Quest for Muscle: The Return of the Pump

[GentleOx]

Thanks again @aku-chan, @JCU, @TopNotch, and @Fremen! You're the best!

Hey again Bees! Hit the gym after church for another Push day - Wk 2 of my linear progression.

Bench Press: 135 x 5(!), 137.5 x 3. No PRs today, just reaffirming my strength. The last rep of 135 was an absolute grind, but I got it!
Larsen Press: 115 x 5.
Incline Press: 107.5 x 4. Not feeling these today.
EZ Bar Preacher Curls: 40 x 6.
Machine Curls (had practically tapped out by this point): 40 x 5.

Super sleepy, but made it out in good order.

Had a family call last night. I usually enjoy these because I get to see my sister and her kids, but our dad showed up midway through and embarked on a 15-minute long tirade about his grievances and grudges. I really don't know what to do in situations like this; in fact, there might be nothing I can do, except avoid adding oil to the fire, so discretion would seem to be the better part of valor. After he left the call, we concluded that he needs help, and his advancing years aren't helping.

Be as kind as you can, Bees!

Playing: So... Vampire Hunters has taken over my gaming time. It's so easy to boot up and start playing, and slaying thousands of monsters has never been so easy. It's a fluffy, skin-deep experience that scratches my mindless gaming itch. Sooner or later, I'll return to STALKER: CoP, as I got into Pripyat itself, so I may be closing in on the ending (or not)!

Funny: This is from Babe, which is still a classic.

"If you're out here, who's that in there?"

Watching: More of SEAL Team at the gym. Didn't watch anything last night, but plan to resume Underwater.

Listening to: De Lorra - Dissonance. Absolute gem from De Lorra. Slowly but surely propulsive, with lush melodies.

 

[CODawn]

Congratulations!

 

[GentleOx]

Thanks a bunch, @CODawn!

Hey again, everyone. I'm back with another workout - today was Back day. How'd I do?

Deadlifts: 170 x 5, 175 x 5. Pretty well, as a matter of fact. I was surprised that the weight felt as manageable as it did. Tried 180 but could not manage a single rep. Next time...
Underhand Barbell Rows: 85 x 6. Bringing back an old classic.
Meadows Rows: 37.5 x 5.
Neutral Grip Rows: 50 x 6.
Behind the Neck Pulldowns: 60 x 6.

I was really angry at the gym today. Just... charged with energy and aggression. Too many worries about things lately. It took some mental management, but I walked it off, and am back home, feeling quite a bit calmer.

My neck's practically fully healed, but my forearm feels a bit strained. Likely from working out too much!

Is my birthday in two days! Yay! We're having a yummy buffet lunch at an upscale hotel in Admiralty! Om nom.

Till next time, Bees!

Playing: So... Vampire Hunters has taken over my gaming time. There's something oddly therapeutic about cutting through masses of mooks with ten guns all at once. I'm not very far, but given that this is a roguelite, there are upgrades you can make to your character. Right now, I'm saving my upgrade points for when I can really cut loose. Haven't played STALKER: CoP recently, but I'll get back to it eventually. Eventually.

Watching: So SEAL Team has started another plotline: one of the gang has been captured and the remaining members have to band together to save him. Not sure if this is going to last the entire season, but I kind of hope not.

Not sure if I should continue with Underwater or watch Cuckoo, which is a demented horror that was released recently. It looks like fun, but I really should finish Underwater first.

Listening to: Accept - Princess of the Dawn. By modern standards, this heavy metal gem is quite calm in sound, and doesn't really represent the sound that German metallers Accept were known for. But the sense of scale is tremendous, and the way the song builds is just amazing. Epic!

 

[GentleOx]

Salutations, Bees!

I'm capping off a streak of gym workouts by taking a break on my birthday, tomorrow. Today was another Push day, which didn't go too well.

Paused Bench Press: 132.5 x 4 (failed on the fifth rep), 140 x 2. Augh. Just did not go to plan. I was hoping for five reps on 132.5, but it wasn't to be today. At least when I failed, I managed to rack the bar safely, so I should be grateful that I didn't drop the bar on my chest, or do something worse.
Spoto Press: 115 x 5.
Paused Incline Bench: 107.5 x 3. Zzz...
Hammer Curls: 22 x 20. How did my bis get this strong? I guess all those EZ Bar Curls worked!

Not a disaster. I may not hit any new PRs this cycle, but the goal is to hold on to my strength from weeks ago, and I feel like that much I can do.

