Urgan Storms In With Section 9

[raptron]

Hollow body and arched body are two very common gymnastics body shapes, so we call lying around / corpse pose "practicing our neutral body."

[Trewest]

Ahahahaha, yeah, claws out and biting basically. I think yoga freaks him out; he never leaves me alone when I'm doing it, and I think corpse pose is his last straw. Or he's so accustomed to my being stressed that the total relaxation that corpse pose allows is too weird and unfamiliar? I don't know. I just know that I can't do corpse without getting claws to the face. ;;;;;; Wish I could use him to help me out with the yoga in that same way you do (because 15-20lb extra pressure plus fuzzies), but owwwwwwwww....

 

My cats like to hover over my face in corpse pose. They're checking if I'm really dead and then they can eat my corpse. Such love.....

[Urgan]

Hollow body and arched body are two very common gymnastics body shapes, so we call lying around / corpse pose "practicing our neutral body."

LOLOLOLOL. This! Flexion, extension, neutral...sweet. All good things to practice...especially the latter.....

 

My cats like to hover over my face in corpse pose. They're checking if I'm really dead and then they can eat my corpse. Such love.....

 

...how...thoughtful?

[Trewest]

LOLOLOLOL. This! Flexion, extension, neutral...sweet. All good things to practice...especially the latter.....

 

 

...how...thoughtful?

 

I'm just grateful that they're waiting until I'm actually dead. If I nap on the couch they'll come tap on me or check my face to make sure I'm still alive. I'd like to believe it's because they want the best for me but I'm pragmatic enough to know the truth.

[Urgan]

I'm just grateful that they're waiting until I'm actually dead. If I nap on the couch they'll come tap on me or check my face to make sure I'm still alive. I'd like to believe it's because they want the best for me but I'm pragmatic enough to know the truth.

 

Maggy is too lazy to be bothered, Olive needs my warm body for heat, DaVinci is too skittish, and Harley would just bat at my shoelaces were I to spontaneously die.

[Mr_Willes]

Cats are going for global domination, i'm pretty sure about that:

 

[Sam Ashen]

Cats are going for global domination, i'm pretty sure about that:

 

Galactic domination, in the game I'm playing.  

[Urgan]

Cats are going for global domination, i'm pretty sure about that:

 

 

 

Galactic domination, in the game I'm playing.  

 

It's a well-known fact that everything in the house belongs to them. Theirs to sniff, sit on, paw or generally kick around.

[blkhole24601]

It's a well-known fact that everything in the house belongs to them. Theirs to sniff, sit on, paw or generally kick around.

 

True story. Bring in something new to the home? "This doesn't smell like me yet. LET ME FIX THAT." 

[Urgan]

WEEK 0 DAYS 6-7!

 

Makoto

Walk:       1.05 mi @ 20:00~ (Walks x 3)

Squat:     1x5 @ 45

                1x5 @ 65

                1x5 @ 85

                2x5 @ 140

                1x2 @ 140--PR+1!!

OHP:       NA

BP:          1x5 @ 45

                1x5 @ 60

                1x1 @ 74

                2x2 @ 74--PR+.5!!

Deadlift:  0 @ 180

Chins:     2x3, 2x3

The hit parade: entire lower body from the waist down

 

This is also a round-up of sorts of zero week, just to see how simply I am able to incorporate challenge habits without forcing myself to do so. I only lifted one day this week, and...this was the result. Yeah, I PR'd a bit, but talk about crash and burn on squats and deadlifts, whoo boy. I can't find in myself to be upset, as this is to be expected given how strange this week was--extra physical work on Monday, a rare busy week at work, and some very ill-timed traffic jams. You can't just go back to the gym and act like nothing happened with a trash record like that. In one way, it's kind of neat I'll be starting the challenge with everything on TM. I just have to apologize to my body for slacking off and letting circumstances get in the way of my training, stop eating like trash, and get back on the bandwagon. 

 

Batou

Calories (2150-2650) - 2,278, 2,319

Milk Consumed - 7/7 

Junk Consumed - 5/4

Updated specs - Updated on the OP

 

Last week of technically unregulated junk food, so yeah, more than quota is obviously gonna happen. I don't have Day 7 figures on my calories, but will update them when I do. Otherwise, I've been on point all week with both calories and milk. My updated specs aren't freakishly unusual, however those were taken after drinking coffee. Comparing them against end of last challenge's measurements, they really are actually mostly better lol. Go figure. 

 

Update: An evening cookout with friends and family saved my bacon (as in, green beans and bacon...) re: calories. No snacking tonight, shockingly.

 

Togusa 

Foam Roll - 4/3 

Moisturize - x/14

Hands       - 1/1 

Stretches  - 1/2 

Curfew!    - x/5

Max Energy - x/5

 

Got myself a tennis ball last weekend and boy did I put it to use this week. Work or lack of working out or the long car ride to and from my grandparents' house on Monday really jacked me up on my right shoulder. Therapy, STAT! I ordered Becoming a Supple Leopard, 2nd ed because it was long overdue--you guys may see this book pop up in a later quest...COUGHCOUGHYEAHDEFINITELYCOUGH.

