Not finding the support IRL; hoping to find it here

[Annean]

I found Nerd Fitness a few days ago, when a query from my sister about how far Frodo and Sam travelled to get to Mordor brought up the article "A Hobbit's Guide to Walking". I've been trying for the last year or so to really shift some of the weight I gained during my teenage years, and really struggling to succeed for more than a few weeks at a time. As a geek, reading the articles here really got me. Gaming and fantasy are my escapes and suddenly I was hit with the idea that I could incorporate those into my efforts to lose weight.

 

I suggested to my sister that she do the challenge (walk to Mordor and back, and if we decide we want to continue do the Grey Havens side quest) but she's not keen. What a blow =[ I really don't have much support IRL for my quest to lose weight, and be healthier and that's a huge killer for me. I wasn't going to join the forum because.... well... new people and all that. I saw the 6 week challenge and thought "What an amazing concept, I'd love to do that". Originally I'd thought to do it alone, and not join the forum. But I really do need that boost. When no one is saying "well done" its hard to continue for me. When no one knows what I'm doing, when I slack off I don't have anyone to say "Hey Annean, how's your walking going?".

 

Anyway.

 

A little about me, I guess. I turn 30 at the end of May. I'm excited, believe it or not. Its like I'm coming up to the end of a trilogy and the author has decided to start a new series, with the first book out real soon. The trilogy has been a rollercoaster emotionally and I'm looking forward to seeing what life throws up in the next 3 decades. I was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm at the age of 12. I went from being a slightly elfish, thin as a rake and hyper-energetic tomboy growing up on a farm to a short, plump Hobbit who spent more time in hospital than out of it. As a teenager my doctors had forbidden me to do anything physical. At all. The weight piled on. The scaring, and the shaved head made a social outcast of me. At 15, just as I was recovering from endless hospitalisations and surgery and really feeling like my life was back on track I fell gravely ill. Diagnosis? Autoimmune Haemolytic Anaemia. Essentially, my white blood cells were treating my healthy, oxygen delivering red blood cells as the enemy and slaughtering them in the millions. I got down to a red cell count of 4. According to the doctor, I should have been dead... much less still capable of walking. What a fantastic thing to tell a 15 year old. So again with the hospitals.

 

My health has never really recovered. Last year, a month or so after deciding enough was enough I caught pneumonia and was out of action for three weeks.

 

I've been sick a lot.

 

A blessing however, would be that I discovered geek culture. Never in a proactive, engaging with other people way because even as a social outcast I was "too weird" even for the nerdier kids at school. I found Redwall, and Tolkien. Dragonlance and Dunctonwood. Tintin and Asterix. I was a massive devourer of books. And then, computers. My first and to this day best friend was met online, we connected over the Redwall series (where I introduced her to her now husband). I engaged with a community devoted to the love of Tolkien and devoted many MANY hours to it (and got stung, hence my reluctance to join here). I participated for a brief time in the SCA when my doctor, worried about my depression tried to insist on adding another array of drugs to the line up to deal with it (NO!). It was from there that I first really started to engage with like-minded people face-to-face. This was 8 years ago now. The timid, terrified woman I was growing up to become finally found a place in the world. I met my SO, we married. Through him I discovered a richer, deeper culture than I could have imagined. Geekdom was where I belonged. I even went from nightfill work where I could work alone to proactively engaging with customers as a salesperson. If you'd told me 8 years ago I'd be here now I'd have laughed at you.

 

But my health is still an issue. It weighs (heheh) down on me. Sometimes it causes me grief. Other times I feel happy with who I am and how far I've come, even though I still have so far to go. And other times... I'm still sensitive and timid. And when you're walking down the street and some random, jacked up a%#hole leans out the window and hollers "Crawl back into your hole, you stupid fat c&$t!" its hard to feel good about yourself. But then, where I live such behaviour from strangers is not entirely out of the ordinary. So its often easy to ignore and walk on.

 

So yeah... I'm here for the supports I guess. I ramble, so I apologise for that. My husband says I don't know how to get to the point without a long-winded backstory and he's right. XD 

[The Mouse]

I wanna punch whoever yelled that to you in the face. With a bat. A giant, creepy, fuzzy, drooling bat. That will follow his insensitive, ignorant ass forever. Drooling on him. Incessantly. Grrr...

 

/Mouserant

 

I'm sorry that life's been so hard on you. I'm glad to see you've made it through and that you have a super-strong, super courageous heart. It takes a lot to be a salesperson, especially when you've been shy. I used to avoid customers like the plague on my first retail job - took a while for me to get used to it. You're taking amazing steps forward and I'm sure life holds great things for you.

 

I'd hug you if I could, and I'm glad you've joined the Rebellion!

