realbrickwall

F@#K YES OKAMI!

Sorry.

Six days a week of training is awesome. I hope I someday get back to that level. Don't let yourself slip! The climb back up is hard.

You have 15 points to distribute. Do it how you think is appropriate. Do you consider tin-whistling to be more of a focus on your mental acuity or your social acumen? If the former, maybe do it +2 WIS, +1 CHA. If the latter, +1 WIS, +2 CHA. Basically, tell us (and yourself) what's improving what!

Recommendations:

Goal 1 should be strength and stamina

Goal 2 can have strength, dexterity, and stamina, but should probably lean towards dexterity

Goal 3 is constitution, maybe a little wisdom if you like

Goal 4 is wisdom and charisma. Maybe only one or the other.

Those are only recommendations. Do what your heart tells you.

No more black or white, I want to a be deliciously boring shade of gray.

If it's slate grey, I don't know you anymore. For realsies.

Anyway, good luck with all the stuff, especially housework. Housework is the bane of my existence.

Crow pose: bonking your head from that height doesn't hurt. You'll be fine!

My advice is to practice it every day. It only takes one or two minutes to do a couple tries with rests in between. Because it's as much about balance as it is about strength, practicing it specifically is important.

Good luck!

AH! F$#K! KILL THE KENDER! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

*ahem* Sorry. I've played D&D.

Remember that whole grains are not a free pass to eat a ton of breads. It's better than refined grains, but it's still grains.

You should consider assigning your stat gains to individual goals.

Anyway, with Kishi cheering you on, you'll kick ass. He was my biggest supporter last challenge, so you're in good hands.

Sweeeets...those are hard to turn down during this sort of season. Make sure those "two times" aren't unlimited tickets. If "one time" is eating a doughnut, that's okay. If "one time" is eating half a dozen doughnuts in one sitting, you're looking at an issue.

Yes, I can do that. There's a reason I have trouble dieting.

Anyway, good luck!

Hsssst...cleeeeaaniiiiiiing...we haaatesssss it...

Priorities are good. I often find myself not knowing what's most important in my goals.

I couldn't help but wish to be an assassin.

Honestly, that's the most important qualification. You'll do well here.

What are you aiming for with your yoga poses? "Mastery" means some different things. I mean, some would argue that "mastering" downward dog means getting your heels on the ground, but that takes WAY longer than six weeks.

Anyway, good luck, and work hard!

Well, with only ten days left in my rural retreat, it's time to think about what I'm doing when I go back.

Short version: beasting it out.

Long version: uhhhhh...

So, here is where I make some goals. I kind of don't know what I want to shoot for. Right now I'm barely managing to work out at all, so I'm starting to lose track of what kind of gains I should be expecting. Thus, the following is entirely a crapshoot.

GOAL 1: Retire the belt.

I've been using a belt to measure my progress as far as my fat loss goes. I was doing very well, but I hit a plateau almost a month ago. I've been struggling just to maintain my loss at all, due to stress and lack of ability to decide WHAT I'm eating (I can only decide how much, and that's hard to restrain yourself on). However, that excuse is, one, an excuse, and two, about to go away. I am currently on the last pre-installed notch of my belt, and it's a little snug. In six weeks, I want it to be too loose at this tightness. I know for a FACT that this is realistic.

REWARD: +3 CON, +1 CHA

GOAL 2: Kip-up

Yeah, I wanna do a kip-up. That's hard. I need to practice. I think I'm fit enough (though absolutely nobody has given me any good idea of how fit you should be to try this), but it's a skill. And practice hurts. I think anyone in the medical profession would smack me upside the head for doing this, but they don't need to know, eh? Unless I go to the ER. I'll fess up then.

REWARD: +1 STR, +2 DEX

GOAL 3: Group training

I have made great progress training by myself, but everyone knows that training with others is a good idea. Period. Thus, I need to engage myself in regular group exercise. This might be a martial arts class, a climbing group, or even hunting down the university's parkour club. It might be MULTIPLE of these. I'd add yoga class to the list, but I know I don't want to pay to do group yoga regularly. It's just not as high on my goals list.

REWARD: +1 STR, +1 DEX, +1 STA, +1 WIS, +1 CHA

LIFE GOAL: Direction

I have no idea what I'm doing. I need a real plan. Or something. I don't even know how I'll grade this, but I'll try.

