Phone Randomness

The depths of my phone is a scary place. Most likely this is a similar situation to the depths of my brain.

You never know what you’re going to get.

And because things have been, like OMG SUPER CRAZY, and I can’t seem to put a string of thoughts together, here is a glimpse of random via my iPhone.

When it comes to first dates, I do everything I can to ensure it goes well. Enter my lucky socks:

And they worked!

No wonder I’ve had a string of bad dates. I’ve been wearing the wrong footwear. Who knew?

I also have a few other steps in my predate routine:

Just to make sure my nerves don’t get the best of me. It might not be the most mature solution. But it’s very much the tastiest.

And yes, that is a Tiger Beat with One Direction on the front. Long story. Not now.

Yesterday was a more stressful than usual day at work. Couple that with the fact that I was tired from the night before? Not an ideal situation.

But I have super sweet coworkers. And one practically dragged me out of the office by my hair to treat me to a little caffeine therapy:

Mocha lattes for everyone! She had a coupon. We had both skipped lunch. The 15 minute breather was the best thing we could have done.

After said busy day, grocery shopping still had to happen. Which was frustrating, because I was feeling super lazy.

My compromise was picking up ready-to-eat din din thanks to Trader Joe’s:

I really need to acquire some chopsticks. Like yesterday.

And unless you really want a picture of the burnt piece of toast I just ate, that’s really all to discuss here this morning. Sorry my mind is mush. It’s not my fault. Mostly.

Laters.

A Different Approach

My friend Laura is coming to visit this weekend.

This means a few things are going on.

1. A few days this week, I went to bed smelling of various cleaning products. The windex and laundry detergent scents were fine. But the one night of reeking of clorox was troublesome to my REM sleep.

I also may have had nightmares from what was collected in the dustpan after we moved the sectional couch.

On the flip side, I was super psyched to find 2 missing jenga pieces. My life is once again in balance.

2. The Trader Joe’s workers are sure to know my name as I’ve been there 3 times over the last week to pick up food for our weekend. And wine. Obviously.

However, I’m still going to drag Laura there again at some point because I thought more was on reserve. One bottle of wine will just not cut it.

3. My half marathon training long run was last night.

Yeah. On a Thursday.

Now I’m sure I could have snuck out tomorrow morning before Laura wakes up. Throw down a 10-miler, get home, shower, and have breakfast ready by the time she sits up and stretches and comments on how glorious the morning is.

But that would have been awful. An outting full of dance party shenanigans is planned for tonight and maybe even a trip to a favorited late night mexican spot. The combo of lack of sleep and 90 minutes of fitness would have made me a zombie for the rest of my Saturday.

Given the choice of that scenario or sucking it up and doing the long run on a Thursday?

I’ll pick Thursday.

And it worked out alright. Woulda been better if the trains weren’t delayed and I didn’t get home later than usual. But we don’t have to dwell on that.

We’ll just talk about the run.

After a long day of sitting in an office, it was rough getting into it. Yeah, I’ve run a little here and there after work, but that was knowingly attempting a mile or two. Not 10.

The brain takes a while to comprehend something like this. So the first 2 miles sucked a bit.

The next few were when I hit the lakefront trail. So I was busy trying to not get ran over by all the cyclists. That got me through a few more.

My best miles? The last 2.

10 miles were in the plan, but a range of 7-10 was going to be considered acceptable. We’ll be 100% honest on that one. I didn’t think I’d get the entire way through it.

However, after leaving the lakefront, I was in the zone and shufflin’, shufflin’.

This was the first time I felt really positive about this half marathon coming up in a few weeks. The last 2 miles were calm, steady, and decently strong. I can do this.

9.6 miles total.

With the crazy schedule I have, the after-work long run is a choice to be made more than once. At least it will work when it has to.

And now? I don’t have a thing to worry about come Saturday morning.

Well. Maybe one thing I’ll have to apologize to Laura about…

PARTY TIMMMMEEEEEEE!

Standard Procedure

Good morning!

Now that Monday is over and the exhaustion from the weekend has subsided for us all, how’s it goin’?

