Writing Sites And Mileage

I took yesterday off because I had a lot of writing that I want to get done. I now have no writing assignments at the moment, and I need to go look for more. I still have my one client over at Text Broker (well two, but they're on the same account), but I am mainly writing for a site called Demand Media Studios. I have a love/hate relationship with this site. I have been a member of the site since March or April of this year I believe. They have various formats of writing such as the "how to" format, the "list" format, the "short answer" format, and a few others I think. I do the "how to" format.

Demand Media Studios was a site that I had always wanted to be a part of. I was always frustrated to see that they required a resume and writing samples. I didn't have either one of those (I am working on those slowly), so I always gave up. I got brought into this site through another site called eHow. Demand Media Studios is the parent company of eHow, and eHow was changing the way they did their site. They were switching to the Demand Media Studios platform for writing. Due to this merge, I was brought into Demand Media Studios. I was very excited when I got the e-mail earlier this year.

My problem came about when I started to look for titles to write on. They have over 100,000 titles, but most of them make no sense whatsoever. For example, the title "How to Clean a Sharp SF 2052 Copier". Luckily there are some easier titles that come around every now and then. I find most of the tiles I write under the health section or the culture section. Sometimes those sections are empty, or filled with random titles about cars. I'm glad they came up with a way to hide titles that you don't want to see any more. That's made everything a lot easier.

I've written about eight how to articles in the last two days. It takes me about an hour to write one (and that's slow compared to most people). My process is like this. I look up titles, and claim the ones I think are going to be the easiest to write. Once I've got 10 (the claim limit), I look up research links. Demand Media Studios is very specific in the research links you use. They have certain web sites that are banned for use, and they like web sites that end in .edu, .gov, and sometimes .net. I never use sites that end in .com. Thank goodness for SearchEdu.com. Once I have all my research links, I get to work. The great thing about this site is that the articles have a minimum word limit of 400 words. And every article is worth $15.00 (no matter what the word count is). So if you can find 10 articles every time you search, you can make a good deal of money. My problem is always finding titles. Oh and the other good thing about the site is that they pay twice a week.

On to the fitness portion of my day. Things are still going well with my elliptical. I'm looking forward to Saturday or Sunday when I increase my time to 30 minutes. I'm trying my best to be patient. I know it's in my best interest to take it slow using my "new" shoes. I figure I can go about .8 or .9 mile in 30 minutes. That's really close to 1 mile, and I'll be tempted to go further, but I will try my best not to.

Elliptical stats for the day:
Distance- .7 mile
Revolutions-1324
Resistance level-1
Endurance-Excellent
Injury- None.
Time-25:10

Virtual walk tour stats for the day:
0.7 miles today
197.6 miles since April 28, 2008
3.61 miles to Mechums River, VA, Charlottesville City County

Here is the picture of the day.

Writing Sites And Mileage

I took yesterday off because I had a lot of writing that I want to get done. I now have no writing assignments at the moment, and I need to go look for more. I still have my one client over at Text Broker (well two, but they're on the same account), but I am mainly writing for a site called Demand Media Studios. I have a love/hate relationship with this site. I have been a member of the site since March or April of this year I believe. They have various formats of writing such as the "how to" format, the "list" format, the "short answer" format, and a few others I think. I do the "how to" format.

Demand Media Studios was a site that I had always wanted to be a part of. I was always frustrated to see that they required a resume and writing samples. I didn't have either one of those (I am working on those slowly), so I always gave up. I got brought into this site through another site called eHow. Demand Media Studios is the parent company of eHow, and eHow was changing the way they did their site. They were switching to the Demand Media Studios platform for writing. Due to this merge, I was brought into Demand Media Studios. I was very excited when I got the e-mail earlier this year.

My problem came about when I started to look for titles to write on. They have over 100,000 titles, but most of them make no sense whatsoever. For example, the title "How to Clean a Sharp SF 2052 Copier". Luckily there are some easier titles that come around every now and then. I find most of the tiles I write under the health section or the culture section. Sometimes those sections are empty, or filled with random titles about cars. I'm glad they came up with a way to hide titles that you don't want to see any more. That's made everything a lot easier.

