Spam! UGH!

Due to the mass amounts of SPAM I've been recieving on my "Blogspot" website, I've decided to shut down the account and switch over to Wordpress.
I've already set up the account and it's ready to go. *phew*

So, to continue reading my rantings (and archives) please visit:

http://agallonofcoffee.wordpress.com/

Thanks!

-Holls

Yoga Cat

I’m just throwing in a quick post because it’s a work night (yay!) and I’m dead tired.

Since my back was tired, I thought I would try out some new yoga moves that really made my tired muscles feel WAY better. I closed my eyes, breathed in, and relaxed. 

When I opened my eyes, I saw this:

“you’re boring”

I always get a kick out of confusing my animals when I’m doing workouts on the floor.

Also, since it was a beautiful, rainy, fall day today, I decided bread bowls were in order.

I shared this bad boy with Kurt, since we weren’t too hungry when I got home from work. (I had the definition of hospital cafeteria food today, by the way. Yuck)

Also...

SPICED CIDER!!!!
It’s finally cool enough to bring out the hot drinks!

Last but not least, I started watching Grey’s Anatomy last week on Hulu. I had heard so much about it, and since it’s set in Seattle, I figured I’d be into it. So far, I’m enjoying the show. I’m not a big TV person, but I tend to watch series off of the internet/Roku/DVR instead. I was going to see how many episodes I could get through without getting bored with the plot.

I had to take a break from it this week. After studying intensively for an Anatomy exam, and spending the rest of the week in the hospital, and studying for another Anatomy exam, I’m a little burned out on hospital jargon. The show makes me think too much. Add relationships plus dynamics, and I think I need a break.

I also got in my guilty pleasure show: Big Rich Texas, but I probably shouldn’t openly admit that I watch it. Darn it.
There’s something that I love to hate about these crazy women, like the Kardashians (*gag*) or Real Housewives series. (*also gag*) It’s like watching a bad train wreck, you don’t want to see what happens, but you can’t look away, either.

That’s just me.

-Hojo

Unexpected Thursday

Who am I kidding? I knew I was going to get the day off, since I’ve been cancelled the last 3 Thursdays. It made for a wonderful day hanging out with Kurt, running errands and relaxation.

I think that’s the theme for today: relaxation.

Anyway, after getting called up and realizing I could actually sleep another hour or two, we went out to breakfast at Brandon’s Diner, where I had a spinach and mushroom omelet topped with avocado and a side of fruit. It made my day. I love going out to breakfast! (It’s become our Sunday-morning tradition, to get a big breakfast out and share it).

After breakfast, we came home and I started reading my “new” book (it’s been sitting around for a while) Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin (the same author of Game of Thrones). So far, it’s a very interesting read, and I can’t seem to put it down.

After relaxing at home for a bit, and doing a little window-shopping, I got a surprisingly delicious lunch from Wendy’s; they now have half salads. I got the Apple Pecan Salad, in which I didn’t use the included pecans and only a dab of the Pomegranate Vinaigrette. I was definitely shocked that it came from a fast food restaurant, especially when I noticed that it was on a bed of spinach and not your typical iceberg lettuce. Someone really put a lot of thought into this. There was actually quite a bit of apple in there as well, so a lot of good elements to this salad, if you ignore the sugared pecans and giant packet of dressing (both served on the side).

 salad!

After lunch, we headed off to the Upland Animal Shelter to go “play with puppies”, as we like to say. We probably look like nuts, going into the shelter once a month or once every few months to pet dogs, but it’s really therapeutic, and always has us talking about the future.

I’m not sure if most of you know, I’m a huge Pit-Bull advocate. I think they’re the most misunderstood dogs on the face of the planet. It all started a few years ago when I was introduced to Kurt’s parent’s dog, Deuce, and this dorky dog wormed his way into my heart.

Ever since then, I could never understand how someone could mistreat such beautiful animals. While Deuce was never abused, and in fact, quite spoiled, I always stood up for the breed, because I have living, breathing proof that people will rally against just about anything. I’ve had people cross busy streets to get away from him while we’re jogging, gotten angry looks on the trail and freaked out a person or two at PetsMart. But with any dog, it’s how you treat the dog, raise them, and train them, and that decides the outcome of your dog’s behavior.

