Seabright's 2020 Battle Log of Awesomeness

[Seabright]

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALS!

 

Yay for 2020! I'm pretty excited for this year. I feel like I'm starting strong and calm. And I'm all a-fire and a-twitter to write down a goal or two. So let's get 'er done!

 

As I've done in the past, I've picked ONE goal, and articulated 3 ways to get there. Then, I've picked ONE power word to help me focus all year long.

 

 

GOAL FOR 2020: Make Progress!

• Make progress in all areas, mind, body and soul.
• I'll do this by leaning in to routines with eating and mornings, having fun with hiking, music, and whatever else comes along, and working toward my Master's. 

 

1. Make progress by leaning in to routines

• Routine 1: Eating Paleo

            - I need to finally kick this nagging cough. Eating right is the way to get there.

            - No need to obsess over it. Treats are okay. But they need to be planned in advance, and no more than once per week.

            - If I can eventually fit in to my Goal Pants, that's great. But the point is to get healthy.

            - I'll track stuff here in my battle log.

• Routine 2: Mornings

            - I need to manage stress levels. A morning routine that calms and focuses the mind is the way to get there. 

            - Meditation for 20 mins, yoga for 20 mins, journaling for 20 minutes (M-F)

            - Weekends optional,  but if I'm up and feeling it, I'll do it.

            - Vacations optional, too, as well, but a little yoga is highly encouraged.

            - I'll track stuff here in my battle log.

 

2. Make progress by having fun

• Hiking! Yes! Do those Big Hikes I've been talking about. I laid a good walking foundation in 2019, now let's have fun exploring.
• Mandolin! Yes! I let this drop but now it's time to focus on playing music again. I just found a jam, and now I've got the practice space. Time to focus and take this farther. 
• Whatever else comes along! Yes! Another sailing lesson, a solitary walk, cup of tea in the early am in the backyard, stop at the beach on the way home to watch the waves, take the long way home, and say 'Yes' to more things. 

 

3. Make progress towards my Masters degree

• Whoa. Can you believe it? I'm going back to school...and it's been a loooong time since I've written an academic paper.
• Getting an advanced degree is something I've wanted for myself for a while now. Time to go get it. As a bonus, it will help me be more employable, should I ever be out there looking again.
• I can do this. One class at a time, one lesson at a time, one paper at a time. The key will be steady daily forward movement, careful time management and planning, and jumping on things immediately.
• Class starts Feb 13. 

 

 

POWER WORD FOR 2020: Focus

 

I really like this word for myself this year. 'Bravery' has been a tremendous power word for me, and has taken me a long long way. Now I feel like I need to get centered and grounded and move things forward in a steady and measured way. 'Focus' is the word for that, and encompasses so many things: patience, discipline, kindness, fortitude, strength and truth. And a bit of bravery, too.

 

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

 

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.

 

Yay! Let's have fun in 2020!

[Seabright]

Sunday Feb 16

 

Checking in! About 6 weeks into the year and things are moving along. I actually find myself saying 'Focus! Focus! Focus!' when I start running into trouble. 

 

Focus. That was definitely a good power word choice.

 

Here's some stuff, in no particular order:

• The morning routine has been great--really grounding. I've been starting my days feeling much more calm and steady, and I find that feeling is lasting much farther into the day.
• 20 mins meditation, 20 mins yoga, 20 mins journaling in front of the fireplace. Sometimes the little fluffy gray kitty-kins helps.
• Put my alarm on the bookcase across the room, and have been consistently getting up at 4:45am M-W. I just sort of want to.
• Have stuck to the WFH on Thursday and Friday. Feeling much better. The commute is brutal, but 3 days a week is sustainable.
• Eating hasn't been as steady as I'd like it to be, but I've cut out almost all snacking, so that's a win. When I get into work, I head straight to the cafeteria and Raphael makes me a big veggie omelet with bacon and sausage. This lasts the morning, easy. Plus, the spousal unit is doing the grocery shopping, and we're getting the hang of that. 😉
• I'm sleeping better, for the most part.
• I started work on my Masters. Throughout Jan I did 1 hour of prep work a day. Now I'm working on my first real assignment. 
• I've been walking every day, and we've taken a couple of short hikes on the weekend. During the week I'm on track, but I feel the weekend could use more focus. I've been spending a lot of time in the garden, watching the gophers eat absolutely everything i plant. I don't have to be here to witness that.
• I started playing the mandolin again. 30 mins per day--successful, for the most part. Relearned some tunes, and found a jam I can go to after work twice a month.
• Had some Dad-related hardships last week, and I noticed that I let myself get derailed in all the things. I need to learn how to bear witness but stay focused. Not doing the things I need to be doing creates even more stress, so the way forward is to do the things I need to do for Dad, and then gently bring my focus back to staying on track.

