DAY 210 OF 365: AND ON SUNDAY HE DID NOT REST

So today I enjoyed a leisurely morning before heading into the office. I am pretty sure that with my current work schedule, today might have been my last leisurely morning. Between Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Gods Behaving Badly, my schedule is about to get very daunting. Late nights and early mornings are about to become four words that I start to use often. But don't worry, I am not going to let that affect my healthier me. You will be proud to know that my fridge is stocked with greens and fruits for juicing, vegetables for grilling and meats for proteins. Now the trick is going to be to stay on top of working out at the gym and also making sure to prepare meals for the office. I am pretty sure that with the late nights, I will be eating dinner at the office as well.
Tonight I made sure to cut up some vegetables for salads, boil some eggs for snacks and salads, and then wash some greens for juicing. This morning I juiced watermelon and mint for a nice refreshing drink. I can't tell you how much I love to juice. From greens, to fruits, to vegetables, I have pretty much juiced it all. My advice to you, if you can get a juicer, get one. It will be the best investment you have made. And I said investment, because it is an investment in a healthier you. And if you can't purchase a juicer, find a local juice bar and try some different juices out. You won't be disappointed. Well, time for me to shower and relax before calling it a night. Tonight is an all new True Blood, Real Housewives of New Jersey and an all new The Glee Project. The perfect ending to a busy day at the office. Till tomorrow.

DAY 209 OF 365: NOT FEELING WELL

I think that the work load and long hours have finally caught up with me. I feel drained. All I want to do is sleep and I have zero energy. I wish I had something exciting to tell you but the most exciting thing I did was go grocery shopping. That pretty much took all my energy. The rest of the day was spent in and out of sleep. Tomorrow is Sunday and instead of a day of rest it will be a day of work at the office. So, I am off to bed. I have another long and busy work week ahead of me. Till tomorrow.

DAY 208 OF 365: TGIF

After a long and hectic week at the office I am calling it a night. The gym kicked my ass this morning and work did the rest. Now all I want to do is sleep. Till tomorrow.

DAY 207 OF 365: WORKING TOWARDS THE WEEKEND

So as you might expect, it was another late night at the office. I know, surprising. Me working late. Who would have thought. But there I was stuck at my desk casting late into the night. I pretty much live on coffee these days. I know, not the healthiest thing, but it gets me through the hectic and long day. This weekend looks to be shaping up like a work weekend but I am planning on squeezing an hour here and there at the gym. I refuse to let this job put a wrench in my healthier me. Besides, I have to tone up this body and tighten up these abs so that I can recreate that photo! On the bright side, I have found a new green juice that I love. Try juicing spinach, kale, a lemon, a Fuji apple and some celery and let me know what you think. I love it. I also have realized how tasty watermelon juiced is. Very refreshing. It made me think that watermelon sorbet might be very tasty. That might have to be my homework for the weekend, well, I mean if I have a weekend. I am sure there are some healthy recipes that I can find for watermelon sorbet. Well, time for me to get back to casting. Yep, I am still at the office. I thought I would take a break to blog since I am going to be here late. Till tomorrow.

DAY 206 OF 365: RUNNING ON STEAM

I am so exhausted and it is only Wednesday! I barely made it through my session with JC this morning. I was so tired and drained that by the end of the workout I was laying on the floor ready to pass out. These early mornings on set and late nights at the office are finally catching up with me. I am no spring chicken and Papa needs his beauty sleep. I was hoping to have off this weekend to rest and recoup but it is shaping up to be a weekend at the office. Insert violin here. I have been so busy with work that I have neglected the grocery list and have allowed my cabinets and fridge to go bare. Not good. Well, I am off to bed. Like groundhogs day, this day will repeat itself tomorrow. Till then.

DAY 205 OF 365: TIRED

I got up at 4am, worked a long day at the office and now I am tired! Off to bed. Early morning working out with JC tomorrow. Till tomorrow.

