from the bottom.

of my heart, not my actual bottom.

i’m SO sorry i’ve been missing, i’m surprised i haven’t seen my face on the side of a milk carton yet! i’ve been reading all of my usual blogs faithfully, but haven’t had the time to comment.

work has been taking over my life, and after a mono scare, a new apartment and some family drama, blogging has had to take a back seat. i’m going on vacation tomorrow for the week, but will be back on my A game when i return. please don’t think i’ve ditched you!

xoxo,

samantha

things i learned this weekend.

warning: my home computer actually broke for real (sob!), so my posts aren’t going to have pictures for a while. lo siento! anywhoo, on to the important lessons i learned this fourth of july weekend.

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- moving? not that bad. i guess it helps when you have an army of fit boys helping you.

- getting stuck in the back of a uhaul, wedged between furniture, requires skill, patience and flexibility.

- when you don’t eat for 7 hours and are doing a lot of heavy lifting, you get irritable.

- driving a uhaul rules.

- drinking eases the pain.

- being too hungover to unpack isn’t that fun. especially when you can’t find your underwear.

- iced coffee is god’s gift to the world. as is having an amazing independent coffee shop 1 block from your new digs.

- sunshine does a body good. so does over chlorinated pool water.

- boys are sometimes disgusting.

- when you drink a lot of beer, you aren’t hungry for fourth of july barbeque, which is a darn shame.

- when you listen to explosions of the sky while watching fireworks burst over the washington monument from your friends roof, you are not only hilarious for your symbolism, but also very happy.

- when you eat a ton of grapes on the fourth of july but no hamburger or hot dog, you are probably dehydrated. or just weird.

- when the first thing you crave when you wake up in the morning is a blue powerade zero, you probably need to take it easy for the rest of the day.

- whole foods carrot cake is really good.

- wearing the same shorts 3 days in a row in 90* weather makes you a gross person.

- reading magazines on a pile of furniture is a really great way to relax.

- it’s not fun to look like a homeless person when you’re not one, but sometimes necessary.

- sleep is god’s second greatest gift to the world (see: iced coffee).

- going to work after a wonderful three day weekend sucks. there, i said it.

- 4am dance parties will never get old. unless i get old. but i’ve worked out a plan, that’s not going to happen.

- i’m obsessed with these four bomb songs.

- when the man at the liquor store gives you a “proud to be an american” bumper sticker on the fourth of july in the nation’s capital, you just have to laugh but secretly feel really awesome and wish you had a car to put it on. well not really, but i liked it a lot.

- i want to make out with the weekend.

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there you have all of the things i learned this weekend. as you can see, it was a weekend of [ridiculous] growth.

what did YOU learn this long weekend?

sin curve.

my day was like high school algebra. well, not as sucky as high school algebra, but just as curvy. the morning started off strong with this delicious breakfast, my all time summertime favorite: greek yogurt, some kind of summer fruit, some kind of cereal. 

looks like a sundae, no?

in this case, it was honey nut cheerios because homegirl left her kashi at home! oh well. this was a nice sweet treat to start the morning! i was astounded that smart start/special k with fruit and yogurt were more caloric and less nutritious… guess i have to keep reading labels! and duh, coffee with soy.  

ahoney anut!

lunch was, again, USE UP WHATCHU HAVE! day, so below is broccoli, 1/2 c. boca crumbles and 1/2 c. of edamame. i continue to be impressed with myself that i’m able to whip up quick (albeit kind of weird and small) meals with nothing in the house.  

mush! but good mush.

