mightstone2k answers the call of the wild

[mightstone2k]

Updated 6 May 2017

 

Physical Training Goals

• Achieve Simple (100 one-arm swings (sets of 10) in five minutes with 32 kg bell; 5 Turkish Get-ups per arm (sets of 1) in ten minutes with 32 kg bell)
• Achieve Sinister (100 one-arm swings (sets of 10) in five minutes with 48 kg bell; 5 Turkish Get-ups per arm (sets of 1) in ten minutes with 48 kg bell)
• Pass the Rite of Passage
  • Press - 1/2 bodyweight (one arm) for one rep
  • Snatch - 200 reps in 10 minutes with 24 kg bell
• Get SFG certification
• Get SFB certification
• Complete the 10,000 Swing Challenge
• Complete a full PLP cycle
• Do a set of five pistols on each leg without a weight or counterbalance
• Do a set of five one-arm, one-leg push-ups on each side
• Become a Beast Tamer (one rep each of strict military press, tactical pull-up, and pistol with 48 kg bell)
• Participate in the Tactical Strength Challenge
• Deadlift 2x bodyweight for one rep
• Do a set of five strict hanging leg raises
• Double kettlebell press with a pair of bells adding up to my bodyweight (one rep)
• Double kettlebell clean and jerk with a pair of 32 kg bells (number of reps equal to 10% bodyweight (rounded up))

Ranger Skills

1. Knot tying

2. Fire starting

3. Land navigation

4. First aid/CPR

5. Lock picking

6. Learn a foreign language [currently practicing German in DuoLingo]

Hobbies

1. Camping/hiking/backpacking

2. Reading

3. Learn to shoot (pistols first)

4. Learn to hunt

Adventures

1. Hike Mt. Hood

2. Backpack across Germany

3. Backpack across Ireland

4. Backpack across the Nordic countries

5. Hike the Pacific Crest Trail

6. Visit all of the National Parks

[mightstone2k]

The past month has been a state of transition. At the end of July, I took the Bar exam, which closed the large chapter of my life dedicated to formal education. Immediately, I packed up and moved from Chicago to Oregon. I'm doing two jobs out here: helping to write a textbook and working on a case, effectively as a paralegal. It's not a bad gig. Once my Bar results come in, assuming I've passed, I will be off to the Air Force or Army JAG Corps. There's a couple factors in that decision, so I'm not going to give away which way I'm leaning.

 

But the ultimate point is that I now get to write the saga of my life. I went to high school in small-town Pennsylvania, and college ended up being a fair crucible of growth. There was a five-year period that started my first semester, and bookended by two significant events, that pushed me to grow up and mature beyond my years. It also led me to devote myself single-mindedly to my law studies. I had a plan to get to the JAG Corps, and I worked that plan like a machine. It worked, but I put aside the questions of what kind of man I want to be and what kind of life I want to live.

 

For a long time I wanted to be Bruce Lee (but Caucasian, because, well... I can't change that). I was devoted to tang soo do during high school and college, and I got my third-degree black belt (Sam Dan) during my junior year of college. I still want to get back into martial arts, but it's not the all-consuming goal I wanted it to be when I was younger. I just want to train. I don't want to be a monk. I want to be a simple man. Adaptable. Resilient. The kind of man who can be relied on in any situation. Someone who is in touch with his primal side. And yes, still a martial artist; the discipline, awareness, sense of honor... the warrior spirit is a defining facet of my being.

 

This is as much a living journal as anything. I have yet to find "my people," and I hope the participatory elements of a forum-based journal will aid in that. I'm quiet on the boards, but I read some battle and challenge logs, and there are some Rebels who truly inspire. Rurik is one example, although I find it unlikely that he's come across one of my (very few) posts on here. I'm the reserved, silent type in real life too.

