Product Review: WORKPRO Premium 6.5” Screw Extractor Pliers (Combination Pliers)

 

I used this to get screws off of a vent in one of my bathrooms. The screws had been painted over, the ends were very worn, and I could not get them to move with a regular screwdriver. This removed them in seconds. I just used the end of the pliers to grab each screw and turn it a few times until I could get it to the point where I could get the screw out by hand. This also has a small wire cutter that works, but it is not necessarily something that would be my go-to for cutting wire. But, for removing screws that will not move with a screwdriver, this absolutely works.

Workout Update: Job 1-XB Stretch Day 20

Day 20 was another off day in Job 1, and the Restore routine again in XB. Nothing really new to report about the Restore routine. I still maintained the flexibility gains that I had seen a couple of days ago, but did not make any further gains. 

Workout Update: Job 1-XB Stretch Day 19

Day 19 was the Realign routine in the XB stretch program and a rest day in Job 1. I really like Realign, even though it is challenging because it works on the lower back and hips, which is where I am extremely tight. I definitely feel that my posture is better after I do it, and I have a better range of motion when doing things around the house.

Workout Update: Job 1-XB Stretch Day 18

Day 18 was the last workout of week 3 in Job 1, a chest, back, and legs circuit. And in XB stretch, I did the Restore routine.

The circuit workout in Job 1 follows the same format as the other "finish strong" workouts. Specifically, you do one move for each body part during each block in the circuit, then after you do each block twice, you have a one-minute cardio set that has three moves. Once you do the first block and the cardio minute, then you move to the next block that has three new moves, one chest, one back, and one core-focused move, then you do the same cardio minute. 

The Restore routine in XB is getting a bit easier. My balance is getting better, and I can get deeper into almost every stretch.

Book Review: The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020

 

This is a book by Jonathan Lemire, a reporter for the Associated Press, and one of the morning show hosts/contributors on MSNBC. The subject matter of the book is fairly clear from the title. It is focused on the 2017-2021 presidential administration. The book is about 300 pages (of substantive material) and then there is a bibliography at the end that accounts for the rest. About half of the book is about the lead-up to the 2020 election, and the other half focuses on the election and the aftermath, including January 6th, the second impeachment, and the fight after the election to get a new voting rights act through Congress.

Lemire basically excoriates the orange genital wart and does not come at it from a detached journalist. Lemire calls agent orange a liar, documents how he lied all his adult life before he was president and documents the biggest lies he told as president. Lemire argues that t***p's brazenness in lying opened the door for Republicans to lie their ass off to the point that the batshit crazy portion of the party that, heretofore, had been relegated to the fringes and tolerated as long as they voted for tax cuts for the rich, to take over the party. 

Not much of the information in the book is new, especially if you have followed the (reputable sources of) news for the past few years. But, Lemire crystallized just how t***p, and the Republican party's cult-like devotion to him, transformed politics and how it presents a danger going forward. It is definitely worth reading.

Workout Update: Job 1-XB Stretch Day 17

Day 17 was the Build and Burn workout in Job 1 focusing on Glutes, Arms, and Core, and the Refresh routine in XB.

In Job 1, you use the resistance loops for the entire workout. I was using the heavy band the entire time until the core exercises when I switched to the light band. This has three rounds, each consisting of three exercises, and each round is focused on one area of the body. There is little to no rest during the routine, so you again get a cardio workout as you are doing resistance moves.

The Refresh routine in XB went okay, but it was not all that different from the last time I did the routine.

Workout Update: Job 1-XB Stretch Day 16

Day 16 was the HIIT It workout in Job 1, and Restore in XB stretch.

The format of the HIIT workout was the same as it has been in past weeks, but the moves are harder/ more intense, so you will probably be quite gassed by the time the workout is over. The XB routine was pretty much the same as it has been, but my balance is getting better. As far as depth into the stretches go, however, that has not really changed.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: American Ninja 2: The Confrontation

 

This is the 1987 follow-up to the surprise 1985 hit, American Ninja. The movie brings back Michael Dudikoff as Joe Armstrong and Steve James as Curtis Jackson and was again directed by Firstenberg (who directed the first movie, as well as a couple of movies in Cannon's early 80s "Ninja Trilogy". 

