Posted onApril 15, 2022|Comments Off on The Same Dating Issues As Always (or Maybe It’s For The Best Things Aren’t Really Happening)
I haven’t written about dating for a little while, and that’s honestly because I haven’t had a lot to write about. I am getting a bit burnt out with dating apps, but I also know they are almost a necessary evil. So I’m trying to set times to make an effort but I’m not as focused on them as I was in the past. I also have so many other things happening in my life right now so finding time to go on dates isn’t as easy as it normally is.
I don’t know if I’d say we are in a post-pandemic world since the pandemic isn’t really over, but it’s not the same as it was at the beginning of the pandemic. So I guess I’ve experienced pre-pandemic, pandemic, and almost post-pandemic dating at this point. And honestly, there haven’t been a lot of things that have been different when comparing each time. The biggest difference was during the worst of the pandemic, I was trying to date before seeing someone in real life since you had to have a lot of trust in them to risk things like that. I’m glad that we are pretty much past that point in the pandemic and as long as you are meeting in an outdoor space, it’s pretty safe. I know you still have to be cautious and we can’t be quite as carefree as before, but I’m glad it’s better.
But besides that main difference, so much is still the same and it’s really frustrating. The lack of follow-through and getting ghosted are at the top of my annoyance list. Being ghosted always sucks and I hate it. I haven’t really been ghosted much lately, but that’s only because I haven’t had a lot of dates recently. And I don’t know if I count someone that I’m messaging with who stops responding as someone who ghosted me. I know some people do think of it as the same thing, and I can see why they would think that. But for me, it’s a bit different.
But messaging someone who stops responding goes along with the idea of lack of follow-through. There are so many guys I have talked to who have asked me if I wanted to meet up with them in person and I’ve agreed. But then when it comes to making plans, they just don’t say much. There was someone recently who asked me to meet them for coffee, and I agreed. They asked me when I was free and I gave them a few options. They responded that they would need to check their schedule and get back to me. Maybe I’m wrong for following up with them after not hearing back for a few days, but I try to give people chances. But more often than not, either they don’t respond to my follow-up or they give me another non-specific answer or leave things up in the air. I don’t know if they are just flakey people or if they never really wanted to meet up in person. Either way, I’m over that feeling and dealing with it. I know I have to allow for some flexibility and I can’t expect that someone wouldn’t have something that requires them to postpone (I’ve had to reschedule before), but unless there is a plan happening after we’ve made plans to meet in person, I don’t have to just sit and wait for them to let me know when they are ready for me.
I have so much other stress and frustration in my life right now, so maybe it’s for the best that I haven’t been able to make plans with anyone. My time should be spent working on moving and focusing on that. I’ve been busy pretty much every day after work for over a week now and I’m glad I used that time for stuff related to the move. If I was actually dating someone and not just going on first dates that might not lead anywhere, maybe I would feel differently. But for now, my time is better spent on stuff I know I need to do this month and not things that only have the potential to be something. But once I’m moved into my new place, I hope that I feel a bit reinvigorated and will be back to my regular dating style and maybe things will be a bit better.
Posted onApril 14, 2022|Comments Off on Some Real World Results From My Workouts (or Only Moving A Few Heavy Things)
Even though it would be cheaper for me to move things to the condo on my own, I know that it will be much easier for me to hire movers. I’m not planning on using movers for everything. As I mentioned before I have started to move things over and store them away so that they are there when I finally move. And because I have quite a bit of an overlap of when I can move, it’s easy enough for me to take a few boxes of things each day, empty them where I can, and then repeat the next day. So that’s been my life for this week and will probably continue to be through the rest of this month.
But for the heavy furniture, I have hired movers. This is just going to make my life easier because I know that it would be hard to move my couch, dresser, or furniture like that. And because my move isn’t that far and I won’t be having the movers take too much, I know that it’s very likely that I won’t have to spend more money than the minimum for the moving company (the standard seems to be 3 hours and I feel like my stuff should be moved within that amount of time).
But there have been a few heavy things that I had to move ahead of the movers being there. The heaviest was my new bed. I found a nice bed that I wanted to get and because I ordered it a few weeks ago it was delivered to my current place. I also got a new mattress since I decided it would be something nice to have when I’m living somewhere new. But the boxes that those things came in were very heavy. The bed was about 150 pounds and the mattress was about 120 pounds. And they were giant boxes so I couldn’t put them in my car even if I wanted to.
The original plan was for my parents to help me out, but that didn’t work out since they didn’t come to LA. And I knew I wanted to get them to the condo before I had movers so I could set up my bed and sleep there the day I move without having to put everything together that day. So I had to see if I could think of someone who was strong and had a big enough car to help me out. And I thought of one of my workout coaches who I know drives a truck. So I asked him if he’d be willing to help me, and he agreed. I was so grateful he could help me and we were able to move those boxes this past weekend.
