Looking For New Recipes

I read that you should limit yourself to 2-3 pasta dinners a week. It takes a while for the body to process all the carbs. The thing for me is that it is so easy to make a big batch of pasta and save them for lunches to take to work. So I am now on the lookout for an alternative. I recently checked out a book from work that has a lot of simple, quick and easy healthy recipes. I am hoping to try some of them out pretty soon. I will post my favorites after I give them a try.

Mid Week 7 Report

Last week I lost another 2 lbs. That brings my total weight loss to 24 lbs. since December 14, 2009. That is a total loss of 5.52%. This also means that I am only 6 lbs. away from matching the record at my doctor's office. (I can't believe I have not written about it!) Ok, so at my last doctor's visit he told me that the record for his office is that a patient of his lost 30 lbs. in two months. I looked at him and told him "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" So I plan to lose 30 lbs. or more in two months. At the end of Week 6 I am at 24 lbs. lost. That means I have to lose at least 6 lbs. in the next two weeks. I did it before in one week. I'm hoping I can do it again. I KNOW I can do it again.

So once I hit that mark, it's time to keep going for the next challenge: 60 lbs in four months. I am still going for my ultimate short term goal of losing 100 lbs. by June 15, 2010. If I keep this up, I am definitely heading in the right direction.

So how am I going to accomplish this?
Well, for starters I started keeping track of my calorie intake. I started keeping a food journal of everything I eat. I already have a food counter book I bought a while back.

  

It is Corinne T. Netzer's The Complete Book of Food Counts. This book has just about everything I need. I did realize that it was published in 2003, so it may be time to get a new one. I'll check the next time I'm at work.

What is your calorie budget?
According to The Biggest Loser book I've been reading, for individuals over 300 lbs. they need to stick to a daily calorie budget of 2100 cals. Basically, it's your current weight x 7. So for me, in order to lose weight I need to stick to 2100 cals. or less. So far I have been on track. I did go over on Tuesday by 126, but I was still under the rest of the days. To be honest, it's been kind of fun trying to keep track of the nutritional value of everything that's out there.  I love to learn and this is definitely a learning experience. More on calorie counting later.

RECAP:
Week 7 is looking pretty good. I've been working out really hard. I've been doing cardio every day so far. I did some work on the heavy bag in the garage. After four 3-min. rounds my arms felt like jelly! I've been drinking plenty of water, so I'm not worried about that. All my meals have been homecooked, except for the one time I had Subway for lunch. (Once my tax refund comes in, I'm hoping to get myself a $50 gift card over there so I KNOW I can have Subway from time to time.) My clothes are feelng looser. Everything is looking like I'm going to have a big number come the next weigh-in. I don't want to get my hopes up but I have a good feeling about it.

Just Passed A Milestone

As I have been losing weight, I keep having to tighten my belt a bit. I have been stuck on the second-to-the-last notch for quite some time. It has been that way for a couple of weeks now. Well, the other night at work I realized my pants were getting a bit loose and I finally had to go to the last notch. I had tried it before but it still felt a bit too tight. At the time I was not ready. But now I am. I noticed it again tonight, the same thing. I had the belt on the second-to-the-last notch and felt fine. I was walking around and working and felt comfortable. I knew the belt felt loose but it was manageable. Then when I had to put a PDT (Personal Data Transmitter) in my pocket, it felt like the pants were going to start going down. So I finally had to go to the last notch. I left it there for a while and felt fine. It didn't feel like it was choking me or anything. So now I am on the last notch. It's funny because when I wear jeans, I HAVE to take it to the last notch. It just took a while for me to get there with the work pants. They do have elastic in them and the pants' waist does feel a bit thicker.

Another great thing that happened was that I wore a shirt tonight that used to fit me pretty snug. It's the green shirt I bought at Wal-Mart I mentioned before. This time it felt really comfortable. It felt loose and everything. I even had a couple of ladies at work remark at how baggy my pants were looking. They did feel like there was a lot of room there. It felt like my legs were the clangers inside a bell.

So needless to say, I'm feeling pretty good right about now.

Chick Cacciatore - Biggest Loser Style

I saw this recipe on Tuesday's episode of The Biggest Loser. It looked really good. I think I'll try it one of these days.

Chicken Cacciatore

A Healthy Version of an Italian Favorite!

