"We must become the change we want to see." (original) (raw)
"We must become the change we want to see." - Mahatma Gandhi [Most Recent Entries][Calendar View] [Friends]
Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded inThe Nutmeg Club's LiveJournal:
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| Thursday, September 15th, 2005 | |
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| _2:30 pm_[elusiveat] |
Linguistic therapy I'm writing an email to a friend about some emotional issues. I decided to keep it brief. When I was done, it looked long, so I revised it to use fewer characters. This process helped me organize my thoughts and I learned some things about myself. It also turned an emotional rant into a resolution to improve myself.I think it is a useful exercise when a problem is eating at you."made it a goal" ==> "decided""edited it to make the same points in as few characters as possible" == "revised it to use fewer characters""an exercise worth trying" ==> "a useful exercise""particularly if" ==> "when""really" ==> """more comprehensible" ==> "clearer""a fair amount" ==> "a lot" ==> "some""There are a many things I'd like to have said. I'm writing a few of them down here." ==> "A few of my thoughts:" ==> "Some thoughts:" (1 Comment |Comment on this) |
| Saturday, May 7th, 2005 | |
| _12:31 pm_[elusiveat] |
Barefootness I've spent some time doing barefoot outdoor foxwalking every day since my post on April 25th, with the exception of the weekends.( Some observations of how it has affected meCollapse ) (Comment on this) |
| _11:24 am_[siriel] |
addicted to exercise I'm forcing myself to take a day off of the exercise bike after four days. My knee told me last night in no uncertain terms that I needed a break. And yet, now I feel restless and anxious. I assume it's from excess energy. I think I'll try to direct it toward being productive around the house, but I worry it won't be as satisfying as an actual cardio workout. Bleh. Thoughts? Maybe I should get some weights to use on the days I take a break from cardio? (2 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Monday, April 25th, 2005 | |
| _12:15 pm_[elusiveat] |
Running barefoot - food for thought Went to a wilderness survival class on Saturday, where one of the instructors (who is also a massage therapist) was talking extensively about the benefits of foxwalking and running barefoot. In particular, he said that the increased awareness that results from the removal of shoes results in improved circulation and decreases the likelihood of injuries. He said that he'd started running barefoot a couple of weeks ago, and had immediately noticed that he wasn't experiencing the usual knee, hip, and ankle problems that he associates with running. He also said that he had become more aware of his posture.Here's a bit more info on the advantages and disadvantages of running barefoot.http://www.livingresource.net/rbwiki/index.php/Main_PageI think I'm going to try it. I'll let you all know how it goes. (2 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Saturday, March 26th, 2005 | |
| _10:28 am_[elusiveat] |
The feeling of flying. This morning I brought my bicycle up from the basement, where it has been sitting forlornly collecting dust for over a year. Pumped up the tires, and then took it for a spin around the block. I'd forgotten how good that feels. Then brought out a bicycle that had been abandonned by a former roommate of ours. I think his bike might be better than mine. I have declared it to be my bike, now.Gathering stuff together to make my bike into a useable tool, I had to hunt through various piles of stuff, and the general clutter was getting to me. Upshot is that while I was at it, I cleared the floor of my room (although certain problem areas, such as the closet, still need tons of attention). As soon as I finish this post, I am going to vacuum and do a couple of house chores. (2 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Wednesday, March 23rd, 2005 | |
| _7:55 am_[siriel] |
noooooooooooooo! Silly holidays spoiling my diet...*hides from all the Easter candy in the office* (Comment on this) |
| Tuesday, March 22nd, 2005 | |
| _4:32 pm_[elusiveat] |
Wilderness skills Today I decided to go for a walk and explore Franklin Park instead of going to aikido class. The weather was gorgeous, and it was good to finally explore this green space that is only a (relatively) short distance from where I live. That said, it is far from ideal as parks go, and the section that I explored was dominated by a golf course... not optimal for learning about plant biodiversity by any means.But, golf course, or no, I think I got some good practice in. After I'd found an area with trees that wasn't too close to the parking lot, I practiced fox-walking. This is a lot easier on some terrains than others. Mats of dry leaves, for example, make it quite difficult to remain silent. Loose gravel can also be problematic. Bare soil and soft grass are the best for this activity. There were plenty of both of these at the park, for better or worse. I fox-walked for a while, and then a dog footprint in some mud caught my attention and I took some time to see how much progress I could make in finding tracks. Not a whole lot, but some. I think I found three footprints that were pretty clearly part of the same trail, with a few others that might or might not have been. I then wandered in another direction, just practicing walking again. Things were pretty quiet: not too many people about, and even fewer people with dogs. In a sudden moment, I looked up, and saw some animals in the grass at the other end of the golf course. At first I thought they were crows, but they seemed too big, and then