I refuse to admit I have a plant hoarding problem. Grow, grow my pretties!

I had the worst run of life today! Not sure why it was so bad. I missed two of my gym sessions this week because I was too stressed to be around humans, so I thought my long weekend run would be recharged and wonderful. I felt exhausted and like my legs were lead. It was beautiful out tho. #Running

Test run of the seed germination mats with the FLIR. Can confirm the mats are roughly dog temperature.

My yard can accommodate 5, maybe 6 pepper plants at most, but I grow hundreds. By early summer I'll be offloading them on every friend, neighbour, and co-worker who'll take one (or more). Growing them calms my nerves and as a bonus, I'm helping keep my neighbourhood spicy. 🔥🌶️ #HotPeppers #Gardening

There was a time when a local craft club offered stained glass making classes. My creations were janky as heck but I loved doing it and would have improved. Sadly it went out of business but here are the two things I made while I could.

The kid drank all the milk last night and there's nothing for my coffee. I'm trying to decide what kind of morning I want to have.

For the final night of my birthday week, we went to a Black Bears lacrosse game. What an emotional rollercoaster! I thought the Bears were sunk, but they got four goals in the last three minutes, tying up the score then winning in overtime. #Ottawa #Lacrosse

4th gym class of the week, but no running! I can run 5k, that's no problem, but I get so gassed the thought of running gives me anxiety. I'm going to try shorter, more frequent runs, and build up so I don't burn myself out. It's hard for me - I can have a very all-or-nothing mindset. #FitnessSky

I took the family to an unlit restaurant, Dark Fork. There was no light at all, zero visual input. The food was AMAZING but I'm still not sure what it all was. Not being able to see while being served, trying to figure out if I even got food on my fork, was a strange but fun experience. #Ottawa

My running and hiking buddy hasn't been up for it lately. We got concerned when we noticed him coughing, too. It turns out he has a grade 3 or 4 heart murmur. I'm not sure if there's anything we can do about it, but we go to the vet next week. ☹️

Aaaw yeah, it's my birthday! It's also Tuesday! Maybe even... taco Tuesday. No crazy plans except to hit the gym for upper body strength class, enjoy this wonderful mushroom-y breakfast my husband made, and enjoy the day.

Got in a rare Monday lunch hour workout today. I really needed it. I am frustrated as hell lately. Picture of my dog's spots to help with my nerves lol. #FitnessSky

Felt a little faint today, so I made a cheat meal. Flatbread from my favourite local baker House of Pain, pork shoulder that my husband smoked yesterday, beans and veggies, topped with cilantro sprouts and hot sauce made by my neighbour. So much love in this thing. #FoodSky

Guess who thought the farmer's market started at 9 and is now hanging out like a dork till it opens? On the upside, I'm enjoying window surfing at the bars, which are packed to the rafters with hockey fans here at Lansdowne. #Ottawa

I missed my workout yesterday because I had a gnarly stomach ache, and I probably didn't eat enough. HIIT class today hit extra hard. I passed a hockey rink on the way home and wanted to run and slide across it on my belly like a penguin to cool down. #FitnessSky

Are any of my Canadian friends on Gander Social yet? I just got accepted to the beta and have declared myself Bitch-king of Ottawa. Give me an add if you're over there. Challenge me for my title. I promise I won't forget everyone here though.

Arts and crafts time with flowers and bunnies and stuff. I know I say this about everything but I think they need some 3D printed antlers.

I'm down 10lbs from Jan 1st, and 20lbs from my highest weight of almost 170. This is the first time I've been in the 140s since 2021. I guess I can't celebrate with a trip to Umbrella Burger. 😄🍔 #FitnessSky #WeightLoss

Short lunch hour run. I got out of my gym contract luckily so no more treadmill! It was a balmy -3°C. The river never quite froze over, yet there are trails crossing it to the islands. That's a no from me. #Running

I love what I do for a living but sometimes I forget I'm in a field prone to burning people out. I'm starting to notice good coping mechanisms aren't working and wine is coming out (which also doesn't work but takes the edge off some). Deep breaths. Meditation. Some wine yeah. Then, boundaries.

I'm a little behind on my 2026 reading list. I wanted to start my second book by early February, but I'm getting to it now. The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore. I've heard good things about this one and I'm looking forward to getting into a mystery. #BookSky

It's been at least 15 years since I skied at Mont Cascades. Had a great time out there today with the kid and some good friends. #Skiing

If you squint, it's a sandy white beach

Happy Valentine's Day! Me and my husband went on a hot date to the gym for an extra brutal #HIIT class this morning. I planned to run today but my legs are done in from jump squats, sled pushes, and wall sits. It's too beautiful out to stay inside though. #FitnessSky

While teaching myself Active Directory today, my exhausted mind accidentally invented a new shitty mythical creature, the ADMIN CENTAUR. Several hours later I thought of an even better (or worse) one - the SYSADMINOTAUR. I'm so glad my work week is almost over.

The snowflakes on my car look like little threads.

