Working Out

I'll admit it, I'm soft. In fact, I often have to use the famous Steven Wright saying to describe my physical condition. "I'm in shape...round is a shape." However, this might be changing.

In early November, my wife started working out 3-4 times per week, doing cardio work and lifting weights at a gym. I admired her, but couldn't get motivated myself. There are 2 reasons for this.

1) I play golf and ride bike from April - mid October, so I wouldn't use the gym membership 6 months of the year.
2) I HATE working out. Everyone always says..."just stick to it, and eventually you'll get the workout high." I never got that. I always felt miserable while doing the workout and miserable when it was over.

However, a few weeks ago, we got 8 inches of snow. My wife and I were out shoveling the driveway, and when we finished, I felt like I was going to die. Amanda on the other hand, barely broke a sweat. I was put to shame...and it was at that moment, I began trying to figure out a way I could start to get in shape (other than round) without a gym membership.

Last Sunday, inspiration came in my Golf Digest. Right there in the middle was a workout targeted for golf that was fairly easy to do at home. All that is required is a few small weights, a medicine ball and some resistance bands. The workout targets the core muscles for golf, so legs, back, abs, obliques and shoulders. I thought, this would be perfect, I can get some of the light weight training and flexibility work that I've been wanting to do now, and then add in cardio work once I can get back outside on my bike.

So, after mass, David and I went to Dick's Sporting Goods and bought the necessary supplies, and I started the workout Sunday afternoon to see how long it would take. With appropriate stretching before and after, it takes me 30-35 minutes to get through it, which is perfect for me (since I have the weights now, I added 5 extra exercises that I know will be good for me). And, it is a workout. I was so sore Monday and Tuesday, but felt ok by Wednesday. I plan to do this workout 3-5 times a week. It's great so far because I can do it from 6:00 - 6:35 in the morning before work. Here's hoping that I found a workout that I'll finally stick too.

Movie Review: Purgatory

"Purgatory" was made by TNT in 1999. Over the years, TNT has made some really good films. I've wanted to watch "Purgatory" for quite some time, but somehow had never gotten around to it. It's a shame that I waited. "Purgatory" is a surprisingly solid film, with excellent characters, and a good gun fight at the end, something every western should have.

To call "Purgatory" a western doesn't quite fit though. One Netflix reviewer said it was a western with a "Twilight Zone" feel to it. I can't come up with anything better, so I think I'll stick with that characterization. Unfortunately, it's hard to sum up the plot without giving away too much of the story. Basically, a group of outlaws rides into the town of Refuge, where no one carries a gun, they have no jail and swearing is not allowed. As outlaws often do, they decide to wreak havoc on the town, only to discover that this town, and it's residents, are...unique.

"Purgatory" is a strong 4 star film. The best performances in the movie are given by Sam Shepard and (surprisingly) Eric Roberts. Sam Shepard is really a top notch actor, and is good in just about everything I've seen him in. Roberts, however, usually isn't that good, except in very specific roles. This is one of those roles. If you are a fan of sci fi or a fan of westerns, I'd suggest giving "Purgatory" a shot.

Don't do it Shanny!

When the Denver Broncos fired Mike Shanahan a few weeks back, I sincerely hoped he would get another job very soon. He was a great coach for the Broncos and I hoped he would get to be great somewhere else. However, I figured it wouldn't be right away. Now I hear that he is the top choice to replace Herman Edwards in Kansas City. To which I have to say...PLEASE DON'T DO THIS MIKE!!!

The Chiefs are one of the Broncos top rivals. It would be horrible to see the greatest coach in the history of the Broncos, coaching for the hated Kansas City Chiefs. Hopefully, Mike Shanahan will realize his place in Bronco's history and refuse to coach anywhere else in the AFC West. The Broncos still have to pay him this season, so he can afford to sit out and wait for a job to come up elsewhere...at least that's what I hope he's thinking.

TV Series Review: Psych, Season 1

I resisted "Psych" for a long time. I have a coworker who kept telling me to watch it, telling me that I'd absolutely love it. Recently, my TV watching queue on Netflix was a little light, so I decided to give "Psych" a shot. And, my coworker was right, I love this show.

