We got an email yesterday from Avon Walk... only 25 days until it's here! I'm excited but I'm not going to lie, a little freaked out.
I'm a researcher, I looked up and had an idea of the marathon course about six months before the race. The Avon Walk is slightly more, well, loose in their planning. I don't think they have the actual course decided yet. I don't even know where it starts or ends. They keep saying that they will send a detailed email as the walk gets closer but I have this innate need to have a better understanding of what I'm up against. I must continue to suppress my Type A obsessions and get over it.
In other related news, I had my serious legs class with Mondale yesterday for the first time in three weeks and oh the pain!! I know I am making serious strides but I still have a long way to go. I would just like to be able to do the three minutes of jumping jacks with 8 lb dumbells!!!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Hot Yoga
Holy wow.
That's pretty much it.
I tried a hot yoga class for the first time on Monday night. They don't offer it at our Y but I have been wanting to try it for quite awhile now. Oh yeah, and this did not fit into my no-spending plan, oops, but I decided to bite because it was health and fitness related and I figure that is important stuff. They changed a couple of yoga classes around at the YMCA and I found myself not going as much as I would like to.
Anyhoo, it was nothing short of amazing. I went to a small studio and I am pretty sure that it was the first time I've ever done yoga outside of a traditional gym setting. It was from 8:00-9:15 pm so they had the lights off in the room and the only illumination was the street lights (the studio is on a pretty busy corner right next to the L train so we weren't completely in the dark). I found the setting to be extremely relaxing. The heat was already turned up when we started but the yogi turned on several extra heaters all around the room. I was sweating within just a couple of minutes.
I realized that the yoga I am used to practicing at the YMCA is very, very beginner. It was good to be exposed to a new instructor and new positions. Some of the stuff was insanely hard but for other positions I was the only person in class that could do them! Yoga is strange that way, I feel like I learn so much about my body each time I go.
When I got home and saw myself in the mirror, I cracked up. I had sweat stains everywhere! I was afraid that I would be really sore on Tuesday but I surprisingly wasn't! I think the heat helped with that because I know I really pushed myself. I have nine more sessions to use at the studio and I'm looking forward to it.
It was just a regular Vinyassa class so I will still have to try Bikram one of these days!
That's pretty much it.
I tried a hot yoga class for the first time on Monday night. They don't offer it at our Y but I have been wanting to try it for quite awhile now. Oh yeah, and this did not fit into my no-spending plan, oops, but I decided to bite because it was health and fitness related and I figure that is important stuff. They changed a couple of yoga classes around at the YMCA and I found myself not going as much as I would like to.
Anyhoo, it was nothing short of amazing. I went to a small studio and I am pretty sure that it was the first time I've ever done yoga outside of a traditional gym setting. It was from 8:00-9:15 pm so they had the lights off in the room and the only illumination was the street lights (the studio is on a pretty busy corner right next to the L train so we weren't completely in the dark). I found the setting to be extremely relaxing. The heat was already turned up when we started but the yogi turned on several extra heaters all around the room. I was sweating within just a couple of minutes.
I realized that the yoga I am used to practicing at the YMCA is very, very beginner. It was good to be exposed to a new instructor and new positions. Some of the stuff was insanely hard but for other positions I was the only person in class that could do them! Yoga is strange that way, I feel like I learn so much about my body each time I go.
When I got home and saw myself in the mirror, I cracked up. I had sweat stains everywhere! I was afraid that I would be really sore on Tuesday but I surprisingly wasn't! I think the heat helped with that because I know I really pushed myself. I have nine more sessions to use at the studio and I'm looking forward to it.
It was just a regular Vinyassa class so I will still have to try Bikram one of these days!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Holy guacamole!
It's been kind of a big couple of days in my life. Some of our besties are getting married, one of my longest friends is having a baby and my sometime-employer, United, is merging with Continental Airlines. I won't comment on the friend news, not sure if all the news is out yet but I am SOOOOO happy for everyone involved and I love it when life works in great ways for my nearest and dearest. So I'll tell you more about the big merger.
Nothing really changes for any United employees at first, most especially me. I am still on my 30 month furlough. I'll still send my $10 check every month and keep all my health bennies. The company isn't expected to officially, legally "merge" until the end of 2010 and even that legal merge is only the very first step. After the legal merge, the company will start working on getting a combined certificate of airworthiness and begin the combining of operations. In an email I read today from CO's management to their employees, they think they can have this done by some time in 2012. If you look at new Delta (Delta and former Northwestern), they announced their merge two years ago and nothing major has happened except I think that the old Northwestern planes have been painted and I assume they make announcements as Delta.
