Seabright's 2018 Battle Log of Awesomeness

[Seabright]

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALS!

 

Starting a shiny new 2018 thread for all the shiny new 2018 achievements that I plan to achieve. I'm in achieving mode, so wanted to capture my goals for this year while I'm feeling all on-fire and achieving-y. 

 

For 2018, I'm picking ONE goal, and articulating 3 ways to get there. Then, I'm picking ONE or TWO power words to help me focus all year long

 

 

GOAL FOR 2018:

Focus on Eye health!

Get healthy, mind, body and soul, by eating paleo, getting daily exercise, and taking daily time for myself.

 

1. Get healthy by eating paleo

• Eye health: eye vitamins 2 x day, plus anti-oxidant snacks.
• Eat Paleo 80% of the time. Extra points for weeks where my eating is 100% Paleo.
• I will monitor weight with weekly weigh-ins each Monday morning and by keeping a food log (and reviewing said food log for what worked and what didn't).

 

2. Get healthy by getting daily exercise

• Eye health: brisk 20 minute walk 4 x week.
• Daily yoga practice, even if it's only 10-minutes worth of stretching.
• Very very light bodyweight workouts, starting from ground zero. If I experience neck pain or arm numbness, I am to stop immediately. 
• Weekends will find me hiking, biking, or horseback riding on at least one day.
• I will monitor this by tracking activity here on my battle log.

 

3. Get healthy by taking time for myself

• Eye health: keep stress levels low with breathing and meditation.
• Find a few minutes every day: solitary walk, cup of decaf in the early am in the backyard, journaling at lunchtime, stop at the beach on the way home to watch the waves, take the long way home, horseback riding -- these all count. This will make me a nicer person all around, and give me energy for other things.
• Learn 3 cowboy songs to play and sing lead on by March 30.
• Knock 3 items off my mandolin epic quest by June 30.
• I will monitor this by setting up a practice schedule and tracking it here on my battle log. 

 

POWER WORDS FOR 2018:

Patience & Bravery

 

Okie dokie! That's it! 

 

Other things may come along throughout the year, and I can have little sub-goals for those, but everything needs to speak to one of the three above. This will keep me focused and moving forward at all times.

 

Alrighty! Suited up and ready for 2018!

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Hikes for 2018

1. Garland Ranch Waterfall trail 

2. Garland Ranch Waterfall trail with Mesa extension - 4.5 miles
3. Henry Cowell River trail out and back - 5 miles (goes on forever, do for time). 
4. Wilder Ridge Overlook bench - 6.5 miles.
5. Fall Creek to the Big Ben Redwood - 8 miles.
6. Snively's Ridge - 8.1 miles.
7. Big Basin Berry Creek Falls loop - 10 miles.
8. Big Basin to Waddell Creek - 12 miles.

[Seabright]

Monday, Jan 1

 

Let the games begin!

 

Starting weight: 128.8

 

Eating paleo:

•  Breakfast - eggs w/spinach, bell peppers, onions and 3 strips of bacon
•  Lunch - 4 crispy chicken strips
•  Dinner - potluck picking party. did well with just a bunch of pulled pork and some shredded cabbage, then failed around 10:00pm when I walked by a box of See's chocolates and did a face plant. 

 

Daily exercise:

•  Lovely, long yoga session in the morning. Just me and the gray kitty (who used me as a bolster for her own stretching routine). 

 

Taking time:

•  After breakfast, went back to bed to read for a bit. Fell asleep almost immediately and woke up 2 hours later with the little graykins snuggled in my arm. 

 

Patience:

•  Was patient with myself at the picking party, and with my crappy mandolin skills.
• Decided to stop feeling weird and self-conscious and just have fun.
•  Patiently declined the opportunity to play the bass, my go-to instrument that I feel super-confident playing, and stayed on the mando, patiently improving my chop. 

 

Goals for the week:

• Play mandolin 20 minutes each day.
  • Mon - Done!
• Learn chords to 'It's a Good Day'
• Complete the 3 social missions.
  • #1 complete - connect with someone new on the group page and have 3 exchanges.
  • #2 complete - greet everyone with some form of 'hello'. went to a New Year's Day party, wished everyone a Happy New Year, and got in a few good conversations with people I don't really know that well. 
• Complete the 3 environmental missions.
• Log food in LoseIt 3 days this week.
  • Day 1 logged.

[Seabright]

Tuesday, Jan 2

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs and bacon. then blew it with a fruit-nut scone. 
• Lunch - chocolate turkey chili and broc.
• Snack - Berry upbeat smoothie.
• Dinner - Turkey burger lettuce wrap, a handful of sweet potato fries.

 

Daily exercise:

•  Yoga warm-up, and then:
•  3x5 counter push-ups.
•  3x5 assisted squats.
•  3x5 angled pull-ups.
•  3x5 seconds straight-arm planks.
•  Long, stretchy cool-down.
• 2 hours of major leaf wrangling. 

 

 

Taking time:

• Read the new Jack Reacher on the couch with Emma on my chest. 