I don’t know if most of my other friends would have been able to help me. These boxes were so heavy and awkward and even with having someone as strong as my coach help me they were not easy to move. But we got them into my room and hopefully I’ll be able to build the bed with a friend before I have the movers there. I’m still working on that.
But besides moving the heavy boxes that I was expecting to move, I had one other unexpectedly heavy box I moved on my own. Although it shouldn’t have been unexpected if I really thought about it. I moved all my workout stuff to the condo the other day and they all fit really nicely into one box.
I knew the box would be heavy, but I didn’t think too much about it. But it was a tough one to get in and out of my car. And even though I have a little hand cart to move things, even using that was really difficult. I finally got it inside and was thinking about it and I realize how heavy this one box was. I had 2 adjustable weights (that were 25 pounds each), 2 hand weights that were 10 pounds each, and a medicine ball that was 12 pounds. The other things in there weren’t that heavy and didn’t add that much weight to the box. But for just the weighted things, that’s 82 pounds in that box! That’s even heavier than half of the box that had my bed!
I did regret moving this heavy of a box after because my arms were really sore, but I am glad I got it moved and that’s done with. And I know that it wouldn’t have been possible if I wasn’t working out as much as I do. I don’t get a lot of chances to see my strength outside of my workouts, but moving all these heavy boxes made it really obvious how much stronger I am now compared to before. I never could have moved a box that was over 80 pounds without my workouts. And I did feel really accomplished after getting that done.
I don’t think there will be any other extremely heavy things I need to move on my own. There will be things like my dishes and pots and pans that will be a bit heavy and probably awkward boxes to move, but there will be nothing close to these crazy boxes that I thankfully am done with.
It’s getting closer and closer to when I’m moving and I can’t wait to share with you all what my place looks like after the renovation is finally done!
Posted onApril 13, 2022|Comments Off on Moving So Much Yet So Little (or Continuing To Decide What I Really Want)
I feel like I’ve been cleaning out my stuff for so long. As soon as I knew I would be looking for a new place, I started to see what I had and wouldn’t want to take with me. It’s been a slow process, but I’ve been getting it done bit by bit. And as I’ve started to pack things, it’s another chance to reevaluate everything that I have and make decisions about what I will bring with me.
I’m honestly surprised by how much I’m getting rid of. But this is probably very overdue since I don’t get rid of a lot of stuff that often. And after living in my current place for over 12 years, I’ve accumulated a lot of things. Just recently, I packed up all my shoes except what I think I will need to wear for the next week or so. And while I was doing that, I feel like I got rid of about half the shoes in my closet. If there was a pair I know I won’t wear again, I didn’t keep it. If they were damaged beyond the point that I would want to repair them, they were gone. And for all the shoes I said I would keep, I tried them all on just to make sure I like how they all fit. There was only 1 pair that I got rid of because of how they fit me, but I’m glad I at least confirmed that all the shoes I kept are ones that are comfortable. And I do know that I have a few gaps in my shoe wardrobe that I will need to fix, but I’d rather look for a new pair than wear a pair that I’m unhappy with.
I’m slowly taking things over to the condo. As I’ve mentioned before, there aren’t a lot of places to store things right now that won’t be in the way. The only place I’m currently storing things is in my closet (as soon as the guest room closet has the new door on it, I will probably store things in there too). Right now, I have all of my artwork except for the piece that is too big to fit in my car, shoes, purses, DVDs, files from my filing cabinet, and books.
I know I got rid of a lot of physical books since I mainly read things on my Kindle. I kept the books that mean something to me, but looking at the pile in my closet feels like I don’t have that many books. But again, I know that I can buy new books that I want to have in the future and that not moving the ones that were just taking up space was the right thing to do.
My current place feels really weird because in one way it feels like I haven’t moved anything yet. But also it feels like I’ve moved so much. I think this might be because I am not moving everything and most of the things I have moved over were inside of cabinets and not super visible. So my entertainment center or desk still look the same as they did before, but they are empty inside since things are now piled up in my closet.
I am taking advantage of having a few weeks to move everything so I am also storing things around my house that I want to think about and still need to decide if I want to move. I know that I need to start picking up the pace because I do need to make arrangements for some things (such as having Habitat for Humanity come to get furniture that I haven’t found someone else to take). And I’m sure once I have movers take my big furniture pieces and I can really see what is left, I’ll be making a lot of choices about what is going to move and what is going to go. I’m lucky that I am only moving a few blocks away so it’s very easy for me to bring things over when I know I want to take them with me. And that’s what I’ll be doing a lot of for the next week and a half!
