Jeffrey Scott’s – Best of his Blogs 2010

Most of my friends know I maintain two blogs. One dedicated to health and fitness and one for my creativity. I’m proud to say I’ve kept up with both this year. So for those of you only familiar with one of the two, I’ve decided for the first time ever to do a cross-over blog. And why not, I’m a creative person and both illustrate that in various ways.





January
Jeffrey Scott - Will You Miss Me
An interesting poem I wrote. But can you tell what it’s really about?
Carrot Sticks – Biggest Loser (No Motivation)
I began to recognize my fitness was slipping. I wrote a few observations as to why.

February
Jeffrey Scott – Haiku
In 2009 I wrote several Haiku’s. In 2010 I wrote one last one. Follow the links to view more.
Carrot Sticks – Biggest Loser – Top 5 Faults With the Show
I’ve always been a Biggest Loser fan, but at times it can irritate me. Here’s why.

March
Jeffrey Scott – Travel Preparations for London
Two month from the actual trip, I began making lists.
Carrot Sticks – Feed Me Seymore
Random thoughts on how I can do better at what I eat and what my downfalls are.

April
Jeffrey Scott – Loss & Love
For a month, I worked on a short story on Facebook. I reprinted it to my blog.

May
Jeffrey Scott – I’m Nothing
Sometimes a poem hits me. Here is one I wrote this year.
Carrot Sticks – Procrastination vs. Motivation
You can either procrastinate or be motivated. Here are my thoughts.

June
Jeffrey Scott - Fuse CD Review
I discovered a new CD and wrote a review. The artists read it and enjoyed it!
Carrot Sticks – Tracking Disaster
I tried to become more serious about my tracking, but I failed.

July
Tegan – Interview With An Admiral
I had a nice chat with Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars.

August
Tegan – Who is River Song?
I’ve got a firm belief, but this was one farcical theory.

September
Jeffrey Scott – I Tweet Therefore I Am
Another poem, this time based on…. Twitter???
Carrot Sticks – A-Z Fitness (Atmosphere)
In hopes of making myself more accountable, I began a new fitness series.

October
Tegan – Doctor Who (The Early Years)
I give in to my nerdyness and begin writing a Doctor Who themed series.
Carrot Sticks – Jillian Michaels – GoDaddy Commercial
A funny commercial Jillian is now appearing in.

November
Tegan – Time Travel Museum
Can you find your favourite time machine in the time travel museum?
Carrot sticks – Top 9 Way To Tell If You’ve Been Watching Too Much Biggest Loser
With a lot of my posts centered on Biggest Loser, I wondered if I watched too much.

December
Tegan - Jelly Babies
I did a photo shoot with… candy???
Tegan – Saturn Girl Selling Telepathic Telecommunications
I guess I’m a true Legion of Super Hero nerd to come up with this.
Carrot Sticks – Tastes So Good
I wrote a song parody and why junk food tastes so good.

That’s not all I wrote in both logs, but it gives you pretty good idea. If you enjoy both, why not subscribe and follow both? You’re bound to find something you like sooner or later. ;)
Jeffrey Scott

Mexico - Day 4

With all our bags packed, we had the morning to do last minute shopping and visiting a few places we failed to take pictures at. This was the view immediately outside our room.



At the entrance of the shopping center was familiar face, Speedy Gonzales. Not exactly sure why he was there but I have a few friends who'll be interested in him.



I don't generally spend a lot of time taking pictures of corridors, but I'm not likely to return any time soon and I did find this somewhat interesting.



The night before we went to a dance club with a Star Wars theme. The bar her reminded me somewhat of the cantina bar in Star Wars. There were other items strewn about; a Millennium Falcon, life size Yoda and a few more Stormtroopers.



This time it was my decision to take a picture of the local flora. I've always thought it was a bit artsy to take flowers pictures, so it explains this shot.



There are many sculptures and statutes strewn about the place. One was this gigantic harp. My sister is posing, as if she's playing. Looks pretty convincing to me.



This is a daytime shot of one of the local places we frequented at night for drinks. Depending on the day and time, all the chairs could be filled with guests ordering drinks, associating, meeting new friends, or just checking email with the free wifi provided.



A closer shot of the actual 'bar' area. Yea, I know - another shot of the alcohol. For the most part we ordered our drinks here instead of waiting for someone to take our order. This was where my sister ran into some old friends.



As we said our goodbyes to the many people and places we knew, some of the local wildlife also came to bid us adieu.



