Heated Toilet Paper

Having studied quite a few languages, I figured it was time to learn to study them the right way. I researched a bit about effective methods and came across an interesting idea, that forgetting is an important part of the learning process, as relearning is a much more powerful process than learning for the first time. The guy who wrote the article was also studying French incidentally, and he recommended that you review your flashcards with an exponential backoff. So you learn some new words, then review two days later, again four days later, again eight days later, ____ sixteen ____ , etc. If you can fill in the blanks, you deserve to know this secret technique.

Since they turned the heat on a month or so ago, I've been spoiling myself silly: shivering only on account of nostalgia from rereading my old blog entries, doing pushups because of 30 day trial madness and not because I need blood in my fingers to blog, shaving and walking leisurely back to my room after taking a shower instead of taking a Chinese death taxi. The latest in this long line of comforts is heated toilet paper. We have these metal not-quite-radiators around the apartment--in the bedroom, in the kitchen and in the bathroom--that are never hot enough to burn you but are usually quite warm. Since the one in the bathroom is just opposite the toilet, I've taken to putting the toilet paper there when I evacuate the undigested sugar from my system, and then using it when it's nice and warm. Honestly, it's highly overrated; my butt is nowhere near sensitive enough to tell the difference. But just the idea of pampering myself makes me feel as jolly as a carton of eggnog.

Today's day 20. Having survived yesterday, I think I can handle pretty much anything. Overconfidence has inspired a wave of planning for the next 30 day supertrial. The candidates so far are: getting better at singing, finishing the novel, playing guitar more productively, being nice to Yuan Yuan, being mean to Yuan Yuan, and weaning myself off heated toilet paper.

It'll also be a chance to test if some new habits were formed. It's never happened in the past but I'm unfailingly optimistic. Pushups will probably go out the window. Drawing might stick around, it's a nice challenge. Knots are definitely out. Blogging will probably stay; I need my 15 minutes of narcissism a day. And I'm enjoying studying French so I'm pretty sure that'll keep happening. All points to my days getting busier and busier but one of my students has been teaching me Time Management so I'll be ready when it comes, unless the Time Management arsenal has the Uberman schedule as a prerequisite.

The knot of the day is the Monkey Braid / Chain Sinnet:


image borrowed from animatedknots.com

This is a good one for storing rope, to keep it from getting tangled. And it's way easier than any pie. I'd like to meet the guy who started the whole "easy as pie" thing and let him have a go with my rice-cooker.