A Winning Blog

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 May 2010 07:49:00 +0000

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book but overall it didn't keep my attention. It was a little bit more slow-paced than I normally like.

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Test

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:22:00 +0000

I'm testing something.
Zach

Confessions of a Shopaholic

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:08:00 +0000

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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The Lucky One

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:40:00 +0000

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely love Nicholas Sparks. His work never disappoints me. This had a slow start but eventually got going and I couldn't put it down.

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Keeping Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:51:00 +0000

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book but it wasn't one of those books I just couldn't put down. This is the first Jodi Picoult book I've read. I hope her other books are better than this one was.

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The Story of Edgar Sawtelle- Amanda's Review

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:12:00 +0000

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I found this book really difficult to get through and maintain my attention.

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Wrapping up 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:49:00 +0000

This post is one day late but we've been busy. Last year was a pretty good year overall, there were some not so enjoyable things but some great times too.

I read a total of 35 books this year! I set a goal for 25 and obviously I exceeded that goal.

Here's a brief synopsis of the year as I remember it:

January- We were on a cruise for New Years last year. I started with St. Elizabeth on January 19th.

February- Zach and I went to Chicago for Valentine's day.

March- I took my nursing boards and passed!

April- I don't remember any exciting things. It seems that April was probably a normal, non-busy month.

May- Zach turned 25 and I turned 24. We went to the aquarium for my birthday and saw Up! in the theater.

June- We celebrated our first anniversary on the 21st! The Mastronardo's got married and we had a wonderful time at their wedding!

July- We spent the Fourth of July weekend at Norris Lake with family and friends. I switched to night shift and enjoyed that shift very much.

August- We went to the Winning/Sakal Family reunion this month. It was a pretty relaxing month as well.

September- Zach attempted to do the P90x. I think that lasted all of 2 weeks. The Leisl's got married and it was a fabulous time.

October- I had H1N1 and pneumonia. We went to visit Andrew and Rebecca and their puppy Rosie in Ft. Wayne.

November- We went to Hawaii for a week! It was one of the best vacations we've ever been on!

December- I started with University Hospital. We had a wonderful Christmas and a very fun New Year celebration.

Pretty In Plaid

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:25:00 +0000

Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase by Jen Lancaster

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Of all her books, this was by far my favorite. It follows her typical style but I related a little more to her stories in this book than previous ones.

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The Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:47:00 +0000

The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. I'm not really sure I would call it a follow up to "The Notebook" however. I think I'd call it a spinoff of that story.

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H1N1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:00:00 +0000

So if you don't all ready know, last week I was diagnosed with H1N1 and pneumonia. It has been a long week but I am finally feeling better.

As for all of you who haven't experienced it yet, I encourage you to get vaccinated. I have never felt worse in my life than I did last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It was awful for those three days. Obviously, it's now a week later and I am feeling better. Still not 100% but that's because of the pneumonia.

Hopefully this weekend we are going to Ft. Wayne. We'll see if I have to work or not on Friday.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:44:00 +0000

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was absolutely wonderful! It was an amazing combination of tales of friendship, love and womanhood.

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Definitely Dead

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:47:00 +0000

Zach here.

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Definitely my favorite in the Sookie series so far. Maybe it's because I'm so interested and invested in some of the characters, or we meet more supes and learn more of the supernatural world. Anyhow, I had a hard time putting this book down.

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Such a Pretty Fat

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:46:00 +0000

Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie is Not the Answer by Jen Lancaster

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I did not enjoy this book as much as the first two books. It was much harder to get into than the previous two. I also feel like this book was supposed to be about her weight loss and I don't think she actually started talking about the weight loss until more than half-way through the book.

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Secrets of a Shoe Addict

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:45:00 +0000

Secrets of a Shoe Addict by Beth Harbison

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this follow up book to Shoe Addicts Anonymous. In some ways I enjoyed this book more and it didn't seem like a sequel. It was more like a continuation of the story.

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Zach's Slackerness

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:39:00 +0000

I was lazy/busy this weekend Sat/Sun/Mon so I didn't work out at all. Yesterday I did the Chest and Back/Abripper and took it a little slower and just tried to match my reps on the second go through. My arms feel a little tired this week, but nothing at all like last week.

Tonight I did half of my Plyometrics workout, then I had to stop because I started feeling nauseous and light headed. FYI, an hour is not long enough to wait before Plyo. (Especially Burger King!) After my shower I still feel icky in my belly. Even now my heart rate is still up if I move around and I feel way too warm. I'm going to go read some and lay under the cool fan in the bedroom to cool off some more.

I have been drinking at least 2 liters of water a day and taking a multi-vitamin (sometimes I forget but I get one every workout with my recovery drink.) It took my body the first week to adjust to getting the amount of water it should be getting. I felt like I was peeing every 15 minutes, and the first night I got up twice to use the bathroom, and once the second night. It's nice now that I feel like I'm craving the water and I enjoy constantly drinking something. When we go out for dinner I've been getting water with lemon. It gives it a little flavor and I read that it helps keep your body from holding the water in (not that I'm super worried about water weight, I sweat a lot during workouts.)

