quickest vacation post ever

having fun

in hollywood today

going to laguna beach tomorrow

:)

tried surfing! (in santa cruz)

going to eat lunch at pink dog or something to do with hot dogs and pink.

bye bye

i'm off to california in the morning... posting will resume on monday august 4, 2008. :o)

finally friday

it's friday but i'm feeling the stress instead of being excited for the weekend. remember when you aren't working everyday is like the weekend haha. packing for anything - be it a weekend or a week-long trip - makes me feel out of control. what do i need? did i forget anything?

yesterday my interview went really well. they are interviewing at least 6-7 candidates but i think i have a pretty good shot at a second interview. i am clearly qualified for this job. i took a different approach to this interview - i was more firm with what i wanted from a company (including salary expectations) instead of how i can fit in (sweetness and smiles) with a company. what do i have to lose?

it rained and poured all day yesterday so the golfing (canadian open) was cancelled. my dad decided not to go, but i still went and had a good time. although my dinner consisted of a granola bar, an ice cream sandwich, a small (200 calorie) bag of sunchips, and a fun-sized smarties. looking at this paragraph, it's like "what not to do." ha. that was the only food available (for free) since i missed the bbq. i'm sure it was fine calorie-wise, but that kind of food leaves you feeling like you are missing out on something. maybe... NUTRITION.

here are my big plans for today: clean my apartment and do all laundry. i have to go and get more detergent. return library books that are due before the end of my vacation. i have to go back to the travel agent (where we bought medical travel insurance) because they put down the dates wrong... next month instead of sunday. oy vey! clean out my fridge and remove anything that has already expired. watch 7 episodes of LOST season 3 because it's my last opportunity before returning the DVDs to the video store. go for a swim. and finally, tonight my boyfriend is putting on an event downtown. that's a big list. i need the coffees!

i am going to have fruit for breakfast, an egg (one egg and the rest whites) and spinach and feta omlet for lunch, and salad with tuna and yellow zucchini for dinner. that is the plan. i will snack on yogurt and fruit.

for the record i didn't weigh-in today (yet) because i'm feeling not that great (after last night... and this porky week in general) and don't want to feel bad about myself before the trip. maybe i will weigh in later or tomorrow. if i do i'll share the results. TGIF people!

one step ahead

excuse my absence yesterday. ;) i went for a swim and then to the doctor (in the burbs) all before noon. the doctor sent me for x-rays, which won't come back for a few days, but suspects sciatica (my self-diagnosis). i am taking "advil liquigels" for the pain. she wanted to prescribe something but i said no since i don't have a drug plan anymore. wah wah wee wah!

anyway then it was date night. thanks for all of the nice responses on how to avoid mindlessly eating throughout the day. very helpful! i think the eating at certain times is a good idea. also, i've been having mostly fruit for breakfast instead of a big bowl of oatmeal. fruit and yogurt.

today is another busy day. 1) the company that hired internally has a different position available and called me to come in and interview for it. wish me luck! :o) and 2) i am going to the canadian open. my friend works on the course and got me a ticket. i don't like golf but blue rodeo is playing tonight and i love blue rodeo. i also scored my dad a ticket (because he loves golf) so he is meeting me there as well.

that's about it:
today on the menu is fruit, yogurt, a sandwich, and some free bbq at the canadian open.

help me rhonda

it's time to spill some beans! why? being i am leaving for california and am really lacking in motivation.

at the end of may i got some poopy life changing news... well... i was laid off from my job. nothing to do with my professional career woman skillz. just a big business buyout. anyway i had the opportunity to work until last friday which means that since yesterday i have been a real lady of leisure.

i had a couple of interviews at a new company, and thought that everything was going really well, but they decided to go with an internal candidate instead, because they would already know the ropes of the company and stuff.

