2025/Q1 ~ January, February & March

 

Well, some scale success, although still a ways to go. Hit the quarterly low (184.9) in March, but also ended higher than the previous month's average. January 1st weight was 196.9 and the final weigh-in for March was 191. As I mentioned in my previous quarterly report, there was something about Daylight Savings (Nov3, 2024) that seemed to help get me into gear. Here ... Daylight Savings ended March 9, and I feel like right at that reset I started to struggle. Is there something about that schedule? Is it psychosomatic? 

I have another app (Goal Streaks) which I use to manually mark some personal points ... I had a 10k/20k/30k tracker going ... I added 15k, just to give me that little extra push to hit that middle ground. I didn't quite get to a 15k average, but the steps overall are higher than they have been in a while.  

It was basketball season January/February and I'd walk while watching my youngest playing (in Oregon/Clackamas, NWAC Stream) most Wednesday and Saturday nights, getting about five miles in each game. I have been having some foot pain. Nothing officially diagnosed, but my symptoms are textbook for plantar fasciitis. Just my right foot. I think I felt the first twinges back in November. I've added insoles, and stopped going barefoot around the house (which I've done for 50+ years, I hate shoes!) Tried some ice and stretching. It's definitely something I can push through ... I still got in my Zumba and pickleball. The pain has extreme swings. While it's always there, sometimes it's slight ... other times I can barely walk. Beyond the physical, there's been a bit of an emotional discouragement with this foot pain that has definitely gotten worse the longer it goes on.  

Daily burn estimates per Fitbit ...

No graph for weight workouts ... 

I got in nine for the quarter. Three each month. 

While I'm not good at weighing and measuring, I did keep up my MFP entries all three months. I feel like I did a decent job of keeping calories in check for the most part, but definitely need to work harder on both quantity and quality of calories. A few uber over days. One full fast (24+ hours) each month. 

I've been using two apps to track fasting ... Fast Habit and Easy Fast (pictured below).

I need to remember to grab a screen shot of FH at the end of each month.

Overall, the fasting hours haven't been too hard to keep, and the set eating hours are a help in keeping me from mindless eating, which I would probably do otherwise. Some family activities impact the eating (hours and calories) ... Superbowl Sunday, #2's Birthday, Valentine's Day, a family bash while #5 was in town for Spring Break. 

... a six month scale view (TrendWeight) and 90-day fasting/weight via Fast Habit.

Interesting to note the scale drop after a big fast - although it doesn't stick. 

A look at Lifecycle ... I wish it could track HOME activities more (it could if I went to the effort of entering them manually). There was a LOT of basketball Jan/Feb, but it only shows the ones away from home (#2's Men's League games). Zumba. Pickleball ... the weather was nice enough in March that we were able to get in outdoor pickle with the family. 

Lots of sleep data ... Zzzzzz

My "snore score" has dropped - I've always figured there was a correlation to weight (that was actually the impetus for my scale success back in 2020).  I don't know that I always trust the tracker (I've sometimes set up a couple of devices right next to each other, got very varied results) but this is the data I gathered ... 

Different devices ... similar, but slightly different data results. 

My alarm IS set for 7:50. I rarely hear it (turning it off before it sounds). 

More from Oura ...

Family Stuff - January/February/March

Not a lot of snow this winter. Lots of basketball. Three new trucks for the family! Ping pong, pickleball and piano, as well as the usual Zumba and treadmill time. A little elliptical. Hubs did his first half-marathon for the year. He's been doing lots of training. Bike, runs, even some swim (triathlon planned). 75Hard. Birthday. Superbowl. Valentine's Day. A guys trip to Vegas/IBS. 

BOOKS!

... and the quarterly "What I Was Watching" on its own post.

What I Was Watching ~ 2025/Q1

 It was college basketball season January/February, and my youngest had games twice a week, which I'd catch on the NWAC Sports Network. I'd walk while watching ... helps keep my anxiety at bay, and I'd get in four+ miles during his games. On non-game days, I watched TV series and movies, and Hubs and I got in some shows together before bed. Here's what I was watching...

