Workout Update: Lift 4: Day 1

Yesterday was day 1 of Lift 4. I have done multiple rounds of the program since 2022. I actually first did the program when I was early in the process of trying to lose weight after I had reached my highest weight back in 2021. The last time I did a round of it, I was about 25 lbs heavier than I am now, so it will be interesting to see what it is like now that I am in better shape and nearing my goal weight. Also, every other time I did the program, I paired it with something, whereas now, I am just going to be following the program and not adding anything extra besides some extra foam rolling and flexibility work here and there.

So, day 1 was chest and triceps, which was one of the 50/50 workouts. The resistance portion was still very challenging even after having finished Dig Deeper and Dig In. I was trying to use weights similar to what I ended with in those programs, and there were definitely times I was struggling. I did find the HIIT and core portions of the workout easier than the last time I did them. I did not have to modify as much as I did when I weighed more. Even so, I did have to switch to modifications at some point in the mountain climbers and the triceps push-ups (which are in the final block of resistance exercises). Those are the bane of my existence. I had to start those on my knees and was only doing micro-push-ups on my knees in the third set. 

Workout Review: Dig In

 

Dig In is one of the newer workout programs on the Bodi platform, featuring Shaun T. It combines his Dig Deeper strength training program with low-impact cardio exercises from programs like Insanity (especially Max-30) and T25. It is a cutting program that is meant to help you get lean, especially if you have been eating in a calorie surplus to put on muscle (which pretty much always includes putting on some fat). It is meant to preserve your muscle gains while helping strip off the fat you may have put on. 

It is a 30-day program structured into three phases and follows a nine-day on, one-day off format.  Each phase includes chest, arms, legs, back, and glutes workouts. In each phase, you do a block of strength training followed by a block of Insanity exercises. In Phases 1 and 2, the strength blocks also include a core-focused exercise, and in Phase 3, the core exercises are in the Insanity blocks. At the end of each phase, you do a workout called The Dig, which is a total-body workout that is focused on muscular endurance in the lifting portions, in which you do 20 reps of each exercise. In that one, you start with cardio, and after each cardio block you do two resistance exercises focused on one part of the body; then you go back to cardio and do that until you finish all six cardio and strength blocks. 

The pros of the program are that all the workouts are short, just over 30 minutes with the warm-up and cool-down, and they are challenging. The low-impact cardio is great, especially for people who are older and/or out of shape. Shaun T makes a point of saying he cannot do the kinds of HIIT moves he was doing when he was in his 20s and 30s now that he is nearly 50, but that you can still get a good cardio workout (and the benefits that come from it) doing the modified exercises. He also shows some further modifications for some exercises, if you need them. If you have done his other programs, nothing in this one will be new to you, but the sequencing will be a bit different. The big con is the calendar. They wanted this to be 30 days and have a crazy schedule. They would have been better served by making it 35 days and using the weekends as rest days. Three rest days in 30 days when you are lifting heavy is brutal, especially when the other con comes in. There is very little rest during the workouts. In some, you get about 30 seconds here and there, but in others, once they start, they do not stop until the end. 

Ultimately, while it is not perfect, it is a good program. I had good results, losing about 6lbs and a total of 5.5" from my body in 30 days (while also eating in a calorie deficit). I will probably do the program again in the future, but I will follow a more traditional 5-day on, 2-day off format to get more time for rest and recovery. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

 

Frozen Empire is the 2024 direct sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The movie was written by Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman, and directed by Kenan. It brings back the entire main cast, including McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, and Carrie Coon. It also brings back Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts to reprise their roles from the original films. Also returning from the 1984 film is William Atherton, reprising his role as Walter Peck, who remains a thorn in the Ghostbusters' side. Logan Kim and Celeste O'Connor reprise their roles from Afterlife, and the new additions to the cast in this film include Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Emily Alyn Lind, and James Acaster. 