REWARD: +3 WIS

Yeaaaahhhh...I'm pretty worried about this challenge. But as long as I keep working, I'm going somewhere good, even if it's not as fast as I'd like.

Work on leg flexibility.

Wait, what?

Anyway, the best key I've found is to stop that whole giving up thing. Screwing up is not a reason to think you can't. Screwing up a hundred times means you should practice a hundred more times. Times of trouble are things to endure your best for until times get better. Stop saying "I can't" just on account of the fact that you didn't.

I personally don't give much thought to the genitalia of my company. Most women in my life do as well or better at filling the relationship roles men are assumed to have with other men.

Youtube videos and a drive to improve are all you need!

Seriously, there are easily over 1000 parkour tutorial videos up on youtube. Heck, it might even be over 10,000. Certainly OVER 9,000!!!!!!!! Ahem. It's the way most of us get started these days, so don't be shy.

When I get back home, unscented deodorant is on my to-buy list. Then again, the times I've gotten smell-related compliments are times when I would think I would need deodorant and haven't used it...maybe I shouldn't use it at all except under extreme circumstances.

Results are in! Whether you're happy or sad, there they are.

At the risk of injecting politics: Woohoo Tammy Baldwin! First gay senator.

First OPENLY gay senator.

Summary:

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Thanks for the table, Nuala. I claim it in the name of Spain.

Overall grade is a B. In other words, an absolute disgrace to my parents (my parents are not Asian Dad Meme, but they're close).

I'm so much more fit than I was when I came on this trip. But I'm really getting worn out by this place. I'm hoping my return to surroundings that aren't entirely stressful will bring back my energy. I certainly know that getting to set my own schedule more than 2 hours per day will help, at least.

I missed the last 2 mini-challenges, so I'm sadly not eligible. But there are assassins who worked harder than I did, so they deserve the prize more than me, anyway. You guys are an inspiration to me, and I'll never stop trying to be like you. You know who you are. It's all of you.

I'm not sure where you're starting. HIIT can overwhelm people who aren't already involved in fitness, but if you've been doing martial arts and paintball long enough to be seriously concerned, then there's a good chance you have enough baseline fitness to take it.

Completely out of nowhere, I offer bodyweight training and parkour as EXCELLENT supplements to your current activities. Being used to moving nothing but your own body and clothes is great for what you're doing.

Hey, part of the challenges is learning where you really are and figuring out what you need to do to get better. That's how it works, right?

Yup! That's why this challenge went so much better than the last.

And you did it while being overseas and everything, which is its own kind of unique challenge.

You have no idea. If I could, I would add "not going ax-crazy" to my goals. I'd probably give myself a B, too, all things considered.

Challenge start: 2 sort of almost probably maybe

Challenge end: 5, close to being able to do 6

Yup, that's a good six weeks there.

Man, is it really time to post our results? Welp. Okay. I'll post them here and also add them to the beginning, and take progress photos either today or tomorrow.

1. 5 Pull-up

ROCKED IT THE F^%! OUT! That's an unambiguous A. +2 STR, +2 STA

2. Be able to do a one-armed push-up

YUP! I can do 2 at a time now. I might be able to do more fully-rested. Don't know yet. A. +3 STR

3. Three parkour workouts per week

Admittedly, this turned more gymnastics-focused around the halfway point, but I did parkour stuff too. Also, the last couple weeks saw me doing 2 instead of 3. But even doing those 2 is quite difficult, and still rather productive. Based on my progress, I'd say a B is appropriate here. +1.5 DEX, +1.5 STA

4. Writing

Uuuugh. I was doing well at first, but this is a HORRIBLE environment for writing. I'm still going to try NaNo, but I am not confident. Anyway, I deserve no more than a C. +1 WIS, +1 CHA

So, my report card says A, A, B, C. My parents would ground me, but it's still WAY better than my first challenge. I guess that means my next challenge needs to be EVEN BETTER.

EDIT: Wow, I need to up my CON. And I don't just mean to be randomly nerdy. My attention to my system health has been low. Next challenge will see a diet goal from me!

However when it comes down to biology there are only 2 genders.

NOPE

And everything else has already been said.

BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL!

Honestly, it depends whether you can bring a cat to cosplay as He-Man's cat, because that would seal the deal right there.

I have access to un-padded stools, which I'm guessing won't be terribly good. But my situation is changing in a couple weeks, so tell me how to use 'em anyway.

I've never even heard of a bar kip, so floor kip.