Lurker > KujikawaRising

Step count yesterday was 13,200 - got plenty with going to Chicago and whatnot.

The concert was amazing. My mom tried to prevent me from enjoying it by injecting excessive paranoia into me - she was more concerned with me being watchful than actually watching the concert. Sucks that my mom is such a toxic person, but once I move out, I won't have much of a relationship with her anymore. Good riddance!

Anyway, I don't think anyone cares about this topic anymore so tbqh I'm probably just going to let it go. Oh wellz.
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https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Survivor last night. Still hate the swap. Also hated how that was the most predictable boot edit in quite a while. Even though it made no sense strategically, I knew going in that Alec was a toolbox, so it didn't need to make sense. Only the edit did. There was no storyline for Elizabeth to be the boot here - there's plenty going on with her. No way is she getting any lower than 14th. Natalia only had one existing storyline - the battle against Natalie to be the HBIC with the same first six letters in her name. And her overt paranoia, the way she was portrayed, all that... it was set up for her to take the fall. And she did. The Tribal was glorious and all but I'd have liked it better had the edit set up a blindside. It was too obvious who was going. Going to miss looking at that one, though.

No gaming last night because of Survivor. Didn't watch the baseball game, either - and I'm glad I didn't based on the results. I am hoping the Brewers can win the next two games and defeat the classless Dodgers (especially that Machado thug) in consecutive blowouts. Would be delicious.

The leftover food was still pretty good. Still been losing weight. Step count yesterday was 11,100, putting my total on the week to 41,200. Below where I'd like to be, but not by THAT much. I need to get at least 12,800 today. Definitely can do that. I'm already over halfway to that. I haven't weighed myself in a few days but it was pretty amazing given how much I'd eaten. My metabolism is crazy good now. I just need to keep walking through winter to keep that up. Which is the hard part. It's not easy to walk in residential areas, outdoor malls (I don't get why they went that route), or by my work when it's so frigid out. It's worst in residential areas where homeowners are too preoccupied with their jobs to have time or energy to get rid of the ice on their sidewalk. I can empathize.

Not much else to talk about. I only get like 3 hours a day to myself due to the work culture in this country, the need for exercise, and the amount of sleep required. I wish I had twice that...
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https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

So one thing that's worth noting - if I hadn't mentioned it is that, on Monday, I achieved a million steps in a span of three months. That counts yoga conversions, but still that's mighty damn impressive. It used to take me around four months. And when I first started this job, it took me eight. CRAZY how much progress I've made! I did only get 10,100 yesterday, but oh well. I still got five digits, did yoga, and am happy about that. That's not bad for October.

Slept better last night but because of that, it was hard getting up in the morning. I prefer that to not getting enough sleep. And frankly, I feel like going home early today. Might do that. For rest, for sanity, for increased productivity going forward. I haven't had a proper break in what seems like eons. Having a day to sleep in, drive to Chicago, eat Giordano's, see Phil Collins live, and get home after midnight... sounds really awesome. I wish I could take Tuesday off as well... at least I'll get an hour.

Gaming last night was just brief Xillia. Cooking:


That turned out brilliantly and deliciously. My mom wanted peas and/or carrots in there. I vetoed that. Would detract from this beauty. The bacon really adds a crispy, salty taste that you don't get from standard Asian grub. Basically, the ingredients for a two-person meal are:
1 bag of Uncle Ben's Minute Rice (I used Jasmine flavor)
2 strips of bacon
1/2 lb. cooked beef
6 sprigs of green onions, chopped
Soy sauce, to taste

I doubled it for 3 + leftovers. It was incredible. I cooked the bacon first, then put the beef in the same pan, drained the grease, then added the onions to mix. Rice went in the microwave. Then just toss it all in one bowl together. End result was delicious. Without the bacon, it'd have been boring.

Next up: Deep fried cookie dough. This weekend probably. I'll just use my homemade cookies for the base recipe. Bake a bunch of them, but save the rest for this.

Food is good.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Steps totaled 11,500 yesterday - 36,800 total on the week - AND I did yoga! That said, with that + going to dinner with my sister, that made me have little time and energy. And for some ridiculous reason, my body is rousing me an hour earlier than it should. I can't let this happen given how Daylight Wasting Time (winter time) is going to start in a month. Then I'll start waking up at 4:30 am. GROSS!

I like to sleep 10:45 to 6:45 or so. I am a night owl because that's when I usually have my "me time" and think about things. The way to get this back on track is to trick my mind (fall back early? ew.) while exhausting myself sufficiently, I think. Oh, and taking that melatonin pill. Helps me stay asleep.

if you can't tell, I wish we could save daylight year-round. It's preferable to go home in the light when you're exhausted than for it to be light in the morning and dark at night. We should get rid of the winter side, not the summer one - else I might actually accept this 5:30 wake-up call...

Not much else to discuss right now. Survivor tonight. May have a little time/energy to game after that. I'm not really doing that much RHAP anymore for some reason...

Sigh... this seasonal change is really starting to cause a rut for whatever reason. I'm healthier than this time last year. But even so, I might need a sick day tomorrow just to recuperate. However, I have a LOT of work to do - stuff that won't get done if I don't get necessary rest. Gotta refill the tank to get anywhere, right? Better to do that than waste a day staring blankly into space. At the very least, I cleared 80,000 documents yesterday! That's in under 4 years - should get another 4K in two months to make it 21,000/year average. That's amazing considering how pathetic my year 1 total was. My average across the previous three is probably closer to 24,000 - where it should be.

Not much else to discuss. Anyone have things to chat about?
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Weight Loss:
Yesterday's step total was absolutely ridiculous - and that was by choice. I WANTED to get something mindblowing, in part because I started craving pizza and I can't have any on a fasting day. So I went ahead and got 20,100 steps total, thus allowing me to break my fast for dinner ^_^

Still had a smoothie in addition to one slice of pizza and a little snacking. I didn't want to overdo it. The intent of this incentive is to not overeat - I have to eat at home if I get 20K or walk all the way there (when I move, the conditions will the unchanged, however I'll need at least 16K total steps if I go with the "walk home" method). End result is that my weight is down from a day before. I need to control my stomach size and I will do that via portion control. Even though I'm going out for Pad Thai with my sister and her husband tonight.

Gaming:
Just 15 minutes of Xillia last night. I am going to give the Coliseum a second try. With the high-level armor and ridiculous kill count I have on Leia's Devil's Arm - never mind being level 47 - I should be able to take Beginner Single with ease. First time didn't go well because the game immobilized me. Largely due to the stupid "don't fall off the ledge" rule.

Australian Survivor 2017:
Another episode last night, the last before the merge. Still a incredible season even in its lesser episodes. Glad Odette left. She seems like a smart and amicable woman, but... she does not have a toolset to be adaptable in Survivor. She is a floater to the highest degree and only sought to vote with majority every time and baa like a sheep. She did not try to be adept socially. Her strategy was terrible TV and poor gameplay. She is no Queen Sandra in that regard - the Queen used "as long as it ain't me" to wondrous effects because of her ability to socially navigate the game. Sandra adjusted based on happenstance while controlling the flow of the game to only the extent she needed to, thus avoiding the target for the long haul. Odette meanwhile just went with the flow, always being a free agent with no control. Thus, she was a sheep who was fed to the wolves when she was no longer needed. Therefore, she's one of the duds this season alongside first boot Joan and whoever that Kate lady was. They could've cast any female powerhouse equivalent to Ziggy in that spot, really. This episode was pretty straightforward, with its best part being the epic showdown in the immunity challenge.

One thing my dad and I noted here was the level of sportsmanship that this Aussie cast exhibited. There were hugs and respect after the challenge, even Henry! Odette took her blindside in stride instead of being like "WHAT THE EFF?" in bitter fashion like some US contestants can be. I'd think Aussies would only be like that if it's a brutal blindside that they had absolutely no idea was coming - that's the only time it's forgivable, and only short-term. Human nature and whatnot. But overall, the Aussie casts seem to have better sportsmanship and that's probably due to a more amicable culture than the openly hostile one we have here.

Song of the Day:
Because I am really into this local group.

Sunspot - The Only Faith
https://sunspot.bandcamp.com/track/the-only-faith

You guys should check them out. Good rock music that's made by geeks for geeks (they're all about 40 y/o). A lot of paranormal, Medieval, and sci-fi stuff (they recorded a tribute to Scott Bakula, whose agent paid them to play it at Bakula's 50th birthday on the USS Enterprise).
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

I got 5200 steps yesterday without leaving the house. Feels high and all, but I did walk around a lot. Would have gone out to do that but it was raining most of the day with varying severity. At times, there was this nasty amount of the light stuff. I can handle a drizzle, but if my vision is always misted... yeah, no. Supposed to be the same today. The heavy rain is the worst and if I ever see someone out running in that, I question their sanity. It's not healthy. Remember that William Henry Harrison died after being President for a month due to contracting pneumonia after giving a 8,947-word inauguration speech in the rain...

