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raging-violets · 4 years

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Stargirl: At All Hours // Rick Tyler

By: Rhuben

Words: 2,829

Note: Kind of a character study for Rick Tyler. This all came together after noticing that Rick walked everywhere.

Also found on: AO3 and FFN

Summary: Rick Tyler has the weight of the world on his shoulders. A weight he never asked for. Managing his grief and anger over his parents' sudden death, his schoolwork, fixing his car to have some sort of reliable transportation, and the nightly calls to pick up his unruly uncle from the bar always had him on the move.

Rick settled back in his chair, one arm draped over the back, and peered up at Principal Bowin unperturbed. His stomach growled. Principal Bowin’s eyebrows lifted. Letting out a humorless laugh, he parted his lips and said, “It’s a stupid box of candy. Barely anyone in this school likes it, let alone buys it.” He used his index finger to jab at the desktop. “It’s on that cart, day after day, and no one touches it.”

“That doesn’t mean you can just take it. Nothing in this life is free, Mr. Harris.”

“Whatever.”

Principal Bowin pursed her lips. She crossed her arms over her chest. A moment later she clasped her hands together in front of her. A tight smile came to her face. She wasn’t going to press the issue any further. It never made a difference. “Maybe you could use this time to think about your actions today.” She then turned on her heels and strode out of the detention room.

Sighing through his nose, Ricky slumped down in his seat. Tilting his head back towards the ceiling, he placed his hands over his face before he pushed his fingers into his hair. A stupid box of Nutty Buddys. That’s what this was all about. He was hungry, didn’t want a stupid room-temperature pre-made “for the kids who can’t afford a lot” sandwich that’s been sitting out all morning. So, he took a box of candy. Big deal. He’d think about his actions all right. He’d think about how he had little money after buying his lunch in the first place, and no one would think twice about a box of candy just sitting out in the open.

It’d last him until the morning, at least. At most, until the next time his uncle Matt could pull himself together long enough to get to the grocery store. Even then, however much he’d manage to get was dependent on how much he spent at the bar each night. It wasn’t the healthiest option, he knew, but it tasted good. The chocolate, the peanut butter, all wrapped around that layer of wafer. Absolutely mouth-watering.

And, it was a nice change from another bowl of ramen. They were even running out of that.

Pulling his gaze from the ceiling, Rick leaned forward in his seat and folded his arms on his desk. He stretched his lower back as he settled his chin on his arms. He flickered his eyes towards the trickle of students coming to serve their own detention, before setting them back onto the chalkboard at the front of the room. Bring your schoolwork. He snorted. As if anyone could focus on their schoolwork when just about everything else was so much more important. Like getting something to eat. His stomach growled again, and he pressed his fist into his stomach.

His days always started about five in the morning. Climbing out of bed, first thing he’d do was pack his bookbag of all the textbooks and the homework he half-finished the night before that lay strewn about his bed. Maybe a pen would be stuck to his cheek. A page ripped out of his notebook from where his leg was strewn across it. A textbook laid across his chest, heavy. It was better, he came to understand, to come to school with some of his homework done than to not bring it at all. It lessened the disappointed stares, and the “I know you can do better” head shakes he would get in response to his mumbled explanation of doing his best. When he bothered to give an explanation at all, anyway.

Quietly stepping into the living room to make sure his uncle was still sleeping, let alone still breathing, Rick would pick up the half-eaten plates of food, crunch over the chips that lay strewn across the carpet, and jostle the cans of Red Bull that sat atop the coffee table – at some point in the night, it had been shoved out of its usual position. Once the mess was cleared away, he’d set out a new, clean glass of water and some aspirin before shaking his uncle awake.

“Wha-whatsgoinon?” Matt asked, managing to lift an eyelid with what Rick could only guess was with great effort.

