Workout Update: Lift 4: Day 3

Day 3 was the mid-week rest day in Lift 4. I did the stretch routine, which runs about 10 minutes. I decided to hold off on the foam rolling routine until Saturday, after leg day, when it would be more helpful. My upper body is definitely sore today from the first two workouts, but the soreness is not horrible. 

CD/Music Review: Christina Aguilera

 

Christina Aguilera's self-titled debut album was released in 1999. It contains 12 tracks, including the hit singles "Genie in a Bottle," "What a Girl Wants," "Come on Over Baby (All I Want is You)," and "I Turn to You." The first three reached number one in the US, and the last one reached number three. The album blends pop, R&B, and hip-hop, featuring a mix of upbeat dance numbers and ballads.  

The CD liner includes lyrics and production notes for each track, interspersed with pictures of Aguilera, and ends with a thank-you note. The album definitely falls squarely in the realm of teen pop, but also showcases Aguilera's vocal range and talent, which was much stronger than that of other pop stars of the era. Although it is now 25 years old, the album holds up fairly well over time. Chances are, most people who will be interested in the album now are those who were teenagers or in their early to mid-20s when the album was first released. However, if you are a fan of late '90s/early 2000s pop, this is worth listening to. 

Workout Update: Lift 4: Day 2

Day 2 was the back and biceps workout from Lift 4, and this week it is a circuit workout, doing two quad blocks consisting of four exercises that you do for three sets. You do each exercise back-to-back with no rest (aside from the time it takes to transition from one exercise to the next). In each block, you alternate a back exercise with a biceps exercise. Then, you do a burnout block that just consists of two exercises, back extensions and biceps curls, then you finish with the core block and stretching to cool down.

I definitely felt yesterday's workout, mostly in my arms from the triceps work, more than in my chest. As with yesterday's workout, I was able to lift a bit heavier doing the exercises than I did in 25-Minute Speed Train since we were doing 10 reps as opposed to a 60-second set. The tempos from 25-Minute Speed Train definitely helped, as I really did not have to think about tempo as I was doing the workout.

Book Review: Black Ice (Scot Harvath Series #20)

 

Black Ice, published in 2021, is the 20th book in the series of action-thriller/spy novels featuring the character Scot Harvath written by Brad Thor. At the beginning of the story, Harvath is in a helicopter that is about to crash in the Arctic. Then, it flashes back 72 hours to tell the story leading up to that point. We discover that while spending time in Norway with Solvi, introduced in the previous novel, Near Dark, Harvath sees a Chinese spy whom he believed he had killed years ago while walking around Oslo. From there, the story involves a plot involving China and Russia and control of the Arctic Circle. 

The hardcover version of the book is 320 pages long. If you have read any of the other novels in the series, the story has a similar flow and feel. As such, the book will probably read as quickly or as slowly as the others have. Like the prior novels, this one has a good blend of action, suspense, and drama (with a bit of humor and romance sprinkled in). Thor does refer to some real-world events in the book, but for the most part, the book steers clear of real-life events and politics (for example, COVID-19 is not mentioned at all). Thor does sprinkle in a bit of political intrigue, but his books are not overtly political. While this is the 20th book in the series, you do not really need to have read the prior novels to follow what is going on; however, it does help to have done so because there are several established characters in the book that Thor assumes people already know and does not spend much time setting them up. Ultimately, if you are a fan of the action-thriller or spy novel genre, this is worth reading.

Workout Update: Lift 4: Day 1

Today marked the first day of Lift 4. This is Joel Freeman's second complete program, in which he was the sole trainer for BODI (he was a co-trainer on the Core de-Force program). It was also the first non-sport-specific program(his first full program, 10 Rounds, was a boxing-based program).  This is the first time I did Lift 4 after doing the 25-minute speed train workout. Today was chest and triceps in the 50/50 format, in which you do all the lifting first, then do cardio, then finish with core and stretching. 

The lifting portion was a bit easier than in the 25-minute speed train workout since you are only doing 10 rep sets, not sixty-second sets. All of the lifting is done with a 2x2 or 2x1 tempo. Then, you do three rounds of cardio, following a 65-45-30 format in which you do the first exercise (soccer runs) for sixty seconds, the second exercise (mountain climbers) for forty-five seconds, and the third exercise (catchers) for thirty seconds. After that, you finish with three rounds of core, alternating between rope climbers and bent-knee windshield wipers, and finish with stretching to cool down. I found the cardio and core portions of the workout to be the hardest because even though you do some cardio and core in 25-minute speed train, it is once a week, and the cardio does not get your heart rate up as much as the cardio in Lift 4 does. Also, the workout was about 15 minutes longer than the 25-minute speed train workouts. But, it was a good way to kick off the week and a new workout program.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 56

Day 56 was the last workout of the 25-minute speed train program. It was the second of the two flexibility routines. While I still prefer the first one, this one did grow on me a bit throughout the program. So, my plan going forward is to complete another round of Lift 4, followed by the follow-up to that program, Lift More. Then, I will probably try Tony Horton's (who has returned as a BODI trainer) new program, The Power of 4. 

CD/Music Review: Adele: 19

 

19, released in 2008, was Adele's debut album. It features 12 tracks, and the title was selected based on her age during production of the album (which she has made a tradition with her subsequent albums). The album was a bigger hit in the UK than it was in the United States, but the single "Chasing Pavements" was a moderate hit in the US. It and the song "Make You Feel My Love" are the two best songs on the album, but every song on the album is good and highlights Adele's vocal talent. Despite her age at the time, the album has a much more adult contemporary sound (as all her albums do) than it does a pop sound. The CD liner features the song lyrics and production notes for each track, pictures, and a thank-you note on the final page. Ultimately, while this album was not a massive hit like her subsequent albums (especially 21 and 25), it is terrific, and listening to it, you can tell that Adele was destined for stardom. It is absolutely worth listening to if you are an Adele fan or just a fan of the more adult-oriented singer-songwriter genre.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 55

Day 55 was the last "real" workout of the 25-minute speed train program, which was core-cardio. This week, the workout uses the Give Me Five format. So, in each of the four blocks, you did a pre-fatigue exercise for 60 seconds and then four 40-second sets of the second exercise. I actually prefer this to doing four blocks and a burnout round, even though you do every exercise for a longer overall period of time. 

CD/Music Review: Aerosmith: Big Ones

 

Big Ones, released in 1994, is an album that is mostly a compilation of recent (at the time) hits from Aerosmith. The album includes 15 songs in all. It is not really a greatest hits album as it does not include songs spanning their entire career. Instead, it features the hit songs from their late 80s/early 90s albums Get a Grip, Pump, and Permanent Vacation, such as "Rag Doll, and" Janie's Got a Gun." Crazy, "Livin' on the Edge," etc. It also includes a couple of previously unreleased songs that the band recorded during a break on one of their tours. 

The CD liner unfolds like a poster. On one side, it has pictures and production notes, and on the other, it has the lyrics for all the tracks. Ultimately, if you are a fan of Aerosmith's late '80s and early '90s hit songs, this is absolutely worth listening to. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 54

Day 54 was the last lower-body workout of the program. It uses the Dirty MOFO format. The four exercises in this workout are front-loaded squats, sumo deadlifts, alternating front-loaded lunges, and calf raises. With the five sets, you increase the weight as the time decreases, and then stay with the heaviest weight you can as the time increases again. On some of the exercises I had to step the weight back down, and on others I was able to keep using the heavier weight for the 40 and 60 second sets. 

