4k-UHD/Movie Review: American Assassin

 

This is a 2017 film based (very loosely) on the series of spy novels written by the late author, Vince Flynn, centered on the character of Mitch Rapp (played in the movie by Dylan O'Brien). The book series started out with the novel Transfer of Power, which was actually Flynn's second novel, but the first to feature the character of Rapp. In that book, Rapp was a 31-year-old off-the-books CIA agent who hunted down terrorists in the prime of his career as a spy/assassin (think Jack Bauer in the series 24). After writing about 11 novels set around the older Rapp, Flynn wrote two prequel novels, "American Assassin" and "Kill Shot", which basically filled in Rapp's origin story. 

This movie is loosely based on the novel American Assassin (and to some extent Kill Shot) but changes elements of the story significantly (such as how Rapp's college girlfriend is killed which set him on his path to the CIA). Some elements from the book do make it into the movie, but it basically tells its own story (largely involving a rouge agent). While the movie does include character traits and heavily adapted plot elements from the books, it does not use the actual storylines from either of the books as Vince Flynn wrote them. 

For those who get the 4k disc, the A/V quality of the UHD disc is very good, and all of the extras are included on the UHD disc, although you do get a regular blu-ray disc as well. The extras include a making-of featurette that runs about 10 minutes, a featurette on casting O'Brien as Rapp, a featurette on the character of Stan Hurley (played by Michael Keaton), and a featurette on the main antagonist. Then there is a featurette on the stunts from the film, and one on the locations in which the movie was shot. Finally, there is a Q&A session with O'Brien and Taylor Kitsch, that runs almost a half an hour (and is the longest of the extras). All totaled, you get about just under 90 minutes of bonus material.

This is a good action movie, but it is definitely better if you have not read the books and are not already invested in the characters. I had not yet read the books when I saw the movie, but now that I have started reading them, I can definitely tell why some fans really felt that the movie did not do enough to hold true to the books. I remember Flynn being interviewed when he was negotiating the movie rights before he passed away and basically admitting that he would have to give up control of the story and that if the characters made it to the big screen, the stories would be a lot different than what he wrote. That is absolutely what happened and I think if the movie would have been more faithful to the book, and been set in the late 1980s, it would have been better received by the fans. That said, I think O'Brien did a very good job as a young Mitch Rapp, and Michael Keaton was great as Stan Hurley. Since the movie pretty much bombed in its theatrical release, the chances of there being a follow-up movie or a franchise of movies are pretty slim, but as a stand-alone action movie, it is definitely worth watching if you can accept that you are not going to get the story from the book.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Flash: Season 4

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major spoilers from season 4+++

Season four of The Flash aired during the 2017-218 TV season. The show picks up six months down the line from the end of season three in which Barry exiled himself in the speed force to maintain balance after his defeat of Savatar. Iris is leading team Flash from Star Labs, with mixed results, and Cisco eventually finds a way to get Barry out of the Speed Force without destabilizing it. Of course, once Barry is back, not all is right with the world. This season finally moves away from the speedster "big bad" instead bringing in the character Devoe, who was mentioned by Savatar during season three. The show does still have a bit of the case/villain of the week procedural aspect to it, but it has become, like the other Arrowverse shows, a show with a serial story arc that spans throughout the course of the season. The big Arrowverse crossover, Crisis on Earth-X, occurs eight episodes into the season and includes episodes from Supergirl, Flash, Arrow, and Legends. The season ends on a huge cliffhanger reveal that will have a big impact on season 5.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the A/V quality is the same as it has been for the prior season releases and for the other WB/DC shows. The 23 episodes (plus the three other crossover episodes from the other shows) are spread across four discs, and there is no "play all" feature, so you cannot pick back up from where you stop. For extras, you get the episodes of Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of the crossover so you can watch it all at one time. Then there is a featurette on the crossover and the 2017 best of DC TV at Comic-Con that are common to all of the Arrowverse DVD and Blu-Ray releases from that season, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and a handful of other featurettes specific to the show.

Overall, the season is strong. There are a lot of recognizable guest and recurring actors this season including Katee Sackhoff (from Battlestar), Jessica Parker Kennedy, Jessica Camacho, Kim Engelbrecht, Neil Sandilands, Bill Goldberg, and Danny Trejo. And, of course, actors from the other Arrowverse shows make appearances throughout the season. I do think it was nice to mix the main bad guy up a bit this year and not do another evil speedster storyline while still giving the team a challenge. So, if you have liked the show up to this point, it is definitely still worth watching.

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 36

For Day 36 I switched to the flow workout week in Pilates, which will alternate Flow 1 and Flow 2 M-Th, and then do hips, buns, and thighs on Friday and Abs + Core on Saturday. Then, this was another Chest and Triceps workout in Lift-4.

The flow workout went very well. I was actually able to get deeper into the stretches and get both of my legs farther off the ground for the side leg lifts. The Lift-4 workout was another circuit workout, doing two quad sets for three rounds, then a burnout set with wide push-ups and triceps push-ups back-to-back for three rounds, and then finishing with three rounds of alternating core/ab exercises. My arms and chest were definitely toast by the end of the workout and I felt like I was doing a HIIT workout by the end of the quad sets. So, both workouts today went very well.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Supergirl: Season 3

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the second season, but no major spoilers from season three.+++

The third season of Supergirl aired during the 2017-2018 TV season. This season mostly does away with the villain of the week (as have the other Arrowverse shows) and basically has interweaving serial arcs. The season starts out with Kara still reeling from the loss of Mon-EL after the defeat of the Daxamites at the end of season two.  Kara has to deal with a new threat in the form of an industrialist named Morgan Edge (played by Heroes Adrian Padsar) who wants to take out Supergirl and buy Catco, which is being run by Jimmy since Cat is now the White House Press Secretary. Then, the series shifts to a threat from a rouge Kryptonian named Reign, who wants to take over Earth and form a new Krypton, and Kara learns a surprising truth about her mother Alura, now played by Erica Durance, who of course played Lois Lane in the series Smallville. Eight episodes into the season, the big Arrowverse crossover happens with episodes of Supergirl, Flash, Arrow, and Legends each devoted to the crossover. Supergirl's episode is the first episode of the crossover (Crisis on Earth-X), and more characters from Supergirl are included in the event this year than were included in the prior season's crossover. The season ends on a big reveal that sets up the storyline for the next season.

For those who get the blu ray set, the 23 episodes (plus the three other episodes from the other shows of the crossover event) are spread across four discs. The A/V quality is on par with the prior season releases, and the releases of the other Arrowverse shows. The extras include a featurette on the character Reign, a gag reel, and deleted scenes. Then, there is a featurette on the crossover event (which is the same one that was included in the release of the other Arrowverse shows from that season) and a best of DC TV at Comic-Con, which was included on all of the season releases for the DC TV shows. 

