Dead Chef Recipes: Raspberry Muffins

Greetings!

I've been on a lull at the moment with posting, reasons being that I haven't been sure what to post about, and also I've been busy with cooking and learning to sew! Despite numerous errors, the pair of practice bloomers is nearly complete! *Feels proud*

And also guys, big Bat Fit accomplishment: I JOINED THE GYM!

I got my assessment (First blood pressure check as well :D) and my first real workout was today, gah, quite tiring, haha. :)

Tomorrow I have my first yoga class, and double Zumba dance, that's two dance classes in a row....I am slightly apprehensive, but I'm sure I'll make it.

Also another thing that's kept me busy today (I was going to write this post this morning!) was that the Avengers gag reel/deleted scenes came out today, and the whole fanbase on tumblr is in an uproar.

Me, being a massive Avengers fangirl was caught up posting/squealing nearly all day. *Shifts* I just stopped long enough now to write this post! 

Any fellow Thor/Avenger fans here? xD

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Anyhow. I'll stop rambling now and get on with the post. :D

A dear anonymous commenter came along and wrote that they would like a recipe for my 'Raspberry Muffins' I posted awhile back about. (Here)

Fortunately, I've improved in baking since then, and so I was able to adjust the recipe so the muffins got bigger and tasted better. (More cake like, I guess)

Here it is:

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Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups plain flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 and 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder, 1 large egg, 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 3/4 cup frozen or fresh berries.

Note: With the berries, you can use raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, anything really! Another thing that worked for me was stewed apple. :) And if you don't add the cinnamon, then these would be fit for chocolate chips or melts, for choc-chip muffins!

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What to do:

1: Sift the 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, flour, soda and salt in a bowl. Then mix and set aside.

2: In another bowl, whisk milk, egg, oil, and lemon juice until smooth.

3: In a tiny bowl, mix the 1 and 1/2 sugar with the cinnamon.

4: Use a spatula and scrape milk mixture into the flour mix, stirring to form a stiff batter. Then stir in your berries, but do not over mix.

5: Use a greased table spoon to pour the batter into the tins to full extent. (Or halfway at least) Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin.

6: Turn on the oven to about 180 degrees Celsius. Then grease and flour muffin/cupcake tins.

7: Bake about 20 minutes, or until well risen and golden. Cool slightly, then remove on to wire racks.

Then preferably eat them while they're warm. :D

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Notes: I used a cupcake tray here, and the first time I made these, I made 22, but they weren't well risen. To get them large enough, you have to fill the trays completely. In this respect, it may be wise to double the recipe to get more than 10. Or you can have them 'cookie' like, they still taste great!

And with the berries and over mixing, if you over mix the batter will turn green from the berry juice. However, this can prove useful for making zombie green muffins. xD

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Hmm. Well that's it! Pretty simple, and very tasty!

But still, the title of this post is 'Dead Chef Recipes' as that's the name I thought up for my notebook/cookbook.

And yeah...It's cool, but as I was thinking of doing more recipe posts (With step by step pictures) I was thinking of a better name.

How about:

Coffin Cookery

Bat Baking

Mordor's Kitchen

Doomsday Delights

Or something like that. Cliched, I know, but I just love the sound of some of those. xD

Speaking of which, here is a photo of the actual paper recipe, from my notebook.

The left page is my scribblings, the right is the recipe, as well as one for choc-chip cookies. Yes, I see the silly red stains. I was in a 'make fake blood everywhere' stage at the time.

Also if you have any spooky/cliched titles for cooking posts, do submit! Your ones might be better than mine, haha.

And as for the next recipe post, should I post about a chocolate cake, choc-chip cookies, hot cocoa drink, or suchlike? (Yes, I'm in a chocolatey mood. I NEED CHOCOLATE ABOUT NOW.)

Anyways.

Farewell!

Ps: Also coming up is a art and craft post, where I'll show you how to make simple potion bottles/jars with spooky/Halloweenish themes.

