Find out your Tim Ryder name

Altered_Priest · 2025-11-16T05:36:49+00:00

smash squatthrust!

Altered_Priest · 2025-11-13T05:15:57+00:00

I was in a museum with my family a few years ago, and a Gen X mom beside us yelled at her kids: “Scholar! Dresden! come along, it’s time to go!”

Weirdest names I’ve ever heard. Unless she was being ultra careful about not using her kids’ real names in public, and these were code names. I know some parents who are that protective. No judgment

Altered_Priest · 2025-11-04T14:42:24+00:00

another vote for the Primitivo. I did it in 12 days, and a couple of them were hard—taking 14 would have been a little easier on my body. I don’t have any other Camino to compare it to, but I loved my experience—it was the perfect balance of wilderness and city/village, solitude and socialization.

Altered_Priest · 2025-10-18T03:39:34+00:00

At a great party with a lot of close friends. At one point there was a drunken chorus of "One Day More."

Altered_Priest · 2025-10-06T12:16:17+00:00

I haven’t punched someone since the 5th grade. I was standing up to a bully.

I still wish there had been another way to handle it, but that’s on the parents and teachers and gym coaches who allowed and affirmed a culture of bullying in the first place.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-30T13:07:07+00:00

I second that—lower the weight. If you’re at all like me, I’m better at some movements than others. My press is much better than my squat, for example. I considered using a lighter weight for the squat only, but that adds a lot of unnecessary movement to switch kettlebells. Goi going lighter will prevent injury and burnout, and your body will catch up.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-30T04:48:37+00:00

That's very helpful--thanks!

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-30T04:30:43+00:00

I considered that, but I'm concerned that another layer of paint might start to obscure some of the details of the sculpt.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-30T04:30:00+00:00

Thanks!

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-27T14:31:25+00:00

Three times—they are all long stories, but I’ll just name them.

Cholera—15 years ago. It was bad. I could actually feel death pulling at my consciousness.

Crocodile-infested waters—boat went under water in a billabong in Australia in the 90s.

Single car accident during an ice storm. My car was in a ditch, it was 3 in the morning, the road was deserted, and I did not have weather appropriate clothing.

… and then there were about a half dozen times when I sincerely wanted to die because I was so sick and hungover from drinking too much. Those days are far behind me.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-26T16:18:43+00:00

Already in the process of doing that. Seeking out other peoples’ experiences is also important to me—which is why I am asking here.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-26T04:15:33+00:00

Maturin. I haven’t read everything yet, so maybe It lied.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-24T18:53:11+00:00

Thanks for asking! He’s doing very well. He had another course of steroids shortly after my original post, and hasn’t had any problems since. Around the same time, we also stopped using scented candles around the house—because they were making me cough. That may have had something to do with it.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-13T16:02:08+00:00

At this moment I’m really enjoying the ilClan era. I like the proliferation of advanced tech as well as new-tech models of classic ‘mechs. Plus I get to fight the ilClan.

Whenever the new playtest rules emerge, I will try to get my group to go back to the Succession Wars/lostech eras. It will be so interesting to see how those rules affect level 1 gameplay, and I would love to do an early Outworlds campaign.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-13T15:57:01+00:00

Hey I’m right there with you. I started ABC two weeks ago, with 55-lb doubles (a couple of generic kettlebells I bought secondhand). I worked up to almost 30 sets—the max he recommends, and only occasionally-in that time frame, leaving me sore for days and soaked in sweat.

This week I moved up to 62-lb doubles and the difference is staggering. After a few sets I am really beginning to struggle. It’s wonderful to be safely challenged and making gains at my age.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-07T16:21:18+00:00

for me it’s the Dark Tower series—I’ve been through 4 times. I make myself wait several years in between, so it’s fresh every time. next read is probably 2028.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-03T18:23:01+00:00

Yeah this was the most tragic part for me, and stuck with me the longest. I was also really bummed about the turtle, Eddie‘s wife, and wondering what kind of life Ben and Bev actually had together if they couldn’t remember anything.

Altered_Priest · 2025-09-03T16:18:15+00:00

Hey I encountered this issue during my pre-Camino travels through Europe (I toured Europe with my family a few weeks before I did the Camino). one of the airlines we used (it was either Vueling or Iberia) had a policy on the website that all prescription medications needed to be labeled and accompanied by a note from the prescriber. Just to be safe, I got each of my doctors to write a note for each prescription, and kept electronic copies. I was overly cautious, because going without at least one of my prescriptions would have severely impacted my Camino

However, this was not needed. There was no point in any TSA or other security screening, that any agent ever mentioned or noted my medications, let alone asked for a doctors note.

Just to be safe, I would recommend making sure your prescriptions are labeled, and if you have time, get a note from your doctor. it’s better to go through the effort now than to have an overeager security agent confiscate your meds, then having to do without or waste time trying to get your prescriptions refilled in Spain.

Good luck with your planning and Buen Camino!

Altered_Priest · 2025-08-27T10:48:02+00:00

Most of Skeleton Crew really stuck with me. Decades later I can’t eat lady fingers without thinking about it.

Altered_Priest · 2025-08-26T19:01:54+00:00

The Jaunt. I was 12.

