East Coast Ecstasy

Legal Cocaine

2010-03-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

I know you are all wondering if I have drowned in the streets of Boston... despite flood warnings galor I am suprising upbeat! The magic? LEGAL COCAINE (AKA a MULTIVITAMIN!)

My stomach disorder makes me prone to nutrient deficiencies which makes me tired and weak and lightheaded... which brought me to Dr. Google who diagoised me with secondary anemia! All that means is I am low on iron which is actually pretty common in females. I took my "prescription" to CVS and got One a Day Teen Advantage. I am technically not a teen but I heard that some people get naucious with multivitamins so I figured it would be gentler and it had all the same vitamins/minerals as the woman pill except MORE vitamin C and more pills for the same cost. I love a good deal.

So I have been taking these magic pink drugs for almost a week now and I feel sososo much better. Much less irritable, unable to regulate body temp. and all the other annoying symptoms! YAY :-) I do not know why I was so against vitamins... I guess it felt like cheating? Now my mom wants me to jump on the fish oil pill boat, but I don't think I am ready for that yet :-P

What is really on crack is this season of Dancing With The Stars! This cast is crazy! Anybody else watching this unfold?

And speaking of dancing (like my segways today?) here are some pictures inside the club in NYC I went to:

ahhh the good days.

Who needs sleep!

2010-03-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was in NYC visiting some of my favorite people :-)

It was so much fun! The only problem was that by last "weekend" I actually mean Sat. night. Quite literally. I did not get there until 5:30PM (thanks traffic)! And my bus back to Bean-town was at... 7:10AM!! My friend is currently living in a hotel (so glamorous!) and in typical NYC fashion there is a 24 diner right next door... except what makes it even BETTER is that there is an entrance from inside the hotel meaning fresh 24 hr. diner food without ever going outside!

We went to a Mexican restaurant that was delicious and we got some Margaritas to start off the night. Mine was Passion Fruit and AMAZING! The restaurant was fun with music playing loud enough that you felt like you could get up and dance, but not too loud that you couldn't talk!

Next we went back to the hotel and got tired (food plus a little alcohol = nap) but you can't sleep in NYC so we went to the diner for coffee :-)

Then it was time to get (or at least try to get) beautiful! Hair/makeup/wardrobe change and some wine before we were out the door to head to a bar/lounge type place. I guess the night was Mexican themed because the bar only served Mexican beer! So Corona with a lime it was :-) (for $8!!) small price to pay to enjoy the city. The inside had brick walls with candles in the walls and wax piled up and dripped down the sides. Very cool vibe.. I would attempt this decorating style at home, except my apartment would become a bonfire in seconds.

Got back to the hotel at 3:30? Straight to the diner for pancakes! I got chocolate chip and they were AMAZING three giant pancakes, but they were piled on top of each other and I cut right down.. so really it's only one right?

A nice little nap from 4:30-6:30? and off to the train. Seeing my friends was def. worth the lack of sleep... not like I sleep much anyway! We took pictures... I am not a huge picture post-er, but if you want pictures I will bring them on!

This weekend I am going home to see the fam, since it has been awhile and I need some good home cooking! (and the delicious treats I am too cheap to buy myself/ have no willpower to keep in my apartment).

New Addiction:
PB Twix bar... Literally a long thick Oreo cookie topped with a thick layer of PB and coated in milk chocolate!
I also tried the new Milky Way bar but cannot remember the name. The cookie in that badboy tastes like Astronaut Ice Cream. Never had space food? Its like an airy crunch weirdness.. not bad though!

7.5 Miler Update: I have strained a muscle in my foot and ignored it so my body started using weird muscles when I walk and stuff, which caused my ankle and calf to be ruined too. I was thinking about trying to start training a little early, but I met with a PT guy who said no running for at least a month? and I am supposed to foam roll every day?! It is hard enough to get me to the gym to work out, but I hate stretching (hence my injury) so I really wont be going to foam roll (ever done this? it feels like kneading a knot out KILLS). Might have to go buy one... apparently he said I need new sneakers too... I am NOT a runner I just like this one run because it gets me outside when the weather is nice. Now I have all these new investments! Fail. At least it is going to rain in lovely Boston for the next 2 weeks and I wouldn't even consider leaving my apartment anyway!

I hope you are experiencing some better weather/luck. If not.. chew on a Twix, but make it PB :-)

Take a shot- save a finger

2010-03-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

Aw thank you everyone for being so nice about the hair :-)
It is better already... I had forgotten how much lighter highlights are right after getting them done. I had also forgotten how DRY hair is after getting them done! I have been washing my hair every other day (gross?) to stop it from looking like a hay stack! Much improved though... switching back to every day promise! Do you wash your hair every day? Magazines and stuff do not recommend it actually, but my hair is thin and straight and its that or being a grease ball...

Anyway so this week I have discovered a great reason to stick with cheap non flavored alcohol (besides the perks of the cheapness in the city prices are jacked up 10% I swear). OK so from the beginning... Monday I woke up with a swollen hot throbbing finger... weird? Maybe for some but I always seem to have something wrong so I ignored it, until Wednesday. I was enjoying some ABC Comedy Wednesday (Modern Family and Cougar Town) when my finger started pussing (gross factor again... sorry). Naturally, I googled and was told I needed to get my finger amputated, but after more research I confidently diagnosed myself with Paronychia. This is actually a nail infection caused by water entering an opening between your nail and your skin and becoming a bacteria garden (awesome!). So I then Skyped my parents and held a normal finger and the grime finger up to the camera to show them my dilemma... they told me to seek medical attention. But why? When I have some handy dandy bacteria fighting alcohol sitting in my freezer! So instead of going through the hassle of going into work late and going to an early doc appointment, I poured a shot of Roubinoff vodka and stuck my finger in it during my shows.

Woke up next day. MAGIC. Finger was not hot which means no more infection! BOOM! Healed. Today it is even less swollen! BAMN! I now feel comfortable enough using my Google M.D. to prescribe cheap vodka to all in pain. Enjoy!

Blonder and Dumber

2010-03-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

On January 24th I looked in the mirror and saw grossness. My stick striaght hair had out grown all the style, layer, angles, bangs and whatnot and my multitoned pretending to be natural highlights had grown out enough to show their true colors. I made the ultimate girl mistake... calling my hairdresser the day I needed the appointment. Fail.

On Feburary 27th when my appointment FINALLY came (he is not a celebrity stylist or anything just LOVES to take vacations and works at salons in various cities throughout the state so he has limited availability ALWAYS) I was very excited. I even turned down a chance to go to NYC with a friend because I knew I was too gross looking to be seen under those bright lights.

My hairdresser had run into my mom and sister. This is why I should not go to the same hair dresser as them. They have naturall darker hair than me and when you compare my natural color to my lightest highlight it looks dark, but my roots had grown in SO MUCH by the time my appointment got around you got to see my real root color. Definetly lighter than my sister and mom... which he pointed out... and was very excited... and an hour later I left the salon much too blonde. He apparently wanted to keep the natural look but I think he got confused because my hair might be lighter than the rest of the fam, but it is NOT blonde AT ALL. He said it was "dirty blonde". I used to say that but I am sticking with light brown with highlights.

It normally looks so perfect. I am too blonde. Hopefully blondes do have more fun.

For some more failures... I let me phone go for a swim in the toilet on Friday night. It is suprisingly coming back to life... slowly. Sadly this is not the first time I have done this. I do not recommend putting your cell in your back jeans pocket. Lil guy slips right out when you go to pee!

I also do not recommend clicking to download random spyware. It could not be spyware. It COULD be a VIRUS. So misleading. Now my laptop is slipping into a cyber abyss. Stupid people who have nothign else to do with their time but create these tricky things. "O I know! Let's get all the overly cautious people and have them THINK they are protecting their precious files but INSTEAD we will kill them!"

To end on a positive note... Blonde or Brunette, Cell phone or no cell phone I AM going to NYC this weekend :-)

What to wear...?

Passionate People

2010-02-22T18:24:00.000-08:00

My Passion Package from the Passion Party has arrived! First a recap on the night.

I was very anxious going. My mom was very very open about sex when I grew up, so I have never been squimish or giggly about it, but going to a sex toy party is a whole new level that I was not sure I could do! It didn't help that the only person I knew was the hostess! I prepared a cheese and cracker plate with some grapes. There was a lot of yummy food:

The party was decorated really cute with Valentine's Day decorations, heart confetti, and cute goodie bags with a heart lollipop, heart ring, and "Her Pleasure" condoms :-P

Everything was done so girly that I would seriously describe the night as "cute". The evening started out pretty PG with yummy smeling lotions, then delicous tasting cremes, and from there it started getting worse. Luckily I was double fisting wine and cupcakes so I could handle "toss the ring on the strap-on" a fun little game where the hostess has to wear one (it was purple apparently if they make things pink or purple it should less intimidating) and each guest gets three rings to toss on it while she stands... the winner won free stuff! I lost... I think I am OK at not being talented at this game.

Overall, good eats and drinks, good people, and good laughs! There was some pressure to order stuff, so I got a heart shaped pad with magic crystals that turn into a warm gel massager! She rubbed creme on our arms with it and it felt like I was in a spa. Sure it was probably the least scandalous thing there, but an at home spa treatment feel is all the pampering I need :-) Apparently puting it on cramps during that time of the month is a god send! We shall see...

Ever left your comfort zone? Good/Bad experience?

Outraged!

2010-02-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

The company I work for holds monthly staff meeting executed in a very pep rally-like fashion. Part of the ritual includes congratulating people on anniversaries at the company. One WOMAN was being recognized for 10 years at the company. A colleague of hers then stands and says something along the lines of:

"For the past ten years we have seen so much change in the life of Suzzie (I am not creative with names). She came to us single, living in an apartment in the city."

Pause. This was not said in a cheerful manner. This was said in a aww how sad and lonely Suzzie was when we hired her poor soul.

"Over the past ten years she has met a husband, had not one, not two, but THREE kids, sold her apartment, bought a house, and is currently selling this house to get a NEW house! We have been through her engagement party, wedding, baby showers, and house warming. So congratulations Suzzie on 10 years at Company Awesome!"

HAHA WHAT? These are her accomplishments? I understand that she is probably happy now with a family and a house, but what is wrong with an apartment in the city? and being single? and HOW does this have ANYTHING to do with her ten years at the COMPANY?

Of course, the guy celebrating ten years is described as the expert in Application X and how generous he has been traveling to help other offices and how roll out X is going so smoothly because of his initiative to expand his knowledge and better the roll out plan.

Well congrats on "bettering" your life so much in 10 years Suzzie.

Another thing my brain could not wrap around was this month's Cosmopolitan. Carrie Underwood mislead me to thinking I would enjoy this issue. I did not. The fashion is fun, but the bulk of this magazine is cr@p. I am sorry, I feel like I am the only person that feels this way. Please do not hate me. It just seems to me that everything in Cosmo makes girls more crazy than we already are! It is natural to us (or at least me) to over think things. I think this is a good trait for work, makes us think of how to constantly improve things (AKA my job).

BUT this is a BAD thing in personal life. Did we learn NOTHING from He's Just Not That Into You? Guys are mostly SIMPLE. So how does this magazine fill its pages?

There is literally an article analyzing Brittney Spears and her boy. They had a "Gesture Expert' or something equally dumb analyze pictures of them. They both are walking with their left food in the front... translated to they are subconsciously on the same page about the future of their relationship. Her holding onto his waist when on a motorcycle means she feels deeply connected to him... never mind that if she wasn't holding onto him she would fall off and die (or break something at least).

My favorite part is when they analyze boyfriends. If he brings you a gift to say sorry, it means he is avoiding talking about what he did wrong and is not really sorry. If he texts you, it means he isn't telling the whole truth and knows that his voice would give it away. They also "decode" text messages and stuff.

Blah blah. Teenage girls could become truly psychotic if they took all this to heart. Let's hope they don't.

Off to pop in HJNTIY and remind myself how much I love Bradley Cooper... no Justin Long... NO Ben Affleck... OF COURSE I mean Jennifer Anniston!

:-)
Just remembered I have not seen Valentine's Day. I'm dying. Is it worth paying $11 to see?

P.S. Passion Party details to come...

WTF?

2010-02-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

I finally stopped myself from alternating spoons of peanut butter and nutella and got myself to the gym.

I open my latest Lucky... the best magazine ever to cure a shopping block.

I see this ad:

Hence, WTF? Really? She is taking a picture of her... balls? Well now I MUST go get whatever they are selling! um... no.

Speaking of being ballsey... I mentioned a couple posts ago I was going to start saying YES to more things. sorry for the lame transition)

I have signed up for the same race I did last year. 7.5 miles around the Charles River. I have not run in ages, but according to random sites I only need 10-12 weeks to train, so I can worry about that later.

I have also been invited to a Passion Party (refrain from clicking if at work).
This seems very strange to me, but it is my ~~distant~~ friend's first Valentine's Day being single in 4 years! She is having drinks and food and promising an entertaining night. If you couldn't or chose not to click, apparently passion paties are like jewlery parties, but replace jewlery with sex toys and accessories. I DEFINETLY will not be buying anything, but meeting some new girls and reconnecting with old ones could be fun! Especially with A LOT of wine and baked goods to fog out the XXX rated merchandise. It seems like it is done in a fun way not raunchy. Anybody been to one of these? To go or not to go... stay posted.

Sweet nothings

2010-02-04T09:42:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to plan this event that is finally going down tonight. We have 4 guest speakers planned and I went out to buy them thank you gifts last night and placed a $60 pizza order for the audience (because if they don't care about the panelists at least they will come for the pizza).

I got super stressed suddenly because I checked my e-mail when I got home ($120 later) and saw a lovely message from a peer saying "So I am ordering a bunch of varieties of pizzas and sodas and I bought the presenters scarves".

Seriously? We are going to spend a bajillion dollars on pizza and go super cheap on the gifts? This is how men approach a budget? ARGH! Not to mention I had already said I would take over the gifts and refreshments!

So I flipped out and said some very mean things to Mr. A... he was telling me some story about work and I said something along the lines of "What is your problem? Grow up, who cares? This job is not supposed to be forever. Move on!"

Ouch. It hurt just to write it.

He got really quiet and said sorry, he didn't mean to catch me at a bad time (picture the really hurt, quiet, "I just got shot down" voice). I Instantly felt awful. I explained i had just opened a really annoying e-mail and I didn't mean to let it out on him. He had me explain what had happened, and then he said:

"Ok. So here is what we should do. Both of you cancel the pizza orders. I will go out, buy dough, tomato sauce, cheese, even some meat variety and make you 6 pizzas for about $40 for materials. You get more pizzas for less, and the money you save can go towards the gifts."

Awwww. After me being a bitch, he still wants to help and calm me down AND is understanding <3
I of course did not make him be a pizza man, but as I have ALWAYS said, it is the thought in the small daily gestures that counts :-)

And you thought my heart was made of coal! Well I guess this post proves more that HIS heart isn't made of coal. I am still the mean one. Hm, at least we balance each other! :-P

Ew sry. No more sappiness.

Adult Diaper?

2010-02-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

I have decided that there is something very wrong with me. I pee more than the pregnant lady that sits near me. I am so thirsty all the time. I drink water/coffee/water/tea REPEAT!

I am also very tired, because I wake up 20 million times a night to pee! This prevents REM which equals a bad night of sleep. This also has created a rash on my hands from washing so much and now using lotion! (how my work has mouthwash in the bathroom but no lotion I will not understand)

I even had to leave a meeting to pee... and I had just gone before it started!
But ENOUGH about my bladder... or lack of...

My first question today is: What is the proper length of morning for a break-up?
I have heard ratios such as 1/3 of the length of the relationship.
I have heard a standard 2 weeks.

My next question is: Where did my roommate meet the nicest friends of all time?
We are receiving "Keep your chin up" chocolate gift baskets... "You deserve better than him" cookie jars (filled)... apparently an edible arrangement is on the way?

Now if only the girl who went through the break-up (a month ago) was eating all of it! Nope her silly roommate... ME... gets it ALL. Which is lovely for my love of all things delicious... but I am starting to feel bad hogging all the YUM / my hips are starting to hog all the fabric on my jeans (minor exaggeration... but it FEELS that way :-P) I am thinking I am just going to accept my chocolate hibernation because that AWFUL VDAY is coming up and chocolate is the only good part!

My feelings about VDAY have not changed. I just appreciate the surprise teddy bear for no reason other than he was thinking of me more than forced celebration because of this random day. I admire those who are naturally sweet enough to love VDAY though :-) I just cannot make a big event of it... some chocolate, champagne and a movie night in is good enough for me! OR last year we had an ANTI VDAY Beruit Tournament. Now that is fun! What is your love/hate relationship with VDAY like?

Well.. Cheers! I am off to drink more ~~champagne~~ water and eat more ~~chocolate~~ fruit!

P.S. EVERYONE (whether you hate VDAY or love it) GO SEE THIS 2.12.10!

Throwbacks

2010-01-31T19:22:00.000-08:00

I am currently watching "Yes Man" for a second time this weekend and need to discuss.
This movie is wonderful. It is funny AND has a message for the kids!
I am going to start saying yes to everything (we will see how long this lasts).

So far tonight saying yes has gotten me:
- Ghirardelli chocolate squares
- Hershey chocolate bars
- A potential extension of my Central Europe trip to Spain

OK so granted I would have said yes to the chocolate anyway, and the Spain thing is more of a maybe, but if Jim Carry finds greatness to saying YES than I can too!

