Fit & Cosplay Equipped

Between college courses, work and church I make time for exercise and cosplay. My bucket list is a toolkit equipped with foam, cloth, patterns, dumbbells, weights, thimbles and more. So swim, bike and run with me as I prepare for the first triathlon of my life.

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So funny! Keep watching after first credits for it to get better.

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Amazing Spiderman 2 Cosplay Changes

Sometimes plans change and morph into a completely different form. There have been several changes within the group I am cosplay with for the Amazing Spiderman 2.

First off… Electro might have to completely rethink his costume because he might not be able to apply face paint to his face due to theater policies.

Secondly, one of the electro’s (in the beginning there were two) has decided to not go as electro and is looking into another character.

Thirdly, our Rhino cosplayer has decided to go as Gwen Stacy… Quite a big change from the huge, angry, Russian Mobster to the petite, sweet, love interest.

However, Spiderman, Sandman, and Falicity Jones’ character will still be go as they had planed. Spiderman has started looking for his suit, which is helpful and Sandman is looking for his striped shirt. In some aspects there have been no changes, as with my cosplay, Falicity Jones’ character. No updates have been made and her costume/outfit has no been revealed. I am still unsure of what superhero/villain she is playing. ASM2 will be released in theaters internationally beginning on April 16, 2014, and domestically on May 2, 2014. Hopefully, international viewers will spoil the release domestically in relation to Falicity Jones’ character. Marc Webb and Jones’ has confirmed that she is wearing a costume in the Amazing Spiderman 2, so hopefully some pictures of her costume are released before May so I can build a costume.

Separate from the ASM2, I am contemplating cosplaying for the new Captain America movie, the Winter Soldier. I’ll post my thoughts on the Winter Soldier cosplay soon!

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After completing a workshop and taking my AFAA Personal Fitness Training Certification, I have been offered a job as a personal trainer at Wichita State University. I am excited about this opportunity and am already in contact with my first client through Wichita State.

This is a great opportunity and I am looking forward to helping people reach their fitness goals. Wichita State University is a diverse campus, which serves many nontraditional students so I will have many different clients. It has gain notoriety recently though its basketball teams’ success.

Working as a personal fitness trainer will be rewarding because I will be able to show my clients how they have improved throughout our time together. We all are striving towards a fitness goal and I will be helping those that enlist my services meet theirs goals.

I will receive the results from my AFAA PFT Certification hopefully before Easter but it could take up to a month after that. When I receive my results I will share them.

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Adoptions at the Kansas Humane Society

As promised, Wayne Jiang, Kerstin Huffman, and I have practiced honing our video skills by making a video for the Kansas Humane Society on the process of adoption in order to increase adoptions and sooth worries about adoption qualifications. The people at the Kansas Humane Society are wonderful and very helpful. If anyone is looking to adopt an animal, I would direct them to a local humane society.

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Activity Updates

Cosplay Update: It is determined that one of the guys going to the Amazing Spiderman 2 midnight premier cannot apply his face paint, even though he is an artist, because he cannot see his face without his glasses to paint his face. This is an issue but will be solved by someone applying the paint to him.

AFAA Certification: Tomorrow is the first day of the three day certification program to become a Personal Fitness Trainer. It will be interesting and challenging. I’m looking forward to it with eager anticipation.

Lifeguard Certification: I have signed up for a certification program in April.  After looking up the swimming test aspects, I have begun to practice for the swim test. I am already American Red Cross First Aid, CPR, and AED certified on infants, children and adults and am excited to be working towards being more prepared to preserve/save lives if necessary.

Triathlon Training: Last week I swam with a master swim club. It was intense and exhausting; I loved it. The instructor was wonderfully in helping to improve my form and efficiency. I have a lot of work to do on my technique and I am trying to fit master swim practices into my weekly routines.

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AFAA Personal Fitness Training Certification

I have always enjoyed helping people strive for their personal and fitness goals. This weekend I will be participating in an Aerobics and Fitness Association of America’s (AFAA) Personal Fitness Training Certification Program to help more people reach their personal fitness goals and aspirations.

