Book Review: 11/22/63

 

11/22/63 is a book that is about trying to stop the assassination of JFK. In it, the main character, Jake Epping is told of a portal that can transport the traveler to the past. He learns of the portal from the owner of a diner he frequents who seems to mysteriously age every time Jake sees him. Al, the owner of the diner tells Jake the rules for traveling through the portal, namely that the portal sends the person back to September 9th, 1958 and if the person returns from the past through the portal they come back two minutes in time after they left, with whatever changes made in the past taking hold. Going back through the portal again wipes out anything that was previously changed and returns the person back to September 9th, 1958. Al tells Jake that he was trying to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy, and tries to get Jake to take up the mission. The "main" aspect of the novel is that the past can be changed, but the larger the event someone tries to change, the more the "past" pushes back and tries to prevent the change from happening. As you can expect, Jake does go into the past and tries to figure out how to stop the assassination while also having to live his life in the late 1950s in the south coming from living in Maine in 2011, and dealing with the fact that nearly everything he does, large or small, potentially changes something in the past.

While I would not say I am an aficionado of King's works (I have read a couple of his books and seen some of the movie adaptations of his works) I really liked this book. Even though it is pretty long (over 800 pages) it is a fairly easy read with a reasonable amount of characters in it and good character development. So, I was able to get through it fairly quickly (in about a week and a half) despite the size. The book was based on the premise that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing JFK and did not get into the various conspiracy hypotheses, although in the afterward, King did say that while he does not believe in a massive conspiracy, he does concede the possibility that more people than just Oswald were involved, but he chose to approach the story on the belief that there was none and that Oswald was a lone wolf. I cannot say that everyone who is a fan of King's other works will like this book, and cannot say how similar or different it is from his other novels, but I found the book to be a great read with an engaging story and definitely recommend it.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 64

Day 64 of CE was recharge and abs. Nothing too much to say about either of them. They basically went the same as last week. 

Workout Update" Chalean Extreme Day 63

Day 63 of CE was the Lean Circuit 1 workout again. Honestly, it was just as challenging as it was last week and I was still maxing out on the reps at 10 (most of the time) using relatively light weights (about 15 lbs for most exercises). Being off balance when doing the upper body exercises is very tough and really makes 15 lb seem heavier than it is.  While I still like the Push Circuit workouts more, this is definitely a good workout. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Killing: Season 1

 

The best way I can describe the series The Killing is Twin Peaks without the supernatural elements and quirkiness. The series is the US adaptation of a Danish TV show about the murder of a young girl named Rosie Larsen in Seattle Washington, who is found in the trunk of a car that has been submerged in a lake. The season basically deals with the investigation of her death by homicide detectives Sarah Linden (played by Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (played by Joel Kinnaman). The story has a lot of twists and turns and a ton of different possible suspects. There are a lot of misdirection and plot twists throughout the season, and the investigation is still ongoing as the season ends at the thirteenth episode.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks great in HD, with a lot of good visuals of the Pacific Northwest. The extras include commentary tracks on two episodes, an extended version of the season finale, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a gag reel. So, a decent amount of material for those who like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the season is very good. There is a lot of character development and not too much is revealed too soon. There are intertwining storylines including the investigation, the family reaction to Rosie's death, and the political race for mayor, which may or may not be a factor in Rosie's killing. The series is very well written and acted, and I think the show definitely took a risk (in a good way) basically casting unknown character actors in the main roles. Joel Kinnaman has gone on to have what is probably the most notable career since the series ended appearing in House of Cards and the Suicide Squad movies, but when the series aired both he and Mireille Enos were relatively unknown and definitely did not fit the mold of series leads. I know some people think the series was too slow, but I think the writers made the correct decision to not reveal the killer in the first season, as it probably would have been the death knell for the series since all the plotlines were tied to the murder mystery. It is definitely not family-friendly as there is some sexual content and a lot of swearing. But, if you are looking for a good combination of mystery and drama, this is definitely worth checking out.

