Behind On My Blog

If you're a regular reader of my blog you have noticed that I have been behind the past six months.. usually just a month but I've gotten further and further behind and I'm currently about two months behind. Of course I could just drop those two months and start new today but I just can't do that.. I've done some fun things the past two months and I want to share. This is more of a "diary" for me and I enjoy going back and re-reading parts of my life. I might skip some things just to blog faster and I know I'll skip the majority of my NerdStrong posts.. those were daily and then we weekly so I may have one or two posts about it but rest assure I'm still working out five days a week and loving it. I'm seeing improvements though slowly so I'm trying to keep a positive attitude. When I get caught up on my blog (and I will) I'll go back to my daily NerdStrong blog posts. As of now I'm going to try my best to get caught up in the next few weeks. Of course this will depend on work and my free time. I just wanted to give my regular readers an update. Thanks for reading and supporting everything I do.

Robert and Caits Wedding

Today is the big day.. my best bud Robert is marrying his best friend Cait. The day started with me heading over to Robert's place in the AM to help him pack up his car and take things over to the Church/Wedding site. After unloading everything and a little bit of drama, we made our way back to NoHo for his Bachelor Brunch at a local restaurant. It was a fun brunch, we had a great waitress who Will actually improv'd with.. This was Robert's final hurrah of his single life. Afterwards we grabbed our tuxes and headed back to the church.

When we arrived we made our way to the "Grooms" room and hung up our tuxes. We then went into the reception area and started to set up. This wedding was done on a budget so it was all hands on deck. For my part I did table clothes, table numbering and place settings among other smaller things. Soon it was time to get ready so we all headed to the Grooms room and began to suit up.

People started to arrive to the church, Robert's stepdad and brother joined us in our room for a while before heading in. Soon it was our turn to head in. We met up with our counterparts (bridesmaids) and got into position. I was walking in last with the maid of honor so we watched each couple walk up one at a time. It was our turn and we slowly made our way up. It was great seeing so many friends smiling faces. During the rehearsal yesterday we all decided that we would all give Robert a kiss on the check as we passed by him, so one by one we gave him a peak.. at least I assume they did I didn't really pay attention to what was happening in front of me as I was just focusing on walking and not tripping. But I did hug and kiss Robert when I got up to him and then stood beside him.  As ring bearer George passed by me he handed me the ring and then the ceremony began as Cait who looked amazing began to walk down the aisle.

The ceremony went off without a hitch, there were lots of getting up, sitting down, walking up stairs, walking down stairs, singing and saying prayers. It's was a long ceremony but very enjoyable.. both Robert and Cait beamed. I was so happy for the two of them.

After the ceremony the wedding party and family headed over to the other side of the church to take photos. After the family was done the wedding party ran across the street to City Hall to take our pictures over there. It was alot of fun. We did your typical wedding party pictures but then there were some fun ones mixed in as well. Photos took about an hour or so but we finished and headed into the reception. We were announced as we entered the room to cheers and applause. It was great seeing several tables with friends sitting around it. I found my table and sat down.

The next several hours were a whirlwind. I did shots of Fireball Whiskey with friends in the kitchen, we chatted, danced and ate dinner. When it came time for the toast I was feeling pretty good. I hate public speaking but this was my best man duty. I had written a speech weeks prior and wrote it down on several index cards but when it came time to give the speech I was so nervous I went off card and babbled on for a few minutes. I think I covered about two thirds of my speech but folks laughed in the right places and in the end everyone said they enjoyed it. Now that the speech was over I could relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. We drank a little more and danced a little more before we had to exit the hall. We had to be cleaned and out by 10pm so the party came to an end around 9pm and then family and a few friends stuck around and helped clean up the place. Afterwards a group of us headed over to a local hotel bar to drink a little more. Around 11pm I said my goodnights and got a lift home from my buddy Will.

Overall it was a crazy day filled with laughs, joy, dancing, drinking, lots of pictures, a little stress and a bunch of amazing people. Congratulations to the happy couple...

