Cylon357's Super Cool Covid 2020 Weight loss comp log!

[Cylon357]

Some new purchases completed.... details forthcoming!

[Cylon357]

Ok, so I promised some details, and who delivers for you, baby? That's right: Nice Guy Cy aka Cylon357 aka the Master of Disaster!

Damn, over hype much?

I made a couple of purchases recently. One was a piece of equipment, the other was... something else.

The equipment was a Viking press handle for the landmine setup, cheaper brand, but I don't need no BodySolid (though their stuff is NICE and I wouldn't say no). I bought it to do some hack squats, but I think I'm going to need pads for that and maybe some way of raising the barbell into the right position to get under it properly. I used it tonight on squat day to do forward facing squats. I did them explosively with lighter weight so they were kind of like hitting a tacking dummy, only much shorter duration per rep.

By the way, it might seem that I hate my legs. That isn't exactly true, but I do seem to like to hurt them. Something wrong in my head, I reckon.

Second thing, and this I can not show a picture of but.... I bought some Test E and Masteron E, plus some Anavar , Nolvadex and what the hell some Viagra, too. The big news of course is all those suppressive compounds. Yes, Cylon has made the decision to dump the clomid and go to the needle. I'm going to work with the doc on this first (I have a physical at the end of the month) so these goodies are for a little further down the road. I ALMOST certainly won't be cycling, but maybe a little extra somethin' somethin' now and then for a few weeks... yeah, that will work.

And listen, I know the clomid hate is coming - I get it. The short of it is: Clomid as HRT is a GREAT idea that fails to live up to the potential for probably 90%+ of the men that try it. I gave it a long run and it just brings too many negatives for me to continue it. That's really all there is to say about it, though I can quote chapter and verse if it will make you happy. Not now though, I got the post workout feel goods and can't think 100% straight ATM.

Pic of Viking press handle below.

[Booz]

Looks a decent piece of kit mate,I’m after something like thst myself

[Cylon357]

Looks a decent piece of kit mate,I’m after something like thst myself

That was an Amazon purchase, I want to say the brand was 'Yes 4 All' or something like that. It works, though I haven't pushed a lot of weight with it yet. If you go super heavy regularly, it might be better to have a solid main bar, rather than the bolt together this one has, but it was in stock and I want to say like $40 delivered. The likelihood of me shearing any of those bolts is pretty slim....

[Booz]

Gotta pick a few things up accessories wise so will pop onto Amazon n have a gander...

[Cylon357]

Gotta pick a few things up accessories wise so will pop onto Amazon n have a gander...

This is the one:

[Cylon357]

I've had a decent few workouts since my last check in. Yesterday was back, started with pulldowns, then to pullups (no weight this day), barbell rows, followed by one arm rows.

I did calf work to finish the weight portion proper. I did calf raises with the kettle bells, keeping the reps high, supersetted with single leg raises. For the single leg raises, I did left leg first for like 12-18, then right leg for the same # of reps, then immediately hit the left leg again for 7-10. Talk about skin splitting. I'm trying to bring the left calf up to closer to the size of my right one, maybe this will be the type of routine that finally gets it done.

Then I did my HIIT'ish stuff. 3 rounds of:
Rowing machine, 3 minutes with intervals
10 goblet squats
15 kettlebell swings

I took about a minute between rounds. Geez, I thought I was done for a time or two, but made to the other side with no problems, so I guess it is all good.

When I got out of bed this morning, my calves were like 'WTF you doing?? We are NOT ready for this!' so I guess the calf work was a success.

[Cylon357]

Today's workout was overhead press, followed by dips. My left shoulder had been acting up, and I can still feel it a little, so I'm taking it a little easy. Not babying it, just not killing it. I do have some TB-500 / BPC-157 blend that I want to run, but I want to time it right after I get my hemorrhoid removed. BTW, holy shit, I spelled the h-word right without having to consult spell check.

Anyhow, after dips I moved on to shrugs, relatively light but high rep (30). Traps were dialoging some about that. Then pushdowns, bicep curls, side laterals, rear delt and finished with cable flyes (such as they are, peep further back in the log for my rigged setup on that). Two mile walk to cap it off and life is good.

[Cylon357]

I talk to the doc tommorrow for a follow up on the tininitis. I will angle for switching to test at that time because I wonder if part of my issues right now are associated with long term clomid use.

