juliebarkley

You nailed the atmosphere on this one. It feels like a humid summer day. I don't know if it's the shine, the colours... but it feels real in a sensory way.

I'm not actually sure what a regular snickerdoodle is, but I got there recipe from here. All of the recipes were from this site; he used to try a cookie recipe sent in by a listener while sharing a bit of psychology news at the end of each podcast. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. I made goal, yay! I did meet with one group of people twice and didn't attend two of the things I was planning on, but still. I got myself out and exposed myself to new people and experiences. And it was tiring. But I think I need to try to keep it up. It is really really nice to have people even recognize you, and to meet enough people and to advance anyone that I click with to the stage where I can call them "friend" is going to take a lot of continued time and effort and luck. But I feel like I have made a very positive start. 2. Progress has definitely been made, but as in #1, there is such a long way to go. I have taken a chip out of a mountain. It does feel good to have made that chip though. I have been rolling around ideas for how to work this into the next challenge. 3. I did more poorly on this goal, because I never properly defined what it was. Lesson to self: always define your goals or you end up with a "what's for dinner" moment every day and the answer ends up being "nothing". Despite this, I ended up in a much better mindset anyway, probably due mostly to the progress on goals 1 and 2. They are hopeful things that let me feel in control and able to effect change for the better. 4. I did not do this everyday, and a lot of the walks were token walks or walking that I did in the course of daily life rather than intentional. So I can't really say I passed this goal as such. I did find that lack of sleep due to pain made me more tired than I used to be in the evenings, so scheduling this for myself sometime earlier in the day would be an option. And although it wasn't what I originally had in mind, I did like taking a moment to decide on a walk to run errands that this counted as a walk, so that I would then take the time to enjoy it and notice the things around me. Made something I was going to do anyway into more of a mindfulness thing. I feel like my "tentative next steps" this challenge paid off, and I have good feelings about this challenge.

1. Yes, I did go out today. And since I realized that I normally start challenges on Monday (and therefore end them on Sunday), this counts towards the total and I make my goal! 2. Four more books (well, three and a half), 1500 emails (and unsubscribing/setting up more filtering rules), and a whole bunch more work files. It has been a day of getting rid of things. SO MANY THINGS. Fortunately, most of them were easy decisions, such as duplicate files or emails for old sales, or I would never have been able to get through that much. Decision fatigue can come fast when you have to actually think and do something with the information in front of you. 3. This has been more of a challenge today. I was a bit awkward on my outing, and that affected my mood/thoughts later. But I did recognize it, and that is a good first step that I haven't always been able to do. 4. I walked to the social thing. It was raining the whole time, and someone else there was headed my way, so I got a drive home. So only a short walk. Summary tomorrow!

1. Nope. 2. Did a couple more books, and also deleted many many files at work. Like 10GB worth of files at least. Very satisfying. 3. Going to do another meditation thing tonight. It is raining, and I think the rain sound plus a low-talk meditation would make a good combo. 4. Due to said rain coming down in buckets, no. But I did get 6500 steps in at work, because March Break means running around cleaning up after people.

