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Sara Kingdom is the Patrician of Ankh-Monkpork, Part III


sarakingdom

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Still reading Pratchett, and still hammering away at these goals, so it'll be pretty similar when I get around to posting my challenge this weekend.

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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440px-Coat_of_arms_of_Vetinari.png

 

 

The Vetinari coat of arms, a solid field of black and the words "If it's not broke, don't fix it".  A fine motto for this challenge, in fact, which is going to look highly like the last challenge.

 

 

Move Like a Snake II
 

"And how come the --ing zombie never told us the guy was so --ing fast?  If he hadn't been staring at the geek, he'd have --ing got me!"


Mr. Pin shrugged.  But he'd made a note of that... Mr. Slant had failed to tell the New Firm quite a lot of things, and one of them was that Vetinari moved like a snake.

 

The good news: the ankle tendon's pretty happy.  It's still a little sore and a little tight when I use it a lot, but nothing that lingers.  (In fact, I did two hard days on it in a row, and it seems pretty good.)  So I'm at the "everything out of shape, but I can use it" stage.  My rowing HIIT was a bit of a revelation.  I mean, maybe coincidence, but it does seem to make my brain and my body very happy.  Which I knew, but I'd forgotten.  So my current plan is: work up to 5 days a week of rowing HIIT in the mornings plus one day of work-related activity and one rest day, at least until my body tells me it's not getting enough recovery time.  I think it shouldn't be a huge deal, but I've been having a lot of recovery failures the past few years.

 

This is not best practices at all, but it's sort of a "we're going to try it for a month" kind of thing.  I need my brain working better, and I have some fitness to rebuild, so I'm just going with the simple thing that does well at both.  Plus I want to have a good data point for how starting my day with a workout like that affects my ability to focus.  And right now I just need the simplest possible thing I can do, to free up my attention for other things.


 
Merckle and Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce II
 

There was a clink over by the drain.  Half a dozen rats appeared, dragging something wrapped in a cloth.  They rathandled it past the grille and, with great effort, hauled it to the Patrician's feet.  He leaned down and undid the knot.


"We seem to have cheese, chicken legs, celery, a piece of rather stale bread and a nice bottle, oh, a nice bottle apparently of Merckle and Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce. Beer, I said, Skrp."  The leading rat twitched its nose at him.  "Sorry about this, Vimes. They can't read, you see. They don't seem to get the hang of the concept. But they're very good at listening. They bring me all the news."
 

"I see you're very comfortable here," said Vimes weakly.

 

I'm doing fairly well on the diet front.  Not quite as low on the carb end as I'd like, but it's pretty decent.  What I'd like to work on this challenge is hydration.  Three liters a day is my goal.  Points for every liter.  Bonus two points for hitting three.

 

 
All Control Starts With the Self III
 

And then you realized that power was a bauble. Any thug had power. The true prize was control. Lord Vetinari knew that. When heavy weights were balanced on the scales, the trick was to know where to place your thumb.  And all control started with the self.

 

My meditation habit triggers are the wrong ones.  So I'm going to switch to "when I sit down to work and get going on my schedule".  It'll be one of those little startup tasks.  And once more when I go to bed.

 

 

If You Can Stand the Excitement III

 

It was exasperating. He appeared to have no vice that anyone could discover. You'd have thought, with that pale, equine face, that he'd incline towards stuff with whips, needles and young women in dungeons. The other lords could have accepted that. Nothing wrong with whips and needles, in moderation. But the Patrician apparently spent his evenings studying reports and, on special occasions, if he could stand the excitement, playing chess.

 
Make a formal written schedule for the day every morning.  (I should find another time management habit to add on here, but I haven't thought of it yet, so we'll see.  The reminder is still helping me get this done, so no harm in keeping it.)


Know What's Going to Happen II
 

A great many rulers, good and bad and quite often dead, know what happened; a rare few actually manage, by dint of much effort, to know what's happening. Lord Vetinari considered both types to lack ambition.

 

I have two long-term tasks to plan for.  Minimum of five minutes a day on each, even if it's just sitting down and making notes.  (The secret is, five minutes will probably lead to more.  But the minimum is "don't lose sight of it".)  I have been sucking badly at this one, partly because I still don't have a great sense of scoring it when I do it.  Partly also because I'm not doing it reliably.  I don't like repeating a failing challenge as is, but I have no new ideas yet.  So at least until I come up with a better twist on doing this, we'll repeat this one.



