The Last Days on Mars (2013) - A brief movie review

This movie moved at a brisk pace. I might watch it again on TV someday. I may not. But it did lead me to put together some thoughts on how a future Mars research outpost may look like in terms of human personnel and equipment. So here is the list:

Mars Research Outpost 1

Individual Service Term Length: 1 year
Maximum Individual Service Terms: unlimited, non-consecutive years, subject to career performance approval & annual medical certification.

Total Human Personnel: 105

Team	Team Total	Comment
Research	32	Including astrophysicists, biologists, chemists, geologists, meteorologists and interns; also 8 science equipment maintenance technicians.
Medical	12	Including 3 physicians, 3 nurses, 3 first responders, 1 psychiatrist; also 2 medical equipment technicians.
Security	20	Military police personnel including heli-rover crew, in-house medical team & mechanics.
Facility Maintenance	16	Including fuel station operators, machinists, plumbers, riggers, electricians, HVAC technicians, computer guys and rover mechanics.
Galley, Hospitality & Supply	15
Program Administration, HR & Legal	10
Outpost Counsel		Outpost Counsel is made up of the heads of each team (6 total) and chaired by the Program Administrator.

Work Shift Model (excluding security): One 10 hour or two 6 hour shifts; overlap allowed at discretion of head of department.

Total Transport Equipment: 48

Transport Equipment	Total	Comment
Manned 6-Wheeled Rovers	10	Capable of seating 7 each including crew and one airlock.
Manned 6-Wheeled Rovers (Military)	4	Capable of seating 5 each including crew, airlock and equipment.
Manned Tri-Wheeled, Mini-Rovers	20	Capable of seating 2 each; 3 dedicated to Medical team; 4 dedicated to Facility maintenance team; 3 dedicated to Security team; 6 dedicated to Research team; 4 in reserve
Rescue Heli-Rover Aircraft	1	Crew 4 (includes 2 first responders from in-house medical team who are also trained hoist operators); Passengers 4 (if two seated; otherwise 3 laid up); Aircraft operated by security team.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles	2	Operated by Research team.
Unmanned Rovers	6	Operated by Research team.
Forklifts	5	For hauling supply and heavy equipment around.

Fuel Sources

Nuclear
Solar

Facility Layout

MRO-1

Three brief book reviews

I read these books during a particularly difficult time in my life early this year. And they have left an impact on me.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

A woman giving birth by herself in the bandit-ridden, medieval forests of England. The building of a huge cathedral with not so modern technologies. The long search of her lover through Europe by a young woman carrying her newborn and on foot most of the time. A builder who walks around England with his impoverished family looking for work. The gang rape of a princess. There is love, hate, jealousy, bullying and pillage. There is betrayal...over and over again. I have heard of Ken Follett's bestseller but never bothered picking it up. With a new found convenience of the Kindle app on my iPad, I had this book in front of me after just a single click. I couldn't put it down. Amidst my everyday duties, I finished reading it over a period of two weeks. Over the past years, I have read some really droll novels. Now my standards are back up to their old levels.

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

This is a thin book. But the human beings at the heart of it were probably thinner. Surprisingly, despite the obvious heavy-handedness of the subject and the various cruel experiences described, the overall tone of the book remains light and carries with it a noticeable feeling of positivism and hope. It made me wonder how light I had made of opportunities that have come my way and how I could, going forward, seek out purpose and face it with a twinkle in my eye.

Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger

I read this book last December and already my life has taken a significant turn for the better. I have become a results-oriented person who now consistently thinks through what he wants to achieve, sets goals and works hard at finishing what he started. Equally importantly, I have become good at putting things behind me and moving quickly and decisively forward. I know a lot of people don't like Schwarzenegger and, certainly, I saw a lot of reviewers on Amazon viewing the book in a dispassionate way. However, to a lot of people, including yours truly, Arnold has been a source of inspiration if only to reinforce the thought that you can be a much better person with a more fulfilling life regardless of what might be happening or not happening in your life at that point. As a kid, I grew up in a country of cinematic superstars but none of them impressed me in the slightest way. And the everyday people who surrounded me were simple folks: hard-working, honest, unpretentious but completely uninteresting, unoriginal and content with their traditions and rituals. Into this mix, a teenager's mind found western novels by Louis L'amour, the sultry beauty that is the countryside of Tamilnadu and, of course, Hollywood movies. To put it more bluntly, this book is about a guy who lived in a closet in a gym in Germany while earning a living as a trainer there and attempting to pursue his dreams of becoming the world's best bodybuilder and coming to America to make use of the enormous opportunities here. Almost every few pages, I was picking up a thought process or observation by Arnold that I had more or less observed in my own life. There were yet other such observations by him that, to me, were big takeaways from the book and immediately applicable in fixing several long suffering habits of my own personality.

How to get bigger forearms

I woke up to a Saturday morning that was in stark contrast to last Saturday morning. I couldn't find that sparrow from last week either. So I settled for breakfast at Ferrara's, where I noticed more than a few patrons glancing at my forearms. A train of complex thought led to this quick post (it would have been a slower post with my old keyboard).

It is not a forearm training article. There's plenty of those online. This is just solid, generic weight training advice for the fellow who is just getting (back) into training. And don't forget to inspect the graphic at the end of this post.

The lifting program

Objective: Improve cardiovascular capacity, posture, burn chow better, increase or introduce mobility, stimulate the lymph system, put a healthy sheen on your skin and strengthen the whole body. We are going to accomplish all that by starting off with one really tough exercise and then doing a handful of relatively easier ones. Let's not worry about nutrition at this point. I am assuming you are not wallowing in sody pop during day time and beer at night. I do recommend a single quality protein shake every day as this will aid in building muscle and thereby greatly reduce soreness after a workout. Also, and here is a fantastic supplement, drum rollllll....fish oil. Gobs and gobs of it. You have to want it badly. A single suspicious looking pill, as the doctor recommended, won't cut it.

Warm-up

If you have made a brisk 5 minute walk to the gym, don't spend too much time on the warm-up. You will be doing warm up sets with each exercise and that is sufficient at this level. I know there are some camps that advocate training with cold muscles, their argument being that if a lion were to jump you on the corner of Boylston and Exeter, you wouldn't have time to stretch before fighting for your life. Well, in several decades on this planet, I have encountered a few mice but nary a lion. So...ignore those idiots, take your time and work things in. Once warmed up, you can stress your body hard with the weight training that follows.

But do a few of those joint-loosening type exercises though. You know, neck rolls and such...if they are not too much of a bother. One other exercise I strongly recommend at this point is the back-extension. Adjust the bench so that you are not hyper-extending your knees. The first time I hyper-extended my knee on this exercise, that knee was stiff for three days. If I had put a hand out, I could have made some easy money. Anyway, do a couple of easy sets on this exercise, just enough to introduce a little warmth into the lower back and hips. Visualize engaging everything from the ankles to the neck and you eventually will engage them. If the exercise is uncomfortable, do bird dogs instead. Again visualize using your whole body to do the exercise. You need to get your glutes and vertebral column warm and ready before the weight lifting part.

Stretching

Again, don't spend half your day here. You are not a cheerleader intent on sucking her own toes. But don't go the other extreme and not do any stretching either. If you remember some stretching moves from bygone days, work them in. If any feel uncomfortable, don't do 'em. As your mobility improves with weight training (and it will, if you stick to it), you can gradually work those back in. And don't overstretch. Just take your limbs and whatnot through whatever range of movement is available in the area, hold the stretch for a few seconds, release the stretch slowly and move on to the next one. Stay aware of what you are doing.

The workout

Your first exercise will be the squat. If you can't squat, try any of the following variations: trap bar dead lift, step-ups, squats on hack machine or just do free squats (no barbell on back). If you want to go climb stairs, that's fine too. But a movement where you flex both at the knees and hips while on your feet is essential. By itself, the squat can help you reach your objective. So if you get a call from the state house requesting your immediate presence to resolve an issue regarding a political candidate and an intern, you can leave the gym knowing that you had already put a good workout in.

