Madness Inc.

Not much to say here...
2 Eve instances + 1 Divinity: Original Sin
.... 2 instances of Diablo 3 running on VMs...

But I like it :)

Summer loss

On the bodybuilding side, it was more like a body shaping side... I lost almost 6 kg from the winter's peak.
I managed to get under 70 kg for the first time in the last 10 years. How? Carb cycling all the way.
The truth be told, I lost some power too, from the max I was at 79 kg, but this is to be expected.

The best part of the story is that I feel better, my usual aches (inguinal hernia, spondylosis and SCI) are just in the background, I can keep them under control easier, so the quality of life has improved.

My workouts are about 1 hour now, going with a 6 weeks cycle, intense and powerful. And yes, the DOMS are killing me, the age takes its toll, I recuperate slower than before but I still can kick some ass :)

As a side story, I was in a team building "holiday" with the company... and what do you know... I was the oldest guy around and still managed to get the best time in an obstacle course... I mean, WTF, there were guys 15 years younger than me there ...

Conclusion, I have to work for it. Further, harder, smarter.
Oh, and as I said, carb cycling rocks.

From hero to ... zero AKA 0.0

In fact, in the movie ("The Mask") it was something like "from zero to hero".
I'm neither a hero but I went to zero :) Sort of.

Long story short I moved to null sec, into a renter corp, DeepSpace Manafacturers . There are 4 systems available, 1/2 mining, 1 base, 1 ratting.
All in all, it's a good place to be after 2 weeks. Pretty silent, intel channels are up, friendly community.
I only lost 2 procurers so far... due to my own stupidity and not paying attention to local. Local which looks like this, in a busy evening:

We have 1 mining op/week, non-mandatory, but I like to help. No big stuff involved, I just need to pay attention to local and listen in TS. 

So far I moved 3 chars there, the 2 miners and the main PvE one. For the miners I hauled the usual mining stuff and skills, for the PvE one I moved only the Drake and the Raven so far, beside a lot of smaller ships. 

As expected the main activity so far is mining, which is far more profitable than the HS one, even if I use the corp buyback. I still manage do make around 30 mil/evening mining casually. 

I started ratting in a system near, for now only in the asteroids belts, testing the fit I have with the Raven. I intend to bring the Rattle here too soon, to start doing the combat anoms, will be interesting to see how it works. I'm a bit scared that the drones warp scramble and web, so I intend to use the MJD for this cases. And of course I have to keep an eye on local... don't wanna lose the BS to neuts or enemies while shooting red crosses... The good part is that the ratting system has only one star gate which comes from the mining system, so usually I have 1 miner there and I can keep track of what comes my way. 

Other than that I've set the PI for the 3 chars, it's a bit of chore, I still have to see/set things for a better efficiency. Now I'm updating once a day, but I think I will go for 3 days updates, it takes a while to go through 15 planets... And there will be more, since I want to bring another char here (the Noctis one). Still, it's kind of worth it, since the production is so much better than HS and even better than low (sec status is -0.3). 

Getting back to mining, for now I'm using only procurers and sometimes a ret. Procs are cheap, sturdy and move fast. The bay is limited, but I've got used to jettison and come back after an hour of mining with a Miasmos and collect stuff. As for what I mine, simple choices: ice (Dark Glitter is the best), hedbergite, hemorphite, arkanor and bistot (mining ops only). I'm still training to use mining crystals for null minerals and also to use T2 ice harvesters. The best part is that we have 24/7 rorqual boost.

As a little conclusion, I'm satisfied with the move, it's more challenging and more profitable in the same time. Going to zero was an improvement for the carebear "hero". What I miss a bit are the L4 missions, but I think I will compensate with the combat sites.... soonish. I miss the Rattle fun, but work will come it's way. Indeed. 

Ganking when mining, it just happens

So, I was comfortably mining in my two paper thin retrievers in 0.7.
Fit was ... bad, the DCU II was on them but not active (CPU limitation), there were no rigs installed, I had some mining drones out... and worse, I was not paying attention to local.

