Wyd?

I work in a pretty cool office.
Since I do social media, I'm often using my phone for work. I'm doing my job by being on my phone.
This puts me in the unique position of being allowed to text message at work, too. Because some jobs you could get yelled at for being on your phone.

Anyway, getting text messages at work are kind of fun because it means someone thought of you in the middle of the day, despite having work or school or whatever, and they're saying hi! Or asking you a question, etc. I like feeling needed can you tell?

But some middle-of-the-day text messages are annoying. Like the one I got today from a dude I only barely know.

"What r u doing?"

Well. It's 1:15 on a Thursday. So I'm working. I'm at work. 

So basically, if you have something to say, or a question, go ahead and text me. But don't ask me what I'm doing in the middle of the work day. Because WORKING.

Haha Oops

So apparently it's been over a year since I last updated this blog.

"Haha, oops".

But hello, I just wanted to poke my head up from below the rock I've been hiding under and say hi!

To say my life has been busy lately would be an understatement. The last time I updated this blog, I had recently moved up to the South Bay (that's south LA county for you non-locals), was working in the beauty industry (still doing social media), and living with Mr. Boyfriend.

Well, fast forward to now. I'm like 3 jobs removed from that job in the beauty industry. That shit happens when you're a contractor. The current job is full time, NOT contract work... and I couldn't be happier. It's like after bouncing around and around from freelance gig to gig, I've finally landed. I'm doing social media for a fabulous agency.

Thing is, the fabulous agency is in Irvine (aka back down in Orange County, where I moved from a year ago...sigh). I am currently in the process of packing up all of my stuff in order to move back to Orange County on the 4th. It's been real, South Bay, but I'm leaving you. And on a similar note, I'm moving there by myself.

So yeah, really couldn't be much more going on in my life - I don't have time. Some of the changes are great. Some of them are stressful. Or a little scary. But they're all completely necessary. I feel like I'm rebuilding my life to where I always thought I would be at the age of 27.

Join me, or come back to me if you used to read before, as I embark on this new chapter in my life. I hope to at least keep you entertained.

Creamsicles

I love creamsicles. For those of you who aren't familiar (WTF), they're an orange popsicle with a magical creamy center. And they're DELICIOUS.

Whenever there's a makeup product called creamsicle I always want to buy it (case in point - Revlon Lip Butter in Creamsicle) because it makes me happy. But inevitably I always want these items to also smell like a creamsicle.

They rarely do.

Sadness ensues.

And yet the cycle continues. It's madness.

I just want out of my mom's house.

Sigh. I've been doing the freelance writer thing, going to school (yikes), trying to be patient, sending out shit tons of job applications, and I'm going a little bonkers.

I just want out of my mom's house.

I like living here, sure. Well, I liked it a lot more when I was a teenager and hadn't had a taste of what it's like to live on my own. My parents are great and we get along fine (mostly), but I miss having my own apartment and being independent! I miss getting to decorate however I want, put the furniture where I want, and if I want to draw the shades and spend the entire day in my underwear I can do it because it's MY HOUSE. And since my boyfriend really hates using air conditioning unless it's 77 degrees or hotter in the house (really.) let's be honest, running around in undies and a cami would be a LOT more comfortable! Also, this is a major perk of being a freelance writer - I can work in my undies! Nanny nanny boo boo. 

I also really miss not having garbage cans. No, really. I miss just taking the trash straight out to the dumpster whenever I feel like it and not having to then a week later wheel out a disgusting, vile, smelly trash can to the curb. I don't know why it bothers me so much since in reality it takes what, 5 minutes to take the trash cans out? But I hate it. I loathe those f'ing trash cans like you have no idea. My birthday is in 3 weeks and one of the things I want for my birthday is to get out of trash can duty for a week or two. I hate it that much.

I feel stuck in some sort of broke person's purgatory. My whole life has been working toward a goal and steadily advancing toward something. I did school, I started a career, and from 18 to 23 had a great run of it, being all upwardly mobile and shit. Now I'm about to turn 25 and I am ready and wanting to move on to other chapters of my life - getting married, starting a family in the next few years, etc. but I can't do any of that living with my parents! 


UGH. I want to throw a grown-up tantrum. But I'm going to suck it up and go do some more applications...

