[Treva]

 

Hey Squad.  I’m sorry it’s been a while, and I didn’t mean to ignore your messages (specially @Mistr).  I hope everyone is ok and healthy.  I’m looking forward to catching up.

I’m really excited to be in my new training program.  I like my new colleagues, and my family situation has settled out. I need a schedule.  Having some structure will help with going forward.

 

I know a lot of people will be discussing covid. 

I realized I did not post about my entire experience.  Especially the really bad parts.  They are difficult to talk about.

 

For this challenge

Goals – Initiate – one new piece, 2 healthy habits, three one-offs a week

New Piece: BWV 614 Das alte Jahr vergangen ist.  Backup is to revive in dir ist freude.

Healthy habit 1 – do one yoga pose before bed

Healthy habit 2 – do 5 passes through the meyer’s square most days a week.

Fitness one-offs

-        Pilates x1/week

-        Swim x1/week

-        S&S x1/week

Nutrition: awareness of refined sugars

 

Meet 50% - Get a new piece of music

Meet 75% or more – Get a new piece of music AND a new bookshelf.  Set of thermal curtains.

 

Fun Non Mandatory Things to Do this Month

-Bake

-Redo my bathroom – in progress.

-Work on some Vierne

-work on novels

 

Template for Updates

 

BWV 614 Progress:

Yoga Habit:    /7

Meyers Square habit:    /7

Pilates:   /1

Swim:     /1

S&S:       /1

Nutrition notes:

Sanity/discipline notes:

 

 

Week 1 Grade: 50%

Week 2 Grade:  75-80%

Week 3 Grade: 75% - bonuses for doing a Hard Procedure at work

Week 4 Grade: 65%

[Mistr]

On 12/26/2022 at 11:30 PM, Treva said:

I’m really excited to be in my new training program.  I like my new colleagues, and my family situation has settled out. I need a schedule.  Having some structure will help with going forward.

 

I am happy that you have a new training program you like and good colleagues. 

 

Are you in a new living situation too?

[Kishi]

Hey, welcome back! Looks like life is still going on.

 

On 12/27/2022 at 12:30 AM, Treva said:

Fun Non Mandatory Things to Do this Month

...

-work on novels

 

Novels, you say? Do go on!

[Treva]

On 12/28/2022 at 1:21 PM, Mistr said:

 

I am happy that you have a new training program you like and good colleagues. 

 

Are you in a new living situation too?

Yes. I finally finished residency and started my fellowship, which has been lovely.

I Am!!!! Thank you for asking! I am living in my own one bedroom that I can keep as clean as I like! I am so less stressed and depressed. It is so nice to have control of my surroundings. I can vacuum and mop and take out the trash and do dishes to my hearts content. I have granite cleaner!!

 

On 12/29/2022 at 2:09 AM, Kishi said:

Hey, welcome back! Looks like life is still going on.

 

 

Novels, you say? Do go on!

Thank you! it is, although there were several months of absolute chaos. Including failed attempts at online dating I have all but given up on. And, well, the apocalypse. That too.

yes! I almost did nanowrimo. I have a bunch of WIPs but I’m not sure any are worthy of reading yet. A lot of work still to be done on them.

[Mistr]

1 hour ago, Treva said:

Yes. I finally finished residency and started my fellowship, which has been lovely.

I Am!!!! Thank you for asking! I am living in my own one bedroom that I can keep as clean as I like! I am so less stressed and depressed. It is so nice to have control of my surroundings. I can vacuum and mop and take out the trash and do dishes to my hearts content. I have granite cleaner!!

 

Yay for having your own place!

 

It is sooooooo nice to have things stay clean when you clean them. It sounds like a swanky place if you have granite to clean.

 

Which type of medicine is your fellowship in?  (if you don't mind my asking)

[Treva]

On 12/30/2022 at 7:27 PM, Mistr said:

 

Yay for having your own place!

 

It is sooooooo nice to have things stay clean when you clean them. It sounds like a swanky place if you have granite to clean.

 

Which type of medicine is your fellowship in?  (if you don't mind my asking)

It is a little swanky. Not excessively fancy, but safe and spacious enough for my needs. I am content. You are correct! It is soooo soooo sooooooooo nice to have things stay clean. I clean them. And then no one puts anything on counters except me!! I am luxuriating in it.