Things are well in these parts. As standard procedure, the first few days following a long/busy weekend fall into a routine of sorts.

First off, sleep becomes an important focus. Not super hard to take care of. After staying up late, changing time zones, flight delays (two hours ON the plane ON the runway is quite horrendous), etc, slumber was quite easy. The last two nights have been deep and heavy sleep.

This doesn’t happen often, so please excuse me while I relish in it.

Ahhhhh….

Ok. We’re all good.

Secondly, groceries need to be acquired. As much as I didn’t want to, a stop by Trader Joe’s on the way home from the airport happened. Because a few cans of black beans and a pantry of cereal are never considered components of a balanced day all by their lonesome.

If you’re like me, you’ll be way too lazy to prep your own dinner after traveling all day, so you’ll walk (yay exercise!) to the nearby Whole Foods and zip through their salad/food bar. Sure, you still have to do it yourself. But they have considerably more options than what I would have been willing to prep in my own kitchen.

Don’t question my logic. Instead, look at all the coloooorrrrrsssss…. (or all the colors you would see- the purple cabbage, carrots, corn, and squash are still there, but hiding).

My aunt once told me, when I was a wee lil’ thing, there should always be a rainbow of colors on your plate for lunch and dinner. The rule has not been lost on me.

To me, this also should include peanut butter after dinner. Because brown is still a color to not be left out, yes?

I wonder if my aunt had a saying about having dessert every single day?

She probably did. Probably something like “don’t”. And it probably went in one ear and out the other. Sigh.

Lastly, it’s a matter of easing back into the fitness routine. We covered a lot of ground over the weekend as we walked through shops, ran through the rain, and danced our way out of the bars.

I also trekked through miles of airport terminals. Which is nothing to scoff at- not only was it tiring, but new flats were being broken in. By the time I reached my gate, said flats were filled with my blood.

Total rookie mistake. Running through O’Hare in heels may have been a better option.

Either way, I’m off on a tangent again, so let’s bring this back around, shall we?

 Monday was still too early to pull out a crazy “let’s go to the gym and GO GO GO GO“. Instead, I went with “let’s go to the gym and GO”.

One “GO” instead of four. It translates to 20 minutes on the stairmill at a lower level of intensity and 1.5 miles on the tread at an easy pace.

Baby steps.

Clearly not like this… 

New Obsessions

The word “obsession” has become horrifically overused. Don’t you agree?

“Like OMGZ GUYZ, I’m like SO OBSESSED with filtered water I just can’t stand it anymore!”

Cool down.

It’s water. You’re supposed to be drinking it anyway. So really, it’s more of an obligation than obsession. The only difference being that it’s filtered, which really isn’t all that unusual in this day and age (like how I sounded 80 right there?). So uh… take a breath. It’s not that exciting. Neither are highlighters, saltines, or any song by Taylor Swift.

The first two things listed there are true examples of things people have said they’re like totally obsessed with that I find highly unlikely and a little sad if it is actually true. The last one just being a jab at Taylor Swift.

I really don’t like her music. And don’t think  you should either.

Anyway, clearly my standards are high when it comes to what I would deem what qualifies as an actual obsession to be truly thrilled and excitable about.

That being said, here are three new ones I have. You be the judge if I’m being a hypocrite or not.

I probably am. But hey… it’s my blog and I do what I want.

1. Cookie butter.Did you know that diets high in fiber are found to be associated with a healthy heart? Thanks Special K! And notice how I keep all my important things in this particular pantry- cookie butter, cereal, and vodka (on the shelf below).

Yeah. It sounds weird. Maybe even a little gross. But as I was passing by the shelf of new items, it called out to me.

No really, there was a big sign.

So I picked it up, not really understanding what it was, but mostly because it said “cookie” on the front. I’m a sucker for such things.

It’s been opened no less than 10 times in the past 2 days. Mostly to dip pretzels. Once or twice to dip a finger. Obviously this is something I’m only allowed to buy maybe twice a year. And also do not let me know if you have it in the house when I come to visit. Thanks in advance.

