Reflection: #5. Go greener

North Americans don't know shit about coffee. The most economical ways of making coffee are the most artisanal, the best tasting, and the least wasteful.

Keurigs and whatever are the other pod ones, are (a) terrible tasting, (b) chemical-laden, (c) expensive, and (d) really, really bad for the environment. 

Espresso and other "fancy" machines are (a) wonderful breeding grounds for cockroaches (simple Google search, go), and (b) expensive.

Drips are (a) lots of plastic, (b) about the worst-tasting coffee-making process, and (c) not comparatively cheap.

If you want to blame your lack of eco-friendliness on your economic needs, this is where it makes no sense to me. Do your research.

Buy a $6 pour-over, a $15 French press, or - if you're so inclined - a $30 Aeropress. The environment, your germ-phobic nature, and your tastebuds will thank you.

That's all. Friendly PSA. I understand some people doing some things for the sake of convenience, but coffee-related corner cutting I don't get, because it costs more to both your pocket and our earth. Plus, everything economical here is more artisanal, tastes better -- and life is too short for bad coffee.

Progress: #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

16/30: I was feeling really low energy, kind of down, and super unmotivated today. Fortunately, it's the weekend, so I have lots of time to quote waste unquote, so I went really counterintuitive here and picked a video I knew I would find challenging.

I didn't want it to be a demotivating, insurmountable kind of challenging, so I picked a yogi I know I already like.

I hate working out. I hate core workouts. However, combine this with some yoga moves, and I already feel better about it. I'm sweating. It was tough.

However, if I do nothing else of significance today, at least I did this.

Original goal list posted here

Progress #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

15/30: Halfway there!

I did this video, which continues to confirm for me things I already know: Fairly open hip joints and muscles, terrible hamstring flexibility. I think I'm improving with all this stretching, though; as a test for myself, I just tried to touch my toes, and I can now touch more than midway down my shins, when before I could always make it barely past my knees.

Favourite yoga poses thus far are: tree, pigeon, child's pose, mountain pose, corpse pose, cobra.

Least favourite continues to be downward dog.

Then, today, out of morbid curiosity, I viewed this video to test out where I was at with any of these poses:

I do think, one day, I'll be able to do crow and backbend (almost there with the latter), but I'm not holding my breath on headstand or dancer's pose.

Also: This is now what happens when I roll out my yoga mat

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

14/30: Last night were parent-teacher interviews, so today is the most tired Friday of my semester. As such, this morning I slept in. I was going to forego yoga until this evening, but I started to feel sad about it (who am I??), so I did the shortest routine on my list. It was good, though: quick and powerful.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

13/30: I liked this one. Good stretch. Good workout. Quick, but not too quick. Very clear explanations.

Now: Coffee. Shower. Late night kind of day: Parent interviews.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

12/30

This one was definitely my least favourite so far, if only because it was way too advanced and way too quick for me. It seemed to regard it more as a vigorous exercise than anything particularly calming or meditative, and I'm not there yet. Also: I think I am the only person who finds downward dog the most difficult and taxing yoga pose (my hamstrings do not, and have never, allowed for my knees to unbend), and he did it about 30 times in this routine.

I completed this with a lot of modifications, and definitely do not recommend for a beginner.

Original goal list posted here

Progress #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

11/30: Just a short one this morning, because 1. My body is really feeling the last few longer days of yoga, and 2. I slept in.

I feel better now, though. I do.

Also: In general. The proof: Not a single Facebook rant has felt necessary in the past 11 days. You're welcome. (Thanks, yoga.)

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

10/30: 1/3!

This one is not labelled "beginner", so it was a bit quicker than I'm used to. However, my indoor fireplace / space heater is on the fritz and it was 16 degrees in here, so I was quite happy to warm up.

I keep hearing all these yogis talk about working up to "inversions" and finally realized what they mean -- headstands, crow pose, etc. (basically being "upside-down"). I'm curious as to whether or not this is something I can eventually do, so I searched "beginner inversions" and added some videos to my list for another day. This could be a total disaster, but we shall see.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #27. Do Yoga for 30 days straight

9/30

It is strange to me that, as I age, eight or nine days go by so quickly. I don't know if it is just that it has been quite a few days now, or that I've been challenging myself to do 30+ minute videos since Thursday, but I'm tired today: Full body tired. I think I will nap now.

