[Mistr]

Mistr picks things up - late autumn 2022

 

Last challenge I took a step back, which I desperately needed for my mental health. I no longer feel like I am racing with the Red Queen.

 

 

I feel like I've stopped long enough to look around and see where I am at and look at where I want to go. Part of that is taking my time getting there. The journey is more important than the destination.

 

Things to pick up for this challenge:

 

1. Aikido. I have been taking breaks and coming back, which means I'm frustrated about not making real progress. I am vastly happier when I do aikido. I can be strategic about when I go, but my goal is 2 or 3 classes a week.

 

2. Heavy things. My strength training was moving along earlier this fall, then I let it slip again. I feel better when I am doing it regularly. Goal is 2 or 3 sessions a week.

 

3. Stuff around my house. That starts with a major cleaning this weekend because I am hosting my spinning group on Monday. None of them will say anything about how I keep house, but most of them are middle-aged women and they will all notice. I am planning another party for dojo people in early December, so I have reason to keep things tidy.

 

4. Stuff that has accumulated. I have been moving the same set of boxes between the family room and the out-of-sight-but-very-much-in-the-way pile in the bedroom every time we have guests. I want to take time and just deal with the stuff. If I decide not to deal with it now, it can go in storage.

 

5. Yard and garden. Time for the fall picking up and putting away. Drain the hoses, take down the tomato cages, spread the compost on the garden. Most of that should happen this weekend because the weather is going to be perfect.

 

6. Start working on the downstairs bedroom remodeling project again. This has been on hold for nearly a year. 

 

Things to keep going:

• Zen - at least 10 minutes a day, 30 preferred
• Go to bed early. This has been more of a struggle than I'd like it to be
• Knitting and spinning. Do more of these instead of phone games in the evening.
• Duolingo
• Stay on task at work and stop on time. Still a struggle, but making good progress on this.
• No caffeine for this challenge. I started strict restriction on this over a week ago. No caffeine will help with the get more sleep goal. I can make other tasty beverages.

 

I am in good shape to start working on the project goals because past me scheduled several random days off in the next several weeks. I have four weeks of vacation time, I can afford to take a day here and there.

 

[Harriet]

Yay for lifting heavy things!!! And I'm sure tidying the house will be beneficial for you, too. It's just nicer when our spaces aren't cluttered. Our thoughts don't bounce chaotically off the stuff but vibrate at coherent frequencies when all is tidy and orderly without.

[Sovalis]

Great goals! I'm here to follow along for the rebuilding of the routine! 

[RES]

On 10/21/2022 at 8:26 PM, Mistr said:

That starts with a major cleaning this weekend

I love the feeling when my house is clean, but the process to get it there is not fun...trying to maintain mine after the big cleaning project two weeks ago (with 4 animals in residence) is interesting to say the least...I wish you luck!

 

[Mistr]

I picked up many things this weekend and had people over. I am very happy with how it turned out.

 

I keep running into my maternal relative's expectations for a clean house. Those are just unrealistic for me, but I have an awful time setting more reasonable goals. I need to get these particular brain weasels under control.

 

Things done:

• Grocery shopping
• Made chicken soup (thank you @Sovalis for the recipe!) it was a hit with my family
• Cleaned out dead plants from the back garden, cut old raspberry canes, got rid of all the old string on the fence, beat back the aggressive oregano along the path, drained the hoses, put away the tomato cages and trellis, and covered the air conditioner.
• Put away bedding from last weekend's houseguest
• Closed the awnings on the back porch and set up more lights so it can function as a 3-season room. Elf cleaned up the smoking paraphernalia and tidied up.
• Cleaned the upstairs toilet
• Washed dishes - achieved Victory Over Dishes.
• Scrubbed the stove, counter and sink.
• Moved all the stuff off the kitchen island except the seasonal collection of winter squash
• Moved all the stuff off the dining room table and put on a clean table cloth
• Moved almost everything off the bathroom counter.
• Swept the upstairs and front entry
• Vacuumed the entry - lots of leaves getting tracked in
• Helped Dumbledore vacuum the living room and bathroom rug
• Spot treated dirty spots on kitchen floor (ran out of time to mop)
• Wiped down the bathroom counter and sink (forgot to do this until the last minute)
• Made chocolate cookies with white chips
• Set up mugs, coffee, tea and cider
• Washed and put out a bowl of blackberries, raspberries and grapes.

Written up like this, it is a lot. Doing it felt like a lot too, but my brain was not satisfied until right before people got there on Monday evening. I had five peaceful minutes of sitting on the couch waiting for my friends to arrive.

 

It has taken me until I am this many years old to realize that just maybe my friends don't keep house perfectly. Maybe they throw everything from the dining room table in a box and stash it in the closet. Maybe those gleaming counters get repopulated with everyday things after the guests leave. Nobody's telling, but I have my suspicions.

