Giving up energy drinks and sodas

Growing up, I remember when fast food was a treat we were bought every other week or so and I remember when I wasn’t allowed to drink any soda with caffeine in it, not to mention energy drinks. If I was allowed soda at all, it had to be something caffeine free.

As I grew up I was given more allowances and I was allowed to start making my own decisions. I was introduced to caffeinated soda and still maintained a healthy distance.

As an adult I’ve started an office job that is relatively stressful, but not painfully so. I started buying caffeinated sodas and eventually graduated to energy drinks to “treat” or “reward” myself during the work day, but it’s become too frequent. I can feel the negative effects of the sugar and caffeine in these drinks on my mind and body, but I still crave them anyway! As we plan on starting a family I think it’s time to find some healthier “treat”  or “reward” options and get back to my healthier habits. As of last Friday, I’ve stopped drinking sodas and energy drinks. It’s definitely rough while my body is figuring out how to cope without all the sugar and caffeine, but it’ll pass!

A Comprehensive List of Disney Animated Movies

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Disney Animated Classics

1937    Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
1940    Pinocchio
1940    Fantasia
1941    The Reluctant Dragon
1941    Dumbo
1942    Bambi
1942    Saludos Amigos
1944    The Three Caballeros
1946    Make Mine Music
1946    Song of the South
1947    Fun and Fancy Free
1948    Melody Time
1949    The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
1950    Cinderella
1951    Alice and Wonderland
1953    Peter Pan
1955    Lady and the Tramp
1959    Sleeping Beauty
1961    One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1963    The Sword and the Stone
1967    The Jungle Book
1970    The Aristocats
1973    Robin Hood
1977    The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
1977    The Rescuers
1981    The Fox and the Hound
1985    The Black Cauldron
1986    The Great Mouse Detective
1988    Oliver and Company
1989    The Little Mermaid
1990    The Rescuers Down Under
1991    Beauty and the Beast
1992    Aladdin
1994    The Lion King
1995    Pocahontas
1996    The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1997    Hercules
1998    Mulan
1999    Tarzan
1999    Fantasia 2000
2000    The Emperor’s New Groove
2001    Atlantis: The Lost Empire
2002    Lilo and Stitch
2002    Treasure Planet
2003    Brother Bear
2004    Home on the Range
2009    The Princess and the Frog
2011    Winnie the Pooh


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Disney Computer Animated Classics

2000    Dinosaur
2005    Chicken Little
2007    Meet the Robinsons
2008    Bolt
2010    Tangled
2012    Wreck-it Ralph
2013    Frozen
2014   Big Hero 6
2016   Zootopia
2018   Ralph Breaks the Internet
2019   Frozen II
2021   Raya and the Last Dragon
2021   Encanto
2022   Strange World
2023   Wish


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DisneyToon Studios

1990    DuckTales: The Movie
1995    A Goofy Movie
2000    The Tigger Movie
2003    Piglets Big Movie
2005    Pooh’s Heffalump Movie
2008    Tinker Bell
2009    Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
2010    Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue
2012    Secret of the Wings
2013    Planes
2014    The Pirate Fairy
2014    Planes: Fire & Rescue


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ImageMovers Digital

2009    A Christmas Carol
2011    Mars Needs Moms


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Pixar

1995    Toy Story
1998    A Bug’s Life
1999    Toy Story 2
2001    Monster’s Inc.
2003    Finding Nemo
2004    The Incredibles
2006    Cars
2007    Ratatouille
2008    Wall-E
2009    Up
2010    Toy Story 3
2011    Cars 2
2012    Brave
2012    Monster’s University
2015    Inside Out
2015    The Good Dinosaur
2016    Finding Dory
2017    Cars 3
2017    Coco
2018    Incredibles 2
2019    Toy Story 4
2020    Onward
2020    Soul
2021    Luca
2022    Turning Red
2022    Lightyear
2023    Elemental
2024    Inside Out 2


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Tim Burton

1993    The Nightmare Before Christmas
1996    James and the Giant Peach
2012    Frankenweenie

30 Days of Meditation

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Yesterday I posted a challenge to myself to complete 30 Days of Yoga; no excuses, no exceptions. Today i’d also like to throw some more fuel on that fire and give myself another challenge to complete 30 days of meditation.

