Workout Update: P90X Day 85

Day 85 was a rest day going into the final recovery week of the program. I did the 645 cardio routine in the evening, again to get some movement in, but that was it. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 84

Day 84 was yoga. I feel like my flexibility and mobility have plateaued a bit, as my range of motion has not really improved since last week. But, it is kind of hard for me to tell during the yoga routine because it has never been easy for me to do.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 83

 Day 83 was the final Legs and Back workout. I was again able to get in a couple more assisted pull-up reps, but kept the weight for the weighted portions the same.

Workout Update: P90X Day 82

 Day 82 was Kenpo. It was fine. Nothing to really write home about. The workouts are definitely getting super repetitive and boring at this point, so it is a slog to get through them. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 81

Day 81 was the final back and biceps workout. This is still probably my favorite lifting workout in the program (aside from the corn-cob pull-ups), but I was even able to get a couple more assisted reps with those. So, overall, a decent workout.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 80

Day 80 was the final plyometrics workout of the routine. I must admit by this point, I am pretty much slacking in the program, so I did not go balls to the wall during this. But I got through it. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 79

Day 79 was the final Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps workout of the program. There was no big change from the last time I did the workout to speak of.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 78

 Day 78 was a rest day, but I did the 645 cardio routine in the evening just to get some activity in. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 77

Day 77 was Yoga. I still cannot stand the routine, but I can tell that my flexibility is improving incrementally.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 76

Day 76 was Legs and Back. I again was able to get a couple more reps on some of the pull-up exercises, but the amount of weight I used for the weighted exercises stayed the same.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 75

Day 75 was the Kenpo workout again. It went okay, but I did it later in the evening than I intended, so I did not get a ton of sleep during the night because I was still kind of wired from the workout.

Workout Update: P90X Day 74

Day 74 was the last Shoulders and Arms workout of the program. No big changes or advancements from the last time I did the workout.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 73

Day 73 was plyometrics. I was a bit tired during the workout so I did not go all out, but I made it through.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 72

Day 72 was the last Chest and Back workout. It went very well, as I was able to increase the number of assisted pull-ups for almost every pull-up variation, and added a rep or 2 to my push-up total. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 71

Day 71 was the rest day. I did do the 645 cardio routine in the evening just so I could get some movement in during the day, and since we had nice weather, I did go on a couple of longer walks.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 70

Day 70 was the legs and back workout. I used the same weight for all the weighted exercises, and I got a few more pull-ups in.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 69

 On day 69, I did the yoga routine. I am still skipping through portions of it until I get to the point where I can do the portions I can do, well, before I start incorporating the harder elements. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 68

Day 68 was the back and biceps workout. Again, nothing was all that different from the last time I did the workout, but my pull-up numbers increased a bit.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 67

On day 67, I did Kenpo, again switching the workout order. It went well, and I can tell my stamina is getting better, and my speed is getting better when doing the workout. However, I still have a long way to get where I want to be with the workout being as easy as it was for me years ago. 

Workout Update: P90X Day 66

On day 66, I did the chest, shoulders, and triceps workout. There were no huge changes from the last time I did the workout, but I was able to do another couple of corn-cob pull-ups (still assisted) than I did the last time.  

Workout Update: P90X Day 65

On day 65, which was the start of week 2 of Phase 3, I decided to change things up a bit and reorder the workouts. So, instead of starting with Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps, I started with Plyometrics. It went well, and I could tell that my body was not expecting the mix-up in workouts.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: From Dusk Till Dawn

 

From Dusk Till Dawn is a 1996 film that blends the action, crime-drama, and monster genres. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and stars George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino (who also wrote the screenplay), Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Ernest Liu, and Salma Hayek (in her second major film role). The supporting cast includes Cheech Marin (who plays three different roles), John Saxon, Danny Trejo, Fred Williamson, Tom Savini, and Kelly Preston. In it, Clooney and Tarantino play criminal brothers who have recently robbed a bank and taken one of the tellers hostage. They end up taking a family (Keitel, Lewis, and Liu) hostage and force Keitel, who plays a former minister named Jacob Fuller (who has lost his faith after his wife's death), to Mexico in the family's RV. Seth (Clooney's character) assures Jacob that his family will be safe after they meet the brother's contact the following morning at a strip club in Mexico that is open from dusk till dawn. It turns out the strip club is run by vampires who steal from truckers and bikers who frequent the club. 

The blu-ray release is a single-disc release with no bonus content. The A/V transfer is okay, but not outstanding. If you have a large screen and a good sound system, the movie will look and sound very good, even if the HD transfer is not of the highest quality.