Plus, to be honest, I think I gave clomid it's chance. It brings too much estrogen and raises SHBG too much to be effective solo, not to mention other potential sides like eye floaters and what not.

So, what I'm thinking for my ongoing TRT is something like this:
100 to 125 mg Test C or E per week and
500-625iu HCG per week

I really think this will bring more bang for the buck without having to use secondary drugs like Adex and Fina. To get my Test up, we use more Clomid. That brings more DHT conversion, even with high SHBG, this in turn drives the need for Fina which I have thus far avoided. Clomid also brings an additional Estrogen component by itself (not just from aromatization). So, just switching to the dose of Test I have mentioned should bring down Estrogen and SHBG, thus allowing me to keep a lower overall Total T while getting Free T up near top of range.

Note that I DO plan on keeping liquid Adex and Fina on hand, Fina at something like 100mcg per ml. If my DHT doesn't come down, I'm going to add microdose Fina (starting at like 25 to 50 mcg per week) to try to get it down. As much as I hate on finasteride, it is just doing what it says it is going to: drive down DHT. I don't think I had any reaction to the particular molecules, I'm just an over-responder, so microdosing it will be the course of action if DHT doesn't start to come down some after the switch.

Those are my thoughts anyhow.

[Cylon357]

Man, today was one of those days at work. Almost seething mad in the morning, then put on my big boy shoes and sucked it up for the afternoon.

Felt like skipping my workout tonight, and I almost did.

But instead, I just changed it up.

Tonight was supposed to be squat day. I was still pretty pissed, truth be told, resigned to the situation at work but pissed all the same. So I worked the bag. 5 rounds of:

3 minutes on the treadmill with intervals
3 minutes working the heavy bag
15 kettlebell swings

5 rounds total, took maybe 40-42 minutes to complete all 5 rounds. 1 mile walk to warm up, about 1 mile to cool down. Kettlebells felt kind of light, but I wasn't facing the mirror because the bag was in the way. So I had to face away and trust that my form would be good. This might have helped because it made me focus more on my core, keep things right and tight, etc. That bag just takes what I throw at it. Combos? No problem. Elbow? Pheh, what else ya got? Haymaker? Bitch, please. That is so cool. Seriously, just let it all out, leave nothing in the tank.

Man, that is some good shit! I'm going to sleep well tonight and IDGAF about work so its all good.

[Cylon357]

Fun, but a little unusual workout for me last night.

I was feeling like 'bleah, maybe I will just walk tonight and weights on Saturday' but kind of decided, no, I will walk a mile then maybe jog a mile. got out to get started, made it maybe 1/8th mile out, then it started raining. So, jogged back and called an audible.

I sort of off the cuff decided on this:
- Landmine Squat
- Landmine Overhead Press
- Landmine Rows
- Dips
- 3 minutes on the heavy bag

I tried to keep the time between exercises to a minimum, but wasn't really running it circuit style. I did four rounds like this... It was actually kind of cool and an interesting change of pace.

I did a 1/2 mile jog to finish (because it had stopped raining outside) and then just stood there, sweating like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs (thank you, Uncle Jed, for that saying). Thought about hopping in the pool, but the rain over the past couple of days has dropped the water temp. So, I did some stretching, hit the shower, then had some pizza to totally undo all the work I had done. And so it goes...

I have a CT scan today for the tinnitus. We will see what we see there.

Life is good all things considered, though!

[wango]

I am getting more and more enjoyment out of these make-shift circuits you have Nice Guy Cy. I mean, they really are cool.

About the only thing my body would actually allow me to do from above is walk, sweat, shower & eat pizza.

Keep it up man and good luck with the medical issues.

[Cylon357]

I am getting more and more enjoyment out of these make-shift circuits you have Nice Guy Cy. I mean, they really are cool.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then lol! I figure something is better than nothing and variety does help prevent burnout, or at least it does for me.

About the only thing my body would actually allow me to do from above is walk, sweat, shower & eat pizza.

There is nothing wrong with those options!

Keep it up man and good luck with the medical issues.

Actually, I got done with the CT a little bit ago. It was surprisingly fast. I like this particular facility because a) it is about 15 minutes away and b) they are open on Saturdays. I have scheduled before for early Saturday afternoon and been the only patient in there, same thing today. I pulled into their parking lot at 12:50 for a 1pm appointment and looked at the clock when I got home: 1:22pm. So yeah, that was cool. Of course, a CT scan isn't like an MRI where you just have to 'lie still for a half hour' but still, good to get it over with. No results yet, but I will go over them with the doc on Tuesday.

