Goals 2018 -- January Recap

Guys, I have done so many things differently this month!

Here are some of them:

1. I have been drinking more water.  A simple app on my phone reminding me to drink water has helped a lot with this.

2. I have paid more attention to what I eat.  I have not gone as crazy as E and cut out all sugar, but I have been keeping track of my intake, which I find is helpful in cutting down on sugar, because it becomes so clear that high-sugar foods just don't provide much in the way of sustenance.

3. I have gotten a new office chair.  It has no lumbar support at all, but paradoxically it seems to be having the effect of causing me to sit up straighter.  Rather than reclining against the back of the chair, I perch on the edge of it, which means I have to use my own core muscles to sit up, which makes me think about sitting up!  This is something that I have been wanting to pay more attention to for a long time!

4. I decided that wasting 20 minutes of good sleep by hitting the snooze button over and over was a stupid idea, and the constant crashing of my alarm clock app was making me nervous that one day it just wouldn't go off.  So I installed a new app, set it for the actual time I'm supposed to get up, and disabled the snooze function. I've overslept once; I'm not quite sure what happened, but I assume it was a sleep-induced brain fog that allowed me to think I still had the ability to snooze. Which I suppose, in a manner of speaking, I do.  I'm hopeful that I learned my lesson for a while. (Another option: wake up to a real clock alarm, rather than an app. Might try that next.)

So, here's hoping I sustain these positive changes for the long term!

Oh, and I cleaned out the fridge and pantry!

Before:

After:

You may not be able to tell much of a difference, but I can!

What I Watched -- Wildlike

After a couple more movie failures on our flight to Florida, we struck it rich with Wildlike.

There is some extremely difficult subject matter in the form of sexual abuse perpetrated by a family member, and that makes it quite difficult to watch especially the early parts of the film.

Mackenzie is played by Ella Purnell, with whom I am not familiar, but whose face reminds me of the big-eyed, Gothic-emo poutiness of Aubrey Plaza.  There was a definite make-up choice, though, that ties the amount of heavy black eyeliner worn by Mackenzie to the level of distrust she feels in her surroundings.

Eventually things go to a good place, when Mackenzie latches onto Rene Bartlett, a recently-widowed hiker off for some alone time hiking around Denali.  "Bart" is played by Bruce Greenwood, whose face I certainly recognize but can't quite place, even after reviewing his filmography, except for possibly his role as JFK in Thirteen Days.  During Bart and Mackenzie's time in the wilderness, we are treated to some stunningly beautiful scenery.  If I were to speculate about what the filmmakers were thinking, it would be about the healing powers of the the great outdoors.

Plus, I won't tell you what it is in the interest of not spoiling things too badly, but there's something at the end of this movie that I like a lot.

SLSO - Show #4 and #5

Back in the middle of November and early December, S and I attended two more of our symphonies for the season. However, as with so many things in life, the writing about them was derailed as a consequence of the holiday craziness.

The first show was a Beethoven spectacular - Missa Solemnis in long form. There were several soloists, both vocal and instrumental.  The lyrics, of course, were in Latin, but that hardly mattered.  Though the music was lovely, and I believe it was the first time I had ever heard more than one or two movements of MS, church music really isn't my favorite. Beethoven is always lovely, but there are several other works I would rather hear.

Our last SLSO show before the long holiday break was in four parts, with the last and title piece being Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It also started with Vivaldi: L'Olimpiade Overture, which was wonderful.  Next up was Bach's Italian Concerto, followed by Marcello's Oboe Concerto.  Then back around to the aforementioned Vivaldi.  All in all, it was a spectacular show.

Still Reading -- Truman and The Secret Battle

Ages and ages ago, I started reading (or re-reading) two books, neither of which I ever finished: Truman and The Secret Battle.  I let the latter fall by the wayside simply because I wasn't enjoying, or perhaps it's better to say that I wasn't finding it as meaningful, as I had the first time I read it.  The former is a formidable read, and I started it a couple of times but never got more than about 30 pages into it before setting it aside and moving on to something else.

I have of late taken them both up again.  Truman came up in conversation with the person I have temporarily hijacked it from, who reminded me that it gets better after you get through the distant Truman family history, so I gave it another go.  I'm now about 160 pages in and enjoying it immensely.

The Secret Battle is one I just couldn't quite give up on.  I had thought so highly of it when I read it in college that I couldn't believe my own change of heart about it.  I am pleased to say that my sentiments now remind me much more of the first go-around I had with it.

It has been interesting, and a bit confusing, to be reading two books about a guy named Harry which take place (at least in part) in theater during World War I.  In case you are wondering, both Harrys comported themselves honorably.

Goals 2018 -- January Edition

Every January, E goes sugar-free for the whole month.  I'm going to be honest: that is just not a thing I can realistically do at this point in my life.  I might -- might -- be able to do a week, but a month is way too long.

We may get to that, but it is not my January goal.  Step one for improving my life this year: clean out the fridge and pantry.  There is probably going to be a lot of perfectly good food that gets thrown out, and I'm not thrilled about that, but I would like to clean things out and start fresh -- especially with less junk food!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2018 Goals

This year, I'm going to pay more attention to me.  That sounds quite selfish and narcissistic, but that's not how I mean it.  I am going to pay more attention to how I spend my time, what I eat, physical fitness, etc.  I want to be a better version of me.  Each month's goal will be somehow related to improving myself, my life, or my outlook.

We're starting off the year excellently, with a bout of food poisoning.

And in case anyone is wondering about December, I got one more box unpacked.  But hey, that's better than nothing!

Happy New Year!