Geocaching

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. I am really getting into Geocaching. It lets me get outside, get exercise, and have fun. It’s nice to not be glued to the computer 18 hours a day. My mom and I have been hunting together, and we’re now up to 8. We’re doing it without a GPS, so it’s a bit more of a challenge to us, but it’s a blast. We’ve been to areas in the city that we never knew about, learned things we never knew, and stopped at places we always wanted to go. And that’s just in Elmira! It will be really wonderful once we get to places that we have never been to before. Well, I’m off to find another cache, so bye for now!

I was lazy today

I was lazy today because I worked out so hard yesterday. I needed a day of rest. I’m still going to do some workout, but nothing like yesterday. It pooped me out.

10 minute solution

Back when we had digital cable they had 5 minute snippets of workout videos for free. I had tried a few of them, and loved a dance workout called The Firm: Cardio Dance Slim Down. When we got Netflix, I saw they had the video and I put it in my list of movies to get.

Today I got an email saying that Netflix now has unlimited viewing of certain movies online each month for the same price I was paying before. I noticed they had a list of exercise videos on for instant viewing, but unfortunately The Firm isn’t on there. I decided that I would look for other dance workouts to try. I saw one that consisted of 5 seperate 10 minute workouts.

I tried it today and I loved it. It’s so much fun. It’s called 10 Minute Solution: Fat Blasting Dance Mix. I did the first 10 minute workout and stopped it at the beginning of the second 10 minute workout. I’m going to catch my breath for a while, and then I’ll do the next workout. If they’re all as fun as the first one was, I’ll probably end up doing all 5!

We were going to cancel Netflix, since I don’t watch movies or television that much anymore, but now that they let you watch as many movies as you want as many times as you want, I’ll end up keeping it just for the exercise videos.

I can’t wait to see what else they have. This should be fun.

Attic Kitties

I was cleaning my room, and I put a tote in front of the door to the attic. The orange kitty likes to get into the attic, and she was mad at me for putting it there. The brown kitty and orange kitty have been running up and down the stairs all day because they like it upstairs, but they can’t get to where they like to play. They’d really hate it if we ever shut the attic door.

Indian cuisine part III

Today we tried Chana Musala, a curried soup with chick peas. Man was it hot. I couldn’t even finish the whole thing, and my mom only could handle a spoonful. I love chick peas, but it was way too hot for me. I thought I knew what people meant when they said Indian food was spicy when I tried Alu Mutter, but this one blows that one out of the water as far as spiciness goes. So far the only meal we’ll probably eat again is the Dal Bukhara. I really did like that one though. Yum.

Mr. Monk Visits a Blog

I don’t watch a lot of television, but I do have a few favorites. Monk is at the top of that list as far as shows that are on now.

I like my entertainment to feature well fleshed out characters and situations, and Monk fits that bill fine. Monk, Natalie, and Captain Stottlemeyer have all had episodes featured about them that made them more than one dimensional characters. That’s what I like about the show. Adrian Monk is haunted by the murder of his wife Trudy, and can barely function. Captain Stottlemeyer developed deeper connection with Monk after his wife was almost murdered and more so after she left him shortly after the incident, Natalie has a connection with Monk because her husband also died under mysterious circumstances.

The only thing that I wish would be addressed (besides solving the deaths of Monk’s wife and Natalie’s husband of course), is Lieutenant Disher. He started out as a strong character. He was a little new at being the Captain’s right hand man, he was a little pig-headed, but he was a good cop. Now, the writers portray him as if he is completely inept, and with as many problems if not more so than Monk. In a show with fleshed out characters, he really sticks out like a sore thumb. I’m hoping the writers are going somewhere with his character with all the quirks they are giving him, and are not just planning on using him as only a comic relief character like they seem to be doing now. That sort of thing works fine on a goofy show like Psych, but on Monk it seems strangely out of place.

Team Atlantis

I saw Atlantis: Milo’s Return a while ago. It wasn’t that good as a movie, but you could tell that it would have made a great television series.

Disney cancelled the Team Atlantis television show, because Atlantis did not do as well as they would have liked at the box office. Atlantis: Milo’s Return is made up of three of the episodes that were near completion before the series ended. The animators added in additional animation and storylines to try to tie the three stories together. Unfortunately, it didn’t fare so well. As a movie, the story seems rushed, as the characters are trying to solve disasters that are supposedly caused by Atlantean machines but there is no explanation as to why the characters go from one place to the other. The finale also seems tacked on, as the three stories that are presented show no reason why the team would decide that the Atlantean machines are no longer a threat to the outside world.

However, if you watch them in context, and realize that this movie was not one of Disney’s many cash-grabbing sequels to their movies, but rather three episodes of a television show that no one outside of Disney will ever watch, Atlantis: Milo’s Return is actually worth a watch. It’s too bad that the show will never see the light of day outside of this movie, as some of the other episodes that were planned sound great.

I’m a huge fan of Disney’s Gargoyles, and Greg Weisman, the creator of Gargoyles worked on Team Atlantis. One of the episodes that never was animated, but for which voice acting was produced was to feature Demona from Gargoyles and a Gargoyle hunter. I love crossovers when they are done right, and since these two shows dabbled in ancient folklore, it seems like they would have been a perfect fit.

We’ll likely never see any more of Team Atlantis though, and that’s a shame. The Gargoyles convention does feature the voice recording of the afforementioned Gargoyles-crossover episode though. I would love to get a chance to hear that.

More Indian Goodness

I had some more of the delicious Indian meals today. This time I tried Alu Mutter. It was good, but now I know why people warn that Indian food is spicy. The curry was plentiful in this dish. I do like spicy foods, as long as they are flavorful. This definitely was. I prefer the Dal Bukhara over this, but it was definitely good for a change.

Indian cuisine

This year, one of my resolutions is to broaden my horizons. I’m trying to celebrate some holidays from other countries and cultures, and I’m also trying foods from other cultures as well.

I have never had Indian cuisine before, but I have heard good things about it. Today, I tried Dal Bukhara, a thick creamy soup with black lentils and curry. It was similar to a meatless chili, but with a creamy taste due to the addition of butter and cream.

My mom and I both agreed it was very delicious. We’ll definitely eat this again. I think I might actually like this better than chili, and I really enjoy chili. We purchased a few more Indian meals that we have yet to try, but if this is any indication I’m sure we’ll enjoy them.

Moving my butt on the Gazelle

I don’t know where I would be in the winter without the Gazelle. We originally thought it was a waste of money, but that was when we were lumps on logs just sitting around all day watching ourselves get bigger.

Now that we’re trying to lose weight, the Gazelle is our number one source of exercise. We can walk at Eldridge Lake a little bit during the winter, but the wind that the lake puts off, especially when it’s icy, can be a bit too much at times.

Once the summer comes along, the Gazelle won’t get as much use, but for now it’s set up as a permanent fixture in our living room.