Chris Tarly -- Night Shift Reboot

[Stronkey Kong]

Hi Nurds.

 

Since we have an all-guild mashup, I'm going to go ahead a re-re-introduce myself.

 

I'm Chris Tarly. Up until the beginning of last challenge, I was known as Curl Brogo (among other names, check my sig). I joined NF 6 friggin years ago as an overweight grad student. Over those six years there have been many trials and tribulations over weight loss, becoming a massive beefcake, then anxiety and depression, and getting through days with jobs I hate and family members who annoy me (I did the move back home thing a few years ago, it was not fun). I've spent a lot of my time with the warriors, but now I challenge mostly with the adventurers.

 

Now I work as a machinist and I'm writing a Fantasy novel, while trying to not turn into some kind of obese potato shaped slug. Onto the challenge.

 

Here's the big deal...

 

I'm switching to night shift!

 

On day shift, which is scheduled (loosely) for 5 am to 5 pm, I tried to get extra hours by going in early, then burning out because I'm not a morning person at all. And right now I need 45 hours just to make ends meet. I'd prefer to be getting 50+ so I can have a savings again. Now I'll be scheduled to come in at 3pm. I have to get 10 hours normally, but I'll have Fri, Sat, Sun evening off unless I want overtime on Friday.

I'm optimistic. I used my long weekend to push my sleep schedule back. I like it. I might never again need an alarm clock. But this is a time to build awesome new habits.

 

Goal 1: Exercise

3 days a week -- kettlebell and barbell complexes

Weather permitting: go on coffee walks around the neighborhood.

 

1 pt. per workout

+1/2 bonus point for coffee walking

15 total points.

 

Goal 2: Stick to macros

2376 calories, 201 g Protein, 60 g Fat, 258 g Carbs

Always bring a lunch (dinner haha) to work.

 

1 point days on target (within error of +/- 200 calories, 20g for Pro/CHO, 10g for Fat)

1 point for bringing dinner to work.

33-36 total points. (depends on how many days I actually work)

 

Goal 3: Keep Writing

 

I stepped up and tried NaNoWriMo this year. I kept at it but didn't make it to 50,000 words. But I started a fantasy novel that I'm keen to see through to the end at my own pace. I don't see myself getting to the end of this book until I hit nearly 150,000.

 

Add 300 words minimum to word count everyday... no matter what*

Add 6300 words minimum to pass (2100 / week)

Add 12600 words -- awesome! (casual congratulatory)

Add 18900 words -- excellence!

Reach double the current word count [78,194] -- awesome! (formal literary)

Word Count: 39,097

 

excludes plagues, family emergencies, and apocalyptic phenomena

 

I feel like I should have one more goal, but I think that's because I usually have a sleep goal, and now I don't need one. Ha ha!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Have fun working a schedule that matches your biorythms!

[Stronkey Kong]

15 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Have fun working a schedule that matches your biorythms!

 

Note the timestamp on this reply... and I am drinking coffee!

[Harriet]

1 hour ago, Chris Tarly said:

Add 300 words minimum to word count everyday... no matter what*

Add 6300 words minimum to pass

Add 12600 words -- awesomeness!

Add 18900 words -- excellence!

Reach double the current word count [78,194] -- This should carry some kind of reward but I don't know what.

Two questions. 1: What is coffee walking? 2: Is excellence better than awesomeness??? I think we should start our conceptual analysis with standard definitions, then establish paradigm and borderline cases, finally settling on necessary and sufficient conditions, before deciding which is superior. 

Anyways, I'm super happy that you're writing. 

[Stronkey Kong]

29 minutes ago, Harriet said:

Two questions. 1: What is coffee walking? 2: Is excellence better than awesomeness??? I think we should start our conceptual analysis with standard definitions, then establish paradigm and borderline cases, finally settling on necessary and sufficient conditions, before deciding which is superior. 

Anyways, I'm super happy that you're writing. 

 

1. Coffee walking: walking around with a cup of coffee in hand. Basically I intend to go on walks shortly after awakening and making coffee. Something to do while caffienating instead of sitting in front of a screen.

 

2. In this challenge yes. Although, briefly considering basic definitions, I think I would say that awesomeness is just a specific form of excellence.

 

I have decided, albeit arbitrarily, that excellence is better than awesomeness. While we're at it, 2+2=5.

 

Writing, and ranting about the definitions, usage, and connotations of words is good for the brain.
 

 

[Stronkey Kong]

Word Count: 39767  (+1670)

 

Force of habit. I feel I have to update my word count on here.

 

I wrote 1670 words tonight, and finished a chapter. The bar fight didn't happen after all. Though, an interrogation and bloody execution is now nigh.

 

Where was this momentum in November?

