EternalJourno takes a journey to the Lands Beyond

[FatboySuave]

Introduction: Things have been up and down the past few months like a kangaroo on a pogo-stick on a trampoline, except the kangaroo tends to fall through the trampoline and tumble to the ground and just lie there for a while, moping and feeling miserable before picking itself up and bouncing back. In other words, my mental health has me feeling down quite often, but my physician prescribed meds and they seem to help me keep my mood up; however, it's still a bit of a roller coaster ride. I've also been struggling to accomplish my quests recently, but I don't want to dwell on the negative. I'm going on vacation this week for a much-needed mental break and rest — which basically means I plan to be lazy and eat delicious carbs and imbibe on all the alcohol. When I get back, though, I plan to respawn hard as fuuuuuuck. I just need some time to not stress about anything and get my head right. That's why I'm returning to the Druids. I originally to the guild seeking meaning in my life as well as balance to my Force, but I didn't really take to the yoga/meditation, so I took a hiatus. While my physical goals may not align with those of a Druid, I need to refocus on my mental/emotional health, which is what attracted me in the first place. While my quests have eluded me, I've made some progress. I finally talked to my physician about my mental health and she prescribed me some drugs and referred me to a therapist, whom I visited for the first time today (more on that later). I decided to theme this challenge around Norton Juster's "The Phantom Tollbooth" (I haven't had a good theme in a while). A friend let me borrow her copy a year ago, but I never got around to reading it. Since I'm seeing her this week on my vacation, I'm trying to get through it as quick as possible. I barely started it today (no spoilers please), but I'm already hooked and I'm already seeing a bit of Milo in myself. So what better way to pull myself out of the Doldrums than to take a journey to the Lands Beyond! (For a full introduction, check out my battle log.)
 

Main Quest: I strive to acquire the Triforce. I will build Power (physical health/lose weight) via good eating and exercise habits. I will achieve Courage (mental health) through therapy and other potential means (maybe meditation?). I will exercise and cultivate Wisdom (knowledge/art) by devouring books as part of a balanced diet and reinvigorating my love affair with writing. 

 

Quest 1: Complete my assigned Bodyweight exercises three times a week and complete a cool down afterward. I will update these daily on my battle log if you want to see details and follow along.

A = Complete workout/cool down 3 times a week.
B = Complete workout/cool down 2 times a week.
C = Complete workout/cool down 1 time a week.
D = Complete 0 workouts/cool downs in a week.
F = No physical activity.

 

Quest 2: Walk and/or jog every day with my dog Booklet and complete a cool down afterward. I usually track these with the RunKeeper app on my battle log as well. I'm also tracking my miles on my Walk to Mordor. (NOTE: I may have to augment this because of a foot injury)

 

A = Walk/cool down 6-7 days a week

B = Walk/cool down 4-5 days a week.

C = Walk/cool down 2-3 day a week.

D = Walk/cool down 1 day a week.

F = No walking/cool downs.

Quest 3: Drink less alcohol (If I do drink, I will stick to low carb cocktails).

A = Have no more than 3 drinks per week (add a plus if only low-carb cocktails).
B = Have no more than 5 drinks per week (go up a letter grade if only low-carb cocktails). 
C = Have no more than 7 drinks per week (go up a letter grade if only low-carb cocktails).
D = Have no more than 9 drinks per week (go up a letter grade if only low-carb cocktails).
F = Anything more than that (go up a letter grade if only low-carb cocktails).

Quest 4: Cook paleo meals more often, eat out less. If I do eat out, I will find healthy/paleo-ish options.

A = Eat out no more than 2 times a week. 
B = Eat out no more than 4 times a week.
C = Eat out no more than 6 times a week.
D = Eat out no more than 8 times a week.
F = Eat out more than 8 times a week. 

Life Quests: Sleep better. Read books and power down for bed every night. Less screen time.

