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Started a thread in the Druids last challenge and then went back to the Monks. Not sure why since I barely posted in other peoples threads. So here I am in the Druids again.... My challenge: 1- Morning ritual- wake before 7am, meditate 40 minutes, therapy light 30 minutes, breakfast 2- Tai Chi form 3 times spread out in the day. 3- Water Bending. Yup, you heard me. This: Back in the day I learned the first stages of samadhi by watching water falling. Watching water flow stops the internal dialogue and allows your mind to work more efficiently. So I just ordered this and as soon as I get it I will add this to my schedule. 5-20 minutes a day of whats called in Taoism, "Stopping the Water". You gaze at the water and you dont trance out or bliss out. You stay very aware of your surroundings like you are staring at prey without becoming prey yourself. What happens is it feels like time slows and you get a cool visual effect because you are not using your secondary visual cortex anymore. You are using both sides of your brain. Its hard to explain, but it is step one of samadhi or union. Step one is stopping the water, step two is feeling the water flow over you and the third is becoming one with the water. Its not mysticism but a brain biology thing. It sure seems all magical and mystical though.

[Fun fact: some letters are much easier to make alliterative sentences out of than others. -ed.] Main Quest: Become My Own Hero Motivation: In my last challenge I created an original hero for myself to look up to, but like any good hero he’s evolving as quickly as I am. I need to keep up! I’ve done lots of work over the past year or so to get my fitness stuff “baked in†enough to justify moving it off to my battlelog, so with that as my foundation I’m ready to put a little more effort into my “dump stats†and play around with some fun new ways to push myself, without sacrificing my usual skill-emphasis. Clever Spark: Redux (WIS+2, CHA+2) When we last left our hero, Superpowered Government Agent Drew Zimmer, he was in deep cover with a mysterious religious cult that was harboring strange secrets! What dangers lie in wait for our intrepid investigator? Find out in the next episode of “Nobody’s Heroâ€! Keeping track of word counts when you’re erasing and rewriting walls of text is really, really hard, so rather than tracking words as I progress with my writing project (started during the last challenge), I’m tracking time. This allows for editing, rewriting, adding, subtracting and planning for (maybe even starting on) additional stories about Drew and the strange world of Espers and Espionage that he’s been drawn into. 5 days per week, I will spend 20 minutes (or more!) working on “Nobody’s Heroâ€. Mmm.... spaaaarky.... Electroreception (DEX+2) In addition to his ability to generate electricity, Drew also has an affinity with EM fields that he likens to the way some sharks hunt by sensing the electrical activity in the muscles of their prey. In real life, it’s more like proprioception. Twice per week, I will spend 5 minutes of my regularly scheduled playtime practicing my skills (rope dart and/or breakdance) while wearing a blindfold. Zatoichi style! Phaneron Projection (WIS+3) Some speculate that the source of all esper powers is a more fundamental ability to project one’s own subjective view of reality, their “phaneronâ€, onto the real world thus making the perceived indistinguishable from the actual. Others speculate that this idea is utter nonsense. Even I’m not convinced of the whole “phaneron†thing, honestly, but it never hurts to try. 8 times per work day (not all at once!), I will attempt to do something small, but impossible such as push my hand through a desk or generate a spark gap between my fingers. If it actually works, then I’ll know that I’m dreaming and will hopefully become aware enough to take advantage of the opportunities presented by a full-blown lucid dream! You thought I was losing it for a minute there, didn’t you? It’s okay... you’re probably right. ^^; Doesn’t looks so hard... Electron Flow Control (DEX+1, CHA+2) Just cranking out amps is easy. To really maximize the usefulness of his exotic skill, Drew has had to learn to dynamically regulate the “contour†of any electrical current on the fly, whether he’s producing it or not. I went off on a bit of a rant a while back about my strong belief that “flow†(in the context of movement and performance arts in particular) is a skill in itself that must be learned and practiced independent of the “tech†that one embellishes their flow with. Time to put my proverbial money where my big, fat mouth is. I will practice freestyling (rope dart and/or breakdance) for 2-3 minutes 5 times per week. When I can do that, I will totally be posting videos of it. Stubborn Stick-to-it-ivness (STR+1, STA+1, CON+1) Everybody answers to somebody, even exotically skilled secret agents, and when Drew falls short of his mission requirements he’s given over to the claw-like grasp of the merciless Professor Marion for participation in extra experiments in the Esper Lab. At least she lets him play with the railgun sometimes, so it’s not all bad. My battlelog stuff may be fairly well “baked inâ€, but that doesn’t mean that a little accountability isn’t worthwhile. Once again, my regularly scheduled activities have been rescheduled a bit, so I’m keeping this mission on the list for a third challenge. Full details are in the battlelog, but here’s a rough outline: The following things will be done daily: 5-10 min “Shotgun†Training (hands, neck or calves depending on the day), 5 min Mobility training, 2-5 min handbalance training (working on elbow levers), 15+ min Skills/Movement (dancing, juggling/spinning, etc.), 6 min stretch, 10 min meditation. Also: Strength Training 3x/week and eating raw garlic 3x/week. I reserve the right to completely change anything and/or everything about this schedule at any given time, and to award myself “rest daysâ€, for which no points will be available, given that I have sufficient reason such as illness, injury, holiday, burnout, etc. “Stubborn†isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. Bonus Round! For the last two challenges, I’ve managed to participate in all six weeks of the Guild Mini Challenge, which has been a fun, and sometimes educational, bit of bonus work. I want to see how long I can keep my streak going! Let’s get versatile!