How did you #resound11? This is how I did. Happy New Year!

What a month it was? Yes it’s a New Year but I’m grateful I took the time to #resound11 and it did help slow the month from just ending with out some self reflection and hopefully being a place to look back at. I wrote every day and followed along with each prompt. Read one or read them all. Come back once or come back often! I enjoyed the journey and I hope you enjoy reading. Which do you do you like best? Which spoke to you? Do you agree, disagree? It took me full circle and helped transition 2011 to 2012. I hope for a succefull year. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll agree Callejas thinks it’s all going to work out.

24. Try

25. All Is Love

26. Outro

27. Everything Is Going To Be OK

28. Five Things

29. Let Go

30. Future Self

31. One Word

0 Comments Leave a comment

#resound11 ~ December 6, 2011: Thelma & Louise

Thelma & Louise: Who is the Thelma to your Louise? Who is your partner in crime? Did you reacquaint yourself with an old friend? Did you make a new friend? Or, perhaps, you are a lone ranger?

Today is the 6th day of #resound11. It’s getting easier to picture my post the moment I see the prompt because I’ve come to terms with I’m going to post no matter what. This blog I’m sharing yes, but it’s for me. It’s so that this month slows down and so that one day I can use it as a blue print of where I was in my life. Of what 2011 meant to me.

I’ll answer this prompt in reverse order.

Perhaps, you are a lone ranger? I truly am. I tell a lot of my friends that they should consider themselves the lucky few becasue I truly don’t like people. I guess that’s an over-simplication of things but also rooted in some truth. I like doing things alone things alone although I don’t like being alone. I know hard to crack. Already blowing your mind? I’ll assume that’s why my friends are few. Lets just say in that aspect I go for quality not quantity.

Did you make a new friend? I made more friends this year than I had in over 10 years. The last time I made this amount of friends and made this type of connection was when I joined the Marine Corps. I did not go back to war this summer per se but I did sweat and bleed (first time clipping in to the bike) during my triathlon training. I know in my heart I’ve made some lifelong friends. Along with those folks I’ve also met quite a few folks over the internet that I’m sure I will never meet in person but I interact with on a regular basis. Most recently though this #resound/reverb project as well as through out the year because of The3six5. (update: I’m going to be a guest editor two different month next year)

Did you reacquaint yourself with an old friend? I think through a lot of personal struggle I have become reaquanted with myself and who I truly am at my core. I’m grateful for this because through this reacquaintance I have come to truly appreciate the woman I call wife and the power-house she has truly become. The moment I began being true to myself I no longer pushed those away that have always been there for me wether I wanted them to be or not. Among those people my parents and my siblings.

Who is the Thelma to your Louise? Who is your partner in crime? Now for the best part of this prompt. The questions that had me smiling from the moment I opened the post. No one that knows me would disagree that the Thelma to my Louise is my son Kalel S. Callejas (yes his middle initial is S. awesome I know) The pictures above are only a small glimpse in to how he was always there for me as I was there for him. As you can imagine the one behind the lens is my wife, but she will the first to tell you how his smile can lift us both from any abyss we might descend to. I consider myself lucky to have such unconditional love from this little man. I know he may not consider me his best friend forever but one day I’ll tell him how and what he did for me.

0 Comments Leave a comment

#resound11 ~ December 5, 2011: Theme Song

Themesong: If your life was a television show, what would its theme song be? What music would be cued at the start of the show or when you entered a scene?

The first time I heard this particular song was after the worst ocean swim I had all summer training for my first triathlon. The waves weren't particularly "angry" that day. In fact I remember thinking how calm the waters looked before heading out. I swam about a half a mile along the coastline and once I tried to swim back the nausea took over. I felt completed defeated. I was actually forced out of the water and walked along the coastline literally with my head down. My carpool buddy and I were in the same boat and even our drive back home started uncharacteristically quiet for us. Just then Andy Grammar came on the radio. The Shazam app on my iPhone quickly found the song and I remember being happy right away.

Once home my curiousity took over and before long I'd downloaded the entire album. Listened through it taking in all the lyrics and songs on the entire album because YES the whole thing is amazing. In this world of Facebook. I shared my love of this song and Andy. Every single song resonated with me and after reading about Andy and his story. From singing on the street to making it onto the very radio station I finally listened to his music on.

So with that said if my life was adapted to be a TV show the theme song would have to be a sound bite of the chorus of the above song. Maybe starting off with the first verse. His whole album reads like a story and I'm sure the scenes and moments I saw play out in my mind could be and would be so visually stunning and epic by Andy's narrative. This of course would be for the season of the show covering the span of 2011 for me. From "Lunatic" to "Love Love Love". I hope by the end of 2012 I feel like "The Biggest Man In Los Angeles"

If Andy Grammar and his lyrics and music hadn't made such a big impact on me this year I think I would have stuck to my normal type of music for "the show". That would be anything Sinatra. I know you can't go wrong with "ol' blue eyes". Most movies with even just one Sinatra song on them are pretty amazing.

I'll leave you with the knowledge that I'm totally nerd-ing out just thinking about a TV show based on my life. After all I do want to write for a living.

0 Comments Leave a comment

#resound11 ~ December 4, 2011: Superpower

Superpower: Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound … we know you’ve got one. What’s your 2011 superpower?

The moment I read this prompt I smiled from ear to ear. I am of course the biggest Superman fan in the world. After all who else can claim they tuck Kal(El) into bed every night. (ok so Nicolas Cage stole my name but I’m not bitter, we don’t frequent the same circles.)