As you can only imagine, merging two Fortune 500 companies with tons of employees and different unions on the premises will be mad complicated. I am not even scheduled to return to work until March 2012 so I can just sit at home and wait to see what happens. I have other plans for myself in the meantime that may ultimately affect my situation but we'll have to wait and see (that was kind of cryptic, sorry).
It's going to be a wild ride, that may be the only thing that's certain but I am really looking forward to hopefully having more options within my homestate (Continental's biggest hub is Houston). I'll be sitting here and counting the days until we can pass-ride on Continental!
Nothing really changes for any United employees at first, most especially me. I am still on my 30 month furlough. I'll still send my $10 check every month and keep all my health bennies. The company isn't expected to officially, legally "merge" until the end of 2010 and even that legal merge is only the very first step. After the legal merge, the company will start working on getting a combined certificate of airworthiness and begin the combining of operations. In an email I read today from CO's management to their employees, they think they can have this done by some time in 2012. If you look at new Delta (Delta and former Northwestern), they announced their merge two years ago and nothing major has happened except I think that the old Northwestern planes have been painted and I assume they make announcements as Delta.
As you can only imagine, merging two Fortune 500 companies with tons of employees and different unions on the premises will be mad complicated. I am not even scheduled to return to work until March 2012 so I can just sit at home and wait to see what happens. I have other plans for myself in the meantime that may ultimately affect my situation but we'll have to wait and see (that was kind of cryptic, sorry).
It's going to be a wild ride, that may be the only thing that's certain but I am really looking forward to hopefully having more options within my homestate (Continental's biggest hub is Houston). I'll be sitting here and counting the days until we can pass-ride on Continental!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Clearly, I suck at this
I really suck at not spending money. It's so hard, y'all!
Last night we dined at a new restaurant I have been dying to try and it happens to be a brewery so it wasn't like I couldn't drink a housemade beer. Adam *technically* paid but give me a break, it was on our joint credit card. Blast! But the beer was so worth it and felt amazing on my allergy-stricken sore throat.
Tomorrow, scheduling is going to necessitate that I have Subway for dinner. Dammit. I realize it's a $5 footlong we're talking about but I am seriously saddened that I'm going to screw up my plan again. And my dad is talking of coming to visit this weekend so we all know that the no spending rule will get completely thrown out due to the "company in town clause".
I am failing at this and I'm on Day 4!
Last night we dined at a new restaurant I have been dying to try and it happens to be a brewery so it wasn't like I couldn't drink a housemade beer. Adam *technically* paid but give me a break, it was on our joint credit card. Blast! But the beer was so worth it and felt amazing on my allergy-stricken sore throat.
Tomorrow, scheduling is going to necessitate that I have Subway for dinner. Dammit. I realize it's a $5 footlong we're talking about but I am seriously saddened that I'm going to screw up my plan again. And my dad is talking of coming to visit this weekend so we all know that the no spending rule will get completely thrown out due to the "company in town clause".
I am failing at this and I'm on Day 4!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tiny Kink in the Plans
I forgot one detail and need to update that spending is allowed, of course, for Mother's Day. Luckily, I already purchased cards last month because I am trying to be ahead of the game as an adult but gifts for my mom and future mother-in-law still need to be procured.
Other than that, my allergies are so bad that I haven't even left the condo since we returned from St. Louis, which makes non-spending super easy! Tomorrow when I return to reality we'll see how well this experiment goes, haha!
Other than that, my allergies are so bad that I haven't even left the condo since we returned from St. Louis, which makes non-spending super easy! Tomorrow when I return to reality we'll see how well this experiment goes, haha!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Competition and Challenges
I've decided that there is no way I'd ever be able to go to the personal trainer alone. Not that I'm afraid of working out by myself, it's purely from a competitive perspective. I have an innate need for someone else to compare myself to and work towards being better than. Is that a bad thing? Depending on circumstance, I suppose, but it also is extremely motivating! I hope that we'll be able to start personal training in June after my Avon Walk is over. Because I want to go with Adam to have someone to "compete" against (and presumably discover that I am not as strong as a man and never will be), we'll be paying for two personal training sessions at once. Awesome for the body and not for the wallet.
I have so many stupid wants (a body bugg, thanks to Biggest Loser; new running shoes; new summer clothing and shoes) that I need to quit thinking about and researching to death so I'm going to challenge myself by doing a month of not buying anything (within reason).
