I saw Pink Martini on Monday night with some friends. This band is worth checking out if you haven't already. And if you knew about this band and didn't tell me about them, you're in BIG trouble!
I Can't Imagine
2 days ago
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Soup
Lately I've been eating a lot of soup. Why not? It's good, there are many varities, it's low fat, low in calories and fills me up. It started with the Marriott cafeteria. It's been a busy few weeks, with many lunches spent at my desk working and soup is an easy choice. Plus, there are three different kinds served each day and they're different every day of the week. And they're GOOD. Last week alone I had some great soup...tomato basil, potato leek, butternut squash, lentil and good old fashioned vegetable. Soup & Diet Coke have pretty much been my meals at work for a while now.
So I decided to not only eat it in the cafeteria, but to try to make some at home (less expensive). Last weekend I made some great (if I do say so myself) vegetable/bean soup...full of tomatoes, green beans, chick peas, black beans, zucchini, celery, carrots, etc. I ate it most of the weekend and again for lunch today. My roommates enjoyed it as well.
Now I'm on a mission...and this is where all you blog readers come in! I'm looking for some good soup recipies. A few rules though...I'm NOT a good cook, so please make the recipies easy. Skip the heavy, creamy soups (too many calories). Cold soups welcomed. I'm dying for a good (easy) borscht recipe. And no mushrooms allowed! Thanks!!!
So I decided to not only eat it in the cafeteria, but to try to make some at home (less expensive). Last weekend I made some great (if I do say so myself) vegetable/bean soup...full of tomatoes, green beans, chick peas, black beans, zucchini, celery, carrots, etc. I ate it most of the weekend and again for lunch today. My roommates enjoyed it as well.
Now I'm on a mission...and this is where all you blog readers come in! I'm looking for some good soup recipies. A few rules though...I'm NOT a good cook, so please make the recipies easy. Skip the heavy, creamy soups (too many calories). Cold soups welcomed. I'm dying for a good (easy) borscht recipe. And no mushrooms allowed! Thanks!!!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
National Race for the Cure
Last weekend, my roommates and I participated in the 2007 National Race for the Cure. This year marked the 10th year in a row I've been to one (or more) of these races, but this was the 1st time I've actually been able to walk/run in the race! I'm usually at the Ford booth handing out bandannas and fighting off crazy people who can't seem to understand that they do not, in fact, need an entire box of bandannas (probably to sell on Ebay). I was excited to be able to walk in honor of my friend Cecily (diagnosed in her late 20s) and my mom's boss JoAnn (a two-time breast cancer survivor!).
We got up bright and early (6:00 a.m. to be exact), packed on the metro with thousands of other race participants and headed downtown. After a quick sweep of the "good" vendor booths for give-aways (i.e. salsa, Sunchips, visors, foam bunny ears (I live with teachers, remember?), cereal bars) we stopped at the Ford tent so I could say hi to my old co-workers. It was fun to see people and even more fun to not have to fight those crowds over bandannas! We then headed towards the start line. Here's a glimpse...and this was before it got crowded!
Here's a nice shot of the Capitol building before the crowds started arriving.
And here's our favorite part! At the end of the race, we were hot and tired (and those of you that know me, know how I feel about big crowds!). So we hurried to the "food/water tables", which were piled high with bananas, juice, water, cereal bars, Yoplait, etc. It's a great way to end the race!
This year, the National Race for the Cure had over 45,000 participants and raised over $2.7 million for breast cancer research. It's a great cause and I'm proud to have supported it now for 10 years!
We got up bright and early (6:00 a.m. to be exact), packed on the metro with thousands of other race participants and headed downtown. After a quick sweep of the "good" vendor booths for give-aways (i.e. salsa, Sunchips, visors, foam bunny ears (I live with teachers, remember?), cereal bars) we stopped at the Ford tent so I could say hi to my old co-workers. It was fun to see people and even more fun to not have to fight those crowds over bandannas! We then headed towards the start line. Here's a glimpse...and this was before it got crowded!
Here's a nice shot of the Capitol building before the crowds started arriving.
And here's our favorite part! At the end of the race, we were hot and tired (and those of you that know me, know how I feel about big crowds!). So we hurried to the "food/water tables", which were piled high with bananas, juice, water, cereal bars, Yoplait, etc. It's a great way to end the race!
This year, the National Race for the Cure had over 45,000 participants and raised over $2.7 million for breast cancer research. It's a great cause and I'm proud to have supported it now for 10 years!Thursday, May 31, 2007
Bad Knees
Okay, I've accepted the fact that I've been cursed with bad knees. Even before I broke my patella in high school, I've never been much of a runner because of my knees. As I've gotten older and embraced my knee issues, I've learned what exercises work to strengthen the muscles around my knees. I've learned that swimming helps and the elliptical machine at the gym is my friend. The treadmill and aerobics class are NOT good for me.
