[JediNickD] World 4 Level 4: "Hope is like the sun"

[JediNickD]

Welcome back for another episode of The Exciting Adventures of JediNickD! It was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away that I joined this site and started my first challenge.. World 1 was my first extended stay through 22 challenges.  I took a hiatus from NF and came back with a new direction for my goals where I warped to World 2, which I defeated in a Boss Fight slaying some mighty big goals. 

In World 3, I continue to develop my fitness, getting my body in the best shape of my life, even with the Degenerative Disc Disease, Arthritis, Disc Fissures, and more.  Through physical therapy exercises and karate, I have maintained my core and back muscles to ease the pressure off my spine, but in the end I defeated World 3 by transforming my life into a new form.  With chiropractic care for my spine, hitting the high ranks at karate, starting the new Toastmasters program called Pathways, and working to complete my Novice training at IJRS, World 4 feels like something new everyday. 

 

I just keep on L-I-V-I-N, fight the good (and healthy) fight, and level up my life!

 

Challenge Lesson:  "Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it you'll never make it through the night."

 

Hope is something which comes and goes.  Like motivation.  Or passion.  Or love.  Each of these need attention to be maintained or it will fade with time.  Motivation needs to be refreshed.  Passion needs to be re-energized.  Love needs to be nurtured.  Hope needs to held close to the heart.  Hope is attached to these other concepts (motivation, passion, love) as well as others, like dreams, beliefs, etc.  Hope is a theme in The Last Jedi and will lead to the epic conclusion in Episode IX.  In health and fitness, hope is part of our goals.  We hope to our plans work out and we meet our goals moving closer to our dreams... When things go off the rails, our goals are obstructed or appear to be out of reach, those are the moments when hope is most important.  It has to be held onto through those moments, return with you to the drawing board, and make it to a positive achievement.  Hope in something better is what can get us back up after a failure.  If we let even a little hope go, then it can all slip through like sand in your hands. 

 

Maintaining hope is best done with priorities.  We prioritize our lives by what matters to us.  Most of us would say that family is our number one priority.  Tie your hope for your goal to your number one priority, then it will never fade.  My hope is to be a Jedi who influences the world to make it a better place for my children and their children to inherit.  That drives me to coach, mentor, and teach others.  It drives me to make changes in my life to be a proper role model for everyone who may look up to me. 

 

Another hope I have is to maintain a healthy body so that I can take care of my family, and give them as much joy and happiness as I am able.  My back injury made me grumpy and sedentary due to pain and discomfort.  I committed myself to fixing it.  Part of that was financially through doctor visits, physical therapy, chiropractic care, and a spinal injection.  The other part is making changes in my daily life to correct poor posture and spinal issues through exercise, diet, and better sitting practices.

 

Hope is your life line.  Without hope, your life may be lost.  Keep that life line strong with prioritization.  With hope, you will always be rescued.

 

 

My Main Quest and Mission:

My mission is to be the best Jedi I can be. My main quest is always to enhance my overall health, fitness, and knowledge to be prepared for whatever challenges life could throw at me. As a Jedi, I need to be able to help people, whether that is a life threatening situation or just a charitable one. There is no boss level in Jedi training, there is only tomorrow.

 

World 4 Level 4 Challenge:

FITNESS:

• Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 320 min total, 80 weekly. 

  STA +1, DEX +1
   

• Walking: Fortify the Spine - 600 min total, 150 weekly
  STR +1
   

• Exercise: Lifting and Bodyweight - 240 min total, 60 weekly. 

  STR +1, STA +1
   

• Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 560 min total, 140 weekly. 