[Loveable_Bouncer]

2 hours ago, Chris Tarly said:

 

Where was this momentum in November?

Heyo!

 

As someone who had collected many underpants on being a writer, sharing your daily update is the best for hitting those goals! 

I think I saw some of your story when I searched NaNo partipants last month, but school devoured me into hating writing. But glad you found you like your story, especially after those 30 days of writing it could just be pushing you more. 

 

ALso yay for finding a shift that you prefer!

[Echoceanic]

8 hours ago, Chris Tarly said:

Word Count: 39767  (+1670)

 

Force of habit. I feel I have to update my word count on here.

 

I do the same thing in my journal. It got me though the three rewrites of my first book (you heard me, three).

[Stronkey Kong]

Apparently George RR Martin is finally getting close to releasing Winds...

 

https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/1211761/Game-of-Thrones-Book-6-George-RR-Martin-Winds-of-Winter-release-date-HBO-fans

 

An interesting quote.

 

"I tell you this — if I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for Worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done. Just so long as the acrid fumes do not screw up my old DOS word processor, I’ll be fine."

[Love_Of_Snuggles]

10 hours ago, Chris Tarly said:

1. Coffee walking: walking around with a cup of coffee in hand. Basically I intend to go on walks shortly after awakening and making coffee. Something to do while caffienating instead of sitting in front of a screen. 

 

 

Dude, that is awesome! If I drank coffee I would totally do that.

[Stronkey Kong]

Well. Instead of coffee walking I did a bunch of writing while I caffeinated. I'll take that.

 

Word Count: 40405 (+636)

 

I started a new chapter and knocked out a whole page in about an hour. I'll take that.

 

Afterward I worked out:

 

KB swings 25# 2x5x10 (alternating arms)

 

Barbell Complex 65#,  3 complexes

Press: 10

Front Squat: 10

BOB Rows: 10

 

I only managed 1 complex yesterday. As part of my plan to gradually ramp up, I only intended to do 2 today. I decided to go for a third. I got all my reps, but my arms are all noodly now. So it was good. I was breathing heavy, and sweating which I haven't done in a while since I've been totally phoning in the workouts these last few months. This will be my default workout. I might add a few extra exercises to make it interesting. And if getting all those reps gets easy I'll add more weight. But for now this is what I'm doing.

 

Nutrition: I'm following that with a two scoop whey protein shake. Once that settles and I've showerd I'll move on to a fuller breakfast. Then I just need to bring a couple turkey sandwiches to take to work tonight along with some veggies.

 

I can already feel I've got a nice pump going from all the pressing yesterday and today.

[Aquarii]

13 hours ago, Chris Tarly said:

 

1. Coffee walking: walking around with a cup of coffee in hand. Basically I intend to go on walks shortly after awakening and making coffee. Something to do while caffienating instead of sitting in front of a screen.

 

I might have to steal this idea on occasion. I have a bad habit of making a cup of coffee and settling down for a longer-than-intended YouTube session.

[Stronkey Kong]

I must've totally forgotten what it's like to eat healthy. Jeebus.

 

So far today:

Postworkout: Whey protein, with 2 scoops of whey powder and 60 g Protein

Blunch (cuz I don't know if I should call it breakfast, brunch, or lunch, and blunch  has the right ring to it): 6 eggs, 4 pieces of 12 grain toast, a can of fruit cocktail in fruit juice

 

Then for dinner: 6 ounces (1 cup dry) of jasmine rice with a whole bag of frozen veggies and 8 oz. of oven roasted chicken breast.

 

All that and I'm still under my macro goals... like just within error.

The sheer bulk of these macros. Damn.

[iatetheyeti]

15 hours ago, Chris Tarly said:

1. Coffee walking: walking around with a cup of coffee in hand. Basically I intend to go on walks shortly after awakening and making coffee. Something to do while caffienating instead of sitting in front of a screen.

 

...I think I'm going to have to borrow this idea. 90% of my caffeinating is done in front of a screen, even first thing.

 

[Scaly Freak]

15 hours ago, Chris Tarly said:

Where was this momentum in November?

 

In hiding, terrified by all the peer pressure. Most likely.

[Harriet]

18 hours ago, Chris Tarly said:

I think I would say that awesomeness is just a specific form of excellence.

 

Writing, and ranting about the definitions, usage, and connotations of words is good for the brain.

Ahem. Well in that case:

 

Google defines excellence as "the quality of being outstanding or extremely good." and awesome as "extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear." One difference in the two definitions might be that excellence is a standard, while awesomness relates to the reaction something inspires in others (impressed, admiring).

