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Hello fellow nerds! I figure with so many of us on these forums there must be some crafters out there. I thought it would be nice to share past, present and future projects with each other. I love seeing how creative people are! I dabble in bits and bobs as the mood takes me, I knit, sew, felt and glue things. My current project is this scarf, not so nerdy, but pretty bad ass all the same. Before I've made Pokemon and Final Fantasy felt creatures; Since then I've made zombies and other spooky creatures too. But I've recently I've made hair clips too; The bottom two are in stages, I've got a green zombie badge and the one on the right is going to be a dead pool one. Of course my favourite one I also did Star Wars ones, too! I used the figures from the lego advent calenders, I also made them into christmas tree ornaments. Recent non nerdy crafts I've recently finished include A dinosaur; And a hat; My other half cross stitches, so he is currently working on this bad boy! So, that's my little dabble into nerdy crafts, I'm looking to make a sci fi blanket next, as soon as I finish the scarf that is. You guys must have some great projects, lets see 'em!

Do you have a creative quest among your challenge goals? Then join this ragtag, eccentric group of nerds to level up your health and fitness habits and your creativity. Sure, that's a lot of balls to juggle over the course of six weeks, but it's a lot easier and more fun when you've got buddies! YOU are invited to join The Renaissance Rebels for fitness, fun, creativity, and camaraderie! You can check out previous Renaissance Rebels challenge threads: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. If it looks like fun, signup on the Cross Guild page and post a reply below to introduce yourself. We're happy to have you!

Do you have a creative streak? Do you plan to have a creative life quest among your challenge goals once you graduate from Level One? Become an apprentice in the Renaissance Rebel Atelier and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow apprentices and the mentorship of experienced RenRebs! YOU are invited to join The Renaissance Rebel Apprentices for fitness, fun, creativity, and camaraderie! You can check out previous Renaissance Rebels challenge threads: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. If it looks like fun to you, sign up to be an apprentice on the Level One page and post a reply below to introduce yourself. We're happy to have you!

And since I just turned 45, let’s call it a mid-life crisis as well. The other day, I put on the Patagonia shorts that almost 2 years ago fit me like a sausage casing. They still fit the way they did 18 months ago – much better than when I joined the Rebellion, but still a tad snug. And I reviewed the weight stats from the last year and realize that I have made no progress at all. Granted, I have had a few injuries - the past couple of months I've been out with a tweaked back and stitches in my hand and has really set me back. I still feel that I should be further along than I am. I’m still in much better shape than I was 2 years ago, but I will get back to that point if I don't do something different. Life in general is good. I really like my life, but feel like I’ve gotten complacent and haven’t been working more on improving myself like I should. I have got to get out of this rut. I want to keep the 2014 goals, but must rethink my approach. 2014 Goal 1: Deadlift my bodyweight (170lbs/77kg)/do a pull-up. Currently deadlifting 125lbs/56.7kg/hanging 5 seconds Challenge Goal: It is not enough to aim towards getting in to the gym 3 times a week for weight lifting. This challenge, I will get up every morning at 5:30 and go get some exercise. I can stretch in my room when I get back, but I’ve got to get out of the house and work out. An early morning walk is acceptable a couple of times a week, but I’ll be in the gym at least 5 days a week. I’ll do some sort of weight workout 3 times a week. · Deadlift: January Start: 125 lbs; Challenge Start: 115 lbs · Squat: January Start: 105 lbs; Challenge Start: 95 lbs · Bench Press January Start: 75 lbs; Challenge Start: 70 lbs · Overhead press: January Start: 60 lbs; Challenge Start: 55 lbs Grading: A= 37-42 days (+2STR, +2CON); B= 31-36 days (+2STR, +1CON); C= 25-30 days (+1STR, +1CON); D= 19-24 days (+1STR) 2014 Goal 2: Make meditating a habit Take time to slow down and think daily. Meditating is fine, I guess. I don’t think I’ve been doing it long enough to see many benefits. I am rather captivated by James Altucher’s practice of coming up with and writing down 10 ideas daily. It makes sense to me that trying to come up with new thoughts (or at least getting old ones down in writing so I don’t have to keep coming up with them) has to be good for me. So, I think I’ll try it. On a sort of related note, I deleted Facebook and Twitter from my phone so I can get rid of those distractions when I’m not at a desk or laptop. Challenge Goal: Meditate for 10 minutes every day. Write down 10 ideas immediately following. Half a point if I do one without the other. Grading: A= 37-42 days (+2WIS, +2CHA); B= 31-36 (+2WIS, +1CHA); C= 25-30 (+1WIS, +1CHA); D= 19-24 (+1WIS) 2014 Goal 3: Complete a king-sized quilt. Machine or hand pieced, hand quilted. This is going fairly well, all told. I haven’t made much progress the last couple of weeks because I’ve had to rip out and re-stitch the same bit 3 different times. Frustrating. Challenge Goal: Work on a sewing project at least 10 minutes every day. Grading: A= 36-42 days (+2DEX, +2STA); B= 30-35 (+2DEX, +1STA); C= 24-29 (+1DEX, +1STA); D= 18-23 (+1DEX) 2014 Goal 4: Read one non-fiction book outside of my comfort zone every month. This is something else I want to keep up. June’s selection is Sister Wendy’s History of Painting, which I have yet to start. Pass/Fail Pass = +1WIS, +1STA, +1CHA Keeping up with the garden is still on my list – we’ve had a few hot days and the lettuce is starting to go bitter, but the sugar snaps are coming in, and there are a few tiny squash on the vines out there.

