Birthday Time = Cake Time

Thanks for having a birthday Brad!

Toms-Price: I Half-Heartedly Accept Your Apology

Maybe people from Toms-Price are somewhere out in the blogosphere, because I coincidentally got a call from them today about a delivery opening on Thursday, June 5. That's just next week! I am happy to be getting my furniture, but still am ticked to have had this happen to me twice. Lets say the door is slightly open for a possible reconcilliation ... but that there are going to be some new rules in this relationship. My trust is severly fragile at this moment.

How Dare You DirectTV!

When we moved into the new house, Jeff and I had some serious dilemma choosing between Comcast (who we had in the old place) or DirectTV. We went with DirectTV. The experience has not been horrible, but we have definitely enountered some problems that were definitly not a part of the Comcast problem-set.
Mis-synched lips
Many times we are watching a show and the lips and sound dont match. Its about the most annoying thing I have ever experienced in my life.
Lost Signal
This is common for satellite users, but seems to be more frequent for us. We had some rain this morning (not a storm) and my signal is out. Normally I dont watch tv during the day so I wouldnt have even noticed...but today is a really gloomy day and I decided it was a "movie-day". I scrolled through the listings and Chocolat was coming on at 12:10. I have never seen the movie, but remember it generated a lot of Oscar buzz when it first came out. Also, how could any movie about chocolate be bad???

I decided to get some housework done until the movie started...then went to put it on at 12:10 and wouldnt-ya-know, the satellite is out. JEEZ!

The Real Issue
It appears we might have a problem with our satellite box, not the actual service. (Thats what we have heard at least) When the service was out just a few minutes ago I just "reset" the system and now its back up. I missed the first 9 minutes of the movie ... but what really happens in the first 9 minutes anyway? Regardless of whether we have bunk equipment or DirectTV simply hates me, its just another annoyance in my life that just chaps my hide.

I Need To Rant

Right before we moved Jeff and I went to go buy ourselves a king-size bed. We were so excited to have the room to finally get a king and shopped for quite a while until we found the "perfect one". We ended up getting it from Toms-Price. When we ordered it we were told that it was a really popular item and not in the warehouse, so it would take a coupld of weeks to arrive. This was not a big deal since we just bought our house and had plenty of time until we moved in. Weeks later we still had not heard about the bed, so I called them to check on the status. Good news! It was arriving to the warehouse in the next day or so! So lets schedule a delivery date ... in two weeks. Toms-Price got lucky because the first delivery date available was our move date. Jeff and I got lucky because we ordered our bed so early.

Now onto my current problem...

When we ordered the bed we werent sure what we wanted to do with our bedroom, so that was all we ordered. Several weeks ago I went back and ordered the rest of the set (two nightstands and a dresser) in addition to an ottoman for the foot of the bed. The salesperson told me I was in luck...the warehouse had the stuff (except for the ottoman) and put a rush on my order. I would say this was about 4 weeks ago and I havent heard from them since. So I called them to check what was going on. Good news! My furniture is "arriving in the warehouse" as I spoke to the customer service rep. She suggested we set up a delivery date ... and the first availability is Friday, June 13.

Does something seem wrong here? You wait weeks and weeks just for them to get the furniture in. Then they cant even schedule a delivery date for several weeks after that. This isnt free delivery either ... I am PAYING to wait two more weeks until they have the availability to pencil my delivery in. Why dont they anticipate the arrival into their warehouse and then schedule accordingly? Why do they wait until it arrives ... and then schedule? And I called them! Arrrrh...I am very irritated with this company. I think it is the last you will be seeing of me Toms-Price!

Image courtey of Directions Business Systems Development.

Cubs!

Watching the Cubs from pretty great seats. Jeff won an autographed Zambrano ball with a scratch off card ... Luck is on our side :)

More Ways to Waste Time!

In my recent issue of Women's Health magazine, they have this cool article: "100 Most Useful Sites On The Web". They break the websites down into a bunch of categories, including beauty, food, travel, etc. Some of the sites I am familiar with, some arent too exciting ... but there are a few I was not previously aware of and have now found more ways to waste time on the internet.

Rotten Neighbor
RottenNeighbor.com is a neighborhood search engine you can use before moving into a new neighborhood that can help you identify "troublesome neighbors" before you sign the paperwork. Looks like I should have checked this earlier ... I have about 3 sex offenders living within a couple of blocks (and I live right across the street from a school!)

