A Bit on Body Art

Some of you know that I like tattoos. I have only one, but I have plans to change that. I do want to mention that these changes will probably be after the calendar, but don't worry - there is always next year.

Some of you may also know that I'm a big fan of Batman and Nightwing (Look it up). My current tattoo is of the 1989 Batman logo on my right upper arm. I plan on getting it (or the 1992, there is a difference) on my chest (post pectoral growth), the Nightwing logo on my upper left arm, and a variation of the Nightwing logo on my back (complete upper back, possibly to upper arms).

My mother won't be happy. She wasn't happy about the one I have now, so I'm going into proactive mode trying to ease into it. You know, your can't upset your momma, and she is always right, so I'm going to be out of luck no matter what. Maybe I'll wear makeup on them? But when I go swimming at their house ... well I couldn't. This requires more thought.

What are your thoughts on tattoos?

Untitled Post About Real Talk

First off, this post has two sections today. The funny section and the serious section. Sorry, I'm bipolar (type 2), deal with it.

Part One
I won't lie, lately it's been rough. Sure I put on a good facade, but I'm a sensitive guy, always have been. In fact, I'm so sensitive, that my skin is sensitive too, and I have to buy all sorts of special hygiene products to handle said sensitive skin. I joke, I know it's not related, but still I am sensitive about my sensitive skin.

I've apparently went on a food bender recently and have gained an inordinate amount of body weight. I am actually at the heaviest weight I've ever been. A lot of it is stress weight, and I'm retaining water. As long as it isn't my fault, then that's the problem.  I have said many times "I'm going on a diet and this time I mean it" and all I would really do was this:

This time, I am more motivated to get the results I want, and to keep them. The up and down of the scale's readings will be no more. One motivational factor is my health. I have a ton of health issues, and I don't want to die just yet, so I have to bring down my weight and BMI. If, however, I can not get the weight off, I will be Santa, forever.

I will be documenting my progress, and I will be taking photos and videos of my progress, but I won't show you. Well, if you ask nicely I might. None of these photos will be going in the calendar though. Not one.

Part Two
Sorry, I mixed both parts together into one part. I don't regret it.

And now for something completely different

I like to post on Facebook. I like to post funny things, witty retorts and the like. Do I do it too much? A recent incident (if you can call it that) has got me thinking about it.  If I'm making fun of myself, why would that offend you? Now, if I were outright being rude to you - sure, be upset with me, I get it.  This inner-searching, as it were, has led me to the conclusion that silence is better than anything.

You see I'm one of those people who try to make lemonade, or something like that. Laughter is the best medicine (at least the best without a prescription) and I like to dish it out to as many people as often as I can. Sure this one comment about my humor upset me, and sure I'm blowing it out of proportion, but they are my feelings and I can use them how I see fit.

I am in such a contemplative state about this that I've even been thinking about deleting a lot of my funny comments, because maybe they offended someone else and they never let me know. So, for all those I have indadvertedly offended:

I'm Sorry.

Excuse me kind sir, why is Batman here?

We went to the Texas Renaissance Festival this past weekend. They are always fun, between the activities, shows and the people watching, my body is about to give out. To expand on the title of today's post, I shall first tell you that indeed, there were a great many people dressed in period attire (as my wife and three girls were), but others were ... not in appropriate attire.

I can forgive and even agree with things like the Tardis, Dr. Who, and other such time and space traveling characters (it's a bit of a stretch, much like Sheldon going as Spock), but I'm cool with that. I saw Batman. In full, poor quality attire. It wasn't a Medieval Batman, it was Batman from The Dark Knight. It was odd and I didn't get my phone out fast enough for a picture. Also, I learned there is no way to quickly reach into your pocket to pull out your camera and take a photo without looking like a pervert.

Of course, as always After seeing my fat face in the pictures I have become depressed about losing weight. So I guess I'll get back to it. I wish it wasn't so undelicious.

Halloween Preparations et al

Before I continue, the contest from the previous post is still going on (go read it).

I now have my costume ready. I won't give away any hints because of the contest (not directly anyway). I think I might wear it to the Renaissance Faire in Houston as well, but this does not mean I won't be out of place, but I would hate to stand out.