  DEX +1, STR +1
   

• Karate: Training and Practice - 800 min total, 200 weekly. 
  DEX +1, STA +1
   

DIET:

• Weight Control - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4.  Watch portions and make healthy choices for 24 of 28 days.  Track lunch portions for 24 of 28 days.  Track "fasting" after dinner nightly for 24 of 28 days.  Cut out the crap.  Eat salads, not burritos.  Eat fruit, not cookies.  Eat carrots, not Cheez-Itz.  Eat less, not more.  TURN UP THE HEAT!  TURN DOWN THE EAT!
  CON +4
  
  

 

 

LIFE:

• Get Stuff Done - Complete 60 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 15 hours each week (reducing for the school year as I need time to help the kids with homework).  Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge
  • Dishes (10)
  • Laundry (8)
  • Cooking/Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (20)
  • Yard Work (4)
  • Animal Care (32)
  • Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (8)

          WIS +1, CHA +1

 

INCENTIVES!  Working hard for CASH!  ($294.35 carried over)

1. REWARD:  For each week in which I complete 17 or more hours of Chores and Maintenance, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. 
   CONSEQUENCE:  For any week where I complete less than 15 hours, I will give up $10 of saved cash.
    
2. REWARD:  $5 for each Personal Project hour (Epic Nerd Camp, Extra Life, Jedi website, VHS-to-DVD conversion project, etc)
   CONSEQUENCE : Lose $10 for each week without a Personal Project hour.
    
3. REWARD:  $50 for each completed IJRS lesson. 
   CONSEQUENCE: Lose $20 for each week without completing an IJRS lesson.
    
4. REWARD: $1 for each night of fasting after dinner.  Fruits and veggies allowed in small quantities, but no dessert or snacking.   
   CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 for each day without fasting.
    
5. REWARD: $1 for each day with a small, healthy lunch. 
   CONSEQUENCE:  Lose $5 for each day without a small, healthy lunch.
    
6. REWARD: $2 for each morning or night of brushing and flossing. 
   CONSEQUENCE:  Lose $2 for each morning or night I forget to floss.  Lose $10 for NOT flossing for the full day. 

 

BONUSES: 

  Life:

• $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training (mentoring, reading/writing, charity, meditation, IJRS lessons). 
• $2 for each hour working on Toastmasters including meetings.
• $2 for healthy grocery shopping or healthy meal prep.
• $2 for each Home Renovation or Auto Maintenance hour.
   

  Workout:

• $5 for each cardio session over 30 min
• $10 for doubling any weekly minimum

 

PUNISHMENT:

• Lose $10 each day with weight above 149.5 lbs. 
• Lose $5 for eating more than 2 slices of pizza in any day.
• Lose $5 for each morning not weighing in.

[JediNickD]

Well, to close out last challenge's theme "This is NOT going to go the way you think," and kickoff this challenge's theme "Hope is like the sun," on Friday I interviewed for a position in a lab which never hires new people and is kind of my dream position at this point in my career.  This morning I received the offer and accepted.  Instead of accepting a position with the government doing what I've been doing the last 3 years, I will be starting a new job with my contracting company doing more awesome things than I ever thought I'd get the opportunity to do.  I could not believe the turn around on this.  This opportunity came out of no where as I searched and searched for a month while the government stuff processed.  I wasn't sold on the government job outside of the retirement package and continuing in my current job, which, total honesty, I had become bored with for the most part until the last few months when I got to do System Testing and work the technical side.  New job is all technical all the time!  It is going to be a challenge, but I will learn and I will kick ass. 

 

WOOT WOOT for new exciting career path!

[Manarelle]

19 hours ago, JediNickD said:

Well, to close out last challenge's theme "This is NOT going to go the way you think," and kickoff this challenge's theme "Hope is like the sun," on Friday I interviewed for a position in a lab which never hires new people and is kind of my dream position at this point in my career.  This morning I received the offer and accepted.  Instead of accepting a position with the government doing what I've been doing the last 3 years, I will be starting a new job with my contracting company doing more awesome things than I ever thought I'd get the opportunity to do.  I could not believe the turn around on this.  This opportunity came out of no where as I searched and searched for a month while the government stuff processed.  I wasn't sold on the government job outside of the retirement package and continuing in my current job, which, total honesty, I had become bored with for the most part until the last few months when I got to do System Testing and work the technical side.  New job is all technical all the time!  It is going to be a challenge, but I will learn and I will kick ass. 

