Product Review: SAMSICHI Bidet Toilet Attachment

 

I have heard for years that people who have bidets love them. A family member suggested I get one for my aging mother who was having trouble cleaning after going to the bathroom, so I was looking for one that was simple to use (which this absolutely is) and relatively inexpensive. 

The bidet attaches to any standard toilet, as long as you have enough space between the toilet and the walls. It is very easy to hook up, and the instructions are very clear. The first toilet I installed it on has a grab bar attachment that also connects between the toilet seat and the base of the toilet. This was able to be installed along with the bar attachment without a problem, and the instructions to hook it up to the water line are very clear. It comes with a nice quality hose and connectors, and I have had no issues with water leaking from any of the attachment points.

This is very simple to operate. There are just four buttons, one to clean the nozzle, one for a rear wash, one for a feminine wash, and an off button. The dial on the side will increase or decrease the intensity of the spray. The only thing to note is that after you push one of the buttons, it does not shut off by itself. It will keep spraying (or cleaning the nozzles) until you push the stop button.  My mom liked it so much and hyped it up enough that I got a second one for myself.  It is absolutely worth the money, and I absolutely recommend it.

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

Day 32 was corrective hips from 645 and shoulders in Lift 4. 

There is really nothing new to say about the 645 corrective routine. It went fine and did help get some knots out of my legs.

The week 4 shoulders workout is an interval workout. You have three blocks with two resistance exercises and a 30-second HIIT exercise that you do for three sets. You do each exercise back-to-back with no rest. Then you get a 30-second rest before the next set.  And, of course, you finish off with three sets of two core exercises. The HIIT exercises in this workout are all pretty nice. You do speed skaters in the first block, jump squats in the second, and soccer runs in the third. Personally, I much prefer the standing HIIT exercises (even the hard ones) to the easiest plank-based cardio like mountain climbers and triple bear. 

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

Day 31 was the recovery day for Lift 4, so I just did the two recovery workouts. I think the foam rolling routine is a lot easier than it was the first time I did it. Of course, that is because I am foam rolling every day so I have fewer knots and it is easier to break up the ones that I do get. I do wish the Lift 4 foam rolling routine was a little bit longer (about 5 more minutes would be great), but I never really feel like repeating it when it is over.

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

Day 30 was corrective hips from 645 and the back and biceps workout from Lift 4.

This week's back and biceps workout was a 50/50 workout. The lifting portion of the workout consisted of three blocks of work.  In each block, you do one back exercise and one biceps exercise, with no rest between them. You do three sets and have a 30-second break between each set. The cardio portion is three sets of three exercises that you do for 60 seconds, 45 seconds, and 30 seconds respectively. The 60-second exercise is the hardest of the bunch, square squats, then you do wide mountain climbers for 45 seconds, and jump lunges for 30 seconds. Then you finish with three sets of core, alternating between two exercises that you do for 30 seconds each. 

The Lift 4 workout was tough, but not as tough as yesterday's chest and triceps workout. The hips corrective routine was a bit easier than it was last week, and it felt like I had fewer knots in my muscles now that I have been foam rolling every day for a few weeks.

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

Day 29 was corrective shoulders from 645 and chest and triceps in Lift 4.

The chest and triceps workout was a circuit workout, doing two quad blocks, alternating two chest-focused exercises with two triceps-focused exercises, with no rest between the exercises and minimal rest between the sets. After you do the two quad blocks, you do a burnout round that has wide push-ups immediately followed by triceps push-ups, which you do for three sets. Then, you finish with three sets of two core exercises. My arms were like spaghetti noodles by the time I was done with the burnout sets (even before that really). Even without a cardio component I was sweating a lot and breathing heavily throughout the workout, so I did get a good cardio workout.

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

Day 28 was the lower body foam rolling routine from 645. This was another good one and really helped to loosen up my hamstrings and hips as I had quite a few knots in my quads and hamstrings. 

Book Review: Dune: The Battle of Corrin (Dune #3)

 

The Battle of Corrin is the third novel in the Legends of Dune trilogy. The book was written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson and published in 2004. The book's events start approximately 60 years after the events of the prior novel, The Machine Crusade, and conclude the war between humans and machines. There are some time jumps in the book that make keeping track of characters a bit tricky.

The hardcover version of the book is long. It is a little over 600 pages and could have easily been split into two smaller books with a bit tighter storylines. In fact, it is separated in the novel into Book I and Book II, but there are really three stories in the book that kind of interweave. The first is the thinking machines deploying multiple weapons to kill off humans, the Titans working against the thinking machines and the humans, and the humans trying to take out both groups of machines while bickering among themselves. I will not go into the fine details to avoid spoiling the plot, but it is not spoiling anything to say that the humans ultimately win. By the end of the book, it is revealed how the three main "Houses" in Dune came about and why the Atreides and Harkonens are rivals in the original Dune novel. 

