Still with the working vacation

[rolanni]

So, I'm still down here at Temp Headquarters.  One of my goals was to walk 5 miles a day -- that comes down to those magic 10,000 steps fitness folk like to talk about.  I've made that much...some days.  Some days I've made more, some less -- say, an average of 4 miles a day, since I've been living someplace with sidewalks and a downtown, and, yes, the Atlantic Ocean, all to hand.

I have noticed that, I do think better when I can walk; that walking helps me work out knotty problems in the work-in-progress in a way that just staring at the screen until the beads of blood form on my forehead just doesn't.

I've also noticed that walking four or five miles a day. . .takes time.  At the pace I walk, about two hours.  Maybe two-and-a-half.  It's not that I begrudge the time -- after all, not only does it help me think, but walking's good for me, physically -- but it is time, there are a limited number of hours in the day, and adding in two hours of something means that two hours of something else needs to be eliminated.

Also, I worry, most sincerely, that I won't be able to keep up my four mile/day habit, once I return to the Cat Farm,.  Log trucks, hunters, drivers texting while blaring down the road at 60+ mph, and similar perils of the natural world make walking perilous in the immediate vicinity, and getting in a car to drive someplace to walk seems like too much effort.

Well.

One of my other goals was to go home with most of a book and a good, solid idea for another in hand.  I've been writing 2,000 words/day, which is a pretty good rate. If I can keep it up through the end of my stay, I'll have 3/5ths of Carousel Sun completed.  That's nothing to sneeze at, certainly.

In the meantime, I miss Steve, and the cats,  at the same time I'm a little blue to realize that my working vacation will be over in only 12 more days.

...and that's the news that's fit to print, from Temp Headquarter.

Comments

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

I want to thank you for dedicating Dragon Ship to Anne, it was a beautiful thing, and she would have loved the book too. Made me sad that she couldnt.

The book was very good. As ususal.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I was sorry Anne couldn't read it, too.

[the wol (from livejournal.com)]

Exercises like walking get your blood circulating. Improved circulation gets more goodies to your little grey cells, which perks them up and gets them firing on all cylinders. I don't know what kind of setting your house is in, but is there a pasture or field nearby where you could just walk around its perimeter? Is your yard such that you can walk in a circle around the outside of your house (walk clockwise one session and widdershins the next), or do you have a fence that prevents it? What about a treadmill? There are some fairly low cost manual treadmills, and you could walk on one of those in all weathers. Put a nice scenic poster in front of it -- LOL!

Walking at home

[rnjtolch.livejournal.com]

Would a treadmill work for you. You could walk and read at the same time.

Well You Could Always Buy a Treadmill

[libertariansold.livejournal.com]

And then neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of drivers would interfere.

Re: Well You Could Always Buy a Treadmill

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

I've heard from some folks that these new-fangled audiobooks are most helpful for treadmilling. And there's a new batch out at Audible! :-)

Long answer to all of the above

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

My house is in the country. You'd think this would be ideal for taking long rambling walks, but it isn't, because...

It sits on a triangular gore of land about a quarter mile on the short sides. Now it is true that I can (and have) done laps. My complaint is -- boring.

The long side of the triangle is the Big Road, where there are log trucks, potholes, and a really inadequate shoulder. No sidewalks, of course, this is the country. Also, on both roads, from time to time, there's this thing called Hunting Season, and I fear that not all of our Great Hunters are bright enough not to shoot toward the road, or even to really know with any precision where the road is.

I don't walk in the country during Hunting Seasons. Call me a wimp.

Yes, a treadmill is a possibility, though I must say I've never be able to read while walking on one. But walking on a treadmill is...how to say this? a chore

Walking down the street, looking at the squirrels, the cars going past safely in the road while I'm on the sidewalk, the shop windows, if any, the flowers, the other walkers...is a pleasure. I can walk two or three miles without, you should excuse the expression, even breathing hard, and come back to my desk relaxed and invigorated.

I can scarcely bear to walk a mile on a treadmill; all I can think about is when I can stop and by the time I do stop, I'm a frazzled mess.

...I don't think I would have been a very successful hamster.

So, anyhow, that's why I'm going to miss my nice walks here where there are sidewalks, and a town, and other people.

Re: Long answer to all of the above

[kalilama.livejournal.com]

I'm with you, kiddo. And even here with sidewalks, and nice views, I can find all sorts of reasons to skip the walking that I know works for my writing and me....in fact, I could be walking right now. Sigh.

[amm-me.livejournal.com]

I understand that getting in the car to go somewhere to walk seems...wrong. But perhaps whenever you have a necessary trip to the store, post office, etc., you can make it a longer expedition and include a town walk. Possibly park on the other side of town from the scheduled destination and walk across town to get there?

TIME FOR EXERCISE

[margotinez.livejournal.com]

I sympathize with the sheer amount of time that walking takes. At least in good weather you don't spend much time ramping up to the event and recovering. I've been trying to swim two miles a day, which takes me two hours in the pool, because my knees won't support walking any great distance. What kills me is the prep time - get into suit and coverup, drive to pool, grease up the fins (for added water resistance), sort out towels and stuff for after, goggles, water bottle, cap, finally into the water. Then the reverse (why does it take so long for me in the shower, with rinsing the suit, shampoo vs the chlorine, and maybe because there is twice of much of me to cover?) so the entire experience totals out at 3+ hours. Sigh.
I am so glad that this temp office is working out for you. Steve and the cats will be glad to get you home.

living someplace with sidewalks and a downtown

[barbinbandon.livejournal.com]

I seem to remember a goal here.