 

Here are a few things I'd like to do in the next 2 weeks:

• Submit my first assignment and begin the next.
• Call 3 contractors about remodeling the bathroom. 
• Make a plan to cover the basic estate stuff: POAs, wills, etc.
• Bonus: select a contractor, select someone to help with the legal stuff.

 

Okay! Going to finish up my herb tea and go make breakfast! Scrambled eggs with spinach, bell peppers, and onions, and turkey sausages.

 

Go!

 

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

I was just re-reading my old challenges and wondering what you're up to!!

 

39 minutes ago, Seabright said:

I started work on my Masters. Throughout Jan I did 1 hour of prep work a day. Now I'm working on my first real assignment. 

 

Best of luck with the school work and balancing all the rest of life. 

[Seabright]

Wednesday Apr 15

 

Holy smokes! Things have changed dramatically in the last few weeks. 

 

Focus focus focus focus. Really needed now, since I was sick. Probably with, you know, the THING, but since there aren't enough tests in our county to go around, we'll never know. Was told to assume that I have it, and now also have to assume that I didn't have it.

 

Crazy times.

 

We're sheltering in place at the ol' homestead, and I'm very very lucky in that I can work from home. Also very grateful that the spousal unit and I built a nice little office out in the garden, and so I've got a place to go to get stuff done. Each morning I wake up deeply grateful--for this, and for so many other things. We don't know what the world will be like in a few months, and I may not be able to hang on to this job, but for now we're okay. 

 

SoooooOOOOOOOOOooooooo. Time for a check-in! Here's some stuff, in no particular order:

• 20 mins meditation, 20 mins yoga, 20 mins journaling in front of the fireplace first thing in the morning was great--right up until I got sick a month ago. Feeling somewhat better, but still struggling with energy levels, bouts of coughing, and the heebie-jeebies. I know that my morning routine helped to stay grounded and energized, and it's time to start again.
• While I was sick, I kept my phone on my nightstand. Since I wasn't sleeping well, it really gave me something distracting to do in those wee hours. Time to put it back on the bookcase across the room. It's my wake-up alarm, and it's time to focus on getting out of bed in the morning.
• Am WFH, so it's nice to have extra time in the morning to sit outside with little Dolly-kins and drink a cup of coffee. Yes, um, yeah. Coffee.
• The garden is gorgeous right now! All my little wildflower babies are blooming --- meadow foam, baby blue eyes, foothill poppies, California poppies, penny black, desert bluebells. Lovely. 
• Eating went completely off track with being sick. Didn't eat at all for 5 or 6 days, then had limited appetite. Ended up just eating whatever sounded good in the moment. Oddly, this often took the form of french fries. Time to get back on track! Focus.
• Passed my first class on the way to a Master's. Yay for me!
• Hiking is off the table in our area (shelter in place here means closed parks and beaches), but now that I'm feeling a little better have been stepping out for a 20 minute walk around the neighborhood each day. 
• I found a friendly jam to go to, but started sheltering in place before I was able to attend a session.
• All mando playing and other musical thingies have been on hold since getting sick. Just don't have the energy. Time to reboot. 
• Bathroom remodel off the table. That's actually fine, since I ended up owing a ton in taxes this year. Time to start saving up again!
• Ordered an estate planning book. Will work through everything over the next few weeks and get our ducks in a row. 
• Dad-stuff is REALLY tough right now. No visiting. He doesn't track well with a phone call (it only takes seconds for him to forget who's calling), and he sleeps about 18 hours a day. The hospice RN calls me with updates after her visits, so at least I know he's stable. We talked about what happens if folks get sick over there at the assisted living place, and what that looks like for people on hospice. A tough conversation, but best to have the discussion now. 

