Product Review: Air Fryer Disposable Paper Liners Square

 

As anyone who owns one of the air fryers (or the combination machines), they can get messy depending on what you are making in them. I have the original Ninja foodie combination grill, air-fryer, oven, etc, and tend to use the air fryer function the most. Depending on what I am making, it can collect a lot of grease in the bottom, even when air frying, so I got these to make clean-up a bit easier. Basically, you let the unit pre-heat like normal, then you put this in the basket and put your food in. They are not really sturdy enough to put the food in first and then put the combination of the food and the liner into the machine without risking spilling. It will definitely work better for larger items like chicken breasts, or a bunch of fries that can be pretty evenly distributed throughout the liner. This will help to keep the liner held down and not curl up during the cooking process. Things like meatballs, however, if you are just doing a few of them, will not hold the liner down well and the sides will curl up as it gets hot, which makes it a bit harder to get the food out at the end. You do have to be a bit careful taking the liners out so you do not spill any grease that has collected as you bring it to the trash can, but overall, they do work and definitely help keep your machine cleaner so you do not have to wash it as much.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Penny Dreadful: Season 1

 

The eight-episode first season of Penny Dreadful aired during the spring and summer of 2014. It was a horror series that aired on Showtime and starred Eva Green, Timothy Dalton, Josh Hartnett, Harry Treadaway, and Reeve Carney. It is set in England in the late 1800s is based on the old vampire, Frankenstein, and Dorian Gray stories. There are actually several different story arcs that are mostly independent of one another (especially in the first season) and then intertwine at points. The main storyline involves Dutton, Green, and Hartnett's characters. Dalton plays Malcolm Murray, a British explorer whose daughter, Mina, has been abducted. He enlists the help of Ethan Chandler (Hartnett), who is an American with great marksmanship and, along with Mina's best friend Vanessa Ives (Green), tries to find Mina to bring her home. They also enlist the help of a young Dr. Frankenstein (played by Treadaway), who, quite separately from the plot to find Mina, has created a literal monster (played by Rory Kinnear). Dorian Gray (Carney) basically seduces a bunch of people and sets his sights on Vanessa.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The series looks and sounds great on Blu-Ray. The show uses a lot of practical effects, but there is some CGI, and everything blends seamlessly. The show uses a lot of shadow and darkness, which can border on being a bit too dark, but other than that, the A/V quality is fine. For extras, there are several short behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes that total about twenty minutes, give or take, in length altogether. They are all separate, however, range from about a minute and a half in length to just over three minutes and cannot be played all at once. Then there are two episodes from the Showtime series Ray Donovan.

Overall, the show is very good. It uses a lot of characters from old horror stories like Van Helsing, Dracula, Frankenstein, and more and weaves them into the story. The series is very well written and acted, with Green, who has a pretty incredible acting range, doing much of the heavy lifting. She can go from classic, gorgeous Victorian upper-class to raving psychotic with ease, and throughout the series, she does both. There is a lot of violence as well as sex and nudity in the show. So, it is definitely not family-friendly. But, if you are looking for something that is a good blend of horror and drama with a lot of the classic horror story characters, this is a great one.

DVD/TV Series Review: Northern Exposure: Season 6

 

The 23-episode 6th and final season of Nothern Exposure aired during the 1994-1995 TV season. My feelings toward this season are mixed. It has some excellent episodes, including the wonderful season premiere in which Joel, after ingesting some concoction of Ed's when he is sick, dreams of an alternate reality in which he is a practicing doctor in NY, married to Shelly (who is a corporate lawyer) and everyone in the show has a role that is pretty much the opposite of their regular character. But it is also the season in which Rob Morrow's contract battle comes to a head, and he ends up leaving the show midway through the season (in another great episode). The showrunners, hoping to save the show, introduce a new doctor into the series, Phillip Capra (played by Paul Provenza), and his journalist wife, Michelle (played by Teri Polo), who move the Cicely from Los Angeles. At first, they are excited to be there, and then the writers start bouncing their story around so they love Alaska in one episode, hate it in the next, and the whole thing does not work. Rob Morrow did stick around for 15 episodes, with a much-reduced role in which his character moved to the wilderness to live with one of the tribes on a remote island. His last episode, entitled "The Quest," sees him and Maggie trek through the wilderness, looking for a magical city of the north. That episode would also mark the final appearance of Adam (Adam Arkin), the wacky, acerbic chef who has been a recurring character throughout the season.