Gaming-wise, I mostly did Xian Du sidequesting in Xillia. A little more Sims as well. I am growing bored of Sims already once again. That tends to happen. I play for like 15 hours, get bored, come back a month or two later.

Life is boring right now. I largely blame my job for that. I also blame my envy that my boss is on vacation and I can't take any for two more months. The inability to take time off for an unreasonable amount of time (six months? Really? Should be three.) is having a dramatically negative impact on my workflow. It does not take rocket science to realize that overworking someone - and not even giving them a federal holiday like today off - will NOT produce more work. It will produce less due to fatigue, boredom, and misery. To make employees happy, you need to give them sufficient time for themselves. That's why people in first-world countries like Germany, Canada, and Australia tend to be happier than a second-world country (the undeveloping kind) like America. They get more work done in less time also because they're happier and less exhausted. I long to move to such a country.

Looking forward to the Phil Collins concert in two weeks. I have a plan to drive to O'Hare, get Giordano's there, and hop the L to the United Center. Anyone else seeing Phil this month?

Oh, and here's Something Happened on the Way to Heaven for ya:


I don't think I did that one yet, anyway! But yeah, going to that concert will necessitate one of my remaining 3.5 personal days. Black Friday will use another. I'll be leaving work an hour early for Lindsey Stirling but making up that time the other days that week. This leaves me with 1.5 personal days, one of which I'll use the week I move out along with three days' vacation since my prodation ends that same week. I'll have to come in to work one day - that'll be Tuesday, when I won't even have to do any work because of the holiday party. No cookies, though. I'll be moving out, after all. No time for baking when I'm packing.

I wish there was more going on with me!
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

12,600 steps yesterday, to make 54,800. I am apace. Already over 60K total on the week considering today, but I need more. As of now... this will likely be the twelfth week in a row. Over that time, I'll have shed nearly twenty pounds while maintaining a decent social life, a job, and enough free time to feel semi-satisfied (would like five more hours of that though).

This has been a good year overall. I've made and maintained friendships. I became a State government employee, increasing my hours. I'll have removed 20 pounds and kept it off (the goal for winter is to maintain my weight). I've done things the "old me" would not have been willing to do. I'll have gone to multiple concerts. I had my most fun convention ever. I fell in love with Tales of Xillia. I had a girl my type attracted to me for the first time. I'll have moved out. All of this is contributing to a more positive me. I just hope these last three months don't U-turn it all downward, y'know? Scary thought, but... just gotta keep going. Hopefully, this will end up as a top-tier year in my life.

Only gaming last night was a little Xillia. The game is starting to get quite dull. They really dropped the ball on the Grade Shop this time - it makes an already easy game even easier. I'm playing on Unknown, using base-level weapons and armor (well, I upgraded a few so they all have the same level as Leia's default staff), and I'm having no problems with anything. To be honest... I liked Vesperia's way of carrying over the Devil's Arms but without kill counts, so they'd start out basic but get stronger as the game went on.

Yeah, so not much going on that's decent to talk about. Still somewhat restricted socially by this obnoxious cough. And by Survivor. And by fatigue from work. Going to dinner with my dad tonight, so that's something. Going to make plans for a lot of things! Need to find some stable indoor events that 1) won't have more children than adults, 2) won't have alcohol, and 3) are something in which I an interested. Not as easy as it sounds. With winter coming, there's a lot less going on Downtown... the Homecoming Parade is in two weeks but uh I can't think of anything else. When Daylight Wasting (winter) Time starts... yeah, that's going to be rough!
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

I feel sick.

So... just quicks...

Sun: 2700
Mon: 16,2000
Tue: 11,800 + yoga
Wed: 14,000
Thu: 12,600
Total: 57,300

Need to get at least 10K today. Will get at least 8K as of now (at 6500 or so). Despite me feeling like crap, I think I can do this. Eleven straight weeks is crazy. I am hoping I can do that. I want to get to 20 so I can reward myself again. Weight is looking pretty great.

No gaming updates.
No Survivor updates.
No song today.
Just a lot of sleep.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

err why does it say 8 am? I meant 5 am >_>

But yeah, I only got like six hours of sleep. I usually get 7.5. It sucks. I was going for 8+ when I needed all that. And now I am tired, groggy, and am not getting much done. I'm also not noticing typos, apparently.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Survivor premiere night!! ...I wish I was actually excited, though. I don't think I've ever felt this level of apathy. Sigh...

Gaming:
Did not have time to game much last night. Only got in a boss fight and a few mooks in Xillia. The only thing to talk about is that while Ivar may be an idiot... he's got psychologically diagnosable issues. I sense anxiety issues and probably BPD. He feels abandoned by Milla and gets frantic over it, he idealizes Milla but devalues Jude due to delusions, he has a serious hero complex, he feels worthless every time Milla shuns him, he's extremely impulsive and gullible, his reactivity leads to a highly variable mood, he has intense anger he can't control, and because of it all, he probably has some sort of depression. BPD is a fitting, logical diagnosis.

Weight loss:
I hate my body sometimes. I went to bed at 10:30 and my body decided to be like "LOL" and wake me up before 8 am. Uh, hello? I was trying to get 8 hours of sleep. WHY did my body not allow me that? I got less than I have going to bed at 11. What the fuck? Makes no sense. I'll try this again tonight and hope my body doesn't decide to play more cruel tricks on me. I don't want even less if my body wakes me up in the middle of the night again. I'm not a morning person. Can I get a good night's rest when I need it? That was the entire point.

Yesterday was semi-successful in fasting. Due to my over-eating from Friday to Monday, I needed extra calories for dinner. Weighed myself this morning, however, and I didn't gain anything - so that's AWESOME news! Step counts:
Sunday: 2700
Monday: 16,200
Tuesday: 11,800 + yoga
Total: 30,700

Awesome progress. So long as I get 12,500 today, I'll be in a prime position. Remember, this is RAW steps - I can't very well accept under 70,000 I actually walked. I have that wedding on Saturday, too, so I won't be a slug for that. Will need to catch up on sleep, though, if my body is going to be mean to me. No idea why. Maybe eating more will help my sleep better...

Song of the Day:
Because tonight.

Russ Landau - Ancient Voices (Theme from "Survivor")


Phil tomorrow.
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https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

I really hate how the images stretch the page in IE11 on this site. When the hell am I going to get that Windows 10 upgrade? Why must my job say that IE11 is the "encouraged" browser to use? At least it's not IE9 anymore like it was until a couple years ago...

Also, looking at the Chocolate Baconstix makes me really, really hungry.

Gaming:
Just a little Xillia last night. I got Rowen's Arte Timing count to 450. Probably not going to play as him again for a while. Standing around casting spells gets dull. I'd rather be more aggressive and/or varied. That said, this is boring. They really dropped the ball with the New Game+ this time. I want to get Milla's story done with but I also want to Platinum this thing. Making great headway toward that, at least.

Weight loss:
Only 2700 steps yesterday, but I needed two slug days in a row to properly recover, both mentally and physically. Still puts me in a good position to get 70K again. If I get 12,500 for five days in a row, that's 62,500 - which is the intent.

Not fasting today - pushed that to tomorrow. My mom inadvertently tried to make it impossible by saying we were ordering pizza tomorrow, which I told her we were not doing. We have a commitment tonight. I got angry since she didn't tell me until yesterday, which would've been my second alternate fasting day. Sorry, I can't allow you to do that if you're not going to be accommodating. Tell me further in advance, please. If we were still doing pizza tomorrow, I'd cease losing weight entirely given how my stomach would be too big after gaining five pounds. I'd deem it not worth it, give up, and blame my mom. I can't afford that. Thus, it was downright cruel and abusive, even if unintentional. I already see my mom as toxic for trying to force me to be a cog in the machine against my will (classified as extreme emotional abuse) and spreading lies about me, so yeah. Moving out and only seeing her twice a month will be a very good thing.

Song of the Day:
I gotta do something that screams "AWW YEAH" so...

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock & Roll


...aww yeah!

Australian Survivor
Let's just say (Episode 13) Michelle is badass. She managed to convince Samatau that she was with them when she wasn't while convincing Ben to shoot himself in the foot. He said that he only had to appear more trustworthy than Michelle - a fool's errand since if you still look shady, they're just going to kill you next - and boy, did he fail. He admitted to his schemes when she called him out when he should have simply denied them. "I don't know where you got that idea from. You're just acting in desperation and I'm not going to succumb to your lies." Instead, he turned the two people who most wanted to keep him - Henry and Jarrad - against him. Because Michelle outright sold that she was going with the numbers while Ben showed he was scheming against the tribe, they kept her. It was by all means a Live Tribal - one Michelle took advantage of - and it was beautiful. Easily one of my favorite Tribals ever. Much like Malcolm's Caramoan idol bluff, it was wonderful to watch the vote change at Tribal. Only this time it didn't change back. And it's unclear what the intent was since not everyone was on the same page, which makes it even more fun. Ziggy flipped her vote on her own when Michelle exposed that Ben leaked her Super Idol info. Henry and Jarrad felt they were being told to by Locky. Anneliese probably did it by her own choice since she worked with Michelle at Asaga.