Learn the Words III


It was said that he would tolerate absolutely anything apart from anything that threatened the city (And mime artists. It was a strange aversion, but there you are. Anyone in baggy trousers and a white face who tried to ply their art anywhere within Ankh's crumbling walls would very quickly find themselves in a scorpion pit, on one wall of which was painted the advice: Learn The Words.)

 
Duolingo. German. Learn the words.  It's quick and it's fun.

  • Like 1

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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Week 1: Day 1



"You have not always taken such a relaxed approach, Havelock," said Hughnon.

The Patrician gave him a cool stare that went on for a couple of seconds beyond the comfort barrier. "Flexibility and understanding have always been my watchwords," he said.

"My god, have they?"

 
Fitness Points

  • 8 hours of sleep
  • Move Like a Snake: Rowing Interval Workout (5 points available)
  • Move Like a Snake: Workout Extras 
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: liters of water
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: Bonus (2 points for 3 liters of water, the odd extra point for some sort of effort)

Life Points

  • All Control Starts With the Self: Meditation (5 points available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Desk Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Bedtime Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • If You Can Stand the Excitement: Make a Detailed Daily Schedule (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task A (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task B (1 point available)
  • Learn the Words: Duolinguo (1 point available)
  • 1 Productivity Bonus
  • 5 Adulting Bonus 
  • 0 Writing Goal Bonus​

Total Points: 20 points

 

Very rough start in the morning.  I did not kill anyone.  That is worth a million adulting points, but I gave myself five.

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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If you're Vetinari, who is your Drumknott?

dream of a Drumknott.  I'm still cleaning up after ridding myself of my Wonse.

  • Like 1

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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Week 1: Day 2
 



tumblr_o1zdieHJM01rjkxw6o1_250.gif  tumblr_o1zdieHJM01rjkxw6o6_250.gif

 
Fitness Points

  • 7 hours of sleep
  • Move Like a Snake: Rowing Interval Workout (5 points available)
  • Move Like a Snake: Workout Extras 
  • 2.5 Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: liters of water
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: Bonus (2 points for 3 liters of water, the odd extra point for some sort of effort)

Life Points

  • All Control Starts With the Self: Meditation (5 points available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Desk Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Bedtime Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • If You Can Stand the Excitement: Make a Detailed Daily Schedule (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task A (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task B (1 point available)
  • Learn the Words: Duolinguo (1 point available)
  • 10 Productivity Bonus
  • 0 Adulting Bonus 
  • 0 Writing Goal Bonus​

Total Points: 33.5 points
 
What with yesterday's unplanned rest day, today's workout was great.  Barely noticed it going past, and broke some average 500m times on my sprints that I've never broken before.  Also, I think it did my head a world of good.  The focus hasn't kicked in yet, but I'm a lot less grouchy.

  • Like 1

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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Very rough start in the morning.  I did not kill anyone.  That is worth a million adulting points, but I gave myself five.

 

Absolutely. Not killing anyone makes for a great start to the week. I hope you did not have to use your aikido skills.

 

What with yesterday's unplanned rest day, today's workout was great.  Barely noticed it going past, and broke some average 500m times on my sprints that I've never broken before.  Also, I think it did my head a world of good.  The focus hasn't kicked in yet, but I'm a lot less grouchy.

 

Yay for a great workout and a better attitude!

 

You mention having trouble keeping track of things. Have you considered trying applications for that? Maybe a plain old-fashioned spreadsheet? A tray on the kitchen table where you put a colored marker in a compartment for each task completed?

Level 71  Viking paladin

My current challenge  Battle log 

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Absolutely. Not killing anyone makes for a great start to the week. I hope you did not have to use your aikido skills.

Actually, bringing a few more aikido skills to bear might be a good idea.  Not so much the, um, mat techniques, of course.

 

You mention having trouble keeping track of things. Have you considered trying applications for that? Maybe a plain old-fashioned spreadsheet? A tray on the kitchen table where you put a colored marker in a compartment for each task completed?

 

I can't remember now what I was saying, if I said that.  I actually do a massive amount of task tracking, it's the only way to keep myself on top of things.  It's just not always enough.  Some days, no amount of structure is really enough.