Posted onApril 12, 2022|Comments Off on Starting To Move In (or Taking The Roadrunner To The Condo)
The renovation of my condo is still finishing up, but we are finally to the finish line! There were some delays that made it last longer than expected, but almost all of those delays have been resolved and most things are either done or scheduled to be done in the next few days. And there will probably be some things on a touch-up list to do, but as of now, the plan is for me to move most of my stuff to the condo this coming weekend!
Because of all the renovation work, I want to get my place cleaned by a cleaning service before I really move in. I want it to feel fresh and clean before I start setting things up. I’m working on the timing of it all, but I hope that I can schedule a cleaning for Saturday, and then I’ll have the movers on Sunday. And then I’ll have about 2 weeks of being able to move the rest of my stuff over. I’ve been working on packing up my stuff and I have a lot in boxes and bags right now, but until the other day, I didn’t really start bringing anything over. I don’t want to have a ton of stuff that cleaners would have to work around.
But the closet in my room is pretty much a safe space for me to put things right now. Yes, the floor probably needs to still be cleaned, but I think I can clean that on my own if I need to. So I’ve been slowly putting things into my closet to store so I can get them out of my current place. So far, I’ve only moved the hangers from my closet, my shoes, my purses, and most of the artwork that I have had hanging up in my house. But having my artwork over there has been something that really made it seem real that I will be living there soon.
Nothing is hung up on my walls yet because I still need to decide where most things will go and my parents offered to help me when they are in LA next. But there are a few pieces that I have a good idea where they will live. One is a canvas that has been above my desk and I know that it will go in my new office (maybe above my desk but maybe somewhere else. And the other is a piece that I have always called The Roadrunner.
This piece was something that was in my grandparents’ kitchen for most of my life. My brother, cousins, and I called it The Roadrunner because it reminded us of the cartoon character. I don’t think everyone saw that, but it has always looked like that to me. When my grandpa died and my grandma moved to assisted living, she couldn’t hang all of their artwork up so a lot of pieces went to different family members. I didn’t get this piece originally, but my parents were going to store it and I noticed it and asked if I could take it home. And it’s lived next to my dining room table since I got it.
But as soon as I knew I got the condo, I knew I wanted this piece to be in my living room above the fireplace. So when I moved my artwork to the condo, I put everything into the closet at first except this piece. I haven’t hung it up, but I wanted to see how it would look in the spot that I thought it should go in.
And honestly, I think it’s perfect there. It will be much more centered when it’s hung up, but it’s really the exact size of what should go up there. And it will be a focus of the room, which I love. I didn’t pick paint colors around the art that I have, but I think if I had done that, this would be the wall color that I would have picked.
I love all the artwork that I’ve had in my current place and I’m very happy that I will be able to put them all up in the condo soon. But having this piece leaning against the wall, even if it was only to take a photo before I had to put it into the closet to keep it safe, really made this feel like my place and the start of the condo being mine and not just a construction zone or something that will be mine eventually.
Posted onApril 11, 2022|Comments Off on Another Week Of Weekday Workout (or Getting Used To This Plan)
The workouts this past week continued with the new theme for Orangetheory workouts with all the workouts being a mix of endurance, strength, and power. There were some days where it was a bit clearer which section of the room was which, but on other days it just felt like each section was a mix of all three. And it was another week where I only worked out on weekdays instead of having a workout on a Saturday. I am glad to have this extra time on Saturdays, but I’m still debating if I would keep up this schedule regularly after I’m done moving.
Monday’s workout was one where it felt like things were a bit mixed for all sections of the room.
For cardio, we started with a 4-minute push pace followed by a 90-second walking recovery after. I can’t remember any time where we had a walking recovery after a push pace instead of an all-out. But it was to allow us to really focus on our push pace and not worry too much about getting back to a base pace after. We also had a 3-minute, 2-minute, and 90-second push pace with the same recovery after each one and then we ended with a 30-second all-out.
On the rower, we started with a 400-meter row with a round of squats after the row. We then rowed again and decreased the row each time. After doing the 100-meter row and the squats, we did the 100-meter row again but had good mornings between each row instead of squats and then increased the row each time.
And on the floor, we had 2 blocks. The first block had close-grip chest presses, lunges, and skier swings. And the second block had hop-overs (which I was able to do by lowering the bench to the lowest setting) and push-ups. The second block was definitely more challenging for me than the first, but it wasn’t too horrible and I was happy with what I was able to do.
Wednesday’s workout was all about constructing and deconstructing. And it was a tough workout even though I know I’ve done similar workouts to this one. Each section of the room had 3 blocks.
