Shockingly it’s been 2 months since we’ve done deadlifts. I’ve been away a lot during the weekends and we’d only done one squat workout in between. Finally squeezed it in on a Sunday night last weekend.
I pulled out my Harbinger wrist wraps, which I haven’t touched since I bought them 6 years ago while working with a personal trainer at GoodLife. Sumos at 95 lbs felt good! I could easily add more weight next time.
Warm-up
3×100 jump rope 3×10 banded good mornings 3×10 chest pulls with a green band
Lifts 5×5 deadlifts 95/95/95/95/95
Accessory work 3×10 bent over rows @ 45/45/4 3×10 stiff legged deadlifts @ 45/45/45 3×10 laying plate pullovers @ 10/10/10
Monitor blood pressure at home (4/5): Used it a few times to see how my blood pressure varies over the day. I do the reading in the bedroom while sitting on the bed and not moving. Typically, I take the pill when I wake up in the morning. Typically, by the time I am measuring it in the evening, it is higher as the medication wears off.
Barbell workouts and exercise (5/5): Went to the school gym and did a squat workout with B. Both of us were sore for several days! As B.’s elbow hasn’t been great, I did not want to push him into the next workout (i.e. barbell press press). This weekend, I did a kettlebell workout at Barre and Belles in Guelph ($30) and woke up with sore abs. It was a good experience and I got to learn the get up; I signed up for another class ($30) in late March. Volleyball has been going well and I missed one session because of a concert. Altogether, movement is great for blood pressure regulation. It’s fun and keeps me going!
B. Financial / Auto
Find free music (3/5): I canceled my Apple Music ($12.42/month). BeenListening to NPR Tiny Desk and also lo-fi on YouTube. It’s helpful that I have an iPad that I can keep plugged in.
Use workout passes (3/5): I had cancelled a class at Barre and Belles last minute back in January; finally used up that pass. Also booked myself in for The Attic Yoga for aerial restorative; after that, I have 6 more passes I need to use up. Haven’t been to The Branches recently, though.
Set up a FHSA (5/5): Had a $6000 GIC mature in January; originally I wanted to reinvest the money into an FHSA but I had forgot I rolled it over for another year. I ended up starting a FHSA account with a roboadvisor and put in $8000ta.
C. Personal Development / Self-care
Language learning (4/5): Did some iTalki sessions with Z. Reviewed some terms with my mother, including grammar, subject, object and verb.
Return to Korean (4/5): I restarted Korean in the second half of February. Mostly, I have been using Memrise, which I have a lifetime membership for. I also found a great website that explains grammatical structure very well and finished lesson 1. I may try to squeez in lesson 2 at some point.
D. Relationships / Social / Travel
Explore locally (5/5): Went to The Guanaquita Restuarant with an old colleague. My friend, D., paid for my dinner. Tried a new Indian restaurant, Masala Bay, for Valentine’s Day. Took Barry to Activate Scarborough, as well as Ital Vital for lunch. Purchased a $25 gift certificate to Willibald for B. for Valentine’s Day.
Spend time with friends and family (5/5): Played board games with S. on Board Games Arena. Video chatted with C. on a Saturday morning. Went to a family gathering at my mother’s house. Took my grandmother and aunt out for lunch. Went for a walk with E.’s wife, S., who just moved here. Saw a movie with K. Went for an escape room with teacher friends.
Cut back on social media (2/5): There were short periods that I uninstalled Instagram and/or logged off of it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.
Heart health (3/5): Month two of pills to deal with high blood pressure. I take them in the mornings and don’t have any issues; I’ve only forgotten once or twice. Cutting back on some sodium, although I don’t think I’m very good at this, and trying to shift our meals to more homemade foods.
Find joy in movement (4/5): January renewal costed over $200, since I stupidly had hit cancel on my Alomoves at one point so I lost access to the 50% deal that had been grandfathered in for old Cody App users (I’m kicking myself hard for this one). Started volleyball with JAM on Tuesday nights and bought knee pads, since they’re indoor school courts ($35). Also bought a pair of Head ski boots ($240) and went skiing with the WCSSAA ski team. Used the gym at school a couple of times for two lift workouts. Meant to go another time but also fell and had some tailbone issues, where I had minor pain from downward dogs alone and had to ease off some types of movements.
