Day 32: Finalities with Red Wine & Chocolate

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 32 or Day 19: BMI: 24.6. Activity Level: I totally hit Open Doors Studio this morning. For an hour and half I sweated like I never sweat before. It was amazing, I had to work through a brief bouts of vertigo, I still did it. Hip, hip horray for me! Brief Observations: I had my first glass of red wine and squares of dark chocolate in a long, long while as I’ve detailed earlier. It. Was. Glorious.

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God I love yoga, I’ve never sweat so much. Well I have, but not recently. The teacher today was more like a coach. Less flow more precision. Reminded me of days past working out with the some hard-ass volleyball coaches. You were pushed yourself to hold for minute longer, run a foot longer and lift 1 lb more than you think you can. Suck it up, work through the dizzyness and stay focused on the task at hand.

I work really, really well in that environment. I like discipline.

So as I talked about yesterday, I was ending my Clean Detox cleanse today.

Except it didn’t go as I thought it would. Around 2pm we got a call- our hosts informed us that they were all battling the  24-hour flu.

Ah, thank you, but no thank you.

With kids, I don’t need vomiting in stereo or, Gawd Help Me, in triplicate. Niceties aside, any parent knows after one bout of everyone being ill — and EVERYONE gets it in a family, it’s just a matter of time before you’re picked off one by one — you do anything not to get it. The good news is, every parent knows the score. There’s a “no harm, no foul” attitude to last minute cancelations and to declining an offer to still come.

But it left me in a little bit of a conundrum. Ready to come off my detox with this dinner, I was thrown a loop. Now what was TheBetsy to do?

Chocolate and good red wine. That’s exactly what I did. Mindful to keep my first forays back into “real” food simple. I ate a very Clean dinner of sliced chicken on organic baby spinach with apples, cucumbers, toasted almonds and that delighful carrot miso ginger dressing I chatted about earlier . For those keeping score I had smoothies for breakfast and lunch.

Then on to the chocolate.

Couple of squares of organic dark chocolate.

A glass and a half of solid red Cabernet.

A slice of Heaven.

So TheBetsy makes do, and does it pretty damn well.

In the next few posts:

- Post-game wrap-up on Clean Detox. Lessons learned, etc.

- A TheBetsy Review of EA Sports Active and Wii Fit Plus. The good, the bad, and the plain sucky,

- LocalBetsy meets VideoBetsy, as Betsy gets the “perfect brow” from Boston Eyebrow Guru & Make-up artist Lauren Genatossio (plus goodie bags for my readers!)

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

Vertigo-Go and The Social Contraints of Detox.

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 31 or Day 18: BMI: Didn’t weigh myself, but I don’t think much movement. Which has lead to an interesting discussion with my hubby, a sage, who pointed out that maybe I was eating too much. As I said sage. Discuss more below. Activity Level: I wanted to get some SWEAT on, but the dizzy spells are still here. Yoga in vertigo is a short course to vomiting. Don’t want to be Vomit-girl at the local Open Doors Studio. Brief Observations: I’ve pretty much decided to go off Detox tomorrow. Will go into it more in the post.

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Dizzyness is still with me,  but I’m on Antivert and it’s lessened it a degree or two. Which is great, but I still haven’t worked out. I just don’t trying to manipulate myself into yoga poses whilst battling Vertigo (the medical term for what’s going on with me, not the Film, but feel free to call me Kim Novak.)

I also blew the resistance band out of my EA Sports Active. My Wonder Woman strength aside, the band that it comes with stinks. If you’re a moderately in-shape person you’ll be annoyed with the resistance.  Frankly I’m glad it’s gone and I just ordered a new one, with more oomph! on Amazon. I’m committed to doing yoga tomorrow and just work through the vertigo if it happens.

Another issue is my weight having plateaued—the BMI is not going up or down too much. I’ve lost quite a few lbs. while on  Clean Detox, which is great, but I’d like to lose more.