For cardio, the first block was a 1-minute base pace, 1-minute between a base and push pace, 1-minute push pace, and a 1-minute all-out. The second block was the first block in reverse so starting with the 1-minute all-out and ending with the 1-minute base pace. And for the last block, we got to choose if we wanted to repeat block 1 or block 2 and I decided to do the second block.
The rower was the same idea as cardio with the first block starting at a base row and ending at an all-out row, the second block starting at an all-out row and ending at a base row, and the third block was our choice. I did try to increase the wattage on the rower to have a difference for each minute, but I really struggled with doing that and for the last block I just did a 4-minute row without worrying about switching things each minute.
And on the floor, we had 4 exercises and did each one for 1-minute. The first block was seated torso rotations, alternating shoulder presses, squats, and squats to upward rotations. The second block started with the squats to upward rotations and ended with the torso rotations. And for the third block, we got to choose which one to do and I started with the torso rotations because I was already on the floor. There were so few changes to rest and catch your breath and the workout felt so tough. I was exhausted at the end of the class and I don’t even think I went that hard during the class!
Because I’m skipping Saturday workouts for now, I also went to a Thursday workout. I was pretty tired from not sleeping well and a little sore from the Wednesday workout, but I was going into this workout and hoping for the best.
We had 2 blocks for each section of the room. For cardio, the first block had a 90-second push pace, 1-minute push pace, and 30-second push pace with a 1-minute base pace between each one. And we ended that block with a 1-minute all-out. For the second block, the push paces were all 45-seconds and the base paces were 90-seconds, 1-minute, and 30-seconds with the 30-second all-out at the end.
On the rower, the first block started with a 250-meter row with medicine ball squats to overhead presses after the row. The row went down by 50 meters each round and the medicine ball exercises stayed the same each time. And in the second block, the row was always 150-meters but the medicine ball exercises started at 25 reps and went down by 5 reps each round.
And on the floor, the first block had lunges to step-ups (which I had to do as just lunges), alternating close-grip chest presses, and single-arm low rows on the straps. The second block had lunges, chest flies, and single-leg lifts using the straps. I felt better about this workout than I did about Wednesday’s, but I know I was going a bit easier since I was going to be going to another workout the next day.
For Friday’s workout, we had 2 blocks for each section of the room and we switched between blocks so we had 2 rotations around the room. Switching between blocks doesn’t really happen much now (they stopped during the pandemic), so this was something different from what I have been used to. This workout was about load and explode, so we worked out similar muscle groups but had some exercises that were more steady and others that had more explosive movements.
For cardio, the 2 blocks were very similar. We did almost the entire block at a base pace, but we used inclines. We had 3 hills per block and each hill had 3 inclines. Each hill was 90-seconds long and each incline was for 30-seconds. And between each hill, we had 45-seconds at a base pace without incline. And on the last hill, the last incline was supposed to be an all-out, so it was the highest incline and we were also supposed to increase our speed. I used all the resistance levels I should have been using on the bike and I tried to focus on keeping my speed on the bike somewhat steady the entire time. I did struggle to keep up my speed with some of the higher inclines, but I was closer than I would have been if I wasn’t focused on that.
For the rower, we had 3 rounds of 90-seconds of work each block. We had a 30-second base pace, 30-second push pace, and 30-second all-out. And after that, we had 45-seconds to do a recovery row, so we were still rowing but we could go as slow as we needed to go. I was able to get my wattage up a bit on the rower each time, but it wasn’t as much as I know we should be doing.
And on the floor, the first block had weighted squats, squat jumps, and plank low rows. I did squats with calf raises instead of squat jumps, but I tried to do them with more power to fit into the theme of an explosive movement. And the second block had chest presses, power push-ups, and lateral lunges with balance. For the lateral lunges, we were supposed to use weights, but I wanted to try to do the balance work so I did them without weights because I wanted my hands free if I needed to balance myself. The balance work was tough (as it always is for me with my hips), but I did find a way to make them work so that was a good accomplishment for me.
This was definitely a good week for me with my workouts. I have been liking the new way the workouts are planned so that we get endurance, strength, and power in each class. And even though doing 3 workouts in a row isn’t the easiest thing for me, I’m glad that I’m able to do that without too many issues. Especially since it looks like at least the few weeks will continue to be this same plan so I have as much time as possible on Saturdays to get things done with my move.
