Nightcrawler_Bamff

Week Three: It has become apparent that I will not be able to achieve my goal for this challenge. I have fallen off track and neglected the specific goals. I didnt take into account the days I already knew I would be going "off plan." Even if I had followed the plan exactly for the rest of the challenge, it still would have been difficult to achieve the goal. However! I am back on track now and am motivated to stick to it! I enjoyed all my celebrations and no longer have the excuse days coming up. I will still be going out with friends, but will be ordering food that is Weight Watchers friendly and tracking it. 1. Weight Watchers: Fail. Wednesday was another cheat day because it was the second going away celebration with old coworkers. We went to a Polynesian bar for fun, fruity, tropical drinks and food then to a karaoke bar where you rent the room by the hour. We had a blast! It was so much fun! Greasy, fatty food always sounds SO much better the day after drinking and I definitely surrendered to those impulses. I dont get hangovers and felt fine, but I really wanted fatty food...So snacks, teriyaki chicken, and taco bell...mmm...The other days of the week I did better with eating, but didnt track it. 2. Exercise: Fail. Partied instead of going to gymnastics and only went to the gym two times, one of which I forgot my headphones so ended up just walking on the treadmill while catching up on emails/texts on my phone. 3. Work pantry: NA. There is no pantry anymore! YAY!! They did bring in hawaiian pulled pork and I ate that, but that isnt nearly as unhealthy as the things in the pantry at my old place! Gymnastics: NA - drank/sang/partied instead Interpreting: If I count actually interpreting jobs, I may have passed, but that wasnt my goal for the challenge. I practiced two of the five required days. This goal SHOULD be doable and is important, so I need to make this more habitual.

WOW! Last week was a whirlwind! Literally no time to update! And completely forgot about my life goal until just now!! Oops!!! Week One: Weight Watchers: Eh...decent...I need to get into the habit of tracking as soon as I eat something rather than waiting until the end of the day because I end up forgetting to do it and having to remember everything the next day. I tracked during the week, but Didnt do well Friday-Sunday because of temptations at work - I tracked Friday even though I went way over my goal for the day, but that didnt continue through Saturday and Sunday. Exercise: Success. Did my last personal training session and went one other day, plus gymnastics. Work Pantry: Nope...Fail. it was a tough weekend...BUT!! There are a couple coworkers at the vet clinic (one of which is my boss) that I CANT STAND working with and I had my last shifts with both of them!!!! I put in my two weeks notice the week before that!!! I got a job at an emergency veterinary clinic and will be starting there this coming weekend! Im so excited! And nervous! Ive worked for this company for 12 years and this location for 10 of those years! I am now going back to being the new kid...aaaahhhh! It will be great though! Part of my decision to make the switch is that the emergency clinic has relief work which I can eventually drop down to when I am making enough from interpreting to feel comfortable having that be my main source of income. Mostly, though....I quit because of my boss, which I wont go into, but can talk about all the things she does for hours... Interpreting: Forgot about this alltogether, so didnt do any of it...oops Week Two: Weight Watchers: ...Same as week one...slacking....But this week included one of my exception days! Yesterday was my LAST DAY at that job! One of my old coworkers (who also recently quit because of the boss) brought in doughnuts....and...I may have eaten...four of them....oops...Then the evening was a drinking night - got a burger, but without the bun, and had a couple drinks then played drinking games with coworkers...well...I guess they arent coworkers anymore...! Exercise: Fail - only went to the gym once and gymnastics...but that is because of time constraints of the week, which Ill expand on at the bottom of the post. Work Pantry: Pass! Only worked one day this week, so it was easy enough to stay out...also the doughnuts werent in the cupboard and were better than anything that was in there haha. Interpreting: Again, forgot completely. Gymnastics: Nothing new to report...Did a couple front handsprings-front tucks and roundoff-back handspring-back handspring-back layout (which have been my go to skill for a while, but havent been doing them so took a few passes to get them back) so still fun as usual! Life: I made my first wedding cake!! I've done birthdays and party cakes including one baby shower cake, but have always been afraid of wedding cakes because I feel like the cake is really important for the wedding and if I screw it up, it can severely impact the wedding itself. My friend asked me almost a year ago to make her cake and I agreed. It was a ton of work and I spent ALL of Wednesday AND Thursday working on it. It came out great! The wedding was themed - nerd, specifically Disney, superheroes, and Star Wars. The bridesmaids all had the same style of dress, but the color of the dress and their hair styles matched a specific Disney princess. It was really nice and subtle - if you didnt know they were themed, you wouldnt have been able to tell. The groomsmen wore t-shirts with superhero emblems on them - much more obvious, haha. The cake was three tiered with Disney on the bottom, superheroes on the middle, and Star Wars on the top. The bride made the wedding topper out of clay to match them and their theme. I included symbols/emblems for each of the princesses and superheroes that were being represented by the wedding party.

