Came home today to a package slip. "Quoi?" I thought to myself, "I haven't ordered anything." A quick scan of the return address: Muhmoo, Alexandria, VA.
(I love that my Mom now refers to herself as Muhmoo, my private nickname for her. I love it even more that if/when DH and I have kids, she would like to be known as "Grandmoo." Love you, Muhmoo!)
A quick slice of the scissors and oo la la! Kate Spade greeted me! I pulled the dust bag out and wha? There were TWO more!
Also in the box were these ADORABLE houndstooth notecards. I will use them to write my thank you note promptly!
Bag 1: Kate Spade lobster bag. Oh my, I ADORE lobsters. And the navy/lime combo is my favorite. Hello, my new summer staple! (I didn't take a picture but the liner is green/lime polka dots...adorable.)
Bag 2: Muhmoo knew I needed a new work bag because my current one is well...aging. Muhmoo's pick for a new bag...Brilliant. It's classic and the perfect size for a laptop! And to make it even better, it has those little metal feet on the bottom so that it never sits on the floor. Brill!
Bag 3. DH called this "the poshest beach bag EVER." I can't top that. :) It's also the perfect size for a weekend away. I love the butterfy print. They almost look like fleurs!
(Pardon how scary I look - today was a rough casual Friday.)
What the heck is going on with my right hand/claw?
Oh Muhmoo and Deedoo...I love my new bags. I'll take them out for a spin this weekend! Muwah! Xx, E.
So, like the rest of America, I couldn't wait to watch the new season of Jon & Kate Plus 8.
I have to tell you, I really really can't stand Jon and Kate. But they have adorable bebes, so I had to watch the trainwreck that would be their first separate interviews.
They are sooo getting divorced.
Yes, it's sad for the kids. But honestly? The first couple years of the show the parents didn't seem too happy or healthy; maybe they just need to get it over with and d-i-v-o-r-c-e-d.
They bicker constantly, pick on each other in front of the kids, in general, seem put out and put upon in their daily lives. I get it, you have 8 kids. You also have nannies, an army of friends, a personal chef, personal assistants, and a housekeeper. Stop going out on the road, stop partying with 20 year old girls, finish off your TLC contract, and MEND YOUR FAMILY.
There. Phew.
Also, please invest in some melanine dishes. You drive me crazy that you use paper plates for every meal.
As you may have realized, I've taken up running. I am in training for a half marathon in the fall and am really enjoying my runs.
Sorta.
See, my Saturday long runs are horrible for the last 45 min or so. Why you ask? Because my toe nails hurt so much that I want to rip them off with pliers. Seriously, the first 8 miles are great and then I'm in agony. I've even got a blood blister under one of my nails. OOOOUCH!!
So I went to Road Runner Sports and spent a good hour with my sales rep Justin, trying to find shoes to fit my freaky toes.
Turns out I do not have wide feet. I have weird, pixie toes that curl up. So I the tops of my nails are banging into the "roof" of my shoe when my feet naturally swell after a couple of miles.
So if I wanted shoes that really fit my feet, they would have to look like this: And as much fun as it would be to dress like I Dream of Jeannie, I decided to get a new pair of New Balances.
A new pair of New Balances with the highest toe box they make in stability shoes. They feel like buttah. Aaaahhhh...
Voila:
Look at that toe box! And they're even pink!! :)
Road Runner has a great return policy (return them up to 60 days later! worn!) so Justin told me to run on the new ones and if my toes still hurt to return them and we'd try out some Nikes.
So that was my afternoon. I'm currently on the couch, drinking a protein shake (vanilla whey powder, 1/3 c. light coconut milk, 1/4 c each of frozen pineapple, mango, and papaya, and about two c. of orange mineral water) and watching a really dumb movie on the Oxygen network.
