NightWatcher13

Still been crazy busy lol, I had typed out an update a while ago but must have forgotten to hit post on it. TL,DR though - stuff has been going pretty awesome (if extra busy) Quick update here though: - Mom's injury - she was well enough to go home after one month, then on a follow up visit got the all clear from the neurosurgeon and got Dani back from my sister. She's doing well, thanks much for everyone who wished her well / prayed for recovery. - Work - Up until last week I actually had a couple of months with no OT, getting some tacked on from last week through at least next week but nothing too onerous. The job's still going well, and I've gotten to the point where I feel comfortable with my competence at the work. - Food prep - I've been able to keep up with this pretty well (with some additional help and encouragement from the final point in this list), and I've actually finally lost a few pounds - my weight the last several weigh ins has been under 250. - Therapy - I've been working with a therapist via Zoom that I reached out to shortly after my last post. It's been a good fit, she also has ADHD so a lot of my struggles are not only things she learned about in her training, but also issues she personally has dealt with. (Also, apparently my self diagnosed anxiety was not exactly that - it's PTSD. Which explains a lot 😅) - Reading - Y'all, I've read like 10 books since my last update - mostly audiobooks at work, and largely suggestions from - Boyfriend - about the time I made my last update was also when I matched with a guy online who seemed to check all the items on my list, with no red flags I could sus out easily, and we traded book recommendations etc while chatting on Messenger. A month later he took me on a couple of dates, including to The Book Loft (huge awesome bookstore in Columbus, could not recommend it more) and tl,dr we've been going out ever since - which is where most of the non-work busyness has come from since he lives about an hour and a half away. We just went out canoeing this past weekend I'll hop back in for the next challenge after this one wraps up, I wrote myself a note for that week in my bullet journal so I don't forget ^^; Miss you all

Well, that was a whole rodeo for a few weeks - TL,DR had some issues with time, stress and internet the last few weeks : - Mom had an accident (more details in spoiler on 1st post) and spent almost a week in ICU, - OT hit at work, so I'm on day 7/8 working straight, 1-7 all 12's, tomorrow is an 8 hr shift so I get a bit of a break there, (I'm actually posting from work currently, since they don't really mind us web surfing a bit so long as our work gets done and today's a slow day) - My internet decided to entirely die - it coincided with 1 of the 3 windstorms we had a couple of weeks ago so I thought that was the cause, finally emailed the landlord to ask about it a few days ago, they sent a tech out and my router's broadcaster was dead 🤦‍♀️ so down side, no internet for a while for no good reason - up side that was an easy fix and I upgraded to a better router. So that's been the struggle side of the last few weeks for me/my family, other than checking in here: Food tracking - I have not been great at food tracking, HOWEVER - I did the inverse, and managed to plan/prep ahead during days off well and wrote the planned items down in a Clever Fox food/fitness journal I picked up. So - I'm going to take half credit there, may not have actively tracked the food, but I was definitely intentional about planning it and kept to the plan 2.5 pts/wk * 3 weeks Exercise - wk 1 I got 2 sessions in (1 walk, 1 yoga) and week 2 I got 3 in (all yoga). This past week I did not have time/energy while working 12 hr shifts every day to do exercise, but will rectify that situation next week when I have some days off (already have a walk planned with a friend on my 1st day off) week 1 - 2 pts week 2 - 3 pts week 3 - 0 pts Reading - I have not done this that I've tracked I think; my actual tracker is at home but I'm pretty sure I'm at 0 for that one for the last 2 weeks at least (may have some from week 1, but that would be it) LQ - Therapy - Ironically, I have not had the time to reach out for this yet. I do have a recommendation for a local therapist from another lady at work though

Thanks, she's doing well and out of the hospital, staying in [our town] with my sister and BiL rather than going home just yet.