2. This stupid push up pyramid challenge thing Kelly got me started with.

My arms are so weak, guys. Like obnoxiously so. But I’m totally dedicated to working my way up the ladder and back down at least every 2-3 days. Usually while watching tv. It’s also making me crazy sore in the core area because it turns out girly push ups really don’t do anything. Who knew I’d be living such a lie for so long?

Wish me luck on keeping this up. Maybe I’ll let you get in on some tix to the GUN SHOW. Holla’.

3. Remember my thing for Vince Vaughn? How we sometimes have breakfast dates and such?

Well. Vince is married. And has a kid. I hate to admit it, but maybe it’s time to throw in the towel on that dream.

But don’t worry. Another dreamlover has caught my eye. He’s handsome. He’s funny. And, most importantly, he’s single.Oh hey there Jason Segel. You cold? Come join me on the couch, why don’t ya?

I look forward to where this relationship will take us and cannot wait to enjoy regular cups o’ coffee with you.

Now if any one of you still want to get me a Christmas gift, he would be a GREAT one to pick up for me…

Just sayin’.

So yeah. My three new obsessions. Like OMG GUYZ AREN’T THEY AWESOMEEEEEEEE?

Oh yeah… the winner of my White Castle Giveaway?

Congrats goes to Krissie!

Hey girl- just email me your info and I’ll get the fun stuff on it’s way! 

And there you have it. Excuse me as I go to celebrate Ugly Sweater Day at work. Tis the season…

Free- It’s What’s For Lunch

Being the savvy bargain hunter I am (aka poor 20-something), I feel the need to stretch my dollar. It’s why I always pack a salad that costs me maybe $2 instead of buying one for $8 at the cafe in our building. It’s why I clip coupons. Shop clearance. Still wear clothes that were soooooo last season. Utilize the greatness of a BYOB restaurant.

You get it.

Anyway, this means I really like free stuff.

So when our building at work was having a Tenant Appreciation BBQ? I was practically first in line.

Sure it was raining. But I wasn’t about to let it ruin my parade.

Neither was building management- they held it in a blocked off section of the parking garage.

All class. 

I waited in line with a few coworkers for ages and came out with this (along with a new- and free!- frizzball do’ because of the humidity):Shoulda known- even Chelsea was looking at me skeptically (or erotically? I really can’t figure it out.). The coleslaw was inedible. The salad was mediocre. The lemonade tasted like someone put their foot in it.

The pulled pork sandwich saved me from rage.

But then again, I’ve never had bad pulled pork. It’s just one of those things.

Thankfully I had stashed some of the dessert Jessica sent me to get through the rest of the afternoon.

One of very few perks of my job? I deal with vendors. A lot. And if you’re a vendor, you should know that the one way to make me like you is to bring free samples. I don’t care what you’re selling. Free samples! 

One of the hotels near my office sent a rep who dropped off vouchers for free beverages:Yeah, I hate Starbucks coffee. It’s disgusting. And I generally avoid Starbucks because the establishment is offensively expensive. But the option for free iced tea?

I’ll cave. At least I know, unlike the lemonade, no one put their foot in it.

Note to self- don’t get the biggest size they offer at 2:00 in the afternoon because it’s free and you can. Mixed with the crazy overnight storms we’ve been having, it will cause sleeping issues. No bueno.

At leasts there is always tonight to recover. I have plans later in the weekend, but tonight consists of sitting my butt on my couch (free!) with leftovers (free!), a new bottle of wine (not free!) and a red box movie (ummm… almost free!).

(Source)

I’m almost giddy about not doing anything. Because no down time at all just makes me hateful. And we don’t want that.

So… what’s the last thing you got for free? Hugs totally count.

Finally, I wanted to give a quick shout out to Amanda- a blog reader who lives in my neighborhood! She recognized me in Trader Joe’s last night. Seriously, it really was Trader Joe’s- kind of cliché, but hilarious nonetheless. Per usual, I was looking like a hot mess (after a free workout via my dvd player and Jillian Michaels), but am so glad to have met her!

Have a good weekend, kids!

Whomp Whomp.

Oh hey there.