DAY 204 OF 365: LATE NIGHT/EARLY MORNING

So I was up this morning at 4am to head over to set for Law and Order: SVU to check in all the extras that I had stayed late at the office Sunday night to book. It was a long weekend at the office and when my alarm went off at 4am all that I wanted to do was throw it against the wall and go back to bed. Alas, that was not an option. So I mustered up enough energy to crawl out of bed and get into the shower. Walking to the PATH train I felt so drained and to anyone that saw me I either looked really drunk or like I was sleep walking. In fact, I am pretty sure at one point I was sleep walking. At least I had a healthy breakfast. The rest of the day was spent frantically casting extras and trying to get caught up on work. I wish that I could say that I was home by 6pm cooking a nice home cooked meal, but instead I was at the office till 10:30pm eating a salad and some peppers and hummus. It is now 11:45pm and once again I am getting up at 4am so that I can head off to set for Law and Order: SVU. Here is hoping that I won't have to work this weekend, but I am pretty sure that is just wishful thinking. Fingers crossed. Till tomorrow.

DAY 203 OF 365: SUNDAY IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DAY OF REST; NOT FOR ME

I wish I could say "And on the seventh day Dave rested". However, I was up early and out the door headed to the office by 9am. This is the busy season for me and that means sometimes working seven days a week and sometimes 24 hours. You might think that I am exaggerating but in this industry and especially with my job, I am sometimes on call at all hours of the day. That can be difficult when trying to be healthy, staying consistent with working out and eating healthy. The perfect example was that I bought all of this great produce and fruit planning on grilling and cooking with them only to get so busy that I forgot about them. So of course it has begun to go bad. So today before working I cleaned up the strawberries and fruit that I could salvage and froze it for smoothies. The cucumbers and lemons I ended up juicing along with my watermelon and spinach and oddly enough had a tasty green juice. So though I didn't use them how I had planned, they still turned out tasty. But the point is, being this busy I find that I don't have that much time. I miss out on fun things with friends and feel left out even though I have been included. But, this is the career I have chosen and I can't let it define me. My job can't define who I am, only I can.
I got home today from work late and all I wanted to do was sleep, especially since I have to be up at 4am to be on set for Law and Order: SVU. However, as usual, that didn't happen. I ended up cleaning and doing laundry and fading on the couch and then being woken up. It is now 10:45pm and I can't sleep. I tossed and turned and I am sure that I won't get a good nights sleep. But hey, that's why there is coffee. So, off to bed I go again. Lets see if this time it lasts. Till tomorrow.

DAY 202 OF 365: HEAT EXHAUSTION IS NO JOKE

This morning while working out with JC I actually felt nauseous and thought I might pass out. I eventually had to sit down and pour water on my head. I was sweating and over heating. It turns out that the combination of the heat and the fact that I have been working crazy hours and not getting much sleep have worn out my body. JC feels that we might have to cut back our sessions from three times a week to two until my schedule lightens up a bit. Now if I do that, I am still going to be eating healthy and maintaining this lifestyle, I just won't be working out as intensely. If that is the case, I am sure I will still do cardio and abs every morning, but scale back on the weight training.
After working out at the gym, I spent the majority of the day at the office. At least the office was cool. Though working on the weekend was saddening, the worst part of the day was realizing that the majority of my fresh fruits and produce have spoiled. I had all these good intentions, like grilling the vegetables and juicing the greens and fruits, but with my busy schedule, I forgot all about it until this morning. Alas, they are bad, which makes me sad and I am starting to sound like Dr. Seuss. Well, that is my cue to call it a night. Before you know it I will be quoting Green Eggs and Ham. Till tomorrow.

DAY 201 OF 365: TGIF

Ok, so it is Friday! But alas I have to work tomorrow. I am meeting with JC in the afternoon before heading into the office. So, I am heading to bed. Till
tomorrow.

DAY 200 OF 365: LONG DAY, LATE NIGHT

The dog days of summer are upon us. The heat has me feeling as if I am in a sauna, sweating away the fat. I was walking home from the PATH train and even at 10:30pm at night, I still was dripping wet with sweat. Tomorrow it is supposed to reach 100 degrees. Well, at least the weekend is almost here. I wish I could make this a little more interesting but I am exhausted and can barely keep my eyes open. Till tomorrow.

