Priscillia

Woo more positivity and butt kicking! And Lilith is right There are some times where real life interferes and we just can't keep up with all our awesome rebel friends so no worries

Yesterday I finished a bunch of Clarity of Grace stuff! I made the gift batch of the sugar scrubs (doubled it, all four girls get 6 iced cube sized scrubs), I finished labelling/decorating the containers (2 each for the tins, needed to label the scrub bags) and... I WRAPPED THEM. WOO. Done. Got the gift stealing one done too (tea travel mug, one of the girls is just as avid a tea drinker as I). And my mom got her xmas gift early; we took the day off to the spa nature (the really ritzy one too). She loved it, I loved it and we're both happy This place has Massages (calves are still tight ), facials and other body treatments but its biggest draw is the baths/saunas since I believe it follows the Scandinavian model? Hot, then dip in the cold then rest? Anyways, there's a ton of different pools and different sauna types there. We spent the day there. Even if it was pretty cold outside (I can't imagine how the people in January and February do it). Tonight is 2/3 and Jam, Boot camp is on Thursday

Holy crap we're on week 5. WHERE IS TIME FLYING THIS YEAR? Week 4 Recap Guardian Spirit - Boot Camp (HOLY MOLY) Pain Suppression - Splits only (extra during Pole Jam, minimum of 10 minutes on them). Fail Extra Stretch Mindbender - Missed writing Boot Camp, but got the others. Boot was most of the same (slight differences from last week) Clarity - Grace No Clarity of Will this week! Need to get around to it (which I think might happen soon, I have an idea for a small animated thing that won't go away, so I may sketch it out). If I ever get another, it needs to be bigger. I don't particularly like how small it is for drawing or writing (my workout book is the same size). Clarity of Grace; got my lotion bars done, Scrub tests are good so I need to make another batch, got my wrapping supplies for most of them (xmas themed chinese take out boxes for the beauty stuff and twine/cardboard lettering for the foodstuff). Might not do the plushies after all, we ladies at work decided to do something smaller since changes are happening and we're not sure where we are going (1 is leaving for another contract, 1 is staying, 1 is not sure and I've got feelers out in case I have a long break or this next bid isn't going through (I'm there till January/mid-January)) which kinda sucks. We all love it here, but y'know, there's bills to pay. Only new thing is I got my cross knee hang back BACK on tuesday couldn't manage scorpio again that night but I did get pretzel down reliably (spiral variation, I need to build a tolerance on the traps/shoulder blade since they get hit pretty hard right on it now). Boot Camp was Boot Camp. It's aptly named (it does give you the boot!). The January schedule is up for the pole studio, so I'm going to change classes and scheduling. Don't know how that will work yet. I did extra split work, but I forgot to add another stretch component (which I could have used last week).

Thankies I recommend choosing to do that one year, it's really fun and if you plan in advance it's awesome! I KNOW RIGHT! I was just like, let's do this! and then I got a minute out of it!!! It's the skin relaxing into the pole that makes it feel like you're slipping. It's such a weird sensation Hehe, well I'm looking specifically for a 2nd sports bra of the same type as mine. I'm thinking the Coral one (though the geo print is cool too) to use with my grey shorts (same cut as the ones in the vid, thanks btw, half the people at the studio have them since they're so cool ). The sports bra is $$$$ enough since I need like, industrial strength haha. But it's gonna be in Funky colors to make up for it!!! Hiya Nice to see you too! I hear it's super busy for you (at least from the thread, but it's also Thanksgiving across the border right?). I love it, it's like the article says, the Jungle conditionner from lush doesn't detangle until you take a comb gently to it and it gets used up SUPER quick. This one I made the same amount but used mini muffin molds so it made 2. I'm using one of those and it's already lasted longer than the lush one. As for the incroquat; You could try without it for a test run, but I'm not sure what the %s for other ingredients looks like if you take it out. This recipe here has some without the incroquat (at the bottom), but it looks like they have a bunch of other stuff and panthenol instead. TBH, the ingredients cost me about 50$ with shipping (15$, and this is CAD from a store around Vancouver BC) and I've got tons still left (minus the cocoa butter since I'm using it in all the other stuff (1/2 or more left of that. Smells divine)). I've made about 6 bars so far and I don't think I've hit 3/4 of the bag (either 150g or 225g). You could get it cheaper on Amazon.com (Amazon.ca was Brutal shipping for me since there were only US vendors available) or even at US vendors like Mountain Rose Herbs or MakingCosmetics. There might be a liquid one somewhere without it though. I've just been looking for the solid stuff since I've found that to be less messy and a smaller foot print for storage. I'd never heard of it either before looking for a recipe! That or the cetyl alcohol It works though, and I do recommend the recipe (heck there are 4 bars I just made for my cousins).

