As a follow up to my January 1 post, I have rediscovered the power of combining. In this case, I had decided to use my inversion table more often to help my back stay healthy. So I decided to combine my morning meditation time with my inversion table time and achieve two daily goals at once. So far it has worked perfectly.
There are many times when a problem is so large that it may seem impossible and we may freeze, deciding to postpone handling it until we can figure it out or are forced to deal with it. I often recommend to people that large problems are easier to handle if we divide them into smaller pieces.
"How do you eat an elephant?"
"One bite at a time!"
Whether we combine things or divide things, what matters is that we take action.
Today is January 1, 2023. Another year gone. Another new year started.
Somehow, however, it does not feel like just any new year. 2022 was the bridge between what we knew and loved, pre-pandemic, and what is here and now.
So much has changed since the end of 2019!
The start of a new year is often an opportunity to change our lives, start new habits, dream new dreams, set new goals. We know that, sometime around Valentine's Days, most of our new year resolutions would have been forgotten, abandoned by the side of life's road, ran over like roadkill. And that usually happens because we try to change too many things all at once. We forget that making small changes over a long time is far more effective.
I stopped making new year resolutions many years ago. Instead, I try to fine-tune my rituals, the sequential steps we take everyday throughout each day. It starts by writing down what we do during a regular day. We get up, go to the bathroom, take a shower, etc. Each step is a trigger for the next step.
How do we fine-tune our rituals? We simply decide what we want to accomplish and how we can do that. Then we find something in our rituals that we can replace or shuffle to accommodate what we need to do. For example, if we want to be healthier by exercising more, we may find a spot in our rituals that we can use as a trigger for exercising. Let's say that we usually watch TV after dinner. Finishing dinner would be the trigger. If we substitute watching TV with going for a walk, then we will likely achieve what we want.
And it is not an all or nothing proposition. We do not have to give up TV altogether. We can exercise three days and watch TV three days.
Finally, it needs not be perfect. There may be times when the weather just is not OK for a walk. So we can watch TV that day and do a walk the next day.
Let's have fun with life this 2023. We have gone through a lot since the end of 2019.
There is so much information available to us. And there is so much misinformation fighting its way to capture our attention. Which one wins? The one we pay attention to, of course.
An area that concerns me the most is the misinformation concerning health issues.
In the last few months I discovered the work of Dr. Michael Greger at Nutrition Facts. Everything posted there is science-based. Profits from the few products he promotes (mostly his books) all go to charity. He also does a podcast, which I listen to regularly. It is called "Nutrition Facts with Dr. Michael Greger." Two of the main advantages of using these resources is that they are based on science and that Dr. Greger promotes healing the body through better nutrition (which is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle).
The other resource that I like and recommend is the NPR show "The People's Pharmacy" (which also has a weekly podcast.
Are either of these resources perfect? Probably not. They do go a long way in being more objective than most others in that they are not benefiting directly from Big Pharma and the corrupt medical industry (no longer a profession, now a full-blown, money-driven industry).
Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 6, 2018, Americans will go to the polls for the midterm elections, elections that many believe are the most critical elections in recent history.
Tomorrow is a critical day for the country we know as the United State of America.
Between now and tomorrow, many minds will be made up for one candidate or another.
For those that are still undecided, and for any future elections, I encourage you to listen to those you agree with … and to those you may not agree with.
Elections are opportunities for all of us to learn about the issues that all of us have, and then use that knowledge to work together to find workable solutions. A workable solution is not a perfect solution. A workable solution is arrived at through compromise and negotiation, through seeking a win-win situation for all, by gaining agreement based on solid values and objectives.
A workable solution is not achieved through fear of any kind. A workable solution is not achieved through lies. A workable solution is not achieved by force.
During this election and during future elections, as was so eloquently stated by Dr. Steven Covey, "seek to understand, then to be understood." It starts by listening to the other side.
More importantly, it requires that we drop the "us versus them" mentality, it demands that we become "us" and that we resist the constant efforts of politicians to divide us, to demonize one group, to belittle another group. Unity makes a country great. Diversity makes a country great. Freedom for all makes a country great. Prosperity for all makes a country great. Respect for all makes a country great.
Anything that attempts to divide us is not in our best interest as a nation. Anything that negates the power of diversity is not in the best interest of our nation. Anything that attempts to deny our freedoms, to prevent people from voting, to mass incarcerate people to silence them, to make/keep people sick, that designs an economy that hurts the poor and middle class — anything that does such terrible things is not in the best interest of our country.