 

Moisturizing was hit or miss this week, to be honest. I did it some, but didn't track it.

 

Clipped my nails and painted 'em! Metallic orange is this week's color. I hope to paint my toes metallic chocolate brown at some point soon.

 

Curfew...kinda sorta? Didn't track it, but I didn't go crazy and stay up really late...one day I got in bed at 10:10, even. As a result, my energy was as good as it could be, considering the hell I put myself through, partially unnecessarily. This quest needs improvement!

 

Saito

Cat hair - 4/4

Cat claws - 3/3

Junk mail - 1//1

 

All the winning. Cats all brushed, claws clipped (DaVinci still doesn't tolerate the nail clippers, hence the 3/3...), and junk mail shredded. It's gonna be interesting to see if I can make it with the junk mail shredding....

 

Tachikomas!

Read something - 3/3

 

1 - Chapters 1-2 The Anatomist's Wife

2 - Chapters 3-5 The Anatomist's Wife

3 - Chapter 1 Justinian's Flea

 

Done and done, what can I say?

[miss_marissa]

Here for support of getting off team forever tiny together.

#bulklyfe

[Mr_Willes]

Wow this is an awesome start to your challenge. Keep at it!

 

[elvenengineer]

Green beans and bacon?! That sounds awesome.

 

I keep checking Supple Leopard out from the library... I should probably eventually purchase a copy.  At least it would keep me from accidentally getting charged late fines.

[Urgan]

Green beans and bacon?! That sounds awesome.

 

I keep checking Supple Leopard out from the library... I should probably eventually purchase a copy.  At least it would keep me from accidentally getting charged late fines.

 

It definitely is, green beans and pig were just meant for each other. Ham hock is a more traditional source of protein for the dish, but I'm not crying, lol. 

 

Gotta admit, I'm kinda excited to get my hands on a copy, and look--my procrastinating paid off, as there's a second edition now!

[Trewest]

It definitely is, green beans and pig were just meant for each other. Ham hock is a more traditional source of protein for the dish, but I'm not crying, lol. 

 

Gotta admit, I'm kinda excited to get my hands on a copy, and look--my procrastinating paid off, as there's a second edition now!

 

I don't think anyone ever cries over bacon.... unless it's because the bacon has run out.

[Urgan]

I don't think anyone ever cries over bacon.... unless it's because the bacon has run out.

 

....or they ate the last slice and their spouse stamped on their toes, lol. 

[Urgan]

WEEK 1 DAY 1!

...it begins.

 

Makoto

Walk:       .88 mi @ 16:24

Squat:     NA

OHP:       NA

BP:          NA

Deadlift:  NA

Chins:     3x3

The hit parade: inner thighs

 

Not much today, just a walk and the chins! First day of 3x3, the intensity is ratcheting up. I have been very, very stiff and sore still, although the affected area has shrunk from glutes-calves to just quads, so progress. I expect I will be okay tomorrow. Today is a day for working out the kinks and getting used to this shiny new challenge, especially the Tachikomas mission.

 

Batou

Calories (2150-2650) - 2,503

Milk Consumed - 1/7 

Junk Consumed - 0/4

Updated specs - Update on Sunday!

 

Calories are on point, milk stands at 1.5 cups, and no junk food tonight. Specs will updated on Sunday. Calories are tough to come by with these new requirements, but I'm better off for it. So far, so good.

 

Dinner tonight was Lemon Sumac Chicken and it made for a very juicy, flavorful meal, as you might imagine. I didn't make the board sauce, just spooned in the juices from the pan because #lazy ...hey, it works, too. The powerful spice mix combined with perforating the chicken ensured it wasn't just flavored skin and plain meat underneath, which pleasantly surprised me. A lot of roast chicken recipes have similar, less-than-stellar results in my experience. 

 

Togusa 

Foam Roll - 0/3 

Moisturize - 2/14

Hands       - 0/1 

Stretches  - 0/2 

Curfew!    - 1/5

Max Energy - 1/5 - 6-7 hours' sleep, really good energy

 

I'm taking it easy on the foam/ball rolling today, don't want to overdo it. Moisturizing is done for today, which I'll do hand inspection on the weekend. I'm going do my stretching on Wednesday and Sunday, today I can barely walk. Gonna go ahead and give myself the point for curfew, I will update if I fail to make it on time. I felt good all day and had great energy consistently despite being woken twice--once because I needed to use the bathroom (3 AM) and the second because Maggy tried to barf on my head (5 AM). A good enough reason to wake up, if you ask me. She failed, BTW. I tossed her off the bed in time then flopped back down on the pillow, ugh.

 

Saito

Cat hair - 0/4

Cat claws - 0/3

Junk mail - 0//1

 

Not today~

 

Tachikomas!

