Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 34

For day 34 I did the Legs workout from Lift 4, but again did it using much lighter weights than I would normally use and modifying what I could of the HIIT moves and skipping the ones I could not do. I again feel a little better than I did yesterday, so hopefully by Monday, I will be back to normal (or close to it).

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 33

For Day 33 I just did the lower body foam rolling from 645 and did not even attempt to do the Lift 4 legs workout. I had a horrible night overnight but did start feeling a little better throughout the day. But not well enough that I felt like I could do even a modified workout. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 32

 Day 32 was a shit show of a day. I started doing upper body foam rolling but felt progressively worse throughout the day. I think I actually had COVID for the first time. I had enough energy at night to do the Lift 4 shoulders workout using VERY light weights and modifying the HIIT moves like crazy (sometimes skipping a set if I needed to).

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 31

Day 32 was corrective ankles from 645 and the two recovery workouts from Lift 4. I was not feeling all that well so it was nice to have a slower day.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 30

Day 30 was corrective hips from 645 and week 5's back and biceps workout from Lift 4. The back and biceps workout is a circuit workout, so it does not have any HIIT. But, you are doing two quad blocks, lifting very heavy weight in each block, and doing each of the four exercises back-to-back without any rest and just 30 seconds of rest between sets. So, you really don't need to do any extra cardio. I did have to drop the amount of weight I was using for a couple of the biceps exercises on the second and third sets in the quad blocks, and during the burnout round for the full curls. It was a beast of a workout, but I got through it.

Book Review: Takedown (Scot Harvath Series #5)

 

Takedown, published in 2006, is the fifth book in the now long-running series of action-adventure thriller novels set around the character of Scot Harvath written by author, Brad Thor. As he has in the prior novels in the series, Thor continues to blend real-world elements with his fictional storylines in this novel. The main storyline in this book involves a terrorist attack on New York City by fictional Al-Qeada members. Harvath essentially becomes trapped in the city and follows a group of terrorists who are hitting what appears to be random targets while seemingly looking for something or someone. The other main storyline in the book involves political fighting and maneuvering and brings the real-world enhanced interrogation technique controversy (which was just coming to light around the time Thor was writing the book) into the story. The book ends on a fairly large cliffhanger that will almost certainly affect one or more subsequent books in the series. 

The hardcover version of the book is just under 400 pages. The book has a good blend of action and suspense. There are a couple of side stories here and there, especially early on. But the main storylines are the focus. If you like the first four novels in the series you will probably like this one. If you are a fan of the genre but have not yet read the other books in the series, it is a good idea to start with the first book because the main characters are fairly established by this point and the author only does minimal character development on a couple of characters that are newly introduced in this book. It is absolutely worth the time to read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 29

Day 29 was the start of week 5 in Lift 4, which was chest and triceps 50/50. The lifting portion of the workout was not bad. I did have to drop the amount of weight I was using on the triceps kickbacks in the third block after the first set (I did 25 for the first set, 20 for the second, and 15 for the third), but otherwise I was able to go up in weight and stay with the increased weight for all of the other exercises. The HIIT portion of the workout was tough, and I had to modify and take breaks a lot. This morning, I did corrective shoulders from 645.  

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 28

Day 28 was again the two recovery routines from Lift 4. I got them out of the way early in the day and then enjoyed a nice family get-together in the evening. I hope everyone who celebrates it has a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 27

Day 27 was the two recovery routines from Lift 4. Given that I was doing last-minute Christmas preparation, I got the routines out of the way early in the day, which was nice. This past week I have just been using the regular foam roller to give myself a break from the rumble roller. I definitely do not feel it as much, but I can put more pressure on the regular roller and work the muscles a bit better. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 26

 Day 26 was legs in Lift 4 and lower body foam rolling in 645. 

The Lift 4 legs workout was another HIIT workout. That meant no lifting, which was kind of nice, but the HIIT was pretty brutal. I definitely did not have the best workout, but I managed to get through it.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 25

Day 25 was upper body foam rolling from 645 and shoulders from Lift 4. Shoulders was an interval workout so each block has two shoulder lifting exercises and then a 30-second HIIT move. The HIIT moves were not as tough as they could have been. The hardest of the bunch were the squat jumps, but the soccer sprints and speed skaters were not bad at all.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 24

Day 24 was corrective ankles from 645 and the two recovery routines from Lift 4. All of the foam rolling went well, although I did switch from the rumble roller to the regular foam roller for the lift 4 foam rolling just to give myself a break.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 23

Day 23 was corrective hips from 645 and the week 4 back and biceps workout which is a 50/50 workout. The HIIT portion of the workout was tougher than the lifting, especially the wide mountain climbers and the squats. I was able to use the increased about of weight from the prior week for all of the lifting exercises, however, which was nice.

Book Review: Star Wars: Crimson Climb

 

Crimson Climb is a young-adult novel centered on the character of Qi'ra (who was the character played by Emilia Clarke in the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story). The book begins immediately after the events of the beginning of Solo (still a very underrated movie) when Han escapes Corellia and Qi'ra is captured. It tells the story of what happened after Qi'ra returned to Lady Proxima and how she ended up in and worked her way up through, the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate to become a major player under Dryden Voss. The story also helps explain why she made the choice she did at the end of the movie.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 350 pages. The book includes new and unfamiliar characters, which may make it a bit slower to read than the novels involving more established characters. It has a good blend of action and suspense and definitely adheres to the "no honor among thieves" saying. Since the chances of a sequel movie to Solo are pretty much shot, if the story of the characters is going to be continued it will be in the novels. This is absolutely worth the time to read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 22

Day 22 was the corrective shoulder routine from 645 and the start of week 4 in Lift 4. The Lift 4 workout was Chest and Triceps and this week it is a circuit workout, doing the two quad sets and then the burnout round. I was able to stick with the increased weight for most of the resistance exercises, but I did have to reduce the amount of weight I was using for a couple of them on the second and third sets. By the time I got to the burnout round my arms were already like limp noodles and I could barely do the push-ups.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 21

Day 21 was again the two recovery workouts from Lift 4. I again used the rumble roller for the foam rolling routine and then went right into the stretching routine. They went fine. There was no real difference between this one and the previous day.  

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 20

Day 20 was the two recovery routines from Lift 4. I was not very flexible or mobile today, and I had a large lunch so I was not exactly feeling limber. But, I got through it and got it over with.  

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 19

Day 19 was lower body foam rolling from 645 and Legs 50/50 in Lift 4. 

I again used the rumble roller for the foam rolling which really helps during the lower body foam rolling routine since you are generally spending 60 seconds foam rolling each area. The legs workout was tough because you are using extremely heavy weight for the entire lifting portion and then doing the three sets of HIIT after that. The only good thing is that the core portion is just one exercise, side planks holding for 30 seconds on each side.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 18

Day 18 was upper body foam rolling and shoulders. The shoulders workout was an interval workout. So you do two resistance exercises followed by a 30-second HIIT exercise. Then, of course, finishing with three sets of core. The upper body foam rolling in the morning definitely helped prepare for the shoulder workout, but it was still very tough. The HIIT portion, however, was not too bad.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 17

Day 17 was corrective ankles from 645 and the two recovery routines from Lift 4.

