June 2010 Lifestyle Challenge!

Due to some e-mails I received....Something a bit different for this month's challenge.

Pick & choose, or make up your own!

1) Exercise - set a specific plan or goal(s). Keep us posted weekly (or more) on your progress!

2) Creativity - Music, art, writing, acting...set a goal to complete by month's end. Keep us posted!

3) Read a book - Old, new, or something in between. Start now, finish by month's end. Tell us what it is!

4) Professional life - Set a work goal or change jobs or....just tell us what it is and keep us posted!

So here are mine....

1) Increase reps on my pull-ups in attempt to get back to world record pace. Drop bodyfat percentage roughly 2 points per month until I'm under 9%...in time to close in on that elusive 40+ pull-ups in 60 seconds.

2) Complete all writing & demo-ing for the new Alien Blue CD - to be recorded in July at Open Sky Studio (Atlanta)!

3) Just cracked open an old collection of world mythology. It didn't have Gilgamesh, but I've already worked thru short versions of Greek, Roman, & Norse myths. I'm on King Arthur, Charlemagne, & Robin Hood now. Next stop: Africa!

4) Record & release several pre-release video clips for Alien Blue. Book a few more gigs. Secure funding for guitar performance clinics with special guests (like last year's Muriel Anderson gig).

How about YOU?

Feelin' GOOD!

Yeah...the new Alien Blue material is coming together wickedly (hahaha!!!) and we're throwing it out there this weekend at the Common Grounds gig (with opening act Tubanjo from Cincinnati, OH) this Friday night.

We were hoping to record the new CD in Atlanta at Mike Froedge's Open Sky Studio, but logistics might fail. If so, we're chatting with a few top-flight facilities in Lexington. Either way, the new Alien Blue disc will be a pro-level product...ready for prime time (hahaha!).

Sunday's recital rocked...check out the picture of Sydney playing her Dean acoustic (autographed by actress & country singer Laura Bell Bundy).

Also....had a great workout today, and tonight I do a second, short workout when I get home.

Morning workout:

Push-ups (200), sit-ups (600), calf raises (500), plus some extra work with light weights for continued shoulder rehab.

Evening workout:

Pull-ups (50) and chin-ups (50).

Tomorrow will be push-ups, 1/2 bridges, and squats, plus shoulder rehab. I'm holding off on the punching bag for a few weeks, then I'll slowly add that back in. Working those pulls & chins back to the 100-150 per workout, then going for a personal best (& maybe more)......

May Lifestyle Challenge

For those new to the "Lifestyle Challenges", well, it's all about self-analysis & improvement. Pushing yourself just a little or a lot. I list some of my goals, then ask about yours, which you can post to share with everyone. Lotsa mutual support here!

Sooo....It's time for the May Lifestyle Challenge!!!

What are YOUR personal or professional goals? Writing songs? Reading a book? Changing your diet? Exercise? De-cluttering your life? Re-committing to a project or loved one?

My personal goals include more intense & productive workouts (& more pull-ups/chin-ups!); professional goals include reviving "A Personal Note" (more on that later) and playing & promoting more events like last year's Muriel Anderson gig; musical goals include completing the writing & pre-production on the new Alien Blue songs.

How about YOU???

April Lifestyle Challenge

Soooo...here we are at the top of another month - April - and the beginning of Spring....which means 25% of 2010 is gone, gone, gone.

Are YOU feeling "actualized" yet?

What are YOUR personal or professional goals? Writing songs? Reading a book? Changing your diet? Exercise? De-cluttering your life? Re-committing to a project or loved one?

I read about Rush drummer Neil Peart years ago when he decided one of his personal goals was to "read all the great books", so he started with a list of Pulitzer Prize winning books and a list of "the classics" and then...he started reading.

I'm off to do a workout, now, then eat a wonderful salad. This week will be predominantly both raw and vegan, but I'll likely add some sashimi or tataki at the end of the week. Prepping lessons for today as well as the new session at Beaumont; booking some more Alien Blue gigs; coupla phone conferences with prospective agents; decide if I'm buying a new guitar....it's a dog's life, eh? Hahaha!!!

So, for the April Lifestyle Challenge, what do YOU plan?

March 2010 Lifestyle Challenge!

For Facebook users, I'm rotating the tags (and using both my personal profile and the ALIEN BLUE page to tag), so don't feel left out if you weren't tagged...and don't be confused if you were tagged and haven't heard of our Lifestyle Challenges before. Same for MySpace & Tribe users.

For those unaware, it's all about self-analysis & improvement. Pushing yourself just a little or a lot. I list some of my goals, then ask abotu yours, which you can post to share with everyone. Lotsa mutual support here!

Sooo....It's time for the March Lifestyle Challenge!!!

What are your personal or professional goals? Writing songs? Finishing that book? Changing your diet? Exercise?? De-cluttering your life? Re-committing to a project or loved one?

My personal goals are more intense & productive workouts, and going back to near-vegan status (limiting sashimi heavily after learning about the continued devastation of ocean life & severe over-fishing of tuna, oysters, and other "seafood"). Ramping back up from about 80% raw to 90+% raw.

Biz goals are to book most of the 2010 dates for ALIEN BLUE. Looking for not only the type of gigs we did last year, but some major opening slots, larger blues, folk, & new music festivals, and the like.

Musical goals are (technical) to increase speed by 10% on all scales & arpeggios and (creative) to compose 4 new ALIEN BLUE songs....giving us about 8 new trax by month's end. Aslo looking for some old spirituals &/or work-songs. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

What about YOU???