 

i don’t mind; pulmonary and critical care. It’s intense, and I have a lot to learn and improve on, but I enjoy it. Thank you for asking!!

 

—————-

 

BWV 614 Progress: not started. Traveled back yesterday.

Yoga Habit:   0/7

Meyers Square habit:    1/7

Pilates:   /1

Swim:     /1

S&S:       /1

Nutrition notes: Made marshmallows today, but also made a healthy lunch and breakfast instead of grabbing some fast food. 

Sanity/discipline notes: I am harder on myself than I need to be. Especially when it comes to interpersonal interactions. There’s a big “I am not enough” monster in the brain to conquer this challenge.

[Treva]

BWV 614 Progress:  Started today. It was easier than I thought to begin, and it will be a fun one to learn. Definitely will be ready for February.

Yoga Habit:   2/7

Meyers Square habit:    4/7

Pilates:  0/1

Swim:    1/1

S&S:      1/1

Sanity:  I have stopped taking my melatonin, and working on dealing with my anxiety more. I have been writing down the things that make me anxious, or the things I need to do the next day, to help settle my brain. I missed out on Pilates when a friend came over to chat, which was nice. I haven’t had a friend I can be honest with in a while. He and I reconnecting came at s good time for both of us. I am not as bad a friend as I thought I was. 
 

I would call this a solid start, especially since it is after not doing anything at all.

[Kishi]

3 hours ago, Treva said:

I am not as bad a friend as I thought I was. 

 

FWIW, 80% of success in friendships is just showing up, or so I've heard. You'd be surprised at how much mileage you can get out of just connecting with folk, though.

[Treva]

On 1/7/2023 at 1:32 AM, Kishi said:

 

FWIW, 80% of success in friendships is just showing up, or so I've heard. You'd be surprised at how much mileage you can get out of just connecting with folk, though.

Makes sense.  I am learning that for all the times I've forgotten to text someone back, someone hasn't replied to me either. 

 

I had a meeting with one of my bosses - routine - where we talked about working on my confidence.  I don't think I'm in bad shape, and she says I'm still doing well and meeting or exceeding my milestones.  I think I was feeling intimidated by my colleagues, but then after talking to one of them later realized I didn't have to feel that way. We talked about a journal to work on, and she gave me a hug at the end, and I think it will be fine.

 

Summary and Things to try for next week.

BWV 614 Progress: Started.  I love having forscore on my ipad.  It makes practice so much easier.  Again, a bach piece being "easy" is new to me.

Yoga Habit: I GOTTA DO THIS.  I unrolled my mat next to my bed so I have no excuse.  If all I do is childs pose every night, this is success.

Meyers Square habit:   Working out well.  My poster came in so I don't have to set up youtube every time I want to work on my form.  I've found I can get through 5 sets in the amount of time it takes to heat up dinner - perfect.  I'm going to work on perfecting basic footwork and long full strikes this week.

Pilates:  I GOTTA DO THIS.

Swim:   this is the best thing I did for myself this week.  I had to share a lane which meant talking to someone (yay meeting people), and my muscles hurt less getting out of the pool than getting in.  Win! May try 2x this week.

S&S:   once a week is good.  I did it with the 5 lb kb just to get things moving again, and I should be able to up my swings to 10lbs this week.

Nutrition notes: Going well.  Now that I am in my apartment and away from all the treats at home, I can stick to my usual deserts of low sugar dark chocolate, or tea.  My skin is actually looking better.

Sanity notes: Use my CBT journal 3x a week

I had such a nice talk with my friend this week; it was lovely to reconnect with him.  We talked about how I have been doing, and how he and I have both been in and out of therapy over the years - I usually get discharged quickly and told I'm fine.  After discussing this with him, he finally said "I think you're actually fine and really don't need therapy.  We (musician scientists) just exist in a constant state of identity crisis."   We talked and agree that balance is a lie and sometimes I will need to do more music, sometimes I will need to do more science, this is The Way, and I have achieved enough mastery in both that as long as one side does not lapse for too long, I can still be reasonably good at both.  I want to leave work on time over the next month to be awake enough to use my journal. 

