Reflections

Well, I will not make this too long or dramatic. $500 May was a success for the first time since I started doing it a few years back...likely because this is the only year I really took it seriously. I finished with $34 to spare. Next year it will be $466 May. I'm sure I can beat it. I missed out on a public transit subsidy that my company provides...and I definitely splurged towards the end.

So what did I learn? Well, nothing that I and you probably didn't already know.

1) Walking is good for you. The skating and nightly trek up the hill on top of my normal exercise has strengthened my legs and increased my stamina. You also see more when you have the time to look around. And apart from the chances of a random sliding SUV running you down...its probably safer too.

2) Eating out is really really expensive. Just taking my old eating habits into consideration, I saved about $800 on food this month.

3) We (most of us) eat too much. Having to ration out my servings left me hungry at first. But once I got used to eating normal portions, I realized I just don't need much food.

4) Driving is overrated. Am I giving it up completely? Of course not, unless I get another speeding ticket and the court forces the issue. Riding to and from work takes more time...sure...but if you budget it properly you're really not losing it. If anything it affords you the opportunity to more of those things you've "been meaning to get to." I read 4 books, and caught up on lots of sleep. Oh and another thing. No road rage...ever. Sit in the back and kick your feet out. You can't get annoyed by the people on the road if you can't see them.

5) Schedules aren't a bad thing. "Break free. Don't be bound by social conventions." Without discounting those ideas, I can say that having to be at a given corner, at a given time, every day, instills reliability...not to mention a courtesy that seems to be absent far too much 'round here'.

6)Documentation. Writing for all of you, helps me. It allows me to gather up my experiences and reflect upon them in a meaningful way. That's it. I promised I wouldn't get dramatic.

So its a new month and the blog gets a new name. 10k June. It's a duel goal.

1)Run a 10k without stopping. I've gotten close in last few months, but sooner or later the debilitating side cramp gets to me. There simply has got to be a way to get around that. I will have my first opportunity this weekend at the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. Likelihood of a non-stop completion: a very optimistic 30%.

2)Win $10k playing poker, without investing any more than $500. I know it sounds grandiose at first, but I know its possible. I've gotten to a point where I need to acheieve a goal like this ( or get close) or seriously think about just hanging it up. I've got far too many leaks that will continue to break me if I don;t make major changes. Hopefully the same sort of dedication that I applied to my last goal will carry over to this one.

It should be noted that the first goal is the more important of the two.