Burger #1: Simmzy's Burger (Tin Roof Bistro)

In Regards to Thing #4 ("The Edible Thing")


Location: Tin Roof Bistro; Manhattan Beach, CA
Burger: Simmzy's Burger
Price: $9.75 (+$2.00 for fries)
Companions: The Rapp/Hogwarts Creative Crew (Brandon, Lauren, Diori, and Flo) 
Menu Description: Tillamook Sharp Cheddar, Sweet Onion Chow Chow, Aioli
Opinion: Simmzy's is a burger place in downtown Manhattan Beach, so I'm not sure what affiliation exists between them and Tin Roof Bistro that allows for placement of their burger on the TRB menu.  Anyway, it was okay for a basic burger (although I did order it medium, and it a bit on the rare side).  Despite the fancy description, you had burger, bun, cheddar, grilled onions, lettuce, and tomato.  There wasn't a ton of "fill your mouth with flavor" goodness, though...you basically ended up with a mouthful of messy burger, with a slight onion-y overtone.  I did, however, take a look at the broader Simmzy's menu, and may have to check that location out sometime soon.
Rating (1-10): 4

Ground Rules and Ground Beef

In Regards to Thing #4: "The Edible Thing"


Been hashing this out with some co-workers, so I figured I should lay out some ground rules to guide my search for the ultimate burger.

• #1: No more than two burgers per week, except under special circumstances (e.g. vacations)
• #2: Sliders do not count as burgers...but meat substitutes do (e.g. turkey, ostrich, veggie)
• #3: Although one overall burger shall be the winner, other sub-categories can be discovered/developed over time as the year progresses, and category winners may emerge
• #4: I shall attempt to photograph each burger consumed, and shall post it along with a standard array of "burger stats and ratings" (which still need to be determined)

That's it for now...

Thing #4: "The Edible Thing"

Okay, the first several "Things" that I've decided to tackle are all pretty much hard work and focused on making myself a better person.  Time to switch gears for a bit and focus on new experiences and fun things.  Which I guess will also make me a better person.  And what better way to start off than by pitting "Things" against each other.  Sorry, Thing #1, but it's time for...

Thing #4 (aka "The Edible Thing"): Find the best damn burger out there.

I figure for something like this, I do need to lay down a few ground rules (see, Thing #1...I'm lookin' out for ya).  But I'll save that for a later post.

Bagel Friday. Dammit.

In Regards to Thing #1: "The Obvious Thing"


Ah...forgot that this happened every Friday at work.  Well, one more hurdle to face.  So far, I've successfully by-passed the temptation and enjoyed my "lite" breakfast sandwich.  But these things stick around all day, so I still have about 8 hours to remain strong.

(The asiago cheese bagel with sun-dried tomato cream cheese is particularly tasty.  Dammit.)

Berlitz vs. Rosetta Stone

In Regards to Thing #2: "The Lingual Thing"


I had a couple people recommend I check out Berlitz, for their language instruction course, rather than Rosetta Stone.  I have to say, after checking out both sites, I'm much more sold on RS.  I have a much clearer idea of what I'd be getting into, and their educational software seems to have had a lot of time put into its development.

Berlitz, on the other hand, seems to relegate their "self-study" software to a much more secondary role, placing greater emphasis on their live instructional classes (either face-to-face or via the internet).  Whether or not it's more or less effective, I'm much more drawn to the software approach, so I'm pretty damn close to pulling the trigger on this one.

And sorry nay-sayers...but I'm going with Japanese.

The Last Temptation of Curt

In Regards to Thing #1: "The Obvious Thing"


So, I'm sitting here at work, wrapping up a project...and thinking to myself, "Gee, I should try to put out another blog post before I take off.  And it's getting kind of late...should I try to hit the gym?"

Cue Neil.  Neil is one of the nicest guys in the office.  A copywriter who would give anyone the shirt off his own back.  Or, in this case, a spare McDonald's cheeseburger.

You see, Neil really likes his McDonald's, and always seem to have a spare burger on hand (I kid you not...every time I walk into his office there seems to be a burger on his desk).  And it was no different today.  Just as I was wondering what to write about (and with my stomach starting to growl), in he walks with a cheeseburger asking "Hey, are you still on your diet?  Do you want this?"