 

So what's up with the first post? I've divided my long-term goals into four major categories: physical training, ranger skills, hobbies, and adventures. These are things I want to do, learn, make a major part of my life, etc. It's a living post, and will be subject to change. This list doesn't include things like my faith (something I've let slide during law school; and it ebbed and flowed before that), my current reading list or "to read" list (I'll keep notes in here about what I'm presently reading), and such. The first post is a reference to my Epic Quest, essentially.

 

Now, I've not been very good at living my life to the fullest during this past month. In fact, I've settled into a routine: wake up, do some stretching, drive my boss-prof to work to teach (he doesn't yet have a driver's license), work while he's teaching, get lunch, come home, and putz around for the rest of the afternoon and night (putzing includes my kettlebell workout). This needs to change. There's a lot of hiking to be done in Salem, and I don't want to spend this time just being a homebody. I've also put on some fat during Bar prep, the road trip, and the settling-in period after arriving here (we're still adjusting to each other's radically different habits). That needs to go.

 

That's the summary. I have no witty closing ready, and I'm not inclined to think of one right now. I'm watching the final battle in Fury as I type this, and this movie feels too solemn to allow for pithy witticisms. Cheers y'all.

[The Most Loathed]

Looking at your ranger skills, would you ever consider being a leader in the Boy Scouts? It would provide you with the opportunity to not only learn many of those skills but teach them . It would also provide you and opportunity to get outside with some weight on your back and some miles on your soles.

[mightstone2k]

Hi, TML!

 

Today's training

Yesterday, I tested myself on two-handed swings with the 32 kg (32T). Progression standard is 10x10 in 5:00; I finished in 4:50. And nearly puked, but didn't. So today was my first day working in one-hand swings per this article, using the 32. But when I tried the one-hand portion of the set, the bell just dropped straight down. I wasn't able to hike it back between my legs. Tried the same set with the 24; same result. It wasn't until I used the 16 and just tried one set each 10L and 10R that I succeeded (sort of).

 

Here's my thoughts. I didn't keep my lat tight and use it to pull the bell back when it hit the peak of its swing; I didn't control the arc. Nor did I trust my grip enough to try to control the arc. It's not until I get down to 16 kg that I trust my grip.

 

The positive point here is that I was very, very focused on my form for the remaining 6 sets of 32T. The imperative point is that I need to stay compact, control the arc, and drive with my hips. When I start getting loose and un-compact, I can't control the arc with my lats and I bend too much in the knees. It's hard for me to describe it in words, but the bell escapes me.

 

Going forward, my plan is to do 2x32T, 1x16L, 1x16R, 6x32T. As I get more comfortable with 1HS, I will drop two sets of 32T to add one 16 kg set with each hand. I don't want to lose my swinging strength, so I want to keep 32T in my training program. Once I get to about half-and-half 1HS and 2HS each day, I will devote each session entirely to 1HS or 2HS, alternating days. My goal on 2HS days with be on form and decreasing rest. My goal on 1HS days will be to get stronger with that technique. Yes, this will take longer to reach the Simple goal because I won't be devoting all of my training days to 1HS. But I don't want to stop using the 32 entirely, and I don't want to regress on 2HS strength. I'm comfortable with the technique, and I can (1) refine form, and (2) keep drilling the movement pattern, which is transferable to the 1HS. Compactness, grip strength, and controlling the arc. I am willing to take longer to reach the Simple goal if it means I can do this right.

 

S&S also discusses another training technique, once the trainee is comfortable with 32T. Once every two weeks, the trainee does as many consecutive swings with good form as he can, using a smaller bell than his usual training bell. For me, that means 24T. I've seen anecdotal evidence on the StrongFirst forum, where trainees have said that their training session swings have improved significantly once they incorporated this biweekly testing session. And it should be another way to improve my conditioning (and mental toughness).

 

Summary: current plan is to do 2x32T, 1X16L, 1x16R, 6x32T. As I progress, drop 2x32T for 1 each 16L&R. Next progression step is to do alternate 1HS/2HS days. Every two weeks, test my consecutive swing capacity. Stay compact, trust your grip, and tame the arc!!