 

Patience:

• Persevered with the leaf blower. Calmly inhaled/exhaled and went slow until I figured it out. Huge for me. Normally, I would just have thrown the thing across the yard and stomped off.

 

Goals for the week:

• Play mandolin 20 minutes each day.
  • Mon - Done!
  • Tue - Done!
• Learn chords to 'It's a Good Day'
• Complete the 3 social missions.
  • #1 complete - connect with someone new on the group page and have 3 exchanges.
  • #2 complete - greet everyone with some form of 'hello'. went to a New Year's Day party, wished everyone a Happy New Year, and got in a few good conversations with people I don't really know that well. 
  • #3 complete - said 'no' to going over to Twin Lakes. i knew if I did, i'd never finish the leaf-cleaning project.
• Complete the 3 environmental missions.
• Log food in LoseIt 3 days this week.
  • Day 1 logged.
  • Day 2 logged.

[Seabright]

Wed, Jan 3

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - omelet with spin, onions and tomatoes, 3 pieces of bacon, 2 sausage patties. That should hold me 'til lunch.
• Snack - apple
• Lunch - work salad
• Snack - 4 apple cider chocolates
• Dinner - chocolate chili

 

Daily exercise:

•  Had to be out the door by 6am, so just did the minimum of 15 minutes stretching and breathing. 

 

Taking time:

• Took the long way home.

 

Patience:

• Sat in traffic and tranquility breathed. You know, all tranquil and stuff. 

 

Goals for the week:

• Play mandolin 20 minutes each day.
  • Mon - Done!
  • Tue - Done!
  • Wed - Done!
• Learn chords to 'It's a Good Day'
  • Found chords on line.
• Complete the 3 social missions. DONE!
• Complete the 3 environmental missions.
  • 1st mission complete - decluttered something (my bra wrack. avert your eyes, gentlemen). 
  • 2nd mission complete - make a playlist (mandolin inspiration for my commute)
• Log food in LoseIt 3 days this week.
  • Day 1 logged.
  • Day 2 logged.
  • Day 3 logged.

[Seabright]

Thur, Jan 4

 

Eating paleo:

 

Changing things up for 2018. Since I tend to eat the same things, from now on I'm just going to do an exceptions report. If I do well, it'll be an 'All good'. Otherwise, will note the meal and the fail. Or, if I'm feeling particularly spectacular about a smart choice or achievement, I'll note that, too, as well, also. 

• Lunch fail. Cafeteria closed by the time I finished my meetings. Ate 3 Kind bars.

Daily exercise:

• Yoga warm-up, and then:
•  3x5 counter push-ups.
•  3x5 lunges, each leg.
•  3x5 angled chin-ups.
•  3x5 seconds one-arm, straight-arm planks, each side.
• 3x5 seconds 1/2 boat pose
• Long, stretchy cool-down.

Taking time:

• Nothing intentional. Didn't even think about it.

Patience:

• Did not explode when I realized that I had missed lunch. Just looked around and did the best I could.

 

Goals for the week:

• Play mandolin 20 minutes each day.
  • Mon - Done!
  • Tue - Done!
  • Wed - Done!
  • Thur - not done.
• Learn chords to 'It's a Good Day'
  • Found chords on line.
• Complete the 3 social missions. DONE!
• Complete the 3 environmental missions.
  • 1st mission complete - decluttered something (my bra wrack. avert your eyes, gentlemen). 
  • 2nd mission complete - make a playlist (mandolin inspiration for my commute)
• Log food in LoseIt 3 days this week. DONE!

[Seabright]

Fri, Jan 5

 

Eating paleo:

• All good.
• Had lunch with a friend, and ordered the chicken curry salad, instead of something involving deep frying.

 

Daily exercise:

• 40 minute yoga session. Did the sun salutation sequence from my yoga dvd and it kicked my namaste a$$.

Taking time:

• None. What's wrong with me?

Patience:

• Drove across town in the rain at lunchtime and didn't shriek at other drivers. 

 

Goals for the week:

• Play mandolin 20 minutes each day.
  • Mon - Done!
  • Tue - Done!
  • Wed - Done!
  • Thur - not done.
  • Fri - not done.
• Learn chords to 'It's a Good Day'
  • Found chords on line.
• Complete the 3 social missions. DONE!
• Complete the 3 environmental missions.
  • 1st mission complete - decluttered something (my bra wrack. avert your eyes, gentlemen). 
  • 2nd mission complete - make a playlist (mandolin inspiration for my commute)
  • 3rd mission complete - got the playlist one again (calming tunes and songs for rough days)
• Log food in LoseIt 3 days this week. DONE!

[Seabright]

Sat & Sun, Jan  6 & 7

 

Eating paleo:

• Jamba Juice berry upbeat smoothie.
• 2 Kind bars (antioxidant).
• 1 Clif bar (berry crisp).

 

Daily exercise:

• Sat - got my BWW in, but did it Angry Birds style:
  • 3x5 counter push-ups.
  • 3x5 incline pull-ups.
  • 3x5 assisted squats (really deep ones)
  • 3x5 straight-arm planks.
• Sun - hours of weeding and hand-tilling.

