Product Review: Graphique 2025 Marilyn Monroe Wall Calendar

 

This is a 2025 full-sized wall calendar with a nice collection of photographs from throughout Marilyn Monroe's life. It includes a mix of black-and-white and color photographs. Some pictures are from her pre-movie fame modeling career, but most appear to have been taken after she became famous. Most photos are from staged photoshoots, but a couple are more candid shots, such as one taken when she exited a vehicle at an event. Chances are, if you are a fan of Marilyn, all the pictures included here are ones you have seen. Although, there are a few pictures that are not as widely circulated or popular as some others of her are. Ultimately, it is a good option if you are looking for a 2025 calendar featuring Marilyn. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Shaun 20/645 Cardio hybrid: Day 1

Today marked the first day of a new round of workouts. As I said in the last post, I decided to incorporate a couple of the Shaun 20 workouts into the mix to freshen things up. They are led by Shaun T and were filmed during the pandemic when he was filming his Dig Deeper program (which you can tell because he has way more tattoos than he did during the Insanity workouts, and he is super jacked). The workouts are 20-minute, non-impact versions of insanity workouts, making the moves from Insanity and Insanity Max 30, very modified, so there is no jumping. They are perfect for anyone who wants to try Insanity but is not in good enough shape to do the program unmodified or has done Insanity but is now out of shape and wants to work back to the unmodified version. 

So, in the morning, I did the pure cardio workout from Shaun 20, which has a warmup and then a series of one-minute long exercises, all of which appeared in Insanity (e.g., switch kicks, power jacks, etc.,) that you do without jumping, and then you do a short cooldown. Then, in the evening, I did Lift 4's week 1 chest and triceps 50/50 workout. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 55

Day 55 was the last day of this round of the hybrid workout. I just did 645 cardio in the evening. I decided to switch things up for the next round. Lift 4 is still going to be my primary workout, but I am going to incorporate a couple of the Shaun 20 workouts, which are shorter (20 minutes) low-impact versions of Insanity that Shaun T created when he was filming his Dig Deeper program and I will still do 645 cardio once or twice a week.  

4K-UHD/Movie Review: Alien Romulus

 

Alien Romulus is a 2024 Sci-Fi/horror film co-written and directed by Fede Alvarez. It is (as of this writing) the newest entry in the Alien franchise of films, set in the year 2142 between the original 1979 movie Alien (set in 2122) and the 1986 movie Aliens (set in 2179). It stars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Arche Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. In it, a group of young colonists living and working on the planet LV-410 steals a hauler with the intent to raid an abandoned space station so they can steal the cryostasis equipment and get to a planet called Yvaga III, which is not controlled by the Weyland-Yutani corporation. Little do they know, the corporation had recovered a cocoon from the wreckage of the Nostromo that contained the xenomorph that killed the crew of the Nostromo, brought it aboard the station, and began reverse engineering the facehuggers. Of course, the station's crew were all killed, and there are Aliens in the "Romulus" module of the station, which the group inadvertently releases when they attempt to steal the cryostasis equipment. Then, it becomes a monster-chase movie similar to the other films in the franchise. 

The 4k set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD version of the movie is excellent and is reference quality (or near reference quality) for both the audio and video. All the extras are included on the regular Blu-Ray disc. Those include about 11 minutes of deleted scenes, about 35 minutes of behind-the-scenes material, and a conversation between Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott (who was an executive producer on the film). In total, there are just under an hour of extras. There is no director's commentary track on the film, which would have been nice given how big a fan Alvarez is of the franchise and how many easter eggs he put in the movie to tie it to Alien and Aliens. 

Ultimately, the movie is an excellent return to the franchise. It is well-written and acted. It focuses on the franchise's horror/monster movie roots but expands the storyline to give more detail into the Weyland corporation's plans for the creatures. As I said above, Alvarez is a huge fan of the franchise and included many easter eggs and callbacks to the prior movies, especially Alien, including a way to posthumously use Ian Holm's likeness for the Android Rook, which is an identical model to Ash from the original movie, whom the group encounters on the station. It also ties the film to the colony aspect introduced in Aliens, giving a perspective of what it was like for the kids living in those colonies. It also incorporates aspects from the prequel films Prometheus and Alien Covenant. Given the 30+ year gap between the events of Romulus and Aliens, this movie could have multiple sequels down the line. However, even as a standalone film in the franchise, it is absolutely worth watching. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Better Call Saul: Season 6