Motivation: Originally, I wanted to look good in order to build confidence so that I could learn to live life to the fullest, but I realize I've been looking at things backward. The truth is I've put too much focus on my physical attractiveness from a dating perspective. I want to find love, but I know I need to love myself first. I need to build my self-esteem and take chances and stop holding myself back in order to live life to the fullest. 

[Vibrantella]

6 hours ago, EternalJourno said:

I want to find love, but I know I need to love myself first. I need to build my self-esteem and take chances and stop holding myself back in order to live life to the fullest. 

Yes!!!  

 

Good luck, and have a great vacation!

[Bookish Badger]

A solid, well-organized challenge, as always. Following!

[FatboySuave]

As mentioned above, I went to my new therapist for the first time yesterday. I'm planning to give play-by-plays here just to further process the stuff going on in my head. I don't really keep a journal or anything. But this feels like a safe space, so here we go. I'm marking it was a spoiler simply because of the length, so reading my ramblings is optional
 

Spoiler

 

Overall the experience was awkward, lol. While I was in the waiting room, he walked in through the front door a few minutes late — no big deal but still not a great first impression to give off, lol. When the receptionist said his 2:30 was here, he asked who that was and she was fumbling to find my name and then said, "He's sitting right there," and I awkwardly rose my hand and waved.

 

When he took me back into his office, I could tell he wasn't that well prepared. I was just sitting there while he glanced at his computer for my name and my details before we properly introduced ourselves. We started off with small talk. He asked me about my job and hobbies and stuff but admitted that he quickly skimmed my info, lol. At one point he felt the need to tell me that I looked nervous and to relax, even though I didn't really feel nervous, but maybe I gave off that energy. If anything, he was the one who seemed nervous, lol. He also seemed a bit socially awkward, which made me feel socially awkward, and two socially awkward people having a convo is not exactly a recipe for great chemistry. Another thing that made me feel a bit uneasy was that it felt like he was telegraphing his every move. Like when he asked me questions or talked, it felt way too choreographed — just not natural, which added to my feelings of awkwardness. And then at another point he again felt the need to tell me I was being nervous and that I didn't need to be — again, I felt OK but it seemed like he was the uncomfortable one, so I sort of admitted to being nervous even though I didn't really feel that way because I thought that might make him feel better, lol.

 

So things were just weird. The energy just seemed off to me, so I'm not sure if I want to continue with him. At the end he asked if I wanted to schedule another appointment, and I told him I wanted to think about it. Really I was thinking about switching therapists, but I didn't want to say that. He requested that we meet again, so I agreed. I'm willing to give it another shot. Maybe now that we got the awkward first date out of the way things will go smoother, lol. I was a bit worried about cost, but it's not too bad. I have a $35 co-pay for each visit, so that's within reason. I'll definitely consider keeping up with the therapy, but maybe down the road I'll request to see somebody else.

 

During our conversation we dove into some deeper stuff. I talked about having low self-esteem and a lack of confidence and how I tend to avoid doing things for fear of failure or rejection. We talked about my issues with dating and relationships. He said we would eventually work on a plan for me and could include some self-esteem exercises. He asked me what good qualities I have, which always feels awkward. I feel weird giving myself compliments sometimes, and even on dating sites I have trouble describing myself.

 

There was maybe one or two moments where I actually felt like I might start crying, but I'm not sure why. I wasn't necessarily talking about anything upsetting — maybe a little — but I could feel my voice wavering a bit. Maybe it actually was nerves. But I held back because I didn't feel comfortable with him yet. It seemed like bad form to start bawling on our first meeting, lol. And then as I drove away, I starting crying a little in my car. But again, I'm not sure why. There wasn't a specific thing that upset me. So that's really why I felt like writing about the experience here. I still felt this need to release my thoughts, but I don't know that I want to open up to the therapist — yet. I don't know.

 

 

Tl;dr: My first meeting with my therapist was awkward/uncomfortable and I'm not sure I want to continue seeing the same one, but I'm going to give it a shot.

