Wolverine has been sent to a wrong timeline

[zenLara]

Wolverine has been sent to the wrong timeline!

 

Apparently, Wolverine has been sent back in time, more exactly to the year 2015. She knows now that 2015 is not such a fun place, since it’s been confirmed that there were no auto-drying or self-adjusting clothes nor flying skates, and instead, here is what there is:

Floating anxiety

Anticipating events anxiety

Self-defeating thoughts

Lack of energy

Lack of activity, laziness

Despondency

Mental dizziness and confusion

Low blood pressure

Heavy nose bleeding

Hair loss

Refusing to eat

Refusing to practice

 

This doesn't look like adamantium anymore...

 

However, Wolverine is far more clever than 3 years ago, and knows how to face these troubles: with ACTION!

Behold the weekly ACTION plan!

 

WH BYS/ICE
MP
BB+G
VG+S 123
15
PULL
PUSH/SQ/BBS
ABS
MUS
ÍSK
Y2
R
R/W/DNA/AN FLOW
GR SHOP

 

It includes basic restoring activities, like WH stuff or before bed yoga; anxiety reducing activities, like varied exercice and spending time outdoors; rest moments, like reading; and nutrition, as in, keeping enough food at home and eating things that nourish.

At the end of each week, a check-in will be done to see if things need to be readjusted.

 

I’ll take Wolverine back where she belongs

 

Spoiler

WHM stuff (B, Y, S, ICE, Y2) 1HEA 1CON

Pure Wolverine stuff (PULL, PUSH, SQ, BBS, ABS, R, W, DNA, AN FLOW) 1STR 1BER 1STA 1DEX

Artist stuff (MP, music, reading) 1WIS 1CHA

Nourishment (BB+G, VG+S, GR SHOP) 1HEA 1WIS

Nice environment (15') 1CHA

Learning (ÍSK) 1CHA

 

I level up if I get back to 2018. That would mean that at the end of the challenge I'm back to:

 

- eating veggies in all my meals, and nourishing myself instead of letting myself starve because of anxiety,

- doing exercise regularly, and pushing myself to do my best,

- saving time for music everyday,

- wimhofing everyday.

 

 

[WhiteGhost]

Oh yeah, Wolverine is BACK!

[annyshay]

Woot

[Mad Hatter]

2 hours ago, zenLara said:

However, Wolverine is far more clever than 3 years ago, and knows how to face these troubles: with ACTION!

 

YES!

[zenLara]

5 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

Oh yeah, Wolverine is BACK!

 

5 hours ago, annyshay said:

Woot

 

5 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

YES!

 

Hi guys! Ready to kick ass on my first day!

 

Did a bunch of things today, in small quantities, to start getting a feel of the challenge. So there was WH, and yoga (I'm following the bad yogi 30 days challenge), and plenty of nice food (and some less healthy, but oh, can't be perfect, right?), and I pushed, and pulled, and squatted and all that. Small amounts, so it doesn't get difficult to grow from there and to avoid getting discouraged soon, specially with push-ups. Did groceries shopping coming back from work, and read, and walked, well, I did a lot.

The only things left for today are icelandic and before bed yoga, but those are well established habits now and I don't usually forget about them, so I'll do them after dinner.

 

I was dreading music practice. I have been avoiding it, partially due to this anxiety that permeates everything lately, but also because of fears, and judgment, and so on (well, and also because I freaked out, might have a shared recital in a couple of months). I've been thinking about it, and journaling, and I've decided to focus on music and fun above everything else, and forgetting about sound quality, articulation, cleanness and all that s***. Instead, I played a scale game today: each tonality had to be a different character, so even when I had to work on articulation, and different speeds, and rhythms, the main point was to use them to try to make the character stand out. There was an ogre, a pixie, Cuxo trying to stealthily steal a steak, a chatty boring old woman, a dying man, a drunk guy, a mom chasing his mischievous kid, a broken-hearted young man, and so on, until I built 24 different characters. It worked. Technique was a mess after all this time without actual playing, but I focused on the expression and phrases. I liked it. Might repeat with different characters.

 

[@mu]

Lurking too!

 

2 hours ago, zenLara said:

Instead, I played a scale game today: each tonality had to be a different character, so even when I had to work on articulation, and different speeds, and rhythms, the main point was to use them to try to make the character stand out. There was an ogre, a pixie, Cuxo trying to stealthily steal a steak, a chatty boring old woman, a dying man, a drunk guy, a mom chasing his mischievous kid, a broken-hearted young man, and so on, until I built 24 different characters. It worked. Technique was a mess after all this time without actual playing, but I focused on the expression and phrases. I liked it. Might repeat with different characters.

 

That's brilliant!

 

2 hours ago, zenLara said:

I've decided to focus on music and fun above everything else, and forgetting about sound quality, articulation, cleanness and all that s***.

 

That sounds like an excellent strategy! It's not easy to rebuke the inner bully, but you have to really. Life is too short.

