Working Eating Eating Working

Hi, y'all!  How's your week been?  Hard to believe it's already Friday, eh?  Work, for moi, has been going pretty well.  Slowly learning the ropes and getting to know everyone - it's fun.  :D  Nonetheless, I am EXCITED for the weekend!!  Can you believe it's already Halloween?  Nuts!  This Fall is flying by which makes me tres tres sad.

Working has definitely shaken up my eating routine.  I'm ravenous by the time I get home from work and typically end up eating the first thing I set my sights on.  I know I should have a snack in the late afternoon, but I just haven't gotten my act together yet, and I don't want to go buy something from the cafeteria.  Tonight, I had just enough time (like 15 minutes) to whip up a quick, easy meal before heading uptown for a concert w/ friends. 

Trader Joe's frozen garlic naan and veggie masala burger aka the BEST VEGGIE BURGER EVER!!!  Seriously, I thought it sounded weird when I first heard of it, but then I tried it, and OHMEMGEE - it is taaasty.  I think it's going to become my favorite go-to meal component.

I also had a bag of spinach that was about to go very, very bad.  I made one of the greenest smoothies I've ever made in my life!  It was also very simple - just spinach, almond milk, frozen banana, frozen mango, touch of raw honey, and ice.  It was surprisingly delicious sans peanut butter & flax per my usual green smoothies.  Very light and refreshing.  And GREEN!

Naturally, as soon as I got home from said concert, I was hungry again.  So I made another veggie burger and shoved it in a small whole wheat roll.  Mmmm I need to buy lots and lots of boxes of these...  Get them.  You won't regret it.

As for le weekend, I plan to do the following...

Friday: Get brows waxed at the Boom Boom Brow Bar, go for a run, catch up on my DVR, hopefully finish my book club book

Saturday: Brunch w/ old friend, shop w/ NYC friend, gym, then OUT for HALLOWEEN!

Sunday: FINALLY getting my hair did (it's been 6 mo since haircut... appalling), church, run, 

get ready for week :D  

What're you up to this weekend?

Mini HELLO!

Morning Ritual:  Bonjour, friends!!  Can I just say that I ADORE having to get up early now?  I know, I know, it's nuts but hear me out.  I love being up in the morning, sipping coffee and watching CNN, and feeling like a productive member of society.  Despite it being a STRUGGLE to actually get out of bed when my alarm goes off, I'm loving it.  I hope that eventually I might be able to get up even earlier so I can have more time to savor my coffee, write my 750 words, and catch up on blogs (cause seriously, I have no other time to do so). 

Work: I'm writing this, funnily enough, before I head to work for the day!  Today will be my first day actually sitting in my department all day.  I'm eager to learn so I can actually start being a helpful member of the team.  Ma Soeur asked me yesterday what exactly I'm going to be doing, and honestly... I have no idea haha.  I've never done this job before!  The work environment is fast-paced and team-oriented though so I'm excited.  :D  I've already begun making a list of "Office Must-Haves."  Things like hand lotion, essential oils, something fragrance-y, a coffee/tea tumbler, cute notepads, fun pens, etc.  Can you think of any office essentials I need to add to my list?

Fit for Fall: Sooo I've been TOTALLY sucking.  That's not true - I've kept up with my workouts, but my eating has been all over the place.  As a result, I feel gross and bloated and sluggish so I want to nip this in the bud asap.  I couldn't go to my WW meeting last night because it was Roomie Deux's birthday, and I think knowing that I wouldn't weigh in definitely made an impact on how I ate.  I wouldn't be surprised if I gain next week!  Le sigh.  Anyway, as far as MOVIN and GROOVIN is concerned, I'm doing well.  I've decided to loosely follow Hal Higdon's 10k training plan (for novices).  It seems doable, customizable, and I like how the runs are spaced out.  Because I couldn't go to the gym last night, I did my 2.5 miles on Monday (with a belly full of pizza - OW) and tonight is 30 min. cross (boooo I HATE the elliptical).  Anyone want to join moi? 

Gotta run!  Have a FABULOUS HUMP DAY!!

