DanielG

I had a good day today. It ended up surprisingly busy; I thought I didn't have much on the docket for the day. Returning to my regular morning routine after the past few days of hecticness was refreshing. I prayed, started my coffee, read my morning readings, brushed my teeth, and drank the coffee while chilling on the computer. The first thing I had planned for the day was a meeting with a personal trainer at two in the afternoon. There was plenty of time to fill. I started by watering the plants. This time I did not overfill the inside plants and spill everywhere! Afterwards, I decided to go for a long walk to grab a coffee from the coffee shop. I decided to enjoy my coffee without doing anything 'productive.' Iconoclast continues to make delicious Americanos. After returning home from the coffee shop, I worked on cleaning the basement. I went through my desk to clean up the junk that had accumulated. There were many random greeting cards I had saved that I threw out. I kept many of the ones I felt had more sentimental value or significance, like the memorial card from my grandmother's funeral. I also organized the mess of random cords I had collected. The floor was dirty again, so I vacuumed as well. And my sheets were due for a wash; I threw them into the laundry machine. I still had the appointment at 2; I ran out of time partway through sorting the sentimental things. I changed into some gym clothes and walked to the workout facility. The receptionist is good friends with the trainer I met with and told me she was an excellent trainer and that I was in good hands. She spoke true! My experience with Xanthinna, the personal trainer, was pleasant. She had a good energy about her, encouraging and upbeat. We did some preliminary mobility tests and talked about what it would be like working with her. There's a companion app she uses with her clients that I would be able to use to track my workouts. Her availability would theoretically work well with the Cactus Club Cafe job if I land that tomorrow. So, it's all lined up nicely, pending the interview. I did a bit of cardio before I headed back home. I finished up the sorting when I got back home. Afterwards, I spent some time making some food for myself. I had an over-easy egg on rice and a spinach salad with goat cheese, dried cranberries, and strawberries. After my meal, I worked on my final assignment for the Healthy Gamer coaching group. After a while, I stopped writing the content and sketched some points I'd like to include. By then, it was time for a trip to Whyte Avenue! I packed up my Shun knife that I wanted to be sharpened in my backpack and headed out. It took me roughly an hour and fifteen minutes to make it to the knife shop. The walk itself was pleasant; it was a beautiful day outside. It didn't take them long to sharpen my knife at the store. The place is neat; they have various Japanese cooking stuff for sale and many beautiful knives. Lots of them are hand-forged from Japan. I received one for Christmas last year. The smith is from the same region of Japan my grandmother on my mother's side is from. I still had improv to go to! Knife in tow, I headed to a coffee shop to kill time. It was a funky place, a board game cafe called the Hexagon! It somehow survived Covid. The shop was littered with board games and various nerdy things. The coffee itself was alright. After finishing my coffee and bottle of water, I headed out to the improv workshop. This was our final session of the workshop. A large chunk of it was figuring out what we'd like to do for our showcase on Wednesday. We decided on a few games to present. The games we played were pretty fun today too. The experience overall has been engaging. The work we did feels applicable to real life. Practicing getting out of my head, being present, listening, and being intuitive in reacting has been rewarding. I caught a ride with one of the other workshop takers back home. I swapped over the laundry, which should be done now. Long day today, interview tomorrow. I also put in over 30,000 steps. I think I'll sleep well tonight! One Thing That Went Well Today: Improv felt natural today. Gratitude: I am grateful for the workshop crew. We really mesh well together. I am grateful for my chef knives. They are good tools that help me cook. I am grateful for my morning routine. It helps ground me for the rest of the day. 2 Hours of Productivity: Yes!

I've been away for the past couple of days. The combined stag/stagette was a resounding success; my weekend revolved around that. Friday changed from what I expected. I thought I would have time to do some preliminary prep of the meal at my place, sleep there, and then get a ride to my cousin's place to head out to the party location. Instead, we spent most of the afternoon and evening scouting out and visiting at the party location. It was neat! My cousin's uncle-in-law is super handy and built a beautiful space. The property had some trails cut out, a cabin, and a well-equipped tavern for people to hang out. The decor was funky! They had a shelf lined with beer bottles they'd collected from around the globe. They had drunk each beer at the location they were from. German beers in Germany, Mexican beers in Mexico, etc. Pretty nifty! The uncle gave us a grand tour and explained all the various workings of the property. It was really cool; he built the entire place himself! I spent the night at my cousin's house to make it easier for the following morning. I got a chance to do some of the prep for the meal, but it was already late when we got back. We had some donairs for a late dinner. I did some more prep before we packed everything up in the morning. Inevitably we left a couple things behind, but things turned out fine anyway. We convoyed for the drive out with a few vehicles. We stopped to pick up some donuts at a local bakery in one of the towns along the route for the party. The rest of the ride was mostly uneventful. There was a lot of prep to do, so I got right to it. The menu I decided on consisted of 1 salad, 3 sides, and 2 mains. The salad was a kale salad with a vinaigrette dressing, goat cheese, roasted pecans, and radishes. The sides for the meal consisted of oven-roasted garlic potatoes with fresh dill, beets and carrots with fresh sage, and bacon-wrapped asparagus. Our mains were a marinated tofu vegetable stir fry (since there were a few vegetarians) and 8oz steaks done up with a salt and pepper dry rub. I used an uncommon cut of the animal called a Denver. It has good marbling and takes well to a barbecue, which was how we cooked them. We pivoted last minute and bought a couple bone-in dry-aged striploin steaks for the bride and groom. There was a decent amount of knifework for the meal, and only one cutting board, so I did all of that. I felt a bit out of practice for the larger scale cooking at the start, but as I continued to work, it felt like I got into a groove and flowed better. I got some help with the actual cooking since I couldn't be three places at once. It was pretty funny, actually. Some friends came to help, did a bong rip (marijuana is legal here in Canada), and got too high to help me anymore 😂. Luckily, two people at the party with culinary experience who did not get that high came in clutch and help me finish the meal. Everyone was pretty intoxicated and high, so no matter how the meal turned out, they would've liked it 😂. Some of the potatoes I had were a little under. The carrots were overcooked since I threw them in with the beets in a pot to save time. The last oopsy was that the stir fry was much more cooked than I would have liked. Flavour-wise, everything turned out how I envisioned it, though. Everyone had kind words about the quality of the food, and I got a round of raucous applause when I came out to socialize for a bit. Lots of people thanked me for cooking as well. I am glad for the words of appreciation, but they didn't really "land." I felt indifferent and a bit uncomfortable when they were saying that. After dinner, I spent some time socializing with people. We had a big fire going; people were having a good time. I had a few one-on-ones with people that I really enjoyed. We also had planned a midnight snack that one of our friends' parents had made for us: some delicious marinated meat and hummus! I was put in charge of getting that ready. Thankfully there was far less work involved 😂. Our friend's mom made the hummus. All other hummus is a pale imitation of it; it typically ruins the dip for people because nothing else really compares to it. Most people went to bed after the snack. Since we rarely get the chance, my brother and I stargazed near the fire since we were far enough from civilization to see some stars otherwise obscured by light pollution. It was beautiful 😊. The next day, we cleaned up the property, packed all our stuff, and headed to brunch at a restaurant in St. Albert called Socrates. It was a delicious brunch! I ordered the Southwestern Bowl. I'm a sucker for anything Texmex. I put 9 Frank's Red Hot sauce packets on it 😂. After brunch, we all headed to drop off the soon-to-be bride and groom and said our goodbyes. My brother gave me a ride home. I took a long-awaited shower and then walked to a local coffee shop to grab an Americano. When I arrived, I ran into someone I went to treatment with over 7 years ago! He's a tattoo artist with the ink to match. He didn't recognize me at first (I'm much heavier than when we last saw each other, plus it's been a long time). He said he's doing well, not fully clean since he smokes weed, but still doing alright. He moved from BC to Edmonton and works out of a shop in the same complex as the coffee shop within walking distance of my place! It was good to see him, a small-world kind of thing for sure. I left the coffee shop and came home. I started on some chores; I needed to do my laundry, water the plants, and mow the lawn. Partway through the tasks, my mom's cousin's husband arrived. He's staying with us while he marks some diplomas here in Edmonton. I completed the chores just in time for my call with Cam. I had actually forgotten that it was today 😅. It went well; he was encouraging like always. We talked some stuff out. Steady progress seems to be the theme for me, which is good. Change that is sustainable and consistent. I'm meeting with a PT for an initial consultation tomorrow, which I'm excited about. I'm also looking forward to the final improv workshop session. My mom and her boyfriend are both out of town, so I'll have to find my way to the theatre without my chauffeur. I also have to water the plants so they do not perish. One Thing That Went Well Today: I ran into an old acquaintance! Gratitude: I am grateful for my ability to cook. It allows me to express my gratitude for the people in my life in a tangible way. I am grateful for my awareness around how I'm feeling. It grows with practice and I'm glad for opportunities that come up to experience my emotions. I am grateful for my calls with Cam. It helps me stay accountable, consider various aspects of my life, and helps me to find new ways to grow. 2 Hours of Productivity: Yes!

