CaraStarbuck

Thank you sir! I'm checking in on everybody's threads tomorrow cause I gotta hit the sack in a minute, but I have no doubt you're murdering yours Hahahaha. Yeah, it's funny because anyone who knows me pretty well will tell you that I'm a pretty congenial person; even I don't care for you, I'll probably be able to get along and shoot the shit regardless; life is too short to hold shit against people and it takes a lot to annoy me/grind my gears. I like most people. But, man. THIS FRAKKING GUY. I really cannot stand him, he's just the living worst. Every ounce of patience I have, lemme tell you. Ps, I'm catching up people's threads tomorrow but I briefly skimmed over yours (as you have been so good as to comment on mine several times and I have yet to return the favor) and just want to say awesome work! I'm gonna give it a more in-depth look later, but major props! And I'm jealous that you live with a ton of animals. I have two cats, used have ferrets, horse back rode when I was a kid, and grew up with dogs, so I loooove the fuzzies/scaled/feathered folks. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Please, share to your heart's content, I'm really flattered/honored And as someone who has dealt with depression on and off for years, I totally empathize with your brother, so I'm very happy if I can help in any small way. This life ain't easy and it takes loving community/family to help us out sometimes. Good for him that he has a badass sister like you! Like I said to the folks above, I'm catching up on people's threads later, but I don't doubt you're rocking out as per HN usual! Thanks again, guys! Time to go pass out in a guacamole coma.

Yeah, I know you feel me on this one. And thanks! Thank you so much, on both counts! Glad you liked my stuff Thank you so much! Once I get a regular schedule that doesn't change so much, I'll be able to get into more of a rhythm, methinks. Hopefully. Hahah, yeah; climbing shoes I think are at the top of my list currently. And shoes in general; the boots I wear pretty much every day I just superglued back together for like the third time, so....might be wise to get new ones.... Thanks, man Means a lot. No need to apologize! I'm very flattered! Thanks lady UPDATE END OF WEEK 2 Thank you guys for the lovely feedback on my poetry! Hopefully I will get a little work done tonight; though I feel a bit thwarted by frakking Daylight Savings. Means I really should go to sleep in like, two hours (though three is more likely) as I gotta be up at 5 to open for brunch tomorrow. I'm heading out to grab a bite to eat to treat myself in a minute (guac and sweet tater fries!). I just got back from bouldering at my rock gym! AND! I attempted a V1 for the first time ever! AND! Almost sent it! I tried it like three times and got closer each attempt, so I'm really happy and proud. My grip strength has definitely increased, and my upper body in general. I'm really pumped. Also sent the V0s I did on the first attempt. It was really crowded which ended up being great because I HAD to take my time between attempts and really think about what I was doing and plot more carefully as not to waste my turns. Before hitting the rock gym, I did a bodyweight circuit, 1 minute rest between circuits, as usual: Push Up: 3x11 (added a rep! YES) Flexed Arm Hang: 18 s, 12 s, 10 s (these were really tough but will definitely become part of my regular routine) BW Squat: 3x20 Plank: 80 s, 47 s, 30 s (I've done 3x 80s before; I think I'm just still a bit wiped out from the week) Hip Thrust: 15, 15, 10 So yeah, all in all, pretty great day workout wise. As I said, I'm working brunch tomorrow, which should be great. We will have a third bartender this time, which will make it way less stressful (and the third tomorrow is really cool which will balance out the second bartender, who is an incompetent, aggravating, creepy nimrod). I'll be in at 7 am, the second is in at 8:30, and the third is in at 11, so I'll also be making the most money (cue evil laugh). Anyway, wish me luck that all runs smoothly. Starbuck out

Dude. I'm basically just sitting here in awe of how your challenge is going. Merciful Zeus! Killing. It. And that Tough Mudder workout looks ridiculous. And scary. I might have to try it one of these days. I would tell you to keep being awesome, but it seems like you've got that pretty well covered. And I'd like in on the Drinkers with A Workout Problem club, for sure.