All of the foam rolling went well today. I am glad I switched back to the rumble roller because it is much more effective at this point than the regular foam roller.  My hamstrings continue to be my weak point flexibility-wise, but they are getting better, slowly.

Book Review: Tired of Winning: Donald t***p and the End of the Grand Old Party

 

Tired of Winning is a great follow-up to author and ABC New Correspondent Jonathan Karl's first two books about the former president, Front Row and Betrayal. The main focus of this book is the aftermath of the 2020 election and the danger leading into the 2024 election.

In the book, Karl expands on some of the material first reported from the January 6th investigation and provides insight into the various legal battles that little Donny Diapers is currently embroiled in. Of course, he was not getting any inside information from the prosecutors, but he still has enough sources in the orange genital wart's orbit (who are totally willing to sell t***p out and show him for the slack-jawed dipshit that he is) who detail the shit fits he has been throwing almost constantly since the indictments started flowing in. Karl also details how the vast majority of the GOP has been perfectly willing to appease and enable the orange dipshit or look the other way and pretend that they do not know what he has done or said. 

The hardcover version is the book is relatively short at just under 300 pages (before you get to the acknowledgments and endnotes). The endnotes mostly just cite various sources. In the actual text of the book, Karl does include some footnote material that expands on what he has in the text. And, for the MAGATS who would scream "fake news" (not that any of the ones who are capable of reading would read this book) one of the most entertaining parts of the book is when Karl outs "background" sources from his prior book who later accused him of making things up, attributing their names to exact quotes from recordings of their conversations, and basically dares anyone to accuse him of making shit up this time around. The big takeaway from this book is how dangerous and stupid everyone who has been around the orange shitgibbion (save for the most devoted ball lickers) thinks he is, and that they all think he would be even more dangerous in a second term than he was in the first. Karl absolutely inserts his personal opinion in the book, so it is not just a straight presentation of facts. He calls out t***p's lies and stupidity multiple times and opines that he considers t***p to be a danger to democracy and should never set foot anywhere near the levers of power again. It is absolutely a must-read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 16

Day 16 was corrective hips from 645 and Back and Biceps in Lift 4.

The back and biceps workout was a very hard circuit workout (so two rounds of four exercises done for three sets and one burnout round with two exercises done for three sets). I was able to initially increase my weight for all of the exercises, but there were a couple of exercises for which I had to lower the weight (or even set the weight down) for the second and third sets. And, I was still breathing heavily even without doing HIIT. The core component was more challenging today than it was yesterday.  

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 15

Day 15 was the start of week 3, which was another chest and triceps workout. This time, it was a 50/50 workout, and you increase the amount of weight (or try to) for all of the exercises. I was very tired doing the workout since I spent most of the day at the hospital, but I pushed through. And, I was able to increase the amount of weight I was using for all of the resistance exercises.  The HIIT portion was hard, but I got it done and the core portion was not too bad. Hopefully, tomorrow's workout will be a bit easier, but we will see.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 14

For Day 14 I did the two recovery routines from Lift 4 plus corrective shoulders from 645. I normally do corrective shoulders on Monday mornings, but this morning I had to be with my mom at the hospital and knew that I would not have enough time to get it in, so I got it in on Sunday. I also did that workout using the regular foam roller. After an entire week of using the rumble roller, I barely felt anything going back to the regular roller. So, I will probably start using the rumble roller again for the rest of the corrective routines.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 13

Day 13 was the two recovery routines from Lift 4. I again used the rumble roller for the foam rolling routine, and it was again rough (although not as bad as it was early in the week). Then, the stretching routine went fine. I do like that it is relatively short I just am not a huge fan of the selection of stretches. It would be nice if there were more variety from what he does in the warmups and cooldowns to the regular workouts.

Book Review: Blowback (Scot Harvarth Series #4)

 

Blowback, published in 2005, is the fourth book in the Scot Harvath series of thrillers created by Brad Thor. The plot of this book involves a bioweapon threat from the Middle East. Much like Vince Flynn did in the Mitch Rapp series, which is in the same genre, Thor blends real-life events (such as the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks) with his fictional storylines. This one specifically involves an Al-Queada plot being aided by a tangential member of the Saudi Royal family.

The hardcover version of the book is a little under 450 pages. Like the previous three books in the series, it has a good blend of action and suspense. It has a few different storylines going on that intersect at different points. The main storyline is the bioterrorism storyline, but there is also a story arc involving an ambitious Senator who is looking for a VP spot on the next Democratic ticket who is clearly modeled, at least in part, after Hillary Clinton. If you liked the first few books in the series and/or are a fan of spy novels, international thrillers, or the like, it is absolutely worth the time to read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 12

Day 12 was lower body foam rolling from 645 and Legs in Lift 4.

Since this was week 2 of Lift 4 it means legs was the HIIT workout, meaning three rounds of four exercises done for 1 minute, 45 seconds, 30 seconds, and 15 seconds, then two bonus rounds in which you do each exercise for 30 seconds. The exercises are rough after the first one (which is high-knee runs). After that you do triple bear, catcher jumps, and jump lunges.  Once you get to the core portion it is almost a relief. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 11

Day 11 was upper body foam rolling from 645 and shoulders in Lift 4.

I again used the rumble roller for the foam rolling and it definitely was uncomfortable, especially when I was foam rolling (or holding the roller on a trigger point on) my lats. The shoulders workout was an intervals workout, so each block had two lifting exercises followed immediately by a 30-second HIIT exercise. Then, the core portion had one additional set of twisting leg lifts since the cast did bicycles in the first round. So, it was a tough workout, but it was short.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 10

Day 10 was corrective ankles from 645 and the two recovery routines from Lift 4.

I again did all of the foam rolling using my rumble roller. I could not stay on it as long when rolling some areas, like my hip flexors, as I can when using the regular foam roller, but I am getting used to it. And, I find that I have fewer knots the next day since I have been using it. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 9

 Day 9 was the corrective hips workout from 645 and Back and Biceps in Lift 4.

The back and biceps workout was a 50/50 workout and was tough especially the HIIT portion. Thankfully, the lifting and core portions were not that bad (not that they was easy). I can tell that the corrective shoulders routine from 645 has helped with the Lift 4 workouts because during the rows and flys Joel was warning against shrugging your shoulders which was not a problem at all for me because of the corrective shoulders routine. I also used the rumble roller for the foam rolling portions of the corrective hips routine, which was tough to get through, but I made it. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 8

Day 8 was corrective shoulders from 645 and Chest and Triceps Circuit in Lift 4.

The circuit workout was very tough. Doing the 40 reps without any rest made my arms feel like spaghetti noodles by the end of the burnout round. While my chest was not as wiped out as my arms, it was pretty close. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 7

For Day 7 I again just did the two Lift 4 recovery workouts, but I used the rumble roller for the foam rolling workout. This is the second time I have used the rumble roller for that workout and it was still tough, but not impossible. I was able to use it for the entire routine but definitely did not put as much of my body weight on the roller on certain body parts as I do with the regular foam roller, which has more give. I thought using the rumble roller also provided me with more mobility which helped when I did the stretch routine right after that.  