The program is an intense 3 day activity with both a written and practical exam. I am excited for this weekend because I have been told that the presenter will be wonderful. All of the information will be useful and interesting to personal fitness training. I am looking forward to this challenge so that I will be certified to help others reach their objectives!

If you, or someone you know, is interested in an AFAA PFT Certification then visit: http://www.afaa.com/301.afa

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Adoption at the Kansas Humane Society

Searching for a new furry friend? Well the Kansas Humane Society is the perfect place to look. KHS is a privately funded, non-profit animal shelter organization.  Once arriving at the Kansas Humane Society, prospective adopters are asked to fill out an adopter’s survey.  This survey is only one page and will help the KHS staff understand what type of pet they’re looking for, as well as help them determine which animals might suit their lifestyle. Once completed, adopters are encouraged to walk around the shelter to view all of the animals. The building is broken down into three sections; one for dogs, one for cats, and one for small animals such as: rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, and birds.

When prospective adopters find the animal or animals that they would like to meet, then all they have to do is inform an adoption counselor at the front desk. The counselors will set them up in a private visiting room with the interesting fellow for some quality time. Each animal has their own personality and is unique so this is the time for each party to socialize and get to know each other.

Having found the perfect addition to their family, their counselor will discuss the specific needs of the pet you selected. KHS is dedicated to sending animals home to households that will be able to meet their needs. After finishing all of the paper work and making a donation, one gets to take their new family member home!

If one is not interested in adding a new member to their family, they can still go to the humane society and play with the animals! There is an open cat room where visitors are welcome to walk in and play with the cats in the room. Another option is volunteering at KHS. In order to be a volunteer, there are a few required classes in order to become a certified volunteer. Once one is certified, they can then go whenever they want and play with and take care of the animals.

Wayne Jiang, Kerstin Huffman, and I have decided to hone our video skills by making a video for the Kansas Humane Society on the process of adoption in order to increase adoptions and sooth worries about adoption qualifications. The video will be released in the coming weeks so check back soon!

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Join the End It Movement

Together we can End It! Let’s be the generation to stand up for the 27 million men, women, and children trapped in slavery around the world. Brothels, factories, mines, street corners, and homes across the world enslave human beings against their wills. Both in the shadows, hidden and out in broad daylight, in plain sight here in America. Stand up, raise your voice, use your influence and join the fight for Freedom!

Show your support by placing a red X on your hand today, Feb. 27, and contributing to the fight against slavery!

To get involved visit the End It Movement website.

Find the End It Movement on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and make a difference!

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March Races Near Wichita, KS

There is a race event for everyone! I’m not talking about 100m, 400, or relay although that is true as well.

Races come in different lengths, in different locations, and for different causes. For example the Run 2 Believe race, seen below, was created to celebrate the lives of Kylie Jobe and Kyle Thornburg, while taking a stand against drinking and driving. Generally, each race has a specific purpose or charitable event which it sponsors each year. This is why there is a race for everyone because each person can find at least one race which sponsors something they support and has a course length that works for them. Here are some race options for March near Wichita, Kansas.

March 1: Saturday 8:30 am 1st Annual cardinal Charge (5k and 1 mile) @ High School back (north) lot, Sedgwick, KS

March 8: Saturday 9 am Sand Creek Trail (5k and 1 mile run) @ Sand creek Trail, Bethel College, 300 East 27th St., North Newton, KS

March 15: Saturday 8 am Fifth Annual St. Patrick’s Day (5k) @ Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, KS

March 15: Saturday 9 am Shamrock Shuffle (4 mile) @ City Hall – Campbell Dr., Haysville, KS

March 15: Saturday 8:30 am Go Green Leprechaun Chase (10k and 2mile) @ Dyck Arbortum of the Plains, 177 W. Hickory, Hesston, KS

March 15: Saturday 9 am Run for the Green (4-miler and 1 mile) @ Schmidt-Bickle Training Facility-Corner of Elm & Ash, Hays, KS

March 16: Sunday 10 am 5thAnnual St. Patrick’s Day Party & Run at the Dave Hammer Memorial (4 mile) @ The Waterfront at 13th and Webb Rd. Wichita, KS

