Thursday, April 30, 2009

A torture machine.



But it was a good one. Anybody done "Gravity" Classes yet?

They really are great. 45 minutes to work every major muscle group, and it's NOT boring like lifting weights. It uses all of your own body resistance and... gravity... to work you out. I was on level 2 and 3 for most of my upper body stuff, and then for squats I was on level 6. It's tough, fun, and my arms are still shakey. I'm gonna be SORE tomorrow!!! If your gym has it, I would definitely recommend going to a class or a dozen. I really liked it!

I don't know how many calories I burned... I was all sweaty like a Josie Grossie, but I plan on getting a heart monitor watch thing so I know how I'm doing from now on. I would like the Bugg, but I'm WAY too cheap. ;)

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Oh, wait... is this a weight loss blog?

Hmm. Just checking, 'cause it sure as shit doesn't seem like it.

I ate 1.5 ballpark pretzels with 1/2 thinggy of cheese today. I'm nasty. Other than that, I had a big bowl of cinnamon life with soy milk for breakfast, a few handfuls of bran oat mini pretzels for snack, and I just had an apple. That's not a whole lot of food come 9pm, but I still feel grossie. I weigh 208 right now in my underwear, but that's not my true morning weight. I haven't weighed myself in the morning for awhile. I'll probably do that on Friday.

I just signed up for Gravity classes over the next five weeks with my trainer. I'll be getting back to you after my first major ass kicking tomorrow night.

~J

Bye-Bye Matt.

It gets really crappy and hard toward the end of this show. Matt Giraud is SO talented. With love for you, cutie pie, I wish you all the best!




On a side note, why was Adam in the bottom two tonight? He has more iTunes downloads than any other contestant. Oh, have I mentioned I don't vote? I should probably start. This has got to shock his lazy non voters a bit... it shocked me.

Next week is Rock week. With three rockers and one versatile contestant... it's bound to be a really cool week. :)

~J

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

American Idol - Top 5 Performances

The finale is coming!!!!!!!!!!!

This week is Standards from the Rat Pack era. This is one of my FAVORITE themes and they don't do it every year. So I'm really excited.

Danny, Allison, Matt, Kris and ADAM all look gorgeous tonight. I've never seen such a good looking top five.

Jamie Foxx is the coach dude this week, which is BAD ASS. He's phenomenally talented. I would be absolutely terrified to sing in front of Jamie Foxx, seriously. I would shit my pants.

Alrighty! Let's get into the performances.


Kris Allen - The Way You Look Tonight: He's looking more beautiful tonight than I ever remember. He's so cute! He did a great job with the song and I love the fact that I got to focus on his vocals instead of the guitar. It might be one of my favorite performances of his. Randy was probably right in saying it was his best performance to date.

Allison - Someone to Watch Over Me: This is one of my very favorite old time songs. The arrangement was WAY too slow for me. The song just drug on for freakin' ever. She's very talented and has a great voice, but I was so bored. And I love this song. By the end it picked up which is nice, but it was still too slow. Aside from that, she's a great singer.

Matt Giraud - My Funny Valentine: Okay, holy crap. This song could contend to be my favorite. I should interject that Jamie Foxx gives awesome advice... and he's my favorite guest so far. He had a TINY bit of pitchiness at the very beginning, but the rest of it was so good. This was THE BEST performance I've seen from him, and for me... it even beats his Hollywood week performance of Georgia on my Mind. PHENOMENAL! I got chills. I do NOT agree with the judges. I saw him tear a bit during the song, the emotional side was there, and I agree with Paula and Simon.

Danny Gokey - Come Rain or Come Shine: Great song. Gah, I LOVE this era, can you tell??? Anything Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald sang, I'm good with, y'all. Danny singing "yeah, yeah" was SO cheesy. Hokey Gokey. Hokey Gokey. After the song picked up a bit, I enjoyed him a lot more. This was probably my favorite performance of his. He put a little grit and spit onto a classic song. Not bad.

ADAM Lambert - Feeling Good: Great song. I LOVE THIS MAN, I'm seriously going to cream myself. Just hearing him puts my arms and gut numb. Even Jamie Foxx said, "I'm cryin'." It's just that good. It amazes me that he can belt the hell out of these notes, hold them, then bring them back down with so much control. It's absolutely insane. He's wicked, wicked talented. Oh, and the white suit is LOVELY and lickable. Delish. Seriously, Kara said his performances are sleazy, and that's exactly it. SO HOT.


And now I have no idea who'll be in the bottom three. Okay, I'd say it'll be Allison, Matt and Kris, though that doesn't make me happy. I'd trade out Danny for Allison and keep Allison and Adam in the top two.

We'll see how next week goes! :)

~J

AGWPJA!

I have a wonderful announcement!

I got an acceptance letter today - I am officially now a member of the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photo Journalist Association!



I previously applied with the WPJA (not the Artistic Guild last time) and I wasn't accepted. They have a very stringent application process and list of guidelines you must adhere to. I didn't make it before, and I finally decided it was time to apply again.

I'm thrilled. A lot of phenomenal photographers apply for this organization and either are denied several times, or don't get accepted at all. I am honored and humbled to have made it. :)

~Jenn

Disappointed.

I started the Lighten Up Wisconsin challenge at 218 lbs on January 15th.

