Army, Fitness, Life

Discovering Sun Salutations Yoga Video

2011-12-23T06:42:00.000-08:00

Discovering Sun Salutations Yoga Video

I just did this yoga session with my husband, and he said that he felt much better than when he started. This was the first time that we have done yoga together, and he seemed to enjoy it. I've always loved doing sun salutations in the morning because I always feel so revitalized and more awake. Kreg Weiss is the man in the video, and the voice. He has a very soothing tone. Another thing I noticed was that he was wearing fairly average workout clothes. One thing I was concerned would distract my husband was the very tight shorts some men wear in the videos I have seen. Thankfully, as I saw when I clicked on the video, it was something I would not have to worry about.

Now, post practice, I am checking my facebook, and sipping on delicious green tea, with a hint of stevia, a natural sugar. I feel like today is going to be a good day. I don't have to work, I plan on lifting weights at the gym, and preparing for a Clean Christmas dinner!

Renting Children as Beggars

2011-12-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

Foxnews Latino published an article online about Honduran parents renting their children out to street gangs as beggars this holiday season. Usually, when parents take this avenue, they accompany their children out on the street, however, now the children are with violent street gang thugs. It's common knowlegde that children, in any country, will garner more sympathy than adults when they beg.

While my husband and I were in Las Vegas on our honeymoon, we saw plenty of people begging on the streets, that had children. One man looked to be maybe 23, and the police were already talking to him. It was cold that evening too. It was so sad to see. Many of the beggars also had dogs.

In any case, it tends to be worse in underdeveloped countries of course. Children who are disfigured in some way are highly desired. Sometimes the injuries are caused on purpose, so the child pulls more on the heartstrings of those strolling by.

At this time of the year good deeds are done, it is true. At the same time however, people are more desperate, and become a danger to others. Street crimes, like mugging increase around this time of the year. The only thing to do is be vigilant.

This Christmas, Parents Rent Out Kids to be Beggars

Terrible Mother in Arizona

2011-12-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

A five year old girl, Jhessye Shockley, from Arizona, is believed to have been killed and put into a dumpster. Her mother reported her missing about a couple months ago. Her mother, Jerice Hunter, was arrested following the missing child report, but was then released. The police keep saying that she is the "number one focus". They apparently wanted to make sure that double jeopardy did not occur.

Hunter was being held for abusing Jhessye. Jerice's oldest daughter reported all sorts of horrible things about her mother. Horrible things that she did the this poor five year old girl, like how she was kept in a closet. The closet apparently smelled terrible. All the children have been beaten. Also, the oldest daughter has not seen Jhessye since September.

Police found a receipt for food and bleach. Based on this release, it sounds like the police believe this little girl's mother poisoned her, and then disposed of her body.

The mother has denied a lie detector test, but maintains her innocence. Jerice Hunter and the childrens' father, George Shockley, were convicted of child abuse in 2005 in California. Shockley is still in prison; he is also a registered sex offender.

Thankfully the remaining children have been removed from the home. Personally, I think this mother did what the police suspect her of doing. How could anyone do that to a child, let alone their own. If she has nothing to hide, why not take the test?

Missing Arizona Girl Thought to Have Been Killed, Dumped in Trash

Biden says, "Taliban is not US Enemy"

2011-12-20T04:44:00.000-08:00

So according to our vice president, the Taliban is not our enemy, "per se". If the Taliban were to meet certain "preconditions", then the US government would deal with them on equal terms. Okay.....

ACCORDING TO ISLAMIC EXTREMISM, WE ARE THE ENEMY! We deserve to die for not converting. To them, we are the enemy. We are the ultimate enemy, because the United States embodies everything "western". They call us imperialists. This is like the gazelle, saying that the lion is not it's enemy "per se", and that if the lion agreed not to eat it, they could deal on equal terms. For lunch, the lion is going to say yes!

I'm not saying that we need to stay in Afghanistan and eradicate them. I am saying that we need not fool ourselves, because we are fooling no one else! Why else would the Taliban shelter Osama Bin Laden and his operatives? They had the desire, just not the means! OBL had both, and so his organization carried it out.

Afghanistan is a very bitter country. It has been invaded multiple times, and pretty much everytime was by white led governments. Think about how that must look to them, in a country were the spoken word is the only way to pass down knowledge, since 70-80% of the country is illiterate. Most of them do not have internet, or TV. Spoken history is all they know.

