Music Helps Everything Go A Little Faster

Sunday has been a long day so far, and it’s not even noon. Only had about 5 hours of sleep, thought the husband was working this morning, and was up at 5:30. Turns out, no work (woohoo!), but there was no going back to bed either. Today, I’m dealing with laundry, going through old clothes, and doing a general clean-up of stuff. I’m not exercising today, due to all the other stuff I’m doing. I also have been dealing with muscle knots in my lower right leg (the knee twitch is still there too, heh). So a day off might ease up the knots.

What helps me do all this housework? Music! You all know I have to listen to music when I’m on the elliptical, but I’ve begun listening to it as I clean too. I use Pandora.com to listen to streaming music. I have a variety of play lists to choose from. On the elliptical I use my “cardio list”, which includes (in no particular order) Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga (although I think I might delete her), Nickelback, Bon Jovi, Pink, Katy Perry, and Matchbox Twenty. I need to add Googoo Dolls to that list.

If you remember a long time ago, I said I could only listen to Bon Jovi when I exercised. No more. As a matter of fact...get ready for it...they’re no longer my favorite band. I know, shocker right? Who is my favorite band now? Matchbox Twenty. They came on the music scene back in the mid to late 1990s. Their first album “Yourself or Someone Like You” came out in late 1996, and a few of the more popular songs on that album were “Long Day”, “3 A.M.”, and “Push”. Then came their album “Mad Season” in 2000, and there are too many great songs to list on that one. The album “More Than You Think You Are” came in 2002. Then they vanished for a while. A few members did their solo gigs, and in 2007, they came out with a greatest hits album that had a few new songs.

I was really excited for their new album that came out just a few weeks ago. It’s called “North”, and I absolutely love it. I don’t listen to “real” radio anymore, but their first single that’s on the radio is called “She’s So Mean”. I bought the album on iTunes, and that purchase came with the “She’s So Mean” video. I’ve also subscribed to their YouTube channel.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8WLa6umgdw&w=560&h=315]

So, 10 years between albums, and they’re still fantastic. I was tempted to switch my favorite band 10 years ago, but they vanished. Now that they’re back, I’ve switched.

I still like Bon Jovi, don’t get me wrong, but they’re nowhere near the same as they used to be. Time for a change.

All right, time to switch the laundry, and get more stuff done. And drink my iced caramel macchiato from Starbucks. Caffeine is a must today.

That book post that I mentioned a few days ago is coming this week, so be on the look out. In the meantime, keep moving!

Who’s your favorite music group?

Bah…More Time Off

Well, I hate to say it, but it looks like I'll be taking this week off from the elliptical. Last week, I was feeling a weird muscle ache in my left foot. I thought it was because of the folded hand towel getting scrunched up beneath my foot, but I think it's more than that. I felt the same sort of muscle ache in my right foot back in July when I hurt my ankle. So rather than be stupid (which I have been in the past), I'm taking this week off. I think it will only be one week, as the pain isn't too bad. Not nearly as bad as my right ankle a few months ago.

Unfortunately, that means I'll the switching back to my tennis shoes when I exercise. That's unfortunate because I feel much more stable in my Vibram shoes. I will still wear my Vibram shoes the rest of the day. I am glad that I went slow as a test to my feet and shoes. I did do something earlier when I realized I wasn't going to exercise on the elliptical today. I got off the elliptical, took off my Vibram shoes, put on my tennis shoes, and got back on the elliptical. The ache in my left foot was a lot less, but it was still there. So that gives me a little bit of hope that it will be only one week until I can get back on. Here I was worried about my right ankle, and my left foot is the problem. My injuries seem to switch sides every time I get one.

I think I would rather deal with muscle knots in my lower legs (caused by my tennis shoes), than this weird foot thing. The foot thing could possibly turn into something worse, like plantar faciitis or something (which I think I had a few years ago).

