[Mr_Willes]

Thanx man! It was so good meeting up with you (and @Rhovaniel and @Charlie_Quinn) i think that was even better than the race. Having talked so much online it's just so good to catch up online. Next time though i really want to meet WW!

 

9 hours ago, Jarric said:

F was a really good running partner; he set a pretty quick pace which was about all I could keep up with and I was glad for his company. He also speaks very good English, which is handy because I speak bugger all Dutch.

Though i know F is an all round great guy i really loved reading that you appreciated it. I mean i know you both, and i was pretty sure you two had probably found each other on course, still a confirmation is great to hear!

 

Like Rho just told me on discord, we really have to do this sooner than 4 years apart! I'm really hoping for next year!

[Jarric]

8 hours ago, Chris-Tien Jinn said:

Wow - sounds awesome.  I'm amazed that you were able to meet up with so many people!

 

Yeah, it was good! Rho, C_Q and I all live in vaguely the same part of the UK, so with Willy travelling over to the country we had to make a meet up work.

 

6 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Sounds like you had a great time, congratulations! Hopefully you recover well from the race and keep on crushing your goals! 

 

Thank you! It was really good fun.

 

2 hours ago, Mr_Willes said:

Thanx man! It was so good meeting up with you (and @Rhovaniel and @Charlie_Quinn) i think that was even better than the race. Having talked so much online it's just so good to catch up online. Next time though i really want to meet WW!

 

Right back at you! And I forget you've never met WW over in person - we'll have to try and come and see you in Belgium; WW's got family living over there now so we've got even more excise to visit.

 

2 hours ago, Mr_Willes said:

Though i know F is an all round great guy i really loved reading that you appreciated it. I mean i know you both, and i was pretty sure you two had probably found each other on course, still a confirmation is great to hear!

 

Like Rho just told me on discord, we really have to do this sooner than 4 years apart! I'm really hoping for next year!

 

Definitely need to make it sooner - I'm hoping for next year too!

[Jarric]

Monday - W1D1

Yesterday was a good day. I got up a bit late, dropped the hire car back, did some yoga, and unpacked from the weekend. Then I decided to soak in the bath and watch a D&D stream - Children of Éarte. It was good, but for some reason I thought it was a 1 hour episode, when it was actually 2 hours. I realised this after soaking in the bath for an hour and a half

 

After the bath I packed up my stuff to head out to a conference today. It felt slightly surreal to only have one day to unpack and tidy up from one trip and pack for the next one to be honest - I know it'll be a good event, but right now I quite fancy a few days at home!

 

In the evening I cooked butter chicken and we chilled in from of Critical Role. I had intended to get some studying and some drawing done, but between the late start, long bath, and low energy none of that happened.

 

Teeth and physio were both done, no beer today (as tempting as it was to have one after a relaxing day).

[Mrs Van]

Woot! Woot! to the fun and meeting up with the others. Glad it went well.

[fearless 2.0]

dude, reading your race post made me happy! it sounds like a blast was had! so cool that you met other nerds to party with! And Im glad you didnt hurt yourself!  Keep being awesome!

* fangirling over here like a complete asshat*  

[starpuck]

Such a fun recap.  I am so glad you head a good time.  I can feel all the good feelz in your text and it makes my heart smile to see fellow Nerds meeting up and enjoying each others company.

 

Back to the grind now!   But for me, after things like that, I usually get a dose of extra motivation!

 

[Rurik Harrgath]

On 5/10/2022 at 3:36 AM, Jarric said:

In the evening I cooked butter chicken

 

I made butter chicken last night too!  But it was sorely missing some buttery naan bread...

[DarK_RaideR]

Mildly jealous of your company and race experience, but so glad to see you happy in the photos. Especially the first one with @Mr_Willes, you both look so happy it makes me giddy inside. So, so happy for the both of you.

[Mr_Willes]

We know each other for over 5 years, talk to each other almost every week, most weeks multiple times if you count stuff like this forum and discord. Just like with you!

 

It is a very odd feeling, knowing people that well when this is actually just the second time we met IRL. I was super happy throughout all of the weekend, especially saturdayevening after the girls joined up. 

