My Life, As Told Between (Baby Cakes') Naps

Things are going smashingly well right now. So well in fact that I’m very worried.

I’m a pretty upbeat person, probably because I’ve been very very fortunate in my life and have had little cause to be downbeat. However, this stretch of feel-goodiness has lasted far longer than any such previous periods. Sure, there are some things I’d like to change (I wish my best friends weren’t moving out of LA, I wish I had more money saved up, I’d like to be 10 pounds thinner, etc.) but for the most part, things are going eerily well. So, naturally, I’m getting increasingly worried about what lurks around the corner. Something’s gotta give. Until then though, I guess I just need to let it go and try to enjoy this stretch while it lasts…and continue crossing my fingers, knocking on wood, and avoiding black cats and ladders…

For those who weren’t subject to my whining last weekend, I was plagued by the worse toothache ever. A pounding, aching, horrifying pain in my lower left jaw that just. would. not. STOP!! Urgh.

It started late Friday and persisted throughout the entire weekend – extra unfun because it was the weekend of the Frog’s suprise party and several of our best friends were in town for the occasion. I tried dosing it with painkillers, both topical and of the pill kind, but nothing seemed to work. Sadly, I’m afraid I was a bit of a bore at the Frog’s party because of the evil tooth. At the party, T. very sweetly tried to cheer me up with more pain medication and ice cream (let’s not analyze the irony of being given ice cream to cure a toothache) but nothing worked. It was great seeing everyone, but I’m afraid I spent too much of the night grimacing in the corner rather than socializing.

Well, I woke up last Monday morning to find the pain had mysteriously lessened. By Tuesday, it had disappeared altogether! I’ve been waiting in fear all week for it to returned, but today marks a full pain free week. So I celebrated by getting some candy after lunch.

(Now, I realize the wise course of action would be to see my dentist, but I had just seen my dentist a month ago. And the pain was in a tooth that I’d had crowned and which I knew was problematic. And I don’t have dental insurance so…well…I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.)

[Update:  Thanks for all the concern guys.  I ended up calling my dentist to see if I should come in and he informed me that unless there’s more pain, it can wait until my next checkup.]

We started off the weekend Friday night having dinner with T’s mom, who was here on a four hour layover on her way to Costa Rica, and brother at a cute little restaurant suggested by a friend of mine.

Got up early Saturday morning for my first long run (14 miles) since the marathon three weeks earlier. It was great to be back out there running. Got to know some fellow runners that I’d seen but had not really had the chance to talk to, caught up with an old friend who’s been out for the last ten weeks due to a running injury, and received a compliment from a fellow runner who’s been out of the country the last five months. She thought I’d lost weight since the last time she’d seen me! (This, of course, totally gave me license to pig out the rest of the weekend.) Oh, and the actual run was nice too.

After the run, I dragged T out of bed and we had a wonderful brunch at a local restaurant. Feeling sufficiently stuffed, we headed out to the beach to meet up with my little sister L, who had announced the day before that she was in town with nine of her best girl friends. After ten minutes with a gang of giggling girls, T and I had to call it quits and headed out to do some bike shopping. Two test rides later, we found the bikes for us. My key criteria in bike shopping was finding one that I would be able to stay on. Fortunately, although wobbly, I managed to stay upright despite it being decades (literally – more than one decade!) since I’d last ridden.*

(Isn’t she a cutie? She’s little, but powerful. I’m going to give her a big, intimidating name, to make up for her diminuative size.)

Saturday night was spent at the Frog’s surprise going away party. I think we did a pretty good job gathering together lots of the Frog’s closest friends and family members for a big bash. (We love you Frog and will miss you horribly!) Surprised even myself by staying at the party until 2am. Didn’t get to sleep until 4am (due to some time collecting and ensuring that our drunken friends were all okay and could safely get home). =)

Sunday started off with another brunch, this time featuring the Frog, the Wombat, Savor, and KM (who is sadly blogless). Got back just in time to meet the realtor for some condo-shopping. Saw one that was almost perfect, but it’ll probably be off the market by the time we’re actually ready to buy (July). It gives us hope that we’ll find something we both really like come July though.

