I was never much for sleep. Now that I am in the Faculty of Nursing it
is starting to cause me grief. For the past 2 weeks I have more or
less felt tired all of the time. I feel like I am constantly burning
out. I kind of just ignore it but it is kind of worrying. I keep
thinking that it is the first step into some sort of Chronic Fatigue
hell.
On the other hand, it might just be that I am finally working hard
enough that my poor nutrition is catching up to me. This is forcing me
to continue the whole self improvement thread that this blog was
originally made for. Unfortunately I am apparently not much for
updating.
Anyways I am going to keep this one short and sweet because it is just
a re-entry into blog land that I hope to continue updating.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Lifechanging
I am now officially back in school. I feel hopelessly lost in all of the things that this entails. This is my first year officially in the Nursing faculty and it is hectic. I am going to be working in a hospital starting next Tuesday, and from then on every Wednesday for 12 hours a day. This is really the first real step to the rest of my life. This is where my real education towards becoming a Nurse starts. My personal time is now officially fucked. Oh well though, over the summer I got more than my fill of my shitty job at a phone centre and downtime in which I did little to nothing.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Second Commandment
Well starting today, no more fast food. This is going to be more all encompassing than the last time. The last time around I allowed myself to eat food from work, so this time I am definitely cutting that out as well.
So now chips are gone along with damn dirty fast food. I am pretty excited about all of this, I am excited to do this for good now (or at least until the next folk fest). The environmental reasons to do this are also pretty compelling.
I am hoping to try to kick it up religion style and try to give this more weight, even though I don't really believe in any kind of religion right now. I do however understand the importance of religion, and hope to at least give myself some concrete guidelines to live by. Heres hoping I have will power!
So now chips are gone along with damn dirty fast food. I am pretty excited about all of this, I am excited to do this for good now (or at least until the next folk fest). The environmental reasons to do this are also pretty compelling.
I am hoping to try to kick it up religion style and try to give this more weight, even though I don't really believe in any kind of religion right now. I do however understand the importance of religion, and hope to at least give myself some concrete guidelines to live by. Heres hoping I have will power!
Friday, July 20, 2007
The first commandment
The time has come to finally lay down the unbreakable law. I had hoped to have a real and full list by now, but I have been lazy and languishing. That said, the first commandment is:
Do not eat at corporate fast food-esqe joints.
Eloquent, I know.
This is the beginnning though, which is nice. Well the official no break the rules beginning. I have been trying to think of some sort of punishment for not keeping this most sacred commandment sacred, but have thus far been drawing a blank. Either way, I feel that this is the most important of the commands at this time and needed to be aired.
Tomorrow I should have another one ready, so STAY TUNED.
Do not eat at corporate fast food-esqe joints.
Eloquent, I know.
This is the beginnning though, which is nice. Well the official no break the rules beginning. I have been trying to think of some sort of punishment for not keeping this most sacred commandment sacred, but have thus far been drawing a blank. Either way, I feel that this is the most important of the commands at this time and needed to be aired.
Tomorrow I should have another one ready, so STAY TUNED.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Tread Lightly
According to old sayings I am next to a deity. In other words my room is more or less clean for the first time this summer. My room is generally in a state of constant flux between cluttered and a horrific mess. Over the past month and 3 “cleaning days” I am about 99% finished cleaning my room. This is the beginning of a new effort to simplify my life and work towards the goal to “tread lightly.”
For those unfamiliar, what I am attempting to do is make as little impact as possible and leave as little indication that I was in a certain area as possible. I hope to apply this to as much of my life as I can. Through this I will immediately be aware of the mess I had just made and hopefully be able to more accurately track the so called “damage” and with the knowledge lessen the mess and consumption I partake in.
This obviously goes further than the clutter in my room, and moves into the realm of mental clutter as well (studies have shown there to be a much higher incidence of psychosis and schizophrenia in cluttered, complex and distracting urban environments). With this in mind I hope to at least have reprieve in my room, turning it into more of a solace than a place where I keep my junk and not much else.
From here I hope to downsize the “stuff” that is in my room, because really, I don’t need it. In a world that people are ruled by their attempts to attain and accumulate consumer goods I would much rather be a part of the rational minority. In other words, the less space there is for random junk that I don’t use the better. I am also planning on selling all of my DVD’s to get rid of the useless plastic clutter (also I better get on it before the next gen HD DVD/Blu Ray become the norm.
