Apfelstrudi and the Polyjuice Potion

[ApfelStrudi]

Previously on my journey, I was a Pokemon master, who fell out of her universe to land in a strange place she now has to learn to call home. It’s called Hogwarts, nobody knows me here, and since I look kinda weird and don’t fit in, I have to rely on other things to get where I want to be.

 

To quote the headmaster: â€œReally, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time.â€

 

I’m not channeling my inner Hagrid though, pleasant as that would be. I’m currently tiny little Snape, trying to get in with the cool kids, find a new home outside of the old one, a place to call home, and a place in the world.

 

If I manage to do meet my goals, I’ll allow myself to slip into the skin of another person. I won’t do it the GoT House Bolton way, I’ll instead use a Polyjuice Potion. Which is only slightly less disgusting.

 

There will be a lot of goals. But many of them are just things that I need in daily life. Habit building on a small scale.

 

 

History of Magic:

 

History of magic is boring. So is the school I’ll be going to. But I need to ace this. I’m smart. I really am, despite the decisions I sometimes make. It’s usually easy for me to learn things, but I’m lazy. I’m also not really looking forward to school because I’d rather just work, and because all the other people there will be 16-18. A big issue I need to tackle is the shame I’m feeling, and the feeling of being a big fat fail. Which will be put into big relief when 23 year old me is thrown at the same stage as all those little 16 year old girls. I need to get over myself and not let that put me down, I need to focus on what’s important, bring home good grades, study and make the most of this chance.

I also need to not skip school or be annoyed at the classes I have to take (I need 120 hours of typing class. Which seems ridiculous to me in the age we’re living in, but I might just be the only nerd in that class that types more than she talks).

I’ll have 2 days of school per week, which really isn’t much when I think about it. So!

 

Goals:

Do ALL the homework.

Take notes in class & participate.

Keep a tidy folder for school.

If there’s an exam or other thing, ace it.

 

Rewards:

Knotgrass

Powdered bicorn horn

 

 

Potions:

 

I’m eating healthy. However, I also need to eat smart. All the time I’ve put into researching bentos and whatnot can now finally be put to the test. Ideally, I’d like to have a meal plan. In fact, I might just type it up and add it here (since I’m writing this a week before the new challenge starts, chances are I’ll have it done by then). My mom is making all the dinner and whatnot, so there’s nothing for me to worry about. But I have to bring lunch to work/school with me now. I have a 90 minute lunch break, which means technically I’d have more than enough time to go out and buy a pizza. But I’m not earning nearly enough for that, and it’s lazy and unhealthy. I just bought a two-tiered lunch box that can keep food both cold and warm (we don’t yet have a kitchen at work, so no microwave or fridge) and I need to use it.

 

Goals:

Make a “Rosie Projectâ€-ish standardized meal plan.

Bring lunch with me to school/work every day. (possibly not fridays, as I get off work at 1)

Take pictures of the lunch.

 

Rewards:

Leeches

 

 

Jogwarts club:

 

Exercise. Life has just gotten a hell of a lot busier. I’d like to exercise three days a week, which isn’t much when you think about it. Ideally this means gym 3 times a week, but I have to see whether I’ll actually manage to drag myself to gym after work. If not, I’ll have to quit. I can’t afford to pay 50 bucks per month and then not go. Whatever the outcome, I need to do some form of exercise 3 times a week. Even if it’s just 5 minutes of hooping or a quick crazy-dance.

 

Goal:

Exercise 3 times a week.

 

Rewards:

Lacewing flies

 

 

Astronomy:

 

It’s a huge pain in the bum, having to get up in the middle of the night to stargaze. Or, in my case, go to work. My alarm wakes me at 5.30am, so I need to be in bed early. This has worked fabulously the past week, as I was always so pooped after work I just fell straight into bed. I need to keep at it. I remember this being one of my very first goals on Nerdfitness, and I function so much better when I go to bed at a healthy time.

 

Goals:

Sleep.

Sleep a lot.

Read more books.

Find good books to read (suggestions very welcome!)

 

Rewards:

Fluxweed (picked at full moon)

 

 

Herbology:

 

I really don’t want to end up like Eloise Midgen and have my nose, big as it already is, be off center because I tried to curse my skin pretty. So I’ll go with the traditional route - diluted bubotuber pus. Also known as a good skin care regime. I’ve fallen back in love with a proper routine thanks to those awesome Korean cosmetics I ordered. And more are on the way, straight from San Francisco’s Face Shop. They’re incredibly light, look super cute and are a joy to put on the face. I’m currently using a wildberry foam cleanser, sparkling water apple juicy toner, peach sake serum and mushroom BB cream, all from Skinfood. But, as I said, more is on the way from the good friend that also introduced me to NF, who went and bought me a busload of stuff. I also do face masks more often now, because I bought a kilo of healing earth and can’t not smear it all over my face.

