Urzie

Sorry I've been MIA.. I recently found out that my mother has cancer. I won't be finishing this challenge. Take care guys!

Yay for headstand!

I think you should. The northern lights is definitely worth a watch.

Okay. I don't have any accurate measures on this as I just add stuff as I feel necessary. Tikka: Tikka masala spice celery stalk carrot red bell pepper onion yoghurt sour cream rice White beans or chicken Tzatziki: garlic cucumber salt & pepper lemon juice Serve with papadums Acquire some awesome tikka masala spice from an exotic store. I have the one from this brand. Get some white beans (butter beans?) or chicken and marinate in spice and olive oil for 1-12 hours. The longer the better. Boil the rice. Chop up the celery, carrot, bell pepper and onion into small pieces and pan fry until done. I fried the beans and the chicken separately from this mix because I was making a veggie version for me and a meat version for my friend. Add an appropriate amount of sour cream (1.5-2.5 dl.. depends on how much your making and how saucy you want it) to the veggie mix and about a tablespoon of the tikka spice and stir. Make tzatziki. Fry up some nice papadums if you like them. Apart from the marinating this is a very quick and tasty dish. There's a lot of solar activity this year, so you should totally get around to a trip somewhere where there's not a lot of light pollution.

Yeah, it's not for everyone. Yesterday was okay. I made awesome veggie tikka food and a paleo banana bread. I finished a book. Now I need to try and finish one of the others. This weekend I'm going camping. It's getting colder outside, and I figure this might be one of the last trips in Norway. I'm hoping for clear skies and some good northern lights. There's nothing like sitting out in the woods in front of a campfire sipping wine with the northern lights playing across the sky. I don't think I'll be able to keep up my water levels while I'm out there, but I'll try my best. Also.. There will be a ton of push ups to do. Water: 6/15 0/21 0/21 Sleep: 10/35 0/49 0/49 Y/M: 1/2 0/2 0/2 Stand: 5.5/10 0/15 0/20 Total push ups: 20 Total squats: Total rows: 4

I find it quite okay. I would have liked a more social scene, but it's okay the way it is. I chose to rent a room with a shared living space because I don't need a lot of space myself. This way, I spend less resources, I take up less space. I share kitchen items and electrical appliances with 8 other people and stuff is always available. It was something I saw in the commune this summer. They were over 100 people living in only 7 houses. They each had their own bedroom, but shared living rooms, bathrooms and kitchens. And they had 3 washing machines and one dryer between them. And it works! Less stuff needed, less stuff wasted. People need to share more imo. If you think about it, there's no need to own your own expensive, resource demanding item if you only use it once or twice a week.

I don't know many of them. There's a variety of people, both young and old. A father and a son, the son I think deals some drugs. An Indian sushi chef, a PhD student, a couple of students, a couple of unemployed people I think.. A fine mix of nationalities too. All male. All the rooms but mine have a kitchenette, so I don't really see anyone unless they're doing major cooking or making a pizza.

I'm late to the party, but I'm totally subbing this one. I love the theme and you, my good sir, are doing great! Have you considered adding some more fat to your diet in order to up your calories a bit? Some avocado, nut butter, nuts or coconut oil? Some viking words of wisdom for your journey: à vindi skal við höggva,veðri á sjó róa,myrkri við man spjalla,mörg eru dags augu;á skip skal skriðar orka,en á skjöld til hlífar,mæki höggs,en mey til kossa.

Thanks! It's good to be back. So.. Yesterday was a strange day. Cops came to visit the building I live in and they were walking around knocking on doors looking for some people. I didn't really care much about it since I do not know, or have even met, the people they were looking for. When I got home late last night though, the landlord had given them keys to all of the rooms, and they'd searched through some rooms. No search warrant so nothing taken, but people found their rooms torn up and cluttered. It was _not_ a pleasant feeling... I did three separate chin ups while at work. 5 minutes of attempted meditation when I got home from work and I went to pole. Or.. I ran to pole and back. I ran 3.4 km (about 2 miles) total. Pole was fun. Apparently Wednesday nights are choreography nights. The instructor (circusy, Chinese pole girl) really got into the details of the basics and it was a lot of fun to learn a small routine like that. I felt a bit like this doing backbends at the pole: I do think I over exerted my pulling muscles during the warm up. 32 hanging bicep grip leg lifts are not easy. Due to the happenings yesterday I did not sleep much last night.. Water: 3/15 0/21 0/21 Sleep: 4.5/35 0/49 0/49 Y/M: 1/2 0/2 0/2 Stand: 2.5/10 0/15 0/20 Total push ups: Total squats: Total rows: 3

It's awesome that you want to visit Norway. It's in fact a very beautiful country. When do you plan on coming? (I'm Norwegian... ) Most of Norway shuts down for three weeks starting the week of 13th or 20th of July (that's dates for next year and I'm not sure when it starts). We have this thing called "fellesferie" - common vacation, so in this period a lot of service places are closed or have reduced opening hours. When it comes to eating, supermarkets is definitely the cheapest way to go. Couchsurfing is growing here, and I don't think you'd have much trouble finding places to stay (for free) with the possibility to cook food yourself. Camping anywhere in the woods/mountains is legal, but clean up after yourself. Most places have campsites where you can rent a spot for as long as you need. I rarely see hitchhikers anymore, but I know people do it. If you can't hitchhike, there's always the train. You can get from Oslo to Bergen or Trondheim quite easily while enjoying the view. And it's not very expensive. You can get from Oslo to Bergen for 249 NOKs which is roughly €30. Here's a link. A lot of people bike Atlanterhavsveien, which is incredibly scenic, though a bit further north than Bergen. The further north you go, the less dark nights you get. As for northern lights, they're usually only visible from September through March/April. You might be lucky to see some in August, but that's rare.