For my week 2 weigh in it says I've lost .4 (almost a half) pound. According to my check-in, I should have lost about 1.7 fat pounds and gained 1.3 lean mass pounds. That's interesting if it is accurate. I'm looking forward to see what next week brings.

This weekend was fun. We went to Jake's football game, they lost but played a good first half against a very strong team. Saturday I cruised from Big Bone Lick's dock up past the Big Mac/I-471 Bridge. It was cool going through downtown Cincinnati. It took us a little over six hours round trip. Sunday night we went over to The Mastronardo Household and played Asshole, a drinking game, and Apples to Apples. We didn't get home and in bed until 5 in the morning on Monday, and I realized later that I drank half a liter of Jack Daniels all by myself. Yikes! I only slept until 10am then read until I napped a little more. Even when I woke up the first time I had no hangover. This coming Friday we have Jess and DJ's rehearsal dinner, and then the wedding Saturday afternoon. It should be a good time. I'll probably have lots of pictures to post to Facebook late this weekend.

The Rescue

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:05:00 +0000

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another great book from Nicholas Sparks. I enjoyed this book and liked the fact that it was about letting go of the past and accepting oneself.

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Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Tonight was the Leg & Back routine. I was worried about the back part because it was mostly pull ups, and I think that's how I wore my arms out on Day 1. It wasn't too bad though because I did fewer reps to make it through all the rounds. My arms actually feel better after working them out some. The leg routine could have been worse, but I made sure not to push myself too far. Tonight had another round of Abripper X, and I feel like I got a little more done than on previous nights. I'll be in good shape (no pun intended) if I push a little harder each time I do a routine.

Tomorrow, I'm cruising the Ohio with Ron, Mali, Stacie and Phyllis. We're going to go north from Big Bone Lick to try and go through Downtown Cincinnati. That should be pretty neat. Amanda will be preparing for Jessica G-to-the-L's bachelorette party. I'm sure they'll have tons o fun.

My New Name

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:24:00 +0000

So, I think that if I do make it to my 90 day mark without dropping dead or becoming so sore I'm a cripple and lose my job, I will have people call me Zach X. Tonight was rough, I only made it through 30 min (1/3) of the Yoga X DVD. So to make it more like an hour workout I struggled though the half hour Abripper X. I just don't have the strength in my belly to do more than 5 of any of the modified sit ups, some I couldn't do at all. It sucks. Now the only part of my body that wasn't stiff and sore, my abdomen, will probably be sore tomorrow. Just in time for Adriatico's giant Bearcat Pizza Friday. I probably won't make it past four pieces. Bummer.

I really wish my arms would get better so I could do a normal workout for a change. Imagine not being able to touch your fingertips to your chin without stretching first. It makes eating tough.

Tonight is Amanda's 3rd night in a row at work. I miss hanging out with her in the evening. Luckily She's off all weekend (hoorah!) and doesn't work again until Monday night. Saturday she has a Bachelorette party for Jess G(soon to be L). I think she'll have a lot of fun. I don't know what I'll be doing yet, maybe a Bachelor Party, we'll see what shakes out.

P90x Update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:34:00 +0000

P90x is definitely kicking my ass. I was super sore all day at work, and as the day progressed it become harder and harder to get up from my desk. I had to force myself to get up and walk around every 15-30 minutes so I wouldn't tighten up too bad. My arms feel a little better, just really sore above the elbow, but I don't have a lot of flexibility back yet.

Because I am worried about injuring my poor arms I didn't do the Shoulder/Arms/Abripper routine I was supposed to tonight. Instead I substituted the X Stretch program, which is an optional routine on your 7th, or rest day. X Stretch lasted just under an hour and had a lot of nice stretches and easy yoga poses (besides one.) It really helped work the soreness out from my groin and hips that I piled on from the Plyometrics.

Tomorrow is Yoga X, an extreme yoga program. A friend at work attempted it early this morning to start his P90x adventure, but he only made it about 15 minutes in, he said not even past the warm up. I'm going to attempt it tomorrow and do as much as I can, I know I won't be able to hold the poses as long as I should, but I'll give it all a whirl. Also, it's an hour and a half long so I'll see if I can make it through. I want to take it easy so I can do the Leg/Back/Abripper on Friday.

I'm sure you're tired of my blabbering on and on about things you're not a part of, but I think talking and writing about what I have accomplished and what I want to accomplish will help keep me motivated. Alright, I'm going to let the IcyHot do it's thing and I'm going to read some from Living Dead in Dallas, the second True Blood book.

PS. If you read this leave me a note so I know who is out there, please.

