I really didn't want to. Really. But we did Jillian's workout again today after work. During the warm-up jumping jacks, I started wimpering and crying so much that Marc had to pause the workout so we could both finish laughing at my patheticness. (Yes, I'm making up words.) I really hope that I don't hurt as bad tomorrow as I do today.
Hey, this is my fifth day in a row that I've posted something! That's gotta be some kind of record!
Monday, January 05, 2009
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Caving in to further pain
I insisted earlier today that I was way too sore to do the Jillian "Fitness Guru from Hell" workout, but then I decided to suck it up. It's only twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of the worst pain I've felt in recent memory. But we did it, and we have plans to do it again tomorrow after work (after a brief discussion about getting up at 5:00 a.m. and doing it before work). I'm currently attempting to limit my travel on stairs. Going up isn't so bad. Going down is another story. My thighs better get used to this soon...
In other news, it's snowing again. There's a good 2 inches in our backyard, but I don't think there's going to be much more. It's supposed to be in the mid-40s and rainy tomorrow, so this snow isn't going to stick around for long.
In other news, it's snowing again. There's a good 2 inches in our backyard, but I don't think there's going to be much more. It's supposed to be in the mid-40s and rainy tomorrow, so this snow isn't going to stick around for long.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Butt-kicking
We rediscovered the on-demand fitness programs available on our cable box the other day. Marc tried out one by Jillian Michaels (of Biggest Loser) yesterday, and then we both did it today.
Every muscle in my body felt like jelly when I was done.
In our new (fruitless) quest to find a Wii, we swung by Best Buy and picked up a couple of Jillian's DVDs so that we could follow the whole program even after it expires on the TV. I guess doing these intense 20 minute strength/carido combo workouts is better than running at least twice as long. But holy cow, it sucks for those 20 minutes.
So with the Wii, instead of calling and driving all over town just to find the console--much less a Wii Fit--I think we're just going to get the whole set on Ebay for a few bucks more.
Now let's see how long this fitness kick lasts...
Every muscle in my body felt like jelly when I was done.
In our new (fruitless) quest to find a Wii, we swung by Best Buy and picked up a couple of Jillian's DVDs so that we could follow the whole program even after it expires on the TV. I guess doing these intense 20 minute strength/carido combo workouts is better than running at least twice as long. But holy cow, it sucks for those 20 minutes.
So with the Wii, instead of calling and driving all over town just to find the console--much less a Wii Fit--I think we're just going to get the whole set on Ebay for a few bucks more.
Now let's see how long this fitness kick lasts...
Friday, January 02, 2009
Long day
We had an interesting day at work today. Fortunately I found out about an issue last night, so I was prepared to go in earlier today. Unfortunately, that meant I was awake a little before 5:00 a.m. this morning. To make my especially early morning even crappier, I walked outside to find my car covered in a light blanket of snow. More snow? Sheesh. I didn't even know it was in the forecast. We might even get a little more tomorrow.
I came home from work and took a nap, then we headed out for dinner with Chris and Slimey at Rock Creek. After dinner, I lost the battle to play games, but a good consolation prize was getting to watch The Prestige. Holy cow! I hadn't heard anything about this movie, but I really enjoyed it! It was one of those that we sat around for a bit after it was over, debating different parts of it. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.
Now I'm off to bed... zzzzzzzzzzzz...
I came home from work and took a nap, then we headed out for dinner with Chris and Slimey at Rock Creek. After dinner, I lost the battle to play games, but a good consolation prize was getting to watch The Prestige. Holy cow! I hadn't heard anything about this movie, but I really enjoyed it! It was one of those that we sat around for a bit after it was over, debating different parts of it. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.
Now I'm off to bed... zzzzzzzzzzzz...
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Happy New Year!
My first resolution: to get back into blogging more frequently.
We had one heck of a snowstorm here in Portland the week before Christmas, with the aftermath lasting through the weekend after Christmas. It was quite unusual. First it was ice, then snow, then some freezing rain and more snow for good measure. My office closed early a couple of the days and didn't open at all one day. Marc got to be my taxi driver on the days I did work so that he could have the Xterra during the day. My poor Civic sat on the street covered in snow for a couple weeks before I was able to drive it again (finally) this week. It only took a day to wash all the pretty snow away after it started raining, so now we're back to more traditional winter weather.
