Scaly Freak wields the sword Acceptance

[Scaly Freak]

Life in the bunker goes on, though Scaly Freak finds the absence of Self Indulgence a little difficult to adjust to. Though selfish and abrasive, and very difficult to placate at times, the little imp was none the less company, and someone to talk to when the silence became too oppressive.

 

The bunker is empty and boring now. However, it is still a place to live, while the plague and its toxic fumes continue to ravage the outside world, and it still needs to be maintained. So rather than wasting too much time on missing someone who had become increasingly difficult to spend time with, Scaly Freak sets out to make the bunker as pleasant as possible to reside in. It has become her new home after all, and a home should be enjoyable to be in.

 

The lack of high-pitched whining about how boring the bunker is, is quite an improvement, now that Scaly Freak stops and thinks about it. It really is.

 

 

Looking back at the first challenge of 2021, it overall went very well. Goals were met, and more importantly, anxiety was kept reasonably calm. So for this next challenge period, the idea is to keep doing what we have confirmed is working, with one or two minor tweaks based on what we learned during Chapter 26.

 

So without further ado, here are the current challenge goals!  

 

Strengthen the Body

Do some kind of strength building workout regularly. The ideal is to do lifting with the adjustable dumbbells, but if that is not an option for any reason at all, I will do one of the Darebee body weight workouts I have selected as back-up workouts, rather than do nothing at all. Another important part of this goal is to have at least one, but never more than two, rest days between the workout days.

 

Sharpen the Mind

This goal is actually three little mini-goals, so I will make a list for easy reference:

• Meditate every day

• Duolingo every day, even if all I do is repair a cracked gold circle

• Read – either the Book Riot challenge or the library's Extreme Book Nerd challenge. This could be daily, but doesn't have to be, as long as it keeps happening often enough to be a habit.

 

Feed the Soul

This goal may seem like it's difficult to quantify, but only until you look a bit closer at it. Feeding the soul means doing things that keep the Flame of Anxiety calm and relaxed, or things that simply make me happy. The first little mini-goal is a required daily activity, but the other ones are all optional suggestions and don't have to be done every day. Or at all, if I find something else that works just as well.

• Go for a walk with Happy Sidekick and Husband. Weather has to be quite bad for this one to be skipped.

• Make bread

• Check in with my Discord communities and post in at least one of them.

• Stay in touch with The Family

• Play video games

• Indulge in cooking projects

[h3r0]

Following my fellow warrior 

 

[Scaly Freak]

Replace the sword with a handaxe, and she looks a little like my character in the Discord PbP campaign (though my character wears less makeup).  

[Stronkey Kong]

Oooo...

 

What kind of bread are you gonna make?

[Scaly Freak]

27 minutes ago, Stronkey Kong said:

 

What kind of bread are you gonna make?

 

I have a straight-forward recipe for something called Hearth Bread, that always comes out tasty. I have also started going through cook books and recipe collections passed to me by various family members to see if I can find some easy variety there as well. I have a strong preference for recipes that let me mix the dough and then leave it alone until it's time to shape the loaves, since that's so much easier to plan around.

[Mad Hatter]

7 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

the library's Extreme Book Nerd challenge

What kind of challenge is this? Is it the same as Extreme Nerd Book Challenge?

[Scaly Freak]

7 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

What kind of challenge is this? Is it the same as Extreme Nerd Book Challenge?

 

My library district is doing a reading challenge called the Extreme Book Nerd Challenge. I assume it's been happening before this year, but I never really noticed it before now. 

 

Basically they give you a list of 50 categories, and you either print the list or sign up in an app online to track your reading. Last day to sign up is mid-July, last day to report reading progress is somewhere in the end of December. Everyone who completes the challenge wins a nice-looking book bag and a black library card that brags about being a book nerd. 

 

Brief googling suggests the challenge is state-wide, not just my library district. Either way it's a cool idea, and the book bag actually looks good, so I signed up. It looks like I will be able to use a lot of the books for the  Book Riot challenge for the Nerd Challenge. And if not, I will simply need to read more books. What a terrible inconvenience. 😁

[KB Girl]

Extreme Nerd Book challenge sounds great, how cool they're doing that 

As does repeating all these challenge things that seems to be working! 

[Mad Hatter]

11 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

Everyone who completes the challenge wins a nice-looking book bag and a black library card that brags about being a book nerd. 

Ooh swag, nice!

 

(Btw you sent me in a rabbit hole of learning about the difference between book bags and backpacks)

[Scaly Freak]

3 minutes ago, KB Girl said:

Extreme Nerd Book challenge sounds great, how cool they're doing that 

As does repeating all these challenge things that seems to be working! 

 

One good thing that has come out of this pandemic is that I have rediscovered my love of libraries.  I have no  idea how or why I started neglecting the brilliant concept that is a building dedicated entirely to reading books that practically anyone can walk in and read for free but I'm glad I came to my senses. Libraries are awesome.  

 

11 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

(Btw you sent me in a rabbit hole of learning about the difference between book bags and backpacks)

 

Excellent, excellent...!

[Artemis Prime]

8 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

Libraries are awesome.  

They are, indeed. 

You inspired me to check out what challenges my library has going on. Couldn't find a year-long one, but there is a February challenge going on. Probably going to skip it since we're halfway through the month already, but I'll have to keep an eye out for future challenges.

