arthur_p_dent

I was saying last time (how long ago was that??) that I hadn't gotten back into a rhythm with a lot of things, and it appears that time did not solve that problem. I did make an effort to get back to regular exercise, but that fell apart quickly. Other than that, I've continued to struggle.

Much of it has to do with the funk I've been in lately. December isn't my favourite month to begin with. In general, it's the month when I have the least contact with others. Most people have lots going on, such as holiday parties and gatherings with friends, family, and coworkers. But year after year, the number of people I'm close with gets smaller, and their busy-ness has a rebound effect on me where I feel unimportant. This year I'm doing more social things, with curling and the run club, but the people I'm friends with there are what I call "situational friendships", where we only interact in those specific group situations. Not that I'm discounting those friendships or the benefits I get from those social outings, but if I were to stop going I don't feel like any of those connections would continue, and so again, that stirs up feelings of being unimportant. This is something that really weighs heavily on me all month, until the holidays are done and lives start to settle back to normal again.

A couple weeks back my good friend and I had a rare alignment of work schedules and were able to hang out together Friday after curling. It had been a couple months since we had that opportunity, and it was nice to relax and catch up on more than just work. Then this past Friday we met for our usual lunch, and by some weird coincidence we each ended up talking about some significant personal topics. And while my thing is not resolved (one more thing weighing on my mind lately), it was kind of a comfort to me to know that we can both still trust each other at that level - close friendships are really hard to come by.

Speaking of curling, that's been pretty normal. One week I can't seem to do anything right, then the next I feel like I could be in a competitive league. I try not to get too frustrated by it, much like I did with my golf game years back - without practice and playing more often you can only expect to reach a certain level, so at some point you just have to accept it and try to enjoy yourself.

Tomorrow I've got dinner with my former coworkers. We started with this over a year ago when people began to be let go from the department, but I have a feeling this will probably be the last one. Last time only three people made it out, and for this one I had to get the ball rolling two weeks ago. If this is the last time, I'm at least glad it will be at the holidays.

Anyway, it's very late now, so I should try to get some sleep. Hopefully you all have a great week to come, and I'll be back sometime before the holidays. =]

It seems even with a shortened week I wasn't able to get myself back here on time. It's been a weird kind of week - having to go out of town for work last weekend threw me off of all of my routines, and I still haven't managed to work myself back into any of them. Even today, I have the day off, and it's fairly early, but I already feel like the day is getting away from me.

The trip for work was about as much of a shit show as I expected. I think I was the only person going into it that really understood just how bad the results were going to be. It was also disheartening to see that the newer people that were supposed to be gaining knowledge for the future were somewhat content to sit back and not take ownership of the things they are responsible for. I don't see good things on the horizon for them short-term.

I had brought my planner along with me on the trip, to try and get caught up on my goals review from the past several weeks (months now?). But looking at how far behind I am made it feel like an overwhelming task to take on when I was already so tired, so alas, it went untouched. In general, I feel like things have been sliding week after week, and getting into a week where my motivation levels have been very low isn't helping. I did still manage to get out for run club, but I have to start taking it easier now that it's getting colder (exertion in cold air makes it harder to breathe). Unfortunately that was the only exercise I've done all week, and I'm feeling pretty sluggish as a result.

I got some sad news this week as well. My best friend growing up, his dad passed away. He was the kind of guy that treated all the kids like his own. He would bring me to hockey practice if my mom was working. He leant me his golf clubs when I was first learning to play and didn't have any of my own. He pretended not to notice that the bottles in the bar had a little less in them once in a while. In later years I would run into him once in a while at a local diner on a Sunday morning, and we'd have breakfast together and catch up. He was a really great person, and I'll miss him.

Plans for the coming weekend - lunch with my good friend in a couple hours, curling tonight, and try to get myself back on track before Monday. The weather here has turned very fall-ish, but I'd also like to get the rest of my outdoor chores done before the end of the month, so I need to start picking away at those too.

Until next time! =]

I'm a couple days late this week, partly due to being very tired a lot, and partly due to just not feeling like turning on the computer. Even now I'm on the fence about being here, and I think the only reason I am is because there's a couple things really need to take care of after this. But anyway...

