Reflections

So we're already six weeks into the second semester of my first year of law school. We just got grades back not long ago. I was accepted into our Washington, D.C. program and I will be working for the International Trade Administration. It's been a hectic semester with scholarship applications and what not. I missed the first two days of the semester because I was in New Orleans for the BCS National Championship. It was a great experience but we lost the game.

I've not been able to lose the weight that I wanted. So far I'm about two pounds down. I don't know how many pounds I should be down by now, but at the goal of one pound a week, I know I'm at least ten pounds behind. I don't think I'll be able to run the Flying Pig this year because I just don't see me getting the distance in during the winter. I'm hoping I'll be able to run the Columbus Marathon in the Fall though.

Recently I've just been reflecting on my life goals and big plans. It's hard to want to focus on the day to day when I have so many big ideas. I know it's important to perform well though this week and this semester on exams to get me from where I am now to where I want to be. Hopefully I'll be studying with some friends over the next few weeks to start preparing outlines and going over material for the exams earlier than I did last semester.

That's all I got, just taking it easy tonight and thought I'd put some ideas down.

New Year's Resolutions

So I guess it's a little early to start New Year's Resolutions, but I've gone ahead and started with mine. My one and only goal this year is to lose 50 pounds between now (well... I started about five weeks ago) and the 2008 Columbus Marathon (www.columbusmarathon.com) on Sunday, October 19, 2008. I've started my goal trying to count points using the Weight Watchers system, although my entire accounting has been done on my own. I've gone ahead and calculated the points for many of the restaurants where I frequent here, with selected dishes that I usually enjoy:

Noodles & Co.
Regular Pasta Fresca – 15 pts.
Mac & Cheese – 24 pts.
Indonesian Peanut Saute – 14 pts.

Chipotle
Steak Fajita Burrito – 27 pts.
Burrito, Rice, Fajita Vegetables, Steak, Tomato, Cheese, Sour Cream, Lettuce

Subway
Footlong Ham & Turkey on Honey Oat, no cheese – 14 pts.
Lettuce, Tomatoes, Pickles, Olives

Camille's Sidewalk Cafe
Apple Walnut Tuna Salad Sandwich – 18 pts.

Taco Bell
Soft Taco – 4 pts.
Mexican Pizza – 12pts.
Meximelt – 6 pts.
Crunchwrap Supreme – 13 pts.

Wendy's
Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger – 7 pts.
Yogurt w Granola – 5 pts.
Chili – 4 pts.
Chicken Club – 12 pts.
Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich – 7 pts.
5 piece Chicken Nuggets – 6 pts.
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce – 4 pts.
BBQ Dipping Sauce – 1 pt.

Jersey Mike's
Regular Club Sub (w/o mayo) – 13 pts.
Regular Club Sub (w mayo) – 16 pts.

Donato's
Large Margarita Pizza – 60 pts.
Large Cheese Pizza – 60 pts.

I think I will create a website and post it here so that others can calculate the amount of points in their meals or use them to find all of the nutrition facts that they are interested in.

I will also post my training schedule on a website when I create it and link it here. It will follow the Columbus Marathon training schedule but my training regimen may be a little bit beefed up. Finally, I may try to run the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon this year as well (www.flyingpigmarathon.com) on Sunday, May 4, 2008.

I think that either of these marathons will help me to significantly reduce the amount of weight that I have accumulated in the last two years and help me feel better about myself.

I'm hoping to lose some weight so that I am healthier and more energized as I continue my experience in Law School and continue to strive to live my best life.




UPDATE: Here is my new Weight Watchers website

http://scottclayton.googlepages.com/weightwatcherassistant

King's Island and Apartment Search

So Thursday I left Cincinnati and headed up to Columbus for an extended weekend. Over the course of the weekend I saw the movies, "Knocked Up" and "Ocean's 13" as well as got a number of other things accomplished. Friday, there was a Buckeye Law FAN (Find an Apartment Now) event where I met some of my fellow classmates who had not found places to live yet. Saturday I spent primarily at dad's looking over apartment and condominium information. Sunday, though, was Father's Day and Julie and I helped Uncle Bruce take all four of my siblings down to King's Island. Emily and Tim rode the rides with Julie and me and we took them on many of the larger roller coasters. We rode the Italian Job, Firehawk, Tomb Raider, Vortex, and Flight of Fear. I was worn out after Sunday though so I slept in on Monday. Then Monday I took the day to look at apartments and condos for the second time, just getting more information. On Tuesday I finished an excel spreadsheet and came home. Perry came over and he and I hung out and went out to dinner and I spent the night at his place. We watched the most recent Entourage on HBO on demand and also watched Election. Today I spent most of the day sleeping and went running with my mom. I'll be leaving for Virginia Beach a week from Thursday, then back before I head out to Boston for July 15-22, then out to Denver for a week July 29 - August 4th before I fly down to Ponte Vedra Beach until August 8th. After getting back I'll just have enough time to move in before orientation on August 16th. It will be a busy but exciting summer!