In the final few episodes, the writers were just throwing things against the wall to see what would stick, including trying a totally out-of-the-blue romance between Maggie and Chris. Ultimately, the ratings got so bad that the show was canceled. It did have a series finale that, for the most part, felt like just another episode until the final scenes, over which the song "Our Town" (which, thankfully, Universal paid for the rights to) put a bow on the series.

The DVD set is a five-disc set. If you get the US DVD set, the only extras are deleted scenes for most of the episodes. Of course, the issue with the music in the US releases remains, with some, but not all, of the original songs from the show being replaced with canned instrumental music. As I said above, thankfully, the final song to appear in the show, Our Town, was used because the ending montage would not have worked nearly as well without it.

Overall, the final season was uneven, to say the least. The show definitely lost a lot with Rob Morrow's departure, and without him, the show could not have recaptured the fish-out-of-water aspect that made the show so good in the beginning. Unlike the show ER, which survived multiple cast members leaving and could plug new characters in for those who left, I equate Morrow's leaving akin to what would have happened if Alan Alda had left MASH. He was clearly the main character, and the show could not survive without him even though the other actors did a great job in their roles. Unfortunately, the show just petered out at the end and never got a great send-off.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 69

Day 69 was the sculpt 3-4 workout again. I was able to increase the weight on just a couple of the exercises from the last workout on Thursday and did hit the 10 rep max on a couple more tonight. My back was a bit sore this evening so I did dial things back a little, especially when using the heaviest weights. But, I got through it and am looking forward to the Recharge workout tomorrow.

Supplement Review: Nature Made Extra Strength Magnesium Oxide 400 mg,

 

I got these for my mom because she has to supplement with Magnesium. The pills she was taking were not coated and were quite small and would often get stuck in her throat going down and she would have to drink a ton of water to dissolve them and/or get them down. These are coated, which definitely makes swallowing easier, however, they are huge, about 2.5 times the size of tablets that were exactly the same dose. If these were small and coated they would be perfect, but there is a tradeoff...the coating makes them easier to swallow than the tablets, but they would be even easier to swallow if they were even a bit smaller.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Justified: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from the prior season+++

The fifth season of Justified introduces more of the Crowe family with Darryl (played by Michael Rapaport), who has a history in Florida with Raylan, coming to Kentucky after he learns that Dewey won a $300,000 lawsuit after suing the Marshal's office for police brutality. Daryl ends up taking over the businesses that Dewey bought with his money and basically becomes the season's big bad, along with his sister, Wendy (played by Alicia Witt). Boyd is working to get Ava out of prison while also working with Wynn Duffy (Played by Jere Burns) to control the Oxycotin market in Harlan County. This season also introduces a new love interest for Raylan, a social worker played by Amy Smart, and has an expanded storyline for Art. Unfortunately, the roles of Tim (Jacob Pitts) and Rachel (Erica Tazel) take a major backseat.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show again looks and sounds great in HD. There are a bunch of extras spread across the three discs, including commentary tracks on selected episodes, deleted scenes, and a bunch of making-of featurettes that range in length from a couple of minutes to almost forty minutes. So, a lot of good material if you like the bonus features.

Overall, the series continues to be very strong. It is very well-written and acted, with Olyphant and Goggins doing the heavy lifting, but all the actors doing a great job regardless of how big or small their roles are. The series has a great slate of recurring and guest stars including Danielle Panabaker, Sam Anderson, Mary Steenburgen, Stephen Root, and Adam Arkin (to name just some). As has been the case in prior seasons, there is quite a bit of violence and sexual content in the show, and it can push the boundaries of what can be shown on basic cable. If that does not bother you, however, it is well worth watching.

Product Review: Champion Jacket Mens Big and Tall Hoodie Anorak Windbreaker Jacket for Men

 

This is a pretty standard windbreaker. It is rain-resistant (to an extent) and has a hood which is nice. What knocks it down a star for me is that, while it does have zippered side pockets. It does have a large front pouch-like pocket (that extends all the way across the belly) that does not zip and it does have a hiddle zippered front pocket between the chest and belly. Given that you have to pull it over your head to get it on or off (the front zipper only goes partway down the jacket so you can get your head in), there is a risk of things falling out the sides of the pouch-like pocket. Thankfully, that pocket is pretty deep so as long as you are careful taking it off you won't end up with everything falling out of the pocket. But, since it has the zippered hidden pocket in front anyway, I think it would have been better if they had just gone with "regular" side pockets that can zip up to hold things like keys.