That being said, I am factually noticing a few things: (a) my own posture throughout the day and challenging myself to correct it, especially when sitting; (b) I move a lot more fluidly now when I'm doing things like waking up, or changing positions to go to sleep; (c) I don't mention this much, but I had a fairly significant neck injury at the age of nine, and it is a part of my anatomy that constantly plagues me (and I'd consider the times it gets bad to be on par pain with something like a migraine or an earache). It is always stiff, likely aggravated by how much time I have spent gazing at a phone screen to accomplish many tasks (as, really, it has taken 90% of computer usage space), but it has noticeably been less stiff; (d) I've been spending a lot less time on the internet these days, 1. scouring news articles and trying to put together the pieces as if I am the one who will fix this broken world, and 2. gazing at others' lives and wishing they were mine. I don't really know how this relates to yoga, except to say it fills a time slot that would otherwise definitely be spent doing these things: upon waking and/or in the evening before I crash to sleep.

Anyway. I don't doubt that I will now accomplish this goal because I'm too far in to give it up. However, I am considering what I will do once I am finished, because I have trouble keeping up with things if I leave myself no accountability. I brush my hands of it and move on.

It's getting warmer out. Maybe I will crack out the rollerblades after 30 days, as that's one of maybe three or four physical activities I've ever enjoyed.



Original goal list posted here

Progress #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

8/30

It was either this, or nap. At the beginning, it started off so slow that I almost fell asleep. By the end, I was sweating and wearing only a sports bra and PJ pants in my front room, downing some delicious recovery drink Geoff mixed up for me.

Also, any yogi who says "Fuck yeah, y'all" is a-okay by me. (She's still my favourite.)

Original goal list posted here

Progress #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

7/30: 

Today went like this: Slight sleep-in. Wake up. Delicious home-roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffe morning coffee. Get ready. 35 min drive. Appointment = 1 hour of crying (which oddly I haven't done much of this semester at all, truth be told) because I get frustrated trying to articulate things (a) for the first time, (b) for which I have no definitive plan for, or desire to, resolve. Sometimes I think I should just keep silent, but, as she says: "How has that been working out for you?" So it goes. 20 min (post rush hour) drive. Hug Geoff and try to rearticulate, briefly. Go upstairs. Nap for four hours. Wake to a message that my dad is bringing over part of our wedding gift and some food. Eat for the first time today while I wait: Some orange juice + delicious coconut yoghurt that I made myself (see previous post). Brief visit with my dad, whom I love dearly for many reasons up to and including that he is such a tornado of energy, knowledge, stories, and love. Eat kale and artichoke salad. Drink lots of water. Do this cozy yoga video, because I have already been wearing a giant hoodie all day:

It was good. I can stand to do the longer ones on evenings/weekends, owing to time -- however, by the evening, I'm definitely not up to much core / cardio / workout. "Cozy" sounded nice, even if it was almost 40 mins.

Also: I can't do a lot of things well (yet), but I can do tree:

Original goal list posted here

Progress #5. Go greener

I made my own (plastic free!) coconut yoghurt. It is the best I have ever had. I topped it with almonds and oats and Geoff offered some of his frozen strawberries. I got some maple syrup out of the fridge for sweetener, but then didn't need it. It was too delicious without.

The greatest part is that this couldn't be more simple: One can of coconut milk (make sure it is one with a much higher percentage of coconut than water) + 2 vegan probiotic capsules. That's it.

I used these ones, purchased via well.ca (which come in a great glass bottle that I can't wait to reuse):

This recipe comes via Minimalist Baker.

Empty the coconut milk into a clean glass container. Open two capsules of probiotics and pour powder over the coconut milk. Stir. Cover with cheesecloth. Leave on a counter for 24-48 hours (I did about 40). Take off cheesecloth. Refrigerate. Enjoy, in whatever way you do.

The best parts are that (a) I have 28 capsules left to do this 14 more times, and (b) I didn't need to buy any fancy yoghurt maker to make this happen.

