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Adventurers of the Lucky Vale VIII


Sciread77

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I’ve not got a lot of time ATM but I just realized we’re on a new challenge. 
 

Test is Tuesday, 3/3 at 7:30 am. I’m doing a pretest for myself tomorrow. I’ve been working hard but yet to have a fully passing score, AND they say you tend to do worse on the actual test than practice. So I’m really hoping. 
 

That 3x work? A lovely dream. We’ve had a substantially larger amount dropped on us and it’s panic mode. As in it would take 28 straight days to do the extra work if that’s all we do and they thought (and expected) it’s be done taking about half the day for 5 days. Eek. I’ll check in more later. 

  • Like 5

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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2 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

Test is Tuesday, 3/3 at 7:30 am. I’m doing a pretest for myself tomorrow. I’ve been working hard but yet to have a fully passing score, AND they say you tend to do worse on the actual test than practice. So I’m really hoping. 

 

gandalfhope.gif.814bd33e28b7fcd2abc8d4c2c3e6febb.gif

 

You have a date! That's awesome. GOOD LUCK!

  • Like 2

hröa Periano, sanar Eldaro, fëa Núnatano

(body of a Hobbit, mind of an Elf, soul of a Dúnadan)

Memories of a former Age [ 1 |  2 ]  ~  Return from Mandos [ respawn ]

Recent sojourns in Middle-earth { 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |

14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 2829 | 30 | 31 | 32 ]

[ Current: Metamorphosis ]   ~   [ Tracking spreadsheet ]   ~   [ Instagram ]

The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.  ~ Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

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Push-up AMRAP best: 30. Which is good, but not nearly as high as I was hoping. I’m at least technically passing each individual category but I still need a lot better scores to pass the overall test.  I’m a little frustrated but I’m going to switch up the training a little bit. Since I have almost exactly two weeks left. 

  • Like 3

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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4 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

Which is good, but not nearly as high as I was hoping.

 

Progress by degrees, my friend. My push-up AMRAP is lower than I like, as well. I think I can bang out close to 30, but it hurts, and I look miserable. Sometimes I have to compromise form to get that high. But I can remember a time when it was 10-15.

 

You can do this.

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Who am I? -- My NF Character

Current Challenge: WolfDreamer Returns (For Real This Time)

Past Challenges: 

Spoiler

Winter is ComingWolfen Strengthens His Heart, Body, Mind, and Spirit, Wolfen Becomes One of the PeopleWolfen Strengthens His ChakrasWolfen Welcomes Summer and Gets Primal, Soulcon and Spartan, Wolfen Develops Mental ToughnessWolfen Joins the Wander SocietySoulcon, Spartan, School, and Stranger ThingsWolfen Becomes a Warrior EliteWolfen Goes Here and There and Back AgainWolfen Becomes a Soulcon Warrior EliteWolfen Returns to His RootsWolfen Wanders in Soul, Spirit, and BodyWolfen Owns the DayWolfen Searches for His Wild Heart, Wolfen Runs for His LifeWolfen Hits the TrailsWolfen Becomes an Explorer and Joins the ResistanceWolfen Goes Back to the SourceWolfen Begins the Hero's JourneyWolfDreamer Returns to the People,  WolfDreamer Pushes BackWolfDreamer PrioritizesBurpees, Books, and BrainworkBurpees, Books, Brainwork, and BodyworkWolfDreamer Masters the Four ElementsWolfDreamer Continues to Master the Four ElementsWolfDreamer Returns to SpartaWolfDreamer Returns to Middle EarthWolfDreamer Continues His Middle Earth AdventureWolfDreamer and the FallWolfDreamer Forges His Own PathWolfDreamer Has HopeWolfDreamer Returns to Middle EarthWolfDreamer Reads Harder, Breathes Harder, and Journals MoreWolfDreamer Embraces His Wild PoetThe Mad Poet Becomes SupernaturalWolfDreamer, The Mad Poet, Becomes SuperhumanWolfDreamer ElevatesWolfDreamer Becomes IronBornWolfDreamer Wakes the White WolfThe Mad Poet Recovers by Keeping it SimpleWolfDreamer Clears His Mind to Find His Wild HeartWolfDreamer ResetsWolfDreamer Strives to Become an Eminently Qualified Peaceful WarriorWolfDreamer Springs Forward

