#Nuun Official Watches

[nuunofficials]

If you are in search of some outdoor watches? Before that, you need to know some features to look for. Click this link, Here we depict some special points for outdoor watches.

[gogohedgehoglegs]

Colorado 13er

Colorado 13er

June 2, 2019

So I almost don't know how to tell the story of the half marathon.  Because its not JUST a half marathon. This was a big weekend adventure for me.  I told some of the story in an earlier blog post, so the short version of it is that this race was the crown jewel of the weekend long Skirt Sports Ambassador retreat.  I flew in on Friday, got to visit what all of us ambassadors refer to as “The Mothership,” AKA the Skirt Sports store, and finally meet so many of the wonderful women ive known through facebook and some other meetups all these years.  I of course spent too much at the story(how do you not when yore flying southwest, so you can check a bag of all the goodies?!?!?!), and had the most amazing Pie and Bubbly courtesy of another ambassador Erin, who owns a pie shop in TX.  Yep, you read that right- she flew from TX to CO with so many lemon pies and peanut butter pies. And man oh man am I so glad she did, they were just amazing!

The official retreat kicked off that night with a bunch of speakers, happy hour, beers, and more friends. Yours truly was given the award of Miss Skirt 2019, for my overall contribution as an ambassador, which I was most humbled by- to me I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, I was just sharing my love of the brand.  

Saturday started with an early morning hike, which brought some of the most beautiful views I have seen in a very long time, mostly because its been 20 years since ive been to Colorado. Breakfast was awesome- a huge old plate of home fries, my kind of breakfast!  The second day was jam packed- speaks through the morning, with some short moving sessions to keep us all from getting squirrelly.  Dinner was great with a friend Amy(local), and another friend of hers, and then the vintage fashion show to end the evening.

Morning dawned quickly- the race starts at 630am, but that's mountain time, so really that's 830 for this East Coaster, so no big deal.  Nuun, decaf coffee, and the leftover pizza was breakfast, and the carb loading was complete.  I wondered how I would do, my diet this weekend left something to be desired- it was really just potatoes, beer, more potatoes, a veggie hummus wrap, more beer, pizza, and more beer.  I think there were some veggies on the pizza!  Met up with some other ambassadors to snag a ride, helped Amy get her bike in the car(she was doing a bike race that morning), and then over to the start we went.

The race went off, with me pretty in the middle of the pack.  This used to be a women's only race, so lots of women, and only a few men in the crowd.  The race is primarily on all of the womderful crushed gravel trails/paths that wind all around Boulder and Louisville- I want to call them railtrails because that's what we have, but these are all bike/run/walk paths that are just all around.  This is a 2 loop course- you run out, run along the trails(watch out for the geese, they're not friendly!), almost back down to the startline, loop around and cone, and do it all over again.  I must say I just loved this course- you go uphill, its flat, then you go downhill.  The crushed gravel was such pleasant footing- that perfect cushy, without kicking up stones, and have I mentioned the Rockies all around you?? And the big sky?? And the fact that I can breath for the first time in 20 years?

Yes, yes, I know I'm at altitude. A lot of it.  Yes, yes, I know I'm technically a flat-lander, and that doesn't make any sense.  But that's the truth of it.  I love being at altitude, I liken living in the northeast to feeling like you're drowning all the time.  I don't know why. Maybe its just the fresh air, maybe that its not as polluted, I have no idea, I just know it was glorious.  For the first rae in a long time- it was easy to breath, I wasn't sucking wind, and I wasn't in pain.  I could have run a marathon today, and it would have been awesome.

I have to also say it was fun running with so many Skirt Sisters.  I don't think ive ever been at a race when I knew so many people.  As much as it wasn't local for me, I knew more people through this- this extrovert doesn't belong to any local running clubs, so this race was much more with my tribe.  Its such an encourgaging atmosphere- with the figure 8 course, and multiple distances, there was a ton of people out there. When I came off the second loop and back down the hill toward the finish, it felt great to head down that hill.  I'd set no expectations for this race- between the traveling, the retreat, the recovery from training(Lake Waramaugh was only a month earlier, and Rhinebeck Marathon only 2 weeks after that), and the fun and games eating wise, I knew the stars were not quite going to be in alignment.  I have to admit, after running a race that felt that good, I contemplated if it was a sign we really should move out West, whether I should just eat potatoes all day every day, or whether just letting all the pressures go meant that much.  I will say I still technically ran a new personal worst, but if I'm going to have that much fun, it was worth every second.

I crossed the finish line, and then spent the next 1.5 hours with my Sisters, doing zumba, eating cake, and cheering in runner after runner.  I must say, I can't wait for next time!

Final stats:

2:00:29

36/224 overall, 20/177 women, 5/59 women 35-39

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 22 - 28

DAY TWENTY-TWO [JAN 22]

8:30 AM - Wake up feelin’ good. Plus, it’s Friday! Make a chemex and eat a slice of orange bread for breakfast.

11:00 AM - Work has me stressin’ today. So happy it’s Friday.

12:00 PM - K wants a haircut and I need a break from my desk. I’ve been cutting his hair since the start of the pandemic and while I’m not great at it, I feel like I improve with every trim. Make southwest salad with chipotle ranch dressing for us for lunch.