Truth? My friends and I all seem to be in kind of a life-funk. Not depressing or anything, but just eh... so maybe I can UNFUNK with the simple 3 letter word YES!

And to leave you with a good kind of funk...
MY MOST POPULAR RANDOMLY POP IN MY HEAD SONGS DURING WORK (especially meetings!)
- My Favorite Things Outkast
Buy me diamonds and rubies
I'm crazy 'bout bentleys
Gucci dresses and drop top compresses
Wine me and dine me
Bring those platinum rings
Those are a few of our favourite things
- Single Ladies Beyonce
- Work It Missy Elliot
- Hollaback Girl Gwen Stefani
- Tarzan and Jane Aqua
- I Like It Sammie

Sammie? No? Anybody remember?
Official Music Video

And a some awesome oldies you may never have heard of:
Bomba- King Africa
Aseraje- Ketchup

Haha! SPANISH! Sorry you weren't for that were you. Especially King Africa. He is sexy.

If you want to see the performance that I think should have won a Grammy this year:
Best Video and Wardrobe and Dance Moves
Best Anorexic Strippers with Pet Talking Fruit

Was lost- then found- and now lost again

2010-01-26T06:38:00.000-08:00

I have been so mentally busy! The new unexpected roomie made herself at home (I am saying this in a nice way not a b!tch get outta my space way... you never know with typing). We are quite the happy team, even though we did not know each other existed pre-move-in, things have worked out very well. She buys double stuffed oreos and shares (and I owe her a new pack because of my usual weekend binge).

Also my ex-roomie, but still bestie came from the Big Apple to visit my modest homely city... that's right MY city... YOU MOVED... you know who you are :-P
We had a fun visit full of catching up, mainly around food. You know when you read those magazines and they tell you to bond with a run instead of a meal? Never going to happen. Hey friend, it has been awhile, why don't we lace up and chat? I would break my face trying to pay attention to her juicy life stories AND keeping my left foot from tripping my right. Maybe I should take "Ability to multitask" off my resume?

Anyway! So Big Apple (that's your name now) and I socialized at a couple different friends' apartments, but we settled in for an earlyish night of snacks and The Pregnancy Pact, because sometimes 18 pregnant teens is more interesting than beer. We went out for b-fest in the morning and I was lucky enough to spill my plate of ketchup with a side of omelet all over my jeans. I then had the brilliant idea of flicking the ketchup off me.. and onto everyone else. Like I said, I am pretty bright.

After a nice weekend, I expected a pretty smooth week to follow. Nope. I have already gone to pick up a package, that was opened during transit with its contents stolen. I also got to walk to the train yesterday in what felt like a tropical storm, with winds so strong that my umbrella became more work than caring for a newborn baby. And when I finally made it home, I found two GIANT beastly "women" being shown my apartment when I received no notice. Technically 4 people should be living in it, and right now there are only two of us, but these "girls" are division 1 college basketball players. I am 5 ft. 2 in. on a tall day, so I am not joking when I say that they will not fit on my couch or chairs or at the kitchen table.

That was yesterday. Today my outfit is cuter, you may say I am shallow, but I will put positive energy anyway I can into the universe right now! I am off to channel some good thoughts. My diet was pure sugar yesterday, so maybe I will be less irritable today with good thoughts, good clothes, and good food. Wish me luck!

No longer alone!

2010-01-14T16:52:00.001-08:00

Last Monday after the amazing Celtics game (we lost but it was close.. A for effort guys) I come home to a suitcase... in my living room. Next to the suitcase? A PERSON!

But nobody was moving in anymore right? NOPE wrong! Apparently she was living with her boyfriend of 2.5 years and they broke up, so she needed somewhere to live, fast. She is actually very nice and we have a lot in common, so besides the initial shock, I am very happy :-)

Anyway, I had a nice relaxing weekend and even saw Obama yesterday! He came into Boston to support the Democratic party running for the MA seat in Senate. I tend to be Republican, but Obama is a celebrity so I stood outside and froze to death to catch a glimpse of the man. I have to figure out what why I am voting on Tuesday because apparently "every vote counts" this time... except don't they tell us that every time? The news did sounds pretty convincing last night, so it is time to do a little political research!

This week is the Jersey Shore season finale! This is a show I tried SO HARD not to watch! But it is like a train wreck and you cannot turn it off! At least it is over after this week and I do not need to see "The Situation" cause more problems and all that gel... come on guys lay off the hair products :-P

I also am very excited for The Pregnancy Pact on Lifetime. It is the movie based on the 18 high school girls that got pregnant on purpose! Very sad, but I am intrigued into WHY they thought that was a good idea!

I have realized that grocery shopping before a long weekend is a really bad idea, because all I do is sit around and eat all my new food until there is none left! Off to watch All About Aniston on Lifetime and finish what is left in my cabinets... Maybe if all the crap is gone, I can actually try to eat well tomorrow!

Plans change, roll with it!

2010-01-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of my new employer, I am going to the Celtics game tomorrow :-)
Free food and drink will be provided!
I am very excited to mingle with my new co-workers, enjoy the game, and of course the food!

I know I mentioned that today was move in day for my new roommates, but life is always changing! The roommates I was going to have got jobs elsewhere and no longer need Boston housing. For now, I will be living alone! We shall see how this goes... I could end up loving it, or being very sad and lonely :-P

The biggest problem so far is I have nobody here to make me feel guilty about having a mess and sitting around eating up a storm! Maybe I will get sick of it on my own...

I have spent all Sat. and Sun. sitting around, pigging out, and watching TV. It has been very relaxing and quite enjoyable. I started watching Platinum Weddings on We thinking I would hate it, but then I ended up watching it for hours! $50,000 for a photographer? $27,000 for a dress? $115,000 for a ring? It is amazing how much some people spend! One couple's budget was $400,000 for their wedding, another couple admitted they did not even bother making a budget! Hahaha O being filthy rich... One day, right?

I blame the typos on my sugar rush...

2010-01-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

MY NEW OFFICE IS SO PRETTY!

I know this is silly to say, but if I am going to spend 40 hours a week there why not appreciate the fung-shuai! The walls and carpet are a light tan/yellow color, the cubicles are a light tan with the top quarter GLASS! You do not feel like you are in a cage... you feel like you are in a sugar cookie surrounded by Boston's skyline... it is fab. All the furniture is super modern and clean-lined AND the floors are connected with floating light wood stairs to make the company feel more connected (there is always the elevators too though)!

There are 2 mini "cafes" with free treats for us hard workers, and 1 main cafeteria type with caterers! They make fresh coffee so we do not have to battle over who's turn it is to fill the pot!

Speaking of coffee... we get brewed Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, 25-30 flavors of Flavia single serving packets, and an espresso/cappuchino machine!!! FREE

Vending machine with sodas, water, selzer... FREE
Fresh fruit... FREE
Cereal... FREE
Milk... FREE

Vending machine with other snacks... 50 cents (I blame the economy but still pretty cheap!)

But wait! There's more!
We have a "wellness room" which is a mini hotel type room in the office for NAPS!
There is a CLEAN shower, in case SOMEONE forgets deoderant and would like to freshen up.
AND there is a "Mother's room" for women who would like a comfortable room with a lounge chair and a personal refigerator for pumping and storing breast milk.

The best part? I got nervous and took my fav First Response test today and it said? NO BABY! So I will not be needing that mother's room... yet!

Final holiday weight count: 8 POUNDS!
I did need to gain some weight since stress and being busy made me a little bit too skinny, but now I need to make sure 8 pounds does not become 18 pounds :-P
I will not worry about it yet, and just keep doin' my thang, but if this trend continues, somebody please pull the ice cream, cookies, brownies, and peanut butter away from my death grip :-)

I am currently living alone, but new roommates move in next week. I miss my best friends very much... our apartment is so sad with our decorations and pictures everywhere :-/ I am going to look on the bright side because now I get to visit my loves at their new amazing apartments in new exciting cities! Cheers to old friends and amazing memories! and cheers to new friends and even more memories to come in 2010!

Why I am moving south!

2009-12-30T07:19:00.000-08:00

Today is my final day as an employee of public service... I would like to thank my future former employer, The City of Boston, for this lovely reminder:

"The Boston Public Health Commission advises the following precautions to stay warm and avoid the dangerous effects of extremely cold weather:

- Wear layers of comfortable clothing and warm boots or footwear that protect your feet.
- Cover exposed skin — especially ears, hands, and other extremities — as skin is vulnerable to frost bite at such low temperatures.
- Keep moving if working or playing outside.
- Avoid getting wet, and avoid walking on frozen ponds or lakes as ice may not be fully frozen.
- Drink warm, non-caffeinated fluids.
- Keep Pets Indoors."

Unfortunately it was -6 degrees yesterday with so much wind that I swear my train was almost pushed off the tracks (or maybe not but you get the picture, so these kindergarten-like reminders of how to stay warm were not enough! I must move to at least Washington D.C. to get minimum 10 degrees back in my life to unfreeze the blood in my veins.

Today I am being taken out to a (hopefully) lovely goodbye lunch, finishing my work (or letting my mind wander to figure out what to wear tomorrow!), and heading home. New, fancy, corporate job starts Monday! Hurrah!

P.S. I mentioned in yesterday's post I needed ideas on how to spend $100... No worries Micheal Kors and I figured out a way to spend much much more than that silly hundred :-P

Unnecessary

2009-12-29T06:20:00.000-08:00

Under my tree I found:
- Tall black suede boots
- Blush pumps
- Work clothes
- Jewelry
- Samantha Who? (the second and final season)
- A cookbook with "simple" recipes... we shall see about that

I picked everything out myself so it all fit and was missing any element of surprise, but oh well! I guess that is what happens as you get older...

Also, I have $100 credit to spend anywhere I please. Did anyone get anything amazing/ wish they got something that I could spend it on? Ideas please :-)

I have been spending some quality girl time catching up with old high school friends, but somehow every conversation ends back with boys. Really are we 12? The reason these girls cannot get boys/men off their minds is because of good old holiday break ups. Two of my closest friends were both left by their boys just before Christmas. They talked A LOT about themselves (which they deserve to do.. after a break up you need a friend to listen to you blab non stop about what a jerk he was and how you can do so much better and how he was getting fat anyway...)

After they had explored every woulda/shoulda/coulda... I was suddenly attacked.
"You have been dating Mr. A for 6 years... that is an eternity"
"You know some people get engaged after 6 months?"
"When are you planning on getting married?"

I do not think about the future... I think about today. Today I am happy. Isn't that enough? Today I am not ready to think about marriage. Today I just want to do dinner and a movie in my new heels.

I explained my "one day at a time" theory and they were shocked.
"But your parents got married at 23... if you arn't getting married what is the point?"

SERIOUSLY? Girls. We need to relax. This is EXACTLY why relationships fail. It is not just your boyfriend doing something stupid, but the father of your future children. If you fight, you are not just risking the date you were going on tomorrow, but also the Cape house where you two would eventually retire! Do relationships really need this added pressure? I think not.

Now, I think it should be said I am not against marriage at all. I think when you find that person it will feel right, and it will happen. What I do not believe in is forcing relationships to get there, just to be married.

*For the record, my parents got married after 9 years of dating! and Khloe Kardashian got married after 4 weeks! There are no rules :-P

"Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que sera, sera!"

Lessons Learned

2009-12-22T05:23:00.000-08:00

Several bad things happened yesterday... let's count down.

#5: I drank coffee. It only made me feel a little sick, but the worst part was that I lost my month long coffee virginity to a luke warm cup of burnt hazelnut. Not the dreamy creamy steamy hazelnut the Green Mountain Coffee description promised. I settled like Britney with KFed. Coffee Whore.

#4: I took the wrong meds... WHOOPS! This was a biggie. I am supposed to take... are you reeady?
- 1 pill every morning for my stomach
- 1 antibiotic pill for my lack of wisdom teeth every 4 hours
- 2 pain pills every 2-3..er... I mean 4-6 hours so my face doesn't hurt me as much as it's killing all those poor soals in my office that have to look at it
- 1 controller of birth at night... because labor sounds painful (except I always fail at remembering this one so who knows? :-P haha... not/really not funny)
So how did I mess this up? Instead of my antibiotics I was taking some random pill prescribed to me in 2004! For I have no idea what! After my second pill of the day I got bored and read the label... was very eye opening. Instantly felt naucious, but because I refuse to throw up ever, I sat with a fist over my mouth as pale as Anne Hathaway until my body gave up and relaxed. Luckily I looked it up and nothing dangerous would happen if I combined it with all the other pills mentioned above. FEUF!

#3: I listed to a song called "LOL :-)" (LOL Smiley Face... yes that is the same of the song not just me smiling at you) It is a fabulous tune that my younger sister with terrible taste in music put on my iPod. I am now in love with it, and I should not be. It is stuck in my head... A little excerpt so you do not youTube it and never get it out of your head like myself:
"Go to my page and follow, if you got a body like a Coke bottle.
Shorty sending twit pics sayin come and get this
LOL smiley face, LOL smiley face"

#2: I got in this horrible habit of not being able to go to sleep until I have had 2 bowls of ice cream, and 8-10 cookies. Last night I did coconut ice cream, coconut macaroons, and chocolate chip cookies. I have gained 5 lbs in 1 week exactly. That is unhealthy America. Do not imitate.

#1: By far the worst thing I did yesterday was watch a Dateline special on that girl "Jaycee" that was kidnapped by a couple on her way to the bus, and kept in the backyard in tents for 18 years!? Raped, tortured, and brainwashed. Gave birth to 2 girls and raised them in the backyard. That awful story combined with these strong pain meds gave me the weirdest dreams. I kept imagining the two little daughters were knocking at my window crying for help or that the kidnapper was on my ceiling spiderman style watching me sleep. Really freaky stuff. Dateline and pain killers DO NOT MIX.

Well everyone says mistakes are good if you learn from them right? So I woke up today much smarter and have already done some good things :-)

1) Some J@CK@$$ getting onto the train today yelled at me for rushing to catch the T that was about to leave... umm hello? Don't be jealous if your slow suburban ass can't rush to the train like my quick city slick behind!

He yells: HEY LADY! We are all trying to make the train! (In a husky def. smoker voice... bet that lack of lung capacity doesn't help you move faster MISTER)

I respond by saying nothing and getting my ass on the train, but once I realize I have made it I was so proud and I turned with a huge smile and said: Would you like me to hold it for you? :-) :-) And I stood in the doorway so it wouldn't close and leave the last string of stragglers behind. HA!

2) I got French Vanilla coffee today and it is delectable!

Tonight I am off to Newport, Rhode Island. Home of the mansions. All the girls from high school get together every year and we do a little swap nothing expensive because it is ALL the girls, not just the really close group I had in high school of maybe 4... but more like 20 girls. One of the girls now lives in some fancy place in Newport and offered to hoast this year, should be fun :-)

If I do not write again, becuase this is a long post which may take several days to read :-P ...Eat, Drink, and Be Merry! Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas

Chubby Cheeked

2009-12-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

I got my wisdom teeth out! I am starting to feel rather jolly and catch onto the Christmas spirit since my face is as chubby as Mr. Claus!

Besides having chipmunk cheeks... (and a double chin why does getting teeth pulled make your neck fat?) I have also officially determined that for the month of July I will be in Central Europe! Main locations will be Prague, Budapest, and Vienna! I am very excited!

Now that both of my procedures are done, I have to go back to work on Monday, so it looks like Sunday is my main day for Christmas shopping! Hopefully the malls wont be crazy, but who am I kidding? They will be.

Things I want:
- A cookbook so I don't get lazy and live off of canned soup for dinner
(should include lunches to-go so that I am not buying lunch everyday at work)
- A pair of nude/blush pumps
- A new pair of tall black boots (mine are all worn out... all 3 pairs)

Not all that exciting, but necessary :-)
Presents I still have to buy:
- Mr. A
- Mr. A's Mom (funny how I only get his mom a gift, not his dad)
- My lovely mother
- My moody sister (I do not understand high school kids these days)
- My suddenly health concious father (after 50 my parents really started changing it up with working out and eating better)

Any gift ideas for either myself or others? I will be checking the sales online all day since I had to drag my puffy faced self into work. AND as a reward for coming into work on the most popular week to take off ever... I am about to take my first sip of coffee since my ulcer. Wish me luck!

Medical Marval: The Chocolate Theory

2009-12-15T21:08:00.001-08:00

Endoscopy was a success! I have been diagnoised with gasteritis, which means I have to listen to my body because it will tell me when I am eating something it doesn't like, and then I need to stop eating it.

Common trigers include:
Coffee
Chocolate
Alcohol
... but vary with each person

So I got home from the hospital and decided to test the chocolate theory because I LOVE chocolate and cannot live without it. Result? I CAN eat chocolate :-) HURRAY!

How I tested the chocolate theory:
- A sleeve of oreos (1/3 of a box... approx 18 cookies)
- 3 double chocolate brownies
- 5 chocolate chip cookies
- 3 white chocolate covered dark chocolate truffles (amazzzing)
- Oreo ice cream
- Vanilla ice cream with crushed real oreos

Yes I am obsessed with oreos. I finished off the oreo ice cream, which caused the switch to vanilla ice cream with real oreos (no these oreos do not count in the 1/3 of a box calculation... so I guess I ate closer to 25 cookies... my bad)

*As a disclaimer I should be fair and confess that even though I normally eat a ton of cr@p, I am eating extra extra crappy these days because my gastro-whatever has caused some weight loss. I MISS MY BOOTY! So I am gaining it back... apparently in oreos.