The movie is set on some unnamed tropical island in the Caribbean, where Marines are being mysteriously abducted. Armstrong and Jackson (who are still in the army) are sent to investigate. From there, a silly plot about a local drug lord (played by Gary Conway, who also wrote the movie) that involves genetically engineering ninjas plays out. This time, the lead "bad" ninja was played by Mike Stone (who had trained Elvis Pressley in Karate). 

The blu-ray transfer was decent (an upgrade from the VHS version for sure), but not great. Very similar to the transfer the first movie received. The extras include an audio commentary track with Elijah Drenner and Firstenberg, which was very similar to the track they did for the American Ninja Blu-Ray, a making-of featurette, and the trailer. In the commentary track, Firstenberg again provides a lot of good nuggets about the movie, including filming the movie in South Africa toward the end of Apartheid and working with an even lower budget for this movie than he had for the first, despite the success of the first movie. 

Overall, the movie itself is bad. It definitely has the look and feel of a very low-budget 80s action movie. The script was hilariously bad, which resulted in horrible acting, and the fight sequences were not nearly as good as in the first movie. The "expendable" black ninjas could not beat anyone, and even Stone's lead ninja was pretty lame in the final fight. But, you know what you get from the movie. It is not an award-winner by any means but is a nostalgic blast from the past. 

Intermediate Algebra: Chapter 1 (Basic Concepts) Notes and Solved Problems

Starting notes and homework problems for Intermediate Algebra. The notes will be from my book, and I will be working out all of the homework problems for the problem sets, chapter tests, etc. The book is a bit out of date, but that will really only affect some of the data in the word problems.

Chapter 1 Book Notes

Section 1.2 Worked Problem Set

Section 1.3 Worked Problem Set

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch: Season 5

 

The fifth season of Baywatch aired during the 1994-1995 TV season, and probably represented the height of the show's popularity. There were again more cast changes with Nicole Eggert leaving the show (the character of Summer was essentially written off during the two-part season premiere), and Yasmine Bleeth returning to the show as a series regular, playing Stephanie's sister, Caroline. Pamela Anderson was bumped up to second billing, behind Haslehoff, and they finally dropped using her middle name in the credits as she was probably the most famous cast member (at least in the US) in the entire show. They also added Jaason Simmons, to play Logan Fowler, a character very similar to Peter Phelps' character in season one. The character of Neely Capshaw was also introduced at the end of the season but was not played by the same actress who would take over the role the following season.

This season saw many very recognizable guest stars, including a very young Mila Kunis, Wendie Malick (reprising her role as Mitch's ex-wife), Charisma Carpenter (who was was 23 or 24, playing a love interest for Hobie). Jeremy Jackson was 13 or 14 in real life and got to kiss Carpenter, which was probably a high point for him. Carpenter actually looked about 16 or 17 (the age that Cordelia was supposed to be in Buffy, which Carpenter played when she was 27), but definitely did not look like a 13 or 14-year-old, and she was a head taller than Jeremy Jackson, so it was an interesting casting choice. Other notable guest stars included Geraldo (in a very silly role), John Allen Nelson (reprising Court in his yearly episode), Dr. Joyce Brothers, Mike Piazza, Richard Branson, Debbie Dunning (who played the tool girl on the series Tool Time after Pamela Anderson left that show), Little Richard, and Gladys Knight. 

This season the storylines on the show became much more of a blend of serial and procedural. There were definitely still stand-alone storylines, but the show often referenced things that happened in prior episodes (or seasons), and there were more multi-part episodes. And, there was a lot less of an extra being introduced as a great friend of one of the main characters, never to be seen again. The show did juggle the large cast very similar to the way it did in prior seasons, with some characters (even Anderson) being absent for multiple shows in a row. The writing was okay, but still not great. Even when the writers attempted to include more serious topics, they were not done very well, and the attempts at comedy could be very cheesy.

