I received notice of the final date of my current job. I knew this day was coming but until I had a definite date it didn’t feel very real. This means I have to spend more time job searching. I have been conducting a half assed job search for over a year — even turning down one health & fitness writing job that didn’t pay enough and in retrospect would have been perfect — but now I really have to amp it up. If you or someone you know wants to hire me, I have a Master’s degree in Corporate Communication; I specialize in internal communication; I am open to other possibilities given the current climate; I am a writer. Please read my professional website for more information.

My Humor Writing class is going well, but there is lots of work! My assignment for this week is to read an entire humorous book. Not a huge deal since there is never a moment I am not reading a book, but the pressure to both start and finish one in a week’s time while juggling work, job search, family, the boy, TV, working out, rest and the rest of my writing assignments is a little much. I will get you that Seattle recap post (I started it!) once I finish the book (Waiter Rant, by the way. Thanks Phoebe!) And did you know there are rules to writing funny? I have a hard time following these rules and need to practice being funny so I can continue to be funny.

Additionally, I have had one of my worst gastrointestinal weeks ever. So much that I have scheduled my next appointment with the surgeon. So much that I begged and pleaded with the boy to please just sit on my stomach, hoping the pressure of his body weight would help me to feel better. It didn’t. I am seeing the surgeon on December 10.

I have been consumed with lengthy phone conversations with the doctor I saw 2 weeks ago with both his office and my insurance company trying to get approval for an expensive antibiotic. Apparently, the doctor approved it but the insurance denied it because although I am sick, I am not sick enough to actually receive treatment. It makes lots of sense and I love this situation very much.

I HAVE BEEN TAKING PICTURES OF FOOD! I don’t know why I shouted that, but it felt right. I have not, however, uploaded said pictures. I will. And I will post. And I owe you a kidney.

The food I have been taking photographs of has mostly been vegetables, hence my bad gastrointestinal week. In this week I also ordered from Peacefood Cafe and ate at the incredible Pure Food & Wine twice. YUM. Seriously, that place is so great. I can’t wait to tell you all about what I ate. Love the food. Don’t love the effects on my tummy. My problem is (and I will get much more into this in a future post) that I have absolutely no idea what to eat. I know the foods that won’t cause me as much pain, but they are not healthy enough nor are they what I WANT. I want vegetables and whole grains. So I don’t know how I can eat what I want and what is healthy while avoiding extreme pain and discomfort.

Working out. I had some spin shoes mishaps I will tell you about soon. Let’s just say there was a spin class with me repeatedly and angrily banging my foot against the bike and saying “F*CK.”

ALSO I was at the gym and Days of Our Lives was on and I was surprised to see Luis from Passions. And even more surprised to see Theresa and Ethan kissing in the next scene. What show is this?!

And I tried yoga again and didn’t hate it! More on that to come as well.

Lastly, I ran 6.24 miles yesterday. I decided to run to the George Washington Bridge because it didn’t look that far away but really, the more I run and run, the distance between me and the bridge never seems to close. After 3.12 miles I decided I better turn around so I don’t cause massive damage to my already sensitive knees before my race coming up this weekend.

I will run to the bridge another time. It might not be until the Spring due to unfortunate temperatures in the northeasten region, but it will happen. Oh and I saw a unicylclist during my run. He was wearing a backpack. All I could think was how strong his core must be.

OK work to be done. Bye, sorry.

Things I need to catch up on:

• The Seattles
• Blue Hill belated anniversary dinner
• 6 mile run – YES!
• Gym update
• Lots of photos
• A great foodie book I am reading
• An important foodie book I bought in the Seattles and the boy is devouring

Ummm.. I know there is more but I am experiencing an extreme case of the itis right now from my amazing dinner at Blue Hill. For those of you not familiar with Chris Rock, either look it up or recognize by its other monikers: food coma or a food baby.

Be back this week. Don’t leave me!

This bear got trapped in a skate park. Someone threw down a ladder to help it get out and you can see it climbing up the ladder.

http://www.9news.com/9slideshows/gallery.aspx?slideshowname=08-25-09-Skate-park-bear 

Click the Next button to see each picture. I LOVE this!

This morning I mixed in my pumpkin butter… and…. MMMMM. Creamy, tart and delicious! Now the question is, which yogurt do I like better?

Let us compare.

Size: The Oikos I had today was 5.8 oz while my Chobani yogurts are 6.0 oz. Close, but Chobani wins this category.
Price: Oikis was $2.59 at Jubilee while non-saletime Chobani is $1.99. Chobani wins this category.
Consistency: Oikos was a bit thicker than Chobani. Oikos wins this category.
Taste: This is only for Vanilla. I just love my Chobani so very much, but I thoroughly enjoyed Oikos today. I would like to do a taste test, side-by-side. For now, I will give this to Chobani, but be on the lookout for my taste test post where I decide for certain. I would also like to try Oikos honey, plain and blueberry. Final results TBD.