This plan could backfire Kelly Clarkson style

Decaf Please

2009-12-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Since I last visited blog land, I have been dealing with the repercussions of my ulcer. Medication and doctors appointments... I have an endoscopy on Tuesday to find out what is wrong with me. They are putting me to sleep from 2:30PM-5:30PM while they stick a tube with a camera down my throat and look inside my stomach and pull biopsies to test my stomach wall.

The worst part about the endoscopy? It was a rushed appointment, so they had to "hard block" the time AKA making room for me when there wasn't any... which puts me at 2:30 which means I cannot eat ALL DAY until I get out at 5:30 all drugged up. The worst part about my ulcer? I have not had coffee since it happened! Yup, almost two weeks ago I had my final cup (not forever, just for now). Thankfully, the withdrawal headaches have stopped, and I have started slowing back into it by drinking caffinated tea, but I miss my warm black cup of heavenly coffee in all the assortment of flavors that Green Mountain, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts have to offer!

I did manage to sneak into Crate & Barrel to get some Christmas shopping started. That store is so festive :-) I also heard Ann Taylor calling my name with 40% any full priced item in store today! I got a $48 super soft cardigan for $28! WIN.

All I really want for Christmas... is a cup of coffee AND to be drinking it next to/ in a fireplace. Boston is 25 degrees today! That is Fahrenheit NOT Celsius!

I thought I was in labor...

2009-12-03T12:36:00.000-08:00

... I was actually having my very first ulcer!

How exciting! Apparently my body did not like the truckload of garbage I fed it over Thanksgiving, because Monday night my lovely roommates accompanied me to the emergency room AKA the ER... except George Clooney-less.

I got a doctor pretty close to Clooney (as close as a non god species can get) his name is John Jesus...no lie. How reassuring is a name like that? With a smile like his... I knew everything would be alright :-)

Tests I endured include (but are not limited to):
- Blood samples
- Urine sample
- Blood Pressue
- Tempurature checks
- Two exams in the nether regins that I will not name
- Chest X-Ray
- Ultrasound of every organ between my heart and my hips: rather interesting actually! I never took anatomy so it was nice knowing where my pancreas and gall bladder are (not that I remember)
- An IV WITH pain meds :-)... John was so considerate

It all started with dinner. A delicous dinner I was enjoying sitting on the couch, relaxing after work. I started feeling weird pains coming from my stomach, but I thought maybe it was all those chocolate squares and peanut butter cookies. So I ignored it and finished my dinner. Stomach pains got really sharp. I started getting a little weirded out, so I googled. Never google a pain. Google will tell you, you are dying. Every. Time.

I layed in bed for a little, but I was curled in a ball because the pain was getting worse and worse. I called my doctor who asked a bunch of questions including, could you be pregnant? I instantly reached under my bed and took my handy dandy emergency preggers test. Negative. Called back and she said I need to go to the ER because of all the organs in a stomach it could be nothing or it could be serious.

8 hours later I leave the hospital feeling better, tired, got a prescription for stomach meds, AND an appointment with a Gasternologist (or however you spell stomach doctor).

Too bad John Jesus will no longer be taking care of me...

Holiday Spirit!

2009-11-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to have Thursday and Friday off, and even though this is my favorite time of the year, it is not the least busy.

Duties
I am responsible for a dessert and appitizer/side dish for Thanksgiving Dinner

I also have to make something to bring to Mr. A's house if/when I visit to be polite (dumb politics) Mr. A's mom likes me, but says that he would never be able to support my lavish lifestyle (AKA shoes... clothes... eating out because I cannot cook...) I like to rpove to her during the holiday times that I am capable of "slumming it" in the kitchen; I just CHOSE not. and FOR THE RECORD I am not concerned about any man supporting me 21st centery mamn! AND designer brands and high quality goods do not count money-wise when they are bought at outlets and at TJ MAXX they only count style-wise :-)

I MUST shop all day on Black Friday. (Because as metioned above I like a good deal)
12:00 AM- Outlets open
4:00 AM- Mall opens
6:00 AM- Non-Mall stores open
Shop all day and then Thanksgiving Dinner Part II at the Ecstacy Household because we go to friend's homes on Thursday and we must cook our own meal Friday for all the yummy leftovers!

The "break" continues as I get more deals on Sat (some places extend/postpone to avoid mayhem) and I bake on Sun/Mon because as mentioned in a previous post I accidentally voluteered to donate homebaked goods to a bake sale at work... Silly me.

My thoughts on food this week:
ENJOY IT! I see all these ways of how to diet on Thanksgiving... It's one day! (or in my case two) I am going to fully enjoy every bite! I will try to get a workout in on Thursday though... just read the average American gains 8 pounds during the holiday season... so let's update that enjoy eating to enjoy eating but get your food loving a$$ on the elliptical!

My love affair- with food

2009-11-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend (I know I did!)

Friday at 12:03 AM my roommates and I went and saw Twilight! I am on Team Edward in the books, but that Jacob in the movie is hard to pass up ;-)

After getting home at 3AM I had to wake up at 7AM and start my day! By the time I got home from work and ate dinner I was sleepy, so I met up with my friends at the hockey game and went back to my apartment after.. Lame sorry

Fully rested, I spent Sat. shopping all day with my Mom who came into the city to visit her favorite daughter :-) We ate "Linner" (Lunch/Dinner) at Bouchee on Newbury Street. The outside patio had heated lamps and it was pretty nice out anyway, so we enjoyed a long delicious french meal with many many amazzing courses including Chicken Hushwee and Crêpes Mascarpone. The Chicken Hushwee was the most moist and flavorful meat ever served on a bed of rice pilaf with pinenuts and almonds and a side of yogurt... confused? The yogurt thing threw me off too until I tasted it and realized it was greek yogurt and came in such a small dish because you dip the chicken in it and then dip the chicken/yogurt into the rice so it all sticks together and equals this crazy mix of YUM! The place was so authentic that the coke came in mini glass coke bottles, the whip creme on the crepes was real creme actually whipped, and with our dessert we were brought rich dark coffee straight from France... the waitress even had a thick accent!

Later Sat night I forgot all my European class from "Linner" and devoured an entire container of Ben & Jerrys Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream and ate the crust of Mr. A's pizza... O well :-) was also delicious!

For Sunday Brunch, Mr. A and I went to Thornton's where I got eggs Florentine with the most amazing pesto Parmesan sauce on a warm buttery English muffin with the yummiest hash browns on the side (according to Mr. A they had paprika which gave it the extra yummy kick). Brunch was so good that Mr. A told me today he is still in the best mood from yesterday :-)

All the great food and company this weekend has put me in the best mood to float through this short week! I highly recommend checking out both restaurants if you are ever in the area. Hopefully all the yumminess was just a warm up for good old Thanksgiving!

Recipes and Rings

2009-11-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Because I accidentally volunteered to bake for the work bake sale (and yes it HAS to be home made not even from a box and heated or anything!) I have decided to share with all my fellow non-bakers some easy recipes I found, just in case you accidentally offered to bring something to Thanksgiving :-)

Fudge Pie is crust-less so all you have to do is mix a couple ingredients, pour into a pan, and let the oven do the rest!

Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies mix my 2 favorite things: coffee and chocolate... PLUS the recipe is from CookingLight.com so feel free to indulge!

Chocolate-Peanut Bars have a quick shopping list!

(sorry these are all chocolate, but anything fruity requires meringue or a crust of some sort and as I have mentioned before... I am not very talented in the kitchen)

And because once we all gain 3-6 pounds on Thanksgiving, Christmas is just around the corner so Christmas shopping gets to double as our cardio workout (unless we do it online... on the couch... while eating) :-)

My roommate sent me the link to James Avery and I have been on the site all afternoon:
For Mom
For a sister - also comes in a ring I love
For a best friend
For ME :-)

I guess all I want right now is chocolate and jewlery...

Excuse me!

2009-11-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

I need to know how people politely get away from a conversation to use the bathroom. This may be TMI, but at work I have these hour long meeting and I drink water and coffee all day. I make sure to pee before the meeting, but by the end its time to go again! And then someone decides to strike up a conversation with you while you exit the meeting. This should be excellent; I am always down to talk about life and waste time at work, except when I am literally DANCING in the hall because I have to pee SO BAD! How do you not catch on? I am swinging side to side... swinging my legs around... slowly backing away... TAKE A HINT!

I need suggestions or else pretty soon I am going to yell: EXCUSE ME I AM ABOUT TO PEE MY PANTS! (or dress or skirt or w/e)

Exercising... my credit card

2009-11-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

Last night, I innocently went online to check my e-mail. My BFF Victorias Secret had sent me a message... You know just catching up. Things like: my beautiful soft sweaters now come with a free lip gloss kit, that leather jacket you have been wanting is valid for the 20% off any clothing item discount, and my favorite: the more you spend the more you save! $15 off $100, $30 off $150, $75 off $250!

So, for old times sake... I bought a light pink sweater on sale for $59 and my leather jacket discounted at $110.

(In infomercial man voice) BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
I saved $30, which ended up counting as free shipping and an additional $10 off my jacket! AND they threw in my free lip gloss kit (valued at $21)-SWEET (not like I don't already own every lip gloss on the planet, including 2 of every VS color)

The best part? My sweater was backordered :-)
This sounds like a bummer right? But NO! Now I get to watch my bank account drop for the jacket now and the sweater later! One big purchase will be masked by 2 smaller ones.

Now all I have to do is spend $75+ at Express and get my $30 off! So exciting! It's like my own mini Christmas pre-Thanksgiving... and that I pay for it myself :-/

Doctor's Update

2009-11-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

So many things happened at the doctors!

1) I convinced her to give me anti-anxiety pills for when I fly! Normally I shake the whole flight... I even am sore the next day as if I had been working out. PATHETIC! Now I get to pop a lil pill which will bring instant ZEN to my body for 4-6 hours :-) I also was advised to take one on a day I have literally nothing to do so I can see how my body reacts. How fun! A day of zen for no reason whatsoever!

2) The following conversation:
DOC: Are you still with the same guy?
ME: Yes
DOC: Do you wear a seatbelt?
ME: Not always... (Wondering why the doctor is speaking in child code)
DOC: **Shakes head**
ME: Well see it has really only been the one guy for six whole years so...
DOC: **Smiles/Laughs** OH! haha Sorry! I changed subjects and I didn't tell you.
ME: O! Real seatbelts? Yes. It is the first thing I put on when I get in a car! **Face SO red**
(Now really? What did you think she meant?)

3) They took my blood. Apparently, they are not convinced I am getting enough nutrients. Seems like I am either eating pure CRAP all day, or there's something wrong with me and my body isn't absorbing anything. This is not the best news... BUT they took my blood :-) So with every problem, comes a solution! I will find out next week the latest what my lazy body has done to itself AND I have officially been prescribed 1-2 TUMS a day as a calcium supplement. Strong bones.. here I come!

4) The nurse who took my blood decided to go on a fishing expedition after already sticking me with the needle! Not the funest experience. It took her literally 3 minutes (I timed her) to decide which vein to poke... after all that debating she picked one that was too skinny so she had to have the needle JUST RIGHT (Goldylocks style) to get it to work. This apparently requires her to spin the needle around my arm hoping to run into a blood supply. Thanks nurse. When she finished she says, "Wow I really made my paycheck on that one!" Hmm... Exactly what are you egtting paid? Because if that was quality why do I have a bruise the size of my fingernail where you inserted a teeeny tiny needle?

5) To end on a good note... I have 20/20 vision :-) All these years of staring at a computer screen hasn't gotten to me yet! Woohoo! (Except ever since Halloween I have been secretly wishing I needed glasses, but I guess that will come with time anyway).

Good things that have happened today:

1) I have discovered a new guilty pleasure... Fur vests (Check out Express! So soft! I would get it in brown.
2) I got a free T-shirt at work! Free T-shirts stop me from buying real workout clothes... so I may look homeless at the gym, but I will look fab. everywhere else I go!

Factual Information

2009-11-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

I have done this once before, and I will probably do it again. I am stringing together my miscellaneous thoughts in fact form.

Fact: A 45 year old man in the cubicle next to me has been playing with his ring tones for the past 25 minutes. If he makes it to a half hour, I will pour my coffee on his keyboard.

Fact: My two best friends and best roommates ever are leaving me. Come January, one will be living in New York City working for AOL, and one will be in New Jersey working for Johnson & Johnson. I know these are GREAT opportunities for them, but I am going to miss them like CRAZY. Upside? I will visit them and have excellent NYC stories :-)

Fact: I saw a pair of black sequined booties on victoriassecret.com for something like $180. I know it is crazy to pay that for a crazy pair of shoes I shouldn't even like, but I think I am in love. Classic case of falling for that which you can't have.
Do you have any guilty pleasure fad that you can't bring yourself to purchase?

Fact: As of Sunday, Mr. A and I have been dating for 6 years!
Fact: This scares the crap out of me.
Fact: I had the best anniversery ever and have not stopped smiling since :-)
Fact: I feel like some lovey dovey idiot for admitting that.
Funny how I describe myself as someone who hates commitment...

Fact: I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I need to make a list of everythign I want to discuss. Sound like OCD? It's really just that I get to the doctors and all my aches and pains and concerns I have had leading up to the visit, magically disappear. I need my list to remind me or else that part when they ask how you have been? I say great! and they ask if I have any complaints/problems/concerns... I say None :-)

I hope everyone has a great day off tomorrow!!! (If you do in fact get tomorrow off) Wish me luck at the doc! Hopefully all is well... I will provide more insight to my appointment after the fact, but for now let's just all keep our fingers crossed.

This is how long it took me to recover from last weekend...

2009-11-06T13:13:00.000-08:00

I have been delaying this post because I have pictures to go with it, BUT once I get into next week I will feel weird writing about this week so I will just update the post with pics when I get a chance!

Night #1
Last Friday I was an artsy nerd, and it was great! I put paint on my face, hair, and shirt. Then I had my suspenders with shorts, high socks, and red heels. The best part was my glasses :-) I know I will regreat saying this one day, but I really wish I needed glasses.
If you want to think about chaos, picture this night. My friends and I were all dressed up in our costumes and it started to rain, so we didn't want to walk over to the party and ruin our awesome getups. Bummed that we were staying in a group of us started taking shots, which led to more shots, and more. I then discovered that my chaser was actually a MIXED DRINK. Fabulous. So by the time the rain stopped, I was feeling pretty good and we walked over to a party. O! But I forgot to mention my friend has vistors: 2 guy friends and 1 girl were up from home. So at the party, the girl visting LEAVES with a RANDOM guy in a city she DOES NOT KNOW! Best part? Her phone DIES! So we all wake up the next morning and pull a Hangover moment... Where's Lisa? She doesn't know our numbers... FAIL. Somehow afternoon rolls around, and she shows up in our apartment lobby! She had to wake up, realize she was in some guy's bed (covered in blue paint from his costume), wake him up, get him to DRIVE her back INTO BOSTON. Yup. He lived outside the city. Talk about terrible safety skills.

Night#2
On Sat. I was preggers Giselle and Mr. A was up so he was Tom Brady. I quite enjoyed being fake pregnant because a fake baby bump is very convient for the following things:
-Cup holder
-Crowd clearer
-Getting horror looks when you take a sip out of your drink
-Making your hips look smaller
-Letting you get beer bloated and not caring!
I would highly recommed stuffing a stuffed animal under a stretchy tight black dress and wearing some great heels next time you are out. Great fun.

I thought I would get some extra sleep because of daylight savings, but NOPE! The fire alarm goes off in our apartment at 5 AM (I got in bed at 4/4:30ish). Mr. A is not use to my fire alarm and though it was the TV... so as I was bundling up and putting on shoes he was turning on and off the TV and getting very annoyed... until I explained we had to evacuate the building. Once we were all outside, the fire department and police came... 40 min later they decide it will take a long time to clean up, so we are escorted to the lobby of another building... everyone passes out on chairs, benches, the floor. Around 7:30 we are finally let back into the building... so much for getting an extra hour of sleep!

This weekend is my roommates birthday! Hopefully it is lots of fun, and slightly less crazy!

Tis the season!

2009-10-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

I am nearing the end of another crazy week!

The good news:
I am done interviewing :-)

I have 2 job offers to decide between, both with start dates in January :-) :-)

I bought my Halloween costume!
- For those of you who live in the city, it is near impossible to find an inexpensive costume store. DO NOT FRET. iParty graciously rented space on Boylston Street for the season! I bought black suspenders, artsy/dork glasses with clear lenses a black frame and jewels on the winged out ends of the frame, and a black bowtie! I am channeling Laney Boggs from She's All That- The Freddie Prince Jr. and Paul Walker old school movie :-) I am going to be an artsy-nerd by wearing my fab. glasses, my hair in a messy up do with pencils sticking out (paint brushes cost too much sry), a white t-shirt with paint stains tucked into a pair of my black shorts with the suspenders attached, the black bowtie around my neck, and a pair of black sparkly knee highs with some pair of shoes (undetermined because I want to be cute and have heels on but thats not very dorky... maybe my red heels because they are fun?)... To get my accessories all I spent was $15! In downtown Boston! Wonderful.

