Real Life Intrudes

Last entry was Sunday?  What happened to Monday and Tuesday?

Monday was Labor Day.  I spent most of the day working in the back yard: weeding, mowing, pruning, raking.  There's still a lot to do, but at least now it's not looking like a jungle.  The side walk way really needs to be paved or something.  I'd like to put down paver stones like the patio, but I just don't have the spare funds.  I need to replace some of the plants too.

I paid a visit to Laces and sat down with Mike to talk about starting up the marathon training in earnest.  I haven't run in over a week, and I explained to him what was going on with my calf.  (Have I already written about this?  Feels like I already have.)  Anyway, Mike suggested he could help me recuperate from the injury quicker and allow us to get started.  I'm a wide-eyed impressionable boy when it comes to expert authority, but his suggestion of possibly using electro-therapy has me a little skeptical.  He also recommended a daily supplement to boost my calcium/potassium, since that very likely could be a contributor.  That's interesting, especially since my vitamin D measured low.  D is required for calcium absorption.  So I started a good multi-vitamin regimen on Monday.

I gave the calf a tentative workout, jogging very slowly for 30 minutes.  Felt okay.  I've been stretching and massaging both calves and hamstrings with a "ben gay" like ointment.  I think I'm ready to return.  If not...looks like I'll be giving some electrodes a workout.  And maybe some compression socks.

Today I stayed home from work to try to complete the massive task of cleaning out the boxes and boxes and boxes of paperwork (bills, receipts, account statements, correspondence) that have accumulated over the past 5-6 years of slobbish neglect.  I used to be so orderly...almost obsessively so.  Now I feel like one of those subjects on the Hoarders show, although my hoarding has been confined to legal-size boxes that have steadily grown in number.  At least I'm a neat hoarder.

But I just let it get away from me.  And it all probably started back in the mid-90s when I moved to Japan. I lost my financial and orderly discipline back then, but it's really gotten bad in the 2000s.  Interesting that that corresponds with my loss of fitness.  However, I began the road back to physical fitness in September 2008, and now here it is 2 years later and I'm in a place, approaching 50, I never imagined I'd be.  Maybe September 2010 will be the same sort of turning point for my financial fitness.  It's not going to be easy, or solved in a day or two of cleaning out boxes.  But it's a start.

In the meantime, between the inside and outside household chores, I've not carved out the time to take an exercise break (though the yardwork could be called exercise).

I love how exercise and working out has become my recreation.  I just have to watch out and make sure to keep it in proportion to the rest of things I need to take care of.  (Still don't have a car to replace the Camry.  Not sure what I would have done without the kindness of Robert and his loaning me his old 325i.)