Read something - 1/3

 

Justinian's Flea, Chapters 2 + 3:

 

Constantine leaves his empire to 5 caesars, they fight and kill one another. The Goths appear and have their way with the empire, eventually sacking Rome. The Huns later appear and under Attila and they give the empire hell. "Rome" steadily loses territory, gold, and lives to these hordes--who are all intermingled, not distinct homogeneous armies of one people group, all the way up until Justinian becomes emperor.

 

Justinian came to power somewhat before he actually became emperor--technically his uncle, who called him to Byzantium in the first place, was emperor first,  however nephew Justinian was an adviser and later surrogate leader of sorts when Justin became senile. Once emperor, Justinian was a micro-manager of regulations as many emperors are wont, and even used the charioteer teams of the Hippodrome to get  his way. Constantine had banned gladiator-style battles nearly 200 years prior, so it was mostly racing going on in the Hippodrome. There were 4 teams, red, blue, white, and green. The reds and blues, whites and greens consolidated done into two teams. Aside from racing, they were political parties. Debates of all things went down in the 'drome--battle raps of sorts, poetic metered speech consisting of political slogans were part of the debates. The teams were even more like gangs than a love of aggressive verse--they sold illicit substances, beat people up, and raped women--these shock troops were called Partisans. What an amusing name, given modern political discourse...

 

One of the biggest power couples of the ancient world--and possibly ever--were Justinian and Theodora. Theodora was the daughter of a bearkeeper who, depending on who you talked to, had tales of her and her sister's time spent working as a prostitute, walking around public naked, and participating in 30+-man orgies, etc. A lot of these accounts were written by a hostile political faction's perspective, but not all of them. Well, one thing led to another and Justinian and Theodora met at an event sponsored by the Blues. It was love at first sight and they were loyal to one another in a realm of political intrigue every bit as hostile as modern day equivalents.

 

Justinian seemed to have a knack for picking people to have close to him for delegation. His chief financial minister was meticulous and evenhandedly...thorough at tax collecting, and his general Belisarius was a military genius. Persia was a burr in Rome's side and it seemed intent on pressing its advantage with Justinian at the battle of Dara. They had defeated a lot of attempts by Rome to expand eastward and now were intent of pushing the empire back further, but advances in chain mail, weaponry, and cavalry composed of non-Romans won the day against a group twice their size. These cavalry units would form the basis of medieval European power structure with a lord owning the loyalty of vassals. 

 

 

Sure, it may be a bulky bit of text, but it's not that bad given it's a summation of 40 pages, lol. I can't do Dara justice in a recap form, you'll just have to read it, lol.

[Urgan]

Note: added dinner's results to Day 1's report.

[shaar]

 

 and the second because Maggy tried to barf on my head (5 AM).

 

Oh lord.  CATS WHAT EVEN.  "Yes this looks like a perfect place to vomit, right on the head of the person who takes care of me, yes it all makes perfect sense".

 

I have a hard time sometimes with my chicken tasting "chicken-ey" too, if that makes sense, re: your recipe working well...

[raptron]

Dunkin almost yakked on the bed on Sunday night for us too. Freakin' cats. 

 

I heart sumac and lemons and really everything going on with that chicken, so I may just have to go try it, though whole roasting chickens are really expensive around here for no reason that I can discern, so I'd probably just go ahead with chicken quarters or skin-on breasts and adjust cooking time. Sounds lovely though.

[Urgan]

Oh lord.  CATS WHAT EVEN.  "Yes this looks like a perfect place to vomit, right on the head of the person who takes care of me, yes it all makes perfect sense".

 

I have a hard time sometimes with my chicken tasting "chicken-ey" too, if that makes sense, re: your recipe working well...

 

 

Dunkin almost yakked on the bed on Sunday night for us too. Freakin' cats. 

 

I heart sumac and lemons and really everything going on with that chicken, so I may just have to go try it, though whole roasting chickens are really expensive around here for no reason that I can discern, so I'd probably just go ahead with chicken quarters or skin-on breasts and adjust cooking time. Sounds lovely though.

 

Let's all take a moment to celebrate cats and the joy they bring...in the middle of the night. 

 

Aw, that's lame, is it a recent thing or is it just the way it is around your town? Chicken quarters for the win, you will love it. 

[starsapart]

Let's all take a moment to celebrate cats and the joy they bring...in the middle of the night. 

 

One of the reasons  lock mine out of the bedroom.  At least if they puke, I don't have to deal with it until morning........................

[Urgan]

One of the reasons  lock mine out of the bedroom.  At least if they puke, I don't have to deal with it until morning........................

 

What can I say, I'm a big softy when it comes to having a cat on my head purring itself into oblivion. 

[starsapart]

What can I say, I'm a big softy when it comes to having a cat on my head purring itself into oblivion. 

 

It's cute but I like breathing.

 

Stupid allergies.

 

The quiet and lack of puke is a good bonus, too.

[blkhole24601]

Luckily, my cat only pukes when he's in I THOUGHT YOU WERE NEVER EVER COMING BACK SO I PANICKED mode. Apparently it's how cats show their love..... somehow.... in their tsundere way........