I Need A Break

Packing sucks! I pretty much hate it. But traveling does not suck and I pretty much love that so packing is a necessary evil. I'm REALLY proud of myself this time for not freaking out. I'm usually such a hot mess before a trip but I think I've literally grown exhausted with stressing out over it.  You can only agonize so much.  Or maybe it's just this cute little pack this notepad my little sister got me for my Birthday.  It's been a lifesaver.  It keeps me sane.  It gives me a place to write all my little reminders and check things off because I have this overwhelming need to check things off when I feel stressed.  It has EVERYTHING you could ever want or need to bring with you on a trip so that nagging awful feeling that I've forgotten something doesn't haunt me so much.

I'm off to Vegas this weekend.  The timing couldn't be better.  I'm tired.  Burnt.  Fried.  And certainly not because I've been getting any sun.  Sitting at my desk day after day at work and being tired because I'm lame and never get myself to bed on time has taken it's toll.  I've been in this position for 3 years now and it was a grueling year.  I need a vacation.  I always need a vacation but right now I REALLY need a vacation. Not that my job isn't awesome or anything.  I mean, who doesn't love curriculum right?  Not to toot my own horn or anything because I didn't actually win but I was nominated for Outstanding Employee of the year.  This week was employee appreciation week and I got gift cards to Starbucks, i tunes and Jamba Juice.  I got green tea and a really pretty pink water bottle too.  It was like Christmas in May.  Our bosses are really nice to us, I like the laid back atmosphere and I have great co workers but I can only take so much and I need a break.

Usually when I go to Vegas it's in the 100's but it should be mostly 90's which is perfect.  The only thing I'm not looking forward to is traffic and the crowded see and be seen party vibe at the pool.  My sister will be driving us up there Friday morning and we're meeting one of my BFF's there.  She's almost 8 months pregnant and she wants to go dancing so this should be interesting.  The weird thing is that due to what I will call extenuating circumstances both of their husbands will be there.  The  three of us have our own room and it's still a girls trip as far as we are concerned.  The men are just a side thing.  And no Mj does not feel left out at all.  He gets annoyingly excited when he gets the house to himself.  He talks about all the things he's gonna get to do while I'm away like go see Hangover 3.  Like I'm some kind of jail warden or something.  Yeah, I may get on his nerves just like he does mine and there might be a little nagging on my end but for the record that man does what he wants.  I guess it's just freeing to have some alone time when you co-habitate 99% of the time.

I got my club outfit ready and my bikini packed.  Off to the land of pool parties and flip flops I go.

Magazine Musings

I subscribe to 3 magazines. Half the time they end up piled up in the backseat of my car so I can read them when I have hair appointments. When it's time for vacation I usually have a stack of them saved up.  I'm so distracted by everything else that reading magazines literally takes a back seat.  It may take me a while but I read every one cover to cover.

Here are some random things that caught my eye in the May issue of Marie Claire, which by the way I can't believe I actually got to it in May!  And even posted about it in May.  If you want to read the full article just click each link.

Second Class Soldiers?
If you are part of a same sex marriage and your spouse dies in combat under the current law the surviving spouse is not awarded the spouses Purple Heart or granted the same benefits as the surviving spouse of a straight couple.  The 1996 Federal Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage as a union between a man and woman and therefore does not include same sex couples.  It's another example of the neverending process that is updating laws to our current reality.  Our laws can't keep up.  I think that if the same sex marriage is legally recognized then they should receive those same benefits too.  I hope that gets changed.

Babies in Burkas
Islamic culture doesn't require the wearing of a Burka until puberty but in certain areas they want it to start at infancy.  Why?  Can't they just just let a baby girl be a baby girl?  Her life becomes more and more complicated and difficult the older she gets.  I don't understand what harm the sight of an innocent baby girl could bring.  It sends such a terrible message and and is such an unfair double standard.  That picture is so sad.  I think it teaches them to be ashamed of themselves.  This little girl is hiding under a blanket living in a culture where she learns from infancy that she is so inferior that she is not to be seen or heard and should basically just disappear. 

