Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 42

Day 42 is the start of week 7 in Lift-4 in which the exercise combinations are changed. I did the 645 cardio routine in the morning and Lift 4's chest and back workout in the evening. Chest and back this week is a circuit workout. You do three regular blocks doing the same chest and back moves as in the prior weeks, and then you do a three-set burnout block with regular push-ups, back extensions, and wide push-ups. It is a rough workout that kills you by the time you are done with the burnout.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 41

On Day 41, I again just did the 645 cardio routine in the evening. It was late enough that I did not bother doing either of the Lift 4 recovery workouts. 

Product Review: VASAGLE EKHO Collection - Storage Ottoman Bench

 

This is a storage ottoman/bench. It is not really a great ottoman unless you are going to use it at the end of a bed because, with the legs on, it sits higher than most couches, so it would be uncomfortable to use it as a footrest. It is, however, perfect for a front entryway or mudroom. It is slim (just over 47 inches wide) and is not as deep as some storage benches (just under 16 inches deep). However, it has enough room to store off-season coats, hats, and gloves (for those who live in climates that necessitate different spring/fall/summer and winter outerwear). 

The only required assembly is putting the legs on, which is more difficult than it needs to be. Instead of putting a threaded end on the end of the legs so you can screw them directly into the base, three small screws attach the legs to the base. The screws can be a bit hard to line up with the screw holes unless two people are working together, one person holding the legs in place and another person turning the screws. Once the legs are on, the bench is high enough off the ground that you can vacuum under it, whether using a regular or robotic vacuum. It is also very sturdy as a bench. Two adults can easily sit on it without an issue. Ultimately, it is a good storage option, especially if you have limited storage in a mudroom or front entryway. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: The Bourne Ultimatum

 

The Bourne Ultimatum is a 2007 action-thriller. It is the third entry in the Bourne Trilogy, including 2002's The Bourne Identity and 2004's The Bourne Supremacy. It stars Matt Damon, Julia Stiles (reprising their roles from the first two movies), and Joan Allen (her role from the second movie). The new cast members of the franchise include David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, and Albert Finney. Paul Greengrass returns to direct the movie, and Tony Gilroy again wrote the screenplay.

In the film, we find out that there is a six-week gap between when Bourne leaves Moscow and when he calls Pamela Landy at the end of The Bourne Supremacy when she tells him that his real name is David Webb. Most of this movie fills in that six-week gap and gives more context to the call between Bourne and Landy. We also get Bourne's entire backstory and discover how he was brought into Treadstone. The film also reveals that Treadstone was a small part of a more extensive operation within the CIA. Julia Stiles finally has a larger role in this movie than she did in either of the first two films, and we get a couple of new antagonists.

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular Blu-Ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is good. The audio is outstanding, but the video is again upscaled from 2k, so it is not a huge leap in quality over 1080p. The UHD disc contains the movie, which can be played with the director's commentary track. The rest of the bonus material, including deleted scenes, a spy training guide, and about 45 minutes of behind-the-scenes material. You can also watch the movie in a U-control mode that integrates behind-the-scenes material while the movie plays. Ultimately, the movie is good and caps off the trilogy well. It is well-written and acted. Like the prior movies, you must suspend your disbelief and not try to think too hard about how Bourne survives the things he does, but if you can do that, it is enjoyable. If you liked the first two movies, this is absolutely worth watching.

Workout Update: 645 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 40

On Day 40, I did the 645 cardio routine in the evening. I was very active during the day, so I got a lot of steps and almost a second workout in. 

Product Review: Pet Dog Safety Collar Clips

 

This is a pair of collar clips that can be used to attach a dog harness to a collar. There is a shorter one (6.8 inches) and a longer one (7.8 inches). My mom's dog can slip out of every harness she has tried to put on him, and this ensures that if he does, the collar is still attached to the leash so he cannot run free. The clips are well-made, very sturdy, and easy to attach to the collar and harness. I am not sure there is any safety aspect beyond that, but they work well for that purpose. 

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 39

Day 39 was 645 cardio in the morning and Lift 4 shoulders (an interval workout this week) in the evening. Even though this is "easier" in the lifting portion than the circuit workout, I was having to drop the amount of weight I used for the various raises in the second and third sets. The HIIT exercises were challenging but doable (especially since there were no catchers, mountain climbers, or triple bears).  

