Joss Whedon, without bias and with true insight, reviews the "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" DVD.

The man is wittily and comedically genius-y, he is.

Armchair Commentary: Celebrity Blog: Joss Whedon on Amazon.com Exclusive "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog":

"When Amazon asked me to review this movie, I was hesitant, as I'm not too familiar with the genre, and also I made it... But what's in it for you? A few surprises, I won't lie. THE SECRET OF ETERNAL YOUTH. The Dark Knight doesn't have that, does it? A CONTROLLING INTEREST IN EUROPE. Not available with Mama Mia! BEES. Deadly, hideous bees are contained in certain shipments, sorry. We're trying to control that. But already, a pretty extraordinary disc.

The film itself I didn't really get...

The extras (Eternal life, Europe, Bees) were mostly exciting. There is a whole second musical, called "Commentary!", which harkens back to the days of Radio and of writing things really poorly... Seriousfully, it's not so much a commentary as chance for the cast and writers to make fun of each other in every musical style possible. I give it forty eight billion stars.

...That is my review. I think you should buy the DVD every day forever, and I am totally unbiased. Happy Holidays! --Joss Whedon"

Training 248/P90X 16.

5 meals, Plyometrics, 2.2L water

Inspiration/Motivation: Tony Horton's Blog Spot: Law # 10 ~ Flexibility:

"Flexibility is the fountain of youth! Flexible people are much less prone to injury. Yoga and stretching allow you to bring more intensity to your workouts. Flexibility is the key component to becoming less vulnerable and more durable. Aging has a funny way of making everything we do harder. Staying limber and flexible is the way to prevent that from happening.

...Flexibility increases mental relaxation, greatly reduces the risks of various injuries (like back problems, muscle strains, and joint sprains), and slows the aging process in muscles and joints. Who wouldn’t want all that?

The only reason why people don’t become more flexible is because they’re not willing to put in the time. The axiom for other aspects of fitness also applies to flexibility: You get better at the things you do often. Stretching and/or yoga are equally as important as strength conditioning and cardiovascular fitness. Stretching and yoga can replenish the natural flexibility and durability of our youth. If you decide and commit to becoming less vulnerable through flexibility, you will also discover a calmness (much like meditation) that comes with stretching and yoga."

Coming soon, to a theater near you, to vie for the 'Coolest Comic Book Movie' - X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE.

Looks damn good.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD

This is hilarious - "If you put up publicly available porn of yourself on the internet, what happens next is your own damn fault."

Via Mightygodking.com » Post Topic » LOL @ NSFW:

"About as non-worksafe as a website gets, but Way To Suck That Dick! entertains the shit out of me.

(Seriously: NSFW. Cannot stress that enough.)"

Their comments policy, just to give you a taste...

Our Comments Policy (READ THIS.) « Way To Suck That Dick!:

"We think making fun of people for looking weird or silly or awkward during sex is fun. (Like it says in the title: nobody made these people put up their fuck-pics on the internet for everybody to see them.)

But we do have rules.

No calling anybody a slut, or anything along those lines. Sex is healthy and fun and the people in these pictures are just doing exactly that - having healthy fun. Making fun of people for getting off - not cool.

Rape jokes: no. We will ban your ass from commenting with absolutely no warning if we see this happening. We are not even slightly kidding.

Ethnic/racial/whatever slurs: no. We shouldn’t have to say this, but we just know somebody’s going to go there. Yes, homophobic slurs are bad too.

As a general rule: Imagine what you would say if you were hanging out with your buddy at their place, and suddenly you saw, just under the dresser, a picture of your buddy and their partner gettin’ it on. Now, would you rag on them? Very likely. (You are, after all, at this website.) But you wouldn’t say “man, what a slut she is for sucking your cock,” or “your boyfriend looks like a fag,” because you would get punched in the face.

We are heartless. But we are not assholes."

'We are heartless, but we are not assholes' may actually be the next great life motto.

Training 247/P90X 15.

Chest & Back/Ab Ripper X, 5 meals, 2.7L water

Inspiration/Motivation - Tony Horton's Blog Spot: Law # 8 ~ Stress & Sleep:

"...I like the parable about 10 people standing in line at a bank. Three robbers come storming in screaming, yelling, and waving guns around. They terrorize the place and steal everyone’s jewelry and money. What’s the moral of the story? Ten people experiencing the same event will have very different reactions to it. Some will never recover, while others will have a crazy story to tell at cocktail parties. How do you respond to the events in your life?