So these happened last Thursday, which is the first time I've done them since coming back to pole in September (I overused my wrist and had to stop for June-August to heal, with additional Chiro visits). May I also say I've never really taken my hands off like I have in the videos even before leaving? SCORE!!!

HELLO SCORPIO! And 1 minute hold (-ish). I figure this calls for positive reinforcement in the form of a second sports bra (in a funky color). Also so I can leave it in my car as a backup (I keep forgetting to bring my pole bag and having to cancel class every couple weeks :/ ). Good thing Black Friday is this week...

Week 3 Recap Guardian Spirit - Did Boot Camp. Glutes were cursing me all weekend lol Pain Suppression - Extra long stretching session after 2/3 + Splits while the other class was warming up. passive middle splits for a looooong time hehehe Mindbender - Done! Might need to be more detailed? Or get a bigger book for diagrams next time hahaha. Clarity - Power is done. Unable to do it Will - Added 2 new entries! Grace - Got my lists ready, finished the lip balms and prepped a quick sketch of the Plushie pattern. So I guess I had a productive week! I've got 2 videos to post, and I was all I"M A BAMF on Thursday due to them. Seriously Got 4 classes in (Gym, Stretch, Boot Camp and 2/3 that was actually more 4/5). I was told that I'm super close at getting my handstand/polestand from the floor and it's looking much better by the instructor (I normally start standing and use momentum, this is hands planted on the floor and kicking up). We did some partner stretches afterwards that have me thinking that maybe I should get straps and yoga blocks to help with my split stretches (they feel good!). In my solo 2/3 I ended up doing more 4/5 stuff. The instructor said I should be fine to go back to 4/5 (and even mentioned it shouldn't take me long to move to 6/7!). She said I'm not slipping on my inverts (actually she said I was doing superb on those) and that right now the things she'd really suggest working on are; pole sits, pole stands (and staying there), pain tolerance and more mind stuff. Pain + Mind stuff because she thinks I could have easily stayed longer in the poses in the videos otherwise (and after seeing them, I have to agree on certain points. My pain tolerance is pretty low right now). Only other thing was my hands slipping during spins, but she's said a lot of people have that problem right now. Might be the temperature (it snowed today. SNOWED. UGH.). I've felt much better since I made most of my food last week (portobello mushroom burgers 2 times, my Dad was impressed even though it was messy as all gettout). --- Amen! And they were Maple Bacon too.