DVD/TV Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk Returns/The Trial of The Incredible Hulk

 

This DVD includes the two TV movies that are kind of, a continuation of the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno Incredible Hulk series that ran from 1977-1982, The Incredible Hulk Returns and The Trial of The Incredible Hulk. I say kind of because the movies really abandon the main concept upon which the series was created, namely keeping the Hulk out of the comic book realm, which is definitely not the case with these movies. It is interesting that this is the route that Bixby (who was a producer on both movies and directed The Trial of The Incredible Hulk) decided to take because if you have the DVDs or Blu-Ray set of the TV series and listen to the commentaries by Kenneth Johnson, who created the series, Bixby was dead set against playing a comic book character and only agreed to do the show when he found out that David Banner was going to be a regular guy in the real world that was the victim of an accident and not a superpowered hero. As most fans of the series know, it ended very abruptly, being canceled after just seven episodes into the fifth season, all of which were actually filmed at the end of the fourth season because of a possible strike going into the 1982 production season that could have impacted the show being aired on time. Thus, the series was never given the chance to have a proper ending, and these movies should have seized the opportunity to provide one. Instead, they kind of went off the rails.

The first movie, which was made in 1988, about six years after the TV series ended teams up Hulk and Thor (played by Eric Kramer, who has been a character actor on a ton of shows over the years), but the twist is that Thor is called via the Hammer by a guy that David met a decade earlier. In the second movie, David teams up with Daredevil (played by Rex Smith) to take on Wilson Fisk (played by Johnathan Rhys-Davies). Neither of the movies is all that good, the special effects were atrociously bad (although CGI was still in its infancy at the time, and not something that TV movies really had the budget for). Really the only reason to watch them is to see how they continued the story from the series, which they actually did a bad job at.

The movies would have been much better if they would have actually continued the series and involved Jack Colvin a lot more. He did appear in The Incredible Hulk Returns but was used pretty much in the same way he was in the series ( barely), and the character of McGee was never closer to getting the story. Personally, I think a much better way to do the movies would have been to give the show a proper ending with something like having Jack McGee finally find out that David Banner was alive in the first movie, track him down in the second movie, and then end the series in the third movie. Instead, Colvin never reprised the role of Jack McGee after the first movie.

For those who get the DVD set, it is just the two movies. There are no extras aside from a couple of previews that play after the disc loads. Overall, the movies are pretty cheesy (not as cheesy as some of the tv series episodes, but not far from it). They do feel dated now, and you can definitely tell they were made in the late 1980s. Lou Ferrigno still was in great shape at the time, and still looked the part, although he had aged a lot. He looked much older compared to how he looked in the series, even with the green makeup, than Bixby did. If you were a fan of the series, the movies will give you a bit of nostalgia, but that is about it. You are not missing much at all if you skip them.

DVD/TV Series Review: Covert Affairs: Season 2

 

The second season of Covert Affairs picks up after the events of the season three finale in which Ben, Annie's ex-boyfriend, revealed himself to be alive, and their return from Sri Lanka. Ben disappears again and the season basically picks up with the mission-of-the-week format. The main themes throughout the season is again Annie trying to balance her personal life and spy life, especially keeping her sister from finding out about the latter, and revealing more about what Henry Wilcox is up to.

This season again sees a good cast of recurring stars and guest stars, including Jamie Alexander (from the first couple of Thor movies, Agents of Sheild, and later Blindspot), Oded Fehr (from the Mummy and Resident Evil movies), Ben Lawson, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Gregory Itzin (probably best known for his role on 24), and Santiago Cabrera (probably best known for his role on the BBC series Merlin).

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include deleted scenes, a featurette about the filming locations, a comic-con intro segment with Piper Perabo, and a gag reel. Not a ton of extras, but what is included is fine.

