2016

November 2016 Bam Box Theme: Adult Cartoons

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Image taken from the Bam Box website.

Adult Cartoons

Last month’s theme was okay. Horror films are not my thing but I did like the autograph prints. I was thinking about canceling but then they announced this month’s theme. I grew up watching most of these shows. My parents and grandparents did not want me to watch shows like the Simpsons and Bevis and Butthead. I’m an adult now and I can watch anything I want! I’m excited to see what the prints are going to be this month especially the autographed item. Lets hope it’s something good!
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The Bam! Box Unboxing: Watching

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What is the Bam Box?

The Bam Box is monthly subscription box for collectors. Each month contains nerdy and geeky items as well as autographed collectables. Bam box also has an auto upgrade and instant winner system. You could receive extra items or automatically receive an upgrade to an item in the box. Upgrade examples are variant pin, print and comic colors. This was my first box and I was excited to see what was in it.

What’s in the Box?

The first thing you see when you open the Bam Box is the monthly pin. This month had a few variations. You could have received Chucky from Child’s Play, Sam (above) from Trick r’ Treat, Billy from Saw or an all red Billy variant as a 1up. I haven’t seen Trick r’ Treat so I don’t understand the reference. Maybe I’ll watch it one day.
Next item in the box is a “Demonic Box Puzzle Cube”. It’s basically a rubix cube with symbols instead of colors. It’s an interesting piece but I would have wanted something different.
Also included is a badge from the movie Evil Dead. The main character, Ash Williams, is the head of housewares at S-mart. This is a cool item that I may use for a costume next year.
The first autographed item is an issue of Kiss signed by cover artist John Lucas. You could have received an alternate black and white cover as a 1up.
My first autographed print. This was made by John Branham and I could have received another variant of Freddy and Jason. Not bad for the first print.
The second print is from the movie, the Exorcist. It is signed by Linda Blair the actress who plays Regan in the film. The alternate print and autograph is from Scream. The picture is os Ghostface and it was signed by Skeet Ulrich. I’ve been watching the Exorcist TV show and I’m starting to love it. This is probably my favorite item in the box.

Final Thoughts

This was not the best first box for me. I subscribed because I saw a lot of things that I liked in previous boxes but I probably should have waited for next month. The Exorcist print was my favorite item followed by the Leatherface/Michael Myers print. I will probably subscribe for one more month.
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October 2016 Loot Crate Unboxing: Horror

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Images taken from the Loot Crate Email.



I finally have time to post Loot Crate unboxings! It has been about two months since my last unboxing and I’m happy to get back into it.

What is Loot Crate?

Taken from the Loot Crate site, “Each month, Loot Crate™ ships a themed mystery box of the best geek, gaming, and pop culture gear to a subscriber base of over 100,000 Looters. We emphasize phenomenal support and content, and include gear from some of the most respected entertainment and consumer product companies in the world.” Loot Crate sells for $13.95 a month plus $6.00 shipping and handling. You can save on the costs by subscribing for longer periods as well. If you like this theme check out the link at the bottom to subscribe.

 

What’s in the Box?

Sadly, I’m just catching up on the Walking Dead so I don’t get this reference yet. I wish it was just the name and not the guy with the bat. I’m guessing you need that picture for context. I’ll still wear the shirt.

A Leatherface plushie! It’s the cute horror line from Kid Robot. They also made the face sucker from Aliens that was in a previous crate.

Camp Crystal Lake is from the Friday the 13th series. It is the home of Jason Vorhees. This pennant is really cool and I need to find a way to hang it in the “closet”.

Next up is a kitchen item from A Nightmare on Elm Street. This is a cool item but it is impractical. I can’t use the chopsitcks with the rubber glove attached. I will have to take it off to use it.

The last item in the box is a hardcover book by Jon Morris. We received a similar book in Heroes 2 crate from last year. This should be an interesting read.

This month’s pin is from John Carpenter’s Halloween. The extra item from the pin website is for a steam game called “Superfight”. Loot Crate included a physical deck in a crate last year. I’m sure the digital version is a full game. If you would like the code for the game, leave a comment at the bottom. I’ll give it to the first person that comments.