 

So that's where I'm at. I'm hanging out with friends tonight for games and general merriment. Then I'm hitting the road in the morning for Denver. My friend said she has a friend who is celebrating her birthday, so the plan is to go out Thursday night. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm especially looking forward to getting away from work for a few days. It may be a few days before I post here, so I'll see you when I see you.

[Bookish Badger]

Have a great vacation! I look forward to hearing about your trip when you get back.

 

About the therapist. Based on what you describe, I wonder if he was really new at it? Maybe that's why he kept telling you to relax, because he's "supposed to," etc? but I don't blame you for not wanting to go back. I think you're on the right track: give him one more chance to get his act together and then find someone else.

[Terinatum]

Hi

Love the motivation realization.

I also deal with (successfully and not) mental health and I do hope the meds give you a stable base to work from. Best of luck and enjoy your vacation.

Cheers!

[oldnews]

I also have an alcohol-related goal. Good luck!

 

I'd give the therapist one more shot, but don't waste too much time and money when you could be finding a better fit. It could have been a rough day for him, but it sounds uncomfortable all around.

 

And I often find myself crying for "no reason" in therapy because I'm just not used to talking about my emotions like that.

 

 

[FatboySuave]

On 7/3/2017 at 9:58 AM, motherofcatdragons said:

And I often find myself crying for "no reason" in therapy because I'm just not used to talking about my emotions like that.

 

I think this is spot on with what happened to me.

 

On 6/28/2017 at 2:01 PM, Bookish Badger said:

Based on what you describe, I wonder if he was really new at it?

 

This could have been the case. I also have this feeling it may have been a cultural thing. I hate to make generalizations about people based on race or anything like that, but in my experience as a reporter, some Navajo people tend to seem socially awkward. And I say "seem" because different cultures have different social norms and expectations and whatnot. So what may seem natural and comfortable to me may be awkward to someone else and vice versa. But I'll definitely give him at least one more chance.

 

Vacation recap (Warning: Word vomit ensues)

 

I had an amazing trip. It was so nice to be in a different place and not have to worry about the regular BS, especially letting myself relax with the workout/diet goals was nice. I was even a little loose with my wallet, but I was really trying to let myself enjoy the present moment without stress or worries about the things that usually weigh me down. I feel like it gave me a lot of time to think and reflect a lot. I had a conversation with the friend I visited, who I've known since high school, about how I feel like I used to have more unique thoughts when I was younger. Like there's a phase in your life where you really really dig into concepts because you're coming into your own intellectually, but then as you get older you learn more about life and sort of come back to reality and realize the things you used to babble on about were pretty ridiculous. But it's the pondering/reflecting/wondering that I miss. I feel like I used to be more introspective and thoughtful and philosophical, so this trip was a good opportunity for me to sort of rediscover that part of my brain. My friend and I had a lot of conversations about stuff like that and she's sort of a Nerd Fitness Rebel too (she tried Rising Heroes but hasn't really dug into the forums or other stuff) so we tend to be on a similar wavelength about personal growth and self improvement. So I came home with a lot of renewed energy about my fitness and life goals. I feel like the vision for my future self is a bit clearer. I feel like I know who I want to become a little better, or the type of person I want to become. It's definitely not a solid picture, it's still a little blurry. But I think I now have a new lens (or found an old neglected lens) that can help me get things into focus.

 

Journey to the Lands Beyond

 

I finished the Phantom Tollbooth while in Denver. It was a great book and made me literally lol quite often. The word play is beautiful and fun, and the concepts are relatable. I mentioned this before, but I could see a bit of Milo in myself. The main theme of the book revolves more around Milo's lack of interest in school and the Lands Beyond show him why education is important, but for me there was an immediate connection to my depression. I don't have the book in front of me so I found an article about the book and it quotes the exact passage that spoke to me:
 

Quote

There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself — not just sometimes, but always.