Overall, the series continues to be mostly well-written and well-acted. Some of the plots are formulaic and predictable and sometimes the show throws a good twist in that keeps it from being as predictable. The main cast all do a good job in their role, with Christopher Gorham, Piper Perabo, and Sendhil Ramamurthy all doing a great job as the spy characters and Anne Dudek doing a great job as Annie's out-of-the-loop sister. The show has a good mix of action and drama with a bit of humor thrown in. So, if you are a fan of the spy action genre, and you liked the first season, this is definitely worth watching.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 62

Day 62 of CE was the recharge workout. I had intended to do x-stretch, but I was stuck working until much later than I intended and was not able to get to the workout until later at night, at which point I decided to go with the much shorter recharge workout. I did not do abs since the Lean workouts are so core-focused I felt okay skipping the ab-burner workout for today.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season 1

 

This is, of course, the HBO TV series adaptation of the massively popular set of novels by George R.R. Martin. The best way that I can describe the story is if you take a bit of the Arthurian Legend and mix it with Dungeons and Dragons and Lord of the Rings, you will end up with this. It is set on the massive continent of Westeros which is split into Seven Kingdoms, each ruled by a lord who answers to the King, who sits on the iron throne in Kings Landing. At the beginning of the story, the king is Robert Baratheon played by (Mark Addy). Ultimately, the story is about a threat to the kingdom by a group of undead called the White Walkers who are outside a huge wall that guards the seven kingdoms and is manned by the Night's Watch which is basically made up of criminals and non-nobles who are forced into indentured servitude, and a fight to rule the Seven Kingdoms by many different people who claim rightful title to the throne, including the family that was deposed from the throne and exiled from Westeros, the Targaryens.

The show has a very large ensemble cast (that is actually quite pared down from the number of characters in the books). Some of the actors were fairly well known before the series, such as Sean Bean, Ian Glen, and Lena Heady, and others such as Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Kit Harrington, Peter Dinklage, Maise Williams, and Jason Momoa would become stars, because of the series. Some of the actors such as Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Aidan Gillen, and Liam Cunningham were recognizable but not exactly well-known before the series.

The first season basically follows the story of the first novel, with Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell in the Northern region of Westeros being asked by the King to be the "King's Hand" which he agrees to mainly so that he can investigate the death of his mentor. The first season teases a coming war and has a lot of twists and turns packed into the relatively small amount of episodes. It is hard to go into much detail without giving away too much for the few who are reading this who have not seen it yet, but Martin is not shy about killing off characters, so you can be assured that not everyone makes it out alive.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great in HD. There are a ton of extras including commentary tracks on seven of the ten episodes that feature various members of the cast and crew. There are also in-episode guides that pop up information about the show as you watch, a Complete Guide to Westeros that breaks down the family histories of the various ruling families, character profiles, a thirty-minute making-of documentary, a feature about adapting the book to the screen, a feature on the Night's Watch, a feature on the main title sequence, creating the Dothraki language, and an Anatomy of an Episode feature that you can play when watching the episode "A Golden Crown". So, there is a ton there if you like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the show is wonderful. It is well-written and very well acted. It is definitely an adult show as there is a lot of swearing and a ton of sexual content and nudity that leaves little to the imagination. So, if that would bug you, then you definitely will want to skip this. But, if you are into shows that have a medieval setting with a healthy mix of fantasy elements like magic and dragons, then this is definitely worth watching.

Study Aid Review: The Ultimate Physics 2 Tutor Volume 1: Thermodynamics

 

This set is honestly, probably a bit overkill for the amount of Thermodynamics you are likely to be exposed to in Physics. Most physics curriculums tackle Thermo for a couple of weeks (at most) either at the very end of the first semester or the very beginning of the second semester. This will give you all the theory behind the concepts of Thermo and the equations that you will need in Physics. But, Thermo also comes up in the first year of Chemistry (at least part of which any engineering major will need to take) and is offered as a stand-alone engineering class that will either be required or an elective, depending on what area of engineering you are studying. While the examples that Jason goes over on this set are not exactly like the problems you would see in an engineering Thermodynamics class, the theory is the same, and will definitely help you.

The set is divided into three discs, each of which has several lessons/sections.

