Exercised. Check. About 10 minutes, if you compact all of it together. Woke up feeling rather uncomfortable, and walking around and stretching helped. AND....
...watching the Daily Show with Bill Gates as special guest. I really don't presume to know what people in general think of Bill Gates, other than that he has a lot of money, but here's the thing for me...he Twitters (I don't), and he's a nerd, knows a ton, and because of where he is in life, he's a cute nerd. Hmm...that's the facts, I don't make them up, I just report them.
Anyway, Jon Stewart may be a different kind of nerd (maybe all successful people are nerds in some way, shape or form), and he is also charismatic. Put Jon Stewart and Bill Gates together, and you have some heartwarming stuff. I may be one of the few who thinks this. Oh well.
One particular exchange I loved in the segment was where JS says to Bill "you are twittering. When did you start twittering?!?" BG: "Last week!" (And he says this in such a cute, nerdy way - like a ten-year old who's been asked when did you get your new bike. And then JS askes some comic thing about if Bill can twitter with his mind... Bill Gates is a cute nerd. As a nerd, I'm glad he's there in the upper echelons of the world.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Day 20 - Grief and Resolve
I did exercise yesterday, but also had a job interview, for which I prepared extensively, and then afterwards felt really tired, so I never ended up blogging about it. So there. Today, I went swimming, combined with time in the sauna. Coming from frigid outdoor temperatures, it took a full 10 minutes before I broke any kind of sweat inside the sauna. I was all red aftewards, which I thought was really interesting because it was an even redness all over every part of my body. Being in the sauna is a strange experience - you have to really give in to the experience if you don't do it often because it's so hot, and you find yourself feeling a little panicked with so much heat around you and in the air that you're breathing in. Once you relax, though, and allow your body to soak in the heat, it's nice to feel your muscles relax. I believe that it is good for you, and they say that it's good for joint problems, but perhaps the 25 minutes of swimming afterwards wasn't as good because my wrist, fingers, and elbows did hurt afterwards. But I felt generally healthier, and happy to have done my exercise, so that's something.
I'm grateful for my past unfettered health. I think it's one of the most difficult things for healthy people to understand people who are having serious health problems. Most of the time, healthy people don't have any interest in unhealthy people because they're so in the flow of life. They don't see that sick people are slow because of pain and disease - literally, don't see them, don't see the problem. I know I was that way with people in the past, but now that I'm experiencing my pain symptoms, I definitely have a lot more compassion for people who are not well.
When I was swimming, I went rather slowly and deliberately, trying to make sure I didn't overdo anything. About halfway through my time, a girl started up in the next lane, and she powered through. She may have been in high school or college. I think she must have made two laps for one of mine. I used to be like her. Anyway, I could see her beautiful strokes, and feel the power she had cutting through water. I remember that grand feeling of making the water move just the way I wanted it to. I'm glad I have known that. I am grateful for this condition now that gives me insight into what it might be like for two of my friends who have rheumatoid arthritis. It's astounding that people have this disease and don't decide to just give up entirely. Healthy people really don't know what they've got until it's gone... Sick people show us the true strength of what it is to live and be human.
And people who aren't as fast or as strong any more - they have something to give still. They can contribute, and indeed, one of my friends, ML, strives to be independent and contribute, and she does, a great deal. Such a strong woman, with her knees replaced, and arthritis curling her every joint. I do think she gives more than I do, and is much stronger than me.
Perhaps sickness can make us stronger. It makes us see what's important, helps us prioritize. I've often had this problem of having too many options in front of me. Too many choices. Not enough passion. Someone said that you pick your passion, don't wait for it to pick you. Yes. I agree. Go towards things you're attracted to, do what you can, and let the universe deal with the rest. There's more than enough to go around.
My visualization:
Feel warm, soft sand beneath my feet, almost dusty.
Miles of crystalline green waters lay out in front of me, light playing into the facets, reflecting off the shallow shoals.
A palm tree shades my spot, and I sit there, soaking in the summer heat.
My immune system is a bent, distorted piece of metal, scuffed, rusted, marked up.
Out here on the calm, warm, comforting beach, I see it transformed, straightened, polished, filled in with missing parts. The instructions for my immune system are rewritten, finally, a whole, clean, shining piece that transforms back into a small metal cube that I swallow.
I lay in the warm crystal waters, waves lapping over me.
The crystal water is a tonic, a purifier.
Every time it laps over me, it washes me, clearing away the old, bad information,
making way for the clean, clear, good information.
Healing me.
I'm grateful for my past unfettered health. I think it's one of the most difficult things for healthy people to understand people who are having serious health problems. Most of the time, healthy people don't have any interest in unhealthy people because they're so in the flow of life. They don't see that sick people are slow because of pain and disease - literally, don't see them, don't see the problem. I know I was that way with people in the past, but now that I'm experiencing my pain symptoms, I definitely have a lot more compassion for people who are not well.
When I was swimming, I went rather slowly and deliberately, trying to make sure I didn't overdo anything. About halfway through my time, a girl started up in the next lane, and she powered through. She may have been in high school or college. I think she must have made two laps for one of mine. I used to be like her. Anyway, I could see her beautiful strokes, and feel the power she had cutting through water. I remember that grand feeling of making the water move just the way I wanted it to. I'm glad I have known that. I am grateful for this condition now that gives me insight into what it might be like for two of my friends who have rheumatoid arthritis. It's astounding that people have this disease and don't decide to just give up entirely. Healthy people really don't know what they've got until it's gone... Sick people show us the true strength of what it is to live and be human.
And people who aren't as fast or as strong any more - they have something to give still. They can contribute, and indeed, one of my friends, ML, strives to be independent and contribute, and she does, a great deal. Such a strong woman, with her knees replaced, and arthritis curling her every joint. I do think she gives more than I do, and is much stronger than me.
Perhaps sickness can make us stronger. It makes us see what's important, helps us prioritize. I've often had this problem of having too many options in front of me. Too many choices. Not enough passion. Someone said that you pick your passion, don't wait for it to pick you. Yes. I agree. Go towards things you're attracted to, do what you can, and let the universe deal with the rest. There's more than enough to go around.
My visualization:
Feel warm, soft sand beneath my feet, almost dusty.
Miles of crystalline green waters lay out in front of me, light playing into the facets, reflecting off the shallow shoals.
A palm tree shades my spot, and I sit there, soaking in the summer heat.
My immune system is a bent, distorted piece of metal, scuffed, rusted, marked up.
Out here on the calm, warm, comforting beach, I see it transformed, straightened, polished, filled in with missing parts. The instructions for my immune system are rewritten, finally, a whole, clean, shining piece that transforms back into a small metal cube that I swallow.
I lay in the warm crystal waters, waves lapping over me.
The crystal water is a tonic, a purifier.
Every time it laps over me, it washes me, clearing away the old, bad information,
making way for the clean, clear, good information.
Healing me.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Day 18 - nasal rinses and staying indoors
Did the requisite exercise, most of which felt good, but I'm definitely battling a few difficulties this morning, not the least being anxiety. Yuck. Exercise is good for that, so I will probably exercise a bit more later today.
It's snowing outside. Yuck.
Today is not an easy day to feel bright and cheerful. Excellent time to practice thankfulness. I am wicked thankful I've got some tasty food in the house and have various items and implements to make good food, so I won't have to go outside in the snow for a while. I'm grateful for the internet, yet again, so I don't have to go outside. I'm grateful for the phone, etc. again so I don't have to go outside my house...by the way, I hear Voice over IP services are going to skyrocket this coming decade, and wired communications are going to drop like lead weights. So, I'm grateful I'm not in either of those businesses. I'm grateful I am not stupid, therefore, I can figure out how to use AutoCAD and Revit, even though I don't particularly love doing so. And, today, I'm grateful for nasal rinses and clean air.
I will relay the story of yesterday's energy audit in dribbles. Today's dribble is that one of the two guys that came into my house to work on it was kind of stinky. This wasn't clearly noticeable at first, but as he went around the house checking on things and moving around, he got warmer, and hence sweatier. And I had asked both of them to take their shoes off inside the house - not a horribly unusual request, they themselves admitted. But the stinky one's feet were definitely stinky and by the looks of his socks, they weren't particularly clean...
So the guy is going around the house, and he starts doing the blower-door test to check for significant leaks through the house. They go around and find leaks by putting their hands against areas to see how much air flow is happening. In a couple of locations, it was significant. Blame the builders and the mice. OK, so they go around with caulk guns and foam, sealing around window edges, baseboard edges, etc. The guy is getting stinkier and stinkier. I can't make any judgements, but my sense is that he's a pot smoker, and the stink was pot smoke stink. He wasn't a bad person, nor was he in any way incompetent, nor did he seem offensive in any other way. He just smelled. And so, for the rest of the day, up until this morning, I've had this smell in my nose of sweaty, pot-smoking male. Not super pleasant.
Finally, I did a nasal rinse this morning and washed my hair. I think things are better. So, all you pot-smokers out there, please be considerate and when you go and sweat in someone else's house, please try to be clean and wear clean clothes, and consider not smoking pot for a few days before hand.
Peace.
It's snowing outside. Yuck.
Today is not an easy day to feel bright and cheerful. Excellent time to practice thankfulness. I am wicked thankful I've got some tasty food in the house and have various items and implements to make good food, so I won't have to go outside in the snow for a while. I'm grateful for the internet, yet again, so I don't have to go outside. I'm grateful for the phone, etc. again so I don't have to go outside my house...by the way, I hear Voice over IP services are going to skyrocket this coming decade, and wired communications are going to drop like lead weights. So, I'm grateful I'm not in either of those businesses. I'm grateful I am not stupid, therefore, I can figure out how to use AutoCAD and Revit, even though I don't particularly love doing so. And, today, I'm grateful for nasal rinses and clean air.