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch: Season 8

 

The 8th season of Baywatch consisted of 22 episodes and aired in syndication during the 1997-1998 TV season. The show yet again had a lot of cast turnover. Pamela Anderson left the show after season 7 and the show left the cliffhanger ending open until the fourth episode of the 8th season revealing that CJ met a tattooed rock star and got married. This was also the season in which Yasmine Bleeth left the show (she was fired because of her drug use) but the writers actually did give her a sendoff. She appeared in a handful of episodes (though she was never shown in the main credits), but as the show often was, the episodes were not aired in the order of her storyline, so she kind of just randomly popped up until she didn't. Parker Stevenson, who left the show after season one returned for a few episodes to have a mini-storyline, and the series added Carmen Electra, Kelly Packard, Michael Bergen, Marilice Andrada, and Angelica Bridges as series regulars. The show did not get as many notable guest stars but Jeff Altman returned to the show as yet another character, radio host Shadoe Stevens guest starred, Gregory Allan Williams reprised his role as Elerbee, and David Hasselhoff's wife, Pamela Bach, played a totally different character than the recurring role she played in the early seasons of the show.

In the DVD set, the 22 episodes are spread across 6 discs. There are no extras or subtitles. By the 8th season, the show pretty much gave up on continuity. Some of that was on the showrunners and part of it was on whomever selected the order to air the episodes. For example, they had Mitch's mother in an episode this season but totally abandoned the Alzheimer's storyline, and the show's romances rarely made any sense (and this season is no exception). The season ends with a three-part finale that leaves the direction of the show totally open, and of course, there are the music montages to show off the ridiculously good-looking cast. Carmen Electra dancing accounts for several of the montages this season. Overall, the series is what it is. A prime-time story-of-the-week soap opera. The acting and writing are spotty at best (to be kind), but if you can accept it for what it is and don't expect any more than that, it can be entertaining.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 6

Day 6 was just the two recovery workouts from Lift 4. Nothing much new to say about either of them, aside from the fact that I did not have many knots in my legs when I was foam rolling and I could get a little deeper into my hamstring stretches.  

DVD/Movie Set Review: The Dark Knight Trilogy

 

This is a blu-ray box set of the trilogy of live-action Batman movies starring Christian Bale and directed by Christopher Nolan. Any fan of Batman knows that the movie franchise was nearly dead after the dreadful Batman and Robin movie in the late 1990s. The franchise had changed directors once (Tim Burton to Joel Schumacher) and stars three times (Michael Keaton to Val Kilmer to George Clooney). While the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton movies were very good.  Batman Forever (which was the first one directed by Schumacher) was good but edging toward the campy side, and Batman and Robin was almost universally reviled. This trilogy brought the series back in a big way.

First, it brought back stability. Nolan co-wrote and directed all three movies, so the tone, visuals, and feel remained the same. Just as importantly, Christian Bale was in the lead role for all three. Regardless of whether you think he was the best Batman/Bruce Wayne or not, the continuity that not changing actors every movie brought was very important. Secondly, the movies were more than just superhero or action movies. It brought in big-name actors for both the main roles and the supporting roles and focused on not only having good scripts but excellent acting (punctuated by Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker). Those elements were spotty in the superhero genre up to that point. In some movies, you would have big-name actors and a good script. In some, you would have a decent script but only one or two big-name actors, and in some, you would have an awful script. These movies did not rely just on a bunch of special effects and lots of explosions to tell the story. Lastly, Nolan tried to bring a sense of realism where possible. Obviously, these are movies based on a comic book, and most of what you see in them could not happen in real life. But, the fact that the movies were filmed in real cities and that the gadgets he used (especially in Batman Begins) were somewhat realistic (like his grappling gun) made the movies more enjoyable for me.

Of the three movies I actually think the last one has the best overall story. Obviously, however, Heath Ledger's performance as Joker was the touchstone of the three movies. He played the in-control psychotic so well, that it will be hard for anyone to top that live-action version of the character. Even though I think Ledger was the best villain, I think all the movies did a good job with the bad guys. I especially liked that they cast Bane based on acting ability and not just finding a big guy with no talent. Obviously, Tom Hardy is not 7 feet tall or anywhere near it, but his version of Bane was much better than the one in Batman and Robin.

Chances are if you are reading this you have already seen each movie multiple times. While I do not think any of them are absolutely perfect, I think they are as close to perfect as the superhero movies that had come out up to that point had been in a long time. And, you can certainly argue that the success of Batman Begins played a big part in the Marvel movies being taken seriously from the start.  I had hoped that the series that Nolan started would continue in some way. The ending of Dark Knight Rises certainly left that possibility open. But, after this many years, if it were to do so, it would more likely be in a "Batman Beyond" type of situation in which Bale plays the role of Alfred to a new, younger, Batman. 

This set repackages the original blu-ray releases into a decorative outer box. You get the same extras/bonus content (if you like watching that material) that the original discs were released with. There was no new bonus content created for this release. If you bought the movies individually on blu-ray the only new thing you get with this is the outer box. But, if you do not have the movies and have not upgraded to a 4k blu-ray player and a 4K TV, this is a good pickup, and definitely worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: House M.D.: Season 4

 

Season 4 of House aired during the 2007-2008 TV season and was cut short by the writer's strike that occurred that year. The show picks up with the team in disarray with Chase, Cameron, and Foreman all having quit the team at the end of the prior season. House's solution is to hire 40 new doctors and eliminate them in a Survivor-like competition. He gave most of them nicknames as opposed to learning any of their actual names, and from time to time the original team members (Jennifer Morrison, Omar Epps, and Jesse Spencer all remained on the show) would pop in. This resulted in many new additions to the cast, some permanent and some recurring. The new cast members included Olivia Wilde, Kal Penn, Peter Jacobson, Anne Dudek, Edi Gathegi, and Michael Michele. As always, the show also had many recognizable guest stars including Frank Whaley, Thomas F. Wilson (from Back to the Future), Jeremy Renner (when he was still doing TV), Mira Sorvino, Fred Durst, and Ivanna Milicevic (who had done a lot of character work for many popular TV shows and would later star in the great series Banshee).

The DVD set includes the 16 season four episodes spread across 4 discs. The bonus material includes a commentary track on part 1 of the season finale and several behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes. The series continued to be well-written and very well-acted. The new additions to the cast were great and the actors seemed very comfortable coming into the show. The two-part season finale was probably the two best episodes of the series up to that point, and this season, although abbreviated is arguably the best season of the show. It is absolutely worth your time to watch.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 5

Day 5 was lower body foam rolling from 645 and Legs in Lift 4.

The Legs workout was a 50/50 half lifting and half HIIT workout. I was definitely getting deeper into the squats and lunges, but not as deep as I would like. The HIIT portion of the workout was still quite hard and the only move I could do all of the way through was the high-knee runs. By the time I got to the core portion of the workout, I could not do much of anything, but I got through it the best I could. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 4

Day 4 was upper-body foam rolling from 645 and shoulders in Lift 4. 

The shoulders workout was an interval workout, doing three rounds of two shoulder exercises followed by a 30-second HIIT exercise. Then, of course, finishing with core. I was surprised at how tired my shoulders got. By round three I had to drop the weight I was using for the y-raises and the shoulder flys. I was able to do unmodified HIIT and core moves for longer than I was in Round 1, even though I was dead tired by the end of the workout. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 3

Day 3 was a recovery day, so it was corrective ankles from 645 and the two recovery routines from Lift 4.

