Urgan Shows Up, Does the Thing

[Kishi]

10 minutes ago, Urgan said:

I just ate a big Kit Kat. Pray for me today plz.

 

OH LAWD

 

DO HAVE MERCY ON THE MACROS OF THIS HERE @Urgan

 

SHE DI'N'T MEAN NOTHING BY IT

 

MAY HER LIFTS BE STRONG AND HER AIKIDO DEADLY

 

AY-MEN

[shaar]

Frozen chopped spinach is a FOUL THING indeed.  Purge it from the lifestream, type amen.

[Urgan]

2/20/2019 + 2/21/2019

Best character in the game

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain

Worked from home yesterday, where the worst problem was trying to access my computer around cat butt.

 

Without: Giri

Shower cleaning - 12/28

Nighttime teethbrushing - 17/28

Bring in parents' dumpster - 3/4

Do work online training - 10/18

Haul off donations

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

Investigate laptop heating issue

Find storage space for cat supplies

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

Going through the motions feels less like a test and more like "okay, so we're doing this again..." Not sure if that's a good sign or a bad sign.

 

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun purchase

Instacart-type grocery services

Getting recalled airbags fixed

New kitchen chairs

Learning first-aid

 

Nutrition 

2400 Calories. 2429 : 2512, 2449

 

Aikido

Jo. 6/10

Tech Review. 11/16

 

Average macros have been great this week as long as you ignore sodium as I am choosing to do. Gym has been in "putting in the work" mode and Wednesday was no exception. I finished a course of online training, didn't do any on Thursday because was working from home and couldn't be fussed. Also there was the bit about the cat butt. Multiple butts. It was very complicated. I did manage to get some work done, though, despite that--both work-related and domestic. 

 

Wednesday dojo time was a Running with Pretend-Sharp Objects night, so I just kinda picked a technique to review afterward. Then we did randori against a black belt and I had a jo, so you could say life was pretty good there. Beats having a friggin' tanto, might as well tattoo "plz kill me Sensei" on your forehead (translation: knives = no range; staff = all the range) and be done with it. 

 

Thursday night we made broccoli beef and it was actually good. I got the right amount of salty brewed soy in the sauce, and there was much rejoicing. 

 

On 2/20/2019 at 2:35 PM, Kishi said:

 

OH LAWD

 

DO HAVE MERCY ON THE MACROS OF THIS HERE @Urgan

 

SHE DI'N'T MEAN NOTHING BY IT

 

MAY HER LIFTS BE STRONG AND HER AIKIDO DEADLY

 

AY-MEN

 

Fun fact: when I eat an offensive item, my gut "stumbles"--it stops, looks at what just entered it, looks up at me, like

 

 

And then I have a positive bathroom experience (GANGWAY COMING THROUGH) followed by a very BAD bathroom experience. Do not be fooled by the first bowel movement, for it is merely the receding tide before the proverbial tsunami. This is what makes determining sensitivities/intolerances so tricky. 

 

22 hours ago, shaar said:

Frozen chopped spinach is a FOUL THING indeed.  Purge it from the lifestream, type amen.

 

What was it that Exdeath said to Gilgamesh...?

 

 

Also...

 

[Kishi]

1 hour ago, Urgan said:

Fun fact: when I eat an offensive item, my gut "stumbles"--it stops, looks at what just entered it, looks up at me, like

 

 

And then I have a positive bathroom experience (GANGWAY COMING THROUGH) followed by a very BAD bathroom experience. Do not be fooled by the first bowel movement, for it is merely the receding tide before the proverbial tsunami. This is what makes determining sensitivities/intolerances so tricky. 

 

I did remember your issues afterward, but by then it was too late. People had lol'd. I was committed, for better or for worse.

 

I do hope that your discomforts didn't last long, though.

[Urgan]

2 minutes ago, Kishi said:

I did remember your issues afterward, but by then it was too late. People had lol'd. I was committed, for better or for worse.

 

I do hope that your discomforts didn't last long, though.

 

You have to remember that I remembered this, and ate the thing anyway. So. Yeah. Apparently we're having an order of Reminders all around lol. It tends to last as long as the number of days I was stupid, which is both logical and merciful.

