Ooooogh

Dec. 14th, 2011 12:04 am
tablesaw: Supervillain Frita Kahlo says, 'Dolor!' (Que Dolor!)
Food poisoning over the weekend. That was fun. As with the last time I got food poisoning, I can blame no one but myself, since I wasn't eating out. Luckily, I didn't end up at the hospital this time, but the weakness from dehydration and not eating kept me knocked out for two days.

My stomach's still a little skittish, but I bounced back strong. I'd been feeling a little out of shape before the poisoning, and after spending a weekend too week to open a bottle of orange juice (yeah, really), I've been leaping to get back on the exercise routine.

It's been a great time to be out and about in Los Angeles too. Except for the rain yesterday, but also because of the rain yesterday. It's all cool and crisp again, and it feels like an LA winter should after the cold snap earlier in the month.
tablesaw: -- (Real1)
Since I had business on the second floor, I decided to climb my way back to the sixteenth, to see how my body was doing.

I have to admit, I've been slacking on my exercise routine. I haven't been using my stationary bike as hard, or remembering to do other exercises as often. I haven't been sleeping as well, so I haven't gotten up early enough to lengthen the walking part of my commute.

On the other hand, various lifestyle changes have kept this slacking from turning into giving up entirely. My main focus has been my exercise bike, which I keep parked in front of the TV, and I've gotten fairly good at watching TV or playing videogames while on the bike instead of the couch. So when I'm "slacking," I'm not finding the energy for a full high-speed, high-tension workout; but I do still sit on the bike and pedal more leisurely, sometimes for two or three hours. And I still find time for wall push-ups, though with less rigor than I used to have.

Walking up the stairs, it was harder than I'd like it to be, but even though I felt like I was going to give up after about four flights . . . I didn't ever actually have to. I didn't even need to stop for a breather. It helped wake me up a bit too. In fact, if I hadn't had to get back to work, I probably would've kept going up.

I've said before that I have a tendency to slide into slothfulness. I don't really gain much pleasure from exercise, and I don't know that it's ever going to be something I seek out. But I'm glad that I've put a stopper on how far back I can slide.

GO FAST

Sep. 13th, 2011 04:50 pm
tablesaw: Gaff, from <cite>Blade Runner</cite> (Gaff)
On Sunday, at the season opener of Dungeonmaster, I saw [livejournal.com profile] aimegame before the show, among others. When I asked what she'd been doing, she said, "Racing go-karts!" and invited me to join her and some friends on the track on Monday. I'd been feeling a little under-socialized, so last night I headed out to Torrance to race.

It was my first time in a go-kart, but I acquitted myself well. [livejournal.com profile] aimegame had yelled that the only thing I had to do was "GO FAST," and I took it to heart, barreling into turns and sliding all over the damn place. It turns out that my previous experience with drifting in Mario Kart was incorrect: in fact, sliding around curves makes you go slower, rather than giving you a burst of glowing speed. On the other hand, skidding around a corner takes less time than crashing into the corner, and my drifiting kept me from a race-stopping collision with the barriers several times. Though I was in the basement among eight racers in my first match, the second, when it was just the three of us, I managed to eke out second place over [livejournal.com profile] aimegame.

What I didn't expect was the toll it would take on my arms. I know I don't have the greatest upper body strength, but after the races, my arms were trembling, and it hurt to lift things, which was a bit much, even for me. It certainly didn't feel like I was overstressing myself while I was racing, but there was a decent amount of adrenaline. Whether the steering actually did require more work than I'd realize, or the rush of speed had simply caused me to grip the wheel too tightly for too long, my arms were wrecked. Between that and some bumping around in the cart that left my back and sides a bit sore, I've been feeling the kart all day.

I'm probably going to join them again, but I might need to work more on my push-ups before then.
tablesaw: Charlie Crews, in a dark suit, rests his head on his left hand (That's Life)
Exercise bike + TV (Bachelor Pad) + book (Bujold) + cellphone (this)

Infodump

Jun. 5th, 2011 10:58 pm
tablesaw: -- (Default)
Things done since ever.