I will relay the story of yesterday's energy audit in dribbles. Today's dribble is that one of the two guys that came into my house to work on it was kind of stinky. This wasn't clearly noticeable at first, but as he went around the house checking on things and moving around, he got warmer, and hence sweatier. And I had asked both of them to take their shoes off inside the house - not a horribly unusual request, they themselves admitted. But the stinky one's feet were definitely stinky and by the looks of his socks, they weren't particularly clean...
So the guy is going around the house, and he starts doing the blower-door test to check for significant leaks through the house. They go around and find leaks by putting their hands against areas to see how much air flow is happening. In a couple of locations, it was significant. Blame the builders and the mice. OK, so they go around with caulk guns and foam, sealing around window edges, baseboard edges, etc. The guy is getting stinkier and stinkier. I can't make any judgements, but my sense is that he's a pot smoker, and the stink was pot smoke stink. He wasn't a bad person, nor was he in any way incompetent, nor did he seem offensive in any other way. He just smelled. And so, for the rest of the day, up until this morning, I've had this smell in my nose of sweaty, pot-smoking male. Not super pleasant.
Finally, I did a nasal rinse this morning and washed my hair. I think things are better. So, all you pot-smokers out there, please be considerate and when you go and sweat in someone else's house, please try to be clean and wear clean clothes, and consider not smoking pot for a few days before hand.
Peace.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Day 17 - Friends, again.
Just a quick one here. I exercised first thing this morning. It was very good. I am actually stronger, amazingly enough. Not a lot stronger, just noticeably. I was able to walk into town to pick up PVC cement from the hardware store, and not feel terribly tired when I got back. I also vacuumed the whole house, moved stuff around, fixed (hopefully) a loose PVC drain pipe in the basement, and I'm not done with the day's activities. Ack.
A couple of guys came to the house to do an energy audit...will discuss this at length when I return, but suffice to say, it took a long time, and while they did good work, there were some downsides.
I'm grateful for my friends. I get to be there for them and encourage them, and they appreciate it. I feel connected and that feels good.
A couple of guys came to the house to do an energy audit...will discuss this at length when I return, but suffice to say, it took a long time, and while they did good work, there were some downsides.
I'm grateful for my friends. I get to be there for them and encourage them, and they appreciate it. I feel connected and that feels good.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Day 16 - My House
Exercise today was good. It was definitely the first thing I wanted to do when I got out of bed this morning, despite a slightly sore throat. I'm noticing that my arms don't feel quite as bad when I sleep with them over my head, which is a naturally comfortable position for me. This is great. Elbows and wrist still hurt, but I'm starting to feel that it's something I can have some control over, versus the pain bringing me down. I actually felt like I could go longer with the jogging around my house. I think as we come out of winter, it will only get easier to do more. The calisthenics and stretches are wonderful. As is the buckets of vegetables and good eating.
So, I have had this house for five years. There have been many ups and down with it, and I focused much more on the downs than the ups. They literally were driving me crazy, and I have wanted to move out almost since the first year I lived here. There was the carpet, the mice, the allergies, the cold, etc. I got white hairs because of the house. Then there were stresses at work, and I felt I had no place of refuge between work and home. Life was bad. Well, being laid off turned out to be that proverbial blessing in disguise as I've been able to really live in my house. Granted, there are still a few things that aren't perfect and that lead me to want to move still, but what I've found is that it is a cozy size, the first floor being almost a perfect amount of square footage for me, with a beautiful kitchen and plenty of light in the living room when it's sunny. It has nice hardwood floors, good working appliances, and it's not going to fall down!
I don't know why, but early on, as I was trying to fix the place up, I somehow became convinced that the house was just minutes away from going up in flames, or it was going to fall over, or have some structural issue that threatened to bring my life to utter ruin. Well, none of that has happened, surprise of surprises. What has happened, is that since I've spent more time in the house, I've learned the sweet spot for living here, and when the sun is shining, it's absolutely lovely to be in the main living areas of the first floor. It accommodates most of the things I want and need to do easily and well. I never thought I'd feel this way about this house, but I have to admit, at this point, I do. Voila. So, I'm grateful for being laid off and living in this house.
That's transformation for you. And what's an anecdote without a lesson? The lesson is to never take things to an extreme without just cause. It's bad for your health.
So, I have had this house for five years. There have been many ups and down with it, and I focused much more on the downs than the ups. They literally were driving me crazy, and I have wanted to move out almost since the first year I lived here. There was the carpet, the mice, the allergies, the cold, etc. I got white hairs because of the house. Then there were stresses at work, and I felt I had no place of refuge between work and home. Life was bad. Well, being laid off turned out to be that proverbial blessing in disguise as I've been able to really live in my house. Granted, there are still a few things that aren't perfect and that lead me to want to move still, but what I've found is that it is a cozy size, the first floor being almost a perfect amount of square footage for me, with a beautiful kitchen and plenty of light in the living room when it's sunny. It has nice hardwood floors, good working appliances, and it's not going to fall down!
I don't know why, but early on, as I was trying to fix the place up, I somehow became convinced that the house was just minutes away from going up in flames, or it was going to fall over, or have some structural issue that threatened to bring my life to utter ruin. Well, none of that has happened, surprise of surprises. What has happened, is that since I've spent more time in the house, I've learned the sweet spot for living here, and when the sun is shining, it's absolutely lovely to be in the main living areas of the first floor. It accommodates most of the things I want and need to do easily and well. I never thought I'd feel this way about this house, but I have to admit, at this point, I do. Voila. So, I'm grateful for being laid off and living in this house.
That's transformation for you. And what's an anecdote without a lesson? The lesson is to never take things to an extreme without just cause. It's bad for your health.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Day 15 - Space Heaters and Vegetarian restaurants
Oy! Last night played violin for too long, really pushed it with the elbows and knees (standing). Not sure what I was thinking, except that sometimes my need to reconnect with past excellence overtakes common sense. Not quite well enough to tackle recovering my former violin skills glory...sigh.
So, this morning took some Aleve to alleviate pain in finger joints and elbows. Did ok for most of the day. Also ate at a local vegetarian joint for lunch, good food, but not what I normally would eat - had cornmeal-crusted tempeh. Temp-eh? Tempeh is a little weird - it's fermented soybeans. Weird!?! Also had a piece of vegan coconut cake where the frosting was made from silken tofu. It was very very tasty. Even my friend who doesn't like coconut thought so. I don't know that I really believe it was good for you, though, in terms of fat and sugar.
What am I grateful for today? Besides silken tofu coconut frosting on vegan cake? My space heater. I love my space heater - fan-driven electric heat. It's quiet, compact, and it works. It doesn't rotate anymore, but that's ok. I have two of them, and they're workhorses, they're quiet, and they deliver heat to the places I need it. Especially the one under my desk, I find it really warms me up, even when I have the house set to 55 deg. F. I believe this particular model is made by Holmes, and I got one at Target and one at Home Depot, fairly cheaply. So thanks to the people who engineered up this little gem and remembered those of us who like our personal machines to be quiet.
Also, I am grateful for funky vegetarian restaurants. There ought to be more of them. Even though some of the food options still aren't the best tasting or as cheap as one might want them to be, it's nice to go somewhere to eat and know that your hosts care about what goes into your body.
I promise to do some exercising later tonight, cross my heart.
OK, did it, total of about 10-15 minutes calisthenics, breathing, and just a wee bit of jogging in place. Not much, didn't break a sweat, but the key word here is consistency! It's Day 15!!
So, this morning took some Aleve to alleviate pain in finger joints and elbows. Did ok for most of the day. Also ate at a local vegetarian joint for lunch, good food, but not what I normally would eat - had cornmeal-crusted tempeh. Temp-eh? Tempeh is a little weird - it's fermented soybeans. Weird!?! Also had a piece of vegan coconut cake where the frosting was made from silken tofu. It was very very tasty. Even my friend who doesn't like coconut thought so. I don't know that I really believe it was good for you, though, in terms of fat and sugar.
What am I grateful for today? Besides silken tofu coconut frosting on vegan cake? My space heater. I love my space heater - fan-driven electric heat. It's quiet, compact, and it works. It doesn't rotate anymore, but that's ok. I have two of them, and they're workhorses, they're quiet, and they deliver heat to the places I need it. Especially the one under my desk, I find it really warms me up, even when I have the house set to 55 deg. F. I believe this particular model is made by Holmes, and I got one at Target and one at Home Depot, fairly cheaply. So thanks to the people who engineered up this little gem and remembered those of us who like our personal machines to be quiet.
Also, I am grateful for funky vegetarian restaurants. There ought to be more of them. Even though some of the food options still aren't the best tasting or as cheap as one might want them to be, it's nice to go somewhere to eat and know that your hosts care about what goes into your body.
I promise to do some exercising later tonight, cross my heart.
OK, did it, total of about 10-15 minutes calisthenics, breathing, and just a wee bit of jogging in place. Not much, didn't break a sweat, but the key word here is consistency! It's Day 15!!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Day 14 - Ginger Tea and Bamboo Ear Scratchers
Had some of the usual aches and pains, but felt pretty good. Not sure why. Anyway, also was not super inclined to do my exercising, but I was able to fake myself out with the 5 minute idea. 5 minutes turned into 20, so hey! It works. What can I say?
I'm finding I have a lot of tightness in my hip area. I think this is probably typical of a lot of people, especially those of us who have spent an inordinate amount of time sitting, and most especially those of us who are inclined to be stress puppies. woof. I really noticed it last night after the swimming. It was actually hard to just sit on the couch because my hip muscles were spasming. I was able to massage it out a bit, but I definitely needed to stretch it out a lot more after exercising. Same routine, by the way, calisthenics, stretching, jogging around the house. The jogging felt really good, wonder of wonders. I'm rather amazed at the real change I've been feeling after this steady progression of exercising. Really chalks one up for the consistent, regular exercise crowd. But I am really proud of coming up with the 5-minute fake out mechanism. I just told my mom to try it.