If you can accept the show for what it was, and don't expect more out of it than it gives you, namely a ridiculously good-looking cast on a show about lifeguards, it is entertaining. If you are expecting award-winning writing and acting, it will sorely disappoint you.

Book Review: Undaunted: Leadership Amid Growth and Adversity

 

Undaunted is a book that was written in the lead-up to the 20th Anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. It tells the story of a company called Baseline Financial, which had offices on the 77th and 78th floors of the South Tower of the World Trade Center (floor 78 was the lowest floor in the impact zone when Flight 175 hit the building). Some of the employees of the company were featured in the History Channel documentary, Escape from the Towers, which was also put out around the 20th Anniversary, so if you watched that documentary, you are already aware of some of what the book covers.

The book is written by the former head of sales for Baseline, Ed Zier, who was not actually in the building on 9/11. He was on his way to work when the first plane hit the North Tower and could not get to the buildings, so he watched most of what played out from a Taxi going back to New Jersey. The book partly lays out the history of the company, from its beginnings as a start-up that made no money, to being a powerhouse that was making millions of dollars when the 9/11 attacks occurred. He shifts back and forth between the story of the company with the events of 9/11, with the most detail about the people who made it down (including one worker who was 7 months pregnant and walked down 77 flights of stairs without stopping or resting because she was worried about the health of her baby), including what they faced at the moment of impact, trying to find a way out, and what happened when they got out of the building, including as it collapsed. After that, Zein details the four members of the company who died in the attacks (who were all on the 78th floor exactly where the plane hit) and what happened to the company after 9/11 as it tried to rebuild.

The substantive portion of the book is about 245 pages, and then there are several pages of notes and an index. The parts of the book about the experience of the people in the building (who are counted among the 18 people at or above the point of impact who made it out of the building, although technically they were all just below the impact floors) are harrowing. Those chapters detail how many employees seeing people jump from the North Tower wanted to get out (despite the announcement saying the building was secure and they could stay at their desks), and were debating about whether to take the stairs or try the elevators. A few of the employees had been on the 78th floor a couple of minutes before the plane hit the building, and only survived because of a decision to go back down to the 77th floor. Another employee was going back to her desk (which was on the side of the building where the plane hit) to get her shoes, and saw the plane coming as she was walking that way, convinced that if she had been at her desk she would have been killed. Then the author goes into the rush to find a way out, with the employees eventually risking going down the risky A stairwell (which was filled with smoke) after determining that the B and C stairwells were inaccessible or completely destroyed).  

Toward the end of the book, the author details the efforts to rebuild the company, which was complicated not only by the loss of their offices in the trade center, but that it had recently been acquired by what is now Thomson Reuters, and how a decision by one of the employees to grab his laptop (and the fact that he and it survived the aftermath of the towers collapsing) basically saved the company's data and allowed the employees to keep it running. At the very end of the book, there are good eulogies written about the four employees who were killed in the attacks.

Overall, the book is very good and very interesting. I think most people will be interested in the chapters devoted to the day of 9/11, but the chapters devoted to the history of the company and what happened to it in the years after 9/11 are also very interesting, even if you are not all that familiar with, or into finance. It is definitely worth reading.

Book Review: Order to Kill (Mitch Rapp Series #15)

 

Order to Kill is the 15th book in the Mitch Rapp series of spy/terrorist hunter/assassin novels, created by the late author, Vince Flynn, and continued by Kyle Mills. This book, published in 2016, was the first book in which Flynn had no involvement. Flynn had begun work on the prior novel, The Survivor, before his death, and Mills was brought in to finish that book and write another book in the series, which would become this one. 

This book partly continues the storyline from the prior book, The Survivor, but mainly shifts the story to a new threat. This time, from Russia, whose President, Krupin (who is absolutely a fictional version of Putin) is working with ISIS to get fissile material from Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, taking advantage of the turmoil in Pakistan's government after Mitch had the head of Pakistan's ISI killed in the previous book. This book also introduces the Russian version of Rapp, named Grisha Azarov, who is a younger, faster, stronger version of Rapp who does the bidding of Krupin. 

