the animal's journal

Where are you and where are you going?
theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

Fitness has been a really big part of my life the past 3 years. I've exercised regularly (5-6 days a week) for over a decade now but it took on a greater importance when I lived in the Arctic and had a lot of time on my hands. There's almost no words to describe the amount of pleasure I have in building a system (my body) that can do whatever I challenge it with. Stuff that makes almost all other people sore has no effect on me and I can do whatever I want without worrying if I'm physically ready for it or have to plan in advance. The mental hardness that comes from doing hard things and constantly conditioning is also a major component. Both in improving my day to day attitude/mood and when it comes to dealing with situations that have a lot of variables. And getting a feeling of winning something for the day certainly doesn't hurt matters.

Recently, I've been really into the Keith Weber's kettlebell training program and incorporating that into other things I do. Challenges are nice too in the fact that it enforces discipline and keeps things fresh. I had a hard time last year with maintaining the level of fitness I wanted to while working in the field. This year is completely different. Mainly due to doing more work with kettlebells. However, I also challenged myself to do 100 burpees (actual w/ push up) every day for the entirety of the field season (I think I started a week and a half late). I haven't been perfect so far, missing 7 days out of the past 51, meaning I've done 4500 burpees over the past ~7 weeks. I have exactly one month and ideally 3000 burpees to go... Another thing my roommate and I have done is institute a toll for every time we enter/leave our living quarters (RV). The toll is 5 pull ups. This is more recent but has resulted in at least an additional ~40-50 pull ups a day. All in all, I'm fairly pleased with my fitness levels this summer, they are not ideal, but far from poor or lacking.

If anyone has any suggestions for challenges or anything of the sort please do not hesitate to reply! Always interested in trying something new.

FBeyer
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by FBeyer »

With a fitness record like that, I am hesitant to suggest anything at all.
The first thing that always comes to mind is The Secret Service Snatch Test.
200 kettlebell snatches, for time, with a 24kg, 10 minutes. But you are probably waaaaay beyond that at this point in time :D

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C40
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by C40 »

theanimal wrote:
Wed Jul 17, 2019 6:20 pm
.....My nagging feeling is that I'm not taking enough action.
That's probably right.

For some folks, relationships just happen. You see some cute girl at the grocery store smile at you.... You meet a friend of a friend and... and so on. For some, like me, that happens infrequently. Even if you're the kind of person where that does happen sometimes, it's basically not going to happen in Alaska. (I just looked up the female:male ratio and it's not as crazy as I expected - 100:~109. Thought it was much wider. Anyway, if it's not happening, it's not happening)

For other folks - most folks - especially now that so many fewer people are matching up through the old normal ways (through friends, family, being neighbors, et - see this chart. I bought some MTCH stock recently in large part because I saw this, and it went up like 20% already) - you have to actively work for/pursue relationships

Talk with your friends about what they have actually done to get partners. When folks say "it just happened", ask them more specific questions about
the partners they've met that way, about their behavior in public, about how they talk with strangers and new friends, etc. Also focus on the answers from those who made specific and focused efforts in order to get partners.

For me personally, my ratio of first dates to first dates that spawned a serious romantic relationship is probably somewhere over 50:1. And that's women that I actually go out with, not all the cute ones at the grocery store and so on.

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C40
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by C40 »

funny that I linked the same chart as Ego...

A girl I dated last week is moving to Thailand this fall, and that got me wondering about going there myself (not in order to spend time with the girl, that's just where the thought came from). I'm thinking it'd be cool to go there for a while before I buy a house in the U.S. and settle down more permanently. I'm not sure if it matches up well enough with my desires for certain projects/hobbies and for establishing my own domain/home. But if I'm going to go at some point, it feels like now is the time. If somehow we both end up going, we could be ERE Thailand bros.

If you're really serious about finding "the one" to have forever, I wouldn't recommend searching among foreigners. If your goal is to bring back a woman to marry and if you'd feel it a failure if that doesn't go well, it mostly likely won't be worth it.

Going to Asia would be good and easy practice in meeting women, dating, starting relationships, etc. Maybe do go if you feel like a change of scenery, like for sure having one or a few girlfriends, like living in a hot and humid place, and so on...

