Waterscape

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
@NancyTree @MadamMeow @Fremen @Laura Rainbow Dragon Thank you all so much!

October 31: Foundation Light (FL) day 1, level 1
November 2: FL day 2, level 2
November 3: FL day 3, level 1 (stepping back still hurts, dang it. Gonna have to talk to the physical therapist about that)
November 6: FL day 4, level 2
November 9: FL day 5, level 1

"Female lobster - very greedy.
Small male lobster - eats so speedy.
Big male lobster - eats real slows.
That's how feeding tank 2 goes."
-Lobster Tank, original poem by AquaMarie, brought to you by: boredom at work :happy:
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
November 10: FL day 6, level 3
November 12: FL day 7, level 1
November 14: FL day 8, level 1
November 16: FL day 9, level 1

Currently reading: How to Winter - Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days by Dr. Kari Leibowitz.
It's really interesting! It's absolutely not about seasonal affective disorder (the author goes on a bit of a rant about that in the second chapter :chuckle:), but the information she presents can be used to help those that do have SAD. Most of the techniques (so far, I'm only about 1/3 of the way through) are cognitive behavioral therapy techniques that I've been introduced to for my anxiety, but geared to changing one's mindset specifically about the season. I picked the book up because I'm interested in bringing more seasonality into my life, and the author talks about attitudes and traditions of winter worldwide, which is fascinating. And because I really don't like the chill and grey in winter. Honestly I'd be happy to just stay in bed under the blankets for three months :scroll:.
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
November 18: FL day 10, level 2
November 20: FL day 11, level 1

November 24: FL day 12, level 3
November 25: FL day, 13, level 3
November 26: FL day 14, level 1
November 30: FL day 15, level 1

Speaking of winter: I finally got chilled enough yesterday to turn the HVAC from air conditioning to heating. It, uh, set off the fire alarms :shoked:. They only went off for about five seconds (burning dust doesn't create much smoke, I guess), but given it was 6:00 AM on a Saturday, I felt bad for the neighbors. :tap:

This morning when I was getting ready for work I heard the next door neighbors' fire alarms go off for a few seconds, and when I went downstairs to my car I heard the downstairs neighbors' fire alarms. I guess I wasn't the only one to get cold this weekend! :glee:
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
December 1: Foundation Light day 16, level 2

December 8: FL day 17, level 2
December 10: FL day 18, level 1
December 13: FL day 19, level 2
December 14: 200 push-ups (100 incline and 100 wall) for my hot cocoa on the DareTree!

December 17: 52 side jacks (snowfight)
December 18: 234 side jacks (SnowFight)
December 19: 302 side jacks (SNOWFIGHT!!!)
December 20: FL day 20, level 1
December 21: FL day 21, level 1

If I finish Foundation Light before New Years, I'll make my year goal of 3 challenges and 3 programs in 2024. Hopefully I'll remember that I need to do a workout everyday to finish that program in time, or else I'll have to double-up on days :curlz:.

If I do make it, I'm going to buy the video game Celeste as a reward. I checked it out of the library a few weeks ago. Even though I finished the main story and turned the game back in, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I kinda want to go back and unlock all the secrets and alternate level soundtracks, even though I know it'll drive me nuts :smash: It was hard! (Platformers are very frustrating for me, and I have a low tolerance for frustration, lol) But it was so much fun, and the music was fantastic!
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
@Laura Rainbow Dragon Thank you!

December 22: FL day 22, level 2
December 23: FL day 23, level 1
December 24: FL day 24, level 1
December 26: FL day 25, level 1
December 28: FL day 26 and day 27 (both level 1)

December 29: FL day 28 and 29 (both level 1)
December 30: FL day 30, level 1


:fireworks::completed::fireworks:

And that is Foundation Light done, just in under the wire! That's three Programs and three Challenges complete this year, too, which means I get my reward for reaching my 2024 yearly goal. :yas:


Given how close it was this year, I think I'll stay with the same goal for 2025. I missed it in 2023, and just barely reached it this year, so I think it's still a good level for me. Now I just have to decide what I want my first program of the year to be... :ohyes:

Happy New Year, Bees!
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
@Fremen @FlowersandPetals @Laura Rainbow Dragon @Mamatigerj @MadamMeow @NancyTree Thank you everyone! My reward for finishing Foundation Light will be the a copy of the video game Celeste, and my reward for reaching my 2024 fitness goal is my very own copy of The Good Place - The Complete Series. I've checked it out so many times from the library, I figured I might as well get my own:chuckle: .

