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Of course...
Now that I've committed to staying on with my landlords, people are messaging me about potential new rooms. Of course. Luckily they all sound about as "promising" as the other shitholes I visited last week. So I'm not too torn up about it.
I've managed to actually see people when I was in Ottawa in the past week. Usually when I come here I sink into a black hole of isolation in which I see basically no one for 4-5 days, except for the odd interaction with a coworker. I work alone these days, as I mentioned before, so I'm pretty much alone with myself all the time. I don't mind as a rule, because I'm an introvert and so being on my own isn't a punishment, but there are limits. Last year when I was working in New Brunswick for a month I found myself getting progressively more down. It comes from living out of a suitcase in a place that isn't really mine, surrounded by people I don't really know. I may be an introvert, but I love the company of my family and my friends, and being completely alone isn't good for me either. So when I go to work it often feels like I'm falling into a black hole, which is probably why people who follow me on Twitter must be in despair about how much I tweet on those days. It sometimes feels like that's my only connection at all, and even then that often feels like I'm screaming into the wind, because Twitter is an uncertain medium at best, and tweets often go unanswered.
So last night I went to a movie with some new(ish) friends. Yes, I spent money on something other than food, gas and rent. Again. I know. Eventually I'll figure out how to not do that. But if I count it as my entertainment budget for the whole month, it actually works out to less than a dollar day, which is not so bad, right? Anyway, I've known one of the "new" friends from the internet for a long time, but this was only the second time we'd met, and she brought along her sister and her roommate as well. We had a good time, at least (well, I did and I hope she did too), but I paid for it by not getting as much sleep as I normally would, and now I'm even more tired than usual. It's funny, because I thought that it wasn't possible to get much more tired than I was, but I guess I was wrong.
I mean, how tired can one person get just by sheer dint of getting not-quite-enough sleep? I'm never going to make up the deficit, but I thought I'd achieved a bit of balance. Every time that balance gets upset I get just a little bit more tired and learn to live at that level. I find myself wondering just when the new level of tired will be one at which I can't function. So far that hasn't happened yet.
It's been six months, only 18 months left to go, give or take. I feel like I should get a calendar to hang on my wall so I can cross off the days. I don't know if that will help or hinder, though. Right now there's still more ahead of me than there is behind me, which is a little depressing.
Anyway, on to less self-pitying news. I am carrying on with the "no shampoo" experiment, with mitigated results so far. Sources indicate that I need to wait at least 4-6 weeks before things "balance out" scalp wise, and as it's been slightly over two weeks I find I have to curb my impatience with the way my hair looks. No one has outright told me I look like a greasy-haired mess, but it certainly feels that way on most days, no matter how much I brush my hair in an effort to keep it tidy. It does feel a lot softer to the touch, which I suppose is a good thing, and it's a lot less subject to sticking up every which way as a result of static electricity, so I can't complain too much. I'm just not used to having it... clump together, for lack of a better word, due to the excess oil from my scalp. It looks okay enough if I tie it back, and since it's long enough to do so now, that's what I've been doing.
So, thus far the verdict is "meh." I am going to carry on with the experiment for a while longer, because I figure the worst that will happen is my hair will look bad for a while (and by "bad" I mean "bad by society's standards of modern female beauty"), but my scalp will benefit from not having chemicals worked into it every few days. So, really, what's a few weeks of greasy hair in the grand scheme of things? Best case scenario, I will come out on the other side of this with healthier and better-looking hair.
In other news, a Twitter friend just introduced me to mason jar salads. Oh my goodness, flist, I think I'm in love! I've been eating, well, not as healthily as I could of late. I haven't been cooking, as I mentioned in an earlier entry, and when I get to Ottawa I tend to look for things that are easy and inexpensive, and while I do try to err on the side of healthy, frozen meals aren't exactly topping that list. BUT! Mason jar salads look like they might fit within my food budget AND be healthy if I play my cards right. Plus, they are beautiful! Look at this and tell me it's not gorgeous:
(Alas, my friend linked me to a page on Pinterest for these things, when I had finally recovered from my Pinterest addiction. Whoops.)
This weeks' lunches are pretty much all planned out, but when I get back next Sunday evening I will be trying my hand at these. Another big plus for me is that you can make these all ahead of time and, apparently, have them stay fresh all week. I already get up at stupid o'clock in the morning, so not having to blunder about making lunch on top of getting ready in the morning would be a huge plus.