Finished condo-shopping just in time to rush back to the bike shop before it closed to pick up the two bikes we fell in love with on Saturday (but were unable to pick up because we had to hurry home to catch the UCLA game).

Collapsed, exhausted in our bed early Sunday night.

*Note: I did a little bit of bike riding in Santa Barbara with my Quad friends, but I was the caboose on a tandem bike, which totally doesn’t count.

I miss my old co-workers, J and A, who became very good friends in the two years I was working at my old firm.

Today, someone brought in a box of chocolates to share with the office. The chocolates are sitting at the receptionist’s desk, tempting me. I’ve already swung by to grab a few pieces but that merely fed the craving for more. Sadly, the receptionist’s desk is waaaaaaaaay on the other side of the office from me and I can’t think of any excuse to wander over to that side of the office and surreptitiously steal some.

If J or A were here, I’d send them out to get some for me.

(And if you have to ask why I don’t just got get some more myself, you wouldn’t understand the answer.)

Back from a fabulous weekend with my Quad friends. We started the weekend with wine, gossip and cheesy picture taking on Friday night. Very relaxed night of hanging out and catching up in our adorable beachside cottage rental.

On Saturday, we took some picture and then walked to the beach and rented tandem bikes. Biked just long enough to get some (more) good pictures. During our bike ride, we stopped to on the beach for a bit to take incredibly cheesy, embarassing-to-think-about pictures. Although I groaned at the time and feigned disinterest, I’m (secretly) glad we took them. =) I just can’t stop looking at them and smiling.

After the bike ride, the picture taking, lunch, and more picture taking, we drove to some local wineries to do some wine tasting. Drank wine, took pictures, had an impromptu picnic at one of the wineries, took pictures, and then headed to Solvang, a cute little Danish town nearby, where we (surprise!) took more pictures and drank more wine.

Headed back early enough for a quick nap before heading out to dinner. Sadly, due to my poor planning and the surprisingly cold weather, I was forced to wear a hideous jean on jean outfit that earned me the moniker “Tex” (as in “Texas tuxedo,” a term I made the mistake of sharing with my friends).

Fortunately for me, we ended the night early, as none of us felt like squeezing into an Irish bar with tons of drunk college students (and I especially did not want to be spotted in my Texas tuxedo). Plus, we had to wake up early the next morning to take more pictures before heading home! All in all, it was lovely to catch up with my girls and I’m looking forward to our next annual Quad Reunion trip. =)

Sadly, these days, I’m finding it all too easy to go too long without seeing some of my best friends. We all get caught up in the day to day routines of our lives. I see some friends frequently because they’re part of that routine – my work friends, my running friends, my dinner party friends, my going out friends, etc. But I see other friends very seldomly, either because they’re too far away or, sadder still, they’re very close but we’re not a part of each other’s routines anymore.

One of my best (Quad) friends actually lives in LA, but somehow we’ve both fashioned lives for ourselves that don’t really include each other. I know she’s always there for me and I’m there for her, but the only time we really spend any time together is during Quad reunions – one of which is coming up this weekend! We’re taking a break from our routines and heading out to a beach-side cottage in Santa Barbara for our third annual Quad Reunion. (We went to Vegas two years ago and Tahoe last year.)

I hope we manage to take a trip together every year, regardless of what life brings us. It’s all too easy to take friends for granted and assume they’ll be there when you need them. I’m trying to remember how important it is to nurture these friendships in the in-between time. That gets even harder when one gets into a relationship, as the Frog very eloquently pointed out. (Speaking of which, T.’s sulking a bit because this SB trip was originally supposed to be a couples event, but we changed it recently and disinvited the boys.)  I’m very fortunate to know so many stellar women (and a few stellar men) and I never want to get so wrapped up in my life and my routines that these friendships fall entirely to the wayside.

To my (three) friends who read this blog: I may not always need you but you are always always wanted!

One of T’s best friends from high school visited us this weekend from Boston, bringing his wife and newborn son (Q) with him. Several other high school friends drove down to LA to meet Q.

