Trapped, Taxes, Daredevil and LARPS

So I woke up excited for the weekend, had a tough work week so I was looking forward to a weekend of doing nothing..other then a few workouts. I headed down to my parking area (which is under my apartment complex) I got in my car and drove toward the front gate. I reached up and pressed by garage door opener and nothing happened. This has happened before as someone will open the door within the door and if it's not closed properly the main door will not open. So I got out and checked it. Clicked the clicker again and nothing. I noticed that the light on my clicker was dual so I figured the battery was low. I went to open it and noticed it was a square battery. I quickly went upstairs and tried to find a square battery.. I couldn't find one. I wasn't going to make the 9am NerdStrong gym class so I cancelled and was extremely disappointed. I quickly ran to 7-11 to see if I could buy a square battery and of course they had some but you had to pay through the noses but I didn't care.. I just wanted to be able to get my car out of my garage. Since I had the battery I figured all was well so I signed up for the 10am NerdStrong Gym class as I walked back to my place.. I was happy again.. I replaced the battery and clicked the clicker... nothing. I popped open the clicker and noticed that these little levers inside the clicker had to be in a certain sequence, a pattern that was unique to this garage door opener. I must have hit them when I opened the clicker the first time and now I no longer knew the "code" to my garage door. I sat in my car hoping someone would leave and I could just get my car outside the apartment and deal with the clicker later.. but nobody left. I contacted my manager to see if I could get the code from him but after an hour of wait he informed me that he didn't have the code on him and that I should ask one of my neighbors. Now I've been in my apartment for over two years and though I see my neighbors every once in a while I don't feel comfortable enough to knock on their door on a Saturday morning and ask to see their garage clicker.

Needless to say I had to cancel my second NerdStrong class at 10am today and knew that it wasn't meant to be today. But I had bigger problems. I scheduled to do my taxes at noon today. I booked this appointment back in November as my guy books early. There was no way I could miss this. It's now 11:30 and I'm in a panic. I actually did tried a few of my neighbors but no one was answering their door. I figured I'd could just us Uber to get to my tax guy and as I was scheduling my Uber my manager texted me the "code" for the clicker and I as able to move the levers in the right position and open my garage.

I made it to my tax appointment just in time. After Mike finished my taxes he informed me that the numbers didn't look good and that he was hoping that I'd just break even. If I have to pay this will be the first time in all the years of me paying taxes that I would owe. I'll find out in a week or so the results.

So my nice relaxing Saturday has been anything but that. When I got home I decided that I didn't want to do anything. I was just going to sit down in front of the TV and veg for a while. Now I had choices in what to watch. I went back and forth with a few things but in the end decided to watch some Daredevil. I had still not seen season one and many of my friends have raved about it and with season two coming out soon I didn't want to fall further behind.

I started with episode 1 and then moved on to episode 2, then 3 and then 4. I had heard so much hype about this series and was hoping it could live up to it and obviously I enjoyed it as I couldn't stop watching. I loved the storytelling and bouncing between the past with his father to the present with his current situation. I main actor playing Daredevil is fantastic and I'm really liking the side characters. The fight scenes are amazing and as everyone said the finale fight scene in episode two was so well done. One continuous shot is tough and with all those moving parts it was extremely impressive.

This show is dark.. and after four episodes I had to stop and take a break from all that violence and dreed. As I said I enjoyed the show but I'll have to watch it in 4 episode blocks. I look forward to my next block of episodes.

I watched a few light hearted Big Bang Theory episodes to cleanse my palette before checking out the DVD extras for the webseries LARP's The Series. Getting DVD's of season one and two was a perk for contributing to the season two kickstarter. If you know me you know I love DVD extras and behind the scenes goodies and LARP's did not disappoint. They had deleted/extended scenes, hilarious commentary and many mini makings of. This cast and crew reminds me so much of The Guild and watching all these behind the scenes things just reminded me of the amazing years I spent working them.

So my relaxing day didn't start off that great but it ended on a high note.

NerdStrong Gym - Recapping

I'm continuing my five days of workout a week. This week I did Saturday CON, Sunday TEAM, Tuesday DEX, Wednesday CON and Thursday STG.

First up was the continuation of our D&D Campaign workout with Chapter Two. This one involved lots of running around a graveyard. The workout required four rounds of a Run around the parking lot (230 meter) with a steel club, then back into for 20x Runners Lunge, 20x Steel Club to Guard and then 15x Jump Squats. Once you finished your fourth round you were attacked by two resurrected fallen friends (Tyler and Cate). In order to take out Cate we had to do 350 Push-Ups and to take down Tyler we had to do 400 Sprawls.

You can follow this LINK to read the continuing story and to watch a video of coach David DMing... it's pretty fantastic.

For Sunday we had a TEAM Themed workout titled "The Doctor". Yep it was a Doctor Who workout. We teamed with a partner (one Doctor and one Companion) I teamed up with my gym husband (John). We had to do four rounds, each had a movement, then a run (because the Doctor always runs) and then Seal Jacks.