One of the best episodes of the season. And we're only half way home!
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

No gaming updates of significance. Random musings below.

Weight loss:
14,800 steps yesterday, so total is 57,000 even. Hoping to knock out 70,000 today - and that would get me a gold trophy of "Average 10,000 steps a day for 10 weeks."

Also I only had like 630 calories yesterday. My weight is hitting levels I haven't seen since 2011.

All this calls for celebration. One night only. I might gain a pound, but who cares? I need to reward myself. If I don't reward myself on occasion, how will I stay motivated through suffering? To lose weight, sometimes you have to gain some back, then re-lose it - just so you can continue leading a satisfying life. It's about sustenance. If you don't allow yourself a "cheat day" at least once a month, you're not going to keep it up. Today is that cheat day. It's also my half-birthday but nobody cares about half-birthdays so yeah xD

For the "celebration," I'm thinking Topperstix. MMMM! (I've posted about those before - particularly fond of the Chocolate Baconstix) Best part? They're BOGO through next Thursday!

Song of the Day:
Saw another great local band last night. This one might be more your guys' cup of tea.

Sunspot - Arthuriana


The show was a LOT of fun. Was worth the $10 for the CD + the show, too. Have to encourage them to continue, y'know?

All I did last night was stay for that show and walk around until the next bus came. And then this morning I got to stay at home a bit later and relax before getting a haircut. It'd been over two months which is crazy for me (I've had fast-growing hair for my entire life - yes, since birth, seeing as my first haircut was at something like 17 DAYS old!).

Got home, did some testing on my computer to see how I could get game windows to minimize (didn't take much) and created a family in Sims with the parents being an interracial marriage and having triplet daughters (Ariana, Aliviana, and Aliana - Aliana has self-esteem issues with her sexuality and an inferiority complex in comparison to her sisters, who are both athletes - one takes after their mother's art, the other is an aspiring guitarist) and an "accident" little boy. Didn't have time to build a house. That's really the stuff I love about Sims - creating characters, coming up with a story to them, and building and furnishing a house. I don't care as much for the "life simulation" thing. I have a real life to worry about. Often times, I just create a family, build a house, start acting out their story but quickly get bored because it's nothing like I come up with in my head. I then go to change someone's hair for a dumb reason, change my mind and stop midway, and then quit and play something else.

Yeah, I'm weird. I'm proud to be weird. I'm not Weird Al level weird, but I'm not a half-alien like he is so I'll take what I can get.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

No gaming.

Weight loss:
14000 steps yesterday. 1400 + 15300 + 11500 + 14000 = 42,200

The "step goal" feature on the thing I'm using through work is daily only. Daily step goals are stupid. Getting "10K a day" is bad because it doesn't allow your body a day of rest. There's a reason I do "70K a week" - that's the same amount of steps, but it lets me be a slug on Sundays. It's healthy to do that. The reason athletes hurt their legs so often (pulled hamstrings, torn ACLs, etc.) is because they're pushing themselves too damn hard. They need TWO days of rest a week to allow their body to compensate for their strenuous activity. Many of them don't realize that and pay for it. Me, I'm all about self-care. That's why I do the things I do, like taking Sundays to rest, using The Stick, getting a massage every 3-4 months, yoga, etc. The goal is to lose weight but not at expense of my well-being in other areas.

(Also, we didn't go to that family reunion thing, obviously - my mom was NOT interested)

Song of the Day:
A little different route today.

Boyz II Men - End of the Road


Australian Survivor
More maddening stuff incoming! Episode 12. Okay, so the bullshit that was the first "swap" when it was a surprise that Tara wasn't voted out of the game and then they voted a second time was bad enough, but it was the ultimate payoff that makes it abhorrently unfair. Tara and Anneliese poisoned the entire Asaga tribe against A.K. - to the point that when A.K. ended up with Tara and an Asaga majority, there was NOTHING he could do to save himself. A.K. was also right that Tara shouldn't have even been there - she got voted out of the game. The intent was to remove her entirely and that she wasn't is unfair. And because of that twist and that plus a bad swap, A.K. got voted out at no fault of his own.

And we have smug, narcissistic Tara agog about the entire thing, going so far to call it a "blindside" (it isn't - A.K. knew he was on the bottom and was fighting for his life). It's insulting to the game to have a waste of space like Tara outlast a strategically AND socially savvy player like A.K. , who did so many things right:
He was self-aware of his earlier poor play.
He picked up that Luke was playing him with ease. He saw right through Tara's stupid decision to act confident (how does that help? It makes A.K. more paranoid - she should act like she's going home!). He also knew the only person he could feasibly target was Tara.
He knew he could get Sarah and he did (though she voted with majority). He also knew Odette was next to go if there wasn't a swap and tried but failed to get her on board.
And he knew he had to charm everyone, but Tara's poison made it seem disingenuous even at the times he was being real.
Meanwhile Tara is self-unaware, too clueless to realize that Ziggy and Jarrad liked A.K. as a meat shield, cocky AF, dumb to act confident when she should act scared, and just so... repulsive with her self-adoration. There's a reason she's the fans' most hated person on this cast...

's all.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
Xillia: For a mage, Rowen is actually kind of fun to control. Still prefer speedy beat-em'up types. Which Leia and Jude are, as is Milla somewhat. Goal is to get the 150 Arte Timing uses for the trophy. Should be easy. I got to 69 in no time at all. Anyway, just sidequesting for now that I have the whole party together.

Not much else going on.

Weight loss:
Reason for that is because I did something last night that makes it very hard to lose weight...



A little over a dozen go to the parents. Two dozen to work. That leaves like 20 for me. Yeah. Homemade cookies are at least preservative-free, but still not healthy. Good therapy, though, until you get called names by horrible, horrible people in a Discord chat. My ignore list grew three sizes that day! NO excuse for that behavior, guys. YOU were the bullies to call names - something I never did. Telling me to "just ignore" somebody who wants to be included is deplorable. Calling the names you did is worse. And now, you don't exist. That's my "thank you" for trying to undermine the work I did to feel better. Please, go to Hell. It's where hypocritical toxic scum like you belongs.

Just needed to vent. Anyway, those cyberbullies won't be reading this. Step count was 11,500 yesterday.

...you know what, why am I doing this for a board of horrible people that hate me?
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
Looked into it more. The thing in Xillia is beatable with Jude and Leia only if you're at level 60+. However, I do not understand how one can get to such a level unless they waste Grade. With Unknown being so easy compared to Abyss and Vesperia and the max level being a paltry 99 - half of what it was before - there's no reason to have 10x Exp. You'll max 'em out way too early, and there's no real benefit to that. Anyway, since Unknown was so weak, I decided to just give everyone their default weapons and body armor. The game is more challenging now, but still quite easy. I might downgrade the head armor, too - but my level makes it enough that the enemies are weak regardless of my equipment. I gotta be honest. It's getting boring. They didn't do the Grade Shop right in this one. They made it too easy regardless of what you choose.

Weight loss:
I am definitely plateauing. After a very successful fasting day yesterday, I'm still around the same weight. Googling how to break a plateau, it's suggesting things I already do. Cut back on carbs (I might stop having M&Ms entirely, actually), intermittent fasting (aka my diet), not skimping on protein (on fasting days, I have white meat chicken and Greek yogurt), avoiding alcohol (the only booze I've had this year was the Bantha piss on May the Fourth), eating more fiber (what do you think the FiberOne brownies and BelVita cookies are for?), being more active (why do you think I got 15,300 steps yesterday?), sleeping better (I have been), drinking water, coffee, or tea (not counting smoothies, 90% of what I drink is water, 5% is coffee, 4% is OJ, 1% is root beer, milk, and chai lattes), and managing stress (I've been good there for a month).

I am doing everything I can. I need to keep this up to break through this plateau. It will happen eventually if I put my mind to it. That's what I need to tell myself. I can't tell myself "this is as good as it will get." It's not. If I do more, it will happen eventually. If I stop, all this work will be for naught. Once I get to my goal weight, I won't need to do such intensive fasting days except after I overindulge. The thing with fasting here is that it allows me to control my stomach size - I am noticing that I fill up way faster now. As long as I keep that up through self-control - i.e. only having one thing when I eat out instead of two and just doing water instead of soda - I should start losing more. I'm VERY happy with the 16 pounds I've lost and have noticed positive impacts on other facets of my life. I have a more positive attitude. I am able to focus better and be more productive. Girls are more willing to talk to me. I feel like doing more things with my life.

