Stormy Weather and What I Ate

Hellooo internets!  I have a bit of a breather at work before another project lands on my desk, so I'd better take advantage of the time to update here.  It's great to be busy at work, but I do miss *some* of my screw-around time.  (I recently learned that most of the lawyers would rather give their paralegal projects to me than to the actual paralegal who has been her for a few years.  Apparently I'm more efficient and smart enough to understand any instructions the first time, etc.  Yes, I'm bragging, but it makes me feel good about trying a new career path!)

How were all of our lovely weekends, especially those of you on the east coast?  It was really spring on Saturday here, very warm and sunny.  I even wore sunscreen.  But I confess, I preferred Sunday's weather -- it was about 8 degrees cooler and with a few clouds, and it seemed more spring-like and also reminded me of Michigan's cool summer mornings. 

Anyway, activity report.  Friday night was my roommate's birthday party in Astoria at Gleason's (where I also had mine!), and I stopped in for a few $4 drafts.  It was more fun than I expected, as usually her group of friends are theater-types that drive me insane, but I found a couple of her long-time guy friends to chat (and make inappropriate jokes) with.  Then it was a walk home, meeting up with Mex on the way, then some television and a reasonable (and reasonably sober) bedtime.  Saturday we woke up to the sunshine, and decided to walk over the bridge to Roosevelt Island.

For those of you who don't know, Roosevelt Island is a narrow (800 ft) island between Manhattan and Queens.  It's about 2 miles long, and it's reachable by car, footbridge (from Astoria), and tram (when it's in service.)  It's mostly residential, and there are only 3 restaurants, 1 Starbucks, and 1 Gristede's supermarket on the island, at least that are easily found.  Mex and I walked over the bridge from 36th Avenue in Astoria and walked to the southernmost tip first, where there are some burned-out ruins of old hospital buildings and sort of a reedy bluff overlooking the East River and the skyline, and it was gorgeous.  We were warm in the sun but with a nice breeze keeping us cool, so we sat and soaked it in for a bit there.  Then we walked back up to the middle where we stopped for pizza and soda and another walking break, then walked up to the northernmost tip to see the lighthouse.  All in all, we figured we walked about 6 miles, including the full circumference of the island and getting to and from it.  It was great exercise and really fun to explore -- which is one of my favorite things to do with him!  Then it was to Manhattan to get some work done for him, and home for me for a nap and laundry.  We met up again later to watch basketball in bed and pass out from exhaustion. 

Sunday we were lazier, reading in bed with the basketball games on mute, and I managed to finish The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society before bed last night!  (I'd started it at about 11:00 am, but didn't read all in one sitting.)  It's a great book, both for historical fiction lovers and really any fans of the novel.  It's all epistolary, which I thought I'd hate but was actually a really effective method of storytelling, and I'd recommend it to anyone.  It's humorous and touching and a rather quick read, too.  Anyway, we also ordered Indian, so I had Chicken Tikka Masala for lunch and dinner, and after Mex left and the basketball was switched off (whew), I watched Bright Star.  I had very high hopes for that one, but MAN, it was way too melodramatic, and while I normally enjoy sweeping romantic historical dramas, the characters were unsympathetic and there was relatively little plot, so it was just boring and repetitive.  Also, what do we think of this Abbie Cornish person?  Her attitude as Fanny Brawne gave me the same anger I feel when I see Kristen Stewart, but maybe that was just in this role.  Then I watched an episdoe and a half of The L Word on DVD from Netflix, and I really just can't wait for Jenny Schecter to die.  She is the worst.  (It seems I had some anger issues yesterday, huh?  I wasn't really angry in general, just some characters frustrate me.) 

Annnyyyywayy, it was a lovely weekend and while it's gross and rainy today, it's better that it waited until a school day!

Food:
B - Honey Bunches, coffee, milk - 4
L - sundried tomato turkey, swiss, L&T sammy, apple - 5
D - chicken meatloaf, salad with feta - 5/6
S - yogurt, string cheese - 2
Total - 17ish, will need to add more
Activity - bike at the gym  (not only is it too rainy to walk home, but I have a blister that's the size of a silver dollar on my inside left heel)

Misc and What I Ate: Friday!!! January 8

Good morning and happy Friday, finally!

In sad news, Blackbeard has shaved off his beard, but the name will stay. I dreamt last night that he was making me french toast, but we still were awkward together. (Also I was changing a super tiny baby's diaper?? In the kitchen? It wasn't my baby, though.) I wish we weren't fighting right now. :) OH, and also in sad news, my long-latent crush on a former co-worker who happens to resemble a young Bruce Springsteen (swoon) was something I thought I'd finally be able to focus on. (Translation: I'm single now, he's cute, we're friends, let's get drinks and see what happens.) BUT he's had to move back to NJ (seriously, he's so Bruce) and I don't know when he'll be in the city next. He said he'd let me know, but for now, there won't be a distraction there. I need a new one.

