This is a strange post but it is one that I felt that I had to write in order to let you all know that I am still in the blogging world.
I have done not much for anything to better myself physically, or done anything for my YouTube for a very long time.
What I have been doing:
1. Cleaning out my living space and trying to condense all my belongings for the possibility of a move in the future... in the long future.
2. Studying primary science papers on the growth habits of the Fremont Cottonwood, the Tamarisk, and the Russian Olive for a research proposal due next week Friday.
3. Playing more Rory Macelroy golf for the XBox One than I have ever wanted to play in my life, but it is a lot of fun so no big deal.
4. Playing against friends in Starcraft 2 and getting to the point that I am starting to tire of the game, but it is so addicting that I feel that I can't let it go.
5. Finally went out golfing with a good friend last Friday and have plans to go again this coming Friday.
6. Just trying to make it through the end of the school year and still try to make time for myself.
No excuses I will be going back to the gym this week to try and get the positive gains going in my favor once again. I'll let you all know when I get back to the body grind.
Monday, April 18, 2016
Saturday, April 9, 2016
The San Rafael Swell
So today I had a bit of a break from traveling and studying, and with a short window of time my uncle graciously agreed to take my girlfriend and I out on the desert. There is a place in the middle of Emery County Utah called "The Swell" or "The Wedge" it is one of the most majestic and beautiful places in the world. Pictures do not do it justice but some pictures will be posted later to this blog so you all can see the beauty of this place.
My girlfriend has never made it out to the southern part of Utah so I wanted to show her one of the places that will always hold my heart. It is a place that has a feeling, almost spiritual, of something beyond. I have heard of metaphysical lecturers talk of a powerful place where auras blend and power radiates into our plane of existence. I do not believe in the New Age mentality of auras or the strange crap like that but there is something about this place.
At the bottom of a nearby canyon there are petroglyphs and pictogyphs that show that the native people that used to inhabit this land felt something similar. Of all the places in the world this is one of my favorites and a place that if you ever find yourself in need of a picturesque landscape should experience.
My girlfriend has never made it out to the southern part of Utah so I wanted to show her one of the places that will always hold my heart. It is a place that has a feeling, almost spiritual, of something beyond. I have heard of metaphysical lecturers talk of a powerful place where auras blend and power radiates into our plane of existence. I do not believe in the New Age mentality of auras or the strange crap like that but there is something about this place.
At the bottom of a nearby canyon there are petroglyphs and pictogyphs that show that the native people that used to inhabit this land felt something similar. Of all the places in the world this is one of my favorites and a place that if you ever find yourself in need of a picturesque landscape should experience.
Friday, April 8, 2016
The Break Down
So I did it, after telling myself I would never buy a console gaming system again I ended up buying an Xbox One and have enjoyed every minute of it. I ended up buying UFC 2 with the system and the hours (1 day 02 hours) spent playing it have both entertained me and made me feel extremely aggravated at the same time.
How can a game that has only been out for less than 2 months have so many hardcore, great players? People must have been playing it more than I have been, or at least with the same vigor as I have been playing it since its launch. Oh well another game that I have to master to get things done is not the end of the world. And to be honest this is not a game that I want to be competitive in.
Is it wrong to play a game casually anymore?
I feel that with the push and the popularity of e-sports, it is hard to find a game to just sit back, grab a drink, and enjoy. Perhaps that will be this game for me. I just enjoy playing it. I used to do a bit of kickboxing and the striking animations is absolutely amazing, and from what I know of jiu-jitsu the ground animations make this one of the most realistic games I have ever played. So right now I will play it casually, I will enjoy the hard work it took for the developers to create a fighting masterpiece.
As far as other games: I have been playing some Warcraft, and Starcraft. But haven't really had time to take anything to the extreme.
Gym: After seeing some amazing gains over the last few months, I took a week off since my schedule was gonna be strange and lost a lot of definition. Oh well Monday starts a new phasing program, this one with an emphasis on fat loss, so back to the gym I go in an attempt to get below the 20% body fat mark and carry myself with a little more confidence as I phase back into a power phase afterwards.