Sleep - I'm adding this because I think it's a much bigger impact on my mood and functioning than I appreciated.  I probably need 8-9 hours a night, and only get 6-7.  I want to target not just 8 hours in bed, but 8 hours of real, high quality shuteye. 

 

TL;DR

 - swim again, maybe more than once

- prioritize pilates, yoga, journaling habit, sleep

- swords gonna sword. S&S escalation this week.

[Kishi]

On 1/8/2023 at 10:35 AM, Treva said:

I had such a nice talk with my friend this week; it was lovely to reconnect with him.  We talked about how I have been doing, and how he and I have both been in and out of therapy over the years - I usually get discharged quickly and told I'm fine.  After discussing this with him, he finally said "I think you're actually fine and really don't need therapy.  We (musician scientists) just exist in a constant state of identity crisis."   We talked and agree that balance is a lie and sometimes I will need to do more music, sometimes I will need to do more science, this is The Way, and I have achieved enough mastery in both that as long as one side does not lapse for too long, I can still be reasonably good at both.

 

An observation about handstands: when you balance on your hands, it's not a perfect thing. That perfect bodyline isn't some perfect stacking of bones and joints. It's dynamic. It sways back and forth, especially at first, and the balance in fact is a result of a million micro-adjustments, from one position to the next.

 

Balance, in other words, isn't static. It's dynamic. So you don't necessarily have to hit everything at once - go as far as you need to get done what needs to get done in one way, then swing back the other. What that looks like will be up to you, but don't lose hope. I really think you're on the right track with this.

 

On 1/8/2023 at 10:35 AM, Treva said:

Makes sense.  I am learning that for all the times I've forgotten to text someone back, someone hasn't replied to me either. 

 

Yeah girl. It's a 2-way street. Grace and forgiveness for others, for sure, but you're under no obligations to forget. ;

[Mistr]

On 1/8/2023 at 9:35 AM, Treva said:

I had a meeting with one of my bosses - routine - where we talked about working on my confidence.  I don't think I'm in bad shape, and she says I'm still doing well and meeting or exceeding my milestones.  I think I was feeling intimidated by my colleagues, but then after talking to one of them later realized I didn't have to feel that way. We talked about a journal to work on, and she gave me a hug at the end, and I think it will be fine.

 

Yay! It can be scary to be the new person in a team. You know everyone has more experience than you. What you may not know is how happy they are to have you joining the team. Everyone I know desperately needs more reliable team members. They are more than happy to help you learn new things so you can be more effective. Everything you do at work lightens their load. 

 

 

On 1/8/2023 at 9:35 AM, Treva said:

Swim:   this is the best thing I did for myself this week.  I had to share a lane which meant talking to someone (yay meeting people), and my muscles hurt less getting out of the pool than getting in.  Win! May try 2x this week.

 

I used to swim at lunch when I was in grad school. That was great. I am glad you have a place you can swim and it is helping you feel better.

 

On 1/8/2023 at 9:35 AM, Treva said:

Sleep - I'm adding this because I think it's a much bigger impact on my mood and functioning than I appreciated.  I probably need 8-9 hours a night, and only get 6-7.  I want to target not just 8 hours in bed, but 8 hours of real, high quality shuteye. 

 

Oh yes, this is so true. You can function on 6-7 hours of sleep and convince yourself that you are okay. Your brain does a bunch of stuff (you would know what better than me) if you are running short on sleep. The world becomes a much happier place when you get enough sleep. My previous therapist told me that 90% of interpersonal problems are due to sleep deprivation.

[Treva]

On 1/9/2023 at 11:45 AM, Kishi said:

An observation about handstands: when you balance on your hands, it's not a perfect thing. That perfect bodyline isn't some perfect stacking of bones and joints. It's dynamic. It sways back and forth, especially at first, and the balance in fact is a result of a million micro-adjustments, from one position to the next.

 

Balance, in other words, isn't static. It's dynamic. So you don't necessarily have to hit everything at once - go as far as you need to get done what needs to get done in one way, then swing back the other. What that looks like will be up to you, but don't lose hope. I really think you're on the right track with this.

I try to remind myself of this all the time.  I know all the microadjustments my body has to do when I'm practicing a balancing pose, so I should be able to translate that to daily life, right?  should, being the key words here. 
Thank you.  Your words of encouragement are always appreciated and helpful.