Thursday Update

OK so I don't really know what I'm doing on my blog or what I'm doing today, but I'm going to write about it. Today I've been watching Oakmont and have been absolutely amazed at how difficult that course is but how well all of the players are playing. I've been updating my Google Reader and my del.icio.us account as well as trying to sync my facebook with my del.icio.us and my 30boxes calendar, as well as my google calendar. My hope is that after everything is set up and running smoothly that my life will be more simple, although right now it is just hectic. Fortunately, today I set up my wireless network so I am on my laptop in my basement relaxing and doing everything.

As for what I'm reading right now, it's Wikinomics. Tonight I'm heading up to Columbus for the weekend and taking the XM Radio to pick up some new tunes. I think I'll try to post all of my playlists and new songs just to keep everything organized. Like I said, I don't really know what I'm doing or why I'm writing this, but that's alright. Last night Perry and I rented Waiting and watched it over at his house. That's about it. I got a link today from the law school specifically for our class of 2010. Two fellow students added me as friends, who I've never met. I always find that interesting but I'm ok with it. I posted an interesting article on del.icio.us about setting up a wireless network that I would like to set up next year. Apparently I'm now looking at condos and houses instead of apartments. So tomorrow when I'm at the law school and looking at apartments, it will mostly be academic. Oh well, all is well and I'm looking forward to this weekend in Columbus!

Commencement

So in the almost two weeks since I've last posted, much has happened. First, it was the end of the Spring Quarter at Ohio State. This was both happy and sad for me as it marked the end of my four year career as an undergraduate at The Ohio State University. It was also a happy time for me as it meant closure to my career as an undergraduate and is symbolic of new beginnings. I think that's why it's called, "commencement." It's as if we are supposed to "commence" with the rest of our lives.

Finals went well. Really not that interesting and not much to write about. I had my final in Finance on the Thursday of the last week, and studied a little with Brandon beforehand. Then over the weekend before finals week our Table Tennis and Golf finals were posted online and I did those. The week of Finals I had my AED Econ final on Tuesday and my Game Theory final on Wednesday. All went well. On Monday though, probably the biggest news of Finals week was that I decided that I will be attending the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law for Law School next year. I will no longer be up in the air as to where I will be attending. The immense amount of scholarship that I am receiving and the differences in the cost of living in comparison to the numbers in terms of what graduates from other schools are making really factored into why I feel that I will be best fitted to attend Ohio State. As added bonuses go, I will be around my mentor, Cabby, for another three years as well as around my mentees for another few years. I look forward to maintaining these relationships and creating new ones as classes start at Moritz.

Yesterday, the day of Commencement, was a long but great day. My grandfather flew in on Saturday and so after we loaded the suburban with all of my belongings to go home, Julie and I picked him up from the airport and went to lunch and dinner with him. Then on Sunday morning, Beau and Julie joined me as I had breakfast with my mother, my grandmother, and my grandfather. We then walked around campus as we digested our food to enjoy the weather and to kill time. We got a Starbucks coffee before heading back to the stadium where I went in to Graduation mode. I put on my cap and gown with my drab tassel and my Yellow and White Order of Omega cords. I also put around my neck the "Outstanding Senior" medallion and ran to the French Field House in time to line up.

The commencement was a fairly painless experience. The only rough part was the reading of all of the PhD candidates individually. This took a long time. However, the speeches of Rich Hollingsworth, Karen Holbrook, Bill Clinton, and Archie Griffin were all well received. I received my diploma and then ran into my dad, uncle and aunt on the way to meeting my mom, grandma and Julie. Meeting up with my family, we all left to change before heading to Buca Di Beppo's for dinner with all of my extended family: 16 adults and 4 children (my siblings) in all. At Buca's we ate salad with prosciutto and Gorgonzola, a margarita pizza, salmon with pesto, fettucini alfredo, lasagna, a side of grilled vegetables, and tiramisu. Afterwards I hung out for a little bit with Julie, Beau, and my grandpa before taking Julie and Beau back for the night. Grandpa and I then slept in his hotel room before waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get him to the airport in time for his 7:00 flight.

Today I have relaxed, eating lunch at Panera before coming over to my dad's and hanging out with my siblings but mostly reading articles on the internet. I bought the Consumer Reports Electronics Guide and a book called the 4-hour work week that I look forward to reading. I also set up Google Reader in order to read more articles which I hope will be helpful. I'm having dinner here and then heading back over to campus to see Julie and Beau. It's been a crazy few weeks but I am proud and happy to be a graduate from the Ohio State University.