You knew this was where we were heading, right? Have to close out Act 1 with, well, the finale of Act 1. Anecdotally, I'd hazard a guess that this is the most popular song from the musical, though spoiler alert, it's not my top favorite. But it is absolutely incredible, so get Week 5 Monday off to a bangin' start by cranking this up:     Synopsis: Elphaba discovers that not only does the Wizard not have any magic of his own, he's also the one behind the discrimination that animals in Oz are facing. There is an ugly scene in the Wizard's chamber, but when given the chance to apologize and work with the Wizard, she refuses, instead enchanting a broom to fly. Glinda considers going with her, but in the end doesn't want to give up her status and position, the two of them sing this marvelous duet, and then Elphaba disappears into the sky to close out Act 1.   Applied Villainy: Spread Your Wings and Fly Elphaba has spent most of her life hiding her power, but now she embraces it, even though it makes her an outcast in society due to the petty machinations of the press secretary. She knows what the right path is, and she chooses to follow it because she has finally realized that she is powerful, and the reason the Wizard doesn't like it is because she is more powerful than him, and thus a threat to his position. So this week, think back on the people who have tried to place limits on you and ask yourself, do they really not think you can do it, or are they afraid that you can? This challenge has mostly been a gradual process of realizing that the people around us may not be who or what we thought they were. But this week, consider that you may not be what you thought you were either, but rather so much more. You are capable of achieving greatness, if you are ready to trust your instincts, close your eyes, and leap.   If I'm Flying Solo, at least I'm Flying Free Every time I listen to this, I'm silently screaming for Glinda to go with her. But she's not ready to take that leap. It's okay if other people in your life aren't at the same point that you are. Maybe they will urge you to go apologize to the Wizard out of pure motives, thinking they are looking out for your best interests. You don't have to fight with them, but you don't have to capitulate either. You can say "I hope you're happy with your choice, but it's not my choice." At some point, we have to stop letting people hold us back, even the people we love. It is much harder to set boundaries with people when we can't demonize them, but that's what makes us villains. We do what is right for us, even if those closest to us don't understand. Sometimes that means we fly solo, but above all, we fly free.

I fell into this "oops, now my post is meaningless" hole a few years ago, and had to lean into making updates that were "as of this writing." It was super effective, and also showed me a lot of where I could grow with my ideas of permanence and perspective, generally. But I digress.   Woohoo for so many things, but especially for the New Chapter. Many blessings on you both! ❤️ 

I remember my dad playing it and just saying that it was uneven in its gameplay and the difficulty level jumped too fast for him to really enjoy it and that he was stuck in grinding mode too long.  He was losing his vision at the time so he didn't want to waste time on that.

Agreed about the annoying, but some of the residents in my building like having the "cheaper" option that also has ads, even though I still think it's all a marketing campaign to justify raising prices and creating ads. Here ends the down-with-capitalism rant. Having said all that while shaking my fist at the sky, I do pay for the ad-free level of Amazon Prime.   I hope you're feelign a bit more restored, Sov. I know that after I do a big project, like the house painting one that you just did, I can feel awfully hungover, energetically, and also quite often I can get the Depairs, which seems counterintuitive, but is real anyway. I hope you find the things that hold and support you, and that you know you are loved, just as you are. You are enough. ❤️ 

Dang those are some impressive numbers!

I think this is maybe the secret to all things. Sometimes you are riding a golden chariot and sometimes you are on the struggle bus, but as long as the conveyance is moving in the right direction, it's okay to just ride it along for a while.

Look, I was already researching the growing zone and things . . . .    I hope the poison ivy is getting better -- I've never had it, but have seen others get driven bugnutty for over a week from it. Jewelweed seems to help, but I don't know if you have any of that laying around. I used to steep it in the bath for the kids when they had been out in the fields climbing through who-knows-what. And jewelweekd soap helps dry the itchiness portion of poison ivy right up.   Hooray for nearly leveling up! I think your approach to everything remains very solid -- long term goals, with "what can I do right now" task list.  #DruidApproved.

I want to knit a hat. Where do I start? My XP is touching knitting needles once as a child in school sewing class and crocheting a Deadpool baby beanie. Meaning none. Sorry can't remember who knits. @Mistr @Harriet   (We're not going to talk about the challenge. The challenge does not exist. Sleep does not exist. Everything is terrible.)

As it should be.  🙂

It is the third one, yes. And absolutely, we will have plenty of books in our HalfwayPoint shack.   An Introvert's Delight challenge definitely sounds like something I should look into further.  Agreed, even when I am not posting here, this community is never that far from my mind.