I've been obsessively tracking my Proactiv order, since apparently my skin is always going to act like a teenager, and it left Edison, NJ this morning. I'm crossing my fingers that it arrives today!

I rode for 40 minutes at the gym last night, and I really wish I could trust those "mileage" counters on the bikes. I think it differs greatly from bike to bike, though I'll have to watch more closely. According to the bike I was on last night, I rode about 14 miles, but that seems excessive to me. Still, it was a great workout and my legs still feel tired this morning, which is a good thing, since they'll have at least today to rest, and probably longer. Oh, and I ate a light string cheese before the gym so that I wasn't starving, and I think that's a good plan for the future. I think I earned about 4 activity points, so I can give up 2 for sustenance.

I also am halfway through the book I'm reading now (and read on the bike), a biography of Robert Louis Stevenson, which I'm really enjoying, to my surprise. I'd just previously read one of Walt Whitman, and while he's interesting, the style of the bio was way too dense and academic. This RLS one is much more commercial and while I don't know if I've actually read any of his writing, I like reading about him. It's basically historical non-fiction about a rather interesting life.

I realized that after doing all that Indian food math yesterday, I forgot that I'm getting brunch with T tomorrow, which I'm sure will require excess points. That said, I think the Indian can fit into today's budget, so it wasn't entirely a waste.

Eating.
B - coffee, Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries (aka Best Cereal Ever), Milk (4)
L - chicken and swiss on sandwich thin with L&T, Miracle Whip light and mustard; apple (4)
D - Chicken Tikka with Basmati rice (8); celery sticks with light sour cream dip (1)
S - light yogurt (2)
Total - 19 ish
Activity - doing laundry, commuting
Flex points remaining - 35

I've started drinking a glass of Crystal Light after dinner at night as a dessert, since I always want something sweet. It's working, though it feels a little sad.

Misc and What I Ate: Thursday, January 7

Almost the weekend...phew. I was spoiled with so many short working weeks over the holidays! This long, frigid, boring week is almost over, though, and I can't wait. At least I was very responsible with the odds & ends of life.

Speaking of, I did NOT make it to the gym last night. I actually worked some overtime and got home around 7 pm, starving and with low blood sugar. So I ate and relaxed and watched an episode of Lost (to refresh my memory before the season premiere!) I am going to go tonight, and I do think 3-4 times per week, with additional movement in the form of walking, stair climbing, etc., is reasonable.

Eat it.
B - coffee, Special K with Red Berries, Milk (4)
L - chicken and swiss on sandwich thin with L&T, Miracle Whip light and mustard; apple (4)
D - brown rice with vegetable tomato sauce and cubed chicken (7); romaine salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, homemade vinaigrette (2)
S - light yogurt (2)
Total - 19, for now
Activity - 30-40 minutes of stationary bike riding (at varied resistances)
Flex points remaining - 35

I've almost read through my collection of books at home, or at least the ones that look appealing right now. (I've been out of corporate publishing for almost a year, and it's taken me this long to get through some of the stacks!) So...I'm planning on stopping by my branch of the Queens library this weekend to pick up some good ones. I know I want to read Julie & Julia, but I'll see what else looks good. Feel free to make recs. That said, I've never actually set foot into the Broadway branch of the Queens library -- I always had so many books to read at home, plus I was scared away by screaming-in-Spanish children, but I'm resolved to go now. It'll be an adventure.

So yes, that's part of what I'm looking forward to this weekend. Being newishly single, I need to find/plan activities to keep me busy, so that's one of them. I'm right now planning to do laundry and then watch a movie at home on Friday night, then brunch in Astoria on Saturday with T, then library and grocery shopping, then to Brooklyn at night for HennaParty2010 with L. And lots of wine. Sunday will be my day of rest and recovery, and probably lots of movies/Lost.

I would reaaallllllyyyy like to get some Indian takeout this weekend, too, but so far I haven't found a good reference for the actual number of WW points in the dishes. (Most just say "Way too many!") There's a place across the street from me that serves ghee-free homemade, delicious, fresh and authentic Indian food, but it still may be too full of fatty stuff. Hmm, though perhaps I can split my flexies between Indian and wine?

It's time to do some math. "Small" glass of wine is 2 points. Chicken tikka (4 oz.) is 4 points. Naan (7"x8") is 4. Chicken tikka masala, according to various sketchy internet sites, is in the 5-7 point range. (It has its own Facebook page!) Basmati rice is about 4 points for 1 cup.

Saturday night wine allotment is 8 points-ish. Food at L's is probably a few more flexies, but don't know what we're eating yet! Let's say I have about 20 leftover flex points, so technically if I behave otherwise, I could swing an Indian meal (2 actually, since I'll have leftovers), though I should probably skip the naan. Thanks for letting me think out loud, internets!