Friday, May 27, 2011

Being Juicy aint' easy!

This morning I had a craving for fresh-squeezed juice after my fiance prepared some cheesy eggs for us. Apparently, there is a shortage of juiceries (not sure if that's accurate) in Long Beach. After finding one on Yelp, I went there only to find that it no longer exists. Disappointed, and on my way home I thought of picking up a Naked juice, but its just not the same as some fresh-squeezed...you know what I mean?

Alas, I was about to come home empty handed, but I had already built this craving up in my head. We bought a juicer, several months ago to incorporate into a healthy diet at home. So...obviously, not being able to have someone make it for me, I refused to settle for nothing and just make it myself. I picked up some fruits at a nearby grocery on the way home. Carrots, ginger, oranges, celery and a couple of limes (ingredients I had seen them use at Whole Foods before).

Got home, and to B's surprise (and disappointment, I might add), I didn't have two tall glasses of fresh-squeezed juice after my 45 minute trip. I pulled out the juicer and started chopping. Now before we bought the juicer, I did quite a bit of research, but unless I was willing to spend around $200 (which I wasn't), all the juicers are pretty much the same. I chose the Black & Decker Juice Extractor at $40. It's actually pretty good, other than the fact it leaks a little bit, but I think they all kind of leak.


I generally chop up the fruits (just the big round ones) and get them ready before my juicing process. Carrots and Celery (long fruits and veggies) go in there smoothly. I got to juicing. 3 oranges, 3 carrots, 1 medium-sized piece of ginger, 1 lime, 2 celery sticks and an apple later....we had a delicious juice for two (and for about $5). I call it "Orange Ginger dynamo".

Why don't I do this more often? Because I hate to wash. But if you get this juicer, it's fairly simple and goes in the dishwasher. There's an area that catches the peels and seeds and stuff that you can dump right onto your plants, compost pile or trash can.

So, yes, I'm very juicy this morning and unless I'm right next to a Whole Foods, I will be making an effort to make my own fresh-squeezed juices from now on.

Try it! Great for summer and great for your soul!
(I wish I had a picture for you, but I drank it all before I realized it)

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Getting my rhythm!

It's been nearly a month, before I made my big transition to a life adventure (that's what we'll call it for now). Getting myself stabilized and organized was much quicker than I thought it would be. It is surprising how much more productive you are when your life and your work are practically one in the same and both something you love. The fact that I no longer have to leave the house and sit and traffic helps A LOT.

So... I've been reading, organizing, contemplating, planning and setting somewhat of a schedule in place for everything and its tough. Despite the fact that I no longer have to go into an office, I still have to consider the fact that I may need to conference call in the car or at my desk, while my dog is howling out the back window at the cat that's running across our yard. Working for myself also gives me less need to get up and take a break. I can find myself working away at my computer for hours (and before I know it its 3 pm) without eating or getting up. This was about the same time that I realized that mid-day workouts are not likely and I'll have to stick with mornings and evenings. The biggest difference is how much less my junk food and soda intake is. Shedding that 30 lbs, is much easier than I thought it would be and although I'm not on extreme mode, its melting off in a speed that is okay with me for right now.

When did people decide to give up both their physical and mental independence to live for work, that they don't necessarily care about? Why do people feel like they HAVE to sacrifice a good life to make a living? The more I think about it, the more I feel like people have been brainwashed to be lazy. YES, lazy! America is LAZY! There I said it. We may work more than any country in the world, but we don't get too much stuff done. I guess that's what separates the Entrepreneurs and Visionaries from everyone else (and I am by NO means calling myself a visionary, entrepreneur almost).

If you're reading this blog, then you're probably a like-minded individual, so I encourage you to answer a few questions for yourself and if I've help just one person have a great life then I accomplished a goal.

1. Do you love what you're doing? Not like, not kinda sorta, LOVE.
2. Why aren't you doing what you REALLY want to do?
3. Is that really a good reason?
4. What would it take for you to LOVE what you do everyday?
5. Which do you think will reap more benefits for you in scheme of your life?

That's it 5 questions. I used to be a procrastinator and then I realized to get anything done you just have to make up your mind and go. So...just do it! (best tagline ever)



Friday, May 13, 2011

A few of my favorite things...

I was reading some of my recent blogs and saw that I've become so serious lately, which is what happens when you bury yourself in a hole to make something big happen. Anyway, to relieve some of that musk that has come over the blog, I decided I needed to be a little bit more frivolous by sharing just a few of the things that I love (partly inspired by Cupcakes and Cashmere's Five Things).