Today I weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 205. And that's butt nekkid, so with clothes in late afternoon it'd be closer to 207 to 208.

There was a contest inside the challenge to lose 15 pounds or more. I joined that contest for $15, and everyone who accomplishes that weight loss gets to split the pot.

Tomorrow is the final weigh in deadline, and I'm not going. (You don't have to if you didn't make 15 lbs or more.)


It is BEYOND pathetic that I can't manage to lose 15 pounds in 3.5 months.


Seriously. I am at the point where I feel like doing something crazy to lose weight. I am SO sick of slow and steady. I'd swallow a tape worm if I had one.

Okay, maybe not a tape worm. But I'm really pissed off.

~J

Sunday, April 26, 2009

I suck.

I know I haven't updated in awhile... being home with friends and family keeps me pretty busy. Since I suck, enjoy this video of two amazing women who don't.

May I present... Miss Barbra Streisand and the Late, Great, Judy Garland:



And because it just does NOT get better than Barbra Streisand circa 1960-1966, here is one of my VERY favorite songs from her show "My Name is Barbra." Listen to the whole thing. I'm telling you... PHENOMENAL.



*Adding another one. It's officially "Streisand Sunday."

This is freaking AWESOME:

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The Cherry Chip Cake Cometh.

I had not one, but TWO pieces of it last night. I'm in Denver for my Dad's birthday, and I tried to do the respectable, small sliver of cake last night. Nope. Had two of 'em.

At least I made my delicious veggie lasagna with my Mom last night. Well, half veggie for my brother and I, and half sausage slab for my Parents. With some garlic infused bread, it was yummo. I'm glad I only had a big salad for lunch yesterday. Did I eat breakfast? Nope.

So! Vacation really does tend to mess with my eating. Oh, and Fat Bridesmaid has complained that she hasn't been at the gym in 3 days. Yeah, I travel so much that it happens to me ALL the time. I seriously stop working out all the time. Then I go back to Zumba-ing and it kicks my ass.

I can say one thing for sure though. I LOVE my parent's scale. It's at LEAST 5 lbs lighter than mine, I think. I haven't weighed myself nekkid in several days. I'll probably end up doing that when I get home.

I also need to do some seriously LIGHT eating toward the end of my vacation. I'm planning on going RAW again, hopefully Saturday through Monday. I'd love to lose another 2-3 lbs by the time I get home, but we'll see if I can do it. I certainly don't think I can fast while on vacation (I don't have that much willpower.) And I also don't know if I can go Diet Coke free again while on vacation.

Why is it that "VACATION" makes everything seem so much harder? I have no idea. It just instantly makes me feel like... LAZY CELEBRATION GIRL.


Oh yeah. I don't understand how my friend Jesse survives on 5 hours of sleep a night. I got 4 or 5 hours last night because I stayed up late reading my Mom's old writings from her 20's (Umm, have I mentioned she's a ridiculously talented, inspiring, amazing writer?), and I got woken up at about 8am by all these contractors coming over to my parent's house to work on the backyard (new back porch, etc.) I'm SO grumpy right now, pouring coffee down my gullet, and I can't imagine going on this little sleep every night. I'm seriously an 8-10-12 hours of sleep kind of girl. I don't know how I'll ever have kids.

How much sleep do YOU get a night? How much do you need? Are you a waking zombie? I feel like one right now.

I need to go have another cup of coffee and some watermelon. :)


~J

Too Lil, Too Late

Welp, it's official. Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai went home tonight on American Idol. Gah, I'm getting good at this. ;)

Bye-bye, birdies:



Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Obsession

No bona fide lunatic is complete without regular indulgence of an obsession.

So here's mine. Adam Lambert. Seriously.

I regularly picture this above me:



And hope someday to have this man in my studio like this:




And this performance is UH MAZING. It's unfair to the other contestants they let him in... he's a seasoned pro.




Yep. That's all for now.

Carry on.

American Idol: Top 7 Performances... Again

I'm sorry for my calloused neglect in recapping. I'm in Denver, so I actually didn't get to do my usual watch/blog thing.


Disco Week:

Lil Rounds - I'm Every Woman: This was her kiss of death. NEVER do a Whitney song on American Idol. Just don't. They nailed it on the head when they said "You've been every other woman on that stage but yourself." It's her time to go home.

Kris Allen - She Works Hard For the Money: Fantastic. Very Mrazy. He's a cutie.

Allison Iraheta - Hot Stuff: She's wildly talented, particularly for her age. I hate her outfit this week. She's gotten so cocky... but I still think she's awesome. I don't have much of a comment on the song because I just don't like it very much.

Danny Gokey - September: I'm really tempted to adopt the nickname "Hokey Gokey" from Allie over at Allie is Wired. I know he's a good singer, and I know he's from Milwaukee so I should automatically be all for him. But he truly is hokey. I just don't get into it, and I don't get excited to watch him. Meh.

Adam Lambert - If I Can't Have You: He's my wet dream lover right now, and I FUCKING adore him. Anyway. I loved this choice of song. It is so perfect with the LGBT fight for equality right now... it was moving and fabulous. Oh, and he's a great singer. Oh, and he's gorgeous.