The bad news:
I consumed a billion calories in peanut butter, crasins, and chocolate chips last night. Once I started, I could not stop. I also consumed 1/3 of an Apple Tart my roommate made, along with a regular day of eating (which is alot for me anyway) AND I am totally skipping working out today. Too sluggish from all my eating last night :-P

I have two exams in my classes and I have been so distracted by real life I have not prepared properly (or at all).

Going out tonight: No excuses

2009-10-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

So I am sure some of you think the oven ate me since I have not posted after my cooking attempt. Luckily, I am still some form of alive, but thank you for the concern :-)

I have been working and taking classes and getting interviews for potential new jobs in January.... Busy times call for wild weekends.

So as I sit at my desk, I muster the strength to think about... which heels will go best with my outfit tonight? Makes me sound like a ditz. Fact. However, I am just so mentally exhausted, that the extent of my thoughts can only be... about tonight. Any intelligent conversation will have to be postponed for another day. Maybe that's what a "dumb blonde" is... an overwork underappriciated 20 something student/employee who has nothing left to give.

Since tonight is my guy friend's birthday celebration (a group of them celebrated on his actual birthday, Tuesday night, but unfortunately some of us are not available to bar hop in the middle of the week) I want to make sure I have the energy to stay out late enough that people are not passing me on the street heading TO parties while I walk home FROM one.

Being fabulous when you feel unfabulous:

#1 Three coffees. Sounds crazy, but is true. So far I had one at 7:00 AM, one at 11:00 AM, and I will grab my third around 4:00 PM. By the time the coffee is wearing off, the party juice is kicking in and you cruise right through the night. NOTE: These coffees must all be different flavors for added variety and minor excitement (yes I love coffee that much that I get excited about trying a new flavor or rediscovering an oldie but goodie)

#2 Get dressed up. Even if you aren't going anywhere special, being primped and dressed up will help you fight the... I am going home and curling up in bed... vibe. I plan to wear a grey high waisted, thick black banded, mini with black non opaque tights and black ankle boots. The top being tucked into this skirt is debatable... probably black with some flashy necklace :-)

#3 Get ready with the girls. Music and all! and TAKE YOUR TIME. Getting to the party early before everyone has gotten started will kill all prior efforts to feel like being out.

Now you know where I will be... Ending this loong day (3.5 hours left until work is over)...finding my girls, turning on music, attempting beauty and staying caffinated.

Wow. A lot of effort, but totally worth it. I refuse to whimp out tonight. Have a good weekend everyone :-D

Fall Cooking Attempt #1

2009-10-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup

I am typing as I attempt this. So far I have peeled and de-seeded and cup the squash. It actually smells like pumpkin and is seeded the same too. I do not know if I used "4 cups" of it, but I only bought one butternut squash so I hope that is enough. Side note: butternut sqush is HARD. Cutting is difficult.

After I got the squash ready, I put it on a pan, drizzled it with olive oil, sprinkled (way too much) powdered ginger, pepper, and salt. Then I cut up half an onion(shallots were expensive) and placed the pieces on the pan too. With the oven preheated at 375 degrees, it was finally time to put the pan in the oven to heat up and soften the squash.

Now my eyes are burning from the onion and my clothes are orange with squash juice, so I need to change before my meting at 3:15. I will be sturring the mix on the pan occasionally, and taking it off in 50 min. Just in time for me to leave for my meeting. So far my only mistake was putting the ginger and pepper on the pan... apparently that was supposed to happen later, but oh well I am not afraid on flavor!

(Two Hours Later...)

Ok so I got back from my meeting. During my meeting the squash was cooling down (only needs 10 minutes) but it was easier for me to just let it sit while I was out. When I got back I took one can of chicken broth and blended it with half the squash mixture... poured it into a pot, and then repeat. Onece everything was blended and in the pot all thats left to do is heat it up on the stove!! So exciting!

My very first oven meal just might be a success! Cooking makes me hungry so I have been eating chicken salad, almonds, and craisins all day. I will have to wait and try it after cycling so I'm not stuffed :-)

(Update) I tried it! It is delicous!! Maybe a little too much onion (actually definetly) At least I didn't burn down the apartment!

Fall Flavors

2009-10-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to avoid work, I am planning out some recipes I want to try out. Because I am one of the worst cooks in the whole world... I will post about my experience making each of these so you can al get a good laugh out of my failure :-P

Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup
5 stars

Brown Sugar-Glazed Sweet Potato Wedges
4 stars

Caramelized Black Bean "Butter"
3 stars

Cranberry Walnut Tabouleh
5 stars

Spiced Apple-Pecan Oatmeal
Not Rated

YUMMY! Right? Oh... I love Fall. Just writing this post made me so hungry! I got up to go look around my apartment for a snack and had my coffee in my hand. I sat back down at my computer and ate my snack before I realized my coffee was missing. I searched all over my apartment... the tables, the floor, the microwave. Where did I find it? Sitting on the shelf inside my food pantry. Poor cup of Pumpkin Spice Coffee was lost for so long I had to reheat it! I am too young to be acting so old and spacey :-/

BIG NEWS

2009-09-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you Kelly for reminding me to tell everyone!

My interview went great. I GOT THE JOB! The only problem is... the job is taking forever to finalize paperwork so I can get to work!(Update: I filled out the paperwork and start in 2 weeks! Woot woot!)

Until then, I have tons of school work so I will be plenty busy. I have been at the library forever and am bored to death. I am supposed to be updating my resume with my new job and reading about investment strategies.. but I can't focus any longer!

Grey's Anatomy has officially began... but for a season finale that ALMOST brought me to tears (and I never cry)... the premiere didn't make me quite so emotional. I guess it's been gone for too long, but all I could think when Izzie was crying over George was that the actress was crying because stupid ABC wont let her out of her contract! Awful. I know. Sorry.

Fall is officially here.... the best part? Pumpkin Spice Coffee! Yay!

Upcoming events in my life:
Hair Appointment (My hairdresser has been gone foreverrr so miserable!)
Minor oral surgery :-(
Many of my friends' birthdays!
Use my spa gift certificate one of my favorite people ever gave me for my birthday!
6 year anniversary of me and Mr. A
Start working?
Spend first paycheck!
Interviews for future jobs
Must get good grades in courses
Decide Christmas getaway location
Potential friend from home and Mr. A relocating to Boston!(still very up in the air)

FeuF! So glad I just vented. OK Back to work!

Birthday Bash

2009-09-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

White Trash was an awesome theme for a great night! I wore a ripped up wife beater and styled it with the extra fabric and pins. I wore an animal print bra with straps showing, jean shorts and red heels too! My roommate drew a fake tramp stamp on me and everyone else got fake heart tattoos with my name in them and an arrow going through the heart :-) To top it off I wore a shell choker and I didn't own any long belly button rings (because I find them trashy) so in honor of the theme I put a long earring in my piercing instead (sounds gross... looked normal, well trashy normal).

Mr. A made me Shepard's Pie which was VERY good and not too hard to make. He was the Exective Chef and I was his assistant (AKA all I did was open the cans of peas and corn and STILL managed to do that wrong because I cut myself). This was actualy my first Shepard's Pie so for all those who were in the dark like I was all you need is:
Beef, Peas, Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Corn topped with spices (Paparika is ideal but all we had was pepper). Pop in the oven at 325 degrees for 20 min and DONE! For the kitchen handicapped like myself use instant mashed potatoes 5 minutes in the microwave and they look and taste like the real deal!

Between my lovely roommates who suprised me downtown with a table at a very adorable restaurant by the Boston Common, my parents who came into the city to take me to The Hard Rock Cafe, and Mr. A's Pie I am now obese. This is not an issue since it loks like New England has officially said goodbye to warmth after today. Hurray for hibernation!

For all Bostonians: Boston Commons is the hotspot for the Adam Sandler flick "ZooKeeper" and the Ben Affleck/Blake Lively film "The Town". Casualy walk/jog by and celeb stalk :-)

Another addiction

2009-09-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Oats & Chocolate Fiber One Bars,

Please leave me alone.

Your chocolatey goodness is delicious and nutrious... but only when used sparingly. Everytime I buy a box, you are gone in a couple days. I can't stop myself.

Your new ads along the T are tourture. After seeing them everywhere, I have to go home and have one! Please stop stalking me!

Your label should say...
Beware: Too delicious to try.

Sincerely,

Your Biggest (figuratively and soon to be literally) Fan

Let the good times roll...

2009-09-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

I burnt my mouth on boiling tea today! I was so impacient and took a huge gulp and killed my mouth. My lips got swollen and the roof of my mouth started blistering. Gross!

Now that my lips have unswelled from this morning, the insides are still all wrinkley from shrinking.... still gross.

Besides all the tea drama today has been prety good! My first professor apologized for giving us "word salad" meaning a bunch of terms all at once. The phrase was unexpected and very funny in the moment.

My second class had a very energetic and young professor who looks like he will be a good time. I love when classes teach in a non-boring way. At least if I accidentally forget coffee one morning, my chances of falling asleep in class are slightly less (but hopefully I wont have to test that theory out).

I also signed up for fitness classes again. These stop me from my boring, unproductive gym sessions where I just walk around confused. :-)

Yet another great thing that happened today.. I got an interview for Monday! I am sure I wont get the job, but an interview is proof that my luck is turning around!! YAY!

FINALLY... ITS FRIDAY. So its time to take my cycling class, shower, get beautiful, and head out! Have a great weekend everyone :-D

Fall Foliage

2009-09-09T18:38:00.001-07:00

Oh Fall. The beginning of classes... the never ending job hunt... the awesome professors that make me love life... the crazy ones that make me hate it...

Wish me luck :-)
I hope everyone's having a good week! I will post more once I am back in a semi regular schedule. My days are filled with Moster.com, shameless resume spamming, and some classes scattered in between.

P.S. Next weekend is my birthday! We have decided on a "White Trash" Theme. So many costume opportunities! Any suggestions?

Timing is Everything

2009-09-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

The end of my vacation is almost here. I need to organize life before its too late! One of the things I have NOT been doing is working out. I love to eat and when you are eating 24/7 you worry about getting cramps when exercising so it never happens. I. Feel. Gross.

So I decided to try out running again yesterday. Hopefully everything would go well so that I can feel less guilty about my vacation from life. Well... I picked the WORST day to run.

The Jahova's Witness were out recruiting so I watched them walk house to house during my entire run. I think one was about to stop me! When I got home all the shades were down and the house was locked beause everyone was hiding from the unwanted vistors. I tried knocking, but they thought I was a Jahova's Witness coming to preach and I had to sit outside for a looong time to finally be let in my own house!

Another reason why it was a bad day for a run, trash day. No matter what street I took I seemed to constantly be behind a garbage truck. Smelt wonderful. My lungs are now full of everyone's unwated waste fumes. Lovely.

The final reason I should not have gone for a run is that all the people in my small hometown that saw me started a nice little rumor. By the end of the day I was informed that the town thought I was no longer employeed (which I am not) and not going back to school to take classes (which I am!). My classes start September 9th... I will be back in Boston on Friday! Crazy small towns.

I did get 6 miles in! I also ate my entire house after and then some, but O WELL! Still felt good.

P.S. I went to the Coach outlet too. I saw a GORGEOUS tan leather bag. Original price: $700. Outlet Price: $600. Sale price: $300. With coupon: $240!
This lovely bag is now mine. I will try to post a picture if I ever find my camera charger!

I will be relocating back into my Boston apartment this weekend so if I do not get a chance to post or comment I hope everyone has a GREAT loong weekend :-) (enjoy the labor day sales too!)

Lounging around: because I can!

2009-08-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

The eyebrow thing: Not that bad! It was only have buzzed off not even fully shaven. Covering it up would be weird so he's just gonna deal :-P
MOVING ON!

Oreo ice cream is my stongest addiction right now. I cannot stop eating it... and I do not want to! It is so delicious! If you get the extra fatty stuff the ice cream tastes like the cream filling! It's as close as you can get to heaven.

Also, I would recommend going to New York & Company if you like the look of jean leggins. These are as soft and comfortable as regular jeggins, not see through at all, and they have the look of jean! They come in black or blue and for only $16.95!

I am so excited for Fall because I have been seeing boots and tunics and sweaters! I have been going to the mall so much that it is ruining my only chances to tan. I guess I can thank the stores for saving me from skin cancer!

Time to throw on leggings and a sweater... eat oreo ice cream and drink coffee... and bundle up in the air conditioning to watch HGTV. Sounds pretty thrilling :-)

My Best Friend's Eyebrow

2009-08-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

Above is an image from the movie "My Best Friend's Girl". The hairdresser accidentally shaves off one of his eyebrows.

This week Mr. A has been in Vermont for a guy's trip. They drink and play sports and cards and do whatever else... (I would rather not know :-P) Anyway, I guess they decided pranks would be fun so each night they had a new victim. Sometimes hair was cut or food was smeared, but Mr. A wasn't so lucky to get a haircut or some free food. He got his eyebrow shaven off. I have not seen it yet. He is very upset because he doesn't know how he can go to work with one eyebrow or basically go out in public!

Girlfriend to the rescue! I am off to the beauty stores around to go eyebrow shopping! Something I never thought I would do...

I honestly find this rather hysterical :-P and he will too I bet once I welcome him back tonight with a replacement! Wish me luck!

"Vacation"

2009-08-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

YAY I officially begin my two week vacation today! I don't know what to do first!

Well actually I have a dentist appointment today and tomorrow and jury duty next week starting Monday... So there goes 1.5 weeks? Excellent.

It is 90 degrees out and sunny, but I will be spending it on a train and in a dentist chair. Tear.

I have also begun my vacation by eating everything in sight. That is what a vacation consists of right?

Now I have a question for all experienced with a young teenager. How do you know if a 14 year old girl is behaving properly after hours? What is the sure sign that something is off? Sex, drugs, alcohol? And how do you approach them with your concern?

CreeperFest '09

2009-08-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Merry Monday y'all! I had so much fun at Country Fest EXCEPT for the CREEPS!
Why do they yell at girls? What is their success rate with that?

"Girll I love you"
"OMG PRINCE CHARMING!".... NOT

"O YEA COWGIRL. You got it goin on!"
"Aww thanks! Here's my number!"... NOT

I could go on forever. Any male there between ages of 15 and 55 was a major creeper. I have now renamed the concert "Creeper Fest '09"

Now for wardrobe. With the move everything was stil in boxes... so I opted out of finding something adorable and went with something functional (something I never do). I had to borrow clothes from my sister (I have no idea how I got in them) but it worked out kind of well...

I think next year I wil do a dress. I like to look different. It bothered me that all my friends were in shorts too, except then they stripped into bathing suits. I was def. the most covered up person there. One of my friend's cousins had a bandana on as a shirt! Talented.

An interesting fact: there were over 150 arrests at the concert!
Some of the criminals (or just underage drinkers):

Sugarland and Kenny were unbelievable. I was the driver so I actually remember the performances :-)

Cowboy Boots

2009-08-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

As I count down the days to my wonderful Country Fest I am debating what outfit I should wear... I own these cowboy boots:

and I love them, but I need a vote.

Should I wear them with:
A) Jean shorts
B) A summer dress
C) A skirt

Weather for Sat. August 15th is expected to be 83 degrees and sunny!

Vote NOW :-) Thanks loves!

Missing In Action

2009-08-10T16:05:00.001-07:00

WOW I have been MIA.

Mr. Argumentative came to visit me on Sat night and brought me these:

Besides getting creative with flower vases (wine jug and cup!) I have been watching alot of TV.

Extreme Wife on WE taught me about Free Love and Mail Order Brides. There are towns that only live by free love. They think monogamy is unnatural and that it is nature's plan for us to love all humans equally. Because of all this love flowing through the towns, they have sex houses with rooms dedicated to "love" and huts for the same purpose. You have to leave your shoes outside the hut or else people might disturb! The issue with this plan is that jealousy tears most of these towns apart because best friends have sex with each others husbands and random newcomers and well you get it.. everyone.
When it comes to mail order brides, you pay $5,000 to go abroad and have a week of socializing with forgien women. The man then picks a woman he likes and after 3 months apart sends an invitation to her to come to the US and marry him. Apparently the problem here is that the women are gold diggers...SHOCKER.

On Discovery Health, a show called "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant" is about.. well I am sure you guessed it... people who didn't know they were pregnant! A college freshman gained 10 pounds, thought it was freshman weight, went to the bathroom one day and POOF gave birth to a 7 lb. baby boy! She only had to lose the 3 measly lbs. of fat and was back to normal and is now in love with her little suprise. Amazing when you hear about those painful, moody, long, terrible pregnancies and days of labor!

Shark Week was on Discovery Channel last week and people who got their legs eaten by sharks and go shark diving once they have recovered! It is amazing how brave some people are. I would never go shark diving even with both of my legs! One woman said, "I figure... what are the chances of geting attacted by a shark twice? I have better odds of getting struck by lightening." Very impressive stuff.

