QoTD 6/30/12

Question of the Day:

Beer, wine, or coffee?


I am definitely a coffee person.  I don't need it to function but it definitely makes me happier.  

The Story Trap by Masha du Toit

Here is my first review for Literary+!


The Story Trap by Masha du Toit
Self Published, March 2012
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy
Format: Kindle

Story Description:

Rebecca never expected to meet a witch, least of all in a second-hand bookshop in Mowbray. Surely she had nothing to fear from an old lady holding a box of children's books? But on the train home Rebecca collapses and is rushed to hospital, deep in a coma. Rebecca's sisters, Pippa and Anmarie, are confronted by a frightening mystery: her body might be in the hospital bed, but where was Rebecca?

My Thoughts:

I devoured this story in a single sitting and it was a great way to spend a few hours.  The story starts right in on the action without any unnecessary exposition.  I loved the parallel plot lines of Rebecca's adventures and the efforts of her sisters to reconnect her mind and body.  The progression of Rebecca's fantasy world was captivating and interesting and the reveal to her sisters was well executed.  The character of the Witch was well developed and I really appreciated having an antagonist with an actual motivation beyond greed.

There was one part of the story that I struggled with some because in some senses it felt like a wasted opportunity.  One of the sisters gets injured in a way that was probably meant to raise the stakes but falls flat.  I was prepared for more tension and an emotional response but was disappointed by a brush off and keep going resolution.  It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story but it made me wonder what the point of the injury was.

Another factor that added to the experience of The Story Trap was the addition of small illustrations that were peppered throughout the story.  It was fun to see small graphics that helped build a sense of the world being shared.  This story has a lot of fun things going for it: magic, sisterhood, illustrations and a engaging fairy tale feel.  I enjoyed reading The Story Trap and definitely recommend that you add it to your reading list.

Relevant Links:
The Story Trap on Amazon

Masha du Toit on Google Plus

Masha du Toit's Blog 

More about Literary+

QoTD 6/29/12

This might look familiar to those who follow me on various social networks but I'm trying a cross-platform experiment.


Question of the Day:

When it comes to dogs, do you prefer purebreds or mixed breeds?

Personally, I really adore mixed breeds. These guys are both mixed breeds, one is a pit bull/akita mix and the other is a doberman/lab mix and both are great dogs.

Weekly Weigh In June 27

I'm a little late with this check in this week but honestly; I was hoping for a better check in weight.  I've learned through experience that Monday usually a high day but when I get back to the more active weekday schedule I usually see a good sized drop.  Unfortunately, this week seems to be a step backward and next week's weigh in will probably reflect the same issue.

A large part of the problem seems to be that my pregnant sister's (who is visiting this week) current meat free diet is not very compatible with my mostly bread, pasta and potato free lifestyle.  That is paired with the fact that I'm still learning how to feed my body and its higher calorie demands on workout days.

Thoughts on my workouts:

Couch to 5K is really going well.  I've done Week 3 Days 1 and 2 now.  I struggled a bit with day 1 but day 2 seemed to easier maybe because I already knew that I could do the 3 minute runs.  I'll still running pretty slowly but I am running.  Cycling is going equally well and I've been slowly increasing the number of sets that I do with the free weights afterwards.

I'm thinking about adding a run on Saturdays, either repeating the Day 3 workout for Couch to 5K or even just free running.  It seems that I'm losing a lot of weight loss progress by resting all weekend so I may give it a try.


Statistics:

Current Weight: 227.4 pounds
Last Week: 224.8 pounds

Weight Loss/Gain: 2.6 pounds gained

Starting Weight: 225.2 pounds
Highest Point: 227.4 pounds
Lowest Point: 224.8 pounds

Portland Lindy Hop Events June 27-July 4

Lindy Events for the Week of June 27-July 4

Wednesday June 27

7:30-10:30 pm Swing Night at Vie de Boheme

Vie de Boheme Wine Bar (1530 SE 7th Ave, Portland)
Live Music by Retta Christie
http://www.facebook.com/events/242383829205473/

Thursday June 28

7:30-11:00pm Live Music by Bridgetown Sextet at Thursday Swing
PPAA (618 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lessons
8:30 Live Music by Bridgetown Sextet

Olympia Jazz Festival
http://www.olyjazz.com/

Friday June 29


Olympia Jazz Festival
http://www.olyjazz.com/


Saturday June 30

6-8pm Trashcan Joe at the Secret Society
Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell, Portland)

9-12 Libertine Belles and Jenny Finn Orchestra at the Secret Society
Drinking Age Only, 21+
Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell, Portland)


Olympia Jazz Festival
http://www.olyjazz.com/


Sunday July 1

7-11:00pm Sunday Swing 
Scottish Rite (1507 SW Morrison, Portland)
7:00 Intermediate Swing Drop-in Lesson
7:30 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lesson
8:00-11:00pm DJ'd Music
http://www.stumptowndance.com/


Olympia Jazz Festival
http://www.olyjazz.com/


Monday July 2


6:30-8:30pm Learn to Swing Dance with Josh and Emily
Wimbledon Square (2837 SE Colt Drive, Portland)

6:30-7:30 Beginning Lindy Hop

7:30-8:30 Beyond Beginning Partner Charleston

http://www.facebook.com/events/257273261046069/


7:30-9:30pm Guided Swing Practica
Lower Melody Ballroom (615 SE Alder, Portland)
http://www.stumptowndance.com/


8-11pm Lily Wilde Orchestra at Duff's Garage
Drinking Age Only, 21+
Duff's Garage (1635 SE 7th Ave, Portland)


9-11pm Kung Pao Chickens
Drinking Age Only, 21+
Laurelthirst Public House (2958 NE Glisan, Portland)

Tuesday July 3

7:30-12:30 Tuesday Blues
Lenora's Room (615 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Intermediate Blues Lesson
8:30 Beginning Blues Lesson
9-12:30 Dj'd Music

Wednesday July 4

Upcoming Events!

July 15 Workshop of Dips, Tricks & Slides + the classic "Stops 1" Routine! (Scottish Rite, Portland, OR)

August 3 August Lindy Workshop/Dance with Justin & Olivia! (Tango Berretin, Portland, OR)
August 10-12 Seattle Lindy Exchange (Seattle, WA)

Camp NaNoWriMo June 2012 Day 21

Well, I'm doing an excellent job of tanking Camp NaNoWriMo. My life has been chock full of distractions.  The big ones being work, dancing, picking up some volunteer hours, starting a new exercise routine and Full Seasons of Supernatural.

Current Status: 6,306 / 50,000

I have to write about 5K a day until the end of the month to reach 50K.  I've had 5K days before but I've never attempted to maintain a streak of 5K a day before.  I'm going to give it a go and see how many words I can come up with.  Hopefully the words flow fast and freely.

Literary+

I've joined a fun new writer's project over on Google+.  Here's a little bit about what's going on and what you can expect to see changing here.

Literary+ is a writer based project brought together and lead by Shen Hart. It brings together passionate, quality self-published writers to help each other promote their work, bringing more readers to every member. It was sparked by the simple fact that there are many top quality self-published authors being over-looked because they do not have the time and resources to effieciently and effectively market and promote themselves. With ambition and passion, Literary+ will take it's members to the heights they deserve through a tight-knit community of like-minded writers.

You can find the lovely new Google+ page for Literary+ here.


What that means for this blog: obviously, I don't have anything ready for publishing yet (I promise you'll be the first to know) but I'm looking forward to hosting some guest posts and featuring some new book reviews. There are some awesome ladies and gentlemen connected with Literary+ and I'm looking forward to working with them.