Matt Giraud - Staying Alive: I still really enjoy watching him. I think he's got some really great vocal talent. I think he tried to push his vocal runs a bit too much toward the end of the song and it seemed a little panicky. But, I LOVED when the background singers came out from behind the mic stands and the four of them were standing together, groovin and dancing. It was fun. :)

Anoop Desai - Dim All The Lights: He's got such a beautiful voice. Unfortunately he seemed a tad shakey on this song. I did love his outfit. I don't think the song choice was a good one. And I really don't think he'll stay another week. :(


SO!

We'll see how the results go tonight. I hope it's Lil and Anoop. I'd like to see Matt for another week.

Muah,

~Jenn

Happy Earth Day!



If you don't recycle, now is the time to start.

A lot of people say, "Well, my condo/apartment/home association/etc doesn't offer a recycling program." I have great news for you. You don't have to rely on a service being provided where you live. All you need to do is collect your own recyclables, and drive them down to a local place that offers a collection of recycling. A few ideas:

Grocery Stores
Fire Department
Police Department
Recycling Centers

Most of these locations have recycling drop-offs. My favorite option is the grocery store. Most have recycling bins in the parking lot. You can just park right next to it and drop off your recycling in the large bins.

It's easy to do your part in keeping the earth clean and recycling our resources. :)

Also, if you don't use energy saving light bulbs, go buy some.


They last a lot longer than regular light bulbs and use a fraction of the energy. Help save our energy, and cut your energy bill in the process! :)

~J

Monday, April 20, 2009

Missy Monday.

So, I'm taking a break from Mayer Monday and subbing out the amazing Missy Higgins.

This song is called "Steer." - I was listening to it in the car the other day and it makes me want to sob with happiness. This song encompasses the brilliance and joy in finally realizing you can do what you love and control your life.



Here are the words:

"Steer"

Feel it falling off like clothing
Taste it rolling on your tongue
See the lights above you glowing
Oh and breathe them deep into your lungs

It was always simple, not hidden hard
You've been pulling at the strings playing puppeteer for kings
And you've had enough

But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know that you control where you go
You can steer

So hold this feeling like a newborn
Of freedom surging through your veins
You are opening a new door
So bring on the wind, fire and rain

It was always simple, not hidden hard
You've been played at a game called remembering your name
And you stuffed it up

But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know that you control where you go
You can steer

'Cause you've been listening for answers
But the city screams and all your dreams go unheard

But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know that you control where you go
You can steer
Yeah, get out of the box and step into the clear
'Cause now you finally know you can steer

Never Forget.




I can't believe it's been 10 years since Columbine happened. A lot of people have a different experience of 4/20. For me, it's always a day of sadness and remembering the lives lost on that tragic day.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Adam Lambert

He's SO hot. The more I see him, the more he drives me crazy.

This performance in particular makes my special parts all tingly.

As do these photos.

Seriously... look at the man. FLIBBERDEEGIBBIT!!!!!!!!!!!



And... with as much as those photos turn me on... it's just a crying shame to see this:



(Okay, so this turns me on too. It just makes me jealous.)

So many of the great ones are gay. Gah!

Posty Post

Hi guys!

I'm sorry it's taken me awhile to update since the Day of Silence.

I don't really have anything that new to report right now. I had an "off" day yesterday. I had a pancake with sliced bananas on top and honey, a scrambled egg and a bite of hashbrowns for breakfast. Then for lunch I had vegetarian pho, and then I went out with a bunch of friends. I drank four or five Coors Lights at least. Then we went to breakfast afterward and I had vegetarian eggs benedict with the sauce on the side. It was english muffin with mushrooms, tomatoes, poached egg and avocado. I also had hashbrowns with that, and some fries with tartar sauce. I hadn't had fries since December!

So... I'm totally just trying to unwind from that. I had a banana and a Dannon light and fit for breakfast. I have had 2/3 a small bag of pretzels for snack, and some sushi for lunch. I'm feeling okay.

Anyhoo! The detox went well. I ended it four hours early because I started my period and I REALLY needed some real food. My period makes my stomach upset. (I don't know if anyone else suffers from that, or if that's too much information, but whatever. It's my blog.) So, I really am upset that I ended up doing the Raw Detox during my PMS week. No wonder I didn't feel like I really lost the weight I wanted to... I was bloated and pre-period. So, I want to do it again but on the first or second week of the month instead. It also explains why I was craving bad food SO badly... I dealt not only with detoxing, but also with normal monthly hormonal cravings. :/

I also weigh in for the Lighten Up Wisconsin final weigh in next week. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to meet the 15 pound weight loss gain. Which really sucks because I thought I'd be able to. It's frustrating. I just have to remind myself it's "slow and steady" - but I can tell you that watching The Biggest Loser and seeing their HUGE losses pisses me off.

Oh! I got the tattoo. It's awesome. I'm going to post some photos soon! :)

~Jenn

Friday, April 17, 2009

National Day of Silence




This blog is participating in a very important cause: The National Day of Silence.

This day, April 17th, 2009, brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Each year the event has grown, now with hundreds of thousands of students coming together to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior. This blog has proudly chosen to participate in this cause by remaining silent for the entire day and posting ONLY this one item.

