PrenticeOsborne.Com

Time for Another Workout Review – Fitness Blender

Posted on September 12, 2014 by purrrentice

I haven’t thrown a pony into a post in a minute, so poof. Pony.

I know some of you may think that working out has little to nothing to do with voice over and promo marketing, but oh man. You’re so wrong. I use my body in the booth all the time, and part of promoting health products or liquor is looking good.

Anyways, I’m going on vacation, so I have challenged myself to workout EXTRA hard before I go. I will still get exercise while at the beach but not like I do at home, so my theory is I can burn out a little before going and treat the vacation as a recovery week with light exercise.

Recently, my desktop computer died, and with it went my workouts I use most. NOOOOOOO! Until we fix the compy or extract the data, I’ve had to find new ways to break a sweat, and YouTube suggested a channel to me that I absolutely love called Fitness Blender! So without further ado, I will do a review!

Fitness Blender is a site created by a delightfully adorable and fit couple, Daniel and Kelli. They are both personal trainers who believe fitness should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their income. They provide fitness tips and free workouts, and they pay for this through donations and a handful of reasonably priced premium programs.

What I Like About It

I can search via their site for the workout I want/need that day based on all kinds of things, from calories burned to workout length to type of workout or body focus.
It’s Free! All you need is Youtube. I personally connect my laptop to my TV with an HDMI cable, and it feels like any workout video I’ve ever used.
It’s simple. Even the most difficult workouts are broken down and explained easily.
There are often modifications to make things easier or harder, so no matter your fitness level, you can break an effective sweat.
There is decent variety in kinds of workouts.

What I don’t Like About It

There is no music. Some peeps complain about it, but I personally don’t mind because it feels kinda zen and focused. Besides, you can always add your own tunes.
There is a LOT of traditional HIIT (high intensity interval training). Just thought you tabata know (Get it? Tabata? You oughta? Whatever. I thought it was a good one.)
I get bored easily, so even though Fitness Blender has decent variety, I would love to see even more alternative workout types and ways to mix-up repetition within some of the videos.

Would I Recommend it?

Heck yes I would! I see (and feel) my body getting stronger because of this site. I have improved my form more with this program than any other I tried, and you can easily do these workouts from home on little to no budget. It’s a lovely concept. And hell, I just like Daniel and Kelli, especially when they work out together and joke around. They just seem like good people. Go to FitnessBlender.com or go directly to their Youtube Channel and see for yourself.

Posted in blogging, body image, Bronies, Health, Pinkie Pie, Promos, Voice acting, Voice Over | Tagged fitness, Fitness Blender, HIIT, reviews, weight loss, workouts | 2 Comments

My Ideal Workday

Posted on August 15, 2014 by purrrentice

Last week, I lived without internet. IT WAS AWFUL! You don’t really know how much you depend on the internet until you don’t have it, especially if you work from home. It really messed with my workflow, and while I was stressing, I fantasized about what my ideal workday would be like. To celebrate the homecoming of my interwwebz, I will share my ideal workday with you!

I wake up, not too early or late, and I jump out of bed feeling really freaking motivated.

I check my email while drinking my morning detox water. Are there any pressing matters I must tend to immediately? Nope, because it is an ideal workday, and stuff like that will wait until I’m ready to do it.

Workout! Working out is the ultimate body warmup, right? I will want to exercise, burn a bunch of calories and enjoy it, dammit!

Shower time! Nothing like a steamy shower to clear my throat and sinuses, and I love to do my vocal warmups while in the shower. I’ll sing an epic song as well.

Love me some Hyperbole and a Half

Now it’s time to recheck that email and pick out my auditions over a nice cup of coffee with almond milk. Any of those pressing matters previously mentioned will emerge now, and they will be high paying jobs that are super-duper fun! All the auditions I pick will be expensive and right up my alley. I’m so pumped!! Let’s do this!!!