I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet.” -- Jack London

“I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love.” -- Leo Tolstoy

"I feel love rising in my chest again
Rising like a burning sun into the day..." -- Gungor, "Hurricane"

"...wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17b

 

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5 minutes ago, WolfDreamer said:

 

Progress by degrees, my friend. My push-up AMRAP is lower than I like, as well. I think I can bang out close to 30, but it hurts, and I look miserable. Sometimes I have to compromise form to get that high. But I can remember a time when it was 10-15.

 

You can do this.


I remember a time with a much higher AMRAP for myself, which I’m sure doesn’t help. I mean, 12-13 years ago in my early 20s, and I got there through 4-5 years of push-up contests and not a much shorter period. 
 

If I didn’t have an actual deadline I’d be pretty happy with my progress. I mean, I’ve added 9 pushups to the 21 I could do at the end of October. I’ve more than doubled my sit-ups. I’m actually running again. Most of my frustration is having to meet this goal on this test and still not being there. I’ve fought pretty hard to get this far in the process and the last thing I want is to miss out on the potential of the opportunity just because I’m not in good enough physical condition. 

  • Like 2

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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37 minutes ago, Sciread77 said:

If I didn’t have an actual deadline I’d be pretty happy with my progress. I mean, I’ve added 9 pushups to the 21 I could do at the end of October. I’ve more than doubled my sit-ups. I’m actually running again. Most of my frustration is having to meet this goal on this test and still not being there. I’ve fought pretty hard to get this far in the process and the last thing I want is to miss out on the potential of the opportunity just because I’m not in good enough physical condition. 

 

Congrats on the progress you have made so far. Cheering for ya! You got this :)

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Chaotic-Neutral, Elven Bladesinger (Apprentice): Level 1

Current Stats: STR 11 || DEX 11 || CON 12 || INT 15 || WIS 15 || CHA 12

Goal Stats: STR 14 || DEX 17+ || CON 14 || INT 18+ || WIS 18+ || CHA 14

"To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily; to not dare is to lose one's self". - Søren Kierkegaard

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Probably the best news is that I’ve gone from being able to do my AMRAP once every 2 days followed by a couple sets of 10 and sets of 5-8 for the balance of the day to being able to do sets of 21-25 every half hour afterwards. My overall endurance has substantially increased for doing push-ups in a row. Maybe I can parlay that into bigger gains over these next two weeks with that foundation. 
 

Also tested sit-ups again and added 2, for a total of 46. While I just kinda run out of gas at the end of the sit-ups, I’ve noticed that going to utter failure on those doesn’t really affect my performance in the other events. The biggest thing that affects my performance is the 300 meter sprint. I’m only just passing that and only get 5 minutes until the pushups. Yet my arms are usually still killing me by the time I get to the last event, the 1.5 mile run. Hopefully, I’ll continue to improve on that so I have a more comfortable margin for passing and I don’t have to push to the utter limits on it. I can do the 1.5 mile run after maxing out on pushups with no issue. But not nearly as well after that sprint. 
 

I never trained as a sprinter until recently, but I don’t feel like that run should kill me quite like it does. The pace required is actually slower than  my old high school mile time, but I was 19 years younger, 50 lbs lighter, and definitely too weak to do the pushups and Situps back then. 
 

We’ll see how things go. I’m definitely not cutting 3.5 minutes off my mile time in the next two weeks. Even when I was younger that dramatic transformation took me months. 

