Fiddle Fiddles (and does other stuff too!)

[fiddle-on]

Goals:
Fitness:
I’m very happy with how my fitness goals have been going this year, so I’m only giving them minor tweaks.

 

1) Keep up the momentum. I’ve been doing 2 kettlebell strength training classes per week since February, and I’ve made a lot of progress. I want to keep doing that.  Bonus points for doing an extra workout at home, or a third class.

2) Don’t drive unless it’s raining. I live 1.25 miles from work, or 1.5 miles if I avoid the busy road. That’s a 20-30 minute walk, a 12 minute bike ride, or an 8 minute drive. I want to bike or walk every day that it’s not raining, minimum 3 days per week. The second half of last challenge, I was trying to bike 2-3 times a week. The flexibility to choose between walking or biking will make it easier.
 

3) Start running again. I tested my foot hiking last Saturday, and was able to do a significant distance before I had any pain at all. I want to start running again. I’ll begin with 1-2 minutes, and try adding in 1-3 minutes per week.

 

Diet: Back to Tracking.

I’ve been slipping more and more, which means I need to go back to tracking and healthy cooking, and possibly clear out all the junk food that’s accumulated in my kitchen.

 

1) Track everything I eat for all of week 1.

 

2) Eat healthy:

• Macros: ~40-50% fats, 40-50% carbohydrates, 10-20% protein.
•   No more than 50 g added sugar.
•   At least 1 fruit or veggie per meal. Ideally 5-10 per day.

Music: Learn fiddle tunes!

I’ve had a writing goal all year and have had mixed success, mostly failing. I think the main problem is lack of energy after sitting in front of a computer all day at work, using my brain.  So I’m mixing it up. I’m signed up for a music (fiddle) camp at the end June, and I am seriously out of practice. I need to get back into playing regularly. I’ve been to this camp before, and they mostly play Irish/Scottish/New England style music. I learned to play in Nevada, where the fiddlers play a mix of blue grass and Southern old time. I need to learn more tunes I can play with people here.

 

1) Play at least 10-15 minutes per day.

 

2) Learn 1 new fiddle tune per week, from Irish/Scottish repertoire, preferably tunes I’ve heard at jams.  Week 1: The Silver Spear.

 

3) Go to the Saturday night Irish jam nearby. I can’t do this coming Saturday because I’m singing in a choral concert, but I can go on the 14th.

 

Cleaning: I’ve been getting used to having an apartment that I can get acceptably clean for guests in half an hour instead of 2 hours. I’d like to improve it further. I also want to seriously rearrange my apartment and buy a new sofa if I can make the space for it.

 

1) Clean for at least 15 minutes a day (up from 10).

 

2) Set up the pegboard I bought in my kitchen.

 

3) Continue reorganizing, clearing out unused stuff, etc.

 

Random Bits:

Track My Progress: I kind of skipped this in April, which hurt me on the cleaning and writing. I need to put up a new tracking calendar for May, and fill it in with smileys and frowns for each goal.

 

Post more often: I enjoy it when people post in my challenge thread, so I usually try to post on other peoples. Last challenge, I was only logging in about once a week. I want to spend 1-3 hours per week on the challenge forum, posting in other people’s threads and updating my own.

 

Buy a dial timer: I’ve got a lot of goals that would benefit from this. I’ve been using my phone, but a dial is simpler to use.

[Maigs]

19 minutes ago, fiddle-on said:

2) Don’t drive unless it’s raining. I live 1.25 miles from work, or 1.5 miles if I avoid the busy road. That’s a 20-30 minute walk, a 12 minute bike ride, or an 8 minute drive. I want to bike or walk every day that it’s not raining, minimum 3 days per week. The second half of last challenge, I was trying to bike 2-3 times a week. The flexibility to choose between walking or biking will make it easier.

 

This is part of my challenge too. I live 2.8 miles from work and since the parking lot is so far away from the building it only takes me 5 more minutes to bike (20 minutes) as it does to drive (15 minutes). So my goal is to bike at least 3x/week, weather permitting

[fiddle-on]

7 hours ago, Maigahane said:

 

This is part of my challenge too. I live 2.8 miles from work and since the parking lot is so far away from the building it only takes me 5 more minutes to bike (20 minutes) as it does to drive (15 minutes). So my goal is to bike at least 3x/week, weather permitting

Nice! I didn't even add in the fact that the bike rack is closer than the parking spaces. I probably only save 30 seconds on that, though, unless the parking lot is completely full and I'd have to park next door.

[fiddle-on]

Apropos of nothing: My uncle isn't World Croquet Champion, but he sure came close (David Maloof). http://www.worldcroquet.org.uk/index.php/world-championships/2016-ac-world-championship

 

I like to brag .

[Kyellan]

Hello, comrade. I will follow your kettlebell challenge, as we are--how you say--two boots in a pair! =)

[Maigs]

12 hours ago, fiddle-on said:

Nice! I didn't even add in the fact that the bike rack is closer than the parking spaces. I probably only save 30 seconds on that, though, unless the parking lot is completely full and I'd have to park next door.

