Brain dump
May. 25th, 2024 05:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spryngI've been focused on a work project for a while now and I've noticed that when it comes to crunch time, it's difficult for me to focus on anything else. I wonder if that's why my ability to write declined significantly over the last two weeks. That coupled with the end of the school year and yearning for that summer break that will give us all a little respite, and I've been scarce.
I hope that's it, because the other half of me keeps thinking how nice it is to be out of publishing and maybe we shouldn't go back. I honestly don't know and that's an ongoing thought to unpack for another post because I don't have the room to be sad this weekend.
Because:
1) We have four roosters to rehome. 🙃 Turns out our luck this spring was rotten and every one of the fluffy little chicks we picked out and hand-raised have started crowing. While it's funny to hear their adolescent, cracked crows in the morning, it's less funny that they're becoming more aggressive towards each other--and us.
We tried to rehome two last weekend, but the lady who took them only had two hens and quickly realized that was a problem. I had no idea and should've asked more questions about her situation, but I was like, she wants both! Cool! Clearly she must have a lot of room and hens!
Nope... just a new backyard chicken owner who hadn't done any research. 🙄
But while they were gone, the two Definitely Hens started crowing and fighting. So I had a come-to-JesusRooster moment when I realized all of our three months of raising was for nought. I expected CG to be distressed, because she'd been so involved with helping, but apparently I was the one who had to have a good cry.
2) My wife found a rooster rescue, so we'll be taking them there today. Then on Monday, we also found several places that have Verified Pullets (ie young hens) and we're going to get a few of those. As much as I like hand-raising them from chicks so they know us and they know their surroundings, I can't do chicks again right now. Emotionally or time-wise.
3) It's also my dad's 70th birthday this weekend, which... whew. Watching my parents getting older, passing ages that I used to think were Old and Decrepit and seeing how vibrant life still is at that age... well, it's been good for my own psyche, that's for sure. Being almost 40 now, I swear it feels like 70 is right around the corner, even though obviously it's not. But the way time keeps going faster and faster, well...
We're going to spend the night out at their place on the lake. I'm hoping we can see the stars and have a bonfire, both things the kids and dad will love. And it will happily coincide with when we don't have extra chickens we're no longer trying to integrate into the flock.
(tw for weight and body talk)
4) Crossfit now does two days a week of bodybuilding instead of just the one and at first I was like, ugh, I came here for Crossfit, not this, but after a few months of seeing the changes, wellll. I'm lifting much closer to my pre-kid level and I can see the strength in my body again. I may be 50# heavier than those lifting days, but ngl... seeing pics of myself from then, that kid was too skinny. Of course, I could stand to lose some fat still, but the scale hasn't moved in about a month even as it's clear I've been gaining muscle so I'm going to strike that as a win, because it's typically impossible to gain muscle without also gaining overall weight.
I like what I'm seeing, anyway, and I haven't had this level of body confidence in a long while. There's body acceptance of course, which I had been practicing. But actually feeling good about how I look? That's been missing for a while.
Now if I could only get that ripped butch body I've envied since my 20s...
( / end weight & body talk)
5) I've gotta pick up my bike from the shop today, too. Tire sprung a slow leak earlier this week and while it would stay filled for a ride, I didn't want to risk the kids on it. Too much weight riding on that one tire. Besides, the tire itself was pretty much 100% bald. I'd been hoping I could wait one more week until the end of school, but the bike was like "nah."
It's always an adventure taking the bike to the shop. It's a longtail, it's like 70#, and it won't go on the back of our car like the other bikes so I have to ride it all the way down there. Which wouldn't be bad, but the shop is in the middle of a car-centric shopping area and it's kinda dangerous to not be encased in a solid metal cage. I biked it Wednesday afternoon during rush hour, though, so all the cars were going like, 15mph and I was breezing past them. Getting it home today will be a different adventure, but I can do it.
6) The day before my bike sprang a leak, our car went to the shop for weird noises. Turns out, we need a new transmission. 🙃 Fortunately, it's under warranty 🎉 (we've only got 80k on that car!!). We just have to wait for the person who can do transmissions to fit it on their schedule. I don't know if they've scheduled it yet, but in the meantime we have a loaner that's a 2024 version of our Crosstrek. And it's, uh, something. They aren't messing around with that full-screen tablet in lieu of actual controls, are they. Nor all the beeps any time you get close to an object. I've already told wife that if we need a new car, it's gonna be a used one because fuck all that (literal) noise. It's so distracting.