The book is just under 300 pages and reads fairly quickly (as most of the other novels in the series do). While I do think that Mills still kept the overall tone of Flynn's work, he definitely started making the series his own and was not trying to re-hash what Flynn had done. I liken the shift in the story to what happened to the series ER over the course of its 15-year run, with the original series lasting 8 seasons, and then after many of the original cast members started to leave the show, while it still echoed what the show was in the original seasons, it did not feel exactly the same. That is the best way to describe this book. Mills retained the characteristics and tone of the series but made choices with the storyline that Flynn may not have. That said, I believe that the book is still very good, and definitely worth reading.

Product Review: ABLEWE RCA to HDMI,AV to HDMI Converter, 1080P Mini RCA Composite CVBS Video Audio Converter Adapter

 

This is a device that allows you to connect older electronic devices with old yellow, red, and white audio-video connections (like an older DVD player or a VHS player) to a modern TV that only has HDMI inputs.  It is powered via USB, which you can either plug into a USB connection on your TV, into a power strip with a USB port, a charging plug, or the like. And, you can set it to output at 720p or 1080p, depending on your television's capabilities, but the setup is very easy and can be done by most people.

The market for this is probably relatively small, especially since more and more people are moving over to streaming and away from physical media. But, if you are one of the handful of people left that have older devices that are still working, this is definitely a good pickup. 

Food Review: Wonderful Pistachios, No Shells, Roasted & Salted Nuts

 

This is a box of nine packets of shelled, "roasted and salted" pistachio nuts. Each pack contains just under one ounce (.75 oz) or 21 grams of nuts, which amounts to about 120 calories. The roasted and salted flavor is good, but not overpowering. They are not too salty, but just enough not to be bland. These are a good low-carb snack that is low in saturated fat and has more protein than a lot of different varieties of nuts. 

Product Review: Skechers Men's Afterburn M. Fit Wonted Loafer

 

These are a good (and relatively inexpensive) pair of no-tie Sketchers shoes. While they are called loafers, they are pretty much a sneaker, both in look and feel. So, they are not something that you would wear with a suit, but could probably get away with wearing them if you are dressing business-casual. While some reviews note the fit being off, they fit me perfectly and are very easy to get on and off. I would not call them slip-ons, however, as I do have to use two hands to get them on. But, even so, they are much easier than dealing with shoes with laces that need to be tied. 

Book Review: Star Wars: Quest for Planet X

 

Quest for Planet X is another junior novel set during the early High Republic era, telling another ancillary story set between the adult novels. This book is set after the events of The Battle of Jedha and is centered around Silandra's padawan, Rooper, getting involved in a race to find a mysterious planet called Planet X. Rooper has been on Batuu, and essentially gets sucked into a race to find the mysterious planet, and agrees to participate in order to find Silandra. Unlike some of the other junior novels, this one does advance the main storyline as we learn that the mysterious creatures that can kill the Jedi, which have appeared in multiple novels are called Levelers, and we learn that Planet X may be the origin of the species. 

Overall, the book is okay, but not great. The few plot points from the main story arc of the other novels that get fleshed out are nice, and the main storyline is okay, but not necessarily something that is worth reading multiple times. 

Book Review: Donald T***p v. The United States

 

This is a book that covers the 2017-2021 presidential administration, with a heavy focus on the Russia investigation, both before the Special Counsel was appointed when the FBI was in charge of the investigation, and after. The book was written by Michael Schmidt, a columnist for the New York Times, who had many sources, named and unnamed, both inside the White House, the FBI, and (seemingly inside or around people on the inside of) the Muller team. The book basically spans the time period from before the 2016 election detailing the FBI investigations of both candidates, and how each was handled by the FBI director, and ends with a summary of the first impeachment proceedings.

