Rainbow Dragon's Lair

[Syrius]

Sending Shelby some butt massages! Thank you, good girl, for spreading love.

 

[NancyTree]

Oh please give Shelby some head scratches and shoulder rubs for me

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

@JCU @Maegaranthelas @MadamMeow @PetiteSheWolf @aku-chan @Syrius @NancyTree :

Shelby has dutifully received all of your hugs, kisses, scritches, belly rubs, butt massages, shoulder rubs, and head scratches.
She sends love back to all of you and also to your furry friends. She wants you to know that you matter, and that she loves you.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 6:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day):

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups):
Better Arms:
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs):
Power Grip:
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 4

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 11 km

Writing:
study & research:
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 140,761
story-a-week challenge: 42 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 42 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 1/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Crashed in the evening again. Slept ~ 7PM - 10:30PM. Then was up late to get work done.

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 59
Consecutive days of French study: 1451
Consecutive days of no solo video games: 47
Consecutive days of SOOT: 0
Consecutive days of GBOT: 0

Move-in progress:
Nothing.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 7:

Screwed up this day. Things were going well. So I took some time out to play one of the new board games I had backed on Kickstarter many months back (February 2023 in this case) which finally arrived last month. Cut to 4AM this morning... Fun game though.

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day):

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups):
Better Arms:
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 3
Power Grip:
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 5

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 12.5 km

This day we hiked to the park with the adult fitness equipment. It's ~ 4.3 km from where we live. Normally we walk there, I do whatever exercises I need the equipment for, then we walk home. This day, however, Miss Shelby decided she was not done with her walk and wanted to continue on further. It was a good call on her part. I had forgotten that the landscape in that park changes just north of where the exercise equipment is. Most of our hike out there is through typical urban parkland for this area: a paved path through mown grass, with trees dotting the landscape here and there. But north of the fitness equipment the grass disappears, and the path winds through a wildflower meadow. At the north end of the park we have to walk through a subdivision for a couple of blocks but then can pick up the park again at a dirt trail that runs along the river's edge, mostly under tree cover, back to just south of the fitness equipment. (I expect we will see some nice birds through there in the spring!) So our main walk ended up being just over 11km. Then we did another short walk before bed.

Writing:
study & research:
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 140,761
story-a-week challenge: 42 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 42 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 2/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

I need to get serious about this.

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 60
Consecutive days of French study: 1452
Consecutive days of no solo video games: 48
Consecutive days of SOOT: 0
Consecutive days of GBOT: 0

Move-in progress:
Nothing.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 8:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day):

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups):
Better Arms:
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 4
Power Grip:
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 6

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 6.4 km

Slacker day due to not being awake for much of it on account of the previous night's shenanigans.

Writing:
study & research:
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 140,761
story-a-week challenge: 42 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 42 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 3*/5

* Counting this for now. But the "study" was listening to some online video lectures, supposedly on "writing craft" that were far, far too basic for me to get anything at all useful out of them. (Presented by a guy who is an anthology editor. So sure: knowing what he likes in a short story should at least be useful for selling to his market. But this content was too basic even to be useful there.) I listened to the videos at 2x speed because they were so pedantic and repetitive I could not handle anything slower. I'm giving myself a pass for now, because I was tired. But generally speaking: I need to not be reaching for such low-hanging fruit.

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 61
Consecutive days of French study: 1453
Consecutive days of no solo video games: 49
Consecutive days of SOOT: 1
Consecutive days of GBOT: 1

Move-in progress:
Nothing.

 

[Mamatigerj]

I am so happy for you and Shelby; congratulations on your lovely new home!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

I am so happy for you and Shelby; congratulations on your lovely new home!

Thank you! It is great to hear from you again, MamaT!

And yes: I am so, so happy we were able to get this place! The expense is stressful. But it is a really great neighbourhood! Very walkable (important because we don't have a car) and we have wonderful neighbours!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 9:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day):

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups):
Better Arms:
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 5
Power Grip:
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 7

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 15.3 km

We went to the dog park this day. Shelby wasn't that into it. We walked around the park, and she said hello to all of the humans, but mostly ignored their dogs. When we got back to the gate, she seemed happy to leave. Then we went to the conservation area. Saw a hawk, a great blue heron, and a flock of dark-eyed juncos, plus the usual mallards and Canada geese.

Writing:
worked on stuff for Secret Santa
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 140,761
story-a-week challenge: 42 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 42 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 4/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 62
Consecutive days of French study: 1454
Consecutive days of no solo video games: 50
Consecutive days of SOOT: 2
Consecutive days of GBOT: 2

Ooh! Actual SOOT and GBOT streaks! Can I keep these up through a Sunday? Stay tuned to find out!

Move-in progress:
Nothing.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 10:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day):

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups):
Better Arms:
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 6
Power Grip:
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 8

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 15.2 km

A quiet day on the trails this day as it was a rainy day. But it was warm (13-14C) and only very light drizzle/mist in the afternoon. Miss Shelby has turned into my little Energizer Bunny in this cooler weather. She wants to keep going and going and going! I promised her we would set aside a dry day later this week to do a longer hike.

Writing:
short story
new fiction words: 2973
fiction YTD: 143,734
story-a-week challenge: 43 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 43 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 5/5

Got my short story for the week finished. And did writing work on five days during the week. But I still waited too late to get started on the actual story words. And the research I did earlier in the week? Didn't use it. Ended up writing an entirely different story on Sunday. Still: the story was done before midnight. So some improvement there.

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 63
Consecutive days of French study: 1455
Consecutive days of no solo video games: 51
Consecutive days of SOOT: 0
Consecutive days of GBOT: 0

SOOT and GBOT streaks did not survive Sunday's writing deadline. But I did at least get to bed significantly earlier than on any Sunday in recent weeks. So there was improvement.

Move-in progress:
Nothing. Spent the day hiking with Shelby and writing.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 11:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): (15 min.)