unpictured snack was coffee, a babybel light and an apple. i didn’t feel like you guys needed to see another picture of my espresso royale cup and a golden delicious. i then went to the gym, where i did the leg workout from week 2 of the fitnessista’s summer shape up (i’ve been following it). death! it wasn’t nearly as hard as the first lower body workout, and i can’t tell if it’s because that’s the way the program was designed, or if it’s because i’m getting stronger. my legs are definitely more toned! i was feeling draggy and disheartened during my entire workout (the down part of my day) – it was weird… i was haing a great workout for my body, but felt discouraged. so out of sorts, in fact, that i wasn’t able to do the last 2o minutes of cardio and just went home instead. i need to focus on being proud of myself for getting any workout in, and not letting negative thoughts get the best of me. as soon as i was settled and cooking and cleaning, though, my energy came back. it was a very strange dip in emotions for me, but at least the night ended up an upswing! 

but first, i snacked on some dried mango that has been in my cupboard since 1982 to tak the edge off:  

chris kattan. aka mango.

i also dug this from the depths of my pantry and made the entire box… guess who is going to be eating falafel for the next 5 days?!  

surprisingly tasty.

 after balling and broiling, i plopped 3 onto some defrosted kale and green beans, and topped with lemon juice, salt and pepper. simple, but did the trick. i also snacked on some PB2 protein cake while finishing twilight.   

once again, surprisingly tasty.

 it was early to bed in our house, as we both woke up to gym it this morning….go me! tonight is going ot be full of new apartment cleaning, a hookah bar and being too excited to sleep. yay, moving! 

album of the day is another oldie but goodie: wilco’s yankee hotel foxtrot. yum. 

what do you do to snap yourself out of a fleeting, weird mood? i generally like to get my things in order and feel settled, and then i can go back to being myself!

groundhogs day?

hola chicklettes! i apologize in advance for how similar to yesterday this post is going to be… in the midst of the chaos that is my life (hello packing! and dealing with landlords!), my eats and workouts and hangouts have all been eerily similar. i don’t hate it! 

yesterday morning i was flustered because i got to work late due to a doctor’s appointment. case in point? i went to take a picture of my breakfast (same exact one as yesterday, and now the heart to heart is gone!)  and exasperated myself because i had forgotten my camera. whelp, lunch rolls around, and look what i found sitting in its usual spot on my desk: 

mmmboring.

 no, i did not find 1/2 c. boca crumbles, broccoli and 1/2 c. edamame randomly chilling on my desk, but i did find my camera. wee! work was, work, and i chugged along getting papercuts and yelling at my frozen computer until it was time for my afternoon snack. again, the exact same replica from yesterday – 

why am i so predictable?

 i was hungry again about 45 minutes later (that would be due to my light light lunch, thankyouverymuch), so i munched on some almonds. 

hungry again.

  i hopped out of work around 6:30 and headed to the gym to continue my love affair with the arc trainer. i used to spend hours on this thing back in the day, but then just abandoned it completely, our hopes and dreams dashed. i recently rediscovered what a great workout it can provide — it’s more strenuous for me than the elliptical, i get too bored on the stationary bike (because i bike in real life, and nothing can compare), and i don’t like to run everyday. don’t even get me started on the stairmaster, because i die every time i look at one of those things (even though i frequently use them in 15 minute spurts). ANYWAY. i busted out 30 hard minutes on the “weight loss” program,  level 5. i chose this program over the interval program merely because the intervals are longer and it’s harder for me that way…. and by the way, yes, i was embarrased and covered the program selection with my gym towel. i then did 20 minutes of really good stretching/yoga and called it a day. felt great! i finally have my mojo back.   

dinner was, err, interesting. i didn’t feel like pressing tofu (i was too hungry! it takes me forever.  i need one of these!) so i scrouned around for something edible…and ended up with savory oats. 

yummy sludge.