Hey all, the actual challenge portion of this challenge is going to be a literal copy/paste from last challenge. Overall other than checking in, the last challenge was a step of improvement, and I'm actually down 13lbs now from where I started so that's a nice change, and I feel like I can actually consider that a start for weight loss rather than just my natural weight fluctuations. But last weekend I / my family had a massive incident that's got us all on edge, and is also the driving force behind me going from "I need therapy soon" to "OK, I need therapy friggin NOW!" and am putting that on my challenge as a separate item. Explanation in spoiler, includes dog attack, fall and head injury so please be warned if you're sensitive to those topics. The short version - mom got hurt while we were walking, is in hospital. Main Quest 2023 - Developing my Roots Side Quest 1: Checking in - I'm going to find 2 times a week that I can schedule a check-in on here (Tapatalk has never worked on any phone I've owned, so I have to do this via computer unfortunately) to help develop accountability for myself here, and help others on here more with theirs by checking in more regularly on their challenges. 2 points/check in, 4 point max/week Side Quest 2: Food tracking - I was doing fairly well with this last challenge, but during my last couple of weeks of training this went to the wayside. The main idea here right now isn't to change much, but to track and have a view of what's going in vs what I'm burning in theory, so I can have that data when I'm ready to actually strategize making changes. 1 point/check in, 5 point max/week Side Quest 3: Exercise - I might make a dice chart for this at some point to help me make decisions for what to do, but I have: - 30 Days of Yoga that I want to go through 2-3 sessions/week - YMCA options (swimming, classes when they fit my schedule, weight room/indoor track) - VR exercise (especially BeatSaber and BoxVR for cardio) - I found out with QG that I actually really like Zumba if I can find some YouTube vids that work for that - Walking (with or without Zombies, Run!) So I have no lack of options, but I do need to take some time to actively consider what my work out program looks like moving forward and how to fit this around my schedule now. 1 point/session, 3 points week (up to 2 bonus points available/week) Life Quest: Reading - I'm putting this here in place of the crafting this round until I feel more grounded with it, I was getting more regular with it (keep up for a few days, miss a couple, catch up then keep up for a few days, rinse repeat) but did drop it entirely during my last couple of weeks of training up till yesterday. The Bookwyrm isn't going anywhere, but might not get picked up for a bit. 0.5 point/day, 3 point max/week Added life quest - find a therapist, and get treatment scheduled

End of challenge - I'm gonna do a pretty quick, surface-level check in here so I can get the new one made, but: - food tracking was kinda 50/50 - exercise overall went well, but I still need to get over to the Y more often & get the dice chart made at some point, - reading was very hit or miss but heavy on the miss - but still more reading than I was doing. - Checking in was the thing I struggled with the most, with some weeks literally pulling out the computer and pulling up the site several times but not actually getting anything posted. Why? No idea besides "am distractable". Weight is actually down a total of 13lbs from the 265 where I started though, and overall things have been going well. Some life stuff just went super sideways last weekend though (will give a Spoiler in the new challenge), overall I'm going to leave the next challenge the same with one added thing - GET. TO. THERAPY! Cause that just went from something I need badly but is in the background to "I think my brain is stuck and broken right now because <potentially triggering spoiler discussion on next challenge> and I need help processing"

... oh, right. The check in. The in of checking, checking in. THAT check. Week of Feb 20: - Checking in 4/4, had the original post and remembered to stop in here later that week - Food Tracking 3/5 - Exercise 3/3, got a walk in early in the week then yoga two other days - Reading - 2/3 points, got 4 days of reading in Week of Feb 27: - Checking in 0/4, i pulled out the computer and got distracted from it the entire time 🤦‍♀️ - Food Tracking 0/5 - Exercise 1/3, I got yoga in one day. Had a lot of movement in on other days, but no other actual exercise - Reading - 0/3 points, I think I actually had some reading in here I just also didn't track ANYTHING other than what FitBit caught this week so I have no records of it. Week of Mar 6: - Checking in 0/4 - Food Tracking 2/5 - Exercise 3/3, went for a long walk with my roommate from College for her birthday on Monday, then did yoga with a friend Friday and a solo walk on Saturday - Reading - 0/3 points, I actually did remember to use my tracker just didn't pause to read I swear, I had the laptop out like 5 times over the last few weeks and kept putting it down to go deal with xyz other life detail. This week is going smoother so far though, aside from wanting a nap most of the day cause I'm on nights this week. So far this week, I got yoga in yesterday and a Zumba class scheduled with a friend Thursday night, and have a couple of days of food tracked so far.

