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Wait! A new board! How exciting! Am I late!? I'm coming, I'm coming!!! Summary for the quick reader: Likes: pull / push / bend Tools: body weight, parallettes, aerial silks, ball Focus: handstand, bent arm press, straight leg pulls, shoulders, hips, back bend Other keywords: GMB Parallettes 2, basil Yes I want to have a first go at GMB Parallettes 2! I completed Parallettes 1 last year and it was very enjoyable. After a few months playing on my own, I think it's time to follow a master plan again. There is a 1-month prep phase in the programme that I will follow during this challenge. The whole programme is flexible enough to be performed at different levels (e.g. you don't need to have a full planche to run it) but there are still a few prerequisites for it to be actually useful. I may have to iterate through phases a few times with some breaks in the middle. But this challenge will be my P2 starting point! There are 3 big items I want to focus on: > my bent arm press form: I need to start getting my arms into a 90 degree angle basically, it is very important for the skills coming up next in Parallettes 2. The prep phase will be great to focus on that and hopefully improve a little bit. > my handstand: I need to start getting 5s consistently. Again, it's a prerequisite for Parallettes 2 core phases. No HS, no P2 brownie. > straight legs in my aerial/pull work – this is not P2-specific but rather a forever todo list item... Beyond that, I will keep the usual, a fair amount of stretching, and an open space for push/pull skills, to relax a bit and just in case I want to do something a little outside the box. I have rigged my shorter black silks in a sling for a bit of change. Nothing really new in my goals, apart from a little and very limited sort of gardening thingy. I will start this Saturday! Still very busy with theatre, 11/30 nights so far! And I'm having a wee deload week right now. Primary Goal - Set square: Bent arm press 90 degree angle | Straight arms | Straight legs ~ Beautiful curves come from a straight line ~ A – GMB parallettes 2 prep phase (push 2x/week, and some pull-ups and stretching-the-cat sets 1x/week that will go into my B item) B – Custom aerial conditioning + ball drills for straight legs (2x/week) C – 5s+ HS consistency tracking: I will practice free HS 4x/week (including my workout sets + 1 extra session). I am limited to 25 attempts per practice (5 sets of 5). The underlying purpose is to stop just throwing my legs in the air and expect some magic to happen – or going into wild bunny mode, tiring myself for nothing. Each attempt needs to be prepared and meaningful. I haven't done this sort of tracking before so I'm not sure what my baseline is, something like one 5s+ HS every 20-25 attempts maybe, so 4-5 per week? I will check it out during the first week and try to improve. NB: I'm not sure I will use this tracking for ever because it's rather rigid and might be even unhelpful at some point. But for a month, I want to make each attempt count - no more no less. Contrarian goal 1: Preztel! A - General stretching session with a focus on HIPS and still some shoulders – 1x/week B - Customised GMB spinal flexibility and back bends – 1x/week C - Hall of shame entry if I do not stretch adequately after a strength session Contrarian goal 2: Freedooooom! An open practice space focusing on movement quality / good form and flow rather than reps A – On parallettes (a lighter push 1x/week and/or PvP every so often) B – On aerial apparatus (short sling improvisation 2x/week + sequencing/skills 1x/week) Life goal – Basil There is a variety of basil here but it tastes a bit different, not bad but different. I got some seeds for the type of basil I really like, let's see if I can manage to get something out of it. Apparently basil is easy to grow but erm... I will check my basil once a day. So far I planted the seeds, and bad luck, we are in a very rainy and cold week... Usually the sun light is crazy, but this week nada! I hope the seeds make it through

Winter in Alamut was, well, quite heavy! Time to focus on rounding things up and trying to make the heavy stuff feel a bit lighter – if such a thing is possible. Right now, I feel like gravity's little servant. The usual suspects are still around: silks, parallettes, red ball...(and the cat of course) And nothing very new with my goals, this is turning into a sort of battle log. I have reduced the list slightly because my schedule is quite hectic these days and my attention span has gone a bit out of the window. I'm hoping to regain some focus with fewer items Goal 1 Get a massage Stolen from Raptron. Come on, pick up the phone, get an appointment, can't be that hard Goal 2 Stretch – 2x/week + post-workout - General stretching with a shoulder focus - Customised GMB spinal flexibility routines (front and back bends) - Stretch after every practice, I have become fairly consistent with this but every so often, I bum it a little (mindless quick and dirty sort of stretching). If I don't stretch properly, I shall record it here on the wall of shame because this is really important. Goal 3 Parallettes and silks practice – 3 to 4x/week I made a new plan. I should be back to 1h max training in the mornings, and during the week-end, I can choose between a split push/pull, or a big push/pull and rest. I will see how this works out. Dimensions: Strength: rep work and conditioning, similar to last challenge with a new focus on straddle hold progression (aka hump your elbows). Skills: on parallettes, start working on elbow lever to straddle hold (stolen from the parallettes' PvP), and bent arm press to L-sit. On silks: polish the little sequence I worked out for my apparatus in the last challenge, working it on both left and right sides, and move reviews every so often to have some variety. Play/explore: look into this new combo parallettes + silks, play with press while holding the ball with my feet and free/open practice with silks too. I will officially start on Saturday. I'm currently still testing things.

