365:05:49:16

Leap day. So I'm leaping over most of February.

Got my tax return; $7600, though a big chunk of that goes to the SEP for last year (that's one of my retirement funds).

Booked my trip to Maui for my birthday.

Thinking about buying the D800.

Also seriously going to look into buying a bike.

Also also decided to start something that is probably a decent idea but we'll see where it goes: I'm going to put 1/3 of my take-home aside in an account with the intention of (hopefully?) saving up and traveling a lot when I'm 39. Like, the ideal plan would be to quit my job (or go on extended leave if they allow it), hit Maui for my 39th birthday, and then just travel around for a year, coming back to Maui for my 40th and then going home.

Yeah, I know. That's a "big deal." In fact, that probably passes "big deal" to "holy fucking shit are you kidding me??" kind of deal. I haven't told anyone; I don't know that I'll pull it off, or that I'll still want to by then, or any number of things. Four years is a long time.

But that's why I want to start now. Assuming I pull off the 1/3rd amount - and that's assuming a lot - that'll put me over $75,000 by the time I turn 39. I think that's enough to comfortably travel around the world for a year while still covering things that would normally be covered by my company (health care, for example). If I do any extra work on the side, that can contribute to the total as well.

Even if I don't go, I'll still hopefully end up with a chunk of money saved up. Which isn't a bad thing no matter what.

Anyway, on other topics, I'm noticing physiological changes from my workout routine: not as much as I'd like, but still noticeable. I'm giving myself until the end of March to notice a weight/mass change before I try something else: I've been doing this two weeks already, and while I see contour changes and certainly have noticed strength changes, there's actually no change on the scale or in body fat percentage. I also haven't seen any decrease in the one "trouble" spot I actively want to reduce (which is also where I seem to carry most of my fat). That's the reason for the deadline: if I'm not seeing any progress in the specific changes I want, I've still got a few months (all of April, May, and June) to try something different. I mean, I know how to lose weight, but I'm trying to convert it rather than just lose it: much harder, which is why I'm doing the test, but healthier in the long run.

We'll see how it goes, but I'm getting tired of protein supplements :)