I have also decided that I want to cook when I get home. I'm going to rummage around for some interesting yet inexpensive recipes that will hopefully produce something yummy for the whole family to enjoy. I may not be able to this week, because I've been asked to come in mid-week for overtime, and I cannot say no to that kind of money, but maybe the week after. It'll be Easter weekend, and we might be able to do something a little more elaborate than our usual fare.
I'll play it by ear, but cooking seems like it might be a suitable outlet for my very tired creative urges these days. It's something I know I can do, something I enjoy, but it doesn't tax my brain nor does it ruin my self-esteem when it goes wrong. I really like the zen feeling of chopping and stirring and frying and boiling and all that. So I'll definitely be poking at various online recipes and maybe I'll even crack open those cooking books I got for myself before Christmas in an attempt to step up my game.
Last but not least, I'm flirting with the idea of giving up coffee/caffeine. Madness, you say? It's true that we are a three-coffee-machine household, and I do love my coffee. I kind of live off the stuff. I have a giant thermos that comes to work with me every day.
I'm just wondering if giving up coffee (and caffeine in general) might not improve my quality of life. I won't cut out caffeine entirely, since I really enjoy the occasional cup of tea, but I think as a daily consumption it might be worth a shot. Of course, I may live to regret it when I find I can't stay awake anymore due to being chronically sleep-deprived and exhausted from the constant commute and the ridiculous hours work makes me keep, but I guess I can cross that bridge when I come to it.
Right now the main thing stopping me is the knowledge that I'm going to have at least one day of withdrawal. The last time that happened I spent about 36 hours feeling like I had a migraine, except that it was the caffeine withdrawal. I'm not looking forward to a repeat performance of that.
Nonetheless, I think I may go ahead and stop starting Wednesday morning. I don't think it's a good idea to stop in the middle of my work week, but giving myself a few days to adjust (okay, well, two days) seems like a reasonable enough plan. Time will tell, I guess. I know you're all riveted to this LJ, so I'll keep you posted on how that goes. ;)
I've managed to actually see people when I was in Ottawa in the past week. Usually when I come here I sink into a black hole of isolation in which I see basically no one for 4-5 days, except for the odd interaction with a coworker. I work alone these days, as I mentioned before, so I'm pretty much alone with myself all the time. I don't mind as a rule, because I'm an introvert and so being on my own isn't a punishment, but there are limits. Last year when I was working in New Brunswick for a month I found myself getting progressively more down. It comes from living out of a suitcase in a place that isn't really mine, surrounded by people I don't really know. I may be an introvert, but I love the company of my family and my friends, and being completely alone isn't good for me either. So when I go to work it often feels like I'm falling into a black hole, which is probably why people who follow me on Twitter must be in despair about how much I tweet on those days. It sometimes feels like that's my only connection at all, and even then that often feels like I'm screaming into the wind, because Twitter is an uncertain medium at best, and tweets often go unanswered.
So last night I went to a movie with some new(ish) friends. Yes, I spent money on something other than food, gas and rent. Again. I know. Eventually I'll figure out how to not do that. But if I count it as my entertainment budget for the whole month, it actually works out to less than a dollar day, which is not so bad, right? Anyway, I've known one of the "new" friends from the internet for a long time, but this was only the second time we'd met, and she brought along her sister and her roommate as well. We had a good time, at least (well, I did and I hope she did too), but I paid for it by not getting as much sleep as I normally would, and now I'm even more tired than usual. It's funny, because I thought that it wasn't possible to get much more tired than I was, but I guess I was wrong.
I mean, how tired can one person get just by sheer dint of getting not-quite-enough sleep? I'm never going to make up the deficit, but I thought I'd achieved a bit of balance. Every time that balance gets upset I get just a little bit more tired and learn to live at that level. I find myself wondering just when the new level of tired will be one at which I can't function. So far that hasn't happened yet.
It's been six months, only 18 months left to go, give or take. I feel like I should get a calendar to hang on my wall so I can cross off the days. I don't know if that will help or hinder, though. Right now there's still more ahead of me than there is behind me, which is a little depressing.
