Book Review: Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia

 

The High Republic Character Encyclopedia serves a couple of different functions. First, it is a catalog of the various characters who have appeared in the High Republic novels and comic books. The characters are categorized by what group they are affiliated with (e.g., Jedi, Nihil, Path of the Open Hand, etc.). Each character has a write-up that gives information such as their species, what book or comic they first appeared in, and major events they participated in. The more central characters get longer write-ups (about a page and a half or two) and the minor characters get about a paragraph. There are pictures of some of the characters and others are just listed by their name. While the book covers most of the characters, not every character that has appeared in the books has an entry. The second function of the book is to summarize the first and second phases of The High Republic era and chronicle the major events that have led up to the forthcoming third phase. 

The hardcover version of the book is 200 pages long, but because the book has a lot of illustrations, the actual text is much shorter. Therefore, the book can be read very fast and easily finished in a day or two. This is not likely going to be a book that casual Star Wars fans will get into because most of the characters in the book have not appeared in the movies or the various TV series. I would not call this one of the must-read books but for anyone who has read some or all of the High Republic-era books, it is worth reading once.

Book Review: Navigators of Dune (Dune #6)

 

Navigators of Dune is the 6th book, chronologically, in the Dune franchise of novels written by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert. It is the third book in the "Schools of Dune" trilogy, which is the second prequel trilogy (again chronologically) to the original Dune trilogy. This book, published in 2016, is set about 10,000 years before the events of the original Dune storyline. The book ties up some of the storylines that were started in the earlier novels and sets up the origins of storylines that will have consequences and/or be instrumental down the line such as the Sisterhood's breeding program, the Spacing Guild, and the human computers. And, of course, the Harkonen-Atreides feud continues to play out. 

The hardcover version of the book is just over 400 pages long. There are a lot of characters in the book, but thankfully, most of them carry over from the prior novels in the trilogy so it is not very hard to keep track of who is who. Like with the prior books, there are a few different main storylines. Two of them are interrelated and intertwine quite a bit, and the third is on its own. The book has a good balance of action and downtime (which is mostly used to set up the next action sequence). The book does a good job of continuing the backstory to bring the readers to the original Dune novels while still being suspenseful and entertaining. It is absolutely worth reading.

DVD/TV Series Review: 24: The Complete Series

 

This is the box set of the complete original 24 series, starring Kiefer Sutherland.  The original series ran for 8 seasons, from 2001 to 2010, and had a TV movie titled Redemption, which aired between seasons 6 and 7. 24 was definitely a series that had its ups and downs. The first couple of seasons were very groundbreaking with the "real-time" format, and the fact that the series was never afraid to kill off a character. It was not quite Game-of-Thrones-like in killing off main characters, but it definitely killed off major characters throughout the series. The show was also known for its twists and turns, oftentimes revealing that a supposed good guy was a mole, double agent, or the like.  There were certainly hokey and dumb moments throughout the series, but I think on the whole the plots and the acting were very good. 

Besides Sutherland, the show had a strong ensemble cast including Mary Lynn Rajskub, Elisha Cuthbert, Sarah Clarke, Carlos Bernard, Dennis Haysbert, Reiko Aylesworth, Kim Raver, Penny Johnson Jerald, Glenn Morshower, and D.B. Woodside (among others). The show was a serial drama that you had to watch from the beginning of each season to follow along. Each "day" involved some kind of terrorist attack, which was usually a precursor to a larger attack that the counter-terrorist unit (CTU) had to stop. There was always a lot of misdirection and twists to throw off the ultimate plot, which was usually revealed in the final few episodes. And, as I said, almost no character was safe from being bumped off.

This set does not include Live Another Day (there is an updated set that does) and while some of the individual seasons are available on blu-ray, the complete series is only available on DVD. The set does include all of the bonus content that was released for the individual season sets. That includes hours of deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary tracks on select episodes, and more. I definitely think the series did try to hang on too long. I think it would have stood up better if it ended after 4 or 5 seasons instead of going 8. Like many, I think that the 6th season was the weakest of the group. While seasons 7 and 8 did help the series recover (as did the mini-series, Live Another Day, which aired in 2014), I do think it was a show that would have benefited from a shorter run, especially since there was talk of a possible movie long before the series ended. Overall I think it was a well-acted, well-written series that was (especially at the beginning) very addicting. It did take a lot of suspension of disbelief and you have to be willing to accept some eye-rolling moments, but on the whole, it was a very entertaining series.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 42

Day 42 was again the two recovery workouts from Lift 4. The only thing of note is that I did use the rumble roller again for the foam rolling. I think going back to the regular foam roller for a week helped a lot because now using the rumble roller feels like the first time I had tried it.  