Heyo, fellow Nerds! Geek here, reporting for duty. Again. I've been out of the game for awhile, trying to get my life and everything else on track. I can't say for sure if I'm headed in a straight line yet, but I've got a job again and if all goes well, I'll be in school for a license to teach high school biology this summer. With that out of the way, I've been encouraged (read: poked by Stooshie) to rejoin the ranks of the NerdFitness challenge. I do sort of keep up with my Academy work, at least. Or I did until I started working Pods at work. Something about hauling 40-60 pound dogs around all day while they try to eat each other made me not want to do anything involving muscles when I came home. I know, naughty Geek. So here's the Mission! Quest….Thing Get back in shape, as defined by four things: 1. NOT getting out of breath when heading up the hill to the barn in a hurry. 2. Be comfortable with the idea and undertaking of hikes/walks that last over an hour. 3. Lose the extra pudge I've picked up over the past few months. This is an issue of body image and visual aesthetics rather than a true 'health' thing, but it is important to me. 4. NOT breaking into a panic when a family member insists that I 'go out and DO something'. With this quest in mind, and those criteria, my three goals for the challenge are as follows: 1. Exercise 5 days a week, with three of those days involving a walk of some kind lasting 30 minutes or more. The other two days can be anything exercise-y that lasts the minimum of 30 minutes. Right now I'm looking at time at the gym, Academy and Circus Yoga workouts, and the Jillian Michaels DVD a relative sent me. I'm going to be using The Walk on my phone to help track most, if not all, of my walking, since the incentive of making exercise a game really does help me. Completing this quest will net me +3 STA and +1 CON. 2. Practice yoga 3 times a week. This won't count as part of Goal 1, but as a supplement to it. Two of the three days will likely be the non-exercise days, and the third on a day off when I have the time to devote to a longer practice. The yoga will serve two purposes: first, to manage and expand my flexibility; and second, to remind me to take time out to breathe. Breathing is good, or so I've been told, and even more so at this altitude (nearly 8000 feet). Completing this quest will be worth +2 STR and +1 DEX 3. DO something 6 days a week. Especially on my days off, I'm very guilty of finding somewhere comfy to hide and just sit still most of the day. This is a baaaaaaaaad habit that I need to ditch. DOING something means doing something that requires my conscious attention and participation. Watching movies and television are out. So is reading. My one day of 'rest' will be on Fridays, when my family settles in to watch a movie together. Party Night has been an institution since long before I was born, and is one we've handed over to the extended family. You do NOT miss Party Night unless it's a dire emergency. End of story. Activities that are likely to take place include….quilting, sewing projects, learning to knit (a la Stooshie), cooking/baking, cleaning and organizing, and gardening. Completing this quest will be worth +2 WIS and +1 DEX. Exception: If Friday happens to fall on a day off work, I may DO something anyway and save my one day of couch potato-ness for a really bad day at work. Level Up Life SideQuest (Or, Leading the Ents to War, if we meander along in Stooshie's footsteps) Complete the patches for the wedding quilt I'm assembling for a wedding in July. It's a split rail, 5 colors, 56 patches with 3 patches already complete. Bonus: get 50% of the patches for Stooshie's LOTR-themed quilt assembled and ready for Stage 2. And there you have it! This Geek is going to try her damnedest to complete these goals and take a few steps towards the end of the Quest. Stay tuned for updates and a list of rewards (because holding something overhead while the victory theme plays should not be reserved only for video games).