As Alexandria (my five year old) sat up at the bar at our house and looked at me, she asked "Can I eat a lot of candy on Halloween?" Immediately I responded with "Yes."  I hope that doesn't make me a bad parent, but I remember my childhood and looking forward to bingeing on candy. I also remember the bellyache (or what I like to call the "Candy Hangover"). Now, as an adult (or what passes as one) I really don't care that much for candy. Call it a form of conditioning (like Pavlov's dogs) but it worked and it wouldn't be a bad thing if they stopped liking super sugary sticky candy.

Recently I was made aware of a condition I have, which is sleep apnea. I was also informed that because of it, that could be the reason for my high blood pressure, fatigue, and inability to lose weight (or maintain lost weight). Sleep study scheduled. 

Wow, this one is short. That's not what she said.

A Little Bit of Serious (Part 2)

There was an overwhelming amount of feedback (that I kept private) in response to my previous post. Thank you to everyone who took time to send me comments, I was quite moved.

For those of you who didn't send me anything - I won't judge you. (Yes I will)

Just kidding, I try not to judge anyone, because I've been judged too many times.

Enough of the serious, let's laugh a little. That's enough.

As you know (or should, if not - go back and read my blog. I'll wait. Done? Good, you may continue) I have been on a diet and I've been exercising. I'm not you know, super strict or anything so I'm obviously not meeting my goals. I want to look like:

Instead, I think I look like this:

I'd even settle for:

But, it's a work in progress so I can't be too judgmental about myself. Also therefore, neither can you.

Halloween is coming up, the only holiday where grown ups can dress up like little kids and little kids can dress up like grown ups (although looking at the students in middle school, you would think that they were much older than they are. I blame Miley Cyrus. Why Not.). I have a great costume in mind, and no, it's not Batman! Remember, I've got a fear of being labeled Fatman, so lay off. It will be a surprise for you, dear reader. All I can say is, it will be a great, great surprise if you see me.

CONTEST!!!

I would like to hear (read) your feedback. I would like you to tell me what you think I should be for Halloween. The Prize, you ask? Respect. Also I'll through in an amazon card or something ($15). I will randomly pick a winner before Halloween. Ready? Set! Go!

A Little Bit of Serious (Part 1)

Since you are reading this, I figure you are my friend and interested in what is going on in my life, or you are an evil genius looking for my single weakness. If you are the latter, good luck with that and FYI I hid a rancid piece of cheese somewhere in your closet. I win, and you stink - literally.

I thought I'd take the time to post a little about myself, just in case you really didn't know too much about me, but had a burning desire to learn more. That's right, I'm talking to you.

I was born when I was only two... well, I could skip forward a bit. My name is James. Let me list the things I am, both good and bad:

• Son (duh)
• Husband to a beautiful wife
• Father to three gorgeous little girls (3,5 & 7)
• Brother to a great sister (who will never read this I'm sure)
• Uncle
• IT Director (Think Computers)
• Gamer
• Out of Shape
• Bipolar
• Former podcaster (along with my wife)
• Writer (Search for me on Amazon)
• Student (You never stop learning)
• Teacher (You are always impressing upon others with your actions and reactions)

That's just a few things off the top of my head. I don't want to say that I have had a difficult life, but I've had quite a few challenges and I, in turn, have created challenges for those in my life.  Life is always a work in progress, and I'm progressing (not regressing).

A little more about me you say? Oh I couldn't. 

When I met Lyndsay on a blind date back in 1999, I knew it was special. I mean, I got nervous, the diarrhea kicked in and I almost passed out. That's pretty special in my book, the same thing happened at each of my daughters births - see, it's special. We were married in May of 2004, and our family grew in December of 2005. Again in May of 2008. Once more in March 2010. And ... I better stop there or my lovely wife will have words with me.

It's also am important note that out of the two of us, I remember all the dates. Birthdays, anniversaries, everything. She does remember some, but I love the look on her face when someone asks her the birthday of one of our children.

I am a writer, yes - I write things. I have two works of fiction in progress right now, and because I'm bipolar I am also reading five different books. My first published work has been received well, but with little financial success - I'm not in it for the money, if I was I'd be in trouble, at least at this point. It might interest you to know that I'm starting a book that is a series of bedtime stories. I have been forced at sippy cup point many times to make up a story on the spot at bedtime, so I'm writing them down, at least the good ones, you know the ones that don't just end because all the kids are asleep.

