Shortly after I arrived at work this morning, I overheard someone in an office near my cubicle on the phone with security asking what is going on with “the three planes.” I had no idea what was happening. Minutes later, the entire building was told to evacuate.

We went outside to the designated spot where my business group is supposed to gather during emergencies. We have rehearsed this in fire drills before. When I  got outside, there were thousands of people around who evacuated from my building and the others surrounding it. No one knew exactly what was going on, but there were rumors of a movie shoot. Movie shoot??

People tried finding out the news on their Blackberries but there was no news about it. I tried calling the boy only to find that phone lines weren’t going through. The people I work with who were here during 9/11 were particularly unnerved as this was reminscent of their experience then. Including the announcements that “all is fine, you can go back to your desks.”

Some people had looked out their windows in my office and seen 3 planes swooping very near to the building. Two of these planes were fighter jets. I wasn’t about to go back in until I knew exactly what was going on and that these planes were no longer in the air. A man with a loudspeaker was announcing that we should all go back to work.

A coworker and I approached two policemen, who told us that the three planes were a “military exercise” and assured us that they had already landed. I decided it was okay to go back to my desk. By then, the news had caught wind of the story. You can probably imagine how furious I was to read that this was planned, but security was NOT informed. I was even more furious to learn that the purpose was a PHOTO OP to make it look like Air Force One.

I would think — but what do I know — that it would be COMMON SENSE to um, INFORM security in lower Manhattan of ALL places about airplanes swooping in circles around their buildings. I work right next to the WTC site. I walk by it every day. Many people I work with were here when that happened. I read stories today about evacuations that occured all over lower Manhattan and Jersey City. Evacuations where pregnant women ran down 50 flights of steps. Evacuations where people ran so quickly down the stairs that they fell and injured themselves. Evacuations that caused panic attacks. And I am sure there are more stories like this.

I can’t imagine what they could have been thinking by choosing not to give a little heads up to everyone about this. It was planned. Did they really think this wouldn’t cause a major disturbance?

The email we received in the office came from the head of New York and New Jersey protective services. It said, “This morning, the U.S. Air Force conducted a military training exercise in the downtown area between 10 and 10:30 am. A low-flying commercial-size jet and two F-16s flew low over the Hudson River and circled several times around 10 a.m., causing some evacuations of office buildings in Lower Manhattan and Jersey City, N.J.

The maneuver was not an emergency and we were not notified in advance.”

Lovely.

And look at this line from this article: “Later on Monday morning, the Police Department acknowledged that it had been notified about the event but said it had been barred from alerting the public.”

The police were barred from alerting the public?

I can’t. I have no words for this. I really hope someone gets in some serious trouble for this.

**UPDATE** Click here for more pictures. And I meant to add (I remembered when I saw Roberto’s comment) that I don’t get why they couldn’t Photoshop what they needed rather than scaring the entire city. OK. Rant done.

Anyway.

The reason I got in late this morning (imagine I got in after the evacuation and it was totally empty??) was because I finally got that x-ray done I had written about last week. I was able to get the pill from my doctor’s office on Tuesday morning. I had to get it from the front desk girl who had originally sent me away. Someone else left it in an envelope (very professional) with my name on it.

The girl made a point of going through every envelope over and over, looking annoyed. I knew she wanted me to think it wasn’t there and go away. I waited. Finally I decided to try and help: “There’s a pill in it, so it won’t be a flat envelope,” I said so she could shift her focus. Instead, she snapped, “If it’s here I’ll see it!”

Whoa. Okay. Eventually she did find it in the pile — after passing through it a few times, I might add. She gave it to me and when I got to work I called radiology.

“Hi, I’m just calling because I need to come in for an x-ray on Monday and I want to be sure someone can do it,” I told the person on the phone. “Yeah, just come in then.” “Okay,” I began. “But the thing is, last time they first had to check when I got there if a doctor was even available. I need to be 100% sure that a doctor will be available when I come on Monday.” The woman assured me that as long as I got there early, I would be seen. She said the doctors get in at 8:30, but I would be safe if I got there at 8:00.

Okay, so far so good.

So on Wednesday morning I took the pill. Five days later, Monday arrived. It couldn’t have come any sooner. I get to radiology at 7:45 and tell the woman why I am there. She said, “Oh, did you call last week about this?” I told her I did and she said, “You never called me back! You weren’t supposed to just come here!”

My heart dropped.

