This cold is not cool

Ive had a nasty cold for a couple of days now. I call it a cold, but it's probably a mixture of an ear infection, sinus infection and some sort of tonsil thingy. Plus, I have a serious case of man voice. It's not pretty to say the least.

Sadly, this means that I had to cancel my training appointment today as well as miss class. I hate doing both. I feel like I let myself and others down. I believe that one of the reasons that I get sick, though, is that I never slow down. I'm a "go all of the time" kind of person and some days, one just needs to sit down.

I went to the doctor yesterday, which was a very disappointing experience for me. I've gone to only three "family" doctors in my life and have been extremely comfortable with all of them. It is very hard to move to a new place and find someone that you are comfortable with to replace years of building relationships. Yesterday I was told to "wait it out" and take some Alieve. What a waste of a visit. It's horribly discouraging to put faith in someone and have them tell you to "wait it out." All I wanted was relief and I got aggravation. 

Needless to say, since I haven't been doing much movement, I don't think there will be any good results or updates. Not a big deal, considering no one actually wants to be sick and/or in pain from a weirdo swollen tonsil.

Either way, I think all I'm going to lose this week is one doctor... that I won't "wait out," that's for sure.

Who Makes Me RUN!?!

I didn't mention, that at last week's training sess, the trainer made me run. Ha. I'm almost 30 years old and have yet to ever run in my life. I thought I was going to kill him, literally. I think I'd go to jail for said running.

I also weighed a pound and a half less. I'm feeling fantastic about this and am seeing little changes already. Clothing is fitting better, my face looks a little thinner and it's making my mood better.

Whoop.

Slide show, smlide show.

I am definitely a little bit late with this as we have been taking care of Winston since his surgery, not sleeping well and being sick off and on for the past couple of weeks. No bueno, to say the least.

One of the requirements for class is that we not only maintain a blog, but that we also answer questions that pertain to multimedia journalism as well as post on certain topics. Last week's topic, which I seemed to have completely passed over (whoops) was to find an effective slide show and relate what makes it news. I found tons of slide shows, but whether or not they are news is questionable.

I found a very interesting article, accompanied by a Slide Show on The Huffington Post that I found rather useful to class. The slide show is short, and features pictures and captions that not only support the story, but elaborate effectively.

Last month, the public radio program "This American Life," retracted a story concerning the working conditions of Apple Inc. in China, which was a huge blow to show, who has maintained journalistic integrity for many years. 

"Host Ira Glass said that actor Mike Daisey, whose monologue formed the basis of the story, had lied to the program during the fact-checking process, and that he and his colleagues had been too trusting of him."

While this is very uncommon for "This American Life," it is not so uncommon for the journalism world to produce "news" that isn't always as accurate as the public would like it to be and instances are shown through the slide show.

As a journalism student, this is a hard pill to swallow. Fact-checking and maintaining the integrity of the story should be number one, however people can spend their whole careers pulling the wool over the eyes of, not only the editors, but the readers as well.

Mentioned in the slide show was New York Times writer Jayson Blair who had fabricated facts in at least 36 of his stories. He made up names and quotes of stories that were important to the public and very sensitive to the times. It blows my mind, that in this day-and-age, with all sorts of ways to find facts, people still skimp on them.

It shows a huge lack of respect for readers and to fellow journalists, who want to in fact maintain the integrity of the news.

Muscles are en fuego

Just returned back from a personal training session at the gym. Holy cow was this one rough, possibly the most difficulty I've had so far. I literally almost threw up and passed out twice. Strangest thing.

I did lose another pound and a half though, so I guess it's all worth it in the end.

I need to motivate myself to get to the gym more frequently. I am good on the food part, since cooking is one thing that I love, but the actual going to the gym bores me. Something I've definitely got to work on.

I think, for now, I will go take a nap. My muscles are screaming.

Twitter, Tweets, Hash tags... Oh my.

I don't know about you, but I have a strange attachment to my cell phone. Leaving it at home invokes feelings of sheer panic. What if I have an accident? What if I miss an important call? What if I have to get somewhere?? So many "what ifs" that it borderlines on obsessive/compulsive disorder. It's pretty much total insanity, considering years ago, cell phones didn't even exist.

Nowadays, we have not only cell phones, but smart phones; Phones that connect us to anyone or anywhere in a matter of seconds. People don't need their computers anymore to get information out and for some, they've become clunky. Face book statuses can be updated, bank accounts can be accessed and twitter accounts constantly fill with all kinds of information.Tweets bling from personal accounts to media outlets back to personal accounts and suddenly hundreds of thousands of people have accessed news.