CD/Music Review: Aerosmith: Get a Grip

 

Get a Grip, released in 1993, was Aerosmith's 11th studio album. It continued to blend hard rock and pop that characterized their sound throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It featured 14 tracks, including the hits "Livin' on the Edge," "Crazy," "Cryin'," and "Amazing," as well as the popular track "Eat the Rich." Cryin' and Crazy were massively popular due to their music videos, both of which featured Alicia Silverstone at the height of her fame, and the latter featuring Steven Tyler's then relatively unknown daughter, Liv. 

The CD liner includes pictures, lyrics for each track, and a thank-you note from the band. Ultimately, the album has an excellent mix of songs and features some of the band's biggest hits of the '90s. It is absolutely worth listening to and has many songs that are worth adding to a playlist.  

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 53

Day 53 was the final upper-body workout of the program. It used the burnout format, which meant doing three sixty-second sets of a weighted exercise followed by a 45-second burnout set that used a band or bodyweight. This workout used most of the tempos that we have used throughout the program, including 4x4, 3x1, and 2x2. Joel encouraged starting with heavier weights and drop setting as needed, which I did in each of the four blocks. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Bolero

 

Bolero is a 1984 romantic drama starring Bo Derek, George Kennedy, Andrea Occhipinti, Ana Obregon, Olivia d'Abo, and Greg Bensen. It was written and directed by Bo Derek's husband, John. The plot involves an orphan heir to a massive fortune named Ayre "Mac" McGillvary (played by Bo Derek) looking for the right man to take her virginity after she graduates from college. She travels the world with her best friend, Catalina (played by Obergon), and chauffeur, Cotton (played by Kennedy), looking for the perfect man.

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is good, but not outstanding. Given that it was a low-budget B-movie when released, it is not surprising that it did not receive a high-quality HD restoration. There are no bonus features with the release, just the movie itself, which can be played with English captions.

It was a very controversial movie for its time, because of sex scenes that rival the soft-core "Skinemax" movies, and the fact that d'Abo, who was 14 when the movie was filmed, appeared nude (although not close up, and not in sex scenes). It could not get a traditional release because it would have received an X-rating (even though there are no explicit sex scenes) since the NC-17 rating did not exist at the time. The movie itself is bad. The acting and writing were horrible, but anyone who is old enough to remember Bo Derek's heyday knows that her movies were not made because of their award-winning content. They were made because she was hot and willing to get naked at the drop of a hat. It was a bit funny to have Derek, who was almost 30 when the film was released, playing a 23-year-old recent college grad, but again, the details were not important. The movie does have a lot of nudity and several sex scenes, so it is not family-friendly. Ultimately, it is not a movie that you would watch because you want to see quality acting and writing, but if you are into cheesy 80s movies that show a lot of skin, it is worth checking out. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 52

Day 52 was the total-body workout for week 8, which utilized the "Give Me Five" format. In this workout, you use a band move to pre-fatigue one of the muscle groups worked in the specific block, and then perform a compound exercise for four 40-second sets.  Ultimately, it was a good but challenging workout.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 10

 

The 26-episode penultimate 10th season of Cheers aired during the 1991/1992 TV season. All of the series regulars returned for the 10th season, and Bebe Neuwirth was finally promoted to a series regular. The recurring cast this season included Jackie Swanson, who played Woody's girlfriend, Kelly, Paul Wilson, who is another regular patron of the bar, Frances Stenhagen, who played Cliff's mother, and newcomer to the show, Keene Curtis, who played John Allen Hill, the new owner of the restaurant Melville's above Cheers, who delighted in making Sam's life miserable and having a love-hate relationship with Carla. The guest cast this season included Leah Remi, Emma Thompson, Milo O'Shea, and Harvey Fierstein. The show also included several guest appearances and cameos by celebrities and politicians, including Harry Connick Jr., Kevin McHale, John Kerry, Johnny Carson, and Doc Severinsen.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. As has been the case with the previous seasons, the A/V quality is good overall, but varies from episode to episode or even within episodes. There are no bonus features, but the episodes can be played with English captions. As of this writing, the seasons are not available individually on Blu-ray, only in a complete series release. 

The series continues to be a blend of procedural stories-of-the-week and serial arcs. The biggest arc this season involved the continuation of the Season 9 ending storyline, in which Sam and Rebecca agreed to have a child. There were a handful of funny moments around that storyline throughout the season. As in prior seasons, the writers do a good job of balancing the storylines of the various characters and providing each cast member with good material throughout the season. Bebe Neuwirth continued to shine as Lillith, but did not have as many standout moments as she did when she was a recurring character. This season, Keene Curtis was the one who stole most of the scenes he appeared in. The season finale is a hilarious two-part wedding episode that is one of the best episodes of the series. Ultimately, the series continued to be good. Although the writing was still somewhat dated, it did not feel as dated as it did in the earlier seasons. So, if you liked the prior seasons, this one is worth watching.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 51

Day 51 was the first lower-body workout of the final week. Surprisingly, it was a superburnout workout, not the Dirty MOFO or Give Me Five, which is what I was expecting. All of the exercises in the workout were ones we did before, but there were a couple of twists on them. For example, this week, while doing swings, you used two dumbbells instead of one. And, Joel has you do variations of deadlifts in each of the first two blocks.  

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Black Sails: The Complete Series

 

Black Sails is an action-adventure series that aired on Starz for four seasons from 2014 to 2017. It starred Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Luke Arnold, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Tom Hopper, Zach McGowan, Toby Schmitz, Clara Paget, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Louise Barnes, Luke Roberts, and Ray Stevenson. The series is set in the Bahamas during the early 18th century. It was written as a prequel to the 1883 novel Treasure Island, providing backstories for characters who were either in or referred to in the book, such as Captain Flint, Long John Silver, and Billy Bones. It blended fictional characters from the book with depictions of real-life historical figures and fictionalized accounts of historical events. 

The series is essentially one long story about the quest for control of New Providence Island, which involves a war between the English royal navy and the pirates who control the island and threaten trade in the region, and the search for (and control of) gold from a Spanish shipwreck that becomes the basis for the buried treasure in the novel.

The blu-ray set is a 12-disc set included in two keep cases, which are held in a cardboard sleeve. Each of the keep cases holds six discs, with the discs for seasons 1 and 2 in one keep case, and the discs for seasons 3 and 4 in the other. The A/V quality is outstanding, with the episodes looking and sounding wonderful in the HD format. The episodes for each season can be played in a "play all" mode that allows you to pick up where you leave off and remembers your audio and closed caption preferences. The bonus features are on the third disc for each respective season. Those include the "Inside Black Sails" recaps that played after the episodes aired, as well as several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes corresponding to events that occurred in each season, cast interviews, and more. 