For me this is going to mean:
-only groceries will be purchased
-no alcoholic beverages purchased (making an exception when we have company in town in May)
-no takeout/to go food, pizza-I will miss you
-no clothes, shoes, etc.
-minimal to no purchases earmarked for the wedding
It's only until May 26th but it's going to be insanely mega-hard to do! If I can manage, I think I will definitely have saved enough for quite a few of those personal training sessions!
(the reason why I say minimal purchases for the wedding is because we might have to start looking at plane tickets and jump on them if the fares are inexpensive!)
I have so many stupid wants (a body bugg, thanks to Biggest Loser; new running shoes; new summer clothing and shoes) that I need to quit thinking about and researching to death so I'm going to challenge myself by doing a month of not buying anything (within reason).
For me this is going to mean:
-only groceries will be purchased
-no alcoholic beverages purchased (making an exception when we have company in town in May)
-no takeout/to go food, pizza-I will miss you
-no clothes, shoes, etc.
-minimal to no purchases earmarked for the wedding
It's only until May 26th but it's going to be insanely mega-hard to do! If I can manage, I think I will definitely have saved enough for quite a few of those personal training sessions!
(the reason why I say minimal purchases for the wedding is because we might have to start looking at plane tickets and jump on them if the fares are inexpensive!)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
A RANT
I realize that Ben Franklin was absolutely correct when he said that there are only two certainties in life, death and taxes. I've been paying taxes for over 20 years if you consider using my parents money to buy candy and what-nots as a child and I know I have a lot more dollars to put toward taxes for the rest of my life. But right now, I get so beyond annoyed with my current state and city because I swear they may just tax us all to death and then still claim that the damn state is still broke as a joke!
I also understand that I am massively biased toward that because I was blessed to grow up in the best state ever and never had to pay state income tax until I was 24. (I know, I know, I am extremely ethnocentric but seriously, go to Texas, check out some real estate prices and cost-of-living stuff, coupled with awesome winters and then you'll understand. I feel like I have been enough places to know that it's something special down there.)
So yeah, I have a real problem with state income tax. I have an extreme problem with the fact that HR Block charges me about $10 to e-file my federal taxes and a WHOPPING $36 to file my stupid Illinois taxes. Last year the refund I got from the state was less than that! But what I have a bigger problem with is all the stupid state taxes (and don't even get me started about the city taxes) on EVERY DAMN THING. They are nickle and diming us to death around here and the state is still so "broke" that they are firing a bajillion teachers, already cut all the train and bus service in Chicago and every day the news is full of new things that have to be cut or start being charged for. If they are charging me out the wazoo for everything, where exactly is that money going? (Amen to the fact that neither of us smokes, I think the going rate per pack is around $10 these days after all the taxes.)
Case in point: our moron replacement-for-the-corrupt-idiot-Blago governor wants to start charging 6.5% tax on iTunes. As if the new $1.29 price tag wasn't enough. I like my music and I don't want to have to pay any more anything to Illinois than I already do! I am so irritated and obviously, this is such a small thing to rant about but COME ON! Enough is seriously enough! Get me out of here!
I also understand that I am massively biased toward that because I was blessed to grow up in the best state ever and never had to pay state income tax until I was 24. (I know, I know, I am extremely ethnocentric but seriously, go to Texas, check out some real estate prices and cost-of-living stuff, coupled with awesome winters and then you'll understand. I feel like I have been enough places to know that it's something special down there.)
So yeah, I have a real problem with state income tax. I have an extreme problem with the fact that HR Block charges me about $10 to e-file my federal taxes and a WHOPPING $36 to file my stupid Illinois taxes. Last year the refund I got from the state was less than that! But what I have a bigger problem with is all the stupid state taxes (and don't even get me started about the city taxes) on EVERY DAMN THING. They are nickle and diming us to death around here and the state is still so "broke" that they are firing a bajillion teachers, already cut all the train and bus service in Chicago and every day the news is full of new things that have to be cut or start being charged for. If they are charging me out the wazoo for everything, where exactly is that money going? (Amen to the fact that neither of us smokes, I think the going rate per pack is around $10 these days after all the taxes.)
Case in point: our moron replacement-for-the-corrupt-idiot-Blago governor wants to start charging 6.5% tax on iTunes. As if the new $1.29 price tag wasn't enough. I like my music and I don't want to have to pay any more anything to Illinois than I already do! I am so irritated and obviously, this is such a small thing to rant about but COME ON! Enough is seriously enough! Get me out of here!
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