Practicing My T's: New Activity-The Unexpected Long Nap

September 30^th: New Activity: The Unexpected Long Nap

There is a difference between sleeping and resting your eyes.  I think for the past few days, I must have just been resting my eyes, and this practice was disguised as sleeping. 

Since I had a full workout yesterday, I opted not to go to the gym.  I got off work, came back to the apartment.  I had some leftovers from yesterday and thought I was going to lay down to do some reading.  I've been switching between 50 Shades of Gray and Dead Until Dark. 

So I grabbed Dead Until Dark and was reading a few pages.  I set the alarm for an hour later with the goal of getting some more cleaning done. 

When I woke up, it was close to one in the morning.  Guess this was to show me what true sleeping was all about.

Practicing My T's: New Activity-15 minutes on Elliptical

September 29^th: New Activity:  Achieved 15 minutes on the Elliptical

After the 2^nd gig, I went to do my work out.  I am happy to report that I’m finally able to achieve 15 minutes on the elliptical machine.   Yippee!!!!

Practicing My T's: New Thing-Medical Bargain Shopping

September 28^th: New Thing: Medicine Bargain Shopping (with much needed assistance)

I went to my doctor’s appointment.  I’m still not quite sure how I feel about him as it pertains to my ailment management yet.  I do respect the fact he wants me to show him my logs on each appointment and that he is open to cutting down the dosage on my medication.  He doesn’t want me doing it on my own anymore.  He wants to see how I’m panning out on my original dosage.

He also wants to see if the new medication that Dr. B (my old doctor) wanted me to take would be helpful.  I originally didn’t pick it up because it wasn’t affordable.  Yet, he wants me to take it.

I decided to pay a visit to the social worker.  Her name is Lynn.  I explained to her my situation regarding the medication, and she gave me a card, told me to go to the in-house pharmacy and have Shop Rite transfer the prescription there.

When the transfer took place, it made the medicine (with the discount card), about 50% cheaper.  It definitely made the purchase more attainable.  

Practicing My T's: New Thing-Car Repairs Being Less Than Expected

September 27th: Having a car repair be less than expected.

How many times have you come in with your car to have one thing fixed, and it turns out several things are wrong with it?  Even worst, in order to fix the one thing you have to fix the other things, too?

With the cars I've had in the past, even this one, I've come to expect the worst, due to my experiences.

Trip down memory lane.  I promise I will get to the newness.

My very first car I had was my favorite.  It was a Kia but it was a hatchback, so you would probably think "Station Wagon".  I loved how many miles to the gallon it got (about 38mph or so) and I also liked the bumper stickers I had placed on it (My favorite: If you think Education is Expensive, Try Ignorance).

I named the car "Miracle" because I thought it was a Miracle I was actually able to get it.

When it had stuff wrong with it, it tended to have a lot of stuff wrong with it (like $500-900 a pop type stuff), but once it got fixed, it was smooth as sailing.

During the time I had Her, I fell on some tough times.  I was trying to support who I was with at the time.  That person had just quit the job, so everything was on me, regarding this person's medical expenses.  I fell slightly behind on the car payment.  Unfortunately, they were unwilling to work with me, and I had to be honest with myself what I could handle and what I couldn't

So Miracle vanished.

After that, I dealt with two other cars.  I didn't expect perfection or for them to run like new, but I didn't anticipate all of the hiccups.

On the bright side, I didn't have to make monthly payments on them.  On the downside, it might have been better for me to take a taxi (considering where I worked at the time wasn't exactly transit accessible) than for all the problems I had with them.

The second vehicle (nicknamed B**ch and PITA (Pain in the Arse) ) I got in a really bad accident.  Trying to do my job during a snow storm, although it was advised not to travel.  I almost got killed.

The vehicle had damages which well exceeded what I had paid for it (although it was still somewhat drive able), and I did experience a few anxiety attacks even after the ordeal.  After I secured the 3rd vehicle, my anxiety attacks began to dissipate

The third vehicle (nicknamed Tiny), although I had no accidents in it, did need quite a bit of work.

The mechanic I normally went to at that particular time (aka "a guy who knows cars") got into a serious falling out with his friend ("the guy who he could get parts from at the fraction of the cost" aka "the hook up").