DAY 199 OF 365: THESE LEGS ARE GETTING STRONGER

So this morning during my session with JC I noticed that my legs were enduring more than they usually do. Today we focused on legs but also back and arms. We started off with the legs. JC had me jump up the stairs, skipping every other step. He had me go up and down the two flights four times in under 50 seconds. We did four sets of that. He then had me run up the two flights of stairs in under 30 seconds for four sets. That was my leg warm up. There was a point in time that I thought I was going to take a tumble, but my legs proved me wrong and they withstood the pain. Afterwards we moved on to arms and shoulders. JC likes to say that he is a master sculptor when it comes to my body and I always laugh. But today for the first time I really saw the definition that he is creating in my body. I can see the muscle in my arms and my calves are huge. I can even see the slight definition of abs forming. I just need to tighten up the core so that the rest of the world can see them.
Well today was another long day at the office. When I got home, even though it was late, I made some nice pork chops, some herb roasted potatoes and a nice mixed salad for tomorrow at the office. Just because I am working crazy hours at the office doesn't mean I can't eat right. Well I am off to bed. Till tomorrow.

DAY 198 OF 365: IT IS HOT AS BALLS OUT!

Holy crap it was hot out today. My 10 minute walk to the PATH train found me drenched in sweat. Even at 7:30am it was hot and humid out. Maybe I will be lucky and I will start to sweat off the fat. One can hope, right? Anyway, I am back to my busy schedule at the office. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit begins filming season 13 tomorrow and we are already on day 3 of filming for Gods Behaving Badly. I spent most of the morning in meetings for SVU and then the rest of the day was spent casting extras. I felt a little rusty today. I think I was still in the Ranch mind set. I wanted to in back at yoga class and hiking through the mountains but instead found myself entrenched in my database of extras. Here is hoping that I will be back to my old casting self by end of the week.
The one thing that I have to work on is making sure that I prepare meals for the week. I don't want to get out of the habit of eating healthy at work, especially since I will be working long hours and late nights. I am starting to feel that the next few months are going to be a true test to this challenge. The late nights and long hours are going to be stressful and will start to take a toll on me, but it is up to me to press forward and continue with this healthy lifestyle. I have the motivation and energy now so there are no excuses. Well, I am off to bed. I am exhausted from my busy day at the office and I have a session with JC in the morning. Till tomorrow.

DAY 197 OF 365: AT WHAT POINT DO YOU RISK IT ALL AND GAMBLE ON YOURSELF?

The biggest investment that we have in life, is just that, our life. It is one of the best investments that we can make. I look at this challenge as an investment in my life. But as we all know, investments can sometimes be a gamble and costly. So at what point do we risk it all and gamble on ourselves? I have been thinking about this a lot the past couple of days. Eating healthy and working out are not cheap. Between a gym membership, training sessions, and healthier more nutritious food, the cost of a healthier me keeps adding up. But this is an investment, right? I mean, I am investing my money and energy in a longer, healthier life. I was thinking about ways in which to get more out of this challenge. The first thing that I was thinking about was the photo that I am recreating at the end of the challenge. What am I going to do with it at the end of my challenge? Am I going to frame it and hang it in my living room as a reminder of the journey that I took? That is kind of creepy. Maybe I will turn it into my holiday card. Could be interesting but I am sure not the kind of yuletide cheer that my family would want. So it got me thinking. I was looking at the photo on a small level. I am proud of the progress that I am making with my body and I am not one to be shy or modest. So why not share my story and body. Now, dirty minds, I don't mean share my body in that way. I was thinking more of sharing it in a magazine such as Men's Health or maybe even Playgirl. Could be interesting. It would also add another level to the challenge. Not only do I have to keep up with my healthy life style, but now it would be a challenge to get Men's Health or Playgirl to let me share my story and newly defined body with the masses. Thoughts? Well, I will leave you with this. What's the point of working so hard at toning my body if I can show it off? Till tomorrow.