So, tomorrow, Tuesday, November 6, 2018, please vote. Vote for the candidate that will help solve problems that affect all, that will help bring people together, that will be truthful and honest. even when the truth is hard to take; pick candidates not just because of the party they are running under, but because they have a plan and they can address the issues without fear-mongering and lying; pick a candidate that you have researched and that you think is capable of representing the whole of the people and not just a few privileged. Vote with your mind and not your gut.
And when all is said and done, let's all set a goal to listen to all sides of an issue, to become better citizens, to be better human beings. It is not an easy path; it is the worthwhile path.
I took my daughter's car to the mechanic this morning to fix an oil leak. The shop said it would take about two hours. What to do while they worked on "Baby"?
Go jog!
I missed this morning's run, so this was my opportunity to make that up. I used the same Podrunner track that I listened to yesterday, with which I jogged at a 19 minute mile pace. Today, however, with similar weather conditions, I logged a 3.3 mile circuit at a 17:30 minute mile.
My plan was to jog all around the shopping center near our mechanic until I reached Starbucks. After claiming my free drink and taking an appropriate break to give the mechanic time to finish the work, I would then jogged back to the shop to get the car. I am writing this first draft as I enjoy my latte and feel great joy for the first 3.37 miles of the day.
After a nice break at Starbucks, I jogged the rest of the way back to the mechanic, about 1.47 miles at a slightly slower pace (17:49 minute mile):
This will be the last "Daily" post, a blog that contains a variety of topics, one that attempted to be a daily newsletter of sorts.
Going forward I will post one or more items per day, each under its own separate title.
Perhaps this will lead to having posts in separate blogs, each dedicated to a particular topic. Successful bloggers seem to do that. Although I do not aim to compete with anyone or achieve the popularity of some blogs, I would like to make it easier for folks to find information I share and make the information more relevant to readers.
This also means a shift from quantity (number of topics or posts) to quality. And that sometimes may mean not having a daily post if the exercise of writing a better post demands additional time. That brings to mind the old adage: good, cheap, or fast; pick two, but not all three.
CELL PHONE ADDICTION
It is no surprise to anyone that we live in a world of cell phone addiction. I often, however, wonder how it is possible that people talk that much on the phone. There are people in my neighborhood that I have seen leaving home while on the phone, and they return home, get out of the car, and they are on the phone. Am I missing something?
Of course you have the inevitable person in a grocery store, gas station, or even a government agency talking on the cell phone. Some make it even more convenient (for themselves) and use an ear piece; sometimes that can be very scary because the ear pieces are small or hidden, and here you think this person is just talking to themselves, only to realize that perhaps they are on the phone.
As we know, there are real health concerns with too much exposure to cell phone radiation. But even more dangerous is the bad habit of talking on the phone while driving. Today I saw someone holding a cell phone with one hand, a sandwich with the other, and driving much faster than the speed limit. Yikes! That is scary!
Cell phone usage everywhere, all the time, no matter what. That is a whole lot of talking!
This morning's run was less than stellar. I only managed to log 0.67 miles before my body claimed my attention; the body has a funny way to dictate what one does. Although 2/3 of a mile is OK, I simply was not happy with that. So, after dinner tonight, I got into uniform and went for a 2.2 mile jog. It was still warm and humid, but I made it. Now I am happy. I love jogging. And now I am on track for tomorrow morning and another 2 mile jog.
SELF-FINANCING, DEBT RE-ORGANIZATION
As I mentioned earlier, MacKenzie and I decided to pay for her car on our own. She is putting in $1000 from her savings and I am putting the other $1000 from our emergency fund. This meant that I would need to replenish both of those funds as quickly as possible. But I also saw the opportunity to apply a Dave Ramsey principle and get rid of my only other revolving debt: a credit card balance of about $2000. Our plan right now is to tackle the credit card debt first. Why? Because it is the most expensive debt we have. On the average it is costing us $30 in interest every month. Even if I repay MacKenzie with some reasonable interest, it would be lower than the credit card payment. Eliminating the credit card debt will be a multi-step process:
Stop any new charges on the credit card — this will help re-build better, more responsible spending habits.
Pay off as much as possible every month.
Once my other car is paid off (December or January), then apply all that money (almost $400/month) to pay off the credit card.
I estimate that the credit card will be paid off by February 2019.