Round one started with Push Ups, we had to do 2, then 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. So I'd do two Push Ups then John did two, then I'd do four and he'd do four and so on until we finished twelve each. In the end we did 42 of each movements. After doing the movement we did a partner run (230 meters) then came back and did 50x Seal Jacks. John and I had a bit of fun and faced each other and did our Seal Jacks synchronized. After that we moved on to Round two we did Split Jumps, again it was 2, then 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. We did the run and synchronized Seal Jacks. For our third round we did Box Jumps and for our final round we did Slam Balls. Coach David and coach Andrew talked John and I into using a 40lbs Slamball, which is quite a bit heavier then what we usually use. I was surprised that I was able to handle the heavier weight, it was a bit tougher for John but he got through them all. 

It was a pretty tough workout but it's always fun with you have a buddy to workout with.. thanks John.

Next up was Tuesday's DEX workout.. it was titled Bea's Evil Smile (Honestly I don't remember why it's titled that). We started with the build, 230 Meter Run then 2 rounds of 10x Air Squats, 5x Wall Squats and 10x Goblet Squats. We then moved on to the "Proficiency" part of the workout and that was a 2 minute Couch Stretch on both sides. We then moved onto the Quest which was 5 Rounds of 5x Pull-Ups, 5x Push Ups, 5x Plank Pulls and 5x Dips. For the "Battle" we did 2 rounds of :45 seconds of work :15 seconds of transition, Bulgarian Split Squat, Plank, Wall Sit, Push Ups, Bear Crawl, Dumbbell Push Presses and then 2 minute rest. 

This was a lot of work and as with most DEX days it was a wide variety of movements. 

For the Wednesday CON day the workout was titled "Quad Runner" and yes it involved alot of running... 2.28 Miles to be exact. After the nice warm up was go to the main workout. We had 40 minutes to complete this. We started with a 920 Meter Run (that's 4 times around the parking lot), then 30x Wall Balls, 20x SDLHP (Single Deadlift High Pull). We then did another 920 Meter Run came back in and did 30x SlamBalls, 30x Kettlebell Swings before going back out and doing another 920 Meter Run and 30x Over Walk Lunge then 30x Knees to Elbows before finally doing our final 920 Meter Run around the parking lot. 

This was a tough workout but I'm happy to say that I finished it with a few minutes to spare. These CON workouts are all about endurance and pacing. As I workout more I am learning to listen to my body and trying not to go all gong ho at the beginning and having nothing at the end. It's tough to balance all these as you want to finish everything within the time limit but you don't want to start off to fast and tire yourself out before you are able to finish.

Thursday Strength Day was a favorite of mine as we got to practice our Bench Presses. This is one of the few barbell workouts that I actually enjoy doing. After a nice warm up we did 8 rounds of 3, we started at 60% of our max, then 70%, 80%, 85%, then back down to 65%, 75%, 85% and finally 90% of our max. I used my older one rep max of 205 lbs to get these percentages. I really do need to test for a new one rep max as it's been awhile since I got the 205.

For a finisher we did a TABATA (:20 seconds of work :10 seconds of rest) we did half Spellcaster and half Zootman. 

The Straightest Gay Man

I've often questioned myself if I'm bad at being Gay?!?!?

I've always said that being gay doesn't defy me, it's just a small part of who I am and honestly I rarely think about it. But there are times when I feel like I'm "bad" at it. I know that sounds stupid because what does being gay really mean. Of course you have your stereotypical ideals of what a "gay" person should sound and act like but there are all types of gay people out there, from feminine acting who are easily pegged as gay, to those who you would never give a second thought about questioning their sexuality. I feel, and I've been told that I'm on the straighter side of things. The majority of people I meet say they had no idea I was gay until I told them and for some they forget I'm gay until I say something that reminds them. Is it sad that those kinds of comments make me happy. I'm not ashamed of being gay but I also don't want to be identified as being gay without someone getting to know me first.

Do I act straighter because the majority of my friends that I hang out with are straight? I don't think so as I don't feel I act gayer when I hang out with the few gay friends that I do have. I simply am who I am. Do I prefer straight friends over gay friends.. absolutely not and with that said I will admit that being with my gay friends can be a bit more comforting at times. Being around like minded people is nice, that's why I love hanging out with my geek/nerd community so much.

I guess the issue lies in my own head, what my ideal of being gay is. In the end it doesn't matter how one acts as long as you are being true to yourself and you are happy with who you are... and I am!!

Rock Creature, Guardians 2 Pix & My New Passport Photo

I came across this video and thought it was pretty cute so I went to find it on youtube and found out that what I saw was just part of this animated short. I don't know why I love this so much but I do. I mean the animation is fantastic and there is no dialogue but the look on this poor rock creatures face when the people start attacking him for him saving them is priceless. Here's the full version of it.. it's really short only a few minutes long.

Marvel released the first photo of the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. The characters are only in silhouette but omg the tiny Groot on Drax's shoulder is priceless. I can't wait to see this sequel.

And the final thing I wanted to share was my horrible passport photo. I'm renewing my passport so I had to take a new photo. I went to a local Fedex place to get the photo and as I was smiling the guy said they don't allow smiling in photos anymore for passports. So I did what I thought was a neutral face but instead I look upset.

