Tag / Work

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FB8 – Week 11

A busy week of work that was almost saved from being a complete disappointment by a big push on Saturday.  Things got off to a decent enough start on Sunday, as I managed to score 4600 steps.  Monday saw a slight decline, as I finished with 4400 steps.  Thanks to a 3-hour meeting on Tuesday, I fell down to 2900 steps.  Wednesday jumped back up to 4000 steps.  Thursday increased again, falling just short of 5000 steps.  Another 3-hour meeting on Friday, combined with an early trip to bed, led to a measly 2100 step output.  Saturday turned in to the high point of the week, thanks to my getting up during the commercial breaks of the White Sox game which led to 6700 steps.

Total steps: 29,932

Daily average: 4276

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Top 200 Albums: #81 – 88

We last counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library four years ago. Since that time, the world has literally changed, and my commute has decreased from 1+ hours each way to 25 steps. So, despite the decrease in potential listening time, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through the morning of January 1, 2022.

The countdown marches on today with the next batch of ten albums that I have listened to the most over the last 15 years, breaking the triple digit total play plateau with three compilations, and music from the 60s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.

#88: Stone Temple Pilots – Purple
iTunes stats: 123 plays
Previous Ranking: 79

A 52% increase in plays for the five of the eleven tracks from this 1994 album, the band’s second.

#88: The Beatles – Abbey Road
iTunes stats: 123 plays
Previous Ranking: 109

Released in 1969, the band’s eleventh studio album, the last completed prior to their breakup, saw an increase of 58 listens to jump 21 spots in the rankings.

#88: Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York
iTunes stats: 123 plays
Previous Ranking: 101

A 73% increase in plays over the past four years for seven of the songs from the group’s 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, their first album released following the death of Kurt Cobain.

#87: Patton Oswalt – My Weakness is Strong
iTunes stats: 124 plays
Previous Ranking: 179

A very impressive 92 spot jump for the funnyman’s third comedy album, thanks to an additional 79 plays over the past four years.

#86: Various Artists – The First 1000 Years – Rock
iTunes stats: 126 plays
Previous Ranking: 77

Seven songs, from alternative artists like The Breeders, Everclear, and Jane’s Addiction, added 43 new listens for this MTV sponsored compilation.

Continue reading →

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FB8 – Week 4

It’s back to reality as returning home and continued cold temperatures led to a precipitous drop in steps.  The week got off to a poor start on Sunday, as I tried to recover from the long trip home and all the activity over the past two weeks, leading to 3600 steps.  On Monday, I notched 4700 steps while returning to work.  Tuesday was the low point of the week, thanks in part to a morning spent in PI Planning, and I ended the day three steps shy of 2700.  A brief warmup on Wednesday led to increased activity, coming 15 steps short of 4300.  Thursday was the big day of the week, as an afternoon snowstorm led to some evening snow blowing, which led me to finishing the day just three steps away from 5900.  Friday fell back down again, dropping down to 3700 steps.  Frigid temperatures on Saturday kept me inside all day, leading to a 4700 step total.

Total steps: 29,755

Daily average: 4250.7

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FB8 – Week 3

Another week of fun in the sun, although one with a twist, led to my second consecutive week well above goal, matching my total from last year.  The week got off to a good start on Sunday, as I had to leave my resort and move to the next stop on my trip across the street, which gave me 10,200 steps.  On Monday, I started my plan of working remotely despite the four-hour time difference, and then using the afternoons to enjoy, finishing with seven fewer steps than Monday.  Tuesday saw a noticeable increase, jumping up to 11,000 steps.  Wednesday increased that total by 13 steps, coming 6 steps shy of 11,100.  Thursday was the big day of the week, as I took some meetings from the beach and finished the day with 12,700 steps.  Friday was the end of the road, as I checked out and headed back to the airport for the long flight home, ending with 11,400 steps.  I landed back in Chicago early Saturday morning and managed 3800 steps between naps and such.

Total steps: 70,708

Daily average: 10,101.1

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Remember When There Was A 10,000 Step Club?

Things were a lot different two years ago, as I was finishing up my fifth year using a Fitbit.  I had just added 45 new 10,000 step days, my 3rd best year to date, and, with upcoming trips to Boston and California already on the docket, things were looking good to add a good number more and add some new tales to this list of my top 25 step days.  Then, the corona virus happened, and the world basically shut down for the next two years.  I’ve worked from home since March of 2020, which gives me a lot more free time, but also significantly cut down on my natural daily step totals.  All told, I managed only 5 10,000 step days for the just completed seventh year of Fitbit usage, which, granted, is better than last year and gives me a total of 270 since I started keeping track back in 2011.  With that in mind, here’s the list of my top 25 step days, which has stayed static for two years now.

1: 4/14/2018 – 27,470 steps

My best single day total is from my April 2017 trip to New York to see Angelina.  The day’s excursions included trips to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, Central Park, the Guggenheim museum, and the Empire State Building.

2: 7/21/2018 – 27,278 steps

My July 2017 trip to Virginia, to hike up Catawba Mountain to McAfee Knob with Jeff and Val, fell just short of the top spot.

3: 6/6/2013 – 24,988 steps

2013’s trip to Disney World, which spent 5 years as my single day best, included excursions to both Epcot Center and the Magic Kingdom, and yes, falling 12 steps short of 25,000 still irks me.

4: 6/3/2019 – 24,665 steps

The first full day of 2019’s summer trip to Washington DC spent most of the day at the Smithsonian Zoo.

