Book Review: Devil in the White City

For my book club this month we read "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. It's a non-fiction book that reads more like a novel.  I learned so much from it, but it kept me interested, not like reading a textbook.  


It's all about the creating of the World's Fair in Chicago, while at the same time there's a serial killer on the loose.  I probably was more intrigued by the murderer parts rather than the fair parts, but it was fascinating how many things that we take for granted today, all came from the fair.  


Interesting history and drama, what more could you want?


Synopsis: Erik Larson—author of #1 bestseller In the Garden of Beasts—intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

New Item: Shamrock Headband

Shamrock Headband/Earwarmer

Yesterday I listed a new item.  Yes, I know we haven't had Valentine's day yet, but I had an idea in my head for St. Patrick's Day and I wanted to get started.


It's a headband/earwarmer with Shamrocks across the top.  I also have a shamrock doggie sweater, so if you're the sort that likes to match your dog (I'll admit it, I am), then you can have a matched set!


Next I'm working on a sleeveless sweater.  It's going to be empire wasted like the last one I did, but with a cool diagonal stitch.  I hope that it turns out.

A day of Fun

The boyfriend and I had a wonderful time yesterday.  It got off to a rocky start though.  We thought that we would go garage sale-ing before heading out to the lake.


We went to two that were way across town from each other, and neither had much of anything.  What is the point of having a yard sale with 10 items?  The whole fun is digging through a mountain of stuff!


I did, however, find a set of cast iron skillets for $7.  They're big and heavy and can be used for cooking, camping or self defense. Not a bad deal.


Then a visit to the boat and Linner (lunch and dinner together) at the wine bar.  Mmmmm.

Day Off with the Boyfriend

Now that I finally have most of my Saturdays off, I can actually spend some time with the boyfriend.  I think last year we had less than 5 days off together.  It made it really hard, but now it's time for some fun.


We're going out to the boat today.  Unfortunately it's going to be too windy for a sail, but we have a few things that are in need of repairing, and it's nice give a little TLC to her.


Afterward, we're going to my favorite restaurant.  It's a wine bar out in Boulder City that has great wines and wonderful cheese platters and sandwiches.  My mouth is watering already.  There are also some really cool antique shops around that we can walk to afterward... if it's not too late.


Hope your Saturdays are going well too!

Friday's Favorites: Pink

As Valentines day approaches, I like to be just a little more feminine. And what could be more feminine than pink? Take a look at these delicate treasures, and you might find something 
that touches the little girl inside.








Here's the actual link to the treasury for those that want to blog, Facebook, or tweet about it:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjI1NjY2NHwxOTU2OTAzMzcy/pink-out-something-for-you

Submissions: Pink

Soft Pink Summer Sweater

Every Friday I put together a treasury of some of my favorite items made by other etsy sellers.


Last week's treasury, Time for Some Necking, had 166 views, 32 comments, 47 clicks and 14 admirers. 


This week, I'm looking for PINK.  If you have any pink items in your shop, please post the link in the comments and check back tomorrow for the Friday's Favorites.


Don't have pink? Feel free to nominate a friend's item and help spread the love.

2 More Miles...

I decided to skip the sprints today and just do the longer run.  Though the lazy side of me likes the fact that the sprints are over more quickly, I actually feel better afterward when I go slower for longer.  And really, what better motivation is that?


I also have been sick of listening to the same music during the run, so this time I tried listening to a podcast.  I thought it might be harder but different... as it turns out, it made the run much more interesting.  I get bored really easily, so this gave my mind something else to focus on rather than asking my body, "Are we there yet?"


My podcast of choice?  Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR news quiz.  It's so funny, and it makes my mind work so that my body can just run.  I think I'll try it again on Sunday.


For you Etsy shop owners out there, don't forget to check in tomorrow to submit for this week's treasury!

Catching up...

A lot has been going on, so here are a few snippets to catch you up...


Internet is now faster than ever.  I had to get a new modem (apparently that was the problem), but now I don't know what I'm going to do with my mornings now that everything is loading in half the time.


The neck and shoulder still hurt.  Yesterday was really bad, but today so far is tolerable.  I've given up on pain killers, as the over-the-counter ones don't seem to do much... even my beloved advil has failed me.


I finished the Shamrock Headband.  I haven't had time yet to photograph and list it, but that will hopefully happen on my next day off.


That about covers it... well, until the next drama unfolds.

Arrrg! Internet!

So for the past couple of weeks, I've been having internet issues.  Sometimes it works great, and then when I really need it to work, it's slower than dial-up.  It has caused me great frustration and aggravation.  I realized, that wow, I'm paying a lot of money to have it not working... I better get off my butt and call.