In this movie, the new Ghostbusters have returned to New York and are working out of the old firehouse. Peck, who is now the mayor of NY, is trying to find a way to shut the operation down for good and forces the team to bench Phoebe because she is a minor. She befriends a ghost in the park (played by Lind), who, in turn, is being manipulated by a demigod named Garraka to help free him from an orb, so he can release all of the ghosts who have been trapped, which will allow him to conquer humanity and rule the world.  

The 4k set (which is available both as a regular release and a steelbook release) is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a standard blu-ray. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is outstanding. Both the audio and video are at or near reference quality, especially if you have a large screen and even a decent surround sound system. The only bonus material on the UHD disc is the previews (which can be skipped as each new one loads) and a commentary track by Kenan. The rest of the bonus content is on the standard blu-ray and includes the same previews, several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes (ranging from about 4 minutes to just over 20 minutes, and about 9 minutes of deleted scenes. 

Overall, the film is good, but not quite as good as Afterlife. The use of the legacy cast members was perfect; they were used enough to provide the nostalgia boost, but not enough to take away from the new group. There were a lot of callbacks and easter eggs to the original films throughout the movie. The only two surviving original cast members who did not appear were Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver (although there is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to Weaver's character, Dana), but they honestly would not have fit into the storyline all that well anyway. The middle part of the movie does plod along a bit, but the action definitely picks up in the final act. Ultimately, if you are a fan of the franchise and liked or loved Afterlife, this is worth checking out. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Wings: Season 1 and 2

 

Wings was a 90s sitcom that ran for 8 seasons (though the first season was very short, with just 6 episodes) from 1990 to 1997. It was created by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee, who also worked on Cheers and would later create the series Frasier. Although Wings is not a direct spin-off of Cheers, it is set in the same universe, and several members of the Cheers cast made appearances on Wings. The series starred Tim Daly, Steven Webber, Crystal Bernard, David Schramm, Rebecca Schull, and Tomas Hayden Church. It is set in a small airport on Nantucket Island. In it, Daly and Webber play brothers Joe and Brian Hackett, the co-owners of a small charter airline. The two have completely opposite personalities and often clash and bicker with each other. Bernard plays Joe and Brian's childhood friend, Helen. She runs the lunch counter in the airport and has dreams of playing the cello in the orchestra. Schull plays Faye, who runs the ticket counter for the airline. Thomas Hayden Church plays Lowell, a dimwitted mechanic, and Schramm plays Roy, the owner of a rival charter airline that also operates out of the airport. 

Like many sitcoms, this one is mostly a story-of-the-week procedural, but there are some ongoing storylines. The first season, which aired in the spring of 1990, was mainly about character development and setup. Megan Mullaly was the most notable guest star during the first season, in a hilarious role. The 22-episode second season aired during the regular 1990/1991 TV season. The show found more of a footing in the second season, and the biggest ongoing storyline involved a relationship between Joe and Helen. The guest stars in season 2 included John Ratzenberger and George Wendt, playing their characters from Cheers, Cliff and Norm, David Ogden Stiers, Craig Bierko, Tony Shalhoub (who would later join the cast in a different role), Abraham Benrubi, and Maury Povich. 

The DVD set is a three-disc set. It is a very bare-bones release. The episodes are not captioned, and there are no bonus features. The series very much has the feel of a dated sitcom. There are definitely some funny moments, but some jokes wouldn't work if the series were made today. It is well-written and acted. Hayden Church steals nearly every scene he is in, and the episode Murder She Roast is hilarious. Ultimately, it is a good sitcom that was still finding its footing in the first couple of seasons. It was not as good as either Cheers or the original Frasier series (at least in its first couple of seasons), but it is still worth checking out. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Friday the 13th Part 3

 