I actually looked up to see if it was true that you couldn't smile and it is. But they said you can do a half smile. If it wasn't so expensive I'd re-do them but I figured I won't be using my passport much so I won't have to look at the picture. I debated on posting the picture to my blog but figured if I was going to talk about it I might as well post it too.. so here's Kenny looking miserable.

Not sure when I'll be using my new passport, but I hope to take a trip overseas very soon. I wouldn't mind visiting the UK and Ireland again but I think my next big adventure is visiting New Zealand and Hobbiton. Talk about beautiful from what I have seen New Zealand is magnificent.

Hamilton Grammy Performance & Potter Cake

A few months ago I knew nothing about this play called Hamilton, then suddenly it was everywhere and everyone was talking about it. We even did a workout to the soundtrack at NerdStrong Gym. Tonight on the Grammy's the entire cast preformed one of the songs from the play and it was spectacular. I kind of understand all the hype and why it's sold out in New York.  I had planned to post the video of the performance but it looks like they have been taken down from You Tube. Needless to say I was impressed and really enjoyed the performance and music.

The other thing I wanted to share was this AMAZING Harry Potter cake.  This is a grooms cake for Football player Mike Evans, Wide Receiver for the Tampa Bay Bucs. I don't know who made this but it looks like something the Cake Boss would make.

New MASH Podcast, Star Wars 8 & An Awesome GIF

Geekyfanboy Productions released a new episode of the MASH 4077 Podcast. This is episode 122, covering Season 5, Episode 25 - Margret's Marriage

Increasing pressure from Frank forces Hot Lips to set a date for her wedding. Donald Penobscot arrives in camp for the ceremony (and the before wedding festivities) and winds up in a body cast - until Margaret finds the two jokers responsible. The ceremony takes place and the newlyweds leave for Tokyo and their honeymoon.

You can Download from itunes tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes , listen on Stitcher Radio ow.ly/iZJIz or listen and get direct download from our main website MASH4077Podcast.com

They released a short video announcing the start of filming of epsisode 8 of Star Wars. It's nothing special but it's so AWESOME!!!

I came across this GIF I couldn't stop watching it.. it's very mesmerizing.. I love it. You can check out a larger version HERE.

Filipino Brunch, Deadpool & Surprising A Friend

Today after working out Leo took the group to a Filipino brunch place. They had lots of interesting foods for breakfast but it was extremely tasty. One of the more interesting things were the ube pancakes, there was a mango and coconut one and another flavor. They were all good but I think my favorite was the coconut.. but they looked pretty in all their crazy colors.

During the evening I headed out to Arclight Sherman Oaks with friends to watch Deadpool. I really didn't know much about Deadpool as I'm not a huge fan of that character but my buddy Brett is and I've learned stuff through hanging out with him. So I expected this movie to be fun and entertaining and it didn't disappoint. It was this action movie with tons of laughs and a bit of craziness. Advertising has been saying this isn't a movie for kids that why it has it's R rating and though I agree with the R rating it wasn't as violent or bloody as I expected. But there are some extremely gruesome shots of heads getting blown off but still I expected worse. I loved the way it was cut together, we started towards the middle of the movie and then work backwards before getting caught up and then moving forward. I like that they had a few of the X-Men in this movie but also jokes as to why there's weren't more. Overall I really enjoyed the movie and this will be a definite buy when it comes out on blu-ray.

Afterwards we were to go out to dinner but since it's Valentine's Day our original plan fell though when we found out there was a two hour wait. So instead we went to my place where I ordered some pizza and we hung out. But the main reason for us to hang out was to surprise our friend Brett. He recently had a major theft when his storage unit was broken into and they took everything. His TV, computer, collectibles and anything else that had some value. So his friends pooled their money together and we gave him $1000 dollars. We know that his insurance will take care of the lost items but this will give him a bit of extra help.

I have to say our group of friends are amazing, this is the same group that pooled their money together to get my 3 months of NerdStrong Gym because they knew I really wanted to attend but couldn't afford it. Of course Brett was taken back and had no idea that we've been collecting money since his theft. I actually videoed the entire thing and posted it for those who contributed but wasn't able to make it to my place for the giving of the gift.  It was a pretty great way to end the night.

Thanks to Olivia, Will, Robert, Tamar, Aaron, Jes, Jennifer & Matthew Luchsinger, Erik, Anthony, Kenny, Matthew & Melissa Kuhns, Rupert, Hayley, Elea, David, Steve, Chris, Jen, Becca, Josh, & Dallas for contributing.

The Shannara Chronicles Ep 7 - My Thoughts

Tonight I watched a brand new episode of The Shannara Chronicles. S1 Ep7 "Breakline" After Wil, Eretria, and Amberle fall off the cliff, they get separated. After awakening next to the Reaper's corpse and prying the Elfstones out of his bloody left palm, Wil is attacked by a male elf from Owen Moor named Perk, whose left ear was stolen by Elf Hunters who cut off and sell the ears to gnomes. He wants to rescue his female partner Genewen who was captured by them. The man who cut off his ear, Cormac, is left behind to guard the camp as their female leader Zora pursues the princess. Eretria and Amberle are subsequently chased by the same group into an old hall that sunk underground during the great war. Meanwhile, in Arborlon, the Changeling, in the guise of King Eventine, sends his sons Ander and Arion on a seemingly futile mission to kill the Dagda Mor.

