The Chat Thread

[Ken B]

Ken, why are you doing this to me man?

Huh? I'm confused.

[Jo498]

Yeah, obviously there should be some sort of punishment, but I've wondered before if his case was a bit too much. He lost his job, truck, got thrown in jail (never found out if he was bailed out or what) and is now forever on the list of sexual predators. Anyone can google his name and view his arrest page, but it also lists the schools (including elementary schools) near him, so they make it seem like 7 year olds aren't safe near him, either. All for attempting to meet an imaginary person 4 years underage. And would he have attempted to meet if that imaginary girl weren't flirting with him online?

I certainly do not want to defend child molesters.
But I think there is a difference if police want to break into, say an underage prostitution ring, and use agents provocateurs or if police officers pose as 14 yo in chatrooms just for the chance to entice stupid guys who like young girls but might not have touched any actual underage girl without the "virtual seduction"

I am not sure, but I think even Europe has become more puritanical and the age of protection was raised to 18 (had been 16 until 2008).
But it seems quite complicated, mostly concerns (quasi-)prostitution (and in that case I am in favor of strict laws, prostitution is legal in Germany but of course not for underage) and does not only depend on the age of the offender but mainly if there was some kind of exploitation involved. I am pretty sure that consensual sex with a 16 yo would not have legal consequences (unless teacher-student or similar situations). 14-16 is probably borderline, below 14 is always very bad and will be punished (as it should be).
But I do not think it is plausible that if a 14 yo girl has sex with a boy of the same age everything is fine and dandy but it is a crime if the guy is 19, even if consensual.

[EigenUser]

I don't see any need to apologise for 'bragging'. And while I don't know your age or weight or how long you've been training, those are still fine numbers to be lifting. So well done. And enjoy your rewards.

Thanks! I suppose the reason I really like to report (even on a classical music forum) is because it keeps me motivated and makes me feel like I am held accountable. Partly why I asked for shoes for my birthday -- There's no way in hell that I'm going to get a pair of $90 shoes and stop lifting a few months later just because I get lazy or sick of it.

That's an impressive weight. How big are you? At my peak fitness, about age 29, I could bench press 300, barely. But I am a big guy (6 ft 2).

300lbs must have required a lot of force times distance.

6 ft 4 (need to check weight soon, no scale at home), started about 9 months ago (September 2014). I have long arms which really helps with DLs, but makes bench pressing more challenging for me. You gain some, you lose some ... I hope to be able to do 300+ lbs on the bench press. Honestly, I was shocked that I was able to do 225. I thought I'd fail. I still need to test my 1rm for squats...

I wish I could do anywhere near that weight. Maybe one day, if I ever feel like eating 8000 calories a day to get that sort of strength.
Or maybe you are just a Super Saiyan. 

I did eat a lot, but nowhere near that much! I didn't count too closely but I'd say I would eat over 3000/day. I started improving a lot when I decided to do more sets at heavier weight with fewer reps. That definitely made a big difference. Mentally it helps, too, since you get used to being able to handle more weight than you are used to doing.

And I'm definitely not a Super Saiyan (had to google that one).

[Ken B]

6 ft 4

So tall and yet a Turangalilla fan?  Another beautiful theory slain by an ugly fact!

[ibanezmonster]

I did eat a lot, but nowhere near that much! I didn't count too closely but I'd say I would eat over 3000/day. I started improving a lot when I decided to do more sets at heavier weight with fewer reps. That definitely made a big difference. Mentally it helps, too, since you get used to being able to handle more weight than you are used to doing.

That's not too much- I believe for me it's still around 3500 calories/day, though it's been forever since I counted.
I do about 18-20 reps for most barbell-related stuff. I don't have a dedicated spotter, either, so I don't push myself too much when it comes to benching.

So tall and yet a Turangalilla fan?  Another beautiful theory slain by an ugly fact!

