starpuck

Here to follow along with good habits and spring time!

These pics, that go with this post, and these goals. Are ah-mah-zing! Screw cute and fluffy. Metal druid is where it's at!!!

Here and following. Going to try to 'WWED' and do this slowing down business with my meals and eating. I tend to love the taste of food so much that I jam it in fast. Slowing down means the same portion lasts longer. It's kind of brilliant, you wonderful genius you!

Week 1 To Do List Update CC subscription. Pay Bills Pay hotel bill on April 1st Special Schedule: Tuesday PM - Bloodhunt, do strength at work. Wednesday PM - Beat Saber with friends, do art at lunch/work. Thursday PM - V:tM night, do strength at work.

I had no idea what to do as a theme, and I am writing this up at the very last minute possible as I am sitting at the D&D table waiting for our Sunday night D&D game. Which, for about 2 months, has been back in person life and I couldn't be happier about it!! Anyway, I told Spotify to play some Tenacious D and there it came to me. It also felt very fitting, because I've not been nailing my challenges lately. So here's about doing a tribute challenge to actual greatest challenges. I want to be healthy, feel good in my skin, regain confidence, and have good numbers medically as I gain levels. (get older) So we need a bit of a plan, a sprinkle of motivation (because motivation is not infinite, and its as expensive as flipping saffron), and a lot of discipline. We need to remember that I feel a million times better when I am on track, than when I coast. The biggest challenge right now is food. I am not sticking to good options, or reasonable portions. I just need to straight up stop talking myself into or out of the wise choice. Especially when it's just in the heat of the moment. I also need to get back onto a good track with exercise. 2x a week strength is a sweet spot for me. During the cold, the cardio bits are way harder to pull off. I can either do 3 strengths to make this better, or stop making excuses, or both. Music and art, I want to continue on, but I am going to take a page from @Jarric and just 'do a thing' and not worry about how much I get in every week. I have a feeling I will still get plenty in, and I will still track in my time log, because I think it will be neat to see a few months down the road how many have accrued up just by doing it here and there. So, going to drop some goals here. Track Food - 6 days a week. Cook home made food on the weekends, for sure on Sunday for eating on Sunday/Thursday games, but also choose either lunch or dinner out on Saturday and cook the other meal at home, or eat light simple things. Exercise - 5 days a week. Any combo, but make sure to get at least 2 strengths for strong bone business. Create - Here's the rule, create a bit, in some fashion, before letting myself fall into a video game hole. No time requirement, no forcing this thing on this day, but get some time in. Also, maybe try to get back into following along some lessons for some guidance and motivation. That's it. Let's just get some ... momentum yeah?

Nice approach Jarric. I should take a follow on this one, but man, I am so behind I need to sharpen the sword so to speak. Maybe I will find that following you, as you focus and de-stress, will help me.

Losing track of weeks, and stuff. >.< Feeling less and less motivated to chime in here and not sure why. I think I've been overthinking a lot of stuff. Scratch that, not overthinking, just thinking, too often. They are things worth thinking about, but they're hard things and it's go me feeling meh all around. Also winter needs to end. Last week was a solid B- in scores I think. I'd like to do better, I'd also like to just, I dunno find some spark for something again. WEEK 3 TALLY Do Not Break the Masquerade This happens most often by getting caught feeding, so we need to put some rules in place. Take no more than you need from your prey. [Track calories daily.] 6/7 (I didn't track on Saturday and also did a dumb thing. Lunch out was planned, but then I drank boozes and ordered big pizza (and ate it all) at night. Sunday was tracked, but over calorie goal due to frustrating cooking attempt that turned into a tantrum, followed by a doordash in of something less good.) Don't give into the beast. [No binges!] One lazy - frak it mode turned to binge. One unfortunate cooking thing turned into an almost binge, but not enough to count. 1 Foul Prey Exclusion : Sweets [Limit these, they offer no nourishment.] I didn't actually binge on sweets this week. It was the pizza and the Panda Express that were the issues. So this was ok. "Another boon is going to be owed to clear this one up. It wasn't as bad, so maybe the favor will just be a minor one." BOON OWED: Hunt down a local gang that is moving in to sell on your turf. Keep the nasty shit out of your domain. -- Exercise on both Saturday and Sunday, in addition to whatever else has been the exercise track goal through the week. Clan Brujah. Learn to use Celerity, Potence and Presence Potence ● ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ [Strength Train 2-3x / Week] 2 Strengths! (Even having to work around a hamstring twinge.) Celerity ● ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ [Move 2-3x / Week] 2 Moves! (Don't remember what, but I skipped out on two opportunities) Presence ● ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ [Music and Art / 2 hours each / week] (Piano, Guitar, Bass, Art) Piano, Bass and Guitar were all met, with some of the times going well over. Missed 45m of art, but Art has a higher target goal, so not terrible.

