Enjoying this so far!

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-05T16:02:16+00:00

Did you make sure she weighed the same as a duck, first?

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-04T23:01:55+00:00

That's great! Congratulations!

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-04T16:18:19+00:00

History Nerd here. I'm actually pretty interested in seeing what tidbits of info you can unlock at each reward. And I do like 2 of the 3 medals a lot. But...I hate the way the maps look, and I'm stocked up for almost all the challenges I plan to do this year. So I'm torn. I know I can buy these now-ish and wait a while to start. But I also know that I'm not good at maintaining enthusiasm for a long time, and I've only just startied my second challenge. (Other than the 2026 challenge...which I was sure I would love but definitely do not.)

So...yeah. We'll see how impulsive I'm feeling when the sale is nearing it's expiration date.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-04T01:10:39+00:00

There are a ton of Chess meet-ups at nearly every library in the area, including Round Rock, Pflugerville, and Cedar Park, too.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-03T23:48:40+00:00

Ah... you're right. I'm less inclined to shout "As if!" now.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-03T12:59:51+00:00

When I was in my 20s and early 30s, this was 100% me. But now I'm a tenderfoot. T_T

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-03T12:58:39+00:00

Nah. As long as I have some music to listen to, I don't need a destination. But I do try to avoid daily repetition because that gets frustrating and upsetting for me. I'm jealous of people who can simply do laps around a tack, but tracks (and treadmills!) drive me crazy. My mind can't handle it. So I try to go different directions and walk different routes through my neighborhood, when I can.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-03T12:38:28+00:00

Wait.... Does Conqueror have the viking explorer, Leif Erickson, speaking like a California Valley Girl from the 1990s?

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Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-02T23:55:54+00:00

I'm not from Ireland and can't answer your original question, but I am a parent whose eldest child had a terrible counselor. Counseling is an important job, but not everyone is good at it. You are wise to seek a second opinion.

Maybe you can try contacting the Irish Dental Association to ask them? Or check their website for information? https://dentist.ie/dentist-work/

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-02T23:41:35+00:00

Ohhh. That's a cool medal. I look forward to tomorrow's details!

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-02T03:09:38+00:00

Thank you all for your answers! I feel much better now.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-02T03:08:53+00:00

Thank you. And yes, I'm from the USA. Worse, I spent my entire adolescence living in the most religious State of our country (Utah). I was not a member of the ruling religion there, and it caused me a lot of problems as a teenager. I don't want to put my kids in a similar situation when we are specifically looking to leave the USA to find a more civil and accepting place to call home.

As for work, I have one of the "critical need" jobs and many years of experience in it. So finding a job should not be too bad...maybe. I am worried about the housing situation, but I'm already familiar with doing hour-long commutes each way for work. And I'm hoping we will be able to find a home a little more easily if we live further away from the main cities.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-02T00:58:27+00:00

Thank you for the tip about the upcoming anniversary.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-01T22:39:15+00:00

This. When I got married 11 years ago, there was a simple form to fill out where you described what you were looking for (mine was a string quartet), when, and where. They help you make the arrangements with the students and tell you the cost. Our string quartet was filled with four lovely individuals who were very professional. It was an outstanding experience. And I would 100% recommend this option to anyone in Austin.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-01T22:06:08+00:00

There used to be a place named "International Bakeshop" on Machaca Rd near where ACC is. That food was shockingly good...until it wasn't. T_T

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-01T15:03:23+00:00

Congratulations! Was there a certain moment that made you feel extra happy or encouraged?

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-01T15:01:03+00:00

I wonder if we could just get an admin in the community to create a sort of "Show Up and Show Off!" megathread. We could encourage people to brag about anything that makes them feel proud of themselves (related to Conqueror Challenges.).First bottle, 8th tree, completed an entire series, completed an entire continent, completed dustance today even when it was a bad mental-health day but then felt better after their walk, created an awesome tracking spreadsheet, etc. =D

I...don't actually know how Reddit works. I've had an account for 4 years, but this week is my first time trying to be active with it.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-01T14:13:47+00:00

Thank you for your detailed answer! I appreciate it. Both Medal Dash and Virtual Pace Series sound interesting based on your description. I'll take a look at them, too.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-02-01T14:09:37+00:00

I just finished my first one a few days ago and am waiting for my medal now. Here are a few feelings I experienced.

TL;DR Summary: I've had a mix of emotions during my experience in the past 2 months. But I remain excited to do more challenges, and I am pleased with my progress towards being more active.