 

WOOT WOOT for new exciting career path!

 

 

Congrats!

[JediNickD]

I ran yesterday and the day before for 30+ minutes with sprints after I got to the gym.  Karate last night I earned my blue stripe for butterfly and scissor kicks.  Jumping screw kicks are difficult to target.  I need to work on that.  I hope to never have to do butterfly side kicks again, as it hurts my hips, but I know I'll see them again.

 

I forgot I had another WOOT.  My chiropractic care is going so well that I have been "upgraded" to one session a week a whole month earlier than expected.  That is awesome on it's own, but coupled with the financial savings, it is certainly a big WOOT WOOT to WOOT WOOT about! 

 

[Manarelle]

Grats on the exercise stuff, and heck yeah on upgrading care. It's good to do everything you can for your health, but it adds up fast. Keep getting better. 

[JediNickD]

This right here:  https://www.avclub.com/ben-schwartz-and-kat-graham-on-rise-of-the-teenage-muta-1829011352

 

First, this new Ninja Turtles show looks terrible.  The last iteration was pretty great, being an awesome blend of the comic and 80s cartoon story lines with modern animation and themes.  I get what they are going for with it being geared for younger kids and about the Turtles learning their skills, but it seems wacky goofball antics are the go-to reboot style for all cartoons these days.  After Teen Titans Go, which is fun and original, it seems every show is trying to do the same thing.  Thundercats ROAR is the perfect example of taking it too far.  This reboot falls squarely in the same hole. 

 

Second, why are they interviewing the voice actors about the show?  They know nothing about it and hardly anything about the previous iterations.  Ask them about other stuff or interview someone else, but this article only proved how awful this show is going to be.  There is a reason why Marvel MCU is so good.  Everyone involved creating it cares about it being great, because they love Marvel stuff.  These are just actors.  Seth Green is a huge geek and Turtle fan.  He voiced Leonardo and the show was phenomenal.  It is a shame that the show didn't generate a larger following and extend its run, but I'm glad it also didn't over stay its welcome and hit a natural conclusion.  The 80s cartoon a prime example of running longer than it needed to.

 

Third, it appears that there will be new Ninja Turtles until the end of time with how quickly they rebooted the series into 3 series and 1 movie.  The original cartoon ended in 1996.  The first reboot started in 2003.  Seven years is a long wait compared to the follow ups.  TMNT series ended in 2010, then the Nick show started in 2012, ended in 2017.  The new show airs first in 2018.  Oddly, none of the movies tie into any of the series, even though each series laid the groundwork to launch each "accompanying" movie series.

[JediNickD]

Update time.  I ran 40 minutes hitting 4 miles for the first time.  Lots of fast pace running (not sprints) which felt like I could sustain them.  I may change my History Feat in the Ranger Mini to a timed run.  I feel like I could beat my mile time from a few years ago.

 

I am on the heavy side right now though.  150.8 lbs.  I thought I did well over the weekend with Ren Faire and two birthdays, but the scale doesn't lie.  I could have done better.  I need to hit the store for veggies and apples. 

[Manarelle]

Grats on the update time. That is.... a lot of running. I hear you on the cartoon side of things. I don't watch tv much but my gentleman is, and is a huge comic fan. He has lots to say about pushing through reboots without the dedication, and I have a lot to say about the quality level of modern animating, when I walk by and hear/see what he's watching. Wish more networks would a) care, and b) listen to their constituents. Ah, well. 

[JediNickD]

149.8 lbs this morning.  Still bleh.

