Oof.
Today's Task: don't neglect cleaning for sewing! Clean stove and kitchen counters! (Bathroom sink and surround would be an excellent additional task.)
No gaming for Matt again this week, (and likely not next week either, but if that's the case it will be because I'm not around either as we'll be visiting Saint Joseph and that's sort of an iffy thing) so I've been making myself do exercising and such while he's here, rather than waiting till he's not around. I've always been very self-conscious about my body, even around him, so it's a good exercise in facing my fears. Last week I was starting into my yoga when three or four friends came over randomly, and instead of stopping and being embarrassed, I forced myself to go on and be embarrassed. And I got an exercise partner out of it, so I can't say it was a bad thing. Just alarming.
So, step by step, making myself a me to be prouder of.
It's been something of a crazy week. Last weekend we had a pair of friends from the Cities up to stay with us, as there was a Warhammer tourney in town which he wanted to attend, and last Friday was a completely different friend's birthday! So Friday we ate out (bad idea, but soooo tasty) and hung out with friends. Saturday and Sunday there was Dr. Who and hanging out and general fun to be had.
Then this week, a bunch of our Cord friends graduated (Eeeee! Congratulations!) and no small number of them left town, either for good or for the summer. It's been particularly disheartening to think of a few of our closer friends who have gone to entirely different states, now, and will likely only be back once a year or so. We're hoping to bribe them back sooner with gaming prospects. We'll see how that goes.
The fourth, of course, was Star Wars Day, so we spent several hours playing a marathon run of Star Wars IV, V, and VI while hanging out with friends. It was about this point that I dragged out the fluffy brocaded, if worn, couch pillows that someone had discarded when they were leaving college for the summer and pulled all the stuffing out of them. I bagged the stuffing to reuse at some point, and spent much of the marathon of movies picking apart the seams on the pillows so that I might re-purpose the fabric. I'm going to make throw pillows out of them. :D But I'm definitely washing the material first, so I haven't gotten much further than that point with them.
Inspired by that, and having discovered a set of rather ancient coverlets for a twin bed at the bottom of a box, I sort of set out to do all sorts of sewing this week. I've measured and cut and ironed the coverlet so that I can make a curtain for the smaller window in our living/dining area, and have made the hanging loops for it, but the material is too thin to be a curtain on its own, with no lining, so I dug into my scrap bag and came up with some ancient sheets for a double bed that I'm cannibalizing. The last few days have seen me with a pair of sewing shears and a seam ripper going at the fitted sheet, taking off the hem and salvaging the elastic from it. I also discovered a set of sheets that... someone had been doing something to. Heaven only knows what. They had been cut and then handsewn in two different places each, but there was no indication of what that might have been for. So I picked out the stitches and might make crappy curtains for our bedroom.
Last night there was hanging out with the older little brother (OLB?) and another friend. And then yesterday, there was also the bit where Matt and I traveled out to our property manager's offices to apply for the resident managership of our building. We'd like to get it, but if we don't, it's not really a tragedy. Particularly having spoken with the people we'd have to report to. Just not the most considerate of folks.
Well! When I went to the library to renew the video I wanted, someone already had a hold put on it, so I got the other one from the "The Biggest Loser" series, which is a cardio/weights/boot camp/general workout sort of video. This one, while way harder on me, is almost more fun. The participants joke and rib the instructor and vice versa, while still keeping up with the workout and demonstrating the moves for you. Even the low-intensity cardio was making me sweat hard, so I haven't tried the high-intensity yet. Probably won't for a little while. I want to work up to it.
I also tried the "Calorie Burning Yoga Workout for Dummies" DVD. Less enchanting. It wasn't bad, exactly, and it definitely kept you moving and stretching, which was great, and didn't use any moves that were too complicated, which was also good. For some moves they tell you some less-strenuous alternatives - helpful - and they also gave you some tips and trivia and pointers about yoga and the workout in particular which I found interesting. They don't use any weights or walls or balls or other aids, so you can do it on your own on your carpet without any problem, though I'd suggest a yoga mat. On the other hand, it's one extremely-fit instructor, and she can, of course, do everything waaay better than I can and sort of makes me feel inadequate. So I'm going to stick with the other videos that I have, most likely. I don't feel a need to pick that one back up.
Successes this week include a cardio and yoga work out both today and... what was that, Thursday? That sounds about right. A lot of small, simple movements that none-the-less, I am feeling. I've been resting, and whenever I go to shift, my legs complain loudly about how unfair I'm being. Which I count as a good thing. Still behind by a workout or two, though, so I'm going to try and pick it up some next week when my workout partners join me on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. I'll also try to do some more on my own on the days when they do not join me. Or at least on Thursday.