The substantive portion of the book is 400 pages long, then there are several pages of notes. Schmidt details what was going on in the White House Counsel's office (former White House Counsel Don McGahn was one of his named sources) and seemed to have a lot of insight into what Mueller's team was doing. He goes into great detail about how the Orange Genital Wart was raging at everything, getting crazier as time went on, and refusing to listen to anyone who told him that he could not do the batshit crazy stuff he wanted to do. The end of the book really details how Bill Barr bailed Agent Orange out when the Mueller report was released, based in large part because Mueller refused to actually make any kind of recommendation on whether Little Donny Diapers should be charged with anything. Schmidt also paints Rod Rosenthien as a wimpy slimeball who basically changed his tune depending on who he was talking to.

The book has a lot of reporting that was bombshell news when it came out in 2020, but even now, a few years removed from the original publication there is still material in the book that did not get widely reported, so even if you are a consumer of reputable news, some of the material in the book may be unfamiliar to you. Of course, the MAGATs will scream fake news about everything, but Schmidt brings receipts to back up every assertion that he makes. It is definitely worth reading.

Product Review: CELSIUS Kiwi Guava Lime On-the-Go Powder Stick Packs

 

This is a package of 14 On the Go flavored water packets (similar to crystal light On the Go packets). While it does have caffeine in it, it does not have any sugar and includes Ginger Root, Green Tea Extract, Biotin, and Guarana Seed Extract. So, it does have some thermogenic effects. I use it as a pre-workout drink early in the day. The Kiwi Guava Lime flavor is good, but it definitely took me a couple of times trying it to get used to it. These are a bit more expensive (about $10 for a pack of 14) compared with similar On the Go packs you find in a store (about $3 to $5 for a pack of 10), but not much more. 

Workout Update: Job 1-XB Stretch Day 15

Day 15 was another circuit workout in Job 1, this time a shoulders, core, and legs circuit. Again, there are three blocks that you do for two rounds, each of which focuses on one area of the body. The first block focuses on the shoulders, the second block on the core, and the third block on the legs. Jennifer again makes the moves more challenging than the prior week but does offer modifications that you can do for some or all of the thirty seconds.

Then, for the stretching routine in XB, I did the Energize routine. I do not like that one as much as some of the others, but it is doable. There is definitely more balance work and more downward dog sequences in this one, which I have never been fond of, even when I was in very good shape.

Product Review: ProCase iPad Pro 12.9 2017/2015 Case (Old Model, 2nd & 1st Gen)

 

This is a case for the older, first-generation, and second-generation, 12.9" iPad Pros. The case is very sturdy. The rigid material covers both the front and the back of the iPad, and it also protects the corners. So, it will keep the iPad protected from most drops. It does not have a keyboard (which is fine for how I use my iPad), and one of the best features is that the iPad fits in the case even if you have a screen protector on it. Meaning that the edges of the screen protector are not pushed up when you put the iPad in the case. The only drawback is that it does not have a slot to hold an Apple Pencil, and if you have an older Apple Pencil, they do not magnetically hold to the side of the iPad. But, if you have an older iPad Pro and are looking for a lower-cost case, this is a good one.

Workout Update: Job 1-XB Stretch Days 13 and 14

For days 13 and 14, I again did the XB Restore routine, which means that I did Restore six of the past seven days.  Tomorrow I will go back to the morning routine as my evening stretch. I definitely got better at Restore by the end of the week. My balance improved, and I could get deeper into the hamstring stretches. Next week I will do the "morning" routines on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and Restore on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. 

Book Review: Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11

 

"Ordinary Heroes" is a memoir by FDNY Chief, Joseph Pfeifer, who was one of the first firefighters on the scene at the World Trade Center on 9/11, having watched American Airlines Flight 11 slam into the North Tower of the Trade Center from a few blocks away. And, Chief Pfeifer was, for a short time, the highest-ranking firefighter on the scene and started coordinating the rescue efforts. If you have watched the documentary "9/11" which was made by the French filmmakers, Jules and Gideon Naudet, and aired less than a year after the attacks, you will recognize Chief Pfeifer from that documentary.

The book is mostly centered around what happened on 9/11, and then the aftermath. Although, Pfeifer does quickly go over how he ended up joining the fire department, what it was like to work with his brother (who was one of the over 340 firefighters who died on 9/11 when the buildings collapsed), and what his life was like post-9/11.

