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So, a few years ago, before this series became a TV show on HBO, a friend of mine told me about it. I thought that it sounded interesting, so I bought the first book. I completely fell in love and got the next three books. There are a few characters that I love, and thusly a few that I love to hate. I finished the first three books rather quickly, stopped reading for a little while so that I could get some Christmas crafts done, and then picked up the fourth book once the holiday season was over. The problem now is that I am having a hell of a time getting into A Feast of Crows. Did anyone else that read this have this problem? I am thinking that it is because GRRM is neglecting a few of my favorites and talking about a whole set of new charaters that we don't know up to this point. I am like okay dude, I don't give a flaming rats butt about these new people, what about the people that you made me fall in love with? Where are they? What are they doing? Also, I am a huge fan of series since I tend to "inhale books" as my mom says, so single novels are just gone too fast and I am sad that I don't get to read about my dear friends any longer. So any series suggestions are also greatly appreciated. Thanks and happy reading!

If video game characters just had one chance to fight the boss,video games would suck. But we get to respawn any number of times. Just like I am doing now. Hey,it's just my second try. After my respawn about a year ago,which started off tremendously great(http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/65325-skinny-nerd-completes-25-push-ups-in-a-single-workout/), I got sidetracked by a number of reasons all of which I won't bore you with here. I guess my colossal undoing was mostly because of my constant need for motivation to do something. If I didn't feel like it, I gave up. So,I guess,in my first try,the boss won after all. And now I'm hitting 'RETRY' again. I won't say that I'l defeat the boss once and for all this time. Instead, I'l just say that I'm ready to fight the boss one more time.I won't say that I won't fail like I did last time. I'l just try something different this time. Instead of relying on motivation, I think I'l stick with discipline. I'm going to take emotion out of the equation. Maybe I won't be able to do it this time. Maybe it isn't as easy as it sounds. But I'm gonna try nonetheless. Today, after almost months of half-assing my vastly aberrant intermittent workouts, I finally did a workout that almost made my tongue drop out. Push ups:5,4,4,4(17) with 40 second breaks Squats:10,10,5,5(30) with 40 second breaks Planks:25 seconds,25 seconds(50) with 40 second breaks And it felt good!! Previously I used to dread that feeling. But today it was great. Maybe I'l just be passed out on my bed the next two days.But it definitely will be worth it. Like the title suggests, I just visualized how Tyrion would handle the fight with the Skyrim boss dragon Alduin. Weird crossover indeed, but I guess it would be fun nonetheless Although, in my story, Tyrion uses a Nightingale Bow to fight Alduin instead of the crossbow which he used to kill his father Tywin in the finale of season 4. And he fires the first arrow right at Alduin. And he isn't giving up yet

In the words of Maester Yandel, “The People of the Stormlands are like unto their weather. Tumultuous, violent, implacable, unpredictable." They are also some of the strongest, toughest, and most ready for war. I said in my last challenge that Dorne is my favorite of the seven kingdoms, but my favorite houses are all Stormlands, especially the Marcher Lords who guarded the lands of the Storm Kings of old against their enemies to the South (Dorne) and West (the Reach). Rather than doing a history challenge, I'm going to highlight the many amazing characters in show and book who are Stormlanders, and try to emulate them in some small way. (Once again, I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but there may be a few for Season/Book One that I can’t white out without whiting out the whole thing) I must start, of course, with House Baratheon. Storms End Durran’s Point, Shipbreaker Bay– King Robert Baratheon is a once-powerful man, now gone to seed. A man with enormous appetites and enormous temper, as well as a once-enormous strength. It’s folly to look to Robert for an example of wisdom, but for strength, stamina, and natural charisma, he is a paragon. I will honor Robert’s appetites (especially his love of hunting and meat) by ensuring I make my protein goals each day. Straight percentage of protein servings eaten. CON 2 King/Lord Stannis Baratheon embodies the implacable nature of Stormlanders. A grim and determined man, he survived a siege at Storms’ End during Robert’s Rebellion, until Davos Seaworthy smuggled in onions and salt pork. He also tirelessly leads his armies on forced marches during the War of the Five Kings, including through the unforgiving Northern autumn. I will honor Stannis’ endurance by putting one foot in front of another for the entirety of the challenge. 