The American government does not need to appease anyone. They do not have to cover up their motives with, "doing it for humanity" crap. They just need to buckle down and take care of the people. That is what they are hired to do.

"Taliban is not US Enemy"

Woman Attacked in an Elevator, Set on Fire

2011-12-18T06:33:00.001-08:00

A 64 year old woman named Doris Gillespie was attaked in an elevator. The man apparently had been waiting for her. He poured accelerant on her, and set her ablaze while exiting the elevator.

The whole thing was caught on camera. I don't think it gets much more brutal than that. The police have put out a picture of the man, and I'm sure he will be caught soon. I hope he gets the death penalty. I don't want my tax dollars supporting him for the rest of his life in jail.

Ms. Gillespie is not alive anymore, why should he be allowed to live?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/17/new-york-woman-allegedly-burned-to-death-in-elevator/?test=latestnews#ixzz1grviL8yq

Bite Show at the Stratosphere

2011-12-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

The Bite Show was amazing! We figured that since were in vegas we would see ome topless show, and I'm glad it was Bite. The stage was set up in a dinner room, which gave the whole show an intimate appeal. The story was told through classic rock songs. The dancers were very good; we could tell some of them had received gymnast and dance training. There was also a woman in the show who was an acrobat. There were also a couple of surprises during the show, but I don't want to ruin it!

Bite Show at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas

Getting My Personal Trainer Certification

2011-12-16T15:12:00.001-08:00

So one of my goals for the new year is to get my personal trainer certification. I found a program (see below) that the Army tuition assistance program will fund. It should only take a maximum of 8 months.
I began changing my lifestyle to a healthier, cleaner one, while I was deployed last year.

Since then I have seen muscle growth that makes me so happy, and now I have a body I am proud of. I built this body, and can do anything I want with it. I ran two half marathons this year. I've never felt so strong.

I want to be able to help other people to attain their physical fitness goals. Right now, people do ask me a lot about nutrition and fitness, and how they tie together. I love to help, and it is one of my favorite topics!

I can't wait to start my studies.

http://www.issaonline.com/

Penis Injection, Really?

2011-12-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

So in this article (see below), this woman has been illegeally practicing medicine. She injected silicone into a man's penis, causing him to have a silicone embolism. This man was only 22, and his name was Justin Long.

I cannot believe anyone would be so insecure, to go to someone who is not a doctor, and let them inject something into his body, let alone an area that is so sensitive? When women get breast implants, they do not get silicone injected into their breasts. The silicone is in bags, that are inserted into the breast. Of course, if you don't know that, then maybe you'll just equate being bigger in any area with silicone.

I ran across another story like this about a month ago. Another woman had been running an unauthorized medicine practice, and she gave out but injections. The woman who had finally reported her had been given these butt injections, and now she is malformed and misshapen on the lower portions of her body. At least she didn't die, but what is she going to do now?

What are these people thinking?

Botched Penis Injection

Club Hopped Last Night

2011-12-16T08:40:00.001-08:00

Last night, my best friend and I went to a few clubs last night with our significant others. We ended up having a good time, but there was something wrong with each club that we went to.

To be honest, the first club we went to, we couldn't get into. Our first stop was Tao Nightclub. We couldn't get in because my husband and her fiance were wearing sneakers. My friend checked multiple times on their website about a dress code, and didn't see one on there, so of course this upset her.

We then made our way to a place called New Sanctuary. This place was wretched. The DJ was awful. He must have been learning how to DJ, but he wasn't learning fast enough. His transitions were terrible! Sometimes there wasn't a transition. He also played a lot of music that wasn't necessarily dance type hip hop music. New Sanctuary's drinks were tres expensive. I paid 13 dollars for a rum punch!

The last club we went to was called the Blue Martini. The music selection was nice, and there was even a live band. However, their drinks were also way too much. My husband paid 24 dollars for two jack & cokes. Also, the music was a shade too loud. The one time I went out to dance, it felt like my chest cavity was vibrating to the beat, a very uncomfortable feeling.

We did have a good time. I am actually not that picky. If the DJ at New Sanctuary had known what he was doing, I wouldn't have cared about the expensive drinks. I don't need a drink to dance, just good music!