Friday the 13th Part 3 was the 1982 entry in the iconic horror franchise. It was directed by Steve Miner and starred Dana Kimmel, Paul Kratka, Tracie Savage, Jeffrey Rogers, Larry Zerner, and Richard Brooker. The film picks up directly after the events of Part 2 (Betsy Palmer, Ginny Field, John Furey, and Steve Daskewisz all appear via archived footage, but did not film new scenes for Part 3), with Jason going on another killing spree after recovering from his wounds. This is the film in which he dons the iconic hockey mask, and is the version of the character that permeates through the rest of the series. In this entry, a group of friends plans a vacation to Kimmel's character's family homestead on Crystal Lake, where she has not been since being attacked by a disfigured man in the woods (of course, Jason) two years prior.  

The blu-ray is a single-disc release that includes both the 2D and 3D versions of the film. The extras will again vary depending on which release you get. I have the Shout! Factory version, which was released in the limited-edition box set. That version also includes a commentary track featuring several cast members, a few making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, the theatrical trailer, one of the TV spots, and a stills gallery. 

The film follows almost exactly the same format as the first two. It starts slowly, then ramps up the action. Of course, most of the characters make very dumb decisions, which lead to Jason catching them. One thing I do like is that this version of Jason was not totally indestructible, although he was getting closer to that version. The movie does earn its R-rating, as there is a lot of violence (although not a ton of gore), swearing, and the obligatory nudity and sex scene. You know what you get with the movie. It is a B-level horror film that was never going to win an Academy Award. Ultimately, it is pretty much a carbon copy of the first two movies, just swapping out the victims. If you like the genre and can accept it for what it is, then it is worth checking out.  

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 32

Day 32 was the final workout (after I altered the schedule for the last week), The Dig. I bumped the weights up from a couple of weeks ago, and it was very tough. I was barely able to complete the 20 reps on a few of the exercises. Even so, the workout was good, and was a good way to cap off the program. 

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 31

 Day 31 was the second-to-last workout in the program, Legs and Glutes 3. I increased the weights for all of the weighted exercises by anywhere from 2 to 5 lbs. I was a bit tired during the Insanity/Core blocks and had to pause a little bit, so this is the first day this week in which I did not feel that I did better in those blocks than I did last week.

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 30

Day 30 was Back 3. It was not as hard as it was last week, but it was still very challenging. I bumped the weights up when I could, but kept the ones I had to the same as last week. I again felt that the Insanity/core blocks were a bit easier than they were the first time I did the workout. 

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 29

Day 29 was Arms and Legs 3 for the second time. I was again able to bump up the amount of weight I used for the weighted exercises a little, and I felt that the cardio and core exercises were slightly easier than they were the first time. Of course, I adjusted the schedule so I will be doing 33 days, but I think taking the weekend off was helpful.

Workout Update: Dig In: Days 27 and 28

I used days 27 and 28 as rest days; however, I still walked outside a couple of times each day to get some steps in, foam-rolled on Saturday evening, and did X Stretch from P90X on Sunday evening. Having those two days off definitely helped, as I dropped more weight on the scale both days and didn't feel like I was overtraining. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Ghostbusters / Ghostbusters II

 

This is the limited-edition 4k steelbook release of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2, released in 2023. It was released right around the time Afterlife was coming out, and included a bunch of new bonus content (which the big appeal for many physical media collectors).  The set contains both the original 1981 film and the 1989 follow-up. Ivan Reitman directed both films, and Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver, and Ernie Hudson star. Peter MacNicol was the big addition to the cast in the second film, and the supporting cast members between the two films included William Atherton, Reginald VelJohnson, David Margulies, and Harris Yulin. Most people are aware of the plots of both films.  The original was a huge hit, and the second was more widely panned when it was released, but it has gained a larger following over the years. I have reviewed them separately and will not repeat what I have already said.

