Neglect

You’ve heard it before. A million times. A few times from me.

You’ve also said it yourself. Don’t lie.

I’ve been so busy.

Since being so busy, things have been neglected. Some things make me feel more guilt than others, but fact of the matter is it’s all happening.

And because there’s no real end to this streak in the near future, here are the things that are sure to continue to build:

1. The dust on my shelves. At some point, it stops being funny that I can write my name in it. I also can’t have friends with allergies over without insisting they pack the inhaler.

2. Baking. Not having sugar in my system makes me cranky. So instead of taking the time to bake or just buying a stupid pack of Chips Ahoy, I’ve resorted to grabbing hand fulls of chocolate chips straight out of the bag. I’d be ashamed if I didn’t become so insta-happy immediately afterward.

3. My toesies. After the ZOOMA half marathon in October, it’s time they get the treatment they deserve. I need a pedicure like woah. It’s embarrassing and my only saving grace is that it’s fall (BOOT SEASONNNNNN). I should probably start saving up for the tip I’m gonna need now. Or maybe go to the bank tomorrow during lunch… for a loan.

4. My DVR. Fall tv has been back for less than a week and I’m already obnoxiously behind. Oh the humanity!

5. Running. My next half marathon is less than a month away. I haven’t done over 4 miles since the Chicago Half. Um. Yeah.

6. And because we’re being completely honest and sharing is important:

Happy freakin’ Tuesday, ya’ll.

What I’ve Been Up To

I’m so glad some of you were interested in trying the scotcheroos!  Seriously- you will not be disappointed.

And a couple of you asked if you can substitute something for the corn syrup. Well… I’ve never tried it. But a google search let me in on the secret- yes, you can sub a combo of sugar and water. Not surprising…

Speaking of google searches, someone found my blog by google searching “is there an actual city called crazy town?”. Well Mr. Unknown, I do not know the answer to that. But if there is, I am definitely an interested party. I may be moving there sooner than later…

Anyway, the lack of my regular routine has also resulted in lack of regular posting. The non-routine thing has me all in a tizzy with all these sudden rest days. And a bit of a bad mood. Thanks, leg. I guess as much as I’d love to be, there will never be a day where I can truly consider myself “spontaneous”. Lame. 

What does this mean?  Well… I had a few moments where I sorta looked like this dude.

And then I cleaned. Thanks to a crazy roommate from back in the day, I don’t like having dishes in the sink. Like at all. If they start to build up (as in more than 2 bowls are sitting there), I get all anxious she’s going to storm through the door and yell at me.

Clearly I’m scarred for life. And like to think of myself as Cinderella.

Any good roommate stories? I’ll have to ponder a while to figure out my best one…

I also grocery shopped. And- ahem- stopped by the mall. Retail therapy… ya know?

My thought process is that if I eat all the groceries I bought…… maybe I’ll also enjoy my apparel purchases a little more? 

This made me happy, but soon I looked like that dude again.

So yeah. Not too much going on here.

And I can’t escape how I really feel… grrrr.

Don’t get me wrong- it’s nice to have some rest time. But I’d rather be getting myself ready for this silly little half marathon thing I’ve got going on in about 10 days. Actually enjoy the rest time- after the race. Instead of just sitting around restless and anxious now. Meh.

Because I’ve got limitations on being able to properly prepare, I’ve at least made some rules. Mostly to keep myself from getting any more sluggish than I already am at the moment. (Does anyone else notice when you’ve got way too much downtime that you just get more and more lazy? Or is that just me?)

No wine. Lots of veggies (um… duh?). And don’t forget the protein!The ice melted funny.

I put asparagus and broccoli with the eggs, so we’re just gonna say that’s what cancels out the cream cheese spread on the bread, mmmk?

Because I had the time, and didn’t want to stop the baking extravaganza with scotcheroos, there was also some more honey oat quick bread thrown together. With walnuts added in- a must do.

Like mentioned, there hasn’t been a lot of action on the workout front (other than random situps here and there, some pushups, swearing, maybe throwing a few things, etc etc). Tonight I will be hitting the gym to see what’s going on with the whole situation with that weird feeling I’ve got in the left leggie. As in, I’m going to hit the elliptical for a bit to get in some decent cardio while loosening up and then see how the treadmill goes.

It’s not a muscle thing. That I know. I also know it will take all of 20 seconds on the treadmill to figure where I stand on it (puns!).

Wish me luck.

Or give me some advice if you have it.

Either/or.

Smell The Burn

Well, Tuesday is over.

(Source)

Did you make it?

Just barely?  Me too.

 Sigh. Another day another dolla’.

