Daily Journal

[Cam Adair 5,108]

Awesome progress! 

[Alex 106]

Day 30 "Defying gravity"

Felt very fulfilled today. Today I meditated, worked on my dissertation, practiced drawing, went to the gym, ate delicious wholesome food, and practiced guitar. The best part is, there's no reason I can't do these things everyday. It feels great to actually DO all the things I've been telling myself I should be doing. Stay strong and carry on!

Today I'm grateful for:

1) Today, Today was great.

2) Finding some balance and calm in a crazy world

3) Garlic split pea soup

Goals for tomorrow:

1) Continue making progress on my work

2) Learn new drawing technique (anime characters!)

3) Morning cardio

[Cam Adair 5,108]

Solid day! 

[Alex 106]

Day 34 "End in sight"

Since I started the detox, each day that has gone by I feel like I've made progress. This alone is a huge improvement over the previous 1.5-2 years. I was able to finally get a solid day of writing done at home, which hasn't happened in at least a year. While its difficult living with gamer friends that really like to talk about gaming, I'm proud of myself that I've held my ground and haven't touched a game for over a month.  I haven't felt proud of myself in a long time. This is a big part of what's keeping me going, making me believe that never going back to games is the right decision. I still have my ups and downs, but overall I'm waaaaay happier now than I was only a month ago. I feel more upbeat, energetic, and generally more healthy. I'm only a third the way through the detox and already I've shed so much mental and emotional baggage. I'm really excited to see what kind of changes 90 days will bring. I'm so happy to have found this community. Shout out to Cam! You're doing great work!

Today I'm grateful for:

1) progress- both in work and life

2) BBQ in the park with friends

3) spending time with 2 3-year-olds. they are a blast

4) perfect 72°F (22°C) sunny blue sky weather

Goals for tomorrow

1) Stay relaxed for my date tomorrow! Its been a while.....

2) Exercise

3) Un-guided 20 minute meditation

[Cam Adair 5,108]

Thanks man! You too! 

[MmmWatermelon 188]

Glad to hear you are doing well!

[Alex 106]

Day 37 "Getting better all the time"

Solid day today. Was social with some friends during the day, hit a good writing milestone in the evening, practiced some drawing, and even went to the park to play ultimate frisbee with strangers (also students).  It was also great to hear that Cam met his fundraising goal for Tanzania. It was a nice feeling to see the community come together and show support. Maybe one day I'll be as badass as Cam and try to make a difference in the world ; )

Today I'm grateful for:

1) Feelings of community, both online and offline

2) Taking care of my mind and body. I feel radically better than only a month ago by subtracting videogames and adding meditation and exercise. My depression is nearly gone!

3) Peace of mind. How did I even function before meditation?

Goals for tomorrow:

1) Don't sweat the small stuff! Thanks for the video Cam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RDbLXK12W8

2) Get started on first work session with zero procrastination

[WorkInProgress 1,804]

 

1) Feelings of community, both online and offline

2) Taking care of my mind and body. I feel radically better than only a month ago by subtracting videogames and adding meditation and exercise. My depression is nearly gone!

3) Peace of mind. How did I even function before Meditation?

Awesome!

[Cam Adair 5,108]

It was also great to hear that Cam met his fundraising goal for Tanzania. It was a nice feeling to see the community come together and show support. Maybe one day I'll be as badass as Cam and try to make a difference in the world ; )

Let's do it!

[Alex 106]

Day 47 "Progress?!"

I did not intend to go 10 days without updating my journal. I guess I've just been that busy living life. I'm over halfway through the challenge now at 47 days, and boy does time fly.  I found myself thinking a lot about my favorite games over the past few days, as I visited the house I grew up in. While it is fun to think about them, I actually don't feel any cravings to go back to it. What I'm more excited about it a current job opportunity! I got an email about the position I applied for, and it looks like things might work out. I haven't had any work other than publishing papers and writing my thesis for the past year or so, and its getting old. Finger's crossed on the new job!

Today I'm grateful for:

1) Cuddly cats (not the jerk cats)

2) Good, new york style pizza

3) The peace and quiet of rural areas

4) Networking

Goals for tomorrow:

1) Ace the meeting with potential new boss

2) finish up last section of thesis

3) gym gym gym

4) order parts to fix guitar

5) Stay confident

[Cam Adair 5,108]

Woot! Excited to hear how things go with your new job opportunity.