 1/2 c. oats with double the water for more volume, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1 laughing cow wedge, broccoli, 1 serving turkey pepperoni, 1 tbsp nooch. all enjoyed whilst watching the real housewives of new york reunion, part 2. i’m behind on my pop culture, gah! out of nowhere last night, i was a productive polly. i showered, lotioned and then set to packing my clothes. while watching an episode of alias (my all time favorite show, in the world, was obsessed with it in high school and have taken to rewatching the series), i emptied, folded and packed my bureau contents away, leaving outfits out for the rest of the week. who am i, and what have i done with lazy weeknight samantha?! julia came home late, bearing gifts…..a cable to hook up our computers to the television! you bet your bottom we bought twilight and started watching late. a movie snack was a must:  

repeat offender.

  chocolate/PB2 protein cake. i’m almost out of my PB2 stash -  found it in a store in nyc – sad face! it’s great to make peanutty sauces with, especially since i have been out of peanut butter itself for 2 weeks. i also snacked on two rice cakes – i was a hungry one last night. we watched about half of twilight (underwhelmed, though i now understand why everyone thinks robert pattinson is so hot. helllllooo, edward!). 

BED. i needed it last night. 

OH – and here is the album of the day…been listening to it all morning, and am pretty sure i’m going to be listening to it all day: Keane’s Perfect Symmetry. Just Do It. (especially “You Haven’t Told Me Anything”)

what is your favorite album/band as of late? i recently started listening to k-os, which is out of the norm for me as i’m more of an indie girl, but i like the beat!

shvetty.

have you ever had those workouts where you drip sweat so much that you wonder how it’s even possible? yesterday (monday) was one of dem dere days. but, rewind! this was a monday if there ever was one. i stayed up too late watching cold mountain (eh, though nicole kidman is flawlessly gorgeous in it), and was NOT into going to work. oh well, time to be a grown up! at least breakfast helped make up for it: 

kashi heart to heart: meh.

container 0% fage, strawberriez, 3/4 c. kashi heart to heart. i am a golean girl through and through – i was not into this cereal and won’t be buying it again…it was on sale at cvs for $2.00 – and how can you pass up THAT bargain – on a morning where i was needing some crunch to go with my yog. good thing i’m almost done with the box! i’ll stick with my weird twigs and fibrous looking things from now on, thanks. 

lunch was without a doubt one of the grossest things i’ve ever attempted to eat. in my effort to use up my groceries so i don’t have to move them, i’ve been making some weird concoctions. take this: green pepper slices, kind of rotten lettuce, 1/2 c. boca crumbles and 1/4 an avocado that was a little far gone. i took a bite, and then threw it out. i’m not one to waste food, but this.was.nasty.  

ew.

thank goodness we have such a well stocked cafeteria upstairs! i didn’t know what i wanted to eat… well actually i did, it was the 3 bean soup, but it didn’t look good. i created this weird salad below, which sufficed as lunch. i was in one of those moods where i was hungry, but didn’t feel like eating, so theoretically, nothing was going to taste good. i’m just weird and that doesn’t happen to any of you? ok, fine.  

less ew.

spinach, red onion, chickpeas, some smoked turkey, 1 egg white and banana peppers with some balsamic vinegar. it filled me up, just like food is supposed to!  

afternoooooon pick me up.

i needed an afternoon pick me up so badly. it was about 100* outside, but grey grey grey stormy stormy stormy, and with the cold temperatures in my office, it felt like winter! add a headache to the mix and i wanted warm coffee. this was also joined by a golden delicious apple (my fave) and a light babybel cheese. 

i hightailed it out of work around 5:45 (i’ve started coming into work an hour early so i can leave more on time and get more hours in) and strolled to the gym, looking forward to working out after a respite due to packing and the weekend. am i the only one who has a hard time making it to the gym on the weekends? i get exercise – i ride my bike everywhere and dance and am outside and all that jazz, but i can’t bring myself to actually go to the gym when it’s saturday or sunday. 

i did 20 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill at a 1.5 incline (speeds 6.1, 6.3, 6.5, 6.7 and 7.2) with some warm up/cool down walking, and then followed with 25 minutes of the interval program on the arc trainer. you guys, i was sweaty. i have never sweat anywhere else than my face (and subsequently i get the nice little sweat ring around my neck), but my back was SOPPED, so was my midsection, and so were my legs. maybe i just needed to sweat out some toxins? either way, i was simultaneously grossed out by myself and proud of myself. it was a work. out. 