DAY 196 OF 365: WHERE DID THE WEEKEND GO?

So as soon as the weekend is here, it is gone. But don't you worry, I certainly enjoyed every last bit of my weekend. I was able to sleep in this morning and enjoy a nice cup of coffee while I finished the laundry and emptied the dishwasher. Now I know what you are thinking. Dave, that seems as exciting as watching paint dry. And you are right, but hey, I had to get it done. I leisurely did some website surfing of different sites for inspiration for my condo. I have been living here since last October, and bit by bit I am making it feel like home. But I am still looking to add things and paint things and spice things up. So I am looking for things that inspire me and pieces that I might want to purchase to make my home feel more like me. So that was fun this morning. I also had to deal with work for a bit. Never a dull day in my career. It is almost like a 24/7 job, but at the end of the day I enjoy it and that is all that matters.
The evening ended with a BBQ and a movie. I say that as long as it is warm and sunny out and you are able to be outside and BBQ, then you should. There is nothing better than being outside and grilling with friends. There was even some poker played, or in my case lost. I am not the best poker player, but I am learning. All I can say though is that I am not ready for vegas.
Now as the evening wraps up I am making sure that I have meals made for the week as both Gods Behaving Badly and Law and Order: SVU both start filming this week which means early mornings and late nights. Don't worry though, that will not affect my workout schedule. Sleep or no sleep, I will be at the gym keeping up with the challenge. This body is not going to tone itself. Well, time for bed. Till tomorrow.

DAY 195 OF 365: BUSY DAY MEANS A TIRED DAVE

So usually I am able to recharge during the weekend from a busy work week, however, my work carried over into Saturday. So needless to say, I was not able to enjoy the start of this beautiful weekend. I was able to go grocery shopping to stock my empty fridge before dealing with work though. I love coming home to a stocked fridge, especially when I get to cook a nice home cooked dinner. I made a nice mesclun salad with sauteed veggies and cilantro lime chicken. You will be happy to know that while I was cooking my meal I was also multi tasking by doing my laundry and emptying the dishwasher. I know, how exciting right. You are probably so jealous that your Saturday night was not as exciting as mine. Here is hoping that Sunday is more interesting. I am now off to set the coffee machine so that I can awake to the aromatic smells of fresh brewed coffee. I want it to feel like those Folgers coffee commercials. The ones where they  awaken to the smell of coffee and then their long lost sibling or cousin or someone they haven't seen in years is in the kitchen drinking coffee. You know the ones I am talking about. Well, off to bed. Till tomorrow.

DAY 194 OF 365: TGIF

Had an amazing dinner with friends. Our buddies actually cooked an authentic Indian meal that was delicious. I have never had Indian food and all I can say is spicy and wonderful. I never would have thought that I would have tried goat and enjoyed it. Sometimes a fun night out with friends is all you need to end a hectic week at the office. Now time to hit the bed for some much needed sleep! Till tomorrow.

DAY 193 OF 365: SHORT AND SWEET

It is just one of those nights. I was up at 5:30am since I had a production meeting in the city for Gods Behaving Badly. All that I want to do now is crawl into bed and fall asleep. Alas, I must blog. So what I am going to say is short and sweet and to the point. These are my favorite types of blogs. I am just going to get right to the point. I had a long day at the office and I ended it with the perfect dinner under the stars. Now it is time for me to crawl into bed, close my eyes and call it a night. I am working out with JC in the morning and I need to recharge and sleep. Till tomorrow.

DAY 192 OF 365: HAPPY HUMP DAY

I love Wednesdays because you are half way through the week! You are over the hump and the rest of the week flies by. Today was another intense session with JC. Still working on increasing the strength in the legs while working on defining abs and muscle tone. JC had me do a couple of circuits today, mainly focusing on the legs. By the end I could actually see my legs shaking. I think JC noticed and switched the circuits up to start working the upper body. Thank god because I am pretty sure that my legs were ready to give out and I would have toppled over with my weights while doing my lunges. The rest of the day was spent prepping for Gods Behaving Badly and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. I actually have a production meeting in the city tomorrow morning at 7am for Gods Behaving Badly, which means I need to be up, showered and out of my house by 6am to make it there on time. Guess what that means? It means my ass needs to get to bed so that I don't over sleep. So till tomorrow.

