EPTAbout this blog:
I'm a professional musician and (very) amateur gamer.
Blogging about improving and sticking to a self-prescribed program is very effective for my overall progress!
Thanks for checking this out and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions!
I'm a professional musician and (very) amateur gamer.
Blogging about improving and sticking to a self-prescribed program is very effective for my overall progress!
Thanks for checking this out and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions!
Goals for the Week
Exercise Goals:
3 Running or Cross-training sessions:
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/6/66/GreenCheck.png)
2 Weight-lifting (Starting Strength) sessions:
Gaming Goals:
Log Write-Ups of Blood Bowl and Dominions 4 games:
3 WarOwl CS:GO practice sessions:
Log CS:GO results on main account:
Log Hearthstone Drafts/Results:
Personal Goals:
5 Mental Discipline sessions:
1.5 Goal Oriented sessions a day:
Weekly Wrap-up:
This week I've learned a bit about prioritizing running. My ultimate goal is to be active at a level that a nice 20-40 minute run is a relaxing end of the day activity. I want to up the running commitment, but still maintain the lifting initiative which is ramping up nicely.
I didn't achieve my mental prep initiative this week which is definitely something I aim to improve. I think I'm going to start charting my overall mood and level of motivation.
That being said I'm very happy I've kept up this blog and have decided on a nice 4-week reward!! I've ordered a mouse that should be better at CS:GO. Currently I'm playing on a Rapoo Gaming Mouse that the wife bought for me at a Hong Kong trade show several years ago. It's been great to me: I love the shape, buttons and quiet mouse-click. Buuut, it's a laser sensor (ewwww) which is a huge no-no for FPS. The best compromise I could find that had an up-to-snuff sensor, with the right shape and extra buttons is the Roccat Kova. This week the price dropped down to 40 which is low enough for me to try it out. My wife despises loud mouse-clicks, so hopefully the clicks don't disturb her too much.
---
Monday 7/7:
A good start to the week! The early early portion of this morning was quite lazy. I woke up a little before 6am and couldn't fall back asleep, so I watched Proleague and then played some CS:GO with the my brother when he woke up. Sometime mid-morning I got a nice warm-up session.
In the afternoon, I lifted doing the power clean day workout. Once again, cleans feel fucking amazing! I just love that lift sooo much. Up the weight this week and it felt quite comfortable. I'll be upping it again. Also, I finally worked up to the point where I'm doing weighted dips again! Feels really good!
After that, I was able to snag a good goal-oriented practice session! Wasn't able to journal properly as I've yet to refill my fountain pens, but I'll do that tonight. Just finished up my mental prep for the day as well. Halfway through the day and it's looking really good!
Tuesday 7/8:
Today was a good day! Got my run in shortly after work during a lull in The International and before the German shellacking of Brazil. I did two good practice sessions shortly after. All in all, a good day, but I didn't have the time or energy for much gaming. Did a fun CS:GO game on my alt account hoping for another item, but didn't get the drop. It was a win at the silver elite level so I anticipate being placed there.
Wednesday 7/9:
Whew... busy day today. Work was quite full and after it a friend came over to play some board games for a bit. This and a general tenor of laziness pervaded the afternoon until after the World Cup game. I was apparently on-call to proxy babysit my cousin with some SC2 custom games as well, so that was another 30min-hour. After that, I did my nuts and bolts practice and hammered out 2 hours of pattern work for this piece I'm premiering with a friend later this year... Man is it a pain in the butt...
At any rate, I'm giving myself credit for one and only one goal-oriented session for my extensive pattern work. I also knocked out some mental prep after dinner. A good day, but a flustered one.
Thursday 7/10:
Whew! A busy day already! Today started late as we woke up close to 11. The wife's flight got in at 1am last night and it was close to three before we were home from that trip. At any rate, this morning I woke up and did some Nuts & Bolts practice. Immediately following that session, my 10 year old cousin (one of the reasons I started playing Hearthstone again) called wanting to play SC2 together! Both he and my wife are trying out the starter pack version of SC2 and are really liking it! It's fun to play with them.
I just got Nuffle-raped in my OCC game... Holy moley... so many double downs and failure to pickups... I was against Norse as Chaos and he had more injuries than me by a substantial margin as well... My AV8 < his AV7... hurray. I did make several misplays that I caught only too late, but largely this game was decided by the six-siders.
Friday 7/11:
Friday was a crazy day... I had 6 hours of rehearsal, a 2.5 hour concert, and 3 hours of driving to get to said concert. Despite all that I did get a goal-oriented session in. It was a bit tricky practice around nervous and odd co-workers, but I did it tactfully.
