Ellsworth

the piano, but I’m out of the habit. I need to get the piano tuned, find some music that I can play with my rusty skills, and just get back into it.

Really I want to RUN a 5K race but I’m very intimidated by the thought of it so first my goal is to just “enter” the race. Baby steps!

I need to re-commit to doing this because I really would like to have a daytime job at some point and I just think my life will be easier overall if I’m on a regular, earlier sleep schedule.

I tend to get to sleep later and later if I don’t work on it. Last night was about 2 AM. I’d like to bump this at least an hour earlier within the month.

Well, not sure if they’re perfect but I really really like them – Bluenotes with back flap pockets. They’re boot cut with a slightly relaxed fit in the thighs. I liked them so much that when they started to get too big I went and bought a new pair in the next size down and I’ll probably do it again this week, with a smaller size. I just love them.

Who knew jeans could make me so happy?

Which I’ve been doing for some time now. Sometimes I need to walk a bit here and there, but mostly I’m running. Well, jogging, sometimes with a bit of a sprint partway through, depending on my mood! I do it every other day. I guess I was doing it to work off nervous energy and get into shape, and now it’s pretty solidly part of my routine.

I walk about 5 minutes, jog for 30, walk about 5, stretch, then do stomach crunches and that’s my workout. It takes an hour at the most. Sometimes I do some weights for my arms. It’s fun and I enjoy it. Hard to imagine that I used to have trouble making myself go for a walk around the block. That’s habit for you :)

Now I think I’ll try stepping it up a bit, run farther during the 30 minutes, or run for a bit longer. I have a goal of running a 5K at some point.

This isn’t really happening at all. I have hardly any clothes that fit me – yet mountains of clothing in the spare bedroom. I have put some work clothes that are now too big into a bag destined for a thrift shop, but… I’d guess I actually wear about 10% of the clothing that I have. The rest needs to go.

The books – I have to SORT them because some of my favourites are mixed in with all the junky ones.

And then there is just all the stuff – papers, old bills, tax things – that I pile and sort and then forget about so really it’s just a mountain of paper all over this massive desk.

Need to recommit to this.

I just don’t seem to be playing it at all. I have other hobbies. I know how to play the piano. The sax is fun to play but I just don’t make the time for it and it sits there making me feel guilty! It’s a loaner. I am going to give it back and stop feeling bad about it :)

It took me all this work just to decide what I wanted to do, get over my fear of rejection and apply to the university (science, post-degree) and now I’ve got the two classes on my schedule and books purchased – READY TO GO. I’m going to set a NEW goal, which is to GO TO CLASSES (something I am notoriously bad at doing, since I hate going out in public) and actually FINISH both courses.

Canon 75-300 mm lens. Fun times!

I’ve done my second 10 pound weight loss since April. I’m going to do another 10 pound goal(no worries – I had a lot to spare when I started and can very safely do another 20!).

I’m not dieting at all, except to stop doing the obviously weight-gaining things like eating whole bags of cookies. That was mostly a matter of habit and I find that if I can keep my husband from bringing stuff like that in the house, I have no problem avoiding it.
Very occasionally I buy myself a nice, good chocolate bar, but my sweets cravings have really decreased and I mostly have no trouble getting past the chocolate aisle in the store.

I seriously never thought this was possible. Maybe it was a little tougher at first. It was a really solid habit for a lot of years.

Other than that, I’m just exercising. I run every other day for 40 minutes, then stretch and do some weights and stomach crunches at the end.

I’ve had this for almost two years now and only used it for 4 months. The goal was originally to CANCEL the membership, because I’ve started running, outside, and I’m just not into using a gym, but I was worried that at some point I’d want to use it – like, say, I had a small injury, or the weather gets really bad over the winter! But it seemed like a lot of money to spend all year just for that. However, I learned I could just suspend it for 6 months at a time, for $5 per month, which is perfect because I still have it at the locked in rate, but for now it’s inactive and $5. Yay.

I cannot believe how hard it was to make myself do this. I used to love doing my taxes! A bit of math, a refund at the end of it… but no more. Now I always have to pay. Add to that the fact that they were late and there was an extra fear associated with it. It really took very little time from beginning to end, but I just kept looking at the papers sitting there, and procrastinating.

From now on I will do them as the papers arrive in the spring and get them out of my house again.

I have reached another 10 pound weight loss goal. I have never tried to lose weight in smaller increments like this. While it is still hard to lose 10 pounds, or even 5, these goals are much less daunting than my original “lose 60 pounds”. Even if I don’t lose the full 60, I have lost 40 this way. Two more 10-pound goals to go.

because I am eating healthier overall, compared to when I started this goal. Veggies every single day, way less junk. I had chocolate and chips in one day, last week, for the first time in ages and I really, really needed them :) But for the most part it has greatly improved and is becoming habit. Actually, becoming necessary. Maybe I can fine-tune it later. I’ve been tossing around the idea of becoming vegetarian, or at least incorporating more vegetarian meals into my diet, but that’s not the same thing. Done, baby, done.

halfway, two walls, two coats. Then the hubby wanted to do the other two. One coat, then he got bored, then he said maybe it doesn’t need a second coat. That was last week. So I’ll do the second coat today (small room, one hour at most) and get going on the trim.

THEN I will move the papasan chair in there, paint the antique silver chest the same colour as the trim to use as a night table, add a lamp, and I will call it done. Easy.

For me breakfast makes all the difference for the rest of the day. And actually, anything for breakfast, for me, is better than none. My current regular breakfast is plain yogurt with a dab of strawberry jam (no sugar ADDED though I know there is sugar in it – but just enough for flavour) and a cut up banana in there. It’s easy and even if I don’t feel hungry I make myself eat! Then lunch, or a few snacks through the day, help me stop myself from ordering pizza or eating something ridiculous in the evening. No breakfast = messed up eating all day, for me.

or something similar (don’t have it right with me) – this is a two-book set, one for Modern, one for Contemporary – this is what I’m starting with. First poet in it is Walt Whitman.

I have no background in poetry at all so I thought I would start with stuff that might feel more familiar to me in structure and language.

seems kind of pointless now that I am not working. I do think it’s important to make an effort, at least – wear clothes that are in good condition, mended (if necessary), be properly groomed etc. This goal, for me, meant having good shoes and tights and wearing a variety of cute outfits that I had for work. Skirts and cute blouses and stuff. Now that I’m home, well, sweatshirts are fine most days and I have enough work stuff to get me by for a long time for when I run to the store or somewhere. So long, dressing better goal!

I put this goal on my list but didn’t do much to achieve it, but suddenly today I realized I have watched less than an hour of TV every week for the past 2 or 3 weeks. I think I just got out of the habit of watching TV during the Writer’s Strike; after the excitement of new episodes for the first bit after it ended, I wasn’t really very interested in any of my shows any more. So, I will call this goal “achieved” now, and if I start watching too much again in future I’ll add the goal back.

Very freeing. However, now maybe I should add the goal “spend less time on Facebook” to my list :))

I will count this one as “done” because I am doing the run 4x per week, such as it is! I am still walk/jogging, but it is amazing and I can’t believe I waited so long to start! I kept track of my progress from early March, when I changed my walking goal to running. I could see improvements in strength and speed with almost every outing, and though I’m not pushing myself but instead just enjoying it, I am running more and walking less each time. Now, I will set a new goal, to jog 30 minutes straight. LOVING it.