What am I grateful for today? Hmm...there are a few too many things. Blue flowers, soap, music, bamboo ear scratchers, the internet, life...tea. Tea is a good one. I'm loving the ginger tea. A friend gave me a cool cylindrical container of strong ginger tea from a company called Satira. Apparently, this is a spa products company, and by the looks of the website, they have some cool stuff. The ginger tea is very strong, even stronger than the tea I make directly from boiling ginger in water. Surprising, but perhaps this is because the dried content of the tea is actually much more concentrated than fresh ginger slices. In any case, it's excellent ginger tea, especially when you feel like you have a health problem to kick butt on. Hmm...maybe ought to try out some of the other spa therapies from this company.
But can I just say, I think I'm most happy with creating positive change in my life - getting this exercise habit in, helping myself feel better by eating right, faking myself out to do good things for my body, learning to listen to myself more and more. This echoes a lot of stuff I've already written about, but I just can't celebrate it enough. And bamboo ear scratchers. Those are great. (you can find them in stores in an urban Chinatown for a few dollars, not like the one I linked to, which has some fancy, japanese craftsman hoopla attached to it. I think I got mine, actually 2 for 1.75 in San Francisco's Chinatown somewhere years ago.)
I'm finding I have a lot of tightness in my hip area. I think this is probably typical of a lot of people, especially those of us who have spent an inordinate amount of time sitting, and most especially those of us who are inclined to be stress puppies. woof. I really noticed it last night after the swimming. It was actually hard to just sit on the couch because my hip muscles were spasming. I was able to massage it out a bit, but I definitely needed to stretch it out a lot more after exercising. Same routine, by the way, calisthenics, stretching, jogging around the house. The jogging felt really good, wonder of wonders. I'm rather amazed at the real change I've been feeling after this steady progression of exercising. Really chalks one up for the consistent, regular exercise crowd. But I am really proud of coming up with the 5-minute fake out mechanism. I just told my mom to try it.
What am I grateful for today? Hmm...there are a few too many things. Blue flowers, soap, music, bamboo ear scratchers, the internet, life...tea. Tea is a good one. I'm loving the ginger tea. A friend gave me a cool cylindrical container of strong ginger tea from a company called Satira. Apparently, this is a spa products company, and by the looks of the website, they have some cool stuff. The ginger tea is very strong, even stronger than the tea I make directly from boiling ginger in water. Surprising, but perhaps this is because the dried content of the tea is actually much more concentrated than fresh ginger slices. In any case, it's excellent ginger tea, especially when you feel like you have a health problem to kick butt on. Hmm...maybe ought to try out some of the other spa therapies from this company.
But can I just say, I think I'm most happy with creating positive change in my life - getting this exercise habit in, helping myself feel better by eating right, faking myself out to do good things for my body, learning to listen to myself more and more. This echoes a lot of stuff I've already written about, but I just can't celebrate it enough. And bamboo ear scratchers. Those are great. (you can find them in stores in an urban Chinatown for a few dollars, not like the one I linked to, which has some fancy, japanese craftsman hoopla attached to it. I think I got mine, actually 2 for 1.75 in San Francisco's Chinatown somewhere years ago.)
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Day 13 - Disease
Oh yes I did! Went swimming at the Y for about 20 minutes, preceeded by about 10 minutes in the SAUNA! The sauna is a great place to be on a cold winter's day, it really it is.
The aches and pains are at typical levels, being relatively low but still present, and elbows are still irritated, but generally, things feel ok. Perhaps the ginger tea is helping.
In the interest of being useful, I will delineate the dietary steps I'm taking to reduce inflammation (which I identify through the pain in my joints and body). Primarily, I'm trying to avoid all refined or processed sugar, which isn't too hard for me since I don't have a huge sweet tooth. Secondly, I'm not eating almost any meat, but really digging into fresh vegetables and fruit. I used to eat bags and bags of chips and crunchy snacks - and in fact, it occurred to me the rate of chip consumption seemed unsustainable (don't ask how I was trying to measure that). Now, instead of chips, I cut up celery, carrots, and other crunchy vegetables when I need my crunch fix. I think I've identified the need to crunch as being related somehow to anxiety. Really low-grade, barely identifiable anxiety. It primarily comes up when I'm trying to do something that requires I settle in and concentrate or focus in on one task. The other antidote to the crunch jones is liquids. Sometimes it's herbal tea, and sometimes it's salty water. I have more of a salt tooth than anything.
I'm also going in on the Vitamins C, E and Selenium, plus Vit. D and Calcium. Also, I am drinking a bit more green tea and ginger tea.
It's interesting how when fighting a scary possible disease, doing things like exercising and eating right feel like rewards in and of themselves. I came out of my swim feeling proud of myself for taking disease head-on, and didn't feel any need to reward myself further. You know how that happens - you exercise, and then you reward yourself with a big, fat smoothie loaded with sugar and other things of questionable nutritional value. Or you reward yourself by buying something you don't need...
So today, I'm grateful for my body screaming bloody murder at me - telling me in no uncertain terms that it's had it, I've f*cked up enough, and should I really like to push the envelope, I'll get arthritis, limited motion, and buckets of pain for my trouble. Thanks, body.
On another note, I heard that a girl who used to work where I worked and lived in this area died recently, possibly in Pakistan. She was younger than me and also had symptoms of some weird disease that started up while living here. I'm not making any connections, but I certainly don't take it lightly.
The aches and pains are at typical levels, being relatively low but still present, and elbows are still irritated, but generally, things feel ok. Perhaps the ginger tea is helping.
In the interest of being useful, I will delineate the dietary steps I'm taking to reduce inflammation (which I identify through the pain in my joints and body). Primarily, I'm trying to avoid all refined or processed sugar, which isn't too hard for me since I don't have a huge sweet tooth. Secondly, I'm not eating almost any meat, but really digging into fresh vegetables and fruit. I used to eat bags and bags of chips and crunchy snacks - and in fact, it occurred to me the rate of chip consumption seemed unsustainable (don't ask how I was trying to measure that). Now, instead of chips, I cut up celery, carrots, and other crunchy vegetables when I need my crunch fix. I think I've identified the need to crunch as being related somehow to anxiety. Really low-grade, barely identifiable anxiety. It primarily comes up when I'm trying to do something that requires I settle in and concentrate or focus in on one task. The other antidote to the crunch jones is liquids. Sometimes it's herbal tea, and sometimes it's salty water. I have more of a salt tooth than anything.
I'm also going in on the Vitamins C, E and Selenium, plus Vit. D and Calcium. Also, I am drinking a bit more green tea and ginger tea.
It's interesting how when fighting a scary possible disease, doing things like exercising and eating right feel like rewards in and of themselves. I came out of my swim feeling proud of myself for taking disease head-on, and didn't feel any need to reward myself further. You know how that happens - you exercise, and then you reward yourself with a big, fat smoothie loaded with sugar and other things of questionable nutritional value. Or you reward yourself by buying something you don't need...
So today, I'm grateful for my body screaming bloody murder at me - telling me in no uncertain terms that it's had it, I've f*cked up enough, and should I really like to push the envelope, I'll get arthritis, limited motion, and buckets of pain for my trouble. Thanks, body.
On another note, I heard that a girl who used to work where I worked and lived in this area died recently, possibly in Pakistan. She was younger than me and also had symptoms of some weird disease that started up while living here. I'm not making any connections, but I certainly don't take it lightly.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Day 12 - People
I did my breathing, visualizations (sort of), and calisthenics and jogging around the house. Good stuff. It's definitely feeling like a habit, because the first thing I want to do when I get out of bed is exercise. Now if only I would get out of bed a little earlier, that would help.
I think I ought to forget architecture, or at least forget working for a firm. They are so hide-bound, most firms. Some of them are lucky and get to do really cutting edge work, but most of them don't. And building as a process is terribly hide-bound. I mean, there's no getting around some of the work, cutting, bricklaying, etc. But I can say from experience, the inefficiencies within the administrative process, as well as the very weird position architects find themselves (carving out a tiny fiefdom between the contractor and owner) is enough to make a sane person pack up their bags and head for the nearest saloon. Not sure where that imagery came from.
Anyway, what am I thankful for today? People! I had three people with whom I created good relationships with in my former job email me sort of out of the blue to chat. I think it's that beginning of the new year thing, but nevertheless, it's really nice to know people are interested in you, for whatever reason. Especially if you live out in the sticks... Anyway, people are an interesting conduit to seeing things from other perspectives, a way of finding a way outside of yourself, because honestly, staying within your own narrow perspective can be deadly. And people are generally helpful. They each have their own problems and issues they have to deal with, but by and large, if you ask, someone out there will come through with an answer or some kind of help. It may not be what you want, but it just might be what you need. To paraphrase the Stones...
"People, needing people, are the luckiest people..." from some musical....
Yay, people!
I think I ought to forget architecture, or at least forget working for a firm. They are so hide-bound, most firms. Some of them are lucky and get to do really cutting edge work, but most of them don't. And building as a process is terribly hide-bound. I mean, there's no getting around some of the work, cutting, bricklaying, etc. But I can say from experience, the inefficiencies within the administrative process, as well as the very weird position architects find themselves (carving out a tiny fiefdom between the contractor and owner) is enough to make a sane person pack up their bags and head for the nearest saloon. Not sure where that imagery came from.
