Dog Shit
Posted: Mon 14 August, 2006 Filed under: Animals, Health, Thoughts 4 Comments »Every morning, I get annoyed by a certain percentage (and I assume it’s a minority) of dog owners. Now, we own a dog, the ineffable Hound, who goes out for a walk every morning. During that walk, she normally has at least one major shit. It’s what dogs do.
If I actually see her taking her shit, I clear it up. I pretty much always carry at least a couple of shit-bags in a pocket. As a responsible (well, at least semi-responsible) dog-owner that’s fine, it’s part of the job. (To make life more complex, I don’t technically own Hound – I inherited her. She’s Herself’s dog, bought with previous partner, but I’ve inherited the role of dog-owner/walker/plaything) If Hound disappears off into the bushes and bracken for her shit then I admit, I don’t chase in after her in order to get it. I’m not that dedicated, frankly.
But what really annoys me is the people who take their dog out, watch it having a shit on the path, or anywhere else in full vision, and just leave it there. Don’t even bother cleaning it up. If I see them doing it, I do tend to ask whether they plan on picking up their dog’s shit – and do they need to use one of my spare shit-bags? (I never did manage to be subtle) But most of the time you just come across the discarded article, and it really pisses me off.
If you’re going to own a dog, then picking up that dog’s shit is a simple part-and-parcel of the process. It’s a job that grosses me out completely, but it’s part of the deal, so I do it. I’d love to never have to pick up a still-warm (and in winter, slightly steaming) fresh-laid dog log. (you can feel it through the bag – I don’t mean pick it up in one’s bare hand)
I just don’t understand the people who don’t get that, who think it’s OK to leave their dog’s shit all over the place for Someone Else to clear up.
Working Out?
Posted: Tue 1 August, 2006 Filed under: Domestic, Health 2 Comments »Hmmm, I’m really not sure how this one’s going to go. Anyway – up ’til now, my gym visits have always been after work – it’s been easier that way for a number of reasons, and also means that Herself and I meet up at the gym, and I don’t need to get the train home.
Today, though, I’m doing something different. I plan to go to the gym in my lunch hour. I must be fucking barmy. But we weren’t in the mood yesterday for the normal gym visit, and I figure that maybe I need to change something in order to motivate myself a bit more to go.
I’ve no idea how it’ll work out – in theory it’s a good idea, and should allow me to go more often while I’m here. And I might as well take advantage of not being in London, and instead still being at the original office. It’s just that, well, going to the gym in one’s lunch hour is just a bit, um, dedicated, isn’t it?
Updated : Well, actually it all went OK – a lot quieter than the evenings (hardly surprising, but all the same) and all went smoothly. No problems getting on to any of the machines, all done in 30-35 minutes, then grab some lunch, and back in the office on the dot of the hour. And yes, I know, I shouldn’t eat straight after a workout, but hey ho.
Weight Stuff
Posted: Wed 12 July, 2006 Filed under: Health, Resolutions 6 Comments »OK, I went to the gym last night for a “reprogramme” on what I do. It was supposed to happen last week, but well, I forgot my kit, and it all generally went a bit tits up.
So last night was the one. And I did OK – I’ve a new programme of work, which should be interesting. I nearly passed out on the rowing machine, but that’s because the instructor told me to breathe on each stroke (Hello Google), and once you start doing 34 breaths a minute – well, OK, once I start to do 34 breaths a minute, I end up hyperventilating. Which really isn’t much good or much fun, and doesn’t tend to do much for one’s health. Particularly when one almost bounces one’s head off the next rowing-machine along.
But anyway. The weird bit is this : Back in January when I went for the initial session my BMI was 30.1. I’ve since lost about a stone, and lost a lot of visible fat. So how come my BMI is now 33.3?
Or is it all just a load of old bollocks, and nothing I should worry about?
Barmy
Posted: Mon 3 July, 2006 Filed under: Health, Weirdness 1 Comment »This evening, I’ve an appointment at the local gym, where one of the trainers is going to put me through my paces, and figure out what I should be doing in order to keep on losing weight.
Today’s temperature around here is supposed to be around 32°C. I’m going to be doing a shitload of work in the gym. In short, I must be fuckin’ barmy.
I expect to be a sweaty puddle in the recuperation area by 7.15pm.
Diaries
Posted: Fri 23 June, 2006 Filed under: Geeky, Getting Organised, Health 3 Comments »Next Wednesday I’ve got an appointment at the gym with a nutritionist. Kind of weird – I’ve been planning it for a long time now, but finally got round to making the appointment this week.
So of course, as part of that, I have to make a list of everything I eat or drink between yesterday and next Wednesday. OK, that could be interesting – in a kind of depressing “how much diet coke?” way.
But now comes the sad part. Rather than doing a diary where I write it all down, then forget stuff, then lose the bits of paper etc. (Hey, at least I acknowledge my own inefficiency) I’ve gone and written a tiny little web app that lets me add in items, keeps them in a database, and provides a printable record of them anytime I want. I can even access it through my phone.
I really need to get out more, don’t I?
Sorting Sleeptime
Posted: Wed 21 June, 2006 Filed under: Domestic, Getting Organised, Health 1 Comment »For a long time I suffered from epically bad insomnia – it seems to have sorted itself out a bit at the moment, bizarrely, although I still tend to suffer from very disturbed sleep – but 43 Folders has a list of things that may help to break insomnia.
Some of them I don’t agree with, but in general it makes a lot of sense. However, for me, I’d say that the one I disagree with most is
Get in the habit of going to bed when you are sleepy and sleeping where you sleep best
I think that what caused my insomnia (or at least contributed to it) was getting in to the habit of only going to sleep when I felt tired, or only sleeping in places I wanted to sleep, and that screwed me something rotten.
Ah well. It’s still an interesting set of ideas…
Bugfood
Posted: Sat 17 June, 2006 Filed under: Domestic, Health, Thoughts 1 Comment »One thing I hate about summer : mosquitos.
For some reason the little buzzing hypersonic bastards think I taste great, so they all attack me in the night. And I get covered in lumpy bites that drive me utterly insane.
Currently, due to the lack of foresight displayed by sitting outside one evening, my feet – particularly, my toes and the sides of my feet – are covered in itchy little bastard bites.
Time for some insect repellent…