Tomorrow I continue my steady march to 40 years of age. Uh oh. Looking forward to some yummy noms!

Godspeed, and good luck Bees!

Playing: Vampire Hunters continues its killing spree on my spare time. The mission notes for the first level state that your goal is to last at least thirty minutes. I've lasted twelve. This game does not screw around. Easy to play, hard to master.I played some STALKER: CoP last night, but only completed a mission or two.

Watch: I watched Borderlands half-attentively and finished it: all so that you don't have to! Here's a review.

Seasoned, flame-haired bounty hunter Lilith finds herself reluctantly back on her home planet of Pandora after taking a job for the enigmatic owner of the Atlas corporation. Roped into retrieving Atlas' daughter, Lilith easily finds her quarry, and bands together with an assorted collection of characters such as Roland, a former soldier, and Krieg, a bloodthirsty but loyal psycho. Problem is, Pandora is a nightmarish hell-hole of a wasteland, and everyone else is after the girl, too. To make it out alive, they're going to have to work together.

I'm a big fan of the Borderlands franchise (to wit: I own all the games, and started with the original on Xbox 360). I tried to approach watching this film without letting my preconceptions and biases as a fan get in the way. Film didn't make it easy, I tells ya.

Was this one of the worst movies of all time, in line with its horrid Rottentomatoes score? No-ooo... but it's still a very mediocre film. The script is rubbish and the (unfortunately) many jokes very often fail to land (I confess, I laughed once or twice). The dialogue is on the nose and explains too much, when the film would've been served by subtlety (obviously not on display here).

While many of the props and costumes are faithfully adapted, the darkly comic feel and wit (play Borderlands 2 for the best writing in the series) of the games is not. It's obvious that the film was forced to be PG-13, when a hard, bloody R would've made the film so effective. I can't remember the last time I've seen a film that could've used an R rating so badly.

Perhaps the most damning criticism that I didn't even clock is how much the film apes the style and premise of Guardians of the Galaxy. Leaving aside the fact that the story of the film freely borrows from the premise and setting (and characters) of the first film, there are way too many cliches and overused tropes. With all these recycled jokes and plot points, what does the film have to offer apart from fanservice?

I will admit to liking Cate Blanchett's performance (when isn't she excellent), and to my surprise, Kevin Hart does a surprisingly good job. The rest of the acting ranges from glaringly adequate to flat-out obnoxious (Jack Black's Claptrap, though he's not working with much). I'm not going to comment on casting decisions, as they never took me out of the movie. The action scenes are serviceable, but not satisfying.

I didn't want to sound like the "Akchually..." fanboy who critiques and picks apart adaptations. But this film could've been great, and there was a time in which I was actually excited for it. My final thought boils down to two words: wasted potential.

For its crimes against cinema and its source material, Borderlands gets one and a half psycho masks out of five. I gave it half a point because Motorhead's The Ace of Spades is featured in a fight scene, and I always upvote Lemmy.

Listening to: Borderlands 2 Soundtrack - Sanctuary. This is the theme song for when you return to your home base. Having clocked 200 hours in Borderlands 2, I'm very fond of this one and its feel. There's more faithfulness in these three minutes to the franchise than the whole runtime of the movie.

 

[JCU]

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Happy belated birthday, @GentleOx ! May the PRs, the good food and the good horror movies be plentiful this year for you!

 

[GentleOx]

By the power of Greyskull, I am Gentle Ox!

Or something like that.

Hey again Bees! I didn't workout on my birthday (which breaks with tradition), as we had a buffet lunch and I felt like taking a day off. Today was my third Push day of the week.

Competition bench: 150. This was harder than it should've been. I chalk it partially up to the fact that I haven't peaked yet. In later weeks, I'm going to ease up on the bench pressing to help me peak.
Paused Shoulder Press: 70 x 5. Ugh.
Close Grip Press: 110 x 5. Fun, but not as strong in this.
Rope Pushdowns: 12 x 6.
Lying Dumbbell Extensions: 18 x 6, I think. Didn't use much weight this time, but I'll steadily ramp it up.

Here's a picture from yesterday!



Thank you so much @PetiteSheWolf and @JCU! I'll drink (a non-alcoholic beverage) to that!

Saw my psychiatrist today to get more meds. I'm on a mood stabilizer, an antidepressant, and an antipsychotic (I understand that these are often prescribed to those with Bipolar); the fact that they work belies my dislike of psychiatrists.

Playing: Vampire Hunters continues its domination of my free time. I made it to thirty minutes! However, I failed to get out alive. Maybe tonight...

