Weekend and Birthday Celebrating

Yesterday was a semi-productive day. Was able to get some school stuff finished up for this week’s classes, ran almost 2 miles on the treadmill at an increased speed from a couple of days ago (not trying to overdo it, just gradually working up the speed intensity and then the time intensity), and then went out to dinner in town to celebrate my dad’s birthday. It is not until next Sunday, but it falls on the Superbowl (not that my family is big into football at all), and my sister has to work, so between everyone’s schedules, this weekend was easier to plan dinner for.  The food was phenomenal – I had never been to this restaurant before, but I think everyone loved their food.

Crab Ravioli with lump crabmeat, asparagus, olives, yellow tomatoes, and grilled shrimp

I got the above, the crab ravioli. I couldn’t eat it all, because I also had awesome calamari and bruschetta to start. I don’t think there was anything to complain about food wise. And our poor waiter was new and obviously nervous about having to memorize like ten different specials, and then my sister asks him what the cooks can make that is vegan. The look on his face was priceless; kind of like he shit his pants or something. So I felt bad for him, but he got a good tip and everything else went smoothly. So, the first birthday dinner down for the year…only four more to go (and each of us is in a separate season, with the exception of myself and my sister’s boyfriend – both of us are summer birthdays).

Ended up going out with a girlfriend of mine and her friends for a little bit afterwards, and ended up running into some people from highschool. I also realized that I think I could be content just being a homebody. Though it would be nice to be a homebody with someone, but for the time being, school is the prime focus.  And so today has been non-productive to start, and I really should get working on a mid-term project that I am already freaking out about.

Ciao!

A hot mess…

I feel like today was not the most productive day, though I did get a bunch of errand-stuff completed. Got over to the city to get blood drawn for school (wanted to go yesterday but they close at 4:00), hit the bank, got my nails done, got a little bit of school work finished, and then ran. And ran. I was feeling frustrated today and just plugged into I Heart Radio on my IPhone and rocked out until I couldn’t anymore. And thus, I look like a sweaty mess afterwards.  But it made me feel better.

progress…it’s the small steps that add up to the big results…

    Down to 133lbs today!  Woke up early and was running by 6:30. I felt like I was going to die half way through, but I am assuming that was because I forced myself to literally sprint through the latter half of the work out last night. I am happy about where I am at weight-wise, but am still working towards more results in terms of muscle development and tone. Though, as with everything else in life, that will come with both time and effort. So I push on, hating every step on that treadmill, but feeling great at the conclusion of the race.

As a much younger person, I despised the morning. I lived for the warm comfiness of my bed, especially on cold winter mornings when you’re chilled to the bone as soon as you set your feet on the floor. But now, as a latter-20 -something, I love the morning. I have done a flip-flop from being a night owl to a morning person. I enjoy watching the sun rise (on mornings I drive to work) and seeing the siloughette of the bare trees as the sun comes up behind.

The days I have time in the morning, I enjoy the work out too. Though staring at a wall in the basement is less zen-like than a sunrise (really, no comparison). But the morning run gets me going – the endorphines start running around and getting me energized for the day. Though the end of day run has its positive points – as in running off the stressors of the day. I still prefer the first, though.

til tomorrow…

Another day draws to a close…

What a busy day! To start, I was intermittently woken up at 1:00 AM (not sure who was up around here at that hour), and then I woke up again at 4:30 and laid in bed until 5:30 when my alarm went off. A busy day at the office – lots of new people in today. Had delicious Pad Thai from Somsak (reheat) for lunch, and then headed up from Vineland around 3:15 to head to my class in the city.

Tonight we learned about the Health Belief Model and the various constructs that it is composed of. We also took ‘case studies’ and broke each scenario down to address each construct and design a health intervention to address said problem. Sounds complex, but it wasn’t too bad. And it was actually quite interesting. Group discussions are (for obvious reasons) helpful in bringing to light perspectives and/or questions you may not have thought of yourself. I tend to spend most of the discussion period asking myself why I don’t think of all these awesome comments.  So class was a success – as it is my favorite of the two classes I am taking this term. I seem to change my mind on  a weekly basis on what I think I would like to do career-wise in the public health field. Luckily for me, there is such a plethora of opportunities, at this rate I probably can afford to switch plans once a week.

Onward to  home, I spent a bit of time on the treadmill. I have a love-hate relationship with the machine. I get excited when I think about running (because I think about the long-term effects), but then I hate it for making my legs burn while I am enduring the workout. Either way, I keep on forcing myself to run. Not for extended periods of time, as I am not looking to become an exercise junkie. But it is a good way to run off the day and whatever may be on my mind can go mute for a half hour or so. And in addition, it will help me become a little more toned. It would be nice to actually be able to outrun someone if I have to and not have to stop and ask them to hold up so I can catch my breath.