I like Byron Katie’s 3 Kinds of Business Theory.

1. God’s Business: The things that happen in this world that are out of my control.

2. Their Business: The choices other people make based on their life experiences so far.

3. My Business: The choices I make that shape my life.

Don’t waist your time on gossip, ridicule, envy, self-pity, anger, guilt, arrogance, impatience, regret, manipulation, jealousy, fear, worry, and anxiety. It’s too stressful, and it destroys the energy you need to stay healthy and fit. If you choose understanding, truth, clarity, patience, devotion, gratitude, acceptance, wisdom, and forgiveness you will have peace of mind and all the energy in the world to do what ever you want.

...What makes life so puzzling, is knowing what the right choices are, and not choosing them. I know that eight hours of sleep is necessary for me to have enough energy to handle the next day, but instead I stay up watching Napoleon Dynamite for the fifth time. I know that eating chocolate at 11:30 at night while watching Napoleon Dynamite for the fifth time is not in my best interests, but I do it anyway. How do I leave myself alone when my behavior is less than perfect? And why am I controlled by my interpretation of perfection? For me it's a desire to not appear weak in front of people who are used to seeing me strong. One of my biggest fears during one of these less than perfect periods, is not knowing how long it will it last? When I'm happy I can't conceive feeling low. When I'm sad I can't imagine ever feeling good again.

...Does the inability to make smart choices come from childhood stuff, biorhythms, brain chemistry, fatigue, daily conflict, stress or a bad fish enchilada? Who the hell knows. The more time I spend trying to figure it all out, the longer it will take to turn it around. If I could just beat myself up less and let life be life then the quicker I'll find a place of balance. My hope is to embrace these ups and downs. See the process less like "fighting demons" and more like gifts that can better my life. I often hold on too tightly to my rules. As a result, I don't notice when the rules are changing. Sometimes five card stud becomes Texas Hold em in a matter of minutes. If the game changes, will I notice, and when I win and lose a few hands, will it still be okay. I hope so."

Mochitsuki '08.

This year's mochitsuki was on Saturday, out at Katsuura Elementary...

From 2008-12-13

Mochi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"Mochitsuki is the traditional mochi-pounding ceremony in Japan.

1. Polished glutinous rice is soaked overnight and cooked.
2. The cooked rice is pounded with wooden mallets (kine) in a traditional mortar (usu). Two people will alternate the work, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mochi. They must keep a steady rhythm or they may accidentally injure one another with the heavy kine.
3. The sticky mass is then formed into various shapes (usually a sphere or cube)."

Always fun to watch the munchkins pounding away on the rice. Giving children large wooden mallets to hit things with always equals win.

From 2008-12-13

They also utilize the mochi-pounding-machine-of-death [not its real name, of course. I think.]

From 2008-12-13

From 2008-12-13

Sometimes I steal children.

From 2008-12-13

From 2008-12-13

I usually give them back, tho'.

Child labor at it's finest. Never let it be said that nothing can be accomplished from such measures.

From 2008-12-13

From 2008-12-13

From 2008-12-13

The Hanes Corporation ensures I never forget I was born and raised in NC.

From 2008-12-13

I defy you to find anything much cuter than this.

From 2008-12-13

This young man was making an Xmas tree out of his flour. God bless American cultural hegemony.

From 2008-12-13

In Japan, training of citizens in use of the camera begins early.

From 2008-12-13

This munchkin was hanging around. Too adorable, yes?

From 2008-12-13

...and I, of course, had to get in on the act.

From 2008-12-13

From 2008-12-13

Good times...

Training 245-6/P90X 13-14.

Flipped my Saturday and Sunday, as per usual... Saturday was free/rest, Sunday was PT and no junk food.

245/13 - Free/Rest. Still didn't do the P90X X Stretch like I wanted, but lethargy and a full day of mochitsuki and errands took what I had. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

246/14 - Kenpo X, 2 meals and 2L water. [Well, one meal and 1L of water as I write this, but I'll hit that last bit before bedtime.]

