C Tann-Starr's Outside Blog

Life With Wee People: Wee Fit

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:03:29 -0800

Life With Wee People: Wee Fit

Frolic with any energetic kids lately? Chasing wee people can really give you a run for your money. Rather than give 'em the evil eye while trying to make them sit down and be quiet, how about put your busy schedule on hold, pause what ever it is you are doing and get down on the floor for some fitness playtime. If you watch the miniature loves of your life closely you may discover they have no idea that they are doing Yoga, Planking, Gymnastics and a host of other practices while moving their wee bodies into position to continue their play. As a matter of fact, some of you readers may be just as clueless as your kids because no one thinks about what comes naturally to them (i.e. unless something interrupts your breath most people simply take for granted that they are breathing).

When crawling on your hands and knees to find your contact lens you may not care that you are effecting an abdominal workout known as The Bear Crawl. It happens to be a stellar body weight exercise that does not require you to purchase fitness equipment. Who wouldn't want to integrate an effective, full body core engagement targeting their shoulders, abdominals, hips, thighs and legs?

Pssst... way easier than in-line skating. Just sayin' you may want to ditch your dignity once in a while and make it your business to crawl around a bit if you don't have health issues making that a bad idea. Kids and puppies give you the perfect excuse to routinely engage in this bit of body weight mischief. Warning: do enough of them and you'll be shocked to find yourself out of breath and - dare I say it - sweating (LOL).

By the way, various forms of physical activity can be dangerous, especially if performed without medical advice, proper supervision and/or a pre-exercise evaluation. That's why it's advised you get a checkup with your doctor and engage the services of qualified instructors to teach you proper form/function. Yeah, you can learn a lot from imitating your kids and paying attention to how your body feels while you monitor your movements; however, a Personal Trainer is definitely the way to go if you can procure one. They bring science and efficiency to your workout so you can train smarter, not dangerous/harder.

If you can't swing a Personal Trainer do check out the exercise library of The Amarican Council on Exercise. It's mad useful. According to The American Council on Exercise: "Whether you’re a beginning exerciser who needs help getting started or someone who wants to add some spice to your fitness routine, our ACE Exercise Library offers a variety of movements to choose from. Browse through total-body exercises or movements that target more specific areas of the body. Each comes with a detailed description and photos to help ensure proper form."

My kids get a kick out of this site. They are visual learners who imitate what they see. Stephen the Minion Blur likes to pick the flow of the evening and I routinely let him because I figure if it's easy enough for a 6 year old to do I may actually survive the Wee Fit experience (LOL).

Tonight's quirky body weight training agenda of Wee Fit Mommy and Me floor play:

Bird-Dog, Front Plank (played for golden double stuff oreo cookies because we all need incentive to continue - LOL), Mountainclimbers, Downward Facing Dog, Supermans (it's our comic book moment) and Siderwalks (we like playing Spiderman - the highlight of his day).

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Stress Management through Strength Training 101

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 10:08:32 -0800

Palm Bay Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness.com

160 Malabar Rd. Palm Bay, FL 32907

Tel. 321-327-2970

Fax. 321-473-8938

Stress Management through Strength Training 101

Moving towards balance in one's personal and professional life is never easy, especially when you have multiple factors pulling you every which way but loose and/or your personal stress indicators are off the chart. Irony is, when you work at home [like I do] life sometimes automatically becomes a "stress at work" issue [silly grin].

Perfect example: Discovering every exterior stucco wall has hurricane wind/rain/crack damage requiring $8,100 worth of cleaning, patching, repairing, resurfacing and painting [sigh]. Will write a Texcote blog later because it was mad fun watching the contractor repair and paint the house while we all kind of freaked out. Our Florida home is a 2006 Adams [with one previous owner] that hubby purchased in 2010. Turns out being a Florida homeowner is a whole new gawking New Yorker experience for us because it is a daily battle to keep the wildlife from taking up residence in the strangest places in our house and the weather down here is mad fickle.

I've discovered Winter sometimes equals freeze in the morning - cook an egg off your forehead in the afternoon, but I digress...

For approximately two weeks we were plagued by exhaustion, restless sleep, irritability about the freaky weather delaying the repair project, yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah... insert list of stress triggers here. Then, with spectacular displays of short temper [being the 3 year olds that we are] ultimately used the issue of fixing the house as a catalyst to gripe about how we really felt about all sorts of marital baggage, resulting in us separately storming off to the gym to take it out on the free weights [and really cool, stylish exercise equipment].

Why hit the gym? Because we stress eat. Comfort food is a beautiful thing, but not if you let it cause you to become overweight. Being an unrepentant junk food junkie I know what I'm talking about. Did you know that there is a small study that indicates a way to reduce stress-eating? It was conducted at the University of California, San Francisco. Obese women learned meditation for stress-reduction, were introduced to the practice of mindful eating and how to determine the body’s real need for food rather than from other cues to eat, such as stress. Researcher Jennifer Daubenmier compared those women with similar women who were not trained. She says the trained women benefited: “They stabilized their weight during the training, and the women who did not receive the training continued to gain weight. And they gained 3.8 pounds on average, or about a pound per month.” The study in the Journal of Obesity was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Daubenmier’s program of research "examines the effects of meditation and yoga training on psychoneuroendocrine stress arousal, eating behavior, and chronic disease processes related to obesity." Did you know new research links stress arousal to cellular aging? You guys may want to keep up with her work because she has "extended her line of research to assess the impact of meditation and lifestyle changes on cellular aging processes and to explore their relation to obesity."

I refuse to give up chocolate so of course I expanded my gym rat proclivities to include Hatha Yoga. Pssst... goes great with Yang Tai Chi and Northern 7 Star Praying Mantis. I take Yoga on Fridays from 10:30 - 11:45 at the Franklin T DeGroodt Library of Palm Bay [across Minton adjacent to the Planet Fitness Palm Bay West parking lot] as a student of the fabulous Eileen Petrovich. The classes are $5. How cool is that? Very.

Know what else is cool? The Palm Bay Planet Fitness Personal Trainers. Their exercise science expertise and strength training classes are free with your Palm Bay Planet Fitness membership.

Um... Yeah... I just exposed the best kept neighborhood fitness secret...

Oh horror!

Was that the chorus of virtual jaws from rival gym owners and trainers clattering to their concrete floors? Ooops. My bad.

Rival Dude: Don't come player hatin' on my blog because the benefits of being a happy member of a stellar club are just too good not to share. I'm simply stating the facts. I also love hanging out here with my family, friends and neighbors. FYI: I've been in the martial arts since I was 19 years old, love going to educational seminars and will save up my pennies to gladly pay people for what they are worth. I enjoy several fitness venues and would never knock anyone's business model. You throw a strength seminar that I like and I'll come if its open to the public. Never thought I'd be wild about Yoga until I took Eileen's class and she is definitely a keeper. The price is exceptional for what you walk away with. How can I not share the good news?

