- The Legend of Will -

[- Will -]

Okay, loved the intro and you rocked the first week! Much wow No but seriously, I can't wrap my head around how you manage to do all that, esp the PLP!!! Stay awesome

Sorry, I'm responding so late!

But anyways, Thanks! Many appreciation, such encouragement, much thanks

 

As for the PLP, thanks as well! Not sure what to say about it, I've just been at it for a while now (started back on challenge 4, back in April)

 

Thanks! And stay awesome yourself

[- Will -]

[ :The Legend of Will 8: ]

[ = Week One & Week Two = ]

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

• (Thursday 11/13/14 - Friday 11/21/14)
  • Write-up:
    • Ok, so over the past week and a day, I've made my way down to Newport, and have been spending time with a friend. Before the challenge started, I'd been Skyping with said friend when he told me of some bad stuff that's been happening to him as of late. Worried, I decided that it'd be best if I came down to Newport to hang out with him, and just be there for emotional support and whatnot. So, on Thursday (11/13/14 [the first week's Thursday]), I got myself a train ticket, and on Friday, after my Mom drove me to the train station, I left for Newport. I've been in Newport since then.
      
      Over the past couple of days, we've just hung out, and I've lent a listening ear whenever he wants to talk about the stuff that's bothering him. Alongside that, I've been practicing what I've read in the The Mindful Way Workbook, by trying to just let myself experience the moment I'm in, non-judgmentally, and enjoy it for what it is. It's been quite helpful with lowering my stress, and it's made just "enjoying the days" a thing I can do again; but I'm still on the beginning stages of it, and not every attempt works (these past few days haven't been as good on that front). But hey, I'm moving forward with that, so I'll be proud about that.
      
      Plus, I want to practice what I preach: I told Ash a few days ago to be proud of every step she takes, but I haven't felt that way about myself in a while; I'm gona' keep trying to feel as proud about myself as I feel about her, and everyone else in The Brigade (hell, everyone on NF for that matter; the stuff people do on here is amazingly awesome).
      
      Anyways, as for exercises, I've made it up to PLP 79 on Thursday (11/20/14), and went on a long-ass run around town, and through the woods. I have no idea how long I was gone (I'd guess, maybe around 1 and a 1/2 hours, maybe 2), because a lot of it was walking (Newport's terrain is quite hilly, and I haven't done any long distance running in quite a while, so I got tired a lot ), but I did keep track of how long I was actually running during the whole adventure, and the total run time amounted to 41min.
      
      After that, I ate (and drank water) almost the rest of the day, until I started to feel stomach pains (I'm not sure if it was from over eating, over exertion with my exercises, or both). Either way, I was quite confused with what was going on with my body: I felt really, really hungry and thirsty, but my stomach hurt a lot as well. So falling sleeping yesterday was a bit difficult, but I managed to get enough sleep anyways.
      
      As for today, I've been feeling sick since I got up, and haven't been able to eat or drink much until a couple of hours ago. I still feel sick, but at least the food I did eat didn't make things worse. Hopefully, I'll be feeling better by tomorrow
      
      As for The Mindful Way Workbook, like I said, I've been trying to practice what it's told me so far, but I still haven't made it past the first few chapters to the start of Week One. I... I am easily distracted
      But regardless, progress is being made, and I should be starting on Day One of Week One tomorrow
      
      (Oh, and I just remembered I have some chores to do here as well: I have to weed the front, and move the pots to the side of the house. I'm only here [well, at my family's house in Newport anyway] until the 24th, so I need to do them before then. I'll post when I get the chores done, but if anyone feels like it, pester me here [or in a PM, or whatever], to go get them done. That way, I won't forget about them [i have it written down and whatnot, but still, I can be forgetful at times; so yeah...]. Thanks )

[Sygil]

Plus, I want to practice what I preach: I told Ash a few days ago to be proud of every step she takes, but I haven't felt that way about myself in a while; I'm gona' keep trying to feel as proud about myself as I feel about her, and everyone else in The Brigade (hell, everyone on NF for that matter; the stuff people do on here is amazingly awesome).

Yes, BE PROUD. The stuff you do is amazingly awesome. Your workouts are awesome, the progress you're making on your stress/anxiety is awesome, the work you do with the brigade is amazingly awesome (that music, them stories, those mini challenges, ze uber team spirit), all of your cheering for everyone else's amazingly awesome stuff is amazingly awesome as well. I'm sure there's even more amazingly awesome stuff outside of this that you could think of! That's a lot of awesome. Be proud!

 

It's very easy to forget how far we've come when we're constantly measuring progress against ourselves. Look at where you were a week ago, a month ago, a year ago, ten years ago, and consider what you've gained over that time.

 

(Oh, and I just remembered I have some chores to do here as well: I have to weed the front, and move the pots to the side of the house. I'm only here [well, at my family's house in Newport anyway] until the 24th, so I need to do them before then. I'll post when I get the chores done, but if anyone feels like it, pester me here [or in a PM, or whatever], to go get them done. That way, I won't forget about them [i have it written down and whatnot, but still, I can be forgetful at times; so yeah...]. Thanks )

 

This may be a little early... but... uh...

 

GET THOSE CHORES DONE! IF YOU DO THEM THEY ARE DONE AND DON'T HAVE TO BE DID ANYMORE. YUS.   

[jaex]

Good on you for being there for a friend in need.   And that run must've been nice!  I love exploring when going out for a run and I'm certain you saw some awesome things.

[Sygil]

But seriously. Those chores. Did you do them?

[- Will -]

[ :The Legend of Will 8: ]

[ = Week Two - Week Four  = ]

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

• (Friday 11/21/14 - Saturday 12/6/14)
  • Alright, where to begin...