“Get up,” Rick would reply shortly, swinging his arm out of the way to avoid the slap or punch Matt would aim his way. He had learned to anticipate some aspect of retaliation over the years after showing up at school with a black eye and a cut cheek on a handful of occasions. Most times, Matt usually managed to succeed in a swing and a miss, knocking himself to the floor. Rick had also learned to keep his distance between himself and the nauseous smell of unbrushed teeth and stale alcohol breath…and whatever Matt might have possibly thrown up in the middle of the night. “Get in the shower.”

“Don’ tell me what to do,” Matt grumbled, tucking his arms underneath his chest to push himself up into a seated position. “Get out of my way.”

“Aspirin,” Rick said, indicating the white pills on the table, “Water. Knock yourself out.” Then, he would turn and leave his uncle to his own devices. After taking a quick shower, while there was still warm water, he’d throw on a pair of jeans with faded oil stains (though, he wasn’t sure he even owned anything that wasn’t oil stained by now), grab his shoes that seemed to soak up every inch of water whenever it rained, and throw on a long-sleeved shirt that was starting to stretch out at the collar. He’d step outside to continue his, seemingly, never-ending work on his car.

The very same car his dad had given him a model of the night he died. The model that sat in the center of his dresser. That was clutched tightly in his hand during his funeral. Often he wondered how far he’d be in restoring the old car by now if he had his father there to help him.

It had taken him ages to save up the money to buy the parts he needed. Whenever his uncle remembered to give him allowance for the chores he did around the house, he was able to slowly accrue the parts bit by bit. Luckily, with Blue Valley’s junkyard he was able to get the parts at a decent price – as long as the right sizes and pieces could be found. Even with the fancier cars driving around town, it could be hit or miss at times. With his own interest in fixing cars, he at least didn’t have to worry about the cost of labor – and the occasional library book helped him whenever he got stuck enough (always returned on time to avoid any overdue fines).

He could work for an hour or two before his uncle really managed to get himself up for the day.

Once it was clear his uncle Matt was awake and ready for the day, in the shower or changing in his room, Rick would slip back inside in search for something to eat for breakfast. If there was anything at all. Sometimes there were cold leftovers he could scrounge together. A potato or half-eaten two-day old pizza or something. Sometimes they even had enough milk for a bowl or two of cereal. Toast wasn’t out of the question; the bread was pretty good at settling his stomach from how long it had been since he had last eaten anything.

When Matt was ready to leave for the day, Rick would already be back working on his car. Trying to stay out of the way as much as possible. The car never talked back, at least not with words. Whatever sound it decided to make when he attempted to start it was a pretty good indication of what the next step was in his attempt to bringing it to life. Or lack of sound as the case may be. But all parts had a place, working together to give it motion.

So much unlike the two of them.

Rick was never even offered a ride into town to get to school. And he learned not to ask for it lest he wanted to get the same scathing look he had received every day since the funeral. It was Rick’s fault Matt wasn’t a billionaire. Rick’s fault they weren’t living within their means. Rick’s fault that Matt had to leave whatever it was he was doing to talk to the principal, again, about his anger. The reason why life was hard. The reason why he drank. The reason why he had to go into town every single day in an attempt to find a job lest their $50,000 run out.

If he’s even looking for a job, Rick would think with a roll of his eyes as he watched dust kick up from the rotating tires of Matt’s truck. He’d watch him disappear down the long dirt driveway, a small part of him hoping that it wouldn’t ever return. But, with the house finally his, he’d clean up the living room, remove as much dirt and grime from his face, hands, and clothes as he could, (and when he couldn’t he’d don his dark jacket), and leave to start his long walk to school with his backpack hanging loosely off his shoulder.

Maybe he’d make it to school on time. Maybe he’d show up a few, ten, or fifteen minutes late. Maybe he’d never show up. Maybe one day he could walk right past that tree. But for now, he’d always stop to pay his respects. To mark off another day on this earth without his parents. Another day where his anger churned and roiled so deep inside him, he wasn’t sure if he would ever learn what it was like to just be normal. To not feel like punching out the lights of the first person that looked at him sideways. Or even worse, that pitied him and still did nothing to help. No one ever asked how he was feeling. If he was alright.

