Workout Update: T25/Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Day 23

Day 23 was Full Body Circuit in T25 and Back and Biceps in Lift 4. 

Each of the workouts today were tougher and I had to modify moves a bit more in each of them than I would have liked. The Lift 4 workout was a 50/50 workout and the HIIT moves in the second half of the workout were probably the toughest group/set/combination of exercises in the program (to that point). The Full Body Circuit workout is probably my least favorite of the Alpha round workouts (along with the ab workout, mainly because that one does not have enough cardio in it). But I made it through them and have a less intense day tomorrow.

Book Review: Dune: House Harkonnen (Dune #8)

 

House Harkonnen is the 8th novel in the Dune series when read chronologically and the second in the third overall prequel trilogy (aka, the Prelude to Dune series) to the original novels written by Frank Herbert. The book was published in 2000 and was again written by the combination of Kevin J. Anderson and Frank Herbert's son, Brian. Like the first book in this trilogy was not entirely focused on the Atreides, this book is not focused solely on the Harkonnens. The story jumps between Caladan, Corrino, Arrakis, Geidi Prime, Ix, Wallach IX, and Lankiveil and tracks Leto, Vladimir and Abulurd Harkonen, Emperor Shaddam Corrino, Duncan Idaho, The Fremen (with the focus on Liet Kynes), and the Benne Gesserit. To the extent that the book is focused on the Harkonnens, it mainly deals with Baron Harkonnen's maneuverings against all of the other major players.

The hardcover version of the book is just over 600 pages, and as I said above, the book jumps from one storyline to the other. Most of the storylines are separate, but some elements intersect with each other here and there.  The events of the novel are set a few years down the line from the end of the novel House Atreides and it has a couple of short time jumps throughout. Most of the book is relatively slow-paced, but the story picks up a lot in the last handful of chapters (which was enough for me to bump it up to five stars). The big points in the book are the development of Leto and Jessica's relationship, Baron Harkonen's plots to take down House Atreides, Emperor Corrino, and the Bene Gesserit, Emperor Corrino's attempt to produce spice independent of Akkaris, the Bene Gesserit's plans to create god-like bloodlines, and Duncan Idaho's swordmaster training. Ultimately, the book is setting up the original Dune novel and laying out the backstory for the two original trilogies based on Frank Herbert's notes and unfinished works. It makes what was already a sprawling story even larger. It is not an easy book to read because of the fact that it has a lot of characters and jumps between storylines. But, if you are a fan of the sci-fi genre, this (and the other prequel novels) are worth your time to read. I am reading the novels in chronological order so I have not yet read the two original trilogies written by Frank Herbert, and I am not sure how this compares to those books, but this is written in pretty much the same style and tone as the other prequel novels, so if you like those, you will probably like this one.

Workout Update: T25/Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Day 22

Day 22 was the start of week 4 which meant Cardio in T25 Alpha and Chest and Triceps in Lift 4.

The chest and triceps workout was a circuit workout with two quad blocks followed by a burnout block alternating between wide push-ups and triceps push-ups. The T25 workout went fairly well, and I again could do a little more unmodified cardio. The Lift 4 workout was definitely the harder of the two and felt like more of a slog to get through it. 

The Greatest American Hero: The Complete Series

 

This is the complete series of the campy superhero series The Greatest American Hero, starring William Katt, Connie Sellica, and Robert Culp, that aired on ABC from 1981-1983. The series was created by Stephen J. Cannell to ride the wave of popularity (and in some ways spoof) the original Superman movie, which came out a few years before this aired. The premise of the show was that a regular guy named Ralph Hinley (his last name was originally Hinkley, but his last name was changed after the assassination attempt on Ronald Regan), played by Katt, who is a high-school teacher is given a suit that gives him superpowers (by aliens) but he loses the instructions so he has no idea how it really works. He teams up with an FBI agent (Culp) and his attorney girlfriend (Sellica) to fight crime. So, the show is really part superhero series, part buddy cop drama, and part comedy. The show is mainly a procedural following a case-of-the-week format in which the stories are resolved by the end of the episode. But, the show occasionally calls back to something from a prior episode.

Since the show aired in the very early 1980s, the special effects were pretty cheesy, and the writing in some areas is hilarious today for different reasons than they were when the show aired. For example, the kids they were trying to portray as tough or bad were not threatening in any way, shape, or form. Many of the storylines were Cold War-themed given the era. Because of that, if you did not at least grow up around that time you probably will not get all the references. 

What I liked about the show is that it never tried to take itself too seriously. And while it did go off on some strange tangents (like the electricity monster episode) it managed to stay entertaining throughout its run. I think all three of the main actors did a great job with their characters. William Katt really did feel ridiculous in the suit, and that came across in his performance. Robert Culp was great as the chauvinistic "my way or the highway" FBI agent, and Connie Sellica was more than just eye candy on the show. Many times Sellica played the "straight man" role to Culp's eccentric character even more than Katt did. As different as the characters were, it seemed all the actors had very good chemistry which came across in the performances, and you bought that the characters really cared about each other. And the relationship between the characters was really what made the series work even when it could get a bit silly.

Some reviews on Amazon mention that the music was not the same as when originally aired. I was too young when the show was actually on TV to remember any of the music other than the main theme song. However, as is the case with many older shows, the studio likely ran into copyright issues when putting together the DVD release and had to change some of the songs that were played. Chances are the lack of original songs will not be an issue for a lot of people since they did not seem to use canned instrumental replacement music (for the most part anyway), but it may be for some. Personally, I would rather have the series available on DVD without the original music than not have it at all. The only unfortunate thing about the series is that it never had a proper ending. It only had a 13-episode final season, and the way it ended seems like it was canceled abruptly halfway through season three. So the final episode of the series really feels just like any other regular episode. Even though the show is dated, it holds up pretty well (but not perfectly) and is definitely worth the time to watch.

Workout Update: T25/Lift-4/645 Corrective and Foam Rolling- Day 21

Day 21 was lower body foam rolling from 645 and Stretch in T25. Both of them went well, and my range of motion was a little better in each than it was last week. Again, rolling my IT band really helped as my knee pain has gotten a lot better.