 

Meeting people from NF is just the best! Especially if it's multiple days and both doing what you love. In this case: drinking beer, OCR running and partying! If that wouldn't put a smile on someone's face...

 

I hear there is talk of coming to NL/BE next year, so if we can persuade you to join up there you are MORE than welcome!

[Jarric]

On 5/10/2022 at 3:39 PM, Mrs Van said:

Woot! Woot! to the fun and meeting up with the others. Glad it went well.

 

Thank you! It was really good.

 

On 5/10/2022 at 5:08 PM, fearless 2.0 said:

dude, reading your race post made me happy! it sounds like a blast was had! so cool that you met other nerds to party with! And Im glad you didnt hurt yourself!  Keep being awesome!

* fangirling over here like a complete asshat*  

 

Stop, you'll make me blush  Don't actually stop though...

 

On 5/11/2022 at 5:33 PM, starpuck said:

Such a fun recap.  I am so glad you head a good time.  I can feel all the good feelz in your text and it makes my heart smile to see fellow Nerds meeting up and enjoying each others company.

 

Back to the grind now!   But for me, after things like that, I usually get a dose of extra motivation!

 

 

Not quite back to the grind, because it's been a crazy week, but hopefully back to normality sometime soon!

 

On 5/11/2022 at 6:19 PM, Rurik Harrgath said:

 

I made butter chicken last night too!  But it was sorely missing some buttery naan bread...

 

Awesome; I've only made it a couple of times but I really like it. Unpopular opinion though: I'm not a fan of naan bread.

 

On 5/12/2022 at 1:31 PM, Mr_Willes said:

We know each other for over 5 years, talk to each other almost every week, most weeks multiple times if you count stuff like this forum and discord. Just like with you!

 

It is a very odd feeling, knowing people that well when this is actually just the second time we met IRL. I was super happy throughout all of the weekend, especially saturdayevening after the girls joined up. 

 

Meeting people from NF is just the best! Especially if it's multiple days and both doing what you love. In this case: drinking beer, OCR running and partying! If that wouldn't put a smile on someone's face...

 

It is something really special, isn't it? Without friends I'd met online, most of them through NF, my life would be significantly poorer.

 

On 5/12/2022 at 1:31 PM, Mr_Willes said:

I hear there is talk of coming to NL/BE next year, so if we can persuade you to join up there you are MORE than welcome!

 

Pretty sure this is aimed at you @DarK_RaideR, so in case it's not clear...

 

[Jarric]

Tuesday to Thursday - W1D2-4

It's been a really busy week! A good week, but busy. On Tuesday I did some morning yoga, worked until half 11, and then got picked up to go up north for a conference. We arrived about half 4, and I logged back on to work some more to round out the working day.

 

A quick shower later we were out drinking at a couple of events for various work groups. I had a really nice time chatting with colleagues and with new people, but by half 11 I was drunk and tired and very pleased to get to bed. The fact that we didn't stop our journey for lunch and 'dinner' was a small buffet didn't help my condition.

 

Wednesday morning was a bit of a struggle. I was up at 7 to get over to a different hotel for breakfast, because I was staying above a pub that didn't serve breakfast until 9. Then we headed into the conference for a day of meetings, talking to loads of people that I deal with regularly by phone and e-mail but seldom get to see, and wandering the conference hall meeting new people and seeing what was on offer.

 

I had said I would go for a drink with an old friend/contact, and that I was out of meetings after 3. So a 2.58pm he walked up to me while I'm talking to someone else, said 'I make that about 3', and leads me off to the pub. That was the start of a long, long night of events put on by various companies all trying to outdo each other. I got to catch up with some other old friends, which was wonderful, I went to a comedy night featuring Shappi Khorsandi and Rob Beckett, and ended up pub crawling to a whole range of places. At quarter to 1 I got refused entry to a swanky club, and used that as an opportunity to go back, watch trash TV, and get some sleep.

 

Thursday morning was only marginally easier than Wednesday, as I went to sleep at 2 and got up at 7.30. I went back into the conference for a few seminar sessions, took my last chance to chat to some people I hadn't seen on Wednesday, and we got back in the car by 1pm to head home. 6 hours later I was dropped off, at which point I dropped on to the sofa for takeaway pizza and the solitary beer that was in the fridge.

