Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 45

Day 45 was MMX in X3 and Strength Intervals in PIYO. I think that both workouts are getting a bit easier, although they are still not easy by any means. I definitely have a ways to go before I will be able to keep up with the people in the MMX video. That one is a bit hard for me to do logistics-wise because I do not have a lot of space in my basement so some of the moves like the sprawls and turns while you are down I have to modify to just doing a burpee.  

Product Review: Vitamix Personal Cup Adapter

 

This is a set of two cups and a blade attachment that allows people who own an older Vitamix blender (I own the 5200) to make a smaller amount of whatever they happen to be making, without using the large blender container. It is perfect for making protein shakes/smoothies, but can also be used to make a greens drink, a smaller amount of homemade soup, etc. Basically, anything you can make in the larger blender you can make in this. 

Basically, you just put the ingredients in the cup, screw the cup onto the blade attachment device, and then attach that to the power base the same way you attach the regular blender cup. The cups and lids, and the blade attachment are all dishwasher safe. This is a big improvement over the large blender which is not supposed to go in the dishwasher, so this is much easier to clean. So, if you own an older Vitamix (any of the 5200, 5300, 6300, 6500, 7500, or 780 series), this is definitely worth picking up. 

Product Review: Swiffer Dusters Multi-Surface Duster Refills, 18 count

 

This is an 18-pack of Swiffer duster refills (so it does not come with the handle). They are a bit more expensive than the generic brands, but I see it as a "get what you pay for" item. These last a lot longer than the less expensive refills, and you can actually use both sides of the duster to clean with, even though these are not the 360 dusters. The "main side" definitely holds more dust than the side where the handle inserts, but that side can pick up a little dust, so you can use the opposite side to finish dusting a surface if there is a little left after the dusting side is dirty. So, you are definitely getting better quality. I definitely recommend these.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: The Aftermath

 

The Aftermath is a 2019 movie set in 1945 Hamburg Germany, five months after the Allies defeated the Germans. As some may know, after the war, the Allied powers divided Germany into zones with England getting the area around Hamburg, which happened to be the most destroyed portion of the country after Operation Ghamorra, which was a massive bombing operation that wiped out the city. The English army was then tasked with rebuilding the city and ferreting out what was left of the Nazi resistance. This meant that the British troops basically moved into the town, put the Germans in camps, and took over whatever houses and buildings that were still standing. 

The movie was directed by James Kent, produced by Ridley Scott, and stars Kiera Knightly as Rachael Morgan, the wife of a Colonel named Lewis Morgan (played by Jason Clarke) who is a part of the effort to rebuild the city. Alexander Skarsgard plays Stellan Lubert, a German architect who lives in a mansion with his teenage daughter Freda (played by Flora Thiemann) that the Morgans will be moving into. Lewis decided to let the Luberts stay in the house, much to the chagrin of Rachael, who hates the Germans because her eleven-year-old son, Michael, was killed during the blitz. She comes to learn that Stellan's wife was killed during the Allied bombing of Hamburg. The crux of the movie is about Racheal overcoming her hatred of Germans as she begins to fall for Stellan as her already strained relationship with her husband becomes even more strained as he becomes more distant. The plotline is equal parts historical drama and love story and also is heavy on the theme of letting go of hatred of the "other side". 

The A/V quality of the blu-ray is very good. There are some digital effects in the movie that blend in seamlessly with the practical sets that were used. It is well-written and very well-acted. There are a handful of extras including about six minutes of deleted scenes that can be played with or without commentary by the director, a commentary track on the movie by James Kent, and an HBO first look segment that runs about twelve minutes, give or take. So, while there are not a ton of extras, what was included is good. 

Overall, the movie is very good. It runs about an hour and forty minutes (minus the credits) and never really seems to drag. The movie does have some adult content including some sexual content and nudity. It is a lower-budget movie for certain, but I would say it is somewhere between an independent film and a Hollywood blockbuster. So, if you are looking for a good drama, this is definitely worth checking out.