The series is well-written and very well-acted. It is absolutely not family-friendly, as it is very violent, has a lot of sexual content and nudity, and swearing. The sexual content and nudity are most prolific in the first two seasons, but every season is very violent. The writers do a good job of balancing the storylines for the large ensemble cast and providing all the cast members with good material to work with. Additionally, the backstories of the characters discussed in the book Treasure Island make the novel even more interesting to read. Ultimately, it is an excellent series that is absolutely worth watching.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 50

Day 50 was the first upper-body workout of the final week of the program. It used the Dirty MOFO format and worked the chest, shoulders, back, and triceps. The weighted exercises each used one of the tempos (4x4 for chest press, 1x3 for front raises, and 3x1 for back flys). The final exercise was negative triceps push-ups in which you start with one of the modified versions, progress as far as you can (hopefully to an unmodified version for at least part of the 20-second set), then modify again. The workout was challenging, but I can tell I'm making progress with my muscular endurance and strength gains. I could do the entire 20-second set of negative triceps push-ups unmodified, which I could not do at the beginning of the program. It will be interesting to do Lift 4 again after this program since many of the exercises in this program are in that one, but without the tempos (or mostly a 2x2 tempo). 

CD/Music Review: Aerosmith: Permanent Vacation

 

Permanent Vacation is the 1987 studio release by Aerosmith. It was their 9th studio album and is seen as their resurgence album after Joe Perry and Brad Whitford returned to the group in 1984. The album features 12 tracks in total, including the massively popular songs "Rag Doll," "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," and "Angel." It also features a cover of the Beatles song, I'm Down. The album is a blend of pop and hard rock/heavy metal, which defined the band's sound throughout the 1980s and 1990s. 

The CD liner contains the lyrics to the various songs, pictures, production notes, and thank yous. Overall, the album is very good. It (along with the music videos for the hit songs that received massive airplay on MTV and VH1) revitalized the band's career, and arguably made them more popular than they were in the 1970s. If you are a fan of hard rock and metal that does not get too loud and aggressive, this is absolutely worth listening to. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 49

Day 49 was the first of the two flexibility and mobility routines. This is still the one I like better, mainly because it features a mix of standing, seated, and prone stretches, while the second routine has mostly seated stretches. The plan is to finish week 8, then do another round of Lift 4, then try Lift More, then go either to Power 90 and then P90x or jump right into P90x. 

DVD/Movie Review: ...And God Created Woman

 

And God Created Woman is the 1956 French romantic drama starring Brigitte Bardot, Curd Jurgens, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Marie Glory, Georges Poujouly, and Christian Marquand. It was directed by Bardot's then-husband, Roger Vadim. The movie is set in San-Tropez, France, where Bardot's character, Juliette, is an 18-year-old orphan whose outrageous (for the time) behavior makes her the subject of town gossip. To prevent her from being sent back to the orphanage until she turns 21, the town's wealthy real-estate developer tries to convince the eldest brother (Antione) of the family, whose land he is trying to purchase, to marry Juliette. While she wants to marry Antione, he is not interested in marrying her. His younger brother Michel, who is infatuated with Juliette, proposes to her, which she begrudgingly accepts. 

The Criterion DVD remasters the film quite well. It is not on the level of a Blu-ray or 4K-UHD high-quality restoration, but the film looks very good. The movie only has a French audio track (it does not have the English dubbed track that some versions of the movie include), but it can be played with English captions. It has a few bonus features, including the theatrical trailer (which is in English) and a featurette on the remastering process. 

The movie is definitely dated and feels like a product of the 1950s. It was, of course, the film that launched Bardot's popularity into the stratosphere as a sex symbol. It was also Vadim's (who should have been named "lucky bastard" since he married Bardot when she was 18, married Jane Fonda in her mid-20s, and dated several other gorgeous actresses) first film as a director. It does have some quick flashes of nudity, although you cannot really see much aside from a quick flash of side-boob, and some violence (highlighted by a hilariously awful fight scene about a third of the way through the movie). Ultimately, even though it would likely be made quite differently today than it was in 1956, and would probably not be found as entertaining or controversial today as it was back then, if you are a fan of classic films, it is worth watching.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 48

Day 48 was week 7's core-cardio workout. The format is the same, four blocks with two exercises that you alternate and then a burnout block doing four of the eight exercises for 45 seconds, back-to-back. There are a couple of new exercises in the workout, one new variation of the bear plank and a lunge chop with the dumbbell. Every other exercise is one that has been in the prior workouts.  

Book Review: Star Wars: Tempest Breaker

 

Tempest Breaker, published in 2024, is a canon script/novel by Cavan Scott set in the third phase of the High Republic. In it, the Jedi reluctantly team up with former Nihil Tempest Runner, Lorna Dee, to try to stop the mysterious Blight. In exchange for a full pardon by the Republic (and the Jedi), she agrees to help Avar Kriss and Keeve Trennis track down the Nihil's chief scientist, Baron Boolan, who has been working on a way to stop The Blight. The novel connects well to each Phase of the High Republic era, with callbacks to the Tempest Breaker storyline and the fall of the Starlight space station in Phase I, as well as the Path of the Open Hand storyline from Phase II.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 500 pages, but due to the script format, some pages have only one or two lines of text, making it actually much shorter than a traditional 500-page novel and reading fairly quickly. Scott does a good job of continuing to develop the characters, some of whom have now appeared in several books, and advancing the overall story toward its conclusion. Ultimately, if you have followed the High Republic storyline in the other novels (especially the adult books, which are considered the "main" storyline), this one is worth reading.     

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 47

Day 47 was the second lower-body workout of the week, and it was, as predicted, the second "Give Me Five" workout of the week. So, in each of the four blocks, you do a pre-fatigue band exercise for 60 seconds, followed by four sets of a weighted exercise. Three of the weighted exercises use tempos (4x4, 3x1, and 1x3), and one (alternating lunge pulses) does not. You may need to use lighter weights than you did in previous weeks, given the format, but even if you do, it's still a good workout.

4k-UHD/Movie Review: Barbarella

 

Barbarella is the 1968 Sci-Fi cult-classic starring Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Milo O'Shea, Anita Pallenberg, Ugo Tognazzi, David Hemmings, Marcel Marceau, and Claude Dauphin. It was directed by Fonda's husband at the time, Roger Vadim, and produced by the famous Italian producer, Dino De Laurentiis. It was based on and adapted from a French comic book. The movie itself is bad. The writing and acting are god-awful, and the plot is silly. It was mostly a comedy (or what passed for comedy in the late 1960s) and was very tongue-in-cheek and campy (similar to the 1960s Batman TV series). It did have some (very bad) action, a slight political message, and a heavy anti-war message (based on the free-love hippie culture of the time). Of course, Fonda would become a highly controversial figure in the 1970s due to her protests against the Vietnam War, including visiting Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam. 

Despite having a very high budget (for the time), everything about the movie looks cheap and fake. Obviously, special effects in the late 1960s were nothing like what they are today; however, if you compare this film to the other major Sci-Fi classic that came out the same year, 2001, the difference is night and day. However, the movie does feature Fonda (who was an absolute smoke-show back then) in skimpy revealing outfits, and nude during the opening credits. Sadly, Fonda actually had an eating disorder at the time the movie was being made, so the outfits they put her in probably did not help that. The plot involves Barbarella (played by Fonda), who is a space traveler and representative of Earth (which, at some time in the future around the year 40,000, has become a peaceful utopia), being sent to the Tau Ceti planetary system to track down a rogue scientist named Durand Durand (played by O'Shea), who has created a weapon with the power to destroy humanity. There, she has sex with pretty much everyone she meets in exchange for help tracking Durand down. 

