Hello there folks! Happy October! Hard to believe how quickly this year is flying by, isn't it? October definitely snuck up on me.
So, how is the challenge going, you might be thinking, right? Since I never wrote any updates during the month... but like I said, October snuck up! That sneaky little month. Well, September went pretty darn well, if I do say so myself. 1. Physical Activity: As promised, to honor Yoga Month, I did a lot of yoga, both in studios and at home, and some with my brother on our vacay in Wisconsin. He also encouraged me to do things like run stairs, and, well, run. I did run 3 of the days we were there, and it made me realize that even though I do pretty strenuous yoga classes, I was pretty terrible at cardio. I believe my brother said that if my life depended on me running away from something, I would definitely die... and, sadly, he's right. So, I made a mental note that in the future I have to do a combination of the two if I want to be actually fit, and so that I can survive whatever is chasing me :)
I also am proud to say that I rode my bike everywhere last month. I only rode the bus 2 times in the whole month and I think took 2 taxis. That's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I did count this as physical activity since, let's be real, it's not always easy. I got drenched from the rain more than once and they don't call this the windy city for nothing... I had a few times where I almost got blown over/blown into a curb/and nearly blown into a parked car. Always laughable moments and (knock on wood) I haven't hit anything yet. This next month is going to get trickier, as it starts getting colder and windier. We'll see how well I can do!
I did have about 3 days where my workout was questionable. I rode my bike about 40 minutes on these days, but then did things like train for 5 hours for my new job, or shopped for 2 hours. Depending on how strict you want to be, you could say those days I didn't quite fill my hour, but I think they were definitely close.
2. Mental: I read some of my book every day except one day. This was poor planning on my part. I usually read when I go to bed, but on this particular Saturday, I didn't read, then went out, then didn't read when I got home... SO I missed one day. I am currently on page 286, plus the 28 pages of prologue that I read, which means I read 314 pages in the month of September. I said I wanted to read 10 pages a day, and since my average is over 10 pages a day (barely), I think that's pretty great! I did say it would be nice to finish my book... but turns out that was quite ambitious. I am only halfway through, so will try to finish it this next month. Reading more also didn't really cut down my Friends time... so maybe I'll have to work on that (as I turn my tv on... :).
3. Goal: I succeeded in getting a job! Two, actually. The first has been in the works for the last few months, but I actually started this month. I am doing some freelance graphic design work for my cousin's business, iTextUSA Mobile Marketing. I started my first project with them and have enjoyed having some creative, design work that is different from what I do at Northwestern. I am thankful to be doing that!
I also got hired as a part-time Starbucks Barista about 3 weeks ago. I started training all last week, which means I've had to cram a bajillion recipes and processes and register entries into my brain in a mere 3 days. They train you well though, with lots of step-by-step instructions and hands on experience, which is really helpful. A lot to take in though as a newbie! I am realizing just how complex some people's orders are and have responded more than once with a complete deer-in-headlights look. Oh, and yesterday I had my first person make fun of/mimic my voice... lovely old man... whom I wanted to punch in the face... :)
I am thoroughly enjoying it so far though and think it's really going to be great. I work tomorrow for the first time at my actual store... so hope everyone is nice! I will be working at a Starbucks Evening, the third to open in Chicago, where they will serve beer, wine, and some real food, as well as have weekend live music. All very exciting, and fun to be part of a new thing that such an established company is trying - it's really admirable to me how Starbucks continues to grow and expand, even when they're already so successful. (I suppose that's WHY they've been so successful... ) They started out just selling whole beans!
As all my emails do, this post has turned out to be much longer than intended - so, let's get to October! Since it is already here!
October:
1. Physical - This is the month! I'm going to go veg... or, really, I should say pescatarian. I don't really eat a lot of fish, but I think it will technically be allowed if it comes up. I think I will most miss a. cheeseburgers, b. Trader Joe's chicken apple sausage, and c. pepperoni.
2. Mental - I am going to attempt to only buy my lunch 1 day per week, and when I do, it has to cost less than $8. I already pack my breakfast and coffee every day, but have gotten slack about packing lunches. This challenge will make me think ahead and be prepared to pack my lunch, which means also making sure I have groceries.
3. Goal - My goal is quite straightforward this month. My goal is to find a good balance between my jobs, while maintaining some sort of social life. I have definitely already had to make adjustments to my daily routine and took an hour nap tonight to catch up from the weekend (which I'm happy to say was a good balance of social and work). I don't want to run myself too thin and want to make sure I am still focusing on each job, while remaining as cheerful as possible! I also still want to be able to have fun and do yoga. Oh, and I'm presenting at a health conference toward the end of the month, so another goal would be to have that be completely successful and not make a fool out of myself :)
Happy October and sending you the best!
carpe diem, hakuna matata, no day but today... redhead OUT.