[Mad Hatter]

What a cool and creative music practice!

[WhiteGhost]

18 hours ago, zenLara said:

Instead, I played a scale game today: each tonality had to be a different character, so even when I had to work on articulation, and different speeds, and rhythms, the main point was to use them to try to make the character stand out. There was an ogre, a pixie, Cuxo trying to stealthily steal a steak, a chatty boring old woman, a dying man, a drunk guy, a mom chasing his mischievous kid, a broken-hearted young man, and so on, until I built 24 different characters. It worked. Technique was a mess after all this time without actual playing, but I focused on the expression and phrases. I liked it. Might repeat with different characters.

I really love this idea. 

 

I would love to be a fly on the wall when you do it, I would be very interested to hear how you interpret these characters into the music

[zenLara]

Hi @@mu! 

 

16 hours ago, @mu said:

That's brilliant!

 

8 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

What a cool and creative music practice!

 

54 minutes ago, WhiteGhost said:

I really love this idea. 

Thank you guys! I hope I'll keep coming up with more ideas like these. I really need to get out of my mental trap.

 

55 minutes ago, WhiteGhost said:

I would love to be a fly on the wall when you do it, I would be very interested to hear how you interpret these characters into the music

A fly would be a very interesting character to work on... How do you depict flying in squares? Hummmm...

 

Day is being nice. Didn't have much to do at work today, aside from negotiating having a group class for a couple of kids in exchange for getting read of presence hours, and the principal was very happy with it. So in fact more than negotiating was "I want to do this" and he said "thanks god"

Self-defence was tough. We were only 3 today, 2 new guys and me, since the others are still chasing the shiny. I thought that since the guys were on their first day, we would spend most of the time reviewing basics and then I would hold the focus pads for them. But nope, we worked only on 2 techniques, one for punches and one for elbow blows, and then the trainer left the 2 guys practice against each other while I had to practice with him. This is the same guy that almost brought me to death a while ago with that half hour of sparring, so you can imagine what happened today. I don't think I will be able to use my arms later, so I'm writing my update now just in case  

Came back home and did some more yoga because apparently morning session wasn't enough, and then decided not to wait for lunch time and sacked the fridge straight away instead.

Thinking of going to explore a new place around here after some music is done, but can't promise, maybe I'll just nap the whole afternoon.

[WhiteGhost]

13 minutes ago, zenLara said:

This is the same guy that almost brought me to death a while ago with that half hour of sparring, so you can imagine what happened today. I don't think I will be able to use my arms later, so I'm writing my update now just in case  

[zenLara]

2 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

I don't care anymore. I want my claws back.

[annyshay]

7 hours ago, zenLara said:

I don't care anymore. I want my claws back.

Atta girl

[Ensi]

12 hours ago, zenLara said:

I don't care anymore. I want my claws back.

 

Go get 'em!! You have my blaster.

 

[zenLara]

Well, in the end I didn't nap. Instead, spent some time reading and going through the first phrases of a piece I might rehearse soon. I tried to imagine how different people with different personalities would play those phrases, and went through different moods to try and find out what those phrases actually meant. It was quite a discovery that when I tried to play as an overly worried person, I recognised my own way of playing. That hit home.

When I finished, it was too late to go explore the new place I wanted to visit, but I went to the countryside anyway, for a calm walk. Of course, it couldn't be calm, because as soon as I was at the bottom of the hills my Wolveriny side absolutely wanted to go up to the top in a straight line, so there I went, no matter what obstacles. And when I was up there, something kind of magical happened. The sun had set, and there was a strong wind sending the noise of the city towards the mountains in the other side of the flatland, and when it suddenly stopped, there was total and absolute silence. No city traffic, no buzzing, no birds, no nothing, and I just stopped to enjoy that. Far over the mountains there was a storm, and I could see the lightnings now and then, in the middle of that thick silence, while it was getting darker and darker. It was such a peaceful moment.

Healthy dinner happened after this, and icelandic, and relax yoga, and then I slept like a baby.

[WhiteGhost]

5 minutes ago, zenLara said:

It was quite a discovery that when I tried to play as an overly worried person, I recognised my own way of playing. That hit home.

Oh boy, I can imagine.  Now that you are aware of it, can you focus on changing it?

[zenLara]

1 hour ago, WhiteGhost said:

Oh boy, I can imagine.  Now that you are aware of it, can you focus on changing it?

I could start impersonating an overly self-assured player for a start  I don't know, it is certainly going to be a challenge, but I'm happy that in only 2 days since I switched my focus I am getting interesting results.

[Ensi]

1 hour ago, zenLara said:

And when I was up there, something kind of magical happened. The sun had set, and there was a strong wind sending the noise of the city towards the mountains in the other side of the flatland, and when it suddenly stopped, there was total and absolute silence. No city traffic, no buzzing, no birds, no nothing, and I just stopped to enjoy that. Far over the mountains there was a storm, and I could see the lightnings now and then, in the middle of that thick silence, while it was getting darker and darker. It was such a peaceful moment.

