I Resolve To ...

Like it or not, January and 2010 are both here. Among other things, that means it's time to stop looking back and start to look forward. In most cases, that also means coming up with some resolutions for things to change in the new year. Generally, I don't make New Year's resolutions because I'm never able to keep them. But this year I'm going to publish my list of resolutions here, and I'm hoping that the public declaration will help me stick to them.

So with that in mind, I resolve to ...

1. Not gain weight, or more specifically, to weigh as much as — or preferably less than — I do now when the clock strikes 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2011. Part of that will involve showing some restraint when I see leftover cake or cookies in my office kitchen (or if I'm at Costco), and part of it will involve finally going to the gym in my condo complex (and working out when I'm there).

2. Put myself out there more. Which means I'm going to stop being so much of a homebody, stop spending so much time by myself, and I'm going to try to be more open to meeting new people.

3. Read more. Books yes, but also Twitter feeds, industry websites/blogs, and other things that will help me be better at my job.

4. Go on vacation. An actual vacation. That means I hope not just to travel, but to go somewhere warm, nice, relaxing, and fun. It's been a long time — too long — since I went on such a trip. I think I'm due.

Alright, four resolutions is enough, some more realistic than others. Today is January 1. I hope you'll help me stick to these goals this year.

Eat It

I don't buy this whole diet thing. Oh, sure, you could probably tell by some of the things I post on here that I'm not the healthiest of eaters (exhibit a or exhibit b, anyone?). But in true Gemini style, there's an opposite side of me that truly does want to lose some weight. And it's been a constant struggle between the two sides for a long time now. Doesn't take a genius to figure out which one is winning.

I don't mind telling you that August was supposed to be the start of Martin Eats Healthy — or at least, Martin Eats Healthier. And I have made some impressive strides in that department (relatively speaking). For example, I rarely eat frozen chicken nuggets for dinner anymore. Now my meals consist more of actual meat — chicken, mostly. And instead of eating pasta as a side dish, I have either eaten corn on the cob, or broccoli, or carrots, or string beans, or some combination of them. For breakfast, I've stopped eating chocolate chip muffins, and now I eat a yogurt every day with some fruit (cantaloupe).

Generally, it's alright. I have actually become somewhat addicted to corn on the cob this summer (much to the dismay of my teeth). But the yogurts? I have tried a few different flavors, and a couple different brands, but they all basically have the same tart taste, no matter what the flavor supposedly is. I've even been to that new place, Chill, in Cleveland Circle, and had the tart yogurt — but I have to say, it wasn't great (I mean, compared to real ice cream, anyway). I've had salad for lunch, but it's just not filling enough, and nor is a yogurt in the morning. A couple hours later and I'm hungry again.

Of course, I haven't cut out bad foods entirely (still a few of those), but yeah, at least I'm trying. Eventually I'll get it through my skull that eating better (relatively speaking) is only half the puzzle, and the other half is I need to exercise more. But that'll happen in due time. Maybe if I start to see some actual results, it'll encourage me to do more. But until then, I'm just not sure I'm cut out for this whole diet thing.

She Ain't Heavy, She's Just Oprah

Not that anyone asked her, but Oprah Winfrey has admitted that she now tips the scales at 200 pounds (the story is in the latest issue of O magazine). So as if my week wasn't already going well, now I can also take pride in the fact that as heavy as I am, I don't weigh as much as Oprah Winfrey does. Phew!

Thank You, Summer

I hate being sick. It's well documented that I'm not a very good sick person. So it gives me no great pleasure to say that for a few days now I've been sneezing and I'm congested, and I get a sore throat and cough (but only at night for some reason). That's why I called in sick on Wednesday for the first time in more than two years in an effort to help myself get over whatever it is that I have (some call it a cold, I think it's something else).

So yeah. I stayed home yesterday. And I've gotta tell you: after waking up later than usual and settling into position on the couch, I quickly found myself bored. Jeez ... What happened to the sick day? Isn't this supposed to be a fun day? The kind of day you long for where you get to watch game shows and all kinds of cheesy TV all day, and you relax and bake cookies, and by day's end you feel so much better? I don't know about that. By 10 a.m. I was already checking my work email and browsing around on the Interwebs and looking for other ways to keep busy. I mean, what else was I going to do, watch The View? That would only make me feel worse. Now of course, I could have done some apartment cleaning or read a book — you know, something productive — but I didn't. I basically just caught up on some shows I'd recorded in recent weeks, took it easy, spent too much time on my computer, and somehow the day flew.