I think that's enough for now, I'll see if anyone is interested for a "Part 2". If you are, please let me know.

A Letter to My Wife, Lyndsay

First of all, let me clarify, I didn't put your name in the post to differentiate you from my other wives, I just wanted to put your name in the title. I only have one wife. It's you, FYI.

I sent this to Lyndsay, and it is with her permission that I share with you.

Lyndsay,

Hey. We've been through a lot, right? Geez, it seems like yesterday that we met on that blind date. That was over 14 years ago! Sometimes it's like a roller coaster with ups and downs, but luckily no one has fallen off so far.

When we were dating it was a new world, to both of us I think. I was (and still am) in awe of how someone so beautiful and kind can be so intelligent. To this day, I am surprised when you present a mental challenge to me, and I eventually give up and hope you don't mention it again. I shouldn't be shocked, I mean I should be used to it, right?  Part of being in love is falling in love again with the same person everyday, and that is why I realize how lucky I am. So maybe, I'm not shocked by you, so much as I'm shocked I have you and that you would want me.

You have given me three wonderful daughters, and I am so glad that they are beautiful like their mother, and have your quick wit. It happens more than I want to admit, but our seven year old will present a mental challenge just like you will. Luckily I can tell her to go to her room, not so much with you. Each of our daughters reminds me everyday why I fell in love with you and why I continue to fall in love each day.

Thank you for hanging in there through all the roller coaster rides.

Love,

James (Your Husband)

P.S. For some reason after I got through writing this I really wanted to go to Six Flags. Just FYI.

Getting Roped Into Getting Ripped

I've had time to think about this. I think I was tricked into getting ripped. Admittedly I don't mind, but I think it was a combination of pressure from Lyndsay, DietBet and Wolverine.  Lyndsay is doing so well at losing weight, and DietBet is a financial incentive to lose weight, and Wolverine, well, he's Wolverine.

I actually have made a lot of life changes lately, all for the better.  I'm making sure I eat better than I have been, and becoming aware of the amounts I eat. I tried the 'Jared Diet' and it didn't work for me. I mean if you eat 3 footlong meatball marinara subs a day, that should speed up the diet, right? Just kidding, I didn't do that. At least not all the time.

I've started getting more and more serious about my health, and now I'm taking it up a notch. Bam. I'll clue you in later on my plan and my progress, but let's just say it's going to be rigorous, tiring and I might not be able to walk for a few hours after each workout. Don't worry about me, we have a Radio Flyer wagon and Madison can pull me anywhere I need to go.

Every Saturday night, I sit down at the Bat Computer and go over my weekly progress, and change my weekly goals accordingly. On weeks like this week, I might not change much because my sinus issues have been holding me back a little, so I essentially might have to redo this week. For most of the week I've just been in a funk too. I'm getting out of it, maybe because the weekend is growing near, but I think mainly because of copious amounts of water, sinus medication and sleep.

Fifteen pounds. That is how much I've lost so far. I will work harder to drop it below the 200 mark, but at the same time I'm gaining muscle mass, so there will be a trade off. I'm sure I'll be alright for the calendar shoot.

Weight. Wait, What?

Ok, so I lost down to 216.4, which is almost, almost, 10 pounds. I was happy, and then, after two days of consistent 216.4 weigh-ins, I went up to 219. What the crap?

I have still been watching what I eat (loosely over the holiday weekend), and exercising. I might get more aggressive with the exercise, but not P90X aggressive. That's what I jumped into first, a month back, and almost died. Of course, I'm exaggerating, but seriously, it nearly killed me. I'm going to get more aggressive with the walking\jogging and turn it into running. The Zombies, Run! app is great for motivation, just ask Lyndsay. When we were walking and I heard the zombies behind me and gaining, I took off and left her to fend for herself. It wasn't that I was cold hearted, it was my first instinct, to run away flailing my arms in the air and start sobbing uncontrollably. I hope the neighbors can get used to that.

I haven't been able to work on my upper body much, but I will start that soon. A lot of people have asked for a sample from the upcoming calendar. I thought, and thought about this, and I decided I would give the people what they demand. Here is my July picture in the calendar:

I couldn't be bothered to put my food down during the shoot, so sue me. 

Aside from my skull splitting sinus headache I've had for a few days, I have nothing stopping me from upping my game. The DietBet strategy seems to work, you know, lose weight or lose money - I' m going to try and keep my money, you know so I can buy my wife beautiful things.

