at loose ends

 * I don't know whether to go in and work tomorrow (campus is technically closed on Fridays, and often they turn the airconditioning to a warmer temperature, and it's already too warm in the faculty offices) or stay here and clean/put away a lot of stuff. I'm leaning towards doing at least a partial cleaning - it might make me feel a bit better to have some of the clutter put away and to vacuum the floors again (and wet mop the kitchen and bathroom)

* I'm about 1/3 of the way through the top of the second sock, that's mainly what I've been working on. I'm going to try to work through a couple of the inprogress things before I start anything new - I also have the Chalcedony sweater to finish, and the pair of mitts, and a couple other things. 

* And I want to get back to the Moominhouse stuff and keep working on that, I need to finish that some day. 

* I finally got back to doing the PT stretches. I had got out of the practice of them when I pulled a muscle in my back (probably from having to walk a bit unevenly) and then I made it worse with having to deal with that windowshade and then carting the cut brush down to the curb the next day (in the heat - but the city DID come and haul it off, so that was good). 

I need to force myself to do those. My hips and lower back were hurting and now, after doing them, they're much better, and I can tell that my hamstrings are tight. 

I just have to have the discipline to do it, though realizing how much better I feel after doing it (after having not done it for over a week) it may motivate me more to keep doing it. 

It is kind of annoying though how much of a person's "free" time (in the sense of "time not at paid work or volunteer work or other obligations") in things dedicated to taking care of yourself. 

* That said - my phone records "walking asymmetry" (a measure of limping/walking unstably). I don't know how *absolutely* accurate it is - and I know when I work out and have to tuck the phone in my sports bra since I don't have pockets on the shorts I wear it's going to record a higher value from my upper body swaying side to side more than I would while walking) but the trendline, even if it's not giving the correct absolute value, shows a steady decline in asymmetry, which seems to be a good sign. And I can walk faster now than I did before. I don't know if I'll ever be able to run without having the yucky surgery, but honestly? I didn't run for like 30 years before the injury, I just walked fast when I had to get somewhere quickly.

I do still have times where I get pain if I walk too far, or too long on a hard surface, but I'm hoping it's partly weak muscles that will get better over time.  I'm managing between 3500 and 4000 steps most days, that seems fairly respectable. 

* It's very hot again. I might consider going out and doing something tomorrow or Saturday but it's supposed to be near on to 100F even without the heat index and I just can't with that. We might get some rain and cooler temperatures late next week. Summer just gets tiresome here because the weather never changes and it's so hot.