Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
our diet
We haven't really read the diet guide that came with the P90X system, but I'm guessing that Tony Horton would be proud. The true champion of the past few days has been our whey protein recovery drink which we mix with tap water and ice. It tastes great and makes you feel like you're engaging in some kind of illegal doping.
As to the actual P90X program, I assure you that the program's goal of confusing my muscles has been successful. My body is so confused. We did yoga yesterday, and I've never felt more like a Native American. We did about a hundred upward and downward dogs and a few sun god and warrior dog poses. And even though me and Judd have always been more the power-lifting/gym rat types, we both discovered that we have a lot to learn from the way Indians dance. The journey to the human heart really does begin with a single step.
Anyway, more P90X is on its way. We'll keep you updated. Irregularly.
Monday, August 2, 2010
the internet age and your body
Let me just reiterate something. P90X. For those of you who don't know what this is, take the stick of butter out of your mouth and google P90X. It's literally the only proven way to get freaking ripped, and that's exactly why me and Judd are doing it, because we aren't really risk takers, especially when it comes to our bodies. Those of you who know our bodies can testify that we don't take risks. So when we decided to get freaking ripped a couple days ago, it was our only natural choice.
Speaking of natural choices, a lot of people have written in and asked about the unnatural supplements we've decided to try. Namely, whey protein (pronounced like the Wii gaming console). Well, we haven't actually tried it. There's a narrow window of opportunity right after a workout where your body is literally primed for unnatural supplements and we're going to try it after we workout, which will happen whenever Maggie gets over here to take our before and after photos.
We'll try to keep you updated on the changes our bodies undergo. I'm sure it'll be intense.
Time to bring it
Monday, March 22, 2010
...and now we speak of Julia
I rented my first red box dvd ever last night. Late, I know. What can I say, I love my traditions, even one as ephemeral as patronizing Blockbuster on a movie night. Anyway, it was Julie and Julia. Here’s what I thought
The first review I read was in Time a few months ago. Its general take was Merryl Streep, playing Julia Child, knocked the role out of the park, but Amy Adams, playing Julie Powell, didn’t do a great job and was a bit annoying. I heard this from a few people too. I take issue with that slant. I enjoyed Adams as Julie, a cute-as-a-button 30 year old migrant from Brooklyn to low-rent Queens who sits in a cubicle all day, answering calls for a company dealing with 9/11 fallout. She’s never finished anything she’s started. Her friend even features her in an article profiling 30-year-old NYC urbanites with disappointing innovative-urban-professional output. But she does love cooking, and her hero is Julia Child, so she decides to cook all 524 recipes from Child's French cookbook in 365 days and blog each day about it. Adams played well – not amazingly, but well - the shy, insecure, and ambitious Julie without distracting from the story.
The film alternates between scenes of Child in late '40s Paris, learning how to master French cuisine, then writing her famous cook-book for Americans, to our other present day Julie, slaving away in her cramped Queens kitchen, writing her blog, and gradually ascending to popularity in the blogosophere (and in reality).
Merryl Streep's performance was grating. The movie felt like two and half hours. It was only two, and I think it was due to her. Her realistic portrayal of Child, especially those high pitched throaty “ooooooooooos”, played out more like a caricature. I’m sure her performance wasn't over-the-top in the method acting sense, since Child was a bit of a loon, but it came off over-the-top, almost unreal, on screen. Streep's focus was superficial - she attempted to be the icon of Child. But icons are windows to the spiritual, and I didn't see any soul. Adams however played the role of Julie in a way that drew me into the story more than to her character. She was composed and contained and most importantly, served the story.
I guess Streep was method acting? Let’s talk about that for a minute. Something tells me method acting is a disordered approach to the art. It seems when performing that way, an actor is trying to portray his character as realistically as possible so he becomes completely believable to the viewer. The actor tries to adopt all mannerisms, voice, dress, twitches, appearance, and even soul of the character they’re playing. Paradoxically, I find such performances distracting. I will focus on how intense and accurate that one actor is which throws the others off balance. But a movie must be considered as an organic whole, involving many actors with many lines in many scenes. If one actor is out of balance they will affect the others no doubt. Moreover, a person is an organic whole, actors included. Completely reinventing yourself for each new movie seems like a recipe for schizophrenia. I recall Jack Nicholson deriding the method recently, for what it’s worth. Method acting also comes off as egotistical and inward focused, at the expense of the overall arc of the story. I guess its sort of eye-candy for audiences to watch, but ultimately its story that compels and inspires, not accuracy.
Most of the actors I enjoy don’t change markedly from movie to movie: George Clooney, Jack Nicholson, John Malkovich, Matt Damon, to name a few. Evidence that self-annihilation is not required for acting.
Other notes on the movie: lots of disgusting mouth noises, especially in the beginning. The subplot of Julie and Julia’s supportive husbands was refreshing and un-Hollywood. Both J’s exclaimed “bon appetite” too many times. I don’t think if was even cute the first time really. It’s a true story.
Now I want to make beouf bourginon. I told my mom this, and she said it was all the rage in the 60s in Long Island due to Child’s book. So the movie didn’t sell me on method acting, but it did make me hungry and willing to cook something French. There’s merit in that alone.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Hight and Tight
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Health Care Bear
The health care debate is all the rage these days [emphasis on rage]. It’s a complex issue. As the Dude would say: “There are a lot of ins-and-outs. A lot of what-have-yous”. But I’m going to steer clear of the complexities and attempt to get to the heart of the matter. Because as Adam Duritz would say: “It’s the heart that matters…” Ok, no more references. I promise (I think).