I've written about eight how to articles in the last two days. It takes me about an hour to write one (and that's slow compared to most people). My process is like this. I look up titles, and claim the ones I think are going to be the easiest to write. Once I've got 10 (the claim limit), I look up research links. Demand Media Studios is very specific in the research links you use. They have certain web sites that are banned for use, and they like web sites that end in .edu, .gov, and sometimes .net. I never use sites that end in .com. Thank goodness for SearchEdu.com. Once I have all my research links, I get to work. The great thing about this site is that the articles have a minimum word limit of 400 words. And every article is worth $15.00 (no matter what the word count is). So if you can find 10 articles every time you search, you can make a good deal of money. My problem is always finding titles. Oh and the other good thing about the site is that they pay twice a week.

On to the fitness portion of my day. Things are still going well with my elliptical. I'm looking forward to Saturday or Sunday when I increase my time to 30 minutes. I'm trying my best to be patient. I know it's in my best interest to take it slow using my "new" shoes. I figure I can go about .8 or .9 mile in 30 minutes. That's really close to 1 mile, and I'll be tempted to go further, but I will try my best not to.

Elliptical stats for the day:
Distance- .7 mile
Revolutions-1324
Resistance level-1
Endurance-Excellent
Injury- None.
Time-25:10

Virtual walk tour stats for the day:
0.7 miles today
197.6 miles since April 28, 2008
3.61 miles to Mechums River, VA, Charlottesville City County

Here is the picture of the day.

Copyright 2006 Lawrence Berkeley Lab

Caffeinated Tea To The Rescue

Is anyone else having trouble adjusting to the time change? It's been almost a week since we set our clocks forward an hour, and I'm still not adjusted. I normally wake up around 6:30 or 7:00 AM. I would love to get up by 6:00 AM, and am making that my ultimate goal eventually. I always feel like I get a lot more accomplished when I wake up super early.

But, this year, the time change is more annoying than it ever has been. Without the alarm clock, I'm waking up at 7:30 or 8:00. Not late, but later than I'd like. So, we've been setting an alarm clock to help us wake up. The hard part, is getting out of bed. It's so easy to just roll over and go back to sleep. But once I force myself to sit up and actually get out of bed, I'm fine.

I still find myself dragging in the morning, even after my two cups of green tea. So I've been making a mid morning tea that has been somewhat helpful. Guayakí Yerba Maté.




My mother-in-law gave it me a long time ago. I didn't read the instructions properly the first time, and didn't let it steep long enough. So I thought it just tasted bland, and basically tasted like hot water. The instructions say to let it steep for 3 to 10 minutes. That's a very wide range of time, and I think I did it for the minimum the first time around. I've since been letting it steep for 10 minutes, and it's much stronger.

I'm not sure how much caffeine is in it, but it seems to be much more than my normal green tea. It's a maté tea, which is said to have the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. Fine by me. I've learned a lot about teas from Tevana.com and plan to make a purchase there in the near future. I've got a few of their teas written down to try out. Some caffeinated, others not. I love tea. It makes the perfect snack if you've got a sweet craving.

So, I'm sipping on my tea, and it's already making me feel more alert. And the other thing about caffeinated tea is it doesn't leave my stomach feeling bad afterward. A while ago, I was contemplating  going back to drinking coffee, but after learning more about the various teas out there, I've made the decision not to go back to coffee. Tea for Tee all the way.

I've been keeping up with my strength training workouts so far this week. Feeling strong and feeling like I'm able to do a bit more. I may add another set of 15 reps to my arm routine. Maybe. If I had 10 pound weights, I might up it to that. But my heaviest weights are 8 pounds, so I'll just add more reps instead. I may eventually look into buying 10 pound weights, but not quite yet. I think 10 pounds will be the max I ever lift, but you never know. There are certain exercises that are getting really easy now with the 8 pound weights. Arm curls and chest flies just to name two.

Still waiting on my ankle to get to 100%. It's getting so close. The only time it hurts at all now is if I put excessive weight on it, like going up stairs. Now and then, I'll go up a step with more effort than normal, and it'll twinge. But not bad at all. I need to keep using ice. I think that has really been the key to getting it to heal up finally. It's been since late December that I've done any cardio.