Taking time:

• Lovely garden time, getting the seeds down before the next set of rains.
• Errand-running. Just nice to be out and about on my ownsome.

Patience:

• Deep breathing while waiting in line at Starbucks.
• Patiently answered Dad's 'What's Sam's Barbecue?' question over and over. Made the mistake of wearing a shirt with printing on it when I went to see him. ;-)

 

Goals for the week:

• Play mandolin 20 minutes each day.
  • Mon - Done!
  • Tue - Done!
  • Wed - Done!
  • Thur - not done.
  • Fri - not done.
  • Sat - not done.
  • Sun - not done.
• Learn chords to 'It's a Good Day'
  • Found chords on line.
  • Found the right key for myself.
  • Practiced playing and singing. 
  • Next up: teach it to the spousal unit.
• Complete the 3 social missions. DONE!
• Complete the 3 environmental missions. DONE!
  • Log food in LoseIt 3 days this week. DONE!

[Seabright]

Mon, Jan 8

 

Weight: 130.0

 

Because you can't outrun your fork. Crappy eating in the beginning of the week, plus bars, plus smoothies. I know I allowed myself the antioxidant Kind bars as a treat while recovering from eye surgery, but time to put a stop to that. Also, I drink waaaaaay too many of these smoothies, fooling myself that they're healthy. Time to look this crap in the face and get 'er done.

 

I have a fantasy timeline I need to make come true. 

 

Eating paleo

• Chicken teriyaki bowl with an egg roll. 
• Beer with dinner. 

Daily exercise

• 40 minutes of yoga, focussing on standing poses.
• Standing poses are hard.
• I was wiped out. Laid there on the floor with Emma Cat while recovering. She was pleased.

Taking time

• Jury Duty today! Got called in and am in the assembly room - a trailer by the levee behind the courthouse. We're pretty folksy in my county. Lots of time on my own while waiting in the jury room, and later on the lunch break. 

Patience

• I saw a crazy woman in-line roller skating in the rain through the courthouse parking lot, smoking a ciggy, umbrella furled and under her arm. Instead of impatiently thinking that she was nutso, I realized how free and happy she looked in that moment. Not a care in the world. Smiling and gliding, with the sweet rain on her happy upturned face. 

 

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' and show chords to spousal unit. Be not afraid.
  • Told the spousal unit I'd learned the chords and wanted to show them to him, and that I wanted to play it at the next gig.
• Complete the 4 social missions. 
• Complete the 4 environmental missions. 
  • Mission 1 complete: go dark for 45 mins (easy peasy because jury duty)

 

Side quest: sweater clean-out

• I counted up the sweaters in my closet - turtles, v's and cardigans - and the count came to 30.
• That's not including workhorse/gardening stuff.
• That's too many freakin' sweaters.
• I'm going to wear a different sweater every day until I've gone through them all. If it doesn't fit, isn't a good color, isn't flattering, or doesn't complete an outfit, then it goes in the donate bag, no matter how much I spent on it. No keeping stuff 'just in case.'
  • Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.

[Seabright]

Okay, Taking the too many smoothie, too many Kind bars to heart.

 

Eliminating Kind bars. 

 

Done.

 

And done.

[Seabright]

And now, cutting back on smoothage to one per week, max.

 

Bonus points if I go more than 7 days without one.

[Seabright]

Tue, Jan 9

 

Eating paleo

• Asian chicken salad wrap from Togo's. A better choice than yesterday's.

Daily exercise

• Oh dear. VERY sore all freakin' OVER from falling down the stairs yesterday.
• Hanging by a thread.
• Twirled my fingers and wrists a bit, but that's it. Trying not to make things worse.

Taking time

• Left jury duty and drove down towards the coffee shop by the water. Got a cuppa joe, and tooled along the beach route, taking my time. Big win for me! For some reason, I always feel compelled to rush home. This was just so nice!

Patience

• Patient with my very sore self. Went slow, and breathed.

 

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day.
  • Mon - not done.
  • Tue - done.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' and show chords to spousal unit. Be not afraid.
  • Told the spousal unit I'd learned the chords and wanted to show them to him, and that I wanted to play it at the next gig.
  • Played song on guitar and learned it on the mandolin, too, as well, also. 
• Complete the 4 social missions. 
  • Enter the matrix - done.
  • Go to the mirror - done.
• Complete the 4 environmental missions. 
  • Mission 1 complete: go dark for 45 mins (easy peasy because jury duty)
  • Mission 2 complete: go dark for 45 mins (again. wtf?  oh well-- still on jury duty)
  • Mission 3 complete: make another playlist. this time i did 'A Little Bit of Everything' for those 4-hour commutes.

 

Side quest: sweater clean-out

• I counted up the sweaters in my closet - turtles, v's and cardigans - and the count came to 30.
• That's not including workhorse/gardening stuff.
• That's too many freakin' sweaters.
• I'm going to wear a different sweater every day until I've gone through them all. If it doesn't fit, isn't a good color, isn't flattering, or doesn't complete an outfit, then it goes in the donate bag, no matter how much I spent on it. No keeping stuff 'just in case.'
  • Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
  • Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.

