booyah!

i am under a lot of pressure at work, which is why my posting is a little ... um ... sparse. it's good pressure though. nothing i can't handle - just lots (tons) of work to do. and i love it, of course, because everything i do is health-fitness-food related. here's what's happening lately!

1. yesterday was my bf's birthday. i got him some awesome presents and the best one is laser teeth whitening - wahhooo! i am getting it done too. we are going on saturday. my teeth are pretty white but my goal is to blind people with my flashy smile. i want that cartoon sparkle to appear on my teeth - like guy smiley from sesame street.

2. i have decided to start a new blog, but not yet. i am too busy right now and of course i have to think of a name and "theme" and whatnot. i like the word whatnot, don't you?

3. last night i ran three miles in the dark. it wasn't that late but it was around 7:45-8:30. there are a lot of shadies in my neighborhood. i don't feel threatened by them but that saying is true - the weirdos really do come out at night hehe.

4. i have one run left before the really big shoe. it's saturday and two miles long. it's actually "20 minutes" but i basically run a 10-minute mile, on average. i also have to pick up my race kit. i can do it today after work or tomorrow during the day. i was going to do it today after work but i think i'm going to choose a nap instead.

5. today is my mom's birthday. i don't know how old she is. for some reason i can never remember the ages of my parents. i bought her a nice shirt and will bring it to her at lunch. i am on a mission to get her wearing more "snazzy" clothes. for christmas last year i got her this awesome jacket and she was the talk of all of her friends. awesome!

happy weekend. tune in for a race-recap next week!

no more shredding

what a busy week this has been. working, other activities at night, 1/2 marathon training ... life is exhausting. i could go to bed earlier but i just hate going to bed early. once a week i'll crash around 9:30 or so but usually i try to be in bed at 10:30 and sleeping by 11 or 11:30 at the very latest (i read at night) but it's still not enough. anyhoo...

last night i was going to run 4 miles but decided to stop after 3. why? it was so hot outside and my legs felt like lead. running was brutal! i thought about why this might be happening. hmmmmm. deep thinking time. 1. the heat obviously is a factor although i was wearing my fuel belt and i have run in hotter temps before with no problems. 2. lack of sleep - this does affect one's ability to work out. 3. jillian michael's 30 day shred. bingo! i did this on monday after work and my legs (especially my inner thighs and bottom) were still sore. good for working muscles - not good for running. i remembered that earlier this week angela from oh she glowsmentioned she was doing the shred and running at the same time and that is what caused her injury - overtraining!

i decided NO MORE SHREDDING until the 1/2 marathon is over. it's on september 27 so i think i'm going to make october the month of the shred and push it hardcore! maybe i'll take measurements and photographs. actually photographs are unlikely LOL.

here is some more random stuffs:

1) i should go swimming tonight but i'm a lazy bumhoolio. my goggles broke on the weekend and i got a new pair yesterday so i have no excuses. i am also going to THE EX tonight which should be F-U-N. i can walk there in 5 minutes too so it's extra cool.

2) on friday i have the day off from work because i am going to a wedding. in the day. on a friday. i think that's strange but i'm not an expert on wedding days or anything. the wedding is early afternoon and the reception is at dinnertime in different cities. i thought it was all at night because it's on a friday so i was mistaken. i was going to do my "long run" on friday morning but now maybe i should push it to saturday ... i'll make the decision based on what time i naturally wake up on friday.

3) i feel kind of bad because my bf's b-day is in september and he was all set to announce his party unless i did some head-math and realized it would be the day before my 1/2 marathon. i cannot attend a party on that day ... that would be utter madness. and he can't have a party without me ... RIGHT!?

4) i ordered a vegan for "singles" cookbook from amazon. i don't like cooking from cookbooks because i hate having a thousand portions of one dish - i'll let you know what i think of it when it arrives and i start the fun.