Well, when I joined Marriott, I was thrilled to find out that there was a gym in the building. The previous few months of stress-eating (due to having to make career decisions) and the many "farewell lunches" when people left Ford left me without much of a wardrobe...nothing fit anymore. Plus, I've been hit with the "once you hit 30" curse. My body has definitely changed the way it distributes fat. And to top it off, my brother's wedding is in August and my bridesmaid (an entire other tangent) dress is very unforgiving. So, I made a decision to work harder at exercising and eating right. I started going to the gym after work and I cut back on sugar and ate more veggies, fish and fiber. Things were going well, I was feeling healthy and had more energy. My clothes started to look better and I started to hate my body less.
Until...
The dreaded "phantom knee problem" has returned. My right knee (formerly known as "my good knee) has decided to rebel. Big time. It started with a little swelling after a workout. I iced it down, took some Advil and thought I'd be fine. That was almost 2 weeks ago. A few days after that, it decided to randomly give out on me throughout the day. So I pulled out an old Ace knee brace for some support. All the while walking past the gym on the way out of work, wishing I was in there sweating away the pounds. Today's the first day it's felt somewhat normal (knock on wood) and I'm wearing heels. The real test will be walking in the 5K Race for the Cure on Saturday. If I can make it through that, I may be ready to head back to the gym. Wish me luck!!!
P.S. If anyone has any good weight loss tips, feel free to pass them along!!! I need other options besides starving myself! :)
Well, when I joined Marriott, I was thrilled to find out that there was a gym in the building. The previous few months of stress-eating (due to having to make career decisions) and the many "farewell lunches" when people left Ford left me without much of a wardrobe...nothing fit anymore. Plus, I've been hit with the "once you hit 30" curse. My body has definitely changed the way it distributes fat. And to top it off, my brother's wedding is in August and my bridesmaid (an entire other tangent) dress is very unforgiving. So, I made a decision to work harder at exercising and eating right. I started going to the gym after work and I cut back on sugar and ate more veggies, fish and fiber. Things were going well, I was feeling healthy and had more energy. My clothes started to look better and I started to hate my body less.
Until...
The dreaded "phantom knee problem" has returned. My right knee (formerly known as "my good knee) has decided to rebel. Big time. It started with a little swelling after a workout. I iced it down, took some Advil and thought I'd be fine. That was almost 2 weeks ago. A few days after that, it decided to randomly give out on me throughout the day. So I pulled out an old Ace knee brace for some support. All the while walking past the gym on the way out of work, wishing I was in there sweating away the pounds. Today's the first day it's felt somewhat normal (knock on wood) and I'm wearing heels. The real test will be walking in the 5K Race for the Cure on Saturday. If I can make it through that, I may be ready to head back to the gym. Wish me luck!!!
P.S. If anyone has any good weight loss tips, feel free to pass them along!!! I need other options besides starving myself! :)
Monday, May 28, 2007
Rolling Thunder
What a fun, fun weekend! My roommate Liz and I started Saturday with a fantastic breakfast at the Original Pancake House (almost as good as Pamela's) and then hit the outlets for some much needed shopping. I did some damage, but got some great deals!
On Sunday we headed into D.C. after church with two other friends for the Rolling Thunder event. For those of you who aren't familiar with Rolling Thunder, here's some info from the newspaper...
"It's all part of the annual Rolling Thunder Memorial Day tradition. U.S. Park Police said over 300,000 bikers from all over the nation rallied Sunday. The event began early Sunday at the Pentagon, with a thunderous parade to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and out to the National Mall. The parade, now in its 20th year, is intended to provide moral support for troops. The ride began as a post-Vietnam protest of American POW/MIA policy and has blossomed into an annual rally drawing thousands of bike-mounted veterans from across the country. The patriotic display is usually mostly made up of Vietnam vets in their 60s, but some elderly Korean War veterans and even some younger ones who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were seen Sunday."
It's quite a moving event. If you ever get the chance to come to D.C. for Memorial Day, I highly recommend it. It's amazing to see all the bikes and talk to the big, burly, tattooed biker dudes, who are very tenderhearted and love their country and each other. They're like a big family and they support each other fiercely.
Here's part of the parade on Constitution Avenue.
This is a cool guy we chatted with at the Vietnam Memorial.
This is also part of the parade. Notice the lone Marine who stood there most of the day to salute the bikers/veterans. It was 90 degrees and humid and he didn't move a muscle. Yet another reason I'd like to marry a Marine!
Here I am on one of the bikes. So fun! I had a skirt on, so it was interesting to get on it without flashing everyone!
And here's Liz on the same bike, but with the biker dude...he had quite a few tattoos!
On Sunday we headed into D.C. after church with two other friends for the Rolling Thunder event. For those of you who aren't familiar with Rolling Thunder, here's some info from the newspaper...
"It's all part of the annual Rolling Thunder Memorial Day tradition. U.S. Park Police said over 300,000 bikers from all over the nation rallied Sunday. The event began early Sunday at the Pentagon, with a thunderous parade to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and out to the National Mall. The parade, now in its 20th year, is intended to provide moral support for troops. The ride began as a post-Vietnam protest of American POW/MIA policy and has blossomed into an annual rally drawing thousands of bike-mounted veterans from across the country. The patriotic display is usually mostly made up of Vietnam vets in their 60s, but some elderly Korean War veterans and even some younger ones who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were seen Sunday."