• Younger: I thought this was a new show, but it started in 2015 and had seven seasons! I got hooked and ended up watching all of them. I love books, and the peek into publishing was fun (even if it isn't all that accurate). 
• Arcane: My son(s) suggested I watch this. I'm not big into anime, but I liked it. Watched both seasons. 
• A.P. Bio: Hubs picked this one, when we needed something light and easy (and short). It started off pretty silly, and then ... went off the rails! I guess it was cancelled, then picked up again. The last two seasons were crazy. The image shows Season1, but we watched all four. I was glad to be done though. 
• Workin' Moms: Watched season 2.
• Detectorists: Heard some good things, enough to check out the DVD from the library. It was okay. Finished season 1, I don't think I'll continue. 
• American Primeval: Watched this with Hubs. I didn't really care for it.
• Running Point: Just a silly, lighter one. Basketball, some "Succession" vibes ;) 
• Squid Game: I'd already watched S1 some time ago, Hubs and I watched it together (his first time) so now I'm refreshed and can watch S2 ... if I want.

• Wicked: I'd seen the touring play and really liked the music. I was excited for the movie, to have subtitles and be able to catch all the words! I thought it was well done. Actually watched it twice, once downstairs in the gym, then once with Hubs.
• The Descendants: Watched upstairs with Hubs. It was okay.
• IF: I didn't really care for this one, just silly, showcasing a lot of well-known actor's voices. 
• Conclave: Hubs watched this while he was working out ... I gave it a go too. I didn't really care for it. 
• Fall Guy: Another that Hubs and I watched separately. We both really liked this one though!
• The Big Short: Repeat, for both Hubs and I (watched separately). A good one.
• Sing Street: Kind of cute, but ultimately not that memorable.  Accents. 
• Fly Me To The Moon: Xfinity offered a week of access to Apple+ ... this looked interesting. It was good. 
• Adrift: I liked this one.
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: A rewatch for me. I'd read the book recently. Had to borrow the DVD from the library, as it wasn't streaming on any of our services.
• Kinda Pregnant: Not great, honestly a little embarrassed to say I watched it ;) 
• Quite Place Day One: I'd like the first two Quiet Place movies. I didn't really like this one though. 

What will I watch during April/May/June? Stay tuned ...

Word Cloud Header

On my Facebook page, I'd had a graph of weight through the years for my banner image ... but it was pretty out of date. While I do still weigh in daily, I don't input my stats in excel, which is where I'd created that graph. As my scale stuff has been less than successful for several years, I figured I'd update the cover photo to represent all my interests.  I found a site to create Word Clouds (wordcloud.com) and typed up a list and  ...

#JenBsBooks ~ 2024 Reading Recap

 

Another year in the books ... my highest yet. I don't set a reading goal per se, I just enjoy books. I do TRY to get in a couple non-fiction each month, switch up genres and topics. Popular and obscure. Various lengths. While I am dominantly audio, I get the ebook also for 95% of my listens. I like having the text for reference, and to see if there's anything (author's notes, discussion questions, pictures, setup) that isn't available or or doesn't translate to audio.  I do try to read a little (with my eyes) as well. 

45 of my books on Goodreads got a 5* rating from me (fewer on Storygraph, as they allow half/quarter stars). The ratio of ratings looks quite similar to last few years. Mostly 3 and 4*, with a few 2* and at least one 1* ... I'm not afraid to DNF (did not finish) either ... so many books, so little time!

The Storygraph stats are slightly different ... showing 300 books (to GoodReads 307).  I guess Goodreads went ahead and put the DNF books (unrated in the chart above) in the total, when Storygraph did not. Honestly, I'm not sure which I feel is "correct" or which I prefer. Storygraph actually indicated I had 10 books that I started but didn't finish. 

It's interesting to compare the starts from year to year (I just started Storygraph last year/2023) ... the Mood Map is very similar, the pie charts for fiction/non-fiction, page# and format look almost the same. I like to track WHERE I got the books (library, KU, Audible, etc), and then a few other items.

 

Some additional Storygraph Stats ...

• Average length of books was 326 pages
• 24 5* reads
• May had the highest average rating (3.91)
• December had the lowest average rating (3.17)
• August had the most pages read (10057)
• New authors ... 196
• 86 books part of a series 
• 7 books were re-reads
• 10 books were DNF

Other 2024 book memories ...

