Just a few things ...

A. I say this all the time, but I really feel that I would have been ... I dunno, better, in the '80s. I truly wish I could live in a time where neon-colored tights, destroyed denim, and BIG hair were awesome, not to mention there were no cell phones (serious on this one), no Internet, even ...

B. Have you ever felt that you were capable of really, really great things, but you just don't know where to begin or what, exactly, you should be channeling all your energy toward ... ?

C. Thinking of re-activating my Facebook. I know, get with the program, but I was thinking about it earlier, and it's been EIGHT months since I've had a Facebook, and I don't really feel like I'm missing out on anything per say, but last night, being with all my family, it made me realize that it's a really easy way to keep in touch and share your life with people of your choosing (duh, I know).

D. Speaking of last night (family + Facebook and '80s thoughts), I rearranged my entire room, cleaned out my whole closet (which is HUGE, so that's not a small feat), and gathered a bunch of unwanted clothes that I donated this morning. I was the only person in my entire complex who was home last night, so I took full advantage and hogged all the washing and drying machines. I was super productive.

I guess that's it. The only other mention-worthy things in my head are:

I bought a normally $150 CHI flatiron for $86 at JC Penny's this morning;

I realized that Superbowl Sunday (i.e., my next half-marathon) is right around the corner, so I ran about 6 miles this morning;

I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more ... I think I may be OCD about this.

Wet jeans, free shots, 'Pretty Lights' and more

First, the wet jeans thing:


One of the dryers in my complex is not working (which I found out two hours and $2 later), so I had to resort to drying my jeans this way. Let me tell you, the weather has not been warm, and even after letting them dry in my open-window bathroom for two days and then putting them under my bed covers for a full day, they were still icey cold when I put them on. Yeah, I guess I went through some desperate measures, and it would have been a lot easier and made a lot more sense to just go to a laundromat, but A) I was being stubborn, and B) I did not want to spend any more money trying to get my pants dry (though I did frequent Starbucks more than was necessary).

So, that random tangent aside, it was Thanksgiving weekend. I made Tawnee's sweet potato cornbread (which I believe she got from the "Gluten-free Girl" blog, and it was definitely yummy. I also made about the third batch of pumpkin-chocolate-chip cookies in a month:



Still have leftovers. Come and take them, please!

Next, the free shots thing. Some of my girlfriends and I went to Fred's Mexican Cafe in the Gaslamp on Saturday. I've been there before, and there's really not much interesting to say about it except that we were some of the few people in the restaurant (guess 7ish on Thanksgiving weekend equates to low-turnout, but who knows), and we got a round of shots from the manager because he liked our singing. This is funny because A) I was the only one of the four of us singing, and B) I have a horrible voice. Thinking about my duet in my middle school's musical performance of "Grease" still makes me cringe. So that (followed by Henry's Pub, Whiskey Girl and Syrah) was Saturday. And here I am being a total cheesy tourist:



The following night, I went to see Pretty Lights at the House of Blues. It was an awesome show that definitely held my interest despite my grogginess and overall low energy. The drummer was awesome, the DJ was awesome, the lights were awesome ... but I think the most awesome was the people-watching. Oh. Em. Gee. I've never been to a rave, but I imagine one to be similar to this concert -- only way "worse" (for lack of a better word). There were so many people who were clearly on drugs (my guess is ecstasy?), and I even got offered a little baggie full of pills by some girl who looked like she was 15 years old, complete with a mismatched outfit and those '80s-looking sunglasses that are suddenly in style. Needless to say, I politely declined because drugs are just not my thing. I did accept a glow-stick bracelet from another girl, though. The best way to explain how this show was is to show you:



So that's my long weekend in a nutshell. Forgot to mention that I've gotten hooked on "Dexter" (just finished Season One), but holy moly am I having some F-ed up dreams as a result of watching it right before bed.

Snooze

I need to not set my alarm (and coffee pot) for 5:15 a.m. if I'm incapable of getting out of bed before 7:10. I really wanted to go to a spin class at 6 a.m. (ha!) but did that happen? 'Course not. Maybe I should keep my phone in the kitchen, next to the already-brewing coffee pot, so that I'm forced to get out of bed to silence my beyond-annoying alarms (Belinda Carlile, frogs and banjos, Antoine Dodson, whatever the day's alarm may be...).

I did do some yoga last night (sub was not that great, but I felt bad for him 'cause a ton of people just walked out of this class halfway through), and I did Bootcamp the night before. I love that Bootcamp class -- the next five weeks will have themed classes ('80s, camo, crazy socks, etc.) ... fun stuff!

