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Fitbit XI – Week 2

Another poor week, as work had a bad habit of getting in the way of my hourly step goals.  Sunday got the week off to an ok start, finishing with just 4000 steps.  Things fell off a bit on Monday, as I dropped to 3800 steps.  A nice improvement on Tuesday left me 38 steps shy of 4300.  Another slight drop-off on Wednesday left me 24 steps away from 4000.  Another bounce back on Thursday put me back at 4200 steps.  Friday turned out to be the high point of the week, finishing with 4800 steps.  Saturday rounded out the week needing 16 more stops to reach 4100.

Total steps: 29,268

Daily average: 4181.1

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Book 5 (of 52) – The Bone Hacker

The Bone Hacker – Kathy Reichs

While working on identifying the bones of a Turks and Caicos native dug out of the water of a Montral harbor, Dr. Temperence Brennan is invited down to the Caribbean nation to investigate a series of similar murders and the bodies that were recently discovered.  When she arrives, the mysteries keep piling on, including a boat full of dead bodies that travelled 600 miles and the suspicious death of the investigator that invited her to the island, Brennan works with a local detective to try and tie all of the pieces together.

Published in 2023, The Bone Hacker is the 22nd Temperance Brennan novel from Kathy Reichs.  As I’ve said previously, my enjoyment of these novels has increased tremendously the more removed I am from the television adaptation Bones, now that I am able to enjoy them for what they are and not be so concerned with how they are different from the show.  With 23 total novels in the series, I have plenty of catching up to do,

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iTunes Top 200: #158 – 183

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the final batch of songs tied for 183rd place with 36 plays apiece and the start of the songs ranked 158th with 37 plays since my stats began in late 2007.

#183: Eminem – Stan
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 3/29/2024
Previous ranking: #144

Featuring a sample of Dido’s Thank You, the song’s title has given rise to a slang term online which refers to overzealous, maniacal, overly obsessed fans of a celebrity or personality.

#183: Def Leppard – Let’s Get Rocked
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 10/2/2024
Previous ranking: NR

The first release from the band following the death of guitarist Steve Clark, the track, which hit #1 on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart, has picked up ten new listens in the past six years.

#183: The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Dawn’s Lament
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 3/31/2024
Previous ranking: #144

Michelle Trachtenberg’s contribution to the soundtrack to the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer added five new plays in these past five years.

#183: The Beatles – Day Tripper
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 9/13/2024
Previous ranking: NR

Influenced by the soul music the group encountered during their US tour, it was released as a double A-side single in December of 1965 with We Can Work It Out.

#183: The Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 9/30/2019
Previous ranking: #79

Somehow, I haven’t listened to this 1964 hit, which posted the largest pre-SoundScan jump to #1 (from #27) on the Billboard charts, in nearly six years. Continue reading →

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Fitbit XI – Week 1

Year eleven on the Fitbit platform gets off to a slow start.  The week got off to a decent start on Sunday with 4100 steps.  A slight increase on Monday put me 6 steps away from 4200.  Tuesday was even better, jumping up to 4300 steps.  A 30-step increase on Wednesday still put me at 4300 steps.  A rough day at work on Thursday led to my low point of the week, coming in with 3800 steps.  Friday turned out to be the high point of the week, coming just 12 steps shy of 4400.  The week wrapped up with another 4300-step day on Saturday.

Total steps: 29,563

Daily average: 4223.3

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Midseason Review – Thursdays

We are on the back half of our look back at the offerings for the new fall season. Thursday night is traditionally the busiest night of the week for my television viewing habits, but not this year. Here’s what was on the slate for this season.

7:00

9-1-1 – Returning for its eighth season, and its second on ABC, I started watching the previous seasons this summer.

After starting with the show over the summer when I was in Amsterdam, I managed to catch all the way up over my December vacation.

8:00

Doctor Odyssey – The new series stars Joshua Jackson as a doctor working on a cruise ship.

A 21st century Love Boat that has more focus on the ship’s crew than on the cruise guests.

9:00

Elsbeth – The The Good Wife spinoff returns for its second season, but I still have to watch the first one.

One day, I will start watching.  Today, however, is not that day.

Grey’s Anatomy – The medical drama enters its 21st season down an attending and an intern

What can you say about a show in its 21st season?

And now the new entries:

Going Dutch – I don’t see any sort of a future for this, but it’s good to see Danny Pudi getting some work.

Hollywood Squares – This was… not good.

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Midseason Review – Wednesdays

We have reached the halfway point of our look back at my thoughts on the offerings for the new fall season.  Here’s what Wednesdays had on tap for the fall.

8:00

Joan – Sophie Turner stars in this six-part British series about the so-called “Godmother” of the British criminal underworld.

I guess I would have had to watch it to have any official thoughts on it.  I may get to the recordings one day.

And now the new entries:

Shifting Gears – As much as I like Kat Dennings, I couldn’t find a way past Tim Allen to actually watch this.

Celebrity Jeopardy! – Ken Jennings is back for another go-around with his celebrity friends.

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Midseason Review – Tuesdays

Continuing our look back at my thoughts on the new fall season, with the offerings that I found myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

Murder in a Small Town – A Canadian mystery-drama featuring old favorites Kristin Kreuk and Stana Katic.

I’ve only watched one episode so far, but it seems more like a weekly procedural than a season long mystery it was billed as.

9:00

High Potential – Created by Drew Goddard and based on a French series, it stars Kaitlin Olson as an under-employed genius who consults with the police.

This might be the best new show of the season.

Now, let’s see what interesting tidbits are coming this spring:

Doc – A TBI throws a doctor’s life and career off-balance.

Will Trent – Gina Rodriguez joins the cast for season three.

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Midseason Review – Mondays

We continue our annual look back at my thoughts from the beginning of the season and look ahead at what’s to come for Monday nights, which looked a little barren in the fall, leaving me with nothing to watch.

7:00

Scrabble – Another attempt to turn the venerable board game into a game show, this time starring Raven-Symoné.

A good enough interpretation of the board game to a show, completely different from the 80s version with Chuck Woolery.  I’m not sure if it ever ended up airing on Monday nights, though, as it and Trivial Pursuit have been airing on Thursdays.

7:30

Poppa’s House – Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. team up on a new family comedy.

I never ended up watching this.

8:00

Rescue: HI-Surf – A lifeguard drama set in Hawaii from one of the producers of ER and starring Arielle Kebbel seems worth a shot, at least.

A decent way to spend an hour, especially with the nice views of Hawaii.

Trivial Pursuit – A new game show, hosted by LeVar Burton, based on the classic board game.

Another good translation of a board game to television.

It doesn’t look like there is anything intriguing coming to Mondays this winter.