Yes, Neil.  And...yes.  Dammit.  But it's just one, right?  And I'm still going to the gym tonight...

Breakfast of Champions

In Regards to Thing #1: "The Obvious Thing"


So, just sitting down to my quickly nuked breakfast at work, and figured I should share what exactly I'm stuffing my piehole with.

In the past, when I wanted to eat healthy, I did a pretty consistent breakfast of two hard-boiled eggs (with the yolks removed), filled with a small sliver of roasted garlic and a little dollop of guacamole.  Add a little pepper on top, and BAM!...you've got a nice little low-cal breakfast.

This year, though, my breakfast so far has consisted of these low-calorie Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches.  Have been eating these turkey sausage and egg-white croissants that clock in at under 250 calories. With an overall daily goal of taking in fewer calories than I'm expending, so far I'm on track, and haven't felt unusually hungry.  Oh...and I also follow that up (if I remember to) with a small orange, only slightly larger than a golf ball.  And coffee, of course.

Rosetta Stone?

In Regards to Thing #2 ("The Lingual Thing")


As I've talked to folks about my desire to learn a new language, several people have recommended that I look into using Rosetta Stone as an educational tool.  I checked into it online...a couple hundred dollars for Level 1 software?  Over $500 for Levels 1-3?  Really?

May have to shop around for this one...but if it's as good as folks seem to think it is, I'd definitely be willing to make the investment.  Just a little unsure on this one.  Thoughts?

Thing #3: "The Phobia Thing"

I'm just going to cut to the chase...I'm not looking forward to this one.  Let's get to it:

Thing #3 (aka "The Phobia Thing"): Conquer my fear of needles.

Because of this phobia, I'm missed out on such joys as giving blood, vaccinations, tattoos and intravenous drug sharing.  If all goes right, I'll be more charitable, immunized, regretting an unfortunate choice in body art and as high as a kite by 2011.

Level Up

In Regards to Thing #1: "The Obvious Thing"


Usually at work I park on the third level of the parking garage, and avoid the stairs going to and from my vehicle (unless I get out of work late and the door leading to the stairwell is locked, in which case I take the elevator).  This week, though, I started parking on the fourth level...and even if I get out of work late, walking around the long way to the stairwell (avoiding the locked door) and taking the hike anyway.

Perhaps I'll up the stakes tomorrow and start parking on the fifth floor...even though that's where you find the folks who purposefully park out of the way so that nobody parks next to them and potentially damages their vehicle.  I guess it's an unwritten rule up there that you NEVER park in the spot next to another car.  Muahahahaha...go ahead and ding my '96 Geo.

I Think I'm Turning Japanese...

In Regards to Thing #2: "The Lingual Thing"


...I really think so.

In other words, unless I get some really kick-ass suggestions in the next week or so, I'm think I'm going to settle on Japanese as the target of Thing #2.  I got a couple suggestions from the blogosphere, though:

• Italian (Sorry...limited use, except in Italy, raceways and restaurants)
• Chinese (I do agree, they are likely to own everything soon, anyway...and it was right up there with Japanese in my initial choices. But I feel like they'd be less forgiving if I butchered their language.)

But I'm leaning toward Japanese, currently...if only because it may likely be of practical use in the business world, and it's someplace I'd like to visit for an extended period of time.  That having been said, I'm still open to suggestions.  Anyone?

The Black Hole - Redux

In Regards to Thing #1: "The Obvious Thing"


Well, the Black Hole wins again (see previous post).  Although...it's not completely to blame.  I didn't escape work until around 8:30pm or so, and still had a buttload of stuff to continue working on at home, so if I had forced myself to hit the gym, I'd be up easily until 3am or 4am working on stuff.

And that may still be the case.

Anyway, it's a simple fix.  I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon, so likely won't be stuck at work until the wee hours again, which means I can get there promptly around 5pm or 5:30pm.  Then it's a simple matter of doing leg day, abs AND an hour of cardio.  Unless I shift everything by a day and just workout Friday instead of taking a rest day (which, effectively, was today).

The Black Hole

In Regards to Thing #1: "The Obvious Thing"

I arrived at work this morning to discover that I left my gym bag at home.  But before I relay why this is very unfortunate, a little background is in order.

