I just walked inside from spending a glorious hour in the pool. Yes, I think that I am going to go there as often as possible. To be immersed in water as the sun shines overhead is such a pure feeling. I love it. Before I went, I told myself that I would limit myself to an hour to prevent any sunburn and I think that that was a good amount of time. Plus an older couple came to the pool just as I was preparing to leave.
]]>A full week back at work did its best to anger me, but in the end I walked away feeling calm. Oh, I still would have no hesitation in quitting, but I know that for the moment I have to endure the idiocy of the place. What I need to do when I am there is maintain my level of indifference without coming across as too sarcastic. Starting a new vacation countdown also aids in dealing with the everyday nonsense of work and the frustration of what it does to me.
On the home front, I am trying not to fall into a dull routine and have gladly limited my television viewing. While I was away, my wife had recorded a bulk of Anthony Bourdain episodes for me, but once those have been watched, all that will be left for me is the season finale of Doctor Who and the slow build of Bleach. I have yet to see the first installment of the three part episode that hints at a regeneration for The Doctor, but I am more than a little eager to see it. David Tennant has done a great job in the part and seeing him leave after three quick seasons would be sad. Then there are the rumors that Tom Baker wants to return to the series in some capacity, be it as The Doctor or even better as The Master.
I have yet to spend any time in the pool where I live, but I have been exercising regularly and finding time to read. Both of those things make me happy and when swimming get added to the mix, I suspect that I will be even happier.
After a successful morning workout including time on the elliptical machine, some reps on the leg press, some lat pulls and some ab work on the balance ball, I left work for home. All in all, I felt good as I parked the car in the garage and smelled the damp air outside. More rain, at least an inch was predicted for the day, was on the way. Once inside I decided that the fan needed to be on to circulate the air and that was enough to make it feel just a little cooler. I was home and I could relax.
Over to the computer, I read some favorite sites, saw that the sandals that I wanted to buy last week are on sale again this week, ate two bowls of Post Selects Blueberry Morning and read the May 26 issue of The New Yorker. Naturally I turned to the back of the magazine to the movie review and discovered a new movie that I must see. It's called The Edge of Heaven and veers between people in Turkey and Germany. Then to further incite my interest the reviewer compares the move to Babel, which I loved. Sadly Netflix has no idea when the movie is going to be released on DVD, but I added it to my queue anyway.
These are the things that I do on an overcast Sunday morning in June after ten hours at work the previous night. Actually it was closer to nine hours, because I was late due to the wedding reception.
So another month comes to a close and I have to wonder what I accomplished. Let me make a quick laundry list of items.
14 days of exercise
7 days of showings
1 play at the Milwaukee Rep
1 concert of The Flight of the Conchords enjoyed
1 exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum seen
1 Brewers game attended
1 copy of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly read
1 copy of the Paul Theroux book Dark Star Safari started
My goal had been to exercise more than I had the previous month. I do not think that that goal was met. In fact I think that I exercised the exact same amount of days. For various reasons I seem to have trouble breaking that three days a week mark. Sigh.
At least I read a book and got a good start on another one. Reading more was another goal of mine and I appear to be making progress on that one. I hope to have a solid list of completed books by the end of summer.
Within the space of a week, I had five showings and not one offer on the condo that I am trying to sell. Most people seem to find it too small for some reason. Are families of six or more members trying to live there? This is a two bedroom unit with a one car garage. It is meant for an older single person or someone looking for their first property. Why is this so hard for people to understand? Sigh. Since this is a holiday weekend coming up, I am not expecting any activity at all and just want to put it out of my mind for a time. Plus I am looking forward to a three day work week and a four day weekend where I am hoping to relax.
About the only productive things that I have been doing lately would include taking photos and exercising. The photos have not been that impressive, but I am learning how to better use the features on my camera so I see that as time well spent. Then there is the exercise that almost always makes me happy. Just sweating improves my mood and I am looking forward to spending more time outside this summer. I should be out there now, but I never seem to find the time and the road construction near my place bothers me.
