u/extreme_cuddling

So I notice that reta seems to kill my motivation in it's own way. I really have to create more external motivation to get stuff done on this because it kills my intrinsic motivation and enthusiasm.

Things just also feel less rewarding, so there's less follow up.

Being a man with a slightly intimidating appearance, I usually have to be the initiator in most social settings. But without any motivation its been a real drag to make myself meet people. And even when I do, it's not that satisfying.

But at the same time, if I don't go out and socialize, I get stressed out. I thrive in positive social environments. My plan was to spend the summer kind of in my own world, focused on getting work done and losing weight, but then I'm getting FOMO from missing out on the summer festivities!

I'm supposed to be planning a big party next month, and it's the last thing I want to do.

Yet at the same time, my happiness takes a hit if I stay cooped up too much! It's this weird grey zone of nothing feeling rewarding, but if I don't do something, I feel anxious and stressed out.

However when I actually get started on something, I can focus with laser intensity. Things are less distracting. I don't get sucked into time-wasters as much. And I unlock deep focus states with ease! Does the demotivation go away after awhile?

Started in my teens doing random Muscle and Fitness Magazine workouts
Then did P90X
Then Did SS
Then did Kinobody/Leangains program
Then did PHAT
Then did John Meadows Creeping Death 2.0 twice and learned what a real BBing program feels like
Then did shit in prison improvising workouts based Creeping Death
Then did Built From Broken a bunch of times to fix injuries
Then did John Meadows Project Collosus

Then I said you know what? Instead of forcing my body to do these extreme high-intensity or high-volume or powershitting programs. Instead of forcing myself to do uncomfortable workouts because the program says so, Why don't I just do shit that feels good on my body? I have enough experience to know what I like.

Instead of being an autist about it, I'll just do 1-2 warmup sets per workout at 50% weight, then do 3-4 sets of 8-12, and apply intensity techniques where I feel like it.

And holy fuck guys I feel so much better. I'm glad I went through these brutal John Meadows programs to learn what my body is capable of, but I think after awhile you just gotta do what feels good in your body. Learn different intensity techniques, learn multiple exercises that hit the same muscle group, and just focus on mind-muscle activation.

Fuck forced progressive overload. Obsessing over higher numbers didn't make me gain more at a certain point. Learning to increase intensity and activation with the same weight through different techniques has been so much more satisfying and easier on my joints.

Went to a Korean & Mexican fusion restaurant the other day and loved it. Do you guys have any experiences with fusion dishes maybe from growing up in multicultural households or combining recipes you enjoy?

Recently released. Thought it'd be a good fit to learn about why we're fighting this war.

I think what kills a lot of Age of Sail games are the trolling.

This isn't like Nations At War where a section of people trolling and screwing around doesn't ruin the game for everyone else that actually wants to play.

But on Age of Sail, we're all on the same ship, and we can't simply ignore poor players because it directly determines whether we live or die.

Just tonight one of the captains of the 30-gun shit decided he wasn't going to bother using his mic despite saying he doesn't feel like steering. Then he didn't want to use any powerups, and decided to jump off the ship and disappeared for the entire round but didn't give up up the captain slot. Pretty much hogging the captain slot to the burden of everyone else on the ship.

Another night on Naval Seige I had parked the boat at a perfect spot where cannons couldn't hit it. Then a group of players kept intentionally grabbing the boat and parking it in front of cannons so that enemy teams could sink it.

Not to mention being captain seems to be a contest of who can load the game fastest, and a lot of these captains dont have mics nor do they know how to use the powerups.

Because of this, morale drops pretty fast and people just leave them game.

It would be great to have a way to kick off captains who are screwing around since it affects everyone on the ship.

TikTok and IG has suggested me endless videos of influencers reacting to the meetup, and it feels like they're all literally saying the exact same thing. There's been zero deviation or variation of opinions at all. It feels like all these influencers got sent the same media kit and were told to repeat the same exact talking points.

Almost every influencer video is someone reading a script or has lots of cuts

Many of the cuts start with "we need to talk about...." or "we need to..."

Every single video mentions "centering whiteness", "proximity to whiteness", and "excluding others" almost all using the exact same flat language and verbiage. They all talk like they're reading a script and not speaking from the heart.

They also mention how "its weird" or "its okay for people to meetup but... [insert virtue signaling phrases here]"

All of these takes being shot on a tripod, great lighting, the whole works. Nothing very amateur.

And not to mention the speed of all these responses. Usually people need a bit of time for things to marinate on their mind especially when its based on situations they don't experience, but the response drops were so quick that it felt very inorganic.

The only deviation in tone or commentary has been from normal users with fewer followers, not influencers. Actual wasians, blasians, mixed race, and people of different ethnicities saying their take but not getting nearly as much engagement.

I cant help but feel like some media agencies are getting these influencers to exploit the meetup for more engagement and have zero concern for the actual wellbeing of multiracial people.