Posted onApril 8, 2022|Comments Off on Working On Selling Some Things (or Trying To Have Good Karma)
Part of my preparation for moving has been going through my things and seeing what I really want to move and what I don’t need anymore. A lot of the things I don’t need anymore are things that are just going into the trash or recycling. I’m finding a ton of paperwork that I don’t need but have had saved because I didn’t go through my files before. I have a lot of random things, especially at my desk, that have just been here forever and I don’t feel like I care if I have them or not. And of course, I have gone through my closet multiple times to sort through things and get rid of what I don’t want to take with me (but for clothes, those have been donated and not trashed). I feel like I’ve gotten rid of quite a bit but also that I still have so much left. But I know that can’t be true.
But for some of the things I’m not taking with me, I’m selling them. I went through my furniture and belongings and have found things that don’t need to be used anymore. A good example is this cabinet/entertainment center thing that my old roommate at my last apartment got for us so we could use it for extra kitchen storage. After he moved out and I got new roommates, that stayed and I kept it and moved it into my current place. I used it in my kitchen as well since it fits perfectly between my stove and fridge and it’s been necessary storage for me in a tiny kitchen. But since my new kitchen is a very different design and I don’t need that type of cabinet anywhere, I can get rid of it.
I started listing things in various online groups to sell. I’m not really trying to make a profit and for a lot of things, I listed them for just $5. I didn’t want to list them for free because I wanted to make sure the person who said they will take them will show up. So by listing it for $5, I feel like they are a bit more serious. And it’s been a slow process but I’m finding new homes for things bit by bit. The first thing that was picked up was my a/c unit, although I’m slightly regretting that now since it’s so hot in LA. But I’m glad it was picked up so that’s one less thing on my list.
And this week, I finally got a buyer for my old headboard and footboard. This set came from my parents because it was part of the included furniture when they got their first place in Tahoe. I never used the footboard, but I’ve been using the headboard for over 13 years now. And while I do love them, I got a new bed setup for my new place so I needed these to go.
Even though I hoped listing things for $5 would help to find a buyer, I did have some trouble finding someone. Some people didn’t read the listing and thought they were for a different-sized bed. Or they wanted it to include other things I wasn’t selling. But I did get a buyer who understood what I was selling and could come to pick them up. And just like a few other things I’m selling, I listed them for $5 but I knew I wasn’t going to ask for the money. So when the buyer came to get them, they got them and then tried to pay me the money. I told her that she could have them for free and explained why I listed them for $5 and not for free originally. And the smile on her face when she found out they were free was so worth it.
She told me a bit of her story and how she wanted something nice for her bedroom but couldn’t afford it. She was worried that my listing was a scam because these were so nice but listed for so little. I told her that I just wanted them to go to someone who could use them and I wasn’t trying to make a profit since I technically didn’t pay for them. And she was seriously so grateful and happy that she was getting something that she really wanted and was looking for at no cost. She was already happy when they were listed for $5, but getting them for free was that much better.
I wasn’t doing this to be a good person or anything like that, I just need some of my things out of my house and wanted to find buyers. But I did feel good after this and really am glad I found the perfect person to take them. And if this somehow gives me some good karma points for my upcoming move, all the better!
Posted onApril 7, 2022|Comments Off on A Missed Family Visit (or I Think This Has Never Happened Before)
I’ve lived in LA for over 20 years. My parents haven’t always come to LA often, but they try to see me when they can. When my grandparents were still alive, more often I would meet up with my parents in San Diego instead of them coming to LA. And since the start of the pandemic, I feel like I see them more in Santa Barbara than in LA but they have been coming to LA more often now. And since we bought the condo, they have been visiting more often because they are helping me with planning and other work.
In all of the years that I’ve lived here, I don’t think there was ever a visit planned that was missed. Once, my dad had to cut a trip short and wasn’t in LA as long as he originally planned. And at Thanksgiving 2020 I didn’t make it to Santa Barbara due to vertigo I had so my parents came to see me. But I can’t remember a planned trip to LA that was completely canceled before. But of course, there is a first time for everything.
My parents were supposed to be in LA now to help me with some more condo stuff. We are getting closer to the end of the renovation (I’ve got a moving date coming up now!) and they wanted to be here to help with some of the appointments where someone needed to be at the condo to supervise like the appliances being delivered. There are some steps that need to be done before the appliances can be installed, and that was supposed to be done by today. But renovations never go exactly how they are planned and those other steps are now delayed by about a week.
While it’s annoying that things have been delayed, they will still be completed on time for me to move in. And in a way, this might be a positive. The original plan was that my parents would be here and they would supervise some things and then also get to spend some time with me. But after the Covid exposure, everything changed. I knew I wouldn’t be able to spend time with my parents. And it would be harder for them to supervise since they really couldn’t be inside while workers were in there. Before we knew of the delays, we were trying to figure out how things could work. So having things pushed back will allow my parents to make sure they can be around me and others without worrying and that should be for the best. Even though I know we could find ways to keep a distance, I’d rather not have to worry about extra things.