Book Review: The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe

 

The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe was a biography published in 2000 by Sarah Churchwell. She took a bit of a different track when writing the biography basically summarizing many of the various things that have been written and said about Monroe, both while she was alive and after her death, pointing out inconsistencies and contradictions, etc. Churchwell also summarizes many of the more popular books that have been written about Monroe over the years, going into detail about how those authors engaged in speculation, made things up, and either used very sketchy sources or essentially used themselves as a source (by citing to a different author whose work cites to their own work). Then, in the last chapter, Churchwell gives her take on who she thinks Monroe really was, and what she was like.

The book discusses Monroe's life, both things that were rumored and facts that were verified, from her childhood to her days of modeling, breaking into acting, and transforming herself into a Hollywood icon. Churchwell addresses the rumors of her sleeping around (including her alleged trysts with women), her mental state, her drug use, etc. Churchwell does a great job breaking down the various inconsistent reporting on Monroe's life (depending on who is telling the story she either had multiple abortions or none, she was either bisexual or homophobic, she was either stupid or brilliant, she was either naive or cunning, she either slept with Robert Kennedy or she didn't, she either could barely remember her lines or she purposely messed up to make a point when feuding with directors and producers) and explains what could things could be verified and what could not.

The book is just over 330 pages, but it reads fairly quickly. My only real issue with the book is that the print used is pretty small and light, especially for the notes that are at the bottom of some of the pages that flesh out detail from the text. That might slow people down a bit when reading, but if you are a fast reader you can get through it in 2-3 days pretty easily.     

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch Season 3

 

Season three of Baywatch aired during the 1992-1993 TV season, and was another transitional season for the show. This was really the season that the show became a huge hit with Erika Elaniak, Billy Warlock, Tom McTigue, Monte Markham, and Richard Jaeckel leaving the show. Jaeckel did appear a couple of times toward the end of the season using a cane and seemed to be far less mobile than he was in season two. Elaniak and Warlock did appear in the two-part season premiere but then were written out of the show at the end of the second episode. Gregory Alan Williams was bumped back up to a series regular, and the big cast additions were Alexandra Paul, Nicole Eggert (best known for the series Charles in Charge up to that point), Kelly Slater, David Chokachi, and probably the biggest addition to the cast in the entire run of the series, Pamela Anderson as C.J. Parker.

The show continued to be a procedural drama with most of the episodes (with the exception of some two-part episodes) being self-contained and not tied into earlier episodes at all. The storylines could go from horribly bad and downright stupid to okay. It is not what I would call a well-written, award-winning masterpiece, and as a result, the acting could be pretty cheesy as well. The show still continued to use the music montages, which were again mostly to show off the ridiculously good-looking cast for a couple of minutes without any actual dialogue. The show did get some recognizable guest stars this season including a returning Danny Trejo (in a completely different role than he had in season two), Elizabeth Berkley, coming off her role on Saved by the Bell, and Lou Rawls. 

Ultimately, you know what you get with Baywatch (or Babewatch). About 45 minutes of a very good-looking cast, most of the time a dumb story, and a couple of what amount to music videos that interrupt the story. The show was not ever really interested in continuity, making a lot of sense (for example having Hasselhoff's character in the hospital nearly paralyzed in one episode and kickboxing in the next), or being an award-winning drama. If you can accept it for what it is, it can still be entertaining. 

Video Game Review: Star Wars: Fallen Order

 

Fallen Order is a first-person combat game set five years after the fall of the Jedi (Revenge of the Sith). You play as Cal Kestis (voiced by Shameless and Gotham actor Cameron Monaghan), who was a padawan at the time the Jedi order fell. The game does not start out with Order 66, but it is not a major spoiler to say that you do see Order 66 from Cal's perspective during the video game. The game starts out as Cal is working in a scrapyard on the planet Bracca where he has to use The Force to save himself and a co-worker, which brought the main antagonist of the game, the inquisitor Second Sister to Bracca. Once Cal is outed as a Jedi he has to escape the Empire he is helped by Greez Dritus and former Jedi Cere Junda who has cut herself off from The Force. Cal joins the crew of their ship and embarks on a mission to find a Holocron that holds the names of a bunch of force-sensitive children, with designs to keep the names out of the hands of the Empire and to rebuild the Jedi order.