First Day: Recap

{pretty much how my coworkers reacted when i walked through the door}

Thanks for all the sweet wishes, readers and tweeters!  You guys sure are the bestest.  :D  My first day was AWESOME, albeit uneventful, seeing as I only sat at my desk for about an hour.  Most of my day was taken up by training and info and all that.  Stuff like 401k's (which made me yawn and my eyes roll back in my head... I wish I liked finance stuff) and HMO's and PPO's and sexual harassment and vacation days and all that.  Tomorrow is computer training (the office uses Lotus Notes... wth??) and then hopefully I'll actually get to start working.

All in all, I have to same I am pretty stoked.  The perks of working at a large NY company are sick!!  Car services, gym membership discounts (including my current gym - I nearly jumped out of my seat w/ excitement!), a subsidized in-house cafeteria, free admission to the MoMa, transit discounts... the list went on and on.  SWEEEEEET.  Also, my technical "hours" are pretty dope, although I have a feeling that I'm going to be working much later than the supposed 5:30 cut-off time - my dept is quite busy.  Other perks of my new job include:

- working w/ other people around my age
- working w/ people who are not lawyers and are therefore about 100x less socially awkward
- a 15-minute commute
- working at a company that insists on stocking every single meeting with TONS of food (this could potentially be a very, very bad thing...)
- having an awesome manager

A few things I need to adjust to...

- not having my own private office (I'm so unsure as to proper cubicle etiquette re: computers, phones, etc.  HELP!)
- not having an admin assistant (I know I know... woe is me)
- not being in a small office in which I know everyone (17 floors?  I'm going to get hella confused.)
- being super busy (haha, it's true - the flailing economy made work before fairly slow-paced for me)
- not being able to work from home whenever I want (hmm... and I left my old job because...??)
- lame-O office supplies (aka cheap blue/black ballpoint pens, NOT the cool green & purple gel ink pens at my old firm... womp womp)
- NO CELL PHONE RECEPTION (seriously AT&T?  i mean... SERIOUSLY??)

BUT, again, it's an entirely new experience, and I'm incredibly excited about it.  Because I was too nervous/talkative/whatever to eat all day (despite being provided a TON of food), I came home ravenous and inhaled about 1/2 a pizza as soon as I stepped foot into the door.  A couple of hours later, I hit the gym for a run and nearly puked all over the treadmill (gross, huh?), but somehow I survived it and lived to tell the tale. 

Tomorrow night is Roomie Deux's birthday, which means marrrgaritas and no gym for me! 

Hope y'all had a fab Monday.  :D  LOVE YOU!!!

First Day

Tomorrow (today for y'all) is my first day at my new job.

Instead of waking up this morning feeling excited and nervous, I woke up feeling uber crappy.  A super bad stomachache kept me up until the wee hours of the morning, and my bipolar cold was rearing its ugly head again.

I went back to sleep.

And then woke up and did what any normal girl would do - ate Greek leftovers and hit the gym for a short run.

I feel better now.  

And I'm starting to get a little nervous about tomorrow.

I don't even have a first day outfit planned!  The weather is hitting the 70s tomorrow, which is way too warm for tights.  Boo.

So I'll have to improvise.

Here's to hoping all goes well...

Catch me on Twitter for updates throughout the day (hopefully!).  :D

Operation: Get Well

Sunday: Notice a bit of difficulty swallowing breakfast wrap at Cafe Champignons.  Hmm...

Monday: Wake up with sore throat, but body feels fine.  Take it easy most of the day and go to yoga at night.  Fall asleep feeling optimistic.

Tuesday: Sore throat still there, but decide to go for a run anyway.  Feel great after run!  Notice some sniffling and a nasal-y tone in my voice.  Choose to ignore.

Wednesday: Wake up feeling like CRAP.  Moan, wrap myself up in quilt tighter, and immediately fall back to sleep.  Wake up a few hours later to a text message.  1 PM.  Drag myself out of bed, pull on leggings and jacket, and make the short trek to Whole Foods and Whole Body.  Pick up all kinds of goodies.  This is what Operation: Get Well looks like in Carolyn-land:

(kale, coconut water, OJ, lemons, throat coat tea, Riiiiicolaaa!, Badger Winter Wonder Balm (for chest), Emergen-C, Immune Support vitamins, and antibacterial spray)

Post-WF Run: Guzzle down a cup of freshly squeezed OJ spiked with Emergen-C (I cannot get that stuff down with just water.  In OJ?  Delish.)  Began chopping kale and make soup.  Retreat back to bed and beloved laptop.

