What did I wear today - this is a remix!

Fall is a dangerous time for me. There are too many cute clothes and I get so excited about layering all fun colors and textures. Recently I did a little bit of damage of at Forever 21 and one of the items purchased included the skirt in this entry. I wore it one day a little bit more casual for work at Anthropologie and then went home and changed into a bit more of a dressed up look to work at the clinic. Here's how they turned out:


Shirt: H&M
Cardigan: Forever 21
Boots: Steve Madden
Necklace: Modcloth
Bracelet: Vintage, my moms


Shirt: Forever 21
Shoes: Steve Madden

10 things about me you'll love...or watch me write a blog like a 16 year old

Inspired by a college friend and fellow blogger I have some "interesting" facts about me to post. I should call this, the classic "look at me look at me" blog writer post. Haha.

1. I have boxes of old letters and notes from just about all of my best friends and family members. I recently read somewhere (like Postsecret or something) that someone else saves them in case someone becomes famous, but I don't really think if any of us become famous people will care about the letters we used to send when we were 12. I think I'm just sentimental.
2. I look several years younger than I am (I am currently 26) and I have been using this to my advantage for years. That includes being mistaken for a high schooler twice to trick-or-treat during college and my first round of graduate school and getting my brother and I into under 16 only kid arcades.
3. When I'm really stressed out usually no one can tell because I hide it really well. Until my face completely breaks out like said 16 year old. I never had problems with acne in high school, so times like those drive me that much more crazy.
4. When I was 19 or 20 my ex-boyfriend told me one of the things he loved about me was that I was innocently optimistic despite being outwardly cynical. I always wanted everything to be perfect and everyone to be happy. That is still true, and it's one of the reasons that Nick loves me. I always dreamed of a life where cats and dogs got along in my house in perfect harmony. Almost there.
5. On the soccer field, when I see older women playing soccer sometimes I get frustrated because they are slow or not as skilled as some of the rest of us. But secretly I hope my knees last long enough that I can continue to play until that age.
6. It's really hard for me to be embarrassed about things that I like. I will readily admit in loving the Spice Girls, being a West Side Story addict (good musicals are awesome), the fact that I read daily recaps for General Hospital, or go weak at the knees for anything from the UK just because it's from there. I'm just a quirky silly person and I own it. Why should I be ashamed of something that makes me who I am?
7. My friend and I once played a game of 5 things about you that you'd say to a guy to make them intrigued in you. I think I came up with 5 interesting things (although I also have high self esteem and think most things including dumb ones about me are interesting). But why the hell does it matter? Shouldn't you just want to get to know me because I'm pretty friggen awesome? That being said, what you see is what you get with me. I live with my emotions and heart on my sleeve and refuse to be anything I'm not. Don't like it? Too bad. I've come too far to be anything besides me for anyone...in my past life I used to make bold statements like that in hopes it was true, but now I know it actually is. I guess that's one of the good things about being a grown up!
8. Things I am addicted to: anything from the 60s, shoes, cheese and bread for lunch, tea time, snuggly pets, the season of Fall, scarves and mittens, hugs, the perfect pillow, the internet, singing really loudly in my car regardless of who is in there with me, pumpkin flavored anything, music, my favorite foods of the moment, being barefoot outside, my cell phone, playing soccer, Christmastime, and water.
9. I hate to say this, but looking good really is it's own reward. Nothing ruins my day like a bad hair day, but when I make a cute outfit and feel like I actually achieved the look I was going for I feel like an Amazon woman capable of anything. I think I subscribe to the feminist view that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, backwards, in heels. So accomplishing my goals and looking good wearing heels while doing it is important, especially should you run into someone from your past and want to make sure you're better off than them. (Superficial I know, but at least I'm honest!)
10. I talk a lot in person. I also obviously write a lot and when I write emails they're usually pages and pages. I think people think I love attention and the sound of my own voice. But I hate talking on the phone or talking to people online in a chat screen unless it's someone I haven't talked to in ages and have a lot to catch up on. I also crave comfortable silence in my relationships with people. If I can be silent during a car ride, walk outside, or in general communicate with you with just a look, I consider you a soul mate. By those standards, I think I can count those on one hand.

