Posts Tagged "Books"

Soup’s On

Posted on Oct 15, 2012 | 4 comments

Gloomy, rainy days sure go well with Mondays. But at least something exciting happens this week!

I had a training that started a little later this morning, so I knocked out a workout at the Y. It was great because after work I definitely didn’t want to go out in the rain. The afternoon kind of dragged on, and so I was quite excited to get to go home to complete free time. I made by first batch of pumpkin oats for tomorrow’s breakfast. I tried to delay opening a can as long as possible, because last year, I was hooked on pumpkin oats until MAY!

And I made soup. I bought some chicken drumsticks and went ahead and boiled the chicken for shredding, so it would be all ready to go into this mix by dinner time. I can’t remember exactly where I got this – maybe a Great Harvest Bakery gift from my mom?

Anyway, it was super quick and made a ton of soup for the week. And I loved how chunky it was with all that chicken.

I think our little party at the lake made me extra tired today – who gets sleepy at 7 pm?

I’ve noticed that since living in Atlanta this summer (where I had no cable or basic/local channels), I’m much less interested in TV at night. Part of this is just because I find the internet more stimulating and staring at the TV has actually become boring. Sometimes I do wish I could just settle down and enjoy a show without any distractions – I do find it more relaxing than being on the internet because it’s less interactive. But the most relaxing night time activity for me is reading. I rarely make it through more than a chapter, but I know it helps me unwind and get sleepy. To the point that I never finish any books! But, I am planning to get in bed and finish my book right this minute. I’m looking forward to starting a new one – maybe State of Wonder? Not sure what it’s about, but it’s been on my side table for a while.

Goodnight.

Wanted: Two More Space Heaters

Posted on Sep 26, 2012 | 1 comment

After a dessert bar on Monday and appetizers for dinner on Tuesday, a healthy dinner was necessary. Matt was home for dinner tonight (yay!), and I could tell he was disappointed when I told him salads were on the menu.

But tonight’s salads were better than your average greens – I topped these with hot lentils and sweet potatoes, blue cheese, carrots, and avocado with homemade dressing. With hummus toast on the last of the GH herb bread on the side.

It’s funny that I would have nearly gagged at the idea of hummus and lentils for dinner back in the day:)

Today was a relatively short day, but it felt soo long. I spent the morning in a 2 hour meeting, and then was called to do a suicide assessment right after. But what really bothered me was the freezing cold! I’ve been having a lot of trouble with the temperatures at my schools, and since I only have one space heater, I’m cold at 2 of the 3 schools. I’ve been wearing pants, bringing sweaters, and today I even wore thick socks under my shoes. A friend actually told me yesterday about an article on the negative effect that cold work places have on employee performance. I just cringe thinking about the energy we are wasting to cool big buildings. I really think that if every school in America were set at 74-ish instead of the high 60′s that we could make a dent in the energy problem.

Despite the Arctic air, the outside weather was so fabulous that my brain (not my body) actually wanted to exercise after work. I know it’s just a matter of time before I’m huddled in my apartment protesting winter, so I was glad to get out there. And, this could be my last fall in the south depending on where Matt’s job may take us! There were so many people running the east campus loop, I felt like I was in central park. There’s something about being out in the world with other strangers that’s almost comforting. And there’s just something about a hot shower and getting into your pajamas before 7 that feels peaceful. I’m planning on winding down early tonight and doing some reading. My sister passed along Jenna’s book and I’m having so much fun reading a little each night. Sweet dreams.

Hot Bar

Posted on Apr 10, 2012 | 5 comments

Seven hours of report writing later and Tuesday is over. Whew! That was not a fun day at work. But, the good news is that I’m all caught up with report writing for the first time since I started my job in January! Good thing I’ve got three new referrals coming next week:)

Dinner was a special treat at Whole Foods. I met new friend and fellow blogger Katie at the hot bar! I got my usual bowl, with a base of greens and all the best salads, veggies, and casseroles on top. The cold front hasn’t quite made it’s way to Durham, so we were able to sit outside and talk, eat, and relax for a good hour. It was nice to just sit and chat about life.

Thanks for your advice on the allergy meds. I tried it one more time today and confirmed that I just can’t tolerate it. I feel so frustrated because I went through all this seasonal allergy stuff two springs ago and concluded (along with the testing) that I don’t have seasonal allergies! Maybe I just have a cold? I’m feeling off and can’t distinguish between side effects of the meds, an allergy/cold, and my usual health problems. Oh well.

I’m really loving the beginning of my new book and can’t wait to get in bed and read more. After some jelly beans of course! Have a happy night.

Leak-Induced Headache & Social Media

Posted on Oct 26, 2011 | 3 comments

Hey, hey.

How’s it going? My day was loooong. Well, all days are long, but this one started at 4:15 this morning when water from the apartment above us decided to leak into our guest bathroom, creating a ruckus as well as a large puddle. Matt and I debated what to do, and since it was too loud to sleep though, we tried to call the emergency maintenance line. Only we couldn’t find the number. Luckily, the leak stopped around 4:45 and we got to sleep for almost an hour before my alarm went off. Wouldn’t have been too big of a deal if my body weren’t terrible sensitive. I had a horrible headache all day and it wouldn’t even respond to excedrin migraine. Luckily, it wasn’t an actual migraine and I was able to make it through the day by gnawing on gummy bears to easy my throbbing teeth. Given the trauma of the morning, Matt and I decided to take ourselves out to lunch and had massive salads in today’s lovely breezy weather. Lunch dates are awesome.

After work, I headed to a presentation by Jason Falls on social media that was sponsored by my friend’s social media management company. The talk was quite interesting and got me thinking about the craziness that is the internet today.

I munched on a nice spread of food and filled up on candy corn pumpkins and some kind of bark.

It was nice to be out in the community for a change. Durham houses many interesting people and I definitely want to do a better job networking while I’m here. I even ran into a guy I hadn’t seen since high school!

That’s all folks because, you guessed it, I’m going to bed early.

What are your thoughts on the role of social media in driving traffic or business?

Oh, and happy 29th birthday to the 26 year old!

Hi and Bye

Posted on Jun 14, 2011 | 2 comments

I loved this book! I actually finished it on the stairclimber at 7 this morning, so it was fresh on my mind for the discussion. So many interesting things to contemplate!

Of course, book club included snacks – guacamole, peeta (!) and hummus, tomato + feta dip, cheeses, salad…

and I made bean dip. I used a different salsa this time and it was too watery, but the flavor was still good.

This wine was fab. And how cute is the label?

It’s late (ish) and I just found out I have to babysit afterall, so I’m getting under the covers. I already miss my book! Sweet dreams.