Couple hours later...  Make croutons and ladle soup.  Lunch + Dinner = Linner!  

I am obsessed with reusable cups with straws.  Obsessed.

Am now lying in bed avec laptop, iPhone, liquids, and Criminal Minds.  I want to feel BRAND SPANKIN' NEW by Friday!

What's in your Operation: Get Well kit?

Hungry Girl

First, thank you guys so much for all your sweet compliments on my legs!  I have a love/hate relationship with them (as most gals probably do).  I love that they are muscular and toned... I hate how big my calves are (trying on tall boots = tres depressing)... I love that my thighs get smaller when I run... I hate that my calves stay the same.  But my former trainer in Austin, Deb (miss you!!),  told me to be proud of my strong legs so I'm gonna!  Moving on...  Hungry Girl!

 No, I'm not referring to myself (although I'm often quite hungry).  I'm talking about the Hungry Girl - Lisa Lillien.  Hungry Girl began as a website that features low calorie/low fat/low point recipes, new food finds, and shocking discoveries, like how many calories are in a slice of The Cheesecake Factory's carrot cake (1560 calories, 84 grams of fat).  Since my college days, she has blown up and now has 5 published books, and in January 2011, she will have her own cooking show on the Cooking Channel!  (You can see a preview of the show here.)

 I have conflicted feelings about Hungry Girl.  On the one hand, I'm thrilled that she's succeeding and is showing people how to make "healthier" food, exposing just how awful most restaurant food is, etc.  But, I have major issues with whether her recipes actually contain "healthy" food.  For example, many of her food finds are questionable (100-calorie packs and such) and many of her recipes contain ingredients like Splenda.  Yuck yuck and yuck.  Then again, sometimes she actually creates recipes that contain real foods (like this Baked Ziti swap).

It's crazy to think I used to eat all that processed crap... ew.  I was so obsessed with being on a "diet" that I lived off diet soda (at one point, I used to have 4 different kinds in the fridge), 100-calorie packs, fat free hot dogs (EW), Skinny Cow sandwiches, and low calorie bread.  (And in high school, I ate at McDonald's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell almost daily.  GUH-ROSS!!)  These days, I feel uber guilty anytime I eat anything processed.  But... there is a time and place for everything.  I still drink soda from time to time (I have a deep love for Mexican coke and Trader Joe's Vintage Root Beer - both made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup), and, I can't believe I'm admitting this, but sometimes I drink Coke Zero.  I know I KNOW it's awful for you, but sometimes I just don't want all the calories.

So I'm not totally the best eater, but I try my best.  Places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods definitely make things easier (I can typically read all the ingredients in their products!).  What about you?  What are your (processed) guilty pleasures?  (In addition to soda, I also love oreos.  Mmm...)

And we'll run for our lives...

[The above is a lyric from my fave Snow Patrol song - Run.  I highly suggest you download it immediately if you've never heard of it!]

I've been thinking a lot about my running lately.  It's been a SLOW process...  When I was 21, picking up running was challenging, but doable.  I quickly made my way to running 5ks on a regular basis, and the farthest I got in my half-marathon training was an 8-mile run.  EIGHT MILES.  In all honesty, I can't believe my body ever did that.  And I remember that run like it was yesterday!  It was done at the TCU gym (where my ex-boyfriend went to college), and I watched TV the entire time, haha.  When I got back to the dorm, my then-boyfriend said, "I CANNOT believe you just ran 8 miles."  My thoughts exactly... but I did it.

Do I think I'll ever be able to run 8 miles again?  Honestly, I've no idea.  I'm not going to try either, at least not right now.  I'm taking things very slowly.  My 27-year old body does not like the idea of running too far too soon too fast, so I'm not letting it.  That being said, I do like having goals and have considered following a 10k training plan.  We'll see...  for now, I'm just taking it day by day.

Psst!  Check out my new kicks!  