See you soon, and if you have any requests, message me, and I'll do my very best to complete them!

Bat Fit Assignments #13 #14, and Eating Plan

Greetings!

I figured it was time for a post, not to mention I didn't want to have a massive 'Bat Fit pile post' where I shoved 4 or more posts together, instead I managed to catch it at two.

So here they are.

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Bat Fit Challenge #13 - Introduce Calisthenics. 

In the words of the challenge: 


"This challenge, if you choose to accept it, is to add calisthenics, also called body-weight exercises, to your work out. Within the past six months of Bat Fit I have heard many people say that they don't have time for the gym or that they won't do the dancing challenge because they can't dance or won't dance. Some proclaim that they just won't go outside to run or walk because of the sun or heat. Calisthenics is an easy and effective alternative to the gym, dancing or outside activities because these exercises are simple to do at home with little to no equipment."

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For this challenge I tried to introduce sit-ups into my Bat Fit dance routine. First of all I do the usual, dance/do kickboxing for 20 minutes with fast music, then I change over to slower tracks, and I attempted to do 20 sit-ups.

At first I had to have a pillow underneath my head, and it was quite straining to have to get up like that, but after day 2 of trying it, it got easier and I don't wobble so much.

My goal is to extend this challenge in order to do 30 sit-ups, with no pillow for support. Yep, that's a fair ways off, but I really am determined to do it. 

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Bat Fit Challenge #14 - Drink more Water

In the words of the challenge:

"During these "Dog Days of Summer" water consumption before, during and after physical activity is important to keep the body performing at it's peak. However, one must remember to drink enough water during the hot, humid summer days regardless of what kinds of activities you engage. According to About.com's Women's Health, 318 Americans die each year from heat-related illnesses that could have been prevented by proper hydration. Too many people will hydrate when they begin to feel the symptoms of heat exhaustion such as dry lips and tongue, weakness, dizziness, and extreme fatigue, concentrated urine that will appear darker than normal, and nausea. Drinking water at this point is too late, so it's important to remember to stay hydrated regardless of your activity level!"

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For this challenge it was special for me, as this is a major hit zone. For me, I always forget to drink water, and that's got me into massive lots of trouble.

From chapped lips to kidney/back pains, I realised exactly how important this challenge is for me. When I get pains, I instantly drink as much as I can, but my mistake is not listening to my body (that means I need to pay attention to previous challenges..ehe) and drinking too late, or not at all.

Even though it's winter, I need to severely get my act together, so this challenge hit home hard. :)

My goals here are to drink 2 water bottles worth of water at least, instead of half a bottle per day, and to include more beverages such as juice. And also I need to stop thinking that caffeinated tea is an acceptable substitute for water....*shifts*

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Extras:

Considering this is a Bat Fit post, I figured I'd share the diet plan I've been on for the past week.

Basically, in the morning I have a bowl of toasted muesli, with just a small bit of Soy milk (I'm allergic to most dairy) and about 3/4 cup of orange juice.

An hour or so before lunch I have a small handful of salted peanuts (yeah, I still can't give up salt) with 2 or 3 dried apricots.

For lunch I have stir-fried brown rice with veggies, soy sauce marinated tofu, or canned chickpeas and corn.

For afternoon snack I have 2 rice cakes with cheese (Yes, I can handle a TINY amount of dairy)

For dinner I have the leftover food from lunch, or a tossed salad with hummus rice cakes or boiled veggies with fried rice/potatoes.

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Overall, that's it! Occasionally I have a muesli bar for a snack instead, but that's fairly rare, haha.

I'm vegetarian, for the most part, and I do try to avoid dairy, using just small amounts, and I try to avoid bread/white pasta and other heavy foods, as I found that after I stopped eating 2 peanut butter toasts per day I actually lost 3 kilos.