Despite the negativities I’ve come across, I feel very fortunate to live in a city that advocates the Pit Bull breed; bringing “doggie beauty contests” to the shelter and local newspaper, having ordinances about breeding (because the shelters are so overly populated with these poor dogs) and properly educating owners on proper dog handling. For more info, check out the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter.

They are very high-energy dogs and take a LOT of patience!

On the trail, I’ve gotten numerous complements on my dog’s behavior and leash-walking skills. I’ve also gotten a “shout out” from a cop car (which startled me, but made me laugh!), and had a whole group of city firefighters moon over my “well behaved” dog. (He completely ate it up!) Deuce can also do a whole list of tricks and commands, and the list just keeps getting longer. As a nurse, I would have liked to have him train as a certified therapy dog, but Kurt and I decided that he’s too sensitive to loud noises to pass the certification (your dog has to be bomb-proof). Either way, I’m proud as to how far he’s come in these past couple years, and went from a wild, whirlwind of a dog to a calm and loveable member of the family.

So that’s my two-cents on breed-discrimination. I’m hoping that my dog could one day become a shining example that not all Pit Bulls are vicious man-eaters.

Yoga:
Tonight, I started yoga. It seemed to confuse all of the regulars at the gym as to why I was there on a Thursday night.
It was RELAXING! I can’t believe I waited this long to start this class (uhhh, because it’s at 9am…duh) It’s definitely something I think I could get into. I really need to figure out how to relax, and I think this might be it! It was a lot of stretching and breathing, which I was expecting and looking forward to, and the instructor was really cool.
Overall, I think it’s something I might add to my routine.

I still have to do my ab workouts tonight. But that’s the challenge!

Dinner tonight: A big cup of veggies and Nutella on a slice of wheat bread. (Breakfast took over my day) I might have a protein shake later.Tme for a nice cup of Yogi Detox Tea. :D

yes, that is the “Holly” mug.
Also, never noticed this…

Anyway, tomorrow I might be starting some Amish Friendship Bread, as inspired by Jillee, so I might be making trips around Los Angeles/Orange County and the Inland Empire delivering bread and the starter next week.

So that’s my action-packed Thursday. Now it’s time to sit back and watch the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Kurt. (Don’t need to explain, we’re nerds, it makes sense). Besides, Sean Austin (a.k.a Sam from LOTR) is Michelangelo.

Night all!

<3 Hojo

Setting Goals

Well, we’re halfway through the week, folks! (Folks?) And what a week it’s turning out to be.

I’ve decided my goals need a little more prioritizing. So when I feel like things are out of order, I make lists.

I have a lot to think about this week, especially since I’ve kind of fallen out of sync with my diet/exercise plan (due to work, school, fitness classes being cancelled, etc.).

First thing on the list: Budget. As you all know, I haven’t been working much at all (yeah  yeah), so learning to live on a smaller income could be a challenge for anyone. Thankfully, I’ve read several books from the Dave Ramsey series, and I’m trying to get to the point where this won’t be an issue. I’m still working on my Emergency Fund, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Now as for fitness: ABs x7. Yes, it’s exactly what it means. I’m going to do a challenge (as told by our trainer) to do abs 7 days a week, starting tonight. (I already did my workouts for tonight.) But maybe I’ll post some pictures/workout ideas while I’m doing this.

Also, you saw it right, I’m buying a jumprope. I will no longer be left behind in the class when we do our jumproping! It’s an easy fix to a difficult problem.

I am so motivated to get into shape, it’s silly.

I’m going to concentrate on fixing my diet. Things have been a little tight lately, schedule and budget/wise, so it’s been really hard to fit in some healthy meals, and there’s been a lot of temptation to just eat bad! I might start looking into some easy/healthy recipes in order to get back on track. Mainly using Self.com or the French Women Don’t Get Fat cookbook.

Sleep Schedule: I’ll admit it, I’m having trouble getting a good sleep schedule down. I have no energy during the days, and almost always have to take an afternoon nap around 3 or 4. I sleep in on my days off, trying to recover what was lost. So I’m going to start taking a mild melanin supplement around bedtime in order to alleviate my insomnia and continue to limit my caffeine intake.