As soon as I got news of my job offer, I immediately headed to JackRabbit, a store devoted to running.  (Running shoes were #1 on my list of "Post-Offer Purchases."  Yes, I made a list.)  They take their time with shoe fittings!  The guy who helped me was super nice.  I explained that I was trying to ease my way back into running after a 5-year hiatus.  He had me run on a treadmill while he observed and recorded my gait.  Apparently, I'm a stable runner - holler!  Then we tried on a bunch of shoes, and he had me run on the treadmill in each one.  Finally, I decided between 2 pairs: Brooks and Asics.  I went with the Asics (more specifically, the Asics Gel Cumulus 12) - they are roomier in the toe and tighter in the heel, which I like.  Plus, my former pair of running shoes are Asics as well so I figured it was a safe choice.  The shorts are also new - I needed a pair that had a place to hold my keys since I was sick of doing this.    They are ADIDAS and dark fuchsia - I love 'em!

One thing I've noticed is that as much as I love running outside, I get UBER thirsty whilst doing it, especially as I increase my speed and distance.  I asked my fellow tweeters for suggestions/advice, and they were so helpful!  One option was to run in loops so I could keep a water bottle somewhere, but because I run along the West Side Highway, that's not really an option.  Another option I considered was to bring cash and purchase a bottle of water from one of the vendors along the road, but I hate the idea of buying a plastic water bottle.  Yet another option would be to get a gadget, like a water belt.  But I hate the idea of something being around my waist - I fear it will slide down and/or pull down my shorts - no bueno!  In the end, I decided to try the Camelbak.  It's gotten great reviews, it was on sale, and it's PINK!  What's not to love?  I felt kinda silly buying such a "hardcore" item, seeing as I'm a completely novice runner, but eh... whatevs.  If I want to run outside, I've got to have water!

I've also noticed that I need rest days between my runs, which is surprisingly hard to do.  Now that I'm actually excited about my runs, I want to do them every day.  Not good.  My endurance significantly decreases on the 2nd of the 2 back-to-back days.

Are you a runner?  How long did it take you to easily run 3 miles?  5 miles?  8 miles?  26.2 miles??  Any advice/suggestions for a novice runner?

Weekend Cookin'

WARNING: Picture-heavy post, y'all.  I went a little crazy with my iPhone camera today...

One of the pleasant side effects of reading Angela's blog is that it makes me want to get in the kitchen and experiment.  I can definitely whip up food sans recipe, but I'm not much for experimenting.  If I have a recipe, I use it, and that's that.  But Saturday morning I woke up and decided to be uber daring (ha!) and just go with the flow...

I immediately knew I wanted pancakes!  PUMPKIN pancakes!!  I bought some multigrain pancake mix from Whole Foods the other day (this is the exact brand I bought - really really good) and dumped some into a bowl.  Then I added about 1/2 cup of organic canned pumpkin.  Then some almond milk.  Then some pumpkin pie spice.  And whisked.  It was pretty thick at first, so I added a touch of canola oil (will replace with applesauce now that I've purchased unsweetened applesauce) and more almond milk.  5 minutes later, I was flippin' pancakes with the best of 'em! They were DELISH!  Topped with a touch of Earth Balance and pure maple syrup... yum.

Enjoyed with Trader Joe's Wintry Mix blend coffee and a touch of soy creamer.  Mmmmm...  (Oh and the reason the pancakes are in a bowl is because we were out of clean plates.)

After a kickass run on the treadmill (too cold to run outside today!), I got dolled up and headed out to Hill Country, a TX-style BBQ joint.  We had a UT Law Alumni Event organized by my friend Stephanie, and I was promised free food and drink.  The entire downstairs was FULL of burnt orange clad Longhorn fans.  The game was super fun and we WON!!  We beat Nebraska who were ranked #5 (we weren't ranked at ALL).  Unfortunately, a lot of the free food was meat, meat and more meat, so I ordered some veggies and cornbread on the side.  ;)  

Longhorn fans are CRAZY devoted.

After the game, I went to Trader Joe's w/ my good friend David.  

 (No idea why we are so orange.  TX pride?)

I needed to get some ingredients for tonight's din.  I wanted to make mujaddara since I picked up these lentils last week.  I've never cooked with lentils before, which is nuts considering my mostly-vegan diet.  They are PACKED with protein and fiber.

(I label all my TJ's food now since all my roomies shop there, too.  I probably didn't need to label these though... I doubt my roomies even know what lentils are!)

This is what the lentils looked like after I dumped them into a pot.  I added more salt and pepper and lots of cumin.  Next time I'm going to make the lentils myself!