Allanon is healed by his former master Bremen and returns to Earth. While underground Amberle picks up three blue dice: an eight-sided die and a pair of percentile dice. They also notice a map which resembles Eretria's vision and she tells Eretria it is Safehold. She and Eretria fight off some off the Elf Hunters but are captured by Zora. Wil arrives, dangling from Genewen, who turns out to be a flying Roc mounted by Perk, who is a Wing Rider. On the way out Zora shoots Eretria and she falls. More of the Elf Hunters arrive, preventing them from going back for her. The princes arrive to face the Dagda Mor, discovering an imprisoned Bandon. Arion attacks the evil Druid with the sword, but the Dagda Mor is prepared and kills him. Allanon arrives on the scene just in time to save Ander and free Bandon. Eretria is shown hauled off alongside a golf bag full of clubs and a white plastic lawn chair. Ander kills the Changeling with Allanon's collapsible sword, becoming King of the Elves.

This was probably my favorite episode to date.. I felt the story move along, we finally got some direction on where to find Safehold. We were introduced to new characters Perk and Genewen. Allanon is healed and got to help the Elf Princes since their father (who is a Changeling) sent them on a one way mission to their death. And in fact we lose the eldest son Arion leaving the youngest Ander to survive with the help of Allanon. They return and Ander has to kill his father (Changeling) and he is now the King of the Elves. I continue to like Eretria more and more. When I first met her in episode one I was not a fan but she has really fleshed out as a character and has become one of my favorites. There are only a few more episode left for this season and I can't wait to see where the story goes.

The Scots Festival and Highland Games in Long Beach

Today I went to the Scots Festival & International Highland Games XXIII down at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. I've been wanting to do the a Scot's Festival for many years so when I heard one was doing to be near me I got a group of friends together and we went down. Joining me for the festival was Liz, Leo and Cait.

Scots Festival honors nearly fifty Scottish clans & vendors throughout the weekend with professional and amateur competitions in piping, drumming, massed bands, darts, Highland dancing, and Highland athletics. The Scottish Highland Games, a pre-cursor to today’s Olympic Games, were designed to test the strength, skill and technique of ancient warriors by face offs.

I enjoyed the music and foods but I really wanted to see the Highland Games and they didn't disappoint.

Caber Toss - In Gaelic, caber simply means pole, and the objective of the caber toss isn’t about distance, but style and accuracy. The athlete rests the caber against their shoulder while clasping their arms around it. Then they try to lift if off the ground while keeping it perfectly balanced. Once the caber is lifted the athlete begins to run, building momentum, before tossing the caber. Caber toss is judged with the aid of an imaginary clock face on the ground, with the thrower facing the 12 o’clock position. Points are deducted according to the number of degrees that the caber is off from the perfect 12 o’clock mark.

Throwing the Weight (for height & distance) - Throwing the weight is divided into two separate categories: throwing for distance (with a 28-pound weight) and throwing for height (with a 56-pound weight). Throwing for distance involves the thrower to grasp the weight in one hand, spin around three times and toss. Tossing for height involves a high jump-style bar, which is raised after each successful attempt. Strength, speed and coordination are key to successfully competing in throwing the weight.

Putting the Shot - Derived from the “stone of strength,” which saw clansmen compete in tossing stones for distance, putting the shot is an excellent test of strength. With weights weighing anywhere from 16-to-22-pounds, athletes would lift the stone in one hand in front of their shoulders, run to gain momentum and release.

The Hammer Throw - Originating in the granite mining quarries in Scotland, workers would compete by tossing actual sledgehammers. Although athletes no longer toss hammers, today they use an iron sphere attached to a chain, the goal of the competition remains the same – toss the hammer as far as you can! In the event, the thrower stands with his back to the mark, swings the hammer around his head to gain momentum and then releases it over his shoulder.

Sheaf Toss -Similar to the weight toss, the sheaf toss consists of competitors using a pitchfork to hurl a burlap bag stuffed with straw over a horizontal bar. Each competitor has three chances to toss the sheaf cleanly over the bar without touching it and the bar is raised after each round.

Both men and women participate in the games. I wanted to see as much of the games as I could but you had to pick and choose which ones you were going to watch as they had several competitions going on at the same time. So while the women were doing the Hammer Throw the men would Toss the weight for height and though everyone was in the middle grassy area you could really only watch one event at a time. I tried to watch a bit of each event (mostly men, as I couldn't resist a guy in a Kilt). I think my favorite was the Caber toss.. this is the most recognized Highland game and loads of fun to watch, though a few of those cabers fell back towards the crowd and gave us a bit of a scare.

Another favorite was the Toss the Weight for Height. It's crazy that these guys would throw a 50+ pound weight over their head and try and go over a bar and then stand perfectly still has the weight dropped back down missing their head by inches.. so crazy, but fun to watch. But overall it was a great time. Next time I'll get there early enough and rent one of those tents on the side of the field so you can just lounge around and watch the games while drinking and eating.