More words of wisdom/inspiration/motivation from uber-trainer Tony Horton...

Tony Horton's Blog Spot: Is it fun being you?:

"Before I discovered fitness as a solution to my situation I had fun all the time. The whole time I was having all this fun I was very unhappy with me. The fun I was having was a means to try to give my life value, but it wasn't working. The highs were short lived and the lows were deep and often. It wasn't fun being me! The day I started lifting weights and got off of Dr. Pepper and cheeseburgers I began to combine having fun with liking who I was. This changed everything. I was beginning to have the life I always wanted. No one gave it to me. I earned it. And it allowed me to combine having fun and liking who I was. All by simply deciding to shift my lifestyle to a healthy one. So, if you'd like to have fun being you then decide and commit to the healthy lifestyle that can make that happen."

Tony Horton's Blog Spot: Pain & Suffering:

"At the age of 47... It's freaky and somewhat sad to see a lot of my friends fall apart. I've been watching many of the people in my life slowly age in the traditional way. It's that ache in the back, knees & shoulder talk I hear all of the time. Fit and active kids, teens and young adults are turning into old men and women right before my eyes. Thin friends from high school and collage are now obese. Most of them are resolved to the idea that this is a normal pattern in life. They say it's genetic or bad luck or some other environmental phenomenon. I have heard them say that it's too late to turn nature's events around. It was this way with their parents, so it's inevitable that it will happen to them. They talk like 40 and beyond is the beginning of the end.

I can not tell you how crazy all this is. I've seen hundreds of stories of people in their 30's, 40's, 50s, 60s, 70's and beyond turn nature on it's ass. What happens to our hope and optimism as we get older? Are we letting life beat us down to the point where we think all the fun stops at 30? Is youth left for the young? The answer is NO! Can you turn it around after 40? Hell YES! The first step is believing it can happen. The "This is what happens when you get older." talk has got to stop. It has to be replaced with something, anything that gets you to make better choices every day...

You're only good at the things you do often. If you're telling yourself often enough that life after 40 is full of aches, pains and suffering from one aliment or another then it will be true. If you wake up every day committed to do something that demolishes those incorrect negative thoughts then you will create a happy, healthy, youthful life, no matter what age you are."

Tony Horton's Blog Spot: Bright or Bleak:

"When the glass is half empty you're not trying anything. If you are trying and it's not working then try something else. Quitting is death. Quitting is like saying the glass is empty. If you can't find the time to make the time to take care of yourself then your world will only get teeny tiny. Don't pick a bleak existence. This world is too incredible to miss out on it. Figure out what you're doing and when, then do it. Put a plan in place and follow your own directions. Create the path and the journey. Follow up and see it through. Get organized so that your cart stays behind the horse. Organization gives you the freedom to live your designed life. Know what you're doing ahead of time to avoid any guess work. The journey will be long and winding and unpredictable, so be prepared before you go. You'll have a lot more fun if you do, because you'll be ready for anything. You'll also need partners in all of this. Surround yourself with people who are willing to peek around a few corners. Start your own bandwagon or jump into someone else's. But whatever you do, do it with fun, passionate people that like what you like. This will make the journey worth waking up for every day. Tell the naysayers, want-to-bees and side-liners to get out of your way because your world is waiting to be explored."

Yes... a thousand times, yes.

Via - Hotel is "proud to be dirty and carry a wide variety of bacteria." - Boing Boing

Actually, totally my kind of bookstore.

see more pwn and owned pictures

The Vatican remains obsolete and useless.

Anti-progress, anti-intelligence... you know... morons.

Hit & Run > Vatican Issues Updated Prohibtions on Reproductive Technologies - Reason Magazine:

"Nothing much new here, but the document, Dignitas Personae, according to Reuters, has ruled the following reproductive techniques as immoral:

-- in vitro fertilization.
-- research in and use of embryonic stem cells.
-- post-fertilization birth control methods such as morning after pills, the so-called abortion pill RU-486 (mifepristone) and the inter-uterine device (IUD).
-- surrogate motherhood.
-- human cloning, both reproductive and therapeutic.
-- hybrid cloning using animal oocytes (immature female germ cells) to reprogram the nuclei of human somatic cells.
-- freezing embryos or oocytes for use in artificial fertilization.
-- pre-implantation diagnosis of embryos to avoid genetic defects or select for gender or other qualities.
-- reduction of implanted embryos to prevent multiple births.
-- intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to overcome male fertility problems.
-- germ line cell therapy to modify genes transmitted to offspring.
-- genetic enhancement for purposes other than medical treatment.
-- use of human biological material of illicit origin, such as experimentation on human embryos."