DAY 191 OF 365: GRILLED VEGGIES AND SAUTEED KALE

I love coming home and cooking a nice homemade dinner. Nothing better then cooking the food you are about to eat. I used to love getting take out or eating out, but anymore I get so much more satisfaction out of cooking my own meal. Tonights meal consisted of grilled zucchini with sauteed kale, with some cilantro lime chicken. I even made extra for lunch tomorrow along with some roasted herb potatoes. I also juiced some cucumbers and lemons for a nice dinner drink.
I am working out with JC in the morning. And I don't want to jinx myself, but I am pretty sure my neck pain is slowly disappearing. Here is hoping that by friday it is a distant memory. Well, I am off to bed. Sweet dreams. Till tomorrow.

DAY 190 OF 365: MONDAY HAS COME AND GONE AND I AM A DAY WISER

Oh Monday, how you just sneak up on me. For those of you that are wondering, my neck is feeling better. It is still a little sore and every once in awhile, I make a slight move and I feel a little pinch. Thank god for Aleve. All that I can say is Aleve PM you let me sleep like a baby. I was worried that my session with JC this morning would be a little painful with my tight neck, but actually I made it through the entire workout without a single flare up from my neck. We spent half the session working on legs and the second half was spent working on upper body and arms. I had mentioned early that I was having issues strengthening my legs, so this morning JC put me through a mini leg boot camp. Ok, it really wasn't a boot camp but my poor legs and calves were crying like they had just been beat silly by a crazed monkey. But no pain no stronger legs right? So off I went to shower and dress and head into work.
Work was just another day at the office. Prepping Season 13 of Law and Order: SVU and Gods Behaving Badly. Its great to be back to work and to be quite honest, I am actually excited to be busy again. It's weird but I crave it. I thrive on being busy. I know that sounds funny to say, but I find I do my best when I am busy and hardly have any free time. I have also found that with this new lifestyle, I have so much more energy that I a looking forward to the craziness that is about to be thrown my way. I say bring it! What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger and lets face it, we learn something new everyday that we stay focused and busy. To quote my show, The Big C, "Live wild, live free, live more, live fast."  Just like Cathy Jamison has a new perspective on life, so do I. I look at all that I have accomplished and achieved these past 190 days and I realize that this is only the beginning. This entire time I was the only person holding myself back. Well, no more. Onward and upward my friends. With this new realization comes an updated version of this challenge. I can't share anything right now, but I can tell you this. It is exciting! Well off to bed. I just had my fill of True Blood, Weeds and The Big C. God I love cable. Till tomorrow.

DAY 189 OF 365: PLEASE LET THIS PAIN IN MY NECK AND BACK GO AWAY!

So it is day three of my on going pain in my neck and back. I am not quite sure what I did, but what ever it was, it really messed up my neck and back. I have been taking Aleve in the morning and then Aleve PM before going to bed. It seems to help but the pain is not going away. Here is hoping that by tomorrow morning that the pain has subsided since I have a session with JC in. That is a recipe for disaster. I can just see myself making it worse.
This weekend was great but it flew by. Anymore I blink and the week is over. I remember as a kid that I felt that the days just dragged on and now I just want to hit the pause button to slow it down. My week is shaping up to be a busy week at the office. I am prepping Law and Order: SVU and Gods Behaving Badly, both which start filming next week. Needless to say, I will be back to my crazy hectic schedule. But that is ok. I thrive on being busy. I just need to learn how to balance work with my healthier fitter me. That means keeping up with working out in the gym in the morning before heading to work and continuing to eat healthy. I am sure that I can handle that. Well, I am off to bed. It is after midnight and my Aleve PM is kicking in. Till tomorrow.