Apply for Jobs: I’m continuing to apply for nursing jobs in the Los Angeles/San Bernardino area. I’ve almost got it down to an art, and spent today working on my cover letter.

I’m still meaning to get into the Yoga class this week. It’s the thing on my to-do list that never gets done, like laundry.

So I’m ready to turn in for the night. No more studying to do until the end of the week, and then I can take it in moderation. I don’t have another lecture exam until next Wednesday. Goodnight everyone!

-Hojo.

Oh Hey, There's a Wall Here!

You know when you're running a long distance and you hit the proverbial "wall"? 

Well, I've hit that wall with studying tonight. 

After two weeks of studying intensely for this muscles exam, I found I have a quiz tomorrow on something completely different. I think I've hit a wall in my studying. I don't want to look at flashcards, I don't want to paste and glue things, I don't want to do anything but sleep right now, but that's probably not the smartest idea.

How can one four-unit class make my life a living heck?

*bangs head on the desk*

-Hojo <3

Kicking into Fall Mode!

It’s Monday again! And that means that it’s another week of school, work, gym and the such. I’m finally feeling like I’m getting a routine down, and by that I mean, finding time for myself in this whirlwind of a schedule of mine.

I’m working tomorrow.Maybe? Maybe not? Hm. It’s becoming a fun game of Russian Roulette…except with work.

I had a pretty big lab practicum today, in which I’m almost positive I got an A on. We graded them at the end, and I missed a couple questions, but not enough to fail. That’s all I care about. (Oh, and I got an A. Now the quality of the A depends when we get the results from our extra credit back.)

Hooray for my awesome Anatomy Coloring Book! It really helped me figure out what was what and took the anxiety of having to memorize a hundred tiny muscles of the body. It made my life so much easier.

Anyway, as for the weekend, I was battling with a severe migraine because of the darned weather change. It went from 65 and breezy/drizzly to 95 in two days.Although I was very very excited about the rain last week!

This is the first migraine I’ve had in four months, a little before I started working out and eating healthier. So, I’m setting a new record here.
It’s almost gone, I just can’t eat anything sweet.
Goodbye Oreo Brownies I found on Pinterest.

Oh well, I probably shouldn’t be eating them anyway. :( 

I did, however, fight through it all and make it to the gym this weekend. I did my kickboxing class on Saturday, which ended up being oh-so-sweaty-but-oh-so-good. Yeah, I know. This afternoon, class was cancelled so I spent an hour doing an elliptical/treadmill interval workout. 40 minutes on the elliptical on “random” setting, and then 20 minutes on the treadmill. It felt great!

Also, I got my hair done over the weekend! I finally took the jump and went darker for the fall! I was a little nervous, but my stylist Nicole (who also owns the salon) always seem to work magic with my hair.

I was so excited! I love my new color! And for those of you who are in the area (L.A., Orange, or San Bernardino Counties) and looking for an amazing stylist and salon, I highly recommend Hair Phases, in Rancho Cucamonga.

I also got some cute fall clothes last week, one of them being a cute cardigan I pulled from Plato’s Closet!

 

I love the diamond-pattern crochet on this chunky cardigan. I paired it with my stripe-y shirt (also seen above, and from Plato’s Closet) and a pair of boots. I can’t wait to get my brown, knee-high boots this month! Then it will really be fall!

This morning’s coffee flavor was…interesting to say the least.It was Tiramisu-flavored coffee with Bailey’s creamer mixed in.
It basically got as close to drinking alcohol as coffee could possibly get.
Also, this afternoon, I made myself a delicious protein shake. It consisted of 8 frozen strawberries, what was left of the frozen raspberries (about 1/4 cup), spinach (1/2 cup frozen), 1/2 cup of nonfat milk, and two scoops of protein powder. Plus I added a little pumpkin pie spice to make it taste fall-ish. It really filled the gap of all the nutrients and sweet cravings I’ve been having the past couple days, but couldn’t keep down. :/ Anyways, it was delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’d also like to know why no one has ever told me about Nutella?