 

Karate practice after a thorough stretch and a selection of physical therapy exercises.  I went through my combinations focusing on the back-fist, punch, roundhouse flow and power.  My left leg on the side up near my hip tweaked a bit (likely a hip flexor strain) from all the twisting, but that is how I know I was doing them right and not just turning my whole body.  There is power in the twist, like pulling back a rubber band, but I still need to be careful with my muscles to avoid injury.  I need to remember to get some hip flexor stretching in tonight and ice it. 

 

I washed almost all the dishes after cooking dinner.  After taking care of the kids (homework and dinner) I set them up with Lego Jurassic World and headed out to visit an elderly couple from church.  The husband had fallen and broke his shoulder.  He is three weeks into his recovery and needs a bit of help around the house.  The wife is mostly sedentary after two knee operations and a heart condition.  Both in their 70s, they are quite stubborn when it comes to living on their own though.  I'm sure in a couple years they are going to hit a wall where they need daily help.  If I were them, I would prefer to have that help now to build a relationship and trust with whoever is going to do it when I'm senile.  Just personal preference I guess, but I'm young and flexible.  I'm sure when I am older, I'll be just as stubborn.

[JediNickD]

148.6 lbs this morning.  A nice and cool 40 min run this morning.  After I got to the gym, I practiced Tae Guek 8 a few times to ensure I commit the pattern to memory.  My hip flexor is looser, but was certainly sore last night at karate class.  Scissor splits are likely what did the trick loosening it up.  More karate practice tomorrow morning and class at night.  Tonight, I'd like to work on that hip flexor a bit more and practice my back-fist, punch, roundhouse twisting flow, if I get a chance.  My wife is trying to get my help with her forms, but keeps finding excuses not to do it, so if we don't go to class and the kids are done with homework, then I'm busting her butt to practice.  Her chain mail weaving and Netflix will have to wait. ;-)

[Manarelle]

21 hours ago, JediNickD said:

My wife is trying to get my help with her forms, but keeps finding excuses not to do it, so if we don't go to class and the kids are done with homework, then I'm busting her butt to practice.  Her chain mail weaving and Netflix will have to wait. ;-)

 

Could be dangerous....  Good luck. 

[JediNickD]

1 hour ago, Manarelle said:

 

Could be dangerous....  Good luck. 

 

We got our practice in.  I did a little in the kitchen to signal I was ready.  She noticed and hopped up, then went out to the deck for plenty of space. 

[JediNickD]

Karate practice last night and again this morning.  Class tonight, where I should get a chance to learn the rest of my kata or demonstrate my combos or creed.  I am confident I have them down and corrected all the details, but we will see! 

 

149.2 lbs... salad is waiting for me in tomorrow's lunch.

[JediNickD]

I hadn't posted here since the 20th?  Yikes! 

 

Well, we are in the last week.  I'm doing ok, but I haven't made any strides in my weight.  Crushing the workout stuff, crushing the chores.  Getting back to my Jedi lesson.  New job is going well with a typical slow start.  This week should get things going. 

 

Starting to build up to my Extra Life event.  Planning retro video games setup on the projector, which will be great for those in-house, but my live stream videos are certain to suck again as I haven't put any time into getting better at it.  I want to throw out another preview live stream video, but not sure I'll get a chance with the basement construction.  I need to do it to see if I can make the production quality better with lighting and acoustics (better camera and software would go a long way too).  Here's my practice run from a few months ago:

 

 

It was a fun play through, but not the best to watch for 3 hours.  I want to get the video editor out and do a highlight video, but I've certainly an amateur there too. 

 

 

[Manarelle]

Only way to improve is to do it. Welcome back.

[JediNickD]

On Friday, I noticed one of my Amazon Wish List items for improving my video captures was 25% off, so I decided to order it with a new webcam and the adapters I need to capture the retro consoles.  My Live Streams will be much improved quality, but my follow up productions and compilations will be lit with the new hardware.  Of course, I still need to learn video editing, but I feel like that is the easy part.  Coming up with the time to do it is more difficult. ;-)  All about prioritization! 