Awwww - blushes- thanks! I like doing them because it keeps me busy and creative (plus it's so much more fun then shopping (yes I just said that. And I like shopping)). The lip balms are from this recipe, though I used her imitation chap-stick recipe first and then added more beeswax. Half the batch is regular lip balm and the other has some of my red lipstick to tint it (my poor poor lipstick). For my cousins (7 to 16, four of them and 2 are headed to Europe in March I think) Lip balms (tinted and not tinted)DIY Hair conditionner (I'm currently using this recipe, super pleased with it)Sugar Cube Scrubs (mix of this recipe and the maple brown sugar one here for testing)Lotion Bars (have yet to make, but looking at this recipe)Shampoo bars (bought)Right now I'm down to testing the sugar cubes (worked pretty good this morning) and then need to make the lotion bars I've got the last b-day gift for one of them finished (a bracelet) so once I'm satisfied with the scrubs and lotion bars, I just need to wrap them (hallejuah). I got small watchmakers tins to store them for travel (18$ for 12, will use for Conditioner and lotion bars) and the shampoo bars are 6$ each coming to a total of about 28$ with taxes. I buy my shampoo bars, so I don't have the materials for those hehehe. Doubt I ever will since that's one of my "luxury" things My co-workers are a different story. This year I'm doing food stuff for part of their gifts, so they'll need to be made just before they're gifted. And I have a couple recipes to test. I spent last week writing down and finalizing the list so I know what still needs to be prepped Friend 1: 2-3 Savory compound butters (in either 100 or 250ml mason jars)Friend 2: Pomegranate White Tea in one of these to mix with sparkling water/champagne ect.Friend 3: Homemade Reese. These need to be tested beforehandBoss 1: Bacon Salt. Because Bacon (and I can see him using this on everything hehehe)Boss 2: Simple Jalapeno Lime Syrup. The others agree he likes tequila, so instead of infusing a bottle of that, he gets simple syrup to mix with I have one of these bottles, in case Ikea doesn't stock up on the smaller ones (there's none in Canada atm :S )Big Boss: Reeses againOthers: I'm thinking more reeses, kaleidoscope cookies (without the colouring) (I can make these and freeze them ahead of time) (this isn't the exact recipe I use, mine is a really old magazine clip, but it looks about the same)But the Big one for my co-workers is that I'm in the first stages of planning a Plushie for them. Friend 3 said that if they ever merchandized a show we are currently wrapping up, they need to make stuffed toys of these particular characters... and that gave me an idea. So on that front, I need to see if my mother has any leftover material that can be sourced, if not I need to hunt down and buy some, make a pattern (there's 7 of these suckers since I want one), make the test dummy and then start a mini assembly line. I already took 20 minutes at work last week to sketch out the necessary parts for the patterns, so now it's more that I need to measure them out and make a test dummy (ugh measuring). And look for material I can use (there's a mountain of fabric in the basement. Could take a day sorting through it :S ) Thanks for the encouragement Lucky We'll both get there soon enough Speaking of encouragement, I went to a different 2/3 class (and since the others cancelled, it was just the instructor and myself) and the instructor for that class and I got into a discussion of moves. I've been having problems with some (cradle and inverted V) and she was suggesting other ways to get them. We got to the point where she mentioned that it took her years of getting them and even nowadays her inverted Vs aren't as pretty as some of the other ladies (unless she's showing a class, then she puts her all into it) . It's her "problem" move too. We got to talking about how there's some which we have to accept they'll take much longer to get then others. Doesn't mean we won't get there, it'll just take longer (a long torturous road filled with impatience LOL).

I really need to look at the pole dictionary for the "standard" terms... I don't think we use them at my studio lol! I think we're giving them tough love right now by not giving them Tender Love and Care (TLC) though tough works since it's tough to work those areas out considering how much in use they are... Those pole outfits look cute You picked the sport for crazies and people who like a challenge At least that's what my family tells me hehehe. You are so so so much braver than I. I am not comfortable with the idea of pro photoshoot sessions yet Just taking my tank off on progress pics is enough atm! I am so excited for you! Gush away, this is a milestone on your journey

Bah, Clarity of Power won't happen. No place at my dad's either for my pole (he joked about the structural post, but that thing is massive!) due to a dropped ceiling in the area he would allow. Blech. At least I asked? --- Yep! Baby steps It was, my feet were killing me by the end Scallops, spaghetti squash carbonara, perogies (finishing leftovers), egg muffins for breakfast for the next few weeks and some gift making that needed a double boiler method. And then Tuesday was parsnip fries and burgers on portobello mushrooms (and again on Wednesday) Which all makes up for pizza + donut party today at work (and boot camp later haha...). We're having a party to celebrate Cyberchase Season X airing and finishing on another project in 2-3 weeks.

Same, and that's why I had to lay off it for a couple months and a bunch of chiro visits lol! We give them such a beating but never really think of treating them well until it's too late...

Congrats on the great review And I concur with Nymeria, hide and purge on FB. It makes a huge difference on your mood to see the right type of stuff on your feed. Plus think about it this way; would you want to associate with these types of people IRL? Would you like to have this tyoe of stress and be brought low by it all the time? Is the energy and effort of dealing with it worth the sacrifice? Does it bring any joy to you or you always at odds? My friends/family and I have a saying, and that's that life is too short to spend time dealing with this sh!t, so cut the "cancer" out (sorry if this particular wording offends anyone, my family has a history of it and the comparison makes sense). ps. HI!! sorry for being late to the party

WOOO Progress~~!!! If you're getting shooting pain, maybe give that forearm a self massage or use a ball to help it? It could be that it's starting to get overused (pain when holding baseball grips (upper holding, lower pushing away)). It could be technique or alignment as you suggested, but that was one of my major symptoms before seeing the chiro and I'd hate to see you get the same problem and have to lay off it for a bit. Plus remember, you're doing more grip work, and working them out more AND some time at a computer right? Show them some TLC! ps. pics of dragonfly outfits? pleeeaaaase?

