karinajean just wants to have fun!

[karinajean]

Given: that things are super busy for me. My dad is still in the hospital 3 1/2 hours away from me. His NY house needs to be cleared out because they sold it, and my sibs and I are helping out (closing date late april / early may). work is work and I get uptight about it because my husband is a full time student this semester and I feel strongly that I canNOT mess up. oh and also, a tree fell on my house last challenge and we are coordinating with repair people to fix a tiny hole in the roof (BTW WE WERE SO LUCKY) and a window and some other stuff. Basically, I'm jumping and reacting to needs, and uncertainty is the only certain thing.

 

Given: That I always do better with fitness and junk when I'm here and hanging out with you amazing peeps.

 

Given: my 40th birthday is on April 15th!

 

Given: Something started to work again for me last challenge. I got back into the gym, and my weight started to dip down. AND, I was being active because it was the right and desired *choice,* not because I am totally freaked out about my weight or about "catching" congestive heart failure.

 

THEREFORE: This challenge I need to just have fun, don't let it stress me out (further), but stick to plan.

 

but what is plan...?

 

Goal 1: Show up and Be Friends

This means: post daily, as best as I can. even if it's just house and cat pictures. BECAUSE I HEART YOU AND YOU ARE GOOD FOR ME.

 

Goal 2: Don't Mess With a Good Thing

Keep doing what I was doing last challenge, which is to say: aim for some kind of exercise or movement 5-6 days a week on purpose. Keep tracking food, and aim to not eat back exercise calories.

I'm not going to track photos, or measurements, or anything. I know they're good to do. They're not fun and not my first priority, though, so I am not going to stress this challenge.

 

Goal 3: HAVE FUN, you dinglebat!

Things that are fun:

* Knit - I still haven't freakin' finished my xmas knitting. what.

* bake bread - it turns out I am deriving a great deal of personal satisfaction and feelings of accomplishment from baking sourdough bread.

* Take days off before my bday and build adirondack chairs.

* plan a beautiful yard and buy seeds and start seeds so they will grow in the yard. IT TURNS OUT that the starting date for seeds in my area is around the days that I'm taking off, too!

* track things in my hobobujo, because it's calming and fun and dorky.

* also, whatever else I want to do.  because:

 

Oh and PS. I am probs going to start this challenge ONE DAY EARLY so which is to say SATURDAY START because *see earlier "I do what I want" statement.*

[karinajean]

 

 

ok so in the grand scheme of starting this out right, it snowed like, ovver 2 feet today, and I shoveled a bunch this afternoon and I can't get out of the driveway yet still so I'm going to work from home. I'm ok with that. the snow was way heavier than I thought it would be! also the wind is WHIPPING so I am secretly hoping it will all blow off of the driveway.

 

 

anyway, here is my house. I'm all about being on the right foot.

 

 

And the driveway. We got more done on it but BOY HOWDY.

[Asa Pond]

Here for the cat and house pictures! And you are already delivering!!

Yay for a stress-less challenge - you've definitely got enough going on that you don't need to add to it.

[Suzaqu]

Yay check-in challenge! That is an impressive amount of shoveling done! I'm in a tiny townhouse with a one car driveway that was mostly covered by that car, and it took forever to shovel, darn that heavy snow.

[tourennatrix]

Yo!

[imjustarogue]

Snoooow.

 

I'm assuming the snow didn't get in your roof hole?

[karinajean]

10 hours ago, Asa Pond said:

Here for the cat and house pictures! And you are already delivering!!

Yay for a stress-less challenge - you've definitely got enough going on that you don't need to add to it.

I KNOW and I hate to be stressed going into an arbitrarily meaningful birthday too. like, if I feel aged and decrepit when I turn 40 it will just be AWFUL.

 

10 hours ago, Suzaqu said:

Yay check-in challenge! That is an impressive amount of shoveling done! I'm in a tiny townhouse with a one car driveway that was mostly covered by that car, and it took forever to shovel, darn that heavy snow.

I was surprised at how heavy it was! and I keep trying to figure out how close to each other we are, and am at a loss.

 

9 hours ago, tourennatrix said:

Yo!

 

YO!

 

9 hours ago, Black Daiquiri said:

Snoooow.

 

I'm assuming the snow didn't get in your roof hole?

 

omg the giggles.

 

no our roofhole is tarped up still, so hopefully that's going to be just fine. the windowhole also seems to be still well covered but it was REALLY windy last night and I always get nervous about stuff like building envelope security these days.

 

[RogueLibrarian]

I am in awe of how people live in snowy places like this. Years ago we visited friends in NH over Thanksgiving, and I almost died from the cold. They laughed at us for having the heater so cranked up in the guest room that heat waves were coming out (but we were very popular with their cats that night).

 

Oh also I am following. Of course? I heartily endorse the low-key challenge -- being realistic about what one can accomplish in a given/specific month is not always my strong suit.

