hair day

i am not working today. what a beautiful day, even though it's raining. later this afternoon, i am getting my hair "did". now that i have short blond hair i have to get it done about every 1.3 months. every time i'm feeling a little rough looking i check my outbox to see when the last time i scheduled a hair appointment was, and lo and behold, it's always between 1.3 and 1.5 months. i am trying to grow it but it's hard. two hairdos ago it kept breaking, so last time i had highlites and lolites, and this time... who knows? it's expensive too. i just don't know what to do. do i go back dark or keep it light? i love the way it looks both ways, just when i go dark again i know i will keep it that way for a long time.

here is my exercise update:

yesterday afternoon i tried the 25 minute power yoga #3, from yogadownload.com. it was powerful! after doing sun salutations, then warrior 1, warrior 2 and reverse warrior, my legs were shaking like mad, especially during my last downward dog. i was sweating!

last night i decided to head down to the condo gym and pump a little iron. when i got there i saw that some nice girl had dropped off all her celebrity magazines from february (what!?) and so i took a few onto the treadmill for some juicy reading and a 3-mile walk. i just couldn't resist. i can't justify spending money on those magazines when there is so much awesome celeb gossip online for free, so it was a treat. i like to spend my money on things that can give me pleasure over and over again, like shoes and clothes. after my walk i used some free weights. i read somewhere that one of the exercises jessica biel does to get those ripped arms is holding free weights, and lifting her arms straight in front of her, moving up and down with a series of five circles. five circles up, five circles down.

this morning i did a relaxing 20-minute yoga download, hatha #1. i think this is my favourite one for just relaxing. i like jackie's voice the best, especially when she says, "let go of your day, let go of your agenda." she really draws out the words and i feel so dreamy. i also went for a swim this morning, but i was feeling a bit shaky by the end, so i stopped after 100 lengths, instead of doing my usual 120.

today i'm just going to clean things and go for my hair appointment. happy weekend.

pizza pizza

today is rainy and gray. typical november. it's also that time of year when all media from the united states is bombarding us about thanksgiving. well... been there, done that in october! i don't need to know how to make healthy cranberry sauce and stuffing NOW! not that i make that stuff for canadian thankgiving either ;)

i am feeling pretty great this week. my pants are fitting way better. PHEWF! the feeling of having your pants fit is so much better than the two minute enjoyment i'd get from eating a donut. mmmm donuts. i mean, yay pants! someone actually brought donuts to the office on tuesday. i didn't eat one but i brought one home and put it in my freezer. for as long as i have existed with teeth on this planet, i have loved walnut crunch donuts from tim hortons. i have memories of being a child and going there with my grandparents and getting that. always that one. every other donut was a disappointment in comparison. even kid-friendly ones with sprinkles. of course i have to choose the one with the most fat and calories! isn't that always the way! maybe i'll stop talking about donuts now, sorry! so the donut is in my freezer but i'm not worried. i will split it with my boyfriend on the weekend or something. 1/2 a donut = good times.

last night was wednesday date night, and so we ordered pizza. i didn't really want to but he was starving and said i could order "that gross multigrain crust" if i wanted. ha! we got a thin crust pizza (not multigrain) with mushrooms, red onion, green pepper, pepperoni, and spicy italian sausage. i had three small pieces... and i mean small. it was like 1.5 of the bigger ones total. i really was so impressed with myself for stopping when i was satisfied and not too full. it helped that i was using a knife and fork to slow me down. my boyfriend finished three pieces in the time it took me to consume one. do you like that word: consume?


i didn't exercise today (yet!!!) but hopefully i can do something tonight. not running because my inner thighs are a bit ouchy, but either a long walk (i have some new magazines) or a swim. probably a walk.

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

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.

bad mood betty

i am not impressed with today. already, it's pouring outside, i was a smushed sardine (against people with b.o.) on the streetcar this morning, my curtains crashed to the floor in my bedroom for no reason, i tried to put them back up (with screws and a drill) and they crashed down again, leaving a stupid ugly hole in my freshly painted wall, i am going to a bridal shower right after work today and had to bring my outfit to work, which means i have to get ready at work, and so on so on so on blah blah blah.

the shower is so far up north that i have to take the subway all the way up to the last stop, where a friend is meeting me and driving us the rest of the way (about 30 mins). it is an italian wedding shower which means a five-course dinner. i am not complaining about that, of course. :o) however, i am not in the mood to play any shower games. and if anyone asks me when i am getting married i am going to wind up my arm like a female baseball pitcher and sock 'em one! yes, i said sock 'em. then i am taking the subway all the way back downtown and meeting up with my boyfriend and our friend who is having a birthday party at a dance club. keep in mind that i won't have gone home all day! obviously i'm going to have to leave clothes and stuff at work. i hate being a dance place and carrying a purse. girls with purses are soooooo annoying. they are always bumping into everything. damn it!

today is weigh in and i am 118.4 up 2.2 pounds from last week. i am not surprised because i could not keep my hands out of the cereal box. seriously i was a snacking fiend. it doesn't bother me at all that i gained, because i'm in the range, but it bothers me that i couldn't stop snacking. i wasn't even hungry. i knew i wasn't hungry and in my mind i said, "close the box, close it right now" and i still didn't. next week my goal will be not to snack on cereal. maybe i will hide the cereal. how ridiculous.

today i'm eating:

1 blueberry fibre waffle
100g source yogurt

weight control oatmeal with flax and a 1/3 package regular oatmeal (i put too much water in)
coffee coffee coffee

ravioli lean cuisine with added red, yellow, orange peppers

an apple

super fabulous dinner

mourning monday

not really "mourning" anything except the weekend. i bought my cat oliver a "luxury cat scratching post and stand" thing and he broke off the fluffy ball on the elastic string in less than an hour. GREAT. he's very naughty but cute so he gets away with everything.

the chocolate peppermint soymilk i posted in friday's entry is out of this world. it's not that low in calories, but still, unbelievably tasty. i made lattes with it on sunday morning. it was christmas bliss.

on saturday i finished week six of the running podcasts, which is 25 minutes running, without stopping. i couldn't believe that i could do it. i was trying to boost myself up by telling myself i could do it, but was still having doubts. if you think you can't do something you probably won't be able to. week seven is three sessions of running 25 minutes. week eight is three sessions of 28 minutes, and the final week is three sessions of 30 minutes. then i will run around the world.

on that note, here is the menu for this rainy monday.

breakfast:
chocolate chip banana bran muffin (1)
oatmeal with berries (2)
3/19

lunch:
obscene amount of fresh greens (0)
fat free caesar dressing (1)
lean cuisine (5)
9/19

snack:
slice of mulitgrain bread (2)
11/19

dinner: it's a mystery!