 

Now I have a clean house and most of a batch of cookies. I also got a lot of spinning done. I am taking a break from spinning the taupe Border Leichester lamb fleece to spin some of the colorful roving I got at the sheep & wool festival in September. I will have to take photos, it is shiny.

 

I did not pick up heavy things at all over the weekend. I did go to two aikido classes and a dojo meeting. I would like to do strength training after work today if I still have the energy.

 

I am very thankful to my former self for scheduling two days off at the end of this week.

 

 

[Harriet]

9 minutes ago, Mistr said:

It has taken me until I am this many years old to realize that just maybe my friends don't keep house perfectly. Maybe they throw everything from the dining room table in a box and stash it in the closet. Maybe those gleaming counters get repopulated with everyday things after the guests leave. Nobody's telling, but I have my suspicions.

 

There's only one way to find out. Visit unannounced. Then gaze upon their rooms and their things and judge. Judge them before they judge you.

[Sovalis]

That is such a long list! Wow! Way to go! I have brain weasels about housekeeping when company is coming as well, particularly if it is my Gramparents as my Grandfather has significant OCD and I worry I would be very very judged because he would be uncomfortable. I don’t think Dave and I are gross by any stretch, but we are a clutters kind of household and that gets old fast. 

 

I am also very excited that you enjoyed the soup. I have it for lunch again today! Almost out of it, so I will have to make something else for lunches. I am thinking butter chicken. 

 

Glad you got to Aikido and hope you have the energy for your strength training.  

[RES]

2 hours ago, Mistr said:

Maybe they throw everything from the dining room table in a box and stash it in the closet. Maybe those gleaming counters get repopulated with everyday things after the guests leave. Nobody's telling, but I have my suspicions

Well I don't have a dining room table but don't open the closets anyway  and my counters are always populated, but you're still welcome to drop by if you're in the area  

 

[Mistr]

Planning time off in advance was a Good Idea.

 

I took yesterday as a honest-to-gosh Vacation Day.

 

I had no obligations and only left the house to go for a walk. I did do some cooking and folded laundry with Dumbledore. It was fine because I didn't have to do it. Hermes came over and we had a real dinner to celebrate his birthday (earlier this month). I was not able to talk myself into strength training, but I did do zen.

 

Today I am working on projects. Now I can do strength training because it is avoiding doing projects.  

 

Tonight I am substitute teaching aikido with my weapons partner. I have one commitment tomorrow and planning on shopping with Dumbledore. I think I am going to leave Sunday completely open so I can get more projects done.

 

I am trying to take care of the little things that keep getting shoved to the back of the list.

[Sovalis]

This sounds excellent! I'm so happy for you to get a break and tackle some to-do's! 🥳🎉

[RES]

On 10/28/2022 at 3:24 PM, Mistr said:

Today I am working on projects. Now I can do strength training because it is avoiding doing projects.  

 

I too use this logic  

[Mistr]

I did indeed do strength training on Friday. I did not do it on Sunday as planned. I looked at the list of things I wanted to get done over the weekend and wanted to make more progress more than I wanted to do strength training.

 

I am thinking that I would be happier if I went back to a 9:30pm - 5:30am sleep schedule. That is still the theory, but for the last several months it has actually been 10:00-6:00. I got up early this morning because I could not get back to sleep. That gave me time to do yoga before work. I can do a full strength workout on days I work from home if I allow myself just a little more time and I get enough sleep that I have the energy to do it.

 

I realized I need to allow 5-10 minutes for petting the cat. 

 

This guy hears me get up and insists on getting attention. It is hard to resist someone who comes running and purrs at me. Plus he is invisible in the dark.

 

I am still trying to figure out a better way to sort out my to-do list so I feel like I'm getting the important things done. I took time this weekend to deal with a lot of little things that had been left hanging. That was good, but there are some big projects that I barely touched. I did quite a bit of cooking because I wanted good food in the house. Not have meals ready adds to anxiety for me.

 

This does not mean that no one else has been cooking. Elf made calazones this weekend. Cleo made chicken last week, but that is nearly gone. Dumbledore has not done any cooking at all for several weeks. I batch cooked squash, sweet potatoes and grilled chicken breast. I did the prep cooking for soup - made stock from a ham bone and cooked beans. I also made pumpkin bread (from a freshly baked pumpkin!) for work.

 

Elf and Cleo did the grocery shopping without being asked. 🥰 That makes up some for not doing other things they have been asked to do, like mowing the lawn and cleaning various things. They have both been busy with school.

[Mistr]

My current fiber project is spinning this 50/50 Merino (wool)/Tencel roving:

 

into this yarn:

 

The shiny part is the Tencel. I am planning on chain-plying it to keep the long stretches of color. This has been a fun break from my piles of taupe wool.

 

Plan for tonight:

Duolingo using work internet

Aikido

Make soup so I have food for breakfast for the week

Sit zen

Get to bed by 9:30pm

 

This will be a challenge.