The 4K set is a two-disc set, containing a UHD disc and a standard Blu-ray disc. The A/V quality is very good, but it definitely exposes the limitations of the late 1960s special and practical effects. The UHD disc contains the movie and a handful of extras (alternate opening and closing credit sequences). The movie can be played with an audio commentary track by film critic Tim Lucas. The standard Blu-Ray contains hours of bonus content, most of which was produced in 2003 specifically for the 4K release by Arrow Films. The longest feature is a zoom discussion between Tim Lucas and comic book artist Steve Bissette, in which they discuss the movie, the comic it was adapted from, and the influence it had on similar films and comics, and pop culture in general (such as inspiring the name of the 1980s British pop group, Duran Duran, which was probably the best thing that resulted from the film's popularity). Additionally, the release includes behind-the-scenes footage, photo stills (which feature both promotional and behind-the-scenes images), interviews with some of the surviving cast and crew members, the theatrical trailer, and radio spots. Notably, Fonda does not appear in any of the updated bonus features. 

Ultimately, the movie is a product of the late 1960s that does not hold up particularly well, aside from being a cult classic. It is not necessarily a movie that you will watch because you want to see award-winning entertainment (unless you count the Razzies), but it is entertaining in its own way. And, if you like physical media releases with a lot of bonus content, this has you covered. I cannot say that the film will appeal to everyone, but if you like campy sci-fi that is "so bad it's good", this is worth watching. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 46

Day 46 was the second upper-body workout of the week. This one is a regular super burnout, so you do three blocks alternating between two exercises, doing each exercise for two sets, then doing a burnout block at the end. This workout focuses on the chest, shoulders, back, and biceps, so you hit all the upper-body muscle groups. Of course, that means tomorrow's leg day will be that pre-burnout format, which should be interesting. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Black Sails: Season 4

 

The 10-episode fourth and final season of Black Sails aired during the winter and spring of 2017. All of the main cast members, aside from Zach McGowan, whose character was killed off at the end of Season 3, return for the final season. The plotline this season is centered around the battle for control of New Providence Island between various groups of pirates and the English, with Spain getting involved (to recapture the stolen cache). The writers also tie events in the series to the book Treasure Island, for example, explaining why Long John Silver is the only one that Flint fears, the island's mysteriousness, and the idea that people are always searching for Flint's treasure. 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. The A/V quality is excellent, and episodes look and sound fantastic in the HD format. As with the prior seasons, the episodes can be played in a "play all" format that allows you to pick up where you leave off and will keep your audio and caption selections, even when switching discs. Also, as with the prior seasons, all the bonus features (totaling around half an hour) are on the third disc. The longest bonus feature is the set of ten episode-by-episode recaps titled "Inside the World of Black Sails," which aired after each episode. That runs about 18 minutes, then there is a short featurette on the production design, and then three different roundtable discussions with members of the cast. 

The series remains excellent in its final season. While there is not as much sexual content or nudity in this season, there is a lot of violence and adult language, so it is still not a family-friendly show. It remains well-written and very well-acted, and the writers do a great job of tying up the storylines for the various characters (and, as you can imagine, not every character makes it out unscathed or receives a "happy ending"), while also tying the events of the series to the book. Ultimately, if you liked the prior seasons, this one is absolutely worth watching.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 45

Day 45 was the week 7 total-body workout. There was another switch-up with this one, in that it uses the Dirty MOFO format. So, you do four exercises (all of which are compound movements, however) using the 60-40-20-40-60 time intervals. On the weighted exercises, you do the increasing and decreasing weights. On the bodyweight exercise, which is a high-plank to low-plank to triceps push-up to downward dog, you start on your knees, then start moving to your toes for some of the exercises, and eventually (hopefully) all of them.  

CD/Music Review: Adele: 30

 

30, released in 2021, is the fourth studio album by English singer/songwriter Adele. Like her earlier albums, especially 21 and 25, this one features a diverse mix of genres in its various songs, blending elements of pop, jazz, R&B, and more. The album comprises 12 tracks in total, with the most successful being the first single released from it, "Easy on Me," which reached number one on the Top 100 chart. Also, like her earlier albums, the songs deal with issues from Adele's personal life, such as her divorce, motherhood, and the fame she experienced after the massive success of her second and third albums, as well as the songs "Rolling in the Deep" and "Hello." 

The CD liner includes pictures from the recording sessions. Each page of the liner also includes the lyrics and production notes for one of the songs, printed over a photo. Ultimately, while the album was not as big a hit as her prior two albums, it is still very good. The mix of songs is excellent, and they highlight Adele's amazing voice very well. So, if you are a fan of her prior albums, this one is absolutely worth listening to. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 44

Day 44 is the first lower-body workout of week 7. It is just a "regular" burnout workout in which you have four blocks consisting of a weighted exercise that you do for three one-minute sets and a band exercise that you do for 40 seconds. In this workout, you do sumo deadlifts, front-loaded lunges, side lunges, and calf raises as the weighted exercises, and the band exercises are things like pulse kicks, deadlifts, and pigeon calf raises. Some exercises use the various tempos, and others do not. So, it is a good workout that definitely tires you out by the end.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 9

 

The 26-episode 9th season of Cheers aired during the 1990/1991 TV season. All of the main cast returned for the ninth season, as did some of the major recurring cast, led by Bebe Neuwirth, who reprised her role as Lilith, and included Jackie Swanson as Woody's girlfriend, Kelly, and Roger Rees as Robin Colcord. The celebrity guest stars/cameos this season included former Boston Celtic Kevin McHale, Arsenio Hall, Bobby Hatfield, former Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, and John McLaughlin. McLaughlin hosted the 200th episode anniversary special, which included a cold open, but then was essentially a panel discussion with the cast and showrunners. The panel did include Shelly Long, but at least as it was presented on the DVD, she did not say anything; they just had a couple of reaction shots of her. Otherwise, the show continued to mainly be a story-of-the-week procedural with some serial arcs included. The most prominent serial arcs were the tease of whether Sam and Rebecca would get together, and Frasier and Lilith becoming parents. 

The Blu-ray set is a three-disc set, and as of this writing, it remains available only on Blu-ray in the complete series release. The individual season is only available on DVD (which is a five-disc set). The A/V quality of the episodes is good, but not outstanding. There are times when the video looks closer to DVD quality than what you would expect from Blu-Rays. There are no bonus features, although the 200th episode is more akin to a bonus feature than a regular episode. The episodes can be played with English captions. 

The series continues to be good, but the storylines absolutely became repetitive by the 9th season. The writers did a good job of balancing the storylines to give all the cast members good material to work with, and Bebe Neuwirth continued to steal nearly every scene she was in. Some of the jokes are still outdated and cringeworthy, but not as much as those in the early seasons. Ultimately, if you liked the prior seasons, you will probably enjoy this one (unless you really only liked Long's character, Diane).

