Sunday, July 27, 2008

I Want A New Drug

What to do when your insides feel like they are going to fall out with every step you take (pretty picture, yes?)? Pop some codeine and bake cupcakes, of course!

I had all the ingredients to make Vanilla Garlic's Mango Lime Cupcakes and added kiwis as garnish. I went a little crazy with the icing bag, I blame the drugs and wine.



I forgot to take pics of the finished product, but since they were so tasty I'm sure they will appear again.

The second freak-out produced these:






My original plan was to make French Vanilla Cupcakes & Rose Meringue cupcakes, but I could not find the #$%#$#@ rose water after hitting five different stores all week. So I just made vanilla on vanilla. And I must have spaced out because instead of 2 additional egg yolks, I added egg whites. So.. yeah.. not so much the perfect cupcake consistency. And... I fucked up the meringue, I'm not really sure how but I did. I then tried to make the meringue kisses with the leftovers, but they burned at 6 minutes, right temp. :-( They ended up looking like little dog poos.

Saturday was Geeks quiz master training. Much fun was had buy all. I crashed out for a while afterwards. Brain...hurt...

Now I'm draped on the couch, hoping my insides don't start acting out again.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Mr. Roboto

The Good
  • Local universities were on site at work today to spin their spiel. I hunkered down and turned in my application for Our Lady of the Lake's MBA program. Thank you, work, for $10,000 in yearly tuition reimbursement. I just have to come up with the initial payment and also cover my pre-req class.
  • It finally rained thanks to Hurricane Dolly. My plants were looking a bit sad.
  • Went out twice this week. Woo hoo! And it's only Wednesday!
The Bad
  • Intellectual stimulation escapes me. I find myself staring off into space. A lot.
  • Carbs. They are yummy. Especially when covered in butter.
  • One giant callus on the ball of my foot, making it hard to wear cute shoes or to run.
The Ugly
  • Have not made it to the gym at all. Found all kinds of excuses: I'm not driving this week. There's a hurricane outside. I'm hungry. I need to get gas. I have gas. My stories are on. I did manage some core exercises in front of the Boob Tube.
  • I have been living on frozen food. Not because I don't have fresh food, but because I'm too damn cheap to leave the AC on 72 all day to keep my fruit and such from melting in the heat. Will try leaving fruit bowl in the living room next grocery trip.

This week will be written off. I can't let myself not go to the gym, if only because I don't want to have to buy bigger pants. :-) Maybe I will take Dad up on his offer to give me his treadmill.

It's so hard not to sing out loud while being a passenger. I don't know how my fellow carpooler would react. At least he makes up for playing Mariah Crazy by following up with some classic Michael Jackson. Will have to introduce him to the classic car sing along:




The actual video here.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Six Underground

Three visits to the gym. *sigh* I could not get up from the couch yesterday. I slept for three hours after lunch. That just means I'm going to pay for it at the gym tomorrow with the trainer. But at least I've stuck to my guns with food. Mostly. :-)

Went a bit over my dining budget, but the sushi and company made it sting less. Tried a new roll at Sushi Zushi, the J Roll (I had a hard time keeping a straight face when ordering it) with out cream cheese. I just don't get the cream cheese. The consistency is just wrong to me, gives me the creeps. Don't get me wrong - I like it on a good bagel, just not on my tuna. Still, sushi makes me giddy.

Even with the dining splurge, little extra at the Saucer on Friday, and a $11 purchase at Ross for my workout ball, I am still on target for the week even with a $50 gas purchase. Rarg!!!!!

HOWEVER... the exciting bit is that I am now officially a Geek Who Drinks. That is to say, I have earned capitalization in that characterization for being dubbed an official quiz master. I didn't flub the audition by stammering or being monotone (I think the two Blue Star Chocolate Stouts helped) and even earned a few laughs. That being said, I don't have my time and location locked in as of yet, but I will be heading out next Tuesday to support the inaugural quiz at the Lion & Rose. Not bad for my first job requiring stand up performance. (I could argue that like the doctor at the bottom of his graduating class who is still a doctor, I could have been the best of the worst but I still made it.)