At some point I heard some buzzing in the headphones and I switched attention to the game and ... voila. Three gankerz (from New Order, of course) were dispatching my poorest retriever. I managed to align with the other and warp to station... Saved by the bell.
Lost about 15 mil (after insurance), so not big deal. But, this got me thinking and I decided to pull in some CPU implants on both chars and fit the retrievers with shield rigs, Adaptive Invulnerability and DCU II's. I have them both at over 8K HP now... pretty low but still much better than before.

So, lesson learned, at least partially. I added the gankers and their corps to watch list, I'm staying aligned now and I intend to train for some ECM drones, to get at least a small chance to escape.

Do I feel bad about the loss? Maybe a little, but considering I was AFK... not so much. I mined at least 1 bil with that retriever (take note: semi-AFK style), so I got the investment back many times over.

And I'm thinking to move to null, the miners as it is. But ... long road ahead. Still pondering the implications, plans and stuff.

Rattlesnake - First fit

The ... pirate rabbit is ready for his first try out.

As a base I will use directly the sample from Nev blog.

[Rattlesnake, L4 PvE, Tech II, LMJD, Missile Emphasis]

Damage Control II  -> OK

Drone Damage Amplifier II -> OK

Drone Damage Amplifier II -> OK

Ballistic Control System II -> OK

Ballistic Control System II -> OK

Ballistic Control System II -> OK

Adaptive Invulnerability Field II -> OK

Adaptive Invulnerability Field II -> OK

Sensor Booster II, Targeting Range Script -> using T1, need Long Range Targeting IV for T2

Large Micro Jump Drive   -> OK

Phased Weapon Navigation Array Generation Extron -> OK

Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script  -> using T1, need Drone Sharp Shooting V

Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script  -> using T1, need Drone Sharp Shooting V

'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I, Scourge Cruise Missile -> OK

'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I, Scourge Cruise Missile -> OK

'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I, Scourge Cruise Missile -> OK

'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I, Scourge Cruise Missile -> OK

'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I, Scourge Cruise Missile -> OK

Drone Link Augmentor II   -> OK

Large Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I -> OK

Large Drone Scope Chip I -> OK

Large Drone Control Range Augmentor I -> OK

Ogre II x2 -> use\ing T1, need Heavy Drone Operation V

Hobgoblin II x5 -> OK

Warden II x2 -> using T1, need Sentry Drone Interfacing V

Vespa EC-600 x5 -> Need Electronic Warfare IV, Advanced Drone Avionics II - to do

So, this is it, for now. Will go with the rest of T2 when I train the rest of the skills.

Cruise missiles DPS: 410 with T1 Cruise Scourge
Drones DPS: 559
Drones in bay: 1x Gecko, 5 x Hobgoblin II, 4x Warden I

First test? A level 3 mission, just to get the hang of it.

Behold the Rattlesnake

... wait, wait... what ?! But it looks like a Scorpion!!

All things aside, I just love the look of this "beast". It's aggressive, imposing, ready to kick as and take a beating in the same time. 

It's not fitted yet, but soon soon. I will use it for L4 missions, hope to get better results than with the Raven. 

I will use a fit inspired from Nevillesmit's blog

Still got skills to improve (mostly drones stuff), but at least I have Caldari and Gallente BS to 4. I still cannot use the T2 Cruise launchers, but sooonish will do. 

Right now I have 600 dps on Raven (missiles + drones). I'm really curious how much I can get on the Rattlesnake using similar gear. I will post the fit in a next post. 

Until I can really take it for a ride I enjoy looking at it in the hangar :) Lovely bunch of pixelz I tell ya. 

Click fest AKA D3 ROS Progression

 Crusader in action

Rifting around :)

I played quite a bit of D3 lately (*while mining in Eve...). I got accounts for both my kids so now we can have fun together AKA mouse clicks for all family :). 

Mainly playing as WD, but having several chars at 70. 

Got some sets, some nice legendaries (like Zunnimasa set, Ring or Royal Grandeur, Carnevil, etc.) and doing mostly rifts.