"P90X Yoga X" - I vouch for everything they write here.

Serious Work That’s Seriously Different: P90X Yoga X:

"Many people doing the P90X program think Yoga X will be similar to a day off. They think stretching and breathing, maybe some “ommmm”-ing will be the extent of it. The people who think this are in for a shock when they do the P90X Yoga X DVD. This yoga workout is a seriously challenging and very different workout.

...Yoga X seems friendly and non-threatening for about the first 15 minutes. On about your 5th Vinyasa, however, you realize that the ninety minute DVD might not be as forgiving as you assumed. Because many people aren’t used to the yoga style of P90X Yoga X, or perhaps not used to any type of yoga, they may not enjoy Yoga X the first few times around.

There is no doubt that some of the Yoga poses in P90X Yoga X are extremely difficult. You may only be able to get halfway into position at first. This is the beauty of yoga; you do what you can, sinking deeper into poses and breathing. Within several weeks your body begins to adjust to the poses as you become more flexible and loosened up, allowing you to reach and twist further. Yoga is a progressive exercise that allows you to go at your own pace, continually challenging you with deeper, more intense poses.

...You will finish Yoga X knowing full well that you just challenged your body, even without a typical cardio or weight training workout."

Blasphemy - I liked "Iron Man" more than "The Dark Knight."

And this coming from a dude who's prostrated at the alter of Batman since age 8 [give or take.] Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight was pretty unparalleled, but Iron Man hung together as a movie better, overall. Plus, Robert Downey Jr rocked pretty hard.

Blindingly obvious to anyone not in denial the past few years - "Rumsfeld's decision a "direct cause" for POW abuse, says bipartisan Senate report."

I'd say 'better late than never,' except, you know... not really.

Rumsfeld's decision a "direct cause" for POW abuse, says bipartisan Senate report - Boing Boing:

"'The abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib in late 2003 was not simply the result of a few soldiers acting on their own,' the report says.

Instead, the document says, a series of high-level decisions in the Bush administration 'conveyed the message that physical pressures and degradation were appropriate treatment for detainees in U.S. military custody.'"

"There aren't enough words to really understand what anybody else is living."

"It is very difficult to understand what anybody else's experience is. There aren't enough words to really understand what anybody else is living. Physical beings want things to be the same. They want people to think the same. You work rather hard at sameness, but you will never win that battle, because from Nonphysical, diversity is known to be the most beneficial part of the game."

- Jerry and Esther Hicks

Training 244/P90X 12.

Legs and back/Ab Ripper X, 3L water, 5 meals.

The uber-enthusiastic/uber-fit trainer who leads the P90X workouts - Tony Horton - has a blog [here - Tony Horton's Blog Spot]... so I spent some time digging through his archives for nuggets of inspiration/wisdom.

So, here we go.

Tony Horton's Blog Spot: The Pill:

"...the only way you're gonna heal thyself is to move thy ass."

Tony Horton's Blog Spot: In The Moment:

"...far too often I see people in the "real world" try to present themselves in a light that they think others want to see them. We have found a way to protect ourselves by putting on an act. Many of us aren't real in the real world. We're acting for others. The second we wake, we start writing the script, and act our way right up to the point before we fall asleep. It's because we're afraid to "live in the moment." Living in the moment sometimes means appearing imperfect and vulnerable. We think we're better off if we present ourselves as busy, smart, important, brash, tough or cool. Most often, this kind of show doesn't allow us to really be us. The crazy thing is that most people aren't even aware that they're doing it. Boasting, bragging, excuses and little white lies are all part of the act. We get so used to acting this way that it feels normal. It's a way of protecting our fragile egos because we're afraid to appear human. It's only in the quiet times alone that this acting routine we present to the world feels empty and wrong.