Disc One Contains:
Section 1: Thermometers and Temperature Scales
Section 2: Expansion and Contraction of Solids and Liquids
Section 3: Kinetic Theory of Gases

Disc 2 Contains:
Section 4: Heat
Section 5: Latent Heat and Phase Change
Section 6: Heat Transfer by Convection, Radiation, and Conduction
Section 7: Work, Heat, and PV Diagrams

And Disc 3 Contains:
Section 8: The First Law of Thermodynamics
Section 9: Heat Engines and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Section 10: Refrigerators
Section 11: Entropy

For me, the section on PV diagrams was very helpful, and it is probably the lesson that helped me the most in my engineering Thermodynamics class. We did not really discuss them much in physics but used them all the time in the engineering class. Like Jason's other sets, he breaks down each topic providing enough theory to make the topic understandable without getting bogged down in the minutia. Then he goes through examples to help solidify the topics. It is just him standing in front of a whiteboard giving a simulated lecture, however, and not everyone's style of learning is conducive to that. But, if yours is, this is a great set that will be helpful beyond just a physics class.

Study Aid Review: How to Solve Physics Problems

 

This is a decent book to help you learn the concepts of physics and give you some exposure to the theory. It does have some helpful information at the beginning of the book about how to approach class, how to test yourself to determine if you are learning the concepts, etc. The two main drawbacks are that it does have a bunch of typos. I have not come across anything that made what it was trying to say incomprehensible, and I did not notice errors in the worked-out solutions (but I did not go through them all). Second, like most physics supplements, even though it does discuss some calculus concepts, it does not have examples of what I would describe as multi-part or compound problems that you often get in calculus-based physics classes.

A lot of times, the calculus in calc-based physics is used in lectures to derive the formulas, but when you have exams, you do not have to actually use much calculus. So, teachers tend to make the problems harder than what students in an algebra-based physics class will have to deal with, and one way they do that is to break the problems into a bunch of parts and make you solve for five or six different things. And, a lot of times you have to use the solution to one thing to calculate something else. For example, you will be required to solve for time, then use the value that you calculate for time to then calculate the initial velocity, and once you have that, you can solve for something else. Problems that just ask you to (or show you how to) solve for just one thing are helpful to an extent but are not nearly as complex as what you are likely to see on an exam.

Another drawback to the book is that the drawings are really very basic. That was probably a decision to save money, and while you can still figure out what they are showing, they could have been a lot better. So, overall, this will be a good resource, to a point, but if you are taking calc-based physics (or AP physics in high school) it may not be enough.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 61

Day 61 of CE was the Burn it Off workout. I did it a bit later in the day than I would have liked, but I managed to get it done and get through it. It is honestly not my favorite cardio workout (aside from the fact that it is a bit shorter), but I much prefer P90X's plyometrics workout to this one. 

Study Aid Review: The Unit Conversion Tutor - 4 Hour Course

 

This is, in my opinion, one of the most important sets that Jason has put out, and one of the most important topics to learn if you plan on getting a science or engineering degree. Unit conversion/Dimensional Analysis is something that you will absolutely use in classes like chemistry, physics, and nearly every engineering class you take. In some classes, it is used more than others, but it is something that you will see all throughout your studies. In most chemistry and physics books, the very first chapter is devoted to the concept, but very few teachers ever lecture on that chapter or assign problems from it. Instead, students are expected to figure it out and be able to follow what the teacher is doing when going through example problems that require converting units. The problem is that the chapters in the books tend to make things way more complicated than they need to be and discuss the most obscure units that you will never see in a "real" problem. This is where Jason's set is extremely helpful and useful.

Jason starts out discussing Scientific Notation, then gets into the Metric System and SI Units, which is the foundational system of units that will be used in every single class. Then the lessons go into, Unit Conversions Involving Length, Unit Conversions Involving Area, Unit Conversions Involving Volume, Unit Conversions Involving Speed, and Unit Conversions Involving Mass and Weight. All of those will be essential to solving physics problems and the last topic is also used extensively in chemistry. The final lesson is on Unit Conversions Involving Density, which is mostly used in chemistry, but will come up in physics and classes like engineering thermodynamics as well.