In my arrangement with the mechanic, I would pay for the labor, and he would take care of securing the parts.

But since his partnership with his friend fell apart, he had to look for a new person who could give him the same type of deal as his friend.

He found out rather quickly how massive a deal his friend had been giving him.

Plus, he found out how small the auto mechanic community was.  His friend had spread the word concerning their fall out, so many people refused to work with him; the one who decided to wanted full payment, up front.

However, he didn't fully explain what had happened to me.

Instead, his prices started going up.

At one point, I discovered he was trying to charge me more than what the major chains were charging for the same type of work.  I felt like he was trying to take advantage of me, so I stopped going to him and tried to take care of as much as I could.

The second vehicle suffered the same mishap in the sense that the maintenance and problems were more expensive than what I paid for the vehicle, so I had to leave it alone.

My current automobile, top picture, (which is deemed Hazlenut) is a later model than my past three.

The day before, I noticed that once again, air seemed to be leaking out of a particular tire.  Each time I got it filled, I did ask if there was something in the tire which could be causing the leak.  Each person I talked to said "no", although to each's credit, it was dark during the time he was trying to look and feel.

I got air put in it again last night, and the guy was trying to tell me I needed a brand new tire, even was trying to sell me a new one for $140.  I told him I would wait until the next day (today) to go see about it.

I got up early to go the repair shop down the street.  I had myself mentally prepared to pay up to $150 for a replacement tire.

The repair shop found a screw embedded in my tire, but claimed they would be able to fix the tire without me having to dish out money for a new one.

So this was one of those days when I ended up paying less than expected, and I was quite happy!

Practicing My T's: New Food--Chips with Malt Vinegar and Sea Salt

September 26th:  Malt Vinegar and Sea Salt Chips

I am not sure if I am in the minority or the majority with this one.

I, for the most part, wait until after I have purchased a product before I start indulging in its' goodness.

However, at the second gig, at times, I have seen either the customer or the customer's friend, family member, etc., starting drinking or eating the merchandise before it is paid for.

In most cases, no harm, no foul; the person has the money for it.

This case was a little different.

The guy opened the chips (the ones pictured) and started eating them.

Then, he walked over, looked at the drinking options. He was a bit upset because we didn't have Snapple or Vitamin Water, but the reason we don't carry those things (or a lot of things) because there's a Sunoco/store literally one to two minutes away which has the rest (at a more affordable price).

So he walks up to the register; I ring up the half eaten bag of chips, and he only has $1.  Now if it was, let's say a few cents off, I would have let it go.  If he had been a more pleasant customer (and if I had the extra change in my pocket), perhaps I would have done a good deed for the day and let it go.

"I'm sorry; I only have a dollar--will you let it go this time?"

"Dude, you are short by a dollar.  If it was a couple of cents, I would have done it; this instance, I really can't."

"I've already eaten some of the chips..."

"Well, you shouldn't have been eating chips you can't pay for.  The price is clearly posted underneath the chips." (which is it--black background, loud white writing)

So he gets upset, flings the bag of chips at me, causing some to fly on my person and the counter, and storms away in a huff.

As I was cleaning up the mess, I figured I would sample the bits that landed on my work clothing.

The vinegar, and I'm not sure if it was because it was malt vinegar, was so overpowering (ugh).  You couldn't really taste the salt; it was as if you were eating vinegar.

Perhaps it was the brand.

Either way, I don't see myself trying this again, either by accident or on purpose, any time soon.

P.S (1):  I did ask management if we had any policy in place prohibiting the customer from using a product until it is paid for.  I have yet to get a clear cut answer.  I guess if it happens often enough to the point where they start losing money if customers can't pay for it, then this rule will get put into play.

P.S. (2): They did bring back an old rule regarding the customer and receipts.  If the customer doesn't get the receipt, then their purchase is free.  However, what does one do when the customer refuses the receipt or wants it thrown away?  Do they still get the stuff for free?  It would be different if the majority of the sales came from novelty items (keychains, shirts, phone chargers, etc.) or situations where the customer may have an issue and try to return the product.  But usually people come in for a snack or drink, something they are going to consume within the next ten minutes anyway.  I just question how necessary was the bring back for this rule.