There are a lot of interesting details in the book that, even if you have watched the documentary in which Chief Pfeifer was featured, you may not know. For example, he knew when he saw the plane hit the building that it was a terrorist attack and he ordered an evacuation of the South Tower almost immediately upon arriving at the Trade Center. Sadly, not only was that order never relayed to the people in the South Tower, an announcement was played in the South Tower telling people that the tower was secure and that they could stay at their desks, which resulted in many more people dying than would have, had Cheif Pfeifer's evacuation order been carried out. The book also details how the fire department was not patched into the police department's communications, which included information being relayed from the police helicopter circling the buildings, so Chief Pfeifer had no idea the South Tower collapsed, and the rapidly decaying condition of the North Tower was not relayed to him. So, while he did order an evacuation of the North Tower to the firefighters, he did not do so as a mayday call, which probably resulted in people moving faster to get out of the building. The last 1/3 (or so) of the book discusses Pfeifer's work post-9/11 working to make high-rise buildings more secure, and coordinating fire and police cooperation during high-scale emergencies. 

The book is relatively short, right around 300 pages, and reads very quickly. Chief Pfeifer gives a harrowing description of what he, and the others with him, experienced on 9/11 and conveys the pain of losing not only his literal brother but many of his firefighter family members as well. It is a great book that is definitely one of my must-reads.

Book Review: The Survivor: (Mitch Rapp Series Book 14)

 

The Survivor, published in 2015, is the 14th book in the Mitch Rapp series of novels, and the sequel to the 2012 novel, The Last Man. The fate of this book was in limbo for a long time because Vince Flynn passed away in 2013. He had started writing the novel but had only written a few chapters before he was too sick to finish it. Flynn's estate and publisher commissioned author Kyle Mills (who had written several books in the same genre as the Rapp series) to finish this book and write another in the series. Of course, as most fans of the series know, Mills stayed on to write several additional novels.

The focus of this book is on the fallout from Joe Rickman's betrayal of the CIA, as videos that he made in the event of his death revealing the identities of various CIA assets around the world begin to leak out. The "real world" storyline from the book is about Pakistan, and how the country is a tenuous ally with the US. And, in continuing Flynn's tradition of having antagonist politicians, the role of Senator Ferris is greatly expanded in this book. 

The book is another very good one in the Mitch Rapp series. When it was announced that Mills would finish the book, many people were skeptical of whether Kyle Mills could take up the mantle of writing the characters that Flynn popularized, and write them as well as Flynn did. Mills apparently re-read all of Flynn's books to prepare for finishing this book and taking meticulous notes on Flynn's wording choices and overall style, and as a result, you cannot tell where what Flynn wrote ends and what Mills wrote starts. Mills stayed true to the characters and the tone that Flynn had set over the course of the prior 13 books and told a very good story. This is definitely worth reading.

Workout Update: Job 1-XB Stretch Day 12

Day 12 in Job 1 was a core, back, and glutes circuit. The workout had three blocks, and between each of the blocks was a minute of cardio that consisted of three moves, each done for 20 seconds. The three blocks each had different moves, but the minute of cardio used the same three exercises all the way through. So, this was another circuit that went by very fast and included little to no rest. The exercises were again more challenging than those in week one, and it definitely seems like the intensity of each workout will get ratcheted up each week.

The stretch routine was again Restore in XB. Even though it is repetitive doing the same routine for most of the week, I do feel like I get a little better at it each time and the fact that it is only 15 minutes keeps it from being too boring.

Product Review: Glisten Garbage Disposer Cleaner

 

This is a good garbage disposal cleaner with a nice lemon scent that is not overpowering. To use it, you run hot water on full blast in the sink for a minute, then turn the water down to a trickle. You put the entire packet in the disposer and turn it on, and run the disposer until you cannot see foam (until you hear a whooshing sound), and then rinse any foam from the sink. The whole process takes about three minutes. There are three packets in the package. It would be nice to get a couple more per package in case you need to clean the disposer a couple of times during the month. Chances are, however, that most people will only need to use one per month.