Isn’t that a beaut? Okay, so it’s not super elegant….but it’s mine. I got my first sword a week ago (not counting the loaner I’ve been using the past 6 months) and I like to think that its length gave me the boost I needed to do as well as I did in the rapier tournament last weekend.
Unfortunately, I can’t fight off life with it.
Work still sucks. The OT hours are great for paychecks, not so great for sanity. I’d rather be stabbing my friends. (Dude, I totally need to put that on a T-shirt.) I am just reaching the point of burnout. Sure, I have a three-day weekend coming up, and sure, next month is my first “foreign war” (an event in California), but the little bits of break just don’t seem to be enough. If I didn’t need to save my PTO for events and make money for the house building, I’d request off an afternoon here or there to give myself a few more bits of break. As it is, I’ll have to suck it up and deal with it.
And stab people whenever possible. Because swords.
Category: Fitness
So much to do, so little time for nothing
Eight to twelve hours at work five days a week. Either game or events on Saturdays, then Sundays are either visiting with family/doing laundry/rapier practice or more event stuff. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings after work are for exercising, and Friday is more rapier practice. I occasionally get scheduled for a half day here and there, but inevitably someone calls out and I end up working the whole day.
That bugs the ever-living snot out of me. I feel like people see that I’m scheduled off-unless-needed and decide to suddenly be “sick” when they really just want a free day.
Why don’t I get free days? I don’t blame my bosses; they have to staff the clinic as is necessary. I kind of blame my coworkers sometimes though. Okay, most of the time. I mean, do they realize the kind of life I lead? If it wasn’t for my early-morning insomnia I’d never get anything done outside of work. No writing. No sewing. No artwork. Nothing. Just because I’m not out partying every night or don’t have kids to take care of doesn’t mean I don’t have things to do.
I’m tempted to request off more often just to get a break here and there, despite the need for PTO when I actually need the off days. I just can’t seem to catch a break.
Maybe this afternoon I’ll get the half day I was hoping for.
Maybe. But I doubt it.
Pleather problems
So I didn’t realize the pleather would stretch so much when I started sewing it to the interfacing I have. Like, a lot. I wanted to use the stronger sew-on interfacing that I had left over from the jacket I made for my husband, but it’s clear now that I need to use the fusible interfacing that the pattern suggests. When I find it, that is…it is most likely underneath a huge pile of fabric, so I need to straighten up in the craft room a bit. I should be straightening up right now…but I don’t feel like it lol I’m frustrated by this development, thus I am taking a break before I take my frustration out on my fabric.
Now I know how the pleather reacts, though, and the leather needles I bought to sew it with seem to work really well for it. Clean punches through the pleather, no jamming. So that’s good.
In other news, the Pokémon Go exercise is still in full swing. I think I’ve missed only two or three days since I started playing two weeks ago, which for me is fantastic. That’s 2 1/2 miles a day on average, not counting missed days. Not bad for a couch potato. Bed potato? Regardless, I have the shape and mannerisms of a potato. Minus the extra eyes. Or something. I haven’t lost much weight–mere ounces, if the scale at my work is any indication–but I’m still proud of myself for getting the exercise. And hey, it keeps me off drugs. (Okay, so I never did drugs anyway…what was my point again?) I even got to hang out with a friend that I hadn’t seen in a few months.
I’m tempted to go on a Poké-walk when the sun comes up, regardless of whether or not my husband is awake. He’s three levels ahead of me; I need to step up my game. Maybe I’ll mess around with strengthening the gym that we (the blue team) hold down the street. I’m not 100% sure on how to do that, but from what I understand it’s just like taking control of a gym except you’re fighting your own guys? I don’t know. I only just fought in a gym for the first time last night. Not the most thrilling thing, but it was cool taking down Pokémons stronger than mine. Yes, I know that’s not the plural. I’m still calling them Pokémons.
Let’s see, what else has happened in the two days I missed posting? Uh…nothing much, really.
Oh! I am seriously considering dyeing my hair, if I can find a person that can do what I want.