Today was a pretty full day. Still good, though! I got up and made coffee, per usual. This morning's readings for both AA and NA were about acceptance, which was neat. It was a good way to set the tone for the day. After caffeinating for a while, I left the house and walked to the gym. I was still a bit sore from Monday's strength training, so I decided to just play it safe and do another cardio day. I did a little over half an hour on the bike, worked up a decent sweat, and then headed back home. When I got home, I showered and got dressed for my first interview. My mom graciously offered to be my chauffeur for the day, which was much appreciated and came in handy. We headed out to the first restaurant I was interviewing at, which was about a 25 minute drive. Bus it takes about an hour and 15 minutes. So, of the two, this one would be the less desirable option. The interview itself went well, I got good vibes from the lady who conducted it. I let her know I'd be able to start in July. I also let her know about my other interview in the afternoon, which I think she appreciated. She asked me to keep her in the loop, which I will do. She said I'm in the running, and that she wanted to interview the rest of the candidates before making a decision. Which is fair. My mom had hung out in a coffee shop nearby and had a lovely time with some random ladies she met while visiting. After my interview, we headed back home. I had a quick lunch of a salad and a sandwich, and then got ready for my Healthy Gamer coaching session, which started pretty soon after we got home. One of the members couldn't make it today, and there were only 3 of us and the coach. As usual, we had a really good conversation that covered a lot of stuff that I could relate to. We all shared about how busy we've been. For me, it feels like a good kind of busy, one that has meaningful connection and positive movement. We also discussed the nature of addiction, and I shared some of my experience with it. And, last but definitely not least, we talked about spirituality! It was cool to hear other people's perspectives and experiences with it. I also shared my own views and journey as well. A good session. Next week is our last session, so I want to finish off the assignment before then. After coaching I went on a quick walk to sort of let the session sink in. Soon after that, I had my second interview at the restaurant closer to where I live. I, again, got a ride from my mom. This interview also went well! I got good vibes from this interviewer as well. I particularly liked that he seemed people-focused. We scheduled a second interview for Monday, so this is also a promising thing! We'll see how it goes. I'm leaning towards this one if I were to choose. As it stands, neither are really firmed up. My mom picked me up and we headed back in the direction of home, and the farmer's market. I got dropped off near the farmer's market with a couple of grocery bags. I filled them both up with lots of delicious vegetables and a little bit of fruit, as well as some madeleines for fun. If you do not know, madeleines are a delicious, small sponge cake with a distinctive shell shape. I walked back home with the produce in tow. We have an extra fridge in the garage, which I used to store all the produce. After that, I putzed around on the computer and kind of chilled for a while. I got hungry, so I took the initiative to help make supper, we had chicken chow mein, rice, and some ribs. After dinner, we went shopping for more groceries at Safeway. When we got back, I took Fidel for a walk and ran into our friendly down-the-street neighbour. She's a kind old lady with a lot of spunk and heart. She and I walked around the block together, and I visited with her in her house for a while. She gave Fidel a lot of treats 😂. After that I came back home and started writing this journal entry. An old co-worker/friend of mine was messaging me, so it's taken a while to write this out! It's good though, I'm glad to hear from him. One Thing That Went Well Today: The interviews went well! Gratitude: I am grateful for my sobriety. I am glad for how much it improves my life. I am grateful for the self-compassion I can practice today. It helps quell the negative self-talk that crops up. I am grateful for this new keyboard. It types real good. 2 Hours of Productivity: If you count shopping for groceries and job interviews, definitely!

