Tuesday, June 29, 2010

tips to relax after a long day at work:

1. Remove pants.
Or all your clothes. Whatever.
2. Light candles.

So relaxing!
3. Open appetizer...

This stuff is like crack.
4. ...to enjoy while main course is cooking.

Pimped out $4 frozen pizza.
BIG SPENDER.


5. Enjoy a glass of Pinot Noir.
Helllooo antioxidants.

6. And some crap tv!
"When Good Pets Go Bad". Thank you Spike TV..

Monday, June 28, 2010

adios, sammie.

I think I'm over Booty Camp.

It was a great experience, but I think I'm ready to move on to something new.

Last Wednesday, it was raining, and since class policy is they only cancel if there is thunder and lightning, I went. Obviously, I got soaked. I thought about taking a picture, but decided you probably wouldn't want to see that. I felt pretty hardcore, but it was miserable. I know I've said this before, but I am a huge baby when it comes to exercising in the rain - and I HATE the idea of getting good running sneakers wet. A piece of me dies if I even run through a puddle by accident. So I wore an old pair of sneakers, that I (sort of) didn't mind getting wet.

It was pouring again today. I had class tonight. I could not stomach the thought of getting that wet again...and subjecting the girls to the stink of my sneakers... because they were STILL wet today. So I threw the sneakers in the trash and skipped class.

Well, not totally - I attempted the Advanced class on the video. After the 6th push up variation I decided I was finished, and here I sit on my yoga mat. I think Billy Blanks needs to make a comeback, because I sort of wanted to punch Sammie in the face.

Plus, weigh in/measurement day is Wednesday... which I'm also skipping...in favor of some vino with my bestie. It served its purpose, and it was good while it lasted. Goodbye BCF!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

darren hayes would be proud.

I crashed and burned on Saturday.

I am a passionate person - my highs are really high and my lows are really low. I love life one minute and it's the end of the world the next. I wouldn't live life any other way, but sometimes it is EXHAUSTING. I can't imagine how my family and friends deal with me.. (thank you, you know who you are!).

This week was full of ups and downs. Friday morning (obviously) I was feeling fabulous, but when my 8.5 hour work day turned into 14.5 I was less excited, I just wanted to get the frig out of there and go home. I drowned my sorrows in my homemade hummus... which was a terrible, terrible idea, and probably contributed to my lethargy on Saturday.

I woke up Saturday morning, lazed in bed with my coffee, and then blazed out the door to 108 Yoga for their community class, which was AMAZING. Then I puttered around at the market and picked up some spinach, garlic scapes and nutritional yeast (food blogs are very eye-opening, a week ago I hadn't heard of 2 out of 3 of those things!).

What a green onion would look like if the Mad Hatter stared at it too long.
Garlic scapes are the stalk of a garlic plant; I plan on using them as I would green onions.

Once I got home, I had big plans to go for a run and/or do BCF, and check out some things going on downtown. But once I sat down and ate my lunch I realized that my body was telling me to SLOW THE HECK DOWN... and so I spent the rest of my day in pajamas, alternating between the bed and the couch. Sometimes you just need a day like that.

Now all I have to do is make it through the next three days and then I get to see this guy (aka, university BFF!!!!):

We'll have to see if this "old lady" can break out her dancing shoes for a night on the town. After that, we're heading back to PEI where I will get to hang out with this guy (aka, the love of my life):

December 2008. Would you believe we've been together for almost two years? :)

P.S. Maybe I'll try actually running this week. Just a thought.

Friday, June 25, 2010

tee-gee-eye-eff.

IT'S FRIDAY!!!!

Things are looking up. Wednesday's BCF session was RIDICULOUS (it poured, we were doing push ups in puddles and my socks were swimming), but it felt great and was exactly what I needed. Vegetables and water are a cure all and crawling in bed at 10pm is AMAZING.

I opened an RRSP yesterday (helloooo adulthood) and had a fantastic coffee date with a really good friend, and there are a bajillion sailors in town for the 100th year celebration of the Canadian Navy. Halifax's largest sewage treatment plant is finally working again (which I realize is a disgusting thing to blog about, but it was out of commission for 17 months.. which is absolutely frigging nasty), it is sunny, and I have a list of things I'd like to do this weekend (hopefully you'll see some photos here soon!!). I have a sweeeet job to do at work today and a fun lunch (homemade hummus.. mmm) and I need to get cracking!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

yuck.

