Marauder

21 hours ago, Doe said:

Welcome back! Looks like you're off to a great start, there's so much to love in this challenge! 

Thank you!!!

Today I did nothing but read.  I had the house to myself and luxuriated in it.  LOL.  Im not even sad about it.  With that said, tomorrow I should probably ride AND do the workout.

1/3 rides done

0/4 workouts done

3/7 reading.

extra clapping for getting out of bed and stretching!

ooof lunges.  Respect to you.  

Also, way to look out for yourself.  Food stuffs can get so complicated so fast.  Getting away from the calorie counting and food focus can be really hard work, but I think it's worth the effort.  I'll be cheering you on.

23 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Welp! I realized I misread the programming for my workout.It was supposed to have light,medium and heavy days. I was doing all heavy days. No wonder my body was rebelling. So week one's plan is to actually follow the program. Let's try that and see how it goes.

You're so badass.  I'm pretty sure I woulda figured that out sooner.  

High five for dumpster workouts!  That is some good stuff.  Exercise and the mental bonus of getting rid of crap!!  Nice work so far!

Today I changed out the bearings on my bike (even thought the instructions were wrong), and my painters showed up!  They may even finish tonight. 
 

challenge progress:

1/3 rides done.  
0/4 workouts done. 
2/7 reading has happened all days so far. 
 

the ride was painful as it’s been 2 weeks since I was on the bike. That first one back is always rough.  The workout ought to kill me then because it’s been quite a while. 

7 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

That sounds miserable on the house. Do the painters plan on showing up soon?

I wish I knew!!  They called on Friday and said they’d come Saturday. Called Saturday and said they’d come today. Haven’t heard from them since.   I’m trying to be understanding but I’m at my limit now.  On the bright side, I’m going to spend the money I had for their tip on myself. 

Not much to report on official day 1. Today is a long work day so not much will happen today. I had hoped to change out the bearings on my bike before the challenge but this hasn’t happened. We had our house painted last week and due to two days of no-show of our painters, it’s still not done. Overall shouldn’t be a huge deal but damn it’s disruptive. The house is taped up and dark inside, can’t water the grass (and it’s 100 degs most days here lately), 

and generally looks half ass. Sigh.  I miss our front porch evening chats.  
 

I’ll get the reading done today but the rest will probably get pushed back to later in the week.   Maybe I’ll get those bearings changed tonight. 

Hey Terra!  Sorry, no quote at the moment, but I hear you on the decision fatigue.  I've taken steps to eliminate as much deciding as I can and its a huge relief.  I hope you can find some routines or "decide once" moments that help you stick to your plans.  ❤️

I'm starting the challenge on Monday.  My house is getting painted this week and it's like living in a fishbowl.  No way Im working out with that business going on.  

@DarK_RaideR  LOL.  I clicked on your signature cheese link and it took me to an instagram page with one follower.  That follower was none other than SLOTH.  I'm now giggling madly.   

5 hours ago, Terra said:

Wahoo! 

 

 

Heya Terra!  Hope you and the family are well!  ❤️ 

Oh what a great time!  It’s going to be amazing. I love that feeling of making it yours and just like you want it. ❤️

16 minutes ago, Maigs said:

 

Good to know you and your hubs fit in there fine. I laid down in the Bushwacker and I barely fit, Hubs would not have. Did the van come with a swivel passenger seat or is that something you added?

 

We don't have a tow vehicle either, but are considering getting a small pickup for the property anyway

We installed the swivel ourselves.  It took about 45 mins.    Are some of the teardrops more roomy?  We never looked in person so I never considered that!

Oh it's absolutely lovely!!!  What a charming design.  I love your little wrought iron fence in the front too.  

1 minute ago, Maigs said:

Lol, but that's not how I work  It's a 1920's farm house with about an acre. Luckily the roof, kitchen, and bathrooms have been redone in the last 5 years so those are mostly fine (though I may make some changes after more pressing things are done) but both inside and out could use a lot of improvement. We've already replaced the water heater, installed a water softener and super duty filtration system, and have scheduled to get the basement dry and stabilize the walls (they're not bad, especially for the age, but still should be addressed). Our HVAC is 20ish years old, we have very little insulation, the upstairs has one vent for ~700sqft, the gutters need replaced, and the stairs are super loud and may need replaced. And next year, once we're sure the basement is dry, we will want to finish it. Plus Hub's has a dream of replacing the large shed, which is probably about as old as the house and has a scary foundation, with a garage/workshop (there's already a two car attached garage). But I adore the house, we love the property and the location is good (rural but still within 10 minutes of town) so we plan to be here a long time and it will all be worth it

Yeah, me either, but house projects are always such a can of worms.  Sounds like you found a wonderful place.   Really is nice to have the kitchen and bathrooms reasonably up to date.  Installing a water softener has been on my list for 23 years and I still havent done it, so you're already way ahead of me.  

16 minutes ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

 

I particularly love this because it shows what reasonable humans can accomplish, that a camper van doesn't need to have a $100k Mercedes Sprinter van with another $100k in custom woodwork and top of the line this or that.  That said, it's still gorgeous and I'm super pumped for you!

 

@spezzy check this out!

Yes!  It's super easy to get sucked into those #vanlife shots though.  I keep telling my husband we need to get an ironic potted plant for the dash, but he won't have anything to do with it.  LOL.

16 minutes ago, DarK_RaideR said:

AAAAAWWWW YIS, SHE'S BACK!