Holla’.

There was, however, one casualty.At the time of the incident, I was  done with work. Done with my workout. (45 minutes of cross training if you’re interested- 25 on elliptical and 20 on stairs to really feel the burn…) And so I was cleaning away in my kitchen. Almost content with my evening. Would have been whistling if I knew how.

I really don’t know how to whistle- I’m aware it’s weird.

Something started smelling hot. Did I leave the burner on from dinner?  Oh wait… didn’t use it.  Where is that coming from? 

Turn around, Amy.

Oh. There’s smoke coming from my dishwasher.  Hmmm.

Oh crap!  There’s smoke coming from my dishwasher!!!

Even after opening the door and letting the awful burning plastic smell be released into my entire apartment, it took a minute to spot the tiny little tupperware container that had lodged itself in the bottom of the dish washer. Under the extremely hot coil. Meeeeelting…

Sadness.  Goodbye mini Ikea tupperware container.  You were good to me. The perfect size for toting veggies and snacks to work. And oh the good times! We traveled together. We dined together. And now look at you…

I promise you will not die in vain.

Because I recycle. Duh.

Yes, that could be the most noteworthy part of yesterday for me. Sorry.

Just gotta remember the exciting extended weekend I’ve got coming up (hooray for President’s Day!).  Eye on the prize… eye on the prize.

Because yeah- yesterday was lackluster. Let’s hope today gets a wee bit more exciting, yes?  I mean… how can it not?  I’m rocking out tights at work.  If that doesn’t say sassy and exciting, I don’t know what does.

That’s My Cue

We might as well talk about Black Swan first.

Because I’m still kind of feeling weird. And just uncomfortable in general.

Mon and I went to see it last night.

We both agreed that it was pretty good.  Natalie and Mila NAILED their parts. Impressive for sure. 

But it is definitely one of those movies where you leave feeling really “blah” about life afterwards. I got the same feeling when I left the theater after seeing Revolutionary Road.  And on the way home, all you can say is, “wow… that would really suck”.

And that’s all I’ll say about that.

Because I was feeling good for the rest of the day. Not that I did a whole lot. I took my Christmas tree down.  Does that count as productive?  Even if I should probably have put it away earlier? Considering one year, we kept the decorations on the tree through most of February (Valentine’s Day tree?) and the tree was still in our living room until April (couldn’t make this up if I wanted to), I thought getting the tree down yesterday was quite the accomplishment.

Do you have anything like that?  Where, at some point, you just don’t notice how obnoxious it is?

One thing I do know is that my dinner last night before the movie was obnoxiously good (like how I did that?  Corny?  Oh yeah…).Hey James!  Not diggin’ the mustache so much, but since I heart you, I’m willing to let it slide…

Guacamole, salsa, corn, sharp cheddar and sour cream.

The guacamole was part of a two-pack bought from Trader Joe’s a little while ago.  It suggested to use one and freeze the other.

Um.  It’s not as good after being frozen. Still alright- just not fantastic.

You heard it here.

Off I go.  It’s been one of those mornings of piddling around.  So in attempts to jump start my day, I put the “No More Trouble Zones” workout in.  Now it’s a matter of pushing play.

Oh yeah, before I go (I’m procrastinating again)- I’ve been working on integrating my 8-lb weights into The Shred. 

Whew.

I knew some of the moves would be simple. They could have used heavier weights in the very beginning.  Others?  I may have done one repeat with the 8′s and one with the 5′s.  The rest I didn’t even bother trying to switch it up.  Baby steps. There’s no need for me to pretend I’m stronger than I really am… 

Ok fine… the workout music is repeating over and over.  That’s my cue.  I need to go and face the music. 

Peace out!

An Oxymoron

So welcome back from the extended weekend!  How was everyone’s Labor Day/Monday?

Mine was actually very productive.  I know- shocking.  Especially since “productive holiday” seems like an oxymoron.

So you know how every year people participate in that thing called “spring cleaning”?  Well.  I did that yesterday.  Six months late.  But you gotta give me credit- better late than never, right?

My exciting and nonstop fun day included:

- Laundry

- Weeding out unused clothes for Goodwill

- Mopping the kitchen and bathroom floors

- And the worst- organizing my pantry.

