It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve read it, but I’m terrible with time, so I have no idea how old it is.
Pretty sure that Draco was going to lose his inheritance (maybe to Dolohov or Yaxley?) if he didn’t get married, and Hermione needed money for her nonprofit organization.
SPOILER
Hermione gets poisoned at a dinner, and Theo (who has Healer training) helps her. She says something along the lines of “sweet like fruit, not candy” to describe the poison.
Thanks I’m advance!!

Campaign Hook

Nestled deep in the heart of a woodland seemingly untraversed since the creation of the Titans’ Forge lies Reiner's Forest. A place of serene beauty where the trees soar up towards the heavens, and the flowers burst through the dense forest floor in a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues.
The moment you step into Reiner's Forest, you can sense the magic that pulses through every living thing. The very air seems to shimmer with a warm and welcoming glow, drawing you deeper into the heart of this wondrous place. As you walk through the trees, you might catch a glimpse of a tiny fairy darting through the leaves or hear the distant roar of a mighty beast echoing.
But it is not just the creatures that inhabit Reiner's Forest that make it so special. Every rock, every tree, every blade of grass is alive with magic, imbued with some incomprehensible aura. The ground itself seems to shift beneath your feet, a living tapestry of roots and earth that swirls and dances in time with the forest's heartbeat. The trees are tall and green, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. The air is perfumed with the sweet scent of flowers and the sound of birdsong fills your ears.
As you dwell deeper into the trees, you start to understand that the trees themselves seem to not only swell with magical radiance but are living beings, their branches reaching out to you though you’re not sure if it’s to welcome you or entrap you. Finding what you seek seems impossible. Luckily, you've stumbled upon other Interlopers who wish to unravel whatever ancient secrets stir deeply in this mysterious forest. The only guarantee is what lies ahead is likely more than you bargained for.
Enter the World of Ergal. A high fantasy setting with some more steampunky-gaslamp elements (i.e. cool steam trains.) Explore a campaign with expansive lore to delve into.

Explanation and Worldbuilding

The first arc of this campaign will take the player characters through an enchanting forest full of illusions and mysteries. The wickedness of the woods is not the only thing you must fear, there's also, the Sabres, an elite military that controls the Exterior of Ergal. Civilians are not permitted beyond the Titans' Forge and capture will mean imprisonment or even being sentenced to death. Will you take up the duty of the National military as a member of the Sabre Collective? Or are your intentions less 'noble?'
The word on the street is that Reiner's Forest is a prime collecting zone for Harveys'. Magical Fruit Harvesters who delve into the outlands looking to make a quick buck selling whatever they can manage to smuggle in The Magical Fruit Black Market. Despite what the Arch Eight would like to think, much of Ergal's citizenry depends upon the plunder of the dangerous Outlands. The Arch Eight are the 8 leaders of the remaining states of Ergal Interior. Some of them have even presided since the Rise of Monsters. A dark aura is emanating from the heart of the woodland. It would wash away an unfit adventurer. Are you prepared to embark on a dangerous voyage within its grasp? If any of this sounds intriguing, please grab the link below so we can see about playing together!

The "Who, What, When, Where, and Why?"

I am seeking 1 player for a long-term campaign that will take place on Sundays at 6 PM PST. As of today Session 3 will be held on Sunday, May 18th and from that point on, sessions will continue on a *bi-weekly basis. Sessions can last anywhere from 4-6 hours with breaks ofc. For the purposes of this campaign, we will be using Foundry Virtual Table Top. There's a large variety of homebrew available for Character Creation and exploration. Including homebrew races and race/character backgrounds, additional weapon properties, weather systems, hunting/gathering, potion creation, and more. In other words, this campaign is likely not suitable for new players, though I'm not opposed to those who wish to apply! I look forward to speaking to and getting to know each person who wishes to join the campaign!!
D&D Group Sign Up Doc~
Feel free to leave a comment but please don't DM me on Reddit!
Note: You will be joining an on-going campaign, but it’s only recently begun and it will be reasonably comfortable for you to slide right into the group dynamic. We would be meeting to VC and go over rules lore, and other necessary things to help you join in the game.

Hello folks! Been radio silent on this sub in anticipation of seeing the show on my trip to Amsterdam. I like to avoid spoilers before seeing a concert of one of my favorite artists (with Peter being THE favorite), so I had to unsub to avoid the temptation of looking.
Haven’t read too many reviews of earlier dates, but the show was incredible. At the core is a supreme level of confidence in his new material…and that confidence paid off, IMO. With six i/o songs already out (and all present in the setlist), he added five more - and I think they were all stronger than my least favorite of the released songs (the title track…which i still like!) This album (or song cycle project or whatever it ends up being called) will be an all-timer.
The framing of the show was fun, though there was some clunkiness to the execution of it tonight, which combined with a few early technical problems. Beyond those technical issues, I think Peter was looking for his vocal pocket for the first few songs; this could be related to the tech issue, or to his historical inclinations toward poor microphone management. (I used to laugh at him having a headset and a handheld mic - but going handheld only tonight showed why that’s a useful approach.) These are all nitpicks, to be clear - and by the time the first “hit” was played over 30 minutes into the set, everything clicked into place.
The band is incredible. The new additions all shone - having a cello and horn augmented so many songs. (This was the first time I felt Big Time truly worked live.) David is David, Tony is king of the bottom end, and Manu Katche had a centerpiece pair of songs in the second set that brought the house down. Add to that the incredible set design that added to every song (still thinking about the end of Four Kinds of Horses and a couple other new songs), and it was a remarkable experience. For anyone lamenting “same old” when it comes to the hits selection…the visual element is really strong for all of them. For what that’s worth.
The arena was pretty packed - a few rows with empty seats, but it looked 90-95% filled. A fun wrinkle to that experience: girlfriend was very impressed with the young, arty, hip people getting on the subway to go see my boy Peter…until we realized Harry Styles was playing at the outdoor stadium next to the arena. It made for crowded platforms and trains to and from the area, with many loose feathers dropped from boas.
I looked back at my earlier comment on what the set list could be, to look at how my predictions mix held up. And…well, I was pretty good with my first part (there were indeed 12 of those 14 songs played, and a 13th (Flood) was played on some of the dates). But I under-estimated how many new songs he would be playing - which I loved! (And somehow there are two more out there that i need to check out - what a fruitful abundance!)
But with six additional new tracks since I assembled that mix, only three of the mix’s “next 16” second part (Washing of the Water, Darkness, and Big Time)…and the only unexpected back catalogue number was Growing Up, which was a fun choice.
I already can’t wait to see the show again when it reaches California. What an honor to see him on this first leg - I wish I were going to every other show now.

In Norse Mythology, Loki is known as the trickster god. He's a shapeshifter but more importantly, he's also known for his schemes, deception and mischief. Oda has drawn inspiration from mythology in the past. We find out Elbaf's prince is called Loki in Lola's backstory.
Assuming we actually go to Elbaf, Usopp may get his "training arc" in the form of some tool that Loki used to make lies become a reality or some other lie-based power.
Also, I can't remember where I saw it but I saw a theory where you can get someone's devil fruit power. In some impossible reality, we might see Usopp eat the heart of a giant that he's miraculously slain (I love Usopp and all but there's no way he could pull that off on his own).
This theory may fall apart if you ask "why Loki didn't 'force' Lola to marry him" but you could counter that by saying he just gained the power after she proposed or he wanted true love.

Race Information

• Name: San Diego- 25th Anniversary Rock n' Roll
• Date: June 4, 2023
• Distance: 13.1 miles (Strava says 13.16 but let's say it was 13.1)
• Location: San Diego CA
• Time: 2:10:41

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Sub 2:30	Yes
B	No walking	Yes

Splits

Mile	Time
1	11:02
2	10:01
3	10:07
4	9:41
5	9:41
6	9:37
7	9:47
8	9:39
9	9:54
10	9:35
11	10:01
12	10:19
13	10:01
14	8:29 (0.1m)

Training

I have waited so long to post my very own race report and let me just say I am STOKED.
Hi everyone! I am 25, female, and happy to answer any other demographic questions if anyone has questions. I decided to do a half marathon this January. Before that, I was a fair-weather runner and would get really into it for two or so months before burning out and switching to another kind of fitness. In January, I had a real solid 4 mile run and got runner's high for the first time in almost a year and the decision to run a half came solely from adrenaline and euphoria. I also made the decision to get sober around two years ago. The longer I stayed sober, the more I felt myself needing a outlet and a way to deal with frustrating emotions/day-to-day stress.
I followed this training program from RunnersWorld semi-closely. I kept it fairly casual the first two months since this was a 3 month training program and I had a little over 5 months to train, but I think being able to start training in a very casual manner helped me avoid injury and keep running fun.
I am a full-time student and full-time employee and definitely started feeling stressed in April/May. Long story short, my rental started falling apart (mushrooms started growing in my bathroom, lead to a discovery of several walls' worth of rotting wood and mold) and I started having asthma issues and had a handful of asthma attacks while running. For 3 1/2 weeks in April/May my partner and I, plus our three dogs) bounced from Airbnb to Airbnb while our bathroom was demolished, mold was remediated, and our bathroom was reconstructed. All of this is to say, my training definitely suffered-- BUT, I was still able to pull it off. This is a tale of encouragement, not one of woe.
My longest run pre-half marathon was 10 miles, 2 1/2 weeks before race day. I tapered harder than the training-program suggested. As the miles amped up I noticed more and more soleus pain (was not a fan of the New Balance Fresh Foam 880's, would love shoe recs). I figured at this point, I was better off undertraining than overtraining and hurting myself.