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Day 7
Better Arms: Day 7
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 7
Power Grip: Day 7
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 9

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 13.9 km

Shelby is so funny. When we're walking in our subdivision, or on the trails, she has to greet every dog she sees. She cries if she's not allowed to greet them. But in the dog park, she totally ignores the other dogs! After the dog park we went to our local conservation area. Saw a deer (just its white bum, hopping away), a hawk, two great blue herons (one fishing, one perched high up on a branch, surveying the world), the usual ducks (mallards) and geese (Canada), a flock of juncos, some robins, a cardinal, and a blue jay. Also saw a dog running around loose back there, with no human in sight. Makes me sad. Too many dog caretakers either don't care or don't understand how destructive uncontrolled dogs are to the habitat. This is a designated Environmentally Significant Area. And there's a designated DOLA less than 2km away! Also: there are coyotes in the ESA! Please people: keep the environment safe from you dog, and your dog safe from the environment!

Writing:
nada
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 143,734
story-a-week challenge: 43 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 43 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 0/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 64
Consecutive days of French study: 1456
Consecutive days of no solo video games: 52
Consecutive days of SOOT: 0
Consecutive days of GBOT: 0

Move-in progress:
Nope.

After hiking with Shelby, I started a campaign for one of my new board games. And played until 9AM Tuesday morning.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 12:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): (15 min.)

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Day 8
Better Arms: Day 8
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 8
Power Grip: Day 8
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 10

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 12.7 km

Did the hike up to the fitness equipment this day. Plus the extra bit of the park north of that we've added on to our walk lately. Had a nice viewing of an American Kestrel up in the north end of our hike. Sadly did not have a camera with me though. (I was tired on account of the whole not having slept the night before thing, and already carrying water plus a bowl for Shelby. And it was a gloomy day when we set off on our hike, although beautiful and sunny by the time we saw the kestrel.) Still, it was nice to see.

Writing:
nada
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 143,734
story-a-week challenge: 43 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 43 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 0/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT - didn't get out of bed at all, since I had not gone to bed in the first place!
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 65
Consecutive days of French study: 1457
Consecutive days of no solo video games: 53
Consecutive days of SOOT: 1
Consecutive days of GBOT: 1

Move-in progress:
Nope.

Did my hike with Shelby and my workout and a wee bit of French and slept.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 13:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day):

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Day 9
Better Arms: Day 9
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 9
Power Grip: Day 9
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 11

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 1.2 km

Screwed up again this day. Got sunk into gaming and missed Shelby's big walk.

Writing:
Secret Santa prep
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 143,734
story-a-week challenge: 43 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 43 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 1/5

French:
CBC Gem

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT - did not go to bed

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 66
Consecutive days of French study: 1458
Consecutive days of no solo video games
Consecutive days of SOOT: 0
Consecutive days of GBOT: 0

Zeroed my no solo video games count because, while I have good reasons for keeping my eyes away from my computer screen for recreational time and keeping my hand off the mouse, pulling all-nighters to play a board game is actually worse WRT my goals. So I will begin again on Friday with a modified goal.

Move-in progress:
Nope.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 14:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge: - cannot really claim this when "first thing" was still gaming from the night before
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day):

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups):
Better Arms:
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs):
Power Grip:
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*:

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Should have been a fit park day. But it rained all day.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Schedule very messed up from Wednesday night's stunt. Just did some yoga.

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 5.5 km

Rain. Rain. Rain all day. Stayed up late in the hope of a dry evening walk. It was still drizzling after midnight. Shelby insisted on doing more than just around the block though, even in the rain.

Writing:
some video lessons--reaching for the low hanging fruit again because I was tired.
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 143,734
story-a-week challenge: 43 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 43 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 2/5 -- Bah. A bit of a cheat. I need to do better with this.

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT - hadn't gone to bed yet
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 67
Consecutive days of French study: 1459
Consecutive days of no solo video games
Consecutive days of SOOT: 0
Consecutive days of GBOT: 0

Zeroed my no solo video games count because, while I have good reasons for keeping my eyes away from my computer screen for recreational time and keeping my hand off the mouse, pulling all-nighters to play a board game is actually worse WRT my goals. So I will begin again on Friday with a modified goal.

Move-in progress:
Nope.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Forgot to mention that on last night's midnight walk Shelby and I had a close encounter of the striped kind. Arrived back home to find a skunk hanging out on our front lawn, blocking the path to our door. Shelby saw the skunk and became very excited. The skunk saw Shelby and also became excited. Not in a good way. The skunk had its hackles up, and we had a stand off for several seconds before it finally decided to go and hang out on our neighbour's lawn instead, thankfully before things became smelly! Thank goodness those things have bright white stripes down their backs, because my night vision is not what it used to be!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 15:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge:
1-Minute Plank Challenge:
1-Minute Yoga Challenge:
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day):

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Day 10
Better Arms: Day 10
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 10
Power Grip: Day 10
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: - decided to get the other challenges caught up to this one

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Another rainy day. Just drizzle though. The pull-up bars at the adult fitness equipment are rough enough I am able to hang onto them fine even when they're wet.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 12.8 km

Even though it was raining Shelby chose to do an extra long walk. She made three new puppy friends, found two little boys who wanted to pet her, and the human of one of her new puppy friends had treats! A good day, in spite of the rain.

Writing:
worked on Secret Santa
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 143,734
story-a-week challenge: 43 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 43 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 3/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 68
Consecutive days of French study: 1460
Consecutive days of following Gaming Rules: 1
Consecutive days of SOOT: 1
Consecutive days of GBOT: 1

I've decided my Gaming Rules will continue to include no solo video games--mostly. (If I'm learning a new game to later teach to friends, and I don't have a physical copy, I'm allowed to check it out in TTS or Tabletopia. Otherwise, I need to keep my eyes away from the screen and my hands away from the mouse.) Also: no allowing gaming to throw off SOOT or GBOT. If I miss SOOT or GBOT, and I gamed at all that day, gaming rules were also broken.

Move-in progress:
A small but important thing: I organized the shelving unit that is beside my bed. I also repositioned it so it now better shields my face from the stupid ultra-bright lights in my backyard that are on all night.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

The Secret Santa Workout Gift Exchange is back for 2024! This was a super fun event last year! Please check out the details here: https://www.community.darebee.com/threads/2024-secret-santa-workout-gift-exchange.2084/ and sign up if you'd like to join us this year.