And I'm happy that I, once again, am enjoying pumpkin oatmeal. Thanks to Tawnee for tipping me off that Trader Joe's stocked up on canned pumpkin (epic fail to Henry's).

That is all.

Marvy

I can't get over what a freakin' cuuute kitty I have!! This is Marvin, a.k.a. "Snacks" -- he's a pound kitty, about nine or 10 years old, and he lives at my parents' house:



Lovvve him!!

Despite it only being Tuesday, having a busy week ahead of me yet, and feeling a little groggy, I am in an excellent mood. Hoping to get in a good workout today after work. May go for a run at the bay or something if it stays nice out later!

Time for another post!

What I failed to mention about the half-mar was that I think I sprained my big toe on my right foot. It never swelled up or turned black and blue, but it felt ... funny. It feels considerably better, though, and I even ran down to and all through Balboa Park yesterday morning. I did tape it, though, so I am pretty sure that helped me feel OK enough to make the whole run. HOWEVER, some lovely cramps (of the female kind) set in about 2/3 of the way through my run, and it was tough making it back home. All's well that ends well, though, right?

It's been tough getting back into gym/active mode. I have gone on a couple hikes, though:



I love working so close to that mountain 'cause if I just can't bring myself to go to the gym after work (especially on really nice days, like that one) it is a great alternative. And one of my best friends lives right there, too, and is usually up for hiking with me.

I started paying a visit to these little guys at the lake/trails by my work during my lunch hour (when I'm able to leave the office, anyway):



Cuuute. I got some funky little tan lines on my feet from the heels I was wearing that day -- guess it was as sunny and hot as it felt!

Finally, a mini update on my beloved avocado seeds (I must have like seven of them at various stages right now). I just planted this one (right after taking the picture, in fact) in a pot with soil in it, and it's (hopefully still) thriving at my parents' house:



Cross your fingers for me!

Next on the agenda is hopefully paying a visit to the Stone Brewing Co., the San Diego Fair (where I'd like to get a permanent toe ring like Vanessa's), and maybe finding some more festivals to go to. The latest one I went to was a Greek festival down the street from my house, where I entered to win (and apparently didn't) tickets to Athens, among other prizes. Boooo. Did eat a lot of good food, though.

In a nutshell ...

So, it's been several months since I last wrote here. I think I get to the point where it's been so long, that what good is an update now? Not like I need to recap every minute detail in my life since February, but in a nutshell, here's what I've been up to:

met some cool new people,

solidified friendships I already had (couldn't ask for better friends than Devon and Vanessa!),

moved out again,

went to Mexico,

kayaked for the first time (in Bahia de Los Angeles, Baja, with fin whales!!),

ran my first half marathon with my amazingly inspirational and perservering little sister,

took my first Vegas trip,

did some random stuff like went paintballing, saw some concerts, partook in some cool festivals, and got a little more involved with work and volunteering.

On the half-marathon front: I tried to take running and this sport a lot more seriously when I initially signed up for the full Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (and later switched after talking to Giselle and my sister), and for having not really trained/built up to as much as I should have for this (I seriously hadn't run at ALL for a couple of weeks prior), I think my time of 2:04 for 13.1 miles was not too shabby! I owe it all to my sister, too. I know I was having a "good" running day 'cause I felt amazing 'til about mile 10.5, but from that point 'til the end, my sister was still speeding through people and encouraging me to keep up with her. I really did contemplate hanging back and letting her go off, but I just couldn't do it :)



And, she already took the liberty of signing us up for another half, in Huntington Beach. Not 'til February, and I'm sure we'll squeeze another one in there before then, but I have heard this one is really beautiful ... plus, all the calories at a potential Super Bowl party later that day would be well-earned!


My crazy friends. This is at a beer festival; go figure.


Vegas.

Well, that's all for now. It's still crazy busy at work, and I'm still, believe it or not, catching up on sleep from weeks ago. Just never enough time in the day, and if there is, it's filled with some work-type aspect that just has to be done!

Back-fat

The little sister and I went to 24 S.E.T. last night with a teacher I've never been to, and she had us lay on the step to do a ton of arm work (sore all over) but, apparently, I need more back-fat ... sparing the pictures, I have red sores all down my spine from simply laying on the step while doing weight work.

So, in honor of gaining back-fat (haha, joking mostly) here is a post semi-dedicated to food:

When we got home around 8, we were starving, indecisive, and basically just spontaneously ended up making one of the most delicious meals we (I've) cooked in a long time:


Salmon burgers on thin-whole-wheat buns with cheddar cheese, seasoned/cooked mushrooms and onions, tomatoes, lettuce and dijon mustard; sweet-potato and yam fries seasoned with pepper, garlic, and a little bit of chili powder; black beans. (And yes, that is a potholder with my tiny preschool-sized hand circa 1990.)


