Bighara

Day 1: Well, I got in 20 minutes on the heavy bag, a bodyweight routine (pull-ups at 4/3/3) and about 15 minutes of stretching.

FWIW, I found these in the "international" aisle of my local Safeway.

Week one begins! Heeeeeeere Weeeee GOOOO!! The next kickboxing class isn't until Tuesday, so today is about a home workout and meal planning. I need to prep some food that's easy to pack for lunches. For the workout, I'll do a post-stretching routine to tick that box early.

Try microwaving pappadums (indian chips). By then uncooked (they look like eggroll wrappers) and nuke them cut up on a plate. They crisp up nicely. Not as flavorful as a Dorito, but if you're dipping in salsa, who cares? https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=490049

I've been looking into IF as well, I am 48 yo, 6' tall, and (currently) 186 lbs. I'm fairly muscular, so my body fat % isn't terrible (about 18% ish?). I would like to hack off a few (ok, maybe ten) pounds of fat and replace it with muscle through my strength training and relatively low carb/high protein diet. IF looks like a good way to do it. I already track my calories and work out 4-5 times/week. My problem is I LOVE breakfast! I wake up hungry. Also I needs me my coffee and java on an empty stomach is unpleasant.I know I won't starve, but I have never been a breakfast skipper.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/clothing/t-shirts/ https://www.teepublic.com/stores/texts-from-superheroes

Mine is just a lined spiral notepad I've had lying around.

Word. Basic seasoning + olive oil and/or butter + minced garlic. Possibly a quick squeeze of fresh lemon and a little grated Parmesan Reggiano? The other thing? Don't overcook them. Leafy veg should be just wilted. Firm veg like carrots or peppers should be just starting to soften in the center.

I've just started BuJo but I've created a page in it where each of my 4 week goals has a series of check boxes to help me track ho well I am keeping pace (X number of workouts, etc.). Very helpful.

You're talking to the Grand Master of Flowers! (1st edition AD&D)

roll20 is a nice resource, though I admit to not having used it much (beyond a test drive or two). We played 3.X for years and a bit of Pathfinder as well. I never got into 4e or 5e, but I have heard some good things about the latter. I've also published several modules under the "OSR" (Old School Renaissance) systems like Labyrinth Lord (a "Retro-Clone" of the 1981 classic Basic/Expert version of D&D). I trended away from 3.5 and PF when the rules began to bloat a bit for my tastes (as least when running/prepping the games). One of my current favorite systems is Fantasy AGE (by Green Ronin). It's the game system Wil Wheaton ran on the "TitansGrave" YouTube series (though not necessarily with that setting). It's a fairly simple mechanic and still allows some customization of characters so they aren't just generic "class/race" combos. I was thinking that initially trying some "one-shots" where people could see how they like the games and the group might make sense before they'd need to commit to an extended campaign. We could even rotate GMs occasionally. I've also found a few methods over the years that can help with letting players pop in and out a bit easier if they can't make every session.

I would recommend Roll20 for online tabletop RPG-ing. It works with Google Hangouts as well. You can get an account for free too! I would play, but D&D monks stink!

We've owned two different bars over the years. Well, to be honest the new one was my Christmas gift to @otterbyte , so it's technically hers. The first was the Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar. It's one of the kind that hooks onto the door frame. They run about $40-50. It worked fine, but when we moved it to the basement, the door frame was too low: My knees practically touched the ground when I hung full extension from it, but I'm 6'. It's nice also because it can unhook and double as push-up stand. The new one is a little more elaborate. It's by barbells4me. It mounts to the ceiling joist and you can do things like hand rings from it. the only downside I've seen to it is the textured grip on the middle part of the bar is a little rough on the hands, but perhaps I just have wimpy hands... Both will do the job nicely, IMO.

Just for funsies (from Kerbal Space Program)

IT'S MINE! ALL MINE I SAY!!

WEEK ZERO @Kishi I managed to squeeze a few minutes with the rope before class Tuesday PM. I may have gotten up to 10 seconds at one point. I wasn't smart enough to set a timer and the clock is digital (no seconds display), so I'm counting that! GRADE: 1/1 100%! Got a good post-workout stretching session in on Monday. I'll see if I can't spend some time after class tonight stretching on the mat. It's closing time for the school then, so I don't want to delay their going home, though. GRADE: 1/2, but the week's not over. Last PM I managed 4/3/2 on the pull up bar (medium spread overhand grip). GRADE: A good start After smoking a ton of food earlier this week, I've been pretty good about taking my lunch, too. x2 so far this week, but since Monday was a holiday and I was out Wednesday for the dentist, I'm batting 1,000 so far! GRADE: 2/3 with one day to go! The drinking? I didn't start keeping count at first, but all day Monday dealing with the grill led to a couple beers, and then "pain management" for the dental work led to a couple more yesterday PM, so I think I've missed my 5 drink cap already I will keep closer track starting Week 1. GRADE:

My wife, @otterbyte mentioned to me that the local NF Facebook group was having a conversation about people interested in playing some tabletop RPGs/D&D. I am not on FB, but I thought I'd post a thread here and have her link it. I am a longtime grognard gamer. I've been playing for about 35 years and have even published a few gaming products. I am happy to run or play a game if people are interested. I tend to favor fantasy games (as opposed to Sci-Fi or modern, but those can be fun too). I've a strong "old-school" background, so I favor systems and editions that trend that way. We can talk more about that if this thread goes anywhere. We are located in the MoCo area (Silver Spring) area, but some commuting is not a deal-breaker for me. I have a recommendation in fact. There is an excellent gaming store in Glen Burnie, MD called Games & Stuff . They have a big playing area in the back for all sorts of gaming (miniatures, cards, RPGs). If there is enough interest, we could set a date some weekend to meet there are try out a simple adventure as a test run. If people have fun, we can see about expanding things into a regular meetup or even a campaign.

Gaiman's Sandman series of comics has a wonderfully rich world revealed through images and descriptions. Zelazny's Amber series of novels also presents a unique setting in creative ways.

OK. It's not letting me post the last picture, so I'll go ahead with the recipe information and figure out the image later. All right! I uploaded the last image to a shareable folder (dropbox) Let's try this with the link: Brisket Turkey The Brine for the turkey: 2c Apple Cider 1/2c Apple Cider Vinegar 1/2c Brown Sugar 1 cup Kosher Sea Salt (coarse) 10-12 Whole Cloves 1 Bay Leaf 3 Cloves Garlic, Peeled 1/2t Ground Black Pepper Combine ingredients except the orange in a pot (I used a 2 gallon stainless steel pot) and heat until salt and sugar are dissolved (125-130° F). Bring liquid total up to 5 pints with cold water. Let cool. Rinse the orange off (do not peel) and squeeze it a bit to pulp the inside. Cut into quarters and add to the cooled liquid (I used a clementine). Rinse the turkey and place in the brine so that it’s covered. Refrigerate overnight (6-8 hours min.) The BBQ rub is from Steven Raichlen's How to Grill (Basic Barbeque Rub). I usually make up a batch and keep it in a jar. For the chicken, you, well, rub it on the surface and in the cavity. A spoonful goes in the beer (half a can's worth. The bird gets propped up on the can (using the legs to form sort of a tripod). The beer steams the interior and keeps the meat from drying out while flavoring it.

Sorry for jumping posts. The editor wasn't letting me upload all the pics into the post. The sweet potatoes (after a couple were "tested.") Birdies: aaand one more post to squeeze in brisket pic, I guess.

Okaay. How bout this for those who have not taken monastic vows of asceticism or vegetarianism? I present -especially for all those Paleo Monks out there- my first foray into using my new Weber Smokey Mountain. Paleo Monks? Is that like Kung Fu Cavemen from the Future? The Scene: 5 AM on a rainy day after New Years. It's still dark out when I light the coals and -once they're hot- add a few chunk of apple wood. Then I spend some time fiddling with vents to get the temperature in the Smoke Zone of 225-250°F Our first contestants were a beer can chicken with a BBQ rub and a turkey breast I brined in a cider mix the night before (recipes below).Next up was our show-stopper: A five pound flat brisket I got from the Halal butcher shop. I trimmed most of (but not all) the fat cap off and then rubbed down with coarse sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Lastly I coated some sweet potatoes in duck fat -I'd cooked duck bacon for breakfast. OMG who knew this stuff existed!- and rubbed on some salt & pepper. It took some effort to keep the heat consistent (I'm told practice helps). I was shooting for 250°F while the poultry was on. Once that was done, I could let it drop to 225°F for the beef. The sweet potato went on last and came off first (about 2 1/2 hours). The birds were next to leave the smoker (3 1/2 hours). The brisket cooked for about 10-11 hours, followed by an hour wrapped in butcher's paper (Texas crutch). Once off the heat, it rested in an igloo cooler (no ice) for an hour.

If chopping garlic is a pain for you, a garlic press does the trick.

I was going to recommend Sullivan's Ryria books as well, but apparently that's been covered. His new First Empire series is promising. I also liked his time-travel "Hollow World" novel. Patrick Rothfuss' Kothe books are good too (though #3 is still awaited).

I've had my HMX Craze Buds for over a year (they were a 2015 Christmas present) and they are still going strong. I think they run about $15-20

I'm looking to add some lean muscle mass (hopefully replacing some fat in the process) and boosting size a little. I'm a fairly large guy –just under 6' and (currently) about 185#. What'd I'd like is a more defined, cut look along with a bit more size in the arms and chest. My question is how much of this can be achieved through bodyweight exercise? I have some dumbbells, and a pull-up bar. I do kickboxing fitness classes 3x week and have an 80# heavy bag at home for solo workouts too.