I've had times like that, I always forget to look in the frozen section when they're out in the fresh section too. Breasts can be a lot more of a pain to cook right for sure

Budget Bytes has some good options and does a good job of keeping prices low and I use them a lot for individual recipes or snack pack ideas. I've mostly been using Mealime for the last year and change for my actual meal planning since the app will also make a grocery list for you and can take your preferences and make a meal plan for you instead of having to pick individual meals each week. Both are omnivorous, but with a decent vegetarian/vegan selection and you can tell Mealime to only show veggie options Most of the options on there have a decent amount of protein too (This burrito bowl is one of my favorite recipes I've probably made 1-2x/mo since I tried it, and the only non-vegan ingredient is the cheese that can easily be dropped) ETA Mealime link

Y'all rock Waanie, right now I have The Daily Stoic (stoic philosophy bits) and On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down (a very irreverent but interesting look at something that happened that specific day in history), since that gives me a couple of pages with a daily marker on them to try to read - probably takes 5 minutes to read them both if I'm in a rush, but they're also something I can spend a bit more time reflecting on if I have a bit. Not this challenge, but soon I want to start adding a book or two off of my To Read list to the challenge to finish by the end of the challenge. But first - reading habit 😅

New challenge is up!

Hey all! Haven't been super great about keeping up on here, but overall things have been going super well the last couple of months (details in spoiler) I'm super happy with how things have been going with my mental and physical health, but I do think I need to add more emphasis on actually checking in here to develop that memory muscle and help me develop a better accountability structure on here - since the main issue there has been me being bad at remembering to post on here 😅 Main Quest 2023 - Developing my Roots Side Quest 1: Checking in - I'm going to find 2 times a week that I can schedule a check-in on here (Tapatalk has never worked on any phone I've owned, so I have to do this via computer unfortunately) to help develop accountability for myself here, and help others on here more with theirs by checking in more regularly on their challenges. 2 points/check in, 4 point max/week Side Quest 2: Food tracking - I was doing fairly well with this last challenge, but during my last couple of weeks of training this went to the wayside. The main idea here right now isn't to change much, but to track and have a view of what's going in vs what I'm burning in theory, so I can have that data when I'm ready to actually strategize making changes. 1 point/check in, 5 point max/week Side Quest 3: Exercise - I might make a dice chart for this at some point to help me make decisions for what to do, but I have: - 30 Days of Yoga that I want to go through 2-3 sessions/week - YMCA options (swimming, classes when they fit my schedule, weight room/indoor track) - VR exercise (especially BeatSaber and BoxVR for cardio) - I found out with QG that I actually really like Zumba if I can find some YouTube vids that work for that - Walking (with or without Zombies, Run!) So I have no lack of options, but I do need to take some time to actively consider what my work out program looks like moving forward and how to fit this around my schedule now. 1 point/session, 3 points week (up to 2 bonus points available/week) Life Quest: Reading - I'm putting this here in place of the crafting this round until I feel more grounded with it, I was getting more regular with it (keep up for a few days, miss a couple, catch up then keep up for a few days, rinse repeat) but did drop it entirely during my last couple of weeks of training up till yesterday. The Bookwyrm isn't going anywhere, but might not get picked up for a bit. 0.5 point/day, 3 point max/week

I've been struggling with that too 😅 Oh sweet! Me too, we'll have to share recipes! Sometimes the challenge structure doesn't necessarily work with where you are, I think overall the Battle Log structure works better when you're trying to get your feet back under you. And it seems like you're doing a good job at that too

Ok, note to self for next challenge - put in calendar reminders to pop in here 😅 So far, things are still going super well - I did struggle to get exercise in for the last couple of weeks of training/testing before being signed off, and one of the weeks I wound up needing more help in the food department via Walmart and Aldi ready-to-go soups and salads because I didn't have the mental energy at home to prep the food I'd gotten, but that's still leaps and bounds past where I was a few months ago. Challenge check-in: Exercise : The last two weeks of training I had 2 exercise sessions one week, and 1 session the next. The rest of the weeks in the challenge I had 3-4 exercise sessions. 12/15 total points Reading : Based on my habit tracker ticks, looks like I got 8.5 points/15 total this challenge Food tracking: The first 4 weeks of the challenge I got 3+ days tracked per week, the last week this completely fell to the side. 12/15 points for the challenge Crafting : I had no points assigned to this, but I didn't get any farther than painting the dragon with a layer of primer so he's ready to actually paint. - challenge total: 32.5/45 points Overall, didn't go perfectly - but it was a lot of progress. Now, for the non-numerical stuff: - I got my budget re-adjusted, with a focus on paying off debt - I opened a separate account with a local credit union, and have my paychecks set to put an amount similar to my previous pay level in my "normal" account, and the rest of the money going to the separate account specifically to be used for paying off all outstanding debts, which actually might be able to be payed off within the year depending on overtime. - I got signed off on 2/10, which came with a raise for going from trainee to tech 1, and also got a bid for a breaker position that means I'll get to learn the rest of the labs (and also get raises for learning each one since it bumps me up a tech level). - This current week is my last week with QG, they were helpful and exactly what I needed from last august through starting this new position, but I'll be using the Y and the stuff I've been practicing with QG at home to continue forward. - I had my first appointment with my neurologist earlier this month, got more info from him about what it looks like actually happened as well as some additional testing that's scheduled for tomorrow. Not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with how things are going currently.

