This post is the second Month in Review post. Read my first post here to get an idea of what to expect out of these.

Fitness

In July’s installment, I discussed overeating and how it was affecting my weight and my digestive system. Getting the DXA scan and experiencing serious digestive issues was a real wakeup call. They sparked a few changes:

1. I started weighing myself 2-3 times a day (in the morning, after running, before sleeping). Dustin set me up on his Withings wifi scale.
2. I consciously eat less and eat healthier. I also cut out most snacking. I would rather be hungry for a short time than satiate my appetite and risk acid reflux or weight gain.

Surprisingly, I already see some results. Over the course of the month, I went from 153 lbs to 147 lbs by only changing my diet. I’m hoping it was mostly fat. I’ll know for sure in October when I get another DXA scan. Also, being lighter has accelerated running pace improvements.

In September, I want to run more consistently (without worrying about mileage) and add a weight training regimen.

Obsessions / Finds

Lara Croft GO – iOS Android The second GO game by Square Enix Montreal. GO games are turn-based puzzle games with the characters and settings of other Square Enix games. Hitman GO was great and Lara Croft GO hasn’t disappointed. Thanks Dustin for the recommendation.

Amazon.co.jp – link Jeff introduced me to the idea of buying books and music from Amazon.co.jp. Because of affordable, fast shipping and the great JPY to USD conversion rate at the moment, some books are actually cheaper when purchased from Japan. I used Amazon Japan to buy a handful of design books that aren’t available in the US.

Braun Calculator – link I’ve been looking for a decent calculator I can leave on my desk that isn’t ugly. I picked up this white remake of the classic Braun ET 55 calculator from Amazon. Nothing fancy, but it still beats software calculators for me.

Naval Ravikant on the Tim Ferriss Show  – link I’ve been listening to this podcast for a year or so. Chithra recommended this specific episode. Among other things, they discussed the idea of suffering sparking positive change (just like my digestive problems triggering lifestyle changes).

Happenings

August 9-27 // Chithra in Palo Alto – Chithra started at Medallia and was training in Palo Alto for most of the month. It was the first time since college that we lived in the same city. Time went by too quickly.

August 13-18 // Mexico City – Q and I visited Mexico City for Sebastian and Ari’s wedding. Blog post to follow in the coming months. Photos from Instagram: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

August 22 // My Photo on Reddit Front Page – link Robo convinced me to put one of my photos up on Reddit. It hit the front page with over 2,400,000 views, 8,000 upvotes, 2,500 full size downloads and 1,000 comments. At least 10 people told me that they use it as their desktop wallpaper.

August 29 // Camping  – Q and I spent a night in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. We mostly cooked and talked.

Posts

August 4 // A Quick Stop By Los Angeles – link A stop in LA on the way home from my month in New York.

August 8 // Month In Review – July 2015 – link Last month’s review post.

August 11 // @Large – Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz – link A trip to the @Large Ai Weiwei exhibit courtesy Google.

August 19 // Thanksgiving in Plano – link I spent last year’s Thanksgiving in Plano.

August 22 // Holiday Party – link Last year’s holiday party with Columbia friends.