Squeaky wheel gets the grease April 22, 2009

I told myself to remember this blog title while at the gym, and now I can’t remember why!  Um, I’ll think on that for a minute.

Today was another rather meh day.  The weather was colder (suck!), everything was fine, and here I am at 11:30 trying to remember my non-descript day.

Breakfast was probably the most perfect oatmeal I’ve had in awhile.  I added soy protein powder to the regular mix of steel cut oats, peanut butter, almond milk, water, cinnamon, and raisins.  Creamy, but not gooey!

Chris had lunch with a colleague, so I ate on my own around 1.  Half a sando (whole wheat, peppered turkey, romaine), and the fave carrot.

The afternoon was rather non descript, but for visiting the new condo where my mom is moving this summer.  It is in a pretty place by an old quarry that was filled in with water, thus creating a small lake.  She has a nice view of it, and the area is nice, too.  I’m jealous!

For Earth Day my office buildings had a battery collection drive, and I stopped by to speak with the property manager about being a Master Recycler and hoping to help make the office buildings greener.  She was excited and I hope to speak with her soon about some of my ideas.

After getting back to work I ate my apple from yesterday, but forgot to take a pic.

Dinner was a run to Si Senor, but it wasn’t quite as good as usual.  They got Chris’ burger order wrong (brought him a chicken burger instead of beef, and with different toppings), but he was nice and said he’d eat it.  He should have been the squeaky wheel and insisted on the Mexican Deluxe Cheeseburger he ordered, but he didn’t and ended up not being as satisfied.  My tortilla soup was good, but I prefer the version I get at Fajitas b/c it isn’t as salty, and has shredded chicken rather than grilled breast.  The chips were really good tonight, though!

On the way home I almost forgot to pick up Lily at my mom’s!!!  :shocked:  How could I forget my little girl?! 

Tonight I did workout # 2 and 45 minutes on the stair mill.  There were a couple of times I felt like speaking up and being a squeaky wheel here, but I pussied out and remained silent: 1) some chick sitting in the locker room picking at her feet for at least an hour, and leaving all the, um, results on the floor.  Gag!  Clean that up, bitch! 2) Some weird guy kept going in and out of the pool area over and over and over, acting rather weird.  I almost said something to a staff person, but the dude seemed harmless enough.  Here’s where I thought of the title of this post, but still can’t remember if all of the reasons mentioned herein are why it came to mind.  Oh well…

Once home I desired some of my fave granola, and even though I’ve been avoiding sugar at night (except on nights where I drink too much wine!) I said WTF, I want it and I deserve it.  So, my snack was 1/2 cup pumpkin flax plus granola with 1/2 a banana.  Mmmm!

Well, that’s all, folks. Not a very exciting day, but hopefully you found some bits of it entertaining

Variety hour April 21, 2009

In this wonderful post, you will find such varied fun topics as: workouts, calves, thong underwear, gum spitting, and random men directing traffic.  Now doesn’t that sound like a fun-filled read??!!  It was quite a random day, and hopefully I’ll amuse you with some of my Deep Thoughts rather than bore you to death with the usual eats.

The morning started with a wind blown drive into the office while soaking up the sun   Yee-haw!  Next up, a really normal breakfast of steel cut oats with raisins, PB, cinnamon, almond milk, and water. 

Walking into work I was thinking about my calves, and the fact that I’m actually getting some definition.  No, nothing ripped or “muscular” exactly, but way better than the soft mush they once were.  I caught my reflection in a glass door last night and commented to myself that they are shaped differently than before.  All that time on the stair mill must be paying off!

During one of my mid-morning trips to the loo, I saw a nice looking young lady but noticed she had panty lines!  Oh, poor thing…  Thong underwear are a miracle, and they’ve come a long way since the 80’s high waisted, hip-cutting nightmares of our childhood lore.  I’ll go out on a limb here and say that I quite prefer a thong to bikinis, and I especially love a brand called Steve that I buy at the Nordstrom Rack.  They are soft, comfy, don’t ride up, don’t dig in, and easy to care for.  And, hey, they cost less than bikinis or briefs!  Less material=lower price=less consumption.  Hell yes, I’ll whip out the “green” argument here  

Check out the Wikipedia article on thongs.  I had no idea that something called a C-string existed!  It’s basically strapless underwear!!!