Original goal list posted here

Progress #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

6/30

This morning, I kept sleeping in and opted to shower instead of morning yoga. A truth: Showering is always an ordeal for me. I don't know why. If it isn't anxiety-inducing, it's akin to the begrudged drudgery of marking, or something. I hate it. I always have. There are just some things you have to do for the sake of others, though. This is one.

Also, straight up, if I didn't set this as a goal, I would have given up today. It just gets really hard for me to manage work + living. Really hard. I like my job, but it takes approximately 300% of my energy and I've sleeping every night by 5 or 6pm.

I realize it doesn't help that I haven't eaten solid food any day this week before 4:00pm and eat maybe 500 or so calories when I get home, take two Tylenol for a headache, crash. I realize I look totally fine, but I have completely terrible eating habits. I feel that others feel that so long as I look fine, I am entitled to those habits. Whenever I mention them, people say things like "Oh, me too; I didn't have breakfast," or something. I never do. But I guess I seem normal enough, so. If it doesn't bother anyone else, it doesn't bother me -- so long as I look ordinary, I suppose I deserve to eat terribly.

Anyway. I'm working on it. Today I ate some really great nachos and salsa I bought from a student sale downstairs. Lunch was goal #1. Yoga in the evening was goal #2.

I got in my thickest, coziest onesie and browsed my YouTube yoga playlist. The thumbnail for this one was Yogi Adrienne lying under a blanket, so that seemed A+ to me. It was good and easy, for a 30+ minute video -- mostly anxiety-related meditation (grateful), and hip stretches. Nothing strenuous. My hips are good. My hamstrings are not.

Leo joined in. I didn't even want to do this before I sat down begrudgingly. It was fine. Self-care. Knowing one's own limits. I'm not burning fat today. I'm not touching my toes today. I'm not taking on the world in any significant ways today.

I'm off tomorrow for an appointment, so. There's that, at least.
My motivations to continue: 1) I've been running this goal list for 10 years and it has inspired and affected some pretty significant changes in my life. I feel really indebted to it, and I set my mind to complete any goal I say I can. I guess I secretly think I can do most anything, if (a) I want to, and (b) I try. 2) My Dad says I'm not, and have never been, a quitter.


Original goal list posted here

Progress: #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

5/30

I'm feeling tired and distracted this morning (WORK), but my muscles and joints really are feeling a lot less tight already.

Really, I'm taking the time I would otherwise spend in the morning aimlessly scrolling the news on Facebook and sitting in front of a heater to warm up, and 1. Taking out aimlessness, and 2. Finding another way to get warm. 

Original goal list posted here

Progress #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

4/30

I was OUT with a migraine from the second I walked in the door at 4pm until the second I woke up at 6am. This is work life.

I decided not to use it as a deterrent and rolled out the mat anyway for a very short routine.

10 minutes? Sounds good!

...If this is what she describes as "gentle", I think I'll save Samin's videos for later on in my journey. This mostly just made me realize how terribly inflexible I am -- but I tried.

I look forward to getting better.

(Also as soon as I laid out the mat, Leo did a downward dog on it and then joined me in this routine through jumping on my back. Home goat yoga.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

3/30: 10%!

New favourite yogi: Jessamyn Stanley. She talks with patience and intelligence and strength and I can actually buy the things she is saying about moving yoga into the rest of your life by simple and immense things like standing strong. 

Geoff says my posture has gotten pretty bad in the past year or more, and I know that always coincides for me with times of body insecurity. 

I want to try to stand tall today, heart open.

This was a good way to start my morning.

Original goal list posted here

Completed: #11. Make my own mustard

These expanded about 3x their original size, and I kept having to top up the liquid. Next time, I'll start with more from the beginning.

It doesn't mix up as smoothly from scratch as it would from mustard powder, but I like the crunch.

I put it on a veggie dog. Also had to open my last jar of delicious zucchini relish (just in time to grow more zucchini!)

DAMN THIS IS SPICY. It tastes like I made it with horseradish. It tastes like Dijon.

I hope y'all like fresh-made preserves, yo, because I have so many mustard seeds left.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #27. Do Yoga for 30 days straight

2/30

When I did my five days before, Cole Chance was probably my favourite yogi. I think I'm about more of the physiology and less of the metaphysical. We'll see. 