 

On 1/9/2023 at 11:45 AM, Kishi said:

Yeah girl. It's a 2-way street. Grace and forgiveness for others, for sure, but you're under no obligations to forget. ;

Yeah!  Yeah.  I've started taking to sending adorable animal videos to friends I haven't heard from in a while.  Wildly successful thus far.

 

3 hours ago, Mistr said:

 

Yay! It can be scary to be the new person in a team. You know everyone has more experience than you. What you may not know is how happy they are to have you joining the team. Everyone I know desperately needs more reliable team members. They are more than happy to help you learn new things so you can be more effective. Everything you do at work lightens their load. 

Thank you for this.  That makes a lot of sense.  Something that is concordant with figuring out how to lighten the workload was a surgeon today saying that before she would go do something she was a little unsure of, would ask herself "Am I a fate worse than death?".  If the answer is no, do the thing.  If the answer is yes, wait for help.  So, being unsure and not being as experienced as somebody else doesn't make me a fate worse than death, and it might make me the only person for the job since my bosses have other things they need to do. 

You're right.  They need to have less things on their plate, so I have to do the procedures.  Thanks!

 

3 hours ago, Mistr said:

I used to swim at lunch when I was in grad school. That was great. I am glad you have a place you can swim and it is helping you feel better.

Swimming is therapy. 

 

3 hours ago, Mistr said:

Oh yes, this is so true. You can function on 6-7 hours of sleep and convince yourself that you are okay. Your brain does a bunch of stuff (you would know what better than me) if you are running short on sleep. The world becomes a much happier place when you get enough sleep. My previous therapist told me that 90% of interpersonal problems are due to sleep deprivation.

You and your previous therapist are on the money.  People would be better communicators if they slept more.  And I would be better at my jobs if I slept more too.

 

So, I took tonight "off", meaning, I did less studying and practicing and more unwinding since today was long.

 

BWV 614 Progress: Started, working on it, didn't do any today because I wanted to give myself a bit of a break. 

Yoga Habit:    4/7     Been doing this before swords.  Good idea.

Meyers Square habit:   3 /7  I added 15 minutes of bike cardio today, just to get back into it. 

Pilates:   0/1 - on the schedule for tomorrow or friday.

Swim:     0/1 - on the schedule for saturday

S&S:       1/1  I added overarm rows to help with some work demands.

Nutrition notes: I am back to listening to my body, and eating when I feel hungry.  I am trying to hydrate more, not to stave off hunger, but because I need it.  Switching grocery delivery services allowed me to buy more fresh fruits and veggies and stay under budget (!!!)

Sanity: doing better, but haven't been journaling.  I want to get on that tonight.

Sleep notes: I stopped taking my melatonin for the last week or so.  I think I get somewhat better sleep, but it's still taking me a long time to fall asleep.

I'm also realizing my inability to get out of bed in the morning is not because I'm lazy, or I hate everything, or I'm depressed.  It's because I'm tired and I spent so much time out of my bed, it's nice to be in it as long as possible!  I just hate getting out of it, and that is ok.  Setting myself up in the morning so I can sleep in as much as possible is officially the way to go.

 

So far

Sleep: improved, need to get better at going to bed on time and waking up as late as possible.  Terror is the only way to get me out of bed at this point.

Yoga: success!

Sanity: gotta work on this more.

[Kishi]

55 minutes ago, Treva said:

Yeah!  Yeah.  I've started taking to sending adorable animal videos to friends I haven't heard from in a while.  Wildly successful thus far.

 

[Mistr]

On 1/11/2023 at 8:40 PM, Treva said:

So, I took tonight "off", meaning, I did less studying and practicing and more unwinding since today was long.

 

Yay!

 

On 1/11/2023 at 8:40 PM, Treva said:

Sleep notes: I stopped taking my melatonin for the last week or so.  I think I get somewhat better sleep, but it's still taking me a long time to fall asleep.

I'm also realizing my inability to get out of bed in the morning is not because I'm lazy, or I hate everything, or I'm depressed.  It's because I'm tired and I spent so much time out of my bed, it's nice to be in it as long as possible!  I just hate getting out of it, and that is ok.  Setting myself up in the morning so I can sleep in as much as possible is officially the way to go.

