Stimulation Theory

Well, here we are; I've actually completed the Muse discography.  

To be totally honest, I actually completed it exactly one week ago, however work and life in general has been that busy this week that I simply haven't found time to write about it until now.  Either that, or I'm just a lazy, no-good bum.  You be the judge.

Anyway, some quick reviews before I get on to the stats and some final thoughts on my Muse adventure. 

Album 7 - Drones

Holy shit, I did not see this one coming.  After quite a number of generally mixed-bag, overall lackluster efforts (really since Blackholes, to be honest), this was, ironically, quite the Revelation.  Bloody great album!  What makes it great is that it's big, fat and noisy in the best possible way. It's not the early Showbiz barbed-wire dirge, nor the latter Resistance syrup of pretentiousness; it's bold, catchy and frankly - it rocks.  Plus, it's actually consistent. I enjoyed 80% of this album I'd say; easily the most since Absolution. Plus 'Reapers' is just hardcore amazing - my favourite Muse song of their entire collection and one I actually hadn't heard of at all until running to Drones.  Loved running to this album and I've listened to it several times since.

Running time: 53 minutes
Distance: 7.1km
Calories: 557 

R Rating: RRRRr

Fun fact: Released in June 2015, the year I officially became a homeowner.  Whoop!

Album 8 - Simulation Theory

Not as good as Drones, but not bad.  It's still pretty catchy; less rock, more poppy synths layered throughout, but it's decent.  Some decent tunes throughout and not too bad to run to overall.  At 47 minutes, it's actually comfortably the shortest running time of all their albums, which was very well received for a final Muse run-off!

Running time: 47 minutes
Distance: 6km
Calories: 473

R rating: RRRr

Fun fact: Released on 9th November 2018, the actual day of my (35th) birthday and the day I could no longer kid myself I was in my 'early' thirties!

FINAL MUSE STATS AND THOUGHTS:

Top five Muse songs:

1) Knights of Cydonia 

2) Reapers

3) Hysteria

4) Unnatural Selection

5) Pressure

Top album: Absolution 

(Followed by closely by Drones, then Origin and Blackholes and Revelations)

Worst album:  The Resistance.  By far.

Running Stats:

Total running time: 427 minutes (7.1 hours)

Total distance covered: 55.2km / 34.3 miles
Total calories burnt: 4, 344

Here's the kicker though... 

Total pounds lost: 0

Yes, dearest reader, you read that right. ZERO F---------- POUNDS.  How is this even scientifically possible??

To say that I was a little sore about this at the time would be a *slight* understatement (if I'd had a sledgehammer at the time the scales would literally have been obliterated), but hey - I'm over it.  

I always said that undertaking this challenge wasn't about losing weight per se and that I have always been thrown off my focus in the past when this happens.  So I'm not going to let it throw me off this time... onwards I march (run).  Besides which, losing weight and becoming a bit more healthy is a process, not an event.  

In just the same way that you don't simply wake up one day being massively overweight, having a an all-consuming addiction, phobia or anxiety - it slowly builds as imperceptive layers over time - so too for losing weight or becoming fitter, stronger, happier.  

Keep on keeping on, as Curtis Mayfield might say.