Just caught up on your progress a little; holy moly. Nice. Work. And congrats on winning! I'm going to try out some hip thrusts and also add flexed arm hangs into today's workout. Re: hip thrusts, I guess I've just never done enough of them to really feel much (I've only ever done them in like a set of 10-15 in a warm-up) so I'm curious :-) Also hoping the flexed arm holds instead of dead hangs will accelerate my forearm strength growth. Anyhow, keeping being FREAKING RAD and by the way, that end table looked amazing. Like, I'm feeling inspired to clean. What have you done to me.

I'M ALIVE. And finally sort of rested and back in a manageable groove, I think. Thank you Church! It was really fun, I gotta say, I was surprised by how much I got into it. But I'm also a competitive asshole. so there's that. Thanks so much, on all counts!! Yeah, this job is beating my ass, but I feel mostly settled in now and way more confident, so the stress has decreased considerably. Hahahah, thank you; I actually really kicked ass this past weekend, I have to say I surprised myself :-) And I made a stupid amount of money. #AndShesHumble Thanks lady! I will post some videos. I was hesitant to at first, but you guys are amazing and I'm mostly just nervous about sharing my art with people whose opinions I value. My stuff isn't for everyone, but I will definitely happily share :-) Thanks so much, Aeryn! Thanks, buddy! Mucho appreciated. 5 am! WHOO. 4:30 if I want to get a work out in beforehand, which I haven't done yet, but might try at some point, because I always have better days when working out happens in the morning rather than evening. WEEK 2 UPDATE What's up, fellow killers. Wow, has it. Been. A week. Started the new job on Thursday 2/28 and got my ass royally handed to me for six days in a row. I didn't get enough sleep the first two nights and was wrecked as a result for the remainder of the work week, with the exception of Tuesday (I finally caught up Monday night) and then slept for like 12 hours on Tuesday night. I also did not get in a single workout Thurs-Monday (unless you count raising a beer to my face as a bicep curl, in which case I did a lot of working out....). So after my shift on Tuesday, I realized that it was now or never, I am either going to adjust to this crazy schedule AND continue to take care of myself, or let all the hard work I have put in over the last year go by the way side. Fortunately, I decided to kick ass and take names and get a workout in Tues evening. Now, mind you, I have been on my feet for days. So i wisely opted out of any leg work (I tried doing a jumping jack, just one, and almost fell over) and did all upper body: Tues: Push Up: 3x10 One Arm Dumbbell Row: 3x8lbx20 Plank: 3x60sec Hanging Knee Raise:3x10 Negative Chin Up: 3x5 I forgot to take into account how tired my upper body was (tending ye olde bar can get pretty athletic) and Wednesday I could barely raise my arms above my shoulders. Fortunately I was off work and just ran some simple errands. So, the new job: I could ramble for paragraphs about it, but long and short it's great with only a few small hiccups to get over (one incompetant asshole coworker, complicated menu that I'm still learning) and those are easy to deal with because the rest of the staff rocks, my managers (with one exception) rock, and I'm making a lot of money so far. I feel SO much more at ease; I'm sure basically all of us can relate to money stress, and a few weeks ago I was barely scraping by with no idea how I was going to get out of my financial rut. Now I'm making money at a rate that is not only a solid living wage, but I'll be able to actually start saving for the first time ever. Maybe go on vacation. Gasp. And on top of all that, my GM told me on day 6 that I was "doing great work, a great hire and one of our strongest bartenders." So, yeah. So far, so good. I feel incredibly lucky. Now if I could just get some sleep, because there is a whole lot of other shit I have been neglecting, though I'm confident that once I find a rhythm, I will figure it all out. Back to writing. The slam was really fun, and I was the runner-up, which is incredibly flattering. As per Kdog's request, here's some of my poetry! Zomg: This one is the poem I performed in the second round to qualify for the final, though it is not the performance itself (that wasn't recorded sadly, because it was probably my best ever poetry performance): THIS is the final: http://youtu.be/m2qVc5aootw Thanks fer watchin'! And my website is www.flatbrokepoets.com and there's a Facebook page of the same name, if you're into that sorta thing. OH yeah and I worked out like an hour ago, which I'm very proud of, because again, it was after being at work all day. Thursday: Decline Push Up: 3x10 Lunge: 3x20 Superman: 45 s, 50 s, 55 sec Box Jump @13": 3x10 Hanging Body Row (using a belt thrown over my pull up bar): 3x10 Hopefully I will have time tomorrow or Saturday to catch up on everybody's threads. Till then, thank you to everyone who's commented, it means a lot! Starbuck out.