The show centers around Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and Burton "Gus" Guster (Dule Hill). Shawn is a slacker, who just happens to be very, very observant. In the pilot, Shawn gets into a bit of trouble, but due his powers of observation, he is able to fool the police into believing he's a Psychic. Soon, Shawn is hired to help the Santa Barbara Police, so he enlists the help of his old pal Gus to help make sure he doesn't screw up. With a success under their belt, the 2 friends form their own private detective agency, called....Psych.

"Psych" is not like any other show on TV. It's extremely funny, but unlike a sitcom, you get original, quirky humor, plus you get the added mystery aspect of it. The characters are extremely easy to like, even the sour Detective Lasseter (Timothy Osmundson) has his moments.

The series also stars Corbin Bernsen, Kristen Nelson and Maggie Lawson. I've got season 2 up next in my Netflix Queue. I rated season one 5 stars, so season 2 has a lot to live up to.

Stats and Stuff

I've got quite a few things to say, so I'm going to try to sum up in a few short blurbs:

Statistics: I heard on the radio news today that 3 out of 4 Americans will be tuned in to the Obama Inauguration tomorrow at noon ET. That's approximately 225 million people. Assuming tomorrow hasn't been declared a national holiday, I have to question that number. Could this be that the media outlet reporting this only talked to 4 people, and 3 of them were going to tune in, so they ran with that?

More Statistics: Rush Limbaugh reported today that 89% of people want Obama to succeed. How do you think that question was posed? I'm betting it went something like this..."Do you want things to get better under Obama?" Even I would have said yes to that. However, I know I don't want that "success" if it means a massive government funded health care machine that kills our health care system. I don't want that "success" if it means more government funding of abortions and legalized euthanasia. Maybe a better question would have been, "Do you want Obama to succeed in turning the US into a Socialist, Western European Style nation?"

Even More Statistics: 62% of all statistics are made up on the spot. I'm betting that's what happened when the media came up with the 2 statistics shown above.

Another Senator Kennedy: Drudge is reporting the Caroline Kennedy will be appointed to replace Hillary Clinton as Senator from New York. Apparently, she's being picked because of her outstanding qualifications. Oh wait, she has none...um, why is she being picked again? Oh yeah, she's being picked because she's a Kennedy and the Democrats don't want to make the Kennedy's mad.

Inauguration Day: Apparently Obama's donors and the Federal Government are trying to end the recession right now. They are spending $170 million on the Inauguration festivities. Didn't the media criticize President Bush for spending a whopping $40 million on his 2004 Inauguration? Funny, I hear no criticism now. I must not be listening carefully enough because surely the media wouldn't be so hypocritical.

That's all I have for today. In case you were wondering, I won't be one of the 3 out of 4 tuned into the Obama Inauguration tomorrow. I have to work.

By the way, I know that the first 2 items are really polls, and not statistics. But, Polls and stuff isn't nearly as good for a title. Plus, calling them statistics let me make the joke in the 3rd point, so I took poetic license.

Movie Review: Appaloosa

I will preface my review by saying that it's definitely possible that I totally missed the point of this movie. When I watch a western, I expect some good gunfights, the proper amount of drama, a main character who is flawed, but likable, and an obvious villain that I can strongly dislike. "Appaloosa" really didn't fit any of these, but like I say, perhaps I missed the point of the film altogether. This movie gets 2, maybe 2.5 stars

In some previews, "Appaloosa" was billed as the best western since "Unforgiven." I absolutely loved "Unforgiven" so my expectations were set very high. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. "Appaloosa" was disjointed, filled with weak characters, and lacked any real drama or action.

I'm finding that I really don't like Ed Harris as an actor anymore. He was terrible in this movie. Adding further disappointment were weak performances by Jeremy Irons, Renee Zellwegger and Lance Henriksen.

On the other hand, Viggo Mortensen is outstanding as Everett Hitch. He's the only character in the movie that's even remotely likable, and Mortensen executes the role brilliantly. He also manages to pull off the only good gunfight of the movie. Hopefully we'll see Mortensen in another western soon. As a fan of most westerns, I'll line up to watch that one.

Anyway, hopefully if you choose to watch "Appaloosa" you'll enjoy it more than I did. If you've seen it and I did miss the point, please feel free to let me know what the point was.