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

FBeyer wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:28 pm
... The Secret Service Snatch Test.
200 kettlebell snatches, for time, with a 24kg, 10 minutes. But you are probably waaaaay beyond that at this point in time :D
Thanks! That's great. I did it this morning with my 16kg, when I get home I'll have to try it with my 27 kg. I'm feeling a bit uncertain about my chances with the higher weight.. We'll see.

bigato wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:03 pm
I'd have some challenges, but they would involve going beyond this current paradigm which you seem to have mastered pretty well. Likely requiring other skilled people which may not be so easily found around there. For example: can you, relying on strength and fitness alone, take a judo practitioner to the ground? Get someone who has at least one or two years of practice. Can you stay on your feet with them on the tatami for 5 minutes, resisting their attempts?
This is a major weakness of mine and has been nagging at me for a while. I'm planning on starting BJJ next month.


C40 wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 5:06 pm

For some folks, relationships just happen.
Yeah that happens infrequently to me as well. In the past I've had to put in work to build any relationships and Alaska puts me at a disadvantage for doing that. The ratio increases the farther north you go. For the area I'm at it's 118 M- 100 F. The dating apps don't offer much up here due to all the competition. Women have their pick of the best and receive magnitudes more messages. There isn't much of a public nightlife here either. The culture here tends towards private gatherings/potlucks at homes and outdoor activities. So ya, low supply and high demand. Price is through the roof.

I have one friend who was in my situation not too long ago. He was single and struggling to find someone up here. He felt so lonely up here that there were a few nights he'd break down crying as he was washing his dishes. He's now very happily engaged to one of my other good friends. He empathizes with me and is constantly trying to help out whether its suggesting things to do or just telling me to come over anytime I want. I guess we haven't talked about specifics. I recall most of his advice being just to continue putting myself out there.

I agree with what you've said about finding someone long term in Thailand. It seems like there are too many hoops to jump through if you find "the one" there. That said, it would be an interesting place to explore a completely opposite dynamic and have a great opportunity to practice building relationship skills. I'm still on the fence about it. Let me know if you decide to go. I'm all for starting an ERE Thai bro gang.

frihet
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by frihet »

theanimal wrote:
Wed Aug 07, 2019 10:32 pm
If anyone has any suggestions for challenges or anything of the sort please do not hesitate to reply! Always interested in trying something new.
This won’t help with the lack of women obviously but it has a chance of putting out another vibe around them. A vibe that hopefully takes you out of the friend zone.

I’m sorry if this suggestions sounds woo woo or is out of order. I posted it to TopHatFox once and he thought it was black magic. But as you like physical challenges maybe this practice actually would be a good fit for you.

The word power was mentioned in the thread somewhere, yes power is sexy, but there is more power in this world than the worldly one. How about cultivating your sexual spiritual power?

Living in Alaska I’m sure you have heard about The Wim Hof method? His method is good but somewhat watered down to be safer for the mass market. What he leaves out is something as simple as ”bandha” yogic muscular locks.

Everything is written out clearly in this manual. But be careful I have trouble practicing this method myself as I get heart burn something the text warns about. So be careful and don’t bring too much of the male achieving ego into the practice.

http://alayapragmatica.blogspot.com/201 ... tummo.html

Another simple technique is the the yogic meditation posture called “siddhasana” the seat of the perfected one...you simply sit with your heal in your perineum. Works best if you are also mindful about how often you ejaculate. Don’t be completely celibate but let the energy build between every emptying out. Try to make the energy go upwards instead and ooze out of every pore of your body.

https://www.aypsite.org/75.html

Or just go to Thailand. The simplest option ;)

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Ego
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Ego »

.... which reminds me. Pass Thailand and go directly to Ubud. A while ago I posted the results of a count I did while standing in front of a store in Ubud waiting for Mrs. Ego. I can't seem to find it. I counted western men vs western women passing on the sidewalk. The numbers were so skewed I was shocked. Way more women than men. Keep in mind that many are there practicing yoga at The Yoga Barn so you are sure to meet a lot of characters. I bought a monthly membership at one of the gyms and there was a good number of strong women hogging the squat rack and the ergs so I'm sure you will do well.

