Memorial Day 2012 (Taken with instagram)
My son the videographer (gets his talent from his dad) and his friend the musician…
(Source: vimeo.com)
Weightloss & weight lifting progress pic, still not at my goal but closing in… (Taken with instagram)
I weighed today, just a few weeks past my one year mark since I started Jorge Cruise’s Belly Fat Cure. I just did a 3 day BFC diet where you skip breakfast so the body has no choice but to burn the fat. If you eat breakfast your body uses that food for energy, but if you skip it (for a limited time only!) your body digs into your stored fat and burns it for energy.
When I fast for spiritual reasons it’s easier, but for weightloss I find it much harder. I was so hungry heading into the gym but a few minutes on the treadmill and my hunger subsided.
So my progress pic shows a little more muscle in my upper body; chest, shoulders, arms, but my stomach has not improved as much as I was hoping. However, I think it’s a little bit of loose skin around the waist. It doesn’t just snap back like a rubber band. I also know I still have stubborn fat that needs to burn. The waist for men is the LAST place fat comes off. Which reminds me; I really get steamed when I head over to the ab machine to do a few sets of resistance crunches and see someone there (always a new person to the gym) who is carrying a great deal too much weight and instead of burning calories on the many cardio machines they’re do half-hearted crunches on the machine! Get off! Or read a book or article and KNOW you can’t spot reduce, especially showing up once a month to the gym.
Anyway, I’m a little discouraged because my primary goal is washboard abs and it’s been a year and I’m still not there. Even my four pack on the upper abs is not showing very well. I’m not really deterred though, it’s a process, it takes time and dedication because if it were easy EVERYONE would have them.
Now back to my regular BFC eating plan for the rest of the week, a 5k this Saturday and prepping for a half-marathon in June at which time I hope to have those washboard abs!
Blue Like Jazz Review from TopAbbott
Gotta say first, there’s talk that this is a “Christian” movie; it’s not. It’s an indie movie. Indie movies have a different feel, tone than studio films and “Christian” films are not artsy and real and raw.
This movie will not have churches busing in people like The Passion of the Christ. I don’t know who will see it because it’s an indie movie and more people are going to go see The Three Stooges because it’s marketing (though I gotta say, I think a new Stooges movie is a good idea).
I support indie film because I want to make indie films and I believe in supporting passion and I think Blue Like Jazz has passion and conveys the main character’s confused feelings of wanting to not be an outcast in a crowd of people that all stand out.
This story is particular painful for me being that the main character comes from Texas and I left Texas at about the same age as the character does. Those accents! The attitudes. Everything is captured quickly and Donald Miller (the main character and the real life writer of the book of the same name) wants to escape where he’s from, who he’s identified with and really himself.
If you want a quick thumbs up or thumbs down you’re not going to get that from me, go to rotten tomatoes. I want to get those that support indie film, those that want to be indie filmmakers, Christians that are often embarrassed by how we’re perceived by the masses something more than a 4 out of 5 Popcorn bags recommendation.
I think this movie should be experienced by those groups I just spoke about above. Find this movie because you’re supporting real story telling and that’s needed disparately before every movie released is based on a TV show or yet another re-imagining of a fairy tale. Go to this movie to be inspired that if you’re an indie filmmaker you just might be able to create something this amazing. Go if you’re a not a fat tie wearing believer that believes “we” would be a better country if we outlaw everything “we” don’t agree with.
Blue Like Jazz is funny, fun and meaningful. It’s already controversial, always a plus in an indie movie! See this movie because it’s good, it’s honest it’s often just beautiful aesthetically and there’s a ton of bits and pieces to take from it.
A couple favorite parts; listen for the rooster crowing, read the names of the books in the book store, and if you’ve read the book you know that confession is good for the soul and makes for a very powerful moment in literature and now in film.
I hope you will enjoy Blue Like Jazz as much as I did, and know that I enjoyed it greatly even though my wife couldn’t go and I ended up sitting with my mother who’s first question was, “So what was it about?” to which I could only respond, “It was a comedy about a guy’s existential crisis, didn’t you get that?”
President’s Day A Flash Novel
Above is the “one sheet” for my flash novel/script synopsis PRESIDENT’S DAY. This is an odd coming-of-age/doomsday story that I envision Atticus Shaffer as the President pro tem.
The flash novel (1,000 words) can be read here; President’s Day by Cary Abbott
Movie studios put out dozens of films a year, most are medicore, few are really good and many are terrible. The problem with many medicore stories is that they’ve been done before, only better. Often they have literally been done before because studios love making a “reboot” or remake or “re-imagining”. They don’t like the risk of something new, but risk is often rewarded. Napoleon Dynamite anyone?
Atticus Shaffer is the breakout star the popular show The Middle. Our family loves that show. We’re Patricia Heaton fans from all the way back to Beethoven. Atticus’ has a great look, presence and excellent comic timing. He’s a natural for bigger roles but I doubt Hollywood will showcase him because if you watch movies and TV at all you’ll notice that the media is populated with as near perfect looking people as can be imagined. For every William H. Macy in a show you have 2 dozen Emmy Rossums. Both are favs of mine but all it takes is a few minutes of Grey’s Anatomy to see that Hollywood REALLY favors the flawless.
So, here’s to hoping I can catch a little lightning ala’ “Rome, Sweet, Rome” (James Erwin). President’s Day is a unique, crazy idea, so let’s get Atticus a lead role in a small budget film for release next President’s Day weekend. Garry Marshall directing? Give me those two and I’ll put up with a Jon Bon Jovi Secretary of State, a Megan Fox Vice President and the cast of Pretty Little Liars as the White House Press Corp. (Now that I think of it, that casting would be great!)
References:
Picture of Atticus Shaffer in chair, http://bit.ly/x6GD59
Picture of Post-Apocalyptic Capitol, http://bit.ly/wcrunB
From the PDF story, nuke bomb background, http://gqm.ag/AaIsaC
It’s amazing when a movie points out that we all should read more books! From a movie I love; HUGO
(Source: thetvscreen, via r0semarysbaby)