[Seabright]

Wed, Jan 10

 

Eating paleo

• Had a couple of handfuls of mixed nuts and dried fruit. More than was wise.
• Had sweet potato fries with my sensible lettuce-wrapped turkey burger.

Daily exercise

• Still crazy-sore, but not quite as bad. Pain now focused to left bicep and left shin.
• My workout was some gentle stretching to get everything moving a bit.

Taking time

• Got off the freeway to avoid and accident and ending up finding a scenic way home.

Patience

• Just breathed through all the interruptions and still got things done.
• Was very gentle with Dad, who admired my bracelet about 14 times in 40 minutes. He really liked it, but of course can't remember that he just commented on it. I got creative with my answers! At one point, I said that the bracelet would look great with his sweatpants, and he was welcome to borrow it any time. That earned 5 minutes of giggling. 
• Remembering again how much I love him. Every day.

 

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day.
  • Mon - not done.
  • Tue - done.
  • Wed - not done.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' and show chords to spousal unit. Be not afraid.
  • Told the spousal unit I'd learned the chords and wanted to show them to him, and that I wanted to play it at the next gig.
  • Played song on guitar and learned it on the mandolin, too, as well, also. 
• Complete the 4 social missions. 
  • Enter the matrix - done.
  • Go to the mirror - done.
  • Got the mirror - done.
• Complete the 4 environmental missions. 
  • Mission 1 complete: go dark for 45 mins (easy peasy because jury duty)
  • Mission 2 complete: go dark for 45 mins (again. wtf?  oh well-- still on jury duty)
  • Mission 3 complete: make another playlist. this time i did 'A Little Bit of Everything' for those 4-hour commutes.
  • Mission 4 complete: make ANOTHER playlist. this time just a few songs on a list called 'Random songs that I like.' 

 

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 

[Seabright]

Thur, Jan 11

 

Eating paleo

•  

Daily exercise

• Soreness finally abating. Light yoga, focussing on twisting things out.

Taking time

•  

Patience

• On deck for today: complete and submit my final exam.

 

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day.
  • Mon - not done.
  • Tue - done.
  • Wed - not done.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' and show chords to spousal unit. Be not afraid.
  • Told the spousal unit I'd learned the chords and wanted to show them to him, and that I wanted to play it at the next gig.
  • Played song on guitar and learned it on the mandolin, too, as well, also. 
• Complete the 4 social missions. 
  • Enter the matrix - done.
  • Go to the mirror - done.
  • Got the mirror - done.
• Complete the 4 environmental missions. DONE!

 

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

• Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.
• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 

[Seabright]

Looking at bad-eating elimination opportunities, I’m turning my jaded critical eye to...the sweet potato fries. Fare-the-well, little darlin’s! 

 

Paring down to splitting a small order, once every other week.

[Seabright]

Fri - Mon, Jan 12-15

 

Catch up! Including Mon, 'cause it was a holiday and therefore part of the weekend.

 

Eating paleo

• Jack-in-the-Box chicken teriyaki bowl with an egg roll---a couple of times.
• Dinner out with friends = 2 pieces of bread with dinner and 2 margaritas.
• Running late one day = oatmeal Clif Bar.
• Drank 1/3 of a beer and then poured the rest down the sink.

Daily exercise

• Was still pretty sore, so just walked a bit now and then.

Taking time

• Careful to do something each day, whether it was taking the long way home, volunteering to go to the store, sitting out back with the grey kitty, or taking a few minutes to read. 
• Feeling pretty good.

Patience

• All over the place. Finished my exam, tried to understand someone else's point of view and not get hurt, breathed calmly in traffic, and patiently worked on picking out a kick-off to a song on my mandolin without getting frustrated and throwing my pick across the room. 

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day.
  • This was pretty spotty. Did it a couple of days, not other days, and then only for a few stolen minutes here and there on others. 
  • Need to write down my plan for this for next week.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' and show chords to spousal unit. Be not afraid.
  • Told the spousal unit I'd learned the chords and wanted to show them to him, and that I wanted to play it at the next gig.
  • Played song on guitar and learned it on the mandolin, too, as well, also. 
  • Update: Saturday night showed the chords to the spousal unit, and told him I wanted to play it at the Sunday am gig. Whoa. Did not go well. Tons and tons of push-back. I finally said, why do I feel like crying? I'm showing you one of my favorite songs, I want to sing it tomorrow, I love this song, but why do I feel like crying right now? Things settled down after that. And, yes, I sang it on Sunday. Because f*ck 'em all. 
• Complete the 4 social missions. 
  • Done. Did not enjoy them. 
• Complete the 4 environmental missions. 
  • Done. Did enjoy these, though. 

