Supplement Review: Creatine Powder Unflavored Creatine Monohydrate

 

This is just standard creatine monohydrate powder. It is not the kind that gets mixed with some kind of sugar to aid absorption, nor does it have BCAAs as most post-workout powders do. Therefore, it is definitely not worth the nearly $50 price tag that it is now selling for. Especially when the container does not have a scoop and you get more containers than you get creatine. Overall, if you are a person that creatine works for, this will work for you, but you definitely want to price shop.

Product Review: Hinge Outlet Satin Nickel Wood Screws for Hinges

 

I got these because the hinges on my bathroom door were coming loose because the screws that came with the hinges were too short, and did not hold the hinges in place. These are twice as long as those screws and work as they should. No complaints aside from the fact that it would be nice if it came in a larger pack.

DVD/TV Series Review: Hart of Dixie: Season 3

 

Hart of Dixie most definitely embraces its soap-opera-like qualities over the fish-out-of-water aspects that the first couple of seasons had. It focuses a lot more on the various romances of the characters than it does on Zoe's adjusting to life in Bluebell. The season starts out with Zoe working in an NYC ER, having left Bluebell, seemingly for good at the end of season two. She decides that she misses Bluebell and returns, to a much different reaction than she expected. She has a new boyfriend in tow, a writer named Joel (played by Josh Cooke). The show is much more of a serial story now with the story arcs (mainly about the various characters' love lives) stretching throughout the course of the season than it is a story-of-the-week procedural.

For those who get the DVD set, it is a pretty standard MOD DVD set that just has the episodes, but no extras. There are captions in multiple languages, but there are no deleted scenes, gag-reel, etc., so really the only reason to get the physical disc over just streaming the show is if you got the first two seasons on disc and want to keep your collection complete.

Overall, the show continues to be good. I would not say that it is great, it is definitely a prime-time soap opera as opposed to a traditional medical drama. It does not take itself too seriously, blending in elements of comedy here and there, but it also does not lampoon the south and probably shows what life is really like in most southern towns as opposed to what people who do not live there think it is like. Some of the storylines do get a bit dumb, but on the whole, it is a good-natured character-driven show that is worth the time to check out if you don't expect it to be an award-winning drama.

DVD/TV Series Review: The Americans: Season 3

 

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

Season three of The Americans picks up sometime down the line from the end of season two. Most of the characters continue as they had, aside from Nina, who is now in a Russian gulag having been arrested for treason after Stan failed to save her from being arrested by the Soviets at the end of season two. As has been the case for the first two seasons, this season is a mix of a case-of-the-week procedural while having a running theme that goes throughout the season. This time, it involves the Soviet-Afghan war, and the Jennings trying to obtain information from the CIA's Afghan group. That storyline brings in Julia Garner to play the high-school-aged daughter of the head of the CIA's Afghan group that Phillip has to get close to in order to bug her father's home office, which presents a moral quandary for Phillip as she clearly has a crush on him. Phillip's relationship with Martha gets even more complicated as the bug he convinced her to plant in agent Gaad's office is discovered, and Paige continues to become more suspicious of her parents as time goes by.

For those who get the DVD, it is very bare bones. It does have a couple of bonus features, basically deleted scenes and a feature on the character of Paige. Of course, the first season was released on Blu-Ray, but from season two forward only got DVD releases. While the show does not really use special effects, the show does not look as good on DVD as it did on DVD.

Overall, the show continues to be great. The writers do a good job balancing the large cast and making nearly everything suspenseful. The writing and acting are still great, with the standouts this season being Holly Taylor, whose storyline gets more prevalent, and Annet Mahendru whose character is in a much different position this season from the first two. This season also sees Lev Gorn, Costa Ronin, and Richard Thomas promoted to series regulars. Again, the series is definitely not family-friendly as it has as much swearing, sex, and nudity as can be shown on basic cable. But, the stories are compelling and if you are old enough to remember the early to mid-1980s it will definitely give you a flash of nostalgia. So, if you like the first two season, this is definitely worth watching.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day 2

Day 2 was the Tabata Power workout. This one, after the warm-up, has a series of moves that you do for 20 seconds, take a 10-second break, and then repeat. Once you do all the moves in the series twice, you get a 30-second break, and then go to a new set of moves. The first series is all lower-body focused moves, the second series is chest and triceps, doing a ton of tricep pushup-based exercises, then you do a series of core-focused moves, and then a series of tricep dips. Then, after the last break, you go through three minutes non-stop doing a selection of the exercises from each set and ending with one minute of power jumps. So, the workout is very challenging, even though it goes by quickly.

