17 Day Covid Plan

Trying to stay motivated and productive during this strange time of quarantine and self-isolation. I have made a check-list for the next 17 days (just because that was the number of lines in my notebook set up). Here is what I am hoping to accomplish:

Everyday - Do a small task related to
-- Becoming a PMP
-- Getting a job
-- Closing down the cafe
-- Keeping the house clean
-- Hosting weekly virtual trivia

Everyday - I am trying to
-- Go for a walk with Jason
-- Do a blog post, might be backdated
-- Brush the cat

Every morning, before noon, I want to
-- Be downstairs before 9am
-- Drink a glass of warm lemon water
-- Have breakfast
-- Wash my face and brush my teeth
-- Feed the cat, using new/clean bowls
-- Take my vitamins
-- Call someone for a quick chat
-- Do some fitness thing that raises my heart rate for 20mins

Every night, I want to
-- Stop looking at screens (phone, tablet, computer) after 11pm
-- Do a quick clean of the kitchen
-- Clean out the cat's litter box
-- Wash my face, floss and brush my teeth
-- Fill the humidifier
-- Relax (yoga, meditation, sex)
-- Be in bed before 11:30pm

Trying to go easy on myself and not be too upset if I don't achieve everything everyday. Some things are easier to do than others. The list is a bit like the one I tried back in November when I was starting to get depressed after shutting down the cafe and starting to look for a new job. Today is the first day and the checklist is mapped out until May 3rd, at which point I will see what is working, make some adjustments, and create a new one.

Another Great Meme

This time, it is a homemade variation of the Expectation vs. Reality meme that Taylor posted on Facebook featuring her, Lochlan, and Cadence. Love it!

What I thought yoga with kids would be like versus real life.

By Taylor (though Mark probably took the photo.)

Where I Get It From - Fitness Edition

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

My dad was quite athletic and liked to be active. He played squash at a local racquet club multiple times a week until his hip issues required him to stop. I am less active but here is where I get some of my fitness inclinations.

Running: Mom - She started in the early 2000s when helping me train for my misguided desire to apply for RMC, then she stuck with it for a while. Running was too boring for my Dad and it hurt his joints, if he joined us on a jog he would try to run beside us in the grass because it was softer. (And also did funny 'extras' like running backwards, or arm workouts, or cheering us on.)
Biking: Both - My mom and dad did a few bike trips together, (and we did biking day trips a lot as a family). They liked rail trails because of the gradual hills. I am now using my his bike since mine was stolen this summer.
Swimming: Mom - My mom used to swim at the YMCA when she worked in downtown Brantford. She has always liked swimming and been very good at it.
Yoga: Mom - She now does it each morning when she wakes up. Though similar to the running, it may have been me that got her into it initially.
Fitness Classes: Neither - My mom goes to them more than my dad ever did but in general it is more my thing. I love spinning classes.
Competitive Sports: Dad -  My dad liked the challenge of competition. When he sailed he preferred to race. His squash playing was competitive and he was parts of multiple leagues for it. My mom plays volleyball in the winter but says that they don't really keep score.
Team Sports: Neither - I played a few years of baseball growing up and a lot of soccer. However, my parents weren't really into team sports themselves. My mom prefers solitary fitness activities and my dad was social with his squash but it is still an individual sport. Keelboat sailing is as closest thing to team sports that they ever seriously participated in. As I have gotten older I have also moved away from this type of fitness activity.

Travel Diary - Friday August 7, 2015

Date: Friday August 7, 2015
Theme/Title: California Girls
Overview: I woke up early to go to a free yoga class offered at the hotel - there were just two of us and it was very enjoyable. We had breakfast at the healthy cafe next to the hotel. Teri and I drove to La Jolla for a kayaking tour we had booked online. It had been cheaper to get a double kayak instead of two individual ones, so Teri and I shared. I was in the back 'steering' since I am heaver. Our tour featured the 7 Caves and the guides were amazing, we learnt a lot about the local culture, history, geology, and marine life. We even saw Dr. Seuss' house. The kayaks fit in the last of the seven caves and the guides took us in a few at a time. There were so many sea lions!! They were jumping in and out of the water, rolling around, playing everywhere, even really close to people swimming and snorkeling nearby - we were so close I was scared of accidentally hitting one with my paddle. Unlike elephant seals, the California Sea Lion is small and super cute. On our way back to shore, Ter and I tipped in the shallows from the waves. Besides getting ourselves soaked, Teri's SLR also got wet but luckily the case kept it dry enough. Ter and I had both assumed that the kayaks would be the covered type but they were not. I got a terrible burn on my shins since I skipped the sunscreen there, assuming my legs would be tucked under plastic. After the tour we spent the rest of the afternoon lying on the beach. Teri helped me with math problems from my GMAT book and we read - it was so sunny, warm, and beautiful. In the early evening we drove for a bit around the shoreline looking for seals but didn't see any. We went to the Old Town for dinner and had Mexican again. Back at the hotel we finished the Scientology documentary before bed.
Woke-up: 8:30am for free yoga at The Sofia Hotel
Transportation/Distance: 2 hours kayaking. Minimal driving.
Meals: The Power Bowl from Tender Greens. Frozen yogurt on the beach. Burrito at Los Locos in Old Town.
Highlight of the Day: Seeing the sea lions was so much fun!
Lesson Learnt: That the 'J' in La Jolla is pronounced as an 'H' and the double 'L' is a 'Y' sound. So instead of La Jolla it is pronounced La Hoy-a.
Quote of the Day: Me (driving) to Teri (navigating) "Oh, so Juan like J-U-A-N? Yeah, we have passed that street like 5 times. Sorry I had been looking for W-A-N-D. When I kept seeing J-U-A-N, I thought that was Jew-An Street. Grrrr, Spanish."
Night's Accommodation: The Sofia Hotel, San Diego

