Based on the last couple of days, reading with a side of tasty foodstuffs.   Thanks! It had better be enough, as I value my sanity.   Thanks!   My vacation was great; thanks for asking! We walked 10-15km every single day, visited all kinds of neat places, and are already talking about a second trip there. (I need to figure out how to buy from their shops - it was so nice to be able to find clothes that fit. Especially for my son, who has found only one major adult clothing brand that sells pants he can wear.) The yen is so cheap right now that it seems to be a pretty popular destination. I think my favourite non-sightseeing part was all the little temples and shrines everywhere, and seeing people take a moment to pray at them as part of their daily life. The Shinto prayer routine is neat.   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My relaxation time has consisted of: Barakamon and popcorn Barakamon and cake.   I have more volumes of Barakamon on order. It really is a lovely chill series to just relax into.   I had my first summer reading event today - a storywalk that I wrote which was also an obstacle course. It was supposed to be outside, but there was a thunderstorm warning all day, so we had it indoors instead. The kids seemed to enjoy it regardless.   Now I just have... nine more full events, a bunch of passives and storytimes, and who even knows what else to think about. I've started planning the next three, but I know some of the others are going to be a lot of work. It feels like so much when I look at what is still to come, so I'm trying to just focus on the next one. REALLY hoping that I can use a lot of my plans as front-loaded work and base future things off these ideas in future.

Scientia potestas est Society of the Wise • Est. 1775   The Folly Russell Square London, WC1B 7ZF     22nd June, 2024   Dear Sara, We have things to discuss.   I believe last night's antics are going to singlehandedly take you from an almost healthy sleep deficit to suspended overnight; if you survive it, it will be by the skin of your teeth. You are going to struggle to keep up with your deficit all week as a result.   But more importantly, I don't want to see a repeat of that again, for your sake. I suggest you form a plan to prevent it before I do, because I strongly suspect you will not much like mine.     Yours,   Thomas Nightingale   Detective Chief Inspector, Metropolitan Police Acting President, Society of the Wise    

60 min Ruck, upped to 30 lbs. 

Good for you for paying attention to your body. Hopefully, since you did that,  it will feel better for the next workout.

A friend asked me what id been up to today, and since i had t seen them in a while it encompassed a decent chunk of time. I really struggled to think of anything to say besides “lost 1.5st” . Just failed to find the words to articulate how i felt like id got my life back on track finally. made me feel bad and do the worst thing, compare my life with other peoples.  so, my reflex to combat this was to make a list of all the stuff i felt id achieved. Went on to write a list of things i would like to try to achieve in the next 6 months. I know im missing some, but i thought id share it. Felt like a nice 6 month check in with my goals. And incase anyone thinks the idea is cool and decides to do one them selves.    What i achieved this year lost 1.5st Got back into drawring Started a bujo Got comfy being by myself when out Got more confident at using the bus system Had a massive declutter of my room Changed the way i eat to be more healthy Started to learn how to sketch Challenged myself with harder walks Improved my fitness Got better at the whole social interaction thing Learned some new recepies Got better at taking photos with my phone Read a lot of books Started taking my mandolin to session Came out of the last six months happier and healthier.      What i want to do in the next 6 months lose another 1.5st Finish sorting my room and decorate Get better at sketching and using brush pens Start practicing calligraphy more seriously Get more confident with playing the mando in front of people Start practicing one of my other instruments regularly Begin learning a new instrument  Learn how to make an origami crane Continue to improve my fitness  Continue to eat healthily Widen the genres of books i am reading Gain more self confidence

What a good and restful Saturday it has been.   I didn’t sleep well last night, and then when I did sleep, I had bizarre dreams that left me disoriented for an hour or so after I woke up. As always, there is the ritual of tea and dog thing that held me.   By mid-morning, I was a person again, and picked up my kindle to take a look at the rest of chapter One. I read it on and off all day, and I’ve now finished it. I think reading a chapter of this work is going to be a day-long activity, even though it’s only 20-40 pages a chapter, and that’s good to know. James and I meet on Friday to discuss the remaining chapters, so I’m very glad that I have gotten my footing with this new-to-me author and the ideas he is putting forth. For the record, this is the Critical Theory school of thought, and I like it very much. I am glad I am reading it, and glad James identified it as the “logical container” for the type of investigation I am doing. No wonder I felt so lost everywhere else! It’s going to be a whole summer of Critical Theory, and here we go, raising the heat.   Speaking of heat, it’s hot here. I don’t feel like I can complain, since the humidity isn’t terrible today. It’s 97 (36.1 Celsius) and feels like 100 (37 C) and neither the dog nor I wants to go on a walk. FitBit says I’ve only walked about two-thirds of a mile today, and that feels spot on. Lots of water while reading.    Tonight is my last night at the doghouse.  I might start reading Chapter Two, “Conflicting Panaceas,” or I might read some murderbot diaries. I haven’t watched an episode all week (maybe longer?) and I’m not sure why I’m not feeling it, but I’m not. And this is why I adore streaming: the shows will be there when I’m ready for them.   I went down a rabbit hole this afternoon thinking about so many different things: the Urban Ashram; a philosophy and society book club; the upcoming return (in July 2025) of the 84-ish year cycle of war and revolution in this country; the Starlink Mini; lots of things. It was deeply “unproductive” and satisfying. I need time built into my life to faff about with  ridiculous ideas that go nowhere and mean nothing.    This is the Way.

Health Bar (physical health) Went to the gym, but had to cut it short when my  right knee, and then my left shoulder, both started hurting in that specific way that is a warning sign. And joints are precious and not to be wasted, so the workout stopped. Disappointingly short, but better than nothing.   Mana Bar (Mindfulness/Mental Health) I meditated!   Stamina Bar (Resilience/Emotional Energy) Friday: Joined the music social event in LOTRO and had fun playing. Saturday: Performing at the festival stage, also in LOTRO, to find out if it actually is fun. Also planning to paint my nails at some point during the evening.

During the super busy in the evenings Zero Week, I also caught a cold, so nothing happened for a while. New challenge is up, same as the old challenge.  

[WEEK 1] Day 5 (6/21/24)   Lots of out and about today! Diet - O - Peach -  Pork Chops, Asparagus & mac & cheese - Watermelon     Fitness - O Calisthenics (1 set of 14 reps)   Sidequest - A I slept 10 hours (11 pm to 9 am)  and was super groggy all day x x

In addition to what Everstorm said, it may help to pay very close attention to every part of your legs as you get to the stopping point on your way down. For a lot of people, the block that prevents us from going lower in a squat is actually our ankle mobility.... and there are all sorts of exercises that can be done, if that is the case.