As I was lamenting about it, my husband piped in. Seems, volume-wise, my smoothies seem huge to him. Perhaps I should double check the quantity of ingredients? Seemed reasonable, so I did.  And found that I was using about 1/4 more than I should in my smoothies. Whoops. I guess I’ve been gradually increasing them, without much conscious thought.

So back I go. Measuring carefully. It’s good to do an audit at some point when you’re doing something like a diet or any huge project. I’m glad I did, now I’m more mindful. (Thanks honey!)

Now on the the sticky-wicket issue. Quitting Detox. Tomorrow my family and I are going to a dinner at a friend of my husbands. I don’t know them well (but what I do know, I really like) and I just don’t see Detox smoothies fitting into the evening. At all. They have young children and a newborn, and I don’t need to add any pressure on them with my special needs. Nor do I see myself NOT eating, or bringing a smoothie with me, as can be confusing to your host at best, rude at the very worst.

If it were one of my close friends, I might be able to get away with it. They’d understand but, then again, they’ve been around me during this odyssey so it’s not coming out of left field. Tomorrow will be Day 19 of my extended Detox (Day 31 of the total Detox) a substantial amount of time, so I’m pretty Ok with putting a halt to it.

Starting tomorrow, my plan is to do two smoothies (AM and lunch) and just try my best at dinner. Of course, dinners I prepare myself will be CLEAN approved. The goal is to be Clean 80% of the time post-cleanse.

Thanks again for all the support and encouragement my readers have given to me,  I am truly grateful.

In the next few posts:

- I plan on doing a post-game wrap=up for y’all and myself. Lessons learned, etc.

- Review of EA Sports Active and Wii Fit Plus.

- Local VideoBetsy! Betsy does Boston with a visit to an Eyebrow Guru & Make-up artist Lauren Genatossio (and I didn’t leave empty handed for my readers!)

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

My.CleanProgram.com

Detox Day 30: Can Pot Shops Be the Basis for a Business Plan?

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 30 or Day 17: BMI: Didn’t get a chance to weigh myself this morning, but my guess is that it’s holding.  Activity Level: Haven’t worked out, actually went to the doctor today. Meditation: If stewing for over an hour waiting to see the doctor, then, yes, I did meditate. Brief Observations: I am having a real debate as to when I should officially “quit” the hardcore detox and start incorporating other foods. I may quit this Sunday, as I’ve been invited to a dinner party. My stop day is Monday. There’s a real internal squabble raging.

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So I’ve been dizzy, nothing new if you’ve been reading the past few blogs. Real vertigo, roll over and see  everything in nauseous triplicate. After 5 days, and lots of ideas from  my friends on the  Clean Detox web site, My.CleanProgram.com, I decided to call in the Calvary in the form of my primary care doctor, Dr S.

Outside of the horrendous wait in his office (which I guess had to do to a patient emergency, so I won’t go into it great detail, though I did tweet about it.) Dr. S diagnosed a viral infection in my inner ear, wrote out a prescript for Antivert and TheBetsy was on her merry way.

Sometime during the day, perhaps while I was waiting, I found this great clip of Friday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel the Ellen DeGenereous:

I find him delighfully hysterical. I mean who can forget his former girlfriend Sarah Silverman’s special “present” or his thoughtful, articulate and beautifully choreographed  thank you note? Both hot, searing pieces of funny.

So back to Jimmy K on Ellen. At one point on the clip, Jimmy offers his theory on the present-day cupcake craze and the thousands of storefronts dedicated to those delicious delectables  that have popped up in the last few years.

The growing popularity of medical marijuana shops.

Brilliant.

(Plus I love cupcakes, my favorite new one is THIS.)

So, strapping on my marketing and entrepreneurial cap, I thought, “This could be some kind of GREAT business and marketing plan.”  Though I don’t know how one would pitch to the more uptight money men. It’s not like you can say you want to tie your business to existing medical marijuana shops. But crazier has happened.

Tying a new business to an existing, successful one isn’t new. Jamba Juice co-located it’s stores right next to Starbucks, with Starbuck’s blessing, as it being a somewhat complementary fit. Breakfast might be a coffee for one, while their boyfriend might want a Jamba Juice smoothie. Close by, both needs could be satisfied easily. Starbucks has even used co-locating strategies regionally, offering coffee to bank customers, etc.. The Canadian chain Tim Horton’s located many stores near Canadian military bases.

