I have found that editing on a netbook is less than ideal, especially when the MS Word document is over 300 pages... single-spaced... size 11 font. A lot of the time, I find myself wanting to reference a different portion of the book to keep with consistency and then I have to juggle with keeping two spots in one mega electronic document.
Thankfully, I have a terrific husband who was willing to print off all 315 pages for me so that I could better edit my book. I has been extremely helpful to be able to write in the margin, make notes, underline certain words, cross out others, and flip back to see the content side by side. However, I've found that it's a lot more difficult to quickly set aside a stack of loose papers than it is to lift a netbook out of the reach of an interested 15 month old girl. Granted the paper doesn't interest her nearly as much as the glowing screen, but she still wants to climb up onto the bed and play around where she can fall off. Who am I to deny her the simple pleasure of playing with mama? Therefore, when she is on the bed, there's no editing taking place.
I have decided to rearrange my schedule for the rest of the month in order to put serious effort into getting through my editing before Christmas. This should give me 1 1/2 hours to work baby and husband free four days out of the week. Seeing that I'm only on Chapter 5, I'm not certain of the validity of my aspirations, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Wish me luck!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Taking a moment to breathe
Life has been busy and I thought it'd be best to take a moment to breathe. So here I sit wrapped up in a fleece blanket in my husband's chair, eating fried rice and drinking a Red Bull.
These past few weeks have been filled with projects, work, outings, and frustration. We have a coat closet now that just need a kick plate to cover the hole in the door and some flooring. Chris has done a fantastic job with it. Just getting to the closet is a bit tricky at times since there's always something in the way at the moment, in order to block the hole. But it'll be good soon.
I've done another project at work that I'm pleased to say that my coworker is happy with. I have proven myself effect that he can tell me what he wants done with a particular project, and I can get it done in a clean fashion, though it may take me a few attempts to get everything in order. Work is nonstop. Sometimes I think I should get up and walk away from my desk more often, but I suppose I'll do that when the work lets up.
My brother has announced that the Mona Lisa will be closing so the gang went out for some fondue. It was fun, but I had to bail on my best friend and leave her to babysit, which I felt bad for. But Kimi loves playing with Beverlie, and Beverlie is a trooper when it comes to kids. I'll be taking her out to the new Twilight movie this coming Friday as part of the thank-you package. Even though I haven't read the books, I figured I'll probably enjoy the movie anyways. No, I haven't seen the other movies in the series either. I'm not about to hate it just because over-fanatic fans have made it "uncool" or a joke in today's society. I'll watch it with an open mind and judge the quality for myself.
As far as frustrations go, I have found the freezing habit of my netbook to be thoroughly annoying when I'm trying to edit a book that's 194K words long. That translates into a 311 page Word document at size 11 Calibri font, single spaced without the extra spacing between paragraphs. As you might be able to tell, I don't appreciate my computer seizing up when I'm trying to scroll to a different point of the document as a reference. Chris ordered me a cooling stand which I hope will alleviate most of the problem, but my little Acer Aspire One has a bad rep for the whole freezing issue. I don't want a full-sized laptop, and all I'm doing is word processing. Chris has offered to get me a new netbook, but I keep putting it off, hoping that the issue will just go away if I ignore it. We'll see.
These past few weeks have been filled with projects, work, outings, and frustration. We have a coat closet now that just need a kick plate to cover the hole in the door and some flooring. Chris has done a fantastic job with it. Just getting to the closet is a bit tricky at times since there's always something in the way at the moment, in order to block the hole. But it'll be good soon.
I've done another project at work that I'm pleased to say that my coworker is happy with. I have proven myself effect that he can tell me what he wants done with a particular project, and I can get it done in a clean fashion, though it may take me a few attempts to get everything in order. Work is nonstop. Sometimes I think I should get up and walk away from my desk more often, but I suppose I'll do that when the work lets up.
My brother has announced that the Mona Lisa will be closing so the gang went out for some fondue. It was fun, but I had to bail on my best friend and leave her to babysit, which I felt bad for. But Kimi loves playing with Beverlie, and Beverlie is a trooper when it comes to kids. I'll be taking her out to the new Twilight movie this coming Friday as part of the thank-you package. Even though I haven't read the books, I figured I'll probably enjoy the movie anyways. No, I haven't seen the other movies in the series either. I'm not about to hate it just because over-fanatic fans have made it "uncool" or a joke in today's society. I'll watch it with an open mind and judge the quality for myself.
As far as frustrations go, I have found the freezing habit of my netbook to be thoroughly annoying when I'm trying to edit a book that's 194K words long. That translates into a 311 page Word document at size 11 Calibri font, single spaced without the extra spacing between paragraphs. As you might be able to tell, I don't appreciate my computer seizing up when I'm trying to scroll to a different point of the document as a reference. Chris ordered me a cooling stand which I hope will alleviate most of the problem, but my little Acer Aspire One has a bad rep for the whole freezing issue. I don't want a full-sized laptop, and all I'm doing is word processing. Chris has offered to get me a new netbook, but I keep putting it off, hoping that the issue will just go away if I ignore it. We'll see.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Compiled!
I've finally got a compiled piece of work. Through my three points of views, I am telling the story of love and war. And after rereading the first half, I realize with great dismay that it's somewhat boring. Now that I've begun my editing stage and lay out the story along a congruent timeline, I see the parts that need tweaked. A bit more creative description here. A little removal of unnecessary detail there. I haven't been able to sit down and get through it all consecutively which has been a detriment to the whole editing process, but I think I'm still on schedule for my Christmas deadline.
Now if only I could stop changing the story. Alright, so it's not exactly the story that I'm changing. However I've decided to work in someone that I could kill senselessly. So, I've created a valet. Peter Collins, the Commander's valet, will meet an unfortunate end. I haven't exactly figured out how yet. And I hope that I make the character loved enough that my readers will be outraged by it. But all in all, I think he'll add value and personality.
Now if only I could stop changing the story. Alright, so it's not exactly the story that I'm changing. However I've decided to work in someone that I could kill senselessly. So, I've created a valet. Peter Collins, the Commander's valet, will meet an unfortunate end. I haven't exactly figured out how yet. And I hope that I make the character loved enough that my readers will be outraged by it. But all in all, I think he'll add value and personality.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Diet Science
Weight loss is math and science, combined with some will power and self discipline. Here is the technical stuff.
To lose one pound of fat, you need to burn 3500 more calories than you consume.
One gram of fat is 9 calories.
One gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories.
One gram of protein is 4 calories.
Our bodies will burn calories, even if we aren't doing anything. To figure out where to start, you should discover your Resting Metabolic Rate. This is the number of calories your body burns without any consideration towards exercise or even getting out of bed. There are a number of RMR calculators on the web, but I used http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php, even though it's a bit more difficult to navigate. Once you go to the page, click on the link for BMR & RMR Calculator, fill out the fields, and click calculate. After doing so, you'll notice a list of numbers referencing factors and categories. We'll get to those in a second.
First off, we want to look at your RMR. This number is important because this is how many calories you can eat while staying absolutely still and neither gain or lose weight. Seeing that most of us get out of bed to at least use the bathroom once or twice, this number isn't our guide, but it is our foundation. Next comes the list of numbers.
Everyone's life is different. I work a desk job and I hardly get up from my computer while at work. Therefore, my life classifies as sedentary. But the fact that I do get out of bed in the morning means that I'm burning more calories than my RMR, so I get to times my calorie limit by 1.2, meaning that I get my RMR count plus an additional amount to supplement my movement.
This new number is the number of calories we can eat in a day without losing or gaining weight.
Losing 1 pound a day isn't reasonable or healthy. It's better to think of things on a weekly basis.
Now here's the math to losing weight.
Say my RMR is in the 1300 range and with my sedentary lifestyle, I can eat in the 1575 range. That would be 1575 calories a day, over 7 days. 1575 x 7 = 11025 calories a week. Now we want to subtract a pound a week. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, a pound is 3500 calories. So 11025 - 3500 = 7525. With a goal of losing 1 pound in 1 week, I need to limit myself to 7525 calories a week or (divide by 7) 1075 calories a day. That is assuming I don't exercise. The more you exercise, the more calories you can eat since you'll be burning them off.
This math is good, and it's the same math used by any calorie tracking tool you find out there. However, you'll eventually end up with a snag if you keep following this. This snag is that after about a week of depriving your body of calories, your hormones (one called Leptin in particular) starts to panic because it thinks that your body is starving. It then decides to start storing fat, making your weight loss cease. That is why I endorse a weekly over eating day. You can ask my sister-in-law, it works. Eat whatever you want, pizza, burgers, whatever, over the span of one day, and then drop back into your reduced calorie diet the rest of the week. I'd still recommend tracking it, since you should have close to 1000 calories above your average just for that one day.
This next part really isn't important, but since I'm a programmer, I like to understand how to calculate everything.
Since we now know how much we can eat, we can look at what to eat. A calorie will land in one of three sections: Carbohydrates, Fat, and Protein. I listed the values of each at the beginning of this post to explain how calories are calculated. If you take the time to examine food labels, you'll see these three values listed and with a bit of math, you can see how they add up. Pay attention to the grams (g) and not so much the percentage. If you see 1g of fat, then that means that 9 of the listed calories are from fat. If you see protein and carbohydrates listed at 1g a piece, then you get 4 calories each. My Red Bull is 110 calories and with 28g of carbohydrates (28 x 4 = 112), you can see how that adds up. A typical recommended diet will be 55% carbs, 25% protein, and 20% fat. I wouldn't worry about this so much since different goals have different percentages. An athlete will consume more carbs. A body builder will consume more protein. Me, I typically average 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. It works for me.
With the 40/30/30 percentages in mind, we break that down into how many calories in each category we can eat. Back to my limit of 1075 a day, that means that 430 of those will be carbs, and 323 (rounding) will be protein and another 323 will be fat.
Does your head hurt yet? Let's break it down even further.
Since 430 calories are carbs, and there are 4 calories in 1 gram of carbohydrate, then that means I can have 108 (rounding) grams of carbs.
Math goes on to say I need 81 grams of protein and 36 grams of fat.
As a side note, I'd like to mention that it's best to eat several times a day. I aim for six. To break that down in a diet sense, that's 1075 / 6 meals a day, or about 179 calories a meal. That's not a definite rule, but it's a good guideline. It's the same concept of snacking throughout the day and it keeps that hormone I mentioned earlier happy and out of starvation mode. A small snack a couple hours apart will help with the weight loss battle.
TL;DR
That is how effective dieting works.
1. Calculate how many calories you need in a day
2. Take that number and times it by 7 to get a weekly value
3. Subtract the calorie deficit needed to lose weight (3500 x #ofpounds)
4. Divide by 7 to get a new daily value and don't eat more than that
5. Splurge one day a week
I hopes this helps explain how dieting works.
Sincerely,
Loni
To lose one pound of fat, you need to burn 3500 more calories than you consume.
One gram of fat is 9 calories.
One gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories.
One gram of protein is 4 calories.
Our bodies will burn calories, even if we aren't doing anything. To figure out where to start, you should discover your Resting Metabolic Rate. This is the number of calories your body burns without any consideration towards exercise or even getting out of bed. There are a number of RMR calculators on the web, but I used http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php, even though it's a bit more difficult to navigate. Once you go to the page, click on the link for BMR & RMR Calculator, fill out the fields, and click calculate. After doing so, you'll notice a list of numbers referencing factors and categories. We'll get to those in a second.
First off, we want to look at your RMR. This number is important because this is how many calories you can eat while staying absolutely still and neither gain or lose weight. Seeing that most of us get out of bed to at least use the bathroom once or twice, this number isn't our guide, but it is our foundation. Next comes the list of numbers.
Everyone's life is different. I work a desk job and I hardly get up from my computer while at work. Therefore, my life classifies as sedentary. But the fact that I do get out of bed in the morning means that I'm burning more calories than my RMR, so I get to times my calorie limit by 1.2, meaning that I get my RMR count plus an additional amount to supplement my movement.
This new number is the number of calories we can eat in a day without losing or gaining weight.
Losing 1 pound a day isn't reasonable or healthy. It's better to think of things on a weekly basis.
Now here's the math to losing weight.
Say my RMR is in the 1300 range and with my sedentary lifestyle, I can eat in the 1575 range. That would be 1575 calories a day, over 7 days. 1575 x 7 = 11025 calories a week. Now we want to subtract a pound a week. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, a pound is 3500 calories. So 11025 - 3500 = 7525. With a goal of losing 1 pound in 1 week, I need to limit myself to 7525 calories a week or (divide by 7) 1075 calories a day. That is assuming I don't exercise. The more you exercise, the more calories you can eat since you'll be burning them off.
This math is good, and it's the same math used by any calorie tracking tool you find out there. However, you'll eventually end up with a snag if you keep following this. This snag is that after about a week of depriving your body of calories, your hormones (one called Leptin in particular) starts to panic because it thinks that your body is starving. It then decides to start storing fat, making your weight loss cease. That is why I endorse a weekly over eating day. You can ask my sister-in-law, it works. Eat whatever you want, pizza, burgers, whatever, over the span of one day, and then drop back into your reduced calorie diet the rest of the week. I'd still recommend tracking it, since you should have close to 1000 calories above your average just for that one day.
This next part really isn't important, but since I'm a programmer, I like to understand how to calculate everything.
Since we now know how much we can eat, we can look at what to eat. A calorie will land in one of three sections: Carbohydrates, Fat, and Protein. I listed the values of each at the beginning of this post to explain how calories are calculated. If you take the time to examine food labels, you'll see these three values listed and with a bit of math, you can see how they add up. Pay attention to the grams (g) and not so much the percentage. If you see 1g of fat, then that means that 9 of the listed calories are from fat. If you see protein and carbohydrates listed at 1g a piece, then you get 4 calories each. My Red Bull is 110 calories and with 28g of carbohydrates (28 x 4 = 112), you can see how that adds up. A typical recommended diet will be 55% carbs, 25% protein, and 20% fat. I wouldn't worry about this so much since different goals have different percentages. An athlete will consume more carbs. A body builder will consume more protein. Me, I typically average 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. It works for me.
With the 40/30/30 percentages in mind, we break that down into how many calories in each category we can eat. Back to my limit of 1075 a day, that means that 430 of those will be carbs, and 323 (rounding) will be protein and another 323 will be fat.
Does your head hurt yet? Let's break it down even further.
Since 430 calories are carbs, and there are 4 calories in 1 gram of carbohydrate, then that means I can have 108 (rounding) grams of carbs.
Math goes on to say I need 81 grams of protein and 36 grams of fat.
As a side note, I'd like to mention that it's best to eat several times a day. I aim for six. To break that down in a diet sense, that's 1075 / 6 meals a day, or about 179 calories a meal. That's not a definite rule, but it's a good guideline. It's the same concept of snacking throughout the day and it keeps that hormone I mentioned earlier happy and out of starvation mode. A small snack a couple hours apart will help with the weight loss battle.
TL;DR
That is how effective dieting works.
1. Calculate how many calories you need in a day
2. Take that number and times it by 7 to get a weekly value
3. Subtract the calorie deficit needed to lose weight (3500 x #ofpounds)
4. Divide by 7 to get a new daily value and don't eat more than that
5. Splurge one day a week
I hopes this helps explain how dieting works.
Sincerely,
Loni
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
The plot thickens!
I should really pay my sister-in-law a consulting fee for the great ideas she passes on. I've struggled with writer's block when it comes to the twin. Political intrigue would be fantastic, if only I knew how to get it. Well, Abi has a few thoughts up her sleeve and another mention in one part of the story takes off with a whole new venue of possibilities. The Commander shares a few of his thoughts regarding the zealous Miasho upholders that are a bit too dedicated to the old ways for his tastes and the Twin gets to deal with the extremist groups head on. She pointed out that someone will always be trying to wrestle to gain power. Considering that the Thanmir stick to their own provinces, it's going to be the Miasho loyalists who think that the elementals are demeaning and need to go. They have valid points. A majority of the elementals (though the reader doesn't see them) do have a superiority attitude. It shows in the rules laid down, setting conditions for the human habitation on Chikara. The Miasho upholders take the view that their gods are powerful and the humans outnumber the elementals when it comes to the mortal/beast plane. They think they can survive without elemental rule and use the fire province as an example.
The political intrigue comes in the form of playing the characters off of each other. Ira wants power. Landau (who is the leader of the extremist group) wants the elementals stripped from sovereignty. Harim wants Ira dead. Aito wants MaTisha. Kaio, the twin, is pulling the strings with his merry band of retrieval experts (kidnappers), business mediators (assassins), and information specialists (spies), all of which either work for or belong to the Hobbs family (Alistair is one of eleven sons).
Hopefully it turns out as well as I'm planning.
The political intrigue comes in the form of playing the characters off of each other. Ira wants power. Landau (who is the leader of the extremist group) wants the elementals stripped from sovereignty. Harim wants Ira dead. Aito wants MaTisha. Kaio, the twin, is pulling the strings with his merry band of retrieval experts (kidnappers), business mediators (assassins), and information specialists (spies), all of which either work for or belong to the Hobbs family (Alistair is one of eleven sons).
Hopefully it turns out as well as I'm planning.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Sleep Disorders, Names, Book Reviews, and Costumes
A couple friends brought up that I might have a sleep disorder. When I lay down to sleep, no matter how tired I am, it takes no less than a half hour for me to finally drift off. It's due to the fact that I'm usually thinking, which was what spawned this whole blog thing to begin with. They are probably right, but I doubt I'll look into treatment for it.
Just a quick blurb about my writing. I've been working my way through the twin's point of view and have found that my sister-in-law thinks like an evil political genius, which is what the twin is. I might have to hire her to write a speech or two for me. I've also decided that some things need to change. For one, I need to name my provinces. For another, I think I'm going to rename the Commander. His name is Kieser. First off, that's not a very human name. It's also pretty close to the Twin, Kaio. I don't want the readers getting confused between the two, so I think Kieser is going to become Cameron. Finally, I'm going to rework the main character/female lead story a bit to take out some of the dreams that preordain them to be together and add in more desperation to return home, which will then make the decision to stay that much harder for the hero to make. It's got to be believable.
I recently completed four of the proposed seven book series by Lisa Shearin about Raine Benares, an elf seeker stuck with a soul-sucking rock. It's been entertaining so far, but it brings to light things that I want to avoid. Such as repetitive descriptions, tons of exposition, and an unbelievable character or two. Over the top is fun. Unbelievable makes it hard to accept.
Since my sister-in-law only had the first four on audiobook, I've decided to move to a different series that I've been meaning to get to for a while. The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. I'm about halfway through the first book and though it's not as lighthearted as the Shearin series, it is captivating. I read the negative reviews on goodreads.com and I'm pretty sure I won't have the same issues that many of those readers suffered with. A: I haven't read the Dresden Files yet. B: Violence in a book where a war is breaking out doesn't bother me. C: I know it's fantasy, not sci-fi.
I read one book review for George R.R. Martin that I had to appreciate. The writer said something to the effect of "just because the book isn't the style that you like to read doesn't mean that it's a bad book and deserves a low rating. Judge it by the writing which is fantastic." The writer was commenting on a book that I finished, but I couldn't continue with the rest of the series since it was so darn depressing. Some may disagree with the reviewer, but I don't. The writing is good. It's just too much for me.
Last item on my list of updates is costumes. Halloween is coming up and I've decided that I'm going to make Kimi a ghost costume. She loves pulling fuzzy blankets over her head and walking around like that. I figure, just get some white fleece material, cut a couple of little holes, and viola! Hopefully she likes it. If work allows me, I'm going to dress up like a pirate. My sister-in-law has many articles of clothing that will work for the task so it'll require minimal effort to throw together. This year, I hope to take Kimi trick-or-treating through the HP facility. I'm looking forward to it.
Just a quick blurb about my writing. I've been working my way through the twin's point of view and have found that my sister-in-law thinks like an evil political genius, which is what the twin is. I might have to hire her to write a speech or two for me. I've also decided that some things need to change. For one, I need to name my provinces. For another, I think I'm going to rename the Commander. His name is Kieser. First off, that's not a very human name. It's also pretty close to the Twin, Kaio. I don't want the readers getting confused between the two, so I think Kieser is going to become Cameron. Finally, I'm going to rework the main character/female lead story a bit to take out some of the dreams that preordain them to be together and add in more desperation to return home, which will then make the decision to stay that much harder for the hero to make. It's got to be believable.
I recently completed four of the proposed seven book series by Lisa Shearin about Raine Benares, an elf seeker stuck with a soul-sucking rock. It's been entertaining so far, but it brings to light things that I want to avoid. Such as repetitive descriptions, tons of exposition, and an unbelievable character or two. Over the top is fun. Unbelievable makes it hard to accept.
Since my sister-in-law only had the first four on audiobook, I've decided to move to a different series that I've been meaning to get to for a while. The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. I'm about halfway through the first book and though it's not as lighthearted as the Shearin series, it is captivating. I read the negative reviews on goodreads.com and I'm pretty sure I won't have the same issues that many of those readers suffered with. A: I haven't read the Dresden Files yet. B: Violence in a book where a war is breaking out doesn't bother me. C: I know it's fantasy, not sci-fi.
I read one book review for George R.R. Martin that I had to appreciate. The writer said something to the effect of "just because the book isn't the style that you like to read doesn't mean that it's a bad book and deserves a low rating. Judge it by the writing which is fantastic." The writer was commenting on a book that I finished, but I couldn't continue with the rest of the series since it was so darn depressing. Some may disagree with the reviewer, but I don't. The writing is good. It's just too much for me.
Last item on my list of updates is costumes. Halloween is coming up and I've decided that I'm going to make Kimi a ghost costume. She loves pulling fuzzy blankets over her head and walking around like that. I figure, just get some white fleece material, cut a couple of little holes, and viola! Hopefully she likes it. If work allows me, I'm going to dress up like a pirate. My sister-in-law has many articles of clothing that will work for the task so it'll require minimal effort to throw together. This year, I hope to take Kimi trick-or-treating through the HP facility. I'm looking forward to it.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Music and Characters
I'm often inspired by music when it comes to visualizing my characters. For instance, two songs that often make me think of my hero are "Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira and "I've got a feeling" by Black Eyed Peas. It represents how Derek is passionate and carefree. Granted, he doesn't always appear that way in the book, but the songs still apply to his personality.
I've finished writing the primary part of the first book which is from Derek and MaTisha's point of views and now I'm focusing on the twin, Kaio Geotellus. Much like I struggled with the Commander, I'm stuck thinking about what kind of situations this character will get into. He's a very powerful man, ambitious, and completely devoted to his brother. His song is "You're gonna go far, kid" by The Offspring. Kaio is willing to start a war for the sake of his brother's happiness and eventually declares himself Sovereign after his brother is killed.
The next few weeks will be focused on feeling out the Twin's story, finding out what he's truly capable of, and making him a lot more gray than black or white. He's got an arsenal at his command. Assassins, spies, powerful Miasho upholders, and an army of men ready to do his bidding. With what I have written now, he seems like a man resigned to having to fight if he must. It's my goal to turn him into a very dark, yet seemingly reasonable master of war. He's not the bad guy, at least, not in this book. I want the reader to understand why he's doing what he is, feel his loyalty, and not blame him for taking the actions that he does. If I can do that, then I will consider it successful.
I've finished writing the primary part of the first book which is from Derek and MaTisha's point of views and now I'm focusing on the twin, Kaio Geotellus. Much like I struggled with the Commander, I'm stuck thinking about what kind of situations this character will get into. He's a very powerful man, ambitious, and completely devoted to his brother. His song is "You're gonna go far, kid" by The Offspring. Kaio is willing to start a war for the sake of his brother's happiness and eventually declares himself Sovereign after his brother is killed.
The next few weeks will be focused on feeling out the Twin's story, finding out what he's truly capable of, and making him a lot more gray than black or white. He's got an arsenal at his command. Assassins, spies, powerful Miasho upholders, and an army of men ready to do his bidding. With what I have written now, he seems like a man resigned to having to fight if he must. It's my goal to turn him into a very dark, yet seemingly reasonable master of war. He's not the bad guy, at least, not in this book. I want the reader to understand why he's doing what he is, feel his loyalty, and not blame him for taking the actions that he does. If I can do that, then I will consider it successful.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
My Goal: Christmas
I have about 150k words typed towards my book. The upper limit of a fantasy novel is 200k. As I reread my work, I know there are parts that are going to get rewritten since my first draft is grossly lacking. It's far more tell than show. But my goal is to have a rough first draft by Christmas. I think I can do it. It's only taken me half of my life to get to this point.
Chris has asked me if I've looked into publishers. The entire idea is quite daunting. But I don't want to settle for self publishing. This book is for me, writing because I love writing and this story is clawing its way to freedom. If I go the route of self-publishing first, then it makes me feel like I'm doing it for the money, which I'm not because I have a great job and I enjoy what I do. Is it important to me that other people read my book? I don't know. I think I'd like to share it with friends and family. I think it would greatly please me to hold a physical copy of my book in my hands, complete with cover art and synopsis, just to say that I did it. I got the story down on paper. And for that reason, I don't want just an e-book either.
I don't know if I'd ever be able to make it big as a writer. I ask "why" all too often. Not "why won't I make it". That's not the issue. It's also not "why do I write". I know that. But "why does Derhan not eat Kieser?" "Why doesn't he just use this power and get the whole thing over with?" "Why don't they see that attack coming?" With each question, it morphs into further considerations and tweaking of the story. Tweaks in the story cause the butterfly effect. I think way too much. But who knows? Maybe I'll get a following like my favorite authors have and be a top seller. I think I'd be able to sell at least 10 copies (with the support of my family). Heck, I'd even autograph them! But before I get carried away, I better get back to writing. Christmas is my goal. Wish me luck!
Chris has asked me if I've looked into publishers. The entire idea is quite daunting. But I don't want to settle for self publishing. This book is for me, writing because I love writing and this story is clawing its way to freedom. If I go the route of self-publishing first, then it makes me feel like I'm doing it for the money, which I'm not because I have a great job and I enjoy what I do. Is it important to me that other people read my book? I don't know. I think I'd like to share it with friends and family. I think it would greatly please me to hold a physical copy of my book in my hands, complete with cover art and synopsis, just to say that I did it. I got the story down on paper. And for that reason, I don't want just an e-book either.
I don't know if I'd ever be able to make it big as a writer. I ask "why" all too often. Not "why won't I make it". That's not the issue. It's also not "why do I write". I know that. But "why does Derhan not eat Kieser?" "Why doesn't he just use this power and get the whole thing over with?" "Why don't they see that attack coming?" With each question, it morphs into further considerations and tweaking of the story. Tweaks in the story cause the butterfly effect. I think way too much. But who knows? Maybe I'll get a following like my favorite authors have and be a top seller. I think I'd be able to sell at least 10 copies (with the support of my family). Heck, I'd even autograph them! But before I get carried away, I better get back to writing. Christmas is my goal. Wish me luck!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Isto
I really should be asleep right now. Unfortunately, my husband hurt his shoulder and I woke up about an hour ago to rub some Tiger Balm on his aching body. As usual, I started thinking instead of falling back to sleep.
The past couple of days have been dedicated to working on my book. To make my main character more interesting (since he wasn't complicated enough) and throw my readers off, I created a fairytale monster called an Isto. My main character is accused of being one and thus all that encounter his elemental/seal-covered form go running in terror since an Isto is said to be the vengeful dead. It is common belief that they are immortal since "how can you kill something that is not alive?" They take on many forms so any sort of terror or foolery is blamed on Isto...Istos? Or Istoes? I haven't decided yet. I think I'll leave out the 'e'.
On to what has been keeping me up for the past hour. I really don't have much content for my second book. I have a basic outline which deals with the consequences of the first book. There's a plague killing off jespers. Rin is introduced to help find a cure. Derhan finds his last guardian on an island. LaTonya has to keep her half-brother from dying. The earth clan demand a new Teymir. The guardians have lost their marks. MaTisha and Kieser must settle the unrest and unite the provinces. It all sounds rather uneventful, doesn't it?
In comes the Miasho deities and the Isto. De, Tu, Li, and Na hunt down their brother Ko with some bad news. Taking on the niniers (which was never part of Derhan's master plan) has upset the balance, releasing the monsters that they had to imprison long before the humans or elementals existed. These are the Isto and they aren't just fairytales this time. The first to be targeted are the upholders. Miasho power kept them at bay so the first item of business is to destroy their adversaries. That means Nicholas, Alistair, Alissandria, and Satch all have their hands full with undead monsters who wish to rip them to shreds. That should add a bit excitement to the storyline. How will the hero vanquish the Isto and save the day? Not sure yet, but the details will work themselves out.
The past couple of days have been dedicated to working on my book. To make my main character more interesting (since he wasn't complicated enough) and throw my readers off, I created a fairytale monster called an Isto. My main character is accused of being one and thus all that encounter his elemental/seal-covered form go running in terror since an Isto is said to be the vengeful dead. It is common belief that they are immortal since "how can you kill something that is not alive?" They take on many forms so any sort of terror or foolery is blamed on Isto...Istos? Or Istoes? I haven't decided yet. I think I'll leave out the 'e'.
On to what has been keeping me up for the past hour. I really don't have much content for my second book. I have a basic outline which deals with the consequences of the first book. There's a plague killing off jespers. Rin is introduced to help find a cure. Derhan finds his last guardian on an island. LaTonya has to keep her half-brother from dying. The earth clan demand a new Teymir. The guardians have lost their marks. MaTisha and Kieser must settle the unrest and unite the provinces. It all sounds rather uneventful, doesn't it?
In comes the Miasho deities and the Isto. De, Tu, Li, and Na hunt down their brother Ko with some bad news. Taking on the niniers (which was never part of Derhan's master plan) has upset the balance, releasing the monsters that they had to imprison long before the humans or elementals existed. These are the Isto and they aren't just fairytales this time. The first to be targeted are the upholders. Miasho power kept them at bay so the first item of business is to destroy their adversaries. That means Nicholas, Alistair, Alissandria, and Satch all have their hands full with undead monsters who wish to rip them to shreds. That should add a bit excitement to the storyline. How will the hero vanquish the Isto and save the day? Not sure yet, but the details will work themselves out.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Back on Track
In the midst of illness, child care arrangements, mini-vacations, and
football games, I'm finally back on track. For the past two weeks,
I've been out of the swing of things, binge eating fast food, desserts,
pizza, chips, and other forms of junk food. I also haven't worked out
at all. But today is the last day. Starting tomorrow, I'll be eating
healthy and exercising once again.
Though I've been a lazy bum, I have reveled in the fact that I've gotten the opportunity to write. A great deal of time spent thinking through my story and revising certain facts. For instance, if the reader is able to figure out what my main character is, then shouldn't the people traveling with him and spending all waking hours with him also figure it out within a reasonable time period. On that note, the reason why he kills all the people that he does is because he's recognizable as a fire elemental when he's transformed. If it's just the hair and eyes, it'd make more sense to have him wear a hat and some form of glasses or blindfold instead of killing a bunch of guys. And if the guys know that he's an elemental, why would they try to fight him? Instead, they run in terror! Well, a short man with red-glazed hair and red eyes just isn't that scary. Let's throw some creepy black markings on his skin (all the seals on him becoming visible) and make his skin glisten like polished bronze, and his eyes glow with a backlight of fire. Now that, that makes him a bit more scary. The glowing eyes bit started with Jebaliah and I decided to keep it as an elemental trait. Since MaTisha's power is sealed, she doesn't have that trait until her power is released.
In addition to the deduction of my hero being a fire elemental, I asked myself "why wouldn't my characters take advantage of the Miasho art to hide from authorities?" I decided that they would. So MaTisha gets a new scarf to hide her identity, which doesn't work on Derek, of course, since he's a Miasho deity. With the changes I've made, I've been rewriting several scenes to make them flow and adding a few scenes to try to add more life to one of my favorite characters, Alistair. I want to make sure to do him justice on paper. A highly intelligent, sociable assassin. I liken him to some of the popular anti-heroes in television, like Spike from Buffy or Xellos from Slayers. Hopefully it shows in print.
Though I've been a lazy bum, I have reveled in the fact that I've gotten the opportunity to write. A great deal of time spent thinking through my story and revising certain facts. For instance, if the reader is able to figure out what my main character is, then shouldn't the people traveling with him and spending all waking hours with him also figure it out within a reasonable time period. On that note, the reason why he kills all the people that he does is because he's recognizable as a fire elemental when he's transformed. If it's just the hair and eyes, it'd make more sense to have him wear a hat and some form of glasses or blindfold instead of killing a bunch of guys. And if the guys know that he's an elemental, why would they try to fight him? Instead, they run in terror! Well, a short man with red-glazed hair and red eyes just isn't that scary. Let's throw some creepy black markings on his skin (all the seals on him becoming visible) and make his skin glisten like polished bronze, and his eyes glow with a backlight of fire. Now that, that makes him a bit more scary. The glowing eyes bit started with Jebaliah and I decided to keep it as an elemental trait. Since MaTisha's power is sealed, she doesn't have that trait until her power is released.
In addition to the deduction of my hero being a fire elemental, I asked myself "why wouldn't my characters take advantage of the Miasho art to hide from authorities?" I decided that they would. So MaTisha gets a new scarf to hide her identity, which doesn't work on Derek, of course, since he's a Miasho deity. With the changes I've made, I've been rewriting several scenes to make them flow and adding a few scenes to try to add more life to one of my favorite characters, Alistair. I want to make sure to do him justice on paper. A highly intelligent, sociable assassin. I liken him to some of the popular anti-heroes in television, like Spike from Buffy or Xellos from Slayers. Hopefully it shows in print.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Thoroughly Annoyed
I know I had it. I remember typing it. Yet I search my netbook, I search my Google docs, I search my desktop, and it's not there. That makes me thoroughly annoyed.
I had written a section of story for the first book a while back about how my main character was sneaking into the opposing side's palace, sees a tapestry on the wall, realizes that he caused his own dilemma, and gets captured by Kaio because he's cocky and underestimates his enemy. I can't find it anywhere. I'm going to have to retype it and remember all that I put in it. What bugs me, it was one of my inspired pieces, so the first draft had turned out pretty good. Oh well.
I had written a section of story for the first book a while back about how my main character was sneaking into the opposing side's palace, sees a tapestry on the wall, realizes that he caused his own dilemma, and gets captured by Kaio because he's cocky and underestimates his enemy. I can't find it anywhere. I'm going to have to retype it and remember all that I put in it. What bugs me, it was one of my inspired pieces, so the first draft had turned out pretty good. Oh well.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
My how time flies
Kimiko Ann Mori Townsend is now a year old.
It was a good party, though it didn't go of quite like I had planned. I had envisioned giving her a cake she could make a mess of and singing "Happy Birthday" with a single candle. Well, we cut the first slice of double cheesecake and brownie and I hand it to Abi to give to Chris so that he could give it to Kimi. When I asked him where Kimi was, he said on the floor with her new toys. I asked him about the cake, and he said she wasn't digging it. Then I asked about the whole singing and candle thing and his response was... "uh...". Oh well. I guess this was just the first birthday of many to come. Not sure when we'll use the candle that's shaped like a 1. Maybe when she's 10.
It's those little things called words that usually get forgotten. Like singing Happy Birthday on your daughter's first birthday, or asking the woman you love to marry you. Yep. That's right. He forgot to ask that question when he proposed. It's one of my favorite memories, him getting down on one knee and lifting the ring up in the traditional fashion. And then he didn't say a word. He just looked at me. And so I hugged him since I very well couldn't answer a question he never asked. Later that night he did. He was "I guess I forgot to ask, will you marry me?" After five years, I'm still happy I said yes.
My best friend is a newly wed and she mentions all the little things that are just "guy" about her husband. It makes me laugh because I realize that Chris is very similar only I've grown used to all the nuances. For instance, the question "where is...?" I may not have a good mental database (see last blog for explanation), but I am perceptive. I don't know if that's a talent I developed before or after marrying my husband. It could just be a female trait. It makes me come off as a know-it-all at times (I've seen this in myself at work), but I can't help the fact that I notice and deduce things fairly easy. It helps since it usually provides an answer to the "where is...?" question.
As Kimi settles in for her morning nap (since she's used to getting up around 7 now with my new schedule), I'm getting ready to take advantage of some serious writing time. I haven't written in 2 weeks. That causes problems because my brain is changing the story again. Third book took another leap in a different direction and now I have to fit the pieces together again. Of course, that affects the first book. *sigh*
It was a good party, though it didn't go of quite like I had planned. I had envisioned giving her a cake she could make a mess of and singing "Happy Birthday" with a single candle. Well, we cut the first slice of double cheesecake and brownie and I hand it to Abi to give to Chris so that he could give it to Kimi. When I asked him where Kimi was, he said on the floor with her new toys. I asked him about the cake, and he said she wasn't digging it. Then I asked about the whole singing and candle thing and his response was... "uh...". Oh well. I guess this was just the first birthday of many to come. Not sure when we'll use the candle that's shaped like a 1. Maybe when she's 10.
It's those little things called words that usually get forgotten. Like singing Happy Birthday on your daughter's first birthday, or asking the woman you love to marry you. Yep. That's right. He forgot to ask that question when he proposed. It's one of my favorite memories, him getting down on one knee and lifting the ring up in the traditional fashion. And then he didn't say a word. He just looked at me. And so I hugged him since I very well couldn't answer a question he never asked. Later that night he did. He was "I guess I forgot to ask, will you marry me?" After five years, I'm still happy I said yes.
My best friend is a newly wed and she mentions all the little things that are just "guy" about her husband. It makes me laugh because I realize that Chris is very similar only I've grown used to all the nuances. For instance, the question "where is...?" I may not have a good mental database (see last blog for explanation), but I am perceptive. I don't know if that's a talent I developed before or after marrying my husband. It could just be a female trait. It makes me come off as a know-it-all at times (I've seen this in myself at work), but I can't help the fact that I notice and deduce things fairly easy. It helps since it usually provides an answer to the "where is...?" question.
As Kimi settles in for her morning nap (since she's used to getting up around 7 now with my new schedule), I'm getting ready to take advantage of some serious writing time. I haven't written in 2 weeks. That causes problems because my brain is changing the story again. Third book took another leap in a different direction and now I have to fit the pieces together again. Of course, that affects the first book. *sigh*
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
How not to look like an idiot.
I'm not so good at thinking on the fly. I may be able to narrow my eyes and spit out a mean comment that'll make a T-Mobile rep cry (ask my sister-in-law about that one), but being able to tout useful information on demand is beyond me. Take work for an example. I know how to write CSS, design nice looking pages, and throw together a working website, but when my co-worker asks me layout the CSS for our latest project, I draw a complete blank.
On the drive home, I was comparing my mind to a search engine rather than a database. I have to ask it to go out to other places to look for the information I need rather than storing it all in tidy orderly tables in my memory. I suppose I've been ruined by Google in that fashion. When information is at your fingertips, why hang onto it in your brain? Of course, when you put it into practice, it makes a person look even less impressive than they really are.
As a result, going back to my work example, I look as if I need to be guided through every step of the process. Compounding that with the fact that I know there is an expected adherence to a style not yet defined, I find myself just using copy and paste to take existing style sheet information and using it in the current project. Yes, my impressive knowledge of web design is to copy something my co-worker has already done. Gee...
What I would really like to do is sit down and develop my calorie tracking tool on my own time to show that I'm not full of crap and that I can do this job. Slight problem with that plan. It comes in the form of a 2 1/2 foot tall, walking bundle of energy that is absolutely offended by computer use that consumes more than the time it takes for her to cross the room. Yes, even blog posts. I've had to walk away about 7 times so far. That makes it difficult to keep focused on writing code. She almost deleted a 9 page document that holds my writing from the Commander's point of view for my book by slamming on my backspace key repeatedly while I was trying to finish a sentence.
So I suppose I'll go on looking like an incompetent idiot until I'm able to pound out code without looking up references.
On the drive home, I was comparing my mind to a search engine rather than a database. I have to ask it to go out to other places to look for the information I need rather than storing it all in tidy orderly tables in my memory. I suppose I've been ruined by Google in that fashion. When information is at your fingertips, why hang onto it in your brain? Of course, when you put it into practice, it makes a person look even less impressive than they really are.
As a result, going back to my work example, I look as if I need to be guided through every step of the process. Compounding that with the fact that I know there is an expected adherence to a style not yet defined, I find myself just using copy and paste to take existing style sheet information and using it in the current project. Yes, my impressive knowledge of web design is to copy something my co-worker has already done. Gee...
What I would really like to do is sit down and develop my calorie tracking tool on my own time to show that I'm not full of crap and that I can do this job. Slight problem with that plan. It comes in the form of a 2 1/2 foot tall, walking bundle of energy that is absolutely offended by computer use that consumes more than the time it takes for her to cross the room. Yes, even blog posts. I've had to walk away about 7 times so far. That makes it difficult to keep focused on writing code. She almost deleted a 9 page document that holds my writing from the Commander's point of view for my book by slamming on my backspace key repeatedly while I was trying to finish a sentence.
So I suppose I'll go on looking like an incompetent idiot until I'm able to pound out code without looking up references.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
A commander, a medic, and a nomad are standing on the edge of a cliff...
With my new schedule, I found it difficult making the time to write. Typically, I would write when I'm alone so that I don't feel like I'm neglecting my social duty to my family. However, now it's wake up, Kimi, work, Kimi, Chris and Kimi, bed. I don't have that alone time between work and Kimi anymore. As a result, I've written a disappointing 800 words this week towards my first book.
That's not my only problem. My mind has been jumping to the third book where it has no business being. I thought to myself, would 14 years really be enough to throw my main character off the deep end? Honestly, he's stronger than that. So then my thoughts processed the way I designed my world. There are layers. The Drethamir exist in the top layer where time passes at a rate much, much slower than what we think is normal time passage. Then the next layer down is the Realm. An hour in the Realm is several hours by our time. Further down is our time. My thought, what if there was yet another layer down, one where time passed more quickly? It'd be where the crafters reside, making their metal elemental items. That would also be an ideal place to imprison an elemental as a punishment. My underground chamber moved to a new layer and became the prison cell Thanmir Julvan vacated and redesigned to hold the most powerful being Chikara ever encountered, aka, my hero.
That added an interesting twist. Now that I have the chamber in a different layer, I can change things around. Instead of 14 years passing for him, it's over 5,000, one year for every day. That would be plenty of time to throw him over the edge. Toss the sadistic nature of the Sovereign into the mix, and you have a well trained monster that eats other prisoners fed to it for meat, has been mentally conditioned to obey certain commands such as come, sit, and sleep, and has forgotten most details about his life prior to imprisonment. Until the day the Commander, Kieser Hartford, is captured and thrown to the mighty Miasho beast deity.
Derhan doesn't eat him. Kieser doesn't know that it is Derhan at first since the huge furry monster with four arms, two sets of black wings, horns, and a tail looks nothing like the red-haired amorous elemental. They had kept the details about his nature a secret. Anyways, back to the story. Kieser doesn't complain about the monster not eating him, but doesn't trust the mighty beast until he sees the beast transform at the Sovereign's command from his hiding place behind the fountain. That's when he realizes Derhan isn't dead like everyone thought. The Kieser and Derhan interaction while imprisoned is not new. Unfortunately, Derhan is one of the last people to see Kieser alive before the Sovereign executes him. But that's a different line of thought. Back to the prison.
I sat and contemplated why Kieser survives his encounter with the monster. Why would Derhan not eat him if Derhan has no memories of who Kieser is? The monster likes eating people. They taste good. Well, that throws a kink in the plan. Derhan towers over the Commander, hungry, insane, and scents the air. He smells his own blood. Alright. Why would he do that??
That took me back to the first book and a dramatic change in my character. I turned him into a temporary guardian. Derhan and MaTisha conceive a child that dies before birth. Guardians are most often chosen prior to birth and Kieser would fit the profile of a combat guardian quite well. The mark only appears after MaTisha joins Harim in the battle on the border between the fire and earth province. Harim falls to Teymir Ira and Kieser is left with a sense of loss. He doesn't know what his purpose is anymore. Just before MaTisha transports to her province, she approaches Kieser about continuing the war. He pledges his services out of a duty to his fallen leader, but as he accepts and she disappears, a guardian mark appears and a welcoming connection to the unborn elemental forms.
That's why Derhan doesn't eat him. The connection is in the blood and even though the child doesn't make it to birth, it still exists. That led me to think about Warren Bateman, my medic, and Satch Lander, my nomad. They also make ideal candidates for guardians, Warren as a care guardian and Satch as intellectual. Satch is a bit pouty, but he can be smart. I'm not sure if I'm going that route yet, but I've decided to go ahead with the Commander. It'll do to explain things in the third book. Now I need to get back to writing the first book...
That's not my only problem. My mind has been jumping to the third book where it has no business being. I thought to myself, would 14 years really be enough to throw my main character off the deep end? Honestly, he's stronger than that. So then my thoughts processed the way I designed my world. There are layers. The Drethamir exist in the top layer where time passes at a rate much, much slower than what we think is normal time passage. Then the next layer down is the Realm. An hour in the Realm is several hours by our time. Further down is our time. My thought, what if there was yet another layer down, one where time passed more quickly? It'd be where the crafters reside, making their metal elemental items. That would also be an ideal place to imprison an elemental as a punishment. My underground chamber moved to a new layer and became the prison cell Thanmir Julvan vacated and redesigned to hold the most powerful being Chikara ever encountered, aka, my hero.
That added an interesting twist. Now that I have the chamber in a different layer, I can change things around. Instead of 14 years passing for him, it's over 5,000, one year for every day. That would be plenty of time to throw him over the edge. Toss the sadistic nature of the Sovereign into the mix, and you have a well trained monster that eats other prisoners fed to it for meat, has been mentally conditioned to obey certain commands such as come, sit, and sleep, and has forgotten most details about his life prior to imprisonment. Until the day the Commander, Kieser Hartford, is captured and thrown to the mighty Miasho beast deity.
Derhan doesn't eat him. Kieser doesn't know that it is Derhan at first since the huge furry monster with four arms, two sets of black wings, horns, and a tail looks nothing like the red-haired amorous elemental. They had kept the details about his nature a secret. Anyways, back to the story. Kieser doesn't complain about the monster not eating him, but doesn't trust the mighty beast until he sees the beast transform at the Sovereign's command from his hiding place behind the fountain. That's when he realizes Derhan isn't dead like everyone thought. The Kieser and Derhan interaction while imprisoned is not new. Unfortunately, Derhan is one of the last people to see Kieser alive before the Sovereign executes him. But that's a different line of thought. Back to the prison.
I sat and contemplated why Kieser survives his encounter with the monster. Why would Derhan not eat him if Derhan has no memories of who Kieser is? The monster likes eating people. They taste good. Well, that throws a kink in the plan. Derhan towers over the Commander, hungry, insane, and scents the air. He smells his own blood. Alright. Why would he do that??
That took me back to the first book and a dramatic change in my character. I turned him into a temporary guardian. Derhan and MaTisha conceive a child that dies before birth. Guardians are most often chosen prior to birth and Kieser would fit the profile of a combat guardian quite well. The mark only appears after MaTisha joins Harim in the battle on the border between the fire and earth province. Harim falls to Teymir Ira and Kieser is left with a sense of loss. He doesn't know what his purpose is anymore. Just before MaTisha transports to her province, she approaches Kieser about continuing the war. He pledges his services out of a duty to his fallen leader, but as he accepts and she disappears, a guardian mark appears and a welcoming connection to the unborn elemental forms.
That's why Derhan doesn't eat him. The connection is in the blood and even though the child doesn't make it to birth, it still exists. That led me to think about Warren Bateman, my medic, and Satch Lander, my nomad. They also make ideal candidates for guardians, Warren as a care guardian and Satch as intellectual. Satch is a bit pouty, but he can be smart. I'm not sure if I'm going that route yet, but I've decided to go ahead with the Commander. It'll do to explain things in the third book. Now I need to get back to writing the first book...
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Super Loni
I had forgotten the joys of real programming. My first week on the job has been enlightening. Brice, the first half of my two-man programming team, has been a patient and effective trainer. He's been teaching me how to do my job while getting caught on tangents that lead to one explanation of technology after another. I've been learning a lot, more than I can fully absorb, but I'm catching on bit by bit.
My schedule changed with the new job. Instead of going in at 6:00, I'm going in at 8. It's kind of nice. I'm not getting up at 4:30 anymore. I've started getting up at 6:00 to do my workout. Then jogging Kimi to daycare with Abi. At work, I'm cramming my brain. I get off at 5, though I didn't take an hour long lunch. I zoom to pick up Kimi from daycare, get her home and feed her, cook dinner and have it ready by 6, give Kimi a bath, load up some laundry, and then settle for the night. Yeah, I was feeling a bit super at that time.
Kimi is taking steps now. She isn't fully walking, but she's getting close. Life is moving so quickly that I'm afraid it's going to pass me by. I guess I'll just have to be super to not miss anything.
My schedule changed with the new job. Instead of going in at 6:00, I'm going in at 8. It's kind of nice. I'm not getting up at 4:30 anymore. I've started getting up at 6:00 to do my workout. Then jogging Kimi to daycare with Abi. At work, I'm cramming my brain. I get off at 5, though I didn't take an hour long lunch. I zoom to pick up Kimi from daycare, get her home and feed her, cook dinner and have it ready by 6, give Kimi a bath, load up some laundry, and then settle for the night. Yeah, I was feeling a bit super at that time.
Kimi is taking steps now. She isn't fully walking, but she's getting close. Life is moving so quickly that I'm afraid it's going to pass me by. I guess I'll just have to be super to not miss anything.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Overload in the Loni zone
My life is the art of busy-ness. Being sick sucks. It started with exhaustion on Friday. My night consisted of less than 4 hours of sleep because of a gassy baby and continued into a head cold and nasal congestion that took me out on Sunday and Monday. I'm still getting over it.
This past week probably wouldn't have been so stressful if I wasn't sick. That didn't stop the spiders from coming out. I've killed five this week. And one beetle. I hate spiders. I was traumatized by them when I had a hobo crawling around in my hair when I was a child. It's enough to freak a person out. The response now when a spider appears is grab tissue, beat repeatedly until it's dead, squash it another few times, and then toss it in the trash, think twice and then flush it down the toilet, just so that it can't crawl back out if it miraculously recovered. My sister-in-law likes spiders and protests when I kill them. They aren't paying rent so they better stay out of my house, dag nabbit! Enter at your own risk.
Not only are the spiders stressing me out, but then there's work. SharePoint on panic mode. Everything has been crammed into the final two weeks. It's not that I can't handle it, but it's a lot to handle. I wouldn't call myself the best SharePoint developer. In fact, by industry standards, I wouldn't call myself a SharePoint developer at all. I can read C# code. I've never written in the language. Like many others, I think first in the methods that I know and progress to learning something new. I can build something in my mind and make it functional, but there was probably a better way to do it for SharePoint. I never took the time to learn how to properly create web parts because self-learning is tough and the turn around time for such a venture would have been too long. It's my hope that they find a developer that is better qualified than I was to build their tools for them the right way.
Being sick throws a wrench in my productivity. I haven't written at all this week and I've only worked out once. I did, however, watch the full series of The Guild. That was entertaining, having a background in World of Warcraft. Though the show focuses on extreme case scenarios, I couldn't help but fear Clara, the mother of 3 who ignores her children because the game ranks of higher importance. It's a comedic representation, but terribly true that a child really inconveniences one's game life and priorities really come to light. I don't play WoW anymore.
On top of all my daily activities, I've got planning for a bachelorette party always on the mind. My best friend is getting married on Monday and I'm the matron of honor. Busy weekend. Party on Saturday, rehearsal on Sunday, wedding on Monday, new job Tuesday. I've got the limo, dinner, hunt, and games planned for a confirmed party of 3 so far. *sigh*
All in all, I'll be happy when things calm down and I can focus on one thing, learning to be fantastic in Java Programming. That and health. And fitness. And writing. And all my other goals. Time to play with Kimi now.
This past week probably wouldn't have been so stressful if I wasn't sick. That didn't stop the spiders from coming out. I've killed five this week. And one beetle. I hate spiders. I was traumatized by them when I had a hobo crawling around in my hair when I was a child. It's enough to freak a person out. The response now when a spider appears is grab tissue, beat repeatedly until it's dead, squash it another few times, and then toss it in the trash, think twice and then flush it down the toilet, just so that it can't crawl back out if it miraculously recovered. My sister-in-law likes spiders and protests when I kill them. They aren't paying rent so they better stay out of my house, dag nabbit! Enter at your own risk.
Not only are the spiders stressing me out, but then there's work. SharePoint on panic mode. Everything has been crammed into the final two weeks. It's not that I can't handle it, but it's a lot to handle. I wouldn't call myself the best SharePoint developer. In fact, by industry standards, I wouldn't call myself a SharePoint developer at all. I can read C# code. I've never written in the language. Like many others, I think first in the methods that I know and progress to learning something new. I can build something in my mind and make it functional, but there was probably a better way to do it for SharePoint. I never took the time to learn how to properly create web parts because self-learning is tough and the turn around time for such a venture would have been too long. It's my hope that they find a developer that is better qualified than I was to build their tools for them the right way.
Being sick throws a wrench in my productivity. I haven't written at all this week and I've only worked out once. I did, however, watch the full series of The Guild. That was entertaining, having a background in World of Warcraft. Though the show focuses on extreme case scenarios, I couldn't help but fear Clara, the mother of 3 who ignores her children because the game ranks of higher importance. It's a comedic representation, but terribly true that a child really inconveniences one's game life and priorities really come to light. I don't play WoW anymore.
On top of all my daily activities, I've got planning for a bachelorette party always on the mind. My best friend is getting married on Monday and I'm the matron of honor. Busy weekend. Party on Saturday, rehearsal on Sunday, wedding on Monday, new job Tuesday. I've got the limo, dinner, hunt, and games planned for a confirmed party of 3 so far. *sigh*
All in all, I'll be happy when things calm down and I can focus on one thing, learning to be fantastic in Java Programming. That and health. And fitness. And writing. And all my other goals. Time to play with Kimi now.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Lifestyles
You can probably adhere to a fad diet and shed pounds fast. Some destroy your metabolism in the process. Some are quick fixes that don't last, and you gain the weight right back. If you want lasting results, it's going to take more than just going extreme for a while. I believe that I'm starting to sound like an infomercial now.
I've looked at my fair share of fad diets and even attempted a few. It doesn't work. I tried the X-treme Fat Loss diet. I lasted 1.5 days. I tried a self modified version. I lasted a day. I've tried something called the Deadline Diet. I didn't last the day. The truth is, I like to eat and I like to eat solid food. Shakes don't do it for me. Perhaps I'm weird, but chocolate, vanilla, malted, and creamy are all just yuck to me. Give me lemon. Give me tangy. Why would you ruin it by adding creme? Ick. Ah well.
Diets don't work mostly because they aren't sustainable. Develop eating habits that you could live by and still lose weight. I like fish, so I'll bake myself a tilapia filet. With a bit of lemon and dill, it tastes so much better than a powdery vanilla shake and almost has the same amount of protein. Or maybe some chicken. I can take half a chicken breast with me, eat it with some sweet potato and steamed carrots, and that'll last me for a couple hours. Who says you need to live on soup and salad to keep a trim figure? I certainly don't, and couldn't, so why would I set up a temporary solution to a long term goal?
I work out at 4:30 in the morning. I get in light cardio with a walk at 9:30, and then another walk at 11:30. If I'm ambitious, I might work out after work. My mom looked at me in shock and said "you're going to take it easy after Beverlie's wedding, right? Right?!" To say my daily routine aloud might make it sound extreme, but I actually live a very sedentary life. I work a desk job. Then I come home, I'm on my feet for 2 or 3 hours with housework and cooking, and then I'm back on my butt, sitting in my worn out computer chair. Not a lot of activity there. Since I don't have the luxury of a job that keeps me moving, I need to work out. There is no "taking it easy". This is my life.
Though I'm a self-proclaimed fitness nut, I'm anything but extreme. I sound down right normal compared to the "no processed food, no cooked food" diet, or the "organic only" hippies. I laugh at my husband's rants about how catch phrases are driving our market and the absurdity of it all. You should have seen the look he gave me when I brought home organic yogurt one day. It was cheaper. I didn't buy it because it was organic. There's no scientific or clinical proof that organic or unprocessed foods are better for you. They've gained popularity by playing on the "natural" appeal and slandering all other food as being full of toxins. What constitutes a processed food? Well, let's think. Frozen vegetables are processed. Frozen fish is processed. Milk. Yogurt. The list goes on. The fact is, shop with some sense and you'll probably do fine.
To lose weight and keep it off, it has to be a lifestyle. Make time to get active. Eat less than you burn.
I've looked at my fair share of fad diets and even attempted a few. It doesn't work. I tried the X-treme Fat Loss diet. I lasted 1.5 days. I tried a self modified version. I lasted a day. I've tried something called the Deadline Diet. I didn't last the day. The truth is, I like to eat and I like to eat solid food. Shakes don't do it for me. Perhaps I'm weird, but chocolate, vanilla, malted, and creamy are all just yuck to me. Give me lemon. Give me tangy. Why would you ruin it by adding creme? Ick. Ah well.
Diets don't work mostly because they aren't sustainable. Develop eating habits that you could live by and still lose weight. I like fish, so I'll bake myself a tilapia filet. With a bit of lemon and dill, it tastes so much better than a powdery vanilla shake and almost has the same amount of protein. Or maybe some chicken. I can take half a chicken breast with me, eat it with some sweet potato and steamed carrots, and that'll last me for a couple hours. Who says you need to live on soup and salad to keep a trim figure? I certainly don't, and couldn't, so why would I set up a temporary solution to a long term goal?
I work out at 4:30 in the morning. I get in light cardio with a walk at 9:30, and then another walk at 11:30. If I'm ambitious, I might work out after work. My mom looked at me in shock and said "you're going to take it easy after Beverlie's wedding, right? Right?!" To say my daily routine aloud might make it sound extreme, but I actually live a very sedentary life. I work a desk job. Then I come home, I'm on my feet for 2 or 3 hours with housework and cooking, and then I'm back on my butt, sitting in my worn out computer chair. Not a lot of activity there. Since I don't have the luxury of a job that keeps me moving, I need to work out. There is no "taking it easy". This is my life.
Though I'm a self-proclaimed fitness nut, I'm anything but extreme. I sound down right normal compared to the "no processed food, no cooked food" diet, or the "organic only" hippies. I laugh at my husband's rants about how catch phrases are driving our market and the absurdity of it all. You should have seen the look he gave me when I brought home organic yogurt one day. It was cheaper. I didn't buy it because it was organic. There's no scientific or clinical proof that organic or unprocessed foods are better for you. They've gained popularity by playing on the "natural" appeal and slandering all other food as being full of toxins. What constitutes a processed food? Well, let's think. Frozen vegetables are processed. Frozen fish is processed. Milk. Yogurt. The list goes on. The fact is, shop with some sense and you'll probably do fine.
To lose weight and keep it off, it has to be a lifestyle. Make time to get active. Eat less than you burn.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Potty Training
Kimi is almost 11 months old now. When she was first born, I was gung-ho about potty training her. Some people thought that I was crazy. Others protested that she was far too young and acted as if considering such a task like toilet training was detrimental to Kimi's development. I wonder what they went through to get that concept.
Infant potty training made sense to me. By the time my husband was 12 months old, he was out of diapers. Of course, I've found the task to be more difficult for me. It takes a lot of attention and if you aren't watching, you miss the signs. That means multitasking for me is out of the question. I can't keep my eyes on my computer screen and still see the indications that babies make when they need to go. Not to mention I'm not with her at all hours of the day. Connie at day care has stated that I'm out of my mind if I expect her to practice infant potty training. That does limit the amount of time dedicated to the training venture.
Though I don't take the time every day to practice potty training, Kimi does know that it's good to tinkle in the potty. This morning, just after she woke up, I placed her on the toilet, made a "tsst" sound, and she went. By the time she reaches 2, the accepted age for potty training in western cultures, she will already know what it means and I'm hoping that the transitions from diapers to underwear will be easy.
Infant potty training made sense to me. By the time my husband was 12 months old, he was out of diapers. Of course, I've found the task to be more difficult for me. It takes a lot of attention and if you aren't watching, you miss the signs. That means multitasking for me is out of the question. I can't keep my eyes on my computer screen and still see the indications that babies make when they need to go. Not to mention I'm not with her at all hours of the day. Connie at day care has stated that I'm out of my mind if I expect her to practice infant potty training. That does limit the amount of time dedicated to the training venture.
Though I don't take the time every day to practice potty training, Kimi does know that it's good to tinkle in the potty. This morning, just after she woke up, I placed her on the toilet, made a "tsst" sound, and she went. By the time she reaches 2, the accepted age for potty training in western cultures, she will already know what it means and I'm hoping that the transitions from diapers to underwear will be easy.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Deities and gods
After an evening of discussing my book with my husband and running off on rabbit trails, he left me with some very good thoughts. In my created world, there are two sets of powers, both stemming from beings of godlike nature. We have the Drethamir, who created the elements, elementals, and beasts that reside on Chikara, the continent where my books take place. Then we also have the Miasho deities, five siblings who enjoy screwing with the humans and aiding their self-destruction. Chris asks, where did they come from? I don't know. He points out that if we have two sets of gods, then they must have come from somewhere. Now I must come up with some story of creation.
On a positive note, I have reached my 2,000 weekly word goal. In fact, I quadrupled it. As I write, I discover more and more about my characters that I didn't know before. Such as, the Commander likes berries. I didn't know that before, but as his story made it onto paper, that little detail emerged. I also added a couple of supporting characters, and found that the Commander didn't have much of a childhood and friends were never a consideration for him. Interesting. This man who plays an important role in my books is finally taking on shape and substance. Writing his view of the story has gone from being a task to being quite entertaining.
There are still decisions to make before I finish my story. Adding the supporting characters brings a dilemma. Which one do I kill off? Or do I kill off both? I could see use for either and both in future books, but they weren't part of the big plan. And this book is about a war. If there are no casualties, then it's just not believable. I think the medic has to die. Does the nomad have to as well or does he just go home with a broken heart? Or does he stay to help the Commander? Might make an interesting addition to the second book when all the Miasho deities come out to play. I haven't written to that point yet, so I guess we'll see when we get there.
On a positive note, I have reached my 2,000 weekly word goal. In fact, I quadrupled it. As I write, I discover more and more about my characters that I didn't know before. Such as, the Commander likes berries. I didn't know that before, but as his story made it onto paper, that little detail emerged. I also added a couple of supporting characters, and found that the Commander didn't have much of a childhood and friends were never a consideration for him. Interesting. This man who plays an important role in my books is finally taking on shape and substance. Writing his view of the story has gone from being a task to being quite entertaining.
There are still decisions to make before I finish my story. Adding the supporting characters brings a dilemma. Which one do I kill off? Or do I kill off both? I could see use for either and both in future books, but they weren't part of the big plan. And this book is about a war. If there are no casualties, then it's just not believable. I think the medic has to die. Does the nomad have to as well or does he just go home with a broken heart? Or does he stay to help the Commander? Might make an interesting addition to the second book when all the Miasho deities come out to play. I haven't written to that point yet, so I guess we'll see when we get there.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
I cannot tell a lie.
Polygraph tests are stressful!
There I sit in a chair, staring at a blank white wall, holding perfectly still atop a computerized pad. A blood-pressure cuff cuts off circulation to my left arm. Two metal sensors are strapped to the fingers of my right hand. Coils stretch across my abdomen and chest.
I've always considered myself a person of honesty and integrity. Wow. A life of rationalizing situations comes to rear it's ugly face in the light of a emotionless computer. First off, it's not fun to spill your guts in front of a stranger. And then there are those things that you don't think about, but your body knows. Self-doubt it the mortal enemy. Question: Do you remember a time when you lied to someone who loved and trusted you? Answer: No. No, I don't remember a time. But the body says "well, I don't remember a time, but I probably did." Verbally, I answered the question with complete truth. Self-doubt makes it come across as a lie.
Stealing, now that's a topic of interest. I don't take other people's property and I don't shoplift. Do you steal from your employers? The worst thing I could come up with was that I was planning to take a steno notebook and a selection of pens home with me, but haven't yet. They're still sitting on my desk at work, but I still felt bad about considering doing such a deed. Have you ever lied to your employer? No, what would I have to lie about? I answered no to both questions and he addressed them after the test was done, saying that my body told a different story. For example, have you ever called into work sick when you weren't really sick? Doh! I guess that classifies as stealing and lying. My brain never registered such events when the question was asked, but my body did.
Drugs were the easy part. Never done them. Never sold them. Never been around them.
I had no issue talking about the topic of sex since I've only ever been with one man, my husband. But I found it interesting when he was discussing what sexual activity was illegal in Idaho, even when people don't think of it as a crime. Having homosexual sex is illegal. Having sex with animals is illegal (and just plain gross, in my opinion). Having sex before you're married is illegal. That's right people. It's Idaho's law.
The examiner said that he saw no large red flags that would instantly reject my suitability for the job, but I'll still wait and wonder whether or not I'm good enough to work for the Idaho State Police Department.
There I sit in a chair, staring at a blank white wall, holding perfectly still atop a computerized pad. A blood-pressure cuff cuts off circulation to my left arm. Two metal sensors are strapped to the fingers of my right hand. Coils stretch across my abdomen and chest.
I've always considered myself a person of honesty and integrity. Wow. A life of rationalizing situations comes to rear it's ugly face in the light of a emotionless computer. First off, it's not fun to spill your guts in front of a stranger. And then there are those things that you don't think about, but your body knows. Self-doubt it the mortal enemy. Question: Do you remember a time when you lied to someone who loved and trusted you? Answer: No. No, I don't remember a time. But the body says "well, I don't remember a time, but I probably did." Verbally, I answered the question with complete truth. Self-doubt makes it come across as a lie.
Stealing, now that's a topic of interest. I don't take other people's property and I don't shoplift. Do you steal from your employers? The worst thing I could come up with was that I was planning to take a steno notebook and a selection of pens home with me, but haven't yet. They're still sitting on my desk at work, but I still felt bad about considering doing such a deed. Have you ever lied to your employer? No, what would I have to lie about? I answered no to both questions and he addressed them after the test was done, saying that my body told a different story. For example, have you ever called into work sick when you weren't really sick? Doh! I guess that classifies as stealing and lying. My brain never registered such events when the question was asked, but my body did.
Drugs were the easy part. Never done them. Never sold them. Never been around them.
I had no issue talking about the topic of sex since I've only ever been with one man, my husband. But I found it interesting when he was discussing what sexual activity was illegal in Idaho, even when people don't think of it as a crime. Having homosexual sex is illegal. Having sex with animals is illegal (and just plain gross, in my opinion). Having sex before you're married is illegal. That's right people. It's Idaho's law.
The examiner said that he saw no large red flags that would instantly reject my suitability for the job, but I'll still wait and wonder whether or not I'm good enough to work for the Idaho State Police Department.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
War! Hu! What is it good for?
This week, I've decided to focus on my character Kieser Hartford, Commander of the Air Province Armed Forces. My first book is told from the point of view of four people following three primary progressions. Derek and MaTisha dominate, but there's the other two people, Kaio Geotellus and Kieser Hartford. Kieser is young, but he's prepared his entire life to serve his Thanmir and lead people into battle. He's not a glory hound. He is a man honor.
The major dilemma that I've faced with writing Kieser's portion of the story is that I have no experience with war. A man that leads others to their potential death doesn't do so lightly. He is serious and doesn't tolerate foolish behavior. His concern about image and reputation is important because he's supposed to be the man people look to, the man people trust. How does a man like him handle war? He's never seen it. There's never been war before, only slaughter, and that was before his time. When he kills for the first time, it's not easy, but he doesn't have the luxury of letting that show. His love for a woman is pushed aside for the need to guide the men that rely on him.
I've had to think a great deal when it comes to this character. He's plain old human, no special powers, no art to help sway events in his favor. He must rely on his instinct and act on his decisions.
I'll be watching Civil war movies for the next little while to find out what it was like to go up against people that you may have known, neighbors across a border. I hope what you read is believable and realistic.
The major dilemma that I've faced with writing Kieser's portion of the story is that I have no experience with war. A man that leads others to their potential death doesn't do so lightly. He is serious and doesn't tolerate foolish behavior. His concern about image and reputation is important because he's supposed to be the man people look to, the man people trust. How does a man like him handle war? He's never seen it. There's never been war before, only slaughter, and that was before his time. When he kills for the first time, it's not easy, but he doesn't have the luxury of letting that show. His love for a woman is pushed aside for the need to guide the men that rely on him.
I've had to think a great deal when it comes to this character. He's plain old human, no special powers, no art to help sway events in his favor. He must rely on his instinct and act on his decisions.
I'll be watching Civil war movies for the next little while to find out what it was like to go up against people that you may have known, neighbors across a border. I hope what you read is believable and realistic.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
2,000 words
One of my favorite authors, Diana Gabaldon, wrote on her website that she's keeping a pace of writing 2,000 words a day. For those that don't know what that translates into, it's about 7 pages, size 12 Time New Romans font, double-spaced. I find that mighty impressive. The last time I sat down and wrote a new scene in my book, I got to about 875 words and it took me about 3 hours to do so. I've written 140k + words towards my first book and the story has only been half told. I've still got a war to get down on paper.
While I should be focused on getting my unwritten content written, I've found myself reviewing and editing the work I've already played with several times over. Reading other books really helps. It gives good perspective as to what is entertaining, and what is just too much. While rewriting, I've discovered I've told more than I've showed, and I've given details that really don't add to the story. The reader doesn't need a full description about all the freak accidents. It's better to let the imagination build up the chaos inside the person's mind.
So far, I've gotten through my prologue and 5 chapters. They're posted in the X-cerpts portion of my book site if you'd like to read them. I have my husband's assurance that the post-editing versions are better. He reviewed chapter 1 for me. I saw him smile in a couple parts. That pleases me. I like it when I can entertain.
Inspired by Diana Gabaldon, I've decided I'm going to set my goal at 2,000 words a week. I figure that's a reasonable goal as a full-time working mother. Feel free to hold me accountable, but know hat my first draft is usually not the best one.
While I should be focused on getting my unwritten content written, I've found myself reviewing and editing the work I've already played with several times over. Reading other books really helps. It gives good perspective as to what is entertaining, and what is just too much. While rewriting, I've discovered I've told more than I've showed, and I've given details that really don't add to the story. The reader doesn't need a full description about all the freak accidents. It's better to let the imagination build up the chaos inside the person's mind.
So far, I've gotten through my prologue and 5 chapters. They're posted in the X-cerpts portion of my book site if you'd like to read them. I have my husband's assurance that the post-editing versions are better. He reviewed chapter 1 for me. I saw him smile in a couple parts. That pleases me. I like it when I can entertain.
Inspired by Diana Gabaldon, I've decided I'm going to set my goal at 2,000 words a week. I figure that's a reasonable goal as a full-time working mother. Feel free to hold me accountable, but know hat my first draft is usually not the best one.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Six pack, and I'm not talking soda and beer
On my never ending quest for fabulous abs, I am forever searching for the best way to burn the fat off my midsection. This has included reading numerous web pages, subscribing to the blogs of fitness professionals, and consulting the advice of boot campers and co-workers. I've compiled most of what I've learned here in this blog post.
Burn more calories than you consume.
Don't live on a low carb diet. Your body needs carbs for energy. If it doesn't get enough energy, it thinks it's starving and then starts storing fat instead of burning it. At least once a week, perhaps twice, make carbs a major part of your diet otherwise you'll platue.
Don't over indulge on the wrong carbs. If it says enriched, it means that the good stuff was originally taken out and the manufactures thought that they had to put stuff back in to make it have some semblence of nutritional value. Sugar isn't the right route to go for carbs. Aim for fiber, but make sure you drink your water.
There are good fats and bad fats. Don't think you have to live without fat, because that's unhealthy. When you eat fat, which you should just in limited amounts, aim to get it in the form of avocados, raw nuts, and olive or coconut oil. Omega 3's are fatty acids.
Keep the carbs to the earlier parts of the day and eat for what you're going to be doing. When you sleep, you'll be burning calories, but not as much as when you're up walking around and moving. Like I said under the carb-free section, carbs are for energy. Dinner shouldn't be the biggest meal of the day, breakfast should be.
Weight train. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you'll burn. If you lose muscle mass, then that means you'll have more fat.
Don't drink your calories. If you have the choice between eating fruit and drinking fruit juice, choose the whole fruit. And avoid high fructose corn syrup. It's just not good for you.
That's all the advice I have for you at the moment. Until next time...
Burn more calories than you consume.
Don't live on a low carb diet. Your body needs carbs for energy. If it doesn't get enough energy, it thinks it's starving and then starts storing fat instead of burning it. At least once a week, perhaps twice, make carbs a major part of your diet otherwise you'll platue.
Don't over indulge on the wrong carbs. If it says enriched, it means that the good stuff was originally taken out and the manufactures thought that they had to put stuff back in to make it have some semblence of nutritional value. Sugar isn't the right route to go for carbs. Aim for fiber, but make sure you drink your water.
There are good fats and bad fats. Don't think you have to live without fat, because that's unhealthy. When you eat fat, which you should just in limited amounts, aim to get it in the form of avocados, raw nuts, and olive or coconut oil. Omega 3's are fatty acids.
Keep the carbs to the earlier parts of the day and eat for what you're going to be doing. When you sleep, you'll be burning calories, but not as much as when you're up walking around and moving. Like I said under the carb-free section, carbs are for energy. Dinner shouldn't be the biggest meal of the day, breakfast should be.
Weight train. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you'll burn. If you lose muscle mass, then that means you'll have more fat.
Don't drink your calories. If you have the choice between eating fruit and drinking fruit juice, choose the whole fruit. And avoid high fructose corn syrup. It's just not good for you.
That's all the advice I have for you at the moment. Until next time...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A half year in reflection - Ob La Di...
Time, amazingly, doesn't stop and wait for you to catch up.
In as little as six months, my life has seen changes. My baby girl now clings to my leg, giggling up at me with a full faced grin. She can stand on her own now, though hasn't the courage to take any steps yet. I applied and was the top candidate for a Java programming job with the Idaho State Police. I started, stopped, started, and stopped WoW yet again. My best friend suffered through a month of 5:30 AM boot camp with me and I think we're both physically stronger from the experience. SharePoint has reared its ugly head and CSS reminded me of how beautiful web design can be. I learned how to ride and failed my motorcycle test.
As some things change, others stay the same. My book still consumes my creative thoughts. I even made a website to help keep myself organized! Risu the Author I'm still a health and fitness nut, even if I don't put my knowledge to use. Paranormal fantasy and romance still top my book list. I prefer regular Red Bull to sugar free.
My scale of house-wifeliness has upped itself by several degrees. I bought a vacuum and I use it on a regular basis. Dinner is ready by 6. I even use the oven. Don't worry (or maybe, Sorry), I don't intend on baking any apple pies.
Though this post really said nothing, life will go on.
In as little as six months, my life has seen changes. My baby girl now clings to my leg, giggling up at me with a full faced grin. She can stand on her own now, though hasn't the courage to take any steps yet. I applied and was the top candidate for a Java programming job with the Idaho State Police. I started, stopped, started, and stopped WoW yet again. My best friend suffered through a month of 5:30 AM boot camp with me and I think we're both physically stronger from the experience. SharePoint has reared its ugly head and CSS reminded me of how beautiful web design can be. I learned how to ride and failed my motorcycle test.
As some things change, others stay the same. My book still consumes my creative thoughts. I even made a website to help keep myself organized! Risu the Author I'm still a health and fitness nut, even if I don't put my knowledge to use. Paranormal fantasy and romance still top my book list. I prefer regular Red Bull to sugar free.
My scale of house-wifeliness has upped itself by several degrees. I bought a vacuum and I use it on a regular basis. Dinner is ready by 6. I even use the oven. Don't worry (or maybe, Sorry), I don't intend on baking any apple pies.
Though this post really said nothing, life will go on.
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