Tei challenges nothing at all

[tei_]

Apparently I am pretty terrible at actually coming back to challenges, but having something to do online besides stare at the front page of the NYT sounds like a good idea, so in this challenge I resolve to do WHATEVER I WAS GONNA DO ANYWAY, which this week is a resounding "permission to do nothing at all."

 

Tuesday night, though, I actually had gymnastics, and finally got my own chalk box (no more communal chalk!) and strap bar mitts (no more communal mitts, which god, why did I not do this earlier, those things were SO GROSS. The feeling of pulling on mitts still sticky with someone else's hand-sweat...) so I managed a bar routine and two sets of strap bar giants.

 

I also did a bit of tumbling on the floor, though nothing with back handsprings because my shoulder was Done from bars. I tried some front layouts on the real floor for the first time (lol) and did a bit of trampoline at the end-- the foam pit is also out of commission ATM due to generally being a disgusting unwashable petri dish, so there's some stuff I haven't been doing (my double tucks! I miss you!) but I actually managed to kind of land a couple 1 1/2 twists from the trampoline onto a mat.

 

 

Today, partner and I are going to a flu vaccine clinic at the university, which we're going to walk ~1hr each way, so... that and election anxiety are my exercise today, woooo.

 

 

 

[Manarelle]

5 hours ago, tei_ said:

in this challenge I resolve to do WHATEVER I WAS GONNA DO ANYWAY, which this week is a resounding "permission to do nothing at all."

 

Solid challenge, I can absolutely respect that, especially this week. Congrats on the new equipment, it's funny to think back on the casual views we had towards "oh yeah, that's a germy petri dish, nbd" in the past. I like the casual fall forward onto the high bar (I'm sure there's a name for that move but I am wildly ignorant of gymnastics names, sorry). You look so casual and ho hum  about nonchalantly falling off a bar and catching yourself from a faceplant.

 

Here's to a good solid mental care week of nothing (planned) at all. 

[tei_]

3 hours ago, Manarelle said:

I like the casual fall forward onto the high bar (I'm sure there's a name for that move but I am wildly ignorant of gymnastics names, sorry). You look so casual and ho hum  about nonchalantly falling off a bar and catching yourself from a faceplant.

Ahahah, thank you! IDK if it really has a name, just... jumping to the high bar, which might look more like a jump when you're shorter and more like a fall if you're... taller and/or chicken like me

[Mad Hatter]

Permission to do nothing is perfect. Though I'm still glad you went to gymnastics because that video is awesome. 🤩

[Epsilonte]

19 hours ago, Manarelle said:

You look so casual and ho hum  about nonchalantly falling off a bar and catching yourself from a faceplant.

 

Hahaha I was thinking the exact same thing. So awesome! 

 

Love the video.  Have fun with the challenge, it sounds great. Looking forward to more awesome videos!  

[DoubleTrouble]

That flow on the bars was very satisfying to watch. I'm in awe of your skill

[tei_]

8 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Permission to do nothing is perfect. Though I'm still glad you went to gymnastics because that video is awesome. 🤩

 

2 hours ago, Epsilonte said:

 

Hahaha I was thinking the exact same thing. So awesome! 

 

Love the video.  Have fun with the challenge, it sounds great. Looking forward to more awesome videos!  

 

1 hour ago, DoubleTrouble said:

That flow on the bars was very satisfying to watch. I'm in awe of your skill

 

Thank you guys!

 

Today I went and bought a digital camera off of someone on kijiji, as part of my preparations to get rid of my smartphone once the agreement is up in December. I already have the flip phone that I used to use and a tiny mp3 player (that I can clip onto my shirt when I work out, which is SO MUCH BETTER than needing a ginormous arm thing for my phone?) so the camera was the last Old Tech item on the list I needed I assume the novelty excitement of not having a smartphone will wear off after a little while, but... hopefully settle into a state of somewhat less general distractability.

 

Went to the gym and did some front squats, pushups, v-ups and handstands:

 

 

As of YESTERDAY, masks are FINALLY REQUIRED INDOORS HERE, so I was no longer the only person in the entire gym wearing one, but even so I've been avoiding the weight pit part of the gym and just using the... little barbells that they use for group classes? not sure if they have a name. So I pretty much just stick to this little studio room where nobody ever gets near me.

 

Remaining today... I need to watch yesterday's Supernatural episode, because my friends have Opinions so I guess I need to have Opinions too. (Besides "this TV show is terrible and I hate it.")

