Tzippi | Adapting to Arborea - A Ranger enters the forest

[Tzippi Longstockings]

            Brand-new ranger, still adapting to this hard, wonderful life. Living like a real wood elf, in the trees. Tree living is defensible and disguisable (especially from those walking below), making tree living a useful adaptation to the Swiss Family Robinson, various birds and beasts, and the Ewoks of Endor. Despite the fact that my people have lived arboreally for countless generations (elves belong in trees), my city-dwelling has led me away from this lifestyle and into unhealthy, weakening habits. I will acclimate myself to forest living in four ways:

 

1.)  Climbing practice. Any defensible treehouse must have multiple paces of egress and ingress, preferably only accessible by the initiated. Therefore, a rope ladder or series of graceful stairways is more suited to the Lórien cousins than to my simple life.  To be able to get into, out of, and around my home, I must become stronger, better able to lift my own weight. Therefore, three times a week, I will complete body weight exercises, specifically: Starting Body Weight Beginner’s Program. If scheduling becomes a problem, I can abort to another bodyweight program, but hope to manage the SBW for six weeks, and hope to see results.

 

 

 

2.)  Woodland Stride. To further defend my home, the ability to move quickly to or away from it to escape, distract, mislead, or just utterly destroy intruders, monsters, or dangerous animals will be paramount. I must improve my speed and stamina, continuing to range across the forest, seeking out evil. As such, I will “range†three times a week. One will be a long sweep (starting at 5K, potentially adding more distance each week), to work on longer-term stamina and note any growing darknesses and looming threats. The other two will be shorter, to clear the areas surrounding my home and places of note within my territory. Each of these will be timed (20-30 minutes), rather than measured by distance. I also hope to include some speed play"* or intervals to increase my speed during these shorter rangings.

 

 

 

3.)  Bounty of the Forest. A Ranger must travel light and maximize the space in her caches of food and supplies. Maintaining organized caches will be paramount to my survival and ability to protect this area. As such, I intend to log all food and drink intake for the next six weeks. Hopefully I will need to make few trips to town for staples, and allow the forest, river, and sea to provide for me. I intend to use macros (I presume, a type of small basket) to balance and organize my intake, and have obtained a small recording imp to keep track of it all. He refuses to create pie charts a third of the time, and insists on being referred to by his full title, as my “Infernal Servitor, Servant Abyssal, Scribe of all things Unknowable, Mazik-Clerk, and Fitness Palâ€. I foresee frustrations there, but will do my best.

 

 

 

4.)  Preparing my Home for the Dark Winter. As the temperature drops and the nights become longer and colder, more supplies must be brought in to weather the chill. I haven’t much room, so superfluities must be ejected to ensure enough room for myself, my husband, and any lost travelers or wounded animals that may need my care. Daily/weekly cleaning schedule. Reorganizing kitchen, reorganizing electronics, and doing projects for the home (knitting slippers, etc.) would be nice additions, given time.

 

 

 

 

15 points:

 

Climbing – STR +3

 

Woodland Stride – DEX +2, STA +3

 

Bounty of the Forest – CON +2, WIS +1

 

Home – WIS +2, CHA +2 

 

* I am not enough of an adult to say "fartlek" without giggling.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

COMING SOON (Sunday November 9)

Starting Pictures:


Starting Measurements:
My husband insists I list these as "give or take a centimeter"

Bust: 99.5
Underbust: 84
Natural waist: 81.5
At navel: 88
Hip (widest point): 104.5
Thigh
L-60
R-59.5
Calf
L-39.5
R-40
Bicep
L-30
R-30
Forearm
L-24.5
R-24.5
Shoulder, point to point: 50

[Tzippi Longstockings]

End of Challenge Grades Announced!

 

 

Climbing – STR +3

Weekly BW - C, A, B-, B, C-, B-

FINAL GRADE = 80.83 = B-  = Strength +2.5

 

Woodland Stride – DEX +2, STA +3

Weekly Running - A, A, A, A, C, B-

FINAL GRADE = 92.5 = A- = DEX +1.75, STA +2.75

 

Bounty of the Forest – CON +2, WIS +1

Weekly Food tracking - A, B+, F, B, B-, A

FINAL GRADE = 75.33 = C = CON +1.50, WIS +0.75

 

Home – WIS +2, CHA +2 

Weekly Cleaning - B+, F, C, F, C-, C-

FINAL GRADE = 50.33 = F = WIS +1, CHA +1

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Projects Completed or Achievements Unlocked

 

Have obtained new shelving for living room and kitchen, assembled them, and began using them. Still need to reorganize more fully and clear out some of the kitchen cupboards.

