Jealousy is...

Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius.- Fulton J. Sheen

Having been a tom boy for most my life I never understood jealousy. As a tom boy I was used to hanging with boys who were direct, less judgmental than girls, and not so much into competition outside of sports. Most people that know me can attest to the fact that I am a person who likes to be accepted for who I am or not at all. I don't like to play games and I don't pretend to be anything I am not.

Most females are brought up looking at other females as competition, who is prettier, who is thinner, who has the best boyfriend/husband, who has the better job, who can eat a shit ton of pizza and not gain a pound, who gets more free drinks at clubs, etc. Which is really just a waste of energy and time. It's not important.

My husband always tells me not to stress over the things I cannot change, with me that stress is wasted on bills, plans, etc. Hardly ever do I waste my time on jealousy. I've tried my best to realize that instead of being jealous over someone's accomplishments I should be positive and work harder to accomplish my own goals.

Not only does this translate into my life of being a woman, but in being a musician as well. We hear of bands we don't care for being signed or getting a break. Instead of wasting time and breath on negativity towards that I welcome it, if they can do it so can I.

I think a lack of jealousy definitely shines through as strong self-confidence. If you're happy with yourself you don't waste your energy being nasty or rude to other people, especially to other females.

I am also not intimidated by other successful women, I love them. I love that they have worked hard to get to where they are and they can probably teach me something awesome.

I mentioned before that these last couple years I have been able to find a great group of other down to earth, kick ass chicks that are my friends. Real friends not nasty jealous fake friends who feel the need to put other people down to make themselves feel good or talk bad about people behind their back.

If you're surrounded by the fake type, then you might be getting sucked into a nasty vortex of jealousy and negativity. Cleanse yourself, get some distance and reevaluate that friendship.

As you get into your late twenties/early thirties I believe you realize that strong positive friendships are far more nurturing.

I can tell you from experience, it's a great thing to wake up in a few months after mourning a broken friendship to realize all it was doing was holding you down.

Don't waste any time on vapid jealousy, it will cover you in a mask of bitter nastiness and you'll come across as insecure and miserable.

Vacation Redux: Florida and Key Largo

Last week we traveled across the country to visit my mom and step-dad in Florida.

They had planned a wonderful trip to Key Largo for all of us. We knew it would be nice, but didn't expect the sheer tropical beauty we would experience there. We stopped at the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to have lunch and snorkel off the beach. Brian and I snorkeled a cool early Spanish shipwreck and saw so many different types of fish.

This was the view for our lunch.

It was crowded and we were getting overheated so we then headed to the hotel to cool off before dinner.
The hotel overlooked the ocean.

We went to dinner at the Islamorada Fish Company. They had beautiful white sand docks and a little harbor area where they feed large Tarpon fish and nurse sharks. We enjoyed watching the fish and the view right before sunset.

 The next day we visited the Bass Pro Shop which had Ernest Hemingway's boat on display.

 This was inside the cabin along with his old typewriter. 

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.- Ernest Hemingway

We then headed back two hours to their house where my mom made amazing Blackberry Mojitos from scratch.
Hayden wanted to go fishing after we relaxed a bit so my parents set us up on their boat at the dock and we caught and released a bunch of catfish.

Hayden was surprised we caught one right away. Everything was fun until Brian got stabbed in the palm by one of their barbs. Salt water catfish have venom on the barbs and he had an instant reaction to it. We soaked his hand in hot water per the WebMD suggestion and then put baking soda paste on it until the pain went away.
We spent the next day on the boat in the inter-coastal and Hayden discovered the awesomeness of SNORKELING. Last week he wouldn't put his face in the water at all. Now with a mask and a snorkel he's addicted.

That's him looking at barracuda and collecting shells. He did this for hours and had so much fun. Grandma and Grandpa sent him home with his very own flippers and snorkel set. He's planning on snorkeling around our pool.
Overall we had a great trip and came home a little burnt and a little tan.
It went by quick and we'll miss grandma and grandpa.

Healthy Metal Living: Let's try a new/old direction.