I was skeptical about this snack after constantly seeing it in those "healthy snacks omg!" articles in magazines/on the Internet, but seriously, whole-wheat Ritz with cheese and apple slices piled on top is so so good, and quite filling, too.


Another experimental lunch that I was pretty hesitant to eat when it came time to it, but was actually pleasantly surprised: Spinach leaves with feta cheese, peppered tomato slices, pasta and a little bit of sesame dressing.

Also, my sister is creeped out by my newest horticulturesque obsession:


I am just SO stoked that my avocado seeds are finally sprouting!! I've tried and (self-proclaimedly) failed numerous times to suspend these little guys over water in hopes of beginning my own avocado-growing family ... I guess I just didn't wait long enough before, because this time, they took weeks. It's just so cool how something so weird-looking actually works. I mean, shoving in toothpicks, suspending the seeds over water so that it's halfway emersed? Kinda weird. But then the seeds start splitting to reveal a little plant membrane inside, and the one I'm holding in the picture (which you can't see very well) has a stem coming out of it (top part of the seed).

So there you have it. My exciting life. I feel scratchiness in my throat right now, have congested ears, and am sneezing more than normal, so I'm gonna start the Airborne attack and hope that works.

Creep

I don't care if this makes me look creepy, but I am so sick of this guy:



Yes, that is a picture I took with my phone from the window directly in front of my desk at work. This guy is out here EVERY day playing with that "dang-gone" RC car. (Side note: "dang-gone" is credited to Andrew, the immature baby-dady from the new season of "16 and Pregnant" haha.)

Anyway, the sound is super annoying. It's like a mix of tree-trimming equipment and dirt bikes at the desert -- both of which I find highly irritating.

...

Moving on.

This past weekend, I rode up with three of my best friends to Morro Bay, about six/seven hours north, where Vanessa's parents have a cute/awesome beach house. We ate a ton of good food, shopped in theee biggest Forever 21 I've ever seen (seriously, it's a former Mervyn's department store) for THREE hours, and went on an all-day wine and beer tasting extravaganza in a limo.



That's us at the Opalo vineyard in Paso Robles. Sooo fun!

On the staying-active front, I plan to participate in the East-San Diego Mud Run in March, and I changed from a full to a half Rock 'n' Roll Marathon for June.

A final thing I am looking forward to is my first Vegas trip in May. I know, it's about time.

I am gonna try to take a little lunch; so busy this week! Today, thanks to Dr. King, is a "floating holiday" at my work, but it is far too busy to take off today, so looks like I'm basically just getting an extra vacay day :) Speaking of which, I registered with Cheap Tickets, in hopes that some amazing airfare deal a la my trip to Ireland will pop up in my inbox soon, causing me to take full advantage of my new (thanks to moving home) ability to travel!

I guess I didn't do a whole lot this weekend, but it felt pretty eventful -- I'm sure a lot of that feeling has to do with the fact that my whole body is so so sore. Went to the gym and had a pretty solid workout with my sister on Friday night, did four miles with Giselle at Mission Bay Saturday morning, followed by an intense, hour-plus gym workout immediately afterward and a pretty decent hike on Sunday. Ouch. I guess it's mainly 'cause I did a lot of weights, plus the hiking on top of it. Oh well -- no pain, no gain! Plus, I consumed an obscene amount of oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookie dough yesterday. Plus the baked cookies :(

Regardless of all that, the main point of this post was actually supposed to be about a documentary I watched, "Man on Wire." It was about a young French man in the '70s who used to tight-rope walk all over the world, and in terrifying places. Mainly, it focused on his conquering of the newly built (at the time) World Trade Center/Twin Towers in NYC. TERRIFYING. My feet are tingling just thinking about it again. The documentary was alright, but the fact that this man had such a passion for something -- seriously, he is obsessed with tight-rope walking, still to this day -- really made me kind of sad about the world today. People, especially my generation and younger, are so consumed with instant results, the Internet and anything to do with electronics (texting, MP3s, whatever) that I feel like we might start to lose the "criminal artists" (such as Phillipe Petite in the documentary) or even just passionate oddballs that seem to kinda fill in the little niches in societies. Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe I was just sad that I myself have kind of fallen victim to the non-creative, up-and-coming, instant lifestyle I speak of.

Note to self: Try not to.

Home again, home again

"Home again, home again, jiggity jog." That just popped into my head and is now making me wonder whether it's from an actual story/song, or if my grandma just made it up? She used to "sing" it to us in the car when we were headed home from anywhere. Hmm.