On a non TV note: I am going to Country Fest this weekend! Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland and Miranda Lambert are only a few of the many artists that wil be there! (sorry for any mispellings)
Also, I move this Friday to a new apartment in Boston! It will be for four people instead of the 2/3 people apartment I am in now! So I hope you all understand that with TV, concert excitement, and packing I have had little time for blog posts :-P

I will leave you all with a beautiful picture of my lovely city! (click to enlarge)

Bachlorette Spolier Alert

2009-07-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Jillian,

You have amazing clothes. That dress you wore today on The Bachlorette Finale was unbelievable. You had to say goodbye to TWO (thanks to a suprise visit) excellent men. To be honest, I hated you for a couple minutes there when you made sweet washboard abs Kiptyn cry. I did get over it though as you kept pacing debating over Reid and the skirt of your dress moved in ways that only perfect rich design can achieve. When Ed came out of the limo you were so confident and now you are (happily?) engaged! I hope all is well and even though I find the chances of finding true love on TV slim to none... I wish you and your new man the best!

Cheers to the happy couple!

Sincerely,
TV Addict

P.S. I am ashamed to say I watched Dating in the Dark after your finale. It should never be watched again! There was a girl and boy from BOSTON (woot woot!) but no thanks... nothing worse than being liked with the lights off and rejected after they turn on!

When good girls go bad...

2009-07-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

I just got back from breakfast with some old friends from home. I got an AMAZING bagel with cream cheese at Au Bon Pain. The cream cheese was honey pecan or something and it was sooooo goood! As you can guess, I am failing at caring about losing weight... I am over it. I kinda like those five pounds so what...ever!

One of my friends from home has dropped a ton of weight. She used to be tall and gorgeous and had an amazing body, but she always read the articles in magazines of actresses that are too thin and thought they looked great. For breakfast she got a cup of fruit. She talks about vegetables like they are brownies... I almost saw her drool when she was talking about califlower. Not. Kidding.

Since seeing her, I decided that weight is overrated. She looks terrible. When she exercised and ate real food I used to be so jealous of her body, but now I just feel bad for her. Food is yummy and your body NEEDS it!

I do not understand why people freak out so much over calories. You only live once. Everything in moderation right? She only eats fruits and veggies, she over exercises, and she now has to go to the doctor to get her nutrition content checked. Fruit for breakfast, protein shake for lunch, salad for dinner. 4 hours min. of exercise daily.

Sorry for the semi serious post. It just hurts to see such a good friend literally disappear.

Goodbye!

2009-07-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

5 pounds! They have got to go. Now I am not normally the type to step on a scale... BUT I did and then I did again... and the number kept going up.

See my problem is I like/LOVE food. I can't stop eating. Even as I am typing this I am eating. Luckily I have a fast metabolism, but it can't work miracles! For now I have decided to stop eating after 9 PM on weekdays. Hopefully this is all it takes. I don't even pretend I will be following any limits on weekends.

Here's to eating all day long... until 9!

P.S. Thanks to those who gave advice. I will not be contacting Mrs. Officer with any life tips, but I do want to be prepared for when she calls asking what to do. I have seen good and bad divorces. Hopefully this is some lame attention attempt from a lonely bitter neighbor, but if not, I hope they think about the kids... (wow me caring about kids!)

... I guess I am not the Tin Man :-) (is that the one that wanted a heart?)

True Story

2009-07-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

A woman I know... let's call her Mrs. Officer... recieved a letter in the mail a week ago that said "You should stop talking about other people's families. Maybe your life isn't perfect either". Mrs. Officer came over crying saying how cruel the world was.

Apparently these people are still in high school because instead of letting it go (my advice) she calls the mother of her daughter's enemy and says "It's not my fault your 14 year old is having sex. Maybe you should control your family and worry less about mine." To which Mrs. Enemy says "You need help. I worry about you."

Two days later, Mrs. Officer recieves another letter "If you don't know what I mean maybe you should ask your husband's mistress." Gues who gets the mail and reads the letter? Mrs. Officer's 14 year old daughter. Now the daughter hates her dad, there is no proof it is/isn't true. Mr. Officer's response was "Ignore it". How does one react to that? Is it a grown up high school game? Or is it true...

Theory one: My father thinks it is the daughter's enemy writing the letters.
Theory two: My mother thinks it is the mistres writing the letters.
Theory three: Mr. Officer thinks it is Mrs. Enemy writing the letters.

I (for once) have no opinion. Help me. What advice do I give? What do you think is going on? I need your theories!

Locked Up

2009-07-20T17:45:00.001-07:00

I went home for the weekend to see my cousin who is visiting from South America.

The first night we hosted a Margarita night/ jewlery party (and earned $400 in jewlery credit!)

The second night we had a family night and played monopoly (I won) and I went to the basement to go to bed (my cousin got my old room) and I saw a grey/black thing fly/run past the stairs. I screamed and closed the door. My cousin opened the door trying to act macho oo yea I got this. Opens the door, screams, and closes the door. A bat was flying at him! Yup. We had a bat in our basement!!!

I had to sleep on the couch on the middle floor. In the morning, my dad googled how to catch a bat, got a box, saw the bat hanging upside down on our curtain (EW!) and trapped it in the box and released it outside.

I go back to Boston the next day, and my family woke up early Sunday to go to Worcester State for a Field Hockey tournament. My cousin stayed home to sleep. He was sleeping in the basement because it was cooler down there. I get a phone call from my mom around 6:30 PM. She accidentally locked my cousin in the basement ALL DAY LONG! No food no bathroom! Terrible.

Honesty Scrap

2009-07-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

So sorry I have been such an F- type of blogger, but I am trying to be an A+ student.

So as I mentioned in my last post I was given an award by Allison and I am to list 7 things about me!

1) I am addicted to trashy TV, home and people makeovers, and law shows! During the day you can find me surfing Lifetime, Soap Net, TNT, E!, TLC, HGTV.

2) I spend way too much money on nothing. Do I really need to buy my coffees everyday? How many shirts/pants/dresses/SHOES does one person need? When my fridge is stocked why is my urge to eat out that much greater?

3) I eat way too much. Snacks, ice cream, chocolate, cereal, trail mix, and bars are my falling. I expect to get full... I don't/I ignore it.

4) I have life ADD. About once a month I have a mid life crisis and make big plans to change things. Yes I do realize this conviently happens once a month as do other mood altering things. Can't help it that I have a new career idea and city to move to and exercise fab and fashion addiction every 28 days.

5) I am an extreme person. I am either VERY healthy or VERY unhealthy. My room is either immaculate or looks like a tornado hit it (usually the latter). I either shop every day, or save every penny (usually the first). You get the picture. These switches usually occur during fact #4 (my far too frequent mid life crisis).

6) I am a contradiction. Everything I do makes no sense. I know this, sorry friends... Commitment freaks me out, but I have been dating Mr. Argumentative for almost 6 years. I am very opinionated, but I am also extremely indecisive. I know this is confusing/complex, but oddly my drivers are very simple (this might a connection to fact #6).

7) I do not trust. Anyone. I can honeslty say the only people I trust 110% are my mother and father. I used to trust them the least... when I was younger I thought my parents were idiots. Now I see they are the wisest people I know. And as a child my mom taught me to trust nobody. Hence, I do not trust. Maybe it has been embedded in my subconcious by my mother, but life has proved that almost nobody is trust worthy. Friends can betray you, husbands/boyfriends cheat, wives/girlfriends cheat, everyone lies, secrets are spilled, mistakes are made. Humans are imperfect. Fact.

There are my honesty scrap facts. Please don't hate me. I am flawed, but it makes for a real life with real problems and (hopefully), one day, a happy ending (what that is for me... I am still deciding).

I am now tagging...
CTB
Nikolett
New England Girl
Kimberly
Small Town Girl- Heather

I Got Lost

2009-07-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

In my first attempt to find the boathouse for my veyr first rowing lesson, I got lost. Apparently all you need to do is "follow the river". But because I was way overconfident with my knowledge of the city, I took a "shortcut". Let's just say... I did not make it to class.

See the number 9? That's right. I walked/ran/jogged over 9 miles trying to find the place. I was nowhere near. See the water at the top of the map? That's where I should have started following the river. Good thing I had my "shortcut".

I made it there via car today though. Rowing is interesting... It was alot of learning terminology and now my head hurts..

Also the infamous Victoria's Secret orders have started rolling in. Somehow a back ordered item made it before the rest of the in-stock items?

My bloggy friend Allison has tagged me in an award!!! Stay tuned to see more about it!

Drunk Online Shopping

2009-07-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. It is serious. I need help. I have ADOSD. Addictive Drunk Online Shopping Disorder. This is not a laughing matter. I am unemployeed.

I wake up to order shipment memos in my inbox and cannot recall placing the order in the first place! Sometimes I do not even know until I go to check my mail and I have a package!

This morning I work up to not 1... not 2... not 3... but 4!!! shipment emails! All of them from Victora's Secret! I guess I couldn't make up my mind because I had to place 4 seperate orders! Rediculous. Anybody know of a rehab I can go to?

I should be asleep right now...

2009-06-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

A few of your asked about my classes so I thought I would share.

I am in a work/learn program at and for six months I work full time for a company, and then for six more months I take classes. This cycle continues for three consecutive years. My first and last year are like a regular college student. This program takes longer than a more traditional one, but I love that I get to test out jobs with a known deadline instead of graduating now, being unsure, taking whatever job offer I can find, and hating it forever.

I am working towards my business degree with a double concentration in Management Information System and Finance. My life dilemma is that I love fashion to the point that it should probably be a part of my future career. When I was little I would make my own magazines by cutting out my favorite clips from multiple magazines and glue then into notebooks, like I was Editor-In-Chief. I am sure this will all come together over time.

Side note: Can we please appreciate that I literally have nowhere to be until 3:20 PM and it is 7:00 AM and I cannot fall back asleep!! Oh the weird mix of college life and real life...

Shopping note: VS took $81 from me again! I bought three bathing suit tops but one is back ordered so actually I only am getting charged for two now and one later :-)
I also bought an aborable J.Crew dress that is kind of long, but I can make it work!

Working out note: I got into the exclusive Lean Legs class at Life In Synergy FINALLY. I knew I wouldn't be able to participate much the day after my run, but I had to go and see what all the fuss is about! To give you an idea of how sought after this class is... the next available one if you wanted to sign up today is September 28th. Not Kidding. So to summarize the class, I would say "Lift and Lower". Lift and lower your legs to the front, back, side while standing, kneeling, sitting, laying down...

Ok I am off to clean my apartment because it is now 7:30 AM and I still have nothing to do!

Results

2009-06-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Last post about the run. Promise.

Chip #348 (me)
Time: 1:05:53
Overall Place: 473/1085
Division Place: 98/314

Pretty exciting. I always think I can do better, but it was my first run and I survived. :-)

Also, I am not working but I am taking classes. I just had my first one and my professor looks like Benjamin Button (not sexy Brad but old man Brad). Very entertaining lil man. Hopefully he finds a way to keep us awake for the 3 and a half hour class!

Skype message from my sister in Greece:

[6/28/2009 10:39:58 PM] HI this is your sister
[6/28/2009 10:40:26 PM] at 5:30am incapable of sleeping not only from the time difference but alsoo cuz dad snores like a horse. like he sounds like a horse!
[6/28/2009 10:43:09 PM] and
[6/28/2009 10:43:10 PM] now
[6/28/2009 10:43:11 PM] i
[6/28/2009 10:43:12 PM] have
[6/28/2009 10:43:13 PM] to
[6/28/2009 10:43:14 PM] make
[6/28/2009 10:43:15 PM] it
[6/28/2009 10:43:16 PM] so
[6/28/2009 10:43:17 PM] he
[6/28/2009 10:43:21 PM] doesn't
[6/28/2009 10:43:22 PM] see
[6/28/2009 10:43:23 PM] that
[6/28/2009 10:43:23 PM] and
[6/28/2009 10:43:26 PM] gets
[6/28/2009 10:43:27 PM] insulted
[6/28/2009 10:43:37 PM] HEY IT'S YOUR SISTER I LOVE YOU
[6/28/2009 10:43:41 PM] AND MISS YOU
[6/28/2009 10:43:54 PM] AND CANT WAIT TO MOVE TO GREECE
[6/28/2009 10:43:58 PM] AND WE ARE COMING HERE TOGETHER
[6/28/2009 10:44:01 PM] CUZ I LOVE YOU
[6/28/2009 10:44:11 PM] AND I'TS AMAZING HERE
[6/28/2009 10:44:14 PM] :D
[6/28/2009 10:44:15 PM] night

I guess I am moving. Anyone want to join us? :-)

My First Run!

2009-06-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone who commented on my freaking out post trying to make me feel better :-)

My family finally made it to Greece nice and safe. They flew into London on Sat, had a 9 hour layover, and then flew to Athens on Sunday (today). It has been a very stressful weekend, but I got to let out some anxiety with my very first official run!

At 9 AM today, I ran 7.5 Miles in the New Charles River Run. It was SO MUCH FUN! I had been training so I wasn't out of breath or in pain which made it so enjoyable!

The weather was 60s and overcast which ended up being perfect running weather! I did drink a little vodka and cranberry jucie last night and didn't drink water (Fail) so I got calf cramp while running but it would go in and out and I ignored it. I felt so good during the run I am kind of excited to see my time whenever they post it. I am so it wasn't very fast at all, but my goal was to finish and I did! :-)

The next thing I want to try: Rowing! Well see how this goes.

Nervs

2009-06-27T06:08:00.001-07:00

I hate flying. I get so nervous when anyone I care about gets on a plane. Because of this, last night/this morning I didn't fall asleep until 4 something AM! And I have been up since 6 am because that is when my family left for the airport and I wanted to say bye.... but then obviously couldn't fall back asleep.

I hope they have a safe, enjoyable flight and a very exciting trip.

This is my first official day of unemployment and I am still getting no sleep. coool.

Goodbye Income...

2009-06-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day at work. I have recycled all papers that were on my desk, cleaned the surface, and now I just need to finish out the day. Lunch yesterday went very well. Everyone was in a good mood and my boss gave a nice little goodbye toast.
I got bowtie pasta and cheese in a white wine sauce (the whole dish was called something fancy and Italian that I forget). It was delicious and easy to eat because it was not long spaghetti and there was no red sauce!

I go by the motto "You only live once", but this theory is making me eat like a 500 lb. man so I am changing it to "You are only young once" so that I know I need to fix my eating habits before my metabolism slows down and everything catches up!

I am saying final goodbyes to my family tonight and staying when they go to the airport tomorrow to use the pool. Let's feel sorry for them one last time.
10 Day Weather report for Greece:

Tear. They will be so miserable. NOT!

The secret is out

2009-06-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

VS Why do you do this to me?
Free Shipping of $50+ (only until Sunday)
I guess I HAVE to spend more money.
Doesn't seem like much of a choice? Right?

How badly do I regret that half pint of Half Baked ice cream....

Movie Madness

2009-06-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

The Proposal: Very cute movie. I probably wouldn't buy it on DVD, but it is definetly a movie to see at least once. Ryan is adorable and him and Sandra work really well together. The ending is perfect. We enjoyed some ice cream before the movie and three of us split a yummy popcorn with butter (because you only live once)
Fav. Quote: "Marry me because I'd like to date you."

Since the rain is keeping me inside watching TV and movies instead of outside reading and sunbathing, I have put together a list of movies I neeed to remember to see...
1) My Sister's Keeper
2) Transformers (1 and 2)
3) New Moon
4) The Ugly Truth
5) I Love You Beth Cooper

Hmm except all of those are going to be in theaters (except the 1st Transformers) so I will have to save up!!! When did the movies get sooo expensive! Seeing those 5 movies costs over $50!

Getting taken out to lunch by my coworkers and my boss and my boss's boss and my boss's boss's boss (follow that?). Hopefully I dont spill spaghetti sauce all over myself or inhale my meal like I usually do. Time to use those table manners! Wish me luck! Any foods you avoid on a business lunch?

Marshalls Image

2009-06-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

I got sleep! 9 hours of sleep on Monday and 7 hours of sleep yesterday! AMAZING. I never ever sleep and I feel like a million bucks! I would also like to thank Bikram Yoga for this because yesterday I sweat out some toxins and stress and opened up my lungs and whatever the other benefits are. slept. like. a baby.

So instead of my 2 black coffees before 10 AM, I am sipping on ONE delicious Hot Cinnamon Spice tea (still caffinated please don't judge). To celebrate one of my girl's birthdays we are going to see The Proposal and get ice cream tonight (again no judging its a work night and that movie looks so cute!)

I did eat some pre cut apples yesterday that left some neon yellow substance on my desk at work. I am pretty sure I ate cancer. I really hope whatever it was got out of me at yoga.

My family leaves for Greece/France this weekend without me. I hope they have a fun safe trip and buy me lots of "I am sorry you are a real person with responsibilities and cannot take a week off to come on this trip" presents!

ANYWAY the point of this post is that I am wearing one of my new favorite pieces today. A sheer white vest with ruffles around the front. I got it at Marshalls. My fabulous coworker said he loooved my look today and my vest thing is amazing and how great it looks over my black dress with my red heels and my fantasic necklace.
I say, "Thanks I got it at Marshalls!"
I must have said some sort of fashion slur because his eyes got all drooopy and suddenly unimpressed with my outfit!
Why does buying something at Marshalls make it non-fabulous? Does it really deduct style points? If the vest is great, why does the price tag or label matter?

UGH last time I brag about a deal!

My Keepsake Pictures

2009-06-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you again to Allison for being so sweet and tagging me in the Keepsake Award. I have decided to put together a group of pictures that realy show who I am and where I am from.