All the Scottish shops were great, I was tempted once again to buy a Kilt as they had authentic ones that were really nice and pricey. I had to do alot of self control and now buy everything I saw as there were so many awesome "fantasy" type items. I did buy a nice blue and silver ring and a really nice silver tree charm for a necklace. I couldn't find the kind of necklace I liked but I have an awesome tree charm.

Towards the end of our visit we sampled some Scotch Eggs and Welsh Cakes. I actually had Scotch Eggs in England when I visited there a few years ago but this was the first time having Welsh Cakes and I have to say they are extremely tasty. We watch a bit of sheep herding and did a maze at the end of our visit.

I had a great time and I hope to make this an annual thing.  You could never go wrong with guys in Kilts throwing big sticks around :)

NerdStrong Gym - My Week

I got my full five days of workouts in this week. We started this week doing something brand new. For the Saturday CON class Coach David and Coach Seely came up with a D&D style workout. It was going to be a continuing story that we'd do every Saturday for the month of February. This included a pretty lengthy introduction.

Here is how amazing my gym is...

Night of the Zombie King
Chapter 1 - Attack at the Inn

Your adventuring guild had been hiring themselves out as caravan guards these past five years since the end of the Great Gnoll Wars. You all spent three months on the road, guarding a huge caravan of dignitaries from the Free City of Greyhawk as they surveyed the local countryside. It was an exhausting mission, not because of danger, or bandits, or monsters - there were none. It was just three months of sheer boredom. You had never been so glad to finish a job and get on home to the small hamlet of Dunhearst.

Your first day home was spent entirely in your beds, catching up on sleep. When you finally awoke, you were famished. You headed to the local inn, where you found almost all of your fellow caravan guards had the same idea. You’ve known each other for years, and traded all of your stories from your mercenary adventures, the wars you’ve fought, and especially your love for a local war hero, the battle-wizard Dan Jenkins, under whom many of you had served in battle, but who died during the Great Gnoll War a five years ago.

Having heard all of your stories a hundred times, you sat mostly in silence, enjoying the evening comforts of the inn, alongside a handful of farmers and merchants, appreciating the return to your normal life.

Suddenly, the front door banged open. A boy stood in the doorway, frantic, wide-eyed.

He cried, “The dead have ris-“

Before he could finish his sentence, a rusty sword plunged through his chest and he fell to the ground, dead. Standing behind him, in a dented chest plate and mouldering robes, was the shriveled but familiar face of your beloved, dead commander, Dan Jenkins!

“Dan!” Kevin cried out. "What have you done?"

With a gravelly voice like knives raking across glass, Dan whispered, “There is no Dan Jenkins. There is only Azerak, the Zombie King. And this town is mine!”

With that, Azerak/Dan raised his arms, and a flood of zombies and other foul creatures rushed past him into the tavern, slavering black ichor, dead eyes filled with bloodlust! The creatures swarmed the tavern, converging on the villagers, raking and tearing with claws and teeth.

You leapt into action, drawing the stout clubs from your hips (the only weapon you are allowed to carry in town). At once you were a party of well trained soldiers - your bodies knew their warlike jobs and your hearts knew their duty: with only your wits, and your stout clubs, you fought to save the villagers in the tavern from the Zombie King and his Minions.

For nearly half an hour you fought, cutting down Skeletons (Seal Jacks), Zombies (Air Squats), Wights (Steel Club to Guard), Mummies (Push-Ups), Shadows (Steel Club Spellcasters), and Ghosts (planks). As you were able, you rescued villagers, carrying them (30-70lb gym implements) out the inn’s back door, where they could escape into the forest.

While the party fought their undead, the first party member deposited her last villager behind the inn. As the old woman hobbled toward the forest, a voice like steel on stones screeched behind her. She turned to face what had become of her old commander.

The Zombie King rasped, “You were ever the strong one. It is too bad your companions are still occupied - this night you must die alone!”

He waved his hand over his head, and a pale green glow surrounded his body. He drew his rusty sword, and as he waved it across his broken body, it burst into flame. You gripped your club, and rushed to defeat him, dodging his swings and striking when she was able, many of her blows glancing off his glowing magical armor.

She gritted her teeth in determination and resigned herself to battle, hoping her companions would join her soon - she knew she would not be able to defeat him alone!

For the remaining time, you battled the Zombie King. As each of the party members vanquished her undead and saved her last villager, they joined in. (To battle the Zombie King, as a group you had to perform hundreds of burpees - the number was determined by the size of the class.)

In the end, a chorus of moaning and screeching came from the direction of the town, and the Zombie King laughed a piercing laugh. “The rest of my children emerge from their slumber!”

On the road from town you saw a wave of undead surging toward the inn. Looking at each other, you realized you could not win this battle unprepared - you must flee so you could regroup and face this threat at full strength. Grabbing up your clubs, and the last straggling villagers, you fled into the forest (230m run with clubs and, for some, 30-70lb implements).

You fled into the forest, agreeing to re-group at an old guard post abandoned since the Gnoll Wars. You saved many villagers, but hundreds were left behind - you cannot leave them all, or your old friend Dan Jenkins’ soul, to whatever fate this Azerak the Zombie King has planned!