As stated before, there was lots of 'atmosphere' via statues and such. This was one prime example. Loved the looks of it, but it seemed it was supposed to be trickling water. I never saw that the entire time I was there.



This wasn't the courtyard of our set of rooms, but it was interesting enough for me to capture it on 'film'.



All good things must come to an end, as did this trip. It was now time for us to make it through the jungle to the clearing where our airplane waited for us. Time to make one last use of the machete I purchased for protection.



Here we are on our way home, as taken from the plane (obviously). I believe if you look close enough you can see the locals waiving goodbye.

The Best Thing About Snow

It’s a layer of white
all upon the ground
freshly fallen.

The children run outside
to a winter wonderland
of playfulness.

Snowballs and snowmen,
sleds and toboggans
snowfall fun.

* * * * *

Heavy and gray
the snow remains
to be moved away.

Shovels and snow tires
the bitter cold
any icy street.

What’s special to me
is when Spring arrives;
the snow departs.

J.A.Scott

Mexico - Day 3

My sister and I actually planned something for our last full day in Mexico. On Saturday we decided to visit Playa del Carmen and do a bit of shopping. As a person who loves to shop and experience new things, I was all in favour of this. Here is our first view of the city, and one we wanted to remember as our bus back was to be from this exact location.



The driver gave the layout of where various things were, so we set out. This appears to be a park/common area of the city. I love the walk-way.



Prime example of why I'm such a nerd. Not only is the first stop a local Wal-Mart, (I love to visit international versions of local stores for comparison) but I take a photo of the Spanish version of Apples to Apples, one of my favourite games.



Turns out our trip to Wal-Mart was just as eventful as anything else that happened. As we were walking around, we noticed the smell of smoke. Suddenly, one of the associate doors flew open and two staff members ran out carrying axes. A fire broke out towards the front of the store. We were horrified to realize the store was not being evacuated. So after we finished our shopping, a picture was taken of the police and fire truck outside.



We spent the rest of the time at the local street shops. Chris was searching for gifts for home, most importantly a hammock for the family.



I wasn't really looking for anything in particular, probably a good thing since I'm not good at negotiating prices and that seemed to be the trick of the trade. Essentially, I went all the way to Mexico and all I got for my kids were those stupid T-shirts.



Lately, it seems Gelato is the next trendy thing. Even the local Metro Market has suddenly started selling it. So once I saw this shop, I decided it was time to give it a try. Of course I opted for the Mango flavour. Problem is, isn't gelato an Italian ice cream? And I had it in Mexico. So what exactly did I eat? Mexican/Italian ice cream?



I saw this place and really wanted to get a coffee, but we decided to save it for later in case we didn't have time. Turns out Chris really wishes we had gone. Once our time in Playa del Carmen was over we headed back. The two of us were the only ones in the bus and it didn't seem to be taking a direct route back to the highway. Also it was going through some really rough parts of town. I got the feeling she thought we were being kidnapped so I talked to the driver to make sure he was heading back to the highway. This broke the ice and Chris started talking to him in partial Spanish and soon we were on the highway, and more importantly back at our resort.



After our ordeal in the city, we decided to relax on the beach for the rest of the day. On our way I decided to stop at the swim-up bar and get a drink. I need to try any new experience, at least once. I believe the drink 'special' of the day was a Bahama Mama.



After the drink, I spotted a bird I was unfamiliar with. In an attempt to bolster my artistic skills with shots of the local flora and fauna, I decided to shoot this bird, with a camera of course.
Update: I believe this is called a 'Purplish-Backed Jay'.



Finally we made it to the beach where we spent the rest of the day, till evening came upon us. It was time for dinner so we went back to the steak place. Afterwards we decided to do as much packing as we could so we'd have the entire next morning to eat breakfast and say goodbye to the resort.

(To be concluded)

Watch out American Idol contestants!

Just when you think you've seen it all, along comes Super Mario.

Mexico - Evening 2

I'd like to say this set is 'Day 2' of Mexico, but believe it or not I didn't always have my camera with me and for most of this day I didn't. We spent most of the day in the water, so I wasn't bringing my camera. Besides the beach, there were various other ways to enjoy the water. In the morning we started out relaxing in the lazy river. Well, I say relaxing what I mean is trying to stay afloat of the inner-tubes without falling off. The next stop was the wave pool, followed by the swim-up bar. I'll let you guess which of the two I enjoyed more. We spent whatever remained of the day before the sun went down, on the actual beach. Closer to dinner time we left to make reservations. I decided to bring my camera with me this time.



