Tag: bedtime

Phew

It was a 45-minute cap, not a 40-minute cap. And I finished in 37:15. So, I made it for both timeframes! Yay! I may have gotten second place, but otherwise third (we started staggered, with me at the end by a few minutes). The JROTC kid finished in under 34 minutes, which I had fully expected – he does this kind of training specifically all the time, and he really pushes himself. I pace myself, while still pushing, but I have no interest in making myself sick or anything.

Anyway, rest number two has been completed and passed for me. Yippee. Only one kid didn’t pass, and he missed the time cap by fifteen seconds… we’ll see what happens there. I personally hope he retakes the test so that he can actually pass the test. (When I missed a run time by a few seconds last belt level testing [because it was suddenly a longer run with shorter timing than it had ever been, and only because our instructor wanted us to be preparing further for the black belt testing, not because it was actually required], I redid the run the following day and got it done within the time cap.] We shall see what happens.

Afterward, I went to the grand opening of the second Black Rifle Coffee Company location in Houston. It was great. It was packed with veterans and active military and first-responders, and the air was so fun, I felt at ease, though I knew no one.

They did the national anthem and the raising of the flag, cut the ribbon – with a knife!! – and made a few brief announcements about the awesome work they do to support veterans, while we all stood in the cold rain. It was a silly ten minutes-ish, but great. And then we got to return inside, where it was cozy and smelled great.

I had a decaf hot latte, which was great after being soaked in the cold rain of the karate run beforehand, and a hot bagel breakfast sandwich. I also bought us two majorly discounted t-shirts to match (or not!), bought him a nitro cold brew on tap right before I left to rush home and give it to him fresh, and I won a $50 gift card! Also, my three receipts all come with a survey and free hot coffee for the future. Oh, and I got a bunch of stickers. (We love stickers here.)

So, basically, it was an awesome time.

After I got home, I took a hot, hot shower, napped for a while, and then went with my man to his brother’s birthday celebration, which I quite enjoyed. (By the way, Ninfa’s has great fajitas and queso and green salsa.) Then we rushed home to do Duolingo before midnight, as 1)we never expected to be out that late, so it hadn’t seemed to matter much that 2)I had forgotten my phone at home. We’d had plenty of time to turn around for it right after we’d left, but I didn’t feel I needed the phone, anyway, so we left it be.

I tried logging in on my man’s phone’s web browser to do Duolingo, but it is set up with my Google account. So, I had to log in to my Google account first… But Google does the two-factor authentication nonsense now, so I couldn’t access any account to be able to log in and do Duolingo not on my own computer or phone, because I didn’t have my phone to get the special code.

It was extremely upsetting and frustrating. But we made it home just in time for me to sprint inside and do a lesson before midnight struck. (Come to find out, I had, apparently, already done a lesson earlier today, so my streak was already maintained for the day… ugh.)

Anyway…

At that, I’m off to sleep. Goodnight!

Post-a-day 2023

Why?

Why can I not get myself to bed at a reasonable hour?? Why??(!!!!???) Now that I’m going to the noon workouts, I have been pushing my bedtime back further and further, to the point that I’m now waking up just in time for the gym all over again… just like back when I was almost always a nooner, since I couldn’t fathom getting up early enough for the morning classes at 5:30 and 6:30am.

I’m not fully ready to be at the 5:15am workout class again yet – still getting adjusted to working out again, and being okay with having to use the really light weights for most things (which is way less than I used to be able to do, before my body got all twisted up last summer). 5:15 class is too intense for what I need right now. Right now, I need a supportive space that accepts me where I am, as I am, and that acknowledges my efforts. Right now, I need to be at the noon class. Because I also needed to be able to let go of the stress of wanting and needing to be in bed before 9pm weeknights. So, noon is really what I need right now. But I also need to start getting myself to bed sooner than three in the morning… There’s that, too.

God, thank you for this life. Help me to fulfill your will and express your love through it. Help me to do well in my current educational and career endeavours. Bless the relationship with me and my man, please. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2023

So close

Today has been Friday – Friday, the 13th, actually, which felt very ironic what with all the gorgeous sunshine and cool air today… until a crazy cat fight broke out in our front yard. At first, I thought it was kids playing. Actually, I thought it sounded like cats moaning and groaning, but kids made more sense, so Is plowed for the kids idea as being more realistic. Then I thought it was kids crying. Then I wondered what on Earth was happening, since the noises weren’t stopping, and crying kids would have drawn a crowd, if not at least their parents, right?!

Sure enough, when I opened the door, my original thoughts were proven correct: two cats were at the end of our walkway, quickly splitting apart, likely spooked by my opening the front door. One cat was just sitting in the walkway, back ramrod straight, acting like nothing had been going on. (Such a cat, I know.) The other was trotting quickly into the dark street. Oh, yeah, I thought, This is most definitely a cat fight. Not kids. Nope. Nuh-uh.

I changed the battery in the front camera, and was bummed to find that none of it had been captured on the camera, not even the sounds, due to the dead battery. After I replaced it and went back inside, only a minute or two passed before I could hear the ‘yelling’ again, though it was not as loud this time. It wasn’t loud enough for the camera to record this time, which was a bummer. I had wanted to share this absurdity with my man and my mom.

Nonetheless, the fight moved farther down the street, and even got some men yelling in the mix at one point. The cats calmed down briefly, then reconvened a while later in our neighbor’s side yard, which I discovered when I started getting ready for bed and was on that side of the house. I went out front just to see if I could see them, but I couldn’t. I could certainly hear them, though, both with their wailing and with there muffled movements when they were actually pausing on the growls for a bit.

Anyway, it was well after all of this that it occurred to me that today is Friday, the 13th, and we had a crazy and bizarre cat fight on our street tonight! Wie cool!