 

Here are a few things I'd like to do in the next 2 weeks:

• Get back on track with my morning routine.
• Start playing the mando again at the end of the day. 
• Start my next course and submit my first paper.

Okay! 

 

Go!

[Seabright]

Here's a little slice of the garden.

 

[Seabright]

And here are a couple of sights from my walk around the neighborhood. 

 

 

 

[Seabright]

Fri Apr 17

 

Just a few notes to help me get back on track.

 

Daily routine M-F:

1. Up at 6:00 am.
2. Feed Dolly. 😉
3. 20 mins meditation, 20 mins yoga, 20 mins journaling.
4. Neti pot.
5. Wake up the spousal unit.
6. Shower and get dressed in actual real clothes that I'd be okay being seen wearing out and about.
7. Breakfast.
8. Out to my office by 8:30 am.
9. Prep for the day, finish by 9:00 am.
10. Say 3 times out loud: Focus, Focus, Focus. 
11. Stick to the schedule. Repeat #10 as needed.
12. Walk & lunch mid-day.
13.  End day at 4:30 pm.
14. Play mando to 5:00 pm.
15. Head back up to the house and start power-puttering.

There. That feels better.

[Seabright]

Mon, June 15

 

Throughout the day the moments and memories float through my head. A pair of swans flying low overhead at an artesian well in the middle of Eureka Dunes. Learning to cross-country ski in a valley meadow in Yosemite, soft snow falling down. Singing at a campfire at Montana de Oro. Learning about currants and leaf growth in understory vs open sun. Sitting quietly by a stream in a Sierra wilderness near Onion Valley. The wonder of small flowers growing in the cracks of the sidewalk. Amazement at how his eyes could see a night heron in the brush from 200 feet away. All the kitties in his life, with all their silly names -  Beard-o, Pussytoes, The Masked Pisser, Old Man. 

 

Sometimes I think he's right there, and then I remember that he's gone. 

 

My little daddy passed away on May 14, in his quiet assisted living home and board. I got the call and hurried over. They let me in after disinfecting me head to toe, for which I'm forever grateful. I entered his room, sat beside him, and held his hand as he slipped away.

 

I walked out in our garden early this morning and stood under the coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) we planted a few years ago, stood looking at the last of the California native spring wildflowers still blooming (Nemophila menziesii 'Baby Blue Eyes' and 'Penny Black,' Limnanthes douglasii 'Meadowfoam,' Layia platyglossa 'Tidy Tips', Clarkia elegans 'Mountain Garland,' Colinsia heterophylla 'Chinese Houses,' Eschscholzia caespitosa 'Tufted Poppy,' Gilia tricolor 'Bird's Eye,' Gilia capitata 'Globe Gilia,' and of course Eschscholzia californica 'California Poppy'), the native perennials and shrubs just coming in to their own (Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman' and 'Wheeler Canyon,' Ribes sanguineum 'Claremont,' Penstemon heterophyllus 'Margarita BOP,' Eriogonum grande var. rubescens 'Pink-flowering Buckwheat,' Mimulus 'Cherry Red,' 'Pamela,' and 'Fiesta Marigold,' and Heuchera maxima 'Island Alum Root'), and the roses starting to bloom (Ebb Tide, Cornelia, Autumn Sunset, Pretty Lady Rose, Julia Child, Golden Showers, Iceberg, Joseph's Coat, Altissimo, Cecile Brunner, Ballerina, Polka, Lace Cascade, Angel Face, Celestial Night). 

 

And I realized that I've been singing a garden song to Dad for these last three years. 