5: 8/8/2019 – 23,866 steps

Late in the summer of 2019, I spent two weeks in San Francisco for a work trip.   On my last full day, I went out after work, walking to Pier 39 and then back the other direction to Oracle Park to see the Giants take on the Phillies.  My totals would have been even higher, but I was dead tired and took an Uber back to the hotel after the game.

6: 3/18/2018 – 23,780 steps

My first day in Las Vegas for the 2017 IBM Think conference, the day’s totals include gallivanting around town, including a late night trip up to Caesar’s Palace from the MGM Grand to see Absinthe.

7: 10/24/2018 – 23,362 steps

My October 2018 trip to Boston to see Angelina for our birthday gives us our next entry.  While she was in class, I took tours of Fenway Park and Harvard, before meeting up with her for a late lunch and then heading to the airport for the trip home.

8: 3/22/2016 – 22,493 steps

My one-time second highest day took place during the ill-fated trip to Disney World in March of 2016.  The day’s excursion started at Hollywood Studios before heading over to Epcot Center with Jeff and Val.

9: 7/27/2013 – 20,592 steps

Still my highest total at home in the state of Illinois, the next entry comes thanks to the 2013 BTN 5K and a, for lack of a better word, misunderstanding about where I should be picked up after the race.

10: 12/29/2018 – 20,374 steps

We wrap up the top 10 with 2018’s trip to California and the trip to Disneyland to see Danny perform with the Lincoln-Way Marching Band.

11: 8/5/2017 – 20,218 steps

The next entry came in August of 2017 on the first day of my trip to Boston with Danny and Michael.  After landing in town, we traipsed to the Science Museum, a breakfast joint, our hotel, and, finally, Fenway Park.

12: 7/14/2017 – 20,208 steps

Down to #12 is my 2017 trip to Disney World, a one day journey with Angelina to celebrate her high school graduation. Continue reading →

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Fitbit VII – Week 52

My seventh year using a Fitbit comes to a close in a disappointing fashion. The week got off to a so-so start on Sunday, ending with 4100 steps.  Monday managed a slight improvement, going up to 4300 steps.  Tuesday was the high point of the week, rising up to 4500 steps.  The usual crush of Wednesday meetings caused a sharp decline, falling down to 3100 steps.  Thursday bounced back up a bit, rising all the way up to 3700 steps.  Friday was a near duplicate, raising Thursday’s total by 17 steps.  A dead Fitbit and some charging time on Saturday left me with a mere 1900 steps, ending the year on a down note.

Total steps: 25,537

Daily average: 3648.1

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Fitbit VII – Week 46

Another disappointing week, though I did manage to squeak past 30,000 steps for the first time in 5 weeks.  Sunday was the worst day of the week, ending with a mere 2200 steps.  Monday was much better, as managed to finish just 29 steps shy of 4700.  Tuesday saw a slight decrease, falling down to 3500 steps.  Wednesday fell back down again, this time coming in 26 steps from 3000.  Thursday, my last day of work for 2021, saw some improvement, going back up to 4200 steps.  Friday improved again, with more than 5000 steps.  A trip in to the city on Saturday to see Whitney Cummings at The Vic left me just 98 steps away from my supposed goal of 7500, a level I haven’t hit in over a month.

Total steps: 30,110

Daily average: 4301.4

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Fitbit VII – Week 43

Another disappointing week, boosted at the end by yet another football game.  Things got off to a poor start on Sunday, as I finished with 3800 steps.  Monday was slightly better, as I jumped up to exactly 4200 steps.  Tuesday saw a big drop off, coming 23 steps away from 2800.  Wednesday saw a big improvement, jumping up to 4800 steps.  Despite a trip out to see some work friends for lunch on Thursday, it fell back down again to nearly 2900 steps.  Friday rose back up to 4400 steps, thanks to a day off.  A trip to Wrigley Field to see Purdue battle Northwestern on Saturday was my high point of the week, leaving me 23 steps shy of 6700.

Total steps: 29,681

Daily average: 4240.1

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Fitbit VII – Week 41

Another disappointing week, helped along by trip to a football game.  Things got off to a bad start on Sunday, as I finished with 3100 steps.  Monday was slightly better, as I jumped up to 4100 steps.  Tuesday fell off quite a bit, coming just 18 steps away from 2600.  Wednesday, as usual, was the worst day of the week, as I failed to even get to 2000 steps, ending with 1900.  Thursday saw a bounce back, finishing 3 steps short of 3700 thanks in part to a team lunch that sent me out in to the world.  Friday was even better, thanks to a day off, finishing only 7 steps shy of 4600.  Saturday was the big day of the week, as a trip down to West Lafayette to see Danny and Purdue upset Michigan State put me over 10,600 steps.

Total steps: 30,754

Daily average: 4393.4

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Fitbit VII – Week 40

And yet another disappointing week, though I did manage to celebrate another completed trip around the sun.  Things got off to what passes for a decent enough start on Sunday, as I finished with 4000 steps.  Monday was even worse, falling down to 2800 steps.  Tuesday turned out to be the best day of the week, thanks to a night out to celebrate Val leaving work, which put me 18 steps shy of 4500.  Wednesday, as usual, was the worst day of the week, falling down to 2300 steps, despite venturing out at night for a birthday dinner.  Thursday saw a healthy increase, jumping back up to 4400 steps as Val and Daryl stopped by to celebrate my birthday.  A day off on Friday culminated with another night out with friends, finishing only 15 steps shy of 4200.  Saturday was another bust of a day, with only 3000 steps.

Total steps: 25,417

Daily average: 3631