Actually, if you want to know the truth, the highlight of my day was (no kidding) watching a repeat of The O.C. on SoapNet. And not just any repeat, but the second-season Chrismukkah episode — one of the top-three best episodes of a not-always-great but still beloved series. And, well, despite any boredom I had felt all day, when Summer Roberts saved Chrismukkah for the Cohen clan, she had also saved my day from being a total loss. I'm not saying Summer is this year's miracle cure or anything, but she made me feel a whole lot better. So yeah, Summer Roberts does it again. She saved Chrismukkah and she saved my sick day. Hooray for Summer Roberts! And hopefully, farewell to my cold really soon too.

Now I Feel Old

I've heard from more than a few friends who've been through it that buying real estate makes you feel more like a grown-up than anything else. And then there was that day last summer when I was having back pain and felt old. And we all know how much I've hated the college kids these past few months. So maybe I'm sending out the wrong message on this blog about my true age, because when I got home tonight, what did I have in my mailbox? A membership application to join AARP. No kidding. If you're out there reading this, it's important that you know I'm just 33 — not 50, and certainly not anywhere close to retirement. But I wonder what would happen if I sent this in ...

It's Not a Cold

All week I've been trying to stave off a cold. Or at least what I thought was a cold. But it turns out I may just have winter allergies, which I'm learning are more common than I thought. After all, if the only symptoms are sneezing, runny nose, and occasional watery eyes, and I'm not feeling run down and I don't have a sore throat, etc. then it has to be allergies, right? Especially with the way the temperatures here in Boston have been fluctuating, I'm sure there are all kinds of irritants in the air. And I mean, when you go to CVS and you look at all the cold remedies, the ones that treat my symptoms are all labeled "allergy" medication. And Claritin-D seems to be working so well today. And, this would partly explain why the Zicam didn't do squat all week. So, I'm making a self-diagnosis. I don't have a cold, I have allergies. Phew!

Hello, Winter

Because I have nothing better to do, I've been doing a bit of thinking lately trying to decide what the worst thing about winter is.

Is it the bitter cold temperatures, and the winds that seem to make it even colder, and the fact that it seems to become cold right away without a slow drop in temperature?

Is it the iced up sidewalks that taunt me and almost dare me to walk on them and not fall? I include the parking lot outside my building, which I have no choice but to cross every day if I want to go somewhere; half of it is a sheet of ice right now.

Is it the over-crowded and less frequent T cars? Every year, same old story.

Is it dangling on the edge of being sick, and trying ever-so-hard not to catch a cold from everyone around me who seems to have something already.

Is it the fact that everyone's so bundled up that they look almost unfriendly and unapproachable?

Is it not wanting to go outside to do stuff because it's so much nicer on my couch in my warm apartment?

It may actually be a tie between all of those things. Winter just really sucks. There's absolutely nothing good about this time of year (other than the holidays, of course). Brrrrrrrrrr...!

For a Few Extra Schillings ...

If you ask me, it’s good news that Curt Schilling will be back on the Sox next year, finishing out his career right here in Boston. But the details of his new contract are a little suspect:

<< According to Schilling, who first posted the confirmation on his web site, the deal includes a possible $6 million in incentives in addition to his $8 million base salary: $2 million in weight incentives (based on six weigh-ins), $3 million based on innings pitched, and $1 million if he receives even a single Cy Young vote. >>

He gets $2 million in “weight incentives?” Are you kidding me?? Well, allow me to make this announcement: if the Sox (or, for that matter, any other company out there) wants to pay me $2 million to lose weight and keep it off, I’d gladly switch jobs. That's crazy. But it's certainly worth $2 million to me.

Yawn

One big difference between ’04 and ’07 is the fact that I just haven't been able to stay up to watch the baseball games this week like I could three years ago. I was falling asleep during game one, and because it was a blowout, I almost called it a night somewhere around the fifth or sixth inning — until I forced myself to stay awake and I got a second wind. No such luck last night. Despite a close game, I nodded off on the couch late in the game and totally missed most of the eight inning and the top of the ninth. I woke up to the sound of Maria Stephanos’ voice and just went right to bed, without even knowing if we’d won or lost. And I’d be totally embarrassed to admit that, except that as I walked into the kitchen here at work this morning, it seemed to be a common type of story. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still wicked excited about the World Series, and I still want the Sox to win (although I’ve changed my prediction from six games to five), but there’s something about this series that just makes me so ... tired. (Yeah, I'm totally getting old too soon.)