This release is a 5-disc set, containing two UHD discs (one for each film) and three standard blu-ray discs (one for each film and one with just bonus content). The A/V quality of each of the UHD discs is outstanding, especially for Ghostbusters 2, which never received a standard blu-ray release before being released on 4k. So, this is a huge upgrade from the DVD. The original film looks and sounds great in UHD as well, and both films received a great transfer. The only bonus content on the UHD discs are some cast and crew bios. There is bonus content on each of the standard blu-ray discs for each film (including commentary tracks on each film, and interviews with the cast and Reitman), and the bonus disc has additional content, which appears to be mostly archived material carried over from prior physical media releases, such as deleted scenes, a bunch of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, the trailers, etc. So, if you like going through the bonus material, there is a lot (several hours' worth) to go through.

Overall, this is a great release. The movies are both good. Yes, the second one is a bit cheesy, but it is not as bad as some critics made it out to be. Ultimately, if you collect physical media, especially if you like watching bonus content, this is a must-add to your collection.

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 26

Day 26 was Chest 3 again. I found that the workout was a bit easier than it was on Monday, but not much. I was able to increase the weight I used from Monday's workout a little (anywhere from 2.5 to 5lbs, depending on the exercise), but I still had to drop to my knees during the windshield wiper push-ups and use the bench for the decline push-ups.  The Insanity blocks were definitely a little easier.

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 25

Day 25 was Legs and Glutes 3. This was another tough one. Like all the other Phase 3 workouts, except the chest workout, this one has a burnout round after you finish the final Insanity block, and during a couple of the weighted exercises, Shaun adds extra reps and/or pulses. And there is very little rest between exercises, so you pretty much have to choose a weight and stick with it, since there is not much opportunity to change weights.

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 24

Day 24 is Back 3. This is probably the hardest workout in the program so far, because you are lifting heavy (almost every weighted exercise is a variation of a row), there is almost no time between sets (so if you are drop-setting, have all your weights by your bench at the start), and one of the Insanity blocks has plank walks. The overall format follows the same as the first two workouts in the Phase: doing three sets of a single exercise, then doing the Insanity block (which includes a core exercise), then repeating the process until you do all 12 rounds of Insanity. Then, there is a burnout block, just to really tire you out. 

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 23

Day 23 was the  Arms and Legs 3 workout from Dig In. The format is very similar to Chest 3: you do six lifting blocks, with one exercise in each block for 3 sets. In the first set, you do 8 reps; in the second, 10 reps; and in the third, 12. Then, you do the Insanity block (which includes the core exercise). Then you go to the next weighted exercise, do the three sets, and repeat the process until you do all 12 Insanity rounds. And at the end, you do some extra exercises as a burnout block. So, it is a tough workout, but if you have done any of Shaun T's other workouts like Insanity, Max 30, T25, and Dig Deeper, you will recognize all of the exercises.

Magazine Review: GQ: September 2002

 

The September 2002 issue of GQ magazine was its 45th Anniversary issue. It was a very large issue, coming in at just under 500 pages. Now, a lot (I dare say most) of that space was taken up by ads or pseudo-ads (i.e., short paragraphs telling you how much the item(s) the models were wearing cost), mostly for clothing. However, it also features several good articles. Some of them detailed events from US history during the magazine's 45-year run up to that point, including discussions of the Presidents during that time frame, and some covered more current events, such as how life had changed since the 9/11 attacks, which had occurred a year earlier. The two most interesting articles were one about what, at the time, were allegations against R. Kelly, and one about Eduard Pernkopf, an Austrian anatomy professor who aligned himself with the Germans during World War II, and the ethical debate over his Atlas of Human Anatomy and its use in education. 

The magazine's main pictorial features Hedi Klum (who is also on the cover) in which she recreates looks of famous stars such as Bardot and Farah Fawcett, or movie scenes such as the pool scene from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the interview scene from Basic Instinct, and the flower petal scene from American Beauty.