[Manarelle]

On 11/6/2020 at 5:30 PM, tei_ said:

(Besides "this TV show is terrible and I hate it.")

 

LOL. Personally, I have that opinion of many tv shows and find it works just well for me. Good luck, I guess?

 

Your handstands are awesome, and I love the bright flowery leggings! Glad people are being masked up, here's to safe workouts.

[WhiteGhost]

On 11/6/2020 at 3:27 AM, tei_ said:

so I managed a bar routine and two sets of strap bar giants

Wait, you are doing giant with just the mitts?  That is awesome.  

 

That gymnastics video was great, I like your routine

[tei_]

On 11/8/2020 at 11:04 AM, Manarelle said:

 

LOL. Personally, I have that opinion of many tv shows and find it works just well for me. Good luck, I guess?

 

Your handstands are awesome, and I love the bright flowery leggings! Glad people are being masked up, here's to safe workouts.

 

Thanks!

 

4 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

Wait, you are doing giant with just the mitts?  That is awesome.  

 

That gymnastics video was great, I like your routine

 

The mitts are just for use with straps that hold you to the bar! So like this, but if you don't have a piece on the bar that rotates around it like she does, then you need slippery felt mitts instead.

[raptron]

YAAAS GYMNASTICS

[WhiteGhost]

6 hours ago, tei_ said:

The mitts are just for use with straps that hold you to the bar! So like this, but if you don't have a piece on the bar that rotates around it like she does, then you need slippery felt mitts instead.

Ah, that makes sense.  I thought you were talking about just the leather grips    I use regular cheap cotton gloves for mine and then just throw them away when they get nasty.  I did notice that I am putting my hands into the straps differently from what she described, so I am going to try her way and see what difference it makes

[tei_]

Oof, have not had a great week exercise-wise, but on the plus side-- partner and I are going to look at a house for rent this afternoon! We're currently in an apartment that is kind of too small, but weren't looking for anything else particularly seriously. I was scrolling through kijiji aimlessly and found a house that is a block away from our current place a reasonable price, and has three bedrooms, a finished basement, and a back yard! Oh mannnn I really hope it works out.

 

Anyway, I did do gymnastics on Tuesday and went over the vault a couple times 😂 I have been really trying to do all four events every session, which is hard when I only have an hour and a half. And vault is the one that usually gets pushed out, and after none months of no gymnastics I was REALLY scared to actually go over for the first time.

 

[PaulG]

That is crazy impressive. Deeply jealous of all your spring-based equipment.

[raptron]

Yaaaas. Vault is... the worst, haha. Great work getting back into it! And fingers crossed on that apartment -- wow that sounds like so much space. 🤩

[WhiteGhost]

On 11/16/2020 at 2:28 AM, tei_ said:

after none months of no gymnastics I was REALLY scared to actually go over for the first time.

Oh man I haven't gone over a vault for decades, I sure wish I had access to one.

 

On 11/16/2020 at 11:39 PM, raptron said:

Vault is... the worst

 Can't be worse than beam?  o_O

[raptron]

15 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

 Can't be worse than beam?  o_O

Nah, it's definitely the worst. Beam is neat. Vault is like bad sprinting practice mixed with trying to make corrections in a thing that's over before you even realize you were supposed to do something differently that time. So then you have to try again... etc.

[PaulG]

1 hour ago, raptron said:

... trying to make corrections in a thing that's over before you even realize you were supposed to do something differently that time.

That sentence sums my entire experience with flips...

 

Vault does look worse though. At least with standing fronts and backs, you’re not sprinting into it.

[tei_]

On 11/19/2020 at 8:55 PM, WhiteGhost said:

Oh man I haven't gone over a vault for decades, I sure wish I had access to one.

Yeah, it's not really something that's easy to do on your own I used to go to a now-defunct parkour/crossfit gym that had some homemade wooden vaults, but I don't know if I would try flipping over them without... a lot of padding and setup, haha. I did some gymnastics vault-style flipping off of it, but that was only because they also had a janky homemade pit.

 

22 hours ago, raptron said:

Vault is like bad sprinting practice mixed with trying to make corrections in a thing that's over before you even realize you were supposed to do something differently that time.

Right! Also, when you do something wrong on beam you fall off and everyone nods understandingly and goes "ah, that looked difficult," whereas when you run down the vault strip at full tilt and then just crash your torso into the vault and yell "shit!" nobody is sympathetic in the least

 

20 hours ago, PaulG said:

That sentence sums my entire experience with flips...