I definitely had some knots in my quads this morning that interestingly did not come back when I did the Lift 4 foam rolling in the evening. And, I did not really have any knots in either of my hamstrings. So, I think when I do the lower body foam rolling routine on Friday, I will try using the rumble roller for most of it.  

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 2

Day 2 of Round 2 was corrective hips from 645 and Back and Biceps in Lift 4.

The back and biceps routine (which was the circuit routine with no HIIT) was very tough. You go from using a heavy weight for the back exercises to lighter weights for the biceps without any rest in between so you get tired quickly. By the time you get through the three sets of the bonus round, it is hard to even lift your arms.  

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 1

Day 1 of Round 2 was corrective shoulders in 645 and Chest and Triceps, 50/50 in Lift 4.

I will not describe the workouts again since I described them all in detail during round 1. It was interesting going back to Day 1 of Lift 4 because, while the workout was easier than the week 8 workouts, it was definitely not easy. That is because if you do a second round of Lift 4 immediately after the first round, you start out using the same weight you ended with, and since you are still not getting much of a break between exercises, it is just as challenging as it was on day 1 of round 1.  

Book Review: Return of the Jedi Novelization

 

This is the novelization of Return of the Jedi, the hardcover version of which was re-released in the mid-1990s when Lucas was working on the prequel trilogy and the special editions of the original movies.  Like the other two re-published novelizations for the original trilogy that were released around the same time as this one, this has a short introduction that was written by George Lucas.

The hardcover version of the book is very short, coming at just under 230 pages, and it reads very quickly. As is the case with the novelizations of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, what is in the book is very close to what ended up in the movie, with mostly just some minor tweaks to scenes or dialogue. It does, however, include what was a deleted scene from the movie in which Luke is finishing his new lightsaber before Artoo and 3P0 go to Jabba's palace. As with the other original trilogy novelizations, I would not say that this is a must-read, but for people who are more than just casual fans, it is worth the time to read.

Book Review: Mentats of Dune (Dune # 5)

 

Mentats of Dune, published in 2014, is the fifth book in the Dune series chronologically, and the second book in the "Schools of Dune" trilogy. It was again written by Brian Herbert, the son of the creator of Dune and author of the original Dune Trilogies, Frank Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson.

This book does have a time jump from the prior novel, but not as large as the time jumps that occurred in the Butlerian trilogy. In this book, the sisterhood is picking up the pieces after the Butlerians and Emporer Salvador Corrino's forces attacked the school. Gilbertus is trying to walk the fine line between keeping his background secret and appeasing the Butlerians so he can continue to operate his school, and Josef Venport is working to try to take down the Butlerians and their leader, Manford Tornodo. Valya Harkonnen and her sister Tula are trying to figure out how to hurt Vorian Atreides, who is trying to finally live a normal life. Anna Corrino is living at the Mentat school with Gilbertus vowing to keep her safe and try to fix her mind from the effects of the poison she consumed at the end of the last book. 

The hardcover version of the book is just under 450 pages. It does take longer (at least for me) to read than other books of a similar length because, as has been the case with the prequel novels, the book jumps from storyline to storyline and has a lot of characters to keep track of. Sometimes storylines intertwine with one another and some of the storylines stay separate. The climax of the book involves a cat and mouse escape within a standoff and is very well done. The book definitely sometimes feels like the middle chapter of a trilogy, but it does advance the storylines very well and continues to set up themes in the original Dune novels. It is absolutely worth the time to read.

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch Nights Seasons 1 and 2 (German Import)

 

Baywatch Nights was the first series to be spun off from the massively popular syndicated series, Baywatch. The series aired for two seasons from 1995 to 1997. The first season was a pretty standard procedural crime drama. The premise was that Elerbee (played by Gregory Alan Williams) got sick of being a beach cop and bought a private detective agency in which Mitch (David Hasselhoff) was going to be an investor. Mitch ends up joining him as a private detective, along with Angie Harmon's character, Ryan McBride. 

In the first season, Lisa Stahl, who had a small recurring role on the main show reprised her character Destiny as a series regular for about half the season, and Lou Rawls played a completely new character named Lou Raymond, the owner of a club above which Mitch, Ryan, and Elerbee had their office. About halfway through the season, Stahl left and Donna D'Errico and Eddie Cribrian joined the cast.

In the second season, the show took a weird, and frankly kind of stupid, turn, basically turning into a paranormal thriller, trying to capture some of the popularity of the X-Files. In season 2, Rawls left the show entirely, Williams left save for a role in the series finale, and D'Errico (who had moved over to the main series) and Cribrian's roles were largely reduced (to the point of being non-existent). Dorian Gregory (who would later go on to be a supporting character in the original Charmed series) joined the cast playing Diamont Teague, a paranormal expert who helped Mitch and Ryan with their cases.

The DVD set is a German Import. They are Region Free discs, however, so you can play them on a US blu-ray or DVD player.  There are 12 discs (6 per season) all in a big keep case. Unfortunately, it is the kind of case in which two discs have to be stacked on top of each other and some discs fall off of the tabs very easily while others are very hard to get off the tabs. The DVD menus are in German and the audio defaults to German, but you can switch to the English audio track. There are no captions, however. On discs 6 and 12 there are bonus features. Most of the bonus material specific to the show, including behind-the-scenes featurettes and trailers for each of the season 1 episodes are on disc 6. On disc 12, there are a couple of trailers for the second season of the show and a photo gallery. Then, on both discs 6 and 12, there are trailers for other movies and TV shows. The bonus features specific to Baywatch Nights are in English and the other trailers are in German. Also of note, the episodes are not remastered, so the A/V quality is pretty low. 

Overall, the show alternates between bad and horrible. The first season shows are kind of cheesy but are pretty similar in quality to what you got in the parent show. The second season is trash. Just awful, garbage, made even worse by Hasselhoff's overacting. Occasionally, characters from the main show (such as Yasmine Bleeth and Michael Newman) did appear on Nights, but for the most part, there was very little crossover (or continuity) between the two shows. This is absolutely not a must-watch, even if you are a fan of the main Baywatch series, but it is interesting in a morbid curiosity kind of way.

Workout Review: Lift 4

 

Lift 4 is one of the newer BODI (formerly Beachbody) workout programs. It was released in the summer of 2018 and now has a follow-up workout called Lift More. It was created by trainer Joel Freeman, who was also one of the trainers on the MMA-inspired workout, Core De Force. As is the case with all of the new programs the company releases, this one is only available on the BODI online platform (either the website or the app) and is not available on DVD like the early programs were. The best way I can describe this program (if you have done some of the other Beachbody programs) is that this is what you would get if you combined BodyBeast with Insanity and made both of them a bit shorter.

The program is 8 weeks long and has you working out 4 days a week. It also includes two optional recovery workouts, a foam rolling routine and a stretching routine that each lasts about 10 minutes that you can do on the off days. Each workout has you lifting and/or doing cardio. During the first six weeks of the program, you work out for two days (doing chest and triceps and then back and biceps), then you get a rest day, then you do shoulders, and finish out the week with legs. The lifting workouts generally fall into one of three categories, a 50/50 workout in which you do half lifting and half cardio, a circuit workout in which you just lift, but do four exercises in each block with no rest in between them, or a circuit workout in which you do two lifting exercies followed by a 30 second HIIT exercise.  Every other week, the leg workout is a leg-focused HIIT workout (so no lifting). Each workout ends with three sets of core in which you alternate between two or three core-focused exercises. 