 

I didn't do any physio at the conference, so getting back on that now for the rest of the week. Also, my leg really hurts from all of the walking around the conference and all of the time in the car, so I'm extra incentivised to get that sorted. Teeth were missed on Wednesday, but I was back on it on Thursday. No studying done as I wasn't home, so I'll need to catch that up at the weekend. No drawing either (might do that now actually). And what was the other goal? Oh yeah, I have no idea how much I drank but it was certainly well in excess of the weekly limit.

[Jarric]

Ok, I finished a drawing video that I started the weekend before week 0. Most of these pictures were pre-challenge, with just the last one being tonight:

 

2 minute sketches:

 

 

 

5 minute sketch:

 

 

10 minutes:

 

 

15 minutes:

 

 

25 minutes:

 

 

The last one the video cut off 5 minutes before the end - not sure if I would have finished in time; think I spent a bit long on construction and started shading too late. I enjoyed them all anyway though.

 

I'm counting this as the goal for the week, but if I get a chance I'd love to do a full session over the weekend.

[Jarric]

Friday - W1D5

Yesterday was a good day. Did some yoga and my physio first thing, then off to work. Managed to start catching up on work - after a week off I've got a lot of catching up to do, but some stuff got done at least.

 

In the evening I finished that life drawing lesson before WW got home. WW cooked roast chicken thigh with pesto potatoes, and we chilled in front of Critical Role.

 

Physio, drawing, and teeth done, and no beer. No essay writing yet this week though.

[Jarric]

Weekend 1

Saturday was a good day. I chilled out, wandered in to town to go round the market and the zero waste shop with WW, and then spent most of the the day on the sofa. Not mega productive, but I really needed the rest.

 

Sunday was a good day. We slept in late, watched a lot more TV, and that was mostly it. I felt pretty shitty and tired all day, so rest may have been a good choice I guess.

 

We did go the the supermarket, and I did some online shopping to pick up a late birthday present for Hopalong and a just in time birthday present for WW.  I also spent some time designing a mini for my Elven cleric, Psyche:

 

 

Week 1 scores

Physio Rx: 4.5/7 - the conference threw me, but I'm back on it now

Life drawing: 1/1 - plus a bit of work on another drawing project that should keep me occupied

The art of war: 0/4 - I didn't do anything at work due to not being at work. I should have done some at the weekend, and clearly nothing happened at the weekend.

Tusks: 6/7 - with the disruption of being away, that'll do.

Ale: lots/10 - definitely well over this; I thought I would keep it low during the conference but you know what they say about best laid plans!

[Jarric]

Monday W2D1

Yesterday was a good day. Went to Crossfit for the first time in a couple of weeks, and it was nice to be back.

 

It was squat day, and given my knee I kept it light; working up to 50kg for a couple of sets of 5. After that was theoretically a workout of push press, front rack lunges, and double unders, which I adjusted the hell out of to do push press, kettlebell swings, and hollow body rocks. It was still enough that I was knackered when I finished.

 

I thought about skipping my physio exercises when I got home, as I'd done similar stuff at the gym, but I decided that in this case more is more. Speaking of physio, I'm finding this is really hard work. It's only single leg glute bridge (15 reps, 3 second hold at top), banded hamstring curls (15 reps, 3 second hold at top), and chair pistol squats (15 reps), but I'm finding it really challenging. By the end of a set I can really feel my muscles working, which feels unusual for physio exercises. Probably just shows that I really need the training!

 

Work was good - I was out most of the day meeting a client, which was nice but meant that my e-mails were stacking up without me at my desk. I did have a beer at lunch with the client, so at 1/10 for the week so far.

 

I finished work a little late trying to catch up on stuff. In the evening I made lamb dansak with the leftover roast lamb from Sunday lunch, and we chilled in front of some Taskmaster. I wanted to do some drawing, but WW didn't and I didn't force the issue.

 

Teeth and physio done, 1 beer, no study or drawing today.