Aussie chef Curtis Stone whips up a healthy version of Chicken Cacciatore for the cast in Tuesday's episode. Here's the recipe!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

Four 4-ounce pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup onion, sliced thin

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 red bell pepper, cut into medium dice

2 cups button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

¼ cup red wine

2 cups Muir Glen diced fire roasted tomatoes (sodium free)

1 sprig thyme

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup broccoli, cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

5 kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped

1 cup steamed brown rice to serve

• Heat a large saucepot over medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan.
  
• Season the chicken with pepper and sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
  
• Remove the chicken to a plate and add the remaining oil to the pan.
  
• Saute the onions for 3 minutes stirring constantly, then add the garlic and bell peppers.
  
• Cook the garlic and peppers for 2 minutes and add the mushrooms.
  
• Cook the mushrooms for 4 minutes stirring often.
  
• Add the red wine and allow to reduce until almost dry.
  
• Add the tomatoes to the pot and stir well.
  
• Add the thyme, bay leaf and oregano.
  
• Bring to the simmer and reduce heat to low.
  
• Add the chicken back to the sauce and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
  
• Stir in all but one pinch of the parsley.
  
• To serve, spoon 1/4 cup of brown rice onto the center of a serving plate.
  
• Place one portion of chicken on top of the rice and spoon some of the sauce and vegetables over the chicken, repeat with remaining plates.
  
• Sprinkle a little of the chopped olives and remaining parsley over each plate of chicken and serve.
  

Nutrient Analysis – per serving:
Calories 300; fat calories 60; total fat g 7; sat fat g 1.5; chol mg 65; sodium mg 470; total carb g 25; fiber g 4; sugars g 8; protein g 30
Recipe courtsey of the the Biggest Loser Club weekly newsletter.

Week 6 - The Road Ahead

I just got back from the doctor's office. I did not have a dramatic weight loss like last week, but I did have a loss none the less. For week 5 I lost a total of 4 pounds for .96%. That brings my total weight loss to 22 lbs! That is a total of 5.06% weight loss. I am a little disappointed I did not lose more, but I have to remember that ANY weight lost is a positive thing. It's like they say on the show, one week you have huge numbers and the next not as much. It's because your body is trying to adjust to all the new physical activity.

So how am I going to try to get bigger numbers for next week?

For starters, Monday night before my weigh-in I did my version of a "last chance workout." It was pretty intense. I started off with the bootcamp workout from the Biggest Loser DVD. I then did about 18 minutes on the elliptical, 12 minutes running and a 4 and 2 minute warm up and cool down. I then went out to the garage and did four 3-minute rounds on the heavy bag. I then came back in and did three sets of 15 reps upright rows with a 20 lbs. dumbbell. This was followed by some triceps workout, three sets of 15 reps with 20 lbs. Finished of with some lower abdominal work, 1 set of 15 reps. I was exhausted by the end. My shirts were completely soaked with sweat. It was an awesome feeling!

As far as my meals are concerned, this is where I need to plan and be prepared. I already made my lunches to take to work for the week: one serving of wheat pasta with a low cholesterol sauce and beef. I also take a salad with a bit of shredded cheddar cheese and carrot sticks. I drizzle on a bit of a fat free Italian dressing and mix it all up. For snacks I usually take 1 - 2 apples, quartered and seeds removed. I made two batches of granola the other night so I take a bag (1 cup) and a fat free yogurt. I've been trying yogurt for a change to satisfy my sweet tooth. I'll sprinkle the granola in the cup with each bite. It is really delicious. Breakfast usually consists of one whole egg and 1 - 2 egg whites. I'll either put them on a whole grain English muffin or wrapped in a wheat tortilla. I also purchased some Jennie-O turkey bacon and fat free cheese. I'll either do two egg, bacon, and cheese muffins or three tacos of the same. I think I'll be cutting down to two tacos. That usually keeps me full and satisfied until lunch time. Dinner will usually be a cheeseburger with baked Lay's sour cream and onion flavored chips.

I would have loved to have seen a bigger number at the doctor's office. I cannot let the small number slow me down. I have to keep going and think of the bigger picture, the main goal I am trying to reach. I want to lose 100 lbs. in six months. I already have 22 gone. Only 78 lbs. more to go. If I can lose about 20 lbs. a month, I will definitely reach my goal. Keep thinking, "big picture, big picture, baby steps, baby steps. It will happen."