Wanna come out and play with me? Cool! Here's the skinny on my PF Personal Trainers: On Mondays and Fridays at Planet Fitness I'm coached by Andrew. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I'm coached by Brittany. These two are THE badass dynamic duel of fat burning, body sculpting, start where you are now and we'll design a program to build your fitness level together.

Planet Fitness has a Judgement Free Zone® philosophy, which means "members can relax, get in shape, and have fun without being subjected to the hard-core, look-at-me attitude that exists in too many gyms." So if I wanna wear scrubs with my sneakers, don over sized headphones and burn fat while listening to jazz on my iPod I can do that. If I want to grab a mat, put YouTube on my Android and practice Yoga or Qigong exercises in the stretching area I can do that. If I want to pick a body part that's problematic and ask for help I can sign up for an available training slot and take a 30 minute class. If I want to TapoutXT in the corner with a medicine ball and exercise bands no one bothers me. I can hop on a purple box and do Jillian Michaels moves [Planet Fitness sponsors The Biggest Loser people].

Relieving stress should be something one schedules a wee bit of time for. Studies indicate it will help you live longer.

Before starting any exercise program you should talk with your doctor, get a check up, ask for a referral to a registered dietitian regarding your diet and read the government studies to get an idea of what you can do to improve the quality of your health. If you can get your hands on a personal trainer of quality then do so. I'm lucky. I have two excellent trainers I enjoy working with. So do my fellow club members.

As of this writing there are 12 classes on Mondays, 8 classes on Tuesdays, 9 classes on Wednesdays, 11 classes on Thursdays and 8 classes on Fridays. That's 48 strength training opportunities per week for 5 members per class to be assisted in obtaining their wellness goals. Best part about taking a training class? You get to meet some really nice members and make new gym buddies. Turns out I have MMA classmates that go here. We now sync our schedules so we can work out at multiple gyms. How cool is that? Very. Note to gym owners: you really should do seminars and classes. Fitness enthusiasts share their training schedules with each other. Nothing beats word of mouth.

The Palm Bay Planet Fitness is a community treasure because it is so much more than just another gym franchise. It's a safe, unique space that is a comfortable place to exercise while hanging out with some of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. The staff assigned here are wonderful people who are knowledgeable, kind and friendly. They keep the facility clean and are very helpful and attentive to members' needs. If being pampered and feeling like you belong doesn't make you feel good then this isn't the place for you. Seriously. Stop reading and click to another page because we actually have fun here [LOL].

Last stress tips of the day [and a few facetious updates to my e-mail] then I gotta jet to class. Brittany is very prompt so I can't be late or I'll miss something really cool. I hate missing cool stuff. Seriously. My program is geared to improving daily function, fat burning and compliments my martial arts track. Am I getting better, faster, stronger? Yeah. You can too if you start where you are and simply take it one day at a time. ;-)

MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicince, National Institutes of Health (NIH), has some useful advice in regards to managing stress. My favorite government quotes are these four points of order regarding an individual stress management program:

1. AN INDIVIDUAL STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Find the positive in situations, and don't dwell on the negative. [Positive: I'm blogging again - gonna write a bunch of fun reviews. P.S. been mad busy cranking out new music and art you know guys nothing about but will very shortly - evil grin]
Plan fun activities. [ Kinda sorta learning CrossFit (Yeah... I'm hoarding my garage training digital video - silly grin); Graphic novel illustrations are going well; 3 novel manuscripts and 2 novellas are in re-write (eyes twitching, head thunks on table - main source of major stress with deadlines that never ever end - melodramatic sigh); Gallery show art in progress (very cool portraits); Going to the Dan Inosanto seminar at the end of the month; Just finished the Pekiti Tersia Kali seminar with Apolo Ladra and Chris Notte so I have the whole "fun" thing down pat. Yeah... it's true. I really am a gym rat - happy sigh ]
Take regular breaks. [ Um... Rriiiiight... The cartoons in my head are having a field day with this one. ;-) ]

2. Physical activity:

Start a physical activity program. [Yes. It's true. Sex counts people. But it has to be really, really good and mad fun. Seriously. Hint: Men, there is a reason women love Yoga but I'll save that for another blog post because teasing readers is what I do - evil grin ] Most experts recommend 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week. [Ref: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/pdf/PA_Fact_Sheet_Adults.pdf Ref: https://www.presidentschallenge.org/informed/digest/docs/december2008digest.pdf ]
Decide on a specific type, amount, and level of physical activity. Fit this into your schedule so it can be part of your routine. [ Yeah. You really do need a routine... Don't worry. It can be 15 minutes if that's all the time you have. ]
Find a buddy to exercise with -- it is more fun and it will encourage you to stick with your routine.
You do not have to join a gym -- 20 minutes of brisk walking outdoors is enough.

3. Nutrition: [ Pssst... Two words: Registered Dietician ]

Eat foods that improve your health and well-being. For example, increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat.
Use the food guide plate to help you make healthy food choices. [Ref: http://www.choosemyplate.gov ]
Eat normal-sized portions on a regular schedule.

4. Social support:

Make an effort to socialize. Even though you may feel tempted to avoid people when you feel stressed, meeting friends usually helps people feel less stressed.
Be good to yourself and others.

So... what are you waiting for? Come socialize and check out my fave gym. I pop in and out all the time. Catch me if you can. Dare ya. ;-)

Tann Starr on iTunes

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Kim Harrison Vicki Pettersson Jocelynn Drake Jaye Wells Amy DeZellar Lynn Rush Jeannie Holmes

Ward Nasse Gallery

Kendall Grey Jeaniene Frost Faith Hunter Stacia Kane Sherry Soule

Alicia Anderson: Touched By People Places and Things

CarolynTannStarr.com

Tann Starr on Amazon.com

Life With Wee People

Outside Blog Minion Report

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Felix Lipov, Official Photographer, Ambassadors of Chaos

Quick CPM Answer...

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:49:27 -0800

Quick CPM Answer: Sometimes the click-through ratios for CPM-based advertising is low. According to Wikipedia, "CPM is frequently used in advertising to represent cost per mille (thousand)." You can check out the Wiki here.

The thing to remember when you start exploring methods to monetize your blog is the fact that even an un-clicked (but viewed) advertisement has the potential to play a role in promoting your blog through site indexing methodology. Interesting, well-designed advertisements tend to catch a reader/user's attention, promoting brand recognition and connects your writing to their search engine inquiry, even if the viewer doesn't click through after clicking on your blog from a search engine link. No one really knows what they are going to get when they click a search engine link. What you give them is entirely up to you.

