Double Trouble with Prim and Harrier - Poker, Sports, Cooking, Gardening, Mixed Drinks and more

I did get some advice right on location. In fact, my coach sent me and the other swimmers (who were not going for any badges) on several practice laps of backstroke swimming before, some focusing on legs, some focusing on arms - mirroring much of the pointers from the video I posted before.

I received some special attention because of my imminent timed swim, and some targeted advice. My arm motions during my attempt last Wednesday were a good expressionist dance performance, but wouldn't help me secure any good swimming times, my coach said.

After another dedicated practice lap, I did my attempt. The coach simply said "passed!", I got a time in the 59.xx range, which is all we need. Ohhhh boy, the things I've been getting myself into this year... but we did it. Harrier is now officially a certified shark. Cue the Jaws theme.

"What's next, skydiving?" my coach asked. Looks like he knows me pretty well by this point. Honestly, I'm more interested in gliding - maybe next year.

So far so good, but tomorrow is the main event. Can I be a karate shark too? It would be very annoying to fail that belt exam for sure, after coming so far, and I don't feel like looking up the Japanese word for 'failure'.

Let's just grab that yellow belt tomorrow and have some herbal liqueur in the evening. Sounds like a plan? I think so. Hajime!

Congrats, Harrier! Great job!!! ♠_biggrin:♠_drink:♠_cool:♠_thumbsup:

Could be made up this story. But we can't know ♦

Originally posted by taavi1337
Could be made up this story. But we can't know ♦

My coach will take care of the paperwork on Monday and then mail everything to me once it's ready. There will be pictures, and then you'll know.

Take one last, good look at this thing:

And now forget about it. It doesn't even deserve to be properly rolled up anymore.

This one right here, now that's the stuff:

Yes, I just returned from my belt graduation exam, Harrier passed. I am now a yellow belt, 8th kyu.

Finally, we can put the last major challenge of the year to rest, and start focusing on poker again, starting tomorrow. Maybe Prim will play a session later today already, I believe she is still busy on the tennis court right now.

I only briefly returned home myself, I will join the other karateka again in a few minutes for another big combined two hour training session - now, of course, with this thing on:

It's still a little stiff, it's brand new, after all. But that will surely be fixed after a couple of sessions.

Orange next year, I guess. But I urgently need a break soon, to be honest.

Just to clarify because I have heard some concerns about it already: I did, in fact, roll up that white belt properly and put it neatly into my wardrobe as a souvenir of sorts. I just felt a little sassy with that picture of the belt in a random lump, like "get that crap outta here!".

The Troll Calendar 2024
Day 07

Have Merci

The tranquility of winter opens up space for new dreams.

Today's filling is... nothing at all, really. We simply get a bar of milk chocolate.

Yes, milk chocolate. Seems inoffensive enough. Like vanilla ice cream or a beige colored wall, it does its job. It is not likely to earn a high spot in our ranking, however. And if one version has to be last, I'd say it's this adequate little chocolate bar.

Through the Wood of Thorns

To start with a correction of yesterday's step, that new arch thing was supposed to be a little higher, so that its base in the back is at the same height as the surrounding wall pieces. This is how it's supposed to be:

It became obvious today when we added a simple 3x1 over it, together with some other small pieces. This is our current progress:

The "nook" on the left gains another slanted block on top.

And the piece on top in the middle is bendable, once again, just like the one at the bottom in our very first step.

As a result, the entire structure can be moved...

...and even be closed up entirely.

Originally posted by Harrier88
After another dedicated practice lap, I did my attempt. The coach simply said "passed!", I got a time in the 59.xx range, which is all we need. Ohhhh boy, the things I've been getting myself into this year... but we did it. Harrier is now officially a certified shark. Cue the Jaws theme.

Well done!

Thanks, Vorpal. It was a wild weekend for sure.

Luckily, I finally should have a day with no place to go at all tomorrow.

The Troll Calendar 2024
Day 08

Have Merci

Christmas: The time to open your hearts.

Another Merci Together - so far, they have a very good track record. Today's filling is "Caramel Brownie". Well, I'd say I'm sold.