The recorded message actually told me, "For internet trouble, you can always visit our website at... blah blah blah".  Really??!? How am I going to do that if I have internet trouble.


I finally got a real person, and they're sending someone over.  Of course, the minute I hung up, it started working again which is how I'm writing this in the first place.  Hopefully it will be reliable soon...

Whew

So after missing Wednesday's run...again... due to all the neck and shoulder pain, I knew I needed to make sure to get my Sunday run in.  


I did 2.1 miles at an average of 4.6 mph.  Though I finished my route, I still almost threw up when I stopped.  That will get better when my running schedule is back on track.


The shoulder and neck are doing ok for the moment.  I had some Tylenol PM last night, and got my first good sleep in 2 weeks.  The pain gets worse when I sleep, which ends up getting me up every couple of hours.  I don't want to take any tonight though, the last thing I need is to get addicted to that stuff, but if it still hurts tomorrow, I'll have some that night.  

New Item: Red Sweater

So, it's been a while since I added anything new to my shop, and I figured it was about time that I started creating again.


On Thursday night I added this Red Sweater Knit in Size 10 to my shop.  It's really soft, and I like the slimming effect I created with the ribbing.


Right now I'm working on a St. Patrick's Day headband with shamrocks on it.  I'm trying to make myself think ahead to the next holiday so that things will be ready. As it's a headband and not a sweater, it should be done soon.

Friday's Favorites: Neck Things

The neck is one of the most elegant features that a woman has, and so it's high time we show it off. Whether it's to keep it warm, or bedazzle it up, I'm sure you'll find something that your neck has been craving.








Here's the actual link for those of you that want to Facebook, blog or tweet about it:


http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjI1NjY2NHwxODc2NTIyMTIy/time-for-some-necking

Submissions: Neck Things

Skinny Summer Scarf

Every Friday I put together a treasury of some of my favorite items made by other etsy sellers.


Last week's treasury: Buy My Valentine had 182 views, 39 comments, 139 clicks, 61 admirers and 4 SALES!!!


This week, I'm looking for STUFF FOR YOUR NECK.  This could be necklaces, scarves, cowls, or anything you can think of for your neck.  If you have anything like this in your shop, post the links in the comments and check back tomorrow for the Friday's Favorites!


Don't have any neck things? Feel free to nominate a friend's item and help spread the love.

More Ouch...

I'm sorry if this has turned into a whiney blog about my neck, I promise that tomorrow I won't talk about it at all, as it's submissions day.


I think the new chiropractor I saw has made my neck worse.  Last night I came home from work crying, though I did sleep a little better.  Today I am too afraid to do my run, as I really don't want to make it worse than it already is.  Luckily, I haven't been over eating as the thought of putting together a meal is a little daunting at the moment, so I haven't really eaten much.


Now I'm debating whether to go to a different guy, or just let nature take its course.  


Plus I have an audition today for a commercial, and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to blow dry my hair...eek!

Chiropractor...ouch

My neck has still been bothering me, big time, and since it had been going on for over a week, I decided to get some professional help.  I asked my Las Vegas friends on Facebook for a good chiropractor, and got a couple of responses.  Then I looked on yelp and picked the one with the best comments.


She combined deep tissue massage and chiropractic adjustments.  She told me that I would probably hurt more the next day from all the massage, but it would start to feel better afterward.  Boy, she wasn't kidding.


I have no idea how I'm going to perform magic today, let alone juggle.  I can't call in sick, as I just called in last week when I had my nasty cold thingy. The doctor said that even though it hurts, working on my range of motion will be a good thing, so I'm hoping work will help.


The worst part?  It hurts to knit!

Book Review: You Suck

No, I wasn't insulting the book review, the title of the book is actually called "You Suck" by Christopher Moore, and if you haven't guessed it yet, it's about Vampires.


I think this is one of the funniest books that I've read in a very long time.  I think one of the most difficult things in writing is comedy as once it's on paper, it's up to the reader to supply the timing.  Most authors fail at this, in my opinion, but not Christopher Moore.  When I was reading this in the dressing room between shows, all the other performers kept asking me, "What are you laughing at?"


Synopsis: 
Being undead sucks. Literally.

Just ask C. Thomas Flood. Waking up after a fantastic night unlike anything he's ever experienced, he discovers that his girlfriend, Jody, is a vampire. And surprise! Now he's one, too. For some couples, the whole biting-and-blood thing would have been a deal breaker. But Tommy and Jody are in love, and they vow to work through their issues.