So the discussion really hinges upon what you want to do with them... My Google Alerts have started going off for the advertising items embedded in my Blogger account which has small blurbs about what I am doing with my kids. Since shorty gave me a Thomas the Train and Polar Express moment, I shared with people the actual items by linking them in so if people want to buy them the impulse to buy can be satisfied. It is not a sales pitch, it is a conversation with perks (LOL). It appears to be working for the stats in the affiliate program shows readers clicked through, then continued to click on other items in Amazon.com... A rarely used forum has just become a bounce page to send readers every place I want them to go if they care to go there.

Writers make information available... Readers decide what to do with the knowledge gained. You don't have to be weighty and serious either. Just be yourself and have a small conversation.

Tann Starr on iTunes

Tann Starr on IMDb

Kim Harrison Vicki Pettersson Jocelynn Drake Jaye Wells Amy DeZellar Lynn Rush Jeannie Holmes

Ward Nasse Gallery

Kendall Grey Jeaniene Frost Faith Hunter Stacia Kane Sherry Soule

Alicia Anderson: Touched By People Places and Things

CarolynTannStarr.com

Tann Starr on Amazon.com

Life With Wee People

Outside Blog Minion Report

MySpace

Ask me something...

Tann Starr on Jango Music

Tann Starr on Blip.fm

Felix Lipov, Official Photographer, Ambassadors of Chaos

Am I Real On Twitter? Um... Er... Gee... Let me think... (LOL)

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:48:45 -0700

Yeah... that's me hanging out in 140 characters or less... seriously (LOL).

If you think you're talking to a secretary or virtual assistant you need to get that silly little thought out of your head. I am live actually listening to Pandora and Jango when I say I am listening to a particular tune at a particular time.

I usually listen to Internet radio while I'm writing and playing in my social media accounts and will check out other artist music links when people send them to me. I like listening to my own music as well as the compositions of others.

Expecting me not to listen to my own music is kind of stupid. I create what I want to hear so why shouldn't I listen to it? There is a "Play All" button on my Jango radio station that will let you hear all 35 of my songs.

There is also a buy button for any song that gets played on Jango and Pandora. When I hear an artist I like I buy the song if I want to add it to my collection. I like when Indie Artist follow me and chat about their music. Twitter gives you access to businesses and the people behind those businesses. Did you know that PDiddy, Martha Stewart and Pleasure Ellis will actually answer you back? I've been having a running chat with Zuri Allen Star for months now (LOL).

There isn't anyone else fooling around in my Twitter accounts. I am real on Twitter. So now you know...

P.S. I direct message a lot which is usually why I'm there. The music tweets are my way of letting my tweet peeps know I'm live and lurking in their stream. MY DMs go directly to my cell phone which is how I know I need to go log in, so don't abuse the privilege. People who constantly send crap to my cell phone get unfollowed. You can only direct message if both sides follow each other so I'm careful not to DM crap to my tweetpeeps because I would hate to have people I like unfollow me for acting stupid with their valuable time...

Twitter is important to me. I like chatting with people in London, Japan and Rio. ;-)

P.P.S. All my lines are in the Do Not Call registry so don't add me to any database to send me computerized messages or try to solicit the crap out of me (e-mail first if you're advertising something). You will get into trouble... I hate those computerized messages. I like chatting with real people but you have to understand that a social media relationship is not the same as a business relationship. :-)

Tann Starr on iTunes

Tann Starr on IMDb

Kim Harrison Vicki Pettersson Jocelynn Drake Jaye Wells Amy DeZellar Lynn Rush Jeannie Holmes

Ward Nasse Gallery

Kendall Grey Jeaniene Frost Faith Hunter Stacia Kane Sherry Soule

Alicia Anderson: Touched By People Places and Things

CarolynTannStarr.com

Tann Starr on Amazon.com

Life With Wee People

Outside Blog Minion Report

MySpace

Ask me something...

Tann Starr on Jango Music

Tann Starr on Blip.fm

Felix Lipov, Official Photographer, Ambassadors of Chaos

From Bruce Lee to Dan Inosanto to Sifu Vito to Tann Starr: Jun Fan JDK

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:26:49 -0700

Bruce Lee Foundation

Dan Inosanto Martial Arts Academy

Elite Martial Arts

Did you know that the Bruce Lee Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity formed in 2002? They have an interesting mission: "To perpetuate and preserve the legacy of Bruce Lee by creating a home where the totality of his legacy, his martial art, his philosophy, and his life example, can continue to thrive for generations to come." I like that because I'm a huge fan of his work and am the proud owner of his books, photographs and movies.

If you spend some time exploring on the BLF website you will discover some interesting quotes that may trigger an interest in studying JDK. For example:

Quote #1: "Jeet Kune Do’s stance, footwork, and major strategic points come from fencing. A key principle in fencing, the stop-hit, is essentially the JKD namesake—the way of the intercepting fist. The idea that you can set up your opponent so that you will be able to intercept him in his most vulnerable state—on the attack—is central to the work of fencing authors Aldo Nadi and Julio Martinez Castello, both of whom are quoted heavily in Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do."

Never heard of Aldo until I became a Bruce Lee fan so I thought you guys might want an introduction to a fascinating individual who was a positive influence for Bruce:

Aldo Nadi bio blurb on Amazon.com: "Aldo Nadi (April 29, 1899-November 10, 1965) is considered among the greatest fencers of all time. Aldo was born into a fencing family in Livorno, Italy, and both Aldo and his brother Nedo Nadi were fencers from a very young age. They were both taught in the classical Italian school of swordsmanship by their father, Beppe Nadi, and both were already winning competitions by their teenage years. Nedo is generally considered the better of the two. His opponents include the famous French fencer, Lucien Gaudin. In 1920, at the age of 21, Nadi won gold medals at the Olympics in team foil, team épée, and team sabre. He also won a silver medal in individual sabre, second only to his brother Nedo Nadi. Nadi emigrated to the United States in 1935. He taught fencing in New York City from 1935-1943. In 1943, his book, On Fencing, was published."

Quote #2: "For body mechanics and maximum generation of power, Bruce turned to boxers Edwin Haislet, Jack Dempsey, and Jim Dricsoll."

Never heard of Haislet until I became a fan and discovered some interesting facts about him in the open source Community Books section (http://archive.org/details/Boxing) where I downloaded a free Kindle copy of the out-of-print text: "Edwin Haislet, noted Boxing Coach, wrote his seminal book on the subject in 1940. Haislet served as Executive Director for the Department of Alumni Relations, University of Minnesota. His boxing credentials come from his time served as Boxing Coach and Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Recreation there, as well as Director of the Northwest Golden Gloves. Still considered one of the most relevant early 20th Century books on Boxing, Haislet's work is known for his advice on footwork, training, and his inclusion of the Inside and Outside Triple."

From a New-Student-Point-Of-View I think the most helpful quotes on the BLF site regard answering the question WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR IN AN INSTRUCTOR?

