Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Freeze Pop Koozies are the End of Childhood as We Know It

Why hello there and happy Wednesday to you!  I don't know about you, but January is just running away from me.  It's been a flurry of activity so far, and we're already 3 weeks in!  Although it's been busy I still have these undercurrents of energy and excitement pulsing through me.  I still have that same feeling that 2015 is just going to be wonderful :)

And now, I am going to be posting another random list of completely unrelated items.  I feel like I should be planning out my posts better so that there is a common theme to things, but life is pretty random most of the time anyway, isn't it?!  Here we go...

1.  Read this book over the weekend.  Something inside me was set off when I first read "The Diary of Anne Frank" in 6th grade, and ever since then I've been drawn to reading stories and first hand accounts of the Holocaust.  There is something about the 2 extremes of human nature during this period in time that I still can't wrap my head around.  That at one end of the spectrum, humans can be so incredibly resilient and radiate light, and at the other be so incredibly full of darkness and hate.  And every time I read these stories, I wonder if humanity will ever reach a point where we completely extinguish the darkness?
 
 
2.  Tried this stuff for the first time.  I don't eat popcorn often because it's usually coated in either butter or some kind of cheese, which are both no-go's for me.  But this contains just sunflower oil and salt.  At first taste I thought it was kind of bland, and needed more salt, but it became strangely addicting! 
 
 
3.  I intended to go out for a long(er) run this past Sunday but of course it decided to rain and be icy.  So I decided to do some HIIT work instead and grabbed this workout from my Pinterest board.  It's a good one to do at home because it's quick, you don't need any equipment and it will leave you a bit sore!  I did the circuit 3x through which took 27 mins total, but I took 2 min breaks between each circuit (so 24 min total work).  [I also edited it a little and did a few more pushups/squats/crunches than they called for, so you can tweak as you go]
 
 
4.  I went to the grocery store last night in search of zucchini because I have been craving my mom's legendary zucchini bread and wanted to make some myself (it's dairy free!).  I had no idea how bewildering this task would be.  I scoured the produce section over and over in search of zucchini to no avail.  Finally, I happened upon a vegetable that looked EXACTLY like a zucchini but was labeled "Green squash".  WTH?!  (I actually had to text my mom to ask her if this was the same thing!)  Maybe I'm the idiot here b/c I rarely buy zucchini, but is this what supermarkets call it?! What is zucchini called where you live?  And have you ever once in your life heard of "Green Squash Bread".  NO?!  I rest my case.
 
 
5.  I finally started adding some 'speed work' into my running.  I don't ever do tempos or fartleks like all the professional runners out there, and rarely do track repeats (a few times a summer), but I decided to just start adding sprints into my runs.  Genius!  For the treadmill, I started doing little intervals like this: 2 mins slower/1 min sprint, repeat over and over, and then end with a steady pace cool down.  Outside, I just randomly start sprinting every now and then!  I can only hope my made up speed training actually makes me faster for my next race! Hahaha
 
 
5.  And lastly, I was leisurely browsing my daily GroopDealz email this morning when this image caught my eye:
 
What has the world come to when we can no longer expect our children to HOLD THEIR OWN FREEZE POPS without insulating their poor little fingers from the cold?!?! I hope I never live to see the day when a child is actually using one of these.  Americans are soft, man.  That is all.
 
 

Have a great day!
 
 
What do they call zucchini around your parts?!
 
Can you recommend any other good dairy-free (salt only) popcorns to me?
 
Would you ever purchase a Freeze Pop Koozie?!  Please say no.
 
 
 



Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Recently...

1.  I went to the doctor last week and my blood pressure was 88/57.  My heart rate was 56.  I'm no M.D. but I'm pretty sure with vitals like those, I should be dead.  IT'S GOOD TO BE ALIVE PEOPLE!

2.  I did another 11 miles on Saturday after I buried my feelings in Chipotle the night before and I most surprisingly felt pretty swell.  Much better than last week's 11 and a few minutes faster too.  Lesson:  Massive amounts of Chipotle will make your run faster.  Try it.
 
 
3.  After my run, I went to check out Runner Appreciation Day at Holabird Sports.  I had never been to Holabird before because I always get my running shoes from Charm City Run.  However this event sounded fun, it was free, and there was a chance you could win some cool running stuff! SOLD!  I ended up getting some free socks, picked up some Nuun and tried on the new Adidas Energy Boost shoes.  Verdict on those - I really liked them!  Ran around the parking lot for awhile and whatever that Boost material is, it definitely feels different from the normal foam cushioning in most shoes.
 
