Lilith’s Epically Epic Quest (AND GOATZ)

[Lilith]

That doesn't sound weak, it's a factor to acknowledge. Still I think it would not harm to keep eyes and ears open for alternatives. You'd cope better than you think, look how well you coped with a whole new country and everything!!

It would just give you some more power back to know there are alternatives. You could still stay where you are, but dealing with her might be easier with that in the back of your mind

Best luck on your screen

Yes you are right. I will start looking around, casually. You never know the dreamspot for the dreamprice might be out there. Or it might not. I won't dedicate a lot of time to it, but you are right, if only to feel like I am not a cornered mouse and knowing I have options. 

 

If she threatens to kick you out then you report her for renting illegally - she has more to lose than you. And it sounds like she doesn't listen to what you say, so it's a waste of effort trying to discuss anything with her.

 

Also I wonder whether her real reason she encourages her tenants to go explore the city on the weekend is because she likes having the house to herself more of the time. I bet as soon as you're gone she puts some Spice Girls tunes on real loud and dances around the house dressed up in her favourite 90s outfits.

This must be it LOL

 

 

I second this advise. 

Haha Dan must be right!

 

I'd start ignoring her too. If you don't engage in conversation she won't be able to attack you. If you don't want to go out you really shouldn't just because she says so. Even if it's not your house, it's still your home for the time being and you have to be able to feel like it is during your stay. 

 

 

SymphonicDan yes you are probably absolutely right! But then I wish she'd just be honest because I'd join her in the spicegirl dance!

 

So you guys are right. I will stop going out just for her. That said, I do want to try to go out every weekend, even for just an hour because I do think it's nicer for me too. But just because I think it's nice, and I won't stay out for an entire day if I don't feel like it! I will just be nice and leave things clean and do my best but you guys made me see it is not okay for her to decide on what I do in my own time!

[Mad Hatter]

Good!

Have you asked your coworkers if they know any places? The university should also have a place for ads somewhere.

[Lilith]

No but I will ask them on Monday! The university has places, but the "Dutch house" is being renovated and they are super stubborn about letting me in a different house. I already applied there before finding this place. 

[Mad Hatter]

I was thinking more about ads for private rentals or flatshares not official university houses.

[Lilith]

Ooooh, eh not sure where I would look for that Except Roomlala which is a website, but not a board or something where people pin it on. 

[Mad Hatter]

Is there a student's union? If there is they should know. If not maybe your coworkers can help. It's worth a look.

[Lightning]

You can tell her you are a vampire and only go out while she is asleep.  I'd be more concerned about her touching your stuff.  You may want to take your laptop with you most of the time.  Sounds like a snoop.  

 

Asking around and taking a little time to look for another option might also make you feel like you have a little more control over the situation. Oh, and I thought GOATz meant Greatest Of All Times (its a sports reference)   not actual goats.  

[annyshay]

Lilith, darling.  Every time your landlady does this thing, you have one job... ok?  Distract yourself.  She can rant away, but her judgments cannot touch you if you don't let them.  Like so...

 

 

Her opinion is irrelevant.  Let her say her piece and then go back to enjoying pj time!!!  

 

Also, everything they said above.  Heheh... spice girls... hehe.

[KB Girl]

Looking around for other places may help you feel like you've got a bit of control/power, doesn't mean you have to actually move. But right now her threatening to kick you out is such a scary concept... go make it less scary

[raptron]

Agreed to looking around and asking your labmates about other options. Boooo on this woman for trying to control you in a small attempt to feel like she has more power in the world.

 

Getting out of the house IS probably a good thing, but one should never feel like they are being forced to! 

[Lilith]

Thanks everyone! You guys really helped me and today I talked to a coworker who said he would ask around because he knows quite some students and you never know where they have a room available! 

 

Other than that, I have a new roommate that I really like, we're going to do fun things together in the weekend and I'm really looking forward to it!

 

Because it was such a busy last week with ups and downs, I will quickly write down the summary. I did all my paralettes workouts, and enjoyed it a lot. From Thursday on I did not keep to the hunger scale or healthy eating, because I really didn't want to. (stress makes me like that). So for all those days I have a 1 out of 10 for both categories. Today is already much better with food, and I will update on today and all the other days in the normal fashion again! 

[tinkerer]

Thanks everyone! You guys really helped me and today I talked to a coworker who said he would ask around because he knows quite some students and you never know where they have a room available! 