Healthy dinner happened after this, and icelandic, and relax yoga, and then I slept like a baby.

 

What a bliss!

 

35 minutes ago, zenLara said:

I could start impersonating an overly self-assured player for a start  I don't know, it is certainly going to be a challenge, but I'm happy that in only 2 days since I switched my focus I am getting interesting results.

 

This technique sounds really interesting  And it must be fun, too?

[zenLara]

4 hours ago, Ensi said:

And it must be fun, too?

It is, when I manage to get outside of my mind...

 

So, today: WH, yoga, forgot morning pages, did some abs, music and reading, and again it is too late to go exploring that peak. Maybe on friday when I don't have to go to work? (local holiday).

[@mu]

11 hours ago, zenLara said:

And when I was up there, something kind of magical happened. The sun had set, and there was a strong wind sending the noise of the city towards the mountains in the other side of the flatland, and when it suddenly stopped, there was total and absolute silence. No city traffic, no buzzing, no birds, no nothing, and I just stopped to enjoy that. Far over the mountains there was a storm, and I could see the lightnings now and then, in the middle of that thick silence, while it was getting darker and darker. It was such a peaceful moment.

Lovely!

 

On 9/11/2018 at 3:24 PM, zenLara said:

I don't think I will be able to use my arms later, so I'm writing my update now just in case

 

 

11 hours ago, zenLara said:

I tried to imagine how different people with different personalities would play those phrases, and went through different moods to try and find out what those phrases actually meant. It was quite a discovery that when I tried to play as an overly worried person, I recognised my own way of playing. That hit home. 

 

That's a very very interesting discovery. Do you record yourself when you play, to be able to listen to yourself in a few months time? Sometimes I'm over critical but a few months later I will watch a video of me doing, say, a small routine on silks, and realise that it wasn't that bad actually. Or I can see a bit of progress.

[zenLara]

21 hours ago, @mu said:

Do you record yourself when you play, to be able to listen to yourself in a few months time? Sometimes I'm over critical but a few months later I will watch a video of me doing, say, a small routine on silks, and realise that it wasn't that bad actually. Or I can see a bit of progress.

I record myself, but it's true that not enough. It's a very useful tool that I frequently "forget" about, because I'm always afraid I'll be too critical, but the truth is it makes things improve way faster.

Ok now, where's my recorder? 

 

Self-defence day! Woke up, did breathing, morning pages, yoga, and had a nice breakfast, and then I got mad at the crazy traffic today. I was held up for so long I thought of just coming back home, but I didn't. In the end, I wasn't so late, because they were a bit late too, and I arrived when they were finishing the warm-up. I missed push-ups, haha.

We were the same 3 than the other day, and again the guy put the newbies to practice together and made me practice with him. He pushed me a lot today again, to go faster and hit harder, and to do the sequences without thinking (I always need pre-thinking. I know it's absurd, and I know there's no time to think in a fight, but I always resist to just "go with the flow" so today's exercise was specially hard for me). We finished with sparring (without the teacher, thanks god), only 2 against 1, but the 1 was uncomfortably cornered with back against the wall, so not that easy. I managed to keep on mind the 3 main points: protection, visual awareness, constant movement. I think this is the first time I have succeeded at this and I am very proud.

For this afternoon, I've planned to make some music, do some more yoga, and tidy up the house. I hope I won't succumb to internet attraction instead.

 

----

 

Almost everything planned happened, but had to sacrifice yoga to one of my student's mom who called me because of some schedule problem that unfortunately I can't solve.

Very fun music time, when I tried to play my scales thinking of people I know. It was amazing to find how some people are so easily depicted. And while extreme characters are easier and the most fun, it is quite a challenge to try to make some more discrete or nuanced personalities be perceived. Also , those first phrases of the sonatina are beginning to make sense. Still feeling a bit tense in the top register, but trying to stay calm about it. It's just lips' lack of strength from lack of practice, it will come back.

[WhiteGhost]

16 hours ago, zenLara said:

I think this is the first time I have succeeded at this and I am very proud.

Nice, way to go!  

[annyshay]

[Mad Hatter]

Yeeaah, nice work in class!!

 

And in your music practice, it’s really nice to see you getting back on track and having fun with it.  I find the nuances quite fascinating, both in terms of musicality but also the muscular control required. Strength is so obvious when it comes to fitness but you don’t normally think about how much strength is required to play instruments, especially for the small ones.

[zenLara]

30 minutes ago, annyshay said:

Doesn't mind how much they howl, no mutton chops, no Wolverine

 

23 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

but you don’t normally think about how much strength is required to play instruments, especially for the small ones.

You can't imagine how much I regret having stopped abs work during summer.

[Mad Hatter]

19 minutes ago, zenLara said:

You can't imagine how much I regret having stopped abs work during summer.

You’ll get it back soon enough!!