Tag: well-being

Filling the Notebook

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “Notebook” Cedar Park, 2022

I am getting close to finishing my current notebook, which is a rare thing. I tend to buy lots of notebooks, but most are either empty or barely used. Over the past few months, though, I’ve been consistently jotting little sentences and phrases down in the notebook that my son Bay bought for me when he went to New York City a couple of years ago.

The game-changer has been my Miseyo date stamp. It’s so fun to use each morning, and it gets me in the mood for writing… even just a few words here and there. 😀

Quick Running Update

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Hi all,

I just wanted to write a note here that my running continues to improve! Last week I was able to up my distance to 10 km distance without any discomfort, and then after a couple of rest days, I was able to run a half-marathon distance!

My leg did start to feel weak at about the 9 mile mark, so I walked for a minute and did some light stretching before continuing on. The pain didn’t increase and actually went away and I was able to up the pace for the last few miles. It was a pleasant surprise!

Anyways, I am pretty stoked so I wanted to make a post about it. 😃 Injuries suck, but helps put things into perspective.

またね〜

Practicing Ukulele

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/5, 1/70 sec, ISO3200
 “Practicing Ukulele” Cedar Park, 2022

I’m enjoying practicing a couple of new songs from my Studio Ghibli ukulele book: Princess Mononoke Theme and The Legend of Ashitaka. I figured the themes of the two stars of Mononoke Hime would be fun to learn. Plus I think they are really cool songs!

With my morning Twitch livestreams, I often will practice ukulele on my 10-minute breaks, and just this small bit of consistency has made a noticeable difference in my playing. It’s like a little bit of magic! Who knew practice would improve my ukulele playing? 😜

Running Recovery

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At the end of February, I injured myself on a long run and have been slowly coming back from it. I’m now back to running about every other day, and I have been able to cautiously increase the distance little by little – I’m now up to about 5km per run. I don’t feel any pain, and could probably run longer, but I am going to go slow. I’m not training, after all. I just enjoy running and I don’t want to jeopardize that freedom by getting injured again.

I also have to accept that my body doesn’t recover as fast as it used to. 😁

Spring Planting

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 28.9mm, f/5, 1/250 sec, ISO640
 “Spring Planting” Cedar Park, 2022

Mariko and I have big plans for our gardening this year. Well, not so big, but we did plant several different things in the garden: rosemary, cilantro, parsley, peppers, fennel, and lots of basil. We’re hoping all of these are not attractive to the squirrels.

Let’s hope we have a good harvest all summer long. But of course, the Texas heat makes things challenging. Right now the weather is nice and there are no mosquitoes so it is really pleasant to work in the yard. In a month or so, being outside will be less attractive. Doing any gardening in the backyard will require long pants, long sleeves, or plenty of insect repellant! 🙁 Which kind of sucks when it’s 100°F / 38°C outside. 🥵