 

Other than that, I have a new roommate that I really like, we're going to do fun things together in the weekend and I'm really looking forward to it!

 

Because it was such a busy last week with ups and downs, I will quickly write down the summary. I did all my paralettes workouts, and enjoyed it a lot. From Thursday on I did not keep to the hunger scale or healthy eating, because I really didn't want to. (stress makes me like that). So for all those days I have a 1 out of 10 for both categories. Today is already much better with food, and I will update on today and all the other days in the normal fashion again! 

I read all of this in an after-the-fact sort of way but I'm glad your new week is already looking up! Looking forward to hearing about the adventures you and your new roommate find in Paris...

[Lilith]

Yes I know When I feel bad I don't keep track of most things anymore, including the things I have to keep track of for the challenge. It's not good and I will try to be good and not let it happen again!

[obax]

You made it through a rough patch, and even if it knocked you off track a little bit, you jumped right back on the track when you made it through. That's a success in my books, and really, that's all you can do. Life will always knock us off track, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot, but as long as you keep jumping back on, that's the important thing.

[Lilith]

You made it through a rough patch, and even if it knocked you off track a little bit, you jumped right back on the track when you made it through. That's a success in my books, and really, that's all you can do. Life will always knock us off track, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot, but as long as you keep jumping back on, that's the important thing.

Yes, I think you are right! Thanks!

 

 

Week 2 Monday

Paralettes

Active rest day.

 

Hunger Scale: 10 points.

Food Choices : 6 points (chocolate and an apple for breakfast, and at night a delicious, albeit small piece of passionfruit tart, my new roommate is learning to be a patisserie chef lucky me!)

 

So I think sometimes I will put the in between ratings there for the Hunger Scale, because it is interesting. But at the same time I think it may be boring for you guys. Or not?

 

Week 2 Tuesday

Paralettes

Week 2 Day 1

Plank Side to Sides 4 sets of 5 reps (only 3 sets done)

Quality Rating = Broken

Ease Rating = Max Effort

 

Assisted Shoulder Stand Raises 4 sets of 5 reps

Quality Rating = Smooth

Ease Rating = Solid

Increase sets or reps

 

Jump Throughs 4 sets of 5 reps

Impossible, none done

Quality Rating = Broken

Ease Rating = Max Effort

 

Assisted Inverted Presses 4 sets of 5 reps

Quality Rating = Rough

Ease Rating  Max Effort

 

Swing Sets 4 sets of 6 reps

Quality Rating = Rough

Ease Rating = Challenging

 

So I’m on the second week already! I improved a lot on the Plank Side to Sides, I believe I only had one or two sets done last time. Also went much deeper with the inverted presses. Jump Throughs were still undoable, but less undoable. I could tell my feet were higher off the ground, although not high enough to call it off the ground and being able to swing. But I’m sure I’ll get there!

 

Hunger Scale and Food Choices

6:36 - 5

7:11 - 4 So I ate breakfast (two scrambled eggs and a bit of avocado (they are very tiny ones lol so cute! and it was sadly not entirely good anymore so I could only eat half) and then I felt like a 6

11:16 - 4

Ate a banana and a piece of chocolate and then felt 5

4 before lunch, which was ciabattas and a clementine, then a 6.

16:40 - 4

20:00 - 4 so I ate a another piece of passion fruit tart and now I’m at 6.

 

So for Hunger Scale I get a 10, because I didn’t get into the orange at all! For food choices hmmmm I will have to say a 6.

[Lightning]

I know I like data so I would probably post the hunger ratings.  If you think there is some knowledge to be gained.  Maybe you will notice that certain types of foods (or meals) don't sustain you for very long.  

[Elastigirl]

Sorry about the horrible landlady. Good for you for starting to get ideas about other places. Week 2 is looking great.

[SymphonicDan]

Post the data if you like - maybe someone will spot an interesting conclusion amongst the data As long as it's formatted well then we have the choice to read it or skip it, and if it's long then you can hide it in a spoiler tag (although I usually read spoiler tag content anyway because it makes me curious haha. Well done on your consistency

[Lilith]

Okay, so people like the data! Good to know!

Week 2 Wednesday

Paralettes

Active rest day.

 

Hunger Scale and Food Choices

6:00 4

6:30 ate breakfast then 6 (breakfast was an apple and a small avocado, of which again half had gone bad meh)

10:35 - 6

Before lunch (chinese) I felt like a 5 after I felt like a 6.