Laugh if you’d like.  Organizing the pantry- doesn’t sound horrible.  But look at the finished product below (not so much because it’s semi-organized, but the sheer size of it.  My pantry is seriously as big as my kitchen.  Since I didn’t have room for my desk elsewhere (and decided not to have it in my bedroom), it fits comfortably in the pantry and I call it my office.  I could probably rent it out as another bedroom if you have a twin bed and don’t mind the humming of the washing machine.  Why is this room so big?  I’m not sure.  I’d rather have the extra square footage in my living room, but whatev.  My point it, there was crap just stockpiling- boxes I didn’t want to throw out, random laundry that didn’t make it in the basket, cereal on the floor from when I was pantry snacking,  Bills/papers/coupons/etc from up to a year ago completely covering the desk, etc. etc.  And now it’s clean.  Yea me!And yes, if you look closely, that is a pimp cup.  It was leftover from my friend’s birthday.  We were, in fact, quite baller’ back in the day.

On top of that, I also organized pictures I printed out that had stockpiled over the last few months.  I’m a girl that treasures her photo albums, so the fact that this had gotten out of hand is beyond me. 

Do you print pictures out?  Or just take a million and store them on the computer?  I love having the printout.  We won’t discuss the thousands of pictures I’ve printed over the years.  Yes- thousands.  Dating back to 8th grade.  It’s quite a spectacle.That would be about half (maybe a little less) of my crazy collection.  By the time I can afford a house, I’ll have to insist on having a library for them all.

I also found time for some baking.  This is Round 3 and the end of my baking for a little while.  I had quite a few reasons to bake up a double batch of Peanut Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip cookies that I adapted from this recipe.  Basically, I used regular chocolate chips instead of mini pb cups, and used toffee baking bits instead of just cutting up one heath bar (I added way more toffee). I love these. The peanut butter makes them soooo soft. 

My only thing is that I did not get near the amount of cookies the recipe claimed I would.  I’m well aware that I enjoyed what equaled out to be a couple spoonfuls of cookie dough.  But seriously- that’s not enough to make up the difference.  And the cookies I make are not that unreasonably big. Hmmm…

Now I’m on a bake break.

And if that didn’t keep me busy enough, I worked out.  First was a 5-mile run (at an 8:17 pace).  Then I did more work with my resistance bands by doing the “front body” workout.  And finally, I did some yoga meltdown because I ignored it Sunday when I should have done it… oops!    So far, the 15k training has been going well- and I’m enjoying having an actual routine that’s laid out for me.  Ah the ocd takes over… 

The day was nonstop.  I’m tired just writing about it all.  Which is how I wanted it- because it felt good to get a lot accomplished.  Needless to say, I slept really well. And am totally ready to tackle Tuesday.  It probably helps when stupid Tuesdays feel more like a Monday.  I’m hoping it won’t be that bad.   

Enjoy getting back to the work week, everyone!  At least it’s a super short week! 

Just so you know…

Hey guys!  I’m glad you liked the shoes!  They’re not Hurricanes (which seem quite popular around the blogs) but they’re Progrid Omni 9′s.  I’m excited to let you know how they work out! 

Where did I spend a good portion of last night?  In here:Just so you know, I’m not having stomach issues.  Or taking in too much fiber. 

I was cleaning.  But thanks for the concern.  I have houseguests this week and even if my bathroom looks innocent enough, it really is THIS close to being taped off with biohazard tape by the government.  My friends that read this will probably never come visit me again.  Crap…

I’m a huge fan of “shallow cleaning” done on a regular basis.  So the deep cleans take a bit of time and are pretty obnoxious.  And I just can’t stand it.  Because I’m stuck in this stupid tiny room.  Breathing in the lovely scent of clorox and scrubbing my life away miserably.  But I did it.  And you can now even lick the floors with no worries.  For real.  I dare you…

Since my long running day got pushed to Sunday, I decided my Monday night workout would be some light cross training versus my standard run (that has worked it’s way to an average of 5 miles now).  I did a combo of elliptical, weights, and the stairmill over about 45 minutes.  Had to get out of there quick- cleaning had to be done!

Oh and I’m totally counting scrubbing the shower and bathroom floors as resistance training.  Just so you know.

You should also know I fueled my cleaning frenzy and crosstraining with some veggie love:I brought back the asparagus sandwich for an encore performance.  With mushrooms and green beans on the side- mmmm…  And I bet I won’t even notice the funny asparagus pee smell thanks to the clorox that is still fuming from the bathroom sink and toilet… 

I’ll probably be taking tonight off.  Even though it’s not planned. *Gasp!!!*  I’ve got about 20 things before some of my good friends from high school come to visit that I want to get done and only a few of the things are actually going to happen.  And I’m bound and determined to be the hostess with the mostess while the girls are here.  Because they’re my lovely ladies and need to be treated as such!  It’s ok.  Just so you know, I totally got up early and shredded with Jillian Michaels this morning.  Level 2 because it’s the one I love to hate.  So not all is lost.  Hell yeah… 

Lastly, just so you know, you cannot- I repeat- cannot recover from not paying attention to what song is playing when you have the windows down and you’re stuck in traffic.  Here I was zoning out (but still paying attention to the road- I swear!) and came to when I saw two guys next to me smirking.  I’d smirk, too.  Somehow I missed Sir Mix-A-Lot coming on and I was currently in the middle of blasting “I like big butts”.  Blasting.  Yeah… you can’t come back from that.  At all.  Thank god I was wearing my stunna’ shades.  Eye contact would have just made me want to die right there.