I didn’t drop dead yesterday (in case you were wondering- and I do appreciate the concern). However, it was a pretty close call. It’s been a pretty lame couple of days.

Here’s what’s been up:

I ran 2 terrifically hot and humid miles on Wednesday over lunch with my friend. The weatherman had said it would be a high of 82. Pretty sure he was a liar. The guy friend was still struggling a little from a weekend of overextending himself (ahem) and so when he wanted to call it quits after about 2, there were no complaints. 

However, we got just as sweaty walking back as we would have running. The sun was a beast. Our workout was lackluster. Whomp whomp.

I got my haircut in the ‘burbs. The plan was to hack a couple of inches off as to get rid of any and all dead ends. I freaked out last-minute and just cut off one inch. No one cares. Whomp Whomp.

Because my haircut was later in the night, I went to Mon’s to chill for a bit beforehand. However, about an hour before leaving work, the onsets of a migraine were starting to kick in.

Seeing spots right in front of your face makes driving difficult. If you didn’t know that already. 

Mon and I still had a pleasant chat. However, instead of hanging out on the couch, I was sprawled out on her floor for an hour with my hands pressed against my forehead and eyes closed. Her cats were sniffing me. I pretended they were concerned. Pretty sure they just wanted me out of their way. Whomp whomp.

Once the throbbing and nausea subsided, hunger pains kicked in. So we got salad at Jason’s Deli thanks to some online “deli dollars” I had accumulated one way or another.Free dinner. Score!

However it’s pretty much a variation on the same basic thing I make for lunch every day. Whomp whomp.

I’ve been a total stress ball lately, so instead of yesterday being a date with Jillian and my weights, I took it outside after work in attempts to “run it out”. And to possibly make up for my poor running the day before. And to also make up for the two massive cookies I snuck from the leftover catering at work yesterday (if we’re really being honest).

The route is never the same when neighborhood running. But I often find myself gravitating towards a specific street for this:This was a picture from last week-  it was much smaller than weeks past, but the concept is still the same. Someone actually takes the time to draw a new little piece of artwork in front of their apartment every week. Ah the little things in life that I get joy out of…

Anyway, I did feel a little better after running myself in circles around the neighborhood a few times to come up with a grand total of 4.4 miles. This was satisfactory because I wanted to make sure to hit the 4-mile mark at a minimum. Not much to say other than I do not enjoy owners who take their dogs off of leashes. 

Followed this up with a walk to Trader Joe’s with the roomie to pick up some random things. And wine. Obviously.

This close proximity is amazing.

Yet devastating for my wallet.

Whomp whomp.

Now it’s your turn to give me a “whoomp whoomp” from your week. Please. Make me feel better about being lame. It’d be really nice of you…

One thing I cannot “whomp” about is the start of the weekend! I’m just as busy as ever, but this time with activities that are mostly much more low-key.  Whew…

Spicy Peanut Butter and “Oops”

Hey kids!

So you liked the honey oatmeal bread, too? Seriously- it was easy. And didn’t take any time at all! Do it. Like now.

Anyway, I feel the need to make up for my always being such a hater on Tuesdays.  Yes it’s true- I don’t like Tuesday. But that doesn’t mean I should force everyone else to hate them, too, right?

Actually it does and I think everyone should dislike Tuesdays just as much as I do. But to make up for it, here are a few things that are all “happy” and “fun” for Wednesday.

1. I caught my boss doing kickboxing moves in the hallway while waiting for the elevator. The sight didn’t even make me blink. He’s sort of a goofball and this would not be out of character. But it did make me giggle on the inside.

2. Is anyone else excited about Matthew Perry making another stab at prime time?  I heart him and can’t wait for his show to premiere tonight!  (Although, knowing me, I’ll probably somehow miss it and have to watch it online later this week…)

3. The cashier at Trader Joe’s asked how much I paid my older sister to use her id when he carded me for wine.  I know you’re joking, sir. And it’s actually kind of creepy because I think you’re approximately 65. But I’ll play along and smile/giggle anyways.

