Red Cedar
More apocalypse, less angst
Post # 3217: Just another week
Hello Friday! In case you missed it, I relaunched my now bi-monthly mailing Comfort for the Apocalypse this last Sunday with a “Small Comforts” edition. It always feels risky to put myself out there, and I appreciate the kind feedback (and the stats that show how many people opened the email) very much!
Food: Meal planning this week has lead to some very satisfying meals including Instant Pot chicken tinga, a stuffed/baked pasta (which I’ll share at the end of the month in CfA), and beef barley soup. I made a batch of my favourite granola bars, and also ate a lot of dried apple rings (I am running out of my summer-stores of them). While I’ve weeded out most of the sugary treats from the holiday period, I am still eating chocolate every day and I intend to continue to do so. It’s all about balance right?
Studio: Since my last post, I have threaded my big loom, though it’s still not fully dressed so I haven’t taken triumphant photos to share. Since rebalancing my schedule to fit in more writing and music practice, I have less time for textile, and this week a lot of other (mostly work-related) things came up that ate into my studio time. I have been playing my fiddle again, and to facilitate regular practice I’ve moved my instruments and music up to my studio. I borrowed a looper pedal from a neighbour and an amp from Brian this week, and have started to explore pedal effects in conjunction with Eastern European folk tunes. Just a bit of studio fun, not sure where it’s going at the moment.
Fitness: I am on Week 6 of Stronger by the Day and I think I am actually getting stronger! However, between running and doing a major upper body workout on Tuesday back-to-back, I managed to trigger a small inflammation/arthritis flare which I am still feeling the mild effects of. On the positive front, lifting weights yesterday alleviated a lot of the pain – because exercise endorphins are good for you! With new variants of COVID floating around and an increase in cases overall, I am so glad we have the home gym set-up and that I’ve picked up running for the cardio.
Work: I think my update is the same as last week on this front. Work is a bit overwhelming these days. Earlier this week I did some research about how I could take a year off before my pension date, but it looks like it might be difficult to do (they make it really, really hard to retire before 55 in the federal government). Instead I think I’m going to make some new financial goals so I can have greater flexibility over the next seven years to take more leave or at least take pre-retirement transition leave when I get closer to that date. I’m definitely into work right now, my projects are challenging and that’s a positive, but I don’t think my talents are best utilized in my job and I’ve had a really hard time over the years pivoting into any other career (that’s a whole other story which I’ve long put to rest). In some ways it’s best that I didn’t switch careers mid-stream or I wouldn’t have the pensionable time to be considering retirement as early as I am. Seven years is still a way to go and I am not for wishing my life away so it’s more about what I do now to set up choices in the future.
Not a very exciting week around here, but the 2nd week of January never is!
Red Cedar 
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