Holy crap, 2023 is almost over! It's a good thing too. I can't handle much more of it.
ADHD Update
I have had a headache from time to time and I can't tell if that is the med or the stress, but having some electrolytes seems to help it some. I read that these types of meds can deplete potassium. I also got a bit of milk rash, so I've started taking lactase pills and hope that it will stop that from happening or I'll need a different form that doesn't have lactose in it. This rash issue is common with me and medications, so it's not unexpected at all and is more annoying than anything, but it could become concerning.
Curling
GSL was a bit frustrating. I felt like I just couldn't get my rocks where they were wanted. I also still haven't made a takeout shot. A friend was there and he took a video of me, so I learned I have been a little left of the target. I've let my skip at Rainbow know, so that we can work on that. I've been trying second position out a lot at GSL. I currently play third at Rainbow and last year I did lead. I don't enjoy being a skip, but it's good to learn it. I like third the best.
I watched a lot of the WFG Masters this weekend and it was interesting to see what the pros do. I was talking with my previous skip about how the ice is faster there, so the weights they use for their throws seem closer to each other than the weights we throw in our club. I would say that less may be more in curling, but I've been told that every ice shed is different and every sheet. There are so many variables,. At our club, we have two sheets near outdoor walls and that makes rocks prefer to curl toward the outer side boards. There may have been fewer differences between each sheet of ice in Saskatoon.
Sweeping was so deliberate. Often only one would sweep at a time and they had so many different positions for their broom heads. Their footwork while sweeping was like how one of my trainers does it, which is primarily on the balls of the feet. Often, if they couldn't get more than 1 point, they didn't want any. They left fewer rocks on the ice as they constantly cleared opponent rocks. They almost always got their rocks where they wanted to. One of my trainers isn't a fan of drawing to the button, but the pros seemed to do it quite often after they had guards in place.
It was also excellent to see Team Homan back on top after Rachel had her second child in September. Certain people in the comments section earlier in the year were claiming Team Homan's time was over, so it was nice to see them get their 14th win after some position shuffling and such.
At Rainbow, I didn't have any games, but it was our holiday banquet, so I wore a silly blue sweater with Rudolph on it. I added red and green accents as those were in the dress code. None of my team was coming, so I wasn't sure who I would be sitting with. That made me a touch anxious, but it turned out OK and I enjoyed the table I ended up at and had great conversations while we watched the men's championship game.
Warning - Some people have been scammed by paying to access curling games on Facebook. Yes, Sportsnet kind of sucks in that they feature the same one sheet on all their channels, but it's better than giving money to someone who claims the games aren't being televised anymore or some other nonsense who then uses your card for other purchases.
Decluttering & Minimalism
I'm partially stalled as it's hard to bring anything to my car to get rid of it. I have been gathering the paperwork that needs filing and shredding together. I want to get to a place where a lot of my less needed items are in my storage rather than in my bedroom, but that will take some lifting that I can't do yet.
Gaming & Streaming
My Diablo stream went as well as it usually does. I figured out I will need to skip the side quests for a bit if I want to have a mount. It'll make everything faster to do that. Am I ready to face the terrifying demon Lilith who is also very hot? I guess I'll see next week perhaps. Though I suspect that there will be more to go before that happens. I have two campaign quests and one of them is after this chase for Lilith.
Kia Recall Update
This week, I issued a formal written notice that I disagree with my condo board's decision to ban me from the parking lot. I won't be reporting on this further for the time being. Suffice it to say there's a lot of stress and time involved. I'm getting help to protect myself.
Movies
This weekend I spent time at the Bytowne for a special spooky holiday movie followed by a VIP Haunted Walk Investigation. There were a number of spooky holiday stories that came before a version of A Christmas Carol.
I'm a skeptical person, but a couple of objects that we left out did move. No one was over by the riser they were placed on. We had outlined them in chalk. I spent quite a lot of time staring at the riser. A photo and a bracelet were the objects that were moved.
Anyway, it's common in many cultures to tell scary stories around solstices and equinoxes. The Yule Cat, Krampus, Mari Lywd, are just a few we heard about. Charles Dickens wrote another spooky Christmas tale called The Christmas Goblins.
Music
While watching a student production from Algonquin, I had the pleasure of seeing this young performer sing: http://www.missmcleod.ca/
I spent time getting my electronic keyboard set up for future goals. I'm excited about this. I just need to locate my Focusrite to get it connected to Ableton and Playground Sessions.
Writing
I've been picking at a holiday screenplay lately. I have so many projects I want to put out and I'm frustrated about how long all of them are taking me to finish.