[wango]

Now you’re talking about blind squirrels and nuts? Your Uncle Jed dropped one hell of a lot of cool sayings on you!

I have that pituitary tumor thingy, so I get my big ole head MRIed every year or so to make sure the tumor is responding to the caber. That lasts a bit and it is some trippy shit, even with your ears plugged.

[Cylon357]

Now you’re talking about blind squirrels and nuts? Your Uncle Jed dropped one hell of a lot of cool sayings on you!

I have that pituitary tumor thingy, so I get my big ole head MRIed every year or so to make sure the tumor is responding to the caber. That lasts a bit and it is some trippy shit, even with your ears plugged.

That's literally Uncle Jed from Beverly Hillbillies. Well, the "long tail cat" saying is, the "blind squirrel" I picked up somewhere in my youth. I AM from the TRUE American South originally.

BTW, you want to know how you are dealing with someone from the True American South? Watch them when Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" starts playing. The True American Southerner should exhibit an involuntary reaction, an almost reverential awe. Something like a cross between scruffing a cat and an Italian meeting the Pope.

[wango]

That's literally Uncle Jed from Beverly Hillbillies. Well, the "long tail cat" saying is, the "blind squirrel" I picked up somewhere in my youth. I AM from the TRUE American South originally.

BTW, you want to know how you are dealing with someone from the True American South? Watch them when Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" starts playing. The True American Southerner should exhibit an involuntary reaction, an almost reverential awe. Something like a cross between scruffing a cat and an Italian meeting the Pope.

Oh, Jed Clampett! Yeah, I see them from time to time when I head over the hill to get my ink. Jethro thinks I’m there to hammer moonshine and to eat Granny’s stew, but I have a thing for Ellie Mae. She still looks hot in her jeans and although saggy, her rack is awesome (btw, she’s had some work done on her and is still hot for being in her 80’s!).

[Cylon357]

Oh, Jed Clampett! Yeah, I see them from time to time when I head over the hill to get my ink. Jethro thinks I’m there to hammer moonshine and to eat Granny’s stew, but I have a thing for Ellie Mae. She still looks hot in her jeans and although saggy, her rack is awesome (btw, she’s had some work done on her and is still hot for being in her 80’s!).

Granny's moonshine was strictly for medicinal purposes, IIRC.

And oh yeah, in her day, Ellie Mae definitely turned some heads.

[Cylon357]

Mucoid Retention Cyst in the Left Maxillary Sinus, 2.6cm diameter.

That is the result of the CT scan from Saturday.

So, there is a bit over an inch in diameter cyst literally plugging up things and likely causing the tinnitus. Minor surgery is in my very near future. Bleah.

This getting old shit is for the birds, man!

But, the treatment for this IS pretty straightforward as far as surgeries go: they either remove or drain the cyst, typically through the nose. That sounds kind of barbaric, and really surgery is a traumatic event, but this one normally is pretty minor. And likely very little if any down time is typically needed.

I'm probably going to wait until after the surgery to switch to Test for HRT. I don't want to change too many things all at once. I'm not going to lie though: those vials are calling to me!

And just as a teaser, here is most of my current stash. I don't want to show the brand, but what we have in this pic are:
Anavar , Nolvadex , Viagra, and Proviron on the left
3 Test E, 1 Mast E and some bac stat on the right
the tabs in the pouch are Enclomiphene from ExpressPCT. I likely won't be needing those soon.

[wango]

Sorry bout that sinus cyst buddy.

Dude that is one fancy case for gear! Very good looking!

[Cylon357]

Sorry bout that sinus cyst buddy.

Dude that is one fancy case for gear! Very good looking!

Ha, yeah that is an 'essential oils case'. Fits those 10ml vials perfectly. I have a smaller one I got from someplace else for 3 to 5 ml vials, too.

I might be a little wonky

[Cylon357]

This week has been a deload week, so not a lot going on of note.

I have my second Covid vaccine next week (Wednesday), so I'm guessing I may miss a couple of days. I didn't think about that when I was timing my deloads, it would have been ideal to have those in the same week.

I have to schedule a follow up with an ENT regarding the cyst, plus I need to schedule the 'rubber band ligation' of my hemi, I will probably try to get those resolved before the end of May.

Once both those procedures are complete, I will likely run 3 to 4 weeks of BPC-157 and TB-500 to help the healing along.

