sarakingdom Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 The Patrician corrected the spelling on the report in front of him, and looked up from his agent's account of the latest tallow layer discovered by fat-miners under the plains of Uberwald. Apparently the candles that this new tallow would give rise to would burn with an imperfect light, but, somewhat fittingly, that was Havelock Vetinari's personal assessment of much of the population of Ankh-Morpork itself. "Ah," he said. "Miss Kingdom. What a pleasant surprise." It was, in fact, no sort of surprise, as he'd sent several clerks of the large and looming variety to inform her of the appointment not ten minutes ago, but the niceties ought to be observed whenever possible. "My lord," said Clerk Sara. Vetinari gestured towards the chair in front of his desk, and she sank into it gratefully, then sneezed. The Patrician politely glanced away as she mopped her red nose with a well-used handkerchief and tucked it back in her pocket. "Now," said Vetinari. He pulled a folder out from a stack to his right. "I would say your latest project met with mixed success, wouldn't you?" "Yes, my lord," said Clerk Sara. "But--" "However," he continued as if she hadn't spoken, "I'm of a mind to let the project continue. There was a certain amount of progress, despite the, ahem, distractions of the season." "Thank you, my lord." Sara sneezed again. Before she could move, a freshly pressed and folded black silk handkerchief dropped into her lap. "Perhaps after a short holiday for Hogswatch," said Vetinari, eyeing her with a fastidious distaste. "One must maintain the traditions, after all." He waved her away. "Happy Hogswatch, Miss Kingdom. Pray, do not let me detain you." 4 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted December 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Hogswatch Break Week: Day 5 Naughty: Read novels in bed instead of doing useful things Ate pizza for dinner Nice: Rested to treat my cold Kept warm and drank tea to treat my cold Posted new NF challenge and got out the to-do list again Did some tasks in a timely way Did something holiday and nice for people Attempted meditation 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 Following. Glad to see you staying out of the Scorpion pits. Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted December 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 23 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said: Following. Glad to see you staying out of the Scorpion pits. It probably helps that I'm not a mime. Only the mimes seem to have a really rough time of it. 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted December 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 Hogswatch Break Week: Day 6 Naughty: Slow day Wasn't all that productive Nice: Rested to treat my cold Did some tasks in a timely way 45 minutes of meditation Took a walk in the snow and pretty twinkling lights for some Hogswatch exercise (well bundled up, because it's intensely cold outside, and I'm a fragile flower with a chest cold) 2 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted December 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Hogswatch Break Week: Day 7 Naughty: Stayed up too late reading All sorts of dissatisfied with my productivity Nice: Rested to treat my cold Did a nice Hogswatch favor for family Indulged in a Ridcully-esque burst of hygienic activity to overcome the cold germs Did some Hogswatch-related tasks Made like Ponder Stibbons and checked out a lot of books on rocket magic science Meditate 30 minutes Did 17 tasks Did the three most important tasks on the list 3 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted January 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 Week 1: Day 1/Hogswatch Break Week: Day 8 Goodbye to the Year of the Backwards-Facing Artichoke! Hello to the Year of the Justifiably Defensive Lobster! Naughty: Slept too late Did very little Stayed up too late reading Oh dear No, really, I had a major sleep fail It was bad Nice: Rested to treat my cold Did a nice Hogswatch thing for family Entertained Did a little of a thing It was a holiday, so I get a pass for the daytime-hours stuff? 4 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
The Shogun Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 Hope you get better soon =D 1 Quote One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star. Current Challenge Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted January 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 Week 1: Day 2 The snow swirled outside, covering all manner of sins in the streets and gutters of Ankh-Morpork, at least for the time being. The thing about driven snow, of course, is that it rarely remains pure for long. Inside the palace, the fires were low and the air was cold enough to see one's breath. The press of bodies in the clerks' room would raise the temperature when the holidays ended in earnest, but today the temperature outside was as cold as feud in the Ramtops mountains and the room was empty. Well, almost empty. Clerk Sara sat at her desk, reading from a stack of books in front of her, wearing several extra jackets against the cold as the small coal fire struggled to take the chill off the room. "How unexpected," said a voice, "to see you back at your desk." Sara stood hurriedly, almost knocking the chair over as she did. "Did you enjoy your holiday yesterday?" Lord Vetinari stood in the doorway, leaning heavily on his cane. "A little too much, perhaps. I'm certain we had a discussion recently, Miss Kingdom. It will not do." "I'm trying, my lord," said the clerk. "I, er..." "You are indeed trying, Miss Kingdom." Vetinari walked in and warmed his hands over the small stove at