[Heidi]

37 minutes ago, Sovalis said:

I came home feeling invigorated and accomplished

Hooray for winning the day!

 

If you're still on the fence about the body scan, maybe having it will help as a data point -- I know that when I was trying to work through some terrible inflammation, I had to look at a big picture trend, and it seems like the body scans let you do that. Also, it might be nice to have this moment at the beginning of weight training to compare with six and twelve weeks from now.

 

I hope you are finding your engagement points. I absolutely hear you about not needing tools, just a new way in. 

❤️ 

[MaeradCase]

3 hours ago, Sovalis said:

My friend Raven drove a four hour round trip to cook me dinner (Thai Basil Beef!) and visit, which was just incredible. I don’t get to see them often and it always amazes me that they are willing to drive such distances to hang out for a few hours. I wish I could do that.  It’s nice to be able to host them when they are able to come though. They even helped me get the brackets for the blinds in the kitchen down which had been foiling me, so triple bonus!

??? Amazing!

 

3 hours ago, Sovalis said:

It might also be that I am focused on doing external things like working on the house and going to the gym, rather than internal things like introspection. I did a lot of introspection last challenge, so this is probably fine. 

Yeah, that sounds right. ?

 

3 hours ago, Sovalis said:

I am really liking this having an extra hour in the mornings that comes along with more consistently starting at noon, even though it’s not ideal for the workflow at work or my paycheque. It’s a bit of a home-life silver lining though and I’ll take it. 

I am happy you have the extra time for the things you want to accomplish! My work is about to change to be an hour earlier and I'm a little worried I won't have time to be awake and do things before I go in. ?

[Radost]

Late to the party (I've been busy extinguishing torches and looking for spiders), but following! You sound really invigorated and I hope your Villain Era rocks out hard!

 

ETA I remembered that I wanted to share a couple Romantasies I've enjoyed recently.  I'm not usually into romance, but I've found a few lately that were pretty good. Queer, ofc, I'm sure there must be good straight romance but I can't find it.  C.L. Polk has a few I like...I really enjoyed Even Though I Knew the End (Sibling B thought it was too much "Supernatural fanfic with the serial numbers filed off, though, so caveat emptor) and I thought Witchmark was super.  The rest of the Kingston Cycle didn't quite live up to the promise for me, but I'm picky. The other books I've really liked were Freya Marske's Last Binding  trilogy. Again, I think the first book, A Marvellous Light, is the best, but book 2 was good too.  Marske manages something that really disappointed me in the first couple Romantasy books I read, which is to find ways that the characters can bring magic and sex together creatively.  Not naming any names, but I was seriously disappointed that a fae lord who can bend reality to his will just...bones down like any mundane dude.

[Salinger]

Hey! 

 

I watched The Worst Person in the World last week. 

 

BRILLIANT.

 

 

[Sea-to-sky]

17 hours ago, Sovalis said:

It might also be that I am focused on doing external things like working on the house and going to the gym, rather than internal things like introspection. I did a lot of introspection last challenge, so this is probably fine. 

Everything goes in cycles. Soon the season will turn and it will be winter and everything will be looking inward again. 

[Sovalis]

On 9/12/2024 at 9:59 AM, Laghail said:

Quick reminder that your buddy is obviously getting something wonderful out of this deal and you're worth spending time with. I know you know and all that. Just, it true. 

 

Sadly I don't speak tarot - what's a layout in cousin, and what's a tarot challenge like?

 

Big approval, that damn scale should serve your needs, not the other way around. I do like inbody with how it gives metrics other than the scale's raw bodyweight, but defo skip if it'd be unhelpful. 

 

❤️❤️❤️

Thank you, Laghail.

Cousin refers to a Hobinichi Cousin Avec, which is a daily planner notebook that I use to track my daily gratitude practice, my work week and activities, and my page-a-day journalling. I do my daily Tarot draws in my Cousin, although I do Tarot Challenges in my Bujo as it has more space. The Tarot Challenges I like the most (so far) are by Lionharts on Instagram and are a series of themed prompts. 

I did my InBody today, it was useful. More about that below. 