B. Financial / Auto
Shop for new glasses (0/5): Since September, B. and I updated our health benefits plan so that we can access each other’s unused portion of benefits. Since he doesn’t need glasses, I wanted to start looking for a pair. Previously, my benefits only covered enough for contact lens, which I wear on a daily basis. We didn’t get around to looking so I’ll shift this to another month’s set of goals.
First home savings account (3/5): Started a FHSA account with just $2000 to start, although my goal was $8000. I was hoping to use the money from a GIC that matured but I missed the maturity date and had it reinvested for another year … Argh.
Calculate net worth (5/5): Since we had a phone call with Educators Financial Group at the beginning of the month, we did an affordability assessment. We got the information in less than 2 days, and it gave us an idea of what we could afford. The numbers we got were realistic to what we had calculated, so that was nice to know.
C. Personal Development / Self-care
Language learning (3/5): Did a few iTalki sesisons, including one in Korean. Even though the session went well, I decided not to continue with her. I hopped back onto Memrise (I have a lifetime membership) but fell off the wagon towards the end of the month as I became less focused. I’ve learned that there’s no point forcing myself to learn a language.
Learn something new together (5/5): Last month, we did a SCUBA lesson together for the first time together. This month, we did a basic knives skills class in Hamilton. This was a present I had gifted to B. ($140) and we both had a great time.
Explore locally (5/5): Visited Little Canada ($36/person) in Toronto with my aunt; we also tried a vegan restaurant downtown. Tried out Activate ($0, gift from D.) and went to my favourite Thai restaurant in Toronto, Jatujak, which I haven’t been in a long time.
Spend time with family and friends (5/5): Dinner with my mother-in-law on Mondays, except one evening when I took my UWL volunteer out to Ethel’s Lounge ($45). Went ice skating and had Iraqi food at my sister’s house ($149). Another friend, K., treated me to dinner at The Guanaquita Restaurant for my birthday. Spent a day with my grandmother at the rehab centre and also helped transfer her back to my mother’s house.
Student teacher: I’m going to miss having my shadow follow me around everywhere! S. has been my favourite student teacher thus far and we’ve clicked really well. This is my third student teacher. He finishes this Friday.
Coaching: Since November, I’ve been quite busy with volleyball coaching. Every day, we are either practicing or having a game with another high school (i.e. Tuesday and Thursdays). I’m getting more confident as an assistant coach, although I still struggle with the rotations. It’s nice also that I’m starting to recognize some of our refs, a couple which are retired teachers from our own board. Since I am busy every day and often don’t get home until 5pm, I don’t have much time to be documenting wildlife on …
iNaturalist: I miss being outdoors and uploading pics of cool mushrooms. During the fall, I was helping to confirm observations when I didn’t contribute observations myself. As it gets darker sooner and we are less motivated to go for walks as it gets colder, so it was refreshing to watch the iNaturalist 2023 “Deep Dive” webinar and learn about how much impact this website has been!
Hypertension: So after a EKG, blood test and wearing an ambulatory blood pressure monitor for 18 hours ($60), my family doctor called me on Tuesday and confirmed that I do have high blood pressure. She started me on 5 mg of amlodipine, which is, apparently, the same medication that my 104-year-old grandmother takes! I picked it up yesterday and started today, and since it’s only been the first day, I don’t have any more updates. I suppose I should be thankful that in the span of less than two months I’ve been able to get a diagnosis and treatment, which is extremely speedy!
Therapy: The therapist that I had started with in July dropped me as I wasn’t able to commit to a weekly session. She was useful during the last while that I had her, but I didn’t intend to have any long-term commitment with her. I’ve decided that I am going to shift my energy elsewhere …
Korean: I’d like to give another stab at learning Korean, in case we really do travel there in 2-3 years time. My friend S. hasn’t been, and neither has my mother or B. I booked an iTalki teacher for the first week of January, during my holidays and am excited to find more conversational support this time.