Lightsaber skills Create a routine for staff containing the tricks I already know plus at least 2 new tricks to learn this challenge. Routine should be around 20 mins including warm up. (probably will be lots of video and bloopers this challenge) Why it's a challenge: Honestly, picking up my staff and playing with it is not really a challenge. I truly love it. However, the challenge lies more in the time management. I am THE WORST™ at time management. I have to structure my morning better to accomodate a 20 minute session and still get everything ready for work and get out the door with pants on and stuff. Why I want to do it anyway: STAFF!! And having more time to practice each day means faster progress. Find Jedi Calm Find two favorite meditations and do them every day, one in the morning and one at night. Why it's a challenge: See time management above. I don't have a solid grasp on how time works. I wake up with 10 minutes before I have to leave and I somehow think i'm gonna workout, meditate, cook breakfast, sit and eat breakfast, bullet journal, reflect on the day, pack for work, pack for after-work activities, and get there on time??? Why I want to do it anyway: Its good for my brain and my old therapist said i should LOL. Plus, you know, I'm gonna be a jedi someday so. Gotta practice. Get friggin' Flexy Using GMB's focused flexibility and some specific stretches my coaches gave me for my sad pathetic shoulder mobility, create a routine and stretch EVERY SINGLE DAY. STRETCH ALL THE DAYS. Why it's a challenge: I'm so, so, so not flexy and I hate stretching and I don'tttt wannnaaa doooo ittttttt Why I want to do it anyway: Big serious reason is injury prevention. The last two times I got wow-maybe-i-should-see-a-doctor hurt, it was because I pulled a muscle that would have been FINE if I wasn't a solid. And both times i went "that's it i'm streching every day now" and didn't. Less serious and fun reason, back handsprings!!! Re-create Spend at least 1 hour per day, or 7 cumulative hours in a week, doing something with no purpose. (ideas include, reading fiction, maybe drawing, playing video games (i haven't don this since i was a child) watching hockey without feel like i have to multitask.) Why it's a challenge: I WANT TO DO ALL THE THINGS!!!! As evidenced most recently by this challenge. I feel like i've "wasted my day" if i don't do something super productive every single minute. If I sit and continue to watch TV for 2 minutes after I've finished eating, I feel insta-guilty. Waste of 2 minutes. Could have been reading a textbook. Could have been doing a handstand. Could have been conjucating russian verbs. I jam-pack my days until i'm so over stressed that I crash, and then when i'm crashing doing nothing, I'm hating myself because i'm wasting time being unable to move. Why I want to do it anyway: If I get to be 75 and I speak all 12 of my target languages and i've mastered algebraic topology and non-relativistic quantum mechanics and i've fixed all the plumbing issues in all my neighbors houses and fixed everyone's laptop who asked and was all these things to all people, but I hated every minute of it?? NEver enjoyed my life? That's a fail. I need to do something purely enjoyable. Be a kid again. Come home and play for a bit before doing productive things.

I finally had my Assassin Level Up and have now gained a decent mastery of Teleportation by freeing the little Red Ball from the silks. I also started linking bent arm press reps on my parallettes. But the real grit is yet to come... On the programme: more conditioning (the beatings will continue until morale improves)... some string theory (aerial puzzles)... experiments in fluid mechanics (sequencing, movement quality, improvisation)... ~~ Overall goals – the usual suspects ~~ Increase push/pull strength More back flexibility Up aerial practice ~~ Artefacts and challenge companions ~~ A pair of parallettes Silks hanging from a low-height in-house aerial rig Red ball Teenage tabby cat ~~ Implementation plan ~~ Goal 1: Push-Pull - 3x/week - 12 sessions (Warm-up on floor & equipment) Core sets – 12 sessions: Bent arm press linked reps on parallettes x2+ set 1 Dead hang to inverted pike x3 from bars (no silks / wrapping to catcher Left / Right) Bent arm press linked reps on parallettes x2+ set 2 Long arms straddle up x2+ each side Supporting sets - alternating 2 workouts – 6 sessions each: Support A 1-arm hold progression LR Bent arm press hold on parallettes with ball Support B Meat hook progression on silks x2+ each side HSPUs in sling: 3+ reps working on good form Adding reps / moving to a new progression = bonus Goal 2: Bend - 2x/week - 8 sessions (Warm-up – general/prep stretching) Standing back drop to support / Elevated Jefferson curls Camel bend back drop / Pancake Elbow stand hold to bridge on sofa back to front / Legs behind shoulders/neck Aim at 3+ sets for each Goal 3: Apparatus puzzles - 1x/week - 4 sessions Low-height rig puzzles: find ways to wrap high enough modify / tighten moves to limit sliding / slack find decent exits when the floor is very close Try to solve at least a couple of those issues. Practice on both sides. This will require some prep during the week to get into my session with ideas ready to test. I made a little aerialist paper model to check my knots on a wee string. Here it is in a belay Examples of puzzles: S-wrap entry → helicopter → exit Belay entry with enough height left to hang from Catcher → angel → exit Ankle hang … Goal 4: Movement quality - 1x/week - 4 sessions Practice a mini-sequence but instead of doing plain reps, use each repetition to work on movement quality and improvise on it. e.g. minimalist / slow and sustained / flickery / body part focus / organic vs robotic / small vs big Have some plan for each session and report briefly afterwards about what works / does not, findings, dead ends and so on. Practice on both sides. Goal 5: Sequencing - 1x/week - 4+ sessions Work on sequencing with a bit of music. In my last challenge, I had a similar goal but I got myself entangled into a lot of constraints (theme / story / music / ball taking up space / different video takes to be put together). It still worked out and it was useful to get more training time in but I'd like a bit more freedom on that one. No upfront constraint on theme / music / length / moves. But still take a final video for accountability. Because my week-ends are Thursdays-Fridays, I will start on Saturday rather than Monday. In the meantime, I will continue my prepping to check specifics / feasibility / timing. Have a good challenge everyone!

Goal 1 — Paying the Iron Price: Continue the Stronglifts Program Last challenged I started Stronglifts. I took a break for a week for the holidays. I will continue lifting, reach Week 8, which will leave me with 4 more weeks for the next challenge. Week 1 ✘ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Goal 2 — A Warrior's Flexibility: I will stretch after every workout. I'm terrible at this. I always forget it, do some half-assed stretching while I cool down in the shower but I will make stretching as part of my workout routine as every great warrior does. Also, to counter the effects of sitting and because I've been suffering from low back pains since I can remember, I will do some 30s/1m spinal decompressions between Pomodoro breaks while working on the computer or whenever I'm leaving/entering my house. Week 1 ✘✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Goal 3 — A Warrior's Discipline: Track with diligence I'm also terrible at this. I forget to take pictures, take measurements and I always end up frustrated that I don't see any progress. I will take pictures, measurements, track sets/reps and weights properly and share them here. I have an appointment with a nutritionist in a couple of weeks and I'll sit down with her to set some more solid goals in terms of losing weight/body fat. If there's something I envy from the warriors, is that they're very diligent with tracking everything. Week 1 ✘ ✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Life Goal: A Warrior's Soul A significant of my focus for this year will develop, grow, and strengthen certain qualities of spirit, to work out my character and inner life as much (or more) than I do my body. I will pursue certain spiritual disciplines and make them part of my daily rituals. And just to keep me accountable and go with the tracking goal (and in case you're wondering which spiritual disciplines I'm pursuing). Meditation and Contemplation Week 1 ✘ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x ~xx% ~x Fasting Week 1 ✘ ✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Silence and Solitude Week 1 ✘ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Journaling and Gratitude Week 1 ✘ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Fellowship and Confession Week 1 ✔ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Study and Self-Examination Week 1 ✘ ✔ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 2 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 3 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 4 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x Week 5 ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ xx% x unicode: ✔✘☐