This post is in honor of 11-year old Carl Walker-Hoover. Carl took his life last Monday after enduring constant bullying, including anti-LGBT bullying at his school. He took his own young life at home by hanging himself outside his third story bedroom while his mother was downstairs cooking dinner. Though Carl did not identify as gay, his story is a tragic reminder that anti-LGBT bullying and harassment affects all students. Chillingly, Carl would have turned 12 today.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Tattoo A Go

I'm going to FINALLY get the tattoo I've wanted for the last five years.



It's Irish Gaelic and translates to "The Beauty and the Mess."

On the inside of my right wrist. Tomorrow. Noon.

Yeah, boy.

Breaking News... This is HUGE.

Major thanks again to my friend Adara who posted this video.

I'm frightened, heavily saddened and TRULY angry.

I know most of us were already aware the World Trade Center was brought down by explosives, but now there is indisputable scientific evidence.

Watch this amazing 10 minute interview with Professor Niels Harrit of Copenhagen University in Denmark, who is an expert in nano-chemistry.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Thank CRACKERS!

I am so freaking happy... Matt Giraud was voted off of American Idol last night (which is ridiculous) and the Judges used their "save" option for the first time in AI history!!!



That means two people are going home next week (should be Anoop and Lil) ---


BUT... it's DISCO week next week. So we'll see how it goes. Holy crap.

~J

Raw Detox Update - Day 2

Day 2 and I'm doing well! I have gone from 208 to 205.

Check out the watermelon meal I had last night:


Today for breakfast I had sliced strawberries and bananas. For lunch I had a green smoothie with strawberries, a banana, blueberries, spinach and celery. And for dinner, I made a huge raw salad with butter lettuce, radishes, mushrooms, cucumbers, gourmet sprouts, shredded carrots, and cherry tomatoes. I can't hang with dressingless salad yet, so I made a dressing with avocado, water, olive oil and fresh basil.



~J

United in Silence



On April 17th I will be joining GLBT bloggers across the nation for a tremendous cause, the National Day of Silence which is aimed at preventing anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.

Instead of blogging on April 17th there will be a single post on this blog and many others with resources and information about this great cause and why instead of blogging, we will unite with our GLBT youth and their allies and be SILENT!

Join us on April 17th -GLBT bloggers UNITED in SILENCE!



*You don't have to be Gay to stand up for injustices. Join me.

~Jenn

This One's for Beth and Lori.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Raw Detox Update

So... I made it through 24 hours of fasting. I did Zumba this morning at 11am and it was great.

My first meal was supposed to be a "mono fruit" meal, meaning as much as I wanted of only one type of fruit. I decided on watermelon. I bought one of those 1/3 watermelons (cut, saran wrapped) at the grocery store. I ate the whole thing, minus a few chunks Dan swiped from me. I ate that at 5pm. Then I was really hungry still at 7pm and I had a few bunches of grapes. Around 11pm I had two bananas.

So, I didn't stick to "mono meal" but I made it through okay, no real "cheating" and I still feel good about it.

Tomorrow I will make a big green smoothie for breakfast. A green smoothie is a fruit smoothie with greens included (spinach, kale, celery, zucchini, whatever.) I think I'm going to do: water, blueberries, a banana, strawberries and spinach. I'll post photos and let you know how that one goes! Then fruit for lunch and then a huge salad for dinner. :)

~J

American Idol - Top 7 Performances

Music from the Movies, yo. And the coolest thing about it is that they had Quentin Tarantino on the show~!

I should share that I had a dream about Ryan Seacrest this week, which was really odd. He drove a bright orange Delorian and let me drive it around. Yeah.


Allison Iraheta - Don't Want to Miss a Thing - I love this girl. I hated her outfit tonight though... what is up with those weird legging pants things? So, after watching it a while tonight, I really think she's gotten super cocky and her vocals were VERY sloppy... she totally over sang it and got lazy. Okay. Yeah, sorry Allison, 'cause I love you, but NO. The judges apparently just wanted to say she's awesome, so whatever. Maybe I need to watch it again, but... I don't think so.

Anoop Desai - Everything I Do -
Okay, I think listening to Quentin on vocals is really hilarious. Yeah, the guy can make kick ass movies, but what is he doing giving vocal advice? Okay. I think Anoop has a great voice. But I just don't know how much longer he has to go in the show. This was a fantastic song for his voice, but he's still always doing these ballads! I feel automatically bored when he gets ready to sing, and he hasn't even done anything yet. He does have a really beautiful voice though. Oh, and people should NOT insert "girl" or "boy" into any song. It makes me nuts. But yeah, I think this was his best week ever.


And I'm hating the two judges per contestant thing, this SUCKS.


Adam Lambert - Born to be Wild - I freaking love Adam. This is HOT. I have a strong, sneaking, nagging feeling that he's very gay, which sucks, because this performance made my happy place all tingly. He's a total bad ass, so this was a perfect song for him. And after the last two weeks doing some ballads, it was nice to watch him rock out. And he's SUCH a performer... I was amazed at the whole performance from beginning to end. He's GOT to win. I actually felt TIRED after watching that performance, it was NUTS.

Side note: Did Paula read a bunch of quotes before the show tonight?

Matt Giraud - Have You Ever Loved a Woman - I love this song. He really reminds me of Justin Timberlake with his vocals, which is a good thing. I think this week is definitely one of my favorites of his. It did sound like he was losing his voice at part of it, poor dude. Other than that, I liked it a lot. The ending was strong.