My parents are from Venezuela. They got married young and moved to the US because my father was awarded a full ride to get his Masters and PHD here. Below is the common "coro" which is like a red flamingo!

Then they had me!

and my sister...

My high school friends will always be a part of my life.

But now I have my favs from college too!

I love my friends and family so much! I am a HUGE goof. It took alot of effort to not put up my ridiculous pictures. I am sure those will come later.

I TAG
Windy City Kelley's
CTB
Nikolett
Always Running
Politics and Pearls

Enjoy girls! I am off to finish my "Phish Food" Ice Cream and watch Jillian get her heart broken and put back together!

Does smiling encourage some sun?

2009-06-22T05:46:00.000-07:00

Allison has given me the Keepsake Award!! I am so sorry that I have not had a chance to post my keepsake picture, but I will get to that tonight. Promise.

This weekend was pretty good. No sleep, but that's a good sign right? Too many fun things going on to sleep! I went to bed at 4:30 AM on sat morning, but was woken up at 7:30 AM by one of my guy friends because apparently they never went to sleep and wanted to keep drinking. I am not on their level so I went home and ran 8 miles... still drunk? Excellent. To recover, we had a low key drink and watch tv/movies in our apartment night on Sat. Sunday I went home for Father's day and ate alot of eclairs, boston creme pie, ice cream bars, and a coconut/sugar/sweetened condensed milk/cinnamon concoction (sounds gross, tasted delicous. It feels so good to just eat and discuss life with old friends and family. My mom and I stayed up until 2:30 AM watching The Women and HGTV (House Hunters International- St. Johns) Amazing.

Somehow I made the 7:00 AM train to commute into work this morning in the same outfit I had on yesterday because I was planning on going back to Boston last night, but don't worry I showered. I am a clean person!

On coffee #2 before 10:00 AM and it's raining and I have no umbrella.... again. Wish me luck. Sounds like the beginning of a tough day!

:-)Still smiling though...

Hey, it's OK.

2009-06-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

You know how on a sunny day your umbrella is just sitting there, so obvious. Then on a rainy day, it goes missing? That's me today. New hair cut with blow dry, wet very wet. Can't even look cute on my 2nd to last friday here... EVER :-)

So excited to stop working and go back to taking classes. I wonder where my next job will be and what career I will end up sticking to, but for now I am just getting through today, then tomorrow, and so on....

I took a personality test bored at work one day. It was pretty accurate so feel free to check out my results or take the test yourself. Please comment with your results :-)

Finally, I did something yesterday so ridiculous that I almost feel accomplished. I managed to snack on 1,050 calories in nuts and berries last night thanks to Planters and their 8 servings per container. It's ok. I saved the 8th serving for today and continued to eat misc. snacks when I got home. Gross? Awesome? I am not sure :-P

When all else fails, put on a chick flick.

2009-06-18T06:54:00.001-07:00

I went for my nice, slow 5 miler yesterday. I intended for it to be relaxing. It was not.

1. Another Red Sox game... why do I still not check their schedule before running past Fenway and being suprised by the MOBs of people (P.S. Did Red Sox fans just get cuter? Like insanely attractive? All tan in their red Tshirts mmm)

2. A limo door HIT ME. Yup. I was jogging past Fenway (checking out the new cuties in town) and BAM a$$hole goes to get out of his stupid limo and opens the door... taking out my legs... thanks man. I don't need those to run or anything.

3. There are no public bathrooms in Boston. This paired with the fact that I have to pee the second I start running is a BIG problem. There is a Dunkin Donuts ever 5 feet in Boston. Don't they have bathrooms? NO. I literally ran 3.5 miles before finding one.

4. The Arthur Franklin Bridge (or w/e its called). Its orange and twisty and connects the Charles River and the Hatch Shell to the Boston Common. For out-of-towners lets just say its a very busy foot bridge. The tall walls and a mix of bikers, walkers, runners, baby strollers, skateboarders, rollerbladers... its amazing people don't break their face daily when they turn the corner. I stress out on it. Before I get to the corner I now snap my fingers. yes I look stupid, but I don't splat into people anymore so you take what you can get people.

5. Doctors in Boston do not look like McDreamy or McSteamy. They look like Ronald McDonald if "Mc"anything. So don't expect to run by the millions of hospitals and find your dream guy. Better luck at Fenway tho!

After all that I somehow lost .5 miles. O well, worse things could happen. I ended my run on Newbury and shopped the rest of my way home. Everything was looking up until the VS girl went to measure me and asked "Do you wear some of our smaller sizes?" You just measured me what do you think? I am not gifted up top. Sports bras don't help. Dummy lady. How can you ask an A if she wears small sizes? I should have said "No I think I wear C's and D's. Why what size am I?" Argh.

Then a nice phone call with my mom added some unwanted guilt into my life because I wasn't sure if I would make it home for Father's Day. He likes to golf all day so how was I supposed to know that rain meant I had to come home because he can't golf???

He's Just Not That Into You cheered me up nicely though. I literally laugh out loud when I watch that movie. Ben and Jenn? Great!!

Puppies

2009-06-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

My new addiction. Puppies. Adorable, clumsy, puppies. If only I lived in a pet friendly apartment! I could adopt all these guys and make the world a better place :-(

I wonder if I snuck one in if anyone would notice...

Just Dance

2009-06-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog :-)
Thank you so much for switching over.

I am debating becoming a ZUMBA instructor. Or really any intructor, but Zumba is fun!
"Ditch the workout! Join the party!"

Sounds pretty awesome. I used Zumba DVDs a couple years ago when they first came out. I fell in love with them. When I lent them out to prove how awesome they were, they got lost or broken by others and I never saw them again. I then dropped more $$$ on a second set, but when I moved out they stayed at home with my mom so that she could get a workout in every once in a while (which she should start doing now that she is officially done working).

Another certification I would like is the a group fitness instructor, but it seems more intense and I tend to get these crazy ideas and not follow through so I need to be sure first. I met a woman that started with her Zumba certification, loved it, and went and got her group fitness one. That sounds like a good plan since the cost of the Zumba certification includes the set of their DVDs!

The problem is that the open training classes for the summer are in Portugal and Japan... worst.
Zumba has grown to this HUGE brand name with clothes, dvds, classes, workshops... ect.

If you havn't tried it, I suggest you do. It is a latin dance workout and it keeps your heart rate up with the theory that you do not need to follow exact steps as long as you are moving to the music!

I am going for my mini shopping trip today. Wish me luck :-)

Closed

2009-06-16T09:57:00.002-07:00

There is this website http://www.hunch.com/. You ask it a question, and then it asks you a couple questions, and then gives you a response to your inital question. That sounded a little confusing, but it isn't I promise. I am also not sure how much I trust this site to make decisions for me, but it can be entertaining when even your bills are blocked on your company computers. So knowing that my gym is closing for 9 days I asked what my ideal workout is:
1. Spinning
2. Step Aerobics
3. Bikram Yoga
Wild Card:Pilates
They all sound great to me! So I am still trying to get a step on ebay or some equivalant. I am going to shop and walk home from work tomorrow, so maybeee I can find one for cheap. My gym has them, but I need a DVD to show me how to use it! I might just splurge while my gym is closed and try out some classes at surrounding studios.

My 7 miles went pretty well yesterday. According to http://www.mapmyrun.com/, I ran 7.46 miles (which could be off by some) and according to just glancing at my phone to check my start/end time I ran it in 69 minutes (again accuracy?). Anyway I am not running for speed, just trying something new out.

Finally, I want to do some spring/summer cleaning and get rid of a bunch of stuff I don't use/need. I was thinking of selling some of it on e-bay, but I got burned pretty bad with my e-bay addiction last summer. I ended up buying 3 counterfeit copies of the Sex In The City Series before quitting and going to Best Buy. If anybody have some e-bay tips I would love to hear them! If not, I think I might just go to The Salvation Army and donate to those in need.

P.S. The Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale starts today! H&M is having a sale. Banana Republic is giving 20% off purchases over $175. Gap has added Athleta to their stores which offers yoga clothes, swim attire, and dresses. J. Crew is having a summer sale. You get it right? It's shopping season! :-)

Stalker

2009-06-15T19:50:00.002-07:00

NO, I was not invited to this wedding, but a "friend" of mine on Facebook was and posted some awesome pictures of this couple's everlasting vows. I am now going to post a beautiful picture from a beautiful wedding of this couple that I do not know. Please do not judge.

Pretty right? Colors of the wedding here light blue and white.

"Forever" scares me, but I could throw some other type of party and decorate like that. Birthday? Random Thursday night? I will figure it out :-)

"There's MORE to Maine"

2009-06-15T08:12:00.002-07:00

MAINE is a pretty cool place. Skiing and beaches all in one state. My weekend was full of shopping, booze, and stupid decisions. What more could you ask from a vacation?

My roommate Rachel and I arrived about 30 min. earlier than the rest of the crew to Maine. We sniffed out some outlets and went into the J.Crew outlet just looking to pass some time. In 30 min. I was $50 dollars down and Rachel was $75 down (she's a very good shopper too its very dangerous to be around each other with our debit cards). I didn't need anything, but I was on vacation! So I found a pair of jeans I LOVED, but were too loose up top and they didn't have the next size down (booo!). To keep my mind off of the jeans I grabbed a loose super soft navy blue top with a tie scrunch collar and bow, a purple fitted T, and a grey beaded necklace with a ribbon tie. My boy (who is now going to be called Mr. Argumentative because thats what he won in his high school yearbook and the only person who wins arguments with him is ME because I just flash a smile and look up at him *he is 6 ft. I am 5'2"* with my big brown eyes and get my way)... anyway so Mr. Argumentative needed a bathing suit so I called and asked if $20 was ok and he said yes. I go back into the J.Crew outlet to grab him a bathing suit and he says he doesn't want anything from "JC Crew"?? Let's just say this boy only does to the Olympia Sports in a mall. The final straw for the bathing suit was that the only one in his size had lobsters (which apparently he is too cool for) so I put down the bathing suit and picked up the purple T and beaded necklace instead and headed to the cash register (he wore black nike gym shorts to the beach instead).

The group of us (3 boys 3 girls) get to the Maine house and begin drinking... didn't stop until 4 something AM. After noise complaint and losing at least 6 beers from spillage we decide to talk a stroll/stumble to the light house down the street. How we survived walking on the rocks with the tide coming in, I am not sure. The only injury was one of the boys falling on the rocks several times and waking up (still drunk at 8 am planning to go for a run) with some scratches on his face and a chipped tooth.

Sat. ended up being a beautiful day. We went to the beach from about 11:30-3:30. I put my feet in the water, but refused to go any further in (despite Mr. Argumentative's best efforts). That was a great food day too. We had cinnamon buns for breakfast, I split a large Italian sub with Mr. A and got some soft served ice cream after with Rachel. After some snacking back at the Maine house, we had a delicious BBQ with pigs in a blanket, cheeseburgers, salad, french fries, and more. Everyone was pretty tired and burnt, so the rest of the night was low key with story telling, re-living memories, card games, and red sox.

Sunday we went out to eat "breakfast" at 12:30 and then Rachel and I got some ice cream for the journey home. The rest of the day was spent in bed eating and sleeping.

My workout issue is that I was supposed to run 7 miles on Sat and do crosstraining on Sun and I did neither. Today should be weights and tomorrow 5 miles, but now it all has to be rearranged because I was lazy and took a vacation! Sue me for wanting FUN!
Anyways I worked out the new schedule and it will look something like this:
Monday- Run 7 miles
Tuesday- Crosstraining and weights
Wednesday- Run 5 miles
Thursday- Run 3 miles and weights
Friday- rest
Sat- Run 8 miles
I am not sure when I will get in my Sat 8 miles because as you can tell my weekends tend to be directed towards fun/no responsibilities so my workout takes a back seat. Only 2 weeks until the race!!! I still missed a crosstraining day with my new schedule, but hey you win some you lose some.

Getting out of this town

2009-06-12T06:32:00.002-07:00

Sooo Pilates Dance was pretty great yesterday. The first 30 min was a faster paced Ballet Booty (without weights) and the second 30 min was some pilates strengthening. The only problem was that I forgot that Wednesday I was messing around with this P90X abs thing my friend has. I couldn't really do any of the moves because it was too hard and only 15 minutes so I wrote it off and forgot that it ever happened. All day my abs felt normal yesterday, then all of a sudden i lay on my mat to do pilates and there is the deepest burning in my stomach muscles. OUCH! I go from never ever doing abs to doing then 2 days in a row. ughh ODI (over do it). A nice short cycling session should loosen up my muscles nicely so that I had relax and enjoy my weekend getaway to MAINE.

6 of us will be relaxing and drinking for probably 48 hours straight. This should be entertaining.

I also had my first Trader Joe's experience yesterday. The prices are very reasonable and I got this bag to carry the heavy groceries, but the look is so vintage and cloth and awesome it can double as a beach bag or something!

I would also like to point out that today is June 12th and visibility on the east coast is max 1 mile. The fog and the grossness and the rain and the clouds need to go away.

Besides the weather only one other thing is bothering me, explosions. I have had 3 today. 1 was before I left for work my neatly packaged lunch including black bean soup exploded all over one of my favorite bags, my gym clothes, my sneakers.. etc. Then I repackaged everything grabbed new clothes and a new bag and left for work. BOOM black bean soup explosion #2. Awesome. At least my gym stuff was in a separate bag this time. Finally I went to make oatmeal in the microwave after cleaning up from explosion #2 and BAAAAM! oatmeal everywhere. There you go. I think that's a record. 3 explosions before 10:15 AM. AT least bad things come in threes, so I should be set for the day *crosses fingers*.

O! I also caught a couple minutes of So You Think You Can Dance (long title of a showw) veryy impressive may have to become a regular of mine.

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND :-)

Notes

2009-06-11T05:30:00.002-07:00

OK fine guys. You were not very helpful with my workout video dilemma, so I did more research and found "Step-Boxing". "Blends the intensity of step with the power of kickboxing." Sounds pretty sweet to me. I am currently bidding on an aerobic step on e-bay, but if anybody knows a cheaper way to find one I would love to hear it!

I have non official ADD so every week I have a new interest that I try out. This week I am in a food rut (Note to self: microwaving cans of corn and mizing it with salsa does not count as a meal). I have been looking up recipes that even those who choose the microwave over the oven/stove every time (AKA Me) can manage. Doesn't this one sounds pretty good for ZERO cooking necessary?

Creamy Pasta Salad with Crabmeat

1/2 cup each light sour cream and light mayonnaise (not fat free)1 tablespoon each freshly squeezed lemon juice, honey mustard and minced fresh dill1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper12 oz medium shell pasta, uncooked (about 5 cups dry)1 lb lump crabmeat (real or imitation), chopped1/2 cup each diced red and green bell peppers1/2 cup chopped green onions

"In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey mustard, dill, salt and pepper,. Refrigerate dressing until ready to use.
Cook shells according to package directions. Drain well. Rise with cold water and drain again. Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add crabmeat, bell peppers, onions and dressing. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve."
252 calories and 4.1 grams of fat per serving

(Recipe thanks to Eat, Shrink & Be Merry and Sweetnicks)

Yesterday I did a little bike, arc trainer, and stair climber for my "cross training". Today it's Pilates Dance: "Blending the classic moves of ballet and jazz with Pilates Mat Work, this class is designed to tone and lengthen your muscles, giving you the long, lean, sexy body of a dancer."

I love how they say "long" when I wont get any taller... I should measure myself before and after these classes. Before :5'2" After: Still 5'2" Heels "lengthen" every time Before: 5'2" After: 5'7". I think the winner is clear here.

Now for some trashy TV (because who gets through life without it). Real Housewives of ____ doesn't really matter which brings a very controversial issue to life. Implants. I am pro choice, but I would suggest sitting on the idea for at least a year and definitely get saline not silicone and it has to go under the muscle to have a chance at looking natural and I would not suggest going any more than 2 cup sizes bigger than your natural size. (No I do not have implants I just happen to be very informed on the topic). I bring this up because Teresa on Real Housewives of New Jersey decides to get some new "bubbies" to go from a minus A to a C.

Before:

After: Impossible to get on here. Check out the second pic in her photo gallery. Also, if you wanna laugh check out pic 11 (you really should). (Insider note: Teresa is now expecting her 4th child.)

Movie Note: Go see The Hangover. Now.

Favorite quote from suggested movie: "Sh*t. I keep forgetting about the f*cking tiger."

Twitter Note: Tila Tequila twittered that she is pregnant with Ray J's baby.

The happy couple:

WOW. SO that was alot of random stuff. Tomorrow is Friday! SMILE.

Pickup Lines and Pole Dancing

2009-06-10T05:18:00.002-07:00

I did the elliptical for 23 minutes yesterday. During those 23 minutes, I learned 2 very interesting things that I would like to share today.

Did you know that not only are cheesy pick up lines still being used, but they are working?!?! A group of guys at the gym yesterday were standing behind the ellipticals talking and laughing when one breaks away from the crowd and grabs an open elliptical next to a girl. He turns and looks at her and says, "Hey whats your sign?" Really guy? You think that is going to work? I can't wait until she responds "Get a life". Nope. She says , "Sagittarius. What's yours?" UM. Wow. They then proceeded to have a 5 minute conversation about nothing before he returned to his laughing and howling friends. If we keep letting these lines work, when will they stop using them? Never.