  • Bought tickets for the NPL Convention in Providence. Will be flying into Boston on the 4th (5 p.m. EDT), looking to bum around before heading to the hotel on Wednesday afternoon, then flying out of Logan early on the 11th (7 a.m.). Who'll be around?
  • I also said, "Screw it!" and asked for the rest of that week off from work, so it's going to be a real vacation for me all through to the 15th. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. But it will not be working.
  • I'm coming out of a funk (well, came out of a funk a week or so ago). It's always hard to identify it when I'm in it, till my body rebels and says, "No, Tablesaw, you need to do things again. You're going to do those situps, and then you're going to go out and see people." I'm looking ahead to when the pushback happens, the time when I feel a little sick or a little tired, and I let my momentum slip, and I can't pick it up again. On the horizon, this is most likely to happen because . . .
  • I'm probably going into the dentist this week to get my other wisdom tooth looked at. I have a feeling it's going to need removal too. The last time that happened it took a lot out of me. If it happens again, I'm going to need to plan ahead so that I can remomentatize myself.
  • I planned to go geocaching with [personal profile] trinker, and then found out it was to happen on her birthday, so I went all out to be the birthday fairy. It turned out kind of okay.
  • All the TV shows ended, and everyone is pregnant, I guess.
  • My phone, my crappy-ass phone—that is only one step removed from a crappy assphone—has started losing its charge, so I'm actually getting a smartphone. Virgin Mobile, which I've been using to keep my cell-phone bill under $10/month, has an unlimited data plan for $25/month. It should arrive this week. So that'll be interesting.
  • The Portal 2 print is framed and gorgeous-looking. I'm also wrestling with framing these prints on the cheap, which would be easier if the United States and Canada hadn't decided that they wanted their own special paper sizes.
  • Oh, I got a haircut too. For me, it's super short. But then, my hair was getting kind of long. For a while, it looked way too young for my big, bearded, thirty-three-year-old face, but it's looking better with a beard trim.
  • I watched a friend run Dungeon World at Strategicon over the weekend, which got me rereading Apocalypse World. After playing through a campaign, the directives made a lot more sense. It's a fascinating game, which is probably why I keep talking about it to everyone I meet. Also, much like with Smallville, I'm seeing it in the shows I watch. Sons of Anarchy and Dexter are totally running on Apocalypse World.
  • Finished Dragon Age:Origins. Pablum is too exciting a word.
  • Visited the Museum of Death, knocking another item off of my bucket list (defined as things that are close enough for me to throw a bucket at). It was disappointing. I was hoping for a curatorial perspective beyond, "WOW ISN'T THIS COOOOOOOOL!? SERIAL KILLERS, MAN! FUCK SOCIETY!" There were some nice touches: a set of crime-scene photographs near (what I assume was) the brief mention of the murder-suicide. On the other hand, relics of Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein were counterposed with "ads containing humorous depictions of cannibals." Yeah, that wasn't too pleasant.
Gotta go to bed now . . .
tablesaw: Jennifer Connolly and David Bowie from <cite>Labyrinth</cite> (Labyrinth)
I've been thinking about it for weeks, but today I finally got off my butt and started hiking again. I spent a few hours getting all my geocaching information in order, then I headed up to Bronson Canyon for a four-mile, twelve-cache loop. (I missed one cache, though; a coyote was chilling in the area.)

It was overcast, which was great for temperature but made most of the pictures come out pre-drabbed. It was a pretty varied trip. It started with wide fire trails and continued with wide paved roads. There were lots of people out too. Hiker, runners, dog-walkers, and horse-riders. The final leg of the loop went through some smaller paths to bring me back down to the caves. I'd intended to take a path that was marked on Google Maps, but ended up taking a longer route that circled the ridge of the quarry before I could find the path down. At the end, I ran back and forth through the Batcave a few times before heading to the car.

I came home and showered to cool down. Now I feel good, ready for a brand new week of sitting.
tablesaw: -- (Default)
Work has been quiet for a while, but there was a lot to do last night. I do still need to finish writing about Gamex too.

And after my last hike, I need to get started exercising again. I don't know if I'm going to do bike or a short run today. It'll depend on how my legs feel.

On the NPL website, I officially committed to bringing a "non-Jeopardy after-hours gameshow" to the Denver Convention. I haven't said what it is, but some of you know. I now have a month to put everything together, and I'm probably going to need help with it, so I want the filter to be opt-out instead of opt in. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to manage it.

TueNYTX: 6:45; TueLATX: 5.
tablesaw: A young Shawn Spencer learns proper saw technique from his dad. (Cartoon)
So I went to bed early yesterday, collapsing from the tiredness, so you'd think I'd be back on schedule. And yet, here I am looking at two o'clock, wondering what happened. I'm still going to go exercise, though, which means I'll be awake for even longer!

