Update
August 14th, 2008So much has been happening lately it’s been difficult to post. When I say so much has been happening I mean it in a good way, posting is difficult, not life itself.
For quite some time I’ve been wanting to golf so for my birthday my mom gave me a new set of clubs. Ordinarily, if someone wanted to golf they could rent clubs and this would be pretty simple. I, however, am left-handed so clubs are much harder to come by. I played a lot when I was younger but since my parents would enroll me in summer camps at their golf course it felt more like punishment than enjoyment. I was pretty decent. My drives were not memorable, but I had an excellent game on the green. Since receiving my clubs I’ve been tinkering around with golfing and I couldn’t be more happy.
I went to the driving range with my dad last Friday and with my mom on Sunday. My dad had expected me to do far worse and a nearby observer even complimented my swing, he’d kill for it. When my mom and I went she was able to give me some sound advice that instantly corrected my slice. In bowling or baseball it is desirable to be able to curve the ball, but in golfing it’s not to great. My shots kept hooking left. The advice straightened out my shot and it’s a lot more consistent. On Tuesday my brother, his friend, and I went and played 9 holes. I was very nervous to actually play because I had only gone to the driving range and, before that, it’d been about 12 years since I had been on a course. Somehow I did surprisingly well. I am now hitting the ball respectably but I have no remaining skill on the green. I can’t putt for squat. This will come with time and I didn’t worry too much about it. I was glad I wasn’t making a total fool of myself and my brother was very supporting, quite strange for an older brother. After we finished I went to the driving range and hit more balls. During that bucket, trying to hit more accurately while nursing 4 annoying golf-induced blisters, I was approached by a golf instructor. He gave me his card and talked with me for about 15 minutes. He helped me with my grip so I can have more control when I hit. Grateful for his advice I thanked him, finished my bucket and headed home. I had no idea golfing could be so tiring. My level of activity these days is very low.
When I was young I did baton, golf, softball, dance, skiing, and watersports. I worked at a gym, lifted during lunch and after school and had dance about 15 hours a week. To say the least, I was in great shape. This is probably why I don’t remember golfing to be so physically demanding. The calluses that once were on my hands have long since given way to new, soft and very vulnerable skin. Since I no longer work out (and because at the genesis of my veganism I did not take a protein supplement) my muscles have deteriorated. This first few days were a little painful with sore muscles and blisters, but completely worth it.
The nearby driving range is looking for a person for one shift a week for 5 hours and the perk is free driving range balls. I already work 5 days a week, a solid 40+ hours, but I am considering inquiring about the position. I think I have a lot of potential in this sport and I really enjoy it right now. I am hoping that the position is to hand out the buckets because, frankly, besides doing that I would be utterly useless. Free range balls would compel me to keep practicing and who knows, I may even make friends with some of the people there that can offer the occasional advice.
I’m excited that I have retained some of my old golf lessons. I quit playing when I was about 11, so I expected to miss the ball, forget how to swing, and generally do terribly to start. I have been doing pretty well so maybe this sport is a good fit for me. I can be very high-maintenance, but when I was on the driving range, dripping sweat and overheating it didn’t matter. That’s what says the most to me. I don’t break focus, I try to fix things and am always conscious of the matter at hand. It’s a nice bit of relaxation to be able to focus to intently on one thing that I don’t have time to replay my todo list or worry about the heat and other variables. It just feels good.
With that said, I am also moving tomorrow. I found an apartment on my birthday and the move-in date is tomorrow. I have to set up an electricity account, cable and internet account and pack… I haven’t done a thing! I should be packing and organizing, but I am fixed on golf. It’s not a far move, and I don’t have to do everything in one day so that keeps it from being too stressful. My family will also be helping me so I am hoping to get most of it pretty quickly. I basically only have room furniture to move, so it’s not as complicated as if I were moving a house full of stuff into a new home. The downside is that I work at three. So I have from when the leasing office opens at 9, until about 1 to get a reasonable amount of moving done. My plan is to go to the leasing office when they open with my first load, drop everything in a corner, make another trip and then one more. I am in the process of purchasing a couch, chair and dining room table so hopefully I can get all of that tomorrow without too much pressure.
Yesterday I went online to check balances for my many Barnes & Noble gift cards. I had four and they added up to a decent amount. I searched for some cookbooks and went by the store on my way to work. One thing I’m looking forward to in my move is cooking. My roommate share a similar view of food. On occasion she will have fish, but she is mainly vegetarian. She will not eat eggs, so this largely unites many of the things we can eat together. She is open to cooking vegan meals with me. This means that I have a source of food support and that I have someone I can cook with. I bought my first vegan cookbook and I can’t wait to make something, anything! Since I have never been good in the kitchen I am curious to go shopping, buy interesting food and see what happens. I am also hoping that since she will eat much of the same things that I do that we can cut some grocery waste. I would love to keep fresh ingredients in the house, but when it’s only one person eating it I’ve noticed that it sometimes goes bad before I can finish it off. I hate wasting food, HATE it. Especially if there’s nothing wrong with it. If the food just isn’t good that is one thing, it’s quite another to have to throw away food only because it wasn’t eaten before it went bad.
So while it seems that I have disappeared or simply remained silent for lack of anything to write about, the case is quite the opposite. Between golfing, work and the anticipation of my move, it seems that I have little time. I love feeling that my life is filling up with so many wonderful things, but I will try to better my updates. Long posts are hard to stay focused on and I’d hate to lose interesting details because I am trying to recall the bulk.
Tags: Golf, Moving, Vegan
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Happy
August 2nd, 2008bday to me. I was hung over but somewhat useful today. I found an apartment. And I got to eat at this yummy vegan restaurant. Now I nap… for about 30 minutes.
