February 28, 2021

Missed a post yesterday! Was up at Snow Mountain Ranch with my family. We got a big cabin together and went snowshoeing and tubing. SMR is a YMCA camp and they have a big rec center with basketball and rollerskating. COVID regulations are lighter in Colorado, so we were able to play two-on-two (me and my husband vs my brothers) while wearing masks. Being a year out of shape plus the 9,000 feet altitude plus masks, meant we were sucking wind. It was a little surreal being inside with other people plus playing basketball at all. We did have to sign waivers when we first arrived promising not to sue if we got COVID. 

I wonder if I should dedicate time into getting into basketball shape. Pushups, squats, jump rope. It would make me better at basketball when we come back. But working out is boring, and I'd rather walk and listen to audiobooks. But then again, maybe I wouldn't feel like I was playing in mud. And then there's my gender to defend whenever I step on a coed court. My husband and I beat my brothers two out of three games, but that was mostly thanks to my husband. I'm a spot shooter and always get a few boards by hustling, but I'm not much of a threat right now. 

Will be feeling regret if someone gets COVID because of our weekend trip, but it was nice to be up in the mountains and snow. My dad has gotten his first shot and my mom and husband (teacher) are eligible to schedule their first appointment. 

Last night I kept waking up feeling like I couldn't breathe. I also didn't blog yesterday. I feel like I've lost track of my schedule, of the things on my plate. I had it together and was productive for a few weeks. Feeling like I had turned into Amy 2.0. Hopefully I have, and I'll be able to slip back into it. But maybe dots, family time, and just reversion to the mean will get the better of me. 

February 26, 2021

My dad is in the living room with me, which is not conducive to blog writing because he can't help but talk. This morning it's been serial killers, DNA, the death penalty, early physics, cosmic background radiation. (Yesterday, it was the Nazis, Keyensian economics, and the works of Ken Follett, while he watched American Ninja Warrior.) But my brother just called him -- my brother calls him everyday -- and now they're talking, which leaves me free. 

Last night my mom and I whooped my dad and my husband in Euchre. Whenever we're together we play and always on those teams. It's been a while since my mom and I really thrashed them. A good portion of that game (and especially the games last night) is luck, and it's nice to feel like the world is coming around, giving me good hands and whatnot. 

(Full disclosure: I'm trying to be more chatty like Richard Herring. He can write a long-ass and still interesting post every day. I feel like I run out of stuff fast, and Rich is in quarantine so it's not like his life can be inherently so interesting, I figure. So I'm going to try to pay more attention? Dredge up more stuff? Maybe just blather?) 

Update: my dad is getting another call. Apparently, 9:40AM is a popular time for my dad. 

Second update: it is my dad's birthday, it turns out. That's why he's getting so many calls. (Although, it wasn't why my brother rang him.) 

February 25, 2021

I've started playing Two Dots again. Something about being in the Fort Collins house draws me back to it. That satisfying mental crunch when I connect a square of blue or green or pink. I can go an hour, staring at my phone, and not think or feel anything. In a way, that's all I'm looking for from life. 

The problem is that my phone usage goes from 30-45 minutes a day to 2-4 hours. Having two part time jobs and being part-time self-employed on top of it means that my time management is both difficult and crucial. (Otherwise, I'd be going nowhere in life faster than I already am.) Giving into hours of screen time and zombie brain is potentially a big problem. 

I have (had?) been doing so well. Having great days, mood-wise and as far as focus and productivity. I'd been going to bed on time and actually falling asleep, waking up with time to shower, eat, blog or read before work. But last night, I played Two Dots until 1AM, at which point my phone ran out of juice. 

We'll see if I can resist the siren call of Two Dots or if my high streak was just too good to last.