 

Everything else

I went into class today to introduce myself to the students as their unofficial teaching assistant. It was much harder than I thought it would be, getting up in front of 40 of my peers (just on the other side of graduation) to introduce myself and explain why I'm qualified to be their TA for the subject. Turns out John (Adams; name changed to protect the innocent) noticed, and he started talking as soon as he did. Gave me the chance to write my contact info on the board and gather myself. After that, it apparently turned into a double act so smooth, that they later asked him if we practiced that (and they never noticed my nerves). And he seized the chance to embarrass me with certain of my own qualifications that modesty was going to prevent me mentioning. What a jerk (not really). Anyway, I'm apparently going to be involved in the pre-exam review session. We'll do the substantive part as a double act, then he'll leave so I can talk test-taking strategy with them. They don't need basic law school exam-taking-strategy tips, but they do need some forewarning for his exams. His Property exam is rightly called "The Beast" because it's long, and wordy, and difficult, but it's exquisitely fair. But seeing his style of questions for the first time will throw 95% of them, which is where I (a recent veteran of that particular trench) will do most worthy service.

 

And to top it off, one of my former classmates is coming to visit for the long weekend. I'm going to pick him up at Portland at about 20:00 tomorrow. This is going to be one hell of a weekend; we've already picked up some Johnnie Walker Black on his request. Fill in those blanks...

 

Looking at your ranger skills, would you ever consider being a leader in the Boy Scouts? It would provide you with the opportunity to not only learn many of those skills but teach them . It would also provide you and opportunity to get outside with some weight on your back and some miles on your soles.

 

I never considered that. Not only did it never occur to me, but as soon as I read that, my reaction was "but I've never been a Boy Scout." I'm going to have to look into that now, and see what the requirements are to be a leader. I'm almost certainly wrong in assuming that having these skills is a prerequisite to being a Scout leader. Thanks!

[The Most Loathed]

prequisites are typically that you are not a felon and that you are will and able to donate your time and attention to supervising, educating and helping youth. Some of them are brats and you want to chuck them off a cliff and some are awesome and need other males in their lives as positive role models.

 

On  your one hand swings, I strongly suspect that you aren't hip driving enough with the bells, that you're relying on your shoulder girdle to drive the weight. The American style swing, including RKC/S&S swings encourage this. It's hard to get much more into that without seeing the swing itself but let me suggest that you play around with jumping on a box from a standing position and think about how the hip and knee drive and extension translates into the motion and think about how you could apply the same physics to the swing.

[mightstone2k]

On your one hand swings, I strongly suspect that you aren't hip driving enough with the bells, that you're relying on your shoulder girdle to drive the weight.

That sounds about right. I just finished this morning's session, and I felt my shoulder trying to do a lot. I was hinging at the hips before my arm reconnected with my torso; as a result, I didn't feel near enough power transfer from my hips through the torso to my arm to swing the bell again. So my shoulder compensated. Tomorrow I'll try to get video.

[ladylydia]

Wait, you just took the bar in Illinois, and then moved to Oregon?   Does Jag not care which bar you take or will the scores transfer?

[mightstone2k]

JAG doesn't care; I just have to pass any one state's Bar. But the work I'm doing is not JAG. Between waiting on my results, and the administrative hurdles I still need to clear after getting sworn in, I won't be a dog of the military until January. I'm in Oregon because a professor needed some research work done, and I didn't have any paying employment lined up in Chicago. This is purely temporary until in-processing.

 

What are you up to these days?

[mightstone2k]

Here are the videos from today. The 2HS video was my second set, and the 1HS sets followed immediately thereafter.

 

https://youtu.be/z-cNhm8w-Y0?t=6s

https://youtu.be/6-tahMD0jIM?t=8s

https://youtu.be/A_L_UTTgvMg?t=6s

 

My thoughts behind the curtain:

1. When I reach out to grab the bell on 1HS, I appear to lose tightness in my upper back. That sets me up to be loose, not compact, through the entire set.