I’m sad that I missed out on family time since I missed out on that twice within a week. But right now my parents are hoping they can still come back to LA before the renovation is done so they can make sure everything is done the way we wanted it to be and I think they also want to see things in person since so much has changed since the last time they were here. Or they might come right after I move in so they can see the place with all my stuff inside and we can work on decorating.
I wish that I could have had the family time I was planning on having, but I also have to remember that for almost 22 years, this is the first time that something like this has happened and that’s pretty amazing.
Posted onApril 6, 2022|Comments Off on A Very Fast Trip To Santa Barbara (or Getting To Celebrate My Nephew’s Birthday A Little)
This past weekend, my nephew Rory turned 2! I was excited his birthday fell on a day I had off so I could go to the little party my brother and sister-in-law were going to have for him. It was just going to be a party with family, so it wasn’t going to be a big gathering. But it was still a nice day I could spend with family.
And I was so excited to give Rory his gift. I had let my brother and sister-in-law know about the gift in advance, but I got him a balance bike! I wanted to make sure he wouldn’t get it from someone else and that they would have a helmet ready for him, so I couldn’t make it a total surprise. But at least it was going to be a surprise for Rory.
Since I couldn’t wrap the gift, I knew I had to get a really good bow for it. I found a bow that is supposed to be the type you put on a car if you give someone a car as a gift, but I figured a ridiculously big bow was the right choice. And when I put the bow on it, it was almost bigger than the bike!
The plan for me was to drive up to Santa Barbara that morning, spend the late morning and afternoon with my family, and drive back to LA in the late afternoon or early evening. It’s pretty much what I do every time I go up there since I just go for the day and not spend the night. And that morning, I was preparing to get into my car and make the drive when plans changed quite a bit.
Unfortunately, some of my family was exposed to Covid and things weren’t going to be able to happen the way we had planned. Because I wasn’t with my family while they were likely most contagious, I wanted to try to stay as safe and healthy as possible. But I wanted to still give my nephew his bike and try to celebrate him a bit. So I talked to my family about it and we decided that I would drive up to give Rory his gift, but I would stay at the end of the driveway so we would be outside and I would be at a distance. It’s not what I wanted to do, but it was what needed to be done so I could see everyone that day and also not put myself at extra risk.
The drive up to Santa Barbara isn’t that bad, and I’m glad there wasn’t really any traffic so it was a very simple drive. And I was able to bring the bike to their front porch before walking back so I could keep a bit of distance from my family. But I was able to stay there for a little bit so I could see Rory getting his bike and I think he liked it!
He didn’t like the helmet he needs to wear while riding it, but he was checking out the bike and I think that he’ll get more excited about it the more he gets to play with it. And I know he loves seeing kids at the park on scooters and bikes, so now he can join in too!
I didn’t get to see Presley because she was napping while I was there, but I knew since I was only going to be there for a few minutes that could be a possibility. I wish the timing worked out better, but it is what it is. I was glad that Rory seemed to be warming up to me more. I know I don’t see him that often so he can be a bit shy. But this time he was much more smiley and happy while I was around. He did still seem a bit more excited to wave goodbye to me, but that might have been because they were going into the house to play with his other new toys and he was just more excited about that.
I wish I could have spent more time with my family and gotten to celebrate Rory’s birthday more, but I also know we are still dealing with a pandemic and there was no need for me to be exposed. And staying safe and healthy now makes sure that I can celebrate more birthdays in the future so missing one isn’t the worst thing. And fortunately, Rory is young enough that he probably won’t remember that I had to miss this birthday with him.
And I am grateful that it seems like my family is going to be ok. This is the first time my family has been this affected by the pandemic and I know that we are very lucky that we have gone so long without having to worry this much. And we are very fortunate that even with this situation we are not as affected as so many others. This might not be the way we all wanted to celebrate my nephew’s 2nd birthday, but at least we did get to celebrate together (at a distance) in a way.
Posted onApril 5, 2022|Comments Off on Another Panicky Dentist Appointment (or I Don’t Like Unexpected Moments)
I still hate how I have panic attacks when I go to the dentist. I am tired of them and it’s annoying for me. And because of how my panic attacks can manifest in my body, they can be exhausting and sometimes painful. And even though I haven’t had a lot of bad dentist appointments in the past few years, I can’t get over these attacks. I would think that having enough normal appointments would help. And when I’ve had more major work done, it’s been a lot better than it used to be. I have tried so many things to make dentist appointments easier for me, but I always have a horrible pit in my stomach every time I go.
