Staying Active · 2:50pm Sep 5th, 2023
Okay, so...hear me out. 
For starters, I took the week and weekend off from writing because I actually focused on school and practicing. So, this week, I aim to get myself back into the groove and finish Part 3 of the chapter series we are in. Then, we can get to that romance chapter I have planned.
Secondly, and more importantly, I want to take some time to talk about the pinball league I am in outside of school. There is a pinball league within an hour from my house, and I decided to make that travel out there on July 20th. It was the day after the tournament I did that was IFPA regulated, whereas this one isn't. It's at a cute little train restaurant, and has an impressive selection of pinball games in the game room. One of the guys there, who was at the tournament the day prior, is a regular there and introduced me to everyone.
The league is based around playing within a group of 3 or 4 and earning points based on your results for each game. So, if you got 1st place on a 3-ball game of pinball, you earned 7 points. 2nd place gets 5 points, 3rd gets 3 points, and 4th gets just 1 point. So, because of that, I made sure to do my best and try to stay above 20 points a week. I joined their league during Week 2, missing the first week due to me not knowing about it. Ever since then, we just finished Week 7 last week and this week we have off. So, currently I am ranked 9th of 36 players in that league with an average of 22.833 points a week. I think that translates to 137 points.
To qualify for the playoffs, you need to have played at least 40 games over the 16-week span. Every week, you play 5 games, so by Week 9, September 21st, I should be able to qualify for the playoffs. If I do qualify, my current rank would be 3rd if I sustained this level of play. And it's only my first season in their league, which is in its 26th season. Not bad, right? But, it gets better. I didn't know it at the time, but the top 14 spots are in the A division. There is a second division, the B division, that has another 14 spots. So, reasonably, only 8 of the 36 players in the league right now would have the opportunity to qualify for the playoffs. So, for me, having a chance to qualify and sustain a Top 3 placement is ideal, but I think being Top 7 in the league is more realistic for me.
Again, not bad for my first time in the pinball league.
Other than that, school has kept me active even though I am part time, and teaching my lessons has gone smoothly. Staying active and not being lazy is the mindset now, especially since I have a book to finish and a prequel to write. Oh! Two chapter updates for Swiftly Rising coming out tomorrow and the day after. Keep an eye out for those chapters!
Anyway, I have to go. Catch you all later! 
-Harpy
I suck at pinball, I don't know how people are able to play longer than 10 seconds.
But still, nice job!