Do Over...

It's been a while.

I'm sure I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again.

It is a personal blog after all, anyway.  It kind of comes with the territory.

I've been wanting to write more for myself lately, I just don't get much time on the ole P.C. and I hate trying to write much on a tablet or phone.

Right now I just want to organize my thoughts.  So many things I want to do vs the things I "must" do.  I must admit that many of the things I feel are mandatory in my life, aren't.  (Plus, I had an outline in my head for this post and I already forgot it. Note to self: write down main ideas and then fill in.)

I also want more practice writing.  I have so much to say and sometimes I find it's hard to articulate it. I have thoughts and opinions I'd like to share and in the case of books or movies, I'm not going to stress out if it's old, I just experienced it and I have something to say about it.

I also want to document my progress on things.  Getting healthy/losing weight is one.  I'm going to learn to draw so I'd like to share my progress on that.  Sharing my other crafty adventures is another.

Hey, it's a personal blog, I am the subject and I am complex and awesome.  You know, like the blog will be.

Crossfit Lessons

Since a previous post lamenting the fact that I wanted to do Crossfit but couldn't afford it I found a Groupon for three months at $100 AND joined their Paleo challenge that started just as I was.

This was four weeks ago and I have learned A LOT since then.

I have learned that I HATE running.  I hate it more than burpees, box jumps or jump rope.  I can break down any other exercise into mini-sets and get through it more or less prescribed.  I can't do the same with running.  Those lines seem so far away and get further with every set and it is so much more noticeable when you're walking and everyone else is jogging.  Plus my legs are always so tight it takes more effort to get there and back.

I have learned that I have to stop looking at the WOD before I come in.  If I see running on there, I will try to talk myself out of it.  But, I've had to run twice this week and survived.

I learned that I am so much stronger than I thought.  I was finally told to move on from the beginner's classes when I expressed my fear and apprehension at doing so.  I would look at the numbers everyone else was pulling and told myself I couldn't come close.  Of course I can't; not yet anyway.  But I have twice this week gotten through burpees, box jumps and running along with the more fun stuff like hang power cleans, dead lifts and KB swings.

I learned that even when I feel weak I am still strong.  I am up.  I am doing SOMETHING.  I am doing more than people sitting on the couch.  Overhead squats suck and I feel like if I can jerk 115 lbs I should be able to OHS more than 45, but that's not how they work.  Plus Rx for OHS IS 45 so why am I getting down on myself for that?

I learned I feel better and have more energy on 7 hours of sleep and an early morning workout than I do on 9 hours of sleep and little else.  I'm not sure what the hell is up with that...but when I sleep less and work out I don't have my afternoon crash.  I LOVE that!

I have re-learned how much I love this feeling strong and eating clean.  It's been too long but I'm glad I'm back.  Yes, I drank the Kool Aid...and it's delicious!

Weekly Goals 2/11

I didn't do as well as I wanted with eating and exercise, but I still lost 2 pounds.  My trouble spot is when I work at Cinepolis.  I only have a half hour lunch which makes it hard to grab something healthy to eat around there.  Plus, the hours I work are difficult times; starting at 5:30 or 6 at night when I would normally be eating dinner and then my dinner not actually being until 10 or later when places are closed.  Or working just 6 hours so I don't actually get a lunch which means I worked right through lunch or dinner.  The whole key to this is going to be careful and consistent planning.  I did try this weekend and brought my lunch during a 6 hour shift, thinking I would quickly eat it on my 10 minute break.  After my 10, I accepted an offer to work more hours that day and I ended up working 8 hours and had nothing for my actual half.  The other difficulty is having to work a closing shift, which meant not getting off until 1, and having my entire sleep schedule thrown off.

Anyway, as my third grade teacher would say: "an error is not a terror," right?  I feel much better prepared this week and while I didn't meet my goal of 80/20 for primal, I made a concerted effort and did better than if I hadn't set that goal.  I ended up at 60/40, which I will take as a win, because I was at least better than half.  Plus I did a couple long walks, so, yay!

Finally, I have pretty much given up on planning to craft any time soon.  I have too much else going on to drag it out, work on it and then clean it back up.  If I had my own craft area where I didn't have to put everything away every time I would certainly do more.

Possible bumps in the road this week:
-Valentine's day...I'm at school and it's my planned non-primal meal anyway, but the candy I'm sure to get after is going to be a challenge.  Plus, I plan on making a heart-shaped cake for my boys at home.
-Cookies and brownies that I volunteered to make for the bake sale at Glenn's school's talent show.  They aren't staying here, but batter tastes good.
-aforementioned kooky work schedule

Goals:
-80/20 primal
-walk, at least twice this week.  I know this doesn't sound like a lot, but working in the kitchen is physical, especially if I have to clean the damn flat top grill.  Plus, I am trying to stick to a routine for walking and once that becomes habit, I will add more
-budget!  I just need to do it
-continue to delegate housework and the like
-get my car washed!  Which means cleaning out the inside, too

Weekly Goals 2/3

My week didn't go exactly as planned.  Grant is cutting 4 teeth and I had to play catch up on homework which took longer than I anticipated.