You all know that I confirmed and reconfirmed that not only is this a walk-in situation where they do NOT take appointments, but I spoke to them on the phone last week and they told me to get there early. AND I checked with my doctor and he also promised that someone would be able to do it as long as I went during the week.

“Uhhh… you never told me to call you back. You just said to get here at 8:00 so I could be seen,” I said.

“No, no, you called because you didn’t know when you were supposed to come. I told you that you need to talk to your doctor and call me back. You were supposed to call me back. You can’t just walk in here! How do you even know this is the right day?”

“Um.. I think that was someone else. We never had that conversation. I knew what day to come and I just called to confirm I could be seen today,” I explained.

“Oh, okay. Then I guess it was someone else,” she said. Go have a seat and someone will be with you shortly.”

Phew. Bullet dodged.

I sat down and not too long after a tech called me in. He had me change into a gown. Now, I am no stranger to hospital gowns. But this one was unlike any other. The ties just didn’t work. I ended up having to twist it far and tight around my body and tie a tiny little knot all the way on my side near my back. That can’t be right.

I went to the room and he took 2 x-rays. The tech said the pictures looked great and told me to get dressed and wait in the waiting room while he shows them to the doctor. A few minutes later, he comes out and tells me the doctor isn’t in yet, but he is sure the pictures are fine and I could leave.

I know, I know. I probably should have stayed and waited for a doctor to get in. But. I was in an insane amount of pain as a result of this test. All I could think about was getting home as quickly as possible to do what needed to be done to relieve the pain. And I left.

I’m not concerned. I’m sure it is fine. I’m just glad it is over.

So in doormat news.

Coco Mats ‘N More is seriously the nicest company ever. After the contest was over they emailed me to let me know they decided to give ME a free mat, too!

After careful deliberation, I decided on this mat for myself:

And Andrea, the winner of the contest chose this one:

Thank you Coco Mats ‘N More! Oh and one more note — Coco Mats now has a blog!

What a beautiful, warm weekend this was! I went to both Core Fusion Basic and Transfigure. Keep in mind I went to Physique 57 on Thursday! Ouch. I was so excited to write about Core Fusion (and the difference in their beginner class versus Physique’s) that I started blogging  about it as soon as I  got home not realizing that I was  going to be late for dinner! I also ran outside again and have a bit to say on that as well. I also need to discuss the service I received last night at a restaurant. But I’ll leave it for tomorrow since this one is long. Stupid planes.

Please enter my Venus Week Giveaway Contest if you haven’t yet – I will announce the winner tomorrow!

I’ve discovered the solution to my pants at work problem! As you might remember, I purchased maternity pants because of my disproportionately large tummy as a result of eating lunch. This is because of my GI problems. The pants sucked, I returned them. Soon it will be summer and I can wear dresses every day — can’t wait! But it is still cold in New York and as I planned out my day yesterday morning I had an idea.

I had my second class at Physique57 after work and while getting my workout clothes together I thought, “Why don’t I just put them on now?” So I did.

I wore workout clothes to work! My Lululemon Groove Pants look unusually like work pants when worn with longish cardigan to cover the tush and low pointy heels. I also wore my workout top under my cardigan and a nice scarf to dress it all up a little — and cover my kinda bare chest!

I was SO comfortable all day. Perfect! No one would ever know I was wearing gym clothes and I could be comfy at work in something that stretches with my belly. I plan to do this again! And again, and again…

So that’s that. Then I got to class, took one look in the mirror and my shirt rose up a tiny bit and I saw the little Lulu logo and realized — MY PANTS WERE ON BACKWARDS. All day I was wearing my pants backwards and had no idea! I was really humiliated about it during the class and couldn’t stop obsessing, even though I am sure no one noticed and it didn’t even bother me until I noticed! That is something I would do. At least I had Missy and Diana to laugh about it with!

I just need to tell you one more time how fun popships is as a company. Tory emailed me to tell me that my entry about the popdrop was poptastic! I wonder what other pop-related words they use over there!

So last night I went to the Spring Street location of Physique 57. It was much bigger than the 57th street location — but the class was also MUCH more crowded. At times I felt a little packed in and had to maneuver to find space, but otherwise it was fine. The class was HARD. My thighs were burning with more intensity than ever before. I actually thought we spent a little too much time on thighs — I would rather spend more time on arms or abs. But it was wonderful regardless. I had said the last time I went to Physique that the arms portion felt a little easy, but that was NOT the case this time! I did up my weights by a pound on both the heavy and the light, but we also spent more time doing arms last night. I guess each instructor varies it a little bit. I was happy about that – I want toned arms!

