Monthly Archives: April 2007

State of the Critus

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So, it’s been a while since I’ve sat down and written just a “this is what is going on in my life” post.  Figured it was high time.

Frankly, this week has pretty much sucked balls.  I’ve been dealing with a bunch of crap, and most of it has revolved around those three words often repeated here – World of Warcraft.  Specifically, the people in the game.  Not individuals per se, or their actions, but the fact that there are so many of them in our guild now.  Despite the fact that most of us have at least some kind of real world connection, that’s no guarantee that we’re all going to think and act alike.   There are occasionally going to be bumps in the road.

Just turns out that a few of those bumps decided to show up around the same time, and they were all those really big speed bumps that will totally fuck up your car if you go over them too fast.

The sad thing is that most of this happened on Tuesday night, when I wasn’t even online.  I had decided to take the night off because I was feeling stressed about the game for OTHER reasons.  I watched some TV, relaxed for a bit, and decided to check our guild forums before I went to bed.  In the 3 hours I was offline Mt. Kilimanjaro decided to explode all over the guild.  In the days following, the volcano kept spelling ash out all over the damn place as I had all kinds of issues that folks have been keeping to themselves dumped in my lap.

So I’m also dealing with a lot of red herrings.  Joy!

There are 94 people in our guild currently, and at times it seems like there are 94 different ways that people think the guild should be run.  From the super casual folks who feel neglected to the super hardcore folks who don’t think we’re strict enough to everyone in between I’m standing in the middle trying to do my best to keep my cool and find ways to keep everyone happy.

Lots of times, it ain’t a lot of fun.  It certainly ain’t easy, and I don’t always succeed.  Sometimes I make the wrong choice.  Sometimes I blow my top, too.  It doesn’t happen often, but it happened twice this week.  I ain’t proud of it, but ya know….Try walking a mile in my shoes….

Yep, I could quit.  Would be as simple as stopping the payments on my credit card.  Trust me when I say I’ve thought about it.  I guess what ultimately keeps me from doing so is the fact that this game has not only put me back in touch with old friends who I hardly ever spoke with, it’s also the only social setting I can associate with certain folks who I met there.  I mean, I have friends in this guild who I’ve known since I was a teenager.  20 year relationships, and I talk to them more now than I EVER did before we started playing WoW together.  I’ve also gotten very close with people who I met in the game.  People who we’ve since met in real life and consider part of our inner circle.  WoW is the ONLY way we regularly “see” them.

I know.  Those of you who think it’s “just a game” can’t possibly understand.  These games have brought more than a few people into our lives, though.  People who we never would have known had we not played them. 

[info]xany_hellion

 being the big example, there. 

Which is also why it’s not easy for me to just say “fuck it” and start kicking everyone out, too.

It would be easier to deal with if I was one of the yelling, controlling, “this is how the guild is going to fucking be” types.  Not what I’m about, though, and not the kind of people we are.  Sometimes I envy those folks, too.

Speakingof WoW, the fact that K. is going to now be working for wowinsdier.com means that we’re likely going to go to Blizzcon this year.  Which, while being an exciting thing, also sucks because it’s the weekend one of our friends is having a get together in Colorado.  Fact is, the only reason we’re really going to be able to do Blizzcon is because it’s going to be a tax writeoff for K.  As are her monthly game fees and upgrades she makes to her computer.

You take whatever help you can get, really.  Things are a little better after the refinance, but still going to be tight for a while.

I don’t imagine the flight is going to be a lot of fun for K, either, especially since we’re going to have to do this with as little time out of town as possible (I’ll be wrapping up a big project at work).  She’ll have very little down time between one flight and another.  Couple that with jet lag and it’s going to be…interesting.

Yeah, it’s sad that I’ve written this much about a video game and that said video game pretty much defines the state of the Critus, but there it is.  Have some other stuff I could write about, but at this point I gotta get back to that real life stuff….