3:30 PM - Snack on chips and salsa. Now that the appraisal is over, I’m excited to start a project I’ve been planning for a while - painting the trim in my entire house gray. Idk what it is but the trim we have is terrible and it is a sore spot IMO. Repainting will certainly help! Buy 10 paint samples from Home Depot and officially swear to be done spending money for the rest of the month. $31.13

4:00 PM - All I want is wine but I also want to play DDR. Decide to play first and then I can finish yesterday’s bottle of wine hah.

4:45 PM - That was SO fun! I’m seeing progress in every time I play. Do a round of dishes, rinse off in the shower, and pour a glass of wine. Hang out on the back porch and just enjoy the weather for a bit.

6:00 PM - Start prepping dinner – we’re doing veggie sandwiches with potatoes again. More wine!

7:00 PM - I have a late HH zoom hangout with a coworker. I finish yesterday’s bottle of wine and pour a small glass out of a new bottle. 

9:00 PM - K and I play Super Mario World until midnight or so and turn in.

DAY TWENTY-TWO TOTAL: $31.13

DAY TWENTY-THREE

8:30 AM - Spend the morning clearing YNAB charges. Definitely over my budget this month with the alcohol but it’s ok – I think this will be my last large alcohol run before we get vaccinated which gives me hope that I can buy less in general.

9:00 AM - Eat a clementine and make a chemex. I usually get up about 30 minutes before K so it gives me an opportunity for some me time. I read a couple of chapters of Remain in Love, watch Claire Saffitz make bagels on NYT Youtube, and listen/take notes to a session on the Mined app.

11:00 AM - Make tofu breakfast tacos with soyrizo for brunch. K and I play Super Mario for a while and I start to feel my blood pressure drop so I decide to go for a walk.

2:00 PM - Walked for 45 minutes and caught up with T, my best friend from high school. Decide after returning to just knock out today’s workout and do a 45 minute Power Zone Endurance Ride and a 5 minute Post-Ride Stretch. Rinse off, eat 2 clementines, a pretzel rod, and drink a nuun. 

6:00 PM - Finish posting thousand island dressing. I finished everything I wanted to do today to relax and I definitely feel refreshed and ready to shoot more recipes tomorrow. Watch a doc called Some Kind of Heaven with K, edit some more photos, and watch The Challenge

DAY TWENTY-THREE TOTAL: $0

DAY TWENTY-FOUR

9:00 AM - Chemex and a half a bagel with Earth Balance and nooch. Get a charge for CBS all-access. I signed up for this to specifically watch The Challenge. I’ll cancel it once I’ve binged all 20 seasons. $6.48

10:00 AM - Get to work on prepping nachos. I have a ton to shoot today which I am sort of looking forward to. I shoot a couple of the components - the nacho cheese & instant pot pinto beans and then toss the nachos together on a sheet tray and marvel at my work.

1:00 PM - We finally get to eat the nachos. They turned out super delicious and honestly, aren’t too terrible for the bod either. Open a polar seltzer and chill on the couch for a bit. 

4:00 PM - Clean the kitchen, play DDR, drink a glass of wine on zoom with K’s family.

7:00 PM - Make broccoli fried rice for dinner. Try to catch up on hydration while I watch the challenge. See a charge come in from an annual Nintendo live thing. $21.47

8:00 PM - Finish season 11 of The Challenge and read some more Remain in Love while K plays Super Mario.

DAY TWENTY-FOUR TOTAL: $27.95

DAY TWENTY-FIVE

8:30 AM - It’s raining again today. Make a chemex and eat a banana. In general, I’m having a hard time getting started today though I’m not sure why. Pure Barre weekly charge comes thru. $15

11:15 AM - Ok I really gotta focus. Make my to-do list and get crackin'.

12:00 PM - Make lunch - Same salad as last week – Spring mix, taco seasoned tofu, corn, scallions, black beans, avocado, cilantro, and a cashew chipotle ranch dressing – with a La Croix.

3:00 PM - Eat some grapes & a few tortilla chips

5:00 PM - Do a 30-minute Peloton ride. Efforts beyond “endurance” are so challenging for me. One day I’ll get there.

7:00 PM - Rinse off and drink 2 glasses of wine, a few chocolate squares, and broccoli fried rice. Spend the rest of the evening editing photos of seitan corned beef and watching The Challenge.

TWENTY-FIVE TOTAL: $15

DAY TWENTY- SIX

8:30 AM - Make a chemex. Today is pretty light so I spend the morning opening mail and paying bills. Email K his portion for rent – I don’t include the landscaper since his funds are kind of limited right now being furloughed. I add it to our ongoing tally of COVID expenses which we will settle up at some point when he has a stable income – he owes me around $1500 but I also don’t really care since eventually we’ll be married and it probably all evens out in the end.

10:00 AM - Eat a banana and a few crackers.

12;15 - Eat the same salad as yesterday with a La Croix.

3:00 PM - Eat pretzels. 

4:30 PM - Drink nuun and do a barre workout. 

7:00 PM - Eat broccoli fried rice for din with wine. Finish my post for seitan corned beef.

9:00 PM - Go on a cold walk with K and then finish Remain in Love.

DAY TWENTY- SIX TOTAL: $0

DAY TWENTY- SEVEN

8:30 AM - Chemex and plant yogurt

12:30 - Eat the same salad as yesterday with a La Croix.

3:00 PM - Eat chips, salsa, and some potato-carrot cheese. Buy a book called Whole Again for Kindle. Start doing a session on Mined app but get interrupted by work stuff. NBD! $12.99

5:00 PM - Do a 30 minute Peloton ride with a friend.