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

 

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

Nikita's six-episode fourth and final season aired in the winter of 2013. It was always a bubble show on the CW, but thankfully, it was given a very short final season to wrap up the remaining storylines. The story picks up three months after the events that ended season three, with Nikita on the run after being framed for killing the President. She returns to the United States in an attempt to clear her name and faces multiple setups by Amanda to deepen the frame. Ultimately, the episodes amount to Nikita versus Amanda and the effort to bring Amanda to justice. I will not spoil anything, but the show wraps up the lingering storylines and provides the fans a glimpse at how life turns out for the various characters.

The Blu-Ray is a single-disc set that is basically a MOD disc. There are no commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes material, or the like. The show packs a lot into the six episodes to tie everything up. That is a blessing and a curse because there is no filler, but the plotlines seem rushed. The Blu-Ray is very expensive to get six episodes and no extras, so the only reason to get it versus streaming the show is to keep a physical disc collection complete. The show looks and sounds great in HD, but you are paying for a full-season release and getting less than half a season's episodes and no bonus content. But, it is good that the show did not end on the season three cliffhanger and was allowed to wrap everything up.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 68

Day 68 was the cardio and abs workouts again. Today was a struggle as I did not have a ton of energy at all. I think because I did not sleep all that well the past couple of nights. But, I pushed through as hard as I could and did make it to the end. I just had to chalk it up to not being my best workout. 

Product Review: GUM - 516VP Technique Sensitive Care Toothbrush with Quad-Grip Handle, Full Ultra Soft Bristles, Twin Pack

 

This is a good toothbrush that does a great job reaching all teeth, even the back ones, and has very soft bristles, which is great if you have sensitive teeth or gums. And, the price is better than what you will find in a lot of physical stores. Plus, it is available as a subscribe and save item so you do not have to remember to replace them. I definitely recommend this.

DVD/TV Series Review: Northern Exposure: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this will contain a minor spoiler from season four, but no major season five giveaways+++

The 24-episode fifth season of Northern Exposure aired during the 1993-1994 TV season. It is a double-edged sword for me. There are some excellent episodes in it, but you can also tell that this was the point at which Rob Morrow's contract situation came to a head without either side willing to budge, and, as a result, his role was reduced even more than it was in Season 4. There are some episodes in which Joel is an ancillary character or barely appears. That is fine for an episode or two, but it happened often during this season. That said, there are some excellent episodes in the season, including the episode in which Shelly hallucinates her daughter at various stages of her life (which includes a very young Kaley Cuoco), an episode in which Maggie agrees to be homecoming queen for the local high school (which includes a young Jack Black), and an episode in which the residents of the town have dreams about one another.

The only bonus content in the DVD set is under 40 minutes of deleted scenes. There are no gag reels, commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes material, or the like. And, of course, there is the issue with the music. As with the DVD releases after season 2, Universal did not pay for the rights to some of the songs that played when the show originally aired, opting instead to replace the songs with canned instrumental music. In some cases, the replacement music did not matter (aside from being annoying). Still, in the cases in which the songs selected for the episodes are directly tied into the storyline of the episodes, it definitely takes something away. The only way to get the episodes with the original music is to pay for the imports (such as the Region 2 Blu-Ray complete series) because the show was released with the original music in Europe. This means you need a DVD or Blu-Ray player that can play Region 2 discs and will pay higher prices for the discs themselves.

Overall, the season is good, but not as good as in the first few seasons. This is largely because Rob Morrow, who was clearly the series lead, had a much-reduced role as the season went on. It did not seem like he was phoning his performances in or not doing a good job with the character because when he was on screen, his performance was as good as in the prior seasons, but the show without him was just not the same. That said, the season is still worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: Arrested Development: Season 4

 

The first three seasons of Arrested Development which aired on Fox were comedy gold. Those seasons made the show one of the best comedies ever. Season four was a revival of the series that aired on Netflix. In some ways, it extended the original story and in some ways, it told a new story, and it is hard to tell which of those the writers wanted to do. What also complicated the season is that the story was told out of order. Basically, each episode was devoted to a specific character to bring you up to speed on what happened to that character from the time the original show ended up to the present. And essentially you would see one character's version of events in one episode and another character's version of events in a different episode. So, jokes would be set up in one episode and paid off one or two episodes down the line. Once we get caught up with each character, then the remaining episodes are devoted to just a couple of storylines that bring every character together.