Danny Gokey - Endless Love -
Finally, finally. Danny did a ballad, a true ballad, to kick the shit out of a song with his raw vocals. Thank you. FINALLY.

Another side note: Simon looks like he wants to kill himself every time Paula speaks. I freakin' love it.

Kris Allen - Falling Slowly -
Not my favorite of his... it finally got going about half way through. I just wish he would have chosen a different song, I guess. But toward the end it definitely showed his vocal range.

Lil Rounds - The Rose -
This is the week she's supposed to change a standard song and make it all her own. She promised. It'll be interesting because this is the song of my Junior High days... we all loved it. She looks gorgeous tonight. And listening to her sing this song, it seems to me like the way Whitney would have done it in her early days. Really smart. I'm glad she finally is at the point I have wanted her to be for a long time.


SO! We'll see how things go for the elimination!!!

~J

I bought the whole produce department.

Yeah, it was hilarious. But I'll back up.

I woke up today at 10:30am, and felt FINE. My tummy wasn't grumbling, I didn't feel weak and bleary eyed. I felt fine. So fine in fact, that I went to Zumba and worked out. It was nice.

Then, after working out, I began to feel hungry again. Every time I work out, the very first thing I do is come home and eat. So it was weird to come home, shower, and then go out and run errands.

I got over it pretty quickly, and things are fine. It's now 3:35pm and I'm counting down the next hour and a half until I can eat again! I've never wanted watermelon so much in my life. I don't feel miserable though, and I'm really quite surprised at how easy it was, all things considered.

So, I went to the grocery store and bought four types of pears, three melons, a bag of apples, a bag of oranges, and a bunch of other weird fruits, plus a ton of other fresh goodies. I'll be sharing them with you as I go along. :)

So! Only 1 hour, 20 minutes until I can shove my face into a giant watermelon. :)

I also wanted to address a few questions you guys had. I LOVE your comments by the way, so THANK you for those, and keep them coming!!! :)

Shelley:
I hope you are doing ok on your fast. I tend to get VERY skeptical of cleanses that start with extreme fasts like that since I think it feeds into the "quick fix" mentality that is in diets.

I just hope you are being safe. Just curious, the literature says that the fast is important because it gets you to focus on things besides food. Did you find that true or did you think about food EVEN more since you were being denied it?


Thanks for the comment, Shelley! I first want to clarify that this is NOT a diet or a quick fix thing. This is a detox. And I know you mentioned the word "detox" above there, but I also don't think a 24-hour water fast is extreme. I just read a book called "The Miracle of Fasting" recommended to me by Dan's Grandfather (who does a 24-hour fast each week) and there are people who regularly do 24 hour and 36 hour fasts, as well as several 7 to 10 day fasts per year. That made me realize my 24-hours was nothing.

Now, I have been thinking that writing about fasting and all that might feed into the eating disorder epidemic... could an Anorexic girl just say "Well, I'm fasting, so it's okay?" -- I want to be clear that I don't advocate that and I'm not encouraging NOT EATING to LOSE WEIGHT. This is a one day thing to empty my stomach and start the process of cleansing my system. Just so everyone knows. :)

I just went on a 10-day vacation and found myself going more and more toward bad eating. I came across this and really wanted to feel like I gave my body a good "cleaning out." I also am hoping it'll re-awaken some love for fresh foods, as I do get salads and fruits in, but I stick to the same old boring stuff (bananas, same salads with tomatoes, lettuce, spinach sometimes, cucumbers and some red peppers or sprouts on occasion.) I can't remember the last time I ate an orange. So. Yeah!

I did think about food even more for the first night, and then this morning I wasn't because I kept myself really busy doing stuff. I think it's amazing how much more time I had when I wasn't preparing meals. I cook a lot so it was definitely different to not have to worry about "what am I eating?" :)

4oz:
Hey! I like the makeover you gave your blog! Very nice! So what are the benefits of this cleanse?


Thank you! I like the lil makeover too. :)

So, the benefits are pretty huge. Let me share a bit of that with you:
1. Increases Energy
2. Brightens up skin, eyes, complexion
3. Flushes toxins out of your body
4. Helps to overcome cravings for breads, pastas and processed foods
5. Can lower blood pressure and cholesterol
6. Drops weight
7. Clears your mind
8. Improves memory

There is a lot of information on the website, so I encourage you to check it out. Also, remember, it's totally free, so there's no obligation for anything. :)


~J

120 Film Back...

I got my 120 color film back from the lab today. The black and white will take another two weeks or so. :(

Here are some of the photos, and I'm telling you, I LOVE shooting film again.

Finally picked up my color film from the lab and I'm so excited! It makes me want to shoot with my Mamiya a lot more, and I can't wait to get my b/w film back.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.


Though I think I have a really dusty lens or sensor or something:



After touchup:

Monday, April 13, 2009

6 Hours in...

And I'm freaking out already.

I'm doing a 5 day Raw Cleanse, and I'm 6 hours into Day 1, which involves fasting. Nothing but water for 24 hours.

The idea that I am not allowed to eat is just messing with me. I actually feel like I'm sick. I don't feel SICK, but I feel like I'm acting like I'm sick. I keep chugging water and Dan's sitting there eating leftover pasta. I'm pouting and cuddling up with blankets and drinking water, and pouting some more. I want food so bad.