Today was good. There were things and I did stuff. The end. 😄 Synthwave kind of day today. I'm feeling tired at the moment. I did a lot of physical activity today. I got a callback from 2 different jobs I'd applied for, so I have two interviews lined up for tomorrow. I also want to do a bunch of the shopping for vegetables tomorrow at the Thursday farmer's market and I have my Healthy Gamer coaching. I also heard back from a personal trainer. I'll be meeting her on Monday for an initial consultation. I tested out a tofu recipe that turned out good, so I think that'll be the second main/protein we I do for the party meal. And I'm locking in some simple potatoes. I'll parboil them and then roast them in the oven day of, I'm thinking. Throw in some kind of dairy, probably butter. Fresh dill, garlic. Salt and pepper. Easy peasy. So, 6 dishes for the meal total. 1 salad, 3 sides, 2 mains. I'm going to math some stuff out tomorrow, maybe a bit tonight after the journal if I'm feeling spicy. I also went to the doctor today to check out a skin tag on my back. Turns out, it really is just a really large skin tag. He did a preliminary treatment to kill some of the cells, and said if it didn't fall off, to get it done again and that second treatment would finish it off. Hit the gym, coffee shop, bought some of the ginger sencha tea (so good!), went on a couple walks, and checked out a grocery store that specializes in produce. Also did the preliminary interview for Cactus Club, which led to getting the callback for an interview with a hiring manager tomorrow. One Thing That Went Well Today: Applications are yielding some results! Gratitude: I am grateful for my doctor. He's a chill dude. I am grateful for ginger sencha tea. Delicious! I am grateful for being able to accept where I'm at and go with it. Definitely feeling the tiredness right now, and honouring that. Vibing with the music and not worrying too much about writing a cohesive narrative kind of entry today. I'm still gonna add photos of food and my fitness tracker though lol 2 Hours of Productivity: I'd say about an hour today, so partial completion.

I got up early today. I had my usual morning ritual of a prayer, preparing/brewing coffee, reading the morning meditations, and brushing my teeth. I spent some time reading and checking on Discord/emails and decided that I would attend the morning AA meeting at the Alano Club. It was raining, so I went upstairs to look for a jacket and found an old one my younger brother left behind. It's a little big, but it still works, so I used that throughout the day. Out the door to the meeting I went. It was a good to go to a meeting. It was a literature-focused meeting today, we read out of the 12 and 12, a book that further expands on the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. We read a passage from Step 12. What stood out to me was the description of the transition from dependence on people, places, and things to reliance on God for emotional stability and strength. It really resonated with what I've been working on and reading about lately, so that's what I ended up sharing about. I also ran into someone who went to the same recovery house I did, almost at the same time that I did! It's cool how coincidences work sometimes. He was recently coming back (had relapsed and returned to AA), and was struggling with some anger today. He said that he felt better, and was calming down, during his share. Meetings definitely help with that. I chatted with one of my neighbours who was also at the meeting after it ended, he's a friendly, nice guy. My mom doesn't like him because he has a tree that spreads a lot of seeds everywhere. I walked back home in the rain, and really enjoyed the experience of it. The smell, the sounds, the sight, and the feeling of the rain on my skin when I put my hood down for a bit. I wanted to go to the gym today, so I geared up for that and headed out again after putzing around for a bit. At the gym, I put in ~50 minutes of cardio. 30 minutes on the bike and 20 on the eliptical. It was all I had time for. Still, it felt good to get some more vigorous exercise in. I walked back in the rain, again trying to be mindful of the experience. When I got home, I chatted on Discord for a bit about fitness stuff and downloaded the app Cam recommended. My mom and I's appointment with the addictions counselor came up pretty quick, so we headed out to the office. Harsharan, the counselor, was running a bit behind, so we waited for a while. I ended up talking with the receptionist a little bit about the plants they had in the lobby. They grow rapidly in the environment; she explained that it gets really hot in the building during the summer. After about 15 minutes or so our appointment started. It was a productive appointment I feel. I ended up talking a decent amount about my experiences growing up, which coincides with the backstory assignment I'm working on for my Healthy Gamer coaching. Funny how things work out like that. I suggested going out for brunch after the appointment, so we went back home, picked up my mom's boyfriend, and headed out to OEB for brunch. Brunch was delicious! My mom and her boyfriend hadn't been to OEB before. They really enjoyed their food. I opted for the Gold Digga (again), my mom had the classic Eggs Benedict with rosemary ham, and her boyfriend ordered a veggie primavera omelette. We all really enjoyed our food. My mom said she's going to order a breakfast poutine like the one I got next time. I wanted to get some productivity time in, so I asked for a ride to Iconoclast, the coffee shop, and they obliged. The coffee shop was packed! Tons of people, there were only 2 tables free. I ordered an Americano and tried to work on the backstory assignment, but the people next to me were really loud. Everything seemed really loud, and I couldn't concentrate. I regretted not bringing my headphones or earbuds, definitely have to remember to do that next time. I did get a bit of reading done, though. I also talked a bit with one of the cooks about the collection of cookbooks they had. He showed me one of particular interest, the Flavor Bible. It's less a recipe book and more a reference for good flavour pairings. While I was there, my friends were texting about getting together. I wasn't doing anything tonight, so I opted to join in. My cousin offered to give me a ride, so I took her up on the offer. I walked home to rendezvous with her and away we went. The hangout was fun. We spent a decent chunk of time talking about the upcoming bachelor/bachelorette party, discussing logistics and what not. My cousin had made chicken, rice, and potatoes that tasted pretty delicious. She used a lemon juice/olive oil/oregano sauce to cook the potatoes and chicken in, similar to Greek-style potatoes. She had also baked some banana muffins that were also delicious. The kids were pretty well-behaved, and after they went to bed we watched some video game related YouTube videos for the new Bethesda game, Starfield. The graphics are pretty good, and Todd Howard remains a chill dude. We watched about half of Spirited Away as well before people got sleepy. We called it a night, and our other friend gave me a ride home. So now I'm here writing out a journal. One Thing That Went Well Today: Workout was good. I sweated a lot! Gratitude: I am grateful for the night sky. It can be really beautiful when you get out of the light polution and have a clear sky. I am grateful for Studio Ghibli films. They always seem to resonate with me in some way. I am grateful for people's willingness to share their knowledge. I find I learn well when someone takes the time to teach me. 2 Hours of Productivity: Not today.

Looks like a really nice bike! Disc brakes and full suspension, nice nice! Oooh and it's a 29er? Interesting! I tested out one before, definitely a different feel from other bikes. Not in a bad way, though. Hope you get some good riding in! 😊

Welcome aboard, fellow Canadian!