Needless to say it was spectacular and a great workout to boot!!! 

Sunday's TEAM Themed workout was Pride, Prejudice and Zombies, We grouped into teams of five were one person did a 230 Meter Run around the parking lot while the others fought off Zombies by doing Curtsy Lunges, Ballistic Curls, Shin Box and Bridge Presses. When the runner came back we'd rotate, we continued to do this for a full 30 minutes. 

During out second round someone took a misstep and did things out of order which kind of through us for a loop and we spent a few rounds trying to get back into a rhythm but I'm happy to say for our final round it was perfect. It was a fun workout.

Tuesday DEX class was all about Tests. We started with 2 minutes of Air Squats, then 2 minute rest, then 2 minutes of Sit Ups, then 2 minutes of rest. We then did 2 minutes of Slamballs, another 2 minutes of rest before doing 3 minutes of Burpees and a 3 minute rest before doing our final test which was 5 minutes of WallBalls. This was tough especially towards the end with the Burpees and Wallballs as you're already exhausted from the other tests and these last two tests are even longer then the previous ones. Overall it was a great workout.

Wednesday CON class was a small one. Only me and two other people were in attendance. We started with a killer warm up of 4 rounds of 4x Shuttle, 5x Air Squats, 5x Push Ups and 5x Sit Ups. The workout was just as tough. We had to do 2 rounds of 1 minute of work/ :15 second of rest. We did Bird Dogs, Kick Thurs, Leg Raises, Dumbbell Thrusters, Dumbbell Rows, Mountain Climbers, Bicycles, Dumbbell Curls, Half Push Ups and finally Sprawls. It was a lot of different movements and though a minute doesn't sound like much, it is when you add them all up and continuously workout

Thursday STG day had one of my favorite barbell workouts... Back Squats. It was more about technique and not weight. The first set was 7x Empty 45lbs Barbell, set 2 5x 50% of max weight, set 3 was 3x 70% of max weight. Then we had to do 5x set of 5 at a comfortable weight. 

We then had a 4 minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) of 10x Kettlebell Deadlifts & 10x 1-Leg Bridge. We then ran 230 Meters and came back for another 4 minute AMRAP with 10x Kettlebell High Pull and then 10x V Ups. It's was a nice burner at the end. 

Batman v Superman Final Trailer & A Full Size BB-8 Droid

I don't care what people are saying I am really looking forward to the upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I LOVED Man of Steel so I am interested to see where they take this story next. They released their final trailer and I'm even more pumped for this movie. I want to see it opening weekend but that's Wondercon weekend so I'm going to have to squeeze it in somewhere.

OMG they are making a full size BB-8 droid that actually works. It's still in the works so I hope it actually get's made. The cost is said to be $180 which, honestly, isn't that bad and I would gladly pay it to have my very own BB-8. You can read more about it HERE.

New Harry Potter Book & The Universe is Amazing

There were rumors of this happening but I never expected the news we got today.. J.K. Rowling will publish eighth Harry Potter book. But it's not what most people expected. Yes it is new stories about Harry Potter and his family but it's not a novel. It will be a book version of the screen play she wrote for the new Harry Potter and the Cursed Child part 1 and 2 play that's opening up later this year in London. My understanding is that it's going to be in play form.. so like a script. It's also my understanding that they are going to release two version as most plays started with one script "special rehearsal edition" and then after doing a few shows refine the script/play "definitive collector's edition" so they plan to release this revised version at a later date.  Of course I'll be buying both of these books. What's even more exciting is the first book will be released on July 31st of this year.. only a few months away.

I've always been a big fan of Astrology, I guess it goes hand in hand with my love of Science Fiction and Fantasy. I came across this amazing video about our universe and beyond and just had to share it with you all.

New Trek, My Lekku and Fuller House

Today CBS announced that Bryan Fuller will be the co-creator and show runner for the new Star Trek TV series. You can read the full story HERE. I am super excited by this news. I'm a HUGE fan of Mr. Fuller. The fact that he wrote for Deep Space Nine and Voyager should be enough proof that this new series is in good hands. But he also has gone on to create some amazing TV series including Dead Like Me, Hannibal, Wonderfalls and one of my favorite TV series of all times Pushing Daisies. I can't wait to hear more about his new Trek series.

While I was at work this morning I got an notification letting me know that my Lekku were delivered to my apartment. I didn't like the idea of leaving this huge box sitting outside my apartment door all day and the fact that I was super excited to see them, I went home on my lunch and open them up and check them out.

I opened the box and slowly removed them, they looked amazing. Of course I had to immediately put them on but realized that there was a large amount of foam that had to be removed before they could fit snugly on my head. It took several attempts but I eventually got enough out and a tight fit. They look even better on and I have to say they are a bit heavier then I expected but I really don't know what I expected. Wearing these will definitely help me get into character. I can't wait to finish my Twi'Lek cosplay. I hope to premiere it at Wondercon but it's more likely going to be San Diego Comic Con.

