the worst weather

wow. the weather was really bad yesterday and more of it is expected today. cold, windy, raining, SNOWING. yelch! and driving is especially terrible, especially when one lane of the onramp of my second highway is closed for the foreseeable future. i'm complaining carol, i apologize.

i've been really busy lately. so busy, in fact, that i have to schedule time for things like "ironing" and "running the dishwasher." i have a lot of creative work to do - for work and for groups i joined in my personal life. and i want to keep up with swimming and my new strength training routine and be sleeping by 11pm every night. (i have to wake up at 6:15 - that's why i have to go to bed early.)

on sunday night i managed to turn off the lights at 11:23pm. pretty good considering the sunday morning sleep in and feeling a bit more energetic. i've started sleeping with my bedroom window open - i've turned off the heat but it's still hot in my condo apartment and if i don't open the window i wake up in a hot/cold sweat. so the window is open, and suddenly i hear people talking. who is talking? is someone on my balcony? i look at the clock. it's 3:15am. three fifteen people! my very new neighbour (we share a balcony split by a glass wall) is having some sort of wacky patio party. gahhhhhhh! who has friends over until 3:15am on a sunday night?! nothing good can come of this! nothing!

anyway, enough complaining carol. yesterday after work i came home and went swimming. i really didn't want to but i pushed through. my leg/bum muscles are sore from sunday's workout, but way less so than before. i have some nice muscle soreness in the middle of my back from doing the seated cable row. the trick is to squeeze your back muscles together every time you pull back. this man is happier when his arms are straight. me too buddy, me too. i am going to the work gym today at lunch for another strength training workout.

one more thing. i'm in a cardio rut. i am so sick of swimming. i've been doing it for so many months, it's boring to me now, my arms are way too buff for their own good, it's not challenging, etc. maybe i should just start running again. maybe i'm just terrified of the bum pain but it's something that can be worked through. maybe i'm so scared of the pain that it's only in my head - the fear that it might return i mean ... i am going to think about it. i will post my decision, when i decide of course. biggest loser tonight - i haven't watched in weeks. good thing i scheduled my ironing for tonight ;)


ps. did anyone notice that balcony party picture is a "pimpz n hoz" party - free beer woohoo!

i did it again

good morning. happy monday to you all. :) i'm only saying that because it's sunday night and i'm writing this post in advance. i'm going to write it like it is monday, so when i say "yesterday" i mean sunday, today. i've started confusing myself.

my weekend was pretty good. friday was my weigh in and i gained 0.4 pounds - THE HORROR! anything under a pound and i say it's nothing. except 0.8 - that's pretty much a pounds and should not be taken lightly. i have to get serious now people. i am not in summer shape. i have now 7.8 pounds to go, or something like that. i'll re-evaluate after five.

friday wasn't the best day. it was raining ALL BLOODY DAY. seriously - we got 40 point something millimetres. the previous record was 20 point something millimetres in 1950 ... so that's a lot of rain. i was also pooped from the week. i went to the movies and saw slumdog millionaire. it was good but the hype blew up my expectations and i was disappointed. i always base my movie reviews on whether or not my bum hurts in the movie seat. if the movie is great, i'm so capivated that i don't think about sitting for too long ... but when i find my mind drifting away from the movie and to my bum, that means the movie is B O R I N G. i'm not saying slumdog was boring, it just wasn't as "amazingly revolutionary ... like nothing i've ever seen" as a friend of mine put it.

i went to the gym on friday at work at lunch. since i couldn't walk (from working out my leg muscles on wednesday!) i just did 30 minutes on the elliptical and some arms and abs. pretty good.

on saturday i went swimming. yesterday (today ... shhh) i went to my condo gym and did a full body strength-training workout. my work gym is clothed today for a shoot so i wanted to get it in while i can. i am definitely in pain again - only time will tell if it's as bad as the first workout. it's not bad pain - it's what those fitness buffs call "sweet pain." my arms don't hurt - it's just my legs. after i'm done, i feel shaky and like vomiting. i googled that and it's normal - it just means i'm not used to working out so hard and i've got to keep it up. i will for another month and then if my symptoms persist i'll do something about it.

