Life Snap Shot in Character Sheet Form

*cue reality I've been trying to avoid*

I decided to take a look at one aspect of my life I've been ignoring lately.  My weight.  I pretty much took the - no strenuous exercise for a month (post getting my appendix out) and extended it to apply for 9 almost 10 months.  So hear I am.  25 lbs heavier than I started the year out at and 5 lbs less than the weight I topped the scale at back in 2008.  I could try and claim that surgery is what threw me off, and sure, it did.  But then I chose not to get back on.  I had a few streaks of good behavior health-wise intermixed with a whole lot of lazy in the exercise category and too much over-indulgence in the food category.  I've undone two years of weight loss in ten months.  That's not acceptable.  2008 was the first year I ended lighter than I started.  2009 was the second.  2010 was the third.  2011 is supposed to be the fourth.  I don't want my steak to end.  This means I have to kick my butt in gear.  No more couch sitting for me.

My darling Kaylee has been helping me in this endeavor.  My dear cat thinks that she is a dog.  She likes to go for walks (in harness and leech).  In fact, she likes it so much, that if you forget to take her, she will sit by the door and meow until you remember.  [She also plays fetch...]  So we've gone for daily walks the last few days and she is getting braver in her exploration.  The dogs out walking don't seem to phase her, even when they bark up a storm - just the cars (which I'd rather that fear not be overcome - things that can squish you are good to fear).

I also got a morning workout in. 6 miles on the bike in 30 minutes and then 2 sets of 15 reps on each part of the weight gym thing (I really should find out what that thing is called) - with the exception of the hanging crunchy spot - I only did 5 reps of that - really need to work on that one.

Then I went back to the gym after work.  It was the season premiere of Biggest Loser.  Thus, my butt was moving in the gym for the two hour duration of the show.  The only way I can catch the show as it airs is by being in the gym.  It serves as great motivation for me and ensures that I keep moving for 2 hours straight.  It will be my one regular long workout each week (the others being more like 30-60 minutes at a time).  So I spent the two hours between the elliptical and bike and clocked another 20.6 miles.

For a total of 2 hrs 45 minutes in the gym & 26.6 miles. :)

I'm still trying to find a way to track my progress that makes it entertaining for me.  And I think that I have found one.  I am part of a gaming group that meets every Friday to do Table Top Role Playing Games.  I love it and have so much fun building my characters and leveling them up.  So it got me thinking.  What if I took one of the character sheets and made a character of myself?  I can level up as I earn experience in various things.  Sounds like fun, right?  I thought so.  So here is my character sheet [I used an Amber character sheet as my base].  So a -25 stat means it is the best of the best.  Think Olympic athletes or geniuses inventing amazing things.  Will say -30 is your couch potato.  So I'll put my endurance at a -29: I've got a bit more endurance than your average couch potato - I've got 2 half-marathons walking under my belt, but I'm not yet up to minor athlete endurance - I still get winded if you make me run for more than a block - *note the walking bit.  For Psyc I'd put myself around a -25.  Strength... hmmm... I can lift some weights, but I'm probably still a bit under average.  So I'll say -28 for that one.  My mathematical brain wants to put me at a -27 for warfare.  I'll start out with no stuff.  As for my pooled points, I'll figure out where to put those later.

Point pool: 70

Name:  Natalie      Gender: Female      Age: 27   Height: 5'9"     Weight: 271 lbs.
Hair: Brown          Eyes:  Greenish-Brown          Skin:  Pale       Body type:  Couch Potato hiding curves

Endurance: -29
Psyc: -25
Strength: -28
Warfare (Strategy & Tactics): -27
Stuff: 0

Self description:
Hmmm... unique and highly contagious laugh, optimistic, quirky, geek, loves life, crafty, creative, friendly, outgoing, sometimes klutzy (probably more often than I think), wife, sister, aunt, loud, and odd.

Your shadow:
Earth [Note:  I am not making a fat joke.  Shadows in this RPG don't refer to the ones you cast.  They refer to the place you live. :p]

Npc:
Bevan - my darling husband
Kaylee - my dear cat

Artifact:
My monkey sticker-ed laptop that connects me to the world wide web.