Fall Fashion Inspiration from Chictopia

How great is it that there are places these days that you can go to to find street fashion? I hate being in the suburbs for a lot of reasons, but a big one is the lack of unique fashion and people watching. I just watched a really good documentary, Bill Cunningham New York, about the NY Times photographer who pioneered street fashion photography, and it's amazing to see how far things have come since the age of the internet.

After looking for some awesome Fall photos to inspire us yesterday I decided I needed to do a companion entry all about Fall street fashion from Chictopia. Unfortunately for me, this past week it's been in the 80s and 90s as the Bay Area is getting its Indian summer, so looking through these pictures and seeing fall leaves, loads of tights, scarves, and everything else I love about the Fall was torture. I am never more homesick than from the months of September through December. Well...one fall down, 3 or 4 more to go.

Here's 10 of my favorites outfits:

Fall Color Palate

Just in case you are looking for some inspiration for your next shopping trip or home make-over, here's a few pictures from all over the internet of this season's colors to inspire you.

Day 18 Check-In

Now that I've been doing the 30 Day Shred DVD for about 3 weeks I wanted to check in with everyone and let you know how it was going. And holy shit it is going. The first few days I felt really sore. Granted for the 2 weeks before starting it I was almost completely sedentary, but I play soccer and go running on a regular basis so I thought I was in better shape than I was. The DVD kicked my ass, big time. So many muscles hurt that first week, although mainly ones in my upper body. I will be the first person to admit that my upper body is extremely lacking in strength, so clearly this workout has been targeting an area that doesn't get a lot of attention from me (because really, in soccer do you need your arms?). I've talked to a few other people since then about doing the DVD and everyone agrees that you will be sore, everywhere. But I like to think of it like the SNL skit. "Clinique calls that burning, but we say that means it's working."

Now that I've passed through workout level one into level two I can definitely see a huge difference in my body, endurance, and strength. Whenever I lose weight I'm always amazed at how much by body changes. I exercise to try to be healthy. Being in shape for soccer is important for me, and so is keeping my cholesterol low and having a healthy heart. On my dad's side of the family people also tend to be obese and both of my grandmothers have type 2 diabetes. Considering my intense love of food I'd like to prevent that all from happening. So to me, having a good diet and exercise plan is about a healthy lifestyle, not being waif-like. But then I work out and fat disappears and I always think, "wow, I had fat that I needed to get rid of?" Considering I had already lost some weight last year due to a major shift in Nick and my's diet, I think it is a huge testament to this DVD that it still burned off what was left. My arm flab is about half of what it was, my legs are thinner, my butt is smaller, and my tummy pudge (you know that little bit that every woman has and HATES) is almost completely gone. That being said, I'm not sure if I've actually lost weight because I have not weighed myself and I know I am stronger (I can lift things more easily, my knees don't feel as strained with I am kneeling, and there's more oomf when I do things in soccer), so I may have gained some muscle weight. But the bottom line is I'm trimming down.

I'd like to also point out that Nick and I have been eating healthier as well. What's the point of doing a DVD to lose weight if you're not going to really try to lose weight? For me, this just means don't buy junkfood. No extra trips to The Counter and stay away from chocolate, cheese puffs, and cupcakes. I cheat every once in awhile, because I'm a human being, and I really do love food, but we've started buying more fruit and trail mix as snacks in addition to nut bread instead of potato bread.

