Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Weekly Updates - slacking

Man oh man have I been slacking off something fierce since I went on Vacation.  I knew it was going to be a difficult 4 days but when I came back home I didn't just jump back into my old routine, nope, I kept on going with my vacation bad habits.  Not walking extra steps, not eating healthy, NOT saying no to those donuts or chips or whatever else I happened to be craving.
Vacation really did a number on me.

With that in mind I'm really going to right this injustice and get back on track during the month of November.
Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

I'm going to try to get motivated to hit the gym today even for just a simple 3 mile walk on the elliptical or treadmill.  However, I am functioning off of less than 4 hours sleep and I'm quite certain that I'll just blow it off.
Tomorrow is Trick or Treating with the family and I just don't see myself making a trip to the gym after work but before the fun.
Friday is First Friday and probably the last I'll be able to go to for a while.  November is a 3 pay month and those months have that extra Friday in them and thus shifts the balance of power towards evil thus making me close every single First Friday until the next 3 pay month.  However, at least this happens during the winter months so that I am not forced to drink beer just to stay warm!!!

So, November it is.
As such I am looking through different fitness Facebook sites and crap my friends post to help find things to motivate me.
I'm also thinking about doing a weight loss challenge at work that will probably end up costing me $10 per week - but it's the motivation that is important.

So far this is what I'll be attempting in November.

I fully expect to fail this somewhere during the month - but I will keep up with it daily and see what kind of progress I get anyways.  Day 9 looks like a hurdle currently but only because I don't think I've ever hit the minute mark before, of course I've never kept up with it so who knows.  Day 30 is probably impossible but that's why they call it a challenge right?
So, who wants to start taking wagers on what day I'll initially fail?

Now, for the weekly upates

Fitbit:
75,025 total steps
10,718 daily average
33.89 miles
Weight 217-221

Even though I've been slacking I'm happy that my daily average is still over 10k.  I'm going to work on getting my weekly number back to 90k and then get back into the habit of getting in those extra steps every single day.
Ideally I want to be hitting at least 40 miles per week and I need to get my weight back down.  My lowest was 213 and I'm up from that so I need to start focusing on getting the exercise in and the weight will take care of itself.

Video Game Update:
11h 24m were played this past week (per raptr).  All of it was Diablo 3.
Yesterday I got my Barbarian to Act 2 and now I will work on progressing my Monk and Demon Hunter to Act 2 as well.  I've now put over 50 hours into Diablo 3 and mostly because I've been toying around with different characters instead of just focusing on one and beating the game for the first time.
I want to pick up GTA V and am getting closer to pulling the trigger but I need to sell some other stuff off first to justify it.  Time Will Tell.

TV Update:
After finishing Breaking Bad I haven't bothered to start sinking my mind into another serious TV Series.  I'm nearing the end of The League Season 4 and then I have to decide what direction to go next.
My currently Choices.
The Walking Dead Season 3
Game of Thrones Season 2
Dexter Season 4

Comic Book Update:
I haven't read a single one in probably 6 weeks.  I've got quite the backlog.  When I slack, I slack at everything!


Monday, October 28, 2013

grrouchie thoughts with bad tats

Someday's I think to myself: "Self, I'd really love a new tattoo" and I end up finding shit like this.


Thus far Halloween has been worthwhile.  I threw some pics on Facebook (for those of you who stalk me there) of myself and the kid and us together.  Last night we went to Springs Preserve and he was wearing his Deadpool outfit and we found a chick dressed up like Lady Deadpool.  This made me quite happy.  Thought about leaving my lady right then and there, but she'd miss me and the boy so I just kept my carnal thoughts to myself.




I've been super bloody lazy since my vacation.  I haven't been to the gym since I have been back.  I haven't taken a walk since I've been back.  I haven't been meeting my goals, any of them.  Laziness and eating bad are addictive.  Seriously - they are fucking addictive like cocaine or masturbation.  Once I fall off the wagon I fall hard and it sometimes takes me a while to right the ship.  I'm currently in the "I want to get back on track" phase but I haven't actually done anything about it.  I need someone to kick my ass.