As for special treats, I go insane if I don't eat yummies at least sometimes, so my form of sweet is a big cup of tea every morning, and a small bar of chocolate once a month (When I get my female troubles, I will kill if I don't get my chocolate :D)

And as for my freakish obsession with potato chips, I try to limit my intakes to one bag every 2 weeks....Okay so I still sneak some once a week....but it's getting to two weeks! I just need to keep pulling myself away.

If you wish to undertake a diet a little like this one, or if you have any diet tips that have helped you lose weight, do share! I would love some more ideas.

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To sum that up, it's absolute hell some times trying to not put my grabby hands over that bar of chocolate in the store, or having to refuse spaghetti (I do eat it, sometimes. Just not every week now. :() But I hate the shape I'm in, and I want results.

Besides, I need practice in self control.

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One more thing:  2 weeks ago I started Zumba dance classes for fitness. It's really helped my coordination, and it goes for an hour, and is very fast moving so I sense that the weight will be off in no time! I've gone twice now, and I seriously love it. I hope to do a post on it in the future...But until then,

Farewell!

Ps: 64 followers! Gracious, that is amazing! Thank you SO much everyone for following, you are THE BEST PEOPLE EVER!!

F Yeah Finery Challenge - Day 1

Greetings!

I actually have a little time to myself right now, so I'm trying out for Dani at Confessions of an Australian Goth's challenge.

Day 1 ~

Take a picture of you in your most cherished item of clothing (never mind the date!)
Give a little info on it - including where you bought it and why it means something to you (eg. is it sentimental?)

Oookay. So as I don't have enough time to dress up atm, and as you guys have ALREADY SEEN my prized clothing very often (ehehe) I'm using an old picture which combines three of my 'cherished' (It's my name! :D) items of clothing.

From World Goth Day 2012

Yep. That's them. The Sisters of Mercy shirt, the stripy tights and the star wrist gloves. As they were my first 'Gothy' items of clothing, I kind of adore them.

As I'm into Victorian stuff, I like the tights as they give me and instant epic touch to even an average outfit, and I'm ridiculously fond of stripes, haha.

As for the fingerless gloves, they were my very first DIY project, they were originally my favorite socks, which wore out at the ends, so I cut the bad bits off and sewed them into cute little gloves. I'm a sentimental person, so my first DIY project means a lot to me, plus I think I did pretty well considering I had no idea how to sew at the time.

And the Sisters shirt....My first Band tee shirt, and as the Sisters are my top favorite band of all time, I really like wearing it. Also this is a shirt that actually fits me better than most of my other stuff...

Of course, Dani, you would suggest MORE REASONS as to why I like this shirt so much....XDDD

Anyhow. Hopefully I'll manage day 2 of the challenge...

Farewell!

Ps: Guys, you did it! You got my to 60, well, 61 followers in time for August! This blog is a few weeks away from being a year old, and I got from 50 to 61 followers in less than a month!!!

*Gives hugs*

Thank you all so much for taking time to read, follow, and comment on this blog, I am extremely happy right now!

As for future updates, when I have time I'll try for an outfit post, and I'm trying out a 7 day diet/exercise plan for Bat Fit, when I'm done I will post the method and results here. Hope you guys will benefit! :D

See you later, and thanks so much for getting me to 60 followers!

Style Advice - Elven - Clothing

Greetings!

As I was planning to make this post a two part series, one as a personal tutorial, and this being a sort of Elven fashion guide.

This time it won't be me, as I don't own any suitable Elven clothes, so I'm using pictures from Tumblr/Internet for inspiration.

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As I said in the last post, Elven Goth would probably fall under Ice, Ethereal, Fairy, or Romantigoth. 

This is a medieval Goth example, but it could tie in with 'Dark Elven' very well.

Another medieval example, but as you can see, she has some nice BRAIDS here.

Here is a dress from Ebay, suitably Goth and Elven. Source

And here's a suitably Goth Elven dress: Arwen's mourning gown from RotK.

Of course, a lot of these gowns would be severely impractical for everyday life, so here are more basic examples.