At this point, I might as well explain why I left for Newport. With my friend Bruce's explicit permission, I'll tell you the story of what's happened; and to protect others involved, I'll call everyone else Roommate N (N), Roommate Y (Y), Roommate O (O), and Roommate L (L).

So, before I'd left, Bruce and L had been a loving relationship, and during the summer, and gotten engaged. But, apparently, complications had arisen near the end of the summer, and L called off the engagement, feeling it would be better to just be boyfriend and girlfriend. From what everyone's said, she felt like she was being smothered by Bruce at times; but from Bruce's angle, he was just trying to be a good almost-husband. And on October 28^th, L broke up with Bruce.

After Skyping with him about a week before I left, he told me the news. Devastated, I went to my Mom for advice on what to do, and she suggested that I go down for a few weeks, to make sure he was ok.

While we hung out at my parent's house (I'll just refer to it as "my house" from now on though, because I grew up there), he talked to me about how it was good for him to be able to stay over at my house, because it'd give L some time alone to reflect and think about what's gone on. He said that L broke up with him because, like I mentioned before, she felt smothered, and that she wanted to be able to go out into the world on her own. He hoped that L would realize that she didn't need to go out into the world on her own: that she could still venture out with her friends by her side, and that any issues that they had could be worked out if she would just talk to him about it (which she had refused to).

And then you know the rest of the story from that point.

So, to start off where I left off before: on Monday, 11/24/14, Bruce and I left to go to his apartment, because other people where coming in to rent out my house during Thanksgiving.

After spending a few days there, I got to meet up with one of his previous roommates, O, and two newer ones, N and Y.

During the first few days I spent there, I hung out a lot with N and Y, and got to know them very well. The two of them care deeply for Bruce, and did their best to maintain a neutral stance on everything that had been going on (as did I).

But during the time I was there, every time Bruce came home from work, and L was around, his mood would plummet, and he would hide himself away. During those times, I did my best to comfort him, and lend a listening ear.

As time went on, I was told by him that he had a sneaking suspicion that O had been sleeping with L, considering the fact that she kept staying in his room, and they'd been caught in the shower together. This thought had been bothering him, along with N and Y for a while now, because Bruce had been kind enough to let L stay until she found a place to go, even after they'd broken up.

From my standpoint, a person's body is theirs to do with what they will, but sleeping with the friend of the person you just broke up with, in said person's apartment, is not a cool move. It'll just hurt the ex even more.

As time went on, I tried my best to be there for Bruce, remaining as neutral as possible; The suspicion that O and L had slept together was just that, a suspicion. O was still my friend, along with L. I knew that situation was multi-sided, and I wanted to acknowledge each side of it, non-judgmentally (I didn't always succeed at that, but I still did try).

But, during the last few days that we where over there, Bruce had found out that L, had in fact, been with O, and had lied about their relations straight to his face (and the rest of ours). Along with that, he pieced together everything that's happened, and realized that L had been using him since the break-up (and other people beforehand as well). Now completely done with the situation, Bruce sat everyone down and told O and L that they had until the end of the month to move out [EDIT: to specify, it was so close to December, if not already December by that point, that "...by the end of the month" meant the end of December; so they have 30 days to leave].

After all that, Bruce and I packed up our things and went back over to my house (by now, a week has passed).

For the next week (so, from when we left to my house again, until now), Bruce and I have hung out, and I've been there to help him heal. As he's said to me, when he thinks about L, he no longer feels sadness, happiness, anger, or anything; all he feels is empty nothingness. I told him that that is a good thing: if he doesn't feel anything in that place of his heart, it's now free to be filled with whatever he wants to fill it with. As I said to him: "It's a empty canvas for you to paint whatever you want onto it; and empty jar to be filled with what you want. Nothingness isn't necessarily a bad thing."

For right now, Bruce seems to be on the fast track to recovery. Like I told him, this is a new chapter; he can leave the old one behind and continue on. He still hurts, and that's natural, but he seems to be moving on, and that's what counts. He still wants to remember what's happened, and I understand and completely agree: moving on doesn't mean that you have to forget, it just means that instead of living life in the past, you're willing to embrace the new of the future. And I'll stick by his side, and move towards that future together. That's what friends are for, after all

But as for me, recalling all of this has been difficult; it all feels like one giant blur. There was a lot of stress in that apartment, and a lot of hurt feelings. As for my friendship with O and L, well, I don't feel I can be friends with them anymore. What they did was not ok, and I do not approve of it; but, I can't bring myself to be mad at them (at least, not to their face). I'm not so much angry at the situation, as I am disappointed. I have, and will, still treat them kindly and politely, as I would anyone else; but I will not seek out their companionship. I just hope that they learn from what's happened, and move on as well; I wouldn't wish ill upon anyone, and I do not want anyone to remain mad.

As I've told Bruce, there's something to be learned from everything that happens in life, and in this case, we now know who our real friends really are. N and Y stuck together with us through out the whole thing, and offered support to Bruce as well. The four of us have each other's backs, and I'm glad to know that.

The storm has been weathered, and we've made to the other side. A new chapter has begun, and we've decided that we'll keep moving forward.

(It feels quite weird posting about this, considering how personal it is [i usually don't get this personal], but as Bruce said, it's not just his business, it's mine as well; and that he's ok with me posting this as long as I left out everyone else names but his. And for me, getting it all down in writing helps me see what's happened clearly, and just get it out of my head. Plus, you all are my friends, so I feel safe talking to you all about it. Just... a lot has happened, and I'm still trying to process it all. But, despite all the shit that's gone down, I'm glad I had this chance to be there for my friend, and make new friends in N and Y. We WILL move forward, I know we will)

--

As for workouts, today, I did this:

• Workout Quest
  • Workout: Completed
    • PLP: 82 -- Completed
    • One handed Push-ups
      • Right
        • 10
      • Left
        • 10
    • One legged squats
      • Right
        • 10
      • Left
        • 10
    • Run
      • 9min. 0sec.

