HliAT #21: "Swing by" the House on the Way Somewhere Else

How Long It Actually Takes To...

Swing by my house when I'm already driving past it on the way to the library for an afternoon's work from a workout; the salient components of this "swing by" are (1) the amount out of my way I have to drive; (2) throwing some workout clothes on outdoor furniture to air-dry; (3) pouring coffee, sugar, milk, almond milk, and ice cubes in a thermos for iced coffee @ the library; (4) grabbing a few delicious bars for snacks at the library: 13:58.45

Oooh ooh ooh fam fam fam: this is a good one. Because all the things are true!

"All the things" meaning, in this case, two conflicting things. The first is: look, it doesn't take that long just do it if you need to.

But the second is: yeah, I mean, that's fifteen minutes. You knew it didn't take "like five minutes", unless we're destroying the meaning of "like" here (which I guess we pretty much have, but let's leave that for another day). If you've got a four-hour work session...that's 1/16th! That's time!

For the record, the 0.6 miles (cumulative, that's coming + going) of extra driving equates, per Google Maps, to an additional 2 minutes. So ~86% of this time is the faffing around at my house. But how is that possible!? These things, each of them takes less than a minute! RIGHT? Each takes no time! AND YET...

HliAT, fam. Hli-fucking-A-T.

HliAT #20: Reading The Economist Espresso

How Long It Actually Takes To...

read The Economist Espresso: 6:55.18

So the point of this HliAT is to explode something I do, which maybe you do, too. It won't succeed in "exploding" it, but it's a push.

I often set up my workday in units of time (common freelancer thing, I imagine). And, depending on how much I value a given unit--how much I want to protect every minute of it (Erra's Throne)--I may tell myself that I don't have time to do certain things that cut into that work session.

In some cases this makes sense: there are days where the quiet early morning hours are valuable for real writing, so even if it would be nice to spend 30 minutes making and eating some pancakes (I don't need to HliAT this: there's a clock in the kitchen -- I'm always amazed by how long pancakes always take), it makes more sense to grab a delicious bar out of the fridge, make some coffee, get going.

Buuuuuut there are things that I deny myself sometimes in those moments that I know aren't that time-consuming. And this--reading the six or whatever little blurbs that comprise The Economist Espresso every day--is the canon example. Especially because I think it takes "too long"; the reason I think it takes "too long" is that it is in some small way balancing, distracting, transporting -- it's an extremely well put together little applet that is like a teaser for the day, and provides a few small hooks into the world. Now, there may be a valid argument sometimes to not "hook into the world"; there are in particular times when I don't want to be pulled out of non-real worlds. But usually not: usually it's nice to sit and center a little, and then "slip into it", which is the kind of language I use about going into real writing.

So ALL OF THIS IS TO SAY: the little balancing things often don't take so long. I should probably do them. Verified; quantified -- data 4 bettr living. xo ;)

AlphaSmart 3000 Entries #1, #2, and #3: getting 2 no u

#1: ??? (sometime 2015)

hello i'm testing my funny new device
the keyboard sure is... mechanical.

#2: ??? (Fall 2015? Summer 2016? rly idk)

okay this is no longer a test. i have a to-do that i've had for eight months. to "journal" my holiday trip home from 2014. And, I had a bad day today because i didn't write well.

Jesus, the keyboard on this thing isn't so great. Given that it IS a keyboard, that's not good.

"this thing" is the alphasmart 3000, and my hands are going to get either strong or RSI if i decide to use it much.

here's the todoist note that i put on this to-do:

well, no wait. it won't let me look at the comment on my phone or tablet because i no longer have (lulz) todoist premium.

turns out i'm too tired to write much right now. i'm going to read or watch something, and go to bed.

#3: Last Night

okay experiment we'll see how this goes

i bought this thing awhile ago
that link is the only link these entries will have

it might suprirse you to learn that this keyboard is crappy

given that the whole POINT of this thing is keyboard, that is weird right?

it's mechanichal in a bad way, although i do woner if it won't get less sticky with use i mean i have let this thing sit on the shelf for awhile. a year, almost? i can mark it: i had recently started HEY YOU KNOW WHAT?

okay this thing is brilliant. it's doing exactly what i hoped it would do.

first of all YES it has a shift key and all that; t's a pretty ordinary keyboard. so this whole less-punctuation uncapitalized 'i's thing is  a total indulgence and affectation on my part and you should cal lme on it.