I am also not far from beating the self-imposed challenge at my doctor's office. The challenge was 30 lbs. in two months. I already lost 22 lbs. in 5 weeks. There is no doubt in my mind that I can lose 8 lbs. in three weeks. I can beat this challenge. I WILL beat this challenge.

What A Difference A Day Makes

A while back I bought some shirts at Wal-Mart. The thing is I NEVER buy shirts from Wal-Mart or any other store except Casual Male's Big & Tall. I have been buying all my clothes there for the past 14 years or so. But this one time I went to Wally World and found some shirts that were of a reasonable price and were in my size, 3X-Large. I got home and tried them on. Much to my dismay, they were a bit snug. They fit alright, but were just a bit too snug around the belly area. So I put them in my closet and have not worn them since.

That is until yesterday. I was getting ready for work and saw the 3X green shirt from Wally World. I decided to give it a try and put it on, buttoned it all the way up and had a look. It was still snug but in a comfortable way. The buttons didn't look like they were being stretched out anymore. It finally fit! It fit well enough for me to be comfortable wearing it out in public.

As I went about my day at work I did notice some things about the shirt. It was a 3X but not the kind of 3X I am used to. When I had to raise my arms up I noticed it was a bit restricting in the shoulders. When I sat down, that was when the buttons were holding on for dear life. So sitting down and arm raising were not the best positions at the moment. But to be able to wear a shirt out for the first time and bragging about it was an awesome feeling. My wardrobe is finally starting to open up and this is only the beginning.

DRAGO!!!

This one of the song that gets me pumped during my workouts:

"Heart's on Fire" by Joe Cafferty

Week 5 And Still Going Strong

I woke up this morning at 8:00 a.m. and decided I had to know how much I weighed. I had worked out all last week. I ate sensibly and healthy. I had to have lost something. So I got dressed in my workout clothes and headed over to my doctor's office. I was the first one there and STILL had to wait about 15 - 20 minutes. Typical.


So I finally get access to the scale. I set it to my last recorded weight of 425 lbs. Everything is in place and I step on the scale. I hear the "beep - beep - beep" from the Biggest Loser show playing in my head. As soon as I stepped on the needle moved. "Damn, it moved. I hope I didn't gain." But I didn't. The needle stayed down which meant I had to move the weight down. "tap - tap - tap" Stopped on 422. Still need to move down. Ok. "tap - tap - tap" Stopped on 420. STILL need to move down. "tap - tap - wait - tap" Stopped on 417 and the needle was right in the middle. That means I now weigh 417. I took a quick look at everything. "That marker is where it's supposed to be. That counter weight is where it's supposed to be. That marker stopped on 417 and the scale is balanced." I lost EIGHT POUNDS IN ONE WEEK! That's "Biggest Loser" numbers right there! I could not believe it. I got off the scale and had to take a long look at it. Yup, it said I had lost 8 lbs. It was one of the most amazing feelings I have ever had in such a long time. I did it. I AM doing it. I am losing weight! I updated my facebook status and received congratulations and words of encouragement all day long. I got home and jumped on that elliptical and ran for 28 minutes straight. I think I may have overdone it because my legs were hurting the rest of the day. I need to remember to start slow. I'm still in the early stages of this and don't want to over exert myself. My next cardio runs will be kept to about 20 - 25 minutes.


I was watching the latest episode of "The Biggest Loser" tonight. After the show their new weight, they get a percentage of how much they lost compared to what they weighed last week. So for me losing 8 lbs. from 425, that is 1.88%. So far I have lost 18 lbs. for a total percentage of 4.14%. Seeing these numbers and knowing the results only pushes me on and on. I know it is going to be rough but this is something I have to do. This is something I have to do for myself. No one is going to do it for me.

Something Different From Start To Finish

Today was the first time I attempted to do my exercises before I went to work in the morning. I had to be there at 8:00 a.m., so I woke up around 5:45 a.m. If you know me at all, you know that I am a night owl and NOT a morning person. But I did it. I got up, changed into my workout clothes, and did the weight and sculpting program from The Biggest Loser DVD. Then showered, changed, ate breakfast, gathered my lunch and snacks, and I was out the door.

