New Experiences and Goals

Well, today I tried (of all things) Greek frozen yogurt.  As if yogurt wasn't scary enough to me, but Greek yogurt I honestly thought would be disgusting.  I was surprisingly pleased with the concoction however.  I now have a better afternoon snack than the cheesestick I've been eating.  Frozen Greek yogurt apparently has the most protein, so if as I'm still dieting, it's a good snack.

The diet is going well.  I've not really seen much of a loss, but other people tell me they can see it, which is I guess what matters.  I might have one of those body image diseases where when I look in the mirror, I see someone fatter than how I really am.  Of course, I still manage to squint and make myself look pretty, so I think I'll be okay.

I may have mentioned that writing is a passion of mine.  Well, I got fed up with being the lonely writer.  It's a sad but often true stereotype that a writer is like a hermit.  I am a bit like a hermit, but that's because I also play video games and do not have friends close by that share those interests.  So I spend a lot of time on the computer, playing video games and writing.  It doesn't mean I don't go out and have a good time, but largely I am happy by myself.  However, I have decided that I need more writing friends, so I posted an ad on craigslist. 

Now I'm organizing a writer's group to keep me on track, so the video games don't take over and give constructive feedback during the process.  Some people want to present a finished masterpiece to the world.  I am of the belief that as long as I'm alive, things will keep coming to my mind, reflecting changes and additions to the work that I've already created.  Therefore, I really like having input during the writing process, because it change how I'm delivering the story in my head.  Am I leaving out too much by having a chapter filled with mainly dialogue?  These are questions I don't like to answer myself, because then I will have the same chapter eight times.  There are times when feedback helps you make decisions.  I'm hoping this group will help me and I can do the same for them.

~Until next time!

Updates

Okay, this is a good approximation of what I have been looking like.  Fairly flabby in the facial region.  Dieting with light/moderate exercise as I have been doing for 12 days now is going well.  My energy levels are fairly normal.  Clearly, I haven't been posting as much in the month of August, but I have a lot going on.

1) Update, exercise takes time.  Also, you really don't feel like sitting in front of a computer after exercising.  That's usually time I've been curling up with a good book.

2) Books, I have replenished my stock.  I went to the Dollar Tree the other day and was astounded by the large shipment of books they'd gotten in.  Some of them were higher quality.  If you are looking for a good biography, or general fiction, try to check out their new selection.

3) I am in the process of forming a writer's group.  Hopefully, as a collective, we can keep each other motivated in the long writing process.  Organization and coordinating schedules takes a lot of time.

However, despite these distractions, this blog is important to me.  I will keep posting.  8 and 1/2 days left on my extremely strict diet!  I'll post a new headshot when the diet's through, so you can see the after-effects.

~Au revoir!

Diet :)

Okay, well I mentioned I was on a diet that zapped my energy!  Sorry for the delay in posting!  On the bright side, I seem to have shrunk my stomach and the diet seems to be working.  I'm losing a bit of weight and my skin is clearing up a bit.  Today's the first day I've really had food that I found appetizing.  I had some cumin chicken, grilled zucchini, grilled squash, grilled carrots, and mashed cauliflour.  Aside from that, I've mostly had cheese sticks, apples, lettuce, cabbage, and hard boiled eggs.  It's a very strict diet, but it's only for three weeks!

Diets like this don't work however, if you don't take the principles from the diet into account in returning to your daily life.  Smaller portions and less processed foods are what I'm hoping to get out of this diet.  Seems like I might be on the road to success!

~Bye for now!

Brief Update

I've been working like a madwoman.  Plus I started a new diet.  It is fairly intense and designed to get portions under control.  I'll keep you posted, but day 2, no caffeine, no carbs, just protein, fruits, and veggies mainly.  The extreme strictness goes away after 21 days.  Once my energy levels adjust a bit and I'm not falling asleep at my keyboard or in my car, I'll start some exercising too!  In the meantime, my posts will be short and sweet, as I am literally closing my eyes right now!

~Good night!

Car Maintenance

I drive a fairly fuel efficient, low maintenance vehicle.  I do this because I have no interest in working on cars.  This is not because I'm a female, but rather because I personally don't like getting greasy and dirty.  I'm like Bob Saget in Full House when I look under the hood.  It's just filthy!  I can't exactly quote him as I've only seen the episode once, but Uncle Jesse scolds him for trying to clean inside the engine when they break down on a family trip to compete at the Tanner family games.

Why do I mention this?  A car says a lot about a person.  I was having a conversation today about bumper stickers and it reminded me of papers I once graded about the same subject.  The papers were a fun subject, "Describe bumper stickers and what they tell you."  Everyone looked up bumper stickers and wrote about politics, religion, and humor.  I was thinking to myself the whole time, I hope someone writes about ironic bumper stickers, like a Go Green! bumper sticker on a Hummer.  However, no one lived up to my expectations and incorporated the cars.

Cars and bumper stickers tell you a lot about a person, so naturally I would think mention of one would lead to the other, especially with bumper stickers as the mention.  Car accessories include many things, but bumper stickers belong primarily to vehicles of transportation.  Take for instance, what type of vehicle does a person drive?

SUV) New generation station wagon, has a lot of space, avoids the family vehicle/mom tag

TRUCK WORK) This truck will lack in body detail and be equipped with improvements to help on the job, including toolboxes, special gating, and trailer hitches.  The person who drives this vehicle is a hard worker, probably doing manual labor for the high pay, so they also either like to live large or support a family.

To be continued...

Retail Therapy

Is retail therapy a real thing?  I'm always inclined to scoff when people go shopping to cheer up, but there is no denial that shopping gives me a natural buzz.  Of course, the shopping has to be done right!

Step 1:  Have a general limit and go to a store that supports that dollar limit!  Do you have only $10-$20 to blow?  Try a thrift store or Dollar Tree for some impulse buys that you really don't need, but solely want!

Step 2:  Step 1's parameter is to get you to a place where you do not have to feel budget-conscious, so you can follow this step's advice.  Go wild!  You want all three of those tops you found at the thrift store, so just put them in your cart!  Absolutely, do not add up the price until you get to the register!  Also, avoid buying anything you need!  This money is your budgeted splurge money and necessities take away from your retail high!

Alternate Step:  If you are in a tight place financially, avoid the splurge tendencies.  Try instead to get a shopper's high from getting a bargain.  Couponing is a great way to feel a thrill of a great buy on items you need, so you can still enjoy your shopping experience!

However you go about it, shopping needs to be a pleasure inducer, not a stresser!  Make sure you have time for a leisurely shopping trip once in a while, without kids or time constraints!  Remind yourself of the joy of retail therapy!  It's probably still cheaper than a therapist.

~Sayonara!

Rain and thunderstorms make me sleepy!   So this post will be short, you were forewarned!
I tried to photograph myself sleeping before.  Results can be found below!

I am addicted to a TV series I found on Netflix called the Glades.  It's a funny and witty crime drama.  Funny and witty do not always go hand in hand.  I must say, Dawson's Creek was witty, but the melodrama was not particularly funny, except when watching my roommate get into a heightened state concerning if a kiss would be interrupted at a pivotal moment!  (She watches me instead of the films when we watch Harry Potter because apparently my expressions are not to be missed!)  Funny can apply to all sorts of things.  I like slapstick and ironic humor and deadpan humor (stating the obvious).  Later on, I stop liking humor that belittles people.  Though it may be funny in an instance, I usually have lingering feelings of guilt after laughing because of ridicule.  Why I feel anything for fictional characters is because I create characters myself.  One day, I hope my characters might actually influence people enough to have people relate to my characters as people.  It might be every narrative writer's hope!

~Later!

All of my friends are jumping on the Doctor Who bandwagon and posting tons of comments because Entertainment Weekly has boosted it's popularity and Doctor Who is no longer a closet obsession.  I have never watched Doctor Who, but this mania makes me a bit sad that I haven't succumbed to the cult yet.

I am a die hard Joss Whedon fandom girl.  I'm also fairly obsessed with Felicia Day and all her web interactions.  I've even seen her in a very cool role as a punk cousin in Dear Me: A Blogger's Tale.  I don't believe it was ever that popular, but alas, aside from travelling to Comic Conventions (one day I might up my fan status to that level, but currently I use that money for more practical things like paying bills), I follow everything.  Maybe I'm a practical fan?  I have to contemplate this!

~Arrivederci!

When talking about yourself, your likes, your interests, it always seems like the possibilities are endless for where a conversation can go.  Talking about trips you've taken or plan to take really let me get to know a person.

Some of the basics, I will share.

1.  Do they only talk of trips they've taken?  These, I call "glory day" people.  "Glory day" people are fun to reminisce with, but are rarely proactive individuals.  Their trips were most likely organized by other people as will be any future travels.  They'll jump on a bandwagon or a trip to Switzerland, but will let other people take charge in planning the arrangments.  "Glory day" people are laid back and really enjoy themselves while taking trips, so come back with lots of great memories and stories.

2.  Compulsive trip planning ring a bell?  "Doers" are proactive people who have a yen for travel as part of the things they do.  I confess, I am a bit of a doer.  I try to organize a trip jam-packed full of things to do, often needing a vacation after the vacation just to relax and catch up on sleep.  Vacation ideas will generally start with a central idea.  I want to see the Vatican City, perhaps.  Every trip will have a schedule.  Deviation from the schedule can actually cause nervousness and tension.  The trip will be something to remember, but "doers" are always planning the next big thing.

3.  Are trips planned adventures?  "Adventurers" have a broad timeline in which to get their travelling done.  This will almost always be a student, travelling all summer or going for a semester abroad.  General destinations are in mind, but activities at those destinations are not limited to a scheduled plan.  Arrive in Paris, the "adventurer" may spend four or five days exploring the city and museums, in contrast to the "doer" who would have museum schedules and days slotted for that explorion.  "Adventurers" really take time to do things thoroughly.  They may miss some things, but the adventures they have stay with them forever.

Clearly, I would love to be of the "adventurer" bent, but find myself more in the "doer" category.  I'm a very scheduled person, sometimes to the detriment of enjoying the moment.  Of course, it's hard to have the funds or the time to take the "adventurer" route.  Also, there is nothing wrong with going along on a trip you didn't plan.  Those "glory day" travellers have all the fun without the stress.  I've mentioned a few European vacations in my examples, but those are still trips being planned by me.

I have done several cross-country, exploring the USA type trips.

I went through 17 states once, all of the stops were scheduled.  We didn't stop at things like the world's largest Dinosaur exhibit, but Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, the Grand Canyon, and things like that.  Pitstops, I would have enjoyed, include Mexico, Roswell, and the Alamo, but they put us off our schedule :)  I was not a planner on this trip, but thoroughly enjoyed it!

Washington, D.C. I explored for weeks on end during a summer.  Because this was done in much more of an adventure-style, I did not discover there was a two-three month wait for visiting the White House, one of the few things I wasn't able to do.  I did spend an inordinate amount of time in the museums though!

In my overseas travels, I've been to Egypt, England, and Ireland so far.  England and Ireland were separate trips, not combined.  I try to do at least one trip per year and finances usually keep me in the country, but travelling is a big part of my life.  I like talking to people about where they've been and where they plan to go, because it gives me ideas, too!

~Hasta luego!

Monday Madness

Mondays are not supposed to be the actual manic Mondays of the songs, but I have to say today was a whopper of a Monday.  I'm working in staffing and had 3 people in for processing and I handle the paperwork for the most part (even more so because a co-worker is out for a bit).  Saturday's mail into the office was as thick as a book, but no books were included.  I'm still working so in the interest of being home before 8 p.m. tonight, I'll cut this short!

Ciao!

Meet Me 7.22.12

Hi!  My name is Theresa Kemp and I am a writer.  Some would put me into the aspiring category, but in actuality, writing is something I do.  Do I make a profit at it?  Not yet and maybe not ever.  However, I enjoy writing, playing computer games, reading, watching movies, and playing with my cats.  I will probably post on those topics often, so if you're interested, drop by more frequently!

I really enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows movie that was just released on DVD.  The acting and direction were brilliant and the storyline held true to depth and intrigue Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote.  I thoroughly enjoyed the film, finding it a fast and enjoyable 2.5 hours.  If you haven't seen it yet, it is definitely worth the $1.20 rental at Redbox.  I spend more than that on a pack of gum lately.

I'm supposed to be attending a funeral today, but I did not know the person well and funerals put me into a melancholic state that borders on depression.  It's actually great for writing, but I can get to that state through meditation as well, so I'll skip the sadness today.

Adieu!