Splurge vs Steal
These always crack me up because at outrageous as the splurge price is even the steal price is out of control.  The outfit on the left is $15,010.  But if you pinch your pennies and bargain hunt you can get it for the low price of $920 purchasing the items on the right.  I can't help but wonder why are clothes so expensive?  I can buy a car for that much or less so how could something you wear on your body be so costly?  Is anyone buying this stuff?  I guess rich folks are but I wouldn't know a thing about that.  I won't be getting the splurge or the steal.  I'll stick with following my trusty fashion bloggers who shop at Forever 21, Old Navy, splurge at J Crew and could probably put this outfit together for $50 bucks.

Italian for Beginners
John and Ondine were a typical couple living in NYC until they threw caution to the wind along with a lot of money and opened a posh boutique hotel in Tuscany.  Not only was that one a success but they just opened a second one.  I loved Italy when we were there but I did not come home with any kinds of ideas of moving there let a lone starting a business there.  It's one of the few places I'd actually consider living which is probably not a good thing because I'd probably want Pizza every day.  I already want Pizza every day living here.  As cool as it sounds to live in Italy and be your own boss I can't even say I would want to.  I mean, in a faraway fantasy maybe; but in real life....I don't know.  I just wouldn't know where to start.  They felt the same way but they did it anyways.  Major guts.

Scarlett Johansson on Social Media
All of it drives me crazy.  I don't understand this need to 'share.'  We almost exploit ourselves in order to feel seen.  

She makes a good point.  I like it when I post something and it gets liked or commented on.  It means that someone paid attention.  Someone was interested in something I had to say.  Who doesn't like that?  On the other hand, I'm not gonna put out a sex tape just to see how many hits I can get on You Tube.  Not that anyone would be all that interested in my sex tape since I'm not a celebrity and all but you know what I mean.  Some people take their sharing way too far.  I felt like I was getting really caught up in posting everything all the time so I'm really trying to be conscious of it and not be so "into" it.   You start to wonder why you are so interested in what everyone else is doing and spending so much time scrolling through feed after feed on your phone. It can be fun, but when I realize it's sucking up too much time it gets annoying.

Jordana Brewster
I just love this girl!  The first movie I saw her in was The Faculty. She's such a good actress and has such a natural beauty about her.  Olive complexion, dark hair, dark eyes.  Oh, how I wanted her bangs! I wish she were in more movies.  I feel like I don't see her in all that much but she's kept her role in Fast and Furious 6 which I really can't believe took off the way it did.  I don't even know if I've seen them all because there are just too many to keep track.  I'm not the biggest fan.  They are all so phony and kind of the same thing over and over.  The car scenes are so over the top. I'm sure I'll watch it but it's not on my must see movie list.  I'm mainly interested because she's in it.  Oh, and Vin Diesel is fun to look.


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Life Lessons From The Office

The people on The Office are weird.  Only three of them are normal.  Pam, Jim and Darryl.  Okay, and maybe Erin when she's not being so dense.  There is nothing outwardly desirable or interesting about their life.  Their clothes are blah.  Their jobs are blah.  Their lives are one big blah.  They are working 9-5 stiffs at a paper company.  Could there be anything more boring then paper?  In a boring town that nobody would ever really want to visit.  And their office parties are terrible.  

 

People don't want to see that.  They like watching young beautiful people who look like they fell out of a magazine working at glamorous jobs, wearing the latest fashions and doing trendy things.

Except maybe that's not always the case.  Maybe sometimes people get tired of all that high gloss perfection.  Sometimes we just want to see normal people doing ordinary things.  Well, actually there is nothing normal about Dwight and Kevin or about Andy crapping on the hood of a car but still.  In general, they are just regular people.  Like me.  They are flawed.  Goofy.  They are not Forever 21 and they don't always make sense.  They go to work in a colorless office building, sit in the same desk and see the same people every day.  They go to meetings in the conference room.  They joke around.  They meet up for happy hour.  They become friends.  The months turn into years.  I can relate.  I get to do really fun things and I savor my weekends off but by and large because it happens five out of seven days of the week the day to day is about going to work.  It's a normal every day sometimes hum drum life and I liked seeing it on TV In all of it's embarrassingly awkward yet funny yet what the hell just happened glory.  It's way more exciting then what goes on in my office but at the same time so real. And really bizarre.