DAY 188 OF 365: DAY 2 OF MY BACK PAIN

So I am still having issues with my neck and back. I seem to be fine when I am walking about. However, when I am sitting or laying down I am in pain. I have tried stretching and ice and other remedies. I am even taking aleve. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I wake up tomorrow and the tension is gone. Well, I am off to bed. Sorry for the brief and non exciting blogs. Once my back and neck are not screaming at me, I promise to make the blog a little more exciting. Till tomorrow.

DAY 187 OF 365: BACK PAIN

So this morning I work up with a sore neck and back pains. Needless to say, it was not a fun day. It actually hurts to move my head and sit down. It hurts to even type this. So now I am off to bed. Here is hoping the pain is gone tomorrow.

DAY 186 OF 365: WORK IS PICKING UP

So my vacation is now officially over. Work is starting to pick up and soon I will be back to the early mornings and late nights. The hard part is going to be maintaining this new healthy lifestyle. It has been easy keeping up with the healthier me since my work load was slowing up and even easier once I was on vacation. But now I will have to have the will power to keep up with this challenge/life style while balancing my stressful job. That was always the hardest part for me. Late nights meant ordering in and early mornings meant skipping breakfast and grabbing something quick and not that great at craft services on set. Now it means that I will have to take an extra 30 minutes to an hour to prepare healthy meals and snacks for the week even if I am too tired and just want to fall asleep. But I am up for the challenge. I am not going to let anything derail me.
I am still looking for a yoga class to take. I need to research a little more. I am hoping to either find a class in the city that I can go to before or after work or a class in Jersey City that I can take on the weekends or on the mornings that I am not working out with JC. Cross your fingers that I can find one. Till tomorrow.

DAY 185 OF 365: HOLY CRAP MY LEGS ARE SORE

So this morning JC and I concentrated on working out the legs and calves. This is the one area that I don't seem to be increasing strength in. No matter how much my upper body is progressing, my legs just don't want to catch up. We decided that the legs needed some more attention and that we would cycle them into the workout more often. JC had me do less sets with more weights on the legs to help increase the strength building. By the end of the session my legs were so sore that I actually had to sit down for five minutes before showering and heading into the office.
Today was just another normal day in the world of extras casting. Just prepping the film and Law and Order: SVU. I keep telling myself to enjoy the calm before the storm because once it hits there is no going back. At least I am getting home at a normal hour these days so that I am able to sit down and enjoy a nice home cooked meal. Tonight I was lucky enough to be invited over to the Taylor's for dinner that included steak, grilled corn on the grill and a nice salad. I am not a big red meat fan and too much is not good for you, but every once in awhile, some red meat will do you some good. The way that Scott prepared the steak just had it melt in your mouth and the corn was grilled with lime and cilantro. Amazing is the only word to describes the meal. Now I am off to fold some laundry and do some dishes. I also need to make my lunch for tomorrow. The hard part is going to figure out what to make. Till tomorrow.

DAY 184 OF 365: FIRST DAY BACK TO WORK

You know what they say; all good things must come to an end. And today marked the end of my amazing vacation. I woke up this morning and looked at my alarm clock and as I got out of bed, let a out a little sigh realizing that after my shower I had to go to work. Now don't get me wrong, I am grateful to have a job and especially one in the industry that I love, but I didn't want the vacation to end. The only bad part was that I forgot to pack my lunch this morning so I was forced to buy my lunch today. Don't you worry though, I won't make that mistake tomorrow.
I was lucky that I was able to ease back in today. Nothing crazy was thrown my way. It was just a lot of answering emails, organizing my desk and prepping for my upcoming projects. "Gods Behaving Badly" begins filming in three weeks as does season 13 of "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit". I am looking forward to jumping back into the work load, but maybe that can wait until next week. For now I am ok with just easing back in.  I am multi tasking as I type this blog, prepping some grilled chicken and salads and fresh fruit for the week and finishing up some laundry from my trip. Tomorrow I have another session with JC and I am pretty sure that I will be wobbling to work. I really need to tighten my core up more and work on strengthening the legs. Also, JC agrees that Yoga is a great way to stretch and tone up the core. For those of you that are scared of yoga or not sure if it is for you, do some research and test out some different classes. There are so many types of yoga, that I am sure you can find one that suits you and your needs. I found that I really reacted and connected to Anusara Yoga. But, others may find another type beneficial. Well, I am back to folding laundry and making lunches for the week. Till tomorrow.