Robert & Cait's Wedding Rehearsal

Took off work around lunchtime to head over the hill to Hollywood to pick up my tuxedo for Robert's wedding tomorrow. I was also picking up my buddy Dallas' as well. Once I got to the place the lady had me try it on to make sure everything looked good and nothing needed to be altered. Luckily everything fit nicely. I usually have issue the suit jackets because of my broad chest but this jacket actually laid down pretty good. I was very happy with the fit. After picking up my tux I headed out to Pasadena for the wedding rehearsal. That was interesting as I didn't realize that I'd be playing a role in it by holding the notes for the priest as she had to use both hands during points of the ceremony. It was an Episcopal ceremony. I'd never been to a Episcopal service and there is lots of moving around and singing and praying.. it was interesting.

Before the rehearsal I got to meet Robert and Cait's family who all flew in for the wedding. I don't really know Cait's family but I have heard alot about Robert's and I'm actually Facebook friends with Robert's mom and older sister so it was great to finally meet them in person as well as his step dad. I also got to meet Robert's Dad (who I've heard alot about) and his younger sister and brother. There were all exactly how I expected them to me.. awesome!!

After rehearsal we walked to a local restaurant to for rehearsal dinner. There was a bit of confusion at the beginning but in the end everything turned out great. We drank and ate a ton of tasty food. We were there for a couple of hours before the party broke up. The groomsmen and I got to talk about going out to an arcade, I had planned to go to an arcade during Robert's Bachelor but we ran out of time so why not do this now.. We passed a place while walking to the restaurant so all the groomsmen, ring bearer, father of the bride, Robert's younger brother and several other family members went out and played some video games for an hour or so. Afterward we walked back to our cars, I drove Chad (Robert's younger brother) back to his hotel and then headed home.. tomorrow is the big day.

My Workout Week

This workout week was all kinds of crazy, with Robert's Bachelor party on Saturday and Renaissance Festival on Sunday this week was a bit shorter then most of my workout weeks.

So since I missed two days on the weekend I joined in for a rare Monday workout. Mondays are strength days which I do on Thursday as well hence why I usually don't do Mondays. We started off with a pretty crazy warm up, then did 3 rounds of 10x Wall Tap Hip Hinge & 10x PVC Hip Hinge. Then we did 3 rounds of Kettlebell Pendulum Swings and 10x Banded Hinge Pull-Thrus. Then 3 rounds of Kettlebell Swing Ladder, this was 1 minute sets for 15 minutes, each set is 10x reps. The object was to start light and go heavy. I started with the lightest and ended on the heaviest. I can't believe I kettlebell swung 80lbs for 10 reps. We we finished with a TABATA :20 seconds of work, :10 seconds of rest, Jump Squats and Push Ups. I'm glad I came to workout on Monday as I really enjoyed the Kettlebell Ladder.

Tuesdays DEX workout started with a nice warm up, we then did 5 minutes of Dynamic Step Overs and 5 minutes of Dynamic Step Unders. For the main workout it was stations, 1:30 minutes of work and :30 seconds of Rest. We did 3 rounds of Split Squats, Deep Knee Bends, Medium to Tall Kneel, Deep Knee Bends to 1/2 Knell and SHIN box.

Wednesday was Coach Christy's birthday so she created this "37 is a Prime Number" Workout. After a warm up we did a 37 Minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible). Here is what we had to do for those 37 minutes.. Plank Pulls, Push Ups, V-Ups, Slamballs and Jump Squats. None of these are to difficult but doing them over and over again is a killer.

For Thursday's workout we did a nice warm up and then some banded hip and ankle work. For the workout it was a 30 minutes of 10 Duel Kettlebell Front Squats and then 20x Explosive Box Step-Ups. After that we had a finisher of 5x :30 work :30 rest Wall Sits / Rest.

It was a good week.. though it was one less day. And the coming weekend I'm taking off as well because of the wedding but hopefully I can get a extra day in during the week.