I was happy to have Missy and Diana there with me. Diana made the class look like a breeze — every time I looked over at her she didn’t seem to be struggling at all. AND she can do a split! Although she confessed after that her cool demeaner was a cover for her scorching pain. Missy looked more like I felt, which was a comfort. The other girls in the Beginner class all seemed to be pros. They knew exactly what moves were coming next and got positioned in them before the instructor said anything. I felt a little intimidated and it seemed almost competitive. The time went SO quickly. I was shocked when the instructor said it was time for abs because I know abs is one of the last things we do and it meant class was almost finished! That’s the best thing about Physique — it kicks your ass but the time flies so you could do it all the time and not get bored.

And I want to add that every morning I walk up the same staircase to cross the West Side Highway with no problems. This morning my quads were burning as I tried to climb the stairs and I had to keep stopping!

I am very excited to go to Core Fusion at Exhale tomorrow so I can accurately compare. I like the atmoshphere at Exhale much better — it is much more laid back and calm. I mean, it is a spa! But when I went last week to take Core Fusion Sport with the boy, it just seemed so much more chill. I have a feeling I will really like Core Fusion tomorrow!

Core Fusion Sport, by the way, is HARD. You hold a weighted ball (I used the lightest, 6 lbs) and do lots and lots of eksusizes holding it and moving it. We did a bunch of planks while keeping our hands on the ball which was ridiculously tough for me because my hands were sweaty and kept slipping! I didn’t get the most out of that portion of the class because I was struggling and didn’t think of the obvious solution — do the planks on the floor! Next time, I will. And there will be a next time — the boy and I both felt so challenged, the instructor was friendly and helpful and considerate of my knee injury and we really got a full body workout. Now that we know what to expect, we can pace ourselves better and do modifications of excercises if necessary. We want to try and go once a week, whether it is Core Fusion Sport or just Core Fusion. I will know more after tomorrow’s class!

I tried running outside for the first time for real last Sunday with the boy. The good news — I was able to run! Veryyyy slowly, but I did it! The bad news? I only lasted 20 minutes! I can run on the treadmill for 45 minutes and spin every day of the week but running outside knocked me out. It is very different to propel yourself forward rather than running essentially in place. I was out of breath and my chest was hurting badly. I also got a bad pain in the outside upper part of my right thigh. I have gotten that pain before when I tried running outside for a few minutes once. Any idea what that could be? I stretched before I ran but maybe I am not stretching whatever that muscle is? I had a hard time even walking the rest of the day. But the leg pain isn’t what stopped me — what stopped me was feeling like I just couldn’t go any more!

But I did love it. I loved being outside and running next to the boy (although eventually he kept going while I turned around to run back). At one point I just stayed behind a couple that were going at a pace I liked, which worked really well. I also felt like an imposter, but a proud one.  Everyone around me probably assumed I was someone who runs and had no idea that it was all new to me! I know I was going sooooo slowly, but I don’t care about speed. I just care about actually being able to run outside so I can do it all spring and summer — and participate in my first 5k! So now that I know I can do 20 minutes, I hope that next time I can run for 30! I hope to try again on Sunday in the beautiful warm weather. My knee has been bothering me lately so it depends how I feel then… but if I can, I will.

One last workout update, on Tuesday my gym is having a special 60 minute spin class (I’ve never gone longer than 45) with 2 instructors called “Rev Up for Summer” — I am VERY excited!

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The winner of the Doormat Giveaway Contest!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

58

Timestamp: 2009-04-24 15:52:02 UTC

Out of 69 total entries, the winner is…. Andrea from Healthy Living in MD.  

OMG…I love “Wow…Nice Underwear”. That’s classic! I’ve also provided a link to your contest at my site:
http://ittybittyaa.blogspot.com

Congratulations, Andrea! Can’ t wait to hear which doormat you choose! Which reminds me…. I still have to choose which doormat I plan to order from Coco Mats ‘N More as well! My roommate suggested this one, which is funny because it is true as our apartment is 320 square feet and anyone who visits really shouldn’t expect much!

Oh and I forgot to mention Mallory has her own new URL too: http://baconwrappedlife.com — check it out! Have an amazing WARM weekend!

Last week I attended a NYC blogger event called “A Woman’s Infinite Confidence.” It was held at Townhouse Spa in New York (on the same block as Physique 57!) and sponsored by MS&L Worldwide.