  • Like 2

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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12 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

I never trained as a sprinter until recently, but I don’t feel like that run should kill me quite like it does. The pace required is actually slower than  my old high school mile time, but I was 19 years younger, 50 lbs lighter, and definitely too weak to do the pushups and Situps back then. 

 

We’ll see how things go. I’m definitely not cutting 3.5 minutes off my mile time in the next two weeks. Even when I was younger that dramatic transformation took me months. 

Kudos for staying realistic with yourself, where you're at, and how you want to train without injuring yourself in order to meet a goal too quickly. That takes guts! 🤘

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...but I'm adorable! Ask anyone who doesn't know me...

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14 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

I’ve fought pretty hard to get this far in the process and the last thing I want is to miss out on the potential of the opportunity just because I’m not in good enough physical condition.

 

Do you find visualization work helpful at all? At this point, considering how close you are, it is going to be as much a mental test as a physical one, and you can train mentally as well as physically. Along with my normal drum-banging around sleep (you are getting enough sleep, right? The performance benefits of two full weeks of solid sleep will be HUGE) I might also suggest you add some daily practice imagining in full sensory detail a successful completion of each event.

 

This sometimes helped me when I was struggling with certain physical tests back in the day. But if you think it'll be more stressful than helpful, by all means feel free to disregard :)

 

Wishing you strength, focus, and success!! You can totally do this.

  • Like 2

hröa Periano, sanar Eldaro, fëa Núnatano

(body of a Hobbit, mind of an Elf, soul of a Dúnadan)

Memories of a former Age [ 1 |  2 ]  ~  Return from Mandos [ respawn ]

Recent sojourns in Middle-earth { 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |

14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 2829 | 30 | 31 | 32 ]

[ Current: Metamorphosis ]   ~   [ Tracking spreadsheet ]   ~   [ Instagram ]

The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.  ~ Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

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14 minutes ago, Defining said:

Kudos for staying realistic with yourself, where you're at, and how you want to train without injuring yourself in order to meet a goal too quickly. That takes guts! 🤘


Thanks! I learned back in high school track how to push my body to and beyond its limits. The challenge has always been how to keep from going beyond those limits without hurting myself. I’ve been visualizing myself, especially with the running and pushups. It’s been a little iffy on the sprinting because I’m still getting used to the feel of the sprinting cycle. I think it’s helping. 

I mean, I have kids these days and we both work far too much for me to stupidly put myself in the hospital. I have zero doubt that I will ultimately reach my goals. I just hope that what I’m doing will take me that extra little bit in the next two weeks. Is it realistic to add 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups in that time? I think it is. There must be a deeper mental barrier I can get past because the shortest of breaks gets me ready to do substantially more. Maybe I need to focus visualization for that. 

 

  • Like 1

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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1 hour ago, Sciread77 said:

There must be a deeper mental barrier I can get past because the shortest of breaks gets me ready to do substantially more. Maybe I need to focus visualization for that. 

Could also just be an endurance thing. I dunno if a two week deadline is a good time to experiment, but you can use caffeine before a workout to help with that, as well as creatine. If you really want to get wacky, a bit of baking soda in water before the workout can also improve lactic acid buffering, so long as it doesn't disturb your stomach.

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...but I'm adorable! Ask anyone who doesn't know me...

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2 hours ago, Defining said:

Could also just be an endurance thing. I dunno if a two week deadline is a good time to experiment, but you can use caffeine before a workout to help with that, as well as creatine. If you really want to get wacky, a bit of baking soda in water before the workout can also improve lactic acid buffering, so long as it doesn't disturb your stomach.


An endurance thing is the biggest thing I’m afraid of, since there only a limited amount I can build in two weeks. Caffeine I’m familiar with, creative I don’t supplement with due to meds than can be hard on the kidneys, but I hadn’t heard of the baking soda bit before. I think I’ll experiment a bit with that over the next week or so. Thanks for the tip. 
 

I’ll note that the research I read on it includes downing it with 700 ml of water 90 minutes prior to the event. Worst case, it gives me an upset stomach and I can’t use it. 

