Quick Update

FRIENDS:

• I've gotten back on track with Emily, but since it's the beginning of the dark times (seriously, I woke up yesterday at a quarter to 8 and it looked like it was a quarter to 5 outside), so I'm going to need more alone-time than I did over the summer, to recharge.
  
  
• I haven't heard from or seen Brian in a couple of weeks. I'm sort of okay with this, as he's hard to take in while he's not medicated. Saw our mutual friend Tim earlier this week and he hadn't seen him in a few days (suspecting him of either skipping town or getting captured again).
  
  
• I had a nice movie date with Ron. He was supposed to be my Horror buddy this month, but we decided to see Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, since we'd both recently read the books and had been wanting to see it for a while. I've also decided to make him my "accountabili-buddy" this winter for practicing our instruments. I've put off playing the violin since the beginning of summer, and he's been putting off starting learning the guitar, so I told him we can help each other stay accountable for our practice sessions over the winter.
  
  
• I called Charles's brother Jeff (I call him Jeff-Jeff), and talked to him for almost an hour. Mostly I let him vent off some stresses.
  
  
• I called an old friend Josh about him getting involved in a project with a production company as a writer, and he offered me some work as a voice-actor on his two most recent projects.
  
  
• And I texted with my old friend Gopal (from the band Bella Morte - who will be at RuffleCon this weekend. Gopal isn't part of the band anymore, but Andy & Tony are the sweetest peaches and all the lolitas should hug them). He gave me his new address so I could send him goodies.
  
  
  
  HEALTH:
  
  
• I've been going strong on this ketogenic diet for almost two months! I thought it'd be hard, but all the dietary changes I've tried over the years (going gluten-free, soy-free, atkins, paleo - the first two for deeper health reasons) have made it an easy transition. There are a lot of real food people tend to avoid in favor of highly processed diet crap, but they are good on this diet - high fat (yay for bacon, butter, chicken with skin, and heavy cream) and low carbohydrates (no sugar or grains or starchy veggies whatsoever)... and moderate protein. It's weird, because I can't have carrots or sweet potatoes or rice, but I can have jello with whipped cream and a diet pepsi. I enjoy the hell out of it! People are afraid of it because they associate high fat with high cholesterol. It only causes high cholesterol if you also eat high carbs.
  
  
• I joined a gym, but have only been four times so far (started working to change that this week, with at least two a week - Tuesdays and Thursdays). Planet Fitness is the gym. I've got a Black Card, so I can go to any of them. I've been to 3 so far. Not fond of the second one I tried, but love the last one I tried. I have a very peculiar lock that I bought from an old Chinese woman at a flea market, when I was a kid. It's an old padlock shaped like a dog (looks like the one in this listing). Someone must have thought it was great, because when I came back into the locker room for my workout, it was in another position (it doesn't dangle - it's a tight fit around the lock-hole). Good thing it works. I'd have been pissed if I lost it. It's my favourite lock.
  
  
• In a month and a half, I've lost 15 pounds! That's a whole stone! 20 more pounds and I'll have reached my first goal of getting below 200 lbs. I started at my heaviest: 234 lbs.
  
  
• I can also run faster (albeit on an elliptical). My mile started at over 20 minutes, then down to 18, then jumped to 12.5, and as of yesterday, it's at 11 minutes! I was racing the clock on my 11" mile, though, so I'll probably stay there for a little bit. When I get closer to my first goal, I'm going to try switching to the treadmill.
  
  
• I've gotta start stretching. 1) I tend to only do cool-down stretches after home workouts. 2) I wanna get flexible. 3) My muscles are so sore right now!
  
  
• Like I said way up in the very first paragraph, the dark times are rolling in, and I've been feeling it beating down on me in body and spirit. My joints are bumming me out, I feel tired even when I wake up well-rested, and I think my depression is peeking its head back in (I haven't seen it in well over a year).
  
  
  
  OTHER
  
  
• I put Only Horror October and Inktober on hold, but should be getting back into it next week. I'm only 3 or so days behind, so I think I can catch up soon. Another reason I didn't make an OHO schedule is that I've been going off-schedule a lot, and watching horror-themed shows in place of movies.
  
  
• I no longer fear Drumph becoming president. This country would never allow that to happen.
  
  
• I flipped the futon and it's got fluff again!
  
  
• Booty.