Listening to synthwave radio instead of lofi tonight as the background music for writing this out 😊. Today was a good day. I feel like it was a good mix of productive and fun. I started it off as usual with my morning coffee, which I've been slowly cutting back. I wrote my previous day's journal entry as my 'while drinking coffee' activity. I ended up writing a lot more than I thought I would, which is neat. While I was writing it out, my mom came in to check up on me, so I took the opportunity to ask her for a gym membership. She was more than willing to help me with that, so we signed up online. I chatted a bit with the lady from Match and then decided to walk to the gym. It felt a bit awkward at first going to the gym. I was far less self-conscious than I thought I would be, which is nice. I did wear pretty baggy clothes, though. I did an hour long upper-body workout, focused a bit more on back and shoulders, and then did 15 minutes of cardio. Low weight, more reps kind of thing to ease back into it/work on form. It was a good workout. I figured I'd earned a bit of a break so I caught the bus back to my house instead of walking. When I got home, I decided that I would continue being productive and head to a coffee shop, like Cam and I discussed. I tested out my laptop and it seemed like it wasn't charging, which was worrisome. After I booted it up with the cord plugged in, it worked, thankfully. While I waited for it to charge up I worked on some job applications. I also popped onto Discord with my ex for a bit while I was writing an email to Habitat for Humanity. We're still on good terms. She's doing alright, had something she was dealing with she didn't want to talk about with me. Which is a valid boundary that I completely understand. It was good to chat with her a bit regardless. After I sent off the email, I signed off, geared up for the coffee shop, and headed out. I went to Iconoclast (because of course I did) and ordered an Americano. Delicious as always! I sat down, pulled out my laptop, and worked on an assignment that my Healthy Gamer coaching put forward. It's more or less a life story assignment. Writing out a long form version of how you ended up where you are, your 'backstory', as well as assigning some attribute scores to mental health versions of the classic five stats (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, Charisma). I stayed there until just before closing time and then walked back home to be in time for a ride to the improv workshop. Improv was really fun! We worked on more structured story telling today. I was a little bit in my own head at first, but after we practiced for a while I got the hang of it. I feel like as a class that was our arc. The instructor said that today was putting everything we had learned thus far all together, so it makes sense we'd struggle a little bit at first. Everyone was super positive and encouraging, as always, and put their all into the class. Next class we're going to go over some of the things we might try for the showcase. I don't think I've actually explained that before: at the end of the workshop, we're going to put on a showcase to show what we've learned. It'll probably be fun! Or terrifying. Or both lol. After the workshop I got a ride back home, and now I'm here. One Thing That Went Well Today: Improv workshop was fun! Gratitude: I am grateful for my improv group. They're all positive and encouraging people. I am grateful for slice of life stories. They're really comfy and make me feel good. I am grateful for the continued financial support of my mom. It allows me opportunities that I would otherwise be unable to have. 2 Hours of Productivity: Yep!

I was exhausted when I got home yesterday, so I just went straight to bed. Day-after journal! I didn't sleep well yesterday, only for like 5 hours or so. I decided to just get up in the early morning. I felt sort of rested and figured coffee would compensate for the rest. There were 2 things on the docket for my well-being: a meeting with Cam late in the evening and my AA homegroup at half past noon. Since I got up early, a third opportunity opened up. I used to attend a men's group meeting that starts fairly early in the morning. Since I got up early for no real reason, I decided that I would attend that as well. I had my morning coffee and read some of the Bhagavad Gita before hopping on the computer to chat on Discord. After a little while, I went for a walk around the block. When I returned, it was time for the men's group so I hopped onto the Zoom meeting. It was really great to see the familiar faces I sobered up with, a lot of people were happy to see me 😊. The group comprises of a bunch of men from AA in the part of BC I sobered up in. It was Father's Day so a bunch of the men were at home spending time with their families. As such, the group was a little less heavy on the 'work' aspect and more casual hanging out, and chatting about an upcoming weekend retreat. It was still really good to see everybody. I did not get to see my old sponsor unfortunately, though I think I'll give him a call sometime this week to catch up. I did some quick follow-ups on job applications via the Indeed emails that prompted me for them and then chatted on Discord some more. There was a guy on the Healthy Gamer Discord who had a multiplayer piano session going so I popped into that for a bit. It was nifty, he was actually pretty good at playing. He played a couple Zelda songs, and a smattering of other recognizable tunes from different things. I said goodbye and headed out to my homegroup a bit early after a while. I stopped in at the fancy bakery next to the club where the meeting was taking place for a coffee/to get some smaller bills for 7th Tradition (where AA members donate money). It was really busy, as usual for weekends there. I chatted to the barista inquiring about the whereabouts of one of their other baristas I usually see there, and she said he had moved on to another job. Unfortunate, he was a cool guy and made wicked coffee. She didn't know exactly where he had moved on to. I hope he does well wherever he ended up. I took the coffee into the Alano Club and hung out with some other people who were also early for the meeting. They recently renovated the club so it's really nice in there. There was a brief period where I might've been voluntold to chair the meeting if the chairperson didn't show up, but she did so I was off the hook. The meeting itself was really good. Lots of relatable, uplifting shares. Messages of experience, strength, and hope. One lady's share in particular really resonated with me. She was from out of town. She and the chairperson had actually met in Mexico during an AA conference a couple years back which was a cool little coincidence. I was asked to share after her, I typically get a bit nervous following people who have such a strong message. I feel like I accurately conveyed what I was feeling at the time. Someone came up to me after the meeting and thanked me personally for my share afterwards, which felt made me feel appreciated and seen. After the meeting I just headed home, I didn't socialize that much. It was raining heavily by this point, so my hoodie I'd worn got soaked. I checked my WhatsApp messages and saw that there was a hangout brewing. I figured I could take my meeting with Cam via Discord on my phone if I charged it up enough (for some reason it drains my battery a lot), so I quickly plugged it in and responded that I'd be up for hanging out. The plan was to do my productivity stuff after I got home, which didn't end up happening. I underestimated how tired I'd be. The timing worked out that one of our friends could pick me up while they were close to downtown, so I got a ride to and from our other friend's place from them. The hangout was fun! We had high quality, delicious pizza and some delectable desserts, including some butter pecan tarts from a farmer's market and a lemon loaf my mom made. Funnily enough, it ended up with us hanging out for a while at my cousin's place without either her or her husband there, just the kids. Both of the toddlers were wild while we were there. One of our friends noted, under his breath so I think I wouldn't hear, that they always act up when I'm around. I trust his judgement, as he helps take care of the kids frequently. I think he didn't want me to hear so I wouldn't feel bad? I don't know. If I were to guess, it's likely because I don't really care all that much if they crawl over me, grab my hand to take me places, that kind of thing. I don't really set any boundaries with them, try to parent or tell them what to do, so I think they interpret that as 'CHAOS REIGNS!'. I also suspect that I give off similar vibes as their mom, since we're related. My cousin came back from work right after the kids were put to bed, perfect timing haha! We started watching the new Demon Slayer episode about 15 minutes before I had to take my call with Cam, so I left partway through the episode. I headed into the basement so as not to be disruptive/have anime blaring in the background. I felt it was a good session. We talked again about incremental change, increasing by 20%, in a few aspects of my life. Reducing portion sizes of food, increasing physical exercise (while I was writing this out, my mom paid for a new gym membership for me!), and going to coffee shops instead of working from home are on the docket for this week. We also reflected on some of my journey so far, and how improv has been a positive experience that has been helping in various aspects of my life. We talked about some other stuff too, but I kind of forget right now 😅. After the call, I went back upstairs and we watched the first episode of the final season of Attack on Titan. Crazy stuff! We called it a night after that, I caught a ride home from the same friends who brought me there. When I got home I just went straight to bed, as I was exhausted. Good day! One Thing That Went Well Today: I cracked the 20lbs. mark for weight loss and fit in a jacket that hasn't fit me in a long time! Gratitude: I am grateful for the rain. Even when it's barreling down like mad, I enjoy the sound, sight, smell, and feel of it. I think that's part of why I liked living in the Lower Mainland so much. I am grateful for the peacefulness in my household. My mom, her boyfriend and I get along really well. I am grateful for the lady's share at the meeting. It was uplifting and inspiring. 2 Hours of Productivity: No