*By the way, Dan offered to not eat around me but I told him no, that it's my choice and I should be able to do it without changing his routine.

It's like going shopping when you don't have any money. Everything looks so awesome, and you wish you could buy everything. But when you go to the same store when you have money, it's like, "Nah..."

I'm looking at the yogurt, soy milk, fruit, asparagus and wheat english muffins in my kitchen with lust I've never felt before. And I'm not even 1/2 way through my fasting day.

Here's hoping I can hold on to some kind of self control and not just say, "Well I'll just do Raw food for the full five days, that's good too, right?"

I'm sure there's a good reason for the 24 hour fast.

From the e-mail they sent me:

There are several reasons why the program starts with a
water fast.

The 24-hour fast will restore your natural hunger.

It will get your mind off food, and help you focus on why
you're doing this process.

This 24-hour fast will also make you feel light, more
optimistic and ready to take on this adventure!

I promise you,
after you go through this it will be so worth the effort.
Your body will feel AMAZING. Use the time to get things
done. Handle your photo albums, your bills or unwritten
letters. Get productive and distracted from food. The day
will go quickly and you'll feel terrific for it.



Well, I can say I just got through five solid hours of work on my photography business and I did feel EXTREMELY productive.

I'm off to watch TV with Dan and drink about a gallon more of water.

OI!

~J

If You Like To Vote...

And if you like helping out new musicians and singers, check this out.

My Dad produced this girl, and now she's been nominated for "Church Band Rocks!" Her name is Chelsea Bates. You can vote for her here.

I'm not a religious gal, but I'm all for helping out a friend of the family. :)

~J

Mayer Monday.

This one's for Monica. It makes me get teary eyed every time. Plus, look at his big juicy lips. Yum. ;)



~J

Sunday, April 12, 2009

I've Lost My Damn Mind.

So, I mentioned earlier that I had a big announcement for the day. I have decided to do something I've never done before, and I'm a little nervous. If any of you guys have succeeded, tried, failed or otherwise done what I'm about to do, I would love to hear your experiences.

I'm doing a five-day Raw Food Cleanse.

Now, it's supposed to be seven days but I'm going with five the first go-round. I figure if I make the goal a teenie bit smaller, I'll be less disappointed in myself if I don't go for 7 days and only make it for 5. :)



So let me tell you a bit about it:

I got the information from perusing Fertile Healthy's blog and clicking on her mention of the Green Smoothie Blog. There, I read about the Raw Divas and went to their website.

Now, I know when you go to the Raw Divas website it LOOKS like a typical "diet sale" website and that they might be trying to hook you into paying a crapload of money for diet tips you don't need. But, this detox program information is TOTALLY FREE. I signed up for it, and started getting some e-mails right away. They send you preparation e-mails, and are with you every step of the way.

Being that it's a free program, I'm going to share some (not all) of the information here and encourage you to sign up if you think it's something you'd enjoy doing. I'm also going to document my progress with it through the next week here on my trusty ole blog.

All the tools they give you are so awesome. There's a forum where you can share your experience, ask questions and get tips. There's a comprehensive e-book with all the info on the detox. There is a food and fitness journal for the detox as well as a detox tracker you can put on your fridge.

Now, I guess I should back up for any of you who don't know what a "Raw" lifestyle is. Raw Eating is exactly that. Eating foods that are raw and straight from nature's garden. That includes fruits and veggies. No store bought juices, no bread, eggs, cheese, milk, meat, or processed foods of any kind. For me that also means no coffee or soda, which will be REALLY difficult. It should also mean no cigarettes but I don't have the strength to give up everything. I'd actually probably have a heart attack if I tried. :)

So! It begins with a 24-hour fast on Monday night at 6pm until 6pm Tuesday evening. Then, Tuesday evening I will break into my eating with a mono-fruit meal (one type of fruit, as much as I feel I need.) Then, will continue the next 4 days with just raw, delicious, crunchy fruits and veggies. It'll include fruit, veggies, salads, smoothies and raw soups. The salads can't have oil, vinegar, dressing or any of that. I can make dressings with fruits and veggies blended up, or do fresh fruit sliced on top of the lettuce and veggies.

SO. I'm nervous and really hoping I can do it. I think it would be awesome to really feel "clean" inside my body and refresh myself with a nice, crisp, crunchy, juicy, healthy few days of eating.

Oh, and lotsa water.

So! That's the big, (long winded) announcement. I'll keep you guys posted on what I'm eating. I also wanted to try out some fun "Rawcipies" to make it a little more fun and interesting.

Also... I'm not really thinking of doing a Raw Lifestyle after this (I'd probably get really bored) but THIS gives me reason to give it a second thought. (Click the link there for a bunch of before and afters of people who "Go Raw."

This is a before and after with Jo Thomas. Her story is on the link above, and you can visit her blog here.



Or this girl, Angela Stokes, who is my favorite raw foodist, who is beautiful and I think from New Zealand ('cause she's got my favorite accent, EVER, just like Missy Higgins...) She lost 105 lbs in her first year of being RAW.




Visit her blog/website here.


It's not the first time I've considered the Raw Lifestyle... I just don't know that I could do it full time.