Updates for the week. Wed went fine! Got piano, guitar and art in. Also worked on some tech issues involving a mic that was too quiet. (Now it seems too loud.) I made a recording of me playing Bloodhunt. Not sure why I do this... I'm not good enough to get followers on popular games when I am not good at them lol. 😆 But every once in the while I get the urge to try streaming or something just as a hobby. (Because I don't have enough already... lol.) I did not get a work out in, just errands at lunch and laundry at home and ya know what happened? It was the first time in 8 weeks I met my health insurance's app program's 'calorie burn goal' - Like seriously wtf, lol. A 50 minute strength/stretch session, or 2.5 mile round trip walk/jog to store and back and I don't meet their goals... but do nothing and I do? Bah. I finished an art. It was uninspired, and I don't really love it, but at least I got time in on it. Tonight is V:tM night, and I think Jules Mentor and his childe are coming by for a visit. Social visits are nice, but I bet my ST is using it to set me up for some angst. Ooooh I love it! I'll try and get some sketch time in before work ends, but I got lots going on this weekend. Tomorrow is video game with my nephews (both of them squee! <3) from 6-8, then straight to DM'ing some D&D. Saturday is all day with TheBoy, so I'll have to take my bass over for practice there.

Catching up after falling a bit behind. Accidents are such a funny thing. As a kid, it's about not missing out on play time. Then somewhere in your mid 30s-40s, you start learning that 'side of the road' is a valid option. A few years later, you subscribe to the the "never trust a fart" philospohy. And by the time you're 50. You're bracing at every sneeze or laughing fit. Foods and workouts looking good!

This is, oddly enough, the bike my Bro In Law owns (whom I've ridden with since being a wee lass) and my hockey teammate who I ride with, ended up having the same one! Mid 90s Honda Shadow. So I dig the vintage look too. Probably why I also found it sexy AF.

Nice Tuesday work! Something is WAY > not something.

I really admire your willingness to walk in less than perfect conditions. I also kind of envy how many different people you get to walk with. I also have plenty of exercises I think are working a muscle, and when I actually ask that muscle for help, it's like, Phssaw, nah.

Monday was a good day. Food on track, got a strength day in, got piano, guitar and art all in. So I hit a lot of boxes. But... I recorded my playing without background tracks and was kinda bummed out by how bad I sound - I really want to improve and be more competent, and I am not sure how to get there. I want a live teacher to get me on a good path, and that's been such a hurdle trying to find one. The piano recordings sound less totally noob, but ugh. Anyway! Here's a clip of Kaer Morhen for all you Witcher fans.

DR, sorry to hear about the stressors and the eye scare. Those are some (for me) panic inducing type moments, so I am glad you got in right away and got some reassurance. I always remind myself that with info comes a plan, and with a plan comes the opportunity for action. Do what ya gotta do. We're here for ya whether you drop in once a month, or once an hour. Also, I don't own and never have, owned, a bike. But I've ridding passenger on them since I was 7. That is one sexy ass ride, and I'd be sore tempted to get it!

Yay for berbs! Wee baby berbs! Sorry to hear about the migraine issues. I'm with you -- my dumb body does NOT react badly to bad choices when I am hurting or ill. Like, could you at least crave good for you things when we're trying to mend something? But nope... all the junk foods is like 'we got you bruh' So unfair. Hope the head feels better soon. And enjoy the berbs.

This is something I need to work on!! You have a lot going right there Elasti! And a lot of god thoughts on what's going on too.

This sounds like a typical run of a V:tM game and I love it! Can't wait to hear where it goes. The being out of normal schedule is a real trick for me too. We at least both recognize it as a thing that happens. I'm just half torn on if it needs to be corrected, or if those rare occasions we can take a full break from a thing are good.

Change up in routines are my #1 derailer for sure. So don't fret too much with your work rearrangement this week causing some hiccups. There'll be weeks when that's not happening and you can dig in more. Great plan on the little things at the office to do too.

When I was playing hockey, we didn't have PWO, but we did all have PGPs. (pregamepoop) Those certainly made us skate better. (And when my boyz would come to watch, they got so wigged out that we referred to this as pgp, and all knew what it meant.)

Man these are so so so good. Dang, I am so thankful for you sharing these. I love this so much. I think the book would be too heady a read for me (an admitted non reader) so getting the best quips from you is like AMAZING.

Cranium for an old school classic. It came out in the 90s, that makes it old school ... ugh, wtf- why did I even say that? LOL A new one that is amazing is Poetry for Neanderthals. - you have to get your team to guess the word on the card, using one syllable words. You can make sentences even, but one syllable only. Nice job on the leg day, even if they came back to bite you in the ass. (Terrible mental image there... ) How are things going into this Week 3 business?

