Mizbrek Visits the Hearthstone Tavern

[Mizbrek]

 

The sound in the tavern was deafening, despite the chilly air outside. Mizbrek wasn’t familiar with this particular tavern, and was a bit confused as it hadn’t been here the last time he was in this part of the multiverse. However, there were a few spots that shifted about, taverns and temples and the like that existed in multiple universes. This had the feel of one.

 

He eyed the patrons. Azerothian, for sure. Green orcs, hulking bovine Tauren, blue goatlike Draenei, laughing Pandaren. And dwarves. The Innkeeper waved to him from the bar and beckoned him over.

 

“Ha! Find a seat if you can!” he yelled over the din. “Back from your adventures?” he asked, as Miz hopped up onto a stool. They seemed to have them in a few sizes. A tiny gnome next to him, somewhat sickly looking, raised a glass to Miz as he settled in.

 

The bartender placed a mug of ale in front of him, and Miz took a sip. A simple but well-crafted brew. Lightly hopped, with a hint of caramel. “Nicely done. What is this place?”

 

“This is the Tavern. Don’t have no other names. It’s where folks come from all across Azeroth to play Hearthstone!” The Innkeeper boomed.

 

“Ahh, I played that once, years ago. How’s it work now?”

 

The Innkeeper grinned at Miz, and pulled a box from under the bar, laying it in front of the Hobbit. “Here, let me show you…”

 

 

Welcome to Mizbrek’s Challenge #12!

 

Challenge Overview

 

This challenge, most of the basic goals are iterations on what I’ve done before. Get up early, get to bed early, read, do some housework, check in with the rebellion, limit my alcohol, nothing new here. However we do have a new reward and strict punishment structure, as well as bonus objectives and loot tied to them!

 

The focus here is mostly on the weekends, as that’s really where I’m losing ground. I drink too much, I eat too much, and I don’t get out and do things enough on the weekends. We’ve had some busy ones, for sure, but I’ve been steadily gaining weight for the last month or so. Slowly, to be sure, but steadily up, and that’s no good. So while there are the usual daily goals, the weekends are where I think I need to step up my game.

 

Last Challenge Review

 

My last challenge overall went decently. I stayed on task on the weekdays, and mostly fell off on the weekends. I think having some smaller sticks and very small carrots didn’t really help. There was no real incentive to stay good on the weekends, and the loot didn’t really overly interest me. And the punishment level was set too low. I'm doing my best to incorporate that learning into the structure of this challenge.

 

Challenge Goals

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - I’ve done better at being up by 5:30, but I tend to browse in bed for a bit before getting up and going, meaning I’m often not downstairs starting my workout until 6ish, and that’s not really enough time. So with this I need to be out of the bedroom itself by 5:30. This is a potential 3 points a day - 1 for getting up in time, one for being in bed with devices off in time, with an extra bonus point if I get both in the same day. And this doesn’t count on weekends - I’m not setting a specific out of bed or bedtime goal there, but I think the rest of the goals will essentially help manage that.

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - allowing bedtime reading here, and opening it up to being a book or newspaper or anything. Extra bonus point available if I finish the entire paper on a given day.

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - 20 minutes of housework on weekdays, 60 minutes per weekend day. Pretty self explanatory!

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Post to the rebellion daily and read a few threads daily. Not setting a specific number on this - the effort to stay connected is important. Bonus point available for reading 4 or more threads.

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - 2 drinks per weekday, 4 per weekend limit. This will be a tough one on the weekends sometimes, but sticking with it.

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - I’m measuring this by the Apple Watch again. Though it wasn’t super successful last time, I attribute that more to my weekend indulgences than anything else, and I think during the week it was successful. So trying to stick with this again as a simplified way of saying get some exercise, dammit, and keep your calories in check! Bonus point available if I get to a 1000 calorie deficit!

 

Bonus Tasks

 

Quest - Brewmastery - I’ve recently dived into homebrewing and have enjoyed it. The goal here is to keep something fermenting pretty much at all times, which means if I do a bottling day, I do a brew day ASAP afterwards. This might be a bit tough logistically but I think the idea really is to have something always on the go, even if it is just fermenting in bottles. I have a kit to get going now, and will likely order another one shortly after to test out. So that should keep things moving nicely.

Windfury - Drivetraining - I recently played an actual round of golf (well 9 holes) with my FIL and enjoyed the Hell out of it, but I’m woefully out of practice. So the goal here is to hit the driving range once a weekend and keep that practice up.

