RenFengge

2/13/2021 Workout Squat Workshop Descending back squat ladder by 2 starting at 14 reps with load going to max. Thoughts: I just was not in it this week. I have been exhausted, and I spent some time trying to figure it out. Sure, we're super busy at work with the vaccine distribution, but I didn't think it physically tolled me. I guess it did. I skipped out on Friday's workout and slept really hard on Thursday. Then released (sorry guys) that it's the special time of the month where I'm just fatigued! Anyway, my squat ladder ended at 215lbs at 2 sets of 2 reps. Going to 225lbs should not have been an issue for final set, but it was. And, it was so disappointing. I was getting super jealous of one of the guys doing 315lbs, but ego lifts end up with injury, and I'm not about that. Food is shifting more and more towards what I need. My brain is shifting less and less towards my DietBet since it seems to be incredibly detrimental to my mental health. So, if I make the monthly, great! If not, I'm getting really proud of my legs lol. Today is my first day cracking open my protein powders. Not because I think it's a must, but because it's a great way for me to get my sweet in and stay full for longer and get other things in that I need for muscle repair during Sunday Rest Day. The protein powder I (we) use has been picked after going from the dirty stuff (but highly tasty) found in fitness stores, to now John's Killer Protein. It meets my criteria of what I'm looking for, and it meets husband's criteria on taste (super clean.. flavorless... so we can add the correct sweetener that doesn't offend his taste buds). I was reading something about the person who trains and manages the nutrition for one of the super hero celebs... and while basically all of the Marvel actors are on a very low carb diet among other strict timing guidelines, one of them actually does better with some carbs. He performs better. Recovers better. Leans out better. And, to be honest, that makes sense. I know my limits, and I think I have to be okay with staying in the 100g of carbs a day. I knew this before, but I was chasing the number on the scale. I talk about food a lot on this lately. I think a lot of people forget that you can't outrun a bad diet. I love weightlifting. I will always show up and do a strength workout. I hate doing cardio. But, it's also amazing how even an incorrect macro set up and food quality can affect your performance. This week was a harsh reminder... on top of my hormones hating me lol. Today is rest day. My legs are so solid and sore. We're back at it tomorrow, and I will program into my Monday some cardio and core. I just need to see what the gym is posting first. Side Note: Because husband tends to eat what I eat, and I did not exactly formally tell him what's going on -- it was super hilarious to me on Friday night when he says that his clothes are fitting better. Oh, you men and your easy weight loss with barely trying. Lolz.

Did the squat workshop today. But, honestly, oddly exhausted this week. Going to post about it tomorrow!

Downloaded and installed. Going to try to get some time in tomorrow... if not, then definitely Sunday and Monday! Hope to catch others on!

I deleted FB about 3 - 4 years ago... Such a cloud lifted! My IG is pretty curated to show me only animal videos and a few other amusing things. Aside from a gym friend, the rest of the posts in my feed are pretty non-toxic. Twitter, however, is just as toxic (if not more) as FB. As for the "blue checkmark", relatively true on your statement. However, Stephen Amell, who I guess is considered a celebrity because of his role as the Green Arrow, just sends so much happiness when he tweets.

When I picked up DAO, I actually got it on eBay with the code for Shale, so I got Shale on my initial playthrough. He is so hilarious and definitely great in battle. I mean, he is a rock lol. I was totally into Alistair for DAO. The snarkiness and wit is just my type. Cullen for DAI... for a quick second, I was going to go for Solas or Blackwall, but Cullen was infinitely more my type. That story arc all the way through Trespasser was just top notch. DAI, I think, was the first game to bring me to tears, and I remembered that I was all "I'm not even halfway through this." This was also before I played the Mass Effect trilogy. I think I played as an elf for barely the beginning, then restarted as a human. I don't even know why. I need to do a run as an elf!

I think what a lot of us forget as we consume social media and whatnot... is that the ones making noise about anything and everything and the ones that create content and get everyone else riled up... are the extreme minority of humanity. The vast majority of us are middle ground, try to do the right thing, try not to harm others, try to understand that you can't paint one person or group of people with a giant stroke. Yes, I live in a progressive area. Yes, I am progressive (to the point that I was "Yang Gang" long before anyone knew who Andrew Yang was). Yes, I have definitely dealt with my share of "COVIDiots" (I mean, I have a neighbor who is) and racists and sexists and generally terrible people. But, while my neighbor is a "red hat" who thinks masks are pointless (and for a while thought COVID was a hoax), he's not malicious and quite neighborly and understands that COVID is dangerous. We, as people, generally forget that there is a middle ground. That just because one thing is chosen doesn't mean something else isn't. That because someone gets helps or a reward doesn't mean that something is taken away from someone else. That, let's just take for example, equal rights to all people does not mean taking away rights from others... or the super touchy subject here in the US about "the right to bear arms"... that just because I want some semblance of gun control doesn't mean no guns for anyone. Just it should be responsible ownership... Because I think people should have them as long as they know how to properly use and care for them. Or, non-hetero people getting married... like who cares if two guys or two ladies or two whatevers gets married? Last I checked their relationship has nothing to do with others? It's not black or white. One or the other. Everything is a shade of grey. Social media and the trolls that are on it to rile people up are a prime example of "a person is smart. People are dumb". Mob mentality happens super fast on social media.