With no credit card debt, then we will start rebuilding the two savings accounts. I hope to re-pay MacKenzie no later than May 2019. After that I can rebuild the emergency fund and start building a Kia repair fund (it has 156000 miles and needs some preventive work, such as a timing belt).
With a solid plan like this, by September 2019 the only debt I will have is my mortgage. My plan is to get rid of that debt sometime in 2020 or 2021.
I very much look forward to becoming and staying debt free.
This morning's jog was short (less than a mile) and that's OK. At least I was able to get out there and log some time on the road. This, of course, does not preclude a longer run later this afternoon or evening. Or perhaps I will use mowing the lawn as my cardio for today. Or maybe I will do both. Let's see what the energy level is as the day progresses.
USE A PASSWORD MANAGER!
In several of the security-related podcasts I listen to there have been in-depth analysis of the state of password security and why it is impossible for humans to produce (much less remember) hundreds of random-character passwords that are safe to use. The only solution: use a password manager. I have been using an old password manager called PINs. Although it is an older Windows-based program, I have been able to successfully run it under Linux. If you have an older system and you want a fast and low-resource password manager, then PINs maybe a good choice for you. I have been able to run it from a USB drive for years, although this has been curtailed as many environments no longer allow USB devices to connect to their machines.
Another password manager I think is worth considering is Keepass. This application is free, open source, and runs in Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, and other platforms.
Many security experts recommend Lastpass as one of the best password managers. The fact that you can have one account and all your passwords are accessible anywhere you log in (home, work, smartphone, tablet, etc.) is a great feature.
In the past, security experts had recommended using a root part of a password with a variable portion to make passwords easier to remember. For example, you could use something like "Mypass" + "Face" + "99" to make up a password for Facebook. Hackers have figured this scheme out and, experts indicate, using this makes it easier for a hacker to break into other accounts once they have one of your passwords.
The best approach:use a password manager and generate random-character passwords for each site/application, and make each password at least 16 characters long. Passwords should contain upper and lower cases, numbers, and special characters. Just as important: change your critical account passwords every three to six months. A password manager can alert you when a password needs to be updated. All websites allow you to change your password as long as you can provide your current password. Changing your passwords regularly prevents hackers from breaking into your accounts using old lists of hacked passwords that are readily available for sale.
The morning edition today just did not happen. Don't get me wrong. There was time to get it done. There was material to get it done. There was no energy to get it done. And, to be honest, I felt free to skip it. The advantage of having a small, unpaid membership is that there is flexibility for creativity. Honestly, the reason for the two daily editions was to help me write more often, avoiding the nightly rush to get a post in before the end of the day. It is a self-imposed challenge and, as with such comes the ability to choose. Today, I chose to rest, to sleep a lot, and to take a day off from many of the regular routines. My body was calling for it, my mind was calling for it, and my spirit was calling for it. And that is what happened: a day of rest.
HEALTH & FITNESS
Another "Zero" day? No way!
I woke up right on time and, although I had a slow, sleepy start, I did go for a 2.5 mile jog and it felt fantastic! I have missed my jogs the last three days. During the jog I thought I should start a daily running challenge and see if I can jog for 31 days straight. If so, then this would be Day 1. :-)
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
Another thought that flowered during my morning run is that it would be helpful to keep up with the "streaks" and then report on those at the end of each week, perhaps on Sunday. Having a list of streaks has helped me stay on track with several aspects of self-improvement. I will work on the idea this week and will report on it on Sunday, October 13.
FINANCES
After much research and consideration, we have decided to self-finance my MacKenzie's Honda. Having the money in the bank was one consideration in favor of the decision. MacKenzie is putting half of the asking price, and I will be putting the other half. The strategy is not ideal and it leaves is a bit vulnerable because we are taking most of her savings and all of our emergency fund for the transaction. On the other hand, this will save us money (in finance charges) and it will reinforce in MacKenzie the value of saving for major purchases.
The money that MacKenzie is putting in is money I will reimburse her. I want this car to be her high school graduation gift. How the repayment will happen is interesting and a bit unusual, and I will go into that tomorrow.
KAVANAUGH: IMPEACHABLE?
Judge Kavanaugh was confirmed, as expected, by the Senate. There are many that have advanced the notion of an impeachment procedure at some point. This would require that the Democratic party have control of the House. Only one time in the history of our nation has a Supreme Court Justice been impeached (Samuel Chase, 1805) and he was acquitted of all charges (March 1, 1805).