Throughout the game, you travel to a bunch of different planets, some of which are recognizable from the movies (e.g., the Wookie planet Kasyyyk) and others that you would only recognize if you have read the novels or seen some of the television series such as Rebels and Bad Batch. There are four different levels of difficulty you can play the game on, Padawan, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, and Jedi Grandmaster. In the Padawan mode, Cal can more easily block enemies, and the enemies are not as aggressive (e.g., when there are groups of stormtroopers they attack in an "evil ninja" like fashion, mostly one at a time), but in the harder modes Cal is more vulnerable and the enemies attack you more aggressively. Basically, the Padawan mode allows you to finish the story/game easier, and the harder modes make the gameplay more challenging. But, even in the Padawan mode, you can be killed by a low-level stormtrooper. 

Overall, the game is a good blend of a puzzle or strategy game in which you have to find different things, figure out how to navigate past obstacles, and the like, and a combat game in which you have to battle stormtroopers and/or creatures. It is a lot like the Batman Arkham series of games for people who are familiar with those games. Cal is aided mostly by a droid named BD-1 who follows him throughout the game and can help him along the way and is aided by some of the other human and alien characters he encounters. There are a few different "boss fights" throughout the game that get progressively more challenging, and the game tells a very entertaining story, which is a part of the overall Star Wars canon. If you are a Star Wars fan and like playing video games, it is definitely worth checking out. 

Product Review: True fresh dishwasher cleaner tablets 18-Pack

 

This is a pack of 18 dishwasher-cleaning tablets that you run through a cleaning cycle (with the dishwasher empty) and it cleans the racks and sprayer arms, but will also remove lime scale from the heating elements at the bottom, clean the tubes and pumps, etc. Basically, it cleans all the parts of the dishwasher where water (and the food particles on your dishes go). You just put it in the door that will hold the cleaning pods or soap and run the dishwasher like you normally would. 

Obviously, unless you take your dishwasher apart you will not be able to see all of the parts that the packaging claims it will clean, but I can definitely confirm that what I can see on the inside of my dishwasher looks a lot better when I run a cleaning cycle with this. If you have an older dishwasher, you might want to run 2-3 cycles with this the first couple of months and then ease back to once per month. But, if you have a relatively new dishwasher, then this will keep it looking and smelling clean on the inside for a long time. I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: Dawn Powerwash

 

Dawn Powerwash is basically a liquid foam version of their platinum soap. This is essentially a two-pack including one bottle that has the spray head attached and a second refill bottle that you can attach the spray head to when the first bottle runs out. 

The big advantage of this over liquid dish soap is that you have better control of where it goes because of the spray head, and have better control over the amount that you are using. And, you can use it in ways that you cannot use liquid soap. For example, I use it to spray my silverware after I put it in the silverware holder in my dishwasher, especially if I do not plan on running the dishwasher right away because it helps to loosen any stuck-on food particles. It is a bit more pricey than liquid soap, especially since there is no generic version (that I have seen anyway), but it is definitely worth it.

Book Review: Extreme Measures: (Mitch Rapp Series Book 11 Chronological Order; Book 9 Publication Order)

 

Extreme Measures is the 11th book in the prolific Mitch Rapp series of spy/political thriller/terrorist hunter novels written by Twin Cities author, Vince Flynn (if you read the books chronologically). If you read the books in publication order, it is the 9th book. It was published in 2008 as the public opinion tide of the war on terror had started to shift as the "enhanced interrogation techniques" and the domestic spying programs had become public. Those concepts are definitely themes of this book, with the Bush Administration's position that the enhanced interrogation techniques were not torture and were necessary to keep Americans safe presented through Mitch Rapp, and the other point of view, that it was torture and was ineffective was presented through the new political adversary of Rapp and the CIA, namely a senator named Barbara Lonsdale. A middle-of-the-road view was presented through a new character named Mike Nash, who was the head of the domestic spying program. Nash did not rough up detainees, but would not stop Rapp from doing so.