True For My Cats

While Binx spent most of her time in the Napping Quarters, Two is well traveled on this map and will often disregard what ever is under the covers and just sit/lie on top of it - my legs, back, hip, stomach, chest, etc.

Cat Yoga

Amusing and cute! (Also, features 2D-Kitten, which Two used to do all the time but I haven't really seen in a while. The movie calls it 'Warrior I' and the cat also does it in front of the mirror.)

2D-Kitten: when a cat arches into a Halloween version of itself, with a puffy tail and hops backwards: the cat appears to flatten, all four legs and paws seem to lie on the same plane aka. the cat is two-dimensional

III

I am ill and injured. (I also love that in the title 'ill' looks like the roman numeral for 3.) As I was heading to bed last (Wednesday) night I could feel a tickle in my throat and thought, "Oh, this is not going to end well." Sure enough, I woke up with a killer sore throat, coupled with a cold/cough which meant sneezing and coughing that hurt the throat even more. Even though the sore throat was the worst one I've had in a while, I still would normally take some cold medicine and carry on my way.

However, there was an added issue. I somehow injured myself. I would love to blame my personal trainer who made me do all kinds of new leg exercises on Tuesday, but the day after, on Wednesday morning, I was sore but not horribly so. Since I was feeling a little sore, I decided that on Wednesday I would do a hot yoga class. I have taken a few of these in Ottawa and a few more at the gym here in Toronto. The warm room is great for the muscles and yoga is both a nice work out challenge and a good stretch. I figured it would be perfect for my sore legs, arms, and core. It was a different teacher than I had before and the class was much more challenging than I'm used to. It was awesome and an amazing workout, but I must have done some serious damage to my legs because I woke up the next morning and couldn't straighten them. I was in excruciating pain. It was bad!

So ill and injured, I stayed home today. Hoping to heal I slept a lot and drank a ton of water. I feel like my legs are loosening up, but I still can't fully straighten them and have been wandering around Rrunuv Bayit like an old man. The cold is passing through and I will just take a pile of pills tomorrow to get me by.

Sore Muscles And Shattered Ideas

Over the past few years I have figured out that a steady combination of taking my medicine, working out, and having protein at breakfast will lead to some of the happiest and most productive days of my life. I have been good with my pills for a long time now but as usual I'm not very good about eating well or getting enough exercise. This weekend I went to work out at school with Anna. Before we left I had breakfast; a bagel with cream cheese on one half and nutella on the other. I consider this pretty much the best breakfast for me. I need the protein in the nutella to get my day going but I don't like nutella enough to have it on both sides. I was telling this to Anna when she informed me that there was probably more protein in the cream cheese. Turns out she was right, shattering my understanding about my perfect nutella protein breakfast. She then suggested that perhaps I need the sugar in the nutella, so I'm going to stick with this breakfast for a while longer since what ever it is, it seems to work well for me. We then went to the campus gym, which was awesome! I'm still sore from it but it was good. I learned a lot about free weights and hope to continue exercising on a regular bases. Weekends with Anna. Thursdays with Steph. Tuesday morning yoga. Soon I hope to be running outside and training again for a 5k.

Lululemon Manifesto

This is the Lululemon Manifesto. (If you click it, you can read it better.) It is printed on their bags, you can buy the poster, and parts of it are up around the stores. A company that sells yoga clothing, it's ideals are based around a healthy lifestyle. I agree with pretty much everything it says. I love the main one which is 'Dance, Sing, Floss and Travel.' I think it completely describes me, especially since for the last two years I have been hardcore into the flossing. I'm a terrible singer mind you, but that doesn't stop me from doing it. I was 'shhhed' by the roommates last night for singing. Also, anyone who knows me is aware of my passion for dance and constant need to travel.