 

The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul aired during the spring and summer of 2002. The sixth season was delayed (airing two years after season 5 ended) because of the COVID-19 pandemic and Bob Odenkirk's on-set heart attack during the season. In it, the series finally catches up to the start of Breaking Bad, and we see Jimmy's full transformation into (and embrace of) Saul Goodman. The first nine episodes finish off the pre-Breaking Bad storyline. The final four episodes are mostly set in the "present" day in Nebraska (two years after the end of Breaking Bad) but also include events that occurred during Breaking Bad and El Camino, shown from Saul's (or another character's) perspective. Of course, this means we get more cameos from major Breaking Bad characters, including Betsy Brandt and, yes, Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston. The main storylines in the first nine episodes are Kim and Jimmy's continued scam against Howard Hamlin and their attempts to take him down and the feud between Gus and the Salamancas (with the discovery that Lalo survived the attempted hit) coming to a head. As you would expect, those two storylines intersect in a major way. In the final three episodes, we see how Gene decides to "handle" the situation with the cab driver (now played by Pat Healy after the role was recast), recognizing him during Season 5 and the ultimate resolution of the series. The guest stars in that storyline included Carol Burnett, Jim O'Heir (best known for his role in Parks and Rec), and Kevin Sussman (best known for his supporting role in The Big Bang Theory). The series also brought back several cast members from the earlier seasons, including Julie Ann Emery, Jeremy Shamos, Lavell Crawford, Steven Bauer, Jessie Ennis, Ed Begley Jr., Dennis Boutsikaris, and Michael McKean. Other guest stars who appeared this season included Sandrine Holt and Reed Diamond.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. As in prior seasons, each episode has a commentary track (a couple of episodes have two commentary tracks), and some episodes have deleted scenes. There is about an hour of behind-the-scenes material, another set of training videos (this time, featuring the three film students Josh Fadem, Hayley Holmes, and Julian Bonfiglio, who Jimmy/Saul has used over the years to film his commercials and get video or pictures for his scams), and a gag reel. The season ends the show and the Breaking Bad universe well. The ending could have been much different had Bob Odenkirk been unable to continue filming after his heart attack. In the bonus features, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould said the series would have ended with episode eight if Odenkirk had not been able to return. In one of the behind-the-scenes interviews Odenkirk said he hoped that the showrunners would have recast Saul and properly finish the story, but Gilligan and Gould said that would not have happened. Thankfully, Odenkirk recovered and eventually returned to finish shooting the show. I will not spoil the ending of the series for people who have not watched it, but we do see a resolution for the arcs of all the surviving characters. If you have watched the prior five seasons, it will not come as a surprise that not every major character survives, and a significant death in the season directly impacts Jimmy's final transformation into the Saul Goodman we were introduced to in Breaking Bad. Ultimately, the season is well-written and very well-acted, and the ending of the series is satisfying. It is absolutely worth the time to watch.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 54

On day 54, I did the full-body HIIT workout, which was the last regular workout of this round of Lift 4. For most of the day my left foot was in a lot of pain, but by the end of the day it had let up enough for me to do the workout, but I did not do the 645 cardio routine in the morning because I did not want to risk making whatever was going on with my foot worse.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 53

Day 53 was supposed to be the full-body HIIT workout from Lift 4, however, I was helping someone move, so I used that as my second workout and just did the 645 cardio workout. It ended up being a long day and I was quite tired by the end of it, but I got a ton of steps in and did a lot of lifting. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 52

On day 52, I did the 645 cardio in the morning and the shoulders and arms workout in Lift 4. The shoulders and arms workout is a circuit workout, and it was still quite challenging, even though I have used the same amount of weight for quite a while now.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 51

Day 51 was the rest day in Lift 4, and so, because I was quite busy today, I just did the 645 cardio routine in the evening. I did not do either of the recovery workouts from Lift 4 today. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 50

Day 50 was the legs 50/50 workout in Lift 4 and the 645 cardio workout. Both of them went well, but I did still have to modify some of the HIIT exercises in the Lift 4 workout. I can tell that I am getting stronger and that my cardio is getting better, but I still have a long way to go.