The final two weeks are "shred weeks" in which you switch up the exercise combinations (Chest and Back, Legs, rest day, Shoulders and Arms, and Full Body HIIT). The Full Body HIIT workouts consist of three rounds, each with two exercises, then a bonus round in which you do all six exercises. In the first round, the duration of the exercise and the breaks are the longest and in the third round, they are the shortest. In the bonus round, you do each exercise for 30 seconds with no breaks in between them.

The idea behind the workouts is that you lift as heavy as you can, mostly doing just 10 reps of each exercise. You get very little rest between the exercises (about 15-20 seconds, max) and a little more rest between sets and blocks (30 seconds between sets and however long it takes Joel to explain what you are doing in the next block). Usually, the circuit workouts will include a burnout round in which you do two exercises back to back for 30 seconds. There are 10 cast members that appear throughout the workouts. Most of them are young (in their 20s or early 30s) and very fit. Some of them clearly have a fitness background. One of the female cast members is probably in her mid to late 30s and there is one older guy who is probably in his 50s who is fit but is the most "regular" looking of all the cast members. In each workout, only 4 cast members appear (until the last workout of the program) and one person is always a modifier for the HIIT and core moves. One plus is that the workouts are fairly short. The longest is 39 minutes and the shortest (not counting the two recovery routines) is about 28 minutes. So, it is an easy program to fit into most people's schedules. Even when you are modifying the workouts are tough. And, as you get in better shape the harder you can go so it is good regardless of your fitness level. You can tell that is the case because all of the cast members end up modifying at some point in the program, regardless of whether they are the designated modifier for that particular workout. 

The one drawback to the program is that you will need dumbbells to do it. There are no band modifications like you get in some programs. And, you need a decent selection of weight as you will use light, medium, and heavy weights, whatever that is for you. The lightest weight I used was 3 pounds (for the shoulder exercise he calls swimmers) and the heaviest was 45 pounds (for the calf raises). This is definitely a workout in which you need to check your ego because, since there is so little rest between exercises and sets, you will very likely end up having to use lighter weights than you would doing the same exercises in a program like P90x where you get a lot of breaks (comparatively). The benefit to the minimal rest, however, is that even on the days when you are not doing any HIIT moves, you are still getting a cardio workout. 

Overall, I would say it is a good program for a beginner who is in decent to good shape, but probably best for someone who is at an intermediate or advanced level. There are a handful of "before Lift 4" workouts that are shorter versions (each about 20 minutes long) of the regular workouts that you can do if you want to try pared-down versions of the workouts and see what it is like before committing to the full program.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 60

Day 60 was lower body foam rolling and the final day of Round 1 of Lift 4. That meant doing full-body HIIT.

The Lift 4 workout had the same format as last week.  You do three rounds, with two exercises (one that is a lower-body-focused exercise and one that is an upper-body-focused exercise). In the first round, the duration of the exercises and the amount of rest between exercises are longer (60 seconds, 45 seconds, and 20 seconds rest between them). By the third round, the duration of the exercises is shorter (30 seconds and 15 seconds) and there is almost no rest (just 10 seconds) between the exercises. Each round has three sets. Once you are done with the three rounds, you do a single burnout round in which you do all of the exercises for 30 seconds with no rest between them, and then you finish out with three sets of core, this time alternating between three exercises.

The Lift 4 workout is tough, but not as bad as last week's version (mainly because there is no triple bear this time). The entire cast (minus Steve, who was on vacation) participates in this workout, as does Joel (for the vast majority of it). The workout goes quickly (it is just 32 minutes long), but you definitely work the entire time.

I have decided that I am going to do another round of Lift 4. My goal is to do as much unmodified as I can, then switch to the modifications once I cannot do the unmodified versions. I have been doing that for some, but not all, of the exercises during the HIIT and core portions, and this time I plan to do that for all of the HIIT and core exercises. For the next couple of days, I will do the recovery workouts and then start up with Day 1 on Monday (as well as continuing to do the Lift 4 corrective workouts.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 59

Day 59 was upper body foam rolling in 645 and Shoulders and Arms in Lift 4.

Today, I actually did the Lift 4 workout first immediately followed by the upper body foam rolling. That actually worked out pretty well and acted as a good cooldown. The Lift 4 workout was another circuit workout, so there are two quad blocks of 4 exercises (two shoulder exercises, a biceps exercise, and a triceps exercise) done for three sets. Then you do three sets of the burnout which includes swimmers, full curls, and triceps push-ups, each done for 30 seconds. And, of course, you finish with three sets of core. That was a tough workout and again, doing four sets of weights with no rest in between the exercises is very hard. I definitely had to use a lot lighter weights for some of the exercises than I would use doing the same exercises in P90X because there you get much more time between the exercises than you do here. 

DVD/Movie Review: Doc Hollywood

 

Doc Hollywood is a 1991 romantic comedy starring Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner, Woody Harrelson, Bridget Fonda, and David Ogden Stiers. The movie is a classic fish-out-of-water story. A doctor named Ben Stone is driving across the country to take a job in Los Angeles and gets stuck working at the hospital in the small fictional town of Grady South Carolina after destroying the town judge's fence. It is completely absurd from a reality concept, but it is one of those stories that if you can suspend your disbelief on that part, you can enjoy the rest of it. 

As far as the DVD itself goes, it is definitely nothing fancy, with no bonus material or extras, and it did not get the best DVD transfer. Hopefully, it will get a better release at some point in the future, maybe for a 35th Anniversary release as a Special Edition Blu-Ray. But, for the moment, it has just had the bare-bones DVD and Blu-Ray release.  

Overall, the movie is great even though the story is predictable, and you can see where it is going from a mile away, Even so, the acting is great, and the story is told in a very entertaining way. Fox and Warner were great as the leads and David Ogden Stiers was awesome as Grady's mayor and stole nearly every scene he was in. But really, the entire cast, supporting actors included, did well and brought something to the story. Personally, I think that this movie, along with Secret of My Success, is Michael J. Fox's best movie outside the Back to the Future series. It is also among the last handful of movies in which Fox had a leading role as it was during the filming of this movie in which he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. It is absolutely worth the time to watch.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 58

Day 58 was the corrective ankles routine in 645 and the two recovery routines in Lift 4.

I absolutely needed the foam rolling today. Even though the corrective ankles routine has you foam rolling your calves and quads, I still had a bunch of knots in my calves in the evening when I did the Lift 4 foam rolling. Thankfully, I got them out so that when I did the stretch routine I was getting deeper into the stretches.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: 2 Days in the Valley (Special Edition)

 

2 Days in the Valley is a 1996 crime drama/dark comedy written and directed by John Herzfeld. The movie stars Danny Aiello, James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Jeff Daniels, Glenne Headly, Teri Hatcher, Paul Mazursky, Greg Crutwell, and Marsha Mason in the larger roles. It also stars a very young Charlize Theron (who was only 19 at the time the movie was filmed) in her first movie role. The movie also includes several recognizable actors in smaller roles including Keith Carradine, Louise Fletcher (the nurse from One Flew Over the Cuko's Nest), Austin Pendleton, and a very young Cress Williams (from Hart of Dixie and Black Lightning).