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 43

Day 43 was the start of week 7. It switched back to upper-body to start the workout and introduced both a new tempo (4x4) and a new format. This week, you pre-fatigue the muscle group you will be working in the block with a burnout exercise, and then you do four forty-second sets of the weighted exercise. So, in the first block, you do 60 seconds of push-ups at the 4x4 tempo, and then four sets of chest presses, doing a 3x1 tempo.  In block 2, perform the arrow pulls with the bands for 60 seconds, followed by four sets of rotating rows with no tempo. In block 3, you do shoulder raise pulses with the bands for 60 seconds and then four sets of weighted lateral raises. In the final block, you do w-bicep curl pulses with the band for 60 seconds, followed by biceps curls with the 2x2 tempo. So, in each block, you do five total reps. You will be using very light weights in this workout because doing the burnout exercise at the beginning of the block instead of at the end will definitely wear you out. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 42

Day 42 was back to the second flexibility and mobility workout of the program. Again, I can tell my flexibility is getting better and my range of motion is improving, ever so slightly.  

Book Review: Dust: The Inside Story of its Role in the September 11th Aftermath

 

Dust, published in 2009, is a book by Paul Lioy, an environmental scientist who was part of a group of scientists that sampled and analyzed the dust at the World Trade Center site after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, focusing on the composition of the toxic materials in the dust. In the book, Lioy discusses what was in the dust, including how factors such as particle size, especially during the actual collapse and shortly after, affected the rescue workers. 

The hardcover version of the book is around 250 pages. The book is informative, but it is not the easiest read. The better the knowledge of chemistry you have, the easier the book is to understand. While Lioy does write it in such a way that it can be understood even if you do not have a chemistry or chemical engineering degree, it is the cross between a news article intended for mass consumption and a peer-reviewed journal article.  It does contain some interesting information, such as how the composition and particle size of the dust changed over various time periods, and why the amount of asbestos in the dust was not as significant an issue as some thought, as well as why they did not test for the presence of DNA in the dust. 

The book does not focus on the actual 9/11 attacks. The discussion on the actual events amounts to a couple of paragraphs at most. So, if that is what you are most interested in, this book may not be for you. But, if you have followed the issues with the illnesses that people who worked at the Trade Center site have experienced, this is worth reading.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 41

Day 41 was core cardio, so the entire workout was done on the floor, alternating between plank-based exercises, such as mountain climbers, and prone exercises, like dumbbell crunches. The format is the same as the prior weeks. You do four blocks of work, with each block consisting of two exercises that you do back-to-back for 45 seconds, twice. Then you have a burnout block in which you do four of the exercises from blocks 1-4, each for 45 seconds back-to-back with no rest between them. So, again, this is not a traditional cardio workout from programs like P90X, Insanity, or even Lift 4, but it does get your heart rate up, and every exercise works your core. 

Book Review: Hunters of Dune (#22 Chronological Order)

 

Hunters of Dune, published in 2006, is the first book of a two-part continuation to the Dune series of novels, first created by Frank Herbert and continued by Frank's son Brian, and his co-author Kevin J. Anderson. Brian Herbert and Anderson had written a series of prequel novels that detailed different eras that were mentioned in Frank Herbert's original novels, which essentially set up the story in the original six books. They then discovered notes and an outline detailing Frank's plan to complete the story, which would tie all the eras together. The events of this book begin three years after the cliffhanger in Frank Herbert's final novel in the series, Chapterhouse: Dune, in which the no-ship Ithaca, carrying Duncan Idaho, Miles Teg, Sheeana, Scytale, and the seven sandworms, escaped from Chapterhouse, the Bene Gesserit world that had been taken over by Murbella, who has united the Honored Matres and Bene Gesserit. The no-ship had been in an alternate universe, hiding from the "Great Enemy" from whom the Honored Matres were running when they returned from "The Scattering." When the ship returns from the alternate universe, they are pursued by the Face Dancers, the Honored Matres/Bene Gesserit, and the Great Enemy.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 530 pages. The story flows well and is much easier to follow than any of the novels in the "second trilogy." In fact, it helped me to understand the story in Chapterhouse Dune much better than I did after reading it. The events in the book span 19 years and lay the groundwork for a battle that will tie together all the eras of Dune. It would be too much of a spoiler to explain precisely how, but it involves the identity of the "Great Enemy" and the cloning technology of the Tleilaxu. While some people hate the novels by Brian Herbert and Anderson, I believe that their novels are as good, or better than some of the books that Frank wrote. Regardless of where you fall in that debate, this is worth reading to see how the story will end.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 40

Day 40 was the second upper-body workout of the week. It is a burnout workout, so you do three sets of the same exercise in each block (front raises in block 1, pullovers in block 2, chest presses in block 3, and W-triceps kickbacks in block 4), followed by a band or bodyweight exercise to burn the muscle group out. It is another challenging workout in which I had to drop-set many of the exercises.  

CD/Music Review: Adele: 25

 

25, released in 2015, is Adele's third studio album and the follow-up to her multi-award-winning 21. Where 21 was a breakup album, the songs on this one take a more reflective and "moving on" or "making up" tone. The album has 11 tracks in all. The smash hit from this album is the single "Hello," which debuted at number 1 on the Top 100. The other singles, "When We Were Young," "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)," and "Water Under the Bridge," all made it into the Top 30, with the last one peaking at number 8. 

Like the songs on her prior album, this one has a mix of ballads and more upbeat tracks. While "Hello" is the biggest hit (and best song) from the album, all the songs are wonderful and showcase Adele's vocal talent. The CD liner contains pictures from the recording sessions, production notes for the various tracks, and a thank-you note from Adele. It does not include the song lyrics, however. Ultimately, 25 was one of the best, if not the best, albums of the mid-2010s, and is absolutely worth listening to. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 39

Day 39 was the second lower-body workout of the week, and unlike the first, this one follows the Dirty MOFO format. Today, the four exercises are alternating front-loaded squats, goblet sumos, swings, and bridges. Of course, the idea is to increase the amount of weight you use for the first three sets and then stay with the heaviest weight you can for the final two sets. I found that my range of motion was much better for all the exercises, and the only exercise in which I had to drop the weight back down to what I started with was the swings. For the others, I was able to stay with either the heaviest weight or the medium weight. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Black Sails Season 3

 

The 10-episode third season of Black Sails aired in the winter and spring of 2016. All the main cast members return for season three, and there are two notable additions to the main cast. First, Luke Roberts, the newly appointed Royal Governor of the Bahamas, named Woodes Rogers, who travels to Nassau to take control of the colony from the pirates, with Eleanor Guthrie serving as an advisor, who has agreed to help him in exchange for a pardon. The other is Ray Stevenson, who plays Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard. Much of the season involves various groups aligning in the bid to control Nassau.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. All the bonus content is on the third disc. There is about 50 minutes, give or take, of bonus content, including a season 2 recap, several behind-the-scenes featurettes, and featurettes on the new characters, Woodes Rodgers and Blackbeard. The A/V quality is again excellent this season, with the episodes looking and sounding wonderful in HD.