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 41

Day 41 was just the two recovery routines from Lift 4. I think they both went as well as they did on Wednesday, so there is really nothing to update about this one.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 40

Day 40 was the Legs workout from Lift 4, and because it is an even-numbered week, that means it was all HIIT.  The moves were not as bad (aside from the 45 seconds of triple bear) as in prior weeks, but I was still modifying some of them. But, even the modified versions of the exercises are hard, there is just not as much impact on your body.

Book Review: My Story

 

My Story is the closest thing that the world ever got to an autobiography or memoir from Marilyn Monroe. The original version of the book was published about 12 years after her death and was created from a manuscript she submitted to Milton Green (who was a photographer who took many pictures of Marilyn throughout her career) and was essentially finished by journalist, Ben Hecht. This illustrated version of the book, published in 2007, adds many pictures of Marilyn selected by Milton Green's son, Joshua, who also wrote the foreword.  In the book, Monroe broadly details her early life, her rise to stardom, and her romance with Joe Dimaggio. The book ends with a discussion of her trip to Korea to entertain the troops during her honeymoon with Dimaggio.

The hardcover version of the book is relatively short, coming in at a little under 200 pages. In it, Monroe covers her life in broad strokes up through 1954. She does not go into a ton of detail about everything in her life but does discuss being molested as a girl, the infamous nude calendar photoshoot (which turned into the first Playboy pictorial), and her struggle to get acting jobs (and what was expected by the studio heads and producers). She does not go into detail about whether and how much she participated in the whole "casting couch" phenomenon, or really discuss her sex life (aside from saying she was not very interested in sex during her first marriage. She also talks about how Za Za Gabor hated her because Gabor's husband flirted with her at a party. The big thing I took away from the book is that she was not an overnight sensation or star and she was not instantly rich. Even when she was not an established star she pushed back against some of the parts she was offered and was looking to be taken more seriously. There is an eerily prophetic line in the book that she was the type of person who would be found dead in a hallway with a bottle of sleeping pills next to her. In all, the book shows her as a complicated figure whose life was not at all as glamorous as it seemed. It is absolutely worth the time to read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 39

Day 39 was shoulders invervals from Lift 4. This means each block at two shoulder resistance exercises and one 30-second HIIT exercise. I am almost back to feeling 100% so I could lift heavy again and did not have to modify as much when doing the HIIT. I again took a bit of a break from the foam rolling but will start that up again next week. 

Blu-Ray/Movies Box Set Review: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

 

This is a set that contains some but does not contain all, of Hitchcock's movies Depending on what you consider his best movies to be, this may not contain your favorites. Nor do each of the movies have perfect video and audio. The 15 movies included in this collection (each on separate discs) are Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, Rear Window, The Trouble With Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy, and Family Plot. 

There are a lot of reviewers on Amazon pissed at Universal for not restoring all of them. I am never one who expects movies that old to look as good as something made today, so the grain and glitches in the video that you occasionally see do not bother me all that much. In fact, some movie purists enjoy seeing grain and imperfections that are common to movies that were shot on film. That said, some movies have a wonderful restoration (e.g., Sabotuer), others have a good to very good restorations (e.g., The Birds, Rear Window, and Psycho), while others (e.g., Family Plot) have a very bad transfer. The films that have been restored like Rear Window do look great, however. 

I also think the extras that you get on each movie are very good. The documentaries which have interviews with the remaining stars, filmmakers, and Hitchcock family members are very good. I don't really know how this compares to the DVDs that are already out there. You probably want to research whether this will be that much of an upgrade to what you already have if you own any of the movies included here. That said I do like the collection and am very happy with it.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 38

For Day 38 I just did the two Lift 4 recovery workouts. Both went fine and I feel like my flexibility has (somehow) improved from last week. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 37

For Day 37 I just did the back and biceps workout from Lift 4, and did not do any morning foam rolling. The back and biceps workout is another 50/50 workout. Since I am still recovering from COVID, I modified the hell out of the cardio portion, even swapping out a couple of the regular exercises for easier exercises because I knew that I would not be able to breathe much during wide mountain climbers and catcher jumps. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 36

Day 36 was corrective shoulders from 645 and the start of week 6 in Lift 4, which was the chest and triceps workout. This one was a circuit workout, so the two quad blocks were followed by three sets of push-up burnout and then three sets of core. Thankfully, I am almost back to normal today and mostly recovered from COVID. So, I was able to lift much heavier weights than I did for shoulders and legs last week. There were a couple of exercises that I used weights that were a little lighter than I would have if I had never been sick, but for the most part, I was back to lifting heavy. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 35

Day 35 was the two recovery workouts from Lift 4. I was definitely feeling better than I had the past couple of days but I was still a bit weak and coughing so it was nice to just have the low-impact routines. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 34

For day 34 I did the Legs workout from Lift 4, but again did it using much lighter weights than I would normally use and modifying what I could of the HIIT moves and skipping the ones I could not do. I again feel a little better than I did yesterday, so hopefully by Monday, I will be back to normal (or close to it).

