Here you will find things about fitness and nutrition, mainly (but not exclusively) in relation to the Beachbody programs like P90x and Insanity. And, I will start adding reviews for Books, DVDs and Blu-Rays, and other products. All views and opinions on this blog are my own.
Welcome
Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.
I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.
I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time. As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree.
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Product Review: Nature's Way 100% Potency Pure Source MCT Oil from Coconut
Friday, March 25, 2022
Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 19
Day 19 of CE was Burn Circuit 3 again. I was able to hit the 12 rep max on almost all of the exercises aside from the shoulder flys at the very end. So, I will be bumping up the amount of weight (mostly up to 12 or 15 lbs from 10 lbs) for the various shoulder exercises. And, I was able to do all three "extreme"/super slow pushups at the end of the workout on my toes and got all the way down to the floor with my chest on the 5 counts down. So, I am definitely getting stronger because of these workouts.
Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 18
CE day 18 was the burn circuit workout again. I can tell that my stamina is increasing and I can do most of the cardio moves at the same pace as the group. My only real issue is that my knees have been acting up on me a bit so I have had to modify some of the moves to be lower impact than I normally would. It is a matter of still wanting to work out, but also being careful and not overdoing it. I still find Skip super annoying, and constantly want him to shut up during the workout. He definitely overdoes it on being "chipper" the entire time.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Dollhouse Season 1
The series definitely takes a few episodes to find its footing and set up the characters and the world that they inhabit. The show includes a very strong cast including Fran Kranz, as the programmer who gives the dolls their memories (and takes them away), Dichen Lachman as another doll Sierra, Amy Acker, Enver Gjokaj, Tahmoh Pennikett, Miracle Laurie, Harry Lennix, Reed Diamond, and Olivia Williams. Like many of Whedon's other shows about midway through the season the story picks up, and we start getting more twists and backstories to fill in the questions that the initial episodes present.
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great in HD. The extras include commentary tracks for a few episodes. One of them has Whedon and Dushku, one with Whedon alone, and one with Whedon and his wife and brother. The original unaired pilot is included, and a couple of making-of and behind-the-scenes features. A decent amount of material for those who like going through the bonus features.
Overall, the series is very good. It is a good blend of action and drama, with some comedy thrown in there too. It presents a lot of ethical questions (especially in the second season), and it has a lot of twists and turns. Obviously, there is the question of supporting Whedon's shows given everything that has come out about his behavior over time. Obviously, this came out long before any of that was ever public, and it does tarnish his image a lot. I look at it as, I liked the show before all of that came out, and many more people were involved in the production than him. That said, I will not listen to his commentary tracks anymore because you know some of the stuff he says, especially when he goes on about morals and ethics, is contrary to some of the things he was allegedly doing. I still think the show is worth watching, just know that if you do get into it, it only lasted a couple of seasons and was canceled before the entire story could be fleshed out.
Thursday, March 24, 2022
Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 17
Day 17 of CE was the Burn Circuit 2 workout. Really nothing all that new to report from last week's workout, but I was able to hit the 12 rep max on a couple of the exercises. I still had to do some of the push-ups at the end on my knees, but I am getting much deeper into the triceps pushups when I do them on my toes than I have ever been able to before. So, I am getting better at them, and can tell that I am getting stronger overall.
Blu-Ray Review: Ghostbusters (2009 25th Anniversary release)
Chances are, anyone reading this by now has seen the movie at least once. For the handful who may not have, it is definitely an adult comedy. It has a lot of swearing and some sexually suggestive material (but no nudity). It is extremely funny with jokes that you may miss the first time around. Even with a large ensemble cast all of the actors get at least some good material, and pretty much every character gets at least one memorable line.