Practicing My T's: New Food-Dannon Greek Yogurt

September 25th: Trying some Dannon Greek Yogurt

I've had yogurt before, but never the Greek.  It definitely has a richer texture than other yogurts, but I found it incredibly yummy.  

Practicing My T's: New Food-Jasmine Rice with Chick Peas

September 24th: Had Jasmine Rice covered with Chick Peas

Yes, I've had Jasmine Rice before.

Yes, I've had chick peas before.

Both are very yummy.

However, I have never had them together, so figured I would try it.

A pretty nice combination!

Practicing My T's: New Activity-Surviving Through XBox Zumba Class

September 23rd: Surviving Through a Zumba Workout.

Yes, Zumba is fun, but it is also work.  Going through the whole aspect of mastering the moves and then putting them into action.  By the time you are finished, even with the short ones, you can get worn out.  But I enjoyed myself!

Practicing My T's: New Activity-Substituting Free Weights for Machines

September 22nd: Substituted Free Weights Exercises for Machine

I had the fortune of SOS accompanying me during my workout session this past Saturday.  He was able to show me some exercises via free weights that could do the same as the machine.  

Practicing My T's: New Activity--Slightly Upgrading Casual Friday

the new red top

September 21st: New Activity:  Instead of wearing jeans on Casual Friday, wore a jean skirt and new top.

At the day job, every Friday is casual Friday.  I usually am the first one to throw on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.  

Today, because I couldn’t find the pair of jeans I normally wore and the backup pair was a bit too loose because of my weight loss, I opted to throw on one of my jean skirts and one of my newest tops from Ashley Stewart.  

So I guess I’m what one can call Slightly Dressy Casual.

At least for today.

Peace.

Practicing My T's-New Activity: Stocking instead of Ringing

September 20th: New Activity:  Opted to Stock at the 2nd gig instead of Register 

Usually on a weekday evening at the 2^nd gig, especially since we’re entering the slow season, one cashier is scheduled.  

Therefore, I was shocked when the other person was scheduled until close.  

Normally, in that instance at night, I opt to stay on the register since usually, the other person is more skilled at bringing up stock.  

However, since it was pretty slow, the other person is still new, and I wanted to keep moving, I opted to do the stocking instead.  

First, it passed the time.  

Second, I was hoping some of the stretch would take the sting off the workout I did late Tuesday/early Wednesday morning.  

Third, it kept me from thinking about the unfortunate event concerning someone special.

And last, but certainly not least, it kept me from dealing with a particular manager there I am not the fondest of.  

So in the end, it all worked out.  My shift came to an end before I knew it.

Practicing My T's: New Activity: When Snack Urge Strikes, Drink Water.

September 19th: New Activity: When Snack Urge Struck at the Job, Drink Water.

One thing which is hard for me is to eat regularly in a day.  

Like, I can eat something in the daytime and not have the urge to eat anything else until a few hours before bed.  

However, my nutritionist has recommended that I eat more often but with tiny portions, which I have tried to do.  

Usually, I try to bring enough snack food with me, since there have been times when I’ve forgotten to eat breakfast.  This time around, I forgot to, and I didn’t have quite enough money to buy a snack.

I read an article that the signal for hunger and the signal for thirst tend to be the same signal, so when I felt the urge to snack, I grabbed some water in the hopes that it would help.  Well, it didn’t help, but I did keep on drinking.

Practicing My T's: New Activity-Don't Go To Bed Mad; Work It Out

September 18th: Instead of going to sleep mad, I worked it out (exercise wise, that is).

I was pretty upset after discovering some bad news.  I would have talked to a certain someone about it, except that person was the cause of my agitation.

Instead of stewing in silence, because the amount of anger I felt snatched my words, I did something very uncharacteristic.  Rather than lying awake annoyed, I decided to head back out to the gym.

The situation hasn't worked itself out yet, but my initial anger towards it is.  Plus, I got an unexpected workout in with some good results.

Practicing My T's: New Activity--Wore Something New at the Day Job

September 17^th: New Activity--Wore Something New at the Day Job

Well, on the 2nd gig, I have a uniform, so anything I wear there wouldn't really be anything new besides a different style of black pants.