Friends:
You.

Enemies:
Well hidden?



~*~*~*~
So that's my starting sheet.  I'll have to think up a point system for leveling up.  I think I'll have some fun with this.  240s here I come!  This might be fun to write up like an adventure too... creative writing plot bunny - captured. :)

*skips off to bed, exhausted*

My Novel

Last November I participated in NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month takes place each November. Those who accept the challenge begin writing on November 1st with a goal of writing 50,000 words in their novel before the clock strikes midnight on November 30th. It was a very fun month long event and I managed to clock 50,159 words by the end of November, but my novel was no where near complete. I even participated in a few of the write-ins where I met local people crazy enough to also be attempting to reach 50k. So last November was a great start to get the novel idea that I've had for years onto my computer screen. My thought was to take the first 2 weeks of December off and then get back to writing. So I took the first two weeks of December off and then my appendix decided it should no longer be in my body. Surgery, complications, and then the healing process all ended up used as excuses for not touching my novel. February was consumed with house hunting (hubby and I were pre-approved only to find out that no banks would lend to us due to the short sale we had in early 2009 - so we need to wait another year and a few months before they lend) and then apartment hunting. March was consumed with packing, moving, unpacking, and building shelving. So that takes me up to now. I am finally looking at my novel again.

I challenged my friend to a writing duel. Each week we will earn points for our new word count, edited word count, reading each others works, and critiquing each other. At the end of the month we will tally our points to determine the winner for the month. So the past few days have had me organizing my novel onto a private blog I will use just for that. 'Why do you need to organize it?' you might be asking yourself and the answer would be: My brain does not like to write chronologically. I write part of one scene and then bounce off to the next. So if my novel were a puzzle, all you would see currently would be a couple pieces connected here, a loose piece or two over there, another piece over there, and maybe a few edge pieces and I'm the only one with the ability to see the picture on the box. So the reader of my work so far may find themselves very confused. If you don't mind confusing, little plot holes, big plot gaps, and much of the story to be filled in later - you can request a link to read my in-progress novel. If the thought of gaps and randomness fills you with fear, it is best to wait for me to complete the first draft before you lay eyes on it. The buddy that I have challenged is willing to play detective with my random pieces and so I shall be writing again. I've come to find that I thrive off of competition and love a good challenge. So hopefully this will aid in keeping me focused as I progress.

Since I am writing again, I will also open up character submission as well. For some of you, it won't come as a surprise that my main character likes to take on different personas for the various missions she completes. This is where you come in. Have you ever wanted to be a character in a novel? Now is your chance. If you fill out the following for me, I will do my best to incorporate your character into my book (either as a persona my character changes into or as a character she interacts with [such as a bounty, client, or political figure]). Once I have the scene(s) with your character written, you'll get the first sneak peak. You will also be listed in the acknowledgments of my novel.

A bit about the novel:

Genre: Science Fiction

Chamllella is a bounty hunter who travels the galaxy capturing fugitives and criminals for wealthy clients. She is a graduate of the Galactic Military Academy and has overcome many hardships in her life.

Character Sheet

Answer as much or as little as you would like about the character you want to be.

Name:

Race:

Age:

Weight and Body Type:

Hair Color and Style:

Eye Color:

Complexion and Skin Tone (all colors are possible):

Scent:

Birthmarks:

What does your character look like (can be anything from human to inventive alien species)?

Mannerisms or gestures:

Strongest personality traits:

Weakest personality traits:

Needs of the character:

Ambitions:

Favorite sayings:

Interests and hobbies:

Favorite Color:

Social Class:

Education:

Possessions this character values most:

Does your character have siblings? If so, how many?

What is your character's family life like:

Good guy, neutral, or villain?

How would your character react to stress?

How would your character react to success?

Does your character get jealous easily?

Is your character a fighter or a pacifist?

Anything else you'd really like me to know or would love for me to include?

By submitting any of the above character sheet to me, you are agreeing to allow me to use your submitted character ideas within my story in exchange for being listed in the acknowledgments should my novel be published. I have no idea if my story will ever be published [and I know that even after my draft is complete it will be in need of much polishing before sending it off to even be considered], but I'll be sure to let you know if it is.