The movie has been released multiple times on DVD and Blu-Ray. If you end up with the 25th-anniversary set, it carries over all of the making-of and behind-the-scenes material from the DVD release and includes the commentary track with the director Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, and one of the producers. The big addition to this set is a "Slimer" mode, which is a picture-in-picture viewing of the movie that has a ton of material including interviews with cast members and pop-up facts about the movie. There is also a preview of the video game that was released at the same time, and a feature on restoration of the Ecto-1 car. All in all, a bunch of good material for those who like going through the bonus material.
It is one of the best comedies not only of the 1980s but of all time. Even though it looks like a movie that was made in the 1980s, the story holds up even though it is now almost 40 years old. If you have not yet bought it on disc, you may want to get the 4K version, but if you are a fan of physical media it is worth picking up.
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 16
Day 16 was the recharge workout again. Given that I only got a few hours of sleep the night before, doing recharge was actually very nice because I was not up to a very intense workout. Again, I can tell that my flexibility has been getting better through the P90X yoga and stretch workouts into this one. I still definitely have tight spots, especially in my lower back and hamstrings, but those are getting more flexible (slowly).
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Fringe Season 1
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great in HD. It definitely had, and made use of, a health special effects budget, and it is definitely worth watching in the high-definition format. The extras include commentary tracks on select episodes, several making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes for many of the episodes. About an hour and a half plus of material (not including the commentaries).
While I cannot say the series will appeal to everyone, if you are a fan of the sci-fi/fantasy genre, chances are you will like it. It is a unique series in that not everything is made up. It actually does include some actual scientific concepts and then mixes them with totally made-up sci-fi stuff. It does have some violence and some gross visuals, but not much in the way of sexual content. It is very well written and acted, and definitely worth checking out.
Supplement Review: Premier Protein Shake, Caramel, 11.5 Fl. Oz (Pack of 12)
Blu-Ray Review: Chuck Season 2
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, there are a handful of short making-of and behind-the-scenes features, an 18-minute featurette on the stunt work, and a gag reel. Some sets have the 3D version of the episode Chuck vs. the Third-dimension and others have just the 2D version. There is also 10 minutes worth of webisodes. So, a nice amount of extras for those who like bonus features.
Overall, the season was great. The show continues to be well written and acted. This season also saw a ton of guest stars including, Melinda Clark (from the OC), Michael Clarke Duncan, Nicole Ritchie, Michael Strahan, Jordana Brewster, Morgan Fairchild, Bruce Boxleitner, Scott Bakula, Chevy Chase, Tricia Helfer, Jerome Bettis, and more. Matt Bomer also made an appearance as Bryce Larkin to throw a wrench not only into the intersect storyline but the Chuck-Sarah relationship. If you are one of the few people reading this who knows nothing about the show and are just trying to figure out if you want to watch it, I highly recommend it. It has a great blend of action, comedy, and drama (and having Yvonne Strahovski in lingerie on a regular basis does not hurt either). You definitely need to watch the first season in order for the second season to make sense because the show is much more of a serial storyline than a procedural one. And, if you liked or loved the first season, you will probably feel the same way about this one.
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
Product Review: OULII Toilet Flush Lever Handle Universal Toilet Handle Replacement for Toilet Tank (Side Mount)
Monday, March 21, 2022
Product Review: Coolmax ES-300 Esata to USB Adapter
If you have an external eSata drive but have a laptop with just USB ports, this will do the job. My laptop was able to recognize the drive without a problem, and everything worked fine.
Product Review: MANGROOMER Do-It-Yourself Electric Back Hair Shaver
Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 15
Day 15 of CE was the third round of Burn Circuit 1. I could tell in this workout that I am getting appreciably stronger. I was able to max out at the 12 reps on most of the exercises, aside from the very last shoulder raise at the end. And, I was able to do two of the three ultra slow pushups (8-counts up and 8 counts down) at the end on my toes, and go all the way down so my chest touched the ground. I still had to do the last one on my knees, but I am making progress.
