Training Log - Week of 21 APR 13

22 APR 13

ABD - Reviewed our first two knife defenses of the cycle.  Reviewed the first part of our Muay Thai combo.  That's right kids, our first strip test is already next week!  Huzzah!  Also worked on the Muay Thai basic of a round kick.  Got complimented for my form.

BJJ - Worked on a few sweeps from butterfly guard.

25 APR 13

ABD - More review for stripe testing.  Had a really great class.  By really great class, I mean that I got thrown around by my training partner M. Park.  It was awesome.  Then we worked Muay Thai forms, sparred and generally had a great class.  Both of us had great technique, so we really had to work to find a reason to hand out a burpee.

BJJ - Skipped because reasons.

27 APR 13
Went for a short hike with Owen at Bluff Point State Park.

Weight Loss
Weight: 180.2 lbs (-4 lbs)
Body Fat %: 17.3% (-.2%)

Primer (2004)

To the Summary!
Umm, stuff happened.

To the Cast!
There were some people.  One of them was the director.

To the Deeper Thoughts!
Umm, Stuff happened. Time travel kind of stuff.  I think.  Alternate reality travel?  Possible.  Who knows.  Nine timelines were allegedly threaded throughout this movie.

Really, it was good.  It was just super dense, and heavy.  I liked it, I will re watch it.  But it is a movie that requires attention.  Even after watching it, listening to the Shonky Lab review of it and some independent research, I'm still not sure what went on in this movie.

My brain hurts just thinking about it again.

Goldfinger (1964)

To the Summary!
Sean Connery returns for the third installment of Bond's cinema adventures.  This time, he hunts Auric Goldfinger.

To the Cast!
Sean Connery - James Bond
Honor Blackman - Pussy Galore
Gert Frobe - Auric Goldfinger
Shirey Eaton - Jill Masterson
Tania Mallet - Tilly Masterson
Harold Sakata - Oddjob
Bernard Lee - 'M'
Cec Linder - Felix Leiter
Lois Maxwell - Moneypenny


To the Deeper Thoughts!
I'm fairly certain that this was the first Bond movie I saw.  I know for certain it was the first Connery Bond that I saw.

Third film in, and I dare say that  this one is near perfect.  I'd even argue that its one of the best Bond's ever.  This is the one where we see the elements that we came to know and love through the years.  The flirting with Moneypenny.  The banter with Q.  *sigh*  What a great movie.

I'm really breaking down into fanboy mode here.  Classic Bond is always the best.  And by classic I mean Connery.  True, the others have their moments.  And Craig is the best Bond in my opinion.  But there is something to be said for these classic movies.

Training Log - Week of 14 APR 13

14 APR 13

Went for my first run of the season today.  2.6 miles in 30 minutes.  Not bad.  Only complaint is that my thighs hurt more than I was expecting.

15 APR 13

ABD - Week two of month one.  Second part of new material this week.  Felt fine up until my thighs really kicked into high, painful gar towards the end.

BJJ - Ya.  Really tough class due to thighs.  We worked an elbow escape when someone has you in mount. Then we worked another escape from your opponents guard.  It involved a lot of thighs.  Good move, but man did it suck with the condition of my thighs.  Glad I've got nothing until Thursday.

18 APR 13

ABD - More of the same from Monday night.  Today we did sparring, working on teep defense.  Had some great drills where our partner was directed to make us do burpees if our technique faltered.  I had to do some, but my sparring partner told me he had to really get picky to find issues.  So, that felt nice.

My thighs however...  fine up until the end of class.  Then they kicked in HARD.  Le ouch.

BJJ - Passed on class today because of thighs.  Knowing what we were to be working on, I chose to listen to my body and take it easy.  Which sucks, because I really wanted to stay.  But better to rest than to really hurt myself.

Weight Loss
Weight: 184.2 (-1.2)
Body Fat %: 17.5% (-1.8%)

Goldfinger

Book seven in the chronicles of James Bond brings him face to face with Auric Goldfinger; a very rich man who is obsessed with gold.

So, as I said, book seven.  I've read some series where by the seventh book, it feels like a bit of a slog.  Yes, even my beloved Wheel of Time fits in there.  But with Flemming, I don't feel that .  Perhaps its the length of the books, being rather short.  Perhaps its the fascinating views of a 1950s man.  Could be any number of things, but its the previous one that really stands out here.  I present to you a quote from the novel, in which Bond muses about a female character that seemingly shows no interest in him.

"Bond came to the conclusion that Tilly Masterson was one of those girls whose hormones had got mixed up. He knew the type well and thought they and their male counterparts were a direct consequence of giving votes to women and ‘sex equality’. As a result of fifty years of emancipation, feminine qualities were dying out or being transferred to the males. Pansies of both sexes were everywhere, not yet completely homosexual, but confused, not knowing what they were. The result was a herd of unhappy sexual misfits – barren and full of frustrations, the woman wanting to dominate and the men to be nannied."

To me, this was just an awkward and weird bit of exposition.  Well, not as weird as later, when he 'cures' Pussy Galore of being a lesbian by... well, I'm sure you can figure it out.  Had I read this when originally published, I don't think it would have bothered me.  But now, in today's day and age... it is a bit jarring.