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 38

Day 38 was the rest day in Lift 4, so I did the 645 Cardio routine, followed by the Lift 4 stretch routine. Both of them went fine, but I have definitely still been slacking on my flexibility work.  

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Better Call Saul: Season 3

 

The ten-episode third season of Better Call Saul aired in the spring and summer of 2017. All the primary cast members returned for season 3, including Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, Jonathan Banks, Michael Mando, and Michael McKean. The show also continues to bring back characters from Breaking Bad as the series gets closer to the events of the parent series. Of course, in season 2, the big addition to the cast from Breaking Bad was Mark Margolis, reprising his role as Hector Salamanca. This season, as was hinted at through multiple Easter eggs, Giancarlo Esposito reprises his role as Gus Fring. Laura Fraser, Lavelle Crawford, and Steven Bauer also reprise their Breaking Bad roles. The show picks up shortly after the events that ended season 2, with Chuck making the tape of Jimmy confessing to altering the Sandpiper documents. One of the main themes this season is Jimmy versus Chuck, and we see what ultimately pushes Jimmy to transform into Saul. In fact, we discover the origin of the Saul Goodman name this season, although Jimmy does not use it constantly yet. The other big storyline of the season is the feud between Gus and Hector and how the various criminals around the two get pulled into it. We also see what led to Mike working for Gus. 

The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set. Like the season one and two blu-ray releases, this season has a lot of bonus content, including commentary tracks on every episode, several behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a conversation between Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, and Jonathan Banks discussing their characters and the show in general. There is also a gag reel and a series of short "Los Pollos Hermanos" training videos where Gus discusses the employment policies for the restaurant, which include some rather hilarious animations. The show continues to be very good. It is well-written and extremely well-acted. The writers do a great job telling a story different from Breaking Bad but will ultimately set up the characters as we see them in Breaking Bad. This season also includes the first major death on the show. Of course, people who have watched Breaking Bad already know who cannot be killed in the series, but the writers still manage to keep the series suspenseful. They also do a great job of continuing to develop the characters, especially those (like Jimmy) who are not yet in the place where they will be a few years later. I would say that Gus is the most like his Breaking Bad character this season, while characters like Jimmy and Mike are still evolving. Ultimately, if you liked the first two seasons of Better Call Saul and liked Breaking Bad, this season is absolutely worth watching. 

Product Review: Ginsco 2 Pack Mini Car Trash Can

 

This is a two-pack of small trash cans for a vehicle. They are a perfect size for things like facial tissue or gum wrappers. They are not, however, big enough to hold larger items like cans or bottles (even small water bottles are way too big to fit in these) or fast food cups/containers. They come with 8 rolls of bags, which are about the size of dog poop bags, to line the cans. The lids flip open to allow you to insert and remove the bags. The top of the lid is spring-loaded loaded, so you just push it down to put garbage in it. 

Depending on the layout of your center console, one or both may fit in that. If not, they come with clips that you can use to mount them to the pockets on the doors or the back seats. The only frustrating thing about the clips is that you cannot open them wider to get them onto things more easily. If you are mounting them on a fabric pocket, they can be a bit of a pain, but they are easy to mount on a more rigid material, like plastic. They could be a little larger and come with better clips. Otherwise, they work as intended.

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 37

On Day 37, I did the 645 cardio routine in the morning and Lift 4's back and biceps workout in the evening. The Lift 4 workout was a 50/50 workout. The exercises chosen for the lifting portion were not bad, but the HIIT portion was brutal. Joel deviates from having the "easiest" exercise as the 1-minute exercise, so you start with catchers' jumps, then you do 45 seconds of wide mountain climbers and finish with 30 seconds of 180 jump squats. So, I was pretty gassed by the time it got to the core portion of the workout.

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 36

Day 36 was the start of week 6 in Lift 4, which was the chest and triceps workout. Of course, I did the 645 cardio routine in the morning and then the Lift 4 workout in the evening. The chest and triceps workout this week is a circuit workout. Like the other circuit workouts in Lift 4, there is no rest between the four exercises and minimal rest between blocks and the sets within the blocks. So, the workout goes quickly, but it is very challenging. I was definitely struggling with the push-ups during the burnout block, but thankfully the core component did not have plank-based exercises. 

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 35

On Day 35, I again just did the 645 cardio routine in the afternoon/early evening. I was active somewhat during the day as well, so I was able to get a bit more activity in than just the quick workout. 