This one was a bit more challenging than the last, owing to the fact that I'm generally great with balance and generally awful with flexibility. I've never, in my whole life, ever, much been able to touch past my knees (toes, what?)

I do think this is going to help my muscles and my general mid-30s stiffness.

I get sort of obsessive about goals once I start, so I'll probably get really into this and then wonder why I spent so long not listening to people about all the many benefits of yoga.

Continuing with it once I'm back to work tomorrow could be an ordeal, or it could be the best thing ever. It shouldn't take much to set aside 10-30 minutes in the morning or after work and perhaps it will help to centre my thoughts a bit.

Waking and showering on work days the past month or more has been really, really difficult.

This 30 days is going to take things past my wedding, so I hope y'all are ready for a yoga session at my house that morning! (Nah, I'll probably do it before the makeup artist arrives.)

Also this is totally weird and definitely an ASD thing, but I have problems with smooth textures interrupted by, like, fluff or random pieces of hard dirt. It's why I wear socks (and sometimes 2-3 thick pairs) literally everywhere but the shower. I learned part of my avoidance of yoga was having my hands touch the mat or floor, for the same reasons -- so today I wore gloves. No issues.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #27. Do yoga for 30 days straight

1/30

I made myself a playlist of over 30 instructional videos on YouTube. I started here, and, as it says at the end of the video "The hardest part is showing up."

I think I can do this. I did it for 5 days straight once and I loved it -- but 5 was my goal, so I stopped. 10 - 30 minutes out of my day ain't much, even on a bad one. 

I am concerned about many things as I age that I think yoga could help alleviate: aches, stiffness, muscle tone, body fat content, anxiety -- not to mention general awareness of body and spacial acuity, which, as an Aspergirl, are never my strong suits.

Let's try. It can't very well make things worse.

Original goal list posted here

Progress #19. Get married

As an artist and crafter with relatively neat printing if I try, I've oddly never been much into typography. My mom and little sister are pros, but I can't very well expect them to come all the way out here just to letter some signs. Ergo, I gave them a go. They'll do. I learned that a lot of nice elegant font is just handwriting with shadows on the downstroke.

Original goal list posted here

Progress #5. Go greener

I realized today that I'm actually 4/4 on Purple Cherokee Tomatoes sprouting in coffee grounds, so I said a mental farewell to all the seeds that were obviously not sprouting, and planted more Purple Cherokee seeds in their place instead.

I also learned to make biodegradable toilet paper roll seedling sprouters instead (cut in half, make three vertical cuts to each bottom and fold in, fill with soil) and planted four dwarf cherry tomato seeds. I also reused the soil from the aloe plant I killed (RIP), which seemed to work just fine to sprout my very finicky cucumber seeds, so.

Here goes.

If this works as well as I hope, I may have some Purple Cherokee seedlings for purchase or trade.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #11. Make my own mustard

I ran out of my live yellow mustard from Fresh City Farms and I have some veggie dogs in the freezer, so I guess this is as good a time as any to achieve this goal.

I vaguely followed this recipe, because I wanted to make it entirely from scratch. I added maybe a teaspoon of yellow curry powder for variation, as it includes some of the recommended spices like turmeric and cumin. 

It's all set: just sitting on my counter, absorbing everything for two to three days, before I mix it up in my Magic Bullet.

Hopefully it is as tasty as it is easy.



Original goal list posted here

Progress: #5. Go greener

I'm not sure if it is possible for a person to have too many hobbies, but I have a great number of them. I am a lot of things, but I am rarely bored.

Geoff is gone until Sunday, so - to stave off potential boredom, I have been keeping busy today with things otherwise noisy or messy.

I cooked a lentil loaf. I made almond milk and dehydrated crackers. I did the dishes. Tonight I'll try to watch some anime one of my students has been endlessly bothering me to see. She's written it down for me twice. She's followed up with me three times. She's given me a timeline. That's some serious commitment. I respect that.

Anyway. I also completed one of my messiest most space-invasive hobbies: I made melt and pour soap.

