Change of pace for both tech and a minor one for diet!

Linux

After more than a year for my Desktop, I have moved away from Windows 7 and returned to Linux Mint with Mate. I just feel...cleaner...with an open source operating system. My Windows install became what Windows always historically does, no matter what the prior OS—get buggered down by its own weight. I don't know about any versions after 7, but it didn't matter what it was, after a long enough period, a Windows machine just needs a fresh install. Sure, for some users, I had to run down some extraordinary situation, temp files that sized in the GB's and of course malware/virus or some kind of wacky driver hitting the processor. But, I never have that kind of problem with my own PC because...well, Weird Al said it best, "Can't you see I'm white and nerdy?" I mean, c'mon:

I really love the Mate window manager. It gives off that vintage feel of Gnome 2. I'm wistfully reminded of my days with Ubuntu 4.10 in early 2005, ol' Warty Warthog. Not that I didn't dabble with Linux before that—as an intern, I'd fool around with Corel Linux, sometime in '99 or '00 on a Compaq 166 mhz.

Now clearly, Linux Mint is a modern OS, another feature that I like: an updated OS. I don't know where Windows 7 is on its support cycle—at this point in my life, I don't really care— but, I like an OS with regular updates that help my system—and you can't beat a Linux update manager that looks up updates for EVERY application. On the flip side, my poor iPad from 2012 received an update from Apple that just about crippled it. I'm really surprised Apple doesn't provide a downgrade path, even if it is just to wipe the machine or just a frakin' factory reset. They could learn a thing or two from Google and its Chrome OS.

But, I get it: they're trying to remove the user from the process for a vanilla environment while returning value to the shareholders. But, what if I'm not interested in riding in that paddle-less canoe?

Coming home to Linux isn't too far of a departure for me. Though on Windows, I was regularly using open source software like Gimp, Gnucash, Clementine, Filezilla, Freemind, and Libre Office (kinda—I can't ignore the convenience of Google's office suite). No Notepad++ without Wine, so maybe I'll return to Bluefish.

And while my intent has been to a return to C programming, I've just pursued other interests. Coming back to Linux makes compiling ultra easy.

Lastly, and quite most importantly underscoring fitness, I've got it set up on a counter as a standing desk.

Diet Update

Yesterday, I prepped 8 lunches of spinach and broccoli, followed by my AM and PM soymilk blends for the next 6 days. I also made a shift in my supplementation routine, removing B12; Vitamin D, 5000 IU; and VitaminShoppe's Ultimate Man multivitamin from the MWF rotation. For those three days, I'm adding VitaminShoppe's Ultimate Man Gold. Sure, I could wait a little more than a couple of months and stay on my former vitamin, but I'd rather work in the new one and still not waste anything.

Normally, it's $20 more a bottle than Ultimate Man and lasts for 30 days less, but there was a sale of 25% off, plus an addition 20% off that. So, in practice, it was $3.44 more. Now, as to the day amount, there's not a lot I can do about that as Gold requires 3 tablets and the other is only 2.

The gold version is superior to standard version in A, B1, B2, B3, B12, biotin, folate magnesium, chromium, potassium, and choline.

The gold version also organizes its approach with additional supplements for digestion, men's health, antioxidants, and eye health.

I've made it through the UFC DVD catalog I purchased from the closed video rental store in town. It was 22 titles, half or so featured two discs and the other half were 3 discs as they spanned two UFC events. And while I still have my expiring UFC Fight Pass subscription, the lack of Internet access at my house seriously impacts it—well, I must be judicious with my 15 GB tethering usage. I have been known to drive into town to download a Spotify playlist. I have since relegated my music activity to a faster version of something akin to my 90s AOL newsgroup in a pre-Napster world (or pre-Audiogalaxy if you prefer) for that was an overnight queue with 28.8K, 33.6K, or 56K access that yielded about 3 songs a night.

And while I prefer my FLAC rips of my CDs, my music is as portable and as diverse as an anvil —but, good luck finding a legal, streaming source of Bear McCreary's soundtracks to all 4.5 seasons of Battlestar Galactica! While happy at the time in 2002 of driving up to my favorite coffeehouse to give away my 800+ CD collection to the first friend I saw, in 2018, I wish I had kept that collection—but, who am I kidding: I've moved so much and had to get rid of so many things since then...there's no way I would have moved around boxes of CDs from state to state —not to mention my minimalist lifestyle for a couple of spans along the way. So, Spotify FTW.

