A Healthier Me - Day 98

Was suppose to work out yesterday but got really lazy so I forced myself to get up early today to get my workout done. Which I did.. 

Today's Workout:

30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical
4 sets of 10 on the chest fly for my chest (75 lbs)
4 sets of 10 on the curl arm for my biceps (45 lbs)
4 sets of 10 working on my back (75 lbs)
4 sets of 10 for shoulders (45 lbs)
4 sets of 10 on the front leg press (45 lbs)

Starting to see definition in my arms, chest and lats. I think my upper body is coming along nicely and I've never had an issue with my lower body, it's always been toned and muscled, it's the middle section that is the toughest part for me and I really don't see a change yet. But I'll struggle onwards.. I know this isn't a quick fix, it's a lifestyle change and it's a slow process but so far I'm happy with the results.

I also want to Thank all of you who read my Work out blogs and leave me messages of encouragement. Honestly you guys are the reason I continue to do this. There are days when I just don't want to work out but then think of you guys who are following my progress and letting you guys down when I don't blog. Of course I could blog that I worked out but it's tough to lie to you guys.. so guilt is keeping me working out. It may not be the best way but hey it's keeping me going. Thanks for all your continued support.

Doctor Who 2010 Christmas Special Trailer

I miss Doctor Who.. can't for this years Christmas special

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt1 - My Thoughts

I'm not good at writing reviews as I love everything and have a hard time critiquing stuff so it should come to nobodies surprise that  I LOVED this movie. I had seen several of the scenes already online and knew where they were going to split the book. So much stuff happens so quickly that I'll need several more viewings before I have fully take in the movie. But here are my thoughts from my first viewing.

• Loved all the additional scenes they added, it's always tough to film exposition or stuff in the characters head but with the additional scenes they did a great job with that.
• Seven Potter scene was funny and action packed, my only complaint, if you can call it that is the action happens to fast that I barely saw what happened. But I think that's most from the fact that I was 10 feet from the screen and had to keep turning my head back and forth to see what was going on. I think I'll be able to see more when I see it again from a regular seat.
• Another thing they did different was Hegwigs death. In the book she is hit by a stray spell and dies. But in the movie she goes to help Harry and dies trying to save him... really liked that change.
• Loved all the interaction with Ron and Hermione, the subtle looks and glances were perfect.
• Ginny's kiss with Harry while George walking in was priceless.
• Loved the wedding and Kingsly patronus and voice was very chilling.
• The Diner scene was great and extremely tense
• Kreacher and Dobby effects were unbelievable, especially Kreacher.. looked extremely real.
• The Minster of Magic break in scene was a bit different from the book but never the less pretty awesome. Troy told me afterwards that he read the three actors who portrayed Ron, Harry and Hermione under polly juice potion watch footage of the 3 to get there mannerisms down and boy did they, I was very impressed with that scene.
• Ron splinching himself was well done and Hermione's reaction and Emma's acting was superb. 
• I liked the growing tension between the three
• And the showdown between Ron and Harry was AWESOME, very well acted on all three of there parts. It pretty much played out exactly like the book.
• They added a controversial scene of Harry dancing with Hermione but I though it was well done and to me didn't feel like they could possible hook up. Ron had left and it was just those two sitting around listening to the radio and Harry tries to lift Hermione's spirits by dancing.. it was quite cute.
• Going to Godric Hallows was a great scene, slightly altered from the books. Batilda Bagshot was extremely creepy and then when Nagini came out of her the action ramped up. The final scene kind of happened a little to fast for my taste but it was an exciting scene.
• One of my favorites scenes was the opening of the Locket, it was FANTASTIC!!! the SFX were cool, Rupert's (Ron) reaction was dead on. The Harry and Hermione who came out of the locket were exactly as I picture them.. more horrible and beautiful then the real life versions. That scene gave me chills.
• Visiting the Lovegoods was a good scene, shortened a bit from the book but I did like how they conveyed The Story of the 3 Brothers.. very Tim Burton'esqe. 
• Them getting caught by the snatchers was a bit different but much more action packed. Again because I was so close and the camera work on this scene it was difficult to see anything. They used the shaky camera technique to make it more frantic which works but it was a bit too much.
• The Malfoy Manor scene extremely well done. The torture scene was chilling. Once again Emma's acting was superb and of course Helena "Belletrix" was as crazy as ever. Something different from the books was Hermione having "mudblood" cut into her arm. I saw an interview with Emma were she said that was her and Helena idea.. great addition.
• Dobby rescuing everyone was great. disappointed that Wormtail didn't die, like in the books.
• Dobby's death was the best, I cry every time I read it and I cried watching it. They extended his speech in the movie. In the book he only says Harry Potter. But in the movie he says how much he values his friendship and being free and having Harry Potter as a friend.. OMG I'm starting to well up just typing this... such a sweet scene.
• Voldermort breaking into Dumbledore grave as well done and the perfect way to end the film.. I could have watch part 2 right then and there but it was a good way to leave the story.. our heroes are down, losing one of there own and the bad guys gets the ultimate weapon.. everyone is doomed.