I did do well on delegating work this week.  With help I was able to get much of the apartment vacuumed.  It's amazing how that works.

I got close on my book goal (would have made it, but I kept leaving it in my glove box) and I took my vitamins most days.  Sleep was shitty mostly because of the aforementioned teething and I didn't have much time after school, work and homework to do any crafting or gaming.  I did walk to pick up Glenn from school on Wednesday, though. Oh an I have yet to do a budget.

So, there's that.  I can't do much about last week, except learn from it.

I'm caught up on homework, and hopefully sleep, AND I don't work Wednesday so this week should go smoother.

-eat Primal 80% this week, which means only 4 non-primal meals
-work on quilt
-continue to work on getting up at 6 and taking vitamins
-*cough*weighmyself*cough*
-be positive on Monday and Tuesday; only 19 more weeks to go

Addiction

So, I have been trying to listen to omens, aka my dreams.  I have honestly been having a lot of Firefly dreams lately and I'm not sure what to do with that except for watch it again?  Or create an epic craft?  Stalk Alan Tudyk?

One dream was that Glee got cancelled and I went around cheering and screaming: "NOW THEY CAN BRING BACK FIREFLY!!"

I'm just going through some Firefly withdrawal...

Watching this doesn't help


Neither does this



I'll be in my bunk...

Getting My Shhhhh-- Together

So, 2013 has been so good to me so far.  My job and school are going great but aren't leaving me with much free time.  I really shouldn't be blogging, but I need to organize my thoughts.  And that is what I need a lot of right now: organization and planning.  I already write menus for the week's dinner and I carry a small notebook and pen everywhere with me so I can take notes at any time.  I've been getting a lot done even with my schedule, but I feel I can do better, especially on the eating right and exercising front.  

So here is where I tell myself to buckle down and get my shit together!

I really want to join a Cross Fit gym, but at $150 a month I can't justify it right now.  Also, I don't have the greatest reputation of motivating myself to exercise.  So, right now I'm not going to ask myself to push myself through a grueling workout (I miss them, but I don't push myself hard enough) I'm just going to ask myself to get up in the morning and spend some time with the kids and go for a walk, and not take the easy way.  I've gotten used to the physical demands of my new job and I know I need to do something more than walk, but right now I am using that time as a place holder; telling myself that this is physical time, so that some day in the near future I will fill that time in with something even more physically demanding.

As far as the eating goes...I've really got to cut out all these damn processed foods.  Lunch breaks from both jobs are killing me.  I cook breakfast and dinner and the last thing I want to do is rush home on my lunch break and cook.  Plus, Cinepolis used to provide employee lunches...USED to, so though it kind of blows financially, I really needed to stop having my quesadilla special: chicken and bacon cheese quesadilla with Sriracha and nacho cheese. I really just need to suck it up and prepare lunches if that's what it takes.  I also need to try more Paleo hacks on foods and stop thinking I'm gonna do a Whole30 any time soon because between work and school and the chef's rule of "always taste what you cook before you send it out," it's not happening.

Anyway...one way to get better organized: weekly goals!

-make a list of things to get done around the place and delegate!

-wake up at 6...though I'm not sure it will work on days after I close at Cinepolis, but I'm sure gonna try

-write a budget based on my paychecks this week 

-take my vitamins and supplements

-read 20% more of my book

-play some Suikoden

-work on Grant's rag quilt

Books

One of the hardest things I find with reading a book is trying to decide what to read next.  I just finished The Alchemist and while I downloaded books I want to read, there were few that were on my "next" list.  I had narrowed it down to A Game of Thrones, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Storm Front (The Dresden Files Book #1), and The Strain.  I decided on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I think I may switch to The Hobbit because it's been a long, long time and I want to read it before seeing the movie.  To be fair, I don't even have to read all of it to prepare for the movie, but I really better do it soon, eh?  Check me out on Goodreads.com if you like.  It's addicting and really motivating me to read.  Nothing like a constant reminder that there are lots more books out there that I want to read than is possible.

I have also given in and tried audio books to supplement my book learnin'/readin'.  While still believe they don't help you improve your reading and overall language skills like reading a physical book does, they certainly have their place.  I just finished my second: Kushiel's Chosen, the second in a trilogy. The first of the trilogy, Kushiel's Dart, was my first audio book.  I went the audio book route because, hardbound, it was over 600 pages and small single-spaced type.  If I owned the books I may have tackled them, but I would have never gotten through them in time had  I checked them out of the library.  So, I finished the first and I loved the voice actress so much, (and of course the book) that I got the other two in audio format. These books were an especially good choice to audio because they have many foreign names that I would have just mangled in my mind while reading anyway, so, that's what audio has above print.

Back to The Alchemist.  It was a great short read, and for a slow reader like myself, sometimes that's nice (especially since the other books listed up there are at least twice as long). Although the book, probably due to the translation, was simply written, the message is beautiful and profound.  I read the book at the right time in my life and it made an impact on me, which is why made this the year of my Personal Legend.