ROFL! You think Doctor Who is unbelievable? Consider WWII

Why we can't write this stuff:

Doctor Who is not a complete loss. But then there are some shows that go completely beyond the pale of enjoyability, until they become nothing more than overwritten collections of tropes impossible to watch without groaning.

I think the worst offender here is the History Channel and all their programs on the so-called "World War II".

Thinking about switching workout plans

I've been doing the "Reach 100" exercise plan for a couple of months now, and I seem to have plateaued out pretty badly. I can't get past set four (of six) no matter how hard I try, and quite frankly the program is rather boring, since it's a highly constrained and repetitive set of moves-- the sort of plan that is conducive to plateauing.

So I've been thinking about switching to another plan, one with a greater range of motion and more cardio (unlike while at Isilon and Grapevyn, there's no way I can bike to work on my current schedule). I just finished a job with a client, so I have a little cash to spare and hey, might even spend some on a program. I seem to be doing okay working out at home these days, oddly enough.

At least two of my friends are doing the 90-day Beachbody program, P90X, and having seen the introductory DVD one of them encouraged me to watch, I'm intrigued by the idea that the exercise patterns they advise prevent plateauing, but I'm exceptionally leery of one major aspect: the website never mentions this, but the introductory video makes a big deal about upsells of branded nutritional products and "supplements." (The link goes to a review that at least mentions the supplements, but also strongly recommends them; he swears that he no longer feels a nap coming on in the afternoon but, you know, maybe he's got that because he's doing the cardio right.)

There's a word for supplements. Well, two words: big placebo. There's also a phrase for the bars and shakes they sell: Edible food-like substances.

I'm not trying to have Mr. Universe branded arms, I just want to improve my knees, my back, and my gut. My instincts tell me that the exercise regime may be right, but the hard sell on extras is too much. Am I wrong about this? Could I do the program just fine by eating, you know, food?

I'm also a little worried about the time investment: Reach 100 takes about a half hour six days a week, but the Beachbody programs are upwards of an hour, six days a week.

[Facepalm] Remember when we were just playthings of Satan? Those were the days.

Yesterday at the semi-weekly D&D game, we decided to hold it at the new gaming store in town rather than at the house. It's a nice place, well-decorated with great design sensibilities. Although one of the house artists has a problem with basic anatomy, the other's taste runs toward the awesomeness that is Frazetta-on-Velvet.

While we were there, a woman walked and identified herself as being part of a local business newsletter. She wanted to greet the new business and find out what it was "you did in here."

The proprietor on call leapt up and proceeded to tell her all about role playing, and he literally had to come in from the back and explain to her that Dungeons and Dragons is like World of Warcraft, only you got together with your friends and used your imagination, rather than sitting in front of a computer playing with strangers thousands of miles away. Where computers generate random numbers, we used dice, but it was all looking up the consequences in a rulebook somewhere, after all.

Right?

[Facepalm]

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