This week hasn't been a great one. No one likes to hear complaining, so I'll make this short. I got a parking ticket yesterday morning, which only exacerbates my frustrations with the parking situation with my current apartment (aka, there is no parking), and makes me want to move out even more. On my way in to sign the lease on my new place today at lunch time, "Home" (Michael Bublé) came on the radio, which I thought was beautifully fitting for the moment, and then when I got there I wasn't allowed to sign it. Apparently the current tenant needs to come in first and sign something before me. It would have been nice if they had called me to let me know. Also, I'm definitely not allowed to have a dog. Even though cats are allowed, and I wanted to complain how gross and smelly cats are, except right at that moment one trotted down the hallway of the landlord's house, so I kept my mouth shut.

My attitude has sucked for the last few days (there's a guy that sits next to me at work who's been yawning continously since he got in this morning, and I'm thisclose to throwing my coffee mug at his head), and I think it stems directly from eating too much sugar, not enough veggies, and not getting enough sleep. I also need a good exercise endorphin rush, so I'm hoping that tonight's Booty Camp session is good and sweaty (and not too muddy... there are some ominous looking dark clouds outside right now!). It appears that a good sweat session, tossing out the junk and a good night's sleep seem to be the prescription for my much needed attitude adjustment.

That, or winning the lottery. And a puppy.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

when you wish upon a star...

A few weeks ago, one of my friends bought a Yorkie puppy.

Not hers, but equally as adorable!

I've been furiously Googling and trying to figure out if I could afford one. I really should be more concerned about the fact that the apartment I plan on signing a lease for tomorrow (!!!) is not dog-friendly.. at least I don't think.

Dogs are surprisingly expensive... did you know you can even get pet insurance?! Who knew?

And also, Yorkie's lifespans are around 15 years. Why am I so okay with this idea when I am such a commitment-phobe?

BECAUSE LOOK AT THAT LITTLE FACE:

This is seriously killing me. I'm dialing 9-1-1 right now.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Jessica Watson.

I've been watching Jessica Watson's videos for the last hour now and I'm so impressed! She is a 17 year old Australian who sailed solo unassisted around the world in 7 months (when she was 16). I'm flabbergasted that such a young person was able to accomplish something so spectacular and come out unscathed. She finished her voyage May 15, 2010. What did I do May 15th? Posted photos of JTT and Ricky Martin. Life changing, I know.

Incredible!
My favorite part is her boat:

Ella's Pink Lady.

It's so young and girly.. but yet she did something most adults wouldn't dream of! I love it!

Father's Day race recap!

Race #4, running race #3!

Frizzy hair.. warm day!

Who I ran for :)

The start line!

It is a beautiful day today and a great day for a fundraiser. There were tons of people out and lots of dogs and babies as well (which increased my yearning for both! ha!).

I took off like a shot at the start, in an attempt to get ahead of all the walkers. It was warm and I gassed it too early, because after the water station at the halfway mark I had to walk a few times to cool off. The run wasn't great (5km in 28:10, not a PR), but it was for a good cause and it is a gorgeous day!

Happy Father's Day Dad and Opa :)

Friday, June 18, 2010

science used to be so bad ass.

*Nerd alert* This post is about insulin, and science in the 1920s.

Quick review: I don't know if this graphic is specifically for drug production, but it illustrates my point.

Today, it takes YEARS for a drug to go from the laboratory to your pharmacist. We're talking at least a decade.

Taken from the Wikipedia article on "Insulin" (my notes are in square brackets; some words bolded for emphasis):

"In October 1920 Canadian Frederick Banting ... a surgeon by training ... theorized that a relatively pure extract could be made from the islets [from the pancreas] once most of the rest of pancreas was gone.