In related news, it’s worth noting that — WOO HOO!!!! — we’re up two games to none! I mean, hey, Sox fans know as well as anyone that that means squat. But given how the series has been going so far, it’s all good. And kudos to the Boston Herald headline writers for their cover line today: Old Faithful, with a picture of Curt Schilling. Nice job. And muchas gracias to Jacoby Ellsbury for the free taco. Bueno! I've never once eaten at Taco Bell, but in your honor, I may have to make an exception. But I still want to know who that guy Royce Clayton is. I know he's an actual player, but of all people, why was he miked up by Fox? The way he was going on with Coco about the tacos on Wednesday, and then again last night with Jacoby after the big steal, it was like the guy was a total plant. Who is this guy??

A Medical Miracle?

So the strangest thing happened Monday afternoon. I finally got around to calling my doctor to schedule an appointment for a physical. I figured I wouldn't actually get to see the doc until November or December, at the earliest. And after a good natured guilt trip from the receptionist about when I last had a physical (it's been at least three years, I think; last time I saw him for any other reason was more than a year and a half ago), she told me that actually, there had been a cancellation and would I want to come in Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. I was stunned. It's an easy(er) week at work, and there's a convenient appointment available less than 48 hours later. Is the doctor really operating on my schedule? Amazing. Unheard of. Perfect. How often does that happen? (Uh, never.) So there's just one problem. Now I actually have to go.

Grandpa Martin?

I think I slept funny last night, because my back's been bothering me all day. And it was no fun to have a four-hour meeting where I had to sit in an uncomfortable chair the whole time, but worse might have been walking around the office with my hand on my back, in a small degree of agony. And worse than that may have been the feeling that if I've got back pain, then I must be getting old. What's next? Will my hair start turning gray? Will I start yelling at "young'uns" on the T just for the hell of it? Will I start talking more and more about the good old days? Will I start to eat liquid meals? I don't want to be old. At least not yet.

End of the Line

My inbox this week has been full of people’s cold remedies (plenty of water, Goldenseal, and something called “garlic mush,” for example), but today I got this message:

"Is the well so dry that you have to subject your readers to your ceaseless whining about your head cold? Honestly! It's that time of year, get a grip. Let's put it in perspective: would you find my ramblings about migraines at all compelling??"

So consider this my last posting about my cold. Why? Well, the emailer would have you believe it was because she wields enormous influence over me (ha!), but it's actually because I’m feeling better today. Sometime last night during dinner (at Masa in the South End. Yum), there was a clearing. Was it the spicy food? Possibly. Was it the loud noises that forced their way into my head? Could be. Was it my strong desire to hear discussion on the other side of the table? I wouldn’t doubt it.

Whatever the reason, my head congestion ended, and now, hours later, my cold is on its final breath. Ha ha! You thought you could defeat me, cold, didn’t you? Well, it may have taken me longer than I wanted, and you may have put up a strong defense against my various remedies, but I have won out. You are beaten down and I am victorious. And now I will enjoy a fun weekend.

Let this be the last I write about colds, flus, viruses, sneezing, runny noses, and head congestion for a long time. Amen!

Well Don't I Feel Stupid Now

If you're interested, the doctor told me today that I do not have a sinus infection. I simply have a cold. So he told me to buy some Afrin and if things get worse — if things get worse? — he'll give me an antibiotic. Great. Gee, thanks. Now I really feel silly.

Looking for a Miracle Cure. Again

I tell you, the cold and flu remedy industry is the biggest racket. I've been sick for a week, and I've tried about four different remedies. Everyone has their favorite, and I've asked around. Started with Nyquil (only, and at night), took that for a couple days, then on Saturday I switched to Tylenol Cold Relief. And then yesterday, I switched to Sudafed. And my nose is still runny and my head is still congested. It's safe to say that none of this crap works. I mean, it's not that I feel sick — which, I suppose, is the bonus of the situation — but I sure wish I could stop high-tailing it to the bathroom every hour to blow all that "stuff" out. And I wish I could hear things clearly, instead of the muffled way I do now.

Today it was recommended that I get a saline spray, so I did, and despite my wariness, I shot a spray up both nostrils. So far, it's alright. But I'm not sure I did it at full blast enough to make a real difference (20 minutes later and I already have the sniffles).

Regardless, enough is enough. I also made a doctor's appointment today for tomorrow afternoon. People at work called me a wimp for doing it because they too are sick and have been dealing with it for longer than I have and blah blah blah ... well, I don't want to carry a cold as long as they are. I already wasted one weekend inside, sitting on my couch. This weekend I want to go places. And until then, I want to be able to concentrate at work without being so distracted. I want — hell, I need an antibiotic, or something stronger and proven and reliable so I can stop blowing my nose and can get back to normal.