If you have any questions about the Gift Exchange, please feel free to send them my way.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 16:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge: Day 6
"Quiet Room" yoga routine*
1-Minute Cardio Challenge: Day 4
1-Minute Plank Challenge: Day 6
1-Minute Yoga Challenge: Day 6
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): Day 6

* I've decided to put this back on my schedule. For one reason: to follow my own advice and make my first physical work of the day be something I'll get up to do without hesitation, because I actually enjoy it. For another: because I designed it to be wake-up yoga, and it's an excellent routine for me to do to get my body moving again after sleep. And for a third: while I no longer need this song every day to give me strength to face the day, it is still a good reminder. I started doing this practice to this song every morning when things were so bad I felt I was living under siege and hanging on by my fingernails to my sense of self. Now I am free from all of that. But the song is still a good reminder to me of what is important.

I'm sure I've posted it before, but this is the song:

Bonus reason: Santa will be visiting my check-in thread soon, trying to decide what to give me for a workout gift this year. So I figure I'd better start putting some things in my check-in thread that I actually like to do! (Yoga, dancing, running. Plus, of course, nature hikes with my friend Shelby--that's something I've already been doing a lot of lately that I love.)

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Day 11
Better Arms: Day 11
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 11
Power Grip: Day 11
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: - decided to get the other challenges caught up to this one

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Before Bed Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

I totally did not feel like doing any of this stuff, other than the gratitude, so late in the day. I need to rename/repurpose it to an Evening Routine.

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 7.8 km

So many puppy friends this day! Including meeting the neighbour puppy who lives across the street--a very small dog who was not intimidated by Shelby's size at all. They made fast friends.

Writing:
got the Secret Santa info posted!
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 143,734
story-a-week challenge: 43 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 43 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 4/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 69
Consecutive days of French study: 1461
Consecutive days of following Gaming Rules: 2
Consecutive days of SOOT: 2
Consecutive days of GBOT: 2

But now it's Sunday again. Can I get my story finished today without breaking SOOT or GBOT? Check back tomorrow to find out!

Move-in progress:
Catalogued everything in the Rubbermaid totes I still have not unpacked. An important task because most of this stuff won't ever be unpacked as I don't have anywhere else to store it. Also moved the totes from my dance hall into the guest room to make more room in the dance hall. The guest room just needs to have enough space for guests to sleep in it. But I want to start recording videos of some of DAREBEE's yoga workouts, and I need as much space as possible in my dance hall to do that.

Other wins this day:
I did lots of cooking! Made whole wheat pancakes (with enough batter for at least a couple more days). Had one for breakfast with an apple tossed into the batter. Baked chocolate orange cranberry scones, chickpea blondies, and an apple crumble. Washed all of my dishes. (I have an electric dishwasher. But the items that don't go in it had been piling up for a while.) Went to the library. Fetched groceries. Made a semi-homemade pizza for my dinner. (I didn't make the crust. I bought roasted garlic naan breads from the store and dressed one of them with homemade pesto, onion, tomato, shiitake mushrooms, and feta. Yum!) And I cleaned my kitchen floor.

My kitchen is not horrible. It's not. I have definitely seen far, far worse. But the dishwasher is a pain in the arse design that doesn't fit many things in it. The refrigerator is a completely ridiculous choice for the location it's been installed in and also makes very poor use of space. (Do not even get me started on how much I hate the stupid, inconvenient, high-on-energy-use, and too-small bottom freezer!) There is very little cupboard space I can reach without using a ladder. (Fortunately a step ladder is one of the things I did think to take from my parents' house when I left.) And I'm constantly having to shift things around to get anything done in my kitchen at all because there is far, far, far too little counter space. Probably I have been spoiled by having a huge country kitchen for 20+ years before now. (Even my previous house in Wortley Village, which was a small, 2-bedroom house, had a huge kitchen.)

/me sighs.

I know these are first world problems. But I still struggle to work in my kitchen because the space is so inconvenient. I have eaten so much takeout and freezer dinners and even store-bought cookies and potato chips for dinner since living here. Blech! So getting this much homemade food prepped, and dealing with the dishes too, was a pretty big win!

 

[NancyTree]

Even though it might be a first world thing, I can totally relate to having a small and inconveniently arranged kitchen to kill the joy of cooking (or baking). If there's 1 thing on the counter, you cannot put or use anything else on it.
So yay for cooking anyway today! It all sounds really tasty.

And I totally love the song, thanks for sharing!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

If there's 1 thing on the counter, you cannot put or use anything else on it.

Exactly. It's like I'm constantly playing musical chairs, but with counter space!

I'm glad you like the song. Angie is a wonderful song writer! She has a lot of material that really speaks to me.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 17:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge: Day 7
"Quiet Room" yoga routine*
1-Minute Cardio Challenge: Day 5
1-Minute Plank Challenge: Day 7
1-Minute Yoga Challenge: Day 7
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): Day 7

Actually done in the morning, for a change!

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Day 12
Better Arms: Day 12
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 12
Power Grip: Day 12
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 12

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Evening Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge:
Squat Hero Challenge:
Iron Core Challenge:
Glutes of Steel Challenge:
Daily Gratitude Challenge:

Ran out of time to get this stuff done.

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 11.1 km

Another rainy day. It was dry when we headed out. But we were soaked by the time we got home.
Passed two people on the way home camped out under bridges in an effort to stay dry. Canada really needs to get our sh*t together to solve this problem!

Writing:
wrote my short story for the week
new fiction words: 2068
fiction YTD: 145,802
story-a-week challenge: 44 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 44 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 5/5

The good: I got my story finished before 10PM!
The bad: It's a goofy story I wrote to pound something out quickly. It will never see the light of day. (Although parts of it are probably salvageable for something.)
More good: I actually worked on my writing 5 days this week.
Less good: I reached for pretty low hanging fruit on a couple of those days just to be able to say I did something.
Overall: This week was an improvement over recent weeks. I remain, as always, a work in progress.

French:
Played Wingspan with my French cards as a reward for getting my story finished before 10PM.