Here to stalk and see how things are going. So far it's looking good.

I’m late. I wasn't going to do this challenge, but not having to be accountable is killing me. Since my last appearance I've had the most amazing summer. I have spent 6 weeks in the US, 3 of which was spent in a commune in Virginia. Working on a farm like that really challenges your body, and despite the fact that I did close to no exercise, I gained strength. Being back at my desk job is slowly wrecking my body. I can feel the impact it has really well. I’m now separated and I’m currently renting a small room in a building with 8 other people. Since watching the documentaries “Cowspiracy†and “Food Inc†I have become a semi-vegetarian. I still eat dairy, eggs, and meat straight from the hunter or fish caught with a fishing pole. My gluten allergy is behaving strangely, and I’m no longer sure that I have one. I have told my boss I am quitting unless I get a 3 month unpaid leave. Which might happen. I just recently bought tickets to go to the Easter Island to build an Earthship style music school for local kids. Then I have some spare time to do stuff I want before I head off to Galapagos to do environmental work for three weeks. If anyone have any great tips on what to do in Chile/Ecuador/South America in general I'm all ears! Since I got back from my trip this summer, health hasn't really been on the agenda. It’s more appealing to spend time with a recent crush. Which leads to too much beer and too much unhealthy foods and not enough movement. I don’t know my current weight, but the last time I weighed I was 72 kg. I’m sure I've gained a bit in the last month or so. I need to get back on track with things. Water: 3 liters a day. Enough sleep: 7 hours every night is the goal. I’m currently at 5-5.5 hours. Meditate/Yoga: Twice a week Use my standing desk: First week 10 hours, last week 20 hours. As many pole sessions as I can fit in a week. Steve’s article on vacation hacking pushed me to join this challenge, so I will incorporate his rules for this challenge. Hopefully building the habit to keep up with it when I’m traveling. 10 push ups for every drink. 50 squats for every bad meal. 5 pull ups (inverted rows) every time you pass something you can hang from. Skip the elevator, skip the taxis whenever possible. (This usually isn't a problem. Norway has reasonable sized buildings and I live in the city centre..) A bonus quest: Finish at least one book. I’m currently reading three different ones. Or.. I was reading them… Start reading them again and finish! Tracking.. It's three weeks left, right? Water: 0/18 0/21 0/21 Sleep: 0/42 0/49 0/49 Y/M: 0/2 0/2 0/2 Stand: 0/10 0/15 0/20 Total push ups: Total squats: Total rows:

Thanks! Heh, yeah. But I did it! Thank you. It really did help me working through some stuff. ---- So.. Tiny end of challenge update nr. 2. I won't be doing the next challenge (at least not how it looks right now). I'm moving again in two weeks and leaving in less than three. I'll have more than enough to do. I guess I'll see you all again in August. I hope you all have an absolutely fantastic summer! Be awesome!

Wow.. I am impressed with your progress! You're doing great stuff! It's interesting your tendonitis has gone away.. I may have to start playing more with the rings we have at work. I want healthy joints and tendons too! *runs off to try*

Challenge recap: #1 - Be able to do front splits Nope. Can't do. I think the combination of all the squats with the butt wink and all the stretching might have been a bit much on my poor hamstrings. I will keep working on the splits because I really want to be able to do it. I took pictures yesterday, but because of the amount of room I had available it's impossible to see if I've made progress or not. I'll rest for a few days then give it another try. #2 - Obtaining a strong squat Done and done. I think I might have overdone this goal a bit.. The biggest set I had was 70 squats. I still have the butt wink and my lower back started to feel the squats in the end. #3 - Last week of HOoRAY 36/42: I love movies and I like that I appreciate the work the crew has put down in order to make it happen, no matter how crap the movie might end up being. I've had a toe in the industry and know what the people behind it have to go through. 37/42: I am passionate.38/42: Earlier this spring I had an abortion. It's the second one I've had. When I had the first I was a careless, single student with absolutely no money. This time I was a responsible wife, homeowner and had financial security. Realizing I don't want children came at extremely bad timing and with very little support. It is sad that it had to happen, but I’m happy I was able to go through with it. Standing up for myself and my wants is important. No matter what society expects.39/42: I am calm, quiet and patient. I like this because it gives me the opportunity to really take in my surroundings and focus on the people that are there. (There's a loud and energetic version of me in there too, but it doesn't come out to play as often as the other.) 40/42:I am getting more and more focused on what really matters in my life. I am much less materialistic than most people I know, and right now when I am living at my friends house, I don’t really have anything but the clothes I could fit in a backpack and my computer. I don’t miss any of my old stuff.41/42: I like that I have tattoos, and I want more. I have a rather large tree on my back, and I just got two more, one on each forearm. Eventually I want a full sleeve on my left arm.42/42: I really love that I enjoy strange and weird food. It happened quite recently, but offal, critters and other uncommon things have become foods I enjoy. The HOoRAY challenge has been good and I believe that it is something everyone should do.It's been challenging, but it has forced me to look at myself and my qualities and good traits. I am being more true to myself and don't feel the need to try to be someone I'm not. #4 - Accepting my fears, work through them and dare to dream.I believe everything will work out. I don't fear judgement as much as I did. There will always be love. As long as I respect myself, people will respect me too. I am in a much better place right now than when the challenge started. There's a lot less fear. I really believe I have found my way out of the forest and managed to break through parts of the spell I was under. All in all, this challenge has been a success.