A shiny WiiFit box was waiting for me when we got back from a long weekend with the family for the Memorial Day holiday. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this game for months, and I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disspaointed. The exercises are not only a blast, but they’re actual EXERCISE – my heart rate was up quite a bit on several of the games, particularly in the aerobics and balance sections.

The personal trainer is especially great – the instruction is perfect. I’m pleased as punch to report that I am indeed pretty fit (particularly high marks in the Yoga and Strength Training sections), but my balance and reaction times are pretty bad. Luckily, I’ve now got a personalized training program all mapped out that will evolve as I meet goals. FANTASTIC!

Due to some weird bug with the SDHC card interfacing to my new camera, I thought this footage was lost but I fiddled some more and it suddenly appeared yesterday. This is unedited (and way dark — it was 12:25am) footage I took on May 15th while the storm was raging. You can’t really see anything at all, but listen to the difference in the house from the start of the video (when it was hailing) compared to the end of the video (when it was just rain).

Becky has been gone for only 12 hours and it is already clear that I can’t be left alone to wander. The list was simple (soda, salsa, mustard, dessert) and yet I come back from the store with this haul. Two packs of Kristall (A Distinctive Light Fruit Soda in Black Currant and Lingonberry flavors), one pack of Dry Valencia Orange GuS soda, D.L. Jardine’s Bronco (jalapeno ‘n mesquite mustard), Oragnic Whole Grain Mustard, Tabasco Worcestershire (who knew!?!), Native Texan Pineapple&Peach Salsa, D.L. Jardine’s Cowpoke Artichoke (artichoke, mushroom & olive salsa), 1.5 lbs of boston baked beans, a cocoa angelfood cake, and Brownie Chocolate Rice Dream. God bless Central Market, God bless us all.

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Yes, I am a couple days behind thanks to Tivo, but \/\/()\/\/…

I give credit to Bunim/Murray for making reality TV an accessible reality, but Mark Burnett is unquestionably the master. Many of you abandoned “Survivor” after season one, and while even I have spent a few seasons only half watching while I blog and surf, you missed out on a big whopper of a show. The girl power bonanza of season sixteen — Fans vs. Favorites — delivered an all female final 4, 3 non-tribal-council health-based removals (2 excruciating physical, 1 whack-a-mole mental), 4 amazing car-crash blindsides, and a major volcanic jaw-dropping hand-off of an immunity necklace at tribal council. Then to top it all off, Burnett’s editors had me fooled into falling in love with the girl who eventually placed second. Congratulations to Parvati, but I still think Amanda and Cirie were more deserving.

I can’t wait for next season. It is improbable to be as exciting as this one, but seeing Gabon in HD alongside the “Survivor” microcosm of Dawinian competition should be stunning.

It is probably old news to many of you, but I was out of town for a week. Another fine Central Texas institution is going away. This will be the last season for the Backyard but let’s be honest and admit that we knew the magic was gone as soon they built an effin’ mall around it. I remember fondly many nights driving out to the middle of nowhere and hearing awesome music as the cool Texas hill country breeze drifted through. During more recent concerts at the Backyard, though, I spend my time looking at the Best Buy Magnolia Home Theater store wondering if over-priced electronics can be mood enhancers.

Becky and I caught a few films at Tribecca Film Festival. Here’s the scoop on our favorite:

My guess is the marketing for a US release of Fighter will focus on the excellent fu choreography but chop-heads should read the fine print before rushing out to see this Danish film about a teenage Muslim Turkish immigrant girl who just wants to practice martial arts. The core of the film is a story as old as Footloose, Aicha loves kung fu more than anything else including boys and school but all her father cares about is the family’s image. Her brother is trying to get engaged to a woman whose father is a man of means…well, more means than Aisha’s family has. Just when her father tells her to quit fighting and prepare her grades for med school she is offered a spot to train with the best kung fu team in town.

Natasha Arthy (director), Master Xian Gao (fight coreographer, and actor), and the actor who played the movie’s foil were in attendance. They discussed the parallels of Copenhagen’s growing right wing conservatism (and its impact on the Turkish immigrant community) alongside the Muslim ideal of family honor. Master Gao answered questions about his coreography and the wirework that was used sparingly in the film.

In Danish and Turkish with a little Mandarin and English, the film is an excellent cross cultural story about identity and girl power. (Becky can’t wait for the chance to take her BBBS mentee to see it.) The fight choreography is amazing. Master Gao commented that this was the first film he worked on where the fight scenes were really integrated into the story line, and I agree that the fight sequences were well mixed with the family drama and coming of age storylines.

The film’s star was simply perfect for the role, equally believable in poignant scenes with her father and in the numerous scenes where she is kicking serious ass. She is an untrained actress (studying to be a pahrmacist — wth?!?) with a blackbelt in karate. She should give up her dreams of dispensing pills, but I don’t know how profitable the field of action film acting is in Copenhagen.

There are certainly better kung fu movies, but this is a great mixed genre film with some fantastic moments.