[Urgan]

2/22/2019 - 2/24/2019

Slaying some fools

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain

I cannot say no complaining has happened this weekend (attempted food theft + scam), however overall the mood was pretty good if you ignore those bits

 

Without: Giri

Shower cleaning - 13/28

Nighttime teethbrushing - 20/28

Bring in parents' dumpster - 3/4

Do work online training - 11/18

Haul off donations

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

Investigate laptop heating issue

Find storage space for cat supplies

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

-

 

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun purchase

Instacart-type grocery services

Getting recalled airbags fixed

New kitchen chairs

Learning first-aid

 

Nutrition 

2400 Calories. 2411 : 2315, 2285, 2564

 

Aikido

Jo. 6/10

Tech Review. 11/16

 

So this weekend was Eventful. For one, it turns out my husband was the victim of a medical billing scam--or so it appears. A bill mailed to my MIL's house with her name incorrect re: her son as the patient for the surgery he had this past fall. Billed from a hospital system we never consulted. Here's the thing. We would have totally paid it had it not been for the scammer's incompetence at extracting the correct information, but upon looking at it, something (aside from the wrong hospital thing...) is just....off about the billing statements to me. They're very convincing, don't get me wrong, but two years of staring at pdf documents of billing statements and such at that garbage job I once had definitely gives you a feel for how banks, credit unions, and such structure and word their bills. The important bit is the wording is generally pretty standardized, and this one fails the test. So yeah. Don't that beat all? 

 

That was Saturday stuff. Friday was pretty mundane from start to finish. A laid-back day completed by another use of Instacart. That thing is amazing. The joy of not getting groceries and yet having food. I'm hoping the financials will support permanent adoptions of the service plzkthx, but we'll see.

 

Saturday more or less began with the above revelation and I will be contacting the hospital that actually did the surgery to let them know there is a breach in their security somewhere. I never gave insurance MIL's info, so I doubt they're the source of the issue, but they might be. I dunno what information is transferred for medical claims. Then it was volume day for squats and deads, which is always appreciated except for never. Then that thing with Panda Express trying to cheat me out of my food such that I would have paid for two entrees and gotten the equivalent of one entree's worth of meat, but I wasn't having that. BAH. In the evening, I figured out some resources for first aid training that might do, online and in person (red cross has local classes and profirstaid.com seems to have quite a few videos on the subject. I decided the shredder could wait, given we are buying chairs and the grocery situation is making things complicated. I adjusted some stuff to help relieve the money hemorrhage a bit. 

 

Sunday was chore time, where I took care of the kitchen counters and table, helped hubs haul off donations, and we talked about the airbag recall. I need to call and make an appointment for when the time is right for my schedule, but it won't be that big of a deal as they should have a driver to take me to/from work that day for an easy-ish one day job. Whew. Now if they could just treat me with respect we'll be cooking with gas.

 

Speaking of, I have been doing pretty darn well with owning my space in a polite but semi-firm way. Not that I intend to be signing on for an NFL team next season, but not letting people just stand around in inconvenient places such as in front of the coffee and block access to the entirety of the break room, or the bathroom, for example. Lots of narrow halls around here that serve as impromptu stand-up meeting spaces * coughs * . Same story for driving and being cut off, lol. People be thinking spacing between me and the car ahead is a sign of weakness to take advantage of. Always a good strategy in rush hour highway traffic. I need to maintain some distance, but not so much those no-signalling ninjas can jump in.

[Kishi]

Good for you catching a scammer. We're dealing with that right now at my work; there are some scammers who have managed to figure out how to make themselves sound like us and are going after our claimants. It's frustrating stuff.

 

Also, yay for asserting yourself!

[Urgan]

3 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Good for you catching a scammer. We're dealing with that right now at my work; there are some scammers who have managed to figure out how to make themselves sound like us and are going after our claimants. It's frustrating stuff.

