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.