The main story involves the lead-up to Newport Beach's Cinco de Cuatro and the events that lead each of the characters there. The jokes are updated to the present day to include references to building a wall (which goes about as well as it did in real life) and spoofing the superhero movie craze. Of course, Ron Howard's great narration is also included. All of the main cast members return to the show, and several of the recurring cast members from the show's original run, including Henry Winkler, Ed Beagly Jr., Judy Greer, and Liza Minnelli (among others), and new guest stars including Isla Fisher, John Krasinski, and Seth Rogen make appearances during the season.

The DVD set has just the episodes. No extras (which is definitely disappointing). Overall, the season gets shit on a lot, but I think that is unfair. It had a lot of funny moments, but they were definitely more spaced apart than they were during the original run of the series when I found myself laughing pretty much the entire half hour during every episode. I think they would have been better off just doing a time jump and writing the series more like how the original episodes were written. And, I think they should have used the fact that they could actually swear on Netflix instead of bleeping out the swear words like they did when the show was on Fox. That said, it is still worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: Covert Affairs: Season 4

 

+++Warning, this contains minor season three spoilers, but no major season four spoilers+++

The fourth season picks up with the aftermath of the kiss between Auggie and Annie that ended season three, with the two of them officially in a relationship that they still have not disclosed to Arthur. That thread does ripple throughout the season, especially toward the end. There are two other major storylines during the season. The first is a scandal involving Arthur, and the second is a wrap-up to the Henry Wilcox storyline that has persisted from season one. Those two story arcs are actually heavily intertwined as Henry (Gregory Itzin) is heavily involved in both. Itzin plays scummy characters very well, as he showed on 24, and he does a great job this season.

The DVD extras are pretty sparse this season. There is an Auggie character featurette, a short reel, deleted scenes, a "Covert Affairs Prequel", and an "action reel". Definitely not as much as what was included in the DVD releases for the earlier seasons.

Overall, the season is good. It does take on a darker tone this year, which helps keep it fresh. I do think that the show misses something by removing the dynamic between Annie and her sister with Anne Dudek having left the show after finding out about Annie's real job. I think that relationship should have expanded as opposed to contracted in the show and would have made for some good side stories. But, it continues to be well written and acted, with Piper Perabo really growing into the role as the series lead.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 67

Day 67 was the sculpt workout again. This one pretty much went exactly like Tuesday's workout, using the same weights for most of the exercises, and bumping up the weight on a couple of them. I was able to hit the ten rep max on a couple more exercises this week, although in all of the exercises for which I increased the weight from the last workout I was maxing out at eight reps.  

Product Review: Copper Fit Health Unisex Arch Relief Plus with Built-In Orthotic Support

 

These are a good arch support option at least if you are like me and need arch support but do not have fallen arches or plantar fasciitis which may require more extensive orthotics. You can use them in practically any shoe or boot, with or without socks. They do take a bit of getting used to since they are strapped to your feet as opposed to being an insert, but once you get used to them they are not all that noticeable.

DVD/TV Series Review: Northern Exposure: Season 4

 

The 25-episode fourth season of Northern Exposure aired during the 1992-1993 TV season. This is the season when the show started to go downhill. This is largely due to the fact that Rob Morrow's contract dispute saw his character seeing less and less screen time and, thus, removing a large part (Joel's fish-out-of-water and acclamation story) of what made the show great in the first couple of seasons. Season three did continue the Joel and Maggie love-hate relationship. They introduced a new potential love interest for Maggie in the form of Anthony Edwards, who played Mike Monroe, an environmental lawyer who is allergic to everything and lives in a hermetically sealed bubble in the middle of the woods. Edwards would leave toward the end of the season after he landed the series lead on ER, so his storyline fizzles out. The season continues to be a story-of-the-week procedural, each episode focusing on a different character's storyline. Pretty much every character gets a significant story arc for at least one episode, including Ruth Anne, who attempts to learn to drive, an episode in which Chris loses his voice, and an episode in which Maurice is modeled for a wax sculpture. Shelly also gets a considerable storyline this season when she becomes pregnant in a story arc that continues into season five (if you read through some of the other reviews, it is not confusing that she does not have the baby during this season).