Hi everybody! I'm coming in late for the current challenge but I read somewhere than better late than never Quickly on my background: I'm a 38 yo woman, used to do powerlifting and then aerial dancing (silks and rope). I stopped aerial for 2 years and a half (needed a break and moved to another country). During that break, I kept weight lifting, more as maintenance than anything else. Then got myself parallettes and did about 3 months exclusively on them (GMB parallettes 1, which was very enjoyable). And 2 months ago I got myself an aerial apparatus, not very high (~2m60 or so) but enough for me to train again at home (no aerial classes where I live). I now train about 5-6 times a week, alternating parallettes+aerial and stretching routines. Length and intensity depends on how my body feels / how much rest I need (can go from 20mn to 2 hours, but usually it's about one hour in the morning before I go to work). I'm fairly consistent with my workouts but I have a tendency to go all over the place, and I'm a bit nostalgic of the level I was at, it can be very frustrating. I can do some tricks but I want to be able to start sequencing again and make it look good. I'm hoping to find some focus here, and feedback/support, see what people do with their own training, learn from that. The challenge format looks very promising and I love the guilds idea Let's see how it goes! What else, I'm a typical nerd in some ways (sys admin and developer for a small organisation), shows I like: Battlestar Galactica, Spirals, and I'm currently reading the whole Inspector Rebus series (Ian Rankin). I love languages, be it programming languages, natural languages, body languages... So here we go: Medium term quest (say a few months from now): create a 2-3mn video of a solo choreography on my mini aerial apparatus Challenge quest #1: improve my body lines / gracefulness. I tend to be very forceful or a bit wobbly and it's not a pretty sight. I want to do my usual workouts but focus on alignment / stability / tempo. I'm entering late so it's only a 3.5 weeks challenge for me :~ Goals press lines: 3 times a week: 3 sets of 3 reps of straddle bent arm press on parallettes focusing on movement control and quality (lines). I hope to see improvement in quality rather than just knocking reps. I thought maybe I could grade quality for each set: 0 = ugly, wobbly or less than 3 reps | 1 = passable | 2 = pretty (of course pretty is subjective and my bent arm press is not that pretty but let's say I can feel a difference between: holy crap that was horrid / mhm sort of okayish / not bad at all, and I take a video to check it out) Evaluation on 3.5 weeks: 11 times => 3x11 = 33, maximum pretty score = 66 aerial lines: 3 times a week on silks (sorry for the aerialist jargon, I could get pictures if needed) - drill: straddle up with straight legs from the floor (x3 left/right) - drill: same knee hook from straddle (x3 left/right) - drill: beats from same knee hock to grab the pole above (x3 left/right) - mini sequence: straddle up with straight legs from the floor to same side knee hitch to hip lock and back to floor focusing on movement quality (straight legs at all times, minimize arm movement): 3x left & right. I will grade quality here as well (0/1/2). Evaluation on 3.5 weeks: 11 times => 3x11 = 33 (on each side) for each drill, and a max "pretty" score of 66 for the mini sequence (I don't really need a "pretty" score for the drills). And there will be a score for my right side and my left side (poo!). Always stretch properly after each strength workout, I want to block a slot of 10mn doing various shoulder & hips/legs stretches, and not cut it short because I'm in a hurry or can't be arsed (bad habit!) Even if I have stretching sessions on their own, I feel that this bad habit has been a bit self-defeating. Life level up: smile (genuinely) to people the first time I see them (strangers included) I hope the goal setting looks ok. Goal 2 must be hard to read with no aerial background, basically it's drills and sequencing. The actual action is much simpler than the wording of it :~ See you all soon!