2. I am hinging at the hips too early on 1HS. I'm hinging when the bell is about halfway down the arc, but should be waiting until it's nearly at the bottom and my forearm is pressed against my torso.

3. I haven't the faintest clue what to do with my non-swinging arm, and that leads to serious awkwardness.

4. I'm rotating my forearm on the swing down so that, when the bell is hiked between my legs, my thumb is pointing straight behind me. I'm not sure if that's proper technique or not.

 

Anyway, it was a productive session in that I've gotten my workout in, and now I'm taking my friend to Silver Falls State Park to hike the Trail of Ten Falls. And hopefully I can convince him that conveyor belt-sushi is the right answer for dinner tonight. John, meanwhile, will be here to deal with the movers, who are scheduled to arrive between 12:00-17:00. I get to sleep in a REAL BED tonight!!!

 

It's the small joys that make life worth living.

[The Most Loathed]

I'm not an RKC so I'm not sure that I can speak to that specific approach but based on my experience I can respond to a couple things:

Off arm - as I recall RKCs lock their arms straight out to the side. I and other competitors will let our off arm swing freely with the motion of the bell.

Forearm rotation- I think Pavel teaches that the back of the hand faces forward always. I have played with thumb up and thumb down and tend to favor thumb down (at the bottom the thumb points back and the pinkie is towards the front) because it let's me bend my elbow naturally.

[mightstone2k]

TML - I tried keeping my arm generally to the side and not thinking about it, and letting my swinging forearm do as it pleases (not consciously rotating or being locked). Both seemed to help. As far as timing of the hinge, the handle bangs my inner leg (working side) far less when I grip as close to the working side as possible (instead of center). That makes playing chicken with the bell on the way down much easier. Better hinge timing today.

The movers came yesterday. And when I came out to the garage, I noticed that my 24kg is nowhere in sight. I'm really hoping John, in his drunkenness, just told them to move it somewhere. It's not where I left it, but the 16 & 32 were, right next to where the missing bell was. It's really throwing me off.

House looks like a typhoon hit, but at least I have property to put away now. And a bed. Consciously trying to focus on those facts.

[mightstone2k]

Woof; 20:00 and I'm ready to sack out. After the morning's workout, we left for an overnight trip to the Oregon coast. We spent the night in Lincoln City. The seafood was astonishing. I tried oyster shooters (raw oysters in a shot glass with bloody mary mix and jalapeno vodka) at lunch and bouillabaisse at dinner. So good!. Today we drove down the coast to Newport. Along the way, we stopped at Cape Foulweather (lovely weather) and the Devil's Punchbowl. I jumped a fence and spent a half hour scampering around the rocks, taking pictures and exploring the area. Then we went to the Rogue Brewery (and Distillery and Pub) for lunch. Everything on the menu had some sort of beer in it, and it was fantastic. We ordered a metric shedload (we were starving), and it was all good. I paired mine with a rather hoppy mead, which was interesting. Hops aren't quite my thing, but it was tasty.

All in all, a good day. We got back to Salem around 16:00, and putzed around unpacking boxes for a bit. I was unfocused, so I opted out of training and unpacked some boxes instead. Tomorrow morning, I will train before we take the Philosopher to explore Portland before he flies out in the afternoon. And Friday, I'm flying out to Connecticut to see my family and go to the Army v. UConn football game. I'm really hoping that I can nudge John into getting his driver's license and a car before I leave; that's the last big task before this place really feels like "home." Having a rental car just stinks, especially when I'm the only possible driver and the hold is on my card.

