hang on little tomato

Day 3: Two and a Half is Better Than None

2012-01-23T19:03:00.000-06:00

Based on the title alone, I'm sure you can see where this post is headed. Oui, I broke the fast before the 72-hour mark. Et non, I don't regret it at all! To be honest, I'm impressed that I lasted this long. Could I have made it until tomorrow morning? Probably. But my night would've been miserable, and well, I get it. I get what a cleanse is supposed to do, so I really don't care that much about finishing this last half day. :)

Day 3 Recap:

Difficulty: 9 - It wasn't as hard as yesterday because I was at work and was therefore preoccupied at times. That being said, when I smelled my coworkers' lunches, I almost fainted with desire (yes, I was a bit melodramatic at work). Then when I went up to the cafeteria to get some hot water and lemon, and saw these yummy cheesy pizza bites that the cafeteria sometimes makes (and that I used to get), I swear I stood in front of them for about 5 minutes debating with myself as to whether it would be the worst thing in the world to grab a few and eat them in the bathroom. (For the record, I didn't do it.) What also made the day easier to get through was the knowledge that I would allow myself to eat in the evening.

Physical: After sleeping all day yesterday, it's no surprise that I had tremendous difficulty falling asleep last night. That being said, when my alarm went off this morning, I wasn't tired. I had a good amount of energy and felt it all day. My coworker commented immediately on how "great" I looked, and how my skin was glowing. I honestly don't think I looked that different at all, except that I was minus a lot of water weight.

Emotional: Mmmm... I basically b*tched all day about how hungry I am. So yes, I was a treat.

Pounds Lost: Down another 1.5 for a total of 5.5 pounds. Not bad for just 2 days! I'm curious to see what my weight will be tomorrow morning now that I've reintroduced solid food to my diet. I will say that when I got dressed this morning, I put on a skirt that's normally a bit tight on me, and it was very loose. Now that, I will miss.

I'll tell you what I won't miss though... those damn juices!! I now officially hate the Blueprint green juice - it's way too freaking sweet. And the pineapple, apple, mint one is delicious but also very sweet. I do, however, love the spicy lemonade and the cashew milk. Mmmm.

So, are you dying to know? What did I eat? How did I break this infamous fast? Not with a piece of fruit or lightly steamed veggies, as suggested. Nope, I knew exactly what I wanted...

Creamy avocado on Ezekiel sprouted bread. Delish. I hope my tummy doesn't hate me for it. So far, so good!

Now for the real questions re: the cleanse:

1. Was it worth it?

Monetarily? No. I'm actually pretty pissed that I have 3 of those darn green juices left in my fridge. I would never buy Blueprint's green juice again - it's so not even close to the best I've had. Also, one of the things that drove me the most crazy about this cleanse was the lack of variety. I think if I were to do another cleanse, I'd do it when I had my own juicer and could therefore pick and choose my own combos. Or I'd try Cooler Cleanse, which has more variety (watermelon + lime and coconut? yum!).

For the experience? Absolutely. I wanted to do a juice cleanse, and I did it. And I understand the benefits - de-bloating, quick weight loss (albeit water weight loss), a chance to give your body a break. These are all really good things. That being said...

2. Would you do it again?

I don't think I would not do 3 2.5 days again. This girl is just not meant to go that long without solid food. I would, however, consider a 24-hour one, or even a juice-til-dinner type situation. That way, you still get a lot of the benefits of a cleanse, but sans the absolute agony of knowing you don't get to eat for a really, really long time.

3. Would you recommend it?

Eh, this is tricky. Here's what I would recommend: if you want to reset and give it a try, go for it. But try a 1-day cleanse first just to see what you're getting yourself into. And then maybe splurge and go for a 3- or 5- or 10- day one (who can do 10 days?!?!!), if you think you can handle it. I personally could not (and don't really want to).

4. What have you LEARNED from this 2.5 days of misery?

I've learned that I love how my body feels when it's 5.5 lbs lighter. I've learned that I absolutely cannot go without solid food for more than 24 hours without wanting to kill someone. I've learned that when you're truly hungry, you don't crave pizza or burgers or beer, you crave things like brussels sprouts and lentils and kale soup. I've learned that I'd rather eat really healthy and in moderation for 4 weeks than go more than 4 hours without food. I've learned that you can lose an astonishing amount of weight when you just drink juice. I've learned that your mouth really does fill with saliva when you see delicious food in the Food Network that you absolutely cannot eat.

Juice Cleanse: Day 2 - Why Am I Doing This?

2012-01-22T19:30:00.002-06:00

Day 1 Recap:

Difficulty: 8

Physical: Great, minus hunger pangs.

Emotional: Not so great. Being hungry makes me uber cranky. In retrospect, I don't think I was hungry so much as I missed the ritual, excitement, comfort, etc. of eating.

Pounds Lost: 4 (Wow - a lot more than I anticipated after just one day.)

Moving on to Day 2 - yes, it's been harder than Day 1. Today is the first day I've seriously considered giving up on this stupid cleanse. I've spent nearly the entire day in bed, either sleeping or complaining. I was supposed to go to the gym and run today, but there was no way that was happening. Running makes me extremely hungry, and I knew, I knew, I'd break down and eat something on my way back home.

It's only 8:24 p.m., but I'm already drinking my cashew milk because I intend to go to sleep after finishing this post. I have to be up really early for an eye doctor appointment anyway, and I just don't have the energy to do anything else besides lay in bed and sleep. This cashew milk is the only thing that keeps me going, to be honest. It's so thick and delicious, and last night I found myself attempting to get every last drop out of the bottle. A new low, for sure.

Also? I skipped Juice 5 (green) again today. Honestly, the idea of drinking yet another one of those makes me want to vom.

I have nothing else to say except that I'm glad tomorrow is Day 3, and I'm glad I have work to keep me busy for most of the day. I also have to say that I am seriously considering breaking this cleanse tomorrow before dinner. Would that be awful?

How the HELL do people do this for any longer?!?!?!!

Day 2 Recap:

Difficulty: 10

Physical: Low energy, but no other detox symptoms evident.

Emotional: Miserable. Angry. Annoyed at myself for doing this.

Pounds Lost: Will report tomorrow...

Juice Cleanse: Day 1 (Almost) Over

2012-01-21T21:16:00.003-06:00

This. Sucks. No, really, it sucks. Need evidence? The photo above depicts my lunch today and my roomie's lunch today. Hers? A portobello panini. Mine? Juice.

As if I needed any confirmation (and I really didn't), being hungry does not suit me. I get really cranky and at times, borderline tearful. I just want some freaking food! Sigh. I guess I should start at the beginning.I planned to start my juicing at 10 a.m. so that I could one every two hours (10, 12, 2, 4, 6, 8). But a very late bedtime meant that I didn't get rockin and rollin until around 11 a.m. this morning. And when I woke up, my mind and body instinctively thought: "BAGEL." Because that is, after all, what Saturday mornings used to be. Bagels or brunch or, at the very least, avocado toast (mmmm avocados). But this morning? Just juice.

Mistake #1: Starting a juice cleanse on the weekend. Unfortunately, I had to because I have a work lunch on Tuesday at which I absolutely cannot be drinking juice.

Moving on. I had Juices 1 and 2 before leaving the house. Blueprint's green juice is very easy to drink, but I agree with many others who say it's a bit too sweet. Like sickly sweet. I don't normally find this to be the case with green juices so they must add a lot of apple juice. Juice 2 was the gold juice - pineapple, apple and mint. It was very sweet, but very refreshing. Delish.

Today my roomie, Annika, and I made plans to have an NYC day of fun. First stop was the Museum of Modern Art - one of my favorite museums of all time. My firm has a corporate membership so Annika and I got in for free. Holla! I brought along Juice #3 (green) knowing that we'd be out for awhile. The weather today was snowy and frigid - PERFECT weather for a juice cleanse. ...

Mistake #2: Starting a juice cleanse on the coldest, snowiest day of the year. I swear if it were summer, this whole thing would be a whole lot easier.

After viewing several galleries, our hunger led us to the Cafe on floor 2. My sense of smell was on fire - I wanted to eat everything. But instead, I busted out my green juice while Annika ate the most delicious looking and smelling portobello panini. See photo above.

We spent the rest of the day shopping along Fifth and Madison during which I didn't feel hungry, exactly, just a bit empty. We ended our extravaganza at Starbucks where I ordered a green tea. The hot liquid definitely helped, but was it the same as a soy misto? Absolutely not.

By the time we got home, I was full on cranky. And full on hungry. Time for Juice 4 - spicy lemonade. This was surprisingly delicious! Perfect balance of tart and sweet, and the cayenne is barely noticeable. LOVED it.

But as much as I loved it, I still wanted food. I honestly can't tell if I'm hungry or if I just don't know how to handle not having solid food in my tummy. I'm super pissy. I pitched a massive fit while sitting in my roomie's bed (we watched Friends With Benefits - highly recommend). I just. want. some. FOOD.

I haven't had Juice 5 (another green) yet, and I don't think I will. It's already 10 p.m., and I think I just want my cashew milk and my bed. Honestly, I can't bear the thought of drinking another juice juice anyway. Le sigh. I really hope tomorrow's easier.

Day 1 Recap:

Difficulty (1 being easiest, 10 being hardest): 8 - As tough as it's been, I haven't really been tempted to break the cleanse and eat something.

Physical: I feel great. Just fine, really, minus the really-pissing-me-off pangs of hunger. No caffeine withdrawal. No low energy. I feel fine.

Emotional: To be honest, I felt pretty good for most of the day until we were sitting at Starbucks, and I thought about going home and curling up in bed with a good movie. Because along with PJs and a good movie, I also wanted some Thai takeout. By the time the movie was over, I got REAL cranky, and my mind started saying all kinds of nasty things about myself and my body to myself. No bueno, my friends. I'm feeling a little better now. Am going to get my cashew milk and watch Vegucated.

Juicy - My Attempt at a 3-Day Juice Cleanse

2012-01-20T21:45:00.002-06:00

My diet over the last month has been... less than ideal. Needless to say, the number on the scale is not what I hoped it'd be by this time, and I'm feeling a big slow, sluggish and bloated (and don't even get me started on my conscious). Who's to blame? Well, I am, of course! An endless number of holiday parties, plus my sister's visit to NYC for her birthday (hello, Babbo!), and a nasty week-long cold that left me unable to go to the gym and unwilling to cook my own food, have reminded me of a fact I absolutely know to be true - when you eat crap, you want crap. And it's really tough to break the cycle.

Fast forward to now: I'm in a wedding next weekend for which I hoped to be about 5 lbs lighter. Also? I have lost that lovely vegan glow, both inside and out, and miss it desperately. Now, I have no illusions that I'll be able to follow a perfect vegan diet while I'm in New Orleans (for, by the way, what is guaranteed to be the wedding of the century). But nonetheless, in an effort to revive my pasty, lumpy bod, I've decided to embark on a 3-day juice cleanse a la Blueprint, an NYC favorite.

I've never done a juice cleanse. Heck, I've never even fasted (I once attempted a 24-hour fast and gave up about 3 hours in). But I've heard wonderful things about them (and I've also heard not-so-wonderful things about them), and I'm willing and ready to give it a shot.

Blueprint offers three levels of cleanses: Renovation, Foundation and Excavation. I chose the Foundation level since I wanted a little more variety than the Excavation, but I also wanted at least half my day to be green juice goodness. Here's what my daily menu looks like:

1 - Green juice (a mix of greens + apple + lemon)
2 - Gold juice (pineapple + mint)
3 - Green juice (repeat)
4 - Yellow juice (a spicy lemonade)
5 - Green juice (one more time!)
6 - White juice (cashew milk + vanilla + cinnamon)

Basically I'm just supposed to drink a juice, in the order shown above, every 2 hours. The last juice is actually a milk, a heavenly thick and delicious cashew milk that tastes like a really healthy and good-for-you milkshake. I'm really excited about ending my day with one of those babies.

I've read several reviews, and everyone says the same thing. Day 1 is kinda cool. Day 2 blows. You're never hungry, but you desperately miss chewing. And by Day 3, you will be thinner, glowier and have a sugar ton of energy. Now, I know me, and I know what I'll miss is the savory. These juices are all sweet, and I have always preferred savory over sweet. The smell of baking bread, a sizzling hot pizza, a steaming bowl of chili... those smells will be tough to ignore. Also? It's supposed to snow tomorrow. Who wants to drink nothing but juice on a cold, snowy day?? Le sigh. The things I do...

Anyway, I plan to blog about the cleanse because well, I'm sure I'll have a lot to say (or scream). Feel free to juice cleanse with me! ;)

Tis the Season

2011-12-11T11:28:00.001-06:00

{photo from weheartit}

I hit a wall Friday night. A day that began with a glass (or two or three) or champagne at 1:30 in the afternoon (party #1) and ended with a late night karaoke shindig (party #3), Friday showed me that I'm not cut out for all that drinking and partying, no matter what the occasion. I came home that night tired, sad and quite pissy to be perfectly honest. I had to slow down.So Saturday night? All mine.

After a financing planning session (more on this later) avec my NYC big sis, I picked up some Indian food and a vegan whoopie pie a la the Vegan Goddess at Cafe Indigo at the Whole Foods in Columbus Circle and went home to enjoy a night of solitude. I can't tell you how happy I was to crawl into bed at midnight. Although I didn't fall asleep for a couple of hours, I woke up something like 9 hours later and felt completely and totally rested and ready to tackle the day and week ahead.

Opening my filofax, I see my week ahead is a big one.

Monday - Holiday party #1
Tuesday - Holiday party #2 (at Buddakan!!)
Wednesday - Traditional Union Square Holiday Market and Wined Up date avec fave roomie
Thursday - first a cappella group rehearsal (more on that later)
Friday - ALL MINE!
Saturday - 4 Course Vegan dinner (so excited!!)

As for tonight, I'm going ice skating at Bryant Park to be followed by dinner and a walk up Fifth Avenue to see the tree at Rockefeller, the lights at Saks, and the gorgeous windows at Bergdorf's. I heart NYC Christmas (but I don't heart the inevitable masses of tourists - ugh).

Happy Holidays, y'all!

Life Lately (In Pictures)

2011-11-30T20:40:00.001-06:00

*homemade cranberry sauce*sweet potato casserole a la Oh She Glows*

*wild mushroom stuffing*roasted brussels sprouts*

*my go-to breakfast in Cali*

*admittedly, I did have some fries, but they were tres mediocre*

*merci, Nordstrom in San Jose*

*taking this pic to my hair appt on Sunday*

Vegan Tomato is Back!

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

Bonjour, friends! TGIF - am I right?? Just wanted to let you know that the Vegan Tomato is back, baby! So if you're a fan of food (and particularly a fan of food and the animals, as none were harmed in the making of this post), you should definitely head on over for my latest restaurant review. It's yumtastic! :D

Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pancakes

2011-11-13T10:47:00.001-06:00

Forgive me in advance - if you are one who likes recipes for their specificity, then you probably won't like this one. But I urge you to try making these pancakes with a lax attitude, as that is the best way to start a lazy Sunday.

I'm not a big pancakes person. Eating them? Sure! But making them? Augh. Just as I detest baking, I detest making pancakes for the same reasons - messy flour, multiple ingredients and measuring cups. But when this time of year comes around, I can't resist the siren song of pureed pumpkin. And so, this year I was determined to find an easy way to whip up 5-minute pumpkin pancakes whenever the urge hit, and I can confidently say (after several batches), that this is one of the easiest pancake recipes (if you can even call it a recipe) on the planet, and it's pretty healthy to boot! (And duh, it's vegan.)

Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pancakes

- pancake mix of your choice (I use Highland Sugarworks' Organic Multigrain Pancake Mix because it's vegan and includes simple ingredients - whole wheat flour, corn flour, rye flour and sea salt)

- almond milk of your choice (I prefer Silk or Almond Breeze - both the plain, unsweetened variety)

- pumpkin pie spice

- pure maple syrup (get the good stuff here - I brought mine back all the way from Vancouver!)

- Earth Balance (or butter)

- pureed pumpkin (yes, from a can)

So you've got all your ingredients. Now you just combine until you get the desired consistency (which can vary depending on what you like - I like mine a bit thick). I usually start by adding the pancake mix, pureed pumpkin (use about 1/3 of the amt of pancake mix you use) and some almond milk until I find a decent consistency. Then I add a generous sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and a drizzle of maple syrup (which I swear makes the pancakes ever-so-subtly sweet from the inside without using sugar, which is a big plus for me).

Then just heat a skillet over medium heat (you can use a griddle if you are fancy like that and have one), coat it with nonstick spray and Earth Balance (this is KEY to making your pancakes goldeny brown and delightfully crispy around the edge) and use a 1/4 cup measuring spoon to make each pancake. Easy peasy!

Note that you can store any leftover batter in the fridge and use it the next day or maybe even the day after that. I usually just put plastic wrap over the mix and the bowl (as in directly on the batter so a weird film doesn't develop) and keep it in the fridge. When I'm ready for another pancake, I just let it sit out of the fridge for about 5 minutes and then fry that sucker up.

Serve with warm maple syrup (and Earth Balance, if you so desire, but I don't find it necessary since you're cooking them in it). Enjoy!

The National Conference to End Factory Farming: Day 2

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

{photo courtesy of Farm Sanctuary}

Read my recap of Day 1 here.

Day 2 of the conference began at 8:00 a.m. at, yes, the Starbucks on Dupont Circle. The day was frigid, rainy and pretty miserable. Despite my 7 hours of sleep the night before, I felt my energy levels nosedive during the drive to Arlington. Luckily we got to the conference in time for a hearty breakfast spread - surprisingly delicious tofu scramble, crispy breakfast potatoes, and bagels. I filled my plate high and got ready for a pretty stellar Day 2 opening. The focus today, the final day of the conference, was on building solutions.

First up was David Wolfson, a partner at the NYC office of Milbank Tweed and an adjunct professor at NYU. {Note: All photos in this post are courtesy of Farm Sanctuary's FB page.}

I was more than surprised to see his name on the program the day before. A partner? Of a big law firm?? Very interesting. Well, Mr. Wolfson did not disappoint. He is an adorable, British lawyer who is passionate about animal rights and has been doing legal work in the field since the mid-80's. He teaches Factory Farming and the Law at NYU School of Law (I wish UT had a class like that when I was there!) Oh and his wife is the mastermind behind Get Vegucated - how cool is that?

Some key points from David's presentation:

There are no federal laws that deal with how farm animals are treated. As such, the only laws that exist re: the treatment of animals are state laws. The problem with state laws are that they are: (1) written in a way so that farm animals are excluded and/or (2) rewritten by those in the agricultural industry (as they are often also the people with the power to make those laws - conflict of interest much?).

The Humane Slaughter Act is lacking - athough more than 168 million chickens (excluding broilers) and around 9 billion broiler chickens are killed for food in the United States yearly, the Humane Slaughter Act specifically mentions only cattle, calves, horses, mules, sheep and swine.

In November 2002, over 2 ½ million Floridians voted to prohibit the cruel confinement of pregnant pigs in factory farms. It was the first time that a farming practice had been banned because of its inherent cruelty in the United States. After a six year phase-out period, this initiative took effect on November 5, 2008. The vote sent a powerful message to the pork industry, and motivated animal welfare advocates across the country. Since 2002, six states have followed Florida in banning gestation crates. The intensive confinement of pregnant pigs was banned in 2006 in Arizona after a ballot initiative effort. In 2007, the governor of Oregon signed a measure prohibiting gestation crates. In 2008, Colorado's governor signed into state law a ban on gestation crates and Californians overwhelmingly passed a ballot initiative. In 2009, new laws were enacted in Maine and Michigan which will prohibit gestation crates. (from the ARFF website)

I later attended a breakout panel with Mr. Wolfson and introduced myself to him afterwards. I told him I would've never expected there to be a partner at an event like this, and that it was incredibly inspiring as a young lawyer to see that.

Next up to the plate - the one and only John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market.

John was a bit awkward at first, but he quickly found his rhythm and was awarded afterwards with a standing ovation. Some key points from his presentation:

Diseases of affluence (heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, etc.) are killing Americans.

More Americans will die of cancer in the next 24 months than died in all the wars in America's history.

We're spending less and less money on food and more and more in health care. Coincidence?

He thinks olive oil sucks and that we shouldn't be eating it - I found this to be interesting and need to get more info. Thoughts?

If you want to promote a vegan diet, then you need to be a healthy example! Don't live on pasta, bread, french fries, sugar and processed food - eat green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes and fresh fruit.

