Doodling is good for you

Nothing new here for me - This is one of the reasons I've been doing it for so long I think...

Doodling 'may help memory recall'

"The temptation during meetings or telephone conversations that you are not particularly engaged with is to start thinking about things. You visualise things such as holidays.

"That then takes you away from the task at hand. Or you may even end up nodding off.

"However, by comparison, doodling is not that taxing and keeps you more alert so you are more likely to absorb what is being said."

SUMO TIME!!!

So it was time for Sumo again this year.

I lost.

But I had a lot of fun! So here is one of my matches... (it's only 30 seconds long)



For being 60 pounds lighter than my opponent, I thought I did all right!

I need one of these

Definitely need one of these ASAP!!



(In Pirate if possible, thanks!)

Excuses, excuses...

So I HAVE pictures - but I need to edit them, and I really don't want to do it tonight.

So there you have it - you aint' gettin' 'em yet!! MWAhahahaaa!!

And by 'edit them' I don't mean trim me up and make me look different, just cropping and grouping and lighting stuff.

The differences aren't HUGE, but there is definitely a slight improvement in trim and definition. I have read in a few places that you feel pretty dang good the first 30 but you don't really see the major changes until 60-90 days.

I definitely still have a ways to go and I'm looking forward to it!

Spiral - Finally Done

I finally scanned and with the help of my wife cleaned up the smudges that get on white paper when you use only black ink...

So here it is!


Spiral by ~warlordblade on deviantART

Hmm that's an interesting little plugin.

Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

Happy Valentines Day!

Almost a month of P90X

We have been doing P90X for almost a month! Next Tuesday will mark our 30th day of doing these exercises and I THINK it's been going well. Due to sickness and car buying we have missed a few days, but overall we've been VERY consistent.

So that means we'll be taking pictures again after our Tuesday workout - so sometime next week I'll be putting at least SOME of my before and after 30 days pictures up to see if there really was a difference.

This week has been pretty good so far - Kenpo X last night was good - today we get to try the Stretch workout that we haven't been able to try yet. Should be fun!

Watch Bill

I can't stop laughing...

P90X - Week 4 begins

Week 4 in the P90X schedule is supposed to be a "Rest" week.

We start with Yoga X today and Core Synergistics tomorrow... two of the harder workouts we've experienced! Actually the Yoga isn't HARD, it is just 90 minutes long and very intensive.

I almost can't believe that we've already gone 3 weeks - and we've only missed a few days due to car-buying and illness. Most of the days I was sick I worked out anyway. THAT was fun.

So far I'm impressed with the results I've had - the small pudginess in my midsection has gone down significantly. It's not totally gone YET but it is getting there!

Lately I've been looking into well-known artists/cartoonists/animators... Not sure why but I'm looking for inspiration and method to my artistic endeavors or something. Anyway - I rediscovered the artist responsible for MUCH of Disney's earlier movies and many many children's books I LOVED when I was a kid.

Bill Peet

I got "Bill Peet: An Autobiography" from the Library and it is really quite fascinating. SO many pictures bring back memories of his books and I really want to get them and let my kids experience them.

In Fantasy Books I picked up a new Author (new to me, not new to the publishing world and he has a bunch of books!) named Lawrence Watt-Evans, and am interested in his books so far. Interested enough that I finished the first book of the Obsidian Chronicles in a little over a day...

Finally thanks to meetings last week I am closer and closer to finishing my newest drawing and hope to finish it this week so I can get started on the planned Ocean drawing for my nephew.

I also need to start putting more of the "Brave Knight" stories down and maybe even illustrate them a bit... Have I mentioned the "Brave Knight" stories I tell my boys? I can't remember.

Still Sick - and MOVIES!!

I've been sick since December it seems...

Currently I am plagued by sinus problems and a massive headache. I think allergies and the crazy bad air quality around here lately have been contributors to the problem.

Today I'm wondering if I might have a sinus infection though.

Being sick hasn't stopped me from working out. The new minivan we bought last week did though. I missed a day of Yoga and a day of Kenpo X last week because of car related endeavors. I really like the Kenpo X exercise too! :(

With the new van at least now my wife isn't stuck at home all the time now! She has some freedom!

I think the best thing about last weekend was all the new movie trailers that came out. I'm quite excited for the movies coming out this year - with the following being my favorites, in approximate order:

X-MEN Origins: Wolverine

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

Monsters vs. Aliens

Up

There are probably a few more - but these look really good!

Will I get to see them in the theater? At todays prices probably not - but probably one or two of them if I'm lucky.

Speaking of Babies...

We need to let our children PLAY!

The Serious Need for Play

"Kids and animals that do not play when they are young may grow into anxious, socially maladjusted adults."

"Concerned about getting their kids into the right colleges, parents are sacrificing playtime for more structured activities. As early as preschool, youngsters’ after-school hours are now being filled with music lessons and sports—reducing time for the type of imaginative and rambunctious cavorting that fosters creativity and cooperation."

I think some of the findings of this study are fascinating. When I was a kid, sure I had soccer and piano lessons - but those were very minor activities compared to the free play that I took part in. Could some of the many problems today be attributed to the lack of unstructured play time?

Interesting to think about.