The reason I say that this is one of the most important topics is that if you know how to do it well, you will reduce the number of mistakes that you make on homework problems, quizzes, and exams, and it will always lead you to the correct answer because your answer always has to be in the correct units by the end of the problem. If you do the unit conversions first, you will save yourself a lot of time when working out problems and it will be a lot easier to figure out if you have made a mistake and find the mistake. So, this is a topic that is essential to learn well and be able to do quickly. Nothing that Jason shows here is extremely complex, but it is very helpful. I definitely recommend getting this if you want to learn any branch of science or engineering.

Study Aid Review: Homework Helpers: Physics, Revised Edition

 

This is a great guide for a high-school, non-AP physics class, or an algebra-based physics class at the college level. It contains the material that you will see in the first two semesters of physics (Newtonian motion and mechanics, electricity and magnetism, waves and light, optics, thermodynamics, and nuclear physics (which sometimes gets introduced in the second semester, and sometimes it is left for the more advanced classes)). It does not cover subjects like quantum physics or relativity, or the other material you would see in a Modern Physics class to any great extent.
The introductory chapter discusses topics like unit conversion, symbols, sign conventions, and the basics of algebra and trigonometry that you will need to know. The rest of the chapters are broken into lessons that introduce the theory behind each topic, give examples, and then provide a short problem set at the end. Then, at the end of each chapter, there is a chapter test that has problem types from each lesson, and an answer key to the problems in the chapter. The answer key does not work out the problems, just allows you to check your work. So, it does not spoonfeed you everything and makes you learn the material. The examples in the chapters are fully worked out, and the problems in the problem sets are representative of the example problems.

One thing I love about the approach is that the book stresses solving the problems symbolically first, and then plugging the values in at the end. Far too many people tend to plug the numbers in as they go, which provides many more opportunities for making math mistakes. Now, most physics teachers do not kill you for math mistakes, but some do. If you solve the problems symbolically first, you show your teacher that you actually understand the problem and how to solve it, and if you screw up on the math at the very end, you will get the vast majority of the points. It also provides a good template for how to set up your answer by labeling what is given and what you are trying to find, which shows that you can interpret what the question is asking for correctly.

If there is one drawback to this guide is that it does not have a lot of multi-step problems. Meaning problems where you have to calculate one parameter (like time) using one formula and then take that result and plug it into a different formula to solve for a different parameter (like distance or velocity). Those kinds of problems are almost exclusively what you will get on calculus-based physics exams because they are more complex than problems that amount to just "plug and chug" where you are given all the information you need to solve the problem upfront. But, because this is geared for the "easier" problem types, just know that if you are going to be taking calc-based physics the examples and the problems you get in this guide are going to be similar to your easiest homework problems, and will not be anywhere near as complex as the hardest homework problems or any exam problems you will have. But, even if you are going to be taking calc-based physics, this can be used to learn the theory (especially if you cannot easily follow the textbook or your teacher is not a good lecturer) and provide you with basic examples from which to build from. So, I highly recommend this regardless of what level of physics you are taking.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 61

Day 61 of CE is the first Push Circuit 3 workout. It is another workout full of compound moves, and every move has a breakdown set. The upper-body moves are either some variation of a shoulder press or a chest fly (or push-ups). The lower body moves are either squats, lunges, or deadlifts. It is another very challenging workout, especially if doing shoulder presses with even moderately heavy weights is tough for you. Shoulders are definitely not my favorite body part to work, so Push 2 and 3 are a bear for me to get through.

Book/Study Aid Review: Student Solutions Manual for Blanchard/Devaney/Hall's Differential Equations, 4th

This is actually one of the better solution manuals I used when I was taking math. It is light on explanation, but that is really what the book is for. The book was not the best written and did not always make for the easiest read, but between the book and class lecture, I could figure it out. This has the solutions to the odd-numbered problems from the book. One of the reviews complains that it does not have the solutions to the even problems, but every student solution manual has just the odd problems worked out. Only the instructor's solution manuals have all the problems worked out, and those are very hard to track down (obviously). Generally, if you can work the odd problems you can figure out how to do the even problems.