 

What are you doing in the hour before going to bed?

 

I have found (much to my disappointment) that eating chocolate in the evening does bad things for my sleep. Apparently theobromine is too much like caffeine for my brain. Everyone knows that looking at screens before bed is a Bad Idea. It might be a good time for journaling. You can write things down so your brain does not need to remember them when you are trying to sleep.

[Treva]

On 1/13/2023 at 6:40 PM, Mistr said:

 

What are you doing in the hour before going to bed?

 

I have found (much to my disappointment) that eating chocolate in the evening does bad things for my sleep. Apparently theobromine is too much like caffeine for my brain. Everyone knows that looking at screens before bed is a Bad Idea. It might be a good time for journaling. You can write things down so your brain does not need to remember them when you are trying to sleep.

I am probably watching a little TV, journaling, and having some chocolate.  Two of those things are probably a bad idea.  I could switch over to audiobooks, or regular books before bedtime.  I do like regular books.  The journaling is helpful, and I can probably keep that one.

 

Weekly Wrap Up, and Goals for next week.

BWV 614 Progress: I didn't work as much on this one this week, but it's pretty much to tempo (since it's so slow!).

Yoga Habit:  5  /7

Meyers Square habit:  5  /7  I've added 15 minutes of cardio 3x this week and it's been good.  I could continue that trend, but not adding pressure on myself.

Pilates:  1 /1

Swim:     1/1

S&S:       1/1

Weekly Hacks

Nutrition: mealprepped, and picked salads instead of large pasta dishes at our provided lunches this week.

Discipline: subscribed to a newsletter on how to build better performance practices from one of my favorite music blogs.

Sanity: Spent the whole afternoon and evening yesterday with another girl from my program.  Was so nice to find someone I had so much in common with from a personal perspective! 

Sleep notes: The last two nights I have been garbage, so I grabbed the melatonin again.  Also some vitamin D to start taking, to help with my mood (maybe, who knows).

Overall, this is probably a 75-80% success this week.

 

Looking ahead - next week things get busy again.  Finding a day to do S&S will be the hardest, but if I can get out even one day at a reasonable time, I can do it.

Wednesday will be a big swim and nutrition day. 

I am going to note that goals will change slightly for the last week.  I won't have access to a pool or to my KBs, so I may choose to focus on yoga and pilates only that week. 

[Treva]

So, as expected, it was hard to update this last week - but not as hard to do the challenge!

 

Fun Non Mandatory Things to Do this Month

-Bake - doing this today!  I'm trying to make turkish delight, and going to try swiss buttercream for the first time.

-Redo my bathroom – done!  I like it much better.  I am stuck with a gray bathroom, so I went with high contrast and pops of pink.  Works well.

-Work on some Vierne - also did a little bit of this.

-work on novels

 

 

BWV 614 Progress:  I didn't touch it as much this past week, but I am still working on bach g minor

Yoga Habit:  5  /7

Meyers Square habit:   5 /7 

Pilates:   1/1 +bonus 15 minutes bike cardio.

Swim:     1/1

S&S:       1/1

Nutrition notes: I have been better about packing small snacks and trying to get through the fruits first.  The mealprepping I did before makes things a little easier for me to tackle too - even if I come home hungry and tired, it takes 10 minutes to both make dinner and set my meals up for the next day.

Sleep notes: I think this is better? I'm waking up intermittently in the middle of the night, but I still feel more rested the next day. I'm back on melatonin and vitamin D.

Discipline: I made it through the practice newsletter, and I am doing most of the things they recommend musicians do to perform well.  I do need to work on my performance practice - I think conducting myself into a piece is the best way to start.

Sanity and work stuff: I am finding my friends at work, and finding out who is a good colleague.  This is normal.  I am also in a better place at work - I have conquered a lot of the things that frighten me, and I know now I can do all the important things associated with the job.  

 

I am trying to not let it get to me at work when people are patronizing or condescending.  I just remind myself of all the other cool things that I've done, and it helps me not lose my head.

 

I think this is a a 60% success week from a working out perspective, but a 70-80% success week with the progress at work.  So far so good.  