Saturday 7/12:
A long and laaaaaaazy day! I started the day with a long CS:GO practice session mastering the spray pattern of the ak. I had it down up to 7 or so shots before the spray gets really unruly. After the solo session, I went for headshots in a DM game and played a ranked game in which I won handily.
After that I took a break, practicing my nuts and bolts. I then did two goal-oriented sessions and mowed the lawn for some outdoors time and light exercise. A pre-dinner self-hypnosis rounded out a successful afternoon!
The evening was a bit more frustrating. The International has been fun as shit to watch, and I wanted to play something while watching it. Enter Hearthstone... I did a bunch of shitty drafts that day. They weren't just shitty because of my play, but shitty in having like 3-5 shit rows a draft. Sooo frustrating when the best pick of a row is Magma Rager.
W/e; this is why I'm phasing away from that game.
Sunday 7/13:
Another full work day. No quality session was had today, but I did get exercise pushing and loading heavy boxes. Had 5 hours of commuting to a 2.5 hour concert with the hours of loading filling the time in between. The short time I had to myself was spent playing as much as I could, doing a mental discipline session, and sneaking looks at the World Cup match on barely 3g coverage.... grr...
---
CS:GO Reference Section:
7/12: Win: 2nd on team.
Hearthstone Reference Section:
7/12: Rogue Games: 2 losses in a 3-3 draft... fuuucking shit games.
vs. Warrior: Fell behind to an early Amani. Removed it luckily with a rare good Bomber swing. On turn 6, I make a misplay of equipping my assassin's blade to clear the board. It was promptly eaten by a saved ooze. A better play would've been to throw my venture Co Merc out and force him to deal with it. Anyway you shake it I would've fallen behind after. The arcanite would've taken care of the venture Co. Turn 8 similarly could've been a Venture Co turn with Evis. Yea, there were no good options this game.
vs. Pally: I deal with his early board fairly well. On turn 5, my SHK move could've been a misplay. I could've used the Darkscale at that time... He does pretty insanely lucky with the Knife Juggler procs and plays into his multiple argents nicely. Very little I could've done at that point. I fail to play around his secret on turn 7 and then the game is beyond my control completely. He top decks perfect removal for my cards, and I can't get the FoK that might've swung the game back.
Druid Draft 7/12: + Show Spoiler [Reactions while drafting] +
#7: No real choices up until this selection. I went with Croc for a bit earlier beefiness, rather than a 2mana removal minion.
#8: A hard choice because I already got a FoN... Both of the other choices are good as well. I'll take the flat removal for now.
#12: Hard choice... Keeper vs. Sunwalker.... I may regret this choice later, but I'm going with Keeper for utility and tempo.
Mid-draft thoughts: Very good early draft! Low heavy sadly, but I've drafted quality early cards and some good removal. I need late game badly.
A couple of middling choices after, but basically it was straightforward. The draft largely chose itself.
Priest Draft 7/12:+ Show Spoiler [Reactions while drafting] +
No real choices early... A bunch of piddling rows....
At #10: I'm feeling mixed about the deck. No really good minions, and some mixed removal. Have some strong endgame if I can make it there. Early game is non-existent.
#12: I haven't seen so many silences in my life... What a shit draft thus far. Took the 3-drop because I have none. Booty bay would've been very nice....
#13: A risky pick... I wanted a second Stormwind because I just really want that buff come late game... It was a choice between two late-gamers and I like the upside of SC better.
#22: Trying to fill out early game with quasi-quality.
#28: Omg sooo many crappy rows....
#29: Hoping Shield shores up early game weakness somewhat....
#30: Pretty much sums up how shitty this fucking draft is.
2-3 on this shitty fucking draft.
Loss vs Rogue when I dropped NS Cleric turn one and she died very quickly to consistent and unbeatable board control. None of my shitty units traded. Silence Lightspawn, weapon trade ezpz, I had no options.
Loss vs Mage. Raging Worgen gets out of control behind a Shieldbearer. I had no removal. I could've coined an Auchenai on Turn 3. I think that was my only avenue to winning.
Shaman Draft 7/12:+ Show Spoiler [Reactions while drafting] +
#2: Hard choice... Good row, but need the removal.
#3: Wow this draft already sucks....
#6: More shit rows...
#13: More shit rows....
Through 15 we have a good early curve but are missing 4s badly. Have ok removal... no weapons and only 1 elemental of any type...
So many fucking ancestral healings and no fucking 4 drops... What the FUCK!
Mage Draft 7/12:+ Show Spoiler [Reactions while drafting] +
#5: Hmm... I'm very tempted to play into mana wyrm, but I don't think CoC is the best for that. Better to pick up the highest value card... going the 5 drop.
#10: Went with the late-game hitter as I have the removal already.
#15: Crap row... going late game savior...
Lots of crappy rows again... but I got removal... loads upon loads of 4 drops...