 

Loot

 

50% Completion - 100 points - A trial membership (2 weeks) at a local gym

75% Completion - 150 points - A pair of canvas sneakers

Bonus Task Perfection - 5 Gallon Kettle/Fermenter for Homebrewing

 

Punishment

 

Miss One Goal Friday-Sunday - Clean entire garage in one day

Miss One Goal on a 2nd Weekend - Clean entire basement in one day

 

The Challenge will start officially on Saturday! I hope you'll join me in this journey to Hearthstone glory!

[Elastigirl]

Ouch-those punishments sound nasty. Good thing you're not going to need them.

[Mizbrek]

On 2017-08-10 at 4:36 PM, Elastigirl said:

Ouch-those punishments sound nasty. Good thing you're not going to need them.

Thanks! Hopefully not! First day today so doing my best!

 

Just finished my house work for today cleaning out the basement, now on to some home brewing. Working on a hefeweizen today! Then a workout, then relaxing. Ate a lovely lunch too. Will update with details tomorrow!

[Mizbrek]

Alright, recap of Day 1 of the challenge!

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Not counting because weekend!

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Spent some time reading a book. Also decided, with input from Ms. Miz, the Challenge Arbiter, that I'd count some of the more literary podcasts for this, like Hardcore History, Welcome to Night Vale or The Bright Sessions. Did both though, so clear for 1 point.

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Cleared out a lot of the basement yesterday! 1 point!

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Done with bonus point! 2 points!

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - Done and done! 1 point.

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - Did maintenance yesterday, but that works for weekends. 1 point!

 

Also, brewed yesterday and did some driving range work today, so cleared off the bonus objectives so far!

 

Point Count

 

6 Points

[Elastigirl]

Great start to the challenge. I agree with Ms. Mz , literary podcast can count

[Mrs Van]

Love the intro story! and the Loot you have to gain, but ouch on the punishment. Sometimes though that is what we need to get us moving, isn't it? I see we have a couple of goals in common too

[Mizbrek]

16 hours ago, Elastigirl said:

Great start to the challenge. I agree with Ms. Mz , literary podcast can count

Thanks! I do have a few I've been meaning to listen to, and I think this fulfills the spirit of that goal, which is to consume good stuff.

10 hours ago, elizevdmerwe said:

Love the intro story! and the Loot you have to gain, but ouch on the punishment. Sometimes though that is what we need to get us moving, isn't it? I see we have a couple of goals in common too

Thanks! It's working well so far so I like it!

 

Good day yesterday. Stayed on task for the first time in a LONG time, for a weekend, so I think that's great. One smallish variance, but that's okay. 

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Not counting because weekend!

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Spent some time reading a book on the back patio. Was lovely! 1 point!

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Stripped and washed the bed sheets! 1 point!

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Done with bonus point! 2 points!

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - Stuck to 4, technically some of them were perhaps slightly generous pours, but still within the spirit of it, so counting it! 1 point.

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - About a 300 cal deficit when all was said and done, so within the expected idea for weekends. 1 point!

 

 

Point Count

 

12 Points

[darkfoxx]

Following! And yaaaaaas - more game mechanics to stalk and hopefully gain (re) inspiration from!


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[Mizbrek]

16 hours ago, darkfoxx said:

Following! And yaaaaaas - more game mechanics to stalk and hopefully gain (re) inspiration from!

Glad to have you! Do you play the game? I actually have it going in the background while working on this! haha

 

Yesterday was pretty solid! My weight ticked up today, but I think that's due to last night's dinner being on the saltier side (which I love, but leaves me retaining water like crazy). But otherwise did everything pretty well!

 

My anxiety flared up a bit, but I am doing better at noticing when it's starting and taking steps to stop it from spiraling out of control. It's about talking yourself down, which isn't ideal, but works for now. I do think when I next see my Doc though I'll look at maybe upping the dosage on my meds. I'm on the lowest dosage now, so we'll see.

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Bonus point for both on Monday! +3

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Listened during the day to Hardcore History, great literary podcast, practically an audiobook. +1

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Took out the garbage, but Ms. Miz absolved me of the rest, but counting it. +1

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Done with bonus point again! +2

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - Had one extra drink last night as I was heading to bed. It had been a bit of a day, and one over wouldn't kill me. But no point on this one. 

