The Fabulous Life of the Fascinating Francis Fodder

Hello Darlings,

I'm so thrilled to finally be presenting you with this commissioned post. The illustrated shoe designs I created above have been several weeks in the making all thanks to the clever ingenuity of author William Campbell. Campbell contacted me back in January with an incredibly creative prospect. He was looking for a unique way to promote his trilogy book series, The Fascinating Life of the Fabulous Francis Fodder, and proposed I design three original shoes to embody the lead females in his story. I responded with a resounding yes and jumped right onboard.

The compelling story of The Fascinating Life of the Fabulous Francis Fodder is about a man who endures a life-altering college heartbreak, only to grow-up and become a professional gigolo (yes you read that correctly). When Fodder runs into his former love on a whim his life is turned irreversibly upside down. I would be lying if I said that reading the brief book description left me a tad bit skeptical, but once I broke into the first installment I was hooked. Something about the unwavering connection with his first love really resonated with me, especially reading it from the male perspective.

The shoes you see above, in sequential order, represent the three main female characters from the series: Glamour Dietrich, a stunningly successful, dead-ringer for January Jones, director/screen-writer, and first-love to Fodder; Ruby Tuesday, a sultry hotelier and confidant to Miss Dietrich; and lastly Crystal Canker, a frosty media-mogul and soon to be First Lady. All three women are so brilliantly interlaced into the truly fascinating life of the fabulous Francis, you can't help but want to read more. After all, who out there isn't at least a bit curious to glimpse into the life of a gigolo?!

I would like to be clear that there is some fairly graphic content in the book so I do not recommend this to anyone below the age of 18. What I'm ultimately endorsing here is a very human love story, albeit, one dipped in high-gloss glamour and hidden behind velvet curtains.

Now to get your hands on the first two installments of the series, you can purchase the book over at:

Amazon Book 1 and Book 2

Barnes & Noble Book 1 and Book 2

The third book will be available on March 30th and I for one cannot wait to see how the whole story unfolds!!

If you would like even more insight into the series or are curious to check-out other books written by Campbell, be sure to click the following links:

Campbell's Blog

Campbell's Facebook

Campbell's Twitter

Now before I sign-off on this post I would like to give a massive thank-you to Campbell for this wonderful opportunity. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you and I'm wishing you all the luck in the world with The Fabulous Life of the Fascinating Francis Fodder series.

Much love,

Meag xx

Grab a Water

This week, instead of grabbing a beer, grab a water. Why? Because I am trying to get back on the healthy track. Last week, Mr. Lovely and I came from opposite coasts to meet up in the "middle" in Florida to enjoy some time in a warmer clime. Because of this, I ate too much and I didn't exercise enough. The reasons are plentiful.

ONE: Location Change. I have a hard time deviating from my regular schedule. At home I make a big (usually pretty healthy) meal on Sunday and eat it throughout the week. I supplement this meal with salads and veggies and oatmeal and fruit. I bring my lunch to work. When I am in a strange place, getting up at a different time each day, living in a hotel, not having a kitchen, I go downhill quickly. Also, not being in the house  in order to make and eat the healthier choices makes a difference. Sometimes, we thought we would make it back in time to make lunch but then things took longer than expected, so we had Mexican for lunch. This happened several times.

TWO: This is a Vacation! I would be happy to eat sandwiches most of the time in order to save money and time and my belly, but it IS fun to go out to a meal and really feel like you are not just sitting at home eating sandwiches. It makes it different, which is pretty much the problem in my case. Different = high in fat, cheese, alcohol and carbs. Different = delicious, but different ≠ healthy. I tried, really I did, but who wants the shrimp salad with the lowfat dressing when you can have a pollo burrito with all the fixins, a side of chips and salsa and a huge glass of sauvignon blanc? Every day? 

Or a 24 oz Bud Light. Hey, beggars can't be choosers.

THREE: It was Hot. I forgot how miserable it was to run in the heat. I hate it. I used to run in New Orleans after work and it would be 95 degrees and 98.9 % humidity. I don't know how I did it to be honest. I have gotten weak, I guess. Give me a hill and a high elevation run any day! But humidity, forget it. 

FOUR: Meals like THIS. 

Now, I wasn't just a lazy, drunken slob the WHOLE time! There were a few redeeming items on the menu. 

ONE: I Ran a 10k Race. This race adds one more state to my 50 State Race List! A total of 9 states that I have raced in so far. Only 41 to go!

And THEN I had a beer!

TWO: Paddle Boarding for 4 hours is a Good Ab Workout. Plus I got a sunburn that was back to white in one day tan, got an arm workout and got to see many fish, birds and stingrays!

THREE: Walking on the Beach is Good for Your Calves. I went walking on the beach a couple of times, which gives me the chance to get some exercise, people watch (post on that coming soon) and work on my burn/tan/whiteness all at the same time. 