Final Thoughts

This month wasn’t too bad. My favorite items were the Leatherface plushie, Freddy chopsticks and the hardcover book. I’m sure I will grow to like the shirt when I get caught up with the show. I’m happy to see Loot Crate thinking outside the box on some of the items. Hopefully next month’s items will be just as good.

If you want to sign up use this LINK, also use the promo code BOX5 to save $5 off your first subscription. If that code doesn’t work you can use SAVE3 for $3 off any subscription. I also get credit towards more Loot Crates if you use the link.

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My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): October 17 – October 23

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Monday

Three Position Power Clean – Find a 1Rep HeavyAfter taking it easy the past few weeks, I wanted to lift some heavy weight. I wanted to get to 185 lb. at the very least. After warming up and lifting 135 lb. then 165 lb. I decided to go for it. I loaded 185 lb. on the bar and completed the lifts. My grip was starting to give out so I opted not to try for 195 lb. At least I know, I can still lift this much weight. Next time, I’ll definitely go for something heavier.

 

WOD 1 – 2xAMRAP 3 Minutes
5 power cleans (135 lb.)
30 double unders

This first workout was a fun. I wasn’t worried about the power cleans, especially after the complex. The double unders on the other hand were going to hurt. I have a tendency to mess them up when I get too tired. My goal for this workout was two rounds each.The first set was fun, I was able to complete all the reps unbroken. I did take a short rest after each movement, pacing myself for the three minutes. I was able to complete two rounds in the first set. The second set was much more difficult especially on the double unders. I kept messing up my double unders and I almost didn’t finish my second round. I still finished but I was exhausted by the end. I hope I could find the energy to complete the next workout.

 

WOD 2 – 2xAMRAP 3 Minutes
5 front squats (135 lb.)
10 handstand push ups
My goal for this workout was less ambitious. I just wanted to complete one round in three minutes. After looking at the reps, it seemed easy but I quickly found out how hard it was going to be. I still haven’t recovered from the last workout and we started this one. The front squats were fairly easy. It was the handstand push ups that did me in. I finished my first round at a minute thirty but I didn’t start on a second. I was exhausted by this point and opted to rest for the remainder of the time. I wanted to at least finish one round in the set. I struggled with the front squats, and almost dropped the bar before the last rep. I took about two minutes to complete ten handstand push ups. I almost gave up. My arms felt like jello but I pushed through the pain and finished the last rep right before the coaches called time. It was only two rounds but I felt like I did twenty.

Thursday

WOD – 3 Rounds

Row (500 m)
21 burpees
Run (400 m)

I have done this workout before but I didn’t finish. My goal for this one was to finish, hopefully before the time cap. The first round went by quickly. I kept a pace of about two minutes per 500 m and the burpees were broken up into sets of 10 and 11 reps. The run is where I ran into trouble. During the run, my right calf started to cramp. I stopped for a few seconds to stretch it but I couldn’t run as fast. I took a minute or two to stretch before I hopped on the rower for round three. Stretching did the trick and my leg felt better. The last two rounds were a struggle. I was moving very sluggishly but I was still determined to finish. I finished the workout at 23:36.

Friday

WOD – “FGB Style” 4 Rounds
Double unders
Wall balls (20 lb.)
Hand release push ups

We started the workout before going onto the barbell skill/strength. This is another workout I have done before so my goal was to beat those numbers. I needed to at least hit 70+ reps per round. I knew I would do well on the double unders but the wall balls and push ups were going to be challenging. The first time I picked up the 20 lb. ball, I knew this was going to be the hardest movement. I don’t remember 20 lb. being that heavy! Hopefully the adrenaline will kick in and it will not feel too heavy. The first round went well. I finished 70 double unders and 15 wall balls and 15 hand release push ups. I went hard on the double unders that I was out of breath doing the push ups.I tried to catch my breath but I didn’t have enough time. I just hoped I would be able to keep up for the next three rounds. The double unders did not go as well as the first round. I would mess up but I would at least get 50 reps. I would only be able to get around 10-13 reps on the wall balls and about 10-13 reps on the hand release push ups. I was able to stay above my 70+ goal for reps and I hit a new PR by 43 reps!