 

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 
• Sweater 5 done. Green wool turtleneck I've had forever. Always a winner.
• Sweater 6 done. Orange cardigan over a white and orange plaid shirt. Lots of compliments. Keeping it.
• Sweater 7 done. Cream cotton shaker knit v neck. Really nice sweater, but made the mistake of wearing it to a gig. Sweated in it. Dang.
• Sweater 8 done. Olive and rust striped turtleneck, worn while working in the garden. Nice looking turtle, but rugged enough for some dirty work in cold weather. Everyone needs a sweater like this. 

[Seabright]

Tue, Jan 16

 

Weight: 130.0

 

Eating paleo

• All good. Shockingly.

Daily exercise

• Yoga for 30 mins. Focused on stretching my feet and opening my hips.
• Walked 4.4K steps, 1.4K steps over my goal. Yay!

Taking time

• Hung out on my ownsome in a little focus room after a meeting. Savored the quiet time.
• On-my-owning it in the evening while the spousal unit was at a gig. Got stuff done, played my mando, and hung out with the chirping little gray kitty in front of the fire. 

Patience

• Patient with my new way-too-short haircut. Spent the weekend in a ball cap, and was feeling decidedly unfeminine when getting ready for work this morning. Took a breath and reached for the styling products. Followed-up with some make-up and a dress. Felt much better when I left the house. 
• Looking at the positive -- now I don't need another haircut until September. 
• In your face, short haircut!
• I am now looking for a new hair stylist, though. ;-)

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day. The plan: come home, dump my stuff, pick up the mando and play for 15 freakin' minutes. It's okay to go into the bedroom and shut the door if I want to, and I don't need to apologize for that. DONE!
• Learn 'Yippee Yi Your Troubles Away'. Be patient. Looked for the chords online but didn't find 'em. 
• Keep practicing 'It's a Good Day'. Learn on mando. Be patient. DONE!

 

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 
• Sweater 5 done. Green wool turtleneck I've had forever. Always a winner.
• Sweater 6 done. Orange cardigan over a white and orange plaid shirt. Lots of compliments. Keeping it.
• Sweater 7 done. Cream cotton shaker knit v neck. Really nice sweater, but made the mistake of wearing it to a gig. Sweated in it. Dang.
• Sweater 8 done. Olive and rust striped turtleneck, worn while working in the garden. Nice looking turtle, but rugged enough for some dirty work in cold weather. Everyone needs a sweater like this. 
• Sweater 9 done. Stripy sweater dress. Feeling very glamorous right now. Love this thing.

[Seabright]

Wed, Jan 17

 

Eating paleo

• All good. (She said, speaking assumptively about the future.)
• Actual: 3 tortilla chips at lunch, but ordered the chicken salad and a mexican restaurant, so that was a win.

Daily exercise

• Overslept, so the bare minimum of stretchiness. 
• Need to move the alarm clock across the room again. 

Taking time

• You know, I didn't really do this. Again.
• I need to find a reliable way to work in a few minutes. It can be the same thing every day to make sure I get something. Then, additional stuff will just be butter on my toast (or bacon with my eggs).

Patience

• Brought up accessibility in an engineering meeting...to the engineers. The PM referred to it as a 'feature' that they would get to 'at some point'. I patiently (HUGE WIN) said that accessibility isn't a feature or something that is 'applied' to an existing interface, but rather something that is woven in to our products as we build them. 'It should just be how we build our sh*t.' 
• They continued to push back, I patiently nodded and said I understood.
• At the end of the day, they heard me, even if it scared them.
• This was a super-scary moment for me, but I did it. Patiently.

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day. DONE!
• Learn 'Yippee Yi Your Troubles Away'. Lyrics nailed. Time to start figuring out the chords.
• Keep practicing 'It's a Good Day'. Learn on mando. DONE! Learned the chords on mando. Down to practicing on both guitar and mando every day, to keep getting better. 

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 
• Sweater 5 done. Green wool turtleneck I've had forever. Always a winner.
• Sweater 6 done. Orange cardigan over a white and orange plaid shirt. Lots of compliments. Keeping it.
• Sweater 7 done. Cream cotton shaker knit v neck. Really nice sweater, but made the mistake of wearing it to a gig. Sweated in it. Dang.
• Sweater 8 done. Olive and rust striped turtleneck, worn while working in the garden. Nice looking turtle, but rugged enough for some dirty work in cold weather. Everyone needs a sweater like this. 
• Sweater 9 done. Stripy sweater dress. Feeling very glamorous right now. Love this thing.
• Sweater 10 done. Longish open-front blue shaker knit cardigan. Gorgeous color, wonderful drape. Keeping.

[Seabright]

Choose a realistic goal, choose a reward:

 

Hit 125 lbs by my birthday. This is a stretch goal, but still realistic. 

 

The reward: I get to take my birthday off and get a facial. 

[Seabright]

Thur, Jan 18

 

Eating paleo

• All good. 

Daily exercise

• Really didn't feel like it, but started up with the BWW again.
• 3x5 counter push-ups.
• 3x5 assisted squats.
• 3x5 angled pull-ups.
• 3x5 second planks.
• 3x5 1/2 boat poses.