But word has it that the vampire who initially nibbled on Jody wasn't supposed to be recruiting. Even worse, Tommy's erstwhile turkey-bowling pals are out to get him, at the urging of a blue-dyed Las Vegas call girl named (duh) Blue.

And that really sucks.

Running and Sick...

So today I had my long run, and I made it through my 2.1 mile course.  I went extra slow since I've been sick for the past couple of days, and last week I went to fast and couldn't make it past 1.9 miles.  I'd rather go slowly and not have to stop and walk, so that's how I took it today.


My pace was about 14 min/mile, which is super slow for me since I've been going about 12.8 - 13, but I made it through the whole thing, and got my heart rate up a bit. 


When I finished, I felt a bit nauseous, maybe doing too much too soon, but after about 5 minutes it passed.  Now I feel like I've drunk a couple glasses of wine, which is my favorite part about running... the tipsy feeling afterward. 


Now I'm drinking my water and recovering.  Wednesday will be sprints again.  


Since I don't weigh myself (It turns me into crazy person when I do), my goal is to fit into my old jeans and to make the wardrobe at work put in a new set of hooks for my costume.  When I started I was at the widest hook, now I'm at the second one.  

Colds Suck

So yesterday I had to call in sick.  I woke up and my head from the nose up, felt like it was going to explode.  I was only supposed to do a half day, so I waited as long as I could before I made the call.  


After some Theraflu, and some sleeping in a furry pile of dogs and a cat, I began to feel more like a human.  By the end of the evening, the only thing that felt bad was my nose.  


This morning, everything has drained into my throat.  I don't feel nearly as bad as yesterday, but I'm very thankful that I'm not a singer.  I can perform magic without making a peep, and that's what I intend to do today.


...sigh... Sick days are no fun when you are actually sick.

Friday's Favorites: Buy My Valentine

Love is in the air, and these wonderful hearts are a great way to show it. Have you started shopping yet? Valentines day is coming sooner than you think!








Here's the actual link for those that want to blog, Facebook or tweet about it:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjI1NjY2NHwxNzk5MjUwMTQy/buy-my-valentine

Submissions: Hearts

Every Friday, I make a treasury of my favorite items made by other etsy sellers, post it on my blog and call it the Friday's Favorites!


Last week's treasury, Purple Perfection, had 203 views, 50 comments, 77 clicks and 18 admirers.


This week, I'm looking for HEARTS.  If you have any hearts in your shop, post the link to the item in the comments, and check back tomorrow for the Friday's Favorites!


Don't have hearts?  Feel free to nominate a friend's item and help spread the love.

Burst Training

Just finished my Burst training for today.  Now my legs feel like jello.  I'm probably going to be sore tomorrow, but that's a good thing, right?


I didn't go as fast on the sprints as I would have liked.  When I looked at my pedometer, it said I had gone 6mph, where as the first time I did it, I got up past 7.  I guess next wednesday I'll need to push a little harder.


... now I just need to figure out how to get my jello legs to stand up and start doing some chores...

Book Review: Before You Know Kindness

Last week I read Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian.  It was a different sort of premise with really deep characters.  It's amazing how one event can change everything, and even though at the time it seems for the worse, you never know how things will actually come out. 


I also liked how characters I didn't care for in the beginning of the book, grew on me either as they changed, or as I got to know them better.  I'm finding myself more and more being drawn to character driven books as opposed to plot driven ones, although I always love a good story.


Synopsis: 
On a balmy July night in New Hampshire a shot rings out in a garden, and a man falls to the ground, terribly wounded. The wounded man is Spencer McCullough, the shot that hit him was fired–accidentally?–by his adolescent daughter Charlotte. With this shattering moment of violence, Chris Bohjalian launches the best kind of literate page-turner: suspenseful, wryly funny, and humane.

Long Run

Yesterday I did my first long run after doing the burst training.  I really didn't know what to expect as I'd used the last two of my running days on burst training, so it had been over a week since I'd run any distance.


I don't run on a treadmill.  I have a handy dandy app on my phone so I can plot out my route and get a good estimate of how far it will be.  Then I run that course until it becomes kind of easy, and then I set a new course that's a little longer.  That way my body can set the pace...plus 99 cents is cheaper than a gym membership.


I also have a pedometer app, so I can see how far I actually ran, and what my pace was and all that good stuff.


So it started out just fine, but halfway through I was a little more tired than I usually was.  I pushed on, determined to get through it. At 1.9 miles (my goal was 2), I had no choice but to stop.  I almost threw up... just like on The Biggest Loser... I didn't think that could actually happen!