Thinking about reinstalling Borderlands 3, as I kinda miss it. Kinda.

Watching: Did not watch Seal Team today at the gym! I watched past clips from the Lord of the Rings movies while on the treadmill (specifically the battle scene where the fellowship are menaced by the cave troll and orcs). Why? My curiosity was piqued when I listened to the What Went Wrong's (a podcast which details troubled film productions) episode on Lord of the Rings.

If you're a fan of the series, I highly recommend listening to WWR's LOTR episode(s). I'm not a huge fan of Tolkien myself, but I absolutely loved this story of plucky New Zealanders banding together to create a film from scratch, and then shepherd it through the studio system. I listened to it with a big grin on my face; such a gratifying listen. Highly recommended.

Beyond that, I've found some free found footage spooky movies online, all the better to pass the time until spooky season truly begins. Tonight (yeah right, like I'll stay awake to watch it all...) I'm watching the intriguing "Howard's Mill", a mockumentary (love that word) which details a missing persons case. It's suspiciously well-made, and it's available free on Youtube, if you're curious. Here's a link:

Listening to: Flowing Tears - Serpentine. Was in the mood for gothic metal, and this one never disappoints. The lyrics are a bit naff, but it's all about the feel of the vocals, and those chugging riffs.

 

[NancyTree]

Belated !

 

[GentleOx]

Thank you so much @NancyTree!

Greetings, earthlings, from Planet Ox, 93 Million Miles from the Sun! They call me the Gentle Ox.

Today was a Leg day workout that put me through my paces. I maxed out on the squats and will start a new cycle next week.

Squats: 140 x 3, 145 x 1. This is a minor PR, as I've never done either of these lifts before. I kind of wanted to go for five reps on the 140, but 3 was already a grind, so I called it a day.
Front Squats: 65 x 5. Zzz...
Split Squats: 40 x 6. Working my way up with these again.
Sissy Squats: Sets of 8. The name is a misnomer, as doing these is painful and taxing.
Back Extensions: Sets of 10 reps.

And now I'm suitably pooped.

Tomorrow is one of those big Chinese banquet dinners that I'm attending. I'm not sure how I'm going to square all that yummy food with my need to keep my weight down. I'm talking 7 or 8 course meals. Obviously, I'm going to hit a calorie surplus, but the goal is still to eat a bit sensibly. We'll see how it goes...



There were a series of anime-themed exhibits up at Times Square. Though I'm not much of an anime fan, I still thought the exhibits were interesting.





Hope your weekend is going well, Bees!

Playing: More Vampire Hunters, naturally. But I've made a ton of progress! I completed three of the stages by lasting half an hour. It's progress after my futile inital attempts to survive. Haven't played anything else.

Watching: Still making my way through Howard's Mill. My pace is measured because this is a patient mockumentary, and requires concentration. Resumed watching Seal Team.

Listening to: Eminem - 8 Mile Road. I can't believe it's taken me so long to post this one. Though Lose Yourself got all the attention after the release of 8 Mile, 8 Mile Road paints a dire picture of the protagonist's situation and their battered self-esteem with some amazing lyrical skill. A lot of the lyrics have an eerie resonance for me.

"I'm a man, I'ma make a new plan
Time for me to just stand up and travel new lands
Time to really just take matters into my own hands
Once I'm over these tracks, man, I'ma never look back"

 

[JCU]

Congrats on another PR!

 

[Fremen]

Congrats

 

[aku-chan]

Congrats on another PR!

It's weird that they'd do a SpyXFamily exhibit without the whole family in it, that's like the entire point of the show

 

[MadamMeow]

Congrats on another PR!

 

[CODawn]

Congratulations!

 

[GentleOx]

Thank you so much @CODawn, @MadamMeow, @aku-chan, @JCU, and @Fremen. You're all so kind.

@aku-chan A very curious omission. I thought that Yor Briar was one of the primary draws of the show.

Good evening, Bees! I'm back with another workout after a big banquet dinner last night. Mmm... smoked (?) chicken. So yummy.

Today is the second to last week of my Benching cycle, so I abandoned the 5rm stuff.

Bench Press: 137.5 x 4, 140 x 3, 142.5 x 3. 142.5 was a griiiind. I thought I was going to fail the final rep, but managed to slowly and deliberately grind it out. 137.5 and 142.5 are both PRs for this cycle!
Larsen Press: 115 x 5.
Incline Press: 112.5 x 5. Not bad! Better than my previous attempts.
EZ Bar Preacher Curls: 45 x 5, which is a PR as well!

