Editions of Me

(Originally posted to the Goulet Nation Facebook group) I woke up this morning after a melancholy sort of dream, and the first thing I did was reach for my notebook and a pen and start writing about it, since I didn't want to bother the person I normally talk to about the subject matter of my dream. (Not getting into it. Complicated and emotional.) And I realized how much getting into fountain pens has changed my relationship with journalling. I used to write in journals a lot as a kid/young adult (kids keeping diaries, that sort of thing, and also, this was pre-Internet), but that tapered off and I started getting into blogging. But blogging for me is not the same as journalling, because of course, I don't want to share EVERY single thought with the entire Internet. So it's like, either I share with EVERYONE, or I share with no one. About a year ago, I started getting really into Bullet Journalling, and that brought me back to my pen-and-paper habit, and I was mo...

We're into the final push towards the Oregon Outlaw Open, and I can definitely say that I'm feeling anxious and amped up while at the same time feeling completely exhausted. It's been a while since I've trained THIS much and this hard. I'm the first to admit that one of my flaws is lack of discipline and consistency, and that's something I've worked particularly hard at this time around--just showing up  and doing the entire workout. (I also have no special love for accessory work, you should know.) Like, I know it doesn't look like much on the surface, but for me, internally, it's been hard making sure that I prioritize my training so that no matter what, I'm going in and giving my best effort three days a week. When I initially signed up for this meet in December, I recall very specifically telling Jeron (my coach) not to let me bail, because last year I signed up for a meet and just couldn't stick to training, and I didn't want t...

I keep wishing it could be that way Because my world would be a wonderland When Jolie was much younger, and devouring every Disney movie she could, I used to sing the White Rabbit's song from Alice in Wonderland  to her to make her laugh. You know, "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!"? That one. Unfortunately, the White Rabbit's refrain has ended up being more like my life story at times--I feel like I am constantly rushing from one thing to the next (usually late), without a moment to "say hello, GOODBYE!" because I just have too much to do. I mean, adulting sucks. I recently mused on Facebook that I wish I didn't have to work, not because I want to just sit around and do nothing (although, there are definitely times when that's a great idea), but because there's so much that I want to do and learn in my life. Unfortunately, time and money are always constraints--I have to work to make money, but then I don't have...

Usually when people talk about getting healthy as a new year's resolution, they're talking about picking up some healthy habits and (most especially) losing weight. I mean, why not? New year, new you, right? It's the ultimate time to start fresh. I too am trying to "get healthy" this year, though my plans come from a slightly different source of motivation. Looking back on the first half of my 30s, I can really only describe my health as "unpredictable." I mean, on the one hand, in the last five years I've had my gallbladder removed; I've injured my knee and developed osteoarthritis; I've lost a pregnancy and, as a result, a fallopian tube ; and most recently, I had a surprise anaphylactic reaction that brought me to the emergency room. Not to mention all the times I've just been sick for weeks with a sore throat or a bad cold, as in, just a couple weeks ago, for New Year's. Talk about failing your resolution right out the gate ...

From my 2017 BuJo I've mentioned bullet journalling on my blog before, but never really went in-depth into what I do, so I'm taking the time to talk about it now, since I've seen some of my friends express interest :) 2018 is rapidly approaching, and the new year is always a good time to refocus and get organized again. Bullet journalling (or BuJoing for short) is basically an organizational system. It is highly customizable, and you can tweak it to suit your own needs, but the very core of it is the use of bulleted lists to plan and log your life. Bullet journalling mainly consists of two parts (that can be separate, or totally meshed together): the calendar/planner part, and the "collections" part. The planner part is pretty self-explanatory--this is where you write down your appointments and To Do lists--but collections, if you're not sure what they are, are really just lists of anything you want to keep lists of. People will keep lists of books the...

photo by my brother, Khoa IG @ngophotobiz Hire him, he's cool. And he's my brother. Now that I am done with catching up on grading and winter break has officially begun, I can now take some time to reflect on recent events! (Literally... I just finished my grading about half an hour ago and walked around the house, arms up "Rocky" style in triumph, before sitting back down at my computer to start this entry.) This weekend was QUITE A TRIP. Saturday was Deadlifts for Doernbecher. This was my second time competing in D4D, and I have to say, this year was so, so, so much bigger than last year. Which is not to say that it was small last year, but this year D4D was held at Ancestry Brewing and featured pro lifters (men and women) coming in from all over the country. Standing in the warm-up area in the back, I was shaking in my Chucks just being around them and watching them get ready. Because I'm not going to lie, I kinda want to BE one of them someday. ...

This weekend is Deadlifts for Doernbecher, the annual deadlift competition that my gym hosts ( here's my post from last year ), and as can be expected, I'm excited about it but I'm also a little nervous because I have high hopes for my numbers this year. This year, there will be a bunch of elite guest lifters attending as well, which adds to the pressure. I am eager to impress, and would love to someday be considered one of them. (I know I have a long way to go.) There are women a good 40 pounds lighter than me who can pull a good 40+ pounds heavier  than I can, so knowing they'll be there is definitely a heaping of humble pie, if you know what I mean. It's funny--no matter how well I do at any given training session, I follow so many stellar lifters on social media that I never feel like I'm good enough or strong enough. Which in turn sounds ridiculous , because... good enough for what? Strong enough for what? For myself? For people who know me? I'm p...