The special edition blu-ray which was released in 2023, includes a remastered version of the movie, which looks and sounds great. The extras include a commentary track on the film by the director and a conversation between Herzfeld and Sylvester Stallone who were both students in the drama program at the University of Miami and have known each other for years. That conversation lasts about 35 minutes and they talk about their time in school and the movie. The most interesting thing from that conversation is how Herzfeld had to fight to cast and then keep Charlize Theron in the movie. The other extras include a 30-minute Q&A panel that includes Herzfeld, Theron, Headly, and Danny Aiello (by phone), a short (about 7 minutes long) archival making-of featurette made when the movie was filmed, about 7 minutes of B-roll footage which kind of doubles as a gag reel, and about 17 minutes worth of cast interview clips, also made as the movie was being filmed. Then there are several trailers, including the trailer for the movie (which actually gives away a lot), and trailers for movies like Out of Sight and The Usual Suspects. So, you get quite a bit of bonus content which is getting rarer and rarer these days.

Overall, the movie is excellent. It is well-written and very well-acted. Aiello and Spader are great in their roles as hitmen (very different hitmen), and Theron shines in every scene she is in. Teri Hatcher (who was coming off her role as Lois Lane in Lois and Clark) plays a very different kind of character than what people are likely used to seeing her play and Jeff Daniels is great as a vice cop with anger management issues. While it definitely has the feel of a 90s movie, it holds up well almost 30 years later. It is absolutely worth the time to watch.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 57

For Day 57 I did the corrective hips routine from 645 and Week 8 legs in Lift 4.

This week, the Legs workout is another 50/50. During the lifting portion you do the same exercises as last week, but switch up the order. Then, in the HIIT portion, you again do three sets of three exercises (jump sumo squats, triple bear, and catchers with the jump), each for 30 seconds. Then you finish with three sets of core, alternating between flutter kicks and high-plank leg lifts. 

The leg workout was brutal. It was very hard and I could barely do anything with good form by the end of the workout. But, I was able to keep lifting the heavy weights during the lifting, and even increased the amount of weight I was using on the pulse squats.  

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 56

For Day 56 I did the corrective shoulders routine from 645 and week 8's chest and back workout from Lift 4.

The Chest and Back workout was another circuit workout (so no HIIT) with two blocks of four exercises (two chest-focused exercises followed by two back-focused exercises in each block). Then you do a burnout round consisting of three sets of regular push-ups, back extensions, and wide push-ups, and, of course, you finish off with three sets of core. 

The workout was tough and again because you do not rest between exercises (and are lifting mostly heavy weights) you are getting some cardio in even though there is no HIIT. I do not think the circuit workouts are as tiring as the intervals or 50/50 workouts, but they are definitely not easy.

DVD/TV Series Review: Due South: The Ultimate Collection

 

Due South was a buddy-cop series that ran from 1994 to 1999. The first two seasons aired on CBS and the final season(s), which was really one long 26-episode season) aired in syndication from 1997-1999. The show was mostly a case-of-the-week procedural but did have some serial aspects that carried over throughout the series.  The series actually started as a made-for-tv movie that aired on CBS, and when it did better than expected in the ratings it was picked up by CBS. The premise is that a member of the Canadian Mounties (played by Gordon Pinsent)  is shot and killed in the Canadian wilderness. His son, a straight-laced Canadian Mountie named Benton Frasier (played by Paul Gross) investigates his father's death, which leads him to Chicago where he enlists the help of the detective assigned to the case, Ray Vecchio (played by David Marciano). When Frasier helps Ray solve one of his cases, Ray agrees to help Frasier with the investigation. Fraiser ends up staying in Chicago, working at the Canadian Consulate and along with his wolf, Diefenbaker, helping Ray solve cases as a liaison to the Chicago police. During the series, Pinsent would return as a ghost or hallucination of Benton's and "help" and/or irritate his son. The show was a mix of comedy, action, and drama and did very well with the "fish out of water" as Benton was overly helpful and polite in the harshness of Chicago. The show blended elements of comedy, drama, and action perfectly.

The key to the show was that it was always well-acted. Even in the last season after David Marciano left and the story became a little more campy, the acting was always great. One thing I had forgotten was how many guest appearances were made on the show. Leslie Nielsen was the big one, who appeared in a few different episodes. But Ryan Phillipe and Mark Ruffalo also guest starred in very early roles for both of them, as well as Maria Bello, Carrie-Ann Moss, and Malina Kanakaredes. Callum Kieth Renne joined the series in the third (and if you count it, the fourth season) when Marciano could not agree on a new contract.

I originally thought that the show should have gone on longer, but after watching the series again from beginning to end, I think that the show went out at exactly the right time. It told as many stories as possible, without getting extremely repetitive. It was definitely a show that was always being kept alive. It barely got a second season on CBS, then survived a couple more in syndication. A couple of the episodes from the series are on my list of all-time favorite TV episodes. 

In the end, I felt it did a fine job wrapping up everyone's stories and leaving the "continued adventures" to the imagination. It was one of the best series on the air at the time. It did not rely on gratuitous sex and violence to be entertaining. The stories always had a point, and the acting was great. It was a very underrated series, is definitely worth watching, and deserves a spot in any fan's collection.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 55

On Day 55 I did the two recovery routines from Lift 4 again. I returned to using the "regular" foam roller for the foam rolling routine. I will probably go back to using the rumble roller from time to time and I hope to eventually get to the point where I can use the rumble roller for all of the foam rolling. I plan on foam rolling on a daily basis going forward, so hopefully by using the rumble roller once or twice a week to start with, I can eventually use it every day.

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch Nights: Season 2 (German Import)

 

Season 2 of Baywatch Nights, the first spin-off of the wildly popular lifeguard show, Baywatch, aired in syndication during the 1996-1997 TV season. In season 2 the show was taken in a completely different direction from season 1. Unfortunately, that direction was totally off the rails from hot, but somewhat entertaining garbage, to complete garbage. The entire premise of the show was switched from a crime drama to a paranormal thriller. Essentially, the show tried to do something similar to X-Files, but because the writing and acting (mainly due to Hasselhoff's hammy overacting) were so bad, the show never came near the quality of X-Files. It was just cheesy, not thrilling, suspenseful, or scary.

There was quite a bit of cast turnover this season. Both Gregory Alan Williams and Lou Rawls left the show (although Williams did have a guest appearance in the finale), and the roles of Donna D'Errico and Eddie Cribrian were very reduced. In D'Errico's case, she had moved over to the main show as a series regular, but Cribrian was absent from many of the second-season episodes and when he was included, his character had very little to contribute. The big addition to the cast in season 2 was Dorian Gregory (best known for his role in the original Charmed series), who plays Diamont Teague, a paranormal expert, who helps Mitch and Ryan with the cases. The only notable guest stars during season 2 were the very recognizable character actor Erick Avari, and Alexandra Paul, reprising her role as Stephanie Holden. 

There are different DVD sets out there. Mine is a German import that requires either a Region 2 or Region Free DVD or Blu-Ray player to watch it. The DVD menu, titles of the episodes, and end credits are all in German. While the audio does default to playing in German, you can play the English audio track by switching the audio in your player's settings or options. There are a handful of extras included, two of which are specific to the show (two trailers and a photo gallery), and the rest (trailers for other movies and TV series). The trailers for the show itself are in English and the other trailers are all in German (and do include some nudity).