Technically DH's birthday was Tuesday. Woo boy, he was a grumpy gus when he got home. I let him stew for a little bit and then forced him (no, really) to open his presents and cards. He was in a better mood after that. :)
I was super excited to give DH my present. I spent moooonths trying to get good tickets to see Flight of the Conchords (more on that later). DH is impossible to shop for and I knew he'd love to see FotC especially since he didn't know that they were coming to town the day after his birthday!!Anywho, I always order a Coldstone cake for DH. Apparently ice cream cake isn't a thing in England so he adores getting it as an adult. I order the same thing: vanilla ice cream with lots of cherries and chocolate chips, devils food cake, and chocolate ganache frosting. It's delicious. :)
Our Coldstone in DC was awesome. I think the Coronado one was a little lame in the decorating department. See:
It's not a cake wreck but it's rather meh. And I'm curious why they used mint green toothpaste-tasting icing on the top? *shrug*
On to the show. We headed to RIMAC at UCSD for the show Wednesday night. Flight of the Conchords is New Zealand's 4th most famous folk comedy duo. That was a joke. Laugh.
FotC is HILARIOUS but if you hadn't seen the show on HBO, I can imagine that the show was, well, rather random. Jermaine and Brett surprised me by being really good guitar players. I mean, I know I should have realized it but I was blown away by their musicianship much less their hilarious lyrics and witty banter. To give you a taste:
On to the pics from the show: If I started singing "The humans are dead!" you should be laughing. But if you don't know the show, I can imagine it would be a "wuh?" moment.
Jermaine and Brett. Both of them are totally adorable in person. Very dry and slick, but funny.
There were some girls who were VERY into Jermaine. And his sugarlumps.
You know how Tyra always tells the girls on ANTM about knowing their angles? Evidence: here's me, looking normal.
Here I am with my super sneaky angle shot where I my face looks much thinner. Awesome! Anywho, that's all for now. I'm still running around like a mad woman. My summer is filling up fast!
Available in a dozen colors and many different patterns. But I bet the dark brown looks even better the older it gets.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Whoa...just felt my first official San Diego earthquake! The whole building trembled - enough that I was worried about our wine glasses which were banging into each other quite hard.
DH says that the quake started up in LA - must have been pretty big. Hope everyone is ok!
This weekend has been, woof, busy! Friday night DH and I went to K's 30.2 birthday party. It was a "color" party; your attire had to be head-to-toe ROYGBV. DH wore his orange corduroy pants from Christmas with an orange shirt. He looked very "Gitmo inmate." ;)
Saturday morning I hauled myself out of bed extra early and did a 15k long run. That's the longest I've ever run and aside from two 1min water breaks, I ran the entire thing! (I can't run and drink at the same time. I guess it's like my inability to pat head/rub tummy thing.)
After my run (woo hoo!) we headed to the inaugural Keg Olympics at my friend N's house.
It. Was. Amazing.
Brackets for beer pong, cornhole, flipcup, dizzy bat, and Drinko. I must mention Drinko, since it's the only game in which we medaled (silver). N and her Fake Fiance (her name for him, not mine!) built a replica of the Plinko game from Price Is Right. You answered trivia questions and that gave you additional chances to score big on the Drinko board. It was crazy fun and an awesome game where you didn't have to drink too much.
Anywho, I was really impressed with the two person teams. We were quite the United Nations.
DH and I were Team Sweden. I was very proud of DH sewing his own uniform!
Team Sweden, the Libyan Drinking Team, and Ireland (who had an amazing Irish crest drawn for them on the back of their shirts!)
The ladies of the office are so gangsta. Or, not so much.
Team Italy. They beat us at Drinko after I lost the following point: E: Kohl! MC: I need a full name. E: Chancellor Kohl? MC: ... E: Herman Kohl! MC: final answer? E: Hermann Kohl? MC: I'm sorry, the answer we were looking for was Helmut Kohl. (Personally, I think I should have won the point, but it's fine. I'm not bitter.)
Cote D'Ivoire (those shirts are CDI's actual world cup shirts!)
I have to put this in here. N and Fake Fiance represented Somalia. So they were, of course, dressed as Somali pirates! Hahaha...
All in all, a great party. We left a bit early, after about six hours. My back was killing me so I wanted to go home and rest. I was thinking the entire time that it was from my run. In hindsight, I think it was from Thursday.
Thursday, Thursday, Thursday...oof. I came home and ran a 10k tempo run after work. I was already in the shower when DH came home and popped his head in.
