Today I decided to stop hiding; it’s time to tell the truth straight, no chaser. I am the other half of the writing/producing duo Stacey & Tracee. Which one am I? Well, I guess the jig is up; you know by now.  So what will I stop hiding from? The fact that right now I am scared doo-dooless. At this very moment we're in the midst of a serious fund-raising campaign. And I'm scared that we won't reach our goal. I'm completely TERRIFIED! We'll be failures.  That I’ll either be overweight or underweight by the time this is over.  That "they" will laugh at us. Then I'll have to pour pig's blood all over everyone and destroy the prom!

We've been thinking of all kinds of creative ways to ask for money. Because nice, prideful Americans don't just come out and ask for money, right? Because if you come out and say you want money then people will shy away & treat you like a funky bum on a NYC subway. Right? Riiight. Well, we've tried the coy, clever approach and that has gotten us nowhere. 9 days into the campaign and we're only $530 closer to our $35,000 goal than we were - you guessed it - 9 days ago.

So here's some more undiluted truth. No sugar coating. No vanilla Joe-Joes and almond milk. No Twilght Dark Chocolate (yum!) No trying to be cute and clever. No silly euphemisms. I'm shooting straight from the hip (Can someone tell me what the heck that means?!) Violins please. We need your support. We are two creative, very talented girls living our dreams and trying not to do anything illegal in the process. (We, of course, would only dream of doing something illegal in our...dreams. We wouldn't think of unlawful schemes during our waking hours. Really!) Louder violins, please. Seriously, we just want to create. We have a wonderful plan - to build a website that will house all original web series. No more incessant  pitching to major networks and having them determine our fate. We have the experience. Stacey graduated kindergarten Magna Cum-Laude. Plus, she has won many festival awards and has been endorsed by Marty and Bobby (Come on now! You don't know who Marty and Bobby are?!) Tracee was the darling of Mrs. Jackson's Jumping Jack Day Care Center where she was a 2-time recipient of the prestigious "Baby Who Didn't Sh$t All Day" Award. Plus, she's appeared in several national commercials and worked for a major sports network with 4 letters in its name. Uh huh, we're PROVEN!

So what exactly do we need from you? So glad you asked. We need you to visit our Kickstarter project page http://kck.st/aqO4Ue and view our short film THEN lend your support i.e. donate some moo-lah. In exchange you'll receive some really cool gifts like buttons, t-shirts and Flip Video Cameras. And you'll even have an opportunity to shoot a film and have it screened on our site. If you're a student, there are even more perks! But wait; that's not all! If you visit the page in the next millisecond you can also cast your ballot for your favorite web series. The series with the most votes will debut first on StaceyandTraceeTV.com. Yep, our site will be totally interactive. How cool is that? Very cooool! We also need for you to pass along our wonderful project to some of your closest friends and heck, enemies too. And if you know of a nice angel philanthropist dude or dudette just looking for a great cause, you know what to do. Well, what are you waiting on? Cut n' paste away! http://kck.st/aqO4Ue

Oh, did I mention that we only have until September 3 to raise $35,000?! Uh huh, scared doo-dooless and now sitting with a tub of Trader Joe’s Triple Giner Snaps in front of me.  Yum Yum!

Thanks for your support. Pretty presumptuous of me, right?

I just went back and read some of my old blogs.  One of them was my rant against technology that I reluctantly give in to.  I INSISTED that though I've given in  to other things like IM, text messaging, & Facebook, that you would never is a MILLION ZILLION years find me on Twitter. I even said "HECK NO!"  Well guess what?  The Twitter monsters kidnapped my brain and forced me to sign up.  In my defense, I still think people give way too much info on FB and Twitter. And I still think that FB and Twitter are tools for people to pretend to be smart and funny (most of neither lol).  And I still don't really use it for personal reasons. I don't give a play by play of where I'm going, where I've been, what I'm eating...you get the point. Its mainly for marketing purposes and to share entertainment industry news/job postings.  So I'm still holding on to my rebellion, even if its just barely.  Foursquare - J'mais!  ;-) 

Does it count if you lose weight when you're not trying to?  I'm 3 pounds lighter this week than I was last.  I've been consumed with many things in my life and food has not been a priority. So maybe that's the key. We should all try to try not to lose weight. But then you're still trying, right?  Hmmm?