Yay! Welcome back! I just got back after a two year hiatus, too! I dont know if I would say I progressed...I've lost some things I was doing before. I did get this new thing, though. My old adult gymnastics coach quit and moved away and they changed the structure of the class. Now, the adult "gymnastics" class doesnt actually involve any gymnastics...its basically crossfit...So I dont go there anymore. This gym's class is structured similar to the old one, but more laid back and more open gym time, so a little harder to build the skills without the specific instruction. Still fun! I tried to just post it, but it didnt show up when I did it... But...its apparently working just fine now...Thanks for the tip!!

https://youtu.be/LMYxnozcmUU NEW SKILL! I connected the front handspring and the front tuck for the first time a couple weeks ago! I did it a few times today too, this time I stayed standing!!

Nightcrawler_Bamff Rejoins the X-Men (Take 2) Nightcrawler: Me Rogue: Unknown (but AMAZING!) Photo: Burump (Instagram) Goal: Get back to within 2lbs of my Weight Watchers goal so I can start going to meetings for free again and stop paying for the online tools. This was the goal for the last challenge, but I fell off the wagon and ended up at the same weight I started at. I am currently 6lbs away from this goal. How: 1. Weight Watchers: WRITE IT DOWN!! I'm figuring out that if I eat something that isnt very Weight Watchers friendly, I end up counting the day as a loss and continue making poor choices for the day. That ends up impacting the rest of the week too. If I track it, I am less likely to let that affect the rest of the day or week. I am planning ahead for three days that I will not be tracking - friend's wedding and two going away parties...*read that last part in a cryptic voice*...more will be explained soon!!) 2. Exercise: Work out at least three times per week. The last challenge, I tried to say specifically to go to the gym (NOT including gymnastics) three times per week, but my schedule ended up limiting that. My goal for this challenge is still to work out three times per week, but I can replace one of the gym workouts with gymnastics class if needed. 3. Work pantry: STAY OUT! This will not be a problem for part of the challenge (*use cryptic voice again!*) Interpreting: I am working on a continuing education program with my peer mentor and our goal is to do one lesson per week. I would also like to add in some extra practice. I think I can commit to 10 minutes per day, five days a week of working either into English or American Sign Language. If that ends up being too easy, I will tweak it during the challenge. Gymnastics: I will give weekly updates on anything fun that happens in gymnastics class. I just connected a front handspring and front tuck for the first time the last week of the last challenge, so lets see if I can keep it and if I can build on that!

Well...apparently I cant post it at all... Wrong file type...

Final Week! Weight Watchers: Didnt track over the weekend Oops...I know I went over my allowance, but tried to keep it reasonable. Overall: Tracked most days..pass...barely Gym: Only went twice. I plan to go on Fridays or Sundays, then people want to go eat after work...I have really bad fear of missing out and will ALWAYS choose socializing over things im SUPPOSED to be doing...so...for me...I am ok with that sacrifice. Overall: If I include gymnastics, I worked out at least three times every week, though that was not part of the challenge. I am, however, satisfied with the routine I'm getting into, so I will count this as a win. Work food: Stayed MOSTLY out of the "pantry," but did get into it once. Im chalking that up as a win! Overall: Couple slip ups, but mostly stayed out. Pass Result: Lost 2.4 pounds...I think my measurement may have been off last week...oh well...I'll take a 2.4lb loss!! Overall: EXACTLY the same weight as the week before this challenge started...FAIL. The goal for the challenge was to continue the losses and get back to weight watchers meetings, which did not happen. I will have to continue this overarching goal for the next challenge. Interpreting: Studied the heart for a few hours this week for my continuing education thing. I still have 40 pages left in the heart section of the textbook I found online. I know I have enough info at this point to get what I need from this "workshop," but the more knowledge I have, the better! I have a meeting planned with my peer mentor next week and well discuss what we learned and how to sign those concepts. Overall: Got a LOT accomplished in a relatively short amount of time. I will have exciting news for the next challenge!! Not necessarily INTERPRETING related, but work related. Gymnastics: NEW SKILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Been a while since I got something new!! I have been doing front handsprings and front tucks on the tumble track for a while, but finally combined them!!!! I will post the video shortly!