I certainly do not want to defend child molesters.
But I think there is a difference if police want to break into, say an underage prostitution ring, and use agents provocateurs or if police officers pose as 14 yo in chatrooms just for the chance to entice stupid guys who like young girls but might not have touched any actual underage girl without the "virtual seduction"

I just hope it wasn't them just on some chatroom and the officer trying to entice them. This guy that I knew was really nice, but he was also really desperate and frustrated when it came to women and also I heard that he tried to hang himself sometime after his mom died. For a while he was dating a girl we worked with (who was 29 and really cute), though I doubt they did anything considering she seemed like a somewhat serious Christian, and actually, I don't believe he ever did anything with a girl unless it was something between when he was 22-24 that I didn't know about. The whole sting operation initially happened last Valentine's Day, which was the day of his 25th birthday. There was also a 20 year old on the list trying to pick up a 14-year old. That kinda starts to get into territory where it's pointless to arrest somebody IMO. But there were some other cases, too, that where unquestionably horrible.

I almost want to believe he went out of his way to try to pick up a minor, because then nothing about his punishment would seem a little extreme. Maybe he did. Just don't know the details.

[Henk]

Huh? I'm confused.

You said I should stay for fighting the popularity of Liszt.. Now I want to leave this forum, but don't want to let you alone!!

[EigenUser]

My friend and I saw Joe Biden and his family this morning at a supermarket/cafe nearby that I frequent for breakfast. Not surprising, considering it is only a mile or so from where he lives in DE, I think. It was nice to see people just letting him be and not bothering him. It is in a notably high-end neighborhood, anyways, so most people who live there probably think it is no big deal. It was hard not to stare (I tried my best!), but he must be used to it.

I kind of feel bad that really famous people can't spend time alone or with family without the feeling of being watched. In the case of VP (or any high-level politician), though, he surely knew what he was getting in to. Part of the job, I guess.

[PaulR]

I got a job!   

[Ken B]

I got a job!   

Yay! Ann Arbor, or moving?

[Karl Henning]

Huzzah!

[PaulR]

Yay! Ann Arbor, or moving?

Moved back to NY last month. 

It's Sam's club.  Nothing glamorous, but gets me money and some experience.

[Karl Henning]

Speaking as one who worked retail many years, hang in there!

[Ken B]

Speaking as one who worked retail many years, hang in there!

Just be wary of supervisors like John ... 

[Jubal Slate]

[EigenUser]

I've had a busy couple of weeks. Two weeks ago my car started having serious transmission problems. I was still able to drive it, but it made noises and it struggled shifting gears. When I brought it in to the mechanic, he told me that I really should think about looking for a new car. I wasn't too upset because it was a 2001 Subaru Outback (L.L. Bean edition) with 201k miles on it. It served me well and I liked driving it.

I currently live in northern Delaware (where there are all sorts of fun, winding roads through hills and trees) and I decided that a convertible would be fun. So, I ended up with a shiny black 2003 Ford Mustang convertible. It's a blast to drive! I will probably regret it come Winter, but there are plenty of highways that I can take as back-up routes if the side roads get slippery. I got a pretty decent deal on it, too. Only 100k miles, black leather seats, great speakers, in good shape, etc.

I installed a bluetooth audio receiver so I can hook up my phone to play music and take hands-free calls. It took a few tries to get it working properly, but I managed to save money and do it myself. When I first hooked it up I forgot to attach the wires that power the car's subwoofers. Needless to say, it didn't sound great, but I fixed it yesterday and it seem to be working perfectly. I only used electrical tape so I could easily change connections if I got something wrong, so I'll have to take it apart and replace the tape with more-secure wire crimps, but that shouldn't be too difficult now that I know what I'm doing.

[jlaurson]

I've had a busy couple of weeks. Two weeks ago my car started having serious transmission problems. I was still able to drive it, but it made noises and it struggled shifting gears. When I brought it in to the mechanic, he told me that I really should think about looking for a new car. I wasn't too upset because it was a 2001 Subaru Outback (L.L. Bean edition) with 201k miles on it. It served me well and I liked driving it.

