New DX Racer Chair!

I really enjoy my computer gaming, and as a gamer who will sit in gaming sessions for a few hours at a time, I started to notice my arms and shoulders getting more sore and tired over time.  Perhaps it's just me getting old, but I do believe in ergonomics and being as comfortable as possible, especially when you're staying seated for a while.

So one day I was watching another StarCraft player's stream and noticed his chair and an advertisement for a DX Racer chair.  I did some more research and discovered that many StarCraft players use these chairs, and they're used in professional tournaments around the world.  I currently was using a generic executive chair from like Office Depot, so it made more sense that I should get a chair made specifically for gamers.

I ended up purchasing the M-Series OH/MY07/NR, because it was one of the few models that offered adjustable arm rests and the ability to lock the seat in a rocked position.  I also lucked out because while I was patiently researching their chairs and deciding which one to get since I couldn't try them out in person, they changed their website and offered a 10% discount on all chairs.  Since the chair runs for about $450, this saved me $45!

 

So far I am very happy with my purchase.  The chair is very comfortable and the adjustable arm rests make it so that my arms don't feel uncomfortable when resting on the keyboard on my high desk.  I will say that the only con has been that the arm rests aren't as soft as my old ones, but you can easily add padding to it if you wanted it to be softer.  The adjustable arm rests can go in and out, forward and back, and up and down, so there's a lot of flexibility in finding the perfect position.

And as you can see, Duncan approves.  In fact, he loves it so much that if I even get up to go to the bathroom, he'll jack my seat!

January Updates

No main theme for today's post, I simply wanted to update everyone on what's going on in the life of Andy at the moment.

I last blogged about doing the Palineo diet and I stuck with the change for the beginning part of the year.  I don't purchase any pastas/grains when I go to the grocery store and am eating more fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.  I haven't noticed a decrease in weight but it certainly has not gone up either.  We'll continue to keep tabs on my weight as time passes, but for now it's still hovering around 183 lbs.

I'm still doing my usual leagues.  My team won the fall session in pool league and our big money tournament will be in just a couple Saturdays.  We've already qualified for City in the summer, so we'll simply be playing for a chance to win ourselves $1,000.  Along the lines of pool, I'm planning on attending the 8-Ball Southwest Challenge in Las Vegas come March, which is a 3-person per team tournament at the Riviera and can last up to 3 days.

Bowling is reaching the last trimester (there are three 8-week sessions where the winners of each and one wildcard team will play in a 4-team playoff on championship night).  Our team has not fared well the first two sessions.  3 of our 4 players including myself have peaked, so there's not much bonus pins in addition to our handicap.  We also were without a 4th player for a good majority of the first session.  Nonetheless, I feel like I am getting used to the new ball I bought for this season.  My average still sits at around 191, so I'll be looking to finish strong so that we can try and have a chance to play for the championship.  In addition, I've entered the USBC Open Championship for 2015 and will be going to El Paso in early April.

After Hours Gaming League has started and IBM is off to a nice 2-0 start.  I was hesitant to return as captain of the team, knowing we lost 5 of our 7 players from the A-team.  No one else wanted to take over as captain, so instead of letting IBM's team die, I decided to return for another year.  Our expectations certainly won't be as high this season, but I'm still hoping we can be a decent team.  There will be more pressure on my shoulders to do well, so hopefully I don't let the team down.

January was an expensive month for me.  I not only maxed out my Roth IRA's contribution (now entering its 7th year), but I also booked a flight to Osaka, Japan for April and purchased a 70" Sharp Aquos, just in time for my Super Bowl party.

It's a good thing I'm still single.  It makes it easier to afford these not-so-cheap luxuries...

Paleo Diet: Day 11

11 days ago, I started myself on the Paleo diet.  There was no cheating in these 11 days, as I ate nothing but the diet allowed and restricted myself from all the things I could not eat.  I was very determined to remain disciplined and was rewarded by losing 7 pounds in the first 5 days! 

During the diet, I mostly baked and grilled meats like chicken, pork, steak, and salmon while adding only peppers, Mrs. Dash, and parsley/cilantro leaves as my seasoning.  I'd prepare a big bowl of salad with raw mushrooms and tomatoes thrown in that I could add to my meals throughout the week.  I'd fry eggs with olive oil and add them to the salad to add some extra flavor, since I wasn't allowed to use any dressing.  Other sides included steamed broccoli and cauliflower or corn on the cob.  I'd have one freshly sliced orange every morning, a banana for an afternoon snack, and grapes or apples late at night if I wanted a snack.   As for drinks, I didn't have anything but water.  Some people recommended tea, but I just don't like tea and couldn't find anything else I would rather drink...so I drank tons of water, lol.

In the first week, I had already noticed that the fat around my face was gone.  Mentally and physically, I felt fine.  I didn't have any cravings to eat any of the foods I was abstaining from.  In fact, I felt like I couldn't eat as much in a single sitting and after my meals, my stomach never felt bloated.  I also noticed that I didn't have to 'deuce' as often, and when I did, it wasn't as much. I could really tell how effective the diet was in terms of eating healthy and losing fat.  One thing I did notice however is that my body became sore from workouts more easily, but this was probably due to the drastic change in nutrition.