Weight loss is a wonderful thing and, if you are scientifically obese, I suggest doing it. Even if you're still scientifically obese after losing 20 pounds, so what? You're doing great things to extend your life by making it more enjoyable in the process. I'd rather live a long life with a lot of energy as opposed to a short one that's about overindulgence. What's so satisfying about over-eating, feeling sick afterward, and forgetting about that meal in a month? Nothing! Spock said it right: "Live Long And Prosper." Rest In Peace, Mr. Nimoy.

Song of the Day:
I am going through almost every album I have on my phone to rediscover things that were hibernating on there. Pretty neat. For example:

Christopher Cross - Sailing


Beautifully metaphorical. I can understand why this guy swept the Grammys in 1980 and was considered "the next big thing." But then he couldn't follow up his spectacular debut because he set the bar so high. Still a great example of the kickoff to 1980s pop, the other most blatant example having been what I posted Sunday.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

No gaming last night. I've been bad with managing my late-night downtime. I don't even remember what random world I was off in. I need to be better with managing my free time - I am hoping weight loss, better moods, etc. will help me with my ability to focus on such things.

Australian Survivor:
I did watch some Australian Survivor with my dad last night. Episode 8 spoilers... Henry is such an arrogant twit here. He thinks he has an iron grip on Asaga so he switches to Samatau so he can build trust there. Even MICHELLE knew what he was up to and articulated it just like Henry did at Tribal. Henry was too blinded by his arrogance to realize that his switching to Samatau allowed Luke, Michelle, and Jericho to pick up two free agents scrambling for their lives in Tara and Anneliese and use them to take out Henry's co-tyrant. Even if Tara is insufferable and self-centered, at least she has Anneliese - who's got quite the brain and recognizes the opportunity. The difference in their language is telling; Tara was all me, me, me while Anneliese was about how and why. I like Anneliese quite a bit - one of my favourites this season.

And I have to say I am very unimpressed with Kent and Jacqui. They could not have handled themselves any worse. One, instead of fostering social relationships, they were giving orders - the very thing someone like Luke hates. Two, they targeted Sarah, who wanted to vote for whoever the majority of Asaga was, and that ended up making her a permanent member of the Asaga Four (one of my favorite alliances ever, mind you). Kent instructed Tara and Annelise to vote for Sarah but only AFTER openly targeting them. It was a no-brainer for those two to go with Luke's side. Luke was open and honest with information (like Jacqui/Henry being a power couple) and made it clear from the start that he valued them as allies. Michelle outright said she felt closer to the two of them after one day than she did to Kent or Jacqui after three weeks. Tara and Anneliese went with the side that was never going to target them and treated them with respect. They felt more disposable to Kent and Jacqui, who turned on Sarah so quickly too. Such an easy decision!

Weight Loss:
My weight seems to have gone up a couple pounds, so it feels like I'm plateauing at the same damn place. Unfortunate, but if I keep trying, I will get somewhere. I HAVE to, right? I haven't gone to this length probably ever. Step total yesterday was 12,300, so my total is 48,900. I only need 7,034 steps a day today through Saturday to make my goal. I plan to get over 10k today, so it should be easy with even with my massage. If I get 12k today and 6k tomorrow, that will make it easy even if I slug around Saturday. Which I might do, provided I have the steps on lockdown. And then do shit Sunday.

Song of the Day:
Billy Idol - White Wedding (Part 1)

---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

No gaming last night. Reason for that...

Weight Loss:
...is my absolutely mind-blowing step total. I have no idea how the hell I did this, mind you, but somehow, some way, despite working a boring-ass desk job... I got 20,100 steps. Yes, that's ten miles. I walked ten miles in a single day despite the restriction of having a job where all my work is done at a computer. And I did all that while only having like 1100 calories on the day - increased because I'd walked so much, but still under half of my norm, and that got me down to my lowest weight since before my surgery! That. Is. Awesome. Only natural that I had little energy. Because of that, I went to bed at 9:30 and slept like a Chevy truck.

Song of the Day:
And you know how Chevy trucks sleep, right?

Bob Seger - Like a Rock


Short update but still huge! I like how I was able to make this one fluid, but.... yeah, that's not easy to do every day. The only news is massive news, with my highest step total on the year and my weight reduction taking me to new, uh, is it heights? Or lows? I dunno what sounds better. I need to keep going and keep up the positive attitude as best as I can, even with the toxic influences around me. Best to tone those out and focus on the positive ones. Good video games. Positive, kind, motivating people. That I can finally move out and assert independence. It's tough, but believe me, I am doing what I have to do.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Short update!

Gaming:
Xillia this and that. Hamil is filled with paranoid, xenophobic people who don't get visitors simply because they pelt them with rocks for no reason at all. That's as paranoid and xenophobic as things get. Poor Elize... what kind of monster throws rocks at a 12 y/o girl over nothing but her birthright?

Weight loss:
11,500 steps yesterday - not terrible considering the rain. Had to take my lunchtime walk inside. Unfortunately, my step count on the week is a measly 33,000 after four days. If I can't get 16,000 today, which is the goal... yeah, going to be tough. Making headway, though.

Fasting today as well. Hopefully this will veer me back in the right direction and when I weigh myself tomorrow, I'll be lower, not higher. The doctor scale concerns me. I have another doctor visit for something else next week. It'd be amazing if I was five pounds lower for that due to scale variance.

Song of the Day:
I haven't shown enough love to Lindsey.

Lindsey Stirling - Lost Girls


Hoping to see her in concert when she comes here, even though that would mean not watching a Survivor episode the night it airs for the first time in over five years. Worth it tho >_>
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
A tiny bit of Xillia. No meaningful progress.

Weight loss:
I'm trying to be more satisfied with smaller portions in hoping that it helps. I had a doctor appointment today and my weight is six pounds more than on my home scale. "Oh." I'll double down so I can reduce that even further. I simply have to be smart.

My step count yesterday was only 12,200, putting my weekly total at a measly 21,500. That's not good. It's raining AGAIN today so that's going to make it more difficult for me to get the 13,500 I need to have sufficient chance to get 70,000 this week. And believe me, I am going to TRY to get as many steps as possible. I just have to be more creative. Being at the hospital to see my neurologist only helped so much. I was going to go for a walk this morning but that got rained out...

I could rant about the rain but you've heard enough of me complaining. The city is flooded and the damages are probably over $100 million by now. We keep getting battered when we have more water than we know what to do with. Ugh, why can't we take those one-ton tanks and use the water to fight the wildfires out west? It resolves our problem AND theirs - and it's worth the fuel consumption if it means saving lives. Climate change is slowing because we caught it. We need to be smart with that stuff...

Song of the Day:
I have lost track of what I have done and what I haven't. You might get a duplicate or two. Hence why I am labeling them.

Deep Purple - Soldier of Fortune


More Coverdale, I know. Just what I'm feeling today.

These daily updates are getting really "meh" even for me. Perhaps I should trim them down...
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
Let's just say that this NG+ of Xillia is going a LOT quicker. I also am realizing that I didn't need to do the overkill in the last go - much of what I was going for unexpectedly carried over. I wasted my time and admit that. Oh wellz. Not much I can do. I'm already to Nia Khera. That rock-crab boss thing when you first meet Presa was as pathetic as the weakling enemies around it. I think the Devil's Arms being so OP is what's making the game so easy for me. Again, because I did unnecessary overkill. When I go back and play this again, I'm not going to carry over so many things that make it way too easy. It'll probably be consumables, 5x EXP, arte usage, maybe a couple of other things. The SP1 and Devil's Arms make this way too easy. Except for the Xagut Floodmeadow. I went to level there just to see how challenging it would be. That's more like it!

Weight loss:
I somehow succeeded in fasting yesterday despite my dad wanting me to fail (I called him an asshole to his face - you don't try to tempt someone with peach-bacon cobbler right after they told you that they're fasting) and only once leaving my residence. I would have gone for a walk but the rain was bad. Only 1800 steps, unfortunately, which will make 70,000 hard - but dammit, I am going to TRY. Weight is staying steady, which is good considering what I've eaten.

Again, the 70,000 steps will be brutal given the three-day weekend, the flooded city, and doing yoga today. Still going to try my damndest. More rain is coming, however... UGH.

Song of the Day:
I'm missing something obvious.

Meat Loaf feat. Lorraine Crosby as Mrs. Loud - I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)


AUS Survivor 2017
Only got one episode in over the weekend. Shame to lose Mark - who had the skillset to be a good player, but made the mistake of directly challenging Henry instead of just accepting that his pair was broken up and thanking them for sparing him. You secretly harbor a grudge and strike when it best benefits you. That won Natalie Anderson the game. Here, Mark was screwed even with King Luke trying to vote out Jacqui. What's hilarious is that Henry hated what Sam did in barking out orders, then did the exact same thing himself. King Luke hated both of them doing it and started doing it, too. They're all criticizing their own behavior and I think only Luke realizes it. For a moron, Ben was spot-on with words to describe King Luke in "spontaneous" and "bombastic" - big words that perfectly suit him. Henry throwing the challenge was pretty dumb, however. Would have been better to wait for a swap and continue the massacre instead of giving Samatau momentum. Almost everyone is here to PLAY - but many of them aren't playing well. That's what makes this season so great, though - casting was spot on.