I mentioned last week that I got offered to write about 20 to 30 articles a month for a person at TextBroker.com. I've not received any assignments yet, but I'm sure I will soon. I've been reading blogs and articles in the meantime about residual income, and am looking into a few content sites to put up my own articles. I already belong to AssociatedContent.com and eHow.com, but I don't have much on them yet. A few blogs I've read said that people can make $1,000 dollars a month in residual income at these sites, particularly eHow.com. How the heck? They must have a ton of articles posted. I have about 10 to 12, and have made about $4.00. Total. Hehehe. I need to get writing.

I seem to get more writing done when I write for someone else, and have an actual deadline. When I just write for me, I tend to put it off. I need to set myself a deadline and get it done. That's the plan today. Work on a few articles for eHow and upload them. I can do those types of articles while I wait for the TextBroker assignments to come in. I'm wondering if I should email the guy and ask him when to expect them. Nah, I'll be patient. They'll come eventually. He wouldn't have asked if he wasn't going to send anything right?

Update: Ask and you shall receive. Well, my instinct to be patient on the writing assignments was a good thing. I just got a boatload of assignments sent to me. I've got 13 articles to write and they're due by next Wednesday. He's very nice and said to let him know if I need more time. Shouldn't be a problem though, but it's nice that he's so flexible.

See what happens when I'm caffeinated? I write a lot. Gets my brain awake, and things just flow. Caffeinated teas are the way to go for me. No bad after effects, and it gives me the boost I need.

Are you a coffee or tea drinker? Have you considered trying the other option? If you drink tea, are you willing to give coffee a shot, and vice versa?

Caffeinated Tea To The Rescue

Is anyone else having trouble adjusting to the time change? It's been almost a week since we set our clocks forward an hour, and I'm still not adjusted. I normally wake up around 6:30 or 7:00 AM. I would love to get up by 6:00 AM, and am making that my ultimate goal eventually. I always feel like I get a lot more accomplished when I wake up super early.

But, this year, the time change is more annoying than it ever has been. Without the alarm clock, I'm waking up at 7:30 or 8:00. Not late, but later than I'd like. So, we've been setting an alarm clock to help us wake up. The hard part, is getting out of bed. It's so easy to just roll over and go back to sleep. But once I force myself to sit up and actually get out of bed, I'm fine.

I still find myself dragging in the morning, even after my two cups of green tea. So I've been making a mid morning tea that has been somewhat helpful. Guayakí Yerba Maté.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=keemovtee-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0001CXRLG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr


My mother-in-law gave it me a long time ago. I didn't read the instructions properly the first time, and didn't let it steep long enough. So I thought it just tasted bland, and basically tasted like hot water. The instructions say to let it steep for 3 to 10 minutes. That's a very wide range of time, and I think I did it for the minimum the first time around. I've since been letting it steep for 10 minutes, and it's much stronger.

I'm not sure how much caffeine is in it, but it seems to be much more than my normal green tea. It's a maté tea, which is said to have the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. Fine by me. I've learned a lot about teas from Tevana.com and plan to make a purchase there in the near future. I've got a few of their teas written down to try out. Some caffeinated, others not. I love tea. It makes the perfect snack if you've got a sweet craving.

So, I'm sipping on my tea, and it's already making me feel more alert. And the other thing about caffeinated tea is it doesn't leave my stomach feeling bad afterward. A while ago, I was contemplating  going back to drinking coffee, but after learning more about the various teas out there, I've made the decision not to go back to coffee. Tea for Tee all the way.

I've been keeping up with my strength training workouts so far this week. Feeling strong and feeling like I'm able to do a bit more. I may add another set of 15 reps to my arm routine. Maybe. If I had 10 pound weights, I might up it to that. But my heaviest weights are 8 pounds, so I'll just add more reps instead. I may eventually look into buying 10 pound weights, but not quite yet. I think 10 pounds will be the max I ever lift, but you never know. There are certain exercises that are getting really easy now with the 8 pound weights. Arm curls and chest flies just to name two.