Last we left our hero, he was wandering a swamp searching for a new shard of the crystal. "Man, what's with this place!? I feel like I've been stuck in one spot for days! I think I better take a breather over here." Red builds a small fire and tries to observe his surroundings. "The crystal hasn't changed it's brightness in a while. I wonder if I'm making any progress in this swamp." After a short rest, Red decides to continue walking. The fog continues to make his body feel weaker and stiffer, yet, he knows he must press on. He then stumbles upon a peculiar clearing, and upon further examination he realizes that this place was where a severe battle took place. "What on Midgard happened here? It's just... horrible." As he slowly paced around, he heard a voice, "It's terrible, isn't it?" Jumping back Red looked for where the voice came from. "Who said that?! Why does it always have to be a random disembodied voice?!" A cloaked figure stepped forward. "I didn't mean to startle you, I'm sorry. I just saw you here, and thought you'd might like some company." Red after catching his breath, introduced himself, "I'm Red, I'm... looking for something in this swamp, but I think I'm lost. Actually, I'm certain I'm lost. What's your name?" The Cloaked Figure hesitated, "I'm... umm... I... Don't... Know?" the Figure looked away shaking its head, "I can't remember... I was here with... some... one? And then every... thing... was gone... I looked up and saw you..." Red looked at him puzzled, "You don't know who you are? Well, maybe I can help, Why not take off the hood, an--" "NO!!!" ".... Ooook. So the hood, stays on." "I'm sorry, but this is... you shouldn't... I'm sorry." Seeing the sad Figure, Red decided to comfort him. "Nah, Hoods are all the rage now a days. As a matter of fact, I--" Before he could finish his story, Monsters appeared! They slowly approached and Red and the Figure stood back to back, preparing to fight. "Uh oh! Looks like we'll finish this conversation la--" The Figure disappeared in a blur! Each monster was dispatched as quickly as it came and the Figure reappeared. Red was completely astonished by what he saw! "That. Was. Incredible! How did-- where did you learn how to do that?! You moved like a Lvl 99 Monk with Haste!" Red asked. The Figure hesitates again, "I... I don't know... I just... Moved." "Well you did a hell of a lot more than just move! I only saw a blur! You did something like this?" Red swung his elbow terribly outward. "Heh, no it's more like.. Well, I'll tell you what, why don't I show you? Maybe I'll remember something in the process?" * * * Red learns a new Technique! - I've decided to teach myself a new Muay Thai technique: Elbow Combos! Using a video from a very successful Muay Thai instructor, I'm going to learn 5 Elbow combos. Utilizing my 3 rounds, I'll start slow so as to perfect form, and then I'll speed it up to add more speed to the combos. Now I'm teaching myself by watching said video carefully and then imitating what I saw, so I might have it perfected by the end of this challenge, but I'm giving it my damnedest! Body still feels different! - I liked stretching every day, but I slacked off on it last challenge. So I'm renewing it for this one. Stretching 5 times a week! "I.. I think I remember something..." - A few nights ago, I lost sleep to an idea that I want to learn something new, it didn't matter what it was or how random said thing was, I was inspired to learn SOMETHING. This list was random, but I'm going to start learning something new and broaden my horizons. This is what my quick 1am list looks like Knot-tying Face Reading Lock Picking Finances Language Learning (Tagalog) Astronomy How to fly a plane General Business And that's about it. I am not going to have a fourth goal this time, if I did, it'd probably be a list of chores I need to/plan on doing. Changing an (expensive) fuse in my SUV, Rearranging my entire room, Selling stuff on Ebay, Shipping the thing that someone bought from me on Ebay, And general cleaning that my room desperately needs... Probably when I rearrange the room...

Overview / Motivation: This challenge will primarily focus on attacking my lingering low back pain / discomfort that I've been dealing with for way too long now. After some research, I came across some content on pelvic tilt which seems to be a big cause if not the sole cause of what I'm dealing with - too much time sitting in a chair at work all these years... I'm ramping down my training a bit to focus on yoga and some exercises to counterbalance the tilt. Fingers crossed I make some progress. Main Quest: Defeat my lower back pain and pelvic tilt Side Quests: Average 2 Weight Training Sessions / Week Points Potential: STR+4 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Complete 10 minutes of foam roller / stretching daily Points Potential: DEX+4 Grading: A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Complete 3 Core-focused Yoga Sessions / Week Points Potential: CON+5 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Life Quest: Complete my application to the 'Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being' Program at George Mason by July 21 Points Potential: WIS+2 Grading: Pass / Fail

Goal # 4 I will use my Scout skills to Skate 1 x a week This will be an aggressive skate with short sprints and high speed recovery times. I don’t really need to list this but I plan to keep track of it. Bike 3 x a week. I will ride to work at a leisurely pace. On the way home, I will stand and mash (high gear) and then sit and spin (low gear). Goal # 3 Exercise Plank x 7 a week Push up x 3 a week Chair dips x 3 a week From the last challenge, I found I started cramping from the aggressive ride on the way home so, Stretch x 7 a week Goal # 2 (Level up my life) Work 2 x a week in building or old house. With everything else going on, It is easy to ignore both of them. Goal # 1 (Level up my afterlife) Read the scriptures at night. (Matthew 16:26)

"30, huh? That's when the Warranty expires." - My brother-in-law, Spoken to me when I turned 30 this year So I know I've been really terrible at keeping up with my own thread, Life has always been in constant flux, but with that said, I've had one hell of an absence, I got sick with the flu for a week, then went on my colorado trip which I guess had medicinal properties because I got better on said trip! I don't recall telling you guys, but I recently got promoted to Senior Vampire Phlebotomist at work, and so while the responsibilities have increased, so has my pay. So now it's time for me to get back into the grind, but Life isn't without it's curveballs. Ever since, I've gotten back from my trip, my right knee has felt significantly weaker. It clicks whenever I walk up any stairs and now lately my lower back has that feeling that it needs to be stretched, but no matter how much I twist and turn, that feeling doesn't go away, hence the Warranty expiring quote. So! With that, let's put all of this into the story! * * * We last left Red stuck in an Astral plane that required him to chase his own shadow, beat it into submission, and then prepare his own body for their reunion... As the bright light fades, Red finds himself in an open plain, "Oooo... That was... weird..." He looked around, trying to regain his senses and as he took a step forward, his body felt different. His legs didn't move the way they used to, and his body felt 'heavier' although there was no physical change to behold. "... Oookay? Now then, let's get back to business! That lying frog, Edobar! I've gotta find a new way into that lair... Hmmm... Maybe I can draw them out instead..." Red pondered and pondered until he recalled that Edobar's master was a wizard, "That means that he'll sense magical items and objects! I've got it!" He pulls out his crystal shard and notices that it's glowing pretty brightly. "This is new... That must mean that there's a piece nearby!" The shard glows in Red's hand. He waves the shard around, watching to see any changes in the glowing, and when it did, it was pointed at a swamp with a hazy purple fog, Red sighs, "Of course, it's the dangerous looking swamp. Why can't the Crystal point towards a beach? Or towards a city of single beautiful women?" He felt a sharp jolt from the crystal, "Ow! OK, OK, I get it, towards the swamp, I go." As he gets deeper and deeper into the swamp, it gets harder and harder to see what's around him, he knows he's being watched. He draws his sword and uses the light from the crystal shard as lumination to see where he must go. "I best be on my guard. There's no telling what's going to pop out at m--" A snake lunges at him, he only has a split second to react, and slices it in twain. "I knew it! And seeing as to how the glowing is slowly getting brighter, it looks like I'm going to have to wade through this swamp, quite a bit." Heavier body - I guess that means that I've been out of touch with exercising for too long, I was sick for a week, and the trip following meant that I have been doing my body a great disservice! I will exercise 3 times a week! Either I will do my usual full routine with as many circuits as I can possibly fit (Max 3) or do 3 rounds of Shadowboxing with Arm and Leg Weights. Body feels Different - The problems I mentioned earlier are troublesome, and I need to find out ways to fix them, or at least contain them before I mess myself up even more. I'll schedule a doc's visit for my knee, but the back issues I'll look up yoga poses to help target it. I will stretch 5 times a week! Either in the morning when I wake up or in the evening before I sleep. Within the Fog - Let's face it, Consistency and I go together like Oil and Water. As hard as I try to maintain some sort of routine, I'm thrown for a loop. So I'm going to treat my third goal as such, I will do one of these things every day Guitar Practice Read (The Boy who Played with Fusion) Practice Tagalog Play video games Watch TV with my Mom

