The 80s in May

(image via Terry Johnson)

Listening: Joise Cotton; The Go-Go’s; and The Flirts. I also started a 1980s playlist on Youtube. It has some 1970s mixed in but that’s only natural.

Reading: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. So close to being done. I re-started from Week 9. I hope to be done by the end of May.

Watching: I watched Valley Girl at lunch. Tonight is game 1 between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks so I’ll be glued to the TV. Perfect excuse to start knitting my Tetris scarf, like, y’know?

Doing: Wondering why the 80s are back? Because it’s The 80s in May! I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s. I usually spend most of my time focused on the 1970s, but I do have a lot of love for the 1980s, especially 1980 to 1987. Those were great years to be a kid. I sure had a lot of fun.

I’m not going to spend the month re-living all the stuff I grew up with. There will of course be exceptions, but I want to focus on enjoying and sharing all the stuff I was too young to really “get” or got to enjoy. So it will be a mix.

Eating:  Nothing fancy. Poached eggs on rye toast.

Wearing: Jeans and a t-shirt. Boy is this question getting tedious.

Feeling:  Good, I guess. Excited that the NHL playoffs have started. I’m also enjoying dabbling in the 1980s. It’s been a fun day.

Weather: Started at -13C this morning. It’s a bright and sunny 4C right now.

Wanting: To knit and watch hockey. That’s about it really. Oh wait, I would also like some jelly bracelets :) That would be cool.

Needing: I don’t need anything. My truck however needs an oil change, so I’m going to do that on my day off tomorrow.

Thinking: about my Ultimate Nerdy Bucket List. I have about 800 items on it. So close to being done. I have about 300 more items to add and then I ruthlessly prune the list.

Enjoying: the sunshine. I just wish it was warmer.

Half Dozen

(image via Ralph Lauren)

Banishing Black: from about 2005 until 2012 I almost exclusively wore black or grey. I still like a soft, sweatshirt grey but have banished black from my wardrobe. I may have a few black tees in the mix but everything else is gone. I’m attracted to white and colour now. I think it’s a reaction from staying with such a dark palette for so long. My new neutral of choice is brown.

Jeep: I made a point the other day about buying a Jeep Rubicon Unlimited. I’ve decided after all that fuss that I’m not buying a vehicle at all. Look, I’m going to be free of almost all personal debt in 6 weeks. I’ll still have my truck loan but that’s no big deal. My truck payments aren’t very much, and the re-sale value on it is high. I’m not concerned.

But I’ve also been talking about how I want to save money and just focus it on the right things. I meant what I said. It’s really important to me to be debt free and to save money. I like being free from the burden of debt.

Retro Diet: Going well. I lost 2.5 lbs last week. I did have that weird day with my blood sugar going wonky but the rest of the week has been uneventful. I’ve started the Couch to 5K running program again and it’s going well. No pain in my shins because I’m taking a full day off between sessions.

Minimalist Challenge: Now that winter is over it’s time to restart up my minimalist challenge. Let’s face it, I’ll never be a true minimalist but I’ll be happy with being 70% minimalist. When I go home on May 6, I plan on sorting through the rest of my books and stuff and making a final edit. The books I’ve left at my parent’s house have started to take up too much space and I think at least half of them need to go.

Cabin in the Woods: I don’t want to work in the Oil Sands forever. In fact, it’s been a goal of mine to take a one year sabbatical and just live in a cabin by a lake or a house by the sea. I even thought about staying in England for a year. I’ve been working pretty much steady for 21 years. I would like a year to myself free from concerns to just focus on hobbies and other interests. My plan is to take a year off and transition back into regular life. I don’t plan on doing this now, but within the next few years.

Preppy: You know I like preppy clothes, that’s no secret. To a nerd like me with healthy Gothic underpinnings, preppy is the best way to dress. It’s slightly sinister. Also, it’ always the weird, goth kid, the prep, or the slutty best friend that gets killed off first in any horror movie. So it kind of has this sinister undercurrent to it that I just find fun. Weird thoughts aside, I’ve been adding more colour to my preppy Pinterest board. Check it out.

Stabby

(image via buzzine)

Listening: Soundtrack for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Also,  Chaos by James Gleick.

Reading: I went to the gym last night so didn’t do any reading.

Doing: watching the very first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Oh the memories… I have this memory of first watching Buffy with my mom in a hotel room. This would’ve been around 1998. I’m not sure why we were in a hotel, the memory is kind of fuzzy. Anyways, we both were hooked on the show. I stopped watching it, I think, in season five. After they graduated high school it just wasn’t that interesting.

I also found a crochet stitch for my Tetris scarf so I’ll be starting that, as well as knitting my dad’s sweater. Excited!

Eating:  Ham with honey mustard and 1/2 cup of pasta. I had debated whether to eat the pasta. I figured half a cup would be okay. My blood sugar went up to 7.4 after lunch. Carbs and I don’t get along very well at all lately.

Drinking:  Coffee, water.

Wearing: jeans and my “Flash” t-shirt from Thinkgeek.

Feeling:  Happy :) Booked a plane ticket home for May 6. Going to relax and hang out with my family for a week.

Weather: Today was a marginal improvement; 14C but windy with rain showers throughout the day.

Wanting: To watch more Buffy. Alas, we don’t get high-speed Internet in camp so no more Buffy until tomorrow.

Needing: Nothing. I’m good.

Thinking: That I should finish up my Ultimate Nerdy Bucket List. I’m so close. One more day and I should have a finished rough draft.

Enjoying: Not the silence that for sure. Semi truck parked outside my window. However, I did enjoy going to the gym last night. Feels good to be back now that I’m recovered from that whole broken tooth/infection fiasco. It was pain free running on the treadmill last night.

