Your Body on Yoga

A great info-graphic from the Huffington Post. See more information here.

Smoothie of the Week

via macskafarok

After yoga on Wednesday, I was a hungry, hungry hippo. We have been on a kick of trying to get rid of things in our fridge, and feel like we're constantly keeping up with best by dates. Using some of the things that were about to kick the bucket, I came up with this (and it was delicious):

1 cup soymilk
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup packed fresh spinach
1 cup frozen strawberries

Yum.

Things I Love Thursday

Nike Training Club
This App is free and it works on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. You select a goal and level, then find a workout that meets your criteria. It's rewards based, so you get to see how your latest workout has brought you closer to your next reward, like power smoothie recipes or high energy training circuits. I can't wait to use this tool next time I am at the gym (or not!).

Sleep Stream App

I have already mentioned this app offhandedly when I did my year end summary, but I thought it was worth re-mentioning. There are three things I like about this app. One, the ambient sounds are varied, although I doubt I will ever get sick of listening to a mountain stream as I fall asleep, since camping in the Gila Mountains by a stream is my "happy place." Two, There is a guided sleep meditation, which helps with my goal of meditating more this year. Three, there is an option to add a layer of binaural beats, and I have found this to be très helpful as a relaxing white noise option.

My April Goal

My goal for April is to workout more, especially in the mornings. As a server, I don't have to report to work until 10:30 AM, so there is a whole chunk of potential time to do...things! I could work! I could answer emails! I could...sleep in.

So this week I have been using Hulu's exercise TV feed to explore new cardio workouts. I bought a stability ball recently, and as soon as we've moved into the new place, I'll buy some weights. I commute by bike, although my world is so small these days, I'm rarely on it for more than ten minutes, but cool spring nights are the best time for rides out to Deer Island, so one of those trips is surely coming up.

This is the one thing I'm going to focus on in April. Eating better is also on the short list, but I think that one goal a month is going to be the way to make these changes lifetime changes instead of whims.

That was the worst thing I ever put in my mouth*

*and other awkward things you probably shouldn't say to your co-workers.

There was so much to type while I was busybusybusy at work today, and now it all wants to escape. I have some down time before yoga, though, so I thought I'd get it all out before my caffeine buzz wears off.

------------

Erm, scratch that -- went to yoga, then ran a few miles, and then had dinner. What happened was I ended up taking a phone call and talking to Laura instead of blogging, so you get me now at 10, instead of 5. I also quickly want to say that actually laughing out loud at work is only okay when most of the office is gone -- thank God for that.

So, anyway. Yesterday felt like several days.

I worked late, but between two and four-thirty didn't have anything to do. It was awkward, and kind of a bummer because I had to work late, but not long enough to get any overtime. Anything between thirty-seven and a half and forty-five hours in a week is a wash, actually. So I was riding the T pretty late, and it was kind of empty, and for some reason, I started thinking about New York. and my grandma. And sometimes I still get profoundly sad about losing her, and all these things remind me of her. I mean, it could be anything, but things that are inextrinkably linked to my grandma are New York, the subway; especially when I'm looking over the barrier, certain songs, morning glories, roses, and mangos. Yesterday, it was the subway. It kept crashing over me like waves. The feeling of loss, the emptiness, the tears. I couldn't keep it together the whole time, so I was grateful for the relatively empty train. I mean, when I was riding back to the apartment in New York from work (all the way from Trinity Church to 91st Street, y'all), I was sobbing, and hugging myself and bending over (And still - I couldn't get a seat. That's New York for you. Too many crazies for anyone to notice that I was in complete grief and maybe offer me their seat), and basically having a fit to be tied. All of that emotion crashed over me last night for a few stops. I let it. Sometimes I need to let the grief embrace me so that I don't need to go looking for it. I can be happy when I think of her if I allow myself to be sad for myself occasionally, I guess.