 

Have purchased "Zombies, Run!" and integrated it into my rangings (I may take Favored Enemy: Undead!)

 

Have purchased and successfully used a nabe pot. This will be dinner twice a week for the rest of winter. 90% sure.

 

Broke 6K on a run for the first time!

 

Broke 7K on a run for the first time!

 

Ran all the way up the steep mini "side-quest" hill at the beginning of the "Over the Hills and Far Away" running route

 

Had a short, successful conversation with two people at the supermarket, IN JAPANESE

 

Moved from Bulgarian split squats to Beginners' Shrimps, with hands on playground equipment for balance.

 

Hula hooped for 6 minutes straight!

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Reserved for other things.

 

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Weekly Wrap-Ups and Grading

 

Week 1:

Running – 2 short, one long – All three, sorted = A. The second "short ranging" was slower than I’d usually go, but I was out with a friend, which is also good for developing extra resources for cold-weather running. And my long ranging went 6K! I need to stretch out better after a feat like that, though. My hamstrings are super tight today.

Bodyweight or similar – Only once. I will justify a C because I also did Yin yoga and a ton of moving stuff.

Tracking all foods – Yup. A. Macros almost never get hit, but I am good about tracking. I need to keep a more detailed diary on how I feel, when I’m tired or weak, etc., so I can compare against previous months and tell what is cycle-related, what is nutritional red flags.

Cleaning – Very little – I only swept the floors and did some dusting, but the extra credit points for reorganizing , getting new shelves, and throwing away a bunch of stuff that I’ve been keeping for no reason pushes me up to a B+.

 

Week 2:

Running - 2 short, 1 long - All three, sorted = A. 

Bodyweight or similar - All three, WFSu. A Sunday was very intense, as a pre-indulgence ramp up of the metabolism. Feeling strong and awesome.

Tracking all foods - Yes, but often having to go back and fill in a whole day because I leave it too long. And then I'm 90% sure I forget a few things. So I'm giving myself a B+. 

Cleaning - None. This is my big challenge this time around. It is something I hate, and I feel that I don't have time because I'm making time to cook, keep up on dishes well enough to be able to cook, and work out. So I really need to work on making time for tiny bit of this, every day. Breaking down the chores into smaller sections so I can do one or two a day and feel accomplished. Unfortunately, this week has to be an F. 

 

Week 3:

Running – 2 short, 1 long – Tuesday short Thursday short, Sunday long (7.4 km!) A

Bodyweight or similar – Wednesday BW, Thursday Yoga that was pretty intense. B-

Tracking all foods – starting with Thanksgiving (which I was willing to count as a cheat day) I started a six-day streak of not tracking, including two days of out-of-town business trip. So I broke my 28-day streak, and I start again. Grr. F

Cleaning – did some more reorganizing and swept, but that;s all. C, and that's being generous.

 

Week 4:

Running - 2 short, 1 long. Thursday short ranging (South Fork), Saturday long (Rangers' Route), and I'm counting a long (three hours!) bike ride on Sunday as another short one. A

Bodyweight or similar - Wednesday in the park, Friday tried the Neila Rey Mockingjay workout. B

Tracking all foods - Monday and Tuesday were full of horrible eating that was not tracked, but I got back on track after that. I'm not doing well on my balance (especially keeping the fats down), but my goal is to track, and that I am doing. B

Cleaning - None worth mentioning. A halfhearted sweep of one part of one room. Laundry and dishes are piling up, even. F

 

Week 5:

Running - 2 short, 1 long. Erm . . . Did the two shorts on Tuesday and Thursday. Weekend long run? Not so much. C

Bodyweight or similar - Only on Wednesday. C-

Tracking all foods - Very spotty. missed a few meals or parts of meals due to laziness. B-

Cleaning - I'm still tracking this, which is hilarious. I finally did a bunch of laundry and creatively hung it up inside, so my apartment looks like a stall in a souq, but as for any of the goals I set in November? Yeah, no. I'm feeling self-indulgent, so C-

 

Week 6:

Running - 2 short, 1 long. Did my short on the 17th, and learned about warming up more in winter, and my long on Saturday the 20th (felt totally badass and wonderful). B-

Bodyweight or similar - Shieldmaiden Neila Reay on the 16th, plus hooping. I'm going to half-count the childrens' party on Sunday, because it was a workout. B-

Tracking all foods - not perfect, but got the vast majority, even when eating out. A

Why am i even still keeping track of Cleaning? I should have altered this in week 3.But I did laundry again, despite husband, and am actually excited to clean this week, so instead of an F, I'll call it a C-

[ShadowLion]

Love your very rangerly theme! Looks like a great challenge!

