I agree with the above. You really shouldn't be put out by this. Landlady should put you up elsewhere for a few days, pay for cleaning, repairs, and the replacement of anything damaged beyond repair.

Also: I would get a professional opinion on what the dust is.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:08 PM on July 24, 2008

Oberlin. Phenomenal undergraduate education; world class music conservator; history of civil disobedience, liberal politics, and social justice.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:39 PM on July 24, 2008

I liked Under The Banner of Heaven. Like most of Krakauer's writing, it iss informative and the prose is very engaging.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:26 PM on July 24, 2008

Why not make some? A few 2x4's, and some plywood ought to do it. Best of all, you get to pick the height and size of each one. All you'll need is $20-$30, and most of a weekend afternoon.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 11:10 AM on July 23, 2008

Artist: Cannibal Ox. Album: The Cold Vein. Song: Raspberry Fields.

Vast Aire rhymes the same word, and then points it out. FYI, the production on this album was by El-P, who was the subject of a recent FPP.

Relevant passage:

...The sample's the flesh and the beat's the skeleton.
You got beef but there's worms in your wellington.
I'll put a hole in your skull and extract the skeleton.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:16 PM on July 21, 2008

Thankfully, the link to the National Review link is gone. I mean...seriously? You link to a dissenting article from a known hack republican publication? Weak.

Anyway, I think much of the harm has already been done, re:land use changes. We could make things worse, but I don't think Land Use changes are going to be a significant sink of CO2, or lower emissions much.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 1:50 PM on July 21, 2008

Feliz Betachat beat me to it. So I'll second Ratatat's Tacobell Canon.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:09 PM on July 12, 2008

It's possible to build muscle without weights, and without doing a ton of reps. Just focus on doing bodyweight exercises that are more difficult than the normal 'pushups-crunches-squats' circuit. You won't need to purchase any equipment except a doorway chin up bar. Pullups are one of a few exercises I think are totally essential. But here are some suggestions for exercises that need no equipment (beyond the chin up bar) but are very difficult and will make you strong.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:38 PM on July 12, 2008

Well, it's like the pistachios, but Trader Joe's Chile Lime Cashews are good.

I had a friend who was really into tea tree oil toothpicks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 12:38 PM on July 11, 2008

I actually think that routine looks pretty good. A few things concern me: first, what is your weight training regimen? And second, I think at least one easy/off day is a good idea. If you really want to do something EVERY day, fine, but make sure that at least one day a week is significantly easier than the others. Maybe schedule this day on your busiest day of classes?

And now my favorite...weight training! I really like lifting, so I'm going to harp on it. First of all,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 12:41 PM on July 6, 2008

I'm a grad student in geology. Doesn't look like gold to me; from the picture, it looks like Muscovite (a white mica) with some iron staining around it. The picture isn't great, but fortunately for you there are a number of ways for you to test what you've got.

Here' why it looks like mica to me: First of all, the crystal habit, or shape, is incorrect. Mica has a sheet-like cleavage, and from the picture, that looks to fit the bill pretty well. Take a fingernail and see... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:01 PM on July 4, 2008 marked best answer

The rust staining could be from pyrite, but it could be from another iron bearing mineral, too-biotite, hornblende, some pyroxenes...Those minerals don't appear to be in your rock, but your rock had to come from somewhere, and who knows what minerals were adjacent to your rock? If there are small, roughly equant, metallic looking grains, and the rust stains are concentrated around them, than that is likely pyrite. But the rust could be from a number of phases.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:26 PM on July 4, 2008

Ugh. 'Pyrite is harder than most metals' not 'harder than a metal'. Sheesh.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:29 PM on July 4, 2008

Yeah. The fact that it came off as 'sparkly dust' means it is almost certainly mica. It broke off as small, flat flakes-glitter, basically.

If it was pyrite, it wouldn't scratch. If it was gold, it would scratch, but not flake off.

Muscovite, a type of mica.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:58 PM on July 4, 2008

Maybe it could be dated isotopically, but it is unlikely to be done for free. Isotopic dates are expensive.

But without knowing anything about the rock, it's impossible to know whether it could be dated or not. If it is a sedimentary rock, it probably can't be dated. (If it is an organic rich shale, or has detrital zircons...maybe.) If it is metamorphic or igneous, it could be dated, depending on the mineral phases present.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:40 PM on July 4, 2008

The crossfit ones are great, but don't include any endurance activites-the longest run is 1 mile. If I were you, I would pick one of the crossfit benchmarks, and add a few endurance tests as well
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 11:56 AM on July 3, 2008

Not Northern California, but if you are in the Southern California, the Pala Pegmatite is not to be missed. Quite impressive Pink tournaline and purple mica. They do the 'pay $X, mine for a day' thing. I can't remember how much it costs.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 12:20 PM on July 1, 2008

Well, that looks like a strict bodybuilder routine to me. Straight out of muscle and fiction, no offense. I don't know the source of the '13 compound lift assertion', but it's not uncommon for people to assert something along those lines-that most people do more exercises than they need, and at pretty low marginal utility.