Well it’s Tuesday.  And you know how I dislike Tuesdays… ick.

How am I combating it?  One of the things I’m trying to get done tonight is some baking!  Gotta keep the houseguests happy, right?  (Plus, I work with mostly guys and they’ve been nagging me about the next time I’m bringing stuff in…)

I’m  doing cookies tonight.  What’s your favorite?  I’m usually all about the classic chocolate chip, but I’m thinking I may mix it up a little…  Have a good one, kids! (Or at least try- it is Tuesday afterall…)

Over-the-Counter Queries

Thanks for the sweet comments yesterday!  Sounds like I’m just gonna have to grow a pair and get aggressive with the hottie neighbor situation.  It’s just hard because the way it is set up, we’re all kind of secluded by what section of the unit we live in- so I have no idea which side/floor he is on.  Makes for a kind of anti-social environment.  And short of stalking him, I haven’t quite figured out a way to start “accidently running into him” on a more regular basis.  As long as he doesn’t live in an apartment with Mrs. Hottie Neighbor… that could prove to be a major issue.  But I’ll let you know if there is any progress. 

I know Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest.  Let’s pretend that I find cleaning relaxing.  I totally don’t, but it needed to be done.  I’m more of a spot cleaner by nature (such as do the sinks one day, windex another, vacuum another).  It bores me.  But I went to town yesterday.  And even accomplished some laundry.  Whaaaat?  I think it was all the furniture shopping- it got me excited to make my place look nice.  Although it will still be a couple weeks until I could have the stuff delivered, at least I’ll be ready for it.    I guess I caught the spring cleaning bug.

Pretend I inserted pics of my fabulous lunch of broccoli cheddar soup here.  I accidently deleted them before I uploaded.  Lame!  But it was good.  I had a can of Campbell’s that managed to survive my slimming of the pantry a few months ago. I knew it wouldn’t be good as is, so I ”souped it up” (sometimes I just kill myself…) with more- and better- broccoli and asparagus.  Then topped it all off with some white cheddar- which helped thicken the sadness that is Campbell’s soup in a can.

But today, I want to talk about pills.  Lots and lots of pills.This is my stash.  My dealers are Walgreens and Trader Joe’s. I take three of the four (one calcium or the other) regularly to get my fix.  But I always wonder- do they really do their job?  I understand and believe that it’s not the same as the real thing (through food).  But does it do anything at all?  Or am I doing what Sheldon on Big Bang Theory so eloquently put it as “buying all the ingredients for very expensive urine”?

I’ve heard all the debate and “tricks”.  Take with food to absorb better.  Don’t drink coffee around the time you take them because it’s a natural diuretic that will make the vitamins go right through.  Blah blah blah.  But what do you think?  Do you take them?  And do you have some that you swear by?  Or do you not take them for a certain reason?  I’m curious.

Have a good Monday everyone!  Another day another dolla’… holla’.

Tread and Shred

Ahhh… sooooo glad to have Monday behind me!  Sunday night’s attempt at sleep was not a good one. Rough to say the least.  And it seemed every time I went to fill up on a little coffee (ok fine- as much coffee as my body would allow without overcaffenaiting and jittering my way around the office in a rolly chair) the pots were empty.  So I’d just sigh a heavy sigh and make some more.  Each time!  And once I almost missed out on getting some of THAT coffee I had just made.  Oh bother… (Yes, that’s a Winnie the Pooh reference.  Although I’m sure my mood was more reflective of Eeyore at the time.) I don’t mind making the coffee.  I do it often.  I do mind when it’s the one time I want some and all four industrial-sized pots of it are empty.  Wtf? Does anyone else have days like that?  Lame… 

I promise, though, this post is not all doom and gloom.  For some reason I got out of work bursting with energy.  It was a surprising occurence of events, but I decided to go with it.  I went to the gym ready to go.  And then there was someone on the good treadmill- blah.  So I warmed up a little… and eyed it for awhile.  I was afraid of losing momentum, so I had resigned myself to the idea of using the loud treadmill and just dealing with it.  I was THAT excited to run.  But luckily, the current user slowed down and jumped off.  Victory is mine!