4. Before my TJ’s trip last night, I had no food (hence the need to go shopping). This meant I had to dive far into the depths of my freezer for a frozen dinner. It was gross. And kept me full for all of 45 minutes (I have no idea how this happened- I mean, they put almost a whole stalk of asparagus in there!). Not the happy part, though. The happy part came when our office supply reps dropped off cookies for us again.  Just what I needed!

*I do, sadly, have to mention I was at lunch when the office reps showed up. This means I missed getting to see Hottie McHotterson. I pouted a little. It’d be a lie if I didn’t mention how I was actually making an effort of looking nice at work for the last week because I knew he’d be coming by. Geez. What a waste of mascara.

But back to the happy…

5. My dinner was new.The sauce looks a little weird. True. But it’s actually quite good and the easiest spicy honey peanut sauce I could find.

There are 5 ingredients. But I didn’t have cilantro. So I just used 4.Friends!

The recipe calls to use a 2:1 ratio of honey to peanut butter. But I evened it out to use the same amount of each. Too much honey (sugar) would have had me bouncing off the walls at a later hour where I’d rather not be doing so.

As much as I heart peanut butter and honey, it’s the soy sauce that totally killed it. I’m not above licking the pot I made the sauce in. 

The veggies used were a random collection. Shredded carrots sautéed in soy sauce and every other veggie in my freezer (peas, edamame, and a minimal amount of broccoli because you’re practically out).For those of you keeping track, I have 2 days before expiration of my whole wheat angel hair pasta. And have maybe one serving left to go. 

Thanks everyone, I couldn’t have done it without you…

6. I woke up this morning before my alarm went off and made that crucial decison- do I have to go to the bathroom or can I wait an hour until the alarm? I couldn’t wait. I didn’t turn on the light. I also didn’t remember that I closed my bedroom door (for some reason, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t). Have a visual of what happened?  Good- because it’s most likely spot on.

We haven’t done this in a while… so have you had any good “oops” moments lately?

I Have Taken A Lover

That’s right.

There’s a new man in my life.

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind.  We’ve met before in passing, but didn’t declare our feelings until we ran into each other at the grocery store earlier this week.

Since then, we’ve shared multiple dinners, lunches and even breakfast.  He now knows how I like my eggs. 

And no, the answer is not “fertilized”.

Come on, people. I know there’s only one more day until the weekend, but head out of the gutter.

His name?

General Tsao. What can I say?  I like hot, spicy and exotic.  He’s all of these things.  *Sigh*

If you love it so much, why don’t you marry it?

Get off my case.  And I just might.  Because it’s clearly the longest relationship I’ve been willing to have in quite some time.  That says something.

In all seriousness, this is how the fairy tale began:

Megan and I were chattin’ it up on Google one day earlier this week and were having quite the animated conversation about our upcoming grocery shopping adventures. (Couldn’t make that up if I tried.)

We both had trips to Trader Joe’s planned.  Imagine that.

All I needed was spinach.  But I wondered what else I would end up with. General Tsao and I have gotten along quite swimmingly as I have found many uses for him since getting nailed with a sample (sneaky, sneaky!).

He helped me say adios to the last of my Christmas turkey leftovers:A spicy sandwich that even included jalapeno.  No mercy.

You can roast chickpeas and sweet potatoes with him.There’s quite a bit of flavor lost here (FYI), but it still worked out well.

Tsao also inspired me to actually make stir fry after always commenting on everyone else’s.Snow peas?  Yes please…

Then you can throw it all on spinach and call it a salad…Or throw some leftover stir fry veggies in an omelet:Oops.  My smugness got the best of me.  Scramble it is. Attractiveness?  Not so good. Deliciousness? Spot on.

However you decide to use G. Tsao, he will reward you with good food.  Promise.

I’ll be sad to see him leave.  But sometimes, when you really love something… you’ve just got to let it go…

Latest “fling” in the kitchen?  Anyone?

Something Different

Welcome to a short week of work, kids! 

I’m ready for it.  This girl needs more “weekend time”.  As in this weekend was too short.  Fun, but short.  Because I did a few things that were different than usual…

Megan throws a fun little shindig.  I met up with her Saturday night for a house party and we had a great time! 