Anyway, what am I thankful for today? People! I had three people with whom I created good relationships with in my former job email me sort of out of the blue to chat. I think it's that beginning of the new year thing, but nevertheless, it's really nice to know people are interested in you, for whatever reason. Especially if you live out in the sticks... Anyway, people are an interesting conduit to seeing things from other perspectives, a way of finding a way outside of yourself, because honestly, staying within your own narrow perspective can be deadly. And people are generally helpful. They each have their own problems and issues they have to deal with, but by and large, if you ask, someone out there will come through with an answer or some kind of help. It may not be what you want, but it just might be what you need. To paraphrase the Stones...
"People, needing people, are the luckiest people..." from some musical....
Yay, people!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Day 11 - Sun
I think I hit about 30 minutes of exercise, but a lot of it was stretching and getting the body comfortable more than raising the heart rate up seriously. Nevertheless, it's becoming a very welcome habit to wake up, visualize cool seafoam green energy healing my body, doing breathing meditations and then getting up and walking around my house and doing calisthenics and jogging in place. No jumping jacks today.
Last night, I went out with friends to a thing called Green Drinks. Not really sure about the moniker (sustainability, mixing with like-minded people, blah, blah, blah, very nice), but for me, it was really just a chance to get out and see people, meet new ones, something I desperately need to keep doing. Now, they had free food, which I love. Free food has been one of the highlights of my existence for a long time. It's a little odd, but perhaps only because of the degree to which it is a highlight - free food ranks about as highly as, say, a winning lottery ticket for a $100. And just as 99% of the time you would not reject the winning lottery ticket, I typically would not turn down free food, no matter what kind of diet I'm trying to stay on.
(I note to myself that there is some impulsivity here that probably ought to be controlled...I think of the mice and peanut butter on snap traps...)
The free food offering was meatballs, pigs in blankets (I love those too much) and ziti with sauce. What is it about free food and ziti with sauce? I have to assume that it's quite cheap to be so ubiquitous in the free food selection. But you find it so frequently as the "vegetarian" selection in catered food, whether at a buffet, a served dinner, or even in fancy prix fixes that there must be something about it beyond being cheap and easy to make. Tasty? The reviews must be mixed. The ziti I had last night was fine by me, though I wouldn't vouch for other people's tastes. But more than once, I have come across ziti that was overcooked, mushy like watered cardboard with congealed sticky tomato sauce that bind the limp cardboard-y pieces of pasta together, a bit like filler paste or caulking more than food. In the end, I really don't think it's about how it tastes, or even how easy it is to make so much as how iconic it is in the free food pantheon. In the end, I think ziti with sauce makes repeat appearances because of a lack of creativity on the part of the free-food offering community, loosely called. Then again, I suppose the argument could be made (perhaps should be made) that creativity comes at a premium. Hmm, creatives should probably agree, but shouldn't being creative be the default? (ah, another discussion, another time...)
How about rigatoni with salt, pepper, Italian herbs tossed with extra virgin olive oil? Mmmm! Super easy, super tasty, can be served hot or cold. Or rotini with chopped red onion, mixed chopped vegetables, tossed in a light vinaigrette? So many ways to go about this...
Anyway, I was a little afraid that eating that food would adversely affect my pain, but it seems to have been ok. I feel a wee bit puffy today, which I assume is because of the salt and animal fats. But I actually felt worse before the event, possibly because I went with a friend to IKEA. Not sure if the friend or IKEA had anything to do with the pain? One thing I know for sure, though, is that between visualizations and exercise, the pain is ameliorated.
Today I am grateful for sunshine. Yes, very prosaic selection, I understand, and you might see that it's been a tempting topic for a few days. But what an effect on mood sunshine has. I was thinking about how many people in the northeast and cold northerly states want to be somewhere else during the winter, and I fully understand this. However, as I sit in my house on this January day with an exterior temperature of 32 degF, and an interior temperature of not much more, the sun is shining and reflecting off the yellow siding and white trim of my house which I can see out the window just beyond my computer screen. It's lovely - really, truly, lovely. The brightness of the white muntins, the faded yellow of the vinyl siding, the sheer brightness of the sun - I can only use a comparison of other senses. It's like a cool refreshing drink, a tonic that brings instant relief, a soft warm blanket. It's energy directly imbibed through the eyes into the body, and taking a moment to really see it, I feel the sun's energy as a healing force. That's something to be grateful for, no?
Last night, I went out with friends to a thing called Green Drinks. Not really sure about the moniker (sustainability, mixing with like-minded people, blah, blah, blah, very nice), but for me, it was really just a chance to get out and see people, meet new ones, something I desperately need to keep doing. Now, they had free food, which I love. Free food has been one of the highlights of my existence for a long time. It's a little odd, but perhaps only because of the degree to which it is a highlight - free food ranks about as highly as, say, a winning lottery ticket for a $100. And just as 99% of the time you would not reject the winning lottery ticket, I typically would not turn down free food, no matter what kind of diet I'm trying to stay on.
(I note to myself that there is some impulsivity here that probably ought to be controlled...I think of the mice and peanut butter on snap traps...)
The free food offering was meatballs, pigs in blankets (I love those too much) and ziti with sauce. What is it about free food and ziti with sauce? I have to assume that it's quite cheap to be so ubiquitous in the free food selection. But you find it so frequently as the "vegetarian" selection in catered food, whether at a buffet, a served dinner, or even in fancy prix fixes that there must be something about it beyond being cheap and easy to make. Tasty? The reviews must be mixed. The ziti I had last night was fine by me, though I wouldn't vouch for other people's tastes. But more than once, I have come across ziti that was overcooked, mushy like watered cardboard with congealed sticky tomato sauce that bind the limp cardboard-y pieces of pasta together, a bit like filler paste or caulking more than food. In the end, I really don't think it's about how it tastes, or even how easy it is to make so much as how iconic it is in the free food pantheon. In the end, I think ziti with sauce makes repeat appearances because of a lack of creativity on the part of the free-food offering community, loosely called. Then again, I suppose the argument could be made (perhaps should be made) that creativity comes at a premium. Hmm, creatives should probably agree, but shouldn't being creative be the default? (ah, another discussion, another time...)
How about rigatoni with salt, pepper, Italian herbs tossed with extra virgin olive oil? Mmmm! Super easy, super tasty, can be served hot or cold. Or rotini with chopped red onion, mixed chopped vegetables, tossed in a light vinaigrette? So many ways to go about this...
Anyway, I was a little afraid that eating that food would adversely affect my pain, but it seems to have been ok. I feel a wee bit puffy today, which I assume is because of the salt and animal fats. But I actually felt worse before the event, possibly because I went with a friend to IKEA. Not sure if the friend or IKEA had anything to do with the pain? One thing I know for sure, though, is that between visualizations and exercise, the pain is ameliorated.
Today I am grateful for sunshine. Yes, very prosaic selection, I understand, and you might see that it's been a tempting topic for a few days. But what an effect on mood sunshine has. I was thinking about how many people in the northeast and cold northerly states want to be somewhere else during the winter, and I fully understand this. However, as I sit in my house on this January day with an exterior temperature of 32 degF, and an interior temperature of not much more, the sun is shining and reflecting off the yellow siding and white trim of my house which I can see out the window just beyond my computer screen. It's lovely - really, truly, lovely. The brightness of the white muntins, the faded yellow of the vinyl siding, the sheer brightness of the sun - I can only use a comparison of other senses. It's like a cool refreshing drink, a tonic that brings instant relief, a soft warm blanket. It's energy directly imbibed through the eyes into the body, and taking a moment to really see it, I feel the sun's energy as a healing force. That's something to be grateful for, no?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Day 10 - ways of communicating
Day 10! Woohoo! Woke up, did some visualizations and breathing exercises in bed, then went straight away to exercising in my pjs and blue fuzzy robe.
The visualizations were along the lines of meditating and bringing healing energy into parts of my body that hurt. Breathing exercises were part of the meditation, to notice breath, use exhalation forcefully, and a couple other interesting breath exercises courtesy of Andrew Weil.
Exercising was 10 minutes of walking around the house and up and down the stairs. Then light stretching and gentle movement before commencing calisthenics. And rounding it all out was another 5 minute jogging spree around the house. It was good.
The book I'm reading by Andrew Weil is called Spontaneous Healing, published in 1995. There are several recommendations I'm taking up including visualization and breathing exercises. It will take a few months, I'm sure, before any results will show up, but at the very least, I do feel that I have some tools with which to fight.
There are many things to be thankful for, not least of which is the sunshine today. But I thought I'd venture into more sophisticated waters and talk about technology. I am grateful for technology because it makes certain things easier and faster, but the greatest reason I am thankful for technology is because it connects me as easily as I want to other people. I'm not excited about Facebook because it's rather too public and too personal at the same time for my tastes. I understand you can control some of the information on there, but I'm perfectly happy with calling people, emailing, and seeing people in person. Actually, the being with people in person is the mode par excellence, in my opinion.
Anyway, we take it all for granted now, cellphones, computers, and satellites, and sometimes, we might think it too much, that in fact, there is too much connectivity. But I think, regardless of the responsibility we have to use these devices wisely, the pleasure and good they confer is great.
The visualizations were along the lines of meditating and bringing healing energy into parts of my body that hurt. Breathing exercises were part of the meditation, to notice breath, use exhalation forcefully, and a couple other interesting breath exercises courtesy of Andrew Weil.
Exercising was 10 minutes of walking around the house and up and down the stairs. Then light stretching and gentle movement before commencing calisthenics. And rounding it all out was another 5 minute jogging spree around the house. It was good.
The book I'm reading by Andrew Weil is called Spontaneous Healing, published in 1995. There are several recommendations I'm taking up including visualization and breathing exercises. It will take a few months, I'm sure, before any results will show up, but at the very least, I do feel that I have some tools with which to fight.