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 34

Day 34 was just the 645 cardio workout in the afternoon. Like last week I did not do the recovery routines since the day got away from me a bit before I had time to workout.

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 33

Day 33 was 645 Cardio and Lift 4 Legs. The Lift 4 workout this week is a 50/50 workout, and it was very challenging (even when using the same amount of weight as I used two weeks ago). The HIIT portion of the workout is one of the harder ones, so you should definitely be wiped out by the end of the workout.  

DVD/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0 Season 9

 

The 25-episode ninth season of Hawaii Five-0 aired during the 2018/2019 TV season. I will not do much of a review of the show, as anyone looking at this by now knows what the show is and the majority of the characters. I will say that the show continues to blend procedural and serial storylines, doing callbacks to earlier seasons along with the case-of-the-week episodes. The series also continues to pay homage to the original series (this time, using the 200th episode to do a play on the pilot episode of the original series). The show also continues to do some character development, giving backstories and side stories for almost all of the characters, especially Tani and Junior. We also get a Joe White episode (with Terry O'Quinn reprising his role) and a Catherine episode (bringing back Michelle Borth). Taryn Manning reprises her role as Steve's sister, Mary and Mark Dacascos reprises his role as Wo Fat. The season ends on a large cliffhanger, going into the 10th and final season of the show.

The DVD set is a six-disc set. While it does include some extras, they are very bare-bones. Deleted scenes are spread throughout all the discs, then there is a short (4.5-minute) gag reel and a 20-minute behind-the-scenes featurette on the final disc. As others have noted, the final two episodes are swapped on the DVD. Making it more confusing, the menus on the title screen are correct, listing the episodes in order, but they play in the wrong order. So, unless you are careful, you will see the season-ending cliffhanger before the episode that sets up the events of the final episode. Of course, over time, the studios have been putting out increasingly poor-quality DVDs with fewer extras. So, the only reason to buy this (especially if you subscribe to Paramount+, where you can stream it) is to keep your DVD collection complete (if you prefer physical media to streaming).

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 32

Day 32 was 645 cardio in the morning and shoulders from Lift 4 in the evening. The shoulder workout, which is an interval workout this week, was tough. I used the same amount of weight for the exercises as I did last week, but had to reduce the amount of weight for a couple exercises in the third set.  

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 31

Day 31 was the rest day in Lift 4, so I just did the 645 cardio routine in the evening. Nothing new to report from that workout. I did do a higher impact version of the workout since I did not have the second workout, but everything went fine. 

4K-UHD/Movie Review: The Bourne Supremacy

 

The Bourne Supremacy is the 2004 sequel to The Bourne Identity. It is the second in the series of movies adapted from the Robert Ludlum novels. The film is directed by Paul Greengrass and brings back Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Gabriel Mann, and Brian Cox reprise their roles from the first movie. Chris Cooper also returns for flashback sequences. Joan Allen and Karl Urban are the main additions to the cast for this film, and Michelle Monaghan plays a small role in the movie as well. Without giving too much away, Bourne and Marie have been living off the grid in India. Bourne gets pulled back into the world of Treadstone when he is targeted as a part of a setup to frame him for murder. From there, the movie involves Bourne trying to uncover the plot against him while playing a game of cat and mouse with the CIA, specifically the new deputy director, Pamela Landy, played by Joan Allen. 

The 4K set is a two-disc set containing a UHD disc and a regular blu-ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is good. The video is upscaled from 2k, so it does not look as good as a film in native 4k, but it is a bit of a step up from 1080p and better than the video quality for The Bourne Identity. The audio quality is wonderful, even without a great sound system. The only extra on the UHD disc is the director's commentary on the film by Greengrass. The rest of the bonus content is on the regular blu-ray disc, which includes several behind-the-scenes featurettes that total about an hour. Ultimately, this is a good action movie with some drama and humor mixed in. Damon (again) does an excellent job as Bourne and plays him with a wonderful level of intensity. Allen, Cox, and Stiles also do an excellent job in their respective roles. Stiles' role is still relatively small but different than it was in the first movie, and Cox's role is expanded in this film. If you liked the first movie (or are just a fan of the action thriller or spy genre), this is absolutely worth watching. 

