I get like this every once in a while where it's not the book's fault. I've got oodles of what I know will be great books waiting for me. I just can't be bothered to, you know, read. Usually what ends up happening is I force myself to sit down, read something, and it knocks my socks off thereby reminding me that "Oh, hey! Reading is cool!" In the meantime what is going on around here besides the normal work + home merry-go-round?
Justified is back on TV for it's final season. Let's bask in the glow of that for just a moment.
Besides Justified, work, and not reading there is also.....yoga. I joined a yoga studio back in October and except for a recent two-week stretch where I had the Head Cold From Hell, I've been going three times a week. So how is yoga going?
You would think after four months I would be, you know, getting better at it. Instead? I'm the chick in class you gets the "participation ribbon." Yes, I'm that bad. I have a yoga instructor on Thursday nights who, despite probably being the Marquis De Sade in a former life, will occasionally offer me encouragement when I don't fall flat on my face. When he says, "Good job Wendy!" or "You've got it Wendy!" I imagine him thinking, "Oh Wendy has come to my class again. She sure does try hard, poor thing."
I mean, really - shouldn't exercise, after a while, get easier? Yoga is a cruel mistress. She literally kicks my butt back to last Tuesday. But I do sleep great afterward. Which would be why My Man twisted my arm to take it up (he's actually the one who found the studio for me). I was sleeping....not so good. After last night's torture session with the Marquis De Sade of yoga instructors?
Like a baby. You know, if you spiked the baby's bottle with bourbon and Xanax. In the meantime I'm going to try to not think about the woman in class who was bigger than I am and was able to do head stands. I am literally, good at nothing.
So what's going on with everybody? Any torturous exercise stories to make me feel better about my complete and total lack of grace? Read any good books lately?
18 comments:
FWIW, you are not the only one far more interested in Raylan than Downton Abbey. And yes, that's typical for me too.
As for yoga, if your current level of skill is enough for it to help you sleep then you're good enough at it. That said, don't give up on getting better. I am, let's just say not physically adept and leave it at that. It's only been in the last couple of years that I realized that my very steep earning curve doesn't mean I can't do things, it just means I have to be really persistent. I suck like whoa and damn for an incredibly long time and then something clicks and I get a lot better all at once. It may work the same way for you.
If it's any help, I have not watched one single episode of Outlander or Downton Abbey, and my world goes on turning. :-) Sometimes a person simply needs a break, even from things they normally enjoy, to come back refreshed and eager.
And I second everything Lori said about yoga. Also, yoga is not like step aerobics or something where you get the routine down in a couple of weeks. Yoga is a lifelong learning experience. Believe me, later on in your life, you'll be glad you started it now and persisted, at whatever level of skill compared to others in your class. It will pay off physically and emotionally.
If you just can't deal with it, try swimming or water exercise. I have mobility problems due to reasons and can no longer do some yoga poses, but in the water, I'm 18 again, and I'm stronger and more flexible for every pool visit.
Good book streak over here--which makes me afraid, very afraid, that soon I'll hit another "I hate everything I'm reading!!!" snag.
I'm not exercising at present, which *wince* is making me really anxious and yeah, not so good on the sleeping through the night front.
Other than that? Laughing my head off--I just ran into someone whose last name is...
Ready?
ALLCOCK
No, I'm not making this up, I swear this is someone's real last name!
There is nothing like an exercise class to make me aware of my apparently freakishly long torso and short arms. Anything where I'm supposed to reach and touch... ugh.
I've been kind of having a meh streak as well. Did enjoy a wacky old Harlequin called Always Love, but otherwise my ereader is full of half-read books and my spreadsheet of 3 stars.
Lori: Yoga has been a yo-yo for me. I leave one class and think, "I'm getting better at this!" and then the very next class? Oh it is so NOT good LOL. Nothing evens out the playing field quite like yoga.
MFOB: My family keeps nagging me about Downton mostly because "It's a soap opera Wendy! You'll love it Wendy!" Now I hear it's probably going to end soon - so maybe I'll start binge watching it. I think it's on Amazon Prime.
What I love about yoga is, literally, you see all types in my classes. Super skinny minnies whose thighs don't touch and uh, more full figured gals like myself. And even though it's pure torture 95% of the time - I'm seeing results. Mostly in my back muscles (hey, I have BACK MUSCLES!) and butt. But oy - I have like zero upper body strength, which is where things get really challenging.