Original post: Challenge goals: 1. Minimize room. 2. Stretch every morning. 3. Exercise every day. 4. Serve less food at mealtimes. Details: 1. Let go of excess clothing, books, papers, miscellany, mementos, etc. Marie Kondo-style. Except she gives clients 6 months and I'm going to do it in four weeks (or five if I spill over a bit into zero week) because challenge timeframe. And because I still basically live like a college student with all my life possessions stored in a single room, so I don't have to do the whole house. 2. Greet the morning with a full-body yoga session. I've gotten really stiff and lost a lot of my flexibility from lack of stretching lately, and I want it back. Although I pretty much stay hidden in my room first thing in the morning, regardless of how much mess I make with goal #1 I should still have space for a yoga mat in here. 3. Two part goal, first part is do something active: swimming, walk 2 miles, do a day of Elements, do a dumbbell workout. If I come up with some other workout plan I like, I might consider adding it, but I think I already have so many options it's probably better to stick with what's here. Second part is just put pull up bar up in my doorway every day after Mom leaves the house (and take it down when she comes home). Usually having it up is enough to remind me to spend some time playing with it, but I can't keep it up 24/7 because the door doesn't close and my mom hates the sight of it. So just while she's not here! 4. Try to down-adjust "normal" portion sizes by serving a bit less at every meal. If it wasn't enough, go back for more, but check in and make sure it REALLY wasn't enough first. Does not apply to salad. Title: It would be more accurate to say "Wobbegong Cleans It Up" because exercise habits, physical space, and diet habits are all getting tidied this challenge. However, "Makes a Mess" sounds like more fun, and at the very least step 1 will result in a mess (temporarily).

Overview / Motivation: While things are still chaotic on the home front, there is a bit more of a routine emerging which opened the door for me to reconnect with my weights. This challenge will focus on identifying my current level of strength (after whatever I lost post baby being born) and start building from there. With all the new challenges with our new normal, this is also a good time in my life to reestablish my inner athlete - something I blog about which is focused on viewing our professional life (or whatever our current state of life may be) as an athlete. We focus on improving our respective game and working to become world class in what we do. I've lost my way a bit on this with all the craziness and need to rediscover this focus and discipline. Main Quest: Define my current fitness level while I adjust to life with 2 kids and no sleep Side Quests: Average 3 Weight Training Sessions / Week Points Potential: STA+5 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Complete 10 minutes of foam roller / stretching daily Points Potential: DEX+5 Grading: A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Complete 1 Heavy Bag Routine / Week Points Potential: STA+2 Grading A= Average > 90% B= Average > 80% C= Average > 70% D= Average > 60% F= Average < 60% Life Quest: Read Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni Points Potential: WIS+3 A= Read > 90% B= Read > 80% C= Read > 70% F= Read < 70%

So last challenge was quite successful in keeping me focused on my goals, while allowing me the flexibility to enjoy myself and not get burnt out. So I decided to continue it for one more challenge! Here's what happened last game: And just as a refresher, here's Da Rulez again: We'll see if I can beat my final score from last challenge!

Just completed my first challenge in... over a year now that I think of it. I've hit a rough point in my life, so that was a victory I'll happily take. My last challenge was with the Assassins, setting up a habit of morning kettlebell swings and Turkish Get-ups with a 15 lb kettlebell. I do the routine every weekday morning adding one more swing than the last time and a TGU on each side for every set of tens past 10. I'm up to 35 swings and 2 TGUs/side as of Friday. Since I'm a bard, I see no reason not to also pal around with the Druids. As long as I've got some momentum to keep me going, I want to try approaching from another angle. Like I said, I'm going through a very rough patch. And due to a mixup on my part, I won't get a prescription refill until the 9th. I figure now's a good time to work on mental health. I'm going to continue the pattern with kettlebells for the foreseeable future. That's a habit I'd like to keep. I want to see if I can pull off 100 swings before I look into getting a bigger kettlebell. So this time around I'm planning to get with some stretching and meditation. I've dabbled in both at various points but never was able to make a habit out of it. Let's break that pattern. I'm going to be looking around for some guides to yoga and stretching in general. I also think I still have a book I picked up years ago called The Shaolin Workout. It was a complete stretching regimen from an actual Shaolin monk. I'll work out the process over the next few days as I finish the research. I also tried metta meditation for the first time the other day. I'm curious to see if I can make this one stick. For an extra dash of motive, the task is to meditate for a minimum of 10 minutes a day. Doesn't need to be consecutive. The idea is to get to the end of the challenge with enough time logged even if I miss a session or two to add the Month of Meditation challenge to my character sheet. This is really the big one for me, the one I really want to stick. As a side challenge, I need to knuckle down and finish reworking my new shows. I'm working on a "Haunted Theater" presentation for a local ghost tour company called Haunted Pittsburgh and developing private parties for doing historical seances. All I really need is 4 weeks to have a show I can sell.