7:00 PM - Finishing out the last of the veggie sandwiches tonight for dinner with roasted potatoes. Also drink a glass of wine and finish the Mined session.

DAY TWENTY- SEVEN TOTAL: $12.99

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT 

8:30 AM - I got a decent amount of sleep last night. Feelin’ a-ok! Reconcile YNAB activity before peeling myself out of bed. I’m way over this month due to two yardwork charges and the alcohol but I’ll live. Make chemex, open laptop, get working.

10:30 AM - Eat a plant yogurt.

1:00 PM - K and I split the rest of the broccoli fried rice today for lunch. It’s not much so I also eat a half a bagel with butter, nooch and salt.

5:00 PM - Take a walk, call S (sister) and she is kind of spiraling and wants to take me on the rollercoaster with her so I let her go. We end up reconvening and she sort of apologizes.

6:00 PM - Make dinner, a recipe from bon appetit - Miso Polenta with Spring Vegetables and Tofu. The store was out of polenta so I make it with rice. Turns out alright but probably won’t make again.

7:00 PM - Hop on a zoom with some lady friends and then facetime my childhood nanny G. She’s the best and I miss her so much. Drink 2.5 glasses of wine

11:00 PM - An acquaintance posts that she has COVID. She’s a food service worker and posted her venmo and I send her $20. $20

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT TOTAL: $20

[therunningphysicist]

Race recap time!

I woke up at 5am on race morning feeling pretty awake, I surprisingly had slept quite well! I had a quick breakfast (bagel with PB, banana, and honey plus 2 energy nuun tablets) and even pooped twice before I left for the bus, so things were off to a really great start 😏  and then I got to the green line and realized the train hadn’t started running yet, so me and about 40 other runners had to wait 20 minutes for the first train to arrive -_- the good news is that I ran into a girl that I ran XC with as an undergrad and we chatted to pass the time. I was a little frazzled by the time I got to Grant Park, because it was about 15 minutes later than I had intended to arrive. I still had time to hop in the port-a-potty line (pooped again lol), check my gear (I cried a bit because they turned on Buckingham Fountain right as I got there to check my gear!), then wait in the port-o-potty line again. Made it into my starting corral at 7:15, then shuffled around nervously until 7:30 when the race began. I cried again when the announcer said “The 40th running of the Chicago Marathon is now underway!”, and then had plenty of time to stop crying before crossing the starting line around 7:45 am.

I was feeling really really great when the race finally started, except that I kind of had to pee again already. Like a typical rookie, I started off way too fast. I was planning to run even 9:00 splits for the whole race, but instead hit the mile 1 marker in 8:18. I tried to slow down, but my garmin wasn’t working very well (because of all the tall buildings, plus we were underground for a bit) so I apparently didn’t actually slow down at all. Hit the 5K mark at 25:57 (8:21 pace). I made a quick stop at the next aid station to use the bathroom and then continued on at a still too fast pace. Hit the 10K mark at 53:04, meaning that 5K was at a more modest 8:44 pace, but of course that is with a ~1 min bathroom stop averaged in. Still way too fast. At this point I decided to stop worrying about my pace, because obviously all my stressing about slowing down was not doing any good. I had so much fun in the first 12 or so miles, reading all the different race signs people had and giving high fives to everyone who wanted one! I also saw dad and Manny near mile 4 and again near mile 11, which made for some good photo ops haha. My 15K split was 1:19:39, then 1:46:26 for the 20K. Made it to the half in 1:52:18, which is actually my third fastest half marathon time! I still was feeling good all the way through mile 17, and maintained an 8:20-8:40 pace the whole way. I noticed my legs were starting to feel pretty tired at that point, and my hamstrings started cramping up pretty badly. I stopped briefly to try massaging them, but that only made things worse so I just kept going instead. I also realized then that I had a giant blister on the ball of my right foot (not quite sure when it developed), and I could feel the fluid inside it squishing around with every step. Finished mile 18 in 8:45, then decided I would have to start taking a few walking breaks if I wanted to be able to finish the race. I don’t really remember much from that point on. For miles 18 through 25, I walked through all the water portions of the aid stations (5 in all, I believe) and then ran the rest of the time. Mile splits were in the 9:05-10:00 range for 19-22. I saw Manny and dad again right before the mile 23 marker, stopped for a bit, and apparently told them I wanted to die so that then I could at least stop running lol. Between this stop and walking through another aid station, mile 23 was my slowest of all, 10:39. I don’t remember anything from miles 24 and 25, even the part where we ran through my school’s campus, and the splits were 9:44 and 10:01. I do vaguely remember telling myself out loud “you have to start running again” after the aid station in mile 25, then crying because I really didn’t want to (but I did anyways). The mile 25 marker was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, because I knew that meant I was almost done! I woke up mentally and checked my watch, then realized if I didn’t take any more walk breaks I would finish under 3:55 (which was my super stretch goal!). I dug deep and somehow found another gear for the last little bit. Finished mile 26 in 8:42, which included the giant hill at Roosevelt 400m from the finish line. Finally we turned the corner and I could actually see the finish line! I sprinted (ish) the last 200m just to be sure that I would finish under 3:55, and also because I was so ready to be done running. I even briefly saw a 7:XX pace on my watch before crossing the finish line! I felt so relieved to be done, and so proud of myself for all that I had accomplished, that I immediately started sobbing! Except I was so dehydrated that only two actual tears came out, though I had an ugly cry face on for at least 5 minutes haha.