On a final note:
Congratulations to my cousin and best friend. Traveling for a wedding is one of the best reasons to skip the gym, and one of the best ways to spend some saved up vacation time from work. Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day.
How can a game that has only been out for less than 2 months have so many hardcore, great players? People must have been playing it more than I have been, or at least with the same vigor as I have been playing it since its launch. Oh well another game that I have to master to get things done is not the end of the world. And to be honest this is not a game that I want to be competitive in.
Is it wrong to play a game casually anymore?
I feel that with the push and the popularity of e-sports, it is hard to find a game to just sit back, grab a drink, and enjoy. Perhaps that will be this game for me. I just enjoy playing it. I used to do a bit of kickboxing and the striking animations is absolutely amazing, and from what I know of jiu-jitsu the ground animations make this one of the most realistic games I have ever played. So right now I will play it casually, I will enjoy the hard work it took for the developers to create a fighting masterpiece.
As far as other games: I have been playing some Warcraft, and Starcraft. But haven't really had time to take anything to the extreme.
Gym: After seeing some amazing gains over the last few months, I took a week off since my schedule was gonna be strange and lost a lot of definition. Oh well Monday starts a new phasing program, this one with an emphasis on fat loss, so back to the gym I go in an attempt to get below the 20% body fat mark and carry myself with a little more confidence as I phase back into a power phase afterwards.
On a final note:
Congratulations to my cousin and best friend. Traveling for a wedding is one of the best reasons to skip the gym, and one of the best ways to spend some saved up vacation time from work. Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day.
Friday, March 11, 2016
The Pump?
If any of you have been in the weight room for any amount of time you have heard the tale of "the pump" a influx of blood and other fluid into a muscle group after working out that makes it look a lot bigger than it really is. Well last night I had one of the best routines I have ever had in my life. I was able to achieve this "pump" in what felt like all over my body and I was going to be a little sad to see it go when I woke up this morning. Except I noticed something this morning when I was getting ready for work that made my mind spin. 2 months of work and what I thought was just the pump making my body look bigger was actually a change in my body composition. I have gained visible size in almost every muscle group in my body. Most noticeable is in my arms which makes me look a little bit like an very skinny gorilla but hey, it seems to work.
It is moments like this that keep me motivated to actually continue the workout routine I have been doing in hopes that I will continue to progress in my physique. It is always fun to see a good increase in anything. Also like I said yesterday this workout regime has made me feel so much better and have more energy than I have had in a long time.
It is moments like this that keep me motivated to actually continue the workout routine I have been doing in hopes that I will continue to progress in my physique. It is always fun to see a good increase in anything. Also like I said yesterday this workout regime has made me feel so much better and have more energy than I have had in a long time.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
YouTube and Weight Room update
So it has been about a month and a half since I have started hitting the gym on a regular basis. I have been too scared to jump on the scale and see how my body composition has changed, mostly because I have not been really on target with my diet, but I am noticing some great gains on my physique. One of the biggest joys of going to the gym as much as I have been is that I have been able to go on a schedule and have not missed a day in 7 weeks. That's Right!!!! 7 weeks without missing a workout and the soreness doesn't hit me as hard as it did for the first couple of weeks.
Things I've noticed:
1. I can run for more than two minutes without feeling like passing out.
2. I have been able to raise the weight resistance on almost all of my compound movements.
3. My bicep actually exists and the fat around my upper arm is slowly starting to get displaced so you can see the definition when I flex.
4. When I flex my leg I see a little valley in my quadriceps that have grown a bit
5. Whenever I am stressed out instead of looking to veg infront of the computer or TV I am looking for a chance to kick my own butt at the gym.
What others have noticed:
Unfortunately nothing. I did have a coworker mention that I was starting to look a lot better than I did (I must have looked like crap) but other then that I have not heard anything.