Thanks a million guys! Just posting quickly, because, you guessed, off to work in a minute (six days opening in a row, all but one of which were 7 am shifts....kill me).Full update to come tonight!

Thank you very much! Thanks Church! You're the man. Brief update: first two days on the job have soundly kicked my ass. I'm stressed and exhausted. So far the money is good, but I feel completely out of my depth and desperate to prove myself and become a valuable employee; not because I like eating these people's shit, but because I'm freakin' actor/poet and need the money. Sigh. I'm wiped out. Tomorrow is the very first brunch, which is apparently going to be a massacre. I'm actually confident that I'll do well, because of the last two hectic days, but holy frakkin crap. The learning curve on this job is steep and I need every once of sleep I can get and every bit of strength I have to do the job described. On that note, ladies, gents, TIP YOUR BARTENDERS. They're probably making drinks not only for you, but for the 100 people in the dining room you don't see./rant The bittersweet is, I was runner-up in my first ever slam last night; it was incredible, it came down to me and another chick. She was amazing, I also know where I messed up which is both good and frustrating, haha.. The contrast of being so successful in one realm and so humbled/kicked in another is a total headscrew. Didn't make it climbing today; will make up hopefully sunday/monday.

Twisting push ups are awesome! Started incorporating them into one of my body weight circuits a couple weeks ago. Anyhow, keep up the AMAZING work! That juggling video is hella boss.

Church, you are annihilating this challenge so far! Keep up the consistently badass work. And congrats on the headstand push up, that's so awesome. One day.... @Aeryn DON'T GO IN THE PAIN CAVE Yeah that stretch is awesome.

I'm glad you explained the rating system; seems I'm not the only one who was at a loss. And great workout! Stupid pistols, I can barely do 1. Evil. Evil, I tell you. KEEP KICKING ALL THE BUTTS

Thank you so much! It doesn't feel amazing, it feels terrifying and tedious ;-) but I think that means I'm doing something right. THANK YOU! -attacks eggs and spinach- Awesome! I haven't been outdoor climbing yet, but that's something that is definitely on the agenda for this summer. And my empathy for the little one keeping you up; apparently there was just a full moon? Who knows, hahah. Thanks, Wolvie! It all begins tomorrow, whoo. SO ready to start making money and again and not just be racking up credit card bills -sigh- DAY 3 UPDATE: Last I went to the open mic I frequent every Tuesday; I was super excited/anxious as I was super proud of the poem and knew that I had to fully commit to an intense performance if it was going to have the intended effect on the audience. The order of performers is determined by raffle, unfortunately I was one of the last so the crowd had dwindled considerably, but I still had a blast. One of the regulars came up to me and said, "You.....I haven't cried in 8 months. That's what you did." So, huge compliment, obviously, haha. I decided that Tuesdays are going to be my one "cheat day," and I indulged in some fast food, hard cider, deli sandwich and HaagenDaz. It was amazing. I feel confident that I can stick to once a week and be Paleo the rest with very minor exceptions. I didn't get home last night till about 4-5 AM and subsequently slept very late again. About to get out of the house to run some errands for work and the house, then gotta clean and myself together for the next four days of work. Oh, and write a little :-) I have to be up at 5 am tomorrow at the latest; not sure how I'm going to get to sleep before midnight, but that's okay, I'll just be tired tomorrow and then for the next three days after that I will be adjusted to the wake up time. Workout: Decline Push Up: 3 x 10 BW Lunge: 3 x 20 Superman: 3 x 40 sec Hanging Bodyrow (using a belt slung over my pull up bar, no less): 3 x 10 Box Jump: 15, 15, 30 @ 13" Dead hang: 59 sec, 54 sec Also, working on my dead hang from my pull up bar; just increased my max time by about 2 seconds. WHOO HOORAY FINALLY. Also, my second time was way higher than it usually is (typically about a 15-20 second difference lower). So that's awesome. The Decline PUs weren't as hard either, so I think I'm going to up my reps next time I do this circuit. Today is the first in a while where I've really felt like I'm getting stronger, and damn, that feels good. Thanks again for the support guys! It's really helping :-)

If the weather clears, I may head to Prospect Park to run some hills (or just run the park circuit, there's a lot of gradual but noticeable incline), but if not (and this is more likely) I'll do some running up and down the stairs in my building; it's only four floors, so I wonder how many circuits I can do...

