"Heller in Pink Tights" - A brief movie review

What an awful "adaptation" of Louis L'Amour's excellent Heller with a Gun. I suppose the movie could stand on its own right if you have never read the book. But if you have read the book.. 57 times.. since your teenage years.. like I have, you will be disappointed. The book has a serious, sometimes dark theme while the movie is marred by facetiousness. The exciting opening gambit in the book sets a tone that is then consistently carried throughout the book. This gambit is completely missing in the movie. The book's location involves travel through dense woods in deep winter in Wyoming territory but the movie looks like it was filmed in the sand hills of Utah during early summer. Snow makes an appearance for about two minutes.. could have been that the technology available at that time did not allow for cold weather filming. Character development, if any, is uneven in the movie and takes away from the dignity -- and humanity -- of some of the characters in the book. When the serious scenes do seep in about halfway in, they evoke guffaws. Sophia Loren gets top billing and the first third of the movie revolves around her "cuteness". There is more to the character of Dodie -- labeled as Della in the movie -- but that is never captured in the movie. Anthony Quinn picks up a paycheck. The baddies are complete caricatures. I really have no idea what kind of inspiration the filmmakers had when this project was green-lighted. But it turns out to be another disposable western with no re-watch value. Enjoy the book when you don't have anything going on a Sunday afternoon. But skip the movie.

Ennio Morricone's Moscow Farewell (from Mosca Addio) - A Brief Music Insight

I first listened to this piece of music in the late 90s as part of some compilation music CD. Didn't think much of it. Came back to it a year later. Didn't think much of it. Came back to it a while later. It struck a chord then. It made me wonder. Could it have been composed for a love scene? Imagination took hold. Two people who meet in a bar go to his place. Or her place. There is no hesitation. No awkwardness. No wasted chit chat. All that was already done. They know what they want. They have done it before. They start making love. More gentle than rough. Like it was something more than the sex that they both needed this time. Vulnerabilities abound. They are noticed. And accepted. The rest of the city starts to switch off. It starts snowing. Probably the next morning, the roads will be full of the brown stuff on the sidewalks and snarling rush hour traffic and office worker bees clamoring in and out of their favorite coffee shops. But the lovers are not thinking of those things now. They are experiencing a different world.

Well, I just found this music on YouTube. So much for imagination. Turns out to be an Italian movie with a Russian theme. It looks like this music might have been played during the climax. Different kind of climax than what I had had in mind for twenty years. I am not familiar with Italian cinema. So an Italian movie about Russia is an odd combination for me. Like the guitar and the sax in the music itself. Maybe there is more to Italy than soccer and the Tuscan sun and Professor Langdon running around. Rome in her heyday. The premise of the movie is intriguing enough that I don't want to watch it. Lest it ruin my impression of the music. And the music itself is as fresh as when I first heard it twenty years ago. There are only a few instruments involved. Its minimalist music at its best. Full of clarity. Like a lone blue flower against a black background. The only other composer who could have rivaled Ennio Morricone on this back in the day would have been Jerry Goldsmith. Maybe Alan Silvestri on a good day. Today, it would be Hans Zimmer. Any day. This is not music for the headphones. As that indicates physical presence in a distracting environment. Like in a green line train. This is music meant to fill a living room. This requires tower speakers. And a center channel speaker. Tiny and humongous living rooms. With the cat in its own world. Doesn't matter. It may all be too melancholic for most people in the end.

Superb Scrambled Eggs

This is a really quick way to enjoy a delicious meal of eggs in a multi-dimensional way.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes

Step 1: Break three eggs into a bowl. Add a tablespoon of cream. Add a pinch of turmeric. Start beating this mixture up until the whole thing looks creamy like in the below picture. I use coffee creamer.

Note: I use a dessert fork for the beating as both the tines and the head of the fork penetrate the mixture completely and the intended creamy effect happens in just over a minute. By all means, use an egg beater.

Step 2: Put a skillet on slightly less than medium heat -- 4 out of 10 setting -- and spray it generously with Pam. While the skillet heats up, go back to beating the eggs and/or cutting onions. You don't want that egg mixture "settling down".

Note: I buy already cut onions. I prefer red onions for this particular recipe.