We had intermittent internet access issues at work. Early indications pointed to our ISP as the potential source of the problem. As with any such events, this led me to ponder what would happen, what would we do, if there was a massive disruption (nationwide? global?) to internet access. How will we deal with life when (not if) this unfortunate day comes?
We know there is redundancy in many parts of the system. Fortunately, mobile access to the internet is somewhat separate from regular access. But what if everything goes down? How would we bank, shop, and so much more? Sharpen your pencils! It will be a bumpy ride when that happens.
HEALTH & FITNESS
"Zero" day #3! <not a happy runner here>
FACTS AND LIES
It continues to surprise people (and maybe it shouldn't) that #45 keeps misrepresenting facts for the sake of entertaining the crowds that come to his rallies. Here is a good analysis by FactCheck on the latest blunder by our Liar-In-Chief: Trump Repeatedly Wrong on Ford’s Testimony
What bothers me the most, perhaps, is that this was absolutely unnecessary. Only a child consistently puts others down so that they can feel better about themselves. This childish, mean, vindictive behavior belongs to a six-year-old and not to the president of a country, any country.
I wonder what historians will think of our nation centuries from now. We know the era has a name: Trumpism. It is unlikely to be a period filled with high praise for our country.
Another "zero" day? Yikes! I just could not get out of bed this morning! My fault, of course, for staying up too late. And this highlights the fact that morning rituals demand healthy evening rituals. What are my evening rituals? I have none!
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
I have been diligent on keeping up with my morning rituals, and it has really paid off. Except when I have not, like during the last two mornings. Today I realized that my morning rituals depend on how early I go to bed, and that trigger (going to bed) is not regular for me. Most nights I go to bed around 9:30 PM, some nights around 10:30, and a few nights after 11:30. However, if I want to always get up at 4:30 AM to do my morning routine, and always get at least seven hours of sleep, then I need to be firmer with my bedtime schedule. That, of course, is easier said than done! So many things can affect our bedtime. However, we know that if something is important to us then we will find a way to get it done.
A little fact-checking on the latest set of fake facts from the Fake-in-Chief concerning NAFTA and its replacement agreement: FactChecking Trump on Trade
EMAIL OOPS!
Have you ever hit the "Send" button on an email and then realized that, for example, you forgot to attach the document that the message referred to? Or, worse yet, you click "Send" before finishing the most important sentence of the email? Or, even worse yet, you have written something really, truly nasty that you never meant to send and accidentally send it to everyone on your mailing list?
October is Cyber Security month. We can start being safe in cyberspace by securing our home network. The SANS Institute has an excellent article on the topic:
Hillary Clinton once used this term to describe all of our current Liar-In-Chief supporters. Using such a term to define a group is a dangerous maneuver as Mrs. Clinton knows all too well.
What is obvious is that the term does apply to #45. His despicable rhetoric attacking Professor Blasey Ford puts him square in the definition of deplorable. He is disgraceful, shameful, dishonorable, unworthy, inexcusable, unpardonable, unforgivable; reprehensible, despicable, abominable, contemptible, execrable, and heinous.
Such behavior is beyond reprehension. But then again, what else can we expect from a misogynistic Fake President?
The "Scammer-In-Chief" has openly stated that he took advantage of every legal tax loophole to avoid paying taxes. It looks as if he and his family also created a few loopholes, holes large enough to allow a semi truck to go through: "Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father".
I will have two more articles in the evening edition.
HEALTH & FITNESS
To borrow a phrase from long-distance hikers, today was a "zero day." For through-hikers that means a day of rest with zero miles hiked. For me it was a day with no morning jogging, of sleeping in to further recover from the exhaustion of the weekend and the effects of the cold I have been dealing with.
I managed to do a nice stretching routine (call it, if you want, Yoga in bed), followed by a not-so-mindful meditation period, followed by a good period of affirmations. Overall, a nice morning start.
Having a "zero day" does not necessarily mean being lazy all day long. I plan to go for short brisk walks every 30 minutes or so at work. I will manage to put about 2+ miles by 3:30 PM.
I look forward to Tuesday evenings and my weekly round of bowling. Not only is the sport challenging, but the people in the league are friendly and supportive even with those they are competing against. Tonight, however, it was a matter of deciding whether having fun was worth the consequences. In the end, I decided to forego the fun and rest so that I can heal from this darn cold. I miss bowling, but it will be there next week. Rest it is.