I swear to you all that I booked the next available physio spot that I could get! It's just that they don't seem to do intake evaluations as often as regular appointments, so I had to book almost a month out. I am fully, almost 100%, expecting that this is simply a recurrence of the frozen shoulder that I had in my non-dominant arm last year, but in the dominant arm this time. It's not a rare thing for that to happen, apparently. And if that is indeed the case, as least I have the reassurance that I know how this will go, and that it really does completely go away eventually. It is way less scary this go around than last time, when I had no idea what was happening. Still annoying and painful, but just a thing to get through. (And because it's extremely rare for frozen shoulder to recur in the same shoulder twice, once this suffering is done, I will be all but immune! Superpower!) I did take the time to rest. And I do acknowledge that being in pain regularly, or trying to avoid pain, and having to learn to do everything left-handed or otherwise differently, has got to be a big factor in the mental and physical exhaustion. It was just way worse that day and I didn't really know why. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yesterday I napped after I got home from work, hung out with friends, then crashed right afterward. Can't promise I got anything much done on the challenge front. But I did run a successful program where I got reluctant children excited to act, and that was pretty rewarding. For today: 1. No. I don't think any more visiting options are available to me before the end of the challenge. Possibly Sunday though. 2. This is going pretty well. There are still books coming in because suspended holds, but the piles are dropping anyway. And the only things I'm putting back in the suspended hold rotation are things I have already looked at and chosen to keep, but which other people are requesting, so the suspended hold pile will also be dropping. I have barely touched my email and paper for Konmari-ing, but I suppose I need something to, ahem, "look forward to". 3. I had a think about some progress I've made on personal issues, and the whole where-I-am-now-vs-where-I-was-then was really hopeful and happymaking. 4. Ran two errands, and on the way back from each took a detour to walk along the creek. Everything is thawed and the weather today was absolutely beautiful, so there were plenty of other walkers, some cyclists, and even a group of canoeists. Everyone looked really happy to just be out and enjoying the sunshine. Sometimes these little things bring big joy.

It's more just recognizing that I am in need of recovery time. I've been pretty dead today as well, so I'm glad I didn't try to force myself into meeting new people today. They find me! I've just been picking things that sound interesting and seeing what happens. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. No. 2. Also no. Really not in the right brainspace tonight. 3. I would say that I will do a meditation thing, but it's probably not true. I'm probably going to do a sleep thing instead. 4. End of the driveway I can do. More I cannot. Feeling utterly exhausted without all that much of a good reason. My shoulder is starting to make good sleep challenging. I woke up this morning when I was half-dreaming about throwing something and the relevant muscles must have twitched - that pain was quite bad and took about five minutes to go away. I'm learning to be better at being left-handed though. But I can't realistically chop vegetables left-handed, so I'm going to need assistance with food prep pretty soon if it's going to keep hurting to push/pull/do anything with actual force with the right arm. Annoying. More annoying than with the frozen shoulder on the left arm, and that was pretty annoying.

It is! I struggle with impatience in wanting the whole thing to go faster, but that is not how friendmaking and getting to know people works. It is S-L-O-W. There was very little yarn; I was really surprised. (And a lot of what was there was on the cheap acrylic end of things, which is not something I stockpile without a project in mind.) Didn't see a single knitting needle or crochet hook that wasn't being used by a vendor to pass the time. There was a ton of scrapbooking stuff instead, and I do not do that. Lots of beads too. I got some linen and half linen/half cotton from unknown brands (one has Cyrillic on the label, the other Chinese I believe). I also picked up some kumihimo stuff because that's a thing I've wanted to try for a while. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Nope. I'm going to bow out of the planned thing tomorrow too (if it is even running). I feel a bit worn out, whether just from much socializing or from a busy weekend, but I just really don't want to go out tomorrow. And I'm not sure the program I was planning to attend is actually running anyway, because March Break. And I still don't have a project to bring as I did not have time to find one today. This means that I will probably not reach my goal, which is unfortunate. 2. Going to start on books now. I had a different project to work on today. 3. I think recognizing that I need the time and giving myself permission to not go to the thing tomorrow is a valuable thing. I will also do another round with the meditation app. Didn't really like yesterday's, but hey, it got done and I learned something I didn't like. 4. It will be a short walk again today. So cold again. My time today was mostly taken up by things for other people. (Not all bad, just an observation.) I was woken up by my son, who needed assistance (mostly in the form of moral support) for switching out his license plates and fixing his parking sensor. I provided this, and we seem to have made good progress there. He's got a few more projects lined up that might need help too. Then in the evening after supper, we made cookies together. These one's are for my coworker's birthday - our work tradition is that you do something for the person who's birthday is after yours. So we made three different kinds of cookie: coconut chocolate chip, Mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodles, and rosemary sugar cookies. They have all turned out very nicely. Special thanks to my rosemary plant, which donated an obscene amount of foliage and has earned a very well-deserved rest from harvesting. The rosemary cookies have been back in the oven for a second go, and I am hoping that they are done now. Otherwise, they get a third dose of oven time tomorrow. They just don't seem to be firming up, but the flavour is good. 🤷‍♀️ So anyway, I now have lots of cookies (some of which will be for me), and I am ready to sit down and put some time into a project that is all my own.