AL: Bwahahahahaha! Allcock! That's almost as good as this woman who My Man used to work with. Her name was....wait for it....Candy Bush. The kicker is that was her married last name and her maiden name (which I can't recall now) was just as bad. I wish I could remember what the maiden name was.
I could probably go on a good book streak since I'm sure I've got read books in the ARC pile it's just, you know, picking up the Kindle and actually reading.
Willaful: My problem is my freakishly long legs, shorter torso and zero upper body strength. I've always had horrible upper body strength, and yoga has helped with that somewhat, but I have a looooong way to go.
My best read of the month is, so far, Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King, which I listened to on audio thanks to Rosario's recommendation. But everything else has been kind of middle-of-the-road. That's probably part of my problem right there.
Hub and I loved the first season of Downton, and then realized it was one of those shows where they have to keep making horrible things happen to people you care about to keep it going. I can't remember if we finished season two.
I stopped watching series tv after LOST. I thought Downton Abbey was going to break my series tv slump when my husband and I binge watched it last year, but I lost interest mid season 3. I know this is supposed to be the golden era of tv and there are all these shows I probably would like, but idk, they seem like a lot of work. Chopped and Antiques Road show are more my speed these days.
I'm also in a bit of a reading slump. But I'm ok with it. I just started a nonfiction book that seems fun so far - The Toastet Project. A British art student made a toaster from scratch for his master's thesis project - smelting the metal, drilling for petroleum to make plastic, etc. I think I bought it on sale, before I realized I kept buying nonfiction books that I honestly will never read (frex, The History of Salt). But I'm excited to be reading this one.
That's totally how I would be if I did yoga.
I'm in a terrible reading slump. I start things that seem promising, then have to put them down. I've done this with about 8 books lately.
I don't usually do re-reads, but I might have to resort to that.
I completely second Willaful's comment above. I loved season one of Downton. In the second season, it felt like Fellowes came completely unhinged. No character, no storyline was sacred. Anything could be sacrificed at any time and miraculously resurrected when the whim took him (Matthew walking). Nuance is so Edwardian! In Fellowes's drama, everything is in all-caps, underlined, and in red. High Stakes! High Drama! High Sacrifice! High High. *yawn*
Me and yoga are like your experience. Me and aerobics (remember that from the 90s?) were like that. I'm afraid if I ever do Zumba, that'd be me...the one flailing around, going the wrong way, falling over...
I am still not reading, also. Unfortunately, it's because I am stuck at 33% on a book and just can't get into it. I hate getting that far, liking it, then running into a wall. I feel like I should finish it, even though I know it will take me forever and not be so fun.
On the exercise front, I'm walking with my mom two times a week because it's been 50+ degrees in the afternoons. In. The. Sierras. In January. I'm worried as can be about our water situation, but I'm going to admit to liking these mild temperatures. I've also started making her do Dance Party on the Xbox360 with me while the kids are at school. It gets her some cardio, we both get to look like idiots, and there are no witnesses.
I just finally got caught up with Justified. I always wait for the entire season, though, because I like to binge watch.
Cleo: I'm hooked on a few series, but none like Justified. Ray Donovan probably comes closest - although ugh, Katie Holmes just signed on for next season. Is it wrong that I'm hoping they use her to pad the body count?
I've never been one for binge watching series. I'd probably get burned out halfway through. The shows I can binge watch tend to be reality - like Pawn Stars or American Pickers. We binge-watched those like crazy when we accidentally stumbled across them a few years back. Oh gah - and British Top Gear. We didn't have lives for a couple of weeks when we fell down a YouTube rabbit hole and discovered that.
Handy: I'm blaming this all on reading four great books in December. All "A" grades. That NEVER happens to me. So while I'm reading OK or good stuff now? After a glut of awesome, I find myself getting easily distracted.
Keira: LOL! Me too. I know people who love Zumba, but I'm like "Me and something resembling dancing/aerobics? That will not end well."
Amber: The last season of Justified was ho-hum even for me - although I liked the way they brought it back around there at the end to set up this new season.
We've had some rain down south - but ugh, nowhere NEAR enough. It makes me really anxious about fire season.
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