He wasn’t. He never would be.

School wasn’t anything he ever really tried hard at. He tried hard not to fall asleep at his desk, sure. He tried hard to stop his stomach from growling so loudly. If he got to school early enough to buy what was left of a breakfast, usually a piece of fruit, it helped a little. There just wasn’t anything of interest he was studying – math was never hard for him, not with how smart his dad was. Blue Valley was a small town, one that most people never really left. And most people didn’t expect him to get into college, anyway. So, why even bother?

Lunch time wasn’t any better. Between forcibly being sequestered at the “Singles” table, listening to Beth Chapel blather on and on and on about whatever to her parents (and she could talk about anything), and Yolanda Montez who would just sigh every few minutes while mindlessly spearing at her salads, it was enough to drive anyone crazy. Still, day after day, he took his usual seat and sat in silence. (He trained himself not to look at the good food Beth seemed to bring in every day –perfectly portioned for herself, not enough to share; not that he’d ask – but through it.) Even if they didn’t talk to each other, there was some comfort in not having to sit by himself anymore. Not that he’d say that out loud. Ever.

Then after school, if he managed not to get a detention that day, he’d start the long trek home, stopping by the local general store for a soda. An energy drink. Anything with enough sugar or caffeine to wake him up long enough to attempt to work on his homework as soon as he got home. However much he could get through with their crappy Wi-Fi. When it got too much, he’d take a break and work on the car again. Dinner was spent by himself. And the people on the TV greeted him with a new episode of whatever hit TV show was airing at the time. Whichever shows he could get on the basic package of cable they could afford. Still, Rick would just flip through the channels, letting his mind wander.

Waiting.

Then he would get the call. “Hey, man, you need to come pick-up your dad. He’s not doing well.” Not doing well. Got into a fight. Threatened to have the police called on him. It didn’t matter. That meant he had to make another trek back into town. Another trip where no one would stop long enough to see if he wanted a ride. Once in Blue Valley he’d have to fight to pull Matt away from the bar, forcing the keys out of his hand, and drive him back home where he would only make it as far as the couch before he passed out. Or the call wouldn’t come, and he’d get back to his homework, trying to stay up, making sure his uncle returned safely only to be jolted awake by the front door crashing open and Matt’s grumbling as he managed to stumble his way inside.

Wash.

Rinse.

Repeat.

But today, there was a small change in his day. Enough to pull him out of autopilot and take notice. Not enough for him to care. Just notice. Today, there was a new girl at school: Courtney. He didn’t know who she was, but the whole school seemed to know she was new. After all, they had all grown up in Blue Valley together. They knew who a familiar face was and who wasn’t.

She wasn’t familiar. She was …too blonde? Too cheerful? Definitely the cheerleader type. And she wanted to join them. At their lunch table. And she was another one that wanted to talk.

He wasn’t about talking. He wasn’t about explaining to anyone knew why he was at the table, why he was considered one of them, the “losers” as Beth had called them. He wasn’t about getting that “I’m so sorry” look of pity again. So, he left. And he grabbed a box of candy on the way out. He was just freaking starving.

Think about my actions? Rick thought with a smirk. Yeah right. Why didn’t everyone else just stop and think for a minute as to why he could possibly do something like this? Then again, everyone thought he was a delinquent, so why not play into that? Be the guy they all thought he was. He knew he had a good reason for all of it. Even if no one else agreed with him. Or even wanted to hear it.

It was one thing in his life that he could control. He didn’t necessarily like detention. But it was quiet. It was an hour after school where he only had himself to worry about. An hour away from any and all responsibilities. An hour where he wasn’t Rick Harris. Not really.

He was just Rick.

Finally.