 

 

 

John M. Sully, 1929 - 2020

 

Take a walk anywhere that's wild, and remember John Sully.

 

[Seabright]

Wed July 8

 

Starting to feel better. I took all of last week off, and even though we can't actually go anywhere, it made a huge difference. Meditation, yoga, and journaling every morning, a couple of good hikes, and several long drives along the coast. I feel like I can breathe again.

 

Here are some things, in no particular order:

• Have been steady-eddy with my morning routine, and both the meditation and yoga sessions are now up to 20 mins each.
• Down to 1/3 cup of coffee in the morning with breakfast.
• Taking walks at lunchtime during the work week pretty consistently.
• Put the bike rack on the car, and taking the mountain bike for an overhaul and safety check this afternoon. I realized today that the last time I road my bike was just before Dad came into my care. It feels good to have the energy and the want-to to ride again.
• Gained a lot of weight in the last few weeks. Sigh. Feeling good about being on the right track to slowly drop it, though, bit by bit, through lifestyle eating changes. 
• Weigh-ins now happening Sunday mornings to track success of each bit-by-bit change.
• We put an order in and a deposit down on a Scamp. (!!!!!! <- Look at how calmly I said that! We've been wanting a Scamp for YEARS. It won't be built and delivered until next February, but I'm already planning to try working from a campground at some point to see how that goes.)
• I feel good. Relaxed. Hopeful.

OH! And I finally read the estate planning book. Just finished it last night. Next up: asset inventory.

 

Okay! More later. Stay tuned for future awesomeness. 

[Seabright]

Wed, July 8

 

Returning to my old format, because it really really helps with moving forward. Yay for me!

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs, with spinach, bell peppers, and onions. 1/3 cup coffee.
• Lunch - frozen turkey dinner thingie. it had 'dressing' (bread) and baked apples with cinnamon (sugar). delicious, but need an alternative.
• Dinner - grilled chicken with broccoli, onions, and bell peppers. 1/2 glass red wine.
• Snack - lime popsicle.

Daily exercise:

• Yoga. 20 minutes twist sequence.
• Pre-lunch walk. About 20 minutes.
• Post-work walk in the redwoods. About 20 minutes.

Focus:

• Battle log update. 😉

 

Side challenges:

• Draft outline of UI channel style guide content. DONE!
• Write note to niece and nephew (cuddling up to next gen possible POAs). DONE!
• Write thank you note to hospice. DONE!
• Respond to 2 recruiters from other companies ('cause ya never know). DONE!
• Do next module of AAA driving course.

[Seabright]

Thur, July 9

 

Worst. Lunch. Ever. Contributed to crashing big time in the afternoon, which led to a taco-rich dinner. 

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs, with spinach, bell peppers, and onions. 1/3 cup coffee.
• Lunch - last of the frozen turkey dinner thingies. now must find alternative, 'cause I'm out. Which is a good thing.
• Dinner - 3 fish tacos, guts scooped out of the double corn tortillas and put into single flour ones. And chips. And 1/3 glass of red wine.
• Snack - lime popsicle.

Daily exercise:

• Yoga. 20 minutes back-bend sequence.

Focus:

• Kept it together through a full day of video calls.
• Conflicting priorities but stayed focussed on the most important things and got 'em done.

Side challenges:

• Welcome new people to team and get them set up. DONE!
• Do next module of AAA driving course. DONE!
• Find a place for the vacuum cleaner. DONE!
• Download the asset inventory spreadsheet. DONE!
• Call Dr. Mac. DONE!

[Sloth the Enduring]

I’m sorry for your loss SeaBright. I’m glad you were able to see your father one last time. I can’t imagine how hard everything had to be.





We have a Scamp. It’s great.

[Seabright]

Thanks so much for the kind words, Mr. Enduring. I miss my dad so much, but my heart is filled with the happy times. 😉

 

But wait. What?

 

YOU HAVE A SCAMP????