[Alex 106]

Day 56

Busy is the name of the game recently. As it turns out, being second choice for a job CAN actually get you the position. The first choice for the job I applied for had to back out at the last minute. Therefore, I am now the new lab manager! Wooooooo!!!!! First official job using my degree!!!!!!! The next month or so is going  to be insane, as I'll be working full time at the new job plus trying to defend my PhD in October. If I can hold out till thanksgiving, I'll officially be through the toughest part of my life thus far. As such, my posts here will likely be sporadic. Wish me luck! See you on the other side!

Today I'm thankful for:

Feeling like my career is finally getting off the ground. 

Goals for tomorrow:

Finish a week's worth of writing in a day..... or write until I pass out, whichever comes first.

[Cam Adair 5,108]

Congrats on the job!

[Alex 106]

Day 64

I sat down and thought about what my life was like a year ago. October last year I was engrossed in an MMO, typically plating for 6-10 hours per day. I was sedentary, living with my parents, and couldn't build up the motivation to work on my thesis for graduate school. Compared to today; I play zero games and watch nearly zero television, I have a great housing situation with supportive friends, I can see progress from going to the gym, and I'm working my first full-time job out of school (until recently I've never been out of school). The difference is incredible. I'm so busy now that I forget to update my daily journal! The timing for my transition away from games was timely, in that it started in the summer months. I always get seasonally gloomy/depressed in the winter months, and am worried how the next few months will pan out.  I think having the 90 day detox completed by the end of October (Halloween!!!) should help. We'll have to wait and see.

Today I'm grateful for:

Too many things to list

Goals for the next week:

Exercise at least twice at gym, once at home

Find strategy to regain focus in evening without use of caffeine

 

[Cam Adair 5,108]

I sat down and thought about what my life was like a year ago. October last year I was engrossed in an MMO, typically plating for 6-10 hours per day. I was sedentary, living with my parents, and couldn't build up the motivation to work on my thesis for graduate school. Compared to today; I play zero games and watch nearly zero television, I have a great housing situation with supportive friends, I can see progress from going to the gym, and I'm working my first full-time job out of school (until recently I've never been out of school). The difference is incredible. I'm so busy now that I forget to update my daily journal!

[Piotr 703]

^ Power of detox

It's always so heartwarming to see people improve their lives and be happy with it.

Find strategy to regain focus in evening without use of caffeine

Could you please tell me more about it? (tag me in reply so I will not miss it)

[Alex 106]

Day 69

Overall a nice Saturday today. Slept in till 9am or so, then tutored organic chemistry for two hours at Syracuse library. It was pretty fun getting to the library at 9:55am, when they open at 10am. Waiting for the library to open made me feel like I was tackling the day head on, trying to get the most out of it.  After that I gave a tour to ~60 people of the tree orchards containing the genetically modified trees we're working on restoring (American Chestnut). At any other time in my life the thought of being responsible for talking to and guiding so many people would have been daunting, but today I found it a very positive social experience. I was able to stay totally calm and collected  throughout. 

Today I'm grateful for:

1) Having an interesting career that provides opportunities to meet all sorts of people

2) Fall season in New York

3) Exercise and the following mood boost

4) Dark chocolate pumpkin cookies :)-

Goals for the present:

1) Maintain workout routine

2) Eat more vegetables from farmers market 

3) Think about ways to meet women other than online dating

[Cam Adair 5,108]

Today I'm grateful for:

1) Having an interesting career that provides opportunities to meet all sorts of people

2) Fall season in New York

3) Exercise and the following mood boost

4) Dark chocolate pumpkin cookies :)-

Goals for the present:

1) Maintain workout routine

2) Eat more vegetables from farmers market 

3) Think about ways to meet women other than online dating

Love the gratitude list! Anyone who's reading this that doesn't have one, add it to your journal!

[Alex 106]

Day 81 "Event Horizon"

81 days and going strong. Was definitely triggered a bit with the news of the new nintendo console coming out soon, which a good friend of mine wanted to chat about. Life has been a whirlwind recently. Finishing up grad school while working full time doesn't leave time for much recreation, for better or worse. Tentative date for my Ph.D defense is Nov. 9th, where if I pass, I'll officially be Dr. Alex. Its still weird to think about.  Only 9 days left in my detox, which at the moment, feels just as important a milestone as finishing school forever. I'm starting to brainstorm ideas for the next step after my 90-days. Do I start another 90? Should I stop counting? Maybe moving onto another time-based goal, like 90 days of meditation, or a 90-day body building experiment. Once I find the time, I would really like working out to become less of a necessity and more of a hobby. One of my bigger life goals is to be in noticeably (but not ridiculously) better shape than the average person around me. Not too late to start at almost 29 years old is it? That's probably it for now. I hope to check back in a couple times before the big day, but we'll see what work allows for. 