PRETTY MUCH.

 

So. WE ARE MOVING. For January 1st! Into a HOUSE! That has room for my partner and I to both have our own workspace, and has a BACKYARD, with room for a GARDEN, and a COMPOST BIN, oh my god I'm so excited. Partner also wants to get an exercise bike, which will probably have to go in the living room because the ceiling in the basement is too low, but you know what, compared to our current living space having exercise equipment in the living room is JUST FINE. I could probably put my handstand canes there too, and maybe make a floor bar or some parallettes? I've been to the gym twice this week, and my routine seems to be "some sort of leg exercise, with the bodypump weights if the room they're in is free, some sort of arm exercise, probably pushups, some sort of handstand practice." I don't feel super comfortable going into the weight pit because the way it's set up doesn't really allow for everyone to stay out of each others' way, so... IDK, I could probably procure equivalent equipment at home and just stop going to the gym.

 

 

 

 

[Manarelle]

3 hours ago, tei_ said:

Right! Also, when you do something wrong on beam you fall off and everyone nods understandingly and goes "ah, that looked difficult," whereas when you run down the vault strip at full tilt and then just crash your torso into the vault and yell "shit!" nobody is sympathetic in the least

 

Oh, dude, ow. I'm sympathetic just listening to that, but I'm not a flippy-type person. 

 

3 hours ago, tei_ said:

So. WE ARE MOVING. For January 1st! Into a HOUSE! That has room for my partner and I to both have our own workspace, and has a BACKYARD, with room for a GARDEN, and a COMPOST BIN, oh my god I'm so excited.

 

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Congrats! That's a wonderful this to be excited about! Do you have a decent overlap of time to move? 

[tei_]

19 hours ago, Manarelle said:

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Congrats! That's a wonderful this to be excited about! Do you have a decent overlap of time to move? 

THANK YOU! And yes, it should be a pretty easy move— it’s only a block away, and we’re going to have an unavoidable overlap of paying rent at the old and new places, which isn’t ideal but means we’ll have all of January to get set up. I also have a (double bass player) colleague with a large van who’s offered to help, so hopefully we’ll be able to get stuff like the mattress over without even renting anything. 

(I suggested that we just walk the mattress down the street over our heads, but for SOME REASON, partner was not a fan of that plan.)

[raptron]

Ahhhh, so exciting! I know the overlapping month is more expensive, but it makes moves WAY LESS STRESSFUL, so awesome call, IMO.

[Mad Hatter]

On 11/21/2020 at 6:56 PM, tei_ said:

Right! Also, when you do something wrong on beam you fall off and everyone nods understandingly and goes "ah, that looked difficult," whereas when you run down the vault strip at full tilt and then just crash your torso into the vault and yell "shit!" nobody is sympathetic in the least

Oh no I disagree, vault seems like the worst.  

 

YAY YAY YAY for the new house! 

[Manarelle]

On 11/22/2020 at 10:57 AM, tei_ said:

THANK YOU! And yes, it should be a pretty easy move— it’s only a block away, and we’re going to have an unavoidable overlap of paying rent at the old and new places, which isn’t ideal but means we’ll have all of January to get set up. I also have a (double bass player) colleague with a large van who’s offered to help, so hopefully we’ll be able to get stuff like the mattress over without even renting anything. 

(I suggested that we just walk the mattress down the street over our heads, but for SOME REASON, partner was not a fan of that plan.)

 

We had a move like this once - literally a suburban block away. We got a couple strange looks from the neighbors as we walked the mattresses down the road, but when we explained the situation, they laughed and said it was a brilliant idea. Easiest move ever, and I think we did it in a week. The double payment is annoying, but as you say, nice to not have any time stress or rental costs. 

[@mu]

On 11/21/2020 at 5:56 PM, tei_ said:

So. WE ARE MOVING. For January 1st! Into a HOUSE! That has room for my partner and I to both have our own workspace, and has a BACKYARD, with room for a GARDEN, and a COMPOST BIN, oh my god I'm so excited. Partner also wants to get an exercise bike, which will probably have to go in the living room because the ceiling in the basement is too low, but you know what, compared to our current living space having exercise equipment in the living room is JUST FINE. I could probably put my handstand canes there too, and maybe make a floor bar or some parallettes?

 

Oh my, that's so exciting!  A garden is pretty cool! And it's just so much nicer to have space for home practice.

 

And that handstand pirouette was brilliant!