4k-UHD/Movie Collection Review: The Bourne Complete Collection

 

This is a collection of the four Bourne movies starring Matt Damon (2002's The Bourne Identity, 2004's The Bourne Supremacy, 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, and 2016's Jason Bourne) and the 2012 spin-off film starring Jeremy Renner, The Bourne Legacy. Most of the movies center around the character of Jason Bourne (Damon), who, in the first movie, is fished out of the ocean with no memory of who he is. He discovers that he has superior fighting and espionage skills and is subsequently chased by government agents. He begins to regain fragments of his memory, discovering he is an assassin for a CIA black ops group code-named Treadstone. In The Bourne Legacy (set during The Bourne Ultimatum's events), we learn that Treadstone was one of many black-ops programs, including one called Outcome, which was creating a group of super-soldiers. The movies had strong supporting casts, including Julia Stiles, Rachel Weisz, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Chris Cooper, Karl Urban, Tommy Lee Jones, Edward Norton, Alicia Vikander, Paddy Considine, Clive Owen, and Vincent Cassel. The crux of each movie involves the heroes being chased down by the CIA or some branch of the CIA. They are mostly action thrillers with some drama (and humorous moments) mixed in. 

The 4K set is a six-disc set consisting of five UHD discs (one for each movie) and one regular Blu-Ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD discs varies. They are packaged in a slim keep case, with all five movies held on their own base, which is held in an outer box. The audio quality of all the movies in UHD is outstanding. However, the video quality of the first three movies (Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum) is not much better than the 1080p regular Blu-Ray transfer. The video quality of Legacy and Jason Bourne is much better. Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum, and Legacy can be played with a director's commentary track. There is no commentary track on Jason Bourne. The sixth disc has the remaining bonus materials, categorized by movie. They vary by movie but generally include deleted scenes, gag reels, and behind-the-scenes material. Each movie has an hour or more of bonus content. The bonus features are carried over from the original physical media releases of the movie. No new bonus material has been created for this set. Ultimately, this is a good set, but I would not call it a must-own if you already have the movies on Blu-Ray. You do not get anything new from those releases, and the A/V quality of the films in UHD is not a massive upgrade from the regular Blu-Ray (at least for three of the five movies). The movies themselves, however, hold up well and are worth watching if you are a fan of action-thrillers.

Product Review: KOWOOD 6-Inch Metal/Wood Saw Blades for Reciprocating/Sawzall Saws

 

This is a good set of saw blades for reciprocating saws. They claim to be compatible with all major brands. I have a Black and Decker reciprocating saw (which only came with one blade), and these connect to that without a problem. I have only used one of the wood-cutting blades to cut branches off the stump of a mulberry tree and start a cut into the stump. I had to finish off the stump with a mini chainsaw since these blades are not long enough to get through something as thick as even a small tree stump. They are, however, great for cutting through smaller branches on trees and bushes. If you are looking for a good, inexpensive set of blades, these are worth picking up.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 49

Day 49 was the start of the final week of this round of Lift 4. So, I did the 645 cardio workout in the morning and Lift 4's chest and back workout (which is a circuit workout again this week) in the evening. Both workouts went fine. Chest and back used all the same exercises as last week, just in a different order. At the end, there is a three-exercise burnout round in which you do two sets of push-ups with back extensions between them.  

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 48

On day 48, I just did the 645 cardio workout in the evening. I was still quite active during the day as well, so I got some extra work in.  

4K-UHD/Movie Review: Jason Bourne

 

Jason Bourne, released in 2016, is the fifth movie in the Bourne Franchise (which started with 2002's The Bourne Identity). It was directed by Paul Greengrass and stars Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Bill Camp, and Riz Ahmed. Greengrass (who directed The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum) returned to direct, and Damon and Stiles reprised their roles from the earlier films. The events of this movie are set about a decade after The Bourne Ultimatum and ignore the events of The Bourne Legacy (the spinoff movie that starred Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz). In it, Bourne is living in Greece, making a living as a street fighter. Nicky Parsons hacks into the CIA to expose the Black Ops programs (like Treadstone) and then seeks Bourne's help when she discovers a link between Bourne's father and Treadstone. From there, it becomes a typical Bourne movie in which Tommy Lee Jones's character (who plays the director of the CIA, Robert Dewey) sends an "Asset," played by Vincent Cassel, to take Bourne out. Alicia Vikander plays Heather Lee, the head of the CIA's cyber ops division, who is helping track Bourne. The storyline also includes the CIA planning to use a social media platform called Deep Dream, owned by Ahmed's character, Aaron Kallor, for real-time mass surveillance. 