This mornign, we went to Georgetown to try some SCUBA gear! B. had put his name in a Rotary auction and won us two 1-hour diving lessons to do later this month!
I ended up buying a wetsuit because, regardless of whether we decide to commit to SCUBA or not, I have been intending on getting on for stand up paddling.
Receive flu and COVID vaccine (5/5): Booked at Rexall and was able to get it during the first week of November. I got both at the same time but paid for it afterwards when I had to take Monday afternoon off, as I felt achy and woozy. A 2-hour nap midday was the perfect solution.
Make lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure (4/5): Watched a video that explains how blood pressure is affected by exercise. I’ve been using less salt in my food, including eggs in the morning. However, I know when we eat out, there is more salt in the food. I’ve booked an appointment very soon to talk to my family doctor.
Find ways to enjoy movement (5/5): I’m often helping out with tossing and shagging balls at volleyball coaching. I signed up for two classes at Barre and Belles, but wasn’t feeling great and only went to one class with B. Paid for 10 class pass at The Attic Yoga ($226); went to one restorative class and a barre class. I also went and played womens’ volleyball at the local community centre ($3).
B. Financial / Auto
Upgrade my MasterCard (5/5): Did this right on the last day of November. There are lots of travel benefits on this MasterCard that we won’t benefit from until farther into the future when we travel, but on a day-to-day basis we retain 2% cashback.
Attend a financial workshop (5/5): Attended a financial workshop that my union promoted and learned about the Educators Financial Group, which might be a good place to start if we want to talk to a mortgage broker.
Will (2/5): We inquired about creating a will with a lawyer and got a quote for $1250 + tax. At this time we’ve decided to hold off for now as it’s not an urgent matter.
Renew driver’s license (5/5): Cost $0 ad was done online.
C. Personal Development / Self-care
Reading (3/5): Finished Stay True; currently reading Fieldwork, The Comfort Book. I didn’t read as much as I wanted to this month because of the additional time at work from coaching volleyball.
Ask for consultant’s input (5/5): I asked one of the consultants at work to come and visit my classroom. He helped me give some feedback on a lesson with algebra tiles and I’m glad I did it! It helps me enjoy my job and increases my motivation to keep learning.
Learn about IDing (5/5) Picked up my Peterson guide and watched a webinar on the development of this book. I’ve also watched all the tutorial videos about iNaturalist . Joined the Mycological Society of Toronto ($55/2 years) and wanted to watch a webinar on the Royal Ontario Museum fungarium but missed it because I forgot about it.
Purchase an iPad to help organize workouts (4/5):: Ordered a refurbished 8th generation iPad (128GB) and picked it up in the middle of the month.
D. Relationships / Social / Travel
Explore locally (5/5): Tried a new Chinese restaurant and had tacos at Casa Toro 88 in Kitchener with B.’s mother. Also took her to the Etsy Christmas market ($2) and then ate crepes at La Plouc afterwards. Went for dosas at Annalakshmi in Mississauga.
Spend time with family and friends (5/5): Went for dinner with a large group of friends at Golden Dynasty, Mexican dinner with B.’s mother. Drove my mother and her friend to the tricity area and took them to Latinoamerica Unida. The next day, I had lunch at my sister’s house and spent some time playing piano with my niece. Shopping at the Premium Outlets and Indian food with my friend B. who drove in from Toronto. Taught B. how to play a board game, Wingspan, which I haven’t played in a few months. Had dinner at C. and H.’s house at the end of the month.
Request credit increase: Requested a credit increase of $2500 on top of one of my Visa credit cards, that is currently at $5000. Was approved overnight. I figured it would be useful for upcoming wedding purchases, as well as travel.
Languages: I’m revisiting Turkish because a lot of my Syrian students speak Turkish. In the last week, I reviewed lesson 1 and 2 of unit 1 on Pimsleur. I also found an old Teach Yourself PDF for Turkish. For Cantonese, I paid for another 10 lessons ($170.85) but cancelled last minute on one when I was feeling overwhelmed with work this week.