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - Around 800 calorie deficit last night. +1

 

 

Point Count

 

20 Points

[Mizbrek]

Bit of a setback yesterday. Was a coworker's birthday and she brought in gelato, and someone sent her an Edible Arrangement which she shared with the office. It was all delicious but I was overindulged. I did my best to offset it but still ended up over my goal (though within my range). Otherwise did pretty well though.

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Yup, did both. Feeling better getting to bed earlier and being stricter on this. +3

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Read some of the Stormlight Archive in bed. +1

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Worked on some laundry stuff. +1

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Done with bonus point again! +2

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - Yup, one had one yesterday actually to try and keep my calories somewhat okay. +1

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - Still about 6-700 when all was said and done last night. +1

 

 

Point Count

 

29 Points

[Mrs Van]

15 hours ago, Mizbrek said:

Was a coworker's birthday and she brought in gelato, and someone sent her an Edible Arrangement which she shared with the office.

That's always very difficult to handle.

[Mizbrek]

Pretty good overall yesterday, but today is a little bit off. Just feeling bleh and anxiety is kicking up. Slept in a bit too. Grrr. But, that's for tomorrow!

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Got up but not to bed in time. Was reading some Warcraft Chronicle and wanted to get that in. +1

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Aforementioned Chronicle in bed! +1

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Took the car to my parents, who are taking it in for servicing tomorrow, so all done there. +1

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Done with bonus point again! +2

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - One over last night. Anxiety hit me HARD last night (and still is a bit). Nothing's changed. And it's a bad coping mechanism. But here we are! 

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - Did manage this, can't remember the exact deficit but like around 900 or so. +1

 

 

Point Count

 

35 Points

[darkfoxx]

@Mizbrek: I do not, I meant the mechanics of gamifying your challenge - something I find endlessly fascinating - I am not great at video games.


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[Mizbrek]

15 minutes ago, darkfoxx said:

@Mizbrek: I do not, I meant the mechanics of gamifying your challenge - something I find endlessly fascinating - I am not great at video games.

Totally fair! I definitely enjoy doing the gameifying! Coming up with that is half the fun for me!

[Terra]

How have I missed you till now?!?!?  I'm here and following for the brewmaster's games.  

[Mizbrek]

22 hours ago, Terra said:

How have I missed you till now?!?!?  I'm here and following for the brewmaster's games.  

Glad to have you! Hope I can play some good games!

 

Having a bit of a rough couple days anxiety wise. I have good moments, but then something small happens and triggers it. This morning it was issues with my transit card. Annoyingly I can't resolve them until tonight, or possibly tomorrow, so that's hanging over me a bit. It'll be fine but it's just triggering for my anxiety and I was feeling SO good this morning. Ah well. Otherwise yesterday was pretty good.

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Because I slept in after the night before, missed getting up in time. Still managed a workout though, just not as long a one as I'd like. +1

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Read some Chronicle on the train. It was lovely. +1

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Picked up the car from my parents! Also took out the garbage. +1

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Done with bonus point again! +2

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - Stuck to this last night. +1

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - I didn't note the deficit, but it was around 800 or so. +1

 

 

Point Count

 

42 Points

[Mizbrek]

Bit of a rough one yesterday but still on track! Altered some goals a little bit, semi-broke one, but got permission from my Challenge Arbiter to do so, so I think I'm okay. And dropped a pound today! Back down to Onederland, 198.9 today. So still on a good track.

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Got up in good time yesterday, but as it was a weekend, stayed up later. So, +1.

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Read a few articles from the Economist. +1

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Did a bit of laundry work. +1

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Read a few, but not enough for bonus. +1

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - Used a variance on this one, but only by one drink. So no points, but not counting this as a fail.

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - To maintenance yesterday, as it was a weekend day. +1

 

 

Point Count

 

47 Points

[Mizbrek]

Pretty solid day for a weekend! Stayed on task and was even in deficit instead of maintenance!

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Weekend, so no points available here.

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Listened to a lot of Welcome to Night Vale, which counts. +1

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Technically missed this, but made up for it today, so counting it. +1

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Read a few, but not enough for bonus. +1

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - Was actually under 4 on this day, so works out! +1

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - Less than maintenance! +1

 

 

Point Count

 

52 Points

[darkfoxx]

+1 across the board - way to go!!


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[Mizbrek]

4 hours ago, darkfoxx said:

+1 across the board - way to go!!

Thanks! Doing my best!

 

A decent day yesterday overall. I think allowing myself maintenance calories on weekends is a huge help. It gives me a limit, but allows me some variance. I made better choices yesterday because I knew I only had x calories, like not having dessert after dinner, but still didn't feel like I had cheated myself.