The 4k set is a two-disc set, including UHD and regular Blu-Ray discs. The UHD disc just includes the movie. Unlike the prior films, this one does not have a commentary track. All the bonus content is on the regular Blu-Ray disc. It amounts to just under an hour of making-of and behind-the-scenes material. The movie is a good return to the Bourne Franchise. While I was not one of those who hated the spin-off movie, it was nice to see Damon return to the leading role (and he got extremely jacked for the role, which is no easy feat in your mid-40s as he was in when the movie was filmed). Personally, I would have liked to see him team up with Renner's character, but given that Legacy was mostly considered a flop, it is not surprising that didn't happen. It also seems like there may have been a falling out between Greengrass and Damon with Tony Gilroy, who was the screenwriter for the first four movies (and the director of Legacy) since he was not included in this movie (Greengrass and Christopher Rouse wrote this movie). Damon had made it clear that he would not return to the franchise unless Greengrass was the director, but none of the bonus features address any of that. 

The movie has a good storyline and is well-acted. It would have been nice if Julia Stiles had a larger role, but she was always a more minor character. It would also have been nice if this movie had included more of the fallout from the events of Ultimatum and Legacy (and maybe brought back Joan Allen and/or Edward Norton's characters). Still, as I said above, it ignores much of the prior movies, especially Legacy. Like the other films, it has a lot of action, including the requisite Boure chase scenes. This movie actually has two chase scenes, one early on and the other toward the end of the movie, going through the streets of Las Vegas. The storyline is mostly self-contained, so while it helps to watch at least the first three movies in the Franchise, you don't have to have seen the earlier movies to follow what is happening in this one. Ultimately, it is a good action-thriller and is worth your time to watch.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Better Call Saul: Season 5

 

The ten-episode fifth season of Better Call Saul aired in the winter and spring of 2020. All the main cast members returned for the fifth season, and Tony Dalton, introduced as Lalo Salamanca at the end of season four, was promoted to a series regular. This season also continues to include characters from Breaking Bad as the show gets closer to the events of that series. This season, the notable appearances include Dean Norris and Steven Quezada, reprising their roles as Hank and Gomez. Robert Forester also makes an appearance (which would be his final appearance before passing away) in the first episode when Saul's cover as "Gene" is compromised in Nebraska. This season's other notable guest and recurring stars include Javier Grajeda, Steven Bauer, Steven Ogg, Ed Begley Jr., Norbert Weisser, Laura Fraser, and Roy Wood Jr.

The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set and, like the prior seasons, includes extras on all three discs. There are commentary tracks on each episode, deleted scenes for select episodes, and some episode-specific behind-the-scenes material (all of which are accessed off the individual episode pages from the menu). Then, there is a series of legal ethics training videos (presented as a CLE course) led by Rhea Seehorn in character as Kim, a gag reel, and some making-of material. Since much of the commentaries and behind-the-scenes material was recorded during the pandemic, they were done via web chats. That was fine for the most part, but the commentary tracks did not flow as well as in past seasons since the people recording the commentaries were not in the same room, and the audio quality of the commentaries was not as good as in prior seasons. As with the prior season's commentaries, they are all led by Peter Gould and include various cast and crew members. Vince Gilligan does participate in the commentary for the episode he directed, which is the most pivotal episode of the season, if not the entire series. 

The show continues to be extremely well-written and acted. Without giving too much from this season away, we see all of the main characters continue to evolve, and those who will be around in Breaking Bad get closer to those versions of their characters. Jimmy has fully embraced his Saul Goodman persona but is not yet the person we will see in Breaking Bad. Interestingly, the writers made Hank see right through Jimmy's bullshit, immediately recognizing the name as a take on "s'all good man." The writers also gave Jimmy an out that would have avoided everything that came later had he taken it and a warning of what life would be like if he got involved in the drug business, even tangentially. Of course, those who have watched Breaking Bad know the path Jimmy will take, but this season reveals why he took it. We also see how Mike becomes Gus' fixer despite walking away after killing the construction manager at the end of season four. And we see Kim being influenced even more by Jimmy'Saul's dark side. Ultimately, this is probably the best season of the show so far and is absolutely worth watching.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 47

On Day 47, I did the Lift 4 full-body HIIT workout. It was supposed to be my second workout yesterday, but I waited to do it since I got home later than I intended yesterday.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 46

Day 46 was supposed to be a 645 cardio/Lift 4 combo day, but I did a late Christmas get together in the evening, so I ended up just doing the 645 cardio workout in the morning. I was not feeling like doing a second workout when I got back home, so I just rested. 