I was a little discouraged, until I looked at my pedometer.  Where normally I run anywhere between 4 and 4.5 mph, this time I had averaged over 5! No wonder I had been so tired!  I went from down on myself to proud of myself in less than a second!  


I'm going to do the Burst training again on Wednesday, and then on Sunday we'll see how my long run goes. 

Sunday Funday Video

I think I'm going to bring back the Sunday Funday Video of the week, at least as long as I find ones worth posting... Since I'm actually getting this blog post ready the day before, tune in tomorrow to see how well my run did or didn't go...


This is how they do pole dancing in Wyoming...

Crunchy Neck

Wednesday night, I must have slept on my neck wrong, and since then, my neck has been hurting and crunchy.  Even though the muscles hurt a lot, I think it's a nerve thing as the muscle that hurts doesn't necessarily feel better when you massage it.


Of course it's on my right side, which happens to be my favorite side as it usually does most of the things that I need accomplished during the day.  My left side is fine, but forgets that its supposed to help out so my right still ends up doing most of the work.


I think I'd rather have a cold instead.  I mean, with a cold, you're just as uncomfortable, but you have something to show for it like stuff dripping out your nose and watery eyes.  Then you can lie on the couch all day with a box of tissues and watch horrible daytime television.


With a crick in your neck, you look perfectly healthy, and feel so too (well, except for your neck), so you actually want to go out and do things, until you try and go ouch...then you just look like a stupid wimp.


Hopefully, it will show some improvement by tomorrow, since tomorrow is my running day.  I'd feel guiltier about skipping the run, than skipping the sit-up and push-ups that I'm probably going to forego today.

Friday's Favorites: Purple Perfection

Purple is such a great color to wear in the winter. It's richness and lusciousness makes me warm inside.








Here's the actual link to the treasury for those that want to tweet, Facebook or blog about it.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjI1NjY2NHwxNzE4NzEwOTUx/purple-perfection

Submissions: Purple

Purple Scarf and Hat Set

Alright you etsy shop owners out there, it's time for some more submissions.  Every Friday I put together a treasury of some of my favorite items, post it on my blog and call it the Friday's Favorites!


Last week's treasury, After Christmas Sale, had 69 views, 19 comments, 16 clicks, 7 admirers and 2 sales!!!!


This week, I'm looking for PURPLE.  If you have any purple in your shop, or if you've seen purple in one of your favorite shops, post the link in the comments, and check back tomorrow for the Friday's Favorites!


If you haven't already checked out my new sale section in my shop, click here for some great deals!

More Burst Training

So today I did my second round of burst training.  I'm still not convinced that it's better for me than my long runs.  I was quite sore on Monday, the day after my first attempt, which is good, but working out for such a short time still feels like I'm cheating.


Most of the testimonials I've read have the people doing a low carb thing with the training... well, of course they're going to lose weight, I can drop weight quite quickly doing the low carb thing, and I've done it without any exercise, but it's really hard to keep up. And now I'm wondering if it's the low carb that's making these people lose all of this weight.  So confusing.  The whole reason I started on this exercise kick was so I could eat normally...


Sunday, as planned, I'm going to do my longer run, and Wednesdays are going to be my short intervals.  I am interested to see if the longer runs become easier after building up my muscles with the shorter sprints... hmmmm....

Working out

So, in September I decided to start running.  I didn't tell anyone for a while (except the boyfriend), that way if I couldn't keep up with it, no one would know that I failed.  Well, I started out at a half a mile, and now I'm up to 2 miles.  My goal is 4.


Then I heard about this thing called "Surge Training" or some people call it "Burst Training", where you go as hard as you can for 30 seconds to a minute, then rest, then do it again 2 to 3 more times. It is supposed to be more effective than just running for long distances.


I'm not usually into trying the next new fangled thing, but this one I thought I'd give it a go, and I'd try it for one of my two running days, and keep the long distance one for my other day.  Yesterday I tried it, and afterward, I had felt like I had hardly done anything.  I mean, 10 minutes as opposed to a half an hour??!  But this morning I'm pretty sore, so maybe there might be something to this thing.  I'm going to do it again on Wednesday, and then back to my 2 miles on Sunday.  We'll see how it goes.


I just want to fit into my clothes again, and though I'm still slender, it's cheeper to lose weight than to buy a new wardrobe.

BIG SALE!!!!

There's a big sale going on at AllThingsTangled...


Items have been marked down, so no coupon code is required...


Some items have been slashed 50%!


All items always have FREE SHIPPING anywhere in the US and Canada!