Dinotopia & Journey to the Center of the Earth - Fantasy Double Feature
Directors: Marco Brambilla, George Miller
Starring: Tyron Leitso, Wentworth Miller, Katie Carr,
Treat Williams, Jeremy London, Tushka Bergen
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: January 8, 2013
ASIN: B00A2XQTV4
Retail: $9.98
Running Time: 430 minutes
Not Rated

Review:

It seems that lavish television mini-series is a thing of the past, except for the occasional western or period miniseries on cable. As a kid I look forward to watching them, normally airing during the sweep months on February or May. Mill Creek Entertainment has recently released the three-part Dinotopia and the two-part Journey to the Center of the Earth in a 2 disc set. Both miniseries were produced by Hallmark Entertainment (now known as Sonar Entertainment).

Dinotopia is based on the children books by James Gurne. It aired on the Wonderful World of Disney in 2002 and later spawned a short-lived spin-off series. The miniseries drops the books' steampunk atmosphere and focuses on two half-brothers, Karl and David Scott, who finds themselves stranded on the strange land of Dinotopia after their plane crashes into the sea with their father. They meet a mysterious man, Cyrus Crabb, who leads them to the capital of Dinotopia, Waterfall City. David wants to try and learn the ways this new world, where as Karl just wants to find a way back home. They befriend Zippo (a Troodon) and a young woman, Marion. As Karl and David are assigned dinosaurs to bond with, their new home may become extinct.

I hate the word "diet" as I have never been able to stay on one for very long. Over the last few months, I have added a daily exercise routine that doesn't bore me to death, but without a diet plan, I am only maintaining my weight instead of dropping those unwanted extra pounds. I need to do something to help me eat healthier.

Secretly Smitten
By Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Huntand Denis Hunter
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pub. Date: January 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-1401687137
ASIN: B00AA0TLF0
Pages: 400
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/gM679    
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/Smitten

Review:

In this sequel to last year's Smitten, authors Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter gives us four romantic and sometimes mysterious tales set in the fictional town of Smitten, Vermont. The plots centers on the three Thomas’s sisters, Tess, Clare, and Zoe, along with their mother, Anna, and their grandmother, Rose.

Love Between the Lines is the first story and is written by one of my favorite authors, Colleen Coble, who once again adds a bit of mystery to her story. While Tess was in her grandmother's attic, she stumbles upon a pair of dog tags belonging to David Hutchins. Who was this man? Well, she quickly learns that he was her grandmother's first love, but he died during the war. If he died during the war, then how did his dog tags get into the attic? As Tess investigates the mystery, she may accidentally find love.

Zoe Thomas is opening a matchmaking business in Make Me a Match by Kristin Billerbeck. Cupid’s Matchmaking Services is put on hold when the new city manager, William, begins tossing codes and regulations at her. As Zoe struggles to start her business, the real cupid may have other plans for her.

Hallowed Circle
By Linda Robertson
Publisher: Pocket Books
Pub. Date: December 29, 2009
ISBN: 978-1439156780
ASIN: B002WLCKEO
Pages: 384

Review: 

Picking up shortly after the events of Vicious Circle, Persephone Alcmedi (or as everyone calls her, Seph) now has guardianship of her late friend's daughter, Beverly, while at the same time dealing with her Nana, who is also living with her. She spends her days reading Tarot cards, writing a syndicated newspaper column, and what ever she can do to pay the bills, she even has a werewolf kennel in her basement. And there is also the known fact that she is a witch.

Out of the blue, Seph is talked into competing for the position of High Priestess of the Cleveland coven. The former priestess, Vivian Diamond, has disappeared without a trace, well that is what everyone else things, but Seph knows what happened to Vivian. That is one of the secrets, along with the fact that she is connected to the vampire-wizard Menessos, that Seph is trying to keep from the other witches, especially Hunter Hopewell.

Being a night owl, I happened to catch the infomercial for the 90 days home workout called TapouT XT: Extreme Training. Since I have slowly gotten myself back into an exercise routine, I became interested in this cardio intense workout program.

TapouT XT was created by Mike Karpenko and uses MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) style workouts to help you lose weight and build muscle over the 90 days schedule. The workouts are not meant to teach you any actually fighting or self-defense moves as they are meant to help you tone up.

The basic kit arrived fairly quickly by UPS in a black box with the TapouT logo printed on the packaging tape. The kit consist of the Strike Training DVD; a cardboard slip case to store the workout DVD cases; the twelve workouts on twelve DVDS; the 90 days workout schedule; the 48 pages Food Plan & Nutritional Guide; the twelve page 10-Day Slim Down Guide; the extreme resistance band; the leg training band; a TapouT XT sticker; and a TapouT XT towel. There are two DVDs in each slim case, helping you to save space and they are also easy to travel with.

The workouts range from 40 to 53 minutes, except for Buns and Guns XT that is 31 minutes and Ultimate Abs XT at 15 minutes.

The workouts are:

Cross Core Combat - This is the first workout on the schedule and it is not an easy one. I was covered with sweat by the end of the workout.

A new year means that you want a new start at life. Right? People have dreams of getting a new job, going back to college, spending more time with family, finally quitting that smoking habit, finding love, or starting a new hobby. Or maybe you want to lose weight so you never have to become a contestant on The Biggest Loser and you can avoid be yelled at by Jillian Michaels.

Originally, I meant to have the New Year's Resolution theme as my first Monday Morning Madness post, but due to my half-sister making contact with me, I put it off until today. I wonder why people put off making life changes until the first of the year. Is it because you are lazy? Are you a master procraster?

One of the most used resolution is fitness/ losing weight, which is enforced by the department stores' exercise equipment sales and shoved down our throats by the media. Yes, obesity is a major issue, which we can blame that on the soda companies, junk food companies, the fast food joints, and the outdated physical education programs in the public schools. Of course, making healthy eating choices and making sure to stay active is a personal decision, only we are to blame, not counting the few that have health problems that prevent them from losing weight.