my invisible girdle for tracking experiential time is about my language habits.

I have kept logs for practicing my horn for most of my life. the lists helped me shape and then develop a deeper understanding of how I used time in relation to my practice habits. for example, I learned that I had more focused sessions in the morning. keeping an account of my habit over time also helped me to keep myself accountable to the habit itself.

in approaching this assignment, I wanted to track a habit of mine that I want to be more fully aware of and the first thing that came to mind is my use of certain language. I’m turning 30 this year, and my mother recently and correctly pointed out that I have never spent significant time in an environment where swearing is indecorous. I also spent most of my twenties in california and have come back to my native east coast with a heavy dose of “totally” and “for sure” (pronounced ‘fer SHURE’) in my regular-use vocabulary. in short: I cadence my conversation like a sailor from the san fernando.

for the next week I am going to track my use of swear words, “totally,” and “for sure.” I’m going to keep a record of when and with whom I use this language (I’ll also try and jot down as much of the context as possible). I’m looking forward to seeing what patterns emerge.