9 Things Making My Life Better Since June (July 2018-Sept. 2018)
This summer was particularly great, and this back-to-school season was particularly rough (thanks, High Holidays + revamping lesson plans + new-to-me-course! Also normal political the-world-is-going-to-hell stuff that I’m sure everyone is happy not to be reminded of again here). But here are 9 things that made the greatness greater and the roughness smoother.
To wit:
Y’all can take your negative opinions of vests and gilets and stuff them in Uniqlo’s handy pocketable stuff bag that this vest smooshes all the way into. It’s perfect for me: it’s relatively cheap, it’s cozy, and it can zip to cover my chest and throat, which are exactly the places I need to keep warm when I’m sick. Plus, I like the way it looks with a lot of my layers.
2. Bravely Default (Nintendo 3DS)
I had to give this a few tries, but I do like the depth of this JRPG’s gameplay. Even though it means impatient, un-strategic me keeps dying and then Googling how to take on particular bosses. Parts of the game are, well, hoo boy are they repetitive (thanks, Chapter 5), but the story and characters are intriguing. Well worth my downtime.
3. Deadlifts/squats/lunges
I always figured that the elliptical was the best leg exercise I was gonna get, what with my bad knees and all. But lo and behold, as long as I’m careful and wear my braces, all the big compound movements are open to me. Now I’m actually walking like a wobbly John Cleese afterwards, which feels… great?
My next step is getting to the point where I feel comfortable adding weight. That means I feel 100% confident that I’m moving safely and have enough strength. Maybe I’ll splurge on one or two sessions with a personal trainer to get some outside eyes on my form.
4. Morning gym
Almost all my classes this semester are in the afternoon or evening. That led me to royally screw up my schedule the first week of school by sleeping in every morning and planning to go to the gym in the evening. Which actually meant: not actually sleeping in but just taking an hour to get out of bed after waking up… and then torturing myself the rest of the day about going to the gym but being too tired after work to do so. Waking up with my alarm, getting to the gym, and then heading out for the rest of the day works way better for me.
Plus, one of the best things about being a university instructor is having availability during the day. Going to the gym while most other people are at work is way, way better than going in the post-9-to-5 busy hours. (I mean, I guess I still have to work after 5 while they’re enjoying the gym, but, hey, at least I get to avoid the crowds!)
5. The Magician’s Nephew at the Shaw Festival
Narnia is my jam, and adaptations of Narnia are only slightly less so.
… if by “less so,” you mean that I could recite every episode of the BBC’s Chronicles of Narnia miniseries as a kid.
Anyway, only the first four books tend to get staged and filmed. Which is why it was so rad to see a staged version of the sixth book, especially one that took the emotional side of the story seriously. This was magical.
6. Family
Never going to get tired of seeing my cousins, their kids, my sister, and family-friends-who-might-as-well-be-family. Also my husband, I guess he counts ;)
7. Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge
The less you know about this book’s plot and characters going in, the better. In postwar UK, a preteen girl wakes up after almost drowning, convinced something’s not right. Creepy horror transitions into race-against-time creepy magic adventure that never loses its grounding in family relationships and the aftershocks of losing people you love. Frances Hardinge’s voice is unique and enthralling in every one of her books, and this one is no different.
8. Chili garlic sauce
This stuff (it turns out I’m not the only fan). It goes with everything savoury. I’ve even started putting it in my breakfast sandwiches for added kick — which isn’t weird in general, just for me, someone who gets a little queasy for early (aka non-brunch) breakfasts. It’s great!
ETA: Also, just tried a stir-fry recipe that called for pickled jalapeños, and I think I’m in love. I guess I like tangy spicy now?
9. This thing
Apparently, I am a toddler, because I love carting my snacks to and from work in this, and usually two of said snacks are goldfish crackers and grapes. Portion control, variety, attractive presentation, all in a shape that’s easy to stow in my bag or a cup holder. Each lid and container screws off independently, so the whole set is adaptable to whatever situation presents itself. Gym rats, get in on this: they’re also calibrated to appropriate volumes for folks who want to measure protein powder or other GAINZ!!! mix-ins.