 

Clean Complex – Find 1 Rep Heavy

 

Clean High Pull + Power Clean + Clean


After completing the three position clean complex earlier in the week, I started to gain more confidence in my Olympic lifts. My goal for this complex was 205 lb. Working up to 205 lb. wasn’t too hard. I felt comfortable in all my lifts which elevated my confidence to go for 205 lb. The high pull felt great. It was heavy but I was able to get it to a good height. The power clean and clean felt smooth with the only struggle coming from the squat out of the clean. I felt good after finishing but I didn’t want to go heavier. I wanted to save my legs for next week.
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Miniature Mondays: Brant Benoit aka Ghool

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I haven’t finished painting Princess but I have been watching miniature videos on YouTube. One of my favorite painters to watch is Brant Benoit. He’s won multiple awards from Wyrd and Privateer press. I’ve been reading his articles on Hand Cannon Online, since I started playing Warmachine and Hordes. He also started making videos which are great for beginners. If you have questions, you can comment on his YouTube videos and he usually gets back to you quickly. He’s one of my painting role models and I hope to reach his level one day.

You can check out his YouTube page here.

Happy Halloween everyone!

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Loot Crate November 2016 Theme: Magical

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Taken from the Loot Crate email.

Next month is the theatrical release of two anticipated movies, Doctor Strange and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I’m not a huge Doctor Strange fan but the trailers look interesting. I’m a fan of the Harry Potter series and I can’t wait for another movie. It’s set in the United States, which will give us a new perspective of the wizarding world. Game of Thrones is my favorite TV show right now and I hope it something good. I just saw Big Trouble in Little China not too long ago. It’s now one of my favorite Kurt Russell films.

Rumors of items in this crate are a Dr. Strange figure and a Fantastic Beasts wearable. I hope we get a Big Trouble in Little China shirt but I’m not holding my breath. I’m also curious what the Game of Thrones item will be.

If you’re into these franchises and want to sign up use this LINK, also use the promo code SAVE3 for $3 off any subscription. I get credit towards more Loot Crates if you use the link. If you have any questions, leave a comment at the bottom.

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My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): October 10 – October 16

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Monday

Overhead Squat – 6×2 at 80%I was only able to work up to a set of overhead squats at 170 lb. I’m not at 100% yet but I’m trying to work up to it. Taking six weeks off is starting to take it’s toll.

Partner WOD – AMRAP 20 Minutes

Assault Bike (100 Cal.)

-then-
6 bar facing burpee
9 alt. pistol squats
12 power snatches (75 lb.)
Initially the WOD called for a 100 calorie row but their wasn’t enough rowers. I opted for the bike instead of the ski erg. The gym just added the bikes not too long ago and I was eager to test them out. The second portion of the workout would be alternating movements.We decided to split the work into 25 calorie sets but that changed after 50 calories. I was winded so we switched to a set of 15 and then a set of 10. The second portion of the workout was just as hard. The movements were alternating but I couldn’t catch my breath fast enough. I tried to keep a steady pace on the burpees and pistol squats. I had to break the snatches into sets of two. We finished with four rounds, six burpees and nine pistols.

This was the only day I was able to make it to the gym. I had a lot of things I had to do and wasn’t able to make it for the rest of the week. I’m still getting back into it and hopefully next week will be better.

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Miniature Mondays: Princess

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The Butchers Mascot: Princess

Next on the painting table is Princess, the Butcher mascot. I’m not sure what the color scheme will be but I’m leaning toward white and brown. Something like this:
This may take a few weeks since I’m working on some honeymoon videos and more posts about our trip but I’ll try to get it done.
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Europe 2016: Honeymoon Edition

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Europe 2016: Honeymoon Edition

September has been a great month. I got married and went on an awesome honeymoon to Europe. We visited four cities: London, Paris, Rome and Amsterdam. I brought my GoPro with me and took a few shots using my new Feiyu Tech G4S Stabilizer. It worked really well and I hope the video comes out great. I posted a lot more pictures on my Instagram (@ENPalomo) if you want to see some stills.
After reading a lot of posts about pick pocketing in Europe, my wife bought a Pacsafe Venturesafe 150 GII cross body pack. I used this instead of a body wallet that people usually recommend. This worked great on the subways and buses throughout Europe. It has a lot of anti theft features which makes it a great alternative to a body wallet. I might do a review on this after all the cities.

