{"id":16327,"date":"2026-01-12T16:49:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T22:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/?p=16327"},"modified":"2026-01-12T16:49:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T22:49:57","slug":"fire-ant-flickers-18-2026-already","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/2026\/01\/12\/fire-ant-flickers-18-2026-already\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Ant Flickers (#18): 2026 Already?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welp, here we are…3.288% into 2026 and I’m just now working up the energy to post something. It’s not from lack of ideas; I have plenty of them, although (as you’ll soon see), quality takes a back seat to quantity. OTOH, why should 2026 be any different than the previous *counts and recounts on all fingers and toes<\/em>* 23 years? I’m too old to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having said that, I’ve indeed made a couple of dramatic changes in my habits and environment for this new year. But first, since we’re now in the second week of the new year and we’ve all by now rescinded the foolish resolutions we made regarding diet and exercise, let me provide you with a Scriptural reference that will assuage any lingering feelings of guilt you might have [1<\/a>]<\/sup><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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King James Version (the “ye” gave it away, didn’t it?)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Debbie found this entry in an old “verse of the day” calendar while going through some “historical” files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, where were we?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Excel Elimination <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In 1984, I started keeping fairly detailed records of my workouts. That’s *counts and recounts on all fingers and toes<\/em>* 41 years [2]<\/a><\/sup><\/strong> of Excel spreadsheets. Blame it on my recessive Accountants Gene; I’ve always been a spreadsheet kind of fellow. Anyway, I justified it — and I think appropriately so — as being helpful to maintaining discipline in that aspect of my life. Thing is…I never really did anything with the data, other than record it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I’ve now gone twelve days without detailing my running, pickleballing, bicycling, “functional strength training” (as Apple characterizes it), and walking (indoor AND outdoor), and I can honestly say that I’m a nervous wreck. *serenity now<\/em>* [3]<\/sup><\/a><\/strong>. Fortunately, my watch\/phone is keeping even more detailed records than I would have. I probably won’t do anything with that data, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the record, according to that mass of spreadsheets, I’ve compiled the following total mileage for running and bicycling [4<\/a>]<\/sup><\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n