January Journal: Day 10

[unikorento]

What do you do to relax/unwind?machinistm

 

I wish I could write something healthy and cozy here. You know, like "I take walks in nature and read a book with a cup of tea." And, mind you, I enjoy both of those things and I do find them relaxing, but they're not what I do every day for relaxation purposes, oh, no. Day-to-day, post-work unwinding isn't instagram material. 

I play mobile games and listen to the news. That's it. I also do it while twisting my body into some convoluted pretzel shape that messes up my shoulders and neck because I can't be assed to sit on a couch like an ordinary human. I can do it for literally hours on end if I have the time, but even when I'm in a rush, I'll do it for a few minutes during the day or before getting ready for bed. It's what I was doing before I started typing up this entry. I play game after game of something dumb like Clash Royale or Candy Crush or Sudoku, and I have a news stream or a documentary on in the background. Mostly it's Finnish news and the Young Turks podcast. 

Doing this puts my mind in some sort of stand-by mode. I can forget any anxiety and stress (and haunting sense of perpetual failure), and my whole focus is blissfully on the game and on whatever information is being fed into my ear. I've a bad habit of playing on my phone while I watch tv or movies as well because I find it so damn relaxing, but it means that I miss chunks of the story since 50% focus is never as good as 100%. 

I used to knit or crochet instead of play, but I've lost interest. I was never particularly good. (Why does one always have to knit two socks, anyway?)

I also love listening to audiobooks while I do my make up. I've got worse skin than most (adult acne, enlarged pores etc.), so my routine takes a fairly long time. I don't mind it, though. Applying make up is insanely relaxing. I like the process. I like the way I look when I'm done, and I like experimenting with different products. I've learned not to compare my work with that of any kind of beauty gurus. I focus on the things I think are fun, and skip everything else. I also paint my nails different colours and apply excessive amounts of glitter to them, again, while listening to audiobooks. I can spend an afternoon doing and re-doing my face. (Plus side to living in a country where darkness falls early - you can walk the dog while having painted your face in colours that would put Jem & the Holograms to shame, and literally no one will notice.)

Then, obviously, there's the run of the mill geek stuff. I play video games, and I cobble together storylines for various rpg campaigns. But I don't know if I can call it unwinding, as much as it is setting foot in a whirlpool that will suck you in for anything from 1 to 24 hours, during which time nothing else seems as important as the story you're immersed in. Fun? Absolutely. Relaxing? Not so much. 

 

Comments

[corvidology]

Day-to-day, post-work unwinding isn't instagram material.

I couldn't agree more. I have solitaire and sudoku on my phone and like to look at jewellery on Etsy when I just need to relax. For the 10 minutes before I feel compelled to get up and do something again. :D

Also, a large mug of hot tea is mandatory.

[unikorento]

A mug of tea does help in most cases! :D I lean towards coffee, myself, except for certain times of the year.

[corvidology]

The US has made me a coffee snob -- I drink a lot of it -- but I'm still a big fan of the old English big mug of really strong Indian tea with a splash of milk in it.

[pinksonia]

Why does one always have to knit two socks, anyway?

Learning two at a time socks was life changing!


On the mobil gaming front, I'm currently loving Seeker's Notes and use it for my own after work relaxation time with youtube videos playing in the background.

[unikorento]

What is Seeker's Notes like? Is it a puzzle solving game?

I've heard that some people do knit two socks at a time, but I've never gotten around to trying it. I can see the benefits of it. The chances of remembering whatever the original plan was definitely increases :D

[pinksonia]

Seeker's Notes is a hidden object game with a handful of other mini puzzles. You get objects for completing the puzzles that go together in collection. Once a collection is complete, one of the characters tells you a little bit more about the underlying 'mystery' of the game.

[adafrog]

I totally do the convoluted sitting too.

[unikorento]

I'd like to blame the couch, but I find that it doesn't really matter where one sits. Somehow, the most comfortable position is never the most comfortable position. Why is that? Couches are literally designed for sitting. How can one mess that up?

[adafrog]

Couches are literally designed for sitting. How can one mess that up?
Yes, but they're designed for regular normal everyday people and sitting.

[thewayne]

What RPGs do you run/play? I mostly play board games now, but i was a fiend for Champions and Deadlands back in the day.

(found you through Corvidology's friending frenzy)

[unikorento]

found you through Corvidology's friending frenzy

Hello! It's always nice to get new friends :)

I've a penchant for indie games that emphasize the immersion and story-telling aspect of RPGs. Right now I'm running a Victorian/liminal-fantasy mashup where we use rules partially lifted from Hillfolk and Lady Blackbird. Otherwise, I never pass up a chance to play Fiasco.

I had to google Deadlands. It sounded like fun, even if I usually steer clear from anything with a steampunky feel.

[thewayne]

I've always wanted to play Fiasco, haven't had the chance.  Lady Blackbird is quite awesome, I've considered trying to adapt it for modern(ish) spy stuff, sort of U.N.C.L.E. type.  There's a really cool game that sadly the publisher shut down recently, the game is called Fortune's Fool.  It's Renaissance Europe with the standard fantasy races integrated into the Renaissance, but the twist on this particular game system is that it's diceless: it uses a single Tarot deck to resolve all randomization challenges and the GM never draws a card.  It's pretty cool. I'm not a steampunk fan either, I played more traditional archetypes though somewhat twisted: a trapper who was deadly with knives and rifles but lousy with pistols was one, but my fave was my French school ma'am who was an amazing gun fighter.