[Sygil]

Wow, that's quite the story. I'm sure Bruce appreciated the hell out of your company - I know I would have. And yes, staying objective in general is already hard enough. Consistently doing so while in the middle of that situation - not so easy.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with your evaluation. Best to keep moving forward rather than dwelling on the oddity that is that empty feeling. Maybe you guys should find a climbing gym to establish a new hobby (I'm assuming this isn't already a thing!)

 

That aside, it sounds like you've inadvertently been working on your challenge goals this whole time. You even got a PLP workout in there with your one-limbed crazy ass exercises thrown on top.

 

In other words...

 

 

YOU'RE KICKING ASS AND SOUND LIKE AN AWESOME FRIEND. KEEP IT UP.   

[Harihead]

Will, I'm agreeing with Cinalyc here. You're a terrific friend!

 

It's a tough situation, and whatever you do will be okay. By that I mean, if you need to be angry with O & L and break off the relationship, do it! If you can accommodate the weird shifts in friendships/affections, great. If not, that's still okay. 

 

A wise lady once said to me, the reason we have so many friends, is that we learn different lessons from all of them. You're showing Bruce how a true and loyal friend behaves. (He's already experiencing the other side of that.) If you can continue a relationship with O&L, perhaps they might learn a bit about behaving with more consideration toward others. If you can't, they can learn that actions have consequences. 

 

You only have to be true to you, and the rest will follow. Hang in there, my friend. Best wishes. 

[jaex]

I'll echo the others' statements as well.  You did the right thing and were a great friend for Bruce in a time of need.  And yeah O and L did some things that I would too find disagreeable and probably would wreck any friendship I would have had with them.  Hope things from now on are a lot less stressful and drama-free.

[- Will -]

Wow, that's quite the story. I'm sure Bruce appreciated the hell out of your company - I know I would have. And yes, staying objective in general is already hard enough. Consistently doing so while in the middle of that situation - not so easy.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with your evaluation. Best to keep moving forward rather than dwelling on the oddity that is that empty feeling. Maybe you guys should find a climbing gym to establish a new hobby (I'm assuming this isn't already a thing!)

 

That aside, it sounds like you've inadvertently been working on your challenge goals this whole time. You even got a PLP workout in there with your one-limbed crazy ass exercises thrown on top.

 

In other words...

 

 

YOU'RE KICKING ASS AND SOUND LIKE AN AWESOME FRIEND. KEEP IT UP. 

Yeah, it was quite difficult. Staying neutral was hard, especially when I felt like I had to lean to one side or the other when talking to some of the roommates there, in order to not anger anyone (I wanted to figure out what was going on, and help people out; not take sides). Plus, as things were revealed to me about O and L, it became much harder to stay neutral as well. Either way, I'm glad that I could at least be there for Bruce, and the new friends I made in N & Y.

 

Yeah, moving forward is the best course of action to take. And I would love to find a climbing gym! I'll go search for one, because I don't think there are any in Newport.

 

Yep! Even though I haven't made that much progress towards the goals I set out to accomplish, I still feel like I've grown

 

Thank you! That means a lot to me

And yes, I'll keep kicking ass

 

Oh! and to answer your last question...

But seriously. Those chores. Did you do them?

Ehh, kinda'.

 

I didn't finish them, but I'll be down here in Newport until the beginning of 2015, so I've got time to finish them

(now all I have to do is stop procrastinating, and get back to doing them...)

 

Will, I'm agreeing with Cinalyc here. You're a terrific friend!

 

It's a tough situation, and whatever you do will be okay. By that I mean, if you need to be angry with O & L and break off the relationship, do it! If you can accommodate the weird shifts in friendships/affections, great. If not, that's still okay. 

 

A wise lady once said to me, the reason we have so many friends, is that we learn different lessons from all of them. You're showing Bruce how a true and loyal friend behaves. (He's already experiencing the other side of that.) If you can continue a relationship with O&L, perhaps they might learn a bit about behaving with more consideration toward others. If you can't, they can learn that actions have consequences. 

 

You only have to be true to you, and the rest will follow. Hang in there, my friend. Best wishes. 

Thank you

 

Yeah, I don't think I can be friends with them anymore. But like I said, I'll still be polite and whatnot. I can't seem to bring myself to be angry with them anymore, I'm too disappointed for that, and I guess that's a good thing: hate for others only affects yourself. And I don't want to hate anyone anymore; I've dealt with my fare share of hate before, and all it does it rot you from the inside.

 

She sounds very wise indeed

I don't feel like I can continue a friendship with O & L, so I guess I'll be going with option two. And I've been telling Bruce the same "actions have consequences" thing as well: we have to move on, not in spite of them, but for our own future; and hopefully, O & L will learn that actions have consequences as well, and become better people because of it. Our mistakes, even the really bad ones, are to be learned from.

 

Thank you! And will do

 

I'll echo the others' statements as well.  You did the right thing and were a great friend for Bruce in a time of need.  And yeah O and L did some things that I would too find disagreeable and probably would wreck any friendship I would have had with them.  Hope things from now on are a lot less stressful and drama-free.

Thank you

And yeah, things have calmed down significantly. Everyone's been much more relaxed, and Bruce has been in a much better mood. We've just been hanging out, playing Minecraft, and watching Space Dandy.

It's been fun, And I'm glad things have gotten better so fast

 

I'm still there to listen when Bruce needs to talk, but overall, he seems to be recovering quite fast

[Sygil]

hate for others only affects yourself. And I don't want to hate anyone anymore; I've dealt with my fare share of hate before, and all it does it rot you from the inside.