[Everstorm]

I think I will be joining the Rangers this go-round, too, with similar goals so I thought I would say "hi" and sub, of course.

[shaar]

Reserved for other things.

 

 

Khoshekh approves!

 

 

I agree, your challenge is quintessentially Ranger-esque; love it!!  Howdy and good luck from a fellow Ranger  

[mevre]

awesome thread, Tzippi! very well-rounded goals, just like a ranger.  

i once took a personality quiz online to see which class i am, and [big surprise here] my result was "ranger!" i kept the verbage from the quiz and adapted it a little. it seems like a description that would match up with your particular flavor of ranger life as well, so i will share it with you:
"Rangers are skilled stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's dedication to the craft of fighting. Rangers often accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel through the woods. Her skills allow her to move quietly and stick to the shadows, especially in natural settings, and she also has special knowledge of certain types of creatures and plants."

let's kick ass as rangers this challenge, elf sister!

[Raxie]

Can't not sub to a woods themed challenge. My favourite place to be

Sent by TARDIS delivery service. Apologies for typos caused by interactions with the time vortex.

[RoxyFreefall]

Great theme and goals. Following along. Good luck.

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Love your very rangerly theme! Looks like a great challenge!

Thanks! I want to join an AB group this time- are the CutLasses accepting new blood, or is it an invite-only pirate fleet?

[Gutshot]

I see nothing and shall drink to forget....

[ShadowLion]

Thanks! I want to join an AB group this time- are the CutLasses accepting new blood, or is it an invite-only pirate fleet?

 

 

It will be open sometime this weekend and we are totally accepting new pirate lasses! There will be adventures and fun...

[ShadowLion]

Double Post...

 

[Xena]

Welcome to the rangers. I liked seeing little bits of your Rangerly adventures on our chatter thread last time, and now it's great to have you with us "full time." Love the theme!

[DarK_RaideR]

Glad to have you full-time with the crew. Enjoy the 6 weeks and don't forget to have fun!

[Blaidd]

Good luck sweetheart.  Just one thing: Now that you're in a guild you get 15 full points to allocate at the end of the challenge (not 10 in week 3 and 5 in week 6, like with Level 1).

 

Have fun

[Tzippi Longstockings]

Okay, I started this challenge today, and have so far done little. Breakfast and lunch were good (Overnight oats for breakfast, big salade nicoise for the other). I also posted my starting pics and measurements, but I obviously wrote something down wrong - my waist at navel is obviously bigger than my "natural" waist (i.e. where you fold when you bend over to the side.)

 

I also made my list of weekly housekeeping, and a little calendar on which to keep track of it. I'm printing it out, and it goes on the wall when I get home.

 

I'm also planning out my week - I have two days (Wednesday and Friday) where I won't be able to work out in the morning because of having to commute, so I will morning workout Tuesday and Thursday (probably bodyweight), and work out in the afternoons Wednesday and Friday (probably running). I'm trying to keep weight stuff separated for "rest days", but we'll see. I really like my longer, Saturday runs. 

 

Other than that, just using this time to celebrate not buying bread for lunch and to plot for my future success! 

 

Also, I need to buy a new blender. I broke the one I got with the apartment. It . . . melted. (I left it on the countertop (okay, the back of the stove/countertop) while cooking fish in the fish oven. The plastic base melted and skewed, and won't fit in the base anymore. This is awesome news, because it means I can now buy a better blender or food processor!

 

And then I can make more chocolate protein pudding. And then . . .

 

 

I can eat it.

[Tearose]

I love your theme, I've always thought it would be great to live in a tree. Subbed!

[sterre]

I love your theme, it's super fun and foresty!

 

I'm sorry to hear about your blender. It seems pretty common for apartments in Japan to lack counter space so accidents like that are pretty much bound to happen sometimes. :/

[She-Hulk]

Tzippi! I subbed, of course. I love your theme. Perhaps one day my green self will be able to climb a real tree after all of this hand stand business. Although I am much more suited to the ground (seriously, if hobbit holes came in my size). 

 

That's a great start to your challenge! (minus the blender, but a new one means a plausibly better one so... there's that). Oh my goodness, salade niçoise is pretty much everything I can't have (or don't care for) a top a pile of veggies. What a perfect meal for you! 

 

....do tell me of this chocolate pudding?

 

Perhaps I can eat it too.

[Anaticula]

Love what you have going on here.  Can't wait to hear all your adventures!

[Alexandrite]

Subbing, supporting, and giving you high five for killing a blender! I made mine smoke and melt, so my husband got me one for mother's day one year. It was totally cliche but I loved it!