Youtube:
I have been following my schedule and was able to gain one subscriber to my Youtube channel which makes me a little happy that some of my work is paying off. I have been recording videos when I have the chance to play without interuption so the videos aren't super up to date as most of them are recorded in few settings then published on a regular basis.
I have also noticed that World of Warcraft just has so much information that a 20 minute episode every week will take me forever to hit max level, but I am having fun doing it and it is a great bit of story compilation that I can go back to and watch if I ever want to do a fanfic or something like that.
Gaming:
I have rediscovered the joys and pains of Starcraft 2. From going on an 8 game win streak to going on a 6 game losing streak I have had fun experiencing the ups and downs of competitive play once again. I will probably push myself to play a little harder and maybe jump up to the gold division as my silver mines have gotten a little silly for me to be in.
Things I've noticed:
1. I can run for more than two minutes without feeling like passing out.
2. I have been able to raise the weight resistance on almost all of my compound movements.
3. My bicep actually exists and the fat around my upper arm is slowly starting to get displaced so you can see the definition when I flex.
4. When I flex my leg I see a little valley in my quadriceps that have grown a bit
5. Whenever I am stressed out instead of looking to veg infront of the computer or TV I am looking for a chance to kick my own butt at the gym.
What others have noticed:
Unfortunately nothing. I did have a coworker mention that I was starting to look a lot better than I did (I must have looked like crap) but other then that I have not heard anything.
Youtube:
I have been following my schedule and was able to gain one subscriber to my Youtube channel which makes me a little happy that some of my work is paying off. I have been recording videos when I have the chance to play without interuption so the videos aren't super up to date as most of them are recorded in few settings then published on a regular basis.
I have also noticed that World of Warcraft just has so much information that a 20 minute episode every week will take me forever to hit max level, but I am having fun doing it and it is a great bit of story compilation that I can go back to and watch if I ever want to do a fanfic or something like that.
Gaming:
I have rediscovered the joys and pains of Starcraft 2. From going on an 8 game win streak to going on a 6 game losing streak I have had fun experiencing the ups and downs of competitive play once again. I will probably push myself to play a little harder and maybe jump up to the gold division as my silver mines have gotten a little silly for me to be in.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Gym Blues
I have been gong strong for a little over a month now and it has been a lot of fun to just be active. Every day I wake up and am excited to go to the gym and get things in order in my life. Last night I hit the wall, the figment of imagination that blocks progress, the bane of all people of the gym.
I pushed through it but it is time for me to change something up so that I might be able to break through this. The thing is I am still making gains and love what I'm seeing in the mirror. My chest has gotten a little firmer, my biceps are starting to push through the fat and look like they exist. My legs have some definition and my body is starting to learn how to adapt to new stimuli.
Just need to push myself harder to gain the body I want and will be a part of it.
I pushed through it but it is time for me to change something up so that I might be able to break through this. The thing is I am still making gains and love what I'm seeing in the mirror. My chest has gotten a little firmer, my biceps are starting to push through the fat and look like they exist. My legs have some definition and my body is starting to learn how to adapt to new stimuli.
Just need to push myself harder to gain the body I want and will be a part of it.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
A Modern Cold War?
I know that this post is not about the normal video gaming or weight training that this blog is supposed to be about, but come with me as I take a tangent to the normal content.
First off a little about what I do for a living. I work in a school with special needs kids during the day which means I get to sit in and help out with classes of all different topics. I mostly sit in on Math and Science classes because that is my college background but this year I have had the opportunity to sit in on an American History class, which has been a lot of fun. Currently the kids are learning about the Cold War and the build up to the US involvement in Vietnam.
As I was sitting in class this week and hearing about the policy of contain the spread of Communism instead of fight it straight on, I started to think about the middle east and the spread of a radicalized version of Islam. I could not help but think of the similarities of these two seemingly different conflicts. In the 40s through the 60s many things occurred that mirror what has been happening. So lets look at these in order.