where the sky meets the sea

 

i haven't really sorted through the photos yet, but here is a nice one. it's somewhere on the road between san francisco and santa cruz. it doesn't look like a real photo because the ocean and beach shouldn't connect like that... i'm actually standing on the edge of a giant cliff (scary). it was so windy but beautiful. this is the just after we drove away from the san francisco fog and gloom. it was so weird how the division between fog and sun was so drastic and obvious. i got these purple pants in san francisco... love them!

yesterday i tried swimming but my leg was really hurting so i had to stop. my mom wants me to visit a chiropractor and i am seriously considering it. my boyfriend and i cleaned his apartment pretty much all afternoon - until about 7. i did the whole bathroom and under the stove elements. we might go back today... i'd rather just get it over with. he is so excited about it and so am i because it's in my old neighbourhood which i miss a lot. it's a bustling area... people are always out doing things on the street.

so i have the choice to see two movies. 1) mama mia and 2) the dark knight. what should i choose?

even with no exercise, my weight is going back down. thank you fibre :) i hate not being able to do hard core exercise. maybe this injury is my body's way of saying it was too much. when i feel better again i will definitely ease into something. being hardcore was fun while it lasted.

i also wanted to mention that the egg on oatmeal was totally delicious. people eat eggs on toast - toast is a grain like oatmeal... what's the difference? it wasn't flavoured or instant oatmeal people - i am not crazy! ;o)

thursday whoop

my heart rate monitor hasn't come in the mail yet, but i didn't expect it to. i am patiently waiting, in case you were wondering. date night was fun. we sang songs, and then we made gardenburgers on enriched buns and low fat mccain fries, and a yummy salad with tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and fat free ranch dressing. and these santa fe crispy salad topper strips which are basically ranch doritos packaged as a salad topping. ok if you are careful with portion control.

we watched antm: i was happy with who got the boot. that girl was so awkward, she needed to go. she couldn't even walk (or talk.) i find myself thinking, why can't these girls just change to suit the judges? i would! you are a model—adapt yourself! if your silly voice makes you sound like an idiot, stop talking that way! i don't get it.

tonight is more new TV: ugly betty and grey's anatomy. i don't want to watch any more TV but i don't want to be out of the loop. actually i don't watch ugly betty... i've just always wanted to watch it because it looks super cute. i watched grey's anatomy, but the truth is i am so sick of meredith's whining and pining. maybe i will just tape it and read a book instead. that way i won't have to sit through boring commericals either.

or, i could go to the eaton centre after work and meet BOB HARPER, who is signing books at indigo. i really like bob harper. he seems to genuinely care about making people healthier. and he's so little and cute too. on the other hand i don't really care about meeting celebrities, and i don't like crowds in shopping malls, so maybe i will go home and vacuum instead.

this post is too stream of consciousness. this morning at the gym i walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill, did a bit of strength training, and then 10 minutes on the stationary bike. not a bad work out but i might go for another walk after work. tomorrow is weigh-in and i was up for the last two weeks which has to be nipped. in. the. bud. maintenant!

apparently there is a brand new sobey's right by my office so i am going to go there at lunch and check it out. i don't know why they would put a sobey's here when there is a giant dominion and loblaws just blocks away, but variety is the spice of life, as well as consumer choice, so i'm not complaining. today on the menu is:

1/2 piece sprouted grains bread (pre workout)
1/2 piece sprouted grains bread (post workout)

handful of vanilla shreddies shoved in my mouth
coffee

source yogurt with unsweetened almond joy
1 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 cup organic kamut puff cereal

pc blue menu multigrain oatmeal
with flax and
1/3 cup vanilla shreddies mixed in

carrots and tomatoes with spicy hummus
more yogurt with unsweetened almond breeze
grapes

and for dinner... not sure yet.

thursday - out for lunch

i wish it was friday... but it's not. only one more day until the weekend. last night my photoshop course went until 10:45pm, so i didn't get home until after 11. yikes! i have hardly been home at all this week. my apartment is a pigsty and of course i haven't started to do any painting prep. tonight i have to return a movie and pick up a coat from the dry cleaners on the way home, and it's my tap class too. when will the madness end?

this morning i still managed to wake up somewhat early and run for 4 miles on the treadmill in the gym. i did it without stopping, but i definitely did not enjoy it until it was over. now i'm happy i did it though. i might take tomorrow off from the gym, depending on what time i get to bed tonight. i don't want to be tired on friday!

today at lunch my office is going to hernando's hideaway for more mexican food. what should i have? normally i get the chicken enchiladas, but today i want to try something different. here is what i'm thinking:

1) TOASTADAS 7.99 (under fiesta salads)
A flat open faced golden corn tortilla with your choice of Chicken Vera Cruz or Mexi's Chili. Topped with Santa Fe beans, crisp chredded lettuce, Pico de Gallo, Monterey Jack, diced green onions, tortilla strips and sour cream sauce.