I have thought more than once about changing cardio equipment. I always decide to stick with my elliptical because I want to be upright when I exercise. The only other piece of cardio equipment that I would feel comfortable using on my own (without anyone around) would be a stationary bike. Don't get me wrong, bicycling is great exercise, but I would really like to stay on my feet when I exercise. I keep thinking about it though. I want to stay away from treadmills since I have accidents on those. I've fallen more than a few times, and I do not want to use one when no one else is around in case I have a really nasty fall. I've never fallen off the elliptical before. I've had mine for two and half years (I think) and I've had no problems.

So I'm a bit bummed, but what can you do? You just have to keep rolling with punches. Hey that reminds me of a song that keeps me moving too. Here are the two stanzas that work for me (and yes, it’s a Bon Jovi song):

“I've been pushed around
Been knocked down
Lost a round or three
Life took a couple of things I loved
When I was too blind to see

But I’ll survive
I gave up on luck but I’m still getting by
Yeah I’m going to be alright
You can test my faith
But you can't take my pride
Thorn in my side, thorn in my side.”

I will continue my strength training the rest of the week, on Wednesday and Friday. And we'll see where I am at them. Obviously there's no mileage update or picture of the day, and I will not reach the 200 mile mark this week. I was so close too. Oh well. I'll get there eventually.

Have a great day, and I will see what I can come up with in terms of posts for this week.

Bah…More Time Off

Well, I hate to say it, but it looks like I'll be taking this week off from the elliptical. Last week, I was feeling a weird muscle ache in my left foot. I thought it was because of the folded hand towel getting scrunched up beneath my foot, but I think it's more than that. I felt the same sort of muscle ache in my right foot back in July when I hurt my ankle. So rather than be stupid (which I have been in the past), I'm taking this week off. I think it will only be one week, as the pain isn't too bad. Not nearly as bad as my right ankle a few months ago.

Unfortunately, that means I'll the switching back to my tennis shoes when I exercise. That's unfortunate because I feel much more stable in my Vibram shoes. I will still wear my Vibram shoes the rest of the day. I am glad that I went slow as a test to my feet and shoes. I did do something earlier when I realized I wasn't going to exercise on the elliptical today. I got off the elliptical, took off my Vibram shoes, put on my tennis shoes, and got back on the elliptical. The ache in my left foot was a lot less, but it was still there. So that gives me a little bit of hope that it will be only one week until I can get back on. Here I was worried about my right ankle, and my left foot is the problem. My injuries seem to switch sides every time I get one.

I think I would rather deal with muscle knots in my lower legs (caused by my tennis shoes), than this weird foot thing. The foot thing could possibly turn into something worse, like plantar faciitis or something (which I think I had a few years ago).

I have thought more than once about changing cardio equipment. I always decide to stick with my elliptical because I want to be upright when I exercise. The only other piece of cardio equipment that I would feel comfortable using on my own (without anyone around) would be a stationary bike. Don't get me wrong, bicycling is great exercise, but I would really like to stay on my feet when I exercise. I keep thinking about it though. I want to stay away from treadmills since I have accidents on those. I've fallen more than a few times, and I do not want to use one when no one else is around in case I have a really nasty fall. I've never fallen off the elliptical before. I've had mine for two and half years (I think) and I've had no problems.

So I'm a bit bummed, but what can you do? You just have to keep rolling with punches. Hey that reminds me of a song that keeps me moving too. Here are the two stanzas that work for me (and yes, it’s a Bon Jovi song):

“I've been pushed around
Been knocked down
Lost a round or three
Life took a couple of things I loved
When I was too blind to see

But I’ll survive
I gave up on luck but I’m still getting by
Yeah I’m going to be alright
You can test my faith
But you can't take my pride
Thorn in my side, thorn in my side.”

I will continue my strength training the rest of the week, on Wednesday and Friday. And we'll see where I am at them. Obviously there's no mileage update or picture of the day, and I will not reach the 200 mile mark this week. I was so close too. Oh well. I'll get there eventually.

Have a great day, and I will see what I can come up with in terms of posts for this week.

First Day Of New Schedule: Success!

So yesterday was the first day of my new "work" schedule, and it worked out very well. I spent from 8 AM to 11 AM yesterday morning writing. I wrote one ghost writing article, a blog entry and I got my workout page up and running. I took a 30 minutes for lunch and then realized I didn't have to work again until 5 in the evening. Since my husband wasn't back from work yet, I decided to get more writing done. I did a quick vacuum job and took care of the cat box first.