Last weekend was ok, despite not getting to take Friday off. I did manage to complete my running goal of doing the half-marathon distance of 21km on Saturday. The first 17km was very steady, but then I hit a bit of a wall and struggled for the final 4km. But overall I did quite well - 2 hours and 34 minutes, which is a full 9 minutes faster than the last time I did that distance back in 2015. Next year I'm registering for an official race in October, and hopefully by then I'll have improved even more.

Taking a 4-hour chunk out of the weekend did make it a bit strenuous getting everything else done, but fortunately it was a lighter weekend for chores so I did manage to finish it all without anything carrying over into the week. Probably a good thing, because the last several days haven't been the greatest. I've been in a lousy mood for a couple of different reasons, and I'm having trouble shaking it.

Work has been part of it. My boss wants me to go to one of the plants in the US to help with training people on how to use our systems. Funny thing is, the things I'm supposed to train these people on are things that I don't have access to and have never done - so in order to teach them, I would first have to learn it all myself. Make sense to you? Because it sure as shit doesn't make any sense to me. Then there's this other person who was transferred down from another plant, who after two weeks is reporting that something that is one of my major responsibilities is being done totally wrong. Nothing to back it up, just telling his superiors that it's wrong, and that's why they're having problems. Worst idea ever was putting that guy on a group call with me - I don't think he got more than 12 words in during the whole meeting, and two days later still hasn't shown any support for his claims.

The other thing impacting my mood has been... well, basically it's just my brain taking a random thought and spiraling down to the worst possible conclusions. Without getting into the details, the upshot has been a very heavy sense of loneliness. I had lunch with my good friend today and talked to her about it. It was a good conversation, and I felt a bit better for being able to verbalize it rather than keeping it bottled up. I don't know that there's any actual solution though - I think it's just something that I'm going to have to get over (easier said than done when you're a over-thinker).

These things took quite a toll on me during the week, and I found myself sleeping poorly, getting up late, and having no motivation to keep up with chores or exercise. Having today off, I spent some time catching up on all of those things, and even though it wasn't a particularly restful day off, I still feel better for getting back on track. With any luck the weekend will continue to go well, and I can start next week in better spirits.

And with that I will bid you all farewell, and wish you the best for the week to come. See you again soon. =]

It's been a pretty good week this time around. To quickly touch on a few things from my last post - I got caught up (finally) on things from the week before, I'm getting back into a morning exercise routine, and I'm most of the way through tallying the past month's worth of goal tracking. Unfortunately another month has gone by without a monthly review, and it's looking like the end of October will be a 3-month catch-up.

Work has been... alright, I guess? Thursday was spent mostly on calls explaining my month end entries - not exactly fun. But I also got a big jump on work I would normally do on Monday, so that was good, and although Monday was busy, I was back on a normal track by the end of the day. So when IT rolled out new software on Tuesday that blocked me from all of my network drives and files for more than a day, I was able to spend time working with them to troubleshoot the problem without falling too far behind again.

And then there's my boss. He was in town for a couple days, and he asked me to come out to the plant to meet the new controller and talk over some things with them. Next thing I know he's got me and the controller coming up to his office next week and doing plant tours up there, to "get familiar with some of the other operations". Which is good, because seeing how facilities operate is (to me) one of the most interesting parts of my job, but also not so good, because it's the first indication of change in my responsibilities. I've seen first-hand how changes have driven everyone else I worked with out the door, and I'm concerned it may go the same way for me.

Social and recreational things have been going well. Friday I hung out with a friend for a bit, and then hit up another stop on my local brewery tour. Saturday I got together with my good friend to celebrate her birthday. And yesterday was "bring your dog to run club" day. I didn't bring mine (she's small and older), but there were several furry friends in attendance - it was a fun evening. I've also been making very good progress with both my crochet project and in Duolingo, and the hockey season is back so my fantasy hockey league has started up again.

Coming up, I have a four-day weekend to look forward to - lots of fall yard work to get done, and turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. As long as I don't do too much and burn myself out, it should be a good weekend.

Hope you all have a good week ahead. Take care, see you soon. =]

I missed a week, and I'm a day late. And it's going to be a short recap too, so don't blink or you'll miss it.

