Quest for Muscle: The Return of the Pump

[GentleOx]

Hello once more! 'Tis I, the Ox of Gentle disposition.

Very tired, but very content. Today was a Push day, and I moved away from my strength program to try something a bit different.

Paused Bench Press: 125 x 3. A good start; I wasn't particularly interested in trying to improve on Monday, so I started my DUP a little early.
Paused Incline Bench: 102.5 x 3. Will be happy when I get to 105 but for now, keep on truckin'.
Overhead Press: 62.5 x 5. Little bit at a time.
Hammer Curls: 16 x 24. My goodness, these felt much easier than they did last week. I took the opportunity to hit them harder.

Afterward, found myself back again in that massive shopping complex, so I bummed around for a bit before my classes.



Harry and Hermione were there to greet me.



The rink was more active than the last time I was there, and it was clear that some of the skaters had been taking lessons!




True to IKEA form, the layout of this deceptively tiny outlet was rather maze-like. The bistro downstairs seemed to be pretty popular, which could perhaps be explained by the affordable prices.

Been intermittently rainy tonight, but I got home before getting soaked. Tomorrow is Korean BBQ! Om nom nom.

Hope you have a great weekend, Bees!

Playing: Resonance of Fate, mostly. While the innovative, gun-fu inflected combat is a highlight, my primary mover is seeing the interactions between the protagonist trio. I'll see if I can see the game through to the end, unlike when I played it on XB360. Dashes of Fallout 4, too.

Watching: Here's a review of Invincible, Season 2.

In the aftermath of his father's world-shattering massacre, Mark Grayson (alias Invincible) is left to grapple with his identity and loyalties. And college, too. And what's this about a guy wandering through alternate timelines, witnessing all the Invincibles that happily partook in massacres uncounted?

Much like the first season, Invincible S2 has excellent storytelling and animation. The voicework is impeccable, and the characters are given a depth that rivals any other comic creation. There are some absolutely shocking revelations that end frustratingly soon, so it's a good thing that Seasons 3 and 4 have been greenlit.

Overall, I give it five Seance Dog figurines out of five.

Will watch Late Night with the Devil tonight... I've been savouring the chance to watch this one for awhile!

Listening to: Inon Zur - Battle against Robots. Comes from the soundtrack to Fallout Tactics. Haven't listened to this song in years, and it showed that even before Fallout 3, Inon Zur was ace at setting a mood (though his skills in ambiance aren't quite as great as Mark Morgan's).

 

[GentleOx]

Hey again Bees! Today's workout was all Lower Body, and I'm still feeling it.

Squats: 90 x 5. Hmm. Started off easy, but got harder.
Paused Deadlifts: 152.5 x 3. Wow. These were possibly even harder than the squats.
Romanian Deadlifts: 100 x 5.
Dumbbell Front Squats: 20 x 5.
Back Extensions: Five sets of ten.

Also, 21000 steps!

Absolutely exhausted afterward.

Had yummy Korean BBQ for dinner, but I just may have eaten too much. My insides are protesting gravely. Oh well.

Tomorrow we're off to watch Abigail! Squee! Assuming we don't get wet on the way there. It's been thundering pretty dramatically tonight!

Playing: More Resonance of Fate, of course! It's harder than I remember. That said, I remember it being rather hard, so now it's prett-ay hard.

Watching: Abigail, of course. Was watching the 2019 Hellboy at the gym, but it's rather disappointing and formulaic, so I might give up on it. Will try to watch some late night horror tonight, if I'm not busy rewatching the Fallout tv series.

Listening to: The Alan Parsons Project - The Cask of Amontillado. I've been craving some Edgar Allen Poe lately, so may have to reread some of his stories (which were big for me growing up). Here's a suitable tribute from the Alan Parsons Project album that is exclusively, and excellently about Poe's works. While this song is not my favourite off the album, it's high time I revisited it, as its melody and mournful atmosphere are amazing.

"By the last breath of the four winds that blow
I'll have revenge upon Fortunato
Smile in his face I'll say, 'Come let us go'
I've a cask of amontillado"

 

[GentleOx]

Hello everyone!