I know there were others before Christopher Reeves but I grew up with him as Superman. After him came Dean Cain then, Tom Welling really solidified my wonder of the Man of Steel. Some did not like Brandon Routh but heck it was Superman, that’s all that mattered. 2012 will bring us Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel.

In 2011 though I didn’t have a problem filling the vacancy. The picture above was from my teams’ Halloween fun run. As you can see 5 miles later and I hardly broke a sweat.

My superpower is not being faster than a bullet although, I’m becoming quite the rabbit after months of hard work. I’m not more powerful than a locomotive but in my defense that’s a bit “dated”. I can though “leap” tall buildings with a single TEXT or email message. The Internet has really shrunk our planet.

Just this year while having the honor and pleasure of serving as guest editor of one of my favorite blogs (www.the3six5.posterous.com) I traveled around the world meeting an array of amazing people. I noticed then what my 2011 superpower was. I can time travel. Yes time travel.

All it takes is seeing a picture or listening to a song and I’m right back in that moment, in that instant. Reliving those emotions and feelings. Once I focus I can remember smells and clothes(colors). It made we want to write things down because I’m not sure how long this superpower will last.

All over the Internet I see evidence of folks really hurting to remember. Or saddened by it just being a picture and not being “there” again. So I feel lucky that I can go back there.

It’s also helped me stop worrying about the future or obsessing about it. After all I need to really enjoy every moment if I’m to ever go back to it.

0 Comments Leave a comment

#resound11 ~ December 3, 2011: Virtues

Virtues: What good have you done in 2011? Where do you really shine? What have you done that makes you proud of yourself?

It’s only the third day and already I’m finding it difficult to write today’s entry. I think it says a lot about where I am as a person. I didn’t find it all difficult to describe my year on the 1st. Or to explain a downfall I failed to conquer. Yet today when the task is giving myself an at-a-boy, I’ve started and deleted several times. Before actually walking to the restroom, looking in the mirror, and vowing to write with out hesitation.

In order to do this I decided to take the advice of a fellow Resound/Reverb blogger. Tui took the time to comment on my self-deprecation. Her advice was simple. When being hard on myself, I should pretend I’m speaking to a friend or about a friend. That being said let me tell you about my friend Jose.

My friend does not cease to amaze me. He did not have the easiest year because of his employment status and other personal circumstances. Yet he spent the entire year training for several endurance events (Marathon & a triathlon in order to raise money for AIDS Project Los Angeles.

If I wasn’t impressed enough by his physical feats I have to say where he shines is when he’s trying to inspire others. Others may see his accomplishments as large and not possible but he always speaks of the process and it’s accessibility for anyone that wants it. He’s inspired others to take up running but more importantly to take accountability of their health by being an example and not just a lecture.

I think what he is most proud of is his 6 year old. I can’t give him all the credit for that because his wife is just as responsible for his awesomeness. Yet I will say that his ability to communicate with his son is amazing and even his wife will attest to that. Jose is well aware that he is the biggest example for his son and is doing a hell of a job.

0 Comments Leave a comment

#resound11 ~ December 2, 2011: Vices.

This year I decided that along with taking control of my life emotionally, I would also do it physically. I’m not stranger to fitness as I came into this year already being a marathoner and before that spending a “few” year in the Marine Corps. I think that gives me a false sense of security though because any time I put on a few extra pounds, I know I can get back into it. I didn’t take into account how much more difficult it proved to be every time back on the horse.

I started the year vowing to step up my training. I’d started training for my second marathon in October of 2010 and actually injured myself because I again had packed on weight since I completed my first marathon in March of that same year. So I managed to put another marathon race together thanks to my family’s support along the course and my teammates over at Team 2 End AIDS.

I couldn’t have done it though with out losing the weight AGAIN. Which is where todays prompt comes in.

Vices: Did you slip back into any old habits that you wish you hadn’t? Did you gain any new habits that you wish you would have walked away from? Did you discover the evils of Nutella?

I must admit I started the year off with an injury and well I knew that it was because of the weight and that I was biting off more than I could chew with the mileage increasing. As a runner I had the will to keep going but my body couldn’t keep up. So along with that injury was the resolved to stop eating fast food. That did the trick and by marathon day I was no longer as big as when I injured myself. So even though the day ended up being a day mother nature unleashed a freakish storm on us I completed the marathon.

I was not going to be beat down into the post race blues again and so I signed up for my first triathlon in the fall. Training intensified and so did my appetite. For the most part I held my ground and started actually cooking at home a lot more. Both a result of wanting to eat better and finally biting the bullet that it was a lot more economical. If I wanted it to taste better I’d just have to get better at cooking.

I lost more weight though and so I slipped back into old habits and cheated by eating one meal at McDonald’s. That opened the door for other fast food places and then worst of all to eating pizza. I managed to keep the weight under control because I was still working out quite a bit but I stopped making gains(or I should say losses). It’s not like I ate fast food everyday but just once is enough when you’re addicted to this stuff as I am. It doesn’t make it any easier when my 5 year old wants a “Happy Meal”.

I was not defeated by this and think I’ve even devised a perfect plan to keep my son from craving it as much as I do. I get him involved in preparing the meals at home and tell him how it directly affects the way I perform on a run or a work out. He’s a little ball of energy and wants to bike/run/swim just like daddy.

I’m happy to say I don’t believe I’ve picked up any negative habits. Now that’s a positive, and as far as Nutella is concerned: I love it but because I’ve heard of the evils I’m skeptical of what I put it on. For now just as a work out supplement.