Pre-race

Holy heck, was I getting scared! I can't say I advise this, but I didn't run at all the week before. Instead, I got a sports massage and focused on yoga. I figured I wouldn't gain or lose any significant fitness in the singular week before my race and wanted to give myself a week to heal from the physical and emotional stress I had been under. I absolutely think this was the right call for my situation. The day before, I made an effort to eat more than normal, hydrated plenty with propel zero and regular water, l and tried to go to sleep early. The morning of, I had a shot of espresso and half of a bagel with cream cheese.

Race

Miles 1-2: Took it slow on purpose but really had no choice? I'm not sure if this is a normal thing, but things were very congested and a significant portion of people, like 15-20%, were walking? That threw me off and took me out of the moment a little bit.
Miles 3-5: My happy place! I barely remember anything about this chunk, just that people had spread out and I found my pace. Lots of spectators with cute signs that made me smile. Some favorites were: Run faster! Your dog misses you.
You're only at mile 4! You got a long ways to go! That sucks!
Where is everyone going?
Don't stop now, people are watching!
Took a cup of Gatorade Endurance and a cup of water.
Miles 6-10: My happy place pt. 2! I was surprised at how easy things felt. I saw a text on my watch from my partner letting me know he was around the 6-7 mile marker with our chihuahua. I spotted him and was able to smooch my pup on the forehead, smooch him, and keep going. That ruled. Got pretty nicely hydrated during this stretch which felt great. The only thing I would've done differently is fueling a bit here, but I didn't have gels or gummies on me and was too "in the zone" to stop and grab some from the fuel stations. I started feeling hungry and "weak" during mile 11.
Miles 11-12: Holy mother of steep downhill roads. Lots of people used this to their advantage and sped up but my knees had other ideas. Took me out of my flow and started to notice my feet hurting. Stuck it out and tried to focus on the mix I was listening to and my breath, and it passed sooner than I thought!
Mile 13: I remember thinking, "what the hell? We're here? It's over?" I wanted to sprint but kept telling myself not to push it and hurt my knees. This mile was ironically the toughest mentally, or rather the ONLY mentally tough mile, and I was in a constant push and pull of "SPRINT! no, don't sprint, you'll get hurt! NO, SPRINT!" Sprinted like I've never sprinted before for the last half mile. Honestly felt like an out of body experience. Felt like Usain Bolt or some shit. I wish I could've seen myself because I felt like an absolute BEAST. I felt like an absolute force to be reckoned with. Absolutely awesome. Crossed the finish line and had the most primal urge to scream like an Amazonian warrior. Did not do such a thing. Politely grabbed my medal and a baggie of fruit snacks :)

Post-race

I cannot begin to tell y'all how proud of myself I am. I have been glowing. My knee's bothering me a tad from the sharp downhill mile but it feels more like a "I never use these muscles so now I'm sore" than an injury. I'm not rushing to get back out and run and plan on taking it easy until there's no residual pain. Am definitely in the market for new shoes. I was not a fan of the wide toe box on the NB Fresh Foams. I loved the shoe at first because of the extra cushioning, but the more miles I ran the more I noticed I felt unstable while running, felt a constant need to re-tie my laces (tighter! no, looser! no, tighter!) and the development of soleus pain was a new thing that I can't blame the shoes on with 100% certainty...but... eh.
All of that said, holy crap. I am so proud of myself for setting a goal and DOING THE THING. It did a lot for my confidence. I am proud of myself for sticking with it when it got hard, doing runs when I would rather do anything else, and for listening to my body. During the half, I kept giggling to myself thinking that if I could have told 15 year old me that ran cross country blasting Daft Punk through her headphones that 10 years from now I would be paying money to do the exact same thing, she'd be so pissed and confused.
I've already been looking at full marathon training plans and looking for races far enough in the future to give me a nice lil buffer. I'm hooked. Thanks for reading :)

[Roll20+DISCORD] Campaign length: Full campaign Every 3 years exams are held for selecting 25 kids of ages 14-18 to be trained into becoming the elitest of the elite, the Castarians. You have passed and more than 5 years passed. You are in your second year about to gain the title of Apprentice and get your first taste of real combat that wasn't your combat classes in the arena. A world ruled by glorious and magnanimous Emperor, Avatar of Chrona, the Immortal ruler of all mortals. A history clouded by a dark age that swallowed the events of the unification and end of the isolation whole. You are one student with your aspirations; be it to personally guard The Emperor or do his bidding. Or become a cleric and tend to the flock of believers for Chrona. Or fight of the last remnant of Nathair, the Goddess of chaos; letting her not take one step off the coast of Beithr. Regardless get along with your coven, because survival until graduation is never guaranteed.
Players: 2/5DM with any questions about the lore that may arise from flowery language/absent info
Lore Dossier(scroll past homebrew and races to Lore for the juicy/usefull stuff): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d2dN-S4ciPor1PHvXbM\_DZGL9yti9b-UQ\_re3S5SkcM/edit?usp=sharing Player Requirements/Warnings: -18+, the game will deal with rough concepts and will have political intrigue.
-Roleplay heavy, Lore and the Plot revolving around the characters will move on, if you do not roleplay much you will slowly push yourself out of the plot. I do not wish to railroad any players into actions.
-If you have problem with queer people, tough luck, I am a massive fruit. So is a bunch of the lore important/historical characters. No I don't give a shit if it is statistically unlikely, they are my blorbos.
-(Yes historical, you guys are technically going to a college a lot of the plot revolves around the Dark Age and all that. If you like piecing stories together speculation is invited wholeheartedly. If not you can make fun of the conspiracy theorist as you walk back to the dorm from class.)
-Not technically a requirement: Combat is rough and dangerous in Savage Worlds so I would recommend a lot more caution than most other fantasy systems. Pretend your hp stat never left lvl 1-2 in DnD if you haven't tried Savage worlds. -Its savage worlds so Homebrew when it comes to Powers (Spells+) and Edges (Feats) is allowed and encouraged when the playerbook comes up short. -If you miss a session without prior heads up, I will kick you out if you don't have a reasonable excuse and find someone new as soon as possible. Missing sessions happens but please warn your DM; you are making life harder for the DM and more importantly, the other players who have to fit the game into their schedule. -Character creation will be done with me, the DM. As it is very homebrew heavy and it would probably be annoying as all hell to create one without access to the insides of my noggin.

so i am getting multiple DMs after my comment on a recent post about IV insertion and figured i'd just share with the whole gang. training other nurses in IV/USIV technique is one of my favorite things. please bear in mind that not everything described here is "best practice" but in emergencies with no access, you can't make them any deader, and you need access as soon as possible. yes, there are I/O guns, but not everyone is comfortable using them and *gasp* in the chaos of the ED, it often might not have been put back in the right place. or even better, dead batteries!
i approach this whole topic from a "where am i running into problems?" approach, in chronological order
confidence: being nervous WILL decrease your chances of a successful IV placement. if you seem confident, your patient is calmer, which makes everything easier. nervous patients also tend to tense up which makes the vein move, no bueno. also, get yourself into a comfortable position, with the patient's arm in an optimal position for YOUR insertion (Not necessarily too comfy for the patient) with good lighting. my success rate was significantly lower when i didn't have space to optimize our positioning.
finding a vein: first, using a chlorhexidine scrubber (the kind you have to snap to activate) to really wet the skin a) can help you see the vein better as it reflects light and b) using chlorhexidine as a sort of lube while rubbing the skin can get veins to pop up.
having the patient hang the arm off the side of the bed will also help make veins pop up more (thank you reddit friend!). gravity is your friend
so when you're first starting off really trying to get lines in, i recommend going for the low hanging fruit in the AC. these veins are not only (usually) palpable, but they're also sturdy and it's harder to blow these veins. feeling AC's will familiarize you with what good IV veins should feel like. sturdy, good-for-IV veins will feel like a bouncy rope that you can trace up/down the arm (at least for a few cms).
another tip is a bit of creativity. look in places you wouldn't always think to look, such as in the upper arm (many lean patients will have a very juicy one running up the middle of their bicep) or the posterior forearm (careful with these, they tend to be way more fragile than you'd expect and are prone to blowing). in emergencies i have gotten them in ankles, feet, legs, shoulders, breasts. please don't try this until you're very good at normal IVs. i cannot stress enough that these are last resorts in actual emergencies (during or peri-arrest), in the absence of anyone ultrasound-trained or with I/O access.
if you really can't feel anything but see some blue superficial veins, you can use these as a last resort but i recommend a few things here:

1. use a smaller gauge (probably a 22 depending on the size)
2. have your IV connector line flushed and hooked up to a saline flush
3. once you see a flash, pop the tourniquet off, advance the needle and catheter a bit, then remove just the needle with whatever safety mechanism you have. then, very gently, connect the catheter to your flushed connector and gently "float" the IV in by simultaneously advancing and slowly flushing the catheter.

this doesn't always work, but in highly edematous patients, you can sometimes "push" the edema out of the way to help you see/feel the veins hiding beneath all that fluid.
i found the vein but it's rolling: this is where traction becomes super important. what i mean by that is grabbing the pt's arm with your non-dominant hand from BEHIND and gently tugging the skin in that direction. that will make the skin and soft tissue surrounding the vein taut and prevents rolling. for hand IVs, i use my non-dominant hand to “hold their hand” in a position like in the old movies where a monsieur kisses a mademoiselle’s hand lol. i use my thumb to pull all the hand skin down and this provides traction.
DO NOT FORGET ABOUT TRACTION!
also, if your angle is too shallow, you are striking the vein with more surface area on the needle which is the equivalent of cutting a tomato with a dull knife. carefully steepening your approach can be helpful (you obviously just have to be more careful when advancing the needle).
i got a flash but now i can't advance: take a close look at your angiocath (IV pre-insertion), before you even get close to the patient. what you'll notice is that the needle is slightly longer (1-2 mm) than the plastic catheter itself (the difference in length is proportional to the size of the angiocath; 18s have a bigger needle/cath length difference than 20s, 20s more than 22s, etc). when you see flash, that tells you the needle has been introduced into the vein, but it does not necessarily mean you've introduced the catheter into the vein. so when you're trying to advance and meet resistance, that's likely your catheter pushing on the outside of the vein with no secure site of entry.
to fix this, stop advancing as soon as you see a flash. then, without advancing, drop your angle so that it's not so steep. then, move the whole angio cath (plastic and needle together) about 2 mms (or whatever the needle/cath length difference is) to actually introduce your catheter. if you've introduced, you should be able to slide the catheter in and press your safety button to remove the needle.
i advanced the catheter into the vein but now i'm meeting resistance: you might be pushing up against a valve. there's some controversy on this, as damaging a valve can lead to longer-term problems (i've never seen this and am very careful with them using the following technique). try flushing your catheter while advancing, as this can help push the valve flaps out of the way and "let you in." worst case scenario, as long as your IV works, you can just leave it partially inserted and tell the patient/next RN to be super careful with it.
i keep blowing veins: this probably means you went "through and through" with your needle. this is more of an advanced technique but sometimes you can actually salvage these.
first, immediately pop the tourniquet off if you're seeing the vein blow. then, with your flush attached, gently pull the catheter out a little bit while trying to "pull blood." if you're able to pull your angiocath back into the lumen of the vein (but not out the other way, the way you came in), you may start to see blood return in your flush. if that's the case, try gently advancing your catheter now while flushing very gently. this can often get you "past the blow." obviously if you're flushing and the blow is getting bigger, it may be time to abort. again this is a more advanced technique.
the other common vein blowing scenario is when you're infusing or flushing into a delicate vein that just can't handle much pressure. you'll see this a lot in frail elderly patients. when i'm sticking them, i pop the tourniquet off as SOON as i see flash, as this will greatly reduce the pressure burden on the vein near my puncture.
please add any of your own in the comments!! and i cannot stress enough that once you feel confident with regular IVs, advocate for yourself and see what your hospital offers in way of ultrasound IV placement training. now that i do these i actually find them way way easier than the old fashioned way. it is an invaluable skill.

