When you are feeling emotionally exhausted, what perks you up? I asked this question to two friends tonight. We were all out together. The spousal unit said, "air conditioning." The other guy said, "music, diving.... and love." No one asked me, but if they had, I would have said, "solitude." One word... or a whole back story. Whatever you like. Hubski, what recharges your batteries?
Working out helps a lot. Lifting hard clears my mind and gets rid of a lot of aggression. I suppose there's an element of solitude in exercise. Another thing, which I don't have access to at the moment is walking the beach with my dog. It's good to forget that one is human for a little while to run in circles and battle the ocean. Surfing is good too, but it's so rare that I get an opportunity to play around in nice waves. I think love can work, as long as it's in a positive place. Though, conflict can recharge my batteries, but often in all the wrong ways. Rage is great fuel, but only if one is willing to sacrifice things, especially human contact and understanding. Often I find that cooking for myself can also be meditative, as can baking. Today to relax I made some thyme biscuits. 2 c AP or ideally, winter wheat flour (you want very low gluten content, for height and flakiness) 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt (fine) 1 stick or 1/2 cup (imperial) cold butter (unsalted, or salted if you like them saltier) or rendered animal fat (chicken works well) 2 tbsp fresh thyme 2/3 cup (Imperial measure) buttermilk or milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice (adjust salt as needed) Preheat oven to 425F. Work dry ingredients (including thyme) and butter until sandy, largest pieces of butter no greater than the size of a pea. It helps to put the thyme on the butter before working the mix to get the flavor well-distributed. Then, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Use just enough milk/buttermilk to bring it all together in a shaggy mass. Gently pat out and fold into 3rds and pat out/roll again several times. Then, cut into small rounds. Brush tops with melted butter or milk and bake until tops are golden.
I think because I'm spectacularly lucky to have houses. This is the first time a house of mine sank. The other time it was just trashed by a psychopath - But yeah, holes do seem to be a theme. I wish I had pictures. The house might be 150 years old. Under the sinking corner of the kitchen, was another floor of rotten wood. The sinking floor had just been built on top of the water damaged floor (caused by flood or plumbing malfunction). Beneath the rotten wood floor was the original floor and three layers of linoleum. I have homes, it's true, but I can't seem to get myself a smart picture-taking telephone and instructions on how to post these. Perhaps in the next decade. Correction: "Psychopath" isn't fair. A person who stumbled into adulthood with a barely diagnosed psychiatric disorder would be more accurate.
Note: While I am still potentially a magnet for the disordered, I'm learning to run the other way.
This seems tangentially related at best, but nonetheless this comment reminded me of something, and I'm always one for suggestions. One of my absolute favorite comic book authors/artists, Sam Keith, did a short series called Zero Girl, about a girl with an affinity for circles, which protect her, and an aversion to squares, which attack her. Somehow your mentioning of holes being a theme and people with psychiatric disorders triggered that for me.
I like to turn on comedy. I have Netflix, and a short attention span, so most of the time it's a 30-minute comedy TV show. Right now I'm watching Wilfred. (Really enjoying it.) But when I'm feeling really down - had a rough day, am sad, whatever - I like to turn on Saturday Night Live from the 1970s. It might take me a while but they're 1.5 hr long episodes that manage to distract me from my funk and get me chuckling and feeling like the world is all right in the end.
I'm going through Wilfred right now too! Absolutely loving it. I'm enjoying these darker sitcoms that have been coming out lately like Louie and Wilfred. I just saw an article on The Atlantic the other day (found it!) about darker protagonists in TV shows in general lately, like Mad Men in Breaking Bad. It's an interesting trend! It certainly makes for some enjoyable television, in my opinion.
I live with three girls (we're all 21) and I've discovered how much fun it is to have a platonic, affectionate friendship with a girl. So watching TV with them on the couch.
Air conditioning, music (both playing it and listening to it), happy people (happy people make me happy, sometimes despite myself), silence (sometimes I need to be alone), reading (especially fiction - I need to escape into another world sometimes)
I'll just walk and keep walking, usually like 3 or 4 miles in one go before I realize I'm two towns over and need to call a friend to pick me up. Exercise helps me destress, not to mention the remarkable creativity boost it gives me. Then I take a nap.