The worst part of the entire race was that we had to walk for almost a whole mile before there was a spot we were allowed to sit down! The race volunteers were telling us to keep moving, but after a few minutes I just could not walk another step  and sat down. They came over right away and told me I had to keep walking or they would have to take me to the medical tent, so got back up and walked another 300 feet and then sat down again. So they came back over and said the same thing and I got back up. This happened four times in all before I finally got to a grassy area where I could sit down! At this point my foot (where I had the blister) was absolutely throbbing and all the muscles in my legs were cramping up. I sat in the grass for about 20 minutes before I was finally able to get up, pick up my gear, and meet up with Manny and dad. Of course as soon as I met up with them, I told them I couldn’t wait to run again next year! It was a painful last few miles, but absolutely worth every step ❤️

Official finish time was 3:54:35, which was well under my goal of 4:00, and even faster than my most ambitious goal of 3:55! I can’t wait to run another marathon, now that I know what to expect, and do even better!

[anachef]

The Nation’s Only Sustainable Seafood Festival, Aquarius, Returns to The Foundry in Long Island City on January 26th

(RestaurantNews.com)  The 2nd Annual arctic-chic Aquarius festival, highlighting sustainable seafood and cocktails, will take place at The Foundry in Long Island City on Saturday, January 26th from 7pm – 1am.  The historic Foundry is a fully restored 19th century building, which boasts 3,000 sprawling square feet of space offering up stunning views of the Manhattan skyline along with a gorgeous indoor Greenhouse, which will be filled with delicacies from the sea complimented perfectly with complimentary wines and spirits.  Aquarius 2019 is brought to you by the talented producers of Secret Summer, Tyler Hollinger of HighLife Productions, Andrew Maturana of RAPT and Allison du Val of The Foundry.

World class brands have been brought on board for this exclusive party.  Coney Island Brewery will provide craft beer and hard sodas. Barr Hill Gin & Caledonia Spirits and Tanteo Tequila and Spring 44 Distillery and The Finnish Long Drink will serve up their premium spirits, Töst will provide the glamorous taste of champagne without the alcohol.  Polar Seltzer Water will have an Ice Village with Orson the Polar on hand to keep things cool and Harmless Harvest Coconut Water will also ensure guests stay hydrated all night.  Sample ginger beer from Fentimans Botanical, and sparkling probiotic drinks from KeVita.

Guests will have the ability to purchase seafood with sustainable offerings as vast as the ocean. MF EVENTS will have a raw bar filled with oysters, shrimp and more.  Midtown Greek hotspot Kellari, CA’PISCI in Williamsburg and Italian eatery Bocce will be at your service to satisfy your appetite. Crazy Taco Mex will serve sustainable tacos and tostadas and MyMo Mochi will be on hand to offer up sweet snacks.  Awe-inspiring accessories will be available to purchase from Nuun Watch Official and Penelope Traveling Boutique. Commemorate the magical evening  with an impromptu photoshoot in the 4Five Photo Booth with nautical props to kick your pics up a notch. Immersive experiences will also include Winter Wolf Ballet and The Fireside Garden.  Hudson Horns will also be on hand to provide the evening’s musical entertainment.

Aquarius specialty cocktails and water are complimentary while wearing the Aquarius bracelet.  Full meals will be available for purchase and each ticket will come with exclusive access to an after-party at  The Profundo Rooftop at The Ravel Hotel next door. Tickets begin at $100 and can be purchased by visiting: http://secretsummernyc.com/aquarius/

Contact: Jennifer Hedley Assante Public Relations 781-929-2219 Jennifer@AssantePR.com

source http://www.restaurantnews.com/the-nations-only-sustainable-seafood-festival-aquarius-returns-to-the-foundry-in-long-island-city-on-january-26th-011519/

[nuunofficials]

Nuun watches bring together seemingly contradicting traditional and modern aesthetics into a harmonious wardrobe staple, the first of its kind. Nuun was born as an idea and inspired on idyllic Nuun island just off the coast of Bahrain, by avid luxury watch.

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 15-21

DAY FIFTEEN [JAN 15]

8:40 AM - Wake up feeling sore AF. I should’ve stretched after playing, but I obviously didn’t. I also feel like my stomach didn’t eat itself from the inside out while I was sleeping so that’s nice too. Make a chemex and get to work.

10:00 AM - eat plant yogurt.

11:00 AM - eat a few carrots and a clementine.

12:30 PM - make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix - this is the last of the salad ingredients until Thursday essentially. Shed a singular tear.

3:00 PM - I am a tiny bit hungry. Eat a piece of rye toast.

4:14 PM - I wanted to start working out 45 minutes ago ugh. OK here we go. The hour goes by a lot faster than I expected which is nice. Rinse off and cook an early dinner – Reubens and potatoes.

8:00 PM - I wanted to drink alcohol but I’m too full from dinner to even enjoy it. Heat up chamomile tea instead. I want to work on my blog but K wants to hang instead and I’m in no position to deny the closeness. We play some Mario Kart, watch 30 for 30 about BC and the mob, and turn in early.

DAY FIFTEEN TOTAL: $0

DAY SIXTEEN

8:30 AM - Make chemex and eat a clementine. My sister (S) asked me and my brother (B) to listen to a 20 minute session on the app Mined about codependency. I take a stab at it and get some good notes. 