Laughing & Star Wars With Chris

I came across this Coca Cola "Happiness Starts With A Smile" Campaign video of a man on a subway watching a video and then starts to laugh and eventually he has everyone else laughing around him. I assume this isn't "hidden camera" and that everyone laughing are actors but I think it's gets it's point across. Laughter is infectious. I am told that I have an infectious laugh, so much so that when I was younger my friends use to call me The Giggler. There are many versions to my laugh but the one that most people enjoy most is my Sesame Street "Count" laugh.  Unfortunately I don't get to laugh like that very often so when I do it's magical and feels amazing.

My best friend Chris is visiting from Montana for our buddy Robert's upcoming wedding but tonight we got to hang out.. just he and I and it was awesome. He made some amazing ribs and we got to watch Star Wars The Force Awakens on Blu-Ray for the first time together. I purchased this a few weeks ago but have been so busy with everything that I hadn't had a chance to watch it yet.. until now. It was great watching with him. I wish I could have watched it for the very first time in a theater with him but current circumstance prevent that so we do what we can do. It was a great way to end a stressful work day.

Labyrinth Board Game and My New Wig

When I saw this I was hoping it was real.. and sure enough it looks to be.. River Horse, Who have created tabletop games like My little Pony, Terminator Genisys and The Hunger Games, have secured the rights to making a brand new table top game called – Jim Henson’s Labyrinth The Board Game.

Here is a bit of information about the game... This is the maze that players must navigate every time they wish to save Sarah’s baby brother. Each game is different with the blank card spaces being filled with the magical encounters and monsters that are depicted on the deck of cards that comes with the game, this ensures a great deal of replayability and unpredictability in the game, giving the Labyrinth its signature feel.

The game consists of two distinct stages, one where the group must adventure through the labyrinth trying to find the goblin city whilst keeping their willpower as high as possible (nobody wants to fall into the oubliette!), and a second action packed stage where the players must fight their way into Jareth’s castle where Sarah must say the  magical words that will release her brother.

Check out this LINK for pictures of the game pieces and more info. There is no release date so I guess I'll just have to keep my eyes open.

I've been searching and searching for the right wig for my Samwise Gamgee Cosplay and I think I finally found it. It's synthetic hair which I don't really like but it did say that it could be curled.. so will see if it works.. wish me luck.

The Magicians S1 Finale

Tonight I watched the season finale of season one of Syfy's The Magicians. S1 Ep13 "Have You Brought Me Little Cakes" Having traveled to Fillory, Julia and Quentin discover they've been followed by Martin Chatwin, who they promise to help. They commission a blade to help them kill the Beast, and meet the Watcherwoman, a future Jane Chatwin, who takes them to when they need to be. They rejoin the group, collect the knife, and Eliot marries a local girl as he has been named future High King. Quentin and Julia meet Ember, who gives them power and unlocks Julia's memories, revealing that her friends had accidentally summoned Reynard the Fox, who killed her friends and raped Julia. Quentin and Julia rejoin the others, who had been rescuing Victoria and discover Christopher Plover, who reveals that the Beast is Martin Chatwin. Josh and Victoria escape, and the rest travel to the source of Fillory's magic to ambush the Beast. However, Julia has taken the knife from Alice, and while the rest of them are injured, with Penny's hands cut off, Julia holds a knife to the Beast's throat. Julia makes a deal with the Beast to kill Reynard, and they leave, with Quentin the only one left standing.

First let me say that I'm glad they got picked up for a second season.  I was left in shock after watching this finale. I don't even know where to start talking about this episode. Of course everything has been leading up to this big battle with the Beast. You are lead to believe that the Beast is Christopher Plover but find out that it's Martin the molested brother of the main character Jane Chatwin. I was never a fan of Julia and what she did at the end was horrible.. I mean I understand why she did it but it was all about revenge and helping herself. It was an interesting twist to find out that they have been living the same time loop over and over again trying to defeat the beast. Of course we have the ending and everything going to hell. We don't know who is dead and all we know for sure is Quintin is alive. Since this is the last loop before the current Jane was killed so she can't start it over again I don't see how they are going to write themselves out of this one. I'm temped to read the books but I kind of like not knowing and I was told that the books are pretty different from the TV series. I guess they are combining alot of the different ideas in the books together for this series. Anyways it was a crazy ending to a pretty crazy season one. I can't wait to see what's next in season two.