5) bread doesn't go stale in the freezer, right? let's say i bought some bread products that were 50% off because they were going to expire in the next few days. and then i put them in my freezer right away - that's fine right? my mom said, "i didn't think you were that poor that you had to purchase stale bread." it's not stale ... right? dammit! i just love getting a deal!

6) today i bought some jelly belly sport beans and clif shots for my over an hour long runs. i think 8 miles and up i'll be taking these. i have one 10 mile run (GULP) and one 8 mile run before the race. does anyone have experience with these?

last post

it's my last post until i come back from vacation. we leave tomorrow at 4pm, which means we have to be at the airport at 2pm, and we are driving to my boyfriend's parent's house and having lunch there before his mom drives us to the airport, which means i have to leave my house at noon, which doesn't leave too much time for running around like a chicken with my head off, i mean packing.

time for a list!

1) today after work i had a manicure and a pedicure - not full ones (no cuticle work as they say in the biz) but still nice. red toes and french fingers.

2) it took me SO LONG to drive home after work. i didn't realize that the opening caribana festival was happening right down my street!

3) i have not run since my bum-debilitating run on monday. however, i did go swimming on tuesday, wednesday and thursday - just a few minutes ago. it's getting boring but i might try to get in another swim tomorrow morning.

4) i just ate some pickles. and 65g of egg whites with a fat free cheese slice on top, microwaved for 50 seconds and topped with chili lime sauce. yum but now i'll probably have nightmares.

5) did you know that if you eat spicy foods right before bed, you have nightmares? ay carbumba! maybe it's just me.

6) i am so excited to go on vacation. especially to a resort where we can just chillax. last year we drove down the coast of california and it was an adventure vacation. now i really need a nothing but beaches and buffets vacation.

7) today on my long drive home i was starving and then remembered i had a coconut cream pie larabar in my purse. i took a bite and it was DISGUSTING! what gives? i have had this flava flav before and it was my favourite. i just bought it last week or maybe this week - yes - i think it was monday! or tuesday ... anyway, do larabars go bad? bad experience! i want to try that pb and j one that's being tested in the US blogosphere.

8) i am bringing my garmin on vacation. i haven't decided if i'll run or not. depends on bum pain and general laziness. i'm not really a lazy person though - i like to join in the group aerobics, etc. we'll see!

9) you can "madmen" yourself here. here i am:



10) time for the bed. bye bye!

busy

my stomach is wonky today - blame being a woman!

last night i cleaned the kitchen - under the sink, the sinks themselves, under the stove and fridge, in the fridge, in the microwave, the counter tops and cabinet doors, etc. i didn't get to the bathroom because i couldn't be bothered. i went for a 5-mile run along the lake. it was good but i put my zune in the back pocket of my tighty spandex shorts and then one of the earphones kept cutting out after the 3.5 mile mark. i have a feeling it's because the zune was getting damp due to sweat. sick i know - i won't make that mistake again. hopefully it just dried and will work again.

last night i also worked on a picture i drew for my boyfriend for our 30 monthaversary. it's a pinup. i just took a picture with my laptop but i can't post it until i give it to him. it's not my best work - really i could have put more effort into it, but things are getting crazy and i'm happy i did anything at all.

the good news is that tomorrow's book photo shoot is postponed due to rain. good because i have lots of work to do in the office and i can have a regular schedule and celebrate my birthday on time. ;)

tonight is the no doubt concert. i am going with my bf and my bff who is coming after work. since i get off at 4 i might have time for a swim before she arrives, although i have to tidy the bathroom as well. messiness = personal embarrassment. ok i'm definitely swimming. i also have to pick up milk for breakfast on the way home. i have to make dinner for the three of us. my bff is bringing greens from some garden thing she grows out of (community something or other?) and i am making lean chicken cheese meatballs from sobeys (YES) and whole wheat pasta with tomato paste. i am all about using the paste as sauce. i hate when things are too saucy and by things i just mean pasta. i like a saucy pizza. SAUCY.

this week i have been trying to eat breakfast before i leave for work. it's rushed so cereal and milk, but i find it's holding my hunger off until my midmorning vitatop snack perfectly. i used to have a vitatop in the car, then breakfast at work, but i'd rather eat the bigger part first. that way you start the day feeling pleasantly full and that's better than being sort of moderately hungry - wouldn't you agree?

anyway, that's that! booyah. i still haven't uploaded my pictures from saturday but others have and they are exactly the same. ha.