I don't think there's anything else for me to discuss. I need to do some home cookin' soon. I'll raid the farmer's market tomorrow for ideas, provided enough people show up. The flooding can't be good for the farmers...
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
No updates. I don't believe I played anything last night.

Weight loss:
Weight is holding steady. I am at the point where I plateaued previously; I am doing a better job this time, but this past week has been filled with all kinds of culinary distractions. The convention, meeting my sister at a burger joint on Tuesday, pizza party and fish fry Wednesday... I have a valid reason to not have lost weight. Maintaining is good despite all this and I hope I can get back on track with losing after that. I am already showing far more self-control than I used to - having fewer Pocky boxes and only 3 slices of pizza (and not getting chewed out by the big boss this time!) is HUGE.

Things remaining on the to-do list include:
1. Cut back on the M&Ms to only have them once a week. Replace these in my lunch with a third serving fruit.
2. Return to having salads in the morning once or twice a week. I have been bad with this.
3. Do 200 crunches a week for core strengthening. May need a bigger ball...
4. Control portions even better on a more consistent basis.

Step count yesterday was ridiculous considering my weekly total: 13,200. I'm amazed. Two years ago, I'd have only gotten like 8,000-9,000 on such a day. Amazing how long days don't get me down.

Sun: 3000
Mon: 16,700
Tue: 11,400
Wed: 18,000
Thu: 13,200
TOTAL: 62,300

Given how I already have 4900 this morning, my chance of getting 70K for the seventh week in a row is 100% even though I won't be walking much tomorrow. It's going to be more difficult with the Labor Day weekend, especially with more rain on the way and parts of the city potentially going underwater, but dammit, I intend to make this at least TEN weeks. I have to burn rubber as much as possible. With my feet. Not sure when I'll need a new pair of shoes. At least the mega shoe store is back open after it was underwater...

I want more T-shirts. However, I might end up going down from a 2XL to just an XL and that would be lovely. I need to wait to buy them until that happens. I can always try to shrink my current ones, too, but that's going to be difficult to do right. They might not be comfortable after that...

Song of the Day:
Today, I'm goin' Coverdale.

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again '87


A few other notes:
-Currently looking for an artist to do a very specific, complex art commission. It's harder than I thought to find someone in this day and age! I don't want to spend more than $250, either. I want someone halfway decent.
-I'm hungry.
-Work is bleh. I have very little to do... but I'm inventing stuff.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

I didn't have the time to fight the final boss in Xillia, so I didn't.

My weight is up slightly and probably will be up more after I eat like a glutton today... farmer's market [fresh... cheese... curds...] + pizza party + fish fry with my dad = a lot. Also quite the Wisconsin menu there. Will eat fruit as snacks. However, I will reverse that with 800 calories tomorrow and by continuance of walking.

Step count update:
Sun: 3000
Mon: 16,700
Tue: 11,400
Total so far: 31,100

Looking great!

The damage wasn't terrible last night. A little flooding, unfortunately, but nothing too horrendous.

Song for today:

Queen (Roger Taylor) - Drowse


That's oddly what was in my head when I woke up.

Oh yeah, as a note to myself: It should have totally been "Nonsense" and not "Nouns" in the topic title. Will change that for Volume 2.

Apologies for the "whatever" post. That's legit all I have! (Maybe these shouldn't be daily updates...)
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
All I did in Xillia was delve deeper into the EX Dungeon. Only to the second save point. I'm fighting most of the monsters that get in my way simply because I want to get everyone to the max level. More Grade = more goodies in my Milla Unknown run!

Weight loss:
I gained like a quarter of a pound yesterday! Happy to see that even when I do overeat a bit, I don't damage myself. Today I'm back to the <1,000 calories and I'll lose what I gained. Should be sufficient.

Step count yesterday was my goal of 13,500. Total is 42,000. Need to get at least 13,000 today, which should make getting to 70,000 again pretty simple. Will probably go for a walk tomorrow morning to ensure it. Con opens at 10 but doesn't really start until 2ish. I have a few things to do in the morning, anyway.

No further updates. Going to load up on farmer's market goodies next week for... something. Might make that bacon lover's duck egg quiche again. This time of year is so great with all the farm-grown stuff that's peaking. (Peaches are so delicious in particular)

Song of the Day:
Something many of you probably haven't heard, but a favorite of mine:

Jim Steinman/Pandora's Box - Good Girls Go to Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)


Many people haven't heard of this project by Jim Steinman (who wrote a lot of songs for Meat Loaf), but they should have. That album is GREAT - and it produced the originals of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (later made famous by Celine Dion) and "Original Sin" (covered by Taylor Dayne) and many more...

Australian Survivor 2017
Episode 5 down! It's so nice to see Samatau have an uprising, even if it's at the expense of the delightful Aimee. That said, she was pretty terrible at Survivor - and I wonder if Peter changed his mind at Tribal when she opened her big mouth. Jarrad's method of convincing Peter to flip and take out Aimee was A+ level Survivor - say you want to make a move, but make Peter feel like he's the one deciding what that move is when it really isn't. It's also laughable how Tara was thinking that it would be "a Big Move" and a "massive blindside" to take out AK, who was 8th. Uh, no. Switching the order of 8th and 9th is barely a move at all. And he had to have recognized the possibility that Tara and Locky would also want to use Tessa's vote while she was there. Tessa by all means made the right decision - AK would have longer-term plans for her. Tara and Locky were always just going to use her for one vote and throw her away. Easy choice. I hate Tara so much given her hypocrisy, whining, and narcissism - by far my least favorite of this group.

I have no further updates.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

I didn't really like "Look What You Made Me Do" at all, however (apparently that's track 6). It just sounded so... sleazy. It didn't have the charms or character that Taylor's songs used to have. The Taylor of her first four albums was a sweet, charming girl next door that was so easy to relate to. The Taylor of now is this slutty, stuck-up, big-city diva who no longer has those charms. The plastic surgery didn't help that. Her vocals also had plastic surgery - in the form of auto-tuned monotony instead of bubbly emotion.

I feel for the teenagers of today who go back and don't like her older stuff because "there's no way that's her." I feel the exact opposite. She's not the same person she used to be. And the old Taylor was the better. There were still some signs of that Taylor on 1989, but those signs are gone on reputation.

I'll give it another spin on YouTube later and see... but I highly doubt I'll care for it.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
In Xillia, I began infiltrating the EX Dungeon, Magnus Zero (the name is not a spoiler). The dungeon itself being subconscious memories of the world is actually kind of cool. It doesn't feel like they were lazy and just re-used existing areas - it feels like they designed those areas with a double purpose. I've only made it to the first save point, which thankfully had a shop as well. I was able to donate a bunch of things and now my Armor Shop has hit max level! Weapons and Accessories won't be far behind. It's looking like I'll have 6000+ Grade by the end of it. Trying to accrue as much as possible for my Unknown Milla run. I really do like this game a lot. And Leia. Can't wait to get her autograph.

Weight Loss:
I've decided that I should indulge a little more, as I think my fatigue is partly due to my lack of nourishment. I need to make up some calories, yes, but I should do so with more healthy choices. I need the nutrients my body is accustomed to - but not excess sugar like yesterday. Despite that, I am officially 11 pounds down from my starting weight! In five and a half weeks. I've somehow managed to lose a ridiculous amount of weight while doing so at a healthy pace (you're not supposed to lose more than two pounds in a week). With the convention, I'm going to take it slower. I need to.

After a ridiculous "make-up" step total yesterday, I should be okay for the week. I'll walk around more at work today because I need to goof off due to their refusal to give me additional work, so I should be able to make it six straight weeks. Totals so far:
Sunday: 5300
Monday: 8900
Tuesday: 14,300
TOTAL: 28, 500

The goal today is at least 13,500. I 100% need to be at 42,500 by the end of today and 55,000 by the end of tomorrow. That way, I can get 7500 a day at the con and be golden. I will post my Friday total in here as a bump probably. This is partly for self-motivation, after all.

Will also figure out what I should cook next after the convention. Maybe I'll throw together a stir-fry using fresh ingredients from the farmer's market. Will get those next week.