 

When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. On the way he thought about coming home, and coming home he thought about going. Wherever he was he wished he were somewhere else, and when he got there he wondered why he'd bothered. Nothing really interested him — least of all the things that should have.

 

The article also talks about the exact feelings I had reading the book as an adult, especially the ending. Basically Milo comes home from an epic adventure and thinks about taking another trip someday, but he doesn't know when he'll find the time because he finally realizes there's so much to explore right before him in his room and in his books. There's a lesson here about how we can find happiness in our current situation if we simply look for it. That was really big for me on my own epic adventure to Denver. It was so nice to get out and be in a "real city," but at the same time, I couldn't wait to get back home even though I tend to get bored with life. But this time something was different. I felt excited to return home so that I could finally start learning to enjoy my life and take pleasure in the things/job/friends/hobbies/landscape that are right before me. I realize I waste a lot of thoughts on envy. I always look at other people and the things they have and the trips they take and the experiences they have and I feel like I'm missing certain parts of life and agonize over them rather than learning to enjoy the things in front of me. 

 

There were several moments in Colorado where I found myself feeling extremely happy and genuinely content by the simplest things. I'm not exactly sure if it was the change of scenery or the meds or a combination of both, but the trip really helped me appreciate life in a new way. There was one day where we were drinking beer and reading books and listening to music on a blanket in the grass at the park, and it was just nice. I literally remarked out loud to my friend about how happy I felt, which I haven't felt in a long time. Then there was another moment where we went to a different park by the lake, again with our blanket and beer, to listen to live jazz and it was awe inspiring. We walked downtown a lot from shop to shop, picking up books and other things, and it was nice to just explore what was right in front of us and enjoy the present moment. We also talked about minimalism and the idea of only surrounding yourself and filling your house with things that make you happy, so while we shopped, there were so many things I wanted to buy, but my friend and I would openly talk about whether those things would make me happy in the long-term, so even just thinking about happiness helped me feel happier and make better judgements.

[Terinatum]

Just great insights and relaxation all rolled into one vacation. Love it. Let us know what captivates you in your regular life and in your home. What's it like to be present in your home? Why do I ask? Because I often wonder what I'm supposed to feel when I'm at home, in my own space.

[FatboySuave]

2 minutes ago, Terinatum said:

Just great insights and relaxation all rolled into one vacation. Love it. Let us know what captivates you in your regular life and in your home. What's it like to be present in your home? Why do I ask? Because I often wonder what I'm supposed to feel when I'm at home, in my own space.

 

This is a good idea. I'll definitely try to log things. I had a friend who challenged herself to write something positive about her day every day for a year. She said it helped her a lot. I was thinking I may try to do something similar.

[Vibrantella]

1 hour ago, EternalJourno said:

I had a friend who challenged herself to write something positive about her day every day for a year.

I started doing something similar a couple of years ago, writing 3 things I was grateful for each day before bed.  It made me reflect on the blessings, beauty and bounty around me, and certainly helped me sleep better!  I'm still doing it, except the journal I'm using now has space for morning gratitude as well as evening.

 

Glad you had a good time and felt happy and content

[FatboySuave]

Homecoming

 

Forgot to mention that I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming last night! And it is amazing. It may be my new all-time favorite movie. I laughed, I cried, I felt inspired and motivated. It was the perfect exclamation point to end my vacation and it let me thinking a lot about my personal growth. I want to talk about it, but doing so may spoil the movie. So this is a legitimate SPOILER ALERT!!! Do not read the hidden text if you have NOT seen the new Spider-Man. Seriously, look away. I warned you...

