Chez Sarcastica

This Guy

2012-01-20T15:59:00.001-08:00

Any weekend spent with him is fantastic.

Just saying.

2012

2012-01-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

As with a lot of people, I hate the idea of "resolutions", so I'm jotting down a list of things I want to focus on this year.

1. Learn to play the ukelele. I don't need to be a genius at it, but I do need to know the basics and a few songs.
*I started on this last night while Robb worked on a freelance job. I now know 3 chords :)

2. Get back into working out. I've been slacking hard since Thanksgiving and I feel terrible.

3. Continue to work on eating healthier.

4. Own less "stuff".

5. Have more experiences. Be more present in the every day.

My friend Lisa posted this and I have to steal it - "No resolutions. Just one word, motivation." So perfect. That's what I want from 2012, motivation. And movement.

Ups and Downs

2011-12-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

Recently, a friend of mine did something that really hurt my feelings. I'm not going to go into details, but lets just say it's pretty obvious snub.

I've been thinking about this thing a lot, obviously, because my feelings were hurt and I was trying to decide if I wanted to do, or say, something about it.

And then, yesterday, Robb and I got a Christmas card from a couple we've hung out with a couple of times this year, new friends. And it was probably the sweetest card you could get from friends. And I realized, the person that hurt me, they aren't really a friend. And I shouldn't give them space in my head, or time out of my life. Why do I dwell on these things when the people that do them give no thought to me?

So I stopped thinking about it.

Because I have met some really, really wonderful people in the past couple of years, mostly because of the webseries I produce, and they should get all of the space in my head.

Those Video Guys

2011-12-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

Happiness is catching up on Those Video Guys show, their year-end rundown of things they enjoyed, and not only seeing that my show Vampire Zombie Werewolf was on the list, but also hearing they think we were overlooked by the IAWTV awards (Robb was definitely robbed of a music nomination) and that they love Bunny.

Thanks so much for making my day! Here's to even more fun with Those Video Guys in 2012!

Nanny State

2011-12-08T15:09:00.001-08:00

This story gets me so up in arms - give it a read before you read my post - Dad Arrested - Underage Drinking

I can't believe anyone would actually think this is a good idea. How is this guy to be held responsible for the stupid decisions teenage kids make?

People like to say we're creating a "Nanny State" by wanting the government involved in things like banking and business practices but these same people seem to be completely fine being held accountable for someone else's poor decision making. Poor Dad, he made rules that clearly stated no drinking, he and his wife patroled the party and they still suffer the consequences.

Why wasn't the teenager that brought the alcohol arrested? What about the parents of the boy that brought the alcohol? Shouldn't we also arrest them for not doing a good job of raising their kid? Let's put EVERYONE on the carpet for this horrible atrocity!

Teenagers make stupid decisions. That's life. That's how we learn about consequences. If you want to punish parents that actually serve alcohol to minors and/or let them drive drink, sure, let's talk. But if we make it so that Parents are responsible for these types of things just mean we're going to end up with yet another generation of kids that can't do anything for themselves, as parents will live in fear that if they let their kids make decisions and it ends up being the wrong one, the parent will end up in jail.

Slippery slope indeed.

Re-Imagining

2011-12-07T15:21:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's been over a year since I've written here. I've felt the pull back to this blog so many times, but I was always able to ignore it.Until today. I guess I finally got bored enough at work.I've been playing with the template and changing things up, trying to make it look fresh and new.We'll see. I want to write here again, I just need to get back in the habit. Robb and I just started P90X, so maybe writing about that will help me get back to it.This is why I love the internet. Things do not ever truly go away, they linger, ready to be picked up and dusted off at a moments notice. Ready to be something you love again.

Day 16

2010-11-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

I picked up my new retainer this morning! I wore it during my horrible drive back in to work (over an hour, how do people do this every day?!) and practiced talking with it in. I still can't believe how cool my retainer is, it's blue with leopard print on it. I know, classy.

And today is the launch of Ep.3 of Vampire Zombie Werewolf! Whew! I'm a little giddy today with all the new things.

Day 15

2010-11-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

I seem to have nothing nice to say today. I've had to work hard all day at not biting people's heads off and I seem to have no patience.

Oh wait, I just checked the calendar and I'm due for my "Aunt Flo" to visit.
Lame. Why, after how many damn years of this do I still constantly get surprised when this happens? I think it's because I hate it so much I just push it out of my head as much as possible.

I want nothing more than to hang out on the couch with The Boyfriend and watch bad movies, but he's too busy tonight getting the new episode of Vampire Zombie Werewolf ready for launch.

So, with that, I'm going to hang out on the couch myself in an attempt to keep him company, but really I'm just going to fall asleep.

Day 14

2010-11-14T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today has been lazy. Our shoot went late last night, so today has been mostly about catching up on sleep and getting a few things done. I'm posting a photo from the shoot, I spent most of the night sitting on the couch being Script Supervisor, so that was my view mostly.
Now off to bed! Gotta do 3 miles tomorrow and then pick up my new retainer before heading to work.
Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Day 13

2010-11-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! 4.5 mile run finished and I did it in just under an hour! 59 minutes 20 seconds.

We just got back from haircuts and now The Boyfriend is off to a Writer's Group. I've got a few hours to kill, so I'm sending this quickly and then taking a quick nap before I need to get read for the shoot tonight. Luckily I'm just producing, no hair or makeup for me! Wow, "just producing", I don't get to do that much. Not that I'm complaining, I'd rather be acting.

Okay, off to zone out on the couch.

Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Day 12

2010-11-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

This week has been lousy with allergy attacks. I can't believe how tough this week has been.

I went to an appointment with my doctor and basically there's nothing else to do. Well, there's things to do, but not things I'm willing to do like stop running outside. I don't belong to a gym for a reason, I hate them and can't afford one I think I would like. Plus I quite enjoy my time outside running in the morning, it's so peaceful. I won't give that up just to maybe have less allergy issues.

So what now? I may try going back to acupuncture. I haven't been in awhile and I did feel better when I was going. Or I'm going to try and stop taking allergy medicine, I've been on them for so long it's always a possibility they just don't work for me anymore.

Tomorrow is my bid run - 4.5 miles. I'm so excited to actually get to do it. Haircuts after that and then another shoot for Vampire Zombie Werewolf. Luckily Sunday has us with no plans, so I can recover from a late night shooting on Saturday.

Day 11

2010-11-11T16:48:00.000-08:00

Veteran's Day -

I think of my Father today, a man who served in Vietnam, much to the dismay of his Mother. My Father was the last living son in his family, so he could have easily not gone to Vietnam with that excuse. But he did it, because serving was the right thing to do. I'm so proud of my Father, the camera he bought in Vietnam is one of my most prized possessions, it reminds me of my Father and doing the right thing.

______________________________________

So our interview got cancelled last night. Not a big deal, we will reschedule. The only bad thing was that The Boyfriend had made cookies, which means we still have cookies laying around the house. Cookie are not good, especially Vanilla Butter Cookies since they aren't heavy so you can eat a bunch of them without realizing.

I had the realization the other day that we've really gotten into the habit of not keeping cookies or sweats around the house. If we want cookies, we bake them. I never even have the thought of buying them at the store anymore.

It's amazing to me that something we did to save money and eat healthier so easily became ingrained in our lives without much hassle. I wish other things were this easy to become habits, like not eating candy or running every single day. Maybe I just need to put more time into these things. It's so easy to not buy cookies since I can make them at home if I want. It's harder not to buy candy since I can't make that at home.

I'm thinking it's time for another sugar detox.

Day 10

2010-11-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

Today is going to be pretty exciting. "Indie Intertube" will be reviewing the new Vampire Zombie Werewolf episode (woot!) and we're getting interviewed for the podcast "In The Corner" with our friend Eddie.

It's funny, I have a lot of new friends that I've met on Twitter, so I tend to forget their actual names and call them by their twitter handles (as they do to me). It such a new thing to me and it makes me laugh every time. In college, when I graduated and got ready to move away, I realized that I didn't know the last names of several of my close friends. How weird is that, I hung out with these people all the time and I had no idea what their last names were.

We're closing in on Thanksgiving and I don't think I'm going to hit my weight loss goal. I'm not too upset about this, life has been busy and I'm trying to keep up on my running and mostly eating well, so I'm not going to get down on myself. I just know I'll need to redouble my efforts upon my return.

This weekend I will run 4.5 miles, which will technically be the furthest I have run (the longest before being 4.4 miles). I can't believe how good this running program has been. I definitely will recommend this to my friends who've progressed past the Couch to 5k program!

Day 9

2010-11-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

Vampire Zombie Werewolf Episode 2 launch day! Wow, these launch days are stressful, just in terms of getting things on the site and getting the word out to watch the episode. Again today I was struck at how lucky I am to have made friends in the webseries community. We have so many people enjoying the show and helping us get the word out, I sometimes get a little teary at how awesome that is.

So check it out!

Day 8

2010-11-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here watching The Boyfriend put the finishing touches on the next episode of Vampire Zombie Werewolf, trying not to fall asleep. Man, time change every year screws me up. That plus the fact that I haven't run in 8 days makes me feel very, very sleepy. I did go for an hour long walk at lunch, so I have had some exercise today at least!

I feel bad snoozing though, since The Boyfriend is working so hard on getting everything done, so I'm writing this post to try and stay awake which I'm sure is making for fascinating writing.

Usually on such a cold night like this, The Boyfriend and I would make some sort of dessert, but we're trying to eat healthier, so that's not happening right now, which means I have to find other ways of entertaining myself at night. Tonight that meant cleaning the bathroom and whitening my teeth. Exciting!

I'm also trying to get everything ready for our shoot this weekend. Man, I'm looking forward to traveling home to Washington state at Thanksgiving. Not that I want to deal with the cold weather, but it will be nice to be forced to relax and not have a bunch of plans. I want to take a nap every day, that sounds heavenly.

Day 7

2010-11-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

Wow, am I tired. I'm sitting on the couch, writing on my laptop while The Boyfriend works on getting the new episode of Vampire Zombie Werewolf ready to be launched on Tuesday.

Today we shot a Thanksgiving short. I can't say anything else, other then I worked with raw liver all day and it was SO GROSS! I still smell it every once in awhile and I've showered and changed clothes.

I forget how hard shoot days can be, even a smooth sailing one like today. Also, stupid Daylight Saving Time happened last night and that always throws me for a loop for about a week.

Tomorrow I'm starting my training last 10k training week over again, so I'll be running 3 miles. Here's to getting back into the swing of running! Hopefully I can get out of bed to do it!

Day 6

2010-11-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

Oh wow, today was pretty wonderful. Amongst getting things ready for a Vampire Zombie Werewolf shoot we have tomorrow, The Boyfriend and I managed a quick get-away to the Huntington Gardens. I purchased a membership through Groupon a few months back and we had to go and use it or we were out the money we'd already spent.