Brooks Green Silence Running Shoes, my most recent footwear purchase. I got them at Sport Chalet, but you can get them at Zappos.com. Minimalist shoes that change the way you run and make you feel barefoot without looking like an alien with those foot glove things.
I have always loved Orchids, but never know how to take care of them. This baby is nearly a month old and lookin' strong. I'm proud of myself and she is beautiful.

My version of 'the little black dress'. Diane Von Furstenberg blessed me with this little number from my favorite place, Nordstrom, of course. She didn't bless me herself, she led me to it is more like it...in spirit. LOL

What's more important to go with a fancy dress, than some great shoes!?

Vera Wang Lavender Pumps. I stalked these shoes online and waited for them to go on sale before I bought them. When I put them on my feet, it was more than worth the wait.

Okay, so I inherited this from a previous beau, but I'm so glad I did. Getting through long work days when you're working from home, is much easier with your turntable at your side. You can find them for reasonable prices on Craigslist or even from Guitar Center.


One of my more recent finds was this earring stand and the necklace stand behind it. Where did I find this phenomenal creation to organize my jewelry? Marshall's of course. I'm not so keen on going through racks of clothes at Marshall's, but when it comes to knick-knacks and home goods, its not too shabby.

Last but definitely not least (his ears must have been burning, because he came in here just now)...

My trusty sidekick Chaka. The love of your pup is something that NO person can give you. I wouldn't give this guy up for anything...unless he pees on me again...he's out tha door!

Happy Friday!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Bossypants

I haven't written in a week and I feel like its been months. While I'm restructuring my life and getting ready to present my new self to you I decided to read a book! Yes, amazing, I actually FINISHED a book. It wasn't hard.

What was it?

Bossypants, by Tina Fey of course. My interest in Tina Fey was first born when I watched 'Mean Girls', a classic coming of age story for girls in the 21st century (please note the sarcastic tone), and damn hilarious. Soon after, I generated an addiction for 30 Rock. If you haven't seen it, I encourage you to catch up. Her style of comedy (sarcasm, truth, everyday quips) was exactly what my friends and I did, so henceforthwithto, I thought Bossypants would be a good choice for my reading attempt.

Now, I'm not generally a fan of books and don't get sucked in easy, but this book feels like Tina Fey is talking to you about her hysterically busy and successful progression in life. And aside from the disturbing cover art, I have come to feel like I know her and would be disgustingly disappointed, that if we met, she wouldn't treat me as an old friend and give me a hug (I smell just as good as Oprah Tina Fey).

It's an entertaining book to read and talks about her career, comedy, life as a mother, life as a (bad) wife and life as a boss, all while being very funny and telling a great story! It inspires me to stay up later, write more and work harder...well at least for today...to get what I want out of life. It is nice to see that there are people out there, that still pursue what they love to do, instead of what is convenient, conventional and expected of them. (Yes, I got all that out of this book).

Good work Tina Fey, I applaud you and good luck!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Swimming is DAMN hard!

Meet my arch nemesis.....



Yeah, so what it's a pool? This is the Lakewood YMCA pool. I have incorporated swimming into my training to build my endurance (which apparently fled from my body when I packed on the pounds at my last job). This morning was my first swim workout. The result? I am a sucky swimmer. Going just one length of the pool had me panting like my dog after a run.

Isn't waking up at 5 am hard enough, without gasping for air and choking on pool water? I couldn't cut the freestyle the whole time, that s*** is hard, so I went with the breast stroke, which is significantly easier for me. I warned the coach when I got there, that I am NOT a swimmer. The coach took pity on me and gave me some mini-goals to achieve, like not stopping between laps. Needless to say, it was VERY difficult for me to do that, today anyway.

By the end of the workout, I was controlling my breathing a lot better and interchanging freestyle and breast stroke. That's really what it was about, my breathing. Once I finally got into a rhythm, I felt like I wasn't totally anchoring everyone else and that someday I could catch up, maybe in a month or so. I am definitely going back on Wednesday! Once I learn how to breathe slower and get my strokes perfected, I can be a fish just like everyone else.

Until then, they will have to watch out for my slow a** in the right side of the lane. Right now, I do almost half the laps as everyone else, but I was getting the hang of it by the end of the hour, which gives me hope for Wed. morning. I'm stoked on this new swimming thing, not to mention the 20-minute bike ride to get to the YMCA. :) I can now project some crazy endurance in the months to come. YAY!

If you don't hear from me by next week, I probably drowned.
Interested in my workout? Check out 'The Workout Schedule' blog, to visualize my insanity.

**self censorship :)