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 70
Consecutive days of French study: 1462
Consecutive days of following Gaming Rules: 3
Consecutive days of SOOT: 3
Consecutive days of GBOT: 3

It was a mad rush to achieve SOOT this day. And I had to skip my evening workout to do it. But a win is a win!

Move-in progress:
Nothing. (But that was expected for a Sunday.)

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 18:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge: Day 8
"Quiet Room" yoga routine*
1-Minute Cardio Challenge: Day 6
1-Minute Plank Challenge: Day 8
1-Minute Yoga Challenge: Day 8
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): Day 8

Not done in the morning because we had a contractor here pretty much all morning. But I still got it done!

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Day 13
Better Arms: Day 13
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 13
Power Grip: Day 13
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 13

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Evening Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge: Day 5
Squat Hero Challenge: Day 4
Iron Core Challenge: Day 5
Glutes of Steel Challenge: Day 5
Daily Gratitude Challenge: Day 5

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 12.8 km

Saw three male Hooded Mergansers on our walk through the conservation area. But it was late afternoon by the time we got out there, and we were already starting to lose our light. So I could not get photos with a sharp focus. You can still somewhat enjoy their cuteness in this fuzzy photo though:




Writing:
story planning for this week's short story, plus some stuff for Secret Santa
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 145,802
story-a-week challenge: 44 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 44 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 1/5

French:
text translation

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 71
Consecutive days of French study: 1463
Consecutive days of following Gaming Rules: 4
Consecutive days of SOOT: 4
Consecutive days of GBOT: 4

Move-in progress:
Today's work was not personally done by me. But an important thing did happen that was quite disruptive to my schedule.

Since none of the shut off valves on the radiators in my apartment worked when I moved in, and the professional contractor who my landlord hired to look at them refused to even try to fix them (because they were so old and corroded he was afraid touching them would cause them to break), my landlord agreed to have four of the valves replaced.

There are nine radiators in my apartment.

Supposedly I was to at least get to choose which four radiators I wanted to get the new valves. But one of the radiators I want to be able to shut off could not be done because the contractor could not get a replacement valve of the correct size. And the radiator I chose to have fixed in lieu of that one also could not be done for the same reason. (The nine radiators in this apartment have valves of three different sizes. 'Cause doing them all the same would have been too easy, I guess? And these things are so old, it is difficult to find replacement parts for them now.)

Anyhow... the two radiators it was most important to me to be able to turn off I can now turn off. Ditto for one of the three on my next-most-important list. And for the infrequent times when I have overnight guests, they can now turn off the radiator in the guest room too. (Most of the time it's useless to me to have a functioning shut off valve on that radiator since I'm hardly ever in that room. Also: it's the closest radiator to the thermostat. I need to leave something on to allow the thermostat to get up to temperature or the freaking boiler will never shut off!) For everything else, I will need to continue to control the temperature by leaving windows open all winter. (The fresh air will be good for me and Shelby, and gas is included in my rent.)

The contractor was here from ~ 8:30 in the morning until some time after 1:00 in the afternoon. (He did leave at one point to exchange two of the valves he'd brought for a different size. But I made use of that time to take Shelby out for a walk.) He needed to work in every room in the apartment, made a mess in every room, and I needed to move my chair away from my desk so he could do the work in my office. (The radiator it is most important for me to be able to turn off is right beside my desk chair, literally only inches away.) So it was not the most productive of mornings for me. But I can now sit at my desk without roasting on one side and freezing on the other. (When the radiator on the right side of my desk was on, I had to have the window on the left side of my desk open or both my computer and I would overheat. For the computer this meant irritating screen flicker. For me it meant a significant enough drop in blood pressure it made me feel unwell.) So I am very happy this work was finally done.

I am also hopeful that with having 1/3 of my radiators turned completely off now (plus I will likely wrap the radiator in the dance hall--the one I want to be able to shut off but cannot--in a heavy blanket to try to insulate it) the water in the system will be hotter when it reaches my upstairs neighbours' apartment and hopefully help them out too. Nine active radiators in my apartment was serious overkill. But the upstairs apartment (which is smaller than mine, but not that much smaller) reportedly only has four. It consequently runs 4°C colder than my apartment in the winter.

 

[Maegaranthelas]

Oof, glad at least some of the radiators are now optional. Overheating is seriously unpleasant on your body!
And yeah, glad you're not having to pay for all of that heating :')
You'd think the landlord would be keen to have them all optional so you could actually reduce the heating costs...

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

You'd think the landlord would be keen to have them all optional so you could actually reduce the heating costs...

Yup. The real problems in this house are significantly more expensive than just replacing a few valves in my unit, however.

There is only one heating system for the entire building, the thermostat for which is in my hallway. The upstairs apartment likely does not have adequate insulation and definitely does not have enough radiators, and their radiators won't get as hot as mine because the water in the system is transferring most of its heat into the air in my apartment before it ever reaches the upstairs rads.

The landlord has asked me to keep the thermostat set at 22C. (Something he cannot legally require me to do. There was no mention of this in my lease. I am only complying in an effort to make my upstairs neighbours' apartment livable.) But even with the thermostat set at 22C, the upstairs apartment only gets up to 18C. Which is not legal. (Landlords in Ontario are legally required to maintain a minimum temperature of 20C inside tenants' units.)

So the landlord is already not compliant with the law, even though my unit is so hot I need to keep my windows open to maintain a livable temperature down here.

Last night I slept great. With the radiator in our bedroom turned off, and the window open, and the door closed to keep the heat from the hallway out, the bedroom is finally a comfortable temperature for sleeping in.

I went ahead and turned off the radiator in the guest room. And I'm going to wrap the radiator in the dance hall with a heavy blanket. I'm hoping that with four of my radiators isolated from the system, and a fifth insulated, the upstairs apartment might actually get enough heat. And then we'll be able to turn the thermostat down. But I'm not holding my breath on that last part. I think it's far more likely that if I succeed in making the upstairs apartment warmer my neighbours will just be happy that their apartment is finally not too cold.