On a serious note, for all those who have asked how I am losing weight and getting ripped, here is what I am doing:

• Eating Better, more conscious of the Fat, Calories and Sugar in what I put in my body. I use MyFitnessPal to track my food, so I know about where I am.
• Exercising - starting off slowly, but anything will burn calories and make you feel good about yourself. I use my FitBit to measure my distance, steps, etc. It helps.
• Meditation\Relaxation. Sounds stupid, right? I thought so, but if you read the studies I have, you'll see that it has been proven that mediation, even for 5 minutes a day helps a) relieve stress and b) improve weight loss. Try the website calm.com or their app, it is crazy how well it works.
• Regular Sleep cycles. I have, in the past, just slept when I could. Now I'm going to bed at a fairly constant time and waking up at a constant time. It helps with your circadian rhythm. (Ironically some studies have shown that rhythm to actually be a 25 hour rhythm.)

Yep, that's it. It might be hard to get used to at first, but it gets easier. I was fasting two days a week, but I didn't really see a large measurable benefit so I stopped. It helps that Lyndsay is doing this too, and she is doing better than me and I am very proud of her.  I think I'm going to run the idea of rewards past her. You know, when we get to a milestone we can reward ourself, for example, when I reach my 200 pound milestone, I can get a Jaguar. The car, not the animal - that would just be silly.

Running, Gold Bond and Screaming

As a lot of you know, I have gotten more regular with my exercise, and I feel great. What a lot of you may not know is that I am Bipolar, Type II to be exact. It's common for those on the medications I am on to gain weight, or at least not be able to lose weight. In my research (which I do a lot of) I found that Vitamin D has helped a lot of Bipolar patients to be able to shed that medication weight and then some. I started supplementing Vitamin D in pill form. I don't know if it is coincidence or what, but 24 hours after starting the supplement, I lost 1.1 pounds, the most I have lost in 24 hours in some time. Enough about me, let's talk more about me.

I'm starting off slow, I tried starting fast and ended up with two sets of muscles getting pulled in my right rib cage, which was not very motivational to say the least. I restarted my re-entry to getting physically fit slowly, with walking. Sounds like I'm slowly making my way up to power walking at the park, I know, but it's just to get my body used to the elevated heart rate and get my muscles prepared to get demolished as I get ripped.

To continue, when you are not accustomed to such motions for a prolonged amount of time, and your thighs are ... a little bigger than they should be, you might get a little chaffed. I did. After putting up with the searing heat that this caused for a day (and one more 2 mile walk) I decided it would be best to address the issue before I started walking like a cowboy who had been riding a horse for 5 years straight. I remember hearing that Gold Bond started making a spray. Jackpot. I proceeded to my neighborhood Walgreens and began my search. It took a few minutes to find, and I wasn't about to ask where it was because I didn't want them assuming where I might be using said product.  I finally found the spray! I was so happy, but there was an attractive female in my way. Now, at this point I had been walking in the store a while and my thighs were screaming for relief, so I decided I didn't care what people thought, and asked the lady to excuse me while I got the relieving spray for my fat boy thighs.

All was well with the world, I was thinking what a marvelous age we live in, until I used the spray. Do not get me wrong, it worked as advertised, but I missed the part about it being 'cooling.' It should have said it was capable of cryogenically freezing your pain away until the future figured out how to fix it.  I screamed.  At first it was a 'holy moly I going to die' scream, then it faded into a 'holy moly I love America' scream. I mean, surely Americans invented this right? At any rate it went from pain to scary unknown pain to (finally) relief. Thank you for reading this, I know the mental images will be hard to get rid of.

As an update, since I don't care if you know what I weigh, I am currently 217.5 with a short term goal of 200, and a long term goal of 185-190. I hope to lose inches and gain muscle mass. I mean, I only have so much time before the calendar goes out, right?

DietBet Loss in Sight

I  have lost weight. I am just shy of my goal (within 2 lbs), but alas today it is over. I have until tonight to lose those two pounds. I have one thing going for me, it is my fast day, but I don't think I'll be able to lose 2 pounds in about 12 hours.

All is not sad though. I have gotten a lot more health conscious and I have started to exercise more. These were goals I had set a long time ago, and it took a bet to get me going on it. I think that I will join another one after this, to keep the motivation going. If I do not lose any weight today, the next dietbet will have me losing 8.5~9 pounds to meet my goal. I'm optimistic that I can do that.

