Peter’s Soapbox

Stiffness (Or, “The Peter Nikolaidis Total Body Workout”)

I am, quite literally, sore and stiff from head to toe this morning. My recipe for this wonderful feeling is as follows:

1. Start by moving large quantities of trash and recycling to the landfill Saturday morning. This works those lifting muscles in the back that you don’t use all that much if most of your daily activities consist of typing.
2. Attend a Karate class late morning to early afternoon. This works to exercise different muscle groups than your regular ones used in Aikido. (Note, if you normally practice a hard art, go to a soft art class instead.)
3. Move heavy furniture in the afternoon. This builds on that warm-up you got in the morning with the trash.
4. Drive a friend/family member’s vehicle to the dump. This is particularly useful if the vehicle is significantly different from what you normally drive (e.g. a van as opposed to a Subaru). This works different muscles to maintain posture or stretches you in somewhat different positions.
5. Sleep.
6. Sunday afternoon, hop on your mountain bike. Go straight up for 2.5 miles of class 4 road. Pause momentarily at the top, then plunge straight down something that Jeeps would hesitate to tackle because the mud, rocks, trenches, and logs across the road give them pause. Do not pause.
7. Arrive at family’s house and eat 2-3 times more in one meal than you have been in an average day. Feel the stomach muscles stretch in response!
8. Finally, wake up on Monday morning and regret everything that led up to this “wonderful” feeling.

Medifast: One Year Later

I started the Medifast Diet one year ago. While I’m up a few pounds today (169#), I’ve managed to stay within 5 pounds of my goal weight of 165# for since October. I also decided that it’s safe for me to stop counting my calories every day, but I will continue to track my weight to make sure I don’t sway too far off track.

My (Unsuccessful) Attempts to Get an iPhone 3Gs

I tried to get an iPhone 3Gs as soon as it was announced on Monday. I called my friend who owns a cellular phone store, and is an AT&T reseller. In his words, “AT&T would rather you buy it from Wal-Mart than me, so call me back and I’ll tell you how you can get one.” Strike one. Continue reading My (Unsuccessful) Attempts to Get an iPhone 3Gs…

Gogol Bordello: Lessons Learned in Caffeine, Punctuality and Randori

Delayed blog post alert!

I saw Gogol Bordello, a gypsy punk band, perform in Burlington, VT on June 6. I learned a few things, and validated others which I already knew. Continue reading Gogol Bordello: Lessons Learned in Caffeine, Punctuality and Randori…

IT Spending in an Economic Slowdown

A couple of months ago, I heard a fellow podcaster state that in this economy, it’s a good idea to try to get vendors of IT equipment and services to give their best price because they’re willing to make deals. While I agree with the sentiment, on one level, I am a bit disturbed. Continue reading IT Spending in an Economic Slowdown…