Taking time

• Snuck in a little private time with a book. Firmly ignored all comers, including phone calls.

Patience

• I was patient with my boss, who complimented me, didn't mention anything about that promotion I want. Patiently let him talk and dance around, but will press the point in a few days.

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day. DONE!
• Figure out guitar chords for  'Yippee Yi Your Troubles Away'.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' on guitar and mando. Done on mando.

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 
• Sweater 5 done. Green wool turtleneck I've had forever. Always a winner.
• Sweater 6 done. Orange cardigan over a white and orange plaid shirt. Lots of compliments. Keeping it.
• Sweater 7 done. Cream cotton shaker knit v neck. Really nice sweater, but made the mistake of wearing it to a gig. Sweated in it. Dang.
• Sweater 8 done. Olive and rust striped turtleneck, worn while working in the garden. Nice looking turtle, but rugged enough for some dirty work in cold weather. Everyone needs a sweater like this. 
• Sweater 9 done. Stripy sweater dress. Feeling very glamorous right now. Love this thing.
• Sweater 10 done. Longish open-front blue shaker knit cardigan. Gorgeous color, wonderful drape. Keeping.
• Sweater 11 done. Mustard-yellow 3/4 sleeve cashmere cardigan. I feel spiffy wearing this. Keeping.

[Seabright]

Fri, Jan 19

 

Eating paleo

• 2 thumbprint cookies, lovingly presented to me by the spousal unit. Peer-pressure fail!
• Followed by a smoothie, also lovingly presented to me by the spousal unit. Hmmm.
• Huge cookie as a self-reward after trying gig. Need a better way to reward myself for showing up for this thing.

Daily exercise

• Didn't feel like it, but did yoga for 20 minutes, focusing on starter back bends.

Taking time

• Strolled through the yard, filled the feeders, and kept an eye peeled for emerging seedlings.

Patience

• Very patient with the usual lack of reaction at the coffee shop this evening. Resolved to just have fun.
• Sang my song! Holy smokes!!!!

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day. Guitar instead.
• Figure out guitar chords for  'Yippee Yi Your Troubles Away'. Pending. Still.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' on guitar and mando. Did on the guitar at the gig.

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 
• Sweater 5 done. Green wool turtleneck I've had forever. Always a winner.
• Sweater 6 done. Orange cardigan over a white and orange plaid shirt. Lots of compliments. Keeping it.
• Sweater 7 done. Cream cotton shaker knit v neck. Really nice sweater, but made the mistake of wearing it to a gig. Sweated in it. Dang.
• Sweater 8 done. Olive and rust striped turtleneck, worn while working in the garden. Nice looking turtle, but rugged enough for some dirty work in cold weather. Everyone needs a sweater like this. 
• Sweater 9 done. Stripy sweater dress. Feeling very glamorous right now. Love this thing.
• Sweater 10 done. Longish open-front blue shaker knit cardigan. Gorgeous color, wonderful drape. Keeping.
• Sweater 11 done. Mustard-yellow 3/4 sleeve cashmere cardigan. I feel sharp wearing this. Keeping.
• Sweater 12 done. Pine-green cashmere cardigan. Usually wear this open, and sometimes it makes me feel a little dowdy. Buttoned up the front and it now looks much more spiffy. 

[Seabright]

Sat & Sun, Jan 20 & 22 - recap

 

Eating paleo

• A series of fails.
• 2 Kind bars.
• 1/3 of a beer. Threw the rest out, though. Yay for me.
• Breakfast sandwich on a croissant.
• 2 glasses of pink lemonade.
• I think another smoothie in there somewhere.
• Chicken teriyaki bowl with rice and an egg roll 
• This was sad.

Daily exercise

• Horseback riding lesson on Saturday!!! It was awesome!
• 5 hours of gardening on Sunday.

Taking time

• Strolled through the yard, filled the feeders, and kept an eye peeled for emerging seedlings.
• Volunteered to do the errands, and stole a little sweet sweet quiet time.

Patience

• I"m finding that I'm consciously reminding myself to stay patient in little trying situations, like lines and traffic. I breathe and work on my posture, or mentally plan something out in the garden, or some such.
• I'm finding that even though I've started drinking coffee again, I feel much more calmness of mind, overall, and things don't seem to throw me as much.

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day. Nada
• Figure out guitar chords for  'Yippee Yi Your Troubles Away'. Pending. Still.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' on guitar and mando. Nada

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 
• Sweater 5 done. Green wool turtleneck I've had forever. Always a winner.
• Sweater 6 done. Orange cardigan over a white and orange plaid shirt. Lots of compliments. Keeping it.
• Sweater 7 done. Cream cotton shaker knit v neck. Really nice sweater, but made the mistake of wearing it to a gig. Sweated in it. Dang.
• Sweater 8 done. Olive and rust striped turtleneck, worn while working in the garden. Nice looking turtle, but rugged enough for some dirty work in cold weather. Everyone needs a sweater like this. 
• Sweater 9 done. Stripy sweater dress. Feeling very glamorous right now. Love this thing.
• Sweater 10 done. Longish open-front blue shaker knit cardigan. Gorgeous color, wonderful drape. Keeping.
• Sweater 11 done. Mustard-yellow 3/4 sleeve cashmere cardigan. I feel sharp wearing this. Keeping.
• Sweater 12 done. Pine-green cashmere cardigan. Usually wear this open, and sometimes it makes me feel a little dowdy. Buttoned up the front and it now looks much more spiffy. 
• Sweater 13 done. Red stand-up collar thingie worn as a work shirt. Great color, high collar kept my neck warm, and substantial weight meant no need for another layer while working outside. This was a win and a keeper. 