50,000 steps per week. STA 2 DEX 1 King/Lord Renly Baratheon, the youngest child of Lord Steffon Baratheon, is seen by many as Robert come again, in his hale and hearty youth. Like Robert, and unlike Stannis, he has the ability to make friends of his allies, binding men and women to him with love and admiration, not merely grim duty. As lord of Storms End, his support from the Stormlanders in unsurprising, but it is his alliance with Highgarden through Margery and Loras Tyrell which enabled him to boast that “You may have the better claim, but I have the bigger army”. Renly knows well that an army marches on its stomach, and the rich, fertile lands of the Reach are his best allies in face of the coming winter. In honor of Renly’s vigor and appreciation of beauty, as well as his alliance with Highgarden, I will add more produce to my diet. 5 fruits and veg daily – percentage of success. (to succeed, one serving of leafy greens or salad is necessary) CON 2 CHA 1 Moving south into the Red mountains brings us to House Selmy. Harvest Hall, in the Marches. As a major Marcher house, House Selmy has fielded many mighty warriors and fine knights. In the late second century after Aegon’s Conquest, no living knight is more famous and admied than Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard, called “the Bold”. He entered a joust at age ten as a Mystery Knight, and won renown not only on the Tourney field, but also serving as a member of the Kingsguard under King Jaehaerys II during the War of the Ninepenny Kings, King Aerys II during Robeert’s Rebellion, and King Robert I during Balon’s Rebellion. He is currently serving Daenerys Stormbord as Queensguard, and offering not only a strong sword arm, but also much-needed advice and insight into Westeros. In honor of Ser Barristan’s wisdom, I will keep up with the Omer daily. WIS 1 Continuing into the Marches brings us to another Marcher stronghold, Blackhaven, seat of House Dondarrion, in the Marches. While less famous than Ser Barristan, Lord Berric Dondarrion is nonetheless an honorable and able knight. Founder of the Brotherhood without Banners and walking miracle, Lord Berric is resurrected by the Red Priest Thoros of Myr and becomes more symbol than man, protecting the smallfolk from the ravages of war. However, Lord Berric’s renewal is a double-edged sword, as his memories and self are disappearing under the weight of mission. To honor his sacrifice and attempt to not fall into the trap of losing self in my mission, I will meditate and stretch 5 times per week. Stretch/Meditate 5 per week. A contemplative or restorative yoga session can work. WIS 1 DEX 1 Swinging southwest, we leave the Marches for Tarth, and island in the Narrow Sea, seat of House Tarth of Evenstar Hall. Its best-known scion (apart from Ser Galladon Tarth of legend, wielder of the sword Just Maid) is Brienne of Tarth, former member of Renly’s Rainbow Guard, now in service to the women of House Stark. Despite being no knight, Brienne is a model of knightly behavior and chivalry. She trained her entire life, and became strong and skilled enough to win the great melee of 166 knights at Bitterbridge, besting Loras Tyrell and much of the combined chivalry of the Reach and the Stormlands. She also fought and bested Ser Jaime “the Kingslayer” Lannister (though admittedly not at his best). In honor of her dedication to her cause and hard work, I will train for strength four times a week. Train for strength and health four times week. A video, a bodyweight, or a shovelglove session all count. STR 3 This leaves (among famous Stormlanders of recent history) two other “houses”, scattered and unknown. The first is (so spoilery for the books that [seriously] don’t read this unless you’ve read all the books through Dance or never ever intend to. I was going to leave this out completely, but I couldn’t. This is going to be all whited out, forever, because he doesn’t exist, as far as anyone in the Seven Kingdoms is concerned, and his goals are also hugely spoilery. Fair warning, seriously don’t read this. Also, for those of you who have, I’m going out on a limb and writing my opinion of what’s really going on, going a step beyond what we actually know. So half of this is fan theory/headcanon. Ok? Ok.)