I am still grateful that everyone at the dentist’s office is understanding how I get at appointments and they do try to make things as quick and easy for me as possible. But I still look miserable when I’m arriving and I think they have thought at times that I might pass out. One of the ways they help me work through my panic is by trying to keep things to a routine so I know what to expect and in what order. But when things are changed up, my attacks can get pretty bad. And unfortunately, that’s what happened at my last appointment.
I know I have to do x-rays every so often. The x-rays aren’t painful or bother me, but I know that doing x-rays can reveal things that are bigger problems. And I understand that’s the point, but it’s always tough knowing that’s going to happen and getting myself prepared for that. So when I went into my recent appointment and thought it was just a cleaning, it was a bit of a shock for me to find out that I was supposed to also do x-rays. I started shaking and feeling sick. And I feel pretty pathetic that I get that way but I can’t really control my panic attacks. Because of how I was reacting and how nervous they were that I would have an even worse panic attack, the plan changed for my appointment. They did detailed photos of each tooth instead of x-rays. That shows if there are any external issues with any of my teeth, which is mainly what my issues have been with cavities and chips in my crowns. I know that seeing the photos would make me panic even more, so I just kept my eyes closed and didn’t look at the photos when they were done. Again, I felt a bit silly and pathetic, but I knew I needed to do that to get through all the negative feelings I was having.
Fortunately, as expected everything was fine with my teeth and they were able to move on to the cleaning and get that done. I still was shaking throughout the appointment, but I also know different things I can do to distract myself a bit and that helps make the shaking not quite as bad. And since things are a bit better with the pandemic, they were able to use some of the tools they had to stop using because of the aerosol they create. But things like the ultrasonic tools help make my appointments easier to tolerate so I’m glad that those are back. And I wasn’t having additional panic attack issues because of the pandemic this time, so that was good too.
I will have to do my x-rays at my next appointment since I didn’t do them this time, but at least I will be more prepared for them at that point. I know it still won’t be easy for me and I’m sure I’ll have a panic attack going into that appointment, but it will be better than being surprised and not being prepared. At least I have 4 months until that next appointment and I don’t have to stress about things for a little while. And even though it seems extremely unlikely, maybe somehow my panic attacks won’t be as bad when I go in for that appointment.
Posted onApril 4, 2022|Comments Off on Back To A Full Workout Week (or April Should Be Interesting)
I was back to my 4 workouts this past week. I wasn’t doing my regular schedule because I needed my Saturday to be free after work, but I was able to add in a workout on Thursday morning. As I’ve said before, there are some pros and cons to doing all weekday workouts before work. I still don’t know if I’d want to change that to be my regular schedule, but I do like having it as an option when I need it to be. And this month I might need to do that more often since I will probably want as much time on Saturdays as possible to pack and move (and I wouldn’t be doing that on Thursday mornings when I would work out).
Monday’s workout was an endurance day. I was coming off a longer break than I’m used to from my workouts since my last workout was the Thursday before. But sometimes a long break is good because I might be more rested and recovered to do a tough workout.
Cardio was 2 blocks and they were basically the same work. The first block started with a 2-minute push pace. Then we had a 1-minute base pace, 90-second push pace, 45-second base pace, and ended with a 1-minute all-out. The second block had the same intervals as the first but in the opposite order. So we started with a 1-minute push pace and ended with a 2-minute distance challenge (we never have an all-out that is longer than a minute). The goal was to go further in the second block than in the first, and I was just barely able to do that, but I got it done.
Rowing was also 2 blocks that were very similar. We had a 500-meter, 300-meter, and 150-meter row in each block. In the first block, we had medicine ball power jacks between each row, which I did as squats to overhead presses. And in the second block, we had front jacks with the medicine ball, which I did as squats to front presses.
On the floor, we had 2 blocks and the idea was to do all the exercises in the block using the same weights and not taking a break between exercises. The first block had incline chest flys, close grip chest presses, and seated rows. And the second block had uppercuts, shoulder presses, and hip hinge high rows. After doing each set of exercises, we were supposed to do either front and back hops or lateral hops. I did marching in place instead but even with that modification, it made the floor work so tough!
Wednesday was a power day and it really felt like a power day with all the short intervals and lower reps. We had 3 blocks for each section of the workout and they were all 4 minutes long.
For cardio, the first block had a 75-second push pace, 30-second base pace, 75-second run/all-out, 30-second recovery, and 30-second all-out. In the second block, the 75-second intervals were all 60-seconds and the 30-second base pace and recovery were 45-seconds. And in the last block, the 75-second intervals were 45-seconds and the base pace and recovery were 60-seconds. But for all the blocks, we ended with a 30-second all-out.