March 22: Saturday 9 am Run 2 Believe (5k) @Maize high School-11600 W. 45th St. N., Maize, KS

March 29: Saturday 8 am April Fools’ Day 5k and 1 Mile Fun Run @603 E. Central, Andover, KS

March 29: Saturday 8 am Inaugural Wicked Marathon (26.2 miles) @ historic Military Trail Road, Wamego, KS - online registration, marathon website, course map, additional information

March 30: Sunday 8 am Bark Aid (5k and 1 mile Fun Run/Dog Walk) @ Sedgwick County Park, 13th St. Entrance, Wichita, KS - register

If you are able, then I hope that you participate in at least one of these great races. Just remember that there is a race for everyone!

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Zumba with Christina

As promised, I edited the raw interview video and audio files, and b-role video to demonstrate the importance of editing while sharing a popular and fast growing form of exercise. Christina Gregory has been teaching Zumba fitness since 2010, and is currently teaching at Wichita State University for  Campus Recreation through Shocker Fitness.

Zumba is fun and growing in popularity. It is also a global form of exercise that is influenced and changed by each participant. If you have never tried Zumba, then I suggest you do, at the very least it is a change and will keep things interesting. Burnout is a terrible experience but the versatility of Zumba discourages burnout, unlike other forms of exercise.

Editing is important, even for a little project like this video. In a previous post, I shared some of the raw video feed from this interview with Christina. The quality and presentation of the video increases phenomenally with just the simple video and audio editing I did. Hopefully, you learned the importance of editing while enjoying information about Zumba!

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With summer just around the corner, it is time for lifeguard training to begin. This year I am going to complete a lifeguarding certification. The two most recognized lifeguard certifications in the U.S. are through the American Red Cross and the YMCA. Most areas offer both certifications with multiple sessions this time of the year. Both programs teach the necessary lifesaving skills and offer similar swimming tests. Red Cross seems to be more versatile and accepted globally for the most part. However, many YMCA’s hold Red Cross certification courses and many YMCA’s will hire their program graduates if they feel confident in their abilities. I am looking at both programs as possibilities and looking forward to being lifeguard certified!

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Amazing Spider Man 2 Cosplay Update

The midnight premier of Amazing Spider Man 2 (May 1 in the US) is fast approaching. I suggest checking out the resent Amazing Spider Man 2 “Official ‘Enemies Unite’ Extended Trailer which I thought was interesting.

Costume developments so far are:

Electro: Blue face paint via Amazon has arrived for the blue skin tone. The light blue face paint for the veins/arteries and highlights also arrived. LED’s are accounted for and shoes are assembled for the costume.

Rhino: Construction on helmet and facial horn has started. Cosplayer is considering a form of Paper Mache for the horn due to its shape/curve in multiple areas.

Sand Man: Looking for khaki pants and a green and black striped shirt. Cosplayer is still contemplating options for his giant sand fist.

Felicity Jones (actress): Character details have not been released yet but additional research is being collected on Black Cat and Menace. Neither Black Cat nor Menace has been confirmed, but Ms. Jones has confirmed that she is wearing a costume in the movie.

Spider Man: Cosplayer needs to measure himself then order his Spider Man body suit.

If the electro cosplayer agrees, I will make a video of him applying his electro face paint. I also want to shoot and edit a video of the Rhino costume construction because the process will be easier to understand visually. Stay tuned for updates!

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Raw Feed of Zumba with Christina Gregory

This week I interviewed Christina Gregory, a Zumba instructor for Wichita State University. I wanted to demonstrate how editing makes a large difference when making videos so this is a bit of the raw interview feed and B-roll which I filmed. The audio is terrible with camera sounds, background noise, and such but I recorded audio separately so that will not be an issue during the final product. I will finish the final video covering my interview with this fantastic Zumba instructor sometime next week and will post it shortly thereafter.  Editing is a wonderful tool that should be incorporated in any media project and this point will be made blaringly clear when I post my final interview video with Christina. The differences between the raw footage and the edited video will be interesting and extreme, so be sure to check back frequently.

