To listen to this blog instead click the above video.
I cannot believe that it is already May 1st. It was just April 1st.
I hope that everyone out there had a great month and got to enjoy the fairly decent weather everywhere with those that are most important to them.
It was my birthday month. I turned 44 and celebrated it by canceling my Universal annual pass and getting a Disney annual pass. I had had the Universal pass for 6 years and they finally raised the price so much that it made more sense to switch to Disney passes.
This was an awesome thing for me, since Disney is a) a lot closer to my house than Universal, b) has a lot more ground for me to wander and explore (one of my favorite past times), and c) provides outlets and free wi-fi pretty much everywhere, including on their free transportation system. That means that I get to get out of my house to work at least one day a week. And that means, I am less likely to go stir crazy.
Photo of the Month
This month's photo of the month is from a quick after work trip I took to Magic Kingdom. It's the view as you enter Tomorrowland. Maybe it's the vampire in me, but there is just something so magical about going places at night.
Editing
April was a busy month. I edited several new series and polished a couple as well.
Added to my ever-growing list of books to edit were a few from some of my spicy authors.
If you like male/male erotica, and I mean spicy books I highly recommend the Ryan D. Ryder series Eskay Kabba. There are currently two books out in that series and I know the third is in my editing queue and will be out within the next year. Yes, there is a lot of sex, but the story will pull you in and make you care for the characters. Eskay has another series out as well, but I haven't read any of those and cannot give any insight into them. If you read them, let me, and her know what you think.
Another series that I've started editing is the Someone series by Robert Lewis. I started that series on Someone to Marry and truly enjoyed it. The series is about the daily lives of male porn stars, so again, it is super spicy, which shouldn't surprise you if you follow him on his social channels. I haven't read any of the earlier books in the series and know that they are violent as well as spicy, but can safely say you can pick up with Someone to Marry and not feel lost at all.
If spicy isn't your thing, check out his Shadow Guardian series, about a superhero that strives to keep his city safe with the help of his friends and found family. An lgbtq+ series that is hilariously funny while tackling serious issues as well. Again, the first in the series is ultra-violent, and I would suggest you pick up with Shadow Guardian and the Big Bad Wolf. There are currently three books out in that series with book 4 sitting in my list mocking me.
Narrating
In early April, I dropped in my audition for The West Haven Undead, by Nick Savage and got the job!
I've been trying to balance my life between narrating and editing. I have only completed the first three chapters of The West Haven Undead. Nick writes loooooooooooooong chapters. I know that Amazon doesn't allow chapters longer than 1 hour and two of the three have been quite close to the limit.
Since he hired me for The West Haven Undead, I am on for the rest of the series which means I need to get my tooshie in gear because this book is already available for purchase and the next one in the series, A Vampire Named Allison, is already available for pre order. And he is writing a fifth one in the series. Eeek!
Health and Nutrition
Many of you may not know this, but I am a certified yoga and meditation teacher and am a certified personal trainer and health coach. As passionate as I am about those fields, a certain free video streaming service has made those fields much harder to be profitable and a certain photo sharing service that now offers video sharing has built up an image-focused industry that I simply do not want to participate in. Therefore, I have decided to go ahead and give all of my readers a bit of my insight every month.
Fitness
It is important that you strengthen your abdominal muscles, your tushie, and your legs to take the pressure off the lower spine.
Some exercises that you can incorporate are the reverse lunge to knee lift, lateral lunge to knee drive, and the curtsy lunge.
I love all of these exercises because they are compound moves that work so many muscles at the same time. You can always increase the resistance by adding weights, but make sure you can complete 3 sets of 15 with proper form before adding any resistance on.
Nutrition
Delicious sandwiches make an enjoyable mid-day meal.
No, I don't mean to be go down and hit your local sub shop every afternoon.
Those subs are usually loaded with sauces and processed meats.
What I'm suggesting is taking yummy fresh croissants from the local bakery, not the ones as big as my head, and slicing them down the middle. Fill them with super healthy greens, a bit of sliced cheese, sliced avocado, tomato, and cucumber, really any veggies and fruit you want. If you wanted to add some meat, you could buy a roasted chicken and add some shredded chicken to the sandwich.
It'll be a quick easy way to get your veggies. As you know, I'm always looking for quick easy ways to get fruits and veggies in.
Remember, adding condiments such as mayo, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, or ranch, amps up the calorie count pretty quick, so use sparingly if at all. Or, you can use a yummy hummus as spread, either store bought or homemade. It'll still amp up those calories, but it'll add protein and nutrients as well.
Mind and Body
Continuing on with my beach theme, let's find joy.
Sink into your happy place, put on some beach sounds and just exist. Lie back, close your eyes, and listen to the waves crashing against the shore. Let your mind wander where it wants to wander. Let your being be. Do this for as long as you want.
It is perfectly normal when practicing this kind of calming to feel emotions you don't expect. Feel them. Don't try and explore them, don't try and analyze them. Just let them happen. Just be.
You might be surprised by the result.
As we enter May, let's keep our hearts full of optimism and our minds open and free. Take the time to appreciate the small things around you. Fully enjoy the foods you eat and each and every breath you can take.
Peace, love, and happiness!
Kris
You can find me on the web at kriscotter.com, on Instagram at Trying2outrun_my_laptop, or on Facebook at Kris Cotter Editing & Narration.
Comments