o.o Which/what kind of bike, out of curiosity? Road bike? Hybrid? What kind of frame (some kind of lightweight material I'm guessing)? I'm guessing the brands are probably different in your neck of the woods.

Today was relaxed. Chill vibes. I spent a lot of time just hanging out. Even before coffee, I went for a morning walk with the family. My right ankle was feeling a little off, so I decided to cut it short and cancel my plans to hang out with my friend Michael. When I got home, I had my coffee and chilled out, putzing around on the computer, reading. After I finished my coffee I ate some chili and rice for an early-ish lunch. I timed my shower so that I could make it to my dental appointment at 1. The appointment went well. The dentist was nice about me messing up my filling, and said I did the right thing by calling the office. Again, I'm not allowed to eat for the rest of the day so it can set properly. I kind of wished I had eaten more, lol. When I got back, I spent some time working on job application stuff. One of the applications I had already sent out asked for an assessment, which I already had a completed one on file for Indeed, so I just put the previous one in. Other than that, it was mostly clearing out email and declining job posting suggestions that were too far to transit/bus. After that, I walked to the tea shop to pick up some loose leaf tea. It was nice. While I was out, I also took the opportunity to buy some stones from the book store for my dad for Father's Day/his sobriety anniversary. The lady who helped me at the store was the pretty girl. She was helpful and kind, as always. I complimented her on her hair, and she seemed pleased by that. She said she hadn't done anything to it, which surprised me because it looked really good today. I'm probably biased though 🙃. Now I have some stones ready for when my dad gets back from Montreal, and I got to talk to the pretty girl again. Win win 😊. We also sold my Switch today, so I have some money in pocket. My mom was the MVP, she did most of the communicating. I also gave a bunch of my old computer parts, which are fairly recent, to my brother. And I have my current graphics card lined up to sell to a friend. The rest of the tower I think I'll sell together, we'll see. Or I might see if my friend is interested in the whole thing for a good deal. As is, it's just a really expensive thing I use for browsing the internet and productivity. I can do that on my laptop easy enough, maybe just not as smooth of an experience. I went on another walk this evening to try to deposit the money, but the bank was closed and there was no accessible ATM. So I just had a decaf Americano from Second Cup and sat for a while before walking back. Now I'm here. Also also! I forgot to mention that I activated my dating profile on Match on a lark, and I got 2 matches! Pretty nifty. I chatted a bit with one of them; the site is asking for money to be able to talk to the other one, which I'm not going to do. Honestly wasn't expecting people to actually match with me. One Thing That Went Well Today: We sold the Switch! Gratitude: I am grateful for my dentist. She's really nice and has been quite helpful. I am grateful for tea. It's a soothing beverage. I am grateful for goat cheese. It's delicious! 2 Hours of Productivity: Yes, this day.

I'm writing yesterday's journal today, as I was quite tired and went straight to bed after dinner. I had a pretty good day. I'm not really in a writing mood so I'll keep it brief (maybe lol). I had my regular morning coffee and some reading. Afterwards, I went on a walk to an electronics/office supply store to pick up a new keyboard, which is working out nicely. I think it's the best quality for your money kind of thing, we'll see how it holds up. When I got back I decided that I'd like to go on a bike ride to the river valley, so I packed up some gear and then headed out. It was a good ride, just following along the banks again. This time I went a little further up a path near a bridge and saw that it lead to the Muttart Conservatory, a large indoor garden that is quite beautiful. One of these days I'll bring my bike lock and venture inside. I found a spot further down the river valley to set up and read/chill, one of those viewing platforms I mentioned in an earlier entry. It was peaceful there. A few birds came to perch in the tree next to me to sing which was cool 😊. After a while I decided it was time to move on, so I packed up my stuff and headed back home. Back home, my mom had returned from pickle ball. She had also stopped by my brother's place and brought my other brother's dog with her, who was staying there. I named her Joy when we got her, originally she was intended to be my dog but I did not want the responsibility while I was depressed. I reviewed my resume and worked on some job applications before sending them off (productivity!). I did get interrupted a couple times by my mom to help her with some yard work, but I put in the hours this day. I also decided to message some people on Match for fun, see what happens. One of the women responded to my message, we both value spirituality so we'll see how it goes. We made portobello mushroom burgers with french fries and a nice salad for dinner. I was in charge of the french fries, which I cooked in the deep fryer. They still didn't crisp up quite to where I'd have liked, but they were still tasty. The burgers and salad were also delicious. My mom was also making banana bread and lemon loafs! So I had a piece of banana bread for dessert right after eating. I went to bed right away after that. One Thing That Went Well Today: I picked a peaceful spot in the river valley. Gratitude: I am grateful for honesty. Seeing things as they truly are is important to me. Being forthright, acting in accordance with spiritual principles, I feel brings me closer to God. I am grateful for the improv workshop. I've already seen where some of the things I've learned help me make sense of the world around me. I am grateful for forgiveness. I think it's a powerful thing, to be able to forgive people. Reconciling and letting what happened not hold power over your well-being. 2 Hours of Productivity: Yes, this day.

