The 4 Month Challenge

I have a friend called Shelley who is a very motivated human. I met her in Longhorn Band. I have to admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of my time in the band, as I spent most of my time in the pit percussion area (mallet instruments), muttering under my breath. Like Gollum, but not as charming.

Anyway, Shelley exercises and stuff. I’m kind of on an exercise kick too, and I’m receiving the benefit of happy drugs since I’m ditching some of my more offending pharmaceuticals. I won’t get into it, but I’m not as sickly as I used to be. No more Hector Pi Laureate or anything. No more hormonal madness. Nada. So I have an oppurtunity to bend my metabolism to my ever-loving whim.

I put my goals up in a previous blog entry. So how am I doing?

Well, not well so far. This is typical of me. I always rebel at the first start. I stick my tongue out at it.

AT THIS POINT:

1. I have not gone to martial arts this week once. This is bad because I only went once last week, and twice the week before. Unk! I’m going to have to go tomorrow morning, which is going to HURT! And then there’s classes every day including Saturday. I should try to make Saturday, because they have tournament practice then. I should also go Thursday, because that’s when I usually meet up with the 8pm people (which is where I should be tonight!).

2. I didn’t write down my food for the last two days. This is a two day slip-up and has happened for the first time in over a month. I’ve been good about this for an entire month. I’ll write down my food as soon as I’m done with this blog. I’m going to take my vitamins too, because I just loaded three weeks worth of them. It’s not on my “official” list of goals – but it should be in my mind.

3. I practiced for over 4 hours today, so that’s good. It was not really regimented practice, nor did I really get any ideas down. I am firming up ideas for 3 or 4 songs that will need to be finished and put on the 2 hour set though. I’ll need to tighten up on the scheduling and get organized about the rehearsing soon, but it’s good work. I did some good vocal rehearsing.

4. I was all over the place today, socially. I’m net-stalking people who really shouldn’t be net-stalked … I’m CARING WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK (this is a huge no-no in my case), I’m getting in over my head. I need to detach and go back into my own little world. I have told myself that I’m Face-banned. I don’t know for how long. This is good. I’ve enrolled in a writing contest and I’m waiting for Song Fu. These things don’t directly pertain to my goal … but they will help keep me out of the trouble that excessive brooding brings.

I will try not to engage in excessive blogging, or Twittering … or anything.

5. I didn’t get anything done on the studio, but everything tiny thing in the house that I clean is a step in the right direction toward that.

Chop, chop

Okay, it’s time to blog now, because I actually have something non-whiny to blog about.

I’ve entered a song contest.  I never thought I’d do one of these.  I’m not posting the link yet.  I don’t do that.  I’m going to talk about it and that’s it.  I’m not going to publicize this or get into it with anyone.  I’m treating this like my diary, once again.  I’m going to go back into my lj, fix my tags, and then try to link up in there so that I can actually talk about things in there and use real names and talk about people.  But this can be where I get into it about work-stuff.  Now that I have that.  And man … that feels really good.

I’ve done a few  things that I’ve been dragging my feet on for … literally … years.  And if anyone is reading this (I know that my husband is), you know how I like to make lists:

1.  I finally did something to move on from my past hangups, that have been causing me to stagnate in the “past” a bit.  This is a big deal

2.  I have set up my studio!  That means that I have gotten the software working and I can basically go in and record all the things that I need to and that everything is going to be okay.  Yay me!

3.  I have entered that song contest, like I said.  It’s 4:05 now, and I’m going to bed – but I sent off the bio and the photo and I’ll be up on the site.  They send out the first assignment on Tuesday and I think that I should go to martial arts either tomorrow or Tuesday itself to commemorate the occasion.  I may try to hit open mics every time I stay in a round (if indeed I do) to see if I can perform them quickly and just get back into the groove of playing.  I’m going to keep writing through each round, even if I don’t stay in.  I don’t think I will – I think I’ll get eliminated early because it’s my first contest.  I’m also going to enter the ‘Austin’ one.  I’ll talk more about that later – it’s too new. I’ve got to get my ducks in a row in the studio because it’s going to be LOTS of recording.

4.  I’m out of doing the musical, which is a relief.  And I did it withouth completely alienating everyone (I think!), which is also good.  I think that they’re disappointed that I left, but I needed to do this or I am never going to get going on the things I need to do this year.  If I don’t do it, I won’t record myself this year at all.