Mujaddara is essentially a dish of lentils and rice topped with onions and yogurt (or sour cream).  

I LIVE for caramelized onions - they're so good!  But they shrink up SO much.  I should've used 2 onions.  Before:

After:

I made it with brown basmati rice.  I suck at making rice in a pot, but I don't eat it enough to buy a rice cooker.  Sigh.  After the rice was done (I use that term loosely), I topped a bowlful with the lentils, the onions, and a dollup of Fage 0% greek yogurt.

I also roasted some adorable potatoes (also from TJ's).  They're so teeny!  (That nifty contraption on the far left is my oil mister from Williams Sonoma.  It rocks my face off!)

(Please ignore my hideous, unpolished fingers.)

I also roasted some broccoli.  Don't ya just love roasted veggies?  So easy and so good.

The mujaddara was pretty good!  I love how easy it is - just a few ingredients.  The onions and yogurt definitely make the dish so I would not recommend skipping them.  (To veganize the dish, you could always use Tofutti sour cream.  The rest of it is super vegan.  :D)  You can also play around with more spices, but all I had on hand was cumin.  I have plenty of leftover lentils and brown rice and plan to use them up next week in as many different ways as possible. Any suggestions?

I'm now sitting in bed and debating whether I should watch Criminal Minds or Beauty and the Beast (released from the vault!!!).  My friend Steph and Roomie Deux both invited me out, but I am soooo happy to not go out this weekend.  I'm sure they think I'm lame, but so what?  I love being lame.  :D  In fact, I think I'm going to live it up and make a big mug of Vanilla & Cinnamon black tea from TJ's.  Mmmmm... tea.  Dude, this stuff is GOOD.  I'm going to STOCK UP b/c it's seasonal.  How cute is the lemur on the box??  It's also only $1.99 - HOLLA!!

Have I mentioned how much I love TJ's???  Not sure how I ever lived without it...

Do you tend to cook from recipes or do you freestyle it up in the kitch?  And do you want to smack me for inserting so many pics or does it make things more interesting?  :)

BIG NEWS!!

(photo: weheartit.com}

WHEEE I am SO excited to announce my BIG/AWESOME/HAPPY news!

As many of you suspected...

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I GOT A JOB!!!

And not just any job...

But the job I wanted the MOST, that is going to do ah-mazing things for my career, that is full of awesome, fun people, that is actually going to let me live in this city and ENJOY it.

You're probably wondering, "What IS this job?"

Well, its not a lawyer job (duh).

But that's pretty much all I'm going to say!  I was lucky in that no one from my old firm ever found my blog.  But I have to be super duper extra careful here in NYC, and for that reason, I will not be talking about my job in any sort of detail/specifics on this blog.  You understand, don't ya?  Thanks.  :)

I haven't discussed my job search on this blog for the same reason.  Needless to say, it's been a frustrating and long process.  I officially parted ways with my old firm July 31, so August and September and this first half of October have been full of meetings, interviews, and STRESS.  I knew I didn't want just any job, but a GOOD job, a job I wouldn't hate, and a job that would give me the means to live in this city and not starve.  Several weeks, 3 interviews, and 1 surprisingly difficult writing test later, I received THE phone call Wednesday afternoon, and I have not been able to stop smiling since!!!  Tonight my friends are taking me out to a cozy new wine bar in the 'hood to celebrate.  Have I mentioned that I have the bestest friends in the whole wide world here??

Inevitably, there will be some things I miss about being unemployed... namely, that which I'm doing today: lying in bed, burning fireplace-scented candles, sipping tea, watching Criminal Minds, and reading online.  I'll also miss:

- afternoon runs along the West Side Highway

- More Fun Monday's with my friend Ryan (who has Mondays off)

- going grocery shopping at TJ's and WF during the day (aka not at crazy rush hour time)

- staying up til 4 AM and sleeping in til noon (or later...)

- my own dress code

BUT, the things I won't miss far outweigh the things I will.  I am so happy!  Not sure of my starting date, but it will definitely be sometime next week.  So soon!  You know, the first thought that entered my mind?  "I have to go buy new work clothes!!!"  Some things never change...

P.S. Holy crap, I am officially a NEW YORKER!!