I estimate I've spent about $25 on this cold already, and while that doesn't sound like so much added up, when you're spending $5.99 on one thing, and then $3 to replenish the O.J., and then $1.50 on another box of tissues, and then another $6 for another medication ... well, you just want something that works so you can stop making nightly runs to CVS. As I say, the cold and flu remedy industry is a racket and it's sucked enough money out of me already.

It's All in My Nose

Called in sick and stayed home from work today. Got a bad case of the sniffles. Really, I'd be much better were it not for the fact that I'm sneezing a lot and blowing my nose constantly. Nyquil is helping me sleep at night so I'm not tired, and my achiness is gone. It's my damned nose that's trailing. And that's making me feel worse. Yuck. If I was going to stay home from work on a Friday, I'd rather do it when I could actually enjoy the day. Today isn't going to be much fun at all. Maybe I should go to Shaw's and get some chocolate cake...

In the Grip of the Grippe

I guess it’s my turn. Again. Some horrible cold has been making its way through the office over the past couple of weeks, and I suppose when the people I work closest with get it, it’s only a matter of time before I do too. So, today I felt gross. Didn’t sleep well last night and I’m tired. Got a runny nose. I’m achy. No appetite (never ate lunch). I'm irritable. And I'm actually looking forward to watching American Idol tonight. You know the symptoms, and you’ve read about them here before, so I won't go into it again.

Why did I think that because I had a cold in December I was immune now and for the rest of the season? Isn't that how it works? And when is this cold snap going to pass???

It's a Miracle

Ladies and gentlemen, after enduring four days of a cold, I have found the miracle cure. Believe it or not, it's chocolate. Yes, chocolate. I'm not sure if it's the sugar rush or the cacao or what, but ever since the early afternoon when I started breaking off pieces of a chocolate moose we had sitting around near the office kitchen (yes, that kind of moose), I have felt significantly better.

I started with just a shaving from the ear. And then I went back and had a little chunk. Later, I was slicing into the nose. This was good chocolate. And it certainly did the trick.

In previous years when I've had a cold, I've credited my miracle (eventually) speedy recovery to all manner of sweets — cake, for example. So in all seriousness, I think it may just be that my body was in some form of withdrawl and needed a taste of what it's used to. Is that crazy? I mean, I know for a fact that my body was rundown and that's largely to blame for why I had the cold to begin with. And in the past few days, I haven't been eating much of anything. So even though I did have a runny, stuffy nose and a cough and aches, etc., my body was out of sorts in other ways. Now granted, I don't think that if I went on a diet and stopped eating cake and candy, that my body wouldn't be able to handle it. On the other hand, I'm sure that if I did some digging around medical web sites, I could find something to back up my claim.

I've asked multiple people — pharmacists at CVS, friends, my mother — and everyone always has a different answer for what to take for a cold. In the past week, I've tried Sudafed, Cold-EEZE, Nyquil, and plenty of orange juice. While I was starting to feel a little bit better this morning, none of those things had the effect on me that the chocolate has had. No kidding.

Granted, I am still coughing intermittently, and I don't feel perfect, but my breathing seems to have returned to normal and I'm hoping that after a good night's sleep tonight (God willing), I should be raring to go tomorrow. Woo hoo!

Having a Cold, Dos and Don'ts

Do medicate yourself. Do be smart about what medications you take and when. For example, don't take non-drowsy Sudafed at 9 p.m., an hour or so before you plan to go to bed, and expect to sleep well through the night. Also, don't switch medications mid-stream through a cold because you think doing so will have "shock value" for your body and will speed up the recovery time.

Lessons learned. I hate having a cold.

(But seriously, is there a proven cold remedy?)

sign of winter, number 74

i have a cold. it's that beginning of december, change of seasons, no flu shot would save me from this, inevitable, winter's actually here cold. you know the one. it has all the usual symptoms: stuffy/runny nose, cough, sore throat, general congestion, clogged ears, tiredness ... yuck. and i'm not the only one here in my office who has it: one person has called in sick and stayed home, one other person has similar symptoms and is here, there's coughing and sneezing elsewhere in the office, and a general sense that everyone's going to get it sooner or later "so stay away from me."

admittedly, i feel better today than i did yesterday (thank you, Cold-EEZE and O.J.), but that could be because i didn't sleep well saturday night and i was just exhausted driving back from another weekend in new york. then again, i did write all of this in lower case without even realizing it until a second ago, i'm putting the wrong revision date on printouts i'm circulating (10/12 instead of 12/12), and someone here just commented on how well i had coordinated my sweater and scarf today, which i swear i didn't do on purpose, so maybe i'm less here than i thought. thankfully, i drove in today, so not only can i spare my fellow T passengers from getting what i have, but i can also get home in 15 minutes should things get worse.

ugh. it's going to be a long day.