sarakingdom

Yikes, be careful of knee things. Women are way more prone to knee issues. Definitely reasons rather than excuses. Was the shoulder thing narrowed down to a muscle issue? I can't remember.

You do have to watch this. So, okay, there are two series of Avatar, The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra. That gif is from Korra, and I think it may be from a later season, although there's some equivalent stuff in the first season, because Lin Beifong is pretty badass, and any fight she's in turns into something equally badass. The tone skews a little older on Korra, and the animation a touch more polished, so it looks a little more sophisticated. Airbender is more Miyazaki-inspired. The two series do follow on from each other enough that, while it's technically possible, I can't really recommend watching Legend of Korra without seeing The Last Airbender first. There's just too many characters from Airbender referenced or actually appearing in Korra, and a bunch of the mythology of the world, and a serious chunk of politics. (Also, Airbender is deservedly the classic with the big name. It would be like advising you to watch Angel without watching Buffy. It can be done, but it's probably not the ideal way to do things.) So I would recommend watching from the beginning. There is a fair amount of continuity, although The Last Airbender does take a few episodes to really get to its feet stylistically, and then the story shifts gears from really good to great somewhere around the start of the second season. The first handful of episodes, you're not going to see what makes it really good. (Not that it's bad. But the first handful of episodes look like it's more average, or more Hanna-Barbera-inspired, than it actually is. The characters who look flat there... are very much not, by the second season.) I can't think of a good place to drop you in after that, since there is a fair amount of story arc. And it does go fast, so I don't think it'll be a problem. There's continuity, but it's not dense or slow-going. Even at its worst, it's good-hearted, colorful, light entertainment. And tremendously good for stress, so this might be a good time to pick it up, actually. Little twenty-minute chunks of monky stress-relief. Just treat the first handful of episodes as them learning on the job. (It jumps into a pretty decent martial-arts-movie-inspired stuff pretty fast. And, actually, their handling of martial arts is noteworthy. They had a good martial arts advisor, and put a lot of effort into making their martial arts recognizably real styles, matched up against their fantasy world. They put a lot of care into that.) Amazon Prime has all the seasons of Airbender and at least two of Korra.

I don't do it myself, but some geocaching is a nice hike, and some is definitely on the extreme end of physical challenge, with serious rock climbing and kayaking. The ones in the middle probably take a little time with the map and some reconnaissance to figure out which sort they are.

I'm diggin' the whole free-form mini-challenge vibe, but, man, it's hard to follow these without week numbers in the titles.

Also speaking of Lin, new life goals:

Still. Puppy.

C'mon, man. A walk with maps, nerd gear, problem-solving, and prizes.

'Kay, I read that, and the only word I saw was "puppy". Puppy! I hear you on the sleep. I haven't been doing that badly lately (I think), but I've been chronically a couple of hours short, and really sensitive to dropped sleep.

Kishi's got some good advice. I count twelve actual challenge goals on your original list, which is a heavy load, if even half of them were new habits. Not that simple. Making it even simpler than that for the rest of the challenge might move you a lot further along. No harm in refocusing a challenge along the way. The goal of a challenge is to make some progress, and sometimes you have to rethink what's working and what isn't in order to get there. Honestly, it takes some time to figure out what you can and can't get done in a challenge. I've done a bunch of them, and I still have trouble getting the balance right. So not so much a fail, IMO, as another step towards getting the right challenge.

Week 4: Day 4 Caught up, y'all! Time for a gratuitious gif. Speaking of Lin, I think my Toph challenge is going to get switched to a Lin challenge after today. Awesome as Toph is, I'm finding there's a certain conflict between Toph and, well, responsible adulting. Lin is made of responsible adulting, while being possibly even more badass than Toph. I think that's a legit switch, I'm keeping it in the family. Also, I have not planned a single recreation day this challenge, and I need to do three of them. I don't have many good ideas. I'm bored of the hiking trails around here. I do have a movie backlog, but that's only good for a couple of hours. I don't think it's so much the time I take, as the need to formally plan it. The boundaries on your time get slippy when you telecommute a bunch, and all your time ends up feeling like the same thing. So the point is actually to plan something. 1. Waterbending Did I swim: Yes. x2 (Current total: 19/50 stars) Did I do strength training: No. (Current total: 6/50 stars) Did I practice butterfly: No. (Brownie points: 3) Can I do butterfly yet: No 38%38% 12%12% 2. Airbending Did I irimi or tenkan the shit out of something today: :star: (Current total: 17/50 stars) Am I the leaf: No This is actually for earlier this week. I forgot that I read a book on the effect of exercise on the brain, which I got particularly for the ADHD chapter. Some stuff to chew on there, in terms of how I want to organize my exercise schedule. The book gives sort of a general prescription (which I actually agree with), but it gives a slightly different one in the ADHD chapter. I might be able to add it on top of what I'm doing now. (Basically, start every day with fifteen minutes of high-intensity exercise to shift your brain chemistry for a few hours. IIRC, they implied the effects only lasted 90-120 minutes, though, so this might take some experimentation.) 34%34% 3. Earthbending Did I do some Toph-like shit today: Yes. x2 (Current total: 22/50 stars) Did I work on my course: No. (Brownie points: 1) Is the course done: No 44%44% 4. Firebending Did I meditate: Not yet. (Current total: 18/50 stars) Why don't you enjoy a calming cup of tea: Yes. (Brownie points: 11) Current count of planned relaxation sessions: 0/3 36%36% Challenge Reward Points Balance: 6 Shit accomplished during the challenge: I crocheted my first thing. I reduced my to-do list by 30%.

