It’s been a hot minute …

…but I just had to put up a post.

This past week has been currrraaaazzzzzy!  One more week and I get a brief break before the summer semester starts.

What has been going on?

Well, Turtle’s track and field boys won second place and the girls got third place in the Georgia middle school championships.  About 27 schools competed and I am so proud of the work Turtle put into his team.

I have been too busy to cook, so I have had to make McDonald’s my friend.  Some nights I get creative with Ramen noodles or angel hair pasta and cubbed ham…

On random issues…I was walking down the halfway when I bumped into these two promoting a play that would be on stage that weekend.  I thought it was cool…

When Alan my co-worker starts to come to work in his Spitfire,  you know spring is finally here.

I am trying to remain stress-free with all these finals and with work …but it aint easy.  I already miss you guys.  I can’t wait to finish and go back to blogging and leaving comments on  blogs.

Later!

I guess it’s my turn…

…to write about 10 things I love, since I have been tagged by Taynement.  So here goes…(this could be boring for those of you who know me so well…)

I see Red: As in the red in Redbox and the red in Netflix envelopes.  When you love movies as much as I do then these services would be household staples in your home.  If you want new (or almost new) releases, you go to Redbox. If driving to a kiosk is not your thing, stream directly to your TV or computer with Netflix or just wait for your selection to come in the mail.  I have been able to catch up with my favorite TV shows because of Netflix.  I feel a little strange that my favorite color is blue (…sorry Blockbuster, I tried to love you but you made it hard). To date, I think I must have watched about 7,000 movies in the last 11 years.

K-Dramas: This is one of the few things I love to splurge on.  My love affair started about three years ago when I picked up a copy of Palace: Princess Diaries.  I saw one episode and I was hooked.  Ever since, I have spent endless hours on eBay bidding on Korean Drama DVDs.  A good region 3 DVD set will set you back $100 at least.  As an experienced Korean Drama addict, I have found that historical dramas like Dae Jang Geum and Jumong are among the best ones.  Jumong took me two years to complete.  That is 81 episodes…81 hours following a story.  *sigh* this is love.

Redbull:  While some people like coffee, I get my kicks from Redbull.  Some cold days I may deviate and have a cappuccino but all in all, my day does not start until I have my Redbull.

Shopping at Ross:  Besides being a thrifty way to spend on designer clothes, it saves me so much time!  When I have an event to attend, rather than running around in the mall trying to find an overpriced dress, I just head to Ross and dedicate an hour to riffling through the racks.  I have gotten so good at this that I can find what I need in a half hour.

Wine:  I don’t know how this whole wine loving thing started but now, I am constantly searching for that perfect bottle of Pinot Noir, Carmenere, Kabinett, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, or Beaujolais.  It is amazing how a single sip can change your whole evening.

Cooking:  Ya’ll already know about this.  Dining out irritates me … especially when the food is so-so.  I will only dine out if a) I am on the road…even then I try to pack something for myself b) I am socializing with friends c) It is a tried and true eatery I patronize to get a break from my own cooking.

Working Out:  Not working out makes me feel sluggish and weird… I guess I need endorphins to function.  Without exercise, I can get depressed and mentally flat.

Books: I love books.  When I was younger, I read EVERYTHING, which, in hindsight was not particularly a good idea. But as an adult, I am more selective.  I tend to prefer foreign books or books that are about stories set in other countries.  If I can’t travel, I might as well dream, right?

Vanilla Ice cream: When I am upset and crying, it’s the only thing that can make things right.  At least temporarily. 

Writing: Need I say more?

So I guess I have to tag someone…okay then…I tag  Neefemi,  Caramel Delight and Nitty Gritty.

Kettlebells and Warrior Dash

So, I recently started this workout called Kettlebells.  It’s basically a body building exercise that uses  weights shaped like kettles and the body’s momentum.  It is kind of like TRX on steroids.

It is great for upper body strength.  Only last month I could not do two pushups to save my life, now I find myself doing three sets of ten pushups between routines. You work your abdominals, biceps, triceps, shoulders, chestm forearms, hamstrings, lats, quadriceps …all in one workout.  I started with two 15-pound kettlebells, which is the lowest.  You can go up to 80 pounds…but that is never gonna happen with me.

There are so many routines…so many that you constantly shock your body with movement…there are swings, getups, cleans, snatches, presses, squats, burpies, windmill etc..

There is this routine called the man-maker.  Oh yeah, when I heard it, I was like uh-oh!  This does not sound good.  If I remember correctly…

You start  in the push-up position with hands on the bells and do one push up 

Then do one pullup with one bell, first one arm, then another while still in the pushup position

Stand up, hold the bells close to your body and one squat

Then stand and press one bell over your head, one arm, then the other

Go back to pushup position and start all over.

Repeat ten times. 

To be honest, the man-maker is probably easier than goodness knows what the heck the trainer had us doing yesterday.  I felt like my muscles had been stretched over ten miles of hot tar.  But I think I will keep at it because I am officially registered for Warrior Dash, May 22 in Mountain City, Georgia.  Oh yeah.  The craziest race on earth with 3.22 miles of uneven terrain, wooden wall barricade, rope wall, tires, junkyard, forest, fire, water, swamp and mud.  The best part?  Free beer at the end of the race.  I am stoked.  I can’t wait to get tired and dirty. 

I think I am addicted to endorphins.