A few things to report:
1. Just got a new job, so I'll probably have to skip the Goenka retreat.

I want to make up for this by being more serious about my daily practice until I get another opportunity to go on a retreat. Depending on my schedule, maybe I could do some shorter self-retreats.
2. After listening to
this Buddhist Geeks podcast, I started wondering if I could somehow integrate more activities with Buddhist practice in a meaningful/effective way. So far, I've experimented with "contemplative chess" and "contemplative exercise." In both cases, I found out some interesting things just by being more mindful and aware:
- With chess, I'm trying to look at how my mind operates when I play or solve puzzles. It's difficult to do this while I play because most of the mind's processing power is being used up, but I've gained some interesting insights after I've finished playing. Really looking forward to seeing how this goes.
- Trying to meditate while exercising is interesting. I did 10 mins of kettlebell swings today -- pain and discomfort in the beginning, with aversion, attempts to let go of the aversion, and attempts to distract myself from the pain by focusing on something else. Towards the end, it felt like I got into a groove. My body flooded with pain-blocking endorphins and I found it surprisingly easy to narrow my concentration on my body, my hands, the motion of the kettlebell, etc. It'll be interesting to see what happens during longer workouts, and what it's like to try to sit down and meditate after all of this.
3. Going about my day today, I tried counting each breath, continuing to count higher rather than starting over after 10. (Actually, starting over after 10 would probably give the same results, but never mind.) This helped develop sustained attention, made me more mindful in general, and gave me instant feedback when I did anything that lessened my concentration. Maybe trying to note everything is more useful, but it was still pretty cool.