Aran's recent activity

  1. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    Aran
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    Last update was Monday. I think I would have been good to go in by Thursday but I've been trying to get some walking and jumprope in on off days, and I might have been a little too into the...

    Last update was Monday. I think I would have been good to go in by Thursday but I've been trying to get some walking and jumprope in on off days, and I might have been a little too into the jumprope on Wednesday that killed my calves

    Very chill for today so I stayed to do a few more sets than the recommended 5 sets:

    • 10x pushups
    • 10x hammer curls
    • 10x alternating box jump
    • 10x box jump

    I did tell the coach that I wanted to slowly work towards being able to do pull ups. Back in the day my family had one of those doorway pull up bars installed and I was never consistent enough with it to really work on my grip strength, let alone being able to pull myself up from a dead hang. So he had me just... hold onto the bar in a dead hang, and work on being able to actually hold onto it for 30 seconds before slowly moving on to the next step. I remember being able to hang from a bar for that long but today I could basically only do 6-7 seconds max...

    I'm lowkey thinking about adding a pull up bar to my list of purchases for after my move in a few weeks.

  2. Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk

    Aran
    Link Parent
    Oh this is me… except I still have a hoard of switches and small parts that I want to use to get back into building again when I can muster the time, energy, and desire… When it comes to buying...

    Oh this is me… except I still have a hoard of switches and small parts that I want to use to get back into building again when I can muster the time, energy, and desire…

    When it comes to buying complete kits or more “complete” parts (like a standard 60% pcb and case) though? That is definitely behind me. If I put together something now, it’ll be a kit I bought pre-pandemic, or a handwire held together with cardboard.

  3. Comment on Tildes Minecraft Weekly in ~games

    Aran
    Link
    I'm not sure why I just seem to have strings of connection issues (internet itself seems to be fine - at least, roommate is streaming in the other room and I'm not aware of any hiccups) from time...

    I'm not sure why I just seem to have strings of connection issues (internet itself seems to be fine - at least, roommate is streaming in the other room and I'm not aware of any hiccups) from time to time. Maybe it's just the server telling me that I should in fact go to sleep early today...

    Anyways, my adventures can be summed up as... I am STILL wishy-washy on where I want to "settle", or even what this build would look like (realistically I'll just steal a design off Youtube or something). And while I am wishing and washing I just Stardew Valley it up with a very slowly growing and also very hideous villager jail trading hall, animal pens that are just holes in the ground, and the very occasional foray into some hole in the ground. You know, the same stuff I have been doing in Minecraft since 2015 (minus the villager stuff but you know what I mean).

    I do need to look at where my nether portal puts me on the map relative to town and look at what transit can look like, because I want to see what others have built without the 5-10 min commute!

    2 votes

  4. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    Aran
    Link Parent
    Monday update! I was told a different coach runs the Monday sessions and that his classes focus more on mobility. What I didn't know was that he does run it like an actual class, unlike the...

    Monday update! I was told a different coach runs the Monday sessions and that his classes focus more on mobility. What I didn't know was that he does run it like an actual class, unlike the Tues-Friday sessions, so a full hour-ish of directed warmup and workout exercises.

    I don't remember the names of the warmups but they took up the bulk of class time... lots of nerve glide stuff

    Today's actual workout which ended up being like a tiny fraction of class time:

    • 12x wall bounce
    • 8x Bulgarian split squats both sides; did not use weights because I was WEAK
    • 15x kettlebell swings
    • 15x each of calf raises and toe raises

    Recommended 4x sets; the warmup portion took a bit longer than usual because a good chunk of us were new and needed some time for corrections, so the coach said to try to just aim for at least 2 sets (and stay longer if needed, even past the usual gym closing time). I went with 2 full sets and a third with half the repetitions just because I felt I could do more... but not THAT much more.

    The calorie thing is not too bad so far, at least on the gym days! I just have a breakfast in the morning, then a small semi-lunch at 3-4pm, and gym at 6. I come home and I am absolutely famished so finishing a meal is not difficult at all.

    As a side note, last week I had serious DOMs after the Wednesday workout and I ended up not being able to go back on Friday because my legs were just not having it! So I just tried to get some dumbbell curls in at home the rest of the week. They were good by Sunday.