Overall, this is another strong season. There are more changes to the cast, some of which would be permanent and others that are not. This season's additions to the cast include Odette Annable, Andrea Brooks, Carl Lumby (from Alias), and Jessee Rath. This would be the last season with Jeremy Jordan as a series regular, and Floriana Lima had a reduced role this season. Helen Slater makes another appearance as Eliza Danvers, and Katie McGrath is upgraded to a series regular as Lena Luthor. Ultimately, if you liked the second season of the show (which is much different from season 1) then you will probably like this season. If you preferred season 1 of the show over season two, then you may not like this as much, but it is still good and fits better into the Arrowverse.  

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 35

For the day 35 workout, I went back to doing the regularly scheduled (although a day later) abs and core Pilates workout. Again, I feel like the workouts are getting a bit easier over time, and my flexibility is very slowly getting better. So, I definitely plan on sticking with it. I did not do the Lift-4 recovery workouts today since I think they are a bit redundant when also doing Pilates. Plus, I did the workout later in the evening than I intended to, so I just wanted to do the 23 minutes of Pilates and not bump it up to 40 minutes by adding the two recovery workouts from Lift-4. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 34

For Day 34 I just did the two recovery workouts from Lift-4, which went well. During the foam roller workout, I felt like I had fewer "knots" in my calves and hamstrings and it does not hurt as bad to roll my IT band (on either side).  I'm still not to the point where I would dare try it with the rumble roller, but it is getting better.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Gotham: Season 4

 

The fourth season of Gotham is the second to last season of the show and aired during the 2017-2018 season. It starts out some time down the line from the events that ended the last season, with the effects of the Tetch virus still affecting the city. This season has several different serial arcs going on as the show has pretty much done away with the bad-guy-of-the-week format combined with the serial arcs that the first couple of seasons had. This season really jumps between the different arcs, the plot lines of which overlap at certain points, and then come together at the end of the season. This season is really focused on who with get control of the criminal underworld with Oswald/Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) Lee (Morena Baccarin), who has taken over The Narrows with the help of Nygma/Riddler (Cory Michael Smith), and Barbara (Erin Richards) all battling for control, while Gordon (Ben Mackenzie) tries to keep the city together. In the middle of the season, there is a multi-episode arc involving the serial killer Professor Pyg, and toward the end of the season, Jerome (Cameron Monaghan; who the show is still teasing as maybe he is or maybe he is not The Joker) returns to cause even more mayhem. Bruce (David Mazouz) continues to have to deal with Ra's al Guhl (played by Alexander Siddig) while getting closer to taking up the mantle as the protector of Gotham.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the 22 episodes are spread across 4 discs. The A/V quality is the same as it has been for the prior season releases, and the other DC shows such as Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, etc. The extras are definitely scaled back from prior releases, but there are a few featurettes specific to the show, including a "new" villain who appears this season, a featurette on The Sirens (basically all of the female villains on the show), deleted scenes, and The Best of DC TV's 2017 at Comic-Con, which the same featurette that was included on the other DC show season releases that year. 

The season continues to be good, and at times very good. The show is definitely trying to pack all the bad guys it can into the show and give as many as possible origin stories. It is still hard to buy that David Mazouz will eventually turn into Batman, because, while he has gotten taller over the course of the four seasons of the show, he is still not to the point where he has grown into his body and started putting on muscle, so he just looks like a taller, skinny kid. This is fine when they have him honing his detective skills, but not all that believable when he is fighting off a bunch of bad guys. The season ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger that will definitely set up the storyline for the final season. Ultimately, if you liked the first three seasons then you will probably like this one. If not, then this is probably not going to change your mind about the show.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Arrow Season 6

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season 5, but no major season 6 spoilers+++

Season six of Arrow aired during the 2017-2018 TV season. The season begins five months after the events ended season 5 with Adrian Chase detonating the bombs on Liyan Yu. Of course, we get a flashback to see who made it out and who did not. From there, the season involves Oliver struggling to keep his vigilante identity a secret, and then the team has to deal with a couple of different "big bads" throughout the season. The season ends on a quasi-cliffhanger and is resolved very differently than the prior seasons have been. Eight episodes into the season, the big Arrowverse Crossover event happens, with a big storyline that crosses between Supergirl, Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. This one involves a version of Earth, called Earth-X in which the Nazis won World War II and the heroes have to face evil doppelganger versions of themselves. 

For those who get the blu-ray set, the 23 episodes are spread over four discs. The A/V quality is on par with the prior season releases and the releases of all of the Arrowverse shows. The extras include each episode of the crossover from the other shows, so you can watch the crossover straight through without having to get discs from the sets of the other shows, then there are featurettes on Slade Wilson, whose arc was basically wrapped up this season, a featurette on one of the big bads, and then two featurettes that are the same as on the releases for the other Arroverse series from that year. One is a featurette on the crossover event, and the other is a Best of DC at Comic-Con.

Overall, the season is very good and takes the show in a new direction, which I think was necessary. The cast pretty much remains the same, really the only big change is that some cast members are upgraded to series regulars, including Katie Cassidy, who was a recurring character in season 5 after Earth 1's Laurel died and she started playing Earth 2's Black Siren. She has a very good arc with Paul Blackthorne this season and does a good job playing an evil character that is starting to show hints of good. The series also brings back characters from previous seasons, including a pretty nice surprise return. Some of the recurring and guest cast members include Kirk Acevedo (from the series Fringe), Michael Emmerson (from the series Lost), Manu Bennett (reprising Slade Wilson), and Katrina Law (reprising Nyssa). The acting and writing both continue to be very good, and the writers do a good job of keeping the show relatively fresh, even after 138 episodes. This season also sees the end of the flashbacks from the island which were getting harder and harder to make realistic as Stephen Amell got older. So, if you have been a fan of the prior seasons of the show, this is definitely worth watching.

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 33

For Day 33 I switched up the Pilates workout. Instead of doing the hips, buns, and thighs workout, I tried the 20-minute express workout. That one is much tougher as there are no modified moves, and it has a much quicker pace, going from move to move without much setup. Then, in Lift-4 it was leg day, and this time it was a 50/50 workout, which meant three rounds of two different exercises, back-to-back, lifting heavy for most of the exercises. Then, three rounds of HIIT cardio doing three different moves, one for a minute, one for 45 seconds, and one for 30 seconds. Then, finishing it off, as always, with three rounds of alternating between two core exercises. The entire workout was very tough because the entire thing, even the core-focused moves, uses your legs. In the resistance portion you are lifting as heavy as possible so by the time you get to the cardio, you are pretty much gassed. Again, the people in the video were having a hard time, so you know it is a good workout.  

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 32

Day 32 was Fundamentals 2 in Pilates and Shoulders in Lift-4. This time the shoulders workout was an interval workout doing three rounds of three exercises back-to-back, without any rest between the exercises and minimal rest between the sets, then finishing with three rounds of two core exercises. So, even without any cardio, it was very tough.  

