#4 - Chopstick Only*

Challenge: Use chopsticks for anything that I would normally use silverware for.

Chopsticks are supposed to be thought of as an extension of ones fingers. I don't know how the Chinese do it. Though it may improve your finger dexterity, it makes eating a chore. It's like playing the operation game with food. That's how pissed I got when trying to pick up some oatmeal with these things. Overall, I think I'm better for it because I never was good at using chopsticks.

*On the last night before the challenge ended, I forgot about my chopsticks and used silverware. I will be foregoing silverware at dinner tonight to somewhat make up for this blunder.



Take-aways:
1. I ate probably half of my meals with my hands, which I never really thought about until now. Burgers, sandwiches, cookies, fruit, etc.
2. Improved finger dexterity has led me to complete the game of Operation in under 10 seconds.

NEXT CHALLENGE: NO CELL PHONE

#3 - Stairmaster

I'll admit I wasn't too afraid of this challenge. Until I got to that 8th flight of stairs and had 5 more to go still. All in all, I climbed up and down 96 flights of stairs. According to my math, I burned about 450 calories by doing so. Just enough to justify almost all the shit I ate this week.

No learnings. Just out of breath.

I think I will keep taking the stairs whenever possible. Plus it has really helped in bulking up my legs.

Challenge: Take the stairs always - no using the elevator.

NEXT WEEK'S CHALLENGE: CHOPSTICKS ONLY

#2 - Save the nails

Challenge: Not biting my nails.

I've tried to quit this habit multiple times, but I can never get past a few days. I can say I successfully made it more than a week on this challenge (8 days) and then I fell apart. It was quite the snowball effect.

Learnings
1. It's unbelievable how many times I put my hands up to my face as if it were like blinking or breathing. It had to be like every 5-10 minutes and then I would remember that I have a challenge to conquer. Habits are hard not to bite.
2. It felt really good to be able to open things, like pop cans, without having to use an object to pry it up. The scratching capabilities of nails are also amazing. Nails come in handy more than just for biting.

I will continue to fight the good fight on this one.

NEXT WEEK'S CHALLENGE: STAIRMASTER

#1 - The Dishes Don't Clean Themselves

Challenge: Wash the dishes by hand

Not a difficult one, but a time suck. As you can see in the photo below, the dishes had started to pile before I even began.



Learnings:
1. If you don't do the dishes regularly enough during the week, it sometimes attracts insects. We attracted fruit flies. They soon multiplied and spread throughout different areas of our apartment. (Kristin is making me post this as she thinks it warrants a challenge do-over) What we had then was a fruit fly massacre on our hands and they didn't even see it coming.

To get rid fruit flies:
-Put some wine and fruit in a small bowl.
-Cover the top with tin foil and poke holes in it.
-Wait for them to fly in and drown on that which they love.



2. Washing the dishes by hand is therapeutic. I have plenty of time to do something mindless and think. It's good brain time.

3. Our dishwasher has been on the fritz and leaves our stuff all cloudy. I also have a sneaking suspicion that our dishwasher uses sewage water to rinse everything. I know they are clean because I did them.

NEXT WEEK'S CHALLENGE - NOT BITING MY NAILS