Not much to add here...

Eve - Progression?

In the past 2 months I kept on playing Eve with my 2 accounts.
Nothing fancy, nothing new, but I learned a lot... how to play solo :). I still have my alt in [BNI], but I rarely check it out... I guess my aversion to loss is the main blocker here. And... right now I usually play some other games while Eve runs in background (like D3 and Watch Dogs). So being capable of playing semi-AFK is a bonus.
I'm still alone in the corp, but it doesn't bother me too much, my current play style suits me well enough.
A bit of status on both accounts.

[Main]

•  Main char -> mostly used for PvE -> L4 missions on a Raven, I can do almost all of them now, using a "sniper" MJD fit, with cruise missiles and range extender scripts. Almost 10 mil SP now, core stuff + missiles. Training to get a Rattlesnake and then back to cruise specialisation and BS masteries (Caldari and Gallente). I am a bit unsure about the ships tho, was oscillating between CNR, SNI and Rattlesnake. 
• Second char -> industry/trade stuff. For the moment training in parallel (had to use a PLEX) for Orca (16 days till) and Mackinaw
• Third char -> the BNI alt. Not much here, I trained it for different frigs and exploration, but not used it much, I'm still a awkward at doing stuff in null... and the Brave sov area is crowded as fcuk ... with enemies and allies :)

[Secondary]

• Main char -> miner "expert" - still several days from using a mackinaw but doing good in a retriever. 1400 m3/160 sec with T2 stuff (*unbuffed). Not bad, around 12 mil/hour afk-style. 
• Second char -> the "sweetheart". Trained her for PI and then going all Noctis spec. A great char to clear the field after the main PVE one finishes a mission. I intend to make it a PVE support in the future, training it for Raven. 
• Third char -> used by my daughter, just for learning purposes

All in all, I made a lot of plans, changed some of them, learning stuff, trying stuff, losing stuff (yeah, lost a Noctis when clearing a L4 field ... stupid mode was ON). 

I kept on doing PI, getting about 200 mil/month from 4 chars, in a 0.3 system. I know, it's low income, not very optimised, I'm relaunching programs at 3 days, but still, low stress income and it helps me control my jitters when I enter low-sec space. 

As guessed, most of the income comes from AFK mining, around 20-25 mil/hour/2 accs. Better than nothing, stress-free. I have minerals/metals waiting to be sold on the trade char: about 2.6 bil. 

As I said, future plans are somehow blurry:

- get a Rattlesnake on main PVE

- get an Orca on trade alt

- get 2 mackinaws for the miners

- start doing some more exploration (low sec and null sec)

- start doing some "actual" PvP/exploration on the BNI alt, but training is now locked on the main, so not sure how/when this will happen

- maybe, move the miners to a null sec alliance (?!)

- wait for next major patch -> industry changes and stuffz

- other stuff which I'm not very clear about

And now some pics from the carebear adventures I had :)

1. The beauty of the Noctis 

2. Missioning in Raven

3. Noctis in action (I really love this ship, it's a blast for the role if fulfils)

4. Lazors everywhere. 

Back to it

A bit of re-boot here, after some break...

I will come back with a few posts regarding various aspects I touched IRL and VR. 

Meanwhile ... this image never stops to amaze me.

P.S. Yes, Eve is on the #1 place in my gaming activities lately. 7o

Vegan !>?

A bit of a "general" update type of news. Due to ICS symptoms I decided to try vegan diet for a while. 

The first signs are very encouraging, the pains and discomfort are 99% gone, I feel much better. 

Strangely I'm not hungry, even if the calories intake is pretty low.... 

So, vegan... after many years where I was eating almost anything and everything. Not such a big deal, mentally I mean, I was vegetarian before and now I know so much more about nutrition and stufz...

Health is getting better, muscular mass is going down :)... So, soon I will start adding eggs and some dairy in the meals, however keeping the veggies as base for everything. 

Out. 

'dem little monsterz

Not much to say. The TriX is so much powerfull, but heat and noise are not as good as ACX 3. 

