Speaking of inspiration… June 30, 2011

Has anyone seen this video?

Yeah. I got teared up. If that guy can do it, so can I. Also, Ben started a Do Life Tour, where he is traveling across the country and doing 5ks wherever he stops. He’ll be in Phoenix on July 20th… anyone want to go with me? I know it’s in the middle of summer, and it will be ridiculously hot, but I’d love to go out and meet/support him. I may not be able to run the entire 5k, but I want to do this!!!

Also, I don’t know if anyone is interested, but the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk is coming up again and I’d love to get a team together. We had a fun time last year, and it’s a great cause.

So…. you in?

Date Night June 29, 2011

While at work today, I mentioned that I was going to Carly’s Bistro for my date tonight. One co-worker said “You go to so many different restaurants, you should really start a food blog!” I mentioned that the only reason I’ve been going to so many different restaurants lately is because I keep going on so many failed dates. My friend Emily suggested that I start reviewing my dates and the restaurants I try out on said dates.

While I’m not about to start rating my dates (kinda rude, right?), I can do a little bit of restaurant review while mentioning bits about the dates, right? No harm there?

So date night review #1: Carly’s Bistro.

I have a hard time with Phoenix. I can never tell when something is uptown or downtown or just plain Central Phoenix. I’d say that Carly’s is just north of downtown, on Roosevelt and 3rd St. I had never been there before, so when the date suggested we meet there, I jumped at the chance to try somewhere new. I’ve passed by this place a few times before on my way to other places, and I’ve been intrigued, so I was glad to give it a go.

I walked in and immediately felt comfortable in the space. They had some great music playing in the background, and it wasn’t too busy, even at 7pm. My date was already sitting down with a glass of wine so I got myself situated with a glass of Estrella Lager (a runner up to my favorite, Kronenbourg 1664, which they were out of). I was grateful for the booze: I’m a pretty shy person naturally and the beer provided a bit of a social lubricant.

I was also grateful that my date hadn’t eaten dinner yet, because I hadn’t and I wanted to try the food there. After perusing the menu for a bit, I decided to get the pear sandwich which was a panini filled with sliced pears, prosciutto, and brie. This is probably one of my favorite flavor combinations ever. Throw in some basil and I would have been in heaven. Since it was pressed like a panini, the brie got all melty and gooey and delicious. It came with a choice between orzo or potato chips. I opted for neither, and actually only ate half of my sandwich so that I could save room for dessert. (The other half will be consumed for breakfast tomorrow. Don’t judge.)

We decided to split a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. I’ve been craving chocolate cake lately, so much that I’ve had to resist the temptation to drive over to the cake shop by my house after work every day to pick up a cupcake each day. Since we were splitting the cake, I didn’t feel so bad about it. It was a smallish slice and the cake was alright. It seemed store bought and the frosting was stiff, like it had been refrigerated for awhile. It was ok and it satisfied the cake craving, but I probably wouldn’t get it again.

After another beer and some more conversation, we settled the bill (he paid, but I did offer to split!) and he walked me to my car. I had a nice night and I would probably go out with him again if he asked, but again… no fireworks or anything. Maybe my expectation of fireworks is asking too much?

All in all, it was a good first date, and I would definitely check out Carly’s Bistro again.

Carly’s Bistro: carlysbistro.com. 128 E Roosevelt Street Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Sad Trombone June 28, 2011

So the date went ok, I guess. I kind of feel like I can’t trust my emotions anymore. He seemed nice, we have stuff in common, but I just wasn’t feeling a big spark. I’m not ruling him out just yet. I just feel like I have no emotions anymore. Isn’t that awful?

That being said, I have a date with another guy tomorrow night. I know, I’m really making the rounds. Maybe I can run through all the eligible bachelors in Phoenix and then move on! He also seems pretty nice, so cross those fingers again and maybe I’ll feel a spark of emotion.

Last week wasn’t a really great workout week. I went to Zumba with Jayne again on Saturday, and then took a 4 hour nap until I had to wake up and get ready for a birthday dinner for my friend Nikki. We went to Pappadeaux and I had an amazing tuna steak. I also got to hang out with the new man in my life, the one who actually makes me feel some emotion… Keleigh and Joey’s son Bronx. He and I made googly eyes until he got a little cranky and started crying. He’s adorable. BABY FEVER.

The rest of the weekend was pretty lazy. Lunch with Megan, movie with Nick/Libby/Nikki, a tiny bit of cleaning. I really need to get back into the healthy eating/working out routine. It’s hard to find a constant source of motivation! I did manage to get my behind onto the treadmill today, starting Week 2 Day 1 of Couch to 5k. It was a bear. I’m starting to feel a tiny bit of knee pain when running, which is really starting to freak me out. I’ve had knee surgery before, and I really don’t want to have to go that route again. If it continues to bother me, I’m going to have to go see a sports medicine specialist or an orthopedic surgeon to have them check out what’s going on. (Insert Sad Trombone here!)

