My Taxes are Done

I took a day off of work yesterday to complete my taxes. I will be out of town on business the first week of April, so I wanted to get my taxes done before then. Mission accomplished. I feel a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders (and my mind).

So, how did I do? Local Taxes - taken out of my paycheck, no refund or payment. State Taxes - I owe. Federal Taxes - a nice refund. I may have to adjust the tax withholding on my paycheck. It is nice to get a refund, but I could be spending that money over an entire year rather than waiting for it in April.

Weekly Workout Rewind - 3/18/2007

I completed 4 weightlifing sessions and 4 cardio sessions. A good week. To complete my 4 day workout split, I have to work out two consecutive days in a row once a week. I usually work upper body on day 1, and legs on day 2. I was pretty wiped out after last week's consecutive days of working out. I have to do a better job of getting more sleep and/or naps on the two days that I decide to work out consecutively.

I am pleased with the results of my arm workouts. At this point, I am not putting bulk on my arms. Instead, the definition of my arms now looks better than it has in the past. So, my 4 day split seems to be working for my arms.

Curls for the Girls

You may have heard of the phrase "Curls for the Girls". It suggests that you should complete a lot of biceps curls to make your arms look bigger. Most people do not realize that the triceps muscles are responsible for almost two-thirds the size of the arm. So, if you really want your arms to look big, you should not work out your biceps in favor of the triceps. For an overall fitness program, you should work out all body parts.

Last Sunday was my "arm" workout day - biceps and triceps. For triceps, I increased the poundages and sets. For biceps, I just increased the sets. I sleep on my back, and as I was sleeping, I right elbow felt tingly - almost like I had bumped the funny bone on my elbow. I have had this sensation in the past, but a very long time ago. I believe the increase in sets for the biceps combined with a history of overuse injuries, resulted in my discomfort. I am really just trying to say that because of past injuries, I have to be careful when I work out my biceps. I may have to limit my biceps work, and work more on my triceps.

It is Tax Time

Yesterday, I finally decided to make a real effort to work on my income taxes. It was a cold day, the day after our hopefully last snowfall of the season, so it was a perfect day to stay inside and start on my taxes. I have always worked on my taxes myself, no paid preparer. And I have always done my taxes by hand, not electronically. I do gain a sense of personal satisfaction by completing my taxes by myself, by hand. Sure it may be old school, but I do understand everything I do.

It looks like I may be out of town on business the first week of April, so I would like to get my taxes completed before the end of March. I usually get a refund, but I still seem to wait until the last minute. It is hard to break tradition (actually procrastination).

After I got my first real job many moons ago, I could get away with filing the 1040EZ form. Well, things have changed since then. I have to itemize my deductions now because I am home owner (along with my mortgage company) and I actually invest my money versus spending money or not knowing how to invest money. So, how far did I get with my 2006 taxes? I completed Schedule B and stopped at line 13 on form 1040 and Schedule D. I can only work on my taxes for so long before I need a break. And this post is part of a much needed break.

Weekly Workout Rewind - 3/11/2007

I completed 3 weightlifting workouts (I missed working out my biceps and triceps), and 3 cardio sessions. My boss's boss was visiting Central Pennsylvania, so one day last week I had to get up early and get home late for a very long day trip. This essentially eliminated an available day for me to work out. Cutting down on my carbohydrate intake has actually made me lose more weight than I really wanted to. Most of my pants are falling off of me. It is nice to be thin, but I have actually lost a little too much weight. I am a so called "hard gainer". It is difficult for me to gain weight. I have to change my weightlifting sessions somehow: more reps, more poundages, different exercises, to shock my body and gain more muscle mass. I also have to do this without sustaining injury. I will see how this goes.

Weekly Workout Rewind - 3/4/2007

I completed 4 weightlifting sessions (worked all bodyparts) and 4 cardio sessions. It was a good week. My weight, body fat percentage, and water percentage have dropped back down to the levels they were before I took some time off to nurse my biceps tendinitis injury. I contribute the success to cutting out complex carbohydrates at dinner (like rice) and before bedtime (granola bars, pop tarts, etc).

KDKA TV Reporting Penguins Arena Deal Done

The 11:00PM newscast on KDKA TV Channel 2 is reporting that an Arena Deal with the Penguins is done. An announcement will be made before Tuesday's home game against the Buffalo Sabres. The meeting scheduled for Wednesday is still on, will take place in Pittsburgh, and will take care of crossing the T's and dotting the I's. Hopefully, KDKA's sources are correct about this.

Rebecca Hower Leaving KDKA

Update, 5/30/2007: Today was Rebecca Hower's last day on KDKA TV. It was announced this morning on the early news broadcast. Good Luck and Best Wishes to Rebecca Hower. KDKA TV posted a news item on their website about Rebecca's departure.

Today is a sad day in Western Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting that KDKA Meteorologist Rebecca Hower is leaving on May 30. Her husband, a gastroenterologist, has accepted a job in her hometown of Erie.

Rebecca Hower is my favorite female local TV personality. She is the ultimate combination of beauty, brains, and personality. She looks fabulous, even after having two children. She stated she will be taking a year off from work to spend more time with her children.

I have a married female friend whose husband works, while she is a stay at home mother for their 3 year old daughter. My friend really cherishes the time she spends with her daughter. If you have the opportunity and finances to be a stay at home mother, do so. It is precious time that only happens once.

Yes, I am sad that Rebecca Hower is leaving. But I am happy that she will be able to spend more time with her children.

Weekly Workout Rewind - 2/25/2007

I completed 4 cardio sessions and actually worked out all bodyparts over 7 days. I can not remember the last time I actually did this. It is very rare for me to hit all of my body parts because something usually comes up to alter my schedule.

I jumped on my body fat scale today after one week of reducing carbs before bedtime. I am happy to say that I am back to my weight, percent body fat, and percent water weight, before Christmas. Excellent! I am only eating yogurt and fruit before I go to bed. I have stopped eating Pop Tarts, Granola bars, Protein bars, etc before bedtime. I guess-timate that I am cutting my calorie intake by about 300 - 400 calories before bedtime, and it has made a big difference.

I am looking forward to Spring even though it seems like Winter is going to stick around for a few more days this week. With Spring coming up soon, I will not be wearing layers of clothes to cover up my body. Soon I will be wearing short sleeve shirts and shorts, exposing more of my bodyparts, so my workout ethic will become more focused.

Later.