What does any of this have to do with Health and Fitness? Everything! Being, living and working out in the moment allows you to release the ego and the act, so you can re-act and enjoy the reality of the moment...

How you act (or don't act) through the process of getting fit is equally important. There's a fine line between a humble person, who works hard and is proud of their results, and someone else who shouts from the roof tops pleading for others to notice them. This "look at me" routine is part of the ego-fest that can jeopardize your long term health and fitness, because it's based more on your need to be seen and less on your desire to be healthy. Turn off the act, be in the moment, listen to what's really happening, stop looking for approval, and believe that your own health, fitness and quality of life is far more important than the dog and pony show of scales, tape measures, after photos and how you want to be perceived by others who could care less."

Our scientific models suck. But don't worry, we're still gonna make all our policy decisions based on them.

Hit & Run > How Much Warmer Is It? Oh, About 0.4 Celsius (or about 0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) - Reason Magazine:

"Half of the globe has warmed at least one half of one degree Fahrenheit (0.3 C) in the past 30 years, while half of that - a full quarter of the globe - warmed at least one full degree Fahrenheit (0.6 C)...

Globally, Earth's atmosphere warmed an average of about 0.4 C (or about 0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) in 30 years, according to data collected by sensors aboard NOAA and NASA satellites. More than 80 percent of the globe warmed by some amount.

A map of Earth's climate changes since December 1, 1978, (when satellite sensors started tracking the climate) doesn't show a uniform global warming. It looks more like a thermometer: Hot at the top, cold at the bottom and varying degrees of warm in the middle.

This is a pattern of warming not forecast by any of the major global climate models.

The area of fastest warming is clustered around the Northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans, stretching from Arctic Canada across Greenland to Scandinavia. The greatest warming has been on opposite ends of Greenland, where temperatures have jumped as much as 2.5 C (about 4.6 degrees F) in 30 years.

During the same time, however, much of the Antarctic has cooled, with parts of the continent cooling as much as Greenland has warmed. But areas of cooling were isolated"

Good guys win one/people don't suck/use common sense - "Disabled boy can keep his pony, Caledon rules."

Updated from here.

Disabled boy can keep his pony, Caledon rules - Posted Toronto:

"A three-year-old disabled boy can keep his pony despite a neighbour’s complaints, Caledon’s committee of adjustment ruled today.

Committee members said the Spiteri family can keep the miniature pony, despite zoning rules prohibiting it, so long as they keep the pen clean.

Sam Spiteri has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and uses the pony, Emily, as part of his therapy regime.

The dispute wound up before the committee after a neighbour complained about the smell coming from the family’s property, which also borders a cattle farm.

...Caledon councillor Annette Groves told the Post that the boy should be allowed to keep the therapy pony.

“While you have to enforce the rules, there are times when you have to use discretion and have to remember that you’re a human being and have to have some compassion,” she said.

“That would be the case in the case.” "

Joss Whedon sums up, well, everything, in one paragraph.

That is one wicked smart dude.

Joss Whedon: Welcome to the Dollhouse Interview - Total Sci Fi:

"[Dollhouse is a] metaphor for everybody. If it isn’t, you’re missing something. The idea is, we all have certain assumptions about who we are, based on what we were told when we were little and what we think we’re supposed to do. And we have a lot of assumptions about what is good, and what about us is not good, and what’s sinful and what’s saintly, and we’re often wrong about all of them. Dollhouse is basically about breaking all that down and exploring it and finding out what it really means to be a human being."

Keep hope alive.

This is either profoundly sad or profoundly awesome. I can't decide which.

Overheard in New York | Stand Clear Of the Closing Gryffindors, Please.:

"Conductor: Hello, and welcome to the Hogwarts Express. This is platform 9 3/4, and we will be leaving shortly for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Preteen holding Harry Potter book, to suit holding Harry Potter book: Oh my god! I knew they would come for me!
Suit holding Harry Potter book, to himself: I did too.

--C Train"

Yep, sounds about right - "Study Suggests Sugar May Be Addictive."

Study Suggests Sugar May Be Addictive - MSN Health & Fitness - Health Topics:

"Science is verifying what many overeaters have suspected for a long time: sugar can be addictive.

In fact, the sweetener seems to prompt the same chemical changes in the brain seen in people who abuse drugs such as cocaine and heroin."