Only Resolutions

[Rorschach]

Hello
As you know, we Scots invented - along with mostly everything else of worth - New Year. Before that there was just one long year that went on for centuries.
So I feel particularly entitled to demand to know what imperfections you see in yourself, and what you propose to do about them.

I need to

1. Dry out a bit

2. Learn how to run. I did Sober October, the most attention-seeking of virtue-signals, and put it out as something of a joke while the donation pot was in the low £200s that should I hit £300, I would do a 10k.
And if I reached £400 I would do a half marathon.
More fool me. I have until October to learn to run 13.1 miles.

3. Get super-buff. I accidentally got a personal trainer through the college before Christmas. I didn't mean to. It just kind of happened.

4. Learn how to manage. I've gotten by by being personable so far but I'm going to have to learn to be unpopular in some ways.

Tell me what's wrong with you. Noo!

[FirebirdNC]

I see more imperfections than my husband does which is one of the reasons I married him lol.
1. I quit smoking in May and started vaping. It's lower nicotine and no smell but I know I need to let that go as well.
2. I have spent the last 2 years working out at least 3 times a week and watching what I eat. I lost almost 30lbs and feel so much better. That being said I am still considered obese by BMI. This is fine since I have larger than average calf and quad muscles and even in my super fit running everyday Army days I still had to get the tape test done because I was considered overweight at 125lbs. So being realistic 10lbs would put me in a very happy place.
3. The long-running issue of selling our house and moving is going to have to happen in 2020 or we are going to be broke so no pressure there.

I want to accidentally get a personal trainer that would be sweet. Without others to motivate me I have a hard time getting it done. Overall I am pretty content I mean why mess with something if it aint broke?

[Deacon]

I have made no formal resolutions, but need to be generally more diligent and industrious and try to hold my marriage together

[FirebirdNC]

try to hold my marriage together

That sounds ominous, trouble in paradise? or is that just a general" marriage is work" kind of statement. I do think a lot of people in relationships can take it for granted. Things are constantly changing and you have to take the time to make sure you change with them.

[Deacon]

That sounds ominous

It’s hard. It’s real hard. At some point you just have to ask why you’re trying so hard.

[FirebirdNC]

Sometimes it is worth the effort and sometimes it isn't. You have to talk to the other person and find out where they are. Plus I know you are a very exacting person you may have to think about what is worth the fight and what you should let go.

[Rorschach]

Yeah, if I’ve learned one thing in marriage - and I haven’t - it’s that you need to pick your battles.

That and a constant flow of porn-like sex isn’t a nightly guarantee.

[Seir]

I need to scratch that itch and get back into Brazilian Jujitsu. Haven't trained since my teacher died four years ago, I guess it's time to move on.

[FirebirdNC]

That and a constant flow of porn-like sex isn’t a nightly guarantee.

It's not?

[Rorschach]

Well, yeah, but I meant with someone else there.

Seir, has that really been four years? I still remember your FB tribute. He seemed like a great man.

[FirebirdNC]

Well, yeah, but I meant with someone else there.

Always with the technicalities.

[Seir]

Well, yeah, but I meant with someone else there.

Seir, has that really been four years? I still remember your FB tribute. He seemed like a great man.

Yeap, four years. I keep in getting reminded about it around this time because I spent New Year's Eve 2015 attending his funeral in a mosque in Queens.

[Martin Blank]

Sometimes it is worth the effort and sometimes it isn't. You have to talk to the other person and find out where they are. Plus I know you are a very exacting person you may have to think about what is worth the fight and what you should let go.

I let a lot of things go because they're important in the moment but I know they won't be important an hour later. But it does make it hard to identify trends and give examples when we do talk about my frustrations.

[Sir Spankspeople]

Mine's more a "to-do" list based on my current changing situation (see "Rants and Raves" for details), but I'm treating them as resolutions:

- Lose weight. I'm 220lbs, and "husky". I've been shrinking over the past six months, and I feel like I could have an absolutely bitchin' waistline if I could get rid of the belly fat. Also jowls and second chin. MTF HRT doesn't "redistribute" fat from boy places to girl places like people say it does. I have to lose it and re-gain it in new places, so ideally I want to get below my target weight and then back up again.

- Figure out how to get facial electrolysis without breaking the bank. I can't do laser, which is cheaper, because my hair is so light (was ginger and light brown before hormones, now it's just blonde), and the best estimate I've found so far is ~100 hours average for a beard, at ~$90-100 per hour. Less if I buy bulk packages, but I'm still looking at $8000-10,000. My wife's insurance (she works for the Federal government) covers up to $30 per session for me, but it's still a lot of money.

- With the losing weight, I want to make more home cooked meals so we're not spending upwards of $100 a week on takeout, especially with the above mentioned electrolysis costs. We started keto on the weekend, and I'm going to take this as a chance to track down my old school projects to do a weekly meal plan with fully costed recipes and ingredients.

- Stop being so impulsive in my spending. I've failed at this one already. On January 9th I decided I wanted to play Persona 3, and on January 10th I ordered (a red) one on eBay. Bad me.

- Learn makeup. Christmas gifts from friends and (my wife's) family involved a few makeup things, and a gift card for Nyx. I need to learn and perfect this art.

Otherwise, 2019 was actually pretty fantastic for me, so I intend to keep doing what I've been doing.

[Martin Blank]

- With the losing weight, I want to make more home cooked meals so we're not spending upwards of $100 a week on takeout, especially with the above mentioned electrolysis costs. We started keto on the weekend, and I'm going to take this as a chance to track down my old school projects to do a weekly meal plan with fully costed recipes and ingredients.

There were some recent studies suggesting that daily interval fasting by restricting caloric intake to 8-10 hour blocks can be very effective at losing weight, reducing blood pressure, and lowering cholesterol. There's a limit of 25 calories outside that window, just in case you absolutely must have sugar in your coffee or tea. I've been setting an 8-hour block from noon to 8 PM (so that I can finish the last scraps of the kids' dinners if necessary), drinking a cup or two of tea each morning and I dropped 10 pounds in about six weeks. I've also restricted alcohol to one day per week, no more than four drinks in that night. I find that I'm more careful about what I eat because I don't have the entire rest of the day to make it up. I'm back up a few pounds again (business travel does that), but I generally feel and sleep better already, and I feel like my initial goal is in reach, and the two goals beyond that are probable and possible, respectively.