I had two really vivid dreams bathed in nostalgia and lovely warm vibes... The first I barely remember, except it had a very Harry Potter vibe and an incredibly rich and complex world with all kinds of back stories and secrets. Something about monsters and mazes. I briefly woke up wanting to go back to that world but ran out of plot. The second started out stressful because it was about middle school exams, but turned into this beautiful celebration with classmates with the school all lit up at night and people being lovely to each other. Ahh... ๐
...and now to GET UP AND FACE THE DAY!!!!!! I am going to WALK to the other side of the suburb for a coffee and come back and then start looking at uni things!!!!
Small tiles in a bathroom (like subway tiles) might look cute but if you are the one cleaning I'd suggest staying right away from it or else cleaning is going to be a bitch.
Also didn't get any afterdrop after the swim last night. Puts monocle on... One theory is that afterdrop happens when your core tries to continue to warm up peripherals (due to peripheral vasoconstriction from the cold).
So the experiment is what happens if you dilate them blood tubes with chilli before jumping in. Body wants to restrict blood to limbs but can't, so core temp drops more quickly, but that activates the trusty brown fat (BAT). The idea is to see if chilli can reduce the symptoms of mild hypothermia (mainly shivering and lethargy) by inducing it before jumping in.
Seems counter-intuitive af BUT not the first person to think of it
"Capsaicinoids have another advantage in that they could be administered to patients in the field as an initial response or could even be used in combination with physical cooling methods to reduce the need for sedatives and muscle relaxants and create a stable, more controllable hypothermia in people."
Thank you for reading my pseudo probably incorrect scientific report.
Gave in and ordered Colesworty delivery today because I am run down and trying to have a rest day. They managed to ....just....not give me 3/4 of the order...
I have some pantry items delivered but none of the fresh or refrigerated stuff I actually needed. Delivery says bag 1 of 1 so it's not a problem with the delivery dude.
Was my night for the weird dreams - can't remember the details of the first but there was some sort of seminar or similar being run or at least facilitated by the estate agent who sold the house. Mum was in it as well and I think surprised herself and everyone else by how well she was doing.
Second one I do remember was there was some sort of queue at what looked like the op shop where I donated a lot of the excess when I was cleaning out the place, and it was for a type of ice cream made in this really weird way that I doubt is possible, and a Karen type at the head of the line was having a rant because she didn't think it should be available so no-one else should have it. You know the type.
A question for those who filter and re-use their cooking oil. I use a filter or paper towel over a pyrex jug to catch the floaties then use a funnel into the empty oil bottle. Is there an easier way? Should I be double filtering? I just use the second hand oil in the frying pan. It's rice bran oil.
No eggs at the supermarket! I keep hearing of the shortage from bird flu but hadnโt encountered empty shelves until today. Better luck during the day maybe?
Confession: I didn't get around to watching The Bear last night, and I didn't get out of bed when I meant to this morning to walk across the suburb for a coffee ๐ I lolled around in bed reading about "pretendians" in Canada until I truly felt sick in the head from hunger/dehydration.
But! I have had a good day nevertheless.
Still had a coffee, then did the grocery shop, and cooked a heap of food, some for the freezer. I'm onto a new bag of basmati rice that is banging - real game changer, worth paying the extra $1/kilo, my hoppin' John/pilao dish came out beautifully. I also teed up a couple of easy social events for the next two weekends which is great.
This is banal but I'm also proud of myself going to Officeworks to get two monitors and a dock on the very last day of the FY (couldn't spare the cash until I got paid). It's an oblique act of self care: a gift to myself to be able to WFH properly when needed, so I can manage my time and energy when I can't handle people or early starts.
It was a lot of money (why are docks so fucking expensive) and i felt uncomfortable and could've just procrastinated on it even further; part of me wishes I bought everything second hand, like nearly everything in my house, or researched better brands... But I've accepted that right now it's better to get something good enough and move forward, rather than insist on perfection and waste time and energy in limbo for too long. Like how it took me 2 years to get a second hand vacuum cleaner at the cost of a clean house and my sanity. Action is important. I'm glad I managed to be an adult for myself and get this done.
The biggest accomplishment for today was...
journaling!
I also sat down at the cafe and the library and had a few uninterrupted hours of journalling after a long, long time. Last weekend I cleaned my house; this weekend was about tidying up my mind a bit. I wrote down the things that are and aren't working for me with my living situation, jobs, finances, etc.
It was so important to acknowledge both, and work out how to maintain the good, while also acting on or reframing the things I'm not liking. Getting the wfh setup was part of that. Taking back some agency, and not developing resentment against something I acknowledge I do actually have some control over. Worked out when I can afford to drop my hours and how to stay financially comfortable enough. It does mean negotiating a higher salary at my three month review...
It was a really welcome moment of evaluation because I really want to head into this last bit of study with a clearer intention and not fall into old, bad habits of WHEEE and then self-hate. Wanted to be aware of my unmet needs this time, so I don't try and pile all my expectations on my new activity and then inevitably get disappointed/burnt out. I want to pace myself, seek balance, and still do some great stuff BECAUSE of moderation, not by pushing myself insanely.
I'm just watching a bit of The Bear now which is timely because Carmy is a great reminder of who I'd be if I didn't wise up. And then bedtime so I can wake up recharged and ready tomorrow.
A batch of mayonnaise has now been made, ready to go on my fish burger for dinner.
When I was a kid we used to make this horrible concoction based on condensed milk that we called mayonnaise, I am very grateful that is no longer a thing in my life. I don't really like the standard purchased mayonnaise these days either. There was one brand of whole egg mayonnaise that I liked, but they changed from glass jars to plastic recently so I decided it is time to stop being lazy and start making my own. Last time I made it I pasturised the egg first, this time I decided to live on the edge and use it raw. If I die of salmonella poisoning in the next couple of weeks you will know where it came from.
BOM says 4 Apple says 7. I reckon bom is right (for once). Shit is COLD! And god I miss my slippers!!! They are still drying after the pasta sauce catastrophe of yesterday.
This is so scummy and sounds exploitative as fuck. "Doing tenants and landlords a favour". Not to mention 'installing guardians' as if the people are only put there to serve the property... (Which probably is the priority.)
It looks livable I guess... but seems like substandard housing with extra steps. Namely inserting themselves for the purpose of taking two payments on a property they don't even own. This isn't brilliant business, it's preying on a housing crisis to pull slumlord shit.
(Yes, I know this article is old and UK based. I'm looking at various ways of managing housing shortages.)