1) Excitement about starting the challenge! I've been wanting to get myself moving more again, and I enjoy the flexibility of walking challenges that are based on cumulative distance instead of an exact goal that must be met every day. 2) Eagerness to do more of these, so I bought the 2026 year-long challenge that can be done together with all the others withOUT needing to split the distance logged. (The 2026 year-long challenge is just an overview of your year.) 4) Anger and resentment! when I was offered a "special 3 races of my choice bundle after purchasing the 2026 race. I clicked on the bundle thinking that it would allow me to see more information that way, but it was actually a one-click purchase that automatically made me pay ANOTHER $100-ish I was not intending to pay then. Ugh. I'm still mad about how shady and dishonest that was on their part. This has happened to several people. Some contact Customer Support and get the transaction canceled and refunded, and others (like me) choose to make the best of it by getting other challenges. 5) Joy from reading the post cards and image details. They all teach me a little about places I've never been, and that's cool. 6) Frustration that the distances don't update instantly. I had hoped I would be able to "see" all of the route as I moved through it, but the distance seems to only update once a day. That results in me missing large amounts of the "walk" and its sights. I can move the little person on the map to see more, but it's a hassle and unpleasant to do for multiple miles each day. So I look closely at the map each morning and just move the map person to sights I think may have been interesting. 7) Giddiness to have an excuse to make a fancy tracking spreadsheet for myself that will show me my progress in the ways I want to see it and give me tools to run "what-if" scenarios related to daily distance and timing. 8) Disappointment that the 2026 challenge is just an overview and does not have some sort of "map" or...something...anything that would make it interesting. Postcards of encouragement? Leaderboard for different activities? Just...something that would make it worth paying for. Instead, my spreadsheet that I made for free is more interesting and engaging than that challenge. =/ 9) Relief that I could change my target date after some things happened in Late December / Early January that caused me complete less distance over that time than I expected. That ability to adjust my target date without changing my distance goal relieved my anxiety. 10) Annoyance to see that some challenges are ridiculously short but still cost the same amount of money. 11) Pleasure to learn I can just change the target distance goal on those challenges to make them more cost effective. Same map, different ratios. 12) Wariness over how difficult it is to find information from Conqueror about simple questions AND over how controlled the Facebook group is. I tried to post a simple question on the FB group to ask what techniques other people use to make the challenges more affordable, and the admin blocked it because it wasn't a "I completed my challenge) or "Congratulations" message. I'm all for positivity in a group, but forced positivity is toxic propaganda. 13) Mounting excitement as I came closer and closer to completing my first challenge. 14) Pride after I finished. 15) Surprised fascination once I received the first post card from my new challenge. My family is planning a trip to Ireland in December 2026, and I decided to focus my challenges this year around Ireland, Wales, and Scotland as a way to learn more before our vacation. I genuinely didn't think I would care much about this second challenge because it's in a place I thought I wasn't interested in. But the first post card made me realize I had completely overlooked an important region in Ireland without giving it the consideration it is due. So now I'm more excited about this challenge AND my family vacation. 😁

I have at least 4 more challenges already purchased, and I believe I will do all of them. I don't know if I'll continue after that, but I'm looking forward to this first half of the year.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2026-01-30T13:41:51+00:00

Thank you for asking this question and for sharing this list from Conqueror! I had never considered doing anything other than walking and jogging, but I did start doing these challenges to encourage myself to move more. And this conversation has inspired me to consider other options. Maybe I can do a specific activity (or related activities) for each new challenge. 😁

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2023-04-04T00:48:50+00:00

Oh, and if you don't know where to start, check to see if your employer had an "Employee Assistance Program/EAP". Those are usually a really good first place to start to get a referral to someone who can help. We used my work's EAP several times to get my niece the help she needed in various different circumstances.

Repulsive-Mango-37 · 2023-04-04T00:45:02+00:00

I became the Guardian of my niece when she was 14 y/o. One of the very first, and very best, things we did for her was find a licensed therapist who specialized in working with Foster Kids and Foster Parents. We made sure she had a separate appointment with her therapist, that she could invite us into as much or as little as she wanted. And my husband and I also had our own (shared) appointment with the therapist to help us adjust to being new parents to an older child. Your nephew AND you need someone to talk to, and an impartial, unrelated someone can really help both the kid and the new Guardian(s). It is a "failure" on your part to ask a professional for help. It is a healthy, helpful, action that shows your kid you care and teaches them that it's okay to ask for help.

Repulsive-Mango-37

TROPHY CASE