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 33

For Day 33 I just did the lower body foam rolling from 645 and did not even attempt to do the Lift 4 legs workout. I had a horrible night overnight but did start feeling a little better throughout the day. But not well enough that I felt like I could do even a modified workout. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 32

 Day 32 was a shit show of a day. I started doing upper body foam rolling but felt progressively worse throughout the day. I think I actually had COVID for the first time. I had enough energy at night to do the Lift 4 shoulders workout using VERY light weights and modifying the HIIT moves like crazy (sometimes skipping a set if I needed to).

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 31

Day 32 was corrective ankles from 645 and the two recovery workouts from Lift 4. I was not feeling all that well so it was nice to have a slower day.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 30

Day 30 was corrective hips from 645 and week 5's back and biceps workout from Lift 4. The back and biceps workout is a circuit workout, so it does not have any HIIT. But, you are doing two quad blocks, lifting very heavy weight in each block, and doing each of the four exercises back-to-back without any rest and just 30 seconds of rest between sets. So, you really don't need to do any extra cardio. I did have to drop the amount of weight I was using for a couple of the biceps exercises on the second and third sets in the quad blocks, and during the burnout round for the full curls. It was a beast of a workout, but I got through it.

Book Review: Takedown (Scot Harvath Series #5)

 

Takedown, published in 2006, is the fifth book in the now long-running series of action-adventure thriller novels set around the character of Scot Harvath written by author, Brad Thor. As he has in the prior novels in the series, Thor continues to blend real-world elements with his fictional storylines in this novel. The main storyline in this book involves a terrorist attack on New York City by fictional Al-Qeada members. Harvath essentially becomes trapped in the city and follows a group of terrorists who are hitting what appears to be random targets while seemingly looking for something or someone. The other main storyline in the book involves political fighting and maneuvering and brings the real-world enhanced interrogation technique controversy (which was just coming to light around the time Thor was writing the book) into the story. The book ends on a fairly large cliffhanger that will almost certainly affect one or more subsequent books in the series. 

The hardcover version of the book is just under 400 pages. The book has a good blend of action and suspense. There are a couple of side stories here and there, especially early on. But the main storylines are the focus. If you like the first four novels in the series you will probably like this one. If you are a fan of the genre but have not yet read the other books in the series, it is a good idea to start with the first book because the main characters are fairly established by this point and the author only does minimal character development on a couple of characters that are newly introduced in this book. It is absolutely worth the time to read.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 29

Day 29 was the start of week 5 in Lift 4, which was chest and triceps 50/50. The lifting portion of the workout was not bad. I did have to drop the amount of weight I was using on the triceps kickbacks in the third block after the first set (I did 25 for the first set, 20 for the second, and 15 for the third), but otherwise I was able to go up in weight and stay with the increased weight for all of the other exercises. The HIIT portion of the workout was tough, and I had to modify and take breaks a lot. This morning, I did corrective shoulders from 645.  

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 28

Day 28 was again the two recovery routines from Lift 4. I got them out of the way early in the day and then enjoyed a nice family get-together in the evening. I hope everyone who celebrates it has a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 27

Day 27 was the two recovery routines from Lift 4. Given that I was doing last-minute Christmas preparation, I got the routines out of the way early in the day, which was nice. This past week I have just been using the regular foam roller to give myself a break from the rumble roller. I definitely do not feel it as much, but I can put more pressure on the regular roller and work the muscles a bit better. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 26

 Day 26 was legs in Lift 4 and lower body foam rolling in 645. 

The Lift 4 legs workout was another HIIT workout. That meant no lifting, which was kind of nice, but the HIIT was pretty brutal. I definitely did not have the best workout, but I managed to get through it.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 25

Day 25 was upper body foam rolling from 645 and shoulders from Lift 4. Shoulders was an interval workout so each block has two shoulder lifting exercises and then a 30-second HIIT move. The HIIT moves were not as tough as they could have been. The hardest of the bunch were the squat jumps, but the soccer sprints and speed skaters were not bad at all.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Round 2 -Day 24

Day 24 was corrective ankles from 645 and the two recovery routines from Lift 4. All of the foam rolling went well, although I did switch from the rumble roller to the regular foam roller for the lift 4 foam rolling just to give myself a break.