• Continued on with two local book clubs, only missed one month 
• Had Audible, cancelled Audible, joined again when they had a sale, cancelled again, joined again. Have MORE than enough in my library (in addition to using the actual library) but ... deals! Sales! I don't use the PLUS catalog that often, but I like having access ;)
• Grabbed a KU deal (3 months free), then paid for one month(December).
• Did a few "tandem" reads with Hubs
• Book Notes - as I listen to audio, if there is something ... one of the words I track, a thought I want to highlight/remember, etc ... I'll pull up the NOTES app on my phone and jot it down (if I'm able to stop quickly to do it, not always possible, if I have more time/I'm home, I might pull up the Kindle copy and make the note there instead). I try to remember to check my notes when writing up a review (sometimes also adding the notes into the Kindle copy). But I thought I'd transfer my notes here for reference too, a quick reflective look at the year. 2024BookNotes. 
• Added a Little Free Library in front of the house. I HAD switched almost entirely to digital (audio and ebook) but now love shopping library and thrift stores for books. Had to buy some more bookshelves for storage, and love frequenting other LFLs. It's affected how I pick what to read next (if I have a physical copy, it gets moved up my TBR, even if I still go with the audio). 
• Room re-arrange at home, so we now have a little book nook/library ... book shelves, a comfy chair and lamp.

I continued to create my "cover collage" each month ... I would share those on Facebook and I created a compilation of them for the family blog (JenBsBooks ~ 2024). Here's a look from Storygraph ... it's fun to just look back over the covers, see which ones I really remember. 

What I Was Watching Q4 ~ October, November, December

 Movies and TV series ... they keep me entertained and motivated when down in the gym, walking on the treadmill or hitting the elliptical. A good show can make the difference in me getting more time in. I don't really ever just sit and watch a show, except with Hubs as a wind-down from the day.  Here's what I was watching during the last three months of 2024.

Starting with shows ...

Upstairs, with Hubs, we started The Good Place and went through all four seasons. It was a light/fun (and short, when Hubs would only last 20minutes before falling asleep) and super enjoyable. I'd caught a few glimpses of some episodes, as #1 son had come and watched some during lunch breaks in years past, but not enough to have spoiled it for me. 

Down in the gym, I really struggled to connect with a series that kept my attention. I was happy when I found another Kristen Bell show, and enjoyed Nobody Wants This. I'd read Black Cake a while back, and didn't love it, so I was pleasantly surprised by the series. I'm a sourdough gal, so I checked out World Eats Bread. Fleabag was different ... Workin Moms, I finished the first season and will continue on. 

I was more into movies this quarter ...

Only a couple of movies with Hubs ... the top/left: Rebel Ridge and Focus. We started Furiosa, but it wasn't clicking. I finished it downstairs. The top/right three were ones my #3 son recommended. The others I watched while walking. I did not care for "And So It Goes" but the rest were easy entertainment.

... after Thanksgiving was over, I went ahead and indulged in some "Christmas Movies" ...

Now, Carry-On is a "Christmas Movie" the same way Die-Hard is. It's set at Christmas, but it's action/thriller. It was decent. Red One ... um, dumb. That Christmas was cute! The other were your basic "Hallmark" Christmas movies (even though only one technically had that label). 

That wraps up 2024!

Q4 ~ October, November, December

 

I had success in the final quarter of the year back in 2020 ... I was hoping to try again this year. October pretty much continued per usual, but there was something about the Daylight Savings time switch (Nov3) that seemed to snap me into gear. I got back to counting calories on MFP and fasting/IMF and have seen some success on the scale. Had some stuff going on in November, and caught Covid (again) at the end of December (can be seen more in the sleep section than the steps). 

I didn't count calories in October, but counted consistently for Nov/Dec.

Kept calories in control for the most part, a couple uber over days.

My first FULL fast (24+ hours) ... no calorie days.

Playing around with different fasting apps ... I had paid for an annual subscription to Window (left/November) but my subscription was up for renewal, and the price had more than doubled ($90 annually! No thanks!) I like FastHabit (free/right 90day graph), but also found Easy Fast for the monthly calendar look (middle/December, started it mid month). 

Fell off the fasting at the end of December with the holidays and being sick.

A look at Lifecycle ... copied in the day to day calendar as well as the monthly report. 

Yes, I'm a homebody.

... had some strange sleep schedules at the end of December (Covid time). 

My Oura Ring tracks sleep (I think that is the info passed on to AppleHealth for the graph above). Fitbit tracks sleep as well (below//duration and schedule charts).  Interesting to note the similarities and differences. Once upon a time, I thought I was an "early to bed early to rise" girl ...

Oura gave a quarterly report on sleep ... Interesting to see the different graphs

... I was switching out the phone I track my snore score, and trying some multiple devices with results being quite varied. I don't think October was as low as it looks, that phone just wasn't really recording correctly. I switched to a different device for Nov/Dec. Snore score has gone down. A few nights in November where I was on Ambien (which consistently ups the score). Super surprising how low it dropped while I had Covid (in 2022, that is when it soared!)