I've never been a member of a museum or anything like this before, I feel like such a grownup. Also, I managed to purchase a pretty fantastic hat from the gift shop (side note, I REALLY love gift shops, I'm such a sucker) and we purchased 2 fantastic calendars for 2011.

I'm just going to upload my blackberry photos and let them show you how gorgeous today was. We finally got to see the new Chinese Garden, which was gorgeous.

Sometimes, it's pretty fantastic to live in LA and have things like this close by. And now we can go whenever we want! Hooray!

Day 5

2010-11-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

I have the opening song from "The Nutcracker" stuck in my head. Very random..

Makes me think of ballet classes, which I have not taken in a couple of decades. I miss them. Someday, I will have to take them again. Also, Tai Kwon Do. I want to break boards with my feet. That sounds like fun.

Today has been a ball of stress, trying to get ready for a shoot this Sunday. Trying to secure a location. Trying not to lose my temper when someone doesn't help out as much as I'd like. But I think it's all come together. We seem to always prevail.

I went to lunch with my friend Vicki, she's always so good at letting me vent about filming stresses. Some days, I realize just how lucky I am in the friend department and I get a little teary. I know some really amazing people.

Day 4

2010-11-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, the heat has GOT to stop. I wanted to get up and run this morning, but it was already over 70 degrees and it wasn't even 6 am yet! ARGH!

Not running makes me feel to sleepy, the heat makes me sleepy and angry. It's really sad when I look forward to being at work since it's so heavily air conditioned here. Man, I just can't get these last few weeks of my 10k training to go. I have done the same week twice and I'll need to do it again since I've only run once this week. Man, just when I get a routine going, something comes up and it all goes to hell.

The next few months are going to be busy, I've got to figure out how to balance this.

Day 3

2010-11-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday! And freaking HOT in LA. If one more friend on Facebook tells me to appreciate the weather since it's cold where they are I might explode! Cause guess what? You don't have to live where it's cold! Just like I don't have to live where it's hot! Life is funny that way! Sorry, the heat makes me angry.

I spent this morning at the Orthodontist, getting a consultation. It's very weird being back there as an adult, knowing I have to pay for this myself, knowing I will be responsible for wearing the retainer enough to make sure it works since it's my money going towards it.

I had braces in high school and like most adults, I didn't wear my retainer enough. So now I have a tooth that's moved and looks terrible. On top of that, I have started grinding my teeth again (I do it when I'm stressed). Since I've been waking up with my jaw and teeth hurting, I figured it was time to look up the Orthodontist my dentist recommended and get started. I also have a tooth that's dead in the front and I'll eventually need to put a veneer on that. Being an adult is hard. I hate having to deal with this stuff. I'm very lucky that I'm rarely sick or have serious dental problems.

So I was very pleased with my Orthondontist, Dr. Oh. He was so nice and sincere, willing to talk through my options, not giving me the hard-sell on anything. It's going to be weird to have a retainer to wear again, but anything to not wake up with jaw pain. And, you get to pick out colors and patterns now for your retainer, I will be the proud owner of a blue, zebra striped retainer on November 15th. Hell! yes!

The only downside to my Ortho is that they are in Agoura Hills, which is way far away for me. Driving there is fine, driving back to work was AWFUL. I don't know how people make commutes like that every day, I was a wreck when I got to work. I'm so lucky that I only drive 3 miles to work so I am unfamiliar on how to deal with commutes. I think I would end up drinking heavily if I had to deal with that every day.

NaBloPoMo Day 2

2010-11-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

And with 1 friends announcement, I am yet again plunged into a myriad of life decision doubts. I wish having kids was an easy decision for me. It seems like it is to almost everyone else in the world.

I get so weirded out by friends having these huge life changing things happen as it makes me worry that I'm making all the wrong choices, even though I know with every fiber of my being that my choices are right for me, I still wonder. Still worry that someday I'll look back with regret.

Today I hate being a grownup. Today I hate making decisions.

I blame not running. It always makes me feel better.

You know what, I'll post my new show. This was most definitely a good decision.

NaBloPoMo Day 1

2010-11-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's November again, which mean the only month of the year I actually post anything. How fun!

I'm in the middle-end of training for a 10k. I have no actual 10k to run at the end of this training, I just needed something structured, something to make me push harder at running. I love it, it's been exactly what I needed.

But, we're getting closer to the end and now I'm really putting in some distance. Last weeks training was all screwed up, so I'm doing it over, which means today I ran 3 miles, which I did in just over 40 minutes. Not the greatest time, but I'm doing it and that's what matters.

Last week I launched a new webseries which I am fiercely proud of. It was a pretty crazy week, we opened to tons of great comments and congratulations. Launching LFTI was nothing like this. This has been fantastic. What a fabulous community has appeared in the webseries world. I'm so lucky at the fantastic people I've met, people who are also making independent web projects, people who understand the trials and tribulations that come with this territory.

I'm a lucky girl.

Day 3

2010-09-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

I love listening to Robb's music. It amazes me that I can come home from work and he's written a song. I always wonder if I could do the same thing, given the time and instruments he has at his disposal, since I'm someone that tends to give up before they even start. Where do you even begin writing a song... There's too many options, too many ways to go about it.

I donated blood last week, I try to make sure I do it whenever UCLA comes to my office for a blood drive. The nurse who put the needle in did a fantastic job. For the first time in my life I didn't leave with a bruise that would take weeks to heal.

I love donating blood. I know that sounds weird, but since I don't have "time" to donate to a worthy cause, so I feel better when I can do something simple like give blood. I'm not afraid of needles, I'm healthy, I feel like it's a no brainer. Apparently I'm a good bleeder too, since I filled the bag in under 5 minutes (the average is 6-10). I need to do that more, donate blood or platelets. I have donated my hair before - again, such a simple thing. I'm cutting my hair off anyway, I might as well donate it to a worthy cause.

Okay, off to pretend to help Robb write lyrics for a new song. I say pretend since I just throw out a few suggestions while he really does all the work.

Let me leave you with this - Robb played it for me, I love how old school it sounds.

Day 2

2010-09-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

I have spent all of today fighting off a migraine. I don't think I need to point out that this sucks.

We had a production meeting tonight - mostly going over website design. I can't wait for the site to launch, it's looking fantastic. Man, I don't ever want to be a web designer though, I just can't tell you how bad I would suck at it.

Not much to write tonight, I need to stop looking at the computer so my eyes will stop hurting.

Day 1

2010-09-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Some days, I feel like my entire existence is an in-progress painting that still doesn't know what type of paint to use.

23 Seconds of Awesomeness

2010-07-13T14:37:00.001-07:00

This video makes me super happy so I'm posting it here.

Now - Day 1

2010-06-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, I'm going to try and write every day in June. The theme for this month is "Now" which is perfect for me as I like to write off of the top of my head and call it good.

It's the only way I can get myself to post, you see. I get terrible posting fright if I don't just write it and post it. If I save a draft, I tend to go back over and over it, finessing and fretting over what I'm trying to say and I end up never posting. My way around that is to just write, post and call it good. Which is also why I don't go back and re-read my stuff very often, I think I would be horrified.

So, today is a day of hating my clothes and hating my hair, which usually means I didn't run this morning. I can't tell you how many times I've told people things like "I've never regretted getting up to run and almost always regret it when I don't". I mean this with every single ounce of my being and yet, here we are, me feeling fat and mentally sluggish all day because I had a hard time falling asleep last night so I skipped my morning run.

But, on the plus side, I've dowloaded new running music (Lady Gaga, Fame Monster) which I love and makes running so much more enjoyable. Plus, I finally found some running clothes I like - I've given up running shorts for knee length running tights and I'm never looking back. No chaffing, no riding up, just perfection. Although, I do not understand why it's impossible to find women's running clothes with actual pockets in them.

I'm also "training" for a 10k. I found this training program online and even though I don't have a specific race in mind, I'm enjoying having a goal again.

Green-ening

2010-05-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have pretty much recycled all of my life. I'm not saying this to brag, I just have, even when it was "unpopular" and people teased me about it.

I don't know why, actually. It's just something that's always resonated with me, that we need to keep our earth clean. I don't litter. I try not to be wasteful.

And as I've gotten older and being green has become more fashionable, I've thoroughly embraced it. I have cloth bags in my trunk that I use whenever shopping. I recycle even more, as much as I can. I try not to purchase things with tons of packaging, etc.

As of today, I will consume one less thing that comes in a plastic bottle.

It all started a week ago when I was reading something online about how the use of plastic rose greatly when everyone started using body wash. It got me to thinking about how, growing up, we always used Zest Bar Soap. And I switched to body wash in college or something when my skin suddenly got very dry.

But here's the thing, my skin is not that dry anymore. And bar soap is not what it used to be. So I realized, this would be a really easy switch for me, I would save money and help the environment.

So today, Thursday May 20th is the last day I will use body wash. I purchased some amazing smelling soap from Trader Joes on Monday (I'm not kidding, it's oatmeal and honey and it smells like you should be able to eat it) and I'm really looking forward to my shower tomorrow morning. My short shower, because I'm also into saving water! :)

Silence

2010-05-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

I seem to have nothing nice to say, so I'm not saying anything.

Except I will say this, it's apparently that time of year where everyone decides they need to stick their nose into the fact that Robb and I aren't married. I'm finding it harder and harder to find polite ways to brush this off.

So, if you ask me about this anytime soon, I'm just going to apologize in advance because not only will I bite your head off, I will point out things about you I find to be lacking. I'm discovering turning the conversation around on people and asking pointed questions about their personal lives seems to be the best way to end the conversation.

That or walking away.

I'm really working on the walking away part. I have to fight the urge to explain myself to people, since everyone seems to think I'm some poor maiden waiting for the horrible person I'm dating to ask me to marry him.

I find this extraordinarily insulting. I know (most) people have the best of intentions, but I don't understand why my personal relationship is any of their business. I guess because I always feel the need to explain that marriage is not a goal of mine, which opens things up for more discussion.

This is just a big cycle of annoyingness.

I'm going back to my silence.

VZW

2010-04-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

The main shoot for the new webshow is done. I can sum it up best by saying, I was awake for 25 1/2 hours on the last day. I hope I never have to experience that again, but really, I learned a ton I would have never learned otherwise.

Also, I am so indebted to the people who worked tirelessly beside me.

Now I just need to catch up on some sleep and get back into my exercise routine. I miss running.

Lunchtime Fun

2010-04-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

I had the best lunch today, meeting up with Robb, Kathy and her baby Amelia was a great plan. It actually felt like we had tons of time to talk, no rushing around, plenty of things to chat about.

Amelia is so adorable and fun, I think the best part was watching the restaurant owner watch us play with Amelia. They also enjoyed how fun she was and how much we were enjoying getting to play with her. I love a lunch that leaves me with such good vibes. I need to do more of those.