FOUR: Meals like THIS. 

All in all, it was a fun time, but now it's time to get back on the ball and get back in shape! I feel kind of gross and overfed right now. Right now I am drinking more water and...going for a run!

Are you good at eating healthy and exercising when you are traveling?

A First For Everything

My parents used to always say that, "there is a first for everything", which was probably their way of saying, "just try it once! You may like it!" (aka don't knock it until you've tried it) or maybe it was their way of saying, "Make the most of your first one, because you only get one first one". Whatever their meaning was behind it, I took it to mean that I should try new things AND try to have fun and make the best of it, whatever it is!

In 2010, I went to the Himalayas for the first time. I hiked higher than I had ever hiked before. I loved it.

In 2011, I ran my first marathon. I am currently trying to figure out when my next one will be.

Yesterday, I went to my first live hockey game! This has been on my life list for a while, so I am very excited about it. It was a lot of fun and I now have several new heroes. These guys are awesome! Except for this guy. All he does is start fights, but even that is kind of "fun", or should I say entertaining?

And today, as you are reading this post, I am probably trying this for the first time:

source

Except without the dog. Or the sunset. But still, I am really excited about it, and am sure I will have tons of photos (or not, I mean, what if my camera gets wet?) I love trying new things, even if it's just once and I hate it, how will I know if I don't try?

+++++++

Last but not least, the other day, I ran Move it Momma's Spring Fever 10k. I had a great time running it; I did it on the trails near my house and actually found a new one just for this race (another first!) I finished in 1:00:51, which is a 9:52/mile. It was a beautiful spring day and I love getting out and finding new running routes!

Here is my bib. Lucky number 13!

What things have you tried for the first time this year? Did you like it? Do you like watching sports?

Monday Misc

My friend Laura is doing a Purposeful Running series, where people talk about why they run. I was lucky that she featured me yesterday! Go over and check it out! To read other people's stories as well, or to submit your story to Laura, go over here!

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Mr. Lovely hails from the East Coast, and as you know, I am on the West Coast. So sometimes we find a place in between to meet. This time we headed south for the winter. And are spending some time here.

We are having fun and I will probably talk more about it when we get home! I did make him run a race with me. I ran the 10k and he ran the 5k. It was a good race and he was a good sport! See, here he is; isn't he cute?

Just kidding; that's not him. But isn't that such a cute old man? I have an old man fetish; I think they are the cutest thing ever, especially when they are wearing hats. For real.

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Today, for the first time in a long time, I went to a buffet. I quickly remembered why I don't usually go to buffets. Actually, I was pretty proud of myself; I only went up three times: once for salad, once for an entree and once for dessert. I wanted some more ice cream really badly, but seeing Mr. Lovely rolling around in bed later, groaning and clutching his stomach, reminded me that I had made the right decision.

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Have you ever seen "My Strange Addiction"? There was a girl on there who had an addiction to drinking gas. There was another who snorted baby powder. In the last 16 years, she has snorted almost 2000 pounds of baby powder. It kind of makes me feel like my need to have the milk on the top shelf of the fridge all the time is not that strange after all. 

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My friend Sarah just posted a story about traveling to Africa on WRTR! Check it out if you get a chance! 

Why do you run? Have you ever been in a long distance relationship? Do you have any strange addictions?

Cairo Time

Hello My Loves!!

It feels so incredibly good to be back on my blog. The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy and perhaps the most insane thing of all is that I've booked a trip to Egypt for the end of the month yay!! I will be cruising down the Nile in what feels like no time. I've been so anxious to announce this on my blog because traveling has always been such a huge component of my life and one of the major reasons I started TWD. Furthermore, Egypt is probably one of the more controversial places to be traveling to right now in light of the recent (ongoing) Arab Spring.

From the moment I contemplated making this journey I received mixed reactions. In the end it was a personal choice and one I feel very much at peace with. Frankly, I think now more than ever, Egypt will be one of the most fascinating countries to visit. Furthermore, I have dreamed of making this trip ever since I was a little girl starring in mesmerization at the mummies in Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum. For this post I've painted the scarab associated with the major god Khepri. Known as being the embodiment of the sun, I can't help but be drawn to him.

I'm so excited to be able to share this journey with you all in the very near future but for now there is more work to be done. Stay tuned for some more exciting posts.

Much love,

Meag xx

Bidwell Classic Race Recap

Race #3 of the 12 in 2012 Running Challenge started off good. It was a little chilly, maybe around 40 degrees, but I knew that it wouldn't last for long. After about 1000 feet, we ran into the 5k racers who had already finished and I slowed down a little to see if I could see my Dad. This got me a "get out of the way" from one guy and a shove and a fake "excuse me" from another. I am not saying I didn't deserve a few complaints, but in case you want to seek revenge, his number was 197.