2) CALIFORNIA SALAD 13.49 (under fiesta salads)
Crisp mixed greens topped with Drunken Shrimp, artichoke hearts, Jack cheese, roasted red peppers and tomatoes. Avocado vinaigrette on the side.

3) MEXICALI SALMON 15.98
A fillet of Atlantic Salmon, steamed and enhanced with the refreshing flavours of cucumber, lime, avocado and garlic.

4) VEGETARIAN CHILI
Chunks of garden fresh vegetables in a rich tomato based Mexicanstyle stew. 100% vegetarian and 100% great taste. Served in a sourdough bread bowl.

i think i'll go with the california salad, because it seems veggielicious. the salmon could be good but my company does pay for these lunches and is that too expensive? actually some people order booze and i do not, so maybe i should just get what i want. ;) i've only had one shrimp in my whole life, but people are always going on and on about them like they are the living end, so maybe i should force myself to get over their weird appearance. the chili sounds great but i probably couldn't resist that bread bowl... sourdough... drool.

for breakfast this morning i had a delicious bowl of red river hot cereal which really is the greatest thing ever, a fat free yogurt with some frozen berries mixed in, and coffee. :) weigh in tomorrow and i hope to maintain.

where does the time go?

happy day it's friday! yesterday was the science fair and it was fun. except the gym was FREEZING and for some reason my body (especially my extremities) can't stand any temperature but warm. seriously walking outside my feet are always ice blocks. do other people have this problem? 

some of the science projects were awesome! there were these two super cute girls who tested different types of wool for "feltability" which means they knitted squares of sheep wool and felted (washed in the machine on specific settings) so that the fabric binds together and turns into felt. oh they were sooooo cute. "we are both avid knitters" they said. i hope i have daughters just like them (one day!) another girl tested the effects of chlorine on hair, and another girl looked at different fast food fries to see which ones had the most preservatives (burger king haha). very fun. 

and it was also fun to see my boyfriend in his element. his students asked, "is that your girlfriend?" and he said, "no just a science fair judge" and then they saw us walking together at lunch and accused him of cheating on his girlfriend. :o) hahaha. 

friday is weigh-in day and i gained again even though i was really good this week. i only gained 0.4 but still, now i am above my maintenance range which sucks the big nut. i am not upset about it really, i just want to stay in control. 

i woke up early this morning to exercise but changed my mind. i could have done it but i did work out on tuesday, wednesday, and thursday and my body really needs a break. last night at tap i was the worst tapper ever. i could have fallen asleep standing up. sometimes i think i push it too hard. i hate being idle so i'm always doing something or going somewhere. it's important to relax too!

this weekend is going to be really fun. tonight i am going to challenge my boyfriend to a friendly game of scrabble for a prize ;) and we are going to make chicken soft tacos for dinner (he doesn't know this yet). then we are going to watch kenny vs. spenny episodes that one of his students leant him on dvd. kenny vs. spenny is sooooooo funny. it's these two friends in toronto who just compete with each other doing ridiculous things... like seeing who can not talk for the longest. ha! tomorrow we are going to the leafs game! YAHOO! we are going with his parents. my boyfriend's sister is this awesome young broadcasting talent and she is the in-house host for all of the home games. she is on the ice, on the jumbo-tron, you can even hear her voice (at home on tv) every time the whistle blows. anyway that's going to be really rad. 

on sunday my family is having a double party for my dad and sister - he is 60 and she is 22. and then i am coming back into the city for an oscar watching party! busy but fun. 

and finally, here is today's menu:

breakfast:

clementine (0.5)

berry medley oatmeal with flax (2.5)

(3)

lunch:

coleslaw with ff caesar dressing (1)

1 cup mushroom barley soup (1)

turkey on sprouted grains sandwich (3)

(8)

snacks:

2 clementines (1)

all bran bar (2)

yogurt or cottage cheese (2)

dinner:

chicken soft tacos