Traditionally, I would bring one backpack to work, and it would carry my laptop, power cord, clothes/workout towel for the gym, and my combination lock.  I'd also bring a pair of shoes along with me...unless what I wore to work could double for the gym.  I thought it would nice, though, to have a separate gym bag, which carried all my workout stuff, and I could just keep that in my car...no muss, no fuss (and I wouldn't have to drag my laptop into the gym, another bonus).  To that end, I asked for one for Christmas...and I got one.

Yesterday was the first day I used it, and I'm still working the kinks out of the system.  Since I shower at home after the gym, I still need to transport my work clothes OUT of the bag at the end of the day, and put new workout clothes IN it.  Because of that, I couldn't really just leave the bag in the car when I got home...I still have to cart it out of the car, up to my room, and reload.  The perfect opportunity for me to forget the gym bag the next morning.  Which, of course, I did.

For most people, this wouldn't be a problem.  There's a branch of 24 Hour Fitness about a five-minute drive from my home.  But, for me, home is a Black Hole.  Once I make it back there after a day of work, the odds of me escaping again in the evening for ANYTHING (e.g. gym, grocery shopping, dining out, hitting the bar) are infinitesimally small.

So we'll see if I can overcome the gravitational pull of Buckingham Parkway tonight.  Head home, get geared up for the gym, and depart.  Wish me luck.

The Workout

In Regards to Thing #1: "The Obvious Thing"

I figure I should go into a little detail about I plan on handling the fitness side of things as I tackle Thing #1.

For several years (I'm guessing around five), I've been a subscriber to the Men's Health Online Personal Trainer.   Basically, you feed it your fitness goals, punch in some basic strength stats, tell it which days you want to do strength and/or cardio training and how long you want to workout...and it spits out a custom workout for you each day.  You then feed it the results of your workout...how you actually did...and then it adjusts your upcoming workouts based on that.

It's pretty nifty, especially if you're like me and like some variety in your workouts.  The Online Personal Trainer does a decent job of rotating new exercises in every so often, so it keeps things pretty fresh.

I took a break from it last May, and just started doing my own thing in the gym...which had its pros and its cons.  But I've decided to rely on this program (and least initially) to guide me in my workouts.  In short, here's the plan:

• Monday: Cardio
• Tuesday: Legs/Abs
• Wednesday: Cardio
• Thursday: Shoulders/Traps/Abs
• Friday: REST
• Saturday: Back/Biceps/Abs/Cardio
• Sunday: Chest/Triceps/Abs/Cardio

So that's the current plan.  I may explore different workout options throughout the year or change things up as needed...but for the time being, that's what I'll be doing.

Thing #2: "The Lingual Thing"

Okay, I'm ready to declare my second challenge.  This Thing's pretty straightforward...but I do need a little help from the blogosphere with this one:

Thing #2 (aka "The Lingual Thing"): Learn a new language.


I completely understand that this will be a tall order for one year, but my goal is simply to make as much progress as possible.  But, the big question is...what language?  Any thoughts out there?  Would love to hear suggestions and rationales.  The sooner I decide, the sooner I can get started.

Thing #1: "The Obvious Thing"

I wish I could say that the first thing I want to address in 2010 is unique in some manner, but it's pretty standard fare as far as resolution-type activities go.  I'm talking about reducing my sheer tonnage.  So let's make it official:

Thing #1 (aka "The Obvious Thing"): Reduce my weight to under 200 pounds...and keep it there.


As with all the Things that I'll be tackling this year, I'll go into more commentary on this in a later post.  Needless to say, this is going to be a tough one for me.  I'm pretty good about exercising, but not that great when it comes to eating right.  So, definitely an uphill battle.

A Single Step

The idea for this blog germinated toward the end of 2009, but I've been going in circles on how to start things off just right. But those of you who know me well know that I could be in that stage for ages...so I decided to just bite the bullet and get one simple post down.

In quick terms, here's the concept: Tackle 12 things over the course of 2010. And what are these things? Well...I've only decided on two so far. I'll go into more detail on those later this week, as well as what the immediate plans for this blog are.

So this it. My single step that begins a proverbial thousand-mile journey. We'll see just how far I end up going...