Perfect No Frills Tuna Salad

My step-dad devised this recipe for tuna salad. This is great if you want a protein-packed nutritious food. Of course it can be eaten on a sandwich (he likes it on toast) but I prefer it on multigrain saltine crackers.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz can chunk white tuna in water
1 12 oz can light chunk tuna in water
approx. 1/2 cup mayo
approx. 1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1. Open tuna cans and drain out all the water. Fend off suddenly very interested cats.

2. Empty both tuna cans into a large bowl. Break up chunks with fork. Optional: place cans on floor for aforementioned cats to lick clean before recycling.

3. Begin adding mayo about a tablespoon at a time, stirring & mashing the mixture as you go. The mayo is subjective. We like to use as little as possible to get a good texture without it being too mushy.

4. Once the tuna and mayo is at a texture you like, add onion. I use the pre-diced stuff because I hate cutting onions. This is also a great time to use up any left over onion you might have in the fridge from recipes you made earlier in the week. I just kind of eyeball it. Mix in the onion.

Voila! No salt or pepper necessary, and no silly celeries or anything chopped in there. You're welcome to add those if you're into that sort of thing (eww). For example, when I use this to make a sandwich for my boyfriend, I add a few spoonfuls of relish to the mixture. This recipe makes enough for me to have several lunches, and has very few calories depending on how much mayo you put in.

Gross Food

I think everyone has foods that completely turn their stomach, make them gag, etc. I know I do. And I feel VERY strongly about them. I always joke with people though that someday when I'm having pregnancy cravings I will probably crave these foods and that's how I'll know I'm pregnant, hahahaha. So here's my gross foods list. What's on yours? These kinds of things fascinate me, because it's so weird how one person can love a food and another person hates it. For example, my boyfriend will eat every single thing on my list with no complaints. (But he's crazy, so...)

Macaroni Salad
Sour Cream (this is my #1 gross food. I cannot handle it. I just. Can't. Even the thought makes me want to dry heave.)
Mayonnaise
Sourkraut
Peas
Watermelon
Creamed Spinach
Raspberries
Ripe Bananas (I love bananas, but only when they're still slightly green / JUST barely yellow)
Cooked Carrots (unless they're in a soup and just taste like whatever the soup is lol)
Cooked Tomatoes (like large chunks of them in a sauce or a soup? heck no. I skip 'em.)

Also... weird quirk, warm fruit. Gross. So the whole warm apple pie thing? No thanks. Cold pie please.

Workout Routine

I am by no means any kind of fitness expert, but my workouts have left me feeling pretty good. I have no idea if I've lost any weight or anything, as that's not my focus right now. I am trying to build lean muscle mass because the more muscle mass you have, the more fat your body can burn. Magic. Anywho, here's what I've been doing on my trips to the gym lately. What have you been doing?

Warm-Up: 15 minutes or so on treadmill, walking at a steady pace (about 2.5 or 3 on the treadmill settings) with an incline of 3 to 3.5.

For my purposes, a set is 15 reps. On the various machines 24-hour fitness has to offer, I do these exercises usually on weight level 3, which is about 15 - 20 pounds, I think. I don't get every thing in to every workout, but this is a loose plan.

Abs
2 or 3 sets of crunches
4 sets of side crunches (2 on each side, for a total of 4 sets)

Legs
2 or 3 sets of inner thigh machine
2 or 3 sets of outer thigh machine
2 sets on the leg press
Sometimes depending on what machines are available, I'll do a set or 2 on the quad extension machine or the calf extension machine instead of that 3rd set of thigh machine reps.

Arms
2 sets of pectoral fly
2 sets bicep curl (or sometimes I'll do these with a resistence band if the machine's not available)
2 sets of the deltoid machine (no clue what it's called, but it makes you flap your arms like a chicken haha so we just call it the flappy machine)
2 or 3 sets of tricep extension (I hate my upper arms!)

So that's pretty much what I've been doing. I try to get to the gym at least 3 times a week to do this. Sometimes if I'm not feeling good I will just walk on the treadmill for an hour, but I always vary the incline as I'm walking. For me, I find it more effective to walk on an incline than to run. It's lower impact and it still gets my heart rate pumping.