Now for the All-American pass time of pole dancing. I am sorry; "Pole Dance Fitness" as the co founder of the Pole Fitness Association prefers it to be called. This "sport" is being petitioned to be a part of the 2012 Olympics in London. The PFA has 110,000 signatures and counting on the petition so far and they meet the international criteria as "Pole Dance Fitness" is practiced in over 50 countries. The judging would be based on flexibility, strength, height and some other categories similar to figure skating and gymnastics according to PFA. If you would like to try this "Olympic Sport" out check out the Vital Juice FREE Wellness Retreat in New York next weekend for free exercise classes such as:
Strip Bar
Welcome to the happy hour of sexy, hot cardio. This class takes Striptease to the next level with the body bar as your prop. Oh yeah, we’ll make you sweat.

Move over Carmen Electra.

Breathe

2009-06-09T09:10:00.002-07:00

AHHHH OK so WORK thought it would be beneficial to offer a stress releving and breathing class today. I had a deadline that I had to make so I rushed (added stress) then went to the class and "released" it. Except now I am stressing out even more. Apparently I eat "dirty" not "clean" because I eat man made products not only natural stuff. I also have "stale" air in my lungs because I do not practice deep breathing on a regular basis. AND did you know that you only breathe through one nostril at a time? The nostril you breathe out of indicated the hemisphere of your brain that you are using. I only use the "left hemisphere" AKA logic, analysis, STRESS. "Right hemisphere" channels creativity, arts, relaxation. By telling me this... my stupid "left brained" self over analyzed it and is stressing out... go figure.

According to this "Harvard Mental Health Letter" I recieved at the meeting/class thing, taking two 90 minute yoga classes a week for 3 moths can minimize emotional distress by at least half of the level before yoga. "At the end of the three months, women in the yoga group reported improvements in percieved stress, depression, anxiety, energy, fatigue, and well being. Depression scores improved by 50%, anxiety scores by 30%, and overall well-being scores by 65%." The claimed benefits of controlled breathing are very bold, such as pulling hositalized depression patients into remission after 4 weeks of 30 min. of deep breathing 6 times a week.

I can really only get myself to focus on yoga when I am in a studio. Bikram yoga is great because I love being in a sauna and bikram yoga is in a 90 degree (or hotter) room so I LOVE IT and you get deeper into poses. The only problem is it is expensive and hard to get yourself to go into a crazy hot room for 90 minutes, but if you can get there you will feel good after.

I tend to set all these goals and never follow through with anything which is why this blog is beneficial to me because I can pledge these goals here and feel like a failure if I do not follow through. Now I am trying to find my way in the world of exercise. I love dance so I am debating purchasing the following DVDs. Please let me know if you have tried/heard of anything about them to help me narrow down my choices.

Graceful:
Patricia Moreno's Yoga Dance Fusion
New York City Ballet (Two Workouts)
Balocity: Cardio with a Classic Twist
10 Minute Solution Pilates Perfect Body
AM Yoga for Your Week with Rodney Yee

Ass Kicking:
Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred
Results: 10 Days to a Better Body
The Firm: The 500 Calorie Workout
10 Minute Solution: Knockout Body! Kit
Kelly Coffey's 30 Min. to Fitness: Bootcamp

So I will find my inner exercise lover by changing up my routines. I need to make sure I do not stick to one type of excercise because this is when I fall into a slump, quit working for a year, hate myself, start back up. Time to take a step back, BREATHE, and figure out a brand new routine for after my race (about 3 weeks away)!

New Bikini Bod

2009-06-08T12:44:00.002-07:00

Cheryl Burke from ABC's Dancing With The Stars can finally stop being called fat by the press and producers. She looks GREAT!

According to People.com: "I gained a few pounds and everybody was talking about it last year," the two-time Dancing champ says. "But taking it off was simply a matter of doing a bit more cardio to supplement my dancing. I'm also making sure I eat clean foods and healthy snacks."

Not that I thoughted she looked fat before:

But she does look more toned and it sounds like she's being healthy so good for her :-)

Blue Eyes

2009-06-08T06:43:00.002-07:00

I have brown eyes. Poop brown. Yes I just said poop.

The Boy's family has the bluest blue eyes. The kids have piercing blue eyes that you can't ever say no to. Because of these genetic freaks, I have no terrible stories from this weekend and being with kids. Instead I have wonderful stories.

I went in the jacuzzi with the kids (what is the difference between a jacuzzi and a hot tub?). They loved me and swam up to me and asked me to play with them (it is a biiig jacuzzi/hot tub that waterfalls over the heated pool). A little 2 year old boy with those light blue eyes looked up at me when I got out and had a full conversation with me asking me to get back in because it was cold outside but hot in the water. Did anybody else know 2 year olds could hold a conversation? I was a mute until 2 because my parents would speak Spanish and the school was speaking English and I got confused between the 2 languages and finally said my 1st word at 2. So all these talking beautiful genetic freak-like children kept asking me to stay, so I did. I even tranfered wisdom to a little girl with curly blonde hair and those blue blue blue eyes I envy so much. I taught her "on" and "off" with a keyboard. After missing 4 trains, The Boy's brother finally agreed to drive us back to the city as The Boy had a few drinks and I refuse to drive his sports car because I will drive it right into a tree.

Sat. I went to the Red Sox game because the weather was gorgeous, but first The Boy and I walked down teh Charles River and I managed to take some pictures so maybe I will get around to posting some Boston shots later. Red sox games are quite the workout by the way. Walking up and down those stares because the beer makes you have to pee every inning, and then everyone around you is drinking too so you have to stand everytime they have to go to the bathroom too so they can walk by you. I am sure that burned off all the booze calories and chinese food calories and cinnamon bun calories and all misc. calories consumed this weekend :-P

Lesson Learned: Kids are smart. They are people too, just miniature. I am sure you are all aware of this, but I just found that out this weekend so I am amazed. The Boy and I were invited back to The Cape House this summer so I will be seeing those beautiful lil ones soon enough! (who ammm I... I sound like the Anti-me...Must buy some very tall heels before I become one of those practical people who buy things because they "need" them not because they "want" them)

Online Dating

2009-06-05T06:34:00.002-07:00

I have been up since 3 AM for no reason at all. Luckily I had HGTV to keep me company. I have to get through my work day, go home, change into "child approporiate" clothes (which I am pretty sure I do not own) and go to a 5?? year old's birthday party in the 'burbs. She's The Boy's cousin (his aunts and uncles got married later and are all just starting their families). I am not the best with kids (to put it nicely). My mother was never a "mommy"; she never babied my sister and me (which I know appreciate as an "adult"). She was more of a wise friend who pulled me out of class to go shopping because she was bored home alone all day. Anyway, I think that my uncomfortableness around kids is partly because my mom was like that too. And the point of this ramble is that I am making some sacrifices today by going to this party so hopefully everythign will go smoothly (but really when does anything go smoothly? NEVER so I am sure I will return with a bunch of terrible moments and you can laugh in my misery). :-P

There have been several bridal showers in town of people who met online. Online dating is something I used to find weird, but not anymore. I decided its unrealistic to expect you to find your "soul mate" (if you believe in that stuff) grabbing the same carton of milk at the grocery store and your eyes meet and then hearts explode over your head. So why wouldn't matching up the millions of people online with their interests ect. online work? The only issue I still have is that I do not tend to go for guys who like all the same things as me... but I can see how if you find someone like that it may be helpful when figuring out weekend plans. Anybody have an opinion on this online dating trend?

Next Post: Past stories on my terrible child skills

Jumbled Thoughts

2009-06-04T11:10:00.002-07:00

Tonight is Movie Night! My friend is coming over to relax and watch He's Just Not That Into You. I should really try to get 3 miles in before that though. This is my final "rest" week before the race so the milage has been nice and short (who would have thought I would EVER look at 3 miles and say- Oh good I can get that quick run in)!!

This weekend is up in the air. My roommates are leaving town for various reasons so my schedule is all up to me. Could be exciting and fun or BORING. We shall see.

In 3 Weeks:
My family leaves for Greece without me
I run my race
I finish work
I start classes
Julie leaves for Chile

Change can be very refreshing so hopefully the weather changes too and then I will be a happy camper (sorry for the annoying phrase).

Sleeping Issues: I have not been sleeping at all. Last night I woke up at 12:30 AM and could not fall back asleep until 3:30 AM. This is an issue because then I am a zombie all day at work. Doses anybody know some remedies for this? I used to have this problem all the time, but with age and exercise I thought I had shed the habit. Now I am more awake at 2 AM than 2 PM.

My outfit for today is being brought to you by Victoria's Secret, Gap, and Kohls.VS Dress (Buttoned up all the way):

Gap Sweater (Unbottoned all the way):

Not exactly my shoes, but close enough!

Exhausted

2009-06-03T10:24:00.002-07:00

Ballet Booty was a great toning class, but not a very good class for cardio. Targeted areas are your obliques, legs, "booty", arms, and shoulders. The only equipment used was a pair of 2 lb. balls to hold in your hands when using your arms for the moves. The music was upbeat and the moves were fun. Any rythemically challenged person could join this class and enjoy it!

Victoria's Secret arrived yesterday! I was very very very pleased with my polo dress and my white and yellow bathing suit, my poka dot top was OK, but the striped top I bought was see through (HELLO some things are meant to be a SECRET) and the pants were ehh... so I am sending back the last top and the pants for a great pair of pants. They are lose and drawstring, but suitable for the beach or to wear as actual pants. Lets hope I do the return/exchange process right...

FYI: I am having a very lame summer in terms of TV (only the Bachlorette). Does anybody have any shows that are great and I am missing out on?

Sorry I am so tired these days. Something may be wrong with me. I am exhausted all day every day and my appetite is through the roof. What gives?

To Do

2009-06-02T10:46:00.002-07:00

June 2nd is finally here everyone. If you have not seen He's Just Not That Into You go rent it NOW! If you have seen it you know how amazing it is and as of today you can BUY IT. So what are you waiting for?!?! I am heading over right after work to grab my copy.

The next excitment for the day is Ballet Booty! I am trying this class out tonight and will let you know how it goes. The description is: "Come to get the ballet booty you've always wanted. This class is designed to give you long, sexy toned muscles. No dance training required just a need for a fun and new and exciting way to workout." I can't wait!

That is all I have for today. Except I guess we can honor my two favorite picks for Jillian on The Bachlorette.

Say hello to Jake:

And Kipton:

The Trade-off

2009-06-01T06:15:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I looked in the mirror and saw my legs. I didn't think big or small; I thought strong. It is not about diameter; it's about stamina. Regardless your shape or size, a healthy, active lifestyle is the right choice. Endorphines=Body Love.

I cycled for 60ish minutes yesterday (slightly less) while reading Allure and Self and had ultimate self love (which never happens in my world of pessimism). I also had the most amazing run on Sat. which made me love love love Boston.

The run was supposed to be 6 miles which I had planned perfectly. I ran passed Fenway, crossed the Charles River and was planning to take the next bridge back over the Charles. Issues started here because the next bridge was closed so I had to run down to the Museum of Science to cross back over the Charles. Got to be intellectual by using the bathroom at MOS before continuing my jog (sloow jog at this point but I didnt mind very relaxing). On the other side of the Charles I ran past some little league baseball fields with kids playing while overlooking sailboats and kayaks (very different from my hometown's little league fields in the woods). All of a sudden the sidewalks were very crowded, I took off my headphones and started walking through a FREE CONCERT at the Hatch Shell. So perfect out I wanted to just sit and listen all day, but I couldn't so eventually I started jogging again and made it home.

It is a good thing I love Boston because my parents annouced last week that they are going to Greece with my sister. I cannot go because of work, and they are still going without me :-(

I am very sad so I will have to go on a "I am not going to Greece but I am still wonderful" shopping trip.

Instead of this:

I will see this:

and this:and this:

There are no such thing as losers... just daughters that can't join family trips to exotic locations because of jobs she doesn't even care for...

Busy Boston

2009-05-29T05:57:00.002-07:00

The fog is not slowing anyone down today in Beantown!

Work is very busy lots to do and meetings to go to. I am getting a new phone today too so I hope it is super cute/functional since Verizon is paying for my FREE UPGRADE! Dave Matthews Band (not my fav. but apparently I am alone in this one) is performing at Fenway Friday and Sat. night so I will be sure to walk/stumble by and hear some tunes for free outside the stadium (suckersss who paid $100 plus!).

Also my boy is coming up to visit me! I have not discussed much about him; that is kinda my style. We have been dating for almost 6 years (gasp!). I don't really do commitement or long term dating... at my core I am a girl that likes to relax have a good time and go with the flow... which normally results in singledom. But my boy (I will think of a good nickname for him soon) has always known this about me and had made my life incredibly easy by being the most thoughtful boyfriend/best friend a girl could want and not stressing me out (most of the time) with future talk and "our kids" (WHAT KIDS?!?). The boy lives an hour away, but he does 99% of the commuting so its not difficult at all for me :-)

ICK of enough relationship stuff. Yesterday I ran my 3 miles on a treadmill which I hate, but I do not think Boston has gotten the "summer" memo... anyway so I ran it in 25 min and 47 sec which is a 8 min 49 sec mile pace?!?! I also felt like cr@p and got a little dizzy after (I have not been drinking my water). I am wokring on builing 2 perfect total body toning routines so that I can do one a week (2 total strength workouts a week). Once I perfect them (without proper trainig so forgive me if my research does not end well) I will share them! Have a GREAT weekend everybody! Hopfully somebody is enjoying sun and warmth because I definetly am not...

Heidi and Seal Parenting

2009-05-28T20:22:00.002-07:00

Stylish aviators for the mom!

Hugs and kisses...

Playing with hair...

Mom and daughter matching hair dos.

Hop on Pop!

Not many words needed here. They are by far the cutest couple and pull off parenting in a very stylish way! :-)

Scatterbrain...

2009-05-28T05:37:00.002-07:00

Workouts of the Week
Sunday- 15 min of Wii Boxing (intense I swear)
Monday- 30 min of CORE Rythem DVD that worked my rib cage more than anything else
Tuesday- Ran 4 miles
Wednesday- 60 min on elliptical (Cardio Preset/ Level 4)
Thursday- Running 3 today and doing some "strength" maybe arms and butt and a lil abs? My legs are sore for some reason...
Friday- R.E.S.T.
Sat- Run 6 miles so far the longest run of my 7.5 miler training but I accidentally did 5.6 miles instead of 5 last Sat so im not scurrred

More Money Spending
Victorias Secret has stolen $105 from me, but in return I got 3 bathing suit tops, 1 bathing suit bottom, a button up polo dress, and some pants that can be worn to work or out! Not too shabby...

Price Worthy Product
This product makes my hair feel/look so healthy. Even after blow drying it almost every day and getting highlights!

Movie and Book Review
Movie: Last night I watched House Bunny. It is quite funny and ends with a good message. You must be sexy but also smart to get boys. I also learned that the sentence "I want to be your girlfriend more than a proton wants an electron" is not cute/funny and probably should not be used again. Grade: B+

Book: I know I am cheating because I have not finished/gotten half way through this book, but Paint It Black by Janet Fitch is VERY good so far. Grabs your attention immediatly. Stay tuned for the final grade. It is tough to read before bed because the theme is rather depressing and I would rather have happy dreams if possible, so this one might take a while to finish.

Finally, I would like to address the gigantic crowd of over caffinated teens outside my office window. Yes, I understand that you are auditioning for So You Think You Can Dance? Yes, I know the weather is terrible in May and you are stuck outside hoping for your ticket to Vegas. No, I do not see the need to scream ever 7 minutes SO LOUD that I can hear you very clearly 2 blocks away 20+ floors up!

Sorry for being all over the place today! I hope there was a little something for everyone in there :-P Happy Thirsty Thursday (even though I can't remember the last time I actually celebrated this "holiday")... ugh so lame

Wise Words

2009-05-27T16:30:00.002-07:00

"Start hard, finish easy. Cyclists who ramped up the intensity during the first half of their workout and slowed down during the second half torched about 23% more fat than those who moved from low to high intensity, research from the College of New Jersey found (from Health.com)."

"Crank it up
Vigorous aerobic exercise for 40 minutes makes your body burn calories at a higher rate for nearly a full day afterward, one study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found (from Health.com)."

"Wolf some protein
A calorie is a calorie, but your body burns about 25 to 30 of them while digesting 100 calories of protein versus only 7 of them while digesting 100 calories of simple carbs, says Barbara Vinciguerra, MS, an adjunct professor in the movement-sciences department at Westfield State College in Westfield, Mass (from Health.com)".

*** Go to http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/ and select the "trouble zones" you want to work, the equipment (or lack of) you have, and the length of time you want to work out for and the site will generate a body toning video for you in seconds***

Work hard :-)

Thank You

2009-05-26T15:59:00.002-07:00

Thanks to my followers for joining my newbie blog...

Thanks to those that leave comments... I love coming back to check them out.

And thanks to my LEGS (note the improvement since my earlier Reflection) for taking me 4.4 miles in in 38 min 06 sec (a 9.05 mile/min pace) !

Finally, thank you to my credit card for buying me this and these (but in gold) and this (but from T.J. Maxx for $150 softest leather ever and it has a lepord interior lining )!!