I hope like hell this picture turns out–quite a great result of Googling “80’s thong underwear picture.”  Hehe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After this epiphany and kidding myself about working for awhile Chris and I ate lunch.  Today’s sandwich was nearly the same as like the last two weeks, but for one ingredient swap out.  Whole wheat bread butt, peppered turkey, romaine, orange bell pepp, avocado, Nature’s Seasons.  With a carrot on the side.

I chowed down on these after lunch in an effort to eat something sweeter, but I had heartburn all afternoon.  WTF??  I never get heartburn, and in my case I’m not sure if it is from a lack of acid, or too much of it. 

Work just sucked today.  I was not motivated to get much done, and I kept getting distracted and just wanting to go home.  It is too easy to put energy into my new office layout/furniture/etc, but I best keep working so I actually have some business to do in that damn office!

Later I finally ate the Kashi TLC multigrain crackers I’d packed like 3 weeks ago.  I’ve noticed that if I don’t have a mid-afternoon snack I seem prone to getting really hungry and snacky right before dinner, and overeating at dinner potentially. 

Somewhere along the way this afternoon I had a few ounces of a Rockstar because my ass was dragging so badly.  I promise that’s not pee in the bottom of my cup!

On the drive home Chris was bitching about how hungry he was (but not me!) when we encountered a mess of traffic in Sellwood.  Eventually we got to a point where some random, drunk dude was directing traffic and holding shit up.  Turns out he wasn’t the cause of the traffic, but he certainly wasn’t helping it.  Gotta love the randomness!

For dinner we went to Fajitas and sat outside with Lily.  I had the small tortilla soup, chips, salsa, and lots of water.  I certainly did not want to drink much and repeat my Friday weight-dropping experience, so I just had a few sips.

After dinner I headed to the gym for Workout #1 and 45 minutes of cardio, which was good!  I’m feeling stronger already on some exercises, but I still feel like a pussy on preacher curls. Check out the link above for details of my workouts and eats.  Let me know what else I can tell you about ‘em!

On my way out of the gym I noticed there’s quite a collection of gum developing on the parking garage stairs.  Ew!  Why does everyone have to spit out there gum right there when there’s a trash can on the 2nd floor, like 10 feet away?  I admit I used to get a kick out of a great gum-spit now and again, but it usually involved opening the car window all the way and pa-toooeying the gum out the window onto the road with all my might. 

Now it’s around 11:15, and I’m feeling a twinge of hunger.  Last night I never did eat since I was heading to bed, and tonight I think it will be the same.  Oh, gotta prep the oats!

Ciao!

Posty post February 21, 2009

Great title, I know.  Seriously going blank.

How was your Saturday? Mine was pretty good.  Let’s get back to Friday first, though…

Friday

Totally forgot to prep my oats even though I reminded myself while blogging :shocked:  As I got our lunches ready I put some vanilla Dannon Light’n'Fit and shredded wheat in a tub.  Some banana sounded good, too, so I brought one and a knife along as we left for Chris’ dental appt.  It was supposed to be quick, but totally wasn’t so I was starving by the time we got to work.  This was a yummy breakfast, though!  I forgot cinnamon…that would have made it perfect.

Lunch involved integrating some leftovers from our workshop the night before.  I can’t let the leftovers go to waste, can I?!  My sando had a little bit of goat cheese, a few slices of dry salami, and spinach.  I wasn’t that hungry when we ate so I didn’t eat all the apple or grapes.

Friday was a beautiful day in Portland…unseasonably gorgeous…. so I had no problem leaving work early   I ate a little snack of a Clif Nectar bar as we walked out to the car, since I knew I’d need something to fuel our next activity.  It is so weird…chewing the nut pieces in these usually makes my teeth hurt.  No, it’s not the bar, it is my TMJ; I clench my jaw and my teeth are a bit sensitized b/c of it.  Yummy bar tho!

We hit up 24 Hour, where I knew I had to do an hour of cardio to make up for the lack of it earlier in the week.  My goal is to do 225 minutes of cardio per week (45 min 5 times per week), and since I was behind I needed to catch up a tad.  I did 45 minutes on the stair mill (whoa, that was hot and hard!), and finished with 15 minutes on the elliptical.  A nice ab session followed, and then I had fun watching Chris finish up his hoopin’ in progress.  Considering he hasn’t played much in a long time he is doing really well!  White men really can jump

After cleaning up we hit up Fajitas for dinner.  I had like an 1/8th of a Casuela, some chips & salsa, and tortilla soup sin crema y queso.  I was SO full after consuming this that I couldn’t even have a sip of my La Casa.  I threw in a piece of gum and called it good.

