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Hello, nerds! I'm back. Was it more than a week since last challenge? Has the new challenge not even started? Who cares! I am IN IT. Let's cut to it, because time is money... or time... it's precious valuable life existence being wasted as I type meaningless banter, Morty! MEANINGLESS BANTER! That's who I have become. I am a productivity machine and Lady-Rick ala Rick and Morty. No, not really, I have been working on (slash chaneling) a Rick Sanchez puppet for Dragon Con (nerdy geek-fest coming up Labor Day weekend), and that is primary goal number one: GET IT DONE. Well, done is a bit strong of a word, but this guy involves facial mechs, just so I know that I can do it, since one of my dream life goals is building and working props and puppets in TV and film (technically I am already doing that on the side, but I mean full time, forever and one hundred years film and TV art department!) So goal one is just working on puppets, not even Rick constantly, just anything, I attended the National Puppetry Conference in June and it rocked my socks (I made a movie, some of you saw it! I can post a link later when I need a pick-me-up!) and reminded me what I can get done when I focus. 1) BUILD. CREATE. ART. Okay, now more health oriented goals, of which I have two. 2) DRINK UP. As is... I am trying Soylent. Yup, figured I'd toss some dollars to the genius nerds who made drinkable food with a clever name. But really, I have become unexpectedly fascinated with caloric intake numbers, and time management. (This is where we get into TIME TRAVEL, which is what we are all doing... only in a very linear un-exciting way.) We only get so much of it (time), so I am stream-lining some of it where I can: like breakfast! or lunch, which I am at work so... drink up. This stuff is portioned out pretty much exactly what I need, and I am using it for breakfast and lunch, but eating real food for dinner, I'm a vegetarian so lately I've been making peanut/sesame kale and whatnot and it's amazing and that's that. I also signed up for my friend's Blue Apron trial, so I'm curious about those... really this week there's a Vietnamese rice stick thing and I am fascinated by those, so time to learn how to make them. Then drop the trial methinks, because money is a thing, and I am a clever chef. Oh, the point of this goal is to keep track of caloric intake, but also to see how well a Soylent powered me works in the harsh environment of the real world. 3) RUN, MORTY! RUN Oh, am I still doing that? Like I said, I've been drinking energy cut with coffee, and I mocked up an eye mech last night that I get to expound upon once I leave the moneyjob. Also, I am trying to "run" (lots of start and stop 5K training, I am sure, but the point is 30-45 minutes a day of activity). It's hard to do sometimes, to motivate, but I do know that when I do, I feel awesome. And it's been raining on me lately, which somehow feels awesom-er. Hitting that step-goal would be great too, but I'm not going to say it's a necessity this go-round. Okay, health-aside, let's look at more sort of social emotional functional goals 4) GET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER and TIME IN CHECK Previous lurkers on my challenges may notice a theme. Funny, when you make art, your house seems to become a cluttered disaster area. I am trying to cull that, I've Konmari'ed pretty hard, but did not make the final adjustments of fixing my house to serve my needs. Hoping to make some strides there with this goal of batcave improvement. Studio-wise I need to build a work bench that's not my fold out cardtable, then affix my scroll saw, bandsaw, vice-I-am-buying-today, and any other hefty tools that are super dangerous on a card table (I've just been using them on the floor which isn't great, but safer for sure. Also want to cull my kitchen, I never quite did that when I Konmari'ed, so I need to. I make pretty darn awesome food, and I am starting to learn to simplify and organize my cabinets... so... I should. Time in check is more divvying up the hours alotted to me after work and on my days off, and making them productive, and relaxing, I know I need to rest too. This is me trying to make a chart, which I've not made yet (but it's July 5, and the challenge starts July 9, so I've got time) and stick to it. It will include time for art/building, running, house cleaning/ordering, and REST. I'm noticing a need or desire to sort of orient myself into a routine or schedule, that I can break out of as necessary, but also fall back on. We'll see how it goes. So, I've babbled on quite enough, now to get back to drinking energy and working at my money job! Any ideas? Suggestions? Running commentary? Requests? And awaaaaaaaaaay we go!