Quote #3:"...purchase and refer to the books written by Bruce Lee or derived directly from his writings from our reading list to best discern for yourself if your instructor seems to know the basics. Also, the BLF will be putting together a core curriculum Manual for publication..."

Pssst... you do realize Book Club is about to get really interesting, right? Just sayin' I'm reading my a$$ off and looking forward to doing some fun reviews. We might even spoof a few martial arts videos (I've been getting a lot of texts about that ever since I tweeted I joined a Florida JDK martial arts school - evil grin). This book has the plans on how to build a wooden dummy. I'm thinking PVC dummy so my kids can do the project in The Man Cave with me next month. FYI: you can find it for less money if you try. Just sayin' I got my copy in Manhattan for less than $20 so happy hunting people (silly grin).

Quote #4: Lineage
"Does your instructor have a direct lineage to a first generation instructor of JDK? In other words, did he ever study for a good length of time with one or more original students of Bruce Lee or one of the direct second generation students? This is important because this is one way to be sure that the instructor you are studying with has some basis for his knowledge other than books and movies."

Hmm... let me think: Bruce Lee taught Dan Inosanto who taught Sifu Vito who is now teaching me... Ooooo... I am a baby Jun Fan JDK student with my Bruce Lee pampers on trying to learn how to walk the walk and talk the talk. How scary is that? Thank God my TapoutXT Day Four was Yoga XT (because I might not have been able to function at my first class today - or walk - that DVD exercise set is insane - LOL). I'm glad I started the Yoga XT because it seems I need to work on my flexibility.

By the way, this JDK project may take a while. You know how mentally challenged martial arts babies can be when introduced to something new that makes their brain drool in "Oooooo, shiny" mode. Yup. It's true. I've been drooling all day (but I digress - LOL).

Thank God for YouTube eh? That's where the wee people and I found Sifu Vito and contacted him through his website to take a free JDK class. I love Dan Inosanto. I brought his VHS tapes way back in the day when I was learning how to Fight Like A Girl (and promptly started collecting the DVDs - LOL) but I never got to attend a single function with the man (because I stay on the East Coast and the furthest I've gotten off the I-95 corridor is TX).

Have you ever seen a Dan Inosanto instructional DVD? What a neat treat. I keep saying I want to see this up close and personal but I never do (sigh). This year that's gonna change because the fabulous Dan Insanto does seminars. OMG - can you say one in TX near my girlfriend (squeeeeee) and accepts visiting students in CA. I've never been to CA. It's on my bucket list of things to do before I'm 50 (seriously).

Time to answer my e-mail: this TapoutXT 90 days to a bikini body challenge the boys started is turning out to be a good thing. After all, hubby and the kids want me to get fit, drop the weight and learn how to swim plus be a proper beach bum. Now I have three things to amuse myself with obtaining that goal: Planet Fitness, TapoutXT and JDK. Hot and Home is next on my bucket list. Did I mention I'm supposed to post my Miss October picture online? What a scary thought... Are your virtual eyes bleeding? Now you know why I'm seriously taking my blogger's butt back to the gym. I need structure and discipline to do those overdue music videoes (with liberal amounts of fun thrown in because we all know I'm just a big three year old with a few gray hairs - LOL).

FYI: Life With Wee People is going to be off the hook because Stephen wants a Bruce Lee body too.

Yup. I'm in my happy place. I can't wait to start building a pvc/wooden dummy with my kids. Poor hubby... I see a stellar family vacation coming on. After all, when I win this bet I get to pick the bikini and the beach. Sweeeeeeet. ;-)

Tann Starr on iTunes

Tann Starr on IMDb

Kim Harrison Vicki Pettersson Jocelynn Drake Jaye Wells Amy DeZellar Lynn Rush Jeannie Holmes

Ward Nasse Gallery

Kendall Grey Jeaniene Frost Faith Hunter Stacia Kane Sherry Soule

Alicia Anderson: Touched By People Places and Things

CarolynTannStarr.com

Tann Starr on Amazon.com

Life With Wee People

Outside Blog Minion Report

MySpace

Ask me something...

Tann Starr on Jango Music

Tann Starr on Blip.fm

Felix Lipov, Official Photographer, Ambassadors of Chaos

Fight Like A Girl

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 01:05:07 -0700

Fight Like A Girl

Yeah... I know... the radio silence has been killing you guys. I promise to make it up to you later (evil grin).

I've been working my bahookies off with manuscript re-writes, illustrating the graphic novel, doing the layouts for the children books and composing musical tracks when not entertaining my NYC gal pals and various relatives at the FL house. If you were a neighbor (or fly on the wall) in my garage and/or backyard you'd know that I've also been periodically choreographing kung fu sessions for an animation project that might come out next year (if I keep working 10 hour days on my computer and squeeze 2 to 4 hours of practice in).

I've been kicking the crap out of my Muy Thai pads and missing my NYC crew. The girls think I should adopt a FL crew and I'm starting to think they're right. I'll have to add that to my Things To Do list when I get back from SC.

I really miss sparring with my NYC gal pals. The people who know me are aware that I am a Yang Style Tai Chi / Seven Star Northern Praying Mantis / MMA baby who has been shopping for a reputable FL martial arts gym for a looooooooong time. Don't get me wrong - I love my Planet Fitness routine - but I've been craving the a$$ kicking high from martial socialization with my I'll try anything once crazy girlfriends. You just can't get that from the boredom of running on a treadmill like a human hamster on a electronic wheel. Besides missing the competitive mischief, food fests and fun sleep overs with my gal pals, I've been deprived of the added benefit of having snarky, gorgeous models on call to high-jack at a moments notice.

After all, New York City never sleeps and Manhattan frequently makes my brain drool in "Ooooooo, shiny," mode. If we wanted to go out, 2 AM, 2 PM, it's was all the same to us whenever we started speed texting, "Whatcha' doin'?'" "Where are you?" "Meet me here... NOW." Jen is great for jogging Museum Row at night and hanging out at the Conservatory during the day. The cool thing about having professional friends who work where ever their cell phones and laptops are is the fact that you can set up a mobile office anywhere.

We're thinking it would be fun hooking up in Mobile, Alabama for a photo shoot and to compare edit notes. I was poking around there after hanging out in TX with Melody Botting last year (Nov/Dec). Jen has never been and it'll be my second trip to Mobile if I go. We've been beta reading each other and bouncing audio tracks back and forth trying to finish singles for the next three albums. We've been secretive and ubergeeky since April because we missed all of our deadlines and don't want to mess up the revised schedule.