Although it is weird telling people how we officially ”met”. When asked, we kind of looked at each other sheepishly and said, “um… the internet”.

The party she and her boyfriend hosted was loosely called a holiday 40 oz party. I found out 15 minutes before catching the train that my city has a law against selling 40 oz’s.  What’s that about?  Inevitably, in a last-minute executive decision, I showed up with a 6-pack.  *Sigh.  Although alcohol is alcohol, so it’s not like I was turned away at the door.   

I found something new and different to try at Trader Joe’s.Actually, I’ve considered buying it on multiple occasions, but never really knew what I wanted to do with it.

Continuing the spirit of doing something different that my normal routine, I broke out an old friend.  Whole-wheat pasta.  Simple pasta and marinara was something I made COUNTLESS times in college.  I’d go through boxes of it like crazy.  Unlike me but like most of my meals- it’s cheap and easy.

Plus, I really need eat that pasta.  Believe it or not, pasta does go bad.  Yes, it’s been long enough for me to be somewhat concerned about what the expiration date on it is.  Oopsies.

Now that I pretend to be a little more mature than I was in college (please do not refer to the word “oopsies” I just used or this post to prove me wrong), I’ve found ways to make it more balanced. And dare I say super healthy?

Bring on the usual suspects along and introduce them to their new friend:Make sure they get nice and cozy. If you’ll notice, it was jalapeno chicken. Because there’s no reason not to go all out, I also added a generous amount of red chili pepper flakes.  Nothing wrong with your dinner giving you a little slap in the face every once in a while.  Can I get an amen?Well-balanced!  The 21-year-old me would be jealous.

Sadly, my kitchen lacks a good cajun spice.  That would have been ideal.  But no worries- this knocked my socks off. Adding cajun to the mix may have eaten a hole through my stomach.

It was, in other words, delicious!

Usually on the weekends, I make time for my longer runs.  But since I pulled a few longer-than-usual workouts during the week, I decided mixing it up would be more appropriate.

And I do what I want.

There was a mile here… 20 minutes there… a resistance band session thrown in at some point…

And lots of walking as I watched Billy Madison for the hundreth time.

“It’s too damn hot for a penguin to just be walking around…”

That will never get old.

Since I’m not particularly training for anything in the near future, I’ve grown fond of this new routine. Anything that gets me anywhere between 30 – 50 minutes (depending on my energy levels) of cardio will do just fine.

Not to say I can’t wait for the next big race I decide to do…

Soooo… anyone out there at work right now?  Or is it just me?  Hello?

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Tuesday started out normal enough.  I pulled out a 4-miler at the gym with an 8:48 pace.  Getting up for my workout when I slept in the day before?  WIN.

Got back to my apartment to take a shower.  Slipped while stepping into the shower and proceeded to forcefully drive my leg into the side of the bathtub.  My shin is looking lovely as ever with the purplish hue it has taken on.  FAIL.

I sorta look good in purple.  WIN (?).

After that, went through my normal morning routine without a hitch until I got to the office and realized I forgot deodorant.  FAIL.

But it’s December and freezing in my office, so I don’t think I sweat one drop.  WIN.

The vendors are also going crazy and coming in already to drop off “Holiday Cheer”, aka cookies and candy and what not.  Win?  Fail?  I’ll call this one a toss up.

And extra 10-15 minutes or so in the gym for the rest of the month probably isn’t going to kill me.  I really like cookies.

I finally made homemade soup.  Woo hoo!  WIN.

While on a regular trip to Trader Joe’s at some point last week, I picked up some basic broth with no real plan other than I figured I’d find a use for it at some point.Since I had a random assortment of veggies that I’ve collected from the last few grocery trips, I just decided to make the pot a dump yard of sorts.Asparagus (hey duh), corn, onion, broccoli, black beans, peas and carrots.  It’s like a party in a bowl.

First time making soup from scratch and it actually tasted good. DOUBLE WIN.

I did, however, burn the crap out of my arm on the toaster oven.  I really do think I may be self-destructive.  FAIL.

Your turn.  Post a win or fail.  Either one.  Or both.  I’m not picky.