Swimming

Jun. 2nd, 2022 06:20 pm
jack: (Default)
Swimming outside at Jesus Green Lido was so lovely.

My very-old-now prescription goggles are doing great service, and swimming underwater still feels magical, seeing the sparkling dapples of sunlight rippling across the top and bottom of the water, and any leaves hanging stationary suspended in infinity.

I swam 16 lengths (nearly 1mi), and pushed myself to actually go faster enough that my heart was racing and I felt tired out, even if it wasn't very fast in actual speed. That was mostly breaststroke but I also practiced crawl, and managed about half a length before running out of puff.

And just sitting in the sun is glorious.

The water temperature was 17c, and it was noticeably colder for longer after I got in than 18c, but I had got better at getting in without cursing, and by half way through the first length it felt lovely. And feeling the sun on my skin felt lovely.
jack: (Default)
This month wins:
  • Hourly brain self check-ins on many days
  • WD-40 to bike chain
  • Bought bike lube
  • Bought running top, shorts
  • Sorted piles of post
  • Parkrun time 37:33min (down below 40min)
  • Started new meds
  • Petted alpacas
  • Work appraisal
  • Set up weights on patio
  • Reprogrammed thermostate for summertime
  • Bought little animal clips to identify people's cups/glasses
  • Sorted bathroom stockpile and cabinet
  • Cleaned half of the kitchen and living room
  • Bought filing trays
  • Cleared nettles on drive
  • Went to Oxford and saw the shark
  • Lost pandemic legacy
  • Finished work project
When I put it like that, it sounds like I was pretty productive! But it's hard to persuade my brain until (maybe) enough areas of my life start feeling like they're under control that it starts to slowly get my brain used to the idea that I might be adulting ok even if I haven't done something incredibly useful in the last few minutes :)
jack: (Default)
Yes I cooked from scratch:

5. Spaghetti sauce. I mean, a variety of sauces that go on spaghetti, but not thin enough I'd usually call it sauce
6. Yeast bread. With a breadmaker, but I mean, I STARTED from scratch. That seems like a weird category, I guess it means "yeast bread" as opposed to "sourdough bread", not as opposed to flatbread?
7. Cake. Only a few times though. We've made the lemon cake a few times but I've not made it by myself.
8. Icing. I think? Again, once.
10. Chilli. I'm not sure exactly what counts, but I make something that's closer to chilli than anything else.
13. Mac and cheese. Copying Rachel.
19. "A pot of greens". Not sure what that is but I assume what I do with veg counts some of the time?
27. Yay, pancakes!
28. "Roasted vegetables in the oven instead of boiling them?" I mean, I've roasted vegetables, but I'm not sure I've ever boiled them, although that's probably how I learned first. I guess, adding peas or sweetcorn to pasta water? Or boiled potatoes?
29. Zested an orange or lemon. Yes, every time we make lemon cake :)
30. Made an omelet.
39. Lived in a house without a dishwasher? Yes, for more than 30 years.
40. Eaten a bowl of cereal for supper? Maybe not as my main evening meal, but I've certainly eaten cereal whenever it's felt like the right thing to eat, which has sometimes been in the afternoon or evening.

Read more... )

Beard

Dec. 17th, 2007 03:18 pm
jack: (Default)
I've always been curious what I'd look like with a beard. This week I just stopped shaving the front of my face[1]. It needs more growth, it's just a patch of long stubble, but my impression is:

* I think a beard *does* suit me
* However, it always makes you look older. I'd rather make the most of my irresponsible youth while I still have some.
* It looks and feels distracting. I have enough difficulty surviving seeing a pink nose-shaped blob in the corner of my eye, a tactile and visual fuzz makes the universe feel unorganised
* I'll probably shave it off before it goes very far
* I'm curious what other people think.
* It's probably the worst week to try, what with being at work, visiting family, and possibly meeting a friend in person for the first time. It went well with last week though, when I ran out of shaving foam.

[1] Quote: "It was dark in the car, but I *thought* your stubble looked... patterned."