I would rock this. I just can’t do it myself, and I don’t know anyone in town here that I would trust to do it. I know a great stylist in Phoenix, but not only is she expensive (for my budget) but she’s usually pretty booked, and for good reason. She’s had two local artist showcases of her clients’ hair up in Phoenix, which is pretty cool. It helps that she’s also incredibly friendly and personable. The bubbly type, at least the one time I met her in person. I’ve known her for a year through Facebook, but only met her once at Phoenix Comicon. Anyway, sidetracked–I want that hair pictured above. A lot. I want to flip my hair and have it look like flickering fire. And I can pull off red tones–I’ve done it plenty of times before. Maybe after Dragon Con? But I don’t know that I want to wait that long. I’m really digging this look.
So bad at being good
Why can’t I just eat healthy? Or at least eat less?
I’ve been walking almost every day since Pokemon Go came out (last night there were major thunderstorms with torrential downpours–not exactly something one wants to go walking in), but I have a feeling I haven’t lost an ounce because of my eating habits.
It’s so difficult to for me eat healthy. I have strong cravings and strong urges to eat when I’m not hungry. I have a terrible resistance to these things. I’ve heard that if you manage to stave off those cravings for at least two weeks it evens out and you stop craving as much, but I haven’t been able to make it that long yet.
The worst thing is that the corset/bustier I’m making for my cosplay seems awfully short-waisted…meaning unless I make really high-waisted pants, my gut will show. So I need to lost at least some weight. Some decent amount, not just a few pounds here or there. And I only have a month. Not too likely that it’ll happen, sadly.
I don’t know why I sabotage myself like this. I’ve known about this con since before Phoenix Comicon, and even then I still didn’t really make a concerted effort to eat better. Sure, I was drinking healthy smoothies, but I wasn’t eating them consistently or cutting back on the other food.
Crash dieting isn’t the answer, I know that much. At this point, I just need to accept that I’m going to have major muffintop at Dragon Con and I’ll just have to deal with those repercussions when I get there. There’s probably going to be some laughter and pointing and bodyshaming. I’ve just gotta suck it up (not literally–my gut’s too big for even that), try not to let it get to me, and just have fun.
Oh, and I have to finish the damn cosplays. *Sigh* Guess I should be getting to that.
Poke-splosion
After just four days of playing Pokemon Go (with a break one day due to extreme exhaustion after work), I have to admit that this game’s addictive.
I don’t play “to win” (capture gyms, etc), but it’s a good game to get out and get exercise and potentially meet new friends. Since I mostly farmed in WoW, it’s kind of like that for me, only with walking and being outdoors. I “catch” the Pokemon, get experience, etc. I’m getting a good mile and a half plus every day that I go out and play in the evening (or morning on the weekends)…now if I could just find an app that had a fun way of getting you to eat better or eat less…but I don’t think anyone’s come up with anything like that. Maybe a game where you get special perks for eating veggies and lose those perks when you eat ice cream. Or something.
Until I went to the local park (we’re in a pretty small town, so there are only a few places that have multiple pokestops and whatnot to catch Pokemon & collect pokeballs), I didn’t realize exactly how popular the game was. I mean, I know tons of people were talking about it, but I didn’t expect the sheer numbers of people wandering around looking at their phones, talking about the Pokemon they were trying to catch.
I also didn’t expect the sheer numbers of adults playing the game. Like, vastly greater numbers than the kids. I know that Pokemon started when I was a teenager, so there are a lot of adults my age or younger who basically grew up with Pokemon. It’s yet another blast from the past in this golden age of nostalgia.
I’m hoping this Poke-splosion helps me lose some of this extra weight, or at least tone up a bit. It would be nice to have the corset that I’m making for Dragon Con fit a bit better. It would also be nice to have people quit asking if I’m having a baby. I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t try to be diplomatic with my answer. I just say “No, it’s just fat” and get on with life. I used to try not to hurt people’s feeling and not make them feel bad for asking, but eff that. Maybe people should feel bad for assuming that any woman with a belly is pregnant.