I would be thrilled if the temperature differential was reversed and it was my neighbours' apartment that was 22C and mine only 18C. The 20C minimum temperature is the one clause in our Residential Tenancies Act I would never ask my landlord to comply with. (When I owned my own home, I kept the thermostat set at 18C and I loved it like that. I want a cool bedroom to sleep in and a cool dance hall to work out in, and a kitchen I won't overheat in the second I turn on the stove, and I'm more than happy to wear a sweater when I'm sitting at my desk to facilitate these things.) But I know my neighbours don't like the winter temperature in their apartment.

Ah well. All the more incentive to get to work on my writing so I can sell lots and hopefully make enough money to one day own my own home again, right?

 

[Sólveig]

Ah well. All the more incentive to get to work on my writing so I can sell lots and hopefully make enough money to one day own my own home again, right?

I don't know why I pictured all authors from Dime Mystery and Weird Tales smiling after I read this.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

You'd think the landlord would be keen to have them all optional so you could actually reduce the heating costs...

But yeah: If I could turn off all of the rads in my unit, that would likely force the boiler to work hard enough to heat my hallway that the upstairs apartment would actually end up hotter than mine. And then maybe we could turn down the thermostat.

But it is what it is. I slept great last night, as I've said. And my desk area is comfortable enough now. (I have to wear thin pants, a tank top, and bare feet to be comfortable just sitting still at my desk. Which adds to the time it takes me to get ready to go outside/get undressed again when returning from being outside. But it's doable.) The dance hall, unfortunately, doesn't have any windows that open. But I can moderate the temperature in there by leaving my front door open. (The front door has a screen door with a window that opens onto a covered front porch. So I don't need to worry about snow or rain blowing inside. Even during our wildest weather that window stays dry.)

 

[JCU]

We used to have a problem the opposite of yours. When my brother lived with us, he set up the basement as an office/living area. It was constantly cold, and if he turned up the heat there, it became sweltering on the ground floor, never mind the first. (23-25C; for reference, this was with Liam and we kept the ground floor at 20C with additional cold breezes from the back room) He ended up using heaters down there that only just cut the chill and complained a lot Since it meant he slept comfortably, it wasn't too bad.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

We used to have a problem the opposite of yours. When my brother lived with us, he set up the basement as an office/living area. It was constantly cold, and if he turned up the heat there, it became sweltering on the ground floor, never mind the first. (23-25C; for reference, this was with Liam and we kept the ground floor at 20C with additional cold breezes from the back room) He ended up using heaters down there that only just cut the chill and complained a lot Since it meant he slept comfortably, it wasn't too bad.

The problem with expecting my upstairs neighbours to use space heaters (which I think they have been doing, even though it isn't fair to them) is that heat is contractually included in our rent, but electricity is not. The landlord has a legal responsibility to pay to heat their apartment to 20C. But if they need to use space heaters to get it there, they end up paying twice for their heat (once through their rent, then again through their electricity bill, which they pay themselves directly).

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 19:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge: Day 9
"Quiet Room" yoga routine:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge: Day 7
1-Minute Plank Challenge: Day 9
1-Minute Yoga Challenge: Day 9
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): Day 9

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups):
Better Arms:
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs):
Power Grip:
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*:

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Rain day. I did my standing balance flow instead.

This is the flow:

which I do to this song:

I was not able to float my sugarcanes at all. Couldn't even really float the half moons. I definitely need to work on this more!

Evening Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge: Day 6
Squat Hero Challenge: Day 5
Iron Core Challenge: Day 6
Glutes of Steel Challenge: Day 6
Daily Gratitude Challenge: Day 6

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 8.9 km

Writing:
nope
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 145,802
story-a-week challenge: 44 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 44 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 1/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 72
Consecutive days of French study: 1464
Consecutive days of following Gaming Rules: 5
Consecutive days of SOOT: 5
Consecutive days of GBOT: 5

Move-in progress:
Dug out all of the cables to hook up my DVD player. Discovered that the only speakers I have won't accept the only outputs my DVD player can provide. So then I dug out the external disk drive I have for my Surface Pro. So far it is doing a fine job of playing the first DVD I have tried in it. (One I borrowed from my public library. I often have difficulty getting library disks to play, because they end up scratched. So I'm encouraged by the drive handling this one. It likely bodes well for my ability to play my own, kept-in-pristine-condition, disks.)

I also located all of my hair dye supplies. A friend had packed them all into a tote for me, and dutifully labelled it as containing hair dye, because I had told her I would need to be able to find them after my move. And then when I was unpacking things, I unpacked the tote my friend had so carefully labelled, and then shoved everything willy-nilly into different closets to get them out of the way for my party. And the hair dye, being in three different smaller boxes, got split up and lost. Anyhow... I was pretty sure I had run out of the yellow colours, and these are difficult to find in stores. I do my colours fresh for Boreal concerts, the next one of which will be on December 15. So if I need to mail-order any supplies, that has to happen soon. And well, it turns out I am out of the yellows, and the drug stores here don't stock those colours. There are a couple of other places I can try calling. But most likely I'm going to need to mail order. So it's good that I figured this out without any further delay!

I also finally located my comb! (Actually 5 combs--three of which I had forgotten I even owned--and a hair pick.)
I also located a few other useful items that had been packed in strange places. Slowly but surely I am getting things sorted here!

 

[Syrius]

The music is lovely!! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Nice balance routine, I remember doing it!

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 20:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge: Day 10
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): Day 10
"Quiet Room" yoga routine:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge: Day 8
1-Minute Plank Challenge: Day 10
1-Minute Yoga Challenge: Day 10

Only the water and the meditation were actually done in the morning. The rest I did with my evening workout.

Boreal's brand new album dropped on Bandcamp this week. So my morning movement this day was a Winterbirds dance party. (Broke out my dance ribbons even. I only need to be a little bit careful not to get them tangled in the blades of the ceiling fan in my dance hall.)