1. Nothing. 2. Going to get on with this after this post. 3. But first, I will do a meditation session. 4. Walking may be short as it was snowing and extremely windy last I looked.

1. I made it out to the craft supply sale. (I bought bead and yarn. I haven't beaded in years but I could not help myself.) I chatted with a couple of the vendors and also ran into someone I met yesterday. All this meeting-new-people is paying off in running into people I recognize, and are choosing to come over to say hi! Maybe there is hope for me yet. 2. I haven't started this yet, but I shall. My library card is blocked again, so I need to prioritize my very overdue items. 3. I am going to do a meditation routine before bed. 4. Walking to and from the event counts, especially given that it was raining (and has been all day) but I walked anyway, AND I took a new route home just because.

Do you REALLY want to know? Well thanks. I also like direct. And I like when people disagree with me, because then I get to hear a different perspective and probably learn something. (And I know that the person is being honest, rather than just agreeing in order to "maintain harmony"). I find that the people who value one tend to also value the other, but that sadly neither are in the majority. But they are my kind of people. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. I discovered today that the Saturday art thing at my local library is not running again until the end of the challenge. This means that, if I stick to the things I originally planned on, I cannot meet my goal. So. I went out to a women's day event that wasn't designed for meeting people, but I talked to a couple of new people and one that I met at one of the previous events. So I'm going to count that as 0.5 an event. If I go to the craft sale tomorrow, that should be a chance to talk to people with similar interests (although again, it's not what the event is designed for), so that'll be another 0.5. And we all know what 0.5+0.5 is. 2. I have checked four only. I spent my pre-event time (way too much of it) getting very frustrated while booking air travel, then did some other stuff (including cooking) later on after getting home. 3. I need to be more conscious about this. This is the problem with not having a plan at the start and hoping you will figure it out along the way. 4. Walking to and from the event is real walking that counts.

Lemon meringue pie slug? The texture on the rock below the slug is so incredibly realistic that I could easily believe it's not a painting.

Can they waggle their little cerata? Please tell me they can.

1. Nope. 2. Four more checked, two going back. 3. Uh, not really anything. My boss said that I should consider becoming an instructor in my field because "my approach is very different" from the other programmers she has seen. That was surprising and confidence-building. But I didn't do anything myself, which is the point of this slot. 4. Yup, I took a walk on a dark area of the path. Not much moon right now. Ended up with wet feet because I wasn't able to avoid water that I couldn't see, but my shoes drain quickly and it was not a problem.

Hmm, maybe. The author was definitely not suggesting that you give no f*cks about your work, more that giving no f*cks about things like conference calls that actively hinder your productivity can actually make you look better (because your boss probably knows they are a waste of time too) while actually making you better. If you actually do not care about your job, it's probably worth either finding a new job, or finding an angle that you DO care about, like having food to eat. Give it time. And don't ever ask what I think of your new hairstyle/whatever it may be if you don't want an honest response. (I do try for polite but honest, but honest always wins if there's a conflict.) (I think there are cultural/gender expectations at play too. People in general value and expect directness more from men than women in my experience. And some cultures value it more than others. Probably different generational niches too.) This is probably why a decent chunk of the book emphasizes not giving a f*ck about various things, but also respecting people's feelings and therefore not being an asshole while expressing yourself. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. There was nothing today. My next one is Saturday (if I can pry myself out of bed early when I technically don't have to). It's the only way I'll hit my goal though. 2. I have done a couple more books. Progress here is slow but steady. It would be nice if it were fast and steady. 3. I really did not. I worked, I slept, I played D&D, and I looked at some books. That's my whole day today. 4. I also did not walk, because I forgot it was a thing until just now, and now it is bedtime.