There are many things to be thankful for, not least of which is the sunshine today. But I thought I'd venture into more sophisticated waters and talk about technology. I am grateful for technology because it makes certain things easier and faster, but the greatest reason I am thankful for technology is because it connects me as easily as I want to other people. I'm not excited about Facebook because it's rather too public and too personal at the same time for my tastes. I understand you can control some of the information on there, but I'm perfectly happy with calling people, emailing, and seeing people in person
Anyway, we take it all for granted now, cellphones, computers, and satellites, and sometimes, we might think it too much, that in fact, there is too much connectivity. But I think, regardless of the responsibility we have to use these devices wisely, the pleasure and good they confer is great.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Day 9 - Exercise
Did not require Pandora's services to get going, although was grumpily in pain upon waking up this morning. I really don't think it's my bed. It's soft, but I have a hard board underneath the mattress, so there's good support. Maybe it was the chocolate I had last night? Two small pieces. who knows? Not sure I care.
The remedy was some gentle stretching while reading news this morning, then while I was on hold with the unemployment benefits people, I started in on my regular exercise routine. It's simple simple simple, but it works some muscles, gets motion in all parts of the body, and the jogging around the house at the end really feels like you're doing something. Today I did 5 minutes of jogging and 60 jumping jacks, for a total of 20 full minutes of exercise. After which, I truly felt better. The pains aren't all gone, but at least facing this dreary day isn't quite so onerous.
I should remark that the exercise routine involves some deep breathing, which, if you're at all dehydrated, you should begin first by drinking some warm liquids to soothe your respiratory passages.
So I'm grateful for being able to exercise. I really am. It's in every single health recommendation there is, I'm sure it's even in the bible. (If not, let me know.) And for every single disease, exercise is a possible prevention or cure. For me, it's an antidote to the depressive tendencies that come from a genetic disposition, being unemployed, and living in an area that I will not use profanity to describe in this blog. But I could.
Exercise is about your body. Your body supports all the other functions you have. As fungerbils alluded to before, the body is an amazing thing, all that it does. You know those comic book heroes that have amazing regenerative abilities? Well, we already have that superpower...maybe we don't heal in minutes, but we heal from sickness and injury and we keep going. In Haiti, they pulled out a UN worked from rubble that he had been under for five days, no food and water. To ignore the everyday miracle of our bodies is regrettable. Today, I'm celebrating my body and its incredible regenerative healing properties. Love it, respect it, treat it well. Exercise.
The remedy was some gentle stretching while reading news this morning, then while I was on hold with the unemployment benefits people, I started in on my regular exercise routine. It's simple simple simple, but it works some muscles, gets motion in all parts of the body, and the jogging around the house at the end really feels like you're doing something. Today I did 5 minutes of jogging and 60 jumping jacks, for a total of 20 full minutes of exercise. After which, I truly felt better. The pains aren't all gone, but at least facing this dreary day isn't quite so onerous.
I should remark that the exercise routine involves some deep breathing, which, if you're at all dehydrated, you should begin first by drinking some warm liquids to soothe your respiratory passages.
So I'm grateful for being able to exercise. I really am. It's in every single health recommendation there is, I'm sure it's even in the bible. (If not, let me know.) And for every single disease, exercise is a possible prevention or cure. For me, it's an antidote to the depressive tendencies that come from a genetic disposition, being unemployed, and living in an area that I will not use profanity to describe in this blog. But I could.
Exercise is about your body. Your body supports all the other functions you have. As fungerbils alluded to before, the body is an amazing thing, all that it does. You know those comic book heroes that have amazing regenerative abilities? Well, we already have that superpower...maybe we don't heal in minutes, but we heal from sickness and injury and we keep going. In Haiti, they pulled out a UN worked from rubble that he had been under for five days, no food and water. To ignore the everyday miracle of our bodies is regrettable. Today, I'm celebrating my body and its incredible regenerative healing properties. Love it, respect it, treat it well. Exercise.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Day 8 - Blue Fuzzy Robe
Is it really day 8 already? Well, time to up the ante. We're going for 10 minutes of exercise everyday from here on out. Yes! TEN WHOLE MINUTES!!
I actually did about 20 today. Was trying to think of how to prevent arthritis, and the Internet says gentle, but regular, exercise is one of the keys. The Internet is so smart.
Let's see, today turned on the Pandora, did a bit of wiggling around, some of my regular calisthenics including deep breathing, and then more jogging around in the house and 50 jumping jacks. This was all good. I actually sweated. And I tried a bit of downward dog, gently. I'm mostly worried about arthritis in my hands and arm joints, not sure if downward dog is the best way to treat, but it made sense to try some weight bearing exercises.
I seem to be needing about 10 hours of sleep. I can't tell if this is because I really need 10, or because I get woken up in the middle of the night by the resident mouse. So I have to tell a somewhat gruesome story about the mouse. I have a sneaking suspicion that this mouse is, in fact, the mouse that stole one of my snap trap mouse traps - the kind that snaps the mouse on the back or head and kills them instantly. (I believe this is the most humane mouse trap. And, no, I don't believe in releasing the buggers miles away from the house. That is self-defeating.) A month or so ago, I put out some traps, and a few days later, one of them...disappeared. A few days after the disappearance, I would sometimes hear this really loud clattering noise in different parts of the house. I didn't link it to the mouse right away, but later, after I heard this very loud clattering around for the fourth or so time, I was convinced it was the mouse trap stealer, dragging the trap around inside the walls of my house.
OK, to clarify, my guess is that the trap was snapped shut on the mouse's tail or paw, and it somehow managed to drag it up from the basement floor, up the stone walls of the basement, then vertically up some duct or pipe passageway in a wall, into the plenum of the second floor. Somehow, it freed itself from the trap, and now, struck mad from the trauma of tangling with a snap trap, it runs around (inside the walls of) the house at regular 3 hour intervals starting around 11pm with a maniacal gleam in its eye, chewing things. It is a loud and crazy mouse. I wish it would go for a nice chunk of peanut butter on one of several traps and put me and it out of our collective misery.
Today I am extremely grateful for my blue fuzzy robe. I had been living in coldness without this robe for a few years, and getting progressively sadder, about a variety of problematic things, not the least of which was being cold in the winter. The various other problems served to distract from addressing this fundamental issue, and I was so deep in feeling bad that I did not connect the dots to see that being cold only made the feeling bad about the other things even worse, and vice versa. It took professional help to realize that in the priority of problems, the first one was that I wasn't taking care of my body very well at all, and I had a deep, child-like need to be taken care of that wasn't being met. The situation before the fuzzy robe could be described by painting a picture of a little orphan wearing rags, whose cries for help were not being heard. When I finally understood that it was my job to take care of the little orphan, and what she wanted and needed the most was a fuzzy robe...well, the day we found my fuzzy robe for under $20 was a watershed day. The robe reminds me that sometimes, feeling better is a relatively simple matter, eating, resting, being warm, turning on a light, tuning in to what your body is telling you.
This fuzzy robe is super soft, easily worn over sweats or pajamas, has collar that can be pulled up tight, a belt and pockets, and it is very warm. It not only warms me up quickly, but helps me keep the heat down in the house to conserve energy and keep the bills down. Most importantly, it just feels great. Did I mention that it's blue, super soft and fuzzy?
That's the name of this game, feeling good, better, and great. Peace and blessings.
I actually did about 20 today. Was trying to think of how to prevent arthritis, and the Internet says gentle, but regular, exercise is one of the keys. The Internet is so smart.
Let's see, today turned on the Pandora, did a bit of wiggling around, some of my regular calisthenics including deep breathing, and then more jogging around in the house and 50 jumping jacks. This was all good. I actually sweated. And I tried a bit of downward dog, gently. I'm mostly worried about arthritis in my hands and arm joints, not sure if downward dog is the best way to treat, but it made sense to try some weight bearing exercises.
I seem to be needing about 10 hours of sleep. I can't tell if this is because I really need 10, or because I get woken up in the middle of the night by the resident mouse. So I have to tell a somewhat gruesome story about the mouse. I have a sneaking suspicion that this mouse is, in fact, the mouse that stole one of my snap trap mouse traps - the kind that snaps the mouse on the back or head and kills them instantly. (I believe this is the most humane mouse trap. And, no, I don't believe in releasing the buggers miles away from the house. That is self-defeating.) A month or so ago, I put out some traps, and a few days later, one of them...disappeared. A few days after the disappearance, I would sometimes hear this really loud clattering noise in different parts of the house. I didn't link it to the mouse right away, but later, after I heard this very loud clattering around for the fourth or so time, I was convinced it was the mouse trap stealer, dragging the trap around inside the walls of my house.
OK, to clarify, my guess is that the trap was snapped shut on the mouse's tail or paw, and it somehow managed to drag it up from the basement floor, up the stone walls of the basement, then vertically up some duct or pipe passageway in a wall, into the plenum of the second floor. Somehow, it freed itself from the trap, and now, struck mad from the trauma of tangling with a snap trap, it runs around (inside the walls of) the house at regular 3 hour intervals starting around 11pm with a maniacal gleam in its eye, chewing things. It is a loud and crazy mouse. I wish it would go for a nice chunk of peanut butter on one of several traps and put me and it out of our collective misery.
Today I am extremely grateful for my blue fuzzy robe. I had been living in coldness without this robe for a few years, and getting progressively sadder, about a variety of problematic things, not the least of which was being cold in the winter. The various other problems served to distract from addressing this fundamental issue, and I was so deep in feeling bad that I did not connect the dots to see that being cold only made the feeling bad about the other things even worse, and vice versa. It took professional help to realize that in the priority of problems, the first one was that I wasn't taking care of my body very well at all, and I had a deep, child-like need to be taken care of that wasn't being met. The situation before the fuzzy robe could be described by painting a picture of a little orphan wearing rags, whose cries for help were not being heard. When I finally understood that it was my job to take care of the little orphan, and what she wanted and needed the most was a fuzzy robe...well, the day we found my fuzzy robe for under $20 was a watershed day. The robe reminds me that sometimes, feeling better is a relatively simple matter, eating, resting, being warm, turning on a light, tuning in to what your body is telling you.