TIME TO RECORD! I will nail every audition in one or two takes. It will be magical! And I will get all my work done in a similar manner.

Time to edit over lunch/breakfast. The recordings will be so clean and pristine that I can edit hella fast.

I’ll submit all my auditions and work and invoices and be all done by the afternoon. I celebrate my success with some kind of treat, like a beer or video games or a nap, before researching more opportunities and getting ready to cook dinner. Hell, I might even do some chores. Good day. Good day indeed.

Posted in blogging, Bronies, Coffee, Freelance Prentice, Pinkie Pie, Voice acting, Voice Over, writing | Tagged Acting, Grumpy Cat, Hyperbole and a half, internet, MLP:FIM, routine, workday, workflow | 2 Comments

Prentice, Where You Been?!

Posted on July 26, 2014 by purrrentice

I have neglected this blog since April! APRIL! I kinda got into a funk and then came out of it and fell into it again and so on and so on. I was going to write an article about that, but it was meh. So, let’s just move one, shall we?

Anyways, what have I been up to since then? A good bit! Here’s an update!

New Demo
Yup. I finally finished my character demo. It was a partially done work in progress left on the back burner for a while, so even though I had all the tools and pieces at my disposal (I had plenty of paid work and side projects to complete a well rounded reel), I still couldn’t get motivated to simply mix it together.. Well, it ends up I needed one for a potential client, and voila! That was just the fire I needed lit under my butt to complete it.

E-Learning VO
I had a couple different tutorial and e-learning jobs, and they were awesome. Some people may find this kind of work boring, but since I get a kick out of the whole process, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I make simple instructions FUN!

AMT and a Session
At VO Atlanta 2014, I met Matt from Atlanta Models and Talent. Matt’s a really cool guy, and now he’s my really cool agent! Within a month of signing with AMT, I booked my first gig with Sparkle Paper Towels! I had a blast recording the job, and I made a new VO friend. Hopefully the bookings will keep on coming!

Gaming VO
I’m always up for character work, and I booked a gaming job that I can’t wait to share. I can’t give any juicy details yet, but as soon as the game’s out, you know I will show and tell!

Me and dog celeb, Roxy, at Red Brick’s Dog Days!

Yappy Hours
In case you didn’t know, I’m an Atlanta Rep for Rudy Green’s Doggy Cuisine, and I started shifting the marketing focus from in-store demos to fundraising events within the community. I’ve thrown multiple Yappy Hours so far, and they’re getting more and more popular! Basically, I team-up with a local brewery, restaurant or bar, and we do a dog-themed event to raise money for local animal welfare programs and shelters! Beer? Doggies? Peace of mind? Paid? Yes, please.

A Couple New BA Brands
On the brand ambassador side of things, I’ve represented some new brands since April. I did events for Motto (a delicious matcha tea drink), TumericAlive, Rise Bar, Loreal and Tanka. They are all great brands. I also got Brand Ambassador of the Month with Natural Solutions! Huzzah! I got a pat on the back and a bonus. Sweeeeeet!

Anyways, there are sure to be more things on the horizon, so stay tuned!

Posted in blogging, Promos, Voice acting, Voice Over | Tagged Agent, animal welfare, beer, brand ambassador, Character Demo, Commercials, Dogs, e-learning, gaming, Health Food, training, Voice Over | Leave a comment

A Throwback Throw Down: Poetry Month Rap Realness

Posted on April 4, 2014 by purrrentice

I’ve decided after much thought that I will include my song parodies and such in my Poetry Month Showcase. Even if they are not traditional, original poems, it does take some poetic prowess to match words to lyrics in a new context. Also, they are fun!

My next installment of Throwback April involves an epic dish battle. I was told not to mess with the mini break room on Marketing’s turf. Problem was, nobody cleaned it at all, so eventually when things got nasty, I had to do the dirty work. This included climbing/cleaning the summit of Mount Icky and doing an archaeological dig through a long forgotten ice cave filled with expired yogurt. There was some microwave explosion as well, and HR sent a scolding email about how I’m not a maid. You know things are bad when HR steps in without being asked. Sheesh.