 

On 9/12/2024 at 10:23 AM, Heidi said:

Hooray for winning the day!

 

If you're still on the fence about the body scan, maybe having it will help as a data point -- I know that when I was trying to work through some terrible inflammation, I had to look at a big picture trend, and it seems like the body scans let you do that. Also, it might be nice to have this moment at the beginning of weight training to compare with six and twelve weeks from now.

 

I hope you are finding your engagement points. I absolutely hear you about not needing tools, just a new way in. 

❤️

Yay for winning!

I did go for my scan today, exactly as a datapoint. You called that correctly. Thank you!

Today was a little better. I am hoping having the weekend off to just vibe will recalibrate me. 

 

On 9/12/2024 at 12:49 PM, MaeradCase said:

??? Amazing!

 

Yeah, that sounds right. ?

 

I am happy you have the extra time for the things you want to accomplish! My work is about to change to be an hour earlier and I'm a little worried I won't have time to be awake and do things before I go in. ?

I believe in you! 

 

On 9/12/2024 at 7:52 PM, Radost said:

Late to the party (I've been busy extinguishing torches and looking for spiders), but following! You sound really invigorated and I hope your Villain Era rocks out hard!

 

ETA I remembered that I wanted to share a couple Romantasies I've enjoyed recently.  I'm not usually into romance, but I've found a few lately that were pretty good. Queer, ofc, I'm sure there must be good straight romance but I can't find it.  C.L. Polk has a few I like...I really enjoyed Even Though I Knew the End (Sibling B thought it was too much "Supernatural fanfic with the serial numbers filed off, though, so caveat emptor) and I thought Witchmark was super.  The rest of the Kingston Cycle didn't quite live up to the promise for me, but I'm picky. The other books I've really liked were Freya Marske's Last Binding  trilogy. Again, I think the first book, A Marvellous Light, is the best, but book 2 was good too.  Marske manages something that really disappointed me in the first couple Romantasy books I read, which is to find ways that the characters can bring magic and sex together creatively.  Not naming any names, but I was seriously disappointed that a fae lord who can bend reality to his will just...bones down like any mundane dude.

Thanks, Radost!

And I appreciate the recs. I agree, I would want some mind-bending sex if you can literally reshape perceptions of reality. C'mon, authors, get creative!

That said, the spice isn't the draw for me as much as the intimacy dopamine: sweet gestures, thoughtfulness, that whole "falling in love" aura... I think that is more of what I am after right now. 

 

23 hours ago, Salinger said:

Hey! 

 

I watched The Worst Person in the World last week. 

 

BRILLIANT.

 

 

That looks really interesting, Sal! Thanks for the heads up!

 

18 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said:

Everything goes in cycles. Soon the season will turn and it will be winter and everything will be looking inward again. 

You are not wrong. ❤️ 

 

 

HI Friends, 

 

Wow, it has been a long day. A good day, full, but felt long. Work seemed to take forever to conclude - we weren't busy after 3:30 and were done our chores really early/on time and it left us standing around for more time than usual. Weird. But at least I got home in good time and rustled up something protein-heavy if not exactly healthy for supper before meeting with AP and her friends for a game of Forbidden Lands. It was really fun! There are some mechanics I like, and I think it's a good halfway mark between what Dave loves about hex crawls and my patience with tracking food/water/gear. I can see trying to learn it well enough to run something in it. I haven't really played a dice pool game in this style before, but it was interesting. I think I'd like it better if I were rolling physical dice (we were using Roll20's digital roller for fairness and visibility) but I am a goblin and clickity clackity is one of my favourite sounds. I did have to dodge out partway through the game and rip over to work because I'd left the "Open" sign on the sidewalk (I am *so* bad at remembering to take it in, but this is the first time I've ever actually forgotten it), so I had to disarm the alarm, wrangle the sign, reset the alarm, and burn home. Poor Sax was confused about the ten minute car ride, but it needed to happen. Thank goodness my coworker had texted me. Just would have been better if I'd seen the text before leaving instead of two hours later...