Plyometrics

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:42:00 +0000

Plyometrics is a P90x workout that combines squats with jumps. A little known fact is that plyometrics is from the Greek (Plyo)- to wish and (metrics)- you were dead. Imagine a short stretch routine, then squatting and jumping in various forms for about 45 minutes straight. Then you finish with some stretches that feel divine, because your body wants to implode into itself. As soon as I finished the workout I made one of Amanda's workout protein drinks, swallowed my multi-vitamin and then devoured a caramel protein bar. It makes you crave that stuff, it's horrible.

Tonight I really pushed myself to do as many reps and to not quit, but sometimes I had to. I pushed hard, but made sure I never got light headed or nauseous, which is awesome. It's kind of nice to feel the burn but not push it too far. I'm going to give myself a few more minutes too cool down, calm down, then I'm going to take a realllly hot shower. I might even do more stretches afterwards, because I know work is going to be tough tomorrow.

If you want, I'm going to edit the post before this one to include my before/"goodbye flub" pictures.

It's time to hit the showers. Peace.

Zach's P90x Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:06:00 +0000

I started a workout program last night, Tony Horton's P90x. It's a 90 day program that steps up in intensity and from what I've seen online give really good results. I've never worked out before, so this will be a challenge for me, but I look forward to getting rid of some of my flub. Some other guys at work are going to start it this week too, so that will help keep me motivated and keep me from dropping out. Last night was two rounds of a mix of about 6 push up styles, 3 pull up styles, and some hand weight routines, all topped of with an ab workout. I'm a little sore today but my elbows are killing me and don't want to flex well. I guess it was all the strain from the push ups. Tonight is a polymetrics routine, which is like Kempo/Tae Bo and a little bit of Yoga. I'm hoping the cardio days will help keep the muscle soreness down.

When I get home tonight I will post my before or 'goodbye' pictures. It is going to be interesting to see how much of a change my body will make. Here are my starting measurements:

Weight: 176.5 lbs.
Chest: 37"
Waist: 35"
Hips: 37"
Rt. Thigh: 21"
Lt. Thigh: 20"
Rt. Arm: 12.5"
Lt. Arm: 12.5"
Body Fat %: ?? (I don't have my caliper yet)

It's going to be a grueling 90 days, and my last day is scheduled for Thanksgiving, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing! It means I won't have to work out in Hawaii, and I should look pretty good on the beach! I'll solicit for words of encouragement when things get tough, so don't let me down, peeps.

UPDATED:

On an unrelated side note, I think with my hair buzzed short I look like my brother Kyle from behind. Weird.

Shoe Addicts Anonymous

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:33:00 +0000

Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book! It was a very fun and quick read! I'd recommend it to anyone who love chick lit or shoes!

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A Book Review and a Half

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:41:00 +0000

-- Zach here, posting something after a long hiatus --

Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Interview with the Vampire isn't really all that great of a book, at least I don't think so. I'd probably only give it one and a half stars out of five. The only reason I have read it for the second time is because I plan on reading The Vampire Lestat, which is a really good book. I've read the whole 'Vampire Chronicle' series, and luckily I started with Lestat, if it had been Interview, I never would have continued on. Interview spends too much time trying to create some sensual visual tapestry to explain Louis' emotions, and it just doesn't really draw me in. I get bored and frustrated with him trying to hold on to humanity, which he thinks is important to him, and then not embracing his vampire nature once that's all that's left.

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Secondly, I enjoyed starting Dead Until Dark, the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series (which has become True Blood on HBO.) I haven't read any Twilight yet, but I feel like True Blood/Stackhouse is a much less 'Teenie Bopper', but very popular vampire series. I'm excited to see where it goes. So far, only one chapter into the book, it is reading very closely to TV series, and it's easy to visualize the episode playing in my head as I read the book. This book should be a quick read, and if I weren't so tired or have to work tomorrow, I would probably read the entire book tonight. I would rather spend time at home with my wife, but it's nice sitting on the couch recliner with Ariel the dog and Malon the cat curled up in my lap with Zoe the dog curled up next time me while I read a good book and sip a Jack and Coke.

On my final, unrelated note, every night when I take the dogs out back to go potty, if it's just turning to dusk it's nice to stand on the back patio and watch the bats fly around. I've seen two at once so far, and it's awesome to watch them swoop and dive and fly around. I consider them friends seeing as how bad the mosquitoes have been back there. I remember learning that they eat something like 10 times their weight in mosquitoes in a night. A quick Google search says they can eat 3000 mosquitoes in one night. Awesome! I think tomorrow I'll look into plans for building a bat house, I'm sure Amanda will love that project.

The Notebook

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:23:00 +0000

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I started this book on a Thursday afternoon and had it finished by the following Friday morning. It was so great that I couldn't put it down. If you are familiar with Sparks other novels then you will love this one as well. I can't compare the book to the movie because I have not watched the movie. I will now that I have read the book though.

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The Castaways

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:29:00 +0000

The Castaways: A Novel by Elin Hilderbrand

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was great! I seriously couldn't put it down. The plot was very easy to follow and the author had a way of hooking you in at just the right times. I won this on a goodread giveaway and would recommend it to anyone.

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