10:00 AM - Landscaper is going to show up any second so I move my car and pick up dog poop. Text with S more about my cousin’s virtual baby shower tomorrow and go in on some cute stuff from PBKids. Total is $64.05 and she venmos me $32. $32.05

11:15 AM - I actually have a lot of stuff I need to do this weekend though right now I’m too annoyed at my neighbor to focus. Long story short – he has been wanting our dead grapefruit tree for like 6 months and keeps asking if he can cut it down. I said sure. But then he asked our landscaper to do it for him? It’s weird. I mostly don’t care because it’s gone, but the nerve he had to insert himself is wild. $120

12:00 PM - Make Tofu tacos for breakfast and make a to-do list of stuff I want to accomplish today. (post cauliflower leek soup, put away records, barre throw away things my mom has forced me to take out of her house over the years, wipe doors)

6:00 PM - Eat 2 rice cakes. I only manage to get the cauliflower leek soup up, put away the records, and throw away the stuff mom gave me. I think today ended up being a little bit overwhelming emotionally with the landscaper plus the codependency session so I’m kind of burnt. 

7:00 PM - Make pad thai for dinner. Can’t stop snacking on Swedish fish. Drink an old fashioned while K and I watch Night Stalker. Realize part way through that the reason I keep eating Swedish Fish is because something feels off. I fall asleep around 11:30 knowing it’s my blood pressure and that if it doesn’t fix over night I’ll get right to it in the morning.

DAY SIXTEEN TOTAL: $152.35

DAY SEVENTEEN

8:00 AM - Wake up feeling like I’ve been hit by a bus. Ugh. I’ve been struggling with an iron deficiency for a while and have it mostly fixed but I still have occasional days where my blood pressure really gives me issues. 

9:00 AM - Peel myself out of bed and drink some soy sauce. Sounds disgusting but sodium is the only thing that truly helps AND it works fast. Drink a chemex and a boat load of water. Work on posting the cauliflower leek soup

10:00 AM - S calls and I take a walk to chat. I’m still feeling really down from the blood pressure but I know walking will help. It’s actually really nice to get outside. I should do this again later tonight.

11:00 AM - More soy sauce, more water, more coffee. Have a good direction for where I want to go today. Just taking it one task at a time based on how I feel and granting myself the grace.

12:30 PM - Feel good enough to start moving which is great because once I can get over the initial fog with this blood pressure stuff, moving is what keeps me feeling better. Wipe down the doors and then attend a virtual baby shower for my cousin E. 

3:00 PM - Make broccoli fried rice for lunch. I prefer the cauliflower but the store was out of it. I feel like this broccoli stuff would taste great with some kind of cilantro hummus situation but that’ll be for another day I suppose.

3:30 PM - Back to cleaning! The bathrooms are always terrible and today is no exception. It’s always hard to tell if I even make progress because everything is white and the grout is stained orange. Give up after an hour and a half.

6:30 PM - Tag team folding a couple loads of laundry with K while we watch NBA. This week ends bittersweet for my fantasy team. He beat me in one but I’m in first place in the other. Officially 3-1 and 4-0.

8:00 PM - Eat leftover pad thai for dinner.

DAY SEVENTEEN TOTAL: $0

DAY EIGHTEEN

8:30 AM - Wake up feeling like I was hit by a smartcar, so a little better! Today is MLK day and I’m grateful for the extra day off. Make a Chemex, drink some soy sauce, and watch an episode of The Challenge. Pure barre charge comes thru. $15

9:30 AM - Get started on dusting the entire house. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done this due to lack of Swiffer 360 dusters. It takes forever but honestly our house hasn’t looked this good in years. Swap out the lightbulbs in the bathrooms and the bedroom, shower, and eat a plant yogurt.

11:30 AM - Have a sibling zoom call with S&B I walk while we chat and it’s honestly really nice to get outside. 

1:30 PM - Start shooting my recipe for lasagna rollups. Eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup and a few pretzel rods while I cook. It takes a while but I think they turn out great.

4:00 PM - Eat a lasagna roll and watch an episode of The Challenge. I haven’t worked out in 400 years (read: yesterday and the day before.) and it’s low key killing me, so I suit up and do the thing.

6:00 PM - That was mildly painful. Low cal burn, couldn’t focus to save my life - new moves so lots of pausing during transitions. Oh well. At least I did it.

7:00 PM - Eat two more lasagna rolls for dinner. K and I watch Terrorism Close Calls and I drink a vodka + vanilla seltzer + orange peel.

DAY EIGHTEEN TOTAL: $15

DAY NINETEEN

8:30 AM - It’s appraisal day. Ugh. So excited to get this over with. Make a chemex and open my work stuff. I have a lot to do but have a feeling I won’t be able to concentrate very well until after the appraisal is over. On a nice note - I am feeling leaps and bounds better from yesterday and the day before. 

10:00 AM - Eat a plant yogurt and finish out the rest of my coffee. Meet with my teammates about an outstanding task and then do the random stuff around the house to prep for my appointment.

12:00 PM - Here goes nothing! K and I leave the house with KP and walk her around the block a few times until the appraisal is done. As much as I feel like my anxiety should be gone, it’s not. I think particularly because today is really busy with work. K and I hang out outside on our laptops for a bit to let the house air out before going back inside.

1:00 PM - Eat broccoli fried rice for lunch with a Polar seltzer. Snack on a pretzel rod and some Swedish Fish while it heats.