Whatshouldireadnext.com
On this site, you enter the title and author of a book you like and/or are currently reading and they will suggest what should be next on your reading list. I decided to check out what I should read after the book I just finished: Ian McEwan's Atonement and was given the following recommendations:
The Bookshop - Penelope Fitzgerald
Regeneration - Pat Barker
Dear Exile: The True Story of Two Friends Separated (For a Year) by an Ocean - Hilary Liftin, Kate Montgomery
Metroland - Julian Barnes
Tess of the Durbervilles - Thomas Hardy, Nina Pelikan Straus
A Suitable Boy: v. 3 - Vikram Seth
The Story of Lucy Gault - William Trevor
Carry Me Down - M.J. Hyland
Sacred Hunger - Barry Unsworth
The Puttermesser Papers - Cynthia Ozick

And speaking of books, I have a website to recommend that isnt on the 100 list! I recently became a member of this really cool site called Paperback Swap. On this site I list all of the books I have (and want to get rid of) and also list all of the books I want to read. If someone requests one of my books I ship it to them (I pay for shipping) but if someone has one of the books I want they ship it to me (and they pay). Generally it costs about $4 to ship out a book ... so essentially I get new books for $4. Considering the cost of purchasing a new book at Barnes & Noble or Borders, I save a lot of money going this route. The books I want arent always available and bookstores still take a good portion of my spending money, but I check this site first before I go out and buy something new and so far really am happy with it! I searched on Paperback Swap for a few of the books and one was available - so as I type "The Bookshop" is on its way!

Awaiting My Cupcakes

We went to my in-laws house on Memorial Day, and my father-in-law showed me an article Money Magazine about the Bangerang BakeShop. He figured the article would interest me for two reasons: 1) the company owner left a marketing job to start her own business (I am a "marketeer") and 2) the business she started was a cupcake business. Say the word "cupcake" and I'm obvioulsy interested.

The article is actually really interesting, and I did some searching on the company and the cupcakes today. And of course, when I came upon the Bangerang Website I ordered some cupcakes. These things were pricey!!! Not only individually are they expensive, but the shipping is really high. The baker sends everything priority 2-3 days shipping...which makes sense since these are perishable items. I bought an 8 pack because these cupcakes come in half pint 8oz jars and last 7 days (they can also be frozen). I don't have a clue how big a standard cupcake I buy at the bakery is...but I highly doubt its a half-pint :)

How awesome do these look?

Wrigley and I Have Some Work To Do

Recently, a dog named Gin put all dogs to shame on Britain's Got Talent. Currently, Wrigley has a trick we call "dance". When we ask her to dance she spins in circles. I guess thats not bad. But the problem is, when WE dance ... she attacks us. Dont know why, and cant tell if she is attacking us because she loves it or hates it, but there is no dancing allowed in the house (or within about 100 feet of her). So to get Wrigley up to calibur with Gin so she too can be on talent shows, I have hired a new trainer.
At this time Paige & Wrigley are just working on the basics, but I think these two will be doing some amazing things in the near future!

Good Finale or Hormonal Outburst?

I finished watching the Grey's Anatomy finale a bit ago, and found myself bawling at the end. I admit this is not the first time I have cried during a tv show (movie, or commercial!) but I can't figure out if it was a good finale ... of if I was just suffering from some odd hormonal reaction :)

Get Your Party On...Its World Turtle Day!

American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) has named today World Turtle Day.

Want to know how you can honor the turtle on this special day?

Check out Twelve Things to Do for Turtles and Tortoises.

Baby Stuff ... Well, Sort Of!

A lot of women seem to experience a lot of great things with pregnancy. They get a "glow", they are all happy and excited, they start nesting and feeling all nurturing and stuff. So far I am not in the same boat as those women. I didnt feel so hot for about 4 months. Now I just feel fat. I am often tired. I went into Babies R Us once and almost had a panic attack.

Well, things might be turning around!

From 11AM - 10PM today Baskin-Robbins is giving free soft serve cones to expectant mothers. I am not too sure how you prove you are pregnant ... since I am and don't yet have an obvious bump, and I have seen many women that do have "bumps" and are not pregnant... but if pregnancy is going to get me free stuff then that is pretty awesome :)

Running Stuff ... Well Sort Of!

