Five Things Friday Vol. 135

Sweet memory

I went out to lunch with my colleague this week. It was beautiful weather and as we were enjoying a lovely Japanese Bento Box lunch on the patio of the restaurant, there was classical music playing in the background. First, it was just that – lovely background music – but then I heard a tune that was so familiar and I realized it was a piece I used to be able to play on the piano (Mozart’s Sonata No 16).
I took lessons between 11 and 25 years old. My piano teacher – already in her 80s at the time – loved all the classical composers. Hearing the piece took me right back to my hometown to the piano bench in front of her baby grand piano where I spent an hour every week for many, many years. (Remind me to dig up an old photo, which I think I might have shared here on the blog before.) What a random, lovely memory to sneak into my day. I wonder if I could still remember how to play. I haven’t really played in years and would really love to have access to a piano again. My piano sits at my parents’ house – unused.

Naps FTW

I’ve been taking naps like it‘s my job this week and I am usually not a nap person. I worked a 5-day work week and was home by 5:30 pm at the lastest in the last few days. Since it was too early to start dinner, I plopped on the couch with my book and then each time continued to doze off for a little while. I read somewhere that quick, up-to- 30 minute naps are good for you, so I am pretending that this was intentional self care. 

It’s not even October

… but the first Halloween decorations have gone up in our neighborhood. I feel it’s too early, but I also get it. I mean, the season is relatively short and who wants go out of their way decorating the whole exterior of their house if it’s only up for a week or two? I tend to opt for minimal decorating and it’s usually just “fall-themed”.
But, Halloween is coming early… just as everything else is coming earlier and earlier (at least at the stores, right? I am looking at you, Costco! Christmas decorations in September! Really??)

Feeling validated

We’re having a potluck – you guessed it, a FALL MINGLE – at work next week and someone circulated the inviation flyer via email and also posted it in the elevator. I mentioned before that AI-generated layouts are everywhere right now and that I am somehow really bothered by them. The all look the same: generic and way too busy with colors and information (to the point of overwhelm). 

Well, I had a good chuckle this morning when I entered the elevator and saw this. Looks like I am not the only one who is bothered by AI-generated content. 

What’s your schedule?

This will be of interest to nobody but me, but I’ve been switching to treadmill runs in our community gym on work days as of late and I am trying to figure out everybody’s schedule. I get up pretty early as it is (5:30 a.m. right now) and while I wish I had a more leisure morning, I usually don’t have extra time to spare if I want to get to the office by 8 a.m. Our gym has a steady crowd but time and attendance varies. Sometimes, there are already five people there working out when I get there (by 6 a.m.) and sometimes, the gym is empty when I get there. We have two treadmills at the gym and rarely are both occupied but one time this week they were and I had to pivot and seriously contemplate if I was going to skip my run or cut it short.

I am going 3-4 times during the week right now and – granted, I just started going regularly again in the last three weeks – but I am just wondering: do these people have a workout schedule? I see some of the same people, sure, but I’ve also seen a bunch of random show-ups over the last few weeks. For someone like me, who’s always on some kind of regular schedule, it’s strange to see this willy-nilly gym behavior, but I am also not judging because I am celebrating that they’re there! I just wanted to ask you: do you have a set workout schedule that you stick to, or do you randomly work out when and where you can?

TGIF! I hope you have a nice weekend ahead!