Isn’t he a cutie? He looks a bit like the Travelocity Gnome in that outfit. =) I think he liked me best – T claims it’s because Q likes the fact that we almost see eye to eye (he really just can’t get enough of the short jokes!).

T and I babysat for a few hours to give the parents a chance for a rare diner alone. We’d spent much of the day with Q and thought babysitting would be relatively easy. From what we seen, he was a very well behaved, good-natured baby. He wasn’t mobile yet, had just been fed and would be going to sleep soon. How hard could it be?

What we didn’t realize was the near neurotic need to make sure nothing happened to Q on our watch. We simply sat and stared at him sleeping for several hours, periodically peering intently to ensure we still saw that little chest moving. It was nerve wracking! I can only imagine how parents do it…

I am insanely obsessed with sweets, as Fat Mikey (aka my belly) can attest too.

On Sunday, I decided to wage war against Fat Mikey. So far, he’s winning the battle.

On Monday, I decided I needed a day to recover from the marathon. I can start my diet on Tuesday, I reasoned. Fat Mikey agreed that this was for the best.

On Tuesday, it occured to me I should eat all the chocolate at the apartment so I wouldn’t continue to tempt myself. Fat Mikey thought this was a brilliant idea.

On Wednesday, one of my co-worker’s started selling chocolate for her son’s school. I had to buy one and supoprt my co-worker’s son, I rationalized. Fat Mikey concurred.

On Thursday, I did a host of chores that had been neglected for awhile. Naturally, I had to snack while doing them to keep my energy level up. Fat Mikey started to gloat.

Today, well, today I discovered this site. I fear all hope is lost. My only salvation is that I’ve eaten all the chocolate in my apartment already (a better plan than it sounded at the time!) and I’ve forbidden my co-worker from selling me any more candy. So now I just need someone to sit and monitor me for the rest of the day to make sure Fat Mikey doesn’t do anything devious – like sneaking off to the store to buy chocolate while I’m not looking.

[Update] Fat Mikey struck at 1:15pm, after lunch. Before I knew it, I’d eaten half a bar of dark chocolate purchased at my local Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.  Woe is me.  Double woe is me for having to get into a swimsuit and go to the beach tomorrow!

The LA Marathon was yesterday. Of the three marathons I’ve done, this was far and away my worse one yet. I think part of it was that I’d eaten too early the day before and was starving even before the race started (despite my friend’s thoughtfulness in sharing her boiled eggs!). I then ate too much during the run in an effort make up for it, but it didn’t digest in time to give me any extra energy – just an upset stomach!

“Hitting the wall” is when you’ve burned through your body’s fuel and it feels like you can’t put one foot in front of the other anymore. In a marathon, this often hits around mile 20 because your body can only store a certain amount of calories to burn (or something like that, but more complicated). Although I generally find the last 6 miles of a 26 mile run difficult, I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve never really “hit the wall,” at least not like yesterday. Yesterday, I felt like the wall fell on me around mile 15.

The new downhill course also did a number on my toes. I lost feeling in some of them relatively early on in the race. Combined with my waning energy, upset stomach and the unexpected heat, it was all I could do to keep running. Rather than enjoying the race, I spent much of it focused on just finishing. One. Step. At. A. Time. I finished in 05:23:17 and while I’m happy that I was able to finish the marathon without taking any extra walk breaks, I’m disappointed that I finished 33 minutes slower then my time last year and 48 minutes slower than my goal time.

I guess I’ve learned some lessons for the next race though (either San Diego in June, Long Beach in October or SF in October). And I was fortunate in that I finished without getting sick or needing an IV drip, which happened to some of the runners because of the heat. In any case, I’m giving myself one more day of semi-indulgence before I get back on my diet and attempt to destroy Fat Mikey (as I’ve taken to calling my belly)!

So after a year of dating and three months of living together, I’m afraid poor T is finally confronting the Crazy. I do a pretty decent job of keeping it hidden, with only hints of it peaking through ocasionally – enough for friends to poke gentle fun of but not enough to face full fledge ridicule. But it’s there nonetheless. Lurking. A messy bundle of anxieties and neurosis beneath my laid-back, casual demeanor.  Most of the time I do a decent job of guarding it, but sometimes, something gets it going and it makes a break for it.