Not dragging behind you, and is more simple looking. Source

Even simpler, as there are no bell sleeves to get caught in stuff. Source

And as for the gentleman's fashion, I've found these: (Just in case anyone wanted to know)

We see here that Elrond from LotR is wearing a sort of v collared shirt and a floor length robe, most impractical, so that's why I'll just be picking MEDIEVAL style stuff.

But see here, in this picture there's the v style neck, with the buttons, and it's an appropriate length! Long, but not dragging on the ground. Also it's in black. *Goth points*

A different shirt example. Preferably this would be in pure white or black for best results. Not exactly 'Elven' per-say, but it would do.

One thing that seems to be present in Lord of the Rings is that the Elves that don't wear the floor length robes usually have shirts that are tighter in general, and lack the puffy sleeves. It's the human or hobbit population that have the vests/poet shirts.

Example: Under the green jerkin, he's wearing a blue long sleeved shirt.

As for pants or leggings, as you can see in the above picture, skinny jeans could even work. It's the shirt that counts, really.

And as a final note: For the gentleman's hair, in LotR most of the Elves have long hair with BRAIDS, but as not everybody has that, just do whatever you like with your hair. You don't really need hairspray or other products though. Hair out or pinned back simply (Like in my tutorial or these pictures) works fine.

Preferably not a death-hawk though, guys.

I found one! Not too long hair, yet still fine for the Elven/Medieval look.

For necklaces on either dresses or tunics, use crosses (Like in the above) or simple jewelry, silver always looks nice.

You should probably not use spikes or such, especially not on a choker.

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As a final note, all pictures came from Google Images and I don't own them. The sourced ones are from current Ebay deals, though.

Anyhow. Hope this helps.

Farewell!

Style Advice - Elven - Hair and Makeup Post

Greetings!

So I received an anonymous comment the other day, asking about how they could make their Goth style more 'Elven', which I thought was a lovely question.

"Hello. I'm goth, but I'm also and elfkin. Do you have any suggestions about making my style look a bit more elven?
Thanks for your time. I love your blog."

(My dear anon, wouldn't you come out and tell me who you are? You sound like a wonderful person!)

 The definition of 'Elfkin' or 'Elven' can be cast on several different sub areas, but I'm choosing the medieval/faery/Lord of the Rings style to write about.

(If this information didn't help, anon, do message again so I can get a specific style you want info on, but I hope this will be nice for you.)

Elven Goth would probably fall around Ice Goth, Romantigoth, Fairy Goth, Ethereal Goth, and other such styles. Even though my chosen style is Victorian, being a major fantasy fiction fan I am fond of this style.

In the above video, it shows how to create a simple 'Elven' hairstyle, Arwen's hair from 'Flight to the Ford' in Fellowship of the Ring movie.

Variations for creating a 'simple Elven style' would be just brushing your hair backwards and tying/clipping it in place with a band or a small claw clip.

Something like my version here:

Something like this dress might also count as Elven, just preferably NOT IN PINK *shudders*

If you can see them, I do have two small braids connected by a piece of ribbon in this picture. But for those who want it simple, you can just clip two strands of un-braided hair together.

I used past shots here.  :) Preferably though, you won't have a *too short* fringe like I have in these pictures, as I don't think it compliments the style well.

But I think I remedied that in the TUTORIAL and VIDEOS below. Yes, that's a 3 part vlog for you guys. Hope you like. :P (And sorry for quality, terrible camera is terrible)

Elven makeup 'Tutorial.'

Here I've put on concealer, pressed powder and foundation, no real method here.

Here's the makeup with white eyeshadow on the lids up to my eyebrows.

I added a hint of eyeliner to the lower and top lids. Just a hint.

Here's my lip balm that I put on to avoid dry lipstick.

Mascara, which I put on after a tiny bit of silver/gray eyeshadow on the very bottom of my eyelids.

Raspberry toned lipstick.