**** Ser/Lord Jon “Griff” Connington of Griffon’s Roost, located on Cape Wrath. A close friend of the late Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Connington fled Westeros after the Battle of the Bells. While exiled in Essos, he joined the Golden Company, where he fell in with Blackfyre supporters and eventually was chosen by Illyrio Mopatis and Varys to be protector and guide to Aegon “Young Griff” Targaryen, a pretender to the Iron Throne and probable Blackfyre heir. (The Golden Company is literally led by Bittersteel’s gilded skull. He’s totally a pretender.)**** The second is the lost scions of House Baratheon, true (if not trueborn) heirs to Robert. Scattered throughout Westeros, got on highborn ladies, commoners, and prostitutes, there are Stones, Waterses, and Storms aplenty with the blue eyes and black hair of their father. Relevant to the current tale are Mya Stone (Robert’s probably firstborn) of the Vale, Gendry {Waters} of Kings’ Landing, and Edric Storm. In honor of these other Stormlanders, dispossessed and scattered, I will try one new thing over the next four weeks, once for each. Ideally, something climby for Mya, hammer for Gendry, educated for Edric, and ???? for Connington. This is purposefully vague, but it needs to be something a little big. Cooking a new dish would count, ordering a new thing at a restaurant wouldn’t. CHA 1 (I don't know why no one makes Edric Storm fanart)

(A lot of this is unnecessary flavor text, and contains spoilers for the books up to and through ADWD. Spoilers will be in white, so just click and drag over them. I'll try to use spoiler-free images, but no guarantees. Follow at your own risk. I may use show images, but going with book continuity. I'm also still figuring out point allocations for these.) House Shoute is a stony Dornish House. Their seat of Falconscry is located between Blackmont and the High Hermitage, along the Torentine River in Northwest Dorne. House Shoute is first recorded among the bannermen of the Kings of Blackmont, and therefore is descended from the First Men, but has intermarried with Salty Dornishmen, who claim descent from the Rhoynar. Falconscry is a small fortress built into the mountainside, overlooking two small valleys to either side. The land is fertile enough to support a few villages, but the Torentine is only navigable to Blackmont upstream and halfway to High Hermitage downstream before rapids and waterfalls render river trade impossible. Falconscry has remained close to House Blackmont, and therefore shares their unwavering loyalty to House Martell in these difficult times. Therefore, border tensions have been quelled for the present, as Sunspear and Highgarden are allies, as goodbrothers to the ruling Baratheon/Lannister king. However, shields taken from Tarly and Mullendore knights in marcher wars past are proudly displayed in the great hall. Prince Doran is keeping his cards close to his chest, as to his plans for Dornish involvement in (and victory of) the great game of thrones. However, we know that he left books with Arianna in the tower on three subjects, including Dornish history and Dornish law. As loyal bannermen to House Martell, we will devote ourselves to study of Dornish history and attempting to emulate our Prince’s careful planning for the future. Dornish History Challenge: Age of Heroes: House Dayne’s retrieving of the fallen star and carrying it back to create the greatsword Dawn. 3x/week weights. Whether gym, bodyweight, aerial class, or a weight-centric Darebee workout. Nymeria’s landing: 10,000 ships of Rhoynish refugees travelled all around the Summer Sea to find a new home (and create a new, fused culture) in Dorne. Run 60 minutes/week. Dornish Toughness and Baelor’s walk: When Daeron I refused Meria Martell’s offer of cooperation, insisting on total submission, Dorne resisted. While they couldn’t stand long against an onslaught by dragons, the Highgarden governor left to rule was plagued by guerilla attacks, and after Daeron’s death, Dorne successfully threw off Targaryen rule entirely. His successor, Baelor the Blessed, walked to Dorne through the Boneway as penance. He survived exposure and snakebite, and married his cousin Daeron to a Mariah Martell, princess of Dorne, uniting the kingdoms. Mediterranean diet. I need to get out of the bad eating habits I’ve gotten into, particularly the heavy, wintry foods I’ve been indulging in. I will carefully log all food and drink for the challenge’s duration, and attempt a Dornish diet, heavy in legumes and fresh vegetables, seasoned with herbs, lemons, and spice rather than salt and creamy sauces. Planning for Dornish future minigame: Prince Doran is diversifying, especially through his and his brother’s