I again followed the modifier for the entire workout which was harder this time because, as I said in the last update post, the BOD app does not have the modifier-focused video track like the DVD set does. And, there are many moves in the workout that the modifier is shown for a split second and some moves in which she is not shown at all. Luckily, I remember how to do most of the modified moves off the top of my head so it is not a huge deal. My max-out time for this workout was about 10:30. Hopefully, by the time I am in the second round I can max out around the same time that Mike, the cop whose abs Shaun T. is hitting during one of the core moves, maxes out which is in the 27th or 28th minute. This workout is hard enough that the modifier, Danielle, who is in great shape, actually has to max out during the triceps dips, around the 20-something minute mark, so it is not an easy workout to be sure, even modified. But, I got it over with, and am done for the day.

Product Review: M3 Flat Head Wood Screws Assortment Fasteners Kit 420pcs,Phillips Drive Countersunk Head Self-Tapping Screws,Carbon Steel,Contains 20pcs M6 Screw Anchors

 

These are very small wood screws that are useful to use to support small things (like attaching two small pieces of wood together). None of the screws in the set would be useful, for example, as a replacement for door hinge brackets or something along those lines. You do get some drywall anchors to use if needed, but I honestly cannot think of anything you would screw into a wall for which these would be all that useful, because the heads of the screws are also very small.

Product Review: Amazon Basic Care Allergy Relief Diphenhydramine HCl 25 mg, Antihistamine Tablets

 

This is basically generic Benadryl (Diphenhydramine). The tablets are the size and work just like any of the other pink Diphenhydramine tablets, whether named brand or one of the other generic versions. It is a good deal as you get 400 tablets, which, even if you take Diphenhydramine daily, will last quite a while. And, you can set it up on subscribe and save to have it delivered at whatever frequency works for you.

Product Review: Hakko-CHP-170 Micro Cutter - Red

 

These are very good for smaller wires, like those that may be used in jewelry making or for wires that you would use on a circuit board (as well as clipping off the terminal ends of resistors, capacitors, inductors, or the like, after soldering them onto a circuit board). Because the clippers are small and very low-profile, it is good for making very clean cuts against edges so you do not have the ends of wires sticking out where you do not want them. They are, of course, a lot better than trying to use scissors and give you more control than the wire cutters that are included in the jaws of pliers, especially for fine jobs. Definitely a good pickup.

Product Review: Welding Soldering Iron with Thermostatic Digital-Controlled and LCD Screen Display, 60 W, Temperature Adjustable

 

This is a soldering iron that allows you to control the heat of the iron and see on an LCD screen, what the current temp is, and allow you to adjust it up or down. It is between the cheap irons and the expensive ones that plug into control units. It is definitely a good deal, especially if you have some experience soldering, but a lot of experience with it.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day 1

Day one of the new workout is in the books. Today's workout was Cardio Challenge from Insanity Max 30 (which will be my base M-F workout). This workout is a pared-down version of Insanity, with all workouts lasting just a half hour, in which you "max out" at whatever time you take your first unscheduled break.  I am just following the modifier in this round (I plan to do two rounds back-to-back, one strictly following the modifier and one unmodified as much as I can), and maxed out at about 14 and a half minutes. For comparison, the first time I did the workout I think I maxed out around the five-minute mark (which is technically still in the warmup) or just after the warmup. There is a five-minute warmup in which you cycle through four exercises, then there are three blocks of five-minute rounds that cycle through three exercises. Between each round, you get a 30-second break. 

On the weekends, which are technically rest days from the Insanity portion, I am going to do one arm-focused workout from CE, Body Beast, and P90x (rotating every couple of weeks), and then will continue to do the Recharge workout from CE on Sunday. As I said, I plan to do two rounds, and then I will evaluate my fitness level. I will either do another round of the Max 30 hybrid, or I will go on to do P90X plus, after which I plan to go back to the OG Insanity (which has the 35-45 minute workouts). That plan may change as time goes by and depending on my fitness level. Ultimately, I want to get to the point where in Max 30 I can keep up with the people in the videos who max out at the lastest time, which in Cardio Challenge is around the 27-minute mark when Darren in the back row maxes out.

One observation from doing the workouts through the Beachbody app vs. the DVDs. On the DVDs, you have the option to watch the modifier track alone (so the modifier and Shaun T. are always shown). On the app, you can only watch the "regular" version, which basically follows Shaun T. around, so you do not always get a good view of the modified moves. Although at the start of every new exercise, they usually do a wide shot so you can see what the modifier is doing (unlike say T25 when there are times the modifier is never shown in full view). Still, it would be nice if they added the modifier track to the app. 