We were cat sitting for Pete and Courtney's cats while they visited Colorado for the holiday (once their flight was finally able to get out of town), and that put us really close to Grandpa's old house. We stopped by to see what progress the Park people have made--and it was weird. The garage, house, and driveway are all gone, along with some of the trees and a lot of the shrubbery from the back of the house. It made it hard to judge where things used to be. And it was sad.
It was also sad to hear from my mom that my grandma (her mom) died on the 28th. It's when things like that happen that it really sucks being so far away. Goodbye, grandma. I love you, and I'll still think about you often.
We went over to Jocelyn and Neil's house for NYE last night. We had a good time playing Guitar Hero and discovering our "Wii age" on the Wii Fit. And the food! There was soooo much food. I left feeling like an overstuffed whale.
Speaking of food, Marc has quite the hobby going right now. He's turned into a baker! From pumpkin bread pudding to apple cranberry cake to pumpkin butterscotch cookies to turkey meatloaf with bacon and cheese to lemon olive oil cookies to apple crisp... every day it seems like I come home to a different treat! We owe a lot of this to Joy the Baker's web site, which also aided me in making peanut butter fudge krispy treats (YUM!!) and pumpkin pie bars. I think it's so inspiring as a site because the pictures make all her food look so incredible. So, yeah, we've been eating well lately. Now I need to start thinking about getting back into a running routine. Blah.
Happy New Year to you! May the coming year bring you happiness, laughter, and plenty of good memories.
We had one heck of a snowstorm here in Portland the week before Christmas, with the aftermath lasting through the weekend after Christmas. It was quite unusual. First it was ice, then snow, then some freezing rain and more snow for good measure. My office closed early a couple of the days and didn't open at all one day. Marc got to be my taxi driver on the days I did work so that he could have the Xterra during the day. My poor Civic sat on the street covered in snow for a couple weeks before I was able to drive it again (finally) this week. It only took a day to wash all the pretty snow away after it started raining, so now we're back to more traditional winter weather.
We were cat sitting for Pete and Courtney's cats while they visited Colorado for the holiday (once their flight was finally able to get out of town), and that put us really close to Grandpa's old house. We stopped by to see what progress the Park people have made--and it was weird. The garage, house, and driveway are all gone, along with some of the trees and a lot of the shrubbery from the back of the house. It made it hard to judge where things used to be. And it was sad.
It was also sad to hear from my mom that my grandma (her mom) died on the 28th. It's when things like that happen that it really sucks being so far away. Goodbye, grandma. I love you, and I'll still think about you often.
We went over to Jocelyn and Neil's house for NYE last night. We had a good time playing Guitar Hero and discovering our "Wii age" on the Wii Fit. And the food! There was soooo much food. I left feeling like an overstuffed whale.
Speaking of food, Marc has quite the hobby going right now. He's turned into a baker! From pumpkin bread pudding to apple cranberry cake to pumpkin butterscotch cookies to turkey meatloaf with bacon and cheese to lemon olive oil cookies to apple crisp... every day it seems like I come home to a different treat! We owe a lot of this to Joy the Baker's web site, which also aided me in making peanut butter fudge krispy treats (YUM!!) and pumpkin pie bars. I think it's so inspiring as a site because the pictures make all her food look so incredible. So, yeah, we've been eating well lately. Now I need to start thinking about getting back into a running routine. Blah.
Happy New Year to you! May the coming year bring you happiness, laughter, and plenty of good memories.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Catch up
Hawaii was awesome. We did a whole lot of nothing but lay on the beach and snorkel, which was very relaxing but also leaves me with not much to talk about from that trip.
We came back and were greeted by some gnarly winter weather. Our office actually closed a few hours early today. It rained for a bit this afternoon, and now it's all supposed to freeze again overnight with a chance for more snow, so things could be really interesting tomorrow.
But the real reason I'm writing something today is this.
Notice anything weird about that? Anything? Hmmmm... "Bisons" is not a word. The plural of "bison" is "bison." I also think it's kind of weird that buffalo and bison are exactly the same thing, but they named the city of Buffalo's team the Bison(s). Whatever.
