What a miserable day in New York! Rainy, slushy, slippery, and a Tuesday. This was actually my worst commute of the winter weather so far, as I slid around a few times on my walk to the train. Boo.
But life is still pretty good, right? Let's stay positive. SPEAKING OF, Hike and I just bought tickets to see The Hold Steady at Terminal 5 in April, and I'm very excited. I'm also like "Oh, gee, general admission standing room? That sounds annoying." I'm so old. But it will be worth it.
So how were our weekends? Mine was really nice. Friday night I went to Schmillie's for the revival of the Henna Party, and we got snaxx and wine in the city before taking the train to her place, and we gushed about our boyfriends and smeared the stuff on our heads and only smoked A LITTLE and listened to music and played rummy. (I am terrible at rummy, especially when not paying attention.) Oh, and we ate Chocolate Covered Pretzels. Lots of them. I want some now, actually. Then I cabbed it back, Hike came over, and off to sleep after some Fraggle Rock. Saturday we went to visit his grandparents (on his dad's side) on Long Island, who I'd not yet met, and also saw his dad and wife and his brother and wife, and it was a nice afternoon. We left and got sushi for dinner in Rockville Center, where they live (and where Hike used to live for awhile), and then drove back to Astoria and caught the 8:15 showing of True Grit. I LOVED it, people. We'd been waiting to see it until we could see the original first, but we gave up. (There was a Very Long Wait on the original on Netflix for me, though he magically is receiving it this week. We decided as long as we see them both, we can still compare.) It was just really serene and fun and beautiful and touching, and that lead girl is so impressive. She's the perfect little no-nonsense child/teen, but yet doesn't have some sort of show-off attitude about it, and I really liked her. When we got home I put the ingredients in the Crock Pot for White Chicken Chili so it could cook overnight, then more Fraggles. Sunday was a lovely, lady crampy day for me, but it was OK because we mainly stayed on the couch, watching football then the Golden Globes, eating chili, and babying me. I'm very lucky.
On Sunday we also booked a B&B for President's Day weekend in Newport, RI. We'd looked at some different New England spots, but that one seemed the most interesting for a winter trip -- like, a summer destination town but quiet in the winter, with New England-y stuff going on (there is a Maple Syrup-tapping event at some local farm place, and also a Winterfest weekend going on while we're there). We agonized over which B&B, too, but this one's rooms looked the nicest, plus we'll be in the TOWER SUITE and above us is a common-room in the actual tower, so we can go look at the harbor and meet the ghosts up there. I'm very excited. I also will try to not overload him with super-nerdy stuff that I want to do (shops! antiques! historical walking tours! maple-syrup tapping!) though he seems game for them, too. It'll be great, plus we picked that weekend so we could drive up on Saturday morning (instead of Friday night) and then stay till Monday, the holiday, for a more relaxed trip.
Yesterday I had to work, LAME, though the retardceptionist called off sick (after spending the weekend in Atlantic City, hmm), so it added to my pain because I had to sit at her desk and answer the phones. I may be due a sick day soon, right?
Oh, and so I did smoke 3 cigs on Friday night, but then NONE since then. It seems to be getting a little easier [knock on wood], like I'm not thinking about them as often. I also weighed myself on Sunday morning and I was back to 134/135 ish, which means my pre-Christmas weight! That was thrilling, though like I said, I'm not going to be as strict about the weight right now. Yesterday I was extraordinarily hungry (so I snacked on an extra bowl of cereal, which isn't too bad), and I'm letting that go. I also wanted to go to the gym last night, but come 5:00 pm I was so zombie tired that I just went home to lay on the couch under blankets and watch the most recent episode of Downton Abbey. It probably doesn't help that I am not leaving the office all day, but right now that is the best way to avoid temptation. Now that the retardceptionist is back with her pack of cigarettes for bumming, I will have to be extra strong. I can do it! I already feel very proud of myself. It's been a week, and while I've smoked about 6 cigarettes in that week, it's significant progress.
So right, I should get some work done, but life is pretty grand for a miserable Tuesday in January.
Showing posts with label Henna Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Henna Party. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Good Mood Swing
Well I'm feeling rather jolly at the moment, and there's not an exact reason, but I'm going to just enjoy this upswing in my mood. The combination of not smoking and PMS has been pretty lovely lately, so at least this is the benefit of the ol' rollercoaster.