 

The latest developments are Frustration. Doing the full tour of doc's office, billing office, looking up a legit number that ISN'T on the bill, their billing department, only to be told that she wouldn't discuss the account (one of two with his name...there are multiple people with his first and last in this town, I happen to know because Walgreens) on account that her information didn't match what I gave her. GIANT. SIGH. Husband tried to call, after 10 minutes on hold he hung up. I called insurance and managed to confirm they had paid X and Y dollars, so the X1 and Y1 amounts on the bill were legit according to them. We're still going to give them a little bit of grief on account of their horrible, horrible documentation on the bill would leave any sane person raising an eyebrow--maybe two. Also I don't want to piss away $100, I kind of need that money actually.

 

10 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Also, yay for asserting yourself!

 

I'm also getting acquainted with this thing called the car horn. Thinking about being proactive and defensive, because jerks and the oblivious abound. The trick is not turning into one yourself lol.

[Mistr]

That business with the medical scam sounds all kinds of frustrating. Having a bill show up at someone else's address is a red flag. Your husband is an adult with his own insurance. No one else has legal access to his medical records. Followed by the usual frustration of dealing with any medical insurance.

 

On 2/22/2019 at 10:16 AM, Urgan said:

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

Going through the motions feels less like a test and more like "okay, so we're doing this again..." Not sure if that's a good sign or a bad sign.

 

That is very much a good sign. The goal is to get to the point where you can do the movements without having to think about it at all.

[Urgan]

2/25/2019

In a word

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain

Not good. The crowning glory of the day was a very full dojo and I ended up being the one with no partner. I don't do well in that circumstance and ended up wishing I hadn't shown up that night.

 

Without: Giri

Shower cleaning - 14/28

Nighttime teethbrushing - 21/28

Bring in parents' dumpster - 3/4

Do work online training - 12/18

Haul off donations

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

Investigate laptop heating issue

Find storage space for cat supplies

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

-

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun purchase

Instacart-type grocery services

Getting recalled airbags fixed

New kitchen chairs

Learning first-aid

 

Nutrition 

2400 Calories. 2249 : 2249

 

Aikido

Jo. 6/8

Tech Review. 12/16

 

Not a great day for the aforementioned reasons. Today isn't looking so hot, either.

 

The bill wasn't a scam it turns out, but it's so incompetently labeled that we're still not confident in using it to pay what our insurance left unpaid. 

[Urgan]

16 hours ago, Mistr said:

That business with the medical scam sounds all kinds of frustrating. Having a bill show up at someone else's address is a red flag. Your husband is an adult with his own insurance. No one else has legal access to his medical records. Followed by the usual frustration of dealing with any medical insurance.

 

Just trying to confirm the authenticity of the bill was really upsetting.

 

16 hours ago, Mistr said:

That is very much a good sign. The goal is to get to the point where you can do the movements without having to think about it at all.

 

I hope so.

[Kishi]

Life is a thing lived through sometimes. You'll get there. It'll be all right.

[Urgan]

56 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Life is a thing lived through sometimes. You'll get there. It'll be all right.

 

Medical bills make you wish you didn't tho, lol. Now we wait. See if these people be sending us a proper bill.

[Urgan]

2/26/2019

Channeling this feel right now

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain

Not amazing, but less was actively on fire throughout the day than the day prior, so it was easier to keep my eyes forward.

 

Without: Giri

Shower cleaning - 15/28

Nighttime teethbrushing - 22/28

Bring in parents' dumpster - 3/4

Do work online training - 12/18

Haul off donations

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

Investigate laptop heating issue

Find storage space for cat supplies

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

Did this. It wasn't any more glamorous than usual, and I realize I need to review the sokumen part of of aiki otoshi because what do I do with my arms.

 

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun purchase

Instacart-type grocery services

Getting recalled airbags fixed

New kitchen chairs

Learning first-aid

 

Nutrition 

2400 Calories. 2211 : 2172

 

Aikido

Jo. 7/8

Tech Review. 13/16

 

The Instacart lady gave us cucumbers instead of zucchini and we noticed this at 9:10PM. The hospital allegedly will send us a proper bill to our actual address and to a person who exists. This is what passes for a positive development. #burnyourhousedownwiththelemons

 

Didn't do the work training because a meeting happened when I normally do the training and I cannot be fussed to care about it, honestly. If anything was to fall by the wayside, that would be the very first thing.