Yesterday's journal today on the new keyboard! I bought some generic Microsoft brand one. Coffee, daily readings, and chill was the start of the morning, per usual. I read a bit, but mostly chatted on Discord. Late morning I had an appointment with the lawyer my dad hired for me to help with my record suspension/pardon application. His place is roughly a 20 minute walk from mine, so that's how I made my way there. I brought the final document that he needed to complete the process. It was long answers for two different questions about how a record suspension/pardon would affect my life, and a descriptive narrative of the events leading up to the crime I committed. The lawyer said he usually needs to edit these for people, but in my case he thought he might just leave it as is. While writing the story of how my DUI came about, I wasn't really feeling shameful or anything. I feel like it's something that I've come to terms with as well. That feels appropriate; it's been nearly a decade since it happened. Long story short, I blacked out at a Christmas staff party, got a ride home, I took my car for a spin because drunk logic, icy roads + pedal to the metal = bad, totaled my car, and I called the cops on myself because drunk logic. Just, bad ideas all around. And, it only stopped me drinking for about 6 months. Alcoholic insanity. After the appointment I went home and chilled for a bit before my next appointment in the early afternoon with my Healthy Gamer Coaching group. The group itself went quite well, I feel. The sessions are coming to a close on the 29th, so we started the process of debriefing/reflecting on what we've learned and how group has helped us. Everyone shared things that they appreciated about group, and also each other. It was a heartwarming experience for sure. On a bit of a sadder note, one of the members did not show up and let his sessions lapse, this was his final session technically. So, we didn't really get to have that closure with him, which makes me sad. I could relate to him a lot, and I feel like he was a valuable member of our group. I'm not sure if he didn't show up because of work-related reasons; his union went on strike so he had already missed the past few sessions to join the picket line. Wherever he ends up, I hope he does well. Feeling uplifted, I decided to head out on a walk to the Butchery to make the steak order for next week. On the way there, I saw my elderly neighbour from down the street walking her dog and approached to say hi. She has a kind soul, and loves to talk with all the people in the neighbourhood. We spoke for a long time about experiences in her life. A new neighbour and her mother, who was visiting from Lethbridge, also chatted with us for a while. When it was just me and the elderly neighbour, she asked how I was doing. She generally knows about my struggles with mental health. She started sharing her own experiences with depression, and I ended up getting a few phone calls in a row. I figured it was something urgent, so I excused myself and took the call. It was my friend offering a ride to my cousin and our other friend's place. I let him know I'd take up his offer. I made my way to the butcher shop, placed the order, and then rushed home to make it in time for the pickup. I did feel guilty about cutting my conversation with the elderly neighbour short. I ended up spending essentially the rest of the day at my cousin's house. While the kids were still up and about, we socialized a decent amount. I didn't really 'feel' any appropriate times to interject/contribute to the conversation. Like, there weren't any 'beats' to come in on. I blame improv for making me think in these terms 🙃. It was still a fun time, though. I more or less enjoyed listening to the the conversations, hanging out with the kids, petting the dogs. We had YEG Burger for dinner, which was delicious as always. I ordered 2 Go2 burgers, no fries, no drink. It's my old order for burger places. I feel like having more veggies/protein is probably better than fries. You probably shouldn't eat it every day, but it's tasty. Once the kids went to bed, we watched some anime. Part way through I felt like going for a walk, so I did. It was a nice walk, peaceful. The neighbourhood they live in is fairly new, and quite lovely. I got a ride back from the friend who offered the initial ride. We had a good chat on the way back. As a bit of an addendum, I can't remember what day it was, but I wrote a dating profile and had ChatGPT review it. I saved it on Match.com and set my profile to invisible. I think I did it because last week's coaching session we spent the majority of the time talking about dating and romantic relationships. I also realize I'm not really making the 2 hours of productivity a day a priority, so I'm going to refocus on that today. One Thing That Went Well Today: I felt like I was present for conversations as they happened. Gratitude: I am grateful for adjectives. They add spice to things! I am grateful for my friends. It is nice to have people to spend time with. I am grateful for generosity. It's good to share what we have with each other 😊. 2 Hours of Productivity: Not this day.

I didn't know such a thing existed. I'll t@ke @ look!

I h@ve lost the 'a' key on my keybo@rd. It broke, so I guess I just don't get th@t p@rt of the @lphbet. I @m deciding to write my journ@l entry tomorrow @fter getting @ new keybo@rd.

https://gamequitters.com/hobby-tool/ There's this resource which can help pinpoint something that you might like. For me, I got on a lot of walks and ride my bicycle a lot. Reading as well, cooking. And take myself out to coffee shops/dinner, though that can get expensive.

I was quite tired yesterday and went to bed early without making a journal entry, so here is yesterday's today. It was a lazy day for sure. It was smoky and raining all day. I mostly just browsed Discord. I tried making some crackers but ran out of flour. I tried to compensate with some pancake mix to get the consistency right, but that just made them fluffy crackers in the end. I wrote down baking soda on the list, but I'm fairly certain after tasting them it likely called for baking powder originally. Still, they didn't taste too bad, especially with jam and goat cheese on them. I had a big nap after that, woke up 3 hours later feeling kind of groggy. We had a chicken Caesar salad for dinner, afterwards I went for a short walk. After the walk I just went downstairs to go to bed. Lots of sleep. One Thing That Went Well Today: Understood what I could have done differently for the crackers Gratitude: I am grateful for The Longest Johns. They make music that seems to resonate with me. I am grateful for self-compassion. It's made living with myself much nicer. I am grateful for acceptance. Fighting against things seems much more difficult. 2 Hours of Productivity: Not this day.

The morning went well today. I woke up fairly early (for me, anyway) and had a strong urge to finish up my laundry and clean my room. I tuned in to a Discord fitness/nutrition Q&A stream while having my morning coffee and then started at it. I also cleared out nearly all my old video game consoles and games. I'm going to try to sell my Switch, but the rest was given away to friends, charity, or the eco-center (if it didn't work). As well, I threw out a bunch of random junk that was in my room, including a bunch of empty electronics boxes I was hanging onto for some reason. It was good to get a lot of the crap out of my space. I might go through the drawers to cull/organize more after writing this out, we'll see. My mom asked me if it felt good to clear things out. I told her no, there wasn't really a good 'feeling' for me; it was something that needed to be done. A lot of the time people talk about a sense of accomplishment/triumph after doing tasks. I generally don't seem to notice anything like that. Maybe it'll change over time. The 'break' I took was going to a dental appointment to have a temporary filling looked at. It's 'reset', but I'm guessing it'll probably end up being a root canal situation. Yikes. There was a strong taste from the filling, so I called the dental office after I left. They explained that the filling has some clove in it to help soothe the nerve. I'm trying not to mess with it, the dentist said it would take about 8 hours to 'set'. I think some of it came off though 😅, hopefully it was just some excess. My mom's friend popped in for a quick visit while my mom and I were sorting through the stuff. She had words of encouragement and was happy that I was cleaning things out. After she left we finished sorting everything, threw most of it in the car, and dropped it off. It took the majority of the day to do that, so I'm feeling tired and want to relax. Also still really sore! Part of the reason why I'm writing this early-ish. Oh, I found my e-reader and my copy of 'A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' while I was cleaning up, too! So some more leisurely type reading ahead perhaps. One Thing That Went Well Today: Clean room 😊 Gratitude: I am grateful for being literate. It opens up a lot possibilities for me. I am grateful for my mom's willingness to be helpful and supportive in general. It's pretty awesome having her in my life. I am grateful for food. I'm missing it right now since I can't eat it lol 2 Hours of Productivity: If you count the room cleaning, definitely hit the mark.