From about 12 PM to 2 PM I spent some time editing articles for eHow and submitting them to the site. I then picked up another ghost writing article and got that turned in as well (a little later in the afternoon). It turned out to be a good thing that I got more writing in. My husband decided to take last night off from his World of Warcraft duties, hehe. He played a little bit of a different game, but quit early so we could get caught up on some shows.

We watched the last episode (series canceled and I'm not sad) of American Choppers. Then we watched the two hour premier of Survivor: Heroes vs Villains. Great first episode! My favorites from the Heroes side are Colby, James, and Stephanie (one tough girl there). My pick on the Villains side is Russell and Rob. Next week's show looks interesting.

This morning I woke up bright and early, around 6 AM, got caught up on e-mail and had my usual green tea. By 8 AM I was in my workout gear and getting busy. Did my usual strength training routine. I didn't do the Pilates video, I did my normal ab routine, and it felt great. I like switching off between the two options. And I did three sets of "manly" push ups. I haven't done push ups in several weeks, and I was surprised I could still manage three sets of 15. Felt great. My routine lasted about 55 minutes. I had Bon Jovi's The Circle album playing, and that lasts about 50 minutes.



I did five minutes after that, finishing my leg routine, so it worked out well. I normally don't play music during my strength training, but I may just start. Made it go by a lot faster.

Now I'm all showered and changed and I had a banana for a snack. I have a little time before lunch, so I'll post this and get started with my ghost writing article. The rest of my day is consisting of writing for most of the afternoon. Whatever I can get done. Start more articles for eHow, pick up more ghost writing assignments, you name it. We'll see how it goes.

Do you have any plans this weekend? Big plans for Valentine's Day?

First Day Of New Schedule: Success!

So yesterday was the first day of my new "work" schedule, and it worked out very well. I spent from 8 AM to 11 AM yesterday morning writing. I wrote one ghost writing article, a blog entry and I got my workout page up and running. I took a 30 minutes for lunch and then realized I didn't have to work again until 5 in the evening. Since my husband wasn't back from work yet, I decided to get more writing done. I did a quick vacuum job and took care of the cat box first.

From about 12 PM to 2 PM I spent some time editing articles for eHow and submitting them to the site. I then picked up another ghost writing article and got that turned in as well (a little later in the afternoon). It turned out to be a good thing that I got more writing in. My husband decided to take last night off from his World of Warcraft duties, hehe. He played a little bit of a different game, but quit early so we could get caught up on some shows.

We watched the last episode (series canceled and I'm not sad) of American Choppers. Then we watched the two hour premier of Survivor: Heroes vs Villains. Great first episode! My favorites from the Heroes side are Colby, James, and Stephanie (one tough girl there). My pick on the Villains side is Russell and Rob. Next week's show looks interesting.

This morning I woke up bright and early, around 6 AM, got caught up on e-mail and had my usual green tea. By 8 AM I was in my workout gear and getting busy. Did my usual strength training routine. I didn't do the Pilates video, I did my normal ab routine, and it felt great. I like switching off between the two options. And I did three sets of "manly" push ups. I haven't done push ups in several weeks, and I was surprised I could still manage three sets of 15. Felt great. My routine lasted about 55 minutes. I had Bon Jovi's The Circle album playing, and that lasts about 50 minutes.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=keemovtee-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002N2XYBU&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

I did five minutes after that, finishing my leg routine, so it worked out well. I normally don't play music during my strength training, but I may just start. Made it go by a lot faster.

Now I'm all showered and changed and I had a banana for a snack. I have a little time before lunch, so I'll post this and get started with my ghost writing article. The rest of my day is consisting of writing for most of the afternoon. Whatever I can get done. Start more articles for eHow, pick up more ghost writing assignments, you name it. We'll see how it goes.

Do you have any plans this weekend? Big plans for Valentine's Day?