One Week June 23, 2011

A lot has happened in the past week, so here is a quick summary.

On Thursday, I got to have a delicious dinner with my dear friend Amy at one of my favorite restaurants in Phoenix, Cibo. I’ve only been a few times, but every time is fantastic. I’ve yet to try the pizza at Bianco, which has been rated one of the best pizza places in the country, but they tend to have a very long wait and I’m impatient, so Cibo suits me just fine. During this visit, Amy and I got to celebrate their 6th birthday with them, and for that, we got to have margherita pizzas for $6.13 each! Don’t mind if I do.

Friday was spent lazing about the home. My friend’s fiance was planning a Mad Men surprise party for her on Saturday, so I spent the evening picking out an outfit and practicing a vintage hairstyle. Unfortunately, I double checked the invite late that evening… and realized that the party was actually on Friday night. I totally missed it. I don’t know why it hit me so hard, but I think I might have teared up a bit over missing it. What a stupid mistake! Hopefully I’ll get to see her soon and make up for it.

Saturday morning came, and I had big plans with my friend and neighbor, Jayne. We went to a 9 AM Zumba class in Central Phoenix. It was a blast, but totally killer. The instructor moved at a much faster pace than any other instructor I’ve had, but I think I managed to keep up for the most part. AND she played a Selena song during the workout. I love me some Selena.

Later Saturday evening, I got together with some friends and we headed to a little bar around the way from our places. We had a few beers, some wings, and got to make fun of some obnoxious bar patrons…. even though there have been times when we have been the obnoxious ones. Pot calling the kettle black!

Sunday. Did nothing. Absolutely nothing. I went to the workout room, but all of the treadmills were taken, so I rode on the stationary bike for 30 minutes and then did a little light weight lifting. I’m scared of the elliptical machines. I don’t know why.

I spent pretty much the entirety of Monday at work. Got there at 7:30, left at 8:30. Needless to say, no workout. I came home, zoned out to the Bachelorette, and went to bed.

Yesterday, I found out one of my old favorite bands was playing at the Marquee Theater. Toots and the Maytals. Classic Jamaican ska and reggae. I sucked it up, reviewed the budget, and decided to go. This was my favorite song of the evening:

And today was my mom’s birthday! I went down to Chandler to take her out to dinner and spend some time with her… and her little poodle! I’m highly allergic to dogs (I swear, they could look at me and I break into hives), but since Daphne is a poodle and apparently poodles are hypoallergenic, she doesn’t seem to bother my allergies at all. In fact, I even cuddled with her! Photographic evidence:

And tomorrow, I’m meeting up with a new dude from OkCupid. Nervous… but excited! Wish me luck!

Ay Dios Mio June 16, 2011

So in regards to my anti-posting-workout-related-things-on-facebook rant yesterday, I must have forgotten that I totally used to do that when I was doing Zumba constantly. I think I went a few weeks where the only topic I discussed on FB was Zumba. I recalled this as I was suiting up for a Zumba class tonight and thought that I might share something about it on Facebook. Then I remembered my rant and thought better of it. Sorry for partying.

A girl at work mentioned that she had an old high school friend who taught Zumba near our homes in East Phoenix which would be perfect for us. I gathered my work posse, and we all went tonight, but turns out that she is now doing it in South Phoenix. It was a little sketch, I gotta say, but it was only 3 bucks a person and we had a blast. Well worth it, and I think we’ll start going back more often.

We got there a little late, and the instructor was already into the movements, but we jumped in there and got moving. I swear, Zumba makes me sweat so much more than running does. It’s just moving constantly at such a high tempo. But 20 minutes later, the Zumba instructor got off the floor, and another instructor got up in front of the class and started moving with us through what was almost like a weight training circuit! We each had two 5 lb weights and we went through a bunch of different lifts and squats in time with the music. I felt a little ambushed since I was really looking forward to a full Zumba class, but I think it was a great workout. They do this same class on M/W/F at 6:15 and I’m really going to think about going regularly to supplement my Couch to 5k workouts.

I can already feel that I’m going to be so sore tomorrow, so time to get into bed and rest up.

Nice View June 15, 2011

I’m trying to avoid posting on Facebook/Twitter about my working out, because I get pretty annoyed when other people constantly update about their workout routines/diet habits. Every once in awhile, cool. All the time, quite boring and makes me want to block you. I was in a pretty snarky mood after work today, and almost very snarkily commented on a VERY VEGAN friends post, but held my tongue. It just makes me more mindful about what I post.