 

Spoiler

So I'll try not to give any HUGE spoilers since this was already in one of the trailers, but Iron Man basically threatens to take away Spider-Man's new suit, which is uber high tech. In the movie (and in the trailer), Tony Stark and Peter Parker are talking and Pedro says something about being nothing without the suit and Tony says, "If you're nothing without this suit, then you shouldn't have it." And then Spider-Man has to find a way to save the day on his own. Of course he's got super strength and agility and can crawl on walls and has built homemade web shooters, but he's obviously got a lot of self-doubt. So he has to overcome that doubt/fear and find confidence/strength in himself. Of course, that seems easy when you've been bitten by a radioactive spider and you develop super powers and a smoking hot bod overnight. When we think about self-improvement, we always want that instant gratification. We want that radioactive spider bite. But that never happens in real life. We have to work hard and sacrifice and suffer and build discipline. But even with the powers, you're not automatically a superhero. Captain America is the perfect example. His greatest power comes from his character. He gets the instant gratification of physical improvement with the super serum, but what truly makes him a hero is his courage and his integrity — things he clearly developed as a regular person. And here we have Spider-Man going through a similar thing. He doesn't have his high-tech Spidey suit with its infinite web shooting capabilities, but he still has the courage to face evil and he has the strength of character (and physical strength) to pick himself back up when a building literally falls on him. There's a moment where he's buried under debris and he looks and feels so helpless and is crying and is begging for help, but then he's literally yelling at himself to get up and eventually pushes himself up and out. It reminded me of myself because there are times when I'm doing pushups and it feels like I can't do anymore, so I yell at myself and growl to push myself up. But I also saw myself under a different kind of debris — that of depression. So seeing myself in Peter Parker's shoes made me realize that there's nothing that can hold me down. I may not have super strength, but I can strengthen my character, my resolve, my willpower, my discipline to overcome anything in my way. If I ever get bitten by a radioactive spider or take an injection of super serum or get struck by lightning, I want to make sure that I have the mental/emotional stability and strength of character to use my newfound abilities for good and to be a true hero. But even if I don't develop super powers, I can still become a hero to myself and maybe even others in other ways.

 

[Bookish Badger]

1 hour ago, EternalJourno said:

So this is a legitimate SPOILER ALERT!!! Do not read the hidden text if you have NOT seen the new Spider-Man. Seriously, look away. I warned you...

So tempted...Want to peek... NO!.. must...be..strong...!

 

(Also, Chloe is totally my previous cat.)

 

EDIT TO AVOID REPOST:

I'm so glad you had a chance to get away and clear your head. It sounds like those conversations with your friend really helped you clarify some things for yourself.

[Leimanu]

Following!  I'm glad to see you're doing a challenge.

 

Therapy: do you have other choices nearby?  Try someone else out - go therapist shopping.  You really haven't done too much work with this one.  Btw, $35 a pop is annoying time and again, but it's actually a really good price from some really good therapy   A lot of health insurance doesn't cover therapy, they just offer 3 free sessions or something.

 

I will go see Spiderman based on your recommendation!  Superhero movies are just killing it lately, hitting all the feels.  

[FatboySuave]

Thank you all for the well wishes!

 

I'm still riding a high off my vacation. This weekend I was productive. I did a bunch of yard work Saturday and cleared a ton of weeds, which was, and has been, pretty therapeutic. Yard work, for me, is one of those things that always seems overwhelming, so I tend to put it off, but then that means the weeds just get bigger and stronger and more overwhelming. When I finally get around to it though, it helps remind me that nothing is insurmountable — it just takes time and effort little by little.

 

I had friends over for games Saturday. I drank quite a few low-carb cocktails, but I took a page out of @motherofcatdragons's playbook and tried to drink water in between cocktails. I started off doing well, but as I drank more alcohol, the more I wanted to only drink alcohol, lol. I'll get better at this.

 

Sunday was my hard respawn day. I completed my first bodyweight workout in weeks and did my meal prep. I'm trying chicken thighs this week instead of breasts. However, I caved and bought Burger King for dinner and immediately regretted it. Dinners are tough for me. I have to find a way to plan better or find things to stock my fridge that make dinner choices easy. One idea I had is to get hamburger patties, which are super easy to cook from frozen, and just eat them like steaks. And more veggies in the freezer would help too. I'm going to work on that this week.