I definitely don't blame you there! There's a whole world of nice cozy soups out there that are ridiculously good this time of year Pretty well, busy but not in a bad way at all next week is my testing / sign off time at the new job. Challenge wise, I've been able to keep up with exercise and food prep (especially with help from HungryRoot for the time being) and doing ok with the reading, I've had to catch up a couple of times. Unfortunately I haven't made any more progress on the dragon 😕 Need to pull him and the paints out again sometime soon. And also remember to get on here and post more often 😅

Sounds like you're doing better than I tend to with bar chords - I need to pick my guitar back up later this year too! Can't wait to see the Nosferatu when it's finished. Doing (or redoing) a budget can definitely be a pain in the butt, I have a friend who has hers done in her bujo and it's super detailed. Overall looks like you'[re doing super well

Not sure he goes in that often, maybe once every century or so

Welcome back! What is it you need to learn about engines, and why? I find narrowing those two things for me helps me know how to look up what I need to find out without getting bogged down in too many details. Best of luck on the job front! Getting a better job can definitely be a slog

Sounds like you were INCREDIBLY productive there! Sounds like you did a lot, and you're still making progress while also needing to heal still.

Week 1 wrap up: Sidequest 1 - Exercise - Had exercise on Tues, Wed and Fri this week. 3/3 points My workout buddy and I scheduled classes Tue and Fri morning together (I was off both days and they're on 2nd shift), Wednesday I signed up for yoga after work because it was the only other appealing class available. I did look at signing up for the Y, I may have to sign up in person though - they don't take my brand of CC online 😕 On the plus side though, I glanced through their class program at the local branch and there are classes that will fit my schedule really well on both ends of my swing shifts. Sidequest 2 - Reading - I got both books read 6/7 days, 0.5 point each day so 3/3 points Some days this was super easy, other days it was a bit of a drag to pull myself away from things long enough to read the whole 2 pages assigned for the day. Sidequest 3 - Food - I tracked food Fri, Sat and today. 3/3 Sidenote, the coconut Thai curry chicken and zesty chicken burrito bowl recipes that came with the Hungryroot box last week were both awesome, definitely ones I'll make versions of my own of down the line. Lifequest - Crafting - My bookwyrm is currently in a very emo phase - I got him a layer of primer while watching Knives Out on Friday so he's a literal case of "Paint it Black"

Thanks! I finally feel like I've made some progress - at least on getting onto the path. This time of year I love roasts and soups, homemade chicken noodle soup is amazing and fairly easy to make. Thanks! It is definitely one of my favorite finds, I'm looking forward to painting it.

Happy 2023 all! The last few years have been weird, rough, and overall unpleasant. I have some good memories (and holy smokes did I get a lot of valuable experience), but overall I'm glad to close the books on several stories, reopen some that I missed, and begin some new ones. I don't know altogether what that looks like, but some points I do know: - Left two jobs that in separate ways sucked my life, - Picking back up with reading and crafting, - Continuing improving my mental and physical health, - Restarting time to spend with friends gaming and hanging out I'm still getting my feet under me at my new job (there's a TON to learn, I'm still in training until February) so I'm not going to be adding too much new to my plate this challenge, but I will continue what I have been doing and also automate some things like groceries to help streamline things at home. Main Quest 2023 - Developing my root system (I feel like I finally managed to claw back my health bar, and I feel like my "spoons" have finally started recharging - now I want to use that strength and energy to develop myself - mentally, physically, socially and spiritually) Sidequest 1 - Exercise - Continue exercising minimum 3x/week (3 points/week) Bonus - Sign up for Y and look at classes, current online membership is going to be allowed to end in February due to changes at my current gym (2 coach switches in one month, structural changes in the organization) and in my schedule (swing shift) no longer aligning with each other Sidequest 2 - Reading - Read daily - Sh!t went down & The Daily Stoic currently (0.5 points each, 3 points/week) These both have about 1 page per day, so they're accessible time-wise but still require an intentional moment of me sitting down, and sitting with the philosophy or events being discussed on the page. Sidequest 3 - Food - For a bit I'll be automating a lot of what comes in via HungryRoot, and I've been doing way better the last couple of months with making most of my food at home rather than going out, so I want to start working on actively tracking food now. Not actively changing anything or setting calorie goals etc, just the tracking part - I'll start with 3 days per week (3 points/week) Lifequest - Crafting - I want to do ALL THE THINGS (knit, crochet, paint, fill-in-the-blank) and I think I'm giving myself decision paralysis. So I'm going to pick one specific item I want to work on, and while I'm allowed to work on others, I want to spend time and intention working on and finishing this one. So meet my Book Wyrm, I'll be working on painting him through this challenge. No points on this one, but I do want to do an upload of his progress every week - both to keep me on track with him, and to give me added motivation to remember to post on here.