So, tomorrow begins a new day, starting with an early morning run before getting to work. I tend to look forward to the weekend, but those two days are always less planned out, and therefore I have more a propensity to procrastinate. I have to set deadlines in my head and convince myself they are real in order to get shit done. I strangely have a desire to do something in the city – like walk or go to dinner, or to the comedy club….but most likely that won’t happen. I guess we’ll see, eh?

 

and just because….

 

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Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. -Jim Ryan

Today is the second day of my new plan to get into shape. Not that I am overweight, but I being skinnier than I was doesn’t necessarily mean I am in shape.

This is currently where I am. Though if I had to outrun something at a jog, I could probably last about a mile or so. However, that is if I were outrunning something on a treadmill. God know I would last about 5 blocks of real life running. But, that is besides the point (or is it?). The point is, I have to start somewhere. If its 15 minutes running and 15 running (split on either side of the running), then that is where I will start. I’m not trying to run a marathon. I just want to feel fit, and not just like I lost weight.

I am also enjoying the fact that I got all my school-related homework and reading done and it was before 4 PM on a Saturday. I did some last night and finished the rest today. If I knew now that I had the capability of getting shit done in a timely manner and actually absorbing the information I was reading/studying, I could have saved myself a lot of grief at the beginning of undergrad. But that is in the past and I am not dwelling on that. I just like moments when I realize how different I am from about 6 years ago. And how much someone can change. For the better, of course

 

 

let’s keep moving…

And I believe that the best buy in public health today must be a combination of regular physical exercise and a healthy diet. ~Julie Bishop

I have decided to restart some type of physical fitness routine. Tomorrow morning. I’m dreading it, but somewhat excited at the same time. I have lost 30 pounds since the middle of August, but more due to not eating as much (like mindless snacking and snacking on less healthy food choices), and keeping busy as to avoid the boredom-induce food binge. However, less caloric intake is obviously not the sole fix for weight loss, as we all know. And while I probably burn a decent number of calories each day, at this time, it’s that I am consuming less than what I probably should to function at my optimum. So. Given some recent life stress, that this will help me to also refocus my energy and stay on track. Work and grad school are keeping me busy, so adding some sort of work-out routine Thursday-Sundays will add to it, but will help keep me going.

This new leaf will also coincide with the fact that I am going for a masters in Public Health – and one of the ideals that this field preaches is physical fitness and healthy eating. I might as well talk the talk and walk the walk, huh?

I am thoroughly excited about school and all the opportunities that are available both during my tenure and once I have graduated. Perhaps my dream of living abroad in some hard-to-pronounce country helping with their health system and programs will actually come to fruition. Then again, perhaps it won’t….but I am already closer each day to it becoming a possibility. Someone recently told me that they thought I wouldn’t do anything with this degree once I earn it – and to that I cannot disagree more. Despite that being a somewhat hurtful comment, it also is plain untrue. This is what I am passionate about. I still have the ideals of saving the world that I did fifteen years ago.  Maybe more so. And yeah, I am one person. But it only takes one.   Life is changing and transitioning rapidly, and while part is a sadly a chapter coming to a close, there are is a new chapter that already had begun to open. Today was a little rough for a while due to all of this, but I had some people who were there for me and willing to listen and let me cry. And for the support of friends and family, I am always grateful.

So it’s getting on towards 11pm, and tomorrow is going to be an early morning of kicking my own ass running….so I bid you farewell and goodnight.

Begin each day with a grateful heart

       I was thinking today ….not only at sunrise while I was driving through Southern New Jersey to work, but also as I took the train over at dusk into Philadelphia for my night class ….about the beauty in things. It sounds trite or cliché, perhaps, but do you ever just stop and observe? Granted, it is somewhat difficult to do while driving a car, but to notice how the colors come across the sky in the morning just before the sun comes over the horizon, or how the colors shift as the sun is setting over the Philadelphia skyline. I suppose I am artsy by nature (I fancy myself a photographer, writer, and artist….maybe in another life, haha),  but the little things we pass by in our rush to get going in the morning. The way that the icy frost has settled on the windshield in such a funky, beautiful display. Or the way the leafless trees are silhouetted against a dawning sky.