1. I had a social thing today (knitting group), but I 1) failed to have a project ready, 2) slept a bit late, 3) needed to get that physio appointment booked right after getting up as there were very few slots free, and 4) just felt like getting more books done. So I did not go. 2. I haven't done any books since getting home from work. I did return a bunch today that I did last night and before work today. My pile is slowly shrinking! 3. I need to plan this better. I did some... I guess you would call it meditation. I just took a few moments a few times to pay attention to my breathing. 4. It has been pouring rain ever since I got home, so I will do the emergency driveway walk.

She's talking about things like whether you donate to the person's walk to raise money for a charity you don't care about, or buying a product from them that you don't want, or going to an event you won't enjoy because they invited you. (These are not the kind of things I've ever had much problem saying no to, so I feel ahead of the game. ). If it was friendship-risking stuff, then yeah, you'd have to think about whether this friendship is something that matters to you or not. For work things, and I think she has a point here, she says that 1) it's very hard to get fired from a job you are genuinely good at, and 2) it's better to be respected than liked. So again, you can not buy some kid's overpriced chocolate when you don't even like chocolate because you are worried that someone will notice that your name isn't there. Or ignore extremely stupid minor rules and see what happens (probably nothing). But if someone you barely see at work doesn't like you (gasp!), it's not that big of a deal. Ehhh.... the person is family, and the comment was also kind of coming indirectly from someone from whom I am hoping to get money in the near future. So, I have to care a little. However, said person can also be quite blunt and didn't mean offense. We had a conversation about different perceptions of how messaging works and stuff. We agreed to disagree. But my feelings hung onto that part because I know I can be quite blunt and am probably perceived as rude by some people. As it should. Like with regular Konmari, some categories of things are easier to deal with than others. If my coworker is having a baby shower and I hate them, it's way easier to refuse her than if my brother is having one for his first child. He'd be hurt a lot more, and I'd care a lot more about his feelings. So I might decide that I do give a f*ck, for his sake. But I've no reason to care about his opinion about whether or not I should be going to church more often, or be married yet, or be vegetarian, or like scary movies. It's a different sort of opinion than whether the person still respects you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. I ran errands, but didn't do a planned meetup of any kind. 2. I have a small book pile by my door to be returned tomorrow. Hoping it will become a larger one. 3. I attempted to book myself a physio appointment as I am now almost certain that I am getting frozen shoulder on my dominant arm this time. I failed though, so I will have to call them tomorrow. I had almost convinced myself that I didn't need physio this time because I know how it goes from last time, but I decided that I was worth the effort it would take to try to shorten it. 4. Not yet. Hopefully.

1. I made it to my second new meeting-people activity. At this one, I was the youngest one there. I learned to play cribbage (again) and almost won (but didn't). The people were nice. 2. I have only done two books, might do another before bed. This was mostly because I decided to read a rather long chapter in one of the books, the only chapter I was interested in, so I got a few hours of information about central bank digital currencies, developing alternatives to the SWIFT system, etc. from a professor of economics at Cornell. 3. A comment late in the day - that I was being rude by not replying/making comments on messages that people send me - has sent me into a down mood. I am trying to remind myself that natural hormonal lows are a thing, as is not being able to deal so well when tired. At the moment, I am not listening. 4. Walked to the activity and back, as well as with the son at the end of the day. The latter was supposed to be a short walk but ended up being a long one, so there has been a fair bit of walking today.

You're in a transition time. They're messy. Think of what happens in a cocoon - the insect has to rearrange all of its organs and dissolve some of its body and just... rebuild. You're changing on the job front, the living situation front, AND the diet front, all at once. Damn straight that's going to be tiring. It sounds like both the things you can control and the things you can't are all moving in positive directions though, which is fantastic news. Rooting for you.

