2024 - Week 6

We're 6 weeks into the year and I don't know about you, but I feel like I've hardly accomplished anything. It's OK to just survive sometimes though.

Arts & Crafts

It was excellent getting together and craft with friends last weekend. There was so much good conversation and it had been a while since we last got together.

My scarf is coming along nicely. 

I need to figure out the next craft for stream. Perhaps I'll try to finish my Fairy Cross-Stitch on stream. I do have my big quilt that I need to start sewing also, but I don't know how I'm going to do the camera work for it.

Decluttering & Minimalism

The first big challenge I had was moving a carpet from my living room because there was a lot of stuff on it. I both dreaded this and was excited about what it was going to lead to. I think I accidentally invented "Hot Cleaning," while doing it. I was too warm, so I turned down the heat. At least, I thought I turned it down. In actuality, I had turned it up and was a sweaty mess by the end of it. Anyway, cleaning with the heat up might help burn extra calories?

What has it led to? A space to read and play my acoustic instruments. It's not entirely usable yet. They are repeating pest control spraying in my unit and several others to ensure they got the problem handled, so that means I get to take my stuff out of my cupboards again. With limited space in Tiny Condo, it's hard to figure out where to put things. Hopefully, this second spray will resolve it!

Family

On Saturday, I spent time with my local cousins. We're a large group when we get together. There were some from out of town, so there were more than 30 of us and a third were children with endless energy reserves. It's a lot, but also wonderful to see them. I get quite lonely being single and living alone, so I'm grateful for the times and hugs we share.

Fitness & Budo

I didn't make it to GSL this week. I had an early morning on Wednesday as I took my car in for a much needed wheel bearing replacement. It's amazing how loud one crappy wheel can be. I couldn't even turn up metal loud enough to enjoy it. Not that I was actively ignoring it. I just had to make time to get it to the mechanic. Could I have taken the bus and gotten a ride service to take me home? Sure, but the time lost on getting my place ready for the whole pest control thing wasn't going to work for me.

My team had a bye on the 4th, so it was a week off of curling for me. I haven't had much downtime in round 2, so it was welcome.

Gaming & Streaming

I was hoping to have done more side questing before stream came back around, but that didn't happen. So it was side questing in Diablo IV on stream on Monday. I ran around Scosglen, which has a number of Celtic themed quests and I enjoyed those. I don't think I finished them as I got distracted by other ones. At least, there was a tree one and I don't recall how it ended.

On Wednesday, I hung out with friends at House of Targ for the Pinball Women Ottawa Tournament. It was fun and I made it through six rounds. I think I'll go back and probably make it a regular thing. They're monthly on a day I usually don't have booked, so it's not too bad for my schedule. Also, who knows who I may meet there?

I cancelled my craft stream because of all the other stuff going on. There just wasn't enough time in the day for it. I have been cancelling more than I'd like lately, but hopefully soon I won't have to unless I'm sick.

Health & Wellness

What kind of things does one do in tongue therapy? Well, I have this hard styrofoam bite block to move my tongue around and push against my cheeks near the front corners. Another exercise has me use the block to keep my mouth open some while moving my tongue between the space behind my front teeth on the top and the bottom. In another exercise, I suction my tongue to the roof of my mouth then make a tick sound with it. And the last exercise I have currently has me push my tongue against the roof of my mouth behind my front teeth with my teeth staying apart at the back while relaxing my jaw. Just like in physio, I'll likely get new exercises in the coming weeks to add or replace those. Doing the exercises makes me yawn quite often, which really isn't helpful.

Music

I got an extra long midi USB cable and a cable channel to prevent tripping. It has taken a little bit to get used to my electronic piano being behind me, but I think it's going to work out great. I'll soon have time to practice regularly.

PWHL

For much of the game against New York, it seemed like Ottawa had it in the bag. They had a 3-point lead for most of the game and then the third period happened and suddenly New York flipped the tables and beat Ottawa in overtime. I hope Ottawa spends time analyzing what the hell happened because I'm still confused despite being there to witness it in person. But last week, Toronto beat Minnesota, so strange things have been happening all over the league.

Sadly, I missed the rivalry series because I don't have TSN. 

But my PWHL Ottawa hoodie arrived. It was a day later than it said it was delivered, which had me freaking out. The key for the parcel box was not in my mailbox on Thursday, but it was there on Friday. I don't know what happened  *cough* Canada Post, but I'm hoping that if I order anything in the future, I can have it go to the post office and not come anywhere near my condo building where things go missing too often.

Spirituality

This week I attended a Celtic Fire Festival for Imbolc. We did a ritual to set intentions via a Cloughtie/Clootie Tree. I was surrounded by strangers, yet I felt comfortable, which is not a common thing for me. Well, mostly comfortable. Not enough to cry or anything like that, but I didn't feel out of place.

We also got candles lit from a perpetual candle from Kildare, Ireland in honour of Brighid/Brigid. The perpetual candle there is tended to by the Brigidine Sisters. Brighid was long held to be possibly a Celtic pagan deity, but there is a St. Brigid and it's unclear whether or not the Christians claimed her as her own as they did with so many pagan things or not. There may have been more than one as it's also unclear whether or not Brigid was a title rather than a specific person, but that fact comes from a book written by Christians, so it may not be truthful to this pre-Christian deity's origins. At any rate, in paganism, she is the godess of many things including wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, smithing, and domesticated animals. It sounds to me like she was an empowered woman skilled in many things. Also, perhaps one who was neurodiverse. As she is also often associated with spring, cleaning can be part of chasing out the negativity of the previous year and heal. 

We set intentions for the year. What did we want to change and heal from? What did we want that healing to help us prepare for in the year ahead? I thought it was a great way to start the year. I decided January doesn't count for me. It's too sad of a month.

Writing

I did not get much writing done this week. I think I only got one, maybe two scenes edited. I'm not happy about that, but it has been a very full week. My cousin really wants to read my novel though, so I better get on it!