I just feel like we all get so wrapped up in everything we have to do each day that we have a tendency to forget what is important. And perhaps what colors are being painted across the sky in the morning, or the soft gentleness of freshly fallen snow does not seem important to everyone. But it always brings me back to the title of this post -  Begin each day with a grateful heart. And I am guilty of losing sight of that mantra from time to time, but I like to think that I try my damnedest to be grateful for the simple beauty around us, the fact that it was here long before us and will be long after us, and that there is something bigger than my daily to-do list. It puts into perspective on a daily basis that there is important work to be done, but nothing can truly be accomplished if we cannot be peaceful in both heart and soul and grateful and mindful of the sometimes simple things that surround us.

So…on your journey today or tomorrow….try to remember that mantra. Because even if you are having a really bad day, and it seems like everyone is out to make you mad or to bring you down, you can remember that there are reasons for why people do what they do and say what they say. And perhaps they are fighting a bigger battle today than you are. And without a doubt…someone is having a worse day than you…and could probably use a little empathy and compassion. But you don’t know who that person is. So why not put your own day in perspective and try to make someone else’s better – because it ultimately helps the giver more than the receiver. And if you try to do this every day, it becomes a habit of helping someone else instead of yourself…and it puts everything into a more positive light, even on those really crappy days.  So begin tonight, or tomorrow, with a grateful heart. And think about what that means. And consciously take the time to notice something beautiful. And you will start to notice beauty everywhere. And it just makes life a little bit better.

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Lovelies

Just Because…

It is snowing – for the second time in a week here in Jersey, and because I have decided my university should close, even though they have yet to, I’ve decided to postpone any actual schoolwork. Instead, I am distracting myself from what I should be doing by finding fun things online to share with you. And you. Since there are at most two people who read this.

First off, however, some nice pictures of the current weather from this morning through tonight.

And, now for some warmer colors and fun things

I love this simple but elegant side porch. I wouldn’t mind having it myself!

I love this kitchen – it is has both modern and traditional style, and they meld nicely together. And I love islands, so that is a must! Both of the above can be found here.

I discovered Lonny Magazine, which can be viewed online, and has some wonderful ideas. This one in particular is awesome – the illusion of actual books, but it is really wallpaper.As a book nerd, I dig it. (update: through random blog surfing, I was able to track down the location from whence this came: Anthropolgie!) I wasn’t able to figure out how to post that picture, so you have to do an extra click to see it.  

And this little guy is just so cute. He can be found at this blog, which has some other fun items.

And…some geekery: “I Love You” in Binary code, as pictured below.

This, and other cute pieces can be found at Wall Envy Art on Etsy

And finally, this fun website, titled Out of Print Clothing, featuring shirts such as:

Granted, they only have these for Men’s sizes, but I believe that Women’s are coming in March. Love em!

So….that’s all for now, just some random things to look at to distract you from whatever you should be doing, or could be doing to better spend your time.

Looting & Brandishing in Haiti

I wonder if anyone is annoyed at the rampant use of “looting” by the media in regards to the earthquake aftermath in Haiti. I watched either CNN or MSNBC last week, and they made a interesting point that in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, media outlets referred to white people as foraging or finding food and to black people as looting or stealing. I think it is interesting that now in Haiti, which is predominantly black, the term “looting” is the only word we are hearing/seeing.

Do these reporters, editors and the like stop to consider that most likely, this so-called looting is not for the sake of stealing, but rather out of desperation for sustenance and survival? These are people who had shitty conditions before this earthquake; now, they have even less, if anything at all. The international aid has had its issues (still) getting outside of the small airport and port and to the people in the most desperate need. If I were in the position of these people, I probably would be rushing vehicles with people who are giving out food, and perhaps would take what I need from stores, etc. I think we should get past the semantics and focus on the reality of the situation: everyone who was there at the time of the earthquake; be them black, white, followers of Christianity or Voodoo, French speaking or English, are trying to survive.  For those who do not have the money and resources to get out of Haiti, the situation is worse. For those who do not have immediate access to food and water, the situation is critical. And there should not be the negative connotation of looting when what’s being taken is food, water, and survival items.

On another note – the comments about gangs of young men roaming the streets brandishing machetes should be put into context. If this country is a culture whose citizens begin using machetes at a young age, as I know is common in other countries such as Costa Rica (as I have seen firsthand a 5 year old ‘brandish’ a machete for his chores more expertly than I ever could), then this comment is ridiculous. Is there proof that these men are using machetes in a menacing way to harm others or are they using them in case the need for protection in an increasingly tense situation?

I think there are a lot of assumptions being made about this situation that may not be true. And I think, if anything, we owe these people who are just at the beginning of this horrible state of affairs the decency to report the facts, and not assumptions based (however subtly) on race, economics, and a culture we are largely unfamiliar with.