Fierce_LiNk

That's brilliant. I think instead of posting pictures here, from now on we should just describe them in this way.

A little bit of a thread bump here... So, the UK has finally negotiated a deal to leave the EU. Thoughts? My thoughts are...we've spent four years actively working to get less than what we already had as members of the EU. I'm still waiting to see what the benefits are of this.

Happy Christmas from @Eenuh and meeeeeeee! Eenuh got me an Akai MPK mini MIDI keyboard. I spent most of yesterday tap-tap-tapping and learning a whole loooooad of new stuff. It's been fun! Such a great and beautiful thing!

Merry Christmas! Have a good day everyone and stay safe.

I kinda agree with the point that @Shorty was making off-forum when he said that the criticisms that are levelled at this game in a storytelling sense can only really be made in the first place because the game elevates itself to that level in the first place. Overall, I think there's so much to discuss with this game and the story isn't going to be one that pleases everyone. It's going to make people feel "something", which ultimately I think is fantastic. Art should do that, and imo this game is a masterpiece. I imagine that opinions will change on this and it will become more and more "accepted" as time passes.

Cheers, butt. This guy is flippin' tidy, en't it.

This is my first time playing the game. Always wanted to play it, but didn't have a PS3 and have been waiting ages for a way to play it on PS4. Finally got around to it! I'm about 17 hours into the game so far and here's where I am: This game is AWESOME. I'm hugely enjoying the battle system and the way that it works. It feels intuitive and has kept me engaged throughout fights. I was worried at the start that it may feel too overwhelming or just become a "hit X to win" sort of affair, but there's enough variety with the enemies you come across and moves/attacks that it feels interesting to fight. Loving the humour in the game, usually provided by Drippy. I got about 4 hours into the game and switched the audio from Japanese to English as it was too much to not hear Drippy's Welshness. It's such a bizarre creative decision to make him Welsh, but it's actually also a stroke of genius. I'm usually dying at every single one of this lines. TIDY, en't it! If I didn't have to sleep or exercise or eat, I would just be playing this game.

There's a definite place for the Smith machine, although I wouldn't rely on it too much for the long term. It's not amazing for your joints in some ways, as the up and down movements are very "fixed", which isn't a natural sort of movement for your shoulders. It's also not great for recruiting those stabilising muscles, which are helping when doing freeweights. So, use it, but I'd still try to throw in some barbell or dumbbell work too alongside it. The Smith machine is useful though with the way that you can use it without needing an additional person there, with the way that it racks the weight. Is there a cage of some type that you can use that has some spotter supports in it? That would be your most ideal outcome. If you're going to use the barbell, it might be worth looking at the rep ranges and just being clever about it that way. E.g. sets of 8 or 10, not heavy sets of 5 where you would be more likely to use a spotter, or not lifting to failure, in which case you definitely would need a spotter.

What a game! That was like watching a Premier League classics video on ITV2 or something. We could have scored 10+ if our finishing was better. Credit to Leeds for not giving up and for still attacking. They were 4-0 down at one point and were still pushing. If you hid the score line, you'd never have guessed they were losing by that margin. Scott McTominay was absolutely class today. Ran that midfield and his movement for the second goal was ace. My man of the match. At the same time, Bruno is unreal and my favourite post-Sir Alex signing. What a guy. Really enjoyed that game! It's like both sides decided they couldn't be arsed defending and would only focus on attacking. Very refreshing to watch. What a game!

I feel sorry for those people who have had their hopes raised over the last few weeks over the possibility/likelihood of being able to see their family over Christmas, and have then had their hopes dashed by today's news. At the time, there were so many voices saying that this was a huge mistake, as we would be paying for those 5 or so days with a likely January + lockdown. Yet, I can completely understand why people would want to see their families, especially if they haven't had many opportunities to do so due to the events of this year. I've known work colleagues and friends who have had to make very difficult decisions over which family members they see or don't see with the previous bubble systems/rules, trying to do this sensitively to not upset people, but to also do it sensibly and in a safe way. It's the continuous change which I think people are struggling with, as the information seems to come out in a very last minute slap-dash sort of way. Imo, nothing has been as tight as it was during the initial lockdown. Everything was tighter, the rules were simple and the messaging was clearer. There was also much stronger unity because it seemed like this was something that had to be achieved together, with no exceptions. When the government started opening things up again (and then closing), the messaging has been confusing. We also have the other issue of the UK being comprised of multiple countries, so several different sets of rules. It has just been too confusing for people at a time where it can't afford to be. When it comes to health and keeping people safe, I'm afraid that the messaging has to be absolutely crystal clear so that everyone understands. I think we're likely to get the worst of both worlds now. The run-up to Christmas hasn't been as tight as it could have been. We should have gone into lockdown for sooner and for longer, and schools had the potential to close a week earlier. It also looks likely that we'll continue with restrictions into the new year, as several European countries are doing this or have said that they'll be doing this.

