Responsible Adult (on occassion)

Last night was one of those nights where I take a deep breath, look in the mirror and say, "I can be a responsible adult after all. Whew!"

It is a shame how rarely I feel that way.

After work I went home to change clothes and then - gasp - went to the gym! The shock! And even more shocking was how much I LOVED it! It takes a lot to get me to a gym (I would be the mayor of LazyTown but the election was too much trouble), but once I'm there I kind of freakin' love it. My gym (Fitness19) has those cardio machines with a tiny TV, so I plug in my headphones, find something funny to distract me and set to a brisk walk on a heavy incline. Suddenly I realize I've walked a mile! Without the distraction I just stare at the timer thinking, "It has only been 5 minutes?!? Whaaaa!"

After that I hit the leg press. I don't know why, but it is almost always my favorite machine. The location seemed perfect, too (right under a fan), but if I were a man (or a lesbian) it would have been even better, because I was right behind the girls in short-shorts on the stair-climbers. Oy... I just cranked up my music and stared at the ceiling.

I closed with some free weights; triceps and obliques. Since I'm just starting out I'm staying in my comfort zone. Hopefully before long I can push myself to different exercises.

On the way home I stopped at the store for pasta and chicken. I made the simplest, YUMMIEST salad! It was kind of a "fridge cleaner", because I chopped up any and all veggies in the fridge. I used the tail end of a shallot, the remaining halves of a zucchini and squash plus some asparagus. I gave them a quick saute and tossed them with farfalle and some rotisserie chicken. Add lemon juice and olive oil (plus salt and pepper) and it was right tasty! If Brad doesn't finish it for lunch, I will probably do it for dinner again tonight. I might add roma tomatoes, but I'm not sure. Oh, and I put in a little goat cheese, but I like it better without. (I was inspired by this PW recipe.)

After dinner I organized out tax paperwork so we can go be grownups tomorrow. And then I watched the first half of Micmacs while soaking in the tub. Overall it was a truly lovely night.

Tonight I'm going back to the gym and having another delicious, low(ish) calorie meal and then painting my nails. I know, I know, it is a fast-paced and glamorous life I lead. Try not to be jealous.

Grags and Mags Field Day

I had the best Girly/Nerdy Field Day with Grags on Wednesday! Basically we ate all day, painted our nails while watching "Serenity", and talked non-stop about LOST.

For our first breakfast (yeah, you heard me), we had Orange Rolls and coffee. Yes. Ma'am. For our second breakfast, we made Toad-In-A-Hole. I could technically give credit to The Pioneer Woman, since we were looking at it in her cookbook, but it has been a favorite breakfast of mine for years - I learned to make it at Girls Scout camp.

Then we rewatched LOST (Sundown) and talked over questions and theories. We even made videos (after I put on some make-up).

Next we got out my nail polish (very small collection, as I don't do that much) and did self mani-pedis while enjoying "Serenity". Let me just state again for the record: I. Love. Firefly. And thusly, Serenity. I love that Kaylee is about 4 parts Lauren, and 1 part me. I love that Simon is so delightfully awkward. I love that Jayne is so crass, but has a tiny bit of tender hiding under the scum. I love Mal's harsh exterior, his strength to get things done, and his true compass of right and wrong which he fiddles with occasionally. I love Wash. And now, my Harold Perrineau impression: "WAAAAAAAAASH! Waaa-haaa-haaash!!"

The Pizza. Oh, the pizza. We made the yummiest margherita pizza ever in the Verse. Also inspired by PW, but she makes her own crust. We used a store-bought crust, spread on pesto, then rounds of fresh mozzarella, then sliced Roma tomatoes, some red onion and a bit of fresh Parmesan. Oh. My. Stars! Fresh out of the oven, while the crust was still crisp, it couldn't be beat. Later, trying to eat it cold out of the fridge, not so much. So make sure you inhale it all at first sitting! (My health advice, ladies and gents...)

If only she moved to Houston, and we could do this more often. But hey, to my Houston girls, it's not too difficult to twist my arm into taking a day off - whose in?