Then after that, or maybe at the same time, I will be switching to Test. Kind of looking forward to giving it a go.

[Cylon357]

Nice deadlift workout today during a long lunch. I kept it simple and kind of short.

I did deads, easing back into them since I hadn't done them in about a month, and last week was deload week on top of that. Then pullups, front squats, calf work and bicep curls. 1/2 mile walk to warm up, 1/2 mile jog at then end. Hopped in the pool to cool down. It was 69.5 degrees, but it always helps me cool down and I was pressed for time, so in I went.

That stuff was cold but did the trick. Hit the shower and finished the back half of the day. Had a meal this evening of salmon sandwich, broccoli and carrots and brown rice. Probably going to sleep well tonight!

I have a call in to the ENT to take a look at my cyst, etc. Surgery is likely, but it's all good.

Life is good, y'all!

[Cylon357]

Nice short bench workout today. I did flat barbell bench for 5 or 6 sets, then moved on to dips. Got 15 with no weight on the 2nd set, felt the reps in the outer pecs nicely. Skull crushers and front raises to finish, 1 mile walk to warm up and 1 more to cool down.

I have stopped doing my language lessons on my walks. I found that my time per mile goes from about 15 minutes when I am not doing the lessons to closer to 18 or 19 when I'm doing them. I knew it was slower, but did not realize it was that much slower. 3 minutes per mile makes a difference.

I get my second Covid-19 Moderna shot tomorrow, so I may be craving the flesh of the living and eating brains by sundown. Here is to hoping not, though!

[wango]

Happy to hear about the language lessons!

[Cylon357]

I got my second shot today around 11:15am. So far, so good. The staff at Winn Dixie has very good technique.

The Wife is starting to get some fever but I'm good right now. I just walked today, 2 miles in about 30 minutes. Tomorrow is a scheduled off day, so if it jumps on me, at least I won't have to miss a workout. Well, unless it lingers for a day or two. Too many variables but the short of it is that all is OK with Mr 357 ATM.

[Cylon357]

"♫ Well, I'm hot blooded
Check it and see!
I got a fever of a hundred and three! ♫"
Foreigner "Hot Blooded" circa late 70s, early 80s.

Also, Cylon357, earlier this morning.

The Covid-19 antibodies, which were kind yesterday, are kicking my ass today. More details later...

Oh and my temp isn't REALLY that high, but thems the lyrics

[Cylon357]

So today has been shit, but I think I'm getting over the hump. I've been around 101.5 to 102.0 today, excepting when I take some tylenol to bring the fever down. Still, I don't feel as bad as I could, I guess, so there is that, right? RIGHT?!?!?

So here is the timeline, loosely anyhow:
11:15am Wednesday - got my second Moderna dose
Felt fine all day Wednesday
4:00am or so Thursday morning - woke up on fire. Fever, body aches, whole nine yards
Off and on all day I have felt anywhere from 'like pure shit' to 'not TOO bad'.
6:00pm Thursday I feel OK, not great, but I did take a tylenol around 4pm, so that may be what that is about.

I have been staying hydrated and eating pretty much everything to give my body the fuel it needs to fight the good fight. I also have been pretty much just laying around the house, napping here and there.

I hope that the sides are done or at least going away, but we will see.

Here is to hoping the cure isn't as bad as the condition!

Life is still pretty damn good, y'all!

[Cylon357]

So, I woke up today with no fever or body aches. Yay! Looks like the sides are done and I can resume my normally scheduled programming.

What? You mean I have to go to work?? Dang! Well, I guess it is the lesser of the two evils. I GUESS.

OK, so really, the second shot symptoms seem to have lasted about 24 hours for both me and The Wife, though she had earlier onset and departure. Was it sucky? Oh hell yeah. Fever spiked as high as 102.0 and I tried not to bring it down, but dang man, occasionally I just had to. I think I used one Tylenol twice during the day, then took a couple of Advil last night around 9:30pm before turning in. I guess the plus side is that we got a good immune response, so maybe if Covid does end up coming our way, we will at worst have an easier time dealing with it and at best be functionally immune.

[Cylon357]

OK, so the Covid-19 Vaccine reaction is done, apparently. I didn't have any issues today.

The smart money would have been on just taking it easy today, easing in, maybe getting a light pump.

Why is all my money so dang DUMB???