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    Aran
    Link Parent
    I am currently 85 pounds and 4'10" :') my strength training goals right now just amount to, "I would like to be able to carry my week's groceries without multiple trips to the car" and "I need a...

    I am currently 85 pounds and 4'10" :')

    my strength training goals right now just amount to, "I would like to be able to carry my week's groceries without multiple trips to the car" and "I need a side activity that isn't just playing more video games"

    6 votes

  6. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    Aran
    Link Parent
    I'll try my best to answer but disclaimer, I have not "exercised" until very very recently and this is my first time specifically working on strength training vs., you know, just cardio! First,...

    I'll try my best to answer but disclaimer, I have not "exercised" until very very recently and this is my first time specifically working on strength training vs., you know, just cardio!

    First, context: I'm going to a muay thai gym that happens to offer general (ie. not related to muay thai) strength and conditioning classes. They're not "classes" in the same sense as like, say, a Zumba or Pilates class where you show up for X minutes and do guided exercises as directed by an instructor. It's mostly self-directed where the coach who runs these classes will provide a suggested set of exercises for a particular day that he'll rotate every day of the week, but these are suggestions and you can do whatever you want really if you'd like. I'm currently going in 2x a week as that's just how my schedule works, but did obtain a kettlebell and some dumbbells to add at least one additional day at home.

    So for yesterday there were:

    4 sets of front heel raised dumbbell squats, 8 reps
    4 sets of back heel raised dumbbell squats, 8 reps
    4 sets of sumo squats with kettlebell, 10 reps
    4 sets of Romanian deadlifts, 10 reps

    But number of sets and reps are really up to the individual. So far I've just gone with the recommended number of reps/sets and they take me like a full 60 min when other folks who have been doing this for a while at this gym crank them out in 30 minutes (and then keep going). I'm 4'10" with noodle arms so uh... my current limitations are probably not a terribly useful reference!

    I wish I could write down what we did for the previous two sessions but I actually do not remember the names of the exercises outside of kettlebell swings and hammer curls... but I'll probably write down future ones going forward!

    3 votes

  7. Comment on Fitness Weekly Discussion in ~health

    Aran
    Link
    2x a week strength training continues… Went yesterday and the day’s recommended exercises focused on lower body (glutes, hamstrings, quads… I had to google them, these terms were not part of my...

    2x a week strength training continues…

    Went yesterday and the day’s recommended exercises focused on lower body (glutes, hamstrings, quads… I had to google them, these terms were not part of my vocab :)). The sumo squats destroyed me. It’s only the third session and I am having a lot of fun! Even if today is, as expected, a day of very sore legs.

    I’m trying to keep track of my eating; random online calculator says I need 1500 on training days and I am definitely not used to eating past 1000-1200…

    5 votes

  8. Comment on Struggling in my relationship in ~life

    Aran
    Link Parent
    Chiming in also in the "dealing with my own heartbreak" crowd; I actually avoided reading the entirety of your updates just because my mind would wander to my own business. Really sorry you're...

    Chiming in also in the "dealing with my own heartbreak" crowd; I actually avoided reading the entirety of your updates just because my mind would wander to my own business. Really sorry you're going through this, and it's great that you say you see your path forward, as difficult as getting there will be.

    1 vote

  9. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    Unfortunately buying a whole new monitor is probably not in the cards for me! I'm definitely leaning on a USB hub or switch and manually swapping video input. I hear you, and I definitely am...

    Unfortunately buying a whole new monitor is probably not in the cards for me! I'm definitely leaning on a USB hub or switch and manually swapping video input.

    I want to encourage you to maintain a decent WFH and comfy space separation though. You might not have issues with it now but the world is an ever changing space. My bedrooms are always screen free and I try to keep more comfortable stuff on that side.

    I hear you, and I definitely am leaning towards having all screens out of the bedroom even if I can't imagine what I'd have in there outside of the bed and a reading chair (and even then I'd probably prefer to read in the living room?). It's hard for me to definitively say how much the separation helped me previously because... well, lots of things in my life are making me unhappy currently, right? How big of a drop that my current lack of work/play/sleep separation is in the great bucket of unhappiness is hard to gauge.

