Project Reroll, The Flamethrower!

There's a new arrival at Project Reroll! In Spaceballs, Yogurt said it best. "Merchandising!" I just opened a store to sell shirts, bags, iPhone cases, waterbottles, and more! All of them feature our beautiful logo by Annie Stoll (Seriously, check out her stuff!)! She dedicated a lot of time an energy to  getting it just right and I just want to thank her SO MUCH and give her a shout out so y'all can find her other work on the web! Thanks Annie!

So why make a store?

I want to be able to commit more time to the blog and turn it into something even bigger and better than what it is currently. Sadly, I don't have the ability to do that because of pesky stuff like the time I have to commit to my day job to assuage the lack of disposable income I would need to take this project to the next level. 

Personally, when I read a blog, I'm not usually incentivized to contribute monetarily. Why pay money for something you can get for free? Plus, where does the money go and what direct benefits will I see for my contribution. I wouldn't ask for money if I didn't have an idea of how I'll spend it and what I'll do to improve your experience.

Set your fears at rest. I'll never make people pay for access to the blog. However, a community is what we make of it, and with 30,000 readers (holy Schwartz!), I think we have the slayers we need to level up the blog. Imagine what we could do if every reader gave a just one dollar?! 

More importantly, where will these earnings go? All funds raised through purchases at the store and deposits in the tip jar will be used to:

• Pay for private hosting on our own site away from "blogger."
• Develop a forum community so readers can get connected, chat about articles, and share information and experiences.
• Allow me to dedicate more time to writing more posts and to develop a more comprehensive program for Life Coaching clients.
• Purchase items/services/classes to review on the blog.
• Help me travel to/participate in fitness events like runs, tough mudders, etc. so I can chronicle the training process and the actual event on the blog.
• Pay for a proper video camera so I can make vlog posts on Project Reroll.
• Buy business cards.
• Acquire/distribute prizes for community contests
• Pay for the organization of community events/meetups/classes in NYC (and maybe elsewhere eventually).

Of these upgrades, I'd love to find out what interests my slayers most! Conversely, I'd love to know if there's stuff that people just don't care about at all. Are there other upgrades you would like to see? Other types of merchandise? Let me know! Please leave your ideas, questions, and suggestions in the comments. 

My Big Damn Hero Challenge

It's Monday April 15th and that means it's the beginning of a new Nerd Fitness 6 Week Challenge! After the success I had with the last one, I'm ready to attack a new set of goals head on and continue to level up my life! You have until Wednesday April 17th to create your goals and post them in the guild thread you want to participate in for the challenge, so I highly recommend biting the bullet and joining the rebellion if you're not already a part of it! 

Last challenge, I gave my challenge a Rainbow Dash theme because I was preparing cosplay as her for PAX East. This time, I'll be using the ladies from Joss Whedon's Firefly to inspire my goals! Note: All artwork by Megan Lara.

Starting Stats:

Hearthsinger the Wandering Bard

Level 2 Halfling Ranger

STR 4 | DEX 3 | STA 7 | CON 5 | WIS 6 | CHA 4

Starting Photos:

Starting Weight: 151.4 lbs.
Starting Measurements:

Bust: 36.25"
Waist: 36.5"
Hips: 42"
Thigh: 20.75"
Calves: 15.5"
Bicep: 12.25"

Fitness/Diet goals:

• "I need you up in the engine room figurin' out what caused this." ~Malcolm Reynolds 
• I'll use all the tech at my disposal to maximize the efficiency of my workouts and the effectiveness of my diet plan. 
• I'll log every meal I eat on Fitbit.
• I must meet my -1000 calorie deficit at least 6/7 days a week while still eating EVERYTHING I'm supposed to on my diet plan so I can stay on track with my weight loss. 
• No more starving myself to meet the deficit is allowed. I must consume at least 1100 calories every "day of rest." On active/working days, I must consume 1250-1350. 
• Reward: CON +4

• "You ever been with a warrior woman?" ~Wash
• Time to get more serious about my strength training with. Daily Yoga! 
• 20-30 minutes/day including vinyasa series and warrior dance to warm up the body, followed by focused work on the following three poses. 
• Hold crow for 10 seconds (right now I can just barely get both feet off the floor for a few seconds)
• Wheel for 10 seconds (I've gotten up into it one time, but mostly only make it to the top of my head)
• Hold shoulder stand for 10 minutes by the end of the challenge (right now my PR is four minutes). 
• Reward: STR +3, DEX +2

• "No power in the 'verse can stop me." ~River Tam
• I have graduated from the Zombies, Run 5K Training app so it's time to start doing 3 missions a week with the regular Zombies, Run app. 
• By the end of the challenge, I'd like to go from my 5k PR of: 33 min down to 30 min. 
• Reward: STA +3

Life Goal:

• "Should I start with the part where you're stranded in the middle of nowhere or the part where you have no clothes?" ~Inara Serra
• I'm running out of clothes that fit properly again and I don't have a lot of money, so it's time to get resourceful and list all my old designer clothes, shoes, and sundry items that no longer fit or are no longer wanted for sale on ebay. 
• They do not have to be sold by the end of the challenge, but all of the items have to be collected, organized, photographed, and listed by the end of six weeks. 
• I can use the proceeds to replenish my dwindling wardrobe! 
• Reward: CHA +3

So there you have it! In six weeks, I'll post a follow up on the blog to let you know how I did!