Product Review: OZERO Winter Thermal Gloves Men Women Touch Screen Water Resistant Windproof Anti Slip Gloves

 

I live in Minnesota which can get some very cold winters. I was looking for a pair of winter gloves that I could wear when I knew I would be in a situation in which I would need the use of my hands, such as getting mail out of my locked mailbox, without having to take the gloves off. To that end, these definitely work. That is not to say that your hands can never get cold while wearing them, but if you are going to be outside for a short period of time in very cold weather, or want a good pair of winter driving gloves, these are definitely a good option. You can use the touchscreen of a smartphone or tablet with the index finger of the glove, but it does not work as well as using your bare hand. The sizing chart is fairly accurate, but if your hands are kind of between sizes, the size that the chart tells you to get may be a little bit big. Overall, however, I do like these and would recommend them.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Legends of Tomorrow: Season 3

 

+++Warning, this contains very minor season two spoilers, but no major spoilers from season three+++

Season three of Legends aired in the 2017-2018 TV season and is again a mix of a monster/demon/"weird thing"-of-the-week procedural and a serial with a Big Bad that the group has to deal with by the end of the season. This season, the big bad is a demon named Mallus (voiced by John Noble) who was released when the Legends tried to travel through time with two versions of themselves at the end of season two. This also created anomalies called anachronisms, which are basically people or objects displaced in history. Rip (Arthur Darvill) has created a Time Bureau to replace the time masters to hunt down the anachronisms and try to restore the timeline, forcing the Legends to retire. Of course, they do not stay retired, and the usual shenanigans of the show ensue. Eight episodes into the season we get the big crossover event, Crisis on Earth-X (which includes episodes of Supergirl, Flash, and Arrow), of which the Legends installment is the final one. The crossover has major implications for all of the shows, including Legends.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the release is pretty much on par with the prior season releases, both in terms of A/V quality and bonus features. The extras include all of the episodes of the crossovers from the other shows, so you can watch in total without having to get the discs from the other shows, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. Then there is a featurette specifically on the crossover event and a best of DC TV at Comic-Con, both of which were released on all of the DC show's DVD and Blu-Ray releases that year. 

Overall, the season is good, both in still developing the existing cast members and introducing new cast members, some of whom would eventually become series regulars. Those include Jess Macallan, who plays Ava Sharp, a member of the Time Bureau, who can't stand the Legends, Adam Tsekman, who plays Gary Green, a member of the Time Bureau who loves the Legends, Courtney Ford (Brandon Routh's wife), who plays Nora Dhark, the daughter of Damien Dhark, and Matt Ryan, who reprises his role as John Constantine, who was brought into the Arroverse during one of the flashback sequences on Arrow. The show continues to be the more offbeat of the Arrowverse shows and can get downright silly (especially in the season finale, when the silliest thing the show has ever done is pulled off). That said, it works for the show, and the actors seem to have a lot of fun with the material, and with each other. So, if you have liked the more offbeat nature of the show in the first couple of seasons (especially in season 2), this is definitely worth watching. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 31

Day 31 was Fundamentals 1 in Pilates and a recovery day in Lift 4. I ended up doing the foam roller workout and then the pilates workout back-to-back in the evening. I skipped the stretching workout in Lift-4 since the Pilates workout does most of the same types of moves that the stretch workout has. I was pretty busy in the morning so I could not do the usual Pilates in the morning and  Lift-4 in the evening, but I got it done. 

Product Review: Hoover SmartWash Pet Automatic Carpet Cleaner with Paws & Claws Carpet Cleaning Solution

 

This is one of Hoover's newer carpet cleaners, which operates like a vacuum cleaner. It has a tank that you fill with warm water (that snaps onto the front of the unit) and a reservoir to put the cleaning solution. There is also a reservoir on the handle into which you can put the spot cleaner solution, which is basically a pre-treater that you can spray on the pet mess that will help get it out when you run the main unit over it. You have to make sure that the two water tanks are seated correctly, otherwise, water will go into the carpet but will not get sucked back up into the waste water tank. Basically, you push it forward to clean and then pull it back toward you to have it suck the water up, and "dry" the carpet. It does not really end up drying the carpet as it will still be damp when you are done, but it will get the waste water out of the carpet so it goes from wet to damp. 

The unit is easy to put together and works well. I had to use it on a pet mess very quickly after purchasing it, and it was able to clean up both urine and poop stains, both of which came out easily so you could not even tell there was ever a mess. It does come with a small bottle of the cleaning solution and the spot chaser solution. They are enough to get a couple of uses out of the machine, but if you plan to clean your carpets on a regular basis, you will definitely need a larger bottle. So, if you are looking for a reasonably priced carpet cleaner, I definitely recommend this one, especially for pet owners. 

Book Review: Flight 93: The Story, the Aftermath, and the Legacy of American Courage on 9/11

 

This is a book that was written around the ten-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that is almost exclusively devoted to what happened on Flight 93 (which was the plane that crashed in rural Pennsylvania after the passengers and crew fought back), and the aftermath for the families and the nation as a whole. The author does detail some of the other events of the day, mostly the likely sequence of events that resulted in the other planes being hijacked and what targets they hit, but the focus of this book is mostly on Flight 93. 

The author interviewed many of the family members of the people on board the flight as well as the people who saw, heard, and/or felt the plane crash, and the responders (mostly the local coroner who became a rock for the families as he was trying to find and then identify remains) in his research. Even if you have watched many of the 9/11 documentaries and/or read the other books (even those devoted to Flight 93, specifically) there is probably material in this book that you have not heard. Both about the people on the plane (why they were traveling, etc.) and about the hijacker's movements before 9/11. There is also a lot of detail on the family member's fight to hear the cockpit voice recorder tape, and all the back-and-forth that they had to do with the FBI in order to be able to listen to it. The book is fairly short, just under 300 pages, and provides a lot of information, including endnotes that mostly cite to sources of information, but also occasionally provide additional detail. There are most definitely very sad parts, especially when he quotes family members, and especially those who got to talk to their loved ones before the fight for control of the plane began. It is definitely worth reading.

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 30

Day 30 was Fundamentals 2 in pilates and back and biceps in Lift-4. The back and biceps workout was a circuit workout, doing two blocks of four exercises, back-to-back, with just a few seconds of rest between them for three rounds. Then you do a burnout round of two exercises for three rounds (back extensions and full curls), and then finish with three rounds of cardio.  I am not sure if I like the circuit days better than the 50/50 days. They both have their plusses and minuses (at least when it comes to getting through them), which is probably why the program is set up the way it is. I do like that the workouts do not repeat over and over, even though the exercises that you are doing in the workouts do. That is one thing about the earlier programs from when everything was on DVD, they could get boring after a while, if for no other reason that you watched the same thing over and over and in P90X heard Tony Horton's same corny jokes over and over. Plus, I think the "real-time" workouts keep your body from adjusting as much since each workout is at least slightly different.

