What Are You Into (Copycat Post!)
Yesterday SHU shared a list of things she’s “into”, inspired by Jodi Wellman’s newsletter prompt. I thought, “there’s a great Friday post for me!” And YOU’RE probably thinking, “Good grief! Are we going to hear about cats, football, books, and Earl Grey tea AGAIN???” Fear not- I’ve tried to compile a list of things I don’t talk about all the time (or at least… I’ll try to talk about some of these in a different way). SCENTS Yes. I’ve definitely mentioned this- but I’m very into scented candles and soaps, especially this time of year. I used up the rest of my Bath and Bodyworks gift card to get these: I LOVE lighting fall scented candles, and every time I wash my hands I take an extra moment to smell the soap. CHOCOLATE When I did my anti-candida diet over the summer, I couldn’t have any chocolate and that was just sad. I just recently bought this again: It’s vegan and sugar free, sweetened with monk fruit, and it actually tastes good. Ah chocolate, how I missed you. TEA Okay, okay. I AM going to talk about Earl Grey. This is the tea I had at a coffeeshop in Waco, and it was so good I asked them what the brand was. It was Rishi tea, and I ordered some of it to have at home. It has a nice amount of bergamot flavor and aroma, and I’m enjoying it very much! (They have a regular and a “supreme” version- both delicious!) PAJAMAS Yes, I may have shown a few photos of my pajamas lately. But I don’t think I’ve ever talked about my pajama routine, which is that as soon as I get home from work, I put on pajamas. I want to be as comfortable as possible while I’m at home. This means I have “daytime pajamas” and “nighttime pajamas.” My daytime pajamas are worn any time during the day while I’m at home, and then when it’s bedtime I change into my nighttime pajamas. My daughter says this is the stupidest thing she’s ever heard of, but it makes perfect sense to me. ROBERT GALBRAITH/ J.K. ROWLING I’m not sure the point of the pseudonym since everyone knows Robert Galbraith is J.K. Rowling. She is my favorite author of all time, and while nothing can compare with Harry Potter, I love the Cormoran Strike mystery series. I’m saving The Hallmarked Man for November, and every time I see it on my shelf I get excited. I’m ignoring the fact that Engie said it’s BORING! No, I refuse to believe it! I’ll report back in November. NAPS I love, love, love naps! Here’s one of my favorite napping moments lately: What are you into right now? Top photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Reading and Eating
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these! Mostly because my meals got so, so boring- mostly salads for dinner. Now that I’m eating more of a variety, I can share some more interesting meals. Like, these roasted veggie enchiladas from Nora Cooks. They were so good- and the black bean sauce was spicy and delicious. I would make that sauce and put it on other things as well. And here’s a photo of what I call my “loaded oatmeal.” Oats with pumpkin puree, a scoop of protein powder and chia seeds (it always makes me think of Sarah– protein! fiber!) I added pumpkin pie spice, salt, stevia for sweetness, and toasted pecans. This bowl was post-long run fuel and it totally hit the spot. Reading-wise, I finished this book: It was… pretty good. The premise is a book within a book. A writer is staying in a hotel where an unsolved murder occurred fifteen years ago, and decides to investigate. The story of the murder is the book he writes. So, there are multiple timelines- one of my pet peeves- but I forgave it in this case. This book was entertaining and the mystery was mysterious, if a little convoluted. You know how sometimes you finish a book and you just loved it so much, you’re sad that it ended? And then sometimes you finish a perfectly fine book and you’re kind of relieved to move on to the next thing? This was the latter experience. Next up: I have VERY high hopes for this one! All I know is that it’s a sci fi mystery, and I don’t want to find out anything else. I’ve barely started it, but here’s the quote at the beginning: The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something we make and could just as easily make differently. –David Graeber I don’t know who David Graeber is, but I love that quote, and it’s making me think this will be a good one. Favorite oatmeal add-ins? What are you reading now? Top photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
Tuesday Topics- What’s In Your Kit?