3:00 PM - Eat the last of the cauliflower leek soup and a few carrots.

5:30 PM - Make a nuun and do a barre live stream. My focus today is so much better but my cal burn is abysmal again. Rinse off and heat up lasagna rolls for dinner. Snack on Swedish Fish while they heat. I really wish I had wine right now because I can feel my body could use the extra help blood pressure-wise but I won’t get my alcohol delivery until Thursday. Sigh.

8:00 PM - Idk whats up but my body is asking for more food so I eat tortilla crumbs and salsa and some dark chocolate. Make vegan ham brine for seitan. Realize I’m out of liquid smoke and buy a 6 pack from Amazon. $15.37

9:30 PM - It’s official, this iron thing is killing me. Ugh. Now I know. I’ll be more conscientious of my supplements, I promise! Finish editing photos of Thousand Island Dressing, watch The Challenge and call it a day.

DAY NINETEEN TOTAL: $15.37

DAY TWENTY

8:30 AM - Still feeling off from iron. This is seriously the worst it’s been in MONTHS. Worst part - it takes 4 weeks for you to produce new blood cells so I can only assume this will happen again since there was a substantial gap in my supplementing.

9:00 AM - Make a chemex, prep the seitan ham dough and bake. I chat with Google support for an account I’m having problems with. The person’s name is Swastika. Feels like a bad omen for inauguration day. Eat 2 clementines and pretzel rod.

12:20 PM - Starving. Decide on Lasagna roll ups for lunch with a Polar. 

2:00 PM - Finish my work for the day. I have on my list of things to do that I want to test this orange spice bread for the blog.

3:00 PM - Spice bread in the oven. Do a round of dishes to prep for tonight’s grocery run. It doesn’t come out great and I eat two slices.

5:15 PM - Do a barre live stream and it goes really well. Super focused, super strong, super sweaty. One more class to go for the challenge this month! Rinse off and continue prepping the kitchen and do the final bake on the ham. 

7:05 PM - Ensue grocery madness. Incoming of onions, bananas, lemons, limes, bell peppers, cucumbers, cheese, cheeze, tortilla chips, tomatoes, dark chocolate, green beans, broccoli, jalapeños, low carb tortillas, bread, oranges, potatoes, cilantro, chickpeas, romaine, celery, clementines, spring mix, frozen burritos, apples, oat milk, tofu, soyrizo, brussels sprouts, eggs, grapes, frozen peas, vegan sour cream, taco seasoning, tomato paste, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, corn, black beans, avocados, mushrooms, snap peas, pineapple, vegan mayo, carrots, rice noodles, seltzer, beets, cauliflower, parsley, pumpkin seeds, thyme, plant yogurt, garlic, riced broccoli, white rice, gf pretzels, micro arugula, & black olives. $327.69

8:15 PM It takes over an hour, but everything is washed and put away! Make air fried broccoli with miso butter and veggie sandwiches for dinner. 

9:00 PM - Make a crappy drink with flavored vodka. The only thing I have in my house is shooters left over from my sister’s bachelorette party. She’s now divorced if that gives you any idea of how long this stuff has been sitting around. More alcohol comes tomorrow at least! Eat a few Swedish fish.

9:30 PM - Play Mario Kart, watch The Challenge, and call it a night.

DAY TWENTY TOTAL: $327.69

DAY TWENTY-ONE

8:30 AM - Chemex and work. Alcohol is coming sometime this AM from my friend J who has a wholesale hookup. Much like everything else in the pandemic, I just buy in bulk. It’s easier that way!

10:30 AM - Eat a slice of orange spice bread for breakfast. It’s definitely growing on me but I think I need to adjust a few things before shooting/posting. J drops off my booze order. I got 2 crates of wine (24 bottles total), a bottle of bourbon, rye, mezcal, rum, and st. germaine. She says it was $400 but I pay her more. $450

11:00 AM - Start prepping chile de arbol salsa & stuff for this week’s salad - spring mix, roasted tofu with taco seasoning, avo, chipotle ranch dressing, cilantro, green onion, black beans, tomatoes and corn. YUM. Eat salad with a La Croix. 

3:00 PM - I get the appraisal back! My house came in at $390k. (I bought it for $245k) OMG! Eat a celebratory slice of orange bread.

6:45 PM - Finish class 15/15 for the barre challenge. 11 more months to go. hah! Rinse off, roast potatoes for veggie sandwiches. Pour a celebratory glass of wine. 

8:30 PM - Pour another half glass. What a week! End up going on a walk with K & KP which was really nice. I need to get out more. This weekend I will. Stay tuned. ~*~*~

DAY TWENTY-ONE TOTAL: $450

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 8-14

DAY EIGHT [JAN 8]

9:00 AM - Wake up still feeling full from yesterday’s black bean burgers. Make a chemex and start working. I have a performance evaluation today and as well as an after-work happy hour so I want to try to get everything done before the review and then workout after before HH.

10:30 AM - Eat a banana

12:30 PM - Have a short break before my performance review. Make a Greek-ish salad and drink a Seltzer before my quarterly performance review which I am slightly nervous for since I was very slow in both November & December.

3:00 PM - Performance review went well. No criticism from my boss, though I should’ve known. She is the most direct supervisor I’ve ever had so I always know where I stand. Eat some grapes. I’m not super sore today but there’s something in me that’s saying to take a breather from exercising today (probably my “reward” for a good performance review), so I slowly finish my work for today.