Two things: firstly, being utterly alone. The longer I'm around others (excepting one) the more draining it gets. Uni started again yesterday, and from about 8am til 6pm I was surrounded by people. I had to deal with stress, my first project being due on Wednesday (already...), shitty wifi not working while I had files to upload (think 3+ hours to upload a 400mb file, and the wifi just keeps cutting out so the upload never gets higher than 25%). I got home and just lay in bed until I fell asleep. The other thing is being with my best friend. It's the kind of relationship where we know each other so well, we both can utterly relax. Already dealt which the whole dating thing years ago, so there's no tension in that area, either (though people keep assuming we're dating). I realised a few months ago that seeing her (we go to the same uni, have a class together) is literally the highlight of my day, in the most platonic and non-romantic way possible. (In fact, she wasn't at uni yesterday, which was probably why it sucked so much). Curious that they're almost polar opposites, but they're the two things that relax and recharge me.
I just listened to some of your music and some of your music choices (Dundas Ontario - my neighbourhood). I enjoyed your explanations of the music and the music itself. Having a best friend to relax with is a wonderful thing, an opposite sex (I'm assuming) best friend is a special kind of joy and a good #askhubski question somewhere down the line. thx for your thoughts on battery recharge. I found all the answers to this question helpful.
Cheers! If you're talking about that Start Breaking My Heart album review, it's not actually mine, just happens to be one of my favourite pieces of music writing.
Well, I've been practicing this type - http://www.freemeditation.com/ - for around 20 years. :) I do about an hour in the morning just after I get up, which really does the 'recharging' in a big way. Then I do a shorter evening meditation just before bed which kind of gets rid of the detritus of the day so I sleep better.
amazing picture -- wow!
thanks so much. It looks like the canoe might tip though. I'd move a little more to the centre of it.
Does art recharge your batteries, travel, JAZZ?? If you're in Paris, you have to go to the Cavern of Jazz. It's one minute walk (79 metres) from the Shakespeare and Co Book Store across from the Ile de la Cite... where Notre Dame is. Walking directions to Caveau de la Huchette 37 Rue de la Bucherie
75005 Paris, France
1. Head northwest on Rue de la Bucherie/Rue de la Bûcherie toward Pl. du Petit Pont/Place du Petit-Pont
49 m
2. Continue onto Rue de la Huchette
Destination will be on the left
30 m Caveau de la Huchette
5 Rue de la Huchette
75005 Paris, France
Dammit, dammit, dammit -- I spent a good amount of time in Shakespeare and Co. today ... argh. I leave tomorrow and I don't have time to go back over there. Art certainly recharges my batteries; I was thinking to myself as I crested the fifth floor of d'Orsay today that I wasn't sure my calves were going to manage another foot -- but that if I could just spot another Van Gogh I'd be fine for at least half an hour.
dammit indeed. Since you can't make it there this time, I'll tell you what it is. You enter at ground level and there's a regular bar. To your left is a winding staircase. You go down, down, down, down, down, winding and winding deep into the Paris underground. Suddenly it opens up into the big hall of a cavern. You can see that it goes back further into smaller caves. To the left of the staircase, is the stage with WHOEVER IS PLAYING -- they will be unbelievable. If it's 10 or 11 at night, everyone is up and dancing. and everyone else is packed in at the walls. If BLOB_CASTLE ever gets to Paris, he would love it. Here's what it looks like on the surface and here's what it looks like down the long staircase. During the French Revolution Marat and Robespierre hung out there, but I doubt they were dancing. You'll be back. Have a safe trip home.
Damn. You know, only a few days ago did I tell my girlfriend that what I'd really like to do is sit at a French café for a whole day and just absorb everything. This place looks incredible. I got chills just looking at the photo. Thank you very much lil for showing this to me, I'm honored that you still remember my interests despite my lack of activity lately.
Hopefully someday :) Through talking it over with many people and then digesting it all myself, I decided to stick it out. There will be more benefits that at my age I'd can't even comprehend from getting a degree than if I were to quit and begin paying back my debts now.
So, I'll graduate in June and begin the quest toward no debt.
We are talking mental batteries here? 1. Sleeping. 2. Getting clean. Swimming in a lake is the best, sauna is second and shower gets you clean too. Clean clothes are needed too for maximum benefit. 3. Reading a novel works. It can get you a feeling of solitude in company. I would not have gotten through military service without military library. Curiously internet does not work, no matter what I read here. And the novel does not even have to be good. 4. Going to a place I can call home. 5. Good company. Curiously caffeine has zero affect on me in this regard. I think writing this down was really helpful for me, thanks lil. I think I'm next going to log off, shower, read a little and sleep in place I call home.
An afternoon nap with my cat, just for an hour or two.
Depends on what I've been doing recently. If I've been stuck at home doing nothing, going out perks me up like nothing else. If I've been running around busy as all heck, then getting a quiet night to myself recharges me.