[Seabright]

Mon Jan 22

 

Weight 130.0.

 

No change. See list of crappy things i ate last week. My end-of-Feb weight goal is now in jeopardy. Time to knuckle down.

 

Eating paleo

• All good.
• Can you believe it?
• Yay!

Daily exercise

• 30 mins of yoga, hip-openers. Very necessary after Saturday's lesson!

Taking time

• Sat in the car for a moment with my head bowed. It wasn't lovely, but it was necessary to compose myself. 

Patience

• Deliberately took the slow lane over the hill this morning. You know, until I couldn't stand it anymore. 
• Later in the day, heard the stories of how things are going. Breathed through the stress and sadness and the what-do-I-do-now-ness. Went on in and felt the waves of barely subdued anger and frustration, buried under the always-there dementia. 
• Left and took it on, all the way home and then some.
• Eventually realized that this wasn't something that I could do anything about. I know it's hard for the folks at the assisted living place, but this is one time where I need to say, 'But it's your job.' 
• Still. Hard to be patient with self, and self's overwhelming need to fix everything and make it all better. 
• i'll hold the gnarled hand, look into the fading eyes, and give all the love I have. 
• That will  have to be enough.

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day. DONE!
• Figure out guitar chords for  'Yippee Yi Your Troubles Away'. Pending.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' on guitar or mando and nail the rhythm. Don't drop this! Pending.

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 
• Sweater 5 done. Green wool turtleneck I've had forever. Always a winner.
• Sweater 6 done. Orange cardigan over a white and orange plaid shirt. Lots of compliments. Keeping it.
• Sweater 7 done. Cream cotton shaker knit v neck. Really nice sweater, but made the mistake of wearing it to a gig. Sweated in it. Dang.
• Sweater 8 done. Olive and rust striped turtleneck, worn while working in the garden. Nice looking turtle, but rugged enough for some dirty work in cold weather. Everyone needs a sweater like this. 
• Sweater 9 done. Stripy sweater dress. Feeling very glamorous right now. Love this thing.
• Sweater 10 done. Longish open-front blue shaker knit cardigan. Gorgeous color, wonderful drape. Keeping.
• Sweater 11 done. Mustard-yellow 3/4 sleeve cashmere cardigan. I feel sharp wearing this. Keeping.
• Sweater 12 done. Pine-green cashmere cardigan. Usually wear this open, and sometimes it makes me feel a little dowdy. Buttoned up the front and it now looks much more spiffy. 
• Sweater 13 done. Red stand-up collar thingie worn as a work shirt. Great color, high color kept my neck warm, and substantial weight meant no need for another layer while working outside. This was a win and a keeper. 
• Sweater 14 done. Long brown alpaca cardigan. I feel modern and chick in this thing. Keeper. 

[Seabright]

Ruh roh. Promotions are being announced all over the place via email, but, well, nothing about one for me. My manager didn't bring this up at our last 1/1, but I thought that it was because it was too early for confirmations. 

 

Will patiently formulate how I will talk about this with my manager. I want to understand the why, but also want to make sure there is either a plan for me for the next batch, or a plan to re-evaluate my future with this company.

 

Getting my disappointment and resentment out of the way now, in privacy, so when I have the conversation with my manager, I can stay cool-headed. Also, I need an action plan to create and maintain on online portfolio. I started this a while ago, but found job w/o it, so lost steam. This will definitely hurt me, so need to work on this even in good times.

 

The conversation with my manager should include some (much more human) version of this:

 

What skills and capabilities do I need to demonstrate in order to be a strong candidate for higher levels of responsibility at some point in the future?

[Seabright]

Tues Jan 23

 

Eating paleo

• All good.
• Second day in a row.
• Yay for me!

Daily exercise

• 30 mins of yoga, gentle unwind. Shared the favorite spot in front of the fireplace with 2 little girl cats, who were also unwinding from their exhausting morning of eating breakfast at 4:45am. 

Taking time

• Got off the freeway and took my new secret way. Breathed deeply.
• Also, decided not to go for a visit. This is hard for me, but I think it's time to reinstate my Tuesday-Thursday-I-don't-go-for-a-visit schedule. 

Patience

• Found myself yelling at other drivers this morning on the way in. Caught it, though, took deep breaths, and just chilled.

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day. DONE!
• Figure out guitar chords for  'Yippee Yi Your Troubles Away'. Pending. Running out of time, though. 
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' on guitar or mando and nail the rhythm. DONE!