Anyone up for a DietBet?

OK. I've lost weight. Fasting might be working, and when they say at first it's horrible (since your body gets used to eating even when it's not hungry) - believe them - it is horrible. It get's better.

In 9 days I've lost around 4~5 pounds. Not bad considering I haven't started the intense workouts that will give me the body of Thor or Wolverine yet. Those come later. I am now confident in my choice to take routine pictures of myself for the purpose of documenting my progress (also the later pictures will be in my calendar - preorder now!).

Fasting Working?

So, as I said in my last post, I'm trying the fasting method of weight control. It also lets your body work to heal itself while it's not having to fight off the bad things that are in the food we eat. Friday I fasted, Saturday morning, results were apparent. Two things were obvious. I dropped over a pound, and I was hungry.

Ready, Set - Fast!

After doing some research, I've decided to try fasting 2 days a week. I plan on doing this for the rest of August, logging my progress here and taking pictures, of course.

I figure the best way to space the 2 fasting days will be Monday and Thursday. My science behind that is that Sunday is out since I want to eat, and usually we go to my parents for lunch and I get to eat a mom cooked meal. Fridays and Saturdays are out because those are possible cook out days. So, that left Monday-Thrusday. I wanted to space them out as far as I could, so Monday and Thursday won the lottery. Science.

With great power comes great ... something

WARNING DO NOT GET OFFENDED THIS IS FOR FUNNIES

I know that the internet was created for complaining, and I try (usually not so well) to refrain from gratuitous use of that right. After much reading and holding my tongue, here are some of my findings.

Blog Layout Update

I've decided to change up a few things on the old blog today, make it more... me. If it doesn't work out, I'll do something else, but for now this is how it will be.

The diet goes on, and with it I am hungry. It doesn't help being so busy at work that I don't have time for lunch, or that I usually never eat breakfast. I'll work on making time for eating - I hear it's important.  Post injury I think I'm ready to start trying to workout again, of course now I'm aware I should ease into it instead of being really aggressive. Pictures of progress (if any) will be shared.

Diet, Injuries - The Usual

Well, I did start the DietBet (Profile Here). I've been doing well, with only one minor setup so far. If you follow me on Facebook, then you obviously read my complaints about being too out of shape to work out. Facebook was invented for people to complain, right? I pulled two sets of muscles in my right rib cage causing me to wake up at 5 AM screaming because someone stabbed me in my side and I couldn't breathe without feeling the knife that was obviously still lodged between my ribs. It sounds like an over exaggeration, but that is a fairly accurate description of the pain and general feeling. What did I learn from this? Don't go into inverted push ups on your first semi serious session returning to working out. I will say, I did pretty good at the time though.

Lyndsay is trying to make me eat healthier, and I'm trying, but food is like a drug that you have to be weened off of, one steak at a time. Honestly I know I need to eat better, and for short times I will, but I need to learn that to live healthier and longer I got to watch what fuel I put into my engine. Also what I eat.

I still never heard any input about doing a video journal, so let me know your thoughts!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Another year has came and went and I'm a year older.

This past year has had a lot of ups, and even more downs. Fortunately, the ups were enough to make this year worth all the downs. There are personal things that I am not ready to discuss publicly yet, but let's say I'm lucky to be alive and leave it at that.

As I was swimming at my Mom & Dad's house yesterday at my party, I was once again struck with the fact that I had indeed gained too much weight. So with that in mind and the image of Hugh Jackman's body from The Wolverine, I'm upping my game. I have entered into a DietBet and will blow it out of the water. To win the bet, I must lose just under 9 pounds in 30 days. My personal goal (long term) is about 50 pounds gone, unless I gave muscle weight, then I am perfectly fine with the trade. First step is weight loss though. I'll be updating my blog and all my fitness apps regularly, and I have even thought more heavily about doing the video blog to track my feeling and progress during the journey.

What do you think?

Keep on Truckin

Almost a week after my big decision to jump into this, I haven't gotten very far. I am down a few pounds, but not enough to consider my plan "working." I would like to jump head first into all the exercise, food and drink changes, but small steps are needed for me. I fear change, and this - as silly as it sounds - is a big life change. It's not just a change until I reach my ideal weight, it's a change for health as well.