I did my planned squat workout, but I did dial it back a little. I did my 5 rep weight for a couple as my top set. I wasn't even planning on going that high but I was feeling good so what the heck? I probably had more in me, but really didn't want to roll the dice too much. Followed that up with leg extensions (first time in how long??) super setted with leg curls, then chin ups, calf work, bicep curls. My very easy HIIT finisher was:
3 minutes on the climber with intervals
15 kettle bell swings

I only did 2 rounds but on my last kettle bell set I did 20 reps. What can I tell you, I had AC/DC playing and 'Big Gun' was on. If you are lifting weights and that song comes on, I think you have to try harder

So, it's all good. The Covid day sucked, but hopefully it was worth it.

[Cylon357]

Was tired as hell today, but I don't think it had anything to do with the vaccine. We have family visiting us, and our feral has been reluctant to come in with them here. Fortunately, they went to bed early last night, so just before going to bed, The Wife and I went outside to see if we could find her. Sure enough, there she was. Still a bit nervous because she knew someone was still here, but she came on in and I stayed up a bit with her to get her fed and some good safe rest. Went to bed about midnight and around 4:45 she started vocalizing - evidently, she had all of the strange people she could take, so I got up and let her out. Had a little trouble going back to sleep, but life is a marathon, not a sprint, so I will make it up.

Today's workout was a little off because of all that, but I still got in overhead presses, dips, and shrugs, with a 1/2 mile walk to warm up and almost a mile to cool down. Came home after the cool down walk, had some protein powder and salmon, then hopped in the pool to cool down properly. 73 degrees in the pool, and about 90 overall temp, so it felt GOOD.

I will have zero problem sleeping tonight. The house guests are good, willing and eager cooks... Halibut is on the menu tonight!

[wango]

A POOL!?!

Oh, check out Mr. Fancy Pants. And Halibut!?! Do they put that in fish-sticks?

Seriously; enjoy. Envious on all accounts. Good luck with the feral. Can’t beat cats, they have really grown on me.

[Cylon357]

A POOL!?!

Oh, check out Mr. Fancy Pants. And Halibut!?! Do they put that in fish-sticks?

Seriously; enjoy. Envious on all accounts. Good luck with the feral. Can’t beat cats, they have really grown on me.

We are in Central Florida. I think MOST houses have a pool here lol!

I was not in on the fish selection. Is halibut "the Good Stuff"? It was tasty, but the cooks did sautee in butter, and butter pretty much makes everything better! Also, HIIT Cardio is now DEFINITELY on the agenda tomorrow. BTW, I saw some talapia fishsticks at the grocery the other day, but The Wife shot that down. That's OK, she will go out of town again SOMETIME.

This is the same feral we have been caring for for about 2 years now. She is definitely warming up to us, but other people, not so much! We actually have a third cat that we are keeping an eye on as a potential TNVR (trap neuter vaccinate release), but clearly want to make sure it isn't someone's cat before castrating it! :O

[Cylon357]

This has been an unusual day thus far. I was going to do HIIT later in the day, but decided to do fasted LISS with a walk this morning. Then I audibled AGAIN and decided to walk 2 miles, then jog the remaining 1/2 mile home. Huffing and puffing basically right into the pool for a brisk and quick cool down. Woo Hoo!

And I thought my workout day was done.

But now....

The Wife has me ordering some stuff for same day delivery, and I'm getting the goods I need to fill a DIY upper cut bag. Maybe HIIT is back on the agenda? We'll see.

[Cylon357]

HIIT turns out was not on the agenda lol! Visiting with family and napping on the couch has been the order of the day. And @TheDeadliftingDog might be disappointed, as he and I share a... fondness for vodka, but I had a good whiskey and man, I am feeling zero pain.

Meant to mention that I talked with an ENT, he said the tinnitus and headaches are almost certainly NOT caused by the sinus cyst. That's a bummer, but good to know. Sounds like an MRI, is next on my agenda, but I have to check in with the primary care doc. I suspect this is all related to one term use of clomid as it stimulates the pituitary and can cause growth of that organ, but since I plan on switching, it should be okay.

Life is good y'all! Hope everything is good with y'all!

[wango]

HIIT turns out was not on the agenda lol! Visiting with family and napping on the couch has been the order of the day. And @TheDeadliftingDog might be disappointed, as he and I share a... fondness for vodka, but I had a good whiskey and man, I am feeling zero pain.