Lunch was especially nice since I spent a good portion of the morning thinking about everything I've done wrong recently. I seem to be quite good at beating myself up over things and it was so wonderful to be forced out of my head and into the present, it really takes the air out of any bad moods I was entertaining.

I'm working hard at balancing work/life stuff and today was a nice mix of that. I relish these moments with friends and strive to have more of them.

No Day Like Today

2010-04-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

You know how some people say that what you eat affects your moods more than you know?

Well today I completely agree with them.

I have alternated between feeling so stressed I want to scream and so disappointed/angry I want to cry. I somewhat blame the candy I ate yesterday for feeling so off-kilter.

I really hate it when I'm disappointed in someone. There's nothing I can do to fix it, nothing I can say to make things better. And the frusteration of it all is not helping the stress.

See, I'm in the midst of bringing a new webshow to life. And to say I'm stressed would be an understatement.

I know it will all come together. I know it will. I just have to make it through the not fun parts to see it happen.

In the meantime, I'm reminding myself to take good care of me. To get lots of exercise, lots of sleep and as much face time with The Boyfriend as I can, all things that always make life better.

Lists updated again

2010-03-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a long week, so to relax, I'm adding more to my list.

~~1. Run a 5k~~
2. Get a new webshow online
3. Run a 10k
4. Learn how to knit for real not just the very basic stuff I know
5. Live in another country for at least 3 months
6. Get lots of stamps on my passport
7. Take singing lessons again
8. Own a house
9. Run a Half Marathon
10. Run the LA Marathon
11. Learn how to use Photoshop
12. Roadtrip to the East Coast
13. Be my own boss (aka not have a "day job")
14. Learn to scuba dive
15. Go on one of those huge ziplines
16. Own a wardrobe I love, no matter what the size
17. Know 5 recipes I can cook off the top of my head.
18. Plant a garden
19. Get a team together for a "Mud Run".
20. Leave a $100 tip
21. Write a song (you would think this one wouldn't be hard,
considering who my significant other is, but you would be wrong)
22. Have 3 karaoke songs that I know by heart and I'm not afraid to
perform at any time
23. Host a dinner party
24. Brew my own beer
25. Stay a night on the Queen Mary
26. Truly surprise Robb with a present (I'm so bad at this, I get
too excited and give up my game before I can surprise him)
27. Take part in a political protest
28. Take an outdoor survival class
29. Re-upholster a chair.
30. See the Northern Lights

Ralph

2010-03-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

As someone who is prone to overthinking, I find this quote very useful, so I thought I would share. Also, I need it here as a reminder to myself:

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tea, Please

2010-03-19T17:00:00.001-07:00

Hugh Jackman + Lipton = WIN!

Life List - update 1

2010-03-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

So, as of Super Bowl Sunday, I can cross #1 off of this list. And something this summer, I will be able to cross off #2.

I'm adding a few more as well, some I'm borrowing from other Life Lists I've read. It's so fun to see what other people have on their lists, especially right now as I feel like I haven't done anything and I'm frusterated that I don't have the money to travel like I want, when I read other people's Life Lists and I see that I've done quite a bit of what they want to do, I remember that my life isn't as boring as I think it is.

And I remember to be greatful for the experiences I've had.

~~1. Run a 5k~~
2. Get a new webshow online
3. Run a 10k
4. Learn how to knit for real not just the very basic stuff I know
5. Live in another country for at least 3 months
6. Travel to Wales, UK, Germany, Brussels, Italy, Greece and a whole
crapload of other places
7. Take singing lessons again
8. Own a house
9. Run a Half Marathon
10. Run the LA Marathon
11. Learn how to use Photoshop
12. Roadtrip to the East Coast
13. Be my own boss (aka not have a "day job")
14. Learn to scuba dive
15. Go on one of those huge ziplines
16. Own a wardrobe I love, no matter what the size
17. Know 5 recipes I can cook off the top of my head.
18. Plant a garden
19. Get a team together for a "Mud Run".
20. Leave a $100 tip
21. Write a song (you would think this one wouldn't be hard,
considering who my significant other is, but you would be wrong)
22. Have 3 karaoke songs that I know by heart and I'm not afraid to
perform at any time

Cross 1 Off The List

2010-03-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of me crossing the finish line for my first 5k. My time was decent (38 minutes) especially since I'd had a horrible cold leading up to this run.
It was a great first race experience as Robb and I were running with friends who had participated in the same race for several years. I can't wait to do it again next year, especially now that I know you get 2 free beers if you finish the race! Yay Super Bowl Sunday!
The best part is that I now have a bar set and a time to beat for my next 5k. I have my eye on one in April, but things are crazy busy around here through May, so we'll see how it goes...
Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Valentine Shmalentine

2010-02-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

I think I write about this every single year, but I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day.

It's not that I am in a relationship with some horribly unromantic person, it's not that I'm bitter or that the jewelry store commercials make me want to stab someone. It's that I think it's sad we as a society have to have 1 day FORCED on us to make us show the people we love how much we love them.

I know I'm lucky in that Robb is quite good at doing very sweet things for me throughout the year and I make sure I do the same. Because we believe that that's what makes a good relationship, couples that don't hold back on expressing how they feel until Hallmark tells them when it's right to do so. Nothing makes me happier than when I come home from work to discover Robb has made dinner, has music playing and lit candles on the table. Small gesture, I know and yet it touches me more than any present. Because he did it for me. And I usually have no idea it's coming, just a surprise for when I walk through the door.

And yes, we still celebrate Valentine's day in our own way. For the past several years we've made each other cards and had a nice dinner at home (don't even get me started on going out to dinner on this day). This year we're in the midst of trying to get a new online show up and running plus we're housesitting, so we might go out to breakfast or something. Or not do anything at all. I don't care.

Although honestly, my idea of the perfect Valentine's Day right now just means a day in which I get to take a very long nap.

But, every year, I wonder if maybe there's something wrong with me. Maybe I'm missing some sort of "girly gene" that makes it so I crave diamonds and chocolates. And then I realize, the stupid commercials sort of work and I get angry all over again. Because I don't crave diamonds. I don't want chocolate (I'm perpetually trying to lose weight). I don't need a card to know you love me.

Resolutions (for a lifetime)

2010-01-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

I try not to make New Year's resolutions since I never stick to them and I find them silly.
But, I've been reading a lot of people's "Life Lists" and such and I thought it would be fun if I started one here. This will be a work in progress.

In no particular order:

1. Run a 5k
2. Get a new webshow online
3. Run a 10k
4. Learn how to knit for real not just the very basic stuff I know
5. Live in another country for at least 3 months
6. Travel to Wales, UK, Germany, Brussels, Italy, Greece and a whole
crapload of other places
7. Take singing lessons again
8. Own a house
9. Run a Half Marathon
10. Run the LA Marathon
11. Learn how to use Photoshop
12. Roadtrip to the East Coast
13. Be my own boss (aka not have a "day job")
14. Learn to scuba dive
15. Go on one of those huge ziplines

That's all I can think of off the top of my head right now. I will update this more tomorrow.

Calphalon

2009-12-19T16:11:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years, Robb and I have been purchasing new pans as we've needed them. We've been so happy with the Calphalon Kitchen Essentials line from Target - we've purchased 3 different sized pans from there and use at least one of them every single day.

But, over the past few months we've noticed 2 of our pans (8 inch omelet pan and 12 inch skillet) have been increasingly difficult to use. So, we started looking at replacing them and discovered that Calphalon has redesigned the Kitchen Essentials line.

In my research, I discovered that Calphalon has a 10 year warranty on their pans and if you mail back your pans with a letter explaining what's wrong with them and the pans are found defective, they will mail you brand new replacements. So, a couple of weeks ago, I boxed up our pans, wrote a simple note explaining what went wrong and mailed them off.

Yesterday, when I came home from work Robb discovered 2 boxes outside of our front door. One of those was from Calphalon! And inside we found 2 new pans. We are a little sad to discover that they are the newly redesigned ones that we don't like as much, but new pans are new pans, we're happy either way.

Now, we need to start shopping for new pots as ours are my set from college and they are desperately in need of replacement. And you can bet that we will be purchasing them from Calphalon!

*I promise I was not compensated for this, I just wanted to write about good customer service!

I heart George

2009-12-04T14:50:00.001-08:00

This has been keeping me entertained for the past few minutes. I love an actor that doesn't take himself seriously...

Weighty Matters

2009-12-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hey look! It's not November and I'm still posting. Go me!

I had my yearly physical in late October, wherein I proceeded to get my yearly lecture from my doctor about my cholesterol levels. I have them checked yet again and to my horror, they are higher than ever before. Basically, I've got roughly 5 months to get them down or I'm going to have to go on cholesterol medication. And my doctor knows this is absolutely the last thing I want.

Robb has been the best about this - we're exercising more, cooking at home more and he checks everything to make sure it's good for me and my cholesterol lowering mission. Of course, the number one way to lower cholesterol is to lose weight, so that is another thing I'm working on.

I've also started taking these pills called "CholestOff" that a co-worker recommended. I did research on them and figured it was worth a try.

But, in the end, the biggest thing I need to do is lose weight.

So. Frusterating. I'm so over this battle. Over looking at photos and being disappointed in how I look. Over myself for letting this happen, for gaining so much weight and not doing something about it when I had the chance.

And mostly I'm worried that it's something I can't fix no matter how hard I try.

NaBloPoMo Day 30

2009-11-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

The end! I made it! Even though my posts have pretty much sucked this month, I still did it!

So Robb called the bank today and we have a claim number. All I know is that they had better get this deposit stuff straightened out soon or I will be calling Chase and having a very loud conversation with their customer service. This is the first time something like this has happened to me with them as my bank and I expect to be overwhelmed by their customer service. So far, I'm not.

Come on Chase, impress me! Don't make me start looking for a new bank again.

I hate the first day back at work after a long weekend. I feel like my brain is molasses. Although I have learned that Mondays at lunch are one of the best days to go to Trader Joe's to get some grocery shopping done. I run there, stop at home to drop off groceries and return to work with plenty of time to spare. I love it.

And today I even found Pfeffernusse cookies for Robb. He loves them so much and they are getting hard to find. After he spent all morning getting LFTI Episode 9 Part 1 online, I figured he needed a treat.

I've been trying to do "meatless" days as a way to work on lowering my cholesterol. It's been a fun way to find new things to eat. Today I nabbed a "Spicy Lentil Wrap" from Trader Joe's and I am so full still, they're not kidding around when they call something spicy. I love it.

Also, I have recently discovered a love for Brussel Sprouts. Tonight we're trying them with olive oil, garlic salt and roasting them. Yummy!

NaBloPoMo Day 29

2009-11-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

Last day of vacation before returning to work. Robb has a bunch of work to do today, getting our latest episode all ready for launching, so I've busied myself with vacuuming/mopping and general hanging around enjoying our last day of freedom together.