Introduction
Because of this I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men; but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming one. (Matthew 12:31-32)
I have seen, read, heard, or been asked personally, "What is the unforgivable sin?", or, "What is blasphemy of the Spirit?" Many people read this passage and it seems that all they understand is that there is some innocuous thing called blaspheming the Holy Spirit that is unforgivable, and they fear that they may have accidentally committed it without knowing what it is. Reading articles or systematic theologies regarding this is even less helpful because many of them disagree with each other on what this sin is. While the answer to this question is very simple and straightforward, there is much to be discussed considering this passage, what is stated, and the implications of it.
What is this sin?
Then was brought to Him one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, and He healed him in order for the mute man to speak and to see. And all the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Could this be the Son of David?” And the Pharisees having heard, said, “This man casts out the demons only by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.” And having known their thoughts, He said to them, “Every kingdom having been divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house having been divided against itself will not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? On account of this, they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how is anyone able to enter into the house of the strong man, and to plunder his goods, unless first he binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. The one not being with Me is against Me, and the one not gathering with Me scatters. Because of this I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men; but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming one. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad. For the tree is known by the fruit. Offspring of vipers, how are you able to speak good things, being evil? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure puts forth good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure puts forth evil things. And I say to you that every careless word that they will speak, men will give an account of it in day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:22-37)
Very plainly, blasphemy of the Spirit is to speak a word against the Spirit of God. What is "blasphemy?" Is this not injurious speech against something? When we are commanded not to blaspheme God in the 10 commandments, do we know what that means? So why would it mean anything different here?
The Pharisees are seeing Jesus cast out demons. The crowds say that he must he the son of David, or the Messiah, and the Pharisees charge Jesus with using Satanic power, the ruler of the demons to cast out demons. It is this statement, this claim that the Pharisees make that Jesus is speaking against. Is this statement blasphemy against the Spirit? Certainly. This passage does not say "Holy Spirit" in any (important) manuscripts. This Spirit is defined as "the Spirit of God." We know this to be synonymous with the Holy Spirit, but think of what the Pharisees are actually saying here. "The Spirit of God is actually the Spirit of demons." They are speaking directly against God by calling his Spirit, his very own nature, to be that of demons. They are, in effect, calling God evil. They are speaking against the power and nature of God and giving God's power as credit to the demons. Listen to what Jesus says: "If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? On account of this, they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." The question is, "by what power do these demons become cast out by?" If it is the power of God, and they say it is the power of demons, then they are giving God's glory to that which is evil. Recall Moses, who took the credit away from God and gave it to himself for cracking open the rock and giving Israel water to drink. This sin was so terrible that Moses, as holy as he was, reflecting the glory of God from his face and being the mediator of a covenant of angels to men, Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land that he had been leading the Israelites to for over 40 years. Moses was to die before entering into this land. Moses took the power of God and gave it to himself. Moses was a righteous man and unparalleled in the scriptures in many ways (until Jesus, of course), and even taking the credit of God away and giving it to himself was such an atrocity that it cost him his reward in the promised land. The kingdom of God is our promised land today, and we are wandering in the wilderness, waiting for the approved time to be let inside. Think again to what Jesus says here: "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.... If anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming one.... I say to you that every careless word that they will speak, men will give an account of it in day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Judgement, condemnation by what we speak, the kingdom of God, the age to come.
What is more, the Pharisee seem to have had some power themselves to cast out demons. "If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?" Their "sons" are a reference to their students, or those who are trained among the Pharisees. We know that the apostles testified to a man casting out demons who was not an apostle of Jesus (Luke 9:49). In that passage, the man is casting them out "in Jesus' name," and he was not a Pharisee. However, given what Jesus says here, it seems likely that they had at least some limited ability to be able to do so. It would not be fair to say that only Jesus could cast out demons during his ministry. If the Pharisees had the power to cast out demons, and this can only be done by the Spirit of God, then the Pharisees know the power of God's Spirit and yet they denied it openly. These were not simply mistaken Pharisees who were in shock because they had never seen a demonic exorcism before, these were men who knowingly denied the very Spirit by which they had tasted (compare Hebrews 6:4-6). This is a very intentional act. Jesus makes it very clear that there is no other power by which this can occur. "Every kingdom having been divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house having been divided against itself will not stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" Jesus' point being that no one can cast out demons but the Spirit of God. So if they are casting out demons, they know exactly by what power Jesus does so as well. These men are not committing an accidental and honest mistake. This is very intentional. We should have no doubt as to why Jesus said this. In Mark 3:30, it says: "For they were saying, 'He has an unclean spirit.'" For they were saying. For the reason of having said this, Jesus speaks on blasphemy of the Spirit.
Why is it that when people speak about blasphemy of the Spirit, there is such a tendency to say things such as: "It is to go against the calling of God's Spirit in your life." Or, "It is to not have the works of the Spirit." Are either of these "blasphemy?"
Grieve the Spirit
Hebrews 10:26-30: For if we sin willingly after we are to receive the knowledge of the truth, no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment and fury of fire being about to devour the adversaries. Anyone having set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercies on the basis of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will he deserve, the one having trampled upon the Son of God, and having esteemed ordinary the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and having insulted the Spirit of grace?
Once we have received forgiveness of sins, we can not keep continuing to sin. "Having esteemed ordinary the of the covenant by which he was sanctified and having insulted the Spirit of grace." God's grace is how we receive forgiveness through the blood of Christ. To "esteem this as ordinary," probably in the context of the letter to the Hebrews being a reference to Jesus' sacrifice only being as important as the blood of the old covenant sacrifices, is an insult to the Spirit of grace. In this passage, the author is warning his audience of insulting or grieving the Holy Spirit. It does not seem that they have committed this sin. Otherwise, if they were deemed unforgivable, this letter would be pointless. The purpose of this letter was to encourage this Hebrew Christian congregation who had already received the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 6:4) and, having suffered for Christ, were turning back to the old covenant. The author is encouraging them not to do so by various arguments to show the superiority of the covenant of Christ to the old covenant. These people could be redeemed. Therefore, they had not yet committed this sin. With that being said, he's warning them for coming near to this sin. How did they do so? By their actions to grieve the Spirit. Note that these people had already been sanctified or made Holy. These people had already been forgiven for their sins in Christ. This shows a certain knowledge and awareness of what is being done to grieve the Holy Spirit. This is not an act done by someone before becoming a Christ or with no knowledge of the Spirit.
Trinitarian Problem
"And if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him." Jesus is the Son of Man. If anyone speaks a word against him, they will be forgiven. Why would it be that you can blaspheme Jesus and be forgiven, but not blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Many Trinitarians appeal to this passage to prove that the Holy Spirit is God because there is something special about the Spirit if he can not be blasphemed against and receive forgiveness. However, the justification for why that is why this makes him God or why this makes him a distinct 3rd person of the Trinity are always lacking. Can we be forgiven if we blaspheme the 1st person of the Trinity? Trinitarians seem to not be sure if we can or not. This passage, in their eyes, says nothing about the Father. Only about the Spirit, who is "someone else" to them. Can we blaspheme the 2nd person of the Trinity and be forgiven? Assuming Jesus is the 2nd person of the Trinity, the passage plainly says, "Yes." Anything said against Jesus is forgiven. Why can we blaspheme two persons of God but not the third?
Some Trinitarians argue that the phrase "son of man" here is a reference to Jesus' humanity only. They argue that you can speak against the human Jesus and be forgiven, but not the divine Jesus. However, if you ask them about passages such as Matthew 9:6, Mark 2:10, 14:62, John 3:13, 6:38, 6:62, Acts 7:56, they will say that all of these passages are about the divine Jesus, even though he identifies himself as "son of man," or in the case of Stephen, Stephen identified him as "son of man." Would it make any sense to say that the human Jesus and the divine Jesus are one and the same person, and Jesus was telling his audience that you could speak against one of his two natures and be forgiven, but he was not speaking about speaking against the one person? Were the people speaking against the person here? Or the nature? If "the Son of Man" is God, then how can you speak against the Son of Man and not speak against God? This objection is incredibly wanting.
The Holy Spirit is the presence of the Father. To speak against the Father in Jesus performing these works is to blaspheme God. You can speak a word against the Son of man because he is not God, and this is showing us plainly. Jesus is declaring that he isn't God. You can't blaspheme God, but you can blaspheme a man.
Video 1
In the interest of understanding where the rather strange ideas Christians receive their understanding (or, rather, misunderstandings) of this verse, I looked at the most common place the average Christian goes for research. No, not the scholarly work presented on these issues, not systematic theology books, not study Bibles, not on academia, but on YouTube, of course. I typed in "Blasphemy of the Spirit" on YouTube and looked at two of the top videos to see what they said. The first is a short 5 minute video from "Got questions ministries," link here. In this video, they correctly look at the context of the passage and recognize that it does indeed have something to do with the speaking out against the Holy Spirit when Jesus is casting out demons. But it falls into problems towards the end of the video. It says:
"Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can not be repeated today. 1. Jesus Christ is not on earth. 2. He is at the right hand of God. 3. No one can personally witness Jesus performing a miracle and attribute that power to Satan instead of the Holy Spirit."
Jesus abides in us. "I will not leave you as orphans... the Father and I will make our home in him." Jesus is not on earth in flesh, but he is in Spirit. Did the miracles stop when Jesus ascended to heaven and received glory? No. To assume no one can commit blasphemy against the Spirit because Jesus is no longer in flesh among us does not follow. Jesus is now in Spirit among us. Blasphemy can still be performed against the Spirit, and this syllogism does not reach the preferred conclusion. The video goes on to say:
"The unpardonable sin today is to resist the state of continued unbelief.The Spirit currently convicts the unsaved world of sin, righteousness, and judgement (John 16:8). The resist that conviction and willfully remain unrepentant is to 'blaspheme' the Holy Spirit. There is no pardon in this age or the age to come."
What? Why such a radical turn from what Jesus said blasphemy of the Spirit is, to this? Notice that in this definition, there is no "blasphemy" at all. They even put the word "blasphemy" in quotations for some reason. To resist the call of the Spirit is not to say anything against the Spirit at all. So, how can this be blasphemy? This leaves the idea of the calling of the Holy Spirit intentionally vague and undefined so as to make a blanket statement about it. A "continued state of unbelief," would imply that this person was not a believer at all. Why, then, would there be a second resurrection to judgement if all who have not accepted the Holy Spirit are already judged as "unforgiven in this age and the age to come?" Clearly, this is not a good definition of blasphemy against the Spirit.
Video 2
The second video I watched must be one of the worst sermons I've watched in a very long time. It was by the famous pastor John MacArthur. link to video It seems to me that he has no idea what blasphemy of the Spirit is, but he is arguing to vilify himself from the charges people have placed against him on blaspheming the Spirit when he calls others as demon possessed when they claim their healings and tongues come from the power of the Spirit. After most of the video is an onslaught of inaccurate statements, side points, and bibliolatry, he finally comes to his explanation of what he thinks this blasphemy of the Spirit is. (Timestamp, 35:20)
"The eternal sin for them was this: they said Jesus was demonic. They went to hell for that. You say, 'Wait a minute, what if I said that? Would I go to hell for that?' Not necessarily. If you said that without full information, that's a blasphemy that's forgivable. But if that's your response after full revelation of the gospel, the full revelation of Christ contained on the pages of scripture, if that is your final conclusion, then you could never be forgiven. Because you've had full revelation... It is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It is not denying tongues or denying a healing or denying some supposed power display of the Holy Spirit. It is blaspheming the Holy Spirit by saying Jesus is demonic. How does that blaspheme the Holy Spirit?"
Paraphrasing what he goes on to say, he says that Jesus in the Incarnation laid aside his prerogatives, and all the works he did in his ministry are the results of the Holy Spirit in him. It is true that Jesus did everything he did by the Spirit in him. However, saying this not only contradicts what MacArthur says elsewhere in many of his other sermons and writings, even earlier in this very video. He argues that blasphemy of the Spirit today is when you have the full revelation of who Jesus is (which he thinks means that Jesus is God) and after receiving Christ and the Spirit you ultimately conclude that it's all a deception and you say Jesus is demonic.
There are many problems in this narrative. First, the passage says that anything said against Jesus is forgivable, and MacArthur's entire premise is that the unforgivable sin is about what you know about Christ and say about him. Second, MacArthur is under the impression that in times past, in the time of Jesus' ministry, people could know Jesus on a greater scale than we can now. They saw him and had full revelation. Today, we only know Jesus by what we read in the Bible. This is not true. We receive revelation of Christ today by the Spirit. We are not dependent upon a book. We are not lacking anything today that we could have gained in the time of Jesus' ministry. "Happy are they who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29). MacArthur seems to not even believe in the revelation of the Spirit today or doesn't believe that we can actually know Jesus in this way. We are solely reliant upon a book. He repeatedly describes the revelation of the gospel as "what we read in scripture." Third, he defines "blasphemy that's forgivable" as blasphemy without full knowledge. Yet, that's not what Jesus defines as forgivable and unforgivable. He defines it as words spoken against the Son of man or the Spirit.
Yes, revelation of the Spirit does matter in these discussions, as previously explained. But to conclude it is about what you say of Jesus after having the Spirit does not do any justice to the text. It works backward from what the assumption is.
In the first video, we have blasphemy of the Spirit today is to resist the Spirit's calling and to stay a sinner until death. In the second video, we have the claim that blasphemy of the Spirit is to have full revelation that Jesus is God and be a Christian and understand the gospel, but still call Jesus a demon. Two wildly different answers. No wonder people are confused.
Blasphemy of the Spirit Today
So what am I saying blasphemy of the Spirit is today? It is the same as it was in Jesus' day. It is to call God evil. It is to give the power of God over to the credit of demons. It is to speak against someone who is Spirit filled and attribute that Spirit to a demonic spirit. It is to do this while having enough exposure to the Spirit that this is no mistake. This is not something that someone can accidentally do. This is not something that is just a slip of the tongue. This isn't about a disposition, but about what is stated. Calling God a liar. Calling God the ruler of demons. To witness the power of the Spirit, know it is God's Spirit, and yet deny it. Someone may ask, "Why would anyone do that?" Why did the Pharisees do so? Because they wanted glory for themselves. They did not want Jesus or even God having glory for what was done, so they sought to discredit them. If you saw a Christian walking down the street today, and he believed differently than you, and he performed a miracle, what would you say? Would you say that he's got a demon? Would you say that since he's a Trinitarian, or a modalist, or a catholic, or some other kind of Protestant than you, or because you saw him sin in some way that he can't have God's Spirit so he must be acting by demons? Would you play the judge over him? Would you be jealous that he committed some miracle you could not do?
This is my encouragement to Christians. Do not judge others. I personally have never spoken in tongues at all. But I have seen a man who I know is filled with the Spirit with a true love of God do so. Do I dare accuse him of mockery or demons? Do I call him a false Christian? Be careful in who you judge. Yes, we are to test the Spirits. We don't just believe everything that's claimed to be of the Spirit with blindness. But we should be very, very careful in how we respond to these things. There's no reason to assume blasphemy of the Spirit has changed today.