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Weekend, so no morning point available. Managed to get everything off by 10:30 though. +1

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Spent a good chunk of time on the back porch reading The Way of Kings. Enjoying it! +1

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Did this! +1

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Read a few, but not enough for bonus. +1

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - Drank my 4! +1

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - Ended up a couple hundred under maintenance! +1

 

 

Point Count

 

58 Points

[Mizbrek]

Alright, not a bad day yesterday. Indulged a bit but still mostly on track. Having a bit of trouble getting going in the mornings. Yesterday was anxiety. Today? Eh, not really sure. Might need to work on getting to sleep a bit earlier, or maybe being a bit more relaxed before bed? Who knows? Or maybe just kicking my own ass a bit! But either way this challenge is going well. My weight is ticking down (up a tiny tiny bit today) and I'm feeling stronger overall. So that's good!

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Missed the morning, but got into bed in good time. +1

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Read a bit before bed! +1

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Worked on cleaning up our guest room. +1

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Read a few, but not enough for bonus. Lunchtime was a bit abbreviated due to a call. +1

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - Had one extra last night after some decent news (nothing huge, just some good little bits). But not too bad.

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - Ate right up to the 500 last night, but still within what the AW said was deficit! +1

 

 

Point Count

 

63 Points

[Rurik Harrgath]

Loving the challenge theme and ambience around here!

[jonfirestar]

*sneaks in*

 

Somehow I missed your thread and wasn't following! You always make me want to play Hearthstone again but I've got so few of the new cards I always put myself back off soon after I try

[Mrs Van]

20 hours ago, Mizbrek said:

Alright, not a bad day yesterday. Indulged a bit but still mostly on track. Having a bit of trouble getting going in the mornings. Yesterday was anxiety. Today? Eh, not really sure. Might need to work on getting to sleep a bit earlier, or maybe being a bit more relaxed before bed? Who knows? Or maybe just kicking my own ass a bit! But either way this challenge is going well. My weight is ticking down (up a tiny tiny bit today) and I'm feeling stronger overall. So that's good!

sounds like you have things well in hand. Sleep has such a great impact on my mood and anxiety levels. If I have more sleep (7hrs/night) I can tackle the next day with more enthusiasm.

[Mizbrek]

15 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

Loving the challenge theme and ambience around here!

Thanks! Pull up a chair by the hearth!

9 hours ago, jonfirestar said:

*sneaks in*

 

Somehow I missed your thread and wasn't following! You always make me want to play Hearthstone again but I've got so few of the new cards I always put myself back off soon after I try

Glad to have you back! And ha, I'm literally playing it as I'm writing this. Actually works nicely for challenges I find - mostly I just play casual stuff for quests over lunch (since I tend to be distracted reading or writing on misplay - just missed killing a minion I should have). Too much worry of being interrupted. I will say they've done some good stuff with the latest expansion! I'm enjoying it a lot!

4 hours ago, elizevdmerwe said:

sounds like you have things well in hand. Sleep has such a great impact on my mood and anxiety levels. If I have more sleep (7hrs/night) I can tackle the next day with more enthusiasm.

So very true! I'm getting a pretty solid 7 but perhaps I need to expand that a bit.

 

Good one yesterday. Missed getting up again, but otherwise everything was pretty well on track. Weight also ticked down today! On a steady downward trend which is great. Hopeful that'll continue through the weekend!

 

Battlecry - Out of the bedroom by 5:30, in bed with devices off by 10:30 (weekdays) - Missed the morning again, but got into bed in good time. Not sure why I'm having trouble getting moving but I have a couple ideas. Mainly I've been having a couple small chocolates before bed, perhaps that isn't helping? Doesn't feel like it's giving me issues in falling asleep though. So who knows? +1

Discover - Read 10 mins daily (bed reading counts, book or paper/magazine) - Read more of The Way of Kings before bed! +1

Divine Shield - 20/60 housework - Took care of some bottles around the house and packed them up for recycling. +1

Inspire - Post/read Rebellion daily - Read enough for bonus! +2

Poisonous - 2/4 drink rule - On track last night! +1

Adapt - 500-1000 calorie deficit (maintenance on weekends) - pretty good at around 800 last night. I suspect that's where I'll end up aiming, as that has me at, usually, around 2000 calories taken in, which is what most TDEE calcs say is my ideal. +1

 

 

Point Count

 

70 Points