Yeah, the bike thing definitely sucks 😕 I think I'll look into a collapsible one of some sort that I can keep inside the apartment this spring so I don't have to worry about it disappearing on me. The job is going swimmingly so far though! The culture in the lab is fantastic, the pay is honestly ridiculous, and I feel like I'm learning what they want me to learn faster than they were expecting me to pick it up based on feedback from my labmates

Thanks!! It's been a chaotic couple of weeks, but also super awesome Told my team I was leaving last week (had to wait until I signed paperwork in case something didn't go through), got well wishes from the whole team of folks I work with but did it late enough that I didn't have to deal with the management team being... themselves. (My "termination" letter did show up yesterday, with the envelope entirely unsealed 🤣 unsurprising but mildly amusing) After that, had a con I'd promised to go to this past weekend - to help my oldest friend promote his new book. So that took ALL of my energy and time Friday through Sunday. But it was a lot of fun, we didn't get as many sales as he was hoping but I think he got what he needed out of the weekend - made connections, enough sales for a small profit, and got his name out there at least a little bit with cards and posters. Got back from that Sunday night at about 9pm, grabbed some ready-to-go soups, salads and calzones from WM before showering and crashing to get up early yesterday - honestly, even having had so much chaos over the weekend and a ton of stress the last few weeks (mix of good and bad stress), both of the last two days I've actually woken up fairly easily - I'm crediting my current exercise levels with making it possible for me to do that, earlier this year even that was way harder on my body than it seems to be currently. There was a lot more that happened the last couple of weeks (including some ^$#& stealing my bike), but overall things are going pretty well and I'm happy with the direction things are going. I've only had 2 days at the new job so far, and all orientation stuff so I can't speak to how I'll like the work flow (although it seems like a bumped-up version of the job I last winter with better work-life balance), but I like the culture a lot more based on what I've seen and heard, and the raise is nothing to sneeze at either.

That is a great rate, and very sustainable 1-2 lbs/week is like the absolute fastest rate that is remotely healthy, so half a pound per week is great progress - and if it's consistent it's all movement in the direction you were wanting to go, so please don't feel like this is bad at all

Week 4 tally: Goal 1: worked out every day thanks largely to Z. Probably a bit overkill, but didn't feel too terrible after it, just a bit sore/stiff. Goal 2: had those 12 meals ready to go, and didn't feel the need to hit drive thrus or anything really all week - think I got a couple of drinks at work for caffeine, but that's about it. Goal 3 : Checked in early in the week, but didn't remember to come back in to check in. 1/2 overall goal wise, only missed out on 1 check in and did fantastic in the exercise/food area, but something else also happened during the week: on Thursday, I got a call. Called the number back before workout time, and it was someone from the company I'd applied with - with an offer!!! I start on the 5th, so I've been extremely stoked about that for the last week and change now. Week 5 tally: Goal 1: Had workouts with the gym on Monday and Tuesday, but due to holiday travel and the coaches also needing a holiday I didn't have any other classes until today, so 3 total there and 2 yoga classes with Adrienne on YouTube while I was down in Tennessee visiting family. Goal 2: Food was a bit odd to plan around, since I was only actually home monday, tuesday and today - wednesday through yesterday were all travel or holiday food, which my older brother-in-law did all the cooking for (with some help from my sister, but he's kinda got a military precision to his holiday prep) and was fantastic. Mom and i went to grab groceries for the next few days today. Goal 3 : I guess technically I posted earlier today and again now?