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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Another note is pre-event nutrition. I miscalculated as well and realize that I need some additional calories; I don’t usually eat massive breakfasts. Typically just fruit and coffee, eggs on the weekends if we have nowhere to go in the morning. So some of it could be due to not consuming enough calories to fuel the full, roughly 30-minute event. Tangerines just don’t provide a lot of calories, or blood sugar staying power. I’ll let y’all know how it goes. 

  • Like 2

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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So the last three nights included cleaning up acrylic paint mess as Bo Peep has found where I’ve hidden them in THREE SEPARATE PLACES l. My arm is still orange from last night lol. 
 

I’m tired. I’m making my final push the next few days and then I’ll be taking 3-4 days of light activity/active recovery. Let’s hope it works. 

  • Like 1

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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On 2/20/2020 at 10:16 AM, Sciread77 said:

So the last three nights included cleaning up acrylic paint mess as Bo Peep has found where I’ve hidden them in THREE SEPARATE PLACES l. My arm is still orange from last night lol. 

 

It is amazing how effective kids are at finding things when they put their mind to it. Is there a high shelf or cabinet where you could put it out of her reach?

 

On 2/20/2020 at 10:16 AM, Sciread77 said:

I’m tired. I’m making my final push the next few days and then I’ll be taking 3-4 days of light activity/active recovery. Let’s hope it works. 

 

You got this!!

  • Thanks 1

Chaotic-Neutral, Elven Bladesinger (Apprentice): Level 1

Current Stats: STR 11 || DEX 11 || CON 12 || INT 15 || WIS 15 || CHA 12

Goal Stats: STR 14 || DEX 17+ || CON 14 || INT 18+ || WIS 18+ || CHA 14

"To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily; to not dare is to lose one's self". - Søren Kierkegaard

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On 2/22/2020 at 8:18 AM, Aquarii said:

 

It is amazing how effective kids are at finding things when they put their mind to it. Is there a high shelf or cabinet where you could put it out of her reach?

 


 

 

It was already on the highest shelf abovE our wet bar. She’s super perceptive and a great climber. It’s a lot like having a secret agent or jewel thief in the house, only they’re primarily concerned with the acquisition of art supplies.

 

 

On 2/22/2020 at 8:18 AM, Aquarii said:

You got this!!

 

I hope so. I need a pretty big jump for it to work. 

  • Like 1

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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5 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

 

It was already on the highest shelf abovE our wet bar. She’s super perceptive and a great climber. It’s a lot like having a secret agent or jewel thief in the house, only they’re primarily concerned with the acquisition of art supplies.

 

Oh wow, is there a way you can put it is something that locks? She sounds like a bit of a handful. The intelligent ones always are, haha.

  • Like 1

Chaotic-Neutral, Elven Bladesinger (Apprentice): Level 1

Current Stats: STR 11 || DEX 11 || CON 12 || INT 15 || WIS 15 || CHA 12

Goal Stats: STR 14 || DEX 17+ || CON 14 || INT 18+ || WIS 18+ || CHA 14

"To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily; to not dare is to lose one's self". - Søren Kierkegaard

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She’s pretty resourceful. The youngest two are remarkably good at defeating locks and I here new, more advanced ones lol. Plus I’d need to install actual locks up there. 
 

I hid them in the attic for now which she can’t physically reach at all. 

  • Like 1

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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Thinking of you and your trial tomorrow, and wishing you focus and strength. May your performance be the best it can be!

  • Thanks 1

hröa Periano, sanar Eldaro, fëa Núnatano

(body of a Hobbit, mind of an Elf, soul of a Dúnadan)

Memories of a former Age [ 1 |  2 ]  ~  Return from Mandos [ respawn ]

Recent sojourns in Middle-earth { 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |

14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 2829 | 30 | 31 | 32 ]

[ Current: Metamorphosis ]   ~   [ Tracking spreadsheet ]   ~   [ Instagram ]

The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.  ~ Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

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12 hours ago, oromendur said:

Thinking of you and your trial tomorrow, and wishing you focus and strength. May your performance be the best it can be!


