sarakingdom Posted April 25, 2021 Report Share Posted April 25, 2021 Suddenly the machine was wobbling... In a few hours the shops out there were expecting deliveries, and they weren't going to arrive. The government couldn't sit this one out. A city like Ankh-Morpork was only two meals away from chaos at the best of times. Every day, maybe a hundred cows died for Ankh-Morpork. So did a flock of sheep and a herd of pigs and the gods alone knew how many ducks, chickens and geese. Flour? He'd heard it was eighty tons, and about the same amount of potatoes and maybe twenty tons of herring. He didn't particularly want to know this kind of thing, but once you started having to sort out the everlasting traffic problem these were facts that got handed to you. Every day, forty thousand eggs were laid for the city. Every day, hundreds, thousands of carts and boats and barges converged on the city with fish and honey and oysters and olives and eels and lobsters. And then think of the horses dragging this stuff, and the windmills... and the wool coming in, too, every day, the cloth, the tobacco, the spices, the ore, the timber, the cheese, the coal, the fat, the tallow, the hay, EVERY DAMN DAY. And that was now. Back home, the city was twice as big. Against the dark screen of night, Vimes had a vision of Ankh-Morpork. It wasn't a city, it was a process, a weight on the world that distorted the land for hundreds of miles around. People who'd never see it in their whole life nevertheless spent their life working for it. Thousands and thousands of green acres were part of it, forests were part of it. It drew in and consumed... ...and gave back the dung from its pens and the soot from its chimneys, and steel, and saucepans, and all the tools by which its food was made. And also clothes, and fashions and ideas and interesting vices, songs and knowledge and something which, if looked at in the right light, was called civilization. That's what civilization meant. It meant the city. Was anyone else out there thinking about this? Was anyone important thinking about this? Suddenly the machine was wobbling, but Winder and his cronies didn't think about the machine, they thought about money. Meat and drink came from servants. They happened. Vetinari, Vimes realized, thought about this sort of thing all the time. The Ankh-Morpork back home was twice as big and four times as vulnerable. He wouldn't have let something like this happen. Little wheels must spin so that the machine can turn, he'd say. But now, in the dark, it all spun on Vimes. If the man breaks down, it all breaks down, he thought. The whole machine breaks down. And it goes on breaking down. And it breaks down the people. Terry Pratchett, Night Watch My machine is wobbling, and little wheels must spin so that the machine can turn. Right now, it all spins on me. If I break down, it all breaks down. 10 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted April 25, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2021 Challenge goals: Spin the little wheels so the machine can turn That's it. Spin as many little wheels as possible. 7 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 Since there are no orangutans in this challenge, I will put together a small library for reference. Vimes Spoiler Lu Tze “Then he went on sweeping.“ “Sweeping?” “Oh, it’s the kind of holy thing they do. So they don’t tread on ants, I think. Or they sweep sins away. Or maybe they just like the place clean. Who cares what monks do?” Spoiler Dr Lawn Achievement Unlocked: 1/3 goals completed Death THERE IS NO MORE TIME, EVEN FOR CAKE. FOR YOU, THE CAKE IS OVER. YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF CAKE. Spoiler Bread Spoiler Ice Cream Spoiler Rosemary Palm She was wearing a red, off-the-shoulder evening dress, an impressively large wig, and quite a lot of jewelry. “Yes, it costs a lot of money to look as cheap as this, Sergeant,“ she said, catching his expression. Spoiler Lady Meserole “May I ask how you found that out, Madam?” “Oh, one hears things,“ Madam said lightly. “One just has to hold money up to one’s ear.“ Spoiler Vetinari The Assassin moved quietly from roof to roof until he was well away from the excitement around the Watch House. His movements could be called cat-like, except that he did not stop to spray urine against things. Spoiler 2 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
WhiteGhost Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 I would really like to be here for this, but our lilacs all bloomed last challenge and now I can only get ahold a sprig with leaves on it. 1 Quote HUNTER OF ALL THINGS SHINY Intro Thread Challenge Log Bodyweight Exercise Library Recipe Book Shuffle Club Level 2 Ninja Strength: 13 Intelligence: 14 Wisdom: 6 Dexterity:14 Constitution: 12 Charisma: 11 Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 Here for to put a blossom in my hat. Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 6 hours ago, WhiteGhost said: I would really like to be here for this, but our lilacs all bloomed last challenge and now I can only get ahold a sprig with leaves on it. Friend, this could be a dangerous part of town for you in a few weeks' time. And, given who runs the town, all the weeks before that, too. 28 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said: Here for to put a blossom in my hat. I repeat the previous message, but in a more comradely tone, since it won't be me fighting you for being on the wrong side. 1 2 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 I'm testing a new schedule for spinning little wheels. Schedule 12 hours a day (this may vary some) Deep work 4 hours a day (this is the theoretical optimum/maximum) Schedule 8 hours of 5-minute tasks (all the little wheels that must spin) Rest periods are built in At the start, exercise is work rather than rest, because it's work to do the habit, but the goal is to graduate it to a rest period The benefits: Lots of practice overcoming resistance and starting jobs Jobs sized to make them so undaunting I can't fail to do them Lots of rewarding little checkmark on the list for dopamine hits Ability to track projects by making swappable hours of project work Ability to test habit routines by having set hours with routines The risks : Decision fatigue from the sheer amount of decisions and planning of a task list that's broken down that finely I know from experience that habit routine blocks fail rapidly Brain fatigue from being so scheduled My fix for the last is more brain rest. Taking a less scheduled day, and so on. Not sure about the others yet. 9 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
TimovieMan Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 Following! Sorry, read the first two books, played the video games, but otherwise not as familiar with Discworld as I could be. Especially regarding Vimes, Vetinari and the Night Watch... 🤫 2 Quote Active challenges: Balancing sleep and gaming | Walk to Mordor - (spreadsheet) | DailyDare 2023 threads: Challenge VIII | IX 2018-19 & 2021 threads: Battle log | Challenge I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII Link to comment
Alanna Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 17 hours ago, sarakingdom said: Death THERE IS NO MORE TIME, EVEN FOR CAKE. FOR YOU, THE CAKE IS OVER. YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF CAKE. Following 2 Quote -:- THE LIONESS -:- Challenge 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 2.10 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 "Miss Kingdom has returned, my lord," said Drumknott. He placed the afternoon correspondence in front of the Patrician. "So I am given to understand," said Vetinari. "I do hope she has enjoyed her extended time in Klatch. There are a great many deserts there, I believe." He picked up a letter with the crest of the Guild of Ironmongers and Smiths on the front and slit the seal with a dagger that looked rather too sharp for purpose. "It is noted for them, yes, sir," said Drumknott. "Do you wish to have her informed she has a meeting with you?" "Not in the least, Drumknott," said Vetinari. "I am not such a thoughtless employer, I hope, that I would summon someone to the Oblong Office so soon after such a trying experience." "I have always found you the most considerate of employers," said Drumknott, refraining from comment on the Patrician's tendencies for scheduling meetings. "However..." said Vetinari. He paused to scan the letter, and set it down with the delicacy reserved for something particularly distasteful. "You may wish to send word to Barnaby Ketch that it is time to renew their acquaintance." "At once, sir," said Drumknott. "Er..." Vetinari looked up from a clacks message marked with a Borogravian tower code. "Yes?" Drumknott cleared his throat. "Are you aware, my lord, that Mr Ketch does, on occasion, meet her socially? I suspect it's possible he has come to, well, like her." "Of course he does," said Vetinari. "She is eminently likeable, or so I'm told by reliable sources, and Ketch is a perfectly amiable man. That, certainly, is not the nature of my professional interest in her." "Yes, sir," said Drumknott patiently, "but if the time came when Mr Ketch had to, well, you know... deal with matters..." "Oh, I see!" said Vetinari, steepling his fingers. "You are concerned for his feelings. That is remarkably compassionate of you, Drumknott." "No, sir. What I mean is, would he be able to, well..." Vetinari smiled to himself. "I have the utmost faith in Ketch's professionalism, Drumknott. He is a sensible man of good judgment, great education, and... most interesting lineage. I have no doubts that he will correctly interpret and carry out any instructions I give him." 3 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Stronkey Kong Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 2 Quote ===================================================================================================== --Stronkey Kong-- Link to comment
Kishi Posted May 2, 2021 Report Share Posted May 2, 2021 3 hours ago, sarakingdom said: The benefits: Lots of practice overcoming resistance and starting jobs Jobs sized to make them so undaunting I can't fail to do them Lots of rewarding little checkmark on the list for dopamine hits Ability to track projects by making swappable hours of project work Ability to test habit routines by having set hours with routines I see the bolded as the most likely outcome, but I hope that enough good comes of this that you get what you're looking for. Also, holy crow, that's a lot of videos. Makes me want to go for a walk. Quote Work like a farmer, train like an athlete, fight like a soldier. 2 Tim. 2:3-6 BATTLE! Link to comment