In the Spring of 1921 Banting traveled to Toronto to explain his idea to J.J.R. Macleod who was Professor of Physiology at the University of Toronto, and asked Macleod if he could use his lab space to test the idea. Macleod was initially skeptical [Banting had NO research experience!!], but eventually agreed to let Banting use his lab space while he was on vacation for the summer. He also supplied Banting with ten dogs to experiment on, and two medical students, Charles Best and Clark Noble, to use as lab assistants, before leaving for Scotland. Since Banting required only one lab assistant, Best and Noble flipped a coin to see which would assist Banting for the first half of the summer. Best won the coin toss, and took the first shift as Banting's assistant. Loss of the coin toss may have proved unfortunate for Noble, given that Banting decided to keep Best for the entire summer, and eventually shared half his Nobel Prize money and a large part of the credit for the discovery of insulin with the winner of the toss. Had Noble won the toss, his career might have taken a different path.

Banting's method was to tie a ligature (string) around the pancreatic duct, and, when examined several weeks later, the pancreatic digestive cells had died and been absorbed by the immune system, leaving thousands of islets. They then isolated an extract from these islets, producing what they called isletin (what we now know as insulin), and tested this extract on the dogs. Banting and Best were then able to keep a pancreatectomized [they cut out her pancreas... suck it PETA!] dog named Alpha alive for the rest of the summer by injecting her with the crude extract they had prepared. Removal of the pancreas in test animals essentially mimics diabetes, leading to elevated blood glucose levels. Alpha was able to remain alive because the extracts ... were able to lower her blood glucose levels.

Banting and Best presented their results to Macleod on his return to Toronto in the fall of 1921, but Macleod pointed out flaws with the experimental design, and suggested the experiments be repeated with more dogs and better equipment. He then supplied Banting and Best with a better laboratory, and began paying Banting a salary from his research grants [no grant applications, no open competitions or job interviews...]. Several weeks later, it was clear the second round of experiments was also a success; and Macleod helped publish their results privately in Toronto that November [quick publishing timeline!]. However, they needed six weeks to extract the isletin, which forced considerable delays. Banting suggested that they try to use fetal calf pancreas, which had not yet developed digestive glands; he was relieved to find that this method worked well [they used fetal calves!! just like that!! no ethics forms to fill out, nothing!]. With the supply problem solved, the next major effort was to purify the extract. In December 1921, Macleod invited the biochemist James Collip to help with this task, and, within a month, the team felt ready for a clinical test [are you following this timeline?! they went from dogs to humans in under a year!! no clinical trials back then!!].

On January 11, 1922, Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old diabetic who lay dying at the Toronto General Hospital, was given the first injection of insulin. However, the extract was so impure that Thompson suffered a severe allergic reaction, and further injections were canceled. Over the next 12 days, Collip worked day and night to improve the ox-pancreas extract, and a second dose was injected on January 23 [less than two weeks later... without first testing it on a dog!]. This was completely successful, not only in having no obvious side-effects but also in completely eliminating the glycosuria sign of diabetes.

[In hospitals of the day] Children dying from diabetic keto-acidosis were kept in large wards, often with 50 or more patients in a ward, mostly comatose. Grieving family members were often in attendance, awaiting the ... inevitable death.

In one of medicine's more dramatic moments Banting, Best, and Collip went from bed to bed, injecting an entire ward with the new purified extract. Before they had reached the last dying child, the first few were awakening from their coma, to the joyous exclamations of their families. [SERIOUSLY?!!]

... Over the spring of 1922, Best managed to improve his techniques to the point where large quantities of insulin could be extracted on demand, but the preparation remained impure. The drug firm Eli Lilly and Company had offered assistance not long after the first publications in 1921, and they took Lilly up on the offer in April. In November, Lilly made a major breakthrough and were able to produce large quantities of highly refined, 'pure' insulin. Insulin was offered for sale shortly thereafter [less than two years after the initial experiments on dogs!!!]."

Thursday, June 17, 2010

an evening off.

What a glorious evening!

I decided I'd give myself the evening off from running because I had a double workout last night, so tonight after work I had a bite to eat and picked up a few groceries. I also picked up a bottle of Cono Sur Pinot Noir, which is a Chilean wine that is made by a company who pride themselves in their environmentally conscious approach into making wine. I like it because there is a bicycle on the label.

Yes it's a screw top, but how cute is that label?!

