Check-In: 2016-01-31 (Sunday)

Stamina: high / medium charge
Focus: high / full
Magic: high / full

It's a rainy day here in the rainforest, which I actually really enjoy. I've done some yoga and was just looking forward to a walk when I realized that my Fitbit was on the verge of battery death, so I've decided to stay in and do a little bit of computer stuff while the device charges.

This does of course raise some questions about whether or not I should limit myself based on Fitbit charges. But in this instance, I don't mind taking a little more time before getting out the door. It won't be long, and I was planning on getting a few thousand steps, which would be nice to log. Still, important to notice that I am being tethered by an inert object, which can be fine in small doses but should not come to rule my life.

I'm pretty optimistic, though, since the improvements in lifestyle really are starting to pay off in terms of my energy levels. I'm looking forward to a day of reading French and maybe writing some English and likely doing some meditation and/or listening to music. Hence why staying in to charge my Fitbit doesn't exactly distract from my day's goals.

Apparently our supper plan today is to order in Chinese food, so we've got a reasonably lazy Sunday planned.

I've read about some people who are polyglots of languages, gaining fluency in several and competence in a dozen or more. Apparently after you pick up a couple of languages, it becomes easier to pick up more. This led me to wonder if it is better to learn more than one simultaneously, or if it is still best to learn one at a time. I came across a blog that professed the latter, that you need to immerse yourself in a language for a while so that you could really pick up the core of it. He recommended no more than two languages at once, provided the two languages were significantly different from one another. Even then he advised that learning one at a time was better.

So it looks like I'll be sticking to French for a while. I'm still enjoying it at any rate, which is important when you are dealing with my attention span. Karen and I watched a French film called Le Prenom yesterday (I believe I mentioned it on my last check-in). The first half, which I have seen before, was more of a comedy, while the second half was much more of a drama. In a way this was a bit disappointing, as it had been a good comedy, but the drama wasn't bad--it felt like a Breakfast Club for French adults. In any case, I was able to pick up a little more this time through, so my ear is getting better at following the cadence of the language. The Archie comics have been good for teaching me the way that the language is constructed, and the way that they express certain ideas. For example, the word "tenir" roughly means to "hold", but gets used in a variety of ways like, "Here!" or "I hold the idea that". Those kinds of usages are much easier to learn through live exposure than through formally study of the rules, it seems.

At this point I am just rambling. Time to check on the charge in my Fitbit.

Check-In: 2016-01-29 (Friday)

Stamina: high / nearly full
Focus: high / full
Magic: very high / full

I am currently sitting in a coffee shop called Moka House (no, not Mocca House apparently). Karen and I have come here to enjoy the ambience and coffee before visiting the movie rental shop across the street. I'm hoping to pick up a couple of French films that I would like to see.

I am also experimenting with the space in terms of how it feels to work on a laptop here. Karen brought a book so she can read while I tap away on the keyboard.

In any case, I'm playing with the format of the check-ins again. I've decided to try looking at my energy levels, both in terms of how I'm feeling in terms of capacity and how drained I am. For example, a really heavy day of exercise might have a high stamina that has been drained. Stamina is of course the energy of the body, incorporating activities like sleep and exercise. Focus is the energy of the mind for things like reading, writing, learning, etc. Magic is the energy of the spirit, and is the more nebulous element that deals with emotions and emotional efforts.

Right now I'm feeling pretty loaded up on all three. We've been swimming four times this week, plus all the dog walking. I've only been on a relatively brief walk so far today so I have a great deal of stamina capacity that has only been slightly used up.

Because I had a good sleep last night I'm feeling fairly good in terms of focus as well. Today might be a really good writing day as a result. I'm feeling somewhat inspired and may give it a stab later on.

But where I'm really feeling energetic is the magic. I took a walk around the bog by myself this morning, which meant I was surrounded by trees, breathing lots of rain-scrubbed air full of freshly-produced oxygen. Mark, Karen, and I had an interesting conversation last night about the concept of Wu (Wu Wei) from Taoism, which is essentially a state of formlessness and naturalness, a oneness with the Tao. It also features in the TV version of The Man In The High Castle, where they interpret it a little differently, with more of an emotional charge to it. So I've been contemplating Taoist concepts and doing walking meditations in nature, which has left me feeling extremely full and positive in terms of my emotional feelings.

I'm hoping to find a couple of movies at the movie rental shop (which I think is called Pick A Flick). The first is a movie called Le Prenom, which is about a man who is visiting friends and then tells them what he plans on naming his newborn son--resulting in hilarity. We started to watch it in French class at Alliance Francaise, but didn't get to see the whole thing. The other is Amelie, because I was talking to Karen about French films and I mentioned that I hadn't seen Amelie.

The laptop experiment is going quite well. The chair is comfortable and the atmosphere is pleasant. I may try coming back here on my own to get a bit of writing done.