Early Morning Yoga

I went to my third early morning yoga class today and plan to continue doing it. My yoga studio (Rama Lotus) only offers 6:30am classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They offer a 50% discount to students for any class before 4:00pm and these early morning ones count. There are three different classes offered a one hour Power class in the hot room, which is way to intense for me that early in the morning; an hour and a half meditation style yoga class with a gong and probably chanting, totally not me; and lastly the one I have been attending, a 90 minute Hatha yoga class. For the most part the class focuses on legs, I swear I spend about half an hour each time in a lunge of some sort or another. There is also ab work and some balancing. The instructor says our mantra should be "I love my abdominal muscles," currently I don't. The class is still a challenging work out and I hope to improve in the postures over time.

Dark To Dark

I want to say that yesterday I was productive from dawn to dusk, but with the short winter days it was more like I was productive from dark to dark. I woke up at 5:30 to go to a 6:30am yoga class. My studio has classes at 6:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I want to start going all the time. I have made it to the last two. So I grabbed the 6:00 bus, head down for an hour and half class. Then I catch another bus afterwards (on the same transfer.) The bus doesn't take me all the way to work, I still have to walk a few blocks up the street, but I get in 10 minutes early. Then I worked all day, late actually as I was prepping for a few days in an other position. I'm currently filling in for an executive secretary while she is on holiday. I had a great lunch which I had brought from home, Chicken Cordon Blue and vegetables, out of the freezer and made for dinner the night before. After work I went to Carleton and watched a full lecture, then I walked home in the dark in time to catch House M.D. before heading to bed. It was such a productive day, I hope it continues throughout the week.

Priorities

Lately people have told me that I don't have my priorities straight, that I need to look at my priorities or figure out what they are. I know what they are! I actually have them all laid out. To have friends, family, even co-workers say this to me is basically telling me that they think I'm living my life wrong. I don't see it. So to avoid further question and accusation, here are my priorities:

Financial Priorities
(Where My Money Goes)
-Rent/Bills
-School
-Travel
-Living Healthy (Food/Exercise)
-Paying Off Debt/Saving Money
-Going Out/Entertainment
-Treating My Friends
-Beauty (Teeth/Hair/Skin etc.)
-Clothes
-Decorating

Time Priorities
(Where My Time Goes)
-Work
-Friends
-School
-Going Out/Entertainment
-Cleaning/Laundry
-Beauty (Teeth/Hair/Skin etc.)
-Living Healthy (Food/Exercise)

I think my priorities are in a nice line up. If I was to change anything I think I should probably focus on spending more time on being healthy since I have put a fair amount of money into Yoga Classes and Weight Watchers Meetings. I tick away at paying off my debt, which was never that big to begin with, at a steady rate. In the past few years I have been to Paris, Portugal, and hope to soon go to London, but I can't even think of the last time I bought clothes or house decorating things. I don't have a car or a house, nor do I hope to at any point in the near future. I'm happy with the decisions I make and I stick by them.

Warm and Sunny

It is days like today that make me want to be at my cottage so bad it hurts. A light breeze, bright blue sky with little white clouds, deliriously warm. I need to be on sand, or lying in one of the hammocks snoozing, maybe swimming or sailing. I want my skin to darken and my hair to turn copper. I need to be outside by the water, warm and relaxed by the waves. Instead I have to either watch lectures on the TV or type up notes on the computer. Everything right now is inside, even working out, I do Yoga in air conditioning, stretching and connecting to the earth through the carpet. I work under florescent lights, the only task that allows me to feel the sun on my face is taking out the garbage or cleaning the front tables. I know it doesn't have to be like that (well it does for the studying) and that Ottawa offers warmth, sun, and beauty outside. I'm going to have to spend sometime at one of the city beach's, bike along the canal, suntan on the roof, or hang out on my green lawn and look at all my flowers that are now blooming. Still it isn't the same as Long Point.

So Late

I have totally screwed up my sleeping clock. (You may have notice I have been posting at all hours of the day and night lately.) When I want to sleep I can't, so I'm at the whim of my body, if it is tired I head to bed, even if it means long naps. This is always such a destructive pattern and leads to me being an emotional mess and my school suffering. I plan to stop this in its tracks right now: So I'm off to bed and waking up early to go and do yoga, I hope this works.

Intense Heat

Last night I went and did 90mins of yoga in a hot room with Alex and The Popeye Boys. It was insane, afterwards every inch of me was covered in sweat, every part of my tanktop and yoga pants were soaked. I felt so refreshed afterwards though, almost like a detox. It was at Rama Lotus Yoga Centre downtown and I would like to start going there to do classes in the hot room regularly. A hot room which is kept between 38 to 41 degrees Celsius. Literally I was doing a low impact workout in a sauna for an hour and a half, crazyness.