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C40
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by C40 »

Bali looks nice, and it seems to be 'Land of the fit yoga ladies focused on self-actualization' (or... in the middle of a mid-life crisis).

But, from what I can tell so far, visa considerations are more limiting than Thailand. One can basically stay for 60 days without leaving by getting a 30-day and then renewing for another 30. It seems possible to get a 60-day, which can be renewed something like 1-3 times (for 30 days each). From what I can tell, getting a 60-day is unlikely(?). Being on an island, the whole 'cross the border and come right back to get another 30-day visa' thing seems much less do-able there to me. (?? - I'm not so sure about this as I've only spent a bit of time just now reading about it)

Personally, I'd like to be able to live in one place for 6 months or more. Is Bali a decent options for that? Other places?

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Ego
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Ego »

@C40, yeah that's about it. You can get the 60 day Indonesian visa in Bangkok and renew it a few times (up to 6 months) using an agent in Bali. Even with an agent the renewal process is a bit of a pain in the ass the first time but is easier after that. The flights between Bangkok and Denpasar (Bali) are really cheap so you can try both and stay longer in the one you like.

frihet
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by frihet »

@Ego interesting am seeing a middle age shakti queen of a yoga teacher right now, the best .....ever, amazing amounts of bliss are being generated between us and guess where she will be going this winter for teacher’s training, of course Bali.

If I may ask what kind of budget did you have in Bali?

@C40 India gives 6months visas, not good for hooking up with local ladies. But if your into the hippie crowd and adventures backpackers, or dope smoking Israelis, there are plenty at the right places. It’s also more of a continent than a country with diversity mountain’s djungle and beaches. Of course it also quite chaotic and dirty and crowded so it’s not for everyone. But there is defiantly possible to find beautiful more quite places and it is cheap.

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C40
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by C40 »

Thanks guys. I might start a new thread about this (or find/resurrect one) - to ask questions of those who have good knowledge to share on Asia..

Colibri
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by Colibri »

My 2 cents here on the GF challenge.

I live in the north as well, Yukon Territory. I live in the city with 30 000 other people so there is plenty of men here. But my romantic life has not been what I was hoping for. I had an interesting conversation with my ex-BF, the guy I was dating this winter that ended up being my bf for about 2 months before I broke up realizing that he is a functional alchoolic with unresolved childhood trauma. We were discussing about the dating pool here and I made some comments about the fact that a lot of women ( and men too !) are actually moving north in search of more personal freedom and a lot of them tend to fall in love with the place as well. There is a lot of misfits in the north because here you can be who you want to be with no judgments. So when your heart is already taken by the place where you live and your mind is hungry for freedom, it is harder to make room for something else as big as a fulfilling romantic relationship. That is how I felt for many years and since hitting the 30 years old mark I am slowly (or maybe quickly) starting to crave something else, something that will fulfill me differently than the magestic mountains. I wonder if people in your social circle just don't see the point to settle down ? I know quite a few here.

Let me know if you are ever driving down the Alcan highway to the big horse.

7Wannabe5
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

There's almost no words to describe the amount of pleasure I have in building a system (my body) that can do whatever I challenge it with.
Something I have been thinking about lately. Your body is de facto a system or else you are dead. So, what is going on when you (the system) is building or changing you (the system?*) I understand that you meant something more like "major muscles" by "body", but how is this process different from, for example, trying to achieve the ability to fluently read mathematical equations or effortlessly flirt with representatives of the opposite gender? It seems to me that these are all achieved through similar process, but there is not necessarily enough time in the day to practice, or even maintain competence, in all skills you may wish for the system which is you/your body to fluidly move between.

For example, in the book "The Overstory" which you recommended (so I assume you read), and I am currently reading, the character Neelay Mehta focuses solely on coding and only does the bare minimum to keep his body alive in order to continue coding. OTOH, in another new and recommended novel, "Lake Success" , the finance bro protagonist was a devoted nerd as a child, but in early adolescence made great, overt effort to practice his "friendship moves" and therefore ended up as great success in world of sales rather than quant work. It seems to me that Alaska might be too difficult an environment in which to practice new skills, but Thailand might be too easy. I offer this opinion based on the experience of twice being in long-term relationship with a man after his King-of-the-Global-Dating-Matrix phase.



