In Review

Now at week's end, it has been a busy breadth of baking & bodybuilding. There was also a weigh-in thrown in the mix! I conjured 5 loaves of bread:

• 2 wheat (one was an assortment of shapes)
• 1 all-purpose
• 1 wheat / all-purpose combo
• 1 bread flour

I even made 1 bread pudding because I had yet to scale back my yeast and water from 1 ½ tsp / cup down to 1.

And then there was the whole resistance training, though lately, while more intense than weeks prior, the 9th week has seemed more of a supplement to my life as opposed to a training focus.

Honestly, I prefer woodworking to bodyworking.

Back Around Thanksgiving '22...

It is Day 215 of Carnivore. It has been three days since I hiked past the 1/3 distance milemarker of my last Carnivore adventure. The length highlights how epic that last run was and disheartening that heavy whipping cream led to my ultimate downfall.

Something about that statement amuses me.

I was delightfully appalled by this video by Dr. Berry:

YouTube Link

I mean, yeah, he's right—it makes sense: hot dogs are more healthy than that boxed stuff in the middle of the store. Why my initial reaction then? It is a couple of things 1) a failure to overcome my programming by doctors and bureaucratic entities; 2) I am just so sugar-averse.

That said, a menu of ground beef and eggs is a superior solution. But, if I go with the low end of hot dogs:

• Requires 3 packs
• Nets 3 tablespoons of sugar
• Hits 72 g of protein and 216 grams of fat
• Under $4

...I might as well sign up for a hot dog eating contest along the way!

Now that the prices of eggs have fallen, for under $2, I could buy myself a day's worth of protein for a teaspoon and a half of sugar. Add 12-13 tbsps of butter and there's the fat I need at a price point below the above option.

Like most things, folks saying it is too expensive are really just looking for a ripcord out. They'll gladly buy that $5 bag of potato chips.

YouTube Link

Prologue

I shake off the vestiges of slumber and hurry down the hallway. I scowl at my watch; I slept in to 3 AM's alarm. Time runs through my fingers and down my arms.

Scene 1

Applying my electric kettle, I boil water, adding it and 12 tbsps of butter to my Vitamix. While blending at a quarter speed in stealth, I add the refrigerated ~20 oz of coffee I had brewed the night prior. I pour that atop a half-iced Yeti. He growls in acquiescence.

Instantly, I take a big swig from the stein and feel the rush to my veins.

Scene 2

I set my phone to run through Matthew Colville's Running the Game. I find his discussion of adding politics to Dungeons & Dragons to be thought-provoking. I like his drawing of comparisons between the Civil War, the Cold War and the original Battlestar Galactica.

• Politics 101: The Central Tension (27:55)
• The Politics of Peace (23:29)
• High Level NPCs, Followers and DMPCs (29:34)
• Sandboxing! (28:40)
• Using 4E to Make 5E Combat More Fun (38m of 58:43)

Scene 3

Now that I have got my brew at hand and my lectures for the morning, I run through my morning campaign—things like clearing the dishwasher so that I can clean as I go with my baking; or another: run a load of clothes so that I can use the warm surface of the clothes dryer to incubate the dough.

I engage in encounters that are bread-centric...well, there is that crockpot of beans that is to be seasoned and then unplugged to coast to the finish line.

It is only a minor setback. I return to the focus of forming bread.

Scene 4

It is nearly 4 AM. I have a moment to lift in the garage. Training in a furystorm, I feel rushed; I do not have enough time. I cannot finish my new resistance routine. After 3 supersets, my timer pops up.

I have to return to crafting bread.

I chuckle as I consider that I have never seen that play out at the gym. "Must be the carbs!"

Scene 5

After forming the loaf, I re-emerge in the garage to commence my traning. But, I fail to finish that last superset.

I am all Bruce Banner: I cannot get keyed up again to power through my routine as The Hulk.

I feel weak from the prior thirty sets to finish these final, ten dumbbell sets. I must shelve this incline bench with its Arnold press mate, a combination that is accented by crunches.

Scene 6

I checkmark the daily task of kicking off the pool filter before sunrise. I return inside and build my carnivore meal for the day, another day toward something I cannot see.

The oven timer rings out.

It's funny how life turns out
The odds of faith in the face of doubt
Camera One closes in
The soundtrack starts
The scene begins

You're playing you now

-Josh Jopin, Camera One

Well, I tried. Last night, I drifted off to dreams around 8:30 PM. I woke up from my slumber...it was 12:30 AM. I tried to go back to sleep. Again, I was faced with the prior night's dilemma: waste hours in bed or get crackin'. Early bird gets the worm, right?

That said, I listened to more dungeon master how-to's as I cast Conjure Bread and leveled up my Strength attribute.

For Future Me to recall, I thought I'd capture my current approach to breadmaking:

The Recipe for the Bread I Made Today

Phase: I. Arise My Minions!

1. 1 cup of The Bathtub Water
2. 1 teaspoon of The Yeast
3. 1-2 teaspoons of The Sugar

Phase II: "Autobots, Transform and Roll Out!"

1. Ploppin' in The Flour, whisky-to-spoonie
2. Add 1-2 teaspoons of The Salt
3. Add 1-2 tablespoons of The Unsalted Butter
4. ...And I Knead You Now
5. Butter Up Bowl, Swirl and Plop.

Phase III: Lift Weights

1. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away...for 45 Minutes.
2. Butter up the pan, shape and..."Encore, encore!"
3. Wash it with The Egg if you so desire.
4. Throw it in The Furnace at 350℉ for 35-40 minutes.
5. Cover up in a towel!

My "Feeling Cute, Might Delete Later" Workout Schema

In fulfilling Phase III of the above, I decided to run through my new, trimmed-down workout routine again. I don't have Wednesdays (maybe Saturdays) figured out yet, but I feel good about what I have hammered out.

Everything is 5x15 with the exception of Shrugs (5x30) and crunches for a minute each set

Mondays & Thursdays: Pull

Tuesdays & Fridays: Push