I've missed a couple of check-ins. I really wanted to check-in, but I was too exhausted. And I'm pretty tired today too.
Today is Superbowl Sunday. For those who aren't into American Football, such as myself, I prefer to celebrate Superb Owl Sunday. Depending on the calendar, February 1st and/or 2nd is Imbolc. February 2nd is also Groundhog Day. Apparently the Ontario and Alberta Groundhogs say Spring is coming early in 2020. We'll see.
A common thing to do for Imbolc is to craft a St. Brigid's Cross from natural materials. One could also craft an owl if they wanted on this particular day. Or even a Groundhog. Or maybe all three. And there's also the puppy bowl.
As part of Imbolc, I've been cleaning and planting. I cleaned my desk off to put a monitor on it. I think that is going to help my writing tremendously. It's wide enough to view two documents side-by-side.
I planted some succulents and some herbs. I originally wanted all my succulents in one terrarium, but the terrarium I found was too small for the size of the succulents I found. The prickly cactus is the only one that would fit in the terrarium. I'm not in any hurry to experience planting one of those again. It's probably good there is a glass barrier around most of it to protect myself from it. The herbs were part of a kit in cute little mason jars. I'm looking forward to watching them sprout. With all of that on my desk now, it leaves little room for junk, which is a very good thing.
FITNESS
This week, my pants felt decently loose despite not doing a lot of extra exercise lately. I am eating less grains though like stir fries packed with veggies and protein rather than a ton of rice.
Iaido
We have had a lot of cancellations at martial arts because we have to park on the roads and in the winter they take half the spots away. If snow removal hasn't come, there is no place to park. It's an unfortunate reality this time of year in Ottawa. Today, I just didn't make it. I'm too worn out.
HOME
Somewhere along the way, and I don't know how, I started catching up in some areas at home and at work. I'm almost totally caught up on my laundry, which is really helpful in terms of decluttering and stress reduction. Next up is the dishes.
I got a comfy chair. Originally, I wanted a recliner. I didn't really feel like spending that much on one seat though. I found a comfy chair for a third of the price. It was easy to put together too. It's the Bingsta chair from IKEA, except a new version with a high back. I got it in grey. I found it in store, but online I only see a short back version. I'm going to knit or sew a holder for a little head pillow and then it'll be even more comfy. I may get a second one sometime or still save up for a recliner or chaise to have options. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/bingsta-armchair-vissle-dark-gray-kabusa-dark-gray-40454230/
I think my new living room chair has been helping because I feel like I have more restful downtime after work, which is probably leaving me with more energy to tackle things around the home.
SELF-CARE
I think the braces the doctor has me wearing are helping. I'm noticing reduced tingling. I'm getting an ergonomic assessment done at work soon and I'll mirror that as close as I can at home. I removed the wheels from my home desk this weekend and that has helped bring everything down to a better level for my short ass.
I started doing some of my planning via Zoho. Not all of my planning, but lists for projects around the home like the bathroom reno.
WRITING
Remember when I said I was going to make a bunch of little books to carry separate books around for my various writing projects? Well, I'm doing that with Zoho too. It just makes more sense as I work towards a more minimalist lifestyle. Plus anything I scribble in there is easy to copy and paste into my WIP instead of having to rewrite it.
Despite how hectic life has been, I have made a little progress. I'm a little more than 4,000 words from my goal on Sparks.
Sparks: 75,915/80,000 words
The Mockumentary: 12/120 pages
Today is Superbowl Sunday. For those who aren't into American Football, such as myself, I prefer to celebrate Superb Owl Sunday. Depending on the calendar, February 1st and/or 2nd is Imbolc. February 2nd is also Groundhog Day. Apparently the Ontario and Alberta Groundhogs say Spring is coming early in 2020. We'll see.
A common thing to do for Imbolc is to craft a St. Brigid's Cross from natural materials. One could also craft an owl if they wanted on this particular day. Or even a Groundhog. Or maybe all three. And there's also the puppy bowl.
As part of Imbolc, I've been cleaning and planting. I cleaned my desk off to put a monitor on it. I think that is going to help my writing tremendously. It's wide enough to view two documents side-by-side.
I planted some succulents and some herbs. I originally wanted all my succulents in one terrarium, but the terrarium I found was too small for the size of the succulents I found. The prickly cactus is the only one that would fit in the terrarium. I'm not in any hurry to experience planting one of those again. It's probably good there is a glass barrier around most of it to protect myself from it. The herbs were part of a kit in cute little mason jars. I'm looking forward to watching them sprout. With all of that on my desk now, it leaves little room for junk, which is a very good thing.
FITNESS
This week, my pants felt decently loose despite not doing a lot of extra exercise lately. I am eating less grains though like stir fries packed with veggies and protein rather than a ton of rice.
Iaido
We have had a lot of cancellations at martial arts because we have to park on the roads and in the winter they take half the spots away. If snow removal hasn't come, there is no place to park. It's an unfortunate reality this time of year in Ottawa. Today, I just didn't make it. I'm too worn out.
HOME
Somewhere along the way, and I don't know how, I started catching up in some areas at home and at work. I'm almost totally caught up on my laundry, which is really helpful in terms of decluttering and stress reduction. Next up is the dishes.
I got a comfy chair. Originally, I wanted a recliner. I didn't really feel like spending that much on one seat though. I found a comfy chair for a third of the price. It was easy to put together too. It's the Bingsta chair from IKEA, except a new version with a high back. I got it in grey. I found it in store, but online I only see a short back version. I'm going to knit or sew a holder for a little head pillow and then it'll be even more comfy. I may get a second one sometime or still save up for a recliner or chaise to have options. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/bingsta-armchair-vissle-dark-gray-kabusa-dark-gray-40454230/
I think my new living room chair has been helping because I feel like I have more restful downtime after work, which is probably leaving me with more energy to tackle things around the home.
SELF-CARE
I think the braces the doctor has me wearing are helping. I'm noticing reduced tingling. I'm getting an ergonomic assessment done at work soon and I'll mirror that as close as I can at home. I removed the wheels from my home desk this weekend and that has helped bring everything down to a better level for my short ass.
I started doing some of my planning via Zoho. Not all of my planning, but lists for projects around the home like the bathroom reno.
WRITING
Remember when I said I was going to make a bunch of little books to carry separate books around for my various writing projects? Well, I'm doing that with Zoho too. It just makes more sense as I work towards a more minimalist lifestyle. Plus anything I scribble in there is easy to copy and paste into my WIP instead of having to rewrite it.
Despite how hectic life has been, I have made a little progress. I'm a little more than 4,000 words from my goal on Sparks.
Sparks: 75,915/80,000 words
The Mockumentary: 12/120 pages