PARENTING MOMENTS
For sometime I have been working on getting MacKenzie ready for the road; she is a good driver and we just had not had a spare car to finish her driver training. As of today we are getting very close to making that problem go away. The mechanic I engaged has given the Honda a clean bill of health, so we are on our way to acquire a new member of the Gascon automotive family:
This is about to become MacKenzie's first car. She and I drove it yesterday and I have never seen her more comfortable behind the wheel as she was driving this car. It is a 2001 Accord Coupe with 188600 miles on it, and it is in wonderful shape. We are looking forward to welcoming it to the clan.
OTHER STUFF
I have chosen not to do any of the other updates for now. I think the month of October will be more freestyle writing than the more structured format I followed in September.
A case for ethics and integrity. In the current discourse of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, it has become blatantly obvious to many of us that part of the problem with this process is that, as a nation, we have lost the sense of ethical behavior. And this is totally unrelated to our Liar-In-Chief; he is but a mere (albeit exaggerated) reflection of what politics in our country have become, where cheating and lying are just fine as long as "we" (meaning our party, our group, our city, etc.) win. It appears several generations of Americans have forgotten what ethical behavior is all about, what right and wrong are, what doing the right thing for the country means.
It would benefit our nation to go back to basic ethics training. Ethics is the area of human knowledge that deals with moral principles, with basic values, with virtues. I know many have forgotten what values and virtues are all about; many never learned those concepts at all. It is no wonder that we have such a mess in our hands.
Setting aside, for just one moment, the personal stories of the protagonists, the crux of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination is that we no longer know how to appraise truth and honesty from people giving statements, not even when done so under oath. Even more serious is the fact that politicians are willing, in a skinny minute, to ignore falsehoods in the interest of advancing a cause. This affects all politicians, all of them willing to take values, virtues, principles and ethics, and crumble them into a messy waddle destined for a garbage can. It is rare to have a politician or other leader stand up for what is right for the many, not just for the elite few; rare for them to stop, evaluate, think, ponder, struggle with the ethics of their actions and decisions.
Sometimes they are forced to. Sometimes two women step in front of an elevator and force a senator to confront the ethics of a decision. And sometimes that confrontation results in ethical action.
It is time for all of us to stop for a moment and take time to reflect on the importance of ethics, of morals, of values and virtues, and to do so with the well-being of all citizens in our minds and in our hearts.
HEALTH & FITNESS
Still fighting a cold, still dealing with a pulled groin muscle; still ran two miles in 38 minutes. Slow and steady!
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
I added "Affirmations" to my morning ritual, right after meditating. I used the following affirmations, which sit on my night table. You can easily find them on the web.
1. I am feeling healthy and strong today.
2. I have all that I need to make this a great day of my life.
3. I have all the information I need to solve any challenges that come up today.
4. I have the knowledge to make smart decisions for myself today.
5. I make the right choices all day using my inner wisdom.
6. I am happy and content with my life.
7. I am patient and calm and greet the day with ease.
8. I am filled with gratitude and kindness for another day on this earth.
Today was a day of some work, some resting, and beautiful parenting.
I am dealing with a cold, one I felt creeping up last Thursday and did not take care of right away. As if often happens, a long dance event tends to deplete one's immune system, so by Saturday night (and definitely Sunday morning), the cold had developed fully, with a bothersome running nose and copious sneezing. I ended up staying home and working in the morning, and then I slept all afternoon. That was quite helpful.
And then MacKenzie and I had a great father-daughter time. We drove to Sumter to look at a used car that a co-worker is selling. We took it for a long spin and it turns out to be in excellent shape. It is a great 2001 Honda Accord Coupe with almost 190000. The current owner has agreed to take it to his mechanic for a full inspection. I will begin the process of getting a loan and insurance. Hopefully MacKenzie will be licensed and independent by November 1. She has been incredibly patient during this process and deserves an early high school graduation present.
HEALTH & FITNESS
Despite the cold I am dealing with, I managed to log 2.1 (slow) miles. I had to endure pain on my right hip flexor several times during the jog, but stretching it out seemed to help. Going up hill seemed to make it flare up and hurt so much that I had to stop. But I made it through and that is waht matters.
Today's run involved a brand new pair of Zoot Run shoes; this is the first pair of their "Sport" model that I have tried. They feel a bit tight and not as comfortable as the other Zoot shoes I have purchased, but this may be a combination of all the barefoot dancing from Saturday. I will try the Zoot Run again in a few days and see if they feel better.