I wrote a Fridge Rap that week. Actually, I’ve written two and can’t remember when I did which because my oldest archives are not very organized. So…I will post both. Besides, the second rap got a Joie Brown illo, so now both raps can have a visual.

Frigidaire Rap

This is a shout out to my office Peeps, cuz life ain’t easy for a receptionist on the streets!

I’m an admin with swagger, so I gotta represent,
With my rhymes like liquid gold. My flows heaven sent,

I hate to waste food, so I gotta be fair,
So listen close to this rap about the Frigidaire,

I can’t let you leave yo food in the fridge week after week,
It would be stanky, moldy, cluttered and yo, Man! It would reek!

So remove yo mac & cheese, yo sammich, and yo chicken wings,
Cuz I’m gonna toss it in the trash at five fifteen!

This is gonna go down every Friday,
I’m gonna throw down and throw your food away,
So you better be smart and heed this fly warning,

This is one of Joie’s earliest illustrations that she sketched in a cubicle and texted to me.

Or yo food will not be here on Monday morning!

Frigidaire Rap Numbah Too!

This rap is dedicated to my homie Greg T
cuz he did that stack of nasty dishes fo me!

Don’t be a hater
cuz I’m the dictator,
laying down the laws of the fridge.
Don’t hate the playa. Hate the game.
Then hang yo head in shame,
as I trash yo food and burn another bridge.

You’ll soon be doing time.
Forgettin’ is the crime.
Your sentence is lunch without parole.
When you go to get yo meal
you’ll be shoutin’ “What’s da deal?!”
You got busted by the office Fridge Patrol!

Remember, crime don’t pay, Kids.

5:15

Posted in blogging, chores, gangsta, Joie Brown, Mini Fridge, office, rap, receptionist, Receptionist on the Verge, refrigerator, Uncategorized | Tagged Dishes, Poetry Month, Throwback, War | 2 Comments

Throwback April – Terza Rima and Time Off

Posted on April 3, 2014 by purrrentice

For my next Poetry Month post, I’m showing off the second poem in my archives. It was a climbing rhyme I wrote for a fridge cleaning on Friday the 13th. In the blog post where I shared it originally, I also described how ridiculously hard it was to ever get my paid time off work because my boss was ridiculous. I recreated a typical conversation we would have on the matter, and you can find it here.

Onto the poem!

Terza Rima (Climbing Rhyme) – A poem with three lines per stanza. The first and third lines rhyme, and the second line of the stanza rhymes with the first and third of the next.

The Freaky Friday Fridge

Friday the thirteenth can be sly,
sneak upon you, trick and fool you,
until Saturday draws nigh,

And when the week begins anew,
don’t blame your lost lunch on bad luck,
when from the fridge you stayed eschew.

Though black cats hiss and run amuck,
and salt is spilled, though just a smidge,
and mirrors shatter to bits when struck,

Despite ladders lined-up like a bridge,
and cracks on the ground stepped-on unseen,
I’ll clean that funky, freaky fridge!

I’ll toss green beans and Lean Cuisine,
and soup this Friday the thirteenth.
I strike tonight at five fifteen!

Posted in blogging, cats, Funny Poetry, office, poetry, receptionist, Receptionist on the Verge, refrigerator | Tagged climbing rhyme, friday the 13th, mean bosses, paid time off, sharks, Terza-rima, Throwback Thursday | Leave a comment

Throwback April is the New Poetry Month

Posted on April 2, 2014 by purrrentice

Hello? Hello!!!!! (Frantically clears dust and cobwebs and inadvertently disturbs a spider nest and freaks out before opening a window to air out a long unused space). Ah, Blog! There you are! It’s been a while. I’m sorry for letting you collect dust for the past couple months!

