What are the Rules?

Here is some friendly advice. Remember, this advice isn't just relevant for the Month of October, horrible things can happen any day of the year....

 

The Rules

 

1. When it appears that you have killed the monster, NEVER check to see if it's really dead.

2. Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.

3. Do not search the basement, especially if the power has gone out.

4. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they should not know, shoot them immediately. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. However, it will probably take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared. This also applies to kids who speak with somebody else's voice.

5. When you have the benefit of numbers, NEVER pair off and go it alone.

6. As a general rule, don't solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.

7. Never stand in, on, or above a grave, tomb, or crypt. This would apply to any other house of the dead as well.

8. If you're searching for something which caused a loud noise and find out that it's just the cat, GET THE HELL OUT!

9. If appliances start operating by themselves, do not check for short circuits; just get out!

10. Do not take ANYTHING from the dead.

11. If you find a town which looks deserted, there's probably a good reason for it. Don't stop and look around!

12. Don't fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you're sure you know what you're doing. And even if you're sure you know what you're doing, just don't fool with it!

13. If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.

14. If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, kill them immediately.

15. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (you're in trouble if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine.

16. If your car runs out of gas at night on a lonely road, do not go to the nearby deserted looking house to phone for help. If you think that it is strange because you thought you had half of a tank, shoot yourself instead. You are going to die anyway, and most likely be eaten.

17. If you find that your house is built upon a cemetery, now is the time to move in with the in-laws. This applies to houses that had previous inhabitants who went mad or died in some horrible fashion, or had inhabitants who performed satanic practices in your house.

Legend ~ by David Gemmell

This author was recommended to me by my friend Blaine. It had taken me months to pick it up after I bought it, and another month (or more) to finish it, but in the end I have to say that I loved this book. I admit, it was a little hard to get into when I first started. David Gemmell's way of transitioning between POV's really bothered me, and I have to wonder, is it like this in all his books? If so I don't know if I could stand to read anymore.
As for the story itself I really did enjoy it. It is based in the Drenai Empire as it is going to war against the Nadir Empire. I couldn't decide if these people were Vikings or just barbarians, but whatever, in my head they were all bearded fur laden Vikings with horns on their helmets and axes. The odds were basically 50/1 for the Nadir with their 500,000 and the Drenai with their 10,000 and the Drenai had to hold a fortress for at least a month before reinforcements would arrive. The Nadir a war race and the Drenai made up of farmers, towns people and a few soldiers.

Their only hope a 60 year old man called Druss the Legend. Can he whip the men into shape in order to hold the fortress?

The book centers mostly around 2 main characters. Druss and Regnak and their struggles inwardly and outwardly with a war that seems hopeless and their mortality. I loved how other characters were drawn into the plot to help move the story and let you get a feel for what the main characters were like on the outside view as well as the inside view.

David Gemmell helped draw the picture of war from the POV of some rather minor characters and their thoughts and feelings and the temporary-ness of everything. I think he wanted you to feel what they felt and for their desperation at such a hopeless time.

It was slow going at first as characters were introduced and the plot set up. I had a hard time staying focused on reading. It got better as the book went on (ignoring the POV annoyance) and by the time I was 2/3 of the way through I found it hard to put down. There was just so much build up for the last few chapters of the book it was almost annoying, The preparation for war, the love story, the struggles of common man, the supernatural aspects... it all came together in the end. I liked the characters and I cried a little as our heroes fell and cheered for their victories.

It does have a happy ending though as happy as an ending it can be after everyone pretty much dies and you're left thinking about how terribly sad it is. However as a whole the book leaves you with a sense of good triumphing over evil in whatever ways they can.

 

And just for a little tid-bit of useless information, David Gemmell died at 58 years of age in 2006 of coronary artery disease.

 

Will I pick up another David Gemmell book to read.... maybe.

The new pandemic

John had an appointment with the Neurologist last Thursday and it looks like its time to start scaling down the amount of meds he is taking. Up until last week he was taking 360 mg of Verapamil (which is commonly used to treat high blood pressure.) He was to take 120 mg in the afternoon and 240 mg in the evening. After this last visit to the Neurologist he has lowered the dose to just the 240 mg in the mornings. He wants to slowly cut the dosage over the next few months and see how that goes for John. So far so good.

One thing about the visit to the doctor this trip around that really annoys us is that he has now back-tracked over everything he had told us before and is now saying something completely different. Oh, don't worry, it's still Psuedomigraines with Blah-blah, Blah blah blah. From this point on it will just be referred to as the Dinosaur Flu or just Dino Flu for short. (good, is everyone up to speed? lets move on)

First off, Doctor says, "Take your pills at night because it lowers your heart rate." This time he says, "You should be taking those in the mornings."

Next up, Doctor says "Your condition shouldn't cause you to lose the ability to speak/walk/function." This time he says, "Oh yes, this [Dino Flu] can cause you to lose the ability to speak/walk/function."

And here's my favorite, Doctor says, "It shouldn't cause you to lose the feeling in your left side. Its just temporary and the feeling will come back when the symptoms subside." This time he says, "It looks like you have some loss of mobility on your left side... blah blah blah."

Needless to say John and I were both just dumbfounded by his keen observations over the last 6 months. Make me just want to whack the guy and ask if he ever looks at his files before talking to a patient. Ugh! John did say that the doctor did seem genuinely happy to see him this time vs. the last few times when we had gone to an appointment and it seemed like we were wasting his precious time with Johns health problems. "Gosh, I'm sorry, Mister Neurology Doctor, that I have bothered you with a neurologic disorder. I'll just go climb back into the dark corner I came out of so you can spend your time on something you want to take care of more then me."  !! What the heck...

After John's last serious episode that sent him to the emergency room (7/9/09) he has some left over effects that we are not sure if they're here to stay. He has lost some feeling on the left side of his body. He says it's like his body is half asleep on the left side causing a loss of sensitivity and sense of touch. Add that to the blank spots left from his back surgery and you could play pin the tail on John and he'd only feel half the pin pricks. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible lack of feeling. He can still function and its not something that effects his motor functions so he's really alright.

The next lingering effect of the last episode is the fact that he's a little slower then he used to be. He walks slower he talks slower, it takes longer for him to process his thoughts. I don't know how noticeable this is to others but with me getting to see him and talk to him everyday it is obvious to me.

He is tired all the time. He likes to blame his tiredness on his medications, but I really think that it is just him and not the pills. I'm not going to say that the pills don't cause fatigue, but I think a lot of the fatigue comes from himself. Who knows. all I know is that I don't always have to nap by myself anymore. (good and bad)

So there is the health update for the time being. Basically I just want to throw my hands in the air and scream about the incompetency of doctors and their lack of consistency. Bleh Doctors. But I wont because at least as of last week the Neurologist sounded like he knew some-what of what he was talking about. I guess we'll see what he says next month.

 

the end

 

September 24

My Natalie on her 1st Birthday.

Depression and Disappointments

I found this article on the comcast news yesterday. Its about a woman who was implanted with the wrong embryo at her fertility clinic and how the pregnant couple are giving the baby back to its biological parents. When I first read this I was stunned to silence, I couldn't even come up with a coherent sentence about it, but now I'm just sad for them. I think that would be so traumatic on the part of both families but I'm impressed at the decision that they have made. I don't know if I could do that.  I also think it's totally sad that the woman carrying the child isn't going to try again after this birth because she to old (40!? that's not too old) I think in the end the whole story is just heart breaking.

Once or twice back when we were super poor I looked in to being a Surrogate because it pays really well (upwards of $100,000 - $200,000 to the right families) but in the end I decided that that was just something I could NOT do. I can't imagine carrying a baby for all those months and not being able to keep it. I don't think I'd ever get over that. So that idea passed in the wind.

 

Then there was another story on the internet about a lady who was already pregnant and managed to conceive again about 3 weeks after her first baby was conceived. They say they are not twins and can tell because their growth early on would be about the same even though twins can vary in size to each other later in the pregnancy. By ultrasound measurements and gestation age one baby is 2 and 1/2 weeks behind the other at least. One is due at the end of the year and one the beginning of next year. Here it is that I can't even manage to get pregnant once and she catches 2 eggs in 3 weeks!

 

I think I've just been having a crappie past few days because AF is supposed to show Monday (probably over the weekend) and my hormones are just ramping up for super PMS day. My temp dropped today so I'm sure she's on her way. Boo! 

I recently found out that one of my friends mom's has cancer. This mom had been like a mom to me too, and I love her so much. Learning about her condition has really put me in kind of an emotional roller coaster because it makes me think about Lariann. Last Saturday was the 3 year anniversary of the day her tumor made itself known. It's been a hard week for me & john. He's struggling with the meaning of it all, and I can't say I blame him. I have been thinking about what I missed out on telling her and hugging her and being with her in the last few weeks she was alive and it just doesn't seem right.

 

Then one thing leads to another and my train of thought touches on all the friends I have had that have passed away in just the last 4 years... This Saturday will be the 4 year anniversary of my cousin Ryan's death (September 26, 2005). Its crazy to think its been that long because it all seems so close to me and I've had to go to funeral after funeral once every 6 months for a while and now it seems like once a year for people my age that are my friends or family or both. It just doesn't seem fair some days.

 

I don't really have anything else to say today, I'm having a hard day, I have been thinking about my little sister and how much I miss her. I just need to soldier forward and get through it.

 

Books are made of paper

There was a discussion on one of the websites I frequent recently about Brandon Sanderson having the draft for A Memory of Light posted online. But I just wanted to clarify that that is not true. Brandon Sanderson has some of HIS writing up online, not The Gathering Storm. You can find Tons of stuff about Brandon and his writing at www.brandonsanderson.com you can check out his writing skills and follow-up on his threads about writing The Gathering Storm as well as his reviews and observations about all 11 (+ a prequel) books of the wheel of time.

Chapter 1 of The Gathering Storm is also posted on www.tor.com so you can peruse the merchandise. The Prologue was also released as an eBook on 9/17 so you can go find that to buy if you want to read one of Brandon/Jordan's work.

Another excellent way of following up on WoT news and information is on www.dragonmount.com

As for the writing - Chapter one was great. It was missing a lot of description that Jordan put in about EVERYTHING, but it left a lot up to the readers imagination to fill in with your own Jordan-esque description, which I liked. At the beginning of the chapter it "felt" different reading it but as I got into it and it was just the WoT again.

 

I purposely did not read to many Sanderson books prior to the release of The Gathering Storm because I didn't want to know what Brandon sounded like vs. what Robert Jordan sounded like. I did read Elantris and War Breaker but in just 2 book I couldn't really get a feel for him as an author, but I think he'll do okay... I guess we'll all find out in 32 days. !!

 

I had a grand plan of re-reading the entire series before the release of The Gathering Storm. I started reading The Eye of the World back in May and I'm still reading the Eye of the World and it's September. I just don't have the time to dedicate to reading that I used to.

I would suggest reading a recap of all the stories up to the point of TGS if you don't want to actually sit down and read the books. I have been catching up with the plots by reading the Wheel of Time Re-Read on Tor.com. Here is the link to the index page:
Wheel of Time Re-Read Index

I have been enjoying reading this ladies reviews and it has gotten me up to speed. She is currently in Book 6 with her posts and is supposed to have them all reviewed before the release of the book.

 

Okay, now that I have just nerded myself out for the day I’ll stop talking about these books.

Yo Ho Ho!

Ahoy! Me forgot t' post fir talk like a pirate day yesterday.... Arrrrgh!

So me hope e'eryone had a great time celebratin' your Saturday Pirate style. Gar!!

Pirate Translator:: http://www.talklikeapirateday.com/translate

Interesting reading

I found this on www.goodreads.com, I thought it was great so I wanted to share. I thought it so relevant in the current world. And I have to admit I had to google "blue gourami" after I read this.

 

I Googled You... by W. B.

 

I Googled you so I know you don't really like me.I Googled you so now I know you're homophobic. I Googled you so I know you have a problem with black-identified Jewish lesbians who drive Saabs. I Googled you and I saw you have a bad reputation with amateur schnauzer fanciers. I Googled you and your students give you bad grades on your humanity. I Googled you and saw the court transcripts on the "swimming pool" incident with the thirteen year old. I Googled you and your email and found your weekend tricks. I Googled you and know you're a maniac.I Googled you and know where you live. I Googled you and just did a satellite aerial surveillance of your backyard and just saw your wife go into the shed with your neighbor.I Googled you and saw your Facebook account and found you added all my exes. I Googled you and saw you were a Mennonnite but couldn't take the pressure. I Googled you and found your "satisfied customer" comments at BarelyLegalBullets.com. I Googled you and found at Classmates.com you were voted "Most Likely to Turn Sniper." I Googled you because I won't sleep at night if you don't like me.I Googled you because I think you're sort of sexy. I Googled you because I think I have the same stomach tumor you do. I Googled you because I wondered if you've found a name for your pathology yet.I Googled you because I think your lips are hot in that blue gourami way. I Googled you because I wanted to know if anybody else realizes you're a sex object.I Googled you because we're both going to die which means we will have to stop arguing obliquely. I Googled you because you won't speak to me. I Googled you because there isn't much time left. I Googled you because I wanted directions to the cemetery closest to you. I Googled you because I wanted to invite you to a midnight picnic there. I Googled you because I forgot why. I Googled you because this is what we do now. I Googled you because I was afraid. I Googled you because you don't really exist, but maybe you do. I Googled you because I had a nightmare about you crawling through my window with a laptop and a knife. I Googled you because you seem to have a great way of making friends by remaining coldly silent. I Googled you because there was nothing else to do. I Googled you because you seemed like you needed a hug or a firearm. I Googled you because it was the best I could do. I Googled you because Google said I should. I Googled you and that is the end of a story that needs no beginning.

eerie coincidences ... I'm a little slow on the draw

Apparently while I was away on my mission there was a short lived TV spin-off of the X-Files called The Lone Gunmen. I didn't know this until several months ago when it was pointed out to me by my significant other. I was excited because out of all the characters in the X-Files series, I think the Lone Gunmen were my favorites.

 

Flash forward to September 15, 2009 at 7:09 pm. After having previously watched the complete series of the X-Files, I decided to venture into the Lone Gunmen series to complete my collection. So for date night the husband and I curl up on the bed with a plate of cold french fries and ginger ale to enjoy our evening and pop in the first disk of this series... To my surprise it was an evening that lingers in the subconscious.

 

Pilot episode (originally aired 3/4/01) opens with the Lone Gunmen trying to steal a computer chip for one of their articles about government conspiracies hacking into your personal life, yada yada yada, and quickly the plot turns to the death of Byers' father. To make a long story short, Byers' father isn't really dead as he survived an assassination attempt to cover up the war game scenario known as "scenario D-12" that a small faction of the government is putting into action to increase arms sales. War-mongering at it's core...

 

What is Scenario D-12? It is a scenario that it has to do with airline counter-terrorism that, as Byers' father puts it, "isn't a game any more".

 

Bertrum Byers says in answer to his son's question: "The Cold War’s over, John. But with no clear enemy to stockpile against, the arms market’s flat. But bring down a fully loaded 727 in to the middle of New York City and you’ll find a dozen tin-pot dictators all over the world just clamoring to take responsibility, and begging to be smart-bombed.”

 

And thus introduces the main plot of the show... The lone Gunmen must stop the government from enacting a scheme to bomb an airliner over NYC creating war profiteering and a rise in the arms market... However once Byers and his father are on the plane searching out the bomb, they discover that the plane IS the bomb. Thankfully as the show progresses Langly, Forhike, and Byers save the day by disabling the remote access that is steering the plane straight in to the World Trade Center Towers and in the end Byers' father says that he's not going public with the plot and information because his life, and his sons are more important then fighting for the "American Dream."

 

Again, I love the Lone Gunmen, but this plot had me on edge. I was shocked at the first mention of bring a plane down in NYC. I was doublely shocked when they discovered that the plane was the bomb and it was heading straight for the Corner of Liberty and Washington, in Lower Manhattan. But I found myself holding my breath and fighting back a little panic when they showed the plane careening towards the towers before they were able to gain access and pull the plane up with only seconds left to spare. 

 

I don't know that shocked is the right word, but I can't think of another adjective that quite explains how I felt watching that show last night.  

 

I have avoided a lot of the 9/11 coverage the last few years for several reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is that I find myself in tears for the loss of innocence/trust/lives ...  I have had a growing sense of paranoia that has been compounded by my depression, disappointments, trials, and life experiences that makes it all seem so bleak. Some days I look at the world and see that it is all bad and that feeds into my paranoia of if I leave my house something terrible is going to happen to me. Last Friday, on the 8th anniversary of 9/11 John was flipping through channels and stopped on a documentary for like five minutes and I was choked up with tears with in a few minutes.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this isn't the same world I grew up in, and I can feel it as well as see it. I don't know that I will ever watch the pilot episode of this series again because it reminded me of all the bad things that I'd like to forget. And if I were the distributer of this DVD collection (that was released in 2005) I would have added a Warning "This show contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing".

 

I know, I know, I do complain a lot about the warnings that they put on things because quite frankly I think they are over used and ridiculous and we're stifling our children’s imaginations and lives by telling them that they can't/won't/never do there SO MANY things that we got to do as kids that the youth of today are dissuaded from, blah blah blah... I'll rant on this high-horse some other time. But needless to say, THIS episode probably should run that warning for all of us who lived through 9/11, for the families of victims, for those who were deeply effected by the events of that day and for the children who don't understand why mommy and/or dad turns the channel or leaves the room to cry when certain events are replayed in a thousand different ways on the tele.

  

did that make any sense?? who cares.

 

fin.

 

 

Jinkies!

Well here it is, another week already.

 

The current count down until U2 is 38 days! Yay! I'm so super excited. There was a little scare last week as to whether or not Norm would still be coming with us but that was resolved and hopefully it will all work out the way it is supposed to. I really didn't want to sit by strangers for the biggest event of the year.

 

There are 42 days until the release of The Gathering Storm! Book # 12 in the Wheel of Time Series. This is a much awaited book and even though the original Author, Robert Jordan, passed away September 16, 2007 it is being completed by a UTAH author Brandon Sanderson. Chapter one of the novel is currently available on Tor.Com. True, you have to register for the site to read the chapter, but it really doesn’t hurt and you can always un-join later. I really liked the chapter that is posted. I read the first chapter while at work last week and I have to say .... I LOVED IT!
It felt different. The writing style was unfamiliar and not RJ's voice, but what did I (or anyone else) expect. Once I got into the chapter though it was fine. It passed by a little too quickly for me like it was missing so much. But then I realized that the author wasn't describing everything in minute detail like RJ always did. Not that that's a bad thing, just different..
All in all, it was great and I did love it and I can't wait for the book to come out. I had almost had myself convinced that I needed to buy the Prologue when it is released 9/17 as an ebook, but in the end I decided that I really don't NEED it and I can wait until 10/27 for the book to come out.

 

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is this Saturday, September 19th. I'm super excited. So far the only plans for the day are to stay in watching Pirate movies and drinking Grog ... (which in my house is spiced cider. no rum for me...) Put together with some saltines and jerky and we'll call it a day. So far the movies on the Pirate list are the following: The Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, and 3. Muppet Treasure Island. Treasure Planet. It was also discussed that we should rent Cut Throat Island and the Pirates of Penzance but we'll see if we make it to the video store this week.... does anyone else have a good Pirate movie that could be added to our list??

 

The Lawn FINALLY got mowed this past Saturday (for the first time in almost a month). Boy was that a job! First of all the weed-whacker needs some serious help. It seems that no matter what I do I can't wrap the string correctly and this last time I successfully got the string wrapped around the motor and chipped the casing that stores the twine. Nice! Then, John was mowing the front lawn and the mower gave up the ghost about half way through. I would almost guess that we weren’t supposed to be doing yard work that day. Ugh! When it was all said with and done, John's dad brought over his mower and finished off the front yard for us, I got the whacker working just long enough to finish off the front yard, sprayed the house down with hot soapy water to kill the box elder bugs and washed the bug guts off the front door... At least now our house looks a little more civilized so that the neighbors might have a better time selling their house across the street when the neighborhood doesn't look like it's filled with miscreants and hobos.

 

To finish off my Saturday I ended up with a super migraine. Probably because I was dehydrated. And my wrists were killing me. Left more then right, but both of them hurt none-the-less. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to hold an ice pack on your head, and your wrist while trying to find a comfortable position to lie in so you can sleep but failing miserably to do so because every time the bed wiggles nausea blurs the world and you have to decide which is better. Pull over the garbage can or go lay on the bathroom floor which bring you back to the part where you’re trying to hold an ice pack on your head and your wrist and trying to fall asleep….. grrr. So I have been nursing a sore wrist all weekend, but only have one of them braced at a time so I don’t feel like a gimp with both arms constricted. I did leave my brace at home this morning on accident. It was the left one, but it seems that my right wrist is the one needing attention this morning so bring the brace to work with me wouldn’t have done me any good in the long run.

 

In the end I said to John “Maybe we should just buy a town house.”  but since we all know that that is not what I really want I amended my statement a little later to… “Maybe next year we’ll hire someone to do the lawn.” And that sounded much better to us both. Apparently I can have a house and hire someone to do my yard – meaning I have House Space, which is really important to me… But I can’t/won’t own a townhouse where the landscaping is included – because I can’t stand being that close to my neighbors. Good yards and good fences make good neighbors.

 

What else… Noranti is still scared of everything and very protective of the laundry every Saturday. Mahana my cat with the little head (we’ll forget that her body is the side of a ocean liner) she’s just as angry as ever, and yet she’s tamed down a little in the past few months. She still wont let strangers pet her (except Erin for some weird reason) but she’ll make a little more effort to sniff them and investigate them closer then just glaring from across the room. That’s a step in the right direction. And for some strange reason Mahana has rediscovered the kennel in the TV room and makes that her napping spot while we’re playing video games. She is so bizarre sometimes. Silly kitties.

 

Any other notable events ?? I’m not thinking of any. . . Coventry Health Care, Inc. is currently posting for 3 positions in the Credentialing Department… That’s right, you’d be working with me, but if anyone is interested you can go to the Coventry website and look it up. WWW.CVTY.COM search for job posting in SLC.

 

Oh yeah, I was also reminded over the weekend of my uncanny resemblance to Velma from Scooby Doo... though I haven't worn orange sweaters and short skirts for years ... funny how that pops up all the time :)

 

It looks like this is all for now.

I got a library card! I feel educated again.

41 Days!

Music can change the world because it can change people.  - Bono

 

ACK!!

So ...  my hands were dry and I was starting to get paper cuts so I reach in my purse for some lotion and without thinking I open it up put some on and as I'm closing the bottle I realize that it is "Shania Starlight" - Shania Twain Shimmer Lotion that Scott gave me. First of all it made me laugh because it reminded me of Scott's fascination with Divas and secondly because of Scott and Lari's ongoing banter about his choice in women. . . but then I realize it was _shimmer_ lotion and I just rubbed it all over my hands! Ack! Now I have sparkly hands which led me to "shimmer time" and my sister-in-law Rachel and how absurd she is sometimes... But above all else I just need to scream I HAVE GLITTER HANDS!

9 more days ....

It's Coming!!

 

"What's coming?" you may ask ....

 

 

 

Todays deep thought

"A dog can love a chicken, but eventuallyhe's gonna want another dog 'cause chickens don't chase cars and all the love in the world wont change that."

- Dharma (from Dharma & Greg)

Today's Capricorn Horoscope:

Sep 09, 2009

This could be a rather intense day for you, dear Capricorn, as your mind is filled with plots for novels you want to write and ideas to streamline production at work. Don't you have an "off" switch? You would very much benefit from taking advantage of some much-needed time off. You will find that you can quiet your mind simply by sipping some tea and being still for ten minutes. Some might call this meditation; others simply call it a break in the day. Allow yourself this small indulgence.

Getting in shape....

I found this article on MSN today and thought it interesting enough to share ... and maybe even try it.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Backyard Boot Camp

 

TEN-HUT! It's time to get in shape. But what if you don't have much time? Well, a boot camp could be the key to giving you fitness, strength and a new outlook on life. Military-style boot camps are designed to get you fit, FAST. Rather than isolating individual muscles, boot camp workouts offer more efficient calorie burning by exercising large muscle groups like legs, arms and core. 

Home boot camps can be inexpensive to set up, too - as little as $10 at a one-stop store. Use 3-, 4- or 5-pound dumbbells if you have them or substitute gallon-jugs of water, adjusting the water level to suit your weight-training needs. For prone exercises, get a mat or piece of carpet.

Boot camps are not about reps and sets; circuits are the thing. Instead of doing three sets of 10 reps, you move from one exercise to another with each station lasting one minute. You then loop back around and repeat the entire circuit again and again as time allows. LET'S GO!

Warm-ups
Before you get started, warm up a bit. Run in place or do jumping jacks for five minutes. The goal is to get your heart rate going and your blood flowing.

First station
Do basic squats. Bend at the knees and hips, holding the 5-pound weight or gallon jug out in front of you. Keep your back as straight as possible.

Second station
Go into an alternating lunge with one foot in front of the other. You should still hold the weights, but curl your arms (biceps) as you come out of the lunge. This is a combination exercise because it requires arms, legs and core to work together.

Third station
Drop and do push-ups either on your toes or knees, depending on the strength of your shoulders and pectorals. Keep your core strong by tightening your abs, not letting your butt drop; this protects your lower back while building and toning your arms, shoulders, back and pectorals.

Fourth station
Move into plank position. Rest on your forearms, holding your body straight in the middle. Your arms should be in prayer position with your palms together. Alternatively, you can try "mountain climbers." From the plank position, move on to your hands and bring one knee at a time in toward your chest and back out.

Fifth station
Do jumping jacks or run in place to keep your heart rate up.

Sixth station
Do bicycle crunches. While on your back with your hands behind your head, lift your right leg to your left arm, then your left leg to your right arm. Alternate back and forth.

Repeat all six stations five times.

Getting in shape....

I found this article on MSN today and thought it interesting enough to share ... and maybe even try it.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Backyard Boot Camp

 

TEN-HUT! It's time to get in shape. But what if you don't have much time? Well, a boot camp could be the key to giving you fitness, strength and a new outlook on life. Military-style boot camps are designed to get you fit, FAST. Rather than isolating individual muscles, boot camp workouts offer more efficient calorie burning by exercising large muscle groups like legs, arms and core. 

Home boot camps can be inexpensive to set up, too - as little as $10 at a one-stop store. Use 3-, 4- or 5-pound dumbbells if you have them or substitute gallon-jugs of water, adjusting the water level to suit your weight-training needs. For prone exercises, get a mat or piece of carpet.

Boot camps are not about reps and sets; circuits are the thing. Instead of doing three sets of 10 reps, you move from one exercise to another with each station lasting one minute. You then loop back around and repeat the entire circuit again and again as time allows. LET'S GO!

Warm-ups
Before you get started, warm up a bit. Run in place or do jumping jacks for five minutes. The goal is to get your heart rate going and your blood flowing.

First station
Do basic squats. Bend at the knees and hips, holding the 5-pound weight or gallon jug out in front of you. Keep your back as straight as possible.

Second station
Go into an alternating lunge with one foot in front of the other. You should still hold the weights, but curl your arms (biceps) as you come out of the lunge. This is a combination exercise because it requires arms, legs and core to work together.

Third station
Drop and do push-ups either on your toes or knees, depending on the strength of your shoulders and pectorals. Keep your core strong by tightening your abs, not letting your butt drop; this protects your lower back while building and toning your arms, shoulders, back and pectorals.

Fourth station
Move into plank position. Rest on your forearms, holding your body straight in the middle. Your arms should be in prayer position with your palms together. Alternatively, you can try "mountain climbers." From the plank position, move on to your hands and bring one knee at a time in toward your chest and back out.

Fifth station
Do jumping jacks or run in place to keep your heart rate up.

Sixth station
Do bicycle crunches. While on your back with your hands behind your head, lift your right leg to your left arm, then your left leg to your right arm. Alternate back and forth.

Repeat all six stations five times.

My cat can eat a whole watermelon

A nod, a wink, another drink, I am the domino man

One of my favorite holidays is coming up this month....

September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day - And that's September 19th of every year. I love it! I have always wanted to be a pirate... at least since I was a little girl, and having a holiday to celebrate it now is just awesome. Visit www.talklikeapirate.com for more fun information.

And now, just for fun, I have two product plugs I want to tout for the day.

First off, I just bought myself a Shark Steam Mop and I LOVE IT! My kitchen floor was screaming to be mopped but I broke my sponge mop and hadn't felt like replacing it (and like I have said before, I don't think my house has been cleaned since May) but this past week I got the bee in my bonnet to get something done. My husband bought me my steam mop as an early Christmas present. and I must say, that next to scrubbing bubbles, it is one of the greatest cleaning tools ever. My floor is so clean and shiny.

Second of all, I have discovered the wonders of The DivaCup. And after successfully completing my first cycle with the DivaCup .... I say "I'll Never Go Back!" That is all I’m going to say about the DivaCup, if you want to know more visit the website www.divacup.com and read about for yourself… Suffice it to say, I totally <3 DivaCup.