I felt pretty good as I got going. I was surprised to realize I was not as sluggish as I usually am during my morning shifts. I used to keep yawing all through the morning way into mid-afternoon. Today, not a single yawn. (Of course until now when I started to think about it.) I have been drinking more that the recommended 8 glasses of 8 oz. a day. These past couple of days I have been eating every couple of hours and never felt hungry. I will normally take two apples, sliced into quarters, along with my lunch and a salad. I recently made my trail mix which I got the recipe from some website I cannot remember at the moment. So all that has kept me going these past few days. Then for dinner, it's usually something light and sensible. Tonight I tried something a little different:



That is grilled chicken with green beans and corn. I marinated the chicken for about an hour in apple cider vinegar with thyme, garlic salt, and fresh cracked pepper. The green beans came in a mushroom sauce and were steamed in the microwave. The corn was straight from the can, no salt added, but I added pepper. Not too bad, if I do say so myself. Altough, I think I added too much pepper to just about everythng. I'm not really a huge fan of the green beans, but I did enjoy them. Maybe a couple more times and I'll get a taste for them.

I feel I am finally getting a handle on this new way of living. It has taken some getting used to but I am coming to terms with it. I don't really have those urges to pig out and eat everything in sight. Yes, I would love a Burger King double whopper, but I know it's something I cannot have at the moment. So once I make that realization, the temptation isn't there anymore. The same thing goes for sweets and sodas. I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a soda. I think it might have been this past Christmas. That is very interesting. As for sweets, I was never really big into them so that has been an easy thing to cut out. Well, for instance, the other day at work someone had brought a huge brownie to share with everyone. I saw it and said it is something I cannot have right now and I was ok with that.

I am discovering I have a stronger willpower than I thought. I had cheated a bit now and then in the beginning, but I am already a month into this and I have made some serious changes. The other day when I went grocery shopping, I started to seriously look at labels and compare the regular type compared to the low cal, low fat version. I have also been reading one of the lastest books from The Biggest Loser series - The Biggest Loser: Simple Swaps.



I'm really learning a lot on what to eat that is a lot healthier for me and especially on how to prepare food in a healthier manner. For instance, when cooking eggs I now use one whole egg and two egg whites. This boosts the protein and cuts down on the fat and cholesterol. Throw in some bacon and a slice of low fat cheese and wrap it up in a wheat tortilla, and I have one hell of a tastey breakfast taco. I used up my remaining regular sausage and bacon, but I will be switching to turkey sausage and/or turkey bacon. There's even a recipe in one of the Biggest Loser books for a lean breakfast sausage. I am hoping to try that soon.

This new healthier way of eating is coming along little by little. My friends at work are really impressed with my progress and determination. They have been really supportive. I have also been receiving many words of encouragement from my friends on facebook. Not only am I motivating them to workout, they are motivating me in turn to keep it going. Because if I don't keep moving forward, I am just going to fall back into my old habits. That is something I no longer desire.

Why Am I Doing It?

WHY AM I TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT?

That's a question I have been trying to answer for a while. The main and best reason is I am doing it for me. I was tired of being tired. I would sleep all day then go to work in the afternoon. Other days I would come home and be on the computer all day and be doing nothing. The I would watch some TV and fall asleep on the couch. I just didn't feel like doing anything.

I finally decided to go to the doc and get myself checked out. I wanted to get some lab work done to see where I stood exactly. Turns out I had a vitamin D deficiency. My levels were WAY below the minimum standards. Also, my cholesterol had gone up. I kind of expected that since my breakfasts usually consisted of eggs, potatoes, bacon, and beans. AND I weighed 435 pounds. That is by far the heaviest I have ever been. I remember when I used to weigh under 360 and joked of becoming a full circle. (subtle math humor.)

I'm 36 years old going on 37 in June. If I ever needed a change it has to be now. I want to be able to enjoy life. Like the old song goes, I am "living without living." Once I become happier about who I am and how I feel, hopefully that will draw me towards the right woman for me.

The Ugly Truth Is Out There

My name is Rene Barrera and I weigh over 400 pounds. My last recorded weight was 425.

I have been talking to a few friends at work about my workouts. During the conversation, the question of how much I weigh has come up. I was a little embarassed to say but I have come to terms with it. "I weigh 425 pounds." The looks on their faces is of complete disbelief. They cannot believe it. "You don't look like you weigh that much. I would have guessed 300 to 350." Oh man, if only! But I always counter them with, "but not for long."