The book is good, but it seems like it would have been better had it been split into two books. The actual defeat of the various machines is detailed in the last few chapters and felt a little bit rushed to me. Had the book been split into two novels I do not think the authors would have had to jump from storyline to storyline as much and would have made everything a bit easier to follow. That said, it is still worth the time to read to find out how the events that would set up the original Dune novel played out.

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

For Day 27 I just did the two recovery workouts from Lift 4. There is nothing really new to report about either one of those routines but they did help loosen me up and work out a few knots, especially in my legs.  

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

Day 26 was upper body foam rolling in 645 and Legs 50/50 in Lift 4.

The foam rolling routine was helpful in working out soreness, but it did not do much to prepare me for the leg workout later in the day.

The leg workout was tough. This one was a 50/50 workout so we did three supersets of two leg exercises, back to back, doing three sets of each superset. Then you do three rounds of HIIT exercises (soccer runs for 60 seconds, catchers for 45 seconds, and jump lunges for 30 seconds). I had to drop the amount of weight from what I was using on my first set on a couple of the exercises in the lifting portion and had to modify pretty much all of the HIIT (aside from the soccer runs). The core component was just doing side planks, 30 seconds on each side, but they are harder than normal because you are totally exhausted by the end of the workout.

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

Day 25 was corrective ankles in 645 and Shoulders Intervals in Lift 4.

I found that I really needed the ankle corrective routine today since my left ankle was extremely sore. I absolutely felt much better and had more mobility afterward.

The Lift 4 workout was a tough interval workout. The were three blocks of work, consisting of two shoulder exercises and then a 30-second HIIT exercise. I was able to go up 5lbs on the lifts and the upright rows but had to stay with very light weights for the shoulder flys and the swimmers. The HIIT moves were also tough (single-leg knee lifts, speed skaters, and jump squats). I was definitely exhausted by the time I got to the core component.

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

Day 24 was just the two recovery workouts in Lift 4. My day was kind of crazy having to deal with another family medical issue, but it was nice to do the foam rolling and stretching after a long day. I had to do the workout late, but I got it done. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 23

Day 23 was corrective hips from 645 and Week 3 Back and Biceps in Lift 4.

The Lift 4 workout was an interval workout, which meant doing two blocks of four exercises, for three sets and then a burnout round, but no cardio component. In block 1, you do pullovers, then top curls, reverse flys, and bottom curls. In block 2, you do wide rows, wide curls, traditional rows, and hammer curls. In the burnout, you do 30 seconds of back extensions followed by 30 seconds of full curls. Then you end with core work, doing weighted crunches followed by bicycles. 

This was a hard workout. For the first block, I was able to increase my weight for each exercise and maintain that weight for the three sets. In the second block, I increased my weights for set 1 and then had to drop some of them down for sets 2 and 3 because I was gassed and could barely do the rows with the weight I started with. In the burnout round a 10 lb dumbbell is all I needed for the curls and even that was tough at the end of the 30 seconds, especially on set 3. So, it helps to have a good selection of weights to use because you may have to adjust on the fly more in this program than you would say in a program like p90x.

The corrective hips routine was helpful. It is hard to know exactly how much this one helps until leg day when doing squats, but I could tell in the squat presses at the end of the routine that I was doing those better than the past couple of weeks. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 22

Day 22 was the corrective shoulders routine from 645 and the first day of week 3 in Lift 4. That means doing week 3 Chest and Triceps.

The Lift 4 workout was another 50/50 workout, doing half resistance work and half cardio for the main portion of the workout and finishing with core work. The resistance portion of the workout consists of three blocks of work in which you do two exercises. The first block has bench presses and chest flys, the second block incorporates triceps by doing rotating bench presses and triceps kickbacks, and the third block is just triceps-focused doing skull crushers and tricep push-ups. You do each block for three sets and there is very little rest between the sets. The cardio portion has three sets of three exercises that you do for 60, 45, and 30 seconds. Unlike in the first two weeks in which you did the hardest move for 30 seconds, this week the 60-second exercise is 180 jump squats (the hardest of the three), the 45-second exercise is soccer runs (the easiest of them), and the 30-second exercise is jump lunges. Of course, there are modifications available for each move. All but one of the cast members doing the unmodified moves had to switch to the modification at some point during the three sets. The two core exercises are a weighted crunch-leg lift combination and side reaches.

