Monthly Archives: December 2010

So I started my resolution early this year. At the beginning of December I started going to the gym every morning at 8:30 for about an hour or so. I’ve been really good about it. Like most starting out I’m embarrassed at how out of shape I’ve gotten the past few years. (Kids, sleep depravation, starting a business, and having only one car made working out difficult) But now I’m doing it.

I’m one of those guys who really can use the extra energy boost of good music. It seems that, especially on those final sets of weights, it just gives me that little bit of extra oomph.

Here’s my dilemma though. My current music mix sucks. Oh there’s some good stuff. The obligatory Rage Against the Machine and AC/DC. A little Death in Vegas. But I found, much to my shock, that my music tastes the past decade have moved quite a bit more towards more acoustic and neo-folk stuff. Working through my iTunes collection I found it harder to find good stuff to work out with. (In part due to a double hard drive failure about 7 years ago which led to half my music getting lost)

So here’s the question. What are the tunes you think are best for really getting pumped at the gym? I don’t even care the genre. I have hip hop, electronica, grunge, industrial, metal, boogie woogie and a lot else already in my mix. Read the rest of this entry →

I meant to get this an open discussion started weeks ago, when it would have been more timely. But it’s not too late, I figure. Like many people, one of the highlights of the holiday season for me is staying up late playing games with family and friends. And there’s still time for that, right?

Based on recommendations here at Kulturblog (and especially Bret’s very informative posts), last year we picked up Wits and Wagers, which has proven to be a solid game-night player. Anything else out there? I personally prefer the casual games that don’t require hours of playing time and can accommodate large groups. (We’ve also enjoyed Ticket to Ride, but it’s probably near my limit in terms of a required time commitment.) I’ll listen to all sorts of recommendations, though, and it goes without saying that it’s not all about me.

You know the drill:

1. Pink Floyd
2. Simon and Garfunkel (no solo Simon)
3. Nirvana
4. ABBA
5. Lynyrd Skynyrd
6. Neil Young (solo work)
7. The Violent Femmes
8. Duran Duran
9. Marvin Gaye
10. Buddy Holly

SyFy has canned Stargate Universe, the strongest of the Stargate series and one of the best shows currently on TV. I hate SyFy so much.