Hello everyone! If you saw my last challenge, you know that April was kinda ridiculous for me, in that there was just a whole lot of changes and I never really had time to spend on myself. I've decided that May will be better, so I'm starting now! I'm switching back to my original challenge format, just because I want a bit more structure this go around, since my life is still in flux (someone else gave notice at work, it's unknown how this will affect my already affected job). I don't forsee any trips etc coming up this time, so I'm ready to get rolling. (I'm a Monday start fan, so my weeks run Monday-Sunday here for tracking purposes) Quest 1: Use my shiny new gym memembership: I will take a fitness class once a week (preferably a new class each week). Because the class membership doesn't start until May, to compete this goal this week I have to actually sign up for that class membership Quest 2: Do 3 other workouts during the week: This can be anything from walks with my husband (still trying to get that going for the year) to S&S to more gym workouts, including classes. I'll also count working on the minichallenge here. Quest 3: Have (at least) 3 no drinking days a week. Quest 4: Since I got a shiny new lunch box as a reward last challenge, I have to use it, and that will involve posting one pic a week here of my healthy snacks. Quest 5: Spend 2 hours stretching over the course of the 4 weeks. Bonus quest: finish this dang baby blanket I've been knitting Reward: Since I'm a stationary nerd, my reward for completing is a new planner (mine runs out at the beginning of June) and a fancy notepad for taking meeting notes. No theme, it's a gif free-for-all! I feel like this is the perfect date to get started!

In this challenge, Ashe (me!) will take on each lane and the jungle to complete her quest. Ashe must also battle her way through the enemy turrets, which are stronger as she edges closer to the opposing base. At the end of the challenge, if all lanes are cleared and all turrets are defeated, Ashe will do battle with the Nexus within the enemy base. Once a week, Ashe will also be GANKED by a random champion. A random roll of the die will add Ashe’s weekly side quest which you can check out HERE. Completing each gank successfully will unlock one of Ashe’s in-game abilities to contribute to her strength in the final battle at the enemy Nexus. AND LAST, we’re starting with a Zero Week cause I’m too antsy! Week zero will unlock Ashe’s in-game moves, which will naturally help her defeat more turrets and the Nexsus in that they are just necessary training Will victory be forged, or will defeat come to the Frost Archer?... 1. Faster than my arrow? I think not. a. PIIT28 Round 2 b. 4 points per week – 20 points total c. TOP LANE - Cleared by 2 consecutive weeks of all 4 PIIT28 workouts 2. No, really, put that apple on your head... a. Log Daily and HONESTLY on MyFitnessPal/Instagram b. 7 points per week - 35 points total c. MID LANE – Cleared by logging 3 consecutive weeks of food on MyFitnessPal/Instagram 3. Avarosa guide me. a. Heart Rate Training Runs b. 2 points per week - 10 points total c. BOTTOM LANE – Cleared by achieving 6 heart rate training runs 4. For the Freljord! a. Desk Stretches 2x Per Day b. 10 points per week – points total 50 c. JUNGLE – Cleared by completing two consecutive weeks of 2x per day 5. Take a good look; it’s the last you’ll get. a. Survive the Ganks b. 1 point per week – 5 points total c. GANK’D – Cleared by completing each surprise attack

I'd like to compile a list of resources here of techniques for managing hand pain and maintaining all those other important aspects for hands, like to dexterity and strength and mobility and flexibility and stuff. I lost my favorite hand yoga program on YouTube, so I'm looking for alternatives. If anybody has anything I would love to see it. Bonus points if it is specific to musicians, even more for woodwind instrumentalists.

Maybe referring to the upcoming move as a cataclysm isn’t the best of starts, after all there is no Deathwing coming to tear my world apart, but right now that’s how it feels. My life will be upended, and I will have to build anew. And that’s great, but the build up to it is so far more stress than I’m able to properly handle, and trying to tell myself that it’s ok, that it’ll be fine, is not making things any better. Stress is my dragon, it is having an increasingly negative impact on my life, and I need to get it under control before it gets any worse. And that’s what brings me to the druids. For this challenge I’m keeping things as simple as I can in an effort to regain my calm. The Goals 1. Meditation - Daily. I’d like to figure out a time that works best, and I’d like to try out a few different variations. 2. Declutter - Also daily. No matter how big or small, some part of the mountain of stuff I’ve accumulated has to vanish daily. Ditch or donate, it doesn’t matter. Apart from anything else, it will make moving across the country easier. 3. Sleep - Eight hours per night. The only exception is to be when I’m scheduled to work an opening shift after a back shift, an unfair and underhand tactic work uses which leaves me roughly nine hours between the end of one shift and the start of the next. 4. Stretching and burpees - Another daily one. Stretching is to be done on rising and right before bed. Burpees are to be done throughout the day, and the amount of burpees done must always exceed the number of burpees done the previous day. 5. Walk - My current mileage is between 11 and 16 miles a week, depending on how many days I’m scheduled to work. My aim is to bring this up to 20 miles per week. >>> Sidequest: Stress Relief - Anything that takes my fancy, really. However anything I pick up must be continued for the duration of the challenge, otherwise I’m not really going to get much of an idea at how good it is for relieving said stress. >>> Sidequest: Socialise - Post daily, no matter how small the update. I’m going to utilise a technique I found particularly effective during the last challenge, and that is that I will post by 8:30am every morning (on my days off and when I’m working back shifts, that is). I’m not sure what the penalty for not doing so will be yet, but last time just saying I’d do it provided sufficient motivation to get me out of bed on time. And that’s it. Simple, fairly loosely structured, and hopefully effective.