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 45

On day 45, I did the 645 cardio routine in the morning and Lift 4's shoulders and arms workout in the evening. The Luft 4 workout was a circuit workout, and even though it did not have a HIIT component, it was tiring because there were almost no breaks in the entire workout (aside from 30 seconds between the blocks and at the end of each set of four exercises within the blocks) and because of the three-exercise burnout block at the end.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 44

Day 44 was the rest day in Lift 4, so I just did the 645 cardio workout in the evening, doing higher-impact exercises since I did not have a second workout in the evening. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: The Bourne Legacy

 

The Bourne Legacy is a 2012 action thriller set in the "Bourne" universe of movies. It is directed by Tony Gilroy (who also co-wrote the screenplay). It stars Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross/Number 5, an agent in a covert division of the government code-named Operation Outcome. Also starring in the movie are the nearly ageless Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach, Oscar Issac, and Dennis Boutsikaris. Cory Stoll (probably best known for his role in House of Cards), Zeljko Ivanek, and Elizabeth Marvel have minor roles in the film, and Albert Finny, Joan Allen, Scott Glen, and David Strathairn each reprise their roles from The Bourne Ultimatum. The movie was initially planned to be another Bourne sequel and bring back Matt Damon. Damon bowed out when Paul Greengrass decided not to return to direct, which caused the writers and producers to go in another direction with the story. 

The events of this film are set during the events of The Bourne Ultimatum. In fact, some footage from Ultimatum is used in this movie. In it, Cross is sent on a training exercise in Alaska, where he meets with another operative (Number Three), played by Issac, who may or may not be evaluating him. Because of the actions of Bourne and Landy, Operation Outcome, which is the main program under which all the other programs like Treadstone and Blackbriar are run, is shut down, and the agents (and anyone working on the program) are taken out. Of course, Cross survives and goes on the run with Weisz's character, Marta, a virologist who works for Outcome and also survives an attempt on her life.

The 4k set is a two-disc set with a  UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The UHD disc just has the movie, which can be played with or without the commentary track. The commentary track includes Tony Gilroy, co-writer Dan Gilroy, editor John Gilroy, the director of photography, second unit director, and production designer. In the commentary, they do not get into the controversy about Damon and Greengrass not returning and just stick to talking about the film. They give a lot of information about the filming and casting process, including revealing that Issac was up for the lead role, but they felt he was not established enough at that point in his career. The rest of the special features are on the regular Blu-Ray disc. Those include deleted scenes and just under an hour of behind-the-scenes material. The A/V quality of the film in UHD is outstanding. Like the other Bourne movies, this one is upscaled from 2k, but the upscaling is better than the prior films received, so it is a bigger jump in video quality from 1080p. And the audio track is terrific, especially if you have a good surround sound system. 

Legacy is a good movie that gets panned/shit on much more than it should. It definitely uses elements similar to those of other films, such as multiple chases and fight scenes. So, it has a similar feel to the other movies (which is intentional), but it does tell its own story and is not a carbon copy of the Bourne Trilogy. The story in this film flows nicely from the Bourne movies and has the potential to be further tied into that universe, leaving open the possibility of a team-up between Cross and Bourne. Given how much time has passed since this movie was made and that Cross did not appear in the film in which Damon returned to the franchise (not to mention Renner's accident that may not allow him to do a movie this physical again), that is becoming more and more unlikely. Ultimately, it is a much better film than it gets credit for being. On its own, it is a good action-thriller, but it also makes sense within the Bourne universe. It is absolutely worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Better Call Saul: Season 4

 