The most often sighted manifestation of it is my tendency towards hypochondria. I’m convinced I’m going to die at the slightest sign that something’s out of whack. T is the opposite. He’s convinced that the words “I’m fine” will defeat any and everything, no appointments, pills or follow-ups necessary.

After a particularly persistant cold, T finally went to the doctor’s recently. While there, he had some bloodwork done that showed a slight anomoly. According to the doctor (allegedly), there’s nothing to worry about just yet. I, however, am convinced it’s something horrendous and have been worried all week, although I’ve managed to keep the Crazy reigned in fairly well. Until yesterday. While doing some research on what the anomoly could be and discussing the matter with friends, I became absolutely convinced T has a (relatively rare) genetic condition (completely unrelated to the anomoly) based, mostly, on the fact that he is tall and lanky.

T pointed out the pesky detail that he didn’t have any of the other symptoms. As if that matters at this point to the Crazy. We’ll both probably continue to press this issue until he either caves and goes to see a specialist or firmly convinces us he really doesn’t have any of the symptoms. At least the Crazy’s retreated enough for me to see that perhaps it’s premature to start making a list of all possible ramifications of the condition and drawing up a plan on what steps to take to deal with the ramification. Besides, I’ve got to go back to worrying about the anomoly. . .

I am absolutely drooling over this dress!

It’s not as expensive as it could be (what kind of sad justification is that?), but I have absolutely no occasion to wear it. I think I could have used a friend’s upcoming bachelorette bash in Vegas as an excuse, but unfortunately, the bash is Saturday and the dress won’t arrive until next week even if if I order it right this very minute.

Won’t you please find invite me to some cool cocktail party that mandates an appropriately cool dress? =) Pretty please?

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Yes, yes, I realize no one really celebrates it and it’s all very commercial and whatnot (*insert appropriate amount of cynicism here*).  But I support any holiday that gives me an excuse to eat chocolate.  Yummmm…chocolate….

So T dropped by my office this afternoon to surprise me with flowers and to take me to lunch.  While I love getting flowers in general, this was especially sweet because he had been at work since 3pm the day before, hadn’t gotten any sleep yet because he had to work overtime and was due back at work at 5pm today.  I, in the meanwhile, had driven back to the apartment to surprise him and take him out to lunch.  

. . .Okay, that actually didn’t happen, but wouldn’t that have been so Gift of the Magi of me?  Unfortunately, what actually happened was that I had to help with a motion that had to be filed today, so I couldn’t even be taken to lunch.

Lastly, since I’ve been so lax about posting (as several friends have pointed out recently!), here’s a recap:

• Saw Wicked this weekend.  It was great.  I started crying during the second act, in anticipation of the Wicked Witch of the West’s demise (per The Wizard of Oz).  Despite the tough exterior I present (hey, stop laughing), I am made of goo and regularly cry watching Hallmark commercials.
• T and I made dinner Monday night, a very unusual occurence as neither of us cook.  T made chicken and mushrooms in a black bean sauce.  I made the rice.  Borrowed (non-Asian) Roomie’s rice cooker, only to discover that I don’t actually know how to cook rice (I may be the worst Asian ever).  Fortunately, after a couple of telephone calls, and a bit of derision from my sister B, I was able to put the pieces together.  The pieces, by the way, are essentially:  (a) put rice in pot, (b) put water in pot, (c) press button labeled “cook.”       
• Went to a fantastic Indian dinner last night organized by a friend of mine.  The Frog has done a very good recapping it, so I’ll spare you all.  I woke up still stuffed this morning.  Needless to say, it didn’t stop me from eating my big bowl of Special K with Berries.  Because I do every morning and I’m nothing if not a creature of habit. 

Found out yesterday that a good friend of mine from law school recently moved from NY to Virginia.  Another good friend recently moved from DC to SF.  It looks like the Frog is going to the East coast this summer and Roomie is moving to Berkeley this fall.  I however am staying put for awhile.  After all, I really can’t change jobs again any time soon.  Three different firms in my first two years of practice probably looks suspicious enough! 

