Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Body for Life Week 6: Half Way Point

Around the House
Oh what to say this week.  I am never to sure what to say about what is going on in my life.  I actually pulled a muscle in my butt yesterday when I was showing my staff what a handspring was.  I didn't mean to flip over, but with the changes in my body I almost flipped over.  It is also great that I can't wait for my final read through to be done while I look for any mistakes.  I am actually looking forward to having Hunted finally on the shelves.  It has been too long a process.  This process has actually inspired a ton of short stories, a novella I am writing, two completed books, and the start of two others.  I need to begin to move forward.  For those of you who don't know the book after that is scheduled for the end of the year which is the Preludes of Illumination vol.2: Pandora's Gateway and then off to finish book 3 The Merchant of Death.  After both those projects are done I will be focusing on the follow up to Hunted.  God, I sound really busy.  If I kept a more strict schedule I would have all of this done by the end of the year... LOL.

My Thoughts
Okay, so it is obvious my eating habits are not where they should be.  I am not dropping weight fast enough.  I so want my gut to be gone.  I have to head to the grocery store tonight to get more bananas and hummus, and veggies for roasting.  I am so working on my eating.  Now if I can just kick the pop and the smoking everything would be better.  I think I should go more low carb, but fried pita with hummus grilled cheeses are so yummy.  Especially when you did them like pizza bites.  I know I am also only half way through the program, but my arms and chest are not where I want them either.  I want a nice hard body with great arms and pecs.  Come on summer is almost here and it would be nice to go around shirtless his summer.  Well, off to the numbers:

Week 6 Ending- The Numbers: Not My Best Week
 Start Week 6 Change
 Weight 235.6 229.8 -5.8
 BMI 32.7% 31% -1.7%
 Hips 44 in 44 in 0.0 in
 Waist 42.5 in 42 in -0.5 in
 Midsection     47 in 43.5 in -3.5 in
 Chest 46 in 45 in -1.0 in
 Arm (R) 14 in 13.5 in -0.5 in
 Arm (L) 14 in 13.5 in -0.5 in
 Neck 17in 16.5 in -0.5 in
 Pants 36 34 - 2

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Book Release: Hunted: The Chronicles of Illumination vol.1

Around the House
Not to much to say.  Got a cute new care.  A Chevy Cruze in a gorgous blue color.  The last car was red, and I was just not a fan of the color.  I am getting ready for the Blog Contest which of course is going to go along with the release of my new book next month (See blow).  I am really excited, and I hope to hear great reviews from all of you on what you think about the new book.  For those of you that have read my blog I will now that I was a huge fan of the book Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side.  Well I have finally cracked open the sequel, and I am an enjoying it so far.  Look for the review coming soon.

My Thoughts
The release date for this book is May 15th, so watch for all the updates coming to my blog!



Cover Copy
There is nothing like a Vladimir to alter the plans of Fate and Destiny.  They have a habit of ruining the best laid plains.  Like her father Raisa is no different, but this time the collateral damage isn't what she was expecting.  All Raisa ever wanted to was to have Damian share her magical life.  What fun is it being a witch if you can't get into trouble with your best friend because he is a mortal?  Not only is Damian getting dragged into the magical world, but his man eating sister Angela is coming along for the ride.  Of course what happens isn't what anyone expects when it turns out that Angela has been Chosen.  Not Chosen as prom queen, model, or even mistress, no she has been chosen by Fate to lead a group of witches to fulfill the Prophecy of Illumination.  Now, despite all of Raisa's hard work Damian is left outside of the group and a slayer is out for blood.  Not everyone will survive the path to Illumination, will Damian?

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

Around the House
Check out my other posting from today.  I totally forgot to post this with everything going on since Easter.  Is it July yet?  I so need a vacation.

My Thoughts
Katrina Rue my fellow author and friend here in Chicago was obsessed with seeing this movie.  While neither of us jumped on the band wagon when the books took off.  I was reading too many series, and she only reads teen books that I recommend.  We never understood the scope of the story or the love people had for this series of books.  I'll admit, and I hate to do it.  Back when Harry Potter made its splash I was a different person.  I didn't read, I didn't write, and I sure as Hell didn't see teen/kids movies.  That was until Katrina dragged me to see it.  It was the start of everything you are seeing.  I learned to love it all.