It's quite a moving event. If you ever get the chance to come to D.C. for Memorial Day, I highly recommend it. It's amazing to see all the bikes and talk to the big, burly, tattooed biker dudes, who are very tenderhearted and love their country and each other. They're like a big family and they support each other fiercely.
Here's part of the parade on Constitution Avenue.
This is a cool guy we chatted with at the Vietnam Memorial.
This is also part of the parade. Notice the lone Marine who stood there most of the day to salute the bikers/veterans. It was 90 degrees and humid and he didn't move a muscle. Yet another reason I'd like to marry a Marine!
Here I am on one of the bikes. So fun! I had a skirt on, so it was interesting to get on it without flashing everyone!
And here's Liz on the same bike, but with the biker dude...he had quite a few tattoos!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Music from one of the coolest people I know in real life...
For those of you who were in the Oakland Ward when Emily Price was there, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who never knew Emily, it's not too late! She's amazing. And it's not just my opinion, it's a fact. Like the fact that Clint is hot and Tim R. has great arms. Anyway, check out her myspace page...four of her original songs are posted for your listening pleasure. And believe me, it will be a pleasure.
www.myspace.com/emilyhopepricecello
www.myspace.com/emilyhopepricecello
Monday, May 21, 2007
New Music
I love it when I discover new (to me) music! My friend Jeremy introduced me to Martin Sexton this weekend. He played me "Diner" (which was featured on Scrubs...Anna, you'll like it!) and I thought it was interesting, so I looked him up on itunes. The rest of the album Black Sheep is amazing as well, especially "I Can't Stop Thinking About You"...WOW. I also downloaded a live album Live Wide Open because anyone who's spent time with me knows that I prefer live music to anything. Martin is one of those musicians who sounds better live...I highly recommend that you all check him out! (P.S. He'll be at the Three Rivers Arts Festival on June 2nd!)
"Martin Sexton is ripe with ... raw, expansive talent. His voice comes in a hundred impossible shades. His songs are sweet and spirited and soulful. His repertoire is like a cross-country tour of the American musical vernacular." – Boston Globe
"Martin Sexton is one of the most talked-about recent arrivals to the "new folk" acoustic music scene. The guitarist, singer and songwriter has an amazing vocal range and makes effective use of it in his live shows. Unlike so many other contemporary singer-songwriters, his vocal style can best be described as soulful, combining the best qualities of singers like Van Morrison, Al Green, Aaron Neville and Otis Redding." -- AOL Music
Besides my new musical discovery, the weekend was pretty laid back and relaxing. I slept in, got my hair cut, ran some errands, re-watched The Office season finale (SO GOOD), went to church and we had a potluck last night. It was a fun weekend. My weeks are so busy lately...I love it when I don't have that much to do on the weekends! I've discovered I watch too much TV. Tivo is wonderful, but dangerous. I get home from work, class, whatever and then I have to catch up on TV. Tonight there are THREE season finales that I'll be watching (Dancing with the Stars, The Bachelor & Heroes)...pathetic! I'm kind of glad that the summer is full of reruns...I'll be outside more! I'm looking forward to the upcoming long weekend. I'm excited that I'll be in town this year for Rolling Thunder's "Ride for Freedom"! Last year there were an estimated 250,000 bikes in attendance. It's a very cool event. I'll try to get some good photos to post!
"Martin Sexton is ripe with ... raw, expansive talent. His voice comes in a hundred impossible shades. His songs are sweet and spirited and soulful. His repertoire is like a cross-country tour of the American musical vernacular." – Boston Globe
"Martin Sexton is one of the most talked-about recent arrivals to the "new folk" acoustic music scene. The guitarist, singer and songwriter has an amazing vocal range and makes effective use of it in his live shows. Unlike so many other contemporary singer-songwriters, his vocal style can best be described as soulful, combining the best qualities of singers like Van Morrison, Al Green, Aaron Neville and Otis Redding." -- AOL Music
Besides my new musical discovery, the weekend was pretty laid back and relaxing. I slept in, got my hair cut, ran some errands, re-watched The Office season finale (SO GOOD), went to church and we had a potluck last night. It was a fun weekend. My weeks are so busy lately...I love it when I don't have that much to do on the weekends! I've discovered I watch too much TV. Tivo is wonderful, but dangerous. I get home from work, class, whatever and then I have to catch up on TV. Tonight there are THREE season finales that I'll be watching (Dancing with the Stars, The Bachelor & Heroes)...pathetic! I'm kind of glad that the summer is full of reruns...I'll be outside more! I'm looking forward to the upcoming long weekend. I'm excited that I'll be in town this year for Rolling Thunder's "Ride for Freedom"! Last year there were an estimated 250,000 bikes in attendance. It's a very cool event. I'll try to get some good photos to post!
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