Do six sets on the squat. The first set is a warm-up set designed to introduce a little warmth in all the right areas. The second set is also a warm-up set but you push the reps a little harder here. The third and fourth sets are warm-up sets intended to help you find that groove. If you are like me, your knees should start feeling nice and smooth at this point. Put a little bit more weight on the bar for the next two sets. Do enough reps until you start to breathe hard and then stop. As your cardiovascular system strengthens, you can start playing around with set/rep schemes more. But just keep your head on until you get to know your body better.

You will eventually work up to eight sets on the squat over a three month period, the length of this program.

After the squat, do four sets of each of the following exercises. Consider the first two sets as warm-up sets and use the same weight on them. Increase weight on the third set and stick to that same weight for the fourth set as well. Your goal here is not to set strength records but do obtain full, quality range of motion in the muscle group you are exercising, awaken your ticker and get that blood moving.

Leg curl
DB bench press on incline bench
Seated cable row
Standing DB shoulder press
Neutral-grip lat pull down
DB shrug
DB curl

Finish of with two more sets of Back-extensions or bird dogs.

You will not be doing any direct work for the triceps, forearms, calves and abs...for the time being. This is a three day a week program (example: M-W-F or Tu-Th-Sat). Rest time between each set is enough time to catch your breath. Don't dilly dally between sets or play with your smartphone. Listen to what your body is telling you. You can subtly observe the hot chick doing Hindu push-ups if that will keep up your interest level on your own health and well-being. But don't stare. Good luck!

To the little girl who broke my heart

What a beautiful Saturday morning! It was around 9.50 AM and I was sitting by the greenway just across from Salem street as usual with my latte and chocolate croissant from the Boston Bean coffee company. I would have to go back to my place in 30 minutes to pick up my laundry...and then think of something else to do for the day. Little did I know that a change will happen in my life in about an hour. I engaged a sparrow for about 10 minutes during which time the little fella consumed a good chunk of my croissant.

A little less than an hour later, I was sauntering along the harborwalk toward the waterfront. I got to the dog park and the area was packed as everyone was out under the sun. What other "birds" were in store for me this day! By the dog park, a rather slim young woman almost slammed into me.

Hmm, must be European. Too young for me though.

"Excuse me", I said and started to walk past her.

A tiny voice spoke in my ear.

"Excuse me", I turned and looked at her...must need directions.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"I need 15 dollars to get on a bus to Springfield, VT. I am only 15 years old and have no money. Can you help?"

She looked healthy.

"How did you end up here?"

"I came to see my aunt in South Boston and..."

I barely heard the rest of what she said.

"Sorry I can't help you"

I kept walking toward the waterfront. Why do people always ask me for money?! The hell if I will let myself be ripped off by some kid. A few seconds later, my walk slowed as a slew of thoughts started in my head. What if she was telling the truth? 20 bucks is nothing for me. Usually the homeless people who sidle up to me...well, I know for sure who they are and have no issue pushing a buck over. But that girl? Come to think of it, there was a certain dignity in how she asked for help. Maybe her aunt couldn't help her and, with no one to turn to, she is going back home. What's in store for her back "home"? What did she say that she came to see her aunt for? Don't women leave these little towns and try to make a better life elsewhere? I remembered those other women (older, of course) who had said something along the lines of "Please don't go" after those brief moments when I engaged them in conversation on day trips through...Goshen...Lancaster...Orleans down in the Cape. They had wanted me to pay them attention, just a little attention...and I had been too self-absorbed to comply.

I felt overwhelmed. I am not supposed to feel this way with all these years of experience behind me.

Fuck. Come on, man, you are supposed to know your own mind by now.

I stopped right by where the MBTA commuter boats leave, stared at the ground for a bit and turned. People were milling around for their harbor boat trips. I only had a few dollars on me. Maybe I can get some cash from that ATM next to the Starbucks and find her.

Find her?! I came back to the dog park and looked around. How the hell am I going to find her in this mess? It seemed half the women barely wore anything while the others all wore a gray t-shirt just like her. The day looked bleak.