I was actually very excited to see this film.  I loved the cast from what I had heard of especially Stanley Tucci.  Well next thing I knew the movie was over, and I was ticking to know more.  No, I have not bought the books yet since I have a pile to read, but they will be read very shortly.  The story was stunning and accessible to adults, children, and teens.  While the themes and story line mirrored an extended version of the "Lottery" it was completely captivating.  I recommend this to everyone.  It is family friendly enough to to scare the little ones, yet gritty enough to keep any guy held to his chair.  And then you toss in the love story and the whole family can enjoy this gripping story.  Who would have know that Suzanne Collins actually was involved in all aspects of the movie, so you know it is true to the story!

Rating: 5/5

Week 5 is Over!

Around the House
The edits are finally done!  I just have to do a quick read through first and then it is off to for the publisher, Gilbert Press, to put the final touches on them.  I can't wait to see the book cover!  Of course this has been a rather rough week for me.  When it rains it pours in my world.  What can I say.  It looks my car is going to be totalled out!  Before you start flipping through old posts to try and figure out what happened.  I haven't said anything about this yet.  I was coming home one night and a dog (cop says coyote) ran in front of my car, so I swerved to miss it and hit a parked car.  Thankfully, I am okay, but I did get burns from the air bag.  I am sad to loose my car since it is only a two years old.  Well, hopefully the world will now have an upswing.  Thanks for all the love everyone!

My Thoughts
So week 5 is finally over which means I am starting to enter the critical period.  By looking at the numbers my BMI is going down and my body is converting its self to muscle, but since my weight and BMI are not dropping as dramatically as they should be it is time to overhaul the diet more.  I am not eating like I should be.  Body for Life would not be proud.  Yes I did do some damage over Easter, but that was last weekend so at least I should have made some more improvements.  My measurements are either staying the same or going up in certain areas which is good, but the damn midsection, waist, and hips are not shrinking like I want them too.  Which means it all about the diet now.  Back to the kitchen to whip up better foods.  So next week is picture time again... get ready to see the changes in side by sides.

Week 5 Ending- The Numbers: Easter Screwed Me Up!\

                           Start               Week 5            Change

Weight:             235.6                 231.7                -3.8
BMI:                  32.7%               30.2%              -2.5
Hips:                  44 inches          44 inches            0

Waist:                 42.5 inches      42 inches          -0.5
Midsection:        47 inches         44 inches           -3
Chest:                
46 inches         45 inches           -2
Right Arm:         14 inches        14 inches          -.50
Left Arm:           14 inches         14 inches          -.50
Neck:                  17 inches         16.5 inches        -.50

Pants: Express Blake 34

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Movie Review: The Lorax

Around the House
What can I say about the adventures around the house.  Not to much is going on at home, but work is getting a bit tough.  I am making great headway on the new book, so expect to see it going live very soon.  I am also in the process of looking for book reviewers/interviews for a blog tour.  So, if you know anyone send them my way.  It is hard that most authors have to do a lot of their own publicity, but it can also be fun to meet and talk to new fun people in the process.  I recommend to any author to have the courage to go out and network with other bloggers.

My Thoughts
The Lorax, what can I say?  It is by far my favorite Dr. Seuss story of all times.  That is probably because it is one of the few that are an actual story that screams a moral to the populace.  I was expecting to see an absolute train wreck of a movie when I sat in an empty theater with Katrina Rue to watch this new adaption.  I have to saw I was pleasantly surprised to see they twisted the story into one with a new life and some fun music.  While it was a bit campy for my overall liking; it was a great take on the story.  The changes they made turned a short children's book into a fully fleshed out and realized story which would bring me back for a second viewing.

The characters of this story had growth, depth, and excitement instead of playing the pandering static characters you see in most children's movies today.  It actually spoke to the audience in a fun way that acknowledged the watcher had a brain between their cute little ears.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Crazy Bitch, I think I am in Love!

Around the House
I am working my butt off right now, both with the workouts and the writing.  Not to mention that I  still have a full time job.  I actually took a personal day because of the emotional toll Easter took on me.  While poking around online I decided to check on my favorite Youtube.com artist Alina.  She always makes me smile; I hope she makes you smile too.  Now if I can stop watching her I may actually get some work done.