Looking ahead, I may not be able to make it to the pool for week 4, so I'm going to substitute long walks.

[Mistr]

Lots of good things last week!

 

Yay for having a nice bathroom! Also for getting comfortable at work and finding good colleagues. Too bad there are also some jerks.

 

Nice progress on the batch cooking and meal prep. You have been doing exercise and music when you can, which is great.

 

Do you have a piano or keyboard in your apartment?

[Kishi]

Hell yeah. You're doing great. I love to read how you're controlling your controllables and learning to let go of the things you don't.

 

Also, eff those people who are condescending you. That is all.

 

I've heard that Turkish Delight is kind of an acquired taste, but I'm always curious about how that turns out, so let us know!

[Treva]

On 1/26/2023 at 12:12 PM, Mistr said:

Lots of good things last week!

 

Yay for having a nice bathroom! Also for getting comfortable at work and finding good colleagues. Too bad there are also some jerks.

 

Nice progress on the batch cooking and meal prep. You have been doing exercise and music when you can, which is great.

 

Do you have a piano or keyboard in your apartment?

Thank you! I am learning how to be comfortable and set  boundaries with people I may not always want to be around. And it’s really nice to know who my friends are.

Thank you so much for the support!  I am learning to be OK with doing what I can when I can, and being patient for the times when I can lean into music and exercise.

 

I do! It really helps to have a keyboard and an organ at home.

On 1/29/2023 at 4:13 PM, Kishi said:

Hell yeah. You're doing great. I love to read how you're controlling your controllables and learning to let go of the things you don't.

 

Also, eff those people who are condescending you. That is all.

 

I've heard that Turkish Delight is kind of an acquired taste, but I'm always curious about how that turns out, so let us know!

 

 

Aww.  Shucks. Thanks Kishi ^_^. 
indeed, eff the condescending people! I stayed focused on my work, which helped.

It came out alright. The flavors  are authentic, but the texture is off. I think i needed to cook the sugar to a higher temperature. But it may still be fun to make tea out of - there’s an Amnesia themed drink that involves melting turkish delight in milk.

 

 

BWV 614 Progress: pretty good! Notes are learned, a few things to woodshed, and then ready for polish

Yoga Habit:  4  /7

Meyers Square habit:    4/7

Pilates:  1 /1

Swim:   1  /1 substituted walking

S&S:       1/1

Nutrition notes: I leaned a little on the bar shaped foods this week. The special k bars are ok, but the nutrigrain I know is too heavy on the sugar.  My calorie count check in is 900 calories not including my dinner.  I think thats fair; I’m probably eating 500-600 calories for dinner and dessert. The plan of small protein filled bases that i can dump frozen veggies in has worked out well and made it easy to eat healthy even when I’m tired.

 

Sanity/discipline notes: I did feedback with my team today, and it went well. 
I am continuing to feel more confident, and I understand my own haptics well. I am doing much better with procedures; not always the prettiest, but they are clean and effective. 
The difficulty in doing my meyers square comes from getting home late or after 9 pm, and needing to turn around and be back at work at 7 am.  If you want to get eight hours of sleep, its just enough time to shower, clean up, call home, and go to bed. I’m still getting over the not enough time aspect.

Sleep: abysmal. I wake up three or four times a night, but I can usually fall back asleep  quickly. I’m lingering less in bed, because I feel like I can make a difference and do quality work at my job.

 

Spoiler

I am continuing to peel back the layers of institutionalized abuse? And badness from the pandemic. I am ready to break up with online dating for the tenth time. It’s tiring trying to overcome people being envious that I got to go to my workplace and see other people during Big Plague Times. Like, no, that wasn’t fun or social, it was stressful and scary and hard and my colleagues and mentors and friends were hospitalized.  One of our MICU directors died.  

…

…

…
So anyways I want to make friends first and figure out dating second. Maybe I’ll join a HEMA club. Or a choir. Open to suggestions!

[Mistr]

On 1/29/2023 at 8:40 PM, Treva said:

Nutrition notes: I leaned a little on the bar shaped foods this week. The special k bars are ok, but the nutrigrain I know is too heavy on the sugar.  My calorie count check in is 900 calories not including my dinner.  I think thats fair; I’m probably eating 500-600 calories for dinner and dessert. The plan of small protein filled bases that i can dump frozen veggies in has worked out well and made it easy to eat healthy even when I’m tired.