Anyway, I am back home! Moved in on Saturday and am not totally sure how I'm feeling about everything, but it is what it is, and it will sure allow me to save some moolah. Here's one thing about moving home I had been looking forward to:


Aww, Marvy.

It was great having help from Vanessa (who amazingly puzzle-packed my whole kitchen up into a few boxes) and my mom, sister and dad, who was able to get a huge flatbed truck with gates and a lift that practically fit all of my furniture. I could not have done it alone (unless I hired movers, of course)!

On a completely unrelated note, I get really irritated sometimes when people at the gym just assume you came there to socialize and converse with them. Case in point: my sister and I went into the sauna last night, not even really talking to each other, and this older dude sitting in there wearing just a pair of shorts and his huge belly, long gray hair and missing tooth, starts talking to us. You know, small talk, what we came to the gym to do, etc. And we were nice at first, but the more and more he kept talking, the less and less we were responsive, and he still did not get it. Sorry, sir, but I'm not interested in hearing about 1) how much you paid for the gym clothes you're wearing (or not wearing, in his case), 2) where you live, what gym you normally go to, and why you're at this particular facility tonight, and 3) how you're old and out of shape, and we're so lucky 'cause we're young, and we don't even know how hard it is to get in shape when you're old, blah blah blah (like, really, what am I supposed to say to that??). Needless to say, he cut our hoped-for sauna time in half, at least.

Anyway, now that I'm moved home and have all that junk out of the way, I really need to start logging in the miles in preparation for my first marathon and the Mission Gorge and/or Black Mountain trail races (probably just the latter, as time is kinda dwindling down) I hope to do. Probably going on a run with Giselle this weekend if it still works for us, and definitely squeezing in a hike with Rachel and Morgan since I couldn't this weekend. Other than that, lots of treadmill running (bleh) and gym time, 'cause it's that or run outside in the dark. Man, I miss all those summer daylight hours ...

January 2nd Resolutions

Well, in my mind, it's still New Years Day -- had the traditional German-superstitious meal of sauerkraut, potatoes and (what is supposed to be pork but tonight turned into) fried chicken -- but since it's just about 1 a.m., I guess it's technically the second. Oh well. I don't usually list out resolutions, and I doubt anyone else is really interested in what I want to improve on, but I figure if I make this list "live" on the Internet, I'll be more motivated to keep my word on things. So, in no particular order, here are some things I'd like to improve on:

Dress nicer for work. It's hard sometimes to conjure the motivation to pick out a cute, professional outfit at 6 a.m. when I know that I'll be sitting in a freezing office, not interacting with the public (usually) all day. But the fact is, I really like my job and respect all of my co-workers and my company, and I feel that I am very professional in all other aspects of my job, so my attire should also reflect that.

Walk my dogs more. This might sound funny, but it's something they love, and I love them and want them to be physically healthy too. They have a big yard to run around in all day, but they really enjoy and need to be walked more. I love my animals to pieces -- they are like super dependent family members, hehe.


Cody


Winnie

Work out more and eat healthier. I'm pretty good about sticking to a regular workout routine, but I've had lazy slumps and horrible eating habits a lot more than I'd like to lately (thanks, holiday festivities). This is something pretty much everyone resolves to do, and with good reason. What better age than now to look and feel my best and establish good habits that hopefully carry through years to come? On New Year's Eve, I registered (finally) for the Rock 'n' Roll marathon. I really like to run, and I figured forking over the hundred bucks to do this will really kick my butt into gear and start training. I even got my sister to (voluntarily, actually) join me! I think I am gonna start to keep a "running journal," like they had us do in cross country in high school where I basically keep track of what I eat each day that I run, and how my run felt as a result of what I ate. It also keeps me conscious of all the unnecessary crap I eat and how it can really negatively affect my workouts.

Be more direct with people. I have a really hard time saying "no" sometimes and making a decision that will make me happy. It all revolves around trying to please everyone and keep everyone happy. I'm a total nonconfrontational person, which I think can be good because a lot of times I can help mediate situations, but I really need to focus on being more direct, I think.

Really be persistent about saving money. This is usually something that comes naturally to me, and I want to keep at it this year. I've already made the decision to move home, which will help me astronomically, so this really shouldn't be a problem. I just wanted to write it down for myself, I guess. I'm really fortunate that I have the option to still live with my parents and save up all the money I would be paying in rent. I do appreciate the fact that my family still wants me there! Ha!


And, I'm sure I'll think of many more, but at 1 a.m., that's about all my brain has time to process in words :)

Happy New Decade, everyone!