And this DVD isn't just for women! Nick has been attempting to do the DVD as well and in the 10 days he's done it, he's seen results too (even I noticed them which NEVER happens because sometimes I am pretty oblivious). The first week we did it together every day (since then Nick has visited 5 different cities for work all over the country in the last 10 business days). Our schedules have been pretty opposite these days and we've barely had any time to spend together besides catching up on various Netflix things, so I know I really appreciated having some time with just the two of us. Granted we are sweating our assess off and grunting doing something a lot less pleasurable than that other thing couples like that involves sweating and grunting, but we do manage to have fun doing this too. If anything, we're united in our extreme hatred for Jillian telling us how tough the DVD is, how we should keep going, and how we're going to be better for it. Yes Jillian, we get it. We want to die and yet you are perky and happy pointing at us and laughing. Damn you.

At this point I'm on day 18 (in truth I should be further along, but I have cheated and skipped days. I do play 1 1/2 hours of soccer 2-3 times a week, and sometimes I am too sore game day or the day after to have another intense workout on my leg muscles. But I have done the DVD the morning of a game because I feel guilty about skipping and once that initial soreness from the first week wore off it hasn't affected my ability to play). Considering I just wanted to fit into my jeans again (which probably meant losing 2-3 pounds) and my whole body has slimmed down, I'm pretty happy with the results and kind of want to stop. I'm also super ADD and doing something for 30 days straight is extremely boring for me. Sometimes I day dream about what outfit I should wear, the things I need to get done, or how I'd much rather be outside running with Charlie to increase my endurance on the soccer field. Without Nick to do this DVD with, I'm losing my motivation pretty quickly. If I wasn't so obsessed with how strong I am getting, I think I might stop the DVD. But being strong is kind of a novelty for me so I've kept going.

While I may not be strong enough to carry a TV or move our coffee table for the carpet cleaners by myself, little things like lifting Charlie or a dining room chair is no longer hugely taxing. And like I said, that's a big deal for me. At one point in one of the workouts Jillian says something like, "when your body is stronger you notice that it translates to the rest of your life as well." As a student psychologist that always makes me stop and think about whether or not that's actually true...Maybe I am a little bit more confident in myself because I can lift a bowling ball more easily and my ankles don't give out as much as they used to when I run. So maybe I amend what I said earlier about Jillian. Jillian, I do still kind of want to smack that perky smile off your face, but thank you for making me stronger.

Sakoon Restaurant

I am not an Indian food fan. I'm not even a spicy food fan. Ask anyone and they'll tell you I am the biggest wuss when it comes to anything spicy. I don't even like to add ground pepper to my food because that is too much. So when it comes to certain ethnic foods I tend to stay away from them or order whatever is the blandest, sweetest, or savoriest thing on the menu and keep my fingers crossed that I can tolerate it. Unfortunately, though, every guy I have EVER been with loves spicy food. I wonder, is that a guy thing, or am I just attracted to guys who have opposite food tastes as me?

Poor Nick, he's stuck with me for the rest of his life. He loves Mexican, Indian, and anything with a kick. For years I told him I would go to an Indian restaurant in London with him, because it was my favorite of all time (they have a really good curry that I can order super mild) and we didn't make it there due to lack of time. Hopes and dreams were crushed (that was the closest we ever got to even looking at an Indian restaurant let alone eating at one). Then last weekend we went to our town's art and wine festival. On our way to the main street we made a quick detour through the farmer's market. There was a new vendor that makes Indian sauces I wanted to show Nick (again, things were rather mild so I was excited on his behalf that we might find something we both liked). I don't know if Hell froze over or pigs were flying, but trying all the different sauces really got me in the mood for some Indian food. So on a whim after we walked around the fair a bit we tried out a restaurant, Sakoon, and now I am hooked.

When we went there was only buffet. I don't know if that's a normal Sunday at lunch thing or if it was because of the festival in town, but I was able to try a lot of different stuff. Little potato puffs, fried cauliflower, two different kinds of curry (including the one that I like!), tandoori chicken, two salads, and a dessert...obviously I was hungry. While some of the things were definitely too spicy for me, everything was still good. The one thing I was disappointed in was the mango lassi. It was so thick and yogurty (yeah, I made that up), that I felt like I was drinking mango yogurt. I couldn't finish it as it was a meal in itself.