I Suggest a New Strategy, R2

Listening: the hum of my work computer. I’m busy reading so I haven’t been listening to any music or audiobooks. I will later but it will probably be a metal/rock mix from 2007 which includes some Taproot and Chevelle. Oh the good ol’ days…

Reading: Chemistry for Dummies. I’m also reading Popular Mechanics (Apr 2013). My reading has stalled the past few days because I’ve been working on my Ultimate Nerdy Bucket List.

Doing: This morning wasn’t good at all. My blood sugar tested at over 33.3 mmol/L and my glucose monitor just gave me a warning. Yesterday I was complaining that I thought 7.2 was high. I think my dinner last night and being dehydrated (seriously; there are no water coolers in the bunkhouses) conspired against me.

My first step was to take a half-dose of Metformin along with 2 glasses of water. I ate a small breakfast and later I’ll test my blood sugar again. Remember I said yesterday that sugar was the cause of my not feeling well recently? I was right. This means I’ll be making even more changes. Sugar is going to become a curse word in my life. It makes me sick and as I get older, I just tolerate less and less.

Update: I checked my blood sugar again at 9:30 A.M., and it’s back down to 7.6 mmol/L. Glad to see that. I will keep working at it though.

Eating: My usual; slice of rye bread with one poached egg, and one poached egg white. Also, half a grapefruit.

Drinking: a cup of coffee (or 2). Also, water; two cups so far and another two cups before lunch.

Wearing: jeans and my “Eternal Exercise” t-shirt from Glennz Tees via Thinkgeek.

Feeling: If you read this far, then I’m sure you know that I’m not feeling very well at all. My blood sugar is all messed up this morning so I’m trying to remedy that while trying not to feel anxious about it. So far so good. Reading helps.

Weather: meh… 4C with a mix of rain and sunshine throughout the day.

Wanting: warmth, sunshine, new running shoes that don’t hurt my feet. I had a great pair of Nike’s that I bought in 2007. They were so comfortable. I’ve never been able to find another pair that fit so well.

Needing: to be healthy and to get my cravings for sugar and carbohydrates under control. I guess now it’s serious.

Thinking: That I should spend some time putting together my Star Wars Lego X-Wing. I’m so immature but whatever… I like Star Wars, a lot.

Enjoying: working on my Ultimate Nerdy Bucket List. It’s slow going but it’s been a lot of fun.

That’s No Moon

(image via Moustafa Hassan)

Listening: to the Best Star Wars Playlist Ever. True story. I was also listening to The Nerdist Way on the way to work this morning. I’m also deciding whether I should start Chaos by James Gleick back at the beginning. I started to lose the thread of the narration and am close to being hopelessly confused.

Reading: Chemistry for Dummies. I’m also reading Popular Mechanics (Apr 2013).

Doing: Making to-do lists for my kick-started retro lifestyle challenge. So far so good, but then it’s only 9:30 A.M.

Eating: Shreddies with milk chased with a few chewable probiotics and some Vitamin D. My uncle lived on Shreddies growing up. They really are delicious.

Drinking: a cup of coffee (or 2). I couldn’t give up coffee but I’m okay with it.

Wearing: jeans and my “Your So Obtuse” t-shirt from Thinkgeek.

Feeling: tired. I’ve been doing research on how to boost my energy levels. It’s my own fault though. I’ve been staying up too late the past few weeks and trying to live on 5-6 hours of sleep.

Weather: Sunny and a brisk -5C. My hands were frozen walking to work this morning. I just want Spring to get here. I feel that cabin fever is going to consume the last shred of my sanity.

Wanting: The next five months to be filled with warmth and sunshine. Lots of it.

Needing: to file my taxes. I have my T4 slip so now I just have to do a simple filing. I will take care of that with the next two weeks.

Thinking: that I want to build my Linux box in July. It’s not an immediate goal so I’m relaxed about it. Right now I’m just excited about buying a new Jeep. I’ve never owned a new vehicle before, so if I get the chance, this will be a complete waste of money but also a new experience for me.

Enjoying: the peace and quiet. I can’t stress enough how much I enjoy peace and quiet. The only crowds I like are convention crowds. The rest be damned. There is nothing finer then the sound of birdsong.

This Time It’s For Real

Listening:  Back-to-back Kansas City Royals vs. Boston Red Sox games using the MLB At Bat app. Also, SPEKTRMODULE 20: Juddernaut by Warren Ellis (@warrenellis).

Reading: Chemistry for Dummies. I’m also reading Popular Mechanics (Apr 2013).

Doing: About to take my my retro lifestyle project to another level by seeing how long I can go without buying anything I consider unnecessary. I also want to see how long I can challenge myself to stick with my new lifestyle project without giving into laziness, procrastination, or cravings. I’m not going to beat myself up over it, just curious to see if I can manipulated a finite amount of willpower to work for me.

Eating:  Kahuna pork and fried rice. Don’t ask.

Drinking: a cup of coffee.

Wearing: jeans and my Flash t-shirt from Thinkgeek. My wardrobe is boring because I only take a small suitcase worth of clothes with me to camp. This means I pretty much wear the same things over and over until they wear out.

Feeling:  good. I had three days off which cured my headache. I feel well-rested and well-read. Pre-game jitters about my challenging my lifestyle project.

Weather: Partially cloudy and 1C. I wish Spring would just decide to stay. We had a snowstorm yesterday.

Wanting:  Tonight I want a good night’s sleep. That’s all.

Needing:  More free time to write and make lists.

Thinking: That I want to plan a quick and reasonably priced vacation to California sometime this fall.

Enjoying:  the peace and quiet. I’m in my office right now, creating some personal spreadsheets. I enjoy that my office is warm and quiet.