Bought/obtained Cities Skylines today and have...probably spent the last 4 or so hours on it. Lovely to get back into it again. Such a great game. Whaaaaaat a massive time sucker, though.

Mega-bump...activated! I've just started playing the remastered version of this on the PS4. It's sooooooo good. Really having a great time with it. Beautiful as hell to look at, too. What a game.

You're a masochist, Ashmon. I did legs earlier today and it's taken all of my energy out of me. Walking up the stairs or getting up after sitting down takes an effort. Calves especially took a battering today.

The right team won that game. Spurs had some great chances to get the winner, but they just couldn't do it. Bergwijn had two! I don't really rate him at all and don't think it'll be too long before Jose upgrades on him.

Um...yes, you're right.

One more episode left this season for His Dark Materials. I've really enjoyed this. A great step up from season 1 and the pace of this has felt just about right. Nothing feels too rushed and it hasn't dragged. Overall, I'd say that it's been a great, faithful adaptation. Ruth Wilson in that last episode.

I've mentioned this to you already off here, but the shoes that I have are Adidas Powerlifts. Can't recommend them enough. Feel great to wear, good ankle support and the lifts help when it comes to squatting and deadlifting. I used to put weights under my shoes/feet before I got this pair, to give me some sort of elevation as it didn't feel comfortable at all for my ankles when aiming to go to depth when squatting. Shoes have made a huge difference. I've had a bit of a break from exercise for the last two weeks as work was just so busy. Lifted today for the first time since stopping, felt good. Slightly down on some of the lifts, but that was to be expected. Should be able to catch up quickly, I hope.

Sir Alex's comments about Houllier had me choking up earlier.

That's terrible news about Houllier. Putting aside the rivalry between clubs, he seemed like a very decent and classy man. R.I.P.

I'm glad that The Last of Us Part II did very well. I had such a great time with that game and enjoyed it a lot. I want to do a second playthrough, but it's probably a bit too soon to do so, so that may have to wait a while. I appreciate what the game and its predecessor have both done in terms of elevating the medium with how stories are told, characters are built and developed, and how worlds are created. Certainly one of the greatest games that I've played for this generation. I've also done my best to steer clear of the number of minefields of hate that you can find online in certain internet cesspits, which I can only recommend highly enough.

Very sad news about Maradona. Although he wasn't my personal favourite or somebody that I was particularly fond of, his contribution to the game is without question. A true legend of the sport. I keep meaning to watch the film/documentary about him, as I hear great things about it. In other football related news: United made it very hard for themselves today, but I thought they were more than good enough for those three points. We missed so many good chances and, tbh, Southampton scored with their two best efforts in the game. Aside from that and a little bit on either side of halftime, I thought we were more than doing enough to win it. Ole should've started with Cavani, who has looked great recently. Looked immense today! Pleased to see VDB starting and looking good, too. Overall, exciting game!

Good numbers, Ashbrah. You'll have thighs, quads and arse of the gods in no time. "What do you want for Christmas, Ashmon?" "New set of wheels, cuzzzzz"

Yeah, I think having another person there to basically force you to do them is the best thing, tbh. What rep ranges are you working with when squatting? I hit 80kg x10 reps for the first time yesterday. My quads felt really pumped after that.

Not a fan of burpees! Haven't done them in a long while. They do get my heart racing, so they do work. I don't do facebook challenges, so... Aye yeah, did legs today after work. Got about 3 sets into to squats and questioned why I was ever even born. My calves right now feel like they've been stretched in about 10 different directions. Hamstrings were quite tired, too.

I think VAR (or rather the people officiating it) isn't really benefitting anyone. Everyone is suffering from the inconsistencies of it. Yesterday's game was ridiculous and I can't work out why West Brom didn't have their penalty. Ours was given for the exact same reason as the one that Palace got against us earlier this season, so at least that's consistent...ish. I don't have a problem with the retake and it's great that the rule about keepers and their line is finally being enforced after years of it not being so. Although, whether that's what the rule should or shouldn't be is another question entirely. Football is just fucking weird, atm. I spend most of the games waiting for the next incident or VAR-call, or penalty, or handball. It's not the same game as the one that I grew up with. I thought United were trash yesterday and very, very lucky to get away with it. It's one poor performance too many. We really need the next person after Ole to be the right one, because we're going nowhere.