So it’s not so far off to think Cupcakes to munchie-inducing medical Marijuana shops. Or doughnuts for that matter. Hooter’s (their chicken wings are killer.) Pizza. Fried Chicken. Ice Cream.

Even a Jamba Juice.

It will only be a matter of time, if it hasn’t happened already, before a business is based (overtly or not,) to the proximity of these legalized smoke shacks.

What else can we think of…?

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

My.CleanProgram.com

Potlocator.com- they even have an iPhone App!

Day 29. Hello Spring? It’s Betsy…

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 29 or Day 16: BMI: 24.6 (+0.1) Back up. Activity Level: Due to the dizziness, still no working out. No sweat. Argh. Meditation: Tried to take the chair-mediation exercise and translate to the bed this morning. Brief Observations: Spring is coming and I can tell I am getting a little touch of the spring-fever. I do believe, I require a prescript for a good dose of sun.

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Spring.

Mark your calendar.

1st day of spring: March 2oth.

Daylight Savings Time: March 14th.

Groundhog Day: “Punxsutawney Phil” saw his shadow, so according to the lore, tack 6 more weeks onto your winter bill. You suck Phil.

Some weather gets people a little zany. In the west it’s the “Santa Ana Winds” that blow through the Hollywood Hills and Mullholland in the Fall. Dry, hot winds fuel fires. People go a little insane. It’s an excuse for everything, from lateness to random snogging, and over the top binges, “It’s the Santa Anas… I’m just not myself.”

For Alaska, it’s when when the ice melts. The Nenana Ice Classic attracts tens of thousands of Alaskans and visiting foreigners to bet how much has river Tanana’s ice cover has melted. It’s even become a sort of measure stick for Global Warning. Last year’s jackpot was $283,723. Hurry, bets close April 5th.

For the North East, it’s about the crocus and narcissus. You get why Easter is such a big deal. It truly is rebirth, from the dark gray cold sprouts the tiny electric purple heraldry of spring.

Perfection in the reveal. As soon as I see shoots of those buds emerge I get giddy. Thank god. What magically color will bloom. The spectacular colors against the cold, it is promise of more color to come.

But up until then it’s the wait. The wait. The wait.

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

Detox Day 28 Olympic Gold Baby!

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 28 or Day 15: BMI: 24.6 (+0.1) Back up. Activity Level: Still dizzy, first it was the back going out, and then now the dizziness. This stinks. Meditation: Did the sit in the chair exercise that Dr. Junger suggests. It works. Feel great. Brief Observations: Skin is great. Back to the way it was before the rashes came back. Hallelujah.

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Still dizzy. Somehow it’s worse in bed. Rolling over. It hasn’t been so bad during the day, occasionally. Just. Wish. It. Would. Go. Away. It’s crimpin’ my style. Not working out, and I was just getting back into working out. I will just have to wait this out. And that’s OK.

What I do want to talk about is the Winter Olympics. Most have watched the skating, skiing, but TheBetsy has been keeping her watchful eye on the commercials.

By far, the gold has to go to this gem by P&G:

It hits on all notes. It is poignant. It plays to our hearts, especially if we have kids. And, face it, if you’re buying P& G, and watching the Olympics, you’re at least an adult. And if it’s a weeknight viewer, you’re most likely a parent. They did a fantastic job fitting the ads to this particular market segment.

This commercial brings the human side of the equation. Not the athlete, not the brief 1:30 bio done by a CBS Sports commentators but the essence of the struggle, the dedication, the necessary sacrifice and support necessary to make it to the olympics, let alone medal in an event. Ever athlete is the kid that parent took to practice, watch during competition finger crossed, panic at every fall, pepped talked during every crises of confidence and rehabilitate after every injury. That mom’s look is truly worth a thousand words. Hopes, dreams, fears, stress. It’s a brilliantly crafted piece.