The Sunny Raw Kitchen
talked in a recent blog post about how much she and her husband typically go through in fresh produce a WEEK:


* 35 lbs apples
* 25 lbs oranges
* 15 lbs bananas
* 8 lbs lemons and limes
* 5 lbs of fruits (depending on what's available)
* 20 lbs carrots
* 4 lbs celery
* 2 or 3 lbs lettuce
* 3 lbs greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc.)
* 3 lbs tomatoes
* 3 lbs avocados
* 2 lbs beets

Plus all the other odds and ends, such as peppers, cucumbers, zucchinis, cauliflower, broccoli, green onions, fresh herbs, sprouts, etc...


WOW.

~Jenn

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.

Actually, Ex Hot Girl's got a brand new layout.

I hope ya like it. I was up 'till 5am putting all your lovely blogs back into new blogrolls.

Now I'm off to bed. I have a big announcement to make tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Oh, and Happy Easter!




~J

Artichoke and Asparagus Pasta

I know it's been a long time since I've done a recipe, so here we go! I made a delicious pasta dish tonight and I wanted to share it with you guys.

1 red bell pepper, sliced and chopped
1/2 bunch asparagus
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 can medium or small artichoke hearts, drained
1 tbsp butter, margarine, or olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 servings whole wheat thin spaghetti

Boil a large pot of water and blanch asparagus for 3-5 minutes or until just tender. Set aside.

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Put bell pepper, tomatoes and artichoke hearts in a skillet on medium heat. Add butter and garlic, coat. Saute for around 5-6 minutes or until veggies are heated. Chop the asparagus and add to the veggie mixture.

Pour veggies over pasta. There should be enough liquid in the pan to keep the pasta pleasantly moist. If not, drizzle a bit more olive oil on top.

VERY delicious, light, refreshing and flavorful.

Enjoy!

Super Cool Shout Out City.

The winner of my book giveaway this week left me a fabulous shout-out on her blog:




Everyone should go check out her blog. Her name is Deborah Chesher and she's a photographer. We met through some John Mayer twittering. Of course I dug her right away. John Mayer and photography are two of my greatest loves. ;)

She published a book called "Everybody I shot is dead" which chronicles photographs of musicians she has photographed over the years who have since passed away. She's uber talented, and you should order her book. :)


~J

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Gift Certificates Available...

This is a GREAT gift for Mother's Day. Also for Birthdays, Weddings, Graduation and Anniversaries. Don't forget a gift certificate for the newly pregnant moms in your life! :)




www.jbe-photography.com

Congrats to the Winner!



Since I didn't have Mike Zume's fancy contest thing for this giveaway, I used the website www.random.org to select the winner for this book giveaway.




Congrats to Chesher Cat!

Stay tuned for my next book giveaway next week! :)


~Jenn

Never Stop Questioning.



A subject near and dear to all of our hearts is the tragedy that occurred in New York City on 9/11.

I remain unconvinced that what we were told happened... actually happened. I've watched DVD's, web videocasts and read countless articles on the subject. From what I've read and seen, I just can't believe that the buildings fell because of the planes.

I don't categorize myself as someone who thinks "the government did it, period." I do, however, continually question what the truth really is.

I wanted to share this article with all of you. It's from a website called Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth. This is not a bunch of left wing conspiracy crazed hippies... these are professionals who are passionate about uncovering the truth. (Thanks to my friend Adara for sending me the website today.)



http://www.ae911truth.org/info/51

Exotic High Tech Explosives Positively Identified in World Trade Center Dust

A ground-breaking scientific paper confirmed this week that red-gray flakes found throughout multiple samples of WTC dust are actually unexploded fragments of nanothermite, an exotic high-tech explosive.

The samples were taken from far-separated locations in Manhattan, some as early as 10 minutes after the second tower (WTC 1) collapsed, ruling out any possible contamination from cleanup operations.

Authored by an international team of physicists, chemists, and others, the research paper was titled "Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe." It was published in The Open Chemical Physics Journal, 2009, Vol. 2., and is available online for free download. The lead author is Niels H. Harrit of the Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen.

The paper ends with the statement, "Based on these observations, we conclude that the red layer of the red/gray chips we have discovered in the WTC dust is active, unreacted thermitic material, incorporating nanotechnology, and is a highly energetic pyrotechnic or explosive material."

Ordinary thermite burns quickly and can melt through steel, but it is not explosive. Nanothermite, however, can be formulated as a high explosive. It is stable when wet and can be applied like paint.

The presence of pre-planted explosives in the WTC buildings calls into question the official story that the buildings were destroyed by the airplane collisions and fire alone. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the official government agency that investigated the building collapses, did not test for residues of explosives.

Read the full article here.



.

Tagtastic.

I got a lurvely tag from A Little Less Crystal today. (*muah!)