Mr_Willes Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 Wow busy challenge is busy... Just trying to add some small support. Quote ... a little odd in the head ... Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 12 hours ago, Kishi said: I see the bolded as the most likely outcome, but I hope that enough good comes of this that you get what you're looking for. Mostly, I have a rut to get out of, and any result is a result. 12 hours ago, Kishi said: Also, holy crow, that's a lot of videos. Makes me want to go for a walk. Then go for a walk. That is their purpose. Little nuggets of instruction or inspiration. You never know which is going to find the right mood, but one is bound to. 2 hours ago, Mr_Willes said: Wow busy challenge is busy... Dude. I have 50% fewer goals than you. 2 hours ago, Mr_Willes said: Just trying to add some small support. Appreciated, and I dunno who that dude is, but he is strangely convincing. 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Mr_Willes Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 Just now, sarakingdom said: Dude. I have 50% fewer goals than you. I'm gonna just count all the little wheels as goals... 1 Quote ... a little odd in the head ... Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 15 hours ago, TimovieMan said: Sorry, read the first two books, played the video games, but otherwise not as familiar with Discworld as I could be. Especially regarding Vimes, Vetinari and the Night Watch... 🤫 While there is no nerd test, I feel I must point out that the first two books are, first, the worst by far, and, second, not really even Discworld books in the eyes of most readers and of the author himself, who thinks the series didn't start till about book four, Mort. (He is correct. I couldn't even finish the first.) You are therefore missing some of the funniest, and, importantly, most gently humanitarian and sharply perceptive writing in all of fantasy. And so I must give you the Vimes reading list up till Night Watch: Guards Guards Men at Arms Feet of Clay Jingo Fifth Elephant Night Watch Fair warning, after the first five, Night Watch will shred your heart into tiny pieces. These are books with meaningful themes under their comedic facades, and his writing skill levels up every five books or so, so you see a level up after Guards Guards, after Feet of Clay, and after Fifth Elephant. Night Watch came during his peak, and manages to be comedy fantasy and heart-shredding all at the same time. The wisdom of this series of books was necessary for surviving, shall we delicately say, a certain series of recent political events in my country, and Night Watch was deeply necessary for the final instability, where the whole thing teetered quite noticeably. 3 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Harriet Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 20 hours ago, sarakingdom said: I'm testing a new schedule for spinning little wheels. Schedule 12 hours a day (this may vary some) Deep work 4 hours a day (this is the theoretical optimum/maximum) Schedule 8 hours of 5-minute tasks (all the little wheels that must spin) Rest periods are built in At the start, exercise is work rather than rest, because it's work to do the habit, but the goal is to graduate it to a rest period It looks like a good plan. I hope it works out, or at the very least you get some hints about what will work. Of Vimes books, I seem to remember liking Feet of Clay and Thud! a lot. Quote Let cheese and oxen and mead crowd out our secret desires for power and domination - Harriet the Viking Just be bold, fluid and unapologetic, not small, hairy and indecisive - Harriet the Artist You can absorb me! - Harriet the Contextless Guru Link to comment
Rurik Harrgath Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 On 5/1/2021 at 11:03 PM, sarakingdom said: Since there are no orangutans in this challenge, I will put together a small library for reference. This feels like the challenge with homework... so I must. 21 hours ago, sarakingdom said: I'm testing a new schedule for spinning little wheels. This would make an excellent manual on productivity for just about anyone. Me likey. 1 Quote [Level ??] Rurik, Templar-Marshal Class: Paladin of the Order of the Sacred Flame (Conquest Paladin/Champion) BRUTALITY 11 | FINESSE 10 | VIGOR 11 | INSIGHT 14 | WILL 13 Equipment: Leather armor, questing longsword, and adventurer's pack with alchemist's kit. "Rangers have to at least give up on pants. It's a special rule we enacted after Rurik became a Guild Leader.” – DarK_RaideR "Did I just get my ass kicked by a member of Metallica meets History Channel's Vikings?" - Wild Wolf "By the Well-Oiled-and-Meticulously-Groomed Beard of Rurik!" - Tanktimus the Encourager Link to comment