I can't wait to see this movie again.. like I said it goes so fast and so much stuff happens. Of course there are those who will complain that things were left out, especially since it was split in two they will figured they included everything. We still don't know where Harry gets the shard of mirror, or how the person who conjured the doe knew where they were staying (as in the books it's Nigelious' portrait who over hears Hermione mention it) but in the end those are minor details that don't really effect the over all story.. and who know maybe will get answers in part two.

Great addition to the Harry Potter world and I can't wait to see it at least a few more times in the theater.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt1 - Getting to the Theater

First let me say I normally don't do Midnight screening as I'm getting older and it's just too crazy but this is Harry Potter and one of the final movies which makes it special so when my padawan Troy asked Harry and I if we wanted to see a midnight screening with him I said why not.. will be a fun experience. Well it was an experience.. fun, I'm not so sure.

So where to begin, first of all I had planned to get to the theater around 10pm, I figured 2 hours before the movie started should be okay. Well at around noon I started getting tweets from friends in other cities who were already lining up and I started to panic a bit.. but figured oh those are the really die hard fans (which I am) but not willing to waster 12 hours of my day sitting in line. Anyways I got off work at 7pm, had the worse traffic I have had yet in the two weeks I have been there. Got home at 8:30pm, made a quick dinner and we ate at 9pm. Got dressed in my Hogwarts school clothes but didn't have time to shave so I looked like a Hogwarts student at his 20 year reunion. We got on the road at 9:15pm and had to stop for gas, but of course our local gas station is out of gas and the closes one is 20 minutes away (but luckily on our way). So we finally get on the 14 around 9:45pm and head south. Figured traffic wouldn't be too bad as we were heading opposite of most traffic but when we got to the 170 split on the 5 they decided to do road work and bring the lanes down to one.

Now suddenly we are in bumper to bumper traffic and I knew we were going to have some issues once we go to the theater. Well we got there around 10:15pm and drove around for another 15 minutes looking for a parking space. Finally getting to the theater at 10:30pm I got the tickets and found out that they already let the people in the theater, mind you we still have an hour and a half wait. I knew then we were screwed and sure enough when we walked in it was PACKED!!! We attempted to find three seats together but there was nothing and we were forced to go down to the very front of the theater where we found some center seats that were four rows back from the screen.

So we made it, got horrible seats but I guess they could have been worse (very first row, or not sitting together). Now we had to wait for my padawan Troy, who was attending a premiere screening of movie that friends had worked on, this was in Culver City.

I get a text around 10:45pm saying that he is leaving and on his way.. I thought great.. plenty of time to get here. At 11:00 he calls me and tells me that the 110 is closed and he was forced to continue on 10 going east and needed help to find his way to Burbank. Now I know freeways but downtown LA is a little blurry to me so I have get off the freeway and go back on the 10 west hoping to catch the 110 but of course that's closed as well and instead of him driving around downtown LA I tell him to get off the freeway while we figure out where he actually is. After a few minutes we realize he is near the Staple Center so Harry maps it on his phone and we tell Troy the directions but of course something is going on at the Staples Center and there bumper to bumper traffic downtown that he is now stuck in. So I stay with him on the phone watching the minutes tick away until my phone is about to die so I wish him luck and hang up around 11:45pm. He was just about to get on the 110 when I hung up and I figured there would be no way he would make it here in time. But normally get previews so I figured he had an extra 20 minutes or so. Anyways I wait and wait watching the time tick away when I get a call at 11:55pm saying he's here and asking where to park. I direct him to the parking lot and head out of the theater to go grab him. After a little shuffling around I finally find him and we get to the theater at midnight. We sit down half way through the first preview.. we made it with 15 minutes of preview to spare. Now I can relax and enjoy the movie.