So I signed up for a race yesterday!
The Fleet Feet Sports Women's 5K, 10K & Festival benefits CATCH YOUR BREATH, A Women and Lung Health Initiative. I signed up to do the 5K, and figure that I should finish walking it about the same time my friends finish running the 8K. Not only does it benefit a great cause (and you get a sweet technical shirt that I will be too fat to fit into) but its on the path we ran every weekend during marathon training (ah, the good old days) and I can go out to eat breakfast after (the sole purpose for doing any sort of physical activity)!

Fitness Log
In addition to setting the goal to walk a whole 3.1 miles at the end of July, I did go to my second yoga class today. Since my hamstring literlly just stopped hurting yesterday from last weeks class I am hoping that this my body will be slightly less retaliatory.

"Do The Salt"

I have never used salt during a long run or race ... but considering my regular diet I dont necessarily think I need to. I am pretty sure due to my salt intake I generally retain about 10 extra lbs of water, but for those of you who don't this Runners World article offers tips onpreenting hyponatremia, which includes ingesting salt packets during a race.

What is hyponatremia?
Hyponatremia is a reduced blood sodium (salt) concentration. If sodium levels fall below 130 mmol per liter, it creates a general clouding of consciousness similar to what you experience when you are drunk. Nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness and dizziness are also frequently observed. As the case of hyponatremia becomes more sever, the brain swells as the sodium level gets lower as a result of the general state of fluid overload.

"Drunkeness", nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness and dizziness are all symptoms of mild cases. According to the article, in very severe cases "the athlete lapses into unconsciousness, develops epileptic-like seizures and may stop breathing or suffer cardiac arrest. Fluid overload of the lungs may produce pulmonary edema that leads to shortness of breath and coughing up blood-stained sputum".

Dog Gizmos Brighten My Day

I often post strange dog items, and 99% of these come from In The Company of Dogs. I get both catalogs and emails from them ... and the arrival of one or the other is always sure to brighten my day. Occasionally an email comes and the products advertised are just plain-old-normal-dog-accessories. This, I admit, is a dissapointment. But today I got an email and imagine my glee when I saw this:
For 69.95 you can get your dog this awesome "Pool and Deck Lounger" which In The Company of Dogs states is "a great way for you and your dog to enjoy the good life together". Now I wish I had a pool so Wrigley and I could spend our days floating around together, bonding over the good times.

Starbucks New Logo: Ugly? Yes. But "Slutbucks"?

Starbucks has unveiled a new logo that has a Christian group known as "The Resistance," calling for a boycott.

I admit the logo is rather ugly and prefer the current one, but looking at the "Evolution of the Starbucks Logo" on Brand Autopsy it does cleary pay homage to the original logo. What do you think?

Here is the current logo


















And here is the new logo

Dazed And Confused

So, NKOTB is on the Today show...as I type. (I forgot to put a reminder on my blog yesterday! How could I forget to post about such a huge event?)

So far they did a few seconds of a lot of their hits merged into one tune, and I have to say it was odd. The guys are still doing the synchronized moves, but with their ages its a bit more 4 Tops than N-Sync. Now they are back and doing their new single of the new album, which is called "Summertime".

This is what is so odd to me. Donnie Wahlberg is trying to act all young and look like he is a tough-guy or something. He is the one out of the group who has (in my opinion) really done some great stuff that makes you look at him as a reputable actor, not some guy in a "boy band". Imdb has a list of some of his stuff, which includes:
The Sixth Sense
Band of Brothers
Boomtown
I guess it just seems strange to see someone revert back to something like this? And according to the hosts on Today, Donnie was responsible for "bringing the whole group back together". Hmmm....

Payback

I am well aware that periods of laziness followed by an attempt to get back into some sort of fitness level are followed with your body's response to the shock and intense desire to remain on the couch. Yoga yesterday was challenging, but truly because I had not done yoga before. I have had some issues with my cardio strength and find it hard to run (or sometimes even walk up stairs) but yoga doesnt involve cardio ... so I felt pretty good walking in. The class was nothing I couldnt handle, outside of a pose or two that my body rebeled against. Afterwards I felt great and spent the rest of the day running errands.

Today I woke up with both of my hamstrings in knots. I have always had tight hamstrings, and running made them worse. Yesterday the moves I had the most difficulty with often did involve my hamstrings ... and today I pay the consequences :) If some sore muscles are the worst of my battles today then I am doing pretty good - and here's to hoping I can eventually overcome the hamstring problem through my new yoga class and spend the next couple of months being more active!