We walked to the bank tonight, after Robb went for a walk around the park and I did 30 Day Shred (in an attempt to ward off some of the stupid weight I'm sure I gained this weekend). As soon as we got there I knew we should have turned around and went home, but we didn't. Turns out our bank has finally switched to the "no deposit envelopes or slips" method of depositing to an ATM. I figured it was worth trying, but now I know it will be all "walk in and deposit with a teller" for me from now on.

We get to the part where we're supposed to deposit the checks, I put them in the machine and suddenly the ATM loses power as do a few lights around us. I totally freaked out. We call the 800 number posted next to the ATM and speak to a unhelpful "phone banker" who keeps us on the line just long enough to inform us that there's nothing she can do. She gives us Customer Claim number to call and oh sorry, they closed 5 minutes ago. The whole thing had me so pissed off and freaking out as one of the checks we deposited was from Robb's freelance job and it was no small check for us.

UGH! I hate it when this type of crap happens, when I don't listen to my inner critic, things go wrong and then I am doubly mad because I should have known.

Now this had better not keep me up tonight. It's Sunday night and I already have a hard time getting to sleep without being stressed out about money things.

NaBloPoMo Day 28

2009-11-28T11:33:00.001-08:00

I'm writing this from my Blackberry as Robb and Zoe are finishing up color correcting LFTI's episode 9, so the computer is all tied up. This is why I need a laptop!

And I'm getting one! As soon as I can get to the Apple store and check out the different sizes as a final check, I've already got everything else decided on what I want. Yay! I can't tell you how excited I am about getting a MacBook Pro! Robb and I have already decided that this will be our Christmas present to each other, the way our camera was last year.

Okay, I'm being told I have to decide where we're going for lunch, so I'm off!

NaBloPoMo Day 27

2009-11-27T21:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

We have successfully done nothing today. I haven't been bored or tried to get anything done, it's been pretty wonderful. We even took a super long nap. And we just got back from an hour and a half walk at the park, which was totally necessary since we've also been eating leftovers all day.

Usually this type of day leaves me feeling guilty for not getting anything done, but I've been trying to work on really relaxing and being in the moment on days when I truly have nothing to do and nothing I have to accomplish. This is very hard for me but it's something I've needed to work on for awhile now, for my own sanity. I usually spend the day worrying about everything that needs to get done and always tell myself I will relax "right after I do this" but I never do. I always find something else that also needs to get done and the cycle continues until the day is done and I'm still tired.

But again, I'm working on it. And today has been a good day.

NaBloPoMo Day 26

2009-11-26T10:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! And Happy Birthday to my Niece Cassie!

I have so many things to be greatful for, there is no way I could possibly list them all here. Let's just sum it up with I'm greatful for everyone in my life and that I have an awesome person with which to spend today with.

We've got the turkey in the oven and we're about to go take a much needed nap. We got up early this morning and went for a short 30 minute run. Came home to throw sticky buns in the oven and begin our day of laziness and eating. The cheeseball we made last night is ginormous and the pecan pie (our first ever) smells so good I can't wait for dessert time!
Okay, I'm exhausted so I'm going to end this and get some sleep while the turkey's cooking.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

NaBloPoMo Day 25

2009-11-25T12:03:00.000-08:00

Only an hour left of work and I have the next 4 1/2 days off! Yay!
We have no plans at all, except hanging out and getting lots of sleep. I'm going to kick this damn cold that's been trying to take over.
After I get off of work today, we're going to run to the store to pick up 1 thing we forgot, grab lunch at TOGO's, take a long nap, make a cheeseball and make a Pecan Pie. After all that, we may go for a walk, depending on how late it is. I am so looking forward to this long weekend.

NaBloPoMo Day 24

2009-11-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

Oh man, I feel like crap. I barely made it through work today, stumbled home to a peanut butter sandwich for dinner and now plan to lay on the couch until I go to bed around 9 pm. I am so run down and trying hard not to let this turn into a cold or whatever I'm fighting off.

Here's to a lazy night and a lazy rest of the week. Tomorrow is a half day at work! Woo!

NaBloPoMo Day 23

2009-11-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

We ran to the store tonight and bought everything needed for Thanksgiving dinner. I love that we can do that, divide and conquer, get everything needed and get the heck out.

I am so freaking tired today. No exercise, no energy to do any exercise, but I did eat very well today, so I feel good about that.

I'm doing some research to figure out why my Blackberry will not support 2 different gmail accounts and I'm not having any luck. I'm sure if I wasn't so tired I could figure this damn thing out.

I'll tackle this again tomorrow. Too many things happening with LFTI for me to spend any more time not getting those emails sent to my phone.

If I wasn't so tired I would be way more annoyed at this.

NaBloPoMo Day 22

2009-11-22T11:13:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this from my Blackberry as the computer has been taken over to do color correction for LFTI episode 9 (aka "someday we'll have a title for it, hopefully before it goes online").

Color correction is tedious, especially to watch, but I plan on trying to use the downtime to get some things done around here. Like taking apart the Lemonaid stand we built for episode 7 that's been living in our carport since we shot. Robb and Zoe are going to be tied up all day around the computer, so I can piddle around to my hearts content (this usually drives Robb bonkers, so I'm happy for the excuse to do whatever I want, which so far has = hanging out in my pajamas reading magazines).

The screening party went very well. Everyone was quite happy with the episode and it was so nice to have some downtime to actually hang out and chat with everyone in a relaxed setting. We had some very awesome guest stars for this episode and I am so happy we've met and worked with these people, they are all someone I would work with again in a heartbeat.

This is getting annoying to type on my phone, so I'm off. I hear rumblings of lunch needed, so I'm going to try and get some leftovers scraped together for the color correcting duo.

NaBloPoMo Day 21

2009-11-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

I have to dash this off quickly before Robb needs to get back on the computer.

We're getting ready for our Life From the Inside Episode 9 preview screening for the cast and crew. I hope everyone likes it as it's not quite finished yet. The picture is locked, but music and color are not done. Oh well, the intent is there and I think people will be pleasantly happy with what we've done.

Plus, PIZZA! I've been good most of today with the expectations that I will eat whatever I want tonight since I have no impulse control when it comes to pizza. MMMMMMMMmmmmmmm.

Okay, I'm getting kicked off the computer already. Toodleoooo.

NaBloPoMo Day 20

2009-11-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

It's Friday! Hell. Yes.

I'm looking forward to a yummy dinner prepared by The Boyfriend, probably a long walk at the park and then some movie watching.

We also have to make cookies for a screening party tomorrow night, so I will also be spending the evening battling with my willpower to not eat all of the damn cookies myself before the party.

I had to go to Costco at lunch today to get some stuff for tomorrow. I know better than to go to Costco anytime close to the weekend, but I had to get this stuff done so we wouldn't have to go tonight. I want some time to hang with Robb, not spent running errands and so forth.

But, I had no idea Costco was going to be so freaking packed. With the most annoying types of shoppers every. The type that leave their cart in the middle of the aisle, right in everyone's way, so they can wander off to look at something and then get all huffy when you dare push their cart out of the way so you can get by.

Lucky for me I needed to talk to Robb about something while I was there, so I was just that jerk that talks on the phone while shopping. Whatever it takes to get it done.

My boss has shown up from her offsite meetings, so I'm off to get some work done before the weekend starts.

NaBloPoMo Day 19

2009-11-19T15:43:00.000-08:00

Ugh, I am so sore today. 30 Day Shred Level 2 + Pilates = a very sore me. I like the feeling, don't get me wrong, but again we didn't run this morning, so I'm still feeling sluggish on top of being sore.

This week has been very stressful for Robb and I've been fighting off some sort of cold, so it's been a week of not exercising very much. At least I haven't eaten that badly, I didn't even have any cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. I had a bite of the one Steve and Robb ordered, just enough to remind me that I don't really like cheesecake to begin with, so no need to fill up on empty calories that I won't enjoy.

My boss has been out of the office this week, so I've been able to get some personal things done, like call my insurance company (Liberty Mutual, they totally ROCK by the way) and get my car insurance lowered. Nice.

Of course, I just got me AT&T bill and it's wrong, yet again, so now I have to call them and straighten things out. Since the upgrade we recently did with them on our DSL is not that great, I'm seriously thinking of switching to a cable modem and only having AT&T as a backup landline for emergencies.

Sometimes, I hate being an adult. I hate having to deal with this crap. Even if it does feel good to get it done.

NaBloPoMo Day 18

2009-11-18T15:20:00.000-08:00

Well hello there!

Last night we went to dinner with our friend John, who has just moved back to LA. I love meeting with him, he's so full of ideas and merriment. Plus, we ate at the Cheesecake Factory, a place we never really go (they have AMAZING fish tacos, by the way) so it's enjoyable when we do.

Although, too noisy. I'm getting so old. We got to tell John our ideas for new webshows that we're doing, which is always exciting and nerve-wracking.

We of course got home late, so no running this morning. I'm dragging already, but I plan on doing 30 Day Shred tonight and a Pilates workout afterwards. Hopefully that will pick things up!

NaBloPoMo Day 17

2009-11-17T23:06:00.001-08:00

ARGH! I've been trying to post from my phone for the past 20 minutes. Just home from an awesome dinner with John, Steve and Robb. I took an awesome photo of Monkey with a huge slice of Red Velvet Cheesecake, but I can't get it to post, so I'll do it tomorrow.

Goodnight! It's way past my bedtime.

Updated to add: Monkey, finally!

How much do I love that my friends think nothing of me whipping out a small plastic Monkey and taking his photo before they could enjoy their dessert.

NaBloPoMo Day 16

2009-11-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

Monday. Blargh.

We slept through the alarm this morning. Since we didn't run this weekend, I now feel like it's been forever even though it's only been since Friday morning. Mondays we have a tendency not to run, whether by plan or accident and it always leaves me sluggish for the rest of the day.

Lucky for me my boss is in meetings all this week, so it should be fairly quiet. Today certainly was. And yet, when it's as quiet as it was today, I get nothing done.

We launched a new video for LFTi, check it out at www.lifefromtheinside.com, it's very fun!

At least we had yummy leftover turkey burgers and an hour long walk after dinner leaves me feeling more normal like.

I think that's all I have for today. My brain is mush, even after our walk. Here's to running in the morning.

NaBloPoMo Day 15

2009-11-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday! Not usually a day of rest around here as I always become overwhelmed with the idea of getting stuff done before the week starts. I just love starting the week with a clean house and laundry done.

Robb is off on a walk right now. I just finished doing "30 Day Shred" (I heart Jillian), put in a load of laundry and did all of the dishes from the weekend. Yeah, Sunday's I tend to get productive.

While Robb was working earlier I cleaned out the microwave (yuck. it so needed to be done) and other small things that needed to be done around the apartment. Sometimes I love it when he has to work on the weekend, it gives me an excuse to putter.

