Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Adventure Day 9 – Part 1

I am going to post today in two parts. Mostly because I know that I won’t have time to post after completing #30 (which I’ll be doing tonight) and I’m hoping I’ll have stuff to say after that one. Instead I will post some now and then some tomorrow.

Today seemed as if it was going to be another day of around the house stuff, much like yesterday. I got up, felt overwhelmed at the idea of organizing our home, and decided I would do #9 (and actually # 21 – I just realized that I had it down twice, I suppose that means I will have to accomplish two tasks I’ve been avoiding). The chosen, or should I say avoided, task was to wash the windows – inside and out. I have been reasoning my way out of doing this for a year now. This seems a bit crazy considering we’ve only lived here for 1 year and 5 weeks. Oh well, today was finally the day.

I got out my bucket and filled it with warm soapy water (sunlight dish soap works great!), got an old cloth and dish towel and off I went. It took me all of 45 minutes (thank you air conditioners for making it impossible to take out all of the windows). Then I was done. The end.

It’s at this point that I wonder why the heck I’ve put off this chore for so long. It certainly wasn’t time consuming, and to be honest not all that difficult. So why have I been running from it like it was the plague? I’m not real sure and I doubt that it really matters, but hopefully now that I’ve done it, my windows can appreciate some more love than they’ve received this past year.

In other news…

Yesterday I decided to begin my 7 days without t.v., movies or youtube. I’m not sure why I picked this week considering I’m home all day during the week and I have loads of time to kill. Anyways this morning I was elated when I got called into work suddenly to take a day shift – I had to leave immediately.

Without media (other than e-mail, etc) I find it difficult to just sit. You just don’t know what to do. A few minutes ago I made myself an early supper because I’m meeting a friend for coffee later and won’t be home to have dinner with Wally, I went to sit on the couch and watch something while I ate and then I remembered that there was no t.v. for a week. I couldn’t even take my food and watch youtube or whatever online. Those are the times I miss media: when I want to relax. I find that I always need to be doing stuff. Whether it’s watching, listening, doing, there has to be something going on. I think that’s why I didn’t mind accomplishing #9 today or going to work.

When I’m home during the day I find that my ‘to do’ list is scheduled entirely around the two shows I regularly watch each morning (one of them I don’t even like that much). I’m sure there’d be more than two shows I’d watch daily if we had cable. Anyways, I’ve kind of enjoyed not have time constraints – you know ‘gotta get this done before Ellen comes on at 10am’, and there’s no moving off of the couch until after Rachel Ray is over at noon. Yesterday I went for my walk at 8:30am and took my time (over an hour – part of that is because I totally got lost at the park and had to find my way out). Afterwards I decided while I was out I’d do my grocery shopping (even though I was a stinky sweat bag with a ridiculous hairdo, and no makeup). I took my time and totally enjoyed the leisurely pace. Usually I’m a task master at chores (or almost anything), just make a list and get it done. I feel like I’m learning how to slow down, relax and take detours. I didn’t think that would happen just by not watching t.v.

Yesterday at the grocery store I even decided to pick up a few items I never normally would, because I had time to learn how to cook them, and also I think the ‘trying new things’ is catching on and spreading through out. I bought leeks, brussel sprouts, and a mango to eat - all for the first time. I know it’s not a big deal but it was fun to look at stuff that I never take the time to look at or buy, and pick it up just to try. No t.v. dinners for me!

I’m sure reorganizing the apartment wont’ be that difficult to get done this week.

Other happenings…
I also decided yesterday that I would try to do my eating program again – it’s something I got from my gym and it’s a three phase program that is supposed to boost your metabolism. I’ve done it before, but never followed it strictly. I lost 4 ½ pounds over a month last time. The first week I was supposed to lose between 3-8 pounds, I lost 1 *sigh*. I thought since I have felt it fairly easy to abide by my list that I’d try to take it a step further. I really do want to get my weight back down a bit, maybe 15-20 pounds; I just find it hard to follow a strict plan. This one is strict for the first week, then lets up a bit for the next three weeks and then is way better for the following month.

Yesterday went very well (I had to remind myself to eat), until the evening when we had our ‘Monday Night Gathering’. We get together with a group of Wally’s school friends every Monday night for supper and games, a movie, or a certain t.v. show. I really wanted to do the ‘plan’ perfectly by the book in order to see what would indeed happen. Unfortunately hotdogs aren’t in the ‘plan’ and that’s what we were having for supper (along with pop, chips, and mini sugar covered donuts – mmmm). This is where the ‘Rules’ become hard to follow. I find social events the most difficult part of following an eating routine, they never allow really for that kind of thing. I certainly didn’t go overboard (although I would’ve LOVED to take the mini donuts home and eat them all that night), but it was impossible to follow the ‘Rules’ at all. So I tried to keep things moderate. I was still disappointed though that I couldn’t be perfect.

I guess that’s just life though. Usually on an eating plan I’d give up and go for the gusto if I couldn’t be perfect. Now I am trying to learn what it’s like to live in moderation and without guilt for these things. This is going to be one of my biggest challenges in life. I hate that.

Things I’ll never understand…

Why some people wear their everyday clothes to the gym to work out in

Why I didn’t try relish and mustard on my hot dog before yesterday

Why my favourite songs on the radio always come on right as I’m coming into my driveway

Why poop is such a big part of my life now days

Why some people don’t just love me

Why people complain about grocery shopping

Why people complain about their job

Why I didn’t wash the windows a year ago (the world is so much clearer now)

Why there are starving people

Why there are non starving people

Why my internal clock never shuts itself off

Why I all of a sudden cannot fall asleep without being on my stomach

Why weather is the only thing people seem to know how to collectively talk about

Why religious people hate so much

Why I think I’m better than you

Why people say ‘why me?’

Why I never actually use all of the proper ingredients required in a recipe when I’m cooking – ever

Why people think they are so different from each other

How I can go the grocery store 3 times in two days and still be out of something

Why it’s so difficult to think of 5 friends to go out for a night on the town with

Why it matters if the 5 friends will like each other

Why going to mass seems intimidating to me

Why my earbuds play such an influential role in whether I go for a walk or not

Why this list never ends.