Welcome

Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.

I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.  

I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time.  As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree. 

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season 2

 


The second season of Game of Thrones is basically an adaptation of the second novel, A Clash of Kings, about the start of the civil war to rule Westeros. After the death of Ned Stark ordered by Joffery, Robb takes on the title of King of the North and vows to kill the boy king who was installed after the death of Robert in season one. Robert's brother Stannis also throws in his claim to the throne and there is ultimately a war between the five "kings" that are making a claim to the throne. Meanwhile, Jon is with the Night's watch outside the wall facing a threat from the wildlings and a more sinister threat that starts to rise up, and Daenerys is in Essos with three newborn dragons trying to find allies and resources to help her return to Westeros and restore the Targaryens to the throne. The season ends not really on a cliffhanger, but a threat that will essentially threaten to make the who wins the war totally irrelevant.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray set is awesome, and there is a ton of extras. There are commentary tracks on every episode. The commentaries rotate using cast members, writers, directors, crew members, and even George RR Martin. Some episodes have two different commentary tracks. Sophie Turner is pretty hilarious in the commentary track she participates in. There is also an in-episode guide that you can play when watching any of the episodes that goes a lot more in-depth into the story and the history of Westeros than can be shown in the episodes. There are also character profiles, behind-the-scenes features, and a roundtable discussion between the series creators and some of the cast members. So, if you like watching the extras, there is a lot there.

Overall, the season is strong. The ensemble cast is still large (although the number of characters is pared way down from the book), but all the characters are given substantial material to work with. It is a very adult show with a lot of swearing, sex, and nudity. It continues to be well-written and well-acted and is a must see for any fan of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre.

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