The caramel is even still slightly runny.

Very good, rich flavor - I think that's a new #1 for me.

Through the Wood of Thorns

A couple more blocks added on top, mostly slanted pieces of various kinds. The right side in particular seems to be nicely leveled by now, so we should see some development there soon.

And with this being the second Sunday of Advent, I will also add a video of the song that inspired this version of the calendar, to celebrate the milestone. This time, we will have an instrumental version, played on a pan flute.

Better than nothing .........

Hey guys, this week it´s Sunday poker instead of Saturday poker. Yesterday, we had a small social event with our tennis club and with my new women´s tennis team, so had to show up there... Played a small mini-session today instead.

Bowser jr. was playing the "Free to play" - but Kamek seemed to hold his afternoon nap! Bowser jr. busted with KK vs AK! And Kamek is still asleep!! :facepalm::f_ugly:

But Baby Peach was successful in the PLO-"Free to play" (at 3 p.m.). Even though the cards were mostly not on our side, we could make it into the prizes and win a 0,33 $ satty ticket for the Turbo Series on Partypoker!!! Once, we even enountered an extremely lucky river, which saved us from a chop and secured our tournament life:

How lucky can you get?

:f_biggrin::f_ugly:

It has been a bit of a rough start for me back at the tables tonight. Stud8 failed to cash and my late regged 8-Game satty amounted to nothing - it didn't help that I played the wrong game once, folding a perfectly playable Stud8 hand because I thought it was still Stud Hi. I didn't feel like my game was that great yet in general, looks like I need some time to find my way back into the grind.

Badugi had a decent 9th place cash just short of the FT with decent bounties to recoup tonight's losses, but missed the big score. And a big score should have been within reach.

My sports schedule has now been lightened considerably, now that the swimming course has been finished, with a brand new badge to boot. I will stick around in karate for one more week, I think, this time without any exam pressure, but this will only occupy two more days. We can therefore expect a lot more poker in the following weeks, including some more Stud8 - enough of it, possibly, to know by the end of the year whether or not it will be a good option for the MTT grind.

For some extra "fun", I believe Primrose really wants to go ahead with another Christmas song cringe challenge on Skype... Do we really want to post about our picks here again? I think I'd rather not, but maybe Prim will disagree.

The Troll Calendar 2024
Day 09

Have Merci

The art of living lies in savoring the moment.

Today's Merci bar is "Dark Cream". I wonder how exactly it is supposed to differ from the "Dark Chocolate" one we had earlier, apart from its shape?

I'm still not sure, honestly. Well, another decent enough entry, though it won't compete for a top spot.

Through the Wood of Thorns

Now we're talking, the part on the right gains a platform, and even a little column on the side.

The part on the left does not get a level top yet, so I think we will see some other developments there soon.

The Troll Calendar 2024
Day 10

Have Merci

Happiness is not a destination, but the route that we are traveling with a smile.

Wow, check it out...

Originally posted by Harrier88

Originally posted by VorpalF2F
Of course, if it had been "white mousse" I would have been ready

Maybe we will get to that one eventually too.
It is white mousse. More specifically, it is referred to as "white mousse au chocolat" on the packaging. I was kind of joking with my comment above, I had no idea that this one was included.

The bar was so creamy that it kind of fell apart when I tried to break off a piece for the photo. I didn't expect any version of white chocolate to land near the top, but... this may be #1 so far. Incredibly creamy, I wonder if it's even supposed to be like this, the dark mousse one was nothing like it.

Spoiler

1. White Mousse December 10th
2. Caramel Brownie (Merci Together) December 8th
3. Almond Cream (Merci Together) December 6th
4. Nougat Crunch (Merci Together) December 3rd
5. Marzipan December 6th
6. Praline Cream December 1st
7. Dark Mousse December 5th
8. Dark Cream December 9th
9. Dark Milk Chocolate (Merci Petit) December 2nd
10. White Crunch (Merci Petit) December 4th
11. Milk Chocolate December 7th

Through the Wood of Thorns

Big step today, we add some stuff on the new platform, and keep building that tower on the left.