 

My primary goal this week is to just get back into my healthy habits. It feels like forever since I've really focused on my quests, so it may take a bit of readjustment. I also want to work at less screen time. I recently saw this video below from The Atlantic's "If Our Bodies Could Talk" (I love James Hamblin, he's freakin' adorkable, lol). And he brands the hour before bed the Amazing Hour, which is a fun way of thinking about it. This will help me not only with my sleep schedule but a few other things.

 

I plan to start my Amazing Hour by shutting down my computer and turning on music on my phone and making sure my alarms are set — that way I get the last of my screen time out of the way for the evening. Then I will stretch, which is supposed to help alleviate the plantar fasciitis. Then I will shower, which will save me time in the morning as I get ready for work — maybe I can get back into making my own coffee. Then I will lie in bed and read a book. I'm currently reading Saga for Comic Book Club. And that's it for now, but I have some ideas for the future. Maybe I'll start journaling (particularly the act of writing good things about the day or about myself). Meditation could potentially find its way into my Amazing Hour. But we'll save that for the future. For now the most important part is avoiding screens. And stretching. And reading.

 

 

[Leimanu]

Aw, he is adorkable. That face after the spinach, lol. I also like his apt design.

 

My last challenge had a bedtime goal, and i didn't do it once. Not once. Barely even tried.

 

When he gave it a cool name like Amazing Hour,  something clicked. Yeah, finally, no staring at something!

 

Im interested to see how it goes for you!

[Leimanu]

So - what are some of your favorite low-carbs drinks?

[FatboySuave]

@Leimanu, I had to rewatch the video to take note of his apt because I'm thinking about my own space these days and minimalism. New things I noticed: He's writing a letter to Dwayne The Rock Johnson, lol, and in his journal he says that at night he thinks about the internet and the things that go on there, lol. But the name Amazing Hour totally makes it click! I had the same reaction.

 

I keep it simple with the cocktails. Usually just Diet Coke and some sort of spirit, usually rum or vodka, sometimes whiskey. Flavored vodkas are especially fun to drink, lol. 

 

Speaking of Amazing Hour, I'm about to start mine right now.

[FatboySuave]

My Amazing Hour last night was ... wait for it ... amazing! I ended up minimizing my dresser a bit. I pulled out a bunch of socks and underwear, because do I really need that many? My main concern with minimalism and clothes is that it may mean more frequent laundry. Or it means wearing things multiple times before washing them. I don't know. Is that the outcome I want? I definitely want less junk in my dresser, but not so little that I'm bumming it on a regular basis. I'm going to hold on to the "junk" for a while to see how I manage and then adjust accordingly. But there's definitely a bunch of T-shirts in my room that are junk. And a lot of stuff in my closet that I don't wear. One thought that occurred to me is that people may notice a lack of diversity in clothes. I remember one friend commented on the fact that she saw me frequently in the same shirt a few weekends in a row. But so what? We've been conditioned to think it weird that someone is wearing the same few clothes in rotation. Who's idea was that? We're afraid to seem unfashionable, so we have to have different clothes for different occasions. Why can't I just wear a few versatile things and say fuck it?

 

I took a shower and stretched also. Then I read some Saga, which is amazing. And then I went to sleep pretty easily. I woke up on time this morning, which hasn't happened in a while, so I was legit early to work, which gave me time to enjoy my breakfast and make coffee in the office.

 

I went to the movies yesterday to watch Spider-Man again, still great. I tried to not buy snacks, but I couldn't help it and ended up getting a small popcorn and some fruit snacks and a Diet Coke. Then for dinner I put my plan into effect. I bought a bunch of stuff for my freezer for easy dinners: hamburger patties, salmon, scallops, crab cakes (this one is a bit of a cheat). So last night I cooked a hamburger patty and ate it like a steak with a big heaping of green beans. I also found cauliflower rice at the grocery store, so I may try that tonight as a sort of rice pilaf with salmon and a side of veggies.