The show continues to be excellent. While there is less violence and nudity/sexual content on the whole this season, there is still some of each, so it is definitely not family-friendly. A couple of major characters are killed off this season, which will have reverberations into season 4. I will not spoil who they are, but if you have read the book Treasure Island, you know who it cannot be. Ultimately, if you enjoyed the first two seasons of the show, you will like this one. It remains well-written and very well acted, and is absolutely worth watching.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 38

Day 38 was a total-body workout. Like the other total-body workouts in the program, this focuses more on cardio and muscular endurance, so only a few of the exercises use weights. Most of them rely solely on your body weight. And, for the couple of exercises for which you do use weight, it is a single light dumbbell. The first two blocks in the workout have a lot of squats and lunges, and the other two use more plank-based exercises.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 37

Day 37 was the first upper-body day, following the Dirty MOFO format. So, you do four exercises (narrow chest presses, back flys, push presses, and hammer curls) for the 60, 40, 20, 40, 60 time intervals, increasing the amount of weight as the time goes down, and then trying to stay with the heavy weight as time goes back up. Each exercise uses one of the tempos (either 3x1, 1x3, or 2x2). Even Joel was using lighter weights and dropped to a weight lighter than what he started with a couple of times. So, this one was definitely no joke. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 36

Day 36 was the first workout of week 6. It was a lower-body workout to start off this week, and Joel hinted that this week will be a mash-up of what we did throughout the prior five weeks. This workout was a superburnout workout that utilized all the tempos we had used during previous workouts. So, some exercises use the 3x1 tempo, some use the 1x3, and some use 2x2. This workout has squats, deadlifts, lunges, and calf raises, and works quite a bit on balance. Overall, a very good workout.  

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 8

 

The 26-episode 8th season of Cheers aired during the 1989-1990 TV season. It can be argued that this was the season in which the series peaked, earning multiple awards. All of the main cast members returned for Season 8. Unfortunately, Bebe Neuwirth was still just a member of the recurring cast, despite stealing every scene she was in as Lilith. She won the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy that year. The other significant recurring cast member this season was Roger Rees, who played an English mogul named Robin Colcord, who was brought in as a love interest for Rebecca and a partial foil for Sam. The guest cast this season included Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Conroy, Alex Trebek, and Bill Medley. The show continues to blend a story-of-the-week procedural format with serial arcs. This season, the big serial arcs are Sam's quest to buy back Cheers from the corporation that owns it and Rebecca's relationship with Robin (and sexual tension with Sam). 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. It does not include any bonus content, but the episodes can be played with English captions. The A/V quality is overall very good, but there are times when the picture looks more like standard definition than an upgraded HD transfer. 

The series continues to be good. As the show transitioned from the 1980s to the 1990s, some of the more outdated comedic elements were less prominent. The writers did a very good job balancing storylines for the large ensemble cast, with each cast member getting at least one episode centered around him or her. There are a couple of hilarious Lilith and Frasier episodes, including ones involving Lilith's pregnancy and giving birth. Cliff also has a very good episode in which he is a contestant on Jeopardy. Ultimately, if you have liked the series up to this point, season 8 is worth watching.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 35

Day 35 was flexibility and mobility, specifically going back to the first version of the routine from week 1. I can tell my flexibility is getting a little better, but unfortunately, I have gotten to the point where I do not think it will ever get to where I want it to be again. Maybe if I can lose another 10-15 lbs, and get to the point where I can "easily" do P90x yoga (or as easily as I could do it about 15 yrs ago), it will get to where I want it, but I am not sure how realistic that is. However, I will continue to strive for improvement and make progress.  

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 34

Day 34 was core cardio (with the switch-up of the workouts this week, it came on Day 6). Like the prior core cardio workouts, it uses some weights, but it is mostly bodyweight exercises (and a lot of plank work). It was a good workout. Absolutely more challenging at the end of the week versus the middle of the week.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 33

Day 33 was the second upper body workout of the week, and it did indeed follow the "dirty MOFO" format. So, we did 4 exercises, chest press, lateral raise, back flys, and biceps curls, for five sets, one minute, forty seconds, twenty seconds, forty seconds, and one minute, going up and down in weight. Weight selection is key to this workout, starting with a light enough weight that you can increase the amount of weight you use in the two subsequent sets. However, even Joel was drop setting mid-set multiple times during the workout. So, this one is definitely not easy.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 32

Day 32 was the second leg day of the week. This one followed the traditional superburnout format, with three blocks, each with two exercises, one of which used the 1x3 tempo. Then you had the fourth burnout block, which used bands. In this workout, you do some variation of squats, lunges, deadlifts, swings, and calf raises. Joel hinted that tomorrow's upper body workout will follow the dirty MOFO format, so that should be fun. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 31

Week 5 continues to switch things up, this time by moving the total body workout, which is usually on Day 6, to Day 3. Basically, swapping total body and core cardio in the workout order. This one was a tough workout that included some weighted exercises and some bodyweight exercises. Some of the exercises are compound, working two muscle groups at a time (like legs and shoulders, biceps and triceps, etc.). Another tough, but doable one.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 30

Day 30 was the first upper-body workout of week five. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, it does not use the dirty MOFO format that the lower-body workout used. It has the traditional four blocks; the blocks this week worked shoulders, chest, back, and triceps. This is a burnout workout, so after the third set in each block you do a burnout move either with bands or bodyweight (push-ups). At least one exercise in each block did use the 1x3 tempo that was introduced in yesterday's workout, which was very tough when doing the push-ups. So, overall, another good workout. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 29

Day 29 was the start of week 5, which completely switches up the workout structure. First, it goes back to the lower body starting the week. Second, this uses what Joel hilariously refers to as a "dirty MOFO" format. You only do four exercises in the entire workout, one in each block, front-loaded squats in the first block, sumo deadlifts in the second block, weighted bridges in the third block, and alternating reverse lunges in the fourth block. 

The twist is that you ultimately do five sets in each block, and you increase the amount of weight you use in the first three sets and then stay with the heaviest weight for as long as you can in the other two. In each block, the first set is the traditional one-minute set, which you do with your lightest weight. Set two reduces the time to 40 seconds, but you increase the weight, and set three reduces the time to 20 seconds, but you use the heaviest weight. Then, set 4 goes back up to 40 seconds, and you try to stay with the heaviest weight. Set five is another one-minute set. Three of the four exercises are performed using a 1x3 tempo, one second up, three seconds down. The sumo deadlifts do not use a tempo. 

Ultimately, this is a very challenging workout that has a huge cardio effect. There is almost no break between the sets at all, and a minimal break between each block. If anyone is old enough to have done the old Body-For-Life workouts, this format is similar in terms of going up and down in weight as you reduce the number of reps you do, but is different in that once you reach the heaviest weight, you try to stick with it instead of dropping back to a lighter weight unless you absolutely have to. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 28

Day 28 was the flexibility and mobility day, and alternated to the second routine. While this one is good, I still like the first routine better. Plus, this one was harder because my shoulder was very sore from getting my Flu shot and COVID booster. So, I had a very limited range of motion in my left shoulder, and this routine does a lot of shoulder motion exercises.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 27

Day 27 was the full-body workout. It is mostly a bodyweight workout, although the first exercise in the first block does use weights. There are some squat pulses and lunges as well as a lot of core work. You actually do end up working all the major muscle groups in the workout aside from your back. It is definitely one of, if not the most challenging workout of the program so far.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 26

Day 26 was the second lower-body day of week 4. It is a superburnout workout, so the fourth block is a burnout block using bands. The format is similar to the other superburnout workout, in which an "unbalanced" exercise is performed with a "balanced" one (meaning one exercise is using one leg loaded, then switching to the other leg, and the other exercise works both legs at the same time). This workout includes variations of squats, lunges, deadlifts, and calf raises. Overall, a good, challenging workout.