The book starts out with Rapp and Nash impersonating Navy officers in Afghanistan in order to interrogate a couple of high-level Taliban and Al-Qaeda members in order to try and track down and stop a terrorist cell that was going to be a part of three coordinated attacks in the US. They are discovered, Rapp is arrested, and the rest of the story plays out from there. Most of the book can be summarized as Rapp versus Congress (and more specifically, Lonsdale), with Lonsdale trying to get Rapp to incriminate himself during congressional testimony. The last few chapters have the action that the prior novels in the series are known for, and there are also a couple of side stories.  And, fans of Twin Cities sports radio will recognize that Flynn gave a shout-out to Dan Barreiro (who had Flynn on his show several times over the course of many years), naming one of the characters Joe Barreiro. 

The book has a similar tone and flow as the previous books in the series. Even though Flynn was a pretty staunch conservative, and definitely writes the character of Rapp with an a-political yet conservative viewpoint, he does not make all Democrats bad and all Republicans good. In the interviews I heard with him, Flynn did not seem to be particularly fond of politicians overall and tended to write them as greedy, amoral, and/or stupid, regardless of their party affiliation. The book is moderately long, a little over 400 pages, but it reads fairly quickly. I do not think it is the best book in the series (of those I have read), but it is still very good, and worth reading if you have liked the other books (which are definitely helpful to read, although you can follow the story even if you have not read the previous books) or are fans of the genre.  

Food Review: M&M'S Almond Chocolate Candy Sharing Size 2.83-Ounce Pouch 18-Count Box

 

This is an 18-pack of small sharing-sized packets of Almond M&Ms. Each packet contains approximately four servings, so if you eat an entire package in a sitting, it ends up being about 420 total calories. I personally like these because, while they have a lot of sugar and are definitely not healthy, the fat in the almonds does help offset the blood sugar spike that eating other varieties of M&Ms causes, which, even if you are not diabetic, is beneficial. Of course, you have to like almonds to enjoy these, but if you do, it is a nice snack.

Product Review: Colgate 360 Extra Soft Toothbrush for Sensitive Teeth and Gums with Tongue and Cheek Cleaner

 

This is a two-pack of toothbrushes that have soft bristles and on the other side of the bristles a tongue and cheek cleaner. While they are marketed as extra soft, I would say that they are softer than normal, but not as soft as others out there, and are not close to some of the toothbrushes with "ultra soft" bristles. They are still very good if you have moderately sensitive teeth and gums, but if you have more severe dental issues, then you will probably want to look for something with softer bristles than this.

Book Review: Star Wars: Cataclysm

 

Cataclysm is the third (in chronological order) main storyline, adult canon novel in the Star Wars canon material. It is set during the early High-Republic era and picks up shortly after the events of the previous book, Battle of Jedha. The story is still set around the warring neighboring planets of Eiram and E'ronoh. The Jedi discover that "The Path of the Open Hand", which is basically a cult that appears to be set up as the precursor to the Nihil who are the antagonists in the later High-Republic novels, sabotaged the peace talks on Jedha and are using the warring planets as a part of the larger plan to take out the Jedi. The climax of the story occurs on a planet called Dalna, where the Path has a stronghold, and a massive battle between the Jedi and the Path occurs.