No gaming for Matt again this week, (and likely not next week either, but if that's the case it will be because I'm not around either as we'll be visiting Saint Joseph and that's sort of an iffy thing) so I've been making myself do exercising and such while he's here, rather than waiting till he's not around. I've always been very self-conscious about my body, even around him, so it's a good exercise in facing my fears. Last week I was starting into my yoga when three or four friends came over randomly, and instead of stopping and being embarrassed, I forced myself to go on and be embarrassed. And I got an exercise partner out of it, so I can't say it was a bad thing. Just alarming.
So, step by step, making myself a me to be prouder of.
It's been something of a crazy week. Last weekend we had a pair of friends from the Cities up to stay with us, as there was a Warhammer tourney in town which he wanted to attend, and last Friday was a completely different friend's birthday! So Friday we ate out (bad idea, but soooo tasty) and hung out with friends. Saturday and Sunday there was Dr. Who and hanging out and general fun to be had.
Then this week, a bunch of our Cord friends graduated (Eeeee! Congratulations!) and no small number of them left town, either for good or for the summer. It's been particularly disheartening to think of a few of our closer friends who have gone to entirely different states, now, and will likely only be back once a year or so. We're hoping to bribe them back sooner with gaming prospects. We'll see how that goes.
The fourth, of course, was Star Wars Day, so we spent several hours playing a marathon run of Star Wars IV, V, and VI while hanging out with friends. It was about this point that I dragged out the fluffy brocaded, if worn, couch pillows that someone had discarded when they were leaving college for the summer and pulled all the stuffing out of them. I bagged the stuffing to reuse at some point, and spent much of the marathon of movies picking apart the seams on the pillows so that I might re-purpose the fabric. I'm going to make throw pillows out of them. :D But I'm definitely washing the material first, so I haven't gotten much further than that point with them.
Inspired by that, and having discovered a set of rather ancient coverlets for a twin bed at the bottom of a box, I sort of set out to do all sorts of sewing this week. I've measured and cut and ironed the coverlet so that I can make a curtain for the smaller window in our living/dining area, and have made the hanging loops for it, but the material is too thin to be a curtain on its own, with no lining, so I dug into my scrap bag and came up with some ancient sheets for a double bed that I'm cannibalizing. The last few days have seen me with a pair of sewing shears and a seam ripper going at the fitted sheet, taking off the hem and salvaging the elastic from it. I also discovered a set of sheets that... someone had been doing something to. Heaven only knows what. They had been cut and then handsewn in two different places each, but there was no indication of what that might have been for. So I picked out the stitches and might make crappy curtains for our bedroom.
Last night there was hanging out with the older little brother (OLB?) and another friend. And then yesterday, there was also the bit where Matt and I traveled out to our property manager's offices to apply for the resident managership of our building. We'd like to get it, but if we don't, it's not really a tragedy. Particularly having spoken with the people we'd have to report to. Just not the most considerate of folks.
Well! When I went to the library to renew the video I wanted, someone already had a hold put on it, so I got the other one from the "The Biggest Loser" series, which is a cardio/weights/boot camp/general workout sort of video. This one, while way harder on me, is almost more fun. The participants joke and rib the instructor and vice versa, while still keeping up with the workout and demonstrating the moves for you. Even the low-intensity cardio was making me sweat hard, so I haven't tried the high-intensity yet. Probably won't for a little while. I want to work up to it.
I also tried the "Calorie Burning Yoga Workout for Dummies" DVD. Less enchanting. It wasn't bad, exactly, and it definitely kept you moving and stretching, which was great, and didn't use any moves that were too complicated, which was also good. For some moves they tell you some less-strenuous alternatives - helpful - and they also gave you some tips and trivia and pointers about yoga and the workout in particular which I found interesting. They don't use any weights or walls or balls or other aids, so you can do it on your own on your carpet without any problem, though I'd suggest a yoga mat. On the other hand, it's one extremely-fit instructor, and she can, of course, do everything waaay better than I can and sort of makes me feel inadequate. So I'm going to stick with the other videos that I have, most likely. I don't feel a need to pick that one back up.
Successes this week include a cardio and yoga work out both today and... what was that, Thursday? That sounds about right. A lot of small, simple movements that none-the-less, I am feeling. I've been resting, and whenever I go to shift, my legs complain loudly about how unfair I'm being. Which I count as a good thing. Still behind by a workout or two, though, so I'm going to try and pick it up some next week when my workout partners join me on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. I'll also try to do some more on my own on the days when they do not join me. Or at least on Thursday.