Also, our fellow nerd has given us an example of the use of "awesome":
 

8 hours ago, Love_Of_Snuggles said:

Dude, that is awesome! If I drank coffee I would totally do that.

In this case, the ordinary language meaning appears to be "what a good idea, I am impressed by your creativity," rather than "you have acquired a high standard". Now, high standards could certainly inspire admiration. But not all admirable things are due to high standards. For example, if a weak lifter lifts 100lb with great valour and resolve, while a very advanced lifter lazily rips 300lb while checking her phone, who has provided more awesomeness? I would say the valiant novice. Lower standards, but arguably greater awesomeness. But then again, perhaps this is due to the different standards of valour and industry, rather than the different standards of lifting. So I cannot exclude the importance of standards for awesomeness, nor the possibility of admiration in excellence. 

[Loveable_Bouncer]

5 hours ago, Chris Tarly said:

All that and I'm still under my macro goals... like just within error.

The sheer bulk of these macros. Damn.

How are you going to change it up? 

I personally am someone who gets lost in the counting to get by, but see you are trying to figure out the plan of attack here. 

[Stronkey Kong]

Oof. Staying up late is harder when you're actually working and not just reading on the couch.

 

I couldn't finish my dinner in one sitting. Damn.

[Aquarii]

18 hours ago, Chris Tarly said:

All that and I'm still under my macro goals... like just within error.

The sheer bulk of these macros. Damn.

 

Haha, I am running into the same thing. I started tracking macros about a week ago because they were just all over the place and needed some focus. And suddenly I was unsure as to how I would manage to eat enough, because wowwwwww there is a lot of bulk in carbs and protein.

[KB Girl]

Kettlebells and writing! 

 

Were you able to get to sleep after work straight away? that's always the trouble I have when working late. 

[raptron]

I love coffee walking as a concept~!

[Stronkey Kong]

Well. I'm up already. I got up just shy of 9:30. I've got my coffee, but I'm in front of a screen again. Thanks to holiday mashup challenge, I have way more responses than I'm used to dealing with. So I'll summarize and pick out a few topics rather than quote.

 

RE: First night on night shift

I worked 10.5 hours last night. I started just before 3 pm, and worked until about 2:30. I took a 25 min lunch, wherein, I could not finish my gigantic lunch. Night shift is super chill compared to day shift. Though I'm used to working only 8 hours as a minimum and I got a little stir crazy near during the last two hours. There are only a dozen people in the shop at night. Also, once a week the nighttime manager goes on a food run where they all pick a place and order something, and the manager goes and picks it up so nobody has to take a long lunch break. Then they all generally eat together. This could be a good thing, but it could get me into trouble diet wise. When I came home, just shy of 3 am, there were no parking spots in my apartment complex, so I had to park on the street. I pretty much expected this. One option might be to rent a reserved space if I get sick of street parking.

 

RE: Falling asleep after work.

Then, I didn't fall asleep as fast as expected. When I worked nights at Amazon, I used to come home, shower quick, then go right to bed, most of the time falling right asleep. Last night I tossed and turned for over an hour. I got up and ate a piece of bread just to see if it was hunger induced sleeplessness, it wasn't. It could be from too much caffeine. I was drinking diet Mt Dew from the vending machine right up until the end of my shift. In the days before, I cut off caffeine by 12 am. It also felt like hunger induced sleeplessness... My macros have me eating a lot of bulk, but not a lot of calories. Plus, the DOMs have set upon me...And, yeah, working until 1-2am creates a different mental state than laying on the couch reading until 1-2 am... and it's not a restful one. And, it's probably a combination of all of these.

 

I can most easily control caffeine intake, so tonight, I'll cut that out at 12 am, and maybe drink less coffee throughout the day.

I've lifted something for the last three days in a row. So today will be a rest day. I'll do no more than stretch today.

 

I'll wait and see if this whole scheme becomes unsustainable before I adjust my macros in case it's hunger that really is keeping me awake.

 

RE: Bulky macros

My dinner last night was 6 oz. of rice, a whole bag of frozen veggies, and 8 oz of roasted chicken... I have a 7 cup pyrex box... it was filled past the brim and I had to mash it all in to get the lid on. I have gotten used to eating much more calorie dense food. Now I'm trying to hit macros using the healthier stuff that has fiber and water and vitamins taking up extra space. In macros, 1/2 cup of cooked rice = 1 pop tart. Plus, I'm used to eating fewer, bigger meals. I'm going to have to divide in order to conquer, and maybe swapping a pop tart for some rice is fine. It at least makes more room for veggies.

 

RE: Coffee Walking

Thanks for the enthusiasm all. Unfortunately, I've tacked on this "coffee walking" side quest/bonus goal during the start of the coldest part of the year. So I'm reluctant to dive right in.  If you live in a warmer climate and want to try it out, and do so before I do, let me know how it goes.