 

That is what those things are there for. I am relying on frozen meatballs and frozen veggies a lot this week myself. Some weeks you have time to cook, some weeks you don't. You might see if you can order more variety of bars that meet your standards.

 

On 1/29/2023 at 8:40 PM, Treva said:

Sanity/discipline notes: I did feedback with my team today, and it went well. 
I am continuing to feel more confident, and I understand my own haptics well. I am doing much better with procedures; not always the prettiest, but they are clean and effective. 

 

Yay! Clean and effective procedures sound great. Bows and ribbon can come later.

 

On 1/29/2023 at 8:40 PM, Treva said:

The difficulty in doing my meyers square comes from getting home late or after 9 pm, and needing to turn around and be back at work at 7 am.  If you want to get eight hours of sleep, its just enough time to shower, clean up, call home, and go to bed. I’m still getting over the not enough time aspect.

Sleep: abysmal. I wake up three or four times a night, but I can usually fall back asleep  quickly. I’m lingering less in bed, because I feel like I can make a difference and do quality work at my job.

 

You are hitting a real limitation with time. I think this is one where changing your goals to meet reality is the best move. Getting enough sleep is really important. Worrying about getting more done won't help with sleep.

 

On 1/29/2023 at 8:40 PM, Treva said:

So anyways I want to make friends first and figure out dating second. Maybe I’ll join a HEMA club. Or a choir. Open to suggestions!

 

Those are both good ideas. Doing things with people and music will hit more than one of your happy areas. I don't have personal experience in online dating, but it sounds awful. You don't have much spare time right now to get to know people. Better to spend that time doing something fun and worry about dating later.

[Treva]

On 1/31/2023 at 6:22 PM, Mistr said:

That is what those things are there for. I am relying on frozen meatballs and frozen veggies a lot this week myself. Some weeks you have time to cook, some weeks you don't. You might see if you can order more variety of bars that meet your standards.

I took your advice and did that this week.  Swapping grocery store services has given me enough extra in my weekly budget to try something new.  We will see how they go.  If it works, it's a lunch that costs less than 5$/day.

 

On 1/31/2023 at 6:22 PM, Mistr said:

Yay! Clean and effective procedures sound great. Bows and ribbon can come later.

Yes.  Yes yes yes.  It's so nice to be able to roll in, say we gotta do this thing, and then just...do the thing.

 

On 1/31/2023 at 6:22 PM, Mistr said:

You are hitting a real limitation with time. I think this is one where changing your goals to meet reality is the best move. Getting enough sleep is really important. Worrying about getting more done won't help with sleep.

 

On 1/31/2023 at 6:22 PM, Mistr said:

Those are both good ideas. Doing things with people and music will hit more than one of your happy areas. I don't have personal experience in online dating, but it sounds awful. You don't have much spare time right now to get to know people. Better to spend that time doing something fun and worry about dating later.

Right.  I some home, I watch some TV and try to get reset. 

Online dating is the worstest, and I think it is a waste of time now. 

I started looking for choirs. I am technically part of one, but with all the gigs I have coming up it's hard to be consistent anywhere.

 

 

I think now is as good a time as any to wrap up the challenge.

 

Fun Non Mandatory Things to Do this Month

-Bake - Did this.  Tried 2 new recipes; turkish delight and a pumpkin bread.  The turkish delight was great, and I'll do a swiss merengue again for sure.  I just won't bake it too@

-Redo my bathroom – done.  Love it.  went high contrast to counterbalance the gray wash it actually.  Game changer.

-Work on some Vierne - also did this. 

-work on novels - did not do as much of this.

 

Template for Updates

 

BWV 614 Progress: notes are learned, I'm in the polishing and performance stage.

Yoga Habit:  I am doing it, which is better than before, and it feels more achievable.  I can still do the poses with my old yoga/pilates teacher.

Meyers Square habit:  I have been taking videos each week of my form.  It is actually better, and I can tell I'm less halting.  I am also starting to see where being able to work with a full length weapon for point control would be helpful.  And I learned double cuts this week!

Pilates:  Restarted this habit. 