To close it out I am also starting today going to start keeping meticulous track of all of my spending and keep a tally on the site so I can start up a reasonable budget. The end goal of all of this other than to reduce my footprint is to live an enjoyable life that doesn’t revolve around possessions and more towards friends and using my mind and hands to have fun.
For those unfamiliar, what I am attempting to do is make as little impact as possible and leave as little indication that I was in a certain area as possible. I hope to apply this to as much of my life as I can. Through this I will immediately be aware of the mess I had just made and hopefully be able to more accurately track the so called “damage” and with the knowledge lessen the mess and consumption I partake in.
This obviously goes further than the clutter in my room, and moves into the realm of mental clutter as well (studies have shown there to be a much higher incidence of psychosis and schizophrenia in cluttered, complex and distracting urban environments). With this in mind I hope to at least have reprieve in my room, turning it into more of a solace than a place where I keep my junk and not much else.
From here I hope to downsize the “stuff” that is in my room, because really, I don’t need it. In a world that people are ruled by their attempts to attain and accumulate consumer goods I would much rather be a part of the rational minority. In other words, the less space there is for random junk that I don’t use the better. I am also planning on selling all of my DVD’s to get rid of the useless plastic clutter (also I better get on it before the next gen HD DVD/Blu Ray become the norm.
To close it out I am also starting today going to start keeping meticulous track of all of my spending and keep a tally on the site so I can start up a reasonable budget. The end goal of all of this other than to reduce my footprint is to live an enjoyable life that doesn’t revolve around possessions and more towards friends and using my mind and hands to have fun.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Reboot
I hate to say it but..... Since coming back from Folk fest, I have been more or less at the mercy of the small amount of food in my house, most of which I would rather not eat. I am hardly on the bandwagon, but rather than spiral into failure and obscurity I am going to take the chance to do some review and then make myself a religion style way to go about things.
So far, failures included, I have made some great changes. I have gone from eating fast food about three or four times a week to once a month. This was the biggest drain of all in my opinion. Not only is fast food terrible for the environment, but it is terrible for your health and your bank account. I have been saving around 60$ a paycheck and have noticeably brought my weight down to slightly above average.
Soft drinks are the next part of the success list (even if I just drank one). I literally have drank one or two soft drinks a day for the past 5 years. Since I have begun to try to change the way I live, I have cut that down to almost none. From the time I started the blog I had not drank any until this past week, and I have had about 3. While it is below the instant drop to zero I had planned, it is still quite good.
Chips are another issue for me, but in this category I had not eaten any chips whatsoever (well 20 chips the weekend I started) from the start of the blog until folk fest.
Everything else has been rather constant, and my showers have been both short, and recently, lukewarm at best. The next step being the fabled Navy Shower.
All in all, in writing this I am happy with my progress, but completely disappointed in my failures. As I have mentioned, without constantly updating the blog to remind myself it is much easier to stray from the path. From here, I am going to spend the rest of the day starting to formulate my quasi religious style rules and hope for the best.
So far, failures included, I have made some great changes. I have gone from eating fast food about three or four times a week to once a month. This was the biggest drain of all in my opinion. Not only is fast food terrible for the environment, but it is terrible for your health and your bank account. I have been saving around 60$ a paycheck and have noticeably brought my weight down to slightly above average.
Soft drinks are the next part of the success list (even if I just drank one). I literally have drank one or two soft drinks a day for the past 5 years. Since I have begun to try to change the way I live, I have cut that down to almost none. From the time I started the blog I had not drank any until this past week, and I have had about 3. While it is below the instant drop to zero I had planned, it is still quite good.
Chips are another issue for me, but in this category I had not eaten any chips whatsoever (well 20 chips the weekend I started) from the start of the blog until folk fest.
Everything else has been rather constant, and my showers have been both short, and recently, lukewarm at best. The next step being the fabled Navy Shower.