Last night I snow hiked (fine, walked) to the library to return a book by the 6 pm closing. Please tell me why they can't keep the drop-off box unlocked when the library is closed. Fine, I know there are vandals, but there are also loyal library patrons who can't always get there during work hours, jerks. Anyway, I dropped off the Nancy Drew biography (of the authors) unfinished, but it wasn't quite as much about Nancy as I was hoping. I did have time to grab one of those Phillipa Gregory books that I think I will enjoy, as well as one by Anita Shreve. I'm looking forward to reading them after I finish the book club book, and I'm almost done now. I'm enjoying it for the most part, but it's almost like I don't care about the main framework and just want to know more about certain people's stories. But it's interesting and a fast read.
Oh, then I picked up groceries after the library, stuff to make minestrone soup (with turkey sausage instead of the chicken it called for) and then my White Chicken Chili, which was originally Nora's Green Turkey Chili, but I use chicken instead and think "Green" sounds gross in a recipe title. But the chili is delicious and easy in the crock pot, so I want to make it some weekend day soon. It helps that Hike is such a fan of my cooking -- it makes it fun to show off a little. So I lugged all the groceries (uuuggghhh always so heavy) to the pharmacy to drop off a script and pick up another, and buy MILK (more heavy) for the weekend, then home. I made the soup with lots of yummy fresh veg, organized my pantry shelves, ate the rest of my lunch from yesterday for dinner while watching TruBlood, talked to Hike for a bit, then finally started the 4th disk of Brideshead Revisited. I had never finished that series and it was hiding in my queue, but now that I'm back on the Brits, I felt like finishing 'er up. I think I only have an episode and a half left.
It was a good night! I do feel bad about still not getting to the gym, but since my diet has more impact on my weight than exercise, I decided it's more important to have healthy foods ready to eat. Once I'm stocked up that way, and when I have free time, then it'll be gym time. Also, walking in the snow was a bit trudging, especially when carrying billions of pounds of groceries. That had to burn some extra calories.
Tonight is the Gayte with Hike, and I'll meet his college roommate and roommate's friend for the first time. I think it should be lots of fun, and I can't wait till 5 -- we're grabbing an early Thai dinner beforehand, so the fun will begin right away.
And then FINALLY it's the weekend. Henna Party (I'll bring rubber gloves and vaseline! TWSS!), dates, chili, Fraggle Rock, etc. Le sigh.
Last night I snow hiked (fine, walked) to the library to return a book by the 6 pm closing. Please tell me why they can't keep the drop-off box unlocked when the library is closed. Fine, I know there are vandals, but there are also loyal library patrons who can't always get there during work hours, jerks. Anyway, I dropped off the Nancy Drew biography (of the authors) unfinished, but it wasn't quite as much about Nancy as I was hoping. I did have time to grab one of those Phillipa Gregory books that I think I will enjoy, as well as one by Anita Shreve. I'm looking forward to reading them after I finish the book club book, and I'm almost done now. I'm enjoying it for the most part, but it's almost like I don't care about the main framework and just want to know more about certain people's stories. But it's interesting and a fast read.
Oh, then I picked up groceries after the library, stuff to make minestrone soup (with turkey sausage instead of the chicken it called for) and then my White Chicken Chili, which was originally Nora's Green Turkey Chili, but I use chicken instead and think "Green" sounds gross in a recipe title. But the chili is delicious and easy in the crock pot, so I want to make it some weekend day soon. It helps that Hike is such a fan of my cooking -- it makes it fun to show off a little. So I lugged all the groceries (uuuggghhh always so heavy) to the pharmacy to drop off a script and pick up another, and buy MILK (more heavy) for the weekend, then home. I made the soup with lots of yummy fresh veg, organized my pantry shelves, ate the rest of my lunch from yesterday for dinner while watching TruBlood, talked to Hike for a bit, then finally started the 4th disk of Brideshead Revisited. I had never finished that series and it was hiding in my queue, but now that I'm back on the Brits, I felt like finishing 'er up. I think I only have an episode and a half left.
It was a good night! I do feel bad about still not getting to the gym, but since my diet has more impact on my weight than exercise, I decided it's more important to have healthy foods ready to eat. Once I'm stocked up that way, and when I have free time, then it'll be gym time. Also, walking in the snow was a bit trudging, especially when carrying billions of pounds of groceries. That had to burn some extra calories.
Tonight is the Gayte with Hike, and I'll meet his college roommate and roommate's friend for the first time. I think it should be lots of fun, and I can't wait till 5 -- we're grabbing an early Thai dinner beforehand, so the fun will begin right away.