Robb has been working on the new short we have going online tomorrow. When he gets home we're going to finish with my lesson of how to build webpages for the website.

Robb made the most wonderful dinner tonight. I love it when we're eating healthier and now that I'm not doing Nutrisystem, we're having fun discovering new recipes to try, or just making something we love healthier. Also, it's been nice and cool around here, which always makes cooking at home so much more bearable.

Tonight we had turkey burgers with avacado, jalapeno and a small amount of mozzarella cheese. Whatever Robb seasoned the ground turkey with, it was amazing. Seriously, one of the best tasting burgers I've had in awhile. And for a side, we made oven roasted squash. Yummy.

Okay, I'm off to take out the garbage and straighten up the apartment some more. It's amazing how easily things get out of place over the weekend.

NaBloPoMo Day 14

2009-11-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

Today has been a good day although I pretty much accomplished nothing. It's been a stressful week around the Sarcastica household, so we decided to go for a walk this morning instead of running since we were up late last night.

When I got off work (on time! I was so happy!) we ate dinner and then needed to go pick up files from Steve's house so The Boyfriend could finish the new LFTI video for Monday upload. We ended up borrowing UP from Steve so we could finally watch it.

And man, did that movie make me cry. It doesn't help that I sometimes dwell on the idea that if something happened to The Boyfriend, I don't know how I would cope. Especially since we have been together for so long. And will continue to be together - I will be inconsolable, I know it. And with the recently finding out about our friend Gina's passing, let's just say I was sobbing within the first 10 minutes of Up.

Still, what an amazing movie. Just really well done all around. I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the design. It's been a long time since I have thoroughly enjoyed and been touched by a movie as this one.

So, back to Saturday. Walking, breakfast, The Boyfriend getting work done, me lazing around not doing much, helping with the video whenever I can.

At least we got to take a long nap. And when I say long, I mean 2 1/2 hours. Then more work for The Boyfriend and then quickly getting ready for dinner at Chili's with Steve and Garry.

Which was awesome. I had such a great time with everyone. I love low key nights like that.

Now, I'm off to bed. So much food still in my stomach. I'm guessing we will not be running tomorrow. Which is a good thing since The Boyfriend is kicking me off the computer so he can finish something before we turn in.

NaBloPoMo Day 13

2009-11-13T15:03:00.000-08:00

I'm posting very quickly while my boss is on yet another conference call. Today has been insane and I'll probably end up here late, trying to get everything done. I can't say anymore than that as it's work and I don't write about that too much online.

I'm in the middle of trying to create new web pages for the new LFTI video that will be up on Monday. I've never done this before and it's fun, but hard.

It doesn't help that I tend to get frustrated easily when dealing with something that doesn't come naturally. I'm very lucky that The Boyfriend is so good at talking me through this stuff. It definitely helps that he's so happy to not have to do it himself that he's more than willing to be patient while I learn this.

Okay, gotta go! She's off the phone which means I'm back to running. I'm trying not to think about the fact that I was supposed to be off today. And I was supposed to be at Disneyland on their opening day of Christmas stuff.

That's okay. 4 1/2 days off for Thanksgiving is just around the corner...

NaBloPoMo Day 12

2009-11-12T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today has been an odd day. I've been super busy at work and at th same time I just discovered that a classmate from college passed away. And worse, she died over a year ago. I had no idea.

Gina was always someone I truly enjoyed being around. I was quite sad I lost touch with after college, but truth be known, I lost touch with most people after college as I am not good at keeping in touch. I had tried to find her online a few times over the years, but not to much success. Plus, you know, you always feel like there's time to find people. Time to get back in touch.

I'm so heartbroken to know she is no longer in this world with us. I can't imagine the pain her family went through when this happened.

Rest in peace Gina.

I miss you.

NaBloPoMo Day 11

2009-11-11T14:38:00.000-08:00

It's Veteran's Day. A day where most people just enjoy the day off from work or school. I'm the first to admit I don't spend a lot of time thinking about our Veterans, but I do give them passing thought several times today. Happy that they are there so I may enjoy my freedoms (even if I don't agree with the war, I still support the troops).

My Father is a Vietnam Vet. As he get's older he tells us more stories about this time in his life, something I never thought I would see. He used to not talk much about it and would brush off any questions we used to ask.

I've shared here before that one of the few times I have seen my Father cry was when we were at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in DC and he couldn't find his friends names he so desperately wanted to find.

So today I think about my Dad and the fact that he very easily could have been dismissed from the draft since he was the only living son in his family. But he didn't, even though it made me Grandma so mad. He proudly went to serve his country.

And I proudly write of him on this day.

Dad, I love you.

And a great big thank you to the people who serve. We don't do enough to support you.

NaBloPoMo Day 10

2009-11-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

Several times over the past few of weeks, I have had people comment that I had better not cut all of my hair off. I know they've meant it as a compliment, but I still find this an odd thing to say to someone.

Because, if you know me, you know that at some point, this hair is all going away and will be donated to a good cause.

I've always functioned under the "it's hair, it will grow back, that's what it does" theory in life, probably because I have messed up my own hair on several occasions and needed to cut a chunk of it off to get rid of damaged hair. But still, it's just hair! It grows back! That's what it's made to do!

But now, knowing that these people feel this way, what am I supposed to do with this information? I'm a very stubborn person who does not like being told what to do with my personal appearance. Comments like this make the inner teenager in me want to grab the nearest pair of scissor and hack away.

The truth of the matter is that I have no desire to cut my hair right now. I'm very lucky in that my hair grows quite fast, so even though I love short haircuts, it just costs me too much money in upkeep. That's the same reason I am no longer a redhead, too much upkeep. I am a very lazy person when I can get away with it. Plus, being able to pull all of my hair back for running is a very good thing. The last time I had short hair I also had to deal with sweat dripping off of it and down my back. That is a very gross feeling and I didn't enjoy it one bit.

But the fact still remains that I enjoy short hair and will some day try it out again. Much to some people's dismay.

I wore a wig to work the Friday before Halloween. It was so much more fun that I expected it to be and ties in quite nicely with the people who are afraid I will cut my hair. I'm fascinated at the people who fear change. The people that I thought would not find my wig funny where in fact quite enamored of how different I could look with just a change in hairstyle. Other people were very upset at the idea that I had cut off/died my hair a completely different color and were very relieved to discover it was a wig.

I'm not saying these people fear change altogether, it could be that they just really didn't like my wig. But again, I'm fascinated with these people who think I shouldn't cut my hair. The next time someone says this to me, I'm going to have to pry into their reasons for saying such things.

NaBloPoMo Day 9

2009-11-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Oh Monday. I try so hard not to hate you, but it seems to be the nature of the beast.

Could not get out of bed to run this morning, which means I spend almost all morning in a fog. Allergies are on high alert, so I feel terrible. Have to get car in for an oil change and leave work a bit early to pick it up.

Yesterday was so much fun. We're so lucky to have such fun friends to have such experiences as the biggest WTF museum experience ever. Seriously, if you're in LA, check out The Museum of Jurassic Technology. It's weird.

We ended up having Indian food at an Indian Grocer that also serves food. I think The Boyfriend said it best when he explained that when he thinks about eating Indian food it doesn't sound like the most appealing dinner ever, but then you eat it and it's absolutely wonderful. And then the next day you find yourself craving it.

We got home early enough that I managed to dye my hair and mop the floors while The Boyfriend chatted with his Mom on the phone. I love it when I get a chance to get some things done before the week starts.

And now it's almost 4:30 pm. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that this is the worst time of day for me during the week, the part of the day when time seems to stand still. I'm hoping this won't happen today since I get to leave work early to pick up my car.

NaBloPoMo Day 8

2009-11-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

Last night was awesome. Hanging with friends, enjoying their adorable baby, dinner at the Farmer's Market. Wonderful all around.

Today will be spent mostly doing nothing, until this evening wherein we will be at The Museum of Jurassic Technology with our friends Joel and Deven.

I have no idea what this place is about, but it's not far from my apartment, so that's nice. And it's only $5 to get in, so even if it's just weird and bizarre, I'll probably feel like I got my money's worth.

We've been watching the show "Freeks and Geeks" on Netflix. I'm so sorry I waited this long to watch it as it has quickly become a favorite. And like most shows I love, it lasted for 1 season, so we're almost done with the whole show which saddens me greatly. I love the entire cast and just how right they got high school. Even if I happen to not like the dialogue (this doesn't happen much, but still), the essence of high school is so perfect in this show that it's sometimes painful to watch. It's raised some wonderful conversations between The Boyfriend and I about school and the different experiences we had growing up.

This morning The Boyfriend made biscuits for breakfast, from scratch. The apartment still smells of baked goods. I love the cooler weather, it makes baking so enjoyable. And there's enough left over that tomorrow morning will probably be egg, bacon and biscuit sandwiches for breakfast. But our version is EggStarts, Turkey Bacon, Fat Free American cheese and homemade biscuits. Yum!

NaBloPoMo Day 7

2009-11-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the laundrymat. Usually I don't have to go to one, but the washing machine at our apartment (yes, there's only 1) is broken and no one has come to fix it yet. Since The Boyfriend has freelance work to do, I volunteered to hang at the local laundry facility and wash us up some clothes while he gets some work done.

It was actually pretty fun. I got 3 loads of laundry done in under 2 hours. The place I went was nice, well-kept and not too crowded.

There was a little boy there with his Mom, he was so adorable. Very chatty and totally thought that seeing the washing machines spin was the absolute coolest thing ever. He was so much fun to watch. I ended up chatting with him and his Mom for a few minutes, she was so happy to see that I found her son amusing instead of annoying. How can you be annoyed at kinds who are staring in wonderment at a washing machine? Or want to help their Mother's with the laundry?

The other thing that kept me entertained was my phone. I love my stupid Blackberry. Ended up texting with Robb and Stephen M. while hanging out. Also a nice way to pass the time.

Now I'm home, off to try and take a nap although after our awesome hour long run this morning and the laundrymat, I'm not feeling particularly tired. I'm sure this means I'll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

NaBloPoMo Day 6

2009-11-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy it's Friday. My boss that is out on vacation will be back on Monday - which means less work for me! Not that it's been horrible with her out of the office, I've definitely learned alot while she was gone and it made the days pass much faster.

I have no plans tonight, except to hang with The Boyfriend and go for a nice long walk tonight after dinner. Tomorrow morning we are going to run for an hour again (3rd time in 8 days!) and spend the afternoon hanging out with Kathy, David, Steve L. and Kathy and David's adorable daughter Amelia. Should be a good day.

Then Sunday we have plans for dinner and a tour of the Jurassic Museum of Technology. I have no idea what we're in for with that, but it should be interesting nonetheless. It's odd for us to have so many plans on the weekend, but since they all involve friends, I'm really looking forward to it.