All in all, in writing this I am happy with my progress, but completely disappointed in my failures. As I have mentioned, without constantly updating the blog to remind myself it is much easier to stray from the path. From here, I am going to spend the rest of the day starting to formulate my quasi religious style rules and hope for the best.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Back in the city :(
Folk fest was amazing. I was able to see dozens of amazing bands eat really good food and get a wicked tan. Not to mention the huge party that is the campground at folk fest. That said, I did have two cokes. I failed, and I failed twice. The worst part is, that the first coke I had made me feel ill. I suppose that is a good thing though my body is learning that coke isn't the nectar of the gods but some sort of cruel poison. Other than that, I bought Manitoba beer (hurrah!) and ate rather well (aside from a hand full of chips). I would like to say though, that while I am slowly gaining self control, I am doing a great job compared to the way I used to live.
Now that I am back though, I am planning on making a couple more changes. Again I am breaching the sanctity of my shower time. At folk fest the showers were like ice. It is as though they are pumping this water from the north. It definitely took some time getting used to, but after a couple days it is a really great way to shower. So from this day forward not only will my showers be a paltry 5 minutes, but the five minutes will be spent with the water temperature at cool (not antarctic mind you...).
One thing that I would like to say though before I end this, is that the life at folk fest is just amazing. You get up, cook your breakfast over a fire, sleep more or less outside (but in a tent) and you just live for yourself (for 5 days). It is such an eye opener at how little all of the products we buy mean, and how little happiness they actually give. I didn't think of the internet once while I was gone, I had my cellphone turned off for 90% of the festival and I walked everywhere, barefoot (it is a good 20 minute walk from the campsite to the concert grounds, and a good 5 minute walk from one stage to the next, or about 10 from one end to the other).
It just goes to show that the life we live isn't needed. The things we buy are more or less empty and the isolation we get from our houses leaves us isolated. If we were more like the community feel that you get in a giant field with tents our lives would be amazing.
Now that I am back though, I am planning on making a couple more changes. Again I am breaching the sanctity of my shower time. At folk fest the showers were like ice. It is as though they are pumping this water from the north. It definitely took some time getting used to, but after a couple days it is a really great way to shower. So from this day forward not only will my showers be a paltry 5 minutes, but the five minutes will be spent with the water temperature at cool (not antarctic mind you...).
One thing that I would like to say though before I end this, is that the life at folk fest is just amazing. You get up, cook your breakfast over a fire, sleep more or less outside (but in a tent) and you just live for yourself (for 5 days). It is such an eye opener at how little all of the products we buy mean, and how little happiness they actually give. I didn't think of the internet once while I was gone, I had my cellphone turned off for 90% of the festival and I walked everywhere, barefoot (it is a good 20 minute walk from the campsite to the concert grounds, and a good 5 minute walk from one stage to the next, or about 10 from one end to the other).
It just goes to show that the life we live isn't needed. The things we buy are more or less empty and the isolation we get from our houses leaves us isolated. If we were more like the community feel that you get in a giant field with tents our lives would be amazing.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Controlled failure
Over the weekend I went to a friends house. It seems innocent, but I assure you something terrible happened. My only consolation is that it could have been worse. I ate some chips. I admit it, I wasn't even drunk upon this terrible action. I do have defense though. I allowed myself "1 serving" according to the bag. I ate them in this controlled fasion to avoid the Paul standard. This standard is me eating over a full bag of chips. I would like to think that I offset it slightly by buying only local beer (Catfish Cream Ale!). Regardless this failure cannot be hidden away and must be avenged (beyond getting drunk off of local beer).
In order to keep progress I am going to do the unthinkable. Now this may not be a big deal to many, but the shower is a sacred place to me. You get to just relax, pushing the heat as hot as possible without burning and just enter a serene place inside your head. While I have had vague goals of "navy showers" which would be turning off the water while lathering soap/shampoo. This is something I was hoping to leave for a month or two. Well this transgression nixed the idea of leaving the shower an untouched luxury. Now I am not going whole hog, not yet at least. For now I am just cutting down my shower time from 10 minutes to five. This may seem small to some, but this is going to be most difficult for me.
GODSPEED!
In order to keep progress I am going to do the unthinkable. Now this may not be a big deal to many, but the shower is a sacred place to me. You get to just relax, pushing the heat as hot as possible without burning and just enter a serene place inside your head. While I have had vague goals of "navy showers" which would be turning off the water while lathering soap/shampoo. This is something I was hoping to leave for a month or two. Well this transgression nixed the idea of leaving the shower an untouched luxury. Now I am not going whole hog, not yet at least. For now I am just cutting down my shower time from 10 minutes to five. This may seem small to some, but this is going to be most difficult for me.
