http://www.richbrownell.com/ Richard Brownell is a web developer, video games and anime critic, and all around nice guy and shares his thoughts on this blog. en-us (c) 2008 Richard Brownell Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:54:18 EST RichBrownell.com - Everything 10 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=302 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=302 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:50:36 EST
I can't help but also look at how much time is actually spent running each week as well. The first week you run eight minutes total. The second and third weeks are both only nine minutes. The fourth week not only introduces five minute intervals, but also increases your total running time to 16 minutes.

I wasn't sure I could succeed at this, so I knew I had to motivate myself. The first thing I did was take yesterday off. I was really tired and it was a Monday so taking it off felt good. The second thing I did was set up a new route. New scenery is good to keep yourself distracted and emotionally high while walking. Instead of thinking "I have to run up this hill again," I'm thinking "Oh look at these houses/that dog/that weird construction crew doing nothing." The last thing I did was run a very slow pace and that certainly helped.

When the podcast ended, I had an extra four minutes of walking to get back to my apartment. I really like my new route and I now have a very tangible goal for the rest of this week: I want to increase my running pace to the point where the podcast ends right when I get to my apartment.

For the curious, my route when measured on Google Maps is 2.2 miles.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=301 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=301 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:18:54 EST
This won't be the first time I run a 5k race. The last time wasn't pretty though. If my memory is right, I was young and was running a children's 3k (they are sometimes part of a 5k race day) with my dad and brother. I believe my brother and I complained the entire time and were overall major pests. I'm pretty sure that I can do better than that now that I am an exercising and occasionally mature adult.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=300 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=300 Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:49:57 EST Dave recently informed me that I am listed on the Providence Geeks website (on the right under "Blogroll"). I'm not sure how I came to be listed, but the geek in me is proud to be there.

I've done a lot of exercise related blogging recently, but I promise I'll get back to some of the geekier side of life. I've still got a review of the new Dungeons & Dragons books brewing in my head, some new books to read, and perhaps some geeky insights on the tech industry.

Of course, even if this particular site was completely devoid of geekery, I'm still the head of GamesAreFun.com and AnimeDistict.com. A geek I will always be.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=299 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=299 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:03:07 EST
This is different from yesterday. Two days ago the weather was rough and I was exhausted when I woke up so I didn't do my workout. My legs could actually still feel the workout from the day before so I was probably better off having a day of rest anyway. But what surprised me is after this day of rest my next run was not good at all. I made it through two intervals and my calf muscles literally felt like they would rip in half.

I'm in no mood to injure myself so I stopped moving completely. I did my best attempt at a massage of those muscles for about a minute, all the while letting my C25K podcast go on without me. This massage worked wonders and I felt better about walking home. I ended up doing the remaining three running intervals, but my "running" was basically doing the running motions while keeping the same speed as my walking pace. At the end, my muscles were tight but not feeling like they did after that second interval.

After a not-so-hot workout like that, I was dreading this morning. I went out a bit later (and a bit hungrier) than normal and everything felt right.

Bonus exercise related mini-blog: Since I realized that running after waking up can lead to dehydration I've had a glass of water before going out each day and I haven't felt dehydrated since.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=298 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=298 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:32:14 EST
So the past week I've attempted to run every day. I missed two days due to them being full unfortunately. I realized this is a bad thing and that my schedule may never allow me to run every day right after work so I moved my running to the morning. The past three days I've run in the morning and it feels great.

Tomorrow I begin week 2 of the C25K program which means I'll be doing 90 second run increments instead of the 60 seconds for this week. Wish me luck!]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=297 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=297 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:06:38 EST
I have a lot of goals in my life right now. I want to be fit and healthy, which encompasses eating better and exercising. I want to have a clean and tidy apartment. I want to learn Japanese. I want to be a good friend and family member. I want to make a dent in my DVD collection. Really, the list could go on for a while including large and small goals. My problem is that I can't seem to commit to anything for more than a few weeks at most. It's something I struggle with constantly. Let's look at some things I've done so far this year.