children, ensuring that The Martells will survive and thrive whatever happens in the War of the (Five? Four? Five? Three?) Kings. Trystane’s engagement to Myrcella Baratheon: getting cozy with the Lannisters for now is the prudent move, and Prince Doran is nothing if not prudent. Lannister gold is nothing to be sneezed at, plus, free hostage! Save $____/paycheck. Arianne’s change of plans, Viserys to Heiress: I’m very lucky to finally have full-time employment, and we are hoping to get a house soon. There are lots of little tasks to complete, such as applying for loans, looking into grants for first-time homeowners, researching, etc. I'm thinking any two completed per week is a completed point. Quentyn’s Dragon riding aspirations: I’d like a buddy to jog with, but both she and I need to get used to being on a leash. Taking Haruhi out for leash training at least once per week. Travelling with the Sand Snakes: Whether marching off to war with Obara, travelling to fill a Small council seat in King’s Landing with Lady Nym, infiltrating the Faith by posing as a septa to befriend the High Sparrow with Tyene, or Yentl-ing my way into the Maesters’ Academy at Oldtown with Sarella, you need to take food with you. Prepping food for bento lunches, trying at least one new recipe or formula per week.

Trudging through the knee-deep snow, Castle Black looms like a haunted fortress before my eyes. While doubt and fear boil beneath my skin, I remind myself that this is my calling; it has been since birth. I chose to take the black. What else was a poor bastard to do? It was squiredom or the Night’s Watch. The choice seemed clear before it became a reality. As the north winds rustle my heaviest cloak, I muse that I still have time to turn back. I could return home. I would risk being ridiculed and slandered for turning my back on the Night’s Watch, but at least I’d be warm, my belly full, and my bed soft. I could abandon this life all together - travel beyond the wall and join the Wildlings, foraging for warmth and battling hunger the remainder of my years. As these thoughts continue to torment my travel-weary mind, a voice calls out. “You there! Are you the lad Winterfell sent word of? Get in here, child. Don’t you know Winter is Coming? You’ll freeze your bloody fingers off.†I steady myself in place, heave a deep, shaky sigh, and begin my slow trek forward to the rest of my life. MAIN QUEST: Train for Half Marathon April is getting closer and closer. My main goal is to continue to train for the half marathon. I have a goal finishing time of 3:30:00, and I really, really hope to come in under that. The rolling hills of Kentucky might have it out for me, so I am looking for more hill laden runs as we get closer. I am in my final month and a half of training… and these next few weeks will be criticle for me to stay on track health, wellness, and fitness wise. GOAL ONE: Survive the Wilderness - Winter Running 3x per week It’s winter in Minnesota and for some stupid reason I decided to train for a half marathon. Baring risking frostbite (-10 or more with any kind of wind means 30 minutes til frostbite on any exposed skin), I want to get it all done outdoors. Like a champion. Or an insane person. Week One: 3/3 Week Two: 3/3 Week Three: 3/3 Week Four: 0/3 GOAL TWO: Forage the Forest - Fix the Bonking- 5x per week Bonking is apparently the term for when you gain weight during distance running training - say a half marathon. It comes from improper nutrition for the endurance sports. I am frustrated because I have been counting calories and staying within budget, marking deficit each week, and nothing is happening. I have been reading a lot, talking with Doodlies and Rangers, and I think my issue is a combo of low protein and low carbs. I am going to focus on getting my macros in as close as possible 5 days a week. (Macros: 135g Protein 180g Carbs 60g Fat - Will adjust as the body dictates, but roughly 40%, 30% and 30% and 1800 pre-workout calories). If I am within reason, I’ll get the point for the day. Leaving room for error while I adjust to this. Week One: 5/5 Week Two: 5/5 Week Three: 5/5 Week Four: 0/5 GOAL THREE: Combat Skills - Strength/Conditioning 4x per week My current half marathon plan includes one cross training day and one strength day. I’d like to add two ab/core days to my rest days. Those tend to not be big calorie burners, so I think that will still count as a rest day. My latest plan works abs/core into my usual strength days. I am modifying this to be hip flexor training. I have a series of three hip flexor strengthening moves (hip drive, front cross, and lateral raise) with resistance bands. These are going to help me get my pelvis in peak