I currently live in northern Delaware (where there are all sorts of fun, winding roads through hills and trees) and I decided that a convertible would be fun. So, I ended up with a shiny black 2003 Ford Mustang convertible. It's a blast to drive! I will probably regret it come Winter, but there are plenty of highways that I can take as back-up routes if the side roads get slippery. I got a pretty decent deal on it, too. Only 100k miles, black leather seats, great speakers, in good shape, etc.

I installed a bluetooth audio receiver so I can hook up my phone to play music and take hands-free calls. It took a few tries to get it working properly, but I managed to save money and do it myself. When I first hooked it up I forgot to attach the wires that power the car's subwoofers. Needless to say, it didn't sound great, but I fixed it yesterday and it seem to be working perfectly. I only used electrical tape so I could easily change connections if I got something wrong, so I'll have to take it apart and replace the tape with more-secure wire crimps, but that shouldn't be too difficult now that I know what I'm doing.

But driving in a convertible is so darn loud... doesn't that kind of nix all but the most dynamically flattened music?

[EigenUser]

But driving in a convertible is so darn loud... doesn't that kind of nix all but the most dynamically flattened music?

Hence why much of Turangalila-Symphonie is great car music .

But seriously, I'm kind of used to it since the one main issue with my old car was that the window-seals were poor (not sure if they were worn out or if they were poorly-designed to begin with). So, the Subaru really wasn't any better. I manage.

[Ken B]

More crucifixions http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/07/08/isis-crucifies-dozens-for-breaking-ramadan-fast/

I am drinking tea as I post this.

[ibanezmonster]

This is pretty neat.

http://hsperson.com/test/high-sensation-seeking-test/

In my class, it says high scores with sensation-seeking are related to liking surreal art. Considering I scored high with this and surrealism is my favorite art style, definitely true for me.

[ibanezmonster]

Here's a long post. Mainly about myself, so probably not interesting, but this is what I've been thinking about a lot. Originally was going to post in the Video Game thread, but nah... touches on other stuff, too, so going in the Chat Thread.




Awesome Reddit thread about video games and depression. I can relate to most of the stuff said on this thread.

http://www.reddit.com/r/depression/comments/2xe6vz/video_games_and_depression/



I actually don't want to play video games. You are just investing in a virtual character, not yourself. However, after going through the FF series from summer 2014 to summer 2015, I experienced a year with no notable feelings of depression that lasted more than a day (if that), which had been the first time in as long as I can remember. It was something I had long sought after.

The only way I can explain it is that, by nature, I am a conqueror and an explorer (more technically, extremely goal-oriented and sensation-seeking). Playing those games filled my two greatest psychological needs, I suppose. In everyday life, you go to same place, do the same shit and get nowhere. I just can't do that and feel happy. I like stability, but doing that just makes me depressed after a while. I have to aim for something and get absorbed doing so. (I never thought I could survive on 6 hours of sleep at night, but it actually worked when I was in such a rush to get through the FF11 expansions).

I wish I could just grind through my four main personal (non-career) goals, which  are:

1. working out/bodybuilding- you can only do such so much before you are overtraining. I also find it incredibly boring, and for me, 90% of the work is just eating until I don't feel too good. And still don't gain weight. If the real world were like DBZ, though, I'd probably be benching semis 4 hours a day by now.
2. learning Japanese- I tried "grinding" through the language, but there is never any feeling of progress once you get to a certain level. The problem with memory is that I just forget everything. There's no such thing as a progress bar, so I feel like I'm just wasting my time most of the time.
3. improving lucid dreaming skills- literally takes no time out of my day, so it's irrelevant
4. learning how to draw- Relies too much on memory (like learning a language), but idk, haven't really tried seeing if setting goals works or not...



I've spent sooooooooo much time trying to shape these things into a specific goal that I could grind until I accomplish them, but these goals are just too open-ended to do so. Anime is another thing I thought to fill my time with, but even the longest series can't entertain me for more than a few months (if I ever got into One Piece or Detective Conan), so I'm left to find another to fill the void once it's done.

And did I mention that I can't stand doing two different things? I have to do ONE thing and get completely absorbed in it to the point where I don't want to do anything else. Just something to figure out...