And then FINALLY it's the weekend. Henna Party (I'll bring rubber gloves and vaseline! TWSS!), dates, chili, Fraggle Rock, etc. Le sigh.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Working for the Weekend and What I Ate
Hello lovers!
How hard is it to start working today? I haven't accomplished a single work-related thing all morning. But that's sort of great, because it's not like I have a ton to do today. Or at least nothing with a deadline.
My weekend was very fun, though I feel a bit guilty about not enjoying more of the beautiful daytime weather. That's what happens when you're a creature of the night, I suppose. Friday's Hennapalooza was very fun, and a bit crazier like the good ol' days. We hung out in the bathroom with shower caps on like we were in the 1950s, we made a beer run with the same shower caps on, and we gabbed and ate reasonable pizza. We took a risk on delivery since Schmillie wasn't aware of any great pizza parlors in her new neighborhood. (Yet. Yet.) Then I met Mex back in Astoria for some late-night pool, then home.
Saturday we slept in, then he left to get some work done and I returned to the nail parlor after a long absence after witnessing some scary violence last time. Thankfully, it's under new ownership, and it was a great experience. (I realize there are many nail salons to chose from, but this one is usually less crowded and pretty cheap for good quality -- $20 for a mani and pedi.) It's now run by a young Chinese woman who was very accommodating, and I even had a man do my pedicure and start my manicure before she jumped in. It was a bit weird at first to have a strange gentleman bowing over your feet, but he gave such a great foot massage that I quickly accustomed to it. And she massaged my shoulders while I was at the drying station, like the good places do. Sigh. Anyway, I went springy and got some hot pink toes AND fingers, then home to get ready for the evening. I met up with Mex and Schmauren at Gleason's in Astoria for a few beers before we headed into Manhattan to the Spring Street Lounge for Schmate's birthday party. I hadn't been to that bar in a few years, but used to really enjoy (as it was particularly male-heavy), and once the crowd thinned out a bit this time, I remembered why I liked it so much! I mean, in addition to the menfolk. The whole Muncher gang had a great silly time, and then Mex, Schmauren and I cabbed it back to Astoria for some nightcaps at Sweet Afton. It was a blast, and I felt like a kid again. I never go out in Manhattan anymore, but it's nice to get into the city and deal with the rabble every now and then.
Sunday was recovery and laziness in the form of Chicken Tikka Masala delivery, watching tv and two romantic comedies in a row. Did You Hear About the Morgans was amusing at points but also a bit frustrating (I have a hard time when asked to be sympathetic to adulterers, what can I say), then The Proposal was way better than I expected. I really enjoyed that one, and laughed loudly and weirdly at the naked-running-into-each-other scene. (Have you seen it? Spoiler, but something about how Ryan Reynolds keeps saying "I don't understand. Why are you wet?" just killed me.) Finally later in the night I cleaned up my room and filed my taxes, so I at least got something done with my day.
And this week should be a nice, springy one, with softball practice tomorrow (that might get rained out, not that I'm sort of crossing my fingers for that, ahem) and Harpie dinner on Thursday. I usually go from Sunday until Thursday without seeing Mex as it's our productive weekday habit, but I mentioned something yesterday about how Sundays are always sort of sad because in addition to being the end of the weekend, I know I won't see him for awhile (mush mush.) He suggested we get a quick bite on Tuesday. Cute.
Also, the publishing guy who hooks me up with most of my freelance projects has just asked me what my ultimate career goal is, as in, do I want to be an editor again for reals. He's probably just being curious, but my imagination immediately wondered if he's looking to hire an editor for his business start-up, etc. etc. It's obviously in fantasy land, but I wonder if I'd want to do that. I know I'm not that into joining corporate, commercial publishing again, but perhaps there's a way for me to do the work I enjoy while being a bit more independent. (Though I guess I'm doing that now, it's just not my day job.) Anyway, things to think about.
Food. (God, I haven't been good with diet & exercise lately, you guys. I don't know how much I weigh, and I think it's up again, but I feel pretty happy anyway so I don't care too much. Though I need to behave during these weeks so I can be flexible on the weekends! Time to crack down again!)
B - Special K, coffee, milk - 4
L - Swiss, cucumber, beet sandwich (clearly I need to go shopping), cottage cheese - 5
D - chicken meatloaf, salad with feta - 5.5
S - string cheese, orange, soup, granny bar - 5
Total - 19.5
Activity - walking home, whee!
How hard is it to start working today? I haven't accomplished a single work-related thing all morning. But that's sort of great, because it's not like I have a ton to do today. Or at least nothing with a deadline.