Anyway, happy Friday and weekend to you all!

Thank you for these funs and these blessings, God. Amen.

Post-a-day 2023

Sleep, ASAP

Despite the immense frustrations my man was feeling this afternoon, and my resulting increased stress for him, everything went really well tonight for our family dinner. Sure, we still have no gas, so no hot water or easy heat or effective dish washer, etc. My mom had to do some in-the-moment utensil-washing when we ran it of forks and spoons at one point, and she helped wash most of the plates after dinner. I was just grateful that I didn’t have to do it for once.

I was a touch annoyed at how my brother clearly hasn’t gotten a handle on his dog’s full training, evidenced by the craziness of the dog’s first seeing all of us and our little-in-comparison to his 150 pounds dog. Also, I just had to trust that my man will mop the floors tomorrow, and wipe down the sofa and the rug and the coffee table to clean up all the slobber that the big dog got everywhere. I love dogs, yet it was a lot. Kind of gross, actually, which was a bummer, as I’d really been looking forward to rubbing all over the puppy (yes, he’s technically still a puppy). Once he chilled out and started getting sleepy, though, it was much easier to pet him without getting totally slobbered all over. I also thought our dog might have an actual heart attack based on her initial reactions to the dog that weighs six times her weight, and is yet a puppy – annoying for her old, 14-year-old self – shoving into her personal space with such excitement. However, as he chilled out, our dog calmed down. And a bunch of treats helped them both be easier company. Our dog even got brave enough to walk through the living room past the other dog multiple times before the end there. It was cute, and I’m glad she eased down from her clearly stressful place.

Anyway, I have to sleep immediately. I have to leave for work in five hours and ten minutes. 😦

Thank you, God, for everything. It was a really good night. Please, help my man realize that it really was great for us all. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Testing, testing

Another test tomorrow for karate. This one is the first official one for the black belt status, and it is the most elusive, I suppose I can say. All we know is that, “it is really hard,” it is a kicking test, and it includes holding up the leg for a long time. Beyond that, we haven’t a clue. People keep asking me if I’m ready for it. Heck if I know! I’ll find out Saturday morning, though!

I did speak to the man giving the test, though, and he said not to be worried. So, I choose to believe him and to trust my physical fitness level. Just need to roll out my legs and warm them up on the morning, I think, and I should be good to do my best.

Deer God, please, help me to perform my best tomorrow. Help me to show that I am both capable and worthy of this goal. Help me to be a force for good, and to inspire good in others. Please, accept my boldness in asking for these things. Please, heal my man and me, that we be our best selves through you. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

First Impressions

‘I didn’t really like [———] at first.’

‘I didn’t either… She was very much a ‘CrossFit You got this!’ coach as her first impression… Maybe she’s just really shy.’

‘Maybe.’

‘I really like her now, though. She’s really cool.’

‘Yeah. I like her, too.’

The casual conversation during an absolutely terrible movie that I forgot wasn’t actually a Hallmark Christmas movie, but a NETFLIX(!!!) one… 1) That movie was shockingly terrible in all respects, despite the premise being cute. 2) I wonder how often a shy person in a setting that requires extroverted interactions gets a bad rap, when, really, everyone actually would love the person, given a different initial setting.

Post-a-day 2022

P.S. “The Noel Diary”… I’ve warned you. Enjoy! 😛

Thanksgiving Day, right?

1. The Turkey Trot was awesome. It was cool and misting the whole time to varying degrees, I ran my second-fastest 5k despite the crazy elevation changes throughout the trail run, I got fifth in my age group (25-50!) and tenth in women and 38th overall, my man got fourth in his age group and 20th in men and 24th overall, and my mom got eighth in her age group (50+) and 72nd in women and 157th overall (she did a walk-run for the whole thing, whereas we ran for times).

Oddly, at the finish, they had bananas and granola bars and waters… and homemade spring rolls. 😛

2. My mom made us a tasty ad warm brunch afterward.

3. We had a good time saying bye to my Grandma. She was very good at charming the dog this week, as you can see…

4. We finally get home tonight, and I’ve been waiting for a nice and hot shower before bed in my comfy and cozy bed with my awesome new pillow… and the gas line has a leak in the backyard… meaning we have no heat in the house, no hot water, and no stove to make hot water. Fortunately, I had an electric kettle, so I pulled it out and heated two pitchers, poured them into a big pot, and took the pot and a coffee mug to the shower with me. I cried most of the shower, but scooping out some hot water with the mug, then adding cold water from the shower to it and pouring it over parts of my body helped me wash myself better. And I filled the whole pot with extra cold water at the end, and I dumped the whole thing over my head (and, therefore, body) after turning off the freezing shower head. So, it was rough, in a ridiculous way, but it ended decently. My feet have almost stopped hurting from all the cold.

Anyway, bedtime has long since passed. Goodnight!

Post-a-day 2022

Travel

Apparently we both bring out one another’s procrastination qualities quite effectively when we’re together, my man and I. We’re leaving at five in the morning tomorrow (today, technically). I’m about to go to bed, finally, as I’ve finished all the packing except the food in the fridge and freezer – this is for Thanksgiving with my family at an AirBnB, after all – and am finishing my bedtime routine things now. He’s loading the car and doing only Goodness knows what fifty million other things before he goes to sleep. Likely, he’ll only sleep an hour or two. Actually, that’s false. I’ll sleep just under two and a half hours. He’ll sleep even less tonight. But he wants to be there before the workday starts, and we have a roughly- three-hour drive, so 5am departure it is.

But, golly, could we, please, do better about packing sooner in the future for trips? Tonight was just too much. Just ridiculous, even for us.

Deer God, please, grant us safety in all of our travels and adventures. Thank you for our beautiful, love-filled lives. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022