Hi there! Thanks for joining Jenn and me for the Tuesday Topics linkup! This week’s topic is “What’s in your running kit?” but well… I’m famous for going off-topic. When I started to write, I thought about the things that are in my LIFE kit, as in, the things I bring with me every day and consider essential to my well-being. First up, my planner: Honestly, it’s not truly essential to my day, but I like to have it with me. I don’t need my planner for work- my day is scheduled out for me already. I divide each day, and put any non-work appointments and my daughter’s things on one side, and details about my workouts on the other. This week my daughter has a lot, but I have no appointments of my own! I love that- sometimes I feel like I spend Wednesdays (my day off) running annoying errands or going to the eye doctor, dentist, etc. Moving on… I also always have a couple notebooks with me. The Fall Planner is…. let’s say, aspirational. I filled out some of it last month but have neglected it ever since. It does have my “Fall TBR” in it, so I refer to that occasionally. The other notebook is just for jotting down random things like blog post ideas or quotes I want to remember. Next up…my phone. I know what you’re thinking- “Duh! Everyone carries their phone with them during the day!” But specifically, I need my phone for this… My podcasts! I listen to them while driving, running, working out at the gym… in short, any downtime where it’s not possible to read. Currently Reading is the podcast I’m loving the most right now (and I’m binging the back episodes) but I also have many others… And lastly, I can’t leave home without a book! I mean… what if my car breaks down and I have to wait for roadside assistance? What if I client doesn’t show up? What if I’m picking up my daughter and have to wait for her (oh wait- there’s no “what if” there- that will definitely be happening). I always have my current book ready to pull out. If I’m getting towards the end of my book, I’ll have another one just in case: What’s in your “life kit?” Welcome to the new Tuesday Topics, hosted by Jenn at Runs With Pugs and Jenny at Runners Fly! Once a week, we come together to share random topics about running, fitness, and life! Use the weekly prompt or write on your own topic! You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter Top photo by mostafa mahmoudi on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- Hello, October!
Hey there! It’s time for the Weekly Rundown, hosted as always by Kim and Deborah (thanks, ladies!) Last week I was nursing a grumpy hamstring, but I went into this week cautiously optimistic. I also joined Elisabeth for her Cool Bloggers Walking Club– everyone is encouraged to walk (or, insert movement of choice) every day in October. I’m counting running, walking, or Stairmaster towards this goal. Let’s see how the week played out! Sunday The day started with a 5 mile run… … and then in the afternoon we went to a Marlins game! My hamstring felt good during the run, and maybe even more importantly, sitting through a baseball game didn’t bother it either. The game was fun and the Marlins won- but our friends were rooting for the Mets (along with at least 50% of the stadium). The Mets loss meant they lost out on the wild card, but… c’est la vie! The real winner that day was my hamstring. Monday I started the morning with Caroline Girvan’s deadbug workout, followed by hip stability exercises and then squats at the gym. Tuesday I started the Cool Bloggers Walking Club a day early with a 3 mile walk. In the afternoon a did a short upper body workout, which is now code for overhead dumbbell press. I do a quick warm up, two light sets and three working sets with the dumbbells I have at home. It leaves a little to be desired, but it’s better than no upper body strength at all. Wednesday Long run on my old favorite trail! I ran 11 miles, and tried out the Ucan gels again. The fruity flavors are okay, but the vanilla was horrible. It seriously tasted like something you shouldn’t be eating- some kind of cleanser, maybe?- with a slight vanilla-ish aftertaste. I still have one more flavor to try- mocha- and I’m not looking forward to it. But I was happy to be back on the trail! Thursday No school because of Yom Kippur, which meant I got to sleep in a little before heading to the gym. 3o minutes on the Stairmaster, followed by core. The gym was noticeably less crowded, as was Starbucks on my way to work. I sent moral support vibes to everyone fasting today! Friday 2 mile walk to start the morning… then hip stability exercises and back to the gym for squats. My daughter is now giving me gym advice- she told me to set the safety bar so that I can go into a deep squat and if I can’t get back up, just set the barbell down on the bar. It definitely removes some of the fear factor for me. At night it was a high school football game. Storms were forecast the entire time, but we made it all the way until the 4th quarter before the rain came. The band left when the rain started, but the team played on and won 35-0. Saturday 4 mile run! I threw in some strides (30 second intervals of faster running) in the last couple miles. My legs were definitely feeling the fatigue from the last several days. Later in the day I did my mini upper body strength workout. Sunday On tap for today- walking (of course!) and yoga. My low back has been talking to me- I felt it on those squats- and I should have been doing yoga every day this week. Adriene’s yoga for lower back pain to the rescue! How was your week? Do you have any streaks or challenges for October?