My weekend was very fun, though I feel a bit guilty about not enjoying more of the beautiful daytime weather. That's what happens when you're a creature of the night, I suppose. Friday's Hennapalooza was very fun, and a bit crazier like the good ol' days. We hung out in the bathroom with shower caps on like we were in the 1950s, we made a beer run with the same shower caps on, and we gabbed and ate reasonable pizza. We took a risk on delivery since Schmillie wasn't aware of any great pizza parlors in her new neighborhood. (Yet. Yet.) Then I met Mex back in Astoria for some late-night pool, then home.
Saturday we slept in, then he left to get some work done and I returned to the nail parlor after a long absence after witnessing some scary violence last time. Thankfully, it's under new ownership, and it was a great experience. (I realize there are many nail salons to chose from, but this one is usually less crowded and pretty cheap for good quality -- $20 for a mani and pedi.) It's now run by a young Chinese woman who was very accommodating, and I even had a man do my pedicure and start my manicure before she jumped in. It was a bit weird at first to have a strange gentleman bowing over your feet, but he gave such a great foot massage that I quickly accustomed to it. And she massaged my shoulders while I was at the drying station, like the good places do. Sigh. Anyway, I went springy and got some hot pink toes AND fingers, then home to get ready for the evening. I met up with Mex and Schmauren at Gleason's in Astoria for a few beers before we headed into Manhattan to the Spring Street Lounge for Schmate's birthday party. I hadn't been to that bar in a few years, but used to really enjoy (as it was particularly male-heavy), and once the crowd thinned out a bit this time, I remembered why I liked it so much! I mean, in addition to the menfolk. The whole Muncher gang had a great silly time, and then Mex, Schmauren and I cabbed it back to Astoria for some nightcaps at Sweet Afton. It was a blast, and I felt like a kid again. I never go out in Manhattan anymore, but it's nice to get into the city and deal with the rabble every now and then.
Sunday was recovery and laziness in the form of Chicken Tikka Masala delivery, watching tv and two romantic comedies in a row. Did You Hear About the Morgans was amusing at points but also a bit frustrating (I have a hard time when asked to be sympathetic to adulterers, what can I say), then The Proposal was way better than I expected. I really enjoyed that one, and laughed loudly and weirdly at the naked-running-into-each-other scene. (Have you seen it? Spoiler, but something about how Ryan Reynolds keeps saying "I don't understand. Why are you wet?" just killed me.) Finally later in the night I cleaned up my room and filed my taxes, so I at least got something done with my day.
And this week should be a nice, springy one, with softball practice tomorrow (that might get rained out, not that I'm sort of crossing my fingers for that, ahem) and Harpie dinner on Thursday. I usually go from Sunday until Thursday without seeing Mex as it's our productive weekday habit, but I mentioned something yesterday about how Sundays are always sort of sad because in addition to being the end of the weekend, I know I won't see him for awhile (mush mush.) He suggested we get a quick bite on Tuesday. Cute.
Also, the publishing guy who hooks me up with most of my freelance projects has just asked me what my ultimate career goal is, as in, do I want to be an editor again for reals. He's probably just being curious, but my imagination immediately wondered if he's looking to hire an editor for his business start-up, etc. etc. It's obviously in fantasy land, but I wonder if I'd want to do that. I know I'm not that into joining corporate, commercial publishing again, but perhaps there's a way for me to do the work I enjoy while being a bit more independent. (Though I guess I'm doing that now, it's just not my day job.) Anyway, things to think about.
Food. (God, I haven't been good with diet & exercise lately, you guys. I don't know how much I weigh, and I think it's up again, but I feel pretty happy anyway so I don't care too much. Though I need to behave during these weeks so I can be flexible on the weekends! Time to crack down again!)
B - Special K, coffee, milk - 4
L - Swiss, cucumber, beet sandwich (clearly I need to go shopping), cottage cheese - 5
D - chicken meatloaf, salad with feta - 5.5
S - string cheese, orange, soup, granny bar - 5
Total - 19.5
Activity - walking home, whee!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Homemade Smoke Monster and What I Ate
It's Friday night...and the mood is right. Gonna have some fun, show 'em how it's done, TGIF.
Oh, the memories. Today is sort of a gloomy, cooler Friday, but that gives me a big burst of energy, as too many sunny days in a row freak me out. We need some variety and mystery in the weather, right? Besides, I like spring, and I am not ready for summer.