GODSPEED!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Pepsi how I love/loath thee
Changing the way you live your life is always easy for the first few days. So far I haven't
craved fast food at all, that said it has only been two days. I am hoping it will continue
being this easy, but it is all about will power, and giving up more self destructive and
unsustainable behavior.
The next thing that has to go is Pepsi, well Pepsi and its cohort soft drinks. Drinking
sugary drinks is my downfall. I have more or less had a Pepsi or equivelant drink nearly
every day for the past 8 years. I quit all sugar last summer for a month, but other than
that it has been pretty steady. This will be easier than it seems judging by my performance
last year, but this time around there is a different feel and dynamic. We will see how I
suffer, if at all.
craved fast food at all, that said it has only been two days. I am hoping it will continue
being this easy, but it is all about will power, and giving up more self destructive and
unsustainable behavior.
The next thing that has to go is Pepsi, well Pepsi and its cohort soft drinks. Drinking
sugary drinks is my downfall. I have more or less had a Pepsi or equivelant drink nearly
every day for the past 8 years. I quit all sugar last summer for a month, but other than
that it has been pretty steady. This will be easier than it seems judging by my performance
last year, but this time around there is a different feel and dynamic. We will see how I
suffer, if at all.
The first cullings...
Today is my first day in action. No chips, no fast food, no candy/chocolate bars etc. This seems easy, but I often buy a bag of small chips at work in the morning. Just saying this makes me glad that I won't be harming my body with junk food today.
Like most people I "hate" fast food. I mean, it makes me feel ill. The thing about fast food is that it is a comfort food and a guilty pleasure. Having learned that McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's all have near bottom ratings in regards to the environment has really made it very easy to give it up mentally.
These things are all things that need to go immediately because these are things that I really do indulge in much more often than I would like to admit. You very easily can get caught in the cycle. Wake up late, and instead of rushing to make a lunch just give in. It is a very, "fuck it, I'm going to Macdonald's for breakfast" mindset.
NO MORE I say. So this will be the first test, and really, the decider on if I continue to write the blog. So far so good, but really... its been about 2 hours.
Like most people I "hate" fast food. I mean, it makes me feel ill. The thing about fast food is that it is a comfort food and a guilty pleasure. Having learned that McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's all have near bottom ratings in regards to the environment has really made it very easy to give it up mentally.
These things are all things that need to go immediately because these are things that I really do indulge in much more often than I would like to admit. You very easily can get caught in the cycle. Wake up late, and instead of rushing to make a lunch just give in. It is a very, "fuck it, I'm going to Macdonald's for breakfast" mindset.
NO MORE I say. So this will be the first test, and really, the decider on if I continue to write the blog. So far so good, but really... its been about 2 hours.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Life Changed?
The world, well more specifically North America, is rapidly degrading. I have ignorantly lived a very selfish and life up until recently. As I have begunt o open my eyes to the rest of the world I have begun to see the waste all around me that I had blinded myself to. Knowing this I have been (in a very North American way) changing my outlook, but slowly and in a rather half assed manner. After constantly telling myself that I need to change this and that and never getting anywhere I have decided to go radical and just do it.
What I hope to do with this blog is keep track of my progress, and show others like me that it really is not that difficult to do. This is obviously being presumptuous, because despite my good intentions I am still, although to a lesser extent, part of the problem after many months of attempts to change my behavior. So at the very worst I will use the blog to hold myself accountable.
I hope if anyone reads this you can find some sort of inspiration to modify your life for the good of the planet. Hell, worst case scenario is that you save money and live healthier.
What I hope to do with this blog is keep track of my progress, and show others like me that it really is not that difficult to do. This is obviously being presumptuous, because despite my good intentions I am still, although to a lesser extent, part of the problem after many months of attempts to change my behavior. So at the very worst I will use the blog to hold myself accountable.
I hope if anyone reads this you can find some sort of inspiration to modify your life for the good of the planet. Hell, worst case scenario is that you save money and live healthier.
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