the head of the hall. "My patience is sorely tried. All the more because I find your efforts mystifyingly uneven. It's not, clearly, that you cannot perform the task. It's that you do not seem to be able to do so two days in a row." "No, my lord." "And I say again, it will not do." The clerk hesitated. "No, my lord." "I am not an unreasonable man," said Vetinari. "Hogswatch is synonymous with tradition, and we must have tradition. It's the bedrock of civilization, and I am, as you know, a great advocate of civilization. It has so many advantages over the alternatives, don't you agree. I do not mind the way you spent your holiday. Indeed, if I were to quibble with anything, it could only be that you drank too little and napped too rarely, those being, to the best of my recollection, traditional on Hogswatch after dinner. No, my complaint, Miss Kingdom, is what followed. I trust I need not explain why." Clerk Sara shifted uncomfortably. "No. my lord." "Then I shall leave you to your efforts," said Vetinari, inclining his head towards the books on her desk. "And trust that you will find a solution. Good evening, Miss Kingdom." As the door closed behind him, Clerk Sara fell back into her chair. "Bugger," she said. Politeness of Princes: Exercised in the snow Hydrated well Got a little rest Did a big sinkful of other people's dishes as a favor Got the productivity-assisting apps running again Impoliteness of Princes: Was running very late due to last night's major sleep/attention fail Thus have not been getting much done Diet fail for dinner Had not done the important task by 11:50pm 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Mistr Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 I love your writing. Your description of the clerk's offices sounds like my work yesterday. Only a few of us were here and the heat was not keeping up with the weather. At least we did not have a chilling visit from the Patrician himself. You are absolutely supposed to stay up late on New Year's Eve and sleep in the next day. It's practically required. Good for you doing nice things for your family and your housemates. Think positive for the new year! You have excellent skills for coping and getting things done. There is always cleaning and food prep to do if you do not have the brain for serious work. Quote Level 62 Viking paladin My current challenge Battle log Link to comment
Lou_be_Lou Posted January 3, 2018 Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 In Scotland we even get 2nd January as a bonus hangover holiday. So no guilt for a malfunctioning start to January! I hope your cold is almost banished. Love your writing. Quote NF challenges: March 2018 , 12 , 11 , 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted January 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 3 hours ago, Mistr said: Only a few of us were here and the heat was not keeping up with the weather. At least we did not have a chilling visit from the Patrician himself. That is enough to make the temperature drop a few degrees, isn't it? Hope your lab warms up as you get off the holiday schedule. 3 hours ago, Mistr said: You are absolutely supposed to stay up late on New Year's Eve and sleep in the next day. It's practically required. What you're not supposed to do is accidentally stay up till 7am after trying to go to bed around 1am, while part of your brain goes, "Wait a minute, this was not the plan, why is this happening?" 2 hours ago, Lou_be_Lou said: In Scotland we even get 2nd January as a bonus hangover holiday. So no guilt for a malfunctioning start to January! Hogmanayswatch! I think that's a necessity, to be honest. Just try getting 80% of Scotland back to work on the 2nd. 3 hours ago, Mistr said: I love your writing. 2 hours ago, Lou_be_Lou said: Love your writing. Thank you both. We'll see if I get more of a story this time around. 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted January 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 Week 1: Day 3 Politeness of Princes: On schedule Did a favor for someone with some of my pre-deadline time Survived travel Did laundry Made the next day's lunch Stayed awake long enough for good self-care Slept Impoliteness of Princes: Didn't eat all that well Didn't get much useful stuff done Week 1: Day 4 Politeness of Princes: Got rest that I needed Meditated (badly) Made a good, responsible task list Started working on that list Did a major adulting thing Did two middling adulting things Got groceries Made soup because I'm sick and need soup Going to bed early because I'm sick and need sleep Impoliteness of Princes: Missed an alarm. Was exhausted. Brain is confused and not working efficiently Had a plan fail, due to being overloaded with stuff Annoyingly, my cough is a lot worse today than it was yesterday. I have a few things I have to get done today, but my plan tonight is just rest. Lots of rest. Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted January 4, 2018 Report Share Posted January 4, 2018 2 hours ago, sarakingdom said: Politeness of Princes: On schedule Did a favor for someone with some of my pre-deadline time Survived travel Did laundry Made the next day's lunch Stayed awake long enough for good self-care Slept Impoliteness of Princes: Didn't eat all that well Didn't get much useful stuff done Forgive me, but making lunch, doing laundry and good self care sound very useful to me. 2 Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