A Healthier Me - Day 96

Today was a cardio day and I once again walked around my work area.. I knew when I get home tonight I wouldn't have time to do any cardio since I'm going to see Harry Potter at midnight so I did a 30 minute walk during my lunch break.

Today's Workout:

30 Minute Walk

Do Nice Guys Finish Last?

I've been called a nice guy all my life. When I was younger I was extremely naive and was taken advantage of many times, the worse was buying a car for a friend (cute straight boy I was very smitten with) who started to pay back the "loan" then suddenly disappeared out of my life leaving me several thousands in the hole.

There have been many instances in my life where being nice really hurt me, luckily none of them as costly as the one above, but still there are only so many times you can get taken advantage of before you start questioning your choices in life. I do learn from my mistake but cute straight boys seem to be my weakness back then. I was in the closet and so desperate for a little attention that I'd do anything for them knowing that I was going to get hurt in the end.

As I get older and wiser I am less naive, at least I like to think so. But at the end of the day I'm still a nice guy..

So my question is; Can you be too "nice"? Do nice guys always finish last, if so why??

I will always be a nice guy and I'm sure I'll get taken advantage of from time to time, and if I'm destine to finish last at least I'll be happy with they way I lived my life.

A Healthier Me - Day 95

Well today's workout almost didn't happen. I tried to convince myself that I wasn't feeling so well and wasn't going to work out.. but I knew better. I'm not feeling 100% but far from not being able to get my butt out to the garage to work out.

Today's Workout:

30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical
4 sets of 10 on the chest fly for my chest (75 lbs)
4 sets of 10 on the curl arm for my biceps (45 lbs)
4 sets of 10 working on my back (75 lbs)
4 sets of 10 for shoulders (45 lbs)
4 sets of 10 on the front leg press (45 lbs)
4 sets of 10 on the free weight (110 lbs)

Once again did 4 sets instead of 3 and my arms feel like weights. I'm going to try this weekend to get back to working out during the early morning before work.. this working out after work is killing me.

Cowboys & Aliens Teaser Trailer

OMG!!! I've heard bits and pieces about this new movie but not a whole lot until recently when they released a teaser poster yesterday and now they released a teaser trailer and man it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.. looks like this is gonna be a good one.

Rare Star Trek: The Next Generation Photos

I'm a huge HUGE Star Trek fan and The Next Generation is not only one of my favorite Star Trek series but one of my all time favorite TV series. So when I got up this morning and saw a tweet from @thinkgeek on twitter that said: "Wish these 130+ rare candid ST:TNG pics could be anchor linked to the one of Riker & the Borg Queen: http://j.mp/aFOfeP" I immediately had to click on the link and check them out... and OMG.. so many great candid photos of the cast and crew of TNG.. not only the TV series but their movies as well. I don't know if this site is new or it's been around for years but man I'm to happy that Think Geek found it and shared it with  it's masses. Here are are some of my favorite photos.. you can see them all HERE

A Healthier Me - Day 94

Today was a cardio day and I thought I would try something different so during my lunch break at work I went on a 45 minute walk around my work area. Not sure how much I increased my heart rate but it was nice for a change.

Today's Workout:

45 Minute Walk

A Healthier Me - Day 93

Wow.. feels like forever since I worked out last. Didn't work out last Friday because I didn't go into work and though off my early morning workout and though I intended to work out it never happened. This weekend was jammed back to so no make up day and then because of the busy weekend I didn't get to bed until late on Sunday and couldn't motivate myself to get up super early to work out today.. so I just finished my workout.

Since it's Monday I weight myself this morning 205.5

Today's Workout:

30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical
4 sets of 10 on the chest fly for my chest (75 lbs)
4 sets of 10 on the curl arm for my biceps (45 lbs)
4 sets of 10 working on my back (75 lbs)
4 sets of 10 for shoulders (45 lbs)
4 sets of 10 on the front leg press (45 lbs)
4 sets of 10 on the free weight (110 lbs)

So I increased all my "sets' to 4 and man are my arms dying at the moment.. got a really good weight session in. Did only a half hour cardio and really struggled with it.