That routine looks like so much fun. Annnnnd now I'm googling swing dancing classes in NYC. TOO MANY COOL THINGS TO LEARN AAHH. Could you recommend any routines for beginner videos on Youtube or anything? I'm dead serious; I feel like my tendency to be all feet and elbows could really be a hidden gift here.

DAY 2 UPDATE: One of my demon cats kept me up all night, and after waking up several times to stop whatever havoc he was wreaking, I let myself sleep pretty much half the day away, which I am not pleased about. I still got my run in, though! Last time I ran was sometime in January, so I took it easy Run: 1.7 miles in 20 min I'm also trying to stave off a cold, so I guess it's a good thing I got some extra sleep. I'd rather not be hella congested on my first official day of work, Thursday. My forearms are still pretty sore from Sunday's climb, so I'm moving my second climb day to Friday, I think. I also spent about three hours going over my first draft of the novel and kind of found my inspiration again, or rather, I fell back in love with the story I'm trying to tell. There's A LOT of work to do, but I'm feeling way more confident about it overall. Started taking notes on things to edit and ideas for the second draft.

First off, great goals and yay that you're participating in this challenge! I'll definitely be cheering you along. I hear you re: feminist body-acceptance issue. It's a funny thing for me because on the one hand, I am working against years of built up insecurities and not feeling "good enough," messages that were reinforced in many of the environments I was in (acting school, etc), on top of hearing it from magazines, the media, etc. So, for my part, I'm hyper-aware of any self-criticism that comes from my internalized idea of mainstream physical "beauty" and not from my genuine desire to be stronger, feel better, and be more capable of badass things. At the same time, I would be lying if I said I didn't want to lose a little weight and that I'm 100% happy with how my body looks. Will working out and eating right ever change that? I don't know. I guess as long as I go about it in a moderate, conscientious and healthful way, it's fine, so long as the emphasis is on functionality and capability and not just looks. There's nothing wrong with wanting to look a certain way and I definitely do, but because that is my proclivity, and that for me that can lead to some disordered thinking, I try to just focus on ability. ANYHOW, not sure where I was going with this, just that I guess I totally empathize with creating a healthy relationship with your body and food and so on and that it can be kinda complicated. Also, I don't envy you the college food experience; it's so hard for me to turn down food and be picky when I didn't make it, so yikes. And lawlz at your Angry Inner Serb. Y U LEAVE BREAD HEER ITS WASTE I have no doubt you'll rock this challenge, and I will be following your thread for sure.

Props on attacking the ultra, you are one hardcore mofo! Go get 'em.

Your goals are awesome. And the dance-to-four-random-songs is so awesome/hilarious that I'm going to do that at some point, just for kicks. Looking forward to you destroying this challenge, ASL! Get it.

THAT is freaking AWESOME. God, now I'm debating using my tax return to pay for the tat I've been wanting for like a year but I should be responsible -sigh-. Soon, though. WOLVIE. Love your goals. The patio looks great so far and I have ZERO doubt that you will complete it. And maybe I'm drinking the optimist kool-aid (because why the hell not?) but I think this IS the challenge to beat all past challenges. I feel that way for me, and looking at all you've accomplished so far, I bet that's the case for you too. Go get 'em, you are awesome. Also, nice workout today, reading it made me tired, haha.

