Yin + Yang

Life is all about balance... so I present to you, today's yin and yang. (In my head, yin=good, yang=bad, so let's go with that.)

Yin = I don't have a heart problem.

At least, I don't think so. Ever since my "episode" in December at the gym I've been really freaked out. And have had two other instances of dizziness and lightheadedness at the gym since. Today I finally went to the doc and got an EKG, blood tests, etc. Turns out I'm just mildly anemic. I still have to go take a treadmill stress test just to be sure, but I'm very happy the initial verdict is that I won't die. Happy Monday!

Yang = I have no sense of fashion.

I'll admit that this down of the day is much less important than the the upside. But for a girl, it's very disheartening. Recently, in my quest to find blogs to read that are healthier than The Pioneer Woman and Bakerella, I've stumbled across new reads. My favorite, is Kendi Everyday. Not only is she super cute and from Texas, she also touts the benefits of doing what you can with what you have in your own closet.

Well Kendi... I tried... and I failed... The end.

You gotta know your limits.

Today... today was an interesting day. It started out fairly well, I was very proud of my whole wheat english muffin with pumpkin topping, I drank only one cup of coffee, and felt like I'd had plenty of water. But somewhere, something went terribly wrong.

I met up with my trainer at the gym at a quarter to 1 p.m. We did all of the exercises I'm used to, but this time, my body revolted.

Halfway through my second circuit and I was light-headed. By the time we finished the third, I was feeling queasy. Ten minutes later, my trainer had called the paramedics. Awesome.

I had gone into the women's locker room to try and not vomit, and I leaned on the counter. After leaning on the counter I discovered I couldn't not lean on it, every time I stood up my vision swam, I became insanely cold, and was literally unable to walk. I couldn't even make it over to the benches to sit down.

The manager brought in a mat, made me lay down, put my legs up, and then force fed me Gatorade.

I don't have any idea what happened to me, but I got better, and didn't need to endure the embarrassment of the paramedics because I got better before they got there. But, it's definitely not how I'd imagined my day would go.

Note to self: don't be so stubborn you ignore what your body is telling you.

Deep Thoughts

My day started out so well... egg white omelette split with my Auntie P while sitting across the table from my grandparents (so sad they're flying back home, it was a good visit!) and my brother.

But then, it turned into the worst day I've had at work in a very. very. very. long time. Long story short: we can't be perfect, but man do I wish I could be.

But now, at the end of the day, it's funny how things that were overwhelmingly overwhelming just a few hours before somehow become inconsequential when you're at home, in your own environment, hearing the hum of your appliances and sitting in your favorite chair.

Deep thoughts... by me.

Summer Cold

So... today I'm dealing with a summer cold, and am running into a question I ask myself when I'm sick.

To exercise or not to exercise.

According to Prevention Mag, if your symptoms are above the neck, you're okay to workout, and if they're below the neck, you should wait.

http://www.prevention.com/health/fitness/tips-for-success/exercise-while-sick/article/e75e72e50d803110VgnVCM10000013281eac____/

With this advice, I put my name on the list for spin tonight at the gym. And then texted the instructor to let her know she's not allowed to yell at me to turn up the resistance tonight!

Snapshots of a Messy Modern Life

Today is a typical Saturday for me, and for something so typical to me, at a couple of points today it strook me that my day is not exactly normal. (Strook me... striked me... is that right? Anyway.)

My huband and I apparently don't think working Monday through Friday is quite good enough, so we try to see how much we can manage on the weekends as well. (While simultaneously completely neglecting our home, and social lives.) But I digress.

In an effort to still be "together," when we both have work to do we trek downtown so we can work in the quiet of his office. While we're not actually spending time together, the physical nearness is a good facsimile, and at least tricks us mentally into thinking we are.

On Saturday's like this, I'll often go with him to his gym. But this is totally not a normal gym, it's an Irish gym. (http://www.educogym.com/) You know, since the Irish are so known for their physical prowess, this makes sense. It's on the 57th floor of the US Bank tower downtown, and they're known for a 25 minute workout.

The concept of the 25 minute workout is still very strange to me. Essentially, I spend more time showering and getting ready afterward than I did for the entire workout. But that's where my first "snapshot" comes in.

Check out the view from the women's locker room! (Okay, it's kind of hard to see.) But there's a view of all of East LA while you're doing your makeup and hair.

After we finish at the gym we walk over to my hubby's building, where are able to make and enjoy free sandwiches courtesy of his law firm. (It's Saturday, I'm allowed to have bread people!) And then I set up shop in the office next door to his that is conveniently empty.

About five minutes before posting this I looked up from my book and realized that I have three computer monitors within three feet of me.

