A Gift To Myself

For my birthday I like to reward myself with a gift. Typically its a girly ALL-ME treat like a facial, mani/pedi, or massage. This year it was an amazing 90 minute massage from my friend Angee who I can no longer live without (I book her every month now!).

As a special gift, I have purchased myself something for Christmas this year. Mind you, I have been waiting and planning this gift for 2 years, so I feel I was definitely patient. I bought my first pair of snowboard boots! Along with all the helpful tips and info from the chatty guy at Sport Chalet in La Jolla, they're adorable to boot (no pun intended there). They fit really well, white and silver, and they're called "Donna" which I think is so cute because it reminds me of the bad-ass chick group, The Donnas and one of their songs, Girl Talk.

Has anyone else bought themselves a present this year?

October 5, 2010: Hot 4 Halloween Countdown: FOUR Weeks Left

Last year me and my girls jumped on the "Hot 4 Halloween" or "H4H" bandwagon to get super fit for our sexy Halloween costumes. It was so much fun working out together, changing up our happy hour routine, and keeping each other accountable for our own personal goals.  This year half my crew has moved away and the other half is going to a different Halloween party then myself, soooo I'm kinda on my own. Actually, I guess not so much on my own, but more with a whole new set of girls.

It's a little strange, but I'm still excited.  This week is officially Week 4 on the countdown to Halloween.  That means I've got 4 weeks to do whatever I need to my body to make sure I'm okay with millions of pictures being taken. Oh, have I mentioned my costume?? MOULIN ROUGE!!!!! If you haven't seen the movie, it's a MUST.  We're doing a group costume theme, so the girls will be in corsets and huge hair, a la the movie and the music video for Lady Marmalade.  The boys will be wearing tuxes, top hats, canes, and the like from the movie. Soooo much fun.

My new corset was delivered so I'll have to post pix on my costume progress as I have them. Anyone else getting Hot 4 Halloween?

 Photo from Google images

September 2, 2010: HOW TO: Be Happy On A Random Night Alone

In bed, with fresh coats of OPI's Melon of Troy on my fingers, catching up on my Vanity Fair reading, whilst being bathed in the honey drips that is Zooey Deschanel's voice from She&Him on Pandora radio.

I've got my peppermint foot lotion from The Body Shop on underneath my argyle knee high socks from JCrew.

Now if some invisible fairy could just bring me a crispy glass of Pinot Grigio...

 Cover of the September 2010 Issue

MAJOR shoe lust! (Photo from September 2010 Issue) 

I've a newly found girl crush on Zoe Saldana (should have got on the bandwagon a while ago, I know), but am especially loving this outfit. The pic is a bit blurry, but she absolutely rocks this ensemble. (Photo from September 2010 Issue)

August 31, 2010: Today's iPod Playlist for The Gym

Here's what I listened to today on the treadmill (on shuffle from my "FitBitch" playlist which means we may start to see/hear some repeats down the line).

Lada Gaga, Poker Face

Hurricane Chris, Halle Berry

This is where I paused the music because I was sidetracked with the Barefoot Contessa making a super yummy BLT sandwich (I'm a sucker for avocados)

Katy Perry, I Kissed A Girl

Total of 25 minutes / 2 miles

Here's her California BLT recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/california-blts-recipe/index.html

Since I'm watching my food intake, I would leave out the bacon or substitute with turkey bacon or something like that,  I would have whole wheat bread instead of white and I would use my light lemonnaise instead of mayonnaise.

I wish the nutrition information was included in her recipe, but when I make one for myself, I'll be adding it into the MyFitnessPal app to figure it out for myself.

Photo from WeHeartIt

August 31, 2010: Today's iPod Playlist for The Gym

Just about the only thing that keeps me focused while running is music.  If I don't have music blasting in my ears, I start thinking about other things I need to do and get bored or antsy to start something else. 

So here's what I listened to today on the treadmill (on shuffle from my "FitBitch" playlist).