This is indeed truth. I would go so far as to argue that it extends further to include hate of anything, human being or not. It is not a useful response.

 

Glad things are still going well! And yeah, stop procrastinating

[- Will -]

This is indeed truth. I would go so far as to argue that it extends further to include hate of anything, human being or not. It is not a useful response.

Exactly! I agree 100%

Love and hate, to me, are just two sides of the same coin: a very strong and passionate feeling towards something. Love is just a positive feeling, whereas hate is a negative one. But both take up space in your heart, and have an affect on your mental energy. Love (usually) gives me energy, where as hate only drains me. That's why I don't want to waste time hating them, or anything else, because all it does is drain me; I'd rather focus on the things I love in life (my friends, my family, NF, this adventure we all find ourselves in called "life," etc.), because that's the stuff that drives me forward

 

Not saying I'll ignore the bad in life; no, I'll still pay attention and do what I can do about it (and do my best to accept what I can't change), but I want my focus to be on the good. I've only got one life to live (and I don't know what happens after it, but frankly, I don't care; I'm just thankful that I'm alive at all, and that I've got my family, and all of you as my friends to live it with [wouldn't trade it for anything; this is my path, our path, and I'll walk it together with all of you]), so I might as well make it a life worth living

 

 

Glad things are still going well! And yeah, stop procrastinating

Thanks

Yes sir! Will do

[- Will -]

[ :The Legend of Will 8: ]

[ = Week Five = ]

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

• (Thursday - 12/11/14) Week 1 [First Round] - Day 0
  • Mindfulness Quest
    • The Mindful Way Workbook: Well, I did part of day one a few days ago, but I want to try again. Here's to getting back to this goal first thing tomorrow
  • Workout Quest
    • Push-ups:
      • 20
      • 20
      • 20
      • 50
      • 20
      • 20
      • 30
      • 10
        • Total: 190
    • Assisted One legged Squats (Right, Left):
      • 5, 5
      • 5, 5
      • 1, 1
      • 5, 5
      • 5, 5
      • 5, 5
      • 5, 5
        • Total: 62
    • One handed Push-ups [Extra]:
      • Left: 12
      • Right: 8, 4 (Total: 12)
        • Total: 24
    • Notes:
      • Did this while getting caught up with my fellow Brigade members. For every post I read (while on one of the threads), I had to do 10 Push-ups. I ended up just going (mostly) in groups of two, so it wouldn't take forever
        
        Then, on the next thread, I did Assisted One legged Squats for 5 reps on for each post I read (so, tow posts gets me 5 reps for my right and left legs).
        
        And then a few One handed Push-ups for the Mini-Challenge this week
  • Volunteer Quest
    • Totally forgot about this... Uhh, no progress so far. I'll get back to this as soon as I can
  • Notes
    • Well, today was nice. Like I said, I spent a good amount of time catching up with my friends in the Brigade, and got in a workout to boot! Woohoo
      (And I was listening to Stardust Pipelines and Viva Namida during all of it. Man, I friggin' love Space Dandy, and these have to be two favorite songs from it [aside from Lonely Nights]. I have no idea what they're saying, but I love the sound! And the first one always makes me smile! It's one of the most happy, cheery, feel-good-y sounding songs I've ever heard; right up there with Blue Azure World, Windy And Ripply, and The Great Sea )
      
      Other than that, I haven't done much. It was an inside day today, because Newport felt like today was a good day to blast gusts of wind, stong enough to throw a garbage can up a hill, throughout the town. Oh, and dump all the earths rain on top of us (seriously, it was coming down in buckets). I was actually getting a bit worried, because I could feel the house shaking a few times throughout today. Ahh well, that's the Oregon coast for ya'. Guess I just need to got used to it again, I grew up here after all
      
      As for chores, ehh, no go. Didn't want to be swept away by the storm
      With any luck though, it'll clear up soon, and I can get the outside stuff done. Until then though, I'll focus on cleaning the inside of the house

[- Will -]

[ :The Legend of Will 8: ]

[ = Week Five = ]

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

• (Friday - 12/12/14) Week 1 [First Round] - Day 0
  • Mindfulness Quest
    • The Mindful Way Workbook: I forgot. YouTube, man; I keep getting distracted by it
  • Workout Quest
    • Run: 20min. 55sec. (it was longer, but I forgot to start the timer a few times during the run. Oops... On the bright side, I was having fun!)
      • Notes:
        • Well, today was a rest day, but I decided to head out on a run (because the weather had finally cleared up (although it started raining again for a little while). The run was awesome though: all the clouds were lit up by the setting sun, and had the coolest shade of pink to them! I would have taken a picture, but I didn't have my camera on me. Along the way, I was listening to Endless Possibility, Reach for the Stars, It doesn't matter (SA1 & SA2), and Escape from the City. I'd almost forgot I had these songs on my iPod. Man, it feels good listening to them while running though: Sonic was one of my biggest heroes as a kid (and I'd say now as well). When I wasn't into Zelda, MegaMan, Mario, or Naruto, I'd be into Sonic
          
          And when we were kids, Bruce and I would used to pretend that we where Knuckles and Sonic respectively (ahh, good times [and CheesyFeline was "Tails," but more because he just went along with it]). The nicknames of "Sonic" and Knuckles" still persist to this day between us
          (just, not used anywhere near as frequent as before )
  • Volunteer Quest
    • Nope.
  • Notes
    • Ehh, I procrastinated a lot, but I'm glad I at least got that run in, and did a load of dishes. I've spent a lot of time at the house, and I think it's starting to have some negative affects (from just sitting around and stuff). Even though I exercise, I still need to walk around, and keep myself active, even on rest days; so I'm gona' try and get outside for at least a walk or run any day that I don't feel in danger because of the weather (or I might, you never know; sometimes I like that adrenalin rush you get from being caught in the middle of a storm: winds roaring, and rain pouring down. It's pretty epic, you know )
      
      --
      
      Also, I think my mind is trying to curb that boredom by telling me to eat. That generally isn't bad for me; I've got a high metabolism and whatnot (well, probably), but the problem is: I only have so much food at the house, and I'm almost out! The constant need to eat is starting to get annoying, so I think prolonged physical activity will help keep my mind off of food; that way I'm not constantly running out.
      