My workout plan for this workout is to get up early and take my pre-workout at about 6AM and then do the workout at about 7AM to get it done and over with, on an empty stomach in the morning. I partly want to do that as a part of transitioning to going back into the office on a part-time basis, so workout out before work. I am still hoping to lose fat during this round. As most know, I try not to be hyper-focused on scale weight, but I know I have enough stored fat on me that I can easily stand to lose another 25-30 lbs of scale weight. I hope to drop about 14-15 lbs of that by the time the two-rounds of this hybrid workout is over.

Supplement Review: NutraBio Micellar Casein - Protein Powder, 2 lbs Strawberry Ice Cream

 

This is a slow-digesting protein that is good to use between meals or before bed. It tastes very good (especially with milk) and blends well using a BlendJet or similar blender. I am not sure how well it mixes in a shaker cup, but I have not used a shaker cup to mix protein powder for a long time. The only drawback is that you do not get 30 servings per container (1 scoop = 1 serving). For some reason, this only has 27 servings per container. But, you get 25g of protein and just 2g of carbs per serving which can be adjusted depending on what you mix it with.

Product Review: Velleman Sa Electronic Decision Maker Kit

 

During my introduction to electrical engineering class, we had to do a couple of small soldering projects. This is a small kit that requires a push-button, some capacitors, resistors, etc to be mounted/soldered to a very small circuit board. The instructions are okay, but not the most well-written instructions. But, they are not impossible to figure out. Basically, you push the button, and either a green LED (representing "yes") or a red LED (representing "no") will light up, randomly. The board is so small that it can be difficult to work with to get the components mounted, and you will need to be careful to keep your fingers out of the way when you are soldering. It is a fun project that can be put together fairly quickly.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad: Volume 9

 

American Dad is, of course, the other long-running animated show created by Seth McFarlane. It tells the story of a CIA agent and his quirky family living in Langly Falls Virginia. Like with the Family Guy DVD releases, the American Dad DVD sets are released as "volumes" so it can be confusing which season of the show corresponds to which volume(s). In this case, Volume 9 contains all of the season 8 episodes of the show. The series continues to utilize a story (or stories) of the week format. Usually, the story involves some character or Roger (the alien living with the family) and one or two of the other family members. For example, in the season premiere, Roger hires Haley to sing in his bar after hearing her sing in the shower. Although sometimes, an episode will be more Stan-centric, either involving his CIA co-workers or meddling in the lives of one of the other members of the family (such as trying to break up Steve and Snot's friendship because Snot is not cool).

The DVD release is an Amazon-exclusive MOD release. So, it just has the episodes and no extras. However, the episodes are uncensored, so the jokes are sometimes dirtier, and swear words are not bleeped out as they are in the broadcast and streaming versions. But, if you only get DVD sets when there is a lot of bonus material, then you may just want to stick with streaming the show.

Overall, the series continues to be funny even though, like Family Guy, it is getting a bit long in the tooth. As the years have gone on, the series has changed the focus being Stan's job, which in some ways has been good and in other ways (e.g., with some of the crazy apocalyptic episodes) has not been so good. By this time into the show's run, however, you pretty much know what you are getting. If you like it, you will probably enjoy this season. If you don't then this season is probably not going to make you a fan.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy: Season Twelve

 

This is the season in which the DVD sets finally stop being titled volumes and correspond to the actual season that corresponds to the set. It is still a bit confusing because there is also a Volume 12 that contained the season 11 episodes, but for this season and beyond (for the handful of additional seasons that got a physical DVD release), the DVD sets finally make sense.

By now, people who have watched Family Guy, especially after it was revived by Fox after having been canceled, know what the show is. It has followed the same formula for years and continues to do so in this season. The season has the typical story of the week shows, a couple of the larger adventure-type episodes, and "the" storyline that caused fans to lose their shit. It played out over multiple episodes and was definitely a topic of conversation. Chances are most people reading this know what it is, but for the few who may not, I will not spoil it. This season also sees the return of Cleveland after the cancellation of the spin-off show.

There are quite a bit of extras included on the DVD set. These include commentary tracks for select episodes, deleted scenes for every episode, animatics, and a couple of character-specific featurettes. So, if you like watching the bonus material there is a lot there. Plus, you do get some uncensored jokes that were not a part of the broadcast episodes.

