I have to tell you, this You Are Your Own Gym routine is kicking my ass from one end of the street to the other and back again. I ache like I haven't ached in years and this is a good thing but trying to lower myself into the car this morning sure as hell told me I was doing something right. The other thing that I did right was to cancel my gym membership. There's nothing on offer there that can better this. So, thus far, really impressed with it and totally recommended. The downside of a harsh look at yourself is having to address things you really don't want to. My food intake has been out of control lately for no other reason than bad habits really. So last week, we decided to cut wheat from the household diet. Harsh.
Do you know how many things are made with wheat or have wheat as part of their make-up? It seems to be everything I've ever liked - but I can't handle any 'great idea' that's too complex as I never stick to it, so instead of doing a wheat free diet and having to look at every single thing in the cupboard, we came at it through the back door and simply decided that only meat, fruit and vegetables were allowed in. I've forgotten something... dairy. Dairy products are allowed as well at the moment but I'm going to have to look at that.
Anyway, all of this gym and food stuff has been propelled by a general feeling of going downhill and a need to arrest it. I guess you hit your forties and all those things you once took for granted begin to leave the building. Not that I'm knocking on heaven's door or anything like that, but I'm two Dads down and that kind of has a knock on effect in the head. Not that they had a habit of walking on the wild side or anything. Just the way the house of cards fell.
Anyway, super busy this weekend with lots of words being laid down for the day job - I'm sure those deadlines are getting closer together behind my back. On which subject - I started thinking about the next tattoo. I found this mermaid pic and it started a little chain reaction in my head. I know who I've got in mind to start the work but I reckon it's going to be at least six months in the planning before we even get started. All I know at this stage of the game is that it will be both complex and excellent by the time it's finished.
I'm chipping away at Raised on Radio on a daily basis now. I'm hoping it will be finished sooner rather than later so that I can spend more time than I currently have assigned on the design and production, but so far, so good. Other projects are also coming to the boil - by the end of the year, I should be in a really good place to launch the plan that is known behind the scenes as "2013". When I started these 'plans' in my head, it seemed really dumb to attach calendar years to them, but a fact of life is that as humans in the western world, this is how we measure our time. It works because it's easily divided into months and weeks. It's not set in stone but I can be a lazy dog sometimes and it helps - a little - to have this sort of timeframe to work within. I tried it the rock n roll way for years and got nowhere, so at least by embracing this loose plan, work is getting done. I guess it would be different if I had a publisher and agent breathing down my neck.
On days like today though, when a 3,000 word chapter on one of my favourite bands (Sweet) dripped from my fingers like they had been there all along, I don't much care.
On days like today, I know I'm doing the right thing.
Tomorrow... who knows. I was never much of a tomorrow person anyway. Let's wring this one dry first.