    I am rambling but yes, whether I consolidate the gaming and work setups or not, I'm thinking I'll find a way to keep them out of the bedroom!

  10. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    I adore Cliff and have been going through his stuff again while brainstorming ideas! It would be neat if I could get advice from him but I assume he gets bombarded with that stuff...

    I adore Cliff and have been going through his stuff again while brainstorming ideas! It would be neat if I could get advice from him but I assume he gets bombarded with that stuff...

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    It's an option, though with that setup I'm gambling a bit on the potential expanded configuration of the daybed bumping into the desk. Actually there's probably just enough room since the expanded...

    I'd just been thinking the desk rotated from that so that it's flush in corner and parallel with the sinks on the other side of the divider

    It's an option, though with that setup I'm gambling a bit on the potential expanded configuration of the daybed bumping into the desk. Actually there's probably just enough room since the expanded portion has an extra... 3 inches or so since it only would interfere with the desk's legs, not the desktop itself. I think I scrapped it purely for the "no back to the entryway" preference!

    The living room desk in the "dining area" is an interesting thought, though I think I'd be annoyed by potential kitchen noises (we're just talking something like, having the stove vent running while I have something cooking).

  12. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    I had completely forgotten that is an option... Noted, thank you!

    I had completely forgotten that is an option...

    Noted, thank you!

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    For what it's worth, we don't have the remote for it and changing the volume is an actual ordeal (touch controls where it doesn't want to read single volume taps, so you end up needing to change...

    For what it's worth, we don't have the remote for it and changing the volume is an actual ordeal (touch controls where it doesn't want to read single volume taps, so you end up needing to change volume in increments of 3 steps at a time or something...) and it really is ancient. Good enough for Switch games!

    1 vote

  14. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    After some quick googling I do see some potential issues arising with refresh rate where ultrawides typically aren't supported past 60hz? I think that's the only thing that would really bug me...

    After some quick googling I do see some potential issues arising with refresh rate where ultrawides typically aren't supported past 60hz? I think that's the only thing that would really bug me with the KVM option (though I suppose if I had a guarantee that a very expensive one in the $400-500 range worked I wouldn't mind that upfront cost)

    1 vote

  15. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    Okay so after discussing with the ex: if I wanted a placeholder TV I could take the one we have; it's not a smart TV and is very ancient but it was serviceable when I wanted to get out of the...

    Okay so after discussing with the ex: if I wanted a placeholder TV I could take the one we have; it's not a smart TV and is very ancient but it was serviceable when I wanted to get out of the bedroom. I don't have the TV console though (maybe temporary use of the work desk for it? Though I'd need hired help to actually dispose of the desk if I don't get it done during the move).

    That being said I would probably be more in favor of ditching the work desk and figuring out a solution for combining with with the gaming setup vs. ditching the gaming setup entirely

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    A KVM switch was something I looked into briefly but I got put off by shaky reviews for anything that doesn't break the bank (I say that like I don't have enough savings to buy these things...

    A KVM switch was something I looked into briefly but I got put off by shaky reviews for anything that doesn't break the bank (I say that like I don't have enough savings to buy these things outright - I do, I just would rather not :)). Physical cord swapping just to make it an ordeal to actually swap to gaming mode was advice I received recently but by this point I've had the separate work desk for around 3 years.

    I will admit that having separate desks has not worked amazingly for me regardless of that being my original intent when getting a separate WFH desk. Too easy to physically walk to the personal desk when work is slow or I'm just procrastinating...

    3 votes

  17. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    The TV option unfortunately doesn't work terribly well for the games I play - single player experiences would be fine but I spend a lot of time on things that just make sense at a desk - mostly...

    The TV option unfortunately doesn't work terribly well for the games I play - single player experiences would be fine but I spend a lot of time on things that just make sense at a desk - mostly MMO raiding with comms and lots of second monitor diagrams.

    Oh, that table is actually really cute! It makes me want to find space for it in the living room instead of the "dining area" to double as a crafting table... (I could do that in the dining area too, just thinking about the better vibes being closer to the window.)