The world is a weird place. As each day passes I’m more and more intrigued, fascinated, and baffled by the things that go “viral.”  Half of the videos that attain such enormous fame or infamy make me scratch my head. (I could also be scratching because I have dandruff or my head just plain ol’ itches, but that’s another story.)  This week I’m bewildered by the obviously captivating “Washing Machine Self-Destructs” video that’s been blazing trails on YouTube. WTFreaky FREAK?!  Can someone please tell me why?  WHY?  WHY? WHY? WHY?  Maybe its me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=364dzVsBs2o

 I'm watching French Open tennis.  The only thing yummier than Spanish tennis players is Brazilian and Spanish soccer players. HOT!!!!  Makes me want to put down this carrot cake and work out...

http://twitter.com/StaceyandTracee

 Just ate at the most divine vegetarian restaurant ---Candle 79 on UES. YUM YUM!!!!! HIghly recommended!

Hi All!

Is it just me or does the world move too fast!  So much social networking, amplified access and different means of communication yet I still can't keep up. Time moves at a rapid pace.  All that to say...I missed talking to ya!  I hope that your weight-loss mission is holding steady.  I actually just started a new one.  Well finishing up one.  Really the mission is just to continue to be on a healthy path.  Isn't that a constant battle.  I get bored so fast with every workout program out there. My attention span is shorter than the month of February.  It's ridiculous.  I'm currently doing the 10-pound challenge on Exercise TV on Demand. Getting bored. Before that I did Jillian Michael's challenge on Exercise TV on demand. Bored.  Before that it was P90X. Bored. I start that one every year.  I hula hoop. jump rope. I just get bored.  HELP! To be honest my fav thing to do is walking. I walk all over Manhattan to my place in Brooklyn & vice versa on a regular basis. It's great!  Saves me money and I get to soak in the City. I want to do a 5-borough walk some kind of way. Though Staten Island would be problematic. Ok, how about a 4-borough walk.   Anyway, bored or not, I'm going to exercise in a few.  

I'll be back...soon!  ;-)

Hello Sexy Mamaz & Papaz,

I've been M.I.A. for a looong while.  Just wanted to drop in to see how everyone was doing.  After taking a long break (much to my chagrin) from salads, I had the HUGEST salad in T.L. history today.  It was gargantuan!  But that didn't stop me from eating my fav snack, popcorn and a veggie burger later AND a caramel apple (the one fabulous thing about fall. YUM!)  Back to the popcorn. I bought a popcorn popper a couple of months ago.  I'm a popcorn making machine, I can't be stopped!  My Goddaughters love me for it and I'm luv'n myself too. ;-)  Popcorn makes me smile.  Actually I'm going to start experimenting with popcorn recipes. I want to create a masterpiece, package, market and become the next ME. Well, since I hail from the great city of Chicago and the home of Garrett's Popcorn, I have to come up with something DELISH!  The mission starts...tomorrow. Tonight I'm too tired. Hmm, the lethargic popcorn creator. Doesn't sound catchy enough. ;-)

Hot Mamaz & Papaz,

I'm back!  Though I can't say for how long. Suddenly I felt overwhelmed by everything.  Ashton Kutcher's 1 million Twitter followers, the swine flu, eating and not eating, sweets, Obama's first 100, Mayor Bloomberg's benign attitude toward the majority of his NYC residents that live outside of the affluent 10021 zip code, my career, my friend's obstinance when it comes to her health, my Grandma's insistence on eating the wrong foods and complaining about being sick, the evil that man displays toward fellow humans...the latter three have given me serious headaches and have been dominating my daily prayers.  So I have been absent! 