Confessions

1. I am way behind on all your ah-mazing blogs b/c I've been too busy watching DVR-ed episodes of Criminal Minds and reading the archives of Oh She Glows.  I adore Angela!!!  She is SO sweet and funny and makes yummy, healthy food!

2. I have super/awesome/happy news to share with y'all!!  Stay tuned...  ;)

3. I joined Weight Watchers (again).  The last time I did WW, I was in college (and was already in good shape but thought I was a heifer and well, yeah... don't wanna go there).  This isn't really a "confession," but it's something I was scared to admit.  But why?  There's no reason to be scared/embarassed!  Plus I have some AWESOME blog/twitter friends doing it, too so we can help each other!

4. I'm starting to get obsessed with running again.  The last time this happened, I was a senior in college, began training for a half-marathon, and sprained my right ankle very badly.  This time, I'm taking it SUPER slowly and going to enjoy it.  I have NO plans to run a half-marathon, but I DO want some new running shoes.  :)

5. I'm debating whether or not I want to keep Hang On Little Tomato.  *Sigh*

Fit for Fall: Workout Plan

Part 1: The Gym

RUN: 2-3x/week (outside if the weather is nice!)

YOGA or PILATES or FLUIDITY: 1x/week

OTHER CARDIO (Dance, Extreme Interval, Spinning, Zumba, etc): 1x/week

Part 2: One Hundred Pushups

Following this program to get to my goal of 100 pushups!  

(Confession: I am doing girly pushups, aka on my knees.  I don't feel bad about it!)

What's your plan??

Solo Scene from Le Weekend

I went out both Friday and Saturday nights and spent all of Saturday walking around the Lower East Side, but per my usual, I failed to take any pics.  Instead, I decided to snap a photo of my sneaks before heading out for another run along the Hudson (despite my shuffle dying 10 min into it, this run was even better than the first!).  It takes 2 keys (sometimes 4!) to get into my apartment, and since I made the mistake of cutting out the key holder in my Nike running shorts (it annoyed the crap outta me), I decided to lace my keys up in my sneaks.  Special, eh?  (I'm in desperate need of new running shoes btw...)

All my keys have "covers" that I purchased at either Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters.  When you have 4 apartment keys, you need a way to quickly distinguish one from another.  My roomies think I'm a trip... I think I'm smart.  :)

I had a crazy/awesome/productive/unexpected Sunday!!  Waking up was a bit painful (maybe one beer too many last night?), but I agreed to go volunteer at a conference with my friend David at noon so I was up early enough to pick up a grande soy misto before walking to meet him.  After a couple of hours, we parted ways, and I went home, changed, and headed out for my run!  Post-run I took a shower, ate lunch/dinner (eating at 3:30 really messes you up) and got ready to visit a new church with my friend Ryan.  Sermon was GREAT, music was terrible.  :(  Sometimes I forget how lucky I was to have the Austin Stone.  In any case, I felt good about my Sunday.  Instead of lazing about in bed complaining of a hangover, I volunteered, went for a run, and went to church.  Hurray!

How was your weekend?? 

Move Your Body, Girl

I have never been one to approach exercise as anything but that - exercise.  Something I do because it's "good for me" (whatever the heck that means) and because it will help me lose weight / get fit / feel better about my body.  I have never, EVER understood those people who exercise for mental reasons.  Sure, I've read countless magazine articles about how exercising acts as a natural anti-depressant and relieves stress, but I didn't quite believe it until today. 

Yesterday I finally made it to a yoga class in an attempt to clear my completely overactive and super negative mind.  Yoga is one "exercise" that I do primarily for my mind, less for my body (although HELLO, yoga totally rocks the bod, too!).  The class was lovely, the studio beautiful and calming, the teacher one of the best I've ever had.  But as I rolled myself back for a much-deserved savasana, I could not, for the life of me, quiet my thoughts, and like most days, I left feeling good in my body, but not in my mind.

Quel nightmare!  Are you saying yoga can't even give me some mental breathing space?  Argh.  I was frustrated beyond belief, and last night, I totally and completely broke down (yes... again).  I called Momma Park, and she was a rockstar.  Y'all, remember this post?  Yeah, she lied.  She has SO been there for me 110% and then some, and lemme tell ya, I'm not exactly the easiest person to talk to when I'm bawling my eyes out.  But she's been wonderful, and last night, she gave me exactly what I needed: comfort, a pep talk, a reality check, and lots and LOTS of love.  So I went to bed with tres puffy eyes, but feeling a bit better.