 

You've been holding out on me all this time! Soon I  shall pepper you with questions about your favorite space-saving techniques. Brace yourself. 😉

[Seabright]

Fri, July 10

 

Focus. Focus. Focus.

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs, with sausage and hash browns. 1 cup coffee.
• Lunch - cobb salad, but scooped out the gorgonzola and dumped it.
• Dinner - grilled chicken kabobs with extra veggies
• Snack - lime popsicle

Daily exercise:

• Yoga. 20 minutes forward-bend sequence.

Focus:

• Finished draft of that thing! Yay for me!

Side challenges:

• Do next module of AAA driving course. DONE!
• Vacuum my office. DONE!
• Fill in at least one line of the asset inventory worksheet. DONE!
• Donate books to Project Purr. Sorta done. They are now in the car for the next time I'm near their shop.

[Seabright]

Mon, July 13

 

Weekend update:

Great job with the eating on Saturday, crummy eating on Sunday, and weight had sneaked up a bit at my weigh-in. I ATTACKED that massive rose in the back, though, and chopped that sucker down to it's framework. All set up now for a spectacular bloom in the Spring. 

 

Today:

On-deck for a super-busy, meeting-rich day. I'll need to focus to do all the things.

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs, with spinach and bell peppers. 1/2 cup coffee.
• Lunch - Cobb salad, hold the cheese
• Snack - lime popsicle
• Dinner - grilled chicken and veggies. 1/2 glass red wine.

Daily exercise:

• Yoga. 20 minutes hip mobility sequence.
• Walk around the neighborhood. About 20 minutes.

Focus:

• On deck: Get through the scary thing. Really, my part is only maybe 2 minutes-worth of an hour-long presentation. That's 120 seconds. I can do this. 

Side challenges:

• Do next module of AAA driving course. DONE! 
• Fill in at least one more line of the asset inventory worksheet. DONE!
• Call art restoration lady. DONE! 

[Seabright]

Tues, July 14

 

Did my side challenge activities after work yesterday. First time doing anything at afterwork other than eating and watching tv since March. Exhausted afterwards, which was alarming. Not sure if it was mental exhaustion from changing up the routine, or genuine physical fatigue. Something to keep an eye on.

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs, with spinach and bell peppers. 1/2 cup coffee.
• Lunch - chicken strips, diet coke. boo.
• Dinner - veggie burger on a whole wheat bun, no sauce, no fries. yay.

Daily exercise:

• Yoga. 20 minutes standing poses sequence.

Focus:

• On deck: Stay focused during my 30 mins of free time today and get the chicken in the oven. Lunch will have to be another pickup from the Buttery today. 
• Update: Did it! 30 mins in the am got it in the oven; 30 mins in the pm assembled the lunches and got 'em in the freezer. exhausted at the end of the day and went to bed at 8:30pm.

Side challenges:

• Do next module of AAA driving course. Nope.
• Bike ride after work. It can be super short. A gesture, if you will. Nope.
• Fill in at least one more line of the asset inventory worksheet. Nope.
• Call art restoration lady if she hasn't called back. DONE!

 

Well and truly bone-tired at the end of the day. Could hardly stand up. Skipped everything but the essentials, was able to eat what the spousal unit brought home from his foraging expedition, and then collapsed.

[Seabright]

Wed, July 15

 

After being so exhausted yesterday, giving myself a break today.

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs, with spinach and bell peppers. 1 cup coffee.
• Lunch - chicken and broccoli from the cook-up.
• Snack - lime popsicle.
• Dinner - turkey burger with broccoli (no bun)

Daily exercise:

• Slept in and skipped everything.

Focus:

• On deck: Gird my loins and go to the doctor. It's a risk, but it's better than ending up having to have a hip replacement.
• Update: Did it! So nervous I could hear my stomach roiling, but got my mask on and did the thing.

Side challenges:

• On hold to give myself a break today.

 

Looking forward to being back to it tomorrow! Stay tuned for further awesomeness.

[Seabright]

Thur, July 16

 

Still fatigued, but feeling better. My dad passed away 2 months ago.