But its hardly a major plot point of the book; just something I found interesting.

I keep saying this, but I really liked Goldfinger.  As much as Casino Royale I think.  Those would probably be my top two books of the series (so far anyway)  The plot moves along at a steady clip, and the first meeting between Goldfinger and Bond is well done.  I think this is the first time we see a gadget (a homing device that Bond plants on Goldfinger's car)  This is the second time I've read this book, and it was just as enjoyable as the first time.

Dr. No (1962)

To the Summary!
James Bond undertakes his first (well, first filmed) adventure.  He heads to Jamaica to investigate Dr. No, a bat guano magnate and seriously creepy dude.

To the Cast!
Sean Connery - James Bond
Ursula Andress - Honey Ryder
Joseph Wiseman - Dr. No
Jack Lord - Felix Leiter
Bernard Lee - M
John Kitzmiller - Quarrel
Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny
Peter Burton - Major Boothroyd

To the Deeper Thoughts!
Here we have it folks, the first of a long and (mostly) illustrious film library.  And what a way to start off.  There is pretty much nothing I can find wrong about this movie.  Every time I watch it, I enjoy it that much more.  Its simple in its execution and style.  Not very flashy, but subtle.  This is the movie that launched a fandom.  One I can't wait to share with my son.  I don't really have too much else to say about this.  Its a great place to start in on the Bond series.

Training Log - Week of 7 APR 13

7 APR 13

Took down a deck.  It was fun.

8 APR 13

ABD - First week of new material.  Knife defense this time around, along with a Muay Thai combo.  I was pretty off throughout class tonight.  Head cold coupled with tearing down a deck yesterday sucked me pretty dry.

BJJ - Did not do due to reasons above.

11 APR 13

ABD -Second day of new material.  Feeling pretty good.

BJJ - Responsibilities and such prevented me from sticking around.


Weight Loss
Weight: 185.4 (-2.2)
Body Fat %: 19.3% (-.1%)

Doctor No

So, remember in the last book, how Bond got a case of poison?  Well, he's all better!  Yay!  Of course, he just can't take a vacation.  M sends him to Jamaica for rest... but while he's at it, he should look into the disappearance of a fellow agent, one John Strangeways.

Turns out, Strangeways had been investigating Dr. Julius No, a bat guano magnate on Crab Key.  I'm guessing Strangeways got a bit to close to Doctor No.

Natrually, so does Bond.

Oh, he also does this with the help of his pal Quarrell (see Live and Let Die).  With Quarrell's help, Bond gets into fighting shape and heads to Crab Key.

Once there they meet Honey Rider, an orphan girl who is collecting some shells to sell and make some cash.  Eventually, they are discovered by No's dragon, and Quarrell...well, Quarrell feels the heat. (Bye Quarrell).

Bond and Honey are taken prisoner, where they are treated to a lavish dinner (and plot exposition) with Doctor No.  After said dinner, Bond is taken back to his cell, where he is expected to crawl through Doctor No's maze, perishing along the way.

However, seeing as this is Bond, James Bond, he manages to escape the electric shocks, cold, heat and giant squid, in order to bury Doctor No under a pile of bat guano.  Rescue the girl, mission done and over.

Another solid entry into literary Bond.

James Bond returns in Goldfinger

Training Log - Week of 31 MAR 13

1 APR 13

ABD - Buddy week this week.  So the tempo of the class was a little slower.  I seem to have a post belt test thing where my kicks are just off for a week.  Eh, I'll get over it.

BJJ - Worked on some side mount control stuff.  Namely crushing your opponents arm between your body and theirs.  Arm bar from this position.

4 APR 13

ABD - Felt better with the kicks today.  Nothing special again, but I'm looking forward to the start of new material next week.

BJJ - Did a lot of live rolling today to help a few people who are taking part in the New England Submission Challenge on Saturday.  I'm not going, but I was glad to be able to help those that are.  Worked on defense mostly.  This must be my focus.

Weight Loss
Weight: 187.6 (-2.8)
Body Fat %: 19.4%(-2.8%)

From Russia With Love (1963)

To the Summary!
James Bond is back!  This time, he's on the hook with SPECTRE for the killing of Dr. No (see Dr. No).  With a mad dog killer hot on his heels, Bond takes the Orient Express to adventure!

To the Cast!
Sean Connery - James Bond
Daniela Bianchi - Tatiana Romanova
Pedro Armendariz - Kerim Bey
Lotte Lenya - Rosa Klepp
Robert Shaw - Grant
Bernard Lee - M
Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny




To the Deeper Thoughts!
And here we have Bond movie number two.  Another faithful adaptation of the source material, well to an extent.  There are some differences.  Example: we see the introduction of Blofeld here.  Books; not until Thunderball.  We do have Q, but he's know instead as Major Boothroyd.  So, small differences, but nothing painful (see Moonraker for pain).

I really like this one.  Number two in, and going strong.  Its weird to see Robert Shaw so young and, well evil.  Given my only other exposure to him is Jaws.  We see a quick introduction of Bond's eventual nemesis, Blofeld.

Eh, what else can I say.  Its good, classic Bond.