a shower was much needed once home, and that followed with this quick and tasty meal — bag of tofu shirataki noodles, 2 wedges of laughing cow light herb and garlic, broccoli, and one serving of turkey pepperoni for some protein. mmmm. 

me hongry.

i followed this up with some chocolate protein cake topped with a PB2 sauce – delicious! i added more water to the PB2 powder than called for to make it runny – and the protein cake soaked up all of its peanutty goodness. YUM, and you would never know it was healthy! 

That crooked girl holding the cake is my roommate, Julia, who is making her first blog appearance at her request! Told you we loved popsicles, it’s actually becoming a problem. They’re just so good! 

hey girl hey!

 We desserted while we watched “Y Tu Mama Tambien” — she forgot Twilight in NY, oops, and this was the second best (but really better) option. i LOVED this film, and it truly reminded me of the pure friendships boys have whilst growing up, before sex and alcohol and relationships complicate them. i never wanted it to end. gabriel garcia bernal & diego luna aren’t bad to look at, either. 

what’s the best movie you’ve seen lately? i really really loved legends of the fall, with brad pitt, from 1995. i just saw it this past weekend! i could stare dreamily at brad pitt and that gorgeous cinematography all weekend.

a general state of disarray.

well, hello! i’ve missed everyone. the past week (weeks?) have been busy, as in i don’t think i’ve been home to relax for more than two hours at a time (unless i’m sleeping, which i guess you could say is the ultimate relaxation). i’ll give you a “best of!” list, for no other reason than i just really like lists.

 

- i zumba’d for the first time! and came to the realization that homegirl does not possess the ability to swing her hips round and round. oops.

 

- i had a laughing attack in pilates (furr realz) and almost had to get up and leave. embarrrrassing! this happened to me in college at least once a week.

 

- my friends and i had a mexican/jewish themed dinner party (no, really), and i whipped up the biggest batch of my famous guacamole i’ve ever made.

 

- while making said batch of guacamole, i realized that it was dumb to be cutting that many jalapenos without gloves. and it was even dumber to touch my head after that. OUCHIES.

 

- a genius friend made beer margaritas, which are as potent and disgusting and awesome as they sound.

 

- i watched SO MANY MOVIES — mighty ducks (my favorite movie, besides mighty ducks 2), legends of the fall (um, sob.), cold mountain (underwhelmed) and saw the new tilda swinton film “i am love” in the theater.

 

- attended an all day barbeque to watch the usa v. ghana game, and shed a tear when we lost in overtime. then played soccer on a roof and tried really hard to not kick the ball overboard.

 

- painted my toes and was asked “if i was getting dolled up” by my weird roommate. why no, i’m not, thank you.

 

so, it’s been an eventful and radically fun week… even if i have been stressed out because of this:

hey, mess.

 i’m a pretty easy-going person these days, but certain things still really stress me out, packing being one of them. i managed to accomplish a lot this weekend, though i still have to tackle the majority of my room. this mess makes me feel weird inside. 

why yes, that IS bronzer ground into my white bureau. thanks for asking!

 this bureau gives me nightmares. my bronzer exploded oh, two weeks ago? and i still haven’t cleaned it up. i DID, however, clean up my bathroom. disassembled shelves like a big boy, cleaned cleaned cleaned, and organized all of my products and got them ready to move into the new apartment. they’re downstairs and everything!  

at least one room is clean, sigh.

 i really like my shower curtain (is that weird?) and am planning to take it with me to the new place since it matches, but was dismayed to see how dirty it had become. hard water stains, shampoo stains, gross stains that i didn’t attempt to analyze…. the thought of scrubbing the curtain, though, was too gross for even me, so i performed some magic. i put the entire shower curtain in the washing machine on gentle, washed it with detergent and hung it back up on its shower curtain rings to dry and dewrinkle. it worked wonders! i felt like martha stewart…. only a brunette martha stewart with no dogs, no ribbons and no patience to do crafts. 

eagerly awaiting its new home!

 above is the start of my pile of stuff to bring to the new place – it doesn’t seem like that much, but there is treasure hidden under there! i still have to pack my clothes and finish packing the kitchen stuff, but am feeling way less stressed out now. i cannot wait for this new chapter. i feel like great things are going to happen! 