Week 4: Day 2 1. Waterbending Did I swim: No. (Current total: 15/50 stars) Did I do strength training: No. (Current total: 6/50 stars) Did I practice butterfly: No. (Brownie points: 3) Can I do butterfly yet: No 30%30% 12%12% 2. Airbending Did I irimi or tenkan the shit out of something today: Yes. (Current total: 14/50 stars) Am I the leaf: No 28%28% 3. Earthbending Did I do some Toph-like shit today: Yes. x2 (Current total: 18/50 stars) Did I work on my course: No. (Brownie points: 1) Is the course done: No 36%36% 4. Firebending Did I meditate: Yes. x2 (Current total: 18/50 stars) Why don't you enjoy a calming cup of tea: Yes. (Brownie points: 9) Current count of planned relaxation sessions: 0/3 36%36% Challenge Reward Points Balance: 4 Shit accomplished during the challenge: I crocheted my first thing. I reduced my to-do list by 30%. Week 4: Day 3 1. Waterbending Did I swim: Yes. x2 (Current total: 17/50 stars) Did I do strength training: No. (Current total: 6/50 stars) Did I practice butterfly: No. (Brownie points: 3) Can I do butterfly yet: No 34%34% 12%12% 2. Airbending Did I irimi or tenkan the shit out of something today: Yes. (Current total: 15/50 stars) Am I the leaf: No 30%30% 3. Earthbending Did I do some Toph-like shit today: Yes. x2 (Current total: 20/50 stars) Did I work on my course: No. (Brownie points: 1) Is the course done: No 40%40% 4. Firebending Did I meditate: No (Current total: 18/50 stars) Why don't you enjoy a calming cup of tea: Yes. (Brownie points: 10) Current count of planned relaxation sessions: 0/3 36%36% Challenge Reward Points Balance: 5 Shit accomplished during the challenge: I crocheted my first thing. I reduced my to-do list by 30%.

Week 3: Day 7 1. Waterbending Did I swim: Yes. x2 (Current total: 13/50 stars) Did I do strength training: Yes. x2(Current total: 5/50 stars) Did I practice butterfly: No. (Brownie points: 3) Can I do butterfly yet: No ...reworking the strength training more than doing it, which, um. But it's forward movement. 26%26% 10%10% 2. Airbending Did I irimi or tenkan the shit out of something today: Who knows? (Current total: 12/50 stars) Am I the leaf: No I don't really remember. 24%24% 3. Earthbending Did I do some Toph-like shit today: Yeah, or this. (Current total: 14/50 stars) Did I work on my course: No. (Brownie points: 1) Is the course done: No That was a whole... four days ago or something, who knows what happened. 28%28% 4. Firebending Did I meditate: Yes. (Current total: 14/50 stars) Why don't you enjoy a calming cup of tea: No. (Brownie points: 7) Current count of planned relaxation sessions: 0/3 28%28% Challenge Reward Points Balance: 2 Shit accomplished during the challenge: I crocheted my first thing. I reduced my to-do list by 30%. Week 4: Day 1 1. Waterbending Did I swim: Yes. x2 (Current total: 15/50 stars) Did I do strength training: Yes. (Current total: 6/50 stars) Did I practice butterfly: No. (Brownie points: 3) Can I do butterfly yet: No 30%30% 12%12% 2. Airbending Did I irimi or tenkan the shit out of something today: Yes. (Current total: 13/50 stars) Am I the leaf: No 26%26% 3. Earthbending Did I do some Toph-like shit today: Yes. (Current total: 16/50 stars) Did I work on my course: No. (Brownie points: 1) Is the course done: No 32%32% 4. Firebending Did I meditate: Yes. x2 (Current total: 16/50 stars) Why don't you enjoy a calming cup of tea: Yes. (Brownie points: 8) Current count of planned relaxation sessions: 0/3 32%32% Challenge Reward Points Balance: 3 Shit accomplished during the challenge: I crocheted my first thing. I reduced my to-do list by 30%.