I am working really hard at it. I have been working out for the past month. I have eaten at Subway more in these past weeks than I ever have before. I'm reading The Biggest Loser books on what to eat and how to prepare it. I'm reading labels at the grocery store and buying a lot of wheat, low fat, and low calorie products. They actually taste pretty good. I'm preparing my meals and snacks for work. I try to eat every couple of hours. It keeps me full and satisfied throughout the day. I drink plenty of water. I never feel hungry.

This is a huge change for me and I think I'm doing pretty damn good so far.

Week 4 Comes To A Close

Since December 14 of last year I have been working out at least four to five days a week. This past Monday I weighed myself and I lost a total of 10 pounds so far. Weeks 2 and 3 were the most difficult because they fell on the Christmas and New Year's holidays. During that time I watched what I ate except for Christmas day and New Year's Eve. I could not deny myself these two days that I had been looking forward to all year. The good news was that I did maintain my workouts. If I missed a day, I doubled up the next day.

At the end of Week 4 I am proud to say that I continued my workout six days straight. I have been using my eliptical machine as a treadmill and have been "running" for long durations. I started off with 2-min. walks with 5-min. runs. The next cardio day I included two 10-min. runs for a total of 41 minutes. Saturday I ran for 22 minutes straight. It feels so good to brag about that. It may not seem like much to some, but that is a huge amount for me. If you read my previous post, you see how I got there.

Week 5 starts tomorrow. I am hoping to make it to the doctor's off for my weigh-in, but with my work schedule I am not sure if I can make it. If anything it will have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday. I do not want to wait another week. I need to know if my effort has paid off. I'm hoping it has.

My Playlist

I just came up with a song playlist for when I work out on the eliptical or the heavy bag. These songs really get me pumped up and moving. Maybe they will do the same for you.

• Proud by Heather Small
• Only the Young by Journey
• Heart's On Fire by John Cafferty
• Because We Can (from Moulin Rouge) by Fatboy Slim
• You're the Best Around by Joe Esposito
• Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
• Live to Win by Paul Stanley
• El Matador by Los Fabuloso Cadillacs
• A Little Less Conversation by Junke XL
• Thunderstruck by AC/DC
• Training Montage (from Rocky IV) by Vince DiCola

This playlist just kept me going through a 40-minute workout on the eliptical. I did two sets at 5-minutes then two sets at 10-minutes. It was the Fatboy Slim song that really pumped me up during the last bit of the first 10-min. run. During the walks I kept the RPMs to about the mid 40s. During the runs I kept the RPMs between 55 - 60.

It's just not for me

Last week I went to Gold's Gym to see what they had to offer. It is a really nice facility. They have tons of treadmills and other cardio machines, free weights and exercise machines, and a bunch of classes like yoga, spinning, and pump. They also have a full-size basketball court and two racquetball courts. There is a three lane swimming pool, hot tub, and a dry sauna. They even have a cardio workout room with a huge TV screen that shows movies all day!

They offered me a free 7-day trial membership to give it a try. So I went this morning after the weigh-in at the doc's office. After a few minutes in there, I realized I am not a gym type of guy anymore. I just did not feel comfortable there. I did 10 minutes on an eliptical machine. Then I went downstairs and did several reps on a few of the weight machines. It was nice to workout with weights again, but I just wasn't feeling it.

So I came home and popped in the Biggest Loser DVD. I am going to keep with my original plan and only do the DVD workouts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then on the other days I'll do 20 minutes or so of running on the eliptical plus some heavy bag work in the garage. I'll be including some weight work here and there with the 10 lbs. weights I have here. If I keep this steady pace, I should see some results over the next few weeks.

10 lbs. and counting...

I weighed myself at the doctor's office today. Since I could weigh myself last Monday, this weigh-in counts for the past two weeks. In those two weeks there was Christmas breakfast AND dinner, plus the last meal of 2009, and the New Year's Eve pizza and cupcakes. I KNOW! It was a pretty bad two weeks, but I'm getting back on track. There's no more distractions or major "food" holidays coming up over the next several months.

Before I jumped on the scale, I set it to what the scale said at my last weigh-in: 428. I jump on there and THANK GOD the needle did not move up. If so, that would have meant I gained weight. I tapped the weight a bit to the left and the needle jumped up a little. When it finally settled down it landed on 425. Three pounds lost in two weeks! I would have loved to have seen a bigger number, but that's not too bad considering the weeks I had.

