Song of the Day: A.C. Newman - Maybe There are Ten or Twelve...

Since the inception of 2009, I've really made it a conscience effort to eat better. It's part of the packaged new years' resolution of some sort I guess. This means buying healthier foods, more fresh produce opposed to preserved foods, and more health-wise items (But seriously, who can resist the tastiness of the Vlasic Stork pickles???). I think the the overall change would have to be produce that has a very limited shelf life. So far, I've noticed my groceries last approximately 2 weeks at most.

It's been about a month and a half and I've noticed that my grocery bill has sky-rocketed upwards of about $40 per trip more than the average basket in 2008. I don't know if guys do this or not, but like a typical guy, I'll buy whatever I feel like having for the next couple of weeks regardless of its price. I know that this buy-what-you-want-when-you-want attitude needs to change pronto. I've always enjoyed a good Granny Smith apple, but the red delicious ones are 20 cents cheaper? How do I get what I want at an affordable price? How would you rank the local grocery stores in terms of price? Do I need to start looking at the weekly flyers sent out by 4 or 5 grocery chains? Do I need to avoid after-work rendez vous' to the local Metro? What kind of tips can you recommend in bettering the budget and trimming the waistline?

xend transmissionx

Labels: lifestyle

Song of the Day: The Delta Spirit - Parade

I know the Grammys were last weekend, but I wanted to touch on something here. So the theme of this year's production was collaborations from some unlikely pairings. For instance, Dave Grohl & Paul McCartney or The Jonas brothers & Stevie Wonder. Some collabs were better than others. It was nice to see something different, but I really thought the collab thing was really supersaturated and really took away from the celebration of music made in 2008. It made me question what the organizers, producers, coordinators, and advisors were thinking when they designed and organized this shindig. Were they not confident in the new music to showcase it for national television? From what I recall, all the covers were of classics and the majority of the night focused on music from the distant past. I think there only three performances that were worth watching:

1) Adele - because she was a new artist with music that was released in 2008. The kid can sing!

2) Radiohead - seasoned vets who are always pushing the envelope of progressive music. They too played a song that was released in 2008.

3) Jay Z, Lil' Wayne, T.I., Kanye West, M.I.A. - could there be anymore hustlas in the rap game onstage at once?

Anyways, that's my two cents. Nice try Grammy committee. Could could have saved some money by pairing back on the collabs and celebrateed more recent music. Better luck in winning me (the fan) over next year.

xend transmissionx

Labels: music

Song of the Day: Lykke Li - Little Bit

My conversations with a close friend south of the 49th parallel in the wee hours of the morning always rouses me to generate some sort of list or agenda. Tonight's topic was goals for the '09 . I think going through a year without personal goals or challenges might take you off the course of personal achievement or self motivation. I must admit I was distracted this past year and my vision of the 2008 outlook was somewhat blurred. So far, we've set a challenge up for first 3 months of the year to better our health, but we' re looking to see what other competitions or goals we each have for this year. Are these some things that are meant to internalize? Well, it doesn't matter because I'm going to share my list regardless.

.::: Hung :.::. .:::.:. says:
1) Seek another job (i.e. to learn another skill, keeps me interested, higher visibility, more strategic, more analytical with more time allocated for deep dive analysis, take on a position of more leadership roles)
.::: Hung :.::. .:::.:. says:
2) Work more towards bettering my communication skills ( to address different social groups and work-related issues)
.::: Hung :.::. .:::.:. says:
3) Establish a slush fund for future housing situation
.::: Hung :.::. .:::.:. says:
4) Live a healthier lifestyle (translation - lose weight!)
.::: Hung :.::. .:::.:. says:
5) Establish myself in some other community besides work settings (i.e. volunteer work)
.::: Hung :.::. .:::.:. says:
6) Research opportunities for more additional education (MBA or certifications or accreditation)

I'll have to check this 'ish' out monthly to see where I'm tracking. I plan on accomplishing these goals once the summer hits its full stride. Wish me luck!

xend transmissionx

Labels: Goals