This fuzzy robe is super soft, easily worn over sweats or pajamas, has collar that can be pulled up tight, a belt and pockets, and it is very warm. It not only warms me up quickly, but helps me keep the heat down in the house to conserve energy and keep the bills down. Most importantly, it just feels great. Did I mention that it's blue, super soft and fuzzy?
That's the name of this game, feeling good, better, and great. Peace and blessings.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Day 7 - Jazz
5 minutes of dancing to excellent R&B, courtesy of Pandora radio led to several more minutes of jogging in place and jumping jacks. Of all the ways I know of to jumpstart exercise, dancing to your favorite music is the best. Not only is dancing pleasurable and simple (especially in your own living room with curtains drawn, or not, clothing optional), you instinctively use a cross-pattern with your arms and legs: when the left arm goes out, the right leg goes out in the opposite direction, and vice versa. This pattern is inherent in many of the things we bipedal humans do - walking and running, and dancing. To quote Andrew Weil "this type of movement generates electrical activity in the brain that has a harmonizing influence on the whole central nervous system."
What am I grateful for today? Jazz. R&B. That great intersection of rhythms and harmonies and instrumentation that produces a swinging of the hips, a snap in the fingers and a tap in the foot. I actually don't know very much about the genre, only having dabbled in listening to a few fundamental building blocks like Ella and Miles Davis. But what I know is that listening to jazz artists, there is a terrific energy and tempo that matches modern life. Jazz doesn't give you the gigantic swelling forces of nature that classical symphonies do, and obviously, the instrumentation gives you a completely different frame of reference, but classical never gives you such sultry, taffy-like bon-bons the way the jazz repertoire does.
And only jazz completes a dark nightclub with glasses of golden colored liquid and coolly dressed people with a warm, smooth, and relaxed atmosphere. Yummy.
What am I grateful for today? Jazz. R&B. That great intersection of rhythms and harmonies and instrumentation that produces a swinging of the hips, a snap in the fingers and a tap in the foot. I actually don't know very much about the genre, only having dabbled in listening to a few fundamental building blocks like Ella and Miles Davis. But what I know is that listening to jazz artists, there is a terrific energy and tempo that matches modern life. Jazz doesn't give you the gigantic swelling forces of nature that classical symphonies do, and obviously, the instrumentation gives you a completely different frame of reference, but classical never gives you such sultry, taffy-like bon-bons the way the jazz repertoire does.
And only jazz completes a dark nightclub with glasses of golden colored liquid and coolly dressed people with a warm, smooth, and relaxed atmosphere. Yummy.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Day 6 - Student Enthusiasm
Taught some violin today, did a bunch of errands, including grocery shopping which ought to be considered exercise in my opinion. My elbows are sore today.
I'm grateful for my student B. She's 11, but looks around 8. Cute, sweet, and quite into violin, she's only been playing for a few months, but already she's A+ in my book. She's into music generally, and musical instruments, and has a certain aptitude for music. She wants to practice, and she really wants to learn. She will sometimes say that a two-line piece she is learning "sounds cool," which tickles me, because there is so much more cool-sounding stuff out there I can introduce her to. It occurs to me that this kind of receptivity to music is by no means universal, or even particularly common. Maybe it's pushed out of people after a certain age, but I've seen enough students who don't think it sounds cool to know that her interest in music is not super typical.
I could speculate as to why she is oriented this way towards music. I have to admit, it seems that there might be some back story I'm oblivious to that might shed some interesting light on her affinity for music and violin in particular. But, really, I'm just grateful she wants to practice and wants to learn because this way it's much easier for me to teach. In a sense, her enthusiasm and ability to learn are like a key that unlocks the information flow that I have to offer. It reminds me that I have plenty to give...I am rich in my violin knowledge, and as such, I am useful, skilled, and necessary.
Today, I am quite tired, so can't think straight, but somewhere betwixt B., violin, beautiful music, and me, at that point where we all converge, the universe is trying to make a lovely harmony.
I'm grateful for my student B. She's 11, but looks around 8. Cute, sweet, and quite into violin, she's only been playing for a few months, but already she's A+ in my book. She's into music generally, and musical instruments, and has a certain aptitude for music. She wants to practice, and she really wants to learn. She will sometimes say that a two-line piece she is learning "sounds cool," which tickles me, because there is so much more cool-sounding stuff out there I can introduce her to. It occurs to me that this kind of receptivity to music is by no means universal, or even particularly common. Maybe it's pushed out of people after a certain age, but I've seen enough students who don't think it sounds cool to know that her interest in music is not super typical.
I could speculate as to why she is oriented this way towards music. I have to admit, it seems that there might be some back story I'm oblivious to that might shed some interesting light on her affinity for music and violin in particular. But, really, I'm just grateful she wants to practice and wants to learn because this way it's much easier for me to teach. In a sense, her enthusiasm and ability to learn are like a key that unlocks the information flow that I have to offer. It reminds me that I have plenty to give...I am rich in my violin knowledge, and as such, I am useful, skilled, and necessary.
Today, I am quite tired, so can't think straight, but somewhere betwixt B., violin, beautiful music, and me, at that point where we all converge, the universe is trying to make a lovely harmony.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Day 5 - Violins
Did the requisite 5 minutes of exercise. Really wasn't too bad, although I wasn't feeling inclined to do it. I just started, because all I had to do was five minutes, and it ended up being around 8 or 9 minutes total. The (weak) force of habit got me from my beginning stretches to 50 jumping jacks and a slightly elevated heart rate. I realized, too, that having walked around in the Museum of Fine Arts for a few hours yesterday probably tired me out a bit.
Yay!
Also yesterday, my cousin had tickets for the Boston Symphony. I was surprised to find that there's a new player in the violins - no names - but I had a crush on him when we were both high schoolers at Tanglewood. Unbelievable. Both, the crush and that I saw him at the BSO. Anyway, he's married now, and it's exciting to see him attain this milestone in his career. And of course, there's the other violinist I've long held great affection for, H.M. >sigh<
The soloist played the Elgar B minor violin concerto, very Elgar-y. He played the ex-Kreisler Guarneri del Jesu violin. Sweet Jesu, I say. That is one gorgeous sounding violin. (This is what I'm grateful for today.) If you've spent a lot of time listening to violin players in various places and levels, you realize that to achieve the level of sound this violin produces...well, it's one of the miracles of the world. From the first note, there was a reverberance, a clear richness, a layered sonority you don't get from most violins. The articulation was supreme, the response was amazing. The tone was absolutely thrilling - and I don't say these things lightly. There was only one vague flaw in the lower register, an odd buzz or growling sound which could have been the violinist bearing down a bit harder than he needed to, or perhaps the bow. Not a big deal, because the rest of the notes were divine and gorgeous.
I am, having been a violinist for 20 or 30 years depending on how you want to count, rather critical of most violin soloists, unless I know them personally. (Perhaps this is a little knowledge being a bad thing, but this is my blog.) The guy, N. Znaider, is really good, and obviously, deserving to play the instrument. But the instrument, you hear it, and you realize any number of great players could be made to sound supreme if they had this violin. Even I might sound kick ass. Perhaps. I would love to have a chance to try.
There's something else rather important about the violin for me. Hearing it gave me that all-over body tingle. Just for a moment, there was a sense of some perfect alignment in the universe, and I was witness to it. You can't help but be grateful for those opportunities to witness perfection. The body takes in the experience, relaxes, feels the perfect good of it, and is lifted. These moments of perfect alignment are uplifting. Encouraging, heartening. May we all have them, and often. And when we are not having them, let us remember the times we did.
Yay!
Also yesterday, my cousin had tickets for the Boston Symphony. I was surprised to find that there's a new player in the violins - no names - but I had a crush on him when we were both high schoolers at Tanglewood. Unbelievable. Both, the crush and that I saw him at the BSO. Anyway, he's married now, and it's exciting to see him attain this milestone in his career. And of course, there's the other violinist I've long held great affection for, H.M. >sigh<
The soloist played the Elgar B minor violin concerto, very Elgar-y. He played the ex-Kreisler Guarneri del Jesu violin. Sweet Jesu, I say. That is one gorgeous sounding violin. (This is what I'm grateful for today.) If you've spent a lot of time listening to violin players in various places and levels, you realize that to achieve the level of sound this violin produces...well, it's one of the miracles of the world. From the first note, there was a reverberance, a clear richness, a layered sonority you don't get from most violins. The articulation was supreme, the response was amazing. The tone was absolutely thrilling - and I don't say these things lightly. There was only one vague flaw in the lower register, an odd buzz or growling sound which could have been the violinist bearing down a bit harder than he needed to, or perhaps the bow. Not a big deal, because the rest of the notes were divine and gorgeous.
I am, having been a violinist for 20 or 30 years depending on how you want to count, rather critical of most violin soloists, unless I know them personally. (Perhaps this is a little knowledge being a bad thing, but this is my blog.) The guy, N. Znaider, is really good, and obviously, deserving to play the instrument. But the instrument, you hear it, and you realize any number of great players could be made to sound supreme if they had this violin. Even I might sound kick ass. Perhaps. I would love to have a chance to try.
There's something else rather important about the violin for me. Hearing it gave me that all-over body tingle. Just for a moment, there was a sense of some perfect alignment in the universe, and I was witness to it. You can't help but be grateful for those opportunities to witness perfection. The body takes in the experience, relaxes, feels the perfect good of it, and is lifted. These moments of perfect alignment are uplifting. Encouraging, heartening. May we all have them, and often. And when we are not having them, let us remember the times we did.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Day 4 - Habits of Choice
I think I'm entering the territory of new familiarity in this habit-makingness. Four days of a practice isn't really that much, but things are starting to feel familiar in a particular kind of way...the way that says, I can see doing this thing every day for the rest of my life. I find myself looking forward to the day when missing one day feels uncomfortable...that's a habit.