And last, but not least, Dr. Joel Fuhrman - one of my newest favorite people. I've seen Dr. Fuhrman on a number of documentaries (Forks Over Knives, Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead, etc.), and I'm a big fan of his and his message of how eating the right foods can prevent and even reverse the diseases most Americans face. Some key points from his presentation:

Processed grains are continuously linked to breast cancer "so thank you to the conference organizers for providing those white bagels!" - I just about died when he said that.

Eat a HUGE raw salad every day.

Women who ate mushrooms every day reduced their risk of breast cancer by 64%.

Add green tea and leafy greens to the mix, and that percentage goes up.

Green veggies have an extremely high percentage of protein per calorie - more than poultry, meat and eggs.

Eat GOMBBS every day - Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Beans, Berries and Seeds.

I rarely pay full price for books these days, but when I saw that Dr. Fuhrman was signing books, I picked up a copy of his latest, SUPER IMMUNITY, and had him dedicate it to my Uncle Mel, who is fighting colon cancer. (I'm also reading/highlighting The China Study for him and plan to send both books to him at the end of the month.)

Next I attended a breakout panel on Consumer Awareness and Activism. Along with Mr. Wolfson, the panel included a presentation by Dena Jones, the farm animal program manager at Animal Welfare Institute who discussed food labels and marketing claims. Key points from her presentation:

"Humanely raised" is the hot claim right now. Unfortunately, it's the "humane myth" -

There is no regulated definition, and label approval decisions are made inconsistently and on a case-by-case basis.
The terms are misleading.
Enforcement of what it means to be "humane" is inconsistent.
There is NO ON-SITE VERIFICATION (same is true for "free range" claims)

Companies essentially submit an affidavit claiming to be humane, and that's about it.

"Natural" means no artificial ingredients and minimally processed. It says nothing about how the animal was raised.

"Organic" -> there are no standards for animal welfare; up to each certifier.

"Free range" = access to outdoors. Problem is there are no specific requirements tied to that definition, and again, there's NO ON-SITE VERIFICATION. (In other words? It doesn't mean a thing.)

After breakout panels and a break, the conference ended with a session on building coalitions for change. Paul Shapiro, senior director of farm animal protection at the Humane Society of the United States spoke, and he was fantastic. Full of energy, very engaging, funny and obviously very passionate about what he's doing.

"Animals can't wage and win these campaigns for themselves, the planet can't wage and win these campaigns, it's up to all of us to do it for them"

I'm going to end this very long blog post with the following (oh so helpfully put together by greenmuze.com) Top Five Ways to End Factory Farming, Five Things You May Not Know About Factory Farms, and Top Five Problems with Factory Farms.

TOP FIVE WAYS TO END FACTORY FARMING

Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur: “The best way to end factory farming is to make the system transparent and accountable, and to align agribusiness practices with our citizens’ values and interests. The cruelty of industrial animal agriculture is an affront to basic human decency. It is inefficient, unhealthy and unsustainable, and costs our nation hundreds of billions of dollars every year.”

Whole Foods Market Co-CEO John Mackey: “The best way to end factory farming is to first create more humane alternatives to it in the marketplace. The great majority of people are very unlikely to become vegans for the foreseeable future. It is therefore essential to create more humane alternatives that help raise peoples’ consciousness about what factory farming really does to animals by providing strong contrasts to compare against. Until there are widespread humane alternatives to choose from most people will prefer to remain wilfully ignorant and very little is likely to change.”

Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter: “Factory farming is a threat to public health, the environment, and the rural communities upon which our food system desperately depend. The next farm bill must urgently reverse the policies that have given all of the advantages to intensive farming operations while pushing out the small and mid-sized farms that are the backbone of a system that provides us safe, healthy and sustainable food."

Sierra Club Water Sentinel Lynn Henning: “The best way to end factory farming is to eliminate government subsidies, incentives, and tax breaks for CAFOs [Confined Animal Feeding Operations]. CAFOs are NOT sustainable. We must rethink agriculture to teach the next generation to farm. Family farms have fed this country for generations.”

Farm Sanctuary National Shelter Director Susie Coston: “The best way to end factory farming is to show people that farm animals are intelligent, emotional beings who possess just as much desire to enjoy life as the dogs and cats who we know a bit better.”

FIVE THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT FACTORY FARMING

John Ikerd, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at the University of Missouri, Columbia: “Factory farms are not necessarily more economically efficient than smaller-scale independent family farms. Factory farm operators use their political influence and their ability to manipulate market prices to drive more efficient family farmers out of business. Food prices are no lower with factory farms than with independent family farms.”

Jim Motavalli, contributor to the New York Times, Audubon Magazine, Mother Nature Network and NPR's Car Talk, and author of the forthcoming book High Voltage: “Since the popular image of farms is of old-time barnyards populated by happy pigs and chickens, most people don't even know that factory farming exists. They'd be horrified if they knew how their food is produced, but the industry does an excellent job of keeping them from that reality.”

International Fund for Africa President and Co-Founder Dr. Anteneh Roba: “The one thing most people don't know about factory farming in Africa is that it even exists. The one thing most people don't know about factory farming in the USA is how extremely cruel it is.”

Greenpeace Senior Legislative Representative Kyle Ash: “Public health and animal welfare are inseparable. Forever, industry has tried to divide communities over factory farming, with false claims that industrial food production reduces the need to destroy our air, water and lands. The truth is that factory farming makes every public health problem worse. Shutting down factory farms is a common solution to some of our greatest animal and environmental abuses and we should work together to shut them down.”

Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur: “Most people don’t know how terribly animals are treated on today’s factory farms, and that they are legally excluded from basic humane protections.”

Bonjour, November

2011-11-02T20:57:00.001-05:00

I've been dreading the revisit and review of my October goals because I knew I didn't meet them all. I know that's not the point (well, not for us regular folk anyway), but I still felt a tiny bit of failure and guilt. In some ways, I did quite well. Instead of losing 5 lbs, I lost 8 (woo hoo!). While I didn't hit the gym 5x/week every week, I did manage to go regularly. And although I attended three out of four of Gabby's coaching sessions and did some of the homework, I didn't do it all. And as for Oprah? Well, let's just say that my DVR is quite full.

As for the 21-Day Cleanse, I give myself a solid B+. I was 99.5% vegan. I got a dry brush and began dry brushing (albeit not every single day). I got a neti pot and had my best neti experience yet last night (neti-ing is tough for me b/c I have teeny tiny nostrils!). I began taking vitamins and supplements (B-complex, D, probiotics, omega 3's), which is a huge accomplishment for me because I detest swallowing pills. The things that didn't go so well? Daily meditation (this one is going to take some work, y'all) and avoiding coffee and sugar (but still definitely decreased my consumption of both).

Today I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs and was delighted to see Kimberly's post on her November Dreams. Dreams - what a fantastic idea! Somehow describing them as dreams instead of goals makes them much friendlier, don't you think? So this month, I'm dreaming of the following...

Veg for life ~ Lose 5 lbs ~ Attend to Hang On Little Tomato ~ Cook 3 new recipes ~ Create vision board ~ Volunteer at Mercy for Animals ~ Attend one vegan meetup ~ Finish 2 books ~ Be mindful of my money ~ Spend more time with God via prayer and meditation ~ Nourish my body with healthy food, regular exercise and vitamins/supplements ~ Run 2-3x/week

What are your November dreams?

P.S. Recap of Day 2 of the National Conference to End Factory Farming is coming tomorrow. Read my recap of Day 1 here!

The National Conference to End Factory Farming: Day 1

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have to agree with Kimberly - this past weekend changed my life. My life has been changed before in this exact way, but I let life, laziness and my fear of never being able to brunch with my friends again get in the way. I'm going to work really hard not to let that happen.

The first (I can say that now b/c I'm 99% sure they will do another one) National Conference to End Factory Farming was, in my humble opinion, a huge success. I am so, so, SO grateful and thankful to have been a part of it - the whole experience was, and I don't say this lightly, unforgettable. Here's my story...

I arrived in D.C. late Thursday night and made my way to Dupont Circle. Luckily my BFF Judd has an apartment mere minutes away from Kimberly's so meeting up was super easy. After a very late night and approximately 3.5 hours of sleep, I woke up bright and early Friday morning and met Kimberly at Starbucks at 7:30 a.m. sharp. One grande soy misto w/ a shot of pumpkin spice and one grande lotus tea w/ 2 sugars in the raw later, we were in a cab on our way to the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, VA where the conference was being held.

Kimberly set up our table the night before, and we added some beautiful finishing touches. Kimberly is a ROCKSTAR at setting up beautiful tables - ours was definitely the cutest! Bamboo in a glass vase, yummy yogi tea a la Tranquil Space, a damask tablecloth, and of course - sugar! {Photos all courtesy of Kimberly}

We were representing all kinds of goodness - Tranquil Space, TranquiliT and the lovely Pigs Animal Sanctuary (Kimberly sits on the Board - holla!). In honor of the conference, Kimberly had these ADORABLE tees made up - are they not the cutest things you've ever seen?? They were a HUGE hit!

After putting the finishing touches on our table, we headed into the ballroom and thus began one of the best days of my life.

Day 1 began with an opening by the conference emcee - Victoria Moran! I wasn't familiar with Victoria before this, but I am a HUGE fan now. She is an absolute delight and made a perfect emcee. Soon Gene Bauer, president co-founder of Farm Sanctuary (who organized the conference) came up to speak and, well, I kind of fell in love. *SWOON*

Day 1 went from 8 a.m. until about 9 p.m. Despite my severe lack of sleep, I felt more energized, more awake and more engaged after each speaker, each presentation, each breakout panel. This day focused on the problem with an emphasis on the environment, food safety and animal rights - all things near and dear to my heart. Here are some sobering stats and facts:

Nearly 30% of the Earth's accessible surface is devoted to livestock production. 8% is devoted to crops directly consumed by humans.

Agricultural runoff = the single largest source of water pollution in the Earth's rivers and streams.

Sentience is the bedrock of ethics. Farm animals are sentient beings - they have the capacity to feel pleasure and pain.

The European Union is banning the use of battery cages from 2012 after a 10-year phaseout period. What is America doing?

6 of the 150 pathogens found in animal manure are responsible for 90% of human food and water borne diseases.

The average meat eater is responsible for killing approximately 2,400 animals in a lifetime.

Up to 60% of chicken sold in supermarkets are infected with salmonella. (EW.)

80% of 2 million farmers make no money. 15% make about $26,000/year. 5% make over $300,000 a year.

Most factory farms are exempt from reporting releases of toxic chemicals, including ammonia.

About 20 companies control/own the food system.

There were several excellent speakers on Day 1, but the ones who stood out in my mind are:

- Gene Bauer, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary

- Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., bestselling author and animal behavior expert (He was HILARIOUS.)

- Holly Cheever, D.V.M., award-winning veterinarian (who spoke at length about how animals are sentient beings)

- Nathan Runkle, founder and executive director of Mercy For Animals (He began this nonprofit when he was FIFTEEN, y'all. I totally fell head over heels in love with him (he's REALLY cute), but later learned that he's gay. Go figure...)

- Bruce Friedrich, senior director of strategic initiatives at Farm Sanctuary (also hilarious)

- James McWilliams, Ph.D., author of "Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly" (He's also a professor at Texas State University and a complete and total, unapologetic, vegan ROCKSTAR. Loved him.)

- Susie Coston, national shelter director at Farm Sanctuary (who shared an extremely touching story about a pig named Rose - if anyone tells you that a pig will eat her babies, just tell them to "shut up" and move on b/c it's NOT true)

- Elizabeth Kucinich, director of government affairs for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (and wife of U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich - who was there!!)

To read some of the most poignant quotes from the amazing conference speakers, check out Farm Sanctuary's twitter feed and Facebook page.

I want to leave you with this video that was shown at 8:45 a.m. on this first day. Yes, it's a little graphic, but I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO NOT TURN AWAY. It's only 5 minutes, it's powerful, and it's the truth - it doesn't have to be this way.

Recap of Day 2 coming soon!

P.S. Saturday night we stayed for the Banquet Dinner. Admittedly the entree was meh, but the dessert? Well, just look for yourself...

Catch Up: What I've Been Eating, Thinking and Doing

2011-10-24T21:26:00.000-05:00

Bonsoir, mes amies! Yesterday I realized that I completely dropped the ball on blogging, and for that, I apologize. I'm especially sorry because there are SO many things that I've wanted to discuss! First things first: let's chat briefly about what I've been eating.

Despite a few hiccups in the road (I'm looking at your apple pie a la mode at work!), I've been doing pretty well with the vegan eating. And, unsurprisingly (and yet it always still manages to surprise me a little), I'm starting to get that inner and outer vegan glow. I'm feeling good, y'all, and the fact that I've dropped a few pounds is the icing on the already moist and delicious cake!

Peacefood Cafe
Friday night I had a dinner date avec a dear friend from work, and she took me to Peacefood Cafe where I had a FANTASTIC meal. We got the dumplings to start, and holy crap, they were some of the best dumplings I've ever had. And let me tell you something - my mother makes some pretty killer (and pork-filled) dumplings. And these? These vegan dumplings? They were just as good. I'm kind of obsessed with them and can't WAIT to go back for more. We also split the caesar salad (who knew tempeh bacon could be so good??) and the mushroom panini (ummm heavenly).

To be honest, the part of the meal I was looking forward to the most was dessert, as I'd heard so much about their delectable offerings. Unfortunately, we didn't have as good of an experience there. We got the peanut butter cheesecake (the peeps on Yelp love that stuff) and the raw key lime pie. I'll give the key lime pie (pictured below) a solid B. It had great flavor and an excellent balance of sweet and tart, but I couldn't get past the texture. It had the texture of butter which, depending on who you are, could be a good thing. But it just wasn't doing it for me (my friend loved it though).

Now, the peanut butter cheesecake was straight up NOT good. There was some flavor going on in there that I couldn't get past (maybe the silken tofu??). I decided to give the desserts one last try and snagged the last slice of ginger spice bread to-go and was barely 3 steps into my apartment before busting it out. It was INSANE GOOD, y'all. Peacefood Cafe definitely redeemed its dessert reputation there. I need that recipe!!

Taim
Definitely some of the best falafel I've had. Tucked away on a quiet street in the West Village, this place is a gem. It's a bit pricey, but 99.9% of their menu is vegan and absurdly delicious so I'm okay with it. Get the date, lime & banana smoothie!!

Baking Treats
On Sunday, I was feeling particular Fall-esque and wanted to bake some Fall treats to celebrate. First things first, my roomie and I roasted the pumpkin seeds we gathered from a pumpkin carving party the day prior. I'd never roasted pumpkin seeds before - they took forever, but were well worth the wait. They filled our apartment with a warm, Autumn and comforting aroma and are tres tasty.

I also made Alicia Silverstone's chocolate peanut butter cups (a HUGE hit at the office today) and pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (I'm not sharing the recipe for that one b/c I'm not a huge fan). I heart baking!

Colleen, Gabby and Kimberly
I went to Colleen Patrick Goudreau's presentation of Animal and the Arts at the Alexander Gray gallery last week, and it was one of the best nights I've had since moving to NYC. I plan to devote an entire blog post to this, but suffice it to say that Colleen is warm, endearing and inspirational, and I kind of love her.

I had my last group coaching session with Gabby Bernstein tonight. I've definitely learned some valuable tools from her, but overall I'd have to say I'm a little disappointed. More on this later as well.

Thursday night I take the train to D.C. for the National Conference to End Factory Farming where I'll be selling TranquiliT with Kimberly - I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!

Have a BEAUTIFUL week, friends. Gros bisous!

Quinoa, Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Caramelized Onion Jam

2011-10-15T15:54:00.000-05:00

In one of its recent issues (I'm sorry, but I don't remember which one exactly), Whole Living featured a collection of recipes by Ronna Welsh called "The Dinner Dozen" - twelve staple recipes to have on hand so that quick, easy and healthy dinners can be put together in a flash. The collection included dressed up staples like balsamic poached figs and braised mushrooms to simple ones like polenta and seared kale. The one that stood out most to me was the caramelized onion jam, both for its simplicity and guaranteed delish-ness factor. I ripped out the recipe and vowed to buy onions.

Fast forward about a month later to last Thursday night. Per my usual, I found myself home after a long day with no plans for dinner and feeling very, very hungry. The only thing in my fridge were some brussels sprouts (slightly worse for wear, to be honest). Pantry? A small bit of quinoa I purchased from the Whole Foods bulk bins (God bless bulk bins). Finally, I spotted a lone onion on the microwave that I had purchased a week ago on impulse. Hello, dinner! Roasted brussels sprouts + quinoa + caramelized onion jam = surprisingly delicious and satisfying (and vegan and gluten-free!). Recipes below:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- brussels sprouts (cut off the stem, then cut in half)
- olive oil
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. After washing and prepping the sprouts, spread them on a baking sheet in one layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Get your (clean) hands in there, and make sure every sprout is coated! Place sheet in oven and roast anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes. Midway through, shake the pan so that the sprouts get evenly crispy.

Quinoa
There are several recipes for quinoa. I've seen a 2-1 water-quinoa ratio and a 1.5-1 ratio (which I used). Basically you just combine quinoa, water (or stock) and a bit of salt on the stove. Heat on high until boiling, then cover, reduce heat to simmer, and let cook for around 15-20 minutes. Uncover and fluff with fork.

Caramelized Onion Jam (courtesy of Whole Living Magazine)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 lb onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup water (or stock - I used water)
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (the thicker the better)
- 1 tsp sugar (I omitted this - it's completely unnecessary)
- coarse salt

In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat and cook onions, covered, stirring occasionally until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add water and vinegar (and sugar if you so desire) and cook uncovered, stirring until onions are caramelized, about 30 minutes more. Season with salt. Let cool completely. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Day 5: ____

2011-10-14T23:31:00.001-05:00

{photo from the side dish}

And... fail. That? Up there? That was my downfall tonight. I think I should feel guiltier... I think I should feel tremendously guilty. But to be honest, I don't. This was an extraordinarily challenging week at work, and today, wow, today was just insane. My job can be extremely gratifying at times, but at other times, it can feel totally thankless. So after a very long day, when my boss asked if I wanted to go upstairs (my company has a full-service cocktail hour every Friday) to get a glass of champagne, I barely hesitated before replying "yes!"

After sipping my glass of Veuve Clicquot on a relatively empty stomach, my attention shifted. Wow, I was hungry. And do you know what I wanted? You guessed it - pizza and wine!!! And after my smug triumph the other night, I stumbled. And fell.

Luckily, it stopped there. I didn't head straight to the freezer for the pint of Ben & Jerry's. I didn't drink a half bottle of wine, and I didn't say, "Screw this - I'm getting a bacon/egg/cheese croissant tomorrow morning!" Instead, I noticed the discomfort I felt in my stomach, cursed myself a little, and resolved to be better tomorrow. And so I will.

TGIF, y'all.

Day 4: Bagels

2011-10-13T19:29:00.001-05:00

One of the best things about living in New York is most definitely the bagel scene. I've never particularly liked or disliked bagels, but after moving here, I have become a bagel fanatic. I happen to live in extreme proximity to two bagel joints: Murray's and Brooklyn Bagel. I think Murray's is the more popular option, but quite frankly, I just don't get Murray's.

#1 - They don't toast their bagels. Like, they don't even offer the option to toast bagels. That is messed up. #2 - Their bagels are small and sad and not nearly as delicious as... BROOKLYN BAGEL, y'all. Yes, my ultimate fave. Their whole wheat everything bagels are to-die-for good. For the past year, my order has always been - "whole wheat everything toasted with low-fat scallion, please!"

Unfortunately, "low-fat scallion" isn't really an option for me right now. I'd always noticed their tofu cream cheese offerings, but was never in the right state of mind to try it (in other words: I was afraid it would be gross, and I didn't want to ruin my beloved Sunday morning breakfast). But tonight, after a particularly grueling day at work and very, very sad lunch, I needed carbs, and I needed them fast. After ensuring that the bagels themselves are dairy and egg-free (hey, ya never know!), I proceeded to order one whole wheat everything toasted with veggie tofu.

It looks like cream cheese. It spreads like cream cheese! But friends? It is not cream cheese. Now, don't get me wrong, it tastes fine. But, well, it's not the same thing, and does that make me sad? Yes, a little bit. The good news is I only ate half my bagel and will fill the rest of my tummy with roasted brussels sprouts. (Normally I'd eat the entire oversized bagel and then proceed to pick up the random sesame seeds and seasonings that fell off with a finger of cream cheese. Gross, I know.)