Sometimes I think about things a little too intently and I build up a lot of pent up anxiety about a wide variety of mostly meaningless topics. I think taking the time to clear my head and focusing myself each day will do a lot of good in my life.

To get myself started, I downloaded the Stop, Breathe, and Think app on my iPhone/iPad which provides different focuses of meditation based on how you’re feeling. You can either complete their self assessment exercise and they will recommend meditations for you or you can select your own without the assessment.

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30 Day Yoga Challenge

YogaApp.pngOnce, long ago, I was in the habit of practicing yoga every day. During that time, I felt better physically and mentally than I had in a long time prior. I miss that feeling and I want it back. The problem is, I’m lazy. I start again for a few days, then get bored or make excuses and fall off track.

So here it is, I’m going to do 30 days of yoga; no breaks, no excuses.

I use an application on my iPad called Yoga Studio.

Yoga Studio provides several “classes” per competency level, lasting different lengths and focusing on different goals. Just as an example, I can take a class for beginner strength lasting 30 minutes or mix 15 minutes of beginner combination with 15 minutes of beginner flexibility, depending on my attention span and how I feel.

Individually each of these practices are powerful in their own right and each serves a particular purpose. When practiced with intention and consistency, they develop stamina, strength, energy, flexibility and inner peace. Yoga has numerous health benefits including improvements in cardiovascular, musculo–skeletal and mental health.

At the end of my 30 day challenge, I will have (hopefully) created a good habit and continue practicing yoga without the need to create a challenge like this.

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Transistor Microreview

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Transistor Microreview – 19/20

Transistor, like it’s predecessor Bastion, is a beautiful product of the developers at Supergiant Games who are trying new things with each new game release. This game features a science fiction theme with an exceptional new combat system. I removed one star from the “fun factor” category because I felt like there was something ultimately missing to make this game perfection. I myself can’t quite figure it out, but I know it didn’t hold all of the same magic for me that Bastion did.

Take all of this with a grain of salt, however, because this game is still an incredible experience!

Comment below to start a conversation about this game!

Bastion Microreview

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Bastion Microreview – 20/20!

The art design, narration and music of Bastion, beautiful and unique to the SuperGiant name, caught and held my eye and ear. As much fun as I was had learning the story, then hacking and smashing through each level, the music really motivated me and I still listen to it outside of the game to this day.

Comment below to start a conversation about this game!

My Favorite E3 Announcments

Once upon a time, when I worked briefly as Jesse Cox’s assistant, I attended E3 for the first and only time. It was a fantastic experience for a starry-eyed gamer such as myself. Here were all of these brand new video game teasers and demos to preview, free memorabilia to collect and kindred spirits to experience it all with! Sadly I haven’t attended since, and I’m not sure if I ever will again, but I was able to follow along from home and here are the games I’m the most excited about:

Mass Effect Andromeda – March 2017

The Last Guardian – October 25th, 2016

Dishonored 2 – November 11th, 2016

Pyre – 2017

Telltale’s Batman – Summer 2016

Telltale The Walking Dead: Season 3 – Fall 2016

Skyrim Remastered

Other games that caught my attention:

Horizon: Zero Dawn – February 28th, 2017

Detroit: Become Human

There was a huge push for Virtual Reality this year, and while I would love to step into a game experience, I’m a little wary about purchasing one when they release. I’d like to see how others are feeling in regards to quality of system and the first games released before I take the leap.

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Microreview

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Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Microreview – 20/20!

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has now established itself as my personal favorite of the series. The graphics are fantastic and the music is beautiful, but the story and the relatable characters are what really struck a chord in me. The adventure is still there, with journals to consult and puzzles to solve, but they removed the supernatural element that was present in the first three games, and I appreciated it more.

Comment below to start a conversation about this game!