This walking business is kicking my butt...

I did not realize how out of shape I am until I started walking again.

My average time is still over 60 minutes for a 5k distance...

Ugh...

And my legs and hips are feeling every step of it...

But I am keeping with  it.

I got up early this morning and walked an hour before getting ready for work.

Not early enough apparently.

By the time I left for work, a little later than normal, traffic was so backed up that it took me twice as long to make it to the office...

So I will be working a little later, which should be ok since there are no cafes to visit (damn DeWine and co).

I did walk pretty much the same route I took yesterday in hopes of finding my keys - no such luck.

I guess I need to let my fingers do the walking for a bit and look up local Honda dealers to see where I can get the best deal on a couple of new keys.

Stay tuned.

Candy Crush update: I am now stuck on level 325 with a chance to pass one of the 6 friends who are ahead of me:)

Maybe walking is not such a good idea...

I worked from my home office (aka dining room table) today. 

I try to do work from home at least once a week.  I actually get so much more done when I work from home - laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms (yeah, I have two just, for me). And I can yell out my frustrations without getting written up for it...unless, of course, I am teleconferencing and forget to mute before I start yelling.

Today, I decided to take a lunch break walk.  

It was nice out - too nice for the long sleeve shirt/jacket combo I was wearing.

So, I took off the jacket and tied it around my waist.

Some time during that switch - or before or after, but sometime after I walked out my door and locked it - I dropped my keys.

And of course I did not realize that I dropped my keys until I had walked 3 miles and was back at my door.

I walked another 3/4 mile looking for my keys.

I did not find them.

But once again, apartment living shines through - somewhat.

The groundskeeper let me into my apartment and maintenance immediately changed the locks on my door.

I am still short a car key.

An expensive car key; not a key to an expensive car, just an expensive key.

It will be even more expensive if some lowlifes find my keys and realize that I probably  live nearby and decide to beep themselves into my car....

But I should not worry.

This is a decent neighborhood.

At least now that the neighborhood Craig's list killer is behind bars...

Further planning to get out of my funk....

Having had such a productive weekend, I am planning future weekends accordingly...

1. Mosey out of bed no later than 9:00 AM - unless I am more than half done with the book I am reading - then just finish it...
2. Spend  2 hours or less taking care of chores...
   After two hours, just stop and go to Step 3...there is always tomorrow...
3. Spend 1 hour or more walking, biking, or dancing around the house to MeatLoaf or the Boss or Bob Seger....
4. Spend a good 2 hours working on home/side projects.
5. Spend  at least 2  hours blogging/facebooking...
6. Have have some fun with friends and famly...
7. Kick some Candy Crush butt.

Take that, funky mood!

Productivity at its' finest....

It was a good weekend....

Let me count the ways...

1. I installed a flashlight app on my phone  - and it works. I did not realize that I could use my phone as a flashlight; but now that I do and I can, I have lightened my key chain by removing the freebie AAA flashlight.  Not that it was so heavy or Mag light cumbersome, but those key chain doodads do add up.
2. I installed some of my favorite music and a music player on my phone - and it works. I am not going to lie here, as much as I like to think I am technically adept, I do scare myself at times. I have all of my classic rock greatest hits CDs copied to my hard drive and I do not want to be bothered converting them to MP3s; so I was looking for a player that plays wma files.  I found one and installed it...but when I tried to play my music, I kept getting a  NO MEDIA AVAILABLE error. Well, after a few frustrating hours, I realized it helps to select "Audio" if you want to play music files. 
3. I decided I need to lose a few pounds, so I got my hair cut.  Unfortunately hair does not weight a much as I had hoped.  But it was worth a shot.
4. I did a little work for my son's business - something he asked me to do last week, but I just could not get out of my funky mood; I have a tough time being creative when I am in a funk. (This week I hope to work on something for my daughter's business - keep that funk away!)
5. I did the usual  - laundry, picked up a bit, watched the Browns lose....
6. I installed a pedometer app on my phone; it counts time, miles, steps, and a few other things I do not really care about....
7. I tested the music app and the pedometer app yesterday and today.  The music app worked fine. I think the pedometer app is working; according to it I walked 3.74 miles  yesterday and 2.76 miles today.  I am not sure how accurate that is, because when I am walking with Meat Loaf and Bruce and Bob Seger it's like walking on air...
8. Most importantly, I decided to walk - not run - my first 5K in December; which is what prompted me to do most of the above.  I am really out of shape, so if I am gong to complete a 5K without embarrassing myself by taking 3 hours to cross the finish line, I need to train a little (ok, a lot); so I am tracking my daily time and distance with the pedometer while listening to my favorite music while sporting a shorter hair style that will not be such a pain to deal with; and hopefully I will lose a few pounds, too...win,win :)