And that was that. Still working off the yummyness from last night.

The banquet was to celebrate the 90th birthday of my grandmother in law. Or something like that. Chinese familial relationships are famously detailed, and I've never nailed down the titles/names.



The table setups were ornate.



This is the menu, which I couldn't read, save for a few characters.



I was gifted with two lai see packets!

Hope that your Monday is going well, Bees!

Playing: Take a guess; yep, I'm still whiling away the hours with Vampire Hunters. I think I've clocked up a good 25 hours so far (though some of that time was spent with the game in the background, so it's more like 20-ish hours). Some other games on my backburner that I'll try to play when I'm not busy mowing down mooks in VH.

Watching: Back to Seal Team at the gym. Just finished watching Howard's Mill, that mockumentary I mentioned awhile back. Here's a review.

A documentary crew has come to Springfield, Tennesse, to investigate the mystery behind Howard's Mill; this dilapidated property has been the site of several inexplicable disappearances. Teaming up with Dwight Nixon, who is bereaved by the disappearance of his wife Emily, they investigate the disappearances and find that there is plenty to this mystery.

So this one is presented as an actual documentary, with all the archival footage, interviews, and narration that you'd expect. But this question is, does this film succeed in captivating the viewer?

Mostly! The documentary elements are solid, with many convincing performances, editing, and footage. Some of the writing is a bit on-the-nose and lacking in subtlety, and some of the acting is a bit contrived, but I can overlook these things, as many mockumentaries are guilty of these sins too. It paints a compelling picture of the crew's investigation, and gradually removes the layers behind the conundrum of what is making people disappear. The later part of the film gives way to Blair Witch style found-footage elements, which is a welcome change. As I mentioned above, the pace of the film is deliberate, perhaps to a fault. There is a lack of emotional heft to the proceedings, but I liked how it ended.

Is it as good as Savageland, the reigning horror mockumentary champ? It's a solid contender, but not quite. Savageland was edge-of-your-seat watching, and unbelievably tightly focused and intense; I also liked the acting more. But this horror/true-crime (the film muddies these waters) flick has plenty to praise.

I give it three and a half music boxes out of five.

Listening to: De Palma - Blood. So this synth song was on my playlists years ago, and mysteriously vanished. I have no idea why I'd removed it, because it's an absolute winner. This is one of those compelling ones that you know is sublime, even from the start. The vocals, those singing synths, that melody. Amazing!

 

[Fremen]

Congrats again

 

[JCU]

Another congrats!

 

[PetiteSheWolf]

Beautiful table!

 

[MadamMeow]

Glad you keep outdoing yourself!

 

[GentleOx]

Thank you @Fremen, @JCU, and @MadamMeow!
@PetiteSheWolf It certainly was!

Hey everyone! Today was a Back workout.

Deadlifts: 185 x 5. These were tough, but I hung in there and managed to hammer them out.
Underhand Barbell Rows: 90 x 5.
Meadows Rows: 40 x 5. Taking it slow and simple.
Incline Rows: 24 x 6. A blast from the past! These felt great.
Narrow Grip Rows: 60 x 6. Don't remember these being so hard.

The gym was stuffed full of punters today; must be everyone getting off work and school early.

We had a traditional Hong Kong meal of roast duck to celebrate tomorrow's holiday; it's the Mid-Autumn festival, which means lanterns and mooncakes abound, basically. I for one only prefer mooncakes with custard.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Bees!

Playing: Vampire Hunters, fullstop. I did some shopping and picked up two indie FPS titles for a steal (6 USD) - Hands of Necromancy 1 and 2. Happy gaming, everyone!

Watching: Seal Team, natch. This episode caps off a major arc in which a character was abducted and held hostage. It was done as well as one would expect, though it wasn't as charged as the premiere of Season 4. I continue to be impressed at the show getting such good mileage out of their limited budget, even if the California filming shows its limitations.

Not sure what to watch for late night cinema. Maybe it's time to give Oddity a watch.

Listening to: Com Truise - Propagation. I had a hell of a time choosing a song for tonight. So I chose the ever reliable Com Truise! This one is suitably chilled and down-tempo.

edit: It's raining and thundering right outside my window. I love admiring Mother Nature - from a safe vantage point, of course.

 

[colin]

Veeery belated birthday wishes OX!

You seem to be having fun!

I need to find a mooncake! I made some vegan ones once and they were lovely.

Keep those personal bests going!