Reeling it back on topic, I do have unlimited use with Verizon for the number associated with my Jetpack. Conceivably when I do buy another phone to replace my broken one, I could buy a repeater so that I could use a phone around the house like everyone else, as with an antenna, my Jetpack has a remarkably solid connection. But, I'm unsure if I want to invest over a couple hundred bucks in that sort of thing.

For honestly, at the end of the day, I'm just The Only Living Boy in New York:

I get the news I need on the weather report.
I can gather all the news I need on the weather report.
Hey, I've got nothing to do today, but, smile.
Do-n-doh-d-doh-n-doh and here I am:
The only living boy in New York.
Half of the time we're gone,
But, we don't know where.

—Simon & Garfunkel

I really don't need to go online. Oh, it's helpful for banking and paying the bills. And I love access to music—it saves a bundle and years ago I lowered my Jolly Roger from the mast— sure, I miss Photoshop—I even tried its monthly subscription, but, Gimp is fine. Without the Internet, I suppose I'd go back to slowly building my vinyl collection...even slower without the Internet and requires a drive into Memphis to Shangri-La.

Oh, I suppose there are all sorts of avenues of interest that I'd miss driving down without my link to the Net. But, I guess I see it as a romantic notion to be disconnected from the groupthink of the world...maybe I'd hunt. I'd see a lot of value with a closet full of jerky. But, all of that is nonsense—I've been eating vegan—with a blatant disregard for it with my supplements—a lot of my weightloss success this year is from a low-carb vegan diet.

Still, I'd find value in not being caught up with what everyone else runs around in a whirlwind about with fists clenched and brows set. And truthfully, I'm largely oblivious to it all. I find value in being unconcerned with things beyond my control. I don't get amped up about politics and my sports interest has markedly faded. I reference those two, because the whole bit about religion and politics conversations.

Sports comes off like a religion here in the South; it has its parishioners and its cathedrals. It amuses me: for all the emotions and time we put into a sport, there are many places, if not most, where there is no knowledge of our fixation. I'm reminded specifically of when I taught my Czech students years ago; I played Andy Griffith's classic, What It Was, Was Football—they didn't know what in the world he was going on and on about!

That's something to ponder for further application.

As it has been said in '94,

It's amazing with the blink of an eye, you finally see the light. It's amazing when the moment arrives that you know you'll be all right.

I'm feeling good about my new cardio calorie approach regarding calorie vs. minute completion. It allows me to have a fuller knowledge of what exactly is going on. It's easy just to put in a workout and ignore the process. Admittedly, when training, I don't want to be fully aware of the minutia. I find if I do, I go more intense—sounds good, but if I fire the afterburners, I may have nothing for tomorrow's workout. It's always a tug-of-war between intensity and endurance/longevity. Frankly, it's all about optimization. Sure, I wish every workout was an all-out effort with no repercussions. I also wish I could lift my arms over my head and fly. I might even fight crime along the way. Fine, fine, I really wish for a Bat Cave. All right, I'll settle for a DeLorean with 1.21 gigawatts.

Loftly aspirations aside, keeping track of calorie output should yield enhanced results. That said, any ambitions to bring weight training back into the fold have now been shelved. The calorie count just isn't there. Yes, resistance is great for build creation and definition, but that's just not what I'm doing here. I'm strictly taking the weight off; again, I just won't be building muscle mass at a calorie deficit. And clearly, I'm dropping mass. When I need muscle mass, I'll get it, though I can't quite think what for beyond body movement—chin ups and such. I have no interest in lifting heavy bars, simply because I never run across that in the wild. If I want to be better at an activity, I do that activity. shrug

To assist me, I created a Google Form to record my data. It's too much of a hassle to keep paper around and as I always have my iPad with me, it's easy to punch in the info into a form. On the back end, I have a pivot table to sum everything. I also include additional details, though I don't know if there's anything I'm going to do with it.

Change is happening, of course. Sunday afternoon, I tossed an aerobie around for a bit. Since it was a GREAT autumn day out, I pulled out a favorite, long sleeved t-shirt that I wore in 2017—yeah, I was absolutely drowning in it. I wound up wearing another t-shirt underneath it. But, I guess's that the difference between a tired 4XL t-shirt and my brand-new, Tiger Blue, XL Reebok Space-dye Performance t-shirt!