Cyclic

Not this. More along these lines.

I used to do system performance stuff for a large computer system, so I got used to the idea that key system indicators would vary, sometimes widely, but usually within a predictable range. I never got to the point of being able to mathematically predict what a normal variation was -- I suppose the phrase would be 'within one standard deviation', though I'm not sure about that -- but I could usually tell when a number was 'about where it ought to be' -- and if not right now, then in five minutes.

So, I know that my weight is going to fluctuate up and down. Nevertheless, it's a lot more fun to look at the scale when it's at the bottom of the fluctuation range than in the middle, as it is, at the moment. When I'm thinking Damn. I need to increase the amount of time on the elliptical, the treadmill, or both.

That variation occurs emotionally, too. As anyone who's read posts here that include the words [French, exchange, student] and [Facebook, IM, email] might be able to tell. What a wimp. Need to learn how to CTF down. Or harden my heart. Or both. As I say: wimp.