Another day, another set of delvers. Today’s set is starting early… and they don’t look much like my typical delvers. Most of them come in with some variety of armor, or at least a wizard’s robes, but not these ones. These ones come with what looks to me like forge gear, heavy leather aprons and gloves and such. The half-dozen or so at least have picks and hammers that they probably know how to swing, but I seriously doubt they can handle my deeper stuff.
 
That doubt turns to certainty as I probe them with a few encounters on the surface. One of them gets a nasty bite from one of my vipers, and he hobbles back towards the gates to recover, giving me some “defeat delver” mana. The rest of the group decide to turn back when they meet a widow in the tunnels, and I’m just glad they understand what they can’t handle.
 
The next group actually tries their luck against the widow, and she leaves them nice and wrapped up for my ratlings to haul to the gates on the surface.
 
On the one hand, I’m enjoying the mana for victories. On the other hand, I’m starting to think I should have been more careful about the fantasy metals. While smiths theoretically could be after gold, I seriously doubt it. These guys look like they make adventuring gear, not jewelry.
 
I’m sure they’ll learn. It doesn’t look like it even will take them long to do so. The more experienced miners show up around noon, a bit late in the day for them, but it looks like they were spending their time organizing a big group. I wonder if it’s even technically a raid party. That’d be kinda cool, even if it’d really show how much I underestimated how desirable those fantasy metal nodes are.
 
Usually, mining groups going to the caverns are about 3:1 miners to adventurers, but this group is looking almost 1:1. They all consult with a map and check their route, and I’m much less concerned for this group than the others. I’d bet they heard about my friendly disposition and the valuable ores, and thought they’d be able to run in and get some quickly. These guys have been in the caverns and know I can bring some heat if I want, so they’ve prepared accordingly. I’m actually a bit proud of these guys.
 
I make sure I have some healing slimes down in the lava tubes anyway. They probably have some fire protection, but I don’t know exactly how dangerous my wyrms actually are. They’ve been having an easy buffet of the fire elementals, but that’s thanks to the ambushes. I don’t want my wyrms to just swallow limbs and dive back into the rock. Hopefully it’ll be good training for my weird little dragons, to actually have to fight, instead of relying on surprise tactics.
 
I keep half a metaphorical eye on them as they steadily make their way down, cool and professional. The rest of my attention is on the tubes as I consider what else to do in there. One thing that catches my eye is the herbalism stuff. I had been expecting them to mostly just be fuel to make charcoal and coke for the cinder ants, but it looks like some of the seeds the fruitbats have found on expedition are starting to grow down here with their help.
 
There’s even a variation on a lumber node, called a deepapple. I think they actually specifically want to get fruitbat attention, as the mushrooms grow pretty thick and tall, putting the caps close to the ceiling. Instead of the typical mushroom gills, they have little round… spore pods, I guess? Makes me think of a video I watched before I met truck-kun, about stinkhorn mushrooms. I think the little pods are full of gleeba, which is not just fun to say, but also basically spores in liquid. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to be too stinky. I think. I’d imagine they’d get a ruder name if they were. Deephorseapples, maybe.
 
Whatever the smell or nutritional value, they should be perfect for the cinder ants to do their thing, and let me grow some of the more exotic stuff my bats have managed to recover. I’m pretty sure they’ve gotten them from the volcanic area past the tubes, which bodes well for delvers being able to do stuff in there, eventually.
 
One that catches my eye is Fool’s Coal. I sprinkle a few of them around as I look over the description, which is interesting. The plant looks like it mostly grows inside the rock, and produces a little black fruit on the surface. It has a lot of alchemical uses, apparently, and is called Fool’s Coal because only a fool would try to burn it. It looks like it tends to explode when too hot. I guess that’s one way to get your seeds away from a place too hot for them to survive.
 
Magmoss is an interesting one, too. It grows close to the surface of rocks and such, making them look like they have veins of magma, but they’re not hot. In fact, they actively cool, and I’d bet they’re a primary ingredient in a lot of fire protection potions.
 
I have a few others that I’d like to plant, but I think I’ll need to expand again to get them. Lava Lillys actually require lava pools to grow in, making me wonder if the volcano area will be more like the underswamps but with lava instead of water. Magma. Magma is inside, lava is outside. Thank you, Dwarf Fortress.
 
I also check in on my crucible ants to see if they alloy stuff properly, and it sure looks to me like they can. I see a few hills made of bronze over by the copper and tin nodes. It makes me want to place a whole bunch of nodes close to each other and see what the crucible ants can cook up, but I think I’ll hold off on making more of the fantasy ore nodes for now.
 
I might upgrade the ants again, though. I like the crucible ants, but they’re still not going to make me an enclave. I think I have at least one more tier of ants before I reach the max ones. My mana is still doing fine, especially after ‘defeating’ those earlier miners, so it’s not a difficult decision to upgrade to the next tier.
 
Wow, that’s a big and ugly ant. It’s called a tunnelbore ant, which makes the ugliness make a bit more sense. And the size. They’re easily going to be my biggest denizens at around four feet tall and around ten feet long. They’re kinda squat and thick ants, with a huge head like a major might have. Instead of the big mandibles a major would have, though, it has a big flat ugly lumpy spiky face. It reminds me of the head of a big tunnel boring drill, but organic instead of metal.
 
I’m glad it doesn’t look like it can just rotate its face like one, though. That’d be some nightmare fuel there. It does like to dig, at least, and I watch as it starts. It just rubs its face against the wall in a circular motion, looking like it wants to wax on, or maybe wax off. Probably off, because the wall of the tunnel is easily being dug away. Once it gets to put its entire face against the newly-flattened part of the wall, the ant crawls around in circles, like a breakdancer spinning on his head. But with more limbs. And on the wall.
 
…maybe not so much like a breakdancer, then. Whatever the correct metaphor, it’s making good progress into the wall, and I spend a bit of mana to give it some direction. I'd usually have Coda do this, but he’s busy with the cinder blocks and cement. I tell the ant to make a bunch of side chambers along the tunnel for now, and am glad to see the next tunnelbore ant start to work on a new one. I’m sure they’ll congregate a bit once they can start opening the boreholes into proper chambers.
 
I’m really happy with my new tunnelbore ants, and watch them work as the miners reach the tunnels. It looks like the adventurers have some form of fire protection, which is great for my wyrms. Not letting them ambush is one thing, but how can I expect them to attack if a touch would make third-degree burns? First degree?
 
Really bad burns! The wyrms keep them on their toes, opting to start with making very obvious and slow magma holes before leaping out, forcing the delvers to dodge or otherwise deal with the simple momentum of the attack. The delvers’ strategy is simple, but effective. The adventurers will lock down the mandibles of a wyrm in various ways, and the miners will come in with hammers and picks to get at the more vulnerable sides. It’s not especially fast work, but it’s effective and pretty safe. Burns and wounds still happen, but they have some healing on hand for that.
 
I absently nod to myself about that, glad I won’t need to babysit the delvers as I watch the ants dig. That’s part of the fun of an ant farm, after all.
 