The Office figured out a way to make ordinary interesting and there is nothing ordinary about how interesting these ordinary characters could be and how they kept people wanting more for 9 seasons.  

When my husband was getting ready to delete the very last episode from our DVR I made him stop.

Why?  Because.  I just wasn't ready to let it go yet.  I have a thing for words.  I love words that make me feel something inside.  The quotes at the end of the show were so moving.  I guess I just wanted to hear them said one more time.  And I didn't want to forget.

It took me so long to do so many important things.  It's just hard to accept that I spent so many years being less happy then I could've been.  Be strong.  Trust yourself.  Love yourself.  Conquer your fears.  Just go after what you want and act fast because life just isn't that long.  -Pam

If you film anybody long enough they're going to do something stupid. It's only human natural.  (big goofy smile) -Kevin

When are we all going to be here?  Together again?  -Angela

If you are ever in the area.  You'll have a place to stay.  In my barn.  -Dwight

I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.  Someone should right a song about that. -Andy

You take something ordinary, like a piece of paper.  It's not much. But if you see it in the right way......-Oscar

How did you do it?  How did you capture what it was really like.  How we felt?  How we made each other laugh? And how we got through the day.  How did you do it?  Also, how do cameras work? -Erin

Everyday when I came to work all I wanted to do was leave.  So why in the world does it feel so hard to leave right now? -Darryl

No matter how you get there or where you end up.  Human beings have this miraculous gift to make that place home. -Creed

I worked for a paper company all these years and I never wrote anything down.  -Phyllis

Even if I didn't love every minute of it.  Everything I have I owe to this job.  This stupid, wonderful, boring, amazing job. -Jim

There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things.  Isn't that kind of the point?  -Pam

Who knew those nutty people could be so worldly and wise?  Here's my takeaway from The Office. 

• True love will find a way.  
• There is significant value as human beings in every single one of us.  
• Every person we meet touches our life in some way whether you realize it or not.  
• Don't forget to take delight in the ordinary every day joys of life.  
• Be present and soak it all in.  
• Life is not always perfect or what you expected but it's still yours and it has the potential to be whatever you want it to be so it's up to you to make the best of it. 

Adventures in Juicing

I'm weird and decided to to another juice fast.  Five was hard so this time I went for 3 days and then eating clean and low carb for the last two days. 

The Juice Factory//The Omega VRT350  

 I decided not to be lazy and actually make the juice instead of buying it.  If you make it all at once it's really not that bad.  You don't have to cut them into very small pieces and cleaning out the juicer parts wasn't that bad either.  If I ran out and needed some more I'd definitely just go buy it.  Instead of just tossing things into the juicer without counting everything out this time I kept track of how many vegetables it took to make how many ounces of juice.  This will help the next time I'm crazy enough to juice because I'll know exactly how much of everything to buy. 

Just in case you were wondering.

1 cucumber = 8 oz
2 apples =8 oz
4 carrots = 4 oz

3 cucumbers
29 carrots
16 apples
6 oz (4 cups) spinach
8 pieces of ginger root
Equals 148 oz (18.5 cups)

This should have given me enough juice to cover 48 oz per day for 3 days.  Or so I thought.  I counted each pour but my measurements must have been off probably because of all that foam at the top and I was about 8 oz short.   Which is about 2 Apples.  That was fine because instead of juice on Wednesday night I figured I'd just break my fast with a snack.

Nutritional Data per 16 oz
Calories 213
Total Fat  1g
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 160mg
Carb 68.5g
Fiber 0.5g
Sugar 45g
Protein 4

In order to come up with these numbers I added up the amount of Fiber in all the fruit being used and subtracted that number multiplied by calories per gram of Fiber which is 4.  I did however leave 0.5 grams of Fiber because I'm sure I'm getting a tiny fraction even through the juicing process.  I suck at math and numbers but when it comes to knowing that the calories in a piece of string cheese is 80 or that 16 oz equals= 1 pound =2.2 kilos = 14 stones or that there are 28 grams in an ounce I know it by heart.  I don't even have to look it up.  Just another mostly useless talent of mine!