This past weekend Nick and I went back and had dinner. He had the lamb gosht which he devoured and I had another coconut curry. Mine was actually spicier than his was, which was a little disappointing. But I will try all of them until I find one I like...or maybe next time just as for it mild? Sakoon also has a wide array of fancy naans and stuffed breads, so while I have now tried the plain and the rosemary pesto and enjoyed them both greatly, I will be making my way through the list and trying all of them including the Kashmiri Naan which is stuffed with nuts, coconut, and rose. I plan to go back today with my student buddy at school, so maybe I'll order than then? And maybe then I'll also finally get to try the triple chocolate creme brule (according to Nick that's too weird of a dessert to order at an Indian restaurant. I say who cares. It sounds too good not to try).

Now here's some pictures of the yummies from their website:

Movie Review: Glorious 39

I'm sorry for my prolonged absence. It's been a little overwhelming on my end. School started up again, playing 2-3 games of soccer, working more days than I'd like to, among other things have left me pretty exhausted and in a huge funk. To make matters worse Charlie got fleas last night for the second time. Giving him a bath and holding him down while Nick picked the suckers off with a pair of tweezers was not what I wanted to be doing at 10:30 on a Saturday night. A vacation from life is in order right about now. During the last week of my summer vacation I did a little bit of escaping from life, not that I needed it at the time. I think I watched at least 12 movies, half of the entire series of Mad Men up to this point, and many Arrested Development Episodes, among other things. One of the movies I watched was Glorious 39, a movie set in pre-WWII England about a young woman who discovers a conspiracy her family may or may not be part of.

I love a good period thriller and anything set or made in England generally gets enough bonus points that it will automatically get at least 3 stars on the Netflix rating system from me. This movie did not disappoint on any level. Beautifully shot and expertly acted, although with an all star cast how could it not be (Romola Garai plays the main character with Bill Nighy, Eddie Redmayne, Christopher Lee, Julie Christie, Hugh Bonneville, and David Tennant playing some of her friends and family), the film brings together many different elements to capture the dreary yet frantic feel of life before the war broke out. While I was born over 45 years later, I imagine it to be a time between a dream and reality, where you were trying desperately to cling to some kind of illusion of safety and happiness while the awful truth that you were trying to avoid of Hitler and the Nazi regime lurked around the corner.

Garai plays Anne, who her brother calls Glorious, a bit part actress in London. The adopted oldest child of a member of Parliament, she does not have to work but she likes the drama and fun of it. Her silly blissfully ignorant life turns serious after a friend goes off an a political rant at her father's birthday and turns up dead. This is the first in a long line of events that leads to Anne questioning what the government is doing to people who want to go to war and if her family has any part in it. I won't go into too much detail about the story though because I don't want to give away all the clues.

Part of the reason I think this movie rated so highly for me is because it's not just about the mystery. At the beginning of the movie Anne lives in a fantasy world free of drama or the harsh realities of life. She works because she wants to, not because she has to. She throws fancy parties, plays with her adult siblings in country side ruins, and still adheres to rules given to them as children. But she was adopted into this life, and while she never outright says she wonders where she came from, you get the feeling that as the movie progresses deep down she knows she doesn't belong with her family. The story is about her growing up, finding out who she is, and what her place in the world might be.


And of course the excellent costumes don't hurt either. Definitely a must for any Anglophile or anyone into anything from the pre-war/WWII era.

Where were you?

This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of one of the worst days in the history of America. A moment that became our generations, "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?" Thousands of lives lost, families ripped apart, and a rare moment in time when our country was universally united over something.