Overall, the show continues to be good. An argument can certainly be made that it is getting long in the tooth, but at this point, it appears that the show will be on the air for as long as Seth McFarlane wants to keep doing it. I think the show does a good job coming up with new storylines, although the is not really any more character development going on. If you have been a fan of the show the season is still worth watching. If you have not been a fan of the prior seasons, this season is not likely to turn you into one.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 94

Day 94 was the last day of the Hybrid workout. This was just the CE Recharge workout (which I still plan to do in the next workout, which will have Insanity Max 30 as the base workout and mix in others on Saturday and Sunday). Recharge was weird today. It almost felt like I had not done the workout at all for about two weeks, even though on some of the moves I was able to get deeper into the stretches than I have in a long time. But, I managed to get through it and got it done. Tomorrow morning will be the first workout of Max 30, Cardio Challenge.

Product Review: Cap Barbell 47-Inch Standard Threaded Solid Easy Curl Bar

 

This is a fairly standard E-Z Curl bar. It is not as bent or angled as some of them are, but it is not completely straight like a bar with which you would do barbell squats. The bar itself is about 11 pounds and you can use any barbell plates that have a 1" hole. The ends where the plates are loaded are threaded so you can either use a spring collar or a collar that can go on a threaded end. It is great for doing moves like skull crushers, upright rows, bent-over rows, and the like. It is definitely a good deal and perfect for a home gym setup.

DVD/TV Series Review: Family Guy: Volume 12

 

Volume 12 of Family Guy contains all of the season 11 episodes. Thankfully, this is the last DVD set that uses the "Volume" label. As some may be aware, when the DVD sets were initially released they contained episodes from multiple seasons and were labeled Volume 1, Volume 2, etc. Even though Volume 11 contained all of the season ten episodes, Fox called it Volume 11 instead of just calling it Season 10. So, it is still confusing as this is Volume 12 when it should really be labeled Season 11.

By now, most people reading this are aware of what Family Guy is like. It is basically a story-of-the-week show that usually focuses on one or two characters at a time. This season has a couple of obligatory Brian and Stewie adventure-centric shows. In one of them, Brian reverses the course of time and risks Stewie being "unborn", and in another, the two decide to teleport to Vegas and end up making duplicates of themselves. There is an episode in which Lois begins working at a phone sex line, and one in which Mayor West is put on trial for murder. The episodes are very adult, and the DVD episodes do have uncensored jokes that include some f-bombs that get bleeped out (or omitted entirely) on TV.

For those who get the DVD set, there are commentary tracks on seven of the episodes. None of the cast members appear in the commentary, it is just the writers, producers, directors, etc., of the various episodes. Then there are deleted scenes, a featurette on the 200th episode, a table read of the 200th episode, scene animatics of scenes from a couple of different episodes, and a full episode animatic for the ninth episode of the season, "Space Cadet". Then there is a portion of the 2012 Comic-Con panel. So, there is a lot there if you like the bonus material.

Overall, the show continues to be strong. Certainly, an argument can be made that after 200 episodes some of the jokes are recycled and a bit stale, but I think the show does a good job keeping the storylines fresh. The brand of humor is definitely not for everyone, and the show has not been as edgy in the later seasons as it was in the first couple of seasons (before it was canceled and then subsequently revived by FOX). That said, if you have been a fan of the show, you will probably like this season. If you have never liked the show, then this season is not going to change your mind.

Product Review: SERMAN BRANDS RFID Blocking Slim Bifold Genuine Leather Minimalist Front Pocket Wallet

 

I am one who prefers bifold wallets but do like the more secure card slots in the "slim" wallets. This is the best of both worlds. There are two slots on the outside of the wallet. One is clear so you can put a license or ID in it, and the other can store a couple of credit cards and a couple of paper cards (like a health insurance card). There are three card slots on the inside of the fold. Two that allow you to see the top of the cards in the slots and one in which a card can be completely inserted. In the latter, there is a fabric pull that gets pushed down when you insert the card and has a tab that you can use to pull it up to get the card to come up out of the slot. There is not a pocket for cash, but there is a money clip that slips into the center of the wallet and allows you to put unfolded bills in the middle. I prefer that to folding up bills and clipping them to the outside of the wallet like many of the slim wallets require (if they even have a money clip). Unlike the card slots on traditional bifold wallets that can loosen up over time risking the cards falling out, there is no sense that the card slots in this will ever get to the point where cards will be in danger of falling out. And, it is a lot less expensive than wallets with a similar (or the exact same design) and seems to be well made. I will update the review down the line if anything changes, but my first impression is that it is a great wallet.

Product Review: Wacom Intuos Small Graphics Drawing Tablet

 

I use this mainly to annotate Word documents, using the tools on the "draw" tab in Word. For that, it works well. It has fairly good control to allow me to mark or write where I intend. I would not say that I can make writing look great, or as good as I can with a pen and paper or even with an Apple Pencil on an iPad, but on the documents I am annotating, it is not important to make things look perfect.