Another successful journey completed. Since becoming a Time Lord companion earlier this year, I have journeyed to find the missing Tardis and then spent some quality time finding balance between Tardis maintenance and time travel. And so, here we are, on the brink of a great disturbance in time and space, and a respectable milestone of centuries. We have made it past 2002, close to crossing centuries, but something is amiss. There is danger lurking here. As the Tardis is prone to do, we have stopped in a strange place. We found ourselves aboard another ship referred to as Discovery One by its few inhabitants. The Doctor is being elusive but he is quite suspicious of the computerized brain of this vessel, calling itself HAL. I fear something will have to be done before we can get any further on our own journey. There is a secret plan to reset the vessel’s brain, saving its inhabitants and I have my part to play in this mission. (I know I’ve mixed by science fiction but I just couldn’t resist) This challenge is about resetting the programming of my brain. I’ve done well on challenges so far but I need to be more anti-fragile. For this challenge I am not expecting to lose as much as the previous ones. The goal is to break down some mental barriers to prepare for future travels. I would be happy with 6 pounds. Main Quest: Reach 1992 to find my true self. Goal weight – 160lbs. Quest 1: Avoid the scale. I am addicted to my scale. Sometimes this dependency gets me through rough times and sometimes it creates rough times. I need to experience a little distance from the number from the scale. I am now below 250 and it has been so long since I’ve been below this milestone I feel like I am in unchartered territory. I don’t want to get weirded out by the number on the scale. I will weigh at the beginning of the challenge, and again at the end of week 1 since that’s when my YAYOG PVP ends. I will weigh again at the end of weeks 2, week 4, and finally at the end of week 6. Measurement: +3 WIS A – 0-2 peeks B – 3-4 peeks C – 5-6 peeks Quest 2: Reset button, aka Food Battles I’ve been eating practically the same thing every day for 2 challenges. It’s not that I need variety, but when I eat something outside of what I am familiar I lose all capacity to think through the decisions. I prepare too much and don’t realize I’ve eaten too much until it’s too late. Some foods I avoid at all costs because I don’t feel capable of handling those in a smart way. I must find ways to incorporate variety into my meals without sacrificing sanity. This challenge has 2 components, one is to introduce more variety into my menu, the other is to confront foods I have a history with and reset my thinking so that I can be in the same room. I’m not planning on logging my food everyday on MFP, but I will use it as a tool in food battles. Food Battle Variety – I will cook something other than my go to meal at least once a week. This can be for any meal of the day and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a new food, but new since doing challenges. These meals should have about the same calories and macros as the ‘go to’ meal. Food Battle Control – I will also attempt to confront 1 food that taunts me and try to work it into my calories and macros. There are a variety of ways to do this and I’m not really sure what will work best. This is really new territory for me and I’m sure I will learn a lot from this. This could entail eating these foods on a cheat day but still controlling portion size, or re-creating the dish to be healthier, or possibly just a portion control thing. These foods in particular wreak havoc on my portioning skills. I enjoy these foods too much and I eat purely to enjoy myself – even when I am so full I am no longer enjoying myself. Measurement: +2 WIS, +2 CON This will be measured with a point system. For any battle attempted, +1 point for a success, -1 point for a failure. The max is 12 points and min is -12 points. A – 9 pts B – 7 pts C – 5 pts Quest 3: Astronaut Fitness Since I am stuck in space with other Astronauts, I need to stay fit. My YAYOG PVP will end after week 1 of this challenge. I haven’t been focusing on cardio due to the PVP but I really enjoy the bodyweight workouts. In an effort to retain the balance from last challenge, I will replay the last 4 weeks of the YAYOG program but only 3 days a week, doubling up the core workout with one of the arm workouts. Then add in cardio activity 3 times a week. For the cardio last challenge I found I was just skating through. I want to focus more on intensity but that’s not an excuse to but the workout short. This time I will