The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Minimalism in 90 Days Update – What was Unpacked During Week 6

    ·

    Ruth Carter

    This suitcase was overflowing with clothes a week ago.
    This suitcase was overflowing with clothes a week ago.

    I am over six weeks into my variation of Ryan Nicodemus’(of The Minimalists) “packing party” and I have yet to go a day without unpacking something. Every time I think I’m going to have a day where I don’t unpack anything I’ll want to watch a DVD I haven’t unpacked or I’ll need a pair of socks – usually something mundane.

    It’s started to get colder in Phoenix so I’ve started unpacking cold weather linens and clothes. I’m also being more diligent about unpacking things I know (and I mean really know) I’ll need or want or getting rid of things I know won’t survive the final clean-out.

    Here’s what I unpacked during the last week:

    Day 36

    • DVD
    • Tall socks and t-shirt
    • Japanese figurine and somersault girl figurines
    • Extra keys
    • Spare change
    • Mug

    Day 37

    • Fish bowl
    • Checkbook

    Day 38

    • Sweater, slippers, cold weather running shirts, and running tights
    • Brown handbag
    • Rosie the basset hound saved 3 tennis balls from the charity pile

    Day 39

    Day 40

    • Lipstick
    • DVD

    Day 41

    • Thermometer (I have to remember that I don’t have a fever, I have cold hands)
    • Glass cups

    Day 42

    • DVD

    Items set aside for charity this week: 13 hangers, banker box full of clothes, big blue vase, dog brush, dog toys, 5-pound dumbbells, and plastic party cups.

    In terms of the number of boxes and suitcases in the minimalism pile, not much has changed, but the volume of stuff in each one is steadily dropping. I found a few items in the that I inherited from my grandmother in my things that have basically become dust collectors there are no reasons, not even sentimental ones, for me to keep them anymore. So I will be passing them along to various family members when we get together for Thanksgiving.

    Other updates from the Minimalism in 90 Days project:
    What was Unpacked During Week 1
    What was Unpacked During Week 2
    What was Unpacked During Week 3
    What was Unpacked During Week 4
    What was Unpacked During Week 5

  • Marathon Training Week 10 Recap – Masochism Begins

    ·

    Ruth Carter

    under 10km/h by kssk from Flickr (Creative Commons License)
    under 10km/h by kssk from Flickr (Creative Commons License)

    I am 10 weeks into Hal Higdon’s 18-week marathon training program. I needed KT Tape last week and after a few days, my leg felt well enough to run without it. Yay for that! I’m still having ongoing hip pain but my physical therapist friend suggested a stretch that helps a lot.

    Here’s the recap from last week’s training:

    Monday:  It was a chilly 46 degrees this morning. I didn’t feel like running in the cold and I definitely didn’t want to take the time to find my cold weather running gear. So I ran on the treadmill for 4.5 miles, and I ran my face off. I was done in 37.5 minutes. I wanted to be done so badly I cranked the speed up to 8.5 for the last few minutes. Hat tips to The Creative Giant Show and The #AskGaryVee Show for keeping me distracted and entertained.

    Tuesday: Rest day.

    Wednesday:  I ran 7 miles today. It was 52 degrees outside when I started so I ran in long pants and long-sleeved shirt. I was warm enough that I could have been in shorts and t-shirt by the end. I was entertained by an episode of the Dr. Drew Podcast with guests Anna David and Mike Carano. I laughed out loud several times.

    When I got back from my run, I cranked out 100 push-ups: 4 sets of 25.

    Thursday: It was another chilly morning, and since I worked from home today, I waited until 9am to run my 4.5 miles so I could run in the sun. I made the mistake of listening to my Christmas playlist today. Although it has some awesomely powerful songs, there were way too many ballads in the mix to be good for running. Plus it made me sad because it reminded me that I’m away from my family on Christmas.

    Friday: Rest day.

    Saturday: I ran 15 miles today – the longest run I’ve ever done. Ever. I filled the 2.5 hours by listening to episodes of The Dr. Drew Podcast, The Daily Show Podcast without Jon Stewart, and a repeat of Profiles with Malone and Mantz featuring John Hughes. My hip handled the pain pretty well but it still hurt, as did my foot and my knee by the end. I started hating myself around mile 11. The last few miles were not pretty, but they got done and that’s what matters. It takes a true masochist to voluntarily run this far “for fun.”

    Sunday:  I did a 19-mile bike ride today for cross training. It was only about 50 degrees when I started and I was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt, so it was pretty chilly. On the upside, it was like I was icing my body as I was inflicting pain on it. I can definitely tell that my quads are getting stronger and have more definition.

    When I got back, I finished my push-ups for the week with 4 sets of 25.

    Weekly Totals:
    Running: 31 miles
    Biking: 19 miles
    Push-ups: 200 push-ups

  • Minimalism in 90 Days Update – What was Unpacked During Week 5

    ·

    Ruth Carter

    I still have a suitcase filled with clothes I haven't worn yet.
    I still have a suitcase filled with clothes I haven’t worn yet.

    I am over a month into my variation of Ryan Nicodemus’(of The Minimalists) “packing party” and I have yet to go a day without unpacking something. On most days I unpack only a few items. I expect that day will come soon, but I also expect days where I’ll be unpacking a lot more. I’m starting to think about what items are going to survive the final clean out even if I don’t use them on a regular basis – like the keys to my parents’ house in California or the Ziploc back of spare change I haven’t unpacked yet. If I think of those items and I know they’re going to be spared, then I’ll unpack them. Likewise, the moment I know an item isn’t going to survive the final clean out, it will go into the pile of things to be donated to charity.

    Here’s what I unpacked during the last week:

    Day 29

    • Crockpot and pan
    • DVD

    Day 30

    • DVD
    • Towel set
    • Handout and magnets (to attach it to the fridge)

    Day 31

    • Sweatshirt (It’s finally cold enough that I want a sweatshirt instead of a zippy to walk Rosie in the morning)

    Day 32

    • Antibiotic ointment
    • DVD
    • Replacement tube of Rosie’s toothpaste (I have several replacements for toiletries I currently use that are still in a box. I might unpack all of those because they will be used. Don’t worry – I only have 1 replacement for each item at most. I’m not like an extreme couponer who has 100 bottles of shampoo.)

    Day 33

    • Dress
    • Cassette

    Day 34

    • Music stand and sheet music
    • Donation to charity: unused travel size toiletries

    Day 35

    • Aztec sun (I’m storing this on the wall for now)
    • Birthday card for brother-in-law (bought it during Independents Week sale)
    • Stage manager bag of pens, highlighters, velcro, and safety pins (to work at Ignite Phoenix event)
    • Vinyl pants, FMBs, and pasties (to wear at Ignite Phoenix event)
    • Mascara, foundation, lip liner, eyeliner, shimmer powder, and lipstick case
    • KT Tape (for my sore leg), alcohol pads, and knee socks (to sleep in my KT Tape)
    • Music binder

    The list on this post goes through last Friday, but I usually shoot the weekly video on Sunday so I’ll be talking about a few things that you won’t see on the what-I-unpacked list until next week. I’m definitely trying to treat my condo more and more like a home. I don’t want a lot a knick knacks – just a few sentimental items that make me smile.

    Other updates from the Minimalism in 90 Days project:
    What was Unpacked During Week 1
    What was Unpacked During Week 2
    What was Unpacked During Week 3
    What was Unpacked During Week 4