I thought that they might be dogs, or might not even be alive. Then I saw a little group of them in another area and realized that they were Canada geese. So much for my animal identification skills ;)When I realized that they were geese, I almost immediately noticed that they were near water (I suppose it was a "water trap" or something for the golf course... golf is not of interest to me). I decided to go down to the water, and maybe practice stalking the geese. Observations as I approached the water: the grass near the water was quite soggy, presumaby from melting snow; when I listened closely, I believe I was able to hear the remaining patches of snow melting; I could hear birds in the trees by the water, but I was unable to locate them, although I tried. All of these details kept distracting me. I'm not sure that it is such a bad thing to be distracted when engaged in this type of activity, though.After spending a while trying to locate the birds in the trees, I gave up, and started fox-walking over to where the geese were. The goal of actually stalking them did not hold much promise because they were foraging well out into the green, so there was no cover around where they were. I kept in the trees by the water for as long as I could, but found myself being pretty noisy in the leaves and branches on the ground there, and I wasn't able to get close to the geese while staying by the water anyway. I worked on getting as close as I could, once I left the cover, though. I practiced paying attention to when one or more of the geese had their heads up, and trying to hold still during these times, and only moving when they were all foraging. This was good practice, but not terribly effective because my rate of movement was about the same as the waddling of the geese as they moved around in pursuit of food. I think that one of them noticed me quite early on, but I held still, and it went back to foraging. When I got close (close here means like 10 yards... nothing so impressive) though, a goose that may very well have been the same one kind of looked at me as if to say "You've *got* to be kidding me," and waddled away. Played with the geese a little more, but pretty muchly gave up then, and headed homeward.Overall, I feel happy enough with how that went, given that I am a novice, and I think I did a decent job of getting myself into the right sort of mindset for learning more. (2 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Saturday, March 12th, 2005 | |
| _7:12 pm_[elusiveat] |
updateness 1) Develop outdoors skillsHaven't been proactive on this, but did sign up for classes with Tom Brown's Trackerschool (http://www.trackerschool.com), the first session of the standard class this July. Or at least, I'm hoping that they're taking me. Haven't heard back for sure. In any case, contrary to ordivician's predictions, it seems that the classes are still open.Also been noticing how tracks change as the snow melts. Interesting stuff.2) Stretch moreHaven't done especially well with this, but have been continuing to do at least one martial arts class a week. No aikido this week, but did make it to Side Sword. I think it helps with Side Sword to know that it is a very small class, and that I will be missed if I don't show up. Also helps that I have a close friend who is also involved. Planning to show up for SCA fencing practice tomorrow, assuming that weather doesn't Interfere (TM). I do have a clear space in my room that should theoretically be available for stretching, but I'm going to need to work on a bit more than that, I think.3) Eat more, eat better, and eat less expensivelyBeen cooking more often, but am still at about 2 real meals a day. I've been finding that I crave pasta more lately. I'm not sure that that is such a bad thing, since my caloric intake has been so low lately. About a week ago I made some chili-type stuff with fresh spinach cooked into it, which I then froze. Not the most exciting stuff in the world, but it is nice to at least know that I have frozen food that contains green vegetables, should I want it.4) Put less strain on my jointsI continue to try not to bounce when I walk, with varying success.5) Adopt a regular sleep scheduleThis week has been my spring break. I've been getting to bed around midnight (see timestamp) and sleeping until whenever I get up. On one hand, I'm not getting to bed as early as I would like. On the other, I have been getting adequate sleep, which is very important.6) Organize my stuff and keep my room clean and tidyActually doing decently well on this front, although things have gotten a bit more cluttered since Intercon. As mentioned, I've been pretty good at keeping a large chunk of my floor more or less clear of junk. My desk has been going downhill, though.7) Develop awareness, balance, and coordinationMartial arts classes (see above) are helping with this, I am sure, although it's still a weak point with me. (2 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Monday, February 28th, 2005 | |
| _8:02 am_[siriel] |
February I only lost 3 pounds this month. My diet was relatively consistent with last month, and I upped my exercise from 5-6 days/week to 6-7.I wonder if the biking is building up muscles in my legs, and thus weight is no longer an accurate indicator of progress? I've heard that body fat gauges aren't very accurate, but maybe I should pick one up. I know that what really matters is how I feel and my perception of how I look. But, it would be nice to have quantifiable progress as well. (1 Comment |Comment on this) |
| Tuesday, February 8th, 2005 | |
| _10:19 pm_[siriel] |