Song of the Day:
I keep repeating artists excessively. So SURPRISE CLASSIC T-SWIFT:

Taylor Swift - You Belong with Me


What's funny is that Taylor went from the geeky hero of this to the villain - and she played both! Was her portraying the snotty cheerleader a sign of the sellout she'd ultimately become? It really sucks, though - I miss the lovable girl next door that Taylor used to be. Speak Now will always be her peak imo.
Speak Now > Fearless > Red >>>> Taylor Swift >>> 1989 > reputation

I couldn't get through reputation. Only song I liked of what I did hear was "Gorgeous." Is there any "old Taylor" stuff on there that I might like? Or does nobody care since the singles suck?

Nothing else to discuss right now. I'm too bored to come up with something.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

If anyone was watching Big Brother last night and isn't participating in the Survivor/BB topic, my tweet was featured at the end of the show! Said tweet was an honest feeling worded in a way that they might notice. It worked. Still mindblown about this!

Because of Big Brother and a computer issue I was trying to troubleshoot, I did not play any video games last night. Just another crossword and Sudoku on my phone as I was in bed. I've been getting better at drifting off to sleep - physical activity helps! And sleep helps with everything.

Weight loss:
I only had like 700 calories yesterday. My weight this morning was down two pounds from yesterday. Yeah, about my scale being inconsistent... that'll do it.

Step count for the week is fantastic despite the lackadaisical Sunday total:
Sun: 1700
Mon: 13,000
Tue: 13,900
Wed: 13,900
Thu: 12,800
Total so far: 55,300

Yesterday would have been slightly better if not for the looming thunderstorm. But I intentionally didn't go for the extra thousand to protect my head and got home just in time. Unfortunately, it's still raining, so today's step total won't be so great, either. Don't want to get sick, plus the rain feels cold even when the temp is still nice. The only things that stop me tend to be rain (a drizzle I can deal with and don't feel), snow, frigidity (single-digit temps Fahrenheit or below), or the most suffocating humidity. That's 1-2 days a month, 2-3 in winter.

Days like today tend to produce 8,000-10,000 steps when I'm at work; only 6,000 if it's REALLY bad. I'm at 2,000 right now (the past few days I was around 3,500-4,000 at this time and this will affect me throughout the day). It might clear up by the time I leave work, however. I've heard "late afternoon" so that's between 3:00 and 6:00. I leave at 4:30 today due to runover time earlier in the week.

Song of the Day:
Let's do the other song with that name, shall we?

Daughtry ~ September


Just for fun/irony's sake. Extremely different tune, but just as awesome. I mean, it's Daughtry.

The only thing I'd put under "other things" was at the top of the post. So that's it!
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
Nada. Didn't play any video games yesterday. Just did crossword puzzles on my phone. That doesn't count as a video game. Phone games only qualify as video games if they're NOT a digital representation of something you can easily do physically; this means that crosswords, Sudoku, Solitaire, etc. are not, while Candy Crush, Flow Free, and other similar puzzle games are.

Weight loss:
A pound up from yesterday, but that's fine. I ate much better than I would've under the same circumstances a few months ago. One step at a time. Going for 800 calories today. That shouldn't be too hard.

Step count was once again 13,900 yesterday! That makes for a total of 42,500. Pretty sweet! If I get 12,500 today, that puts me at 55,000, which should make it easy to get 70,000 once again.

Song of the Day:
I should've done this yesterday for irony purposes, but this isn't about a girl named September, is it?

EWF ~ September


Gonna label these from now on. This is a rare disco song that I actually LIKE.

Other things:
Ep. 2 of Australian Survivor 2017. The beautiful trainwreck of Samatau is still incredible television. I knew the first time I watched it that it was AK who found the idol, but on the rewatch I noticed just how fuzzy it was edited. AK having it was the obvious conclusion, however. And Adam going... well he did it to himself through horrible play. If he hadn't been so paranoid, if he hadn't looked for the idol out in the open, if he hadn't claimed to be the boss and that his allies should be at his beck and call, and if he hadn't targeted Anneliese... he could have stayed. Instead, he fostered excessive distrust with multiple people - Tara (ugh, her), Anneliese, Locky, even Ziggy (who voted with him).

...not much else to add.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
Just odds and ends in Xillia. More loot-gathering. Mysterious Jewel hunting. These two odd caretakers appeared out of nowhere in Xalien Woods Temple by that Transcendental Ring thing I'd investigated multiple times before. I found their appearance bizarre, and well, it turns out they were ghosts awaiting the release of their "pets" inside that thing. The fight was long but not overly difficult despite my use of Lemon Gels.

Weight loss:
As of this morning, I am six pounds down since starting this topic. Awesome!

Step count yesterday was a measly 1700, but I needed to slug around. My mom made dinner: Salmon burgers. I converted mine into a BLAST sandwich (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado [Guac], Salmon, Tomato. Around 400 calories, too. Side was sweet potato fries. Dessert was key lime pie. All of it was delicious! And it was cheap, efficient food too.

Today is a 1,000-calorie day. Currently at 350. Had goat cheese with crackers for breakfast (160 cals or so). And orange juice and my cold brew coffee. Hoping to pair that with 15,000 steps... at 3600 at the moment, so 15,000 is entirely doable.

Song of the Day:
I haven't done enough females. So let's show Benatar some love:


RANT INCOMING!!!!!!!
Please be prepared for when I rant. Things may get out of hand.

I am SICK of this 40-hour slavery. America has regressed to a second-world country due to a fucked-up work culture where people are expected to give their lives to their job. It's bullshit. I don't WANT to spend all my time and energy toward work while maintaining my health and a clean home environment. What's worse is that more jobs are expecting free overtime out of their slaves (slavery is illegal, yet very common in the States) - thank goodness I'm hourly, so that's ONE positive. Our work culture has regressed to "the American Dream" becoming a nightmare - to quote the great George Carlin, "you gotta be asleep to believe it."

It pisses me off that I'm expected - by both my job and my parents - to be a slave, a sheep, an idiot. I'm supposed to "just do it" and "not question it" since I'm "supposed to work 40 hours." Bullshit. My parents pressuring me is only serving to make me care less and less about my job. I don't think they realize I see their bullying tactics as reverse psychology to get me to snap and rebel against the system Persona 5 style. I'm not going to be one with the collective bystanders like my parents want me to be. What am I supposed to do with my life if it has no fucking meaning? I don't have a girl to come home to every night. I don't have anything except a job I hate (love the people and location, though). And what's the fucking point to life, then? Huh?

It's downright depressing. There's a reason I WANT to be on GameFAQs at work - I don't care about doing my job. I have the security of State employment and, since I'm support staff, as long as I get whatever shit they give me done, I can give the impression that I'm working. When I'm not (well, this 570-page Epic record with poor inking won't scan itself into SharePoint, but it takes FOREVER). That's largely due to the lack of tasks they give me to compensate for me getting everything done despite my insistence to broaden my workload. So, at the end, it feels like work is a waste of time. What's the fucking point? I don't know what I want to do with my life, but it certainly isn't this. I am bored out of my mind at a job I've been working for four years - through contractors and now State - and I don't know what to do...

Rant over. Thank you for listening.
---

https://imgur.com/t3naEGu
I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Tom Bombadil posted...

Not much going on with me. I work at a school and this is my last day of summer :(

Sorry to hear! Hope you enjoyed your summer and did a lot of fun stuff.

To be honest, I kind of envy that. Those who work 40-hour weeks yet get two months of work off while retaining job security have it good, provided they can save up for summer food/rent/utilities/etc. I refer to support staff like techs and aides more than teachers. Teachers have to work excess - lesson plans, grading papers, talking to parents - so I admire them more than envy them. That is a LOT of work! No matter what you do for a school job, I both envy and admire you in different ways.

Instead, I have a six-month vacation probation that prevents me from doing things like going to Hearts of Reality (going on in Orlando right now - and I'm long overdue to meet any Survivor contestants) or going to see my family two hours north of here. And sometimes I wish I had someone I could just drive to nowhere with. Getting lost is fun if it's you and someone else - and it's great to figure out where you are with an actual map (or Google Maps with no GPS to tell you where you're at) and feel your way around. Who knows what secrets you might discover? Sigh... if only I had the time to take off... I could enjoy life again.
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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

These are all short because they have to be.

Gaming:
Just an hour of Xillia. Plenty of guppy-slaying. A little treasure spot hunting. Elize's house wasn't there. That's why I didn't remember it. That's really it.

Weight loss:
Yesterday was about 2,000 calories. Light dinner - delicious mango/orange/yogurt smoothie. I can't budget the 1,000 today because of the Night Market tonight. This only happens 3-4 times a year so I don't want to miss the opportunity to have things I can't usually access.

Step count yesterday was great, too. Total on the week is looking great.
Sunday: 1200
Monday: 14,000
Tuesday: 10,700 + yoga
Wednesday: 16,100
Total so far: 42,000

Great progress! I can make it four weeks in a row that I get to 70,000.

Song of the Day:
Ultimate classic stuff today.


Other things:
I got the needed things at the farmer's market to make that pizza. That will be Saturday lunch.