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

My.CleanProgram.com

Makes Me Dizzy (Day 27 Detoxing)

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 27 or Day 14: BMI: 24.5 (- 0.1) Positively negative. I can live with that. Activity Level: I took the day off, see below.  Meditation: 10 mins of quiet breathing. Brief Observations: Skin looks great again. I feel less itchy… definitely glad I stopped the coconut milk.

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I’ve spent the better part of today dizzy.

The kind that they call vertigo. You stand up and it’s like the world is spinning. You get instantly nauseous. Hold on to the table type dizzy. And it is totally crimping my style. I can’t work out. I’m reluctant to really do everyday tasks (my house is a wreck.) I just want to sit still.

I don’t know what is causing it. Is it diet related? After posting my question on  My.CleanProgram.com I got a quick response from the fabulous members, who are extremely helpful and willing to share their experiences.

So far the theories are:

1. Iron deficiency

2. Inner ear issues (a virus, which I’ve had and this sounds very plausible.)

3. Lack of sugar

4. Lack of carbs

5. Changes in air pressure (As in a storm is coming…)

6. Circulation issues

I’ve added suggested magnesium to my diet. I’ve check my iron intake. It’s baffling. Other than dizzyness, I feel great. But the next step is the doctor.

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

My.CleanProgram.com

Thoughts on Being Exposed. Day 26.

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 26 or Day 12: BMI: 24.6 (+/- 0.0) Meh. Activity Level: Workout baby. Work it on out.  Meditation: End of day, brief respite. Brief Observations: Improvements can be seen just 2 days since shuttlecocking the coconut.

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No, this is not about art.

(I’ve always liked this poster and it had “exposed” in the copy)

This is about allergies. Or, rather being exposed to them.

Allergic reactions are a funny thing, especially after being on the CLEAN detox for 26 days.

The coconut reaction was so definite there was little doubt that something was irritating my system.

But I’ve eaten coconut for years, decades even and had nary a reaction.

There is one possibility, additives. Perhaps there was an additive in the Whole Foods Organic Light coconut milk. Anyhow, I’ve had plenty of Thai food, take-out no less, so I’m sure I’ve been exposed to crappy, preservative-ladened food. But no tell-tale signs.

What I love about what I’ve been doing is that it gives me a clean slate. Prior to that, my system was like a bucket filled to the brim with toxins (showering in chlorinated water, eating whatever crossed my plate.) Often stress or a cold or a pint of Hagen Daz or the extra three cups of Turkish coffee and ttha bucket overflows. You get sick and stay sick. Mornings are dreaded. Energy sapped. Rashes appear. Acne. You feel bloated and tired. All the time.  At times like this things can get masked. Allergies masked. Even when tested by an allergist, you will find it’s only it’s a temporary snapshot of that day. Shows up one day, and not the next, and it is only an estimation at best.

So having done the Clean Detox for almost a month,  I have created the best possible environment to suss out what food negatively affects my system. I now know Coconut Milk (at least that specific kind) doesn’t work for me. As I end this Detox I will be easing back into “real food” world. I plan to handle it like a multi-variable equation (I was a math geek) playing with one variable at a time, whilst holding the rest stagnant. Try only dairy for few days, then try wheat.

I hope to slowly work through the list: dairy, wheat, eggs, and certain fruits to find out what exactly I’m allergic to.

My guess is that I will retain a lot from the Detox: the smoothies, the organic as much as I can, brown-rice pasta, sea salt. I really like the way I feel right now. Alert. Even. Calm.

Doing Clean has provided an invaluable opportunity and I am grateful.

Thanks Flames for introducing me to it.

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

Lewd Chocolate Dreams & Sparkly Pinky Neon Days

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 25 or Day 11: BMI: 24.6 (-0.2) Halle-freakin’-lujah Go me! Activity Level: Planned to both strength train and yoga, but managed to just do the strength training. For a very good reason. (see below) Meditation: I spent 10 mins, lying in bed focusing on each body part. It works. Brief Observations: After chucking the coconut milk, I have yet to see any improvement. I’ll give more than one day. Then I’ll freak.