so my problem now is that i am home with "nothing" to do. i say "nothing" like that with those quotation marks because it's not like i really have nothing to do. yesterday i went to the library and to a vegetable market, today i am going to the sewing studio to finish my dress, etc... the problem is twofold. 1) i can't just watch tvs all day - it's too boring for me.  i have not not had a job since i was 15. i need to feel productive, otherwise i feel guilty. guilty about what? i don't know... who can explain the workings of the inner mind. i'm hoping this feeling will subside. 2) i am at home all day = BOREDOM EATING. my whole day is trying to resist eating from boredom. i have to say that i have a new respect for SATMs. i always knew it was easier to have an eating routine at work! i am leaving for vacation on sunday morning and i'd prefer not to feel like a blob since i couldn't keep my hands off the loaf of bread. yes people, this is what i'm going for... dempster's run-of-the-mill, whole wheat bread.

and then there is this bum pain. it gets better and worse throughout the day but when i wake up in the morning i can hardly walk over to the kettle. but don't worry - i have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning. i'm hoping for an instant cure. ;o) i want to go runnning so badly but it's out of the question. yesterday i went swimming and that was fine. i am going again today.

for breakfast today i had a big fruit salad. strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, 1/2 banana and a source tango yogurt. for lunch i will have a turkey and sprouts sandwich on whole wheat with hummus and another source yogurt. and for dinner... not sure yet.

does anyone have any stay-at-home advice?

ouch

the good news is that the weekend was good. the bad news is that i thought my bum pain was cured and i went for a run on saturday and now it's back with a vengeance and i can hardly walk. seriously i'm hobbling around.

i've self-diagnosed, and my problem is definitely this:

sciatica

(i've copied this next part from online)

Sciatica is a pain that shoots along the sciatic nerve, radiating through the buttocks and down the back of the leg and as far as the foot. The two sciatic nerves (one on each side of the lower body) are the longest in the human nervous system, running all the way from the lower back through the thighs and calves to the feet.

Sciatica is caused by different types of pressure on the sciatic nerve in the lower back or buttocks. It can also be the result of damage to the nerve roots that feed into the sciatic nerve. Sciatica is usually felt only on one side of the body. The pain can occur along the entire length of the sciatic nerve.

i don't think there is a chance that it can be something else. sad but true. i am going to do no impact exercising at ALL and if it doesn't feel better by wednesday i will visit the doctor.

so now that i'm not doing cardio, i'm going to have to watch my diet more carefully, especially because sunday morning is when the plane leaves for california!

in other news, i am using windows live writer to write this post and it's very interesting. the drag and drop photo feature is probably the best part.

and finally, shannon tagged me on friday to do a "5 things" thingamabob, so here we go. thanks buddy :)

5 things found in my purse:
*a book, always (right now it's love the one you're with by emily griffin)
*cell phone                                                                               *make up case
*coffee card (sbux and tim hortons)
*a pen

5 things found in my bedroom:
*my giant walk-in closet
*my cat's bed :)                                                                          *my vacuum
*my yoga mat
*my washer and dryer

5 things I have always wanted to do:
*go to california :)
*run a marathon
*not worry about weight and calories (!!!)
*have children
*write a book

5 things I am currently into:
*my trip to cali                                                                            *eating unprocessed foods
*summer and not being white as a ghost                                      *getting mail
*reading and writing blogs

and i'll tag.... jennifer.

today on the menu is:

strawberries, oatmeal, salmon salad, cherries, baby carrots, sweet potato.... i really need to hit up the grocery store. i'll have to hobble there later.

too funky

george michael was amazing. just amazing. he is still outstanding and it was a fantastic concert. it rivaled depeche mode for the best concert ever but now that i think of it was only slightly not as good. he played two sets, then three encores. i didn't get home until 12:30! he was very enamored with the toronto audience because we know how to cheer. whoohooooo george! i will be your father figure, put your tiny hand in mine...