16:17- 6

19:30 - 4 so I ate a red beet salad and a bit of soup from my roommate and then I was a 6.

 

Hunger Scale: 10 points

Fooid choices: 10 points.

 

Look at that, I did good on the food choices! Go me!

 

 

 

 

And this morning (Thursday) I did paralettes and my pushups are improving so fast it's amazing! But more about that in the next update I think I will post that one tomorrow

[obax]

Looks like week 2 is going really well! Yay for being back on the track!

 

I'm so intrigued by this parallettes program. I'll have to search it out at some point.

 

Also, I saw this and thought of you: goat-snuggling! In case you ever decide to come to the States (I'd much prefer if this existed in Canada, but Virginia can't be all bad if it has goat-snuggling... I actually don't know anything about Virginia at all, so it might be all good anyway...)

[Lilith]

Week 2 did go really well! The goat snuggling OMG that would be perfect! I would GIVE money to do that really! *bounces* 

[Lilith]

Week 2 Thursday

Paralettes

Workout done!

Week 2 Day 2

Plank Pushups 4 sets of 5 reps

Quality Rating = Smooth

Ease Rating = Challenging

 

Front dips 4 sets of 7 reps

Quality Rating = Smooth

Ease Rating = Challenging

 

Plank Hold 1 set of 40 seconds

Quality Rating = Smooth

Ease Rating = Challenging

 

Tuck Hold 1 set of 15 seconds

(on toes)

Quality Rating = Broken

Ease Rating = Challenging

Increase sets

 

Mountain Climbers 4 sets of 6 reps

Quality Rating = Smooth

Ease Rating = Solid

Increase reps or sets

 

So the Plank Hold was HARD but fun. The Tuck Hold is super hard still, but at least with the tip of doing it on the toes I can atleast execute the move, a little. I WILL get better at this. In fact I already am getting better but still very far from toeless.

 

Hunger Scale and Food Choices

Thursday

7:34 - 4

Had breakfast, an apple, then felt like a 6.

Before lunch felt like a 4, then after like a 7.

At night went out wi th friends, felt like a 5 before, had onion soup and wine and then felt like a 6.

 

Hunger Scale: 8 points.

Food Choices: 8 points.

 

Week 2 Friday

Paralettes

Active rest day.

 

Hunger Scale and Food Choices

Had breakfast, only one apple it’s all I had, then felt like a 4 still.

7:46 - 4

Felt like a 4 and right before lunch felt like a 3.

Then had lunch, japanese, afterwards felt like a 6.

Coming back home I felt like a 4 again and I ate some bread and a banana then felt like a 6.

Went to bed feeling like a 5.

 

Hunger Scale: 10 points. It was stupid not to have enough food though. I really WANTED to overeat for lunch because I had been hungry for a quite long time.

Food Choices: 9 points. (because bread is not the best, but hey it was a good day!)

 

Week 2 Saturday

Paralettes

Done! Those jump throughs are still killing me but I’m not giving up hope! Once I can do the tuck hold I’m sure I can do the jump through as well!

 

Hunger Scale and Food Choices

Food Choices was terrible haha I had a super fun day with roommates and we ate macarons, croque monsieur, hot chocolate and cake… We went on a foodie tour basically. So a 1.

 

Hunger Scale is 6 points because twice I ate until a 7. Oof.

 

Week 2 Sunday

Paralettes

Rest day

 

Hunger Scale and Food Choices

Food choices: 9. Had yoghurt for breakfast, apple and chicken leg and salad for lunch, and for dinner I had a banana and a bite of a cake my roommate made.

 

Hunger Scale: 10.

 

Week 2 Summary

Paralettes

100%

 

Hunger Scale: 6 6 10 8 9 10 10

Food Choices10 10 10 8 7 1 9
 

So guys, I did great!

[Mad Hatter]

The foodie tour sounds brilliant even if it wasn't the best for your goal.

 

Yay for week 2 success!

[Elastigirl]

Great week 2!

[SymphonicDan]

For the jump throughs, maybe focus more on pushing down with your shoulders to get your hips as high as possible off the ground as you pass between the parallettes?

 

You're being very consistent, good work Does your landlady know you do gymnastics? Or do you fear she might tell you that you should go play boules or rugby while you're in France and if you don't she'll ban you from the city?