 

I took some time this morning to go do my InBody scan at the base gym. I am pretty happy with the results: muscle is up half a pound (I am confident that is a very recent development), weight is "the same" *but* my inflammation was way up so some of that was water, and my body fat percentage is finally under 50% at a squeaky 49.7% thanks to a modest loss. I am so grateful that this system helps me understand that these minute processes are happening, because my scale is gravity-only and has no idea about recomposition. I am feeling encouraged and celebratory, not because there's some huge change in the data, but because this is data and I will be able to compare to this point when I go next - hopefully to see more muscle gain. I will be interested to see if the inflammation markers stay where they are once I am more consistently working out or if they shift around. I was expecting them to be high this time because of DOMS and my knee injury which is still swollen. But maybe it will improve? I haven't been eating a ton of wheat lately, so that is less impactful right now than it has been at other times in the past. I am looking forward to the next check in at the start of next challenge just to see what the differences are... I'll post my sheet to my Battle Log as normal in case you are interested in seeing how it's formatted. 

 

I am pretty tired so I am going to sign off and maybe go curl up in bed. It is almost 10pm here, which is generally when I shut things down. I will check in again in the morning. I hope that you have delightful, peaceful dreams and that your pillow cradles your head perfectly. Thanks for being here. ❤️ 

[Sea-to-sky]

6 hours ago, Sovalis said:

but I am a goblin and clickity clackity is one of my favourite sounds.

This is one of the things i miss about playing online. Digital dice rollers are just not the same

[Artemis Prime]

10 hours ago, Sovalis said:

I think I'd like it better if I were rolling physical dice (we were using Roll20's digital roller for fairness and visibility) but I am a goblin and clickity clackity is one of my favourite sounds.

Agreed, one of the major selling points of dice pool systems is how fun it is to roll handfuls of dice, and rolling digitally does not give that same dopamine hit. For the record, I totally trust you guys not to fudge your dice, it's more a matter of being able to see everyone's rolls as we all try to figure out how everything works. If you play in person, the box set comes with a full-sized map and stickers so that you can track your journey across the Forbidden Lands and have a fun souvenir at the end of the game.

 

I'm glad that your scan was a useful data point and that you're feeling good about it. Encouragement and celebration reflected back to you!

[Salinger]

Hey Sov how is your Sunday going? Xx

[Heidi]

I’m glad you did the scan for the data points.

Forbidden Lands sounds like it’s a good time!

I hope you got some good rest today and enjoyed being off from work.

❤️ 

[Sovalis]

On 9/14/2024 at 3:54 AM, Sea-to-sky said:

This is one of the things i miss about playing online. Digital dice rollers are just not the same

No, they really aren’t. 

 

On 9/14/2024 at 7:56 AM, Artemis Prime said:

Agreed, one of the major selling points of dice pool systems is how fun it is to roll handfuls of dice, and rolling digitally does not give that same dopamine hit. For the record, I totally trust you guys not to fudge your dice, it's more a matter of being able to see everyone's rolls as we all try to figure out how everything works. If you play in person, the box set comes with a full-sized map and stickers so that you can track your journey across the Forbidden Lands and have a fun souvenir at the end of the game.

 

I'm glad that your scan was a useful data point and that you're feeling good about it. Encouragement and celebration reflected back to you!

I think the visibility of the dice roller is super useful, especially as we are all learning. 

Thank you!

 

17 hours ago, Salinger said:

Hey Sov how is your Sunday going? Xx

Hi Sal! It was pretty good! ❤️ 

 

16 hours ago, Heidi said:

I’m glad you did the scan for the data points.

Forbidden Lands sounds like it’s a good time!

I hope you got some good rest today and enjoyed being off from work.

❤️

Thank you, Heidi. ❤️ 

 

 

Hi Friends,

 

I had a two day weekend and I am still so tired. I even napped yesterday and oof, I feel like I could just stay home all week and be a sloth. No bueno. 