 
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First time posting here but figured I'd share my experience this last May.
I (28M) overheard a coworker talking about Paleo at the beginning of the month, how they did it for 7 years and never felt better. He used to be a crossfit coach and swore by its effectiveness.
I've always been interested in trying different diets, I just tried intermittent fasting the last 6 months and figured I'd give Paleo a shot after talking more with him.
Day 1 I was completely clueless, googling what the diet even really was, downloading paleo apps, and not knowing how it would go. Grocery store visits became comically long, reading the labels of foods I thought I could eat and seeing my options dwindle to about 10% of the store.
After throwing some money into the abyss with some different foods I later found out weren't Paleo approved, I decided to go as basic as basic could be. Fresh fruits and veggies, raw meats, eggs, raw nuts in bulk. Water only, plain sparkling water for special occassions.
I allow myself white rice for sanity, even though it's questionable.
Over time, my grocery trips turned longer, simpler, more frequent and less foods at a time. I would hit it up after a workout, grab some blueberries, strawberries, cantalope, maybe some chicken or ground beef for dinner.
I noticed a pretty big incease in spending at the beginning; however, as I got used to it, I would say my spending is the same or less than it was before Paleo.
I noticed my hunger in the first 10 days was intense, I just had to brute force through it. Black coffee and snacking all day. I work about 50 hours a week and noticed the hunger swings get less and less severe at work over time.
*I noticed the hunger changed over time. Instead of feeling an empty stomach or typical hunger pangs, I started noticing a slow energy depletion followed by a mild headache that a small cup of coffee would overcome
By week 2 my hunger pangs were gone. I was used to the meal plan, noticed an overall higher level of sustained energy throughout the day. I workout 4 days a week and noticed my workouts became steadier and I didn't get as exhausted afterward, even after a 90 min+ workout.
Week 3 and 4 were a breeze. I eat whenever I want, I keep a stash of fruits/nuts in my office at work. I have no desire to break the Paleo diet, even when pizza/desserts/fried chicken are right in front of me.
I have maintained my 155lbs and am hoping to put on some weight, but I've found getting over 2500 cal a day pretty difficult working 50 hrs a week.
Looking forward to keep the train rolling. I have no plans at the moment to stop following Paleo. It really puts the typical American diet into some perspective.
TLDR: 1 month of Paleo in, hunger swings have become more and more mild. Maintained my weight, feel more energetic throughout the day. Workouts seem to have improved and feel better overall. Paleo puts a lot into perspective.

So I thought I would write up something for anyone interested in going to the Spanish GP in the future; those who might never have been to any GP and those that travel solo (as I did this year).
Commute: I went there by train and had a bit of a longer commute due to my stay with a friend in Barcelona falling through last minute.
Getting to the track was easy on all three days and the trains weren’t too full, even on Sunday because everyone got there at different times.
Getting back was somewhat fine on Friday but I would honestly recommend walking to Granollers and taking the train from there (the R11 even skips Montmeló completely).
On Sunday all the trains on that route were running late though, so if you need to get somewhere quickly, I’d walk to Parets de Vallès instead.
Shuttle busses from the train station weren’t actually much quicker and you still had to walk quite a bit. I’m only mentioning this because I don’t think it would be a good option for people who have trouble walking.
The trip was 2,40€ and you had to pay in cash.
The lines were fine on Friday and Saturday but were really long on Sunday.
Getting back to train station I didn’t see any buses but the roads were taken over by people walking away from the circuit anyway, so I’m not sure that would have been any quicker or easier.
Cars also took a long time to leave the parking lots.
Outside the track: There were merch and food tents outside the train station, as well as, small supermarkets. If you wanted to get drinks or food, this was the place to get them.
Food & drinks: As I mentioned above, if you didn’t bring your own food and non-alcoholic drinks; which were allowed, you could buy lots of things outside the train station; sandwiches (half a baguette; 4-5€), sausages, Hot Dogs, fries, chips, sweets, fruit, cold water and drinks, beer, sangria, tinto de verano (2-4€).
Right by the track there were also tents but the prices were super high (9€ for beer, 500ml).
Inside, they had non-alcoholic beer and beverages (coca cola 4€ for 500ml) sandwiches (>6€) paella, snacks, fruit cups (4€). They also had at least one fully vegetarian food vendor.
There were several areas with tables and benches were you could eat (any food).
Merch: Super expensive inside the track (starting at 60€ for a cap); more affordable outside the track in the fan zone by the train station (starting at 30€).
There were outlet stores, however, for caps they only had Vettel caps for Ferrari, for example, and they were still 30€.
GA: I now have a hatred for camping chairs. Friday and Saturday were fine and most people with chairs stayed at the top of the GA hills but on Sunday, when space was already so limited, people sat in the middle of the hill basically making metres of space behind them unusable because they were blocking the view.
Though in the end it didn’t matter too much because, where I was, people were standing all qualifying and throughout the entire race. I’m not sure if that was the same in all the GA sections, though.
Bring a towel, the ground is dirty. Also, bring an umbrella, whether for rain or sun, is worth it.
Get there early if you’re in a larger group; you can always find a place to squeeze in if you’re by yourself though (and even if you’re early, there might always be someone with a camping chair sitting down right in front of you).
Try to find a place with a screen, you really have no idea what’s going on otherwise and you see very little of the track. You cannot follow the race online on Sunday, the internet just doesn’t work.
Track: Much bigger than it seems on tv, to be expected but it’s still a surprise somehow. There are tunnels and bridges but they’re not always easy to see, so make sure to know the layout beforehand.
Events: Were short but a nice opportunity to see the drivers; and the crowds were not too big actually. But please don’t hold up your sign while the drivers are on stage, other people want to see them too and don’t magically grow 2 meters tall because you want Carlos to see your (super creative) “vamos Carlos 55” sign. He already knows you support him because you’re there.
There was a fan zone with other stuff to do as well which the track announced on their website beforehand, so check that.
Solo travelling: Totally fine safety-wise and you can leave your stuff without it getting taken so there’s an opportunity to walk around without bringing all your drinks and food.
Vibe-wise, at least this time, the vibe was just very different from a football match or concert, which is what one might expect from what is shown on tv. Maybe because there were so many breaks but maybe also because everyone is supporting different teams and drivers. I’m not saying that’s a negative thing, just want to mention it.
Vibe: Also, Alonso is a god to them and sainz is merely human, so there’s mostly cheering when Fernandinho goes by and very little (comparatively) for everyone else.
Unless you’re an extroverted person that can easily talk to strangers, I’d recommend bringing something for the breaks, otherwise they become pretty boring as the track doesn’t offer much more than merch stores. I brought a book, which was good.
I think if you’re not sure which race to go to, try to find one that is a home race for the team or driver you follow if you want great vibes.
Other stuff: If you’re there for f3/f2 bring earplugs!
The cheapest souvenir from the track might be their reusable cups you can get anywhere (2€).
Have dinner (plans) ready for when you get back; being outside all day in the sun with so many people around is exhausting (but fun) and I didn’t have energy to do anything when I got home so I wish I though of that.
You can bring a shopping trolley (I brought a foldable one) or small suitcase instead of a backpack and I so recommend doing that; especially if you plan on walking to the track.
If you don’t live in the area, so think about staying north of the track for the weekend or even camping by the track and freeing up an extra day for Barcelona specifically (or even go to Barcelona on Friday, fp1 an 2 aren’t the most exciting things) because you likely won’t actually be able to do much in Barcelona. Everyone on the train was exhausted at the end of the day.
If I can think of anything else I’ll add it and if you have any questions please ask :)

I (22M) ran cross-country in high school and was pretty back lean then. When I got to college, I gained a bit of weight, then lost a bunch of weight during my sophomore year. I am reluctant to return to what I was doing during that time as it involved eating very little and pretty much only consuming energy drinks and swimming a lot. Today I eat healthy portions and give in to my sweet tooth occasionally but between my junior year and graduation I gained about 55lbs due to unhealthy habits and lack of exercise.
I just moved into my first apartment in a new state with my partner of a few years, and I am eating regularly/healthily but working a 9-5 type office job. I want to lose weight without needing to buy a pool or gym membership since those are both pretty expensive in my area.
As a result, I picked up running again and I've been enjoying it a lot, but my milage and time are really low right now. I'm on week two of a 7 week training plan for 5K and I feel like a complete beginner again (except with more pain since I'm much heavier now) which has been very discouraging on top of the fact that I dislike how I look in the mirror after runs more than before the runs for some reason. I don't want to change my dietary habits too much because I've always had a big appetite, but here's a summary of what a typical day of eating looks like for me since starting to run:

• Breakfast - Either Overnight Oats with Protein Powder, Chia, and Fruit or an Oikos Yogurt with Granola, Chia, and Fruit and a sugar free iced coffee with almond milk (homemade)
• Lunch - Turkey and Cheese Sandwich on Nature's Own Honeywheat and a Salad with no more than 2 tbsp dressing (the kind varies)
• Snack - Fruits or berries (usually apples but rn peaches), a Nature's Bakery bar, and a babybel cheese
  • on weekends i'll ocassionally have some homemade guac and chips
  • we always have random snacks or chips laying around that i'll take a handful of before a run
• Dinner - Varies a lot, but usually breaks down like this:
  • Protein: Rotisserie Chicken, Ground Turkey, or Salmon
  • Carbs: Rice, Pasta, or Tortillas and always some veggies as a side like broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, etc
  • Fats: most of our cooking is with olive oil
  • Misc.: I eat a spoonful of sauerkraut everyday because I like the taste a bit and someone told me it's good for you
• Dessert - Yasso mint chocolate chip greek yogurt bar, drinks on weekends

Like I said, I don't want to change my diet or anything because I feel sated after a day of eating these days and I want to keep it that way (otherwise I feel like it wouldn't be sustainable for me), but I don't know if running will balance out everything or if I'm even eating nutritiously enough to sustain this.
What do you think? Will running be enough to start trimming down? Am I doing this whole weight loss thing right?
Edit: clarified that the weight gain was not on my current eating plan.