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First off, I totally skipped Friday’s post.

Geez.

Oh well.

It just came to me as I was typing this one. I spent most of the day in the car, driving. I was picking up my daughter, The Toaster, from the grandparents house in RI. It still blows my mind that one, in an hour, can traverse a state or two here in the East Coast. Having grown up on the Southern California coast, it was like 6 hours before you it the closest border.  First time it happened, I fell asleep in the back of the team bus in MA and woke up 3 states over from MA. Totally freaked me out.

Let’s move on…

I am  also starting to have illicit dreams of chocolate and red wine.

Food dreams have been plaguing me. Some time it’s crusty french bread. All in all, tis is not good. I thought if blogged about it I’d get it out of my system. Sort of a riff  on “just wait 15 mins,” but mine is more “just blog for 15 mins and ,” except there is no “and.” So here we go…

Day 11. 10 days more to go.

My fantasies are very specific. It would seem, the longer I am on detox, the more specific the cravings. I can now watch a cupcake go by without a thought, but when it comes to pieces of good, dark chocolate… I may have put a restraining order on myself.

Specifically this kinds of dark chocolate:

Lake Champlain Organic Dark Spicy Aztec chocolate.

Spicy. Organic. Dark. Fabulous. Pair it with a strong, deep Cabernet Sauvignon and you understand why the Conquistadors raped and pillaged the New World, if the end result was this. Almost.

They sell these at Whole Foods. If you like heat, I highly recommend this little number. Red pepper, when paired with dark chocolate really melds well.

Now, I was definitely not having lewd foodie dreams of chocolate, when I was treated to an afternoon with The Toaster.

Six, going on 14, she’s my old soul. Wise and preternaturally gifted in all things social. Quietly observing all though lately she’s been sticking up for herself with her twin brother as he encroaches on her Wii time.

It’s rare that just she and I spend time together. So off we went on a planned afternoon…

We got our nails done. It’s always a fun adventure because I let her pick the color, the style, the whatever. Just no acrylics. And she doesn’t disappoint. Neon pink for her, which I have an inkling glows in the dark, though I have yet to test. The finished products were show stoppers: festooned with white, glittery hand-painted stars. Boy George, Bananarama and Duran Duran come to mind as the retro 80’s have come back to haunt me in the form of my beautiful 6 year old daughter.

We also got ice cream, or rather her. Again, surprising I didn’t even want ice cream. Really. It was like “Meh,” as it’s no Organic Dark Spicy Aztec Chocolate. Not even close.

We chatted. We laughed. A little bittersweet, as I fear the “Mom-is-awesome” days waning as she gets older. So I made note to tuck this day away for later.

For me, it’s mentally filed under “white sparkly-starred pinky neon kind of great day.”

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

Coconuts and Boats (Minus Islands.)

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 24 or Day 10: BMI: 24.8 (+/-0.0) Plateau plateau. Activity Level: Yoga! Bright and Early. Meditation: 8 mins at Yoga, started the day off right I have to say. Brief Observations: I am pretty convinced that I am allergic to coconut. acne, rash and my lower intestines have declared a blockade. I’m pretty much the fiber-queen of the east coast right now. Not pleased or pleasing.

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If someone would tell me I’d be allergic to coconut I’d laugh. In their face.

I love all forms of coconut: Almond Joy, Mounds, Donuts to cakes. Pina Coladas and now Clean Detox Shakes. Now I’ve found that I am allergic. It’s brought back rashes gone on my ring finger (Again, to my GP “I am NOT allergic to platinum. Move On!,”) my rosacea flared up, and my lower intestines are, for all intensive purposes, flipping me the bird. TMI but true.

I’ve tried to cut back on the coconut milk, but have come the sucktastic conclusion that my and Coconut milk will have to part ways. I can have coconut water, but no coconut milk. Still not the same.

So today I chucked the coconut. Let’s see if the blockade, rashes and eruptions end.

As for the boat part of the blog, the fam and I managed to check out the New England Boat Show.