Calls for her to be fired because she supported "45" - yeah.. see... as much as I despise the man and his whole goomba crew and the people pulling his strings, I think that's a bit much. People who have a knee-jerk reaction to want to get someone fired just because of certain political views don't necessarily try to understand what the actual cause is then. That said, yeah, my friends and I have definitely lived in various levels of fear since November 9, 2016 because of "45" and everything he put out there. But, if you come to me saying you support/supported him because of real things and got your facts together, then you do you. If you come to me saying you support/supported him because you think people like me are a cancer to the US because I'm brown and Asian and COVID and other xenophobic BS, then you can go happily jump off a ledge that I will point you in the direction of it. Basically, what I'm saying is that at the end of the day, I just want to be left alone, in peace, to play my games, go outside to get food and whatnot, and not worry about getting thrown into a van to be sent to camp or killed or whatever. If you are in your political views move to harm me and my friends, I have a problem with that. But, if your views are all just blustering nonsense and you forgot that you are owned by your employer and forget that freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences from private entities, then well... lolz.

Context on my POV: I'm not a Star Wars fan, but I did enjoy The Mandalorian... and probably have a better than basic knowledge of Star Wars lore. I lean liberal. Is what she said offensive? Sure. Do I necessarily care? Ehhhh... not really? There are plenty of actors out there that have viewpoints dissimilar to mine, and for me, unless you are actually actively doing terrible sh*t to the tune of harming people and animals for no good reason (I'm looking at you worthless pieces of garbage a la Jake Paul and Logan Paul), I generally say... whatever. Look, we who are employed by others are endlessly told to keep your POVs to yourself and be mindful of your social media. I have signed something that had that wording in the last 5 places I was employed, especially in the position I hold. I'm pretty sure she had to sign that as well. It's DISNEY. They absolutely care about what their assets put out there. In terms of the corporate world, she did this to herself... getting fired. In terms of her POV, ehhhh. It's terrible, and I wouldn't want to know her as a human. But, I also liked that she was a woman whose body I could actually relate to... who wasn't fat but was considered strong. No one wins with her being gone. Not the story. Not women. Not her. Not Disney.

Huge Dragon Age fan here. But, honestly, I did not dig too deep into the lore. I played Origins about a year after it came out. Shale is one of my favorite characters. Also, seeing the character arcs of Alistair and Cullen over the whole series was truly intriguing. Funny thing about Origins for me was that I played the entire game without actually bothering to understand the runes or apply them until the final boss haha. I really hope they don't tank DA4, but the BioWare we grew to love is long dead. I want to see what Tevinter is like. I want another fantastic story. I want to know what's going on with Solas!

This is wonderfully creepy and awesome. If I was into animation and fx, I would totally add this to my collection of graphic tools/software.

@J4MES OX4D - i was expecting something entirely different than what you posted... as the summary on the front page says, "Valheim Euro Truck Simulator 2" I was thinking "please tell me that I'm going to see an ancient Viking driving an 18-wheeler in the untouched lands of Scandinavia... in a snowstorm."

I think you'll find that the PC gaming world hasn't changed drastically. It's all just better hardware. Okay, maybe more awesome monitors that I could have never dreamed of when I was only PC gaming, but still... it's like riding a bike. @GazzaGarratt - maybe let's add a subchannel in our Discord under Strategy and Survival? @FallenDark200 - you're better than I on being open to games that are dated and not graphically amazing. I swear, it's why I can't get through Elder Scrolls.. and why I won't play the Witcher series... and way it honestly took me so long to play Dragon Age and Mass Effect... which was actually a good thing for me lol. Let's get this Valheim stuff going!

I just want to eat grilled cheese... and mac & cheese... and pizza... and maybe a delicious bacon cheeseburger with all of that haha. So, carbs + fat.

2/10/2021 Workout 10 minute EMOM 5 hang clean + press @ 65lbs THEN 5 minute EMOM 10 pendlay rows @ 65lbs Thoughts: Okay. Why 65lbs? Because I favor form. Also, my back has been a bit tight. I didn't just want to throw all caution to the wind and do this at 85lbs or 100lbs. I did get some side eye from the coach tho lol. I'll keep this workout in mind to redo it... maybe on Sunday. I did the press as a strict press instead of a jerk press. The only sacrifice there was that I went longer in each round than others. But, 65lbs is not a jerk press weight lol. It's been a good mental pause over the last week with not stressing about weighing in. I've been a little more lax on food, but I don't think it was too terrible. Been enjoying about 2 tablespoons of peanut butter with chocolate chips, technically a no-no. Keeping to the IF routine, but adding a slice of bread during the day. This is a marathon and not a sprint. If I don't make weight in February, I'm not going to cry. I've got until end of June to drop the 10lbs. My eating overall is much "cleaner" than January and the last couple of months. I'm not saying that I don't miss getting boba tea, but it being a weekly occurrence isn't really good for anyone's health lol. I've tweaked my IF routine by remembering that I never did it strict since 2012. I actually did what is generally called a "fat bomb" in the morning to get to lunch. Did espresso with an MCT coconut creamer for 2 weeks. This week it will be matcha with the MCT coconut creamer. Overall, I find this extra difficult during the snowy days... where I just want to hiberate and eat lol.

My new PC is here, and part of me is getting tempted to just play everything on PC. Doesn't mean I will. @TurboR56Mini and I will be on Valheim once he's set up and ready to go. Hopefully, this weekend. Would love to play with others on it! I tend to lean heavily on sim games and strategy games on PC. Sometimes, a few RPGs, but it's been a good minute since I have found an RPG I want to play on my PC. For Valheim, maybe we should do a calendar event?

EA will do what EA does best. Kill the game that they already had a heavy hand in destroying. They just bought some other studio. They aren't going to sink more money into a game they pushed over the edge with a studio they effectively killed.

Fabulous! Once I get Turbo's computer sorted, we will probably play together at least. And hopefully with the FG crew. I have a knack for getting myself in trouble in these types of games due to my curiosity. Always getting scolding for poking something I should have left alone lol.

I'm teetering over the fence to buy this and play around. For those who have played it, are the characters only male based? Or, can I rock a crazy viking woman? (Things I never cared about until I played Mass Effect lol) Viking women were kickass.