At first, I didn't even think those wall pieces would fit in there, making me wonder if I made a mistake in an earlier step. After finding the correct way, however, it fits perfectly.

Originally posted by Harrier88
It is white mousse. More specifically, it is referred to as "white mousse au chocolat" on the packaging. I was kind of joking with my comment above, I had no idea that this one was included.

As has been mentioned previously I don't see the point of white chocolate.
To me it has no flavour.
The few times I've tried it, I found it overly sweet.

Originally posted by VorpalF2F
Of course, if it had been "white mousse" I would have been ready

I wasn't ready for that!

Originally posted by VorpalF2F
As has been mentioned previously I don't see the point of white chocolate.
To me it has no flavour.
The few times I've tried it, I found it overly sweet.

The white mousse bar went a little beyond standard white chocolate, but it's hard to describe it. For one thing, the consistency was a lot softer, but the taste seemed a little different too.

Makes me wonder what "real" white mousse au chocolat is like.

The Troll Calendar 2024
Day 11

Have Merci

Christmas immerses the world in light and joy.

It's a Merci Together. Let's see if it's as good as the rest - our filling is "Crème Brûlée Hazelnut".

Looks quite good, and, yes, it is very good. About on par with the rest of the Merci Together chocolates, I'd say. I even got some crème brûlée flavored café au lait capsules for my coffee maker the other day, those were pretty good too.

Through the Wood of Thorns

A more minor step after the major update yesterday. We mostly just add a "railing" of sorts to the platform, and a few block on top of the left tower part.

The Troll Calendar 2024
Day 12

Have Merci

A smile is like a hug of the heart.

Oh, I remember those from the standard assortments. It's a "Coffee and Cream" bar. These ones stand out a little from the rest, because of that extra cream layer at the bottom. Even as a kid, when I didn't like coffee yet (imagine...), I thought they looked interesting.

Part coffee, part cream - what's not to like? Hardly any sweetness to it at all, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. It's refreshingly different, in a way. I think I will put it below the Praline Cream one.

Through the Wood of Thorns

The "tower part" on the left gains a branch, or arch, and the platform gains a bit more of a railing. Another relatively minor step, I'd say. In general, this set seems a little slower paced than the ships from the last few years, but that's completely fine.

The Troll Calendar 2024
Day 13

Have Merci

Being together is the best thing in the world.

It's a Merci Petit, and the filling is nougat crunch. Didn't we have that one before?

Well, back then, it was a Merci Together, and now it's this:

It was just about as I remembered the other one, so you would think I would rank them the same... but frankly, size matters. I think I will put this one a few more spaces below the other version.

Through the Wood of Thorns

We add some more stuff on the railing, including some round 1x1 pieces.

And check it out, we even add a sword already.

Well, it feels nice, and almost a bit surreal, to finally have a few days in a row with no place to go to. It may sound like great conditions for poker, but so far, there is little to report, the few games that I played didn't go very well. It is starting to look like a bit of a dry spell. With no more scheduled appointments in the evenings for the rest of the year, maybe I can at least add a few more Stud Hi-Lo tournaments, to get a better idea of where I currently stand there. But it might be a good idea to revisit my notes on this game first.

I even tried to revisit some OFC games and possibly some other crypto tables, but traffic on that network seems even worse than usual at the moment, I have not been able to find a single opponent so far.

Primrose and I are going to drag ourselves through another week before we start our big winter break and visit our respective families - after visiting each other one last time this year. I heard Prim is already eagerly working on her gardening plans for next year too. Other than that, it's mostly work and some Christmas prep stuff for us to do before we should be done with everything, the usual stuff. While we are doing all that, a little momentum push in poker would be very welcome.

Hey, not only working hard on my gardening plans, but also on my "Trolland Gaross"-plans (tennis competitions)! Actually I already registered to a "Trollette-Open" (women´s singles 50 plus) tournament but at the moment, I´m on the waiting list. The "Trollette Open" is currently full but at least I am registered on the waiting list for January 19th! Fingers crossed that I can play there, if some "Trollettes" decide to unregister. At least, I´m already working on my fitness for the "Troll and Trollette Opens".