PACK ATTACK.

 ah! 

eating wise, i’ve done better. i lapsed into my “it’s the weekend!” mode and have felt the effects of eating in ways i’m not used to (read: 4 beers and a hot dog for lunch, pad thai for dinner). i’m excited (and so is my body!) for a fresh start, and i’m actively looking forward to my session at the gym tonight – pun intended. this girl needs to get her SWEAT ON. 

julia (roommate) is making me watch twilight tonight… never seen it and have no interest in it, hope i don’t fall in love with edward cullen! i don’t think i will, i much prefer cedric diggory. 

are any of you obsessed with twilight like the rest of the universe? i kind of feel cool for knowing nothing about it…. but i do love me a good movie night.

please?

bear with me.

i’m in a period of transition, also known as moving in a week (!), having a broken computer and having to deal with a lot of summer plans!

i hope to be back to regular blogging soon… i’ll keep you all posted on my weight loss story, and will try to come back to you soon!

xx

…and we’re back.

whelp, my beloved mac that i’ve had since 2005 has decided to cooperate, so i’m here! i’m here! i really need to get a new computer (mine has been on its last legs for ages), but i can’t bring myself to spend $1000, especially when a) i’m moving in two weeks and would rather spend money on some new things for the place, and b) i’m on my own work computer allllll the livelong day. dilemma alert! 

my second weight watchers weigh in went really well — despite the beer and the extra eats and the no working out (other than walking and biking everywhere), i am down another 2.4 lbs! that’s a total of 7.8 lbs in two weeks… i’m very surprised, because i feel like i’ve been eating so much of what i want. it’s refreshing, for me, to not count ratios or calories. it’s also an added plus that i like more natural, less processed food, because that’s what weight watchers “advises.” this time around, my eating style is so different (read: no dannon light n fit, no sugar free jelly, no low carb bread), that i am approaching this “lifestyle” differently, and noticing how unrestrictive it is. here’s to my continued success! (i’m proud of myself) 

NEWAYZ. 

it’s 8:30 am, i’m listening to the new broken social scene album, and staring at pictures of yogurt from yesterday. wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. breakfast was delicious — 1 serving fage 0%, strawburries, and 3/4 c. kashi golean. i LOVE this cereal, because it’s crunchy. i hate hate hate when my cereal gets soggy, it’s the reason i don’t enjoy it in milk. 

das a lot of dairy.

lunch was good, but gone in .32 seconds flat, and didn’t really fill me up. a la tortilla wrap with a laughing cow wedge, 1/4 the creamiest avocado i’ve ever picked out at the store, tomato and some whole foods sliced deli turkey along with a sliced orange pepper. green peppers are my favorite (and the cheapest!), but when i went to the store on sunday, they were all out of everything except a few orange peppers. weird, no?  

well this wasn't filling.

my snack was in three parts… i was feeling noshy because lunch wasn’t satisfying, so i dug into my snack (part 1) around 4, way earlier than normal. this nectarine was the picture of perfection – i think they are my favorite fruit! i can’t eat peaches because the fuzz faREAKS me out, always has, always will. when i was a kid, my grandpa thought that was hilarious.  

mmm, summer.

part 2 was my favorite snackypants, just can’t beat a babybel light.  

zee best cheese. clearly i am not a cheese snob.