Back in January I wrote about trying a new diet.  I was gung-ho, bought all the expensive food the book required, and then it all fizzled away when I found an amazing pizza place by my house that proved cheaper than the diet's recommended food.
I just fell off completely.
Then at the beginning of March I had some internal issues and had to go to the doctor. She suggested that I try a gluten-free diet because of my issues. I did that for a week. When I returned to my beloved gluten filled pizza, I had no significant symptoms so we ruled out a wheat allergy.
So now at my wit's end I decided to return to the one and only diet that ever worked for me, low-carb.
I started last Thursday and in the last four days already lost three pounds.
I have cut my diet to 30 grams of net carbs a day and continued to exercise every day. I found low carb snacks and even some ice cream.
Tonight is taco salad night.
Here's a low-carb taco salad recipe I found and love.

My goal is to lose 15 pounds. 3 down. 12 to go.

Healthy (metal) Living Recipe: Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

A few weeks ago I found a cooking sauce at the grocery store for Tikka Masala. I tried Chicken Tikka Masala for the first time at an Indian restaurant in Vacaville, CA. when I was pregnant with Hayden. It was great, a little spicy for me but a new taste I had never experienced before.

On sale for $2.50 I figured I would try my hand at it. The first run was good but a little bland, so I found an easy way to spice it up and wanted to share this awesome little gem of a recipe.

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala for 2 
(Chicken can be substituted for veggies or tofu for vegetarians)
Brown or White Rice prepared.
I use the boil in the bag rice so it cooks while I'm making the rest. 
2 Chicken Breasts cubed
1 Crookneck yellow squash sliced thin and small
1 green bell pepper sliced thin and small
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Red Curry
1 pkg of Tasty Bite Tikka Masala cooking sauce

In a splash of Olive Oil cook the chicken about 3 minutes.
Add sauce
Sprinkle in cumin
Add green pepper
Sprinkle in red curry

Saute for 10 minutes.

Serve over brown or white rice. 

Healthy (metal) Living: Trying a Diet

If you look to the left you'll see a link to a book I bought recently: Flat Belly Diet. Thanks to my awesome gift giving guitar player (say that three times fast) who gave me a gift card to Barnes And Noble I picked out this book in the bargain section to give it a try.
I walked around the store for over an hour with a handful of books. This one I set down at least four times and then came back to it. Making the final decision as I stood in line.
Unlike most women my age when I look back at pictures of my twenties or teens I don't wish I had that body again. I was twenty pounds heavier at 19 than I am now. I was two sizes bigger and had struggled with my weight since eighth grade.
After I had Hayden in 2006, for the first time in my life I tried to lose weight. I started with Namaste Yoga: Season One  while I was on maternity leave. I had been super skeptical of my ability to do Yoga. Mostly cause I'm not very coordinated. After watching a few episodes I was convinced and bought myself a Yoga mat and everything. I lost all the pregnancy weight but was determined to lose more.
A few months later I started walking with my coworkers on breaks and started my own version of a low-carb diet. That was the first diet I ever tried.
Within three months I had lost about 28 pounds. The thinnest I had been since eighth grade.
It's been six years. I've only gained eight pounds and a pant size back but I lost the muscle tone that I had due to lack of exercise.
My belly has always been an issue. Never in my life, not even as a baby have I had a "flat" belly. My father's ex-wife used to call it a "pooch" and she wondered why I wore baggy clothes in high school.  I hated it.
No matter how many crunches, sit ups, or exercising I would do it never be flat.
So when I saw a book entitled Flat Belly Diet that claimed no exercise necessary, I thought for $6, it might be worth a try.
I started on Friday with the four day induction, as of this morning I lost four pounds.
So far, so good. I'll try and post updates as I go.

The Bitch is Back

As I mentioned before my favorite approach is the direct approach. With work it's become more apparent that I can't ever get what I want or deserve unless I am direct with the powers-that-be and my coworkers.

With my band it's the same philosophy. I am direct with promoters, fellow band members, other bands, and venues on what we can do, what we can't do, and what we will absolutely not do.

I used to be afraid of coming off like a "bitch". It's a harsh label that over time I've come to accept.
Cause as Tina Fey says "Bitches get stuff done."

Here's a great article that I found regarding this same subject:

How Bitches Get Ahead in Business

This is exactly my sediments for work, band, and relationships.

Healthy (metal) Living: My own low carb

About a week ago I decided I need to put a little more effort into my quest to lose weight. With pool season coming up I don't want to wear a bikini without losing at least 10-15 pounds.
A year after I had Hayden I had done my own version of a low carb diet along with some working out and lost about 30 pounds. Since it's the only method that ever worked for me I figured I'd try it again.
I started my low carb diet 9 days ago and have already lost almost 7 pounds.