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs, with spinach and bell peppers. 1 cup coffee.
• Lunch - cobb salad, no cheese.
• Dinner - fish tacos with guts scooped out of the corn tortillas and put into flour tortillas. negated this move by eating a bunch of chips. 

 

I felt a lot better after eating dinner. Maybe I just need a way to up my carb intake? Bring on the broccoli!!

 

Daily exercise:

• Yoga - 20 mins twist sequence.
• Walk - 20 mins around the neighborhood. Exhausted and really had to force myself.
• Walk - 20-minute evening walk in the old growth redwood loop. I could stare up at these giants all day! Ended day feeling refreshed.

Focus:

• On deck: another big video call day, with back-to-back meetings all day long. stay focused on staying perky for the team. 
• Update: done. last meeting just wrapped up. cutting out early so i can go lie down.

Side challenges:

• On hold one more day. Still seriously tired.

 

[Seabright]

Fri, July 17

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - basic breakfast from the harbor cafe. scrambled eggs, hold the toast and taters, extra sausage patty.
• Lunch - roasted chicken and broccoli 
• Dinner - turkey burger and broccoli

Daily exercise:

• Let myself sleep in until 7:30am, so skipped yoga today.
• 20-minute walk just before lunch.

Focus:

• On deck: Deliver final article of that one thing, and kick out a sh*tty first draft of that other thing.
• Update: Did it! Did 'em both! Final article delivered to be published, and first draft of the other thing is done and turned out to be not so sh*tty after all. 

Side challenges:

• Do next module of AAA driving course. DONE! Ye gods, this is mind-numbing.
• Fill in at least one more line of the asset inventory worksheet. DONE!
• Take the seascape to the framing folks and pick out something that stays within the ol' budget. DONE!

 

The seascape is special to me. I remember it hanging in my grandmother's study, and then in my father's home after she passed. I hung it up for him in his little living room in the first retirement living situation we were in, before we realized he could no longer be independent. Then I hung it up for him in his lovely little studio apartment in the memory care place we moved to 5 months later. 8 weeks after that, we went to the hospital and from there to a tiny little home and board, and I hung it up for him over his bed there. When my brothers and I were going through items together (on a zoom, during a pandemic, a story in itself), when the seascape came up I said, 'This is the only thing I would like to have. If you all want everything else, I'm fine with that, but this is the one thing that I would like to have.' They all laughed and said they bowed to my request. 🙂

 

And so I took it to be cleaned and gently restored. It's not a super-valuable piece, although we did find that the artist was active in the 1950's, lived in Carmel-by-the-Sea, is known for his seascapes, and was a personal friend of my grandmother's. His works are of medium value, depending on the size and subject of the piece. The original frame was truly hideous. It deserves better.

 

I will hang it in my office, by my desk, where I can see it every day. 

[Seabright]

Mon, July 20

 

The weekend went well. Ate well the whole time, and finally got after the oak tree. Did the smart thing by resting on Sunday, instead of kicking myself all to hell and trying to do a mega hike. The mega hike will really have to wait until I'm better.

 

Which I'm not. I'm not better. It's been almost 4 months since I was sick, and I'm still struggling with energy levels and a recurring cough. Getting better, though. I just need to remember that this is life-threatening stuff for a lot of people. The fact that I'm still upright and sentient is a win.

 

Being sentient, FTW!!

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrams with bells and spin
• Lunch - tuna fish salad w/avocado instead of mayo, carrots, bell peppers, scallions, and lime
• Dinner - veggie burger on a bun, no sauce
• Snack - 2 Clif Bars

Daily exercise:

• Just wrote in the ol' journal this am, but skipped yoga. Backing way off of everything for a bit. The fatigue last week was crushing. Gentle, gentle.
• 20 minute walk at lunch time. Tried to work in a small itty bitty hill. Almost killed me.

Focus:

• On deck:
  • Deliver final version of the other thing. 
  • First employee perf eval - leave 'em smiling. 
  • Jot down starter notes of the new article. You know the one.
• Update: 
  • Final version of the thing now done and off to be posted somewhere or other.
  • Did my first perf evaluation. It went okay, I left him smiling, but I learned a couple of things to adjust for the next one.