Today I'm grateful for:

1) Lifetime friends that are a simple phone call away, and we never miss a beat despite the passage of time.

2) Having the resources to live frugally, and becoming debt free after school

3) Opportunities to grow professionally. After 10 years of post-secondary education, having a real job is a breath of fresh air

4) Mulled apple cider

 

Goals for the present:

1) Focus on being mindful

2) Don't sweat the small stuff

3) Don't be too serious

4) Find more opportunities to laugh

5) When free time returns, start reading novels again

[WorkInProgress 1,804]

It is never too late to do something good for your body. I started excercising this spring with 26 and feel way better with my body then ever before. Good luck on that  Dr.  In what area do you make your Ph.D If I may ask? 

[Alex 106]

Day 88 "Feeling great"

The stress is real right now, and I'm feeling the urge to game more now than since before I started the detox. I was able to submit my dissertation for review yesterday, which was a huge milestone. Writing has always been the most arduous task for me, so to have that part of the process behind me is a real game changer. That being said, the oral defense of my degree is still  to come, on Nov. 9th. While I'm less worried about the outcome if the exam, it is still makes for a very stressful time in my life. I've decided to take this as a learning experience, realizing that my greatest trigger for binge gaming is not boredom, but stress. Pros and cons to this, but being able to objectively look at the problem is a huge step forward, especially compared to 6 months ago when I didn't know why I was gaming so much. Live and learn right? Based on my count, I'll have completed the 90-day detox this Saturday. I can't believe how fast time went once I devoted myself to work and other activities. The next few weeks are really going to be exciting: This weekend I get to celebrate my 90-days game-free with zero relapses (still amazed at this myself), two weeks from now I'll be celebrating both defending my Ph.D and my birthday on the 12th, and two weeks after that will be a nice Thanksgiving dinner. Definitely great things to look forward to in the next short while!

 

Today I'm grateful for:

1) Finally moving forward, and finishing up school forever

2) Being finished writing my dissertation

3) Again, not having to write my dissertation anymore

4) The feeling of calm after a particularly stressful period of time

5) Refreshingly cold temperatures (super important when you like in upstate NY)

6) Sleep. Oh how I've missed thee.

 

Goals for the present:

1) Successfully complete the 90-day detox!

2) Execute new exercise routine now that stress/time is more manageable

3) Take unstructured evenings time and get back in guitar training

4) Ignore all the gaming hype that is plaguing the internet and my office conversations..... hah!

[Alex 106]

It is never too late to do something good for your body. I started excercising this spring with 26 and feel way better with my body then ever before. Good luck on that  Dr.  In what area do you make your Ph.D If I may ask? 

My Ph.D is very multidisciplinary. Generally, its in the realm of chemistry and biochemistry. More specifically, in organic synthesis, tissue engineering, and more recently in my new job with plant tissue culture and genetics. 

[WorkInProgress 1,804]

It is never too late to do something good for your body. I started excercising this spring with 26 and feel way better with my body then ever before. Good luck on that  Dr.  In what area do you make your Ph.D If I may ask? 

My Ph.D is very multidisciplinary. Generally, its in the realm of chemistry and biochemistry. More specifically, in organic synthesis, tissue engineering, and more recently in my new job with plant tissue culture and genetics. 

Sounds interesting. I approve your choice

[Mad Pharmacist 1,198]

It is never too late to do something good for your body. I started excercising this spring with 26 and feel way better with my body then ever before. Good luck on that  Dr.  In what area do you make your Ph.D If I may ask? 

My Ph.D is very multidisciplinary. Generally, its in the realm of chemistry and biochemistry. More specifically, in organic synthesis, tissue engineering, and more recently in my new job with plant tissue culture and genetics. 

Whoa! It's similar to my studying! (I'm on course to finish Master Degree, but then I'm going for PhD )

Where can I read your articles about your work, if I may ask?

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

[Alex 106]

 

Where can I read your articles about your work, if I may ask?

Greetings, Mad Pharmacist

Here are the links to my recent publications

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141813015301422    http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2015.11.048

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.5b00052    DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.5b00052

Happy to answer any questions.