I started to walk looking for her. I stopped by Joe's to ask the hostess.

"Excuse me, did you see a young woman in a gray t-shirt walk past?"

"Sorry, there's a lot of women who walk by", came the response. Weirdo.

Dejected, I started walking home. I stopped at the ATM to withdraw a few twenties. No, this is not right. I must find her and help her.

Let me go back and scan the area next to Tia's.

Faneuil Hall.

For the first time in my life, I wished I were taller. I jumped onto a bench and gazed between the buildings. People were staring at my suppressed anger. The hell with them!

Maybe somebody else helped her. No, no, you are going to see this through. Find her! She may not have eaten all day. Now I was really concerned. I remembered the low voice. She might have been hungry too when she spoke to me. I hope I won't find her passed out somewhere. That was some of my darker memories growing up in India...people passed out by the roadside. But American women were stronger, right? And now I am supposed to be an American. Am I?

Downtown crossing.

My t-shirt was soaked from all the scurrying around. Okay, maybe somebody did help her. In that case, she might be off to South Station to catch that bus.

Ok. South Station next.

What if she sees me and freaks out? Maybe I will leave three twenty dollar bills near her. Then I will give her a smile and just walk away. Yes, that's what I will do. I will have to do it in such a way that some enterprising cop doesn't spot me and book us both for "abnormal" behavior. I don't want to make more trouble for her. And if she didn't take the money, fine. Let somebody else have it. I don't want it.

She wasn't in South Station. I went out to a couple of buses and jumped up and around. No, no buses to VT.

Maybe she was really an older woman posing as a young girl.

No, don't make an assumption like that. She really needed your help and you didn't help her.

I stood on the pavement with my mood at an all time low and all my pride squeezed out of me. Unsure of what to do, I slowly walked back to my place. It seemed like a forever walk. And my eyes were scanning for her...always scanning...

Close to home, I couldn't bear to go indoors. Maybe I could spot her if she walked past me. I sat down at a doorstep on Commercial street. After an eternity, I walked across the road to the baseball field, sat down on a stone bench and buried my face in my hands.

Luna

Yes, I am most certainly interested, my dear sir.

Aloof...as only a high quality female can be.

Spying on me again, is he? What's up with this guy?*

*I took this shot by pointing the camera into an empty paper towel cardboard tube.

A brief food review

An unseasonably cold day in April. Perfectly normal in New England, of course. After a business trip earlier in the day to bereft Lowell, I came back to town with a sudden hankering for sushi and a stiff drink. So I went out to Billy Tse across the waterfront.

Spicy tuna maki

Ginger martini

Kung pao chicken with a side order of white rice.

It would have been nice to taste a bit more ginger in the martini. The kung pao chicken was perfect. It wasn't greasy and there was just the right amount of sauce in it to mix with the white rice. And the rice was "sticky" enough for my chopsticks. I wolfed down the sushi before I even laid eyes on it.

Nothing ground breaking here. I was hungry, the food delicious and it got its just desserts!

My 250th post

My lips are quivering, my heart beating fast and my fingers unnaturally tense as I write this. I finally deactivated my Facebook account. It feels sooo good. I never understood why I even got on there in the first place. Sure, it's a great tool to help keep in touch with friends. But most of my friends are hooked up and largely unavailable. And I don't make new friends easily. The couple of friends that are still around are neither ambitious nor energetic. Nothing wrong with that, of course. They are good people but their priorities are not aligning at all with my own increasingly restless nature. I will be there if they need me but its high time I went incognito.

Snow shoeing, flight training and hiking are those activities that I have been enjoying with some regularity in the past couple of years. The lifting will continue. But I have enjoyed them all alone. No one cares or need to care about my thoughts on the way a particular tree leans on a trail, a particular pond looks from an aircraft or the way my pulse quickens when I spot a fine pair of calves on a sultry brunette walking toward me on Salem street. It should, however, be fun to find out the old-fashioned way as to what is going on (or has gone on) in the lives of a friend when I someday meet with him and talk about things in person. A man has to have a purpose. I will find mine soon. Good hunting, my friends!