DAY 183 OF 365: HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Happy fourth of July everyone! Hard to believe that today marked my last day of vacation before returning to work. Oh how a two and a half week vacation flies by. I am looking forward to heading back to work, though I will miss my days of hiking and yoga and plain old relaxation. I spent most of today enjoying the beautiful weather. I started the morning off with a session with JC, concentrating on working on the legs. I am finding that I still need to work on increasing strength in my legs. So JC and I decided to increase my leg workouts to build up strength. We did a couple of different circuits and then ended with the bench press and pull ups. After my workout I headed home to do some laundry and dishes before enjoying a nice walk with the Taylors. It was great to get out and enjoy the weather and walk along the river walk. Everyone was enjoying the gorgeous day and we even stopped at a cafe to enjoy lunch. We decided that after lunch it only made sense to enjoy some homemade gelato. I think I had earned it. I mean I did workout this morning with JC and walked for an hour. Plus it was the fourth of July. I ended the night with a nice BBQ with friends, while we laughed and chatted. We even got to see the fireworks. Now I am off to finish some laundry before crawling into bed and calling it a night. Before I know it i will be sitting at my desk again casting extras. Till tomorrow.

DAY 182: GOURMET SOCIAL CLUB

So today was the 3rd meeting of the gourmet social club. It is basically a book club for food. We meet basically once a month and cook for each other and then award a winner for the best food/drink cooked. Prior to meeting, we set guidelines to what we are all to prepare. This time around we were to prepare a cocktail of our choice and then cook a meal whether dessert, appetizer, or main dish that included corn flakes, lemon or lime and an herb starting with the letter s. This proved to be the most interesting challenge. Who knew that there were so many things that you could do with corn flakes. I decided to make a strawberry basil balsamic martini and as an appetizer I made coconut corn flaked shrimp with a mango salsa. Turned out great. I left tonight feeling stuffed with a slight buzz. There are 9 of us in the club so you can image 9 cocktails and I am flying high. Well off to bed for me. I am meeting with JC tomorrow morning. Looks like I will have to burn off all that liquor. Till tomorrow.

DAY 181 OF 365: GETTING READY FOR A COOK OFF

So it is 4th of July weekend and everyone is getting ready for a good BBQ. I am actually having a cookout with friends tomorrow at our Gourmet Social Club. It is a group of us that get together and cook various meals and prepare drinks and then grade each of us and then we vote for who prepared the best meal. There is even a trophy involved. Needless to say it is very competitive as we are all vying for the title of winner. Think of it as a book club of sorts. This weeks challenge was to create a meal that included corn flakes, lemon or lime or both and an herb that begins with the letter s. We are also to make a cocktail that can either compliment our meal or stand on its own. So tomorrow morning I need to get up early so that I can start preparing my drink and appetizer. Fingers cross that I show better at this challenge than the pizza challenge.  Well I am off to bed. Till tomorrow.

DAY 180 OF 365: HEADING BACK TO THE GYM NEVER FELT SO HARD

So today was my first day back to the gym with JC since returning from the Ranch. Holy shit I am sore. JC did not take it easy on my me. He put me through a total body workout and by the end I had sweat dripping down my face and back and my legs felt as if they were going to collapse. The rest of the day was spent running errands and then enjoying the beautiful weather. I ended the night playing poker with friends. Now, I am not great at poker but the best part was the great conversation and how often we broke out into laughter. Sometimes you just need a day like that. Good friends, good conversation and laughter. Sometime it is the best medicine. Well, off to bed. Till tomorrow.