be measuring a combination of time and intensity using a point system. Intensity measured on a scale of 1-3 and then multiplied times the total number of minutes. I’ll be tracking on this spreadsheet. Measurement: +3 DEX (Cardio), +3 STA (YAYOG), A – 22/25 YAYOG; 1140+ cardio points B – 17-21 YAYOG; 960-1139 cardio points C – 13-16 YAYOG; 840-959 cardio points Life Quest: Get Creative The holidays are coming and I like to make gifts. I have many creative outlets but I just haven’t had time to dabble in any of them. I like jewelry making, painting, crazy quilting, random art projects, and your run of the mill DIY repurposing projects. It’s time to get something accomplished. At least once a week, I’d like to do something creative. Measurement: +2 CHA A – 5-6 B – 4 C – 3 Measurements Starting weight: 240.4 Body Fat (calipers): 43.4% Body Fat (fancy machine at gym): They got rid of it *Shakes fist*

I am still attempting to reach my true self back in 1992 and find my destiny in another dimension. The Tardis has been found and I am now a verifiable Time Lord companion. We came across the missing Tardis in 2006 and are now able to travel with more ease. Having exceeded my expectations from the first leg of my journey, it is time to up the ante a little and get the Tardis moving and in good condition for the long haul. This is still expected to be a long journey. Of course, along with the new title is new responsibility. I can not simply be consumed with 1992; The Doctor has other responsibilities. The Tardis will not help me reach my destination without proper upkeep and balance; they can be quite unreliable. Tardis destination set for 2002, target weight 245. One additional rest day is now enabled to allow for other duties. This challenge is about balance. With the new devotion to fitness, other things are sliding as there is less time. This has caused failure in the past and must be avoided this time around. Goal 1: Be a smart companion Increase rest days from 1 to 2. This will ensure I don’t burn out and so I have time for my life. But, in order to not fall backwards (or forwards since we are speaking in terms of time travel) I am increasing intensity. Part 1 – Strength Training 4x/week This will be from the ‘You are Your Own Gym†book and PVP Challenge Measurement: +3 STR, +2 DEX A – Reach ladder rung 7 B – Reach ladder rung 6 C – Reach ladder rung 5 Part 2 – Cardio of some kind at least 2x/week, focusing on intensity rather than distance. One of these sessions will double up on a strength day in order to accommodate 2 rest days. Measurement: +3 STA A – 2x/week at high intensity (relatively) B – 1x/week high intensity or 2x/week less intense C – 1x/week less intense Goal 2: Fish Fingers and Custard Eat right. I did start eating better beginning last challenge but it wasn’t one of my goals. In order to feel comfortable with rest days I want to be able to keep myself accountable for what I am eating. To do this, I intend to use MyFitnessPal to track food intake. I eat basically the same thing all the time so I don’t necessarily need to do this on a daily basis. My plan is to shoot for 1500 - 1600 calories on workout days and 1200 – 1400 on rest days 1450 calories every day. This may be updated per the YAYOG plan. I am eating paleo-ish. To allow for life getting in the way, I am allowing some cheats. However, any cheat action triggers a roll 1d4 + 5. That determines how many days until the next cheat is allowed. There is some wiggle room in what counts as a cheat. I try to pay attention to my body and if I have a day where I am particularly and genuinely hungry, I’ll add little more but it must be a good choice. This also allows for me to keep my metabolism guessing a little. A cheat, for the most part, consists of eating sweets, going out to eat without being able to approximate my normal meal, having unhealthy snacks or meals. I am open to editing the calorie expectations if I feel like I am not getting enough or getting too much. Measurement: (weekly average) +1 CON, +1 WIS A – No illegal cheats and calories maintained within +/-100 every day B – 1 illegal cheat or 1 day exceeded calories C – 2 illegal cheats or 2 days exceeding calories Goal 3: Flexibility I had some issue last challenge with soreness that exceeds the normal range. I am a very poor stretcher. I don’t like to do it and when I do, sometimes it is half-assed. I want to have a specific stretching routine for each type of workout to match the muscle groups worked, preferably 5-10 minutes minimum per work out. And on rest days, to stay flexible and active, I want to try some yoga. This doesn’t require much. Maybe