Weird weekend. That is a non-relationship rant best kept private. [Insert d'oh here]


Week 2 of the carpool begins. Spurs Fan's turn to drive, which rocks since my gas gauge light lit up when I got home. How I miss Boston... and today is the perfect day for Chinese food.
Talk me down, safe and sound
Too strung up to sleep
Wear me out, scream and shout
Swear my time's never cheap
I fake my life like I've lived
Too much, I take whatever you're given
Not enough,

Overground, watch this space,
I'm open to falling from grace



Tuesday, July 15, 2008

She Works Hard For The Money

To save or not to save, that is now the question. I like the idea that I now have some $$ to put away in savings, but the urge to pay off more debt is overwhelming. Laura Rowley posted a great article that speaks to the psychological effects of saving with regards to fixing your personal finances. There are some other interesting topics she writes about, like how we spend in our 20s and begin to, well, pay for it in our 30s and 40s. Yeah...I often wonder what it was I spent $17K on between 1996 - 2002. Some airline travel, food, rent, and a lot of useless crap.Damn it, where was my common sense the days I signed up for credit cards while in college?

Speaking of crap: Crap I Want But Don't Need

  • Gaiam Total Balance Ball Kit ($23.99)
  • Sony Bravia 46" HD LCD TV ($1500)
  • Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion and Poreless Moisture ($74/$45)

After today, I have ONE student loan payment. Wooooohoooo! Extra income! Technically, I could pay off the remainder right now... Pros: it's over and done with, no need to pay the $1.75 in interest. Cons: I take more out of savings (but that's where the money would be going after paying off the loan, so...not really a con when I think about it) Guess I'll get on that later.

And I'm happy to say that I only went over my $50 grocery budget by three dollars. With the rising cost of some items, I may have to re-evaluate that budget. Or not buy wine. :) Decisions, decisions.

Other items purchased out of norm:

  1. $1.98 Two Pria bars, for post-hard core workout snack
  2. $2.99 Donuts and Moon pies for work thing
  3. $7.24 fresh cherries (yes, for 1.45 lbs) !!!!!
  4. $9.99 Cakewalk Wine
$22.20 on extras.

Could have been worse, I could have gone on a cheese buying rampage (and therein is the cause of me not losing more weight. D'oh!)

Dad is visiting today, and we went to have some Mexican food for dinner. Oh, the irony of me being a single Mexican female. We walked it off at Half Price Books, where I dropped $22 on three books and cupcake kit for my new 'hobby.' *sigh* (burp)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Feeling Good

I renegotiated with my bad mood before I finally fell asleep last night, and it seems that the frown has ended it's strike. I even managed to stay in bed past 7 am, believe it or not. Made a pot of coffee, and watched Ratattoile. While it is a Pixar movie, it's also about food so most movies about food are aces in my book. Food, food, fabulous food. Must consider watching Eat Drink Man Woman. Of course, then I'll want Chinese food and I have yet to find any crave-worthy take out in San Antonio.

Read the 'newspaper' online, then onward to some blogs while listening to jazz from the ol' iPod.

JD writes about his big life changes, fitness being one of them. Hmmm. I should get off the couch soon. Maybe after a nap. Not gas-efficient to go to the gym this afternoon, and it is H O T outside for a run (that's Texas for you). Maybe I can convince myself to cut the grass.

Kudos to Fabulously Broke for getting me sucked into Wordle:


It's time for me to delve back into cooking. I have spent so much time over the last year working on managing my finances and becoming fit that my pile of recipes is taller then Grendel.

My treat for lunch today was this:

Basil and tomato brought to me, well, by me. I don't know that making cheese is something I'd want to do, so store bought was good enough with the fruits of my garden. Yum! Can't wait for the pomegranates to ripen.

Now that I read through some food blogs, I really want a chocolate cupcake. I wonder if i have all the ingredients...

Currently listening to Nina Simone. I remember this sone being used for a promo for Six Feet Under and found it. Muse has their version released for the tween-vampire movie, Twilight:

Saturday, July 12, 2008

What You Need

Call it good a good financial decision or a change of heart, but I did not get a tattoo today at the convention as much as I really wanted to. Part of it was that I just couldn't connect with any art that I came across, even though one of the artists did a good job drawing a sacred heart to get done on my wrist. Even with that, though, I couldn't decide if I really wanted it on my wrist.