The card is a beast in its own way, I can run 2 Eve instances (full detail) and Diablo 3 in the same time, all at 60 FPS. And D3 runs at 1440p full detail. 

Cute and strong. 

Not much to add :)

First kill of the ... ever

And it happened. My first kill in Eve :)
It was not something special, or monumental, just an unlucky Hurricane which got warp scrambled near a gate in Sendaya, me being one on the many newbs buzzing around in a frigate. So, yea... it was a group kill :) not "mine" but I got on the kill list so the 'bear inside shrunk a bit.

Sendaya?! Yes, I joined BNI (Brave Newbies) with an alt. And swoosh to the HQ I reached yesterday.
For a total carebear like me, this was a "terrifying" experience, first time to step into low sec, first time to engage actively in a fight. Chaotic but FUN!!!

I'm keeping my main as an "ISK" generator tool for now, some PI, some L3/L4, but I switched all training to the PvP alt. For the alt I've done the military arcs so when I moved to Sendaya I went along with a Slasher and an Amarr destroyer. Cool toys, especially the Slasher, buzzing around at over 1000 m/s, fast align and fast to warp.

It looks like a mosquito and it flys like one:). 3 light autocannons, a 1 MN afterburner, 1 web, 1 shield booster and I'm set for some "dancing" around.









The skill plan I'm following for this char is huge, from a n00b 'spective.
BravePvP-Skill Plan

Other than that, I keep on using the Retriever, on the other account, about 7-8 mil/hour. Lousy income, but being almost AFK doesn't sound so bad, it just keeps churning rocks while I play on the other account (and D3 ROS in the same time, 3 monitors is a blessing). For this mining alt I will go all the way industry style, up to manufacturing stuff and getting more profit out of it. But, this a long range plan, for now steady training and learning is the thing to do.

On the main/PVE char, I'm trying to do L4's, not working as good as I like, "moar" skills are needed, but the PvP char is taking the lion's share for now.

At the end, a few more pics with the Minmatar ships I got when doing the military arc for the PvP alt, nice toys.

... a pic with the "mighty" Retriever :). Brand new, ready-to-be-ganked.

Raven wings and mining pleasures

On the gaming side I kept on playing Eve and ... Diablo 3 ROS (with my daughter).  Maya saw me playing Eve lots lately and asked me if she can try it ... the answer was no... she needs to learn so much more English to be able to grasp some of the sandbox. For Diablo it's not such a big issue, it's easy for her to swap builds and stuff and see the immediate effect.

So, back to Eve, I got myself a shiny new Raven, I was able to mine most of the mats for it, I payed only about 50 mil ISK in the end, from the total of 176 mil (current Jita price). The ship is nice and all, but I had a hell of a time trying to fit it and see what/how it works. The tryouts were all in L3 missions, trying to stay on the safe side for now.

First I tried a "sniper" build, flying at over 100 km from any ship, just launching the cruise missiles. It was all "honey and milk" until I met some tracking disruptors which were blocking me at that range. I could do nothing, but warp out. The drones were not a real option, max range with my skills was only 65 km.
Next try was a kind o passive shield tank ... like a drake... Of course it was a bad idea, I had to warp 3 times in the beginning of a L4 mission.
So I switched to an active tank, hardeners matched to the mission and I can finally kill stuff. I still have to watch agro, watch the tacklers and manage my cap, but I'm starting to get the hang of it.
Tacklers (tracking disruptors mostly) are still a big pain in the ass, luck the Hornet drones can take them out ... in time.

ISK balance is still over 200 mil ISK (don't ask...) and I have over 500 mil worth of assets in different stations, just need to start selling them. I started a mining alt, finishing Industry V now and hopefully in a few days he can start flying a retriever. He still managed to mine over 50 mil ISK worth minerals in an ORE frigate, in the last 2 weeks :).

The game is still a puzzle, still so many things to learn.
I managed to read quickly the ISK guide stuff, lots of info, lots of new questions.

Next post, in the Gaming section I intend it to be one about D3, I had quite a lot of fun finishing the game this weekend, with my dear daughter.

