New Demo Reel

I just updated my Demo Reel and Resume!
I also started my 3rd Animation Mentor Alumni Refresher course today,
so new work is on the way. Thanks for stopping by. :)
Check it out at www.teresanord.com

How to Train Your Dragon

WOW! Huge congratulations to my mentors, friends, and the team at Dreamworks! I went to see How to Train Your Dragon last night and was absolutely blown away! What an AMAZINGLY AwESoME and incredibly well put together film on every level... story, art direction, animation.. everything!

If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Seriously. You won't be disappointed. ;)

Running Update!!!

I'm going to run the Disneyland Half Marathon this fall!!! So EXCITED! It all started out as just a joke between some friends, but it's official. I absolutely can't wait!

Anyways, needless to say I've started training again! My hope is to run the half marathon barefoot, or, well I should say practically barefoot. I've been running in my new Vibram Five Fingers. :)

I first heard about the benefits of barefoot, or minimalist shoe, running from Christopher McDougall's New York Times Bestseller "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen." It's one of the best books I've ever read and I highly recommend it (even if you don't like running). It's incredibly inspirational and makes ya want to get up and move!

Anyways, I'm absolutely hooked! I don't think I'll ever go back to regular running shoes! My feet just feel so light and my runs are so much more fun. I find myself running over different terrain just to see what it feels like.
I thought I had good running form before.. but I instantly noticed my stride shortening with these. I use so many muscles in my legs that I never knew I had! I can't even describe how sore my calves were after my first couple runs! Barefoot running truly takes some time to adjust and it's important to start out slow. I'm only up to 4.5 miles so far.
Instead of going into details about barefoot running and why it's beneficial, I'll direct you to an awesome post that Alexiss put together on the subject. :)
http://www.alexissdawn.com/gioiosa/?p=1768

I was so excited to get my Vibrams I could hardly wait! None of the local stores carried them though, so I had to order online. I went through REI since I had a gift card there.. but they're also available online at:
Vibram Main Site
KayakShed
If you buy Vibrams online, just be sure there is a good exchange policy in case you need a different size.
I had read online that everyone instantly loves Vibrams. I was pretty disappointed the first time I slipped them on though. Hahaha, well first off.. slipped on is the wrong term. My first time putting on the KSO's took quite a bit of effort (I'm much faster now).
I just wasn't use to having things between my toes and I didn't like how snug the Vibrams fit. There was absolutely no extra room and my toes kept going numb. It didn't feel like I was barefoot at all and they felt really restricting. I was about ready to exchange for a size up, until I did a google search and found out that Vibrams need some time to break in. I forced myself to wear them around the house with tags on and sure enough about a week later they were so comfy I didn't want to take them off! :)

Anyways, I LOVE them now and I can't wait to run the half marathon with an amazing group of animators!