New job and new opportunities

So, I started a new job almost 2 months ago. I started to look for one since I wasn't doing much in my last one. I started there as a software developer, and by the start of this year I was only doing tech support and after 4 years, I only got one salary rise just before my boss quit (I felt like it was his parting gift to me).

By last year someone convinced my boss to invest in a ERPI stayed there because there was the possibility of starting a new project, but after half a year I decided to look for a new job and started sending my resume. In one of the places that I sent my resume was a guy that knows my ex boss and asked him about me, and by the time it just happens that someone working with him quit, so he offered me a job.

At this job the pay wasn't that much higher, although it had better benefits and I would have the opportunity to learn a lot of new things. So far, I have been looking into proximity marketing, I'll need to learn to program in C and how WiFi and Bluetooth works, beacons, I'll need to learn how to modify routers and access points (through OpenWrt), I'll probably need to learn a few things of Android Development... and who knows what else. Those are only the things I have in mind right now.

When my boss told me about this opportunity, I didn't hesitate to say yes, it was either work on what I have been working for the past 4 years or the opportunity to learn new things. It was an easy choice. Although the pay on the other jobs I found was very attractive, but since I have no other responsibilities other than myself, I decided to learn instead of more money (which I hope learning all that will give me more money in the future, lol).

The only thing I don't like is that I need to take the bus and commute for like an hour, but I might look for another place soon.

Getting in shape

So, everyone knows me from before I started to run, how fat I used to be, and that I have been trying, succeeding and failing at dropping weight. At my highest I used to weight more than 125kg. That was more than 5 years ago, before I started running and stopped drinking coke regularly.

Between then and last May I have been dropping and gaining weight even though I haven't stopped running. Before May I never tracked my weight, as long as I was running it was OK... but last December I weighted myself and I was back at 100kg, I didn't like it... it made me feel like I wasn't doing anything even though I was able to run half a marathon (21km).

After a few months of running harder I weighted myself again... and I only dropped like 5kg, I was still at 95kg, so that day I decided to stop fooling myself and bought a scale, and started to track my food and weight myself daily. I also started to follow a running program, not just go out and run.

I put myself a few short and long term goals. Short term, I wanted to be able to run 10km in 55 minutes by August (my best time was around 60 minuts). I also needed to drop at least to 87kg by that time, and by the end of the year to 82kg. By August I was pretty much on track, but as it happens when one loses too much weight too quickly and doesn't work their muscles... I had a lot of loose skin...

After I came back from vacations on August, I put myself more goals, the first goal was that I want to run 5km in 20 minutes. That training ends in November, and so far I'm on track. The other goal is that I want to lose some of the loose skin, so I have been working out at home, doing some deadlifts, squats with weights, push ups, and some other exercises. It has been pretty hard, but after I started I have noted that I'm increasing my speed while running.

The bad part is that I barely have some free time for myself to either play video games or work on other projects, but I feel pretty good about my progress, and that I can eat a lot now and not feel guilty, these past weeks I have been eating chips and cookies almost daily since I started my new job.

Physically I still don't feel like I'm where I want to, but maybe in a few months I'll upload some before and after pics of my progress. Other than that, I feel pretty good, even if I hate myself every morning I wake up to run.

That's how much I have been running in the last months

I have been tracking my weight every week (at first it was daily) to motive myself.

The endless wait...

Since this past weeks I have been spending less money than I had planned, I bought some things through Amazon to be delivered to Monterrey, that and because the shipping was low and because I was planning on buying them anyway.

So... for the last few days I have been religiously refreshing my orders to see where they are according to the tracker... yesterday one got to Monterrey and now I'm just waiting for it to get delivered, and the wait is killing me :P

Almost there...

So yesterday after I went to run I was correcting my running app since it has a little problem when I adjust a record, sometimes it duplicates the record I correct, one with the original data and the other with the modified data.