#stargirl #rick harris #rick tyler #hourman #dc's stargirl #authored by: rhuben #by: rhuben #stargirl ficlet #please reblog if you liked this

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3monthsineurope · 4 years

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January 15, 2020

Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, was on Wednesday! Emily and I slept in until 9ish and got ready in the room. This was our last port of the trip. We had breakfast at the buffet on the Lido deck, then headed out for the day.

St. Kitts the day before had a huge port with tons of shops. Tortola on the other hand was smaller, but then as still developed nicely. Martinique was much smaller than Tortola. There just wasn’t many souvenir shops—it was more high end jewelry. We went through the few shops there, then left the port area. We found a “craft village” and explored those shops for a bit. A lot of the shops had similar things, and they weren’t made super well. All the shops were vibrantly colored, which I did really like. It started raining again! We took shelter in a shop, then wandered around, trying to find a cafe.

We found one and had some yummy coffee. This island was definitely one of the more expensive ones: my small iced mocha was $6! I haven’t mentioned but everyone on the ship thinks Emily and I are sisters! Seriously, we get asked all the time by the staff. We had our coffee and used the WiFi, then decided to head back to the port area.

We ran into Kurt and Carol (the one bitten by a shark that we met in Grand Turk!), which was nice. We’ve met so many nice people this cruise! Earlier that morning we ran into Cynthia and her husband. Her husband had really badly stubbed his toe on the pier, what a bummer! We went back into the port and got some things shopping. We decided to have a drink, so we sat down at a bar. I chatted with some super nice cousins who were on the boat next to us, the Celebrity Edge. They have this cut out of one of their family members, Tony. They gave me one to bring on my trip to India, which is super funny! They were really nice and encouraged me to keep on traveling! Emily was chatting to two guys next to us, who actually worked for the cruise. Dariel plays guitar and Martin plays the piano. They both are solo acts. Dariel has seen us around the ship but hadn’t got up the nerve to say hi to us. He was definitely crushing on Emily. Coincidentally, I had seen Martin the night before for the first time.

We hung out with the boys for a few hours. It was really interesting hearing some “crew secrets”. Dariel actually bought Emily and I a couple drinks, which was really nice. We hung out with the guy who did our caricature, too. After a bit, the four of us wandered over to this one store, where Emily and I bought some hibiscus infused gin. We had had a few drinks made with it at the bar and they were sooooo tasty! We decided to call it a day in Tortola, so all four of us headed to the ship. I wanted to take a nap, but once we got to our room I realized we were missing our souvenirs bag.

Oh gosh! Emily had put the bag by our feet at the bar and we had left without it. We were supposed to be back in the boat in fifteen minutes. I wanted to try to get it, so we ran down to the disembarking area. They told me not to run, but I was frantic. Emily stayed near the boat, in case they tried to leave without me and I ran down the pier. I made it to the bar, but the bag was gone. The bartender hadn’t seen it. I went to where we bought the gin, the police, the information area, and the security for getting back on the ship. No one had it. I was so sad that someone had stolen my bag. I had postcards, a magnet, a really pretty Christmas ornament for Mom, and mug for Haley, and a hot sauce for Ingvar in it. I was just so bummed. I never put things by my feet like that, because I’ll forget it. I was frustrated that Emily had put it there, but obviously it wasn’t her fault. It was just such a bummer because this island was expensive, so I spent the most there, compared to the other islands.

I was crying, walking back to the ship—I just couldn’t help it. Emily tried to console me, but I was really upset. I video called Ingvar after I bought WiFi, back in our room. It was so nice to see him! I really do miss him. It made me feel a lot better to talk with him. There was a lot of snow at home! I calmed down after chatting with him and called Mom and Haley in LA. They both said it was okay that their gifts were stolen, but I was still sad about it.

Around five, it was time to get ready for my Chef’s Table experience! I was actually so excited! My make up didn’t run off when I had cried, so I just had to do my hair. I straightened it and dressed in a dress with wedges. I met Holly and Betty (from our dinner table) in the Atrium and checked with guest services. No one had turned in my bag, sadly.