Sheez.

Okay. So that’s my Weekend/Monday night. Se you all Wednesday!

<3 Hojo

Honk if You Like Warm Buns!

Today was just another day I had class. The drive wasn’t too bad, considering it’s an hour.
Until I saw THIS on the freeway on my way to school. It was one of those “Only in L.A. moments”.

 

It reads:

“Ultra Touch Heated Toilet Seats.”
”Honk…if you like warm buns!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh my, it’s still making me laugh. Even the “thinker” man makes me giggle a little. Potty humor.

ANYWAY!

I’m officially responsible for picking Kurt’s mom up on the way home from school, since it’s on the way home. I got out of class at 1:30, and she didn’t get off work until 4, so, not including commute time, I had about two hours to kill while waiting in Diamond Bar/Walnut. Good thing I decided not to stay in Westminster and study, because traffic was a beast after 4!

I decided to play it safe and head over first and then maybe I could find a Starbucks to nab a sandwich. I looked around, went down a long road, and lo and behold…SHOPPING!

Okay, I really didn’t go shopping, but I found a place that had several restaurants that were to my liking. (I.e. good mid-range lunch places!)

I finally got to try Flame Broiler. After an odd experience with the girl at the counter, I got a chicken bowl with avocado.
I couldn’t even finish half!

Afterwards, I decided to mosey (yes, mosey!) over to Panera across the street and have a decaf pumpkin latte and get a little studying in. I love the setup (free wifi, lattes in stoneware mugs), and I think I’ve found my new study place!

no, really, I didn’t ask for that much whipped cream. I didn’t complain either…

BY THE WAY!

SO much for the rain.

Not happy about that one. WHERE IS THE RAIN??? Okay, calm down caps lock-y girl. I wanted cold, I wanted rain, all I got was 75 degrees and partly cloudy. I want it to be fall! Like scarf and sweater weather! I can’t drink hot lattes in 70-80 degree weather with humidity!

Crock pot alert: We scarfed down my pot roast too fast for me to take a picture. (Ha!)

So for tonight, I’m just going to stick with my ab workouts and push-ups because my knee is still a little too sore to go running (which I really wanted to do tonight!), and it’s probably not a good idea without my brace. (Don’t worry, guys, I’ve got this, I’m a nurse.)

I’m halfway between reconsidering my career and going for my BSN at a Cal-State. I can’t find a job as an LVN anywhere, and it doesn’t look good for RN either (there’s a few girls at our work who are RNs working as CNAs and volunteers). If you can find a job, it’s a great career, but no one is hiring. It’s extremely frustrating.

So those are my thoughts of the day.
Happy Wednesday!
-Hojo

Coloring Books and Patellofemoral injuries.

Well, here’s to another resounding round of a Tuesday night workout. Note to self: next time eat more before going to work out, and eat at least an hour before class. Now that we got that straightened out. I think I did okay for not really having much to eat and dealing with sore lower extremities from walking all weekend. I’m going to start taking a pedometer with me to work.

I’m really glad I’m getting a lot of encouragement from the people in my class, because there are just some days where I can’t keep up, and instead of making it a competition, they root me on, it really, really helps me get through a tough workout.

My shirt looked like I jumped into a swimming pool.

Tonight, I had a protein shake to look forward to when I got home. (You know, to replace all those lost nutrients).

Othello liked it….

And  I got some new workout “equipment”. Okay, it’s just a shirt and some gloves, but here’s the up-side, push ups are easier (because I can grip the ground properly) and no more blisters. Woohoo!

I’m loving the Adidas gear.
Gloves. Check. Stretchy pants. Check. Good shoes. Check. Knee injury? Check.

Yup, it’s been bothering me. After an entire weekend of wearing not-so great shoes at work and running back and forth in the halls, my knees are swollen. I really wish the glucosamine I started taking would kick in soon. Until then, I need new work shoes. It made for a super painful workout, especially doing leap-frogs, up-downs (burpees), jump rope and lunges. I will fight through it!

On the up-side, we all sat with our backs against the wall, in a chair-position, and saw how long we could all hold it. (He made us do 1-2 minute repeats). It was one of the knee-strengthening exercises my doctor gave me when I found out about my initial injury.