Thank you. 
 

I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings. I did not pass, and was unable to even run the 1.5 mile. After the pushups I got tunnel vision and spent an hour before I could sit up. I actually had a person best in that pesky 300m run but nothing else was up to par. 
 

I didn’t feel right going in, probably due to my cold. But I couldn’t put it off any longer either. 
 

Still, I was able to go to my physical limits and stop just short of completely collapsing on the track, which I consider a win. In fact, I’m proud of how hard I was able to push myself. I’m disappointed that I didn’t pass or finish. But I’m also a little relieved that I can basically move on and focus on something else. 
 

I’m changing up my training for a while but I think I’m going to continue working towards achieving a passing score here. It’s not a bad conditioning test. And I’m very happy to have learned that I can run again.

 

Still sad and disappointed as well. And trying to figure out, career wise, what to do next. I’m so very tired of being stuck. And tired of being tired. And feeling behind. 
 

I’m taking the rest of the day to do preliminary cleaning of the carpets in the basement. It’s a beautiful day. I couldn’t have asked for better event weather. Now I’m getting a head start on some desperately-needed spring cleaning. 
 

 

  • Like 3
  • That's Metal 1

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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Dude. That sucks. I'm sorry. 

 

I've been there, so I know there aren't any words anybody can toss at you that will help. I can reassure you that you're not crazy if you think it absolutely sucks though.

 

4 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

I’m proud of how hard I was able to push myself.

 

It sounds like you feel you gave it everything you had. It's one thing not to measure up, and another to be left wondering if you did your best. You very clearly did. Once the initial disappointment passes, you should be able to fully claim this pride. You tried something really difficult and uncompromising and that says a lot.

 

4 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

I actually had a person best in that pesky 300m run

 

4 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

I got tunnel vision and spent an hour before I could sit up


I have a funny feeling that these two items are not unrelated :)

 

4 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

I was able to go to my physical limits and stop just short of completely collapsing on the track, which I consider a win.


It's a HUGE win. You can move on with honor and a satisfied heart.

 

4 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

Still sad and disappointed as well. And trying to figure out, career wise, what to do next. I’m so very tired of being stuck. And tired of being tired. And feeling behind.


Right there with you, brother.

 

4 hours ago, Sciread77 said:

I’m taking the rest of the day to do preliminary cleaning of the carpets in the basement.... Now I’m getting a head start on some desperately-needed spring cleaning. 


OK now that's just going too far :D Cleaning? After thrashing yourself to the edge of consciousness? You're just making everybody else look bad. (Okay, me. You're making me look bad. I have no excuse for not cleaning now. Damn you.) 

 

You:   tougharagorn2.gif.83d78a024058f0a27a5571e7ba99f428.gif

 

Me:    pippinwincing.gif.c1eb46b888871cb359b81262e6b2456b.gif

 

You, sir, are a badass. Keep on!

 

  • Like 2

hröa Periano, sanar Eldaro, fëa Núnatano

(body of a Hobbit, mind of an Elf, soul of a Dúnadan)

Memories of a former Age [ 1 |  2 ]  ~  Return from Mandos [ respawn ]

Recent sojourns in Middle-earth { 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |

14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 2829 | 30 | 31 | 32 ]

[ Current: Metamorphosis ]   ~   [ Tracking spreadsheet ]   ~   [ Instagram ]

The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.  ~ Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

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2 minutes ago, oromendur said:

You, sir, are a badass. Keep on!

 

I concur. And the most badass thing about this for me is how maturely you handled not passing. You have a lot to be proud of, but the fact that you are introspective and reflecting on what your next steps are is really badass. I'm proud of you.