Anyway, on to less self-pitying news. I am carrying on with the "no shampoo" experiment, with mitigated results so far. Sources indicate that I need to wait at least 4-6 weeks before things "balance out" scalp wise, and as it's been slightly over two weeks I find I have to curb my impatience with the way my hair looks. No one has outright told me I look like a greasy-haired mess, but it certainly feels that way on most days, no matter how much I brush my hair in an effort to keep it tidy. It does feel a lot softer to the touch, which I suppose is a good thing, and it's a lot less subject to sticking up every which way as a result of static electricity, so I can't complain too much. I'm just not used to having it... clump together, for lack of a better word, due to the excess oil from my scalp. It looks okay enough if I tie it back, and since it's long enough to do so now, that's what I've been doing.
So, thus far the verdict is "meh." I am going to carry on with the experiment for a while longer, because I figure the worst that will happen is my hair will look bad for a while (and by "bad" I mean "bad by society's standards of modern female beauty"), but my scalp will benefit from not having chemicals worked into it every few days. So, really, what's a few weeks of greasy hair in the grand scheme of things? Best case scenario, I will come out on the other side of this with healthier and better-looking hair.
In other news, a Twitter friend just introduced me to mason jar salads. Oh my goodness, flist, I think I'm in love! I've been eating, well, not as healthily as I could of late. I haven't been cooking, as I mentioned in an earlier entry, and when I get to Ottawa I tend to look for things that are easy and inexpensive, and while I do try to err on the side of healthy, frozen meals aren't exactly topping that list. BUT! Mason jar salads look like they might fit within my food budget AND be healthy if I play my cards right. Plus, they are beautiful! Look at this and tell me it's not gorgeous:
(Alas, my friend linked me to a page on Pinterest for these things, when I had finally recovered from my Pinterest addiction. Whoops.)
This weeks' lunches are pretty much all planned out, but when I get back next Sunday evening I will be trying my hand at these. Another big plus for me is that you can make these all ahead of time and, apparently, have them stay fresh all week. I already get up at stupid o'clock in the morning, so not having to blunder about making lunch on top of getting ready in the morning would be a huge plus.
I have also decided that I want to cook when I get home. I'm going to rummage around for some interesting yet inexpensive recipes that will hopefully produce something yummy for the whole family to enjoy. I may not be able to this week, because I've been asked to come in mid-week for overtime, and I cannot say no to that kind of money, but maybe the week after. It'll be Easter weekend, and we might be able to do something a little more elaborate than our usual fare.
I'll play it by ear, but cooking seems like it might be a suitable outlet for my very tired creative urges these days. It's something I know I can do, something I enjoy, but it doesn't tax my brain nor does it ruin my self-esteem when it goes wrong. I really like the zen feeling of chopping and stirring and frying and boiling and all that. So I'll definitely be poking at various online recipes and maybe I'll even crack open those cooking books I got for myself before Christmas in an attempt to step up my game.
Last but not least, I'm flirting with the idea of giving up coffee/caffeine. Madness, you say? It's true that we are a three-coffee-machine household, and I do love my coffee. I kind of live off the stuff. I have a giant thermos that comes to work with me every day.
I'm just wondering if giving up coffee (and caffeine in general) might not improve my quality of life. I won't cut out caffeine entirely, since I really enjoy the occasional cup of tea, but I think as a daily consumption it might be worth a shot. Of course, I may live to regret it when I find I can't stay awake anymore due to being chronically sleep-deprived and exhausted from the constant commute and the ridiculous hours work makes me keep, but I guess I can cross that bridge when I come to it.
Right now the main thing stopping me is the knowledge that I'm going to have at least one day of withdrawal. The last time that happened I spent about 36 hours feeling like I had a migraine, except that it was the caffeine withdrawal. I'm not looking forward to a repeat performance of that.
Nonetheless, I think I may go ahead and stop starting Wednesday morning. I don't think it's a good idea to stop in the middle of my work week, but giving myself a few days to adjust (okay, well, two days) seems like a reasonable enough plan. Time will tell, I guess. I know you're all riveted to this LJ, so I'll keep you posted on how that goes. ;)
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YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DO THIS.
I mean, I hope you're being sarcastic when you imply there's something wrong with it. You are, right?
Right? O_o
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But "cold turkey" doesn't work well for me, so I'll find a decaf I like and start mixing that into my brew, like 50% at first and then a bit more, over like a week or two. So much easier that way, and even if I don't make it to 100% caffeine-freedom, I can tell my system appreciates the cutting back. If I drink too much of it for too long, caffeine will actually make me tired instead of more alert. IDGI but I have found it to be true.
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