The movie falls into the category of good, but not great. It was made just before the big advancement in CGI effects and technology (basically before the first Matrix film and the subsequent Star Wars and Harry Potter films revolutionized movie effects), so some of the effects are extremely fake-looking and cheesy. It is absolutely not family-friendly as it has a lot of violence, swearing, and some nudity. It is well-written and well-acted, and Hayek looks stunning in her bikini scene and takes over the movie at one point despite the limited screen time she gets. While it is not really a comedy, it does have some funny moments, such as Cheech Marin showing up throughout the film in different roles. Ultimately, if you are a fan of action films and shoot-em-up monster movies, you will probably like this one. 

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

 

The 24-episode fifth season of Frasier aired during the 1997/1998 TV season. All members of the main cast/series regulars returned for the season, as did recurring cast members such as Edward Hibbert (who plays Gil Chesterson) and Marsha Mason (who plays Sherry). Bebe Neuwirth also reprised her role as Lilith in a hilarious episode later in the season. The notable guest stars this season included Sela Ward, Lisa Edelstein, Larry King, and Leslie Stahl. There were fewer radio station segments this season, so there were fewer celebrity callers, but those who did appear included Cindy Crawford, John Waters, Rob Reiner, Halle Berry, and John McEnroe.

As of this writing, the individual seasons are available only on DVD in a four-disc set. The Blu-Rays are available in a complete series release, with each season packaged in its own keep case. The fifth season set is a three-disc set on blu-ray. The A/V quality of the blu-rays is excellent and absolutely a step-up in quality from the DVD release. There are no bonus features this season, but the episodes can be played with or without English captions. 

The show remained primarily a story-of-the-week procedural, but there were some ongoing storylines throughout the season, including the ongoing saga of Niles and Maris's marriage, hints of Niles and Daphne getting together, and a pregnancy storyline for Roz. This season also included the series' 100th episode, with a storyline in which Frasier celebrated 1000 episodes of his radio show. The show continues to be very funny in season five, with many laugh-out-loud moments. The episode in which Lilith returns was hilarious, with standout performances by David Hyde Pierce and Bebe Neuwirth. The Niles-Maris storyline is finally resolved this season, and the season ends on a significant cliffhanger going into season six. While some elements of the series are very dated by today's standards, it remained well-written and well-acted, and if you liked the first four seasons, this one is worth watching.

CD/Music Review: Anastacia (self-titled)

 

This is the 2004 self-titled album by Anastacia. It is her third studio album and mixes elements of pop, soul, rock, and R&B. It was not released on physical media in the US  but is available on CD as an import. The album did very well overseas, topping the charts in Germany and the UK. The album has 12 tracks in all. Most of them fall into more of a power-rock category. There are not many ballads or slower songs. The standout tracks, in my opinion, are Left Alone Outside and Sick and Tired. The CD liner includes track listings with lyrics and liner notes, several pictures of Anastacia, and a thank-you note on the final page. The album is good. It has many good tracks, but it definitely has some weaker tracks mixed in. Ultimately, if you liked or loved her first two albums, you will probably like this one as well. 

Magazine Review: Maxim: June 2000

 

Maxim is a magazine created in 1999 to compete with Playboy, without the nudity. The June 2000 issue was its 30th issue, when the magazine was arguably at its height (and before it was sold off to the MAGA nutcase who currently owns and publishes it). The pictorials in this issue were centered on the women who starred in various WB shows, including Brittany Daniel, Charisma Carpenter, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Katie Holmes, Paula Devicq, and Jessica Biel. Most of the actresses had a single pic and a short bio and in the cases of Daniel and Devicq, short interviews. The main pictorial featured Katherine Heigl, who was starring in her breakout role on the series Roswell. Hers had the most pictures (including an incredible sideboob shot) and included a more lengthy interview. The other notable pictorial and write-up (unrelated to the WB actresses) featured Angelina Jolie, who was in the midst of her wild days as a young adult. 

Some of the articles featured in this edition included one about New Mexico's most notorious serial killer, David Parker Ray, an interview with Dave Grohl, and the usual sex-themed articles in which women were interviewed about things such as penis size and their willingness to engage in various fantasy play during sex. There is also an article profiling various young millionaires and how they made their money, and another about the popular convertibles of the time. Some of the ads were quite hilarious. There were tons of cigarette ads, one for a smart grill, and one promoting the release of the movie Fight Club, available for VHS and DVD rental. Ultimately, you have to take Maxim for what it was (especially back then). It definitely was written to appeal to the frat boy crowd in their late teens and early 20s. Some of the material is definitely cringe-worthy 25-plus years later (as of this writing), but some of the more serious material in it holds up well.