Overall, the issue has a lot of good content mixed with a lot of stuff that you can easily just flip by. It did not really need to be as large as it was, but given that print magazines are largely going extinct, and those that still exist only put out a few issues a year, with limited content, even with the fluff, this has more substance than a lot of what is being put out today. Ultimately, it will give you a decent look at what things were like (and popular) in the early 2000s and is worth checking out.

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 22

Day 22 was Chest 3, which was the start of Phase 3. This one is a bit different in that you do six chest exercises, each for three sets, but you do them as drop sets. So, in the first set you do 8 reps, in the second you do 10, and in the third you do 12. The idea is that you decrease the amount of weight you use in each set (unless your original weight is too light; then you can increase the weight or keep it the same). Like "The Dig" workout, after the third set of each chest exercise, you do one of the two Insanity blocks (you do block 1 after each of the first three chest exercises and block 2 after each of the last three exercises). The two core exercises are the third exercise in each Insanity block. You do get a bit more time between exercises than you did in Phase 2 to switch weights. That said, it is not a lot more time, and the workout still moves fast. 

Workout Update: Dig In: Days 20 and 21

Day 20 was the scheduled off day. Day 21 was supposed to be the start of Phase 3, but I took an extra day because I think the 9-day on, 1-day off schedule is kind of dumb, and after doing it in Phases 1 and 2, I am going to do 5 days on, 2 days off for Phase 3, which will allow me to transition right into Lift 4. 

Book Review: Wuthering Heights

 

Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë that was first published in 1847 under the pen name Ellis Bell. It was her only novel and mixes Gothic fiction, romance, and tragedy. Set in the English countryside, it tells the story of Heathcliff, an orphan taken in by the Earnshaw family, and his relationship with Catherine Earnshaw. Catherine eventually marries Edgar Linton, whose family lives on a neighboring estate, but her attachment to Heathcliff continues to affect both families. The story follows their conflicts and the effects those conflicts have on the next generation. Much of it is told through a housekeeper, Nelly Dean, who recounts the families' history to a new tenant named Lockwood.

The version I have is the leather-bound Easton Press edition, which is included in their 100 Greatest Books Ever Written series and comes in at 331 pages. I thought the novel was okay, but the story was hard to follow, and it was sometimes difficult to figure out what was going on. It starts in the story's present, flashes back to events from years earlier, and then returns to the present, but those transitions are not always clear. None of the characters are written to be all that likable, so there is really no protagonist to rally around. Even though there is a bit of a love story mixed in, it mostly feels like a book about a bunch of upper-class English people who cannot stand each other, feuding over land and years-old grudges. Ultimately, while it is a well-known classic, it is not the easiest novel to read. I had a hard time getting into the story or caring about the characters, and I would not say it is a must-read.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 2

 

The 23-episode second season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine aired during the 2014/2015 TV season. All of the series regulars returned for the second season, and the show had another good slate of guest and recurring cast members, including Kyra Sedgwick, Nick Cannon, Eva Longoria, Stephen Root, Sandra Bernhard, Jenny Slate, Ed Helms, Craig Robinson, Nick Kroll, Garret Dillahunt, and Bradley Whitford. The series continues the format of a story-of-the-week procedural and a serial with storylines that build on each other (and get referred back to) throughout the season. The bigger serial arcs involve Jake and Amy's feelings for each other, a long-running feud between Captain Holt and the new Deputy Commissioner, and a romance between Gina and Boyle's parents. There is also another good Halloween episode in which Jake and Holt make yet another bet. 

As of this writing, the individual seasons are only available on DVD as a three-disc set. The blu-rays are only available in a complete series box set, in which season two is on two discs in its own keep case. The A/V quality of the blu-rays are very good, and the show looks and sounds great in HD. The only extras are deleted scenes for select episodes, and the episodes can be played with English captions.