My weight is down again this week but I can't seem to get past 205. I hover between 208 and 205 for the week the past three weeks. Of course I'm not eating as well as I should. When I was out of work it was easier to not eat out but now that I'm working I find myself going out to eat lunch 3 to 4 times a week... that's not good.. gonna have to triple my efforts in eating healthier.. Starting to worry that I'm not going to be below 200 by years end.

A Helping Hand

Just got back from lunch.. went to El Pollo Loco, first let me say that this El Pollo is in a rundown part of Santa Monica. There was this youngish guy who was in the early 20's and he was asking the employee how much things were, looks like he had one of the welfare debt cards. Anyways he ordered some food and it came out to $4.89, when the employee swiped the card she told him it had only a few cents on it. He kind of turned back to me and gave me an apologizing smile, then rummage through his pockets and manage to pull out $4 in change. So then he asked what he could get for under $4. I almost offered to pay the remaining .89 cents but I wasn't sure how he would take it. I mean he wasn't dirty and looked very clean cut, I did notice he had a duffel bag and a few paper bags with him but I wasn't sure if he was homeless. I knew he was already feeling embarrassed and I didn't want to make him feel any worse but on the same note everyone deserves to eat and I would have paid for his full meal if he'd let me but in the end I didn't offer. I kind of feel bad that I didn't but the uncertainty of how he would have reacted stopped me. What would you have done? Should I have offered and taken the chance of offending or embarrassing him even more?

Knights of the Guild Ep 22 pt.1

Download on itunes http://bit.ly/KotGCast or listen/direct download http://knightsoftheguild.com

Show Notes:

Here it is Episode 22 part 1 of Knights of the Guild… Enjoy!!!

Today’s show features:

• * First up a classic Vorkism
• * Jenni is busy so we had to record our podcast over skype.
• * We have both of our Costume Designers / Wardrobe ladies for a very fun double crew interview

• * We find out what the cast and crew are up too
• * We have some Listener Feedback
• * We also announce winners of our end of month contest for October, our winners for our itunes Review contest, our winner for the crazy Jenni contest as well as talk about continuing contests
• * Then Business Time (I continue to use our contest entries as they are so good)
• * Then our Good byes

Thank you again for all your support, we do this podcast because we are fans and more importantly for the fans - Kenny & Jenni

Other Important Links

• Knights of the Guild Feeds/Downloads http://knightsoftheguild.com
• Knights of the Guild Daily Blog http://knightsoftheguildpodcast.blogspot.com/

Shooting & Editing with my Padawan

Today we got up around 9am and started to work on what our plan was for today. My padawan Troy had highlights of what he wanted to say in his SAM-e Complete Good Mood Blogger contest. We planned to show it several times on our property and then go to Vasquez Rocks and shoot it a few more times.

Everything went pretty much as planned, it was windy which screwed with the audio but we would try and record while the winds died down. Our first location was behind my house over looking the valley below. I had him stand by a tree, which was nice as it kind of framed the picture. Next we went to the front of the house and I had him sit on our bench and do the entire piece over again.

We then drove to Vasquez Rocks where we did it again two more times, so we had a total of four different recordings of the same thing but in four locations. We got back and I started to upload the video while Harry and I went to a neighborhood meeting for the hour. Troy hung out at our place surfing the web. When we got back it was lunch time and I started uploading all the video clips to Avid. When we got back there were a few more clips that needed to be uploaded and another hour everything was ready to go.

For the next six hours Troy and I edited he contest video together. There were a few issues, the major one was the audio, the wind was so strong at times you couldn't hear Troy at all. Another issue was our first location, thought it was pretty, the tree branches blowing in the wind made for some strange shades on Troy's face which he did not like.. so we couldn't use any of that footage. Our second location, the lighting was great but there was a strange reflection hitting the camera lens which I didn't see when I was shooting. We could only use very limited amount of footage from that shoot, but this shoot had the best audio of course. So we pretty much used the Vasquez Rocks shoots to edit the video. Like I had said the audio was the worse but we manage to find bits and pieces to make the video work and other then the audio sound the piece turned out really good. We've uploaded it You Tube and it will go live for the contest in a few days.. I'll keep you posted.