Book Review: Near Dark (Scot Harvath Series #19)

 

Near Dark, published in 2020, is the 19th book in the series of action-thriller/spy novels by Brad Thor centered around the character of Scot Harvath. This novel continues the storylines from the prior two novels, Spymaster and Backlash, which resulted in many people close to Harvath being killed after his actions against Russia. In this one, a 100-million-dollar bounty is placed on Harvath's head, to be paid to whoever can get to him first. As a result, Harvath needs to avoid assassins coming after him, while also trying to track down the assassin who killed his wife and Reed Carleton. He teams up with a Norwegian intelligence operative named Solvi Kolstad, who has her own troubled past.

The hardcover version of the book is around 330 pages. It reads pretty similarly to the prior novels in the series, so it will read as quickly or as slowly as the other books. The action is not nonstop throughout, but Thor does a good job balancing the action sequences with the rest of the story. This book does not end on a cliffhanger but does hint at a possible direction that the subsequent novels will go. You don't need to have read all the novels in the series to follow what is going on in this book; however, you should read Spymaster and Backlash at the very least. Ultimately, if you are a fan of the genre and/or the Harvath series, this is worth reading.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 25

Day 25 was the second upper-body workout of week 4. It is a burnout workout consisting of four blocks in which you do a primary exercise (military push presses, rows, chest presses, and hammer curls) for three one-minute sets, followed by a burnout exercise before moving onto the next block. Some of the burnout exercises use bands, and some do not. Again, this is a challenging, but not impossible, workout. All of the weighted exercises use either the 3x1 or 2x2 tempo. I did have to drop set a couple of times on the military presses, because those were tough using the 3x1 tempo, even with very light weights.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 24

Day 24 was the core cardio workout for week 4. It follows the same format as the others, four blocks of work in which you do a more cardio-focused move and a more core-focused move (I say it that way because both moves in each block work the core and have a cardio effect) and then a burnout block in which you do four of the exercises from the workout back-to-back, with no rest in between. It is a challenging workout. Even moreso because I have been battling a cold for the past couple of days. So, I would not say that I could go all out in this one, but I did the best I could and got through it. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 23

Day 23 was the first lower-body workout of the week. This is a burnout workout, so you do three one-minute sets of the same exercise (deadlifts in block 1, weighted bridges in block 2, side lunges in block 3, and goblet sumos in block 4) followed by a band exercise for 45 seconds at the end of each block. Some exercises use the 3x1 tempo, some use the 2x2, and some are just a regular one-count lift and lower. I can definitely tell that my range of motion in all the exercises is getting better, but that also makes the exercises more challenging. 

CD/Music Review: Adele: 21

 

21 is the second studio album by English singer/songwriter Adele. It was produced when she was 21 years old (hence the album's title) and released in 2011. This is the album that launched her into superstardom, primarily based on the hit single "Rolling in the Deep." That song, along with the tracks Someone Like You and Set Fire to the Rain reached number one on the Top 100 chart, and the track Rumor Has It reached the top 20. 

There are 11 tracks in all on the album, featuring a wide range of music styles, all highlighted by Adele's amazing voice. The album is a fairly classic breakup album, with most of the songs revolving around the turmoil caused by the end of a relationship. The CD liner features pictures from the recording sessions and production notes for the tracks. The song lyrics are not included. Ultimately, this is a wonderful album. All of the songs are excellent, even those that were not huge hits. It is one of the best albums not only of the 2010s, but of recent memory, and still holds up nearly a decade and a half later. It is absolutely worth listening to.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 22

Day 22 was the first day of week 4. This workout is an upper-body super burnout workout. So, there are three blocks that superset two exercises, and then a burnout block that utilizes the bands. In the supersets, you use the tempos from the past two weeks, with one of the exercises being performed at the 3x1 tempo and the other at the 2x2 tempo. The first block is a chest block, the second block works the shoulders and biceps, and the third block works the back and shoulders. Then, in the burnout block, you work your shoulders, back, and triceps. So, this works everything in your upper body except your abs and lower back.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 21

Day 21 was another flexibility and mobility day. This repeats the same routine from the first week. From the looks of it, there are two different flexibility and mobility workouts in the program that you alternate every other week. I really like this one since none of the stretches are extremely difficult, and it includes my favorite yoga pose, Pigeon.  

CD/Music Review: Bryan Adams: So Far So Good

 

So Far So Good, released in 1993, is primarily a collection of hits from Bryan Adams from the 1980s and early 1990s. It includes all of his best-known songs, such as Summer of '69, Straight From the Heart, Run to You, Heaven, Cuts Like a Knife, and (Everything I Do) I Do It for You. It also includes some lesser-known songs that had been released on his prior albums, and the one new track, Please Forgive Me, which became a Top 10 hit in the United States. The CD liner just includes the track listings, production credits, a photo, and a note from Adams. It does not include the lyrics for the various tracks. 

Adam's music is a blend of rock and pop, both of which are heavily featured on this album. Most of his big his are pretty traditional pop songs (either upbeat or ballads), but the lesser-known tracks give a nod to the kind of music that influenced Adams. If you are a fan of Adams or just 80s and 90s pop, this is definitely worth listening to.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 20

Day 20 was a total body workout consisting of four blocks. Each block contained two exercises, some of which used weight and some did not. There were also some unbalanced exercises in which you worked one side of the body, then the other. The main muscle groups worked today were legs, back, shoulders, biceps, and chest. And, like the other workouts, because you have very little rest in between the sets, you are getting a slight cardio effect as well.

CD/Music Review: Ace of Base: The Sign

 

The Sign is the 1993 album by Swedish pop group Ace of Base. It is, for all intents and purposes, their debut album as it included many songs from their lesser-known (at least in the US) debut album, Happy Nation, and added several songs, including their smash hits Don't Turn Around, and The Sign. The album has 12 tracks overall; the biggest hits from the album were Don't Turn Around, The Sign, and All That She Wants. Other tracks, such as "Wheel of Fortune" and "Happy Nation," achieved more success overseas but did not gain much traction in the US. 

The album is a good early '90s pop album. It absolutely has more of a Euro-pop feel than stuff that was being put out by American artists at the time, but it worked. The CD liner contains the track listing, production notes for each song, and personal notes from the band members. Ultimately, if you grew up on '90s pop, listening to this will be a nostalgic blast from the past. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 19

Day 19 was the second lower-body workout of the week. This one is a burnout workout, so it has four blocks doing the same exercises for three one-minute sets and then a burnout exercise that is either a band or bodyweight exercise. The first two blocks do not use the 3 x1 tempo, but the final two blocks do. This workout includes lunges, front-loaded squats, swings, and bridges. It is another challenging, but not impossible (especially if you modify when needed) routine. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Black Sails: Season 2

 

The ten-episode second season of Black Sails aired in the winter and spring of 2015. Most of the main cast members from the first season, including Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Luke Arnold, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Tom Hopper, Zach McGowan, Toby Schmitz, Clara Paget, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, and Louise Barnes, return for the second season. Additions to the cast this season include Rupert Penry-Jones, Tadhg Murphy, and Nick Boraine.