Onwards and upwards, y'all! I came really close to ordering cream cheese, but then I asked myself if it would be worth it, and the answer was a definitive no. Let's get real - I shouldn't be eating bagels for din anyway.

Coming soon - why I'm doing this 21-Day Cleanse (it ain't just about the animals this time).

Day 3: Eating My Feelings

2011-10-12T18:17:00.000-05:00

As far as I'm concerned, there's no such think as non-emotional eating. As someone who loves food, entertaining, cooking, and sharing meals with loved ones, eating is pure joy for me. Unfortunately, over the last 6 months, I've been doing more of the negative emotional eating. Ya know... eating my feelings? Yeah, it happens a lot. Stressful days mean all night bitchfests with my roomie and almost always involve greasy takeout and bottles of wine. Unsurprisingly, it's been a tough habit to break.

Today was crazy. Busy and frustrating on its own , but naturally, it was also that time of the month so I was uber crampy and cranky. I couldn't get to the gym at lunch, and I was way too tired/hungry to go after work, so I came straight home and to the fridge. Normally I would run downstairs and order myself some delicious brick oven margherita pizza after having walked down the block to get a bottle of our favorite Malbec (the conveniences I enjoy living in NYC are delightful, but dangerous), but since I'm currently vegan and avoiding alcohol, such a scenario was not an option. So I made one of my favorite snacks instead, and I'm pleasantly satisfied - avocado toast! It's nothing new, and everyone has their own version. Some prefer to add hot sauce or olive oil and cracked pepper, but I prefer the simplicity of just butter and salt.

Carolyn's Vegan Avocado Toast

- 2 slices of sprouted whole grain bread (I get Sprouted Bakehouse's 7 Grain from WF, and it's delish!)
- 1 ripe avocado
- sea salt
- Earth Balance

Toast the bread. Mash the avocado. Spread Earth Balance on toasted bread (this is KEY and enhances the taste factor tenfold - if you don't have Earth Balance, use salted butter) and cover with lots of mashed avocado. Sprinkle with sea salt. Enjoy! It's absurdly simple and delectable.

Starting Over

2011-10-11T20:59:00.000-05:00

{beautiful photo from here}

Last week did not go as planned in terms of the 21-day cleanse. I knew I had a couple of meals that would have to be non-vegan, but I thought it would be okay. It's not. For me, it's an all or nothing type of thing, and one "mess-up" in my mind equaled total failure and a free-for-all pass to eat as much crap as possible in a 24-hour period. Not good. So I'm recommitting, and this time I'm doing it right.

I'm not just starting over my cleanse; I'm starting over on a whole lotta things in my life that need some spark. My finances, my attention to wellness, and my BLOGGING. Have I been the worst blogger ever or what? The thing is, I realized today that I feel quite alone right now in so many of the things I'm working on (aka all the "me" stuff) because none of my friends really get it, ya know? Self-awareness is one of those things that's rarely discussed, and the idea of better-ment, whether it be through a vegan diet or a break from alcohol, are not understood.

When I first did my 21-day vegan kickstart last year, I started Vegan Tomato. The support I got from the blogging community, even those who weren't vegan, was astounding. I'm not going to reblog at Vegan Tomato (let's be honest, I can hardly handle one blog these days), but I do intend to spend more time here. Whether you're listening or not, it definitely helps me to have a place to go to discuss these things that I value so highly, so I'm going to give it a try. Surprisingly, getting back to a regular schedule of blogging is much more difficult than I anticipated. So keep my accountable, okay? Thanks. :)

Bonjour, October

2011-10-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

{photo from here}

J'adore October - it's finally starting to feel like Fall, which is by far my favorite time of year. One of the things I love most about living in the northeast is that Fall actually exists. I'm dreaming of hot, milky teas, cozy hoodies, leggings and boots, blazers and loads of knits. October is a big month for me - I'm participating in Gabby Bernstein's October coaching in addition to Oprah's Life Class. I'm going to D.C. for the National Conference to End Factory Farming (working the TranquiliT table avec Kimberly!). I'm doing Kris Carr's 21-Day Cleanse (Day 1 is October 2 - blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol). I'm pretty much declaring it Carolyn's Wellness Month, with a renewed focus on yours truly. Below are some goals I jotted down this weekend. What's on your list?

OCTOBER GOALS

Do the work - Gabby's coaching, Oprah's Life Class, and Kris' 21-Day Cleanse
Eat as vegan as possible (also avoiding coffee and alcohol)
Go to bed by 11-11:30 a.m. Wake up at 7-7:30 a.m.
Gym - 5x/week
Lose 5 lbs

3-Day Weekends...

2011-09-05T15:21:00.001-05:00

{image found Brenda Mullen}

,,, are heavenly, aren't they? They just seem to go on forever, that is, until it's Monday afternoon, and you wonder what you did all weekend. That's sort of the feeling I'm having, anyway. I had an absolutely lovely afternoon tea at Lady Mendl's, which might be the most gorgeous tea salon I've ever seen. It was exactly what afternoon tea should be, in my humble opinion.

I've yet to decide how I plan to spend the rest of my holiday, but I wanted to leave you with some quotes I've been pondering/enjoying lately.

"Faith is taking the first step, even if you can't see the whole staircase."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself."

- Leonardo da Vinci

"Accepting oneself does not preclude an attempt to become better."

- Flannery O'Connor

"Happiness depends upon ourselves. To live happily is an inward power of the soul."

- Marons Aurelius

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

- Bertrand Russell

"When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering."

- Miguez Ruiz

28

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

{image from weheartit}

I turn 28 on Thursday.

I'm a teensy bit nervous about it.

But I'm going to try and let the anxiety go.

Enjoy my ~~day~~ week.

And listen to John Lennon.

Rando

2011-08-03T22:21:00.001-05:00

{image credit: here]

The week continues to be challenging, but guess what? We're more than half-way through! WOO HOO! Checked off my list: bridesmaid dress fitting (not nearly as painful as I anticipated), 1 tedious project at work, birthday cards/prezzies shopping for special people (including my dad - I got him a Tumi wallet from Bloomies), and writing/mailing snail mail. Still on my list? Fun karaoke night with friends tomorrow night, massage Friday night and going to the post office to mail aforementioned prezzies (le sigh... dreading this one).

Here are some random things keeping me happy (and sane):

- Jane Borden on NPR Friday afternoon. I just finished her memoir (North Carolina Southerner meets Brooklyn), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even had a couple of LOL moments (on the subway - awwwkward).

- Had drinks with a friend at Bar Basque apres work yesterday, and they had some yummy drink with St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur. I'm dying to get my hands on a bottle (and may just have to do just that this weekend). Not only is it beautiful, but it's got such a great story. I plan to make some of this when I get it. (Ironically, I did not actually order the drink so I'm not really sure what it tastes like, but it can't possibly be bad... right?)

- Speaking of last night (and spending too much money on food and drink), I had a fantastic dinner at Scarpetta with my dear friend Stephanie. Braised octopus, homemade pasta and one of the best bread baskets I've ever had... yummmm.

- Picked up this gem the other day and fully intend to visit some of these places (including a couple of free meditation centers). Everyone in this city needs peace and quiet.

- Came across this quote today and found it most appropo of my mood this week:

"Tell everyone you know: "My happiness depends on me, so you're off the hook." And then demonstrate it. Be happy, no matter what they're doing. Practice feeling good, no matter what. And before you know it, you will not give anyone else responsibility for the way you feel-and then, you'll love them all. Because the only reason you don't love them, is because you're using them as your excuse to not feel good."

- Esther Hicks, is a best-selling author and motivational speaker.

P.S.

Merci

2011-08-01T22:02:00.000-05:00

{image credit: here}

I had quite a rough Monday (that time of the month, challenging coworkers, workplace drama, etc.) and found myself sipping wine, shedding tears and feeling quite uncheerupable (yep, that's a word). But then I remembered that I printed my own Fancy Nancy Do Not Disturb sign and busted out the colored pencils, construction paper and glitter glue and made my sign extra special. Eager for the glitter glue to dry so I can slap it on my door and see how my roomies react.

Then I picked up the phone and called my Mom whilst decorating the pages of my filofax avec stickers and sparkly gel pens, and well, Momma Park always knows just what to say to snap me out of my sulky, self-absorbed mood. 15 minutes later, and I'm feeling loads better.

And then I got a super sweet tweet and then a lovely email from fellow friends and readers of this blog, and suddenly I'm not only feeling better, but my heart is bursting with all kinds of warm and fuzzies. I can't thank you guys enough for always being there, despite my absence, despite my moments of... Carolyn-ness. I love that you love me for me and that I never have to pretend to be anyone else.

A big fat, gorgeous MERCI to all of you!

P.S. I'm 99% sure that my less-than-stellar mood also has to do with the fact that I'm turning 28 next week. I've never once cared about getting older until now... what gives?

New Yorker

2011-07-30T18:22:00.001-05:00

{image from here}

I don't know what it is about this city, but it makes you busy. There's a reason people are always in a hurry here - there's always somewhere to go, some place you were supposed to be 15 minutes ago, some train to catch, something. Ironically, I've noticed it even more so this summer, a season traditionally associated with lazy days, no school and lots of pool time. No more. Suddenly I've become a person with so many work meetings, lunch appointments, apres-work "drinks", bridesmaid dress fittings (okay, I only have one of those, but still), 9:30 pm dinner reservations ON A WEEKDAY that I want to throw my filofax, iPhone and Blackberry in the freezer, take a train upstate and check into a cozy, quiet B&B.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining about a lot of "fun", and yes, some of it is fun, but it's also exhausting - I feel like I'm constantly trying to keep up. And that, my friends, is why I can't wait for August 12 - a date on which I'll have been 28 (!! - more on this later) for twenty-four hours and I'll be on a plane to Florida for a real taste of summer - the tastes of sunscreen, saltwater and pina coladas.

Bon weekend!

Life Lately

2011-07-25T17:28:00.000-05:00

Bonjour, mes amies! I'm coming to you live from a very rainy NYC. I made the executive decision to skip the gym tonight and instead picked up a fancy bottle of Sauvignon Blanc on the way home. Also just ordered some delicious cold Vietnamese noodles from Republic which should be at my door in 30 minutes. God I love New York sometimes!

Things are pretty lovely here in my world. Despite the insufferable heat (which makes me very cranky indeed), I've managed to see the brighter side of things lately. Some of that may have to do with the fact that I just came back from a whirlwind 2 day visit to D.C. where I partook in some art journaling (see photo above snapped by Kimberly herself), green juice-sipping and loads of chatting/catching up with some of my favorite ladies. My dear friend, who was out of town himself, allowed me to crash at his pad in Dupont so I was only a hop, skip and a jump away from Tranquil Space.

More importantly, however, I was able to indulge in some much-needed alone time. With such a social work life, social social life and social home life (have 3 roomies - oh my!), I find myself craving solitude and quiet more than ever (nevermind the fact that I live in New York City - constant chaos). It was exactly what I needed, and naturally, I am craving more. ;)

Another reason I'm finding life a little sweeter is because I've somehow managed to not take my work stress home with me at the end of the day. From mid-March to quite recently, I've been a complete stressball re: work, and it has affected me emotionally and physically. I finally realized that I needed to just let it go. That's not to say that work still isn't stressful (I firmly believe any job in the City is stressful), but it's manageable, AND I do my best not to let it affect every other part of my life.

Being in DC around like-minded, creative souls reminded me of just how much I miss blogging. I hope to increase my online presence over the next few months, and I so hope you'll join me. Gros bisous!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-01T13:06:00.000-05:00

{photo from here}

Bonjour, my dear friends! I'm just finishing up my packing and soon I'll be on the train to JFK. I'll get there a little early, I'll get a bottle of water and maybe a snack, I'll browse at Muji (the Jet Blue terminal at JFK is SWEET), and then I'll hop on the plane to beautiful, sunny (and HOT) California. I can't wait!!

I hope you have a delightful 4th of July weekend! Stay safe, watch fireworks, hold hands, eat watermelon and stay cool.

Looking Forward

2011-06-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

I know it's been awhile, and God knows if anyone's still here, but instead of talking about why I haven't been writing, I'm just going to pick right back up and go forward. Specifically, I'd like to share some things I'm looking forward to at the moment since they are pretty much what's keeping me going. The City is hot, smelly and challenging at the moment, and I'm desperately trying to find peace and pleasure in the little (and sometimes big) things.

Trip to NoCal for 4th of July (catching up with Ma Soeur, brunch/spa/dinner in San Fran, lots of snuggling with Lola bear

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (and all that entails...)

Mini getaway to Washington D.C. to attend an art journaling workshop, do yoga and enjoy vegan eats with dear friends (like her and her)

Beach trip to this resort for my upcoming 28th (eek!) birthday (with my BFF Jenny)

And, because I absolutely cannot myself as I am hopelessly, helplessly hooked and kicking myself for not jumping on the HP bandwagon 10 years ago, I leave you with this:

New Shoes

2011-05-23T08:30:00.001-05:00

{from Zara}

Since moving to New York, I find that I'm rarely in the sky high platforms I used to be. It's just too darn uncomfortable to walk around in heels. Nonetheless, when I saw these babies on the Zara website, I knew I had to have them. Orange + pink is my current fave color combo. After a lazy day of wandering through Bloomies, I stopped by Zara on the way home and slipped them on. They're shockingly comfortable (God bless platforms) and beautiful against my Mimosa-colored toes (finally got a pedi). They also completely brightened this dreary Sunday.

April Faves: Beauty

2011-04-29T07:30:00.000-05:00

Bonsoir, friends! (Actually it's probably bonjour to you, but I'm writing this the night before.) I am thrilled that this week is over (it's been nuts at work) for moi. Tomorrow I'm leavin' on a jet plane to the great state of TX, baby. I'll be spending the next few days stuffing my face with Korean food, sorting through all my stuff (think mounds of shoes, clothes, stationary, stickers, makeup and toiletries), shopping at Super Tarjay and cuddling with Momma Park. I can't wait!

Before I leave, though, I wanted to let you know of some of my favorite beauty products that I've been enjoying this month. I'm going to focus on cosmetics in this post, but I plan to do a skincare post as well. Between catching up on my favorite youtube gurus, a 15% off Sephora shopping spree and a couple visits to the L'Oreal employee store (50+% off!!), I've been having way too much fun with beauty. Enjoy!

1. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Caviar ($21)

I switch back and forth between gel and pencil liners, but if you're going to go with gel, Bobbi Brown is the way to go. This stuff is perfect - creamy, easy to apply and budge-proof. I've had the shade "black ink" for awhile now, but wanted something softer that I could wear to work. Caviar is the perfect blend of black and brown. It's not too soft like certain browns, but it's not as harsh as straight up black. I'm a huge fan.

Drugstore Dupe: If you're not looking to spend $21 on eyeliner, then I also highly recommend Maybelline's new Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner. It's fantastic, half the price ($9.99) and comes with a brush that's actually one of my favorites! In fact, I use the Maybelline brush with my Bobbi Brown liner - it's that good.

2. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush ($25)

I'm a blush fanatic, and you'd be shocked (or maybe not so shocked...) to see how many shades I own. One of my biggest complaints, however, is that my blush never seems to stay. I want to look as rosy and beautiful in the middle of the afternoon as I did in the morning when I applied it. My typical solution to this problem is to apply a cream/gel blush and then to top it with a powder. This works great and all, but it also means I have to pack 2 blushes anytime I travel. When I heard about Tarte's new Amazonian Clay blush and heard that it actually does last all day, I knew I had to pick one up. I selected the shade "Natural Beauty" (a muted strawberry red) and absolutely love it. It gives me face a very natural looking flush that truly lasts and lasts. WARNING: A little goes a VERY long way so make sure to tap off the excess.

Drugstore Dupe: $25 is a lot of money to pay for blush. I wish I had a drugstore alternative, but the reality is that none of my blushes come from the drugstore, so I can't really give you a good alternative that I personally endorse. I will say, however, that I've heard good things about Maybelline's Dream Mousse blush (around $4), and I imagine that because it's more of a cream, it's likely to last longer than your typical powder blush.

3. NYC Smooch Proof 16HR Lip Stain ($4.99)

The roomie I'm closest to works for a beauty PR firm and brings home loads of goodies for Carolyn. It's usually nail polish (I may have over 100 bottles of nail polish to my name now...), but occasionally she'll bring home cosmetics, skincare and hair products. One of her clients is NYC, a cheap drugstore brand that I hadn't really heard of. They recently revamped all their products, and one of their bestsellers is this lip stain. Y'all, it ROCKS. Don't bother spending your money on Tarte's $24 version or even Revlon or Covergirl's $10 ish versions. This stuff is $4.99 (in NYC so it might be even cheaper elsewhere) and works way better. Now, I wouldn't venture to say it lasts 16 hours (at least not on moi), but it's the best lip stain I've ever tried - namely because it's easy to apply, doesn't dry out my lips and settle into fine lines and did I mention it's CHEAP??

Drugstore Dupe: N/A :D

4. Tarte EmphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener ($18)

I know... $18 is a LOT of money to spend on an eyeliner, let alone an eyeliner that's not really an eyeliner, at least not in the traditional sense. If you're a woman who wears makeup, then you've probably heard the ole white liner trick. Line your waterline with white eyeliner, and it'll make you look more awake... right? Well, if you've ever attempted to use white eyeliner, then you know you look more like a 12-year old girl who's "experimenting" with funky makeup than a 20- or 30-something year old woman who just wants to hide the fact that she only got 5 hours of sleep. I took a gamble on this Tarte liner, mostly because I knew I could return it (love you, Sephora!) and had 15% off (REALLY love you, Sephora!!). Well, it's FABULOUS. It really does wonders for my eyes. I mainly use it on my lower waterline (always use it before you put your regular eyeliner on or it'll stain the pencil), and it makes my eyes look bigger and brighter.

Drugstore Dupe: Err... still looking for one. :/ Here's what I would recommend - go to the drugstore and just look at ALL eyeliners to try and find a nude. Admittedly, it's tough, and it may not exist (although you'll find plenty of cheap whites). As SOON as I find a good dupe, I'll be sure to share as I don't want to spend $18 on eyeliner either!

5. Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 ($24.50)

I don't wear foundation, and I never have. I think I tried it once back in high school because I thought it was cool, but hated how it felt on my skin and never looked back. These days the foundations on the market are super excellentay, but I'm lucky in that my skin doesn't really need it (yet). I pretty much stick to an under eye brightener, blush and a light dusting of MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. (If I'm going all out, I'll bust out the highlighter and bronzer as well.) But, on a whim and during a lunchtime visit to Saks Fifth Avenue (yes, it's dangerously close to my office), I decided to give Clinique's new tinted moisturizer a try. (There was also a sick bonus at Clinique that day with all kinds of skincare goodies I wanted to get my hands on!) It's deliciously light, moisturizing, but also does a decent job at evening out my skin. I've only used it a handful of times, so I'm not so sure I should be calling it a "Fave" yet, but I'm definitely impressed.

Drugstore Dupe: I've never tried it, but I hear/read good things about Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhanced Tinted Moisturizer (around $11).

Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know if you have specific requests in regard to beauty/makeup/skincare blog posts. Also, let me know what your fave beauty products as I'm always in the mood to try new things :D

All About Books

2011-04-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

{photo from Domino - RIP}

As mentioned earlier, I am on a book reading binge. And friends? It feels really good. After months watching episode after episode of Criminal Minds, Bones and Glee (in that order), I am thrilled to say that not only am I completely caught up with those shows, but that I also now have time to indulge in, um, more intellectually-stimulating activities. That includes reading.

It all started innocently enough with the enormously popular Stieg Larsson trilogy. A coworker had given me a tattered paperback copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo awhile back. It took me forever to open it and perhaps as long to get through the first 60 pages, but once I was in, I was in. I inhaled the rest of that book in just a few short subway rides. Luckily my roommate had the next in the series, The Girl who Played with Fire, so I dove in. I had an upcoming 3 1/2 hour train ride coming up and knew that I'd be done with book deux before then. I immediately hopped onto Amazon and purchased the third - The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I finished that one during my train ride to and from D.C.