Still waiting on my ankle to get to 100%. It's getting so close. The only time it hurts at all now is if I put excessive weight on it, like going up stairs. Now and then, I'll go up a step with more effort than normal, and it'll twinge. But not bad at all. I need to keep using ice. I think that has really been the key to getting it to heal up finally. It's been since late December that I've done any cardio.

I mentioned last week that I got offered to write about 20 to 30 articles a month for a person at TextBroker.com. I've not received any assignments yet, but I'm sure I will soon. I've been reading blogs and articles in the meantime about residual income, and am looking into a few content sites to put up my own articles. I already belong to AssociatedContent.com and eHow.com, but I don't have much on them yet. A few blogs I've read said that people can make $1,000 dollars a month in residual income at these sites, particularly eHow.com. How the heck? They must have a ton of articles posted. I have about 10 to 12, and have made about $4.00. Total. Hehehe. I need to get writing.

I seem to get more writing done when I write for someone else, and have an actual deadline. When I just write for me, I tend to put it off. I need to set myself a deadline and get it done. That's the plan today. Work on a few articles for eHow and upload them. I can do those types of articles while I wait for the TextBroker assignments to come in. I'm wondering if I should email the guy and ask him when to expect them. Nah, I'll be patient. They'll come eventually. He wouldn't have asked if he wasn't going to send anything right?

Update: Ask and you shall receive. Well, my instinct to be patient on the writing assignments was a good thing. I just got a boatload of assignments sent to me. I've got 13 articles to write and they're due by next Wednesday. He's very nice and said to let him know if I need more time. Shouldn't be a problem though, but it's nice that he's so flexible.

See what happens when I'm caffeinated? I write a lot. Gets my brain awake, and things just flow. Caffeinated teas are the way to go for me. No bad after effects, and it gives me the boost I need.

Are you a coffee or tea drinker? Have you considered trying the other option? If you drink tea, are you willing to give coffee a shot, and vice versa?

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?

Set Up A New "Work" Schedule For Myself

The other day I had the idea of setting up some sort of "work" schedule. I tend to procrastinate when it comes to getting any writing done. I read e-mail and blogs, play on FaceBook and Twitter, and I never get any actual writing done.

I've finally set up a schedule and it seems to be working so far. The hours of "work" are sort of random depending on the day. I plan to exercise Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and don't plan to write until 10 AM. Then Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday I plan to write in the evenings for a few hours while my husband has a scheduled event in World of Warcraft. I plan on taking Saturdays off entirely, but I may write here or there anyway.

This is all just a tentative schedule. If it works, great, if I make tweaks here and there, fine. Just as long as I get some sort of writing done most days of the week. I'll be happy with that. So far today, I've gotten an article for a ghost writing site done, and I finally got my workout page set up here on Blogger.

I've got an hour before I eat lunch, and I plan of editing some articles for eHow, and I'll upload those to that site probably later this evening. So yeah, the schedule will work pretty well I think. As long as I resist the temptation to read blogs. That's my biggest time sink at the moment. I love reading other people's blogs, and seeing what they're up to.

Tomorrow is Friday, and I intend to get back into my exercise routine. I plan on doing my normal workout routine tomorrow. I'll see how close I come to my scheduled 10 AM writing date. I have a feeling I'll be early, which is fine. Once I get back on my elliptical, that 10 AM deadline will be harder to make. But make it I will.

Do you all have a set schedule you keep for getting things done? How flexible are you with it? Do you have any time sinks like FaceBook or blog reading that get in the way?

Set Up A New "Work" Schedule For Myself

The other day I had the idea of setting up some sort of "work" schedule. I tend to procrastinate when it comes to getting any writing done. I read e-mail and blogs, play on FaceBook and Twitter, and I never get any actual writing done.

I've finally set up a schedule and it seems to be working so far. The hours of "work" are sort of random depending on the day. I plan to exercise Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and don't plan to write until 10 AM. Then Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday I plan to write in the evenings for a few hours while my husband has a scheduled event in World of Warcraft. I plan on taking Saturdays off entirely, but I may write here or there anyway.