Anyway, I'm starting today with what am I grateful for because I woke up too early and felt uncomfortable for a variety of reasons. I could harp on all the things that were displeasing, but that's not the exercise, is it?
So I'm very grateful for this ability to make habits. It's not the Groundhog Day movie where by force, you have to do the same thing over and over again. I get to choose to make habits. I choose to make certain habits because it's good for me and makes my life better. That's a very very nice thing, and just thinking that feels good. I suppose it's really a combination of two things - 1) having the ability to choose, free will, and 2) being able to make things into habits.
Some people refuse to create good habits, instead allowing chance and external forces dictate the habits they create. They say that they just aren't disciplined enough, or they could never do X, Y or Z. Whatever the obstacle, it always sounds like a self-imposed one, more along the lines of "I don't want to do that." And the reason for not wanting it comes from fear, laziness, a lesser of two evils kind of reasoning. But certainly not for lack of ability to build a habit. Habits are just repeating something enough times that you begin to do the things automatically, nothing more, nothing less. Building habits is a mechanism, a tool, a built-in app that we were pre-programmed with off the factory floor. The wonder and art of building good habits, then, is the deciding to build them in the first place.
Choice. Choosing one thing and sticking to it. You choose something because there is some kind of reward in choosing that thing. Choose chocolate, get chocolate! Choose a hot shower, get a nice warmed up body in return.
What happens when we choose things that are not good for us? When we choose to eat the whole bag of chocolate, instead of stopping at one or two, we are choosing an immediate gratification and forgoing a greater good of healthfulness. We sometimes weigh the two, how great the immediate gratification is versus how great the good of future healthfulness is. That is the problem with long-term good, isn't it? It's in the future, and we have poorer tools for really knowing the future. All we have are past experiences and other people's strong and frequent admonitions. "Last night I ate a bag of chocolates, and the rest of the night, not only was I awake and restless, my stomach felt horrible." "Eat that much chocolate and you will be fat and pimply and die an early and painful death!"
You have to make mistakes. Otherwise, you can't plan well for the future. And then, you have to keep making mistakes, otherwise, you would get bored, you would never learn anything new, and you might as well be in the Groundhog Day movie. Ideally, we learn how to make smaller mistakes...but sometimes that really just means we learn less, too.
This leads me back to brain biology. I think of the formation of habits, and really, informative life experience, as making trails inside your brain, neural network trails. You run a path over and over and over again with a particular experience, and you solidify a groove in your neural network. What is exciting is once you've solidified a groove, you can begin to riff on that groove, and improvise. That's fun. Sometimes, you make a mistake in your improvisation, and it's like you've stubbed your brain toe on an obstacle, making you veer off in a different direction. The critical thing about making mistakes then, is that you find new ways of doing something, but you don't necessarily throw the habit out with the bathwater, so to speak. Somehow, the tension between a habit and new ways of doing things is either a great stimulator or a great demotivator.
There is something about us that enjoys making more things or experiences, complicating things, improvising, creating new, variety, the web of branches, not just a single straight stem. To carry the theme further, it seems important to have the structure of things we have made into habits in order to support the variety. An improvisation always starts on a basic structure, the original theme. It's the imprinting of that theme into our heads that makes the improvisation interesting and exciting, one could argue. Random improvisations don't make a lot of sense, although they can sometimes have moments of great interest.
Well, this random improvisation has gone on long enough. Time for my five minutes of exercise.
The secret of five minutes of exercise, is that you only have to do five minutes, but invariably, I seem to do about 10-20. Today's exercising was about 10, and my minute of jogging in place and minute of jumping jacks was more than a minute each, and I feel better after them than I did yesterday. It's really nice to feel toasty after exercising.
Anyway, I'm starting today with what am I grateful for because I woke up too early and felt uncomfortable for a variety of reasons. I could harp on all the things that were displeasing, but that's not the exercise, is it?
So I'm very grateful for this ability to make habits. It's not the Groundhog Day movie where by force, you have to do the same thing over and over again. I get to choose to make habits. I choose to make certain habits because it's good for me and makes my life better. That's a very very nice thing, and just thinking that feels good. I suppose it's really a combination of two things - 1) having the ability to choose, free will, and 2) being able to make things into habits.
Some people refuse to create good habits, instead allowing chance and external forces dictate the habits they create. They say that they just aren't disciplined enough, or they could never do X, Y or Z. Whatever the obstacle, it always sounds like a self-imposed one, more along the lines of "I don't want to do that." And the reason for not wanting it comes from fear, laziness, a lesser of two evils kind of reasoning. But certainly not for lack of ability to build a habit. Habits are just repeating something enough times that you begin to do the things automatically, nothing more, nothing less. Building habits is a mechanism, a tool, a built-in app that we were pre-programmed with off the factory floor. The wonder and art of building good habits, then, is the deciding to build them in the first place.
Choice. Choosing one thing and sticking to it. You choose something because there is some kind of reward in choosing that thing. Choose chocolate, get chocolate! Choose a hot shower, get a nice warmed up body in return.
What happens when we choose things that are not good for us? When we choose to eat the whole bag of chocolate, instead of stopping at one or two, we are choosing an immediate gratification and forgoing a greater good of healthfulness. We sometimes weigh the two, how great the immediate gratification is versus how great the good of future healthfulness is. That is the problem with long-term good, isn't it? It's in the future, and we have poorer tools for really knowing the future. All we have are past experiences and other people's strong and frequent admonitions. "Last night I ate a bag of chocolates, and the rest of the night, not only was I awake and restless, my stomach felt horrible." "Eat that much chocolate and you will be fat and pimply and die an early and painful death!"
You have to make mistakes. Otherwise, you can't plan well for the future. And then, you have to keep making mistakes, otherwise, you would get bored, you would never learn anything new, and you might as well be in the Groundhog Day movie. Ideally, we learn how to make smaller mistakes...but sometimes that really just means we learn less, too.
This leads me back to brain biology. I think of the formation of habits, and really, informative life experience, as making trails inside your brain, neural network trails. You run a path over and over and over again with a particular experience, and you solidify a groove in your neural network. What is exciting is once you've solidified a groove, you can begin to riff on that groove, and improvise. That's fun. Sometimes, you make a mistake in your improvisation, and it's like you've stubbed your brain toe on an obstacle, making you veer off in a different direction. The critical thing about making mistakes then, is that you find new ways of doing something, but you don't necessarily throw the habit out with the bathwater, so to speak. Somehow, the tension between a habit and new ways of doing things is either a great stimulator or a great demotivator.
There is something about us that enjoys making more things or experiences, complicating things, improvising, creating new, variety, the web of branches, not just a single straight stem. To carry the theme further, it seems important to have the structure of things we have made into habits in order to support the variety. An improvisation always starts on a basic structure, the original theme. It's the imprinting of that theme into our heads that makes the improvisation interesting and exciting, one could argue. Random improvisations don't make a lot of sense, although they can sometimes have moments of great interest.
Well, this random improvisation has gone on long enough. Time for my five minutes of exercise.
The secret of five minutes of exercise, is that you only have to do five minutes, but invariably, I seem to do about 10-20. Today's exercising was about 10, and my minute of jogging in place and minute of jumping jacks was more than a minute each, and I feel better after them than I did yesterday. It's really nice to feel toasty after exercising.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Day 3 - Learning my own maintenance manual
Proving that one can keep habits despite change of locale, I'm in Boston, and I have exercised my requiste several minutes. The one minute of jogging in place is getting slightly easier. SLIGHTLY.
Last night for dinner went to a place called Goody Glover's in Boston's North End. It's semi-Irish pub fare, although they seem to have a smattering of everything in between. My nose caught a whiff of some strong curry dish not long after smelling a delectable burger and fries the next table over. We had two intriguing appetizers - corned beef and cabbage egg rolls with a very nice mustard sauce and also potato bacon scallion spring rolls with hot sauce and sour cream. Very inventive and tasty. Recommend. Also had fish and chips, and I'm happy to report I really held back on the fries. Somewhere in upcoming Habit 4 is laying low on the fried foods.
The big idea, though, with this trip to Boston was that my cousin had bought tickets to see Eddie Izzard, a British transvestite comedian. He is funny. I had seen him in a video before, in full transvestite regalia, and thought he was the funniest guy I'd ever seen, in heels or no. This show, he was dressed in tails and jeans. And had a goatee. Still wore eyeliner and lipgloss, apparently, though the lipgloss wasn't as shiny as he thought it was. Well, ok, for lipgloss to shine enough that you can see it through a goatee from 100 feet away would be some kind of extraterrestrial, super-duper lipgloss. Anyway. He riffed on the history of the world and god, and it was very intelligent, really. There's no doubt that he's a smart man - able to be very coherent all by himself for two hour long sets in front a thousands of people. The absolute best part for me, however, was the wonderful, inane raptor (as in velociraptor) wearing a trilby hat, driving a fast car buying a Persian cat and rug impression. You would have had to seen it. Sorry. It was good.
So today, I'm grateful for really many, many things. But one of the things I'm hugely grateful for is having developed a sense of grounding. Somewhere between my parents and family, my teachers, my friends, and my therapist, I feel that whichever way the wind blows, I've got a center that is solid and is mine. It's a rather complex and complicated topic, but I think a big part of having a solid core is knowing how to take care of yourself. Other people have ideas about how you should take care of yourself (really everyone), but you learn what's good for you and what's not good for you through trial and error. This is what's good about getting older - you realize there's crap and there's what works for you. Your best friend may have told you to try something, with all good intentions, but it was crap for you, and in the end, you have to take the responsibility for righting whatever crappy thing is was to make it right for yourself. And not be mad at your friend.