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 29

Day 29 was Fundamentals 1 in Pilates, and the Chest and Triceps workout in Lift-4, which was a 50/50 workout. Since we are now in week 5 of Lift-4, I did try to bump up the amount of weight I was using for the resistance exercises a bit, but since there is so little time between the exercises, for the second and third sets of a couple of them I had to back off on the amount of weight that I used. The HIIT portion of the workout was tough but not as bad as some other weeks, so I do think my stamina is getting better (slowly). Maybe a little faster than my flexibility is. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Blade Runner 2049

 

This is the 2017 long-awaited sequel to the (now) iconic 1984 film Blade Runner, which starred Harrison Ford a Deckard, a Blade Runner who hunted down and retried Artificially Intelligent Androids called Replicants. Of course, that movie ended with Deckard falling in love with, and escaping with the replicant Rachael (played by Sean Young). This movie is set 30 years after the original movie. We find out that the Tyrell Corporation has been taken over and is now the Wallace Corporation, run by Niander Wallace (played by Jared Leto). The corporation still makes replicants and has basically turned them into slaves, and the Earth has become a dystopian nightmare, in large part due to an electromagnetic pulse that wiped everything out in 2022. Most humans now live on the colonies that were promoted in the original movie. Ryan Gossling plays K, the most advanced replicant (a Nexus-9 Replicant) who is a Blade Runner that hunts down and retires rogue replicants. In the process of retiring a replicant at the beginning of the movie, he discovers evidence that replicants can reproduce biologically, and this leads him, through a series of events, to finding Deckard (again played by Ford). I will not spoil the movie for those who have not seen it, but if you have seen the original movies, similar themes play out in this movie that did in the first one.

For those who get the 4-k blu-ray, it is a two-disc set with a UHD disc just containing the movie and a regular blu-ray with the movie and the extras. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is top-notch, pretty much what I would call reference quality. There are, of course, a lot of CGI effects in the movie, and everything looks seamless so, if not for flying cars and the like, it would be hard to tell what is real and what is not. The extras include two longer featurettes, one 17 minutes and one about 22 minutes, that focus on casting and the look of the new movie. Then there are a series of prologues which are prequel shorts to the movie that provides some backstory. The longest is just over 15 minutes and the other two are around 6 minutes. Then there are a series of short featurettes that total 11 minutes and can be played all at once, which cover different aspects of the Blade Runner world. Then there is a trailer for the game that was released around the same time as the movie. All in all, the extras total about an hour and twenty minutes, give or take. 

Overall, the movie is very good. The original movie, which was directed by Ridley Scott is widely considered one of the best Sci-Fi movies of all time, if not the best, so this had large shoes to fill. The writers did a good job incorporating parts of the story from the original film into a new, updated movie, and made it work. The cast is very strong and includes Robin Wright,  (in her first major role in the US), and Dave Bautista. The movie even finds a way to incorporate Sean Young's character (using a similar kind of CGI and real actor blend that was used in Rouge One) from the first movie without her appearing in person (although she is still credited as appearing as Rachael). Like the first movie, it is hard to classify what genre this is. It is a movie that has a lot of action, but it is not really an action movie per-se. It is a mix of action, drama, philosophy, and thought experiment all rolled into one. The acting is top-notch with Gossling doing a great job taking over the leading role, and Ford steps back into the role of Deckard well. It is a worthy follow-up to the first movie and is definitely worth watching. 

CD/Music Review: Gwen Stefani: You Make it Feel Like Christmas

 

This is the original version of Gwen Stefani's Christmas album, released in 2017. It is a good "popified" Christmas album, with a mix of more traditional songs (e.g., Jingle Bells, Let it Snow, and Silent Night) and newer, non-traditional songs, such as the title track (which she sings with her husband, Blake Shelton). The songs definitely sound like pop songs, so if you are one who prefers more traditional arrangements for Christmas songs (like those that the crooners like Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, and Nat King Cole, or even Amy Grant used on their albums), then you may not like this one. If you do not mind versions of the songs that use a non-traditional, more modern arrangement (like Christina Aguilera used on her album), then you will probably like this. Personally, I probably would not listen to the album front-to-back all that often but would have no problem including any of the songs in a playlist of Christmas songs being played on shuffle. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: It - Chapter 1

 

This is the updated 2017 live-action adaptation of Stephen King's novel, It, directed by Andy Muschietti. The movie is subtitled Chapter 1, as it is the first of two movies one which will focus on the members of the "Loser's Club" as kids, and the second one which focuses on them as adults (much like what was done in the 1990s miniseries. This, as you would expect, is the movie that tells the story of the heroes as kids. 

The movie stars Jaeden Lieberher as the main protagonist Bill Denbrough, whose brother Georgie is killed by a monster at the beginning of the movie, setting Bill on a quest for revenge, and Bill Skarsgard as It/Pennywise, the ancient evil that terrorizes the town of Derry Maine every 27 years. The rest of the main cast includes Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Nicholas Hamilton. 

There are several differences between the movie and the book, one of the main differences being that the Children's part of the story is set in the late 1980s as opposed to the 1950s. Also, the book jumps back and forth between the story with the group as kids and as adults, which makes it very hard to follow, so the movie is much more streamlined in the storytelling. And, even by splitting the story into two movies, they could not include every element that was included in the book, so there are parts of the story that the movie takes out. The book has a lot of exposition and backstory that is honestly not needed in the movie, so I do not think anything that is left out of the movie is really missed. And, the movie does change the most controversial part of the book from something that could never be filmed to something that could.

For those who get the 4K set, there are two discs, the UHD disc with just the movie itself, and the regular blu-ray which has the movie and the extra. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is fine, but not great. The movie was shot in 2k, so it is upscaled to 4k, and honestly does not look much different than the video quality of the regular blu-ray. The extras include trailers, about 15 minutes of deleted scenes, and three different behind-the-scenes featurettes, one on Pennywise, one on the cast of kids, and then one in which Stephen King is interviewed about this latest adaptation of the book.

Overall, the movie is very good. It is scarier than I remember the mini-series being, but that makes sense given that this is a movie and the mini-series aired on broadcast television. It is still not overly gory, but it does get a bit gory toward the end. Still, it is more of a psychological thriller than a blood-and-guts horror movie. The acting is very good, which given the cast was made up of young, mostly unknown actors (Finn Wolfhard was probably the most well-known of the child actors), is kind of surprising. Bill Skarsgard is great as Pennywise, who is definitely the main attraction. He can switch from innocent, to creepy, to scary at the drop of a hat. Even if you are not a huge fan of the book, this is still worth watching, as it is one of the few times where I have found a movie to be better and more entertaining than the book. It is definitely a must-watch if you like horror movies.

Book Review: The Third Option (Mitch Rapp Series Book 4 Chronological Order; Book 2 Publication Order)

 

The Third Option is the third book written by Vince Flynn, and the second novel to feature the character Mitch Rapp (if you read the novels in the order they were published). If you read the series in chronological order it is the fourth in the Mitch Rapp series.

This novel is set sometime after the events of Transfer of Power, with Mitch wanting to get out of his clandestine work with the CIA and settle down with Anna, the reporter whose life he saved in the first book. He decides that his current mission, to assassinate a German arms dealer who has been selling weapons to Sadaam Hussein will be his last. The mission goes sideways when the people he is working with turn on him, causing Rapp to try and figure out who tried to take him out. 

Most of the events in the book are set in Washington D.C. Most of the major characters from Transfer of Power return in this book, and there are a few new major characters that are introduced. Some of whom will clearly be integral to later novels. Most of the story is wrapped up by the end of the book, but it is clear from reading the book that the story told in this one will play out over at least one additional book.