I hope all of you are achieving and maintaining your weight-abandonment goals.  I starting training the aforementioned friend and it's been a challenge.  I've also begun a new mission myself for my own body.  We shall see how it goes.  I'm off for now, but I'll be back soon...I hope!  :-)

Please look at this menu from an actual store in Champaign, Illinois, the hometown of my alma mater.  This is RIDICULOUS!!!  Talk about a heartattack and everything else waiting to happen...

http://www.allmenus.com/il/champaign/277817-fat-sandwich-company/menu/

Breakthroughs are awesome, encouraging and inspiring.  Monday I had a breakthrough in the battle with my insatiable sweet tooth!  I did some work on on a television show.  If you're an actor, you know that Craft Services can be hit or miss with these things.  Sometimes is FANTASTIC, at other times, not so much.  Well Monday's spread turned out to be a food lover's paradise and more specifically a candy, cookie, cake addicts DREAM COME TRUE!  YUM, there was everything I loved!  I was fighting two forces, one: my 7-7 no food fast, two: my junk food addiction.  Proudly I defeated them both and drank water.  Fortunately they had to-go trays so I prepared a glorious salad with an array of veggies, nuts, etc.  I brought home lots of fruit.

Yesterday I made a lucid decision to break fast number two. I still did the 7-7 fast, but I decided that I wanted something other than fruits and veggies. I decided not because I was depressed or addicted or needed comfort, but I just plain ole wanted to. That to me was a true breakthrough.  Now today, I'm back to all facets of my fast and I feel good about it.

I wish you all  courage and strength as you plod thru newly started or long ago began eating plans.
 

Don't forget to visit Tracee's Game Party.  http://www.traceesgameparty.webs.com

 Today I wanted to eat everything.  But guess what?  I defeated the monster and stuck to my guns.  My will was stronger than any piece of chocolate or cooked food. VICTORY!

I was just saying my morning prayers and I got to thinking about the week and conversations that I've heard surrounding food and behavior. It's amazing how obstinate we can be with regard to things we should forego. It's really amazing how we say things like "I can't stop eating that," or "I'm gon' keep on eating this." Oh and I love "we have to die from something." All of these things I've heard this week. Cigarette, drug and alcohol addictions receive a lot of media and is definitely frowned upon. But not much attention is given to food addictions. Those are real!

I started a group with a few girl friends called "Mind, Body, Spirit." The purpose of the group is to abstain from certain foods by way of fasting and cleansing. Of those in my group...many have compromised health, many suffer from female issues, many have allergies and many are overweight and unhealthy. Yet, they fight to hold on to bad habits.

I'm going to extend the cleansing and fasting invitation to my Flaab Family. If you aren't or haven't already, do a cleanse; it will work wonders. Not just for weight-abandonment but for your mind and spirit! Try a raw food fast. The Raw Divas has an excellent free 7-day fast where they provide encouragement, recipes and tips. Check them out. http://www.therawdivas.com

Abstaining from certain foods and cleansing is NOT easy, but it's also NOT impossible. Take it day by day. Trust me, your body needs a break. And when you realize how good you'll feel and how good you LOOK, you won't be so obstinate. Everything I say to you goes for me because my sweet tooth is REAL!!! UGH!!

Don't forget to check out my awesome game site.  http://www.traceesgameparty.webs.com

My Internet was down for about 36 hours. I nearly PASSED OUT!  OMGoodness! This leads to the question or statement depending on how you look at it.  We can no longer survive sans technology. (?) Ahem, pardon the one of only 5 French words other than the French words for "Yes", "Goodbye", "Thank you, very much," "Miss" & "Mister" that I actually know.  Ok back to my techno rant.  Admittedly I am a reluctant techno groupie.  Everything techno hip and cool that I have in my possession or partake in has been acquired following bouts of kicking and screaming.

I won't bore you with all of my examples of obstinance. But...

There was IM.  Really, why would I want to talk to someone by typing to them real time, when I could acutally pick up the phone and call?  The Results:  I became an IM master. Then there was text messaging. Oh brother, I thought that was the STUPIDEST thing ever.  I mean who wants to freakin' type on a cell phone?!  How dumb!  The Results: Now I am the text messaging queen. 