It's life, Jim, but not as we know it.

I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I'd catch the rest of the world up on my goings on....

 

Fist of all, the best news yet, the lawsuit against me has been dismissed. Make a note, if you are ever suing someone make sure that your Lawyer shows up to the court dates otherwise the case may just be dismissed in the other persons favor. -- That is all I am going to say about this at this time because according to my lawyer the other party can still file to have the dismissal over turned for the next year because of the way that it was dismissed. So I will do my caper of joy, but not to long or loudly. Yay!

 

Next on the agenda, We have finally finished watching the entire 9 seasons of the X-Files. I was excited to be watching them again because I loved the show so much and due to my mission I missed the second half of Season 7, all of season 8 and the first half of season nine so I was excited to see those episodes that I missed. . . and my opinion is .... I didn't miss much. I'm glad that I can finally put together the story of Scully's baby and figure out where Agent Doggit came in. But as for the episodes/seasons as a whole I could have done without. Once Mulder left the show mid season 7 it just went down hill and even though he popped in now and then to say hi, that's about it. The episodes were sub-par and I wish that they could have been better. There weren't enough episodes with Scully and Doggit actually working together to get a feel for them as partners or to make you like Doggit. Then there is Agent Reyes. I could have lived without her too. In the end, I still cried when the Lone Gunmen died, and I sobbed when Scully gave up her baby for adoption. Now it's on to watching the Lone Gunmen series and the latest X-Files movie again before I call this viewing complete.

 

Health wise... we're doing okay. John still has Dinosaur Flu (aka  Pseudomigraine with lymphocytic pleocytosis). He has been to his Neurologist and the dose of the medication he is on was upped and he hasn't had a problem since. However, as a residual effect of the medication he is always tired now and can't find the energy to do a lot of things. Sadly our lawn hasn't been mowed since July now and it's looking a little shabby... but I'm not going to push him into taking care of it on Saturdays where his is so exhausted that he can't function correctly. Also there is left over numbness in his left side ever since the major episode back in July that sent him to the ER. He says that its an all over feeling of tingly numbness that just doesn't go away. That just makes me sad.

As for me, I'm still the same as always over weight and depressed. No changes there - except for the crazy dizzy spells I have been having since June. Our family doctor has done blood tests and says I'm fine, but when I feel like I'm going to fall over all the time I don't agree with him. But oh well. Maybe if I do all and hurt myself I can sue him and get lots of money.. har har har. Still not pregnant and no light at the end of the tunnel. But other then that I'm good. 

 

What else has happened lately?? 

 

We have had 2 trips to St. George once over the July 24th weekend for one of John's nephews' mission home coming and then again a few weeks later for another nephews' mission farewell. It was totally fun to got down and visit the family. John's sister is so much fun to hang out with (as well as the rest of her family.) While there on this last visit it happened to be free admission weekend at Zion's National Park so we didn’t have to pay the $25 cover charge to get in which made the weekend more awesome.    I think I hiked for a total of at least 8 miles that weekend. We spent our Saturday in Zion’s National Park hiking the trails and checking out the scenery. And Sunday we took the long way home and drove through Bryce Canyon and hiked there as well. It was great, but I was SO SORE by the time we got home.  It’s amazing to me what a beautiful place Utah is. Even though I have lived here all my life this is the first time I have really been able to visit a lot of the local sites (my parents weren’t big on family vacations) so this is all mostly new to me. 

 

Last night John and I went to see the Scarlet Pimpernel Musical, at the Hale Center Theater in Salt Lake, with my sister and her roommate. I loved it. I'm not to sure that I loved the actors, but the musical itself was fantastic. The Theater is an "in the round" type of theater and on initial inspection it looked like the stage was too small, but once the play started the floor rotated and rose up out of the ground to create a multi-level setting which was quite nice. I'll have to mark my calendar to remind myself that they will be doing The Pirates of Penzance next August. I'd really like to see that.

 

So that is really about it for the time being. Nothing new or terribly interesting with our lives - really just the same old, same old.  

Only Love Can Leave Such a Mark

49 DAYS UNTIL U2

tee hee ... giant robots

Amen.

God has some really weird kids, and I find it hard to be in their company most of the time. - Bono