Cambios

I've been getting more sleep, and it's doing me good. Today, I plan to make myself a schedule. My days have been unstructured, and this has lead to laziness and unproductive habits.

I'm taking a break from League of Legends, again, but this time it feels easier. I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. Skyrim, on the other hand, is monopolizing my time. There is so much to do in that world, but it reminds me that there is so much more to do in the real world. Just taking a walk through my neighborhood is relaxing and enjoyable. I plan to take more of these and listen to Spanish podcasts as I do.

My writing slows because I think too much. I think about what others have written, what others think about what I write, so I don't write anything at all, and that is the worse thing I can do. I care what others think, but it should never keep me from being myself.

Long story short, I need to listen to this more often.

Chest pockets and their usefulness

Pockets are a wonderful thing. Without pockets, our hands would always be full of stuff we can't stand to leave home without; cell phone, keys, wallet, portable gaming device, etc. It would only make sense that the more pockets you have, the better! Right?

Well if you don't agree, here's a list I made about my favorite kind of pockets: chest pockets.

Practical Uses of The Chest Pocket

• Got a stick of gum you want to save for later, but your wife and her bottomless purse are nowhere to be found? Good thing you have a chest pocket, otherwise that stick of gum would have become a lint magnet in your jeans.
• Playing your cards close to your chest? Why not leave them there for insured safe keeping. I learned from my days working in a comic book store that chest pockets are the perfect size for Magic: The Gathering cards.
• Do you consider yourself organized with your Moleskine notebook full of all your to-do lists? Not if that list is nowhere near your heart. Add to the list: Buy shirts with chest pockets.

My favorite buttoned shirt I picked up from Mexico has FOUR pockets on the front. What does that tell you about our neighbors to the south? They chew a lot of gum, collect Magic cards, and have a long list of things to do.

P.S. Last time I stood on the scale I weighed 148 pounds. My goal was 147 pounds, so it looks like I'll be hitting it soon.

"The Incredible Hulk" in the form of my car

I am the proud owner of a '98 Chevy Monte Carlo which I have given the name "The Hulk". It's big, green, has its share of battle-scars, and I don't like it when it's angry. What I love about this car is its dependability. I have been the proud owner of this car since 2002. I don't know many people that can say they still drive their first car; I know less that would be proud to.

This car was given to me as a gift from my Dad on my sixteenth birthday. I didn't actually have my driver's license at that point. I was a 16 year old procrastinator (surprise) that didn't get my license until 6 months later. Since then, I have driven the crap out of this car. There isn't really any other way to put it.

It hit the 150,000th mile almost a year ago. It has been declared totaled after an accident it was involved in (other person's fault) three-ish years ago. It is a pain to work on, so I don't. The A/C is now powered by mother nature. The Chevy emblem, which should be on the front, is somewhere in New Braunfels after a rainy day fender-bender (ok, that one was my fault). Oh, and the rear-view mirror is in the backseat. I have no idea how much money has been put into repairs and maintenance, but I'm sure this free car has been paid for twice at some point or another.

 In summation, I want to just say thank you. Thank you, Dad, for the great car. Thank you, Mom, for teaching me how to drive so that I didn't have to learn in some classroom. Thanks to my brother for buying and installing the Sony CD player that still works and sounds great; the pedal covers are still there, too. Thank my wife for not making me get rid of it, yet. Thank Chevy for making this car that I'm looking forward to driving for another ten years, at least.

Three Goals of Five: Progress Report

As another goal for today, I am typing this without looking at the keyboard; not so easy for me. I'm a pretty decent typist, but I am normally not looking at the screen as I type. As a writer, I'm a bit ashamed. Not sure why I never learned, so lately I began passively practicing while blogging, gaming, and working. Blogs are taking a bit longer to write, communication to teammates in games is inaccurate, and work is awesome because I have some.

I began a new project for the Austin Community Foundation, working on some web pages in their "about" section on their web site. This will be great for my portfolio, and I will be working on it for the next two weeks. The current web pages need some emotional and professional touches, so I'm really excited to start writing them after the long weekend.

My weight loss has been a bit different. I have excuses, none are good. I'm still sitting around at 152 lbs. I really want to hit it hard, and go at it like I used to in my high school athletics program. I took that dedicated time of running and weightlifting for granted. Now, I'm lucky if I motivate myself to wake up and go for an hour walk in the morning. Small changes are easier to make than big ones. I just have to figure out what they will be.

Golfing yesterday with a few distant relatives at our family reunion was very enjoyable. We played a tournament with a scramble format and three teams. Playing best ball sure made our score look pretty good, but not good enough. We finished last, but we still had a great time on a good course, and don't tell anyone, but I think the best ball was usually mine.

Overall, I feel progress has been made. I'm happy with that.