I remember 10 years ago I was sitting in my 11th grade math class when the phone rang. A student was pulled aside into the hallway and I heard faintly, "something happened...but she's ok..." and I immediately thought, "oh my God, something has happened at the World Trade Towers. I wonder if my mom is ok." My mother didn't work in the towers, but commuted on the path train from Hoboken which stops underneath the buildings. Chalking it up to my overactive imagination the period ended. Funny though, because when it comes to my mom and danger, I tend to have a sixth sense about things. I knew when she had skin cancer and I knew twice when she had been in a car accident.

The next period was my study hall so I went to the nurse with my friend Katrina to drop off my emergency contacts list. I was about to leave the room when I realized the nurse and two other students were crowded around a small radio listening intently. I listened too, heard the news, and immediately said, "I need to call my mom. Right now. She works a few blocks away." The nurse was of course sympathetic and handed the phone over. I looked over the contacts sheet thinking it was ironic that I was calling her because she was having an emergency, not me.

I got right through and I could hear immediately that she was frantic and terrified. She had just talked to my aunt and was about to leave. I'll never forget the mixture of relief that she was ok but worry that grew as she told me that she just missing being in the building and after someone rushed into the office saying that a plane had just flown into the world trade center. She went outside to look. By then the second plane had hit and she stood there watching the buildings burned, horrified about what had happened and hysterical. She came back inside to feel what felt like an earthquake as the towers collapsed one after another, fearing that something had happened to her building as well. Despite building security staff telling the employees to stay inside she was leaving as soon as we got off the phone. She told me she loved me, asked me to call my dad and my grandma to tell them that she was ok and then she got off the phone.

I think I was in shock because I still didn't understand the gravity of what had happened. I called my family members then went to the library, looked online at the news to see what was happening with some friends and proceed to flip out as I read articles, listened to online news broadcasts, and started to see pictures of what downtown looked like. Rumors circulated and friends started to be concerned about loved ones. I wondered if I knew anyone involved and I realized that just because my mom wasn't in one of the buildings didn't mean she was safe. I called friends I knew who were in the city to check up on them. And I tried to call my brother to reassure him that she was ok and the teachers at the middle school wouldn't call him out of gym to let him talk to me. Really? I thought. On a day like today you won't let me tell my brother our mother isn't dead? After a brief rant I hung up and went about the rest of my day hoping everything would work out ok. Hoping people were ok. I still didn't realize how many people had just died.

When I got home I tried to go about my normal routine which included listening to the voicemails on the house phone. There were 16. Family and friends from all over the country had called to see if my mom was ok. And there were three from her as she wandered around the streets aimlessly trying to see in the pitch black smoke and find her way to the ferry to get home. She was wondering where we were, why the school hadn't let us out early. My mother is the kind of person who shows her emotions rarely. But you could plainly hear that she was terrified.

By the time my dad had gotten home my aunt had dropped off flowers and wine with a note saying that despite everything she loved my mom (their relationship was strained at the time) and I had called back the family members to say she was ok. The last message she left was that she had managed to find her way to South Street Seaport and was getting transportation home. Now we just waited. Around 6:15 (the normal time of my mom's arrival) she walked in the door, dirty and tired. We crowded around her as we all enveloped her in a family hug and everyone cried. Just like the US would come together, we rallied around her. A rare chance for us to act like a real family. No fighting. Just support.

She told us about her day. How it took 8 hours to get home. The people she saw walking around dazed and dirty. The paper that was floating in the air like snow. The sounds. The smells. "It was like something out of a war movie. Except I was there, covered in soot with random people as we tried to make our way home." She told me about how someone she still doesn't know the name of gave her his cell phone to call us. And how when she finally emerged from the smoke there were shop and restaurant owners standing in the streets with hoses cleaning them off like cattle and offering up bottled water. It made me happy to think that there were good people out there after hearing about the greedy people who were also driving up gas prices in our area to unlawful prices.