After 5 days, I had lost 7 pounds, but I noticed my waist wasn't trimming as quickly as I hoped.  In addition, I didn't continue to lose weight as quickly like that first major decrease and I continued to hover around 183 lbs the next 5 days.  While I had lost an inch around my waist, it was becoming apparent that the fat around the stomach requires a lot more time to trim.  As stated by my friend Matt, "the belly is the place we retain the most fat" and so it will take the longest to reduce.

Day 11: front view (right)- 183 lbs, 35.5" waist

Day 11: side view (right)- 183 lbs, 35.5" waist

Nonetheless, I have been very happy with the results.  However, in light of my discovery that I probably won't be able to lose that much more weight through December 20th (which was my original goal), I have decided to back off the hardcore Paleo diet and transition into what I will call the "Palineo Diet!"  Thanks Matt for the name suggestion.  Pandeo was another choice, but sounded too much like a diet for a panda bear.

The Palineo diet will consist of a normal diet without as much restriction, which some Paleo insight.  For example, it all starts at the grocery store for me.  In the past I would buy lots of breads like hot dog and burger buns and also a lot pastas to make things like spaghetti and fettuccine.  The Palineo diet will not allow me to make these purchases individually for myself.  I will continue to just shop the meats, fruits, and vegetable aisles for my home cooking.  Rice will become my main grain if I want to compliment meals.

Palineo will allow me to have salt and sugar.  Sugar has never been a problem for me, but it is an additive in many drinks and sauces.  My old seasonings will return and there won't be any restriction on that.  In additional, I will cook with only olive oil and will no longer be using vegetable oil.

As for drinks, beer is allowed again, and I celebrated my success (and diligence on such a challenging diet) with a couple Bud Lights last night.  I am allowed to drink milk again, but will alternate my morning glass of milk with fresh fruit.  Sodas will also have a restriction.  Instead of soda everyday, I will limit myself to one can every other day.

I should expect to have some of the weight I lost come back, but my hope is that in time, I can continue to lose weight or maintain what I have lost with a renewed perspective on the way I eat.  190 lbs and the way my face had pudged up was just too much, and personally I felt a diet was necessary.  I'm proud that I was able to stick with it for 11 days,  and I'm ready to move forward toward a healthier and thinner me!

Out with the Old, In with the New

When I bought my house in 2005, it came with 3 brand new stainless steel appliances.  There was a refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a stove/oven - all Kenmore products.  I had never really used a glass-top surface electric range before, but over the years I learned to enjoy its convenience and efficiency.

A couple weeks ago, I pressed the Bake button on the top-left part of the control panel and the side of the panel snapped.  Apparently the panel was held in by some plastic pieces that pressing it hard enough over the years caused it to snap.  The right side was still in tact, but it was just more difficult to press the buttons.  I continued to use the stove and oven as so until finally the right side collapsed as well.  The panel was now sitting inside the top part of the range, making it very difficult to access the buttons.  I decided to pull the panel out so that I could access it easier.  Everything still seemed to function this way.  However, when I tried the Bake button, there was a big spark and the circuit board was shorted and fried.  I guess the wires in the back were touching each other.  Whoops!  Rather than go through the hassle of trying to get it repaired (one would have to replace the panel and the top of the oven, but this thing is pretty old), I decided to just go looking for a new range.

Old Range - 2005 Kenmore

Since I cook pretty much every day and am also on this Paleo diet that even more so requires home-cooking, I wanted to get a replacement as soon as possible.  I went to three stores and looked at models.  I started at Lowes and found a GE and a Samsung I liked for $600 and $650 respectively.  I then went to Home Depot and they pretty much had the same inventory.  Sears was my last stop and they had the same as both of the previous stores, but they also had Kenmore models, but not for very cheap.  I decided I wanted to get the Samsung model.  Since I was at already at Sears and each place had the same thing, I asked them when was the earliest they could deliver the range.  Sears told me Dec 23...  I then went to Home Depot and they told me Dec 11th... Lowes turned out to be the winner since they were able to deliver the next morning!

New Range - 2014 Samsung

I installed the new range myself, using the old hookup cord.  I also learned during installation that I can have a gas range if I had wanted.  The new range has some cool new features, like convection baking, which baked my salmon perfectly the other day.  You can also set a cook time so that the oven will turn off automatically.  There's multiple cooking surface areas on the front two elements, so it nicely fits the pot you are using.  And finally there is a warming center...I guess that's kind of neat too.  I was lucky to get the stove at the end of the Black Friday sale that continued through Wednesday after Thanksgiving.  The range was $650 for me and apparently it's back up to $900 today online.

Although my old range was a good one and probably could have worked for longer if not for the poor panel design, it's nice to have a new range to play with!