Apocalypse by Troy Denning

This book wraps up the Fate of the Jedi series and wasn't too bad.  As I've mentioned before, I prefer the Expanded Universe books which are not about the characters portrayed in the movies, but I guess those are the popular ones.  This book suffers less add-a-kid syndrome and had some well-written action.  The main villain is a little hokey and seemed unnecessary.  Why not have the Sith and the Jedi battle it out?  Why bring in some nebulous bad guy?

I recommend this book if you've already gotten in to the series.  If you haven't, save it for an airplane trip.

Beefin' up my bodyweight exercise routine

The past couple of months I've mostly been doing bodyweight exercises for my strength training, but I feel the intensity is lacking.  Part of the problem is I'm driving an extra 25 miles each way to work and that cuts into my free time.  I think I'll get up 15-20 minutes earlier to start up the Fitness 666 program.  It seems interesting and I'd really like to be able to do a muscle up.  The program is also based on exercises I'm already doing and will provide a bit of structure which shouldn't burn me out.

I'm strong now, but I'd like to get stronger.  I also feel much better when I exercise more intensely.

Cholesterol and other CBC results

Before going on Christmas vacation, I went in for a physical and they drew some blood.  I just got the results back:

• 163 mg/dl total
• 63 mg/dl HDL
• 59 mg/dl triglycerides
• 88 mg/dl LDL

My HDL is above the recommended range and my LDL is just below which means I have a negative risk factor for coronary heart disease.  I exercise pretty frequently, but I also eat a ton of saturated fat because what I've read suggests saturated fat, from animals and coconuts, is what our body needs.

My white blood cell count was low at 3.4 K/UL, my mean platelet volume was high at 11.4 fL, my monocyte percentage was high at 18.1% and my lymphocyte number was low at 0.9 K/mm3.

I'm not that kind of doctor so I don't know if these flagged numbers are bad or not, but the physician's assistant didn't seem too concerned so I'll let it ride.

Safety Not Guaranteed

I try to watch comedies on my tablet during my plane rides, but I think iTunes miscategorized this one.  It had some funny parts, but was more a weird movie than anything else.  The main actress had a bangable look and some good deadpan acting, but some parts were a bit slow.  I'm not even sure how to describe my reaction to this movie so I'll just say that you shouldn't turn down watching it, but don't go out of your way to do so.

First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher

I was able to polish off the final book in Butcher's Codex Alera series.  I still believe the series peaked in the middle, but this ultimate book was more entertaining than the previous one.  I think the magic became a little pedestrian and there wasn't enough other stuff to fill the void.  The middle books had some good military action that the later books lacked. 

I also wasn't as interested in the romance in this book as it felt a bit forced.

Still, the series is entertaining and fairly innovating so I recommend this book and Jim Butcher in general.

Namaste Yoga

A work friend recommended I check out Kate Potter's Namaste Yoga series on DVD so I ordered up the first season.  It got good reviews from Amazon and the comments indicated it was suitable for beginners.  Now I've never taken a yoga class, but figured I'd be alright.  I tried to follow along the first episode and it was tough.  The movements are smooth, but fast and I was a good step or two behind the hot women doing the routine.  I feel more relaxed now, but a little frustrated at my inflexibility.  I guess I should try to turn the frustration into motivation since increased flexibility will help me more readily apply sports beatdowns.

Not a bra is to be found so I did get the treat of a lot of nipple action along with some tight asses and hard bellies.  Definitely six to midnight and was one big selling point for me since it's about $4/episode.

I'm a little congested from my air travel yesterday and could hear myself wheezing during these supposedly relaxing moves.  It's all good though and it's one reason why I do this kind of stuff at home rather than by taking a class.

I think I'll try the next episode and see if it builds on the first one or explores new moves.  My colleague does one episode a day in the mornings, but I think I'll shoot for two or three episodes per week since I'm focusing on strength gains.

I'm trying to challenge myself more and yoga will definitely fit the bill.

Fitness update

It's past the last Saturday of the month so it's time for another fitness update.  The holidays are always a tough time for my fitness because of the traveling, the tasty food and the inactivity.  I started the month off well, but hit a snag when I rolled my ankle at basketball a couple of weeks ago.  I was still able to get three sessions of tennis and running in apiece while in Portland along with some pushups and whatnot, but it wasn't enough to overcome the crap I ate.

In the charts below, you can see the holiday uptick, but the ending point isn't too bad.

I think I'll go back to keeping photographic evidence of my progress.  I'm not ashamed of my body, but I know I've got more work to put in until I've reached my goal.