How did I get from Pokemon to preggerbellies? What can I say? That’s just how my mind works.
Off now to get ready for work. Maybe on my lunch break I’ll go for a walk & try to catch a few more.
Feeling the Burn
I got plenty of exercise this weekend…nearly six miles walked overall (thanks to the evil that is Pokemon Go), which is more than I usually walk in a week–even taking into consideration all the walking I do at work.
Unfortunately, I kindamaybesorta forgot to put on sunscreen during my first walk yesterday. Yeah, my pale-ass self got sunburned. Looking for Pokemon.
So if anyone today notices my mild sunburn…I totally got it from walking for exercise. Not playing a game. Got our stories straight? Good.
Sunburn notwithstanding, I am glad to be getting some exercise. I don’t think I’ve lost any weight so far–not even a measly pound–because I haven’t changed my eating habits, and I wasn’t drinking as much water as I should have been.
Next time I go venturing out in the daylight for Pokemon, I’m definitely wearing sunscreen. And bringing Benadryl. I forgot that it’s bee season, and while I don’t have a super serious reaction (as far as I know–I haven’t been stung in over 25 years) I don’t really want to risk it. And I’m bringing water. And putting on sunscreen.
The point to all this? For those Pokeplayers who haven’t seen significant amounts of daylight in years (walking around at comic cons doesn’t count), prepare yourself. Bring water so you don’t get dehydrated in the summer heat. Wear suncreen. Bring bug spray (did I forget to mention the mosquito bite? Yeah, got one of those too). Be sure to have a good, straight path to your car or home in case you walk too far and get winded or sore.
Basically, be smart about it. We nerds are generally a smart people. We can figure this out. The exercise may be new for many of us, but we can adapt and get fit.
Caught by the balls
Yeah, it happened. I hate Pokemon but I wanted to get involved in walking like my husband has been with this new Pokemon Go craze (and I wanted to walk with him), but I couldn’t find an augmented reality app that I liked that I could use while we went walking. So there it is. I have a Pokemon Go account. I’m level six. I gotta admit, the avatar’s pretty cute.
Last night we went on an hour-and-a-half long walk, mostly spent searching for “points of interest” (or whatever they’re called) and catching different Pokemon.
Am I addicted to the game already? I’d like to think I’m not; I mean, I’ve only been playing for half a day. And it’s not like I’m going outside at 4:30 in the morning because I’ve got a wild urge to catch Pokemon. Sure, if one shows up in my apartment I’ll grab it, but I’m not going to go looking for them this early in the morning. Yeah, we went out late last night–“late” being around 8:30 to 10:00 pm–and spent the time searching for and catching Pokemon. I probably got more exercise in that hour and a half than I have since Phoenix Comicon. I certainly got the most number of steps in a day since then.
It was kind of funny…as my husband and I were standing on a street corner next to a church in the dark, with another Pokeplayer next to us, a car full of young guys–probably early to mid 20s–pulled up to the corner. When one of them leaned out the window to holler at us and ask what we were doing, I half-expected some jeering or taunting or at least him yelling “Fucking nerds!”…but none of that happened. He simply asked what we were doing…so, being the proud nerd that I am, I said, “Pokemon, man!” His reply? “Pokemon Go? Hell yeah!” That’s right. The quasi-thug hanging out the car window was a Pokefan. Who knew?
I was surprised by the sheer number of people in our small town who were wandering around late at night to play this game. Given that there isn’t much of anything in the area we were walking–especially nothing that was open for business–there were still random groups of people walking and chattering. Occasionally we’d find a car full of people playing, driving around to the different points of interest or “gyms” and playing there (one car had small children in it, so I assume the parents didn’t want them walking around that late at night), but most of the people we passed by were walking.
Good for Pokemon. They got nerds to get out of the comfort and societal safety of their homes and go out into the world and be active. We even chatted with one or two people briefly (not counting Car Guy).