 

Goals:

Skin care every morning.

Skin care every evening.

At least 3 masks per week, ideally one every night (but I don’t want to overload my skin/have to buy even more products, so the minimum will be healing earth mask 3 times a week!)

 

Rewards:

Shredded boomslang skin (because obviously that's what you want after you've followed a strict skin care regime for 6 weeks)

Hair from someone's head.

 

This looks like a lot at first glance. But really it's just basic survival skills, be it for Hogwarts or muggle life. I've thought a lot about the things I want to do, and challenge myself to do, and things I'd like to experience, do or make. But what it comes down to is this. Habits that I need, desperately, to survive.

 

And I need Nerdfitness in my life to help me with all of this. Because you’re awesome.

 

 

Grading is as usual in Hogwarts:

Outstanding

Exceeds Expectation

Acceptable

Poor

Dreadful

Troll

 

[Lokesbrah]

To a certain point I can relate to your goals so I'll be following your challnge. LET'S GET LIFE GOING FOR US, WHAT DO YOU SAYYY?!

[Batwoman]

AND NERDFITNESS NEEDS YOU!

 

23 is still young. You've got a lot of road ahead of you. Just do your work and stay consistent and you will get to where you want to be at any age. The journey makes you what you are and the journey is wonderful.

 

Also this quote from Mulan...

 

 

Love the goals... will be creeping.

[lullaby88]

I missed you last challenge with all your hooping awesomeness. Glad that you're back.

 

Bats is right. 23 is young, even with going back to school. My husband has been mentioning that I should go back to school and I'm 26. If I was to go back, it'll be in a year or two so I'll be 27/28. Don't stress it.

 

And if you need anything, we're here for you.

 

[Nymeria]

I'm so glad you're back in the game!  How is the hooping going?  Have you picked up any new tricks or found new tutorials yet?

 

And 23 is incredibly young.  There are plenty of people twice your age who return to school for a change-in-career.  You have so much time to find your way and figure out your life.  

[vengefulpear]

Glad to see you back fellow fruity overlord

 

 

Paying for the gym should definitely be a great motivator in going (as you say it would suck to see that money go out and not use it)

 

And like Batwoman said, 23 is young! I know you're going to kick ass, it's just in instinct for you!

[Mad Hatter]

Even though 23 is really young, it's ancient compared to 16 year olds. But I think you'll find 23 is a much better age to be at. Teenagers are kind of silly.

[The.Introverted.Goddess]

So glad you're back!!

Absolutely LOVE the challenge!!!!

I can't wait to see your progress!

Sub'd

[ApfelStrudi]

I know that 23 isn't like 100, but it feels like it when you're among people that are basically at the same stage in life and are half a decade younger! 

HOWEVER.

Imagine that. There are lots of people my age in my class. I had my first day of school today, and we had to introduce ourselves to each other in every single lesson, and there are many that are my exact age or just a year younger. Hell, there are even two single moms in my class. And apart from one single person, everyone in this class has already failed at something and is now starting over.

Makes me feel a lot better about school.

I don't feel that out of place, and while I've not made friends, I've made 'friends' - people to hang out with during break and possibly meet for lunch break because we all work in the same part of the city and one of them even has 2 hours of lunch break! how crazy is that. 

 

The teachers are nice. The lessons more or less interesting. My typing lessons are hell. I typed asdf jklö ölkj fdsa so many times today it'll likely haunt me in my sleep. But I'll get overi t. It's all kinds of weird because I'm a really fast typist and don't have to look at the keyboard to type at all, but now I'm learning the same thing but with another and super strict system and it's slowing me down and making me make mistakes I'd usually not make. We'll see how that works out in the end. 

 

I'm having some creative difficulties with lunch and have bought two things at the bakery this week - oh the scandal. I just don't know what ot make, and since I'm home alone I'm even more uncreative than usual. But we got a water boiler thingy at work now so I can at least get my tea without having to pay 1.80€ for a single cup. 