Season 2 is horrible. Unlike the first season, you cannot really say it's so bad it's good. The stories are dumb and there is little to no continuity with the main show. For example, Mitch and Ryan continue their on-again-off-again relationship tease, but on the main show, during season 7 (which aired the same year as season 2 of Nights), Mitch was in a relationship with Nancy Valen's character for a good portion of the season. The only good thing was Angie Harmon being willing to be in skimpy outfits from time to time, but that was not enough to save the show and it was thankfully canceled after this season. It does seem like the show was canceled after the season ended since it did not really wrap up the characters' arcs in any meaningful way. The only reason to get the DVD set is to maintain a collection, and there is really no reason to actually watch the episodes other than morbid curiosity.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 54

For Day 54 I just did the two Lift 4 recovery workouts. But, the twist was, for the foam rolling workout I actually used my rumble roller. For those who do not know, the rumble roller is a hard foam roller that has protrusions on the surface. The idea is that it helps with trigger points and myofascial release.  Because I already had a regular foam roller, when I ordered the P90X2 kit years ago I paid a bit extra to get the rumble roller. But, since I did not foam roll regularly, I could not use it (there is a reason Tony Horton is groaning throughout the X2 mobility workout). This time, I figured since I have been foam rolling every day for 7 weeks straight, I would try it. It was definitely tougher than the regular foam roller, but it was not as bad as I thought it would be. And, since the Lift 4 foam rolling routine is so short, it is the perfect one to try it out on. Once I got through that I did the stretch routine which went pretty much the same as it did on Wednesday.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 53

Day 53 was lower body foam rolling in 645 and Full Body HIIT in Lift 4.

The HIIT workout had a bit of a different format than the prior leg day HIIT workout. There are three blocks and a bonus round, which is the same as the other workouts. However, in this one, each block has two exercises, one focused on the legs and then one that is focused on the upper body (basically the chest and/or triceps doing push-ups). The two "easiest" moves (single-leg plyo jumps and push-ups with a hop or step-up in between that you do for 60 and 45 seconds respectively. The second and third blocks introduce harder moves like triple bear, tricep to wide plyo push-ups, box squats, etc. In each block, the amount of time you do the exercises goes down but the amount of rest between them (which is never long anyway) goes down. Then you do one bonus set in which you do all six moves for 30 seconds each and no rest between the moves, and then finish with three sets of core. 

The Lift 4 workout was tough. Everyone, including Niels, who never modifies, had to modify moves during the last block of HIIT and in the bonus set. It was that hard. The core sets actually felt like rest because the regular part of the workout was so hard. 

DVD/TV Series: Arrested Development: The Complete Series

 

There is a lot of subjectivity in liking any TV show, especially comedies. If you are a fan of irreverent, inappropriate, and at times uncomfortable humor you will love this series. By now most of the people reading this review will have at least some idea of what the show is about. An ultra-dysfunctional family trying to hold on to their riches when the patriarch (played perfectly by Jeffrey Tambor) is thrown in jail for SEC violations. While the only "normal" one in the bunch, Michael, played by Jason Bateman, tries to keep the business going and the family together. The series also starred Jessica Walters, Will Arnet, Portia de Rossi, Jeffrey Cross, Alia Shawkat, and Tony Hale. The guest cast was also great and included Carl Weathers, Liza Minelli, Charlize Theron, Ben Stiller, and a slew of others.

Of course, now, this is not the complete series of the show. This set has the three seasons that aired on FOX from 2003-2006 and were, in my opinion, the best seasons of the show. Of course, the show was revived by Netflix for two final seasons that were not nearly as good as the first three. 

What I loved about the show is that it would make fun of anything and everything. No topic was off limits, and they definitely pushed the boundaries of what could be put on TV. It did not rely on a laugh track to tell people when something was funny. It presumed the audience was smart enough to figure that out on its own. Ron Howard's narration was one of the best parts of the show. His quips were always perfectly timed, and set up and/or punctuated the jokes better than any laugh track ever could.

As I said, the humor is not for everyone. If you like shows like Family Guy, The Office, American Dad, and South Park, chances are you will love this show. Even if you are not a fan of all those shows but are a fan of comedies, then this is definitely one worth giving a try. I think it says a lot about the show that even after being off the air for years the entire cast is coming back to do the 10-episode season and the movie. Hopefully, those will be popular enough to give the show new life and keep it around even longer.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 52

Day 52 was upper body foam rolling from 645 and shoulders and arms from Lift 4.

This is the first workout that combines shoulders and arms. It was a circuit workout, meaning we did two quad sets consisting of a shoulder exercise followed by a biceps exercise, followed by another shoulder exercise, and finishing with a triceps exercise. You do three sets with no rest between the exercises. Then, you have a burnout round that has one shoulder exercise (swimmers), one biceps exercise (full curls), and one triceps exercise (triceps push-ups). You do each exercise for 30 seconds, and again have no rest between the exercises, and again do three sets. Then, as usual, you finish with three sets of core, this time alternating between dumbell drivers and weighted flutter kicks, doing each exercise for 30 seconds. 

This workout was kind of another shock to the body. I would say it was a bit easier than chest and back was earlier in the week, but not much. I absolutely had to reduce the amount of weight I was using by the third set for some of the exercises and the lack of rest between sets made it very hard to keep going.

DVD/TV Series Review: ER Season 8

 

This is, in my opinion, the best season of ER. That is due in large part to the storyline that leads to Anthony Edwards' departure from the show. From its inaugural season in 1994, ER was the show everyone had to watch and talk about. It was a ratings heavyweight for years. It was the show that helped turn George Clooney into a superstar and went on to become one of the longest-running medical dramas (and shows) on TV, with 15 seasons in total. By the 8th season, many of the original main cast members had left. This season would see the departures of Dr. Greene and Dr. Benton, but the return of Dr. Lewis. After this season the only two characters from the original (main) cast would be Dr Carter (played by Noah Wyle) and Dr. Lewis (played by Sherry Stringfield).

The DVD set includes the 22 season 8 episodes spread across 6 discs. The extras/bonus features are spread across all of the discs. Mostly, they include deleted scenes/outtakes and there is a gag reel on disc 2. There are not a ton of extras, and what is included is fine, it would be nice if there was some behind-the-scenes material and a feature focused on Edwards and his character. 

Personally, I think this season would have been the best spot to end the show. To me, the show just did not have the same feel after this season. That is not to say that there were not good characters, storylines, or episodes in the remaining 7 seasons, but I think the perfect ending would have been for Dr. Green to pass the torch to Dr. Carter and the series would have gone out on a high (albeit sad) note. The episodes "The Letter" and "On The Beach" were two of the best episodes in the entire series and would have been a perfect two-part series finale. And, the show never could have been accused of staying on the air too long had it ended at that point. I look at ER as two different series. The one that lasted up to this season, and the one that remained on the air from seasons 9-15. If you were a fan of the show at any point in its run, but especially a fan of the early years of the show, you will love this season.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 51

For Day 51 I did the corrective ankles routine from 645 and the two recovery routines from Lift 4.

I was surprised that I did not have as many knots in my legs today as I thought I would after leg day. I would not, however, say that my mobility or flexibility was any better today than it has been. I definitely have less pain in my IT band when I do the foam rolling than I did when I started Lift 4.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 50

Day 50 included doing corrective hips in 645 and Legs in Lift 4. 

