RoryQ

Leg day today, but with a focus on volume and short rests. 20 rep sets of goblet squats... Also ... split squats, Single leg Rdls, generally made myself likely to wobble going down stairs tomorrow. Been doing 10 minute blocks with the prowler three times a week, mainly after workouts. Then one day a week hitting it hard by itself, with mixed protocols... Adding in some carries and sled drags.

Lemon curd baked cheesecake & French 75s...

Took the woman several hours slaving away, but she did well... Scallops, black pudding and cauliflower purée. Beef Wellington, greens and red wine / mushroom jus. There were more pictures but this vintage port is going down too easily and I'm losing control of my arms.

I've actually never read any China Mieville... I used to be put off by urban fantasy but of late I've been reading lots of Neil Gaiman and others, so maybe it's time for Mieville. 'The Name of the Wind' is on my list, I remember it generated a lot of buzz a few years ago. At the same time Joe Abercrombie's 'The Blade Itself' was just out and it seemed like a really exciting time for new, grittier fantasy. I recently read Richard K Morgan's 'The Steel Remains', and I guess that would fit in alongside them. Right now I'm reading a paranormal police procedural set in London... Book 2 of three in the series so far: 'Moon over Soho' by Ben Aaranovitch. Much of it is set around Soho and there are lots of real bars and restaurants that are featured. Frith St (the actual street, not the tattoo shop) has cropped up a couple of times so far. Next I think I might try 'The Terror' but I have a backlog that includes Iain M. Banks' 'Excession' (had it for years, never got beyond chapter 1) and an old second hand copy of Eric Frank Russell's 'Wasp' (been meaning to re-read it, great adventure story).

I worked on Christmas eve, then high-tailed it 4hrs up into the hills to my mother's house. Ate my bodyweight in turkey and trifle over the course of the few days. Saw some people I grew up with, then it was pretty much straight back up on the 27th back to work and to pick up my fiancée from the airport (she flew back to Glasgow for Christmas with her parents). Tonight we're having a big dinner together at home. Scallops to start, beef Wellington main and baked cheesecake for desert. Got some matched wines picked out. Got a really nice bottle of vintage port for afterwards. Got this classic 1952 model Baccarat whiskey tumbler, thought it was pretty cool... Seriously weighty. Hope you guys all had a good few days. ...P.S Oh yeah, and this from my siblings- finally making themselves useful!

Ah, I get to horse steak and eggs into me even if I'm cutting carbs. Must be hard if you're vegetarian...!

Anyone care to chime in on notable traditional-style artists working in Stockholm? Visiting next year a couple of times.

I think diet is the key in that respect. I'm not hugely qualified to talk about this, but for me what used to see dramatic results was limiting my carbs for a couple of weeks - to under 150g a day. I feel like nowadays maybe it's not that simple anymore, maybe I need to work a little harder on top of that (hence the prowler). Plus I like beer too much.

Using prowler sprints to get my bodyfat % down a little. Puke-tastic stuff, nothing like them.

Yona Yona Ale from Japan... Hoppy enough to rise past the spice of the chilli I'm cooking.

Yeah, I know a few have opened accounts but my guess is a lot are on the fence for the moment...

I hope we don't see scenario where we have everyone exiting instagram to ten different alternative apps... Backspace etc. could get complicated!

Poor little kid!

@eisen777 , I think one of the earliest Conan short stories (The Phoenix and the Sword from 1932) actually deals with Conan as King, late in his life. There's an attempt on his iife and basically he ends up chopping a whole conspiracy's worth of assassins into dog-meat in his chambers ('Rush in and die dogs - I was a man before I was a king!'). It'd be cool if this is in that vein - a gnarly old badass Conan a little like Batman from 'The Dark Knight Returns'. Saw 'The Hobbit' today. Crucially I went to a 2D showing... I can't imagine watching 3D for nearly three hours - recipe for a headache. Also, when you've got a lot happening on screen, in semi-dark and with special effects, things are hard enough to follow at the best of times. When I watch an action movie in 3D I feel like I'm going blind, everything is a blur. As for the movie itself, I've got to admit I found it really enjoyable. If you go into it bearing in mind that 'The Hobbit' was a kid's novel, whereas 'The Lord of the Rings' was aimed at adults after the first few thousand pages, you can't exactly feel annoyed at the fact that this doesn't have the heavyweight themes and sheer scope of the first three movies. Basically, this is an adventure story. Great action scenes, likeable characters, a surprisingly successful injection of humour... What's not to like? To be honest I was worried that the dwarf characters would just be toilet-humour Jar Jar Binks type figures. Actually I think they worked pretty well - particularly Thorin and (I think) Balin. Not sure how they're going to squeeze out another 6 hours of movie out of this, but I'm looking forward to the rest, either way.