Step 3: Once you see a little bit of smoke coming off the skillet, add the cut onions to skillet. Add a half teaspoon of red chili flakes. Add a half teaspoon of salt. Start stirring.

Note: The half teaspoon is an initial recommendation. Adjust that to your taste as the recipe grows on you.

Step 4: Once the onions start turning golden brown, add the beaten eggs to the skillet. Wait until the egg mix distributes itself evenly over the skillet. Then grind black pepper onto the egg mix as a straggly thin layer. Start stirring as soon as you finish adding the pepper. Keep stirring.

Step 5: When only about 50% of moisture can be spotted in the eggs, turn off the heat. Then keep stirring as the eggs continue to cook in the residual heat. When only about 0.99% moisture can be spotted, take the skillet off the stove. Transfer the scrambled eggs to a serving dish.

Note: You will get good at spotting the moisture left after a couple of attempts at cooking eggs in general.

The MBTA's "Adopt a Track" Winter Program Takes Effect

February 2015

"The MBTA has introduced a winter sustainability program called "Adopt a Track". The primary purpose of this program is to allow local businesses to help the MBTA out in maintaining a certain portion of subway tracks during inclement weather. This, in turn, is expected to significantly ease the burden on the MBTA's regular employees. The MBTA worker's union has graciously agreed to let this program be test-driven for the next three years but on the condition that current MBTA compensations do not change during the course of this test-drive. The program took effect yesterday. In return for their sponsorship, participating local businesses will receive discounted winter fares for their employees and year-round sign branding at highly preferred spots in the sponsored areas. Not all of the MBTA's tracks will be a part of this program. Initially, this program will be test-driven on those portions of tracks and any stations that lie on those tracks which have been identified as extremely vulnerable to inclement weather.

A month ago, the MBTA started approaching local businesses with a large number of employees who rely on public transportation for their commutes. The MBTA has said that about a dozen businesses have shown an interest in this program and that a review panel is currently in the process of choosing sponsors. "By the end of this week, we will have chosen sponsors based on their own track record in being prepared for and doing a job right the first time around.", said an MBTA spokesperson, "We are seriously looking at companies with good work cultures and hands-on management. Given our own situation, we don't want to come across as too picky. But we want this program to work. We need this program to work. So we might as well plan and execute it carefully." The spokesperson said that the MBTA worker's union already has a team standing by to assist the chosen sponsors in rapidly putting together a contingency plan. "We will be ready for the next snow storm." the spokesperson said, "Bring it on.""

It is understood that the "Adopt a Track" program will allow regular MBTA employees to focus on just their core tasks while allowing the MBTA itself to redirect some of its revenues, which it might otherwise have used for dealing with inclement weather and fixing failed equipment, to finally start paying off the principal in its long-standing debt.

June 2018

The MBTA and it's worker's union made a joint announcement that the "Adopt a Track" winter program has been extended by another seven years. The program originally test-driven for three winters has been a resounding success, according to the MBTA.

"We saw immediate fruition with this program in 2015 when two major snowstorms, that followed in the heels of that winter's first storm Juno, did not disrupt MBTA services as winter storm Juno had done." said an MBTA spokesperson, "In the ensuing two winters, this was the case as well as MBTA services only experienced the occasional minor delay despite several major snow storms in each of those winters.

Our regular employees were very happy when they were able to operate trains and stations without having to worry about maintenance work." gushed an MBTA spokesperson, "Most of the equipment that had failed during Juno have not failed since as our Sponsors have stayed on top of these storms. We are now able to consistently keep our tracks and equipment clear of snow and ice. And, for the first time in years, we are receiving more favorable than negative reviews from our commuters."

"And we have been able to pay off $xyz amount of debt. It's a dent in the overall amount we have still to pay off. But it's a huge step in the right direction."

The Boston area has seen a noticeably renewed amount of economic activity since the "Adopt a Track" winter program took effect. In a recent poll conducted by Blasted News, 83% of pollsters gave the MBTA a thumbs-up for reliable services. "That's unprecedented. I think the MBTA finally got something right." said Fook Me, a Professor of Transport Studies at the University of Boston, "This program has caused local businesses and the MBTA to develop a sort of emotional investment in each other. ""

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!