Tuesday, January 31, 2017

January Review

I'm liking not making any picks for the month, playing things by ear:

HOME

This idea of home is supposed to encompass as above (my world, country, state, city) and so below (my house), and the time set aside for this being Saturday morning. Of which one Saturday went to foot clinic, which is becoming one of the most rewarding things I do, two Saturdays went to SYSTEMS as tends to happen this time of year, leaving one Saturday for me to feebly catch up on dishes and laundry. Sigh. So much to do, above and below.

I managed to write a few emails to my senators about this horrid Sessions nomination, and I finally have something to write about to my state reps—overall, I need to regroup and set up a system for staying on top of this.

SYSTEMS

This idea of systems is also encompassing: my body that holds my mind that holds the things in my mind (time, money, not that those are the only things in my mind, but they're the things that hold the other things). As for body, I'm still running:

nothing to see here, just need a pic for my blog #25milesin30days #nojobtoosmall #notsosmall

A photo posted by Pauline Pang (@allapoppy) on

That math is... not right. In any case, my January goal was to run 1 mile 2x/week, and by the end I was running 3 miles at a time. I guess since I signed up for this 5K in April, I should stick with 3 miles so let's say my February goal will be to run 3 miles 2x/week or a monthly goal of 25 miles.

As for mind, Tuesday mornings is therapy; I did that every week except the first when I was getting over the stomach flu that I got on New Years Day. Thursday mornings is supposed to be time and money, but I still wasn't over my New Years flu by the first Thursday, then I worked the next two Thursdays, and then last Thursday I had breakfast and saw Sing with Biggie:

today biggie, all this will be ours 🙌

A photo posted by Pauline Pang (@allapoppy) on


friends don't let friends watch #sing alone

A photo posted by Pauline Pang (@allapoppy) on

So that's why systems pushed into one of those Saturdays: I set up my new calendar for the year, which I'm getting good at, and the other Saturday I paid bills, as I do. And I figured out all by myself how to prepare a 1099-MISC for the gym I pay rent to, proud of myself (it was easy). And things are going to continue in the vein at least through next month, because it's tax prep season. It's not the most wonderful time of the year, but it is what it is.

PLAY

Not much of this done, mostly because therapy is taking up the spot that I had set aside for watching Functional Patterns videos and such. And I want to stay in therapy for a while, while I feel good, because what I already know how to do is dig myself out of a hole that I've dug for myself, and what I want to get to know better is how not to dig myself into a hole. The former you tend to learn if you only go to/stay in therapy when you feel bad, whereas the latter is more a project of learning about feeling good.

Having said that, learning about muscles and movements has been a thing that makes me feel good. And, the odd years are when I'm budgeted to take my CECs and get recertified in CPR and first aid. And I'd like to learn more about first aid, in case I get involved in direct action; I listened to a webinar and have been doing more reading about Street Therapy by The Icarus Project, which I'm finding is right up my alley. So somehow that will have to be worked in this year, probably after my taxes have been filed.

PASTIME

Going out

I was supposed to spend New Years Day with the supper club gals at Painbows' house but I woke up anxious and not sure if I could go and just as Problem emailed the order of pickups, I threw up in my mouth a little and slid from bargaining straight to acceptance.

After I got better I hung out with Nina, she made these amazing hot sandwiches:

@technicallynina made sandwiches!

A photo posted by Pauline Pang (@allapoppy) on

What else, der schweetums and I also watched Bellator 140 at the Aloha Palace; as previously mentioned, I saw Sing with Biggie; my work holiday dinner was at The Dawson; and I met Ernest for coffee to deliver his yoga stick:

yoga stick production has begun! @frenshaw look this one has your name on it

A photo posted by Pauline Pang (@allapoppy) on

Staying in

What I mainly did this month was knit hats, Riley's I actually knit in December but finally delivered in January:

My lady @allapoppy made me a #pussyhat and I looove it! #teeth

A photo posted by Dr. LaForce (@rileycoyote) on

Just to be funny, I knit myself a yellow pussyhat but then I got tips from Brooke how to make a round-headed hat and then couldn't rest until I found black yarn to make myself a hufflepuff hat:

yayyyyy #hufflepuff

A photo posted by Pauline Pang (@allapoppy) on

Then I had enough yellow and black yarn left to make another hufflepuff hat for Maggie, more stripey to stretch out the yellow:

And right at the last minute, I made another pussyhat for Pom:

Plus I reknit Higgy's hat three more times, haha. I had forgotten how much I like knitting, and I'm surprised that I never thought to make hats before—they're so easy, much less time-consuming than scarves. Next I'm going to find some rainbow yarn to make Sparty a hat for the Pride March on Washington.

Plus, knitting is a thing that you can do while you watch TV. This month we watched Sherlock (meh), The Accountant (very good), continued with The Man in the High Castle (good), and at my insistence we had a Jack Reacher festival (lol). On my own I watched Lilo & Stitch 1 and 2 (omg I sobbed and sobbed) and Reign (also lol)... did I say The Crown last month? I'm not sure when I watched that, but that sent me down a royal rabbit hole for a bit including rewatching The Tudors.

Also, reading! I know, shocking. I'm copying Deb's idea about reading and then putting Animal Farm and 1984 into circulation, I thought I had read 1984 but not Animal Farm but I'm finding that I have no memory of either of them.

And actually I'm gnashing my teeth because I'm so impatient to finish writing this review, so I can get back to my book. Which doesn't bode too well for blogging, but oh well!