And I feel truly blessed to have witnessed it.

Barack Obama is our new president.

After 2 backbreaking days, Spin and I are moved into our apartment. It's been a long time coming, one that included a move out of Spin's apartment at the end of July and a 2 week extension on my apartment because this new one wasn't going to be ready until 8/15/08. Living amongst boxes and suitcases is not fun - as you can imagine. The move started on Thursday evening and it definitely didn't get off on a great start - with the first item we were moving to the truck, Spin dealt a sharp elbow to my forehead because he didn't realize I was right behind him. Hurt so much I involuntarily cried. It went smoother after that and all of the big stuff was moved into the new place by 12:30am. It was rough but I must say that I was quite impressed by both our ability to hustle through the move and rock it out. The second day was about moving the little stuff and because I had to go to work for a few hours, Spin did that part mainly by himself. I made up for it by doing a lot of the unpacking when I got back. Since then it's been a helluva lot of unpacking, putting things away, and cleaning. I think our bodies started to feel close to normal about an hour ago.

One would assume that a space would look bigger when it is completely empty but I think it looks bigger when there are items in it. I say this because when we first walked into the apartment, my heart sank a little because it seemed much smaller than I remembered. But as we started to unpack and put things in place - lo and behold - we have more space than we know what to do with. It's rather nice...

Since we have a nice little balcony now, Spin and I had a coffee date this morning. I brewed some coffee and he set up 2 folding chairs and a tray. As we sat and drank our coffee, we reconnected a little - having a conversation that didn't revolve around what we had to do and more about old stories, current thoughts, and new things learned.

Apartment hunting feels like a full time job (and a tedious one at that). There is one that I'm hoping we'll get but our application won't get reviewed until next week.

So why am I apartment hunting? Well, Spin and I are moving in together!

You ask why Spin and I have decided to move in together? Well because we are engaged!

Engaged?! Who, what, where, when, how? It happened on 6/20/08 and it was as perfect a proposal as I could ask for - full of intimacy, beauty, and creating new beginnings.

The whole story is on another journal I recently created to write about any and all things wedding. I'm sure this journal and that will have some overlaps but I have a little project in mind with that other journal.

Today's plans? BBQ at Lesq & Mr. Lesq's house. And probably have Spin complete his rental app so that we can turn it in this weekend so that it can get reviewed by next week. And maybe some more apartment hunting online.

Me: You, sir, are a baboon.
Spin: Hrmph... (swings arm over me)
Me: (swipes arm away) I do not hug baboons.
Spin: I am a baboon in loooooove! Why must you deny my monkey love?
Me: Oh come here...

After having a halfway decent day at work for the first time in weeks, I made the mistake of checking my work e-mail just now...and got a preview of what I'm going to deal with tomorrow....

IHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORKIHATEWORK

at least for the time being...I still have a shred of hope that it will get better.

Here I am, in the middle of my 4th month of non-smoking journey and I am craving one....

I was not told of the 4th month. I knew how rough that second day would be, how dragging that 2nd week would be....not the 4th month. I think about it but know that I can't start up again.

Argh...

For 3 glorious months (September/October/November), I was a running machine. On weekdays I would get up at 4:00am and run 4-5 miles on the treadmill. I would be tired by lunchtime but I always felt like I started off the day on the right foot. Of course, I would also light up a cigarette right after I finished my workout - yes, it was absolutely absurd. As December approached, some other things took up my mind and energy and the running came to a halt.

It is now end of March. I haven't seriously ran in 4 months, I quit smoking, my surgery scar is still doing some weird things (i.e. blood blisters) but overall its better, and the battery on my Nike+IPod has long died. I couldn't bring myself to wake up at 4am in the mornings again (especially since I started sleeping through the night...but that's another journal entry) but I also couldn't bring myself to go to the gym after work where I would have to wait at least 20-30 min for a treadmill and feel uber self-conscious of my weight gain, my scar, etc. etc.