MySpace?  Are you kidding me?  That's just a place for desperate, fast  girls(in black lingo, a fast girl and a promiscuous one are the same).  The Results:  Ok I still think MySpace is a cheap dating service or a silly version of high school.  But I created a page and found it quite helpful for business. Seriously, BUSINESS. No wink. ;-) 

Oh and we can't forget Facebook.  NOT ANOTHER SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE!  The Results:  I created a page because I entered some filmmakers thing or writer's something and the next thing I know I'm submitted status reports.  Though I must say that Facebook still annoys me with all of the freakin' up dates.  Do I really care that my friend's friend's friend just wrote on her friend's friend's mother's page?  And what's with all of the super grown folks on Facebook?!  Three of my friend's mothers have 'Facebooked' me.  It FREAKED me out. "Old" people aren't supposed to be hip, right?  ;-)

So in betwix Facebook and MySpace, there is the iPod. "Hell no, NEVER"  Got one.  HD. "Why the heck do I need an HD tv?  It probably doesn't work any better than a 'regular' tv."  UM, LOVE my 42" Panasonic Aquos HD.  Merci, Beaucoup. 

I didn't mention Twitter, because I REFUSE to cave in to that madness.  No seriously, I know I've said this a million times, but trust me. J'mais!!!!!!  (Two of my French words. Hopefully I spelled it correctly. If not, MERDE! Back to class.) 

Oh and by the way, I've been on a 2 week eating binge. I guess I should give a dietary update. After all this is a weightloss site, riiight?  Riiight!

You might as well check me out some of my commercials on  Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/traceeloran

Peruse my new super cool baby shower game website and if you mention Flaab I'll give you 10% off your first order: http://www.traceesgameparty.webs.com/

Look at my tres funky friends on Facebook: oh I don't know how to post a Facebook link without all of the superfluous letters. I refuse to learn new stuff. As I just said to one Facebook friend, it's my lazy form of rebellion! 

If the hamburger eats you, do you still gain weight?

It's always great to receive confirmation about certain decisions or actions we take in our lives.  No my name isn't Veronica, but yesterday I, too, was confirmed!  So last week I told you about my new venture, Tracee's Game Party.  I have been throwing parties and creating games for years.  I mean literally since I was a pup. I just love hosting and creating activities.  My Mother passed along her hosting infactuation to me. Growing up, she was such a party hostess and still is. Though she doesn't do it as much.

Well anyway, my friendshave constantly said I should really create games and host parties as a business.  And I was like, 'Nah, I'm too busy with my acting career, too busy with journalistic work, too consumed with being in front of the camera to start any other businesses!"  The truth is I didn't know how to start it and I was a little scared.  The other truth is pursuing a career in the entertainment arena and dealing with all that comes in that package is already daunting enough, I just couldn't see chasing something else. So I kept running from it as a real viable business.  I continued hosting my own private parties and creating games for my guests. From that people would hire me without my even trying to get hired. I was hired to do a book release party, a bridal shower and baby shower all in a short span of time. The latter event really got my juices flowing. My attorney, the new proud mother and shower guest of honor, called me and said that everyone raved about the games. She said you have to start a business NOW.  Of course, I dragged my feet because I still wasn't sure. 

I pray everyday; that's how I get my grounding. I ask for guidance and wisdom and some signs.  We always want the signs.  Um, the last I checked there were no more burning bushes or parting seas.  God gives us signs all the time; we just have to know how to look for them.  So something told me to start building a website for my games.  So I started a website.  But I still wasn't sure.  The website was progressing nicely. But I still wasn't sure. The website,  http://www.traceesgameparty.webs.com  was complete and was getting good reviews.  But I still wasn't 100% sure.  Until last night...