Score! I love having those hanging around my desks. It motivates more to take a break from the desk work and use them And +1 on homemade burgers. Have you tried using portobello mushrooms or sweet potatoes as buns yet? Wow that sounds amazing! I bet you learned a lot to offset being in the air so much.

Week 2 Recap Guardian Spirit - Fail! Pain Suppression - 20 minutes massage ball shoulder/neck/traps + Splits Mindbender - Used my notebook Clarity - Will and Grace (haha) Last week was sorta blah. Didn't do the extra BBWW, felt sluggish (didn't plan meals/cook for half the week) but pulled through on Sunday with 3 hours of cooking (and will be finished with the goodies tomorrow), stretching and some prep on present making (lip balms). Still feeling better grip on the pole too Nothing else new. ---- Yep, and if I'm cooking it'll be doubly okay since it's free food for him and I normally try new recipes. Heck, we just made a gazillion jars of applesauce a couple weeks back. Haha I can't hold myself up with arms at head level yet. I dangle from stretched arms (just not there yet, it's slowly getting better).

Thankies! Eh, I'd much rather he didn't join in. He's ex-military and can be very pushy in all the wrong ways at times. Plus when I'm doing weight training I find it's better for me to plug in, put the playlist on and GET-R-DONE. BTW tried your knee lifts (can't do straight legs yet or tilt myself) and tuck and lift and WOW. No wonder you can invert without momentum! I'm going to try adding them to each class.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 You are so strong and your inverts are so pretty~ Love the fact that you don't need momentum to get up. It's really nice to see how other studios do things (and on another continent too). I think your instructor is awesome for not letting you do stuff using momentum (ours do for inverts). The amount of control you have in your core is amazing and it shows in the videos. You look so graceful! And AMEN on Dry Hands! I love the stuff, so useful (studio goes from freezing to sauna since we're one of the first classes). The application is so different for everyone and depends on skin types too, which means it's all down to experimentation.

Oh LOL, getting down? Yea GL with that ! I'm horrid at stopping on spin mode (unless cross knee hang back). Only trick I can think of is to switch to a "larger" spin so that it slows down (i.e fireman is fast, but eagle (legs out) isn't as fast) enough to land a foot on the floor. Then comes the dizzy head hehehe. Pretty sure that counts! I remember seeing something about that on bodyweight forums (hanging from a pullup bar till failure). My chiro was more on the weird object/try to walk with it and put down before you drop it side of things but did mention that hanging like that could help too. Thank you Glad to be back after snafus. I'm just working on getting back up to 4/5 and more strength right now (nothing specific, though if I get cradle/crouching tiger or inverted V in the process I'll be happy). What's Lvl 2 looking like for you?

Awesome first week Lucky! (also love the training video, those tucks look awesome and you are one strong baddass lady ) + Happy Nerdiversary! I've always thought grip was easier on spinning, but maybe that's just because people grip it harder (unconsciously) to not fall off? But I agree, it's such a different beast! I'd be afraid of inverts for awhile too (cross knee hang back is cool though, you can spin with your hands if you stop). As for grip excercises, my chiro suggested holding heavy things. Like really heavy to the near point of failure (5-10sec). And preferably with the types of holds you're currently using (though he said spread out is useful too).

Super happy to see you again Media!!! And glad you're recovering well :S Ugh snow! Let it be snow free for awhile longer! Cute puppy pics Glad to hear she's a good running companion too And I hear you on the DOMS and not doing squats in what feels like, for ever. Yeesh, it's old people walk for a week. I'm glad to hear that it's easier now since the first session. Gives me hope! Is the archery range open year round where you live or seasonal?