The Lift 4 workout was tough. I was able to increase the amount of weight that I used from the first two weeks for each exercise by anywhere from 2.5 to 5 pounds (in each hand), depending on what exercise I was doing. I did modify all of the cardio moves, however. The corrective shoulder routine from 645 has absolutely been helping me and has increased my range of motion in both shoulders. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 20

Day 20 was kind of a shit show of a day for me. I had to take my mom into urgent care and then watch her almost constantly once I got her back home. But, I was able to get in the Lift 4 recovery workouts. I am honestly not sure what time of day I did them, but I got them done and it was a good way to relieve some body stress and work out some of the knots in my muscles.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 21

Day 21 was the lower body foam rolling routine from 645. Today was definitely better than yesterday, as my mom is improving and I was not as hesitant about going to another part of the house to work out. My legs had a bunch of knots in them even after yesterday's foam rolling session, probably because I spent the prior night in a very uncomfortable recliner and did not get much if any, sleep. 

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 19

For Day 19 I did upper-body foam rolling from the 645 corrective routines in the morning, and Week 2 legs in Lift 4. This week the legs workout is a HIIT workout with no resistance exercises.

In the HIIT workout, we do three blocks of work, doing the same 4 exercises in each block. You do high-knee runs for 60 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, Triple Bear for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds, catcher jumps for 30 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and jump lunges for 15 seconds.  So, the "easier" moves have a longer duration (which is debatable because the triple bear is hard as hell) and the harder moves have a shorter duration, but the amount of rest you get between moves decreases after each move. After you do the three regular rounds, you do two burnout rounds. In those rounds, you do all four moves with no rest between them for 30 seconds each, then you get a 30-second break. Once you are done with that, you finish out with three rounds of core, alternating between bent windshield wipers and floor-to-ceiling leg lifts. 

The HIIT workout is tough. In the second burnout round everyone in the cast (who are all in great shape) is modifying the moves. So, it is definitely possible that you may need to modify and/or take unscheduled breaks throughout the HIIT portion. I do notice that I am starting to get more flexible because I can get deeper into some of the stretches during the cooldown at the end of the workout.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 18

Day 18 was shoulders in Lift 4 and corrective ankles from 645.

The shoulders workout this week was an interval workout, consisting of three blocks of two shoulder exercises and one HIIT move. Each block is performed for three sets with no rest between the movies, 30 seconds of rest between sets, and one minute of rest between the blocks. Then, you finish with 3.5 sets of core, alternating between rotating leg lifts, which combines a full sit-up with a bicycle, and then you do the rope climbers. You end up doing a fourth set of the rotating leg lifts. 

The Lift 4 workout was hard. I had to drop the amount of weight I was using for a couple of the exercises (one of them I reduced the weight by mistake, but I honestly could not tell because my shoulders were burning at the end). The corrective ankles routine was good. I can tell I am getting a better range of motion in my ankles and lower legs each time I do the workout.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 17

For Day 17 I just did the two Lift 4 recovery routines. Foam rolling is definitely getting easier since I am basically doing it every day by adding the 645 corrective routines. I still have knots that need to be worked out as I do it, but they are releasing faster than they did the first couple of days (or seem to be anyway).

Product Review: Air Vent Deflector

 

This is a three-pack of magnetic air vent deflectors that hold on any metal vent and direct air horizontally into a room as opposed to straight down (like most ceiling vents) or straight up (like most floor vents). They have a single magnet on each side. There are similar deflectors that have two magnets on each side that definitely hold onto vents better, but I have one of these on both a ceiling and floor vent and they hold on just fine. The ones on the floor vents get bumped with a robotic vacuum and do not get bumped off or moved. The plastic portions can slide apart to accommodate the length of the vent you put it on. The plastic is not extremely heavy, but it is not cheap and flimsy either. I definitely think this is worth the price.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 16

Day 16 was the corrective hips routine from 645 and the Back and Biceps 50/50 workout in Lift 4.

The Lift 4 workout is one that is split between lifting and HIIT. The lifting consists of three blocks, each of which includes three sets. In the first block, you do two back exercises, in the second block you do one back and one biceps exercise, and in the third block you do two biceps exercises. Again, you get very little rest between exercises or sets. Once you finish the lifting exercises you do three rounds of cardio, alternating between three exercises (single-leg plyo jumps, twisted mountain climbers, and 180 jump squats) that you do for 1 minute, 45 seconds, and 30 seconds respectively.

Again, the entire workout has a cardio component since you only get very little rest between the exercises. It is basically a transition to get ready for the next move as opposed to enough time to really catch your breath. It is very challenging and I was definitely modifying during the HIIT portion of the workout. It finishes with the core component that alternates between two moves (side-to-side reaches and plank shoulder taps) that you do for three sets. The hips corrective routine in 645 was very helpful again, and I noticed that during the cooldown for the Lift 4 workout, the hip flexor into hamstring stretches were much easier since I have been doing all the foam rolling from the 645 corrective routines. 