Tomorrow I am going to go join the local gym. It may seem odd that I have to go join a gym, but I actually had a gym membership through my school for the past year ... and now that the term is over I find myself gym-less :) In addition, we moved into a new neighborhood and the gym I used to belong to in my old neighborhood is no longer with the haul.

Marathon Leap: 2008

New Years Eve of 2007 I pondered what my "Marathon Leap" would be for 2008. Every year I set some sort of milestone or hurdle to overcome, and wondered what sort of life accomplishment I could achieve in 2008. A few weeks later I found out the answer, but have yet to share it on the blogosphere.

Linden nominated me for the "Best of Blogs" and I actually am on of the top 5 finalists for the category of "Best Sports Blog". If you are a reader of this blog, or have just stopped by ... you might wonder how the heck that could happen. I dont appear to talk about anything sports-worthy ... and I can now tell you that this is partly because of the 2008 Marathon Leap. I promise you will hear more about running (or my alternatives to running) from now on, after I share my Marathon Leap. For now, vote for my blog at best of blogs...I am totally losing ;)

Some Actual Fitness Related Posting: And Marathon Leap 2008
I have taken a bit of a break from exercise. Actually, from almost all movement. All of my friends are doing the Chicago Marathon this year, and I am not. But, today I actually started a yoga class. A Pre-Natal Yoga Class. Yup, I am having a baby (due Oct 8) and have just recently begun to feel better after 4 months of lethargy, nausia and occasional crabbiness. Many women continue to run during pregnancy but I have deemed this to be almost impossible. Why?
1) I took too much time off after the Vegas Marathon and lost lots of cardio/endurance strength
2) I felt crappy for so many months that running wasn't in the picture
3) When I tried to run after feeling better, it felt like I had a bowling-ball strapped to my abdomen

So what now? I am back to moving...and started this yoga class today. I am hitting the gym this week after a hiatus for some cardio (treadmill walking) and strength training. I also plan to do "races" this year, but will do them as a walker, not a runner.

This year my Marathon Leap is another life-changing experience, as our little family (currently myself, Jeff & Wrigley) becomes a bit bigger this fall. The next few months will likely lead me on quite a journey and I plan to share bits of that journey with you along the way.

The Future of Marathon Leap
I have stalled in mentioning this to the blogosphere because I dont want this to become a blog about babies. I cannot guarantee that baby-talk wont slip in, but I am aiming to keep true to the nature of this blog. The nature of this blog is often questionable, but tends to focus on the important things in my life: fitness, animals and pastries :) For now, I plan to take it one-day-at-a-time and see where I go with it. I apologize in advance if I drift too often (and too far) onto paths of the unknown, unusual, or just plain boring.

Photos courtesy of knife18 and vancity197

Oh Sheesh!

Gotta love these "idiot stories"...the newest one? A man was pulled over for an unregistered car in Australia, and it was found that he safely fastened the seatbelt around his case of beer, but that his 5-year-old kid was sitting on the car's floor.

The sad thing is that this moron driver (and extremely questionable parent) was only fined 750 Australian dollars (about $710) for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle and for failing to ensure a child was wearing a safety belt.

Doodle 4 Google!

Doodle 4 Google is a competition where students in grades K-12 were invited to "reinvent Google's homepage logo". U.S. kids to doodle around the theme 'What if...?'

Thousands of doodles were received, and you can vote now to pick which doodle will replace the standard Google logo on May 22, 2008!

Coffee & Chicken Appetizer

My mom pointed out some more free stuff! On My 13th you can get some free Haagen-Dazs! Participating shops will give you a free scoop of the new "Vanilla Honey Bee" Ice cream from 4-8pm! Haagen-Dazs also has a Help the Honey Bees site that is pretty cool ... and it let me customize my own honey bee!

May 15 ... Best Day Ever?

The other day I saw that Dunkin Donuts is giving away free iced coffee on 5/15, and today I learned that McDonalds is giving away its new chicken sandwich the very same day. Am I dreaming??? Does life get any better than free coffee and Mickey-D's?

Some Things We Are Just Never Too Old For

I have a fondness for things from my childhood, the characters (like Strawberry Shortcake) the treats (love the Bomb Pop) and some of the clothes. I had a love-hate relationship with my pink footed pajamas. They were so comfy and so awesome, but being one-piece from head to toe I often found myself sweating and panicking in the middle of the night. And you have to take off your entire pj's to cool down as you are totally consumed by them. Despite these hot flashes and moments near-death, I truly loved those pjs. I wore them until the feet had worn through and my toes poked out ... creating some nice ariation for the feet during one of those infamous hot flashes.