My '57 Chevy Bel-Air is in the shop

Okay, so maybe I wasn't absolutely clear on that. My model '57 is in pieces, in the garage, or at least it was over a year ago. Currently, I am finishing what was supposed to be a Father's Day 2010 gift. It has since turned into a, "When I finish it," gift. Thank you, Dad for being so patient.

I purchased the kit in April of last year.

Two months later, I painted the engine parts and glued them together.

Last week--yes, as in, almost a year later--I finished piecing together and painting the interior.

Today, I am waiting for the paint to dry on the wheels.

My Dad owned an actual '57 Chevy Bel-Air, but sold it when it was becoming too expensive to maintain. It was a beautiful car he kept in great condition. It was always enjoyable to take a ride in that car, knowing everyone in their Honda's and Toyota's were secretly envious of our good ol' American industry ingenuity. With my new attitude towards getting things done, this project will be finished in less than two weeks. Dust off that spot on the shelf, Dad.

Blogging More, Gaming More

I'm really enjoying this blogging thing; enough to start another blog, apparently. Don't worry about having to check two blogs now, unless you enjoy Frozen Synapse as much as I do.

Weekly Weigh In

This morning I woke up and walked to the scale. I felt confident in what I would see. Then I saw that I was one pound less than the previous week's weigh in. I know weight can fluctuate a few pounds from day to day, but that digital 151 definitely makes me feel like I'm making progress.

Frozen Synapse Strategically Replaces League of Legends

I've been a pretty avid League of Legends player for the past year, but it's a love-hate relationship and right now I'm hating it. I wanted to find a competitive multiplayer game where I was making more of an impact on whether I won or lost.

Graphic Design Partners Wanted

Today I finished reading an eBook written by Peter Bowerman, author of "The Well-Fed Writer", on how copywriters and graphic designers can really improve their businesses by teaming up. His previous books led me to my current venture, and are guiding me through the copywriting arena . Peter's "Profitable by Design" is a great book that informs freelance copywriters of the benefits of partnering with graphic designers, and how to go about the process.

Father's Day at the golf course

Today, my father and I celebrated Father's Day in Austin. He came up to play some golf, and we had a great time, even if we didn't play our best. Dad did well after nine holes. Me, on the other hand, gained a stroke from my previous round, two days earlier. I had a +20 after the first nine. We played another nine where I did better, finishing with a +17. Nothing to brag about, but after 3 rounds of golf I've shaved off two strokes. You have to stay positive to reach your goals.

From the Back Tees

This morning's round was interesting. I pulled up to Harvey Penick at around 7:30 a.m. and I was grouped up with a threesome teeing off at 7:50. I prefer playing from the white tees or the blue, but this particular group felt they needed to swing from the blacks, so I went along. That would have been alright if any of their tee shots had made it past the ladies tees. At least playing with them made me feel better about my game, which wasn't much better.

Chore Day Assigned

Fridays will now be chore days at the Graham household. This morning I ate brunch and did a sink full of dishes before heading out to mow the lawn in the Texas heat. I was going to weed-eat, but the weed-eater had other plans, including dying after only one side of the house had been completed. A trip to the Home Depot is in the near future. The indoor work consisted of cleaning kitchens, bathrooms, trash cans, litter boxes, and vacuuming the floor. Fridays work well for chores because cold-calling offices before the weekend doesn't yield as good of returns as it does in the middle of the week. People are already planning their weekend, and they aren't as open to freelance offers. That shall continue next Tuesday.

Last week Mrs. Graham notified me of a great deal through aDealio which allowed me to pick up a three month, unlimited play pass to the Harvey Penick nine hole golf course for only $75. That's why I chose Harvey Penick to be the course for my target +5 round. I should be getting plenty of practice there in the coming weeks. I'll kick it off with a round tomorrow morning, and I'll let you know how I did.

Hitting Golf Balls at Sunset

After watching a couple episodes of "The Big Break" this afternoon, I headed out to the driving range to try and fix my slice. I think I'm finally getting it. I leveled out my swing, whereas before I had been bringing it back too vertical. Of course, when you fix one thing, something else goes out of rhythm. That's golf.

I waited to go to the driving range until it cooled down, so off I went at 7 p.m. with the temperature at 98 degrees(welcome to Texas). I've found Jimmy Clay/Roy Kizer driving range to have the best deal on a large bucket of balls, costing only six dollars. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish my large bucket before 8 p.m.when the range closes. So I headed to the putting green to get some much needed practice.

If you live in Austin, or plan to visit, stop by Jimmy Clay golf course. It has a great deal for eighteen holes and a cart for $21 all day on Wednesdays. Not too shabby for a quality course in great condition.

The Golf Channel Weighs In on Non-Profits

This morning starts my journey towards my "Three Goals of Five" or 3GO5.

I went ahead and did the official weigh in, and I'm sitting at 152 lbs.. That would make 147 lbs. the number to reach. Standing at 5'4, I'm in the low end of the overweight category by a little more than a point, based on the calculator I found.