Reflection

2009-05-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

Bad Habits:

Bitting my nails
Dropping clothes on the floor... and leaving them there
Hating on my "strong" legs (strong is a nice way of saying bigger than I like legs)
Doing everything all or nothing
Not trusting anybody... literally
Being too opinionated
Being impatient

This long weekend I got alot of time to relax and then took some time to reflect. I know this is not really time for a New Years Resolution, so we will call it a Summer Solution to fix at least 3 of my bad habits above!

Bitting nails: I will get a manicure (and a pedicure just because why not!).

Clothes on floor: Honestly this is not one of the habits I expect to fix this summer... but I will try to clean up my floor before bed so that I do not end up having empty drawers and piles of clothes instead of a carpet on my floor.

Leg Hating: When exercising I will think of my legs as my source of strength/power. They energize me; get me through that last mile. They are not like Gisele's, but they are mine and they cannot ever be like Gisele's so it is time to start loving what I have.

All or Nothing: Cannot do much about this one... Personality flaw. Nobody can be perfect!

Trust: I will relax. Take yoga or something. Understand that some people are good and some are bad, but those good ones are worth keeping around NOT pushing them away waiting for their devil horns to show.

Opinion: I like having my opinion. Not focusing on changing this. I can accept other people's opinions (when they back up their thoughts properly).

Patience: Avoid Fenway on Red Sox game days. I love the sox but will never understand why the fans freeze in front of the stadium and suddenly can't walk because all they want to do is stare at the magical Red Sox home.

Bachlorette side note: Jake is the Godiva of men.

Woot and Fitness

2009-05-21T08:55:00.002-07:00

Technology fans I have found your bargin. This may not be a new site to some, but to me it is brand new. Woot hosts a sale of one item a day. It may be a laptop, an iTouch, a smart workout watch... etc. You can go to the site and buy the item if you would like with GREAT savings. Also a yellow "I want one!" button shows up on the screen when there are only a few left, so make your decision quickly!

Also at Fitness, you can "See yourself thinner" by logging in and uploading a picture of yourself. You enter your weight loss goals and they will e-mail you a picture of yourself once the goal has been attained. Talk about motivation!

Off to lunch... enjoy!

Samantha Who Tragedy

2009-05-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

Note article below:

"Samantha Who? What? WHY?!?!
via Celebrity gossip juicy celebrity rumors Hollywood gossip blog from Perez Hilton by Perez Hilton on 5/18/09
Variety reports that the popular ABC sitcom Samantha Who?, starring Christina Applegate, has been canceled and will not be returning for a third season.
The reason: money WHAT ELSE!
The show got canned due to cutbacks and the show just couldn't slash the budget low enough to warrant its stay on the network.
Maybe it will be picked up by another?
Hear that major networks: a show that's funny and well casted on the market. Snatch it up!"

My thoughts:

I do not know if any of you have seem Samantha Who? on ABC, but it is an AMAZING show. They already snatched Pushing Daisys form me why must they take Samantha too?!?!

Lets take a moment of silence for all the amazing shows that we will never get to see again...

NOW action: I think that we should send ABC something... not sure what exactly but didn't some other shows get uncancelled because fans showed tons of support and sent the network like 1 million peanuts or whatever is related to the show? Samanatha Who... maybe send a billion laffy taffy because the show is soooo funny? Ideas anyone lets save this show please!!!

Designer Deals

2009-05-20T10:21:00.002-07:00

Nordstrom is having a 33% off (or more) EVERYTHING sale!!!

My current debate is these vs. these vs. these!!

If heels are not your thing, enjoy these or these or these!!

Enjoy :-)

P.S. Shoes are my obsession. The sale is on everything in the store so feel free to shop all departments!!

TV, Working out, Shopping

2009-05-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

DWTS FINALE LAST NGHT

Melissa- FAILED Monday night. SO sad and SO true. Way too many flips and ZERO dancing. She has such grace from ballet and wasted it by doing a terrible freestyle. She did pretty well (and looked amazing) in the dance off, but sadley, I am not thinking she deserves the title as much. Last night she brough it back (in one of my fav. dances of hers) but it was too late and she came in 3rd.

Shawn- BROUGHT HER A GAME! By far my favorite freestyle, and she managed to look very serious and keep very strong during the dance off. Super cute girl, did not mind her winning after that freestyle... and I am so proud of her and Mark for picking a dance to do last night that they did not previously get a perfect score on (but did last night)! Cutest girl ever.

Gille- Always a perfect dancer, but not very exciting last night. Shawn had much more drive and energy, and at this point in the competition you have to BRING IT... entertain AND get your steps right! SRY... See you later in Sex in the City II

WORKOUT

Monday I played around with some Pilates DVDs, but was not very inspired and quit. Yesterday I ran 4.12 miles in 37 minutes and felt amazing. Barely sweat was breathing fine totally relaxed just enjoying some me time in the great weather. The only bad part was I ran past Fenway and did not check the Red Sox schedule and got trampled by fans on their way to a game... I also found a guy running and followed him for the middle portion of my run. I know it's creepy but I LOVE IT when I find someone running at a perfect pace so I can just cruise behind them. He got me down to the Commons then I took Newbury back home! :-)

Today I plan to cycle for 40 min. which is annoying because it is so nice out, but my right knee has been hurting and I do not want to deal with joint damage or whatever the reason is I am not supposed to do my runs of back to back days.

SHOPPING

After work on Monday, I felt sick and needed fresh air so I went for a walk, and ended up in front of Macy's.

I bought a coral short sleeved cardigan with some crochet detail around the front edge (50% off!)... then I ended up at T.J. Maxx and bought a tan and black leather B. Makowsky bag with gold hardware and white patent leather accents for $148 (from $288). Next I picked up a tan Tommy H. shirt that was soo soft and had a large paisley type print on it. Might try to get pictures up of my bag at least... it is my new love affair...

Catching up!

2009-05-18T08:24:00.002-07:00

WOW... I have been MIA for awhile. I never got around to doing Payday Picks on Friday (I guess my bank account could use a weekend of no shopping) ... I was so busy at work and then after work I can't get near a computer since I sit in front of one for 8 hours a day. My boy came to see me on Friday after a boys night in Maine and brought me a Maine shotglass (so romantic)! Then Sat. I went home and enjoyed a relaxing night of catching up with my parents and having a friend over before she took off for Germany on Sunday (she just got back from Mexico and brought me a shotglass... seeing a trend? I may have a rep...) :-( ... Sunday I went to Kiss Concert with my younger sister and had a blast... thought maybe I would be on the older side, but it wasn't weird it was wonderful. I did some punk eye makeup and wore a black sweater with jeans and spiced it up with a fabulous necklace.

Workouts ended up being:
Friday: Cycling for 40 min
Sat: Playing with Wii
Sunday: 35 min of Wii Fit

This was my first experience with Wii and I was very pleased. With Wii Fit you do not even feel like you are working out (which sometimes you arn't), but the yoga, strength training, and aerobics are pretty solid (my favorite was hula hoop).

I would like to thank Heather for my very first blog award! I am not entirely sure if I properly accepted it, but I am sure I will figure it out sooner or later. So thank you very very much again for the award!

Finally, I need to do a mini TV Guide segment.
Grey's: I did not have time to discuss this last week. AMAZING episode. I am apparently cold hearted because I could not find tears, but I LOVED IT with or without the emotional meltdown. 007 was a VERY SHOCKING moment. My heart dropped! Here's to a new season in September (AH SO FAR AWAY).

DWTS: Ty is gone. He was sweet, but did not have enough talent to continue on the show. A for effort though. Time for him to go back to Jewel and fix their marraige. ALSO the season finale is on ABC tonight at 8. It is a MUST SEE! I think that either Gille or Melissa should win.. Probably Gille but my faith is with Melissa and her perfect abs... Gille's are nice too though! So good luck to all and may the best dancer (or abs) win!

The Bachelorette: Jillian is the cutest. Please give her a chance. The 2 hour long season premiere is on after DWTS, and if you do not love her after that you never have to watch again I promise. But you will love her and your Mondays won't be so miserable now that you have a new show to watch! Enjoy.

Today's workout... My legs are pretty tired from standing at the longest concert ever and dancing and running (in Michael Khors heels) to the bathroom so I wouldn't make my sister miss an act. Might try some arms and gluteous maxius (AKA BUTT) workouts... we shall see. I am not concerned....

Swimmers Beware

2009-05-14T05:45:00.000-07:00

Warnings before trying swimming for exercise:
1) You need goggles- or else your eyes will be as red as a stoner's
2) You need a 1 piece- or else you bum will be seen my the entire lifeguard staff and random onlookers
3) You need ear plugs- I now have swimmer's ear which is PAINFUL
4) A swim cap is prefered- or else your hair will feel like hay

Now that you have learned from my mistakes, I will go over this week's workout and what is planned for the weekend. It may seem strange that I do this on Thursdays, but it is my way of pledging my weekend workout so that I actually do it instead of sleep allll day.

Monday- I did a cr@ppy lean legz workout in my apartment because I was too lazy to leave (very inspirational I know).
Tuesday- I ran 2 miles, walked for 15 min (4mph, 4% incline), did 30 easy minutes on the elliptical, and finished with 10 min. of easy cycling and then I went in the sauna (which everyone should do it is amazing).
Wednesday- Swam for 10 min alternating 2 laps of freestyle and 2 laps of breast stroke, treaded water for 1 min, and repeat. I am nowhere near in good enough shape to try those intervals I mentioned. Swimming is HARD and to be honest... a little boring.
Thursday- I will run another 2 miles today and to my lean legs workout... which I think I may have to get a new one soon...I am just so darn strong :-P
Friday- Technically my rest day, but I like to rest on Sundays so I think I will do the Rundown Routine and maybe some arm workouts...
Saturday- Hopefully get 3 miles in... It would be a nice way to undo some partying damage on my body...
Sunday- REST GOING TO CONCERT :-)

I worked late last night and didn't get to shop... Wish me luck today! Hopefully I will find some great things for my "Payday Picks" tomorrow! Happy Thursday!

Water, Water Everywhere

2009-05-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump Day! Halfway through the week is quite a milestone. But on a more serious note:

I have been dehydrated since forever. I hate water. About a month ago my body lashed out on me because I never hydrate it. This has been the third incident in my life that has resulted from dehydration. My body was dry, zero water and only drinking coffee will do that to a person. My digestive system stopped working and I gained significant weight. I began feeling nauseous whenever I ate.

SO anyway, this began to get in the way of my daily activities. I also felt gross because my body was looking more balloon like each day. When I went to the doctor's a month ago they put that scope thing they listen to your heart with on my stomach. They could hear nothing. My body had quit on me. I had to take they next day off of work after x-rays showed that my situation was much worse than expected. Treatments made me feel sick, but now a month later I am beginning to do better. Or so I thought.

I go to run my silly 2 miles yesterday (which I did in 17 min 30 sec) but I went slower than last week and it felt harder. At first I thought it was that my legs were tired from wearing my extra tall extra fab. heels over the weekend, but then I realized that weird feeling was thirst. All the alcohol on the weekends dehydrates me and I dont sleep because I go out. Then I am tired and chug large amounts of coffee (dehydrating more). ENDLESS CYCLE. FAIL.

So between 6 and 11 PM I drank 5 water bottles. Still do not feel hydrated, but I just need to make sure I am conciously drinking at least 5-6 bottles a day. Good luck to me...

On a more positive note, I am going to try swimming today (bathing suit is packed and everything). I hear 20 laps is good so I am thinking I will do the pool intervals 4-5 times and then hopefully tread some water. But first I will be going to the thrifty T.J. Maxx to continue my never ending quest for style without bankruptcy.

Coming up:
Thursday- Weekly Workout Overview
Friday- Payday Picks

Pool Intervals

2009-05-12T04:51:00.000-07:00

Today I am scheduled to run 2 miles. I am 4 weeks into training for the 7.5 Mile run and it is a rest week. Yesterday I was exhausted so I did a half a$$ attempt of Lean Legz in my apartment (using water bottles, pillows and chairs instead of weights, physio balls and steps). Since tomorrow should be cross training, I decided to save swimming for then. So all I have today is a measly 2 miles, but I am excited to try swimming out tomorrow.

SWIM

Swim the first lap VERY comfortably

Swim the second one 3 seconds faster

Swim the third another 3 seconds faster

Swim the fourth still another 3 faster

Swim the fifth 12 seconds faster than the first

Rest almost a minute before repeating.

Do 3 times.

I wish there was a waterproof Ipod and headphone I could wear...

Mix it up

2009-05-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Bloggers.

This was a pretty good weekend. Margaritas, friends, thunderstorms by my new gigantic window! Mother's Day ended up being fun too. I went home and suprised my mom. She was not expecting me and I showed up with flowers. Some advice for the next generous daughter who would like to show up and suprise their mom:

1) Find out her plans for the day (because she may be taking a loong walk all afternoon with her friends and not be home when you get there)

2) Make sure you have planned how to get home (because if you live in the city and use trains they may have cut back and that 7:30 PM train home may no longer exist resulting in your poor mother having to take you back to the city)

3) Know the right people (because you may just be able to get a HUGE flower arrangement for $6 with the VIP discounts!)

Now that the weekend is over... It is time to figure out my workouts for the week.
Today I plan on swimming laps. It works your whole body and if you get bored you can switch strokes or see how long you can tread water.

Great plan since today I shoudl be "stretching and stengthening" for my 7.5 Miler training and I would not want to injure any joints running on an "off" day. Hopefully I will get to do my Lean Legz workout too!

P.S. DWTS tonight. Go Melissa!

Image

2009-05-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

I have realized that it must be a little strange reading about this person and having no clue what they look like. I am very curious how I appear in people's minds when they read my blog...

Anyway... the guessing can stop. I have decide to compile some images to give a better idea to all.

Hair color/style... Skin tone... Lack of "assets" Jenn has in this pic are also pretty accurate:

Additional Info: Brown eyes, 5 ft. 2 in without heels (5'5"- 5'7" with heels), BMI: Normal.

Payday Picks (Spring!!)

2009-05-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

A few items I think are worth the money for Spring:

Gorgeous (and weatherproof) Trench for $118: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3010630/0~2376776~2374327~2374337~6011709?origin=quickView&pbo=3010630

The shoe that will make you a model for $134:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3037493/0~2376778~6017238?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6017238&P=1

The bag that in viloet, black, or white will be fresh but timeless (with a wild lining for your eyes only) for $268:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3020630/0~2376779~6008000~2384925?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=2384925&P=1

Ready to spend that paycheck yet? I know I am!

If only shopping for my mother was as easy as shopping for myself... On a phone call last night she informed me for Mother's Day she would like Wii Fit. Which means I need to buy her Wii too. Thanks Mom.

Workout Update: Ran 2 miles yesterday in 16 min 6 sec. / Walked 4 mph on a 4% incline for 10 min. and did Lean Legz

Thursday Night: Wine and TV and seeing some friends who have been MIA for what feels like years (but really only months). Greys Anatomy is an excellent show. I am heartless and did not shed a single tear the entire episode. I did not even get glossy eyed or anything.

Greys Summary (Spoliers do not read on if you have not watched it yet): Merideth and McDreamy are to get married. Izzie gets another tumor in her brain that cannot be removed even by the greated of brain surgeons. Izzie admits she loves Karev (does anybody remember his "Mc" name?). Merideth gets her wedding present from McDreamy (a solo surgery sooo romantic). Izzie marries Karev because they are in love and she is dying and loosing her hair (she shaves it at the end and Karev says the ultimate line "my wife is hot"). Merideth and McDreamy will have to share their vows another day. Except the 2 hr. season finale is next week so time is running out!

This Week's Workout Overview

2009-05-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

Fitness magazine had me take this quiz to find what workout is right for me. The results? and Indo Board. Unsure of what that is? Take a look below:
http://www.indoboard.com/pages/index.php?page_id=training_indoflo_exercises

Clearly Fitness Mag does not care that I have minimal coordination skills and cannot balance when walking on the sidewalk, nevermind this flat board on a tube thing they call a workout.

Since it does not look like I am in the mood to get a replacement hip just yet, I will stay away from the Indo Board and fill you in on what I have actually been doing for workouts this week.

Monday- Walk on an incline for 30 min./Bike for 10 min./Run a mile (to yoga)/Take Yogaburn (60 min)/Run a mile home

Tuesday- Run 3 miles (26 min 15 sec)/ Walk for 20 min./ Left side plank, Right side plank, Front plank (3 sets of 30 sec. each)/ 30 push ups (in a row)

Wednesday- Elliptical 30 min. (interval setting)/ 30 push ups (in a row)/ 60 sec. plank

Thursday- Today I am running 2 miles and then doing my lean legz workout!

Friday- Meeting up with Julie after work to get some gym education from a Certified Personal Trainer pal

Sat- 4 Miles

Sun- REST!! YAY!

Please go check out Mrs. Newlywed's Giveaway! http://misadventuresofanewlywed.blogspot.com/2009/05/basically-im-jealous-of-my-own-giveaway.html

Reality (tv) Check

2009-05-06T05:24:00.000-07:00

Yet another Dancing With The Stars week had passed and I cannot believe the results. Lil Kim has brought her skillz every week and got voted off last week?!?! Who is voting for Ty? Come on viewers. You really think a bull rider can dance better than an ex con hip hop rapper? Lets see:

OR

We can't let the attractive blonde carry him to the final 4!

Anyway... The past cannot be undone and my dear Melissa is still in. So cheers to DWTS and may the best win!

P.S. I did NOT mean to make that rhyme... So sorry...