position for better running form. Week One: 3/4 Week Two: 3/4 Week Three: 3/4 Week Four: 0/4 LIFE SIDE QUEST: Standing Watch - Rewrite My Resume- 4 per challenge It’s been 8 years since I updated my resume. I’m not saying I am leaving my job, but I am saying that this isn’t smart. I want to be smart - because we never know what life may throw at us. My goal is to rewrite my resume and post it up on LinkedIn by the end of this challenge. There are a few tasks needed to complete this: gather my job descriptions (1pt), rework them into a basic resume (1pt), have a peer review (1pt), post my resume (1pt). If those tasks are done by the end of this challenge, it will be a success. Gather Materials: 1/1 Reword Base Resume: 1/1 Peer Review: 0/1 Post: 0/1 Week One Success: Acquire Direwolf Companion 9 points + (75% success) 12/13 Week Two Success: Acquire Longclaw Sword 10 points + (80% success) 11/13 Week Three Success: Acquire Plucky Best Friend 10 points + (80% success) 12/13 Week Four Success: Acquire Dragonglass Blades 11 points + (85% success) 0/13 Challenge Success: Promotion to Lord Commander of Castle Black 44 points + (85% success) 35/52 “Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to comeâ€

The time of season’s change will be upon us soon. Winter is coming. We know not exactly when but winter is long and brings with it many perils. I intend to be well prepared and well-armed. I seek health and happiness and no White Walkers will get in my way. In order to find my health and happiness I have decided to align myself House Stark. Starks may not have an easy job but they fight for what is worth fighting, they fight their own battles, and they stay the course even when things get tough. Main Quest: I am now starting my 2nd year of challenges and I have 2 main Quests. I am still pursuing my original quest to reach my ideal weight and/or bf%. I have struggled so far in 2015 to have any progress on this front but I am maintaining around 75-80 pounds lost. I may not be at my goal yet but my focus is changing from the fat I want to lose to the strength I want to gain. 2nd Main Quest is focusing on skills and strength to be gained – becoming Ranger of the North Motivation: Last challenge I trained for and conquered my first 5K run so to help motivate myself I have a new training goal. This one is more long term as I will not be participating until October 2016 but this exemplifies what I want to become. The Stark House S – Strength T – Tai Chi A – Art R – Rangers gonna Ranger K – Kilocalories In, Calories Out The Goals Strength – Strength training x3/week (x2 for Week 0) Activities vary Shovelglove*Strength class at gym (boxing, barbell, etc)Rock wall Climbing*Neila Rey workoutsYou Are Your own Gym workouts Tai Chi – Tai Chi practive x3/week (x2 for Week 0) I tend to have a lot of anxiety this time of the year so this activity is designed to help with meditation/relaxation but also with mobility. I’ll be learning the Wu style Tai Chi using this website. Art –1 hour of practice time per week I’ve been inspired by NF artists so I want to get back into this hobby. I haven’t studied in art and I never developed any real talent. But I found this website with lessons. I’ll be focusing on drawing and acrylics. I will also allow crazy quilting as an artistic activity. Christmas isn’t that far away after all. Rangers gonna Ranger - Focus on Rangerly activities. Each fitness activity for the strength or KICO goals that is of the rangerly sort will allow me to earn $2 for ranger gear. I just bought a sledgehammer for Shovelglove and I’ll likely need to upgrade at some point in the future as this was a started hammer. I also want hiking boots, and a backpack, and….. Rangerly activities include those already listed and indicated with an (*) but any other activities that meet this requirement will also count. This would be any fitness activity focused on functional fitness, self defense, weapon handling, etc… (Kilo)CICO – Maintain a deficit of 750 calories per day. Track better. Last challenge I merely needed to maintain any deficit and I merely maintained. I want to tighten the belt a little on this challenge so I need to keep the deficit a little larger and a little more accurate. CI – Using MFP. I’ll also be automatically adding 100 calories to each day to make up for those hidden calories until the data proves I no longer need it. CO – using my UP2 fitness tracker and aiming for calories burned of at least 2900 using various activities. I’ll underestimate the intensity of running to make up for the apps overestimation of calories burned. RunningHiking*Cardio classes at the gymRucking the dog*All will be tracked using the Spreadsheet of Epic Lore.