Meant to mention that I talked with an ENT, he said the tinnitus and headaches are almost certainly NOT caused by the sinus cyst. That's a bummer, but good to know. Sounds like an MRI, is next on my agenda, but I have to check in with the primary care doc. I suspect this is all related to one term use of clomid as it stimulates the pituitary and can cause growth of that organ, but since I plan on switching, it should be okay.

Life is good y'all! Hope everything is good with y'all!

Please share your vodka preferences. Straight, on the rocks, ICEY cold?

[Cylon357]

Please share your vodka preferences. Straight, on the rocks, ICEY cold?

Oh man, now we are talking!

Favorite brand for sipping is Belvedere, followed closely by Grey Goose and Stoli. I keep my liquor (or at least the ones we use often) in the freezer, and others in the deep freeze. I believe vodka, and liquor in general, is best almost painfully cold. If any of those are cold, I take them neat and sometimes will if they aren't, but usually add some ice if it is not chilled.

Favorite flavored brand for mixing is what I think is the store brand for Total Wine, a brand called Veil. Mid to lower price, but mid to upper quality for flavored vodka. I use the Citrus for The Wife's Cosmos*, but they also have a Cranberry Lime that is EXCELLENT for that purpose, too. The Green Apple is so smooth it is almost like sweet water... In fact, it might make a great alcoholic Icee. We keep Cherry, Citrus, Cran Lime, Green Apple on hand, with airplane bottles of other flavors for 'special occasions'.

I use Aristocrat to clean car parts.


* = you can get a lot and I mean a LOT of play from the ladies if you can make a good Cosmo. The secret is NO MIXES and fresh lime juice. Aww hell, I will help y'all out, maybe we can conduct an experiment. Here is the recipe I use, but you can tweak it for your tastes. So here goes:

Cylon's Crazy Cosmo
(not that I invented this recipe but it is the one I use)
3 ounces of Citrus or Cran Lime vodka
1.5 ounces Cointreau
Splash of Pomegranate juice
Double or triple splash of Cranberry juice
Two ounces of fresh lime juice

Secrets to success
Put crushed ice in the martini glass and let it chill. Pop the lime in the microwave for like 15 seconds and then roll it firmly. These steps help to get more juice. I mean, it is a ton more. You can either slice a piece of peel off, maybe 1/2 to 1 inch long, alternately, you can cut a thin slice of lime. These are going to be garnish and add nose to the drink. Add the liquids to a metal shaker, take the ice in the glass and dump it in the shaker. Grab a couple of pot holders to hold the shaker (one on the top, y'all) then shake that bitch like it is a gallon of paint at Home Depot. 30 seconds is good. You know you will be getting there when you can feel the cold from the shaker through the pot holders. Seriously, this thing will frost up on the outside. This is key. Strain into the chilled glass, either rim the glass with the slice or half the lime that has been squeezed. If you chose to cut a piece of the peel off instead, twist it right over the surface of the drink. That releases oils that add that nose, man. Garnish with whatever you chose (slice of lime or slice of peel). BTW, you should see ice crystals floating on the surface of the drink. Serve to your lady and enjoy the evening!

EDIT: damn, I'm sorry everybody! I'm assuming traditional gender roles, but whoever you are, make it for whoever you want.

[Cylon357]

Had a good workout today, though now, for some reason, I'm craving some liquor...

I did a modified version of one of the landmine routines I cooked up before. Today was:
Landmine squats
Landmine overhead press
Landmine rows
3 minutes on the heavy bag
15 kettlebell swings

4 rounds total, not for time but no half stepping between exercises.

I increased weight on each round and got 10, 10, 8 and 6 on squat and OP, 12, 12, 10 and 8 on the rows.

Brothers and Sisters, I wasn't sure I was going to make it! It was intense, brutal and FUN. 1/2 mile walk to warmup, 1/2 mile to cool down, then a dip in the pool to REALLY cool down. I'm going to sleep well tonight, y'all.

I also rigged up an upper cut bag, I'll post pics of that in a bit. It worked well, but gives me some ideas on what might work better going forward.

[Cylon357]

Here is the upper cut bag. It is really just a duffel bag filled with a couple of old towels and a 10lb bag of the cheapest rice on the planet. I could probably add a 5 lb bag and it would be workable. Yes, there are other ways of filling bags, but this is probably the least stinky. And hey, I'm in Florida, so if a hurricane hits, boom hidden rations.

That dumpy dude cursing the bag is me, after the workout. See all that sweat? That's what I'm talking about, jack!