Not much else to report.
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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Did not have time to play Xillia last night. Had other things happening.

Weight loss:
That slice of FMTB was probably 500 calories alone, but my total on the day was closer to 2500 than it would have been months ago. It was probably more like 3000 but I couldn't say for sure. I barely had anything midday. I honestly don't know.

Step total I do know: 10,700. Impressive considering I did yoga class over lunch! But I'm not converting that into steps. I'm counting that as a separate necessary thing. Step total is therefore at 25,900 (1200 + 14,000 + 10,700)

Song of the Day:


Really deep stuff here.

Other things:
Not much to report that I haven't already. Watching the Ponderosa videos for Heroes vs. Villains since those are as incredible as the actual show. That shows that a great cast goes a long way. It's just hard to cast a newbie season with the level of characters that comprise the cast of the show's most iconic All-Star season. Even if Russell Hantz being an asshole makes parts drag for a bit there, seeing as I don't like that kind of behavior at all and it often negatively impacts my view of a season unless a swift comeuppance occurs.

Was watching some BB20-related things yesterday, even if I hate most of the people still left. Bayleigh and Rockstar are the WORST.

I have the Mozzarella. Since the Farmer's Market is right outside, I can stock up on the basil and both types of tomatoes over lunch. This is going to be so delicious!

Yeah, yesterday was just work, eating the FMTB, walking, and coming home and shutting down, really.
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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
One thing I don't particularly like about Tales games is the way there are all of a sudden a bunch of sidequests when the final boss is looming large over the world That is no exception with Xillia. Without Gaius to lead Rieze Maxia, Kanbalar is falling apart and sheeple are actually learning to figure things out for themselves. That's something wrong with the real world, too - idiots refuse to learn to take life into their own hands and need to be told what to believe and what to do (much like in Abyss). We rescued Dr. Mathis and a miner from a partial cave-in and the former is proud of how Jude has matured into a rational decision-maker. Balan told an amusing story of how a 5 y/o Alvin got wet paint in his mother's hair by making fake light-leaf clovers, then cried into it and got it all over his face (I don't know what those thugs wanted the clovers for, however). I also learned that King Nachitgal approved Rowen's engagement to Princess Carrie, the king's sister, but she was wiped away in the tsunami since, like a typical Tales princess, she wanted to heal/help everyone. There are also dangers with spirit arte use causing spirit clime change - it's not THAT we use it, it's how. The same applies to reality. While climate change is getting better (the ozone layer is healing) because we caught it, it would worsen if we went back to the ways we abused nature before. Emissions restrictions are necessary. China needs to get better at that. (Please no politics! We can talk about the science if you'd like.)

Other sidequests I did include killing another Devil's Beast, the Xerneas-like thing in Xalien Woods that stomped me in 3 seconds once before. Easy fight with higher levels. I'll go kill the one at Bermia Gorge next, which will be the last one given how I got ambushed by one at Helioborg and killed the one that asked us to put it out of its misery - I didn't feel guilty since it didn't suffer through poisoning itself. Speaking of poison... Isla is vile for what she did to Alvin's mother. Murderer. We chased her and she tried to kill herself, but it instead resulted in her becoming deranged. Bitch got what she deserved. She now has to live like Alvin's mother did... but thankfully she has a wonderfully nice guy as her fianc who still wants to be there to care for her. She spit out where Elize was found and I'm heading there now - I know exactly where it is and might have gone into that house before. I believe that's it. A LOT of juicy development for the supporting cast.

I will keep with the sidequests before I go fight the final boss.

Weight loss
I had a little too much candy yesterday, but all I had was that candy, a bagel with cream cheese, and plenty of fruit. I survived. Weight is now down by five and a half pounds since the start of this topic! I have a long way (or is it weigh?) to go.

Step count was 14,000 yesterday, too. The weather was nowhere near as bad as anticipated. Awesome! Need to get 10,000ish today if I do yoga like I should... even if the weather is great.

Song of the day:
I need some more Weird Al smiles right now:


Other things:
-I am hoping to score a slice of the FMTB today, but I'll be making my own anyway since I have the dough. Farmer's Market tomorrow should allow me to buy tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella. Will contact my cheesemonger to bring some for me (he's the only one at this market).
-It's annoying how I get password change notifications for two weeks. Uh, I have plenty of time to change it. And it should be 90 days, not 60!
-Have I mentioned my caffeine of choice is cold brew coffee? Black, of course.
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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Tom Bombadil posted...

Your cooking bits make me hungry

It makes me hungry just thinking about the result, xD

So worth it, though.
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Underleveled posted...

Thunderball too low. Tom Jones is iconic.

Well yeah, he passed out at the end of recording it after holding that final note for so long. Doesn't get more legendary than that. It's hard to not put that one in my top 5, but there's so much good music in the Bond-verse!
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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

If you're Angela, you tell Rachel the last second with simply "I'm sorry." You don't tell Bayleigh at all. What Angela did shows that she is indeed the "ice queen" and that nobody should bother forming friendships with her because they're not genuine. If she's willing to slit the throat of who seemed to be her best friend in the house and have zero emotional reaction to it, who can trust her?
https://imgur.com/hZwOh4v

It has nothing to do with having friendships outside the house. She's not there to make friends. But if she wants the money, she needs to show some semblance of loyalty, else nobody's going to trust her. Wouldn't surprise me to see Angela go out soon since this HOH will put a bigger target on her back.
---

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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Aecioo posted...

Have you done the "watch Casino Royale and immediately watch Quantum" idea?

I haven't, but I heard it really makes Quantum better if you treat it as one long four hour movie.

I don't believe so. These days, I usually only have time to watch one movie in a single sitting. And I don't take the time to watch Quantum because of how bad it is, but I'll give that a go and see if it improves my opinion of it. Probably won't - it was a waste job of the Casino Royale storyline due to a highly incompetent director who rejected longstanding series traditions. I might have only seen that one three times, actually, since it really doesn't feel like a Bond movie. "Short and fast, like a bullet" = WTF? Since when has Bond cut corners? The script was also rushed because of that writer's guild strike, too, so that didn't help things.

Will try, though. Maybe it'll make me rank something else in dead last. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Aecioo posted...

It's crazy how much people differ on Bond stuff.

Yeah... I think age has something to do with it - depends on who Bond was when you grew up. For example, my dad loves the Roger Moore movies, while I don't care for a few of them at all - but that's because Moore was always 007 to my dad. I can understand that. RIP, Sir Roger :(

But it also comes down to other tastes as well. I've seen crazy stuff like people saying YOLT was the best Connery movie or that FYEO isn't good at all. YOLT is good, but it's not From Russia with Love or Goldfinger good. FYEO is the most "Fleming" of all the Moore films and one they put a lot of care into making. It's a top-half Bond outing for that reason. I can get not loving it, but it's not in the dumpster like the two that came after it.

I wouldn't say OHMSS is "iconic" - it can be justified in the Impeccable Tier since it's one of John Barry's best instrumental compositions. It just isn't as iconic as Nobody Does It Better, Goldfinger, or the James Bond Theme. Those three are in a league of their own.

I probably had Diamonds too low in that quickie ranking there (oops, it's definitely better than Writing's on the Wall and GoldenEye). Not sure why I didn't move it up - perhaps that was because of Kanye. That's really the only difference we have in our top 9.

I think it was like two years ago when Stifled and I did that subsequent Bond rankings project? That was my second go at it here at b8. I haven't watched much Bond since. Perhaps I should rectify that even though I've watched every movie except Spectre at least four times (and half of them at least 10).
---

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Tom Bombadil posted...

Self-care is good! Also that pizza sounds pgood

Understatements. Both of them.

Here's the picture of the FMTB from that place's website:


It's my favorite slice, but it's only there in August (due to the tomato and basil harvests). I get at least 6 slices every year, lol. It's pretty easy to make at home, too. Just remember to not put the basil leaves on until after you cook the pizza.
---

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I need to binge BB20, don't I? For some reason (it's not the season, it's me), I haven't been able to get into it.

What Angela did to Rachel was horrible. Rachel was nothing but honest to someone she thought was her friend, but for Angela to not only betray her but give such a vindictive goodbye message... what a bitch. Rachel isn't even on the jury, so she should have told Rachel it was going to happen an hour or three before the eviction and, in her goodbye message, been like "We're going to be friends for life, but in Big Brother, I can't have a wild card. I am so sorry I had to do this, but when you reacted how you did, it endangered my game. Outside of this house, I care about you. But in it... I did what I had to, and I hope you can forgive me." Rachel would have understood. Now... Rachel will probably give Angela the cold shoulder on finale night. As she should. Angela isn't winning. Nobody's going to trust her word after that.

