‘Nuther Blog for Me – Flag Gal

I know that I have enough of a problem trying to post here on a regular basis, so why am I adding another blog? Flag Gal is Working Out keeps the focus to my workouts and health info, and though I am quite the dilettante I just think I want to keep that focus in a separate area. I’ll crosspost sometimes, but will keep the details of every workout and every new health discovery over on Flag Gal and only put the highlights here.

Oh, you can go visit and laugh at the pictures of me doing the fitness thing. I’m no poster child for being fit, but compared to the past few years? I’m looking damn good.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 reviews – old and new versions

I reviewed both the new Denzel Washington and the old Walter Matthau versions. The old one wins my vote.

Here’s the review for the 2009 version.

Here’s the review for the 1974 version.

It’s Not Okay 5K

Note: I thought I posted this last night. Only made a draft post instead. So much for getting the drama out there when I was really feeling it.

Tonight’s CrossFit workout was only one activity: a 10k run. Are they kidding me? I was barely handling the 800m runs as a warm-up for the main workouts, and now I’m supposed to run a 10k? Well, I was lucky. Tonight’s trainer allowed me to run only a 5k. Ha! My reaction is the same as to a 10k run. Me? Run a 5k?

Well, I sort of did it. I was the slowest, most lost (I missed one of the trails and ended up going cross country to find the trail again and on the way back ended up taking a wrong turn), most unable to keep up a run of all the Crossfitters tonight. It took me an hour to complete the run….er walk. Yeah, I stopped running often and walked as needed. Near the end I just walked the rest of the way.

I’m icing my knees now, hoping the run/walk didn’t trash them too badly. I’d like to say that I’m thrilled that I made it through the 5k, but I can’t. I was miserable through most of it, knowing that I sucked at the whole thing. I didn’t even care what time it took to complete it. Okay, a pat on my back for at least attempting it.

One nice thing about doing the run, at least I now know the path taken for runs. I won’t have to deal with that fear of “where am I and where did everyone else go?” Yeah, everyone got so far ahead of me that I lost them, thus losing the way to go. And can I just say that I knew that would happen? No positive thinking for me. Uh-uh. I know I’m slow.

Blessed Rain

It finally felt cool today. The temperature kept creeping up to the mid-80s, which is uncomfortable for me. The inside of my place gets up above the 70s even with windows open and fans blowing.My coconut oil, which is normally solid at room temperature had melted this last week.

Now it’s raining. Oh yes, cool everything off!

True Blood

Watching the first DVD of HBO’s True Blood. I’m liking it. Very interesting characters and fun writing…and kind of spooky too.

Chak De!

I just finished watching Chak De! India. A fun movie from India. The title translates to “Go For It! India” and it certainly fits the film’s plot. A ragtag group of female field hockey players must unite and overcome their differences to win the World Cup for India. Yes, there’s a World Cup for field hockey. It’s not a sport I ever paid attention to, but it seems big in India and other countries. Shahrukh Khan stars as the coach who must make a team out of the girls.

Now if anyone expects that a movie from India will not use the tired sports movie cliches, you are so wrong. They’re all there: the team finally banding together, the “darkest before the dawn” scenes, the last minute wins, and cheering crowds. Yet for all the cliches, I enjoyed it.

Most Bollywood films have musical numbers, but Chak De stayed away from them except as background songs during montages. The movie is entertaining fluff and offers some fun scenes.

This scene starts out with a “darkest before the dawn” mood:

Here’s a video of the title song:

Slow Sunday

A nice, quiet Sunday here in Flagstaff. Once again, I didn’t make it to the farmer’s market. I think it’s something to do with not wanting to take a shower any earlier than I have to.

What I did do this morning, was take Spencer for a hike in the woods. Got out by 8:30 and it seemed a bit too warm for so early. Still, we both enjoyed the hike. A nice hour out in the woods does start the day quite nicely.

I came back and did my physical therapy knee exercises, plus lots of stretches. My desire to get my hamstrings stretched out on a daily basis seems to help lessen knee issues. I still feel pain, but I can minimize it, and even make it disappear if I stretch and massage trigger points in the thighs.

I’m feeling yesterday’s CrossFit workout. I’m really working on using my glutes and hamstrings and, by god, that’s where I’m feeling it today.

Michael Jackson

Hard to believe Jackson is dead. He was only 50 — a year younger than me. I remember how I used to play the heck out of the “Off the Wall” album when I was stationed over in England, back in 1979. A great musician; a creepy kind of guy.

That Time of Year

Do I care that Transformers 2 is opening tomorrow? No.

Sometimes the summer movie season is incredibly depressing.

Star Trekkin’ Again – The Gals Can’t Help It

I did it again. I went to see Star Trek. That makes it the seventh (eighth?) time. I can’t help it, I’m obsessed.

As the movie only has two times per day this week at our local cinema, I’m assuming that it won’t be around next weekend. The funny thing is, the theater was packed today. It’s one of the smaller theaters at our 11-screen cineplex, but the movie is still bringing in people here in Flagstaff.