*engaging in cognition with the environment

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

@frihet- I've looked into Wim Hof's method before but haven't ever made any serious attempts at the practice. I'll look through your links. Thanks!

@ego- I remember you posting something similar as well. It was one of the first things I thought of when slowtraveler suggested going to Thailand. I can't seem to find it either, but I did find this:
Ego wrote:
Thu Jul 30, 2015 9:02 pm
... Here in Bali I find myself tripping over people who are posing in radiant bliss. I want to punch them in the face. How so very compassionate of me.
:lol:

Bali looks very interesting.

@Colibri- It sounds like we have opposite dynamics. Here everyone seems to be in a relationship and in the process of settling down with very few actively pursuing you describe. That's interesting as I imagine the places aren't that different in terms of the types of people. Will let you know if I'm ever heading through!

@7wb5- If I understand what you're saying, you are suggesting that it may be better to find something in the middle? Something that offers practice, but not enough ease to make that practice unnecessary?

7Wannabe5
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Actually, on second thought, I am going to back-off of what I suggested above. Correct me if I am wrong, but the problem in your current locale isn't that there aren't any attractive women, but rather that the only attractive women are already "taken." You may wish to seek confirmation from other members of blue-haired matron guild, but in my estimation and experience, if he isn't her husband or her live-in baby-daddy or one of your best friends, then it's fair game for you to throw your hat in the ring, because either she wants commitment or she doesn't, so either she doesn't have what she wants yet or she's choosing to remain open to other possibilities. So, it comes down to more difficult version of the same skill set you have to obtain and keep sharpened, even within the context of another-Saturday-night-in-long-term-committed-relationship which is active pursuit. Based on what slowtraveler has written about his adventures in Thailand, it seems like the skill set needed in that locale would be more like filtering females who are pursuing you. I suppose it would likely also offer more straight-up practice of in-the-sack skills, but once some girl is chasing you down the street on a mini-bike, she's likely going to be 9/10 there already.

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

Forestry work is coming to a close. One more week and I'm done for the season. The last few weeks have been really enjoyable with great weather and lots of work in the mountains. I don't have definite plans for the winter yet. It appears I'm getting a promotion (including pay raise) with the insurance gig. That makes it all the more attractive option as I can work as much as I please and head out on some trips I'd like to do.

On my last break, a friend and I went sheep hunting in Wrangell-St. Elias N.P. We didn't have any luck with the sheep but had a great time nonetheless. That area is where I had my NOLS course and it was great to be back travelling through that country. It is really beautiful. I experimented with a little filming on this trip and made a little movie. If you're interested in watching, here's the link:https://youtu.be/r1Un4Lb39IU

Otherwise I'm really looking forward to September! I have a moose hunt in a couple weeks and will be set net fishing on the Yukon not long after that. I do have a couple hiking/packrafting trips I'm looking to go on as well so its shaping up for a fun month.

Hope everyone is enjoying the end of summer/early fall!

Image

Image

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2Birds1Stone
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by 2Birds1Stone »

Your pictures are always breathtaking. Which mountain range is the second one?

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

2Birds1Stone wrote:
Fri Aug 30, 2019 4:12 pm
Your pictures are always breathtaking. Which mountain range is the second one?
Thanks, the landscape does most of the work :) . That's the Wrangells.

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

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Well moose hunting didn't go as I would have hoped. My partner bailed on our original plan and I had to scramble last minute to work something out by myself before the season ended. I didn't spend much time out. However, after becoming frustrated with what I thought was a poor choice in area on the first day, I caught a glimpse of a bull just before descending a hill. He was about 600 yds away with a stream and plenty of brush between us. He responded well to the call and came closer quite quickly, halving the distance within 10 minutes. He was in an open area but too far for me to shoot. I made the decision to descend and try to call him from below. I never saw him again. In hindsight, I acted too rashly and should have descended first, getting myself into a better position (there was one) to where I could take a shot before calling. That all happened on day one. I didn't see any other moose. Oh well. There is a winter hunt opening up in a couple of weeks and I'm going to try my hand at that with a couple of friends. There is also a caribou hunt a week after. So odds are somewhat favorable that my freezer will see some fresh meat soon.