I came across this really cute rat video. It was showing how great rats can be as pets and it really got me thinking about getting rats again for pets. I've had many of them in the past and have loved them. I have been lonely as of late and really didn't want to get a cat or a dog (since I live in a small apartment) so I figured rats would be perfect. I'm gonna start looking into rescue and adoption places.

The last thing I want to share with you guys is the trailer for Fuller House. I wasn't a huge Full House fan but I did watch quite a bit of it back in the 90's so I'm looking forward to this new Netflix series.

The Magicians Gets A S2 & New Captain America Trailer

I was super excited when I read that Syfy's The Magicians was renewed for a second season. I have been really enjoying season one so far. It's slower then most of the shows I love but the characters are interesting enough and the story is compelling that I keep coming back week after week. We're only three episodes in so far (fourth one airs tonight) but as I've said it's pretty fantastic and I can't wait to see where the story goes.

Because yesterday was the Super Bowl not only did we get great commercials but we got several new trailers for the summer blockbusters.. I posted the one for X-Men: Apocalypse yesterday and now they released a new Captain America: Civil War trailer. This looks amazing.. I will always be team Captain and will stand behind him 100%. This is going to be a tough movie to watch as it's going to be hard to watch friends fighting friends. I don't know how it will all end but they are making The Infinite Wars so I know the team will get back together for that fight at least.. but what will their relationshps be like when the dust settles.

X-Men: Apocalypses Trailer

Check out this awesome new trailer for X-Men: Apocalypses. This originally aired during the Super Bowl. I have loved all the X-Men movies (yes even X-Men III) but I have really liked this "rebooting" of the series. First Class, Days of Future Past and now Apocalypse.. I can't wait.

NerdStrong Takes On Vasquez Rocks

Today me and a group of friends from NerdStrong went to Vasquez Rocks. I have been there many times (since I lived so close to them a few years ago) but this was everyone else first time. The adventure started off a bit rocky as parking can be confusing and I guess I wasn't clear enough for our meet up point so it took nearly an hour to gather everyone in the right location and what made matters worse is that cell phone reception in sketchy at best there. But once everyone was together we started by climbing the main rock (actually named Vasquez's Rock), it's the one that most people recognize from all the TV shows and movies.

This is always a fun climb though it can be daunting as it gets pretty steep and there isn't much to hold on to but it's well worth the climb to get to the top. About half of the group decided to give it a try while the others found another rock close by to climb instead.

After climbing the rock we started our 2 hour hike. I have been all over this park so I knew where I wanted to take these guys. I wanted to do a large loop so we didn't have to repeat any sections but as we got to the turning point the sun as going down and the park closed at sundown so we decided to just take the quickest way back but as I said I didn't want to go the same way so I tried to improvise and got a lost a few times.. well not actually lost but we had to backtrack and find a different way off of a cliff.

Overall it was a great adventure. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the hike and were excited to do it again. I think next time we are going to try and dress up in some Star Trek uniforms and get some nice group photos.

Afterwards Lauren, Shannon and I went out and grabbed a bit to eat before calling it a day.

I Love My New TV!!

Today was all about my new TV. After working out I came home and got to work... first I had to move my very large and old big screen TV but this isn't one of those super thin ones like my new TV. I tried to get my buddy Will to come help me but he was busy at the moment but could come later in the day. I figured I could wait but I was wrong.. about a half hour later I manhandled that TV to the ground.

Next I realized that my TV stand wouldn't work for this new TV because the TV legs/bases are towards the end of the TV and my stand has this tiny top shelf that the base couldn't sit on. So I had to remove/tear down this top tier to my TV stand. Once that was done I once again put my NerdStrong workouts to use and lifted my new TV onto the stand.

I spent a good half hour turning on the TV and programming it.. as I mentioned before it's a smart TV so it takes a bit of programming to get it up and running. I'm super excited that this TV has three HDMI ports so I could hook up my Tivo, Apple TV and Blu-ray player.

Once everything was up and running I had to decide on what I was going to watch first but there was really only one choice... Star Trek The Next Generation. So I accessed Netflix and continued with my rewatch.

That was it for me.. this is how I was going to spend the rest of my day.. and it was glorious. Well until my buddy Will came over to help me move my old TV to the curb for pick up.. we then we hung out for an hour or so.. but as soon as he left it was back to TNG for the rest of the night :)

The Adventures Of Buying A New TV

Today after work I went to Fry's Electronic and got me a new TV.. of course nothing is that simple so here's the backstory.

I've always enjoyed having a big screen TV but the past year and a half I have been without one as my current 60" died for some reason and it would cost me $300 just to have someone come out to look at it. So I've been checking out TV prices the past few months. I get these "promo code" Ad emails from Fry's on a daily bases. With these promo codes you can get additional discounts on things.. like TV's. On Monday of this week I got an ad and saw the perfect TV. It was 4k LED Ultra HD 65" screen Smart TV with webOS 2.0 and the price was originally $1299 but on sale for $999 but with the "promo code" you could get another $100 dollars off making it $899. But in order to get the extra $100 off  you have to purchase the TV in house and not online. Okay that wouldn't be a problem so I searched my local Fry's... and they were sold out, I then search for the nearest story with this TV and it was either San Diego or Las Vegas and this promo code was only good for two days. So I wasn't going to be able to get this TV.. I was heart broken. Come Wednesday I found a 60' Regular HD TV with no bells or whistles, originally $899 and sale for $699 but you could get an additional $100 off making it only $599. $600 dollars for a 60" HDTV isn't bad so I purchased it online. And when you purchase it all they do is hold it for you so you don't actual pay for it until you pick it up. After I held the TV I noticed in small print that you had to pick up the TV by stores closing time that day to get the additional discount. Well work was particularly bad and I didn't get out until after the store had closed. I took this as s sign that this TV wasn't for me. It wasn't what I wanted and I was just settling.

