Friday Five

A friend got me into watching The Good Wife a while ago. Fortunately, it was during its final season so by the time I finished watching the lot I didn’t have to worry about end-of-season cliff-hangers. I was very keen when I learned that they were spinning it off with The Good Fight. Both are legal dramas with an emphasis on drama, and like many other shows of late, they do weave in current events into the storyline. Unlike some other shows however, The Good Fight somehow manages to make its position clear without hammering the point in like a lecture (at least if you're not a Republican). It’s funny, dramatic, educational at times, and has a brilliant cast. They even bring in some old Good Wife favourites from time to time.

I’ve had a lot on my plate over the last few months, and like most working parents, things pile up, and sometimes people pile on, or let you down. Sometimes that person is yourself. A couple things I try to squeeze in to keep myself sane is yoga or guided meditation and breathing exercises.

I tried to get myself to yoga at a nearby studio, but the schedules aren’t always the best for stay/work at home parents, and there was only one place nearby with classes during daycare days. And this is how I came to try Hot Yoga. It’s great and intense, but it started to add to the pile and I would feel guilty (and more stressed) about not being able to attend the class if I was busy, or when bub or I were sick. I’ve switched to Yoga Studio on my phone. It’s cheaper than a brick and mortar studio membership (check subscriptions to see if there are any discount offers) and I can use it for yoga or meditation whenever I want (nap times, before bed, during daycare days, etc).

There are also some nights where I have trouble falling asleep, or bub has woken in the night[1] and I’m having trouble drifting off again. I saw 4-7-8 breathing come up a few times on my feeds and decided to give it a go. Once you get a feel for the rhythm, I barely have to do it a handful of times and the next thing I know, it’s morning (or bub has woken again). It’s also useful any time of day just to give yourself grounding moment.

This woman has been doing the rounds for her incredible genetic mutation that means she doesn’t feel pain or anxiety. How dreamy. Though she would injure herself a lot, and if she does have any physical conditions where pain is a symptom, it would go unchecked. Several people I know have already declared they’re totally up for gene-editing if the scientists figure out more details about this mutation.

Lastly, something local and amusing. There’s a bridge in a Perth suburb of Bayswater that has low clearance, but is notoriously bad for getting hit by drivers who forget how high their vehicle is, or how low that bridge is. There’s a website dedicated to documenting the incidents called, quite sensibly, How Many Days Since the Bayswater Bridge Has Been Hit.

[1] I think she’s started dreaming. Occasionally she’ll wake up and call out asking for a cuddle so that she can be reassured and go back to sleep.