Revisiting Hell

Remember Essay Hell? Turns out that Exam Hell isn’t exactly a walk in the park either. Fancy that. Real life will resume on Friday evening!

In the meantime, here’s a little something I whipped up while I was working on my study notes:

Want one of your own? Download IOGraph here — it tracks your mouse’s movement around the screen and leaves you with a pretty picture. So neat! I coloured mine in with Photoshop!

A Breath of Fresh Air

Some days my life feels like an endless cycle of coursework, laundry, and washing infinite stacks of dishes. To break out of the rut I’ve stopped cooking entirely — it’s amazing how few dirty dishes I’ve generated in the last three weeks! And how sub-par my diet has been! Not a strategy I’d recommend, actually. My best friend had a better idea on the weekend… we headed to Scarborough Bluffs for a nice afternoon, which we followed up with a small vat (that somebody else had to wash!) of delicious pho.

Springtime in Hell

University is hard! I’m languishing in one of the lower circles of Essay Hell. I’d be grateful if you could send some hope in after me because I had to abandon mine at the gate. There was an inscription over the portal’s lofty arch about baggage restrictions…

I’ve been making the most of the nice weather by taking long, circuitous routes between class, the gym, and the library.

Zing!

I got a nice squat PR today without sucking up to the god of powerlifting. 145# for reps! I’d like a bench press PR on Wednesday, too. And losing some more weight this week would be nice. An A+ on the essay I’m working on right now would be nice too. And a pony! Maybe I’d better not push my luck…

The New Year’s Phenomenon

Unsurprisingly, attendance at my gym has skyrocketed since the beginning of the year. The newbies’ routines all look like some sort of interpretive dance with free weights, and the regulars are all annoyed because we’re packed like sardines and it takes 25 minutes to get into a squat rack. And because scrawny guys with noodle arms can still bench press more than me. Dammit!

On the bright side, most of the influx is comprised of boys. I work out at a university gym so the scenery’s pretty good all year round, but it’s  nice to have a new pool of potential gym crushes. I know a lot of people say they’re too focused on their workout to notice the people around them… obviously I’m not one of those people! If you work out in the weight room at the UofT Athletic Center I’ve almost certainly checked you out. Sorry!

I finally hit a new bench PR tonight. I hurt my ribs in December and I lost some strength during the recovery. It’s taken me ages just to get back to the level I was at before the injury, but I’m hoping that tonight’s great workout is a sign of things to come!

January 5 Resolutions

This year I’m fashionably late in making my resolutions.

I have one residual resolution from last year: I must, must, must replace my melamine plates with real, grown-up dishes. Must! Another of my 2009 resolutions was to keep training with the goal of a 2010 figure show in mind. I’ve decided to postpone competition for as long as it takes to get my physique where I want it to be. Another few years yet!

On to 2010’s goals:

1. Graduate from University of Toronto in December. I can’t wait to put a check mark next to this one!
2. Decide what to do after I graduate. I’m excited if a little nervous about tackling this part!
3. Bench press my body weight. My current PR is 105lbs. Pathetic!
4. Get the dog.
5. Learn how to do a handstand properly. So far I can do a passable headstand… sometimes.

Now that snow is here to stay in Toronto, I’m feeling terribly nostalgic for summer and warm weather! I love my Canada Goose parka, but not as much as I love sunshine. I took this picture in August in my parents’ garden.