Not happy

I have a cavity. Probably not such a big deal to most people, but to me it is. It's the first cavity I've ever had. Yes, ever! I'm getting a filling on Monday and am positively terrified. I'm still in denial...

Does anyone remember...?

Does anyone remember those trading cards (or were they stickers?) that were big in, oh, say middle or elementary school that were gross/weird versions of products or ads for products? The only one I can remember was "Donkey Nose Pizza" for Dominos.

Yeah, random. No real reason I need this info either - it's just one of those things that popped in my head just now and it's bothering me that I can't remember more about them.

That's right, I'm back!

Well not in quite the same way as the original speaker of that line, but it still works. I think.

Anyway, so my boss is gone for 2 whole glorious weeks on a much needed vacation (for both of us). So far, there has been little to no communication from him. I've been assured by my co-workers that this won't last, but damn if I'm going to let this fantastic free time get by me.

Here is my list of things to accomplish while he is gone:

1. Update blog on a regular basis
2. Attempt to do some Yelping (that's right L and F, get ready! :-) )
3. Find gifts for the weddings we will be going to in Sept.
4. Send emails to the 10 billion people I have neglected to keep in touch with recently - this actually should be much higher on this list. Eh, too lazy to re-type so mentally move it up. Thanks.
5. Clean out inboxes - work and Gmail because both are getting out of hand.
   

Yeah so check back often as I'll be updating as much as possible in the next two weeks.

I never have to go to the gym again!!!

Okay, not quite as exciting as it sounds, but for me it's close. I may have mentioned that I hate the gym. The whole idea of having to go somewhere to work out and deal with rude people who bring stereos to blast through the whole room - not really for me. That's all changed now that I discovered Demand Fitness. I've only been using it for a few days, and I think for weights I'm still going to have to use the gym, but if it means no more treadmill, I'm sold!

Basically it's an online collection of recorded classes you can access, mix-and-match, and track what you've done in terms of time spent on cardio, strength, etc. The best part is, you can choose from a bunch of different payment options. You can do a day pass ($.99) up to a yearly membership ($99.99 - or around $8/month for those of you fellow COM grads who don't want to whip out your calculator). You can download classes to keep on your computer and also hook your computer up to a TV if you are opposed to keeping up on such a small screen.

They have tons of variety in classes and varying levels if intensity. Everything from a series of 5 minute workouts (same idea as 8 minute abs, etc) to belly-dancing to intense boot camp classes. The video quality isn't amazing, but it's doable. Some instructors are better in front of the camera than others. The building blocks are all there to do whatever kind of workout or class you are in the mood for, which is great for me because I get bored too easily with only the stair machine and treadmill for cardio options.

It's shocking there aren't more websites like this, but it's such a great idea, I'm sure there will be more soon....

Alyssa Milano Designs Red Sox Apparel?

Ok to be accurate, not JUST Red Sox apparel, but rather MLB apparel in general meaning any of her designs can be customized to your preferred team.

Anyway, when I first heard about this I was having trouble drawing what we shall call the line of relevancy between Alyssa Milano and baseball when curiosity overcame my confusion and I was forced to do some browsing.

Other than the fact that I don't quite understand why Alyssa has to model her designs for the MLB shop, I have to say I don't hate them. In fact, some might even almost be worthy of a purchase, such as the jeans above.

Unfortunately due to the sheer lack of opportunities to flaunt my Red Sox fan-ness, at $65, I can't really justify buying these right now. I also have seen pictured elsewhere Alyssa's "kimono" style shirts (shockingly, photographed while ON Alyssa), which I'm kind of loving, but can't seem to locate in the MLB shop.

I guess in the meantime I'll have to settle for spreading the word and adding this to the (growing daily) list of reasons to move back to Boston pronto.

If you are lucky enough to live in Boston and smart enough to be a Sox fan, I suggest you grab a pair now before they become the next pink logo hat...

FOURDAYSYAY!

Yes, this is me being obnoxiously excited about the upcoming weekend. Really, though you can't blame me. Go ahead. Try.

A#1: I get to see Lindsay and Felecia
B#2: Did I mention I get to see Lindsay and Felecia? Did I? Damn, I'm just really excited about that...