The Rolling Stones, Paint It Black

Metallica, For Whom the Bell Tolls

The Pussycat Dolls, When I Grow Up

50 Cent, In da Club

Fat Joe, Ha Ha Slow Down

Pitbull, Go Girl

Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze

Kelis, Bossy

Total of 36 minutes / 4.1 kilometers

Now to just find out how to convert km into miles...I do know that One Mile = 1.609 kilometers. ...2.55 miles!

from Google images

My brother's first song is out!!

My younger brother (one and only) like to make music as a hobby, and long story short he produced (meaning he created all the music parts) a song for this rapper named Doey Rock aka Mean Doe Green (who wrote and raps all the lyrics). The song is called My House and its on his Mind Candy cd.

SO COOL!!!

My bro's producer name is INFINITY SLUMP, which are the very first words you hear - he gets the first shout out!!

I am beyond proud of him for this accomplishment (which he did all by himself!) and beyond excited for him.  Take a listen, spread the word.

Love his very stoked sister.

How To: Combat the Mean Reds

Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of my favorite movies. I can't tell you how many times I've watched it while tucked into bed. One of my favorite scenes is when Holly (Audrey Hepburn) explains the ''Mean Reds".

Holly Golightly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?

Paul Varjak: The mean reds, you mean like the blues?
Holly Golightly: No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
Paul Varjak: Sure.
Holly Golightly: Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!

Holly's way to combat the Mean Reds is to go to the Tiffany's flagship store in Manhattan, NYC. Mine is as follows:

• Put my earbuds in my ears, pick my favorite iPod playlist, then turn it up loud enough to drown out all other sounds
• Get your favorite warm drink. Mine is a Starbucks Americano w/ white mocha syrup, out of a green straw of course
• Flip through your favorite girly magazine. Mine is Vogue, I just love love the photos and colors
• Put on your favorite scent, either perfume or a candle or home oil. My best feel good smell is The Body Shop home oils, usually Exotic or Satsuma. Light that baby up and put it right near you so its potent
• Open the curtains/blinds/shutters to let in as much natural light as possible
• Keep your notebook and pen handy to write down whatever pops in your head. You can vent, be inspired, remember something you'd forgotten. Be prepared because you never know what will happen.

Does anyone else do something like this? How do you combat your Mean Reds? Or blues for that matter?

Daisy Let it Go

Daisy by Switchfoot

Daisy, give yourself away
Lookup at the rain
The beautiful display
Of power and surrender
Giving us today
And she gives herself away

Rain, another rainy day
Comes up from the ocean
Give herself away
She comes down easy
On rich and debt the same
And she gives herself away


Let it go
Daisy, Let it go
Open up your fist
This fallen world
Doesn't hold your interest
It doesn't hold your soul
Daisy, let it go

Pain, give yourself a name
Call yourself contrition
Avarice of blame
Giving isn't easy
Neither is the rain
When she gives herself away


Daisy, why another day?
Why another sunrise
Who will take the blame
For all redemptive motion
And every rainy day
When he gives himself away

Let it go
Daisy, let it go
Open up your fist
This fallen world
It doesn't hold your interest
It doesn't hold your soul
Daisy, let it go

Let it go
Let it go
Let it go
And you let it go, go
Let it go
Let it go
Let it go, go
Let it go
Let it go

Some days I feel like Daisy and they’re speaking to me, urging me to just let it go. Let go of all the stress, the worry, the tiny things I agonize over. I need to learn to just let some things go. I know its woman-nature to add extra worry to things, but I really wish it wasn't. Does anyone else have these problems?

You Never Know

Some mornings you just need a good song to be there for you. This is one of my favorites, I just love her voice! I’ve listened to it 3 times already on my iPod mini I bring to work with me.


Here are the lyrics, but you really should hear it – try googling it (I can’t do it for you b/c I’m at work right now, sorry).