so i didn't work out this morning because i was up late. but i did work out yesterday before the show. i am still avoiding pounding pavement because of my shin and it's beginning to feel like normal. i did 20 minutes biking, arm weights, 10 minutes elliptical, arm weights, 10 more elliptical, situps, and then i rode my bike to the library to return some books.

i only have to work a half-day, so maybe i'll do something active later or maybe i'll take a rest day and have an awesome run tomorrow.

today is friday, and weigh-in, and i weighed 119 which is a 0.8 loss since last week and within my range. hallelujah! i was a bit worried this week because i wasn't tracking too much and i wasn't running (although was doing other activities... but nothing is the same as running in my opinion).

this weekend is looking relaxing. tonight maybe the movies, tomorrow going dancing, and sunday looking at an apartment for my boyfriend. it is so hot today. i rode my bike to work and am really sticky. i love summer :o) have a nice weekend.

ps. i didn't take that picture of the concert. that wasn't even last night... i was way at the back haha.

you gotta have faith

today is an interesting day. why? because 1) i am going to see george michael tonight. and 2) that's pretty much it. :o) but still... george michael... whoo whoo whoo! i have been waiting 15 years for this guy to come to toronto. and now the day has finally come. my best girl friend from high school is coming in from the burbs and we are eating then going to the show. just subway or something.

for some reason there is a can of tuna sitting on my desk today. i did not put it there. somebody must be losing it. although, my desk is in the centre of the office and people seem to forget stuff on it. like once, someone left a coffee on my desk. it was closed... i thought it must be a gift. but no, someone forgot it. ha.

last night my boyfriend and i spent a LONG TIME booking hotels for california. california is not cheap. a couple of years ago i road tripped down south and hotels were cheap - like $30-$40 cheap. now it's more like $90-150. some are even more. and they don't even look that great. here is what we've got so far:

day one - arrive around noon - sleep in san francisco

day two - pick up car - sleep in santa cruz

day three - sleep in santa barbara

day four - sleep in hollywood

day five - sleep in hollywood (there is lots to do around here obviously...)

day six - sleep in laguna beach (finding a hotel here was a nightmare)

day seven - drive back to san francisco and sleep there (the only hotel we still need to book)

day eight - back to toronto

it's good that we got a car, because we can visit all the beaches and stuff. i'm sure parking will be a nightmare. i don't even want to think about it ha. i am going about picking up local transit though. already i've figured out how to take the BART (bay area rapid transit) from the airport to the stop closest to our hotel. SMRT.

i didn't work out this morning, but i might before the concert tonight. we were up late last night!

what is everyone's favourite subway sub? and make it healthy! thank youuuuuuuuuu.

of all the things we need...

here is a tip: don't watch the movie "valley of the dolls"... it's absurd. it makes no sense, especially if you haven't read the book. the characters are all over the place. not a good movie. the book, however, is amazing.

in other book news, today my "hungry girl" recipe book has to go back to the library. i flipped through it one time (one time!) and made nothing. the thing with recipe books is that they are meant to be bought, not borrowed. i also have vegan with a vengeance and it's awesome. much better than the hungry girl book. no offense, hungry girl. your book is great too. it just serves a different purpose and doesn't meet my culinary needs right now. who knew i had culinary needs?

my book club bbq was great. i made grilled zucchini (not boats), a sweet potato, and a pre-marinated chicken breast. delicious. i also had wine, veggies with dip and those chocolate lady fingers.

this morning i was going to walk on the treadmill, but i wanted to give my shin a break. i want it to heal and recover but i loathe being inactive. it makes me feel like sloppy sloth sally. instead i went for a swim in the pool. i did 50 lengths front crawl, then alternated 10 lengths breaststroke and 10 lengths front crawl three times. keep in mind my condo pool isn't a full sized pool. the whole thing took me about 30-35 minutes with no stopping. a pretty good workout except i can still see faint goggle rings around my eyes..... looking good!

this morning at work i got this "brookstone catalogue" which is basically full of expensive things that no one really needs.

