Wednesday, 09 February 2011

• A Return

  Hellooooo blog world! Now's as good a time to resume blogging again, eh? What's new, what's good? I've been reading so many great blogs and blog activities (the "no makeup" series and vlog Fridays all look like a blast) and I feel so out of the loop not contributing so much as a word to all of you that have written such great blog entries. :) I'm trying to be good about commenting on blog posts that strike my fancy---I know how much comment crack means to a blogger! But I felt like, above all, I've been gypping my fellow bloggers by not participating in active blogging, so I promise to get back on the wagon starting today.

  Much is new! I'm not as crazy busy as I was last year, which is great (traveling via plane 2 times a month versus 4? A nice step down). We finally said goodbye to our 2000 Subaru Forester (clearly, this is the "TOP NEWS" because my Subaru was very much a part of my identity for 10 years). After 11 years of faithful service (the boob, as we so lovingly called it, came to us in 1999), the check engine light came on and we knew we were in for numerous repairs---more than what we felt the car was worth. We drove on expired tags for half a year almost a year (because they won't smog check your car if your check engine light is on, and we refused to spend a dime to fix the damn thing) before we finally agreed that enough was enough and traded 'er in for a 2011 Toyota Rav-4 in black. The Rav had me at "optional 3rd row seating." That's right, in that small SUV we can get 7 people in if needed. PARTY OVAH HEAHHHH! (And if not needed, which is normal, the seats fold right in to the floor.)

  

  OK, so whoever gets stuck in that hideous 3rd row is really in for a world of cramp, but it's not like we'll need it frequently.

  Part of the reason why I have very little to blog is because I NEVER TAKE PICTURES anymore. Here's one of the last pictures on my point and shoot, save for the picture I took of our food at Umami Burger (bottom):

  

  Clearly there are good ones but this one is funnier than the normal ones. There goes the Asian, directing the photoshoot (or vogue-ing?)

  I don't take a lot of pictures anymore. A lot of it has to do with being unhappy with my weight. 

  To understand me a little bit, I will say that I'm not obsessive about my weight. On a daily basis I don't care that I'm overweight. I don't think about it, don't obsess over it, it really doesn't bother me. Aside from feeling bad for my husband that his wife is kind of a fatty, I truly enjoy my life, refuse to count calories, and am just fine wearing stretch pants. I love healthy food (fish, veggies, all that good stuff) and while we do eat out 3x a week and my portion sizes our OUT OF CONTROL, I can't say that I have a particularly bad diet, nutrition wise, but I'm well aware that I consume way more calories than I need to. That being said, I don't like having a lot of pictures taken of me. Only when looking at pictures do I realize how much weight I've gained over the last few years.

  
  So, simply, the solution was to stop taking pictures. Weight problems solved. :)

  But that's boring and detrimental to blogging ;) so my friend Robin and I are starting to do something about our fat asses---we joined a weight loss workshop at Gym Class Fitness in Oakland! I'll talk about it more when we're closer to the end of our 7 week stint, but the gist of it is that we take three 1-hour bootcamp style classes per week and one nutrition class. I was nervous going in because I'm extremely lazy and gyms never really do it for me. My typical gym routine consists of wasting a bunch of time getting ready, wasting a bunch of time driving to the gym, wasting a bunch of time puttering around the gym for 45 minutes, and so on. We're in our 2nd week of our 7-week program and I can't tell you what a thrill it is to spend an hour getting my ass kicked in a small class setting (typical class size is 2 to 6 people, so there's no room to slack) and waking up the next day hardly being able to walk. We've gotten to the point that when our soreness goes away after a day or two, we're almost sad to feel it go, and eager to get back into the gym.

  Anyway, long story short, my commitment to personal blogging begins with getting in shape so I feel better about posting pictures of myself here. :) I do think that once our 7 week course is over I'm going to continue to come to the boot camp classes (you can buy membership in several ways, including 20 class packages, etc.) because they're the only classes I've been to in a long time where I really feel AMAZING. The instructor is 25, but an old soul---she lost 60 pounds in her early 20s, so she's a former fat girl herself---not some blessed bitch (pardon my French) with the metabolism of a small child and the genes of an athlete. She worked (and continues) to work hard to keep her petite frame, which is totally inspiring.

  If anyone lives in my area and is looking for a real jump start to fitness, I really would love for you to join us! I'm just about the laziest person I know but I can't tell you how much both Robin and I are enjoying getting our asses whipped into shape. A lot of it has to do with the fact that it's just an hour out of your day, but you're pushed to the limit, and it really feels like an hour well spent. It's not cheap at first glance---$425 for 6 weeks (we got 1 week free with a promo they're running). But for 3 hardcore semi-personal training sessions a week that works out to about $23 per session (if you count the nutrition classes as free---which you shouldn't, because they're awesome too).

  I'll take some pics of the studio and post them here soon (if Jessica, the owner, is OK with it).

  Until then, our last amazing meal this weekend with our good friends Stuball and Jess at Umami Burger in Los Angeles:

  

  I totally took a bite of the burger and then turned it around to take a pic of it :)

  In short, Umami Burger = wowface.

   

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