I had been doing this for the last month or so, and not syncing it so it doesn't say that I have run more than I have done. Yesterday I was at 930km ran since I started using the app last year... but it wasn't counting all my runs... after I corrected all of them I synced the app again and restarted it so it would update my record...

This is it...

I'm 450 meters away from running 1000km... that's almost the distance from my house here in Monterrey to my parents house :P

Also... this week I got my passport, and I hope to get my visa soon, this is the comparison from 3 years ago :P

Toys...

So, I finally came back from Juárez and have been using my new toys, first of all the keyboard.

I have only been able to use it since this morning to type things (playing video games doesn't count :P), and I have been enjoying it, it feels different, lighter, quicker, more comfortable... except for the right alt, I use it as a modifier to put accents or make n as ñ and the space bar is a little wider... but everything else feels awesome, I would really recommend it if you type all day. Another thing... this keyboard is heavy, so not very friendly to be carried around... I'm even contemplating buying one for my workplace and leave this one at my house :P

The watch... I love it, I went to run with it two times already and love the accuracy, it feels a little heavy but comfortable, I just need to buy my bike to see how it performs there... and swimming :P
The heart rate monitor is cool too, it works like a charm and it doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. Also, the watch synchronizes with the PC and uploads all the data automatically to their web application and gives you graphics and statistics to work with. And many features that I haven't seen yet.

The backpack wasn't that good... it fits the laptop better than the other one I have... but it has less space for when I go to buy the groceries... so I will have to use the other one for that :P
Still, I like it, but I thought that it would have more space than the other one and it would replace it...

I also acquired a new keychain, I bought a key tester to feel the different type of switches from cherry, and since it doesn't have any other purpose now I started using it as a keychain XD

Update on... stuff....

Some time ago I wrote about some things that I wanted to buy, unfortunately lady luck didn't smile to me and the price on the watch that I wanted never dropped again, still, it was cheaper than I was expecting to pay, on the other hand, my keyboard is on it's way already, so I'll get it by the time I go to Juárez, same with a new backpack that is a little bigger than the one I have right now, and hopefully this one is big enough for my laptop, the one I have can hold it... but outside the padding, so I feel like it's a little exposed and it's already tearing from the straps... although I can mend it, I already did it once.

I bought a gaming mouse pad too... although I don't really know if there is much difference over a normal surface... luckily it wasn't expensive, the only thing I feel like I'm missing to complete my laptop/gaming set up is a good pair of headphones and a desk so I don't have to play on my bed, and obviously a chair, I'll probably buy the desk and chair when I get back from Juárez if I find something good here.

When I get my keyboard I'll try to write about it, I want to see if it's worth the investment or not, and if I would recommend it... I'm excited, I feel like Christmas is coming early this year... although... I don't know if I will be able to stuff my face with home made tamales -_-

Savings...

A few weeks ago I wrote about the problems I had with my bank and why even after that I stayed with them... well, a few weeks ago I bought flight tickets to go to Juárez in November and here are the different prices they had.

The cheapest form of payment is through the bank I'm with... but it has to be payed online... and since I intend to go at least 3 or 4 times a year to Juárez and maybe do another trip somewhere else it can save me some money. If it wasn't for that I obviously would have changed banks...

And speaking of savings... Steam just made something great and terrible at the same time... they decided to charge in pesos for mexican purchases... it sucks because... not only are the prices clearer... but they charge less for games... for example a game that costs 50 bucks wont be the equivalent of that... most of them are considerably cheaper, others are just barely cheaper... and one or two that I have seen are ridiculously overpriced... so... why did I say that that sucks? Well... I have problems restraining myself when I see cheap games... although now I only buy them if I have them on my wishlist... DAMN YOU STEAM...

Those games I have listed there are the prime example of what I say, the first one is like 20 or 25 dollars and now it is 226 pesos... that's like... 16 dollars more or less. The second game is 40... or it was 40 dollars last time I checked... it is now 356 pesos, and the last one... I don't remember if it was 15 or 20, but it is now 200 pesos... in times like this I can only say... Father give me strength :P