HRM stats

bonjour. i have some info for "y'all." yesterday i wore my heart rate monitor from 7am until 6:30am - that's 23.5 hours, almost a whole day. i couldn't leave it on for 24 because i had to shower before work. you know how it is. anyway. i recorded my calorie burn almost every hour on the hour. here are the gory details:

total calorie burn: 1930

average calorie burn while awake: 72 per hour

average calorie burn while asleep: 58 per hour

calories burned during my 3-mile/32:24 minute (in the heart rate zone) run: 300

**** more stats ****

at the end of my awake day (7am to 11pm) including running, i burned 1494 calories.

on lazy days where i do nothing, sleep for 7 hours and am awake for 17 hours, i burn 1630 calories.

on days that i run 3-miles, i burn 1930 calories.

if i run three times per week, i have to eat an average of 1762 calories per day to maintain my weight.

now, of course i really should wear it for more days to have a more accurate average. and i will, but i needed a break from that chest strap. throughout the day, i didn't do too much. i sat on my bum at work and after dinner went out for dinner and then to the movies, which involved more sitting, which is somewhat atypical for most of my evenings (usually i am cleaning or doing something around my apartment).

**** to conclude ****

i was a bit maddened to find out that i only burned 1500 calories on a day that i burned 300 calories running, but i didn't think to add in the calories burned in sleep. i always knew that i didn't burn 2000-2500 calories a day, like the average woman (apparently, according to tv). i feel like my eyes are more opened. obviously i can't change the way my body works but now i can eat with the knowledge of when to ABSOLUTELY STOP. i could work out more or every day but that's unrealistic as well.



i am feeling pretty motivated. i am counting points in a little notebook (online subscription cancelled - do not need it), running three times a week and now i am more aware about what's going on in my own body. i am really inspired by my boyfriend's brother's girlfriend, who recently lost about 40 or 50 pounds by counting ww points herself, without the help of meetings or online resources. she said she was up about six pounds so is tracking again to get back down and avoiding alcohol. it's very inspiring - i can do that too. i really don't need to be drinking any of my calories on the weekend while i'm trying to reach my summer weight. if i just stay strict for a couple of weeks, i'll be there and then i can enjoy the summer and fit into my short shorts again. one of my friend's mottos is: tomorrow is a new day. that used to be my motto too until i got too comfortable with things. when the calories (or points or whatever) are eaten, it's time to stop even if you are still a bit hungry. a little bit of hunger isn't the end of the world and tomorrow is a new day to start again - preferably with delicious oatmeal.

BAD BLOGGER

i am a bad blogger. take me to the garage and shoot me! my mom used to say that - i don't know why. i always thought it was really funny until just now when i thought of it literally and literally it's not funny at all. wow, emo! it's still funny if not taken literally. i can still take a joke ... i hope.

things have been really busy. last thursday i was out of the house from 7:15am (when i leave for work) until 11pm. i went to work, went running at lunch, went to the library after work, to a group meeting, then to see the dears with my boyfriend. long but pleasant day. on friday i came home after work and napped, woke up to eat and watch a bit of tv, then back to sleep at 11. i am battling this throat illness now. what is up with me contracting all of these sicknesses lately? thankfully it's not swine flu. oink oink! i can deal with the throat - it's sinus problems that are killer. head stuffed up = can't think = can't work but still have to work! look - here we are on thursday at the concert in the pouring rain - the radio station was taking pictures of people with neat umbrellas. mine is a monet - my mom gave it to me for easter ... thanks mom!