The "300" Test

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So…I see a few of the fellas on my list are making some kind of attempt to master this little routine.

You guys are nuts, in my not so humble opinion.

Before you hurt yourselves trying to achieve this, I’d like to point out a few bits from the article that [info]donwaughesq linked to.

The workout gets its name from the total number of repetitions. But those 300 reps weren’t done daily, as some media accounts report, Twight says. Rather, the 300 workout was the finale of months of training, a kind of graduation test, after actors had weight lifted and trained with tools such as medicine balls and Kettlebells (cast iron weights with handles).

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Training for the actors required 90 minutes to two hours a day, five days a week, Twight says, plus the same amount of time fight training. Stuntmen trained 90 minutes to two hours, five days a week, and another four to six hours fight training, Twight says. Everyone was given just enough food to recover from the workout, he notes.

(Translation – The actors were working out 3-4 hours a day, five days a week.  The stuntment were working out 5 1/2 to 8 hours a day, five days a week)

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At the end of the training, about half of those who trained took the 300 test, Twight says. Andrew Pleavin, who plays Daxos, leader of the Arcadians, was the only actor to take it. He finished in 18 minutes and 11 seconds.

I’m going to assume this is a typo, and they meant that Andrew Pleavin was the only actor “to make it.” 

One actor was able to complete the whole routine.  One.

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The following cut is big, but important…

Even if you start out slowly, Kraemer recommends proceeding with caution and checking in with your doctor first.

The breakdown of muscle fibers, for instance, may be severe enough to be toxic to the kidneys, he says. “If you have [heart problems] or are not screened, you could have a variety of exertional problems [with this workout], from serious tissue breakdown to heart attack to kidney problems,” he says. “It’s too extreme for the average person.“

Walt Thompson, PhD, a professor of kinesiology and health at Georgia State University in Atlanta, agrees. “This kind of workout is for a very, very small subset of the population,” he says.  “The person who could probably benefit from the Gym Jones workout is the person who already has a long and extensive ‘career’ in exercise. It’s not for a beginner.”

Hate to burst your bubble, guys, but we’re “the average person.”  The average person has a job and commitments outside of the gym.  The average person isn’t being paid millions of dollars to get into this kind of shape.  The average person can’t afford a personal dietician and chef to prepare all of his or her meals.  The average person cannot afford to have a doctor available to monitor his or her progress constantly.

Not saying you guys shouldn’t have fitness goals, but please be careful – especially if you’re trying to take this test.  You guys are not spartans, and you aren’t even actors being paid to play them.

You are, however, my friends…and I don’t want to see you hurt.

Differences between Las Vegas and Orlando…

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As far as the training itself?  Not so much, really.  I actually like the fact that this place doesn’t have piles of doughnuts sitting outside the training room and a healthy place to eat across the hall.

But when I got back to my hotel room just now, I looked out my window for the first time and realized I had a view of the pool.

At this very moment there’s a whole bunch of ugly or annoying (loud kids) down there.

Yeah….Vegas wins in that category.

Quick Drive By

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I’m in Orlando, and will be all this week, for some Adobe Flash training.  So far it’s going pretty well and in just two days I’ve already learned a lot. 

I’ve got lots of thoughts running through my head at the moment, but I only have time for a very brief post.  As such, I really wanted to ask yet again that you all make an effort to go see The March of the Kitefliers – especially this weekend.  We saw it last weekend, and amazingly enough I think I laughed harder than I did either time I saw it before.  It really is that good, and Jobsite needs our support now more than ever.

It’s important.  Not only to the arts scene in Tampa, and not only to Jobsite as a company.  It’s important to me because the people I work with there aren’t just my professional associates.  It feels like my artistic home, and they are as such part of my family.

So if you don’t go see it for any of the good reasons (wanting to be entertained or supporting local theater), go see it because you like me.   I mean, seriously, I fucking rule.  You owe me that much at least, bitches.

What?  I couldn’t get TOO sincere there, could I?