1. Nothing yesterday, and no room for it - worked then had online ttrpg. 2. Really had no time yesterday, so nothing got done. I had hoped to do a little after the game, but I had a headache and so I just went to bed. 3. I am struggling to think of anything. 4. Despite the headache and the fact that I was already in my jammies, I threw on my winter coat and walked to the end of the driveway. It was a beautiful foggy night. If I were better dressed and felt better, I would absolutely have been tempted to wander down the enchanting foggy paths of mystery. Today is already off to an odd start, but I have a meetup to try (the one I got the date wrong for last week) and time to work on books and such, so it should be a good day.

1. Nothing today. 2. I am going to choose taking a walk today over more book work, since I do not have time for both. 3. I felt competent today. That's all I got. 4. Off to do!

1. Nothing on the schedule for today. 2. I checked five books, and got rid of four of them! 3. Slipped a bit with the less-than-good thoughts. It is worth remembering that this is the time in the hormonal cycle when I always feel low, so I shouldn't listen to what the brain chemicals tell me. 4. Sadly I did not. I had planned on a walk with my son after his nap, but it looks like his nap became a full night's sleep. And since it is really cold right now, and I'm in my PJs and getting changed into enough clothes to even walk to the end of the driveway and back seems like a lot of work (and would probably wake me up at bedtime anyway), I'm skipping this again. (Yes this is a rationalization. Doing it anyway.)

Maybe the effort to get enough sleep and still the mind is coming out in more physical energy? We got the same big storm last night as a big storm with wind. It does seem to have gotten warm about a month earlier than it really should. Yesterday was the warmest February day on record for my area. I think if I were growing fruit, I would focus on things that can be grown in pots. Then I could move them somewhere colder to avoid the early budding problem. Hope your crocuses make it through okay.

It's true enough. Even if you are trying to meet people and make friends, you want people who like the you you actually are, not someone you are pretending to be. The only caveat I have, which it does not look like the book will cover, is that sometimes other people's opinions affect your safety. In this case, you must give a f*ck even if you would really rather not. I assume the author has never had to make those calculations, but not everyone is so fortunate. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yesterday was long and tiring - new development at work, delayed flights, caught in a storm, etc. Everything worked out well, but I made zero progress on the items on my list.

I've never really used one before, so poor results could easily be user error. We shall see when I use it. So do I. I've had very mild tinnitus for as long as I can remember, but right now it sounds like there's an annoying electric device in the room at all times, louder when lying down. It's not disrupting sleep or anything (other than the couple of times I got up to see if it was real), just annoying. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. I could have gone to a thing today in the end - my son's flight was delayed until tomorrow due to mechanical failure of the plane. But the update process around said mechanical failure involved repeated phone calls at stupid o'clock in the morning, and I chose sleep instead. 2. I got about five books done before work today, and plan to do a couple tonight (as they are about to cross the line from "overdue" to "lost assumed"). Other than that, I focused on email - unsubscribed from some lists, set some filters to remove chunks of others without fully unsubscribing, and ended up deleting 1000 messages without trying very hard. 3. I can't really think of anything for today. Perhaps, I started reading The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck, which is basically about applying Konmari principles to your mental clutter "by not giving a f*ck, wherein not giving a f*ck means not spending time, energy, and/or money on things that neither make you happy nor improve your live (annoy), so that you have more time, energy, and/or money to devote to things you do (joy)". To which a big part is "stop caring what other people think" (ie. DO care about their feelings if they are affected, but not their opinions. If no one is affected but you, you REALLY should not care what other people think!). This all seems to fit in well with part 2 of this challenge. 4. Oof, I did not walk! And now I must go to bed. Missed this, oops. And it was so warm today too!

The glow looks so real! I want to imagine that this slug is powered by nuclear energy. Which... I guess solar radiation is the byproduct of nuclear fusion, so a little bit right!