Applying, it looks messy in this photo, but in reality there wasn't much on.

Dabbing to avoid too much lipstick.

I added black over the lipstick to make the color a bit more purple.

And here's the Vlog! Uploaded in 3 parts, as both youtube and my camera were being annoying.

Part 2:

Part 3:

Okay dokey. That's all for now, I hope you like!

And remember all, if you want any sort of tutorial or specialised post, or if you have anything you'd like me to talk about/answer in a vlog or post, do tell, and I shall try my best to do it for you.

Farewell!

Friday the 13th/Personal Issues

Greetings!

As today it's one of this year's 'Friday the 13ths' I just felt like making a small post. It's probably just going to be me talking about personal stuff and other random things, probably Bat Fit too.

First, I'll start with, Happy Friday the 13th, everyone!

I'm currently writing this while listening to the Cure's 'Friday I'm in Love', probably one of my favorite songs, haha. Every Friday now, I seem to pull on my headphones and just twirl and dance around the room while listening to it, it seems to make the whole day seem better.

Speaking of headphones, I bought another computer, as my laptop broke 2 months ago, and this one, which we bought from a COMPUTER SHOP doesn't work, that's the 2nd one we've bought, and both have the exact same problem, so I kind of spent the last couple of days snapping at everything and trying to avoid exploding.

Do you have any tips on dealing with severe stress? As I punched the hell out of my arms while exercising, and of course I ended up pulling a tendon, so now I haven't been able to exercise at all.  (Damn this unfit self!)

Also mom went to have a seminar with fellow councelors, and when she got home she discussed an actually important issue with me.

Judgement and Shyness.

Although I'm usually friendly enough and more than happy to talk and share my things with people, in the past I've had a bad habit of judging people/things harshly without giving them any sort of chance. I'm just so picky that if someone says something, or if a shirt has one little wrong thing, I have difficulty accepting them/it.

Through becoming a Goth and running this blog, I've been able to interact with people more, and I've been able to be less judgemental, so here's a big thank you to all of you followers, talking with you and posting here helps me out so much!

I also seem to assume too much, without actually knowing what the other person thinks, I automatically assume that they hate me if I said one wrong thing, and it's an awful feeling. Every day I have to force myself to remember that everybody doesn't hate me, and that I do have at least some talents.

What the other councellors said was that I needed to make a push in this area, also in Bat Fit one of the challenges was to get rid of a BAD HABIT, so I think judgment and over calculation are 2 things I need gone, now.

For my own interest I took a survey - Introvert or Extrovert, and I wound up with 20% extrovert and 80% introvert, and I guess that makes sense, as if I'm in a crowd of people (Like at a party) I tend to shrink towards the back, sit somewhere in the shadows and knit or read. If I'm forced to join the main group I feel like bursting into tears and running as far as I can, or at best I just feel uncomfortable.

At the same time, sometimes I like attention, I can often talk to people clearly and without hesitation, but it's still an issue.

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One thing that's also holding me back is that I feel so nervous about travelling anywhere that it's extremely difficult for me to go anywhere alone. I probably could, if I forced myself, but my sense of direction (Particularly on public transport) is just shot. Like, I'd prefer to walk for 20 minutes instead of taking a 7 minute bus ride, just because I never remember where the correct stops or times are.

But due to this new councel, I phoned Alisha (Sure, she may not appreciate Goth that much, but I can't judge her too harshly, right?) and we should be seeing each other sometime next week.

As much as I'd love to say my computer and online people are all I need for friends, that's not really the case. I have to have at least SOME interaction with the outside world, or I'll be hiding from reality all my life. 

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Anyhow. About Bat Fit, I might not have many more updates, (Have to wait for this dumb shoulder to heal) but I may have a few outfit posts coming, as I just got some gorgeous new skirts. *Dances happily*

Thanks for reading this, even though it's sappy and personal, that's what everyone does at least once, right? And also because I feel like I should be completely honest around you guys.