 

A few good experiences I had

- teachers keep telling us that we've chosen a difficult path for our apprenticeships. Despite popular belief that we're just the pretty girls sitting there asking clients to take a seat and wait a minute, it's actually a job with a LOT of responsibility and there's many, many things we need to know to be able to properly do this job. It wasn't my first choice, at all, and I had the same misconception. It makes me feel really great to know that I'll actually be working my butt off.

- teachers also keep telling us that the stuff we learn is very versatile. I'm not sure if that's the right word. I mean that I won't have to work in a lawyer's office all my life, this apprenticeship enables me to go in all sorts of directions when i'm done.

- I'm still loving my office. The people are great, and my coworker who's teaching me everything gives me HUGE loads of work. Which may sound like something I'd not be happy about, but I'm not just the new chick making coffee for everyone (truth be told we don't even have a coffee machine) and making copies, I do everything that needs to be done, and then she goes through it all with me to check whether I've done everything right, give me more info, answer questions. It's a great way to teach someone and I'm loving it.

- I'm handling myself really well. I'm glad for the experience I've got because I wouldn't be as good if I didn't have it, and I couldn't imagine doing this job a few years earlier, with zero experience. I'd have been too shy, wouldn't have dared to touch anything, and couldn't have survived in this setting. It's great for me as I currently am, but would've been horrible for me as a first job. Which again makes me feel good about it, because it means progress, even though I'm technically back at stage 1.

 

I'm going to take my workout clothes to work with me tomorrow so I don't have an excuse to not go to gym after. I had my check up yesterday and lost yet another kilo, bringing my BMI down to 18.5 which is just too low. I want it higher. It's a lot of stress and anxiety causing me to not be able to eat properly all the time, but even after just those two weeks it's gotten LOADS better. I'll start bringing some light breakfast next week.

[Wild Wolf]

Very cool challenge! Looking forward to subbing

 

Wolf

[ApfelStrudi]

To a certain point I can relate to your goals so I'll be following your challnge. LET'S GET LIFE GOING FOR US, WHAT DO YOU SAYYY?!

HUZZAH! 

 

AND NERDFITNESS NEEDS YOU!

 

23 is still young. You've got a lot of road ahead of you. Just do your work and stay consistent and you will get to where you want to be at any age. The journey makes you what you are and the journey is wonderful.

 

Also this quote from Mulan...

 

 

Love the goals... will be creeping.

Aw I totally agree - as said in my post up there. I wouldn't have been able to do this job 5 years ago. I'm feeling much better abotu it after my first 'real' day of school, ironically, because I'd expected to feel bad about being among young people. But it worked fine. 

 

 

I missed you last challenge with all your hooping awesomeness.  Glad that you're back.

 

Bats is right. 23 is young, even with going back to school. My husband has been mentioning that I should go back to school and I'm 26. If I was to go back, it'll be in a year or two so I'll be 27/28. Don't stress it. 

 

And if you need anything, we're here for you. 

 

 

Thank you I'm super relaxed about other people doing that, just not about myself. It's something I need to work on, says my therapist, it's part of where my anxiety comes from, the fear of disappointing people, like my family, by doing things like that.

 

I'm so glad you're back in the game!  How is the hooping going?  Have you picked up any new tricks or found new tutorials yet?

 

And 23 is incredibly young.  There are plenty of people twice your age who return to school for a change-in-career.  You have so much time to find your way and figure out your life.   

I've not done muhc at all I did some basic hooping, basically practicing the moves I can do. 

While I'm transitioning into this new and much more demanding schedule, I'm pretty much falling into bed as soon as I walk through the door. I'm spreading the hoop love though! 

We had this introduction thing at school today, and the teacher (the fifth teacher asking for introductions that day) asked us to name something that makes us unique. And while there are lots of things, I don't want to share all of them with people I've not met before, and the first thing that came to mind was "I've got a bazillion different sized hula hoops". Everyone thought that was awesome and wanted to know more about hooping  (I was also the only one that came up with something all the others said they're not unique). 

 

Glad to see you back fellow fruity overlord 

 

 

Paying for the gym should definitely be a great motivator in going (as you say it would suck to see that money go out and not use it)

 

And like Batwoman said, 23 is young! I know you're going to kick ass, it's just in instinct for you! 

Thank youuu! I'm hoping to be stable enough in my routine to help out more next challenge 

 

Even though 23 is really young, it's ancient compared to 16 year olds. But I think you'll find 23 is a much better age to be at. Teenagers are kind of silly. 

Oh sheesh they are. The conversations I forcedly listened into today... I'm so glad I'm not 16 anymore. I like to think that I was never on that level of silliness, but I just wanted to shake my head and give them a cookie with milk.