JAYSUS these keys are sticky. like: my hands are gonna get stronger if i keep this up.

i think i will.

the whole POINT  of a device such as this is its purity --- there is nothing but you and the text. and not even the WHOLE text: the little display is four lines tall so i _could_ go back and revise but c'mn. also: minimal formatting.

so here's what we'll do. a few times a week i'll pick htis thing up before bed, as i have just now. it's 1:42am Saturday morning; I've just fotten bac kfrom La MErida where I saw an old friend play officer Krupke in a rather good productin of _West Side Story_. I'm sorry i'm not going back for these spelling errors but these KEYS. anyway:

i will pick this thing up and write wht i feel like unti i'm too tired. not my fingers, i guses i mean: my brain. but wow heyese kesy.s but that that's what i'll do; this is the first enetry.

i'd say tings are off to an auspciiosu start.

o there's  button called "spell check." and a button "applets" (?). and a button "clear file"; hope that las tone at lteast gives a yes/no warning.

i'm gonna google "sticky keybard" and stuff like that .

oky i'm done i am fallng asleep.

Hong Kong #8: [Interlude -- fitness]

This is technically a "Hong Kong" post, because it is about things that occurred in that place. But really it's a chatty post about "fitness services in dense urban markets", so I mean...if you're not into that, np: roll on. No Big Takeaway waits @ the end. ;)

The anchor workout I do when I travel, and certainly when I travel in Hong Kong, is run. Because you can do it anywhere, right? You bring your shoes you find runs you go run: hooray. I have written here about how great Hong Kong can be for running.

But it's also fun to "explore"; for me lately that means a disappointing comparison of every-city-but-L.A.'s yoga to L.A.'s yoga, and what I can find in terms of "other interesting stuff". In Hong Kong, re: "other...stuff", I have had the invaluable guidance of a man called Damien Brosnan, a f*cking human awesomemachine whose most obvious traits are conspicuous decency and intelligence.

DB has guided me to a few fun "other...stuff" workouts in HK, and this post is about a place called Ursus Fitness; I'm on record already as being very positive about this place and its people -- this post is really about how I personally respond to certain things in group-fitness context.

Here's a spreadsheet. No I'm not kidding. This is drawn from a blackboard they had up, tracking us all; it was neat and fun! Everyone else did what I did, too, which was take a snap on their phone at the end. From which I made this spreadsheet.

Only one name on here is the person's name, btw. Oh well actually none, I guess. But you know what I mean.

So here: "Ursus Fit Friday Whole Body F##k Up", that day that I took it in Feb 2017.

(you can totally skip it; it's incomprehensible)