Check-In: 2016-01-26 (Tuesday)

Body: Exercised (walking, swimming, fruit, vegetables, regular sleep)
Mind: Active (reading in French)
Spirit: Cheerful (walking outside, exercise, regular sleep, friends, dog)

I've finally overcome the exhaustion that I initially felt after arriving in Victoria. I think that the sudden increase in physical activity demanded some extra rest as my body acclimatized to it. Also, starting yesterday, I have slightly improved my sleep pattern so that I'm getting to and out of bed a touch earlier. I'm not what you would call an early bird, but I have been out of bed at ten for a couple of days in a row now.

My diet has, of course, been quite good here. Lots of fruit and vegetables. Though I have noticed my appetite sky-rocketing due to exercise.

Swimming has been a lot of fun. I've been slowly getting used to the deep water, both in terms of diving into it and in terms of getting used to the pressure. In only a couple of attempts, I've already much improved my ability to take the water pressure, and I am now able to dive off the edge of the pool. I don't think I'll be ready to attempt the 1 metre diving board yet, but I'm sure that with a bit more practice I'll start to get the urge for something a little more exciting.

As my energy has buoyed, so has my mood. Not that I was low before, but just quiet and contemplative. I'm now feeling outright cheerful.

I've still been spending most of my relaxation time reading Archie comics in French. I've made it through one double-volume and am now making a second pass on it in order to drill the vocabulary and concepts, now that I'm familiar with the stories. I find it to be an enjoyable mental exercise, especially as I'm using Google Translate less and less.

A bientot!

I Will Drink From Your Skull!

Normally, Luna is such a gentle dog. But here she is depicted drinking from a human skull, so perhaps there is a darker edge to her.

Or maybe she just likes rainwater seasoned with pine needles and dirt.

Mark and I have been walking a lot of hills in the area, due to the fact that the new Fitbits can measure stairs climbed in addition to steps, heartrate, and other things. One of the perks of climbing a lot of hills is discovering views like this one, which probably doesn't come across in a cellphone picture:

I'm sure the people who own the house are quite happy with the view from their livingroom. And I can only imagine what that does to property values.

But even close to Mark's home there are many shades, textures, and qualities of green to discover, like these:

I'm starting to settle into the life and rhythms of Victoria again. The mundane task of doing a load of laundry may help me transition from the feeling of "on vacation" to "living here for a while."

And with the dryer buzzer now sounding, I'd better sign off and post again later.

Check-In: 2016-01-20 (Wednesday)

Body: Waking Up (walking, yoga, stairs, fruit & vegetables)
Mind: Quietly Curious (reading in French, meditation, yoga futurism)
Spirit: Calm (meditation, walking outdoors, dog, friends)

The sleepiness which has dominated my first days in Victoria is, I think, starting to pass. I did some yoga on Monday which started the process of waking my body up to the possibility of exercise, something it hasn't experienced in some months thanks to the weird ribcage issues. Said issues are, by the way, now either gone or else very subtle, which is good.

I ate a bunch of wheat in the days preceding and following my flight, leading to a bit of extra lethargy and other symptoms, so I've been cutting down in the last few days, and that also seems to be helping.

Living at Mark and Karen's place of course means lots of fruit and vegetables. We just got some amazingly sweet and lovely oranges.

I'm still feeling fairly mild in terms of my mental and spiritual spaces, though generally in a pleasant way. I'm beginning to get a little more of an appetite in these areas, though, so I'm going to a bookstore shortly to get a slightly easier French book to read (I'm hoping for some Asterix). On the spirit end of things, I'm beginning to feel an urge to try something engaging like writing.

In any case, some semblance of a routine is starting to form. I am feeling a little bit less like a guest and a little bit more like a roommate, bit by bit.

Tonight we are going swimming. I haven't done that in about a year, so that should be a blast!

Returning

Returning

The bottlecap ninja that I drew upon arriving back at Mark's house was meant to be something resolute and determined. I wanted it to say "I am back" with an air of ambition. What actually has happened, however, is that I have been sleepy and lazy for several days, and should probably have taken this picture with a 90 degree counter-clockwise turn of the bottle and some z's drawn in over the horizontal stick figure.

Not that this is a bad thing. Between video games, candy, reduced exercise, and the watching documentaries late into the night, I think I'd managed to short change myself on health and energy, and so need a bit of a catchup. Also, it's giving me a chance to think about what I am hoping to accomplish this trip to Victoria.

In some ways, the answer is, "Not much." Last year, I was coming off of some severe burn out and in need of a lot of restorative exercise and diet. This year, much of that has been accomplished--or is at least well under way--so the mission has shrunk to "Continue to exist, but do so in a place with less snow."

On the one hand, I am keen to pursue this simple mission. On the other hand, human beings tend to thrive when they have something to work towards.

In any case, I have plenty of scattered things to work on. I plan on getting some software installed on my laptop which will take some fiddling. I plan on continuing with my study of French by reading a French book (I bought one at Books on View the other day). I plan on getting some writing done, and would like to go swimming at some point (once I heal the damage I inflicted upon my toe by winging it on the end of the bed).

In the meantime, I will sleep and enjoy the humid air.

And here is a cool sight that I found downtown by the museum: