As we're entering the third week, I am happy to say that essentially, I am still on track. I'm both happy, and excited, for my goals this year. When I talk to people about what I am working on, they look at me like I am crazy. "You want to do what now? That seems...ridiculous. There is no way." Yes, I know it's a crazy resolution and goal, yes I know it's a challenge. That's why I am doing it. I want to challenge myself, to push myself hard to succeed. Succeeding in this task will mean a lot of times for me as a person, because I think at the end of it, I will have a different view of things, of what is really important to me. I love sewing, and creating, but is it something I want to do everyday? Can my skills continue to improve to the level where I can potentially make a career out of it? And am I able to improve myself as well, to the point where I am healthier and happier? I want to know.
So with that, let's launch into the results of this week's activities.
WORK IT OUT!
This week was a lighter week, as I only made it 4 days so far. Today was my rest day, and I need to go tomorrow to make 5x this week. I've also maintained my 30 day challenge and tomorrow will be Day 12. Currently, I am up to 130 squats, 40 sit ups, 20 pushups, and 90 second plank. Not a lot, but it's more than what I started with. At the gym, I am staying with the Express Circuit and the Arc Trainer. I did my first day with it at a 20 resistance, and I could feel the burn more. The weight ranges I use primarily right now on the Circuit are 40-55, and a few are set to 10/25. I think I am going to stick with the weights as they are right now, just so I can continue to build up strength in my arms, which are the biggest weakness I have.
I'd also like to point out that right now, I am also 14 days with no fast food or soda. For my upcoming week, I am going to be adding in a new set of strength exercises, with some abdominal and leg exercises to rotate between the circuit. Oh, if anyone is interested, you can find me on !
http://www.sparkpeople.com
WHERE ARE THE MICE?
Remember how I said that it was a good thing that I was ahead last week because I'd eventually fall behind? That would have been this week. Initially, on Saturday last weekend, I cut all of the pattern pieces for a skirt, pants, and a blazer. Then I set them aside, to spend a day at Disney with my friend Cait. Which got me to thinking of a number of outfits I'd like to make based on various rides and characters within the parks. So Ispent a good portion of this week doing research and gathering materials to make other outfits, including fabric for MegaCon and Dapper Day outfits.
What is Dapper Day?It's a wonderful experience, amazingly fun and beautiful. It's a biannual event that takes place across various Disney parks, namely Disneyland, Magic Kingdom/Hollywood Studios, and Paris. The Spring event takes place at Magic Kingdom, and this year is on March 9th (California's event is on February 23rd), the Fall event just announced their dates and will be September 27th for Hollywood Studios. The idea is that everyone comes together to celebrate high fashion from any time period they wish, but most patrons focus on 40's-60's feel. You can visit the website for more information. BUT! That's not my point. While walking around with Cait, we came to the conclusion that we wanted to make outfits for all of our favorites. Our first, and appropriate for the event coming up, is that we are making Dapper Dames - female outfits to compliment the Dapper Dans, the barbershop quartet found at the parks. I also have a few others that I am wanting to make, but I am keeping those under wraps for now. After discussing it with a couple of others, we are deciding to do a little group, and I went out and compiled a list of fabric choices and colors needed, and bought my fabric.
I also narrowed down my costumes for MegaCon to three costumes. I'm taking this convention easy, to be fair, but I do have some prop construction that I will be needing to do. MegaCon is held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida and it's one of the largest sci-fi/comic conventions out there. This year, the event is March 21-23rd. My costume list, as of right now, is Genderbend Merle from the Walking Dead, Giganta from DC, and 2nd Doctor Aurora, based on the art work of Amy Mebberson. There is a possibility that I will add Weiss from RWBY on there, but that might wait. I also bought fabric for my Aurora costume this week, as well as Giganta. With a little more than a month to go, I am going to have to start working on these costumes soon, but I will be leaving the waistbands for last and will do those closer to the convention in case I lose weight.
Over the next couple of weeks, I hope to make - Giganta's dress, Aurora's bodice and skirt, a vest and skirt for Dapper Day, the skirt, blazer, and pants I have cut out. That is the current schedule of sewing projects for now.
SHE WON'T DISCOVER TIL' CHAPTER THREE
After last week's book, I had a hard time deciding what exactly I want to read that would engage me and not burn me out. I remember a while back I had started reading a book called His Majesty's Dragon, by Naomi Novik and thought it was pretty good but never finished it due to working two full-time jobs at the time. Originally, I had found the first four books at a used book store, which is like heaven to me, because I am able to invest in a series early on and get what I can. I decided to pick it up and reread it, as it wasn't a particularly long book, and I remember liking it. Then, as I was reading...I seriously wondered why I never finished it. It was an amazing book, in a way like an adult's version of Eragon coupled with Napoleonic-era history. I was able to fly through about 200 pages within a couple of hours, and devoured the rest of the book the next couple of nights. I typically read in bed before I sleep, which is trouble when you find a book that you love reading because you really never want to stop. You just keep telling yourself, "I'll stop at the next chapter....oh, the next one's only 30 pages, I'll stop after that..."
This is why I could never own a Kindle. You can't see where you are in the book and how close you are to finishing. I think the actual pages are what make me a strong reader. I'm very happy that I bought 4 of these books at a time, and I intend to drive further into the world of Temeraire until I run of them to read completely. Don't be surprised when more of them appear in my list. But first, I borrowed some books from Cait's sister, which I want to return by MegaCon, so I am going to be reading Percy Jackson and Olympians series first, then coming back to them.
The January/February/March reading list - Lightening Thief, Sea of Monsters, Titan's Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, Last Olympian, Throne of Jade, Black Powder War, Empire of Ivory, Victory of Eagles, Tongue of Serpents, Crucible of Gold, Blood of Tyrants.
And now it's time, to bring this to a close. I am always looking for recommendations and advice, whether it be for fitness, costumes, or books, or anything else. Feel free to shoot me a message here, or anywhere. Let me know how you're liking the blog thus far, and what else you would like to see here! Until next time!
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