Commenting

I've made a few comments on other's journals, and I'd like to share....

http://therunnersmemoirs.blogspot.com/2009/04/feel-burn.html
http://twag1321.blogspot.com/2009/04/stress-begins.html

Other than that, there is also the update on my own progress...which is pathetic at best. My new plan, of course, fared no better than my last plan. I've got to do something much more solid, but I'll admit I don't know how...I'm going to look for a half marathon to run, or at least a 5k. I've got to have a deadline!

Project 3

http://fileserver.art.utah.edu/~chodges/Strings_of_Fate/Strings_of_Fate.html


This is the video game script for Strings of Fate, which is a fanfic of my own collaborative work, Shades of Crimson (with a bit of Watchmen thrown in.)
Hope you like it!

A Second Wind

It seems this journey of mine is mostly made of short jaunts of keeping my goals, interspersed with areas of feeling, in general, rather poor about myself. Every time I slip into that phase, I pull back out by saying something to the tune of “I’ve got to get better! I know I keep failing, but not this time!!!”….and a week later…(or even a few days later)…I’m saying it again. It would be contradictory to the point of this post to say “But this time-”, wouldn’t it?

Then what should I say? Should I give up?….No, I can’t. Giving up on this is giving up on life…

It’s time for a new approach. Instead of “Go running every day or feel like shit!”, it’ll be “Go running three days a week, you pick the days you feel like it!” From there I’ll move forward, once I’ve come to look forward to going running, and I’ll run every weekday. Then I’ll attempt every day. I’ll do pushups and situps on the same days I run, as planned out by the spring fitness challenge that I found on a blog…that I’d link to if I had the link on hand.

This will be different. I swear it.

Eh Heh...

So, yeah, that thing about posting the next day?...yeah, as you may have noticed, it totally didn't happen. I didn't run that day, that I remember, but shortly thereafter, (aka sometime last week) I ran a whole mile, straight, in under 11 minutes! I'm so proud of that. Now I just need to start doing that every day, and I'll be amazing before ya know it!
On the other side of things, I'm working on a new thing to get my grades up. It's pretty simple, all in all, a daily to do list type thing....and some tips on notes and studying...we'll see. Hopefully it'll help with my math exam Wednesday!

Moving Forward

I've bought a new training book, it's on conditioning for martial arts. I haven't started implementing it yet, but I did go running saturday with my mom, and I ran a little this morning, though the snow cut it dramatically short. I tried to catch a bus to go to the Field House to run, but it drove right past me, despite me waving my arms and chasing it. *sigh* Some days, bus drivers, some days! Anyway, I ended up jogging down to the Huntsman Center, then deciding it wasn't worth it and catching a blue bus home. I do hate running in inclement weather...I stepped in a puddle and soaked my right shoe! Ugh.

In other news, I've started two challenges, one to get to 100 push ups, the other to get to 200 sit ups. It's going...mediocre. I'm not very strong just yet...but I will be!

Sparring Time!

Yami went sparring today!
Total injuries to the Yami - A stab to the face, resulting in a bruise on the inside of the mouth - several hits to the right hip, which may or may not have bruised - A stab to the right shin, resulting in an as of yet small bruise - A hit to the knee, causing a sore spot that hasn't bruised yet - a scratch on the left middle finger's first knuckle - a scrape across the right ring finger - relatively large bruises on the right ring and pinky fingers.
Although Donovan, Yami's partner, was the victor, all in all, Yami feels she will do better next time.
*stops speaking in third person*
I think I did pretty well, I came close to a few headshots, but stopped before hitting him, or missed, every time. Had it been a real fight, I think I would have won, I did get the first hit, after all, and it was a good one to the abdomen. However, things being as they were, I lost on two fronts-overall hits, and endurance! I need to practice more until I can keep going for a while. I WILL get stronger!!!

Tutorial site

http://fileserver.art.utah.edu/~chodges/Hodges_Tutorials/Home.html

WHOO HOO!!! It's done! *takes a bow* Thank you, thank you, thank you very much!
I intend to go back later and soup it up, I'm rather fond of it, but it could use some expansion.

Another Fail of a Week

Well...this has really been a fail of a week for running...and I haven't been writing my 20 minutes like I was going to...(I didn't post that here, but I was intending on it) I 've been biking to school when I feel like it, and that's good. The lack of running is really bugging me, though. I said I would...so why haven't I? Ugh.

Anyway, I don't want to dwell too much on the negatives. I've been writing a lot...but it's been writing on my online rpgs, and not my own stories...I really want to get Adrian's story and Rahl's story either further underway, or completely finished...I believe I can do this. I just need to actually DO it. >.<

One of the stories I'm doing online is part of Adrian's tale, and I LOVE what I've done with the ending (or, the ending for Adrian, anyway...Donovan isn't done yet...give him a post or two). The line between Hero and Villain, I've found, is very thin...and very easy to cross...

That's about all I had to say for today.

"Travel well, and Gods bless."

Sleepless....