I did a few household things once we got home, and we went to bed at 10:30!  I didn’t fall asleep until after 11 I think, but it was nice to get in bed earlier than usual.  I think I’m going to aim to do that again tonight

Saturday

I got up around 7 for my second Master Recycler field trip:  Reuse in Action (or so I will call it…).  After getting ready I had my typical oats, but with a small twist:  I used chocolate almond milk instead of vanilla.  The chocolate flavor really didn’t come through, but that’s okay.  This was a yummy combo that I enjoyed with coffee con Silk vanilla creamer.

The field trip was great   First stop was Free Geek, a charity dedicated to helping the needy get nerdy, as they say.  Basically you can donate any computer related item and they will test it, then refurb it or recycle it.  They build computers for schools, needy people, and their volunteers.  Pretty cool reuse in action!

Next stop was Community Warehouse, a charity dedicated to providing basic housewares to families in need.  They also have an estate store with various donated high end furniture or non-necessary items for sale.  The store helps fund about 1/3 of their operating budget, and had lots of cool retro and newer stuff in it.  I think I’ll donate to this organization in the future rather than Goodwill; I didn’t know that Goodwill dumps off unsold stuff to overseas locations where it is more of a burden than a help

Third stop was SCRAP, School and Community Reuse Action Project.  This is another specialized organization whose mission is: “to inspire creative reuse and environmentally sustainable behavior by providing educational programs and affordable materials to the community.” They accept items that can be re-purposed in arts, crafts, and hobbies, which they then sell to the public in their store.  Really cool!  And super cheap…they aim to sell the stuff for 1/4 of what you’d pay retail, so it is a really affordable and fun resource for art centers, teachers, and others looking to find supplies or inspiration for their creative projects.

Fourth and final stop was The Rebuilding Center, which is the biggest construction & demolition (C&D) re-use seller in the country!  They collect re-usable/excess C&D items like cabinets, sinks, tubs, light fixtures, tile, doors, windows, and so much more.  This is a candy store for those doing renovations, remodels, or other projects around the home and yard.  The Center is run by Our United Villages.  Such a great place to visit!  Makes me want to re-tile the bathroom, do a new kitchen counter, and more.  The offices are really amazing, as they use mostly old doors to create the floors and walls, along with lots of other stuff to create the tables, beams, and more.  So cool.

I got home around 1, feeling a little delirious from not eating yet, and made up a plate of goodies:  hummus, spiced feta, kalamata olives, pita, strawberries, grapes, goat cheese, swiss cheese, apple, dolmas, and a slice of dry salami. This was a yummy sampling of tasty goodness, but I restrained enough that I didn’t feel full afterwards

After letting that settle and waiting for laundry I was off to the gym for another mega cardio sesh and some weights.  My sports bras weren’t dry yet, so I ended up wearing a semi-wet one to work out in.  I figured I was going to sweat it up anyway so what did it matter, right?!

I started on cardio since Chris put me on a time budget, cranking out the same hour of cardio as yesterday:  45 min on the mill, then 15 on the elliptical.  Considering it was after 4 at that point I headed out.  I know I haven’t done a weights/resistance workout in the last few days, but I think burnin’ it up on the cardio is going to help me lose a few more pounds sooner for my vaca, so I’ve kinda put that as priority one lately.

Dinner was an exact repeat of last night:  small part of a casuela, chips & salsa, and tortilla soup w/o cream or cheese.  Tonight I wasn’t as full so I did drink about 1/2 of my La Casa

Fo’ shizzle, yo.  I bet some of you out there think we’re crazy b/c of our Mexican food addiction…sometimes I think we’re a little crazy, too! 

What are your Sunday plans?  I think The Driz may be joining me in yoga!  Fun!  Haven’t seen her for awhile, so I get to check out her new haircut and catch up.  We should totally hook our men up to play basketball, as they’re both two tall white guys who play like no one’s business, or so it sounds like   I think Chris will be out for awhile though since his ankle doesn’t seem any better today   It is really weird…no swelling or sensitivity to the touch, but pain when weight is put on it and he flexes his foot while walking.  Tendon issue?  Ligament issue?

I be outta here.  I’m looking forward to a nice yoga sesh in the morning, and some good weights as well.  Hopefully the workout will motivate me to get all my housework done, too!

Later!