It’s April again, which means…IT’S POETRY MONTH! What better way is there to jump start my blogging than with the literary jumper cables of Poetry Month to spark my writing battery? Too much metaphor? Don’t care. I do what I want!

Speaking of do what I want, I’m going to handle Poetry Month differently this year. As my old school readers or those who have searched “being a receptionist sucks” on Google know, this blog originated as a space for me to vent, lament, joke and share my experiences as a front desk warrior. I also showcased my weekly Fridge Poems. In case you didn’t already know about this, I had a crappy receptionist job, and one of my tasks was to clean the fridge every week. About a half hour before I did the deed, I had to send an office-wide memo reminding all office dwellers to retrieve their food or suffer the consequences. For a while, I wrote normal memos, but one day I cracked and let some of my personality drip into an email and then hit “SEND.” It went over so well that I wrote an original piece of poetry/parody/story/craziness each week and became office famous for it.

I look back at my receptionist days and cringe, and then I crack-up at the poems. Since it’s been so long since the days of Fridge Poetry, I’ve decided to turn Poetry Month into a long-ass Throwback Thursday. I will post my fridge poems in order and give brief recaps of the corresponding blog post. Pretty fun, huh?

The first documented Fridge Poem in Fridge Poem History was a Haiku I wrote. The CFO loved it, and that’s when I knew…writing silly poetry to raise fridge cleaning awareness…was my destiny!! So, here is the first ever Fridge Poem:

Monday’s leftovers
Uneaten, long forgotten
Tossed at five fifteen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Crappy Job, Fridge, Haiku, Jump Start, Poetry, Poetry Month, Receptionist, Throwback Thursday | Leave a comment

Bye, 2013! 2014???

Posted on January 4, 2014 by purrrentice

2014?! Challenge Accepted!

It’s been a while since I wrote a blog, and seeing my yearly WordPress review made me want to share it publicly with a few words about 2013 (may it rest in peace). 2013 was a mix bag of great accomplishments and great struggles. That’s the nicest thing I can say. Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out, 2013. And 2014? Challenge accepted, Bro!

My Voiceover career had a great year. I made it onto radio and television ads, and I’ve done gaming and toy voices. I’ve branded myself, and it’s starting to make a difference. I’m getting very comfortable with editing and producing. I updated my demo, and I got lots of teaching experience under my belt with Casting Direct’s acting classes for kids and VoiceoverCity’s class I currently host, Intro to VO. And I also got to be a pony! It feels good to grow so much, and it feels even better to say “Holy crap! I just did that!” I honestly get better each day. My goal next year is to continue growth. Book more and book bigger!

As for the struggles this year, I can only sigh and hope things will turn around in 2014. I just need to focus on working hard, think positive thoughts and remember that struggles build character…and make a great story! Easier said than done though. Anyways, below is my review for this blog in 2013. Take a peek if you like, and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 30,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 11 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Posted in Job hunting, My Little Pony, Voice acting, Voice Over | Tagged 10 things to know about being a receptionist, 2013, 2014, Beignet, Freelance, New Year, Rage Face, Receptionist on the Verge, VO | Leave a comment

Seven Things to Know About Pursuing Voiceover

Posted on October 31, 2013 by purrrentice

This feels surreal to me sometimes, but people come to me for advice about breaking into voiceover. I love helping newcomers because it’s hard to be a noob. I enjoy it so much that I teach Introduction to Voiceover at VoiceoverCity. I will shamelessly leave a link to my upcoming class (December 3rd at 7:00) here. I like to balance enthusiasm with a realistic idea of what it takes to pursue VO, because that’s how I roll! So…here’s a little food for thought:

Everybody Starts at the Beginning
Listening to interviews with some of my favorite, big game voice talents had the opposite effect I was going for at first. Instead of feeling inspired, I felt a bit hopeless, like I was at the foot of the tallest mountain in the solar system (which happens to be Olympus Mons) with nothing but a jump rope and a spork. Well, guess what? You’re starting at the beginning, and you know what? That seasoned voice talent who has been doing this for 10, 20, a million years also started there. Calm down. It’s all good.

