Fun with Yaktrax

  I had a great weekend! I got a chance to take my new Yaktrax out for a trial run. So much fun! :)

Yaktrax are well, exactly like you see in the picture, steel coils attached to a rubber frame that fits snugly over your shoes. They’re designed to provide extra traction on ice and packed snow. Not just for running, they also are ideal for walking and hiking.

We had just gotten a influx of snow on Saturday, so Sunday, once I knew the snow had been packed down a little, I strapped on my Yaktrax and headed out to my favorite nearby trail. The weather was beautiful and there were only a few other people out on the trail including a bunch of cross country skiers – so want to try that sometime!

I ran five miles although it didn’t seem far because I was enjoying it so much. It took a little while to get used to running on the snow as the terrain was uneven and my foot stride was different from normal because my feet would sink into the snow more so than during my typical asphalt runs. But once I got used to it, my pace picked up a bit.

I did see a couple other runners during my snow run who didn’t wear Yaktrax and seemed to be doing fine, although I didn’t stop to ask. :) I would recommend them to someone nervous about snow running or wanting a more sure footing when they headed outside for the day. Next up: trying them out on ice! :D

Happy running!

2012
01/24
CATEGORY
Fitness
Gear & Gadgets
Healthy Running
Outdoors
Running
workout
TAGS





2 comments

Snow Day!

  Today was our first real snow day this winter. (I’m not counting the Halloween snow storm we had as that was still technically the fall…) Yay! :)

The first thing I did after breakfast was bundle up and head out to the trail by my house. Beautiful! Everything was still pristine, unmarred by traffic or shovels. It made for quite the workout! Of course, while I walked I got shown up by an old man garbed in sweats and running shoes as he zipped by me. Now that’s hard core! :)

It also made for ideal writing weather, so my novel is progressing nicely. I also figured out some of the plot/character twists I’d been mulling over, which is even more exciting as it’s hard for me to write when I’m not quite sure where I’m going.

Then tonight I’m headed over to a friend’s for games and dessert. Hooray for a snow day! :)

My weekend goal is to hit 10,000 words. Here I go!

2012
01/21
CATEGORY
Fitness
Healthy Living
Outdoors
Randomness
Writing
TAGS







3 comments

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?


It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey. Want a good book to read? Stop by and see what’s new in the world of literature! And if you’re into reading YA and MG books like I am, check out What Are You Reading: From Picture Books to YA @ Teach Mentor Texts.

I’ve had a great week. I decided to take a couple days off work to finally get some writing done and run errands I kept putting off! So despite the days being busy, they’ve also been very productive. I added a new work in progress widget to my sidebar. It’s been a lot of fun seeing it creep forward, even if it doesn’t happen overnight. :) Now I’m enjoying football playoffs in front of a crackling fire while it’s in the low 20s outside. Ahhhh…. :)

Sparks by S.J. Adams – Follow the (almost) holy quest of Debbie as she follows her new found friends Emma and Tim in an attempt to find her best friend Lisa. Complicating matters is Debbie’s realization that she has a major crush on Lisa and needs to tell her before Lisa takes her relationship with her boyfriend to the next level. Filled with made-up religions, quirky characters and awkward situations that make YA novels so much fun, Sparks is a great, fun-filled read.

  Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James – Renown for her engrossing mysteries, James is now touted as Austen incarnate with her latest novel. My current book on CD, James’ novel is set six years after the conclusion of Pride and Prejudice, Pemberley is thrown into a whirlwind of murder, mystery and mayhem. Mystery and English drama? Sign me up! :)

Not a very busy reading week due to my writing goals, but it’s been enjoyable nevertheless! :D

Happy reading!

2012
01/16
CATEGORY
Books & Media
Monday Reading Blogs
Reading
Writing
TAGS





8 comments

The Second Guess

  The second guess is a horrible game I have a tendency to play when I write. It goes a little something like this:

Type, type, type…

Hmmm…Would Character A really say that?

Delete, delete, delete…

Type, type, type…

Hmmm…Should this scene really be set in ______________ ?

Delete, delete, delete..

Type, type, type…

Hmmm…Maybe I should have Character B wear this color because if they’re wearing this other color than I won’t be able to refer back to on page 237 like I’m sure I’ll want to because the whole novel hinges on the fact that Character A was wearing that exact same color and that’s how my readers will surely know they were long-lost second cousins the whole time!!!!

*Banging head against keyboard*

It’s a dangerous game. And very counterproductive. If I actually listened to myself half the time I’d never get anything done! Although it’s easy said than done, I’ve found what works best for me is to write, write, write, maybe making small changes along the way, and then go through all the nitpicking during the rewrite stage. I figure the story will probably take turns I didn’t foresee along the way anyway, so I might as well go with the flow and work on getting the novel finished. That way I won’t be correcting things I’ll end up needing to re-correct during rewrites anyway!

Do you have any bad writing habits?

2012
01/15
CATEGORY
Writing
TAGS



3 comments

Word Count Widget

  As part of my writing goals for 2012, I wanted to find a word count widget that I could display, for all to see, on my sidebar. Partly because it’s motivating to see that little blue line move ever closer to my goal of (approximately) 75,000 words as I progress on my novel writing. Also, because I’ll be more apt to stick with my writing goals when my lack of progress will be evident on my blog.

After much web surfing, I found a word count widget that’s not only sleek, but also is easy to use in wordpress! Yay! :)   The only downside, as I don’t know any html code and don’t have the time to figure it out, is that I have to continue returning to the original website to plug in my new word count numbers every time I want to update the widget on my blog. Minor details…

Maybe you have a different widget you prefer, but if not check out this site to copy the html into your own blog.

Happy writing!

2012
01/14
CATEGORY
Blogs & More
Writing
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3 comments

Rainy Days

  Isn’t it fun when all you have to do on a rainy day is write? Ahhhh….

2012
01/12
CATEGORY
Writing
TAGS


2 comments

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?


It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey. Want a good book to read? Stop by and see what’s new in the world of literature!

I had a wonderful weekend. Went to a baby shower, watched football, read, and did some hiking. The temps here were warmer than in Florida (!) and we took full advantage. Even took the dog to the very muddy dog park. He loved it of course. :)

As for reading, I started a new slew of books this week. Yay!

  Brewmaster’s Art by Charles Bamforth – This is one of the Modern’s Scholars books on CD and the first I’ve ever tried. The series features lectures of a variety of topics taught by learned people in those respective fields and are taken out often from my library. With Brewmaster’s Art not only is the topic interesting to me, as you may have gathered from my post yesterday, but Bamforth is very knowledgeable and makes his lectures very engrossing. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about beer and the art of brewing, check out this book on CD!

  Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa – The illustrations struck me first with their sharp contrast and dreamlike quality. This beautiful little graphic novel begins with a happy family living a happy life in the countryside when three horsemen appear on the horizon. The story becomes about the quest of a parent’s love for their child and what they are willing to do to save the ones they love.

  Death and the Lit Chick by G.M. Malliet – This is the second in the St. Just mystery series. I really enjoyed the first in the series and had to grab the second right away. When the “wildly successful darling” of the chick lit world winds up dead at a writer’s conference, suspects are around every corner as the darling wasn’t quite so darling after all…Oooohhhh! I’m already hooked! :)

 

I just found out about an awesome shoot off of Book Journey’s Monday Reading meme for YA and children’s books. Check it out!

Happy reading! :D

2012
01/09
CATEGORY
Books & Media
Monday Reading Blogs
Reading
TAGS




5 comments

1001 Beers

  I really enjoy a good beer. There’s a huge difference between drinking a quality brew and certain carbonated piss-water beverages that pretend they are beers (and shall remain nameless). So I was especially excited when my parents gave me this tome for Christmas. Although I became less excited when I realized I had only tried maybe thirty of the 1001 listed within its pages. Yikes!

While I work my way (slowly) through the book, I’ve been having a lot of fun finding out more about the beers I’m drinking as well as the process that goes into making beer. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people who are in the brewing business or just appreciate the finer qualities of a good beer. And, to top it all off, I got a beer making kit and am trying to do a little research before I jump into making my first home brew.

Here are a few of my favorite resources:

Websites

Brews & Books – Josh Christie keeps his sleek blog up to date with his picks and reviews of all things literary and beer.

Beer Advocate – The quintessential beer website that has pretty much every you need to know about anything beer related. It also has a companion magazine.

Books

Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery

Beer Craft: A Simple Guide to Making Great Beer

Brewmaster’s Art: The history and science of beermaking (Lecture on CD by expert Charles Bamforth

Brewed Awakening

Magazines

DRAFT Magazine

All About Beer

Brewing Kits

Northern Brewers

Enjoy your beers and remember to drink responsibly! :)

2012
01/08
CATEGORY
Beer
Blogs & More
Books & Media
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7 comments

The Secret of Success

  I’m reading a book by Bear Grylls called Mud, Sweat and Tears. It’s very good as Grylls is an interesting man and has led an adventure filled life. But when he was twenty, he chose to attempt to gain entry into an elite group of the British Special Forces through a very extensive and grueling program. (Spoiler alert!) After four months of being physically, mentally and emotionally beaten by the rigors of daily instensive training, Grylls failed to finish one of the daily tasks under the time limit given. He was disqualified, disheartened, and entirely spent. But he was given the rare invitation to try out for the Special Forces a second time – but from the start. It was Grylls’ passion and life goal to be a member of this elite team, but that meant going back through the hell he endured the first round plus whatever it took to get him through to the end. Yikes!

  When faced with this crossroads in his life, Grylls writes, “Our achievements are generally limited only by the beliefs we impose on ourselves.” And one of his closest friends advised, “So often, God’s callings have a birth, a death and then a resurrection.” Grylls knew that he’d faced his birth, his death and was now chosing his resurrection. He reentered the training and (another spoiler alert!) made it into the elite British Special Forces.

But what struck me was what Grylls said about the beliefs we impose on ourselves. I’m a firm believer that faith and looking to the successes of life will make us successful. Our successes may not always manifest in ways we had invisioned, but I believe that if you want something enough that you’ll put the work into making that goal happen.

When I was younger my dad asked a neighbor if she had read anything interesting lately, as he was an avid reader himself. She responded that she loved to read, but she just didn’t have the time. Later, he said something that’s stuck with me all these years – “If she truly loved to read, she would make the time.” It’s so true. I realize that it’s not healthy to forsake all else for the sake of another, but I do think there’s a healthy balance where we can still work toward making our goals into success stories.

2012
01/05
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
TAGS





2 comments

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading is hosted by the fabulous Sheila over @ Book Journey. Start the new year off with a good book recommendation!

I feel great about how much I accomplished in 2011. I had record views and subscribers to my blog in 2011. Hoping to break those records in 2012! I read 107 books and finished another novel. I joined a new writing group that I love and I ran a half marathon and felt great. I challenged myself by doing things outside my comfort zone like going hang gliding, going to Book Expo America for the first time by myself and surviving Comic Con NYC solo too.

Not too shabby… Now on to making 2012 even better! :)

I’m starting the new year off with a race, some reading, and football. Ahhh…perfect! Here’s what I’m reading this week:

  This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel – This is my first experience with Oppel although I’ve heard a lot about his books before this. Oppel is an excellent writer and quickly brings his readers into the world of Victor Frankenstein as a brooding teen discovering the dark arts of alchemy for the first time. The story is engrossing and adventurous while still staying true to who Frankenstein would be if Shelley were to write him as a much younger man. I’m listening to this one on CD and the narrator is very good making the experience even better.

 

 

  Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet – I’m always on the lookout for a good mystery. I especially love a good mystery this time of year when I can snuggle under a heap of blankets next to a cheery fire and get lost in an English village where some dastardly deed has been done. The problem is wading through piles of mediocre mysteries to get to those treasured few that shine above the rest. So when I saw one of my favorite mystery authors Louise Penny write a blurb on the latest Malliet novel, I knew I had to pick up the series. This is the first one in a series set in England and features the sharp Detective Inspector St. Just. It’s a perfect blend of readability, eccentric characters, and murder. Already looking forward to reading the next in the series. :)

 

  Mud, Sweat and Tears by Bear Grylls – Bear Grylls has to be one of the most interesting men around today. A former member of the British Special Forces before breaking his back in three places after a parachuting accident in Africa, he now stars in the reality show Man vs. Wild where he survives through a combination of determination and wilderness knowledge in desolate locations around the world. I’m just beginning this autobiography and am looking forward to learning more about this rugged man.

 

 

Happy reading and happy new year! :D

2012
01/02
CATEGORY
Books & Media
Writing
TAGS






5 comments

Novel Progress 2012

10005 / 75000
(13.34%)

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