exhibit a: the golf drink dispenser. "here's the discreet way to enjoy hot or cold drinks right from your golf bag!"


for you dog lovers, exhibit b: the car dog booster seat. so your small dog can have a comfortable view of the road. this dog does actually look pretty happy.


exhibit c: the doggie dining table. now your dog can eat in a healthier, more comfortable position. is this really necessary? i've never known dogs who had a problem eating off the floor!


time to work. tonight is date night (at home) and we are booking our hotels for california! we already have plane tickets, rented a car, and the first night's hotel. and pretty much decided on what cities to stay in (and what we are going to do in those cities). surf city here i come. :o)

re-ci-poo re-ci-pee

spicy sweet potato and quinoa salad

last night i made this dish but with a few modifications of course. here is a yumtastic recipe.

ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
2 cups vegetable broth
1 sweet potato, pre-baked and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green zucchini, diced
1/2 pack of pre-cut and pre-washed white mushrooms
1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

preparation:

simmer the quinoa in the vegetable broth until liquid is gone and quinoa is light and fluffy when stirred. remove from heat and allow to cool. while this is happening, chop your onion and red pepper. spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat the the onion and pepper until soft. add mushrooms. when they are cooked, remove from the heat. meanwhile, microwave your sweet potato until cooked then bake it in the oven until the outside is crispy (like a baked potato should be... just not soggy from the microwave). slice the zucchini into half-circles or quarters and add to the now empty fry pan. when the potato is ready, dice it.
toss together the quinoa, sweet potato, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini in a large bowl.

in a separate small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and cayenne pepper. i added more lemon juice (i just squeezed a lemon). gently toss this dressing with the quinoa. season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

i would say this makes about 4 generous servings. delicious. i had one serving of this for dinner along with a spinach salad, topped with light feta and newman's own light thai sesame dressing.

in other news, i did go for a run yesterday at lunch. it was 4.7 miles... not too shabby at all. and this morning i got up and ran for 40 minutes (not all at once) on the treadmill, with arm weights in between the cardio sessions and situps at the end.

tonight is my book club. i didn't finish the book but that's ok, it's long, and we are having a bbq and watching the movie. fun times. i have a skinless boneless chicken breast marinating in my fridge right now. i put some chicken bbq sauce, mustard, and catalina dressing in a ziplock bag and threw in the chicken. i hope it tastes good. i want to get some other vegetables to put on the bbq but i'm not sure what to get (or how to grill them)... any suggestions?

weekend recovery

oh boy, monday again. i always stay up way too late on sunday which makes monday morning a really rude awakening. last night i was so caught up in reading "valley of the dolls" that i stayed up until 2 am. obviously i didn't work out this morning. BUT i did bring my running stuff to work with me and am seriously considering going for a lunch time run. there are pros and cons to the lunchtime run.

pros:
get it out of the way
not doing anything during that time anyway
it's a nice day
frees up the evening
will probably feel more tired tonight

cons:
sweating profusely
not being able to read my awesome book at lunch
possibly stinking (although i doubt it... i don't really smell)

more pros than cons. i don't really like going for outdoor runs after work. i like running to be something i take care of before the rest of the day begins.

my cottage weekend was fun, although i have ZERO bikini pictures. friday we didn't get there until night. saturday was cloudy and then a bit rainy. yesterday (sunday) it was beautiful and we did hang out on the beach but my camera was inside the house and i wasn't fussed about getting it. there will be lots of time this summer to get bikini pictures (especially since i am going to california in TWO WEEKS).

obviously my eating at the cottage wasn't great. hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, etc. but i don't think it was too bad. i just ate when i was hungry and when someone else was willing to cook me something on the grill. also, on saturday i went for a run along the beach. i took the road for a couple of kilometres and then ran on the beach on the way back. it was breezy and beautiful. i was running in my bikini top which was a little bouncy at first but i got used to it.