 

Saturday was a good day. I did some planning, cleaned the fridge, decided what recipes I was making for the week, complied my grocery list… and then didn’t leave the house. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. So I stayed home in my pjs and planned for D&D that night. Game was absolutely fantastic. I had three players, one of whom was absent for the first hour, and we just had a grand time. Lots of laughing *and* I managed to get Gerren, my Druid Mar’s player, in the big feels in such a way that he was actually too overwhelmed to speak for a few moments. Totally a win in my books. We missed having our other two players, but the session would have been totally different if they had been there, so it was good to let it be what it was. I was pretty wired after game and ended up debriefing with Chantale for about an hour, then headed to bed. A very good night. 

 

I woke up Sunday feeling alright but a little tired, probably drop from the high of the night before. It happens sometimes after a particularly amazing session. I did Tarot and Bujos with coffee and then tried to find a way into my day. I mustered up the will to go get groceries and then turned that momentum into cooking dinner and making enough for a lot of leftovers for the week. It was delicious. Then I ended up watching the rest of e65 of Campaign 3 of Critical Role, the first time I have watched anything from them in a few months. It was good and I felt relaxed but not necessarily rested after that. I also decorated my mantle with my leaf garland, candles, and some pumpkins and gourds I bought at the grocer, which is very satisfying. Fell asleep easily quite early. 

 

Woke up very early this morning and have been muddling through so far. Coffee and Bujos, then updating the West Marches threads as it is Monday and that needed doing. Then reading forums, now updating here. I think I need a short bath before work so I am going to do that as well. I am feeling very worn out. I hope I am not getting sick. I don’t feel sick, but being this tired after a full night’s sleep is very weird for me. I even ate breakfast in hopes it might drag my energy up a little.

 

I hope that you have more verve than I do today. If you do, rub elbows with me, maybe it’s catching.  

Thanks for being here. ❤️ 

[Heidi]

24 minutes ago, Sovalis said:

I even napped yesterday and oof, I feel like I could just stay home all week and be a sloth.

Solidarity, Friend.

I'm at work today, and I'm not particularly thrilled about it.

 

Seasonal changes can take a lot out of the body and spirit.

May you find your groove today, even if it's in the slow lane.

❤️ 

 

P.S. Thanks for posting in West Marshes. Little things like this are my touchstones today.

[Artemis Prime]

38 minutes ago, Sovalis said:

I managed to get Gerren, my Druid Mar’s player, in the big feels in such a way that he was actually too overwhelmed to speak for a few moments. Totally a win in my books.

Yesss! That's always such a great feeling.

[Sea-to-sky]

16 hours ago, Sovalis said:

happens sometimes after a particularly amazing session. I

Ive had this kind of game hangover before. But a really good session is usually very worth the drop back to reality afterword. 

[Harriet]

The scan sounds very useful. Congrats on getting under 50%!

[Sovalis]

21 hours ago, Heidi said:

Solidarity, Friend.

I'm at work today, and I'm not particularly thrilled about it.

 

Seasonal changes can take a lot out of the body and spirit.

May you find your groove today, even if it's in the slow lane.

❤️

 

P.S. Thanks for posting in West Marshes. Little things like this are my touchstones today.

Solidarity, indeed. I am proud of you for doing the thing, especially when the thing is such a grind. 

I wonder if this is in part seasonal. This is the time of year I normally start dipping… I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks, Heidi. I think I will pull my sun lamp out and set it up on the coffee table. 

❤️

You’re welcome. I hope we are doing a good job over there, we are certainly trying!

 

21 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

Yesss! That's always such a great feeling.

It really is. 

 

4 hours ago, Sea-to-sky said:

Ive had this kind of game hangover before. But a really good session is usually very worth the drop back to reality afterword. 

I find that true, too. 

 

2 hours ago, Harriet said:

The scan sounds very useful. Congrats on getting under 50%!

It is. Thank you! I am so excited. 

