I Got Lucky

I've been scarce around these parts lately because I've been so busy with moving. As of yesterday, I finally got all my stuff from the apartment to the new house. I am now officially no longer sick of packing, and on the cusp of being sick of unpacking. The garage is full of boxes which have not yet been attended to, and I'll be working on those throughout the week. But in the meantime, hi!

I had a nice little housewarming gift in my mailbox the other day: a pretty little handmade box from chernobylred. Thanks! I love little boxes. I don't know why, but I do. Those and blank books. I think it's the pure potential they represent. Now, what will I put inside this pretty little box? Hmm....

The new house is so much nicer than the apartments I've been living in for the past decade or more. I have a crush on my new kitchen. And on the jacuzzi bathtub. Oh yes.... My room is taking shape, and is beginning to look cozy and inviting. I plan on having a bookshelf running along near the top of the wall. This will keep the books accessible, but also not get in the way of organizing my other stuff.

For the past few weeks, I've been doing something called the burpee challenge. On day 1, I did 1 burpee. On day 2, 2. Today is day 22. I haven't done my 22 yet, but I will shortly. I managed to talk a few people into doing this with me. For those of you who are, how are you holding up? Once I'm through day 100, I plan on doing the same thing, but with pushups. I fully intend to improve my strength, endurance, and technique by embracing exercises I hate. I'm a fitness masochist, but it pays off. I used to hate doing squats, and now they're probably my favourite exercise. Will I ever get to like burpees? Not yet. They're still hateful, even if I'm much better at them than I was earlier this year.

So many people have been saying what a shitty year this has been. And yes, some horrible things have happened (what year doesn't hold horrors?), but at the same time, it's been a great year for me, over all. Here are a bunch of the things I've been blessed with:

• My health has never been better than it has been this year. In previous years, I've been stricken with numerous colds and flus which plague me for multiple weeks. I currently have my second cold of this year. The first one was in the early spring and lasted less than two weeks. I'm on day three of this cold, and I suspect it is all but gone. I feel much better today than I did two days ago. Huzzah! And I have had no asthma attacks this year which were anywhere close to hospital worthy. Huzzah!
  
• I've achieved several fitness/physical goals. I can now do glute ham raises, multiple pistol squats, handstands, a pile of power jumping jacks, and double unders on the jump rope. I also achieved goals I didn't know I had: I can hold an extended plank, and can even do push ups in that position with relative ease. I passed a fitness test at the excellent level, not only for my own age group, but for people two decades younger than I.
  
• I got to dance with Louise Lecavalier, and although her crazy choreography got the better of me, it wasn't through lack of energy and strength. I was able to keep up with the frenetic pace of two days of dancing with her. Booyeah!
  
• I toured England for the first time with knightky.
  
• I made a major breakthrough in movement and mind over matter in studying whirling with the incomparable Ziya Azazi.
  
• I think I got my first significant glimmer of understanding of butoh studying with Jocelyne Montpetit.
  
• I designed and created a pile of cool costuming, from a lined velvet dance coat to a pile of dark ages Viking clothing.
  
• I learned to tablet weave.
  
• I learned to china paint and greatly improved my sumi-e technique.
  
• I wrote a play and had it performed, and people liked it a lot.

I'm fucking lucky.