happy halloween '08

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. - Henry David Thoreau

Hannibal, a viking, and a Smart Water bottle walk into a bar, and all is well.


And then Dorothy walks in, and this happens...


Ah, c'est la vie.

Happy Halloween =)

chicago-style urbanathlon

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.
- George Bernard Shaw

I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason. So when we went to sign up this past summer for the 2008 Men's Health Urbanathlon in NYC, to take place on Saturday, September 27, and we found out the race had already filled up, we weren't too distressed.

So we just went ahead and signed up for the one in Chicago, to take place three weeks later on Saturday, October 18, in colder weather and approximately three miles longer. I admit, even after we signed up and secured our spots, the idea of a longer race in a city we'd never been in, still lacking airplane tickets and hotel reservations, did seem daunting. Plus, we had yet to really start training.

Well...we did it. And it was truly an awesome experience =)

The race turned out to be approximately 11 miles, give or take, and it was a total blast. In addition to the running, we had to tackle obstacles (hence the name, Urbanathlon), including jersey barricades, culvert crawls, marine hurdles, cargo net crawls, monkey bars, taxi hurdles, a stadium climb, and a rope wall from where you launch yourself, in less than graceful form, to the finish line.
As you can see from the pictures in the following links, Alex and I have two very different running styles. His is more serious, whereas I take the more lighthearted, if-I-don't-stop-smiling-maybe-I'll-finish-quicker approach.

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=36402&BIB=1173&S=230&PWD=

http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=36402&BIB=810

In the race itself, we saw a good stretch of the city, including Navy Pier, Soldier Field (I'll never look at football stadiums the same way again), Grant Park, museums, aquariums, buildings, buildings, and more buildings. When not racing, we checked out the downtown area, went up Sears Tower, declared a restaurant our favorite in Chicago (the Exchequer Restaurant & Pub), ate Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, rode in an old-school elevator, and even slept in a park next to two giant Native Americans on horses.

And we did it all in three days. Pretty awesome =)

What about next year? Well, as much as we loved Chicago, we would like to get back to our roots and do the Urbanathlon again in NYC.

So that just leaves the question - who's up for joining us?

and then there were three

Forget all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing.
- Melinda Haynes

You know you're doing what you love when you can't stop smiling from the moment you start it to long after you've finished. I'm thrilled to say that in the past month or so I have been fully immersing myself in the three things that I really love.

1) Writing

I've been, well, writing, a lot. The writing competitions are definitely contributing to that, but I also have some more articles out in the latest edition of the NAVEL Expo magazine.

Check some of them out here -

Overcoming Weight-Loss Resistance

Cleansing and Detoxification of the Immune System's Power Plant

Reversing Common Symptomatology through Liver Detoxification

What Your Tooth Fairy Won't Tell You and Your Doctor Doesn't Know

And as for that book, stay tuned for updates...

2) Acting

I'm already into my fourth week of advanced on-camera acting technique classes at the Penny Templeton Studio in NYC, and I absolutely love it. My acting career thus far has been in theatre, but what I really want to start doing now is film. It's an entirely different beast to tackle. In theatre, there is an energy that is unique to the stage. In film, you need to be able to convey the world through your eyes, through the smallest of gestures, through simply saying nothing. Stage right and camera right are two entirely different things...and that's just the start of it.

Every week, we have scenes to perform, and at the end of class, we see everyone's performance on the big screen. I have to admit, the first week was a bit jarring. I have big eyes, and I feel I look like a kid. But putting such self-analysis aside, as you must, it's all been a real blast. Being around actors, rehearsing scenes, learning new techniques - I missed all this for so long. I also finished a three-hour Business of Acting seminar earlier this evening with The Organized Actor's Leslie Becker. It's off to the races now to look for an agent.

Oh, and * exciting * I start rehearsals next week for a production of The Christmas Carol here in LI and in NJ. Where I find the time, nobody knows.

3) Tennis

I'm playing at least three times a week and shooting to be a 4.5-rated tennis player before the end of the year.

And of course, there's my newest blog -

racquetgirl.blogspot.com

Show some love (no pun intended), even if you can't figure out the difference between a game, a match, and a foot fault. (Olga, this means you.)

Things are definitely busy, but I find myself smiling a lot more these days. I'm doing just what I want to be doing.