This is only the second time I've tried it out, but I utilized some new molds: A heart one I 3D printed months back, and some animal-shaped ice cream molds I traded for on Bunz, because I thought they could make fun soaps for my nephew.

I haven't quite figured out the trick, though. When I first pour, they are too liquid to affix the top (the print of the animal's face). If I wait a couple minutes too long, they aren't liquid enough. The cow mostly worked, the pig kind of worked, and the rooster didn't work at all.

Ah well. They look like some funky rough-cut Lush soaps, only less of a smell of chemicals.

The soap itself is vegetable-based glycerin, infused with coconut oil. I used essential oils for fragrance: orange, sweetgrass, lavender and mica for colour.

The cow and pig I'll give to my nephew, as thank you gifts for being our ring bearer. I hope he likes them!


Original goal list posted here

Progress: #5. Go greener

(Almost) 2 week update on coffee ground sprout experiment:

The best yet are the Purple Cherokee tomatoes. 3/4 have sprouted and they are all looking strong. Oddly, they are supposed to have the statistically lowest and slowest germination rate of all my seeds, so maybe the coffee grounds help?

0/4 cherry tomatoes have sprouted. I seed-saved these from a dwarf plant in my Aerogarden and I know they *can* sprout, because I grew my current Aerogarden cherries from them.

1/4 beefsteak has sprouted, but it is looking quite weak. I seed-saved these from my (very good) plants two years ago. Last year's crop was really weak, though, so they may just be weak seeds. (Again, though, last year's summer weather - VERY dry and very hot - was terrible for GTA tomatoes.

1/8 Genovese Tomato plants has sprouted (0/4 on the windowsill, which is unsurprising, as it has been very cold), and 1/4 on the counter under my Aerogarden lights.

2/4 cucumber plants have sprouted. They are highly finicky, so they are the only ones I sprouted in soil.

I took out the two seeds that were unscripted and replaced them with Genovese Tomato. We shall see if the soil helps.

I'm going to give everything that hasn't sprouted 2 more weeks before I replant them all with Purple Cherokee (and perhaps a couple with soil for the dwarf cherries).



Original goal list posted here

Progress# 19. Get married

1. I burned you all somewhere to sit and I'm quite happy with the rustic results.

2. Geoff and I did revisions to our playlist yesterday and it is so varied and fun and good. (I kept Ludacris, by popular demand.)

3. We met with our officiant this morning and she's lovely. Small world: Her niece is a student at the school where I teach.


Original goal list posted here

Progress: #19. Get married

• License: ✔ 
• Hilarity: ✔

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #19. Get married

I guess I wasn't done yet, because I just made all these rustic table markers. I'm quite pleased.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #19. Get married

The day's work:

Am I allowed to be amazed by my own skills of organization here? Because I am.

Also a magical thing happened and we got an extra round table because we aren't having a head table because we don't have a wedding party because screw pomp and circumstance. So. We are set -- and magically so! It is going to be a good night.

Original goal list posted here

Progress: #19. Get married

I have a newfound appreciation for how much work this becomes. Fortunately, I am a crafter, so it is definitely mostly a labour of love, but the logistical details over which I have no control get frustrating.

For instance, today I am revising all the seating because we realized we have too many people for our first choice round tables unless some people sit entirely by themselves at tables, so back to the drawing board, before I can even think about making table number pieces or a seating chart for display.

This is also particularly difficult when some people haven't bothered to (a) RSVP, or (b) answer my direct inquiries of whether or not they are coming. I'm going to just go ahead and assume that's a no, but, for reference: This really messes with people's plans. Don't do this.

I'm also making the (presumed) rest of the place cards and wedding favours today. I'm so glad it is the March Break because between this, a flu, marking, report cards, and preparing for a symposium at which I'm presenting 3 days after my wedding (which has involved seeking parental permission to interview students, interviewing students, and reading multiple books on inclusive education and autism -- and that's not even to mention the PowerPoint and how things will even be organized), I'm so pressed for time. It's all good, though, mostly. My life is moving in a direction I want and I am making that happen.

This week we also have to meet with our officiant and our venue to give final numbers / seating / payment / plans. Geoff will also be going to pick up our wedding license.

We can do this.

We can do this.



Original goal list posted here