It is interesting reading Flynn's work while looking through the lens of history. His first books were written in the late 1990s and this one was published in 2000. In the real world Al-Queda was becoming the major terroristic threat, yet in Flynn's novels, Sadaam Hussein was much more of a threat than he was in reality. I am interested to see whether that changes at some point after the events of September 11, 2001. I am reading the books in chronological order so I have only read American Assassin, Kill Shot, Transfer of Power, and now this book. 

Overall, the book is very entertaining, with a nice blend of action and suspense. It does have a bit more political intrigue and behind-the-scenes backbiting and maneuvering than Transfer of Power Had. Even though Flynn was a pretty staunch conservative, he has no problem having bad guys in either party. If you ever listened to him being interviewed, he often sounded exasperated with politicians in general, regardless of party (at least the interviews that he did on local Twin Cities talk radio), and that sentiment does come through in this book. It is definitely a good read, and a must-read if you are into the spy novel genre.

Book Review: Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances

 

This is the second novel in what was, back in 2017, the new Thrawn trilogy which returned the book is a fine follow-up novel to the first book, just entitled Thrawn, but it is not as good as any of the novels in the very popular original Thrawn Trilogy of novels (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command) which were written by the same author back in the 1990s, which are now relegated to Legends, or non-canon status. 

This book is set in two time periods, one during the Clone Wars, between Episodes II and III, and the other between Episode III and a New Hope, during the events of the animated series Rebels. The novel is set mostly on the planet Batuu in each of the time periods. In the early time period, Anakin is trying to find Padme who was kidnapped on Batuu, and in the later time period, The Emporer tasks Thrawn and Darth Vader to investigate a disturbance in the Force the Emperor has felt. 

This book has a lot more action than the first Thrawn novel, and it shows off more of Thrawn's strategic planning and thinking ability than the first book did. Zahan is definitely setting up a larger plot, even though much of the storyline that is set in the "present" is resolved by the end. Vader and Thrawn actually work well together, even though neither particularly likes the arrangement, and Thrawn does have suspicions as to Vader's real identity although he agrees to never speak of the subject. 

While Thrawn is not written exactly the same way in the new canon as he was in the Legends books, some of the character traits do carry over to the new novels. I am guessing that Zahn has much less carte-blanch to do what he wants with the character than he did years ago when the only directive from LucasFilm is that he could not kill any of the legacy characters off and he could not set any of the stories before A New Hope. I find this to be one of the better novels in the new canon and definitely consider it one of the must-read novels. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 28

Day 28 was an off day from Pilates and the recovery workouts for Lift 4. Again, I did them back-to-back, first the stretch workout and then the foam roller workout. I think each of them would be a little better if they were 15-20 minutes long (especially the foam roller workout), although you could just repeat them if you really wanted to. That said, I do feel much looser after I am finished that I do going into the workouts. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 27

For Day 27, I just did Pilates abs and core and took a total rest day from Lift 4. Again, I am seeing very slight progress in my flexibility and the moves are getting a bit easier. But, I do have to take some breaks here and there. I also like the fact that this workout is very short, just 23 minutes, which makes it much easier to get through without feeling pressed for time. 

Study Aid Review: Schaums Outline of Thermodynamics for Engineers, 3rd Edition

 

Thermodynamics is a class that many engineering students end up taking either because it is required for the particular branch of engineering they are majoring in, or because it is a part of a group of a few electives that they have to pick from, and it is the least-bad option. I was in the latter group, as it was one of three classes I had to pick from when getting my electrical engineering degree, and it was the best of the bunch. 

Thermodynamics is a class that is basically a blend of physics and chemistry. Thermo basically, combines what you learn in the thermodynamics chapters in chemistry and the thermodynamics chapters in physics, makes the problems a bit different than those in either class, and then gives you an entire semester of that. If you have a really good teacher who goes through a lot of examples and makes everything clear, then you may not need this to really teach yourself the subject. But, even in that situation, you will probably come across a homework problem or two that you get stuck on, and there are enough example problems in here that you can probably find a pretty close example to use as a guide. 

This is one of the outlines that does teach you some of the theory but does not go into it as much as a textbook will, and then has a decent amount of worked-out examples and some problems in which you are just provided the answer. I did notice that the chapters were laid out a bit differently than they were in my particular textbook, and this definitely included material that we did not cover in class. But, I was always able to find what I was looking for, and did not notice a bunch of mistakes (although I did not look at or try to work through every problem). So, overall, I think it is a good resource that can help you get through a thermodynamics class as painlessly as possible. 

Book Review: Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back

 

This is the second in what is likely to be a trilogy of books released in 2020 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. Like the first book, which had stories told during the events of A New Hope, this one has a collection of 40 short stories that are set during the events of The Empire Strikes Back. The twist is that most of the stores are told from the point of view of an ancillary or background character or creature, like that of the Space Slug, a Stormtrooper who decided to defect in the chaos of Cloud City during the evacuation, the Ugnauts on Cloud City, the Wampa on Hoth, one of the Tauntauns on Hoth, etc., There are a couple of stories that are told from a main character's point of view, such as from Yoda's point of view as he was sneaking up on Luke, or Obi-Wan's point of view when he and Yoda were trying to convince Luke to stay on Dagobah, and Palpatine's point of view just before he made Vader contact him during Vader's pursuit of the Millennium Falcon.

The stories are mostly very good, although like pretty much every book that has a collection of stories in it, some are better than others. The stories range in length from just a few pages to about 20 pages, give or take. The book is fairly long (at just under 550 pages), but it is a pretty quick read, especially because for most people, the story is not entirely new. The final "story" in the book is from the point of view of The Whills, who are writing the opening crawl to the movie and arguing about what to include, which is pretty humorous. So, if you are a fan of the original trilogy, this is definitely one of the must-read books. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 26

Day 26 was the Hips, Buns, and Thigh workout in Pilates and Leg day in Lift-4, which was another HIIT day. In this one, you do four HIIT moves back-to-back with just enough rest to catch your breath for three rounds. It follows the same 1-minute, 45 seconds, 30 seconds, and 15 seconds format with the easiest move going for a minute and the hardest move going for 15 seconds. After the three rounds, you have two burnout rounds that consist of doing the same four moves for 30 seconds with no rest between them. Then you do three rounds of two core-focused moves to finish the workout. So, it is another workout in which you are going to be gassed at the end, even if you are in great shape.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 4

 

+++Warning, this contains the major spoiler from the prior season, but no major reveals from the fourth season+++

