The End Is the Beginning Is the End

Today I created a little folder on my hard drive titled MyThesis. It represents an incredibly large mental step for this man. I just... I just felt the Internet had to know.

Now, I should probably have some words to put in it... something sciency-like perhaps. I'm thinking tachyon particles. They're always a useful plot device...

You shouldn't blog...

...just any old thoughts that occurs to you. It's not particularly interesting. This is why I won't write any more entries until I decide on some definite topic.

To sum up my previous posts:

1. Exercise is good
2. Sugar is bad. The GI diet has some pretty healthy and very tasty recipes (even the vegetarian ones!)
3. I love my brick!
   

The Diet

After a two week break, I've finally gone back to the gym. It was as tough as expected but now I can wallow in the smug glow of activity, scorning confused passers-by. I did 36 minutes of CV and 3 sets of circuits, but no free weights or stomach exercises. Still, first day back! From now on, I'm going to note down the weights at the exercise stations to chart my progress (yes, this blog is a glorified exercise chart).

Starting Monday, I'm taking the South Beach diet. We have a little book on it at home. My sister and mum are on it at the moment, so that should make it a bit easier. The worst part is the first 2-3 weeks where you can't have any fruit (even juice), bread and dairy products. Besides sweets and chocolate, these are among my favourite foods! I think chicken and fish are allowed but I'll find out. I'm going to draw up a weekly eating plan for the week, buy in the groceries at the weekend, and start on Monday.

The Plan

Things to do to improve my life/happiness:

1) Get in shape
2) Become an amateur-level guitarist

1)
My girlfriend is away for the summer. She'll be back for only two weeks in August, and then she's off to New York for a month and I'm off to Denmark for an undetermined number of months.

Instead of taking the opportunity to whip out some old Smiths albums, I've decided on a better approach. I'm going to take the opportunity to better my life and get into a routine of exercise (while listening to Smiths albums :) ). The past month has tested out well, we'll see how the future pans out.

2)
What I mean by 'amateur-level' is a guitarist who has almost flawless technique, can play extremely difficult pieces of music in the home and can play difficult pieces live. This may seem a bit extreme to some people, but I know and have seen some great musicians who play outside of work and this is the bar I'm currently reaching for. To me a professional is somebody who plays consistently at the highest level and lives music.

As an aside from The Belly, I have been frustrated with my guitar skills for a long while now. I am actually quite a competent guitarist but my main problem is discipline. I *can* play some fairly intricate fingerwork, some impressive solos and some difficult rhythm passages. But, I can be sloppy at times - inconsistency is the problem.

The solution is good technique. What I need to do, and have never done, is discipline my fingers through exercises. It's very boring work but if you want to be a great guitarist (and I really do) then it is essential. My finger dependence really needs improving. I bought the highly-recommended "Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar" by Troy Stetina but have been too lazy to use it properly until this week. I don't doubt that if I follow the lessons, I will place myself exactly where I want to be. It will be a hard course but it will pay off.*

In particular, there are two bars in 'Sweet Child of Mine' (joining the slow beginning of the guitar solo to the brilliant middle/end). I've played them perfectly once and only once. My goal is to build up enough concentration and agility to play them perfectly every time. I wanna rock.

In short, I aspire to live a life of Victory Not Vengeance! as the band say.

P.S. These last two blogs have been wordy and expansive. I'm going to try and curb my online stream of consciousness!

*Of course, this only addresses one aspect of my axe-play (dude!), but it's a big one. I love fingerstyle so much as well - Lindsey Buckingham's 'Big Love', Chet Atkins' version of 'Autumn Leaves', Nancy Wilson's introduction to 'Crazy On You'... fingerstyle feels more 'earthy' than playing lead with a plectrum. One day I'll get lessons to learn all the tricks of this style.

Kill Belly

When I get around to it, this blog will detail my journey from the land of the slightly jiggly to the land of the fairly fit. My rants will be safely vented into the expanse of the Internet to help clear my mind.

Yes, I've hit THAT age. When I was 20, I went on a summer visit to the states (New Hampshire) and after a glorious summer spent underage-drinking (Land of Freedom?!!) and working in a sweetshop, I began to notice my special affinity with The Pudge. Luckily, back then I was less cynical and chair-bound and went straight to the gym to carve some meat off my bones.

Now that I'm older, balder, indeed fatter and at the crucial 23/24 age, drastic measures need to be taken. Step one, regular exercise. Step two, healthier eating.

I'm glad to say that I am eating better these days - I'm making my own food and trying to eat what I need instead of clearing the plate. The regular exercise is slowly taking place thanks to friends of mine. Arranging a jog with a friend substitutes excuses with responsibility. Having a weekly soccer match is both something to look forward to and something to make me feel better.

The problem with my lifestyle is my interests and my work. I'm undertaking a mathematical and computer-theoretic Ph.D. which places me in a chair at a desk for a large portion of the week. My main hobbies are playing guitar and messing on the computer. Since I'm not in a band, I mostly play sitting down... Luckily, it's always possible to take some initiative in your life. That's why this web-log exists - to help me review my progress. My goals for the next year are to get in good shape, work an effective 35-hour week, join a band and de-clutter my life. Pretty boring stuff for a blog!

The War of the Belly

Welcome to my online account of The War of the Belly.

The Belly must be destroyed, you see, and time is running out - the Girlfriend will Return from across the Eastern seas and all will be in peril. Each Battle of the Belly shall be recorded - dare you miss an exciting chapter?