4:00 PM - My best friend (let’s call her T) from high school calls and we catch up for 45 minutes. Pour a mezcal soda while we chat. I let her go attend Happy Hour and realize this after work HH thing isn’t happening. Today is David Bowie’s bday and I get sentimental about the annual David Bowie Nights I would do with H (I never gave him a name in my last diary, but we’ve remained pals over the years and he will probably come up more this time around). I FaceTime H kinda drunkenly and he goes to the corner store and joins me with a bottle of wine. I pour a second mezcal soda. We chat until 7:45 and I lowkey make dinner towards the end.

8:00 PM - K and I eat veggie sandwiches with potatoes for dinner. He slinks off to work more and I facetime another friend, J to chat about H’s latest drama. 

10:00 PM - Go out on the couch to find K already falling asleep. I’m kind of drunk anyways and there’s no point staying up so we decide to turn in.

DAY EIGHT TOTAL: $0

DAY NINE

2:00 AM - Wake up sweating. This is my new hangover thing and has been happening throughout quar. Drink some water, turn on the fan, and stay up for an extra 30 minutes until I pass out again.

9:15 AM - Wake up feeling ok! Make a chemex and watch the latest episode of Dessert Person on YouTube.

10:30 AM - Get started on blog stuff for the day. I have a stacked list of stuff I want to shoot this weekend. I’m only one ingredient spread in before I start to feel light-headed from last night’s alcohol, so I break to make breakfast – tofu/egg scramble tacos with soyrizo. I still feel a little weird after so I drink a nuun and things start to improve.

3:30 PM - I shoot thousand island dressing, Russian dressing, cauliflower leek soup, and the first half of seitan corned beef. Tomorrow I’ll finish that, and shoot rubens, italian dressing and a greek salad. I don’t usually shoot 7 recipes in one weekend, but I’m very much out of content. 

4:30 PM - Finish shooting for the day and eat a small bowl of cauliflower leek soup. 

6:00 PM - Working out on the weekends is always hard because of lack of routine / structure, but I suck it up and do a barre live stream. Shower and watch the last of the Suns game and import photos. 

7:45 PM - Make veggie sandwiches with miso butter green beans for dinner. This is the last of our veggie sandwiches which is sad. I love them so much! Spend the rest of the evening with K. We watch part of the 76ers game where they only had 7 players, a few episodes of Letterkenny, and then I read Remain in Love while he played RocketLeague.

DAY NINE TOTAL: $0

DAY TEN

8:45 AM - Doomscroll in bed for a bit and finally make myself a chemex. Put on an old episode of The Challenge. Buy a very belated birthday present for a friend - mamafuku seasoned salts. $34.95

10:30 AM - Pump myself up for shooting for the rest of the day. I have to finish the seitan, then shoot a greek dressing, a greek salad, and reuben sandwiches. None of these things should take too long but I also shot all day yesterday so I’m dragging ass. 

3:15 PM - Finially finish! I ended up also taking a decent break to chat with my sister on the phone part way through. I think everything looks alright though. 

4:00 PM - Import photos, eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup with a La Croix, watch an episode of The Challenge, try to hype myself up to exercise but by the time I am ready to play DDR, K says we’ll be zooming with his parents in just a short while.

5:30 PM - Drink the last of the wine in the house – a true bummer – on zoom with K’s parents. Cook dinner after – reubens with miso butter broccoli with more La Croix. We watch some Letterkenney and then K plays RocketLeague while I read some Remain in Love / zone out on fone. 

9:00 PM - K finishes playing and I assume the DDR position. My tracking has already improved quite a bit since Tuesday. I play most of the tracks on standard and close my Apple Watch rings after 30 minutes. Rinse off, put the Challenge back on and edit photos of Russian Dressing. 

DAY TEN TOTAL: $34.95

DAY ELEVEN

8:30 AM - Ugh Monday. I actually have a lot to do already today. Make a chemex and do the dishes leftover from yesterday’s cooking adventures. Pure barre charge comes through. $15

9:45 AM - I have a giant stack of packages and mail in the house from the past few weeks. Open up one of them and it contains a phone case I bought from a “tech company” that is probably just a fancy version of Wish. Slap it on my phone. I honestly can’t believe I went over a month without a case without cracking anything. I’m amazing.

10:00 AM - Missed a call on Friday afternoon from an appraiser scheduler, so I call them back to get something on the calendar for next week after MLK day so I have the 3-day weekend to clean. Eat yogurt for breakfast.

12:00 PM - Make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix. It’s really good but not very filling. I have a feeling today is going to have a heavy snack vibe.

2:00 PM - Eat a handful of pretzels. 

3:00 PM - Eat 2 clementines

4:00 PM - Eat a handful of tortilla chips. Start thinking about dinner. Don’t want to do reubens and burritos sound really nice so I start the process of making chile de arbol salsa and instant pot refried beans.

5:30 PM - Do a Pure Barre livestream. My focus is a little better than Saturday, so I’ll take it!

7:00 PM - Make rice on the stove while I clear some dishes and make burritos for din. Spend the rest of the eve watching random YouTube videos with K. He falls asleep at some point on and I turn on The Challenge. 

11:00 PM - Gently wake K up and we head to bed. Put on the Suns game from earlier and cuddle up. By the end of the first quarter, I’m asleep.

