I got nothing.......

So it's been some time since I made my first blog post and I've not had much interest or much material to write a follow up. To be honest I'm writing this one on a whim out of sheer boredom.

It's Easter morning. I'm sitting on the couch with the dog, watching an episode of Top Gear that I'm positive I've seen at least 3 times, waiting for my wife to come home from work so we can spend the day at out respective families' homes celebrating the death and resurrection of someone I'm not positive ever lived. I would expand on my crisis of faith but that's way too deep for today.

I don't know if it's the sudden change in weather (here in Pittsburgh PA it's totally grey and snows until late March and then you wake up one morning and it's 55 degrees and sunny and by the end of the week it's in the mid 70's and you have to cut your grass) or if I've hit some turning point in my life (turning 30 really is a trip) but I've become motivated to accomplish many things that I've been putting off for months and in some cases years.

I'm losing weight, quitting drinking (for the most part anyway), cleaning out every corner of my house, looking for a new job, taking up new hobbies and generally feeling good about myself. Sounds silly but it's really a change for me. Not so long ago I was the type of guy who said, "I'll never quit smoking!!!" with a beer in my hand while stuffing my face with some of the most fattening, albeit tasty, food that could be found in a western PA dive bar. Lately I've been eating a lot of albacore tuna and turkey breast. Drinking bottled water (and some homemade wine to be honest, but I made it myself to keep it free of chemicals and preservatives so thats gotta count for something, right?) Riding an exercise bike and joining a gym. (Yes, for those of you who know me I'll repeat that so there is no confusion. Joining a gym.) And I can't wait to get out and go backpacking.

I don't know why I write these things. Half way through that last paragraph I considered deleting all of this because it feels like one giant pat on my own back, but maybe that is what this process is about. Long story short. Get out there and do something to make yourself feel healthy. It took 30 years for me to figure out it is fun. It is.

What makes you think, I think that you think that this is worth you thinking about?

I know, I know. What the hell does that mean, right? Basically it means that I'm writing all this out for my own piece of mind.

While the reader is an integral part of this process, I'm not here to inspire debates on important topics, to elicit an emotional reaction from anyone, or to hold up a giant "look at me" sign. I'm here to try to put some of the random odds and ends of my life "on paper" so that I can look back on them and focus on what I find to be important to me. I don't mean to sound dramatic, what's most important to me is my wife, my family, my home and my dog (listed in no particular order).

I'm talking about all the little things we all take for granted every day. What hobbies do I enjoy the most? (it seems like I have around 4 dozen hobbies that I am minimally educated in, none of which I have mastered) How do I manage my free time? (Too much is spent on the couch and too little is spent otherwise. I'll have to pay attention to that) Am I being healthy enough? (easy one: NO. Now I just have to figure out how to be better at it.) Am I being good enough to the people around me? (I hope so.)

I suppose in your first blog post there are a few bullet points you have to hit.

First things first, greet the reader. Well, as this is my first post on a new blog page that was registered just moments ago, there are no readers. Perhaps I may gain a few in the future but that has yet to be seen. Even if I do, those new readers will have to find there way back here to the beginning. Hopefully I'm interesting enough to inspire that much reading.

Then there is the title. I stare blankly at the computer for 15 minutes or the accumulated time of four commercial breaks, whichever comes first, then name it the first thing that comes to mind. Walking in the Woods. Why was that the title that popped into my head? Lots of reasons. I love the woods and the quietness you can find there. I enjoy camping and hiking (a couple of my unmastered hobbies) and I have found that some of the most random, disjointed wandering thoughts that go through your mind while you are in the middle of a long hike can be some of your most productive and important. So thats the name. Walking in the Woods. It may look like a bunch of random crap, but I may end up finding something important in there.

Then I suppose a mission statement of some sort. Well, I have none really. My goal is to try and post on here as much as I can. Random stuff. From important events in my life to everyday boring crap. As I get a larger and larger collection of posts I might find something out about myself. Sounds corny, I know. Blame it on all the '80's movies I grew up watching.

Finally, what are my immediate plans. Again, thats a bit of a stretch. I guess I'll obsess for an extraordinary amount of time over my first post and then, hopefully, they'll get easier and more natural over time. Sounds good to me. Thanks for reading.