Thoughts About Bon Jovi's We Weren't Born To Follow Video

I'll start out by saying that most of my friends and family know that I am a huge Bon Jovi fan. When I say huge, I mean huge! I've seen them in concert twice and they're the only band I can exercise to. I've tried different bands to workout to, and they just don't get the job done. Don't get me wrong, I do like other groups, but there's something about Bon Jovi that pushes me where I need to go.

I first discovered their music I think when I was in fifth grade, certainly by sixth. Since that time, the members of Bon Jovi and their music have been a big part of my life. It was their music I turned to when I was having a bad day. When I got teased and looked at funny by other students, I remembered particular lyrics in their songs that got me through that moment. When I don't think I can go another five or ten minutes on my elliptical, I just tell myself "that's one or two more Bon Jovi songs you get to hear".

On that note, I'm a bit perturbed by their new video that was released just a few days ago. The song We Weren't Born To Follow came on the airwaves not too long ago, and it's the theme to the Major League Baseball season. That's all well and good. I believe their song Who Says You Can't Go Home from the Have A Nice Day album was the MLB's theme song a few years ago.

I've known for a long time now that Bon Jovi were huge democrats. I don't know if it was the whole band, but I know Jon Bon Jovi helped campaign for John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And that's also fine. Where I have a problem though, is when they insert political issues into their videos. They have shots of Obama in the video (as well as Al Gore), and I sort of get a bad feeling when I see that. I'm in no way shape or form a political person. I don't follow politics at all, but I do know that Obama isn't living up to what he said he would.

I've also read where Bon Jovi went after the McCain/Palin party, getting after them about using their music for their campaign. This is kind of disappointing to me because if you listen to any of Bon Jovi's songs their lyrics are uplifting and positive. Most of their songs talk about standing up for what you believe in, and to keep on fighting when things get tough. When I listen to their songs, I don't associate them with one political party or another, but I associate them with the entire human race. So when one political party is told not to use their music (or that of any other band, I think I remember the band Heart telling McCain/Palin to not use their Barracuda song during their campaign too), I get kind of annoyed.

In the We Weren't Born To Follow video there are also shots of the miraculous Hudson River plane crash, shots from NASA and a shot of a basketball team that looked to be a part of the Special Olympics and of course the shot of Lance Armstrong holding his trophy. Those are great shots, because they signify accomplishments great and small that everyone can be proud of. Everyone can be proud of Lance Armstrong for overcoming all that he has to win the Tour De France. Everyone can be thankful and grateful about the Hudson River plane incident and be very proud of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic efforts. And everyone can be proud about the competitors in the Special Olympics. But Obama? Does he really fit in with this upbeat and positive song? Not in my opinion.

It has me wondering. If I was in charge of a particular cause that Bon Jovi didn't believe in, would they come after me for using a song of theirs? They obviously don't support the republican party, so what if they didn't support whatever cause I was standing for? Am I automatically banned from their "allowed to play" list?

I'm not saying I won't buy any more Bon Jovi albums ever again, but I am saying I disagree with some of their opinions, political or otherwise. I disagree that political images were placed into their music video. I'm going to ignore their political views and just keep enjoying their songs. I'll keep being inspired to keep on going by their music. I needed to write this down for my own peace of mind. I'll take Bon Jovi's advice when they say to take one of their songs and make it your own. Take the song Have A Nice Day. I had no idea what their interpretation of that song was originally. I took it to mean that if things weren't going your way to just smile and move on. Smile and say "have a nice day" no matter how upset you are with someone. I found out later that is was written for that exact reason, but their reason for saying it was because George W. Bush had just been elected and they are basically saying "screw you" to the republicans.

I think from now on, I'm not going to listen to anymore interviews done with Jon Bon Jovi, as much as it pains me (and knowing me I'll sill listen), because when I hear things like that, it makes me sad. So, I'll just be happy with the upbeat songs and not worry what the actually meaning to them are. I'll make my own meaning for them. Doesn't mean I don't like the members any less, just their views on certain things. It also doesn't mean i don't think the guys in the band are any less attractive, hehehe. Yes, they're in their 40's and 50's now, but they still look damn good!