We came back and were greeted by some gnarly winter weather. Our office actually closed a few hours early today. It rained for a bit this afternoon, and now it's all supposed to freeze again overnight with a chance for more snow, so things could be really interesting tomorrow.
But the real reason I'm writing something today is this.
Notice anything weird about that? Anything? Hmmmm... "Bisons" is not a word. The plural of "bison" is "bison." I also think it's kind of weird that buffalo and bison are exactly the same thing, but they named the city of Buffalo's team the Bison(s). Whatever.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Be nice to me! I gave blood today!
I have an eventful history with donating blood. It all starts with a blood drive in high school. Needles have never really bothered me, so I figured it would be a piece of cake. I was fine through the whole process until it was done and I stood up to walk to my cookies. I didn't *faint* but I lost all function in my legs and fell smoothly to the floor. They wouldn't let me drive home after that, so it turned into a big hassle getting my mom to come pick me up. Now these were the days of eating too little (because I hated the "table politics" in the cafeteria) and taking too much No-Doz so that I could 1) stay awake all day and 2) have enough energy for swim practice after school.
I figured that's why it didn't work out so well.
Fast forward 6 years or so to my training period at work here in Oregon. There was a blood drive. I signed up. I figured I wouldn't have a repeat of my high school experience. (You can already guess that I was wrong.) To make a long story shorter, just about the same thing happened--I got all the way through and then just about fainted as I was heading toward the cookies and juice. Again, they kept me there until they were sufficiently convinced that I was feeling better, and then they sent me off with all the cookies that were left because I was the only person left by that time.
When asked over the past few years, I politely declined all opportunities to donate again. Until today. Third time's a charm, right?
No.
Same thing. Got all the way through it fine. Then, I felt sick. I nearly hyperventilated. They had cold, wet towels draped over my face and neck, and I was breathing in a paper bag trying *really hard* not to get sick. (I succeeded in that, at least.) I got lots of juice and some cookies and crackers, and now I'm drinking boatloads of water.
Oddly, I'll probably do it again sometime. Maybe not in three months... but sometime. It's such an important action and gift--I figure the discomfort I go through is worth it on the other end when someone who needs it can use that blood I gave. If you find yourself thinking or voicing any excuses, be sure to also check out some reasons why you should push those excuses aside.
I figured that's why it didn't work out so well.
Fast forward 6 years or so to my training period at work here in Oregon. There was a blood drive. I signed up. I figured I wouldn't have a repeat of my high school experience. (You can already guess that I was wrong.) To make a long story shorter, just about the same thing happened--I got all the way through and then just about fainted as I was heading toward the cookies and juice. Again, they kept me there until they were sufficiently convinced that I was feeling better, and then they sent me off with all the cookies that were left because I was the only person left by that time.
When asked over the past few years, I politely declined all opportunities to donate again. Until today. Third time's a charm, right?
No.
Same thing. Got all the way through it fine. Then, I felt sick. I nearly hyperventilated. They had cold, wet towels draped over my face and neck, and I was breathing in a paper bag trying *really hard* not to get sick. (I succeeded in that, at least.) I got lots of juice and some cookies and crackers, and now I'm drinking boatloads of water.
Oddly, I'll probably do it again sometime. Maybe not in three months... but sometime. It's such an important action and gift--I figure the discomfort I go through is worth it on the other end when someone who needs it can use that blood I gave. If you find yourself thinking or voicing any excuses, be sure to also check out some reasons why you should push those excuses aside.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Early Thanksgiving
We celebrated Thanksgiving last night with Chris and Charles and his kids. Marc and I preordered and picked up a turkey torte from Pasta Pronto. Oh. My. Gosh.
I think this is how it went.
Layer 1: stuffing
Layer 2: turkey
Layer 3: cream cheese
Layer 4: cranberry
Layer 5: more turkey
Layer 6: mashed potatoes
And the whole thing was enclosed in a flaky pastry crust shaped like a giant round cake.
It was heavenly!