My Thoughts
This artist has a serious of videos on Youtube.com.  God I hope she is an artist.  If not I want to  be the person to write her life story.  A biography on Alina would be the funniest bestseller every.  She reminds me a lot of Tyler Perry's Madea which happens to be another of my favorite characters.  I do love the concept of the strong, independent woman that doesn't take shit from the world.  While Alina is damaged you are gonna love it.


Despite having no culinary talent, Alina does not let that stop her from auditioning for the Next Food Network Star.
Rating 5/5

Monday, April 9, 2012

Body for Life 4 weeks down

Around the House
This is an "Oh Sweet Jesus Day."  I am a bit down from Easter.  May family really knows how to throw a trainwreck on the table from time to time.  I am extremely worried about how everything is going to turn out for them.  I feel bad that I can't do more to make things better.  I just can change what is going on in my immediate life.  Hell, I am still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that my life is not exactly where I want it to be at this point.  Not to much I can do about it right now, but keep pushing forward and not let all the shit get me down.

My Thoughts
I am a third of the way through my first challenge, and I missed my first work out last night.  It actually makes me feel bad that I missed it and I ate like total crap yesterday.  I am going to really have to hurt myself at cardio tonight to make up for it.  I am also missing several of my goals.  I am just having a hard time with the motivation at the moment.  I have this book at sits open on my desk top I have to get finish that I have been dragging my heels on for the last year.  I guess it steems from the fact that I am afriad to fail so I would rather not do it than succeed.  Stupid I know right.  So screw it all and lets see what damage Easter did... it did some!
Week 4 Ending- The Numbers: Easter Screwed Me Up!\
                           Start         Week 4            Change

Weight:             235.6            232                   -3.6
BMI:                  32.7%          31.3                  -1.4
Hips:                  44 inches     44 inches           0

Waist:                42.5 inches  41.5 inches        -1
Midsection:       47 inches      44 inches          -3
Chest:               
46 inches      44 inches          -2
Right Arm:       14 inches      13.5 inches       -.50
Left Arm:          14 inches     13.5 inches        -.50
Neck:                 17 inches      16.5 inches     -.50

Pants: Express Blake 34

Monday, April 2, 2012

Body for Life Week 3 Completed

Around the House
Not to much has gone on around the house.  I am still being lazy with my writing, but this week is the week I am going to finish that goal.  Otherwise not to much to report.  I did have a date and that went well.  I am not sure that they are the person I want to continue seeing.  I am still reading book 5 of the Songs of Ice and Fire, Dance with the Dragons.  It has some interesting twists and turns.  I only hope he gets book 6 out faster that book 5.

My Thoughts
So I am now a quarter of the way through the Body for Life Challenge.  I have to say I am starting to see a difference in clothes, but not enough in the numbers yet which is to be expected.  I want more.  Who doesn't want to see immediate results when they try something new.  Katrina is a bit down that she is not seeing alot of changes, of course today will only be her second set of measurements.  My eating is still not what it should be which is why I know I am not dropping fat like I should be.  I did middle of this week start using one Myoplex Bar as my mid morning meal.  I am getting better.  I am increasing my weights and cardio, so next week I am hoping for some bigger changes since I will be a a third of the way through the challenge.  It is obvious to me that this is working.  I just wish it was working faster, and that the scale was giving me better numbers.  On and you will see below, I added my pants waist to the measurements as opposed to just my mid section.  It is nice to see that it is all squaring up.

Week 3 Ending- The Numbers:

                    Start             Week 1         Week 2             Week 3            Change


Weight:       235.6             234.6             230.6                  230                   -5.6
BMI:            32.7%           30.9%           30.9%                31.3                  -1.4
Hips:            44 inches      44 inches      44 inches             43.5                 -.5

Waist:                                                                                  42.5
Midsection: 47 inches      45 inches      44 inches             43.5                 -3.3
Chest:          
46 inches      44 inches      45 inches             44 inches         -2
Right Arm: 14 inches      14 inches      13.5 inches          13.5 inches      -.50
Left Arm:   14 inches      14 inches       13.5 inches         13.5 inches      -.50
Neck:           17 inches      16 3/4            16.5 inches         16.5 inchea     -.50

Pants: Express Blake 34