Mad Hatter Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 22 hours ago, sarakingdom said: Schedule 12 hours a day (this may vary some) Schedule 8 hours of 5-minute tasks (all the little wheels that must spin) This made me throw up in my mouth a little. Not sure what that says about me. 😂 And are the 4 extra hours just for scheduling the 96 little tasks?! 😬 Having said that, I do love the whole challenge setup of making sure the machinery is spinning! 4 hours ago, sarakingdom said: Fair warning, after the first five, Night Watch will shred your heart into tiny pieces. Can confirm. 1 Quote Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 1 hour ago, Rurik Harrgath said: This feels like the challenge with homework... so I must. It's my personal homework, but there is value in sharing. 1 hour ago, Rurik Harrgath said: This would make an excellent manual on productivity for just about anyone. Me likey. Mostly the ADHD someones, I concede. But I am testing out better rest procedures. 9 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said: This made me throw up in my mouth a little. Not sure what that says about me. 😂 Believe me, there will come a time in the challenge, possibly in every day of the challenge, when I do, too. But I need it for the times it works right now. I can't focus on large steps of the task these, or break down the task on the fly if I schedule an hour for something, and I'm getting distracted by how damn much there is to do, so I can't focus on my most important task. So I need to know that for part of the day, every damn job will get at least five minutes of progress, and I need to have jobs broken down that much. The overhead will get to me, but I'll have made progress by them. 14 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said: And are the 4 extra hours just for scheduling the 96 little tasks?! 😬 I knoooooow. I have to not let myself do too much of it at once. I keep wanting to plan and plan and be sure I'm doing it right, but it needs to be a "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" thing, where I look around and go, "So what are the next five things?" Which does work for me. I need to promote small numbers of now jobs from a long list of job memory. 17 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said: Having said that, I do love the whole challenge setup of making sure the machinery is spinning! Or moving at all, in some cases. Lots of little five minute gears need to spin, and suddenly you find the machine turning. 2 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
Scaly Freak Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 7 hours ago, sarakingdom said: Mostly, I have a rut to get out of, and any result is a result. But will it be a good one? Does that matter? And why is there no ape librarian? Quote The Great Reading Thread of 2023 “I've always believed that failure is non-existent. What is failure? You go to the end of the season, then you lose the Super Bowl. Is that failing? To most people, maybe. But when you're picking apart why you failed, and now you're learning from that, then is that really failing? I don't think so." - Kobe Bryant, 1978-2020. Rest in peace, great warrior. Personal Challenges, a.k.a.The Saga of Scalyfreak: Tutorial; Ch 1; Ch 2; Ch 3; Ch 4; Ch 5; Ch 6; Intermission; Intermission II; Ch 7; Ch 8; Ch 9; Ch 10; Ch 11; Ch 12 ; Ch 13; Ch 14; Ch 15; Ch 16; Ch 17; Intermission III; Ch 18; Ch 19; Ch 20; Ch 21; Ch 22; Ch 23; Ch 24; Ch 25; Intermission IV; Ch 26; Ch 27; Ch 28; Ch 29; Ch 30; Ch 31; Ch 32; Ch 33; Ch 34; Ch 35; Ch 36; Ch 37; Ch 38; Ch 39; Ch 40; Intermission V; Ch 41; Ch 42 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 2 hours ago, Scaly Freak said: And why is there no ape librarian? Essentially, patriarchy. I don't have the sort of funding that the university does. 1 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 Week 0 Day 1 Wheels to Spin: Emergency appetiser Prep to make dinner Make food charge the thing Paperwork thing get ready for bed Hydrate 2 Break for food Clean French press and espresso maker, and start batch of cold brew Wash lunch dishes and any dishes on my desk Clear left hand side of my desk Tidy desk and give it a good wipe down for my electronics project TBD Set up next task list Break Spun: Start work timer and work music Get hydration set up Do an emergency hydration Heat one food, freeze one food Get out a trash bag and empty one rubbish bin into it Set up next task list Bonus: gather desk recycling Bonus: Meds Bonus: refill dark chocolate dish and toss bag Bonus: portion and freeze one of the groceries Break, with hot food Off schedule: 15 minutes headache reduction Off Schedule: meditation Off schedule: emergency evening nap Wheels to Spin Later: Move cold brew to bottle and start a batch of hibiscus tea Wash enough containers for yogurt and put it away 6 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2021 Doing an emergency bedtime shutdown today, cuz I'm kind of exhausted and hot and feeling crappy. So I simplified dinner, finished the last few little things, and will be going to bed early. (My sleep mentor.) 6 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
sarakingdom Posted May 4, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2021 Week 0 Day 2 Wheels to Spin: Make food Refill water bottles Hydrate and meds Break to eat food Clean French press and espresso maker, and start batch of cold brew Wash lunch dishes and any dishes on my desk Clear left hand side of my desk Tidy desk and give it a good wipe down for my electronics project TBD Set up next task list Break Spun: Wheels to Spin Later: Move cold brew to bottle and start a batch of hibiscus tea Wash enough containers for yogurt and put it away 2 Quote I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever. Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23 Link to comment
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