yesterday we went to see franz ferninand and i didn't get home until midnight. i had a nap before the show but still. it's concert city lately =D spring is here and so is the music.

i went for a run today at lunchtime. work is over but i'm still hanging around. i'm meeting my mom and sister at swiss chalet for dinner and then meeting some girlfriends at the movies here in the burbs. we are going to see ghosts of girlfriends past.

running is going well. today i am monitoring my calorie burn a la shirls. i am tracking it on my HRM from 7am this morning until about 11pm tonight - that's probably when i'll go to sleep. i will share the results tomorrow but can tell you right now that it pains me how low it is.

i forgot to share the big news with you all. are you ready? really? ok here it is. 1/2 scoop of protein powder in the oatmeal is tastier than one full scoop, but not as tasty as ZERO scoops, hehe. i do like protein powder mixed with fat free plain or vanilla yogurt though - yum. i had some today for lunch with raspberries mixed in.

i better get going! i am going to canadian tire to buy myself this zero-gravity chair for summer reading on my balcony. i was also going to buy this breadmaker because it's 45% off but changed my mind. i will never bake my own bread. i've used my rice cooker ONCE and my crock pot ZERO times. these are things i'm sure i'll use when i have a family, but i don't need more stuff collecting dust in my tiny condo. the end. thank you and goodnight.

psssst

i am feeling really overwhelmed right now.

1) work is VERY busy. so busy that i'll be working at home tonight and probably another night (if i can find one!) this week.

2) diet and exercise ... ah, i don't know. there was an incident with reeces eggs on the weekend. this week (starting yesterday) i am one with the protein and trying my best to avoid carbohydrates. i know it's not that balanced but it's only for a few days and it works for my body. i went for a 5k run on saturday ... no bum pain!

3) i joined this group outside of work and my normal friends, in order to meet new people and step outside my own comfort box. i'm sort of regretting it because i HATE it when i don't have any personal time. i don't like having to be somewhere after work (other than home). thankfully there is only about a month left. the people are nice and it's fun, but too much, especially now that i have real work to do at home.

4) once again, my apartment is a mess. i'll try to do a speed clean tonight between working. why can't i just be a lady of leisure and have lots of money too? then i could pay people to do things for me.

5) i am trying so hard not to snack. well, not trying not to, i'm just not doing it. my snacking lately has been out of control and i'm sure that's why i was putting on weight. stressed at work? eat something. home from work? eat something. any other situation? eat something. it doesn't matter that i choose healthy options like fat free yogurt and berries. too much eating that wasn't part of a regularly scheduled meal. it's really tough. i'm hoping my stomach is shrinking from the lack of snacking!

6) the end. sorry i'm grumpy. i'm just stressed (and it's t.o.m.) yelch!

last day of freedom

this is a real time post! i am sitting in my own den - it's so lovely and quiet with just me and my cat and not a thousand other family members. ;) family time was very nice, but i'm happy to get back to my regular life. i still feel out of the loop so here is a list:

1) posting in advance is easy! all you have to do is type up your post as usual, and then adjust the date and time in the "post options." i can see the post options link right below the words i am typing right now.... to the left of the labels for the post. this description is only for blogger users - not sure about wordpress or typepad or the other hosting sites.

2) new job tomorrow! excitement =D

3) winnipeg trip over! winnipeg was cold at first, but warmed up by the end of the trip. my cousin's hockey team in the US won the weekend tournament - that was a lot of fun. they player's are treated like movie stars - booths and free bottle service in the dance clubs. it really blew my mind because here in toronto you really have to be a somebody to get that kind of service. something i have never experienced despite my obvious somebodyness! hmph.

4) i didn't do too much shopping if you can believe it - i only got clothes in winnipeg from rickis (they don't have that store in toronto, although they do in the GTA). i got some of the regular food staples (25 calorie hot chocolate for my commute coffee, kashi fruit bars, peanut butter cookie larabars!)...