After the Connecticut weekend, I'm going to bear down on shedding some fat. I am very disappointed in the way I look in the abdominal area. While John's teaching Wednesday, I'm going to drop our bikes off at REI for a tune-up. I can drop into Target to pick up a bathroom scale while I'm there, and having the bikes will be an excellent way to add more exercise into my life. And once I'm back from Connecticut, I'm going to start the Couch to 5K program. Time to get used to running again, well before basic training. The scampering and short-burst runs across the Punchbowl terrain felt easy. Kettlebelling has done wonders for my conditioning without directly training it, so C25K should be relatively untaxing. But, of course, controlling my eating habits is the big factor. My food scale is here, and I'll be able to track my weight trends with the bathroom scale. I can make this happen, if I act like an adult and not a human garbage disposal. Willpower.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[The Most Loathed]

Couch to 5k might be a little easy for you. You're pretty lean and I assume you have to do PT tests like the grunts. It seems like a 5K should be well within your grasp already.

[mightstone2k]

Couch to 5k might be a little easy for you. You're pretty lean and I assume you have to do PT tests like the grunts. It seems like a 5K should be well within your grasp already.

I'm fairly certain that I can run a 5K right now, yes (and I do have to pass the same PT test as everyone else). All Couch to 5K does for me is give me a predesigned program to get used to running 3/week, without just going out and running an arbitrary distance/time. If I have a task to complete, I'll do it; if I'm left to decide for myself what distance/time to run, I'm more likely to not challenge myself. Perhaps I'll explore the Scout section of the forum and see if they have any suggestions for predesigned programs that are more challenging.

Edit: Apparently based on C25K, BarefootDawsy created a Nerd to 5K program (http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/56174-nerd-to-5k-n25k/?p=1270829) that is a bit more aggressive than C25K, and only takes 6 weeks. Granted, that was only five minutes worth of looking, but I'm off to do other things with my morning. But it's a thought.

I was up at 04:00 today. Groggy, but my mind was too clear to get back to sleep easily (I had serious sleep issues in college; I've gotten a sense of when I can get back to sleep and when I can't). It's not been a wasted morning. I unpacked my big suitcase, read another story in Rogues, did my German practice, and got my first set of measurements into MyFitnessPal. Here they are:

Height: 72"

Weight: 186 lbs

Neck: 16"

Waist: 33"

Hips: 40"

Bodyfat: 13.2%

As of April 15, which was my last date of measurements, I've gained 4.2 lbs and some inches everywhere (except height), but only 0.2% bodyfat (tape measure, average of three formulas). It comes out to +1.4 lbs of lean mass and +2.8 lbs of fat. That's much better than I thought it would be. Today is also my first day of tracking food again; back on the wagon! Although it's gratifying to know that after five months, three of which were a cluster****, I didn't do too bad by myself. I even had a pseudo-bulk in there

Before I take John in to school, I'm going to do some joint mobility, and possibly knock out some legal work. I didn't touch any of it while the Philosopher was here, and I want to justify my paycheck before I leave for Connecticut for four days (John, wearing his employer hat, has expressly forbidden me from taking any work with me on that trip).

The house is coming together (slowly, and with several items not brought by the movers), the bikes will be tuned up today, the fridge will be restocked, and the Month of Hectic Upheaval is moving along. Life's good.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mightstone2k]

VICTORY. The house is now a home! Everything is unpacked and put where it belongs. It took two solid days of work, but now it's all set. Granted, I didn't do anything for my actual employment, but this was vastly more important than anything else we could have done this week. And to celebrate, I experimented with grilling a whole eggplant. It was so good, it didn't even need seasoning. Here's the trick; put the grill on medium or low heat, put the eggplant on straight (no foil, no oil, no nothing), and flip it every 10 minutes or so. Let it go until it collapses on itself (about 30-60 minutes, it took me about 30), and a knife inserted in it penetrates effortlessly. Consume. This is now my new favorite way to cook eggplant; it was easily the best result I've ever had using any method.

 

1HS are going much better. I went up to 2 sets with each arm today. A little natural rotation in the forearm gets the bell hiked back without... unnecessary complications. And that means I'm not worried about playing chicken with the bell; I've gotten better at waiting until my forearm is connected to my torso before hinging. This, plus the homemaking, has made me happy today.