The DVD set is a six-disc set. Much like with the prior seasons, the extras include deleted scenes and gag reels. The one plus is that there are no more double-sided discs, at least on my set. The music issue is a big sticking point for the US releases. Again, Universal replaced some, but not all, of the original music with canned instrumental tracks, so they did not have to pay for the rights to some of the songs used in the show. Of course, the show aired in the early to mid-1990s, and the DVDs were released in the 2000s, so the rights to use the music likely had to be renegotiated when the DVDs were released. This resulted in some songs being ditched if they were too expensive, which detracted a bit from the storylines as there were times when the specific song choice was made because it tied into the story in the show. That is not to say they are unwatchable with the replacement music (at least not for me), but they are different if you see the show as it originally aired.

The season is good, but as I said before, it is not as good as in the earlier seasons. You can tell that Rob Morrow is in fewer scenes, especially as the season goes along, and the show is just not the same with Joel as a more ancillary character. That said, all of the actors really stepped up and brought great performances this season, and their contributions should not be overlooked. The show continued to have very good, although sometimes quirky and silly, and raised topics like homosexuality, and climate change (yes, it was a known thing even back in the 90s), long before any other network television show was. It is still one of the only shows I can remember (along with another 90s series, Due South) that extensively used Native American actors and incorporated Native American culture. So, even though it was not as good as the first couple of seasons, I do think it is worth watching.

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

 

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

The 22-episode third season aired during the 2012-2013 TV season. It picks up after a short time jump from the events that ended season two, with Percy being killed and Amanda dispatched (and now on the run). Nikita (Maggie Q) is now back in the fold at Division, running it along with Michael (Shane West) and a CIA analyst named Ryan Fletcher (Noah Bean). They are trying to hunt down Amanda (Melinda Clarke) who is now fully the series' "big bad" and Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca) has mended fences with Nikita and is again a part of the team. The show continues to blend mission-of-the-week self-contained stories with the larger arcs that run throughout the season. The big story arc being the cat-and-mouse game between Amanda and Nikita/Division that plays out throughout the entire season. The season ends on a minor cliffhanger, although a fairly closed-ended one because the showrunners were not sure whether the series would get a fourth season.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. As was the case with the first two seasons, the A/V quality is stellar, but the bonus content was very scaled back from the prior physical media releases. There are only 11 minutes of deleted scenes and a five-minute gag reel—much less than the season one and two releases received. Overall, the season was very good, even though the ratings did not really reflect the quality. This season definitely took the show in another direction, which was good, and necessary to keep it from becoming stale. All of the actors did a wonderful job with their characters, and the new cast members fit in well with the existing cast. So, if you liked the first couple of seasons this is definitely worth sticking with. If you are a fan of action/dramas and are looking for a show you have not seen, you definitely need to see seasons one and two to really track what is going on in season three since most of the characters are established and the serial storylines are an extension of the prior seasons.

DVD/TV Series Review: Community: Season 5

 

Season five saw a lot more turnover, both behind the scenes and on camera for the show. Behind the scenes, series creator Dan Harmon returned after being fired, and the resulting mess of a fourth season. The show also saw the departure of Chevy Chase (who appeared as a hologram in the first episode and then was written out from there) and Donald Glover, who appeared on just a handful of episodes. The show was a blend of what it was in the first couple of seasons and what it had become. The zany, offbeat, episodes still occurred, including one where the cast were turned into animated characters and brought into a 1980s G.I. Joe episode (that included many of the original voice actors from the cartoon), a hot lava episode that was another school-wide competition, and another Dungeons and Dragons themed episode. But, it also did return somewhat to a focus on the school aspect and had people actually taking classes, and Jeff, who had graduated the year before, taking up teaching. It also brought back John Oliver as Professor Duncan for a few episodes (who was great in seasons one and two when he appeared) and brought in Jonathan Banks (from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul) as a criminology professor.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include commentary tracks on every episode, a forty-minute feature on the writing process, a seventeen-minute feature on the G.I. Joe episode, and a short gag reel. So, a lot of good content for those who like the bonus material.