One more set of Oura info for the quarter ...

Family Stuff~ October/November/December

October still had some outdoor activities; pickleball, races, hikes. Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas. Birthdays. Leg Lamp Lighting. Light snow. HUGE Santa. Spotify Unwrapped and music stats obsession. Sick (two boys and Hubs before I got it). Clackamas visit (which I had to sit out due to Covid). 

I'll get up a separate "What I Was Watching" post ...

Here's what I was reading.

What I Was Watching Q3 ~ July, August, September

 

Not as many shows ... especially not as many downstairs in the gym. There has been less gym time happening. My motivation and energy just hasn't been enough to get me there. It is what it is ...

Television Series ...

• Cult Massacre: The story of Jim Jones, lots of real footage. Hubs had watched this during his workouts, so I figured I'd watch it to. Interesting and sad. 
• Aftershock: My son had watched this, it was interesting. Sometimes I have to wonder where I was, if news of this breached out little world when it happened. I don't really remember it ...
• My Lady Jane: Heard some good things, and this was cute ... and lots of sex!
• From: October/Spooky show ... I started it and got a notification that season 1 was leaving prime in eight days. There were 10 episodes. Could I finish it? This provided a little push for a few extra workouts. The show annoyed me though, too many out-there, unanswered questions (there are further seasons). I felt little like it was trying to be a new "Lost" (which I loved). 
• Your Honor: Seasons 1 & 2 ... Hubs really likes "Walter White" and this was a sad/tense story.
• The Boys: Season 4 ... I had erroneously thought this was a series end this season, but no, totally ended on a cliff-hanger.
• Kaos: Heard some buzz and this captured my attention. Very different Greek mythological story!
• Baby Reindeer: Not a pleasant watch, and there's some controversy about how "true" it is and damage to the people who "inspired" it ... Hubs and I watched some of an interview from the "real Martha" ...

Movies ...

• Anyone But You: That was over the top silly and crude. Makes me NOT like the main guy and I don't think I can take him seriously in anything else now!
• The Idea of You: Older woman, younger man ... of course Anne looks great!
• A Family Affair: Older woman, younger man ... of course Nicole looks great!
• The Boys in the Boat: I'd read the book and remember really liking it, but not really remembering the "story" per se. Liked the movie.
• Unbroken: I'd read the book and actually hadn't loved it ... didn't love the movie. So much misery, and I just wonder how much has corroboration. 
• Bank of Dave: Random one I'd heard about, again, based on a true story. Very low-key but enjoyable and inspirational.
• The Spiderman Across the SpiderVerse: #4 encouraged me to watch this (as he had the first one). It was good, and tied in with a bookclub read "Dark Matter" (multiverse). 
• Mean Girls - The Musical: I remember seeing some buzz about this (mostly negative) and I had just thought it was a remake, hadn't realized it was a musical (although I had seen there was a stage musical). Going in knowing what to expect, I liked it. 
• Everyone Says I Love You: A rewatch for me, whilst in a musical mood.
• Ford vs Ferrari: I saw this pop up on one of the streaming services and recommended it to #3 who hadn't seen it yet, and gave it a rewatch myself. Good show.
• The Martian: I'd seen the movie years ago, since then read the book ... figured I'd get some back to back Matt D. 
• Everest: This was actually a rewatch for me too (I forgot to include it in that count). I watched it on my own downstair after reading "Into Thin Air" ... and as Hubs read the book too, we then watched the movie together upstairs. So double re-watch for me.
• The Dawn Wall: Hubs went on to read a book PUSH a memoir from climber Tommy Caldwell, and then we read another memoir (from his first wife/fellow climber), so we followed that up with this documentary about his most well-known climb. It wasn't streaming anywhere, we had to get the DVD from the library. It had been a while since we'd used our DVD player!

Shows CAN really motivate me to spend a little extra time in the gym ... but now it's usually just 30-40 minutes. Once upon a time, I'd get an hour of elliptical in early (three 20min sessions) and then do a treadmill later. I could generally finish a full movie in a day. But that was once upon a time, in my younger years, pre-health issues. Screen time with Hubs is more about a little bit of together time, holding hands, than really caring about what we are watching. 

Q3 2024 ~ July, August, September

 I'm actually putting up this post in a timely manner ...

Well ... I flirted with dropping back into "ONEderland" ... even did a time or two on the scale, but still tipping at 200. Back in the day, I never thought I'd be here. I thought my "high" was 180 (other than pregnancy). 