    2 votes

  18. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Not sure how that would work with the bed - it's one of those heavy frames that sit flat on the floor and don't have convenient legs to place coasters on (also if I'm looking at the separate...

    Not sure how that would work with the bed - it's one of those heavy frames that sit flat on the floor and don't have convenient legs to place coasters on (also if I'm looking at the separate package weights of the bed from Ikea's website we're looking at at least 200 pounds... I'm 4'10" and 90 lbs). Could work for the desk, though I might just pay for lunch for some friends to help move it around!

    For example, I have a small-ish living room and my wife and I bought a huge sectional. On paper it would fit without any issue. In reality it took up half of the living room and made navigating it difficult at times.

    I'm hoping that me spending the next month on measurements will help avoid this... I did the same (adding maybe 2 inches to everything for wiggle room) before I moved into my current apartment where I have the daybed and both desks in one bedroom.

    I guess this would be one way of it feeling less cramped? Link Or option 2

    1 vote

  19. Comment on Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout! in ~life.home_improvement

    Aran
    Link Parent
    I'll take advice if you have it! In fact this was how I did it when my previous job first went full WFH in 2020. The problem I ran into was that I am absolutely one of those...

    I'll take advice if you have it! In fact this was how I did it when my previous job first went full WFH in 2020. The problem I ran into was that I am absolutely one of those "not-disciplined-enough-for-WFH" folks... It was too easy for me to just be playing something casually on the side while "working" and I didn't look very deeply for solutions.

    3 votes

  20. Help with 1bed, WFH apartment layout!

    ~life.home_improvement Ask (advice)
    Imgur album of what I'm thinking, apartment-provided floor plans that aren't 100% accurate. Kitchen and bathroom dimensions are not accurate, I just put them there as a reference for walkways and...

    Imgur album of what I'm thinking, apartment-provided floor plans that aren't 100% accurate. Kitchen and bathroom dimensions are not accurate, I just put them there as a reference for walkways and such. The patio is on the north side of the living room and opens from the right side.

    Okay! So since the last time I posted asking for advice about housing options (thank you all who read or contributed to it), a few factors have come up with the housemate option that made it a bit less appealing. Is it so unappealing that 1k extra in savings isn't worth it? Probably not... but I actually really liked this apartment unit even if it still lacks things like the in-unit laundry and have been approved for it.

    I have to hire movers. There are two items that I physically cannot move on my own once they are plopped down by the movers: the Ikea Hemnes daybed (twin size bed that can expand to full size) and the larger standing desk with my gaming PC setup. I can probably shimmy the desk around if nothing is on it, but that daybed is... not moving. Because of this I'd really like to work on laying out my potential future apartment with those two items in mind.

    Some personal preference notes:

    • I would like the living room to feel at least a bit cozy even if I don't expect guests regularly at all. I will not be obtaining a couch/sofa because I'd need one that I can actually sit on, but that is pretty far out of my preferred budget at this time - like I'd rather get two Ikea Poangs instead of one cheap sofa that will hurt my back to sit on.
    • Avoiding certain things within reason - no backs to windows while seated at a computer desk, prefer no back towards entryway. I realize my tentative layout plan absolutely has my back towards entryways but I'm struggling to find a layout that really ticks all boxes
    • I can buy new furniture! Not immediately because I mentioned money being an anxiety-inducer of mine even if I'm doing comparatively well. But I'm not really sold on needing a big TV. If I want to watch a show while working on some arts and crafts, I do it on the iPad or 16in portable monitor.

    I've considered:

    • Two desks in living room, bedroom only for sleeping. I'm not against it, but with just a twin bed and maybe a bookshelf or two, I don't know what I'd even put in here... I've never had an entire bedroom dedicated to just sleeping, minus the several months prior to the breakup :')

    • One desk in living room, another in bedroom. Probably gaming desk in the living room. I don't like my options for the bedroom because of the bathroom placement and closet doors along the west wall that make it difficult to place anything on that side. I don't enjoy the work desk having my back to the entrance, but those closet doors don't really allow me to put the desk anywhere that doesn't have my back to it in some way.

    Any and all thoughts appreciated, whether it's on the two desks in living room vs. 1/1 split setup, or a layout of a specific room!

    19 votes