Overall, the show returns to its quality form over the dud that was season four. While I would have liked it to go even more in the direction of being in actual classes and then the study group, the show does balance the wackiness that has become a hallmark with things that do not require a ton of suspension of disbelief. Losing Glover, and even to some extent Chase, was a blow, but there are a lot of good guest stars this season that helped make up for that including LeVar Burton, Padget Brewster, David Cross, Ben Folds, Gina Gershon, Vince Gilligan, Walton Goggins, B.J. Novak, and Robert Patrick, among others. So, if you have hung with the show, even if you did not like the fourth season as much, this is a good rebound season, even if it is a bit short.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 66

Day 66 was sweat 3-4 and ab-ripper 200 again. I was a bit tired during the workout today so I did have to pause a couple of times, but I was still able to push pretty hard when I was moving. And, ab-ripper was easier this time around than it was the last time. So, overall, it went well. 

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Arrow Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season one, but no major season two giveaways.+++

Season two of Arrow picks up in the aftermath of the events of the Season 1 finale, with Malcolm's undertaking being successful, but taking Tommy's life. Oliver, having defeated Merlin retreats to the Island, and Laurel relapses into drugs and alcohol after Tommy's death. Diggle and Felicity are trying to find Oliver to convince him to return to Starling City to save Queen Consolidated from a takeover by a woman named Isabel Rochev (played by Firefly's Summer Glau). Moira is in jail awaiting trial for her role in The Undertaking, Quentin has been busted down to beat cop, and Roy is trying to protect The Glades in Oliver's absence. The show continues to be a combination of a procedural story-of-the-week show and a serial multi-arc show. The show continues to alternate between the present and then flashing back to events on the island to show to set up Oliver's origin story. There are several new villains and heroes introduced during the season. While early on it appears that Brother Blood will be the big bad of the season, as things play out, Deathstroke (played by Manu Bennett) is revealed as the real threat to Oliver.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the extras include a recap episode titled "Year One" that summarizes the events of the first season, a 24-minute making-of documentary, about 23-minutes of deleted scenes, a short gag reel, about 25 minutes of the 2013 Comic-Con panel and a couple of shorter featurettes focusing on the stunts and visual effects. So, a good amount if you like going through it.

Overall, the season amps up the action and takes the show in a lot of different directions. It introduces the Arrowverse's version of The Suicide Squad, sets up the League of Assassins, which would be a huge plot throughout the rest of the series, and has a two-part episode that serves as a backdoor pilot for The Flash (which would be added to the Arrowverse the next year), introducing Barry Allen (played by Grant Gustin), Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), and Cisco Ramon (Carlos Valdez). The acting and writing for the series are very strong with Manu Bennett and Emily Bett Rickards as standouts this season. Susanna Thompson also does a great job as Moira Queen, especially later in the season. The show is still very violent and does have some sexual content throughout, so it is not something that is going to be suitable for younger kids. If you are a fan of superhero shows and movies, this is definitely a great one and is well worth watching.

Product Review: Schlage BE365 V CAM 716 Camelot Keypad Deadbolt, Electronic Keyless Entry Lock

 

This is a very strong and sturdy lock. It has a key backup so if it runs out of battery power you can still get the door open. It was a bit tricky to install, mainly because the instructions are printed on both sides of the folded paper they are printed on, and I missed the first couple of steps to extend the lock mechanism if it was not fitting. Once I saw that it was fairly straightforward to get the lock installed. It is pretty easy to program a code into the lock to allow it to open.

It is not totally electronic in that you have to punch in a code and then physically turn the deadbolt knob on the outside to get the bolt to move. So, if you are looking for a good semi-electronic lock, but are uneasy about going to a wireless lock, this is a good option.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Nikita: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from season one but no major season two giveaways.+++

The 23-episode second season of Nikita aired during the 2011/2012 TV season. It picks up right after the events of season one, with Nikita and Alex's relationship effectively having ended and Nikita and Michael's relationship restored. Now, Nikita and Michael are on the run with a hard drive called "the black box" containing the Division's darkest secrets and they plan to right the wrongs that Division has committed over the years. This allows the show to keep the procedural case-of-the-week format and then tie in larger serial arcs throughout the season. This season sees Miranda in charge of Division and Percy locked up in a cell in the basement, with Miranda manipulating Alex to keep tracking Nikita down. The season does have some twists and turns, which are, like the case-of-the-week elements, sometimes work and are sometimes silly. It does not ever stray too far from the formulaic approach, which I think is partly good and partly bad.

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. As with the season 1 release, the show looks and sounds great in HD. The extras include a commentary track on the season finale, a documentary on the writers and the writing process, a feature on Maggie Q's health and nutrition regimen, just under half an hour's worth of deleted scenes, and a short gag reel. So, there is a decent amount of extras, especially for a show that has more of a cult following than wide, mass appeal.