      Well, it's either that, or it might have been caused by the shift in my diet since I came here. I'm still eating Paleo, as usual, but since I'm not the best cook, I've been getting things that don't need much preparation to be eaten. So for me, that means: apples, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, Safeway chicken (already cooked), and steak (that I can cook on my own). That may seem balanced, but as of late, it's been leaning heavily on the apples and sweet potato side of things.
      My guess that it might also be my body's addicted to the sugars found in both those things; so that could be the other reason why I'm always hungry. Chicken and steak aren't cheep, and I'm trying to learn how to better manage money and whatnot, so I can't just go on a protein and fat heavy diet without it costing a shit-ton. And nuts cost a lot too as well; so I've sprinkled the protein sources through out my day, while sticking to apples and sweet potatoes the rest of the time (which, in hindsight, probably wasn't the best idea [not the worst... but there's room for improvement]).
      
      --
      
      It has recently come to my attention however, that eggs exist. I'd completely forgotten that the chickens I'd been eating before come from eggs, and that in this weaker state, they're much more easier to devour! Ehh heh heh heh heh...
      
      No, but seriously, as I was getting caught up with The Brigade yesterday, someone mentioned eggs, or a scramble, or something, and it reminded me that eggs are a thing; a thing with a good amount of protein (and maybe fat... I don't know, I'd have to look that up, but whatever). And I know how to cook eggs (hell, I can make a scramble as well [you want a watery scramble, that makes you question if it's even been cooked? Call me! Tired of your eggs not feeling and tasting like mashed, burnt rubber? I'm your guy! I can make the most rubbery, burnt, piece-of-shit scramble on the planet! And THAT'S a promise you can count on!]).
      
      And getting a good amount of eggs shouldn't cost too much, right?
      (well, I guess I'll find that out when I go to the store, but whatever...)
      
      And plus, I can add veggies to the mix as well (because I haven't been eating enough of my veggies... well, other than sweet potatoes [i'm sorry Ash and Swampling; please don't get mad at me - I'll start eating my veggies right away, promise!]). Ooh, now I'm starting to get ideas for what to scramble! I'm starting to get hungry already
      
      Delicious... food... Mmmm... hungry...
      
      But anyways, I've rambled on here long enough. I'm off to bed, so I'll talk to you all tomorrow

[Sygil]

Yes, eggs are nutritional nom nom goodtimes and you should make friends with them. The fat is nothing to be concerned about, especially since fat from animals in general is not bad for you (I can find sources for you but laziness; let me know if you want details). Deep fried foods or oils that are overcooked (past their smoking point) are the evils of this world as far as fat is concerned. Or you know, just eating way too much. 

 

I make omelettes with spinach and bell peppers (chopped very small). Peas and carrots can be alright too. I'm also crazy and add a bunch of chilli powder and cayenne pepper and black pepper. SPICY EGG NOMNOM.

 

Or even just eggs with vegetables on the side. Or eggs and bacon (and vegetables). Or... WHY ISN'T IT BREAKFAST TIME YET? But then I have to choose between a plant-based protein powder smoothie and eggs. Or maybe both. Small smoothie and eggs? 

 

Ahem...

[- Will -]

Yes, eggs are nutritional nom nom goodtimes and you should make friends with them. The fat is nothing to be concerned about, especially since fat from animals in general is not bad for you (I can find sources for you but laziness; let me know if you want details). Deep fried foods or oils that are overcooked (past their smoking point) are the evils of this world as far as fat is concerned. Or you know, just eating way too much.

Oh oops. I didn't mean to make fat sound like a bad thing; from what I've learned from NF, fat is a very good thing (not that I avoided it before I went paleo, but whatever)

 

I just wasn't sure if eggs had that much fat in them, because I want to get a good amount of fat in my diet as well. Foods high in fat tend to keep me much more full, the fullness lasts much longer, and I get so much more long lasting energy from it than from the stuff I've currently been eating. So I was only pondering whether I'd be getting a high protein meal with eggs, or a high protein and fat meal. That's all

Plus, fat is my favorite part of meat! Whenever I eat steak, I'll save all the fat for last, and then eat it all at once. It grosses out almost everyone that know, but it's totally worth it, because it's so delicious

 

Mmmm... fat...

 

And yes, I shall make very good friends with the nom nom goodtimes known as "Eggs"

 

I make omelettes with spinach and bell peppers (chopped very small). Peas and carrots can be alright too. I'm also crazy and add a bunch of chilli powder and cayenne pepper and black pepper. SPICY EGG NOMNOM.

 

Or even just eggs with vegetables on the side. Or eggs and bacon (and vegetables). Or... WHY ISN'T IT BREAKFAST TIME YET? But then I have to choose between a plant-based protein powder smoothie and eggs. Or maybe both. Small smoothie and eggs? 

 

Ahem...

Oooh, that sounds good! I'm starting to get hungry... really hungry... HOW MUCH LONGER 'TILL BREAKFAST!?