[wango]

Oh man, now we are talking!

Favorite brand for sipping is Belvedere, followed closely by Grey Goose and Stoli. I keep my liquor (or at least the ones we use often) in the freezer, and others in the deep freeze. I believe vodka, and liquor in general, is best almost painfully cold. If any of those are cold, I take them neat and sometimes will if they aren't, but usually add some ice if it is not chilled.

Favorite flavored brand for mixing is what I think is the store brand for Total Wine, a brand called Veil. Mid to lower price, but mid to upper quality for flavored vodka. I use the Citrus for The Wife's Cosmos*, but they also have a Cranberry Lime that is EXCELLENT for that purpose, too. The Green Apple is so smooth it is almost like sweet water... In fact, it might make a great alcoholic Icee. We keep Cherry, Citrus, Cran Lime, Green Apple on hand, with airplane bottles of other flavors for 'special occasions'.

I use Aristocrat to clean car parts.


* = you can get a lot and I mean a LOT of play from the ladies if you can make a good Cosmo. The secret is NO MIXES and fresh lime juice. Aww hell, I will help y'all out, maybe we can conduct an experiment. Here is the recipe I use, but you can tweak it for your tastes. So here goes:

Cylon's Crazy Cosmo
(not that I invented this recipe but it is the one I use)
3 ounces of Citrus or Cran Lime vodka
1.5 ounces Cointreau
Splash of Pomegranate juice
Double or triple splash of Cranberry juice
Two ounces of fresh lime juice

Secrets to success
Put crushed ice in the martini glass and let it chill. Pop the lime in the microwave for like 15 seconds and then roll it firmly. These steps help to get more juice. I mean, it is a ton more. You can either slice a piece of peel off, maybe 1/2 to 1 inch long, alternately, you can cut a thin slice of lime. These are going to be garnish and add nose to the drink. Add the liquids to a metal shaker, take the ice in the glass and dump it in the shaker. Grab a couple of pot holders to hold the shaker (one on the top, y'all) then shake that bitch like it is a gallon of paint at Home Depot. 30 seconds is good. You know you will be getting there when you can feel the cold from the shaker through the pot holders. Seriously, this thing will frost up on the outside. This is key. Strain into the chilled glass, either rim the glass with the slice or half the lime that has been squeezed. If you chose to cut a piece of the peel off instead, twist it right over the surface of the drink. That releases oils that add that nose, man. Garnish with whatever you chose (slice of lime or slice of peel). BTW, you should see ice crystals floating on the surface of the drink. Serve to your lady and enjoy the evening!

EDIT: damn, I'm sorry everybody! I'm assuming traditional gender roles, but whoever you are, make it for whoever you want.

Oh, my wife loves them! I’m trying to think if she got that from the tv series “Sex in the City”. We will give that a shot, thank you!

I’ll have to try Belvedere. Love my Grey Goose and it is definitely in the freezer. Oh hell yeah, fresh limes.

My sister in law adopted 3 girls from Russia 20 years ago. About 10 years back she treated us all to an authentic Russian restaurant for one of the kid’s birthdays. They had horseradish infused vodka & I was in love. We infused some here and it rocks. Of course, you have to just love horseradish or it’s a definite no go.

Total Wine? LMAO - we are premier customers (uhh, yeah we buy a lot ). Actually they allow us privileged folk the ability to buy exclusive whiskey once per year that won’t make it to the shelves. If we ever meet, I’ll treat you to some Papi Van Winkle. It is SMOOOOOOOOTH.

[Cylon357]

Oh, my wife loves them! I’m trying to think if she got that from the tv series “Sex in the City”. We will give that a shot, thank you!

I’ll have to try Belvedere. Love my Grey Goose and it is definitely in the freezer. Oh hell yeah, fresh limes.

My sister in law adopted 3 girls from Russia 20 years ago. About 10 years back she treated us all to an authentic Russian restaurant for one of the kid’s birthdays. They had horseradish infused vodka & I was in love. We infused some here and it rocks. Of course, you have to just love horseradish or it’s a definite no go.

Total Wine? LMAO - we are premier customers (uhh, yeah we buy a lot ). Actually they allow us privileged folk the ability to buy exclusive whiskey once per year that won’t make it to the shelves. If we ever meet, I’ll treat you to some Papi Van Winkle. It is SMOOOOOOOOTH.

And I will buy the Belvedere!