My trip to the dump a couple weeks back was no less than a debacle. Long story short, I blew a tire on my trailer, had to replace both, and what should have been a two hour task took a little over a day.

Work has been fairly ok, although a couple of days were enough to set off small headaches. And, word came out yesterday that annual bonuses were approved, so it will be interesting to see just what that equates to (it's a first for me).

I've had several opportunities to spend time with friends - a poker night, lunches, and hanging out with my good friend. Running has been going well also. Last week I did an 18k, so I'm definitely on track for hitting the half marathon distance next month.

Coming up - well, I'm half way to Montreal right now, on my way to see the President's Cup PGA tournament tomorrow. Been a good day so far, and there will be lots to talk about next time around.

Have a terrific weekend. I'll be back in October! =]

It was a really pleasant evening tonight so I sat out by the fire table for a bit. Definitely feeling a snooze coming on soon, but first...

I'd say the past week has been mostly good, but there were some moments that were some of the same old annoyances. The work week ended fairly ok, although there was some minor scrambling I had to do for a rush situation. Nothing terrible, and it all got sorted out. I had an extra-long weekend with Friday off, and while I did have thoughts of doing some kind of "me" day, it never panned out. Errands ate up the bulk of Friday and Sunday, a very long run burned me out on Saturday, and my normal prep for the coming week took up all of Monday. Oh, and I was cat-sitting again, and had to do a MIL pick-up at the train station, so knock off several more hours.

On the plus side of the weekend, that long run was my longest of the year - 15km. Putting the personal best aside, I did make a few mistakes that I need to not repeat. Longer runs need to start earlier when it's cool, a freshly shaven head needs a hat, and for anything over 5km I need to bring water. Lessons definitely learned. I also hit a couple other fitness milestones over the weekend. First, I finally broke the 30 minute barrier for a 5km run, which I've been working towards for a while now. And, the one I'm happiest about - I've officially lost over 20 pounds so far in 2024, and if things continue to go well I'm hoping to hit 30 by the end of the year.

It's month-end at work this week, and computer issues have put me a half day behind. Fortunately everybody else is behind too, so it shouldn't cause any problems. Goals dropped off considerably from last week, thanks mostly to a week of terrible sleeping (as I yawn deeply for the umpteenth time tonight). Run club was good last night and included a birthday party for one of the group, which was a lot of fun. And, thanks to rare schedule alignment, I was able to enjoy a great evening on Friday hanging out with my good friend.

So, aside from those annoyances over the weekend, it's been a pretty good week. Nothing major planned for the near future at this point, but that can always change. And on that note, I think I need to hit the sack. Have a great week to come everyone. =]

No computer issues tonight, but I have reached the point of being very tired and tomorrow is a busy day, so let's see just how quickly I can get through everything and be off to bed.

If you recall, last Wednesday was a rough day. Well, it carried over into Thursday, and it was mid-day before I started feeling more like my normal self. Thankfully it was a quiet day and I was back on track by the end. Friday was a day off - I went for a long run (13km) in the morning, did some shopping for shirts and shoes in the afternoon, and spent some quality hang-out time with my good friend in the evening. It was a really good day, and a bounce-back from the previous few.

The weekend ended up being busier than expected. We found out our new car had arrived at the dealership, so on Saturday we went to check it out and take it for a spin, and got the ball rolling on some of the paperwork and such. When we were done there we went to a nice local restaurant for a late lunch and then home for an early movie night. Sunday I broke out the smoker for the first time this year, and spent the entire day either prepping food to go into it, or tending the food as it cooked. Everything tasted great, but it was a very long day.

This week has been quiet at work again, but it's starting to feel weird. There are things going on that I'm not in the loop on, new people are being hired that I don't know about - I feel like some big changes are around the corner. It's also been a slow week with personal stuff. I've been trying to catch back up from the busy weekend, plus I somehow hurt my foot, so I've put off things like exercise. I am, however, ready to get back into those things tomorrow, I just have to remember to take it easy for the first day.

I got together with my former coworkers yesterday for dinner, which was a really good time. It was also the first time this year that someone has mentioned how noticeable it is that I've been losing weight, and that felt great. I'm not saying a number yet because I haven't quite hit my next milestone and I don't want to jinx it, but it should be soon.