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Day 14
Better Arms: Day 14
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 14
Power Grip: Day 14
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 14

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Another wet and gloomy morning. The sun finally came out mid-afternoon, however. So Shelby and I made the trip up to the park with the fitness equipment. If we'd not done the extra loop at the north end of that route we might have made it back home dry. But Shelby is convinced the extra is a normal part of that walk now. So we had to do it. The sky darkened again on our way home, and the rain started up when we had ~ 2km still to go. Light at first, but then it bucketed down. We arrived home thoroughly soaked. But we had a lovely walk before the rain hit. And Shelby met up with her Australian Cattle Dog friend again on the northern part of the trail. So it was all worth it.

Evening Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge: Day 7
Squat Hero Challenge: Day 6
Iron Core Challenge: Day 7
Glutes of Steel Challenge: Day 7
Standing Balance Flow:
Daily Gratitude Challenge: Day 7

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 12.2 km

Writing:
nope
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 145,802
story-a-week challenge: 44 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 44 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 1/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 73
Consecutive days of French study: 1465
Consecutive days of following Gaming Rules: 6
Consecutive days of SOOT: 6
Consecutive days of GBOT: 6

Move-in progress:
Nothing this day.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 21:

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge: Day 11
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): Day 11
"Quiet Room" yoga routine:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge: Day 9
1-Minute Plank Challenge: Day 11
1-Minute Yoga Challenge: Day 11

Done in the evening again.

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Day 15
Better Arms: Day 15
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Day 15
Power Grip: Day 15
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Day 15

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Half way through these challenges. But meteorologists think I've only got one week left of above freezing temperatures (and a couple of those days might only crest the zero line briefly). I'm going to need to find some grippy gloves if I'm to get through these, I think.

Evening Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge: Day 8
Squat Hero Challenge: Day 7
Iron Core Challenge: Day 8
Glutes of Steel Challenge: Day 8
Standing Balance Flow:
Daily Gratitude Challenge: Day 8

I'm still not able to float the sugarcanes. But I did successfully float half moon on both sides this day. Also: I forgot to mention this previously, but I have successfully stuck the landing on the jump back to crocodile (aka: four-limbed staff pose/chaturanga dandasana) every time I have done this routine this week. Evidence that my core conditioning, at least, is in good shape, and arms are not too shabby.

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 9 km

We saw Shelby's friend BamBam (a small-breed senior who is mostly blind and deaf these days but still ambles along fine on his walks) this day, out with both of his humans. So we walked with them for a bit. (BamBam greets Shelby politely and then pokes around doing his own thing, mostly ignoring her. Which is how Shelby thinks dogs should behave. So it works out well.) Then we went to our local conservation area. Saw a few mallards and juncos and one hoodie. Heard a bluejay and a couple of woodpeckers. Otherwise it was fairly quiet. It was nice and calm and peaceful back there.

Writing:
some low-hanging fruit: reading about writing
thought about this week's short story too, but didn't put down any actual words on it
new fiction words: 0
fiction YTD: 145,802
story-a-week challenge: 44 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 44 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 2/5

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 74
Consecutive days of French study: 1466
Consecutive days of following Gaming Rules: 7
Consecutive days of SOOT: 7
Consecutive days of GBOT: 7

Move-in progress:
Nothing this day.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 22:

Another rainy day. It didn't bucket down. But it was cold and dark and drizzly all day.
I stayed inside most of the day and ate too many carbs. (Went to the local bakery to buy a pastry, because of the whole urge to fatten up for winter hibernation thing. Bought two because Saturday was predicted to be rainy too. But I ate both of them Friday night.)

Work and working out was also plagued by my feelings about the weather.
I did first thing water and gratitude, but skipped all of my regular workouts and just did my Quiet Room yoga routine.
French was playing Wingspan.
Writing was Secret Santa stuff.
Mileage was a grand total of 4km: 2 short walks with Shelby, plus going to the bakery and grocery store.
I at least made SOOT and GBOT.
I also sourced and ordered the yellow hair dye I need to freshen up my rainbow.

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 75
Consecutive days of French study: 1467
Consecutive days of following Gaming Rules: 8
Consecutive days of SOOT: 8
Consecutive days of GBOT: 8

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 23:

Another rain day. I at least got my Morning and Evening Routines done, but had to skip Le Plat Principal again.

I've been discussing pull-up bars with @Matan . I cannot use the kind that hangs over a door frame here because all of my doorways have fancy architraves that are both taller and thicker than the modern standard door frame pull-up bars are designed for. The bar I have won't fit over them. Matan suggested the kind of bar that hangs inside a doorway. I think this would force me to do relatively narrow-grip work. But it would enable me to continue to do pulling work year-round and not lose my gains over the winter. But would my 110-year-old wooden doorway frames stand up to supporting a tension-mounted pull-up bar? Does anyone have experience with this type of bar?

The other option is to bite the bullet and purchase a free-standing pull-up station. This one looks like I would also be able to use it for body rows (parallel grip ones, at least--I don't know how that mid-height horizontal bar would do for pulling on), and it's on sale this week. (The tension-mounted bar can be put at any height, so also works for body rows. But I'd need to reposition it every time I switched between hangs/pull-ups and rows. Which takes a bit of time and potentially would wear the equipment down faster. Whereas the free-standing unit gives me both options without needing to adjust anything.) Do any of you lovely Bees have experience with free-standing home units. Are they stable enough?

Other things to note:

• Obviously neither option is safe for kipping. Which is fine.
• I weigh ~ 65kg so am well within the stated weight tolerance for all of the products.
• I have hardwood floors.
• Wall-mounted bars are not an option for me as I live in rental housing. (The walls here already have huge gaping screw holes in them that the landlord didn't even bother to try to repair before I took possession of the unit. So likely I could get away with mounting things on my walls. But if the landlord found out he would give me grief. And I don't want the grief.)

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge: Day 12
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): Day 12
"Quiet Room" yoga routine:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge: Day 10
1-Minute Plank Challenge: Day 12
1-Minute Yoga Challenge: Day 12

Done in the evening again.

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups):
Better Arms:
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs):
Power Grip:
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*:

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Skipped today due to rain.