I understand that Oikos is more expensive because organic foods are more expensive. Makes sense. Both yogurts are a delicious, healthful treat and right now I recommend both — but my heart is with Chobani until the taste test.

Spin:
I went to spin at my gym last night. Ahhhh. So nice. The teacher was a sub and I don’t know who he is but he was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the class, my breathing room, clear mirrors and a bike without things sticking out all over that poke me in the legs.

Workout Dilemma – Any suggestions??
As I mentioned, I will be going to hypnotherapy every other week for 14 weeks to help deal with my GI issues. It starts on Monday, March 30. I will have a bit of time between work and therapy — not enough to go all the way uptown to my gym, but just enough to work out near the psychologist’s office or work. There is a New York Sports Club 2 blocks from her office and I inquired about doing a guest pass type thing for these 7 days. They said I would have to join for $89 a month. Um, what! That is 3 months. $267 for 7 workouts??! NO, THANK YOU, NYSC.

I told them I’d get back to them. Hehe. So my question for all of you is — do you have any suggestions for how I can get in a quick workout on these days? I could take walks but I tend to get bored. Running outside isn’t possible because I will have all my stuff with me from work. There are no pay-as-you-go gyms or spin studios or pilates studios in the area. Kinespirit is around the corner — and very affordable, plus I have a free pass thanks to Melissa, but they don’t have a class at the right time for me on Mondays!

I do have a free guest passes to NYSC through the company I work for that I can use at the location near hypnosis one time and 2 different locations near work — resulting in 3 free workouts. Even more if I have time/am willing to venture out. I plan to do this if I can’t find a better option. My issue with jumping around like that is not knowing where anything is in the gym and having to take the time to figure it out and the changing room situations and all. I can do it — and I probably will. But I would prefer to visit the same place each time.  Not a huge deal, just something I’d be more comfortable with. So let me know if you have ideas!

No Workout Friday: I thoroughly enjoyed my very first No Workout Friday! Delicious dinner ordered in from Josie’s (Blockheads didn’t happen, the boy was sick), no stress, no guilt!

30 Day Shred: I set my phone as my alarm as I have been doing lately for the 30 Day Shred, only I put it on “All Sounds Off” rather than “Alarm Only” — so I overslept and missed today’s Shred! Oh, well. But when the boy goes away for a week (starting 3/26) I won’t be able to do the Shred since I have no floor space in my apartment. This is no exaggeration. I do plan on going to my mom’s for that weekend so I will be able to do it Saturday and Sunday, but otherwise my Shredding will slow down a bit at this time. I plan on going longer than 30 days for this reason — I want my time to count! And maybe I will stick with it indefinitely. It might be in my head, but I feel leaner!

Santana is much better at pushups than I am:

Random Tidbits: I have a lot to say about Bethenny’s book Naturally Thin and I will get into that at some point soon. I am also planning a post about the language my brother and I have with each other. Good times ahead!

My birthday is on Saturday and the boy and I are going to the Russian Tea Room! SO excited!.Also excited for the NYC Blogger Meetup Brunch on Sunday! As you all know, I love me some french toast! And I will be taking Bethenny’s words with me. Some of them. More TK.

My friend Missy was leaving work during her lunch hour and the maintenance lady asked her where she was going. “The gym,” she replied. The lady said, “You don’t need it.”

Um. Since when did anyone NOT need exercise? Everyone needs exercise (aside from those with or recovering from some illnesses). And I don’t think the lady is an authority on exercise, but if she is, I would love to hear her credentials and her theory for why Missy didn’t need to exercise? My opinion is that she is not an authority on exercise and was referring to the fact that Missy is in excellent shape. All the more reason to exercise — stay healthy, strong and live a long life! Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you look good so you “don’t need” to exercise — do it for yourself, because you want to do something positive.

A woman in Jubilee accosted me and asked if I like oranges. “Umm.. sure,” I said. “Then you HAVE to buy these!” she said, leading me to some oranges. She went on to say they are the best oranges of her life and only 4 for $1 so there’s no reason not to get some. I felt awkward and didn’t want to refuse because she was obviously so passionate about these oranges. She said she has been buying and eating them nonstop. So I  took 4. I could have put them back later but I was intrgued — were they really that good?

Tasted one today. It tastes like a regular orange.

…and threw it out since I can’t exactly eat fruit anyway!

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