	Aero	Press	Wall Ball	Burpees	Rainbow Twists	Kettle-bell Swings
Matthew	25	28	21	21	110	35
	20	25	25	19	116	33
Kevin	21	35	29	21	106	39
	19	35	33	20	105	36
Slimbuttons	29	30	35	17	131	34
	23	37	39	21	131	35
Seb	29	25	34	15	83	37
	19	22	33	15	89	35
Vicky	18	21	34	9	120	29
	13	21	33	11	128	35
Barbara	15	24	29	14	106	38
	15	25	32	17	110	40
Noura	15	21	20	14	109	41
	15	25	26	16	112	50
Jane	13	30	22	18	90	23
	11	24	25	18	97	35
Martha	15	21	29	16	108	35
	12	23	33	17	115	36
Nicoletta	20	14	20	9	80	40
	11	16	18	11	33	40
Nanca	14	25	36	19	108	35
	13	28	35	18	123	36
Mary	19	43	41	21	125	37
	15	45	45	22	119	39
Liang	18	14	18	9	88	30
	14		24	11	106	25
Overall Average	17.34615385	26.28	29.57692308	16.11538462	105.6923077	35.69230769
1st round overall	19.30769231	25.46153846	28.30769231	15.61538462	104.9230769	34.84615385
2nd round overall	15.38461538	27.16666667	30.84615385	16.61538462	106.4615385	36.53846154
Male overall average	23.125	29.625	31.125	18.625	108.875	35.5
Male 1st round	26	29.5	29.75	18.5	107.5	36.25
Male 2nd round	20.25	29.75	32.5	18.75	110.25	34.75
Female overall average	14.77777778	24.70588235	28.88888889	15	104.2777778	35.77777778
Female 1st round	14.7	21.3	24.9	12.9	93.4	30.8
Female 2nd round	11.9	23	27.1	14.1	94.3	33.6
	Aero	Press	Wall Ball	Burpees	Rainbow Twists	Kettle-bell Swings
my 1st Round	29	30	35	17	131	34
my 2nd Round	23	37	39	21	131	35
Class 2-round Avg	17.1	26.1	29.8	15.8	103.6	35.0
my ⇑ vs avg	51.7%	28.4%	24.0%	20.2%	26.5%	-1.5%
Class 1st Round Avg	18.3	24.2	28.4	15.1	101.9	34.9
my ⇑ vs avg	58.9%	24.2%	23.4%	12.4%	28.6%	-2.5%
Class 2nd Round Avg	16.4	27.5	30.8	16.3	104.7	35.2
my ⇑ vs avg	40.3%	34.5%	26.5%	29.1%	25.1%	-0.4%
Male 2-round Avg	14.4	24.3	29.6	16.1	98.6	36.8
my ⇑ vs avg	80.9%	38.1%	24.9%	17.8%	32.8%	-6.1%
Male 1st Round Avg	11.8	22.8	27.8	16.0	92.0	36.8
my ⇑ vs avg	146.8%	31.9%	26.1%	6.3%	42.4%	-7.5%
Male 2nd Round Avg	17	25.75	31.5	16.25	105.25	36.75
my ⇑ vs avg	35.3%	43.7%	23.8%	29.2%	24.5%	-4.8%
Female 2-round Avg	17.6	28.2	30.1	16.1	105.7	34.2
my ⇑ vs avg	147.7%	118.7%	123.0%	118.1%	124.0%	100.8%
Female 1st Round Avg	16.2	22.2	23.7	12.8	86.5	28.1
my ⇑ vs avg	79.4%	35.1%	47.9%	32.4%	51.5%	20.8%
Female 2nd Round Avg	14.6	25.7	27.7	14.7	95.0	30.7
my ⇑ vs avg	57.1%	44.0%	40.9%	43.0%	37.9%	14.2%

So okay literally the inclusion of this spreadsheet has made my whole point, in a "picture=1k werdz" way.

That point is: wtF is wrong with my kettle-bell swings?

No no no, l0l, the point is...

Well first lemme say: I do wish I had a place like Ursus near me. I have LOTS of crossfit/circuit training places near me, but (a) Ursus is just unusually rad, not cuz it's fun and in HK but because it is; and (b) it has a real emphasis on strength training in a circuit/interval context, and I could use more of that.

BUT.

What the f##k does it do to my head? I don't have answers here. I'm saying workouts like this provoke that question in me. I mean look at this spreadsheet I f##king went and made. That is not a thing that I 'did for a post'.

I have friends who Do Stuff Seriously, and I've done some stuff seriously over the last few years. And I certainly take my physical regimen and my physical self pretty 'seriously'. But...straight up, honestly, I don't. I mean...I think it's important for me now, and will only get more important as time passes, to both affirm and activate the conviction that I do physical stuff, which I do a lot of!, because I am fundamentally if not exclusively motivated by joy. Plus, perhaps, a general sense that it's good to be healthy and active and moving, much as you can.

There's a whole host of other worthwhile motivations one could name; the last trap I'm going to fall into is pigeon-holing the psychology of people who throw themselves deeply into physical activity of one kind or another. I'm saying for me. And I also don't even mean, for me, to hate on Ursus's approach, here; if I were lucky enough to get an Ursus or Ursus-like place near me, I'm confident I could go a couple times a week and have a good time and not fall into any of the psychological traps I'd be prone to with this.

I'm really just ruminating in and around a thing: why I do fitness the way that I do. Why do you do fitness, the way that you do? (Do you do fitness? You should, some way). What the role of beating yourself is, in something recreational: i.e., something that is not 'your work'. What the role of beating other people is, in such things; I think I'm tabling cases where the point is, at least sometimes, beating someone else or the other team or whatever. I'm talking about the practice of setting up comparative metrics where it's not about winning the game.

Or: what is 'the game'? How do you define it?

Like, what: I don't notice when there's someone in yoga who's crushing it? I do -- and I like it: it's aspirational and inspirational, and makes me feel like I'm in the right class. But just...yeah.

I, me, have to cautious about, I have reservations about, this kind of stuff. For me. Also: I find value and pleasure in this kind of stuff! And also must be cautious about it.

etc.

Anyhow. S/b out.