Most of my day was dedicated to finishing up my next Beyond Tetris article, which should be up later today. Sneak preview: It's about Minesweeper. And for the first time in a long time, I know have a full two weeks to plan and prepare my next article, so I'm going to get on that tonight. I should also do an Ebay check to see if I can pick up a few out-of-print games for future topics.

Most of the rest of my day was taken up by Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney—Justice for All, which sucks up time like a TARDIS Hoover. I mean, I was just finishing the game, how did it take so many hours? Stupid nonadjustable text speeds.

Anyway!

The game is pretty fun, and the final chapter is fantastic. But, as many reviewers have noted, there are tons of spelling and grammar errors. Not Engrish, just errors, the kind of "slipped through the spellchecker" things that show up in the writings of English speakers who aren't paying close attention to what they're writing. The puzzles have the standard adventure-game problems, but the penalties are sometimes overly harsh, which can be frustrating. (I've already said more on the subject in the Gamer's Quarter Forum.)

And in between all that, I took a nap too. So, all in all, too much rest has put my schedule off. I must work vigorously to realign myself tomorrow.

On the bright side, I only have to work three days this week because I'm switching to my new schedule. I shall celebrate my first Friday of Freedom by going to [livejournal.com profile] satch's birthday party. I like "Friday of Freedom," I'm going to have to do something with that.

But tonight, while I'm sleeping late because I went to bed so late, I will be missing Jeopardy, with special contestant [livejournal.com profile] cramerica! Luckily I have a VCR. If you don't make sure you're by a TV, perhaps in the common room of a dorm you happen to live in.

Too sexy.

Jul. 25th, 2003 08:27 am
tablesaw: -- (Default)
After running, I'm so hot. Literally. I can't put my glasses on because I steam them up.

I switched my route today so that it has less hills. It may also be marginally shorter, so I'm going to check on that. I'm running well, but my left leg is feeling very tight. I'm going to have to do more stretching before I head out. My lungs are doing much better than they were, though. I haven't had any more dehydration problems, but I haven't run in the hot, hot sun for a while, so we'll see how that goes.

For now, it's shower time.
tablesaw: Tablesaw (Thin Manual)
I haven't felt like writing much since getting back from the NPL convention, and I'm not wholly sure why. I have been in a big reading mood, though. Over the past few days, I've been slowly working through The Canary Trainer, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, and Swords Against Death, depending on which I decide to pick up at a given time. I've also been recovering a bit. And out a bit. My cousin just returned from military training, a kind of post-boot-camp graduate school for those training to be officers. He regaled us with stories of the Fear-Factor-esque program (designed to eradicate potential sources of panic in those who would have to issue orders), and in return, we filled him in on what had happened regarding my aunt's death. Shortly before he entered this program, my cousin had told him that if something happened to her mother, they were not going to call him, because they wanted him to be able to complete the program without feeling obliged to help. He didn't hear the news until a few weeks after. Now he's back and we're putting the pieces back together for him.

Also, I've started running again. )

SunNYTX: 31:27. The last step was a little confusing, but all in all it was a lot of fun.

REBEL L!

Jul. 25th, 2002 06:48 am
tablesaw: -- (Default)
My body started to rebel to my excessive work schedule. Not so much the continual work, but to the continual sitting. I got so distracted that I went off into the supply room for a little bit to do jumping jacks and push-ups.

There's a quite a spread on the table over there. Bagels, donuts, muffins, crepes, blintzes and more. I think I'll go get another one.

Then again, maybe not. I now have the hiccups. Major hiccups. And oh look, now my soon-to-be-former boss is coming over to talk to me. (She's leaving, not me.) And there she goes again, giggling over the fact that I can't string five words together without spasming.

Hopefully, I'll be done before I reach my aunt and uncle's house. I'm checking out the progress on my new home.

SunLATX: 25. MonNYTX: 4:30. MonLATX: 5:30. TueNYTX: 8:30. Some awkward word in the NE corner. TueLATX: 6:15. WedNYTX: 8:35. Another odd NE corner. WedLATX: 6:45. ThuNYTX: 9.
tablesaw: -- (Default)
I bought pants today, fancy pants, for a wedding. Looking at myself in the mirror, putting on pants, I really understood what it means to be Big.

Not big meaning "grown-up," big as in, well, Big.

In high school, I was 6'3" tall. I weighed about 130 lbs. That was about the same weight I was three years earlier and five inches shorter. I was skinny in high school. Beanpole skinny. Skin-and-bones skinny. Ichabod Crane skinny. By the time I'd graduated I managed to gain about five pounds. I always wore a coat. My coats usually enhanced my tallness, while cloaking my skinniness. My four years at college gained me another fifteen pounds. Each little bit made me that much more excited, but I was still very, very skinny. So I always thought of myself as tall, not big. Guys shorter than I could be big, they filled their frames and looked like they were rooted in the ground. I always felt like a strong wind could pick me up and blow me away.