I haven't made bread in a while, but I should get back to it. There's nothing like kneading bread to make me feel better.

What language are you working on in Duolingo?

[Scaly Freak]

4 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

What language are you working on in Duolingo?

 

Right now, just German. I studied it in school, then neglected it, and I decided to try and get it back. I want to start with Spanish at some point as well but we'll see.

[Artemis Prime]

You're my Duolingo opposite. I'm trying to brush up on my rusty high school Spanish, but I'd like to get into German since that's where the clan hails from.

[Renate]

😊 Seconding KBgirl. Smart challenge goal ideas.

 

Our library is using the pandemic opportinity to get lots of needed construction work done. They planned it before the pandemic, too.

 

plus side is they excelerated the rate af which they made a large collection of e-books and audiobooks avaliable, too. No fun giveaways tho.

 

Anecdote time:

 

Spoiler

My sis was a lot more excited for the library books I picked out for her than the ones we buy. (There is a half a book case full.) The whole idea of her big sis reserving them for her and having to pick them up along with my book with HER library card made it a bit more of a happening, I guess? And then yesterday evening she also allowed mom to read her one of our owned books. Who knew! I mean in hindsight, sure but still. Yay Library love ignited 🔥 (Ummm knock on wood haha. But she also likes how we have been framing it lately that reading/getting read to and discussing the stories is like exercise to make your brain stronggg 💪 For a very long time she only wanted to read if she was in charge of the story telling or role playing with her toys (stories without books) )

 

[Scaly Freak]

Another anecdote:

 

When my siblings and I were growing up, our parents would take us to the library every weekend, and let us borrow on their library cards until we were old enough to have our own (I think the age limit was 10). The library was not within easy walking distance for a child that age, but the year after when I was old enough to be allowed to ride my bicycle to school every day, my dad and I rode our bicycles to the library so I could learn how to get there on my own. He also taught me how to pack the bags hanging on the back of my bike so the weight was even, both on the way to the library and on the way back home.  That was also the year my parents discovered that the easiest way to make me do my homework and all my chores was to promise me I would be allowed to go the library after homework and chores were done.  

 

I treasured that library card like the magical key to endless universes that it was.... and I do this with my current library card as well, for the same reasons.

[Mad Hatter]

1 minute ago, Scaly Freak said:

That was also the year my parents discovered that the easiest way to make me do my homework and all my chores was to promise me I would be allowed to go the library after homework and chores were done.  

NERD!

 

I love it of course. 😍

 

Libraries are the best, it really is a magical land!

[Artemis Prime]

I seriously considered becoming a librarian. It's still on my "maybe someday" list. *Falls down the rabbit hole of checking library science programs again*

[Scaly Freak]

1 minute ago, Mad Hatter said:

NERD!

 

What a sweet thing to say... 📚

 

2 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

Libraries are the best, it really is a magical land!

 

They really are. They often offer some really valuable community services as well, that they don't get nearly enough credit for.

[Scaly Freak]

2 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

I seriously considered becoming a librarian. It's still on my "maybe someday" list. *Falls down the rabbit hole of checking library science programs again*

 

I was going to, but then I started working in Customer Service, and that entire field is basically the Hotel California of accidental careers 😛 

[Mad Hatter]

10 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

What a sweet thing to say... 📚

 

❤️

 

9 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

I was going to, but then I started working in Customer Service, and that entire field is basically the Hotel California of accidental careers 😛 

Anyone working longterm in customer service has some serious super powers.

[Scaly Freak]

8 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Anyone working longterm in customer service has some serious super powers.

 

And they're all the same super power: Restraint.  

 

 

Today's challenge update:

 

Strengthen the Body

Yesterday was the second rest day after my last workout which meant today was a workout day, so I lifted the adjustable dumbbells.

 

Sharpen the Mind

This goal is actually three little mini-goals, so I will make a list for easy reference:

• Meditate every day - This morning

• Duolingo every day, even if all I do is repair a cracked gold circle - During short breaks at work. The stories are great for quick reviews.

• Read – Explored the library's new curbside pickup option and now I have four more books to read.

Feed the Soul

We walked today during my lunch break. Also had a brief talk with one of my parents this afternoon, which was nice.

[Harriet]

On 2/15/2021 at 1:26 AM, Scaly Freak said:

 Another important part of this goal is to have at least one, but never more than two, rest days between the workout days.

 

This is such a good guideline. Flexible, but structured, and eminently practicable.

 

15 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

Right now, just German. I studied it in school, then neglected it, and I decided to try and get it back. I want to start with Spanish at some point as well but we'll see.

 

Neato.

[Mad Hatter]

2 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

And they're all the same super power: Restraint.  

I do not understand this concept. Are you an alien?

[Renate]

Love the anecdote, thank you, you nerddd ❤️  I am taking notes!

 

(We had another reading sis quality time this morning. And I was wondering if I was getting better at reading to her & she said I was 🥰) 

 

 

[Renate]

15 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

I seriously considered becoming a librarian. It's still on my "maybe someday" list. *Falls down the rabbit hole of checking library science programs again*

 

Awesome! I never did until my partner and I developed our thing that we will visit the city (and, if applicable uni) library of each new city we visit  Librarian's also sort of a customer service job but all clients only come there for learning and community things, and it is socially engrained you've got to talk at a normal to quiet tone. Sounds great!

 

I wish I did not have so many career interests 😐