Our parking lot is 2 blocks away and I always park in the back so basically three blocks. Not the >1/4 mile I've had at other jobs but still adds a few minutes to my morning commute. The bike rack however is right at the back door to my building so it does help cancel out the extra time it takes to bike instead of drive

[fiddle-on]

I was really stressed out at work yesterday, mostly because I'm supposed to be helping a new person learn a task, and the task keeps breaking down (not her fault). So that means my other work is getting backed up. I came home with my shoulders and neck so tight I was afraid I'd wake up with a bad kink in my neck this morning. It happened last week, and that one still hasn't gone away completely.

 

I took a nap and did some stretches, but I didn't have time for a full workout, so I was still pretty stiff by bedtime. It was worse when I woke up this morning, but I spent 15 minutes doing light warm up and yoga exercises, and it got me down to a manageable level. I'll be doing light stretches all day, and if my boss wants me to do any new work, I'll be asking him what he wants me to drop in order to get it done.

 

I need a new, less stressful job.

[fiddle-on]

Challenge update:
Physical:
Strength: Had a kettlebell class #1 on Monday. It went well. I'm signed up for Friday morning as well.

Biking: I rode my bike to the grocery store last night and to work today. It's a rainy week, so I'm fitting it in when its dryish. Today it's only supposed to rain in the afternoon, and if I get wet going home, changing clothes is easy. I've got fenders on order, and I'm looking for a good, inexpensive rain coat.

Running: My foot has been just touchy after my long hike on Saturday that I haven't started with this yet.

 

Diet: I've been good about tracking breakfast and lunch, not so good with dinner. I have been careful about adding in sugary foods, even when I'm being careless with the rest.
I've been eating somewhat more junk food than I should. I had 3 fun sized snickers yesterday, when it should have been 1, or none. Mostly because I was at work, stressed, and they were there.

 

Music: Yesterday was chorus rehearsal, plus I played fiddle for about 10 minutes. I've got the notes for Silver Spear down, but I'm still working on the bowings, plus I'd like to get at least one variation down and get the whole thing up to speed.

 

Cleaning: I've been doing some cleaning, but haven't been setting a timer. Probably about 10 minutes, from experience.

[fiddle-on]

I'm making a slight alteration to my cleaning challenge, based on Marauder's challenge of decluttering and not accumulating more stuff. One reason my apartment is a mess is that I have stuff that I just don't know what to do with. So if I'm cleaning, and find something that fits in that category, I need to take a moment to consider whether it's worth holding onto, and if not, put it in a give-away or sell pile.

[fiddle-on]

On Tuesday, May 03, 2016 at 8:17 AM, Kyellan said:

Hello, comrade. I will follow your kettlebell challenge, as we are--how you say--two boots in a pair! =)

Welcome!

[Sloth the Enduring]

I'm here for kettlebells. 

[Elastigirl]

Great zero week. Like your plan for talking to your boss if he want you to do even more stuff.

[RES]

I'm 42 miles from my job, biking or walking to work is a dream! Following along on your challenge!

[fiddle-on]

On Saturday, May 07, 2016 at 0:42 PM, Elastigirl said:

Great zero week. Like your plan for talking to your boss if he want you to do even more stuff.

Thanks. It happens fairly often, and he's good about adjusting it when needed. A lot of the time, I don't even realize how much I've got until I put it into a list, and start estimating how many hours I'll need. He ended up doing one of the tasks himself. We really just need another person.

 

21 hours ago, RES said:

I'm 42 miles from my job, biking or walking to work is a dream! Following along on your challenge!

Yeah, I'm looking for a new job, but if I get one that's not close, I'm really going to miss not having to drive.

[fiddle-on]

Post-weekend update!

 

Diet:

I really did well on my diet on Thursday and Friday, but then Saturday was my chorus concert. I was OK for breakfast, but then had cookies for lunch because I was baking. (oops). Then there was the concert. I don't eat a big meal before singing, and the concert didn't end until 9:30, followed immediately by a dessert reception. I usually bring something healthy to gobble in the few minutes between the concert and the reception, but I didn't this time. As a result, I ate lots of cookies and drank two cups of really sweet punch.

 

Then on Sunday it was Mother's day. Breakfast was 50/50. I had eggs with veggies mixed in, and left over coffee cake and cinamon roll from the concert. I did better on lunch and dinner.

 

Music:
Due to the choral concert, I've been concentrating on singing that music rather than fiddling. I'm happy with that since it's still music and was more important, but this week I need to get back to the fiddling. I'll pick a new tune later.

 

Exercise:
I did a class on Friday. It was the first day of the next two months scheduling, and there were lots and lots of squats involved. Squats in the warm-up, squats alternated with push-ups, squats alternated with kettlebell swings, and squats with weight. My legs were tired by the end :-P.

 

I went for a 7 mile bike ride on Saturday, and went for two short walks on Sunday.