Product Review: Sole Support Rocky" V2 Winter Insulated Boots

 

This is a good pair of insulated, steel-toed boots from The Sole Support. I live in a region with cold winters and we just got a slight dusting of snow that left sidewalks and driveways a bit slick. The boots have good traction, and I was able to walk across the driveway without any issues. They are comfortable and warm, fit well, and have decent support around the foot and ankle.  They come with wire laces that can be tightened by turning the dial on the tongue of the shoe. You pull the dial out to loosen them and then push it back in when you want to "tie" them again. They also come with a pair of regular shoelaces if you would rather use them. The company claims they are waterproof, but I will probably not get a sense of how legitimate that claim is until closer to spring when there are puddles outside. But my initial impression is they are a good pair of winter boots for everyday use (meaning not trudging through extremely deep snow) and reasonably priced (at a little over $100). They are manufactured in and shipped from China, so it does take about a week or so to arrive (if you use standard shipping) once they are shipped. 

DVD/TV Series Review: The Good Place Season 3

 

+++Warning, this will have spoilers from prior seasons, but no major giveaways from Season 3+++

The 12-episode third season of The Good Place aired during the fall of 2018 and winter of 2019. It continues telling the serial story, so there is no way you can jump into the show part-way through and have a hope of following along with it. The seasons tell one long story that will make little sense if you just try to start watching it halfway through. In fact, each episode begins with a title card listing the chapter number, which has been counting up from the start of the series. So, if you are going to watch it, start at season one.

The season begins with everyone back on Earth, with Michael having saved them all, altering the events just before they each died to keep them alive, in the hopes that they will, on their own, become better people and end up in "The Good Place. "Of course, things start to go off the rails, and the plan ends up changing. It is almost impossible not to give too much away, but by the end of the season, the show comes (almost) full circle with twists.

The show continues to be well-written and acted. You really do get the idea that the bulk of the story has been planned out from day one by the writers, so it has a very good flow, and keeping the number of episodes in the season low, really works well. While all the actors do a great job with their parts, D'Arcy Carden deserves special props for her portrayal of Janet because she has to play so much in one character. Most of the same guest stars make at least one appearance this season, including Maya Rudolph as the TV binge-watching judge and Adam Scott as a demon from "The Bad Place."

The DVD set is a two-disc set. While the show is fantastic, the DVD release, as has been the case with the prior seasons, is bad. It is basically a MOD release that happens to have a couple extras. The plus of getting the DVD is that some episodes have an extended running time over what was broadcast. I am not sure if Hulu has the extended episodes. The two extras are an 8-minute gag reel and a 2-minute special-effects reel. Otherwise, there are no commentary tracks, captions, behind-the-scenes material, or anything DVD sets used to get. And, of course, there is no blu-ray release, which is not surprising given that TV series blu-ray sales are so bad as a whole that only a select few series ever get a blu-ray release, and when they do, more and more, they are getting MOD releases. The DVD transfer is not of great quality, at least when watching it on a DVD player that does not have an HDMI connection. So, mainly, the reason to get this is the extended episodes and for those, like me, who still have a large physical disc collection to keep it complete. Otherwise, you are not getting much above just streaming it.

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 30

On Day 30, I did not work out in the morning, so in the evening, I did the 645 cardio routine followed by Lift 4 back and biceps. The back and biceps this week is a circuit workout, and it is one of the hardest lifting routines in the program because of the fact that you are lifting heavier weights and have no rest between the exercises in the sets and minimal rest between sets and blocks. I had to drop the amount of weight I was using on several of the exercises to be able to maintain proper form.

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 29

Day 29 was the start of week 5 in Lift 4. So, in the morning, I did the 645 cardio routine, and in the evening, I did the Chest and Triceps workout from Lift 4, which was a 50/50 workout. I did not raise the weight from the past couple of weeks because the weight I was using for the exercises was still very hard last week. And I had to drop the amount of weight I was using for the chest press in block three during the third set because I could barely get the 10th rep in with 35 lb dumbbells in the second set. Even with using the same amount of weight the workout was still very challenging.

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 28

On day 28, I did the same thing as yesterday. Just the 645 cardio routine in the evening. I was still moving stuff from my basement to the top level of my townhouse so I was getting extra cardio in.  

Workout Update: 654 Cardio/Lift 4 Hybrid: Day 27

On Day 27, I did the 645 cardio routine in the evening. I was also moving things around my townhouse, running up and down multiple floors, so I was getting extra cardio work going from the basement to my top level. I did not do either of the Lift 4 recovery routines, however.