[Bookish Badger]

1 hour ago, EternalJourno said:

My main concern with minimalism and clothes is that it may mean more frequent laundry.

Shirts, jeans, etc. can usually be worn a few times before laundering (assuming no obvious issues like spilled coffee or getting unusually sweaty). Underwear and socks...please don't. One wear per wash, please!  

 

Could I suggest going light on the clothes purging, as you've mentioned finances as a side quest a few times? Sure, you may not "need" 20 pairs of socks, but they will wear out. Keeping the supply you have will delay the time when you cross from "too many" to "not enough" and have to restock. (This doesn't apply to those socks & underpants that are already more hole than fabric. By all means, toss those immediately.)

 

Same for other clothes - if you are wearing them, they'll wear out so why throw them away now? Toss the items that are worn out, donate the wearable items that you know you won't ever use, then just don't buy new stuff. Let nature take its course for everything else. Minimalism by attrition, if you will.

 

1 hour ago, EternalJourno said:

One thought that occurred to me is that people may notice a lack of diversity in clothes. I remember one friend commented on the fact that she saw me frequently in the same shirt a few weekends in a row.

That's a bit rude. Why would anyone make a comment like that? Anyway, just tell her that you have a capsule wardrobe and send her off to look it up. She'll disappear down the Pinterest rabbit hole for hours and you won't have to deal with her for a while.  

 

Your dinner ideas sound great! Quick, easy, and yummy! I look forward to reading how your plan develops.

[FatboySuave]

46 minutes ago, Bookish Badger said:

Could I suggest going light on the clothes purging, as you've mentioned finances as a side quest a few times? Sure, you may not "need" 20 pairs of socks, but they will wear out. Keeping the supply you have will delay the time when you cross from "too many" to "not enough" and have to restock. (This doesn't apply to those socks & underpants that are already more hole than fabric. By all means, toss those immediately.)

 

Same for other clothes - if you are wearing them, they'll wear out so why throw them away now? Toss the items that are worn out, donate the wearable items that you know you won't ever use, then just don't buy new stuff. Let nature take its course for everything else. Minimalism by attrition, if you will.

 

This is definitely a good idea! I'll do that for sure with some stuff, especially socks/underwear. But I literally have like 20-30 T-shirts that are just collecting dust. I used to wear them for workouts, but now they're just clutter. I have 4-6 "workout" shirts that I rotate through. And a lot of stuff just doesn't fit me anymore because of the weight loss.

 

And I have some nerdy shirts that I really like, so they tend to stand out and that's why my friend noticed. I remember seeing a video about a male newscaster who literally wore the same suit every day and nobody noticed. I think he did it to show the double standard of how women are judged about their appearance and clothing options while men get to do what they want unnoticed.

[Bookish Badger]

18 hours ago, EternalJourno said:

And I have some nerdy shirts that I really like, so they tend to stand out

Ooh, what kind of nerdy shirts do you have?

 

I have a whole collection of nerdy shirts - I may or may not be on Tee Fury's daily email list . In fact, I spent a little time this weekend sorting out all of my Game of Thrones tees  so I'm ready for the season premier. (I wear a different one every Friday during the season. This Friday will be my "Winter is Coming"/Elsa mash-up.) That reminds me, I didn't see my "Wildfire - Valyrian Energy" tee. I'll have to check the laundry.

[Vibrantella]

20 hours ago, EternalJourno said:

We've been conditioned to think it weird that someone is wearing the same few clothes in rotation. Who's idea was that?

Those who profit from our mindless purchasing.  But this "fast fashion" is affecting not just our pockets, but the Earth as well.  Last year I watched the True Cost movie and I made some major changes in my shopping habits.  Also, having read (and mostly implemented) the Marie Kondo decluttering book, I've taken one of her maxims to heart - to earn its place in my home/life, a thing has to spark joy (or at least be necessary for the time being).  For example, I now have only 4 (2 short and 2 long-sleeved) workout shirts - two outfits per season are enough for me, as I go to the gym every other day, so there is time for doing the laundry.  When one of those gets too worn out, I will replace it - there's no need to have spares stashed away in drawers, as I'd most likely forget about them and go and buy a new one anyway!  