Overall, the season is good. You definitely have to like action shows (or movies) whose plots can get a bit silly at times and be willing to just go with it. If you overanalyze things too much, you will definitely not enjoy it. The fight scenes are good and all of the actors do a great job with their characters. Melinda Clarke's role as Amanda is expanded a lot this season, and as she did on The OC, when she got more of a leading role, she crushes it. As in the first season, there is a lot of violence and some sexual content. Obviously, since it aired on regular broadcast TV they could not get too extreme with either, but they do take every opportunity to show off Maggie Q in skimpy outfits. Just, just be aware if that is an issue for you.

DVD/TV Series Review: Northern Exposure: Season 3

 

The 23-episode third season of Nothern Exposure aired during the 1991/1992 TV season. Season three is a mixed bag for Northern Exposure, both for the show itself and definitely for the US DVD release. This is the first full season of the show after finally getting a full series pickup after the two abbreviated seasons. The first two seasons were very short, just 7 and 8 episodes. It was aired as an off-season summer show in 1990 for its first season and aired a handful of episodes late in the 1991 TV season for its second season. This season gets a full run of 23 episodes and continues Joel's story arc but with a bit less of the fish-out-of-water aspect and more of an acclimating to the town and the people storyline. The show also focused on the other residents and the overall quirkiness of everyone who lived there. It also did the will-they or won't-they story arc with Joel and Maggie to the extreme, having them seem like almost a couple in one episode and back to loathing each other the next. This is also the season where the contractual issues between Rob Morrow and the showrunners/producers started, leading to his role in the show being reduced and eventually writing him out of the series.

The big issue with this season's DVD release is the music. As most know, music was a critical part of the show, and certain songs were selected to tie into or wrap up the episodes' storylines. Universal, the company that owned the rights to the US DVD releases, did not want to pay for the rights to some of the original songs; they just replaced them with horrible canned instrumental music that rivaled Elevator Musak in quality. The first season had all the original music, and the second season had most or all of the original music, depending on which release you got. However, season three (and the subsequent season releases) replaces much of the music, which is more noticeable with each release. One good thing about this season's DVD release is that they eliminated the awful double-sided DVDs used for the first and second season releases.

The DVD extras include deleted and expanded scenes for most (if not every) episode, unexposed scenes (which amounts to basically a gag reel), and lost storylines (which are really more deleted scenes. There are no commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes material, or the like.

This season does have some outstanding episodes, for example, the season premier in which we meet Adam's (Adam Arkin) wife, appropriately named Eve (played wonderfully by Valerie Mahaffey), an episode in which Joel and Maggie are stranded in the wilderness, an episode in which a small traveling circus troupe is temporarily stranded in Cicely, an episode in which Joel gets adopted into a tribe by a tribal elder, and an episode that flashes back to the founders of Cicely.

The season is very good, but the DVD release leaves much to be desired. The acting and writing are great, and the show continued to put things on TV that other shows at the time did not (e.g., lesbian relationships, Native American themes, etc.). It was not always politically correct, and some things would not fly today. The US releases are fine if you do not care about the music issue. But, if you really want to see the show as it aired and with the best picture quality, picking up the Region 2 Blu-Ray is the best option (if you can find a copy and are willing to pay the increased price).

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 65

Day 65 was the sculpt workout again. This one went really well as I was able to max out at 10 reps on quite a few exercises. I tried a new pre-workout powder about an hour before the workout and I think that did help with my energy level a bit. As I have said before, I am not a huge fan of total body circuit workouts. I tend to like to focus on one or two body parts at a time, but that said, this workout does have a pretty good pace which helps me get though it. 

Product Review: Secure SWCB-1 Wireless Remote Nurse Alert System

 

This is a good idea that is poorly executed. I am a caregiver to a disabled parent and used this so that my mom could get my attention if I could not otherwise hear her (such as if I was sleeping and could not hear her yelling for me, or if she was outside and needed my help). It did work initially and would work well even if she went outside to take the dog out (as long as she did not stray too far away from my townhouse). However, after a short amount of time, it just stopped working, even replacing the supposedly new battery with a brand new battery. So, if you get one that does not fritz out within a few months, it is a five-star item, but it seems that it is made very cheaply and if you get one that does not last long, it will basically be a waste of money.