There is No Wrong Journey
I meet all walks of life in VO. It’s amazing! People come to VO from different backgrounds, at all ages, and with various amounts of experience, talent, skill and financial backing. There is no wrong time or way to hop onto the VO bandwagon, and there is no detailed map to lead your wagon to success. Equifinality, my friends: You can get the same result by many means. There are many ways to skin a cat (Like not at all would be my preference! They so fluffy!), and there are even more ways to create your VO career!

You Need More Than a “Great Voice”
I hear this a lot. “I’ve been told I have a great voice,” or “I do a great impression of [Insert Cartoon Character Here].” This would be like saying “You have great handwriting and grammar. You should be a writer!” Like a writer, a voice talent needs to be able to tell a story. I mean, it’s also called Voice Acting for a reason. You also want to show age, emotional and vocal range. Speaking of which, that great impression you do? That’s nice…but somebody already does that character’s voice, so you need to also come-up with your own characters and voice variations.

You Will Need Many Hats
To be a voice talent, you gotta be multi-disciplinary, meaning you will need to be a man/woman with many hats. You are your business, and you are ALL your employees and departments. If you want to take this further than a hobby, it will take work.

Right now I use a Blue Yeti, and I love it!!

Don’t Be Intimidated By Software & Equipment Snobs
This bugs me for a couple reasons. First, there is no single “industry standard” mic or audio program. Are some fancier than others? Sure. Do you need to go out and spend your life savings to recreate a music studio in your house? No. There are many different mics out there that will work like a charm, and there are a lot of great programs for Macs and PCs alike. Besides, what good is a super expensive studio if you don’t have the skills to pay those bills? Practice and education are key…on the flip side…

You Will Have to Make Investments
It’s inevitable. You’ll have to dish out time and money to be a self-sufficient, competitive voice talent. You will need coaching. You will need a demo. You will need a place to record, and you will need a way to find work. This does not mean you are stuck until you have tons of cash to throw around. I started off pretty darn poor. If that’s the boat you’re in, start small. Take a class or two. Reach out to local VO communities and opportunities. Over time, build your skill set, your business savvy, your online presence and eventually your demo and studio.

Have Fun!
Need I really say more? This is a fun industry, and if you aren’t joining it because you enjoy the process…well..why are you here? Even when things get daunting and hard, remember to embrace the creative process and just have fun!

And this is just the beginning! If you are interested in visiting my class to learn way more, here’s another link so you don’t even have to scroll back to the top! It’s even on a special, so huzzah! What could be better?! No matter how far you take VO or how you go about it, I wish you lots of luck, good fortune, awesome lessons learned and ridiculously fun times!

Posted in blogging, Freelance Prentice, kitties, noob, shenanigans, Uncategorized, Voice acting, Workshop | Tagged Atlanta, BATMAN, Beginning Voice Acting, break-into, class, equifinality, home studio, How to be a voice actor, I have a great voice, Introduction to Voice Over, Microphone, Start a career, VO | 2 Comments

This Post is SO SALTY!

Posted on September 15, 2013 by purrrentice

Today I don’t want to talk about myself. I don’t want to talk about writing, and I don’t want to talk about VO. All I want to talk about today is a new distraction that has brought my whole household an obscene amount of entertainment, joy and salt: Salty Bet

Saltybet.com was introduced to me by one of my husband’s Magical Friends (friends who play Magic the Gathering). The site is a live stream of characters from almost every fighting game you know (and even more you don’t) in a fighting game engine that puts random AI characters head-to-head. You sign-up, get fake money to gamble, and you bet on matches. Throw in made-up characters and “girls don’t exist on the internet” banter, and you have internet meth. Salty Bet is the Heisenberg of the interwebz, and I’m hooked.

ALL IN ON HEISENBERG!