On our way to dinner I took this evening shot of one of the pools. The other side of this, was the wave pool. Further on was the whirl-pool with water colder than the swimming pool. We figured out quickly why no one was in it.




After dinner we stopped at one of the many cocktail lounges. I had to take a picture of the bar, as a possible reference next time I redecorate the 'Sugar Shack', my basement bar. I love the lights under the bottles.




Because no one else was with us on the trip, we decided to do a shot of El Jimador for everyone not able to make it with us. That is to say we did one shot for everyone, not one shot for everyone not there.




I tried to get my sister to pose, as if she were pondering a difficult move. She ended up looking more upset over something. Of course she had nothing to be upset over, it's not like we were kidnapped or anything.

Actually, that reminds me of our trip to Playa del Carmen. Of course you'll have to wait till next time to hear that story.

Mexico - Day 1

We arrived in Mexico mid-day on Thursday. Our driver picked us up immediately after we left the airport, so we didn't have to worry about travel to the resort. It gave us more time to sight see before arriving at Iberostar - Paraiso Maya.


The room was surprisingly big, plenty of space to store our stuff and have a place to unwind after a hard day of relaxing on the beach.


The walkways between the actual resort and the beach were nicely done. I loved the exclusive feeling to it all. The trees and overhanging plants added to the atmosphere fantastically.


As we walked along I made it my goal to make sure I took a picture of anything unfamiliar to me. My sister wanted to make sure I took a few pictures of the flora.


One of the few shots I allowed to be taken of myself. Chris thought I needed a few since I didn't get many pictures of myself while in London.


I certainly had no idea I would run into an undiscovered animal. I've never seen these things before, but learned they are called Coatis. Very tame animals, and they were everywhere! Of course they were likely sustaining themselves from all the food scraps being left behind by uncaring tourists. There were many signs asking not to feed them, I guess some people just don't know how to read.


Having checked in, eaten and explored for a bit we decided to spend the rest of the day on the beach till dinner time.


We had reservations for dinner at a steak place (yes, part of the all-inclusive package), but I still found time to make a play on the large chess-board I discovered. Hope it didn't spoil anyone's game in progress.


After dinner was done, we did our best to walk around and explore. I didn't bring my camera after dinner so I have no pictures of the show we ran into just after. They were doing a lot of musical numbers from Broadway plays such as the 'Lion King', 'Cats', 'Chicago' and several others. We got "lost" on our way back to our room. Of course I rather enjoy getting lost in a new place. I did the same thing one evening in London.
PS - This photo was not taken by me. The rest were.

Gorilla Marketting - Cadbury Style

As much as I dread commercials over my favourite television shows, there are a few that stand out. This Cadbury gorilla marketing video is fantastic! Cadbury Dairy Milk - It does the body good. And oh yea, why can't I see something like this in real life?

Cape Cod Cookies

In this day and age, I'm finding myself shopping online more and more. Places like Ebay and Amazon are a great place to find deals on hard to find items you can't find anywhere else. I'm a fan of purchasing DVD's and CD's as well. It's surprising how cheap some items are sold. So it's not unusual for me to come home and find a package waiting for me.

Typically I don't get excited when a new package arrives. For the most part, I know what's in the package before I open it. As I said, usually a CD or DVD. However when it comes to my children, they fight and argue over who gets to open the package. Certainly a mystery of what might be inside, "Why it could be anything!" As Ralphie's father would point out.

How surprised they were to find something quite different in the package this time - COOKIES! Hand made cookies to be exact. Neatly wrapped, and packaged with care. It was obvious the cookies were not only made with care, but carefully processed for shipment as well.

Despite being shipped from another state, the cookies were in one piece. Look how beautiful they turned out. I purchased from thecapecodcookie, which has many varieties available. I opted for the 'Orleans Oatmeal Raison' and the signature 'Cape Code Cookie'. So how did they taste?

A picture is worth a thousand words. As you can tell, my son really loved them. Of course he wasn't the only one who enjoyed the 'internet cookies'. Both my sons and I thoroughly enjoyed this special treat. We are looking forward to trying some of the other varieties soon.

I Tweet - Therefore I Am

At first I looked for someone to meet.
Now I know you, so I must tweet.
It might be about my tired feet,
or that I'm eating Cream of Wheat.
I stubbed my toe on concrete,
and tired of this summer heat.
When at work I'll be discreet,
Boss walks by, zing! Spreadsheet!
You sent me a DM? Oh how sweet.
My message retweeted? That's a treat!
Mindless banter I should delete,
Still, you gotta admit it's kinda neat.