Well, I was going to go running in the morning…so I went to bed at around 10, 10:30 ish, planning to wake at 7.

Here it is, past 1 am, and I am still awake. I tried and failed to get to sleep for about an hour and a half, so I gave up and got out of bed. Now, I’ve run out of things to do, so I’m going to try again…but the running plan has been shot down. I’m not going running on less than 6 hours of sleep…No. Just…no.

So, mark this down as another failure, I guess…

But for every bad thing here, I must post something good.

I managed to drink almost an entire cup of tea today, even when it had gotten cold. That’s something I’ve never accomplished before. Normally cold tea is disgusting to me, but it was fine this time. So, that’s good. And now, back to trying to sleep.

Injuries, injuries....

Well, I had my first Physical Therapy (PT) visit today. So far, the doc says that I probably won't need surgery for my shoulder, I just need to do strengthening exercises daily for a while. It was kinda creepy, she pressed on my shoulder and I could feel it THUMP into place and click back out. Right now it's taped to attempt to keep it in place somewhat, and though the tape restricts movement a bit, it also makes movement hurt less, so I suppose it's good.
So, that'll keep me from weight lifting for a while, that's for sure, but I'll keep running and eating right, and things will still get better. Changin' my world, one step at a time...

Oops

Well, this week hasn't gone so swimmingly. I've continually missed my running, though I have the convenient excuse that my partner was/is sick...but no more excuses. I'm going running tomorrow morning. And with luck, I'll be running at my parents' house Saturday morning. (Fancy treadmill FTW!)
And you know what else?

I'm going to start studying Buddhism again. I'd really like to be a better Buddhist. Maybe I'll have my dad teach me or something. If he won't, then I've got enough books, that's for sure. Even if he won't teach me himself, I can probably borrow his books too.

Oh, and that reminds me. I've signed up for a virtual Zen retreat. It starts next friday. Maybe that'll get me to do my goal of posting every day. I'll use this as a meditation journal and write my experiences. (Y'know, if you do it right, running is also meditative...)

So, that's about all I have to say for now...I guess I'll be off then. I should get some sleep.

Website link

http://fileserver.art.utah.edu/~chodges/Hodges/Welcome.html

Ta-da. I messed up in a few places, but it was hard enough to get it working, much less to redo the silly thing...

Keeping Up

My room mate Amber and I have been running together for about a week. We missed two days (Feb 4, 5) due to sore legs and general tireds, and then she went out last night and didn't come running with me this morning, but I went alone anyway. Here are my times.(Note-I ran on the track, so everything is approximate)

Feb 2, 2009- 1 mile, straight, 10:30

Feb 3, 2009- 1.5 miles, 30 minutes w/ walking

Feb 6, 2009- 1 mile, 11:26 w/walking

(this means if I just up my endurance a little and drink enough water, I'll be able to make a 9 minute mile no problem. My pace is good.)

All in all, I'm doing pretty well. I just have to keep it up. And, of course, we can't forget the school work. I've got to get A-'s or better in every class.

Going the Distance

Somewhere between falling asleep reading and that one horrible look in the mirror, there came a change of plans.

The first reason. Reading at night is not very useful, as I tend to fall asleep, or be too tired, and then my brain learns that reading=bed time.

The second reason. My waist is beginning to overflow my favorite pair of jeans, and this is simply unacceptable. I haven't stated this here, but a favorite all around goal is "stop decline before it begins." I didn't catch it before it got started, but I'll be damned if that means I'm going to let it just go willy-nilly and let myself get fat!

The third reason. Yes, there is a third. I've caught myself being very irritable lately, and they say that exercise balances chemicals in the brain and helps such things. After getting very upset with a friend of mine, I decided that I needed to, first thing the next morning, go for a run. A very, very long run. Like a purifying ritual style run.

So, the next morning, I woke up, chugged some water, waited anxiously for the water to digest so I wouldn't get sick, then walked outside....only to find....snow. Lots. Of. Snow. Cursing the skies, I walked back inside, grabbed a coat, and made my way to the neighboring building's exercise room. The treadmill was not exactly what I'd been planning, but I got on anyway, and ran somewhere above a mile (though thanks to a mechanical blooper, I couldn't tell you exactly how far, or how long it took).
The next morning, it was like I was on auto pilot. I hadn't exactly planned to go running, I just woke up, got dressed, and went straight to the treadmill. I ran an amazing 1.6 miles, non-stop, in 17 minutes. Not a stellar time, but hey, it's a start.
And yesterday? Same thing. Got right up, got dressed, and went for a run. Due to feeling a little ill, I only ran 1.2 miles, though still nonstop, and in 14 minutes, 33 seconds. That does include a walking cool down, by the by. I ran the mile straight, then walked .2 miles.
Today was more of a hassle, I was very tired, and feeling even more ill. I went running anyway, but had to pause when my throat got so dry that I started coughing, and the second I stopped running, I got nauseous. That ended my running venture at .77 miles, but in a decent 8:43.