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
Working on new rituals over the last few weeks has really paid off. For example, without an alarm clock I was up by 4:15 and out the door before 4:45 AM, a full 30 minutes ahead of schedule. This allowed me to handle the painful moments during the jog, and also the sneezing and low energy that came from having a cold.
The new rituals, now well ingrained, have turned into new habits. I no longer need to use the check list from my to-do list as much to get all those things done. They are becoming second-nature to me. This is the beauty and power of working on new rituals — they become new habits that help support our goals and dreams.
PERSONAL GROWTH
I was listening to the "Motivational Mornings" podcast in which they reviewed a book called "The Miracle Morning" by Hal Elrod. In the book there is a acronym for six things to do every morning to boost your productivity and improve everything you do: SAVERS
S = Silence (meditation, relaxation, peace)
A = Affirmations
V = Visualization
E = Exercise
R = Reading
S = Scribing (or Scribbing or Scribbling)
I plan on implementing this strategy to impact my future success. I already do the first S and the E. For the next few days I will add the "A" to my rituals. Immediately after my morning meditation, I will use power affirmations to help me achieve my goals and dreams. After a few days I will add the "V" to my rituals. This should be fun!
One of the key concepts highlighted in the podcast is that we need to focus on what we need to become in order to achieve our goals or dreams. In order to change the exterior world we must change the interior world. Only through change will we grow and improve.
Here is a great video that nicely summarizes "The Miracle Morning" concepts.
FINANCES
September was a bad month on the expenses side. I have yet to catch up with entering data for the month. This will be done (hopefully by Wednesday).
POLITICS
In listening to the New York Times "Daily" podcast, I was moved by the powerful statements from two women, two victims of sexual assault that confronted Sen. Flake as he was leaving his office. The pain in their voice, their powerful words, and their moving stories may change this country in ways they may have never imagined. Perhaps it is time for all of us to look at our representatives and demand that they "Don't look away, look at me when I am talking to you" and hold them responsible for their actions. Sen. Flake was moved to do the right thing and he acted with integrity as he rallied senators from both parties so that a FBI investigation would be required in this matter. I am not sure if the investigation will result in Judge Kavanaugh's rejection from the Supreme Court job. Having the investigation is, in itself, a victory. It is one more win in the struggle to integrate women's rights into all aspects of life. It is not enough to have the right to vote. Women must have the right to feel safe everywhere, to make as much money as their male counterparts, to be treated fairly in all circumstances. The chauvinistic mentality is obsolete and must be eliminated and replaced with humanistic principles that will allow us to grow together, in cooperation and not competition.
FOCUS HABIT(S)
During the month of October I will focus on improving the following two habits:
Drinking 64+ oz of water: I probably enjoyed about 32-48 oz. today
Lubricating my eyes three times per day: two times today.
STREAKS - For the record
Current list of streaks:
Writing: day 33
Blood Pressure Readings: day 17
Logging to SparkPeople: day 1 (I missed logging in during the trip)
The drive home was uneventful except for fighting a cold that has been coming for several days but finally hit me late last night and this morning. Such is life. At least I was able to enjoy the weekend of dancing.
HEALTH & FITNESS
After dancing several hours yesterday and a little waltzing today, I again took a break from jogging. If all goes well I will be back at it tomorrow morning early.
STREAKS - For the record (updated)
Current list of streaks:
Writing: day 32
Blood Pressure Readings: day 16 (exempted from reading because of road trip)
Logging to SparkPeople: day 0 (missed logging in during the trip)
Today is the last day I will count writing. A full month has passed and I have had the pleasure of writing at least a little everyday. The writing challenge is over, but not the writing. For the month of October I plan on doing two daily, shorter posts: one around Noon and one around 9 PM. Having two daily deadlines will be a challenge in itself. Having shorter posts will make it easier. I am still working out what will be in each post.
Today was the 12-hour BooneDoggle dance event. It was, as in years past, an amazing experience. I probably danced about eight of the 12 hours. My fitness level is still not up for 12 hours of dancing. But I am happy. My feet hurt a bit. There are a couple of blisters to tend to when I get home. And my heart is full, my soul re-charged, my body a bit stronger, my connections to others expanded by unmeasurable amounts and in ways that are hard to explain. You had to be there to know.
Tomorrow will be clean-up time at the dance location. And then the drive back home, back to daily routines, to the joys of living life with my kids, working hard with my coworkers, and all that I call "normal." But life will not be the same; this Contra dance, like many other Contra dances, has changed me, made me better, made me stronger.