The 10-episode fourth season of Better Call Saul aired during the summer and fall of 2018. Most of the series regulars returned for the fourth season, except Michael McKean, whose character, Chuck, was killed at the end of season three. Although, McKean would make a couple of guest appearances during flashbacks. This season, the notable addition to the cast is Tony Dalton, who plays Lalo Salamanca (who, along with Nacho, was first referenced in Breaking Bad when Walt and Jesse kidnap Saul). Dalton is fantastic as Lalo, playing him as almost a combination of Hector and Gus, disguising his true intentions under a charming and almost chipper demeanor. This season has two main storylines that are kept separate. The first is Jimmy's continued transition to Saul as he deals with losing his brother and his suspension from the practice of law while his relationship with Kim becomes increasingly strained. The second is Gus' move to take over the drug business after Hector's stroke, including the start of construction on the Superlab that we see in Breaking Bad. Wrapped up in that storyline is Mike's transition to Gus' fixer, which is somewhat similar to Jimmy's transition to Saul. At the end of the season, Jimmy embraces being Saul Goodman (although he is not quite the character he is when we first see him in Breaking Bad), while Mike does not go all in on working for Gus. We also get another glimpse into just how ruthless Gus can be and how he is not afraid to get his hands dirty, when necessary.

The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set with a nice collection of extras. Each episode has a commentary track led by Peter Gould and usually includes the writer and director of the particular episode and sometimes a cast member or two. Vince Gilligan does not participate in the episode commentary tracks this season, although he is interviewed in the behind-the-scenes material. The other extras, spread across the three discs, include a gag reel, several behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a series of training videos for Madrigal Electromotive "taught" by Jonathan Banks in character as Mike. They include animations with Breaking Bad easter eggs, similar to the training videos for Los Pollos Hermanos included in the season three set. To access the commentaries and deleted scenes, you must access the individual episode pages under the "episode selection" link on the main menu. The rest are accessed under the "special features" link. Most of the behind-the-scenes material is on disc 3, but are linked at the top of the special features menu (so it seems like all the special features are on disc three). However, the training videos and a short film are on disc 1 even though they are at the bottom of the special features menu. 

Ultimately, the series continues to be extremely well-written and acted. The writers continue to move the storylines closer to Breaking Bad while using flashbacks to flesh out the storylines. And in the first episode of the season, we see the aftermath of "Gene's" collapse at work (which occurred in the first episode of season three) and subsequent hospital visit. If you liked the first three seasons of the show, this season is absolutely worth watching.

Product Review: The HomeFlow Co.’s Milk Frother

 

This is a pretty standard frother. It comes with a whisk/frothing attachment and a paddle attachment. I mostly use the paddle to mix hot chocolate. It is also good for whisking eggs when making scrambled eggs or lighter mixing jobs. I do not make coffee drinks so I cannot say how it does for that, but I imagine it works as well as any frother for those. It takes 2 AA batteries. The battery compartment is a bit of a pain to access, but otherwise, it works as it should. So, if you are looking for an inexpensive mixing tool this is a good option.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 43

 Day 43 was the Lift 4 legs workout. This is a 50/50 workout, but only doing each of the HIIT moves for 30 seconds as opposed to the 60, 45, and 30 split for the HIIT moves during the build phase. The workout was challenging but good. I still used the same weight for each exercise as I have been. I think in week eight, I will try bumping at least some of the exercises up by either 2.5 or 5 lbs.

Book Set Review: Frank Herbert's Dune Saga 3-Book Deluxe Hardcover Boxed Set

 

This is a newly printed (in 2023) hardcover set of the original Dune Trilogy written by Frank Herbert (1965's Dune, 1969's Dune Messiah, and 1976's Children of Dune). The trilogy details the rise and fall of Paul Atreides. The first and longest of the three books, Dune, is the most well-known part of the story as it has been adapted into live-action movies. The stories in the other two books tell Paul's story after he obtained control of Arrakis (Dune). The books include new artwork and are packaged in a decorative outer box. The first book is the best of the three. If you read it first, it can be a bit hard to follow. If you read the vast collection of prequel novels written by Kevin J. Anderson and Frank's son, Brian, you get the backstory alluded to in Dune, which helps to make sense of and give context to the events in Dune. The story gets much weirder in Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. The storylines of those books are not bad; they just get more challenging to follow, especially since time jumps set the events of those books many years after the events in Dune. While the books will not likely appeal to everyone, they are classics in the sci-fi genre and are absolutely worth reading for fans of sci-fi and fantasy books.