this week is really busy for me.

monday: weekend recovery and cleaning (this isn't really being busy... but i also have to finish my book and it's loooooong)
tuesday: book club
wednesday: date night
thursday: george michael concert (yes i love george!)
friday: weekend!

i was thinking about counting points this week. i haven't done it in so long and it sounds fun to me for some reason. here is today's menu:

breakfast:
coffee (0)
blueberries (1)
oatmeal (2)
2 source yogurts (1)
4/19

lunch:
whole wheat bun (2)
lentil soup (3)
carrots (1)
10/19

snack:
apple (1)
2 source yogurts (1)
12/19

dinner:
i haven't thought of this yet. maybe... chicken.

short one

friday weigh in 119.8 only 0.2 down from last week which is a bit disappointing since i was really good food and exercise-wise this week. still it's good - i'm happy in general.

sorry for bumming everyone out yesterday about the pigs and crazy lady. for the record the slaughterhouse is not right next door or anything haha, just in the general vicinity. i can't smell anything from my apartment. also i talked to my mom about the crazy lady and she is also quite concerned. she said to give her $10 from her... that's nice. :o)

so today is a half-day of work, and then the cottage. i'm feeling a bit stressed actually because i haven't packed anything for the cottage yet, and i know it's only for one weekend so not a big deal, but packing and being ready on time really stresses me out. i am perpetually late. my biggest flaw haha. and before leaving i told my bf i'd look at an apartment with him that he is thinking of renting. so not much time to pack. i will make a list of things to pack and that will make me feel better.

last night i tried on my bathing suit and bikini and wasn't really that impressed. i know i look better than last year, but i'm too focused on my flaws. smaller boobs, stomach pooch, etc. this has got to stop. i am going to wear the damn bikini and not cover it up and get used to it. maybe wearing bikinis (with confidence... this is key) just takes practice, like wearing heels or anything else.

this morning i got up and did a half-assed workout at the gym. running on the treadmill "galloway" method which is running with walking mixed in. also some arm weights and situps. same old same old.

have a great weekend everyone. :o)

slaughterhouse

sew i didn't finish my dress in sewing last night but it's ok. i put in one sleeve. i have to go back and finish the rest some other time. here is a bit of an nsv. my sewing teacher made ice cream sandwiches for everyone with homemade strawberry ice cream. at first i wasn't going to have one but really, denying yourself pleasures like homemade ice cream is not living, it's deprivation. so i took one, ate the ice cream from the middle and threw out the cookies. they were just chips ahoy or whatever. yah good tasting, but available to me whenever i want so i'm not really depriving myself of anything there.

when i got home i cleaned up a little, and then did the denise austin power yoga plus video i got at the library last week. i wanted to feel stretched and relaxed. i find that my posture feels improved every time i do yoga or pilates and i really like that feeling.

this morning i got up early and had a 4-mile run. it wasn't the best. i tried a new route in order to spice things up, but my right shin was bothering me. i am going to have to stay off it. i'll ice it tonight and see if that helps. i find it doesn't hurt if i just run for 10 minutes at a time on the dreadmill, only when running longer distances outside.

this is totally unrelated, but i live right by a pig slaughterhouse. not joking. one of the main streets near my abode is sort of an off ramp from the highway, and when i turn on it (on my bike... going to work or whatever) i often see a) a giant truck full of pigs with their snouts poking out of holes snorting at me or b) the same truck heading the other way but empty. if you wanted to know, pig slaughterhouses don't smell too good. also i have heard the poor little piggies screeching before. my writing style can be flippant but i am really bothered by this. i really don't eat much pork - maybe a pork chop once in a while at my parent's house. i think that if i lived in close contact with other animals, i would be hesitant to eat them as well. like chickens or cows.... how do farmers do it? seeing those poor little snouts... heading for death... sad.