The Chef’s Table was absolutely amazing! It started out with the sous chef of the entire cruise boat taking us into the kitchen for a champagne toast and three amus busches ____. We saw Ari, one of our waiters, and waved at him. We had a two little bites and some mushroom tea. It sounds weird, but it was like really flavorful broth. It was so good! A woman named Francine helped the chef make the batter for the famous Carnival melting cake, which we would have later.

The chef then took us to our table. It was situated in the Beauties nightclub, where we had danced just the night before! Hahah! I sat next to Betty and Holly, and Francine and her husband Joseph. They were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Have I mentioned that Emily had cancelled her ticket to the chef’s table? She decided she didn’t want to spend the money. I was fine doing it without her. I was really looking forward to it! The chef had nine cooks and servers for the thirteen of us eating that night. It was the fanciest meal I’d ever had in my life! The chef would come to the head of the table for each course and explain what was in front of us.

Our first course at the table was a fresh parmesan bread with honey butter. They served us each water, a red wine, and a white wine. Betty got her and I some of my favorite wine, Riesling from Chateau St. Michelle! The next course was a three parter: yogurt, raspberry, and green apple, an olive oil sponge with foam, and pork belly with kimchi. Dang, I was gonna have to pace myself! I tried everything, but if I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t eat it all, because there was a lot more coming for us!

Next up was probably my favorite course, duck! It was so tasty, I ate every bite. It was served with plum and a parsnip purée. Next is was the “surf and turf”. It was a super fancy, flavorful soup. I really enjoyed the soup. A lot of the courses were interactive. For example, for the soup, we were given some additional spices and we stirred that into the soup with our vegetable spoon, and “popped” the lobster cream at the bottom of the bowl and mixing it into the soup.

Next up was sea bass. I don’t know if I’d had sea bass before, but it was a nice and mild fish. Everything was plated so perfectly! For a break, a magician came around and did a few tricks for us. I’ll never know how they do their tricks, haha! Lamb was next. It was served three ways. I tried it all three ways, but definitely couldn’t finish this course! Our final savory course was veal. I don’t think I’d had veal before. When I think about veal it makes me a little sad, with veal being from baby cows. The veal was served with sweet potato mash and milk chips. The milk chips was like nothing I’d had before! It was tasty, but I was ready for dessert.

They served us tea and port wine with dessert. The first dessert course was a trio. There was a peanut brittle, oat cookie, dark chocolate ganache, parmesan cream, and a coffee custard. It was amazing! The next dessert was another trio. This one had a small creme brûlée, a raspberry jelly, and a dark chocolate cake, served on coffee beans. And finally, was the melting cake dessert that we had helped make in the beginning. We sang happy birthday to two of the attendees and heard a speech from the chef about the team who had helped us that night. It was an amazing experience that lasted more than three hours! I am not kidding when I say that it was one of the best meals of my life. They gave us a photo of the group, which I thought was a nice extra touch.

After the Chef’s Table, I went up to the Alchemy Bar. Emily was there with Keke and David, watching Dariel and Martin do a set together. It’s really nice to listen to live music. Their music was nice, but I was basically in a food coma, so I decided to call it a night. I wasn’t feeling like socializing. I went up to the room and relaxed. I watched some Food Network and wished I could take a bath, but alas, I showered instead. Emily came back to the room around midnight, she was shocked that I was awake, hahah. We watched a bit of TV, then headed to bed. It was a pretty eventful day, and I was ready for bed. :]

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paleorecipecookbook · 7 years

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How a Busy CrossFit Pro Makes Time for Daily Healthy Living

This post features a real-life Paleo expert who stays fit and healthy in the midst of a chaotic schedule. Learn more about how living Paleo can adapt to your lifestyle by following Max through a typical day in his life.

Max Shippee, our resident CrossFit expert and creator of PaleoFit, is also currently appearing on The Young and the Restless as Graham Bloodworth over on CBS. Even with his grueling daily schedule, he makes time for wellness, health, and eating clean and simple foods.