The firt day of the On-the-Road experiment was a resounding success and an absolute blast. It actually started Thursday evening as I drove from home toward my ultimate destination (Mountain City, TN) for the 12-hour BooneDoggle Contra Dance held yearly there. My plan was to stop for the night in Lincolnton, NC. I chose Lincolnton because it was exactly halfway between home and my destination, and because there was a Walmart and Lowe's right off the highway.
The drive started with a scary thunderstorm that produced dangerous amounts of rain. Fortunately, that stopped after just 20 minutes or so, and the rest of the drive was uneventful. It was unusually quiet on the road, with very few vehicles anywhere. Maybe Thursday nights are quiet nights for travelling.
I arrived in Lincolnton and chose to park at the Walmart location. I went in, bought some groceries and came across some awesome deals I could not pass. The deals turned out to be more amazing when they worked out better than planned for a vehicle project I am working on. And then I settled for the night, the first night sleeping in the car using sleeping mats (similar to Yoga mats, but thicker). I was able to stretch fully and fell fairly comfortable. The parking lot was quiet until around 4 AM when someone driving on a near-by road starting yelling obscenities and acting up. That was disconcerting because I did not know if they were heading my way or away. Fortunately, it was the latter. That was a good lesson about parking in these lots: be aware of how close to a road you are.
I was up and about by 4:30 and headed to a park I had spotted on the map that had what appeared as a nice trail I could use for jogging. I got there around 5 AM and the park gate was open although the posted hours were 8 AM - 10 PM. I proceeded to jog for 2 miles around the various parking lots inside the park. And then I headed out, back on the road, ready for a great day of volunteering to bring the BooneDoggle dance together. The day was a nice mixture of helping with dance tasks and working on re-packing the car to incorporate that morning's Lincolnton purchases. The window sun shades I bought for $4 and $5 fit perfectly to provide privacy at night and sun shielding in the day. The only fitting problem was with the front windows, and I will need to work on that at some point. By 8 PM I was ready for some sleep; the combination of hard work and little sleep the night before took its toll.
HEALTH & FITNESS
I was delighted with fitness and nutrition for the first day of the on-the-road adventure. I did some body strength training before jogging in the morning, then logged 2 miles, and then the rest of the day was super busy and I walked and lifted and pounded enough to make it a very good activity day. I logged 9367 steps and walked/jogged 3.8 miles.
Nutrition was good, with a nice mix of fruits and veggies along with a protein shake and chili for dinner.
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
This was a perfect example of having a dream or goal, and breaking it up into smaller portions to move forward with its attainment. The dream, of which I will write about later, requires being able to live out of a car for extended periods of time. Today was a perfect opportunity to learn lessons that will allow that to happen.
STREAKS - For the record (updated)
Current list of streaks:
Writing: day 30
Blood Pressure Readings: day 16 (exempted from reading because of road trip)
Logging to SparkPeople: day 0 (missed logging in during the trip)
Daily Exercise Routine: not counting for now
Cardio: Yes (jogging in the morning, lots of walking all day)
Yoga: Not really
Strength Training: lots of lifting and pounding, so yes
A very productive day as I prepare for a weekend in the mountains of Tennessee and 12 hours of incredible Contra dancing on Saturday. I will be wearing a kilt for the first time in more than a year. Part of the weekend's adventures include dong some car camping and I worked most of the day cleaning the garage and gathering and organizing items for the weekend adventure.
With me being on the road, my daily posts will change somewhat. Internet access where I will staying is sporadic, and my tablet is not happy with the connection there. However, I will be posting "dispatches" to the blog throughout the day via email and, if possible, I will condense them to the regular "The Daily" in the evening or whenever I get a chance to. I will call these "The (On the Road) Daily".
HEALTH & FITNESS
I jogged for 2.1 miles in 37 minutes to the "143 BPM - Best Foot Forward" Podrunner mix.
Blood pressure steady at 118/75.
PERSONAL GROWTH
One of the benefits of becoming more organized is the realization that we have so much. Specifically, I have been asking myself "How many of these (insert item name) do you need?" For example, I currently own eight pairs of dress shorts. These are the eight dress shorts that made the first and second cut during the purge a few days ago. I already donated all the shorts I did not like, could not fit into, or had no room for. But still, do I need eight dress shorts? Would I be OK with just six? Four? Considering I wear dress shorts perhaps once a week for a day or two, that means I could wear different shorts for two months without repeating. Sadly, I tend to gravitate toward the one or two pairs that are my favorite, and the others just sit there. Fortunately, purging and organizing has made me aware of this excessive abundance and now I can make decisions on what to keep and what to wear with awareness. Perhaps, most likely, there will be additional liberation of clothes in the not-so-distant future.