[JediNickD]

World 4 Level 4 Challenge GRADES:

FITNESS:

• Cardio: Speed and Stamina - 320 min total, 80 weekly. 

  STA +1, DEX +1  A = 490 min, Weekly Met
   

• Walking: Fortify the Spine - 600 min total, 150 weekly
  STR +1  A = 870 min, Weekly Met
   

• Exercise: Lifting and Bodyweight - 240 min total, 60 weekly. 

  STR +1, STA +1  A = 380 min, Weekly Met
   

• Flexibility: Stretching and Physical Therapy - 560 min total, 140 weekly. 

  DEX +1, STR +1  A = 570 min, Weekly Met
   

• Karate: Training and Practice - 800 min total, 200 weekly. 
  DEX +1, STA +1  A = 1370 min, Weekly Met

DIET:

• Weight Control - Track weight. Complete measurements before or during Week 1 and again during or after Week 4.  Watch portions and make healthy choices for 24 of 28 days.  Track lunch portions for 24 of 28 days.  Track "fasting" after dinner nightly for 24 of 28 days.  Cut out the crap.  Eat salads, not burritos.  Eat fruit, not cookies.  Eat carrots, not Cheez-Itz.  Eat less, not more.  TURN UP THE HEAT!  TURN DOWN THE EAT!
  CON +4  A = Meals, Portions, Healthy lunches (I plowed through bags of carrots and apples)... Didn't lose weight.

 

LIFE:

• Get Stuff Done - Complete 60 Hours of various Chores and Maintenance, with at least 15 hours each week (reducing for the school year as I need time to help the kids with homework).  Chores and Maintenance are the following areas (goal hours for challenge
  • Dishes (10)
  • Laundry (8)
  • Cooking/Cleaning/Dusting/Vacuuming/Trash/Other (20)
  • Yard Work (4)
  • Animal Care (32)
  • Home Renovation and Auto Maintenance (8)

          WIS +1, CHA +1  A = 97.1 hours, Weekly Met (36.4 in Week 4 with the Basement construction)

 

INCENTIVES!  Working hard for CASH!  ($294.35 carried over)  Spent $255, carry over to next challenge = $107.25

1. REWARD:  For each week in which I complete 17 or more hours of Chores and Maintenance, I will put aside $10 to spend how I see fit. 
   CONSEQUENCE:  For any week where I complete less than 15 hours, I will give up $10 of saved cash.
    
2. REWARD:  $5 for each Personal Project hour (Epic Nerd Camp, Extra Life, Jedi website, VHS-to-DVD conversion project, etc)
   CONSEQUENCE : Lose $10 for each week without a Personal Project hour.
    
3. REWARD:  $50 for each completed IJRS lesson. 
   CONSEQUENCE: Lose $20 for each week without completing an IJRS lesson.
    
4. REWARD: $1 for each night of fasting after dinner.  Fruits and veggies allowed in small quantities, but no dessert or snacking.   
   CONSEQUENCE: Lose $5 for each day without fasting.
    
5. REWARD: $1 for each day with a small, healthy lunch. 
   CONSEQUENCE:  Lose $5 for each day without a small, healthy lunch.
    
6. REWARD: $2 for each morning or night of brushing and flossing. 
   CONSEQUENCE:  Lose $2 for each morning or night I forget to floss.  Lose $10 for NOT flossing for the full day. 

 

BONUSES: 

  Life:

• $1 for each hour working on Jedi Training (mentoring, reading/writing, charity, meditation, IJRS lessons). 
• $2 for each hour working on Toastmasters including meetings.
• $2 for healthy grocery shopping or healthy meal prep.
• $2 for each Home Renovation or Auto Maintenance hour.
   

  Workout:

• $5 for each cardio session over 30 min
• $10 for doubling any weekly minimum

 

PUNISHMENT:

• Lose $10 each day with weight above 149.5 lbs. 
• Lose $5 for eating more than 2 slices of pizza in any day.
• Lose $5 for each morning not weighing in.