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Been thinking about trying something out with a personal trainer. I'm unsatisfied with my performance in judo, and I think part of it is that I don't know how to efficiently work on the relevant things at home. Hopefully a trainer would be able to help me figure that out.

T-sensei said today that of the things to work on for judo, he most recommends the broad category of squats, pull-ups, and deadlifts. So at least I have a vague idea of what I would want to start with.

I'm thinking about contacting that lady I was taking that yoga class from a few months ago. She's a personal trainer as well, and she's taking on clients. The problem is that I don't know if our schedules will match up - she can't do evenings, and the only time I can do daytime is weekends. This is honestly the reason why I haven't contacted her sooner. But it wouldn't hurt to at least ask and get some schedule possibilities. I do know that her prices are reasonable (by my metric).

I also thought about contacting the gym next to my dojo, since I might be more comfortable in a semi-familiar place, but I really dislike the way they market themselves so I think I will hold off on that one.

[Edit May 04] Okay, I sent that lady an email. We'll see what she says. I did mention that I can wait until a different month to start, so maybe that will help her fit me in. I feel a little nervous taking a step like this - even sending a query seems like a lot - but if I want to improve my strength in general and my judo performance in particular, then the only way to do it is to be proactive.

That Feeling when you don't realize that the soy sauce and the balsamic vinegar bottle look almost exactly the same, and your rice ends up with a flavour you never would have anticipated.

It was actually pretty decent, but uh, I did spend a moment there wondering if something had somehow gone Off.

(Looks like I should go to bed early, eh?)

...Provided I can find the time:

+ Play Delectatio Morosa* - I downloaded it and got it to run, so it's just a matter of fitting it in somewhere
+ And rewatch Conclave while I'm at it, yeah. Might need to wait a while tho', there's several holds at the library.
+ ...And maybe make some icons while I'm at it, even if I might not use them.
+ Finish and post some fics. I have a few that're close to completion, hooray.
+ Make an awesome broccoli and tofu recipe that I came across in a book recently
+ Relax a little. Chill out. Man, I am so bad at that. :V

As mentioned previously, after watching the film, I decided to check out Conclave by Robert Harris.

There are a few differences between the novel and the film, but mostly they're minor changes (Lawrence = Lomeli in the novel, Benitez is Filipino in the novel rather than Mexican, etc). I do seem to recall that the turtle scene wasn't in the book; I'm kind of surprised that they added that for the movie, but it was a lovely character moment and Benitez looks kind of like a romance film protagonist in that scene, so I'm certainly not complaining.

Some of the scenes were more effective in the movie than the novel, I think. But that could be due to acting and directorial choices and so on. The one that comes to mind is the saying grace scene after Benitez is introduced to everyone - in the novel, Benitez just says the whole thing, and that's that. But in the film, he pauses after saying the usual spiel, and everyone thinks he's finished and starts to sit down - but then he continues, thanking the Sisters and reminding the others of the impoverished etc, and the effect is very striking.

There are some differences between the novel and the film that I did find interesting, even if the change doesn't affect the overall plot.

( Continued, spoilers )

Overall, I wouldn't say that the novel is a must-read if you liked the film, but I enjoyed it a lot and I think that if you wanted more after watching the movie, it's a good direction to go. Plus you get more into Lomeli's (Lawrence)'s head, etc. On the reverse, I don't think I would actually recommend it without seeing the film first, because the film really is rather good and there are a few things that I thought it did better. (Though I might be biased.)

Well, this sure is a weird moment to get into the Conclave fandom, isn't it*.

I normally wouldn't pay any attention to the passing of a figure in a religion I have no connection to, but. Y'know. Coincidences etc.

There are jokes going around tumblr about electing Carlos Diehz as pope. On the one hand, lol irl Benitez. On the other, bloody hell people, don't wish such a thing on that poor guy! (All in good fun, of course, of course, but man....)

- Took some bottles down to the depot
- Went to judo
- Came home and ate lunch
- Did some chores (laundry, changed bedsheets, some small cleaning)
- Went to Sbucks and worked on a NorRo fic
- Painted my nails
- Watched Into the Wild. It was good.

Very, very tired. Had wanted to do more chores today but I am too tired.

Need to make a cake tomorrow morning for Easter dinner. And then will do the rest of the chores. And maybe work on fic some more.

The NorRo fic is almost done I think. Needs a little more editing. Sometimes I wonder whether or not I'm really writing for me, but then I put together something like this one, which I only intend to post to DW, and... yeah, I really am writing for me. I'm just not interested in sharing it. Plus the thought of uploading it to Ao3 and figuring out how to tag it and just ugh. No thanks.

I found some other drafts that are partially done. I look forward to working on them. I'm very excited about it actually.

Ugh I am so very tired.

I'm feeling very discouraged about the upcoming federal election. And I don't just mean like, on the big picture level, but at the local level.

My district will go to the Conservative candidate no matter what. This is northern Alberta; enough said. Even so, I'm disappointed that the other candidates aren't making more of an effort. People shouldn't have to go digging for information about why they should vote for you in particular to represent them (rather than just looking up the general party platform); it should be easy to access.

Additionally, some of the candidates don't even live in the riding*. FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) is a sore spot up here even when talking about regular workers; there is no way anybody in Fort Mac is going to vote for a candidate who doesn't have ties to the region.

Some things I'm taking into consideration are:
Which party aligns closest with my values?
Which non-Conservative party do I think is most likely to win nationally?
Which candidate for my riding do I actually like the best and would theoretically want to represent me based on the information that I have?

Unfortunately, the answers to those questions are all different. But advance voting opens tomorrow morning, so I guess I'll come to a decision soon.

Even though there is unlikely to be a shakeup here, I hope that there will be enough non-CPC votes that the other parties will take that into account and at least make more of an attempt in this region next time.

On the subject of the Conservative candidate for my region - I've been a little frustrated about this. I was speaking recently with some people who will not be voting for her, which is great. But the only thing they're interested in discussing is the fact that she's related to someone who has a criminal record. As far as I know, Laila Goodridge was not involved in the robbery*. There is plenty to criticize her for on her own merits and her party's merits, and personally I don't think we should take her family member's actions into account here.

+ Took today off because I Felt Like It. Plus I had to go to an appointment. (Didn't need the whole day for that, but like, figured I might as well....) Also, treated to myself to lunch, just because I could. Felt nice!

+ Repotted two of my plants. Two others got the boot - the pepperomia and the oyster plant are gonzo. I probably could have saved them, like I did last year when they were struggling, but I didn't feel motivated enough to make the effort. So, now I'm down to a christmas cactus and two snake plants. Not sure what I will replace the other two with. Last year I'd considered picking up one of the hens&chicks that the garden centre was selling, and just keep it as an indoor plant; I might end up actually doing that. It seems that plants that tolerate dryness and cold do well in my apartment.

+ Made lentil burgers. Used this recipe from Occasionally Eggs. Tasted pretty good; would make again. Next time I might mix it up a little - different spices, maybe include some diced bell pepper. Though, I really suck at making patties. Maybe that's something that comes with practice? I've only tried making burgers a few times.

+ Took the book version of Conclave out from the library. Looking forward to it. The movie was pretty good, but the nice thing about books is that you usually get more deeply into at least one character's head.

+ I was surprised to see a lot of people on the Latest Things page posting their first entry in a new journal. Turns out some people are considering making a jump from Tumblr to DW due to some issues going on over there (staff layoffs etc). Well, DW's a very different kind of site, but I hope they enjoy it. I think it would be a good match for people who like textposting.