It looks like our deep freeze is finally ending. I'm cancelling my membership at large chain gym. It's 40$ every two weeks and while it's nice enough, I can't justify the cost. I can use the money I save for some cold weather gear, and get outside. I don't even like treadmills. #Runninf

Here's a Sunday morning throwback - I was looking for a notepad for recipe notes and found my old knee injury recovery journal, the Kneecronomicon. I haven't (k)needed it in about a year, but it's neat to look back and see how hard I worked to get back to where I am. 🦵 #Running #FitnessSky

Accurate. I could get rid of my Garmin watch and just power my house. #cybersecurity

Got in a good 30 minute treadmill run. If I count the whole thing, warmup and cooldown, I got in 5k. My cardio stays in the right range but my legs get tired. I don't push too hard but I can feel those warning signs. Might mix some biking in to keep it up in a knee-happy way. #Running #FitnessSky

No running this weekend but I did get in an hour and a half at the gym yesterday for HIIT and stretch, and went out on the trails for some cross country skiing this afternoon. It was a sunny -8°C, and I didn't wipe out a single time. #XCSkiing #Skiing #FitnessSky

Dry January ended a few hours early last night. Oof, alcohol really does throw everything out of whack. I'll be keeping it to a minimum, but I don't regret having a few last night and playing the most chaotic card game ever (Annihilageddon) with some good friends. It's all about moderation.

An attempt to make pad Thai with veggie noodles. It turned out ok but the sauce was SO SALTY. I'm adding low salt soy and fish sauces to my shopping list. That'll fix it up for next time. The colours are so cheery, I definitely want to try more dishes with those noodles. #FoodSky #Homecooking

It was my daughter's turn to pick out the restaurant, and she chose Mexicali Rosa's. It was my first cheat meal of 2026! I even had a spoonful or two of deep-fried ice cream.

My run wasn't as long as I hoped for but I noticed some fatigue and had to slow it down. I'm happy I got it done and I'll aim for another long one on the weekend. We'll be in this deep freeze a while longer, but I'm questioning whether I need a gym contract. I have two weeks to decide. #running

Monday - rest Tuesday - 45 min upper body Wednesday - #Running day I drop the kid off at his class after school and I'll hit the gym for a treadmill run. It will be shorter today - aiming for 5k in as close to 30 minutes as I can get. I started doing a short #meditation in the morning. Feels good.

In a world where grief bleeds through the seams of our hyperconnected lives, where minds fracture under invisible weight, where democracy withers in the shadow of rising authoritarians—joy is no longer luxury. It's insurrection.

Once I found a gym with room at the inn, I was able to do 6k in roughly 45 minutes. Not bad for a first real attempt and definitely good enough to get me over my anxiety about #running again.

The new gym has been kind of a bust. The washrooms are nightmares and the treadmills are few and usually full. But there's another gym a little further away with more treadmills. I was hoping the neighborhood one would work out for convenience. If this fails, I see some outdoor joggers. #running

By far the best thing I stress-bought during the pandemic.

I gave in to the intrusive thoughts and polished the dish. I'm so full of regret. I just wanted to see what it looked like under the tarnish but now I miss the tarnish. I guess it looks ok still. It will eventually react with oxygen again anyway.

It's a good day for a treadmill run! 🥶 I've been avoidant about running since I got that virus in October that wiped out my cardio. I went from running a 10k to not even able to do a 5 in the span of 2 weeks. The numbers will suck but they won't get better if I stay discouraged. #running

I've decided to tackle some self-improvement books this year. 'Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents' was recommended to me many times, and I finally started to read it. I'm halfway through and wish I had picked it up sooner. #BookSky

There was a snow squall in downtown #Ottawa yesterday that cleared up to blue skies as I headed to the canal. Here are some pictures I took.

A leisurely skate and chat along the canal in #Ottawa. I love all the little lit up spots where you can stop off and have a drink and a Beavertail. Once again dry January stayed strong. 😄 My friend has inspired me to get back into #mindfulness meditation.

I bought this plate thing at the secondhand store for its jankiness, but sometimes I can't help but wonder how it would look if I tried to restore it. If I even could - I can tell by the scratches its previous owner tried before very aggressively. I'm such a fan of misfit secondhand finds.

What a beautiful day to get out to the hills! Visited Camp Fortune for my first #ski day of the season. I'm happy to report I felt confident enough to go to the intermediate hills on day 1! 😄 After some warming up on the bunny hills.

One of my kids clipped their fingernails on the couch today, and if that wasn't bad enough, I sent a text to my family group demanding to know who cut their fingernails on the couch but accidentally sent it to my coworkers group. Yeah I'm done for the day.

Some data science: I started logging my meals again on January 1st, and gave myself some goals starting on the 5th - quitting alcohol, upping protein, and maintaining a small but manageable calorie deficit. It's working well for me so far. Nothing dramatic, but definitely progress. #FitnessSky

After a month of saying I'm going to buckle down and run outside, I admitted today it just isn't happening. I signed up for a large chain gym, mainly for the treadmills but also for those hip adductor/abductor machines. It's kind of steep but if I actually use it, it will be worth it. #FitnessSky