Week 1 Recap Guardian Spirit - Saturday 1 round BBWW (ouchies!) Pain Suppression - Roller (quads(!)+hams+calves(!)) + Splits after BBWW Mindbender - Wrote everything down in a small notebook (minus lvl 2/3 class and home stretching) Clarity - Power and Will (-ish) Awesome week 1. Busy at work and with RL stuff. My quads and right gluteus are still really displeased from Saturday, but I got all the main stuff done! I seem to finally have reached a point where my grip is back where it was. strength not as much, but I feel like I'm making progress catching up again (instead of not getting anything). My handstands aren't as good, but I'm using better techniques for stability so that evens out. My first climb felt so much stronger and graceful on my Tuesday class which pleases me immensely. BBWW... ouch! Down to 1 round (could do 2-3 before)! And still feeling it today I may need to do a form check on the squats; I tried doing them with a broom handle and my stability is not there. I'll see after awhile. Quads and calves were painful on the massage roller, like me making weird noises in the middle of a conversation painful (my brother found it amusing at least). Even though I spent awhile on the prep stretches, Saturday night's splits were much more stiff (need to wear socks/legwarmers next time too). I think that's due to the shorter time we spend on stretches after 2/3 classes. Maybe my extra stretch time should be when I get back home after those... I'll have to experiment with it. Clarity of Power; So there is no proper spot in my current place to put up a pull-up bar (this is a structure and a paint/permission issue). There's no room for my pole for sure (next step, checking my father's abode). There IS a pull up bar at my dad's (and weights) so it's starting to look like that's the action plan for now. (yes I'm still living with my mother. Until I get notification that I'm keeping my job for another year or two, I'm not budging. Unless I find an income property first (still looking, they're getting snapped up before we can even get a look at them, even the gut jobs!)) Clarity of Will; So kinda counts, I drew for an hour+ while waiting for an appointment. I forgot that particular sketchbook for that bunch of drawings. I've started drawing while waiting for pole class to start in it though! Kinda thinking of making a pole dance/aerial coloring book with all the sketches... that or armored ladies lol. --- Things I'm noticing; Shoulders, leg raises and core work need to be added soon. Core specially because I'm having problems with one area during sit ups (front and side to side) and toe touches during the gymnasti-pole warm up.

OMG That gif is made of WIN. Haha that perfectly sums me. Games and Pole haha! Missed you too Lucky! I did need the time away to sort all this mental/hormone stuff though. I was pretty unpleasant at times. Kinda like an Alien took my place ----- Next three weeks will be busy since they're my last at work (unless we get another project in) so I need to help around as much to get deliverables ready before then (i.e. extra hours). I might not be online much during then but afterwards I won't be able to say "I don't have time" as an excuse lol.

Week 1 Recap Guardian Spirit - Saturday 1 round BBWW (ouchies!) Pain Suppression - Roller (quads(!)+hams+calves(!)) + Splits after BBWW Mindbender - Wrote everything down in a small notebook (minus lvl 2/3 class and home stretching) Clarity - Power and Will (-ish) Week 2 Recap Guardian Spirit - Fail! Pain Suppression - 20 minutes massage ball shoulder/neck/traps + Splits Mindbender - Used my notebook Clarity - Will and Grace (haha) Week 3 Recap Guardian Spirit - Did Boot Camp. Glutes were cursing me all weekend lol Pain Suppression - Extra long stretching session after 2/3 + Splits while the other class was warming up. passive middle splits for a looooong time hehehe Mindbender - Done! Might need to be more detailed? Or get a bigger book for diagrams next time hahaha. Clarity - Power is done. Unable to do it Will - Added 2 new entries! Grace - Got my lists ready, finished the lip balms and prepped a quick sketch of the Plushie pattern.