Another good day today. One month of no video games! I felt really sore when I got up, which was expected given yesterday's shenanigans. I had some morning coffee, read a bit, and browsed some volunteer opportunities before heading out for a long walk. I stopped in at Iconoclast and had an Americano, which was delicious as always. Today my senses seemed heightened, or I was more aware of them, or something. There was a delicious smell coming from the kitchen at the coffee shop, which was really strong even though I was quite far from it. The flavour of the coffee was more intense as well, it seemed. After that I headed down into the River Valley and rested in the shade for a bit. Since it was in the middle of a hot day on a weekday with smoky weather, no one was really hanging out along the river bank. I took advantage and sat on one of the benches/alcoves they have set up that are usually occupied, one that had shade. I felt tranquil, peaceful, sitting there. So much so that even when a few ants and a spider crawled up on me, I just flicked them off, unbothered. After enjoying the moment for a while, I decided to head back home. When I got home, I briefly looked at more volunteering possibilities, and then had an Epsom salt bath to alleviate some of the soreness. It worked okay. My mom made chili for dinner, which tasted really good. Usually I can't taste the spices when she makes it, but today the flavours seemed to pop. When I asked her about it, she said she actually used less spice than normal because she'd run out of some of them. Just an interesting thing to notice, I guess. I got a ride to my improv workshop after that. It went really well! There were moments where I felt I was struggling, but that feels like part of the process. We meshed really well as a group, and had a lot fun with the various activities. We did a lot of physical kind of stuff. I ended up doing fine despite being sore, which was cool. I also reached out to some of the men I connected with back in British Columbia via WhatsApp. I let them know I was doing better and that I had quit video games. They were pleased to hear from me. They have a Zoom meeting early Sunday morning that I can attend, and a lot of them also go to an AA meeting that's done on Zoom as well on Sunday night. I am planning on hitting both if I'm able this week, just to reconnect with some good people. One Thing That Went Well Today: Improv was a blast! Gratitude: I am grateful for my relationship with God. It helps keep me sober, and is a beautiful part of my existence. I am grateful for my mom's willingness to give me rides to places. It saves me a lot of time and I appreciate that she takes time out of her day to do it. I am grateful for Atlas of the Heart. It's a good read for someone like me who can struggle to identify emotions in myself. 2 Hours of Productivity? Maybe not all the way there at time of writing. Probably an hour and a half.

Thank you for the kind reassurance 😊. Some of the recipes are based on food I made while I was working in the restaurant industry, some are from my mom and dad, some are just Google'd. There's a couple cookbooks my mom has kicking around I might dust off now that I'm getting back into it. There's one I bought her for mother's day a few years back from our local fancy bakery that might be fun to try out. It is definitely one of those skills that you hone over time, figure out what tastes good together, what doesn't. Some cooks are really precise, use measuring spoons/cups for everything. Others kind of go by feel. I definitely lean into the 'feel', kind of wing it/eyeball a lot of stuff. So it's hard to pass along some of the cooking I do. It can definitely be daunting at first. And, in my opinion, as long as it tastes good, there's nothing wrong with basic or traditional dishes.

Welcome Josh! I'm still new to quitting games (1 month today), but if you're looking for someone to talk to feel free to message me.

It was a busy day today, in a good way! 😊 I had ambitions to scan the farmer's market for some mushrooms, grab some coffee from Iconoclast, pick up the book that the pretty lady recommended, go to my AA homegroup, go to a free yoga class, go to play soccer, and have my weekly meeting with Cam. This morning I did not sleep in as much as usual! I got up at around 9-9:30. I had my usual morning coffee, and spent some time chatting on Discord with my younger brother. He has been writing backstories to various art commissions he's had done (an expensive habit for sure), giving them to ChatGPT and asking it to write out hypothetical scenarios. The stories it comes up with are actually quite gooddd. He's also excited because his longtime friend from high school is going to be moving in with him soon. After the call, I grabbed my yoga gear and headed out for the day. The first stop I made was at the bookstore. I went straight for the book and brought it to the counter. The lady, also pretty but not the one from before, gave me two stamps instead of one on my stamp card, which was nice. The farmer's market I wanted to check out is conveniently a few blocks away from the bookstore, and on the way to Iconoclast (it's almost like I planned it) so I went there next. Unfortunately it seems the mushroom people aren't participating in the market this year. I'll keep an eye out for them in case they make a late appearance. Leaving the market, I ran into Michael's roommate randomly and said hi in passing. He didn't recognize me, haha! Which is alright, we only met the one time. After the quick encounter, I made it to the coffee shop. It was earlier in the day so it was much busier than yesterday. Still, the same barista was there and she was still pleasant. She seemed to remember me, and I talked to her a little bit after I made my order. She pointed me in the direction of their coffee roasting equipment, which I checked out before sitting down. It was neat. I parked in the corner of the shop and read some of the book; it made a good first impression. I get the sense it will be an enriching read. I also people watched a bit, which was fun. Caffeinated and ready to walk! I headed back up the street to the Alano Club, where my homegroup is at. I met friendly faces and received a warm welcome. One of the members who sometimes can't make it due to health issues was there again, which was good to see 😊. He's probably the reason why I gravitated toward the meeting initially. A genuinely friendly, warm, loving kind of guy. He was chairing the meeting. The meeting itself went well I feel. Lots of relatable shares, with strong messages of hope and strength. I was one of the people asked to share. I felt present and grounded when I went up to speak. The words seemed to come up naturally, which I usually attribute to being connected to my heart. After the meeting, we had a quick discussion about who might be taking over a service position in the group. One of the ladies who's been doing a lot better this year put herself forward to volunteer, which the group accepted. It's cool to see her growth. I was also offered a chance to fill a vacant position that serves as backup for the other one, and I accepted. It won't take place officially until December, but I'd still be able to shadow the person holding the main service position to see what mine would entail. Hot yoga! Because it's pride month, this weekend at the yoga studio I frequent the classes were free. The class that fit into my day's schedule was a Hatha/Flow class. This means, at least at the studio I go to, that it was a more active class, the kind that kicks your ass 😅. The class itself went well. I listened to my body and took breaks when appropriate. It felt pretty good to move like that, even if I didn't keep up with everything. I was also acutely aware that I was going to play soccer after, so I didn't want to go overboard. Even though I paced myself, it still took a lot out of me. Suffice it to say, I was glad when we lied down for savasana (corpse pose) 🙃. I didn't bother to change out of the workout gear, I just grabbed my things from the change room. After a quick, friendly chat with the instructor, I went on my merry way. I came back home to meet up with my mom for a ride to soccer. My friend Michael wasn't there when I arrived, but I sort of found the people we were going to play with. The impression I got is that it's a public pick-me-up game with a small entry fee. There were lots of Spanish-speaking players, which was cool. The fellow who ended up playing goalkeeper for the opposing team, Alex, was quite friendly and put in a lot of work. That isn't to say he was an exception; everyone was encouraging and friendly. Michael showed up not too much later than I did, and we ended up playing on opposing teams. I gave it my all, and I think I did okay for the most part, especially considering it's been nearly two decades since I played outdoor soccer. I feel like the stamina I've built up over the past month definitely helped me. There were a couple plays that I made where the enemy team ended up with the ball, and I was completely gassed by the end of each half. However, I did stop one potentially dangerous situation, though it took a lot of stamina. I launched myself sideways hard enough to lose my footing, so I ended up rolling on my shoulder to recover and still managed to stop the play, which felt good. Michael scored a few times. When we played on the same team growing up, he was good at soccer, so I was not surprised. It was pretty fun! I'm hoping my schedule allows me to participate every week. After soccer, Michael and his wife invited me out for dinner. We went to the Original Joe's that's close to my mom's place. It was good to share a meal with my old friend and catch up in a more intimate setting. The conversation itself felt natural and the 'depth' of it was gratifying. We talked about things you'd hold closer to your heart and not share with people you didn't trust/know well. We ordered calamari and chicken gyoza to start, which was delicious. For my main, I went with what I usually order from OJ's: the Kona burger. Pineapple on a burger works surprisingly well! It was also really good, like it usually is. I tried to be cognisant of my portion size, so I ended up saving half the burger and sweet potato fries for later. I finished the Caesar salad though. That's one of the cool parts about OJ's: two sides! It was a good time, and they gave me a ride back home. I was late to my meeting with Cam because of dinner. The meeting itself was good, I feel. A lot of positive reinforcement, and more action planned moving forward. 2 hours a day committed to, loosely, productivity work. Cam said he thinks I'm in a good place to handle it. It does seem reasonable and doable. I had a shower after the meeting, my mom made me tea, and now I'm here. A longer journal today. I sometimes don't like using 'blessed' to convey the appreciation I have for my life, because it gives me real strong "live, laugh, love" vibes. Overdone and perhaps not said sincerely. I do feel like a day like today warrants it, though. Lots of blessings in my life. And maybe more to come, so long as I'm keeping an eye for them. I want to come up with some profound shit to leave here, but nothing comes to mind. Which is okay. I'm trying to do this for myself, but as I've said before, this thing's on a public forum. Part of what I'm writing is for you 😊. If you've stuck around this long, thanks for reading! Hopefully something resonated, you related, or you just kinda chilled out for a bit. One Thing That Went Well Today: I didn't pass out during hot yoga 😅 Gratitude: I am grateful for my body. Even though it's starting to show its age a bit, it still serves me well, especially now that I'm being more mindful to take care of it. I am grateful for my homegroup. It is good to have a place where we can share our experience, strength, and hope. And have a sense of community. I am grateful for cold, clean drinking water. That's right, four times! The sensation sweeping the nation: Hydration! Only reason why I made it through the soccer game.