I think I may have found a very happy medium. There is an outdoor track about 5 minutes from my apartment. At first I thought it was part of a high school or something but since learned that it is a community center. Parking is plenty and of course, there is no wait. I went there for the first time today. Barely ran 1.5 miles. Weak!!! But I do feel motivated to go again until I can run up to 2, 3, 4, 5 miles. And I plan on buying the Nike+ipod deal again so that I can log my runs

No treadmills for me for a little while. Besides, I felt that running outdoors was always more challenging.

Soon, I'm going to beat this record! Faster, longer, harder baby! Grr....

Given that I live in SoCal, I thought I would spot a celebrity every once in a while. In the 3 years that I have been here, I have only seen 2 celebrities and that was Scott Foley (Felicity) and Robert Patrick (Terminator 2, among others) in downtown L.A. when they were filming a TV show - I think it was "The Unit"? Now I think I can add number 3 to my very short list - Liz Phair spotted at Trader Joe's. I couldn't place her face right away but a few minutes later did the name Liz Phair pop into my head. So of course I Googled her when I got back home and the pieces seem to fit - face looks damn similar and a few websites said that she moved to this area several years ago.

3 celebrities in 3 years...if I had any aspiration to be papparazzi, those stats just locked up that dream and threw away the key.

I will be the first to admit that I am not at all disciplined about getting into shape right now. I eat too much and I have yet to commit to a workout routine. But not all is hopeless. In addition to the Sunday run on The Strand (yes! I started actually running 2 weekends ago!), Spin and I checked out the Sand Dune Park in Manhattan Beach. As the name indicates, it is a park with a 100-ft tall sand dune which is surrounded by a short little nature path and a playground. I received enough warnings about how challenging climbing the sand dune would be so I kept my goal to a modest 2 treks up and down the dune. Yeah, didn't happen. On my first trek up, I had to stop about 4 times to catch my breath and when I finally got up there, it took all I had to not pass out right then and there. Spin with his ridiculously long legs had no problem. After I finally caught my breath, we went down (which was much, much easier than going up). I didn't have it in me to attempt the second trek but Spin was restless so he decided to go up again - this time running. I watched him get up about 3/4 of the way then he slowed down and walked. When he came back down, he said that he almost felt like throwing up. Safe to say that we both got a workout. We're planning on going back next week and this time, I will do 2 treks, dammit!

On a side note, Conn Iggulden (one of my favorite authors), will be coming out with book 2 in his Genghis Khan Conqueror Series!!! If I hadn't recommended his books already, I am doing so now. He is a wonderful storyteller and it is so very easy to envelop yourself in the world that he writes of.

The Sand Dune (it's really harder than it looks, folks!)

Saw my mom for the first time today since I had my surgery. She had flown into L.A. for business and wanted to meet up at LAX before she flew out at 6:15pm. When making plans, I offered to take off work about 30 min early so that we could have more time to talk. She nixed that idea because she strongly feels that work takes precedence. I suggested that we meet at a Starbuck's a block or two from the airport since it was more convenient. She nixed that idea as well and started guilt tripping me about how I don't really want to see her. I called her out on the guilt trip but promptly agreed to meet her at the airport.

I still left work 15 minutes early (but just didn't tell my mom). We got to talk for about 30 minutes right outside of the security check-in point. It was good to see her. She immediately asked to see the surgery area and declared that it looked much better than she thought it would. Her attention then turned to my noticeable weight gain. Her eyes kept darting to my stomach throughout our entire conversation....geez. But that's my mom for ya...

I hate working out after work because the gym is ridiculously crowded and everyone is fighting for a machine but I don't know if I can wake my butt up at 4am everyday to work out either. Well, it has to be one or the other....and it has to start happening soon.

It has been 3 months since I quit smoking...a little milestone and I'm happy that I've been able to stick with it this far.

March is quite the memorable month - Spin and I will be celebrating our 3-year anniversary, it'll have been 1 year since my accident, 3 months since I had surgery - which is also an unofficial marker for when I should start seeing some marked improvement in muscle movement and overall healing. A memorable month indeed.