I also rented, "It's Complicated". I loved this movie. It may have been the mood I was in, but it hit all the right spots and left me feeling satisfied. Meryl Streep is an outstanding actress, and Steve Martin was so sweet!

I didn't notice the Converse until just now.

As the movie played, I did a load of laundry, cooked a chicken, baked 2 dozen cookies, a dozen cinnamon rolls, cleaned up the kitchen, and enjoyed 1.5 glasses of Pinot Noir. I love having an open concept kitchen - I'm going to miss that about this apartment, so I'm soaking it up while I can!

Once the movie was over, I talked to DC on the phone and folded my laundry. Now I'm finishing my glass of wine before heading for bed. Tonight was a great night, and tomorrow is Friday! Can't get any better than this :)

announcement!

Check out what I did today:
I'm running a half marathon on August 29th!

I sort of didn't realize it was only 10 weeks away when I signed up. Oops.

Here is a training schedule I have that I took from Marathon Rookie (and "translated" into metric!):

We'll see how this goes! That 19 km run looks very daunting right now...

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

football players and icy bathtubs.

I pushed myself extra hard tonight at Boot Camp because we were fighting for field space with some macho football-playing dudes. Let me tell you I suck it up and push harder when there are boys around. They could be 50 (they weren't) and I'd act the same way (Bruce Willis is 55... he's good looking alright?). It wasn't that I am out on the hunt (I am very happy with DC!!) but that I feel like boys look upon women's fitness classes with a bit of a sneer, especially since we were taking up their field space. Flopping all over the ground and whining, "This is too hard, I don't want to do this," is not a good way to try and prove your point. And I mean, plus I want to look like I know what I'm doing, and look good doing it in front of them.

Still on an endorphin high from the great workout, I walked back to my car and DC called me saying he's coming to visit me this weekend!!! I'm so excited :) We weren't planning on seeing each other until Canada Day weekend, so an extra visit will be really great.

So now I'm on a double endorphin high, and I get home and think, "Hey, I feel amazing, I should go for a run!"

Riight.

Stats

Time: 34ish mins
Length: 5.0 km
Training plan: TBA ... I'm sorry I'll tell you soon!!
Weather: 20Cish and breezy
Feeling: Endorphin rush lasted ~3 mins into the run.

About 5 minutes in, I started walking when I realized my legs weren't as excited for the run as my head was. I heard a helicopter in the sky, and watched it land on the top of the IWK. I was simultaneously excited and distressed (what a weird feeling) because a) I'd never seen an airlift to a hospital before and b) something had to be very, very wrong for someone to need an airlift. Plus it was the IWK, so chances are it's a child. I started running again. Sometimes all I need is a reminder that there is someone out there who physically isn't able to exercise, and I quit my mental complaining and get going again.

I definitely had to walk again at the end of the run, because my legs were cramping up. Dehydrated? Maybe... or maybe it was that leg-smashing workout I just did. When I got home I decided I was going to try an ice bath for my legs, inspired by both running articles online and Megan at MegaNerdRuns. From what I've read, it doesn't really sound that bad.

I realize that those are ice packs intended for food. I will clean them I promise.

I also realize that this is a wimpy amount of "ice" for an ice bath. Please understand that I am a HUGE baby when it comes to the cold. The fact that I considered immersing half my body in cold water ON PURPOSE is monumental.

This guy has more body hair than me, so clearly he can handle cooler temperatures.

This is how I felt about the whole idea.

Feet in!

Does it count if I just kneel? I think I might just stay here.

MY BUTT IS FREEEEEZINGGGG

Jumbotron quads were sticking out so I covered them with food ice packs. THIS TOTALLY COUNTS.

Fake it 'til you make it baby!

Next time: more ice.

reason #354378 why junk food sucks:

..because you eat a bag of chips in an attempt to satiate your hunger and 10 minutes later there is a GAPING HOLE IN YOUR STOMACH. And your tongue burns from all the salt.

Junk does nothing to fill my tummy. And yet somehow fufills 20% of my fat and sodium RDI for the day.
LET ME AT THE BANANAS

spring cleaning.

I signed up for another race! See left (under "Upcoming").