Guess what else I got in the mail today??? Okay, it’s in the title, but I’m silly. The Anatomy Coloring Book! Oh, you thought I got something fun?

besides the fact that the guy on the cover looks like a stroke victim. Or bipolar.
A lot of nursing students and volunteers have recommended this book in Anatomy, so I thought I would give it a shot. I just didn’t know I was getting another textbook. I think this will really help me, since I am an extremely visual-tactile learner. NOW I have something to color when Kurt’s niece wants to color with me.

Speaking of Kurt, this is what’s going on in our bedroom right now…
this is totally what it looks like!
Oh how I love that man and how he enables my nerd-isms.

We started watching Batman: The Dark Night Rises. It’s drawn just like the comic books, which makes it so intriguing!
Oh, you didn’t know I’m a nerd? HA.

Other things I’m currently obsessed with:
Gangnam Style- Why can’t I get this song out of my head?!?

Short Change Hero by The Heavy- Which is the intro song to Borderlands 2, I can’t get enough of it, especially since it hasn’t hit mainstream media and they haven’t overplayed it (aka ruined it) like every other station in Los Angeles tends to do.

There you go, that’s my super-duper Tuesday night.

Tomorrow, if I feel like it, I’ll go ahead and post some new outfits, as well as a few on my wishlist. And since it’s supposed to be a cold, rainy day in Southern California (HA!), I’m going to bust out my crockpot.

-Hojo

Thankful

I try to stay fairly neutral on my opinions on my blog, but sometimes I feel the need to post something with a more spiritual feel, so if you’re the type of person that’s “not into that”, I ask that you please disregard this posts. I’m not going to apologize for my faith, because that’s a part of who I am. God has helped me through so many things in my life, and through the tough times I’ve been through.

I seem to forget all the struggles I’ve been through, and when new problems arise, it automatically becomes the center of my focus.

I need to start being thankful for the things I have and how far I’ve come. It’s easy to blame yourself for all the bad things that have happened in your life, and even easier to blame it on someone else. What if you just let it go? Just forgive the past and move on. That’s what I’m trying to do. It’s one of the most difficult things to do in life, forgive yourself or someone else for mistakes made. Your heart seems to dwell on every transgression and you replay scenes in your head. Sometimes, you need to learn that the past is in the past, you can’t fix things, and you just have to step up and deal with the consequences. Move forward.

I had another sleepless night last night, staying up worrying about problems that I magnified by tens of thousands, solely because I chose to linger on the details. I woke up pretty early this morning, mostly because I couldn’t force myself to sleep anymore.

My initial reaction after nights like this is to pick up a Bible and start reading where I left off last. It was the story of King Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles. I don’t know at what point in the text that I came to my conclusion, but I thought “Wow, I should really be thankful for the things I have”. It’s amazing, right, how the answers seem to come out of nowhere?

Except I know better.

You can’t do everything on your own. Sometimes, you just need to call out for help. You need to be thankful for the things you have, because there’s no point in looking at life in a negative sense. It’s something I have to remind myself daily: stay positive.

I had four different patients on Sunday apologize to me for going off on me, or crying, or lashing out. I knew their problems weren’t my fault. It’s human to cry and be stressed out. I know, I’ve been there, I told them so. That sort of tension you don’t know what to do about, that builds up and you have no release, the only logical thing to do is cry. We’ve all been there, right? It reminds you that things are so real.

I keep my motto in reassuring them, “If I took home everything everyone said and did to me, I’d be a nervous wreck.” Some days are harder than others.

You have to stay positive. Yeah, it’s harder than it sounds, but you just have to push through.

Those are my thoughts for today. *Steps off soapbox*

-Hojo

Time. For. MONDAY!

Aaah Monday, where the week starts again, you get a clean slate and goals are made.

Hello happy campers, and welcome to another resounding week of workouts, eating (somewhat) healthy and celebrating the final return of fall weather. (Yay!)

I’m a little low on pictures today, due to the fact that I’ve been running so low on time these past few days, that I’ve had little time to even eat. (Seriously. I took my lunch at the 8-hour mark yesterday, and today, between all my activities, I was barely able to nab a bagel, coffee and eventually a sandwich.)