I committed to eating healthier and lost 15 pounds. 15 is far short of my goal. I committed to reaching 100 push-ups and only made it into a second try of week 2. On the way, I tried crafting my own routine that I was able to commit to for about two weeks. I've tried to do my Japanese learning, work for my sites, and various other things, but it always comes in spurts throughout the year.

There are basically two things I'm good at right now: being married and doing work at APC. I'd like to at least get a third in there. Maybe running. Maybe eating right. Maybe consistently writing on this blog. Really anything where I can look back and say "Yes, I did that."

Oh well. No point in dwelling on past mistakes. I'm a very difficult person for myself to live with. But even if I fizzle out on certain things, nobody can accuse me of giving up on myself. I started day one of my newest exercise endeavor: couch to 5k training. I'm using podcasts developed to take you through the whole nine weeks of the program. I have to say that the music really kept me going even when my body didn't want to.

So hopefully my new couch to 5k training will work out well. I fully intend to get back to the 100 push-ups plan as well. I'll have a blog on that as soon as I have progress.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=296 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=296 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:00:20 EST
I've known in the back of my mind that my sporadic walking and recumbent biking is not the most effective aerobic exercise, but didn't take any steps to improve the situation until yesterday. I tried out just 8 minutes of interval training (switching between walking and short bursts of jogging). It's the hallmark of couch to 5k programs that are meant to get fatties like me out running.

I've never been the biggest running fan, but it's one of the best ways to get fit so I'm on board. Today I went out and got shoes much more appropriate for running so I should be much more comfortable than in my current shoes, made mainly for hiking/walking.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=295 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=295 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:08:45 EST
Do not fall into this trap. Your health does not go on hold while you do other things.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=294 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=294 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:51:03 EST
This is a huge achievement for me. I'm fairly certain I've never completed 10 good form push-ups in my entire life. And yesterday I did it with confidence. I then did almost all of my normal strength training routine. I skipped the last couple exercises because I had to go. It's something I don't plan on making a habit, but at least the last couple exercises aren't focusing on my weaker muscle groups. They are lower back and abs.

The reason I had to go? The same reason why this entry is not the D&D entry I promised. My computer fried on Saturday. And on Sunday I went up to get a replacement. I'm now typing on that replacement but I'm still slightly out of commission until I recover my hard drive data from the old machine, which I will do this week. For those saying "what about your backup????" I do have a backup and it would probably be just fine, but I'd rather have the most recent data since the hard drive on the old machine can still be recovered.

Back to fitness though. The last note I have is that today is of course the day after the workout and I feel just fine. I don't feel nearly as sore as the first full week I did the workout routine and I generally feel stronger and have more energy than when I started. I'm pleasantly surprised to see how much improvement only a couple weeks of strength training (with some aerobics and good eating of course, and I'm not doing enough of either of these) can bring you.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=293 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=293 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:52:03 EST I finished reading The Soulforge by Margaret Weiss on my usual weekly book reading schedule way back when. I just didn't get around to reviewing it. I also didn't get around to picking a new book. Things have been busy around here and I took a book hiatus to play and finish Super Mario Galaxy, which is awesome.

The Soulforge is also referred to by another name, The Raistlin Chronicles, book 1. This is because while it tells the early stories of many Dragonlance characters, the star of the show is the twisted mage Raistlin and also his twin brother Caramon. As an origin story, it works quite well. We get a very good look at Raistlin and why he makes the choices he does in the Dragonlance Chronicles books. He becomes much less of a mystery once you understand his early days.

It's also really cool to see all the main characters of the Chronicles series get together for the first time, which of course shapes their destiny to come. There aren't many insights into most characters, but we do get to see some Tanis and Kitiara drama.

Unfortunately, what holds this book back is the lack of any major conflict. It's divided into several chunks of early Raistlin life and most of these chunks include only Raistlin's inner conflict, which isn't even too strong. There are some very cool moments where his fate is laid out before him and he must make the critical choices that shape his future, but they are over as soon as they came and we are left simply following an ordinary magic-less life. For those unaware, wizards in Dragonlance go through years of training before they can even do their first spell and most of the book is telling Raistlin's story during that time.