for part 3, i really wanted my 100 calorie popcorn, but i burned it. at work. so the whole floor smelled. in my defense, i did hit the popcorn button and took it out early, but it still reeked! i hid in the bathroom, and no i am not kidding. it was 5:30 at this point, and i had a 7pm yoga class, so i decided i should eat something… enter emergency snack drawer:  

i think this was too fiber-y for my own good.

i really liked this! it was filling, and after all three of my snacks i was a little too full… but i trekked to yoga and let it settle. my vinyasa class was at stroga , where i bought a groupon. i am not a yogi by any means, but am looking to expand my workout horizons, and also am looking to settle my mind a little — this class was hard! headstands, pigeons, whatevers….but i liked it. the studio is gorgeous, like a converted mansion. the walls are powder blue, the ceilings are appliqued and painted white, there are glamorous chandeliers and huge bay windows that let in a lot of light. it was very calming, and it felt wonderful to stretch my body as i’ve been really sore from my workouts (thanks, gina!) i was by far the worst in the class, but didn’t really care and was focused on my own practice….which was hard to do as a man placed his mat THREE INCHES from mine, and instead of focusing my breath, i was focusing on not touching him as i swandived or warriored or something like that. kind of ruined the class for me. and he worked there! he should have known to not do that! oh, yoga etiquette. 

after the class, i met my friend leah for some dinner at sweetgreen, where we picked it up and quickly jetted back to her apartment to watch TOP CHEF DC! i got the santorini, and am convinced it’s the most delicious salad in the world. i went light on the feta and swapped out the dressing for some simple lemon and olive oil, and it was just delectable. it’s my favorite place to quickly grab dinner in dc, everything is so fresh and the environment is just lovely. wow, i sound like a walking ad, but it’s true.

i am beyond excited for this season – i want to see how they integrate dc into the show! a lot of my friends have been to the gym with padma, and my other friend works at the hotel they were staying at as an event planner and has seen/met all of them! i feel personally attached to it, is that weird? 

this post is long enough, but vateva! top chef is definitely my favorite reality show… i don’t watch others, really. what’s your favorite reality show? c’mon, i know you have guilty pleasures…the bachelor anyone? rock of love? don’t be shy!

we will be back…

to regularly scheduled programming once i figure out my computer woes. i’ll miss you all in the meantime!

xoxo!

full.

of life, that is!

this weekend had some high points, and a few low points, but all in all, was chock full of all the things i love — shopping, friends, cold beers and being outside. now, to tally the score:

the good.

i got my bridesmaid dress (finally, i was in trouble with the bride!) — and not only was i an entire size smaller than i thought i would be, but i am almost the size smaller! hoping to comfortably be there by the wedding.

i got the cutest skirt and 2 theory-like tanktops for less than the original cost of the skirt.

soccer was watched – my favorite sport. i play on teams here in dc!

my bike was fixed, hellllllo not paying for transportation everywhere.

my family figured out its vacation time and we’re all going to martha’s vineyard for a few days.

i cleaned my entire house (what up toilet bowl cleaner) and actually enjoyed it. what?

i watched the tony’s! i just love love hearing all the eloquent speeches and the dedication to arts education, and besides, all the performers are just plain hot.

the not so good.

my computer broke, for real. it’s been on its last legs for a while, and took its final plunge….so no pictures for a while, i guess.

i drank a little too much beer, and ate a lot too much on saturday. but i’m still hoping for a loss tomorrow (i weigh in on tuesdays) — will keep you posted.

i’m starting to stress about packing, and our new lease (it’s not here yet to sign!)

i went to whole foods to buy produce, yogurt and some luna bars and still spent $40. at least i’m still way under food budget for the month.

=================================

wow, so the good outweighs the not so good by a mile. now, on to tackle the week!

seeing as i didn’t work out once last week, i’m declaring this week the week of working out. let’s see if i stick to it…. here’s to trying!

if you fall off the working out wagon, how do you guys motivate yourself to get back on? i find that the first step is always the hardest, but then i remember how much i like it.