purplecat

The Rescue is, sadly, a little underwhelming as a story. It is the very first time a new companion is introduced in Doctor Who, or, at least, a new one who is replacing a previous companion. I think it has vague pretensions to be a psychological examination of loneliness and humanity under pressure but, at only two episodes long, and constrained by the convention of the format it mostly amounts to not very much.

( More Under the Cut )

At two episodes long, it is difficult to dislike this story since it comes and goes relatively swiftly and there is some fun stuff there. But it does feel a little as though it can't quite make up its mind between whether it wants to delve into the psyche of survivors or just wants to present a fairly straightforward runaround involving tunnels and lost temples. At the end of the day the most interesting thing about it is the relationship between the Doctor and his companions.

1. Find a way to get more exercise

Current weighted moving average weight: No idea but I've been eating in American restaurants and hotels all week so it can't be good.

Exercise: Monday (exercise regime), Tuesday (none - long haul flight), Wednesday (the half of the at home exercise that fits on a bit of paper rather than in a book), Thursday/Friday (walked 30 mins each way to workshop), Saturday (walked all over San Francisco), Today (none - long haul flight again).

2. Drink/buy less alcohol. 2 bottles Budweiser, one Brown ale from local micro brewery.
Alcohol opened: same

3. Do list of "before bed" actions pinned to fridge.

I'm away.

4. Write a grant.

No progress.

5. Done.

6. Done.

7. Try a new recipe each week.

I'm away

1. Find a way to get more exercise

So this week I decided to start getting to grips with this properly since my progress so far this year has been pretty pathetic. Checking my BMI suggests I'm about a stone over-weight so as well as a general wish to be fitter (in particular to improve my cardio-vascular system) I want to lose a stone. In the mean time it transpired I had not purchased the exercise book I thought I had and my bicycle was pronounced dead. I did find the Hacker's Diet (How to lose weight through stress and poor nutrition) which includes a simplified version of the exercise plan in the book I lost.

So I now have two exercise books and a brand new bicycle. Trying to exercise on the days I commute is hard work since I spend so little time at home, but I do cycle to the station and B tells me the swimming pool in Liverpool is free entry and close to my department. I am also going to check out dance type lessons both in Liverpool and Manchester (since dance is the only type of exercise I remotely enjoy). So the plan is to cycle and swim on commuting days and use the exercise books on the days I work at home. Weekend's tend to be chaotic, so I'm not making any promises to myself about them, however claraste is keen that we should go for a run together on Saturday mornings when she and her family visit (about twice a month).

The Hacker's Diet recommends a daily intake of 500 calories less than you burn. However it also lists the daily burn for someone my size as between 1300-1700 calories and 500 looks like an awfully big proportion of that, especially when you consider my sedentry lifestyle probably puts the burn at the lower end of that scale. At the moment I don't intend to start counting calories obsessively, but I've been letting my portion sizes creep up and been allowing myself snacks and second helpings - this I intend to stop. The diet also recommends tracking your weight with a weighted moving average which seems sensible - so if I can get Open Office suitably organised I shall start on that as well.

2. Drink/buy less alcohol.

Alcohol bought: 2 bottles wine.
Alcohol opened: whatever was opening when gaming on Friday. I didn't keep track.

3. Do list of "before bed" actions pinned to fridge.

As usual. Bag packing done well. I've moved tidying off this list as it wasn't happening. I've kept loading the dishwasher on it in the hopes that I will occasionally do that.

4. Write a grant.

No progress.

5. Done.

6. Done.

7. Try a new recipe each week.

None this week (B away for most of it).

1. Find a way to get more exercise

I cycled to the station on monday. Exercise book disasters continue - my second is now lost in the post.

2. Drink/buy less alcohol.

Alcohol bought: 1 bottle wine - misc beer and whiskey in Aberdeen.
Alcohol opened: 2 bottles wine.

3. Do list of "before bed" actions pinned to fridge.

N/A

4. Write a grant.

No progress.

5. Write papers for ProMAS, ASE and TPHOLs.

ASE paper (only one remaining) to be submitted any day now.