Melodious and I are cooking up another Girlie-Girlie day TX vacation (Aug/Sept) so I can be a lazy house guest, hang with my blogging buddies, eat cool food and film/jog lakeside. Mel is great with helping me navigate my how to be a southerner issues. My fave part of the day was walking the dogs at sunset by the lake (until I realized I needed cowboy boots because there are snakes out there and being a gawking New Yorker I kept leaving the path to take photographs - LOL). Justin Boots is on our must do list. I haven't been able to kick my likes to work late night issues but at least while I'm wandering around TX I'll have proper foot gear (silly grin).

Down south in geriatric suburbia (where I live when not bouncing between states) I've discovered they have a very different definition of late night. There's no night jogging or recreational running down here by this particular blogger because (a) we don't have street lights where we live and (b) the wild life you can't see may actually kill you. Yup. That chapter is being edited tomorrow night if I stop fooling around over here by 3 AM (evil grin).

I am supposed to be drawing but my e-mail and direct messages are out of control (so I'm answering people while hubby watches his movie - LOL).

Being somewhat anal and obsessive about creating cool graphic art for our whacked out publication project, I decided to go old school with some of the fight scenes for the graphic novel illustrations. Translated: I've been digging out the digital tapes and getting mad busy fussing about portraying authentic wu shu moves and accurate history. Back in the 1980s my instructors where fabulous about teaching tradition, history and the foundations/roots of a style. When I migrated from the Brooklyn gyms to the Manhattan locations cool people like C K Chu (who introduced me to his brother Tony Chuy) became a huge influence regarding my curiosity/love of the martial arts. I've been hooked on the Classical Yang Style Tai Chi and Seven Star Northern Praying Mantis ever since I was fortunate enough to be accepted as a student of both instructors. I also have a very cool martial arts library and a few awesome books that are out of print now because of our conversations which really fascinated me and made me want to learn more.

Because of what I learned from being around masters C K Chu and Tony Chuy we figure if a book character is supposed to be an expert in a particular fighting style then we should honor the styles we bequeath them. Nei Kung is pretty amazing stuff... especially if you have exceptionally talented teachers explain that puppy to you. I love the fact that I can trace my instructors' martial roots all the way back to their beginnings. The fact that they are fabulous people who immerse you in the Asian culture while scientifically explaining the relevance of the martial moves makes me want to do a really good job getting the illustrations correct. We know where our hands and feet are supposed to be and why they are supposed to be there. The strange thing is working on the storyboards feels like I'm teaching my characters how to fight.

Sometimes I need a distraction between endless edits and artistic scribbles. It's kind of fun lurking and trolling YouTube clips to see what related people in martial arts land have been up to. One of my fave channels to lurk on with a bunch of peeps I adore is: http://www.youtube.com/user/alextse4

There are a whole bunch of gem performances littered within those personal video clips so happy hunting people (he has a lot of material to sort through - which is an understatement - evil grin).

To answer some specific e-mail from my Facebook and Twitter peeps: I'm working on fixing my all-work no on-line play status which requires quite a bit of negotiating with the hubby because it's time consuming messing up other peoples schedules (among other things). For the new readers to my blog the wee people come first. Summer Vac means the shorties are under-foot 24/7 until school starts. We've been mad busy experimenting with gluttony and my kids have been waiting for me to learn how to swim for-evah. I can no longer escape participating in The Bikini Wars (which requires another blog post - silly grin). Lets just say I'm the only girl in the house and I've been out-voted by the men regarding this subject and several others. This means I've not only got the Undie Wars going on (yes, there will be an update to that never ending debate - oh joy!) I am now required to obtain a six or eight pack because we're all shooting for this.

Translated: yesterday was Day One of the TapouXT become a bikini babe in 90 days challenge with my guy pies. Rumor has it this is just part of the joys of FL geriatric-suburbia motherhood so I need to get with the Sexy-Granny program. Yes, there really are sexy grandparents strolling around my gym and neighborhood who jog/run faster than I do (OMG we're talking dusted by the platinum haired crew people but I digress). I figure what the hey - as long as hubby and the shorties keep their hands off my chocolate kisses I'm willing to give it a serious go. Who wouldn't want a six pack? Seriously people... if the elderly can do it so can I (LOL).

As an unrepentant junk food junkie this is the part of the blog post where I admit to periodically slacking off regarding exercise. However, I have a personal aversion to watching my belly sit on my thighs when I sit down to type so I do run my chubby butt back to the gym when that starts back up again. You get out of it what you put in it people. Find something you like and start there. It could be as simple as taking a daily walk (said the chick who went from size 16 to size 8 and keeps bouncing back and forth between 8 and 10). ;-)

Truth or Dare? Truth: Would I be happy being chubby at my laptop for the rest of the summer? Hell yeah. I love food. Snackage is serious business in my household. However, the boys wont give up regarding me (a) becoming a beach bum, (b) learning how to swim and (c) wearing a bikini regardless if I swim or not (melodramatic sigh, head thunks on table, puts pie back in fridge - silly grin). To that end, Stephen the Minion Blur and I have been lurking on the TapoutXT YouTube channel for weeks wondering if we have the guts to do this. We figured it'll be fun. The package came yesterday.

Guess what? It was (happy sigh). If I go by the national BMI at 5'6" I should be between 130 - 142 lbs. I'm stuck at 152. My goal is 140 (without starving or fad dieting and with Hagen Daz and chocolate kisses still on the menu) so wish me luck.

Psst... If you're going to do MMA style warm-ups/workouts on the road to becoming a budding 47 year old bikini beach bum like me you should find an awesome MMA gym to join so your aerobics at home actually match the sport you want to be in. Just sayin' if you are going to get fit you might as well have mad fun with it... Very Important: TapoutXT doesn't teach you how to fight, it teaches you how to use fight moves to tone your body. Wanna learn the science of fighting get a qualified teacher.

P.S. Don't forget to check with your doctor before starting any exercise/diet program.

I'm not kidding. FYI: I had to pause the Cross Core Combat DVD four times to catch my breath and eventually got through it. My version of Day One has been a real pisser people but I did it (with a six year old hanging out cherry picking his wee people exercise moves - LOL). Just sayin' be very careful learning the moves and take the check with your doctor warning very seriously. You will really feel this workout... I'm still rubbing stiff stuff from my TOXT session and typing on the floor. I've been working on the floor for most of the evening and into the wee hours of the morning. Seriously... I ain't trying to lift my laptop or anything else for that matter (and crawled to the bathroom when I had to go - LMAO). I think I shocked my lower back. A really good shock. My muscles have no idea what the heck is going on. That happens when you wake up and shake up your body.

Day Two is the Ultimate Abs and the Strength and Force DVDs. If you decide to do this follow the workout calendar and go food shopping. Very cool nutritional overview and guide for what you should eat. ;-)

Now that I have "no choice" about chasing a six pack I'm thinking if I'm going to amuse myself and go all MMA at home (with the boys in tow) I should try something new that incorporates what I'm somewhat familiar with. Stephen wants "a Bruce Lee body." My kids have recently discovered Bruce Lee movies and Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do is the bell that rings for them so I'm going to take a free class next week.