it bothers me. lately i have been bothered by something else. there is this crazy woman who begs for money and food by my work. she is really crazy - always sobbing hysterically and sitting in the pouring rain even when their is an awning nearby. sometimes i give her food. she is in her twenties but looks older due to the harsh elements. anyway, i just noticed this week that she is six months pregnant. i can't stop thinking about it. how did she get pregnant? what is going to happen to that poor baby? was she raped? was she forced to sleep with someone for money or drugs? it's very upsetting. i think these things happen as a result of poor family situations. i am lucky to have nice and supportive parents. :(

on that note... in addition to my regular workouts, i've been doing 100 situps a day in order to prep myself for bikini weekend. normally i do 80 situps, maybe 3-4 times a week. i went to this same cottage around the same time last year and i was 127 pounds. some of my pictures from that time are flattering, although i remember feeling really... what's the word... um... well i wished my stomach was flatter and that the sides of my stomach were tighter. although that was my lowest weight to date so i felt pretty good about myself. this year is definitely a huge improvement so i'm looking forward to taking some comparison shots.

today for lunch i'm having a tuna sandwich with light mozzarella and tomato slices. the tuna is clover leaf lemon and pepper flavoured... delicious. :o)

book contest

check out this awesome contest on trish's diary where you can win 14 books. and it's available to canadians which is the best part. i love reading!

some random thoughts

first thought: this morning whilst riding my bike to work, i was really reminded of the weather on vancouver island. it was humid and foggy, but not hot. i miss victoria. my grandparents used to live there but not anymore as they are all deceased. it's weird how times and places and people in live change. yes i am very deep. the point is victoria is a wicked city.

second thought: last night there were crazy thunderstorms. the lightning was so bright that i think it hit the ground right outside of my building several times. my cat oliver was so scared, he was doing the snake walk haha. somehow his legs disappear and he slithers on the ground to some hiding spot. maybe he thinks he is safer being so close to the ground. anyway it looks ridiculous.

third thought: my mexican dinner was a huge success. for me anyway. i was really impressed with myself. my boyfriend liked it too, but he's not as familiar with mexican-type food as i am. he said, "what is this mushy hunk?" about the refried beans. ha! the best part is i have leftovers for lunch today.

fourth thought: i drank way too much white wine last night. normally i am a red girl, but i wanted something cool and refreshing. i think it kind of made me toss and turn in the night and i am not feeling that hot today. not hung over at all, but whenever i drink too much, i feel overly sensitive.

fifth thought: i still got up and hit the gym because i am hardcore. i did three times ten minutes running on the treadmill with arm weights in between and then stretches and 100 sit-ups of different varieties at the end. whenever i do arm weights and look in the mirror at the gym i feel like a real beefcake... you know when you are lifting weights and right after your muscles are kind of plumped up (in a good beefcake way). it always makes me think about being a female boxer. i am sort of tuff, i could do it maybe. i am way tougher than any other girl in my immediate circle of friends/family. kapow!

sixth thought: tonight is my last sewing class. i hope i get everything done in time. and then i hope i continue to make things outside of class.

seventh thought is today's menu:

fiber one with almond butter

pc multigrain oatmeal with flax, cinnamon, pumpkin, 1/2 banana and blueberries

fat free yogurt

vanilla protein shake

leftover mexicano

plum

fat free yogurt with blueberries

cocoa mole larabar

ZUNE ZUNE ZUNE

ok. today i'm going to do a bit of a product push.

a couple of months ago i filled out this online survey to get a free mp3 player. i am always filling out tons of surveys and i love free stuff. i don't even care what it is. if i don't need it, i'll give it away to my friends or family. well anyway, someone from the mp3 player company called me, and decided i was a good candidate to receive this player, because i could talk about it on my blog. isn't that wild? it kind of blows my mind actually.

anyway. the mp3 player is from the brand microsoft and is called ZUNE, and basically it's the greatest thing of all time. i think it's already available in the states but new to canada, although i've already seen it in stores. if you think your ipod is a good mp3 player, you need to check out zune, because it really blows ipods out of the water. i like my ipod, but the battery life is SO BAD. seriously, if i don't unplug it directly from the charger before working out, it stops working during my workout/run. crappy!

this is what the zune looks like:


so why is the zune so great? here is a list of reasons:

1) it's little and cute. mine is black.