NaBloPoMo Day 5

2009-11-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

Got up early and ran for an hour this morning. Since I have to do this before work, it means we leave the house around 5:30 am, but I try not to think about what time it is too much. It's already hard to get out of bed and poor Robb usually gets stuck convincing me it will be okay if I get up from the warmth of the bed.

It's nice that I can do this and not completely crash at the end of the day. It helps that I did 30 Day Shred tonight, that always gives me a shot of energy and helps me stop from going to bed at 9.

Sleeping in tomorrow, going to run for an hour Saturday morning. I hope it's cold enough that I will finally have a chance to try out my new running shirt!

NaBloPoMo Day 4

2009-11-04T17:11:00.000-08:00

Running shoes are the new jeans shopping for me. It's no fun. I frequently leave feeling like I will never find a pair I like and I get really frusterated after trying on 5 millions pairs.

The last pair of running shoes are the best ones I've ever purchased. It helps that I spent a little more on them than usual, but they've lasted. They rock. I haven't had any ankle or knee pain while running in them and they lasted forever.

So, of course, when I go to replace them, I can't find anyone that has them in my size. UGH! I wish I had the money to buy several pairs of running shoes at a time, but I don't. Especially since The Boyfriend is also a runner and also needs new shoes as frequently as I do (and we don't even replace our shoes as often as you're supposed to as a runner. But we never let ourselves run in shoes that hurt us, trust me).

To further annoy me, Shoe Pavilion went out of business and they were THE BEST place to find running shoes. The prices were great, they had good sales and the almost always had my size. Now I have to deal with DSW, which isn't terrible (although they never seem to have The Boyfriend's size in stock. Never.), but it's not as good as Shoe Pavilion was. Or I have to order them from Zappos. I love Zappos, they have great customer service, but their New Balance prices leave a bigger dent in my wallet than I'd like.

So, I spent the better part of 24 hours looking for a replacement for the shoes I love. And I ended up having to do the "order the exact shoes I have, but in the wrong size and see if they fit" and "order a different pair, which are supposed to be similar and come in my exact size and hope I love them as much as the old ones" game.

Oh the downsides of exercising more.

NaBloPoMo Day 3

2009-11-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

While I love Daylight Saving Time since it means I don't have to run in the pitch dark, I hate that it makes the day feel longer. I would like to go to sleep right now.

I had a dentist appointment this morning - I love getting my teeth cleaned because my dentist is always telling me how wonderful my teeth are. But getting there this morning was full of angst and bad driving (not on my part) and traffic. I really, really, really hate being late to things. At least it wasn't my fault, I was on the road with plenty of time to get there, it's just the usual LA crap traffic holding me back.

It's all foggy and spooky at work, you can't even see out of my boss's window. I love Fall, I just wish it was actually cooling down around here. There's nothing more "off" to me than to watch the leaves change while it's still getting up to 80 degrees. And people still say there's no such thing as global warming!

The only downside to this Fall atmosphere is that I want to bake more. And eat more. But I am running more, so hopefully it will all balance out. I've ordered some new running shirts and replacement running shoes which will help me want to run even more.

My first 30 minute run this morning since running for an hour this weekend. My run was awesome! I can't believe how much better it was for pacing. I am definitely someone that does better when she can run for longer than 30 minutes, I'm just so much better at finding a good pace and not worrying about the clock. Although my shorter runs after the longer run are much more satisfying as my ability to pace seems to carry over.

Now I'm off to find 5k Races in my area between now and Christmas. I think I need something else to build to for running.

NaBloPoMo Day 2

2009-11-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

I just finished 30 Day Shred - which I did only 45 minutes after eating dinner and I didn't throw up! Not that I expected to, but I was a little worried I would be jumping around too soon after dinner. I can not eat before running as my stomach does not like having food in it when I work out.

This is all part of the new and improved exercise plan. The plan wherein I pretty much exercise as much as possible while trying to cut back on calories even more. As part of this plan I want to shake up my exercise routine. I will still run as much as possible and either walk at lunch or workout at night after dinner. If I can't run in the morning, I will walk at lunch and work out at night.

And on the days that I'm feeling really ambitious, I will run in the morning (30 minutes), walk at lunch (60 minutes) and do some workout video or Pilates workout at night.

I think the change of pace will really be good for me. And I'm not going to let myself get in a rut of doing the same exercises. I have several Pilates DVD's that I can do and since I love Pilates this won't be a problem. Plus I love me some 30 Day Shred/Jillian Michaels so this will be an easy video to throw in whenever I feel like it.

The best part of doing the workout tonight? It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It still kicked by ass, but that's a good thing. I need to feel like I'm getting somewhere with this.

So, now I will continue to try and find new running shoes while I wait for Robb to come back from walking at the park. He posted a picture and it's all foggy and spooky out. I need him to help me move the couch back into place and help me not eat the last of the pumpkin muffins we made this weekend.

NaBloPoMo Day 1

2009-11-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

Hey! It's November again! Which means I will actually post on this here blog. Aren't you so excited?

Last night was Halloween, a night in which I am loathed to leave my apartment. I try very hard to stay inside on heavy drinking holidays and it was a good thing, since every 1/2 an hour or so we heard sirens through our neighborhood.

So, we stayed home, watched a scary movie ("Drag Me To Hell") that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED. Sam Raimi makes some darn awesome movies I tell ya. We ate pizza, drank wine, ate ice cream and candy. So really, it was a very nice night.

Today, we got up and ran for an hour. I know. After all we ate last night it sounds ridiculous, but it's been a few months since we ran for over 30 minutes and I needed to do it. And it was awesome!! I was really dreading the idea and as Robb pointed out, I was most happy I did it after everything was said and done. Don't get me wrong, it hurt. Bad. Especially the first 15 minutes when it felt like I was running through molasses and going super slow. But I just kept pushing and it started to feel better. I forgot how much I love running for longer times. I ended up running further than I have in forever. Robb was so sweet, patting me on the back at the end and cheering me on.

It's amazing how quickly I forget that I can do these things. I get so bogged down in being mad at myself for not losing more weight that I forget to take the time to recognize what I've accomplished so far.

And most of all, I forget just how far I need to push myself sometimes. I've been putting off running for an hour because I thought it would be horrible and other stupid excuses.

But it's good that this happened, because now I'm looking at other exercise things I've been putting off (hour long Pilates video, I'm looking at you) because I think they will be too hard or whatnot.

Who cares if I'm sore the next day? The soreness will fade. The happiness at moving up to the next level doesn't.

Shoes

2009-09-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how shoes seem to tie into one's identity, or I should say, tie into how other people identify you.

See, we're going to be producing a new webshow and in that show, my character will be wearing heels the whole time. So, with this realization in hand (coupled with the gifting of a wardrobe of high heels from my friend Kendra) I've decided the smart thing to do would be to start wearing heels often enough to re-acquaint myself with them and be able to run, jump and maybe not look like a beginner when walking in them.

I am no stranger to heels, trust me. I grew up taking dance lessons, I've done theatre forever and I used to just really like wearing heels.

Then, I started getting jobs that it just would have been stupid to wear heels. Jobs that required you to be on your feet all day and in the most comfortable shoes you could find. And I became a fan of flat shoes (well, I still am for the most part). For years I have very, very rarely wore heels to work - even though I have a desk job, I never know when I'm going to be running all day. Or walking a long distance to deliver something. Plus, I like flats - they're fun and cute and go with almost everything!

I digress. I figured I should start wearing heels to work (with a pair of flats stashed in my work bag as a backup). It's been a fun experiment to see how people react to this change.

Some people are very excited and find it fun. Others seem to think I'm somehow changing as a person and treat my wearing of heels as very suspicious. And yet others find it a good way to give me a backhanded compliment about my appearance. While I admittedly do not stress about what I look like most days, I'm not sure the days I dress up a bit more are a case for being weird about it.

I'm still getting used to wearing heels again and my feet are definitely paying the price right now for my experiment, but it's all worth it. When the new show starts filming, I will not be the sad girl who can't handle heels for more than a couple of hours. I just won't.

Newness

2009-09-10T10:43:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, I get so overwhelmed with not knowing how to start blogging again, that I don't blog.

Sad, really, since it's my blog and I can write whatever the heck I want to write.

It's just a nice excuse to continue to ignore this space.

The Boyfriend and I have been in the middle of so many projects that my head spins. We just wrapped the latest episode of our internet sitcom. We're in the middle of starting a new show. We helped a friend move and in return, given her bed/nightstands as she had no room for them.

This prompted another new project (one we've been talking about for awhile now) of completely and totally purging our apartment. Oh yeah, we've been going through EVERYTHING. Throwing away, organizing, donating, filing, figuring out how to reorganize furniture so we have more room, everything! And it's not over. This weekend we have to go through the small storage space we have downstairs in the carport.

On top of that, since we've just finished filming, we're also cleaning our apartment from top to bottom. Like scrubbing the floors on hands and knees with baking soda cleaning. (The bathroom floor looks fabulous, by the way. This weekend I hope to do the kitchen floor)

So yeah, tons of stuff going on, but no pull to write about it here. Which sucks, but I don't know that people really need to read all about the crap we are finally throwing away. Or the stuff finally being sent to charity.

Or the fact that the very awesome bed our friend gave us will not fit in our tiny bedroom. But we don't want to get rid of it, so we have to figure out where the heck to store it without paying a crapload of money to do so.

Fun, exciting stuff!

Routine Day 1

2009-07-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to do the blogging every day in July thing. The theme for this month is "Routine". I was thinking about this while running this morning (for an hour and I made it the farthest I've ever made it thankyouverymuch!) and I realized how easy it is for me to get stuck in a routine rut. And, because of this, also get stuck in a routine of thinking about the things I want that I don't have yet.

So, for today, I'm making a reference list of what's right with my life right now (well, everything I can think of at this moment, in no particular order):

1. While I may hate that our apartment is small, I have a 15 minute commute to work. In LA.
2. Most days, I get to ride in with a friend, who routinely makes me laugh. (Hi Steve!)
3. I have a boyfriend who thinks I'm cute, even at the end of an hour long run
when I am a sweaty mess. And he's not afraid to tell me that he thinks that.
4. I have a day job that has lots of down time during which I can work on my own projects. Or
knit.
5. I am going on vacation next week. And for the first time, I'm not worried about the cost.
6. On said vacation, I'm staying with some friends who have adorable children that I will get
to play with.
7. Every day my running gets faster and faster. While I wish the weight would come off quicker,
I'm getting stronger and healthier than I've ever been and that's more important to me.
8. I have great friends.
9. We finished outlining the new show and I am so excited for the adventure of creating a second
online show.
10. I don't know what to put here, I'm already bored of writing this. Let's just say, life is good.

Back from Outer Space

2009-06-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

Goodness, I really need to stop ignoring my blog. I get so far behind and I feel like I somehow need to catch people up and it all gets so overwhelming I just quit before I start.