The story picks up during the second half of the book. Raistlin is more grown up and willing to take risks with his magic and even goes on a quest to do what's right! He is obviously not what he is to become quite yet. And the book closes with a bang and a revelation that will help you understand some of what happened during the Chronicles books.

While not being specific to just this book, there is a key problem I have with the Raistlin character from a storytelling perspective. Typically, when we are given an underdog character like him, especially one destined to become the most powerful wizard, we get to see him work to triumph over his shortcomings, overcome his enemies with talent and perseverance, and other interesting plot devices that show just how great he is. Aside from his early studies as a youth, we get none of this with Raistlin. I won't spoil too much here, but nearly everything he becomes is owed to pure luck and things getting handed to him, from powerful artifacts to spellbooks filled with the most deadly spells. Instead of feeling like he is this entity to be feared, you feel like any ordinary mage in his shoes--with his luck--would have ended up just as powerful.

Raistlin rant over. Despite all that, if you liked the Dragonlance Chronicles books, you probably already like Raistlin anyway. And it's worth it to read his origins as they don't just explain some of his mystery; they serve as a prequel to Chronicles.

Next on my book blogging list is not actually a novel at all, but the D&D 4th Edition Player's Handbook.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=292 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=292 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:49:44 EST
However, I did have one problem yesterday. It was my 4th wedding anniversary so I took the day off. We didn't have a day completely packed with stuff so I had many options for when I could do my workout. My old habit of procrastinating kicked in and I almost didn't even do it. I saw the clock hit 9pm and finally started. Recall that my workout takes me about 2 hours. Starting so late meant it was more difficult than it needed to be. I need to not do this. If I have lots of free time in the day, I need to do my workout in the first two hour block available.

Despite my procrastination though, I finished my workout and I feel stronger. It's not noticeable on every exercise, but certain ones like the push-ups I can feel the difference. And another huge motivator has appeared as well. When I flex in the mirror (no, not an activity I do all the time), particular after the workout, I can see more definition in my arm. In particular, the triceps and down through my forearm are looking and feeling nice. An article I read recently (sorry, no link) mentioned that studies show you should notice a difference from strength training after 4 workouts. I've only done 3 on my new routine, but had been doing a week of lesser training and push-ups before, so this seems about the right time.

For all those getting tired of my fitness blogging, I can assure you right now that the next two posts will be back to books. But that might not make many of you happy since they are both D&D books.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=291 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=291 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:26:02 EST
Speaking of my strength training routine, it went well on Sunday. With the 10 minute aerobic workout (exercise bike), it took 2 hours and 3 minutes. That's hardly a fast workout and a bit longer than I expected for the 14 exercises I do. Each exercise has 3 sets though and with all the dumbbell weight changes and breaks, it took a while.

Today I did the push-ups as part of the strength training and I'm proud to report my total time was 2 hours, 7 minutes. So I'm becoming more efficient. Keep in mind, I'm not interested in doing my reps faster; that won't help. But I'm taking long breaks, getting interrupted with phone calls (two today) and other things. I think I can pull back the workout to 1 hour, 45 minutes if I play my cards right. Now it's time to go cool off.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=290 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=290 Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:10:27 EST
I made sure to do a full 10 minutes of aerobic workout before I started which may have helped. Last week I only did 5 minutes. But I do also feel a bit stronger. We're talking only minutely stronger, but I could really feel it when I was going for my max.

Later today I will be doing the rest of my strength training workout. Because it's later I will have to repeat my aerobic workout, but this is one of the reasons I put one of my strength training days on Sunday rather than MWF; I get some flexibility.

Over the past few days, I've been doing my dumbbell research. I've chosen several exercises to try out from various articles. Some seemed redundant or perhaps even unsafe, unnecessarily stressing muscles to be able to maximize the workout on different muscles. But I'm nearly done putting together a set of 15 or so exercises that combine dumbbells and body weight to work out every muscle group.