I will say that this is not exactly plug-in-play (at least on a Windows machine). When you plug it in, Windows does recognize it and does some setup. But, I did have to go onto Wacom's site to download the setup file and manually run it. Once I did that, it opened a pretty typical setup dialog box and it was very easy from there. You do have to restart your machine halfway through the process, so it is best to close everything besides your browser before you start the setup. Once the setup is complete, it works very well. The pen comes with one nib already inserted and then there are three extra nibs stored in the base of the pen (which screws apart).

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 93

Day 93 was the last Power-90 Sculpt 3-4 workout. I think it went well, but I had increased the weights on a few of the exercises from the last workout so I was back to maxing out at 8 reps on most of the exercises in this workout. It is amazing how the 5lb increase can really affect the ability to do the move. On the lawnmowers, I actually had to max out at six reps when jumping from 35 lbs the last workout to 40 this time. Tomorrow will be Recharge and then Monday morning will begin Insanity Max 30.

Product Review: Akro-Mils 10144, 44 Drawer Plastic Parts Storage Hardware and Craft Cabinet

 

I purchased this when I was working on an Electrical Engineering degree to store various components for my labs. This has a combination of smaller drawers that are perfect for holding items like resistors, capacitors, LEDs, etc. Or, for those of you who craft, can easily store beads, small spools of thread, or things like that. The larger drawers can hold larger items like small scissors, small wire cutters, solder spools, or things of that size. When I purchased it I paid $28 for it. At that price, it is a good deal. I would not pay $50 for it however, so I would definitely do some price shopping.

Product Review: My Pillow - Queen Sized

 

The one good thing about this pillow is that it does not go flat. Some others have experienced that, but I have not. It has kept the same shape since the first day and I have only run it through the drying one time (the initial run-through that is called for in the instructions). What is lacking, however, is comfort. It is not nearly as comfortable as other premium pillows I have used that also maintain their shape just as well as this one does. For the price, it should be much more comfortable than it is. I have come to use it more as a body pillow than under my head because I find myself constantly having to turn it over or reposition it when I try to put it under my head.

Of course, given that the owner of the company has turned out to be a batshit crazy MAGAt, I would not spend another dime on the brand even if it was the best pillow ever, which it most definitely is not. If you are in the market for a premium pillow, the Nectar pillow and the Purple Harmony pillow are much more comfortable and do not go flat. 

Product Review: Elenco TL-6 Alligator Lead Set, 10-Piece

 

I used these in a few of my circuits labs when I was working on my electrical engineering degree. They are good for putting a small amount of current through and I used them so I could more easily measure the current through portions of a circuit using a multimeter which can be tricky if you do not have another person to help you. The clips helped to hold components so I could have my hands free to use the multimeter probes. For something like that, these will work fine.

Book Review: Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

 

Darth Plagueis is a novel that is a mix of Canon and Legends in the Star Wars Universe. It was one of three novels that the same author wrote close in time, only one of which (Tarkin) was brought in as Canon after the Disney takeover of Lucasfilm. But that novel refers to events in this one, so some of what is in this novel is Canon.

The novel is in part about Darth Sideous' master, Darth Plagueis, who, like Sideous hid in plain sight. In the case of Plaguies, he was a Munn banker named Hego Damask. He takes on Sheev Palpatine as an apprentice and the two live out under the "rule of two" plotting to take down the Jedi. The novel is as much an origin story for Palpatine as it is about Darth Plagueis. It is set mostly before, but partly during the events of The Phantom Menace. It opens with the murder of Plagueis by Sideous and then flashes back 35 years to chronicle the rise of both Plagueis and Sideous. Then it ends during the events of The Phantom Menace. One notable change that has been made in canon versus this novel, in the book, Sideous takes Maul as an apprentice before he kills Plagueis. That has been retconned in canon (according to Wookiepedia anyway) so that Sideous kills Plagueis earlier in time before Maul becomes his apprentice.

Overall, the book is very well-written and has a nice blend of action and the same kind of political intrigue, scheming, and backbiting we saw in The Phantom Menace. We do get some insight into Plagueis' powers and his quest for immortality, and we see just how ruthless Palpatine was, even when he was younger and less powerful. Even though it is a legends novel, it is definitely worth reading.

Workout Update: Power-90/Chalean Extreme Hybrid: Day 92

Day 92 was cardio and abs. The workout went pretty well, but I did get a bit winded in the middle. I am not quite sure why. I am actually looking forward to doing the Insanity-based workout. I am determined to get into better cardio shape again. I do think doing the modified version and then modifying less and less as I get stronger will get me there. I know I cannot get through it unmodified right now, so I am going to work my way up to the point where I can keep up with the people in the cast.