 

I googled "fun shark" for some reason and this is one of the least horrifying things I got.

 

[Asa Pond]

1 hour ago, karinajean said:

omg the giggles.

 

Thank god it wasn't just me.

[raptron]

LOUSY SMARCH WEATHER. 

[RogueLibrarian]

6 minutes ago, Asa Pond said:

Thank god it wasn't just me.

 

You knew it wasn't just you.

[sylph]

14 hours ago, karinajean said:

 

Given: Something started to work again for me last challenge. I got back into the gym, and my weight started to dip down. AND, I was being active because it was the right and desired *choice,* not because I am totally freaked out about my weight or about "catching" congestive heart failure.

 

I love that you are in this place. <3

 

Someday, I'll get back there myself.

[Jonesy]

Following along and wow that's a lot of snow!

[Suzaqu]

3 hours ago, karinajean said:

 

I was surprised at how heavy it was! and I keep trying to figure out how close to each other we are, and am at a loss.

I'm in Central Jersey, right off the Raritan, kinda by New Brunswick, so I'm guessing about an hour-1.5 in light traffic, though that's totally based on my guess at where you are, which is pretty vague  

[dancezwithkittehz]

HOLY CRAP SO MUCH SNOOOOOOW!!!!!! I imagine that will take a while to shovel! (I have experience snow shoveling precisely once -- this last time I was visiting starsapart in December and I decided to be helpful with clearing the driveway. SNOW NOOB I AM.)

 

Also FOLLOWING AS ALWAAAAAYS <3

 

With all your life stuff going on fun/ low key challenge seems like an excellent choice! Also, YAY CAT AND HOUSE PICTURES. (Which incidentally I first read as "house cat" pictures which I was totally down with. Hahahahahaha.)

[karinajean]

WE FINISHED SHOVELING.

 

 

this is me.

 

hey, my husband and I are having a debate. if I am the fastest shoveler in the world, does that mean I am all beast-mode, or a berserker?

I don't foam at the mouth or anything.

 

regardless of labels, I bet if I lived 150 years ago, I'd be known worldwide as THE AMAZING KARINAJEAN, FABULOUS LADY SHOVELER. I could make a living just shoveling things. If I worked on a train, my train would be the fastest because I would be able to shovel the most coal into its fiery maw.

 

(there is a lot of time available for serious thought when you're shoveling this much snow. This is what happens.)

 

[RogueLibrarian]

[Mr.Six]

5 minutes ago, karinajean said:

I bet if I lived 150 years ago, I'd be known worldwide as THE AMAZING KARINAJEAN, FABULOUS LADY SHOVELER. I could make a living just shoveling things. If I worked on a train, my train would be the fastest because I would be able to shovel the most coal into its fiery maw.

Omg. I love it.  I also have always enjoyed / taken pride in my shoveling skills  

[Jonesy]

I'm thinking beast-moding berserker....could that be a thing?

[Suzaqu]

Beautiful shoveling technique! Lifting with the legs and good distance on the throw  My husband (who was gone for this last storm) just dared to tell me that he usually does 2/3 of the shoveling and that's why it took me so long...grrrr. 

 

I'd vote berserker, cause of the nordic element

[annyshay]

Shoveling gif ftw!

[Asa Pond]

Unless you, like, attack the snow with single minded aggression and nothing can stop you including an avalanche - I'd argue beast mode. 

 

Either way, that is some BA snow shoveling. 

 

Is it weird I miss shoveling? Because I do. Here in the south* we don't have to do that as all the snow is pretty much gone by the next morning.

 

*South of Michigan - apparently is now the equivalent of Kansas or something. 

[RogueLibrarian]

7 minutes ago, Asa Pond said:

Here in the south*

 

HAHAHAHA

[starpuck]

Omg, girl.  I love you so much.    I think, on my list of things to aim for in 2017, I am adding, "Meet Karinajean."  

 

Your challenge is beautiful and makes perfect sense.   I think I need to take a page out of your book on this one.  

Your house.  Holy moly your poor house.  Still beat up from tree and then SNOW attack.

Your shoveling.   This will come as no... as-no... a SNOW surprise.  But I also am fast shoveler girl!   I feel like we should have a coal train race some day!  TWINSIES!

Your gif.   So amaze.  LOVE IT.

 

Chicago had a record this year.  ZERO SNOW THROUGH ALL OF JANUARY AND FEBRUARY!   

We did get about 6" this week, but it was light and fluffy and melted off the driveways all by itself through out the day.

 

I bet you also love ice chopping the layer of ice that gets stuck on the driveway, then taking the chopper/scraper and shoving it under the sheet of ice, then pushing it and watching it all erupt upward like you are some incredible tetonic force!

[Red1263]

Beast-mode by its very definition can be switched to other modes, but berserker is a constant thing. You eat like a berserker, you sleep like a berserker, you are a berserker.

 

sent from my phone whilst exploring new dungeons