This was another switch up, doing legs on Day 2 instead of Day 4. This was a 50/50 workout with a couple of twists. First, you do three exercises in each block (three blocks in all). All, back to back without any rest. Then, instead of the 60,45, 30, 15-second format for the HIIT, you just do three sets of three HIIT exercises (twisted mountain climbers, soccer sprints, and squat jumps) each for 30 seconds. Then, of course, you finish the workout off with three sets of core, alternating between prayer squats and bicycle twists.

This was another hard workout. You are still lifting pretty heavy (although I had to go lighter on a couple of the exercises since there was even less time between the exercises) and doing more reps in each block. Needless to say, my legs were toast by the end of the workout.

Book Review: On Top of the World: Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick, & 9/11: A Story of Loss & Renewal

 

On Top of the World, published in 2003, is the story about Cantor Fitzgerald, the bond trading company that occupied floors 101-105 in the North Tower of the World Trade Center and lost nearly all of its New York-based workforce in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

The book is partly a biography of Cantor CEO Howard Litnick, who was much reviled after 9/11 as he tried to balance holding the company together with trying to help the families of the people who died. Interwoven, are harrowing accounts (as much as can be put together) of the people who were trapped in the building after Flight 11 hit as they discovered they were stuck with nowhere to go. A handful of Cantor employees were in or around the building but not yet up to the Cantor floors when the plane hit and were able to get out. All of the employees who actually made it all the way up to the Cantor floors, however, were stuck with nowhere to go. Lutnick was on his way to the Trade Center when the plane hit (saved only because he took his son to his first day of kindergarten) and managed to get to the base of the towers. He recounted to the author his horror when he realized that the plane hit near the floors Cantor occupied (where all of his employees, including his brother were) and that it was people who worked at Cantor who were some of those that were jumping. 

What may be the most harrowing account in the book of the actual day is when the author gives vague details about how the people who worked in Cantor's Los Angeles and London officers could hear what was happening on the trading floor of the New York office through an in-house communication system. The employees listening on the conference system were imploring their colleagues to get out of the building and essentially listening to them die. The author does discuss some of the communications that the trapped employees were able to make to people on the outside, but he is very respectful and does not go into any gruesome detail. The author also discusses how the lives of the surviving loved ones of the employees who died changed after the attacks.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 300 pages. Most of the book is focused on the people who worked at Cantor and the effort to rebuild the company after 9/11. The book does go into the backlash against Lutnick and the attacks against him in the media. As I mentioned above, Barbash does discuss some of what happened on 9/11 itself, but the focus of the book was on the people who were lost and the people who helped keep the company going. The book is tough to read but is absolutely worth reading.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 49

Day 49 was corrective shoulders in 645 and the first Shred Week in Lift 4.

This week, the Lift 4 workout is Chest and Back. Until this point in the program, Chest has been paired with Triceps and Back has been paired with Biceps. This workout is a circuit workout, so we do 2 quad blocks. In the first block, you alternate chest, back, chest, and back. In the second block, you do two chest exercises followed by two back exercises.  Once you are done with the two quad blocks, you do a burnout round. In the burnout round you do three exercises, regular push-ups, back extensions, and wide push-ups. As has been the case in all the workouts, you get little to no rest between exercises and 30 seconds between sets. So, even though you are not doing any cardio during this workout, your heart rate will still get up there. Then, the workout finishes with the three sets of core. This time, you do weighted crunches followed by windshield wipers.

The Lift 4 workout was challenging. Even though you are doing the same moves, pairing chest exercises with back exercises is a shock to the system. I found that I could not lift as heavy as I could during the first 5 weeks when the larger muscles were paired with smaller muscles. Overall, however, it was a good workout.

Book Review: Star Wars: Tales from the Death Star

 

Tales from the Death Star is a collection of short stories in comic/graphic novel form. The main premise is that one of the kids living on the ocean moon Kef Bir in the Endor system where the remains of the second Death Star crashed is attempting to go out to the crash site to prove his bravery. A mysterious figure warns him against going by telling him stories of strange things that happened on the first and second Death Stars.

The hardcover version is short, coming in at just 96 pages, so it can easily be read in an hour or two, give or take. I will be the first to admit that graphic novels and comics (with a few exceptions) are not really my thing. I pre-ordered this before the cover art was available and from the initial description, I thought it would be a collection of short stories like what was released in the "From a Certain Point of View" novels. While the illustrations were great and I do like the fact that tales from both Death Stars were included, I do not think that the stories really added anything significant to what has already been put out there in the movies and books that have come before this one (unlike the Darth Vader comics, for example). So, unless you are really into collecting the comics, this is easily one you can skip and you will not miss anything.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 48

For Day 48 I did the two recovery routines from Lift 45.

Thankfully, there were fewer knots in my leg muscles today so the Roll and Recover routine was not as uncomfortable. And, I felt like I had a little more flexibility in the stretching routine. So, all in all, it went well. 

Book Review: State of the Union (Scot Harvath Series #3)

 

State of the Union, published in 2004, is the third in the long-running series of thriller novels by author Brad Thor set around the character of Scot Harvath. The plot of the book involves a threat from Russia, specifically, to detonate a series of suitcase nukes hidden in the United States unless President Rutledge announces a series of concessions during the State of the Union address. The events of the book are set in Germany, Russia, and the United States. Some of the characters from the two previous novels appear in this book, and a couple of new characters are introduced. We also get more character development and backstory for both Harvath and Gary Lawlor.

The hardcover version of the book is a moderate length, coming in at just over 330 pages. This book has a very similar tone and style to (and is a similar length as) the first two books, and has a good blend of action and drama with some humor mixed in. Thor balances the action with plot development well and as a result the book has a good pace. The chapters are kept relatively short so there are a lot of natural stopping points for those who take more time to read. If you are a fan of the first two books, or generally a fan of the genre, this is absolutely worth the time to read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 47

For Day 47 I foam rolled in the morning, doing the lower body foam rolling routine from 645, and in the evening, doing the foam rolling routine from Lift 4. 

Each of the routines helped as I had a lot of knots in my various leg muscles. During the Lift  4 routine, my internet kept dropping so the stream would buffer. So, I just used that opportunity to foam roll longer, and really work out the remaining knots in my hamstrings and calves.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 46

For day 46, I just did Lift 4 Legs, which was the HIIT workout. I did not have enough time in the morning to do the foam rolling from 645 and by the time I had time to work out in the evening, I was not up for doing two. So, I will do the lower body foam rolling in the morning. 

The HIIT workout was tough (as usual). The "main" part of the workout was three sets of four exercises that you do for 60 seconds (single leg lunge jumps), 45 seconds (triple bear), 30 seconds (soccer runs), and 15 seconds (jump squats). After the third set, you do two burnout sets in which you do all four exercises for 30 seconds. Again, during the main three sets there is very little rest between exercises, and in the burnout sets there is no rest. Then, you finish with three sets of core which were side planks, 30 seconds on each side. I again was modifying during the workout left and right. Instead of doing triple bear, I was trying to hold the beast position (with my knees 2 inches off the floor) for as long as I could, dropping to my knees for a couple of seconds and holding again. The idea is that the next time I do the workout I will actually be able to do at least the actual modification of triple bear the entire time, if not the unmodified version.