 

Anyways, since I have food on the brain right now, I'd say go with both. Just eat everything. Trust me, I'm a trained expert in the field of "being really hungry all the time;" I know what I'm talking about, probably... maybe... it's debatable

[Carly Rae Jepsens Warlock]

Amazingly handled, Will! I mean, you're such a great friend to Bruce! Plus, you not thinking ill of anyone is another thing a good human does so that makes you a great one!!

Anyway, I hope Bruce's future from here on goes smoothly~ He deserves it atleast.

This message was convincingly brought to you by,"my imaginative brain", co-produced by "my nimble but bulbous fingers".

[- Will -]

Amazingly handled, Will! I mean, you're such a great friend to Bruce! Plus, you not thinking ill of anyone is another thing a good human does so that makes you a great one!!

Anyway, I hope Bruce's future from here on goes smoothly~ He deserves it atleast.

Thank you very much Hansjay

 

Yeah, I'm trying my best with the whole "not thinking ill of anyone" thing. Although, I will admit I slipped up a little bit today after hearing from Bruce that L has been saying bad things about Bruce to others. I guess that's to be expected after all this, but that still doesn't make it ok. I'm fine with venting if need be, and hell, talking about it with others can be a really good idea as well for moving on, but it just sounds like she's telling a warped version of the story to others that makes Bruce look like the bad guy. And that made me a bit upset, to be honest.

But I guess, from her perspective, that might just be the way she sees how things went. She might not be warping the story on purpose (at least, that's what I'm hoping). But as Bruce told her over text, making other people hate him won't help the situation die down. She then responded and told him that said people in question didn't like him anyway. After that, I told him that now she's just being mean, and that he should just to say goodbye to her, and delete as many forms of communication with her (i.e. Phone number, Facebook, Tumbler, etc.) as he could, right now. Just to get it over and done with. He agreed, and did.

I really want to see the good in others, and I want to keep in perspective that L is human, a hurting human, who's gone through a lot of shit in her life. Not a bad guy, just a human. So I don't want to start hating her, but what she's been doing after that big post I made, has not been ok. Getting people to go and take sides WILL NOT make this all come to an end. It'll just keep people's minds stuck in the past, being all angry about events that have already come and gone. And I really DON'T want that. I want people to be able move on, and then actually move on! We don't need to be stuck in that past 24/7, griping about who's wronged us, how things have gone to shit, and what this all could have been; because that doesn't get anyone anywhere!

I was stuck in that frame of mind before, and I never want to go back; it's destructive. I want to remember the past, not live in it. Life can really only be lived during today! Yesterday's already passed, and tomorrow could be anything; the present, today, is where life get's lived!

 

Ok, well I don't know where I was going with that last part; I just kind of went of on a tangent, but whatever. The point still stands: L isn't being nice, despite how kind Bruce has been to her throughout this whole ordeal, and it's starting to piss me off again. I just, seriously hope, that she turns herself around, and moves on. Like I've said before, I wouldn't wish ill upon anybody, and I sincerely hope that she finds a way to let go of her anger, and learns something from all this. I really don't like the person she's become (we don't need anymore people spreading hate in this world), but just because she's this way now doesn't mean she can't be different later. We're always changing, as long as we let ourselves; and I believe she can change for the better as well, and go on to live a happy life. That's what I'm hoping for anyways.

 

But yeah, anyways, I told Bruce that if things ever get out of hand here, he's more than welcome up in Washington. My Mom considers him a part of the family (we've been friends since I was 6), so I'm sure he could bunk at my place. He said he'd keep that in mind, but he's pretty sure that everyone here would come around eventually, and ask for his side of the story as well. But I made sure to let him know, if on the off chance that his prediction doesn't pan out, the offer's always available

(Or if he just wants to visit; I don't care, I like seeing my friends )

[Carly Rae Jepsens Warlock]

Thank you very much Hansjay

Yeah, I'm trying my best with the whole "not thinking ill of anyone" thing. Although, I will admit I slipped up a little bit today after hearing from Bruce that L has been saying bad things about Bruce to others. I guess that's to be expected after all this, but that still doesn't make it ok. I'm fine with venting if need be, and hell, talking about it with others can be a really good idea as well for moving on, but it just sounds like she's telling a warped version of the story to others that makes Bruce look like the bad guy. And that made me a bit upset, to be honest.

But I guess, from her perspective, that might just be the way she sees how things went. She might not be warping the story on purpose (at least, that's what I'm hoping). But as Bruce told her over text, making other people hate him won't help the situation die down. She then responded and told him that said people in question didn't like him anyway. After that, I told him that now she's just being mean, and that he should just to say goodbye to her, and delete as many forms of communication with her (i.e. Phone number, Facebook, Tumbler, etc.) as he could, right now. Just to get it over and done with. He agreed, and did.

I really want to see the good in others, and I want to keep in perspective that L is human, a hurting human, who's gone through a lot of shit in her life. Not a bad guy, just a human. So I don't want to start hating her, but what she's been doing after that big post I made, has not been ok. Getting people to go and take sides WILL NOT make this all come to an end. It'll just keep people's minds stuck in the past, being all angry about events that have already come and gone. And I really DON'T want that. I want people to be able move on, and then actually move on! We don't need to be stuck in that past 24/7, griping about who's wronged us, how things have gone to shit, and what this all could have been; because that doesn't get anyone anywhere!

I was stuck in that frame of mind before, and I never want to go back; it's destructive. I want to remember the past, not live in it. Life can really only be lived during today! Yesterday's already passed, and tomorrow could be anything; the present, today, is where life get's lived!