At the end of World War 2 Eisenhower sought to stop the spread of communism in its tracks and invaded Korea to keep democracy and capitalism functional in that country. He sent many men and women to a relatively unknown peninsula in the middle of Asia to potentially lose their lives to protect "the American way."
Shortly after the attacks of September 11th Bush committed troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to destroy the radicalized Islamic sect stationed in these countries. A conflict emerged and what seemed like peace prevailed.
In the 1940s and through the 1960s there was a power play of a building up of a nuclear arsenal in the USSR that left many worried about a possible attack on our way of life.
After the US withdrew from Iraq there was a void left in parts of the country allowing for the build up of a militaristic islamic society to come to power. This society has already carried out attacks all across Europe and possible attacks here in the United States. Like the stockpiling of nuclear weapons many Americans are worried of the possibility of attacks as they are developing a strong nation with radical beliefs.
During the Cold War the United States and NATO were working to stop the spread of communism through all means possible except the use of military force.
That brings us to now, what are we doing? We do not want another war so we are trying to talk to the neighboring countries. We are trying to develop an alliance of other countries worried about the spread of this virus in the Middle East to try and stop its spread and contain it. As I see it we are in the middle of a second Cold War, where the stakes though not nuclear are just as scary to all that are living during this time.
This could also be why those that are old enough to have experienced the fear and anxiety that our posturing with the USSR had produced in the way of fear and uncertainty are just as scared as they were back in the days of the Cold War, and why the younger generation chooses to ignore the issues with things other than paying attention.
I want to know your thoughts. Am I just being doom and gloom? Is there a true similarity or am I just spouting more fear than the media? Join the conversation in the comments below.
First off a little about what I do for a living. I work in a school with special needs kids during the day which means I get to sit in and help out with classes of all different topics. I mostly sit in on Math and Science classes because that is my college background but this year I have had the opportunity to sit in on an American History class, which has been a lot of fun. Currently the kids are learning about the Cold War and the build up to the US involvement in Vietnam.
As I was sitting in class this week and hearing about the policy of contain the spread of Communism instead of fight it straight on, I started to think about the middle east and the spread of a radicalized version of Islam. I could not help but think of the similarities of these two seemingly different conflicts. In the 40s through the 60s many things occurred that mirror what has been happening. So lets look at these in order.
At the end of World War 2 Eisenhower sought to stop the spread of communism in its tracks and invaded Korea to keep democracy and capitalism functional in that country. He sent many men and women to a relatively unknown peninsula in the middle of Asia to potentially lose their lives to protect "the American way."
Shortly after the attacks of September 11th Bush committed troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to destroy the radicalized Islamic sect stationed in these countries. A conflict emerged and what seemed like peace prevailed.
In the 1940s and through the 1960s there was a power play of a building up of a nuclear arsenal in the USSR that left many worried about a possible attack on our way of life.
After the US withdrew from Iraq there was a void left in parts of the country allowing for the build up of a militaristic islamic society to come to power. This society has already carried out attacks all across Europe and possible attacks here in the United States. Like the stockpiling of nuclear weapons many Americans are worried of the possibility of attacks as they are developing a strong nation with radical beliefs.
During the Cold War the United States and NATO were working to stop the spread of communism through all means possible except the use of military force.
That brings us to now, what are we doing? We do not want another war so we are trying to talk to the neighboring countries. We are trying to develop an alliance of other countries worried about the spread of this virus in the Middle East to try and stop its spread and contain it. As I see it we are in the middle of a second Cold War, where the stakes though not nuclear are just as scary to all that are living during this time.
This could also be why those that are old enough to have experienced the fear and anxiety that our posturing with the USSR had produced in the way of fear and uncertainty are just as scared as they were back in the days of the Cold War, and why the younger generation chooses to ignore the issues with things other than paying attention.
I want to know your thoughts. Am I just being doom and gloom? Is there a true similarity or am I just spouting more fear than the media? Join the conversation in the comments below.
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