Product Review: COFACE Men's Memory Foam Slip On Slippers

 

These slippers have pros and cons. On the plus side, they are extremely comfortable. The memory foam feels really good on your feet, and they are warm. On the minus side, however, they easily slip off your feet, whether you are barefoot or have socks on. The toe is closed, which was a plus for me since the big reason I got them is to keep from stubbing my toes against my bed frame. However, because the back of the slipper does not go over your heel any significant amount your feet can slide right out of them, especially when going up or down stairs. 

So, I generally wear these in my room when I am walking around the bed or when I am going to the bathroom, but do not wear them when I am otherwise doing stuff around the house, especially if I am going from one level to another. If the back went up over your heel so it was more like a soft slip-on shoe, it would easily be a five-star product. But, because they slide off your feet too easily, that knocks them down a couple of stars for me.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 15

 Day 15 was the corrective shoulders routine from the 645 corrective workouts and Chest and Triceps from Lift 4.

The Lift 4 workout was a circuit workout, doing two blocks of quad sets. That means in each block you do one chest exercise immediately followed by a triceps exercise, immediately followed by another chest exercise, and immediately followed by another triceps exercise. Then, between each round/set of the four exercises you get a 30-second break. So, again, you are getting a cardio workout even without doing HIIT. After you do the two blocks of quad sets you have a burnout round, in which you do wide push-ups for 30 seconds, then get a 15-second break, followed by triceps push-ups for 30 seconds. The goal is to do constant movement for the entire 30 seconds, which of course gets very hard by the third set. After the burnout round you do core, which again alternates two exercises that you do for 30 seconds each for three sets. 

By the time I finished my chest and arms were spent. I was barely getting down in the push-ups and could not do the entire 30 seconds of either of the wide or triceps push-ups. And again, because you get so little rest between exercises or sets, you are still getting a cardio workout even though you are not doing any HIIT exercises. I can say that the corrective workouts from 645 do wonders for my shoulders. My right shoulder still has a smaller range of motion than my left, but it is getting better.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 14

On day 14 I did the two Lift 4 recovery workouts. I think doing the lower body foam rolling from 645 and the Lift 4 foam rolling on consecutive days helps more than foam rolling in the morning and the afternoon of the same day, as it gives the muscles a chance to tighten up and form knots again. On the second day, the knots are easier to roll out but they generally do not come back the same afternoon after I do the rolling routine.

Workout Update: Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling Day 13

On Day 13 I did the lower body foam rolling from the 645 corrective workouts. Surprisingly, my legs were not all that sore after leg day, but even so, the foam rolling helped as I did have quite a few knots in my quads and hamstrings.

DVD/Movie Review: The Assassin Next Door

 

The Assassin Next Door is a 2009 movie that was filmed and set in Israel. In it, Olga Kurylenko (probably best known in the US for her roles in The Quantum of Solace and Hitman) stars as Galia, a Ukrainian woman being trafficked in Israel by the Russian mob. At the beginning of the movie she tries to escape, and when she is recaptured, she is forced to kill a target of the mob. When she successfully does so, she is moved into an apartment and works (against her will) as an assassin, with the promise of a "last job" after which she will be paid $100,000 and given her passport so she can return home to reunite with her daughter. She discovers that the woman living in the apartment next door (played by Ninet Tayeb) is being abused by her husband and the two strike up a friendship.

The movie is just over an hour and a half long. The version that I have is a Region 2 import that can only be played on a Region 2  or Region free player. So, if you go looking for the DVD, pay attention to the listing, because it will not play on a regular US DVD or Blu-Ray player. The only extra on the version I have is a trailer for the movie that is playable from the main menu, and trailers for other movies that play as the disc loads before the menu screen comes up. 

The movie is a decent low-budget independent film. It is definitely a bit cookie-cutter in terms of the plot, requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief, and can be silly at times (e.g., the track-suit-wearing mobsters). That said, both Kurylenko (who I have always felt is underrated as an actress) and Tayeb are very good in their respective roles and it is kind of nice that it is not a typical shoot-em-up action movie where the main character is an established killer from the outset. In the movie, characters speak English, Russian, and Hebrew, so the movie is partly in English (mostly when the two main characters are talking to each other) and is subtitled when characters are speaking Russian or Hebrew (which is most of the time). There is really no sexual content but there is one nude scene about 2/3 of the way through the movie. It is definitely not an award-winning drama or a big-budget action movie, but if you are looking for something different it is worth the time to check out.