Ok, well I don't know where I was going with that last part; I just kind of went of on a tangent, but whatever. The point still stands: L isn't being nice, despite how kind Bruce has been to her throughout this whole ordeal, and it's starting to piss me off again. I just, seriously hope, that she turns herself around, and moves on. Like I've said before, I wouldn't wish ill upon anybody, and I sincerely hope that she finds a way to let go of her anger, and learns something from all this. I really don't like the person she's become (we don't need anymore people spreading hate in this world), but just because she's this way now doesn't mean she can't be different later. We're always changing, as long as we let ourselves; and I believe she can change for the better as well, and go on to live a happy life. That's what I'm hoping for anyways.

But yeah, anyways, I told Bruce that if things ever get out of hand here, he's more than welcome up in Washington. My Mom considers him a part of the family (we've been friends since I was 6), so I'm sure he could bunk at my place. He said he'd keep that in mind, but he's pretty sure that everyone here would come around eventually, and ask for his side of the story as well. But I made sure to let him know, if on the off chance that his prediction doesn't pan out, the offer's always available

(Or if he just wants to visit; I don't care, I like seeing my friends )

That's one nasty doo-doo there and from this we can pretty much see how human beings work, "I liked you before but now I don't so I'll go on and make you miserable"

Human beings are amazing aren't they? But what's more amazing about us that our memory cards can refresh themselves just like that.

"You don't like to store the last data?" Click no and *POOF* outta my hippocampus just like that. I know it's harder than it sounds but you need will-power to do that and I believe Bruce has that plus with you on his side, he'll surely recover from this!

When it comes to L--I believe ignorance is the best medicine here. Tell her to live her own life and you live yours is the most appropriate decision here. Kind of like, the person after the break-up is now somebody you "DONT KNOW NOW" because he's kind of hurtful. You are not obliged to keep those people in your life who've hurt your feelings. Forgetting is better for you, in my opinion.

This message was convincingly brought to you by,"my imaginative brain", co-produced by "my nimble but bulbous fingers".

[- Will -]

That's one nasty doo-doo there and from this we can pretty much see how human beings work, "I liked you before but now I don't so I'll go on and make you miserable"

Human beings are amazing aren't they? But what's more amazing about us that our memory cards can refresh themselves just like that.

"You don't like to store the last data?" Click no and *POOF* outta my hippocampus just like that.

Yeah, I'd say that describes what's been going on.

 

And I'd say I've dabbled in my fare share of the whole "I don't like you, so I'm-a be an asshole about it" thing before. Not a lot, I mean, looking back, I'd say I've always been a nice kid, but I've still had my moments of being a butt-head. But I've seen how it makes others feel, and others have done it to me before as well, so I know what it feels like, so I don't want to do that anymore; so in turn, I'm trying really hard to not villainize L (especially here on the internet). I want to make sure she's still seen as a person. She may be acting like a "not so nice person" right now, but that doesn't mean she is one; deep down, she's still human. She's going through a rough time as well with all of this, and is hurt (I don't think there's any way out of this situation without hurting even a little). But the way she's dealing with the current state of events is just making me, rrrrrrgh

It's pissing me off! Because it won't help people move on, it'll only cause people to ruminate on it, and blame this person, or that person. I just want people to be happy again. I want Bruce happy, L happy, O happy, N & Y happy, everyone happy. That's what I'd like. Not everyone needs to be friends with everyone else, but at least, treating each other with kindness.

 

I know it's harder than it sounds but you need will-power to do that and I believe Bruce has that plus with you on his side, he'll surely recover from this!

When it comes to L--I believe ignorance is the best medicine here. Tell her to live her own life and you live yours is the most appropriate decision here. Kind of like, the person after the break-up is now somebody you "DONT KNOW NOW" because he's kind of hurtful. You are not obliged to keep those people in your life who've hurt your feelings. Forgetting is better for you, in my opinion.

Yeah, like I've said before, Bruce looks like he's on the fast track to recovery, which is good. And I'll stick by his side to help him through

 

Yeah, and I agree with you here as well. Although, I don't want to forget, I just would rather have it not be in the forefront of my mind all the time. Because even during all of this, I was still able to find some good: I got a chance to help a friend, I made two new friends, even more here on the forums, and have had all of you to talk to about this. Some good has come from all this bad, and Bruce and I have also learned who our true friends are after going through this whole ordeal.

 

Plus, this is my life, so I don't want a highlight reel, I want to remember the whole thing

All the awesome moments are made even more awesome when contrasted against the bad. The triumphs greater, the victories sweeter

 

Got to keep things in perspective! Life is like a story in a video-game, and no good story is without it's conflicts; and I want to to be a part of the whole thing

[- Will -]

Well shit, I've been lazy. Update of tomorrow (12/19/14), coming tomorrow!

 

Good, now that I've said that out loud here, I'll have to do it. No way for me to "lazy my way" around it this time. Take that future me! Now go be productive, do your chores, hit those goals, and go be awesome! Yeah!

[- Will -]

[ :The Legend of Will 8: ]

[ = Week Six = ]

