Hey y’all. Sorry for the delayed post. But I promise I was diligently tracking my outside time/time outside. Before I share my tracking, a few words of analysis, etc.
I started the tracking process by writing only when I was outside, occasionally noting what I was doing outside/where I was going. A few days after I started the tracking process I began including a bit of analsyis–how I felt the passage of time depending upon what I was doing/how much I was outside. Interestingly, the day that I started being more mindful of the effect of outside time was the first day it was rainy and so the first day where I wouldn’t be spending any significant amount of time outside. I think in anticipation of the change I wanted to be aware of how the change felt to me. Unsurprisingly, I discovered that more time outside = happier/more energetic (aka more normal) gillet. So the next time it rained I resolved to go outside anyway; turns out that my fear that I might melt a la wicked witch of the west was unfounded. So, in general, when I spent time outside, I felt as though the day passed more quickly and I felt more positive about that time. (As in, I had a better mood, was energetic, etc.) Days inside draggggggg on, and I think part of that is also that days inside tend to be days when the sun never comes up, so it looks as if it’s constantly the late afternoon/same time–which I find disorienting and annoying.
Finally, most days I left out I noted how the passage of time impacted my visual landscape. Or, to put it less stuffily, I looked at how the passage of time changed the color/amount of leaves as well as how construction sites progressed (oh hey, gentrification). I kept track of changing leaves mainly in Capitol Hill and in Pantops. I became interested in thinking about how things—both living and unliving manifest the passage of time in different ways. How does the passage of time in longer chunks of time than days/hours—which is what I was focused on in outside time—compare to and/or shape my experience outside & inside. Does the presence of leaves on trees impact my experience of time? I guess we’ll find out……… (Also I’m going to include gratuitous pretty leaves pictures because, why not?)
Monday 11-2 Outside time: 12:05-3:05
Tuesday 11-3: 9:35-10; 11-11:30 Outside waiting for car/to Chopt 12:45-1:40 Outside working 2:15-4:30 Outside w/Char 5:20-6:15
Wed Drove w/car windows down to cville. (about 2.5 hours) Outside for phone convo/run from 3:45-5:15
Thursday: Outside from parking lot—scholar’s lab 8:40-9 Outside for lunch 12:35-1:10 Outside for walk back 3:40-4 Outside for run/walk 4:15-5:30
Friday: Outside to gym 9:30-10 & back 11:-11:15; 11:35-11:45 Outside for work 1:00-6:50 More energy, but still when it gets dark it’s a fucking wrap. But also happier w/outside time. Still, felt like I was outside a long time/that it was late when I left —The night seems like it lasts so long, it goes more slowly
Saturday: Today will be an interesting day bc it’s rainy. Basically no outside time other than getting into and out of cars, and a couple minutes waiting for car. The day passed slowly and I was exhausted all day despite a not terrible amount of sleep. :-/
Sunday: Outside time on bike/eating brunch/back: 11:55-3:45 Time passed quickly, but also was with Kristian… Went to and from grocery store; 6:15-6:30; 6:50-7:05 Definitely notice a difference between days when I can spend time outside and days when I can’t in terms of passage of time… passes more quickly, less painfully, I have more energy
Monday: Outside 9:30-9:50; 11:18-11:30; 11:50-12:00 and then to and from car—briefly -Time passed super slowly
Tuesday: Ugh. Rain. Out and about 12:05-12:18 (a little earlier too, to get to car) walked home from gas station in rain 2:10-2:40 Day passing quickly, but also probably bc what i’ve been up to; being outside seems to have made this day pass much more quickly than other rainy days inside
Wednesday: Outside to & from car: 5 minutes ish. 2:00-2:28 outside before therapy. Beautiful. Definitely in a good mood. Outside again 4:00-4:50; Helped me to stay awake and not to feel down even tho I was tired as a much; day passed pretty quickly.
Thursday: outside to uber & to get something from car ~10:30 for ~3 minutes Outside again to walk to hotel, to food, back to hotel, to get to bar. SO.UNPLEASANT. Fucking cold as shit and I was not into it. But in a good mood and happy to walk around after a day of sitting/travel. Long day, mostly inside.
Friday: Whoa. Tired. And it is COLD AS SHIT outside and I’m not prepared. Walked ~10 minutes to lunch 1:50-2; and then to hotel 2:55-3 To starbucks & back 3:15ish. I don’t really want to be outside but I also don’t like hanging around inside. Hard on days like today. Gotta figure out a plan for winter. In terms of time, it’s going pretty quickly, but that’s also because I woke up mad late.
Capitol Hill
A later Capitol Hill day
DC Study Spot
Pantops
More Pantops