 

 

[Stronkey Kong]

15 hours ago, Harriet said:

Ahem. Well in that case:

 

Google defines excellence as "the quality of being outstanding or extremely good." and awesome as "extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear." One difference in the two definitions might be that excellence is a standard, while awesomness relates to the reaction something inspires in others (impressed, admiring).

Also, our fellow nerd has given us an example of the use of "awesome":
 

In this case, the ordinary language meaning appears to be "what a good idea, I am impressed by your creativity," rather than "you have acquired a high standard". Now, high standards could certainly inspire admiration. But not all admirable things are due to high standards. For example, if a weak lifter lifts 100lb with great valour and resolve, while a very advanced lifter lazily rips 300lb while checking her phone, who has provided more awesomeness? I would say the valiant novice. Lower standards, but arguably greater awesomeness. But then again, perhaps this is due to the different standards of valour and industry, rather than the different standards of lifting. So I cannot exclude the importance of standards for awesomeness, nor the possibility of admiration in excellence. 

 

I think we can agree that we have acquired two meanings of awesome (and by extension, awesomeness) based upon differences in usage. I would call one the "casual celebratory" usage, and the other the "epic literary" usage. The casual celebratory is used for acknowledging minor achievements or fortuitous happenstance, like when Michelangelo finds a pizza. The epic literary form is used mainly in writing or formal descriptions of major events that invoke strong emotions particularly those that inspire awe, whether it be derived from excellence, such as successfully performing a complex piano cadenza during a live performance, do doing bad ass karate moves and winning a tournament. The formal definition used in common dictionaries tends to reflect the "epic literary" usage.

 

Regarding the examples you have given, I would say the weak lifter valiantly and determinedly pulling 100 lbs. deserves a casual celebratory "Awesome". I would not yet classify this as excellent, it may be if other facts are to be taken into account, but to achieve true excellence requires more practice and skill, and consistency I think.

 

The person who lazily rips 300 lbs while looking at their phone is neither awesome, by any definition or usage standard, nor excellent, because being on your phone during a workout is bad form. However, if the same lifter could pull 300 lbs. easily and consistently, I might say this demonstrates a degree of excellence.

 

Now, a six year old girl casually flipping an M1-Abrams tank with one arm is awesome in the "epic literary" sense of the word. However, if it is only excellent if this she can repeat this feat multiple times showing that it wasn't just a fluke during a fit of rage. I would extend this to say that a single action could not be accurately regarded as excellent. A single tank flip would be awesome, but I would have to see this little girl flip many tanks before I might say "She possesses excellence in the deadly art of tank flipping."

 

====

 

Okay, now I've written probably 2000 words on challenge updates and defending my own bullshit, and I'm supposed to be writing  a novel. I need to stop.

[Harriet]

14 minutes ago, Chris Tarly said:

Okay, now I've written probably 2000 words on challenge updates and defending my own bullshit, and I'm supposed to be writing  a novel. I need to stop.

 

Hahaha. This was fun. I won't poke too much because you have, as you say, other writing. But I think you're right that there are two usages of awesome, and we should retain "excellent" for those having achieved a high level of skill at something (or similar).

[Stronkey Kong]

2 hours ago, Harriet said:

 

Hahaha. This was fun. I won't poke too much because you have, as you say, other writing. But I think you're right that there are two usages of awesome, and we should retain "excellent" for those having achieved a high level of skill at something (or similar).

 

I updated the scoring system on my writing goal to reflect this revelation.

 

I got my 300 words in today.

 

Then I did some organizational work on the novel. First I uploaded it to google docs so I have a back up and I can access it anywhere, anytime (like at work at 1 am). Then I discovered  the neat little feature in gDocs that creates outline links to headings and formatted all my chapter labels as headings so I can teleport through the document. That was fun and satisfying. I'm usually just scrolling up and down on a few pages. Seeing it outlined, and jumping around multiple pages, from chapter to chapter, makes me realize how much I've actually written. It lets me see the accomplishment and interact with it more than a simple word count.

 

Which BTW has dropped to:

 

Word count: 39685

 

I removed a page and a half roughly of text that was from another idea I was kicking around mid-Nano, that doesn't have anything to do with the novel. I also have a bunch of outlining and scene/plot summaries, and started scenes/chapters at the end of the document. Since their relevant they count toward my word count for now.

 

With that, if I get bored and stir crazy at work I'll just hop on my gDoc and work on my novel a bit to keep adding to that word count. No way in hell I could be pulling shit like this on day shift since there are so many people around. Plus the guy I work alongside is always on the computer by our workstation when he has spare minutes. So maybe that will help.