Funny, after I graduated from UCLA in 2000, LA was the last place I thought I’d find myself living.  Yet, six and a half years later, here I am.  And it looks like I may be here to stay, for awhile at least.  I used to make fun of one of my best friends from high school for never quite managing to leave LA despite a professed desire to do so after graduating from UCLA.  I never thought I’d BE her!

Anyways, things are good.  Not much new to report.  Having some friends over for the Superbowl this Sunday.  Not that I really watch football, but I do enjoy eating and socializing and this is as good an excuse as any.  I haven’t decided which team to root for, but I’m leaning towards the Colts… 

T and I are celebrating our one year anniversary next weekend.  We’re going to see Wicked.  With his brother.  And his mom.  Yes, after insisting we do something to celebrate the occasion (I don’t really do celebrations, so this was totally T’s call), T promptly forgets the actual date of the anniversary (despite my lack of desire to celebrate said event, I am still a girl and therefore knew the exact date) and invites his mom and brother to see Wicked that night when he was offered some tickets.  Boys.  I guess I should just be thankful I was invited as well!  =)

Oh – one last complaint – I woke up this morning feeling fatter than I’ve felt in ages!  Maybe it’s because I’ve missed the last two long runs (an 18 miler and 12 miler) due to illness and being out of town.  Maybe it’s the entire box of See’s candy I consumed this past weekend.  Maybe it’s the fact that the heater has caused all my clothes to shrink (a possibility suggested by a friend of mine).  Whatever it is, it has to stop.  As of today, I vow never to eat an entire one pound box of See’s candy in a weekend again!

Check out this fascinating site I just discovered, courtesy of another awesome site! Upload a picture and you can see what you’d look like if you were the opposite gender, a cartoon character, older, younger, etc. Super neat and perfect for the super self-absorbed.

Been feeling blah all week.  Partly because it’s abnormally cold here right now (seriously, how in the world did I survive three years in Boston?), partly because I’ve actually caught a cold (T has taken to calling me the Germinator), and partly because work’s been really busy (ack). 

To make myself feel better, I caved and bought this dress (in blue) during my lunch break today.  It’s amazing what a new outfit can do for your mood!   

For those interested, I had a nice, relaxing three-day break this past weekend. 

On Friday, I left work early so I could make it to downtown LA for a friend’s birthday party.  It was a fun, casual get together at an Irish pub, topped off by the most amazing banana cream cheesecake ever, made by the birthday girl herself.   

Motivated by the aforementioned amazing cake, I dragged myself out of bed at 6am on Saturday morning to do a 12 mile run with my running group.  It was one of the most miserable runs I’ve been on, mostly because I was freezing cold the entire time, despite my long pants, long sleeves, gloves and hood.  Also, my new waterbelt was chaffing the small of my back.  Oh, and because my contact lenses have been bothering me lately, I wasn’t wearing them and consequently couldn’t see anything.  Woe is me.  Fortunately, I survived (barely).  Spent the rest of the day recovering and preparing for a small dinner party we were throwing later that night.  And by “preparing” and “throwing,” I mean “not really doing anything” since my wonderful little sister B did all the cooking (panini’s, spinach and artichoke dip, and tiramisu).  

I was sinfully lazy on Sunday and did absolutely nothing, unless you count watching Battlestar Galactica all day as something. 

Monday found me slightly more productive.  Tried a new dim sum place with Roomie, T and T’s brother and then saw Pan’s Labyrinth (good, but definitely not my usual light-hearted fare).  Bemoaned having to go back to work the next day for the remainder of the night. 

My new year’s resolution to eat better (mostly to cut down on the amount of sugar I consume) is not going as well as I had hoped.  Unfortunately, we still have an obscene amount of chocolate sitting around the apartment, left over from the holidays.  I’ve been snacking on a box of truffles all week.  Lately, I’ve taken to hiding the box from myself.  Sadly, I’m always able to find it though. 