EDIT: i saved this post this morning and now it's nighttime. i have been rushing around trying to get everything organized and ready for tomorrow. how exciting! i'll continue on.

5) food on the trip: not great but not terrible. last night after i came home my bf and i ordered pizza and NOT the healthy kind. thankfully tomorrow begins my "routine" and i already have an awesome lunch packed: hummus veggie wrap, apple and yogurt, and a kashi bar if i get hungry.

6) exercise on the trip was not great either, but not-not existent. double negative means i did yoga three or four times and went swimming once. but the swimming was in the hotel pool which wasn't big enough for laps (and freezing) so i did maybe 20-minutes of bouncing and diving around before deciding enough was enough. i did go swimming today and maybe will tomorrow before work, we shall see.

7) wish me luck. =D

when days are hot, when days are cold

do you want to know what really gets my goat? (i don't really have a goat by the way) what gets my goat, is finding the perfect product online, at a reasonable cost, with reasonable shipping fees, only to find out at the very end of the transaction that they don't ship to canada. WHY NOT?!?!?! it's evil. we are part of the same continent as the US. and now that i'm on this subject, why OH WHY does it cost SO MUCH to ship american magazines to canadian addresses? a ridiculous amount more. i'd be willing to pay more for postage, but this goes way beyond postage. not fair not fair not fair.

the product i wanted from the united states was the iposture. this is definitely a "want" not a "need" item. i can imagine the poorest people in africa slapping me in the face for even considering this gadget. it's a little buzzing device that you attach to your skin or bra, and when you slouch for more than a minute, it buzzes until you correct yourself. eventually it's supposed to train you to sit and stand up more straight. i want this because i'm so slouchy. sometimes sitting up straight can be painful. i see those little old hunchback ladies walking down the street, bent over their canes, and i'll be damned if that is going to be me one day. note to self: keep eating dairy! i was practicing the keyboard a couple of days ago, sitting on one of my cheap kitchen table chairs from ikea with a straight back. after five minutes my back was killing me, but i had to maintain a straight posture to play. how many slouchy pianists have you seen? anyhoo, my shipping rejection happened a few weeks ago but it got me thinking. there was a fabulous sale on the device too. boxing week 50% off or something. i wouldn't pay full price!

this morning i got up early for a 40-minute morning swim. i didn't want to (of course) but as soon as i got into the pool all was cool. the water was chilly which is best because a) it wakes you up and b) you are constantly refreshed while working out. here is my standard 40-minute swimming workout. each "length" is about 15 metres - that is going from one side of the pool to the other.

40 lengths front crawl
20 lengths breast stroke
10 lengths front crawl
10 lengths breast stroke
20 lengths of 1 breast stroke, 1 front crawl

and then at the end i do 20 lengths of "cool down" which is five times of this:
1 length breast stroke, 1 length sprint front crawl (as fast as possible... like phelps), 1 length relaxed front crawl, and 1 length back crawl.

i find that if i don't count my lengths it's very confusing. i can't just swim for 40 minutes without a plan because it's so disorganized and unstructured. swimmer's ocd!

bah humbug

i'm here, all is alright. tonight is my holiday book club potluck party. last night i ran for 30 minutes without stopping and without bum pain. i have not heard from EITHER job position and it's really frustrating me!!! those stupid jerks. don't they know i am going crazy?!?! my anniversary was very nice and romantic. we had dinner at the top of the CN tower in the revolving restaurant and my main squeeze gave me a diamond heart necklace. ooh la la.