With 10 minutes of aerobic workout, sufficient rest periods between sets, and a cool down period, I'm looking at a very long strength training routine. But I'm fine with that. I had an epiphany the other day while talking to Christina. Most times I've tried strength training, I have approached it from the perspective that I am "not trying to bulk up." That then becomes an excuse for any number of things, from keeping my reps down to skipping workouts entirely, which of course can and did lead to stopping strength training. I may write a blog post dedicated solely to this. My new perspective on strength training is that I'll be trying to my absolute hardest and will not make excuses for myself. If I ever get to the point where I feel too bulky, it will be obvious and that is the point where I can reevaluate my plan, not when I can barely do 7 push-ups and could stand to lose 40 pounds of fat.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=289 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=289 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:51:37 EST
Because of that, I will be repeating the first week. I can't really say I feel stronger after this first week, or at least not by much. But I'm proud of making it through the first week either way and I'm confident that I will breeze through my repeat of week one.

I mentioned my regular dumbbell strength training routine in the last post and that went well. I took out the chest exercises so that I wouldn't have any major conflicts with the push-ups. While I like my routine, I think it can be improved. I will continue to do it as normal today, but before my next strength training day I'll be looking through many online resources for dumbbell strength training and customizing a new routine. Once I get something I'm proud of I will report it here.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=288 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=288 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:54:13 EST hard, but I did it. My max was just barely 5 push-ups. I'm starting to worry that I may have to repeat the first week. This wouldn't be too discouraging as I'm well aware of my limited upper body strength.

But I can also proudly report that today what was holding me back was my actual chest muscles, not my joints. On Monday, my joints felt very weak and fragile. Today they didn't magically become stronger, but I could feel that my main problem was my chest muscles. I view this as a good thing and a good sign for my future progress.

Also, from reading around on this plan as well as the knowledge I already have about working out, I know I'm going to want to supplement this with my regular strength training. I was trying out a dumbbell plan on and off that I really liked (I may blog that routine some time soon). I will be resuming this plan on my push-up days to fill out my routine and work all of my muscles, but I will do only one set of each of these at first. I have yet to do that for today, so I'm going to do that now.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=287 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=287 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:43:44 EST
That's also why I stopped at 4 for my max. My arms could have endured a bit more but my joints didn't much care for it. They don't hurt, but I can feel the strain and I'd rather not risk anything.

So far so good. I can feel the burn and I'm hoping things will be a bit easier on Week 1, Day 2, coming this Tuesday.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=286 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=286 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:57:48 EST fitness blog and it seems many people are now trying a new fitness challenge: to be able to do 100 push-ups. The idea is that most people can reach this goal in six weeks if they follow the plan.

I like this plan a lot. This is partly because I had already started working towards doing push-ups anyway. And it's also because it's not an all-in-one plan. I don't need to get a full fitness plan including meals, supplements, aerobic exercise, etc. I can take the 100 push-ups plan and simply add it to what I'm already doing. Right now, that means adding to walking.

Push-ups are difficult because of how overweight I am right now and because upper body strength has never been my strong point. But I will try this plan my hardest, report on my findings here on the blog and hopefully celebrate doing 100 push-ups in six weeks. My initial test resulted in being able to do three good form push-ups. I've done a few more than that the past few weeks, but they have not been good form. Chief among my problems was that I would lower myself all the way to the ground between push-ups rather than two inches above the ground.

So I'm pretty much a weakling and I will be doing the column 1 plan. Wish me luck and let me know if you are going to try it as well. Most people are doing their push-ups Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but I'm mixing things up with Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=285 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=285 Tue, 27 May 2008 21:55:32 EST
Now that I've used it for a while, I've found Facebook hasn't really changed the way I deal with friends. I love getting the updates, but it's really more of a supplement to how I live my life, not a game-changer. So with that in mind, I don't feel the need for my Facebook network to be very closed. I let some friend requests sit for a long time because they were from people I hadn't seen in years. Now I'll let all of those through. If I know you, online or otherwise, you can friend me. And I may just friend you, whereas I may not have before.