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Swimming Advice

Swimming is a life skill as well as a sport. Having knowledge about swimming can save not only your own life, but that of others as well. This is why I have decided to give some swimming advice…

For Beginners:

Always swim with a lifeguard present for safety. It is helpful to take a swimming class with instructors who have experience with this activity. Most local pools, athletic centers, colleges, and school offer swimming classes, if they facilitate a pool. Start slow with short distances and really work on your form. Once you have the basics down, you can challenge yourself by swimming faster or swimming for longer distances/periods at a time.

Having almost drowned 3 times before I took a swimming class in college, I suggest that you discuss with your instructor how comfortable you feel in different depths of the pool. A good place for beginners to star, depending on their age, is with their shoulders out of the water when they stand. If you don’t feel comfortable or are unsecure at the depth that you are swimming in then change lanes or ask your instructor to move you to shallower water. If you find yourself in a position where you can’t touch the floor, do not panic, swim toward a landline (the lines that divide lanes in lap pools), swim toward the nearest wall, or yell for help if you are really in trouble.

For Intermediates:

Always swim with a lifeguard present for safety. As an intermediate, you are comfortable and you know the basics but there is always room for improvement. Focus on improving your form, strength train your arms with pull buoys, perfect your kicks by using a kickboard, and always challenge yourself with tougher goals. It is important to practice all of the strokes and kicks, so make sure to include them in your workouts.

For Experienced:

Although water is your home, always be careful and swim with a lifeguard present. Take the necessary precautions when in open water. Improvements to form, speed, and stamina are possible even at high levels but this requires patience, practice and hard work. You should search for a master, or experienced swim team near you and if there is not one, then consider creating one of your own. Swimming with others can motivate and inspire you to improve. Do not be afraid to try new workouts, equipment, or techniques. Also, you have tons of knowledge that would helpful to other swimmers so share advice and recommendations, if you feel comfortable doing so. Remember, the water is your playground and you can invite other to join in the fun! Share your passion and inspire others so that this sport continues strong.

Hopefully, this advice was helpful. Just remember that there is always room for improvement and that practice makes perfect. To improve swimming, you should be swimming at least 3 times a week. Swimming can be relaxing or rigorous depending on the type of workout but any type of water exercise helps to tone the entire body. So, grab your goggles and swimming suit for a rewarding full body workout and enjoy yourself!

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Yesterday, I was asked what can help motivate new runners during a run. I believe that everyone is different and that each person is motivated by something unique. Thus, in response to this question, I asked a question of my own, which was “What motivates, inspires, and rejuvenates you?” Everyone is motivated by something different and truly unique and this individual’s motivation comes from the music she listens to.

                Since music motivates her, as long as the music is upbeat and uplifting, I suggested that she listen to encouraging upbeat songs. The motivating and encouraging words of songs can increase the amount of time and distance people choose to run which is fantastic. Instead of only running 5 minutes maybe a particular song suggests that you set bigger goals and strive to meet them. A listener could decide to run 10 or 20 minutes to fulfill the challenge that the song set. Also, encouraging songs such as Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) can influence runners to press through panting, pain, and sweat to meet their distance goals. The pace of most good running songs is quick; this generally persuades people to increase their pace to match the beat of the music, increasing the run all together. It is amazing what the power of music can do!

                After first suggesting some songs, I found an article online that I enjoyed called The Top 100 Running Songs of All Time by Nicole Nichols. The songs which I suggested happen to be included in this list of running songs. If music motivates you and you like to run or would like to run, I suggest that you run with these types of music. They inspire, motive, uplift, and create enthusiasm for the sport while in motion.

                However, not everyone is as motivated by music, which is why it is important to understand what motives you. Do not give up, do not give in, resist the urge to quit, press through to the goal, and afterwards look back at what you have achieved with pride then immediately look forward and set a higher goal.

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After editing audio from an interview with Matt Cecil which I posted last week, I decided to put a video together to accompany the audio. Matt Cecil is the director of the Elliot School of Communication at Wichita State University and as well as a published author.

