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Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Factory 59

Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
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burger

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
986
Location
Erf
The Dad Force One GI Joe card is absolutely awesome! I love every bit of it, especially "researches obscure topics for 3 hours to save $12".

Get back to the gym if you can fit it in. I decided to do something about the dad bod and have been working out 3-4 times a week since March. The results already show. I like lifting a lot but not so much cardio. It helps that my work has a gym in the building. I think we're about the same age.
 
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bdbecker

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Nov 18, 2015
Messages
5,571
Location
Iowa
...Get back to the gym if you can fit it in. I decided to do something about the dad bod and have been working out 3-4 times a week since March. The results already show. I like lifting a lot but not so much cardio. It helps that my work has a gym in the building. I think we're about the same age.

Not making excuses, but setting up the home gym hasn't been the highest priority on the project list since we moved last summer. I just need to temporarily setup the rowing machine and the dumbell rack in the basement and start using it again. It literally is that simple, I just haven't done it.

If anything, the house projects have kept me pretty active and in a good spot in regard to fitness (relatively speaking). That, combined with a much better approach to nutrition and cutting out my daily beers, has me walking around at around 270 these days without really trying. That is only 30lbs off of where I'd like to be, and a good 60lbs down from where I was during the "work from home and constantly grazing" days of covid. There is a difference between a 'fat 240lbs' and a 'jacked 240lbs'. I'm aiming for the latter. I've been there before, I just need to get back to it.
 
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bdbecker

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Nov 18, 2015
Messages
5,571
Location
Iowa
Haha, been there done that!

I'm finding it much harder to put on muscle than when I was younger.

Have you had your t-level checked? If not, talk to your doc. My doc has me on a supplement (zinc, B6, D, and some other stuff) to help with maintenance. Not a replacement or boost, but just giving my body what it needs to stay in the normal range. I'm only a month or so in, so it's probably a bit too early to notice a difference physically, but I will say that I've generally been in a better mood the last few weeks, so maybe it's working.
 

burger

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
986
Location
Erf
Have you had your t-level checked? If not, talk to your doc. My doc has me on a supplement (zinc, B6, D, and some other stuff) to help with maintenance. Not a replacement or boost, but just giving my body what it needs to stay in the normal range. I'm only a month or so in, so it's probably a bit too early to notice a difference physically, but I will say that I've generally been in a better mood the last few weeks, so maybe it's working.

I'm sure that's not a bad idea. I avoid doctors due to the high cost.

Switching gears. Are you aware of Home Assistant? A friend/coworker introduced me to it last week and my mind has been blown. Home automation on your private local network without creepy 3rd party surveillance. It is my current rabbit hole. You can repurpose an old computer or cheap Raspberry Pi to act as a controller to automate smart devices. It has a well thought out interface. Definitely requires a lot of manual configuration, but I mean that's part of the fun. Not quite type 2 fun, but maybe 1.25

I've had about a 50/50 reaction on my friends excitement level. They've either found it awesome or stupid, no in between.

Home Assistant

Home Assistant Wikipedia
 
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bdbecker

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Nov 18, 2015
Messages
5,571
Location
Iowa
...Switching gears. Are you aware of Home Assistant?...

I am aware of Home Assistant and do appreciate their approach in keeping the controls local. That platform would be my personal preference if I decided to pursue a home automation platform. While I can certainly see myself diving into the home automation rabbit hole someday, I haven't done enough research on the topic to speak intelligently about it. I have been casually keeping tabs on the subject through reading posts here on GJ and watching a YouTube video every now and then. I like where it is heading, but I am not going to jump into it until the products have matured a little more.

If you haven't seen his build thread, @nicholam77 has done a bunch of cool stuff in his house.

 

nicholam77

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2016
Messages
2,671
Location
Minneapolis, MN
If you haven't seen his build thread, @nicholam77 has done a bunch of cool stuff in his house.

@burger I have written about it a fair amount of times in my thread, especially in the last few years, and about home automation in general. I would also check out Dennis's @Denwood thread! Lot's of interesting and niche automations and he just switched over to Home Assistant.

I've had about a 50/50 reaction on my friends excitement level. They've either found it awesome or stupid, no in between.

That sounds about right. I do believe it adds real convenience and value, but it takes a good amount of effort to implement something complicated enough to feel 'magical' and not just a party trick. I've been chipping away at my setup for 10 years, first on SmartThings, then Hubitat, and now Home Assistant. I have over 100 devices and over 100 automations, some of them fairly complicated. So feel free to ask questions as you dive in. Also, Home Assistant has come a long way especially in the past few years, and A.I. has made it much easier to tinker with things as a non-programmer. But... you're gonna get a glazed over eyes reaction from anyone who isn't interested in tech.

There's also this thread, which seems dead, but we could revive it!

I know there's a handful of us (@Denwood @cccoltsicehockey @iced98lx @ArcReactorKC and I believe @loganb is at least HA-curious :ROFLMAO: )

🍻
 

iced98lx

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Oct 28, 2013
Messages
1,068
Location
South Eastern SD
Heck'yea, come to the fun side, home assistant (and the rest of the open home foundation products) are awesome. (I'm biased!)
I followed the exact same arc as @nicholam77 (smart things, hubitat, home assistant) and Hubitat is still an A-OK place to be based on what I can see.
 
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