House Baratheon "Ours is the fury!" Fellow family members of the noble house Baratheon, we face dire contest from house Stark, Lannister and Targaryen, but what else is new? We will prevail, we will show them who is fit to rule and who should learn their place below us. And thus, I call ye to this table so we can plan their demise and our victory. Let's use this forum to support each other and mop the ground with the opposition on the mini challenges! Members of the house Baratheon cmwanderin Ocelot (summoned) Plitog TheWanderingGhost erosan Tundralily Waanie Talvi gillynomad BellaDonna Solstice Tiger SpiralGalaxy Terah JMitch Seth.E.Shaw Firedance Rowan Caldecot House influence on the realm Targaryen: 675 pts Lannister : 575 pts Baratheon: 550 pts Stark: 500 pts Challenge 6: The final push Time to go to war. The die has been cast. Attack (pushups) and defend (planks) to your heart's content. Keep track of progress here! Points to earn: Most pushups: 100 pts Most time planking: 100 pts And apparently several bonus rounds: ??? pts Challenge 5: Sitting on swords The throne is almost ours... can you feel it? We need to be ready to sit in it with style. So, let's do some wall sit ups. Final tally here! Points to earn: Most time "sitting": 3rd place: 50 pts Challenge 4: How low will you go? Time to get down and dirty. Army crawl time! Final tally here! Points earned: Most army crawls: 1st place:100 pts Challenge 3: Time to stretch After the hunt went a little overboard, the other houses are calling for some rest. Like a truce between houses has ever stuck around for long. Claim the feats in the list by posting a pic of you doing the pose, in this amicable game of one-upsmanship that is not prone to become a bloody battlefield of betrayal and conspiracy. Seriously, that never happens around here. Final tally here! Oh, and you can only claim 5 poses per day. Points earned: Most poses claimed: 3rd place: 50 pts Challenge 2: The Hunt Your king commands a feast to celebrate the jousting victory! That means we are going hunting. Go for Bunnies, Boars and Bears (situps, squats, stupid burpees). Keep an eye out for any epic game or legendary kill. Final tally here! Points earned: SIT UPS: 4th place: 25 pts SQUATS: 4th place: 25 pts BURPEES: 3nd place: 50 pts JUMPING JACKS: Gryffon slain: 50 pts ALSO! TheWanderingGhost is settling the humilliation we suffered at the hands of Lannister last mini, when they decided to rob us from our victory on distance. Go support your house, and your sister in arms. There is a PVP thread and a bet too. (The Stark house won this PVP) Challenge 1: Joust! Fools! they think they can beat us in a simple jousting competition! Let them taste our lances, and the might of our horses! (walking/running for horse power, lunges for lance power) Final tally here! Points earned: TOTAL DISTANCE: 2nd place: 75 pts TOTAL LUNGES: 1st place: 100 pts

My challenge is designed to make me an overall healthier, more well-rounded warrior. In addition to being strong and fierce, I also want to be fast and lean. Ahead is the winding path through Westeros I must take... 1. Speed of a Direwolf I need to prepare for the Run For Your Lives! Zombie 5k my husband and I are doing in Dec. I’m going to continue the Couch to 5k Program 2 x a week, I’m currently in week 3. Once I’ve hit 5k, I’ll continue to run a 5k once a week, decreasing to 35 min or less run time. A = 5K <35 min B = 5K <39 min C = 5K <43 min D = 5K <47 min 2. Strength to Climb the Wall I am on a quest to complete one NON-assisted pull-up. I can currently do 5 pull ups with 76lb assistance (59% of my own body weight). I’ll be using NF “How to do a Pull Up†as a guide. A = one non-assisted pull up B = two pull ups with 30lb assistance C = two pull ups with 45lb