No rest week for me. For me, it’s harder to get back on track than it is to just keep swimming. I had so much success with my first challenge and I’m paranoid about the second challenge. I know I can do it, I did so much better with the first challenge than I expected, but I know my track record. But this time, it’s all about building the habits and I’m well on my way. I’m going to lay out this challenge just a bit differently. I’m going to expand on challenge 1 goals, and set my grading scale from the start. Nutrition Quests Track everything I eat, every day. When I track, I’m so much more aware of what I eat and I stay on track. It’s a sort of numbers game which flips a switch in my head that really engages me. Tracking isn’t just a good way to keep track of how I’m doing, but the practice of tracking itself keeps me engaged. Drink 64-80oz of fluid daily, not counting coffee Stay on track and THINK about what I’m eating, every time. I don’t have to be a saint, just track all the things. At least one fruit and two vegetables a day, including my smoothie Scoring: Based on tracking every meal on MFP 50 XP: Perfect score 25 XP: Missed 1-2 meals during the challenge 15 XP: Missed 3-5 meals during the challenge 5 XP: Missed 6 meals during the challenge Bonus XP: 64-80 oz fluid intake reached daily 25 XP: Perfect score 15 XP: Missed goal 1-3 days 5 XP: Missed 4-5 days Exercise Quests Walking 5K Monday – Friday Rest day Saturday Stretch class on Sunday (yes, self, even when it’s insanely cold) Scoring: Based on walking 5K 4x/week, stretch class 1x/week 50 XP: Perfect score 25 XP: Missed 1-3 planned walk/stretch sessions 5 XP: Missed 4 planned walk/stretch sessions Personal Quests After a long period of issues with my feet and ankles that I’ve let go on for far too long, I finally saw a doctor last week. It’s time for the foot surgery I’ve been putting off for some time. I knew it was coming, but now that it’s here, I’m going to do my best to treat it like the opportunity it really is. This is hopefully going to resolve the foot and ankle pain that has kept me from running and lifting, and other things I enjoy. In the meantime, I’m planning for the downtime. Prep for foot surgery (5 XP) - Find things to keep myself busy - Plan food, grocery shop - Schedule cat sitter - Find exercises I can do in bed and in a chair - Find stretching routine I can do in bed and in a chair * Set up NF epic quest log (5 XP) * Update NF every 2-3 days during this challenge O O O O O 5 XP | O O O O 10 XP | O O O O 25 XP * Start bullet journal (5 XP) This is something I’ve been doing for months all throughout my apartment via cling write on/wipe off sheets, keeping track of what to do and when. But I’ve often thought that I’d like to keep track of what I do and when I do it, as inspiration for those days when I’m feeling lazy about doing my tasks for that day. I think the bujo is going to do that for me, plus fulfill my love of colorful pens and tracking stuff. I know there are apps for it, but there’s something for me that locks it into my brain by writing it down. Also, I like being able to decorate and customize. It looks like there are lots of bujo fans here. Hit me up with your ideas and template, esp around tracking weight, measurements, exercise, and anything else I’m not thinking about now. I’d love to hear it. - Order journal - Order cool pens - Set up bujo using some online ideas * Measure myself once per month and log in MFP (5XP) ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Set up my blog (may delay this until after foot surgery since it’ll give me something to do while I’m in bed) (15 XP) - Format the blog - Sketch out first post - Write first post - Post! Okay, that feels like a lot, but it's one day at a time!

So in my last challenge I noticed some interesting things about my habits. I have noticed whenever I over eat or drink, I do the other one. So if I would have a bad lunch at work, it was followed by drinking in the evening, or if I had a drink in the evening I would eat some shitty food and miss my calorie goals. It seems like I have a defeatist attitude for the day as soon as I mess one thing up. Now that I have identified this I am going to hopefully correct it. For this challenge I am going to attempt to continue to eat properly(2,000 calories and < 100 grams of carbs), really cut out drinking(I can think of one event this challenge where I will drink), and focus on having productive days. If I mess up at lunch or during the day, I need to suck it up and continue down doing what I need to do. Each day I will post what I did that day, what I am doing tomorrow, and what roadblocks/problems I had. I also hope to hit smaller weekly chore tasks I assign each week.

Hmmm... What to do? Maybe the game that is just about consuming me life at the moment! It may not be a team, but it's what I'm currently obsessed with. Ha! - Main Quest Career Path - Goal: Find my "bullseye" and audition M-F. (2 points) - Side Quest Eating Right - Goal: Eat when hungry, stop when full. (3 points) - Errands Clean - Goal: Clean the kitty litter area thoroughly each week. Bonus for vacuuming. (5 points) - Tallnecks Stretch - Goal: Continue Stretching for the splits M-F. (5 points) - Hunting Grounds Strength Training - Goal: Continue Start Bodyweight MWF. Tracking Link! (5 points) - Cauldrons Knowledge - Goal: Finish Scrappy Little Nobody and Phantom this challenge. - Aloy Poise - Goal: Remain proud, positive, and poised. _.-*-._.-*-._ Trophy Goals AS IF! | Azarath Metrion Zinthos | Lilmissbri the Robot Slayer

Each week I will do the following with a bonus task (see below for week bonuses). Workout - 3 Adventures per workout (Overall Challenge Goal : 30 Adventures in the great wide somewhere) Food - 2 Food items per prep/home cooked meal (Overall Challenge Goal : 16 Soup du jour, Hot Hors d'oeuvres, Beef ragout, Cheese souffle ) Stretching/Mobility - 25 Tales per week (25 mins) (Overall Challenge Goal: 100 Tales as old as time) Read - 500 pages per week : 100 pages = 1 hour (Overall Challenge Goal: 1500 pages filled with Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise) Bullet Journal - 2 Inventions per tracking/design (Overall Challenge Goal: 56 Hunk of junk Inventions) Cleaning - 5 mins looking for something there that wasn't there before (Overall Challenge Goal: 120 mins looking for something there that wasn't there before ) Lesson 1: Tea Heals All - Collect Chip Only 1 coffee a day, after that it’s unsweetened tea. Lesson 2 : Don’t Let Your Fears Get in the Way of New Experiences - Collect Cogsworth Complete and wear my Flounder Costume to the Princess 5K. Try to get in a workout at the resort. Lesson 3 : Love is Stronger Than Hate - Collect Lumiere This will be the 2nd half of the week that I am spending with my mom and step dad. I love them both but I get super cranky and irritated with them when I’m stuck with them for too many days in a row. We tend to clash a lot and since they are both Trump supporters, this might be a tough week. If I can go a full week without snapping or being grumpy more than 3x, I’ll win for the week! Lesson 4 : Never Stop Learning - Collect Mrs. Potts Learn/discover something new 4x this week. - Can be a new word, a new recipe, discover a new food, Try a new exercise/stretch/pose, Explore a new area, etc.