By the fourth season (which aired during the 2008-2009 season), Bones had really hit its stride as a show that is a mix of a case-of-the-week procedural, in which Booth (David Boreanez), Brennan (Emily Deschanel), and the team of "squints" solve a murder, while also mixing in serial arcs or at least callbacks to earlier episodes. This season also sees more cast turnover as Eric Millegan had mostly left the show, being written out as Zack being put in a psych ward after being revealed as the serial killer "Gormagon's" apprentice. There is also a callback to the Gravedigger storyline, this time putting Booth in jeopardy. We also get the rotating stable of interns (because Brennan cannot settle on just one), so Eugene Bird (who plays Clark), Ryan Cartwright (who plays Vincent Nigel Murry), Michael Grant Terry (who plays Wendell Bray), Carla Gallo (who plays Daisy Wick), Joel David Moore (who plays Colin Fisher), Pej Vadaht (who plays Arastoo Vaziri), and Michael Badaluuco (who plays Scott Starret) have recurring roles throughout the season. The season starts with a two-part episode set in London, which includes an appearance by Stephen Fry, reprising his role as Gordon Wyatt. And, Seth McFarlane makes a voice cameo appearance as Stewie from Family Guy in a funny scene with David Boreanez. The season continues with the will-they-won't-they-get-together tension between Booth and Brennan, and the season ends on a major cliffhanger that puts Booth and Brennan's personal and professional relationships up in the air going into season five.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the show looks and sounds very good in HD. This is actually the first season that the show was released on Blu-Ray and the A/V quality is definitely an upgrade over the standard-definition DVDs. The extras include extended versions of some episodes, a gag reel, a featurette on the new interns, and an interview with Ally Maki about the character she played in one of the episodes. If you get the DVD set, the first four episodes that were broadcast as season four episodes (including the episodes in London) are not included. They were actually shot during season three and were included in the Season 3 DVD release. However, they are included on the Blu-Ray, so you get all 26 episodes that aired during season 4 if you get the Blu-Ray set. 

Liking a show, or not, is always very subjective. Bones is definitely not a show that will appeal to everyone, but I would say that if you liked the prior three seasons, you will probably like this one (unless Zack was your favorite character). The cast seems to get along very well and has great on-screen chemistry. This season sees the first appearance of Booth and Brennan's undercover characters, Wanda and Buck, who are hilarious, mostly because of Emily Deschanel. The writers do a good job balancing the large ensemble cast, even giving the interns some valuable screen time. While you can mostly just jump into the show and follow along without watching the prior seasons, I do think watching it from the beginning to see the character development is best. 

Book Review: Revenge

 

Revenge is essentially a follow-up to Cohen's first book, Disloyal. It expands somewhat on events he discussed in the prior book about why he ended up taking the plea deal, his testimony before Congress, and what happened to him after he was sent to prison. 

In his first book, Cohen gave up a lot of juicy tidbits about t***p and the inner workings of the t***p organization. There is a little bit of that in here (like reiterating that t***p hated Obama, but he hated him before the roasting Obama (and Seth Meyers) gave him at the White House Correspondent's dinner, mainly because he was jealous of Obama, but not as much of that as there was in the first book. This was likely due to the fact that Cohen was persona non-grata by the time he wrote this one. One interesting topic that he does get into, and even vindicates t***p a bit relates to the "Steele Dossier". Cohen asserts that almost everything, including the existence of the pee tape, in the Dossier was bullshit, and that everything Steele detailed about Cohen, which was really what the department of justice used to come after him in order to garner his help to take down t***p, was not true. Cohen excoriates the DOJ, many times naming names, by basically saying that they thought he knew more about what t***p was up to than he actually did, and when that became clear they charged him with bullshit charges and threatened to charge his wife for the tax crimes he was being charged with, which led Cohen to take the plea deal. And once he agreed to rat t***p out, t***p was more than happy to let the DOJ throw him in a hole. 

While in his previous book, Cohen went out of his way to say he did not hate t***p, that is totally out the window in this book. Early on he calls t***p a huge piece of shit and basically alleges that t***p ordered him sent back to prison after he was released early due to the Covid pandemic. Cohen does not spend the whole book bitching about his treatment but more exposing how the DOJ treats people that it is out to get and that if he, a rich, privileged white male, can get treated the way he did, anyone can. He also takes a victory lap when it comes to Michael Avenatti, whom he also calls a huge piece of shit, and relishes in Avenatti's downfall given all the crap Avenatti said about him on TV while pulling shit that would land Avenatti in prison. 

Overall, this book is a good follow-up to the first book. Cohen has to walk a fine line, admitting his faults and the fact that he was not a good guy, but trying to convince readers that he did not deserve what happened to him. And, of all of the "bad guys" that are trying to distance themselves from t***p, Cohen seems to be sincere in his mea-culpa and is genuinely trying to become a better person. He explains why, after getting jerked around at nearly all levels why he still cooperated and said he will continue to cooperate with any investigations of t***p. While I do not think this is necessarily a must-read, I think it is worth reading. 

DVD/TV Series Review: The Librarians: Season 3

 

The third season of The Librarians aired during the 2016-2107 season and consisted of 10 episodes. The show followed the same format as the first two seasons, having both a serial arc that involved a "big bad" character (which this season was Apep, the Egyptian god of chaos) and story-of-the-week procedural episodes in which the main storyline was resolved by the end of the episode. The show does a good job balancing the ensemble cast, giving each character a lot of good material. One of the best episodes is one that almost exclusively involves Jake and Cassandra who are stuck at a lodge that is hosting what looks to be a corporate retreat (which is also one of the episodes that was directed by Noah Wyle this season). Jane Curtin also returns to reprise her role as Charlene in a great werewolf-themed episode. As usual, Noah Wyle only has a recurring role in the series, but since the other series he was appearing, Falling Skies, ended the previous season, he does appear in more episodes (seven of the ten) and directs two of the episodes this season. 

As far as extras go this season, there is a commentary track on each episode, usually including the series creator, the director of the episode, and one or two cast members. And then there is a director's video blog for each episode. So, you actually get quite a bit of bonus content if you like watching/listening to it. 

Overall, the series continues to be strong. It has a good blend of action and comedy, with some dramatic moments mixed in. The writing and acting continue to be good, and the actors seem to have very good chemistry with each other. The show also continues to get a good slate of guest stars this season including Sean Astin, Felica Day, Ernie Reyes Jr., and Vanessa Williams. So, if you liked seasons 1 and 2, then you will probably enjoy season 3 as well. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Charmed Season 7

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major giveaways from Season 7+++

This is the second to last season of the original Charmed series. This season ran during the 2004-2005 season and has 22 episodes. The show continues to be a blend of a monster or demon-of-the-week procedural combined with a serial arc that runs the course of the season. The serial arc is again about a demon who is attempting to get the sister's powers. There is some carryover from the prior season with Leo still reeling from the death of adult Chris and we get to find out how Wyatt turns evil. Both Drew Fuller and Wes Ramsey make appearances as the adult version of the kids during the season. There is also a bit of closure on Cole's storyline via an appearance by Julian McMahon. 

For those who get the blu-ray, this is yet another region-free set with German and English audio and captioning options. There is, like with the releases of seasons 1-6, no bonus content of any kind. The show does look better in HD this season than it has in the prior seasons, and the cheesy special effects are a little better and do not look as fake in HD as they did in the earlier seasons. Of course, they are all fake, but in the earlier season releases, they looked hilariously fake at times. 