Bought Dan Simmons' 'The Terror' today. This came out in 2007 and I've been meaning to get around to reading it since then. I love Simmons' science fiction, but this homage to Melville appeals to me as the kind of book you'd want to read in the winter months, with a glass of scotch in hand and the elements hammering on the windows. It's set in the mid 19th century, and deals with the fate of two arctic expeditionary ships, the Erebus and the Terror, which run into trouble. Clearly I've not read it yet, but I gather that, in addition to dealing with a spot of bad weather, crew members start turning up torn in half / chewed up by something out in the blizzard... Bought it in a secondhand bookshop, I like supporting them when I can. They had what appeared to be a completely-new but nonetheless secondhand-priced set of Barry Eisler's 'John Rain' books. They're not unlike Lee Child's 'Jack Reacher' series, which my girlfriend loves, so I snapped them up as an extra Christmas present for her. Also got my older brother Joe Sacco's graphic novel 'Journalism'. Right now I'd still reading Ben Aaranovich's London supernatural thriller 'Moon over Soho', the sequel to 'Rivers of London'. Essentially, it's about a small department in the London Met which is responsible for policing the supernatural in the city. Sounds a bit naff, but I assure you it's both an accurate portrayal of what it's like to be a copper and a well-observed snapshot of London living.

I don't think many of us die mid-tattoo. That said, strangely not so helpful an idea when someone is drilling your ribs.

There's a lot of good cask ale pubs in London, if that's your taste. Really good boozers galore. Food-wise I would try to eat steak at one of the Hawksmoor restaurants... There's one not too far from Frith St. Try a Tobacco Old Fashioned while you're there. It's probably touristy, but I liked riding a boat out to Greenwich and seeing the Cutty Sark. Can't go wrong with London, lots to do.

I think we all make compromises, to varying degrees, in order to survive. Sometimes it's simply an economic reality that your rent / mortgage / food bills must be met. Idealism becomes an unaffordable luxury. At other times, in certain jobs and situations there simply may be no clear 'right' course of action, it may be an ambiguous scenario. We're adults here and I guess we all understand these imperatives. That said, occasional compromises or acknowledging we live in a world of grey areas in some respects is different from actively working for the forces of darkness. I've met some criminal law solicitors (not all, just some) and genuinely wondered how they slept, for example- I couldn't do their job and stay sane... Engineering the acquittal of people they know were guilty. Someone else might feel a similar contempt for my profession. That said, what do I know:- My moral compass derives almost solely from Star Trek: The Next Generation. I always think to myself: "would Captain Picard approve of what I am about to do?".

Got tattooed right around my crotch for the front piece that's in progress. Oddly it still wasn't as bad as the centre of the chest / sternum. Was holding my breath during that...

Ooh, trouble in paradise!!

Welcome Niels, I was tattooed quite a bit by Mo (at The Family Business) in the past but haven't been to him in a few years now... Booked in for 2013 again though.

My front has been healing since the weekend. Mostly outline, all over, some shading. While it sucked to get done I am pleasantly surprised that it has been ok-feeling since then... None of the shivers and whatnot I got with my back. That said, I had to shave my chest to get it done and a few hairs have gron back and seem to have kind of ingrown- some red pimples if that makes sense. Assuming they'll sort themselves out?

Yep, Heinlein said it best:-

@Jack That's a good point. The funny thing about what used to be a more outsider thing is that it can take making a good living to afford large coverage, especially by good artists and if travelling is involved. It might be that the people best placed to manage things like great bodysuits are people working for 'the man'.

It's a namanari, snake and flowers.