Well, it looks like this summer is out to kill me with the busy-ness and such. It's mostly all fun, which is good, but still, sometimes too much fun is just as tiring as not having any fun at all.

Last week we got to go to Disneyland with some awesome people we never get to see anymore.
Which lead me to this thought:
"Sometimes, it's easier to not speak to someone at all once they are no longer in your daily life. Only because it makes it easier to not miss them."

On a completely different topic, The Boyfriend and I will be going on vacation soon. It's been a long time since we've been on a road trip and I am so excited that I'm not even freaking out over the amount of stuff that has to be done before we leave. All of the important appointments have been made (including one for the car which needs a tune up and rear brakes), so that definitely helps.

What also helps? Almost 2 weeks on the road with The Boyfriend which also includes a reunion of college theatre friends. I only wish I had gotten around to losing that weight I had planned on losing. Oh well.

Quick Friday Rantings

2009-04-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

I am so over Kaiser Permanente right now. As soon as I possibly can I will be switching insurance providers. Part of the reason I'm so mad is that I've always defended Kaiser when people ask why I have insurance through them. Until now, I've really had no complaints. But telling me I need a test and then your nurse saying she can't schedule it, I need to see my primary care physician, and then the nurse for the primary care physician telling me I HAVE to come in for an appointment before my doctor will schedule a test for me is just stupid. And I'm done.

Also, I'm really easy to find online. And a lot of my relatives have joined Facebook recently, which is nice. But you know what? Don't leave me stupid messages about "where are you" and "I haven't heard anything about you in years" when everything you need to know about me is ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE - which links to my online sitcom and such. I'm not going to post a big long thing about where I am on your wall for everyone to read when you could have taken 2 seconds and perused my profile. Or, conversely, send me a private message if you want to talk.

I know I'm being snotty.

Oh well.

Why hello there

2009-02-26T16:38:00.001-08:00

Wow - it's funny how when I don't write on my blog for awhile I get all stressed out about it, as if the next thing I write needs to be EARTH SHATTERING, so I stress over what to write and then I end up not writing anything to avoid the stress.

The end.

What a useless cycle of crap that was. So, here I am, writing whatever the heck I feel like writing this very moment, because that's how I roll today.

My head is killing me, freaking allergies. They have been so bad lately that I actually get "the spins" which sucks because I haven't had any alcohol, so I don't understand what's going on.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting at work, sitting at my desk and the whole room seemed to make a sharp left turn. I was so freaked I actually gasped and grabbed my desk since I thought I was about to be turned upside down. It was freaky. And this is coming from someone who LOVES rollercoasters and such.

I ended up going to the doctor thinking I had a sinus infection, but in reality, I am just really, really congested. Yay.

So they prescribed something for the congestion for me to take "as needed", which is useless since about the time I realize I should take the medicine again, the room is spinning (which I DO NOT LIKE).

Ugh. I hate this crap. I'm guessing it's time to visit the doctor and demand stronger allergy meds.

On a different note, I am trying to make 2009 the year I actually see my friends more. I am terrible at keeping in touch and Facebook has managed to show me that I have been really awful at keeping in touch with people I actually want to stay in touch with.

So, I'm trying. Not very hard since I'm pretty lazy, but I'm trying non-the-less.

I Am Back

2009-01-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

In more ways than one! The Boyfriend and I just returned from our trip home to Washington for Christmas. And I'm starting back on Nutrisystem full time, fully serious, ready to get the rest of this dumb weight off. More on that later.

We are still sorting through the hundreds of photos that we took, but I wanted to make sure I got down this story as it's one of my favorites from the trip.

The Boyfriends Nephew got the Dark Knight Batman costume for Christmas (this is the nephew that last year at Thanksgiving was dressed as Superman the entire time we were there. I love it!) so he immediately put the entire costume on and was "in character" the whole time. He wouldn't smile for pictures if he had his mask on and you had to call him "Batman" for him to answer you.

So, we were hanging out and he told me this

"Auntie Tamiya (he can't say my name quite right, another reason I heart him) when I come in the room and I have my whole costume on, you have to say "Thank God you're here!". But if I don't have my costume on, you don't have to say that."

Seriously, he is just the cutest thing ever. He also has a huge crush on me and told his sister that he was going to marry me. It's too funny to me as he looks exactly like The Boyfriend did at that age. Obviously, he has the same great taste in women as The Boyfriend as well.

Light Bulb

2008-12-04T17:25:00.000-08:00

I had one of those moments the other day, wherein a co-worker said something that finally gave me some insight into how they tick.

I will not say any more as people are getting better at finding this blog, but it was such a light bulb moment - I don't want to forget that it happened. And that I finally now feel like I've got some perspective on this person, instead of just finding them mystifying.

Wow.

Shirt

2008-12-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

I'm wearing this long sleeved blue t-shirt today - I think I've owned it since college and I just realized that it's too big for me and I should probably make sure it lands in the "Goodwill" pile. But, I feel attached to it somehow and I don't want to get rid of it.

I very rarely feel that way about clothes. I have no real reason to be attached to this shirt. I don't remember wearing it during some life changing event, it's just a standard navy blue t-shirt and I feel some odd emotional attachement to it.

I've even put it in the "running clothes" drawer and worn it a few times. Although, it's actually a bit too warm for running.

Someday, I will stick it in a bag and forget that I own it and I won't feel so bad when I send it to Goodwill.

Someday.

Thirty

2008-11-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

Yay! Last day of NaBloPoMo! I've made it. I wish I could say I've posted some great posts this month. Mostly I've just scribbled some thoughts on this blog and hit Publish. Someday I will get my crap together and actually spend some time on my writing.

Dinner last night was awesome. We got home late, so The Boyfriend and I slept in a little bit and got up to go for another hour long walk. I'm writing this as he's cooking dinner and in a couple of hours we will do another workout of 30 Day Shred. Tonight is a big night, we're going to try Level 2, I feel pretty ready for it. Should be interesting to see how sore I will be tomorrow!

I re-stained the top of our coffee tables today as The Boyfriend finished a freelance editing project. They are still downstairs, I can't remember to go get them before we go to bed.

I'm still learning our new camera. It's pretty amazing what it can do. The Boyfriend spent some time going over things with me and explaining them further. This is a whole new world for me, pretty fascinating stuff. Now we're talking about getting a laptop so I can learn Photoshop and really have some fun taking photos. None of this will happen until after the new year and The Boyfriend gets some more work.

Dinner's ready, so I'm off! Happy Last Day of NaBloPoMo!

Twenty Nine

2008-11-29T23:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am very happy to report that Yogurtland definitely lived up to all of Lauren's hype! They have so many flavors and you get to add your own toppings! Then you pay by the ounce, so it was about $1.50 cheaper than Pinkberry for The Boyfriend and I. I wish it was closer, I would definitely go more, so for the time being, Pinkberry still has my heart. But Yogurtland was awesome and a great find!

Dinner was so much fun, I can now say with certainty that I've had London Broil. Also, Lauren's Pistachio Basil Butter was seriously yummy. I'm still thinking about it this morning! I really want to make some.

It was really nice to hang out with Jimmy and Lauren - we played "Mall Madness" and "Apples to Apples" - which I've never played before and I totally loved it. Very fun.

Now I'm off to bed, it's WAY past my bedtime! And I'm barely getting this post in on time.

Twenty Eight

2008-11-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

Not much to report today as The Boyfriend and I spent all day goofing around and getting a little work done. I'm so loving this mini vacation in my apartment.

Tomorrow we are going to Jimmy and Lauren's place for dinner. We've never been there before, so it should be fun! Also, we're going to Yogurtland to try some of their frozen yogurt that Lauren is always talking about! Also, we're going to introduce them to the most awesome board game ever, Mall Madness, which is going to be great!

I'm off to watch more movies and eat brownies filled with peanut butter.

Twenty Seven

2008-11-27T20:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! The Boyfriend and I have stuffed ourselves silly - and spent the day laying around and watching movies, it's been a really awesome day. I hope everyone was able to spend the day with their loved ones and had time to give thanks for whatever they are thankful for.

I can't even begin to list everything I'm thankful for - so I'm just going to say I'm thankful for everything and everyone in my life and leave it at that.

Twenty Six

2008-11-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

It finally rained last night/this morning. I love the rain in LA, it happens so infrequently that I really enjoy it when it happens.

Work today was pretty laid back, we only worked until 1, then I went and ran a couple of errands and came home. The Boyfriend and I took a nap (awesome!) and just now we finished making our first Sweet Potato Pie. We're both so looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow! A day of just the two of us, eating, relaxing - hopefully we will get to go for a run in the morning before all the eating commences!

Today, I ran into Gelsons to pick up a loaf of bread - they had Orowheat on sale 2 loaves for $7, but when the cashier rang them up, they rang at their normal price. I asked about the sale price and she called a manager to do a price check. He came back and said I was absolutely right, apologized and said he would give me a loaf for free and the other one at the reduced price. I thanked him profusely and paid and left. Yay me! Yay free bread!

Now I'm off to watch Disc 2 of "John Adams"! Have you seen this? It's freaking fantastic!

Twenty Five

2008-11-25T20:47:00.001-08:00

I'm still waiting for the rain to start that they promised. It was drizzling a little bit earlier, but no big showers like I was hoping for.

Today was such a chill day at work. I took a bit of a long lunch and went to visit Kathy and Lisa. We walked around Beverly Hills and went in a few shops. It was such fun to see hang with them and get caught up. I got to give Lisa her birthday present (yes, it was late, I'm not a good planner it seems), but I was really happy to see that she liked the earrings so much.

The biggest news today is that the Christmas present that The Boyfriend and I bought each other arrived today. We bought a new digital camera, a Canon Rebel Xsi and 2 lenses (a telephoto and a wide angle lens). We've wanted a nice camera for such a long time, and The Boyfriend had some freelance money come in, so we went ahead and got it now. It's freaking awesome. The Boyfriend has not stopped playing with it since I got home. I guess I'm really going to get used to having my picture taken! I will post some photos soon as I need to spend some time playing around with it myself, otherwise there will be no photos of The Boyfriend (as he pointed out).

So yeah, exciting times around here. We just got done doing 30 Day Shred. I LOVE that workout video, more than I could ever imagine loving a workout DVD. I feel so awesome when I get done with it, it's definitely worth the $10. I need to feel awesome as I've gained about 7 pounds since July. I guess I need to really get serious about losing weight again. Ugh. Why can't this be easier? I'm really sick of being the girl on a diet. I want to get to a healthy weight and then just be able to spend my time focusing on something else.

Twenty Four

2008-11-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today was pretty cool, especially for a Monday.

My run this morning was pretty awesome.

I got a free coffee at the coffee cart due to a mistake they made and I have no boss this week, so work is fairly light.

I went to lunch with a friend and had a great time. Also, a chocolate chip pizookie, which was fabulous.