Finally, I have to say that I enjoyed reading an article about Stonehenge in the June issue of National Geographic. Usually that place ends up on some quasi mystical program that completely annoys me. From what I have read and understand no one is really quite sure what happened there and why. There are theories, but other than knowing where the stones came from before they were placed in a circle, most things about Stonehenge are just speculation.
For the second Wednesday in a row, I have had the pleasure of riding my bicycle on a new trail by my house and it feels good to be spending that much time outside again. This time I headed east instead of west and thanks to that change in direction, I have rode the entire length now. Knowing what to expect should decrease my time going forward each time I ride. Plus I am eager to see the trail get more green as we enter the month of May. At the moment the trees are just starting to bud so there is little shade and everything still looks very gray and dead. Three weeks from now I am certain that all of that will change.
I managed to exercise in some form fourteen days this month and I am pleased with that total. If I can increase my cycling to twice a week that will augment the three days a week that I spend on the elliptical machine at work to a total of five days a week where I am doing something physical. Between the two forms of exercise, I should have a solid regimen.
Yesterday was the best Wednesday that I have had in three weeks. Why? It was the first time in three weeks that I was not dealing with car problems. Sigh. I fully confess that I am not an automotive person by any means so I have to rely on what mechanics tell me. This is not unusual today for most people, but that does not make it any less frustrating. Being at the mercy of someone else is never a pleasant feeling. Plus when the car in question belongs to my wife and not me, the stress level is even greater. If I were stranded due to a car problem, I could probably accept it, but when it affects her, then the problem takes on a slightly different concern. Thankfully all of that seems to be in the past now.
To celebrate the return of my stress free Wednesday, I went for a two hour bike ride on a local trail that runs very near where I live. I had known about the trail ever since I moved here, but did not get a chance to try it out last year before it go too cold. Overall I have to say that it was a great ride. The weather was perfect with just the right amount of sun and wind. Neither of those two elements were too strong. Plus the trail itself had a gentle grade with just one slightly trying hill at one point. Now my plan is to add the trail to my weekly workout in addition to the time that I spend on the elliptical machine at work.
Lately I have been feeling more and more frustrated with my life. I have no idea if it has to due with me comparing my situation to other people that I know or because I see so little change happening in my life. Here are some examples:
One
person that I know is still going to school and part of me envies his being
immersed in that kind of an environment. To be able to learn something new every week and be asked to think is something that I miss in my life. My job does neither of those functions and reading on my own is not enough. I need more of a challenge. Sadly I can not leave my job when I am busy paying two mortgages.
Another person that I know purchased an iPhone and I have to say that I was impressed by the device. As for me, there are a number of computer / tech things that I want to do, but never seem to have the time to do them. For instance, I want to use my digital camera more so that I can experiment with HDR. I want to purchase a new larger external drive so I can download more scanned comic books. I want to transform my old Apple Blue and White G3 machine into a Linux music server.
Physically I am doing fine. In fact, I would almost go as far saying that my exercise regimen is better than ever. Tone has started to return to my stomach and I am looking forward to being able to ride my bike again in a month or two.
]]>I am proud of myself, because despite the fact that bitter cold has descended on the state and will linger for the next few days, I have managed to finish reading my first book of the year and kept a steady regimen of exercise going this month, both of which were goals of mine for this year. Having finished Pullman's The Subtle Knife, I am not sure if I want to continue right into the third part of the trilogy or not. I enjoyed both the first and second books, but part of me would like to switch gears into terms of pleasure reading.
At long last I have gotten back into a regular exercise regimen again. Ever since August, any consistent effort at exercising has been a struggle. Now that seems to be behind me. Even with all of the recent holiday activity, I've been able to spend time on both the stationary bike and the elliptical machine. My next goal is to start reading books more frequently. I have plenty of choices at hand, I just need to set aside some time each day like I do for exercise.
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