This is what the event invitation said:

We are inviting a handful of the leading women’s health, wellness and lifestyle bloggers to join us for drinks, hors d’oeuvres and complimentary spa treatments and to learn more about what OB/GYN and women’s health expert Dr. Rebecca Booth calls the Venus Week.

Each month there is a week when you feel more confident, more beautiful and even more in the mood sexually. You feel skinny, you don’t feel as hungry, your hair and skin look good, you look good and your man looks extra good to you. Venus Week, named after the goddess of love, fertility and nature, is what Dr. Booth calls this magical grouping of days.

Dr. Booth will be on hand to answer questions about the Venus Week and how Always Infinity can help women take control throughout the month.

 So obviously I was curious! I arrived at the event and was given a name tag with my name and my blog’s name. I felt a little silly since Dori’s Shiny Blog sounds so silly! Background on my blog name: My brother is a software development engineer at Microsoft and loves the language of the computers. He had his own domain (jemts.com) and one day decided to set up blogs for me, Mallory and Santana!  (Note — check out Santana’s new summer dress and baby pic!)

He told me he was creating a blog for me and asked me what I would like the color scheme to be. My only request was that my blog “resembles the hue of Blankey.” Blankey is my brother’s baby blanket, who is primarily a nice cloud blue. I don’t care much about blue, but I just really love Blankey.

So Matt set up the closest WordPress template he could find. It was not the same color as Blankey. He also named the blog Dori’s Shiny Blog because of a hilarious character, Cat, on our favorite TV show, Red Dwarf. Cat looks and talks like a person, but he was descended from cats. After 3 million years of evolution aboard a space ship, Cat is the result.

You see, Cat, being a cat, loved anything and everything shiny, be it a silver pack of cigarettes or a yo yo. He is also the voice behing my blog’s previous tagline, “You can’t have my shiny thing. I found it, it’s my shiny thing.”

While I have since changed the look of my blog and the tagline, the name was already in place. It was a little too known to change and I decided to just keep it. I do love it, but I can’t help but feel silly when I have to say the name of it!

So anyway, back to the event…

I pick up my name tag and am escorted into a room with incredible displays of food. I was told to help myself, and help myself I did. I got mini brownies, cheese, giant strawberries and sushi. I also had 2 classes of champagne! I met some bloggers  from very established sites which was really cool, like Vera from I’m Not Obsessed. We talked and ate until the presentation began.

Dr. Rebecca Booth, an OB/GYN and women’s health expert, spoke to us about Venus Week.

From her website, a description of Venus Week:

Most women notice that monthly, as if by magic, they have a group of days in which they look better, feel better, and respond better to the world around them. Their hair is glossier, their skin glows, and the men in their lives (or at the local Starbucks counter) suddenly seem very appealing. The men respond with equal enthusiasm and interest. They seem to know that these women are appealing, often very attractive, and receptive to men’s attention. This phenomenon is not an accident or a fluke. It is very real and occurs regularly, according to a woman’s hormonal cycle, specifically during the week that precedes ovulation. This cache of days, which happens around the same time each month, is what I have come to call the Venus Week.

This is a chart of women’s hormonal cycles that we go through each month, with Venus week clearly marked as the time where estrogen and testosterone are the highest:

That is the time, immediately preceeding ovulation, where women feel their best. They have more energy, they are more communicative, their waist feels smaller and their clothes fit better. And they feel more inclined toward romance. This is nature’s way of leading women to relationship building.

Dr. Booth wants to teach women to feel this way ALL the time. And she discusses how, with Venus Maximus. It involves exercise and eating in a way that will enhance the hormones that create Venus Week. Dr. Booth recommends avoiding white sugar and white carbs. These can cause excess insulin, which interferes with ovulation. She emphasizes eating more plant proteins that are derived from the reproductive parts of the plant, such as soybeans, chickpeas (HUMMUS!) and nuts. Great news — dark chocolate, cinnamon and red wine are also good for the Venus!

There are also supplements you can take, such as Omega 3, multivitamins and calcium. Dr. Booth advised us that stress leads to increased cortisol, which is not good for feeling our best. The good news is that improving your core strength (HELLO Physique57 and Exhale Core Fusion) actually lowers cortisol, and is therefore a “Venus enhancer.” This was all fascinating information that really just reiterates what we already know — if you want to feel and look your best, eat healthy and exercise. But Dr. Booth presented it in a way that simply MADE SENSE. She had science behind everything she spoke about — and Venus Week is a proven phenomenon. Who wouldn’t want to extend that to Venus Every Month!