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July 31st, 2008
I apparently have friends that are bad with dates or that don’t give a crap about me. And I really doubt it’s the former because I specifically asked two close friends to hang out on my birthday. I even asked them for event suggestions because I couldn’t decide. No, they’ll pass.
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Nitro Fusion
July 28th, 2008
I’m putting all of my hopes in this stuff. It’s a multi source protein supplement. This means it’s unique from whey and soy protein supplements for a few reasons. The relevant ones are that this stuff comes from natural protein (no, I don’t consider whey to be natural when it’s an animal derivative) and it offers several types of protein, brown rice, pea and artichoke. Also, it’s a great product because it’s vegan and that means I can use it to try to gain weight without sacrificing my beliefs.
I have been using this for about two weeks and I know it’s still early to expect changes. After last month’s doctor’s visit when the nurse accused me of being anorexic I was given an ultimatum. I was told to gain weight or else. My father is a doctor so he had lectured me about taking vitamins, making sure that I keep myself healthy and so on. I had not been able to find a protein supplement that I could live with until a friend introduced me.
Nitro Fusion has been the most tolerable product I have tried. My only qualm was adjusting to the chalkiness. It’s not so chalky that it can’t be tolerated and I am fine with it now. I am just glad that the taste works for me. I have vanilla, I think I saw a berry one too that I’ll try next time.
I blend it every morning with rice milk, ice, 1 scoop and either strawberries and blueberries or strawberries and mango. It’s pretty good. I really wish it offered more calories though. Either way, I have been feeling a lot better physically and I’m glad to have protein back in my body. It’s amazing how much of a difference it makes. I have more energy, I feel less weak and hopefully I’ll be getting more serious about working out and it’ll help me build muscle.
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My ‘get out of jail free’ card
July 25th, 2008My very wise old general manager insisted that I being tough on these kids. He showed me a lot of admin things and encouraged me to make a list of things I want to learn on the system. He praised me and told me I did a great job, but I can’t allow the employees to be babied. Let me know if you need anything or they don’t treat you right, he said, I’ll come back and I won’t be happy. He is the supreme manager of the company. The big boss of all the stores without being corporate. Everyone obeys him. I came from his store, he wants me to succeed and he’s a powerful person to have backing me. A manager that works at my store that is temporarily relocated came by tonight. He said roughly the same thing. You have lots of support in the company, he said. Good. Great! He told me to write people up, send people home, show them that although I am young I am boss. So I’ve been given the ‘okay’ to do whatever there I see fit. Retrain. Good. I was scared to go into a foreign store and try to take control, but that’s what they want me to do. So I can be happy at work. They don’t care that I’ll be ‘the bitch’ because that’s how you have to be when polite suggestions are ignored.
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Observation
July 25th, 2008
I was offended and furious when the nurse accused me of being anorexic. Vegan. Vegan! No meat, no dairy, no fat. I was thin before and I’m trying to gain weight, but now I understand a little bit about why there was concern…
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It’s too hot
July 25th, 2008It’s triple digit temperature. Humidity is 30%.
It’s freaking Arizona and I just drove past a few mexican men walking door to door, dressed in jeans and long-sleeved shirts with a frock-like layer holding what looks like flyers. It’s too hot. And I have no bottles of water. Those poor men, they can’t possibly want to be doing what they’re doing.
I do poke fun occasionally at different races. I somewhat justify it by two things: I am half hispanic so I am allowed to and I figure if I’m making fun of everyone it’s not like I’m really singling anyone out… a sort of Family Guy logic behind that. Anyways, I must say that although it does creep me out that I live in a state where just as many Spanish speaking people reside as English speaking, I will never take credit from them. I have worked a ton of food industry. They take the jobs they need to. They aren’t handicapped with an ego or too much ambition, they take what they can to get by. One in particular, Nacho, works about 80 hours a week to support his family. And there are a set of twins and another young male at my work who began working as soon as legally able. Why? To help their family. So I may be somewhat weirded out and annoyed when I can’t understand what’s being said about me, I do admire these people I share a background with, even if I’ve never experienced what they do. I haven’t had a rough life, but my compassion counts for something. I mean, come on, who gets anxiety after seeing a sweaty man walk door to door? What sort of strange person still feels guilty 11 years after killing a caterpillar, intentionally.
So I guess my theme today is gratitude.
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Bath
July 24th, 2008
She was not very happy with me. But then I gave her kisses and a treat. At least she’s smelling pretty nice now!
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DJ Vice
July 23rd, 2008
is
pure
talent.
period.
vice vice, baby.
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Utopian is helping me get things done!
July 23rd, 2008After writing that last post my host contacted me with information for more convenient updating. I have had three domains, worked with a handful of web hosts and I am quite nicely surprised that this particular host is paying attention. I can’t say that I’ve ever had a bad host, but certainly this is my first experience with a proactive and involved one. It’s a very nice feeling. They respond immediately to my silly questions. Though our relationship is young, it seems very promising. I looked all over for an affordable host and spend quite some time debating. I didn’t want to have to pay annually or make a time commitment because I wasn’t sure how much time I would have to dedicate. I still don’t have as much time as I would like, but the service offered was too good to pass. I don’t have to pay so much that I get upset on days I can’t be present. I had a TypePad for a couple of years and I paid about $8 a month. I must say, I don’t pay much more, but I am getting a lot more for my money. I say this with confidence, Utopian offers a lot without charging too much. Plus, there’s the benefit of not being a huge host that makes you fill out helpdesk tickets and wait a few days for a response and then a couple more days to any real help.
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