  • Like 1

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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Week 1: Day 3
 

"Mr. Lipwig, this morning you had no experience at all of being dead, and yet, but for my intervention, you would nevertheless have turned out to be extremely good at it. It just goes to show, you never know until you try."

 
Fitness Points

  • 6 hours of sleep
  • Move Like a Snake: Rowing Interval Workout (5 points available)
  • Move Like a Snake: Workout Extras 
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: liters of water
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: Bonus (2 points for 3 liters of water, the odd extra point for some sort of effort)

Life Points

  • All Control Starts With the Self: Meditation (5 points available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Desk Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Bedtime Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • If You Can Stand the Excitement: Make a Detailed Daily Schedule (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task A (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task B (1 point available)
  • Learn the Words: Duolinguo (1 point available)
  • 8 Productivity Bonus
  • 5 Adulting Bonus 
  • 5 Writing Goal Bonus​

Total Points: 30 points

  • Like 2

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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Week 1: Day 4
 

 tumblr_mltx2anUfY1qahdmvo6_250.gif

 

Fitness Points

  • 7 hours of sleep
  • -1 bad life choices
  • Move Like a Snake: Rowing Interval Workout (5 points available)
  • Move Like a Snake: Workout Extras 
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: liters of water
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: Bonus (2 points for 3 liters of water, the odd extra point for some sort of effort)

Life Points

  • All Control Starts With the Self: Meditation (5 points available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Desk Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Bedtime Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • If You Can Stand the Excitement: Make a Detailed Daily Schedule (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task A (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task B (1 point available)
  • Learn the Words: Duolinguo (1 point available)
  • 6 Productivity Bonus
  • 1 Adulting Bonus 
  • 5 Writing Goal Bonus​

Total Points: 34 points

 

Slightly shortened workout today; I compromised due to a messed-up schedule.  But I didn't compromise much, and I think it's useful to train myself to do some, rather than punt it on the days where the schedule goes bad.

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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That 4 hours of sleep looks like you had a bad night. I hope you can recover and make it through the day with minimal collateral damage.

 

God, yes.  It was a terrible night.  And not my fault.  (Unlike last night, which was, but I got something good done, so I'll take my penalty point without much regret.)  I just gave in and got a little more sleep yesterday.  I was going to burst into tears if I didn't, and it was just tiredness, so it was silly not to take care of it.  Not an awesome day, but I got through enough.

  • Like 2

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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Week 1: Day 5 & 6

 

"I have to ask, sir… Why does it have to be done like this?"

 

Vetinari smiled. "Can you keep a secret, Mr Lipwig?"
 

"Oh yes, sir. I’ve kept lots."
 

"Capital. And the point is, so can I. You do not need to know."

 

Fitness Points

  • 12 hours of sleep
  • Move Like a Snake: Rowing Interval Workout (5 points available)
  • Move Like a Snake: Workout Extras 
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: liters of water
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: Bonus (2 points for 3 liters of water, the odd extra point for some sort of effort)

Life Points

  • All Control Starts With the Self: Meditation (5 points available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Desk Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Bedtime Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • If You Can Stand the Excitement: Make a Detailed Daily Schedule (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task A (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task B (1 point available)
  • Learn the Words: Duolinguo (1 point available)
  • 8 Productivity Bonus
  • 5 Adulting Bonus 
  • 5 Writing Goal Bonus​

Total Points: 50 points

  • Like 1

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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Week 1: Day 7


 


"A book has been taken. A book has been taken? You summoned the Watch," Carrot drew himself up proudly, "because someone’s taken a book? You think that’s worse than murder?"


 


The Librarian gave him the kind of look other people reserve for people who said things like, "What’s so bad about genocide?"


 


For Sunday, a little non-Patrician diversion.  Because, really, there's always room for the Librarian.