Maybe it’s the Father’s Day crowd and the other showings this weekend were sparsely attended, but overall it’s holding up very well. It’s still one of the top 10 movies this weekend, placing number 7:

1. THE PROPOSAL – 34.11 million – 34.1 million
2. THE HANGOVER – 26.86 million – 152.9 million
3. UP – 21.34 million – 224.1 million
4. YEAR ONE – 20.20 million – 20.2 million
5. THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 – 11.30 million – 43.3 million
6. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 – 7.30 million – 155.9 million
7. STAR TREK – 4.70 million – 239.4 million
8. LAND OF THE LOST – 3.98 million – 43.7 million
9. IMAGINE THAT – 3.10 million – 11.3 million
10. TERMINATOR SALVATION – 3.07 million – 119.5 million

It may eventually earn 250 million dollars in the U.S. by the end of summer. A very good record for a movie. It’s still leading the box office totals for 2009, but Up will eventually win that spot.

I do think that the audience isn’t just young geek-boys, like the Transformers crowd. Star Trek seems to be pulling in lots of female fans. Star Trek seems to fit the strange niche of big special-effect filled chick flick. There’s not many movies like that out there, but Star Trek seems to have found a way to bring us women into the theaters. My sister described the attraction women have for either Kirk or Spock as similar to how men can decide whether it’s Ginger or Mary Ann. I think it’s easier for women to enjoy this film because neither Kirk or Spock are infallible — there’s no superhero who can vanquish the enemies with a quip and an act of violence. It takes Kirk and Spock working together with a team of talented staff to come up with victory. And face it, Kirk doesn’t win many fistfights in the movie.

It’s not just the women I’ve talked to about how much they like the film. The IMDB ratings for the film show a  female preference for the movie. At every age group, women rate it higher than men.

	Votes	Average
Males	58,934	8.4
Females	10,875	8.9
Aged under 18	2,627	9.0
Males under 18	1,872	8.9
Females under 18	752	9.3
Aged 18-29	46,515	8.5
Males Aged 18-29	39,135	8.4
Females Aged 18-29	7,206	9.0
Aged 30-44	16,371	8.3
Males Aged 30-44	14,176	8.2
Females Aged 30-44	2,025	8.7
Aged 45+	4,188	8.3
Males Aged 45+	3,334	8.2
Females Aged 45+	805	8.6

So, I’m not alone. Star Trek is a hit. My biggest worry about the movie, once it’s gone from the local theater, is how soon it will come out on DVD. I’m not the patient type. Do I have to wait until Christmas?

Hmmmm…maybe I need to grab some of my gal friends and go see the movie…just one more time.

Looking Out the Window…Sighing…

…Is it the weekend yet?

Religulous review

I reviewed Religulous while a co-worker reviewed Angels and Demons, thus the references to the opening of that movie. I’m not religous in any kind of way, so found Religulous enjoyable, but as someone who agrees with Bill Maher I’m probably the audience he was aiming for.

Here’s the review.

Lifting Things

Tonight’s workout at CrossFit Flagstaff was fun. We lifted things. Actually, after warming up, we lifted people and then barbells.

Lifting people had two people pairing off and carrying each other down the road. We did fireman carries (slinging someone over the shoulder), piggy-backs, and then dummy drags (picking up a person who is laying on the ground as a dead weight and dragging them by the waist). We were all laughing so much as we tried the different carries. I accidentally grabbed Katie’s breasts when trying the dummy drag, which was not the suggested way of dragging someone.

Then we worked on deadlifts. This is the one lift that I love. I can do these much more easily than pushing weights over my head or squatting down and standing back up while holding a barbell.

I wanted to see how heavy I could get. I’d lifted 60k (132 lbs) last week and knew I could get heavier. Seven tries and I got up to 69k (151.8 lbs). A personal record. Well, most of my lifts at this point in CrossFit are personal records — the joy of being new at this.

I must admit, lots of things I try in CrossFit can suck. I’m weak, uncoordinated, and slow. Yet lifting people and barbells is fun.

Pay Raise Equivalent?

I’m looking forward to July. A new fiscal year begins at work and more money will be showing up in my paycheck. No, not because of a raise, but because I can stop taking leave without pay (sort of like furlough time) to help our department’s budget survive the cuts.

I may still have to do furlough days in this next fiscal year, but our department head has said we should hold off until we know exactly what the university policies will be regarding furlough time.

My paycheck going back to what it used to be is a good thing. It’s almost like a pay raise… a rather sad one.

Recovery Time and Attitude

Letting my body recover tonight after I went to CrossFit two days in a row. I came home and took my dog Spencer for a quick hike. That’s about the activity level I can handle.

I’m also feeling lazy. So nothing I want to write about. Yeah, that does sound like too much attitude coming off of me, huh? Sounds sort of like “Suffer everyone, because I do not deign to write.”

Hey, go ahead and suffer. It’s my quads that are suffering due to pulling muscles while sprinting yesterday. So, suffer, everyone.  I’m finished writing.