just what i needed

my quintessential post-tournament unproductiveness lasted a bit longer than usual, spilling over into today, tuesday. i got out of bed a decent hour (for me at least -- by 9am) but i lingered over breakfast and my first cup (ok more like pot) of coffee from my new gevalia coffee maker. car-related errands were then run, at the leisurely hour of 11, and the decision not to go into lab today was made ~12:30, after said errands (my car failed the gas cap part of the CT state emissions test so that took longer and involved an additional stop i had not anticipated...not that i really had a definite plan in my unproductive state), since i was meeting shannon out at the IM fields at 4:30 to retrieve the bag of clothes i had left at her place over the weekend. i did manage to get some lab-related work done, mostly involving the reading of, thinking about, and commenting on a book chapter, but even the most positive spin on my situation could not deny that this half-completed task was a paltry show for the past two days of work.

but off to women's pick-up i went, even leaving early. but it seems to have been just what i needed to snap myself out of this "dear lord i don't want to be doing this, i'd rather be playing ultimate, so i'll think and e-mail and read blogs about and watch videos of ultimate instead of doing anything for society" funk. i was going to get some exercise, perhaps even a work-out. we had decent numbers (6-on-6 by the end) and the level of play was respectable. i guarded some small, quick women which forced me to work on my foot-work on defense. i pushed myself to run hard, to cut even when tired. i allowed myself to throw some flick hucks, one of which was decent, and to jam and I/O flick break past merritt (who is 6'2") to a barely-open alicia for a score. i pulled and focused on form. i didn't get angry about drops, miscommunications, or atrocious defense. as selfish and bitchy as it may sound, i was there for myself, and focusing on the things i could control that would contribute to this being a useful experience, helped me to enjoy pick-up more.

this change in mental aura carried over to post-pick-up, when i made the "clutch" decision to not go out drinking, instead opting to have a beer with dinner, get some household chores done (doing the pile of dishes i'd let accumulate since friday, taking out the trash which i filled with rotting fruit), and attempt to finish the lab-related task i'd begun earlier in the day. this latter goal was not accomplished, but i did meet my quota of downloads from e-music for this month (they don't carry over -- annoying!), chatted, cut up the ripening cantaloupe so as to make its consumption and my 5-a-day fruit-intake more readily attainable, dreamed about doing a NOLS course, and did make some progress on lab work. and certainly not least among my accomplishments this evening, i set up my new coffee maker on the kitchen counter and set the AUTO ON function for 8am, so i will awaken at an even more respectable hour tomorrow, to the invigorating aroma of coffee, which i hope will enliven some sort of motivation to complete the book chapter review.

tomorrow is a new day and i hesitate to set too high of goals for myself, less i fail to accomplish them and this provide my inner critic fodder with which to beat myself up. but i have hopes for a caffeine-fueled motivated start to the day, and i tend to fare well when i get off to a good start. here's to hoping...