Forced relaxation

Part of being an ever aging adult is that some days you wake up and feel like shit. For absolutely no reason. This past Sunday was just that kind of day for me. I woke up in a massive fog of unwell, plus the pain of a right-side neck muscle from having slept on it incorrectly. I did nothing strenuous nor taxing on Saturday, yet there I was feeling like crap the day following. It never fails: you don’t realize how much you take feeling well for granted until you get sick.

It probably isn’t COVID, because I am typing this on the next day Monday, and I feel absolutely peach. Also, I’m fully vaccinated with the best vaccine available: Pfizer. According to new guidelines from the CDC, I have nothing to worry about whatsoever. No masks anywhere!

Anyways, feeling like crud on Sunday allowed me to do the one thing I can’t force myself to do: nothing. Yes, even on weekends when I am suppose to relax and chill, I usually still stack it full with stuff to do. Like working out, practicing the piano, or read. I didn’t have the mental power to do any of those things yesterday, so I sat in front of the laptop watching stuff, while keeping hydrated with plenty of fluids.

It took a bout of sickness for me to take a “day off”, which is kind of sad if you think about it. What is it about me that can’t seem to let everything go for a day and simply laze around? All the stuff to do will still be there the next day (and the next day). Even machines need to cool down and take a break every once in a while. I chuckle when I hear friends say they’re just going to chill for the rest of the day. It’s more envy than anything: I wish I can bring myself to do the same sometimes.

But soon as I woke up this morning feeling normal, it was back at it again. Break time is over.

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The predecessor.

The lucky flow

The best days are when you get into a flow, and everything seems to fall into place. This past Sunday was like that. I woke up at normal time, and as per usual on a weekend day, I lazed around in bed reading up on the latest nothing from twitter. What I really should do is get up and take the car out to the wash before I go my parents’ for breakfast.

It would be too easy to keep being lazy and skip that, but natured called and I actually had to get up to use the restroom. Well, since I’m out of the bed anyways, might as well do take the BMW M2 to the car wash. The poor thing has sat outdoors for two months since the last time I washed it, so I am happy to spray the layer of crud off the paint.

Quite a few people had the same thought as me: the car wash place was decently busy for 8:00 AM on a Sunday. I got in line behind someone that looks to be just about to start the process. However, the guy couldn’t get his credit card to work for some reason, so he took off in frustration after a few minutes. This lucky happenstance meant I didn’t have to wait much at all for my turn. The same smugness that comes from choosing the faster checkout lane at the grocery store.

I got to my parents’ house on time, feeling good about having done an errand in the morning. I even managed to find a nice parking spot right on the same block, which in that particular neighborhood is practically a miracle. It was looking to be a good day.

After breakfast I had to take our pet kitten to the vet for vaccinations. The typically busy vet means finding parking in front is nearly impossible. But on this Sunday, I found a spot to park right in front of the entrance (albeit blocking a fire hydrant, but if it wasn’t me, it would definitely be another patron). The appointment took a total of 10 minutes, and soon I was back on my way to enjoying the rest of my Sunday.

Go with the flow, and sometimes life will reward you.

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Symmetry and synergy.

Saturday morning, rain has fallen

Saturday mornings are great. You get to decide whether you want to wake up at normal time, or stay in bed just that bit longer. There’s absolutely no rush to do anything. A second cup of coffee? Sure, you have time for that. Spend an hour on twitter before you even physically get out of the bed? Sure, you can do that. You shouldn’t, but you perfectly can.

Sunday mornings don’t feel that way, because you know you’ve got to prepare for Monday. You can’t afford to be lackadaisical and wasting time. There’s stuff to do, errands to run, groceries to buy. On Saturday, however, all of that can be pushed to Sunday. You shouldn’t, but you perfectly can.

I don’t envy my friends who has two kids. They don’t get to enjoy this blissful period of no responsibility on Saturday mornings. Their young rug-rats probably wakes up before they do. So what are they to do? Not get up and feed them? For the many joys there are in child-rearing, I am in no speed to join my friends in taking on that responsibility.

I rather like my Saturday morning of solitude. Once the clock hits noon, however, it’s time to get to the weekend work. While I can indeed do absolutely nothing today and procrastinate all of the errands to Sunday, I know I am going to feel crap about that once Sunday actually arrives.

Best to split the load between the two days of the weekend. Take care, everyone!

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We’re almost there.

California: vote YES on prop 7

I’m convinced daylight savings time is one of the worst inventions of man. In the immortal words of John Oliver, how is this still a thing?

Indeed every time the clock switches to or from daylight savings, I automatically rant about it on this blog, and heck yeah I will keep doing so until the powers at be get rid of it entirely. In California there’s a ballot measure up for a vote tomorrow allowing the legislature to either enact DST year round, or return to standard time, all the time. I’m fully ready to end friendships if I find out people did not vote ‘YES’ on proposition 7.

It is said that “fall back” - turning the clock back to standard time during Autumn - is physically easier to deal with than "spring forward” in March. The extra hour gained can be used productively, contrast to an hour lost in Spring inducing the equivalent of jet lag. From the experiences of yesterday however I would say that is not totally accurate.

Due to daylight savings time ending, this past Sunday was the longest day of the year if you count by hours - 25 of them. While most people implements the one hour into additional sleep time on Sunday morning, I elected to keep schedule as if the clock hasn’t changed, figuring it would be an antidote to whatever weirdness that typically manifests. Sadly, it wasn’t all that effective.

Yesterday I woke up at 7am (8am DST equivalent as I usually do) to go running, and for the rest of the day time felt like it was going super slowly. I went about my schedule as usual but every time I glanced at the clock it was much earlier in the day than what my body sensed in should be. It was so confused with the time discrepancy that at around 2pm I hit a wall: I was tired even though I’ve been doing the exact same tasks as the Sunday prior.

Can people be more productive with that one extra hour? It’s certainly possible, but for a regimented person like me, that one hour does more to discombobulate than assist. Next time - assuming DST is still on the books - I think I shall acquiesce to the new clock immediately instead of fighting to stay on the old one for one more day.

Though it wasn’t completely bad: I got the bonus hour of sleep today because I went to bed last night still in accords with daylight savings time. Preserving that hour for the day you have to go to work is much sweeter than a Sunday morning where you can choose to sleep in anyways.

Like the brush-strokes of an artist.

Lazy sunday

Woke up early and did the usual Sunday morning run. Found out that going at a 8:3x per mile pace is just not in the cards for me yet. By the fourth mile I was struggling in spectacular fashion.

As always, it’s wonderful to see so many people on their fitness grind. Even if they’ve only got time to exercise on the weekends, it’s very much worth it isn’t it. Always treat and take care of yourself first; the other stuff will follow. Not so good having lots of money in the bank when you suffering from heart diseases now is it?

Stay fit; you owe it to yourself.