Back

Back from the wilderness and woodsmoke and cold dashes to the outhouse!

So peaceful and relaxing to get away from computers, the thesis and housemates. The quiet was very soothing. The minor disaster with The Longest Cross-stitch Project Ever was less soothing.

Unfortunately a big thaw a few days prior trashed the snow for cross-country skiing. In hindsight we should have brought skates - the lake was pure ice. Instead we went for a really nice long walk and spent the rest of the time reading, relaxing and eating tasty food.

And in the spirit of this blog, I tried to think less and actually DO more. So rather than just spending the weekend reading (which, while technically doing something, is not what I mean by doing - no creative output is required to read) I actually managed to do some things. 

Tried to work on The Longest Cross-stitch Project Ever, which I've been a few hours away from finishing for months now. But when I went to start I noticed that all of the backstitching I've done so far is in the wrong colour. Argh! The difference is enough that 1. I have no idea why I didn't notice it earlier and 2. I feel compelled to frog* all the backstitching and start over. So.incredibly.frustrated. By far my oldest and least favorite stitching project, and I had been hoping to finish it this weekend.

So I put it away and decided to try watercolour painting instead.

It's been years since I've painted, and watercolours were never my strong suit, but being good isn't the point, doing is. So I did, and it felt great. The smell of the paints, the feel of the brush on paper. Mostly practiced controlled flat washes (aka painting rectangles), but it's a start.

I have a whole list of more thoughtful posts than just daily diary-type stuff, but some will have to wait until my camera gets back from being repaired (interested in learning how to make homemade vanilla extract?) and others I hope to get to later this week when I have time to put more serious thoughts to the page. 

*frog: a cross-stitching term for removing mistakes. To remove the threads you have to rip it, rip it, rip it :)

To the woods!

Of course it's only after I start a baby blog that I remember we are going away for a few days. Away to a place with no computer and no internet but lots of snow, trees and a wood-burning stove.

Bliss.

Back in a few days!

Post: The Second

So it's my intention to goof around with this blogging thing by making posts in different styles, eg:

-  a cooking post
- a look how cute my pets are post
- an irritatingly shallow and dramatic post
- and other stereotypical blog posts

I hadn't expected to start off with a "what I did this afternoon" post mixed with a "details of minor injuries" post and an "omg I've had a revelation thanks to a dubious, New Age-sounding reinvention of X" but meh, my goal is to write regularly, not produce internet gold.

I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous 11 degree weather today and walk to the library. Now, prolonged walking has been painful the past few weeks thanks to a combination of a soft-tissue injury in my ankle (too much jumping to Great Big Sea at a wedding reception) and poor posture at my desk (eg. sitting in a way that aggravated my ankle, even though I know better). Oh, and a fantastic set of blisters acquired during a cross country ski outing last weekend.

So I taped up the blisters and bravely headed out into the sunshine. As I walked, I tried to apply some of the techniques we learned in our first ChiWalking class. ChiWalking feels awkward and looks kinda silly, but there seems to be merit to the technique (and it's not remotely the hippy-dippy vegan rainbows program that it sounds like). Still, I've remained skeptical....until this afternoon. When I walked with my normal heel-hits-the-ground-first stride my ankle was aching within a few steps. When I chiwalked the pain vanished. Seriously surprised the difference was that noticeable. So instead of alternating between my regular stride and chiwalking for my trip, I chiwalked the entire way. No ankle pain! Although now I have some sore muscles from carrying my body in a way it's not used to.

This gives me hope for working my way back into running this spring (yes, there is ChiRunning), and eventually learning barefoot running. 

Now to practise linking in a blog post:
Wikipedia article on ChiRunning

Confidential to B: you might find ChiRunning beneficial to you since it can help make running easier, more pleasurable and significantly reduce injuries. 


 

Post: The First

After months and months of waffling I guess I've finally caved and started a blog. Heather, you can officially feel proud that you've brought me over to the internet dark side.

I'm under no illusions that I've got something earth-shattering to say or terribly deep thoughts to ponder, but the act of regularly writing something non-thesis related will theoretically be cathartic.

It does feel good to actually DO something though. I spend a lot of my time sitting around thinking about how I should pick up my sketchbook or watercolours, or cross stitch or sewing. Or start a food blog, or craft blog. Or work on my thesis :P Or, or, or....

I have one blog and two readers and my two readers are worth writing for.

Enough with the "shoulds", on with the doing....