Will this interactive motivation to get moving stick? Will I continue to play and get more exercise? I’m not sure. I tend to lose interest in things like this relatively quickly, but we’ll see.
For now? I gotta catch ’em all. Or something.
Magik Motivation?
Okay. So I’m a big supporter of cosplayers of all shapes and sizes being able to cosplay whatever they want. So, theoretically, I shouldn’t have a problem cosplaying whatever I want.
Except I want to cosplay this:
Even if I was skinny again, I wouldn’t want to do the crop top and hot pants. I plan on using a corset and regular pants and sticking to the rest of the design as best as I’m able.
But I do want to be thinner than I am now to do this cosplay in September. So the question is: Do I try to lose weight just for a cosplay when I’m constantly telling people they shouldn’t worry about what size they are when choosing to cosplay? I feel like something of a hypocrite.
I still believe that fans should be able to cosplay whatever their hearts desire. And my fan heart wants to cosplay this character. I just don’t know if I can lose the weight. Or any of it.
Every time I’ve tried in the last couple of years, I’ve failed miserably. In fact, I seem to keep creeping up there even when I try to do right. I lose hope when I make no progress, and I eat worse because I have given up hope. It doesn’t help matters that I’m too exhausted to exercise when I get home from work. Oh, and there’s the whole cosplay thing. I’ve still got stuff to finish for Phoenix Comicon (less than two weeks!)…
I think that, despite my espousing of the importance of positive self-image in the cosplay community, I’m going to try to lose at least some of the weight that I’ve put on. Try being the operative word.
Maybe all I need to motivate myself is a little Magik.
Workin’ Hard for the Money
Well, I made it through a long, tiring work day. My back is sore, my legs are sore, my arms are sore … in fact, not too many places on me aren’t sore. Still, I made it through, and I got rare praise from the surgeon.
Tomorrow is an off day, and though it’s my anniversary (yay!–three years strong), my husband will be working until 1pm, giving me plenty of time to write. I also plan on writing some more tonight. If I keep it up, I’ll break 20k before the weekend. Pretty amazing, considering the first draft of Whispers of Death was not even 40k words long, and this book is in its infancy still.
I probably should exercise tomorrow, too. I have got to get back into exercising. Just because work gave me a workout today is no excuse to not get back into the swing of things exercise-wise. I have the day off, my husband will be occupied with work, and I can try one of the workout DVDs I have in the living room while he works from the bedroom. I get so self-conscious when anyone sees me working out, even my husband, so this should be interesting … he’d better not laugh. 😉
Mixed Feelings
Well, I’m not gaining any weight. Unfortunately, I’m not losing any, either.
I’ll admit I haven’t been eating right all the time. Or exercising…much. But I *have* been trying. Baby steps, right?
Or not. I feel like I’m depriving myself yet again when I have a salad instead of a sandwich. The smoothies are satisfying, but a pain to make (especially since I have to make them when my husband is off the clock because the blender is so loud). So much easier to grab an ice cream sandwich out of the freezer instead.
I want to eat better. I really do. But I don’t. Not really. Does that make sense?
*Sigh* What I wouldn’t give for my 22-year-old self’s metabolism. That would be great. Too bad life happens. You get older, you aren’t able to eat the things you used to without consequences. When I was in my first year of college, I could take a box of Oreos, a tub of Cool Whip, and an hour or so just eating away. Fudge Rounds go well dipped in Cool Whip, too. And eating frosting straight out of the tub? Yep, I did that, too, with no weight gain. Ah, memories.
I don’t know what needs to change–inside my head or out–to get me to behave. Some major health crisis? I’ve already injured my knee six months ago after a two mile walk. That alone should have been enough to make me wise up and work out, but sadly it just got me more depressed that I couldn’t even walk to the grocery store and back without having a problem. Depression is not a great motivator.
I have a little more than two months until Phoenix Comicon to at least somewhat shape up. Can I do it? I’m doubting myself more each day, but maybe I can lose a few pounds. Maybe.