Plus. Saying stuff online is kind of easier then in real life.

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Just warning you, every time I get a comment or follower, I tend to clap and bounce in my chair in happiness, and if I especially am fond of someone or their blog, I will stalk them like crazy.

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And yeah, anything to help out with stress? So far all that's helped me is drinking a bucket load of tea, browsing tumblr and writing this blog post. (The punching my arms out DID NOT WORK. Sigh)

Farewell! - I appreciate all of you, and I value every lovely follower and comment I get. If I ever meet any of you, it should be nice to give you a hug or so. :D

Farewell!

Jogging and Tunes Post 2

Greetings!

I decided today (Despite that it was a weekened, wihen I usually like to lounge around watching bad movies) that I was going to jog again, today I managed 2 laps only, as unfortunately I was very tired today, and I found out that I wasn't jogging properly. Ugh.

Mom tried to teach me, but I ended up getting pains in my calves, so I stopped early...It's going to take some getting used to. :(

But being that my last jogging post was so popular (THANK YOU GUYS) I decided to make part 2 complete with more seal/whale like photos of me, and more jogging tunes.

When the Oh-so-sharp pain and epic tiredness moves from my legs, I'm sure I'll be able to jog better, though. :D

WITH ALL EXERCISE, IT TAKES LOTS OF PRACTICE. Sigh. :)

Here's some irrelevant photos of me being a goofy rock climber. :P

Not quite on 'the rocks' but on beach with cute dog.

My favorite ugly sweatshirt, shorts and headphones.

Climbing down.

Sitting on da sand.

Me being goofy...attempting 'spiderwalk'

I was trying to swipe sand off my shorts, but troll mom took pictures anyway. xD

"Mom, that's enough rubbish."

Acting dumb because I can.

Probably the only photo I really liked. :)

Even at this short distance my fear of heights kicked in. Eugh.

 And here's more music I found to exercise to: For Bat Fit Dance and Jogging/Exercise.

Jogging tunes list 2:

1: AC/DC – TNT

2: AC/DC – Highway to Hell

3: Cruxshadows – Marilyn, my Bitterness

4: Cruxshadows – Dancefloor Metaphor

5: Cruxshadows – Deception

6: Marilyn Manson – Doll Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggety-Zag

7: Haddaway – What is Love

8: Bonnie Tyler – I need a Hero

9: Survivor – Eye of the Tiger

10: Dead or Alive – You spin me right Round

11: Morticia – Darksider

12: 3 doors Down – Kryptonite

13: Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia my Reflection

14: Flo Rida – Right Round (Like Niki Minaj, I don't like Flo Rida, but this song is REALLY really good.)

15: Specimen – Stand up stand Out

16: Sisters of Mercy – Floorshow

17: Sisters of Mercy - Jolene

18: Queen – We will rock You

19: Lady Gaga – Just Dance

20: Emilie Autumn – Let the record Show

21: Alice Cooper – No more Mr. Nice Guy

22: Bauhaus – Dark Entries

23: Lady Gaga – Poker Face

24: Scorpions – Rock you like a Hurricane

25: Katy Perry – E.T (Another person I don't like, but this song is good enough)

26: Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams

27: Rascal Flatts – Stand

28: Repo the Genetic Opera – Zydrate Anatomy (As well as 'We started this Op'ra Shit', that's also epic.)

29: Sisters of Mercy – Vision Thing

30: LMFAO – Sexy and I know It (Hilarious and catchy)

And for a bonus instrumental track, I really like exercising to:

Clint Mansell – Requiem for a Dream

Oh and I may as well mention that the Doctor Who theme song is also fabulous, as there is an awful amount of running involved in there…Kind of appropriate. xD

Well, that's all for today's post. I think the first music list was better, (As in I seem to listen to it more) but I think these tunes are pretty fabulous too.

As usual, if you have any cool music you like to exercise to, do tell!

Farewell!