Marc Savard Comedy Hypnosis

2011-12-15T10:45:00.001-08:00

Last night after we saw Phantom of the Opera, we went to Planet Hollywood for a comedy hypnosis show. We received free tickets from our hotel.
They told us seating started at 9:30pm, because the show started at 10pm. They did not start seating us until 10pm, so of course the show did not start on time. They wanted to take pictures of everyone as they stood in line. At the start, I was in a bad mood, but Marc Savard won me over.
He was engaging, and very good at relating to the crowd. I won' t ruin the act, but while it wasn't meant for children, he didn't have people taking their clothes off or anything. It was hilarious. We were laughing for most of the show.

Marc Savard

Phantom of the Opera

2011-12-15T08:40:00.001-08:00

Last night we saw the Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. It also did not disappoint! The musical numbers were fantastic, and the emotion in the perfomance was tangible.
The Phantom came across just as he was supposed to: tortured, pitiable, and in love. Christine was just as tortured of course, and her voice as beautiful as anyone could have wanted.
It had been so long since I had seen a musical or play, so I had also forgotten why I like them. Because it is such a large production, and there are far fewer people, everyone is extremely talented! They have to be, to pull their own weight.
All in all, Phantom of the Opera is a must see in Vegas
Below is a picture of the stage before the show

Phantom of the Opera Info

War in Iraq Over

2011-12-15T08:16:00.001-08:00

So the war in Iraq is officially over today huh? Well that's interesting. So they are saying that the soldiers' sacrafice was to bring about an Iraq free of tyranny. That does indeed sound noble. However, I'm still pretty sure that the whole thing was about oil.

When the United States needed Saddam Hussein, it was easy to overlook all of his human rights violations then. I'm not blaming the troops or anything (I am one), however, I just don't understand why we should cover up our reasons for being there. It makes us liars. I think we actually look worse than if we were to be honest. Many Iraqis feel that we are leaving behind a broken mess, now that we are no longer interested. Are they wrong?

'A new chapter': US officially ends Iraq war

Le Reve-The Dream by Cirque Du Soleil

2011-12-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

Last night, we went to the Wynn to see Le Reve. I have been waiting all my life to see a Cirque show, and this did not disappoint me at all! My husband and I spent most of the show open mouthed.
I have never seen such a display of strength, agility, dexterity, and talent, as I did last night. I cannot wait to see the other Cirque shows. I am happy to cross Le Reve off of my bucket list, however, I had to add all the other Cirque shows to it!

Below is right before the show!

Landlady & the "Whites Only" Sign

2011-12-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

So I just came across this article (link is below). Obviously, this is not about hair products. It is not about proper chemicals in the pool. It's not about proper circulation in the pool. If it was about any of those things, this caucasian landlady could have posted a sign insisting that people shower before getting into the pool. This way she would've avoided the "cloudy" effect caused by the teenage black girl's hair products.

Why use such language? She obviously is racist, or ignorant. Personally I feel being racist is ignorant, therefore I might just be redundant in my last sentence. Any person with common sense would know that such a sign is indicative of the Civil Rights era. All she has done is make everyone with a civil rights cause want to pick up this little girls banner. Not to mention she is now fighting to be allowed to continue hanging the sign on her property.

Ah, that could be the crux of the matter, yes? That it is her property. The sign also says "Public Swimming Pool", and then it says "Whites Only". She cannot have it both ways.

"Whites Only"

Such a ghetto girl

2011-12-14T11:56:00.001-08:00

So this is a woman I saw at the airport. She was in sweatpants with Louis Vuiton carry-ons. The was a small lap dog in one of those bags. I also saw her pull out two phones!
Now I don't think there is anything wrong with traveling in sweatpants, I just feel your clothes and accessories should match in regards to quality.
At the car rental, she must have tried three different credit cards. None worked. Guess her bougie ran out.

Really, Eating Baby Food?

2011-06-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

So I was listening to Sirius Radio today, the Hits 1 station, if I remember correctly, when I heard something like this, "So baby food sales have gone through the roof, when it was discovered that Lady Gaga uses it to stay in shape."
Okay, first of all, I can't believe they said that she uses it to stay in shape. Now maybe she uses it to stay skinny as all get out, but there is no way that qualifies as in shape! I work out a lot, and as a result, to keep my body healthy, I eat a lot. Any where from 2100-2500 calories a day! There is nothing wrong with looking like a real person, and not a stick figure! (don't get me wrong, I know some people have fast metabolisms, but they tend to eat a lot anyway).
Baby food is for babies! I know I'm making leaps in common sense and logic, but their digestive system can't handle regular food yet, BECAUSE THEY ARE NEW!
Okay people, Lady Gaga does it, so what? Charlie Sheen has Tiger Blood do you? I sure don't. erego, I'm not crazy either. Eat real food, be a real person. Want to get in shape? Eat HEALTHY and CLEAN, and go to the GYM!