I am limiting myself to 30 net carbs a day for the first two weeks. This includes cutting out beer, wine, soda, french fries and my favorite desert chocolate chip cookies.  The only thing I didn't give up is my morning coffee which I make taste as close to chocolate milk as I can.

It's been a little more difficult this time around considering that Brian and I have lunch together on work days. That man can live off fast food and not gain a pound. He's a screen printer, and does it manually.
If you want  flat abs get a manual screen print set up in your garage. It's probably the most productive way to lose weight. You'll tone your abs and make money selling shirts. We don't have one in our garage and I don't think his boss would appreciate me hanging out all the time.
Most of my weekday lunches consist of salads with grilled chicken and low fat dressing. Our dinners have been mostly barbecued meat with either a salad for a side or steamed veggies.
When barbecuing you have to watch what kind of marinades or sauces you put on your meat. Some are high in carbs (like Yoshida's) others are low in carbs like Lawry's Steak and Chop which was great on grilled pork chops along with the veggie stir fry we had last night.
I found a lot of low carb recipes here.
I also just looked around at my grocery store for anything that claimed low carb. I found some great tortillas at Albertsons called Ole. They have 5 net carbs per tortilla and taste really great unlike some other low carb tortillas out there.

In addition to the diet I've been taking b12 still every morning and doing more to be active.

Hopefully this will be effective. I'll update as I can.

Cleanse

Yesterday we spent most the day deep cleaning our house. Brian tackled the kitchen and I focused on the upstairs. I organized our office, vacuumed the entire upstairs and dusted.
Hayden even tried cleaning his room but after an hour gave up cause it was "toooo hard." He did pretty well though and even threw away some broken toys.

Even though it's not quite Spring yet here (it's 42 degrees and the mountains around Vegas are covered in snow), we're Spring cleaning the house and our lives. Out with the dirty, nasty drama and in with the positive change.

Healthy (metal) Living: Mango love

On my lunch breaks I have to drive across town to pick up Hayden from daycare and drop him off at school. Most days I am able to give myself a little time for picking up lunch, like yesterday's Target run. Today I was pressed for time so I stopped in at Tropical Smoothie for one of my faves: Mango Magic with Splenda. I absolutely LOVE this smoothie. I also loved my mango greek yogurt yesterday. I never really paid attention to mangoes as I should I guess. Now I totally want to make some awesome mango recipes at home.
I'm making a grocery run this evening in preparation of a work chili cook-off so I looked up mango recipes and found these:

Adzuki Bean Mango Stir Fry

Mango Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Rum-Glazed Pineapple, Mango and Chicken Kebabs

Pineapple Mango Pie

Healthy (metal) Living : First Entry

Back in December I decided to try a little harder to get healthier. One of my first steps was reducing the amount of beer I drank throughout the weekdays. I was drinking heavier beers with tons of fat, carbs and calories and having 1-2 an evening during the week and more than I'd like to publicly admit on the weekends. After cutting it down to 1-2 a week for three weeks I lost eight pounds.
It's hard to cut down my beer drinking at shows, especially when I lose weight and dress up I tend to get more free drinks. But I noticed at the last few shows that one beer fills me up and then I want lighter mixed drinks. Mixed drinks also give me better stage presence, my liquid courage which I need seriously, NEED cause I get bogged down with my self-conscious worries and then look like I don't belong on stage.
Last night my husband Brian and I had a discussion about me working harder to lose weight. Mr. I-CAN-LOSE-WEIGHT-WHILE-EATING-FAST-FOOD-EVERYDAY has to work to gain weight while I'm working 5 billion times harder to lose it.
He's super supportive; one of his most amazing qualities. He fills me up with compliments that keep me motivated which is what a partner should do. Last night he told me that he noticed my butt was lifting up from my weight loss and it looked really nice when I walked up the stairs in front of him. Totally funny but motivating none-the-less. It motivated me to buy some healthy lunches for work and kick off a healthy eating regime for myself.

I started today with a VitaminWater Zero, Chobani low fat mango yogurt with a couple spoonfuls of Bear Naked whole grain granola. I also threw in a new daily dose of b12  (I bought all of this plus a 4 pack of low fat yogurt for under $10 at Target.)  I will also be dusting off my elliptical at least 3 times a week for 30-45 minute stints.
So this is my first entry documenting my journey of Healthy (METAL) Living. My goal isn't really to lose a bunch of weight since my BMI says I'm within my normal weight. My goal is to get FIT and feel more comfortable wearing a bikini.