I was hired to help coordinate a wonderful event for a theatre company.  When I'm hosting or coordinating an event, I don't like for people to bother me unless it's absolutely necessary.  In the midst of me doing a million and one things my temporary employer stopped me mid-party to give me a hug for a thus far 'perfect evening.'  The hug was much appreciated (the fact that we had just met should have freaked me out, but it didn't because I know how it feels to have a successful, stress-free event.) The real kicker came at the end of the night.  He slid next to me to say and I quote...almost, "Tracee you were absolutely amazing!  I don't know what I would have done without you; I didn't have to think about anything but you thought of everything! I know we agreed on a certain amount as payment, but if you don't mind I doubled it!"  Talk about a sign.  I have been Confirmed!  Tracee's Game Party is OH-FISH-ULLY open for business.  Come one come all!

I encourage you to tap into your unused skills; like me, you're probably sitting on a goal mine. You're cheating the world out of something special, but more importantly you're cheating yourself...

Tracee’s Game Party is a New York-based premiere baby shower game and hosting service. We would like to replace the stress and angst of the game selection process with good old fashioned fun. Tracee’s Game Party understands that choosing the right shower activities is a crucial ingredient of any fabulously successful shower.  We don’t simply want your guests to have a good time; our aim is for them to have the best time ever!   Check us out TODAY! http://www.traceesgameparty.webs.com
 

Sexy Mamas & Papaz,

I have returned from the abyss.  There is this part of my personality, call it a blessing and a curse, that gives me tunnel vision when working on something.  I tune everything else out completely.  So, for the past two weeks I have been working on launching my baby shower game business -  http://www.traceesgameparty.webs.com (Now you didn't think I would miss an opportunity to self-promote.  Worry not, if you missed it you'll get another chance below. ;-) I've been doing it for years now amongst my friends and family, but decided it was time to bring it to the masses. That's the good news. The bad news is, the late nights and long hours working the business plan have impeded my weight-abandoned mission.  Yes, I reached my initial goal of 142, but I had a second unofficial Flaab goal of 139.  Well let's just say I am nowhere near that.  So tomorrow I have pledged to start anew.  Get back on track.  Re-start my exercise regiment and become flaabulous...again!

I hope you all are doing flaab-tastic reaching your goals and maintaining weight already abandoned.  You can do it!  And so can I.  Now here is another shameless plug...

Tracee’s Game Party is a New York-based premiere baby shower game and hosting service. We would like to replace the stress and angst of the game selection process with good old fashioned fun. Tracee’s Game Party understands that choosing the right shower activities is a crucial ingredient of any fabulously successful shower.  We don’t simply want your guests to have a good time; our aim is for them to have the best time ever!   Check us out TODAY! http://www.traceesgameparty.webs.com
 

Oh those beautiful babies!

Hey Sexy Mamas & Papas,

Something inspiring happened to me this morning.  I was feeling very bored with everything, somewhat distracted by nothing in particular and a tiny bit discouraged for whatever reason. But then I woke up at 5 this morning to witness a 5 hour and 13 minute tennis match between my baby daddy Rafael Nada and another Spanish hottie Fernando Verdasco.  Talk about the will to win. Those two tennis adonises battled it out like true warriors, neither of them wanted to fall in defeat.  Rafa's iron will has been proven over the past few years and in my opinion it reached it's apex in last summer's 4:48 Wimbledon final vs. Roger Fed.  But today was something to behold.  At one point Rafa seemed a little defeated. He was making mistakes that he never makes.  But he came roaring back.  Then Verdasco, the underdog, seemed like he would stick his tail between his legs and saunter off.  BUT he came roaring back!  And before I knew it, it was 9am and I had been up for 4 hours watching this match (I slept thru the first hour). 

If two human beings can play a head-to-head tennis match for over 5 hours, surely I can exercise for one little hour. Surely I can dust my knees off after butchering an audition.  Of course, I beat the recession and any other negative things the media likes to throw at us.  We are human. We are incredible creatures crafted by the hands of God. We are VICTORIOUS!  Tennis anyone?  ;-)

Zero Body Fat! Scrumptious!

The Face of Victory