Morning

5:05am: Get up

Rising in concert with your circadian rhythm is a great way to start your day—especially if you have a family. It’s nice to start your day by yourself without all the other people of the house hollering “Daddy!” at you. I’m not saying that getting up at 5 in the morning is easy—not at all! But it does feel great to start the day before the world starts making demands on you.

I’ve also found that I usually wake up a little before my alarm, anywhere from five to twenty minutes before. I’ve found that if I get up when I naturally open my eyes in the early morning, I feel much more even with my energy throughout the day, and don’t experience that grogginess that can follow you around all morning.

5:15am: Cold shower

If you saw my other post about cold showers, then you know that starting your day with a little jolt of cold can have some really sweet effects for your body, not the least of which is fixing your bed-head.

Almost every morning, the first thing I do before I can think about it is to turn on the cold water of the shower and step in. The cold shower in the morning isn’t necessarily one that I use to get clean, it’s more of a rinse to wake myself up. Let me tell you: it works.

I don’t usually eat breakfast, or anything for that matter, until about noon. I dig the intermittent fasting thing, although it’s not for everyone.

5:30am: Hydrate and look out

Before I just get into my car and go, I stack my backpack and phone by the front door, then I go to my sink and get a big glass of water and down the whole thing immediately. I then fill another glass, and step towards our picture window. I stand there for a minute or two and make myself find a thing or two to be grateful for. It’s really easy, in this day and age, to just start your day full throttle, without any thought that it’s really amazing that we’re here at all. I try to get my mind right before heading out the door.

5:35am: Drive to gym

On my drive to the gym, to coach my 6am class, I alternate between being in silence or listening to a bit of a health-related podcast to share with the class I’m about to coach. While traditional morning radio shows are nice, I find that starting my day with the bombardment of advertising gets me way more worked up than I need to be. So, I’ll throw on that podcast to catch up on a thing or two. Sometimes I’ll also let my mind drift a bit, while trying to take note of the things I hope to accomplish during the day. Often, I’ll be reviewing lines for work later that day or the week.

6:00am: Coach class

The first class at my gym is at 6am. I’ve got a great crew of 6-10 people that show up on a regular basis. These are the first people I see everyday besides my family, and I love that it’s a group of people that quite literally puts their health first every day. I’ll guide this glass through a warm-up, technique work, workout, and stretch/cool down, all inside an hour. It’s wonderfully fun and brutal.

Working out in the morning helps you to pull from your stored glycogen, since you haven’t eaten yet, and may even cause a little uptick in your fat-burning. Often, I just work out first thing just so it gets done. The best part of a workout is having it done!

7:15am: Gym office work

After all the people have cleared out from the 6am class, I’ll take some time to work in my office. Whether we like it or not, for many of us, we rely on screens to get our work done. When I am spending time in front of a screen, at least at the gym, I do so while standing. There’s a litany of research around how sitting is going to be seen as “the new smoking” since the list of adverse health effect of long periods of sitting becomes longer and longer. I usually have a couple hours in the morning to get my “desk work” done, and that’s usually done from a standing position.

9:00am: Head home

Some days I coach another class at 9am, but others I have a different coach cover that class so I can be on set. My drive home takes a little longer due to morning traffic, but I’m feeling good since I’m headed home and already have my workout plus about two hours of work under my belt. I feel like I’m ahead of the game!

9:30am: Second shower

After getting home and connecting with my kids and wife for a bit (no breakfast though!), I’ll rinse off my morning workout with another cold shower, this time with soap. It feels great to get the sweat off and blunt any inflammation that I may have caused from the workout.

After my shower, I’ll typically use some Paleo-friendly products to help myself be presentable.

Deodorant: I use one that’s pretty much just essential oils from Tom’s of Maine. Face: I’ll put just a bit of coconut oil on my face to make sure that my skin is hydrated and try to offset this aging thing… Hair: I throw on a little organic Badger Pomade in the hair to keep me rocking the do! Living like a caveman doesn’t mean I have to look and smell like one!