I ate a light dinner due to overeating at lunch and then let Jillian kick my butt with 30 Day Shred.

And now we are watching the cutest Polar Bear story on PBS. Seriously, there is nothing cuter than a baby polar bear.

I'm off to bed soon. If it's not raining, we are running in the morning. Then a lunchtime walk with Kathy and Lisa - which I am so looking forward to!

Twenty Three

2008-11-23T19:35:00.000-08:00

Last night I forgot to write about the actual drive to Ikea. When we got on the freeway, we noticed it was kind of foggy, which of course meant people were driving like crap.

Once we got on the freeway it was so cool! Because of the fog, you couldn't see any of the city off of the freeway, so it was like the freeway existed and nothing else. I kept thinking of the Dr. Who episode with the people stuck on the freeway system for ever, it was so cool and kind of creepy.

Today was spent lazing around some more. We had big plans to get things done and while we did accomplish some of the plans, a lot of them were chucked out the window for a much longer nap than we originally planned and some more time to just hang. I feel like my soul has been replenished.

Also, I can't wait for it to be Thanksgiving! We have so many good food items purchased already and I'm trying to be good until then!

Now I'm off to get ready for my 1/2 week of work. Thursday can't come soon enough!

Twenty Two

2008-11-22T22:39:00.000-08:00

The Boyfriend and I spent today lazing around the apartment, well, I guess by lazing around I mean, we got up at 6:30 am, went for a long walk, made breakfast, lazed around watching movies (John Adams is PHENOMENAL!), The Boyfriend captured some footage for a freelance project, I puttered around for awhile, we did 30 Day Shred and then went to Ikea and Chili's for a very late dinner.

Ikea was very productive, we found The Boyfriend a new office chair, which is so cool. He's needed a new chair for awhile now and we finally settled on one that was comfortable and had adjustable arms - which are a necessity for someone who records music at home.

As I type this, The Boyfriend is putting together his new chair and "Law & Order : SVU" is playing on the TV (the old lady from "The Happening" is playing an attorney!).

Well, The Boyfriend has started swearing, so I'm off to help put the chair together!

Twenty One

2008-11-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

I keep forgetting that today's Friday. At least when I remember, I'm excited all over again.

I had a luncheon today as my floor won an award for our Fire Drill (I think it was at the end of September).

Anyway, they didn't tell us ahead of time which floor had won what award, like they usually do, so it was pretty fun to look forward to finding out. Turns out my floor (most especially the Floor Wardens) won "The Bravest" Award, an award they hadn't given in over 4 years - for the floor with the best and fastest Fire Drill and Floor Wardens. It was a huge honor and we were quite surprised. Top that with a catered lunch and today was pretty damn awesome.

Twenty

2008-11-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to report today. It's Thursday and I'm really looking forward to not having any plans this weekend. The Boyfriend and I really need a weekend of laying around and getting things done - plus it's not hot this weekend which will make everything much better.

We're getting "John Adams" from Netflix this weekend. I can't wait to watch it.

I think that's all today. I made plans to walk at lunch next Tuesday with Kathy and Lisa, which will be awesome. I never get to see them anymore and really miss walking with them during lunch.

Nineteen

2008-11-19T21:17:00.001-08:00

We just got back from a Pinkberry event! I signed up for Pinkberry emails a couple of weeks ago, thinking they would send coupons or something. Imagine my surprise when I received an email asking if I wanted to RSVP to a Pinkberry event for the launch of their new flavor. I signed up, signed up The Boyfriend as my guest and left it at that.

This afternoon, I remembered that the event was tonight! I can't believe I almost forgot to go to the event that was purely free samples and a cool t-shirt.

So, we drove down to El Segundo, signed in, got our hands stamped (we're both OK), tried the new flavor (several times!) (Pomegranate, YUMMY!) and got my free t-shirt. Unfortunately, The Boyfriend did not get a shirt since I was the one signed up for the event. Then we were asked some questions about what we thought of the new flavor and the event in general. It was actually a lot of fun. There were some obvious Pinkberry corporate people there, I chatted with a few, let them know how much I loved the new flavor and then headed home.
It was a fun way to spend a Wednesday night! Thanks so much Pinkberry!

Oh, and The Boyfriend signed up for their emails as well, so he can get a cool shirt next time. Ha!

Here's the stamps, letting everyone know that we're OK!
I'm not sure if it's really funny or really inappropriate for me to be wearing a shirt that says "Share The Goodness" across my chest... Okay, we all know that's really funny!

Eighteen

2008-11-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

Randomness:

1. Finally got my flu shot today. Everyone trying to give me some sort of illness at work can now suck it.

2. Losing weight has odd side effects. I can now fit into shoes I haven't been able to wear in several years. Today I wore a pair of brown loafers that are so comfortable now that I've lost weight, it's crazy. That and the boots I wore the other day, it's like I got 2 new pairs of shoes and all I had to do was shop my own closet!

3. I can not stop these freaking headaches. The weather lately is TERRIBLE! I stopped going to acupuncture after my emergency root canal and subsequent amount of money I had to pay to my dentist. Now I think I need to start going again, if nothing else, it makes me nice and relaxed which will at least help me deal with these headaches.

4. I wore a new pair of grey pants to work today. I lurve them! They will be my new "Monday Pants" (a phrase I stole from Kathy). Monday pants are those pants that always fit well and are easy to make an outfit with, therefore you wear them on Mondays, the day when you're mad that you have to go to work, so having an easy outfit to throw together on Monday mornings makes life a lot easier. Bon, n'est pas?

5. Thanksgiving is next week, which means Christmas is only like thirty-some odd days away. Man, where the heck did this year go?

Seventeen

2008-11-17T19:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, taking today off of work was the best idea ever. I'm finally starting to feel better and I got to spend another day hanging out with The Boyfriend. Well, I hung out while he worked on an editing project.

So, back to work tomorrow. At least I'm looking forward to it now that I've had some downtime.

I'm so happy the winds have changed direction, my head is not hurting today. Man yesterday was rough - there is nothing worse than waking up with a migraine.

I'm off to watch TV with The Boyfriend and decide if I want to do 30 Day Shred tonight.

Sixteen

2008-11-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

Ugh, I don't know if it's the wine I drank last night or the horrible air from the fires, but I woke up this morning with a terrible migraine. I couldn't eat, could barely drink anything and just felt like crap. I slept in until 9, which is quite late for me, and when I got up, I pretty much parked myself on the couch. The Boyfriend was so wonderful about taking care of me.

Around lunch I finally ate something and it stayed down, so I was able to take some migraine medicine. Now I'm feeling pretty good, which usually happens when the headache goes away. Although, I feel like the stupid headache could come back at any moment, so I'm trying to get some things done around the house while I still can. I know that seems weird, but when the migraine goes away, I usually get a huge rush of energy.

Although right now, I'm trying to eat enough to make up for the fact that I've really not eaten anything today. I barely ate lunch and now that it's dinner time, I've eaten dinner, a dessert and I'm still hungry. At least I have tomorrow off of work, I can get some more things done while The Boyfriend works on his freelance project.

Fifteen

2008-11-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have no idea why people were so down on "Get Smart". I loved it. I thought the humor was very dry and witty, the casting was great and the story was very fun. Steve Carell was brilliant.

I'm writing this while I wait for The Boyfriend to get ready. We're heading to a birthday part for David, whom we haven't seen in forever. I'm so excited to go and see him and everyone there, it should be a good group of people.

So, I'm off to figure out if what I'm wearing is going to be cool enough as it's ridiculously hot here. Seriously, anyone that thinks global warming isn't true should just look at the fact that it is so damn hot here in California. Between the weather and the fires, my allergies are going crazy and I've been getting headaches every day. I'm taking Monday off of work so I can just relax and get a few personal things done - mostly to take a nap too and just try to feel better.

Fourteen

2008-11-14T22:33:00.000-08:00

Another late post. The Boyfriend and I just got home from running errands, which sounds painful, but it was actually quite fun as we got some stuff done and I love nothing more than checking things off of my "to-do" list.

I had the weirdest thing happen to me at lunch today. I was waiting in line to pay for my lunch and humming to myself (probably "Devil and the Deep Blue Sea", but it could also have been "Witchcraft" - I've had these 2 songs stuck in my head all week) and the guy in front of me turns around and asks if I'm a singer. I say yes, he asks what I like to sing, I say everything. During the conversation, he asks if I write music, I say no, but my boyfriend does. Turns out he writes R&B songs and says has had some on TV. He asks me if I have a card, I say no, do you? He digs through and finds one, asks me more about what type of music my Boyfriend writes, we chat a few minutes more and he leaves, letting me know I should make sure and have my boyfriend call or email him.

Seriously, weirdest thing I have ever had happen to me while waiting in line.

Now I'm off to watch "Get Smart" and eat some popcorn!

Thirteen

2008-11-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm writing this late. Too many things going on, too much to do, so little time in the day.

I tried to take today off of work, but was denied. I'm obviously not happy about it as I was really planning on having today off, but there is a chance I can take Monday off, so I'm keeping my hopes up about that.

I went to a new restaurant today at lunch - Jack Sprats. I tried Sweet Potato Fries for the first time, man were they ever good. Not as heavy or greasy as normal french fries and a ton more flavor. Now I understand why people online make sweet potato fries for themselves at home!

Wow, I'm suddenly exhausted. I feel bad for posting this as a post as I've really written nothing of interest. I have all of these stories that I've been saving in my head for NaBloPoMo and yet every day I find myself scraping together a post and throwing it online. Maybe this weekend I will finaly find the time to sit down and write something of interest.

Right after I get done cleaning and returning things to Target and finding some new pants at Old Navy and going to a friends birthday party and all the other things on my to do list.

Now I'm even more tired.

Twelve

2008-11-12T16:37:00.001-08:00

Oh man, getting up today was hard. My head is still hurting, but as long as it doesn't turn into a migraine, I can deal.

I was able to talk The Boyfriend into not grocery shopping last night - which was easy since he'd just received a new piece of electronics for recording music and he wanted more time to stay home and play with it. I love it when he gets like that, because he spends a good portion of the night playing music for me and it's too rare for him to do this anymore. When we first started dating, he used to play the guitar and sing to me all the time and I miss it. Our lives get too busy and it takes something like a new piece of equipment for us to slow down and just enjoy hanging around, singing together (when I know the song he's playing, which isn't very often- we have different tastes in music) or me just enjoying his singing and guitar playing. It's nice to be able to have a night like that. One that I can appreciate because it's been awhile.

Which means tonight we HAVE to go to the store. Oh well, it should be a quick trip.

On another note, I'm in desperate need of new pants. I ordered some from Old Navy, but, they look HUGE once I got them out of the package. Maybe I've dropped a size? I don't know how that would have happened since the scale hasn't moved. We'll see tonight when I get home and can actually try things on.