[shaar]

2 hours ago, Urgan said:

The hospital allegedly will send us a proper bill to our actual address and to a person who exists.

 

I'm gently shocked but also not surprised that this happened, at all.  The layers of medical billing incompetence are very onion-like, especially in that there are many and they're all pungent.

[Urgan]

4 minutes ago, shaar said:

 

I'm gently shocked but also not surprised that this happened, at all.  The layers of medical billing incompetence are very onion-like, especially in that there are many and they're all pungent.

 

Speaking of pungent, this happened just now: https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/02/multiple-ambulances-called-in-hazmat-incident-at-birmingham-water-treatment-plant.html

 

tl;dr, there's a poison gas cloud over the most direct route home for me, thank God for aikido being clear across town in the other direction lol.

[Urgan]

Someone was reading off the symptoms

 

 

...and I was just like, that sounds like a meeting, to me. They're going to need to be more specific.

[Urgan]

2/27/2019 + 2/28/2019

This is a metaphor

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain

Wow have not been doing well here, but not as bad as if I just spewed words out with no filter whatsoever? I guess?

 

Without: Giri

Shower cleaning - 17/28

Nighttime teethbrushing - 24/28

Bring in parents' dumpster - 4/4

Do work online training - 13/18

Haul off donations

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

Investigate laptop heating issue

Find storage space for cat supplies

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

Did it, wishing suwari waza nikyo felt like it made sense to do it the way directed when you are mimicking it by yourself. I understand this is nonsense on multiple levels.

 

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun purchase

Instacart-type grocery services

Getting recalled airbags fixed

New kitchen chairs

Learning first-aid

 

Nutrition 

2400 Calories. 2309 : 2372, 2442

 

Aikido

Jo. 8/8

Tech Review. 15/16

 

This portion of the week brought to you by the letter F, as in Fixing all the Farkled Nonsense. Would it surprise you to learn this is Shark Week? Doesn't surprise me one bit, in spite of having sort of lost track of it. Technically it's been on kind of a 4-5 week rotation, depending on when you want to count it. It is definitively showing up one weekday earlier than it has been, which in my book is a tiny step toward the predictable/normal as defined by Monday being the day it should begin. 

 

So. Tuesday was supposed to be a meeting day, but it was postponed until Thursday, which is when the organizer got sick so that was good considering I was working from home and nobody decided to compel me to join online (I worked from  home on Thursday), which combined with everyone being In Meetings all day long produced a glorious kind of limbo.

 

But back to Wednesday. Squats were really difficult, which annoyed me a lot at the time as the cause was not yet to make itself known until the evening. I left my umbrella at the gym somehow. I don't know how it was possible, but I manage to surprise myself daily this week, so.

 

Work was doing its best to drag onward to oblivion, punctuated by an amusing wreck on the road visible from our window. Highlight of the work day, really. Dojo develved to Teach Blue Belt Things to my partner. After warming up with kaitenage, we pretty much had the run of the place. Which meant Hey Partner, Pick Something on the List and I Will Attempt to Teach It. That was hilarious. Sensei would pop up as available and I would doublecheck actually everything because I have a deep abiding paranoia of instilling the Wrong Thing and creating chaos. So far I have failed in the chaos department, which is an immense relief.

 

Husband succeeded in getting the hospital to resend the bill to the actual location and person who exists. Glory. 

 

Thursday was work from home + go get the dang umbrella + go get the dang zucchini + get distracted by Chick-fil-A fries. Usual Thursday happenings. 

[Mistr]

I hope your Friday is going better.

On 2/27/2019 at 9:00 AM, Urgan said:

 

The Instacart lady gave us cucumbers instead of zucchini and we noticed this at 9:10PM. The hospital allegedly will send us a proper bill to our actual address and to a person who exists. This is what passes for a positive development. #burnyourhousedownwiththelemons

 

I have made that same mistake between cucumbers and zucchini at the farmer's market. Both are good veggies, but not at all interchangeable. Not what you want to discover as you are trying to put supper together.

 

Good that the hospital is sending you a corrected bill. At least it wasn't a scam, although it certainly is disturbing that their record keeping is that bad. Makes you wonder what they do with medical records.