E: Hey! DH: Did you get my message? E: No, I've been on a run. DH: J is meeting us in the climbing gym in half an hour. E: *sigh* Ok. *climbs out of shower*
We ended up climbing for about two hours, on some new, much harder stuff than we've attempted before. Even though I was tired from my run, I think I did ok. I'm sure that the reason my back hurts today is due to all those new back muscles being used for the first time!
The rest of today is going to be quiet. We're going to pick up our car at N's, head to the car wash and grocery. We might go climbing tonight or else I'll just run a little in the gym and then do Jillian.
I'm finally back from Texas. Yippee! Texas was...hot. Very, very, hot. 98 degrees by 8am hot. I won't bore you with work details so I'll talk about the best part of our visit: TEXAS BARBEQUE!!!
I have missed BBQ. San Diego just doesn't cut it when it comes to smokey brisket, ribs, and pulled pork. Mmm.
Anywho, we asked around and were given directions to a gas station(!) in the middle of nowhere. Picnic tables outside, near the pumps, no plates, and NO AIR CONDITIONING. OMG. We were all in wool suits and were about to pass out.
On recommendations of the counter lady, I ordered smoked turkey and "the chopped," a mixture of brisket, turkey, and pork. Could have died right then and been totally happy. The smoked turkey was the best gobble-gobble I've ever had.
I loved our ghetto, gas station bbq but I definitely felt pretty ill later that evening. I don't eat a lot of meat these days so I wasn't prepared for the 8000 lbs of bbq I ate for lunch.
(It was totally worth it, btw.)
I didn't work out much in Texas, owning to how hot it was outside and our hotel "gym" consisted of broken treadmills. I made do by doing hundreds of squats, lunges, pushups, and situps. It's amazing how those four little moves will get your heart rate up AND make you die the next day when you try to sit down.
DH was also out of town this week - he went to Cincinatti for the first time. Amazing but true story - he flew to Cinci through Chicago. The second leg was on a tiny plane so they asked people to leave their carry-ons at the end of the jet bridge where they would be offloaded when they got to Ohio. DH was flying on United and asked if he needed the green tag they use for these situations. The baggage guy said that there were only ten people on the flight so they wouldn't bother. DH gets to Ohio and guess what? Yup, his bag wasn't there.
My poor DH spent his entire trip without his suitcase. It was only delivered today around 5pm! Seems they found it on a USAir flight in St. Louis. What the heck? For shame United.
Yesterday was a really lazy day. DH and I went to Richard Walker's for breakfast. We both had the Sante Fe omlet (jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro) with salsa - SO good. Then we ran some errands in Horton Plaza before stopping by our rooftop to watch the Red Bull Air Race.
After the race we headed down to the climbing gym with our friend J. She is so flexible, it's insane! When we got home I went down for a quick run. I only did 3 miles because my adidas top chaffed the heck out of my inner arm. I was running around with my arms out like a chicken. Verrry attractive.
DH, J, and I then met up with C at Coronado Brewing Company for drinks and dinner. I love CBC because the waiters don't bat an eyelid when I give my very complicated orders (think When Harry Met Sally), and I've never had to send anything back. DH likes the brews. ;)
We headed back to East Village around 10:30. I was exhausted and totally bailed on the drinking next door at The Corner. I couldn't believe it when DH said that they came home at 4:30am! I was dead to the world and slept on through until morning.
Today DH and I have been lazy around the house. I prepped food for the week including baking my own bread for the first time! First thoughts on my baguettes:
Slightly too brown. I think I need to drop the temp just a little bit more. (I have a convection oven and the recipe was for a regular one.)
Super tasty - the crust is PERFECT.
However, the inside is too dense. It's hard to describe but the air pockets(?) inside are too small. Maybe I over kneaded?
I forgot to put the slashes on top. I think that would have let out some steam which probably would help the density situation.
I finally figured out what the bread reminds me of: Pepperidge Farm's italian bread. Yup. Exact same texture inside.
I think the best use of lightly too dense will be dinner tonight - fondue! ;)
I'd better tie my apron on and get to wifey-ing. Later, kittens.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Not much to say. I'm in San Antonio this week for work.