I've had my new computer for about a month now and the one thing that I am certain of is that I really dislike windows 8.  I hate the whole "lets just make everything apps" phase that computers are going through.  If I wanted a tablet I'd buy a tablet (and I own two of those already but am lusting after a 3rd, prettier one).  I don't like the way I have to switch between programs.  I don't like a lot of crap about windows 8 but I guess I just have to learn to deal with it and adapt.
Windows 8 does not suck nearly as bad as Millennium did so it's got that going for it.

Because one person sent me like 6 requests and I asked him to justify his actions I ended up caving up.  Yes, I have downloaded and started playing Candy Crush Saga.  It's not a bad little time waster, and currently my favorite Poop Game of choice, but I don't get why everyone has been so gaga over it.  Me, well I have an addictive personality and when I start playing shit like that I just can't quit.  There is something wrong in my head that causes me to just keep going until I reach some sort of goal that I make up (but when I reach that goal I quit playing and never go back).  So, I'm obsessively playing the game in order to pass up a few co-workers who have been playing for months.  Shoot me now.

Tomorrow night I am taking my Fiance and heading to Fright Dome and am quite excited about it. I highly enjoyed the experience last year and am really looking forward to the new attractions this year.  This year they have one you go through by yourself and I have already been told that I am the only one doing that as she will just wait for me by the exit.  Whatevs.  I really do love Haunted Houses.  There is just something special and magical about people trying to scare the shit out of you.

The McRib is back for a limited time and as is my usual routine I went out and bought two the day I found out about it.  I'll probably eat two more over the next week or two and then I'll be satiated until next year.

 That chick has a lot of dicks climbing up her leg.


Speaking of obsessive, I didn't want to pick up Grand Theft Auto 5 until I worked my overnight.  Was talking to a co-worker about it and he went into great length about what he liked and stuff about the story and how great he thought it was in general.  This had me leaning towards "I hope they run a sale soon" and then I started looking things up which led me to the special edition that was released which led me to the fact that the Special Edition comes with a Steelbook packaging and I am retarded for Steelbooks.  So, now I have an amazon page open and waiting for me to just say "fuck it, I need it" and click the buy button.


Of course if that happens then I also have about two other games that I really want and have in my "wishlist." So, what is holding me back is that I just don't want to spend the money.  The Playstation 4 and Xbox 1 are coming out next month and I'm trying to mentally figure out where I can scrape that money from and also to justify it in my head.  Right now I'm leaning towards "I need to buy these before moving in with my future wife because it's easier to justify spending a lot of money before we live together than to justify spending an ass-load of money after we are living together."


While on the gaming subject, the thing that really annoys me about all these next gen systems that are coming out is that there are no games that are must haves for me at launch.  Watch Dogs was as close as it got and that got pushed back to next year.  The Xbox has Dead Rising 3 but shit, I haven't bothered with the 1st two even though I've really wanted to.

And this leads me to spring cleaning.  Recently I had my house painted (and soon am getting new carpet put in) and thus I had to pack up my shit into boxes and move it out of my room to make life easier for the painters.  I'm a pack-rat of epic proportions.  I keep a lot of shit.  I like shit evidently.  I have way too much of it and it generally only sinks in when I'm forced to pack it all up for one reason or another.  Mentally I've told myself that I'm going to get rid of a lot of it.  Sure, it's nice to have collections of Video Games and whatever else I have but the reality is that I'm getting older and there is no real reason for me to be hanging on to all of this stuff - especially if I'm never actually going to get around to using it.
So, it's going to be tough but I've really got to let some of it go.  I don't want to lug it all over to the new place after I get married because there won't be place to display it all and also there is a high probability that if it looks like a toy the package will mysteriously end up opened because the house has a mischievous child who wants to play with everything.


I could leave a lot of my stuff at my house and set up some displays in one of the extra bedrooms that will be used as a play room when I bring the family over to visit.  While I think this is a great short term solution it does not serve the long term which is that at some point I'm still going to have to pack all the shit up again.  Whether the house turns into a rental after my parents move on or if it gets sold or whatever, the stuff cannot just stay there permanently.  Also, if I have stuff I'm displaying I'll continue to have the urge to add more stuff to the mix because there are always collectors editions coming out and dammit I'm addicted to that shit.

 The picture above while completely retarded might be one of my favorite tattoo's ever, right up there with the stick figure mowing the lawn through the pubic hairs.  The shitty piercings have to go though.