There are several intertwined storylines this season, but the main story arc involves Flint's plan to retrieve the Urca Gold. His plan gets sidetracked several times throughout the season, once in a major battle with Captain Vane, who has taken the fort on Nassau. The second involves the other major storyline that extends throughout the season, including via the use of flashbacks that reveal both Flint and Miranda's backstories, and culminates in a very explosive finale. Other storylines include Eleanor trying to keep control of the island, Max scheming and playing everyone against each other, and Jack angling for respect. We also learn more about Bonny's backstory. 

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. All the extras are included on the third disc. Those include a making-of featurette that runs about 20 minutes. Four shorter featurettes focus on aspects of the season, such as building the Man 'O War ship set, the new characters introduced this season, the training regimen the actors went through, and a discussion of the real-life history of piracy in the region. The A/V quality is outstanding, and the episodes look and sound excellent in the HD format.

The season starts out a bit slow and intertwines a lot of drama with the action. When the action picks up, especially late in the season, it is jam-packed. The show is still not family-friendly as there is a lot of violence, sexual content, nudity, and swearing. Ultimately, however, if you enjoyed the first season, you will likely enjoy the second season. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 18

Day 18 was the second upper-body workout of week 3. It is a superburnout workout, so you do three regular blocks, each consisting of two exercises, one of which will use the 3x1 tempo, and then a burnout block that includes pushups, and then two band exercises. It is another challenging workout, and I found myself having to do drop sets on a couple of the exercises and modifying others. So, it is another one that, while short, will wear you out by the end. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 17

 Day 17 was the core cardio day for week 3. It has a very similar format to the workouts from weeks 1 and 2. You alternate between a plank (or bear stance) exercise to a core exercise. So, the entire workout is on the floor. You do need light weights for a couple of the core exercises. There are four regular blocks and then a burnout block where you do four of the eight exercises from the regular blocks of work for 45 seconds each with no rest between them. While the workout is hard, I can definitely tell I am getting stronger as I can do more of the plank-based exercises on my toes than I could in weeks 1 and 2. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 16

Day 16 was the first lower-body workout of week 3. It was a super burnout workout, so the burnout was at the end of the workout as a final block. In each block, you did a single exercise for three one-minute-long sets, with a minimal 15 seconds of rest between the sets. This is again a challenging but not impossible workout. It focuses on squats, lunges, and calf raises. The burnout block used bands for front and rear standing leg lifts.

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 15

Day 15 marks the start of week 3 of the program, which brings a new tempo and a slight adjustment to the order of the workouts. Today was an upper-body workout (weeks 1 and 2 started with lower-body on the first day of the week, then upper body on the second day). It was a burnout workout with four blocks. Each block had a weighted exercise, followed by a band or bodyweight burnout move. The first block targets the back, the second biceps, the third chest, and the fourth shoulders. The tempo this week is 3x1, so three counts to raise the weight and one count to lower it. That tempo was used for all the weighted exercises except biceps curls; however, in that block, you perform one-arm biceps curls for two sets (one arm for the first set and the opposite arm for the second set), followed by both arms for the third set. It was another very intense workout, despite its short duration. If you select weight correctly, you will have to drop the weight by the second or third set for most of the weighted exercises, and you will feel a burn even if you are using very light weights. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 14

Day 14 is another flexibility and mobility day in the 25 Minute Speed Train workout. This one has a good selection of stretches that, by the end of the 25 minutes, work your entire body, with a huge focus on hip, glute, hamstring, and lower-back mobility.  

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Cheers: Season 7

 

The 22-episode seventh season of Cheers aired during the 1988/1989 TV season. The beginning of the season was delayed by the 1988 writers' strike, which also resulted in a lower overall number of episodes. All of the main cast members returned as series regulars. Bebe Neuwirth was still a recurring cast member, but she had a larger role and more appearances this season, and continued to steal most of the scenes she appeared in. Jay Thomas also recurred this season as Carla's husband, Eddie, but only made a couple of appearances during the season. There are not as many notable guest stars this season, but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, William Crowe, appeared in episode 17, and Marcia Cross (probably best known for her role on Desperate Housewives in the early 2000s) appeared in episode 21 playing Rebecca's sister, Susan.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. As of this writing, the individual seasons have only been released on DVD. The blu-ray set is only available as a complete series set. As with the previous few seasons, this one does not have any bonus content; however, the episodes can be played with English captions. The show continues to be funny, but some of the comedy is very dated. If it were made today, the character of Sam would probably be written much differently than he was back then, since he is basically a "lovable" pervert who sexually harasses every hot woman he meets. The writers do a good job of balancing the storylines for the large ensemble cast, giving each character at least one episode devoted to them. This season, both Cliff and Woody get love interests, Frasier and Lilith have a significant storyline, and Norm finally finds his calling career-wise. Ultimately, if you liked the prior seasons, you will probably like this one, as long as you are not easily offended by non-politically correct humor. 

Workout Update: 25 Minute Speed Train: Day 13

Day 13 was the total-body workout for the week. It is a bit of a misnomer, since nearly every workout is a total-body workout, as you are always using your core in every routine. But this one does chest, back, arms, and legs (and some core). As Joel explains, the total-body workout is an endurance workout designed to exhaust your body at the end of the week. This accomplishes that. You do not do any of the tempo lifting that you do in the other workouts during the week. It is just time under tension, minute-long sets. There are four blocks in the workout, with each block containing two exercises, and each is a compound exercise that will work multiple body parts at once (e.g., biceps and shoulders). 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Big Bang Theory: Season 12

 

The 24-episode 12th and final season of The Big Bang Theory aired during the 2018/2019 TV season.  It does a good job tying up storylines for most of the characters in a way that gives a "life will go on" feel to it. The major storyline of the season revolves around Sheldon and Amy's research on Super-Asymmetry and the possibility of winning the Nobel Prize in physics. That leads to a few great appearances by Kal Penn and Sean Austin as rivals to Sheldon and Amy. Raj also gets a major love interest story, while the other characters receive mostly one-off story arcs.

The show continues to get a great slate of guest stars. There are some old favorites (Will Wheaton, Christine Baranski, Bob Newhart, etc.) and some new faces, like Kevin Smith and a great cameo by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the series finale. They also figured out a clever way to do a crossover with Young Sheldon via the magic of VHS.

The Blu-ray set is a two-disc set that is almost identical to the prior releases. The 24 episodes are spread out across the two discs, as are the extras.  This season, the bonus content includes a feature on the scholarship fund the show set up for STEM students in the UC system of colleges, a portion of the Comic-Con panel, and several behind-the-scenes features and retrospectives on the show's impact. Much more extras than you get from most shows DVDs or blu-ray releases these days.

By now, pretty much everyone knows what the show is and is not. If you are a fan of the show, then you will likely enjoy this season. If you hated it, then there is nothing about this season that is going to change your mind. The writers do a good job of continuing to develop the characters, even after 12 years, and manage to balance the large ensemble cast well. Yes, the show uses a laugh track as well as genuine reactions from a studio audience, which will turn some people off, but it is pretty standard sitcom fare. It was, after 12 years, definitely getting "long in the tooth" as a show, and I think it was a good time to end it, even though it could have likely gone on for as long as the main actors wanted to return. However, when Jim Parsons indicated, going into the 12th season, that this one would be his last on the show, it was right to end it instead of trying to keep it going without the most popular character, especially with the spinoff series going strong. Ultimately, it is worth the pick-up, especially if you have the prior season releases on the physical discs and worth watching to see how the series wraps up.