Anyway, I was fine once I was above ground. I felt silly, even. But through all of that, I forgot about getting off at Porter instead to pick up my dry cleaning, so I had to walk from Davis to Porter. I decided to call Ben. I knew he was leaving for Japan in a matter of weeks, and the voicemail I left seemed appropriate because it's Ben, but I implied that he should probably call me back before he leaves the country [in what, to me, was still "the unknown near future"]. Why this was funny was waiting for me at home: a facebook message telling me that he was actually leaving on Saturday (!) If that's not fate, I don't know what is.

So I talked to Ben for a bit. It's funny, because I think he'll be more accessible now that the blog is set up, and now that he's got a computer :) but I'm going to miss him just the same. Aside from Alisa, I'm mostly out of local friends with whom sitting around doing nothing is considered the most awesome weekend, ever.

Today was just batshit insane. Oh, no wait, it started yesterday. With the t-shirt fiasco, which quickly turned into the t-shirt joke of 2006. Haha. No really, guys. It's actually funny. I swear. Haaaa. See? See, we turned it into fun by having a t-shirt design war. During work. I mean. On our own time. This was the winner, by the way, designed by Laura:



If I can get permission, I'll post what I wish were going to be WILG's rush t-shirt. Seriously. My friends are too freakin' hilarious to handle. I also wish it didn't cost $200 to get any reasonable amount of t-shirts printed.

I'm very excited about tomorrow. I get to fill out health insurance forms and pick the stock options or whatever for my 401K (that's pronounced four-oh-wunk, right?) -- hooray!

Is it time to switch to tea yet?

I figured out a workout schedule that will accommodate my TV shows, but it requires going to group classes at the Club Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:45 in the A.M. This sounds awful, but I think I can do it. I think...

Today was gorgeous -- not too hot, even on the chilly side in the morning -- so I ate lunch outside with the other interns. On Fridays, the young'uns in the office get together for lunch, which is just one of the social perks I missed last year.

I'm still meeting people, and it's so awkward (I'm so awkward)...but there are some really nice folk here. I could get used to it.

Well, I was going to super-update, but it's happy hour, and the bar is calling...or so says the little "[beer]" "smiley" on my Instant-T messenger thingy. I'm with Juny, someone should run around the office screaming "Happy Hour!!!"

It's Like Riding a Bike

My ipod made it through my entire run today. There was [over!] thirty minutes of continuous play, and I was so proud of it I almost cried. I'll still be buying a nano when I get my first paycheck, because it's just an ipod, not a child, and I will feel no remorse trading it in. Ok - I'll feel a pang of remorse, but that's it, I swear!

My real reason for updating for the third time today, though, is that I needed to document something. I felt it today - that feeling that being alone right now is okay. I don't just mean sans-boyfriend, because it's deeper than that and almost completely unrelated. I remember when college boyfriend first moved to New York, and after a few months of adjustment, I started enjoying having an excuse to just be alone without feeling guilty that I wasn't spending time with him or even thinking about him, and I started *gasp* enjoying the moments of peace and solitude. A similar feeling of contentment washed over me today; I was alone with my thoughts and my music and myself and just being. I felt warm from the inside out, and I was glowing, pulsating - I was alive for the first time in a long time. The running helped. The warm sun on my face helped. The guy with the Smiths shirt and the burgundy leather jacket who smiled at me helped, but mostly it was just that I was happy.

My playlist today was also something to be envied. I hadn't quite found the right mix, yet - sometimes some songs were too slow, or they weren't fast enough, or didn't have that beat - that one that makes you want to get up and dance. Here's the rundown:

The Subways - Oh Yeah
Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Going Down
Stars - What I'm Trying To Say
Rilo Kiley - It's A Hit
The Killers - Mr. Brightside
Stars - One More Night
Green Day - Church on Sunday
Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins - You Are What You Love
Rilo Kiley - Go Ahead

It was perfect for a thirty minute run (The Subways came on again just as I came up to our street), and it was the perfect mix of dance dance and melancholy. It was good.