We are now going to be planning our conception (post wedding) around the Chinese Fertilization Calendar or whatever the fuck it is because she wants a girl.  Oh the joys of superstition.
She will also be in High Fertility during that time period - according to some application she has on her phone that tells her when her eggs are dropping and when I need to pull out earlier....
Modern technology


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

(Don't) Call it a Comeback

It's been here for years.  LL Cool J was way ahead of his time when he decided to write a song about the eventual comeback of Online Poker.
Sure we had to suffer through some bleak years in dealing with the whole government shutdown and ostracization (is this a real word?) of some of our favorite online poker sites but deep down you had to know that a business venture this big was going to end up making a return at some point in time didn't ya?

Now I realize that I'm coming from a little segment of the population that is most likely being treated like the test subject in a lab-rat experiment by living in Las Vegas Nevada and all, but these are just the beginning rumblings of something that is most likely going to be huge and take the nation by storm again.
That's right, I'm talking about the ability to play poker with cash online again.  Let's face it, most of us never quit playing online poker, but it kind of makes you tingle a little bit deep down inside to know that you'll be able to play poker again on a legal well regulated site where you don't have to worry about actually receiving that last cash out or wonder if the site is going to change networks and you'll get stuck with less traffic and game availability.

Currently in Nevada we are up to two new poker sites trying to take the world over, Ultimate Poker and WSOP.com.  Ultimate poker poked their head into the game first and did so in typical "I was here first" fashion by having clunky software and pretty much rushing to the market just to say that they were first.  WSOP took their time and came along quite a bit later but when it was right for them to do so.  Both of these sites gives you a Brick and Mortar casino in which to actually make deposits and receive cash-outs which makes things convenient.

Ultimate Poker is run by the Station Casino's and WSOP is run by Caesars Entertainment which, by my calculations, leaves us with one major casino brand not yet represented in this new online market and that is the MGM/Mirage properties.  Once we have all three of the amigo's up and running (and another state or two joins in) I think that is when things will start to get really interesting with the comeback of online poker.  I truly don't believe that these will be the only players in the game but I do believe that they are the ones who are backed by the best companies to make the best splash.  I still fully expect some other casino owners to jump into the market and maybe even pull some resources by becoming partners with some of the heavy hitters from the heyday of online poker, but that will be a bit more tricky.  Remember, Pokerstars already made one attempt to get back into the United States by putting a bid on a Brick and Mortar casino in Atlantic City so that they could legally operate.  It's only a matter of time before they do it again in Vegas or another company like Party Poker attempts the same thing.

So, Don't call it a comeback because they have all been here for years.  It's just been quiet and there hasn't been a whole lot of noise but make no mistake about it I'm so happy to have online (let me play in my underwear) poker back.


Monday, October 21, 2013

Don't Come Around Here No More

Other than being lyrics to a classic Tom Petty song it's pretty much how I've been treating this blog lately.
It's not that I can't come up with a myriad of topics to talk about but more so that I'm spending less and less time in front of a computer because I'm always on the go.

Maybe things will settle down after the wedding and honeymoon and I've moved in with my fiance and I'm not constantly running back and forth between two households but who knows.

In the upcoming future for me I've got two trips to two different timeshares.  We are becoming timeshare whore's out of nowhere - but the gifts are worth it in the long run.

We went to one earlier this month which got us 3 nights and 4 days in a Hotel/Casino here in Vegas and within the next 12 months we get an additional 2 nights 3 days at a sister Hotel as well.  We used it as a nice little stay-cation for us and the kids to just get away, have fun and relax.
The first night we spent by ourselves.  Went down to Fremont Street and enjoyed some adult beverages while walking around for a couple of hours and then came back to the casino and passed out.  The 2nd and 3rd nights we picked the kids up after school and brought them over.  After they were done with their homework we all went out and enjoyed the swimming pool for a couple of hours before moving on to other things.

This coming Sunday we are going for round 2 of the same timeshare place so I'm interested to see how this works.  My fiance was the 1st who received the phone call and we booked that. About 2 weeks later I received the phone call and explained to them that we were already doing it.  A couple of days later they called me back and said that because we are not married and are not living together we could book a 2nd time.  First time she was booked and I was her "Guest" and this time I am booked and she is my "guest."
I'll find it funny if we end up with the same "tour guide" or "manager" this time around and explaining how their company booked us twice and told us over the phone that we just had to go and listen to the presentation and just so "no" so we can get our gifts.
Whatever.  It's a small price to pay for a stay-cation and another one next year.  (this will give us two extra weeks for next year).