The other part was that I wasn't sold on spending $250 (!) from my savings. I know that sounds ridiculous considering I now have more than $2K in savings but it took almost two years and two jobs to actually put money into that account. I like the fact that I have a cushion should something come up (like a speeding ticket and defensive driving).

OK, so maybe it's more the former than the latter. This tattoo is at the top of my 'Crap I Want But Don't Need' list, and this particular one has more meaning to it than that ones I already have. Maybe that's another reason why it didn't come to fruition.

Have not had the chance to research the home purchase. Instead, after the interesting week I had, I picked up a couple of books at the discount book store (entertainment on the cheap) and went to Sephora for some retail therapy (more on my product purchase and usage later).

Other happenings at the convention today, Baby Gap got his 'tribal seahorse':

DO waited for the artist that we used at the last convention to be free, but began to get the Itch For Ink and decided to begin the work on the tribute for his mom with a different guy (both of whom thought I was his wife; you can imagine the palpitations DO was having with that and how hard I was trying not to laugh):



Weekly summary:
Stuck to food budget
Got speeding ticket (add defensive driving)
Bought half priced paperbacks
Did not stick to gym plan (though I did go 3x)
Paid for cheap hair cut at Aveda school
Did not spend $250 on tattoo

Oh, and auditions were pushed to next Saturday. There's something to look forward to. Yes, I continue to have trouble turning my frown upside down and it's unbelievably frustrating. I have nothing in my life that I have reason to complain about: good job, financial security, physical health, funny cat, interesting friends. It could be Fight Club syndrome or a 'mid-life crisis.' Or it could be something else entirely. I'm hoping my Sunday coffee & Times ritual will jump start the week.
Hey, here is the story
Forget about your troubles in life
Don't you know it's not easy
When you've gotta walk upon that line
That's why
You need
That's what
This is what you need
I'll give you what you need




Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Unwritten

I need to reconsider reading horror fiction before bed; sometimes that crap lingers in the back of my mind and causes me to jump out of bed when the alarm goes off thinking I'm a vampire hunter. Otherwise not a bad start to the day.

Spent some time reading blogs during the day (yes, while at work...I know) trying to read up on first-time home buying, healthy dinner recipes, decadent cupcakes, personal finance, and mind-numbing entertainment gossip. Some useful sites I came across are:

Lifehacker has 'Top Ten Ways to Trick Yourself into Saving Money.' I was glad to see that some of my 'crazy' tactics were listed: waiting period, high-interest saving, 'crap I don't need' list. Awesome. If it weren't for the new job, I'd not be able to 'splurge' on cable and Netflix. And while one poster recommended online gaming as an alternative to going out to the bar twice a week, I think I'll just make sure my movies are in on Fridays and go to the Saucer every other Friday. And skip the $8 salad.

How It Sucks allows for you to post, well, how much a product sucks. I find myself looking for really nasty reviews, but have yet to find something scathing. Just reading up on a Sony Bravia 46" LCD, which is on my 'crap I don't need' list. :-)

Wesabe
is a personal finance site I like to use just because the idea that it uses kittens to calm you down when you are examining your finances and start to wig out a little. (You have to sign up to see the kittens.) Damn, this is a site I wish I had come up with.

***
I began this post at the tail end of m lunch hour. If only I had stayed at my desk for a few minutes after five I wouldn't have:

  • been given a speeding ticket for driving 60 in a 45 zone on an access road by the gym. I was completely lost in my own thoughts and didn't see 5-o waiting on the other side of the hill. What thoughts was I lost in? Honestly, I was having a mental pity party on my way to the gym and the ticket only served to push me closer to the edge. I was so angry and distracted at the gym, I had to talk myself into shuffling on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

  • about to beat some crazy girl's face in for tailing me from the gym to the grocery store thinking I was the woman her stupid BF was cheating with. What the hell? Walks up and starts POUNDING on my window. Needless to say, I was livid and words were exchanged. I was really debating whether to call the police (maybe Officer Ticket would respond) or get in Crazy's face. As I'm dialing 911, she stops, looks closer and REALIZES SHE HAS THE WRONG PERSON. :-| Had I not been so dumbfounded, I would have gotten out of the car and who knows what. I explain to the operator that the situation had been resolved and Crazy takes off.