Yup. It's true. I've scheduled an appointment with Sifu Vito at Elite Martial Arts.

I'm also gonna do a Dan Inosanto seminar. He allows visiting students. How cool is that? Very...

Maybe while I'm fooling around in FL contemplating/experimenting with learning Kali, Muay Thai and Wing Chun I can create another character for the series. Grandmaster Richard Sinclair used to tease me by stating, "You fight like a girl." My standard reply? "I am a girl..." Fun for me is getting to illustrate the girls getting busy. ;-)

Want a cool visual example of what Fight Like A Girl means? Check out Angelina Jolie in the movie SALT.

Betcha I got you wondering what our version of Girlie-Girlie Day is like. Hint: I have kick a$$ gal pals (evil grin).

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Club Chaos Eye Candy: Japanese Gardens, Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, TX

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:30:29 -0800

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Club Chaos Eye Candy: Lakeside sunset at The Colony, Texas

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:31:05 -0800

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Obzeet

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:39:51 -0800

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Life With Wee People: Getting ready for Passover chaos...

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 07:28:20 -0700

Life With Wee People: Getting ready for Passover chaos...

Nothing beats getting kicked out of bed by your kids in the wee hours of the morning (LOL). I like watching them jockey for position when it comes to getting their kisses and hugs in. We were up late last night getting ready for Passover chaos. We have some of our NYC girls coming down for a visit so we're counting down the hours until they get off the plane (and plotting lots of FL mischief to get into - evil grin).

My kids expect to be hosting a couple of beach outings while they're here. Shorty was singing a love song yesterday about that while Noah fired up the laptop for more wee people dictation. We've been writing our collective butts off and obsessing over the graphic novels. When the girls get settled in I'll share some new art with you guys. We're still mastering Book Club Blues Vol 2 & 3 tracks so this is gonna gt interesting. We're playing tourist for Spring Break (and taking lot of pictures - silly grin). I've been neglecting Localism and YouTube (yeah, I got your e-mails - sigh). The shorties and girls are going to help me post a bunch of fun stuff so stay tuned for the Little Minions editing digital clips. They are getting really good at timeline-drag-and-drop. The special effects keeps them clicking away for hours and now I have to worry about cameras in the fridge and being duct taped to skateboards and bikes (said the chick who taught them to experiment with their creativity - LOL). ;-)

Now if I can just figure out how to keep Noah the Net Geek from opening every other icon on the desktop I'd be a very happy camper. Mr Autism likes running multiple programs and I usually have to close down ten to fifteen just to watch Unbox. He loves keeping busy which usually translates to me being kicked off my laptop for hours (LOL).

Stephen the Minion Blur is a lot easier to handle. You can distract him with loading a Thomas the Train DVD in the living room (and shorty takes off like a bat out of hell to watch it every single time - evil grin).

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Life With Wee People: Cranking out the noise... Catch The Rush

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:18:03 -0700

Life With Wee People: Cranking out the noise... Catch The Rush

A few of my NYC gal pals are coming down in April (followed by a couple of relatives) so next month is going to be mad fun and very busy. I shall be cooking my a$$ off on the foodie and creative side while indulging in another silly mini vacation. As a general rule I like my vacations to be fun and enjoy being a big 3 year old. I've been a wee bit distracted collecting author swag and quietly running amok doing a massive amount of research. I shall fill you guys in on it all later. I collected a lot of eye candy (happy sigh).

Illustrating the graphic novel has been keeping me mad busy and the draft children books are piling up. I'm bugging my girlfriends to do a few animations with me. We have a lot of material and I've been experimenting with some very interesting software. FYI: My kids are totally into turning me into a twisted version of a Dr. Seuss police sketch artist which is mad fun because they enjoy recording nonsense and I get a kick out of them telling me what to draw (wicked little grin).

We got the information on how to create these puppies from a dear old friend of mine: George Hartman. We like the work he did with his publication so we're having a blast lining up our ducks, dotting our I's and crossing our T's while doing ridiculously fun artwork. Stephen, the Minion Blur has been experimenting with miniature car crashes while Noah, the Net Geek has been lining up the plush toys so he can keep his characters straight while performing. Me? I get to take pics, write notes and draw on demand while the wee people drama unfolds...

When I'm not cracking up with laughter (or being chased around the house by kids wielding magic markers) I sometimes get to take wee people dictation during our creative writing projects. Sometimes these things take a while because Stephen likes to drive miniature cars all over the furniture, build ramps and tunnels and/or rap tracks into the mic while Noah frequently yells and does wild sound effects between spurts of dialog. If you leave him alone and simply observe he'll work out the entire dialogue between Sponge Bob et al and a few pillows or plush toys while at play. Then I have to get all dark and twisty on them to keep things interesting because they are unreliable narrators who can't make up their mind on a daily basis where the story-line is heading (hence the multiple books in progress - LOL).

We have been creating some really fun creatures while messing around with this project (which may require more trips to the zoo for further research because we're mixing and mismatching body parts). Our team pen name is going to be "Stephen C. Noah" while the three of us are wrecking the house engaged in this fun project from little minion literati hell. We'll write in our own names when we actually do something independent of each other.

The boys have a very interesting imagination that keeps me bouncing between libraries thumbing through National Geographic magazines staring at the jungle and people from around the world. They expect their creatures to creep in fascinating landscapes with lots of color and texture... like mud... slime... goo... mars bug pooh...

Yeah... they're picky that way (LOL).

When I'm not maxing out my library card or living in Barnes and Nobles I spend an inordinate amount of time on the floor coloring with the kids and letting them run amok editing music tracks with me. We will give you guys a sneak peek of an author tribute track for Lynn Rush. She has some really cool stuff coming up:

Lynn Rush on Amazon

Lynn Rush's Blog

When:

Friday, March 30, 2012, 9:00 AM

"I'll be on the morning news show with the amazing author, Alan Dean Foster!! You can LIVE STREAM the broadcast as well: http://www.aztv.com/category/219822/themorningscramble Thanks for your support!!"

Where: The Morning Scramble TV Show, 3211 Tower Rd, Prescott, AZ, United States 86305

A bunch of peeps are going to RT but I don't know if I can make it because I have company. On Thursday, April 12th from 4 - 6 pm participants can meet Lynn Rush and more than 125 e-book authors and dozens of graphic novel authors. The RT Booklovers Convention will be held April 11th-April 15th, 2012. The convention will be hosted at

The Hyatt Regency O'Hare Hotel

9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue
Rosemont, Illinois, 60018
(847) 696-1234

If you can go you really should stop by and get a few autographs, chat with the writers/graphic novel illustrators attending and collect literati swag. We all know how much I like author swag so I'm gonna keep pushing the collectibles button (silly grin). Lynn is really sweet and you guys will adore her as much as I do.