 

3 hours ago, Urgan said:

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

Did it, wishing suwari waza nikyo felt like it made sense to do it the way directed when you are mimicking it by yourself. I understand this is nonsense on multiple levels.

 

I think suwari waza nikyo is an exercise in not falling over. Sure, you can switch from ikkyo to nikyo. But why would you want to, except to show off your dexterity in suwari waza?

 

3 hours ago, Urgan said:

Dojo develved to Teach Blue Belt Things to my partner. After warming up with kaitenage, we pretty much had the run of the place. Which meant Hey Partner, Pick Something on the List and I Will Attempt to Teach It. That was hilarious. Sensei would pop up as available and I would doublecheck actually everything because I have a deep abiding paranoia of instilling the Wrong Thing and creating chaos. So far I have failed in the chaos department, which is an immense relief.

 

Yay for knowing the basics to teach to your partner! 

[Urgan]

22 minutes ago, Mistr said:

I have made that same mistake between cucumbers and zucchini at the farmer's market. Both are good veggies, but not at all interchangeable. Not what you want to discover as you are trying to put supper together.

 

It is a tragedy and also now what we gonna do with 5 cucumbers the size of my arm??

 

22 minutes ago, Mistr said:

Good that the hospital is sending you a corrected bill. At least it wasn't a scam, although it certainly is disturbing that their record keeping is that bad. Makes you wonder what they do with medical records.

 

I can tell you what they oughta do with those medical records, lol, but this is a family thread....

 

23 minutes ago, Mistr said:

I think suwari waza nikyo is an exercise in not falling over. Sure, you can switch from ikkyo to nikyo. But why would you want to, except to show off your dexterity in suwari waza?

 

It's a very, truly Interesting Aikidoka who, when called upon to do an Impressive Thing, busts out suwari waza. I don't hate the techniques at all, even though it's mostly a tradition thing, just...an amusing thought experiment.

 

25 minutes ago, Mistr said:

Yay for knowing the basics to teach to your partner! 

 

I test in 1.5 weeks! You would think I could do that without being frightened! But I can't! Lol.

[Urgan]

3/1/2019 - 3/3/2019

Verily

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain

It got better with the weekend. Ironically, discovering it was Shark Week made this week better in retrospect, in that it made sense why everything was so annoying and extra-difficult and whatnot. As far as going with the flow, so to speak, goes, it was a fail. However, there's a lesson in here somewhere.

 

Without: Giri

Shower cleaning - 20/28

Nighttime teethbrushing - 27/28

Bring in parents' dumpster - 4/4

Do work online training - 13/18

Haul off donations

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

Investigate laptop heating issue

Find storage space for cat supplies

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

-

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun purchase

Instacart-type grocery services

Getting recalled airbags fixed

New kitchen chairs

Learning first-aid

 

Nutrition 

2400 Calories. 2289 : 2268, 2397, 2117

 

Aikido

Jo. 8/8

Tech Review. 15/16

 

There was good and bad at both the end of the week and through the month in general. Shark Week seems like it would be in the bad column, but it is an explanation for other bad things, so as that goes it's a weird kind of comfort to recognize. This is the first weekend of experimenting with the new grocery schedule and I think I like it overall, the unfortunate thing is this weekend was a run on the stores because it is really cold this week?? I don't understand?? At any rate, people have mobbed grocery stores over in anticipation of SOMETHING, which skews how it will actually be like going forward. It's probably going to be fine. My laundry duty on Thursday made this weekend a lot more relaxed, but I'm always left wishing there was another day before the work week commences, because in spite of all the lying down that was done it still feels like chores all over the place, all of the time. The mental battle of having Time to Do Things never ends.