Thoughts About Bon Jovi's We Weren't Born To Follow Video

I'll start out by saying that most of my friends and family know that I am a huge Bon Jovi fan. When I say huge, I mean huge! I've seen them in concert twice and they're the only band I can exercise to. I've tried different bands to workout to, and they just don't get the job done. Don't get me wrong, I do like other groups, but there's something about Bon Jovi that pushes me where I need to go.

I first discovered their music I think when I was in fifth grade, certainly by sixth. Since that time, the members of Bon Jovi and their music have been a big part of my life. It was their music I turned to when I was having a bad day. When I got teased and looked at funny by other students, I remembered particular lyrics in their songs that got me through that moment. When I don't think I can go another five or ten minutes on my elliptical, I just tell myself "that's one or two more Bon Jovi songs you get to hear".

On that note, I'm a bit perturbed by their new video that was released just a few days ago. The song We Weren't Born To Follow came on the airwaves not too long ago, and it's the theme to the Major League Baseball season. That's all well and good. I believe their song Who Says You Can't Go Home from the Have A Nice Day album was the MLB's theme song a few years ago.

I've known for a long time now that Bon Jovi were huge democrats. I don't know if it was the whole band, but I know Jon Bon Jovi helped campaign for John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And that's also fine. Where I have a problem though, is when they insert political issues into their videos. They have shots of Obama in the video (as well as Al Gore), and I sort of get a bad feeling when I see that. I'm in no way shape or form a political person. I don't follow politics at all, but I do know that Obama isn't living up to what he said he would.

I've also read where Bon Jovi went after the McCain/Palin party, getting after them about using their music for their campaign. This is kind of disappointing to me because if you listen to any of Bon Jovi's songs their lyrics are uplifting and positive. Most of their songs talk about standing up for what you believe in, and to keep on fighting when things get tough. When I listen to their songs, I don't associate them with one political party or another, but I associate them with the entire human race. So when one political party is told not to use their music (or that of any other band, I think I remember the band Heart telling McCain/Palin to not use their Barracuda song during their campaign too), I get kind of annoyed.

In the We Weren't Born To Follow video there are also shots of the miraculous Hudson River plane crash, shots from NASA and a shot of a basketball team that looked to be a part of the Special Olympics and of course the shot of Lance Armstrong holding his trophy. Those are great shots, because they signify accomplishments great and small that everyone can be proud of. Everyone can be proud of Lance Armstrong for overcoming all that he has to win the Tour De France. Everyone can be thankful and grateful about the Hudson River plane incident and be very proud of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic efforts. And everyone can be proud about the competitors in the Special Olympics. But Obama? Does he really fit in with this upbeat and positive song? Not in my opinion.

It has me wondering. If I was in charge of a particular cause that Bon Jovi didn't believe in, would they come after me for using a song of theirs? They obviously don't support the republican party, so what if they didn't support whatever cause I was standing for? Am I automatically banned from their "allowed to play" list?

I'm not saying I won't buy any more Bon Jovi albums ever again, but I am saying I disagree with some of their opinions, political or otherwise. I disagree that political images were placed into their music video. I'm going to ignore their political views and just keep enjoying their songs. I'll keep being inspired to keep on going by their music. I needed to write this down for my own peace of mind. I'll take Bon Jovi's advice when they say to take one of their songs and make it your own. Take the song Have A Nice Day. I had no idea what their interpretation of that song was originally. I took it to mean that if things weren't going your way to just smile and move on. Smile and say "have a nice day" no matter how upset you are with someone. I found out later that is was written for that exact reason, but their reason for saying it was because George W. Bush had just been elected and they are basically saying "screw you" to the republicans.

I think from now on, I'm not going to listen to anymore interviews done with Jon Bon Jovi, as much as it pains me (and knowing me I'll sill listen), because when I hear things like that, it makes me sad. So, I'll just be happy with the upbeat songs and not worry what the actually meaning to them are. I'll make my own meaning for them. Doesn't mean I don't like the members any less, just their views on certain things. It also doesn't mean i don't think the guys in the band are any less attractive, hehehe. Yes, they're in their 40's and 50's now, but they still look damn good!