P.S. I intend to vote on the CSM, I liked the http://www.lowseclifestyle.com/ blog, so she gets my vote.

Mixed liftings and low body state

I have not updated stuff in here for a while, was not a great time for me, these last weeks.
The SCI symptoms are almost gone due to medication, but I got a huge dose of dizziness and vertigo lately. Each and every day for the past week and a half. I presume it's because of the cervical area old issue which come back to haunt me again... hopefully the issues will go down soon.

I continued to train, not as intense and motivated as before, same training style, nothing new. Power levels were definitely lower, I struggled with 90 kg bench press... but I keep on fighting.
Today I intend to do legs training, which I skipped last week (lots of biking tho). Will see how this works out.

On the nutrition side, I started to shift more to the "green" side, less/no meat, less processed foods.
I started using pollen every day, lots of veggies and less protein powders.
Feeling good, except the dizziness.
I keep on fighting.

Getting epic in Eve

... epic in a way:)
I played quite a bit in the last weeks, I learned a lot but I still have much to learn.
The last stuff in which I am involved is the Sisters of Eve epic line, quite interesting, half-way done. For this purpose I fitted a Caracal, this time with his own fittings (HAMs and shields). No issues so far, will see in the last missions how it goes.

Other than that I tried my hand with a bit of mining on an alt... good for semi-AFK mode.








Some Jita trading (got something like 60 mil ISK worth salvage from missions)

Before starting the SoE arc I was doing lots of L4 missions, got between 1 and 4 mil ISK/mission.

The game is complex and hard/easy in the same time, I tried some PI too, some distribution missions, I kept reading blogs about it, it's a different experience. No PvP for me tho... but I'll keep digging.

Shifting the weight

I haven't written about the last days, it was a bit hectic.
However, I was able to have 2 more training days, one for legs+abs and one for chest+biceps+traps.
Nothing special, except that with the new (old) system I can push thing a bit, my muscles have enough time to rest.
So, I went to 100 kg on the decline bench press, with a little help. Lesson learned, 95 is good enough for solo play.
On the other side of reality, I had the almost-fail colonoscopy...  after 40 hours of fasting... Fail in the sens the pain was too much to resist for the procedure to go all the way (I won't go into details...). Other than that the blood analyses were almost perfect, a bit high on Sodium and Creatinine (still in the range tho) . What will follow will be a bit of pro-biotics and some specific treatment for ICS.
I'm waiting now to get back in shape, to restore my energy level and hopefully tomorrow or Friday at least will get back to gym.

And ... Spring is here!

 Image from DesktopNexus site. 

Back to the roots

So, after a week with many incidents which lead to a missing-the-gym syndrome, I started (again) with a classical approach to my training.
I was rested (at least physically) so I could push the iron around with more power and motivation.
So, back to the roots.

Back routine:
- wide pullups: 14 to start then some 10 with 10 kg and 6 with 15 kg - not bad, I was afraid I was not able to do them anymore after the long pause at this exercise
- machine pulls, horizontal: max lvl-12
- deadlifts (bent legs), for lower back: went with max 60 kg, could go with more but I won't risk it (as before with 100 kg...)
- some rovings, nothing to write home about

Triceps routine:
- the mighty dips: 20 (no weight), 12 with 15 kg, 10 with 10 kg - good enough
- machine triceps press downs: 8xL14, lvl 10 drop set

Some shoulder exercises:
- front and lateral raises
- machine/s press

Nutrition goes well, 4 meals a day, low carb, not so much fat, under 2k calories.
... Preparing for next week's colonoscopy...

A nice Eve video to watch.

)

MGS - Phase 1 - Day 10

Lazy week, that was... 2 days to gym and 2 to TKD. Some IRL issues prevented me to do the normal 3/2 routine. Also I will have to adapt again. Finishing phase 1 I will switch to a more conventional approach and split:

- day 1: chest + biceps
- day 2: legs + abs +- shoulders
- day 3: back + triceps +-shoulders

For the cardio part I will have the 8 km bike/day. Yeah, spring is here and I brought out my MTB, so the "moving around" part is assured.