What makes this better than some of the other solution manuals is that it has solutions for the vast majority, if not all, of the odd problems. I have used other student solution manuals that only have some of the odd problems worked out, and that is a pain. And, of the problems that I used this to check my work (my instructor assigned some problems from the book and made up others of his own), I did not notice any errors, so the editors did a good job. So, overall, it was a good investment.

 

Product Review: Shark VacMop Multi-Surface Cleaner

 

This is for use in the shark vacmops, although I am sure it could be used in any robotic mop that allows for using more than just water. I use it on vinyl plank flooring on my main floor (which is waterproof and pretty much indestructible) and it works great on that kind of flooring. It claims to be multi-surface, so you should be able to use it on any hard surface, but I do know that they have a separate product that is specifically for hardwood floors. The scent is very nice, subtle, and not overpowering. And, it dries fairly quickly. It is reasonably priced, and lasts a long time, as long as you do not have to mop every day.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Chuck: The Complete Fifth and Final Season

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season four, but no major giveaways from the final season.+++

The fifth season of Chuck is another partial season, that was basically given to wrap up the series and provide the fans with a proper ending. It starts out with a short time jump from the end of season four with Chuck and Sarah married and having used the billion-dollar gift to rebuild the base under the Buy More and start Carmichael Industries. Morgan has the new intersect and is brought along on missions, but left in the car, much to his disappointment. The overarching story arc throughout the season is that everything from season one on has been manipulated as part of a larger conspiracy that the team has to try and unravel. The supporting cast is not used as extensively this year as it was in prior seasons, likely due to budget cuts, but there are some great Jeffster moments, the highlight of which is Jeff getting clean and basically figuring everything out. There are a bunch of great guest stars this season including Mark Hamill, Brandon Routh, Carrie-Anne Moss, Angus Macfadyen, Linda Hamilton, and Bo Derek, playing herself in a great episode.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the show looks and sounds great in HD, as it always has. The extras include commentary tracks on the final two episodes, a feature on making the final episode, a tribute to the fans of the show who were basically the reason it kept going as long as it did, a feature on the music of the show, and a few features on the beginning of the show, the evolution of the show, and predictions from the cast and crew about where the characters would end up in the future. There are also deleted scenes, a gag reel, and full versions of the Buy More commercials. So, a lot of extras for those who like them.

Overall, the season was bittersweet. It did give the fans a proper ending that the season four finale did not provide. It was not necessarily a happily ever after ending for the show and definitely left some things unresolved, but I think the show did a nice job taking a risk by not giving an ending that tied up every single thing and had all of the characters in a perfect place at the end. There were some very good episodes and some clunkers in the season, but like the series as a whole, the season was good overall and ended the series at the right time.

Book/Study Guide Review: The Physics Problem Solver

 

The REA problem-solvers guides give you a lot of example problems on all of the major topics you will come across in the first year of physics. It does cover some of the more advanced material that you would come across in a Modern Physics class including Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, but I just took the first two semesters of physics which covers Newtonian Mechanics, Optics, Waves, Electricity, Magnetism, and Thermodynamics. The book definitely has a lot of examples covering those subjects, but I am not sure how extensive it gets into the higher-level concepts.