Speaking of year goals! I completed 3 of my 5 goals for 2024 :yas:. I reached my reading, fitness, and financial goals; but fell a little short (okay, a lot short) on my crafting and just barely missed my community involvement goal. Here is what I'm aiming for in 2025:

1) Read 285 books, 55 of them non-fiction. According to Goodreads, I've exceeded my goal for the past three years, so it's time to step it up!
2) Complete 3 Darebee programs and 3 Darebee Challenges. I barely squeaked that in last year, so it's still a good challenge for me.
3) Have 15 no-spending days a month. This is a step up from last year, too, since I was consistently hitting over my target in 2024. I have way too much stuff; I really want to use and appreciate what I have already (or donate it if I don't like it - but I gotta use it first to figure that out, right?) instead of constantly buying more.
4) Complete 320 minutes of crafting a month. This is the exact same goal (that I've missed) in the past two years, but tracked by month rather than week or day. I'm hoping that the longer time frame will let me work on my crafting at a more natural pace for me (i.e. hours of work on one day and then not touching it for a week :tears:) without getting so discouraged about how many days/weeks I'm 'failing' and just giving up on it.
5) Visit and support my local Farmer's Market and the Friends of the Library once a month. Both groups do a lot of good work in our community, and I really enjoy participating in both. I figured this year it would be good to give them some love.

Alright, now that it's in writing, I'm on the hook for them :shiver: :LOL:. And to get a head start on the fitness goal, I will be starting the Soma 40+ program today after work. I'll let y'all know how it goes!

Happy New Year, Bees!
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
@Mamatigerj Thank you!

January 3: Soma 40+ day 1
January 4: Soma 40+ day 2

Well, unless otherwise indicated, everything's on level 1 for this one :dead:. Quite a bit more intense than Foundation Light :tears:! Which, yes, I knew it would be. I'll have to modify a few things to accommodate my ankle (step and side jacks for jumping jacks, and no weights for calf raises, for example), but these first two days felt really good. I think I can do this! :yes:
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
January 5-27: Soma 40+ day 3-12

Oooof, it's been a month. Some really awful travel, some really awful weather (I had to travel IN the weather, too! :cry:), and my physical body is most assuredly Not Happy about how much emotional/mental stress I've been under. Here's hoping February will be easier! Discount Chocolate Day is something to look forward to, anyway. :ohyes: :noming:

Have a good one, Bees!:flowerkitty:
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
February 2: Soma 40+ day 15
February 4: Soma 40+ day 16
February 6: Soma 40+ day 17
February 8: Soma 40+ day 18

February 9: Soma 40+ day 19
February 11: Soma 40+ day 20
February 13: Soma 40+ day 21
February 15: Soma 40+ day 22

My friend and I have been watching Delicious in Dungeon (and I have been reading the manga, because I like books :LOL: ). It's a D&D dungeon adventure story, and a story about cooking, with a bit of ecology and sociology thrown in. It's a really fun (it gets really intense closer to the end of the series!), and we're both enjoying trying to figure out what kind of real-world equivalent some of the recipes are. If they ever put out an official cookbook based on the series, I am ABSOLUTELY buying it.
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
February 16: Soma 40+ day 23
February 18: Soma 40+ day 24
February 20: Soma 40+ day 25
February 22: Soma 40+ day 26

Speaking of official tie-in cookbooks: The Official Horizon Cookbook! Oh my gosh, I was so excited to see this one in my bookstore! The Horizon series (Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West) are, hands down, my favorite sci-fi video games. The world-building, the characters, the voice acting, the gameplay is all just so so good.

And the cookbook, y'all. :whaa: Like, the tie-in story that pulls all the recipes together is really adorable and fits so well with the games. The recipes are AMAZING. Like, the authors took what was in the games and really thought about how they would make that in-world. Like, no convection ovens in the game, so all the baked goods are made in Dutch ovens (which bake the same way in a convection oven or buried in hot coals, as I understand it). And the health potion, which is made with wild meat in-game? It's made with bone broth in the cookbook. :shoked: Yeah, I dunno about that one.