I woke up feeling meh again and had absolutely no desire to go to Zumba.  I wanted solitude, but I also needed exercise.  The forecast for today was 70 degrees and sunny, and so I laced up my running shoes and headed to the West Side Highway to do something I never do - run outside.

Most people prefer running outdoors, but I never have.  It feels harder to me, and I don't like not knowing how far I've gone, what speed I'm running, etc.  But today, I just hit play on my adorable hot pink iPod shuffle and went for it, and guess what?  IT WAS AWESOME!!!  And my mind just let go of all the stress/uncertainty/pain/sadness/frustration, and my body let me run longer and farther (which is not saying much btw) than it has in a long time.  Oh, bliss.

And then I came home, smiling and calm for the first time in over a week, and got 2 really good pieces of news.  Coincidence?  

{image credit: www.sheknows.com}

Fit for Fall: Weekly Check-In

I'm going to start doing my weekly check-ins for Fit for Fall on Tuesdays (posted Wednesday).  There's a reason I'm picking this day, but I'm not quite ready to share why yet.  Details to come soon. 

Here we go!

FOOD: I did pretty crappy as far as my diet was concerned.  Most of the week was fine, but then Thursday rolled around.  I had a simple and early dinner of grits, and immediately after finishing them, my stomach felt off.  For the rest of the night I felt extremely nauseous and got up almost every hour to vom.  Yup, because of GRITS.  Actually I've no idea what caused it, but it was terrible and disgusting.  I felt AWFUL and was up until the wee hours of the night feeling awful.  The next morning I felt better, but wanted to take it easy to I ran across the street to Duane Reade (there are 3 Duane Reade's, 1 CVS, and 1 Rite Aid within 2 blocks of my apartment.  Ridiculously awesomely convenient.) and bought saltines and ginger ale.  By the evening I felt great and wanted to celebrate by eating my most favorite junk food ever: FRIES!  I found a place here that has fries I actually enjoy (and super yummy dipping sauces, too) and ordered some.  And thus began the downward spiral that was my weekend... bad eating, a little drinking, and more bad eating.  (In retrospect, my eating wasn't that bad.  It was probably a lot better than most of my weekend eating in this city!  It just seemed so bad b/c I'm so conscious of it right now.)

EXERCISE: Despite my awful eating, I did really well working out!  Even after my weekend of crap, I peeled myself off my bed (which also serves as a lovely makeshift couch in my room) on Sunday and headed to the gym.  StairMaster (which I abhor btw), treadmill, weights, and finished with some elliptical action - it felt GREAT!  Monday night I made another appearance and did some running on the treadmill before a 45-minute high intensity dance class.  I LOVE the dance classes at my gym b/c they are hard. core.  My instructor looks like Usher (and dances like him, too!) and keeps our heart rate up the entire time.  Took today off, and tomorrow I'm going to a very badly needed yoga class.  Also going to try and make Zumba on Thursday!  Have any of you taken a Zumba class?  I've no idea what to expect!  Lemme know!

How'd you guys do?  I know many of you tweeps are getting in on the action!!  Yay!

Current Obsesions

I get obsessed with stuff. That's just the way I am. I've tried to fight it, but there's no use - that's my personality, and I'm just going to roll with it. Voila a list of my current obsessions:

Criminal Minds

I've only recently begun watching this show per recommendation of Ma Soeur. Now, I can't get enough and scour the channels to find episodes to DVR. I'm so ridiculously invested in these characters too... it's un peu unhealthy. But I love it.

Military Green

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Quite possibly, my favorite neutral. It's taken over my closet this summer and will be making several repeat performances this fall.

PB & Honey

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A perfect combination of salty and sweet. I put it on any type of bread (waffle, english muffin, multigrain) and in my green smoothies.

iPhone 4

I finally understand why everyone is so obsessed with this technological wonder - because it's amazing.  I was sans internet at home for 2.5 days and would've gone nuts had I not had my trusty iPhone 4.  Sad?  Maybe.  I never thought I was such an internet junkie, but apparently I am.  I also love the case I got (this one).

Your current obsessions?  Let me know!