With all of the projected changes, I think it's caused a serious panic reaction, so I may be taking it easier than I had hoped, but any progress is progress.

On to the next challenge.

Redemption

So, I've not been exactly regular here. I'll try to fix that. I also have spoke many times about losing weight and being serious about it. Well, now I am, but I'm not going to say how serious I am. It was spurred by  someone saying I looked like a person in a TV show. I was unfamiliar with the show so I looked that person up. He was fat. That was an eye opener. First I wanted to get mad, but then I realized, I am overweight. So, I'm getting to it. I'm cutting calories, and I'm slowly going to get back into biking and weight training. I will be posting updates.

As before I will be taking pictures, but will refrain from posting them until I myself see positive results. I have considered starting a dietbet.com thing like my friend Marcia did, but I'm in this for me, and winning money would be nice, but boosting my energy and self confidence is a better reward. I will share this with you:http://www.myfitnesspal.com/merlinglx - my MyFitnessPal profile page. I did start at 230 and have slowly gotten down to 220, but I need to be more aggressive. I actually wouldn't mind being 220 with a smaller waist and larger chest. Just a thought.

What a Weekend

First off, I want to apologize for any spelling and grammar mistakes in this post. I feel terrible and I am only sitting up long enough to type this, then I'm lying down for about 2 years, give or take a month.

The good news is that I'm now published! My short story, Michael's Education is on Amazon for 1.99 - Click Here. It's not very long, I had to keep this one under 5000 words, so please forgive me. There is another book coming out that picks up where this one left off in a few months (not constrained to 5000 words). Please spend a few bucks and check it out, it would make me happy. I also have made good progress on my novel and will release an update on it soon, still raising money for publishing (since I want it in hard copy form and listed nationally).

Well, sorry to cut this short, but I think I'm dying, so until next time.

So far, so meatless

Small Update here on the diet.

It is working well, I do seem to have more energy, but that could be a placebo. I'm losing inches (dropped one pant size so far) and I'm building a lot more upper body strength. Instead of being Batman, I might have to be Bane (Due to upper body size, not because I'm now evil).

See. Told you it was short.

Update on New Lifestyle, and Other Things

Well, even though it's Saturday, it's not any time for me to slack off. I rode the stationary bike for about 20 minutes, and walked around my property (the whole 2 acres) for another 10. Only reason I didn't ride the entire time was that it was getting too hot in my shop and I couldn't find my fan. I'll find it before I try to tackle my goal of 10 miles in one ride.

I'm still doing well on being borderline vegan, so I'm hoping that I'll be alright during the Easter Feasts to come tomorrow. I did cooked Eggs and Bacon for the family for breakfast, both of which I won't eat (meat and\or diary). I did sneak in almond milk in the eggs instead of regular milk. ;)

With all the exercising and stuff I've been doing, I've not bragged on my carpentry skills:

My side of the bed.

Lyndsay's side of the bed.

I've been doing well at designing and building floating shelves, and so far, nothing has fallen! I'm not sure about my next trial, but I think it will be a coffee table themed after some caped crusader… Before that though, I have about two or three leather projects to knock out. It's amazing what you can get accomplished if you just try.

Dieting and Exercise

Let me tell you first, dieting is a loose term, if you want to stay slim and healthy, apparently you have to change what you eat (at least most of the time) forever. As for exercise, well, we all should be exercising anyway, so no complaints there (I'm lying, I'll complain). To get back into the rhythm of exercising\working out, I've started out with the stationary bike (4-7 miles per session) and pushups, started with 15, trying to increase by 5 every night, until I get to around 50 and then I'll keep it there for a while, because I'll add some weight exercises to the mix. I know this doesn't sound like a familiar James, but I'm not unfamiliar with working out, the food change however is uncharted land and I might be a red shirt crewman. The worst that could happen is I fail, so no harm, no foul, and if I go through with it and I succeed, then hooray for me. In case you're wondering, I'm staying away from meats and dairy products. Definitely vegetarian, and borderline vegan. I never thought I'd be trying it, but with great power comes more vegetables. I said I would post pictures, but not today. I will say in the 3 days I have been doing this, I have lost 4 pounds, which is great. I also have a lot more energy and I sleep better. I also can fly now. Alright, caught me, I was joking - I'm not sleeping that much better. On a side note, I have been making sure to get my recommended amount of water in:

Not being used to so much liquid intake has made me appreciate the fact that the restroom is right next to my office. Really. Hopefully within a week I'll have a photo to show, I'll definitely keep you updated, but I may still be too self-conscious to show my pudgy tummy to you. Check out some of my progress: RunKeeper

Diet - This Time I Mean It

As with all previous tries, I'm heading into a diet with full force, but this time I'm not going to give up. It was the realization that I had to wear size 40 pants that depressed me enough into getting serious. I'm going to try my best to get results through hard work and will power. Sounds corny, but ultimately those are the only things that will provide results.