And there we have it - another eventful week in the books. My weekend has already started and I've got a lot on my plate again tomorrow, so that'll be it for me for today. Have a great week to come and I'll see you next time. =]

Hello again. It's been a busy week and there's lots of different things to talk about, so let's jump right into it.

No day off last week due to month-end, but it turned out ok. I set an out-of-office message that basically said 'if it's not critical, I'll get back to you next week', and the volume of stupid was way down from what it usually is. I managed to get everything done on time without having to work on the weekend, and I was even able to squeeze in lunch with my good friend (although it was shorter than normal).

I didn't have any plans for the weekend, but Friday evening I got an invite to join some friends for golf the next morning since one of their group had to cancel at the last minute. These are friends I don't see too often outside of the curling season, so it was good to get together with them. And, despite the heat and humidity, we all played well and had a great time. Unfortunately that pushed all of my chores to Sunday, which ended up being quite busy.

Monday was a holiday, but it didn't really start out like a day off. When I was making my second cup of coffee, it tipped off the machine and dumped all over the counter and floor. It took a solid 45 minutes to get it all cleaned up (I had the mop out, so I went ahead and did the whole floor). Not what I wanted to be doing at 7:30 in the morning. Then, not 5 minutes after successfully making another coffee and settling in on the back patio, I hear one of the cats "freeing herself" from some hairballs. So more cleaning. Ugh! After that I decided to get out of the house. I went for a run, cleaned up, and then drove out to a nearby winery for lunch. They have a wood-burning pizza oven and a pavilion right next to the vineyard - good wine, tasty food, and nice scenery made for a relaxing afternoon.

Yesterday was my second week at the running club. It rained most of the day and the temps cooled off a lot, so I did a longer run and made good time. I sat with some different people afterward and it was a good time meeting them. It still feels somewhat awkward for me though, since most of the people there have known each other for some time - so far everyone has been welcoming, but I still feel kind of like I'm intruding. I'm enjoying it and I'm going to keep going, so hopefully those feelings will fade quickly.

Finally, today. The puppers had an appointment at the vet for a dental cleaning, and there ended up being a few teeth that needed to be pulled too. Everything went well, and after I got her home she was still groggy for a couple hours, but eventually she had a bit of food and got steadier on her feet, and I expect tomorrow she'll be back to normal.

No plans yet for this weekend, but I'm not sure I'm going to make any either. With the past week being so full, I may just take my foot off the gas and take it easy. We'll see. Either way, I'll write all about it next time. Until then, have a great week. =]

Success (sort of). I managed to wake up and get here in time to get my post on Wednesday as planned, but just barely. At least it'll be quick, and I can get back to sleep.

The only thing to report on is the running club I mentioned. I did go, which is a big thing for me all on its own - I had said before that I was nervous about it, and it actually took a few weeks to push through that. Not knowing anything I got there early, and of course, nobody else was there yet. That turned out to be a good thing, because the first people that did show up were the "in charge" people, and they recognized me as a newcomer and introduced themselves, and before I knew it a whole group had arrived and we were off on our run.

My main reason for wanting to try out this club is the social aspect of it. The gathering place is a local craft brewery, and following the run most people stay and have a couple drinks, maybe some food, and interact. I chose a seat next to the other new person (specifically because we had that in common), and it so happened that everyone else at that table works in the auto industry, so I had something in common with them as well. For as much as I stressed about putting myself out there, it worked out pretty well, and I'm looking forward to going again next week.

And that's it. Month end starts tomorrow and I can see this one being a real pain, so I had better go and try to get some decent sleep. Have a great week, and I'll see you next time. =]

This is not an official weekly post...

I skipped Sunday on purpose, fully intending to switch back to Wednesdays. And then Wednesday came around, and I fell asleep early and missed it. And then Thursday I felt like it was too late to play catch-up. And now here we are today.

Currently I'm sitting on a patio alongside a marina, enjoying a Friday off. The weather is perfect, and I selected a very tasty cocktail, and I think I'm going to hang out here for a bit.

I'll get back on track someday soon - Sunday, or Wednesday, or whenever. =]