this week. Two doctors had to accommodate hundreds of high school athletes. Needless to say, the wait was a long one. I waited in the car, and a baseball game on the car radio would have passed the time, but the Yankees were playing a late game in Oakland. I’m glad that I brought a book. Hemingway was good company. I love his short stories:
Here are some great posts from the last week:
Steve at Brip Blap relates a story about packs of wild dogs in Bucharest, and how he overcame his fear of them. He eventually made them fear him. It’s a great example of facing and overcoming your fears.
Katie at Frugal Urbanite thinks the PF blog sphere has become boring. She thinks that personal finance bloggers are afraid to be a little different. I’ll take her advice, and try to keep things interesting. That’s why I also blog about coffee addiction, survival kits, and my crazy neighbor.
Craig Harper has a great post about changing your personal reality at Stepcase Lifehack. He shares eight strategies that may not be comfortable to implement, but are effective in helping you take control of your life.
Jared at Technotheory wants us to stop waiting for others and forge ahead. He says it becomes clear who gets things done, and who is suited for government work.
Five Cent Nickel warns about taking frugality too far. Don’t cross that line where you start making yourself and others miserable by taking foolish risks.
Brad at Persistence Unlimited wants us to BF Skinnerize our commitments to get through the rough patches. He talks about using rewards as well as punishments to keep ourselves on track.
David at My Two Dollars reveals the man who’s still driving a 1929 Ford Model A. He’s a throwback in our throw-away society.
Jason at Dumb Little Man offers 8 great ways to motivate yourself when you just don’t feel like it. Everyone hits a lull, and one of these might be the tonic to snap you out of complacency.
Have a great weekend!
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