I just learn a new pose and try it home, or put a few together for a mini routine at home. I have an app that has yoga poses. If I like this, I may take a yoga class. Measurement: +2 DEX, +1 CON A – Yoga 2x/week = 12 B – Yoga 10 times C – Yoga 8 times Life Quest – Tardis maintenance The Tardis is a mess. It looks like no one has cleaned in weeks (6 weeks actually). As this challenge is about balance I plan to tackle different projects around the house that have been ignored. Some of these areas need cleaning, others need organization. I won’t make a list now as there are too many to choose from. I will grade on how many are accomplished. Measurement: +2 CHA A – 6 areas tackled and completed B – 5 areas tackled and completed C – 3-4 areas tackled and completed Additional Fitness Activities: Heroes Vs Villains YAYOG PVP Challenge [edited] Additional Lifestyle Campaign: In the spirit of balance I am adding one additional element to my challenge. I log into NF way too often during the day (when at work). Work is getting exponentially busier all of a sudden and I have grading for school to do at the same time. I need less distractions from my work focus to stay balanced. To accomplish this endeavor I have created punishments for logging in during 'off' times. Off time begins at 9am until 4pm with an allowance over my lunch hour to check in. That check in must not exceed half an hour or punishment takes effect. This will begin on the Monday the challenge starts but I will attempt to train myself beginning now. This is not graded. Punishment will be dealt out using the following punishment table using a roll of d20. 1 roll for each offense. Roll Punishment 1-2 3 burpees 3-4 10 tricep dips 5-6 10 hamstring curls 7-8 60 sec plank 9-11 5 min on row machine 12-13 10 squats 14-15 10 incline pushups 16-17 add 1/2 to next walk 18-19 do a household chore 20 Critical Hit - no punishment!

... as I open the letter, its from my daughter. Wait, that can't be right. My daughter is like 2 years old. She can talk, but not write. Shaking my head I continue on reading. "Dad, This letter is reaching you through the help of the fairies of the mystic falls. The old stories are true, but now isn't the time for that. In exactly six weeks, I will be kidnapped. I am actually writing this letter to you 30 years in the future when my captor has finally had a heart attack and fell dead in the hidden closet in his home. I know that this is probably hard to believe, but as proof I'll tell you that I remember how you would sneak the chocolates when Mom was gone, when you were on school break." Oh my gosh, I totally did. I continued to read. "Dad, the man who will take me is bigger, stronger, and faster than you. You must get in save me! The faires have shown me visions, that no matter how you try to hide or protect me, unless you defeat the man, I will always end up kidnapped. Only you can prevent this. I saw mom as soon as I had escaped, she will live out a miserable existence, never recovering from my abduction. And you, well, you die of a heart attack while chasing down leads 4 years after I'm taken. According to mom, you had started working out, and had even lost some weight, but you faltered and never got back to your training while searching for me. Please dad, change our futures! ~Lily" And so my quest is set before me, one that I cannot turn down. I will be brave and rally support from my Rebel brothers and sisters... I will change the future! Challenge Goals: Goal 1: I need to return to the Protector that nature intended I be, and so I will Eat Paleo two days a week. [+2 CON, +1 WIS] (Brand spanking new to Paleo, so Focusing on 2 days a week to get down the basics and some new recipes wont overwhelm me) Grading: 12/12 - A 10-11/12 - B 7-9/12 - C 3-6/12 - D 0-2/12 - F Goal 2: I need to be stronger than my enemy. [+3 STR, +1 CON] 3-4 lift workouts per week and at least 1 will involve working with a trainer on deadlift to ensure good form. Grading: 19-24/24 - A 13-18/24 - B 9 - 12/24 - C 4 - 8/24 - D 0-3/24 - F Goal 3: I need to be faster than my enemy. [+3 DEX, +2 STA] I will go hard in my cardio for intervals during my cardio/run sprints in the gym three times a week. Grading: 12/12 - A 10-11/12 - B 7-9/12 - C 3-6/12 - D 0-2/12 - F Life Goal: For safety, my wife and I must be able to covertly communicate. [+2 WIS, +1 CHA] We will resume our Japanese lessons. ( I am proficent at a basic level, so I am helping her with the studies and reviewing myself.) Grading: 1 hour per week. 6/6 - A 5/6 - B 4/6 - C 3/6 - D 0-2/6 - F * New here excited to imporve myself, excited to be active on the forums as well. *