Jayim's first Assassin Challenge!!! Hello Assassins! Newbie here. =) I've been beaten down by a chronic illness for the lasts decade. Well, I've decided to beat back! I've been trying to get my life back together since October, so I've already made some progress. Then I found NerdFitness and now I'm even more excited! My big goals are at the bottom of my intro post: https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/94695-a-life-to-live/ Anyway, on with the Challenge! Food 1.) Eat an Egg, Meat, Veggie breakfast every day instead of a grain based breakfast [20 XP] 2.) Drink no more than three mugs (eight cups) of coffee a day [5 XP] Fitness 1.) Walk ~15 minutes on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays [25 XP] 2.) Do a warm up routine and cooldown stretches (from Steve's videos) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays [50 XP] Level Up Your Life Charisma/Confidence 1.) Meticulous hygiene; shower twice a day, brush teeth twice a day, floss once a day. Trim beard Wednesdays and Sundays. Change bedsheets on Sundays. [20 XP] 2.) Wear cologne/aftershave [5 XP] Financial 1.) Sign in to work EVERY workday (4 days a week), even if only to check email and Slack. [10 XP] 2.) Do SOMETHING daily to clean the large greenhouse (throw out a dead plant, bucket of bad dirt, broken pot, etc) [15 XP] Challenge Total: [150 XP] Success will mean a score greater than 80% for each quest For daily goals, Saturday is a free day and doesn't count. --- Maintain and solidify previous habits: Wake up and MOVE at 6 AM Morning prayer and reading Wear only clean clothes Drink water!!! In bed no later than 10 PM

Grandkai Lives for the Creed Goal 1: Practical Strength Last challenge i did the 30 Days of Gravity which gave a good basis for bodyweight training. For this challenge i am going to do the StartBodyweight Routine. On MWF i will do a workout based on 7 different movements (Squat, Pull-up, Handstand Push-up, Leg Raise, Push-up/Dips, Horizontal Pulls & Planks). It has a nice progression system with new movements. (you can check it out here: http://www.startbodyweight.com/2014/01/basic-routine-infographic-poster.html). Goal 2: Move Like a Assassin Assassins need to be quick & nimble and dont need to have a strain on a bodypart after a fight. So i am doing the "Blogilates Split/Stretch" routine. Everyday i will be stretching my lower body and with it progress to doing a full split. I did some splits in the last challenge and i was really impressed how flexible my legs could be (the max distance i could get my feet from each other was 190cm, which is 5cm more than my owh height ). Goal 3: Responsibility A assassin need to responsible for his body, he cant tear up his body and hope the next day it will be oke. So im going to take responsibility and fuel my body properly by eating 1 Apple everyday and drink at least 2 Liters of Water and no more soda's. Full Synchronization: 100% Completion Assassins Creed 1 Last challenge i worked to complete Bioshock to 100%, with my challenge being Assassins Creed styled what better game to complete than the original Assassins Creed. Right now i am at 66% completion, i started a new game and will be playing every day at least a hour to get all the achievements. Summary: Goal 1: StartBodyweight routine on MWF Goal 2: Blogilates every day Goal 3: 1 Apple & 2 liter Water everyday Full Sync: 100% completion Assassins Creed 1 And remember Assassins: Perhaps a good life motto to follow......

Guess who's back?! (No, not Slim Shady....) It's been at least 6 months since I last took part in a proper challenge (holy crap, it's been so long!). I realize this one is coming a few days late, but I've had all kinds of shit going down lately and I'm slowly catching up. There's a lot to fill you all in on, but I'll do my best to give you as brief of a synopsis as possible before moving forward with my challenge goals. For those who don't know or remember me - HI! I'm your friendly neighbourhood Ranger-Cyborg who has a hankering for adventure, crafting, video games, and overall badassness. Last you guys really saw from me was a month or two after my second ICL surgery, where I had my contact lens implants replaced (hence the cyborg bit). Thankfully, everything is going great on that front! At the time, I was getting back into the crossfit game, doing some urbexing, and had recently purchased my replacement car after hit and run totaled my previous one. My boyfriend and I were living on the Massachusetts coast line and trying to get our collective 'stuff' together - sorting our individual mental health problems, improving the living situation, and doing general growing up/adulting. The present... I am continuing to go to therapy for depression and anxiety after starting last spring; it has been incredibly helpful, but opened up a lot of old wounds that never properly healed. Long term, this is good, but it has made me question a lot of things in my life. I became (and still am to some degree) unsure of my surroundings, priorities, and, most disturbingly, myself. It's brought about A LOT of introspective thought and having to figure out what's really important to me. I'm still working on it, it's not a done deal, but pieces are coming into place. I have a better idea of what path I need to be on. As for my car, I'm still loving the hell out of it, and she runs and drives like a dream. Even with the snow, ice, and low temps we've had recently, she's been swell! Now, onto some major changes. For starters, my job has been sucking the life out of me, and I've been looking to move on for a few months now. It's gotten to the point where I am just so apathetic about my work and it takes all of my effort to even get out of bed in the morning (granted, depression doesn't help with that). Luckily, a friend knew of a position that was opening at her company and offered to pass on my resume. Long story short, I should be receiving an offer letter in my inbox any day now Received the offer today - JOB ACCEPTED!! Time for the next steps Secondly, Shaun and I are no longer together. I came to the realization during my introspection that I wasn't happy in my relationship and hadn’t been for a long time. There were a number of factors involved - some had been there since the beginning, and others had come up over the last year. Ultimately, I ended it, but it's turned into a bit of a nasty situation. In any case, I have moved in with my college friend for the foreseeable future. Even with this big bad thing slowly settling itself in the background, it's brought about some good things too - I'll be closer to my new job, I have unlimited access to my friend-turned-roommate's 3 kitties (Max, Momo, and Goober), and I've made new friends and am working on strengthening my pre-existing relationships. I've also started seeing someone else, which has been an adventure in and of itself (especially since I was not expecting to get into anything new for a while, nor was I looking for it. It just kinda...happened). Lastly, due to my move, I am no longer participating in crossfit. It’s not something I want to give up completely, but I’m going to have to hold off for a bit because of the way my finances are right now. I’m bummed about it, but I gotta do what I gotta do. I think that’s all the big, or at least the most prevalent, stuff that tends to show up in my posts. So, shall we move along to the goals?