assistance D = two pull ups with 60lb assistance 3. Fit to Be the Mother of Dragons Tracking body fat last time was tricky, so I’m going to measure inches instead. Specifically lose 3†on my waist and hips, bringing my waist from 33†to 30â€, hips from 44†to 41â€. This would put me VERY close to my old level of fitness during Army days. I will tame the numbers by maintaining 1700 calories a day, 80g protein daily (90 was a bit ambitious for me). And I’ve realized that I am good about avoiding junk food unless I’m drinking, then it starts a cascade effect of bad food decisions. So no more than 2 drinks a week. A = lose > 3†from waist and hips B = lose > 2†from waist and hips C = lose > 1†from waist and hips D = lose 0-1†from waist and hips Side Quest: Strength of the Mountain I worked hard last challenge making gains on my major lifts, my goal is to not lose any of those strength gains. I will continue to lift heavy 2 x a week, rotating BP, Squats, Press, DLs and a few accessories.I understand that if I lose inches (and probably weight) my numbers might drop, so my goals are based off % of my bodyweight. So deadlifts will remain 100% of BW, Squats 82% of BW, BP 62% of BW, Press 40% of BW. These will be measured at the end of the challenge during a virtual lift meet day with myself. A = maintain all % B = any variation on any lift more than 5% C = variation more than 10% D = variation more than 15% Life Goal: Outwit Varys and Littlefinger While school is going well so far, I’m about to have a month of non stop quizzes and exams. I have to devote appropriate amounts of time to each of my classes. PASS / FAIL (we’ll see what my grades are)

After being a Ranger for nearly a year, I have realized that lifting is my workout passion. So, I am making the change that I have contemplated for a couple of challenges. Hi Warriors!!! Glad to be here. Now to really get the tonnage moving and become a meat tank. Diet and Fitness Goals 1. Pay the Iron Price. +5STR 2. Be Three-Finger Hobb. +2CON; +1WIS 3. Become a water dancer. +3DEX Life Goal 4. Become the Master of Coin. +3WIS; +1CHA How will I accomplish these Martin-esque tasks? 1. Add 75# to my total. Continue on my current strength routine, with a focus on moving more weight each week. My current total is 685# (230# Squat, 170# Bench, and 285# DL). I have wanted a 700# total for a while, but started doing the math and realized that is just adding 5# to each lift, and I am pretty sure I could do that right now, except maybe on bench. I will also be focusing on bench over OHP. Still gonna OHP, just not as much. Goal total by challenge end is 760#. 760+ = A, 745-759=B, 730-744=C, <730=FAIL. 2. Experiment with a new recipe/exotic ingredient each week. Research recipes on my favorite blogs, watch old episodes of Bizarre Foods, and branch out beyond my 5 or 6 go to meals. I will research this weekend and post probable recipes/ingredients. 6=A, 5=B, 4=C, <3=FAIL. 3. Work my balance. Slackline at least once a week. Do 10 minutes of balance poses 3 times a week. Slackline sessions: 6=A, 5=B, 4=C, <3=FAIL. Balance pose work: 18=A, 15=B, 12=C, <12=FAIL. 4. Fix my money issues. I have a small notebook to carry in my pocket. I will write down every single purchase I make, what is was, and how much it was for. I will then record this in a Google Docs spreadsheet so I can see just why I run out of money each month. The spreadsheet will be viewable by everyone so you all can say "Hey, stop spending money on bull crap. You gotta computer to build. Save some frackin' money!" Grading will be based on how well I track. Every week I will check my online bank account versus my pocket ledger. For each item that appears online and not in the notebook, I get a mark. <7=A, 7-12=B, 13-18=C, 18+=FAIL.