PS...I also completed level 311 in Candy Crush and am now stuck on level 318...

Here's the plan....

I am serious about getting out of this funk...

Here's a plan I am going to try to follow...

Workday Evenings:

1. Fight traffic on the drive home for 1 hour or less...
   After 1 hour,  go right to step 2...
2. Spend 1 hour or more walking, biking, or jogging....
   Ok, maybe skip the jogging, too much jiggling going on there
3. Have some fun with friends or the kids....(optional, depending on everyone's schedules)
   If there is no fun to be had, go to Step 4.
4. Spend  a good  hour working on one of the side projects that I have taken upon myself (optional, depending on if I actually have something that I am supposed to be working on)
   If there is no unfinished business, go to Step 5.
5. If the night is still young, spend 1 hour or less blogging/facbebooking...
   Yeah, facebooking; it's like blogging, only a lil more random....
   After 1 hour, make myself stop...there is more to life than Facebook.
   Go to Step 6.
6. Play Candy Crush until I run out of lives on my computer and mobile device......
   Play TriPeaks while waiting for more lives.
   When the battery on the phone/computer dies, go to Step 7.
7. Go to bed with a book/ebook and read til I fall asleep - which may cut into my sleep time immensely, but then sleep is overrated....

That's enough planning for now...

It is time to get this day started....

Notice it is a weekend day and my plan does not yet include weekend days....

Maybe weekends should just be freestyle:)

It's been a funky kind of week....

I need to get myself out of the funky mood I have been in.

I am really missing cafeing....

Before I started cafeing, I would come home after work, play solitaire on the computer, read, blog....

Pretty much lived the life of a hermit...

Okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration.

I did and do stuff with the kids...

And I do have friends that I visit with...

But that happens on the weekends or once or twice a week at most.

I am okay spending time alone.

The problem is I seem to spend that time alone on the couch with a book or a kindle or a laptop.

Before the internet cafes closed (thank you Damn DeWine and co) , I would spend most evenings and weekends (when I did not have other plans) hopping from Internet Cafe to Internet Cafe...

I made quite a few friends and a little bit of money.  

With breakfast, lunch, and dinner included -  if I timed it right.

Yes, before I started cafeing a couple of years ago, I was seriously considering looking for a second job...

But then I discovered cafeing and realized that if I played smart, I could have fun,  make a little money, and cut way back on my grocery bill.

I have seemed to revert to my old ways...

Sitting on the couch with my laptop and kindle....

Playing games....Solitaire and Candy  Crush Saga...

I have to quit this...

It is not healthy for me - physically or mentally.

So I am making  a plan...

To get out of the funk...

More to follow...

As soon as I crush level 311....

Any tips, fellow bloggers?

Shout out....

I am a poor lowly blogger....

I blog for fun and as a safe outlet for all the things that stress me out in my day to day life...

So when I go surfing for photos or clipart to use on my template or posts, I naturally look for the free stuff...

This morning I found a great site....

Check out freerange...

Where registration is free....

And so are the downloads.

Apparently the contributing photographers share in the profits from ads....

I am going to send my photographer daughter there.

Have I told you I have an awesome photographer daughter????

Well, I do.

You can check her out on Facebook and on the web at Open N Shut.