I jumped on and started plugging away.  My mind started wondering again.  But no thoughts of how much time was left- I was just going and going!  A little left over annoyances from the last couple of days helped keep me pumped, too.  I guess there’s good in everything- even shitty situations?  Four miles came with no problem!  Ahhhh….  I decided to not do any more at the gym- and eat a quick dinner so I could still fit in The Shred.  Level 2 is starting to grow on me.  And it’s giving me the good sore in my booty- LOVE that! 

A little tread and shred makes everyone feel better! 

This girl did work last night.  Not just with exercise- but I got crazy amounts of laundry taken care of.  One thing I noticed?  Now that I’m back in the swing of things (when it comes to running), I sure do have way more laundry to do on a regular basis.  A small price to pay.  Well, until the electricity and water bills come.  At least you know if you’re smelling something “off” at the gym, it won’t be me- I’m Downey fresh.

Challenge for the day?  Not getting into the drawer of goodies we have in a desk at work.  Instead of frosted animal crackers, Jaime stashed a few bags of mini Chips Ahoy and Oreos that appeared in the break room last week.  Needless to say, I found them yesterday.  Working the later shift provides for long afternoons.  And sometimes the Cliff Z Bar doesn’t quite cut it…. enter chips ahoy.  mmmm….  Dang.

So let’s discuss days.  Today is Tuesday and is usually my least favorite of the week.  I say usually because yesterday was a slow one- when usually it’s one of my busiest.  What’s yours?  Or do you have a favorite?  I know little Miss Eggplant Executrix loves Mondays – which I will applaud because it’s usually not my first pick for favorite of the week.  Like I said, let’s discuss…

Attempting the 4.25 miles tonight.  I’m hoping for the burst of energy again with fire in my eyes…

Too early for spring cleaning?

Ok, so the Trader Joe’s cashier recognizing my shopping/drinking habits really did bother me.  Not so much because my buying habits could be close to those of an up and coming alcoholic (for the record- I’m very much kidding.  At this point.), but because I’m there waaaayyyy too often.  Considering I do the majority of my shopping at a local grocery store chain.  And I still find reasons to go to TJ’s once or twice a week?  This is getting a little over the top.

It seems my pattern is this- I have a list for the essentials (usually fresh things such as milk, eggs, fresh veggies- basically whatever can’t be kept around for a long time).  Then I go- with the LIST, mind you- and end up picking up random things on sale, or that I’d like to try along the way.  And a lot of sale items have to be bought in three’s or five’s.  That’s how I end up with three boxes of the same kind of Kashi cereal in my pantry.  And how I end up owning eight boxes of cereal at a time for myself.

I’m terrified of getting my 15 minutes of fame on TLC as a Hoarder.  It’ll be a “Special Pantry Edition”.  I’ll be crying uncontrollably because I can’t stand the idea of throwing away that can of Spaghetti O’s that’s been hanging out for almost a year on the shelf.  Don’t ask how it got there- I really have no idea.  Or the four or five packets of Ramen- I guess I live vicariously as a college freshman through nostalgic eats…  Actually, I saved it purposely on my last move because my friend’s mother-in-law makes this amazing asian-style crispy salad with them.  I wanted to copy it and never got the recipe.  Fast forward to today- expired.

I went through a soup phase for awhile.  And then decided it really doesn’t fill me up like I want it to.  Instead it just makes me feel gross because of all the sodium or tastes disgusting because of the lack of sodium.  My one thing I’ve done well on is pasta.  I used to absent-mindedly buy it as a staple to have around.  But then I realized I was rushing to use it before the expiration date as well, and stopped buying it all together.  There’s only one or two boxes now… and I’ve got time before they hit the dust.  Although I ironically may have to dust them off before cooking…

And my poor refrigerator may topple over soon because of all the stuff crammed in the freezer on top and how empty the bottom is.  My mom always sends up meat and frozen veggies (straight from the farm).  But they don’t really get that I don’t cook up a pound of ground beef every other day…

So yeah- I need to scale down a bit.  I’m going to try and track down a food drive.  Also, maybe see how I can do without hitting the grocery store for a little while in efforts to minimize the clutter.  A detox of the pantry.  Because if I move again this year, I refuse to move ramen that was purchased when I still lived in Missouri.  That’s just sad.

Side Note:  Pilates tonight.  I’m gonna do like that annoyingly happy chick says and “feel it in my booty!”.  The challenge is can I do that with a straight face?