Coffee and Missing a Race

How much coffee is too much? I have thought about this several times in the past few days, and after reading Sierra’s post this morning, I realized I am not alone. I usually have one cup in the morning before work during the week and occasionally (on average, probably once a week) another cup in the mid afternoon. There are however, the exceptions to the rule, such as today when I almost fell asleep on the subway (I find the motion very relaxing, especially if I am sitting down) on the way to work, and immediately decided to stop and pick up a second cup on my walk to the office.

Yes, I know there are documented health benefits and warnings about coffee and caffeine consumption in general, but I am curious as to what others think is too much coffee?

I feel that in general I don’t do too badly (I see some people who literally drink cups and cups a day) and as I often don’t have any on the weekend, and certainly don’t require it to get up (I workout in the morning before having any coffee) I figure it probably isn’t that horrible.

Tonight was the annual Wall Street Run & Heart Walk, which is a 5k race sponsored by NYRR through the financial district in downtown Manhattan. This would have been my first one, and apparently turns into a bit of a competition between different groups in each company and even between  companies to see who can have the most participants and raise the most money, so I was definitely looking forward to it.

However, after finally finding a promising lead on the apartment searching front yesterday we had to book an appointment with the leasing agent at 5:30pm, which meant I wasn’t able to run the race. Though I went to the gym this morning it was a very relaxed workout and I had really been looking forward to getting some week day mileage in, but finding a place to live is much more important! I hate making a commitment and not following through, but sometimes life has to take precedence. Since I didn’t get a run in tonight, I am determined to get in a run tomorrow.  

We haven't made a final decision on the apartment yet, but I think we are definitely making progress! Time to obsess over the floor plan and potential furniture placement…

Good Eats

Tuesday Lunch: Grilled Salmon with a variation of this quinoa and edamame salad.

Tuesday Dinner: Mixed green salad with an over easy egg, and avocado hummus on Udi’s Whole Grain toast.

Wednesday Snack: The perfect afternoon snack. Ice coffee with this, (which I cant seem to give up! Thanks, mom!) and the world’s most expensive banana from a fruit cart. $0.35 cents for a  banana is ridiculous, but I was in desperate need of something pre-gym. I hate the texture of banana so I only usually make it through about 2/3rds before giving up, making this an even worse value. Oh, well. 

Wednesday Dinner: I have had a take-out coupon in my inbox since before Christmas and tonight I figured would be a great time to use it. But I got home from the gym pretty late, and the guilt about spending money on dinner when the fridge was full set in, and I was super hungry and I knew whipping something up would be faster. Sautéed kale and mushrooms with chili flakes and lemon juice topped with scrambled egg whites. Smashed avocado on toast on the side. And watermelon for dessert. Don’t forget the watermelon!

Perception

If you have not yet already read this amazing article, written by the now  tragically late Marina Keegan, please do. Even if you don’t agree with everything she wrote, this article is a great reminder of the importance of community and the possibility of what the future might bring.

“But let us get one thing straight: the best years of our lives are not behind us. They’re part of us and they are set for repetition as we grow up and move to New York and away from New York and wish we did or didn’t live in New York. I plan on having parties when I’m 30. I plan on having fun when I’m old. Any notion of THE BEST years comes from clichéd “should haves...” “if I’d...” “wish I’d...””

Would it be nice to go back to a time when we had no real responsibilities, no real pressures or worries? Of course. But think of everything that we would have to give up to go back to that time… The independence, the pride in what we do and the lives that we have created for ourselves. I truly believe that the best is not only behind us, but lies in our past, the present and whatever is in store for our futures. When I am older and able reflect back on my hopefully long life, I want to remember all of the wonderful times that I had at all stages of my life.

While I have never been one to reminisce about the past, I do find myself, all too often preoccupied with the future.  I am the kind of person that loves having a plan, loves knowing exactly where the road is going to take me, and loves above all doing what is perceived as ‘right’. I often have to remind myself that it is okay to not know exactly what I want out of life, and as long as I live my life without regrets, there is no  one ‘right’ path. There is only what is right for me. 

As such, I find it all too true when Keegan notes,  “Our private insecurities follow us and will always follow us. But the thing is, we’re all like that. […] We have these impossibly high standards and we’ll probably never live up to our perfect fantasies of our future selves. But I feel like that’s okay.” I found this such a wonderful reminder that it is okay that we may never live up to the standards we set for ourselves, because, we are, as always our own harshest critics.  I think it is important to set big goals and dream and even reach for the stars, but at the same time, temper those dreams with reality and an understanding that we are human and perfection is not.

Successes, failures, opportunities and challenges will all come and go, but remembering that life is an uncharted  and exciting journey and we are traveling with our family and loved ones at our sides, is in the end the most important thing. At least to me.