My review? Definitely good. The hype is there for a reason, and I now understand why. That being said, I don't think they are for everyone (and the first one takes awhile to get into) so use your own judgment. I am immensely grateful for them, as they reminded me of how much I love to read and get lost in someone else's story. Since then, I've read the following:

Little Bee by Chris Cleave (highly recommend)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (highly recommend)

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (highly recommend and can't wait for the movie even though I know it will be sub-par)

Love Junkie by Rachel Resnik (interesting, but definitely not for everyone)

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks (I was desperate, and my roomie handed it to me - I read it in 3 hours. It's... well, it's a Nicholas Sparks novel so you can decide for yourself what that means.)

I am currently reading:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

The Book of Salt by Monique Truong

In the next couple of weeks, I plan to read:

The Sweet Relief of Missing Children by Sarah Braunstein

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain

Running for Women by Kara Goucher

What's on your bookshelf these days?

Le Weekend

2011-04-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

{photo found here}

Indulging in a much needed pedicure here

Brunching here and there

Trying to get fit here

Hopefully running here

Shopping here (15% off for VIB's!)

Reading this, this and this

(psst - have been on a reading spree and have an upcoming post about all the goodies I've been reading)

Praying here

Bon weekend, mes amies. I miss you. Gros bisous.

Hello

2011-04-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

{photo: weheartit}

I know it's been awhile, and I really, REALLY miss you guys. I'm... exhausted. This past month has been tiring to say the least, and tomorrow morning a car is picking me up at 4:45 a.m. (!!!) so I can catch a way-too-early flight to Canada. I'll be back in my beloved NYC Saturday night, and then I plan to catch up on life. That includes you, mes amies.

And because it's completely appropo considering this title and my ridiculous and recent OBSESSION with Glee, I leave you with this ah-mazing song.

MIA

2011-03-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

{photo: weheartit}

I've been quite busy. Work, play, sickness (fighting a nasty sore throat & cough) - it's been nonstop. My next 6 weeks are even busier. I'll be traveling to DC, Philly, Vancouver, Calgary, Kamloops and Dallas, and although I'm excited about it all, I'm also aware of how exhausted I'll be (traveling from NYC = pain) by the end of it. There are so many great things I want to blog about, but I just can't find the time. I hope you're well... I miss you, the blogosphere and Twitter deeply, but it's definitely on the backburner of life right now, and I fear that's where it will have to stay at least for now.

Ta ta for now. Gros bisous.

To a Good Week

2011-03-14T07:34:00.000-05:00

{source: weheartit}

This weekend felt short, and I find it hard to believe that it's already Monday morning. Nonetheless, I've already done my hair (ok, I just redid my bangs), made oatmeal (on the stove, y'all!) and sipped my iced coffee (may or may not have just poured myself a second glass). And now I'm just... stalling. Still need to do my makeup and get dressed and then begin what is bound to be a tough week at work. I'm determined to stay positive, and for now, will remind myself of the fun I had this weekend...

Meeting dear friend at my fave wine bar on Friday night to catch up and discuss her upcoming nuptials

Sleeping in on Saturday

Having some solo moi time on Saturday, spent leisurely running errands and window shopping

Learning our hot water heater is broken and realizing that I can go have a lovely, hot shower at Equinox post-workout

A fun night on the town for my friend Will's birthday (club in meatpacking, table & bottle service, so not my norm, but a fun change of pace nonetheless)

A not-too-hungover brunch at my NYC big sis' apt on Sunday ~~morning~~ afternoon

Buying a "goal skirt" on Sunday (I've never purposely bought an article of clothing knowing it's too small, but I wonder if it might serve as some sort of inspiration - it's a gorgeous skirt - and if it doesn't fit in 29 days, well then, I'll just return it)

Breakfast tacos for dinner

P.S. Thanks for the kind, encouraging words. I know I'm a bit hard on myself, and I'm working on it.

Fat + Run = Bad

2011-03-10T20:32:00.001-06:00

This definitely helps explain why my running has been sucking, and why an easy 6.0 pace feels like DEATH. Oh because did I mention? Those 5 lbs I gained in the week before the Half Marathon are still here, meaning they are not due to water retention or PMS or any of that sugar (sugar = sh*t <= my 22 year old roomie gave me that one). It's just what it is - 5 extra pounds.

Pissed is an understatement.

{source: here}

Inadequacy

2011-03-07T08:30:00.000-06:00

Brief but very necessary reminder that this is one of MANY reasons I am awesome possum.

I am happy. I am very happy right now. Overall, I'm happier than I've been in a very long time. But still, old feelings, haunts and fears have a sneaky way of surprising me... revisiting with a vengeance. And it sucks. I'm not sure if it was the alcohol, the terrible/not-worth-it/left-me-very-hungry $75 dinner (my one nice dinner out this month), the fact that my manager is leaving or because it's that time of the month, but last Thursday night I had a bit of a breakdown. For the first time in a very long time, my sister's success left me feeling like a complete and total failure. I cried. A lot. I may or may not have called my Mom crying (and she may or may not have laughed at me - in a very loving way, bien sur). I may or may not have been a puffy, sleep-deprived mess the next day at work who fought back tears alllll day. Luckily, I had an awesome weekend with friends that reminded me that life is, in fact, very sweet. Saturday we went to the Armory Show for some art and culture and ah-mazing people-watching and then to a couple of parties in the evening. I had FUN. Some pics from the show, courtesy of my friend David:

Also? Fingers crossed that my badass/successful/amazing/inspiring sister gets to come to NYC for work in a couple of weeks. I miss her!

Have v. v. v. busy/stressful week at work. 2 mah-jor meetings tomorrow, and manager M leaves on Wed. :(

Changes

2011-03-02T08:30:00.000-06:00

{photo from here}

After my wonderful trip to Austin, I returned to work and got some upsetting and disappointing news. I learned that my awesome/amazing/inspiring/beautiful/kickass manager ("M") resigned because she got offered an ah-mazing position that she couldn't turn down. When she told me, I nearly burst into tears (I have a flair for the dramatic, I know), but I just couldn't believe it. On the one hand, on a very personal level, I will deeply miss her. In some ways, I think of her as another big sister, someone I look up, aspire to and respect. On the professional level, I am disappointed. We made a lot of big plans for the upcoming year, and with M's guidance, I was confident that I would learn a LOT this year and advance my career in the best ways possible.

Needless to say, I've been sad/worried since last Thursday. Turns out, professionally this could be a really good thing for me. With M gone, I will be working with and reporting to one of two Heads of the Department ("H"). H is incredibly intimidating (she didn't crack a smile my entire interview, not until the very end) and quite demanding, but she's also really good at her job. It will be tough to be without my amazing teacher, but I have the potential to really step up my game and prove to H that I can go above and beyond my title. And that's exactly what I intend to do.

This week has been nuts, and things are only going to get crazier when M leaves (next week - tear). Leaving at 5:30, lunchtime gym breaks and leisurely days are out the window. This is undoubtedly going to be hard on me. For one, I'm determined to work out 5x per week, and that's going to be tough to do with consistent late nights at the office. For another, I was looking forward to having some more flexibility/freedom with my schedule now that training is over and to try and actually hang out with my friends on a regular basis again. When can I squeeze that in? Gym or dinner/drinks... something's gotta give. (On top of all that, my work schedule makes getting to WW meetings - aka Tues. Night Happy Hour - impossible, and I think I'm going to switch to online only. Sigh.)

I chose the picture above because I need to see it. I haven't been feeling beautiful lately - I've been feeling fat, ugly and repulsive. I should be proud of my body for what it's just accomplished, but instead I only focus on what it can't do. I'm hoping that my plans to keep active and eat (mostly) clean will help me feel better all around.

How do you maintain work-life balance when things are crazy and show no signs of letting up?

How do you remind yourself that you're beautiful (no matter how unbelievably unflattering your race photos are)?

March Goals

2011-03-01T08:30:00.000-06:00

HAPPY MARCH!! I can't believe it's already March - 2011 is flying by! I, personally, am absolutely delighted that it'll soon be Spring (even though Spring in NYC is still winter with a few random warm days). J'adore all things bright, flowery, green and happy. It was only fitting, therefore, that I decorate this month's monthly Metro card as such.

Since I started working, I buy unlimited monthly Metro cards. The cards don't look any different than normal Metro cards so I decided that I'd decorate it with stickers. The cards also aren't refillable so unfortunately I get a new card every month (so wasteful - darn you, NYC!). Instead of focusing on the negative, however, I decided to recycle my cards by saving each month's, and in the end (not sure when the "end" will be - maybe 1 year?) I will make some sort of fun art with them. Good idea, oui?? I thought so. ;) Anyway, without further adieu, voila my March goals:

Work out 5x/week
Eat clean (with 2 cheat days per week!)
Less shopping
More reading
More writing

What are your goals for the month?

Half-Marathon Playlist

2011-02-28T08:30:00.000-06:00

I've been meaning to blog about running songs, but I just kept forgetting. Once I saw a comment asking what I listened to during the Half, I knew I had to share, ESPECIALLY because I discovered my newest love, Justin Bieber, just before the Half when I saw him perform on the Grammy's with Jaden Smith. Bieber's "Baby" was blaring in my ears when I crossed the finish line, and I will never forget it!

It's a bizarre selection of songs, I know, but the night before I left for Austin, this just seemed right. I have a much longer list of "run" music, but I decided to cut out ones I knew I would skip.

My absolute fave pump-me-up songs from this list? Dog Days Are Over, Battlefield, Firework, Oh No, Let It Out, Commander, and Only Girl in the World.

P.S. If you don't have the new Girl Talk album, you MUST DOWNLOAD IMMEDIATELY (it's free!). It's the best workout music ever.

My Body Post-13.1 Miles

2011-02-27T14:50:00.000-06:00

Considering I just ran 13.1 miles one week ago, I'm surprisingly not-too-pleased with the shape/size/appearance of my body lately. For some reason, I gained almost 10 lbs the week and a half before the race. NO idea what was going on there. Nothing had changed in regard to my eating, and I highly doubt my tapering/reduced mileage could do that much damage. I chalked it up to water weight and PMS and tried to ignore it as best I could.

Things didn't improve when I got to Austin, but that's probably because I was eating out 3 times/day every day and eating lots of melted cheese (aka queso). Since returning to NYC, I've decided enough is enough. I'm tired of feeling bloated and overstuffed, and I'm also going to return to my beloved Tuesday Night Happy Hour. In order to help get back on track, Roomie 1 and I headed to Trader Joe's to stock up on some health eats. I got TONS of fruits and veggies: bananas, clementines, 3 BAGS of brussels sprouts...

I have a couple of lunches and dinners scheduled this week, but aside from that, I plan to stick to light lunches, homecooked dinners and absurd amounts of fruits and veggies. My body needs it!

I'm also having a hard time adjusting to a complete lack of training schedule. I had a rather painful two mile run on Thursday night and did Jillian Michaels' SHRED dvd yesterday. I want to step up my game and include a great deal more strength training than when I was training for the Half. Today (Sunday) I plan on hitting the Chelsea Equinox for some weights and a (hopefully much more pleasant) run. Bonsoir, mes amies!

What are your favorite healthy go-to meals? How do you fit in your fruits/veggies?

HALF-MARATHON!!

2011-02-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

WARNING: Epic post with loads and loads of pictures.

I can't believe I'm back and that I am officially a HALF-MARATHONER!! My trip to Austin was absolutely perfect - seriously, it couldn't have gone better. I feel so incredibly blessed and lucky to have had such a wonderful first Half-Marathon experience and AH-mazing support from my friends and family (including all of y'all on Twitter and Facebook!!). This is going to be a pretty long post so I'm just going to dive right in! (Also, I'm writing this in a hurry, whilst laying in bed and watching Bones, so please forgive me for the short, awkward sentences and major typos.)

Friday: After switching out rental cars and grabbing a breakfast of bfast taco & iced coffee from the gorgeous flagship Whole Foods on Lamar/5th, I got ready and headed downtown to visit my old firm and have lunch with some of my fave former coworkers. Everyone was so nice, and I felt so lucky to have kept such great relationships with the attorneys there. One senior associate with whom I worked half-jokingly asked if I was ready to come back... I am decidedly NOT. ;) Afterwards, I met up with my friend Stina who drove down from Temple, TX. We shopped at Target then headed to North by Northwest to enjoy a beer on the patio. The weather was GORGEOUS!

That night we also visited my most favorite movie theater EVER, Alamo Drafthouse, and saw No Strings Attached, which was surprisingly cute and funny!

Saturday: Race day prep! Jenny and I woke up and headed straight to El Chilito for some breakfast.

We picked up some Starbucks on the way, and I was pretty stoked that they spelled my name correctly (it never happens - always "Caroline").

I sat outside for several of my meals. Amazing!

After breakfast, we went to the Expo to peruse and to pick up my race packet.

That night we went to Botticelli's on South Congress for some serious carbo-loading.

Beautiful Jenny who could not have been a better coach/hostess/friend during my entire weekend with her!

After I inhaled tons of bread, veggies and pasta, we headed home to get ready for a very early bedtime. Laid out all my race day gear...

Body Glide, bib, Garmin, chapstick, iPod, Spibelt (they included one with race packets - I gave mine to Jenny b/c I already had one)

Sunday: Alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. Painful. Woke up, had bagel and iced coffee, got dressed and headed downtown. My stomach was a bundle of nerves, and I was completely unhappy about having to pee in a port-a-potty. But I persevered. I even popped a squat behind a giant trash can b/c the lines were too long. Oh yeah I am HARD CORE. And then, before I knew it, it was time to go.

Miles 1-3 FLEW by. I just couldn't believe how great it felt to be running in downtown Austin! There were some hills, but nothing this Central Park master couldn't handle. I stopped during mile 2 to pee, and ohmygaw, you would not believe how disgusting the port-a-potty's were...

Miles 4-6 sucked. We ran ALL the way down South Congress to Ben White (this means nothing to you non-Austinites), and it was basically uphill the entire way. I wanted. to. die.

Miles 6-8 were deliciously downhill. I saw a giant dead possum in the middle of the road. I also saw lots of people running barefoot. Are you CRAZY? These miles flew by, seriously. I felt like I could run forever. I was smiling, singing along to Glee and Justin Bieber and high on life.

Miles 9-11 were hilly, and I started to feel tired for the first time. But I knew my friends Danny and Craig would be waiting around Mile 11 so I kept my game face on. I cannot express to you how good it felt to see familiar faces! We squealed, high-fived, and I felt energized!

Mile 12-13 were beyond brutal. I knew the ginormous hill was at Mile 12... I've known it since the day I signed up for the race. Everyone told me about it. I wish I could've taken a picture of it because it was ridiculous. (Actually you can see it in this hilarious post - scroll down to the "WTF IS THAT??" pic.) But I was determined to conquer it and run the entire way. Unfortunately, my legs weren't cooperating and half way up the hill, I felt myself slow down. Then I felt someone grab my hand, scream "you can do it!" and pull me up the rest of the way. This woman was a complete stranger and my total savior. Yes, this stuff actually happens, y'all.

Mile 13-13.1 was hilly but once I turned that final corner, I sprinted like I've never sprinted before to cross that finish line. It felt phenomenal, and I couldn't believe it was over! I grabbed a bottle of water and a banana and spent the next hour looking for Jenny and asking myself, "Did I really just run a Half-Marathon?" over and over again. I finished in 2:19 and felt really good about my first time. Jenny was proud. :D

After we finally made it home, Jenny gave me an ice bath (yes, me in cold water + ice), I took a hot shower and then we headed to an amazing new burger joint in Austin called HopDoddy. Fresh made buns, house cut fries and Maine Root Beer and Dublin Dr. Pepper on TAP? You gotta be kidding me.

You better believe I inhaled the entire thing, ate all my fries and drank about 3 cups of Maine Root Beer. It was heavenly.

And then we hobbled home, got into PJs and passed out for about 2.5 hours. Glorious. Sunday night I packed up my stuff, said goodbye to Jenny and headed over to one of my FAVE families EVER to stay in their gorgeous, ginormous house in the hills. That night, the wife and I headed to Sago for some Mexican food and outdoor dining. I had queso and fajitas and could not have been happier. I went to bed happy, full of love and gratitude, and a very content, albeit overstuffed, belly.

Monday: Woke up to cloudy skies and a growling tummy. Headed over to one of my fave indie, Austin coffeeshops for MORE breakfast tacos and iced coffee.

The rest of my day went something like this: ridiculously heavenly ah-mazing perfect worth every penny 90-minute massage w/ my fave masseuse, lunch with my former trainer/dear friend, afternoon of perusing and enjoying my beloved Austin, meeting with Dr. G (remember Dr. G?? SO good to see her!), and dinner with the family (more fajitas and queso - this time from El Chile - YUM). More happy, overstuffed belly syndrome.

Tuesday: My last full day in Austin! Insert sad face. Began my day with breakfast tacos then headed to Kim, my beloved hair stylist for 6 years, and ombre-ed out my hair, y'all. It's super subtle, super awesome and will allow me to go a very long time without having to dye it. Win! Had lunch with a good friend/mentor of mine at Jo's on 2nd street, got a deluxe pedicure at Milk and Honey, had dinner with my darling Matty at Blue Star Cafeteria, grabbed some Amy's with law school bud Danny and dropped by Jenny's for one final goodbye.

Wednesday: Woke up at 7 so I could see the kiddos before they headed off to school. I am in LOVE with these kids and babysat them back in the day when I studied abroad in London (the Dad and I went to law school together). The little boy made me a Valentine, and I just about died. If only boys my age could be this cute and sweet!

Finished packing and managed to hit up Taco Deli one last time for my final breakfast tacos... Oh man, I will miss these BIG time.

I plan to recreate these for my roomie Annika and even brought home some real TX salsa in order to do so.

I was super sad to leave Austin and plan to elaborate more on this in a separate blog post. It was a WONDERFUL trip, and I wouldn't change one thing about it (except to maybe eat more Mexican food). Luckily, I have badass roomies and came home to this:

Cupcakes and pink nailpolish. Love.

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!! I kinda wanna start training for something else... :D

February Goals

2011-02-16T15:38:00.001-06:00

Complete Half Marathon and have AH-mazing time in Austin

Eat out less

Go out more

Declutter room

{photo from here}

Sunday Funday

2011-02-07T08:30:00.001-06:00

Sunday. I am not watching the Super Bowl. No, I am freshly showered, in my PJs, sportin' my compression sleeves, watching Bones and waiting for my Korean food. This is my kind of Sunday.

Today I ran 12 miles in Central Park. The weather was absolute perfection - sunny and not too frigid. I dropped off my stuff at the Columbus Circle Equinox beforehand and quite literally almost ran into Gideon from the earlier Criminal Minds. Love that gym, but still not sure whether it's worth joining (more on that later). Then I hit the Park, and while the 12 miles didn't exactly fly by, they certainly passed much more easily than any mile of mine has in the past few weeks. I took the run nice and slow, tackled the Harlem Hills and felt pretty good throughout. I'm feeling much better about February 20.

Saturday. I had a lovely Saturday. Brunch with my friend Will at Markt, explored the Limelight Marketplace (they have a Brocade Home showroom - see below!) and met up with our friend David for coffee at what might be my favorite coffeeshop in the city, O Cafe, where I had a yummy latte with insanely delicious dark chocolate at the bottom (see photo above).

Looking Forward. I have a lot going on this next week. Dinner dates at Palma, Bar Boulud and Fatty Crab (not so good considering I planned to eat really well/clean for the 2 weeks before the Half). Last 3 days of working out at Equinox. Big work projects. I'm looking forward to my Austin vacay more and more each day. As much as I love the City, there's nothing like getting away. I miss my family immensely and had a mini breakdown tonight as I thought about how long it's been since I've seen my Mom. Mad flow of tears commenced, and it took me awhile to calm myself down. Not being a 3.5 hour drive away can be really hard to accept sometimes. It doesn't help that Roomie 1 has been spending the weekend with her mom whose in town until Wednesday. Luckily I booked a flight to Dallas for the last weekend in April. It's not terribly close, but it's not too far either.

How do y'all handle being away from family? Most of the time I'm so busy it's okay, but when I stop and think about it, I realize how much it sucks. :(

Fear & Equinox

2011-02-04T08:37:00.000-06:00

Long time no write. I know. Life's been busy, per usual, but really, I've just been scared to write what I'm about to write.

The Austin Half-Marathon is now less than 3 weeks away. Actually, it's only 2 weeks and a few days away. And I am scared.