Like restless_nomad, I have spent time on crossfit, and think it is an excellent program, in many ways.

If fat loss and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:17 PM on June 27, 2008

Crap. That should read 'use lots of muscles' not 'lose lots of muscles'.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 5:20 PM on June 27, 2008

For book one: Valley of the Giants. David Grisman? Josh Ritter!-He's like a more folky, western Sufjan Stevens. Look into his album The Animal Years, and Golden Age of Radio. Jose Gonzalez?

I don't have any good suggestions for book 2, really.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 4:06 PM on June 26, 2008

Get one of the cheap wireless doorbell remotes and hide the receiver in their house. Then, once a day or so, drive by and ring the bell. You will be gone by the time they get to the door, and if you do it irregularly enough, they probably won't find the receiver/speaker.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:30 PM on June 26, 2008

I am far from knowledgeable about dog breeds, but could there be some German shepherd there?
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 11:41 AM on June 19, 2008

Could you close your palms and do pushups on your knuckles? Again, if you make a fist, you could hit a heavy bag?

Also, could you do some sandbag lifting? A lot of the lifts require to take a bear-hug grip on the bag, so this might be pushing it, but man...upper body exercises with no palms involved is tough.

What about running or swimming in the meantime?
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 6:14 PM on June 6, 2008

Sleep! If you're trying to get better, from any ailment, I am a big believer in rest.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:00 PM on June 6, 2008

I only own Mastering JuJitsu, by Renzo Gracie and John Danaher. Having flipped through a number of them on the shelf, I think BJ Penn's book looks best. It has a wide variety of techniques, shows the all important transitions, and covers in some depth each range of combat (striking, clinching, groundfighting).

But I can't really get into books, myself. I don't find them to be a useful learning tool. (For reference, I've trained MA for 9 years, 8 of it in BJJ, with some... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 5:29 PM on June 2, 2008 marked best answer

Ah! If that's the case, then I think BJ Penn's books is probably a great fit for you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 11:31 AM on June 5, 2008

I think proportionality is the best measure. And I apologize for not answering your question. But I will add that Barnacles, relative to body size, have the longest schlong in the animal kingdom.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 5:41 PM on June 4, 2008

Well, typically a river will form meanders which grow until the river avulses and the meanders become oxbow lakes. Over time, small meanders become more pronounced. This is because the water flowing on the outside of a river bend has to travel faster than the water flowing around the inside of the bend. As a result, the outside of the meander erodes away, and sediment is deposited on the inside of the meander. So through time, the natural tendency of a river is to exaggerate any bends. The bend... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 10:24 AM on May 27, 2008 marked best answer

Oy vey. Most likely, between your size disadvantage and your lack of knowledge of submission holds, you're in trouble. Just so you know where I'm coming from, I have brown belts in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, though I never wrestled in high school. I don't compete a lot, as I'm in grad school, but have fought in some high level tournaments in the gi, and some strong regional tournaments in no-gi. Wrestlers with no submission training are easy to catch, but wrestlers with a bit of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:01 PM on May 23, 2008 marked best answer

Oh, and one more thing. RELAX. Since this is unfamiliar territory, you will have a tendency to get tense and hold your breath. Don't. You'll run out of gas before your first match is over.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:02 PM on May 23, 2008

Oh my god. I know hal_c_on wasn't being completely serious, but don't do the no-bathing thing. That is disgusting. Anyone who has trained for a while knows how miserable it is to train with 'the smelly guy'. Don't be that guy-for the love of GOD!, don't be that guy. If you did that in a tournament, I would do my best to get you disqualified, and if I couldn't I would try and beat you as fast as possible. If I caught a submission, I would probably hold it a bit too long. Not bathing is not only... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:49 PM on May 23, 2008

How about your own gym? Turning one room into an exercise room could be cool. Oh! Rock Climbing wall?

Green it! Better insulation, windows, whatever you can do.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 7:00 PM on May 1, 2008

Ha!

Crunch Buttsteak and GooseOnTheLoose are correct. Lift the way Crunch Buttsteak told you to, eat the way Goose said, and SLEEP. You're only going to add mass if you rest. You grow when you recover. To recover, you need fuel and rest.

Also, do pullups and dips.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 5:27 PM on April 27, 2008

Okey doke. Here are some thoughts: If you want your fitness to be useful on the bike, I'd recommend at least one long ride per week. The other rides can be short and intense. If you're not riding the bike to ride fast, but just to exercise, keep on keeping on.

