How Ya Now?

I spent $5.00 on a crochet pattern because I forgot to purchase it back in December. So much for my spending no money except on necessities goal. I also didn't factor in my birthday and the fact that it's tradition to order perfume for myself. I haven't bought any yet. I'm still deciding how much I'm willing to spend this year. I've really learned to focus on priorities and am not so willing to spend money on 'stuff'.

My return to minimalism is going really well. I managed to get at least 80% of my stuff tossed or donated that I have here at camp. I go home in 21 days and have no doubt that I will be finished with this part of the challenge by the time I leave. I'll be working on it a bit more today while I watch the Superbowl.

My fitness and exercise routine has changed again. I've eliminated yoga and zumba because of time constraints. If the classes were an hour later then scheduled it wouldn't be an issue. I also eliminated them because they result in me spending too much time at the gym.

I've also eliminated running and am no longer training for a 5K. After a year of trying I've realized that I'll probably never be able to prevent shin splints without spending an obnoxious amount of money on special running shoes and physiotherapy. I switched to training on the elliptical and it's made a huge difference.

My shins and calves are no longer sore and I can do a 5K pain free. I get off the elliptical just dripping sweat because I get such a good workout. Oh, the difference making that change has made to the quality of my workouts is huge. My feet feel a bit uncomfortable and numb because I still put pressure on the outsides of my feet but I am able to adjust without it resulting in injury or pain.

I've also switched my weightlifting routine to focus more on lower body and my back. It's my goal to strengthen those muscles while spending less time training shoulders and arms. Of course I'll continue to train my upper body but it won't be the focus. The last change I made was deciding to only workout five days a week instead of six. That way I can spend more time knitting and reading.

This Joy

Reading List

A couple of months ago I made a personal reading list of English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, and Canadian authors whose books I wanted to read. I posted it to tumblr but have moved it over to heima. Feel free to browse through it and make suggestions.

If you do want to recommend a book for me to read, I ask that you look through the list first to understand my preferences. For example, I don't want to read Trainspotting because heroin addicts don't interest me.What I do like is Horror, Historical Fiction, Zombies (that's a no-brainer, haha...), Cyberpunk, Biopunk, Steampunk, pirates, Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series (of course), and quite the smattering of Science Fiction.

I'm currently finishing up Quicksilver (which I've been reading for 8 years. True story.) by Neal Stephenson while starting The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens and continuing with catching up on listening to hppodcraft.com's Lovecraft podcasts.

Sock Bun

I learned how to do a sock bun today. My hair is now down to the middle of my back (maybe even longer) and I keep getting it caught in zippers and straps while at work. Perhaps for work I will start wearing it up to avoid so much damage. I haven't tried the sock bun yet but it appears to be gentle and hair-friendly.

Bare

Returning to my minimalist roots has actually been an easy experience. The only difficult part has been figuring out the logistics for donating or tossing some stuff here at camp. However, owning a truck is a definitely a great feather in my cap. My truck is awesome.

My stuff has been sorted and organized so tonight is for getting rid of the stuff I've decided to toss. My other goal for tonight is to organize again what's left with some of it being stored in my truck. Last night I organized my perfume and when I get home next month I'll be culling my book collection. I've started making a list of books I want to keep; what I consider essential. After that I will organize my knitting supplies then go to Moose Jaw and shred all my old paper and bills.

My goal is to be down to only essentials and the things I absolutely want by the end of June. I guess everyone has their breaking point. I've eliminated going to restaurants and unnecessary shopping due to poor customer service. Yesterday I decided to see how long I could go without spending money (on all non-essentials of course). I can't stand laziness and indifference and I won't tolerate either so I refuse to support people or businesses that do. It's not my fault they suck and not my job to provide a fix or throw money at them.

Not Buying It

I've decided to challenge myself to see how long I can go without spending money. This excludes bills, Grizzly Claw coffee, medical expenses (obviously), and gas for my truck, of course. Since my goal in 2012 is to pay off my loans and save for some grand adventure, I just thought this would be an interesting challenge.  If you're wondering why I mentioned the coffee, it's because camp coffee is so completely horrid I can't drink it without wanting to choke it back up. It's that nasty; like the coffee you get in gas stations.

My birthday is on February 27 so that's my goal. I think 1 month is long enough. I also have to give myself 1 cheat. I need a new pair of shoes for wearing up at camp. It's safety related because the pair I'm currently wearing are worn out and need to be tossed. Winter is not friendly to footwear.

Perhaps I could go 2 months, but I doubt it.

Truth

I've come to the conclusion that the only thing you can consume that will not kill you is spinach (unless it's contaminated with E. Coli). If it contaminated it can kill you. My conclusion; if you not a cockroach or a fern, you're probably not going to survive an apocalypse so just enjoy everything in moderation.

Public Relations

Funny Stuff

There Is Awesome On My Blog

It's Not Really For Moles

Winter Love

(I don't know who owns the ©) 


(© demilliac) 

Nuts II

Way back in January 2008 I posted my Fighting Squirrel smoothie recipe. I've since gone Paleo (mostly) and try to stay gluten-free. I've updated my recipe and instead of making it for breakfast, it's going to be my new pre-workout meal.

Fighting Squirrel II

• 1/2 cup of oatmeal, cooked and cooled 
• 3/4 cup of milk 
•  1 banana 1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder 
•  1 huge tablespoon of macadamia nut butter 
•  1 tsp cocoa or chocolate sauce
•  1/2 cup of strong coffee
• splash of water if necessary
• Blend it all together for about a minute and drink up :) good times.

Wreck This Journal

I'm going to be wrecking my journal soon. In the meantime I thought I'd share this little bit of inspiration.

Chill

Gym tonight. Upper body workout with no cardio (shins are sore from running). I have the next 3 days off so I will be spending 2 of them reading, knitting, and writing. Monday I apply for health care so I hope all goes well. It's been a long 14 months of trying to get this done.

On my new wellness blog, JRNL, I posted:

1. Paleo Diet flowchart
2. 25 healthy foods to add to your diet in 2012
3. Your go-to guide to creating the perfect green smoothie