10:00am: Commute

On this day, I’m fortunate that I don’t have to be on set until noon, but I decide I’m going to head in early. I hate the idea of ever being late, and I can always get work done, (like this blog post) on my laptop in my dressing room. After my shower and getting dressed, I’ll kiss all the kids and the wife, and head out the door. Once again, I’ll throw on a podcast on the way up, or review my lines at the stop lights.

Afternoon

11:15am: Arrive CBS

Depending on the time of day, it usually takes me about forty five minutes to an hour and fifteen minutes to get from my house to CBS Television City in Los Angeles. I head through security, park, go to my dressing room, and set up camp. It’s great to be in a spot where there is stuff going on around me, but I have my own space. Some of my most productive work is done in the dressing room at CBS.

11:45am: Lunch

I actually don’t have to start prepping with the hair and makeup people until about noon, so I head to the commissary and grab my lunch. This will be my first meal of the day, and it’s Paleo! It’s a nice big salad. About 1.7 pounds of:

Lettuce

Carrots

Cabbage

Celery

Cucumbers

Chicken

I top it with the balsamic dressing they have there at the commissary. Honestly, I’m not sure of the ingredients, but most commercial dressing uses canola oil and/or some kind of thickener, like guar gum or carrageenan. Both the canola oil and the thickeners aren’t Paleo in the strict sense. I luckily don’t have a sensitivity to these ingredients, so while it may not be Paleo, it doesn’t wreck my stomach. It’s always best, of course, to stick as close to Paleo as possible, but sometimes in the real world you have to make adjustments here and there!

12:15pm: Hair and Makeup

I finish up my lunch and head up to hair and makeup. As far as I know, there aren’t any super Paleo professional makeup and hair products, but if you’re not prepping for TV, there are definitely some cleaner skincare options out there for you.

12:45pm: Meditate

After hair and makeup, I review my lines for a bit. Then I take 15 minutes to sit and meditate. I try to get a meditation in everyday because it really helps me to be centered throughout the day. I see meditation as “Paleo” since I see it as being similar to how our ancestors would spend periods of time simply lost in their own thoughts. Without screens, a to-do list, or even books, our ancestors had time to let their minds relax.

1:30pm: Shoot my scenes

They call me to set and I head to Stage 43 to get mic’ed up and touched up for my scenes. We set blocking, do a rehearsal, and shoot. The process gets repeated a few times over the next couple of hours for all the scenes we need to shoot for my part in the story line. Luckily, today I have a short day and I’ll only be on set for about six hours. Some days can be as long as fourteen! Of course, any day I get to be on set with The Young and The Restless as Graham Bloodworth is a great day!

3:30pm: Done shooting

I finish up my part of the shooting day, and head back to my dressing room to get out of my wardrobe. I pack up, and head upstairs to sign my paperwork for the day. I take the stairs up and back down in lieu of the elevator. It’s only a few flights, but a little opportunity for movement before I sit back in my car for my commute.

4:00pm: Commute home

I jump back in the car, and throw on a bit more of an entertaining podcast. For better or worse, I got released from set just in time to be headed into the beginning of evening traffic. It takes me about an hour and a half to get home. I drink plenty of water on the way home, but am feeling pretty hungry when I finally pull in the drive.

5:30pm: Arrive home, quick bite

I get home to get a quick bite of potato chips before heading back out to pick up one or more of my kids from extracurricular activities, camps, etc. I have a weakness for potato chips because they are salty goodness. And they’re not really too bad since they’re just potatoes, oil, and salt (all Paleo, depending on the type of oil!). Is it a perfect snack? Maybe not. But I figure it’s better than Oreos dipped in Coke. I also love a good snack of REALLY dark chocolate.

6:00pm: Pick up kid

I run out of the house after my snack and pick up kid #1 from art camp. It’s only a 10 minute drive there and back, and this is dad stuff that I’m happy to do.