On the day job, however, I decided to break in a few items I had purchased earlier.

Pants:  I took advantage of a buy one, get one half off sale at Ashley Stewart.  I purchased a pair of dark grey pants and a pair of dark brown pants.  I know it's hard to tell from the lighting which one is which but I opted to select the dark brown pants for the day.

Shirts:  There was a buy one, get one half off on the shirts, too.  I opted for the cream color shirt and I did put on a tan/coffee colored camisole underneath since the V neck is a bit low on the shirt.  Plus it makes for good layering action.

Shoes:  I like the comfort of the wedges and the light color seems to compliment both tops perfectly.  The shoes aren't really new; I've worn them out before and have worn them a couple of times at the job, but it's the first time they've been in conjunction with a brand new outfit.

Peace.

Practicing My T's: New Activity-Stocking Up on Yankee Candles

September 16^th: New Activity: Stocking Up on Yankee Candles

One of my favorite candles is the Yankee Candles.  They have a variety of scents that I love.  

The first time I was exposed to a Yankee Candle was I received one as a gift during the end of one of my internships, and I have been hooked ever since.  

Good scents do come at a cost, since Yankee Candles tend to be a bit pricey.

A few months back, the Points program at my bank had come to a close, so I had all of these points which I hadn’t redeemed yet.  I decided for redemption to get 2 Game Stop Gift Cards (total $20), 1 AMC Gift Card ($25), 1 Camera, and 1 Yankee Candle Gift Card ($25). 

I gave the 2 Game Stop Gift Cards to someone special, since he’s the one who normally gets video games and Microsoft Xbox points; I figured they would come in handy.

I haven’t used the AMC Gift Card Yet.

I did decide to use the Yankee Candle one, since I happened to be in the vicinity.

Since I don’t burn candles often (I burn incense more than candles), I wanted to indulge in some of the sample candles which were available (I got 6).  It was a nice mixture of floral, beach, and fruity.  I also wanted to indulge in some much needed scents for the car, so I took advantage of the 3 for $10.49 deal on the car vent fragrances.   I used the gift card to pay for these items.

I didn’t realize so many new scents had come out.  One of the favorite new scents which came out was the Fruit Fusion.  I decided to get a medium sized one of that along with the Midnight Jasmine.  There was someone else shopping there who gave me a coupon for a buy one medium, get one free, which was why I got the two medium.  I opted to pay for these two out of pocket.

Peace.

Practicing My T's: New Activity--Movie Based on Video Game Seen Less than a Week After Its' Debut

September 15th:  New Activity--Going to see a movie based on a Video Game less than one week after its’ premiere in the theater.

With movies being so expensive, I tend to be a bit more selective in what I see now than I did previously.  I even try to catch the movies during matinee hours so I can get the cheapest rate.

I am a big fan of horror movies (more old school than the mystery/horror movies), comedy movies (more situational than slapstick), and action movies (those with a plot I can relate to, not just shoot them up or fight movies). 

Usually, with movies based on Video Games, I tend to wait until they come out on DVD—they don’t call to me to be seen in the theater.

However, my someone special is big into the movies based on video games, movies based on racing (Fast and the Furious) or plots regarding investigation, anti-cop, or vigilante justice. 

So with Resident Evil: Retribution coming out on this past Friday, I sensed he really wanted to check it out.  I admit I hadn’t had a chance to look at all of the previous movies leading up to it but the action shown in the previews intrigued me. 

I am very glad the local movie theater reopened.  For upon its’ reopening, you can go to any movie at any time for $5.00 compared to paying an arm and a leg at AMC.  

Sure, the theater itself isn’t as fancy, but if you are getting such a great deal on getting in the movie, how worried are you about the fanciness of the theater?

The action in it was top notch.  I still was able to somewhat follow it since the first couple of minutes gave a synopsis of what happened in the others.    There weren’t any moments where the action dragged—you felt like you were in a video game.

So it was definitely worth my $5.00.

Resident Evil: Retribution Rules the Box Office

Peace.

Practicing My T's: New Activity-Taking Down an Updo

don't mind me...just making a silly face...

September 14th:  New Activity-Taking Down An Up-do

I haven’t had too many up-do’s in my life.  