Terrified, really. Because I don't feel prepared at all despite weeks and weeks of training. It doesn't help that the last few weeks have been subpar, at best. My training runs have been cut short, and as a result, my long runs have suffered. My 10-miler last week on the dreadmill was a struggle to say the least. This weekend I have 12 miles to tackle... 12 miles. That's only 1.1 miles shy of the Half. I plan to attack said miles in Central Park because I haven't been out there in weeks, and I need some hills work. The Austin Marathon is scary hilly, and I can't force myself to the do the kind of hills on a dreadmill that I am forced to do when running in the Park. So the Park it is! Current forecast is most sunny with high of 36 and low of 32. I can handle that.

Last night I started my 7-day pass to Equinox, the queen of all gyms. I currently belong to NYHRC but have a number of complaints about it and have considered switching to Equinox. Many of my work friends work out at Equinox, and one used to be a personal trainer there, so she scored me a 7-day pass to check it out. Equinox does have a lot to offer, and last night's experience was more than pleasant. I lifted weights with a coworker for about 30 minutes and noticed just how much nicer and easier-to-use all the machines were. Also? They were SO clean. Major plus plus plus. Then I pounded out 2 speedy-ish but painful miles on the treadmill (did 3 on Wed so had to make it 5), did about 15 minutes on the rowing machine (my new love!) and stretched.

The gym is pristine, with the newest, nicest equipment, an awesome stretching area (the entire floor of the area is squishy mat material so all you need is a towel), and a GORGEOUS locker room. Seriously, there were 3 people in the bathroom at all times cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. The OCD in moi really loved that. They also use Kiehl's products and have a spa-quality sauna and steam room. I have yet to use them, but once I do, I know I'll be hooked. On top of that, I was there at the busiest time of day, and there were plenty of machines available. I also hear the classes are quite nice, but I've yet to try them. Oh and they have a boutique (dangerous) and a smoothie/burrito/salad bar. Ridic.

Will I switch? I've no idea. The gym is, quite literally, twice the price (if I want access to all locations, which I think I do). Therefore in my mind, it has to be twice as nice. If my mom and sister are reading this, I know what they are thinking. Why on earth do I need such a nice gym? Especially considering my considerably reduced income and expensive lifestyle (not really, it's just more expensive because this city is so darn expensive). Well, here's the thing: the gym has become an important part of my day-to-day life, and I want to keep it that way. What better motivation than a nice, fancy gym? ;)

I'm returning to the beautiful Equinox on 50th/Broadway this evening to pound out 5 miles. There's not much else I'd want to do less on a Friday evening after work.

Snow Day! Oh wait... no.

2011-01-27T07:23:00.000-06:00

Now, I realize I'm from the South and we don't know how to handle ice, let alone snow, but when the streets look like this and New York City Public Schools and Non-Emergency Government Offices are closed, I just don't think my office should be open.

I snapped these on my way home from the gym. That's right - after an entire week of once again not working out (I may or may not have fallen asleep at 5:45 pm last night...), I woke up at 6:15 and walked to the gym in and over mounds of unshoveled snow. 5 miles done and feeling gooooood.

Maybe I'll make myself a big bowl of this:

Flax oatmeal w/ maple syrup, bananas, peanut butter, and cacao nibs (yes, I found some of those cute spoons all the healthy living bloggers use - they are condiment spoons from Crate & Barrel)

Or maybe I'll wait until I get to work and get a biscuit & gravy. Thursday = biscuits & gravy day at our cafeteria, and lemme tell ya something, they are so worth the calories.

Gotta finish icing and sipping coffee and hop in the shower. Running super late!! LOVE YOU!

On Slowing Down and Being Lame

2011-01-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

After my kickass week, this week was a little... less kick ass. Actually it was quite the opposite and involved me waking up around 2 am on Wednesday morning dripping with sweat and shivering. Helllooooo, fever! After downing some Tylenol PM and forgetting to turn off my alarm, I was awoken at 6:30 am by my iPhone, urging me to go to the gym and run 5 miles. HA. Did not happen. Emailed my manager and fell back asleep. Slept on/off all day checking my Blackberry in a panic and responding to emails (was not a good day to be out. I'd like to say I got a good amount of rest (I did), but I was sleeping whilst stressed which is never good.

The rest of the week wasn't much better. Although my fever subsided (thank gawd - achiness is the worst), I've been fighting fatigue and a complete lack of energy. Needless to say, I didn't follow my training schedule at all. In fact, it wasn't until Friday morning that I hit the gym for a quickie 3 mile run at 1.0% incline (surprisingly much harder than 0.5%). Saturday I revisited Prana for a super sweaty hot yoga session only to learn that their heater wasn't working. I was quite disappointed as it was positively frigid outside, and my muscles desperately needed to be warmed up.

Today was my scheduled long run of 9.0 miles. Needless to say, it didn't go quite as I expected. Because the forecast called for a windchill in the single digits, I knew I'd have to complete my run on the treadmill. I had hoped to watch Bones via my Netflix app on my iPhone, but then I discovered that my gym doesn't have wifi. Grr. I still had my iPod, but it did little to pep me up. Each mile felt like torture, and at any point I could've hopped off and passed out in moments. I felt exhausted. I have no idea how those 9 miles got done (very, very slowly with lots of water/walking breaks). I felt a small boost of energy after I took my Gu at mile 4.5, but it died quickly. Worst. Run. Ever.

On top of that, I found it nearly impossible to walk after my run. I crawled home, up my stairs, pulled on my compression socks and a bag of frozen peas and collapsed into bed. It took at least an hour for me to work up the energy to get into the shower. I'm still not feeling 100%. I may not even be feeling 50% to be perfectly honest.

All this has me quite down. I know my body is telling me to slow down, but it's so hard. Less than one month until I'm supposed to run 13.1 miles on an incredibly hilly course in Austin. I've no idea how I'm going to do that. Nonetheless, I must listen to my body, and when it urges me to slow down, I will attempt to listen.

Part of listening involves something that I'm actually quite enjoying about my training - being lame. I actually abhor the word "lame," as it does not at all describe my current behavior. That behavior consists of not going out, getting wasted, stumbling home and spending the next 24 hours dying of a hangover, eating greasy food and trying not to throw up. When I first moved here, I went out a lot. And it was fun! It was very fun. But I was new to the city, trying to make new friends and get acclimated. I also wasn't working full-time and training for a Half-Marathon. I've always thought "going out" was overrated, and at this point, I have absolutely no desire to. A New Year's Eve party or an occasional outing? Sure! Dinner and drinks? Oui, I LOVE doing that kind of stuff. But going to bars/clubs? They are fun on special and rare occasions and not at all an activity in which I should be indulging at this time.

Unfortunately, most people my age don't agree with me, and it's quite annoying trying to explain myself and listen to people call me "lame." It reminds me of my life in Austin and my lack of friends with similar interests and values. Why is it not okay for people my age to not get wasted all the time? I feel like such a freak sometimes, but then I remember what I'm not missing out on, and I'm fine. My dear roomie whom I love and adore actually said to me, "How can you NOT go out at all this weekend?" (Then again, she's 22 so yeah... whole 'nother ballgame.) Ugh. Get over it, people.

Ok, I'm done complaining. Here's to hoping for a better week all around.

{image: we heart it}

10k, Veggie Burgers & Question 4 Runners

2011-01-17T08:30:00.000-06:00

My Sunday in a nutshell (or not...):

10k - I decided to run my 10k "race" along the West Side Highway instead of going all the way to the Park. The WSH is a mere 10-15 min walk from my apartment, and I thought it'd be the perfect place to to get in 6.2 miles as easily as possible. After a very large everything bagel and a Bones episode, I got dressed, filled my camelbak for the first time ever, and headed out. It was beautiful, sunny and a frigid 35 degrees with a windchill of who-knows-what-but-it-was-friggin-cold. My run was so-so. Not particularly good, not particularly bad (no bra strap-snapping - hooray!). I was pretty much frozen by the time I was done, and when I spotted the new New York Burger Co. at 10th Ave, I knew I had to stop in. After defrosting, I ordered a black bean burger and fries (best fries EVER) and headed home. Which brings me to my next topic...

Veggie Burgers - Why can't anyone in NYC make a decent veggie burger? I've ordered several, and they are all the same - MUSHY, blah, and incapable of staying together. SO annoying. Austin, on the other hand, makes EXCELLENT veggie burgers. Hut's, P. Terry's, East Side Cafe... I miss you. NY Burger Co's was, of course, a massive disappointment. Never. Again.

Question 4 Runners - My runs this week were all less than stellar. More than anything, I just felt tired and unable to master the distances each required. I want to blame the fact that this is the first week I've actually done all the other workouts I'm supposed to for my training, and because of that, my body is tired, sore and flipping out at the thought of having to run on top of yoga, pilates, 30 Day Shred, pushups and then some. Runners, please tell me that's what it is and that my body will catch up and realize all this other stuff is supposed to make me a better runner instead of a runner who wants to die at the thought of running more than 1 mile at a time??

Weekend - The rest of my weekend has been productive, relaxing and shop-y. I scored some nice spin shoes at Sid's Bike Shop for 40% off (plan to go to Spin on Wednesday and can't wait!!), and I bought a waterproof/wind-shielding and incredibly cute and surprisingly flattering running jacket at Lululemon for a kind of outrageous price. BUT, in my defense, these are two things that have been on my list, AND they completely fit into my budget. So THERE.

EXCITED to have Monday off!!! I plan to meet my friends in TriBeCa to WRITE and then to go to a hot yoga class at my gym. Do you have Monday off? Any fun plans??

Week in Review: Kicking Ass and Taking Names

2011-01-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

Not trying to brag or anything, but I kind of kicked ass this week as far as my training is concerned...

Monday - tough Pilates class
Tuesday - REST
Wednesday - 4 mile run (supposed to be 5 but my abs/legs were sooooo sore from Pilates)
Thursday - cross-training (did levels 1 and 2 of 30 Day Shred & push-ups)
Friday - 5-miler in the morning before work

I originally planned to go to the gym Thursday night, but it was so cold out, and I reallllly didn't want to go anywhere. So I busted out my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD. What's funny is that I used to love this DVD because the workouts are only 20 minutes long, but still kick your ass. But this night, I immediately thought, "Hmm, I should do two levels if I want to get a decent workout." Sure enough after doing Level 1, I wasn't nearly as tired as I should've been (or used to be). So I did Level 2, and then I was ready to be DONE. :D

I also decided it best to move my Friday runs to before work because let's be honest, who wants to go to the gym on a Friday evening?? I'm SO glad I made it even though it was something like 8 degrees (windchill) when I got up this morning!

My weekend will look something like this...

Saturday - hot yoga @ Prana
Sunday - 10k "race" (just gonna do 6.2 miles either in the Park or on the treadmill if it's too cold) & pushups

I honestly don't know who I am right now. I'm turning down social events, not drinking and basically turning my life upside down in order to run and workout when I need to. Who knows, maybe I'll get REALLY crazy and actually start eating really healthily, too. ;)

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ONLINE SUPPORT!! SERIOUSLY, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME!

Fourth Resolution

2011-01-13T21:18:00.000-06:00

I'm adding a 4th New Year's Resolution to the list.

Run 520 miles in 2011 (aka 10 miles/week)

8 Miles & Hot Yoga

2011-01-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

This morning I woke up and ran 8 miles in Central Park. Who am I?

It was beautiful. I haven't been to the Park since the blizzard and the snow day on Friday. I couldn't believe how much snow was still there. The Park looked completely different.

I wish I could say my run went smoothly, but of course it didn't. It all started with the subway ride... I waited FORTY-FIVE MINUTES for the right train to come. By the time I got to the Park, it was 10:45 am, I was freezing and I had to tinkle really, really badly. But of course I got off at 72nd to do two of the 4-mile loop, and the only public bathroom I'm aware of is closer to the Columbus Circle entrance so I held it. And it was uncomfortable.

I was also uncomfortable b/c I was so cold. It took me forever to warm up, and by the time I did, I finally got to the bathroom and so I stopped. Back out in the cold, I felt stiff again. I took my first Gu this run (vanilla bean - really does taste like vanilla pudding) around mile 4.6 , and I think it went well. Didn't upset my stomach, but I definitely had to take it with water.

At 5.5, my left bra strap came unhooked. Yup. I was wearing a Lululemon bra that strangely is no longer on their website. It has maximum support, and so I like to wear it on my long runs. I do not, however, like that the straps come so easily unhooked. I mean, what up with that, Lululemon?? When I pay more than $50 for a bra, I expect more than that. The annoying thing was is that in order for me to fix my bra, I would've had to stop, find another bathroom (or return to the one I know), take off ALL my top layers and the bra and fix it. At mile 5.5, I was not having that. So I spent the rest of the run awkwardly trying to, um, hold/support my left breast. It was not fun. I was super annoyed. People looked at me.

But I did it. I finished the 8 miles, caught the subway in good time and went home to a very, VERY hot shower. I've not been able to get warm all day. Definitely sleeping with a very hot water bottle tonight. :D

Not only did I complete my 8 mile run, but I had a pretty easy 4.5 mile on Friday night AND went to hot yoga on Saturday. Hot yoga does not equal bikram. I've never taken a bikram class, and I have no desire to. I don't think I'd like it. Hot yoga for me equals heated vinyasa, which I LOVE. The amount of sweat that exited my body during that 75 minutes is kind of unbelievable. My tank top was completely soaked through (much to my roomie's dismay) so I took it off and just wore my Nike pullover back home. SMART move considering it was 30 degrees outside. Brr! Winter is officially here, my friends! I'm feeling PUMPED about the fact that I did all my training this weekend. I plan to tackle this week with the same fervor and determination.

The rest of my Sunday was pretty productive as well. After my run I had brunch with my gorgeous friend David, and then we met up with other friends who are also participating in NaNoWriMo. We spent next couple hours at the Barnes & Noble in Tribeca attempting to write. It went... okay. I couldn't really get into the zone, and I find it incredibly hard to believe that I'm going to be able to write 50,000 words by February 3. But um... here's to trying!

Few questions for ya...

Any tips on how to get into the writing zone?? I haven't written lengthy papers in so long that I can't quite remember how I did it.
I stopped for a pretty substantial time today during my run to go to the bathroom, get my water and take my Gu, etc. Do you think that stopping like that negates the point of a long run? In other words, is it really an 8 mile run if I don't run it nonstop?

Things I'm Loving: Trader Joe's Edition

2011-01-09T09:00:00.007-06:00

First and foremost...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY INCREDIBLE/TALENTED/GENIUS/BEAUTIFUL/INSPIRING SISTER (also known as "Ma Soeur")!!!

If you're one of the unlucky who does not have a Trader Joe's in your area, then I apologize in advance. Because it's pretty much one of the best things that's happened to me since moving to New York. If you do have one in your area, then read on! I discover something new at TJ's almost every week so I hope you find something new and delicious here.

[NOTE: Not all these things are particularly healthy. I focus on the packaged goods b/c that's what is Trader Joe's-specific, not because I think processed food is good for you!)

Jalapeno-Cilantro Hummus

I know it sounds weird, but it's creamy, spicy deliciousness and goes perfectly with pita, crackers, crudite, and your fingers. I LOVE this stuff.

Wintry Blend

Only the best winter coffee blend ever. Unfortunately it's seasonal, so your TJ's may have already stopped carrying it. But DO NOT FEAR, it will be back! I do not exaggerate when I say I've been drinking this stuff for the last 2-3 months every. single. morning. Also? I may or may not be hoarding them in our pantry. (There are currently 6 canisters left. I'm getting nervous.) My favorite? Mixing it with TJ's special Gingerbread blend. HOLIDAY JAVA GOODNESS!

Mini Mint Ice Cream Mouthfuls

Little bites of heaven! Seriously, they are minty, chocolatey goodness and end up not being that awful calorically b/c of its small size. (Of course that's assuming that you don't eat 3 at a time.)

Organic Shells and White Cheddar

I know I know... it's boxed macaroni and cheese. But unlike the blue box, this stuff is organic and every ingredient in the ingredient list is readable and recognizable. I don't eat this stuff a lot, but I try to always keep a box on my shelf for emergency meals (like the other night). I always add broccoli (frozen works great), LOTS of black peppers and a little parmigiano reggiano. I try not to eat the entire box in one sitting.

Vegetable Masala Burgers

I've already waxed poetic about these. Bottom line? Get them. I know 2 people in my NYC life who bought them after reading my blog, and they are huge fans.

Frozen Organic Brown Rice

It's much cheaper than the Whole Foods version. It's organic (there's also a non-organic version that's a tiny bit cheaper, but come on...). It's fast, easy, and tasty, and I always have a box in my freezer. (I cannot say the same for the organic frozen jasmine rice - it doesn't taste like jasmine rice at all. It tastes like very mediocre white rice.)

Barbara's Peanut Butter Puffins

These aren't TJ's brand, but they sell them at mine, and they are most definitely cheaper there than any other grocery store in the city. I used to be a cereal-a-holic. You know, the kind who eats multiple bowls a day, and not the one serving bullshit kind of bowl (I mean, 3/4 cup is NOT a serving), but like the really big bowl with lots of milk kind. Because of these tendencies, I tend to not buy it. But I bought a box the other day and have really been enjoying it as a light breakfast or snack. The puffins are individually sized so perfectly that I only need one for a good bite, and that's how I eat. One puffin in a spoonful of milk per bite. Delicious.

Other things I buy regularly that are way cheaper than they are at Whole Foods:

fruits and veggies (I hate how TJ's packages some of their produce b/c the packaging is so wasteful and excessive, BUT, I like how cheap the organic options are)
organic peanut butter
organic raw honey (comes in a jar and is as raw as it gets)
maple syrup
organic olive oil
salt, pepper and spices (limited selection, but CHEAP)
Almond Breeze
greek yogurt w/ honey (my store carries the TJ brand and Fage - the TJ brand is way cheaper and just as good!)
frozen veggies of every variety
frozen fruit (for smooooothies)
nuts & dried fruit (actually I don't buy these much b/c I don't eat them that often, but this is a great place to get them - huge selection, well-priced)
ground flax (they have a version with dried blueberries - it's delicious)
pita bread, sliced bread, pizza dough (the dough is fresh, comes in a big mound, and is 99 CENTS, y'all...)
pasta sauce (my sister and roomie adore the Organic Vodka Sauce)
fresh ravioli (found in the refrigerated section - I like the portobello mushroom one, but am eager to try the others)

I'm sure there are plenty more things I could add, but I think that will suffice for now. Seriously, I do 99% of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and then go to Whole Foods to supplement. My grocery bills have literally been cut in half since my TJ's opened. Me and TJ? We are in the middle of a mah-jor love affair, and I hope it never ends...

Week in Review & Best Celeb Sighting Ever

2011-01-07T16:27:00.000-06:00

WOWZA what a week!! It went by pretty quickly, I will say that, but goodness, it was exhausting. I'm THRILLED it's Friday and have a brief moment to let y'all know how my week went!

Training. Um... fail. My first week in 2011, and it was a huge massive fail, and yes, I'm upset about it. Basically, my yoga plans for Tuesday fell through when I realized that I forgot ALL my important yoga gear (way too sleepy that morning), my run on Wednesday morning was cut short b/c I woke up too late so I only got in 3 miles instead of 4.5, and I failed to cross-train on Thursday morning b/c I was EXHAUSTED when my alarm went off at 6:30 AM. Thursday night I had dinner plans (hence the early morning workout plan) at Locanda Verde, and some of y'all know that I had a verrry exciting celebrity sighting!!

Yup, Meryl Streep just chilling at the next table. EEK!!! Best. Celebrity. Sighting. EVER.

Anyway, despite my awful week of not following my most important January goal, I am moving onward and upward. Today after work I am doing my 4.5 mile run, Saturday I'm dong some verybadlyneeded hot yoga, and Sunday I'm doing 8 miles (......).

Nanowrimo. I'm not sure what to say about this except that I'm doing it (along with three friends!), and I have written NOTHING. We technically started on January 4... yeah. I am behind. We are having a writing party at the B&N in Tribeca this Sunday, and I am STOKED!

I have a tres busy weekend ahead, and I am very much looking forward to the 3-day weekend ahead. (MLK day is already a scheduled bed day for moi!) I hope you, dear friends, have a fabulous weekend. See you Monday!!

GOALS: January

2011-01-04T09:00:00.003-06:00

JANUARY GOALS

Follow half-marathon training to the T
Lose 5 lbs
Track every bite
Say "no" and don't feel bad about it
Return to morning pages (probably via 750words.com)

January is the best month for creating new goals - it's a fresh start.

What do you hope to accomplish?