Week Three: 1. Weight Watchers: Fail. Surprise day off on Sunday so ended up partying Saturday night and Sunday. Worth it, though (or...it was at the time and thats what I'm going to keep telling myself so I dont get discouraged, haha)! 2. Gym: Fail. Monday (walk/weights)...thats it....Was gonna go Friday, but ended up getting supper with coworkers instead, and Sunday, but ended up partying...oops! 3. Work food: Fail. Stayed out on Saturday, but made an excuse for one of the things then my will crumbled. I WILL do better this weekend! Result: Another gain. I AM back on track now, though, so not too discouraged. Interpreting: Still waiting to get contacted to set up the ASL Proficiency Interview. I set up a self paced continuing education thing with my peer mentor that were gonna work though and started working on that. This is based on interpreting in health care settings, specifically the cardiovascular system. Havent made it very far because of time constraints, but working on it this week. Also got a screening set up for the interpreting call center on the 18th! On less positive news, I had 16 hours of interpreting lined up for the next few months, but all except three hours got cancelled. Oh well...it was still a good sign that I am able to get that much work and will continue getting more! Gymnastics: Worked on the tumble track a little and got my roundoff-double back handspring-back layout back. Hadn't REALLY lost it, but it had been a while since I worked on it.

How it happens that you would come off as mocking? Well...you are talking AS that person, so you have to take on their personality and affect and that can easily be perceived as mocking. No...not that I know of. Also, there were only two of us there to look for them haha. We were trying to figure out numbers, so we were going to max reps/max weight...also, I haven't really worked out like that in a long time.

Week Two: Oops! Took me a couple days to get to this! Disclaimer: I planned to not stay on plan for Easter because it was the end of Lent and I had given up the snack cupboard and wanted to give in one day. 1. Weight Watchers: Fail...ish...I tracked throughout the week and planned to not stay on track on Sunday, but I also didnt track on Saturday and know I went way over my allowance. 2. Gym: Fail...ish.... Tuesday (personal training! Worked on chest, back, and legs...I was sore until Sunday!! Which is why I didnt go back until Sunday) and Sunday (20 minute walk - Got sick on Saturday, so took it easy). 3. Work food: Pass...ish... Stayed out of the cupboard (except for Easter, which I allowed myself), but Saturday people brought in cookies and doughnuts, which never made it into the cupboard, so were free game...and I may have gone a little overboard. Sunday I allowed getting into the cupboard, so ate a bunch AND someone snuck in after we closed Saturday and hid eggs filled with candy throughout...so...I ate a bunch of that too. Result: GAIN 1.2 pounds . I knew I would gain and planned for it. That was my strategy for Easter: Eat what I want and pay the consequences of a gain on the scale, then immediately get back on track. Interpreting: FINISHED THE TESTS FOR THE PROGRAM! And got paid for doing it! Worked on it a couple times throughout the week, but we didnt have a vet at work Friday (but we were still required to be there to answer phone calls...) so I got to sit there for the day and do my homework! It was great! Now I'm just waiting to get my American Sign Language Proficiency Interview scheduled. Gymnastics notes: Nothing new/exciting. Worked on aerials for a bit, but stayed pretty low key...someone hurt themselves during a drill, so no one wanted to put too much into their skills.

Thanks! We had two Spanish-English interpreters in out class. ASL-English is very different because its federally required. We had a few courses just based on ethical scenarios! The body language/facial expressions are part of the grammar of the language, so the only thing you really need to worry about "ethically" is making sure you don't come off as mocking the hearing presenter.