1) Squat		2	8	120
2) DB Split Squat		2	12 - 15	120
3) Back Extension		2	20 -25	120
4) EZ Bar Curl		3	8 - 10	90
5) Farmers Walk		4	30 sec	60

Nutrition: some IF and 4 meals/day. High carb on weekend, low in the rest, or even no carb on some days, as the body permits this.

MGS - Phase 1 - Day 9

After a bit (4 days) of "rest" I was at the gym last evening. Below, the routing.

1) Low Incline Bench Press		2	8	120
2a) DB Mil Press		4	6 - 8	60
2b) Inverted Row		4	6 - 8	60
3a) Rope/Band Face Pull		2	10 - 12	60
3b) Diamond Pushup		1	AMAP	60

I had to "break" a bit the 4 day/week routing, since I re-started the TaeKwonDo training, 2 days a week. So, in the end I will have to adjust the whole setup, since 6 days of actual training/week is not going to work... I tried it before and it kicks me off the cliff due to fatigue. Yeah, I'm getting old and the fact that I have a full time job and a family to take care of it's not making it easy for me. But, this is the order I have chosen in my life so I do what I can.

The actual training for this day was good, went to 8x105 reps on the Scott machine, inclined bench press. The pushups were not funny, max 30... gotta do more than that.

On the nutrition side, I had to give up the 3 meals/day tryout... it was getting me so dizzy. I switched to a more familiar 4 meals/day one, low carb (mostly).

MGS - Phase 1 - Day 8

And another week is over.

1) Deadlift		5	8	120
2) Romanian Deadlift		2	6 - 8	120
3a) Incline Hammer Curl		3	8 - 10	60
3b) Neck Extension		3	15 - 20	60
4) Incline sprint		3	20 sec	90

It's Sunday, but was a good day for gym. Got coffee before starting, also I was sipping the shake (25 pro + 50 carbo + 5 g leucine + 5 g glutamin + 5 g creatine) during the workout.

Things were a bit change compared to the list above, I had no time for cardio and for the neck extension (?!). Instead I did the calves and abs training. For dead lifts I did not go above 60 kg (hernia...). For curls I kept things controlled at 17.5 kg. I want to go to 20 next week.

Energy level was good but not great... I'm trying a micro-fasting method, 1 meal at 6 hours, minimal carbo, except on weekends when I load with carbo.

On the nutrition front I will go with a big change, low cal, low carbo, 3 meals. Not ideal, but I want to experiment with this. It will go something like this:

- meal 1 - around 9 AM - eggs (house chickens), yogurt (made in house by me), veggies + omega 3 + lecithin and amino
- meal 2 - around 3 PM - shake: whey, psyllium, coconut flakes, omega 3,  cinnamon, chia
- meal 3 - around 9 PM - meat + veggies + healthy fats: avocado, coconut oil, peanut butter, etc
Estimated protein intake: ~100-140 g (around 1.5-2 g/kg )

During the day: loooots of water.
I'll see how it goes. I know I will loose some mass, hopefully more fat than anything else, but as I planned, from March on I'm going to a cutting phase.

Display upgrade - 2713 HM - The wonders of IPS

So, yesterday I made the change I wanted to do long ago.
I switched/upgraded to a Dell 2713 HM, an IPS panel with 2560x1440 resolution.
A great review of this monitor can be found at TFTCentral

I studied the "market" alot, on what/how/why and finally decided to go fir this one. I got it from evoMAG.ro with a little help from lab501.ro (the nice 3% voucher).

First a pic with the whole setup:

- first on left is the BenQ 24" monitor
- second on center is the Dell 2713 HM
- on the right side is a Dell 22" one hooked to my second rig.













-
The good news is that I received a good sample, no dead or blocked pixels and minimal glow/light bleeding. And yes, it's huge, even if in the current setup it looks quite small, I had to fix it at low level so there is no such a big difference compared to the 24" one.

Another shot in the dark.

