January 2021
It’s a bit like Groundhog Day here in Edinburgh. I am can be a person of routine, but even for me it’s getting a bit repetitive. After the “Cancelled Christmas” debacle, we’ve been under a “stay at home” order in Scotland for all of January. That said, I really feel lucky to be able to work from home, and that my friends and family are safe.
There is light on the horizon: the vaccine roll out is continuing and I’m hopeful that my parents will get it in the next couple of weeksedit: my parents got their first dose of the vaccine! I feel like a weight is lifting.
Running and Cycling
In January I exercised every day: 30 runs and 1 bike ride. I typically ran 4-6km per day, and I finished the month off with a half marathon. I’m glad to have done it, but I didn’t notice much impact on my general fitness. I’ll take a couple of rest days then look at increasing either my pace or the length of my runs in February.
Reading
I read The Iliad for the Interintellect “Reading the Greats” series. It was a fun discussion, and I’m looking forward to the next Salon in Feb. It’s on Antigone, so I’ve been reading in preparation for that too.
I read Lifespan by David Sinclair, which is worth a look. The book covers some potential causes of aging and treatments to slow it. As well as a selection of drugs, calorie restriction was given heavy emphasis. The general idea behind a lot of potential treatments is to stress the body in controlled ways to trigger “cleanup” of aging cells. I.e. try and workout your cell life cycle systems. On that note I also read The Wim Hoff Method which uses breathing to achieve similar ends. I don’t recommend this book: almost all of what it says could be covered in a single page. It’s a pep talk in a book. Read the Outside Magazine profile instead. Take cold showers, practice different breathing techniques.
Photography
One of my new years resolutions was to get better at taking photos. Last year I posted some of my travel photos on a new alt-Instagram. This year I have started doing the 52 Frames challenges. 52 Frames is a weekly photo prompt and feedback community. You can find my profile on 52 frames and I also recorded a vlog with the first few weeks worth of challenges.
Month vlog
I’ve enjoyed writing these monthly updates for a few years now - so thought I’d try something new. This year I’ll try and post monthly vlogs to capture and share a little more of life, and hopefully make some connections. It’s a bit awkward, but the only way to learn and improve is to start - so here it is:
Next month
In February I’m looking forward to lighter days, more running and reading, an ii Salon on the “Process and Institutions of Becoming: Past, Present and Future”, and Antigone.
☀️