A Friends Movie Trailer, Sweet SW Commercial & Doctor Strange

One of my friends America Young has been working on a movie for several years, it's her first directorial debate and it's reaching it's end. They released a trailer for it.. has a kind of cool 80's vibe to it. I also happy to have a very small cameo in the film. I'll let you know when it's released but for now enjoy the new trailer.

I came across this very sweet Star Wars themed commercial. It's for a place called Kaufland which I assume from the commercial is a German department store, like a Walmart. All I know is it's an extremely sweet and touching commercial.

And I have one more trailer for you.. they Marvel released the teaser trailer for Doctor Strange. I know absolutely nothing about this Marvel character but from what I see in the trailer it looks pretty good.

Car Accident, New Fantastic Beast & Suicide Squad Trailers

On my way to the gym this morning I was at a stop light and a car hit me from behind. From the hit I assumed my bumper was hanging off the car. We both pulled into a parking area to check out the damage. The guy was very apologetic and said that he didn't see me. I don't think that's possible as I'm in a very green vehicle. And to my surprise there wasn't much damage, just a few scratches, so I'm thinking he was stopped behind me and reading his phone when he suddenly thought I moved forward so he hit the gas the impact felt big but little damage was done so I assume he was only a few inches away from me when he hit the gas.. because when I felt the hit I looked up and it looked as though he as looking at his phone. As I said he was a nice guy and offered to exchange info, which I didn't do but later thought I should have just in case. Needless to say it's not how I wanted to start my day.

WB released a teaser trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. This is set in the Harry Potter Universe and takes place the 1920's in United States. It's not really a prequel but Harry Potter and all students have Hogwarts have to read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them written my Newt Scamander who is the main character in this movie. This is part of of a three part trilogy. I'm super excited to see this. I don't know anything about this movie other then what I've seen here in the trailer.. I can't wait!!!

WB also released a second trailer for Suicide Squad. I know very little about this comic book series.. only from what I got on Arrow and of course the first trailer which I loved. They had alot of live up to with this new one and I have to say if it's not better it's definitely just as good as the first.. check it out.

Last thing I want to share today is this image I came upon.. it made me smile. Not all Princes need a Princess to live happily ever after :)

Renaissance Festival

Since my buddy Chris was visiting from Montana my other buddy Dallas organized a trip to the local Renaissance Festival. I had not intended on dressing up (just haven't had the time to make anything but Chris had bits an piece from his previous cosplays so I rifled through them and found a pretty great "pirate" type outfit. I really liked the red pants.. I think those were my favorite piece. And though they were a bit small around the waist (as Chris is much smaller then me) I was happy to see that they would still close and tight up. Besides the amazing red pants I wore this awesome black fluffy shirt, a cool wrap around belt with a small dagger attached and a few sizes to big boots that finished off the look. Well a hat would have really finished it off.. but I think I looked pretty good for a last minute throw things together cosplay and I could definitely see my weight lose in those clothes... I felt great.

When we got to the faire there was a bit of ticket confusion but it was quickly resolved and we entered the grounds. I've only been to the Ren Faire a few times and I missed last years but this years felt a lot larger, maybe I just didn't explore everywhere the last few times but this years I felt like it was at least a third larger then previous years. We walked around, checked out the booths and just enjoyed the atmosphere. We had a large group and that always makes it more difficult to do things. We enjoyed some meat pies, the Queen Jousting Tournament and a few of the stage shows.

Towards the end of the day I lost my group and roamed for a bit by myself. My feet were hurting in the two sizes to big boots so when my ride said they were ready to go I was all on board with that. I think we spent a total of about seven hours there. It was loads of fun and I look forward to attending next year.