{image from here}

7 Miles (and Balthezar)

2011-01-03T08:00:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I was... worthless. New Year's Eve was a complete and total blast, and I couldn't have imagined a better way to ring in 2011! Here's a pic of me and my roomie from the night (please ignore my frizztastic hair):

I am OBSESSED with her. She's, like, my fave.

Today I was supposed to wake up at 8 am so I could pound out 7 miles before meeting friends for brunch at Balthezar. That didn't happen. Want to know why? This is why. Oh well - glad I wasn't the only one!

So instead of waking up at 8, I woke up at 10:30, flipped out, and quickly got dressed and out the door. Brunch was heavenly, full of good friends, lots of NYE gossip (we all attended the same par-tay) and LOTS of good food. Balthezar has some of the best fries I've ever tasted, complete with mayo. I'm not a big mayo fan, but ohmemgee that stuff is GOOD. Afterwards I collapsed into a food coma heap onto my roomie's bed, and we watched Friends/dozed in and out of sleep (okay, maybe just me on the sleep bit) for the next couple of hours. Finally, I pulled myself together enough to get to the gym.

I went reallllllllly slow until the last mile when I picked up the pace. I think it really helped me get through it without wanting to die. 7 miles was surprisingly easy to do on a treadmill - I think my badass Glee mix helped. :D Also? I think the calorie calc was way off, but I'd like to think I burned that many calories, especially considering what I've been eating/drinking for the last few days...

And now it's time for bed. The Holidays are officially over, and from what I hear, January and February are the worst months to be in NYC. Nonetheless, I am EXCITED about what 2011 has to offer and hope y'all feel the same way! Gros bisous.

Resolutions!

2010-12-31T08:30:00.007-06:00

{image credit: weheartit}

2010 was magical. Truly. And because I love so much how Nina summed up her year, I'm going to do the same.

In 2010, I...

went vegan for 21 days (and then some)
visited DC, New York, Cali
made the decision to quit my job, sell my stuff, and move to NYC (here's why)
said goodbye to my sweet, sweet pup Lola
blogged about my first 30 days in my new city
turned 27
road-tripped to Chatham, MA - my first real "East Coast" beach vacay
scored my first non-attorney job (still lovin' it!)
rediscovered my love for an active social life
fell back in love with running and signed up to run the Austin Half
accepted and celebrated my happiness

It's been... a good year. A very good year indeed. Moving to NYC has been, without a doubt, one of the best decisions of my life. I am so thankful to God, my family, and my friends (that means YOU!) for the outpouring of love and support throughout my transition. I am STOKED for what 2011 has to offer!! And with that, I leave you with my New Year's Resolutions...

My word for 2011: FAITH

It didn't take me long to decide on my word for 2011 - faith. The latter part of 2010 required a great deal of faith on my part, and I definitely struggled with it. It's something I've always struggled with actually. I'm not talking about faith strictly in the religious sense (although that is definitely part of it). I'm talking about faith in myself and my decisions, too. I'm talking about trust. Trusting moi and in the bigger plan. So let's talk about faith!

Create monthly goals and blog about them - I used to be really good about this, but completely fell off the wagon. I find that creating, thinking and discussing monthly goals increase the likelihood of my actually achieving them. (Plus it makes my NYR list a heck of a lot shorter.) Stay tuned for January's - it's a good one!

Create a budget (done!) and stick to it - I've already created my monthly budget in a fun, pink Excel spreadsheet. Now I need to stick to it which means recording every single transaction and keeping myself accountable (even when I go overboard).

Read the Bible - I bought an awesome woman's devotional Bible a couple months ago and spent some quality time with it. It helped me tremendously when I was going through a very dark period full of fear, uncertainty and loads of tears (namely when I was afraid I would never find a job and made the wrong decision to leave my cushy life in Austin). Since I've started working, however, it has been sorely neglected. I want to spend time with it, reading it like I would a good book (isn't that what it is, after all?). I used to know the Bible SO well (aka when I was in grade school and went to Sunday school on a regular basis), and it's appalling how much I've forgotten. My faith is important to me, despite the fact that I don't discuss it much on here, and just as I said last year, I want more spirituality in my life and to grow my relationship with God, and I think this is a great first step.

I'm ringing in the new year with all my NYC besties at my friend Will's apartment. I'm thrilled that he's having a party b/c he lives about 7 minutes away from me (walking!), which means I don't have to deal with finding a cab on arguably the first night of the year to find a cab. I haven't decided what I'm wearing, but I anticipate it will be short, sassy and sparkly! (I also plan on having huge TX hair and fuchsia lips - tee hee)

What are your NYE plans? STAY SAFE AND BE MERRY! See you in 2011. :D

Thoughts on Training

2010-12-30T08:00:00.003-06:00

I feel a bit silly writing this post because my running pales in comparison to some I've seen on other blogs (like crazy but adorable Janae who ran TWENTY-EIGHT MILES the other day... just because). That being said, this is all new to me, and I've gotten such wonderful feedback from all of you that I want to keep blogging about my training, and that's what this post is all about! It's only fitting that I write this right before the new year because the first New Year's Resolution that popped into my head was to stick to my training. Because lemme tell ya, I haven't been...

THE PLAN. The calendar below details my training plan for January. December and the last bit of November looked the same, just with lower mileage. But you see all those days marked "Yoga/Pilates" and "cross training" and "strength training"? Yeah. There are big F's over those days because F stands for FAIL, my friends. But that will not be the case for 2011!! I am going to do it ALL like a good little Half-Marathon runner, and you guys are going to help me stay accountable!

Sticking to the above will be a challenge, to say the least. It has me essentially working out 6 out of 7 days a week, and lemme tell ya the last time I've done that... NEVER. That is a whole lotta working out, and I know that there are tons of you who do this on a regular basis, and I applaud you for that, but I am so not one of you. Well, I used to be not one of you, but that's all going to change next week!! I am DETERMINED, y'all! I want to get FIT and HEALTHY and TRAIN LIKE A ROCKSTAR!!! Okay, maybe a little too much caffeine today.

THE SACRIFICE. There are going to be some things I have to give up if I'm going to be said rockstar. The hardest thing for me will definitely be social activities, particularly those that revolve around drinking and very late nights. Both don't bode well for early long runs on the weekends, and even dinner/drinks/movie plans during the week mess up my training schedule. Because I don't want to be a total, miserable recluse, I've decided that the best plan for me is to have a plan. If I have a dinner date, then that means I have to do my workout in the morning (which I know I CAN do), and if I want to go out on the weekends, then I have to limit it to one night (aka not the night before my long run) OR I can go out and not drink (which, let's be honest, is not much fun). Oh Lord, I can hear my friends sighing and groaning now!

THE EATS (aka the other sacrifice). I'm gonna be honest... I haven't been eatin' so well. Now, I could blame the Holidays or the fact that running burns a lot of calories ("I have to refuel!!"), but the reality is that I just love food. Lots of it. I'm an equal opportunity eater, too. I love brussel sprouts as much as I love french fries (well... almost as much), but I do love french fries. I mentioned awhile back that I joined Weight Watchers, and yes, I am still a member. Unfortunately, work has caused me to miss more than several meetings over the past couple of months, and not going means not thinking about it which means not tracking which means not losing. My goal for the holidays was to just not gain anything, which I think I've successfully done. But now, I have a new goal: to lose 10 lbs by February 20 (aka this day). Pretty ambitious, but I think fully possible as long as I stick to the Program. Thank G I have an awesome support group! (TUESDAY HAPPY HOUR GALS, I'M TALKIN' ABOUT YOU!!!) So french fries are OK, just not everyday and okay, maybe not always dipped in full-fat ranch (mmmm ranch). ;) Oh and I should probably lay off of these as well (thank G they are seasonal)...

(Candy Cane Joe Joe's from Trader Joe's aka a better peppermint oreo aka CRACK)

THE LIFE. Confession: I love being a runner. I love that I ran 4.5 miles tonight like it was nothing, when a few months ago I could barely run a mile without stopping to walk. I love the gadgets (like my big ole ugly Garmin) and the excuse to buy Lululemon clothes (don't read this, Mom!!). Heck, I even love wearing my dorky compression socks complete with ice pack pockets!

Along with that love, however, comes fear. I'm afraid that I won't be able to do it. I'm afraid I'll fail.... again. Last weekend, my 6-mile long run in California was beyond painful, and I couldn't help but wonder how the hell I was going to run 13.1 miles if I could barely run 6. But that kind of thinking gets you nowhere so I pushed it out of my mind as best I could. I. Can. Do. This.

THE FUTURE. From this point on, I'm going to be smart. I'm going to take care of my body - train it properly, fuel it properly and thank it for doing what it's doing. I know why my last 6-miler was so painful - it's because I'm trying to do too much too fast. Every book, magazine article and runner will tell you not to increase distance and speed simultaneously. But guess what I'm doing? Uh huh... Honestly, I blame all those darn healthy living/running bloggers that run sub-8 min miles all the time! I need to use these blogs as motivation, not as a measuring stick. I need to SLOW DOWN and just focus on finishing. Remind me of that, will you??

Ok, here I go, time to be a rockstar!!!

Snowmageddon & What's to Come!

2010-12-29T08:30:00.005-06:00

BONJOUR, MES AMIES!!

That's me and my new little man Koster. He stayed at Ma Soeur's house w/ Lola and Sofie (Ma Soeur's dog) while his parents were away for the holidays. He and I quickly bonded, and since Lola wouldn't give me the time of day, I made sure Koster spent a lot of time in my lap. :D Isn't he precious??

After 12+ hours of traveling, I am *finally* back in the City, and oh my, it's a sight to see! Literally walls of snow on the sidewalks and lots of gross black slushiness. I stepped into a massive snow puddle today and almost fell! Thank goodness I was wearing rainboots. They are a necessity in this city FO SHO. Check out the pic of my street below!

Anyway, I'm back to work tomorrow, but it's a tres short week since I have NYE off - hurray! My Roomie Annika and I were supposed to be the only ones home this week (the other 2 gals aren't returning until after the new year) so we had wild plans of Criminal Minds-watching and ultimate laziness. Sadly her flight was cancelled, and she won't be back in the city until Friday night - BOO. Once upon a time I would have relished the idea of having the entire apartment to myself for 4 days, but instead, I'm feelin' a little lonely! Funny how things can change so quickly, eh?

I should probably go to bed since redeye = crappy 5 hours of sleep, but I've got some new stickers to play with so the chances are lookin' slim. Wanted to let you know that I am planning to post my New Year's Resolutions this week, some of which have to do with this blog (which, I know, has been terribly neglected). I've got some big decisions to make, but when I do, I'll be sure to share them!

Have a WONDERFUL week, my loves!!

4 Miles: California-Style

2010-12-24T13:33:00.000-06:00

Just got back from doing 4 miles in Ma Soeur's neighborhood. It's beautiful, sunny and a downright balmy 50 something degrees outside. I got so hot during my first 2 miles that I had to strip down to shorts and a tank for my last 2. Admittedly it wasn't my best run, and I am D-Y-I-N-G to plug in my Garmin to check out my stats, but alas, I didn't bring my laptop or cord w/ me. Ma Soeur's neighborhood is small, and so I had to get a bit creative to figure out to accomplish my 4 miles without looping the same loop about 15 times. I used mapmyrun.com and found a good, albeit confusing 2-mile loop, which would allow me to stop for water. Unfortunately, despite my studying the map for a good 10 minutes, I still got confused and spent the first 2 miles frantically going back and forth, trying to find my way. Needless to say, by the time I got back to the house for a water break, I was annoyed, hot and tired. For the last 2 miles, I decided to stick to a safe route. I was pretty tired, and it didn't go quite as seamlessly as a 4-miler should at this point, but whatever, I finished. I'm now inhaling hot cocoa and a breakfast pita and then will get ready to meet the gorgeous CRYSTAL for a coffee date in Santana Row. Then, I will feast on a burger and french fries. :D

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!

Morning & Merry Christmas

2010-12-22T08:00:00.001-06:00

{image from: we heart it}

Hey, guess what? I haven't caught up on life yet. And because yet another emergency arose at work this week, and because I'm flying out Wednesday night for California, I knew I'd have a difficult time fitting in my 4-mile run. So I did something crazy. I told Roomie Trois that I'd maybe possibly be willing to go to the gym with her in the morning... as in before work.

Let's back up a second - I am not (wow am I obsessed with italics or what??) a morning workout person. All those people who say they get more energy if they work out in the morning? Yeah, I call them all liars b/c that's never been the case for me. So I knew I must've been smokin' something to even suggest the possibility of waking up before 6 am to run. But once you tell Roomie Trois something like that, she won't forget it, and sure enough, when my alarm went off at 5:45 AM this morning, I got out of bed (albeit begrudgingly), and we headed out into the very dark, very cold early morning. Destination: New York Health & Racquet Club.

Well... I might be a little more of a morning workout person now. Don't get me wrong - I still hate it - but there are many perks to running in the morning, including but not limited to:

Less people (Caveat: There are less people than there are at 6 PM. However, this is NYC, home of the Type-A crazies. So it was still pretty busy.)
Higher likelihood of my fave treadmill being available (There are 2 treadmills, yes only 2, on which I will run. Typically they are both taken, and I have to wait.)
No side stitches (I consistently get side stitches on my right side when I run. It's friggin' annoying as hell, and I've tried just about everything to get rid of them. But this morning when I ran, I had ZERO pain which was AWESOME!! I think the fact that I had nothing in my stomach helped.)
Better bod? (See this NYT article)
Smug feeling of satisfaction that lasts allll day and makes your coworkers want to shoot you after you've exclaimed for the tenth time that you went to the gym at 6 AM!!

So... yeah, not sure why I had to make a bulleted list of all that OR even why I'm devoting an entire blog post to something that may never happen again (don't tell Roomie Trois), but there ya go.

OK, I've got one night to pack for my 5 night/6 day Christmas in California Trip (to see LOOOOOLAAAAA!!), and since I'm the world's worst packer, I should probably begin. I'm super duper excited for my first Christmas in Cali, and my itinerary already includes a 90-minute deep tissue massage (SWOON), lots of running, yoga, pumpkin pie-eating and catching up with one of my fave blog friends. I know I've been MIA lately, but I hope y'all know how much I love you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MES CHERIES!!

RUN: 6 Miles (and Potential Catastrophe)

2010-12-19T11:27:00.000-06:00

I was a bad runner this week. In fact, the ONLY training I did this past week was to run 4 miles on the dreadmill on Monday. Aside from that, you wanna know what I did? I ate heavy, decadent food, TONS of Christmas sweets, and drank a lot of wine (and LOADS of champagne at Firm Holiday Party). It's amazing that I even decided to do my long run this weekend, but I knew that if I didn't, I probably would never run again (yeah - I have that weird kind of mentality). So after checking our the forecast and determining that Saturday would be a better day to tackle 6 miles than Sunday, I had a plan. Wake up, eat bagel, allow bagel to digest, and head to Central Park. Instead, I woke up late, ate a bagel and then some, and laid in Roomie's bed for a long time before finally deciding that I needed to GO.

I fully anticipated a very painful run, and on a scale from 1 to 10, it was around a 7. Because I had to do 6 miles, that meant I had to essentially run the perimeter of the Park, which also meant I had to tackle the so-called "Harlem Hills" (aka the bit of the Park above 102nd St.). They were straight up miserable. They are so twisty and turny and SO annoying uphill for so long that you honestly think the hill will never end. Suffice to say, I stopped to walk. A LOT. And then around mile 4, I realized that my iPHONE WAS MISSING. Stupidly, I moved my iPhone from its secure zippered pocket to my very unsecure front pocket, and sure enough, it fell out, and I didn't notice b/c Girl Talk was blasting in my ears, and I was cursing the hills. Once I realized it was gone, I immediately turned back around and ran, stopping every single runner/cyclist/rollerblader/walker whether they had seen a phone. "Nope." I was starting to get all kinds of panicky and downright tearful. I have a bad history of losing phones and to replace my new iPhone would be downright painful (especially sans a lawyer's salary). I had just about given up hope on finding my phone (and the run AND life altogether) when I stopped a tiny Asian woman. "Excuse me, have you seen a phone?" "Oh yes - right there!" She pointed to the sidewalk and there was my phone. THANK SWEET JESUS!!! My case is a little (okay, a lot) banged up, but my phone was A-OK! I was SOOOOOOOO RELIEVED and literally thanked God about a million times.

I found my phone around mile 4.5 and then proceeded to turn back around and continue my run (note: this meant tackling a hill I had already tackled - grr). Around mile 5, I stopped and bought a Gatorade and then proceeded to stop frequently to sip said Gatorade so I wouldn't have to hold it (thankfully, I had gloves on this time). Eventually I hit 6 miles and thanked God once again for helping me find my phone and finish my run. It was at this point that I realized just how painful it was to walk. Slowly but surely I found my way back to the subway and made it home. Walking up my 2.5 flights of stairs? Tres painful. I iced, donned my super hot compression socks, showered, made a huge bowl of food, and then proceeded to lay in Roomie's bed (again) for the next several hours. (My room was too messy.) All in all, not a bad run considering. Voila my stats:

Total Distance: 6 miles
Total Time: 59:03

Mile 1: 9:24 (Had no idea I was going so fast - normally, my first mile is super slow.)

Mile 2: 9:47

Mile 3: 9:32

Mile 4: 10:29 (When I realized I lost my phone...)

Mile 5: 10:24 (Stopped for Gatorade and lots of Gatorade-drinking)

Mile 6: 9:25 (At this point, I just wanted to be DONE so I made it a point to hustle!)

I could've sworn my time would've been more than 60 minutes, but somehow I managed to be a speedy demon (well... for me, anyway) for 4 out of 6 miles and managed to finish under a 10 min/mile pace - AWESOME! Honestly, I could care less about my speed - I'm more interested in finishing. But the fact that my runs have become speedier has definitely been fun.

No pre-run picture b/c I looked downright uggo. Also, the week of excessive eating and drinking left me bloated and quite... round. I'm going to get all kinds of serious about my training in January. That means weekly runs, long runs, cross-training, strength training, AND yoga and pilates. Will write more about that later! Hope you had a FABULOUS weekend, my darlings! I'm off to a fun Art Show and to see Black Swan!

Catching Up

2010-12-14T08:30:00.005-06:00

Hello, my name is Carolyn, and I am behind on life. Nonetheless, I am here to give you a quick recap of my petite life lately, namely my fantabulous weekend with my bestie from Austin.

Saturday morning was the Jingle Jog 4-Miler in Prospect Park, and I know beaucoup of my twitter friends ran it, too! Unfortunately I didn't get to see most of them as it was quite crowded. Voila moi and Jenny before the race (I look exhausted b/c I got 3 hours of sleep the night before...):

I also look stupid b/c I'm wearing a fleece headwrap/earwarmer... not cute. But a necessity when it's cold outside! I was super nervous about the race for several reasons:

1. This was my first race in 5 years.
2. I heard that Prospect Park was HILL-y. (It is, but it's nothing compared to the Harlem hills in Central Park!)
3. Jenny has run 2 Half's and is a fast (and ridiculously in shape) runner.
4. I never run that early in the morning.
5. I had nothing in my stomach except coffee and water b/c one of my roomies accidentally threw away my pre-race banana. :(

But the race went off without a hitch! It was a gorgeous, sunny morning, and Christmas cheer was definitely in the air. The first mile was extremely slow, as it was extremely crowded, but Jenny and I took off after that. Here's a breakdown mile by mile:

Mile 1: 11:09 (so crowded - spent most of the time weaving)
Mile 2: 9:51 (picked up the pace! still tres crowded)
Mile 3: 9:06 (no idea what happened here but we were speed demons! at one point i looked down at my Garmin, and I was running at an 8 something min/mile pace - UNHEARD OF!!)
Mile 4: 9:36 (went way too fast in the last mile and started feeling it in the last 3/4 mile. also, there was a giant hill at the very end which was nothing short of cruel. still, i ran much faster than usual!)

The feeling of pride, satisfaction and relief that you get once you cross the finish line is like none other (as long as you ignore the thrown up hard-boiled egg at the finish line). And this was just a 4-miler! I can't WAIT for the Austin Marathon. :D Afterwards we sipped on hot cocoa and then made our way to Stone Park Cafe, a darling and absurdly delicious brunch spot in Park Slope. Buttermilk pancakes, quiche, cheese grits, and lots of coffee were subsequently consumed. YUM.