There were other instances of humanity throughout the day like where she found strength in a most unlikely place. But the bottom line was that my mother really didn't know if she would make it home for several hours. The fear of near death, a death that people we knew had met with, stayed with her for several weeks as she suffered through Acute Stress Disorder (think PTSD, but shorter in duration) until she was allowed to go back to work and walked through the streets lined with the National Guard and machine guns. She wouldn't watch the news and at one point broke down saying, "They celebrated in the streets when they heard about this. How could they do that? Why would anyone rejoice over the death of so many people?" It was the most vulnerable I'd ever seen my mother. She was like a child asking me, her own child, about something I still don't have an answer to.

When she finally went back to work, she looked at the empty seats on the train, looking for familiar faces and recognizing that some were missing. Despite this, we were lucky. Very few people we knew died that day. No one in New York was untouched, but we were still far enough removed that we considered ourselves lucky. We had no one we needed to search for amongst the lists of the missing posted online. No pictures to post all over downtown. We didn't have to attend memorial services. We had no empty seats at the dinner table. The biggest change in our lives wasn't even one we could claim as a family. Because from that day on my mom always had sneakers in her office. She just wanted to be prepared in case she had miles to run before she got home.

What Did I wear today? - Fashion Magazine Inspired

I am an avid reader of Harper's Bazaar and have been for the past five or six years. Each month when I get my new copy I carve out some time to sit on the couch and flip through the glossy pages to take in every detail. Fashion is an art form and I love looking at the advertisements and editorials to see the crazy and interesting things people do. But I love to see the street wear and fashion suggestions to see what's in style right now just as much.

So a couple of weeks ago I got the September Issue in the mail (which was HUGE as always) and flipped through some of it one morning before heading off to the clinic. Then of course I looked down at my outfit and said, "god this is horrible. I need to change" and came up with this one based on some of their suggestions for Fall trends. I even did my makeup! Although you can't really tell. All it needed was something bright red like a skinny belt and it'd be perfect.



Shirt: Banana Republic circa 2009
Skirt: BCBG
Shoes: Michael by Michael Khors circa 2009
Ring: Forever 21
Dog being annoying and not moving: Charlie

Veggies and Eggs for dinner?

Sometimes my best recipes come when I have leftover vegetables and I have to get rid of them. The other day this was the case and as I thought about what I wanted to eat, and what I had, all I kept thinking about was breakfast. Breakfast for dinner happens on a somewhat regular basis in our house, so it's not completely out of the question that if I'm in the mood for some chocolate chip coconut pancakes to make them.

On Wednesday night, keeping with the theme of now being healthy people, I wanted to finish up our veggies and make something light but filling. But all I wanted was an egg over easy. So to fulfill both of these things, I ended up making a really great breakfast for dinner that Nick and I both liked so much that we'd consider making it for company when we're not in the mood for our usual huge fatty brunches. Here's the SUPER simple recipe:

What you need:
-Sliced bread
-Cherry tomatoes
-1 Super Big Shallot (or 2 or 3 smaller ones)
-1 medium Zucchini
-Olive Oil

1. Heat up your oil in a pan. While this is heating, cut up the shallots (I slice each bulb in half and then cut them across like you'd do with an onion). When you're done add to the pan.
2. Next cut up the zucchini. First cut lengthwise then cut into bite sized pieces. Add that to the pan.
3. Stir regularly and add only a tiny bit more olive oil if needed. After this has cooked long enough that the shallots and zucchinis are starting to look a little bit cooked add the cherry tomatoes whole.
4. Make some toast. When the cherry tomatoes start to pop that's how you know they're done. Transfer the veggies to the top of your toast.
5. Leave the heat on, and in the same pan you made the veggies now make your eggs. Crack the egg open over the pan and without touching it, let it cook for a minute. Then cover it with a pan/pot top. After about 30-60 seconds check to see if the clear part of the egg has almost completely turned white. If there's just a little bit of clear egg left, carefully flip it over. Cook for 10-20 seconds, then transfer and put on top of your eggs and veggies. One egg for each piece of toast.