RESURRECTION ; Brings a dead ally back to life with 35% health and mana. Cannot be cast when in combat. Let's just say the less said about the year the better. Also let it also be known that Hormone BC Pills suck. Badly. Like side effects up the wazoo badly. And over using your wrists/twanging your shoulder. That sucks too (fun to do though, games + drawing + pole + work ). Currently I'm averaging 2-3 pole classes per week (minus sickness) since I did a soft reset in September offline. Gymnasti-Pole (gymnastics type stuff), Stretch (think yoga with splits work at the end) and usually a class (I bumped myself down to 2/3, was at 4/5 ready to go to 6/7 before needing to lay off the wrist in June/July). There's theraputty thrown in a couple times a week for my hands and chiro visits as well (bout monthly now vs 3x week). GUARDIAN SPIRIT Heals target for 40% of maximum health. Add an extra pole class or strength session each weekI love pole classes. That's the "exercise" (read fun hobby) that gets my blood pumping. However, I've lost progress while I laid off the wrist to let it heal and I was having problems with some moves before since some stuff wasn't strong enough (which is why I put off advancing to 6/7). So I want to either add another class (meh not really unless it's Boot Camp) or do a strength session each week to help. Adding an extra anything over my pole classes has been a challenge before to get consistently sooo.... Baby steps y'all. Baby steps. PAIN SUPPRESSION Reduces all damage taken by a friendly target by 40% for 8 sec. Castable while stunned. Add an extra stretching/yoga session each week that includes some splits workOne of the things I wanted this year was to get my splits. Since I kinda sabotaged myself (BC pills/wrist) I've lost a bit of progress (but not that much). I also need more stretching to help promote healing/reduce stress. So again with the Baby Steps. We'll add one session per week, be it yoga/stretch or roller/ball and splits work at the end. MINDBENDER Creates a Mindbender to attack the target. Caster receives 0.75% mana when the Mindbender attacks. Lasts 20 sec. LOG THAT @!%~ ONCE AND FOR ALL-Sigh- So I hate keeping workout logs. Seriously. Hate. Keeping. Them. But if I want to see progress in the other two quests, it might be best to start keeping a log. So here's the thing. Even if I only write a log in my small book once a week about what I've done, it's better than the last... forever-ish. It's an improvement. So let's do that. Hopefully start with that Gymnasti-Pole warm up tonight... that thing kicks butt. CLARITY - LVL 100 Priest Talents Clarity of Power - Find a place to put a pull up bar or my pole upClarity of Will - Fill the rest of the Moleskine with drawings by Dec 31stClarity of Grace - Homemade Presents / Get them done earlyLife Goals! Gotta have 'em. First two are things I've been meaning to do for awhile, but adulting and blah-ness took over (and I didn't make them priorities). And like last year, I would love to do crafted gifts for my co-workers/buddies. I'm thinking more of the food variety (jalapenos infused tequila anyone?) for this year (with diy beauty stuff for the young teenage cousins). And now it's listed somewhere else than my head so I HAVE to do it. MOTIVATION To feel better, more energetic and stronger. To regain control and not let the crazies affect me. To be ME. The best me EVER.

Challenge is a bust, but I'm too busy to care right now. I think taking a sabbatical from challenges to deal with other stuff is a good idea right now. Still doing 1-2 classes a week, but I'll be taking a break from that as well. I bust my wrist pretty bad and my shoulder is still feeling weird from that cartwheel. I've been seeing a chiropractor. I think once my unlimited monthly sub is up for pole, I'll take a break till september and then respawn (and resub). Let it heal, take a breather and focus on adult-ing (which has been getting in the way). And I can do other things like hike outdoors or do bodyweight stuff (handstands are getting better, but the shoulder is in the way of progress). There's also other health stuff that's flying around (new bc, getting another bc method) and I've been getting hit with some of the side effects pretty bad. Funny thing? The one thing that stuck during this challenge is outside= 1x/week lol. And cooking. Lots of cooking when I have the time (or force the issue). Life got in the way, but thank you all for asking! Sorry if I've worried anyone. I hope you're all doing well Neither did I! SCORE Oooh man and the duck and brie and chicken shawarma was gooo~oood. But the price! It's like they doubled it since last year. So prohibiting to my poutine love! To make it look easy? Same way we make everything else look easy Practice Practice Practice! I think it's pretty good, I guess I find the way the instructor handles it not so good? I dunno... But yea flexy and strong does come to mind! HERE IT IS~ I love it when it's full of an ice tea I like (the last batch had grapefruit in it and blergh, I hate grapefruit) and the beauty is you can choose to make it stronger (add more tea) and you can choose which sugar/sweetener and how much to use. I like to fill mine with boiled water from the kettle to melt the rock sugar first and then fill the rest. I let it sit in the fridge overnight once it cools down a bit.