I feel for Rachel. I've been in her shoes and had overreactions to similar things - as you guys have seen - so I sympathize. She clearly has some sort of emotional affectivity despite being a really nice girl and that makes Angela's true colors emerging even tougher. I don't blame her for cursing on stage. I'd do the same tbh. Game-wise I'd compare Rachel to Dominique last year - played a damn good game until getting nominated and... it all fell apart in an instant. Rachel wasn't on anyone's radar, she came up with the idea to manipulate someone on FOUTTE to "cast a sympathy vote for Sam" and have Level 6 piggyback off it, had in-roads with FOUTTE, and Bayleigh made the mistake of saying "I can has powerz." in exchange for Rachel agreeing to be a pawn. All good signs, but she fell apart emotionally and that did it for her.

...but yeah I need to catch up as opposed to just reading stuff, don't I?
---

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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

That day off was so, so needed. I think it was more psychological than anything. I was legit burned out and going @__@ to the point I thought I was ill, thus I actually WAS ill. It was both for my mental and physical health. Had I gone in to work, it ran the risk of causing me to snap at expense of me actually getting things done. It's shameful how some terrible employers think more time at work = more done, not realizing that employees that are physically, mentally, and psychologically exhausted are unproductive, unhappy, and insane. I'm just glad I really like my boss - she understands this stuff!

Gaming:
All I did in Xillia yesterday was get to the bottom of the Abyss, kill the Devil's Beast that went down there to die and attacked us so we would put it out of its misery (I don't feel bad if that's what it wanted, given how it lost all sense of purpose having been turned into a war machine against its will), and made my way out of the mine on foot. What, fast travel? I wanted to gain more EXP and Gald. After maxing out my armor and weapons and replenishing my items and foodstuffs, I currently have 450,000 Gald. Leia's reaction when we got half a million (before I spent some) was cute. I might get to hear it again when I hit that mark a second time. ^_^

I am so addicted to Xillia that I didn't play anything else.

Weight loss:
Day off yesterday, so I only got 4200 steps (one half-hour walk got me that high), putting my weekly total to 47,300. That's still not terrible. Calorie count was probably around 1,300 - which is over my ideal sub-1,000 for a Thursday, but I don't care since I had the day off and that was far more self-control than I'd ever shown on an entire day I spent at home. One step at a time. As long as I manually shrink my stomach by eating fewer calories, I'll lose weight in the long haul.

I just have to avoid addictive things like Topperstix. At least the FMTB (Fresh Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil - the August slice of the month at another pizza place I go to that uses all locally-sourced toppings [the cheese is from my usual cheesemaker at the farmer's market, too]) is somewhat healthy compared to other pizza options... but yeah >_>

Song of the Day:
Let's mourn another one gone too soon:


RIP Chris :(

But yeah, that's the song to the best Bond opening sequence (and though not the best Bond song, it's top 5 for sure)

Other things:
I plan to cook that noodle dish tomorrow. Will ask the parents if they want some. They're going to be exhausted since they need to go get Grandma a new bed... she's struggling getting in and out of bed now. The woman's 95 y/o and tough as nails but... yeah, she's not doing well. I worry about her a lot, but I have known since Grandpa passed that she wasn't going to be around forever...

To avoid ending on a depressing note, since almost everything in this post was dismal (unintentionally so), I'll give a second song of the day and let Weird Al cheer us all up:

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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Welp I'm dead, aren't I? (Put off watching the first video into way too long because I do most of this at work >_>)

At least I got to be a Quirky Lieutenant Mercenary. It's something I've always dreamed of!
---

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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

eaedwards6400 posted...

Burke do you need someone to finish this off for you?

He posted one yesterday.

It should be one or two a day. Depends on the amount of discussion regarding a season's placement. Me... my outlier score is really, really low so far. That could change, though I see my list as pretty conventional. But that means I don't really have much to add most of the time >_>
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eaedwards6400 posted...

I did not expect to like Dick but I do find him and his Daniele storyline to be endearing.

I agree with this but that doesn't change that production wanted it to continue so they vote stuffed those "AmERICa's Votes." I can't forgive blatant production manipulation even when it produces good TV. Dick has all the complexities of the best reality TV villains, a club which he is among. Even so...

I'll start Australian Survivor 3 later. I'm still recovering from burnout.
---

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I'm BlueCrystalTear, probably at work.

Gaming:
Xillia update: Defeated Volt at Helioborg. Then found out that Elympios is actually trying to find a way of sustenance, even though the powers that be are trying to turn the people of Rieze Maxia into mana for their own use (genocide, in other words). Balan's team is using boosters to turn spirit fossils into lesser spirit spyrites. It was nice that they repeated that information in a skit - one of the game's best skits, mind you, because Leia's Teepo impression was AMAZING and Teepo's reaction made it even more fun - so I could follow it. Since spyrites don't kill spirits (said spirits are already dead), the hope is that they can replace spyrixes. That's the exact solution we wanted. Even so, I still want to topple the government of Elympios, seeing as they resorted to attempt genocide instead of investing everything in this technology. They didn't kill anyone, but if they sucked more mana out of the people, even weeks later, they would have killed hundreds, possibly thousands. That makes it deplorable. I do regret my desire to destroy Elympios somewhat, but that was largely due to my train of thought at the time of an "It's us or them."

Gaius, however, is quite corrupted by his desire to destroy all spyrixes. Perhaps Muzet is the source of his corruption. He doesn't seem to realize that HE will kill people - ones that rely on spyrixes to be alive. There's no convincing someone as determined as Gaius. I like that we have so many threats to deal with here - there are more significant villains than Vesperia and Graces combined! I also like how Balan casually said that aspyrixes kill spirits yet nobody reacted to it. It's like they all knew because it was obvious. Apparently that's a dated technology, possibly from 20 years before given that's when Jude's dad came to Rieze Maxia on the Zenethra.

Character-wise, I've made it no secret that I adore Leia. Always positive and fun to be around, plus so kind that she tried to save the life of someone that had been a bitch to her. She's a blast to control in battle, too. And she's a headgear enthusiast, which is good for someone like me who has kind of a hat fetish >_>
Milla and Elize are great, too. Alvin is a complex traitor character and while his actions are deplorable, it was because Balan recognized his cousin that we're alive. That said, it's Balan I'm thanking, not Alvin. Rowen has sort of fallen into the background. And Jude is just a generic idealist JRPG protagonist whose only unique trait is how he wants some bazongas. Not THAT he does, HOW he does. And he's going after a god, so... yeah. Good luck, man.

Overall, definitely loving this game. Sure, there are a few flaws, but I'm enjoying myself enough to replay it quickly. Also, my Grade is over 4000, so that replay is going to be easy :X

Weight loss:
Calorie count yesterday was around 2,600 - which is a win in my book. I actually had some semblance of self-control. As long as I can do that with a decreasing amount of calories four days a week that I'm not going under 1,000, I should lose weight provided that I don't go over 3,000 that seventh day (because, y'know, I gotta treat myself a little, right?).

Step count was even better: 16,600! That puts my weekly total at 31,000 even.

Song of the Day:
I said I'd be Petty today, didn't I?


RIP, Tom :(

Other things:
No Survivor updates.
Going to see one of my favorite local bands tonight. Need to get their new CD, too (it came out in May and... holy hell it's August already!?). I'll post one of their songs tomorrow, perhaps. (If I can find/upload one)
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I went to bed after the above post, so yeah.

No gaming updates.

No work updates - still have very little to do.

1,000 calories going well today. A lot of what I've had so far came from the pecans in my salad this morning. They're a superfood, so that's necessary...

Song of the Day:


That's all.
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I don't remember Boston Rob doing that because I too thought John was open. But Rob WAS a douche that season, largely due to his immaturity...
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I think the twist of "No food, no water, and the least gear ever" wasn't a good thing because it made the season grow stale later on.

That said, the John Carroll blindside is one of the, if not THE, most definitive in the show's history. It's where it is for me based on that alone. But after that vote, it just gets... stale.
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>_> don't know why I posted that on Leia, my bad

I should keep to my usual two accounts outside of my own topics, xD
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The Mana Sword posted...

Just saw the full cast photo for AU Survivor 3

lol

"AH'M RUSSELL HANTZ AND THESE DODOS DON'T REALIZE THAT I'M THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME! OF. ALL. TIME!"
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Re: Peridiam's post
Bay either lied or misremembered that the power is only good through final 9 (it's good through 8), but otherwise told Rachel 100% accurate information. And that "I just fucked my game" was really, really stupid. Rachel is probably already telling Angela about it. She MIGHT just keep it to Angela (her ride or die), but if she tells Tyler... yeah that's not good for Bay. Hopefully Rachel is smart about this and doesn't make herself a target, because I like Rachel. And Bay... well she should have kept that a secret. Or, at the very least, used it as a currency of trust. "I trust you enough to tell you that I have an app power. I will tell you what it is if you can prove that I can trust you 100%." I don't think this HOH is going to go well for Bay, lol.
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