  • Thanks 1

Who am I? -- My NF Character

Current Challenge: WolfDreamer Returns (For Real This Time)

Past Challenges: 

Spoiler

Winter is ComingWolfen Strengthens His Heart, Body, Mind, and Spirit, Wolfen Becomes One of the PeopleWolfen Strengthens His ChakrasWolfen Welcomes Summer and Gets Primal, Soulcon and Spartan, Wolfen Develops Mental ToughnessWolfen Joins the Wander SocietySoulcon, Spartan, School, and Stranger ThingsWolfen Becomes a Warrior EliteWolfen Goes Here and There and Back AgainWolfen Becomes a Soulcon Warrior EliteWolfen Returns to His RootsWolfen Wanders in Soul, Spirit, and BodyWolfen Owns the DayWolfen Searches for His Wild Heart, Wolfen Runs for His LifeWolfen Hits the TrailsWolfen Becomes an Explorer and Joins the ResistanceWolfen Goes Back to the SourceWolfen Begins the Hero's JourneyWolfDreamer Returns to the People,  WolfDreamer Pushes BackWolfDreamer PrioritizesBurpees, Books, and BrainworkBurpees, Books, Brainwork, and BodyworkWolfDreamer Masters the Four ElementsWolfDreamer Continues to Master the Four ElementsWolfDreamer Returns to SpartaWolfDreamer Returns to Middle EarthWolfDreamer Continues His Middle Earth AdventureWolfDreamer and the FallWolfDreamer Forges His Own PathWolfDreamer Has HopeWolfDreamer Returns to Middle EarthWolfDreamer Reads Harder, Breathes Harder, and Journals MoreWolfDreamer Embraces His Wild PoetThe Mad Poet Becomes SupernaturalWolfDreamer, The Mad Poet, Becomes SuperhumanWolfDreamer ElevatesWolfDreamer Becomes IronBornWolfDreamer Wakes the White WolfThe Mad Poet Recovers by Keeping it SimpleWolfDreamer Clears His Mind to Find His Wild HeartWolfDreamer ResetsWolfDreamer Strives to Become an Eminently Qualified Peaceful WarriorWolfDreamer Springs Forward

I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet.” -- Jack London

“I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love.” -- Leo Tolstoy

"I feel love rising in my chest again
Rising like a burning sun into the day..." -- Gungor, "Hurricane"

"...wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17b

 

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1 hour ago, oromendur said:

Dude. That sucks. I'm sorry. 

 

I've been there, so I know there aren't any words anybody can toss at you that will help. I can reassure you that you're not crazy if you think it absolutely sucks though.


 

 

It does suck. I hate shooting and missing. But it’s better than not taking the shot and wondering. 

 

1 hour ago, oromendur said:

 

It sounds like you feel you gave it everything you had. It's one thing not to measure up, and another to be left wondering if you did your best. You very clearly did. Once the initial disappointment passes, you should be able to fully claim this pride. You tried something really difficult and uncompromising and that says a lot.

 


 

 

Thanks. I didn’t hold back.  Half the point was to  give it my all. I was as careful as possible to avoid self sabotaging. I’m not interested in saying “I could have if I wanted to.” I could have if I prepared longer.  But I waited until the last minute (to apply to something you age out of) and I did the best I could. 

 

 

1 hour ago, oromendur said:


I have a funny feeling that these two items are not unrelated :)

 

 

*innocently* I have no idea what you mean. 
 

Truth is, I have no idea how to pace myself on the sprint. It’s always been as hard as I can do it just to get a passing score. I think, ultimately, it’s still a baby skill for me. I could have gotten the same score with almost another second and that would have been strategically better. 

 

1 hour ago, oromendur said:


It's a HUGE win. You can move on with honor and a satisfied heart.

 

 

I plan on it. 

 

1 hour ago, oromendur said:

Right there with you, brother.

 

Yeah. I’m not sure how much longer we can maintain the status quo here. 