So to compensate for my lack of photography tonight, here is a picture of my cat.

No? Okay fine.

I worked all weekend, and it was an incredibly busy Sunday, which turned out to stress the heck out of me at the very end of the shift, but you can’t very well control any one else’s behavior but your own, so I had to kind of just get over it.
Which is kind of awesome, because considering the anxiety I had before I had my outlets, I really, truly could not, and those bad days would follow me home. I’m also thankful for Adele and a 45-minute drive home. ;)

Today was a LOT of running around. I woke up at 7am, opened the window, and just read a book while enjoying the fall breeze. At 10 I tried to squeeze in a Mani/Pedi, in which I had an interesting experience at a salon different than the one I go to. The girl painted the light coral/pink on my big toe and asked, “are you sure you like this color?” I nodded and she painted the other toes, looked at them, and said “I think you need a different color. Something darker.” She helped me decide on a dark, sparkly purple, which really complimented my skin tone. I really appreciated her honesty, and I will be taking my business here more often!

Today, we dissected a sheep’s brain, which was interesting, but uneventful. It wasn’t for a grade, and solely for learning purposes, so half the class bolted after lecture. I stayed, because I’m a visual learner and respond well to things like that.

After class, I stopped by Plato’s Closet in Santa Ana, which would be best described as a consignment store. “Gently used designer clothing” is their description. I think I’ll post my ‘haul’ tomorrow. But I had a fantastic time shopping and finding some real gems for my fall wardrobe, without having to really worry about cost.
So after that it was a few errands, and now it’s 9pm and I’m sitting here, wondering where the day went. I ended up having to skip my Monday night kickboxing class because I just needed and hour to relax to myself before having to get up and run more errands.

One of the products I picked up this weekend was the Neutrogina Wave Sonic cleansing system.

I was really skeptical about buying a machine just to wash my face, but after using it for a couple of nights, I did notice a difference in the texture of my skin. I wanted to try something on the drugstore-find end before I go out and drop $200 on a ClairSonic at Sephora. But now that my skin is significantly clearer and smoother, I think it would be a safe buy.

 

 

 

 

What I’m reading:
As suggested by Peanut Butter Finger’s October Book Club, I picked up Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I’m hooked! So far the narrative is about a high school boy who is sent cassette tapes from a girl in his class who committed suicide. She has a list of thirteen people, and on those tapes, has a story for each individual person, and why they played a part in her death. I don’t know why this book is so addictive, but my Kindle has gone everywhere with me today, so I could sneak in a couple pages wherever I could!

So that sums up my weekend and Monday, I’ll probably be posting tomorrow after MegaFit (Death Class)tomorrow.
Goodnight everyone!
-Hojo

Night Owl Girl

Hello everyone, and happy 11pm. I know it’s not that late, but I’m up doing some last-minute studying to make sure I can have my flashcards during my commute tomorrow. Woo-hoo (don’t I sound excited?).

I thought I’d send out an actual Friday post, since I have to wait for 58 pages to print.

More ramblings.

I “work” this weekend, meaning I may or may not work. It’s up in the air. If I don’t, I have a mini to-do list to take care of, and a few things planned. I have found I am very good at creating things for myself to do when I feel idle. I would make a terrible/overzealous “housewife”. Don’t get me wrong, I can cook and clean, but when it’s my only function in life, I tend to get a little, well, OCD. Okay, maybe really OCD.

I tried to make the bed, but these cat-sized lumps kept coming up! Sheez!

So today I’ve made progress with my food choices. I had a quinoa/spinach and salmon combo, that worked out way better than I thought it would! (I used my “fancy” canned salmon, ha) Okay, it looks a little scary in the bowl, but it was great!

I also had some “veggie eggs” yesterday that looked pretty scary, but were actually pretty good.

So all in all I’m getting down the “one-bowl meal” thing.

Hopefully, it stays that way.

P.S. My printer is NOT working! Aaaaarrrrggghhhhh!