Cell Phones 

We purchased SIM cards in London, Paris and Rome. We did not purchase SIM cards in Amsterdam, instead we used our previous SIM cards and roamed. This lasted about three days into our trip to Amsterdam which was enough.

Airfare and Transportation

 

I booked my tickets using Kayak and my train ticket using Eurostar. Each city has a different system for public transportation which we picked up after landing. We also used Uber for a few rides in London and Paris. This was the first time using Uber and it took a few rides to get used to using it and the etiquette when using it. The app didn’t update numbers when switching SIM cards which I found out the hard way. Overall, I had a great experience with Uber and the drivers I interacted with.If you plan on using taxis to get to your accommodation, use a legitimate one. Their will be people asking you if you need a taxi in the airport terminals and some of them are not legitimate. Make sure they have a meter and a taxi sign or licence. They prey on tourists and will overcharge you.

Another great app to download would be City Mapper. This app was a lifesaver on the trip. It requires an internet connection but you can use it offline if you save routes. You pick a starting point or use your GPS location and pick a destination. The app then calculates the quickest route to your destination including all forms of public transportation. It also calculates driving, walking and rider sharing apps like Uber. This made navigating the city that much easier. It doesn’t have all major cities so check the website to see if the one you’re visiting is on there.

Accommodations

 
Trying to find hotels that fit within our budget and proximity to the city center was extremely difficult. We opted to go with AirBnB. This was my first experience using AirBnB and it was great. It was also more affordable and located in great areas within the cities. At first I was hesitant to use this site but after talking to multiple friends we decided to give it a try. Each place we stayed in had an excellent guest ratings and had a minimum 50 reviews. I also read all the negative reviews if any. We had a great time in each place which I’ll discuss in each city review.
Attractions and Restaurants
We primarily used the website Trip Advisor to look up attractions and restaurants. I’ve used this website to plan past trips to Tokyo and Seoul. They have a great forum if you need to ask questions about places you’re going to visit. I would also save locations using Google maps. I will talk about the few we visited on our trip.
Money Exchange
We took some cash with us with the intent to change it at a currency exchange. In retrospect, it wasn’t the best way to obtain foreign currency. We should have brought half the amount of cash and pulled the rest out of ATM’s. When I added up the fees from the ATM transaction, it was lower than the fees from currency exchange. Most European bank ATM’s do not charge fees, with most of our fees coming from our local bank. Our bank fee was about $2. Try to avoid independent ATM’s and stick with bank ATM’s.

Some currency exchanges have commissions and the trading rate was higher than the bank rate. Make sure you inform your bank before traveling. Most banks will lock your account since withdrawals from a foreign country looks suspicious.

Credit Cards

My wife and I have a travel friendly credit card. We do not get charge foreign transaction fees and we get the best dollar to euro/pound conversion rate as opposed to cash. The rates are made by Visa which is close to the bank currency exchange rate.

I will be writing about the cities in the order I visited them, London, Paris, Rome and Amsterdam. I’ll try to finish one each week.
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Miniature Mondays: Boar (Finished)

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Boar is Finished

I finally finished Boar! He came out better than expected. I haven’t painted in awhile and visiting Europe made me appreciate art and the skill that goes into it. I also visited a few game stores and a lot of their models looked great and I saw a few that won awards. This inspired me to paint a lot more in the coming months. We’re going to start playing some Guild Ball at a LGS and I would like to finish my team soon. Painted miniatures look better on the table.
I tried to do some new techniques which turned out better than expected. I still need to work on painting skin but this is great step in the right direction. Need to work on blending as well. I’m not sure what I’ll paint next but it will be something from Butchers.
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