Product Review: WD My DVR Expander 500 GB eSATA External Hard Drive
Product Review: Reebok Men's RBK Integrity Trainer Cross Training
These fit very well, have good stability, and are quite comfortable. They are very good for higher impact exercises like plyometrics or jumping that running shoes are not designed for. So, if you are doing workout programs like P90X or Insanity (or any other program that has a lot of jumping), these are a very good option. It would be great if there was a high-top version that provided a bit more ankle support, but even so, they are good shoes.
DVD Review: The Algebra 2 Tutor - 6 Hour Course
This set of DVDs covers much of the material that you would see in an intermediate algebra level course in college, as well as some of the material that you get in a college algebra course. At six hours it does not, obviously, cover an entire semester's worth of material. It starts out with graphing equations (pretty much of lines), then gets into the slope of a line, writing equations of lines, solving systems of equations, equations with radicals, fractional exponents, and then ends with polynomial equations and the quadratic formula. So, it covers a lot of key material, but as I said, it does not get into everything in a full semester-long course. But, if paired with Jason's other sets, the advanced algebra and matrix algebra tutors, you will get about 85-90% of what you will see in a college algebra course.
One thing to be aware of, this is a lecture-like series of videos with Jason standing in front of a whiteboard working on problems. So, you have to know what your particular learning style is. Even though it is lecture-like, it is not exactly the same kind of lecture you will get in a "regular" class, where professors tend to go through the theory ad-nauseum. Jason explains just enough of the theory to get you to understand the concepts but then goes through a bunch of example problems, step-by-step. He explains each step as he goes along and then recaps the process after the problem is fully worked out. He also gives hints about what can trip people up, and things to watch out for when solving problems. He also encourages students to go back and work the problems on their own to drill the concepts into their heads.
Overall, this is a great set, and if you are an audio and/or visual learner, this will help you a lot. It is a lot cheaper than an in-person tutor, but the trade-off is the lack of ability to ask questions or get help with real homework problems which you can get with an in-person tutor. With those caveats, it is definitely a good investment for anyone needing extra help with math or just wanting to learn the material on their own.
DVD Review: Bitten Season Two
The second season of Bitten picks up shortly after the events of the Season 1 finale. The entire pack is looking for Malcolm to bring him to justice for the attack on the pack and killing Phillip, which Elana is still reeling from (to some extent). She has embraced her role in the pack and has come to accept her feelings for Clay after finding out that he bit her to protect her. In the first episode, that storyline is combined with the new storyline that will play out for the rest of the season, that is the arrival of Witches. The season is kind of wolves v. witches theme, and kind of a wolves and witches team up to prevent a threat to each group.
The show continues to be very violent and has a lot of sexual content (and as much nudity as they could get away with). There may be a bit less sex this season than in season one, but not much less, and they definitely take advantage of showing off the ridiculously good-looking cast. All of the characters continue to evolve, especially Nick and Jordan, and all of the actors do a great job with their characters.
For those who get the DVD, the extras include deleted scenes, a portion of the NY comic-con panel discussion, a feature on the fight choreography, a gag reel, and the episode of the aftershow (that aired in Canada I believe) for the season finale. All, in all, about an hour and a half of bonus features, which is getting rarer and rarer for DVD sets.
Overall, the season is good. The show will definitely not appeal to everyone, but I think most fans of sci-fi and fantasy will like it. I have personally never read the books that the series was adapted from. According to the showrunner, this season deviated quite a bit from the second book, so people who are fans of the book may not like it that much. But, if you are a fan of the genre or just a fan of Laura Vandervoort from her Smallville or Haven days, it is definitely worth checking out.