I guess it's a natural progression for us assassin types, huh? I'm all for everyone climbing all the time. Like squirrels on cocaine. CLIMBCLIMBCLIMB. And I would be terrified delighted to share my NaNoWriMo novel once I have done a clean up of the first draft. I'm definitely going to be needing constructive feedback, so, hell yeah! Thanks! Yay, thank you HN! I'm really happy to be back and this challenge just feels different from the last two; I know I'm going to accomplish a lot. I was in a serious rut the last few months but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Life is cyclical and I know I will fall into ruts again, but I'm gaining confidence in my ability to pull myself out of them. -sings- I get by with a little help from my friends..... Re: coworkers, there's this one dude that kind of gives me bad vibes, but it's all innocuous shit, so I'm not going to sweat it right now. Plus, it's my day job, not my career, so while I will of course do my best, I'm not going to angst. Re: Poetry, The performative aspect is one of the reasons I love it, I get to mix my acting abilities and writing and it's just so fulfilling. :-) WASH. ALWAYS WASH. <3 Thank you! This novel is happening whether I like it or not, hahah. And yeah, it's nice not being alone in the struggle for consistency. Go team! HAR HAR HAR. Haha, no really, thank you, and good to be back. Let's destroy this challenge, eh wot wot? UPDATE: Just completed my first official workout of the challenge, one of my four rotating circuits: Push Up: 3 x10 BW Squat: 3x20 Hanging knee Raise: 3x10 One Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 x 8lb x 20 Jump Squat: 3x10 One minute break between circuits, takes less than fifteen minutes typically, which rocks and then today I noticed I was pretty sore from climbing, so I made sure I spent a full ten minutes stretching (maintenance is definitely on of my weak points). Alright, off to cook and write this frakkin' book.

Love your goals, and good to have you back! And YAY CLIMBING! Have you gone before? I went the first time at the New Year and am hooked. Kick ass! Can't wait to see you destroy this challenge!

I'm actually kind of against slams in principle, because I don't think poetrys something that should or can be quantified; for a live performance comp I think it's more about who moves the room, who performs well, etc, not necessarily about whose writing is "the best," per se. Really it's more of an opportunity to meet other performers, get exposure and get your work out there. At least, that's how I'm choosing to look at it (and this is spoken word poetry, specifically. Youtube Andrea Gibson, Buddy Wakefield, Anis Mojgani for some examples of AMAZING poets). Anyhow, my writing partner and I are going; should be fun. I don't really personally know any other spoken word artists, so I'm curious to see what else is out there!

Thank you so much! Hopefully it pans out re: money, and also that it's a good work environment. I dig most of my coworkers so far, though there are a few I'm a little leery of....anyway, staying positive! No worries doll, I abandoned my challenge last time like two weeks in, hahah. So this time around I'm going to remedy that, and, as always, your support is super appreciated :-D UPDATE: Just got back from bouldering, my first time at the rock gym in over three weeks (major fail). My first climb was an easy V0 that I have warmed up on lots of times, and I sent it without issue. The second route I tried, another V0(I've only been doing this about a month and change, so unless otherwise noted, everything I boulder is a V0), was a new one and I took my time plotting my course. Sent successfully in one go, which I was super pumped about after having been out of the gym for so long. Made sure I took at least five minutes between climbs, too. On the second one, my route didn't exactly pan out but I was able to adjust mid climb and complete it anyway. Hooray! The third climb is one that has been besting me for sometime. On my fourth attempt today I realized I was just too spent and couldn't grip the wall anymore. I think I finally figured out a route though, so when I go Tuesday, I'm going to kick its ass or die trying. But not really die. That would be bad. In other unrelated news, I am going to my first competitive poetry slam on Thursday and I am so excited. And nervous. And excited.

Great goals, best of luck! And I hear you on having a support system; it takes a village. I like that you're using different activities to get your weekly mileage; variety is the spice of life!

I went to "My Content" and uploaded the picture there and then in the signature editor there is a button that says "My Media," just like in posts. Then I just selected the jpeg from there. Yeah, I thought so too, but I guess this way works! Just takes a little extra doing.

Um, yes please! Expect texts at 1 am saying "But I WANT to drink tequila all night even though I have to be back at work at 7 am! -pout-" and then later, texts saying "I just dead-hanged for two minutes straight, because I AM A BOSS." Thank you! And word, re: "Find someone to carry you;" Thaaat would be you guys :-D Adama slow claps make everything better. I'm rewatch BSG from the pilot, and getting sucked in all over again...using the general badassery that happens to motivate me, haha. And thank you!