This is a brief 2 minute DM Zone interview on YouTube about her trilogy.

We hooked up a couple of author tribute tracks for Lynn on the Book Club Blues Vol 01 project. The Book Club Blues Vol 02 and Vol 3 projects have been keeping me up for late night because it's been 122 days since my last release and I've been composing like crazy but bouncing the tracks back and forth between music projects (said the anal retentive blogger who can't make up her mind which order the songs should go - LOL).

Lynn Rush has Vol 3 all to herself. She's mad fun to play with online and a very cool social media peep so go follow @LynnRush on Twitter. ;-)

I really do need to get my musical rear in gear and master the rest of these tracks with the shorties so I can post a tease (because I'm waaaaaaay overdue for some mischief - evil grin). This is sneak peek week (and yeah, I will finally get around to answering some of that e-mail that has been piling up while I've been quietly traveling - silly grin).

My kids are tweaking the re-verb so I gotta go before my wah-wah starts to sound like a metal plate chorus on steroids (melodramatic sigh - head thunks on table - eyes crossing). ;-)

Stay tuned for some new music and more random musings (LOL)...

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Life With Wee People: Exercise Little Minion Style

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 06:05:37 -0800

Life With Wee People: Exercise Little Minion Style

Noah the Net Geek has been training for Track and Field (among other things) so yesterday we packed the boys up for some fun under the sun at the Special Olympic County Summer Games.

While en route to Merritt Island, Stephen the Minion Blur gave wee people orders regarding what the next Kim Harrison cartoon should look like. I'm saving that insane argument and collection of new sketches for another blog post (LOL). We're in love with the British covers so Shorty has been quite vocal about me learning the girls features and getting the hang of illustrating burning bunnies shields.

Yeah... he's into custom art (my fault entirely) and usually crayons a lot of it after we're done (to give it a personal touch - LOL). We're trying to find a cool after school sports program for the shorties to get their gym on that also caters to giving their wee people client the benefit of an individualized education program full of personal touches like the instruction provided by their current teachers who are volunteering a lot of personal time to coach 'em.

I tried talking them into an arts and crafts kind of thing but they claim that's what they have me for. I may have to set up a free class at a library since libraries are always looking for volunteers to do creative stuff. My kids would love that: Little Minions Art Classes coming to a blog post near you (but I digress - LOL).

Feel free to give me educational sporty links to Orlando, Indialantic, Cocoa, Vero Beach, Palm Bay and Melbourne people. Will keep you guys posted on what we discover as we go along. We're experimenting. There' a lot to sample in Brevard County and the Special Olympics gives the kids a chance to train for different events and hang out with really cool people who care about their development, dedication and hard work. One rule: must be hands on, interesting and fun. My kids are visual learners (LOL).

Noah did basketball the last time we participated in the Special Olympics and the fact that they quite happily discovered team sports are mad fun helps keep my kids dedicated to learning them.

This event took place at a very cool high school with tractors that made my 5 year old drool (LOL). It started out cold and gray but eventually warmed up (when it was almost time to go - Murphy's Law - LOL).

Irony is, my kids took to running up and down the bleacher steps to keep warm. Sad is the adults couldn't keep up. Mike snagged them in front of the press box and put their hoodies on (which did not last long because running amok made them "too hot" and they ditched their clothes every chance they got - LOL).

Little Dude did his Hulk Hogan poses and showed me his Ozzy Game Face, then went out and placed first in TBT and the 50 meter dash in his division heat. That's my boy!!! Shorty brought home two new blue ribbons. How cool is that? Very!

My Guy Pie loves Track & Field. Every time I turned around Little Dude was dancing in the grass. I was waiting for him to do a cartwheel but 145 photographs and several digital films later I realized I was going to be denied the flip shots. It seems he saves those for the gentle abuse of our furniture at home during The Noodle Wars.

I bet he won the TBT throw because of battling hubby with those blue bowling ball pins (LOL). Yeah... we rough house a lot in my house (happy sigh).

He gets his victory dances from watching football. We're huge sports fanatics. ;-)

Athletics are mad fun. Anyone can enjoy participating in sports... I'm thinking while I wander around looking for cool business organizations to join I should check into how to help officially coach the wee people in a sanctioned sport. I may introduce them to boxing next and look into forming a small team of wee people warriors (LOL). There's a cool gym in Vero Beach I want to check out which doesn't have a website. Seriously? SERIOUSLY??? I could be linking to you and sending fun social media peeps your way. Just sayin... (snerk).

I'm not leaving my current gym because I love Planet Fitness but it's a fact that there isn't a speed bag, heavy bag or boxing coach there so a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do when she's raising active rough and tumble boys. I may have to join a boxing gym if I want to get my kids into a mainstream program (or not join and ship 'em off for coaching so I can read my fave authors in an uninterrupted bubble bath - LOL).

My kids have an amazing group of friends full of energy who are mad funny (LOL). It's always a pleasure to spend some time with them, their parents, siblings, teachers and coaches. We're already cooking up our next bit of play date mischief. When it comes to occupational therapy my house is an explosion of arts an crafts projects (LOL). My keyboards take an amazing beating and everyone loves the electronic drum machine (LOL). I need a new amp (sigh) and have to replace the Sony (melodramatic eye roll) and shall take care of it soon. Right now I have other things on my mind that need my immediate attention like finding an after school sports program to tire my shorties out (silly grin). Swim team maybe? Hmm...

What ever it is I want to see more smiles like this one (happy sigh). There was a lot of giggling going on all freakin' day. We could barely keep them contained (and sort of didn't want to - LOL). Will show you guys Cocoa Beach next...

That's where we took the boys for a victory dinner on the pier after dinosaur shopping (LOL). I'd tell you more but it's time for me to go to the gym. If I don't work out before it rains I wont survive the next Noodle War (which is a serious work out in itself and is scheduled for 10AM - LOL).

When I get finished at the gym I have to shower, pack a saddle bag, grab my laptop and head down to Miami to see the fabulous Kim Harrison. I want to get my book signed and meet a few blogging buddies for some digital mischief (LOL).

Kim is on the A Perfect Blood book tour. Will post more about that after I find a cool Miami beach to haunt with my laptop. I am being treated to my first Mojito later today. This should be very interesting...

I've never been to Miami so I'll have to cover something for Localism while I'm wandering around down there. Nothing like the hunt for eye candy to keep me all perky and jogging with my Nikon (LOL). ;-)

Tann Starr on iTunes

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Kim Harrison Vicki Pettersson Jocelynn Drake Jaye Wells Amy DeZellar Lynn Rush Jeannie Holmes

Ward Nasse Gallery

Kendall Grey Jeaniene Frost Faith Hunter Stacia Kane Sherry Soule

Alicia Anderson: Touched By People Places and Things

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NAPW

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 08:26:54 -0800

NAPW

Melodious isn't home. I'm sitting on the floor with my laptop pouting. I want to hear about the baby being born (I'm excited and impatient - sigh). In a few weeks I'm going back to TX to see the latest bundle of joy popping into my virtual world and I have to admit the suspense is really killing me (LOL).