J.A.Scott

CD Review: Fuse - Debut Album

It's not very often I find a CD I absolutely have to tell everyone about. My recent discovery is a group known as Fuse, and I am so glad I stumbled upon them.

Linzi Stoppard & Ben Lee are the musicians behind Fuse. Each with a fantastic ability to play the violin. But Fuse is not just any electric string group playing classical music. What they have done is take contemporary pop and rock songs and flipped them into masterful instrumentals.

Before you think the songs have been slowed down into dreary elevator music, think again. The handful of rock songs have maintained their beat and rhythm and if not careful, might find yourself dancing along. Several of the songs are even accompanied by drums or backup vocals. And if you think that's a guitar solo in the song Beat It, guess again.

It's a CD you can play anywhere and enjoy; on the commute home, at a dinner party, or even working out at the gym. Everyone can enjoy, from the kids up to the grans. Make sure you check this out.

As for me, I'm already looking forward to the next CD and would love to see Fuse in a live show. If anything, it'll give this American one more reason to visit the UK.

A few of the songs on the CD are Glorious, Beat It, Go Your Own Way, Going Home, Top Gun Anthem and Kashmir / Carmina Burana, plus many more. You can find the CD available at Amazon & Itunes for less than £10. Also, check their official website for updated news and information - Fuse Official

Classic Survivor Blunder - Erik

Survivor - Dumbest Move in Survivor History (Erik)

Oh my word! What an idiotic move! I can not believe the idiotic move Erik made. Normally when I recap a show I like to detail the accounts of the episode step by step before revealing the end, but how can I this episode? As far as I'm concerned the only thing of note is we got to see the dumbest person in Survivor history make the dumbest move. Hands down!

Okay, okay. Let me get a bit into the episode. With four girls (Cirie, Amanda, Parvati and Natalie) against the only guy on the island you would think the math would add up. The previous few weeks, the 'black widow club' has smooth-talked and outwitted the guys into not playing hidden immunities and placing their trust with them. Each time, the women have taken care of business and taken out another male threat. Last week Erik won immunity, thus saving him as the last male; as he was directly told. Adds up doesn't it?

Now back to last nights episode. Reward challenge was a trivia game of past Survivor episodes. Erik won the game and decided to take Amanda with him, and to send Parvati to exile island though he promised Natalie he'd take her on reward if he wins, or send her to exile island to look for the immunity idol. The reward is a plane trip and spa deal. Back at camp the girls talk amongst each other and come to learn Erik has been promising an alliance with each one. Erik's chance of survival look dim until he wins the next immunity challenge, a puzzle spelling out 'guaranteed final four'.

Back at camp the girls contemplate a long-shot. They suggest to Natalie she try and convince Erik to give her the immunity. Natalie feels stupid even listening to such a suggestion; who in their right mind would actually give up immunity this late into the game. She is convinced she can work her 'magic' and decides to give it a try. Erik says he's not even going to consider what she is suggesting. But when she tells him it is the only way to prove his trust so Cirie will vote with them, he starts thinking about it.

Flash-forward to tribal council now. After the typical banter and a few eye-rolls from the peanut gallery, Jeff asks Erik if he is going to keep his idol. Erik says he needs to prove his trust and show everyone how sorry he is for playing all sides. He hands the immunity necklace to Natalie, and the jury is visibly excited, knowing what is to come. For the first time ever, every vote is shown as it is cast. Yes, the vote is obvious and unanimous. James exclaims he is no longer the dumbest person in Survivor history. Erik has been voted out and his closing remarks are him gushing over the fact he has been able to play with the Survivor favourites, his idols, and he is so excited they actually acknowledge him. Yes Erik, they acknowledge you are an idiot!

London - Day 8

My last full day in London so I make the best of it by heading to the famous Abbey Road.


What else is there to see on Abbey Road other than Abbey Road studios?


Zebra crossing on Abbey Road.


After my time at Abbey Road was over I walked to Hyde Park, despite it starting to rain.


Speakers Corner in Hyde Park gives anyone who wants to, a chance to speak whatever is on their mind.


Hyde Park is lovely. Lots to see and do or just enjoy a leisurely walk. At the moment I'm enjoying a walk around the pond.


On the other side of the pond, I ran into the 'Princess Diana of Wales Memorial Fountain'.


A closer look at the fountain.


One last shot of the park before I head back to hotel and start packing for my trip home.


While leaving I saw the Isis statue and had to take one final, last picture.