 
4.  My Saturday of fun continued when I stopped by the library and picked up lots of new books.  There's not much that makes me as happy as new books that are also FREE.  (Running, Babies.  It's a short list.  I'm easy to please.)
 
 
5.  On Sunday I went to my cousin's daughter's 3rd birthday party.  I hadn't seen these particular cousins since Christmas so it was really nice to spend some time with them. 
Aunt Jill, supervising the kids on the play set, drink in hand. #RoleModel
 
 
6.  This happened:
 

I was ice bucket challenged.  So if you ever wanted to know what I sound like IRL - there you go!  I'm a munchkin from the Land of Oz.  [You may be wondering how I filmed this here video considering I live alone.  If you guessed I taught my cats how to use an iPhone you'd be wrong, but that would be awesome.  No, I duct taped my iPhone to the bannister of my balcony.  Real life MacGuyver over here.  NASA should hire me.]
 
After I doused myself with ice water, I ran the fastest 7 miles of my life.  It was like running with built in air conditioning.  This has been noted and I will be ice bucketing myself immediately prior to running my half marathon.
 
That's all folks!  Enjoy your week :)
 
 
Tell me something random and fun!!!


Monday, July 21, 2014

A Bunch of Randoms

There were a bunch of things I wanted to mention over the past week, but none of them were long enough for a post, so now I'm going to hit you with a bunch of randoms.  Enjoy!

1.  I just finished reading this book, that I picked up at the book exchange on vacation: 

Apparently, I have the literature interests of a 75 year old man.
 
Truthfully, I didn't know much about Jerry Lewis going into this book, other than that he was the MDA telethon guy.  I picked it up because I'm a big Dean Martin and Rat Pack fan and I must say, I quite enjoyed the book. The insights into what these men and showbiz was like in the 40's and 50's was kind of eye opening.  If you are naïve enough to think that most entertainers and actors in those days didn't have Mob connections and girlfriends on the side (like I was), well, then this will shatter those notions.  But, the relationship between Martin and Lewis, which is the heart of this story, is also incredibly touching and unique. 
 
2.  I baked muffins last week.  By myself.  From scratch.  With real blueberries.  I don't even know who I am anymore:
 
I am becoming a domestic goddess.  Watch out world.
 
3.  I recently bought these running shorts at Forever 21 on a whim (I know, I'm like 10 years past the age limit for that store) and they are probably my favorite running shorts ever right now:
 
 
I don't shop that much for myself but I had just given away a bunch of old, ill-fitting running shorts last month during my Minimalist Game and I had to replenish!  Plus, these were less than $16.  They are incredibly comfortable, loose, breathable and feel way more high end than $16!  I honestly think these are on par with shorts I have from Nike, UA, and Reebok.  And they even have a zip pocket in the back for keys!  If you are not ashamed to walk into your local Forever 21, then I think you owe it to yourself to go check out a pair of these bad boys for yourself.   
 

4.  I won a bunch of coconut water from Walgreens through Twitter a couple weeks ago and have been enjoying it ever since:
 
 

I already enjoy coconut water immensely and drink it pretty often (usually Zico), but I didn't even know Walgreens had their own brand.  I'm guessing maybe this is new and that's why they were hosting a giveaway, but I must say it is indeed Delish.  Yesterday I was out running errands and was so thirsty I actually popped into a Walgreens and bought one of these (yes, I realize I had them at home but that was doing me no good on the other side of town) so that's how much I actually love this stuff.
 
5.  I was introduced to a new blog last week via a guy from Tinder, and I really like it.  It's called People Passionate, and I'd encourage you to give a quick read.  It's not a running blog but it's authored by a guy who left his corporate job to pursue his passion (it's a theme with me lately, what can I say) and he publishes a lot of really positive content.  Soooooo, Tinder hasn't been great for my dating life but I'm getting new blogs out of it so not a total loss, right?!
 
6.  We all know I am addicted to Buzzfeed quizzes.  Sooooo, I took this quiz, and they guessed I am a TEENAGE BOY?!?!  I'm not even going to attempt to analyze that.
 
 
And finally,
 
6.  Last week while on a walk (with a baby in a stroller, mind you) I witnessed an older gentleman gardening IN A SPEEDO.  I can't make this up.  The human race continues to befuddle me on a daily basis.  Ahh well, to each his own!
 
 
 
Here's to another week of exciting adventures ahead!!  Happy Monday y'all.
 
 

What are you reading right now?

Any good running clothing/equipment finds lately?

Seen anything bizarre on a run or walk lately?!