So what will I do today to work towards that goal? Well, the best advice I've ever received on this matter was to "Eat less, move more" from Dr. Laura(holding for laughter). We already eat pretty healthy here at the Graham household thanks to my wife, Melissa, and her great cooking recipes from E-mealz. My movement could use some practice, though.

Golfing in Texas is a pretty good workout, and it would work on two goals at once. Maybe a trip to the driving range is called for. I know it's not the same as walking eighteen holes, but Heaven knows I need the practice. It's Thursday, so I can watch a few minutes of the pros kicking it off for the weekend for some inspiration.

But before any of that, I have a long list of local non-profit organizations to call and prospect for copywriting needs. Cold-calling hasn't yielded too much work so far, I get more response from emails. I'll continue to call because it's still nice to speak with a live human being, even if they are telling me no. Maybe that's why I get along with Melissa so well.

Life Progress Report

All of us have goals. Some of us write them down. Even less of us actually do something to accomplish them. Where do you sit in these three categories? Why are there so few who actively pursue their ultimate desires? Laziness, procrastination, and self-doubt are just a few reasons. I'm guilty of the first two for sure. That's why I've decided to make my progress in a few areas of my life public to receive a form of positive pressure from family, friends, and whoever else discovers this blog.

I don't expect everyone to give me pats on the back or thumbs up. It's more of an accountability thing. I write daily updates on my goal progression in this blog, and I feel like someone is watching me and keeping me honest. Hell, a politely written criticism couldn't hurt me either(I hope). I'm open to most advice. On to the goals!

Here are my "Three Goals of Fives" I will be working towards in the next three months.

• Complete five paying projects in my freelance commercial writing business.
• Hit a +5 or better round at the Harvey Penick nine hole golf course.
• Lose 5 lbs. I currently weigh 150 lbs.

Well there you have it. Check back daily to see how I'm doing.

Pets Love Junk Mail

I have a new found hatred for credit card offers. This morning I went through about a year's worth of unopened credit card offers in order to prepare them for my shredder. There are only about two pages per envelope that have any information which needs to be shredded. To save some work for my shredder, I spent the morning sorting all the garbage out.

Apparently, you can remove yourself from the mailing lists of these companies. I'm not sure how much good this would do, or whether or not they can just resume sending their mail after obtaining your information through some other source. Instead, I will just open it when it arrives, and shred it within a few minutes of finding the "important stuff." You know? What I should have been doing in the first place.

We had been putting it in a box next to the shredder. This resulted in a box that overflowed with mail we were eventually going to shred. Well, eventually came last week.

Unfortunately, my shredder is capable of overheating and will stop shredding when it gets too warm. It will resume shredding after about a half hour of cooling off. This allows for distractions to occur. Did I mention I found my dog's tennis ball today?

The War on Terraria

Recently, I was looking at my friends list on Steam when I noticed not one, not two, but four of my friends playing Terraria--a side-scroller video game, borrowing many elements from other great games such as Minecraft, Metroid, Zelda, and Castlevania. Well if four of my friends shelled out ten bucks for this game, it must be good, right? Well somewhere between 10-20 hours later, I'm still hooked on trying to find more lava pits for obsidian, and shadow orbs to awaken the "Eater of Worlds". It's good when you're playing single-player, but great when you grab some friends. I highly recommend this game for anyone. The concepts are relatively simple, so you don't have to be a "hardcore" gamer to get into it. Don't worry whether or not your computer can handle the 16-bit graphics, unless you're rocking a Tandy.

Back in the swing of things.

I recently had the itch to pick up golfing again thanks to Mr. Graham, a.k.a. my dad, who had me make a tee time for a round at Jimmy Clay golf course. Jimmy Clay is the nearest course to my house, and I had yet to play it. I prepared by going to the driving range and hitting the local nine hole course.

I really got into golfing about a year ago, but my interest had faded during the colder months. Luckily for me, I have a lot of natural talent when it comes to golfing, so getting the rhythm back doesn't take many rounds of golf or trips to the driving range.

I also wanted to thank Mark, my stepfather, for supporting me in the game as well. He's done a lot for my game and my golf bag.

Today I hit some good shots, and more bad ones, at Hancock municipal nine hole. Ended up with a 52 on a par 35. For my fifth round of the year, I'll take it. Keep them coming.

Hey, look Ma! A blog!

And so it has begun. With a few keystrokes and some inspiration, my own personal blog was born.

My name is Andy Graham, and I've been looking for an outlet for some of the things on my mind. I write for a living as a freelance commercial writer/copywriter. Most of the writing I do is business related, this will not be the case here. I hope this can serve as a medium for the more personal and creative writing side of mine. Stories, happenings, and life.

Life happens often, hopefully these blog posts will too.