Overall, the season is good, although it did reach the point at which it was getting long in the tooth. This season had a good slate of guest and recurring stars, many of whom are recognizable (especially now that some have gone on to wider popularity). Some of them include Nick Lachey (from 98-degrees), Elizabeth Dennehy, John De Lancie (who played Q on Star Trek), Charisma Carpenter (from Buffy and Angel, who appeared after she was fired from Angel for the transgression of getting pregnant by Joss Whedon, and appeared basically in a bra the entire time to show off how great she looked after having a child), Kerr Smith (from Dawson's Creek), Ian Anthony Dale (who would go on to star in the Hawaii Five-0 reboot), Oded Fehr (from The Mummy movies), Billy Zane, James Avery (uncle Phil from Fresh Prince), Billy Drago, T.J. Thyne (who would go on to star in the series Bones), Anne Dudek (who would have a major guest starring role on the series House a few years later), Corey Stoll (from House of Cards), John Hamm (from Mad Men), David Anders (from Alias), Seamus Dever (who would be a secondary character on the series Castle), the great character actress Michelle Hurd (in an episode that was a total ripoff of Buffy), Kathleen Wilhote (who had a recurring role on ER), and Glenn Morshower (from the series 24). The show did cut back on the musical appearances, with probably the biggest band appearing this season being Collective Soul who had a couple of hits in the early to mid-2000s. 

The show follows the format that made it a success in the earlier seasons, and yes, Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan are put in skimpy outfits from time to time, although less than they were in the prior seasons. The writing is still so-so, sometimes very good, and sometimes incredibly cheesy and even cringe-worthy when Phoebe and Paige are pining for a man. The season finale does have a bit of a series finale type of feel to it, so it's likely that the writers were not sure whether the show would be renewed for a final season (which it was) when they wrote the finale. But ultimately, if you have liked the show from season 4 forward, you will probably like this season as well. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 25

Day 25 was Fundamentals 2 in Pilates and Shoulders in Lift-4. I actually really like Fundamentals 2, even though it is the harder of two Fundamentals workouts. It is getting easier as time goes on, but as I have said in prior posts, my hips, hamstrings, and back are all very tight, so a lot of the moves are extremely hard for me, and I get almost no range of motion. But, I can tell that it is making my core stronger, especially when I get to the core exercises in Lift-4.

Speaking of Lift-4, today's workout was shoulders, and it was an intervals workout. So that means, three blocks, with each block having two resistance exercises and then a 30-second HIIT exercise. And, of course, you do each round three times. Then you finish with three rounds of two different core exercises. The workout goes very quickly, mostly because you get very little break time between the individual exercises or between the rounds.    

Book Review: Star Wars: Canto Bight: Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi

 

This is a canon novel that, to me, should have been one of the young-adult ancillary novels. It is basically a collection of four short stories set on the gambling/gaming planet, Canto Bight. It is the planet that Finn and Rose go to in order to find the slicer in The Last Jedi, which was a part of the storyline that many people at the very least thought was stupid, and/or hated with a passion. 

None of the stories in the book involve any of the main characters, either the original, legacy characters, or the new sequel trilogy characters. They are set from the point of view of members of the various alien species that were seen in that part of the movie. The first story, written by Saladin Ahmed, involves a salesman who is taking a dream vacation on Canto Bight and gets mixed up with a criminal who causes him nothing but trouble. The second story, written by Mia Grant, involves a deal over a priceless bottle of wine. The fourth story, written by Rae Carson, involves a servant who is caught in a power struggle between members of the Canto Bight Elite, and the fourth story, written by Jonathan Jackson Miller, involves a deadbeat gambler trying to turn his luck around. 

For the most part, the stories are self-contained, although there is some slight overlap between a couple of them. I do think the lack of including any main character hurts the book a bit, and why I think it should have been released as a young adult novel as opposed to a main storyline novel, but I think the stories are entertaining enough. This is not what I would call a must-read canon novel and is probably not a book that I would read multiple times. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 24

Day 24 was the rest day in Lift-4, so I did the two recovery workouts in the morning, and then I did Fundamentals 1 again in Pilates for the evening workout. I can feel the flexibility in my back and hamstrings getting a little better (very slowly) as time goes on. I still have very, very tight hips, hamstrings, and low back, so all of those forward fold moves are tough as hell, but I am getting through it.

CD/Music Review: Pink: Beautiful Trauma

 

Beautiful Trauma is the 2017 album released by Pink. The album is similar in tone and style to her past few albums, having a mix of hip-hop and dance-oriented songs (including a duet with Eminem) and then the ballads she has become known for as she has gotten older. The album has a lot of songs about growing up (like Barbies) as well as songs about relationships, good and bad. The best songs are, in my opinion, Beautiful Trauma, But We Lost It, Barbies, Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken, and You Get My Love. 

There is a version of the album with explicit lyrics and a clean version. On the former, about half of the songs have explicit lyrics, including a few instances of the f-word. Personally, I hate censored versions of albums, but if you have kids or are offended by swearing, that is an option. Pink has been around long enough now that people generally know if they like her music or not. I always thought that she would be a flash in the pan when she put out her first album back around 2000/2001, but she has continued evolving musically, and getting better over the course of time. So, if you are a fan, this is definitely worth listening to.  

Product Review: Haitronic 120pcs 20cm Length Jumper Wire/Dupont Cable Multicolored(10 Color) M to F, M to M, F to F

 

This is a set of jumper wires that will get you every possible connection type. If you are just connecting components on a breadboard, you get a set of wires with M-to-M connections. If you are connecting to an Arduino or Raspberry Pi, you get a set of wires with M-to-F connections, and you also get a set of wires with F-to-F connections for the times you need those. You get 40 wires of each connection type, which will be plenty for most people's needs. If you are an electrical engineering student and have to do circuit labs, especially at home, these are invaluable and much better than the jumper wires you will get with most kits. I definitely recommend them.

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 23

Day 23 was fundamentals 2 in pilates and back and biceps in Lift-4. The pilates workout again is a little easier each time I do a workout, although there are definitely some exercises that I can barely do, like the side double leg lifts. And stretching forward is still very much a challenge.

The back and biceps workout in Lift-4 was another 50/50 workout, with three circuits of lifting, each lasting three rounds, then three rounds of HIIT cardio, cycling through three cardio exercises for 1 minute, 45 seconds, and 30 seconds, and three rounds of two different core exercises. Both the lifting portion and the cardio portion were very hard today. There are not really any new exercises, it is just doing them back-to-back with little to no rest in between is tough, even for the very fit people in the videos. And, it does not take living a lot of weight to get tired. You can easily, especially if you are a beginner or are getting back in shape, get by using 10 to 25-pound dumbells, depending on the particular exercise. 

Product Review: Amazon Basics Ultra Thin Indoor TV Antenna

 

I have this connected to the TV in my basement for the handful of times when I am not streaming something or watching a DVD or blu-ray. I live in a townhouse that is at a fairly low elevation, and even with this in my basement, it can pick up all of the local broadcast channels and some of the over-the-air HD channels. Some channels come in better than others, and the feed does get interrupted from time to time. I think that is more about placement, however than the performance of the antenna. So, if you use a streaming service that does not have your local channels, this is a good option for the times when you want to watch something that you cannot otherwise. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle

 

This is the 2017 sequel to the 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service. At the beginning of the movie, The Kingsman are attacked and information from their computer database is passed along to the head of the world's largest drug cartel called The Golden Circle, led by Poppy Adams (played by Julianne Moore). Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin (Mark Strong) end up in America, at the American equivalent of the Kingsman, run out of a Bourbon Whiskey distillery, whose agents are named after beverages like Whiskey, Tequila, Ginger Ale, Jack Daniels, Champagne, etc. The two groups must team up to defeat the Golden Circle and save Elton John (playing himself) who has been kidnapped by Poppy. Like the first movie, this one involves a larger plan that threatens millions of people and is a part of a vast conspiracy. 