Ouch!

2011-06-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

I totally messed up my shin today, after I failed to complete a box jump attempt. It was a very tall box! It was the very last jump too, a very big shame. I scraped my skin down to what my best friend called the subcutaneous layer. It now looks like I have a whole additional muscle in the front part of my lower leg. It also has not begun to scab. I am worried that I might have bruised the bone. This would be seriously unfortunate. I may not be able to run until the swelling goes down. This disappoints me. When I go extended amounts of time without running, I feel as if my ability is slipping away!
I've decided I would like to see some muscle growth, especially in my arms, so I will focus on a slight increase in calories, and a mega increase in my protein intake. We will see how this goes!

Army Standards Vs. Unit Standards

2011-05-31T06:32:00.001-07:00

So my unit is saying that if we don't reach a 280 PT score tomorrow, we will be put on Remedial PT. I really thought they could only do that if a soldier didn't meet the Army standard. Not to mention, last week the 1SG mentioned the fact that soldiers below the rank of Commander and 1SG could not do PT on their own, according to the 101st ABN Blue Book. However the PT we do with the unit is not adequate to push scores to 280 in every category. The only way you will get there is by doing PT on your own. Blah.... I'll probably get a 240 or something like that tomorrow, which isn't terrible.

Full Moon in Scorpio

2011-05-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

So tonight will be my first Esbat in awhile. I'm looking forward to it greatly. Every month the full and new moons are in a different sign, and therefore have different connotations. That was something I learned while on deployment. I thought that was pretty interesting. So tonight, the moon is in Scorpio, which is a water sign, believe it or not. So that being said, water is the element of emotion and intuition. With the moon in Scorpio, one should focus on growth in one's own resources, whatever they are. At least that is what I read.
As it is, I'm a solitary practitioner, but when I get to Georgia, I'm going to try at least one group ritual. I don't know if I will like it, but I feel it is fair to get the experience. I like having others to compare notes with. The open circle on Ft. Campbell holds their ceremonies during the day on the closest Sunday. I feel like moon celebrations should definitely be held at night, but then again, that could be another reason I prefer solitary practice!

Great Trip to Vegas

2011-05-16T06:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I kind of fell off the fitness wagon, although I know it could've been much worse! Of course the alcohol is usually a no no, not to mention the cheese dip I ate at Margaritaville. Oh my goodness, but what a place to make unhealthy food choices! Lol, I had a fabulous time, and with the start of the week, I am ready to lift my weights, and run my 6 miles after class.
The night after we got there, my best friend and I were out until the sun came up! I found out that you can walk around with your drinks in Vegas, which was a lot of fun. I got to dress up really nice, which I love doing.
She graduates in December, and I will be going back then, if not sooner! I hadn't seen here since I deployed last year. She came to visit me, and we video chatted almost every day that I was in Afghanistan. One of the best friends ever!

Stupid things the Army Does

2011-05-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is true that this is a very long list. Yesterday however the "wait because we might need you" stupid thing happened. I waited for two and a half hours, because another platoon did not accomplish the tasks they were given for a range. Alright, "one team, one fight", but can you at least tell me what I'm waiting around for? I didn't even know until I had been cluelessly waiting for two hours! Ridiculous!
Withheld information is something that brings down morale in a unit. Soldiers begin to feel like they can't count on their leaders to disseminate information.
On top of that, since I didn't get out until 1930, my motivation to workout was dead. I was supposed to run four miles last night, and do 30 minutes of yoga. I ended up running 4 miles this morning, so it kind of worked out..... I'm happy I am PCSing to a new unit!

PRT

2011-05-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

So, I rather like the new Army physical fitness program. It focuses more on the things soldiers will need in combat, as opposed to just "sticking to tradition", when it doesn't work. The new system prepares soldiers to exert themselves, by properly stretching dynamically, instead of the static stretches, which are better suited to the recovery/stretch phase.
A lot of soldiers have been resistant to the idea, but the Army is changing. There are some ways in which these changes have not been good, but I don't feel this is one of them.