I'll keep the progress updated on here, and possibly have progress pictures, but those will come later, as I have progress to show, and not just my fat body.

Writing is easy, funding is hard

To say writing is easy is actually a lie, I should say that writing is easier that getting funding for publishing, at least for a new author. I understand that there is a doubt that the book will ever see the light of fluorescent in a book store, but I think that I'm worth the risk. However, this experience will surely lead to an essay called "I Wrote a Book and No One Read It".

I appreciate the current donations more than the donators probably realize, I think I'm starting to love them all, those with faith in me.

I have tried to spend as much time with my family, but there is a lot of time spent in my home office writing away or at our kitchen counter writing down notes. There is also the all too common waking up in the middle of the night because I had an idea that I needed to get in my notebook before it left my brain. Putting a price tag on my time is hard - but I think that over the course of writing this book (and all processes related) is worth well more than the $5,000 I'm seeking for publishing, which isn't for my time it's for me being able to publish my book so that the world (or at least the United States for now) can read and hopefully enjoy my story. It's a long 11 (probably 10 now) days, and my hope is low, so I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Please Help!

Busy Busy … Busy

Well, I've been busy. Busy writing, busy working, busy. I've been working on getting a copyright in place so that I can post the first chapter (or at least part of it) of my new book, so be sure to subscribe to my blog so that you'll get notified when it's ready.

I've been also working on the new Gaming Together site, and planning for a return of the podcast, but that might be farther off than anticipated. In addition to that, I've been designing some leather items that I'll be selling soon - some are gaming related, such as Nathan Drake's shoulder holster and Desmond Miles Backpack. The holster should be pretty close to the one in game, while the backpack will have a lot of modifications, including a slight color change. Let me know if you might be interested in that and I'll post sketches as well as tentative prices and shipping dates.

For those of you who don't know, I've gained some weight. I've learned that when someone says "You're looking healthy" that's a polite way to say "Hey, you're getting fat." I'm now on a diet, started at 215 and now I'm down to 212 (after 2 days), I think it's a fluke that so much loss has happened so fast, but I'm not questioning it.

While some of my other stories\books won't be leaving my computer for sometime, I've been working hard at securing a publisher for my current work, so I'm hoping to have it on shelves before the end of the year.

As I mentioned before, I plan on updating this more often, and I'm slowly living up to that, so please - stay tuned!

New Book

I just let Lyndsay read the first chapter of my new book, and after making her grammatical corrections (typical teacher) she said it almost made her cry. The book, which is complete fiction is a very emotional book and I didn't realize it was until she pointed it out. The first chapter is by far the least emotional, so if she does read the rest (and I expect her to) she may be an emotional wreck. For those of you who don't know, I am a writer, aspiring to be published, but for now, I am happy writing what I do, when I can. I have started my autobiography, but I figured I may still be too young to finish that one out, so I have it on the back burner, adding to it slowly. Now that I'm back in the swing of things on my blog, don't forget to subscribe! I will post the first chapter, but I need to secure the copyright first.

More Regular...

I haven't been faithful to updating my blog. I realized the other day that I enjoy writing the blog wether or not anyone likes reading it. Don't get me wrong I am extremely happy that some people do, but I shouldn't be writing for approval, so I won't.

2012 was a pretty bad year for me, on a lot of levels, and while I'm not ready to go into details, lets just say that the last few months have been much better than the whole of  the year. The exception to this is the last week, which has been my time to endure strep throat. 

Here are a few of the things I've learned from 2012:

• Never take anything for granted
• Easy solutions aren't always the right ones
• Take time for yourself, but not too much
• Reevaluate your priorities often, make sure things are where they need to be

Sounds silly, but it is very effective.