Now it's back to the DVD workouts, running on the eliptical, and working out on the punching bag in the garage. My work schedule has already been set for the next 4 - 6 weeks so I can plan my workouts accordingly. The sucky part is that most of my shifts are mid-shifts, meaning they take up my entire day. Having to work 11-7 or 12-8 just ruins the whole day. There's not much time to do anything before going to work, and afterwards it's already time to settle down and go to bed. Forget trying to eat before 7:00 p.m. But enough of that. It's something I'm going to have to deal with and I will make it work.

Stuff I'm Going To Do

There are several major goals I would like to accomplish in 2010. As I have already mentioned in previous posts and my other blog, I intend to lose weight and strengthen my animation skills. There are also other things I would like to do. I want this blog to not be solely about my weight loss, but about the new and exciting discoveries I encounter over the coming year. Here are a few examples of what I have in mind:

Read a new book a month - I never really found much time to read a book. To be honest, I sometimes consider it a waste of time if I am not learning something. So needless to say, I don't read a lot of fiction. I usually read books about animation or film making. I had started reading concurrently a couple of biographies last year on Walt Disney. I did read "The Pixar Touch" with chronicled the history of the studio from its simple beginnings to "The Incredibles". So I plan to read either a new fiction or non-fiction book a month. For now, I may finish up one of the Disney biographies. I'll let you know later which title I chose.

Watch a new movie a week (DVD or theater) - This is something I can really get behind. I love movies and I love going to the movies. I do have a subscription to Netflix and I need to take full advantage. Not sure what kind of movies I would like to get into. There's always animated features and foreign films. To be honest, I actually have a couple that I own that I have not yet seen. So sounds like this is going to be an easy one.

**UPDATE** I've decided to make my first day off of the week from work my "new movie" day. Although I won't have the same day on a consistent basis, I will have at least one day a week set aside for a new movie. I think this will work out fine.

Get back into wines - Since I have cut back on my sodas, I need something other than water, fruit punch, and lemonade to quench my thirst. I recently tried a Reisling I have had in my fridge for the past couple of years. It was delicious! I also purchased a bottle of my favorite wine, a Reisling by Schmit-Soehne. That is pure heaven. After a glass or two it goes down just like water. There are a few other labels I have been wanting to try. Sounds like the perfect opportunity to give them a shot. Plus, I know a couple of friends that have expressed interest in wines.

Listen to more Jazz and "new to me" artists - I love jazz. I hate to say it but I have drifted away from it. I remember a time when I would come home, pop in a jazz CD and go about my day. At one time I would look through the latest issue of JAZZIZ magazine and scope out the reviews of the new releases. If one of them peaked my interests I went out and bought it, sight unseen. I was never disappointed. The other day at work we had it on the jazz station. I was just digging some of the tunes coming from it. So I grabbed my phone and opened an app that can ID a song just by listening to it for 10 seconds. I picked up about 15 new songs. I'm listening to a few of them now and they are just amazing. Some of them are Horace Silver, Art Pepper and Cal Tjader.

Learn more of the guitar and music theory in general - This is one thing I have been wanting to do for quite some time. My father has recently been getting me back into playing the guitar. This past Christmas, he and I played backup for my cousin while she played a Christmas song on her flute. It was a lot of fun and the first time I played in front of other people. I only know the basic chords right now. I also have several guitar tab books from the Dave Matthews Band, Jack Johnson, and an "easy tab" book on the Beatles.
And then I'd like to learn more about music theory. Here is where I want to learn more about music and how it is created. Why certain notes sound the way they do when combined with other notes. Which notes when played together sound good and which sound not so good. What makes up a chord and what are the different variations of that same chord.

Draw! Draw! Draw! - This is one item that belongs here and with my "Animation" resolutions. I used to love to draw but never really found the time nor place to do it. The only type of drawing I've done recently have been the storyboards for my short film. Before that it was for the sketchbook assignments for class. The last time I remember going out and sketching was back in 2007. This is something I have to do. I need to build up my drawing skills, not only for my animation eye,but for the creative soul inside of me that has been shut in for so long.

Sounds like this is going to be one busy year of great discovery!