There is also the fact that I have never been to Seattle, we are staying in a hotel that I don't really understand and am intrigued to see if it is really unique or just a dump, and I am going to see a childhood/family friend that I haven't seen or talked to in years.

And don't forget the food and alcohol. They have Thai food in Seattle, right?

This is all, of course, assuming I make it through the rest of the week, which at this point is not entirely a given.

My New Obsession

I don't like the taste of water. I always need to add a squirt of lemon juice or some similar flavoring to be able to drink it. I tend to drink Gatorade or the like, but since the alternatives usually have a lot of sugar or calories or both, I'm trying to drink more water. Last weekend at the grocery store, I came upon these small, simple, refreshing looking bottles of Hint Essence Water. I learned from visiting the website that there are at least a dozen different flavors, but the only ones my store carried were pomegranate-tangerine, raspberry-lime and peppermint, which are all amazing by the way.

The tagline is simple: "drink water, not sugar" and idea is not necessarily anything revolutionary: water "accented with a hint of natural flavor." There are no sweeteners, preservatives, or (quite possibly best of all) no calories.

I'm sure I would not do it justice if I tried to describe why I love it so much so maybe you should just go try some. It's not terribly cheap - at my store it sells for $1.50 per 15 oz. bottle, I believe - but to me it is well worth it if it gets to me to drink more water...

Florida

I can't tell you how many times I'm telling people where I am from (Ohio, Pensacola, Boston...) and I hear: "Why'd you leave Florida?" I never have a good answer, but I think this pretty much sums it up.

Pet Peeve of the Week: 2nd Edition

I did not really intend for this to be a regular topic, but here it is a week later and I have a new pet peeve so let's just go with it.

Let me start by saying that I'm not a gym person. I had never really set foot in one for the first, oh, 22 years of my life so the whole experience is still rather new to me. I'm also not particularly excited about going to the gym - it is hard for me to motivate myself to get there and once I'm there, its hard to motivate myself to stay. Part of this problem could very well be the gym itself, which is actually a rather worn-down "fitness center" in my apartment complex. Not a whole lot of machines to chose from, and only one of each. It's clean at least, but beyond that and some mirror walls, it's a far cry from Ballys, Healthworks, etc. No classes, no pretty locker room, one treadmill, one stair-climber, a few weight machines - seriously, folks, nothing fancy here. They key is it is close (just downstairs) and, best of all, FREE!

Here is the problem I've encountered on my last 3 consecutive visits as well as a few others before that. Some guy (always a guy) brings his clock radio, old school boombox, some sort of plug-in stereo and blasts his crappy gymrat music throughout the entire room. Now I never go without my iPod because it's a major factor in my motivation. Seriously - if it isn't charged, I can't go. The music these people blast is so loud that I can still hear their music, loud and clear, over mine with my iPod turned up as loud as it goes. This is seriously an issue.

As I said, I'm new to the whole gym-going experience, but this cannot be acceptable. In fact, I did some brief research on gym etiquette last night and music-listening is consistently touched upon. Most etiquette lists say something to the tune of:" don't listen to your iPod so loud that the person at the next machine can hear the music from your headphones." YOUR HEADPHONES. C'mon people, simple AM/FM players with headphones won't run you more than $10 - get thee to your nearest CVS and buy one. In fact, I'll buy it for you.

What really really irks me is that the problem is not just one repeat offender. There have been four separate people who have done this. Probably more, but four that I've witnessed. Surely there cannot actually be that many self-centered people who disrespect their fellow gym-goers, right? Well, I do live in L.A. so I guess that answers my question.

Pet Peeve of the Week

"Personalized" and "unique" are not the same thing. Sorry, but they just aren't. To keep those people who like to get technical happy: Yes, if something is personalized, it definitely makes it unique. No argument there. My issue is that when I'm trying to find a unique engagement gift and type said phrase into Google, I get bombarded with sites that personalize anything and everything you can imagine. Slap their names on... the wrapper of a giant candy bar and BOOM you've got a "unique engagement gift!" Yeah. Not really what I had in mind.

I'm still new to this whole process since I've been blessed with rational friends. So what in the name of Shooter McGavin do I get that is not useless, engraved, ugly, cheesy, or something that happens to be all of the above? And I hate gift certificates. I love getting them, don't get me wrong, but they are such awful gifts and not at all special.

Help. Now. Please.