On another note, I am still eagerly awaiting hearing if I got the new place or not.. and in the meantime, I am obsessing over this website, Apartment Therapy. I have lots of ideas for decorating.. and I have been purging like crazy getting rid of things. Call it spring cleaning, call it laziness (I do NOT want to move anything I do not have to!)... I am definitely not a hoarder, but it is surprising how fast I can accumulate things I just do not need. Here is a sample:


I have a new pile slowly growing where that one was. Crazy right?!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

evening run in the sunshine.

I love these summer days!

I wish I could go to bed early enough during the week that I could watch the sunrise on a weekday morning. I should work on that. We make our own reality, right? :)

Stats

Time: 42:27
Length: 6.8 km
Training plan: TBA..
Weather: 17C and breezy
Feeling: FABULOUS.. especially when that car full of boys honked and waved

Monday, June 14, 2010

well hel-lo zuzana.

...
I KNOW RIGHT.

This is Zuzana from Bodyrock.tv (p.s. she doesn't really have T-Rex arms. More like "Imma knock you OUT" arms).

At first, I had a hard time taking her seriously, because she looks like the result of Rocky getting loose all over Jenna Jameson in some dirty Russian bar somewhere, and 9 months later she waltzed out. But then I took a look at the videos (and tried not to stare at her HUGE knockers) and uncovered some of the names of her workouts: "Suicidal Sweat Workout", "Sexy Pain Train Workout", and "Kiss My Tight Ass Workout".

First of all, her abs are IN. CAPITAL. SANE. There is nothing more encouraging to me than watching exercise videos with absolutely JACKED people in them. This is why Blue Crush is my favorite movie. Not because of the story line (HA!), but because the girls are crazy fit (I mean that in both the North American and British way) and it makes me want to go do situps on the beach and swim in the ocean all day.

The workouts look really legit and they are short, which is encouraging. I'd rather blitz something for 15-20 mins then spend 2 hours doing something mild. I'll get back to you on how they are!

But I somehow still can't shake the feeling that Billy Blanks has an undercover soft core porn operation, and she's the star..

Sunday, June 13, 2010

waka waka.

Is it just me or can you not get enough of this song??



I freaking love Shakira... even though she is not exactly African. I feel like she is the sort of girl who would party late into the night with you.. and not be insulted if you tried to copy her dance moves. Also, how FUN does that dance look?! Note to self: learn that.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Saturday I went running with Josh. He's been "encouraging" me to train for another race, and by "encouraging", I mean, strongly, STRONGLY, suggesting. I'm still tossing the idea around, so for now all you get is "TBA".

Stats
Time: shorter than the last time we ran this route!
Length: 7 km
Training plan: TBA..
Weather: STINKIN' HOT
Feeling: Great but overheated

And here's another photo from Saturday morning which I'm sort of obsessed with at the moment. I'm not Buddhist, but I feel like this photo makes me look like a little Buddha.

You know.. if Buddha had bra straps.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

my little piece of Eden.














Namaste.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Friday = love.

After a ridiculous week, I was really looking forward to this run.

Stats
Time: don't know
Length: 7.7 km
Training plan: ..still TBA..
Weather: 18C and sunny!
Feeling: glad to be out, but heavy legs

Plans for this weekend include running with Josh, visiting my mom, and dessert with my friend Rebecca. I've got something special planned for tomorrow morning! Stay tuned :)

sigh.

My car :(

I thought the NORTH End was supposed to be bad. I'll take your drug dealers and hookers, as long as they keep their dirty hands off of my stuff.

This happened sometime last night. My bedroom window is literally right across from where I parked last night (remember this incident?). Those bastards are lucky I'm such a sound sleeper. Booty Camp has been whipping me into shape, and Billy Blanks and I are besties. I would have Tae Boed some FACES with my killer quads if I had seen who did this.

So, now in addition to all of these adult things on my plate like worrying about saving for my pension, saving for a house, and saving for the education of my unborn children, I now need to create an "Asshole" fund, to help fix things after stupid drunk kids break my property. I'm trying not to become a cynical adult. I really, really, am. But days like this make it really, really hard.

Anyone wanna go to Tahiti?

This is looking good right about now.