Disappointing

Last night I went to see Gladiator 2. I have always been a big fan of the original film with Russell Crowe. That movie was compelling, emotional, and powerful. I was hoping for more of the same from this sequel which is directed by Ridley Scott, just like the original. Well, I didn’t get it.

The movie had some quality moments but there were far too many cringe worthy scenes with characters that bordered on ridiculous. The film felt poorly written with far too much reliance on flashbacks to the original IMO. I was surprised that with Scott directing and quality actors like Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal that they couldn’t come up with a sequel that didn’t leave me shaking my head in disappointment repeatedly throughout. I’d give it a C.

I would like to blame my New Year’s Eve plans to have no plans on my still not feeling fully recovered from my illness however the truth is sick or not, going out on this night is not something I typically seek out and/or embrace. My big goal for my day off tomorrow is to unChristmas the house which will be pretty easy this year since I put minimal effort into the holiday decorations this year.

I would LOVE to go over and play some pickleball tomorrow but the continued issues I have with my lower body continue to make me feel like I would be doing more harm than good. I am not huge on making New Years resolutions but one wish I have is to get these various physical issues under control. The IT band related pain is the biggest limiter right now but I also have pain in the left knee as well that comes and go. For good measure my left elbow that I went down hard on during my crash in October has been sore, making pull ups somewhat painful. My right elbow is problematic as well from swinging the pickleball paddle thousands of times. Yea I’m sort of a mess.

I am looking forward to being able to get back into my normal routine as the new year launches. It feels like I have not been able to get back into that normalcy for nearly a month for various reasons. My hope is regular yoga, stretching, exercises targeting the weak areas and limiting things that can aggravate the issues will allow me to get back to the point where I am functioning better physically.

Happy New Year to anyone taking the time to read this. I appreciate you.