The guide does lay out some of the theory, but it generally confines that to a few pages and then gets into the example problems. It works out the examples in a lot of detail, and it gives you strategies for how to solve the various problem types. The two cons that I noticed when using this is that the diagrams are pretty basic. It definitely does not give the kind of higher-quality drawings that the textbooks will give you, but they do provide you with enough detail on how to attack the problem. Second, the solutions do, at times, skip steps. Usually, they are things that you should know how to do by the time you are taking physics, but sometimes it can be hard to figure out how they got from one point to the next. The guide also has a wide range of problem types, both the "easier" problems that you will get in algebra-based physics and the more complex problems that you get in calculus-based physics. And, it does go over calculus concepts like the dot product and cross product that you will need to solve some problems that actually use calculus. So, it will be helpful no matter what version of physics you are taking.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 60

Day 60 of CE was the burn intervals workout. I actually found that I had more stamina during the workout today than I have had this entire round of CE and was able to jump a bit more than I had when doing the workout previously. Definitely a good sign.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Bridesmaids

 

Bridesmaids was a comedy written by SNL alum Kristen Wig, who plays Annie a woman in her 30s going through a typical mid-life crisis. She agrees to be the Maid of Honor at her best friend Lillian's (Maya Rudolph) wedding. She then has to plan festivities and get the other bridesmaids (played by Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Ellie Kemper) to the wedding and pull off everything without a hitch. Of course, there are a ton of hitches that come up along the way. The movie is really a spoof on the craziness of wedding planning, wedding events, the whole Bridezilla phenomenon, and more. The movie does have a lot of gross-out jokes and more raunchy comedy, especially involving Melissa McCarthy, who steals pretty much every scene she is in, but it is really meant to be a tongue-in-cheek comedy that makes fun of weddings, not to be taken seriously.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, you get both the theatrical and extended (unrated) versions of the movie. The extended edition adds about five minutes to the run time, and really nothing that changes the movie or really makes it better. The extras include a commentary track with director Paul Feig and many of the cast members and writers, then there is a half-hour long behind the scenes documentary, deleted and extended/alternate scenes that run for almost an hour, a short gag reel, and then some in-character featurettes that basically have the actors riffing or improvising during different scenes (some of which were scenes that made the movie and others were not).

Overall, the movie is very good. It definitely has some of the raunchy and adult comedy that the Apatow universe of movies are known for (he was a producer on this movie), so it is not something I would call family-friendly by any means. It is almost a female version of The Hangover, although not as good as the original Hangover movie. As you can see from the widely varied reviews, not everyone will like it, but if you are looking for a more adult comedy this is definitely worth checking out. Personally, if you are on the fence about whether it is something you would like, I would try to stream it before shelling out for the physical discs. But, if you know you love the movie and like going through bonus material (or just prefer physical media to streaming) this is definitely worth the pickup.

Welcome

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

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

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

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 59

Day 59 of CE was the first go around with Push Circuit 2. It is a very hard circuit working the shoulders for the upper body moves, and again doing a lot of leg lifts, and squats at the same time to work the lower body. Again, every move in the circuit has a breakdown set. Sometimes the breakdown set is whatever shoulder exercise you are doing, sometimes it is the lower-body exercise, and in one instance it is a set of three push-ups.  Doing the shoulder exercises while balancing on one leg is very hard, even if you are using very light weights, and there were a couple of exercises in which I actually had to use less weight than I originally planned on because it was just too hard to lift and keep my balance. So, it is a good, but very challenging workout. 

Book Review: The Kremlin's Candidate

 

This is the final novel in the Red Sparrow series of spy novels involving the Russian double agent Dominika Egorova. There is a time jump from the end of the second novel, and now Dominika is in the running to become the new head of the SVR. This means she will have unparalleled access to information to feed to the Americans, but it also puts her in more danger as it becomes much harder for her to pass the information along to the CIA. The main plot of the novel is that there is a Russian mole, code-named Magnit, who is in line to become the new director of the CIA after the death of the current director. Of course, if the mole becomes the director, Dominika's identity immediately becomes known to the Russians and she would be sent off to a Gulag and killed. So, there is a race to uncover the identity of the mole and prevent the mole from being confirmed as director, and it, of course, includes the usual spy thriller twists and turns with nearly every main character in danger at some point.