7) ... I guess I could try to write this morning while I have time.
I hope that's it, because the other half of me keeps thinking how nice it is to be out of publishing and maybe we shouldn't go back. I honestly don't know and that's an ongoing thought to unpack for another post because I don't have the room to be sad this weekend.
Because:
1) We have four roosters to rehome. 🙃 Turns out our luck this spring was rotten and every one of the fluffy little chicks we picked out and hand-raised have started crowing. While it's funny to hear their adolescent, cracked crows in the morning, it's less funny that they're becoming more aggressive towards each other--and us.
We tried to rehome two last weekend, but the lady who took them only had two hens and quickly realized that was a problem. I had no idea and should've asked more questions about her situation, but I was like, she wants both! Cool! Clearly she must have a lot of room and hens!
Nope... just a new backyard chicken owner who hadn't done any research. 🙄
But while they were gone, the two Definitely Hens started crowing and fighting. So I had a come-to-
2) My wife found a rooster rescue, so we'll be taking them there today. Then on Monday, we also found several places that have Verified Pullets (ie young hens) and we're going to get a few of those. As much as I like hand-raising them from chicks so they know us and they know their surroundings, I can't do chicks again right now. Emotionally or time-wise.
3) It's also my dad's 70th birthday this weekend, which... whew. Watching my parents getting older, passing ages that I used to think were Old and Decrepit and seeing how vibrant life still is at that age... well, it's been good for my own psyche, that's for sure. Being almost 40 now, I swear it feels like 70 is right around the corner, even though obviously it's not. But the way time keeps going faster and faster, well...
We're going to spend the night out at their place on the lake. I'm hoping we can see the stars and have a bonfire, both things the kids and dad will love. And it will happily coincide with when we don't have extra chickens we're no longer trying to integrate into the flock.
(tw for weight and body talk)
4) Crossfit now does two days a week of bodybuilding instead of just the one and at first I was like, ugh, I came here for Crossfit, not this, but after a few months of seeing the changes, wellll. I'm lifting much closer to my pre-kid level and I can see the strength in my body again. I may be 50# heavier than those lifting days, but ngl... seeing pics of myself from then, that kid was too skinny. Of course, I could stand to lose some fat still, but the scale hasn't moved in about a month even as it's clear I've been gaining muscle so I'm going to strike that as a win, because it's typically impossible to gain muscle without also gaining overall weight.
I like what I'm seeing, anyway, and I haven't had this level of body confidence in a long while. There's body acceptance of course, which I had been practicing. But actually feeling good about how I look? That's been missing for a while.
Now if I could only get that ripped butch body I've envied since my 20s...
( / end weight & body talk)
5) I've gotta pick up my bike from the shop today, too. Tire sprung a slow leak earlier this week and while it would stay filled for a ride, I didn't want to risk the kids on it. Too much weight riding on that one tire. Besides, the tire itself was pretty much 100% bald. I'd been hoping I could wait one more week until the end of school, but the bike was like "nah."
It's always an adventure taking the bike to the shop. It's a longtail, it's like 70#, and it won't go on the back of our car like the other bikes so I have to ride it all the way down there. Which wouldn't be bad, but the shop is in the middle of a car-centric shopping area and it's kinda dangerous to not be encased in a solid metal cage. I biked it Wednesday afternoon during rush hour, though, so all the cars were going like, 15mph and I was breezing past them. Getting it home today will be a different adventure, but I can do it.
6) The day before my bike sprang a leak, our car went to the shop for weird noises. Turns out, we need a new transmission. 🙃 Fortunately, it's under warranty 🎉 (we've only got 80k on that car!!). We just have to wait for the person who can do transmissions to fit it on their schedule. I don't know if they've scheduled it yet, but in the meantime we have a loaner that's a 2024 version of our Crosstrek. And it's, uh, something. They aren't messing around with that full-screen tablet in lieu of actual controls, are they. Nor all the beeps any time you get close to an object. I've already told wife that if we need a new car, it's gonna be a used one because fuck all that (literal) noise. It's so distracting.
7) ... I guess I could try to write this morning while I have time.