I may not ever have the thousands of friends that the internet pseudo-celebs have, but I'm happy with my little network. If you want to join it, my Facebook profile is now listed on the right of this site.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=284 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=284 Sat, 03 May 2008 10:59:01 EST Despite that I loved the movie version of The Neverending Story, I don't recall wanting to read the book until I was an adult. You might say it's because kids don't want to read any more, but I did read other things. Maybe I wasn't even aware that a novel existed. Either way, I have now finally read the book in its entirety. It was written for children, but it's the kind of children's book that can be appreciated by all, perhaps best told by a parent to a child one chapter at a time.

In short, the story is of Bastian, a fat little school boy with a wild imagination and love of stories. He comes upon a magic book called "The Neverending Story" and reads of Atreyu's quest to save Fantastica. But it is a magic book and it turns out the way to save Fantastica is through Bastian and he is sucked into the book itself. The first movie covers this story quite well I think. The wikipedia entry for it says that Michael Ende was incredibly displeased with the movie adaption. I can only think that it was based not on how well they represented the book, but based on how much of it was cut! It's unfortunate that the first movie was made in the 80's before trilogies were in fashion as they are now. Perhaps then he would have been pleased to see his story become an series of movies. But we'll get back to that.

Bastian does indeed save Fantastica, but the book is only half over. He does not get magically transported back to the real world. Instead he first must do whatever he wishes, as ordered by the Childlike Empress. But his wishes have a price. The rest of the book tells the story of that price and of Bastian's quest to return to the real world. It is this story that the second movie is based on. I recall hearing about how the second movie is "sort of" based on the rest of the book. I now understand why. There were many changes. But having got through the book, I now believe the most important change is that Bastian had ever gotten back to the real world at the end of the first movie. Michael Ende had a right to be upset with how things were handled in the first movie, not so much because of the movie itself. But adding a sequel to the mix just doesn't fit right. The book is superior.

But back to movies for a second. I've heard only a few rumors here and there, nothing of the official sort, that Hollywood may try its hand at The Neverending Story again. Much as I usually condemn remakes and feeble attempts at epic trilogies, I think it could work. Newer technology and effects will allow the world of Fantastica to become more real than ever. And because studios are more willing to do multi-part movies, a good team could make a two-part movie work really well. Or perhaps it'd be even better off as a mini-series on TV, split into smaller parts so kids could more easily digest the story.

Whatever way it happens--and chances are it will happen some day; Hollywood doesn't like new ideas any more--I hope for a resounding success. But even if they don't capture it on film or it ends up being terrible, The Neverending Story is a fantastic read and will live on forever.

The next book I'll be tackling is back into the world of Dragonlance. I start Soulforge, the first book of the Raistlin chronicles, later today.]]> http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=283 http://www.richbrownell.com/page.php?id=283 Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:03:18 EST I'm sure those of you completely uninterested in fantasy or D&D have already tuned out. Fooey to that, says I. This will be a short one. Today I finished the third book in the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy, Dragons of Spring Dawning.

This book wraps up the war between the forces of good and evil...except that it doesn't. Whether you take it as a really easy technique to pave the way for future novels or a commentary on life and the true nature of good and evil--i.e. that the struggle never truly ends--the world of Dragonlance is not at rest. Dragons of Spring Dawning does not end the story.

And I'm fine with that. I already knew there are dozens of other main Dragonlance books and even more secondary series. But it still felt odd for so many things to be left open-ended. I guess what bothered me most is that the "trilogy" has many significant things that happen either between books or between chapters in the books that are left out. It's not that the authors simply left them out because they would be too boring to tell; it's that they decided to make them into their own books. I haven't read many D&D books, so maybe that's just par for the course. But to me it's odd.

Then again, it's D&D. Should I expect high art literature? Probably not. In the end, I feel the second chronicles book was the standout of the series. The plots were most cohesive, the action most intense, and the drama thick enough to cut with a knife.

I struggled over what I to go to next. Truth be told, I'm in the middle of a few non-novel books I want to talk about on here as well, but that might not come soon. So my next book mini-review will likely be on the next novel on my list, The Neverending Story, translated from the German novel Die Unendliche Geschichte by Michael Ende, and which inspired the the movie of the same name.]]>