Well.ca: I ordered a number of snacks for work and some women’s multivitamin from Herbaland. I’m nearly finished my low-dosage iron gummies that I purchased a few months ago, on the recommendation another friend, A. Used 25,000 points to get a $10 discount but forgot to log in through Rakuten for cash back.
Productivity Apps: I paid for a one-year membership ($58.75) for the Fabulous app. I used the free trial when it first came out years ago and enjoyed what little I saw of it. So far this week, I’ve been able to get up and exercise / do yoga before I start work every morning! My abs still feel sore from Thursday’s Alo Moves workout. The short guided meditations have been extremely helpful in getting me moving. Often I’m listening to one in the morning and one in the evening.
Camping: The solo camping trip was a success! It was easy to set up the Marmot tent without a second pair of hands. I stayed two nights but did not take my stand-up paddle out. I still had a great time and did the two main trails – two friends joined me on the first day – and even played mini golf there. It was peaceful and I also got to learn and apply the truckers’ hitch, the Reever knot and the slipknot. This was inspired from a camping session back in May, when we visited Mikisew Provincial Park. I also made two campfires for myself and finished reading two books on my Kobo. It was a restful time. I feel much more motivated to do solo camping again and bought an annual membership for Grand River Conservation ($150).
Employment Insurance: I put in an application for EI this week. We received a notice at the end of the work period that our Record of Employment (ROE) will be delayed; they are sent out to the government each year.
Cantonese: I continue to do iTalki sessions with my Cantonese teacher. My Blueline notebook is getting filled up, so I bought another one at Staples this week. This week and next week I have doubled up my iTalki sessions because we are headed to Montreal and Ottawa at the end of July. I’ll definitely get lots of practice chatting with my cousin and her family, as well as my mom, but I know I’ll be too busy to have online sessions!
Yoga: I bought a 5-pack pass for $69 at Hustl + Flow. Been using them for the 45 minute classes. This morning, I went for a 7 am class after dropping B. off at work. I came out sweaty!
Beach volleyball: Signed up for beach volleyball in the summer time as an individual ($111.87) I also figured that playing outdoors is probably still safer than playing indoors with strangers.
Dance class: Signed up for bachata classes ($90.40) with my friend, B. It’s on Wednesday nights for an hour. I’m not familiar with bachata and although many years ago I took a few classes of tango, I’m excited to try something new! The classes are conveniently close to the Waterloo Public Library.
Reading: I just finished Tan France’s memoir, which I picked up on Kobo for $3. I’ve been picking up books for cheap and enjoying reading on my eReader again.
Apps: I paid for an app that monitors cellphone useage ($4), called YourHour. I’ve been using it for a week so far and been very aware of some of my bad habits! I’ll most a longer post in a few more weeks’ time.
A few days ago, I found out that I will not be returning to the science LTO. I’m quite fine with that outcome and want to use January to hunker down and learn some more skills. Specifically, a few things I’d been putting off, learning how to use OBS while teaching and doing some video editing with Olive.
In the past 4 months, I’ve mostly focused on finding ESL work, learning how to teach online effectively and setting up a work-from-home classroom with props and manipulatives. Now that I’ve got most of that figured out, I need to get to the hard stuff – software!*
As well, when referring to offline time, I will also appreciate the extra time to do some more bullet journaling. Often, I feel more focused when I’ve got a chance to put pen to paper.
Something else I’m also interested in is using more visual notes, including Cornell notes. I was reminded of Cornell notes recently from a work memo, as our public school board transitions to fully online for the next while as COVID numbers in Ontario continue to rise. I’ve also been watching some videos by this YouTuber, Doug Neil. I’m interested in visual notetaking for both myself and on a professional level (i.e. incorporating it into high school classes)
Quick comparison of the classic Cornell notes and the sketchnoted Cornell notes, from Verbal to Visual
I’m wondering if I’ve just started making monthly or annual goals for myself. As you know, I always love learning so maybe this is the start of it!
*Yes, I’ve been putting this off, even though I knew about all this stuff back in October
Stumbling Through My Thirties 