control I would just like to state for the record that I successfully avoided the donut holes and chocolate cake in the break room today.Last year I would have eaten both without (much of) a second thought. Now it's pretty easy to say no. I hope it keeps being easy. Current Mood: slightly less fat (1 Comment |Comment on this) |
| Friday, February 4th, 2005 | |
| _10:15 am_[siriel] |
morning exercise On Wednesdays I go straight from work to class and don't get home until 10:30. I decided this week that, rather than take my day off of exercise on Wednesday (since I hadn't exercised on Monday), I would get up early and exercise before I went into work. I got up around 6:30, exercised until 7:30, and left the house at 8. It worked out perfectly and I plan to do it regularly. However, I have dim memories of someone telling me that exercising as soon as you get up in the morning is not as effective as at other times of the day. Has anyone else heard this? Current Mood: progressing (3 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Monday, January 31st, 2005 | |
| _4:07 pm_[siriel] |
Monthly update. I'm going to try to do one of these every month.This month I: exercised at least 5 times per week for at least 45 minutes, stretching after each session. ate only one rich dessert, and otherwise avoided sugar except in fruit, yogurt, and dark chocolate. switched from packaged rice mixes to bulk brown rice. went out to eat about twice a week. failed to keep a food diary past the first week. went out to dinner with someone new that I want to get to know. hugged my boyfriend more oftenI noticed these results: My moods are generally more even, though mood swings and irritable moments still occasionally happen. I stopped craving sweets pretty early on. I am noticeably more flexible than I was last month. I lost approximately 6 pounds. I have more endurance when I fence. I sleep better on days I exercise and I feel generally less stressed. My boyfriend likes hugs. In addition to maintaining these positive changes, I also need to work on: spirituality. Didn't do anything in that direction, don't know when I'll have the time. being busy without feeling stressed and out of control. Current Mood:  hopeful (Comment on this) |
| Wednesday, January 26th, 2005 | |
| _1:32 pm_[elusiveat] |
Question: granola bars I've gotten out of the habit of eating breakfast regularly, which is a Very Bad Thing, in my mind. The main issue is time and convenience. I don't have the time to cook in the morning, and don't want to eat something sugary like traditional granola bars or cold cereal.Does anyone know of any good recipes for granola bars, grain bars, or some sort of baked whole grain cookie-like substance that doesn't call for any sweeteners (or calls for *very* minimal use of sweeteners)? I'd like to end up with something where the only sweetness is from dried fruit that are added.Thoughts? (1 Comment |Comment on this) |
| _1:08 pm_[elusiveat] |
2) Stretch more This is a big issue for me. I really believe that regular stretching can counteract a big chunk of the negative effects of aging. At the moment I stretch roughly 3 times every 2 weeks. Once when I fence on Wednesdays, and I have a big unstructured stretch at the Improv Dance Jams I go to (roughly every other Monday). This far better than nothing (especially the Dance Jams), but also not nearly good enough. I find it difficult to get myself to stretch regularly unless it is built into another workout routine. I was trying to correct this in the Fall by signing up for Aikido classes. I haven't gone to them in over a month now, though. At the beginning of February, I'd like to start going again, and adopt a regular schedule that will permit me to go to them just before or just after some other regular activity (such as work or fencing). I need a regular routine or I won't stick to it. The routine needs to be moderate (maybe 3 times a week), or I'll get lazy one day and then there goes the routine.More optimistically, I'd like to get into the habit of stretching every day before I go to bed. I've found it difficult to get started on this habit though. Anyone else trying to get into this habit? (4 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Tuesday, January 25th, 2005 | |
| _4:06 pm_[loresinger] |
Hello Dropping in from down south!This community sounds like a great idea. There are numerous issues I am working on (from loosing weight to naturally managing my anxiety and mood swings), but I try to do it with the Mind, Body, Spirit connection in mind. I am leaning toward many holistic ideas in trying to meet my goals and having a place for daily encouragement of success stories may help pick me up and help me along.I wish I had time for a longer post, but alas, work calls.My main goals:Loose weight (ideally 50 lbs. I will be happy to see 10 gone!)Cut my sugar intake and see if my mood swings improve.Eat more healthy, living foodsDrink more water (4 pints today so far!)Gain more control over my anxiety/panic attacks by affirmations and healthier eatingExercise more.Thanks for listening. Current Mood: busy (7 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Wednesday, January 26th, 2005 | |
| _3:14 pm_[swashbucklr] |