Behold, work laptop, school laptop, company desktop.

You gotta admit, it's kind of ridiculous!

Sneak Peek... Baby Shower Centerpiece

Can't believe July 1 is this Thursday! When my coworkers and I started talking about throwing our friend's baby shower that date seemed really far away, but it's this Thursday!

Here's a peek at the centerpiece, not 100% positive if this will be the final incarnation of her Princess and the Frog centerpiece, but I've got five of these suckers and I'm thinking they'll be cute!

Mimulus Puniceus... aka Miss Monkey Flower

Meet mimulus puniceus... isn't she beautiful? She's a Monkey Flower, and for our story, let's call her Miss Monkey Flower.

She's is a native California flower that originates from San Diego. Let's revel in her beauty for a moment... faint orange flowers, with papery delicate petals, so fragile, so pretty. Definitely a Miss.

I got her as a present from one of my coworkers. Or really, from my coworkers husband. Native gardening is his hobby. He loves it, and teaches it to others. He's the kind of guy who has such intense hobbies, and does them so well and with such fervor that you wonder what in the world you're wasting your own free time on. But I digress.

Back to Miss Monkey Flower. So she was propagated from a plant in Griffith Park by my coworker's husband. He took her home, planted the clipping, nurtured it, and then sent it to work with his wife. Thank you!!!

Here's a picture of her in the office, kinda nice, right? But I soon learned that the problem with having something that was propagated from a plant in a park, and then nurtured in dirt outside, is that when you bring it inside, it sometimes invites its friends...

So in my first watering, I picked up Miss. Monkey Flower, and saw movement. I saw. A millipede. I would have taken a picture... but it was fast. And for something an inch long... kinda scary.

(It's my personal opinion that animals, err organic creatures, should have either two or four legs. None is definitely scary, and more than four gets exponentially creepier the more legs you add. Think about it, and ant... okay, I can handle that. A spider? It's time to call for reinforcements.)

So here she sits today. Safely in an pot, in a bowl, and full of pesticide that I was assured is as organic and non-toxic as something that is meant to kill things can be.

Rest in peace, millipede. Rest in peace.

Girl Cooks Indian

So... I've spent hours, that have added up to days, that have added up to weeks sitting in a conference room with my wonderful friend, Reeta. While our eyes became strained and bleary from scanning thousands of lines of Excel, we talked to maintain our sanity. And we talked. And we talked.

Subjects have ranged from boys, to crazy Korean spa experiences, to things that cannot be spoken of on the Internet.

And then one day, I mentioned that I'd like to make Indian food. And then the next day, Reeta brought me a cookbook to borrow - Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking (an Expanded New Edition of the Classic on Indian Cooking).

So the next Friday night, my hubs got to eat this... Chicken Masala on Basmati Rice with a side of Spinach and Onions and Garlic Naan.

And this was made from this (please note, in my first attempt at food blogging, I have left off most of the ingredients that made it into the dish... and left in the drink I was partaking while making the dish):

And while chopping up the onions... I looked like this:

Sorry for the awful pic... but I can't help myself. Wow, do I hate choppin' onions!!!

The dinner was delish! And the recipe is below:

5 tbl veg oil

3/4 tsp cumin seeds

1 inch cinnamon stick

6 cardamom pods

2 bay leaves

1/3 tsp peppercorns

1 large onion chopped

6 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 can crushed tomatoes

3 lb chicken breast, cubed

1 1/2 salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garam masala

Put the oil in a large, wide pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and peppercorns. Stir once and then put in the onions, garlic and ginger. Stir this mixture around until the onions pick up brown specks. Now put in the tomatoes, chicken, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir to mix and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn heat to low and simmer for 25 min, or until the chicken is tender. Stir a few times during the cooking period. Remove cover and turn up heat to medium.

Sprinkle in the garam masala and cook, stirring gently, for about 5 minutes.

Baby Shower Invitation/Inspiration

My coworker is having a baby girl! And that means that I get to team up with the ladies to throw the most fabulous baby shower possible in a conference room.

Facts:

• After two boys she's having her first baby GIRL.
• She herself is NOT a girlie-girl.
• Despite not being a girlie-girl, she's into the pink because... well... she's having a GIRL!
• She's diggin' frogs for the nursery.

I found this image and love it! The elephant is "showering" the frogs, and it's PINK!

I'm thinking this is the inspiration for the shower.

Manic Monday

Today is the first day of what promises to be a very interesting week - last week of classes for Spring 2010 (woo hoo) and a reporting week at work (wah wah wah).

I did however make a batch of banana muffins to share with my coworkers to make the day a little sweeter.

Sugar = happy today.
Baking = sanity last night.