Hi all, wanted to share some thoughts on here for people that are starting or midway through. My main goal in doing this was to be more accountable to myself for my personal goals, specifically fitness and weight loss. I know those are great things to kick off personal transformation, so I was mainly focusing on those. It’s way easier to apply to a new job, speak up for yourself, follow your dreams, etc, if you feel confident in your own skin.
So far I’ve lost over 10 lbs- 158.7 to 148.0 I’ve lost 2 inches in both my waist and my hips. I am planning on losing at least 10 more pounds before moving to maintenance, so many of the lifestyle changes I’ve made on the 75 I don’t plan on changing much after I’ve finished the 75 days. Some people would say that’s not a ton, but if what your doing to is starving yourself, it’s going to be really hard to sustain long term.
Diet- I feel like this is the main thing to determine my weight loss outcome, with exercise as a supplemental factor. Simply cutting calories and eating less is the fastest way to ensure you’re going to go right back to your starting weight- I have experienced this and it’s such a bummer. I focused on fueling my body and being aware of my hunger and fullness cues- something that’s really hard to do with counting macros, which is why I’m not a fan of that approach either.
My diet was-
At least 100grams of protein daily, as eating high protein ensures that you won’t lose as much muscle as you lose weight, and it keeps you full.
no dairy, no gluten (from past experience I know that these aren’t great for me personally, I was not blindly following anyone’s advice) and I am also eating plenty of carbs in the form of rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, legumes, corn, and fruit.
avoiding all processed sugars - treats or sweets as well as things like sweet salad dressings, etc. I will allow myself fake sugar - especially in the form of protein shakes and I had 2 diet cokes.
No junk food- this is different for everyone, but I specially called out no deep fried foods or baked goods- this is where I could see myself bending the rules a little bit.
To me, this was hard, but it’s sustainable. I got to eat foods I like, go out to eat, and I never went hungry.
Exercise: I would say be easy on yourself- you’ll see results even if you are just walking if you have your diet figured out.
For the first month I was training for a 10k, running 3x a week, weightlifting 2x a week, and walking the remaining workouts. After the race I run 1-2x a week and lift 2-4x a week. There was a week when I was wiped out, so I just walked that week. Every single week, I’ve seen the scale go down, even on the week I only walked.
I’m addition, my running performance has gone through the roof, and my lifting performance is improving.
Water- just do it, not worth complaining about. I use a Nalgene with a silicone straw, and it’s been great for me. I started adding lmnt to one of my bottles every day about a week ago. Not technically allowed, but tbh, the guy that created this is in no way someone who is influencing me, and I don’t plan on bragging about finishing. I honestly care way less about doing things perfectly than when I started. Coming out of this without a white knuckle all or nothing approach will feel like success to me.
Reading- read a book you like or it will be horrible.
Happy to answer any questions for people as well!

when i was kid i love ruggrats ruggrats was a TV show i never see the episodes
as you would know i only watch real life movies i like the new ones better then the classic ones when ruggrats the movie came out in 2019
i had buys the spongebob squarepants the movie DVD a few years later i was managed to buy copy version of ruggrats the movie DVD
i went to DVD store he also gave other films finding nemo luca and robot chicken
so i took DVDs home and put ruggrats the movie DVD on play station 3 then the menu showed up with Play and Bonus Features then click play button after the Nickelodeon movies logo as played in the opening credits the intro showed up
the intro of the film the largest rocket car was destroyed well after that DVD cut to the black AW HELL NO! screamed in frustration destroys the play station 3 to make it work
then it showed Chucky walking the ice age with an angry expression I HATE ANGELIA AND HE JUST DOESN'T WANT IT GO TO TRAIN STATION AND DRIVING TO CAR WITH MAMMOTHS AND BISONS IN ALL DAY he yelled and he angrily to his train station cuts the tree with a axe so loud my ears almost bled
Angelia opens the tent and said what now Chucky walked in and then spoke you have been driving the car all day not eating fruits and all that Angelia walks away
now things is so creepy and comes back with a chainsaw and he says get out he runs to the forest I AM NOT Chucky screams oh no i can't do that i will call the police and arrest me now stuck in the forest we to be together
then it shows the shadow of the Angelia Chucky with graphic blood on the tree taking the river he hears Chucky screaming
Ellie get out of the river and walks to his forest Ellie looks at Angelia's art room in car the room was dark leads into wasp nest car he walks to the stairs
it shows Angelia with no eyes with a clown nose crying blood looks in the drawer he walks to the car radio
this is where disturbing what he sees in car basement shows words in blood saying Eddie best snails from now on Ellie sees the grass car then he finds the cage with a window and a dead moose in it
Ellie tries to escape the car but doors are locked he enters mouse with an evil smile holding a bloody bug spray
Ellie tries to break the car window mouse said prepare to die before killing the Ellie the movie ends without Nickelodeon fish logo the text says you're next Zac then the DVD menu reappears you can see that Ellie with fly like eyes with my throat open
i had nightmare about the DVD for a week i returned to DVD i told him what is not
the version was cancelled version of the movie it not scary this movie was deleted
they cancelled the movie of 2024 where mouse kills Angelia and Ellie the scary version never coming out in next year she went to title cinemas it was extremely rare
if you do with the DVD it was cancelled movie of January 9 2024 after you buys the DVD the film could haunt you rest of the life and you don't have with the mouse
you could end up with Ellie you could never be escape

Trying to make sense over Luffy's Nika fruit. Let me try put it to words. With almost all zoans we've seen, there are typically 3 forms a zoan fruit user has: full human, full animal, and then hybrid form. And to my recollection, all 3 forms are pretty easily attained without much practice or training. Like we've seen zoan fruit users time and time again be able to transform literally as soon as they eat the fruit. And while this is still a little unclear and left in mystery somewhat, out of the awakened zoans we've seen recently, namely Lucci, Kaku, Kaido, and Yamato, all their awakened forms, visually, are pretty similar to their base animal form just with that cloud scarf enveloping them and maybe some slight modification (e.g., Lucci's awakened form looked more slender than before - but generally the same) (I understand Kaido and Yamato are not 100% confirmed but assume it for the sake of the argument).
Here's my question/confusion: Luffy's Zoan fruit has not worked this way at all. Instead of from the start having 3 basic forms (human, animal, hybrid), Luffy's entire story has been working with just a quality of "animal" form of his zoan (the rubbery qualities of Nika's body). Just recently has he been able to transform into the "animal" form of Nika at the end of Wano. That seems a little strange when you take a step back. Again, normally zoan fruit users can transform into all 3 forms pretty quickly. But Luffy has JUST now turned into Nika.
Is this because he's a mythical zoan so all bets are off when it comes to comparing it to a normal zoan fruit? (However, I would still draw comparison to Kaido and Yamato in that they still seemed to follow this regular zoan pattern well). Is this because it's a human human zoan fruit and therefore maybe not as normal? Like maybe for all we know Sengoku also had a similar experience in only being able to turn into a golden budha at the height of his training and mastery of his devil fruit. Maybe before that point, he could only turn certain parts of his body into gold or more giant. Idk. Or maybe a combination of both. Maybe that's it both a human human fruit AND a mythical zoan that it just means its super uncommon and probably doesn't work like other zoans.
I'm trying to understand this in a way that cohesively makes sense within the world and story of One Piece. I dont think this is a plothole or necessarily a retcon, so I'm just trying to make sense of Luffy's Zoan fruit the way we've seen almost all other Zoan fruits work.
Thank you!

Background and Training
This was my first meet, as ridiculous as that sounds. I’ve done powerlifting for around 3 years and lifting for 10+, including handling my girlfriend/fiance at two meets, but the stars never quite aligned for me to do my own meet. This year, after the USPA drama, II finally pulled the trigger and signed up for a local WRPF meet. In February, I started working with Matt Domney from Compound Performance for individual coaching. So far, it’s been an excellent experience and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend his coaching to anyone else.
Meet Prep
My prep into this meet was a funky one. I had come off a super intense 20+ week chunk of training at the beginning of January 2023. During that block, I added 300lbs to my total (transitioned to untested… hence the insane progress). I was pretty burnt out and needed a break. This also coincided with ski season, and I ski ~40 days a season. With that in mind, I didn’t realllllly start following structured training until ~8 weeks out. On the special supplement front, I also cut doses across the board for a number of reasons. Some of you may have read a thread about it here, that may or may not have been mine.
At ~8 weeks out, I realized that if I was going to do this meet, it was time to buckle down and get serious--so I did. Things were going pretty well until about ~4 weeks out when a lower trap strain made low bar squats impossible. It was a major bummer, but thankfully I was able to continue deadlift and bench with minimal interruption. With lots of prehab-y movements + 2 massages I was able to start low bar squatting again ~1.5 weeks out. GF also had surgery ~2.5 weeks out, and this was a bigger interruption than I thought it would in terms of stress + sleep. Mentally, this prep was a bit of a struggle. I didn’t feel great for most of it, weights moved decently but below where I wanted. I had a lot of doubts and even considered dropping the meet on many occasions. I needed lots of reassurance but thankfully Matt and my GF were always there to provide it.
Taper + Water Cut
Hit final heavy workouts for squat and deadlift at just over a week out. Bench tapered a bit later. Had easy workouts on M/T/W on meet week, then completely off on T/F. I still went to the gym on both Thursday and Friday, but just did some yoga-type movements to move around. Did not touch a barbell. In hindsight, Matt absolutely nailed my peak and taper.
This was my first time water cutting and I was pretty nervous. My normal daytime weight was ~85kg / 187.5lb, so I knew it was a very doable cut. I looked at all the popular guides from reputable coaches and basically did a lazy amalgamation. Here’s roughly what I did:

• Monday: vaguely try to drink more water than usual. (avg weight 187.4)
• Tuesday: actually track 2 gallons + added sodium. Normal food intake. (Avg weight 190.9)
• Wednesday: 2.5 gallons, added sodium for 1st gallon, no added sodium after that. Cut carb intake in half (did not track, estimated). Cut fiber significantly as well. Dandelion root in the PM. (Avg Weight 191.3)
• Thursday. No water after 7am black coffee. No food other than raw walnuts, rice cakes, and peanut butter. Had ~100g of walnuts, 1 rice cake, and 30g of peanut butter. 100ml of water before bed to stave off the thirst. Dandelion root in the AM and PM. (AM weight: 185.x, PM weight before bed 181.7)
• Friday: Weigh in @ 9am. Was 179.8 upon waking at home. One more bathroom trip, and weighed in at 79kg / 174.1lbs on the calibrated scale. Guess our scale runs heavy? Upon weigh-in, drink 1L of gatorade with 1g added salt + 2 pop tarts. Sip another liter of water on the hour drive back home. From there I was basically eating carbs and drinking water with a pinch of salt continuously all day. The intent was to toe the line of uncomfortable and bloated but not in any real gastrointestinal distress. By the end of day, I was sitting back at 188.9 according to home scale.

Overall, my water cut went great. Thursday was predictably miserable, and I slept poorly, but not enough to truly be an issue. Next time, I’d probably track carbs more strictly. I’m good at estimating, but the peace of mind from actually knowing would be good. I would also start the water load ~12 hours earlier to be safe. I don’t think there’s any need to start much earlier than that. Recomp was also successful.
The Meet
This is where the nice things started—woke up on meet day feeling pretty decent. A little tired + nervous, but also weirdly at peace. I had spent so much time stressing the past several weeks that I was just ready to do the damn thing--regardless of the outcome. The hour of driving to the meet gave me a good opportunity to listen to some music and clear my head.
Matt provided a meet day sheet that had warmups, timing, attempt selection, and everything I needed. I shared this with my GF and she handled everything from there. I had two friends that did all my loading. It was honestly perfect. I didn’t do anything except focus on lifting and feeling good. GF let me know when to start warming up, when to take my last warmup--everything.
Once I started warming up for squats, I started feeling good. Lower trap felt the best it had since hurting it, and things were MOVING. After taking my first attempt, and seeing the video, I couldn’t help but laugh--it was so damn easy. From there, my confidence was sky-high. I let my GF call every attempt with no input from me. She was following the sheet (and knowing me as a lifter), so I knew that whatever she picked would be within my ability. I also texted with Matt all day.
Squat

• 242.5KG / 534.6lb, ⚪🔴⚪: Jumped the rack command--center judge gave me a warning. Fastest this has ever moved for me
• 257.5KG / 567.7lb, ⚪⚪⚪: Again, the fastest this has ever moved for me, gave me the confidence to go for my best-case 3rd attempt.
• 272.5KG / 600.7lb, ⚪⚪⚪: Perfect attempt I think. It was hard, but I got it. Huge milestone. Was genuinely on cloud 9 after this. All the doubts melted away.

Bench

• 145KG / 319.7lb, ⚪⚪⚪: Bumped my opener up 5kg which def stressed Matt a bit, but I was very confident based on warmups + how my bench strength scales. I wanted to bump my opener that way I could take smaller jumps to reach a realistic 3rd. Moved as an opener should.
• 155KG / 341.7 lb, ⚪⚪⚪: Another great attempt, felt very confident
• 162.5KG / 358.2lb, ⚪⚪⚪: Took my top-end 3rd attempt and again was perfect for the day. Hard but confident lift.

Deadlift
Fatigue and stress started coming in a bit here. Deadlifts were great all prep, but I had the most questions about my ability to push the weights here. My heaviest pull all prep was a 302.5kg @ 9.5 (@8.5 if you ask my coach). Again, though, my final warmup at 265kg/585lb was just so easy that it gave me more confidence.

• 285KG / 628.3lb, ⚪⚪⚪: Smoke. Felt great
• 305KG / 672.4lb ⚪⚪⚪:: lifetime PR, and it was RPE 8.5-9
• 317.5KG / 699.9lb (I’m calling it 700 ok), 🔴🔴🔴: Took a shot at a big lift and ran out of talent. So damn close, but techincally, wasn’t quite there. Got pulled forward and after i felt that downward motion, I knew I was done. Honestly, wasn’t even upset.

Total: 740kg / 1,631lbs
DOTS: 514
Placement: 1st and best lifter
124 all-time @ 181 (by DOTS, according to OpenPL)
Final thoughts
This was so much fun. All our friends showed up and cheered me on. I got so many compliments and comments of recognition from my fellow competitors. I would honestly list it among the best days of my life. It was incredibly validating to have everything go so well. All of my 3rds were in line with my best-case scenarios.
Plans for the future are to take a decent off-season and build some muscle. I was one of the smaller guys in my class, even at this local meet. My squat and deadlift are good; my bench still is by far the weakest link and should be low-hanging fruit to improve. Similarly, I think my pull has some technical limitations that become more apparent at the top end. That 700 should have been mine. It's not acceptable to have performance fall apart that quickly from 672 to 700. I think 82.5/83kg is the right class for me, and given that I weighed in at 79.0kg… I have room to grow. Haven’t had my post-meet call with Matt yet, but we’ll see what makes sense!
Very proud of myself for pushing through prep and performing the way I did on meet day. I was so locked in all day. There were a number of small annoyances about the meet that I’ll list below. Hopefully, the WRPF can continue improving on the local level:

• Meet registration said squat bar would be used for squats over 200kg. So… I made a point of training with the squat bar the last several weeks of prep. Well, they didn’t use the squat bar for my flight. I guess because not everyone in the flight was squatting over 200kg?
• On the note of flights, rather than organizing flights by opener, they did them by weight class. This meant that in the same flight of 12 people, there was a 92.5kg and 300kg deadlift 3rd attempt. Why? Slower meet and more work for the spotters.
• The gym the meet was held in was great, but, also had some issues for warmups. There were no deadlift bars for warmups. For squats, I had a Rep Sabre bar + bumper plates. Over 200kg, it was an absolute noodle with no knurling. There weren’t enough ‘real’ power bars and steel plates for everyone, or even most people to warm up on. Genuinely not trying to be a princess, but this is kinda rough for warmup equipment at a powerlifting meet.
• To be clear, this was a local meet, I’m not expecting a flawless experience with unlimited competition equipment for warmups. Additionally, I’m used to training on all manner of equipment, none of this threw me off. But, worth mentioning. It should have been better, and I will prioritize that for future meets.
• Officiating was consistent and fair. Everyone running the meet was friendly and accessible. No complaints here.

Just how fucked am I trying to get 100 points for it? Is it just all the sweats there grinding for armor? I need 60 more and I've been getting players with 100s of wins, and I lose all the time to them. I searched up people I beat a week ago that seem to be my skill level and most of them only have single digit kills, meaning maybe most of the curious folks moved on and that I'm just stuck in a sweat vortex with no mercy. Everyone is miles better than me.
I don't care about the loot, just want the points for now. I feel hopeless because I trained combat for a few days after BH released and probablg missed all the low hanging fruits.

My partner and I moved into our house last year and we got a new basenji puppy within a year. In our yard we have several very large fruit trees. We have one giant cherry tree, two apple trees, and a plum tree. I know dogs should not eat fruits especially ones with pits, so the cherry tree is our biggest concern. We have done our best to train our incredibly lovely, but very stubborn dog to not eat them. It has been difficult. He eats or at least tries to eat everything and he thinks cherries are toys. We supervise him outside and do our best to clear out the ones that fall every single day, but it's been so much work. Some days he shows no interest, others he cannot be redirected and we have to go inside.
I looked into solutions a bit. Most websites are a bit vague and have two options that just are not practical for us. Removing the tree would be way too difficult considering we live in a town home with yards bordering ours on all sides. Also, it's way too expensive if we did try this. Blocking that area of the yard also isn't practical since where the cherries fall is the majority of our small yard. From what I can see, adding some kind of netting every year is the best option. Although we weren't sure if encasing the tree in a net is enough or if it was even possible to reach the top of the tree with our ladder (again it's a very large tree). I wanted to see if someone else has experience with this and what they did to solve this issue.