It looks like meeting new people is not a problem for me... I went to Arisia this weekend, which is one of the two big Boston-area science fiction conventions. I volunteered to work for Security, as it was being run by a friend of mine, and it got me a free membership and a free room for the weekend. That meant that I was running around for most of the weekend, making sure things were "secure". Which really just meant being everywhere, as often as I could, all over the hotel. It also meant that I knew where all of the good parties were.Despite losing my voice half-way through the event (or perhaps because of it), I managed to meet a lot of new people. And most of them are people I find interesting enough, and who seem interested enough, that I want to keep in touch with them. I've added ten of these new, interesting people to my "friends" list on LJ. (Someone at the con called it a "subscribe" list.) Some of them seem to be interested in a much more personal way, too.I think I have nothing to fear about my ability to be social, anymore. Running around at the con like that, meeting new people and having fun made me realize that while I can still improve on my social skillz, I'm not as awkward as I thought I was.I also don't feel so old anymore.WE (2 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Tuesday, January 25th, 2005 | |
| _1:40 pm_[elusiveat] |
Evolution and laziness I wrote this entry in response to siriel's post about complacency, and she thought it was good food for thought, so I'm posting a link to it as a top-level post for anyone who doesn't want to go digging through the reply comments to every single post here.http://www.livejournal.com/community/urthro/2619.html?thread=13627#t13627 (Comment on this) |
| _12:26 pm_[elusiveat] |
1) Develop outdoors skills So far I've largely taken an armchair approach to this goal, and haven't put in nearly as much time as I would like. I've read Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival, and have subscribed to a couple of related mailing lists. Boston Trackers seems the most promising list, and I'm hoping to be able to attend a get-together out of town with a group of them on the weekend of February 5th (assuming the get-together happens). Someone also posted about some tracking workshops, but I haven't followed through on those at all. Other things I've done are to attend (for a second time) the MIT Outing Club Winterschool lectures (didn't go on any trips... it's hard to leave town), and to begin reading the SAS Essential Survival pocket guide. I'm only a couple of pages into it, though.In terms of practical hands-on skills, I've been trying, with varying success, to be mindful of learning experiences in everyday routines. I've gotten into the habit of examining tracks (mostly human) in the snow, and when I walk I try to be aware of the sounds I make when I walk, and where I am placing my feet. When I walk in the snow I sometimes pause and look back to see what my own tracks look like. I felt pretty good when I saw that my tracks tend to be "one foot in front of the other", making a pretty straight line, but after observing other people's tracks, I think this may have more to do with the fact that I tend to walk quickly and purposefully than that I am maintaining good balance. I also try to watch animals more. After the weekend's blizzard, I noticed that the pigeons tended to stand around in loose groups (not really huddled together: there were spaces between the birds), and that these groups were always on the walkways. My guess is that they tend toward the walkways because after the plowing, there's less snow there and they are sheltered from the wind (compared with the branches of a tree, where they would be exposed to the wind), but I don't really know.At Pennsic this past summer I spent some time working on bow-drill fire-making technique. I used cedar lumber. I never actually got a fire to ignite, but I did get smoke. Firemaking is something I'd like to spend a great deal more time working on.I'd be interested in meeting other people who would be interested in working with me in developing these skills. I'd also like to come up with some sort of regimen that I can actually stick to so that I get practice in regularly (say at least once a week or so). (3 Comments |Comment on this) |
| _12:35 pm_[siriel] |
willpower. There are giant free cookies here at work. Chocolate chip and M&M. I managed to not take one.I'm actually kind of surprised. Progress, maybe? It's very hard for me to pass up free dessert-things. If I have to pay for it, it's much easier to abstain. But free... that's hard. Current Mood: baby steps (2 Comments |Comment on this) |
| Friday, January 21st, 2005 | |
| _2:45 pm_[siriel] |
more contemplation I don't want to let this community go too long without a post, and I have a lot to say. But I also don't want this to become the "all  siriel all the time" channel. If you have thoughts about anything related to the community, or updates about your own efforts, please post!Is it easier to make change while one is in a romantic relationship, or is it more difficult? Strong relationships can provide a sense of support when one tries new things. You can take chances with your life and know that you'll have someone cheering you on and noticing your progress, not to mention giving you advice you can trust.On the other hand, relationships can also get in the way -- no matter how good the relationship. For example, it's hard to change your eating habits when you're cooking for two, and the other person has different tastes or needs. It's certainly possible, but it becomes more complicated than simply cooking different food. You have to find something you both like or cook twice as many meals, both of which take time and effort. Or eat alone and give up the pleasure of meals with your SO. It's hard to exercise when your SO is content to curl up on the couch and watch a movie, and wants you to join them. Radical changes are even harder, of course. If your SO doesn't share your desire to dig latrines in Belize, for example, or settle down on a dairy farm in the Midwest, either you don't do it, or you leave them behind. Which sucks. I'm curious what other people think about this. Current Mood:  pensive. (9 Comments |Comment on this) |
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