 

1 hour ago, oromendur said:


OK now that's just going too far :D Cleaning? After thrashing yourself to the edge of consciousness? You're just making everybody else look bad. (Okay, me. You're making me look bad. I have no excuse for not cleaning now. Damn you.) 

 

You:   tougharagorn2.gif.83d78a024058f0a27a5571e7ba99f428.gif

 

Me:    pippinwincing.gif.c1eb46b888871cb359b81262e6b2456b.gif

 

You, sir, are a badass. Keep on!

 


Thanks! In part, it’s desperation. Things got bad over the last few weeks and it’s do it now or continue to live with the consequences. I’m not sure, mentally, how much longer we could have lived without those carpets getting cleaned. That puppy is killing me lol. 
 

We’re sort of drowning in house stuff. Jessie is to the point that she’s just overwhelmed and lays down when she sees it. It’s too much. It’s not mentally overwhelming to me when I’m home and can work on it but when I’m away and think about it, my depression magnifies. 

1 hour ago, WolfDreamer said:

 

I concur. And the most badass thing about this for me is how maturely you handled not passing. You have a lot to be proud of, but the fact that you are introspective and reflecting on what your next steps are is really badass. I'm proud of you.


Thanks! It is one of many irons in the fire. I’m working to better my family and it’s not the only way to do it. Heck, even getting those carpets started probably helped as much as a new job. 
 

I'm planning to hit them with a rented Rug Doctor machine in a few weeks. But I  needed knock it down and do my best with our little spot cleaner. I hand cleaned half the basement and half the living room today, and I’m feeling pretty good about it. 
 

I do have a massive headache though. Jessie’s working late tonight. Hopefully I can stay awake until she’s home. 

  • Like 2

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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O-M-Goodness. 
 

Maybe these couple of nice days in a row are getting to my head, but I’m getting the homesteading/gardening/farming bug again. I’ve got a few fruit bushes that may produce as early as this year and plans to replace my three murdered trees and add perhaps a dozen more fruit bushes along the dog attack fence in an attempt to create a thicket/hedge to block both the view and the path. Preferably mostly ones with thorns so people and dogs are more likely to avoid trying to go under it too. 
 

NGL, one of the drawbacks to taking that job is that we’d have to move and I’m really hoping to build a successful little homestead here over the years. With any luck, in a few more years we’ll have a full-time garden that makes us technically self-sustaining if necessary and provides most of our favorite fruits and veggies. Which are our biggest grocery expenditures. 
 

Plus gardening is so cathartic. 
 

I really want to add vegetables this year. Specifically, a veggie wall off the deck. 
 

I also need to work to get the rest of the house back together. I think that’s the only way to really help Jessie right now. 

  • Like 2

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

Link to comment

Jessie has a second interview. Quite excited. 
 

So corona virus panic is settling in the city. Yay. Super excited about that.
 

Not really. It’s distracting from my reawakening homesteading mania. Not a fan of the distraction. 

  • Like 2

Adventurer, Half-Dwarf Chaotic-Good Paladin

Ne me dites jamais les chances!  ¡Nunca me digas las probabilidades!

Character Sheet Training Logs Challenges Prepping for Adventure PrepAdventure Prep Fall BabyWhen Are We Again, Anyway?WhirlwindThe Leaf's LocusHarnessing Hamingja New Roots More Beginnings, More Roots Cleaning Up Facing The Hailstorm Yo Ho Yo The... Keto Life For Me? Taming the Beast Another Step Towards the Future Baking, Suburban Homesteading, and Health, The Adventurers of the Lucky Vale IIIIIIIVVVI, VII VIIIIX

Spoiler

Perennial goals: Sleep 7+ hours a night, retain (and continue to learn) French and Spanish as a family, increase Spanish Proficiency for work and play,  read like a maniac on my own and with my kids, carry heavy stuff

Long term goals: Cut to 13-15% bodyfat, And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a baaaaarge! -> Someday I'll challenge a Disney world Gaston to a push up contest and win

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