I can’t decide what I love most about Salty Bet. My incognito, boyish, trolling, cursing and goofy inside joking in the chat? The hilarious match-ups? The random glitches and special attacks (You salty peeps know I’m talking about Mexibeams!). The music? The Thursday night bracket tournaments? Hell, I even love betting all in, finding out mistakes were made and losing all my money, thus being forced back into the salt mines!!! I don’t know!

Don’t matter. We just keep this on in the background virtually 24/7, and we even invested the four real dollars to be Illuminati. I wanna make a Salty Bet Salt Girl costume for Halloween and do fan music…cuz that’s how this little Waifu rolls!!!

The Salty Gal is drawn by ChinaD011.

Posted in anime, Bi-winning, Cosplay, epic fail, Gaming, gangsta, Magic the Gathering, meme, Uncategorized | Tagged Breaking Bad, DBZ, Fighting Games, gambling, Girls Don't Exist on the Internet, Heisenberg, Illuminati, Livestream, Mexibeam, Mining, Mistakes Were Made, Salty Bet, trolling, Waifu | 1 Comment

Dat Ass Has Dysentery: Yeah, You Wanna Know…

Posted on August 12, 2013 by purrrentice

I’ve have been quite the jet setter this summer. I went to Texas, New Orleans, Savannah, North Carolina, and I’ll be hitting Destin and St. Augustine soon, too. And let’s not forget Dragon*Con in a few weeks! I didn’t get nearly as much writing done as I should have, but I did play Organ Trail a lot…so much that I want to do a review.

So basically, Organ Trail is a remake of The Oregon Trail by The Men Who Wear Many Hats. Instead of pioneers in a covered wagon seeking a better life, it is the story of The Zombie Apocalypse. After the zombie outbreak, some towns are nuked, and you must lead your party in a station wagon across the country to the one safe haven! You can still get the signature, Oregon Trail diseases, like Cholera, Typhoid and Dysentery, and there are all kinds of new problems the RNG (Random Number Generator) Gods can send your way, like getting bitten by a zombie or kidnapped by a bandit or attacked by a zombie bear, or losing cash in the seat and never finding it again! I have played this game over and over, and I finally beat it in Suicide Mode. I am one proud gamer gal!

Troll Lol Lol

What I Like About The Game

Because of achievements, and random shenanigans, the replay value of this game is high.
I don’t play this game true to the plot anymore, which makes it fun to figure out how best to win. I never waste my supply slots on food anymore. Waste…of…resources!
I LOVE the graphics. They stay true to the vibe of Oregon Trail but have lots of hilarious quirks and references.
A lot of people complained about the controls, but that is poppycock. What did these haters expect? To be true to the theme, the controls HAVE to be old school and limited. That’s part of the fun. This is a remake of a game made in 1971, not the latest first person shooter. Get over it, and just enjoy shooting bullets with the lame, drag-and-click system.
The music in this game is awesome. ‘Nuff said.
Who doesn’t like coming-up with hilarious names to make the game announcements that much funnier?! “Dat Ass” and “Yo Mom” are among my favorites!

What I Don’t Love About The Game

You can’t sell car parts, so I could have five mufflers and still starve to death.
I don’t quite understand why when being attacked by the motorcycle gang the bullets they shoot do considerable damage to my car, but ramming them with my car does no damage. Lol.
You can’t kill the zombie bear.
Steam has had some hiccups with this game, thus some of the achievements I’ve unlocked are still locked. Lame sauce!

And there are zombie strippers?! What else could you possibly as for?!

Posted in Gaming, parody, Pole Tricks, shenanigans, Stripper Shoes, Twilight Sparkle, Uncategorized, Zombies | Tagged Dat Ass, gaming, Organ Trail, PC Games, Planet Terror, Zombie Strippers | Leave a comment

Terza Rima (Climbing Rhyme) – A poem with three lines per stanza. The first and third lines rhyme, and the second line of the stanza rhymes with the first and third of the next.

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