TGIF

i can honestly say, thank goodness it's friday. i have to make this quick because i am about to drive to the burbs AGAIN to help my mom out at the office AGAIN. not that i mind, because i like having money (as opposed to no money), but i hate hate HATE driving all that way. in the morning it's not so bad, but coming home... bleh. yesterday i was stuck in traffic and was so rushed.

even thought it's not my weigh-in day, i hopped on the scale and guess what people... i am not losing weight! what gives!? i am eating within my points, exercising, doing everything right, avoiding booze... i just don't get it. not cool. at least i am not gaining which is the main thing. and i've been eating some carbolicious things for dinner, sometimes not until 8 or 9 at night, so maybe it's just tummy food.

yesterday for my mom's birthday we were going to go out for lunch, but there wasn't time (busy office) so i picked us up wendy's instead. thank goodness i got my wendy's hungry-girl guide in the email yesterday. ;) i had a chicken grill sandwich with no honey mustard sauce and a side salad. the sandwich is 7 points with the sauce, 5 without. that is a big difference. my mom and her boss also got the sandwich... they were trying to follow my healthy lead which is funny (sort of) and cute.

the bad news is that i ran yesterday morning, and over the course of the day my bum pain started to reappear. and then this morning it felt worse! boo hoo hoo. and i had to ride my bike home from my boyfriend's house at 7am. i can think of more fun things, although it was downhill! :)

the good news is that the finance magazine company liked my article and i am going for an interview on monday. yippee! i will just see how it goes... finance isn't the greatest topic for me to write about, but having a job *writing* for a magazine and getting articles published all the time could be a great stepping stone to writing about something i enjoy, for example, health and fitness, or FASHION.

i am pooped. friday i love you. tonight is the event my boyfriend puts on. here is a flyer for you torontonians. come on down and enjoy the show, it's gonna be rad!

i have a problem

and it's my love of coffee. i love coffee. it's so warm and yummy and makes me feel good all over. right now i am halfway through reading skinny bitch, which tells you that coffee is bad (and everything is bad...) and if you *need* coffee then you have a problem. well, i don't think i need coffee. i don't have it everyday, and sometimes i only drink half a cup and forget about it. and i make a point not to drink more than 2 cups per day (if i'm really jonesing for coffee), and now that i'm in my almost mid-late twenties, i try not to have coffee at night. it doesn't keep me up at night but the tables could turn at any moment.

in other news, this morning i did an anti-boredom workout: bike, arm weights, elliptical, more arm weights, treadmill, stretching it out. i also did this new arm free-weights move that i read about here on fit celeb. except i used 5-pound weights because my gym doesn't have 3-pound weights... and 3 pounds is too light for me. i think jessica biel (from the fit celeb link) has a superfit, awesome body. she is feminine, but also hardcore... that's what i want. although i'm sure some people might think she is too buff, i am not one of them. see!:

weird how that picture is from chinadaily.com, haha. anyway.

i just noticed yesterday that erin from going skinny tagged me for a meme game. here are the rules:


1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names, linking to them.
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

my five:
1) some of you may know that i am learning to sew... i took a class and made a pillow (and haven't done anything since)... until now! on facebook i won a $100 prize from the sewing studio, and i've signed up for the "how to make a summer dress" class... isn't that rad? it's 4 classes and doesn't start until mid-june. but a summer dress? hooray! just think... once i've made one... i can make a thousand, and wear something different every day of my life.

2) i was a very picky eater as a child. my mom would say stuff like, "if you don't eat that broccoli, then you can't have dessert" and i'd be fine with that. now i can't imagine not wanting dessert, hah. i hated all green veggies, most other vegetables, salad, rice (who hates rice?), and all seafood.

3) i ride my bike to work everyday, if it is not raining, or winter. i love riding my bike but only at a comfortable speed. i am not afraid of going fast... just lazy. i work out hard in my actual workouts, so i want bike riding to be something enjoyable and relaxing. i have a cruiser... here i am last summer - now i have a blue milk crate basket at the back to put my stuff in.