This book finally does what I have been waiting for the High Republic novels to do, namely incorporate Yoda, the most recognizable Jedi alive at the time, into the larger storyline. In all of the other novels, be they the adult novels or the young adult novels, if Yoda is mentioned, it is in passing and amounts to a sentence or two. In this book, he actually appears and takes part in the story. Actually, he and Yaddle both appear, and Yaddle has an even larger role in the story.

The book is a good blend of action and suspense. It reveals more about the mysterious entity that can block the Jedi's use of The Force and turn people to ash (which introduces a bit of a plot hole in the later High Republic novels in which the Jedi seem totally clueless about what it is), and the author does a good job of making you care about and get invested in the new characters, having used the two previous books to establish those characters. The other big issue I had with the first batch of High Republic novels (which occur later in the chronology than this book) is that it seemed like every book introduced a bunch of new characters and it would take three books to return to the storylines of previously introduced characters. And by then, it was hard to keep them all straight. While this book does introduce some new characters, many of the characters that were introduced in the books Convergence and Battle of Jedha also appear in this book, so it feels like a cohesive story. 

In my opinion, this is the best of the High-Republic novels (at least so far), with the proviso that I have read all of the adult novels and most of the young-adult novels set in the High-Republic era. The story flows well, it wraps up the story told in the first two books and provides almost a blank slate from which future books can pick up. The book is just under 400 pages and can easily be read in a week or so, depending on how fast you read and how much time you have to read. It is definitely on my must-read list for die-hard Star Wars fans.

Supplement Review: Premium Mushroom Gummies Supplement - Mushroom Complex for Immune Health, Brain, Mood & Stress Support

 

This is a blend of mushrooms, specifically Lion's Mane, Turkey Tail, Reishi, Chaga Extract, and Cordyceps. You get 90 gummies total (two gummies make up a serving). If you are one who is aware of some of the health benefits of mushrooms but hates the texture of eating them raw or cooked (or the thought of eating fungus creeps you out), these are a good option. They do not taste as good as some other mushroom gummies (to me anyway), but if you don't like the taste you can always chase them with something you do like to mask the flavor a bit. Of course, it is pretty much impossible to know how much benefit you get from any supplement like this, and it is not likely to make you go from feeling like crap to feeling in perfect health overnight. But, if you are aware of the health benefits of the mushrooms in the blend, I believe it is worth trying.

Product Review: Computer Speakers, Bluetooth Computer Soundbar, HiFi Stereo, 3.5mm Aux-in Connection, USB Powered Computer Speakers

 

This is basically a soundbar that can connect to a computer (desktop or laptop) or a tablet (assuming it has an AUX port). It powers via a USB connection, so it definitely has fewer wires than the old-school computer speakers that had to be connected together via a wire and had to be plugged into a wall outlet and it is definitely a major upgrade in sound quality over the PC speakers on my laptop. 

The sound through the speaker is very good (in my opinion anyway, but I am not exactly an A/V wonk), and the big feature for me is that it can be connected to devices via Bluetooth, so I can play things from the apps on my phone through the speaker, and do not have to wear headphones to get better sound than what is emitted through the speakers on my phone. I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: Allen Company Safety Fit-Over Glasses for Use with Prescription Eyeglasses

 

This is a comfortable pair of safety glasses that will fit over prescription eyeglasses. The frames of my prescription glasses are rectangular shaped and fairly thick because I have thick lenses. These fit over my prescription glasses well. They are not tight nor do they move around too much or fall off my nose. These are perfect for use when woodworking, trimming tree branches, or the like. I would definitely recommend them to anyone who needs a pair of safety glasses to wear over their prescription glasses.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 44

Day 44 was Trimetrics in X3 and Sweat in PIYO. Both of those went pretty much the same as the last time I did each of them. No gains, but I did not regress or backslide either.  