Do you work in a hands-on lab, or can you do a day of telecommuting to focus in on deskwork? It's not something to do every day, but sometimes a day at home to work distraction-free (and also start shoving chores into the pipeline during bio breaks and your usual commute time) can take the pressure off.

60oz that early in the day? Hardcore. I do like water. I just sometimes forget. Like, to drink anything. Oops. (I'm through about a liter, maybe a liter and a half so far. Plus a bunch of milk.)

ADORABLE BISON GIF! Now that's a good start to the week.

It's all experimenting to find what works, I guess. If you don't figure out what's not working, the next thing isn't too likely to work, either. Yeah, I think there's a limit to how much good it does to punish yourself for something like that, especially when it was really clearly way outside of normal. Many of which would be easier if I had a good strength training routine. The swimming is fun, but it doesn't really move the needle very much. (To be honest, I've been reconsidering the swimming. It's a relatively big time investment for relatively little return. But I do enjoy it, so a challenge of that won't hurt.)

Week 3: Day 6 Right, so here's the thing. I'm giving myself a 7-day dispensation for illness. Because my behavior for the past week makes very, very clear that something was going on that was abnormal, and I'm learning to take the advice I give to others, and treat mental issues like physical issues - they're illness, cut yourself some slack, and recover. So my challenge drops to five weeks and one illness week. I could probably use a brain coach this next week, to keep me from backsliding. I may ask in the courtyard. But I'm not sure yet what I should ask for. 1. Waterbending Did I swim: Yes. :star: (Current total: 11/50 stars) Did I do strength training: No. (Current total: 3/50 stars) Did I practice butterfly: No. (Brownie points: 3) Can I do butterfly yet: No 22%22% 6%6% I need to rethink my strength goal. I think it's not clear enough, so it's not getting done. I did get a copy of Body By You from the library, so I'll read that this week and rethink my plan. 2. Airbending Did I irimi or tenkan the shit out of something today: Yes. :star: (Current total: 12/50 stars) Am I the leaf: No Irimi today. 24%24% 3. Earthbending Did I do some Toph-like shit today: Half of it was grumbling, the other half was rescuing frogs. Sure. :star: (Current total: 14/50 stars) Did I work on my course: No. (Brownie points: 1) Is the course done: No 28%28% 4. Firebending Did I meditate: Yes. :star: (Current total: 13/50 stars) Why don't you enjoy a calming cup of tea: Coffee. Yes. (Brownie points: 7) Current count of planned relaxation sessions: 0/3 I really need to work on the firebending this week. Time to step up the meditation, for one. 26%26% Challenge Reward Points Balance: 1 Shit accomplished during the challenge: I crocheted my first thing. I reduced my to-do list by 30%.

Hrm, explain this cortisol high concept to me...

There's nothing non-violent about aikido. It's just a more elegant violence for a more civilized age. Don't worry, RP is still a baby aikidoka. When he gets a nice graceful hakama, the evening wear of the martial arts world, then he'll be a fully-grown aikidoka. That's what I've always observed about good randori - use your attackers' bodies to inconvenience the next attacker as often as possible. Throw into their paths to slow them down. Human shield works well... (Dammit, I've got to find a new dojo, so I can beat up RP when I see him. Purely recreationally.)

Aaaagh, I forgot today, and now it's too late! Sigh.

The writer of Zombies, Run! seems seriously awesome. (And, being a woman, is likely to not overlook sports bras.)

I like me some horse stance, but I need a way to check my form. Maybe that kid has some good ideas...

That's the really great thing about walking on the mat, eventually. You just figure, what's the worst that could happen? I could fall dramatically? Well, welcome to every training session. (I'm not a very brave person off the mat. But on the mat? Come at me, bro. If I don't leave with bruises, it's a wasted class. Ah, the beauty of a controlled training environmnent.) I need to meditate more. Both longer, and more often. We should set up a virtual aikido meditation dojo.

Backlog later. Had a mixed weekend. Getting back onto the challenge. Time to go swimming now. I got a waterproof heart-rate monitor watch to see what my workouts come out like. Swimming is one of those notoriously imprecise things, so I figured I'd take my own measurements. (Also, I have a book coming soon that talks about exercise and things like ADHD, and heart rate monitors feature in the recommendations, so I figured I'd get one when I ordered the book.) (Also, man, some major dehydration this weekend. Whoa, is that not helpful. That's pretty poor. I think I've topped up my water levels some, but it was painful.)

Man, it's been a while. I guess I'd start with the box's recommended one per cup and throw an extra into the pitcher, and see if you think it needs more. Cold tends to blunt flavor a little, but you may have to experiment to see where your taste is. Also depends on the tea in question, some are bitter or nasty when too strong, and some are still good. (Too much mint, not great. Too much Red Zinger, doesn't seem to be a problem.)