Hundreds of boats, thousands of people, and Scooby Doo.

We spent the afternoon, checking out the wares, stalking Scooby (for the kids) and trying on a few “4-Hour Workweek” fantasies of  ditching the house and living on the high seas (the kids can fend for themselves, they’re scrappy.)

With a few strategic Peanut M&M stops to keep the whining to a minimum we managed to cover what we wanted to see.

Few interesting observations of the affair:

- don’t underestimate the power of a person wearing a 6 foot fake fur dog suit. I thought Baby Lug was going pee in his pants (which he already does) AND throw panties at Scooby Doo a la Tom Jones. Whose panties? I don’t know.

- Peanut M&M’s are your best compadre when you have small kids. They get the chocolate fix, you get quiet and they’re mostly peanuts than candy.

- You wouldn’t know there was a bad economy. People were buying boats. Multiple boats. Hubby and I spent a good portion speculating whether they were recent lotto winners or self-made. We vow to buy more lotto tickets.

- Nothing gets your entrepreneurial juices flowing than visiting a show like this. For you it could be a car show, a home show, a vacation show (which was actually across the street.) It gets you to dream, to think and ponder your future. Nothing is written in stone, unless you have the chisel. I’d love to take the kids on a year-long trip on a boat. With satellite  Internet access, you’ve got broadband, and with that you can work pretty much anywhere: dock, boat or beach. Make you think. Homeschooling is my only mental hurdle, that and not owning a boat. Ahhh, minor issues to be resolved.

And because I know you’re thinking about it, SNL’s “I’m on a Boat”:

Links to Items Featured on TheLiquidBetsy:

Video Betsy: Flip, iMovie, YouTube Oh My! (Day 23, Day 9 extended Detox)

Bridget Jones’s Update of Clean Detox Day 23 or Day 9: BMI: 24.8 (0.0) Plateaus stink.  Activity Level: Worked out on EA Sports Active burned around 200+ calories. Feels so good to be working out again. Meditation: Is sitting in front of the TV watching “The Deep End,” meditating? I laugh.  I also found out that I’ve been misspelling “meditation,” it is NOT “mediation.” This is what you get for cut & pasting. And having a best friend that was once a lawyer. Geez. Brief Observations: Still a little off, with rashes or and flushed face. Coming to terms that I may have to walk away from coconut milk in my smoothies. A total and utterly sucky bummer. “Duuuuuude.”

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So you can see the product of the experiment with my Flip, iMovie and my sanity.

The goal was to do CLEAN on the go. Interesting idea. We can all do Clean Detox in our home, with blender in hand and fridge of healthy, organic food.

But what happens when it’s just you and your busy day and you have to squeeze CLEAN in. Even post-CLEAN, re-entry or maintenance?

My busy day included my two sons, Mr. Man (age 6) and Baby Lug (age 2) and an not-out-of-the ordinary outing to the Boston Children’s Museum.

I taped a segment of me looking for CLEAN choices at very busy Au Bon Pain, which somehow got deleted during upload. It really didn’t work anyway. I ended having to resort to my back-up lunch, which was a grilled chicken on baby spinach rolled in a brown-rice wrap with a delish Sweet miso carrot & ginger dressing (thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow’s nifty, getting-more-respect Goop.) Take that Au Bon Pain.

On the CLEAN community site, My.CleanProgram, I was given the idea by a member (hollah out to Trilogy!) to not just try to have a CLEAN day but scout out CLEAN restaurants & bakeries. I might just try that out, not just for CLEAN members but also for the local Bostonians.

Another snafu that cracks me up is when, just after the FLOUR bakery & cafe sign, I turn the camera back and all  see is my vintage Ray-bans. (Note to self: be mindful  zoom.) Reminds me of Wilson from Home Improvement.

I have to say iMovie was awesome. Intuitive. Easy. I was up and running within 10 mins and splicing together footage from my trusty Flip MinoHD Camcorder. I love my FLIP- love, love, love it. Did I say I love it. Well I do. Small, portable, affordable, I have mine on me at all times. Read more about it HERE.

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