The total cost was $22.  I'm still trying to figure out if that seems like a lot of money or not.  It averages out to about $7 per day.  I'm scared of Kale now because I had a really bad experience with it last time.  AFTER washing it but BEFORE I put it in the juicer I discovered a tiny caterpillar that came thisclose to making it into our juice.  The Horror!! Never again will I buy the Kale that has all the nooks and crannies in it.  It has to be the flat kind or pre washed until I'm able to get over that horrible experience.  They didn't have either at Sprouts when I went so I used spinach instead.  Pre washed spinach just to be safe.

Just like last time the first day was the hardest.  Going to bed too late and not getting enough sleep didn't help.  I don't even know how I dragged my butt to the gym on Monday and Tuesday.  On Tuesday I almost drove right past it.  I was sooo sleepy.  Day 2 and 3 were better.  All I could think about all day on Wednesday was the cheese and nuts I was gonna get to eat that night.

For the last two days I've been avoiding obvious carbs like bread, pasta or crackers and sticking to foods with high nutrition density and/or are not processed.  No snack monster allowed.  No candy.  No sweets.  I should probably eat like that every day or at least the majority of the time.  It's not that I'm eating a ton of unhealthy foods it's just that a lot of them are nutritionally void.  You don't get much in the way of nutritional value from Fat Free pringles.  I like to get my snack on and I like to eat like a 10 year old.  For dinner I like to eat Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches or a Cheese Quesadilla and I could eat the same thing every single day.  Mj practically has to wrench the PBJ right out of my fingers to get me to eat the healthy meals he cooks.

It's not a quick fix for weight loss and it's not for everybody.  My older sister won't try it and some believe it's just too extreme.  I had two other bloggers join me and like Mj one of them couldn't make it.  It's not the easiest thing to give up food for days but I've always had a high threshold for tolerating hunger.  I've never been that person that thinks they are about to die if they get a hunger pang.  Another useless talent?  I'm not sure how much of a habit I'll make it but so far it's been really good for helping rid myself of chocolate and sugar cravings and just get back on track.  Sometimes you just need a re set button.

Mini Cooper for Mother's Day

Opening her Mother's Day gift

The best gifts are ones that you already know someone wants but won't buy for themselves.  When we were shopping in LA last month we went into Victoria's Secret.  My mom tried on a Navy Blue "Pink" sweater but didn't get it because it was "too expensive."  When she opened her gift she was so surprised to see that very same sweater she left on the rack.  It felt really good to give it to her.  I loved her reaction.  I knew she would be surprised.  She started opening it and I said wait and ran to get my camera.  They are so cute I had to get one for myself.

Mimosa's

Pancho's Surprise // No surprise that this was delicious

For lunch we went to Anita's Mexican Restaurant.  We used to go to there all the time when I was a kid.  It's been a really long time since I've been.  It will probably be a while before I go again so for sentimental reasons I had to get Pancho's surprise.  I think it's the only thing I've ever ordered there.  It's this sloppy cheesy bean filled chicken enchilada.  Yum!  Just as good as I remembered.  The restaurant is right by the beach so we took a walk over there afterwards.  The thing about the beach is that even if it's 80-90 degrees everywhere else that good weather doesn't always make it to the coast.  The sun was trying to break through but there was too much cloud cover and it was mostly chilly and grey.  There were all these crazy people getting in the water and laying out in bikini's.  Didn't they notice the sun was missing?  I was freezing in my skirt and tank top and I wasn't even wet.   

At the beach

My cute nephew DJ // He was being a little bad that day but when you are 2 that's what you do

One non mom  and two moms

She gifted herself with a really cool Mother's Day gift last week.  A brand spanking new oh so cute Mini Cooper.  It's on my dream car but probably won't happen for another 5 years or so if ever list.  My sister and I test drove it.  I loved it and so does my mom.  It's about time she finally got a car that she REALLY wants and not something she settled for or got stuck with because my dad picked it out.