Now this morning I get another ad from Fry's and see the original TV back up for sale so I quickly jump online and check my local store (in Burbank) and sure enough they have them in stock. I immediately put one on hold. Now it's crucial that I get off work before the store closes. Luckily I got out of work by 7pm and headed over to Fry's. I wanted to see the TV before I purchased it but couldn't find it one the floor. So I took a chance and went to pay for it. The person rung me up and all seemed fine but then a few minutes pass and she comes back and asks if I held another TV. I said I did but couldn't get here in time to pick up for the discount. She asked if I wanted it. I said no I want the one I just paid for. She left again, returned empty handed and started to call over people. This is were panic set in.. all I could think was that they were really out of stock and this was a computer glitch.. I wasn't going to get my dream TV today. In actuality they didn't bring the TV to the front holding area. One of the sale guy has to go to the back and pick it up.

So in the end I got my dream TV - LED 65" Ultra HD with all the bells and whistles. Now I have to get it into my car. Luckily I ran into one of my NerdStrong coaches at Fry's Coach David. He helped me get it to my car and then pushed down my seats and tilted it in. I had to push my front seats all the way forward and then take a shoe lace off of one of my boots that I just so happen to have in my trunk so I could tie doe the hatchback. It was a pretty funny site as I could barely sit in the front seat to drive. I didn't have far to go so that was good but it was an interesting drive home.

Once I was home I had to figure out how I was going to get this up two flights of stairs and into my apartment as I couldn't leave it in my car overnight. I put a request out there on social media but unfortunately no one was around to help. So I put all my NerdStrong training to practice and heaved the box onto my back (the box was bigger then me) and made my way slowly up the first set of stairs. These new TV's aren't heavy they are just large and difficult to carry but I'm happy to say that I made it up to my apartment with no issues. I was done for the day so I'll unbox it tomorrow and get it all set up then... I can't wait!!!

NerdStrong Gym - My Weekly Recap

Got my five days of workout in this week. Started with taking on the Big Boss Monster for Saturdays workout. It was a 42 minute EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute), we had to do 40x Jumping Jacks, 6x Burpees, 10x Headcutters, 15x Slamballs, 20x Kettlebell Swings and then a rest. This was a total of 7 times and it was rough.

For Sunday's TEAM workout it was a old favorite of mine.. The Royal Flush Gang. Coaches use a real deck of cards and every suit represents a workout - Diamonds = Goblet Squats, Clubs = Sit Ups, Hearts Russian Twists and Spades = Burpees. And the number is how many times we do it, with Jacks as 11, Queens as 12, Kings as 13 and Aces are a wonder 1. It's one of my favorite themed workouts. 

Tuesday's DEX workout was titled "All the Weapons" the main workout consisted of 5 rounds, 1 minute of work then 1 minute of rest between rounds. So actually it meant we did five minutes of work and then a minute rest. Each round consisted of Forward Steel Mace Switch Lunge, Sandbag Clean to Press, Hollow Hold, Steel Club Swing (switch at :30 seconds) and then Push Ups. As a finisher we did Death by 10 Meters, this is when you sprint 10 meters within a certain amount of time and you continue to do it until you can finish within the time limit.. that's usually 13 or 14 times for me. 

Wednesday's CON was not how I wanted to spend my 1 year Nerdaversary but then again it really showed me how far I have come in that one year. We had to do a 2000 meter row and then a 1 miles run (that's 8 times around the parking lot). I opted to do the run first as I am not a fan of rowing and I knew it was going to be tough for me.  I'm happy to say that ran that mile in 10:21 besting my previous attempt of 11:51. I cut an whole minute and a half off my time which I was extremely happy with. My next goal is to get it under 10 minutes. As for my row I wasn't so lucky. My previous 2000 meter row record was 8:46 and this time around it was 9:37. But I can say that the last time I got the 8:46 that was all we did, I didn't run a mile just beforehand so this one was a bit skewed, but with that said I extremely happy with both of my results. And hopefully next time we do this I'll improve upon those numbers.

Thursday STG day is a hit and miss for me. I don't usually like barbell workout.. but today we did my favorite two barbell workouts.. Back Squats and Bench Presses.  I think they are my favorite because I can do them fairly well. And if I'm honest I don't mind the majority of the barbell workouts.. I think my least favorite are the Cleans and that's because I just cant figure it out. But as I said.. today was a good strength day. And the class was small which can be nice at time. Today's class was filled with some of my favorite gym people.. it was some good times.