Because this thing is huge, we cut it in half and froze half. (We're planning to all get together again for Christmas to eat the other half.) I couldn't even finish the slice I had, and I was starving. Yummy! Then for dessert, we had homemade eggnog ice cream and caramel sauce and some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Just writing about it now makes me hungry.
This was a much better Thanksgiving celebration than last year--when we did nothing at all. :)
Today I started packing for our Maui trip. (Yes, I hear you gasping in disbelief at the idea of me *not* waiting until the very last minute.) The great thing about not having to pack any cold-weather clothes is that almost everything for the whole 10 days fits in my normal carry-on bag. Okay, everything except for the bulky things like our snorkel gear. I'm hoping this short week of work will fly by...
I think this is how it went.
Layer 1: stuffing
Layer 2: turkey
Layer 3: cream cheese
Layer 4: cranberry
Layer 5: more turkey
Layer 6: mashed potatoes
And the whole thing was enclosed in a flaky pastry crust shaped like a giant round cake.
It was heavenly!
Because this thing is huge, we cut it in half and froze half. (We're planning to all get together again for Christmas to eat the other half.) I couldn't even finish the slice I had, and I was starving. Yummy! Then for dessert, we had homemade eggnog ice cream and caramel sauce and some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Just writing about it now makes me hungry.
This was a much better Thanksgiving celebration than last year--when we did nothing at all. :)
Today I started packing for our Maui trip. (Yes, I hear you gasping in disbelief at the idea of me *not* waiting until the very last minute.) The great thing about not having to pack any cold-weather clothes is that almost everything for the whole 10 days fits in my normal carry-on bag. Okay, everything except for the bulky things like our snorkel gear. I'm hoping this short week of work will fly by...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Mysterious sounds
So I'm sitting at work this afternoon with my headphones on listening to my iPod. I had tons of windows open, as usual. And I kept hearing this funny scratching noise. At first I thought it was part of a song. Then I thought it was something wrong with my iPod when it kept happening. Then I realized that one of my open windows also had the search frame open--along with that annoying Microsoft dog that pops up and "digs" through your files to find whatever you're searching for. Evidently, if you leave him alone for too long, he starts scratching his ears.
That's my pointless story for the day.
TGTF. (Thank goodness tomorrow's Friday)
We're going to see Mortified this weekend. It's something I've heard about from a few different people, and evidently it's a total hoot. I'm looking forward to it.
That's my pointless story for the day.
TGTF. (Thank goodness tomorrow's Friday)
We're going to see Mortified this weekend. It's something I've heard about from a few different people, and evidently it's a total hoot. I'm looking forward to it.
Monday, November 03, 2008
The best steak
Marc and I just ate a wonderful steak. It was quite possibly one of the best steaks I've ever eaten (though Roy's on Maui might be a close second). If you ever find yourself looking for dinner in Corona Del Mar, I highly recommend The Bungalow. We went with a high school friend of Marc's and her husband. It was fabulous. I'm full. Very full.
Our flight to the O.C. was uneventful. Of course I did have to enjoy a Mexican hot chocolate from Coffee People at PDX--I have to savor them when I can get them! I do have to say that it was a LOT more convenient to fly into Orange County compared to LAX. We rented a dopey little Chevy Cobalt. The tires squeal when making normal turns. Haha!
Tomorrow is election day. Thank goodness for Oregon's vote-by-mail system. If you haven't voted yet, please be sure to. My goal for tomorrow will be to avoid all televisions as much as possible--the last thing I want to watch for hours on end is the media freaks making predictions and giving updates every 5 minutes. Good thing we've got HBO here.
Our flight to the O.C. was uneventful. Of course I did have to enjoy a Mexican hot chocolate from Coffee People at PDX--I have to savor them when I can get them! I do have to say that it was a LOT more convenient to fly into Orange County compared to LAX. We rented a dopey little Chevy Cobalt. The tires squeal when making normal turns. Haha!
Tomorrow is election day. Thank goodness for Oregon's vote-by-mail system. If you haven't voted yet, please be sure to. My goal for tomorrow will be to avoid all televisions as much as possible--the last thing I want to watch for hours on end is the media freaks making predictions and giving updates every 5 minutes. Good thing we've got HBO here.
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