 

I thought I cleaned the shower more often than that, but either apparently not or I forgot to update my counter a bunch. Can't be fussed to verify that. I did pretty good at keeping up with it, which is the main thing. Teethbrushing, remedial as it is, was really sadly a necessary "goal," so it's hard to break out the fireworks that I managed to more or less smash that one lol. My parents were on top of their dumpster management game this month (several months prior it's been taken out when I left their house...), but I kept an eye on it and would have been in a position to handle it if they hadn't already moved it before I even arrived. Frankly the online training thing is really low priority and I couldn't even be arsed to care about it the last week. I see one or two other courses that look relevant, after that it gets a bit spotty. I was supposed to mop the floor and look at gun purchase, but on Sunday it was cold and rainy, my husband was coming down with a sickness, and I would have had to press-gang him into helping me tackle the floors or else do it all myself and frankly this just wasn't happening in either form. The idea of buying anything is just out of the question for several months and while that shouldn't stop an investigation of the process, the idea of having to wrangle finances around a big purchase just flat traumatizes me right now. I need a break of at least a couple weeks on that front--whether I actually get that is a different story entirely. 

 

Forgot to mention I closed several Chrome extensions and it seemed to help a lot--then again, the weather turned colder since I did it, so waiting to see how much good it actually did. Also if that fails, I may have to resort to taking the laptop apart and savaging it with compressed air.

[Urgan]

March 2019 Goals

March...lion...get it??

.

 

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Bushido.

 

Justice/Rectitude 

To recap, this is "morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness." 

A backstop of morally correct behavior is Giri--you do the thing because it is the right thing to do, not because you feel like it that day.

 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (at the gym)

So I ~think~ I have taken steps to minimize creating stress/angst/negativity while holding myself accountable for how I react to life's little roadblocks. Work and home are complex places full of Interesting Times, but at least at the gym I have no excuse not to keep my head in a book or on an impending set. Let's take a specific focus there this month. Let's concentrate on keeping eyes forward--or down, as the case may be...

 

Without: Giri

All the usual suspects, plus an upgraded remedial task of flossing my flippin' teeth. There are two transaction-type items here, but they are really important and need to happen this month. They've been put off forever (and last month for good reason of being financially strapped at the moment I was about to pull the trigger on the purchase, so to speak), it's getting done in March.

 

Floss - 0/28

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean tub

Clean sinks

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

Install new car air-freshener 

Get recalled airbags fixed

Buy new kitchen chairs

 

Courage

A generally agreed-upon definition of courage is "knowing what's right and doing it." Samurai define it as intelligent risk-taking, or "the betweenness of cowardice and rashness" as I saw posted online and rather liked because it really concisely sums my understanding of the Bushido virtue. Not using risk as an excuse to not act or just acting blindly.

 

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

It's that time. In 1.5 weeks, in 3 classes, I will test for purple belt. I get a rush of adrenaline, the shakes, and that feeling in my stomach just articulating how close it is. MASSIVE GULP. Continuing the meditation on testing going into mid-month. Here we go...

 

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

These are distinguished from Giri in that they are not simple to-do tasks, require significant monetary expense, and/or are at the least intimidating. I need to step beyond the intimidation and investigate the below. There is no hurry on buying a gun or fixing up my poor sad flute, clarinet, and saxophone. However, it'll never happen if I don't know what I 'm up against. The auditing of grocery and power bills is needed to determine how much money goes to the most variable bills (and whether it's sustainable to do Instacart).

 

Gun purchase

Cost of musical instrument repair

Necessity to clean out laptop dust

Audit Grocery Bill

Audit Power Bill

 

Benevolence

Samurai, on the basis of strict adherence to a moral code that is built on doing what is right, must consider the well-being of others as a top priority. After all, the purpose of being ready and willing to die is in service of others, both the lord and the layman. Life and limb aren't the only aspects that encompass "well-being," of course.  Mundane day-to-day things matter as well, especially among friends and family. Traditionally, poetry and music were "gentler" pastimes samurai used to help foster love toward others while living in a role that requires the willingness and ability to do violence on demand. Now I'm not into poetry (writing, on the other hand...but this plate is quite full ATM) and my instruments are in a rather...sad state after 16-ish years languishing in a closet, but we'll make do for the time being.

 

Within and Without: Love

This is an area about doing things specifically for others--pretty straightforward. I need to make sure to reach out to my parents and husband throughout the week without any connection to needing something from them in the process. The first week I'm going to locate 3 deserving GoFundMe's that could use a few dollars and figure out what amount makes sense to contribute...then it's just a matter of actually doing so each week. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are good days to make a point to check the cats' food and water before I leave the house. Particularly the water--Harley thinks it's his tiny swimming pool. 