I've been set net fishing on the Yukon River and have had great success. This is far easier than dip netting (what I do to catch the salmon discussed in my previous posts) and involves 3.5 hrs less travel time than the Copper River (one way!). There is no limit here since it's a subsistence fishery. I went with friends for the day a week ago and caught 11. A mix of salmon, whitefish and pike. I went again yesterday and spent the night. This time I caught 49!! Mostly salmon, but also whitefish, pike and burbot. I conservatively estimate that my total catch (of the 49) is 140 lbs. The permit is free and the cost is essentially just gas and depreciation of the net. Well under $0.50/lb. Some friends want to go back and I may get some more at no additional cost (I'm the only one with a net). Almost nobody here does this! It's insane, I feel like I've found a real life cheat code. Next year I'm going to go in the summer as well and put out a net for king salmon. If only hunting were this easy...

Piano is going really well! I finally got to the point where playing with two hands is natural again and am making steady progression. I've been playing everyday when I'm home for 45 min-1 hr. My parents made all my siblings and I play the piano and I ended up playing for 7 years. I really enjoy it a lot now and am happy to have this keyboard from my friend. She's letting me keep it at least through the winter, maybe longer. It's really easy to pick it back up with all the tutorials online. If YouTube was around when I was younger I think there was a good chance I would've stuck with it instead of quitting.

I joined a Salsa class! It's been a lot of fun so far. I don't have much to say on that. Maybe eventually we can have Dancing with the Stars:ERE. I'll have to practice a lot more before that, I wouldn't want to get too embarrassed by @FBeyer.

The pay raise happened and I'm now making $25/hr. The work is more stimulating and engaging than what I was doing previously. A lot more time in excel and playing with data. Still working from home on my own schedule so I'm going to leave it at that.

While I had my net out I started to reread the ERE book again. It's been at least a couple years now since I last read it. Far too long for me. I find reading the book really recenters my beliefs and gets my actions back on track. It is my version of a cleanse. No lentils though... I have become softer living in the urban environment. My mom has poked fun at me and thrown some barbs a couple times this year. The first was when I bought a mattress and the second was when she found I have a 2nd monitor for my laptop. "You lived in a 12 x 12 cabin with no phone and no internet. You are getting sofffft!" She says it in jest but I know it to be true. I still do plenty of things that I and others deem challenging and hard. Yet, I've found myself slipping with regards to problem solving. Back sliding into purchasing solutions instead of solving them more than I should. "Oh I can just work extra to pay for it." No more!

My biggest expense far and away is housing. It's slightly more than half my monthly expenses. I've thought a lot over the past few years about alternative options. This area is VERY favorable to alternative forms of housing but many of them are impracticable due to the nature of the area, mainly the cold. Things like RV, van, yurt/tent living go out the window. Yurt could be done (and is by some here) but I think it's kind of stupid as it just means you are cutting a ton of wood. There is plenty of raw/slightly improved land to build a cabin on up here but at current costs I don't think it would drop my housing costs as significantly as I'd like. I've been toying with the tiny house idea. I have friends who have told me I can build a cabin on their land so location is secured. We'll see.

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

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I've been offered a timber cruising job in off the coast in northern California. I haven't given an answer yet. I'm somewhat on the fence but leaning towards no. I would be working on my own and responsible for my own living situation. If I did it, I would just camp and base myself out of the car. The project continues through Aug 2021 but the work is only done over the winters. It would be a few months commitment. The pros are the job itself (work I enjoy) and the potential to meet new people (although the area is not very populated and I would be working by myself). The cons are not being in AK (very big for me) and being away from friends here. I would be making upwards of $6k+ per month with no per diem. I'm going to take the weekend to think about it before giving my final answer.

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