This past weekend we went to a Foodie Fest over at the Silverton.  They had a lot of food trucks out and the only reason we really went is because my love wanted to go to the White Castle truck.   So we grabbed the kids and headed over.
White Castle was the most popular truck by far
While we were there we got sucked into another Timeshare with the offering of 2 nights and 3 days plus two adult tickets to Disney (to be used within the next 14 months) for just sitting through their boring 2 hours presentation.  After our honeymoon we wanted to plan a family vacation to include our child because he's going to feel left out not going to Hawaii with us (and has already complained that he really wants to go too).  We had thought about Legoland because he brought up after Disney that he wanted to go there, but I'm pretty sure he won't complain about another trip to Disney.  All it will cost us is a ticket for the kids (we'll probably take her sister's kid as well) and some food and gas.  Two hours of suffering is worth the price of the hotel and tickets for the adults.
And, if we want we can extend our trip by a day or two and book another Hotel so that we can get some good beach time in, though I hope to come back less sun burnt than last time.

I have off of work tomorrow but have to work an overnight on Weds.  So I'm trying to stay up as late as possible tonight so I can sleep in tomorrow so that I can stay up as late as possible Tuesday night so I can sleep in as late as possible Weds night.
Last year when I did this overnight I didn't plan it very well and woke up around 7 am Weds morning and then did the overnight not getting home until about 7 am Thurs morning.  I'm too old to be pulling 24 hours of awake time without massive quantities of booze involved.
So, to keep me up for a couple more hours tonight I plan on watching some episodes from the last season of Breaking Bad.  Hoping to finish the last 7 episodes before going into work Weds night.

Some more random pics from our activities recently.
My soon to be nephew-in-law?
Fun at the foodie fest


Received my Deadpool Costume!!

Sexy Beast
Not so Sexy Beast


Remember My Name

Old Man Monopoly is serious business

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Back to the Motherland

Took a quick jaunt to the Motherland (Erie Pennsylvania) to visit a buddy for his Birthday even though technically he doesn't age until the 17th.  It was a fun trip where I tried to get all of my east coast foods into my system before I had to fly back home.

This included me eating chili cheese dogs for breakfast one morning and Greek dogs for breakfast another morning.  I had delicious wings and Chinese food from my favorite place on Peach Street.  I had Peanut Butter cupcakes that were so decadent I had to have a 2 hour gap in between the 1st and the 2nd one.

I went to the Football Hall of Fame for the first time ever and also did some unsuccessful gambling in a crappy ass casino in Cleveland.

I took a 90 minute 5 mile hike through the woods and walked down the streets of Cleveland at 1 am with my Steelers tat fully on display.

I drank my weight in beer and got to taste some of my old favorites in the form of Yuengling and Blue Light while trying some new from Great Lakes Brewing Company (their Octoberfest and Elliot Ness).  I had another beer who's name I cannot remember but I know the logo had a stick figure with a pumpkin head on it.

So, to sum it all up - some pictures.
The weather was pretty much perfect the entire time I was there except the last day it decided to rain right before I was going to leave.  This is the plane I was boarding from Erie to Cleveland before catching my flight to Vegas.
Arriving at the Erie airport was great because I showed up just in time for loading.  However, my plane landed in Cleveland at the same time that my plane for Vegas was boarding which meant I had to haul ass across the airport to get on my next flight.  By the time I got there some asshole decided that he wanted to switch me seats before I got there.  I hope he goes broke and his wife leaves him.

How I missed thee

Dogs in water

Nature







Bought a comic from an "Antique" store


Lombardi Bitches






What is the full name of this beer? It wasn't too bad

No caption needed


Sunday, October 06, 2013

This feels good

300 year old computer is in the hopper and I'm happy to report that this is being typed on a new, semi-up-to-date computer that is more capable of the last.
The last with it's overheating problems and its disappearing operating system and it's system start-up errors.
I've been nursing that one for about 3 years now so it was just time to move on and find something younger and prettier.

So, a few pics from Eli Roth's Goretorium on it's last day of existence and the last few are from the few days I was on a Staycation with the family.  That is all (for now) until I have time to sit out and pound out a real update.