 

So glad you're back!!

Absolutely LOVE the challenge!!!!

I can't wait to see your progress!

Sub'd

Thank you

[Waldgeist]

Sounds like a perfect first day of school, congrats! Well, besides the typing thing. I actually learned typing this way when I was 15 and afterwards I couldn't understand why I'd ever done it differently.

 

And you can get used to being surrounded by younger people pretty fast. 95% of my fellow volunteers are between 16 and 21, about ten years younger than I! Nonetheless most of them are great and a lot of fun. Makes me even feel young again from time to time.

[The.Introverted.Goddess]

I'm glad you had a nice first day of school, and that you seem to be feeling better as a result.

[starsapart]

Love the challenge (and the Snape goodness).  Subbing because let's face it - Harry Potter and pictures of food?  Sold!

 

Going back to school as an adult is harrowing... even though there were several people my age in my Masters program (I started at 26), I still felt weird and old going back to a college campus after years of being out on my own... and I never did find a rapport with the people who went straight into grad from undergrad, because I looked at their 22-23 year old faces and was like, OH GODDESS, I AM A HAG IN COMPARISON, MUST HIDE FOREVER.  The feeling of not belonging did pass, though!!!!!!

[Twilight]

I started my degree at 22 and finished 8 months pregnant and 6 years later. You got this!

[holographicSam]

I love your goals and your thread theme I'm glad school's been going well for you! 

[vengefulpear]

Yay for what sounds like a pretty awesome first day at school!

[karinajean]

I'm so excited for your challenge and for YOU!

Sent from my iPhone while riding a unicorn through the cosmos.

[lullaby88]

I just wanted to shake my head and give them a cookie with milk.

 

I feel like I need to do this with my roommates sometimes...

 

And just remember, 

[ApfelStrudi]

I need HELP! 

 

There's this thing called KMK Fremdsprachenzertifikat Rechtsberufe.

Which sounds mighty great and actually, it is. Basically, since we have this dual system of vocational education here, where you go to school twice a week for half a day and spend the rest of the week at work, we get offered lots of chances for education. Which is pretty neat when you think about it, apart from Austria and Switzerland we're the only country that has it. It's what I'm doing right now.

 

This particular thing is an English certificate specifically for paralegals/legal assistants/whatever you want to call it. And I want to take it. BUT.

 

I looked at all the info and there are two stages (there's no easy stage for this one apparently), the second stage I could probably do without much hassle. But why spend 60 bucks on a simple certificate when I can get the higher certificate just as well? 

 

The issue is - there's no material for studying and preparation. There are plenty workbooks for other areas like IT and even cosmetics, specifically for this exam, but none for law. I just sent an email to the contact person asking if he can point me in a direction where I could find some material, but I don't have much hope, I've been searching for three hours now. 

 

There's a workshop from the lawyer's club (not for the certificate but general workshop for paralegals for English on the job) but it's 189€ and 400km away from where I live. And while my boss MIGHT pay for it, I'd like to use that for other workshops, as this is not one I actually need in his law firm as we don't have any English clients. And it'd be a super long drive, I'd have to get going at 3am or so. 

 

So here's where I need help. Is there anyone out there with a background in law that could help me out a bit? I don't need a full-on teacher, I'll try and come up with exercises for myself and would just need someone to check my form, read over it, tell me if it looks good or not. Would help a lot The next exam date is in January in Frankfurt and I'd love to take that.

[Batwoman]

KMK Fremdsprachenzertifikat Rechtsberufe.

 

 

These are not words. You just punched your keyboard.

 

 

I do not have a lawyer background, but I'll look into seeing if friends of mine can help out.

[ApfelStrudi]

made a folder for school as we don't have homework yet.

tomorrow's lunch. Mandarinenquark for dessert and noodle salad with tomato and tuna

[Leothil]

Now this is an outstanding challenge if I ever saw one! All hail the Potter goodness! And good luck in finding all the ingredients! Just remember that polyjuice potion is very tricky to brew, so be careful during that process!

 

[KB Girl]

This work/school combo seems like a great opportunity! Glad there are some people your age there. It's nicer when you have to work together etc. I'm 26 and only now finishing my degree, so.. really- there is no such thing as failure at life while you're still living it. Unless you're hiding under the bed. 

 

Also I'm still loving me some Harry Potter. And Severus.

[Waldgeist]

You probably already found those sample exams.But maybe it'll help anyway.