I'd suggest no more than 1 at a time if you're not used to making eggs this way. It takes a few tries to get them right and not break the yolks. It's also easier to use a metal spatula.

This recipe should be be enough for 3 people depending on the number of toasts/eggs you make (about 6 toasts).

Other vegetables that would be good with this are onions, asparagus, and mushrooms. I think if you want to make this slightly more dinner like, it would always be amazing over polenta instead of toast.

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred

Back in 2008 when I was planning my wedding I was part of this really great website that had online forums where local girls could come together and post about their frustrations, concerns, ask questions, and talk about everything under the sun. Everyone had their own style and opinion and it was pretty interesting to watch all these weddings evolve and see pictures of the finished results. So many different snowflakes. My group of girls (the 09ers as we called ourselves) all agreed on one thing, though, that Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred video was amazing. I never did it back in the day, and in reality did absolutely no fitness routine to prepare for my wedding. I just did what I normally do (attempt to go to the gym when I could muster it). But I saw some before and after pictures of some girls who did the video and you could see a HUGE difference after 30 days. I remember a couple even did it for 60 days and it was amazing what one dvd and a simple change in diet (which is not part of the plan, but obviously smart if you're looking for real results) could do to a person in 2 months (don't believe me, click on this and see tons of pics).

I just got the DVD yesterday (but have started doing it since Monday) and oh my god this thing has kicked my ass. Holy crap I am sore. Can I stress that enough? Some of the exercises I was impressed with myself that I was able to do them and not feel tired (yay me for being in shape), but then the burn came and I started thinking to myself, "wait, didn't I already do work outs for these in my old routine? Why does this hurt so bad?!" Apparently because I'm not as strong as I think I am, or maybe because Jillian was sent on this Earth to torture us into leaner people?

Now you know I don't believe in diets, and I definitely don't think I'm fat, but I've noticed that some of my pants have been fitting a little bit tighter lately. I think it's the fact that we've had so many guests since May that we've been eating real food again. And by real food, I mean unhealthy food. Lots of burgers, mac and cheese, french toast, etc. I think my stomach is secretly from the south because I love fatty rich foods and put butter on everything. Nick has been feeling it too and constantly pokes at his spare tire (that is really just the size of a tricycle wheel, but you know there's no arguing about that with a guy). After having one last hurrah in LA (where we really didn't even eat that unhealthily) we decided it's time to be healthy again and have switched our diet back to being semi healthy semi poor. Which means, when we do spend money on something besides pasta, peanut butter, carnation instant breakfast, and yogurt, it'll be on healthy things like multi-grain bread, vegetables, chicken breast, and so on. But you're not stopping me from drinking wine and having the occasional ice cream when I want it.

So back to Jillian, I've been dying to try this DVD for forever so I caved and bought it on Monday from amazing for a SUPER cheap price (and yay for 2 day student prime shipping). But like most consumers I didn't want to wait 2 days I wanted it right then. So I did some Googling and found it online (click here). As per these directions, there's three work outs and you do each one for about 10 days. This video has all three workouts in succession. I planned to start early, but to "officially" start with Nick so I got a few extra days out of the deal. It was hard doing it with the computer because I too had to constantly move my laptop so I could see things and was super happy when the DVD came for the pure ease of it. But it was also nice to do the first few days on my own with a mirror near by so I could see and feel at the same time what the exercises looked like when I was doing them correctly. It's really easy to bend your back or your legs the wrong way without realizing it. And with a workout like this you need to do things the right way for the best results.

With this "diet" in place and a new DVD that we've both started, I'm hoping it'll make a difference for both of us. I just want to wear my pants comfortably (and for me it's always about being healthy. I need to keep my high cholesterol under control and start getting back into shape for when soccer starts next week), and Nick, I think he wants to turn into the guy from 300. Four days in I don't know if I really feel stronger, or if I just feel sore and *think* that means strong. Or maybe it's like that SNL skit "Clinique calls it burning, we just say that means it's working."