Minimal glow and almost no bleeding, a bit in the bottom right side.













-
As for the overall performance I'm very pleased with it. Great color reproduction, huge space to use (Photoshop loves it), adjust-ability, no visible ghosting (at least in Eve, constant 60 FPS).

I can just say that I love it and I recommend it to anyone who would like to get in the "big" league of monitors.

MGS - Phase 1 - Day 7

A bit hard day. 't was a full day at job, so I felt pretty tired when I went to gym at 10 PM.
Started slow but managed to do it OK.
And again I'm definitely a bit weaker than in the summer. Tempo and caloric deficit, low carbo...

1) Military Press		5	8	120
2a) Neutral Grip Chin Up		3	6 - 8	60
2b) Suspended Pushup		3	6 - 8	60
3a) Pronated Band Pull Apart		2	10 - 12	60
3b) Triceps Dip		1	AMAP	60

Pushups done on the TRX are the real deal. And triceps dips with chains...

I finished with 15 min of cardio, 190 calories.

MGS - Phase 1 - Day 6

Fast and furious. I had only 35 mins for this training.

1) Squat		5	8	120
2) DB Split Squat		1	12 - 25	120
3) Back Extension		2	20 -25	120
4) EZ Bar Curl		3	8 - 10	90
5) Farmers Walk		3	30 sec	90

Went good. No coffee this time :)

Went to 45 kg for the EZ Bar Curl. I intend to try 50 next time. With some help of course.

On nutrition... I cheated a bit today... not proud of myself. Half a cup of Pepsi and some chips...

Silence is golden

As in the song... Silence is golden.
As I was saying in the previous post regarding the ACX installation (of which BTW I'm very pleased), there was a rattling sound in my case which was not so right.
So today, I opened the "monster" again and went berserk by unplugging all case vents. Now I'm left only with the vent from the CPU and with the ACX.
The operation result is incredible, the laptop idle vents are louder :)
The obvious drawback is that the temps went up about 5-7 degrees in normal load situation, but I'm totally OK with that since they are very reasonable (under 60 for video card and under 50 for the CPU).

Eve - Level 3 missions and Caracal revival

Finally I am doing level 3 missions. My Drake is behaving wonderfully, I can clear everything with ease.
I have Missile Launcher Operation lvl 5 in research for the moment, then switching to some drones skills.
The cash inflow has grown, but I still forget sometimes to recall drones from the field...

My Drake at the end of a mission.











-

When I finished the lvl 2 missions and started lvl 3 I got a chain of lvl 2 missions to do, starting with "Clearing a Path". The ugly surprise was that I can't do that with my drake so I had to switch to my Caracal which is not fitted at all.
The solution? Strip the drake and fit the Caracal:

3x HML + Scourge HM
3x Large Shield Extenders II
2x Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
2x Ballistic Control System II
1x Power Diagnostic System II
1x Shield Power Relay II

I know the fitting is not optimal, I just copied the Drake one, but the results are ... OK. I mean the shield barely drops under 95%. Good enough for me.

Lost in space.

MGS - Phase 1 - Day 5

A good and a not so good experience this day...
First the program

DAY 1
1) Low Incline Bench Press		5	8	120
2a) DB Mil Press		3	6 - 8	60
2b) Inverted Row		3	6 - 8	60
3a) Rope/Band Face Pull		2	10 - 12	60
3b) Diamond Pushup		1	AMAP	60

Basically it went well, just that I feel a bit weaker than in July 2013 when I did this program first time. I blame it on my tempo or the focus on it, there is a clear difference in the execution pattern.

The pushups are the killer, need to improve that, and I'm talking about the diamond variant... Normal pushups I can easily go above 40-45 if I'm not tired.

Now the bad... COFFEE... Yeah, I drank some coffee before going to the gym (at 10 PM) and it was definitely not a very good idea... After the gym I was able to sleep only at 2 AM and this is not good.

Other than that things are fairly good, a bit of ICS issues, hernia under radar. Gotta take care of the food intake, no carb at all upsets the bowels too much so I have to find a proper balance point.