-Hojo

Sleepless in Cucamonga

Okay, so I took a whole bunch of pictures yesterday, only to post them on a blog today. Le Fail. So, my Thursday and my Friday are both being categorized as “Lazy Days” because I did not want to move all day yesterday or today. Why? Because…

*drum roll*

It’s finally Fall here in Southern California. (Please, please, please stay this cool for a while). It’s finally been under 90 degrees and it’s been wonderful! I loved drinking tea all day yesterday and then curling up under the covers with the Kindle and reading. <3

Also, I’ve almost completely given up caffeine. I’ve been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately, and I’ve been laying awake in bed until 2 am, which isn’t all that great considering some days I have to be up at 4. I’ve tried several strategies, and finally I’ve decided it’s time to kick my caffeine habit until I get my sleep schedule straightened back out.
Also, starting tonight, I’m cutting back on the reading in bed (on the Kindle) because a study shows that staring at electronics before bed disturbs your REM sleep.
Lastly, I’m going to (try!) to cut naps out of my day. I always feel sleepy at about 2 or 3 pm, and sometimes give in to an hour nap. Another problem I have to fix.
Phew!

Now that I got that out of the way, I did a bit of grocery shopping yesterday and picked out some healthy options for my breakfasts/lunches. I was reading through some other blogs and was inspired to go grocery shopping the “healthy” way. Here’s a few things I came back with:

These were just a few things I found interesting in my shopping cart. I also splurged on vegetables, because Fresh and Easy was having a crazy “98 cent” fall produce pack sale. The quinoa and brown rice are in the ready-made packs, so if I want an easy lunch, all I have to do is heat it up. (I don’t have a rice maker, so making rice is quite a chore when I have to do it for just myself).
Yogi Detox Tea, because I like the Yogi brand, and this is the only decaffeinated flavor they had, and I’m not willing to drive across the street to Albertsons for tea.
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate- this was one of my favorite weight-loss secrets. When you get a craving for something like chocolate, or brownies or such, eat a piece of dark chocolate very slowly. It kind of melts in your mouth and gives you the sensation you’re eating a whole chocolate bar, because the chocolate is so concentrated.
The Wild Alaska Sockeye Salmon was an interesting splurge (it was $6 for this 6 oz. can!) But while I was shopping for cans of tuna, it caught my eye, and needless to say, my curiosity got the best of me: “sustainably caught.”
I also picked up Greek yogurt (Fresh and Easy has their own brand now), spinach, apples, an eggplant, goat cheese, French bread, soup (for Kurt), shallots, asparagus and ground turkey.
So that’s my little shopping trip today. Let’s see how long this lasts, and if it really makes a difference filling me up for my lunches.

That’s me getting a little rambl-y. Hehe.
If you know me in person, you know I LOVE to talk. I am one of those people that gets in trouble for talking too much at work. It’s a good and bad thing in my profession. Bad because it keeps me from getting work done, but good because I think talking really helps my patients take their minds off their treatments. I love getting into a conversation with someone, and hearing their life stories.

So that’s my Thursday post that was supposed to be posted last night, now to work on my Friday post. More ramblings to come. :D

<3 Hojo.

Blistering Wednesday, Batman!

It’s official, I’m that person. You know that person that’s in the corner of the student lounge with their laptop on their blog, writing about their life. It totally smells like ramen noodles in here!

So here’s my first real workout injury. Yeah, I know, I’m a big baby.

See it?

I kept slipping doing push-ups yesterday, and therefore, ended up with a nice blister. Guess I have to get gloves, huh?

Anyway, with the hopes of making a Panera stop this morning (the only reason I woke up, really), I overshot my commute and ended up arriving to school about 30 minutes early. NO one is here. Except for the smelly ramen-eaters, that is.

mmmm…pumpkin bagel!

Sometimes, you just have to give in to your cravings. It’s all about balance.

I have a lot to do today. First off, I have to research my new camera. I’m looking into getting a Nikon Coolpix, most likely a higher-end point-and-shoot camera because I haven’t taken any formal photography classes, and I think that’s what would work for what I’m planning to do.

I have a lot to do, and hopefully I’ll be getting the hours this week to be able to play “catch up” with everything.