Jigme Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 8 hours ago, sarakingdom said: Meditated (badly) How does one meditate badly? Quote Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted January 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 12 hours ago, Jigme said: How does one meditate badly? On the one hand, you're right. On the other, when I end up more upset than when I started, I don't count it as a good meditation. I was sick, I should have been sleeping instead. Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Lou_be_Lou Posted January 5, 2018 Report Share Posted January 5, 2018 hmmmmmm sick = being hard on yourself? I'm in agreement that meditation = good laundry and food prep = useful (life useful rather than work useful, but still useful). Rest up, or make chicken soup.......(current food plan permitting). 1 Quote NF challenges: March 2018 , 12 , 11 , 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted January 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 On 1/4/2018 at 4:58 PM, Tanktimus the Encourager said: Forgive me, but making lunch, doing laundry and good self care sound very useful to me. It was a good end to the day. I was very proud of myself, given how utterly exhausted I was. I was taking good care of Future Me. 23 hours ago, Lou_be_Lou said: Rest up, or make chicken soup.......(current food plan permitting). I had some pork stock in the freezer, and threw in tons of garlic and ginger and mushrooms. It was highly restorative. In fact, maybe that'll be breakfast today. 2 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Jigme Posted January 6, 2018 Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 On 1/5/2018 at 9:47 AM, sarakingdom said: On the one hand, you're right. On the other, when I end up more upset than when I started, I don't count it as a good meditation. I was sick, I should have been sleeping instead. This whole emotional upheaval also hits me during meditation, but I've read that it's a pretty common and expected reaction to the practice. Ajahn Chah, a monk in the Thai Forest Tradition, says "If you have not wept deeply, you have not begun to meditate." In my own tradition, Pema Chödrön, a Tibetan Buddhist nun, often talks about practicing with being upset: "...if we use diminishing [negative emotions] as a measure of progress, we are setting ourselves up for failure. As long as we experience strong emotions—even if we also experience peace—we will feel that we have failed. It is far more helpful to have as our goal becoming curious about what increases [strong negative emotional] activity and what diminishes it, because this goal is fluid. It is a goal-less exploration that includes our so-called failures." x So, idk, sounds like your meditation totally counts either way! Quote Link to comment
Mistr Posted January 6, 2018 Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 I agree with @Jigme, paying attention to what your brain does is a better goal than trying to make your brain shut up. I've been told that most attempts to "try" anything beyond watching are counter-productive. One of the senior people in our zendo is a psychiatrist. She runs a meditation session for her clients where they can sit and then talk about what their brains dig up. I hope you get lots of rest and recover from being sick. The Patrician has only so much patience. Quote Level 62 Viking paladin My current challenge Battle log Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted January 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2018 Week 1: Days 6 & 7 All the deadline points Most of the adulting points Made gluten-free low-carb gingerbread, because it's still Hogswatch season Moved into a new apartment Made it to a friend's birthday party on the day I moved, which was excellent time management Got some exercise 3 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Mistr Posted January 8, 2018 Report Share Posted January 8, 2018 Congratulations on doing all the things! Will the new apartment make your travel and grocery shopping challenges easier? Quote Level 62 Viking paladin My current challenge Battle log Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted January 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2018 1 hour ago, Mistr said: Will the new apartment make your travel and grocery shopping challenges easier? Probably not, I've done about as good as you can do on those. Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted January 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2018 Week 2: Day 1 Politeness of Princes: Did 4 tasks in a timely way Made a nice responsible list of things to get done, thus adulting multiple days in a row Did another task Ran errands after work Made food despite being tired Made a gluten-free low-carb chocolate cake, because it's still the Hogswatch season Did two small tasks while waiting for cake Impoliteness of Princes: Kind of fuzzy-headed and slow today, making adulting hard Was kind of lazy when I got home from running errands, and just made food, and maybe did a small thing The multiple days of baking cake thing is not as impressive as it looks. My breadmaker has a cake setting, and I have a huge bag of coconut flour, so I'm trying recipes with it. My whole style of cooking these days is to dump in ingredients and let my cooking robot do the work. But it's hitting the spot, because 1) Hogswatch, and 2) baking is a psychological reaction to moving, by trying to make a chaotic new environment more homey. 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Lou_be_Lou Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 Yay for Hogswatch baking as a settling into your home ploy. Mmmmmm, gingerbread. How does coconut flour behave? I inherited some, and so far haven't opened it. Sounds like you've been doing a massive amount of life organisation. Excellent job. Plus, pork stock soup with ginger and garlic and mushrooms, yum! Quote NF challenges: March 2018 , 12 , 11 , 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Link to comment
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