Side challenges:

• Do next module of AAA driving course. Will this never be over? DONE!
• Fill in at least one more line of the asset inventory worksheet. DONE!
• Read the info on Las Rocas. DONE!

 

The Las Rocas papers are fascinating! I couldn't stop reading. The back-and-forth between my great-grandfather and my grandfather about purchasing a piece of property along the Big Sur coast is really something (246 pages-worth of something). The deal closed on Oct 24, 1929. Yikes! I'm up to Jan 1931, and things aren't going well at the copper mine for John M. Sully, Jack Bloom is hurting for money and lost 45 pounds as a result of the having the flu, and there are descriptions of unemployment camps set up south of Monterey by the Department of Highways to provide labor to build Highway One. My 7-month-old father is described in one line as being '17 pounds and all smiles.'

 

398 pages to go. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[Seabright]

Tues, July 21

 

Dreadful coughing all day, possibly from eating Clif Bars and veggie burger yesterday. It's exhausting. 

 

Lesson learned!

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrams with bells and spin
• Lunch - roasted chicken with broccoli
• Dinner - teriyaki chicken kabobs with double veggies
• Snack - 1 apricot Clif bar

Daily exercise:

• Slept in until almost 8:30am. Made it out to my office just in time for the first thing.
• Coughed all day. I feel like this should be called 'exercise' and that I should get credit for this.

Focus:

• On deck:
  • Back-to-back video calls until 3:30pm. Breathe. 
• Update: 
  • Made it in one piece!
  • Didn't do much else, though. 

Side challenges:

• Do next module of AAA driving course. Will this never be over? Not done. Just couldn't face it. 
• Fill in at least one more line of the asset inventory worksheet. Pending. We'll see. 
• Read the next installment of the Las Rocas papers. Not done. So exhausted from the calls, going to lie down and watch Jurassic World. ((Update: Thought I'd just take a peek at the next letter and then got lost for another hour. My great-grandmother Louise hurt her leg scrambling over the rocks and had to spend an extra 3 days in the little fishing hut before being able to climb out of the canyon.))

 

I have things I want to do tomorrow. Lots of things. 

 

Now going to water some plants and then rest. See youse all on the flip flop.

[Seabright]

Wed, July 22

 

Horrific coughing all night last night. Lungs feel inflamed and irritated--probably from all the Lysol we sprayed on the floor last night cleaning up an ant trail. Going to dig up an inhaler I was given a few years ago when I had all that eyeball trouble to see if it helps.

 

Back to it! The excitingness and awesomeness of the day has begun!!

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrams with bells and spin.
• Lunch - roasted chicken w/broc
• Dinner - chicken fajita in a bowl with asparagus
• Snack - had another Clif bar. i think these things may be slowly killing me. last one for a while.

Daily exercise:

• Slept in again after being up for hours with that horrid barking cough. 
• Still dealing with dreadful fatigue. Coming along though. Hoping to feel up to a walk in a few days.

Focus:

• On deck:
  • Almost out of data for vid calls. Stay focused by switching back and forth today as a way to preserve the fabric of the universe until EOD Friday.
  • Pick ONE element from the outline and write about it. It doesn't have to be thorough...or even very good. Just get 'er done.
• Update: 
  • Kept the lights on with the vid access. A couple more days to reset the cycle. Hoping to hang in there.

Side challenges:

• Do next module of AAA driving course. Will this never be over? On hold. This is the reason why I don't have any space left for work calls! Argh. Will postpone until I can do late at night with our crummy wifi.
• Fill in at least one more line of the asset inventory worksheet.  Done!
• Read the next installment of the Las Rocas papers.  Done!

 

I have things I want to do tomorrow. Lots of things. 

 

Now going to water some plants and then rest. See youse all on the flip flop.