[Scaly Freak]

The yarn is beautiful!

[sarakingdom]

1 hour ago, Mistr said:

I realized I need to allow 5-10 minutes for petting the cat. 

 

Or you could send the cat to me. I also cannot resist a handsome feline gentleman who purrs at me.

[Sovalis]

You make your own yarn? That's so COOL! 🤯 The colours are lovely and shimmery. I like it a lot! 

 

I hope you're able to get your to do list handled for tonight. I hear you on the not having food ready anxiety, that's been a little bit of a thing for me lately too. I hope that others are able to help shoulder some of that work. 

[RES]

12 hours ago, Mistr said:

This guy hears me get up and insists on getting attention. It is hard to resist someone who comes running and purrs at me

My three are the reason I have to workout behind a closed door, it would never happen otherwise.

Had the little one try to jump on the treadmill with me once 🤦🏻‍♀️

 

I love the yarn! Those colors are beautiful!

[Harriet]

14 hours ago, Mistr said:

My current fiber project is spinning this 50/50 Merino (wool)/Tencel roving:

 

into this yarn:

 

 

It's so fine and consistent, and I love the colour variations. Really very nice ❤️

[Kishi]

23 hours ago, Mistr said:

I got up early this morning because I could not get back to sleep. That gave me time to do yoga before work. I can do a full strength workout on days I work from home if I allow myself just a little more time and I get enough sleep that I have the energy to do it.

 

Yeah, for sure. You really do want to be well-rested before getting after stuff. I tend to think that's the difference between training and "working out." Hopefully, getting down earlier will come to feel like a relief/reward and be easier as a result.

[Mistr]

I backed off on things this weekend and I think that was a good move.

 

I concentrated on the one big project that I have been putting off. I worked on it both Saturday and Sunday, and made substantial progress. The next step does not look quite so scary as it did.

 

I did not go to aikido or do strength training. I did one decent yoga session and a long walk on Saturday. My only movement on Sunday was a short grocery shopping trip.

 

I finished spinning the fiber shown above, did some mending and some cooking. And I sat on the couch and read a book. I am looking forward to doing more relaxing and reading. 

 

Tonight will be aikido because it has been too long and I need to pick up my weapons before Wednesday. When I get home I need to make chili to take to work tomorrow. I did most of the prep cooking yesterday. I'm not fooling myself, making the sauce is going to take me an hour or more.

 

My plan to use time change to shift my schedule earlier did not work. I am going to have to implement this the old-fashioned way. Wish me luck.

[Harriet]

Good luck. But what's the old fashioned way? Just get up a few minutes earlier each day for a week?

[Sovalis]

Sounds like you had a good, restorative weekend. I am glad for you. Hopefully the old-fashioned way works out. Keep us posted!

[Mistr]

6 hours ago, Harriet said:

Good luck. But what's the old fashioned way? Just get up a few minutes earlier each day for a week?

 

The old-fashioned way is making a point of going to bed earlier so I can get up earlier. I already know this is going to be a struggle.

 

I stayed up late the last two evenings, mostly doing cooking. We had a chili lunch at work today and I was voluntold to bring in chili. I made a white chicken chili which is a favorite of Hermes (my former housemate). It got rave reviews from my coworkers, which was gratifying. 

 

I debated not going to aikido yesterday because I knew cooking would take longer than I estimated.  You would think that chopping up three onions, sauteing them, and dumping a bunch of stuff in the pot would take less than an hour. You would be wrong if you were looking at me.  I stayed on-task the entire evening and still got done after 10pm.

 

There was some time lost searching for the cumin. I finally found the empty jar in the "refill at  the co-op" bag. Oops. That was me. I would have put it on the grocery list if I had remembered I used it up. I thought briefly about going to the store and decided it could wait. It made more sense to stop by the grocery on my way to work.  I stirred the cumin into the chili when I transferred it to the crockpot, and that worked fine.

 

I am glad I went to aikido because there were only five of us, including the instructor.  Classes have been small lately. I think a lot of people are pressed for time.

 

The only thing firmly on my list for this evening is going to vote with Elf and Cleo. Dumbledore went early this morning so he could encourage others. I have a bunch of things on my wish list. I suspect I will just do dishes or laundry and read a book.

[Sovalis]

Would you be willing to share your chilli recipe? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a white chilli before.

 

Good job voting! It’s amazing how much the American elections are being talked about up here. I swear we don’t talk about our own elections this much.

 

What are you reading? I am reading Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn for the first time. I am enjoying it quite a bit.  

[RES]

On 11/8/2022 at 3:37 PM, Mistr said:

The only thing firmly on my list for this evening is going to vote with Elf and Cleo. Dumbledore went early this morning so he could encourage others. I have a bunch of things on my wish list. I suspect I will just do dishes or laundry and read a book.

I have a kindle that I've been known to take and read while standing in line. I used to do it with books but some were less portable than others