DAY ELEVEN TOTAL $15

DAY TWELVE

8:30 AM - Wake up to find a couple of weird charge notifications. One is from Instacart for the exact amount of my last order – a duplicate charge. And the other is an auto-ship from Thrive market but it was supposed to charge my mom. I text her to let her know she owes me $20. I won’t include either of these charges since I’ll get reimbursed / refunded. The autoship also reminds me to look at the account and cancel my next one with Thrive.

9:00 AM - Get the stuff sorted out with Instacart. They’re going to email my sister (we share this account) the deets and she’ll forward to me. Make a chemex and make my way through the stack of paper mail before starting my workday. One of them is a confirmation of my credit score – 749. Sign a bunch of papers and put them in a giant envelope to send back to the loan company.

10:00 AM - Eat plant yogurt for breakfast and try to focus on the outstanding tasks I have this AM which is surprisingly kind of a lot.

11:45 AM - H texts me saying he forgot his wallet to buy lunch and asks me to place an order at Chipotle that he can pick up. Always happy to help! Place the order online and it’s $10.43. He PayPals me $10 for the damage. $0.43

12:45 PM - Make a greek salad for lunch with a La Croix. This salad has like 5 calories since the dressing is oil-free and leaves me wanting more. 

1:00 PM - Eat a handful of mini pretzels. 

3:00 PM - Heat up a small bowl of cauliflower lentil soup. Officially done snacking until din.

5:15 PM - Done with workie. Make a nuun and do barre live stream. The class recording this time is actually “easy” which is nice – my body must be adjusting to the new moves. Make leftover bean cheeze and rice burritos for din.

7:00 PM - K and I watch King of the Hill for a bit and then he plays RocketLeague while I read some Remain in Love and then work on a post for Russian dressing. Watch some of the Challenge in the background.

DAY TWELVE TOTAL: $0.43

DAY THIRTEEN

8:30 AM - Good morning to me! See a charge come in from Blueland for soap & dishwasher tablets. Kind of a bummer because I don’t need them at all right now. Move my next delivery date to November 1 and put a note on my calendar a week before to check my stock. Note that the Instacart charge is gone. Hooray! Make a chemex, do the dishes and spray down the counters. $25.19

9:30 AM - Not sure what it is about today, but my calendar is clear and I know tomorrow is going to suck with meetings, so I really take my time and ease into the day. I don’t feel super confident posting the Russian dressing all over the interweb and would rather stage it as a thousand island vs Russian dressing kind of thing, so I just decide to post on Insta, Pinterest, and one Reddit forum before deciding that’s good enough. 

10:00 AM - Eat a yogurt. These Oui ones are really too sweet for me, but I’m at the mercy of whatever is on sale because honestly yogurt is a giant rip off. I should learn how to make my own.

12:30 PM - Make another greek salad with La Croix for lunch. Fully prepared to snack again since this guy is just not very filling. 

1:20 PM - Eat a handful of mini pretzels

2:30 PM - Eat a cup of cauliflower leek soup. I’m actually caught up on work for once which is nice. Looking forward to knocking out barre before 7 PM - hah. We’re still a week out from needing groceries, but it takes a while to plan/prep. With the appraisal on Tuesday, I know it’s not going to be a fun weekend so I start thinking about what I want to make for the rest of the month.

3:30 PM - Find a bougie polenta recipe I want to give a go as well as shoot oil-free instant pot refried beans and nacho cheese with potatoes and carrots. And use all of that to make sheet pan nachos. Should be a fun weekend of shooting there. Eat grapes. 

4:30 PM - I can’t hang with how hungry I am. Eat tortilla chips and salsa. Do a barre live stream and do a peloton 10 minute low impact ride. 

8:00 PM - K isn’t hungry for dinner so I heat up a Philly burrito and eat it with more tortilla chips and Sweedish Fish for “dessert.” I watch some of The Challenge and then K and I play Mario Kart and watch Letterkenny before turning in.

DAY THIRTEEN TOTAL: $25.19

DAY FOURTEEN

8:30 AM - I hate 9 AM meetings. Get my shit together enough to make a chemex before I have to be on the call.

10:00 AM - I can’t handle how many snacks I keep eating throughout the day. Toast a bagel for breakfast with Earth Balance, everything but the bagel seasoning, nooch, and salt. Eat some Sweedish Fish while I wait for the bagel to toast.

12:30 PM - Make the same greek salad with a lemon La Croix. I eat quickly as I have to present at 1 so I eat quickly in prep for that.

2:50 PM - It’s over! It went well and got good compliments on my presentation skills by all parties. AND I’m not starving. A win for all! I realize half the lights in my bedroom & bathroom are out which is a bad scene for appraisal. Buy some replacements on Amazon. $27.98

3:10 PM - Start building the grocery order for next Wednesday. I realize I’m doing this really far in advance, but I’m worried I won’t have the gusto for it this weekend. 

4:30 PM - Heat up a small cup of cauliflower leek soup for a snack. Debate to myself about whether or not I want to do barre and for whatever reason an hour of it sounds boring. DDR sounds fun though so I go for that instead. Get a good cal burn and even AA Kind Lady on Heavy. It’s coming back baby!

6:00 PM - Rinse off and make dinner – we’re doing Reubens tonight with roasted potatoes. Really really delicious dang. 

8:30 PM - Drink a yellow chartreuse with Lagunitas Hop Water and play Mario Kart with K. Then edit photos of cauliflower lentil soup for my blog.

DAY FOURTEEN TOTAL: $27.98