 

Learn first-aid

Check up on people - 0/8

Donate to GoFundMe - 0/4

Cat food/water - 0/12

Cat grooming - 0/4

Nutrition 

2400 Calories. Strangely enough, right off Shark Week I am still hovering in 117~lb range. The time spent >118lbs was very fleeting, so 2400 seems okay still, maybe even on the low side. Somehow. 

0 : 0

 

Aikido

Jo. This is going to stay here until I get my purple belt and it becomes Jo Kata II, lol. LAST CALL, ERR'BODY.

0/3

Tech Review. Oooooh boy. Six more review sessions before it's Go Time.

0/6

 

Weekly Debriefs:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

[Mistr]

Nice goals. You've got this!

[Urgan]

3/4/2019

Kick-off

.

 

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (at the gym)

There wasn't much to complain about aside from the traffic, so resisting that was a low level encounter, so to speak

 

Without: Giri

Floss - 1/28

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean tub

Clean sinks

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

Install new car air-freshener 

Get recalled airbags fixed

Buy new kitchen chairs

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

-

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun purchase

Cost of musical instrument repair

Necessity to clean out laptop dust

Audit Grocery Bill

Audit Power Bill

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid

Check up on people - 0/8

Donate to GoFundMe - 0/4

Cat food/water - 0/12

Cat grooming - 0/4

Nutrition 

2400 Calories. 2165 : 2165

 

Aikido

Jo. 0/3

Tech Review. 1/6

 

Ah, the first day of the "month"...I hit a new bench 2RM of 103.5lbs. Work happened. At the dojo I reviewed absolutely all the non-weapons techniques with another blue belt who will also be testing next Wednesday. We got to talking about marching band, where myself and another student got to throw out some stories. Sensei asked us what instrument we thought he'd play if he were in band and I immediately nailed it with snare drum lol. Got home at 10:30 and did Japanese practice, review of techniques Sensei had comments for me on, took supplements, ate chocolate + olives + supplemental chocolate, and squeezed in some winding down time before turning out the light just after midnight. Whew. Also, flossing. All the blood. How am I even alive.

[Urgan]

3/5/2019 - 3/7/2019

Nailed it

.

 

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (at the gym)

This was easy given I didn't go to the gym in the middle of the week lol.

 

Without: Giri

Floss - 4/28

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean tub

Clean sinks

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

Install new car air-freshener 

Get recalled airbags fixed

Buy new kitchen chairs

 

Courage

Within: Belt Test is a Battlefield

Doing this so hard, and I vacillate between between being really comfortable and really uncomfortable with this testing thing. Like, I know the techniques but dear God standing up in front of people and doing them ugh.

 

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun purchase

Cost of musical instrument repair

Necessity to clean out laptop dust

Audit Grocery Bill

Audit Power Bill

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid

Check up on people - 2/8

Donate to GoFundMe - 0/4

Cat food/water - 3/12

Cat grooming - 1/4

Nutrition 

2400 Calories. 2235 : 2421, 2308, 2044

 

Aikido

Jo. 2/3

Tech Review. 4/6

 

Ah so the very first thing I decided to do was get sick. Again. It's like there's a pattern of husband getting sick and then me getting sick or something. I left work early on Tuesday afternoon, took a sick day, then worked from home on Thursday because I was not totally worthless. This was super convenient as I needed to turn in the test form on Wednesday and was too sick to do dojo things, so I had to drag my happy carcass up to the dojo specifically to deliver the papers at the peril of annoying everyone with my presence vs the inconvenience of not having the i's dotted and whatnot. That was good. It was a pretty decent cold in that it prevented me from engaging with humanity for two days, no gym no nothing. So of course I didn't do ai...oh hell, you can see I still reviewed my stuff because gosh darnit I've already lost a class time to practice on a real human SIGH. WHY. Being sick made it really easy to take care of pet stuff, not so easy to get the jump on family members in the "how are you doing?" department, but I think I managed to at least attempt it in a way that seems natural given everyone's sick and everything's blowing up.

 

In the meantime, my life is held together with Alka-Seltzer, tissues, and caffeine.