It's a boy and I bet he's beautiful. I can't wait to see him and enjoy the benefits of being a virtual grand-aunt without the pain of giving birth. Yeah... I love babies... they smell really good, cuddle great and melt hearts (happy sigh).

Right now I'm stalking her Facebook page and trying not to call her cell phone. One message at home is good. My fave TX family is busy and should not be distracted from the drama of a new grandkid making his debut on the world. I'm supposed to be going jogging so I'm gonna get dressed and take off in a few minutes. We all know I have to get my jog on before the kids get home from school (and our brand of insanity begins - LOL).

I'll leave in a minute but before I go run off to haunt the causeway I'm gonna leave you guys a link to the National Association of Professional Women.

I was thinking this would be a very cool organization to join (yeah - I actually got an invite - sweet). If this works out there will be functions full of business executives I can study and make friends with while I organize my brand spanking new corporation into sub-divisions.

Florida is different from New York. I have a lot to learn. I wont just be doing real estate while I'm floating around down here. The music studio has to relocate, I'm writing my a$$ off and have to publish all of my music sheets. The graphic art is staying in New York City so I'll have to go back four times a year (if not more) and the girls want to form a Private Investigation firm because they miss me doing their legal investigations for pizza.

Me? I miss retaining them for a dollar, good pizza and all that snarky banter while noshing on great food (LOL). If creating a P.I. firm will get them to come play in Florida then what the hell - I shall start range classes in Orlando immediately.

Okay - after the Kim Harrison tour and my wedding anniversary. I need to behave for that before I go run amok on my next road trip adventure to cook and start kissing beautiful babies. Will be in Miami on Sunday and Palm Beach on Monday. Tuesday is a secret (can't tell you everything - LOL).

I found a really great range to check out in Orlando. Did you know you could rent some really cool firearms to practice with down here? Yeah... I definitely need to make new professional friends and find out what else I don't know about Brevard County. It's time to join some fun organizations and get busy. The girls are coming down for a Girlie-Girlie Day paintball marathon. I need to be ready for the invasion and have to test run a few locations with hubby and the little minions (evil grin).

I need an interesting list of stuff to join. I'm starting with a library card and working my way up to who knows what. Will keep you guys posted (LOL). ;-)

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A very scary thought...

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:42:58 -0800

http://www.webpronews.com/facebook-incident-launches-first-amendment-fight-2012-02

I wouldn't ever want someone forcing me to post anything on my blog or other social media accounts... Reading this made me realize just how much I enjoy having the freedom to speak. If the court said delete it I'd go Okay. If the court said write your own apology I'd say Okay.

Putting words in someone's mouth to write the apology for them or go to jail if you don't publish someone else's apology on your behalf that gives up your personal court business during a custody battle - what a very scary thought...

It opens the door to a whole bunch of monkey business by litigants... The HE SAID SHE SAID during a marriage never ends. Everyone has an opinion, even their stupid opinion... I think I've vented enough in cyberspace to understand how horrific this really is on a personal and professional level.

Just saying yall might want to pay attention to what you guys are posting on Facebook. Never know if a stray comment is going to come back and bite you in the a$$ after falling out with someone...

Pssst... Realtors, this also means you and how some of you trash your competitors/clients. A few of you are so busy trying to boost your "follow me" numbers you have no idea who your subscribers really are and what they're doing lurking on your social media pages. My girlfriend got dragged to another state to give a deposition for having a conversation with a relative that the soon to be ex-wife didn't like. Cost her a substantial amount of money to comply with the court order because she needed to hire her own attorney, travel, lodge, then get back to New York City.

I bet my gal pal would not have enjoyed having a court order shoved down her throat regarding forcibly apologizing on Facebook for having the nerve to comment on a negative experience for anything personal.

Neither would I...

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Life With Wee People: Push - Pull the fat off...

C Tann-Starr (Tann Starr Music CarolynTannStarr.com TannStarr.com) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:45:45 -0800

Life With Wee People: Push - Pull the fat off...

My 10 year old is Autistic and my 5 year old sufferes from PDD-NOS. This means I have to get very creative in explaining things to them. They are both visual learners and have taken an interest in my obsession with going to the gym in the wee hours of the morning. Whenever the shorties see me get my Praying Mantis - Tai Chi - Wing Chun warm ups going they like to get in on the act because Kung Fu usually leads to the Noodle Wars.

We do not have a pool but we do have pool noodles. Two huge red and purple ones. We gleefully wreck the house playfully beating each other with them while learning to kick and block accurately (silly grin). Stephen has taken to staff fighting with the pool noodles while Noah usually wields them like a sword. Me? I usually get my a$$ kicked at some point because hubby likes to pretend write our names on the bottom of the oversized inflatable bowling pins and arc them through the air like guilded missles (which can be a huge distraction requiring very creative retribution - sly little grin).

This is me telling you You Are Your Own Gym (and yes, I am a Mark Lauren fan) so you should have mad fun incorporating play into your exercise routines.

Seems the shorties want me to do my Hulk Hogan poses before they get on the school bus. Why? I have a temporary Rachel Morgan tattoo Stephen the Minion Blur wants to apply to my arm except he thinks my arms "need more work. I'm not Hulk Hogan enough. A really cool tattoo requires a really cool arm."

Even though I can bench press my own body weight he thinks I'm not working out enough. We're on the floor flipping through the pictures of our copy of You Are Your Own Gym so he can select our next push - pull objective. This book is photo rich so my 5 year old doesn't have to read, he simply looks at the pictures and gets busy with his Mama in tow (LOL).

Since Stephen and I are both April babies we've decided we want one of these for our birthdays so we can get our hit - kick on. It will make a stellar addition to The Man Cave. Hubby knows it's on my things to do list (and if he EVER wants to ever see me in a bikini he should give in - hint - hint - evil grin).

I'm jogging on the causeway later. I'll show you some cool water views of Melbourne when I get back and let you guys in on just how effective doing a split military work out really is. Best part? I still eat what ever the heck I want (in moderation) and am making wonderful progress. :-)

Tann Starr on iTunes

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Kim Harrison Vicki Pettersson Jocelynn Drake Jaye Wells Amy DeZellar Lynn Rush Jeannie Holmes

Ward Nasse Gallery

Kendall Grey Jeaniene Frost Faith Hunter Stacia Kane Sherry Soule

Alicia Anderson: Touched By People Places and Things

CarolynTannStarr.com

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Felix Lipov, Official Photographer, Ambassadors of Chaos