Last night's dinner with Mex was delicious, if one could overlook the brouhaha I created by spilling the marinade off of the baking sheet onto the bottom of the oven, thus creating a smoke monster, thus setting off BOTH oversensitive fire detectors in our apartment. Mex manned one while I manned the other, fanning in front of it and pressing the button. Those sorts of loud, incessant noises make me violent, though, so there was a big come(calm)down after that...but the food tasted great. Then after dinner, Mex had more midterm grading to get done, so I let him escape to the bedroom to work while I cleaned up and scrubbed the bottom of the oven for about 40 minutes. I wore myself out and still didn't get all the baked-on grease off. We couldn't find any product that would make a dent in it until my roomie suggested vinegar and baking soda, and that got some of the job done. Man, I think the rest is permanent -- I don't know what else we can do. Is it sad that I'd never cleaned an oven like that before? I don't know if I've had to. And now I will be careful enough with pan juices to never have to again, damnit.
Oh, prior to dinner, I came home to an apartment without power because a manhole cover had exploded in the street in front of our place, right into my landlord's parked car (the underside, poor car), and ConEd were busy outside working. Thankfully we were operational by 7:00 pm, so my evening continued as planned, but man, good thing there was a car parked to absorb the shock! As opposed to a person, I mean.
But TONIGHT! Is another Henna Party with BSH. There will be henna, and yummy food of some sort (maybe pizza?), and some moderate wine and maybe beer, if needed. I will attempt to defy the smoking temptation, but we'll see. (I've been doing pretty well, it's just the drinking that's the trigger.) Then home for some more Mex time. Tomorrow I should practice some of my softball moves (I was instructed to "strengthen my legs" for pitching...yikes), and tomorrow night is Schmate's big birthday bash. It's shaping up to be a great weekend, and all I have to do is get through five more hours of work...well, including one lunch hour, during which I will watch Top Chef: Masters that I missed on Wednesday. That part's not so bad.
Foods of today:
B - string cheese, coffee, milk, honey o's - 5
L - sandwich, yogurt - 5/6
D - TBD
S - soup, granny bar, vino - 4
Total - probably way over 20, but we'll see
Activity - walking to Columbus Circle to meet BSH, recreating the Henna Murder Pose (below)
Oh, the memories. Today is sort of a gloomy, cooler Friday, but that gives me a big burst of energy, as too many sunny days in a row freak me out. We need some variety and mystery in the weather, right? Besides, I like spring, and I am not ready for summer.
Last night's dinner with Mex was delicious, if one could overlook the brouhaha I created by spilling the marinade off of the baking sheet onto the bottom of the oven, thus creating a smoke monster, thus setting off BOTH oversensitive fire detectors in our apartment. Mex manned one while I manned the other, fanning in front of it and pressing the button. Those sorts of loud, incessant noises make me violent, though, so there was a big come(calm)down after that...but the food tasted great. Then after dinner, Mex had more midterm grading to get done, so I let him escape to the bedroom to work while I cleaned up and scrubbed the bottom of the oven for about 40 minutes. I wore myself out and still didn't get all the baked-on grease off. We couldn't find any product that would make a dent in it until my roomie suggested vinegar and baking soda, and that got some of the job done. Man, I think the rest is permanent -- I don't know what else we can do. Is it sad that I'd never cleaned an oven like that before? I don't know if I've had to. And now I will be careful enough with pan juices to never have to again, damnit.
Oh, prior to dinner, I came home to an apartment without power because a manhole cover had exploded in the street in front of our place, right into my landlord's parked car (the underside, poor car), and ConEd were busy outside working. Thankfully we were operational by 7:00 pm, so my evening continued as planned, but man, good thing there was a car parked to absorb the shock! As opposed to a person, I mean.
But TONIGHT! Is another Henna Party with BSH. There will be henna, and yummy food of some sort (maybe pizza?), and some moderate wine and maybe beer, if needed. I will attempt to defy the smoking temptation, but we'll see. (I've been doing pretty well, it's just the drinking that's the trigger.) Then home for some more Mex time. Tomorrow I should practice some of my softball moves (I was instructed to "strengthen my legs" for pitching...yikes), and tomorrow night is Schmate's big birthday bash. It's shaping up to be a great weekend, and all I have to do is get through five more hours of work...well, including one lunch hour, during which I will watch Top Chef: Masters that I missed on Wednesday. That part's not so bad.
Foods of today:
B - string cheese, coffee, milk, honey o's - 5
L - sandwich, yogurt - 5/6
D - TBD
S - soup, granny bar, vino - 4
Total - probably way over 20, but we'll see
Activity - walking to Columbus Circle to meet BSH, recreating the Henna Murder Pose (below)
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