Daily Archives: August 21, 2014

Nothing brings me back to center like a physical workout

I mowed the lawn and sneaked in a little yard work this morning before it got hot and humid. It’s so satisfying when I haven’t weeded in months to see the tall pile of pulled weeds. It included about a hundred loquat seedlings and miles of wedelia. I’ve let the north entrance to the firepit in the west woods grow over during spring and summer, so it will be fun hacking the new trail. I usually do that the first cool day of fall.  I did the gym yesterday for the first time in a couple of weeks. Ugh, I can never wait that long again, no matter HOW busy I think I am or pretend to be. The elliptical machine crumbles me, that tells me I need to keep doing it since I’m working muscles that need it. I’m so sore I could… whimper. What a lightweight I am.

Social Security: Yay, unless you worked off the books. SS Can Garnish your Student Loan

Some friends and I reached 62 this year and are comparing notes on Social Security. I worked for employers for 22 years, so I’ve paid in my share. Friends who’ve made income off the books for much of their life won’t receive much benefit. A galpal reached 62 and worked for employers for 30 years with good income but can’t collect because she’s got student loans. Another can’t collect because she co-signed a student loan for a grandson who she has no idea where he even is anymore. Yowza.

Don’t take score too soon. How often do I depend on feedback to stay motivated?

Some things I am being reminded of as painting, like: don’t take score too soon. I always do an underpainting and then paint up in layers. When I do that, it goes through some pretty scary stages, sometimes where I think I should scrap the whole project. I take a photo at every stage so I can see my progress. This also lets me see if I did a better version before and if I’ve goofed it up, I can use the better version as a reference to fix it.  I’m currently working on something that is a little small, so I am waiting for some art pens to arrive so I can do the face and fine details like the fingernails. I usually do the eyes first on a painting so that I can have somebody to look at and talk to me as I’m doing it. It’s a little disconcerting to just have a blank face staring back at me giving me no feedback as I paint. It makes me wonder how often do I depend on feedback to stay motivated?