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mcMuumio.net

I finally got myself a domain with my wife, with the help of a friend. mcMuumio.net is hosted at Dreamhost. The domain is registered with GoDaddy.com. I'm not at all sure what we're going to do with it, but I have some PHP projects in mind, along with an online photo gallery thing. I'm also thinking about moving this blog over there, considering that it's new and the current URL isn't spread around too much.

There's nothing of interest in the site as of now, this is merely to explain the link I just added to the margin over there on the right.

Routine

While "routine" may very well become part of the "grind", I still think it's a good idea to establish some social routines to prevent the situation where you're too tired to arrange meetings with friends.

My wife introduced a habit of hanging out at a coffee shop on Mondays, post-school and -work. I think that's a great idea. Mondays always go to waste, as you're too stressed or zoned out to really do anything at home, anyway. We did that this Monday, and it was good. We're also thinking of hanging out regularly on Fridays, watching telly and whatnot. Most people have probably come up with similar schemes ages ago, but they feel like revelations to me. I've been really holed up at home when I'm not at work.

I'm thinking that maybe I could extend this to the other things I never find the time to do. Like gaming - besides videogames, that is. I'd like to continue our shelved roleplaying game campaigns and play with miniatures, but we haven't been able to come up with dates. It might be a good idea to agree upon playing every other weekend or so. There's still the problem of our university-going friends finding the time, but maybe the rest of us could play something else when they can't make it.

Running

Yesterday I did the six-minute run with no problem whatsoever. It was raining properly, too - it felt absolutely great to run in the rain! My ankles didn't hurt either, though they're aching a bit today. Still thinking about those running shoes.

Setbacks and good encounters

My ankles have hurt all past week. I kept off running for a few days because of that. On today's run they hurt in the beginning, but it subsided, so I guess it's all right. Maybe they're just protesting about not getting to lay there uselessly, maybe I need to invest in some proper running shoes. Today I did the six minutes target. It was hard, and I was running in the rain, but it does feel good afterwards! I really can't wait being able to run for, say, half an hour at a time.

Yesterday I was seeing off an old acquintance who's moving abroad. We're not at all close, and some months ago I maybe wouldn't've gone, but going by my new rules, I knew I had to. It turned out to be an excellent night. The music was very good, the bar was cozy, the GTs all right and there were a lot of guys I see rarely to catch up with.

I met three new people, one on account of a really cool shirt he was wearing. We talked about videogames for a long time - our friends must've been pissed off. Sorry about that. I've never met a hardcore videogame enthusiast with a perfectly matching taste in games in real life before. So it serves to wear your colors!

And I don't have the slightest hangover! Today's supposed to be Zombie Walk Helsinki, but the weather's... lacking. Which of course may fit the theme rather well.

Update and SketchUp

I've progressed somewhat in the fitness game. It's mostly noticeable in the speed of recovery after a run; I breathe easier. I'm trying to add one minute to the run to make it six, but yesterday my legs began to cramp up and I had to stop early. I suspect it's because I ran faster than what I'm used to. It may also be lack of intake of fluids, coffee notwithstanding.

Regardless, I've managed to stick to my every other day -plan. Also, my social rule has stood. This week's "dosage" is still in the air, though.

And now for something completely different

I was thinking where I'd put this, but I suppose I'm not going to publish a separate "arts and hobbies" blog (aside from gaming), so here it goes. I read about Google's SketchUp in Edge. It's very near revolutionary, I'd say.

I've dabbled in various 3D software packages, but they've all been so hard to use that I've given up. SketchUp is designed for normal people. I guess it could be easier still, but the basics are very easy to grasp and the presentation is not intimidating - on the contrary, it invites you to model.

Movement of the mind

Running is fun. I didn't think it would be so much fun. The weird thing is, it gets inside your head. I've now ran on four consecutive days, and I feel energized - my mind is on the move. The physical act of propelling yourself forward is just very enjoyable. This is coming from a couch-dweller, mind, maybe this wouldn't be such a revelation to many people.

The five minutes of walking followed by five minutes of running (jogging), followed by five minutes of wind-down walking seems very good to me. I get mighty sweaty, but my muscles don't protest at all, and I don't have real trouble breathing. My plan is to keep doing this every other day until it feels too easy, at which point I'll likely look into a ready-made running program for beginners. Or I'll just start increasing the running distance a little bit every week.

I'm enjoying my runs so much that I'd like to run every day, but unfortunately even the fifteen-minute exercise is too much of a daily dose. Since yesterday my butt's been aching, even though I've stretched my legs post-running. And I had trouble running softly yesterday, probably due to muscles being tired. So every other day it is.

Initial efforts

In which I bring you an update in two parts.

One: friends

I reached two old friends of mine in one day. Effort taken: 30 seconds on writing an email, 172 seconds on the phone. Seemed like a worthwhile endeavour; I met with one of them the following day. The other one is living abroad, but we agreed on seeing each other when he visits Finland the next time. We haven't seen in, oh I don't know, around three or four years, despite being good friends in high school.

It was about high time, too: his old university email address wouldn't've worked in two weeks' time. So don't just sit there thinking about maybe trying to reach your old mates one day - do it today!

Sitting down with my college buddy yesterday, I took it upon me to arrange a meeting with the rest of the class, too. Well, the ones we can still reach, anyway.

I've actually set myself some social rules to ensure I don't lapse back into a working coma any more.

Two: sports

I told everyone at work that I'd go running yesterday, just to generate some pressure on myself. In the end, I didn't, as I couldn't bother to after a heavy dinner and a couple of beers. I did go today, though.

Sticking to my plan, I did a 5-5-5 running routine. It turned out that it takes me exactly five minutes to walk to the park and warm up in the process, another five minutes to run around the park, and of course a further five minutes to walk back home. With the shape I'm in, it's enough to start with. I was winded, but not exhausted.

With such a quick exercise, I'm thinking I might get into a habit of running before work. For now, I'm sticking to a twice a week minimum, but I'm really pretty psyched about this.