The book clocks in at about 430 pages. It is not an extremely fast read (it took me 21 days to get through it, and I am a fairly quick reader), but how quickly you can get through it really depends on how much time you can devote to reading it. The chapters are fairly short, anywhere from five to ten pages on average, so there are plenty of natural stopping points if you read just an hour or two at a time. There are a few new characters in the book, but the focus is mostly on the established characters, especially Dominika and Nate, and Putin plays a very large role in this novel, much moreso than he did in the prior two. The ending does leave open the possibility of additional stories, but the tone would definitely be changed somewhat because the characters definitely end up in a very different place from where they started. Chances are, it will be the end of the story, however, especially since the Red Sparrow movie pretty much flopped and there is not any pressure to keep a movie franchise alive. If you liked the prior novels, this is definitely worth reading.

DVD/Movie Review: Clueless (Whatever! Edition)

 

Clueless is the iconic mid-90s coming of age movie starring Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, and Paul Rudd (in one of his first roles), and sporting a supporting cast of Breckin Meyer, Donald Faison, Wallace Shawn, Dan Hedaya, and Stacey Dash. It is loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma, and directed by Amy Heckerling who also directed the 1980s coming of age classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

The movie is basically set around the life of pampered rich girl Cher (played by Silvertone) who can argue anything to get what she wants, as taught to her by her lawyer father (played by Hedaya). In her high school, she is the leader of a group of girls just as vain and clueless as she is, including her best friend Dionne (played by Dash). Brittany Murphy plays Tai, a new student at the school whom Cher takes on as her charity case to make her over into one of the groups. When Tai's personality changes Cher then sees firsthand how she treats people and ultimately learns to grow up. The other big plot revolves around Cher's love life. She tries to make out with her school crush and is surprisingly rebuffed, and then falls for Rudd's character, which is a bit creepy given that he is her stepbrother.

For those who get the Whatever! edition of the DVD, the extras include the trailers, a bunch of behind-the-scenes featurettes (seven in all ranging from about three minutes to almost twenty minutes), and then a bunch of previews for other movies. So, if you like bonus material, you get a good amount here.

Overall, the movie is a classic. It is very funny and has some dramatic moments. Yes, the thought of Cher and Josh becoming a thing is a bit creepy and is probably not something that would be added to the storyline if it was made today, but it was not the focus of the movie by any means. Of course, the various actors have gone on to have wildly varied careers since Clueless with Silverstone basically having retired from acting, Rudd making blockbuster movies (and hardly aging), and Murphy having tragically passed away after her career hitting a bit of a slump. It would be nice if they make a 20th-anniversary Blu-Ray within the next couple of years and get the cast together to do a commentary track and new cast interviews. Who knows whether that will actually happen, but for now, this is a great version of the movie (there is a Blu-Ray upgrade of this set floating around out there), and it is definitely worth watching.

DVD/Movie Review: Dirty Love

 

Dirty love is an early 2000s movie that starred and was written by Jenny McCarthy. She was not quite at the height of her fame (when she was Playmate of the Year and then in her MTV days), but she was not far removed from it. It is basically a comedy about a hot girl getting dumped, doing a bunch of stupid stuff, and then ending up with the geeky guy who really loves her (played by American Pie's Eddie Kaye Thomas).

I would not really classify it as a romantic comedy, more just a straight-up comedy. And, anyone who is familiar with McCarthy's brand of comedy knows that it is raunchy. While there is some sex (more discussion than actual depiction) there are some boob shots from McCarthy, who has never been shy about taking off her clothes. But, they are fairly quick and it is not anything all that explicit.

For those who get the DVDs, the extras include a commentary track by McCarthy and the director John Asher (whom McCarthy was engaged to at the time the movie was made), some behind-the-scenes clips, and cast interviews. Nothing spectacular, but they're for people who want to go through the bonus material

Overall, the movie pretty much stays in its lane and does not try to take itself too seriously. No, it is not an award winner by any stretch, but it does not pretend to be. It is just kind of a dumb, fun movie with MaCarthy poking fun at herself, and her and Carmen Electra looking good. If you expect anything more than that you will definitely be disappointed. But, if you take it for what it is, a dumb movie that has some funny moments, then you may enjoy it.