4) i have workout ocd. for example, when i'm running, i have to know a) exactly how far i'm going or b) how many calories i'm burning, but not necessarily both. it's a bummer too, because i live really close to lake ontario, and wouldn't it be nice to go for a run by the lake? but noooooo, since i can't plan my route on mapmyrun.com, i haven't even tried it yet. how crazy is that? that being said, the weather hasn't been *that* nice yet... so hopefully this summer i can overcome this ridiculous idea.

5) i was really obsessed with getting a papasan chair and so i got one, in black, and now i hardly ever sit in it... go figure. it's too comfortable. once i sit down, it's very difficult to get up out of it. my dream is to bring it out on the balcony in the summer and read, and it hasn't really been warm enough yet to do that (because of wind) so hopefully soon.

and now i have to tag five people, so randomly i'm choosing: shelley, crystal, mandy, shirls, and laura. tagging people is a lot of work.

not at work

i am not at work today so my schedule is a bit off.

in the comments of my last post, veggie gal asked about fibre source bars - you can find information about them here. i couldn't put a direct link but they are at the far right of the granola bars. they are pretty tasty and not that bad for you, but they do contain HFCS which as we all know is made in HELL. i wasn't aware of this when i purchased a GIANT BOX of them from costco haha, so i'm still going to eat them when i need something quick.

i wasn't feeling so hot last night, so i called in sick today. but now i'm feeling much better after a really great sleep.

today on the menu:

1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup cheerios
1/2 cup strawberries

1 slice sprouted grains toast
1 high fibre blueberry waffle, plain

steel cut oats

and tonight i am supposed to go to a "tv party" - girls only of course and it's a potluck. i made my own hummus (although it tastes weird to moi) and and bringing pita chips. i think the hummus tastes weird because i looked up "healthy hummus" online and found one without tahini... some people don't like tahini so i wanted to make it accessible... and now it tastes weird. ay carumba! i'm just going to act like it's the best thing since sliced bread and the power of the secret will work for me hahaha. i hope there are no more sausage links popping out of stomachs on grey's anatomy... gross.

have a nice thursday. :)

get 'r done

i hate when people use this phrase: get 'r done, haha, but it's what i've been doing. last night i organized the kitchen and now there is room for everything. i have a lot of kitchen appliances.

on the counter we have:
4 slice toaster
kettle
kitchen scale

under the counter in a cabinet we have:
blender
immersion blender
crock pot
popcorn popper
toaster oven
waffle maker
george foreman grill
12-cup coffee maker

isn't that a lot? not that i even do that much cooking. but i do a) drink a lot of hot bevs, b) toast things quite often, c) use the george foreman grill often enough. i wanted the blender because they are fun to have and the 12-cup coffee maker in case one day i ever have a dinner party and need to serve a large quantity of coffee. planning ahead ;o)

i also unpacked a lot of boxes. i am the recipient of my uncle's old computer, which is really up-to-date and fancy schmancy. it was really hard to put together because there are a million kazillion random wires and plugs and cords. i think i did it though. i also got one of his old desks but i think it's too big. it takes up almost 1/2 of my little den. my old desk is falling apart and from ikea but i don't know... i'm just not into the new one and it's obscene size.

anyway, i worked nonstop until about 11pm and found it hard to wind down. my boyfriend came over after his band rehearsal and we ate popcorn and these new indian masala lays chips while watching the beginning of the biggest loser that i taped earlier. i had a 24 package of smartpop from costco and it's all gone. apparently i eat that much popcorn. unfortunately the 32 pack of fibre source granola bars isn't depleting so quickly.