...*cheesy soap opera narrator voice* .....When we last tuned in, Wandern was recovering from a mild tweak to what she assumes is her quadratus lumborum. She made great progress in her garden, some progress on her quilt, and had been meditating every day for the last 2 weeks of the last challenge. ....*/cheesy soap opera narrator voice* The past week was very lazy for me - the girls were on spring break, so I let myself sleep in and skip gym. So, the QL feels great, and it's back to the gym for me. I only managed to meditate 3 times this week, and didn't sew very much either. In the garden, the sugar snap peas are 4 inches high in the garden, some chard, lettuce and squash are starting to sprout. 2014 Goal 1: Deadlift my bodyweight (170lbs/77kg)/do a pull-up. Currently deadlifting 125lbs/56.7kg/hanging 5 seconds Challenge Goal: do some sort of weight workout 3x/week. Since it's been a couple weeks, and since I seem to be injury-prone, I'm going back to body weight workouts for at least the first week of the challenge. I'm starting to think that maybe I should only lift heavy once a week, and focus on bodyweight workouts the other two times. The weather has settled in nicely, so I know I'll be walking just about every day, so getting in some exercise won't be a challenge. Getting in to the gym and lifting something will be. I'm assuming my lifting weight is about the same as the beginning of last challenge, since it's been a couple weeks: Deadlift: January Start: 125 lbs; Challenge Start: 125 lbs Squat: January Start: 105 lbs; Challenge Start: 105 lbs Bench Press January Start: 75 lbs; Challenge Start: 75 lbs Overhead press: January Start: 60 lbs; Challenge Start: 55 lbs (yes, I went backwards. sigh) Grading: A= 15-18 days (+2STR, +2CON); B= 12-14 days (+2STR, +1CON); C= 9-11 days (+1STR, +1CON); D= 6-8days (+1STR) 2014 Goal 2: Make meditating a habit Challenge Goal: Meditate for 10 minutes every day. Grading: A= 36-42 days (+2WIS, +2CHA); B= 30-35 (+2WIS, +1CHA); C= 24-29 (+1WIS, +1CHA); D= 18-23 (+1WIS) 2014 Goal 3: Complete a king-sized quilt. Machine or hand pieced, hand quilted. Challenge Goal: Work on a sewing project at least 10 minutes every day. Grading: A= 36-42 days (+2DEX, +2STA); B= 30-35 (+2DEX, +1STA); C= 24-29 (+1DEX, +1STA); D= 18-23 (+1DEX) 2014 Goal 4: Read one non-fiction book outside of my comfort zone every month. For April it's A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich. I'm about 40 pages into it right now. May is still TBD.

Last Challenge was...challenging. And I did not rise to the occasion. Hopefully, the longer and warmer days will help me get out of my slump. That, and getting consistent with my "practice." Some things are best done every day. 2014 Goal 1: Deadlift my bodyweight (170lbs/77kg)/do a pull-up. Currently deadlifting 125lbs/56.7kg/hanging 5 seconds Challenge Goal: Exercise every day. Weights 3x/week, gym aerobics 2x/week, yoga or outside walking 2x/week. More than an hour of strenuous gardening can count as a weight work-out. Walking more than 1.5 hours can count as a gym aerobic work-out. Deadlift: January Start: 125 lbs; Challenge Start: 125 lbsSquat: January Start: 105 lbs; Challenge Start: 105 lbsBench Press January Start: 75 lbs; Challenge Start: 75 lbsOverhead press: January Start: 60 lbs; Challenge Start: 55 lbs (yes, I went backwards. sigh)Grading: A= 36-42 days (+2STR, +2CON); B= 30-35 days (+2STR, +1CON); C= 24-29 days (+1STR, +1CON); D= 18-23 days (+1STR) 2014 Goal 2: Make meditating a habit Challenge Goal: Meditate for 10 minutes every day. Grading: A= 36-42 days (+2WIS, +2CHA); B= 30-35 (+2WIS, +1CHA); C= 24-29 (+1WIS, +1CHA); D= 18-23 (+1WIS) 2014 Goal 3: Complete a king-sized quilt. Machine or hand pieced, hand quilted. Challenge Goal: Work on a sewing project at least 10 minutes every day. Grading: A= 36-42 days (+2DEX, +2STA); B= 30-35 (+2DEX, +1STA); C= 24-29 (+1DEX, +1STA); D= 18-23 (+1DEX) 2014 Goal 4: Read one non-fiction book outside of my comfort zone every month. Challenge Goal: Read a book. I still have to pick one. Grading: Pass (+1CHA, +1WIS, +1STA)