This is all just a tentative schedule. If it works, great, if I make tweaks here and there, fine. Just as long as I get some sort of writing done most days of the week. I'll be happy with that. So far today, I've gotten an article for a ghost writing site done, and I finally got my workout page set up here on Blogger.

I've got an hour before I eat lunch, and I plan of editing some articles for eHow, and I'll upload those to that site probably later this evening. So yeah, the schedule will work pretty well I think. As long as I resist the temptation to read blogs. That's my biggest time sink at the moment. I love reading other people's blogs, and seeing what they're up to.

Tomorrow is Friday, and I intend to get back into my exercise routine. I plan on doing my normal workout routine tomorrow. I'll see how close I come to my scheduled 10 AM writing date. I have a feeling I'll be early, which is fine. Once I get back on my elliptical, that 10 AM deadline will be harder to make. But make it I will.

Do you all have a set schedule you keep for getting things done? How flexible are you with it? Do you have any time sinks like FaceBook or blog reading that get in the way?

Getting Caught Up

I've been really lazy with this blog lately, and I need to kick it into gear again. For the last few weeks, I've been maintaining still. I go up two or three pounds, then I go down two or three pounds. I had a downward movement on the scale Monday morning which I was pleased to see. After caving into a Dominos pasta bowl last week and also a Big Burger and fries from Carl's Junior, it was a pleasant surprise. Don't forget the ice cream with caramel sauce and Oreos either. Pretty bad, Tee, pretty bad.

My exercise was great again last week. I met my goal of strength training three days. I stayed off my right foot again for the most part. I ran a few errands last week with my husband and the foot felt just fine. No pain or twinges at all. Then yesterday we went to see a very bad movie and I thought I felt a small twinge. I was hoping it was just my imagination, but it's still feeling odd this morning. Not at all like it felt in the beginning. It doesn't hurt constantly anymore. It feels like when you bend your finger back and leave it there for hours on end. It gets sore and tired from being in that position. I'm still bending that big toe more than I should when I walk. Or I should say, I walk more on my toes rather than the entire foot. I also find that when I sit, my feet are in a strange position. I tuck my feet under my chair, with my toes being bent in a flexed position the entire time. Just tells me I need to wear my shoes. I like being bare foot though darn it. Ah well, on go the shoes today.

I am getting excited about the new season of The Biggest Loser. That starts next Tuesday. I have a slight issue however. There are a ton of shows that are going to be on Tuesday nights, so I probably won't be able to DVR it. I'll have to watch it on Demand or on Hulu. The good news is this season will be available online, the bad news is, the shows will be put up a week after they air. So, after the premier, I'll be a week behind. I'll have to avoid my reality TV blogs and emails for a while. At least I'll be able to watch it. And as usual, I'll go back and forth rooting for Bob's team and Jillian's team. I heard a rumor they're working together this season and not competing. Not sure what's up with that, I'll have to read up on it somewhere.

September is here and that means the heat will start to go away. This summer hasn't been too unbearable. It's been a cooler summer than in the past. We only got to 120 degrees a few times. It's mainly been 110 or less. Still hot, but not like it has been. I still remember about three year ago it got up to 126. That summer was awful. So, my guess is it will be below 100 later this month or at the beginning to mid October. Can't wait. Fall and winter are my favorite times of the year in the desert. Winter especially.

Not a whole lot is going on. Just taking it day by day. I am tempted to try out my foot tomorrow on the elliptical. I really need to move again. I want to and I don't want to. I want to test it out, because I really do miss my elliptical workouts. I miss the movement, I miss how it brightens my mood, I miss seeing the miles go by on my Virtual Walk tracker. I don't want to test it out because I don't want to get on and have it still hurt. That will really bum me out. And I think the latter will happen considering I felt a twinge or two yesterday. But we shall see. Have to think positive. The lack of my elliptical workouts is starting to affect my balance. I'm starting to feel a bit shaky and unstable again. I'm fighting with it though. I have to stop what I;m doing from time to time and tell myself to relax and take it slow, and that I'm not going to fall.