I'm happy to meet someone else who loves TinTin and Asterix! I used to read them all the time when I was younger. I haven't been able to find any of 'em recently (I read 'em in French in grade school and junior high and they've got a special place in my heart), though, but I put on the TinTin movie that came out a few years ago every now and again to feel good. :3

Did you ever read Lucky Luke?

[Annean]

I'm from Australia, and colloquially we call people like him bogans. They're rife where I live, the city is literally crawling with them. I pretty much live in the bogan capital of my state. It amuses me endlessly that nearly every garden here has bougainvilleas growing in them too. If it wasn't for the fact that its as close to the state capital as we can live without being IN it and still has amazing beaches and the most prolific number of parks I've ever seen in one city we'd probably be living elsewhere. The city might be beautiful, but the people are disgusting.

 

Unfortunately not, I know TinTin and Asterix are both from Europe, but my exposure to them was in English. I don't recall seeing Lucky Luke and my local library wasn't exactly... well stocked. I only read so much of the other two as the librarian took a shine to me and would often order them in special from other libraries as a surprise. There's a surprising number of books around here, you can always find at least one or two in second hand shops. I collect b

ooks, but other authors have been higher on my priority lately, lol. Perhaps I should start sniffing a them out before they all disappear for good!

 

Thanks, you've really helped make me feel even better about joining =]

[The Mouse]

Bogans? That's an interesting name. 

At least the city is beautiful, that'll help tons with your walk to Weathertop I'm sure. :3

And I'm sure that soon, we can both give those bogans something to shut up about (or something to cat call and then we throw live bats at them).

 

English Asterix is still really fun. I think most of the TinTin comics I read were in English, too, but then I found more French ones. I find the French sound effects so cute! And somehow more accurate than English ones...

 

Aw, it's always nice when there's surprises like that. I've fallen off the book wagon myself for a bit, which is kinda sad, but new books are always fun. :3

Ha ha, I totally get it when it comes to author priorities. :3 I'm still way far behind on my list, though... TAT

 

I'm glad I have, you deserve support to achieve your goals. This community is really supportive and we're really happy to have you. :3

[Ba'sini'on]

Welcome Annean!

 

Whoa! That's a lot to go through especially for a kid.

 

I'm a BIG Brian Jaques (R.I.P), C.S. Lewis, Tolkein, and Terry Pratchett fan! I've also started reading the Tin Tin novels after watching the movie! So, Online High Five *WAPOW*, nice!

 

Sheesh! If someone said that to me I would actually wave like a crazy person and say, "WAZZZZUUUP?!" Don't know why that's always my knee jerk reaction to stupid people, I turn insane  !

[JonDixonYT]

Welcome!  Sometimes RL sucks.  Sometimes the world is full of douchebags.  Its too bad that those two things collided for you.

 

Have you put your name on the walk to Mordor sheet? http://nerdfitnessrebellion.com/index.php?/topic/25654-one-does-not-simply-walk-into-mordor/

 

There is a small fellowship of us making the trek together, we'd love to have more along for the company!

[sumdawgtwigg]

Sounds like you've overcame a lot so far. You can conquer anything! Also, it's great to see that I'm not the only one whose not afraid of turning 30. I don't mind it one bit! 

[Annean]

The Mouse: Yeah. Unflattering name, for people who have pretty unflattering personalities

 

I've heard that Asterix and TinTin both read better in French. There are jokes that you miss out on otherwise. Perhaps I should look at learning French and reading them again =]

 

 

LostOne: *high fives* Except, I didn't know Brian Jacques had passed away. Had to have a moment or two at work =[ I can't believe I missed something like that.

 

Flipping them the bird generally works. They're cowards at heart and don't know how to react when their "victims" respond.

 

 

Jon: Thanks! I just posted in the thread. I expect its going to take me a bit to catch up, but this little Hobbit can walk fast when need be =]

 

 

sumdawgtwigg: Cheers! My husband tells me that a lot, but some days I don't feel all that strong. I hit 50 days to go til I'm 30 a few days ago, and I'm already frustrating people doing a countdown!

[sumdawgtwigg]

sumdawgtwigg: Cheers! My husband tells me that a lot, but some days I don't feel all that strong. I hit 50 days to go til I'm 30 a few days ago, and I'm already frustrating people doing a countdown!

 

Well, sounds like you've got a good guy! Ah, who cares if it bothers them, keep counting! Louder even! haha. 

[The Mouse]

The Mouse: Yeah. Unflattering name, for people who have pretty unflattering personalities

 

I've heard that Asterix and TinTin both read better in French. There are jokes that you miss out on otherwise. Perhaps I should look at learning French and reading them again =]

Ha ha, most excellent. :3

I find that TinTin for sure makes more sense in French. Asterix for me was more about the names and mannerisms - a few linguistic jokes here and again. But I've studied in French since kindergarten, so it wasn't until junior high that I saw them in English and it was a bit too foreign for me at that time. 

Learning French sounds like a nice long-term goal! X3