Today ended up being one of those "wow, lots of things have just rebalanced... pull back, look, think a while, take a breather, figure out a better attack plan" days. It was good, and I feel on far firmer footing now on a bunch of things, $dayjob and non-$dayjob. So much better than running around like a recently-beheaded chicken. Also, it feels good to run, but it's better to run towards something you're working on than away from something you're scared of. Always.
And there's plenty to work on. There's still a whole pile of things on my $dayjob to-do list that need to be cranked through - so I'm going to be the equivalent of one workday over the next two days of this weekend (well, a bit more - POSSE starts on Sunday, I want to get everything else underway by then) to make up for my lack of deliverable-fu today. I dunno, the weekend tends to blur anyhow... they're mostly days on which I work less (but I also occasionally do things like have extended lunches with friends in the middle of the week, so I think it balances out, though I really need to get atop my to-do list right now).
Also, wow. Resting is... nice. I'm definitely coming out of that mode and back into WOO MANIC WORKSPRINT YAY! more and more, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to do this very often (nor do I think I'll be able to consciously choose to do it), but... wow. It's different. Pleasantly surprising. I'm not sure how I managed to do so much as an exhausted zombie all through school; things sometimes flow better when you're not at the edge of collapse. (And sometimes quadruple allnighters are needed. But not nearly as much as I believed when I was a dumb teenager.)
Also, exercising. By the time I hit Raleigh in August, I want to be able to run around and play sports (soccer!) and do things without having to worry overmuch about conditioning - and I'm trying to get into the habit of a workout I can do anywhere, which means classes and gyms and anything location or equipment dependent is basically out.
So, speaking of running in the non-metaphorical sense, I'm working through this 9-week, 5k running plan - which, if it goes well, means I'll finish exactly when I get back from China. There are podcasts (even a techno version) to keep things interesting. And between that and some dancing, that should do it for cardio, because I need to learn how to use my new lung capacity, and it's probably a good thing if my heart beats somewhat less wildly after the random sprints I sometimes do. (Being both hyperactive and out of shape means you occasionally find yourself gasping and trying to get your pulse to slow down because it feels really good to run!!! but you really should not have done that just then.)
Still figuring out the strength and flexibility components of this, but I figure I'll give the running a week or two to actually sink in. I'm going for the exercise-in-the-morning habit - my wakeups have been shifting earlier in part because I've wanted to get ready for this; I've also been doing random exercise-type things, but not in any systematic way, and not in the mornings. I've been building components of the habit that I want to have, and now I'm trying to put them all together. I've also been trying to drink more water. Mm, Operation: Healthiness! is... well, it'll take a while too, but... it is good for me. (Must... finish... finances... still poking parents about that, it's just taking care of details at this point.)
Not yet sure when/how I'll study Mandarin (hey, if I'm going to Shanghai in August, I don't care how much English everyone else speaks, I want to walk around and get some street food) or guitar. Still need to figure that out, too. But... one thing at a time.
I'm tired. I'm going to sleep, and then I'm going to wake up and reload my files and settings from backup on this nice new F13 install (mm, upgrade... boo, borked attempt at dual-booting that did funny things to my partition table... yay, data backups), reload my mp3/ogg player with fresh music (including the running podcasts), and then I'm going to drive to Manhattan and go on a food tour of New York with Ritter and Colin and some person they met and think is cool.
I feel more peaceful today than I've felt in a long time.