After brunch we headed home, showered, and spent the next several hours in bed, watching Eclipse, and falling in and out of sleep. It was awesome. The rest of the weekend was a blur of decadent meal after meal, a little shopping, a little ballet, and a little of me falling down the stairs... yeah. Thankfully I'm okay and didn't twist anything, but I have got to be careful. Last time I trained for a Half, I fell down some stairs and twisted my ankle. No bueno.

Anyway, I've gotta run (literally - I have 4 miles to conquer on the dreadmill!), but just want to wish you guys HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I can't believe that in just over a week, I'll be in California celebrating Christmas with my Lolabear!!

Truth

2010-12-06T07:06:00.000-06:00

{photo from we heart it}

I am, if nothing else, honest, particularly when it comes to this blog. As I began reflecting over 2010 and thinking about how/what I'd do to sum up the last year on Hang On Little Tomato, I started thinking about why I blog at all. My blog, as I'm sure you've gathered, is extremely personal in nature. I've never been afraid of being brutally honest about my life because guess what? I'm not here to sugarcoat anything.

Last week I was catching up w/ an old friend on gchat, and she said something along the lines of "Your life sounds fabulous." I laughed to myself, knowing that she was basing this statement on my tweets and occasional facebook updates. Is my life fabulous? Sure, sometimes, but I'm sure it sounds a lot more fabulous via Twitter/FB than it actually is. Isn't that how it always goes? Actually, one of the things I hate most about Facebook is that it's become a competition of "whose life sounds better?" It's insanely annoying, and at times, depressing, especially when you feel like your life isn't going so well. I know, I've been there. Many a time.

So no, my life is not nearly as fabulous as it may sound, but it is pretty sweet these days. For the past few weeks I've found it difficult to walk around and not smile. How did I get here? One year ago today, I had no idea that I'd be living in New York. I had no idea that I would no longer be practicing law. I had no idea that everything could change in such a short period of time. And all for the better. I am so so SO thankful. I am so blessed. I have been so ridiculously lucky. I thank God about a million times a day. I am grateful and want to share some of that gratitude with you.

New York City... is my home now. That continues to blow my mind every time I step foot outside of my apartment. Despite all the annoying things about living here, this city has welcomed me with open arms. I've adjusted alarmingly well (and much to my surprise), and I kind of can't imagine being anywhere else right now. I love it. I love it so much.

My social life... is completely different from where it was a year ago. I think part of it is living in the city (it's almost impossible not to be super social here), but a lot of it has to do with the fact that for the first time in a couple of years, I want to be social. Don't get me wrong - I still crave my alone time and solitude - I just don't need as much right now. People warned me of how lonely NYC can feel, no matter how many friends you have. But I haven't felt lonely at all. I have a WONDERFUL support system here, and that, my friends, is priceless.

My roomies... rock my world. I never, EVER thought I'd enjoy living with roommates as much as I have. Granted, it hasn't always been easy (remember all the complaining I did early on??). But these days, we've fallen into a wonderful and regular rhythm of living together and enjoying it. Take this past weekend, for example. Friday night Roomie Une and I were both exhausted and decided to have a chill night in. We ordered pizza, shopped at a blissfully empty Trader Joe's, and then went to Borders at midnight to purchase Eclipse. We then proceeded to make coffee, eat Candy Cane Joe Joe's (AMAZING!!), and stay up watching the movie. It was one of the best Friday nights ever! Saturday, Roomie Une, Roomie Trois and I got bundled up and headed to Friend of a Farmer for brunch. We ordered beaucoup du cafe, pumpkin pancakes, and a ginormous breakfast burrito and chatted about everything. We then hit up the Fifth Avenue shops for... well, a lot of shopping we probably didn't need to do. ;) Today, Roomie Trois got engaged, and I couldn't be happier for her (although I'll be tres sad when she moves out next year).

My job... rocks my face off. No, seriously, I never thought I could enjoy going to work as much as I do. Even when we had our major emergency, and I had to work on the weekend and stay late on Friday nights, I still loved it. And it has 99% to do with the fact that I adore the people I work with. They are smart, hard-working, kind and FUN individuals, and I feel like I have a whole new family.

My apartment... is a third floor walk-up in the heart of Chelsea, and it has a WASHING MACHIEN. It's mere minutes from a great movie theater, Trader Joe's, my gym, and about a bizillion restaurants. And my room, while small, has a decent sized closet and is pleasantly pink. :)

My running... would not have taken off again had I not been here, surrounded by inspiring runners and a gorgeous park.

My life... is wonderful. It's not always great. My days have their ups and downs. I still get pissed off, I still cry, I still wish that certain things could be different. But overall? I'm the happiest I've been in a very, very long time. Merci, 2010. You've been a good year.

5 Miles... Again

2010-12-05T14:09:00.000-06:00

WONDERFUL long run in Central Park. Definitely less "I want to die" than last week's 5-miler, which is funny considering I ran under a 10 min mile for most of it. Also, it was mad chilly!!! 34 degrees yo. I busted out the running tights and looked like a walking Lululemon ad...

Also, you can't tell from the pic, but my socks were purple and also Lululemon. Yup... I'm ridic.

Was I warm? Yes, while I was running, I felt great. At times I even unzipped a little because my neck was getting too hot. But afterwards my fingers were completely frozen (the Gatorade I held during the last mile decidedly did not help). I am definitely getting my hands on some running gloves before my next run. 34 degrees is COLD, y'all. Anyway, here are my stats!

Distance: 5.08 miles
Avg Pace: 9:55/mi

Mile 1 - 9:53/mi
Mile 2 - 10:17/ mil (HELLO, HILLS!!)
Mile 3 - 9:41/mi
Mile 4 - 9:48/mi
Mile 5 - 9:59/mi

Calories Burned: 631 (which I then consumed in the form of a salted caramel hot chocolate)
Ascent: 807 ft
Descent: 893 ft

Not sure why I ran so much faster than normal, but whatevs! I feel GOOD. Currently icing my shins (those hills are brutal) then taking a very hot shower. Tonight is Harry Potter!!

Have a WONDERFUL Sunday, mes amies!!

Bad Run

2010-12-01T20:37:00.000-06:00

Tonight I had one of those runs. You know, the kind where after you've barely finished, you're asking yourself how the HELL you're going to run 13.1 miles when you can barely run 3.5? Yeah. I don't know what was going on, but my body was not having it. My chest felt like it was going to explode, I got a sharp pain under my bust (on the right side, bien sur), and my legs felt like lead. I had to stop multiple times to "drink water" and every minute felt like an hour. Miserable. I know this happens, I know that every run can't be a good run, but what the heck?? How can I run 5 miles no problem on Sunday (with HILLS no less) and barely squeak out 3.5 tonight? Depressing.

Give Thanks!

2010-11-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

My Thanksgiving looked a little something like this:

{photo from www.korean-arts.com]

No, really, it did! Maybe on a slightly smaller scale, but I kid you not when I say my Mom makes several dishes for every meal, even if it's just for my Dad. She's a rockstar! And I ate TONS of her delicious food during my short visit to Texas. Oh Texas... I sort of miss thee. I missed Super Target and Chick-Fil-A, but really, I think my heart belongs in NYC. Shh don't tell!!

I DID, however, miss Momma Park immensely. It had been SIX WHOLE MONTHS since I'd seen her! So, naturally, we spent every waking (and sleeping) moment of my 3-night stay together. Highlights included:

eating a LOT (korean stews, grits, biscuits, bacon, persimmons, beer, candy, coffee)
going for a run together - I ran, and my Mom walked with water bottles so I could loop back around and take a swig when I got thirsty - genius!
inhaling Chick-Fil-A post-run - it was just as delicious as I remember
SHOPPING!!! Mom bought me a new suit (3 sizes smaller than my old one - hurray!), 2 blazers, and a darling skirt. All for work, of course. :)
TARGET! The clothes were tres disappointing, but I scored some Hello Kitty slippers and some majorly cute Christmas stickers. (I snuck them into the cart and at checkout, my Mom gave me the "Do you KNOW how many stickers you have at home???" look. But she didn't take them out. :D
Plane rides to and from w/ my dear friend David. Despite my ridiculosity and general high-maintenance when it comes to flying, we had a good time. And saw Lance Bass and Harry Connick, Jr.!

All in all, I had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! How was yours??

RUN: 5 Mile Long Run

2010-11-29T09:00:00.000-06:00

Central Park. 45 degrees. Sunny.

My stats:

Total Mileage: 5.02 miles
Avg Pace/Speed: 10:05/mi, 5.9 mph
Max Speed: 8.5 mph
Ascent: 844 ft (apparently this figure isn't terribly accurate on the Garmin, but either way, these hills were mad hard, dude)
Descent: 901 ft (sure felt like less than that...)

This run was surprisingly good, although my pace was all over the place. My average pace was below my norm because after I stopped for a Gatorade at the end of mile 3, I ended up stopping a lot to drink it and finish it so I didn't have to carry it around (SO annoying). I didn't have a great feeling going into the run (tired, cranky belly), and despite my inner voice screaming at me to wear tights, I wore shorts as suggested by Runner's World for today's temps and subsequently froze. But I made it! Afterwards, I made my way to the Starbucks at Columbus Circle for a tall extra hot 2-pump peppermint mocha (normally 3 pumps) to warm my hands (and soul). Delish.

RUN: Adventures in Central Park

2010-11-22T08:30:00.000-06:00

or...

Why I Hate MTA on the Weekends

or...

Why I Fear Public Transportation

or...

How I Went to Central Park to Jog 4 miles and Got Lost

Okay enough of that. Ready for my silly little story? As planned, I woke up Saturday morning ready to tackle 4 miles in Central Park. I was NERVOUS and EXCITED (yes, I tend to overreact over petite things - makes life more interesting?). I got up early and got a bagel from Brooklyn Bagel (ironically not in Brooklyn, but in Chelsea) since I knew I'd need some energy and heard that white carbs were better to eat pre-run since they break down so easily. I woke up extra early to eat since I have a tendency to not run well post-eating. Anyway, suffice to say, I was READY, y'all. Then I debated about what to wear. The forecast called for sunny skies and temps in the lower 50's. After much debate, I settled on running shorts and long-sleeve cotton tee. I get SUPER heated when I run so I figured that I'd be fine despite the chilly temp. Boy, was I wrong! But more on that later. First, the commute...

I headed down to the 23rd street stop to hop on the C line and take it all the way up to 72nd street and Central Park West. When I got down there, I saw that an A train was approaching. Okay... A train is an express train and therefore doesn't normally stop at 23rd street, but then I heard on the loudspeaker that A trains were making all local stops. Sweet! I hopped on and grabbed a seat. Everything was great until we got to the Columbus Circle stop. My stop was next - yay! But the train wasn't slowing down. In fact, it was speeding up. And there went 72nd st... then 81st st... then 96th st... then 103 st... then 110th, then 116th, then FINALLY, we stopped at 125th. Um, seriously? SERIOUSLY? This is why I hate taking the subway on the weekends. So I got out and waited for entirely too long (another thing I hate about weekend subways) for a C train to arrive. Hopped on the C and got out at 72nd. FINALLY.

Of course, at this point, I really had to pee. But there were no restrooms to be found, and I really wanted to get this party started. Oh, I was also freezing. I turned on my Garmin and waited for it to find satellites... well it proceeded to find satellites for the next 5 min to no avail. Argh! I couldn't wait any longer so I pressed START to start the timer and started running. About 5 minutes later, my navigation finally kicked in, but at that point, it was totally off in regard to mileage and pace since I made the mistake of starting the timer before the GPS. Dummy.

I planned to do the 4-mile loop aka the route marked with red dashes in the map above (except for the last bit on the right side). According to everyone, the loop is easy to follow, and it is very obvious as to where/when you need to turn. But stupid me... stupid me was not paying attention. I saw the 102nd street transverse, I know I did. It wasn't terribly obvious and I don't think it was marked as 102nd St, but I remember passing it thinking, "WHOA that's a big hill - good thing I don't need to turn there!" Uh huh... stupid. Because I proceeded to then run up to the very top of the park where there are even bigger hills - hurray! And because I couldn't remember that I was supposed to turn and not run up to the very top of the Park, I was completely unaware. Also? As you can see by the white upper loop in the pic above, it's super twisty turny up there, so I couldn't figure out which way I was going. I just assumed I would hit 4 miles and find myself exactly where I started. Nope...

Instead, I ran and ran and then realized that 40 minutes had passed. I typically run around 10 min miles when I do my long/easy runs at the gym so I figured I should be somewhere near ending my loop. But it was nowhere to be seen. In fact, nothing looked remotely familiar. I decided to run for a little longer in case my pace had just significantly slowed, but finally, around 43 minutes, I decided I was in need of some Gatorade and a friggin' map. So I stopped, walked up to a vendor and bought a Gatorade and asked him where I was. 84th street. EIGHTY-FOURTH STREET. WTH? I'm supposed to be back on the WEST SIDE of the Park at SEVENTY-SECOND, not on the EAST SIDE at 84th! I was tres confused. And FREEZING.

At this point, I was completely frozen, exhausted, and confused. I wanted to hail a cab and call it a day, but I knew there was no reason whatsoever to take a cab, so I crossed back to the west side and made my way to the 72nd street stop. Luckily, a C train was approaching right when I got there - my first bit of good luck all day - yay!

Once I got home, plugged in my Garmin and looked at a map, I realized where I went wrong. I was on the 6-mile loop, not the 4-miler, and my mileage/pace was all out of whack b/c the GPS didn't kick for several minutes. Whatevs. I inhaled some food and took a very, very hot shower.

As for the run itself, well it was fantastic. Seriously, the Park was GORGEOUS, fall foliage everywhere, and people-watching was so fun! Runners, bikers, families, couples, friends - everyone was enjoying the Park - it was lovely. And the 4 miles flew by, even with the hills and completely lack of knowledge as to where the hell I was. I was in love. Oh, and yes, I was completely and totally freezing the entire run. It was windy, and I was in a cotton tee which meant that whatever little I did sweat did nothing but make my shirt very cold and wet, which made for a tres uncomfortable subway ride home.

So I did what any normal girl would do. I got home, ate, showered, got dressed and then headed straight to Lululemon where I invested in some running tights and a jacket. :D

In other news, according to my Garmin (which I'm going to name btw... any suggestions?), these are my stats:

Distance: 3.47 miles (LIE)
Avg Pace: 12:53/mile or 4.7 mph (LIE)
Max Speed: 9.7 mph (seriously?? that's awesome!)
Calories Burned: 450 cals (LIE... was definitely more which is AWESOME!)
Ascent: 804 feet (um, is that a lot? b/c it sure does sound like a lot)
Descent: 826 feet

Needless to say, j'adore my Garmin. I just wish it wouldn't take so darn long to find satellites!!!

1, 2, 3...

2010-11-18T07:15:00.000-06:00

(as in Britney...) Last night at work, I repeatedly told myself that no matter how late I got out, I would go to the gym and run. I even called my gym to see what time they close to make sure that I could get there AND had dinner so I couldn't complain of being hungry and therefore not going. Luckily, I got out relatively early (at least for this week - 7:30), raced out home, changed, and excitedly headed out. I was so unbelievably excited for a chance to run that I almost forgot to feel fear that because I hadn't run in an entire WEEK, it wouldn't go so well. I hopped on my favorite treadmill and I swear, the first 1.5 miles felt like I was floating. It felt so good, so easy, so normal. Of course, after that, I felt a side stitch flaring up and decided that I cannot eat for at least a good 2 hours before running or it will hurt me. Nonetheless, I completed the 3 miles with flying colors and felt like a new woman. Note to self: When in doubt, run.

I also set up my Garmin last night so that it will be ready to go for my weekend long run in Central Park. Central Park (supposedly) has an entire road system conducive to training (markers, lots of water fountains, etc.). I snagged this map off the NYRR website and plan to follow their 4-mile route.

My friend David is having his birthday party on Saturday night, and since I want to enjoy myself, I think I'm going to do my run on Saturday instead of Sunday. The hardest part of training (at least what I think will be the hardest part) will be saying "no" to social outings, ESPECIALLY on the weekend. When I trained for a Half in college, I often skipped my long run in lieu of something fun, and that was a very, very bad idea. I'm not saying I have to follow this training to the letter, but I want to follow it as closely as possible. Here's my training guide btw (which begins the Monday after Thanksgiving!):

I plan to blog a LOT about my training once it officially stops, so I apologize to those of you who don't care. I'm doing it partially for my readers who are interested and partially for me to stay motivated. Now it's time to refill my coffee cup and head to work! LOVEYOUMISSYOUMEANITBYE!!

Life Lately

2010-11-17T08:30:00.001-06:00

{we heart it}

I haven't run a single mile since signing up for the Austin Half.

This is not (just) because I've been a little lazy. It's also because a minor, okay MAJOR, emergency came up at work on Friday, and since then, I've been working. A lot. Like coming in on Sunday a lot. And working until 10 pm on Monday a lot. Tonight I got home relatively early, but was way too tired to even think about putting on my running shoes. This is no bueno.

In other news, I got my Garmin, and I fully intend on busting it out this weekend while I bang out 4 miles around Central Park. That is, of course, assuming I don't have to work. A girl can dream, right?

But even though I'm tired and fat and bloated and lookin' a little... not so good lately, and even though I want to do nothing but collapse into bed and sleep for 24 hours straight, I'm actually loving how dynamic my new work environment is. And I like being involved in this project/emergency even though it has completely taken over my life lately. See? I can be glass half-full sometimes.

Oh I'm also insanely behind on blogs and twitter. Forgive me.

2.20.11

2010-11-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

{photo: we heart it}

So... I did something kind of impulsive yesterday.

I am taking Fit for Fall to a whole new level.

I signed up to run the half marathon in Austin next February.

February 20, 2011, to be exact.

And I'm kind of freaking out about it.

But truthfully, I am stoked. I missed out on doing a half once, and it's always bugged me. And I figured, well, why not go back to Austin and do one? I was planning a trip to Austin early next year anyhow. I apparently only need 12 weeks to train. And even though I can barely run 4 miles right now, surely I can figure out how to run 13.1 by February...

RIGHT?

So I signed up. Then I went to the gym and proceeded to have the WORST run of my life. I ate hummus and pita about 20 min before doing it, and I hope they are the culprit b/c OW. Every step hurt, and I got the worst side cramp of my life.

But I am MOVING ON! I am following Hal Higdon's Half Marathon Training guide, and I am getting myself one of these bad boys as soon as I get paid (I know - it's majorly uggo). I am excited/terrified/worried, but it is all good, my friends. I have the most ah-mazing support system - YOU guys (love your tweets!!), my roomies (soooo supportive, so "you can do it!!", and Roomie Trois is going to help me strength train), my friends (a few of which have run half marathons themselves).

I am a lucky gal.

Oh and my family? Well, I know they'll support me, but I also know what their responses will be. My Mom and Dad will say, "Really? You're going to try... again? What if you injure yourself?? It's not good for you!"

Ma Soeur (and this IS, in fact, how she responded): "Girl, you crazy!"

I AM crazy.

Chatham

2010-11-09T06:50:00.000-06:00

I had a wonderful weekend at the Cape. We went to a darling town called Chatham (I incorrectly pronounced it Chay-thum all weekend and it stuck so it will forever be Chay-thum to moi). It was an extremely short trip, and most of it was spent in the car (5-6 drive each way), but I couldn't have asked for better company. It was a road trip in every sense of the word: pit stops at sketchy gas stations for Sour Patch Kids and Twizzlers, eating at Wendy's for dinner (needless to say, I didn't get much), on-the-road games, and lots and LOTS of singing. We are ALL singers in some capacity so there was serious harmonizing and belting going on. It was dorky and AWESOME!!

Anyway, my friend David took most of the pics, so for now, I'll leave you with this one. It was taken outside a bookstore on the darling main road of Chatham by a camera in the window. Basically we walked by and realized that the camera takes a pic of the street every 30 minutes. We just happened to get there at 3:28 PM so we HAD to stop and get snapped. Et voila!

I absolutely adore these guys. Spending that much time w/ them only reinforced my love for them, and they are probably the top reason my move to NYC has been so seamless.

Hope y'all had a lovely weekend! I'll be back to regular posting soon... lots to share.

Changes

2010-11-05T07:35:00.000-05:00

{photo: weheartit}

Lately I've noticed that I've taken on some characteristics I never thought I would. Some of these are good, some are bad, but all around, I'm pretty pleased.