A few things I've learned: sleep enough, eat right, it takes practice to develop good habits, put on an extra pair of socks if your feet are cold. Taking care of your body and health is one of the most important things you must do and not cut corners on. Drink hot liquids, especially good teas. Dress warmly, bring layers, add and remove as necessary. Don't overdo anything, it's not worth the negative health effects. Happiness is internal. Moderation and diversity in all things, not the least with regard to chocolate. If it doesn't feel good, stop doing it. Rest and take your time. Rushing, especially the kind where you are worrying about ten different things at once, is a waste of time, and bad for your health.
People don't always realize that these simple self care items aren't as easy as they sound. I mean, why do people get themselves into jams of various sorts? Not always, but frequently, it's because they stopped taking care of themselves for a while. There was some excess in some direction. Keeping your eye on several balls at once, this is hard, no? I'm not sure I always know what is good for me and what's not, but there are several things I have learned about myself, and I am grateful to have gotten to this point at least!
Last night for dinner went to a place called Goody Glover's in Boston's North End. It's semi-Irish pub fare, although they seem to have a smattering of everything in between. My nose caught a whiff of some strong curry dish not long after smelling a delectable burger and fries the next table over. We had two intriguing appetizers - corned beef and cabbage egg rolls with a very nice mustard sauce and also potato bacon scallion spring rolls with hot sauce and sour cream. Very inventive and tasty. Recommend. Also had fish and chips, and I'm happy to report I really held back on the fries. Somewhere in upcoming Habit 4 is laying low on the fried foods.
The big idea, though, with this trip to Boston was that my cousin had bought tickets to see Eddie Izzard, a British transvestite comedian. He is funny. I had seen him in a video before, in full transvestite regalia, and thought he was the funniest guy I'd ever seen, in heels or no. This show, he was dressed in tails and jeans. And had a goatee. Still wore eyeliner and lipgloss, apparently, though the lipgloss wasn't as shiny as he thought it was. Well, ok, for lipgloss to shine enough that you can see it through a goatee from 100 feet away would be some kind of extraterrestrial, super-duper lipgloss. Anyway. He riffed on the history of the world and god, and it was very intelligent, really. There's no doubt that he's a smart man - able to be very coherent all by himself for two hour long sets in front a thousands of people. The absolute best part for me, however, was the wonderful, inane raptor (as in velociraptor) wearing a trilby hat, driving a fast car buying a Persian cat and rug impression. You would have had to seen it. Sorry. It was good.
So today, I'm grateful for really many, many things. But one of the things I'm hugely grateful for is having developed a sense of grounding. Somewhere between my parents and family, my teachers, my friends, and my therapist, I feel that whichever way the wind blows, I've got a center that is solid and is mine. It's a rather complex and complicated topic, but I think a big part of having a solid core is knowing how to take care of yourself. Other people have ideas about how you should take care of yourself (really everyone), but you learn what's good for you and what's not good for you through trial and error. This is what's good about getting older - you realize there's crap and there's what works for you. Your best friend may have told you to try something, with all good intentions, but it was crap for you, and in the end, you have to take the responsibility for righting whatever crappy thing is was to make it right for yourself. And not be mad at your friend.
A few things I've learned: sleep enough, eat right, it takes practice to develop good habits, put on an extra pair of socks if your feet are cold. Taking care of your body and health is one of the most important things you must do and not cut corners on. Drink hot liquids, especially good teas. Dress warmly, bring layers, add and remove as necessary. Don't overdo anything, it's not worth the negative health effects. Happiness is internal. Moderation and diversity in all things, not the least with regard to chocolate. If it doesn't feel good, stop doing it. Rest and take your time. Rushing, especially the kind where you are worrying about ten different things at once, is a waste of time, and bad for your health.
People don't always realize that these simple self care items aren't as easy as they sound. I mean, why do people get themselves into jams of various sorts? Not always, but frequently, it's because they stopped taking care of themselves for a while. There was some excess in some direction. Keeping your eye on several balls at once, this is hard, no? I'm not sure I always know what is good for me and what's not, but there are several things I have learned about myself, and I am grateful to have gotten to this point at least!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Day 2 - The Volvo 850 & Animal Tracks
Oy vey. It turns out not only do I have to exercise, but I have to not consume alcohol. Argh.
So I did my 5 minutes of exercise today, which actually was more like 20 although it was in fits and starts. Needed to do a lot more stretching for the aches and pains. I woke up way too early because my back was hurting.... God, how unreal is that? Waking up because of back pain. That's so wrong. But I think the real culprit was the fact that I had a tiny, but strong (and expensive) mug of hot buttered rum last night. Hot buttered rum, by the way, doesn't taste like the candy. Not that I can remember exactly what the candy tasted like - all I can tell you is that it's not the same. The beverage is tasty and has the added merit of being rather exotic to me, but I probably shouldn't have had it. Alcohol is, after all, toxic to the body, and this body doesn't need any more harm sent its way.
Fortunately, we're not on habit number 4 yet, which is cutting out all crap food from my diet, which I'm ramping up to. One word: beans.
What am I grateful for today (besides not yet being on Habit 4)? I was contemplating a few things last night. 1) my car - the wonderful, awesome, beloved, trustworthy, and mighty steed, the Volvo 850. Me and my '93 Volvo, we've been together for 13 years...it always gets me there and back, with no fuss, no drama. On balance, I think such a trust-filled relationship of any sort for that length of time is not that easy to come by. I am hopeful that the Volvo and I will make it through another few years to reach its 250,000 mile day. The question is, how does one honor a friend who is a machine? Regular oil changes and cleanings? It will be an emotional day the day the Volvo and I are no longer a team...
The second thing is animal tracks in snow...Cat, dog, deer, and probably a raccoon. Also have seen little tracks with a tail, probably mice. The cat tracks crack me up, I don't know why. Maybe because they seem so dainty and single minded in the snow. And cats are generally funny.
So I did my 5 minutes of exercise today, which actually was more like 20 although it was in fits and starts. Needed to do a lot more stretching for the aches and pains. I woke up way too early because my back was hurting.... God, how unreal is that? Waking up because of back pain. That's so wrong. But I think the real culprit was the fact that I had a tiny, but strong (and expensive) mug of hot buttered rum last night. Hot buttered rum, by the way, doesn't taste like the candy. Not that I can remember exactly what the candy tasted like - all I can tell you is that it's not the same. The beverage is tasty and has the added merit of being rather exotic to me, but I probably shouldn't have had it. Alcohol is, after all, toxic to the body, and this body doesn't need any more harm sent its way.
Fortunately, we're not on habit number 4 yet, which is cutting out all crap food from my diet, which I'm ramping up to. One word: beans.
What am I grateful for today (besides not yet being on Habit 4)? I was contemplating a few things last night. 1) my car - the wonderful, awesome, beloved, trustworthy, and mighty steed, the Volvo 850. Me and my '93 Volvo, we've been together for 13 years...it always gets me there and back, with no fuss, no drama. On balance, I think such a trust-filled relationship of any sort for that length of time is not that easy to come by. I am hopeful that the Volvo and I will make it through another few years to reach its 250,000 mile day. The question is, how does one honor a friend who is a machine? Regular oil changes and cleanings? It will be an emotional day the day the Volvo and I are no longer a team...
The second thing is animal tracks in snow...Cat, dog, deer, and probably a raccoon. Also have seen little tracks with a tail, probably mice. The cat tracks crack me up, I don't know why. Maybe because they seem so dainty and single minded in the snow. And cats are generally funny.
Monday, January 11, 2010
HABITS: DAY 1
Going to try something very simple. Set a couple of habits.
Habit 1: I've fallen off the exercise wagon - in fact, the exercise wagon is over in the next next state - but I recognize the dire need to get back on. So with a group of very simple exercises I can do at home, I'm going to try and get myself into the habit of doing them every day for about 5 minutes for 30 days.
Yes, 5 measly minutes.
I can do that. In fact, I did it this morning. I'm going to use this blog as a way to chart progress. Today's 5 minutes or so of exercise ended with about a minute or less of jogging in place. I was out of breath and uncomfortable. Also did a few jumping jacks which also left me out of breath. But my heart rate was definitely up!
Habit 2: Be thankful about 1 or a few things every day. Really think on and feel grateful for those things.
Today I am grateful for my family. Even though they are very imperfect people, they love me, and I love them. Love is one of the greatest things on earth. I'm especially grateful that we love each other in spite of our imperfections and failings. There is a certain depressive element within my family, but this doesn't stop us from deeply caring about each other and trying to help each other. Despite the depression, there are core lovable qualities about each of us. I'm so grateful for those things.
(Did you notice the hidden habit no. 3? Write in blog every day....blah!!)
Habit 1: I've fallen off the exercise wagon - in fact, the exercise wagon is over in the next next state - but I recognize the dire need to get back on. So with a group of very simple exercises I can do at home, I'm going to try and get myself into the habit of doing them every day for about 5 minutes for 30 days.
Yes, 5 measly minutes.
I can do that. In fact, I did it this morning. I'm going to use this blog as a way to chart progress. Today's 5 minutes or so of exercise ended with about a minute or less of jogging in place. I was out of breath and uncomfortable. Also did a few jumping jacks which also left me out of breath. But my heart rate was definitely up!
Habit 2: Be thankful about 1 or a few things every day. Really think on and feel grateful for those things.
Today I am grateful for my family. Even though they are very imperfect people, they love me, and I love them. Love is one of the greatest things on earth. I'm especially grateful that we love each other in spite of our imperfections and failings. There is a certain depressive element within my family, but this doesn't stop us from deeply caring about each other and trying to help each other. Despite the depression, there are core lovable qualities about each of us. I'm so grateful for those things.
(Did you notice the hidden habit no. 3? Write in blog every day....blah!!)
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