Today, two years out of college, I still stand 6'3", but I weigh 215 lbs. Most of it isn't muscle, but there are changes all over my body. My chest and gut are convex, not concave. I can feel myself connect with the ground when I jump. It may not be the perfect body, but having weight, having mass, is something I've wanted for a long, long time. And I like it.

It's weird to look at myself in the mirror and see that I'm Big. If I had more practice, I could probably Intimidate people with my mere presence. It makes me feel a bit more normal, more able to relate to certain things. Feeling clothes around one's body, rather than having them hanging off and tightly belted. Noticing one's belling expand after a large meal. And my face looks nice and round, like it doesn't need a goatee to fill it out.

On the other hand, I am worried. I enjoy being big, but common opinion seems to be against it. I worry that I may let myself get too Big. But more importantly, I worry about what has brought me to my Bigness. In high school and college, I was constantly walking to and fro burning off more energy than I could deal with. I also had a depression building up nervous energy that I would walk off all of the time. But now, not only does my job have me sitting all day, but my long commute and odd hours tend to keep me indoors or using limited motion. So while I used to rely on my general business I try to exercise daily, but it often gets pushed to the wayside by scheduling mishaps, and if I break a rhythm for two days or more, I find it hard to remind myself to start up again.

But I don't want to lose weight, I don't want to be thin again. I've done that, and I like being Big better. But I do want to be healthy, something I'm not all that used to doing.

Till then, I'm going to go to my uncle's wedding with my Big body in my Big clothes and just be Big. Yeah.
tablesaw: -- (Default)
Nice short walk, during which I thought about some bases for the Enigma. I haven't submitted puzzles in a while, and some NPL members just complimented me on the ones I did, so I should work some out.

TueNYTX: 6. Some odd entries. I probably should have taken more time on it, but I prefer to put away Tuesday puzzles quickly. TueLATX: 4:30.
tablesaw: -- (Default)
I wanted to go to bed an hour ago, but laundry has prevented that. I should have known better. After I got back from my walk, I forgot to set the dryer running again. But it should end shortly.

Since I was awake and drowsy, I sent a Match contact to the wheelchair girl (who, if she responds, is definitely getting a new pseudonym). She really does have a great profile, it kind of left me at a loss for words when drafting my response. Hopefully that comes across as "endearingly disarmed" and not "slackjawed."

I've weighed that options, and barging into the Parish Center to ask T. out would, I believe, be less embarrassing that trying to enlist mother's help. Maybe [livejournal.com profile] veek can get me tipsy on Thursday morning and push my toward the church. Or maybe I could wait until Sunday, if I didn't fear veek kicking my fundament for procrastination.

Going to lie down now, while my pants lose their moistness.
tablesaw: -- (Default)
Nice walk today. Sixty minutes on the dot; up a large hill then back down. Now heading to bed. I'd like to try to catch Gosford Park tonight, but I also need to pop into the NPL chat room tonight to get some confirmations on this month's Enigma. There's a shortened solving time, and I'm close to a complete (i.e. solving every puzzle in the issue) so i don't want to take any chances.

Sent out a Match contact. Debating on whether or not to answer a particular ad. Brilliant profile, but the woman in question is in a wheelchair. She's very cute, but tiny (5'0" to my 5'15"). I'm not certain if I'm being overly cautious or prejudicial or if I'm just finding an excuse not to contact someone who seems really interesting and attractive.
tablesaw: -- (Default)
FriNYTX: 17, most of which was spent figuring out 1,2,3D. 14A was fantastic, but other than that, I was having trouble.
FriLATX is not available yet.

[livejournal.com profile] veek is in town, and I'll be meeting her at the Hammer tonight. That means getting up early, which means going to bed early, which means no walk. Sigh.

On the plus side, electronic literature and friend from London! Yay!
tablesaw: -- (Default)
So last week I took a walk and journaled that I wanted to do this more often. As expected, the ado of Easter Weekend prevented me from getting back out until today. I did an extra loop, that ended up keeping me out for an extra hour. The shoes I was wearing were not the best for walking and are getting kind of old. They may be heading for retirement.

On my path I encountered a rabbit's foot, with the rest of the rabbit nowhere to be seen. It did not feel very lucky.

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tablesaw: -- (Default)
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