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 
• Sweater 5 done. Green wool turtleneck I've had forever. Always a winner.
• Sweater 6 done. Orange cardigan over a white and orange plaid shirt. Lots of compliments. Keeping it.
• Sweater 7 done. Cream cotton shaker knit v neck. Really nice sweater, but made the mistake of wearing it to a gig. Sweated in it. Dang.
• Sweater 8 done. Olive and rust striped turtleneck, worn while working in the garden. Nice looking turtle, but rugged enough for some dirty work in cold weather. Everyone needs a sweater like this. 
• Sweater 9 done. Stripy sweater dress. Feeling very glamorous right now. Love this thing.
• Sweater 10 done. Longish open-front blue shaker knit cardigan. Gorgeous color, wonderful drape. Keeping.
• Sweater 11 done. Mustard-yellow 3/4 sleeve cashmere cardigan. I feel sharp wearing this. Keeping.
• Sweater 12 done. Pine-green cashmere cardigan. Usually wear this open, and sometimes it makes me feel a little dowdy. Buttoned up the front and it now looks much more spiffy. 
• Sweater 13 done. Red stand-up collar thingie worn as a work shirt. Great color, high color kept my neck warm, and substantial weight meant no need for another layer while working outside. This was a win and a keeper. 
• Sweater 14 done. Long brown alpaca cardigan. I feel modern and chick in this thing. Keeper. 
• Sweater 15 done. Weird mustard-yellow boxy long sleeve with the split back. This is such a strange sweater, but when I've got it on I always feel vaguely hip and, you know, with it. Looks great with dark flared jeans. Groovy 70s vibe. Keeping it, but I don't think this is one for heavy rotation.

[Seabright]

Wed Jan 24

 

Eating paleo

• All good.

Daily exercise

• Overslept. None so far.

Taking time

• A little thoughtfulness on the drive home.

Patience

• Left a little late, but felt supremely relaxed once I got in my car and started my engine.
• My commute is turning into a calming oasis in a hectic life.
• That's either awesome or really pathetic.
• I'll take 'awesome.'

Goals for the week

• Play mandolin 15 minutes each day.  Done!
• Figure out guitar chords for  'Yippee Yi Your Troubles Away'.  Pending.
• Practice 'It's a Good Day' on guitar or mando and nail the rhythm. Done!

Side quest: sweater clean-out (30 sweaters = too many sweaters)

Wear a different one every day, culling the herd as I go along.

• Sweater 1 done. Light blue V neck. Love the color. Keeping it.
• Sweater 2 done. Blue striped snap-neck long-sleeve cotton one. I really like the idea of this sweater, but for some reason I don't really reach for it. I think it's too long. Put in hem/fix pile for now.
• Sweater 3 done. Purple wool turtleneck. I love this thing! it always makes me feel dressed-up and elegant. Keeping it.
• Sweater 4 done. Silvery-pink cashmere turtleneck. Oh, how I love this sweater! Realizing that I don't wear it that much, because I'm, you know, keeping it for good. 
• Sweater 5 done. Green wool turtleneck I've had forever. Always a winner.
• Sweater 6 done. Orange cardigan over a white and orange plaid shirt. Lots of compliments. Keeping it.
• Sweater 7 done. Cream cotton shaker knit v neck. Really nice sweater, but made the mistake of wearing it to a gig. Sweated in it. Dang.
• Sweater 8 done. Olive and rust striped turtleneck, worn while working in the garden. Nice looking turtle, but rugged enough for some dirty work in cold weather. Everyone needs a sweater like this. 
• Sweater 9 done. Stripy sweater dress. Feeling very glamorous right now. Love this thing.
• Sweater 10 done. Longish open-front blue shaker knit cardigan. Gorgeous color, wonderful drape. Keeping.
• Sweater 11 done. Mustard-yellow 3/4 sleeve cashmere cardigan. I feel sharp wearing this. Keeping.
• Sweater 12 done. Pine-green cashmere cardigan. Usually wear this open, and sometimes it makes me feel a little dowdy. Buttoned up the front and it now looks much more spiffy. 
• Sweater 13 done. Red stand-up collar thingie worn as a work shirt. Great color, high collar kept my neck warm, and substantial weight meant no need for another layer while working outside. This was a win and a keeper. 
• Sweater 14 done. Long brown alpaca cardigan. I feel modern and chick in this thing. Keeper. 
• Sweater 15 done. Weird mustard-yellow boxy long sleeve with the split back. This is such a strange sweater, but when I've got it on I always feel vaguely hip and, you know, with it. Looks great with dark flared jeans. Groovy 70s vibe. Keeping it, but I don't think this is one for heavy rotation.
• Sweater 16 done. Woven bright-blue-black-white open cardigan-sweater-jacket thing. Lots of compliments, but realizing this sweater doesn't do anything for me. The colors mean that I can really only wear it with black or white bottoms (I stay away from both), and the cut and sleeve length mean I can only wear it with a white turtleneck. I only wore it once last year. I think this is one to donate.