On the rower, it seemed like we had more exercises than rowing. We had rounds of medicine ball power jacks (which I did as squats to overhead presses) and static squat bicep curls before we got onto the rower and rowed until the treadmills were in their recovery. The rowers did the same recovery and then did the all-out with cardio. I was always on the rower for only a bit of time before we had a recovery, so I was able to go pretty hard for it. And since I hadn’t done much rowing, doing the 30-second all-outs went really well for me too.
And on the floor, we had 2 exercises for each of the blocks. We had reverse grip single-arm low rows and skater lunges, single-arm swings and high rows on the straps, and single-leg deadlifts (which I did as regular deadlifts) and plank low rows. I really felt like I worked harder in this workout than I had in a while, so I was exhausted when the class was done, but it was a good exhaustion.
Thursday was a mix of endurance, strength, and power and I, unfortunately, didn’t sleep well the night before so I was having a bit of a bad hip day so I knew I might need to make a lot of modifications. But I think I did better than I thought I could do.
For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block was more of a strength block with 1-minute base paces at inclines followed by base paces without inclines and a 30-second all-out at the end. I was using the resistance levels on the bike, but I wasn’t pedaling as fast as I probably would have if I was feeling ok. And the second block was more of a power block with rounds of a 30-second push pace, 30-second all-out, and 1-minute of recovery.
On the rower, we had 1 block. We started with a 30-second row and then we had bicep curls and rainbows with a medicine ball. The bicep curls were supposed to be in a squat and the rainbows were supposed to be balanced on one leg. But for both exercises, I did them just standing. Then we had a 60-second row followed by the exercises and a 90-second row followed by the exercises. After completing that, we started back at the 30-second row. I made it to the 60-second row for the second time when the rowing block was done.
And on the floor, we had 2 blocks. The first block had split stance single-arm low rows (which I did as hip hinge single-arm low rows), ground to presses, and four-point planks. And the second block had suitcase squats, bicep curls, and hip bridge tricep extensions. I tried to keep a hip bridge for the tricep extensions, but it was starting to hurt so I did as many as I could and then just did them with my feet and hips on the ground.
And for Friday’s workout, things changed up a bit. The workouts at Orangetheory usually are themed to one type of workout. They are endurance day, strength day, power day, or an ESP day which have elements of all types of workouts. But that is consistent with all sections of the room. So even on an ESP day, there is a mix of endurance, strength, and power for the entire workout. But for April, they are making all the workouts ESP days, but each section of the room will have a specific focus. So one section will be an endurance focus, another will be a power focus, and the last will be a strength focus. And which section is which will be switching up every day. For this workout, we had endurance for cardio, power for the rower, and strength on the floor. And the entire workout had the theme of “work and rest” so we were supposed to rest while working out instead of rushing from one thing to another.
For cardio, we had rounds of push paces followed by base paces. All the base paces were 2-minutes long, which was the rest time for cardio. And we had a 1-minute, 4-minute, and 3-minute push pace with a 30-second all-out to finish the cardio block. Because this was my 3rd day in a row and I had done a lot of work around my place for getting ready to move, I was a bit sore during the workout. I tried not to stop during the base paces, but I did have to do that to stretch out my hip a few times.
On the rower, we had 3 different distances for rowing. We did 200-meters, 150-meters, and 100-meters. And between each row, we had an exercise with a medicine ball. Â The first time we did the 3 distances we were supposed to do a lunge with an overhead press, but I just did a standing overhead press. The second time we did the rows we had good mornings. And the third time we had halos. I didn’t make it to the round with the halos because I did try to recover a bit between the rowing and exercises. We were supposed to make each row similar to an all-out, and because I really did rest and didn’t rush I was able to get my wattage on the rower much higher than what I normally can do. So I guess resting really worked for me! And even with the rest, I felt like I was working so much harder during the active row so it balanced out a bit.
And on the floor, we had 2 mini-blocks within one long block. And again, we were supposed to rest between exercises so we could do the best reps we could do. The first mini-block had lunges and Arnold presses and the second mini-block had lateral lunges and hammer curls to bicep curls. We also were supposed to try to increase the weights we used every round we did for the exercises. I didn’t use weights for my lunges, but I did work on increasing the weights for the other exercises. And again, I think the rest that we were supposed to do between each exercise helped me do better on the floor than I normally would do.
We had been told about the new format for April for the past few weeks, but now that I’ve done one of the workouts I’m even more excited to see how this month goes. I think it will be an interesting challenge for me and I think I will learn new things about how I work out and how I can maximize each type of class. And we will be repeating some of the workouts we do from the first half of the month again in the second half of the month, so hopefully, I can see some improvements in a few weeks!
Still Figuring Out Dating During The Pandemic (or Some Things Are The Same And Some Things Are Different)