2) it comes with different storage. mine is 8G.

3) the screen is colour.

4) it plays video.

5) it stores pictures.

6) there is an fm radio which picks up stations from the area you are in. (really good feature.)

7) the battery life is LONG.

here is where it becomes really cool...

8) it has some sort of wireless technology that allows you to download songs from your (or any) computer without a plug or wire.

9) it has wireless sharing capabilities which means that if you and your friend "greg*" both have zunes and are standing within range of each other, you can up and download each other's music to your player. *could be any name.

so anyway. i am really enjoying my zune. and obviously this company wants me to talk about it and spread the news. but seriously, if i thought it was not a good one i would say so. after all, i already have it and stuff.

and now, if you want to (only if you want to please), you can log on to ChatThreads.com and type in Conversation ID 102 986 0145. there is a short survey and you can have ChatThreads donate up to $5 to charity OR enter to win $500 in amazon.ca gift certificates. the point of the survey is word of mouth... this company just wants to know how word of mouth spreads. but seriously, only do it if you want to. and honestly i really love my zune. although i wish they sent me a sports arm-band!!!!! (that would be very useful.)



in other news, last night i walked for 5 miles on the treadmill, then did some strength training. this morning i had a quick 3-mile run and then did situps. it is so hot now, even in the mornings (not complaining), that running outside can be really draining.

tonight i have a "date" and i am making my boyfriend dinner. we are having quick carne asada and instant mexican rice... i think it is that brand. yes, i'm all about the instant. maybe some refried beanies too. from a jar. :) it's "mexicali" to prepare us for our upcoming cali vacation.

time passes fast

can you believe it's july 7 already? where does the time go?! it is so hot today and i love it. bring on the heat. my weekend was good. i went to a wedding and it was fun times. here i am at the garden ceremony.

i changed for the actual reception. i haven't uploaded any of my own photos yet, although i've been tagged on facebook way too many times already.

next weekend i am going to a cottage. this means bikinis and bathing suits. ayayayayayayayaya! it's not so bad but this week i'm going to really focus on my stomach. i always feel bloated after the weekend. and over the course of my lifetime i've done about 50 million crunches so there must be abs in there somewhere! my plan for this week is to eat sensibly, make my smallest meal dinner, exercise everyday, and increase protein in the form of protein shakes. last week i didn't drink any protein shakes at all. i just forgot all about them, even though they are yummy and delicious.

yesterday i went for a 5-mile run. normally i take sundays off so it really made my day feel like saturday. i haven't done any activity yet today but i don't have anything to do after work so i'll hit the gym for a bike or fast walk. this post is boring me a little. yesterday at my parent's house my mom gave me fresh pineapple... so delicious! i love summer fruit.

ahoy matey

i am in a much better mood today. last night i went back to the sewing studio and got caught up. i finished putting in the zipper, and sewed the tops of the shoulders and the sides of the dress together. now i just have to add the sleeves and do the trim (i think). then i cleaned my entire apartment. bathroom, kitchen, dishes, den, living room, vacuuming, laundry, bedroom, on and on and on. i like going into the weekend feeling ready to relax. weekends are for relaxing not cleaning.

i was going to go running again today, because i can't go for my usual saturday long run tomorrow because of the everlasting wedding, but then i remembered yesterday's run and how it wasn't fun (rhyme) and my right shin has been bothering me (maybe a splint) so i thought a couple of days off would be the best medicine. there is no point exercising if you don't enjoy it.

yesterday at the library i was getting the new book club book (valley of the dolls), and i saw a yoga/pilates dvd, so i got that too.


