December 30th, 2024

Week in Review (December 29th, 2024)

👽 Personal

Well, Christmas is over and magically I feel much better. I was dreading this Christmas and we didn't decorate this year, nor did we buy gifts. Instead, we went over to my brother's house on Christmas Eve to eat with my mom, my brother, his boyfriend, and my wife. Then on Saturday, we went out to eat my dad and my stepmom. It was low-key and there wasn't any holiday spirit or magic in the air, I'm thinking those days may be behind me.
I over did it eating this week, like so many others. I guess, I wanted to get it over with because I need to get back to tracking calories and eating better. I'm not into New Year's Resolutions, but my goal is to begin doing better tomorrow and dropping some of this weight I've gained.

🏋️Healthy Living

Did some stretching
Began counting calories

📺 Watched

Matlock (Episodes 4-8) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I love the new Matlock and I've been needing to sit down and catch up on it. I'm excited to see where this show goes once it comes back.
High Potential (Episodes 3-7) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Kaitlin Olson is great in High Potential and this makes for a fun, easy watch. Similar to Matlock and the below mentioned Elsbeth, these shows feel like the next generation of USA Blue Sky shows by featuring a quirky character helping to solve cases. I enjoy these easy watches and need to prioritize them a bit more.
Creature Commandos (Episode 5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - This episode had a great fight scene, but overall it was probably the weakest episode yet.
Leverage (Season Four, Episodes 2-5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I spent my Christmas morning watching a few episodes of Leverage, and it was great. It feels good to watch a fun TV show go after the rich and powerful.
Elsbeth (Episodes 2-5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - As mentioned above, this is an easy watch. I don't find it as good as Matlock or High Potential, but it's enjoyable.
Cheers (Season Two/Season Three) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - My watch through of Cheers is going rather slowly, but there hasn't been a terrible episode yet. It's always a good, relaxing time when I watch a few episodes.
Taxi (Season Two) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Another wonderful sitcom that is a joy to watch.
Y2K ⭐️ - So... this is an A24 horror/comedy film that starts off alright. I was sixteen in 1999, so it was nice seeing all the nods and homages that I could relate to as New Year Eve came about. Sadly, this film is definitely the worst film I saw in 2024. It's not funny nor is it scary, and there was potential for a good story to be told with a decent cast, and instead they created something that feels like a bad Family Guy joke.
Gladiator 2 ⭐️⭐️ - The first Gladiator film is a masterpiece and I knew this film wouldn't live up to the original, but I still had high hopes. I really should have gone in with lower expectations. I found the star Paul Mescal's performance to be incredibly flat. The over-the-topness of some of the gladiator battles a bit too much, and the plot holes were just all over the place. I really expected better, and while it's not a terrible film, it certainly isn't one I'll revisit anytime in the future.
Lucas ⭐️⭐️⭐️ - This rarely discussed 80's film was one that I discovered one morning on Starz while waiting for the school bus in the late 90's. I remember digging through the TV Guide trying to figure out the name of the film because I wanted to see it all the way through. I watched it once twenty-five years ago, and I hadn't seen it again until this past week. I was charmed by how kind the characters were and how different of an 80's teen film this is. The cast is amazing with Charlie Sheen, Corey Haim, and Kerri Green. There are smaller parts for Winona Ryder and Jeremy Piven. The ending is a bit over the top in your typical 80's way, but there is a lot of heart in this film and it was a joy to watch.

🎮 Played

Starship Troopers Extermination (Xbox Series X)
Terminator Resistance (Playstation 5)
Conan the Barbarian (Xbox 360)

🎧 Listened To

The World at Large by Modest Mouse
Something Dark is Coming by Bear McCreary

📖 Read

Beyond the Black River by Robert E. Howard ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- This might be my favorite Conan story yet. It's a longer story by Robert E. Howard that can best be described as a Western.
Directed by James Burrows ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- I'm slowly working my way through this book and it's been great thus far. James Burrows directed over 1,000 sitcoms in his career.

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