The show remains a strong comedy. Because of the show's format, you can watch any particular episode and be able to follow most of what is going on during the episode, but because they often refer back to events in prior episodes, you may not follow everything if you do not watch the show in order. So, while you do not need to watch season 1 before season 2, it definitely helps. The acting and writing continue to be top-notch, and the writers do a good job giving all of the actors good material to work with and balancing the storylines for the various characters. Ultimately, if you enjoyed the first season, this one is absolutely worth watching.  

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 19

Day 19 was the final workout in Phase 2 of Dig In, which meant doing The Dig again. I found it to be a bit easier to get through the second time, and I was able to increase the weight I used for the weighted exercises by anywhere from 3 to 5 lbs, depending on the exercise.  It is definitely easier to handle the pace of the workout and the transitions the second time through.

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 18

Day 18 was Legs and Glutes 2 again. As with the other workouts, I was able to increase the weight I used from last week on all the weighted exercises, and my stamina on the core exercises and the Insanity blocks continues to improve.  I am definitely not at the point where I could do Insanity Max 30 or even T25 (much less the original Insanity) unmodified for the entire time, but I could do some of the exercises unmodified and hang with the modifiers the entire time when doing the modified versions. It will be interesting to see how different doing Lift 4 will be now that I am somewhere around 30 lbs lighter than the last time I did it. 

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 17

Day 17 was Back 2 in Dig In. It is the third-to-last workout in Phase 2. I was able to increase the weights I used for each exercise a little. This is probably the toughest workout in the Phase because the opening move is back rows, but with a twist: you row with your right arm, then your left, then you row with both arms twice, and all that counts as a single rep. So, even with light weight (I used 17.5 lbs), it starts burning very quickly. After that, everything else in the workout is easier, but you are so worn out becuase of the first exercise, it is all strenuous.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: The Fugitive

 

The Fugitive is the 1993 action-thriller/suspense-drama film adaptation of the popular 1960 television show. It was adapted from a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and David Twohy and directed by Andrew Davis. It stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones in the main roles and features a great supporting cast, including Sela Ward, Julianne Moore, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, Jeroen Krabbe, Jane Lynch, and Richard Riehle. In it, Ford plays a prominent surgeon named Richard Kimble, who is arrested and convicted for the murder of his wife (played by Sela Ward). He maintains his innocence, insisting that a one-armed man broke into his house and killed his wife. He escapes custody during a bus accident while being transported to prison and is determined to prove his innocence. Tommy Lee Jones plays Deputy US Marshal Sam Gerard, who leads a group of Marshals to track down Kimble. 

The 4k version is a single-disc release. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is very good. The audio quality is at or near reference quality with a great Dolby Atmos track that sounds wonderful on a surround system. The video quality is not as good as the audio, and shows some imperfections in spots, but it is still very good. All of the bonus material is carried over from the original physical media release, including an introduction by Harrison Ford, Andrew Davis, and Tommy Lee Jones (via phone). Davis and Jones's portion is also included on the audio commentary track, which mostly features Davis with Jones interjecting from time-to-time. There is also a few making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes (that total just around an hour, give or take) and the theatrical trailer. 

Overall, the movie is very good. It absolutely deserved all of the award nominations. While Ford did much of the heavy lifting and was in most of the scenes in the film, Jones dominated nearly every scene he was in and absolutely deserved the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. There is some violence and swearing, but the movie does not push the boundary of the PG-13 rating. The film is extremely well-written and acted and even though it runs a little over two hours, the plot flows well and never seems like it is plodding along. Ultimately, if you are a fan of Ford and/or Jones, or you just like movies that blend action, suspense, and drama, this is absolutely worth checking out. 

Workout Update: Dig In: Day 16

Day 16 was the second go around for Arms and Legs 2. I was able to again increase the weight I used from last week on the weighted exercises for most of the sets on all exercises but the thrusters. I used the same weight as last week for those and I did have to drop set for the third set in the squat to biceps curl combination, since that is the set with the ultra slow reps. My stamina during the core exercises and during the Insanity block was better as well.