I'm not going to lie, I sat in my car for a few minutes and cried. Did my shopping, came home, ate some chicken (! almost burned out on chicken!), sat in the tub for an hour.

Come to think of it, curling up with Grendel and a vampire novel sounds good right about now.



Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Patience

I had my measurements taken with my trainer today. I dropped an inch and a half...from my already small chest. :-| No more weight or body fat loss, more bicep muscle. I've hit another wall. Now it's on to the next step: low/no carbs after 7. (Did I mention my boobs are now smaller?) Good excuse to have a huge breakfast and lunch. Down to one beer on Fridays for at least a month, with a salad. Sundays will be the cheat day, with something super yummy (I'll be damned if I have to buy smaller bras).

To add insult to my self-esteem, I realized I need to wear my clear mouth guard at night because I'm grinding my teeth again. Feh.

Time to scour the 'net for low carb dinners (have I mentioned how hard it is to cook food in small portions?)

Will attempt to go get groceries tomorrow. Thursday will be a test of my wills when I go have dinner with some friends.

...yet another out of context music reference...
Sometimes I get so tense
But I can't speed up the time
But you know, love
There's one more thing to consider

Said, woman, take it slow
And things will be just fine

Monday, July 7, 2008

Changes

Weirdest thing made me laugh today: while I was sitting out on the balcony
having my lunch and reading, it began to rain. There were two people at the
table next to me, having an intense and fascinating conversation:

She: Is it raining?
He: Uh huh.
A minute goes by.
Rain comes down a bit harder
She: It's raining harder, huh?
He: Sure is.

:-|


I really didn't think that a workout this weekend was going to happen. A girl can hope, can't she? In any case, the trip to Eagle Pass went as expected. Got to spend time with Dad to celebrate his 60th birthday (but I didn't order his present with enough time to arrive, typical) and see two grandmothers and a grandfather. Grandma C I lovingly refer to as Grandma Yoda, as she has the same stature and witticisms as the Jedi Master. In fact, she laughed often to herself while we were having lunch yesterday. I wish she would have shared the joke; it seemed like she was having a blast.

As for my other relatives, I saw Dad's brothers and sisters and realized that this was another mortality check; they are getting older, and logically so am I. At least I didn't have to sit at the kids table. Oh, and only two people gave me relationship advice. (Guess they didn't hear me when I said I wasn't dating anyone.)

Gym today, made it in time for yoga. Crap, my shoulders are killing me. Just when I start to think that I'm somewhat fit, my yoga instructor throws me for a loop. Breathe in, breathe out. Ever notice that you fart more when you are exercising? I've asked a few people who wouldn't think I was completely nuts, and they have experienced ' the cardio toot.' Random, I know.

In a continuing effort to change things up, I am auditioning to become a Geeks Who Drink quizmaster. I think it's half an effort to try something new, half an effort to get over the anxiety of talking in front of people. Yes, I know that last part may come as a surprise to some of you. But it's true; I remember participating in Oratory competitions when I was younger and would always have an anxiety attack before, during and after. Let's add this to my list of masochistic behavior and call it a day.


I still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test


Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

Friday, July 4, 2008

Save It For Later

Sooner or later
Your legs give way, you hit the ground
Save it for later
Don't run away and let me down


This was my cool down song after my 20-minute interval run today, it gave me double motivation: it's going to be a hard and painful road to get to 13 miles but I'm not giving up, and to understand that not everyone can or wants to get back up after being knocked down. Can't hold my breath forever.

Monday: 1.5 miles interval, core
Tuesday: 5 miles elliptical, 1 hour with trainer
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: early happy hour
Friday: 1.5 miles interval, upper body

Off to Eagle Pass tomorrow. I need to get one more run in over the weekend and before I indulge in lots of home cooking.