As far as strength training goes, I'd skip shovelglove, but I have no experience. But for me, the idea of doing the same fitness routine M-F seems awfully dull. I prefer to mix it up. You can do quite a bit with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 4:45 PM on April 23, 2008

Listen to Creasy Boy, but add dips, pushups, and jump-roping to his list off essential exercises. Dips are awesome. Pushups and jump roping are excellent on the go exercises.

Also, yoyoceramic is correct that the clean and jerk is an excellent exercise, if you have the resources to learn and perform it properly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 1:35 PM on April 17, 2008

Rock Climbing. Judo! All the time spent gripping the gi will make your forearms big.

If you want to achieve this in the gym, then others have given excellent suggestions. Deadlifts, chinups (change the grips up!), farmer walks, cleans, rope climbs, towel pullups, reverse grip curls, and there are tons of grip specific exercises. Check out the COC grippers and here is some literature.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 12:17 AM on April 15, 2008

Have breakfast at The Crowbar, in Shoshone, just south of DV.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 7:06 PM on April 12, 2008 marked best answer

Well, it depends on the suburban college campus. I am a male, but were I female I wouldn't run at night on my (fairly suburban) college campus. If you're determined to run at night, find someone to run with?
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 6:50 PM on April 10, 2008

Judo! Some places will have you practice breakfalls by jumping over other people, doing other cool looking stuff like that. I'd recommend Judo over all other martial arts; the focus of Judo is throwing someone else on their back. The one caveat is that at high levels, people do all manner of crazy (somewhat dangerous) stuff to avoid being thrown on their back, since landing on their back means they will lose. Avoid that instinct, and you'll be fine.

Also, look into... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:50 PM on April 9, 2008

Is there something you could do to polish your resume, and then reapply to grad school in a few years? It's generally not a good idea to take on lots of debt for a non-professional degree.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:03 PM on April 8, 2008

Well, I had a pair of Hi-Tek trail runners, and I was using them to run mostly on blacktop. My knees were hurting. I switched out to some Asics Gel Cumulus, and the knee pain went away. I liked the Asics so much that I just bought a pair of the Gel Nimbus. My knees have always been a bit weak, and I do jiu-jitsu and judo; your knees may not be as sensitive as mine, but the extra padding on a road shoe really helped me. Just my experience.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 4:55 PM on April 7, 2008

So, to add a note to the resounding chorus: I am a TA. Wait until grades are turned in, at they very least. Don't try and create sexual tension. If you're given any kind of encouragement from her after the course is over, fine; create some sexual tension. But until then, leave it alone.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 10:47 AM on April 7, 2008

WickedPissah has it, I think. What are your goals? (You have goals, I hope?) Try and make some specific goals; this makes it easier to design programs and track progress.

Now, to answer your question:

Glaring hole: No cardio whatsoever. Lifting is important, but cardiovascular fitness is too. I would add some running, cycling, swimming, circuit training, or something.

Concerning the workout protocol you've listed, I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 12:57 PM on April 1, 2008

Okay, if fat loss is the main goal, then I would definitely forgo the curls, calf raises, etc. You want to build muscle and burn calories. These are small exercises that don't require much work. The more work you do in the gym, the more calories you will burn, which translates to more weight loss. Also, I prefer to do whole body workouts each session, but use different exercises. For a beginner, the 4X8 is probably a fine set and rep scheme. I would probably do a 3 day split, that looks... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:08 PM on April 1, 2008

Also, I'm skeptical that calf raises and shin raises would help Muay Thai much. I've trained it a wee bit, and have a good buddy who is a MT coach. I would just work on running and kicking the bag as much as you can. Kicking and punching power comes from the hips, so make sure you have a strong core and posterior chain. Elbow and knee power come from the hips too, come to think of it. Cheers.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:11 PM on April 1, 2008

Damnit. "...worked up to being able to do handstand pushups..."
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 3:13 PM on April 1, 2008

Well, look into dumbell cleans and snatches instead of barbell. The technique seems easier to pick up, and by using only one dumbell at once, you will necessarily use much less weight. A clean is by nature an explosive motion, so I can't really think of a replacement that isn't more technically demanding than some static lifts. Maybe Turkish getups would be worth looking into, too.

As to the hyperextension, I am a bit surprised to hear that you can do a good morning but... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 10:06 PM on April 1, 2008

Seems like it would be easier to pursue as a sexual harassment thing. Maybe line up a new job and sue asap? Bankrupt the assholes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 2:40 PM on April 1, 2008

Let me just reiterate Jessamyn's point, which I favorited.

If I met a girl who was good friends with her ex, and was sleeping with them, I think I would feel pretty insecure about it. And as relationships go, I think I'm a pretty secure guy. It would feel really hard to compete with that person; what could I offer that the ex wouldn't?
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 6:50 PM on March 31, 2008

Consider an instructional DVD, for example: http://www.jumpusa.com/steve_nash_dvd.html

I have no experience with this, but it seems worth a try.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HighTechUnderpants at 12:59 PM on March 23, 2008