Swim:   Restarted this habit and made a friend

S&S:     Restarted this habit.

Nutrition notes: Frozen proteins and add vegetables for the win.  I need a bigger freezer!  I am down 3 pounds from the beginning of the challenge.  I would like to lose three more.

Sanity/discipline notes: I am re-visiting my performance practice and mentally conducting myself in before starting.  I feel like there's a difference in my music.  I did not do much journaling

Sleep notes: I splurged already for blackout curtains.  I live in a city where it is bright and noisy, and when I need to do a lot of night shifts, blackout curtains will make a difference.  Started melatonin and Vitamin D - I am starting to feel better.

 

Extras from this challenge

- started doing some cardio

- went back to one-legged-stands-on-the-bosu-ball-because-balance-is-important. 

- a mentor passed away and I got to look through his music library.  It was a peaceful way to deal with my grief.  And I doubled my music library for free, with music I think he would have wanted me to have.  Silly stuff, fun stuff, notes from him.

- I did adult things like banking, budgeting vacation planning, and passport renewal stuff.

- I had an honest talk with my parents about egg freezing/dating apps/etc, and they took it well.  I'm making responsible planning choices for where I am with my life, and knowing that while the world is full of miracles, they don't happen on a schedule.

- I spent a whole afternoon with a new friend.  It was so great.

 

Week 1 Grade: 50%

Week 2 Grade:  75-80%

Week 3 Grade: 75% - bonuses for doing a Hard Procedure at work

Week 4 Grade: 65%

Summary - I would give myself a 65% grade for this challenge, probably 70% if I want to count confidence gains.  Since I met 50%, I let myself get one thing, which was new thermal blackout curtains.  I didn't need to spend more than $20 for some new music (STAT barber adagio for strings) - someone unexpectedly passed away.

 

Looking forward for big picture stuff

S&S: I want to work on building back to 25lb swings and 20 lb TGUs.  I'm at 10 and 10. 

Swimming: I still want to meet a goal of once per week.

Pilates: I still want to meet a goal of once per week.

Yoga: I want to do 2 poses+balancing, daily.

Longsword/Foil: I am at the point where having a gym and a place to practice with a full length weapon would be helpful.  I'm not picky whether I do foil or longsword.  It will be hard for me to commit to something this month, but in the next three I want a practice space.   I'll add captains wheel to my solo drills.  Finding solo drills and patterns I can just do and not have to make up myself and feel dumb about has been so helpful.  Most progress I've made since I learned the master strikes.

 

Prelim Plan for Next Challenge
 

Spoiler

S&S:  /1, goal to meet 25/20 for swings tgus

Swimming:   /1 goal

Pilates:    /1 goal

Yoga: 1 balance and 2 poses per day.      /7.  Goal for 4

NEW HABIT - Cardio:  /1 goal (15 min minimum)

Longsword: 5x meyers  square (slow, fast, paired cuts, slow double cuts, fast double cuts), 5x captains wheel (slow for pattern learning).  /7, goal for 4

Music: Polish for 2/19 gig

 

Bonuses for Downtime

- find a foil or longsword academy that doesn't look sketchy and I can make it to. Open to help in identifying places that aren't weird.

- baking

- vierne/barber

- novels

 

Meet 50% - get a bookshelf.

Meet 75% or more - get a bookshelf AND living room thermal curtains.

 I am NOT doing anything until 2/13.  I have nights.  Nights are bad.  Nights mean I don't do anything but work and sleep.  Nights are bad.

 

[Mistr]

I think you did a great job this challenge. You kept up a consistent exercise and music practice, in spite of long hours at a new job. You have improved your living space and made new friends. All excellent things!

 

I am sorry you lost your music mentor. It sounds like you had a great relationship and you will have fond memories when you play the music from his library.

 

Spoiler

On finding a place that is not weird:

 

Go and observe a couple different classes. If possible, watch both a beginner class and an advanced class.

 

Look at how the instructor interacts with the students. Look at how the senior students interact with each other and with the newer students. Pay less attention to the moves they are doing and more on how they train.

Do people look frustrated? Is anyone making disparaging comments? Do people look happy to be there? How would you feel being in these classes?

 

Trust your gut on the last one. If it does not look like tons of fun, it is not the right place for you.