I caught Covid again in July, which didn't affect steps/minutes as much as a "spinz" did in August.

A look at Lifecycle ... I do need to double check things. I had to go in and correct a couple items in September that hadn't logged, or logged incorrectly (I knew I'd hit ONE basketball game ...)

Sleep ... Zzzzzz. I got a new bed mid-September ...

... still snoring, but down a little? June was in the 50s too (lower)

Family Stuff ...

Blackham Update

... and books.

What I Was Watching ~ Q2 2024

Got in quite a few movies during the second quarter of 2024 ...  Half with Hubs upstairs (left side, checked out some Oscar nominees), and the rest (right side) in the gym while walking. We also saw Come From Away as a live play production (then I watched the filmed Broadway version myself) ...

• LongShot: This was cute, had been recommended by son #3.
• Unfrosted: We were Seinfeld fans, and this was all about the 80s ... we grew up in those years. Silly, but fun and nostalgic. 
• Air: We liked this a lot. I remember we started it on a Monday night and I thought for sure we'd be breaking it into to showings (because ... sleep) but ended up watching it all in one night. 
• Oppenheimer: Interesting.
• Poor Things: Um ... that was so weird.
• The Holdovers: Just okay
• American Fiction: Just okay.
• The Beekeeper: Bad ... so bad. I was honestly trying to keep from laughing out loud at how ridiculous is was and kept waiting for Hubs to shake his head and turn it off. Unfortunately he didn't ... we finished it. Oye.
• Encanto: I'd seen this myself, we watched it together. I think I liked it more than Hubs.
• The Banker: Interesting, based on a true story.
• Chowchilla: A documentary-ish production, with interviews (the kids now grown), actual pictures and footage, and recreations. I hadn't heard of this happening. I would have just been six at the time.
• Zodiac: Another "based on a true story" Hollywood-ized.
• Free State of Jones: Whatever service I was watching this on pulled it early. I went to finish up the final 20min or so at 10:00 at night, and it was gone. I actually didn't care much. But then it popped up on another platform, so I was able to finish (not that night, but a few days later). 
• The Departed: Several Matt Dameon movies this month! Another one #3 had watched.
• A Simple Favor: Um, dumb ...
• Mr & Mrs Smith: I have to admit how things have gone between the real life actors affects my enjoyment of the film somewhat. 
• The Storied Life of AJ Fikry: I'd read the book. It had been long enough that I didn't really remember it to make comparisons. Just not sure how much story there is here ...
• Leave The World Behind: I haven't read the book ... and don't think I will. Just blah. I liked "Done Look Up" but this, just blah. 
• Come From Away: I'd really enjoyed the play, and was pleased to find a filmed version on Apple TV. It was pretty much identical to the production we'd seen, several of the same actors in fact. I loved having subtitles and closeups and angles not seen when in the audience. Upped my appreciation a lot!

... onto some series. Nine shows. Ten seasons.

(bottom row was watched with Hubs)

• Daisy Jones and the Six: I'd read the book, liked it. The series dragged for me though. Had a "How I Met Your Mother" feel that honestly I hadn't really remembered from the book ... more memorable in the mini-series (at least for me). Interesting how they'd have to come up with actual songs for the show (not the book). 
• Masters of the Air: I'd started watching this, then given up on it ... then came back and pushed to finish just to have closure. Didn't like the leads for some reason. Sorry ...
• Calls: Very different production. Some big names/voices, but no faces. Just talking, and some simply imagery. Short "episodes" felt very "Twilight Zone" and yet then they were all tied together.
• All The Light We Cannot See: Read the book for June bookclub. Liked the tv adaptation fine (they switched up the ending some). I have to say that Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things ruined Mark Ruffalo in this one (both with a French accent). 
• Bridgerton S3: Back to Bridgerton. Quite a bit of buzz this season over a "larger" actress/character getting the guy and having sexy screen time.
• Queen Charlotte: As I enjoyed Bridgerton more than I thought, I added this one. Liked it.
• The Gentlemen: The original movie had just been okay for me (actually had to try it twice before finishing). Hubs and #3 really like it. The series was more a prequel. Some super strange. Very dark. 
• Resident Alien S1 & S2: Very quirky, but a nice shift from some of the darker shows.
• 3 Body Problem: I like Sci-Fi ... this was quite complex and Hubs lost interest. I finished up watching down in the gym. 

It's just interesting to have a recap and record.