The Grumpies

I have the grumpies today and I’ll be the first to admit it. I think my grumpies are caused by a combination of post long weekend blues + the never ending apartment hunt + the beginnings of panic that we won’t actually find a place to live + lack of resolution on some stuff at work + the fact that it is now summer in the city and it is humid, smelly and everything feels lethargic + who knows what else! Blaaaah.

Here are my remedies for the Tuesday  (or any day) grumpies. Because, let’s face it, we all face the grumpies at one time or another.

1. Good Eats.
Right now that means watermelon. Lots of watermelon. To me, this is one of the best parts of summer and always puts a smile on my face. I can easily eat a huge watermelon by myself in a few days. Thank goodness its mostly water right?! But, because I am lazy and don’t want to lug a humongous, heavy melon home I have been buying containers of pre-cut watermelon, which is not only not as tasty as the real deal, but not as cost effective, and definitely not as fun!

So, tonight on my way home I caved and bought the real deal. And yes, I carried that watermelon on the subway with me.  And, I managed to pull out that one strategically placed melon that caused half the display to topple over and roll all over the floor at Whole Foods. And yes, one smashed. Brilliant. Really helped with my mood. That and lugging 30lbs of fruit on the subway that is somehow already a million degrees. I really astound myself with my brilliant planning sometimes. But, in the end it was totally worth it.

2. You time.
Indulge in some really silly TV or read something totally trashy and enjoy every second of it. Take a bath, light a candle or just sit in silence. Put whatever is making you grumpy out of your mind and just indulge for a while.  Whatever it is that makes you relax, its totally worth it.

5. Exercise.
My workout this morning was pathetic. I just wasn’t having it. I did 45 minutes on the elliptical and about 15 minutes of wimpy back work and left the gym after barely breaking a sweat. After dinner I spent a few minutes doing some stretching and just getting in a few extra minutes of movement made me feel so much better. I would love to go for a walk right now, but it is going to storm in approximately 47 seconds so no walk tonight.

6. Hugs.
Because, really, what better cure for the grumpies is there? M is on a late train back into the city from a work trip and I am so ready for a giant, comforting hug.



Story behind this picture, it was New Year’s Day 2011 and M and I were with my family in Istanbul. We were on a boat trip up the Bosporus and I was so incredibly sick  with some kind of cold/flu/miserable-thing and it was unbelievably cold on the water and I was unfortunately the most grumpy, pathetic person imaginable. But the hugs helped!

Memorial Day in the Park

Happy Memorial Day! I hope that everyone has been able to take advantage of having an extra day to the weekend if possible. Our Memorial Day started off bright and early as I wanted to run before it got too hot outside. Unfortunately, as summer is most definitely upon us now, this is getting harder and harder. I had a quick breakfast and headed out for 4 miles in Central Park

By the time I was done, I was a sweaty mess. It actually wasn’t that hot yet, but the humidity was really bad and by the end, even my calves were dripping sweat. Super gross! M finished up his run as well and we walked up to the Central Park Conservatory Garden, which neither of us had ever been to. I think we were a few weeks late for the most beautiful flowers, but the landscaping in the gardens was amazing nonetheless.  I am constantly amazed by Central Park and all of the hidden gems it has to offer. It has basically been my backyard for almost a year now, and yet I am constantly discovering new areas. I will definitely miss having such great access when we move, as we likely wont be as close any more.

After wandering the gardens, we skirted around the Harlem Meer and hiked through some woods at the very top of the park before heading home for some much needed showers!

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this sign that was posted where the path steps went down into the water at the Meer. Please tell me that people don’t actually eat the fish that they catch in there! As you can probably tell from the above pictures, the water is more than a little murky!

After getting cleaned up we headed back into the park for brunch at Le Pain Quotidien which is conveniently located near the Sheep’s Meadow which was our destination for the afternoon.

Most of the afternoon  was spent lounging in the Sheep’s Meadow. I actually managed to fall asleep on a blanket under the tree where we settled down until a rather loud group came and sat next to us. Oh well, it was still a blissful afternoon! As the afternoon wore on it got more and more crowded and eventually we decided to head home and get some chores done before starting what is shaping up to be another insanely busy week. I hope everyone had a great day off! 

Rompers

Rompers were all the rage last summer, and while initially I wasn’t the biggest fan, they grew on me as the summer progressed due to their easy, cool, comfy style. I tried a few on last summer but I never found one that fit quite right and made it through the summer without purchasing one. Now, as hot, sticky weather has descended on New York, it seems an appropriate time to look into finding the perfect romper once again. Below are some of my favorite options.

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I also really like this one from Ann Taylor Loft (I couldn’t get the picture to show up here), which is one of the most basic styles of the bunch and based on versatility and price is probably the one I would be most likely to go for…