Why hello there

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.