 

 

Hi Friends, 

 

Just a quick check in before I head to the gym this morning. Work was okay yesterday, but only okay. I was laggy and lacklustre all day and I hope it didn’t show too much. It was a relief to get home to my peaceful house and unload the day. I am grateful that I batch cooked on Sunday because all I needed to do last night was blanch some yu choy and microwave the rest and boom, supper was done. God job, Past Me. I got into my pjs early and curled up in Dave’s chair to watch the first half of e66, c3 of Critical Role. There were some funny moments which I appreciated. Matt’s Worldbuilding is always so interesting to observe. I went to bed around 9:30 and hung out on my phone for a bit before turning out the light. Good thing I am not hunting spiders. 

 

I woke up to an email from the CRA saying that the Disability Tax Credit decision had been made and that they have mailed me the results in a letter. I think this is a weird choice given that my CRA email is double authenticated and therefore much more secure than a letter, but okay. Now to resist haunting the mail box until it gets here. I am suddenly so nervous and it’s silly. Either I get it, which is good, or I don’t, which is fine and also something I can appeal (My Dr figures we will appeal if it gets denied and he seems quite confident that I qualify so there’s that). I guess the bright side is that it’s not taking until October 20th as initially estimated, so the wait will be over sooner? I’ll take it. Waiting is not my forte. 

 

I just did my adulting for the day and booked the car in for an oil change on Thursday. I even asked them to replace the battery in my key fob because it’s losing power and I thought I’d been locked out of my car briefly yesterday before it finally opened (I have no manual key for this car, fob only. It’s a push start). Makes me a little nervous to not have that working properly. 

 

Anyway, time to run. I hope that you have some satisfying movement today and get through your most daunting task with flair and panache. Thanks for being here. ❤️ 

[Heidi]

3 minutes ago, Sovalis said:

I am grateful that I batch cooked on Sunday because all I needed to do last night was blanch some yu choy and microwave the rest and boom, supper was done. God job, Past Me.

I really like this for you.

Good job, past-you!

?

[MaeradCase]

3 hours ago, Sovalis said:

I just did my adulting for the day and booked the car in for an oil change on Thursday. I even asked them to replace the battery in my key fob because it’s losing power and I thought I’d been locked out of my car briefly yesterday before it finally opened (I have no manual key for this car, fob only. It’s a push start). Makes me a little nervous to not have that working properly. 

Glad they're going to get that sorted out for you. That would not be fun as a recurring problem.

[Everstorm]

8 hours ago, Sovalis said:

 

I woke up to an email from the CRA saying that the Disability Tax Credit decision had been made and that they have mailed me the results in a letter

Fingerscrossed that they decided in your favor 

[Sovalis]

On 9/17/2024 at 8:42 AM, Heidi said:

I really like this for you.

Good job, past-you!

?

I like this for me, too. 

❤️ 

 

20 hours ago, MaeradCase said:

Glad they're going to get that sorted out for you. That would not be fun as a recurring problem.

No, makes me nervy. I had Sax in the car last night when I ran to the shop and had a momentary “Oh gods, what if I can’t get in to him?” It was fine, but still, the thought crossed my mind. 

 

15 hours ago, Everstorm said:

Fingerscrossed that they decided in your favor 

Thanks, Ever. I really hope so too. 

 

Hi Friends!

 

Gym yesterday was really great. It was largely upper body accessory work and I enjoyed myself immensely. I don’t feel any significant DOMS today so I think I perhaps wasn’t pushing myself as hard as I could go yesterday, but given that I went straight from the gym to work, it was probably a good thing that I wasn’t super sweaty or sore. The highlight of my session was doing bench press for the first time in many years. I managed the 45 lb bar! I was so happy with this. Even at my peak I think my bench was my lowest max lift of the four and was only ~125 lbs or so, so doing ~1/3 of that after being away for so long felt like a great starting place. I also did the bench press as my last lift of the session, so I was at my most fatigued. It made me a little nervous to be doing it without at spotter (Dave always spotted me when we were training together) but I had decent control and was able to get the bar up again once it decided it’d rather rest on my chest. All in all, very satisfying. 