I am deeply addicted to the new Battlestar Galactica (“BSG”) tv show.  I’ve always been a closeted sci-fi nerd, but I’m finding my newest obsession too hard to keep to myself.  I’ve been spreading the joy that is BSG to all of my friends.  Poor Frog was infected after I lent her T’s brother’s season 1 dvd collection.  (I’ve lent this collection to several people, all of whom are now big fans.  I only hope T’s brother doesn’t notice that we’ve had the dvd’s for almost a year now!)  There’s a marathon covering the first half of season 3 (which I haven’t seen yet) coming up soon which I’m super excited about.  Thank god for Tivo!

On a totally unrelated note, T noticed a rather large hairball congregating on the bathroom floor this morning.  It was lurking near the door between the bathroom and the bedroom.  He thinks secret hairball men are forming in the bathroom and are poised to strike soon.  I’m guessing this is his subtle way of saying I should do something about all the hair collecting in the apartment.  Poor T.  He has no idea what he’s getting into.  Fighting them is useless.  They always win.  Anyone who’s ever lived with me knows I shed worse than any pet! 

Oh, and for those at all interested, I’m currently reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which examines the food we eat.  It’s (as expected) very disturbing and is enough to put me off meat (poor, poor cows).  And processed foods.  And organic foods.  Maybe I’ll just stop eating altogether. 

Since I’m still trying to stick to my new year’s resolutions (well, at least one of them – I haven’t started doing weights yet and my diet went to h*ll and back the first day) here are some things I really, really, really want to buy but am not going to.  Really.  No, seriously.  I mean it this time… 

I love this top.  Yes, it’ll make me look stunted and stubby, but it’s oh so pretty.

Also, how cool is this dress?  It’s more fall than spring, but still, so cute.  If my office were just a tad cooler, I might be able to get away with wearing it to work, but alas, we’re still technically “business” and not even “business casual.”

The color’s all wrong for me but I love the design of this top.  If only I was 6’5″ (instead of 5’2″) and could actually carry this look off!

I love cowl-neck sweaters.  They’re just so comfy.  The bigger the neck, the better for hidding in.  You could be lost for days in this sweater.

I received many wonderful, thoughtful Christmas gifts this year.  Among my favorites was TomTom, a portable GPS system.  It is the best thing ever (no offense to all non-TomTom type things).  

Those of you who know me, and who know my propensity for getting lost, know how absolutely perfect this gift is.  Especially if you’ve been subject to my periodic calls asking you to direct me from point A to point B.  Not that you are at either point A or point B.  You usually just happen to be the first person I was able to reach on that particular day. 

Now I have TomTom and no longer need friends and family.  TomTom always knows the way. TomTom always knows to remind me miles before I have to make a turn that I should change lanes.  TomTom memorizes all of my favorite addresses so I don’t have to.  TomTom never gets disoriented when I accidently ignore his advice and make a wrong turn.  TomTom is acceptance.  TomTom is love.  All embrace TomTom.

Happy New Years everyone!  May this year be full of love and happiness.

T and I were discussing our resolutions yesterday.  Mine was to exercise more, eat better and spend less.  His was to make sure I was happy.  Sigh.*

Anyways, T, Roomie and I had a small group of friends over for New Year’s.  Roomie’s holiday plans were unfortunately canceled at the last minute so she was forced to celebrate it with us.  It was supposed to be a casual gathering before we walked to a local bar, but Roomie believes in being a good hostess.  What had originated as a get together with some beer and pizza turned into a four course meal.  Roomie spent much of the weekend making dumplings, fudge and cookies – all from scratch.  I “made” lasagna (i.e., stirring what Roomie asked me to and sneaking off the minute Roomie looked away).  T and I bought an assortment of appetizers and sides and our friends brought a sea of beverages.  

We spent the night eating, drinking and playing board games with some of our best friends.  T and I had a slightly tense moment during Taboo – perhaps our second official “fight” of the year? – related to our competative natures (well, his more then mine!) but it quickly passed.  Taboo has always been one of my favorite games, but it may now have some competition.  A friend of T’s gave him what may be the best game of all time. 

We ventured out from the apartment around 10pm and rung in the New Year’s at a nearby bar.  It was exactly the environment I wanted, a low-key sparsely populated Irish pub full of friendly regulars and bar staff and surrounded by some of my favorite, funny people.  

*Note:  Sorry for the sap.  I couldn’t resist sharing.  =)