Thanks! Three more pounds till I can start going to Weight Watchers meetings again, haha! When you're more than 2 pounds over your goal, you have to start paying and going every week again, so I havent gone because all I have to do if I wait until Im back in that range is pay for one missed month (instead of the 14-ish that I've actually missed). I have used up all my free online things I get from weighing in each month and started having to pay each month starting a few months ago, but to do meetings again would cost a lot more. So...three more pounds and I can start going again, haha! They charge you for getting fat!

My picture from Emerald City Comic Con 2014 popped up on my "on this day" thing on Facebook...I think it's a sign...better join in!

Week One Review: 1. Weight Watchers: Tracked everything! Mission accomplished! 2. Gym: Monday (15 minute run, full body circuit on machines the gym has set up, plus lower back stuff and extra ab work), Thursday (5k run - 1/2 hour! I still got it!), and Sunday (5k run/walk) 3. Work food: Few treats left out on counter, but wasn't from the kennel and I tracked the points for it. Result: Down 1.3 pounds since the previous week (and 1.4 lbs over the week between challenges!)! All together, 19.1 pounds lost since January 1!! Life Goal: Interpreting: FAIL! So much going on that I didn't have ANY time to work on my stuff! This week is already going better in this category, though. Gymnastics notes: In the last few months I did my first kip on uneven bars, but they still aren't consistent - I can only do one per class and I lose it again, haha! And its not every time. BUT I've now done four all together!! Woo! Currently working on aerials again, getting easier on the floor using a springboard, but still not consistent.

X-MEN!!!!! YEEEESSS! Thanks! It was definitely a push to get it all together! The first tests dont actually seem to be tests. More of interpreting practice drills. Later, I will be taking an ASL proficiency test and at the end of the program, I will be taking the national certification test, which is on ASL-to-English and English-to-ASL interpreting as well as an ethics portion based on the ASL interpreters' Code of Professional Conduct. SORRY FOR DELAYED RESPONSE!!! I forgot to follow my own thread! Haha!

Photo by Robert W Scott Photography on Flickr: Costume by me Photo by Robert W Scott Photography on Flickr Nightcrawler has been working hard to lose the extra pounds he had gained during his two years away from the team. Over the course of the next four weeks, he plans to drop the remainder of the excess weight and rejoin his friends at the mansion. Goal: Finally get back to my Weight Watchers goal weight! Plan: 1. Follow the Weight Watchers program: Track everything and stay within my points allowance each week. 2. Go to the gym three days a week: I got a gym membership between challenges and plan to use it! I don't feel like I need a goal for while I'm in there for now...Its still new and exciting and I feel like just getting in will result in doing real workouts each time. 3. Stay out of the pantry at work: Continuing this from the previous challenge since I had so much success that time! There is a cupboard at work that is always filled with junk food, which is a major reason for the weight gain over the last 1-2 years. I am not good with self control when it comes to free food, so I go all or nothing - either I eat everything I find in there all day long, or say its off limits and cant have any of it. I am staying out of it all together. Life goal: Improve interpreting skills: I was accepted into a control group for a program that ends in November or December in which they will pay for my national certification test at the end, which costs about $450 and has a 14% pass rate. Because of the low pass rate, I am considering this a free trial to see what I need to expect when I actually have to pay for it. However, I would LOVE to not have to pay for it at all, so will be trying my best to improve as much as I can over the next six months. How: Finish the initial tests: The program involves tests at the beginning and end to compare. The first set of tests is due April 1 and they are fairly time consuming. I did the practice ones, which took me about five hours all together...And they are much shorter and far less work than the actual tests. I am not entirely certain what the next steps after that are, but I will update this part of the challenge at that point.

Thanks!! For sure!! Gonna write it up tonight or tomorrow!

Challenge Summary: 1. Tracking: Other than the four days in Seattle, everything got tracked, or at least estimated! 2. Exercise: I think I made it 3/4 weeks and that was only short by a couple points! 3. Snack cupboard: Great! Definitely helped having this as a goal! I will definitely keep this as a goal for the next challenge! 4. Nightcrawler: SO SUCCESSFUL!!! Very happy with how it turned out! So happy, Im thinking about figuring out how to get the air brush down to San Diego this summer. Overall: I lost almost nine pounds over the course of these four weeks and brought one of my favorite characters to life is a way that I'm proud of! Such a great month!!

