4.29.2011

(not) running for gifts

I have been extremely delinquent in my running. Thus far I have 8 tally marks on my "Running For Gifts" sheet. The horror!!! It's been 31 days and I've gone a total of 6 times. I'm sure that you're thinking, "If you've only run 6 times, how do you have 8 tallies?" Well. Matt gave me one for doing the dishes and one for doing a P90X video. This averages to 2 times a week which is not terrible, but not accurate since I haven't run in a week and a half.

I have come to two conclusions:
1. I really dislike running with my whole being. When I am done I feel exhausted, extremely sweaty, and my left knee aches for the rest of the day. I did the extremely difficult P90X ab ribber video and realized that the thought of doing that video twice in a row was much more appealing than going outside and running halfway over the Williamsburg bridge and back.

2. I need to set a deadline and make a plan to accomplish my goal. Matt did say that I could use a P90X video in place of a run. I think that I can have my 50 runs by July 23rd. That means I have to run 3 times a week, and I can expedite the process by throwing in some P90X videos every once in awhile. Or, if I really don't want to run I can still make my goal by doing a video.

*Here's the fine print rule I've given myself about the videos: I have to do them in order. There is a whole calendar with P90X because the concept is muscle confusion- i.e. you do different exercises each day to eliminate the plateau effect from a set routine. If I skip a run I have to do the videos in order. The first one is an hour and a half of chest and back exercises. This will make running much more tempting seeing as the run only takes me 25 minutes door to door.

Extra incentive to get this done by July 23rd- I'm leaving for California the last weekend of July. By that time I'll be super fit, swim suit ready, and geared up for my gift from Matt! :)

4.25.2011

Lent of Shame 2011 complete


The lent of shame results are in:

Michi: 14 days of shame
Sean: shame from 3.22 on
Matt: did not want to participate in the calendar tracker

So there you have it. I may not have done my lent goal, but I at least followed through. Hence, I am the winner.

4.20.2011

MET


The Metropolitan opera house is one of the most beautiful buildings I've been to in NYC. There is so much history and giant, commissioned Chagalls to stare at. Matt, Sean, and I went to see Wozzeck last week and it was INTENSE. If you like 12-tone music, murder, and mayhem, then Berg is for you. The orchestra sounded amazing and the lighting was rather enchanting. Someday one of these firework-like light fixtures will be in my home.

4.12.2011

approaching

1 year.

It's almost been one full year since I moved to NYC. Yikes. I know that I've done a few things. A lot of things in fact. But wow. Time flies.

I:
1. got a job right away and got promoted twice
2. moved 3 times
3. moved in with Matt and Sean
4. went to 3 museums (2 in 2 days)
5. saw 3 operas
6. started playing in a community orchestra
7. ate a lot of good food. like, a lot.
8. gave my final master's recital

You'll be happy to know that I finally bought a new charger for my camera (since I lost it just after xmas) and will once again be taking photos every second of every day. Stay tuned.

4.02.2011

tired

I. am. exhausted.

I have been working every day, practicing for at least 1 hour every day, and trying to do a bit of exercise every day. I know that I have had this sort of schedule in the past, but I think I must be getting too old or something. At the end of the day I just want to sit down and eat dinner, after which I usually fall asleep on the couch, wake up disoriented, and then realize that it's 930pm I still need to practice.

Usually I get sick when I feel this tired but keep pushing myself. Hold on body! Two more days of work and then you can sleep in!