Mom and her Mini

I have a great mom.  She is selfless when it's easier to be selfish. So often she puts others needs in front of her own. She is kind, fun to be with and is the best mom I could ever ask for.  I feel very fortunate to have her for a mother and am so grateful for the close relationship that we have.  Sometimes I really wish I could do more for her.  She's worked hard all of her life.  If I was rich I would buy her a house, tell her to go on vacation and enjoy the rest of her life without worries because she deserves it.  I didn't buy my mom a Mini Cooper for Mother's Day but I really wish I could have.

Happy Hour or Bust

Most of the time a chair is just a chair and a table is just a table.  It's there.  You sit in it.  You eat at it.  You don't really think about it all that much.  But when you are in a club or a bar setting a chair is not just a chair and a table is not just a table.  It's turf.  And the competition to control them is fierce.

When the husband told me he wanted to go to Truluck's Seafood, Steaks & Crab House for his Birthday dinner my first thought was damn!  That place is really expensive and he wants to go there again?  They don't even have a parking lot so right off the top that's $8 for valet.  My second thought was if that's what my sweet husband wants then that's what he will get.  My third thought was that we had better make happy hour.   Happy hour is from 5-7 and we got there at 6pm.  I had a back up reservation for 7:15pm if the unthinkable happened and we didn't get a seat in the bar area but I was determined not to need it.  When I walked in I was on a mission.  Happy hour or bust.

It was Friday so the bar area was jam packed.  We joined the ranks of the lost souls floating around without tables.  On my way back from the bathroom I saw 3 people swoop in and grab seats on Mj's watch.  Mj, you gottta be on the look out!  So I'm standing there cutting my eyes left and right looking to see if anyone was wrapping up their meal or if a waitress was bringing anyone their bill.  Another couple happened to be standing near a table where people were leaving and they swooped in and stole that one.  Darn.

A girl walks in glued to her cell phone.  She stalks around scouting for a spot.  She was in the right place at the right time and even though we were there before her she snags two seats at the bar.  Timing  and location is everything when you are competing for bar real estate.  We stand around some more.  By this time it's 6:35pm.

We were standing behind this couple at the bar that looked like they'd been there for a while but she looked a little too cozy and he had barely made a dent in his beer.  They weren't going anywhere.  Another couple wearing black walked in and started trolling the bar.  I'm not the pushy type but I  couldn't let them snatch the next table from us.  My wallet was depending on it.  The couple behind us seemed to be wrapping it up so even though I could see the guy in the black suit pretty close to the table with the same idea I spoke up before he could and asked if they were leaving.  Black suit didn't go away so the girl pointed at us and said she thought we were there first.  His wife did not look happy that they didn't get the table but I told him.  Sorry, we've been looking for a spot since 6.  That table was ours.  And just in time because we had 25 minutes left of happy hour.  The waitress has seen physical fights break out over tables.  I believe it.  I've seen similar situations at other places and my friends and I have been known to be very possessive of "our" chairs.  I'm so glad I didn't have to fight.  Not that I would have.

I cancelled my 7:15 pm reservation on Open Table and ordered sliders, sweet potato fries and two glasses of champagne at 50% off bar menu happy hour prices.  Those are literally the only things I even liked on the whole menu.  Everything else was seafood.  Mj can have his $39 seafood trio in Bearnaise sauce off the dinner menu.  I'm a cheap date.  He's not.  His taste is expensive.  He claims he just likes "good" food and I guess I don't.  I have the palate of a 10 year old.  I don't need a $25 fillet when I'm just as happy with bar food, a simple grilled chicken or a good Cobb salad.  I enjoy eating out I just don't need anything fancy which usually means expensive.  But I don't like chain restaurants either.  The prices are good there are just too many other fun restaurants to explore in our city.

Once we got settled into prime real estate we had a really nice dinner.  I love the ambiance at this place.  When I'm not stalking people for their table that is.  The mouthwash dispenser in the bathroom is pretty cool but they also have a live singer and really great decor.  And they have the best sliders AND sweet potato fries I've ever had.   I took my husband out on a date.  He got his "good" food, I got my budget friendly eats and a good time was had by all.