My goals for this week. Stay away from the junk food! I'm out of my chocolate Special K, that's why I'm going for the junk lately. Ugh. Two days of strength training. I skipped Monday because we went out. Try out my foot and see how goes. Need to get some writing done this week also. The ghost writing site I write for is jumping lately. They're up to 23,000 writers and the articles disappear as fast as they get put up. And the second site has been empty lately. Need to do my own articles for Associated Content and eHow also. I've really been slacking on those. I have a bunch of topic ideas, I just need to sit down and do it.

And that's all for this beast of a post.

Are you looking forward to The Biggest Loser starting?

Getting Caught Up

I've been really lazy with this blog lately, and I need to kick it into gear again. For the last few weeks, I've been maintaining still. I go up two or three pounds, then I go down two or three pounds. I had a downward movement on the scale Monday morning which I was pleased to see. After caving into a Dominos pasta bowl last week and also a Big Burger and fries from Carl's Junior, it was a pleasant surprise. Don't forget the ice cream with caramel sauce and Oreos either. Pretty bad, Tee, pretty bad.

My exercise was great again last week. I met my goal of strength training three days. I stayed off my right foot again for the most part. I ran a few errands last week with my husband and the foot felt just fine. No pain or twinges at all. Then yesterday we went to see a very bad movie and I thought I felt a small twinge. I was hoping it was just my imagination, but it's still feeling odd this morning. Not at all like it felt in the beginning. It doesn't hurt constantly anymore. It feels like when you bend your finger back and leave it there for hours on end. It gets sore and tired from being in that position. I'm still bending that big toe more than I should when I walk. Or I should say, I walk more on my toes rather than the entire foot. I also find that when I sit, my feet are in a strange position. I tuck my feet under my chair, with my toes being bent in a flexed position the entire time. Just tells me I need to wear my shoes. I like being bare foot though darn it. Ah well, on go the shoes today.

I am getting excited about the new season of The Biggest Loser. That starts next Tuesday. I have a slight issue however. There are a ton of shows that are going to be on Tuesday nights, so I probably won't be able to DVR it. I'll have to watch it on Demand or on Hulu. The good news is this season will be available online, the bad news is, the shows will be put up a week after they air. So, after the premier, I'll be a week behind. I'll have to avoid my reality TV blogs and emails for a while. At least I'll be able to watch it. And as usual, I'll go back and forth rooting for Bob's team and Jillian's team. I heard a rumor they're working together this season and not competing. Not sure what's up with that, I'll have to read up on it somewhere.

September is here and that means the heat will start to go away. This summer hasn't been too unbearable. It's been a cooler summer than in the past. We only got to 120 degrees a few times. It's mainly been 110 or less. Still hot, but not like it has been. I still remember about three year ago it got up to 126. That summer was awful. So, my guess is it will be below 100 later this month or at the beginning to mid October. Can't wait. Fall and winter are my favorite times of the year in the desert. Winter especially.

Not a whole lot is going on. Just taking it day by day. I am tempted to try out my foot tomorrow on the elliptical. I really need to move again. I want to and I don't want to. I want to test it out, because I really do miss my elliptical workouts. I miss the movement, I miss how it brightens my mood, I miss seeing the miles go by on my Virtual Walk tracker. I don't want to test it out because I don't want to get on and have it still hurt. That will really bum me out. And I think the latter will happen considering I felt a twinge or two yesterday. But we shall see. Have to think positive. The lack of my elliptical workouts is starting to affect my balance. I'm starting to feel a bit shaky and unstable again. I'm fighting with it though. I have to stop what I;m doing from time to time and tell myself to relax and take it slow, and that I'm not going to fall.

My goals for this week. Stay away from the junk food! I'm out of my chocolate Special K, that's why I'm going for the junk lately. Ugh. Two days of strength training. I skipped Monday because we went out. Try out my foot and see how goes. Need to get some writing done this week also. The ghost writing site I write for is jumping lately. They're up to 23,000 writers and the articles disappear as fast as they get put up. And the second site has been empty lately. Need to do my own articles for Associated Content and eHow also. I've really been slacking on those. I have a bunch of topic ideas, I just need to sit down and do it.

And that's all for this beast of a post.

Are you looking forward to The Biggest Loser starting?