 

Work was fine, it was really slow and that was okay with me. We got close done in great time and then I came home and caught up on forums for a while. It is such a blessing to have a batch cooked meal in the fridge so I can be in auto pilot for supper when I get home. I literally put the kettle on to boil, portion out my noodles and meat and microwave it, throw some yu choy in a pot, pour the boiling water over them and let them blanch for a minute or so, then put everything together and chow down. It’s exactly the amount of work I feel up to doing when I get home, so victory. I hope Dave and I can get on track for some level of batch cooking once he is home, it really eases my weeknights. The weather is changing and the leaves are starting to turn, so stews are a good option…

 

I am really up in my brain about this disability tax credit stuff. I am not sure why and I don’t really like it. It seems so ridiculous to be thinking this much about it. The decision is made, all that is left is to react to it. Chill, Brain. Chill. 

 

I am helping a friend roll up at 5e D&D character tonight, so no chance to really have my brain in neutral this evening. Hopefully it is still some version of restful though. I am feeling pretty peaceful right now and don’t want to wreck that vibe. 

 

Dave texted yesterday and asked me to buy a lottery ticket, so I did. Wouldn’t that be something? 

 

I hope that you feel like a million bucks today. Thanks for being here. ❤️ 

[Heidi]

45 minutes ago, Sovalis said:

Dave texted yesterday and asked me to buy a lottery ticket, so I did. Wouldn’t that be something?

This jolt of optimistic possibilites is lovely.

Thankyou (and thank Dave) for this.  

 

I hope your 5e session this evening is connected and exactly the kind of healing distraction you want.

❤️ 

[Artemis Prime]

1 hour ago, Sovalis said:

The highlight of my session was doing bench press for the first time in many years. I managed the 45 lb bar!

Heck yeah! Well done!

[Salinger]

Hey Sov!!

 

When is the lottery result? Eeeek.

 

Amazing lifts. Proud of you.

 

Hooe you're feeling good xx

[Harriet]

On 9/17/2024 at 4:37 PM, Sovalis said:

I woke up to an email from the CRA saying that the Disability Tax Credit decision had been made and that they have mailed me the results in a letter. I think this is a weird choice given that my CRA email is double authenticated and therefore much more secure than a letter, but okay. Now to resist haunting the mail box until it gets here. I am suddenly so nervous and it’s silly. Either I get it, which is good, or I don’t, which is fine and also something I can appeal (My Dr figures we will appeal if it gets denied and he seems quite confident that I qualify so there’s that). I guess the bright side is that it’s not taking until October 20th as initially estimated, so the wait will be over sooner? I’ll take it. Waiting is not my forte. 

 

Thumbs pressed for a positive result! 

 

15 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Gym yesterday was really great. It was largely upper body accessory work and I enjoyed myself immensely. I don’t feel any significant DOMS today so I think I perhaps wasn’t pushing myself as hard as I could go yesterday, but given that I went straight from the gym to work, it was probably a good thing that I wasn’t super sweaty or sore. The highlight of my session was doing bench press for the first time in many years. I managed the 45 lb bar! I was so happy with this. Even at my peak I think my bench was my lowest max lift of the four and was only ~125 lbs or so, so doing ~1/3 of that after being away for so long felt like a great starting place. I also did the bench press as my last lift of the session, so I was at my most fatigued. It made me a little nervous to be doing it without at spotter (Dave always spotted me when we were training together) but I had decent control and was able to get the bar up again once it decided it’d rather rest on my chest. All in all, very satisfying. 

Noice! You can't hurt yourself easily with just the bar, even if you fail a lift (I mean, unless you drop it). You can just lower it slowly, then roll it down to your hips, then sit up. Uncomfortable but not deadly. Less safe with heavier weights, of course. But with experience you'll get an idea of how close you are to failure. For me, I notice my lifts slowing down noticieably when I'm one or two reps from failure, at least in the 5-8 range on the bench or squat. Anyway, I'm super happy you're enjoying the lifting ❤️ 

[Heidi]

On 9/18/2024 at 11:11 AM, Sovalis said:

Dave texted yesterday and asked me to buy a lottery ticket, so I did. Wouldn’t that be something? 

 

I hope that you feel like a million bucks today. Thanks for being here. ❤️

Hey you!

How's it going?
Did you win the Jackpot and end up taking off on an adventure?  

We're going to want pictures.