Matt’s first book, Hoover's FBI and the Fourth Estate: The Campaign to Control the Press and the Bureau’s Image, will be released to the public this month. For more information about his book please visit http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/cechoo.html. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, amazon and ebay have the book in stock currently.

“A rare book—enormously entertaining and scrupulous scholarship. A major contribution to our understanding of J. Edgar Hoover, America's modern-day Machiavelli. Cecil has the facts behind the FBI legend, and they are fascinating.” —Tim Weiner, author of Enemies: A History of the FBI

For this video, I first edited the raw audio feed that Kevin Keplar recorded during the interview with Matt Cecil. Then I used imovie to match pictures with the audio and exported the file as a movie. After that, I added background sound to allow the piece to flow more smoothly with Windows Live Movie Maker. The lovely music, Prelude No. 1, was provided by Chris Zabriskie a talented musician from his album Preludes (2009). Chris’s website http://chriszabriskie.com/ has additional music and information about this talented artist if you are interested.

In the future, I will be creating more videos about physical fitness, cosplay construction, and community involvement, as well as interviews of experts in these fields. I hope that you enjoyed the video and have a nice day!

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Amazing Spiderman 2 Cosplay

My friends and I are cosplaying for the midnight premier of the Amazing Spiderman 2 movie, which is released May 2. The midnight showing is actually on May 1, this was confusing to some in our group but the premier is generally the night before the movie is actually released (May 2). At the moment, six people, including myself, are planning on cosplaying in our group and will represent many characters with in and out of the movie.

This is very exciting because we are all eagerly anticipating its release!

Two of the guys are dressing as electro, complete with face paint, shaved heads, LED lights and for one of them pressure sensitive LED’s attached to his shoes. The LED’s located on the shoes will probably be triggered by the owner’s pressure placed on a switch which will be wired through the sole of the shoes. The other LED’s will be sewn, glued or otherwise attached into the inner edge of the hood of a black jacket. This will light up the cosplayer’s faces to highlight their face and neck paint. The LED’s will also add drama and attract attention to both cosplayers. Electro has been characterized as the main villain for the Amazing Spiderman 2 and he looks fierce as you can see below.

Secondary villain, Rhino, will be recreated by a fellow female cosplayer and dear friend. Although Rhino is a male in the show, this cosplayer will be recreating his armored suit which is a serious challenge. First the construction alone will require months of hard work and secondly this armored suit has not been built, even for the movie. While filming, the actor Paul Giamatti, playing the bull-headed Russian mobster called Aleksei Sytsevich, wore a pre-CGI suit shown below. Many detail of this suit are not clear. In order to make this cosplay a success there will be quite a bit of work which I am happy to assist her with!

Another villain, Sand Man, will be cosplayed by a male member of our group. Even though he is not in the Amazing Spiderman 2 movie, this character will fit right in with those familiar with the comics. The costume will be fairly simple with a green and black striped shirt, tan/Khaki pants, and boots. To increase the complexity this cosplayer is thinking about crafting an arm extension that will resemble a large sand first. This extension will be attached to his arm and look as if ‘Sand Man’ has formed a giant fist out of sand to pummel an opponent with. The arm extension might look like the picture shown below, or it could be larger and completely different.

Unconfirmed is my cosplay persona. I will be cosplaying as the actress Felicity Jones, but her character within the film has not been released. The current speculation is that she will be playing the character of Black Cat or Menace. At the moment, pictures of her alter ego within the movie have not been released. However, I will find out and put together her costume before the premier. Below are pictures of Menace (green) and Black Cat (black).

Last but certainly not least is the star of the show, Spiderman. A tall, thin, and leanly muscled man will act the part premier night. His costume will be ordered online and will probably be finished before anyone else. If needed, I will fit the body suit to him but I do not foresee any issues if the correct size is ordered.

In our little group of six, we have most of the villain in the movie, an additional villain, and Spiderman himself. Varying in difficulty, each costume will be interesting and personalized for the individual underneath the face paint, armor, and masks. Welcome to my current cosplay project and I will be posting again soon on the progress that has been made with each character. The newest trailer for the Amazing Spiderman 2 can be viewed on youtube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmaI1nInDOs.