After that, I probably spent the next mile going over in my head what I should have said  back to him. Don't you hate that, when you don't say anything but then you keep thinking you should have? I mean, he didn't need to shove me! He kind of looked like an ugly Will Farrell. He was somewhere around 6'4" and 10 years older than me. I guess it makes him feel better to shove around people half his size. And way better looking. Sorry. It's all out of my system now.

Luckily his rudeness made me ignore the first mile, but for the entire second mile, I was thinking that maybe I should have just signed up for the 5k. I was still not feeling 100% and I was thinking that maybe I made the wrong decision when I decided to run the Half. But then I looked down at my Garmin. My first two miles had been run at 7:43 and 7:53. NO wonder I felt tired; this was faster than I normally ran (except for this race, which was "fast and flat"). So at this point, I told myself a couple of things: 1) stop being a baby (yes, I do this) and just keep running, and 2) I was going to try to keep it under 8 minute miles. Even though I was still a little sick, I thought that under 8 was a realistic goal.

So I powered on. The rest of the race went pretty well, especially when I got pleasantly surprised by the water distributors on the course at mile 5 and 11. Yummy. Everything went well until the last few miles, when I started to feel tired again. Usually during a half, I don't take any fuel. But this time I had about a quarter of a packet of disgustingness Gu just to try to stay awake. I was pretty fatigued. I haven't felt like that since my first half marathon, which was hot and my feet hurt and I was so ready to be done. Well, for this one, I was kind of ready to be done as well.

I crossed the finish line with a chip time of 1:44:02 (7:56/mi). Here is my Garmin readout. Don't mind the extra time; I always, ALWAYS forget to stop it right away. This time I was lucky to catch it pretty fast. As far as the extra mileage goes, I don't remember walking very far at first, so maybe the course was a tad long.

It's no PR (my PR is 1:42:40), but I am happy that I was even well enough to run this race, and even more happy that I kept it under an 8 minute mile. So that's a win in my book. 

To see some of the other races I've done, go to my Races & Places page.  There, you can also see suggestions of where to run in several US cities (International page still in discovery stages). Also, pop over to Jill's blog, where she hosts Fitness Friday each week! She is also the mastermind behind the 12 in 2012 Challenge! 

Did you race last weekend? When someone is rude to you, do you think of quick comebacks or do you think of a bunch of witty sayings only when it's too late?

I'm On Fire; I Need Water.

Remember the race that I was almost too sick to run? Here are a few of the highlights of the race and areas we thought could use improvement (supplemented by Dad). First good thing: the price. This race was only $40, which is a lot less than some of the Rock n Roll Half Marahons or other big races which can be over $100. When you are running 12 Half Marathons in a year, price comes into play, a lot. I often pick my next race based on price rather than other factors.

My Dad came with me and ran the 5k. It was good because he started at 8:30 and I started at 9, so finally I got to watch him start his race and cheer him on (and take photos of him) for a change! He did really well; he got about 26 minutes! Unfortunately, the start for the 5k and the start for the Half were in different places and since the half started at 9, so I did not get to watch him finish. However, he did finish in time to watch me run past him on the first mile of the course.

The fastest mouse in all Me-hi-co.

The race was the Bidwell Classic, which is a smaller race (about 1200 people in the 5k, Half and Half Marathon relay put together) put on by the local running club. It's one of the NorCal Half series, which includes about 20 in total. I would recommend this race to anyone in the area next year. It was a nice course through Bidwell park, the volunteers were very supportive and enthusiastic and the logistics of packet pickup was easy. The t-shirts were moisture-wicking short sleeved shirts in women's sizes (hurray! Unisex never fit right). There were plenty of water stops.

 

Okay, lets talk about the water stops for a minute. This was actually the best part of the race. As I was running along, I noticed a fire truck up ahead on the course. I figured someone must have been hurt or passed out or something and I was worried and sympathetic. Until I saw what was actually happening. The firefighters were handing out Gu and water! Isn't that fitting? Firefighters with water? They should have firefighters at every race. I am a big fan. I almost stopped running and had to drag myself away to finish the race. As it was I did take a Gu, even though I hate Gu.

Where was I? *drooling* Ah yes. There was a ton of food at the end: wraps, chips, bagels, peanut butter, rice cakes, drinks, bananas and oranges. There were tons of picnic tables, so you could sit down and eat in the sun or shade. There were free massages which I never, ever get, but Dad got one and said it was sweet. The only complaint I would have was that there were no napkins. Also, there were not enough port a potties, and they were kind of far from the start and finish line. Otherwise, it was well managed and fun! Would I do this race again? Yes!

I signed up for 12 in 2012 Race #4! April 7th in Tilden Park in Berkeley. Anyone going to be there?

Race recap coming tomorrow. 

Does anyone in your group of friends and family ever run races with you? How do you pick your next race -- location / price / swag / number of participants? Do you have a crush on firefighters like I do?