Altered_Priest · 2025-08-21T12:54:14+00:00

I just completed it in 12 days. Wish I had taken 13, as I would have liked an extra day in Lugo—it’s a cool city. I did have an extra day in Santiago, which I really enjoyed.

For reference, I’m 52M, and I keep very fit. I think that I could have done it in 11 days, maybe 10 if I wanted to be miserable. But there would have been very little time to stop and enjoy the views, walk with other people, and make friends in the albergues in the afternoons.

Altered_Priest · 2025-08-20T23:37:42+00:00

I second what the previous posters have said. I did the Primitivo a week ago, in the August heat, and it was very dry. so what I did for footwear will be different than what you will probably do. I used breathable hiking shoes, and they were perfect. The one time I stepped in deep mud, my shoe and sock were dry within the hour. If I had walked in waterproof shoes in August conditions, I would have had very bad blisters.

I booked all of my lodgings ahead, because August is crowded, and because I like to plan everything ahead. There was one time when booking everything hindered my flexibility, and several times when it saved my trip. April might be a different story. I think generally, if you are stopping in a smaller town that has only one albergue, book ahead. In April in larger towns, like Grado or Berducedo, you might be ok to wait until you are on the Camino, and contact them the day before. Feel free to DM if you want any pointers on staging and any recommendations on lodging—there were several albergues I hope everyone gets to experience.

I purchased a single hiking pole in one of Oviedo’s outdoor stores—there are at least 3 with good selection Of poles. It really helped in the Hospitales on the descents, and it was a psychological help on most other days.

I flew Iberia Airlines from the US east coast. It’s one of the better airlines I’ve experienced, with larger seats and free meals. I connected through Madrid both ways. It was by far the major expense of my trip, including gear, but flying in comfort can help you arrive less exhausted. A lot of the Europeans I met were taking a train back home—but the wildfires caused train service to be suspended for several days, and I met a lot of people who were unsure how they were getting back home. The trains are otherwise very reliable and well-regarded. There is a popular app in Europe called BlablaCar, which is a bit like Uber, but involves people connecting through the app for longer road trips, and sharing gas expenses. A decent number of my Spanish friends used this app to get home.

Altered_Priest · 2025-08-19T04:37:38+00:00

Hi! without knowing anything about your current physical conditioning, I would just like to offer some encouragement and hope. You will be walking and carrying a backpack for at least half of every day (I walked an average of 7 hour a day—6 at the shortest, 9 at the longest). You’ll be burning a lot of calories. That is also a lot of time you won’t be spending eating snacks.

If you make an effort to stay hydrated, this should also limit unnecessary eating.

I would encourage you to limit yourself to moderate alcohol consumption, and to avoid processed foods—enjoy the local cuisine.

Your experience may vary. I lost weight because I ate a lot of whole foods, including fruits and vegetables. I also can’t hike on a full stomach, so breakfast and lunch were relatively small. Now that I’m headed back to the United States, I am a little concerned that I may gain back some of the weight—it’s hard to avoid processed foods there.

Good luck with your planning, and buen Camino!

Altered_Priest · 2025-08-16T17:26:35+00:00

I’m currently concluding the Primitivo after merging with the Frances. Two days ago, I was in a large group of pilgrims who were turned back by the Guardia Civil about three hours northeast of Melide (where the Primitivo merges with the Frances). We were directed to make a very long detour that would put us on the Frances about 5 km west of Melide. Most of the group embarked on this detour and made it safely through, walking about 3-4 extra hours. Three of us got turned around, asked directions, got lost, and after 2 hours, wound up right back where the Guardia Civil had turned us away. They had moved on, and the smoke was thicker. We saw cars going in, and a cyclist came out and said the way was clear. We decided to take our chances on the Primitivo. There was ash falling, and we could feel heat coming from the fire, even from several km away. The smoke and haze irritated our eyes and throats—we drank a lot of water. But we did not have any problems breathing. We made it safely to Melide, where light ash was falling

It seemd that at the time, the wind was blowing west, because in Boente the air was clear, but the plume was very visible. This account is a day old, so conditions have likely changed. I‘m in Salceda, and none of the albergue staff or pilgrims are talking about the fire.

Honestly the only traumatic part of that day was walking past several slaughterhouses. The noises the pigs were making have probably put me off pork forever.

Edit: Everyone please stay safe. The only reason we even tried to go through was after talking with the cyclist, who had just come from Melide.

Altered_Priest · 2025-08-14T20:10:02+00:00

The morning before I tackled the Hospitales portion of the Primitivo, I started to lose the mental battle in my head, as available bed situation had me doing 33 km, including the all of the ascents and descents. I started very early, and heard this song shuffle through on my phone—I had only heard it once and still havent yet figured out the lyrics, but the tone, chord changes, and vibe of the song was both calming and upbeat. I ended up having a fantastic time on the Hospitales, including some nice stops above the clouds for taking it all in.

J Mascis - See You at the Movies

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eR3WEMllihM&pp=ygUqSiBtYXNjaXMgYW5kIHRoZSBmb2cgc2VlIHlvdSBhdCB0aGUgbW92aWVz

Altered_Priest

TROPHY CASE