6. Done.

7. Try a new recipe each week.

Potato cakes stuffed with lamb mince and pine nuts from Casa Moro pronounced a success but fiddly. Eventual verdict was that it will go in the book but only be used when we feel like making a particular effort to cook.

1. Find a way to get more exercise

Purchased a new exercise book.

2. Drink/buy less alcohol.

It's Easter. I'm at the in-laws. Alcohol consumption not tracked.

3. Do list of "before bed" actions pinned to fridge.

It's Easter. I'm at the in-laws.

4. Write a grant.

No progress.

5. Write papers for ProMAS, ASE and TPHOLs.

ASE paper (only one remaining) is being worked on by co-authors.

6. Write more fanfiction.

A short story finished and likely to be released into the wild sometime today or tomorrow and I have an idea for the next.

7. Try a new recipe each week.

Because I was feeling so rotten last week B got to try out the Lamb Curry reciped I had pencilled in, which was OK but nothing special.

1. Find a way to get more exercise

The exercise book still isn't found - I might purchase the one recommended by sophievdennis in response to this post as a substitute.

2. Drink/buy less alcohol.

Alcohol bought: 3 bottles wine
Alcohol opened: 2 bottles wine, 1 bottle beer.

Shameful as it sounds looking at that tally, I reckon we've halved our alcohol consumption.

3. Do list of "before bed" actions pinned to fridge.

I need to revise this list. Some bits (like getting our bags and lunches ready) are working well others (tidying the sitting room and loading the dishwasher) less well.

4. Write a grant.

No progress. If I get one of the RA jobs my boss is currently dangling before me, I can easily see myself losing all interest in this. I didn't even get interviewed for the Liverpool lectureship (in case any one is following this closely). But they did have 96 applicants and were very nice about it. My publication list isn't strong enough - "We must work on that" my boss said.

5. Write papers for ProMAS, ASE and TPHOLs.

ProMAS paper submitted and accepted
TPHOLs paper submitted
ASE paper - a decision to be taken on whether to try writing this next monday.

6. Write more fanfiction.

I wrote a drabble and, perhaps prematurely, started a whole new blog to celebrate. I now have two other stories on the go, one of which has gone horribly astray but I'm persevering in the hopes that it will prove salvageable once finished.

7. Try a new recipe each week.

This week's recipe was ghoulash which was OK, but then I'd run out of half the ingredients. I reckon it needs another crack at the whip before judgement is pronounced.

Having posted my New Year resolutions, the obvious follow up is a weekly post where I state my progress (or lack thereof) the object being that my flist then scoff if I start falling off:

1. Find a way to get more exercise.

Exercise has gone onto the "to do before bed" list. I'm shocked to find that my exercise book (which consists of four charts of exercises) recommends that someone of my age should not attempt to get beyond chart 2. It also recommends I spend four days on each level of chart one - the thought of doing exercises no more taxing than touch your toes three times for four days at a stretch saps my will to live, so I'm doing a level a day until it gets too hard at which point I will clearly have hit my current fitness level and can drop down to four days at each level.

Current status: Chart 1, level 3

I was also pleased to note I'm doing OK on the heart rate exercise (running on the spot and jumping), the last time I tried this (about 18 months ago when my goal was to get back to the weight I'd been before I got pregnant), attempting to run 50 times on the spot and then jump 10 times reduced me to a wheezing wreck, so its nice to know I've not backslid to those levels.

2. Drink less by buying less alcohol.

No alcohol purchased since new year, only one bottle of wine opened.

3. Actually follow the list of "things to do before I go to bed" stuck to the fridge.

Followed 3 times.

4. Write a grant.

No progess.

5. Submit papers to ProMAS, ASE and TPHols.

Some progress on the coding needed for the ProMAS paper, and some useful email communications with JPF writer.

6. Start writing fanfiction again.

I have a plot!! but since I don't do the "just write" thing well, I need a scene by scene break down.

7. Start cooking one new recipe each week.

New recipe for next week chosen, I'd already planned this week's food when I wrote that resolution.