Thanks! 😊

Another day. It was a peaceful one 😊. I slept in a lot, until 2 pm. I had my morning coffee and chatted on Discord for a while, then went on a walk. I stopped by the book store, had a coffee at the coffee shop, and sat in the park for a while. While in the book store, I asked the pretty lady who worked at the book store for a recommendation. Part of my motivation was making an excuse to talk to her, for sure. I had my doubts that she'd want to be accosted while working, though I still wanted to get to know her better. My brain sometimes puts the thought in my head that I don't have much to offer at this point in my life, especially in terms of being a romantic partner/interest. That definitely happened in this instance, and I froze up a bit, and got self-conscious. The insecurity and fear won out, which is okay. Sometimes they get to have their day, I'm not perfect. I think by exposing myself to more of these kinds of situations, I'll get better at "leaning back" from the fear and insecurities. One thing I would have liked to have had the courage to do was to explain that to her. "Hey, I can get nervous around pretty women like yourself, so to work on that I'd like to try talking to you if you're willing." I think most well-adjusted people would appreciate the candidness. The book she recommended was a different Michael Singer, a newer one called Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament. I'll probably pick it up tomorrow if I have time. I went to Iconoclast for the coffee, again. It was still really good coffee. There was another attractive lady barista who made my coffee. It felt like my interactions with her were more natural, she seemed genuinely pleased when I thanked her for the coffee and praised its quality. In this case, the fear and insecurity was quieter. Maybe because it had already manifested earlier, maybe because I let it go this time instead of getting caught up in it. Whatever the case, it was still more practice at actually talking to people which is good. Poor service people, being forced to talking to me because of their job 😂. The park was quite busy. I still felt grounded and enjoyed the trees moving in the breeze, the sound of the water, the ducks swimming along. Occasionally I'd people watch. There were a couple kids playing next to the water who seemed to be having a good time 😊. When I got home, I helped with supper a bit. We had chicken souvlaki, Greek salad, rice, and fried kale. It was pretty good! After dinner I went for a bike ride. I rode about 20km or so in about an hour. It was pretty fun. After that I came home, chatted with someone on Discord for a while, and then went for another walk. After the walk, I'm here writing the journal out. One Thing That Went Well Today: I put in an hour on the bike which was nice! Gratitude: I am grateful for my sleep. I am glad I don't have problems falling/staying asleep these days. I am grateful for bananas. They're pretty tasty and healthy. I am grateful for the shower in the basement. It's quite spacious and nice.

Big social day today. After writing the other journal entry, I went for a half-walk with the dog before getting picked up by a friend for brunch. On the half walk we ran into a couple fallen branches. Luckily they didn't damage anything. But yeah, brunch! We went to a pretty fancy spot that has really tasty breakfast. I opted for the breakfast poutine, some slow-roasted pork, a couple of poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce on top of herb potatoes and arugula. It was delicious. We also ordered some deep fried perogies to share which were also quite good. We picked up some delicious, massive cookies after as well. After that we headed to my friend's place to hang out. We watched a couple of movies with the kids, and then had some fried chicken for dinner. We ate a lot of delicious food today! After that we watched a bunch of anime. I'm pretty bagged, so I'm keeping this pretty short. It was a fun day. One Thing That Went Well Today: Lots of socializing, which was nice. Gratitude: I am grateful for my morning routine. I like how relaxed it is, and how it sets me up for the day. I am grateful for physical affection. Hugs feel good :). I am grateful for patience. It definitely helps with kids!