As I was working in the garage, I came across an insane number of cleaning towels. As it is often the case, the quantity has a logical explanation: every time our kitchen towels are replaced, they become garage cleaning towels. The problem, of course, is that the previous generations of kitchen-towels-turned-into-garage-towels linger on in the garage for years and years. Of course, they are not all in one place, where it would be obvious that there was an issue. No, they take shelter and hide from view until one fine day we discover they had taken over the garage. Or something like that. So how many of these towels do we need? Many (for now). Granted, these are often used to wipe oil and grease, etc., and they are truly not worth washing, so now that awareness has set in, like a beacon in the night to guide me, I will be able to keep the numbers to a reasonable level.
Challenges can be hard, and today I am struggling to write this post. There are a lot of items to write about and, because it was a very busy and productive day, I feel I am running out of steam. The fact that I am dealing with either a cold or some allergies is not helping matters. But such is life, so … full speed ahead!
HEALTH & FITNESS
This morning i missed my alarm completely. OK, not quite accurate. I heard and snoozed the first instance of the alarm at 4:30; even brought the phone next to my bed, as I usually do, and the next thing I remember is that two hours had passed. Yikes!
Nevertheless, I managed a 1.25 mile jog in 21 minutes, and my blood pressure is still in check at 115/81. Nutrition was much better today. Great day for better health.
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
I had prepared my to-do list for today several days in advance, so the day was very well structured. Except for the late start to some activities, everything important on the list was checked off. Great day for productivity.
FINANCES
I am WAY behind on entering data in "EveryDollar" and tomorrow is the last day I will be able to use for catching up. So that will be my highest priority for the afternoon schedule. Mornings are reserved for outdoor tasks until around 11 AM — despite being almost October, the heat and humidity are still quite intense. Although today's high was only 88, it felt like 188. Perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration, but it felt hot; the humidity has not let up for days. Those that live in Columbia, SC, have earned an exemption pass from hell. We have been there, done that, and got the t-shirt, which is always soaking wet from this darn humid environment. I realize that had nothing to do with finances, but it was the best sport to put the commentary.
TIPS & TRICKS
I built my first self-watering bucket planter from an empty kitty litter container. Background story: I have had an amazing jalapeño pepper plant for the last three or so years, and it keeps giving us peppers. In the winter time I bring it inside and it flowers and makes peppers. In the spring/summer/fall I keep it outside in the front porch and it is as happy as it can be. This spring I finally moved it to a larger pot and it got even happier. But then Florence came into town, so we brought "Monster" (that's what the jalapeño pepper plant is called) and our youngest cat took a liking to it. After Florence passed I moved Monster back outside and discovered that one of its branches was broken. I clipped the branch and placed it in water. Within a day or two it had sprouted two peppers. Today, Baby Monster found a new home outside, next to "mamma" for now.
Monster and Baby Monster pepper plants
Bucket planter with 1 Gal jug and PVC feeder pipe (14" L x 3/4" diameter)
Finished product (with cap and evaporation barrier)
Finished product (with cap and evaporation barrier) (close-up)
This container cost me $0; fortunately, I had all the materials already at hand. I re-used a one gallon container that once held vinegar (I washed it and aired it out very well), The PVC pipe was in my garage from a different project. The wiking materials was a piece of fabric I found in my closet. The bucket was from litter for our cats. I followed pretty much the same steps from the video (below). In reality, the jug is too big for this litter bucket. But it will do the trick for now. When Baby Monster settles in I will move it to a better pot and a more proportionate self-watering system.
Two things to note:
I used a Zip Lock bag to prevent evaporation of the exposed wiking material. This would not be an issue if the water jug was fully covered (as it would be in a larger bucket).
Because I used available 3/4" PVC pipe, I was able to use the cap from a small soda bottle to cover the pipe opening, thus preventing mosquitoes from growing a family in the water jug.
I cannot wait to see how Baby Monster does in its new home.
Here is the video I used as inspiration for this project.
PODCASTS / VIDEOS
I made a version of this dish for dinner tonight. It was awesome.