Game of Eights

8 Things I am Looking Forward to:

1. The next time I come to Denver to see my friends and family
2. Moving to a new duplex and getting away from this shitteous neighbor
3. Going to Boston in the faaaallllllll
4. My next massage/facial, whenever that will be
5. Mayercraft Carrier 3
6. My business being profitable enough that tax payments don't cripple me
7. Inner peace
8. My new body (when I create it)* (I like this so I'm keeping it)

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Ate too little
2. Smoked many cigarettes (going to a bar does that to me)
3. Had drinks with Aaron Jewell, a friend from high school I haven't seen in almost 10 years.
4. Realized my business model needs some serious overhauling
5. Drank $7.50 worth of the worst, most watered down Diet Coke ever
6. Saw some cool bands play
7. Ate a delicious tuna salad for the 2nd day in a row
8. Cuddled with Dan, watching Planed Earth

8 Things I Wish I Could do:

1. Wake up 50 lbs lighter tomorrow
2. Travel all around the world
3. Make money appear out of nowhere
4. Transport myself instantly anywhere
5. Love myself more
6. Play every instrument
7. Be invisible
8. Speak, read and write every language

8 Shows I Watch:

1. The Biggest Loser
2. American Idol
3. South Park
4. King of Queens
5. You are what you eat
6. Friends
7. Weeds
8. Sex and the City

8 people I tag:

1. May
2. Fat Bridesmaid
3. Waste the Waist
4. Diet Coke and Zingers
5. Losing Waist
6. Kate is Losing it
7. Fertile Healthy
8. Diet Naked

:)

~J

.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Mother's Day Contest

I have recently joined forces with Olde English Floral Shop and a bunch of other female professionals to put on a fabulous Mother's Day contest.

Nominate the special woman in your life! She doesn't have to be a mom... she just has to be a woman. The prize includes a makeup session, massage, hair services, and a photo shoot (with me!) :)

Here are the details on the juicy prize package:

Elements Therapeutic Massage: - 80 Minute Session $95.00 Value,

A Special Request: - Cosmetic Make-over $35.00 Value,

Hair Decisions: - Customized Facial, Spa Treatment Manicure & Pedicure $146.00 Value,

Olde English Flower Shoppe: - Vased Spring Arr. $95.00 Value,

JBe Photography:- 1 Hour Photo Session $175.00 Value,

Tan & Nail World: - Spray Tan Session $25.00 Value

Country Squire Supper Club: - Dinner $50.00 Value

This one is best for ladies in Wisconsin... though if you want to nominate someone out of state, you can. If she wins you'd have to fly her out here within two weeks, so it's up to you.

:)

Nominate the special lady HERE:
http://www.oldeenglish.com/mothers_day_contest.html

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Bad News...


Caffeine, Cigarettes, Soy, Trans Fats, Fried Foods.

All of these things mess with hormonal balance and can inhibit a woman's ability to orgasm, orgasm quickly and frequently.

I'm a regular consumer of caffeine, cigarettes and soy. I'm in serious trouble.

Ooh, and speaking of sex:

Book Giveaway: Diary of an Anorexic Girl



**THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND A WINNER HAS ALREADY BEEN CHOSEN. THANK YOU.**

Alrighty! I'm doing my first official book giveaway.

This was a smooth read - I finished it in one night. This is a really groovy way to do a book... though I was more expecting the diary style of other writers I've read - this was from a diary she had when she was in Junior High. It's really an interesting eye opener into the lives of young girls struggling with body image and eating disorders.

If you'd like a copy of Diary of an Anorexic Girl by Morgan Menzie, leave a comment here with your favorite song and the artist who sings it.

Yeah, I wanna expand my music and this might be a fun way to do it.

So! Start commenting if you're interested in the book and keep an eye out for the announcement of the winner on Saturday. :)

<3 Jenn

Thile Thursday & Weigh In

Weighed in this morning at exactly 209, which was where I was before I left on vacation. :) Not too terrible considering I haven't had exercise in over 2 weeks (really) and I just came off of a vacation, a cruise, and Christina's birthday dinner at Maggianos. We'll see how long it takes before I see 208! :)

And it's Thile Thursday. Check out Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground... every time I listen to this song I get really happy. :)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

American Idol - Top 8 Results

The bottom three consisted of:
Anoop Desai
Lil Rounds
Scott MacIntyre

And to save you all the details you're probably not interested in:

Scott MacIntyre is gone, and that sounds right to me. For the first time, this season is really going the way it should. I LOVE it.

Here's to you, Scott. <3

Wes is Gonna be Pissed...



Someone quit their job so they could travel the US and eat. Sorry Wes. She beat you to what might be the most awesome idea, ever. :( Although if I did this, I would absolutely gain about 200 pounds over that year. I'm still really jealous. What a cool way to quit your job.

http://www.foodtripusa.com/

In Response to NOM.

The National Association of Marriage is flat-out ridiculous. This video looks like one of those parody videos from Saturday Night Live, that's how bad it is. A bunch of people in sugary sweet voices spewing fear and hate. Ugh.

I'd like to counter this pathetic video (via Swish Embassy):



with this one, courtesy of Louis CK:




NOM NOM NOM, I eat your bigotry for breakfast. FUCKERS.

Thank you.




~J

John Mayer on Photography



I don't know how I missed this. The interview probably happened before I was a "real" photographer. John did a summer of Nikon photography for their website, and this was a really, really cool interview they did with him. This literally mixed my two favorite things in the entire world... Nikon gear / photography and John Mayer. Gah!

And yeah, I know he's holding a Canon in the photo above, but it was the best I could do on short notice.

Three of his favorite photographers:

Danny Clinch
Annie Leibowitz
Jim Marshall
*He also mentions Katie Friesema (Tour photographer... I'm so jealous of her.)

And soon to be added... Jennifer Brindley. ;)

http://press.nikonusa.com/podcasts/Nikon_John_Mayer_Podcast_3.mp3


~J