Well, those pj's arent a thing of the past...and theyre not just for kids. There are multiple companies out there that sell them for adults!
Jumpin Jammerz can bring you back to your childhood while at the same time keeping you warm and cozy on a cold winters night :) According to their site, they were in the grab-bags for the 2007 Oscars. If the celebritites have them, then I surely need a pair! AND they have footless pajamas, solving one of the greater dilemmas of my childhood! I think all of my dreams have come true. How cuddly does this girl look?

Major In Drug Trafficking at SDSU!

There are some really interesting things a college student can major in. Some of them offer huge career opportunities while others seem to be dead ends, yet students flock to majors for various different reasons. Why major in English? What kind of job will you ever get? Will your parents support your decision to spend so much time pursuing a degree that holds such a questionable career path? Well, go to San Diego State if you want a unique opportunity to gain experience in a popular revenue driving career path ... Narcotics Distribution!

It appears that a drug raid on the university netted nearly 100 arrests, with 75 of them being students. Many of the students were obviously pursuing Narcotics Distribution as a minor, under the guise of real majors ... like Criminal Justice or Homeland Security. Too bad these promising future leaders will have such difficulty breaking into their desired fields with rap sheets that include felony drug charges :)

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

I always remember "Cinco De Mayo". First of all, I took spanish in High School...so the translation is apparent. But its also my younger brothers birthday. I have a feeling he stays away from the general tradition of this Mexican holiday, but do believe he generally enjoys a beverage or two - which seems to be a common way to celebrate.

So first I would like to wish my brother a happy 27th, and second I would like to wish everyone else a happy Cinco De Mayo :)

It appears many celebrate this holiday, with little regard to its origins, with two primary ingredients: alcohol and Mexican food. I have to say, I am a big fan of Mexican food. I saw a recent article in Women's Health that I thought was pretty interesting...

You Are What You Eat
In a study by Alan Hirsch, MD, your "go-to" Mexican entree says a lot about you. He notes that taste and personality reside in the same part of the brain, and thus confirms that old "you are what you eat" saying. Here is the breakdown:

Tacos
You are - conscientious; a perfectionist
Just like - America Ferrera in Ugly Betty
Most romantically compatible with - Quesadilla lovers

Quesadillas
You are - dependable; a true friend; a follower; not a leader
Just like - Talia Shire (aka Adrian) in Rocky
Most romantically compatible with - taco lovers

Chips & Salsa
You are - competitive, ambitious; a natural leader
Just like - Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
Most romantically compatible with - other chips and salsa

Burritos
You are - dynamatic, flirtatious, gregarious, witty
Just like - Eva Longoria in Desperate Housewives
Most romantically compatible with - pretty much everyone

Other City Drawbacks

We dont have drive-through Starbucks...and to further dissuade drivers, gas prices in the city are roughly equal to a year of college tuition :)

The Little Things ...

I know I am easily awed ... But we dont have Starbucks drive-throughs in the city. So I am in the suburbs today running errands and I HAD to stop the minute I saw one!

It Figures

Yesterday on my way to school I hit traffic that was substantially worse than average. I still am not 100% familiar with my new neighborhood and take the same way to school everyday...but of course I was already running late when I hit this traffic so I decided to improvise. My improvisation was unsuccessful and I didnt really make up any more time, but did discover a new possible route on my way. As I sat in traffic (which I soon found to be related to the filming of some movie or something) I realized that one of the roads I dont usually take might save me some time. So today I tried my new alternate route, and saved quite a bit off my commute.

The thing is, tomorrow is the last day of school and next week is finals. So I found this time saving tactic with the opportunity of using it 2-3 times. I told Jeff about my ironic discovery and he said "better late then never". But I wonder, is that really true? I could have saved 5-10 minutes every day, 5 days a week, for the past 3 months. Thats about 60 workdays, at 5 minutes (to estimate the low-end). I could have saved 300 minutes, or about 5 hours of my time over the past three months. (Is that math correct????) So at this point, finding out at the end of the semester before I begin my summer break, I am thinking that the more appropriate phrase would have been "ignorance is bliss". Now I want my 5 hours back!!!!!

Traffic photo courtesy of ABC News AU, hourglass photo courtesy of bogenfreund.