Evening Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge: Day 9
Squat Hero Challenge: Day 8
Iron Core Challenge: Day 9
Glutes of Steel Challenge: Day 9
Standing Balance Flow:
Daily Gratitude Challenge: Day 9

Mileage:
running:
hiking: 4.2 km (rain and drizzle most of the day--we only got in short walks around the neighbourhood)

Writing:
worked on my short story for the week, but hand-written
new fiction words: ?
fiction YTD: 145,802 + ?
story-a-week challenge: 44 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 44 of 54 completed
writing days this week: 4/5

Did my writing for the day after SOOT. So it was hand-written. I will update my numbers after today.

French:
Fluenz

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 76
Consecutive days of French study: 1468
Consecutive days of following Gaming Rules: 9
Consecutive days of SOOT: 9
Consecutive days of GBOT: 9

Move-in progress:
Nothing this day.

 

[JohnStrong]

Do any of you lovely Bees have experience with free-standing home units. Are they stable enough?

I owned something similar to the link below. Bought used for cheap. No problems, worked great. Did plenty of negatives and performed my first pull-ups on it.

https://a.co/d/fRrdqBu

Yes, the door frame ones are risky for damage, no matter what manufacturers or reviewers say.

 

[Mamatigerj]

Went to the local bakery to buy a pastry, because of the whole urge to fatten up for winter hibernation thing. Bought two because Saturday was predicted to be rainy too. But I ate both of them Friday night.

Alas, I can relate to this all too well!

 

[TopNotch]

I have a free-standing pull-up bar/squat rack (currently disassembled in the shed, but hey, we're getting there!). I found it could get a little unstable when doing things on the diagonal, but knowing that, so long as I'm not too vigorous, there's really no problem. Just something to be aware of.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Dear Santa,

I hope you are keeping well and are feeling rested and ready for your upcoming travels.

I tried to be a good girl again this year, Santa. But once again I was hit with an extremely stressful start to my year. There were a lot of weeks in there when the only real exercise I got in was taking long walks with my friend Shelby. Then there were all the days of hauling furniture and boxes and crates--because we had to move house! (You have updated your address book, right Santa?) But the good news is that Shelby and I were finally able to secure a home of our own, and we are now all settled in. Our new apartment has pretty small rooms. But we do have one room with no furniture in it (our "Dance Hall") so we have space in that room to dance, practise yoga asana, and do other workout activities.

My main workout loves are still running, dancing, flow styles of yoga, and nature hikes with Shelby.
On the DAREBEE front, I am currently working through the following Challenges:

• First Thing Water
• 1-Minute Meditation (modified to five minutes)
• 1-Minute Cardio
• 1-Minute Plank
• 1-Minute Yoga
• Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups)
• Better Arms
• Flex Hang (modified to active hangs)
• Power Grip
• 1000 Calf Raises (modified to do one-legged calf raises, and do all the reps on both sides)
• Daily Kicks
• Squat Hero
• Iron Core
• Glutes of Steel
• Daily Gratitude

As you can see, I like to mix things up a bit! All of the above Challenges I should hopefully have finished before your gift arrives. (If you decide I am worthy of a nice gift this year Santa, and not just a lump of coal.) But First Thing Water, Meditation, and Gratitude are practices I will be continuing to do daily going forward, the Flex Hang Challenge I hope to repeat, doing flex arm hangs the next time, and Push & Pull I will also repeat, doing assisted pull-ups next time.

My exercise equipment includes:

• Swiss ball (stability ball)
• yoga mats
• yoga blocks (cork & foam)
• yoga wheel
• resistance bands
• hand weights (3lb. and 8lb. dumbbells)
• dance ribbons and scarves (including a coin hip scarf)

(Okay. The ribbons and scarves don't really add to the intensity of a workout. But they are fun to use!)

Also: I have bought myself a Solstice gift this year, which is a free-standing pull-up bar! (Thank you to @Matan @JohnStrong and @TopNotch for your inputs which helped me to make that decision.) It should arrive within a couple of weeks and give me the ability to practise assisted pull-ups, negative pull-ups, hangs, tricep dips, hanging leg-lifts, and body rows year-round!

I guess that's all you need to know about me this year. I am healthy and don't have any injuries to worry about at present (knock on wood!) and I like to do a lot of different things to stay active, strong, and healthy. I am certain whatever gift you decide to give me will be awesome!

Sincerely,

Laura Rainbow Dragon

P.S.: My new favourite snack is Breakfast Chickpea Blondies with added peanuts and dark chocolate chips. Would you like me to leave a plate out for you and the reindeer to sample when you stop by for your visit? They are very yummy, and healthy too!

 

[GentleOx]

For doing your best, and surmounting challenge after challenge, Santa had better be kind to you.

And those blondies look absolutely dee-lish!

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

And they are gluten-free... I should try them before Christmas so that I have a surprise in store for the family.

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

For doing your best, and surmounting challenge after challenge, Santa had better be kind to you.

Well, Sometimes Santa has to be cruel to be kind. (I have some pretty lofty strength-training goals. And December is my prep month for my Birthday Workout, which will be 54 for 54 next time around. So I'm not opposed to a bit of hard work.) I'm pretty sure I'm getting more than a lump of coal though!

 

[FlowersandPetals]

Those Blondies look so good. I’m gonna have to try this recipe

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Whelp! I lost my SOOT and GBOT streaks. And then because GBOT was trashed anyway, I decided to completely blow it up by playing Wingspan. All night long. So my Gaming Rules streak is shot too.

Trying to follow SOOT and GBOT is beneficial to me. But adhering to it 100% of the time is not realistic. And trying to build a streak isn't helping me because, when I inevitably do lose it, I have a tendency to convince myself that, since my streak is lost anyhow, I might as well take advantage of the situation and get my stay-up-all-night impulses out of my system. This last part is the problem. It would have been a far, far better thing if I'd gone to bed at 11:30 last night as opposed to when I did go to bed at 8:30 this morning.

Consequently, I am abandoning streak-tracking for these three metrics and will instead work with a cumulative points system.

For SOOT:

• screens off by 9PM is worth 3 points
• screens off by 9:30 PM is worth 2 points
• screens off by 10PM is worth 1 point
• every half hour that I'm still staring at my screen after 10PM docks me 1 point (i.e.: screens off after 10PM but before 10:30 = -1 point, screens off after 10:30 but before 11PM = -2 points, etc.)