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 43

Day 43 was Decelerator in X3 and Sculpt in PIYO. After a couple of times doing the modified version of Decelerator, it is a bit easier than it was the first time I did it, but it is still very hard, especially if you are using a full range of motion. This was also the first time doing the Sculpt workout in PIYO. It is another strength-focused workout that has you doing a bunch of squats, lunges, and push-ups and fewer yoga or pilates moves. If you can get through the strength intervals workout, you should be able to make it through this one without much problem.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 42

Day 42 was the rest day in X3, which I took advantage of. Tomorrow will start up the doubles workouts again incorporating in month 2 of PIYO so I can finish up X3 and PIYO at the same time. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 41

Day 41 allowed for a choice between Total Synergistics or Complex Lower. I decided to do the latter since I was not a huge fan of TS and had not done CL in this round of X3 yet.  In CL, you do four rounds of the same five exercises. All of the exercises are some version of a squat or lunge and some of them require you to balance on one leg as you do the exercise. So, it is another one that is very challenging, and if you are doing the workout for the first time, depending on what kind of shape you are in, you will probably need to modify most of the moves, at least during the first round until you figure out what you are doing.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 40

Day 40 was the Tiometrics workout and the first time since block 1 that this workout is on the schedule.  Like Agility X earlier in the week, this one is still challenging, but a bit easier than the last time I did it. I still had to modify most of the moves, but there were a couple in which I could finally do all three versions, which was nice to see.

Book Review: Star Wars Timelines

 

"Timelines" is what I would describe as a coffee table book. It is not a novel that people are likely to read word-for-word, cover-to-cover. It basically summarizes the Star Wars canon, incorporating material from the novels, comics, video games, animated series (e.g., Rebels, Clone Wars, and Bad Batch), live-action series (e.g., The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Book of Boba Fett), and the movies. The book has multiple "main" timelines that set out events in relation to The Battle of Yavin when Luke blew up the first Death Star. The first timeline summarizes the early history, starting about 25,000 years before the Battle of Yavin (abbreviated BBY). Then the last timeline is the rise of the First Order, which ends with the battle of Exegol (basically the end of The Rise of Skywalker movie) 35 years after the Battle of Yavin (abbreviated ABY). 

Each of the main timelines has several "sub-timelines" that flesh out details of events that happened in the main timelines. For example, in the Fall of the Jedi timeline, events like Order 66, Obi-Wan and Anakin's battle on Mustafar, hiding Luke and Leia, etc., are all detailed. The sub-timelines for the High Republic timeline summarize the events in the various High Republic novels, such as the hyperspace disaster. The sub-timelines also provide short character profiles for the various characters, and the major characters like Anakin, Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, etc., get their own dedicated timeline that summarizes the major events in their lives. 

Overall, the book is good. As I said above, it is not one that most people (aside from the most die-hard of die-hard fans) are likely to read in full, and definitely does not read like a novel. But, if you are one of those people who does not read all of the books or have not played the video games (like Fallen Order), it has some of the detail and information on some of the characters that you may not be familiar with. Also, it does not include the events of the most recent seasons of The Bad Batch and the Mandalorian, since it was written before those were completed. But otherwise, it is very comprehensive and is worth getting for anyone who is more than just a casual fan.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 39

Day 39 was X3 yoga again. There is really nothing new to report about this workout. I do not think I had any flexibility gains or losses from the last time I did the workout.  The only thing of note is that I could get a little closer to doing crow (which has always been very tough for me) for at least a few seconds.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 38

For day 38 in X3 you have the choice of doing "The Challenge" or complex upper. I chose to do the latter since I have not done that one before. Complex upper has you doing five moves, for four rounds. Basically, you do the five moves, take a short break, then do the same five moves again. It is a full-body workout that has you doing chin-up/pull-up moves, legs and arms, and core. I personally like The Challenge more than this one, but I think they are pretty close in terms of difficulty and intensity. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 37

Day 37 was a return to the agility-x workout for the first time since the end of month one. It was still challenging, but definitely easier now than it was the first couple of times I did it. Because you are jumping both forward and back and laterally, you do need enough room to really get the most out of the workout, but you can modify a bit if you need to because of space limitations, which I definitely have in my basement.