Greedy Algorithms and Nibbling Routines
I biked into work today, and I think my body rebelled a little after the third longish bike ride in as many days. I was pretty pooped all day, and have been quite wiped this evening, too. My goal is to bike to work three days a week from now on, but if I do that I think I'll have to tone down my weekend riding - until I'm in better shape, anyway. I've had a mild throb in my head tonight, which also tends to be a suggestion that I've overexerted myself (it can also be a sign of dehydration, I suspect, but isn't in this case because I've been chugging liquids all day).
(How humiliatin' to read entries like this one by Bryon Buck in which he bikes sixty miles in one day. I'm not sure I ever particularly want to do that, but I suppose just being in good enough shape to do so if I choose is not a bad goal.)
I brought a towel into work so I could shower and change clothes when I got in. Since it is getting pretty humid out, I'm glad I did. I also showered when I got home, and then walked down to the Union Terrace to read for a while, soaking another set of clothes. So I decided it's time to turn on the A/C.
I also find that after these bike rides my body is "on" for quite a while after I finish the ride - breathing harder than usual, sometimes my heart beats faster than usual. It's a strange feeling, but I've heard that it's not particularly unusual after athletic exercise. I'm not sure whether I like it or not.
On the one hand, there are some things I dive right into and try to absorb as much of as I can, as quickly as possible. These are the things that Tracy said when I get into them, I do so "thoroughly". Many of the things I collect or read are approached in this way: The Prince Valiant collections I've been reading, the jazz music I've been listening to, the comic books I've collected most of my life.
Then there are things that I tackle a little piece at a time, only checking every so often to see if I'm making progress, and in the right direction. This whole biking thing, for instance: I started with little rides around Monona Bay nearby, then went to rides around Lake Monona. Late last year I biked into work - a ride of comparable length, round-trip, but with steep hills. This year I started setting aside specific clothes for biking and changing clothes when I got to work, and now I've brought in a towel so I can shower when I get in. Plus I'm setting goals of biking in regularly, but not overdoing it.
The "doing a little bit gradually" approach is something that only dawned on me a few years ago, when I left grad school and found myself with more disposable income, and more free time. I was also dating someone at the time, and was applying that mentality to the relationship. For instance, maybe I wasn't always able to figure out why something wasn't working right, or why I was behaving a certain way, but I owned up to my lack of understanding and tried to figure it out - which I thought was a better, and more honest, approach than simply coming up with the first plausible thing that came into my head. (In such cases, I find it's not easier to ask forgiveness than permission!)
Over the last year I've felt like I've lost touch with how to take the latter approach, but then I've spent a lot of that time feeling not very in control of a lot of my life, so I guess that's not surprising. The former approach, although fun, does also lead to going on spending sprees like I seem to be on this month. Those can be hard to rein in.
I'm finding that my "mental list" of things I want to take care of in the long term is quickly dwindling. I'm now doing things that were very low priorities several years ago, like getting prints and maps framed. I've long since gotten a physical exam, gotten my eyes checked (twice!), and started going to the dentist regularly - things that were hanging over my head for a while. Even some things I've only had on my list since January - but which were of low priority - are getting taken care of. It's a good feeling, especially having done many of these things this weekend, and having had a lot of time besides to just sit around, pet the cats, etc.
(No, I don't strictly do things by a priority scheme. Often I do something lower on the list just because it strikes me as something I want to take care of. But many things do wait until more important stuff has been done.)
Now, if only... ahh, but you don't want to hear about that.
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