WEEK 2 TALLY Do Not Break the Masquerade This happens most often by getting caught feeding, so we need to put some rules in place. Take no more than you need from your prey. [Track calories daily.] 7/7 (I tracked both days, and while Saturday was allowed for indulgences, I didn't go over maintenance Don't give into the beast. [No binges!] Absolute success here! The beast has been contained this week! Prey Exclusion : Sweets [Limit these, they offer no nourishment.] This was SO above and beyond good. Because I owed the sheriff a boon, I had fruit in the evenings instead of even my planned sweets. "Take that Balthy! Ya back stabbing sell out!! BOON OWED: 4 'planned' sweets must be swapped out for fruit/healthy sweets only. *DONE! Owed to: Balthazar - the Sheriff of Chicago Paid off as off Friday 2/24 Clan Brujah. Learn to use Celerity, Potence and Presence Potence ● ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ [Strength Train 2-3x / Week] 2 Strengths! (Even having to work around a hamstring twinge.) Celerity ● ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ [Move 2-3x / Week] 3 Moves! (3 days of Beat Saber) Presence ● ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ ⚬ [Music and Art / 2 hours each / week] (Piano, Guitar, Bass, Art) Piano, Bass and Guitar were all met, with some of the times going well over. I am still a little listless on the art, but feel the muse returning this week. An extra great boost to the motivation on this, is that this morning's weigh in, was the first Monday weigh in, in MONTHS, that did not shoot back up due to overdoing it on the weekend. Of course this week, the grocery store had my absolute most favorite cookies on sale for $3.00 off! I did get a bag, but the limit is 2 per day tops. I don't want the Sheriff on my case again. Despite all the winning this week, my mood has been flat and kind of depressed. We're almost in March, so I mean we've been enduring 4+ months of winter and cooped up. I'm just sort of bored of all the things there are to do- the video games people wanna play, the anime they want to watch. Nothing feels appealing. Roleplay still feels super appealing!! But they're not as into it as me, so they don't wanna do it all the time. 😛 Started up the trip prep for a trip my sister is planning for us. We're gonna fly down to pick up my dad, then road trip up to South Carolina just Pops and his Girls. I am going to make it a long weekend trip, so I'll have to fly home from SC myself. No biggie. I still have to decide if another trip is on my docket for this year. I'd like to - but with who, and where is a big consideration. Gotta think on that some more. Goals for this week are to really get all my game prep (for both games) sorted out and ready to roll, and then getting music things figured out and maybe start working on some recording projects. I gotta stop being afraid to dive into that overwhelming world.

Thurs & Fri Recap. Food tracked both days. Within calories. Boon repayed. (NO sweets on Thur.) Got 5 days of exercise in this week, so anything extra here at home is bonus. Thur affords no time for extra bits since its straight to gaming. Friday, I took a half day randomly to play and got some bass in. Art is lagging again. Haven't felt the muse so it's hard to want to stop doing another thing to do that. I have a Sat night free and I am planning to use that mostly for getting some stuff figured out with the audio interface and music.

Wed Final Food on track, check. Piano and guitar practice, check. Movement, check. Paying off my boon, check. Honestly - the having to "pay off" my weekend binges on sweets, by replacing a normally allowed weekday sweet with fruit or other healthy snack has not been bad at all. I've used a half apple with pb as my go to, and I am not feeling deprived or cheated by it. Almost like the body is going 'oh hey, not what I thought, but this cool'. And, the scale has trended down below where I was last Saturday am, even after being a jerk the whole weekend. This is a double win. Need to get more art in - and that's going to require some doodling at work instead of hanging out on new discord servers. Tonight is vampire night, so I am obviously excited for that. I have some Slim Kim popcorn for a salty snack, and if I need a sweet, I'll probably just indulge in a Tootsie Pop. *sage nod* Should be totally good there.

Yes! Brainstorm power! It's tough because I do want to allow some delights. Just ... controlled. True true. And I did track calories on Sunday mostly, just went over. The asking people for help is a tricky business with me because of my rebel nature. (Haha, that fits too.) But like, someone bringing healthy sweets and leaving me to decide is great. Someone making a point of actually moving food away from me or push a healthy thing in front of me makes me so angry. It's like something inside snaps and my brain goes, .oO(How DARE you treat me like someone incapable of making my own decisions!!!) Thursday game is easier because it's more RP and interaction (distraction) but Sundays can be (like last one) 4 hours of combat. Oof. Ten minutes+ between your turns makes for boredom snacking. I'm a monster, I know. LOL. My favorite apple is one I can never ever find in stock. Called a Red Sonja. After that it's Gala, then Envy. Yesterday's recap (Tues) was a good one. Food tracked and within range. I got my strength work out in, and I got 40 minutes of bass practice in before video game night. Tuesdays and Thursdays are always less 'checkmarks' than other days because I have things going on - but that's ok. We're getting up to .25" of accumulating ice here in the midst of a big freezing rain storm. It has the air damp and cold and I am so so lazy-brained because of it. I need to get some serious V5 game stuff done and need to stop putting that off or getting sidetracked. I also paid my second part of my boon last night by having an apple as my evening sweet instead of pudding or cookies. Still a dang honeycrisp - so I got myself a gala for the last payment hah. Tonight is piano and guitar/bass, then I should do some art, but I really want to get better at this silly SBR (shooter battle royale) so I will probably get a few matches in there too. Then another run through the beginning of the new game Shadows of New York. (Sequel to Coteries of New York, which is a VtM visual novel game I enjoyed.) I got out of having to play the game I hate on Saturday, so I have an extra evening free this week. I might tackle my audio software that night. GULP!