The nights are very hot and humid compared to San Diego. Makes me think of DC and Nashville. Le sigh.
I also love that everyone says hello to you - it's like I'm back in the South.
I'm going to try to get up tomorrow to go for a run at 6am. Considering that's 4am PST, we'll see how it goes.
Wish I was more interesting but I'm not. I wish you well, dear reader.
If I can go ahead and give myself a pat on the back, I finished my first race today!
The Race for Literacy 8k starts in Balboa park, winds north of the park and then cruises down the 163 into downtown.
Big props to DH who woke up at 6:30 to drive me to the start. He then went back home, crashed for 30min and then picked out a spot on 5th ave (about a 1/3 mile from the finish) to cheer me home.
That's me, in the blue capris.
Wow, totally unflattering photo!
Why has no one ever told me I have a flat ass?
All finished. Where's my banana?
The race itself was uneventful. I would like to thank the race designer for letting us run 1/4 mile down the 163 ramp. That was an awesome break.
In other news, my nike+ sensor is officially completely screwed up. I've calibrated it three times now and it's still very off. It told me I had gone 6.2km by the end of the 8k. Not cool.
I finished four minutes faster than I had planned, mostly because I couldn't tell how fast I was running due to the malfunctioning nike+. I had to depend on the volunteers at the mile markers to yell out my times. I kinda wish I had dropped another minute - that would have meant I dropped a minute from my mile!
The run through Balboa was beautiful. The flowers were out in force and it smelled like honeysuckle and lime blossoms. Someone needs to make a perfume that smells exactly like that particular combo. Delish!
I'm really glad I had my ipod with me. I amused myself greatly by putting together a new playlist of "running" songs including:
(It's getting) Hot in Herre - Nelly
Need Some Air - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Closer - NIN
Harder to Breathe - Maroon 5
(See you at the) Bitter End - Placebo
Bitter End came on right as I hit the one-mile to go sign. I kicked it up from there. Hooah.
After the race DH took me out for breakfast at Shakespeare's Pub and I had a massive omelet with (gasp) ham. It was awesome.
When you move to a city where it's $500 ppsq, the first thing you lose is your walk-in closet. DH and I each have our own closet, thank goodness, but they are WAY small.
Exhibit:
Yes, this is my entire closet.
I guess in a way, it's a good thing. It means that twice a year I have to really take stock and sort it all out. Out go the clothes that are raggedy, don't fit, or are not as cute as I thought they were.
This year the pile was a lot bigger since I'm down two sizes. I'm not going to be that size again so this is my way of committing myself to being healthy and in shape.
Exhibit:
Oodles of tops, sweaters, and J.Crew chinos which I can't help but buy every time I'm in the store.
The harder thing to sort out are my shoes. I *heart* shoes. But I really needed to be honest with myself about what looked good, what really fit, and what I would really wear.
Exhibit:
Yes, I really got rid of all these. Some were barely worn (I'm looking at you, 4" stilettos), some were incredibly loved and falling apart (pink suede Coach mules).
All in all, it was a good clean-out. Goodwill got tons of great stuff including some brilliant cashmere which was just too big to wear.
Ahh. It's amazing how much you better you feel when you've had a good clean-out.
Too much to recap - a lot was about work which I won't bore you w/.
Tomorrow's my 8k run - v. exciting. Bought a cute nike top and running skirt. Will tell you how it goes and bring pictures.
Went climbing this afternoon. DH bet me $10 that I couldn't reach a specific hold on an overhang and keep on it for ten seconds.
Tonight's our HOA spring party. We missed the last one, thinking that it would blow. Turns out it was ah-mah-zing so we're turning up tonight. It has a nautical theme and DH turned down my idea to dress up as the Professor and MaryAnne so I'm wearing my navy and rope-print Paloma dress from the Crew.Later kittens, have a good night!
(I love that my Mom now refers to herself as Muhmoo, my private nickname for her. I love it even more that if/when DH and I have kids, she would like to be known as "Grandmoo." Love you, Muhmoo!)
What the heck is going on with my right hand/claw? 