I am chomping at the bit to start working out again. I am extra flabby all over and feel like I have the strength of a 80lb weakling. There are some things holding me back like the fact that my neck is still a little swollen and certain movements are difficult - which I could argue is a legit reason. The other reason is a little more vanity-based - I have this red 4-inch scar that is exposed for all to see if my hair is up in a ponytail and that scar is framed by a semi-circular tuft of hair that is considerably shorter than the rest of my hair. It's not something I want to really put out there.

But I'm sure the time will come where my desire for physical activity will outweigh the reluctant modesty of revealing my neck. Soon enough.


"Do not desire what you do not need" - fortune cookie from Sunday night.

Spin is out paintballing today so I spent my free day doing laundry, shopping for makeup and browsing through old pictures. Came across this one of my old dog, Honey. She was this adorable pit bull that my mom adopted on a whim but we quickly realized that she was getting more and more rambunctious every day and no one in my family had the ability to properly train her. We gave her away to a family friend.

Awww...just got DrJ's Save the Date card. I know that I have seen 3 of my friends get married this past year already but a wedding announcement of a friend still gets me all emotional...

Congratulations yet again, DrJ (and Mr.DrJ!)

Current Mood: sentimental

So very sick right now. It started off with a scratchy throat Wednesday morning which evolved into a full blown sore throat by Wednesday night. From there it went to sniffling, sneezing, runny nose, the whole bit. Yesterday was the worst. I pretty much was immobile on my couch from dawn to dusk. I feel a little better today but now I'm at that phlegmy, coughing stage...not pleasant indeed. I think I'm picking up some Robitussin today. I was thinking about Mucinex but it seems to be stronger than what I need.

Watching back to back movies this morning. First was "Gracie" which was a decent feelgood film. Now it's "Phantom of the Opera". I love Gerard Butler and all but I am finding it difficult to get past his Scottish accent when he sings....the rolling Rs...too much!

Recently, my friend Viva has done a super chic, super sleek asymmetrical bob. Just saw the pics and it looks fabulous! I, on the other hand, have been trying to grow out my hair to a long, soft, wavy look. Have been trying to grow it out since June 2007 and am finally starting to see some change. Upon the advice of my hairstylist, I tried taking prenatal vitamins for a couple of months but read that these supplements contain too much iron for a woman who is not trying to get pregnant so I stopped. Now I started on these supplements from Phyto designed for healthy hair and nails. Does it really work? Who knows...it could be a total placebo but it makes me feel better.

These are some of the hairstyles I'm aiming for. Yes, I think I'm finally going away from my big hair addiction and going towards something softer =)





~ photos are courtesy of Rasysa.com. Navigation of the site is a little tricky since I can't read Japanese but it is chock full of hairstyle pics that I want. I guess I am going the way of cute Japanese girls...haha

The training was okay...it was cold as hell but I got to see the corporate campus and finally put a face to all the names I was working with. Another surprising bonus was that I came away with a most delicious (and most sumptuously unhealthy) recipe for Gooey Butter Cookies. Tried making it today and I must say it came out pretty damn good! Super soft and yes, gooey....Spin already polished off 4 of them...always a good sign.

After almost an entire month off, I am going back to work tomorrow. A little nervous, a little excited, a little scared. To add to the mix, 3 days next week are spent in training. That could be helpful since I will feel like I'm phasing back in but it could be not so good since it will add to my workload even more.

Clothes are all ready, handbag is packed, and Spin has promised me a massage tonight. Can't be any more ready than that! Bring it!

Spin and I are going to make some Hungarian dishes tonight - Goulash and Puffed Potato Casserole are on the menu. If it turns out well, we're going to be feasting tonight...yum. I have to go make the Csipetke (pinched noodles for the Goulash) now and put that aside. Wish me luck!

The swelling on my face has gone down but my neck movements feel more restricted. The area around my incision which was previously red and slightly raised is now scabbed over in certain areas and not looking very good. The left side of my face feels heavier than ever. Is some of this just in my head? Or is my body going to get a little worse before it gets better?

I ate too much today...grr.

Current Mood: annoyed