tonight is my photoshop course again. on monday my instructor brought his dog, which was the biggest pitbull i've ever seen. the friendliest one too. my desk is beside the instructors and that dog spent 1/2 the time slobbering all over my arms... eeewwwwww! the other 1/2 was spent snoozing on the floor. :o)

this morning i walked for 60 minutes interval inclines, and did 15 minutes on the stationary bike. and today i'm eating:

pc blue menu multigrain oatmeal with splenda and ground flax
cottage cheese cup with mixed berries

almonds

tuna fish sandwich
apple
vanilla yogurt

dinner: ? (rushed because of course)

moo it's monday

i ate a lot this weekend. A LOT. i went out for dinner friday and had bah me gai, a thai-style dish, and pizza later on. on saturday i had eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast, popcorn, those delicious candy nibs, chinese food, more popcorn, wine, and cheetos. yes, cheetos. on sunday morning i had leftover chinese food and pizza for breakfast. and a latte made from egg nog soymilk and espresso coffee. and chili for dinner too. yup. surprisingly i'm not up that much on the scale this morning... not even two pounds, so i'm not too worried. i eat very well during the week and i like to indulge on the weekend. work hard during the week, slack on the weekend.

on saturday afternoon i went to see 'we will rock you' the musical and it was alright. i wouldn't recommend it, but i wouldn't *not* recommend it either. if you are a musical connaisseur (like me) then you won't be that impressed. my mom gave my non-starting car a boost on saturday and luckily it started again yesterday and then this morning and i finally took it to canadian tire to have the new battery installed.

tonight is back to the gym. i am going to run on the treadmill and do weights. i should try the pool before my membership expires because they just switched it over to a saltwater pool. i got this online:

"Though the water in a saltwater pool is saline, it's actually nothing like swimming in the ocean. The salt concentration in the pool tops out at about 2800 to 4000 parts per million, compared to 50,000 parts per million in ocean water. Saltwater pools are less salty than tears (you usually can't even taste the salt) but the soft, luxurious feel of the water, not to mention freedom from the burning feeling of too much chlorine, is immediately noticeable."

OH BOY!

here is today's menu:

breakfast:
coffee (0)
chocolate chip banana bran muffin (1)
clementine (0.5)
1.5/19

snack:
oatmeal (2.5)
berries (0)
pumpkin (0)
4/19

lunch:
lean cuisine ravioli (5)
spinach leaves (0)
pear (1)
10/19

snack:
clementine (0.5)
10.5/19

dinner:
chicken obviously, probably potatoes as well

i'm so happy it's friday

my shopping trip last night was pretty successful! i didn't get any work shoes for fall, but they really have a nice collection. AND SO CHEAP. i bought a pair of dark reddish (almost a browny red) pair of heels with a peep hole and strap, patent too. i wouldn't wear them to work because my office is very casual, but i would wear them out and about - they are hot! and best part is, they were regular $115 on sale for $29.99. the bad thing about the shoe outlet is that most of the shoes were size 5 1/2. or 10. but they had stuff in the back and the salesgirls were very helpful. there were a lot of other outlets on the same road - le chateau... some bedding stores, suit stores... etc.

my allergies are acting up even though i took a reactine this morning. i also rode my bike to work - go me!

because i am so happy it's friday - here is a friday five of sorts!

what makes me laugh today:

1) Colin Ferrell spending thousands on a Toronto homeless man let it be known that he took the man to a sporting goods store that is two stores down from my office. i was working away and colin ferrell was in my vicinity.

2) the coach of the leafs is vowing that we'll make the playoffs this year ... when we make the playoffs - maybe i'll start watching hockey!

3) britney calling herself a "fat pig" after her performance. true, maybe she should have covered up a little more, but a fat pig? i don't think so! she's had two kids! and stomach surgery... but that isn't the point.

4) these kitchen gadgets. i want them all. especially the little omlet egg pan thing.

5) ugly christmas sweater parties

enough said. for mousearoo who asked, i am taking a learn to run course at the miles nadal jewish community centre. starts monday - right after the new year!

menu:
breakfast:
starbucks latte (2)
2 slices rye toast (2)
2 tbsp PBS peanut butter (1)
5/19

lunch:
lean cuisine (5)
2 slices ww bread (1)
11/19

dinner:
i don't know - but something with veggies since i'm obviously lacking.