 

And this weekend I'm off to Connecticut. My uncle is flying me out for the Army v. UConn game as a graduation present. I'm going to wake up, have some coffee, kettlebell, grill up some breakfast (probably steak and a head of cauliflower), and head up to Portland. My flight leaves at 14:00, and I don't get back until 21:45 on Monday. No work and lots of time with my brother and the extended family. The work will be waiting for me when I return, and I am confident that I can knock it out by beginning October (a self-imposed deadline). Life is in a good place right now.

[The Most Loathed]

wow, unpacked in 2 days. that's amazing. Awesome work.

[mightstone2k]

wow, unpacked in 2 days. that's amazing. Awesome work.

We're champs at single-minded devotion to a task, especially when it means living like adults after a month of madness. Heh. Anyhoo, just landed in Hartford after a long (and unsurprising) delay at O'Hare (because Chicago). My brother's flights also got messed up, so he's overnighting in DC. Sleep first, then figure out how this affects the weekend, if at all.

[mightstone2k]

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear meeeeeeeeee, happy birthday to me!

Oh, yeah... today's my birthday :-) And all sorts of good things have happened. Good sleep after the coast-to-coast flight yesterday, good training session after three days off, my bike is ready, and Mrs. Thatcher sent me a devils food cheesecake from Junior's and a large gift basket of wine and goodies (pics behind the spoiler):

Yep. Life is good. I took my bike out for a test spin, and it rides so much better than it used to. Heck, my gears shift now. They were frozen when I bought it, and I never properly tuned it up in Chicago. So I got to play with gearshifting today. The riding is much different from Chicago, as it's much less flat here. The hills kicked my ass, but it's a good benchmark for me. I know (roughly) where I had to dismount on each hill, so this is an easy way for me to measure my improvement.

Otherwise, I've been hanging out at home doing not-much. The trip was awesome. It was sunny and warm for the first half of the game, then clouds rolled in and blanketed the sun. Thankfully, no rain, just shade. The only downside is that Army lost; I almost got disowned when I cheered the first Army touchdown, but the UConn victory made everyone happy, so I remain in everyone's wills (heh). And I got to see almost all of the family all at once. Good, good weekend. I got home at midnight, and woke up to a coffee-less house. But wait; it's my birthday, so public opinion matters not a whit. I went to the grocery store in pajamas and flip-flops to buy fresh coffee.

When I started writing this morning, I had thoughts about this post and the meaningful things I was going to say. But at this point in the day, I'm feeling a little giddy and unnecessarily joyful, and my mind isn't focusing. Shame, because I'm about to review the first exam for John's class to make sure it's airtight. Eh. I'll post something meaningful and useful tomorrow. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

[mightstone2k]

Serious question. I'm trying to shave some fat mass (so I don't embarrass myself at COT), but I now have 3/4 of a devils food cheesecake and five 22 oz. bottles of hard cider in the fridge, all of which were birthday gifts specifically for me (read: John won't touch them, out of a strong sense of Southern gallantry). Does anyone have ideas for how to solve this riddle? Aside from "eat it all at once and wallow in self-loathing for a day before jumping back on the wagon," of course. Pleaseandthankyoumuchobliged!

Possibly a longer post to come later!

 

Edit to add said longer post

 

Related to the above, I've decided to call the rest of September "bulking season." Mrs. Thatcher is coming out for the weekend, and she wants to celebrate my birthday in the worst way. And her birthday was in August, and John feels obliged to make up for missing it, so we just picked up a lemon cheesecake for her. And we're going to Union Barrel, a whiskey bar downtown, for "dinner" tomorrow night (read: lots of whiskey-tasting and some - or lots of, which is worse - food). Followed by Oktoberfest at Mt. Angel on Saturday. So I'm anticipating lots of alcohol-induced difficulty on calorie control.