That being said, I did want to share this one thought. The treadmills in our workout room at the apartments face directly into the pool/common grill area. While the it is nice to face the sun and see what’s going on outside while working out, it is not exactly motivating to see what’s going on in the pool area. For instance, a few weeks ago, there were a bunch of teenagers hanging out there. And since it was so dark outside, one teen couple must have thought that they were invisible and I swear they were getting down and dirty out there. I’m so shy that I didn’t even know what to do or say, other than possibly “I’m going to tell your parents!”, so I just focused on the treadmill screen and booked it out of there as soon as the workout was over.

That’s a pretty extreme case, but usually the view is this: People drinking beer, smoking, and eating delicious looking fatty meats from the grill. And that is the least motivating thing I could think to look at. I’d almost rather that the treadmills were faced the other way, toward the full length mirrors. On second thought, maybe the view’s not so bad after all.

Done and Done June 14, 2011

I had a pretty bummy day at work. I was about to come home and drown my sorrows in a bottle of tequila, but I remembered that I committed myself to getting back to the treadmill today.

BLAM! I did it! 1.7 miles in 30 minutes. Not too good, but considering I’m still sniffling and coughing a bit, I’m pretty proud of myself. I’m also proud because I walked into the gym (workout room, really) and there were 3 dudes there, one of which was occupying the treadmill next to me. Old me would have turned right around and walked right out, or just walked the entire time, but I’m trying to stay focused and dedicated to this goal. I got up there and huffed and puffed my way through the entire workout.

No jinx June 13, 2011

I don’t want to jinx it, but countless expectorants/cough suppressants/chicken broth dinners/hot water with lemon and apple cider vinegar/Airbornes/Tylenol Cold PM/vitamins later, I think that the infection might be leaving my body! With any hope, I’ll feel at least 95% tomorrow and can restart my running plan!

Meanwhile, I’ve had to put a huge kibosh on my formerly spendy ways. Since I now have rent to pay, I can’t be spending my money so freely as I was before! And the 3 trips to California really sealed the deal. So for the next few weeks or so, I’m trying to limit my spending to $30 a week for food. I’m taking out the money in cash and when that cash is gone, so is my food allowance. This is actually super doable and should be easy for a single lady like myself. I’m already comfortable with eating a lot of beans and rice, so it’s just making sure I’m using up all of my produce and watching the sales when they come around. I’m just worried because I do have a few friends birthdays coming up and I would like to go out and celebrate with them. I guess I’ll just have to see when the time comes if there is any extra allowance available.

A simple request June 9, 2011

A request to the universe:

I would really love it if my chest would clear up so I wasn’t coughing and wheezing all day and night.

Thanks.

Seriously. I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but drinking hot tea and eating clear brothy soups in order to soak up as much fluid as possible… and it’s still not helping! And yes, Amy, I have started taking my daily vitamins as well… I just can’t shake the chest and nose portion of this cold!

Needless to say, since I’m already wheezing, that I haven’t been pushing it on the workout routines, unfortunately. Just doing some EA Sports Active on the Wii. I can’t wait to start my Couch 2 5K all over again.

Let me go home June 6, 2011

I just got back from my THIRD road trip to California in the past month. I hope to not see California again for at least a month. Between my last trip and this one, I came down with a pretty awful cold/ear infection combo. Absolutely no fun, and since most of it was a chest cold with a nasty cough, I had to avoid running which surprisingly bummed me out. I did pack my gym shoes just in case my lungs suddenly cleared up, but no such luck.

The trip was an absolute blast in spite of the lack of running. I drove down on Friday and met up with the bride and groom at the Lafayette Hotel in San Diego. It’s an old (supposedly haunted) hotel on El Cajon that is going through some major renovations. The updated room was pretty nice, if a little spare, but it worked just fine as a place to pass out at the end of the night. I also got to experience sleeping in a king sized bed for the first time. It was a bit lonely sleeping in such a huge bed all alone. Wah Wah.

After I got my bag unloaded, I put on my swimsuit and headed down to the hot tub to hang out with a few other wedding guests from out of town. After a nice soak, we all got changed and headed out for dinner and drinks. Drinks were had at the Red Fox Steak House right next door. This place must not have changed since the seventies… which I totally loved, of course. A dark seedy place to drink booze? My favorite!

We had dinner and then headed to the Til Two Club to see The Undertones play. The show was super fun. Megan and I pushed our way towards the front of the crowd. It was hot and gross and I think we both came away with a few bruises, but it was worth it to be able to shout along to one of my favorite songs:

The wedding was the next day, so we headed to Whispering Oaks Terrace in Pala. The location was absolutely gorgeous… just trees and nature all around, with Megan’s retro touches here and there. We drank, we ate, we danced. Here is photographic evidence of how happy we were.

Uh yeah. Maybe a little too happy.

All in all, it was a great weekend, but I’m happy to be back in my own little apartment. Home sweet home.