Yay!!!  Thanks!  Back, and dare I say.... better?  I'm aging like a fine wine.  OK, maybe a bit more like cheese, but still.  How are you?!

8 minutes ago, Maigs said:

It's been a crazy couple of years. Lots of good, but also lots of stress, long hours, and a tax season that never ended (last year's blended into this year's). But we bought a "new" 1920 house last fall that I will be spending a lot of time fixing it up to our standards and negotiated greatly reduced off-season hours at work so I have the time and energy to do the work. 

 

Oh my word yes! I stopped by an RV place the other day to look at one of these but also asked about the Class B camper vans and the guy said they start at over $100k which is more than we spent on our last house. I can definitely see myself doing a DIY conversion from a Ford Transit though. My only concern is that Hubs and I are 5'9" and 6'1" so some conversions I've seen just would not work for us

Nice!  Congrats on the house!  Ours was built in 1908.  Old houses come with blessings and curses, no doubt.  They definitely dont built them that way anymore, but oh so many inept people have tried to fix or do things in them.  We've been in our house for 23 years now and we still havent run out of projects!

Fwiw, we are 6'1" and 5'6".  It wasnt an easy decision to build a campervan we can't stand in, but in the end, it's not really been an issue.  We use it to sleep mostly.  Cooking is done in the back or on a picnic table if we're at a site. I can sit criss cross applesauce on the bed without hitting my head, and the passenger seat swivels around, so even if we get stuck in weather, we can at least be reasonably comfortable.  Probably the worst part is putting on your pants all bent over.  LOL

and I LOVE those teardrop trailers.  I totally wouldve gone that way if we had any sort of tow vehicle, but it wouldve required a new tow vehicle AND a trailer.

Sorry you're having hip problems.   What are you doing for it?  I mean, other than squats and lunges and RDLs.

Love your adaptation of SL.  We got rid of our home weight setup right before Covid hit.  Oof..  but in the end, I actually prefer dumbbells for most things.  They certainly take up less space here. 

House projects are neverending, pace yourself.   

2 minutes ago, Maigs said:

I keep thinking I want to do something like that. Maybe next year when the house is mostly done that can be my new project

Hiya Maigs!!!!  Hope you are well!  ❤️   

We really tried to keep the expense low.  It's a recreational vehicle for us for sure.  It's easy to get caught up in the fancy camper vans you see and next thing you know you've spent more than you did on your house!

This is an early picture of the inside. I made some organizers for the sides of the bed since then and added some twinkle lights. 😉  we did make some black out privacy shades that fit on all the windows too. 

2 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY You're back!!

 

 

Gonna need more info (and photographic details) on this one  

awwww Thanks!!!!   The van was a fun project. We kept it pretty simple.  Platform queen size bed. Back doors open to a kitchen setup with a pull out countertop and storage drawers (formerly a truck gun safe we bought used).  We have a portable solar setup to charge a battery for phones etc and a Dometic chest refrigerator (my favorite thing).  Mostly ikea and Home Depot. 😂  It's a regular roof, which makes it a bit more stealthy and driveable and affordable.  When we camp, we generally like to be outside anyway.  It's been really nice to have.  We've gone on 4 or 5 smaller trips so far.

2 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

I am having mega troubles with temperatures, and my mattress is relatively new with supposed 'cooling technology.'  It's rarely the top cover microwaving me, and with some further research, that ChiliPad is really looking like a necessary adaptation.  Further thoughts by chance?

We rarely use ours in the winter for warming, so I'll speak only to the cooling aspects.   The first couple of years we had it, we had it set up at the foot of the bed and used a mattress protector under and a thin cover over it.  Frankly mine never felt cool to me.  My husband has never had any complaints though.  When we rearranged things this winter, I switched it around to be set up at the top of the bed and with no cover over it and it makes a huge difference.  So, if it doesnt feel cool enough for you, switch it around so the water comes into the pad from the top.  With that said, somehow that setup makes the noise of the water flowing conduct through my pillow and it makes me crazy.  LOL.  I feel like the princess and the pea here, but its just enough noise to bother me, so I turn it off once Im ready to actually sleep.    I wish we had waited and gotten the one they have now which allows you to schedule the temperature changes.  That would be much better for me.  I like it cool to go to sleep, but then a bit warmer to stay asleep.

2 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

I haven't checked the rules recently but it's probably in there somewhere.  Maybe check the fine print  

 

Nice to see you around again

thanks WhiteGhost! 
 

2 hours ago, shaar said:

Let us form a party to defeat the biggest boss of all - POSTING REGULARLY!!!!

Consistency is always the real boss!!

2 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Welcome back! Yes, it does make me feel ancient to be the mom of an adult. My son is turning 30 this year . I swear I had him when I was 12.😉

thanks Elastigirl!  I can’t believe your oldest is going to be 30!  Where does the time go?!  Sometimes I want them to be moved out and other days I’m grateful they are still home. Isn’t that the motto for having adult kids?  😂 

No challenge updates as of yet. We are having our house painted this week and it’s chaos. Good chaos at least.  I’m hoping to get on again later and catch up on a few more challenge threads. ❤️

2 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I never got Covid, I'm referring to the general pandemic experience. As a hospital chaplain, I got vaccinated pretty early in the year.

ah that makes sense. My husband works in the hospital as well and got his in the early days as well. Thank goodness!   

3 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

 

I will reactivate my Facebook and all the social medias

That is some serious dedication to your mission.