You Never Know
Rachael Lampa

I'm following the lines looking for the answers to a prayer
I'm looking for the signs waiting for the signal that ur there
If you ask why I believe - the only thing that I could ever say

You never know when life will turn around
One day your faith's strong the next it can't be found
And you're not looking
And all I know it's outta my control
And you never know

I try to figure in the time
When miracles should happen to appear
And when it comes down to it
There's nothing more that I can do down here
I wanna place it in your hands
Even though I wanna understand


You never know when life will turn around
One day your faith's strong the next it can't be found
And you're not looking
And all I know it's outta my control
And you never know

If you wanna spend your life
In your design, you're only wasting time

You never know when life will turn around
One day your faith's strong the next it can't be found
And you're not looking
And all I know it's outta my control
And you never know


PS "I Like Big Butts" came on after and totally popped my zen bubble LOL

Today's iPod playlist for the gym

I don't know about anyone else, but for me, having loud thumping music in my ears whilst working out is a must. I'm usually looking for new music to inspire me to work harder and like to look at what other peeps have on their gym playlists. You never know what you'll find. Here's some of my go-to winners from this week:

* Beep – The Pussycat Dolls

* Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas

* Culo – Pitbull

* Don’t Cha – The Pussycat Dolls

* Go Girl – Pitbull

* I Kissed a Girl – Katy Perry

* I Wear My Stunna Shades – Federation

* I Would Walk 500 Miles – Less Than Jake

* Maneater – Nelly Furtado

* Not a Stain On Me – Big Tuck & Fat Bastard

* Poison – Bel Biv DeVoe

* The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson

* You’re a Jerk – New Boyz

What do you listen to while working out?

My brother's first song is coming out in March

Album will drop in MARCH!

(INFINITY SLUMP is my brother's producer name)

As soon as the album is released I'll let you all know which song is his so you can go buy it on iTunes or something.

xoxo

This message if from Mean Doe Green's myspace blog:
Thursday, September 25, 2008 PRELUDE TO MEAN DOE GREEN 2 MIND CANDY IS STILL COMING BUT THE SONGS WERE COMING OUT SO DOPE THAT WE DECIDED TO MODIFY IT AND CREATE A FULL STUDIO ALBUM OUT OF IT... THE WAIT WILL BE OVER IN MARCH ! AND I WILL NOT DISSAPPOINT THANX TO MISTER TRACKS, HOT SOUP, REESE FROM EXCLUSIVE ENT, DJ OASIS, MR NICE, INFINITY SLUMP, INCREDIBLE, MARK KNOXX, BLACK ZEEK AND COLLABO FOR YOUR WORK... THIS IS A BIG PRODUCTION BRUH AND IT BAAAAAAAAAANGS START TO FINISH I PROMISE !!!! SPECIAL HALLA TO MY MOON JUICE PATNA JACK PAPER AND ALSO TO MY BIG BRO MAJESTIC JALIL FOR HELPING MAKE A CLASSIC DISC. ONE !BLACK ZEEK 85S FINEST COMING IN 2009KALI- THIS IS KALI COMING IN 2009MEAN DOE GREEN AND MIND CANDY COMING IN 2009 FROM DOEY ROCKiNDUSTRiAL FAM ENT !!!

Musician in SD

Last Sunday Ritz and I did the End of Summer Fire Run from La Jolla to PB. Afterwards they had booths, free giveaways, beer and music. One of the musicians was up front with his guitar and had a pretty sweet California sound, so I bought a cd from him. He was way cool, even signed it for me. We chatted, had a few drinks (gotta love a mimosa of 99% champagne for only $1.25), and wished eachother well.

Yesterday I listened to the full cd (Sun Drenched). And he's really good. Actually reminded me of being in Maui for the Luiz wedding. Soon I will be adding those songs to my iPod.

http://www.justinjamesmusic.com

Or check him out on myspace. I think I searched for Justin James...