Cleaning:

I've been doing the minimum most days. I could do better.

[fiddle-on]

My group training class went really well this morning.

 

The coach finally decided I was doing well enough on swinging form to move up from an 8 kg bell to a 10! I asked him to be cautious with that due to my history with back pain, but the 8 really has been feeling quite light the last couple weeks, so he gave me a few more form suggestions, and then today said I was using good enough form to move up in weight.

 

I also went from a 6kg bell on 1-handed swings to an 8 kg bell, at least for the last two rounds of 10 swings. I could not have done a third round at the weight without losing form.

 

And Turkish get-ups are with an 8 kg bell.

 

And all this despite being kind of tired from the weekend, and not really at my best.

[fiddle-on]

I'm doing a sleep mini-challenge this week. Last week, I had two late rehearsals and an even later concert. Now I need to catch up on my sleep and get back into the habit of going to bed early.

 

Goal: Lights off by 10:30. 10 pm is even better. No getting up before 5 AM, even if it is getting light out earlier.

 

The biggest challenge with this is not using a tablet or computer after 9 or 9:30, or if I do use one, use a screen dimmer.

[fiddle-on]

I got an A+ on diet yesterday. My only added sugar came from desert, about an ounce of a tart lemon sorbet. I love it because it tastes great, but it doesn't tempt me to eat more than a couple spoonfuls at a time.

 

I had my exercise class in the morning, and rode my bike to work. I took a roundabout route home, adding an extra half mile or so. The weather was great for a bike ride. I may take a book, a picnic blanket, and a snack, and head to a park near my office after work today. The weather's too good not to.

 

I didn't take out my fiddle last night. I'm going to leave it out of it's case on the bed today, so that it's a blatant temptation.

 

The only cleaning I did yesterday was a few dishes, so I need to get on with that one.

[fiddle-on]

Tune to learn this week:

Five Bales of Hay, a newish tune by Alan Kaufman. Southern old-time rather than Celtic, but I like it, and have been meaning to learn it since I heard it a few years ago. As played by Kaufman:

 

[fiddle-on]

I went to a class on networking and making connections last night. A friend of mine heard about it, and asked me to go with her. I went partly because it sounded interesting, and partly because my friend wasn't willing to go alone. I'm glad I did. It was kind of inspirational. The woman giving the class was engaging and hands on.

 

Two points for me to remember:

• Ask people questions when I'm curious about something they say. Have a few stock questions for when I'm not.
• Thinking of it as "Talking to people" and "Making friends" is a lot less intimidating and impersonal than "Networking."

I've set myself a couple small goals from the class:

1) Have a conversation with someone new at the fiddle jam this week. Come away knowing at least some of the following information: Their name, where they're from, how long they've been playing, where else they play, what they do outside of music. I listed this in order of most comfortable to ask about to least comfortable.

2) Find and attend a formal networking event. Goals for that event to be set after I find it.

 

 

[fiddle-on]

Last week's mini-challenge was to go to bed by 10:30 every night. I succeeded every night but one. The only problem was I kept waking up in the middle of the night for no particular reason. I'm blaming PMS. It was a really bad week, emotionally speaking.

 

Week 1 summary:

I did OK overall, but I was feeling like [*INSERT FAVORITE FOUR LETTER WORD*] all week, so I was doing minimums of everything.

 

Diet went well 5 days, OK 1 day, and badly 1 day.

 

Exercise: I did the minimum 2 classes, but I was feeling miserable all week, so I didn't do anything extra.

 

Cleaning: I did very little until the weekend, and now I'm in the middle of rearranging the whole apartment. That's my mini-challenge this week.

 

Music: I think I picked up the fiddle 3 days, and only worked on Five Bales of Hay on Monday. Didn't go to the Saturday night jam :-(

[fiddle-on]

Fiddle tune of the week: Kesh Jig + Five Bales of Hay. I didn't learn Five Bales completely last week, so I need to keep working on it. I'm slightly familiar with Kesh Jig, so it should be a good combination.

 

 

Mini challenge: Finish rearranging the furniture in my apartment. I started this over the weekend, but there's still a lot to go. Plus I need to finish the sewing projects I'm in the middle of before I can put away the sewing machine, and I need to put away the sewing machine before I can take down the sewing table and put up a  bookshelf in its place. So much fun .

[fiddle-on]

I rocked my strength and conditioning class this morning. I upped the weight or reps in everything, and got through almost four rounds of a complex of 5 each, left and right, of: swings, cleans, overhead presses, and squats using an 8 kg bell. The last round was really hard, so I was proud of myself for getting through it. I went from 8 kg on the Turkish Get-up to 10 kg, and did two rounds of 10 2 hand swings with a 12 kg kettlebell, up from 10 kg. Plus the coach had me start on hollow body hangs instead of TRX rows, so that was very cool.

[RES]

That sounds very cool  Nice job on your first week!

[fiddle-on]

13 hours ago, RES said:

That sounds very cool  Nice job on your first week!

Thanks. It was a good way to start week 2.