To fill you in on a bit of underlying story, my mom and sister have started a tradition of running a race called "Beat The New Year!" which is a New Year's Eve 5k in which the goal is to cross the finish line before midnight, having started at 11:30. My mom always asks if I want to run with them, and I always say "No...but maybe next year."...(and then my sister calls me a wimp)...so this year, I decided to really try to make it and run with them. To 'Beat the New Year', I need to be able to a) run faster than 10:00 miles for just over three miles and b) be able to run in frigid temperatures on dangerous footing, in the dark.
To accomplish this, I had decided to start running seriously in the summer, timing a mile weekly, all the while building my endurance. Eventually the timed mile would be a timed two miles, then three, then three and a half, to ensure I'll have enough steam to make 3.1 miles at the race. To deal with the cold, I would continue running in the winter, outdoors, and since I'd already be up to endurance standards, I'd just have to adapt to the cold. I've never done it before, but I doubt it'll be too hard, given enough time.

However, since I'm starting to run now, I'll be able to work up more slowly, and depending on weather (I refuse to run when it's actively snowing) I'll get a head start on acclimating myself to the cold. As Mr. Burns would say....Excellent....

Well, I think I've ranted enough for today. I'm keeping strict track of how much I'm running (how long and how far, and how many calories I burned according to the treadmill) so I'll post another update soon...I might actually just post here every day about my general experience. We'll see.

A Slight Change in Plans

Well, due to the revelation that reading before bed makes me get tired when I read at other times, I've decided to switch my goals. Now, the morning routine will be most important, and reading whenever there is downtime is the optional goal.

I started this morning, and the meditation went off without a hitch. I need to pay more attention to the rest of that routine, though. Having tea first thing in the morning would be a great way to wake up and prepare for the day. I've been treating the tea as an "if I feel like it", when really it should be mandatory.

Another portion of my routine that needs more attention is reviewing not only my daily goals, but my long term ones. I should be keeping those in mind throughout the day, if possible, even carrying them with me on a sheet of paper.

Uh oh! As I went to find my long term goals file on my laptop....I discovered I don't have one! Not an up to date one, anyway. I'd better get on that!

That brings up an interesting quandary. What kinds of goals should I be setting? There are material goals (like running a 5k at the end of the year) and then there are more intangible ones...like keeping to a stricter set of morals. I think I'll set the material goals in one file, and the intangible ones in another. When I've got a set that I'm happy with, I'll post them here.

Until then, my friends!

Introductions are in order!

Hello all! My name is Yami Hodges, and this is my challenge blog. Here, I will be keeping track of my work on the "Power of Less" New Year's Challenge, as well as my progress in applying the principles of Less to my daily life.

First, let me tell you a little about myself. I am a student at the University of Utah, majoring in Computer Science. More importantly, I am a writer, and an artist. I breathe music. If I don't have my headphones, something is wrong with me. The same goes for my sketchbook, or at least some blank paper and a pencil.

I used to be addicted to reading. I always had my nose in a book, to the point of getting in trouble for it. I've fallen out of this, much to my dismay, so when I heard about the New Year's Challenge, I knew what I would do.

The New Year's Challenge (started by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, author of The Power of Less) is rather simple. Start a habit. Any habit. Ten minutes a day, 7 days a week, for a month. Naturally, my desired habit is to read every night before bed.

Not to break into a tangent or anything, but New Year's has always been a tough time for me. I have long been in the habit (there's that word again!) of making a whole page worth of New Year's Resolutions...and then getting overwhelmed and keeping none of them. So this year, having only one thing to do, I'm finding myself scrambling. Why? Because I'm used to having so much to keep track of and beat myself up over...only this year, I've got one thing to do, and I'm doing it, so I've nothing to beat myself up over, either. My brain doesn't like this. So I decided to give myself just ONE more thing to do, but put it on the back burner, so if I do mess up, I won't get upset about it.

This one more thing is to keep a steady routine, morning and evening. In other words, I now have a set schedule for the morning and before bed. This schedule is fairly simple. It includes meditation, checking my RSS feeds and the weather, reviewing my goals, and the usual morning things like brushing my teeth and making some tea. In the evening, it's about the same, mostly in reversed order, but also adds packing my bags for the next day and cleaning my room. (This way I wake up to a clean room, which just brightens my whole day!)

I keep this schedule where I will see it, and do my best to adhere to it, but if I mess up, it's totally okay, because it's optional in the first place. No stress, see?

So, anyway, this blog will be used to track my success in those two areas, and, as previously mentioned, in applying "Less" to my life.

So far, so good. I've been reading Leo's book nightly, and I recently processed my inbox down to zero. This is very good. Now I just have to do my other two email inboxes...and then keep them that way. I've been very good about remembering to meditate, which is usually the hardest part of my morning routine. I've got to do it before I put my contacts in, which is usually the first thing, because if I don't meditate before that, one thing will lead to another and I'll be on my computer without having meditated...and then there's really no going back.

Well, here we go, friends.
Onward and upward.