The Sparkale sounds good though - the base is a ginger-infused lemonade!
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
February 23: Soma 40+ day 27
February 25: Soma 40+ day 28
February 27: Soma 40+ day 29
February 28: Soma 40+ day 30

Yay, I finished it by the end of February! :hop:That's 1 out of 3 programs this year done. Progress! :yas:

Next up: The Minor challenge! Let's see how many gems I can find :plot:

Have a great one, Bees!
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
@WSMC1 @Laura Rainbow Dragon @Fremen @Mamatigerj @NancyTree Thank you all so much.

March 1-March 22: Miner challenge days 1-22, with 15 push-ups each day

It's been a rough few weeks. Worry, then travel, then grief, then paperwork, and then more travel. Well, the grief hasn't stopped, (I know it won't for a while) but at least I'm home now. I was really homesick on top of it all those last few days. It's so good to have MY bed and MY cooking and MY cat to care for again! :pet:

Somehow, in the midst of the whole horrible situation, I found a morning routine that let me get my workout and my physical therapy in every day. Honestly, I think that's what helped me be as composed as I was during everything, and I've definitely noticed some increased strength and decreased pain. Hopefully I can tweak the routine just a bit (to accommodate getting ready for work) and keep it going every day for a while longer.

Have a good one, Bees!
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
March 23-March 30: Miner Challenge days 23-30, with 15 push-ups each day:completed:

Final dig count:
dirt x 44 :vsad:
worm x 3 :shiver:
skeleton x 4 (I've always wanted my own skeleton army...though I guess this is more of a skeleton squad:glee:)
topaz x 8:pose:
emerald x 5:fantastic:
ruby x 8:plot:
amethyst x 7:nod:
diamond x 6:wand:

My reward: a three-month subscription to Stickii sticker club!

Next up: Ironheart program. I'll start with 5 lb. weights for upper body days and no weight for lower body days and see how the ankle does for a week. I'll add weights to lower body days if it holds up.

Have a great one, Bees!
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
@NancyTree @Fremen @Mamatigerj Thank you all!

March 31-April 6: Ironheart program days 1-7

My cat is a very attentive workout buddy - I suspect she thinks I'm talking to her when I count reps, and she likes to sit and 'help' by watching whatever I'm doing. She was so confused on day 3! The raised arm circles caught her attention, because she loves anything that moves in circles - the ceiling fan, loading circles on my video games, her roller track ball (she doesn't play with it, mind you, she just likes to watch it go around when I pass by and flick it for her). Then when I switched to raised arm hold she just sat there with the most bewildered look on her face :shoked:. She could not understand why I stopped at first, I guess, then couldn't understand why I didn't start up again! :puurke:
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
April 7-April 12: Ironheart days 8-13

Workout track of the week: The Mummer's Dance by Loreena McKinnett

I've been "re-discovering" some of the music I listened to when I was in high school and college by checking out albums through my library app. Loreena McKinnett was one I listened to a lot - I still remembered the lyrics to this song! :happy:
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
April 13 - April 26: Ironheart days 14-26 (yep, I missed a day :vsad: had to go reset my streak)

After, uh, a reeeeeaaaal long time, I finished my current crochet project: a strawberry plant! Now I just need to decide if I want to focus on cross-stitch, sewing, or start a new crochet project :ohyes:

1000000661.jpg
 

AquaMarie

Well-known member
Paladin from Texas, USA
Pronouns: she/her
Posts: 260
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water."
@Maegaranthelas @princess_sarena @aku-chan @Mamatigerj @Antheia & Colossus Thank you all so much!

April 27 - April 30: Ironheart days 27-30 :completed:

Heck yeah, I finished Ironheart! :hop: That makes 2 programs (goal of 3) and 1 challenge (goal of 3) completed this year. And I think my reward for finishing a program is going to be Winnie-the-Pooh's Picnic Cookbook, to go with the Pooh's Teatime Cookbook and Pooh's Cookie Cookbook I already have. Though it'll have to be a used copy - a new copy goes for almost $100! :whaa:

Next up: the Standing Abs Challenge and the Walk & Run Challenge. I feel like I need a light cardio program, and I want to work on my abs a bit. Once I finished these two I'll have met my Challenges goal for the year!
 
Back
Top