Some experimental notes

• general limbering up / flailing limbs about
• touch toes / floor (in 1p), and then a back bend with hands supporting lower back (Deeta)
• arms out, pliee (bend knees) and twist trunk a few times before bending to each side
• arms out, twist neck to each side (PT)
• "trap stretch": one arm behind and the other on me head pulling gently down (1p) (PT)
• next bit is arm positions, breathing, and jaw exercises (PT and ballet)
• one foot (and arm) and then the other, on breaths (Alessia, Lazy Dancer Studio)
• forward prayer arm and shoulder stretch (PT)
• "tree" each leg, for a few seconds or breaths (ballet or Wii Yoga)
• cross leg forward stretch (hamstrings) (TLS 4.0)
• standing reverse, side, and forward leg stretches (each) (Garage Ballet)

• squats sets (Hinge Health et alia)
• leg and foot exercises from walking class (Divina)
• ( some floor leg stretches (ballet class)
• leg lifts sets (TLS 4.0)

• Dark Restraint (Dark Olympus 7) by Katee Robert
• The Assassin Game by Kirsty McKay
• Revelation Space (Inhibitors trilogy) by Alastair Reynolds
• New Adventures in Space Opera (anthology)
• Traditional Aerial Yoga by Dr. Kavitha Moahan
• Academy I (Academy Works book one) by Mia Moore

• Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile ( Ustinov, 20C )
• Weird Science (Hughes, 20C)

• Evil (series finale, Star Trek Channel)
• finished up current season of Dr Who on Disney Channel
• speeches and odd musical acts from Chicago (YouTube)
• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (finished Season 4)

• Vogue (US) September

• OPI Start to Finish

Health and fitness

With some variance and some set backs factored in, it's been a good health year for me and I've done well with my programme of establishing and keeping healthier habits. I've apparently even netted some compliments (!?). I've started (back) with a food tracking app after one other experiment reminded me how far off my ideas about my macronutrients were from what I actually consume, having a think about tracking overall, and re-checking some of my measurement this week. And I got through family holiday visits without too much overeating or junk food, possibly. All with daily stretches, if not much exercise. And you? What are you working on to feel better?

MCU starts here

• Reacher Season 2 is ridiculous and enjoyable ... and Gen V (a Boyz spin-off) was better than we expected (I'm crediting Kripke's influence over the writing and design) (both on Amazon Video, though Reacher S1 can be purchased on DVD)
• Rebel Moon was long and terrible, and seemed very expensive to make. We did have fun with our commentary at least.
• movies Poor Things and Saltmist are both very weird and interesting. If you've any interest I recommend seeing them before reading anything about either. Of the two, Poor Things is much better and more interesting.
• new Dr Who for 2023 has been quite fun so far and touching in spots (Doctor-Donna) (I'll watch the 4th special shortly)
• not entirely unrelated, Sex Education is one of the best shows ever on telly, not just the best one about sex or teenagers (and possibly other topics)
• less related but interesting and funny: Sexify, a Polish show about college students, sex, and ... an app ?
• I briefly sampled the new Scott Pilgrim show and am very excited. I finally read the graphic novels this year and that made me love the movie even more, strangely enough.
• I've read two of the four "Year of Sanderson" novels and am delighted with them both. Definitely one of my better dumb Kickstarter pledges. Tress of the Emerald Sea may well be a classic and Frugal Wizard... was a really fun read. Both have great audio versions.
  • The illustrated hardbacks are beautiful and they still have some in stock.

En----n

For a number of reasons this year I'd been reducing my Patreon spend and signing up to creators elsewhere. Then, Patreon pulled a new, predictable dumb stunt which has accelerated that process. If anyone reading this was impacted, please ping and I'll try to help.

April

mornings, often between caffeine doses:

• standing, limbering stretches, including one rep of PT stretches
• feet set or leg set
• feet (with arms so "bras"): battement tendu (round), jete (2*round), rhon du jambe (a/d)
• legs (with arms so "bras): developpe: 2 sets each held for 4 breaths
• pliee: 3 sets of 5

May

mornings, often between caffeine doses:

• standing, limbering stretches, including one rep of PT stretches
• feet, legs, and plie (most days)
• or just feet OR legs and pliee

And nightly, rises to stretch feet (ala TPPB). By mid-May this is 3 sets of 5 in 1rst 2nd 3rd (both) 4th (both) and 5th (both) .. mine anyway

And all while trying to:

• breathe from diaphragm through nose
• improve positions and form (arms!)
• bend my [...] knees
• *grumble* keep my turnout, as much as I have anyway

This has also led to a more stable pattern of daily weigh-ins and weekly measurement, so hopefully that data will be useful. That bit is definitely inspired by TLS. Speaking of the floor daemon, weight has done okay in this time period, osciallating gently around the new goal by a kilo or so throughout the week. The other data from the floor daemon (or the tape) isn't consistent enough to take too seriously. Por ejemplo: I doubt I lost 20 lbs of muscle between readings this month .. since I didn't lose that much at all ?! Meh #scale.

Besides the details of the stretches, this means that I have been stretching and exercising daily for almost two months straight, and still going! This is a Big Deal and a major #goal I've been struggling with intentionally for a few years now (plus whole life).

ETA:It is vastly more important to keep going than to do tough exercise everyday. I can add more "reps and weight" ala TLS when I need to.. but I have to strengthen this habit.

Also in May I survived and learned some things from a six day straight online course $work paid for on some very advanced stuff, including some maths that I wanted to flee from and hide (like any reasonable creature), but did not and some tough programming that I kept trying on even though I couldn't complete most of them. Powered by extra daily caffiene and getting behind on chores, Hausarbeit, and other studies ... seem to have scraped by (never mind the buckets of laundry over there).

Refs

TLS

Thinner Leaner Stronger https://www.thinnerleanerstronger.com/

TPPB

The Perfect Pointe Book https://www.theballetblog.com/shop/the-perfect-pointe-book/