Evening

6:30pm: Dinner

When I’m finally done with transportation, I make some eggs and veggies. This is usually my standard first meal but since I was on set, I didn’t get to it yet. I have five eggs and about a pound of broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans. It’s the fastest way to get a good dose of protein, as well as a decent dose of fiber, and few carbs to keep my insulin in check. We also had some leftover kielbasa, so I throw a little of that in for some flavor. I’m not shy about adding some grass-fed Kerrygold butter either!

8:00pm: Start bedtime routine

After dinner is done and the clean up is over (seriously: how many dishes do we have, people!?), it’s time to start the bedtime routine. As any parent knows, something that should take four and half minutes somehow stretches into almost half an hour. Since I had a pretty good day, and am well fed, I help the kids along with teeth brushing mirror silliness. I’m not sure if it makes it go faster, but it sure keeps them from fighting.

8:30pm: Kids in bed for snuggle time

I know a lot of parents who work weird hours. Some nights I have to either be shooting or at the gym until later in the evening, too. Tonight, I get to be home, so I snuggle down with the kids for a story, and a little conversation before turning out the light, and letting them fall asleep on me. We’re one of those crazy co-sleeping houses where it’s a case of musical beds some nights! Once I feel that the two littler ones are asleep, I slide out and head upstairs to my lovely wife.

9:00pm: Watch Netflix with the wife

One of my wife’s favorite things to do is to chill at night in front of the television. She convinces me way too often to stay up too late watching “just one more episode.” I suppose in days gone by, people would sit and stare at the fire into the night, or up at the stars. For us, it’s the stars on screen.

10:30pm: Bed

We finally head to bed somewhere in the 10:30-11 range. My wife is a night owl, and if it was up to her, we’d be up until 3am every night. I have to coach early in the morning though, so I need at least six hours, and hopefully more. This night, I was up WAY past the sun going down, and not even close to the circadian rhythm. Sometimes things happen!

5 Ways to Make Paleo Habits Fit Your Life

Some of the changes that I’ve made to my day are things that are quite simple to implement. Here’s a few ideas for things for you to try.

1. Cold shower

We’ve only had hot water for about 150 years. The cold water won’t hurt you, and it may even have some sweet health benefits.

2. Hydrate in the morning

Start your day with a big glass of water. You’ve had nothing in your system for the past 6-9 hours, so it’s a great time to give your body the fluids it needs to help flush out all the residual effects from fasting overnight. As a side note, if you fill your belly with some H2O first thing, it’ll make it easier to push breakfast off a bit and have you do a smaller version of the intermittent fasting by pushing breakfast back a little for you.

3. Take a minute

So many of us rush into our day at full tilt. We don’t take a minute in the morning to marvel at the fact that any of this works at ALL. Taking a moment here and there throughout the day can help us stay connected not just to ourselves, but also to our family, friends, and the work that we need to get done.

4. Meditate

The great thing about meditation is that you really don’t have to do anything. All that needs to happen is to sit for a second, and slow your day down. Even if it’s three minutes, you’ll be surprised what you can accomplish by simply being present for a few minutes a day.

5. Walk a few extra steps

For me, that involves taking the stairs when I’m on set. Believe it or not, when I head to the gym, I park in one of the furthest spots. This extra little 50 meters may not make a huge difference, but over the course of a year, I’m walking an extra 15 miles a year. Funny how just a little bit of something can add up to a lot!

Bottom Line

So there you have it, a day in the life of someone who’s trying to juggle busyness and the Paleo lifestyle. I think I do a decent job, but I know that there are places that I could do a little better.

For this example day, my calories were a little low, and also needed more water. Even though I got spend time with the kids and wife, I feel like I set myself up for a tired day tomorrow. My food was relatively on point, with only a few things that were on edge, like the chips and the salad dressing.

I hope that this glimpse into the life of your PaleoPlan bloggers helps you to stay focused and keep moving forward with your own health. If we can do it, so can you!

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