So because I arrived a bit early, I decided to check out one of the war memorials outside of the Westminster Police Department, which I drive by almost every day.

I love this saying!

What an awesome way to honor our heroes!

All right, I’m off to class!

-Hojo

Kick Butt!

Happiness is...

Being so sore you can't lift your arms, laugh or walk straight. 

Class kicked my butt, but I made it through.

Getting better!

-Hojo

Energetic!

Well a happy Tuesday morning to you all!

It’s been a beautiful morning here in Rancho. It’s going to heat up again, they said today is going to be the hottest at 107, and then I’m hoping that it’ll actually be FALL after that!

I’m looking forward to cozy scarves, hot lattes, cuddling up, and breaking out the crock pot. Also, this winter, if things work out all right, we’ll be moving into a condo! ^___^

Anyway, so this morning, going along with the “no sleeping in” rule, I woke up early. And then I snoozed for another hour (whoops!). I’m working on it, but I still managed to be up by 8:30.

Last night at the gym, there was a relatively low attendance on Monday night (because, you know, it’s Monday night) so I did a personal training session with my trainer. (Yay!) It was my first experience with weight lifting outside of the little stuff we did for track in high school. Holy cow! So when I woke up this morning, my back and chest were so sore!

I don’t know about you, but waking up and feeling sore is sometimes the best feeling in the world. It means you actually accomplished something, and you pushed your body further than you think you could have gone.

I’m getting used to being at the gym a lot and working out frequently. My week feels kind of off if I don’t get it in. It’s a little weird, because when I started, I made every excuse not to go. I get a lot out of it, now that I’m becoming a “regular”. It’s why I like going to a smaller gym.

Back to this morning, I woke up and had an English muffin with organic peanut butter from Sprouts, and a Chobani Greek Yogurt with Pomegranate, which was interesting to say the least. I liked the flavor, but the  crunchy seeds somewhat surprised me. I thought I had bitten into some bad yogurt! But after the initial surprise, I was pleased with the flavor.

I also had coffee, lots of it! (You expect me to wake up early without?)

After breakfast and a few chores, I ran into Pouty Dog.

Now if you don’t know what Pouty Dog is, he kind of looks something like this:

“Hey, I’m sad. I’m really, really sad. *SIIIIIGGGGGHHHH*”

Yes, my dog lays on my bed and literally *SIGHS* until I get up and take him for a walk. Yes, I know, I am a sucker, and it totally works.

So I laced up my running shoes and decided to take him out before the heat gets above 90.

“Happpyyyyyy”

He was exhausted from our one-mile trek, and it made me realize my poor dog is a little out of shape. Guess we need to go on a few more walks, huh?

I actually had an instance a couple of months ago where we were walking home from the Pacific Electric Trail. He decided that the patch of grass in front of the library looked like a fine place to roll in the grass, right in the middle of our walk. So here I am, trying to get my dog to walk the next two blocks home, and a school bus full of grade-school kids pulls up, and they’re all laughing at me trying to get my silly upside-down-dog to get up and go. It was insult to injury, but I ended up laughing right along with them!

Yeah, okay I go off on tangents sometimes.

On that note, I’m thinking about doing a Turkey Trot, after seeing a few other bloggers post about how much fun it is to run. For those of you who don’t know what it is, (I got a lot of Facebook questions), on Thanksgiving morning, you run a 5k or a 10k before you go home and stuff your face with Thanksgiving goodness. It seems like it would be a fun tradition to start!

I’ve picked out a couple of Turkey Trots, one local one is the Dana Point Turkey Trot, which is in beautiful Dana Point, Ca. And then there’s the Seattle Turkey Trot, in the case that we’re at Kurt’s sister’s house for Thanksgiving. I love the holidays. :3

I’m gearing up for when we actually go to Seattle again, to do some sort of race there. I love the area and the weather, and every time we’ve gone, there’s been some sort of 5k or 10k that I wish I had trained for. The races up there look like a TON of fun!

So that’s my morning for ya. I’m going to try to stay out of the heat, even if it means camping out in Starbucks all afternoon playing World of Warcraft (I know, I know).

MegaFit tonight! (eep!)