THE GOOD:

I've become a person who...

looks forward to going to work and doesn't mind staying late
smiles for the majority of the day
can't wait to go running every other day and gets upset if life gets in the way
is disgusted by smell and sight of meat cooking
writes 750 words most mornings before work

THE BAD:

I've become a person who...

feels the need to eat crappy candy (Twix, Kit Kat, etc.) every afternoon (I entirely blame Hallowen)
thinks that puffy jackets can be cute
drinks Coke Zero when it's around
can't live without her iPhone

All in all, I'm feeling extremely lucky and incredibly grateful. Life is good. I cannot complain. And tonight I'm road tripping to the Cape for a cozy weekend w/ dear friends. Have a good one!!

Autumn Love

2010-11-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

I love the word autumn although I feel that it's infrequently used. I've been loving this Autumn, and despite how little free time I have now that I'm working (forgot just how time consuming a full time job can be :P), I try to stop and enjoy the beautiful season surrounding me. My Autumnal life looks a little something like this...

admiring the foliage

decadent brunches at cozy neighborhood eateries

This mushroom toast (thick grilled potato bread topped with ricotta, soft scrambled eggs, and oodles of wild mushrooms) was absurdly good.

running

(and icing painful shin splints... ouch)

(yes, those are frozen TJ veggies)

spending quality (and sorely missed) time in funky

lower east side salons

late meals with long lost friends

How are you filling these beautiful fall days?

R to the Zoe: Halloween NYC-Style

2010-11-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not gonna lie - by the time Saturday night rolled around, I was in NO MOOD to go out. I was tired and wanted an early night. But. I rallied. And my roomies and I kicked off the party with pizza and booze. :D As I sang along to Lady Gaga and Britney, I did Roomie Deux's makeup. Can you guess who she is?

Here's another hint...

That's right... she was JEM! I think I want to be Jem next year because hello, she wears nothing but hot pink. Didn't I do a good job on her makeup? I was pretty impressed with myself, if I do say so myself. ;)

My costume was super easy because I already owned everything! I tried to find some cheap blonde hair extensions, but it just wasn't happening. I decided to go as a brunette, Asian Rachel Zoe. :D

The real RZ...

And moi!

Costume included:

- signature RZ faux fur vest (this is actually the RZ brand haha)

- big sunnies

- giant Starbucks cup full of tea

- big hair (or at least she used to have big hair...)

- gobs and gobs of gold and sparkly jewelry (you can't see, but I'm wearing 3 necklaces, one watch, 3 oversized rings, and about 10 bracelets)

- oversized bag (hers is the Birkin, mine is Mulberry for Target... b/c I didn't have $15k to spend)

- burgundy lips

- dark nails (Chanel Vamp is actually a shade Rachel wears - I'm authentic like that)

My dates for the night are childhood favorites...

I even hung out with Snooki!

Later that night, at another party, I ran into my old friend Harry Potter. He did his thang and turned my tea into something a bit more festive. :)

And THEN my hubby Rodger walked in! He was cracking me up...

(This guy wasn't dressed as Rodger, but he kind of looks like him, AND he said he dressed like him last year, so I figured I'd play along.)

All in all, it was a pretty fabulous night!

Happy November!

2010-11-01T10:06:00.000-05:00

This morning felt just as Fall should. Tights, booties, and my fave Anthropologie coat. Chilly, crisp air in my face as soon as I stepped out of the door. I'm loving it! I'm also loving that it's November - prob one of my fave months of the year. I'm excited that in just a few short weeks, I'll get to my parents. I'm excited that I can officially start playing Christmas music (I do NOT believe in waiting until after Thanksgiving). I'm excited that I won't have to get a pedicure until next year because no one but me, myself and I will be seeing my toes (although, I REALLY should get a pedicure anyway, for the sake of my feet). I'm excited about the return of faux leopard coats, dark nails (currently painted avec Chanel Vamp), and boots in every shape and size. I am excited that next weekend I'll be visiting Cape Cod for the first time and plan to make my famous (well, famous in my world) lasagna and a delicious, cinnamon-y apple crisp for my dear friends and I to enjoy whilst there. I'm excited that I have a job and can spend the Holidays worry-free.
I didn't share my October goals with you, but I did pretty well with them. As for November, I'm still thinking about them and will share when ready. I will also upload fun Halloween pics sometime this week! I made a quite fabulous Rachel Zoe, if I do say so myself. ;)

What are you most excited about?

Working Eating Eating Working

2010-10-29T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hi, y'all! How's your week been? Hard to believe it's already Friday, eh? Work, for moi, has been going pretty well. Slowly learning the ropes and getting to know everyone - it's fun. :D Nonetheless, I am EXCITED for the weekend!! Can you believe it's already Halloween? Nuts! This Fall is flying by which makes me tres tres sad.

Working has definitely shaken up my eating routine. I'm ravenous by the time I get home from work and typically end up eating the first thing I set my sights on. I know I should have a snack in the late afternoon, but I just haven't gotten my act together yet, and I don't want to go buy something from the cafeteria. Tonight, I had just enough time (like 15 minutes) to whip up a quick, easy meal before heading uptown for a concert w/ friends.

Trader Joe's frozen garlic naan and veggie masala burger aka the BEST VEGGIE BURGER EVER!!! Seriously, I thought it sounded weird when I first heard of it, but then I tried it, and OHMEMGEE - it is taaasty. I think it's going to become my favorite go-to meal component.

I also had a bag of spinach that was about to go very, very bad. I made one of the greenest smoothies I've ever made in my life! It was also very simple - just spinach, almond milk, frozen banana, frozen mango, touch of raw honey, and ice. It was surprisingly delicious sans peanut butter & flax per my usual green smoothies. Very light and refreshing. And GREEN!

Naturally, as soon as I got home from said concert, I was hungry again. So I made another veggie burger and shoved it in a small whole wheat roll. Mmmm I need to buy lots and lots of boxes of these... Get them. You won't regret it.

As for le weekend, I plan to do the following...

Friday: Get brows waxed at the Boom Boom Brow Bar, go for a run, catch up on my DVR, hopefully finish my book club book

Saturday: Brunch w/ old friend, shop w/ NYC friend, gym, then OUT for HALLOWEEN!

Sunday: FINALLY getting my hair did (it's been 6 mo since haircut... appalling), church, run,

get ready for week :D

What're you up to this weekend?

Mini HELLO!

2010-10-27T07:52:00.000-05:00

Morning Ritual: Bonjour, friends!! Can I just say that I ADORE having to get up early now? I know, I know, it's nuts but hear me out. I love being up in the morning, sipping coffee and watching CNN, and feeling like a productive member of society. Despite it being a STRUGGLE to actually get out of bed when my alarm goes off, I'm loving it. I hope that eventually I might be able to get up even earlier so I can have more time to savor my coffee, write my 750 words, and catch up on blogs (cause seriously, I have no other time to do so).

Work: I'm writing this, funnily enough, before I head to work for the day! Today will be my first day actually sitting in my department all day. I'm eager to learn so I can actually start being a helpful member of the team. Ma Soeur asked me yesterday what exactly I'm going to be doing, and honestly... I have no idea haha. I've never done this job before! The work environment is fast-paced and team-oriented though so I'm excited. :D I've already begun making a list of "Office Must-Haves." Things like hand lotion, essential oils, something fragrance-y, a coffee/tea tumbler, cute notepads, fun pens, etc. Can you think of any office essentials I need to add to my list?

Fit for Fall: Sooo I've been TOTALLY sucking. That's not true - I've kept up with my workouts, but my eating has been all over the place. As a result, I feel gross and bloated and sluggish so I want to nip this in the bud asap. I couldn't go to my WW meeting last night because it was Roomie Deux's birthday, and I think knowing that I wouldn't weigh in definitely made an impact on how I ate. I wouldn't be surprised if I gain next week! Le sigh. Anyway, as far as MOVIN and GROOVIN is concerned, I'm doing well. I've decided to loosely follow Hal Higdon's 10k training plan (for novices). It seems doable, customizable, and I like how the runs are spaced out. Because I couldn't go to the gym last night, I did my 2.5 miles on Monday (with a belly full of pizza - OW) and tonight is 30 min. cross (boooo I HATE the elliptical). Anyone want to join moi?

Gotta run! Have a FABULOUS HUMP DAY!!

First Day: Recap

2010-10-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

{pretty much how my coworkers reacted when i walked through the door}

Thanks for all the sweet wishes, readers and tweeters! You guys sure are the bestest. :D My first day was AWESOME, albeit uneventful, seeing as I only sat at my desk for about an hour. Most of my day was taken up by training and info and all that. Stuff like 401k's (which made me yawn and my eyes roll back in my head... I wish I liked finance stuff) and HMO's and PPO's and sexual harassment and vacation days and all that. Tomorrow is computer training (the office uses Lotus Notes... wth??) and then hopefully I'll actually get to start working.

All in all, I have to same I am pretty stoked. The perks of working at a large NY company are sick!! Car services, gym membership discounts (including my current gym - I nearly jumped out of my seat w/ excitement!), a subsidized in-house cafeteria, free admission to the MoMa, transit discounts... the list went on and on. SWEEEEEET. Also, my technical "hours" are pretty dope, although I have a feeling that I'm going to be working much later than the supposed 5:30 cut-off time - my dept is quite busy. Other perks of my new job include:

- working w/ other people around my age
- working w/ people who are not lawyers and are therefore about 100x less socially awkward
- a 15-minute commute
- working at a company that insists on stocking every single meeting with TONS of food (this could potentially be a very, very bad thing...)
- having an awesome manager

A few things I need to adjust to...

- not having my own private office (I'm so unsure as to proper cubicle etiquette re: computers, phones, etc. HELP!)
- not having an admin assistant (I know I know... woe is me)
- not being in a small office in which I know everyone (17 floors? I'm going to get hella confused.)
- being super busy (haha, it's true - the flailing economy made work before fairly slow-paced for me)
- not being able to work from home whenever I want (hmm... and I left my old job because...??)
- lame-O office supplies (aka cheap blue/black ballpoint pens, NOT the cool green & purple gel ink pens at my old firm... womp womp)
- NO CELL PHONE RECEPTION (seriously AT&T? i mean... SERIOUSLY??)

BUT, again, it's an entirely new experience, and I'm incredibly excited about it. Because I was too nervous/talkative/whatever to eat all day (despite being provided a TON of food), I came home ravenous and inhaled about 1/2 a pizza as soon as I stepped foot into the door. A couple of hours later, I hit the gym for a run and nearly puked all over the treadmill (gross, huh?), but somehow I survived it and lived to tell the tale.

Tomorrow night is Roomie Deux's birthday, which means marrrgaritas and no gym for me!

Hope y'all had a fab Monday. :D LOVE YOU!!!

First Day

2010-10-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow (today for y'all) is my first day at my new job.

Instead of waking up this morning feeling excited and nervous, I woke up feeling uber crappy. A super bad stomachache kept me up until the wee hours of the morning, and my bipolar cold was rearing its ugly head again.

I went back to sleep.

And then woke up and did what any normal girl would do - ate Greek leftovers and hit the gym for a short run.

I feel better now.

And I'm starting to get a little nervous about tomorrow.

I don't even have a first day outfit planned! The weather is hitting the 70s tomorrow, which is way too warm for tights. Boo.

So I'll have to improvise.

Here's to hoping all goes well...

Catch me on Twitter for updates throughout the day (hopefully!). :D

Operation: Get Well

2010-10-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

Sunday: Notice a bit of difficulty swallowing breakfast wrap at Cafe Champignons. Hmm...

Monday: Wake up with sore throat, but body feels fine. Take it easy most of the day and go to yoga at night. Fall asleep feeling optimistic.

Tuesday: Sore throat still there, but decide to go for a run anyway. Feel great after run! Notice some sniffling and a nasal-y tone in my voice. Choose to ignore.

Wednesday: Wake up feeling like CRAP. Moan, wrap myself up in quilt tighter, and immediately fall back to sleep. Wake up a few hours later to a text message. 1 PM. Drag myself out of bed, pull on leggings and jacket, and make the short trek to Whole Foods and Whole Body. Pick up all kinds of goodies. This is what Operation: Get Well looks like in Carolyn-land:

(kale, coconut water, OJ, lemons, throat coat tea, Riiiiicolaaa!, Badger Winter Wonder Balm (for chest), Emergen-C, Immune Support vitamins, and antibacterial spray)

Post-WF Run: Guzzle down a cup of freshly squeezed OJ spiked with Emergen-C (I cannot get that stuff down with just water. In OJ? Delish.) Began chopping kale and make soup. Retreat back to bed and beloved laptop.

Couple hours later... Make croutons and ladle soup. Lunch + Dinner = Linner!

I am obsessed with reusable cups with straws. Obsessed.

Am now lying in bed avec laptop, iPhone, liquids, and Criminal Minds. I want to feel BRAND SPANKIN' NEW by Friday!

What's in your Operation: Get Well kit?

Hungry Girl

2010-10-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

First, thank you guys so much for all your sweet compliments on my legs! I have a love/hate relationship with them (as most gals probably do). I love that they are muscular and toned... I hate how big my calves are (trying on tall boots = tres depressing)... I love that my thighs get smaller when I run... I hate that my calves stay the same. But my former trainer in Austin, Deb (miss you!!), told me to be proud of my strong legs so I'm gonna! Moving on... Hungry Girl!

No, I'm not referring to myself (although I'm often quite hungry). I'm talking about the Hungry Girl - Lisa Lillien. Hungry Girl began as a website that features low calorie/low fat/low point recipes, new food finds, and shocking discoveries, like how many calories are in a slice of The Cheesecake Factory's carrot cake (1560 calories, 84 grams of fat). Since my college days, she has blown up and now has 5 published books, and in January 2011, she will have her own cooking show on the Cooking Channel! (You can see a preview of the show here.)

I have conflicted feelings about Hungry Girl. On the one hand, I'm thrilled that she's succeeding and is showing people how to make "healthier" food, exposing just how awful most restaurant food is, etc. But, I have major issues with whether her recipes actually contain "healthy" food. For example, many of her food finds are questionable (100-calorie packs and such) and many of her recipes contain ingredients like Splenda. Yuck yuck and yuck. Then again, sometimes she actually creates recipes that contain real foods (like this Baked Ziti swap).

It's crazy to think I used to eat all that processed crap... ew. I was so obsessed with being on a "diet" that I lived off diet soda (at one point, I used to have 4 different kinds in the fridge), 100-calorie packs, fat free hot dogs (EW), Skinny Cow sandwiches, and low calorie bread. (And in high school, I ate at McDonald's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell almost daily. GUH-ROSS!!) These days, I feel uber guilty anytime I eat anything processed. But... there is a time and place for everything. I still drink soda from time to time (I have a deep love for Mexican coke and Trader Joe's Vintage Root Beer - both made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup), and, I can't believe I'm admitting this, but sometimes I drink Coke Zero. I know I KNOW it's awful for you, but sometimes I just don't want all the calories.

So I'm not totally the best eater, but I try my best. Places like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods definitely make things easier (I can typically read all the ingredients in their products!). What about you? What are your (processed) guilty pleasures? (In addition to soda, I also love oreos. Mmm...)

And we'll run for our lives...

2010-10-19T12:02:00.000-05:00

[The above is a lyric from my fave Snow Patrol song - Run. I highly suggest you download it immediately if you've never heard of it!]

I've been thinking a lot about my running lately. It's been a SLOW process... When I was 21, picking up running was challenging, but doable. I quickly made my way to running 5ks on a regular basis, and the farthest I got in my half-marathon training was an 8-mile run. EIGHT MILES. In all honesty, I can't believe my body ever did that. And I remember that run like it was yesterday! It was done at the TCU gym (where my ex-boyfriend went to college), and I watched TV the entire time, haha. When I got back to the dorm, my then-boyfriend said, "I CANNOT believe you just ran 8 miles." My thoughts exactly... but I did it.

Do I think I'll ever be able to run 8 miles again? Honestly, I've no idea. I'm not going to try either, at least not right now. I'm taking things very slowly. My 27-year old body does not like the idea of running too far too soon too fast, so I'm not letting it. That being said, I do like having goals and have considered following a 10k training plan. We'll see... for now, I'm just taking it day by day.

Psst! Check out my new kicks!

As soon as I got news of my job offer, I immediately headed to JackRabbit, a store devoted to running. (Running shoes were #1 on my list of "Post-Offer Purchases." Yes, I made a list.) They take their time with shoe fittings! The guy who helped me was super nice. I explained that I was trying to ease my way back into running after a 5-year hiatus. He had me run on a treadmill while he observed and recorded my gait. Apparently, I'm a stable runner - holler! Then we tried on a bunch of shoes, and he had me run on the treadmill in each one. Finally, I decided between 2 pairs: Brooks and Asics. I went with the Asics (more specifically, the Asics Gel Cumulus 12) - they are roomier in the toe and tighter in the heel, which I like. Plus, my former pair of running shoes are Asics as well so I figured it was a safe choice. The shorts are also new - I needed a pair that had a place to hold my keys since I was sick of doing this. They are ADIDAS and dark fuchsia - I love 'em!

One thing I've noticed is that as much as I love running outside, I get UBER thirsty whilst doing it, especially as I increase my speed and distance. I asked my fellow tweeters for suggestions/advice, and they were so helpful! One option was to run in loops so I could keep a water bottle somewhere, but because I run along the West Side Highway, that's not really an option. Another option I considered was to bring cash and purchase a bottle of water from one of the vendors along the road, but I hate the idea of buying a plastic water bottle. Yet another option would be to get a gadget, like a water belt. But I hate the idea of something being around my waist - I fear it will slide down and/or pull down my shorts - no bueno! In the end, I decided to try the Camelbak. It's gotten great reviews, it was on sale, and it's PINK! What's not to love? I felt kinda silly buying such a "hardcore" item, seeing as I'm a completely novice runner, but eh... whatevs. If I want to run outside, I've got to have water!

I've also noticed that I need rest days between my runs, which is surprisingly hard to do. Now that I'm actually excited about my runs, I want to do them every day. Not good. My endurance significantly decreases on the 2nd of the 2 back-to-back days.

Are you a runner? How long did it take you to easily run 3 miles? 5 miles? 8 miles? 26.2 miles?? Any advice/suggestions for a novice runner?

hang on little tomato

Day 3: Two and a Half is Better Than None

Juice Cleanse: Day 2 - Why Am I Doing This?

Juice Cleanse: Day 1 (Almost) Over

Juicy - My Attempt at a 3-Day Juice Cleanse

Tis the Season

Life Lately (In Pictures)

Vegan Tomato is Back!

Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pancakes

The National Conference to End Factory Farming: Day 2

"Animals can't wage and win these campaigns for themselves, the planet can't wage and win these campaigns, it's up to all of us to do it for them"

I'm going to end this very long blog post with the following (oh so helpfully put together by greenmuze.com) Top Five Ways to End Factory Farming, Five Things You May Not Know About Factory Farms, and Top Five Problems with Factory Farms.

TOP FIVE WAYS TO END FACTORY FARMING

FIVE THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT FACTORY FARMING

TOP FIVE PROBLEMS WITH FACTORY FARMING

Bonjour, November

The National Conference to End Factory Farming: Day 1

Catch Up: What I've Been Eating, Thinking and Doing

Quinoa, Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Caramelized Onion Jam

Day 5: ____

Day 4: Bagels

Day 3: Eating My Feelings

Starting Over

Bonjour, October

3-Day Weekends...

28

Rando

Merci

New Yorker

Life Lately

Happy 4th!

Looking Forward

New Shoes

April Faves: Beauty

All About Books

Le Weekend

Hello

MIA

To a Good Week

Fat + Run = Bad

Inadequacy

Changes

March Goals

Half-Marathon Playlist

My Body Post-13.1 Miles

HALF-MARATHON!!

February Goals

Sunday Funday

Fear & Equinox

Snow Day! Oh wait... no.

On Slowing Down and Being Lame

10k, Veggie Burgers & Question 4 Runners

Week in Review: Kicking Ass and Taking Names

Fourth Resolution

8 Miles & Hot Yoga

Things I'm Loving: Trader Joe's Edition

Week in Review & Best Celeb Sighting Ever

GOALS: January

7 Miles (and Balthezar)

Resolutions!

Thoughts on Training

Snowmageddon & What's to Come!

4 Miles: California-Style

Morning & Merry Christmas

RUN: 6 Miles (and Potential Catastrophe)

Catching Up

Truth

5 Miles... Again

Bad Run

Give Thanks!

RUN: 5 Mile Long Run

RUN: Adventures in Central Park

1, 2, 3...

Life Lately

2.20.11

Chatham

Changes

Autumn Love

R to the Zoe: Halloween NYC-Style

Happy November!