I did get the chance to speak with Dr. Booth one on one. I told her all about my GI conditions and asked her advice on what to do if I can’t eat many of the plant proteins. She was so nice and helpful and willing to talk for as long as I needed! Oh and did I mention she is beautiful?!

She was she told me that the birth control pill actually mutes Venus Week — but the good news is it also mutes the EXTREMELY low point (see chart above) that happens right before the period. But that is good information for women to know who might be trying to figure out their Venus Week and can’t pinpoint it.

Some more info on Dr. Booth:

Dr. Booth is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, and has been practicing medicine for over twenty years. Named one of Louisville’s top OB/GYNs, she is a senior partner in one of the largest OB/GYN practices in the region, serving more than 70,000 women. She serves her community of women by speaking to organizations about female health issues and hormonal challenges, participating in radio and television segments on women’s health, and through contributing to women’s publications.

Here are the Top 10 Venus Interrupters:

1. Too much sugar and/or starch in your diet
2. Lack of exercise
3. Lack of sleep or irregular sleep patterns
4. Stress and difficulty coping with it
5. Too much exercise/too little body fat
6. Thyroid or pituitary gland malfunction
7. Some medications
8. Chronic illness
9. Surgical loss of the ovaries
10. Early menopause

Dr. Booth wrote a book all about Venus Week, which I can’t wait to read! I’m sure I will have more to say on the topic after reading this book. A big thank you to Dr. Booth for the wonderful presentation!

The next speaker was Anne from Procter & Gamble. Anne works on Always Infinity pads. At first, I was skeptical. Almost every woman I know is a  tampon user and has been forever. But then Anne told us a very interesting statistic: 84% of women are pad users. Only 10% of women are solely tampon users. I had no idea!

Anne did a demonstration about the absorbency of the Infinity pads using coffee. The liquid absorbed so completely that it looked like there was hardly any there — but when she turned it over, you can see that all the fluid was held between a second layer, away from the body. Brilliant!

The pic below looks gross but it is just coffee!

The pads are also designed for optimum comfort and flexibility. They have both dots AND slits to absorb the liquid for when your body moves in different ways, so you can really wear them anywhere. I haven’t tried myself yet, but I definitely plan to.

After the presentations, it was time for SPA TREATMENTS! We got to choose before the event between a manicure, pedicure, chair massage or waxing. I chose the massage. I always choose the massage. And it was one of the best massages of my life. The masseuse, Sherry, was STRONG and good. She stretched my arms and really did an amazing job — that 10 minutes was better than my 60 minute hot stone massage a few weeks ago!

Before leaving the event we received goodie bags! We all got a really nice reusable tote from Envirosax. Mine is yellow and white. You can see it a little on my arm in the pic of me here, along with Missy and Amie. Missy’s got the red tote!

Inside the tote was lots of items all with a tag describing the Venus Week benefits of each! Included in the bag were the following:

Always Infinity pads
Dr. Booth’s book The Venus Week
Another book, The No Sugar Cookbook
Total Body Exercise Bands (I have been wanting these!)
Cinnamon Glazed Almonds from Nuts About You –which were seriously the best cinnamon glazed nuts the boy and I ever had. We LOVED them!
Dark Chocolate Godiva bar
Olay Daily Facial Cleansing Cloths
VitaMuffin, and
Omega 3 supplements!

Amazing! And now, dear readers, YOU have a chance to win a Venus Week gift bag as well!

The giveaway contest gift bag will include Always Infinity pads, total body exercise bands, Omega-3 Vitamins, Dark chocolate treat by Godiva, and Gourmet cinnamon almonds all packaged in an Envirosax reusable tote.

You can receive up to 4 entries. Here’s how to enter:

(1) Visit the Venus Week website and leave a comment here telling me what you plan to do to feel YOUR Venus Week all month

(2) Tell your friends about Venus Week! You will get an additional 2 entries if you do the following:
- If you have a blog, link back to this contest in your own entry
- If you don’t have a blog, get a friend to leave a comment about Venus Week and mention your name. Your friend will get 1 entry while you get 2 more!

(3) Add my new URL to your blogroll: http://dorishinyblog.com and leave a comment to let me know you did so

I will randomy select a winner on Tuesday, April 28. 

A big thank you to MS&L Digital, Procter & Gamble and Dr. Booth!

And don’t forget to enter my free doormat contest!