 


Fitness Points


  • 7 hours of sleep
  • Move Like a Snake: Rowing Interval Workout (5 points available)
  • Move Like a Snake: Workout Extras 
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: liters of water
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: Bonus (2 points for 3 liters of water, the odd extra point for some sort of effort)

Life Points


  • All Control Starts With the Self: Meditation (5 points available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Desk Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Bedtime Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • If You Can Stand the Excitement: Make a Detailed Daily Schedule (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task A (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task B (1 point available)
  • Learn the Words: Duolinguo (1 point available)
  • 3 Productivity Bonus
  • 1 Adulting Bonus 
  • 0 Writing Goal Bonus​

Total Points: 26 = 16 points + 10 points weekly workout bonus


 


My workouts this weekend have been manual labor, so I'm not giving myself full points on the morning workout plan, but I'm counting them towards my weekly total.  That's like 4-5 days of workout this week, for, I don't know, a ten-point bonus or something.


  • Like 2

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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Week 2: Day 1


 


tumblr_mlx9alWDbX1qahdmvo2_250.gif  tumblr_mlx9alWDbX1qahdmvo4_250.gif


 


Fitness Points


  • 5 hours of sleep
  • Move Like a Snake: Rowing Interval Workout (5 points available)
  • Move Like a Snake: Workout Extras 
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: liters of water
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: Bonus (2 points for 3 liters of water, the odd extra point for some sort of effort)

Life Points


  • All Control Starts With the Self: Meditation (5 points available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Desk Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Bedtime Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • If You Can Stand the Excitement: Make a Detailed Daily Schedule (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task A (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task B (1 point available)
  • Learn the Words: Duolinguo (1 point available)
  • 2 Productivity Bonus
  • 5 Adulting Bonus 
  • 0 Writing Goal Bonus​

Total Points: 15 points


 


The adulting bonus so far is a "that sleep score wasn't a bad life-choice, and I feel brave and long-suffering for dealing with someone else's life choices and managing to get on with my day like I'd slept" bonus.


I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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The adulting bonus so far is a "that sleep score wasn't a bad life-choice, and I feel brave and long-suffering for dealing with someone else's life choices and managing to get on with my day like I'd slept" bonus.

 

Ouch, it sounds like you have been dealing with a lot of other people's problems. Good for you for being brave and managing as if you had slept.

 

How long do you expect the suffering to continue? Any light on the horizon?

Level 71  Viking paladin

My current challenge  Battle log 

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Ouch, it sounds like you have been dealing with a lot of other people's problems. Good for you for being brave and managing as if you had slept.

 

How long do you expect the suffering to continue? Any light on the horizon?

 

Had to juggle the schedule to get a nap in there.  It was not working that well.  That was enough to keep me going.

 

Yeah, other people. They get in the way of challenges. And people wonder why I tend not to have a social life...

 

Ah, if only that were enough.

 

How's the German going?

 

Es ist gut.  And, on topic for the challenge: Es ist meine Kuh?  Es grunzt.  Es ist nicht meine Kuh.  Es ist ein Schwein.

 

We'll see, anyway. :)

  • Like 3

I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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Week 2: Day 2


 


"One has to move with the times, of course," said the Patrician, shaking his head.


 


"We tend not to, over the road," said Ridcully. "It only encourages them."


 


Fitness Points


  • 6 hours of sleep
  • Move Like a Snake: Rowing Interval Workout (5 points available)
  • Move Like a Snake: Workout Extras 
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: liters of water
  • Merckle & Stingbat's Very Famous Brown Sauce: Bonus (2 points for 3 liters of water, the odd extra point for some sort of effort)

Life Points


  • All Control Starts With the Self: Meditation (5 points available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Desk Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • All Control Starts With the Self: Bedtime Habit Trigger (1 point available)
  • If You Can Stand the Excitement: Make a Detailed Daily Schedule (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task A (1 point available)
  • Know What's Going to Happen: Five minutes planning on Task B (1 point available)
  • Learn the Words: Duolinguo (1 point available)
  • 4 Productivity Bonus
  • 0 Adulting Bonus 
  • 0 Writing Goal Bonus​

Total Points: 14 points


 


Ended up with mild food poisoning yesterday or something.  And the most stabbing headache ever.  Like my whole body went, "Fuck with me like that, will you?"  Yeah, not the best of all days.  (Glad I intentionally made it a rest day, in retrospect.)  But I made it through and got a few things done.  Well, some days you're the Patrician, and some days you're Rincewind.


I felt like I could run forever, like I could smell the wind and feel the grass under my feet, and just run forever.

Current Challenge: #24 - Mrs. Cosmopolite Challenge

Past: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,  #7#8, #9#10, #11a & #11b, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23

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