For GBOT*:

• in bed by 10PM is worth 3 points
• in bed by 10:30 PM is worth 2 points
• in bed by 11PM is worth 1 point
• every half hour that I'm still up after 11PM docks me 1 point

* For GBOT I am not requiring lights out by the specified time. I am allowed to read in bed, including using an e-reader (they have night-time light settings), including reading French books to maintain my French language study streak, and including reading writing craft books. Reading in bed after my GBOT target times does not affect my GBOT score. (Reading in bed makes me sleepy and will help me to fall asleep faster than just lying there trying to sleep when I'm not tired.) I am not allowed to do my writing work in bed. (Taking brief notes on ideas I want to work on the next day, and/or writing up a to-do list is fine. Purposely staying up for an hour because I was scheduled to write for an hour that day and did not, is not.) Gaming in bed after 11PM is never okay and always results in a points deduction for both GBOT and GR.

For GR:

• any day I don't game solo at all is an automatic 3 points, (regardless of whether or not I made SOOT and/or GBOT that day)
• if I did game solo, my GR score will be the same as my GBOT score

Let's see how this goes!

Scoring starts tonight. So in the interest of actually netting myself a few early points: more tomorrow.

 

[NancyTree]

A scoring system sounds nice, hopefully it'll serve you better

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

Thank you @NancyTree .

I got off to a good start yesterday with 3 points for each metric.

Fun fact about my new apartment: The floor in the Dance Hall squeaks. Every time I walk through the Dance Hall (which is many times a day, every day--my study is a sun room that is only accessible via the Dance Hall) I hear a short squeak. It sounds like the sort of alarm beep electronic devices give off to warn you their battery is running low. For two and a half months I had a lot of unpacked totes in my Dance Hall, and I thought I must have something in one of the totes that was making the noise. But then I went through all of the totes, cataloguing what is in each. I found mostly kitchen stuff. Nothing that should be making noise. And I moved the totes into my guest bedroom. Still there remains a squeaky beep in my Dance Hall. Now that the space is wide open, and I've been dancing and doing my workouts in there, I've discovered it's actually the floor that's making noises when I step on it in certain locations. Could this be a new type of musical instrument that one plays by dancing on it?

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

November 24-29:

Doing a catch-up post, since it's been almost a week.

Morning Routine:
First Thing Water Challenge: Days 13-16
1-Minute Meditation Challenge (modified to 5 min/day): Days 13-6
"Quiet Room" yoga routine:
1-Minute Cardio Challenge: Days 12-14 & Day 30 (skipped ahead to help catch some turkeys)
1-Minute Plank Challenge: Days 13-16
1-Minute Yoga Challenge: Days 13-16

Le Plat Principal:
Push & Pull (modified to body rows in place of pull-ups): Days 16-19
Better Arms: Days 16-19
Flex Hang (modified to active hangs): Days 16-19
Power Grip: Days 16-19
2000 One-Legged Calf Raises*: Days 16-19

* I'm repeating this challenge doing one-legged calf raises now. For rep days I will complete the set # of reps on each leg. For hold days I will do 3 x 30 seconds on each leg.

Le Plat Principal is on hold now until I get my home pull-up station. It is too cold now to do anything outside other than steady state cardio (hiking, running, and dancing). No more outdoor interval training for me until the spring. I contemplated splitting these challenges up, and continuing on with Better Arms, Power Grip, and one-legged Calf Raises, since I can do tricep dips on my yoga blocks, and I don't need equipment for the other exercises in these three Challenges. But now Amazon is saying my pull-up station will arrive today. So (assuming it's not a bad shipment, and everything arrives today I need to get the station set up) I should be able to get back to Push & Pull and Flex Hang by tomorrow anyhow. So I will leave these together as a block.

Evening Routine:
Daily Kicks Challenge: Day 10
Squat Hero Challenge: Day 9
Iron Core Challenge: Day 10
Glutes of Steel Challenge: Day 10
Standing Balance Flow:
Dancing: (gotta get ready for Boreal's concert in 2 weeks!)
Daily Gratitude Challenge: Day 10 (did every day, but I'm only counting it for the Challenge when I do my other evening Challenges)

I need to get a move on to finish these before the Secret Santa gifts drop!

Mileage:
running: - I need to get back out there! I have cold weather running gear. But it's hard to start up running in the cold when one is not acclimatized to it.
hiking: 46.3 km - low for 6 days' worth. It's been cold and on some days rainy. But the messed up sleep schedule didn't help any either.

Writing:
last week's short story, plus Secret Santa stuff
new fiction words: 2324
fiction YTD: 145,802 + ? (still have some hand-written stuff to type up)
story-a-week challenge: 45 of 52 completed
54 stories in my 54th year challenge: 45 of 54 completed
writing days last week: 5/5 (but included some low-hanging fruit days)
writing days this week: 5/5

Nice to have hit 5 days out of 5 already for this week, with still two days left to go. It's been all Secret Santa stuff this week thus far though. Which technically qualifies. I'm allowed to count my Secret Santa story as my challenge story for this week. On the other hand, there are only 44 days left until my 54th birthday, and I still have the two extra stories to squeeze in to make it to 54 stories in my 54th year.

Next weekend I'm hoping to host a dinner party. The weekend after is Boreal's concert in London, and I may have a house guest here for that. And the following weekend I want to do something fun to celebrate the solstice. So time is running short. I need to get a move on!

French:
Did something every day, either Fluenz or reading.

Scheduling Habits:
GOBOT
SOOT
GBOT

Cumulative Habit Scores:
Gaming Rules: 3
SOOT: 3
GBOT: 3

Streaks:
Consecutive days of working out: 82
Consecutive days of French study: 1474

 

[VacTom]

Could this be a new type of musical instrument that one plays by dancing on it?

I guess you have nightingale floor in the dance hall?

 

[Laura Rainbow Dragon]

I guess you have nightingale floor in the dance hall?

Yup! That is what is happening. It's not every spot in the floor. But there are several noise-making spots.

 

[Matan]

Ugh... Squeaky floors... So annoying...