it is power yoga plus by denise austin. i did it this morning and it was alright, except denise austin is kind of annoying. but who isn't at 7am, really. she kept saying weird things like, "show me that happy face and smile"... don't you think that's weird? 1) who is smiling? 2) the lady in the TV can't see me! at least i hope not.

it was 20 minutes of yoga and 20 of pilates. my problem with this type of exercise is that i am not that flexible. i never have been. i can remember being in dance class as a young girl and practicing the splits every day for years before i could actually do them. i can't touch my toes... maybe my legs are long. denise austin's legs looked kind of stubby to me. anyway. it was alright. the pilates was more vigorous than the yoga. some of the balancing yoga moves were difficult but not impossible. denise austin's voice is kind of baby-talky though, and i kept thinking of rude things and grossing myself out. if you know what i mean. i hope you don't.

oh, and happy 4th of july to my american friends. i am going to celebrate by eating a twinkie. just kidding! relax.

bad mood betty

i am in a poo mood today and i know why. i'm not getting enough sleep and because of that am irritable and because of that am letting little things bother me. like the following:

1) last night at sewing i made an annoying mistake. the back of my dress has four different parts. top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right. well i sewed top left to bottom right and bottom left to top right, then had to rip it out and start all over again. then i could only put in half the zipper at the back. normally this wouldn't annoy me that much but we have to have everything done but the sleeves by next class, which is the last, which means i am going back there tonight after work. i don't want to go back and sew more tonight (whine whine whine), i just want to go home and relax and clean up my apartment like i do most thursdays.

2) it is raining. it feels like for the past month, it's been raining every day. can't it just be a dry, sunny heat wave? come on mother nature.

3) this morning i went for a run and i hated it. it was the worst thing ever. normally i enjoy exercise but not today. i was going to go four miles but when i hit the street that means if i turn around now it's only three miles, i took it. so three miles... better than nothing yes but where is the motivation?

4) yesterday i bought this new pantene product - it's supposed to keep your hair straighter for up to eighteen hours, or something like that. anyway the highlight of my crap run this morning was thinking about how straight my hair was going to be today. so i get home, and the bottle isn't in the bag... why you ask? because there is a HOLE in the bag and it must have fallen out yesterday on the subway or something. ggggaaaahhhhhhgabanoosh!

so that's that. in other news that is happier, i've rented season two of "big love," that show about polygamy, and it's really good. of course every night i get sucked in to watching just "one more episode" and then it's past twelve and that's not really helping my need of sleep. i hardly ever watch tv and only have a week before the dvds are due back. luckily the place i rent from gives you the whole season for $7-10 instead of only episodes one to four.

now more happy news, on saturday i am going to the wedding of the century. there is a brunch, then a church ceremony, then a reception and all the rest. i think it starts at 10am or something ridiculous. it is a big italian wedding with 500 guests or something. i don't even know 500 people!

today on the menu is:

oatmeal
grapes
frozen raspberries
fat free yogurts
banana
larabar
blah blah blah.

short and sweet

today's menu:

quaker weight control maple brown sugar oatmeal
1 T pecans on top
1 fat free yogurt
1 cup red grapes

coffee with milk

100 calorie pack of quaker maple brown sugar oatmeal squares

fat free yogurt
1 T ground flax
1 cup green grapes
sprinkling of fiber one

tuna steak in a wrap or perhaps on a bun
spinach salad

exercise:
3 x 10 running, arm weights, situps... (i am going to do this now). and sewing tonight. we are putting in zippers. :)

oh canada, our home and native land

happy canada day everyone! i am going to a bbq later but first a nice run outside. i already put on sunscreen - i am just waiting for my ipod to charge. i do have 2 other mp3 players but one doesn't have an arm band OR a pants hook thingie, and the other has a sporty armband and is giving me a weird arm band tan. i will wear it if i have to but prefer not to. yes, i am that vain! ;)