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

(Friday - 12/19/14) Week 1 [First Round] - Day 0

• Mindfulness Quest
  • The Mindful Way Workbook: Nope. This goal just has not been hit this challenge. But I won't let that deter me! Tomorrow's goal is hitting this goal!
• Workout Quest
  • Push-ups
    • 20
    • 20
    • 20
    • 20
    • 20
    • 20
    • 20
    • 20
    • 20
    • 12
    • 8
    • 12
    • 6
    • 2
    • 10
    • 5
    • 5
    • 10
    • 9
    • 1
    • 10
    • 10
    • 10
    • 10
    • 5 (extra Push-ups I did at the end)
      • Total: 305 (what the shit!? I did THAT many, holy crap!)
        • Notes: Well, as I was reading through Cinalyc's Challenge thread, getting myself caught up, I began to become increasingly motivated by his epic wins, and felt the urge to workout, so I did. As I went through, I did 10 Push-ups for each post I read (I usually waited to do the Push-ups until I'd gone through two posts, so reading it didn't take forever), and I guess I just lost track of how many I did. Oops...? Whatever, I got in an epic workout
          • Even more Notes: Almost forgot to mention, the reason I'm not doing the PLP right now is because the thing I used for my Pull-ups is breaking, and my Mom doesn't want me to break it off, so she told me to leave it alone. And since I don't know where else to go to do Pull-ups, I'm just doing copious amounts of Push-ups instead! Hooray for alternative exercises
  • Assisted One Legged Squats (Left, Right):
    • 5, 5
      • Notes: Was going to do this like I did the Push-up workout thing, but I got distracted. Heh heh, oops
        Oh well, I already had a "leg day" this week, when I ran all over Newport. The amount of time I spent running was 40min. total, but I was out for at least an hour and a half. I think that was on Wednesday if I remember correctly 
  • [EXTRA] One Handed Push-ups (Left, Right):
    • 10, 10
    • 10, 10
      • Notes: This is for this weeks Mini-challenge. I'll be contributing more to it these next two days as well, but this is what I've done so far
• Volunteer Quest
  • Nothing today, but yesterday I found a lot of great volunteer opportunities I can help out with once I get back to Washington. Further research will be needed, but I'm a LOT closer than I've been before, so I'm glad about that
• Notes
  • Well, today's been interesting: I rode my bike (well, Bruce's bike, because I gave it to him a while ago, but whatever) over to the store first thing this morning, because I was almost out of food; got back, ate some fruits and nuts; got caught up with my friends in The Brigade; and worked out. All in all, I'd say it was a retty good day. I still have some things I need to work on, like combating the Procrastination Monster, but I'd say I did much better today than I've done in a while, so I'm glad
    
    Oh! And Cinalyc, you'll be glad to know, eggs and I are great friends now! I've been making scrambles for myself over the past few days, and they've been delicious! The biggest one I've made had 8 eggs in it, and was packed to the brim with vegetables (or, at least what I think are vegetables: I know tomatoes are a fruit, but are bell peppers as well? I mean, their seeds are on the inside, but they seem so "vegetable like." I do know that the onions I put in are vegetables though).
    I almost thought I wouldn't be able to cook it all, because even in the biggest pan we have here, it was almost overflowing with stuff! But it did, and it was the best scramble ever
    
    And aww shit, I almost got this posted on time! Oh well

[Tearose]

HERE you are! I have been baffled as to why I could not find your challenge log but I see you have a battle log!

[- Will -]

HERE you are! I have been baffled as to why I could not find your challenge log but I see you have a battle log!

Sorry I'm responding so late to this, but yeah, I've got a battle log

 

It felt slightly disconnected when I would go from one challenge thread to the next, so I figured I could just do my challenges here, and have them all flow together

To me, it makes it feel like one continuous whole; so the stuff I've done during previous Challenges feels less like "stuff from that last Challenge," but rather "stuff from earlier on during this adventure."

I don't know, I'm weird

 

But yeah, like I said, Challenges from now on will be posted here

[Sygil]

Wow, I totally missed that update somehow. I truly enjoy that my challenge thread somehow got you to do 305 pushups.... Bravo, sir.

 

Oh! And Cinalyc, you'll be glad to know, eggs and I are great friends now! I've been making scrambles for myself over the past few days, and they've been delicious! The biggest one I've made had 8 eggs in it, and was packed to the brim with vegetables (or, at least what I think are vegetables: I know tomatoes are a fruit, but are bell peppers as well? I mean, their seeds are on the inside, but they seem so "vegetable like." I do know that the onions I put in are vegetables though).

I almost thought I wouldn't be able to cook it all, because even in the biggest pan we have here, it was almost overflowing with stuff! But it did, and it was the best scramble ever ​

Awesome! I actually thought bell peppers were vegetables, but google tells me they're kind of like tomatoes... in that they are still technically fruit. In any case, I also throw them into pretty much every egg-vegetable thing I make.

 

Today I actually made this, due to lack of wanting to go to grocery store:

• Add 1 whole chopped bell pepper + half of chopped medium onion to frying pan with a whee bit of oil, fry on medium-low until onions translucent, or perhaps even slightly browned.
• Whisk 4 eggs (just long enough for yolks to mix in) with: Coarsely ground black pepper, 1tbsp chili powder, cayenne powder to hotness-tolerance (I actually used ghost pepper), 2tsp smoked paprika, 1tsp cinnamon, 1tsp thyme, 1tsp oregano, 1/4 cup of almond milk (or milk), touch of sugar if almond milk is not sweetened (completely optional; I actually had added stevia to the yams when I made them)
• Add... 1/2 cooked, possibly left-over and refrigerated (as in my case) mashed yam, 1 cup chopped spinach, and eggs to pan. Mix until vegetables are submerged in awesome mixture. Let it sit for...I dunno, some time. Flip portions of it, or mix it around, or whatever. I don't think it really matters, just get it to cook slowly without losing all of the vegetables  Maybe even turn the heat up a bit. I did toward the end since there was a lot of moisture in there.

I had no idea what it would taste like. Delicious was the answer. I won't blame you if you don't try it, especially since I estimated how much spice I added... but it really was delicious.

 

ANYWAY, what have you been up to? I see no updates since...well..forever. I do like your story idea though - I suppose that's why I kind of refuse to replace my challenge links with "1, 2, 3, ...., etc." Each one means something to me, and I'd like to keep track of that. </ramble>

 

Also, perhaps time for a doorway pull-up bar? preferably one of the ones that screws in for added safety. I still don't completely trust mine despite this...