Oh man! In trying to get my cosplay done and being out of town for four days, I fell so far behind in EVERYTHING and haven't had a chance to update! I didnt even realize the challenge was over! And the new one starts today and I'm not prepared!! Week Four: 1. Tracking: Tracked everything!! And stayed within my allowance! 2. Exercise: 52/50! 3. Snack cupboard: Had a few treats at work (that I tracked), none of which were from the cupboard. Result: Down another 1.7 pounds!! 4. Nightcrawler: So much praise for my costume! I found two pictures on Instagram with over 1500 likes!

Hair dye: Didn't! Its a wig! Didn't do anything to it! Tail: Tail and swords are both mainly foaming insulation a couple years ago when I did a much less successful Nightcrawler costume . For the tail, I made the 3D shape with a long wire then slipped it through a strip of cardboard that I had cut to the width that I wanted the tail and a triangle (also of cardboard) at the end. Then I sprayed the whole thing with the foaming insulation and let it dry then carved out the shape, using the cardboard as a guide to tell me when to stop. This has a lot of air bubbles in it, so I then cover the whole thing with masking tape, paper mache it, and finally paint. Swords were a similar process, but I started with practice swords for dancing that someone gave me and added paper mache clay to sand it smooth.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Week three 1. Tracking: Tracked Monday-Wednesday, but took Thursday-Sunday off for the convention - too much going on. I still made conscious decisions while I was out, sometimes getting the healthiest option, sometimes getting bad food but eating less of it, and once getting the bad option and enjoying it. I still count this as a success. 2. Exercise: 71 out of 50 required! And I wasn't even carrying my phone (which tracks my steps and calculates points) the whole time! 3. Snack cupboard: Not hard...I didnt work at the vet this weekend so no temptation. Result: Down another two pounds! That makes 15.5-ish since the beginning of January and an average of almost two pounds every week! 4. Nightcrawler: WOW! What a weekend!!! My costume was a hit! I am incredibly flattered by all the praise I got on it! A couple people told me it was the best costume they had seen all day (on Saturday, when people have their good costumes out) and a BUNCH commented on how awesome the costume was and that it was the best Nightcrawler they had ever seen!! This was my first time sewing with spandex, my first time making a body suit, my second time using a pattern, my first time editing a pattern, and my first time with an air brush! I am amazed at how happy I am with how everything came out! Pictures to come!

DONE!! Played with the airbrush tonight to make sure it worked and that I can figure it out and attached the red parts to the gloves and boots! Just in time! Wearing him tomorrow!!! THANKS! Haha! Me too! Felt a little guilty...but that resolved while I was eating chocolate haha! Thanks!! Trying lots of new things for him! This is my third time making Nightcrawler and putting a lot of work into the suit/makeup. Last time I focused on swords and the tail and (thank God) I can reuse them! And got an airbrush! First time making a body suit, first time sewing with spandex, first time using an airbrush! Pretty happy with the end product!! Pics to come!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My mom pointed out I was making a weird face so I whited it out haha! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Week Two: More success!! 1. Tracked my points, stayed under weekly allowance! 2. Only earned 47 exercise points this week. Honestly I didnt even think about it until last night...oops! 3. Stayed out of the cupboard at work!! I did, however use a loophole and ate some chocolate that was going to end up in the cupboard, but hadnt made it there yet. I did track those points though! Result: Down two more lbs!! 4. So much progress on the body suit even with all the problems that kept popping up! It basically just needs the final touches and the suit will be done! Sewed it all together and tried it on and found that the torso was too long and the sleeves were INCREDIBLY baggy! Turns out the sleeves are an easy fix, the torso isnt bad enough to be too concerned about. I should be finalizing the shoulder pieces tonight and getting my pattern ready for the gloves and boots when the fabric comes (hopefully tomorrow). Im hoping to find time tonight to make the red parts at the top of the gloves and boots too, but we'll see. It has to be completely done tomorrow night! I need to be packed and ready to leave Wednesday by noon-ish!