 

Eh. I will get over myself. My goal is to not be the fat kid at COT, but I'm thinking "fat kid" by my standards, not by society's standards. I will be strong as an ox, that's for sure, regardless of any extra weight I may be carrying. Three months (October-December) will be plenty for me to do a cut and level off to maintenance. Plus, I am going to start running soon. I ordered a pair of running shoes (navy/spice orange) that should come in next week. Once they get here, I am going to start the Nerd to 5K program that Barefoot Dawsy posted, and those shoes are going to be used solely for running purposes. And I'll have my bike. Between biking, running, and kettlebells, I'll be plenty active. My plan is to not add the running and biking to MyFitnessPal, so I won't be eating back those calories (but will eat back the kettlebell-induced calories).

 

1HS are going fantastically well. After the weekend, I will probably switch over to alternating days for 1HS and 2HS. Um... yeah. That's about all on the kettlebelling front.

 

Work-wise, the first class quiz is on Monday. I went in to the review session today to tell everyone how to take John's multiple choice. After five minutes of succinct advice, I answered three mostly unnecessary questions (Q: "does he test more heavily on things he spends more time on in class?" A: "he just told you that one question tests something that was in the reading, but not discussed in class. Study everything.") and dismissed the class. I felt like my song and dance was entirely unhelpful, but the three students we got lunch with assured me that it was very helpful. They don't have the guile to lie well enough to deceive a former Chicago resident (*snort*), so I'll assume that I did some good. Being in front of a class conveying information is hard, especially when there's no energy in the room for you to feed off of.

 

We spent most of the afternoon getting ready for the Iron Lady's arrival. I need to knock off some more real lawyering work tonight if I want to get that task done by October 1. Tomorrow morning I wake up, kettlebell, shower, and head up to Portland for an 11:30 arrival. This weekend will be a lot of fun, food obsessing aside. I'm spending more time socializing with my law school friends now than I did when we lived in the same city!

 

One final aside. Being done with law school and Bar prep (hopefully forever on the latter), I've had lots of time to think about my life and what I want out of my future. I resolved to do a thing over the weekend, and I did it on Tuesday. That wheel is irrevocably in motion now, and waiting for the inevitable response is preying on my mind. There's a particular sense of powerlessness that comes along with it, which is another reason I will not mind being drunk and surrounded by these two friends in particular over the weekend. If anyone can take my mind off this thing, it's them. I'm being deliberately vague for now because I'm just superstitious enough to think I'll jinx myself by talking about it and my hopes about it before any response. Details will come once stuff happens; hopefully happy details, but details either way.

[The Most Loathed]

When I feel the need to bake but don't want to deal with the consequences, I take my refuse to work. Work folks always like free sweets. The cider's still on you but it will keep.

[ladylydia]

Things like that also freeze well.  Do you have any aversion to frozen things?

[mightstone2k]

When I feel the need to bake but don't want to deal with the consequences, I take my refuse to work. Work folks always like free sweets. The cider's still on you but it will keep.

"Work" is a law school, so that could be a thing. Leave it on a table with "free to good owner?" Gone in minutes. Law students lurv them some free noms...

Things like that also freeze well. Do you have any aversion to frozen things?

... but I like your idea. I like it LOTS. Because this cheesecake is really, really good... and freezing it will let me stretch it out for the rest of 2015, easily.

>.>

<.<

If we don't eat it all over the weekend and make this a moot point

[mightstone2k]

Measurement day:

Height: 72"

Weight: 183.2 lbs

Neck: 15.5"

Waist: 32.5"

Hips: 39.5"

Bodyfat: 12.7%

Everything (except for height and weight) has dropped by 0.5 in the week and a half since my first measurements. That's pretty solid; I can roll with all of that. Now to brew some coffee, sling some 'bells, and go to Portland. Enjoy your weekend, everyone! I'll see you on Monday or Tuesday.

[The Most Loathed]

waist = belly button

hips  - iliac crest

correct?

Any idea what your chest is at?

[ladylydia]

Just make sure you slice it first, otherwise you'll have to thaw the whole thing.