[Seabright]

Thur, July 23

 

Fourth day of sleeping in and skipping the morning routine. Starting to have some energy again. Knocked off early yesterday and just went to bed, and that seemed to have really helped.

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs with 3 sausage patties. meat-rich!
• Lunch - chicken and broc
• Dinner - 3 fish tacos on flour tortillas and a sh*t-ton of chips

Daily exercise:

• Feeling like I've got some energy today, but I know now that's typically when I overdo. Going to wait another day before returning to anything even remotely resembling exercise.
• More coughing but not as bad.  The inhaler helped. So did tons of water. Keeping this in the exercise column because, hoo boy, exhausting. 

Focus:

• Keep smiling for the troops.
• Write a little bit of that one thing.
• Update: Bit of a challenge to stay focused, particularly focused on smiling for the troops, after my less than stellar performance review. Ouch. Trying to stay calm and balanced and take what I heard to form actionable work goals for next year. You know, like a trained professional. The toughest part about something like this is that no matter how unjust you think something is, or that there are mitigating circumstances that you feel weren't taken into account, your best approach is to say thanks for the feedback and maybe something like, this is great info to have and will really give me something to work on. and thanks for the feedback, too, as well, also. Anyway, I can always do better. And if there's a sub-par perception out there, then that's on me for not communicating properly. Time for a new approach! It's all good. (Well, not really, but I'm starting to get over it. ;-0) 

Side challenges:

• Do next module of AAA driving course. Boo. I just couldn't bring myself to look at this again. 
• Fill in at least one more line of the asset inventory worksheet. DONE!
• Read the next installment of the Las Rocas papers. Skipped for tonight. Getting too lost and letting time get away from me. Watched kitten videos instead. 😉

[Seabright]

Fri, July 24

 

Felt a lot better this morning. Got up early. Still didn't really do anything, but got up early. 

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs with 3 sausage patties. again. stick with a winner!
• Lunch - the last of the chicken-and-broc cook-up.
• Dinner - fish taco night! again!

Daily exercise:

• One more rest day I think. It's nice to feel some energy coming back. 

Focus:

• If nothing else, just do a little bit of writing. That's all I ask. Just one little bit. 
• Update: I actually did quite a bit of writing. It's starting to look like the article might actually be more of a booklet.

Side challenges:

• Do next module of AAA driving course. DONE!
• Fill in at least one more line of the asset inventory worksheet. DONE!
• Read the next installment of the Las Rocas papers. DONE!

[Seabright]

Mon, July 27

 

Good weekend. Finished the asset inventory, found a new place for that one aquatint that we both like, did a big cook-up to prep lunches for the week, and took a nice drive. Slept in Big Time on Saturday, but didn't need a nap on Sunday. Energy slooowly coming back. Now I just need to be sure I don't start thinking that I can go out and do a 10-mile hike. 

 

Weigh-in brought things down by just under a pound. Slowly heading in the right direction. Did end up ordering a pair of jeans for this heavier (hopefully temporarily) me. No need to freeze to death wearing the only stretch-y waist pair of pants I own. 😉

 

Heading into this week feeling good. Ready to stay focused and move a couple things forward!

 

Okay! Bring on the awesomeness!!

 

Eating paleo:

• Breakfast - scrambled eggs with 3 sausage patties from the Harbor Cafe. 
• Lunch - turkey chili with broc
• Dinner - grilled chicken with onions, bells, and broc
• Snack - lime popsicle

Daily exercise:

• Light stretching in the morning.

Focus:

• Time to focus work energy on learning to be a better communicator and cross-functional partner. I have no idea how to do that, so maybe today I'll do a little scholarly research. Plus, I'd like to do a little writing, even if it's only 20 mins worth. Plus, I think it's time to try a little walk around the block.
• Update: None of these things happened. Had a speaker fail, and ended up using my free time to go get another one.

Side challenges:

• Take and pass the AAA driving course exam. Not done. Took it, but did not pass. I think this thing is rigged.
• Decide on next step in the estate planning process. DONE! 
• Read the next installment of the Las Rocas papers. Not done.