In fact, I can count on one hand how many I have had. 

Back in the 9^th grade, when it was in, I had a finger wave and a French roll.  You had to gel the stuff to death to get it to stay.

In college, a couple of times, I rocked a bun.

But other than that, unless I was able to put my hair in a ponytail, I preferred my hair to be loose and carefree.

I enjoyed having my loc hawk.  It was different and adventurous.  It made quite the conversation piece, not only at work but other places as well. 

The only drawback was after a while, the pins started getting to me.  

In particular were a few at the very center of my head, holding one part of the hawk to the other part of the hawk.  Whenever it was bumped against or if I were to sleep on it, the point would dig into me.

So because it became annoying, and because that part of my head was becoming a bit tender, I slowly went through the process of taking it down.  

Although I don’t remember the precise number of pins that were in my hair, I did count close to twenty. 

My hair still has a little bit of wave in it from all the twists and turns of the loc hawk, but I know the center of my head is breathing a sigh of relief.

Would I ever get the style again?  Of course!

But I still like it free.

Peace.

Practicing My T's: New Food-Pan Seared Turbot with Vegetable Couscous

September 13th: Pan Seared Turbot with Vegetable Couscous

The presentation of the dish was amazing! I never had this type of fish before.  Perhaps this is why...

Found on menus in the whitest of white-tablecloth restaurants, turbot (pronounced tur-bet) is a favored flatfish for discerning chefs.

I believe that is fancy speak to mean that turbot is expensive.

It had a very light flavor and the couscous complimented it quite nicely.  Out of the things I had at this restaurant, known simply as The Steakhouse, this was definitely the best part of the four course meal.

Along with the fish, I had salad (which was very good, but the Red Wine Vinaigrette was a bit sweet).  I passed on the clam chowder, since I am a fan of the white, and they only had the red with shrimp mixed in.  Not only do I not eat the red chowder, but I only like shrimp in certain instances.

The apple dessert (which was also new for me), although tasty, was a bit rich after a few bites.

On the taste spectrum, the fish and the couscous was perfect. 

Peace.

Practicing My T's: New Food & Drink-Chicken Taquitos and Albarino

Sept. 12th: New Food and Drink—Chicken Taquitos and Albarino

There are so many new things and activities I tried on my birthday, but I think I will do a separate blog on my birthday activities alone in order to point those out. 

Two new things that did stick out in my mind was when I had my birthday dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Dos Caminos.  It was one of the appetizers that was suggested to me—Chicken Taquitos and a white wine that was recommended, Albarino.

Chicken Taquitos: pulled chicken rolled in crispy corn tortillas, shaved lettuce, queso fresco, 

tomatillo avocado salsa

They are small but they pack quite a punch in flavor.  It was a nice compliment to the fresh guacamole and chips that were part of the meal as well.

Pictured:  Albarino, Salneval, Rias Baixas, Spain 2009

(From http://wine.about.com)

Definition: Albarino is the primary white grape grown in Spain's coastal Rias Baixes wine region. It is a lovely, albeit quirky white wine grape that makes highly aromatic white wines with fantastic acidity.

Flavor Profile - On the palate you will typically be able to identity apple, pear, and/or citrus nuances in Albarino based wines. 

Food Pairings - These wines are made to be consumed young and go extraordinarily well with many appetizers, Cajun fare, poultry, shellfish and grilled fish.

I knew I was in the mood for a little wine.  I’m a big fan of white wine; I have yet to find a red wine that I really like.  

However, I wanted to try something a little different from Chardonnay.  The waitress suggested to me this wine called Albarino, which I had never heard of. 

Although it was a little pricey (like $11 for a glass), I figured I would give it a try to see how I liked it.  I was very impressed with the flavor.  I could taste the hints of citrus and the aroma was amazing.  It’s one of those wines I wouldn’t mind having a bottle of on hand.  

Peace.

Practicing My T's: New Drink-Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee (French Vanilla)

September 11^th: Tried the Dunkin Donuts iced coffee—French Vanilla flavor.  It is not bad.  It actually tastes better than the one time, long ago, when I tried the regular iced coffee.

However, I still think I prefer the feel of a hot cup of coffee in my hand, but at least I opened myself up to give this a try.