This is the way of the future whether we, as journalists or the public, like it or not. And is it really a bad thing? Our society, in the 21st century, is based on instant gratification; the need-to-know before it even happens. It seems as though journalism is moving at the speed of technology. Flip cams, digital cameras and the ever-popular iPhones are making anyone a journalist. Citizen journalist are being given the opportunity to sell "their" news, be it their neighborhood, their favorite cover band or the sit-in that is happening on their college campus.

Twitter is the quintessential idea for an instant-gratification public. News from trials, sports events, and even the coolest shoes from fashion week can be easily tweeted and within seconds the world knows about it.  Hash tags have become part of common language and allow people to access information that they find interesting, easier and more efficiently.

I think we are engrossed in the journalism of the future. As society and technology progresses, so too should journalism. Keeping things fresh, is what keeps it interesting and makes people pay attention.

Lets keep the movement going...#getonboardmojos (I think I did that correctly!)

Thumbs down

I haven't been to the gym as consistanly as I'd like. I've been running around a little crazy-like, which is not much different than usual. I'm convinced that if my head wasn't attached, I'd absolutely lose it.

I had an appointment to meet with the trainer on Sunday. Sadly, I missed it as I was (possibly graphic) best friends with the "porcelain gods." Friday night I had my first, and what may be my last, raw oyster. For some reason, I'm not sure it agreed with me, or I possibly got the only bad one of the bunch. No one else had any issue but me. Perhaps I've made it up in my head but I swear I have a long-lost disdain for oysters.

Here's the above mentioned, Mr. Winston.

Instead of the ever-popular walking of the tredmill, while obviously blasting some sort of booty-shaking jams, I've resorted to walking Winston here and there; which is a little rough in the Seattle area with all of the rain. There are some great dog parks in the area as well, that are not only a workout for the dog, but their human as well, and Winny gets to run free and experience the water.

Parents are not a diet killer

Today was my second weigh-in at the gym and fourth of fifth training session with the trainer. I lost 2 and a half pounds, but also lost some of the lean muscle that I gained...thus actually only losing 1 and a half pounds. Either way, despite a visit from my parents and totally rogue eating, I managed to still lose a pound. Super score!
The best thing about working out is feeling better, especially with my asthma. I'd like to make my lungs stronger and not have to rely on medicine as much. New clothing is not my only goal, even though its the most fun goal. Going into any store and picking things out that I like has never been a reality for me, however as time goes on I hope to be able to meet that small goal. Perhaps to some it is silly or vain, but to me it would be a milestone that I've wanted to reach for years. And, just for fun, I may buy a pair of $300 designer jeans. Maybe.
My parents are in town for the week and it is great, I believe that they are having a wonderful time. Good enough that they want to come back... and of course they are welcome.

The start of something good

As some of you may know, I am taking a multimedia journalism class which consists of learning to use new forms of technology as well as updated ideas of journalism, be it twitter, facebook, citizen journalists and so forth. One of the things that is required by class is to create a blog. I've been wanting to start one, but never seemed to get around to it. Imagine that, me putting something off...
Speaking of putting something off (how bout that segue) I've been wanting to shed some pounds and I finally got around to joining a gym as well as starting weekly workouts with a trainer. While I need to lose some weight, there is much more to it than that. A lifestyle change is what I'm actually looking at in the long run. As a woman, it is hard to not find yourself stuck inside a vanity bubble, bouncing back and forth from fashion magazine to ads to billboards trying to fit the mold of what works for society. It can be very depressing.
Being on a diet or going to the gym alone isn't enough for someone like me. I need to do both successfully and keeping track of my ups, downs, success, and failure s and through a blog seemed like a good way to go. It will also earn me a good grade in class (fingers crossed) as well as keep up my writing, which I love to do. Plus, I get to talk about myself, which is one of my best abilities.
I am hopeful, that as time goes on, I will be able to post good results. I am having a hard time getting as motivated as I should. The trainer has set me up with workouts and a meal plan that I need to follow. His first "real" workout killed me and I was literally unable to use my legs for a good 36 hours. After intense leg rubs, icy/hot and some dips in the hot tub, they seemed to have regained their normal working order. While I agree with pushing limits, to a limit, this was way too much for me to start out with. Being as I haven't been horribly "athletic" in the past few months, I'd say it was overkill. I will master it though and perhaps the readers will be the motivators.

A picture of a starting point is always helpful. A picture with a
giant shoe is fun!

Lets hope for "a little less of meeeee"

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." Mario Andretti