Today is W1D1 of the DUP (self-made) program, so while today was rather light in weight, I'm eager to see how things turn out down the road.

Bench Press: 117.5 x 5. Ugh. Could be better, but patience!
Incline Press: 90 x 5.
Shoulder Press: 65 x 5.
Flat Dumbbell Curls: 16 x 20.

I'm a bit disappointed by my drop in strength, but knowing me, it'll come back eventually.

Mom and I went to watch Abigail last Sunday, and we had a good time. Never thought my mom would be into horror flicks, but she said she doesn't mind the violence when it's campy and exaggerated. I definitely agree!

It's been on and off thundering over here. It started out gloomy and wet today, only to subside into sunshine. Weird...

@PetiteSheWolf Here's another funny cat video I forgot about! But don't show it to your kitty, as it may get ideas...

May your week go smoothly, Bees!

Playing: So I've dusted off Hades, a roguelite classic I haven't played in a few years. I see that Hades 2, the long awaited sequel, has been played by a select few, and so I'm experiencing major FOMO. It does help that there's more to see and do in Hades that I haven't gotten to, yet.

Still playing through Resonance of Fate, and usually getting my arse kicked. Was the game this difficult when I played it years ago? Or did I skip all the optional challenges? Huh.

Want to play Dead Island 2, but I'll wait for a big sale. I am (or can be) a patient man.

Browsing steam for new gems, but it feels like I've found every damn game out there, and that browsing the catalogue brings a slight sense of ennui.

Watching: As mom and I watched Abigail last weekend, here's a review.

Synopsis: A crew of masked, seasoned criminals are brought together on a heist. The goal is to kidnap a daughter of a wealthy man and hold her in a secure location for 24 hours to obtain a ransom. The heist goes off without a hitch, and the gang prematurely celebrate and carouse in the knowledge that they'll be richer in a day's time. However, it turns out that A - the father of the girl is not who they thought he was, and more importantly, B - the girl is not what they thought she was. If you've seen the poster or the trailer (the HK Chinese name of the film gives it away too lol), you'll know that Abigail is a sadistic vampire with a flair for balletic violence. Literally. Stuck inside of an enclosed mansion, they must find a way to survive amidst dwindling odds.

A tip of the hat to @JCU, who has seen this one as well, and who summed up the film perfectly, as opposed to my more florid style. Abigail is not really scary. There are some obligatory jump scares, but in the end, it's silly, overwrought violence that wins the day.

My primary criticism is that the second half of the film is much stronger than the first, and until it rolls along, you don't get your money's worth. The first third of the film is spent on the heist, establishing the crew's backstories and the setting, and throws in some token scares. It kind of drags (and the filmmakers have admitted to this), ticks all the horror boxes (and I don't mean that in the best way), and makes you wonder when the carnival of carnage will begin.

But begin it does! The plot kicks into gear when Abigail's killing spree does; there's a lot of blood, a lot of violence, and more than a little dark humour. I found this part of the film subverted as many horror tropes as it followed. Once you hit this point, you can sit back and enjoy the gory, viscera-soaked ride.

Parting thoughts: I didn't find any of the crooks to have particularly strong acting (Dan Stevens hams it up), perhaps apart from Melissa Barrera, whose character is strongly sketched out through her interactions with the crew, and the girl. But the real star is Alisha Weir, who portrays Abigail and cunning, crazed, and more than a little sympathetic at times. It's no wonder that her portrayal is the star of the film.

I give it four severed heads out of five.

Will try to finally, finally start Late Night with the Devil tonight. My own late night with the devil lol.

Listening to: Destryur - Spellbook. Horror movies demand horror tunes! So here's a darker synth offering, though I'm not particularly a fan of darksynth.

 

[JCU]

I'm always afraid of giving spoilers, so I don't say much. I knew you'd give a great review, so kept mine succinct. Excellent as always!

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Somehow I think the Tank Kitty survived the bombing Too funny!