 

I have happily got rid (donated if still wearable, sent for rags recycling otherwise) of my "fat over several sizes" clothing that was just taking up space.  I had more stuff than I felt the need to replace, so it wasn't a big financial hit.  And capsule wardrobes are great!  

 

You're doing really well, BTW, keep it up!  We also had burgers (well, patties) last night, with roast broccoli and salad.  Hope you  like cauli rice, it's one of my favourite dishes!

[Bookish Badger]

3 hours ago, Vibrantella said:

Hope you  like cauli rice,

 

Speaking of cauli rice, I was stocking up on frozen veggies last night and saw something called Veggie Tots. They are Tater Tots made out of cauliflower instead of potatoes. I got a bag but haven't tried them yet. Has anyone else tried these?

[FatboySuave]

3 hours ago, Bookish Badger said:

Ooh, what kind of nerdy shirts do you have?

 

I love video game and crossover shirts and just random nerdy things. One of my favorites (that I get a lot of compliments for) says, "Similes are like metaphors." I also have one that says "Don't Mess With Tetris" and it has Tetris pieces in the shape of Texas. I have a "May the Triforce Be With You" shirt and a bunch of random stuff like Spider-Man wrapping up the Sinister Six and one of the X-Men and a Firefly one that says "You can't take the sky from me." For a while I was obsessed with buying new shirts and bought a bunch at once, but I've slowed down a lot over time. I still see shirts I want but have to tell myself I have enough already. I don't have a GOT shirt. I saw one last weekend that I almost bought that said "I drink and I know things." It was sooooooo hard to resist. I'm now regretting not getting it, lol.

 

2 hours ago, Vibrantella said:

Also, having read (and mostly implemented) the Marie Kondo decluttering book, I've taken one of her maxims to heart - to earn its place in my home/life, a thing has to spark joy (or at least be necessary for the time being).  For example, I now have only 4 (2 short and 2 long-sleeved) workout shirts - two outfits per season are enough for me, as I go to the gym every other day, so there is time for doing the laundry.

 

I've been trying to do the same thing lately. On my vacation I kept asking myself if the things I was buying would make me happy. I recently saw a short vid on Facebook about minimalism in Japan and it talked about this one guy who only had 150 belongings. It made me curious about how many belongings I have. I kinda want to count everything in my house just to find out. I definitely have some furniture and random things of "sentimental" value that don't have any real value that I could stand to get rid of. I want to sell everything to make a few bucks and donate the rest.

I ran into an interesting underwear problem yesterday. I recently switched over to boxers (because reasons) but they limit my mobility. So while working out I realized I may need to keep some extra boxer briefs specifically for working out. But I definitely have enough workout shirts to rotate through, so I'm sure I can get rid of a lot of older shirts and shorts.

 

The cauliflower rice was delicious and super convenient. I've made it before from actual cauliflower but it's so messy and tedious. The frozen pack in the microwave came out perfect. I'm definitely gonna buy those more often. I went ahead with the rice pilaf with salmon (straight into the oven from frozen) and some crab cakes (again straight to the oven from frozen) and green beans. It was delicious and easy to make! So that's definitely going into the dinner repertoire.

 

As for my meal prep, the chicken thighs aren't my favorite. For one, they still have the bone and skin. I now realize you can buy them without either. But they didn't come out well in the oven. They're definitely better grilled. Lesson learned. I bought some boneless/skinless thighs to experiment in the next week or so. I may grill them for my meal prep instead. I may even combine one thigh and one small breast for each day. I could potentially replace my sweet potatoes with cauliflower rice too. We'll see.