Product Review: TP-Link AC750 WiFi Extender
Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Dark Knight
The plot of the movie is basically Batman v. The Mob v. The Joker v. The System, all of which work with and against each other at times, and all of which are, at least to some extent, either corrupt or doing something less than righteous. The movie brings back much of the cast from the first movie, including Bale, Freeman, Caine, and Oldman. The role of Rachel Dawes was recast with Maggie Gyllenhall replacing Katie Holmes. While I think Gyllenhall did fine, I would have preferred the continuity of keeping Holmes in the role. Apparently, however, it was Holmes' decision not to return for the sequel so she kind of left everyone in the lurch. The big addition to the cast was Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, the new District Attorney of Gotham. As pretty much everyone knows, Dent becomes Two-Face, and the one change I would have made to the movie would be to have Two-Face be unleashed a bit earlier in the movie so he had more screen time. But, Eckhart did a good job with the character for the short time he got to play the full version.
For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great. The extras include several making-of and behind-the-scenes features, features about the various characters, stills galleries, trailers, and more. A lot of extras for those who like to watch them.
Overall, the movie is wonderful. The acting is great, and the writing is mostly good. There are some plot points that are kind of dumb, but they are very minor. Ledger's performance was definitely the highlight of the movie, even though he was not in nearly as many scenes as it seems like he was, and it rightly deserves its praise as one of the best comic book movies of all time.
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 14
Day 14 was recharge and Ab-Burner. Both went well. I like doing recharge twice a week as opposed to the recommended one time, and I think doing it separately from the Burn it Off workout works well. Ab burner was much easier the second time. In the Burn Circuit phase, I think there is enough ab work in the regular workouts that you do not have to do ab burner more than once a week, but I may do it a couple days a week once I get to the other phases.
Product Review: Mr. Pen- Small Hammer
Saturday, March 19, 2022
Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 13
Day 13 of CE was the 28 minute Burn it Off workout. I felt that my cardio endurance improved a lot from last week, probably because of the Burn Intervals workout mid-week. I was able to push harder on the exercises and did not have to pause as much. I still had to modify the burpees and cut it short at seven instead of the full ten, but that was really the only one I could not finish.
Book Review: Helter Skelter
As anyone who has read any of Bugliosi's books, he has a pretty snarky writing style and is not shy about sharing his personal feelings about the people he is writing about. So, his characterization of Manson and his band of followers could be quite humorous at times. The book is organized into multiple parts that detail the murders, then detail the killers, the investigation of the crime, determining a motive, catching those involved, and the trial and its aftermath. It is a very entertaining read and provides a lot of information that only Bugliosi and a handful of other people were privy to. So, if you are a history buff and/or a true crime enthusiast, this is definitely worth reading.
Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Chuck Season 1
The show definitely lives up to the hype that its die-hard fans give it. Unfortunately, the year it premiered the Bionic Woman reboot series got all of NBC's promotional budget and Chuck was hardly mentioned at all. For a lot of people, the allure to the show was the commercial that featured Yvonne Strahovski in lingerie (which she was in a lot during the series), but it was really a well-written and well-acted show that should have gotten a bit longer run than it did. Levi and Strahovski are great as leads playing fake boyfriend and girlfriend. They have great chemistry, and of course, the show teases the "will they or won't they" get together all season. All of the actors, including the group of rather pathetic Buy More ancillary characters, are great. Whatever you may think of Adam Baldwin in real-life, he does a great Job as Casey, a guy with no people skills forced to work in a store interacting with customers. Joshua Gomez steals nearly every scene he is in as Chuck's best friend, Morgan.
For those who get the Blu-Ray set, it looks and sounds great in the HD format. The extras include deleted scenes, a 27 minute "Chuck on Chuck" feature that has Levi and Gomez discussing the show, a gag reel, and clips from various actors casting sessions. All in all, a decent amount of material.
Overall, the show is great. It is old enough now that most people reading this likely know a lot about it, but if you are one of the few just trying to figure out if you should watch it, it lives up to the hype that die-hard fans give it. If you are a fan of 80s pop culture you will see a lot of references, especially as the season goes on. While the first season is short, just 13 episodes, it sets up the characters and the story well, and really makes you care about all of the main characters. The acting and writing are top-notch, especially the romance angle between Chuck and Sarah, and Chuck trying to keep his "regular" life and his spy life separate. I highly recommend it.