The 4k set is a two-disc set. The UHD disc just has the movie and the regular blu-ray has the movie and the extras that are included. Those include a nearly two-hour-long, five-part making-of documentary, a featurette on the opening car chase, concept art, a stills gallery, and the trailers. So, there is quite a bit there if you like watching the extras. And, the A/V quality of the UHD disc is great, with near-reference-quality audio and video transfers. 

Chances are, if you liked the first movie, you will probably like this one. It has a very similar tone and style as the first movie. It is very violent but in an over-the-top almost tongue-in-cheek way. There is a ton of action and a bit of humor mixed in. The additions to the cast include Hallie Berry, Pedro Pascal, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges, all of whom do a great job in their roles, as does all of the returning cast. While you do not have to have seen the first movie to really follow the story in this one, having the character development from the first movie does help. If you have seen the first movie and did not like it then you are probably not going to like this one. But, if you are a fan of action movies and do not mind violence, swearing, and some sexual innuendo, then this is worth checking out.

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 22

Day 22 was a return to Fundamentals 1 in pilates. I decided that instead of just doing the three weeks over again, I am going to do what I think would have been a better setup for the program. That is two weeks of the fundamentals workouts, and then two weeks of the core workouts. That will take me to the end of the first round of Lift-4, at which point I will reassess what I want to do. 

The Lift-4 workout was the chest and triceps workout. This week it is a circuit workout in which you do two blocks of four resistance exercises that alternate between chest and triceps exercises, doing three rounds of each block. Then you have a burnout block in which you do wide push-ups for 30 seconds and then triceps push-ups for 30 seconds, repeating for three rounds. Then you finish with three rounds of two core exercises that you do back-to-back for 30 seconds. This is a very rough workout that will have your muscles very fatigued at the end. You keep the same amount of weight on the resistance exercises that you used last week because you are doing the exercises with no rest between them. 

Book Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Expanded Edition

 

+++Warning, this assumes that you have already watched the movie, so there is some slight spoilerish material in the review+++

This is a fairly standard novelization of what was probably the most controversial of the sequel trilogy movies, The Last Jedi. Meaning, it tells the same story that the movie does, it just fleshes out some of the details that we saw in the movie, and has some additional content that was not included in the movie, but does not dramatically change the storyline. Some of the additional material includes a dream sequence that Luke has at the beginning shortly before Rey arrives, a funeral for Han, more of Luke and Rey's interactions on Ahch-to, including the revelation that Luke was going to actually come with Rey before he walked in on her communing with Kylo-Ren, and more scenes on the Supremacy involving Finn and Rose. 

Ultimately, how you felt about the movie is likely going to be how you feel about the book. Whether you loved or hated the movie, the book does not alter the story in any significant manner, it just expands on what was already there, and includes more of the ancillary characters. Luke is still bitter, something even Mark Hamill took issue with when filming the movie, although I think he is more like the original trilogy character at the end of his story in the book than he was in the movie. The side stories still make as much or as little sense in the book as they did in the movie, and the controversial elements from the movie like not filling Poe in on the plan, Snoke, etc., are not any better or any worse in the book. So, if you liked the movie you will like the book. If you hated the movie, the book is probably not going to change your mind. 

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 21

Day 21 was a rest day from pilates and was the recovery workout from Lift-4. So, I did the flexibility workout first, followed by the foam roller workout, for a total of about 20 minutes of flexibility work.  While I would be fine if either or both of the workouts were a little longer, like 15 minutes each, by the end of the foam roller workout I do feel pretty good. 

Product Review: GemRed Plastic Multi-Function Angle Finder

 

This is marketed as usable for physical therapy to figure out range of motion. What I used it for, and what I personally think is the best use for it is for math and/or engineering students who want to use it to draw accurate angles in their notes or on homework. If you are in geometry, trigonometry, or engineering classes like statics or dynamics or any similar classes in which you are going to be working with angles a lot, it is very helpful to keep the lines and angles in your work looking nice. I would not describe it as something that is absolutely necessary for a student but definitely can come in handy.

Workout Update: Lift 4/Beginner Pilates Doubles Day 20

Day 20 was the end of the three-week cycle of beginner pilates, doing the abs and core-focused workout. I am going to restart the program tomorrow, going back to fundamentals 1, and essentially redo the three weeks. And then for the final 2 weeks of Lift-4, I will alternate between the various pilates workouts, adding in the shorter routines here and there. I did not do the Lift-4 recovery workouts on Saturday. I just took a break altogether since the pilates workout had a lot of hamstring, hip, and back flexibility work in it anyway. 

Book Review: September 11: An Oral History

 

This is a collection of oral histories/narratives from people who lived through the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Some of the accounts were from people who were in the buildings at the time the planes hit, and others were by people who were nearby and caught up in the aftermath. Most of the stories in the book come from people who were in New York, either working in or doing something around the World Trade Center. Of the 247 pages of the book, about 200 of them are devoted to stories from people who were in NY. The last handful of stories are from people who were in the Pentagon when it was hit and their experience trying to get out or trying to get people to safety.

Some of the stories that are included in the book are fairly well-known, especially if you have watched the 9/11 documentaries, such as that of Brian Clark, who worked on the 84th floor of the South Tower and was one of just a handful of people who were above the point of impact who managed to make it down and out.  Other stories are probably not as widely known but are no less harrowing. The author also managed to interview some of the first responders, including an EMT who was performing triage on the injured people coming out of the towers who came across a woman who had either jumped or fallen from the North Tower, but who did not die instantly and was telling him that she was not dead, despite the lower-half of her body being destroyed, and witnesses such as a man who was working on the roof of a nearby building when Flight 11 flew so low overhead that he could see people sitting in their seats. There are also a handful of stories about close calls and near misses, such as a man who worked for Marsh Mclennan, which lost hundreds of employees who worked on the 100th floor of the North Tower, but a series of events that morning caused him to be a few minutes behind schedule so that he was only on the 79th floor, below the impact zone when the plane hit, or a man whose family was originally booked on Flight 11 to fly back to California, but changed to a later flight.

The book is not overly long, just under 250 pages. The stories are separated into different chapters. First, people who were in the North Tower are in one chapter, stories from people in the South Tower is another chapter, then there is a chapter about people who were outside the towers and witnessed the events, then a chapter for first responders, and then a chapter on the Pentagon. The author did not include any interviews with family members of the people on Flight 93. The stories in the book are very emotional, even twenty-plus years after the attacks. The descriptions of the devastation can get graphic, so be aware of that if you do decide to read this. The stories range in length from just over a page to 5-6 pages, depending on how much detail the particular person went into. It is a very emotional read, and you can tell that the experience for the people telling the stories was still very raw at the time they were talking to the author.