Fitness

Themed Spin Class Playlists

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I write this post while blasting Jason Derulo in my earbuds. You may ask me why. What a great question: A. I’m hiding from construction noise at work. And B. I’m creating a theme playlist for Spin next week! DUH. Next Monday, 3/5/18, all Jason Derulo. I have been teaching fitness classes for more than 11 years, but I haven’t talked about it too much on the blog yet. One of my favorite types of Spin classes to teach is a theme class. Here’s why:

  • Costumes. Y’all know I love any opportunity to dress up.
  • The hype. There’s nothing I like more than gloating about my upcoming classes on social media. Like here where I posted on Instagram about my upcoming boy band playlist. Or here where I showed everyone my amazing talent of keeping my “Happy New Year” tiara on my head the whole 60 minutes during my “Top Songs of 2017” playlist. I also tweet about themes in the hopes that the Dodge YMCA will retweet me some day.

  • Groupies. People love a good theme. Advertising in advance means more people will come. And sometimes I can even get people to create the whole playlist for me! Remember when Tim created a playlist for my Guest DJ Ride?
  • Easy to make the playlist. I just type “hot” in Spotify and BAM. I have a playlist. Ok it’s not that easy. But it is easier than pulling 15 random songs out of thin air.

Sometimes a theme playlist is based on current events, sometimes it’s an artist I want to highlight, sometimes it’s a trip I’m about to take, sometimes it’s a holiday that is coming up, and sometimes it’s just when the mood strikes me. Like almost every Thursday when I decide to throw in some throwbacks (#TBT, ya know?).

Sometimes my themes are specifically requested, like the Jason Derulo class coming up next Monday, 3/5/18. I am always trying to get people to give me requests, and some of my best themes have been suggested by participants, like Britney v. JT. This particular theme was requested by my best friend, who happens to be a special guest next week. Monday, 3/5/18. (Have I said it enough times yet?)

Here are themes I have used in the past, including links to my Spotify, once I started using it. Feel free to follow my Spotify, or follow those individual playlists if the theme moves you:

Photos from My Theme Classes of Yore

I am always accepting new ideas for Spin class themes, song requests or theme requests. If you have any, leave them in the comments! And if you’re in the Brooklyn area, don’t forget to come to my class, next Monday, 3/5/18, at 7 pm. Wear your Jason Derulo fangirl outfits.
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Food, Travel

30 Years, 30 Ice Creams – West Coast Edition

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Hey guys! I know I’ve been sparse on the blog. It’s been hard to keep up between moving apartments, crazy work season, and starting a bullet journal (more on that later). Also, I’ve been trying to keep up with all of my resolutions, which includes planning free nights for myself! I’ve been watching a lot of Olympics.

Anyway, fear not, I have still left myself plenty of time to stuff my face with ice cream. Even while traveling! I have had three new kinds of ice cream in my travels in the past 6 weeks. Thankfully, I’ve also stuck to my new year’s resolution of swimming to even it out. Does anyone have suggestions for a waterproof, affordable, fitbit-like device?

Quick Ice Cream Recap aka #30Years30IceCreams on the road:

As with my many weeks of recaps last May/June, I will review each mission on a scale of 1-10 in 4 categories: (1) Aesthetic (2) Flavor (3) Texture (4) Overall.

Kurt Farm Shop, Seattle, Washington, Local, CHEESE Ice Cream!

Aesthetic (4) Flavor (9) Texture (4) Overall (5)

I didn’t PLAN to go get ice cream, per se, but after a car ride back to Washington from Vancouver, and 3 hours of car ride snacks, we weren’t in the mood for a full-size dinner, and we were in the mood for a walk. I found this place on Foursquare and figured, DUH, ice cream is the answer. This is a little shop that sells ice cream, but also sells cheese from local farms and creameries. The custard base is made with organic cane sugar and it’s flavored at the store.

According to Foursquare it’s the #3 ranked ice cream place in Seattle, but I was drawn by the promise of unique flavors. I saw reviews about Szechuan Peppercorn, and Rose flavors, and most importantly, FLORA’S CHEESE. What’s better than cheese? Ice cream. What’s better than Ice Cream? CHEESE FLAVORED ICE CREAM. Obvi. They were very generous with their samples, so of course I tried every single weird flavor on the menu. I opted for half cheese, half pumpkin. It was delicious, plus it was served with a real spoon, always preferred. Only drawback: there was a strange coating left on the top of my mouth from the cheese flavor, probably due to the way they pasteurize the milk. Still worth it.

Creams & Dreams, Santa Monica, CA, Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream

Aesthetic (if you count the nitrogen show) (9) Flavor (6) Texture (10) Overall (8)

Love the name of this place. Love even more that I found this place on a business trip and insisted on bringing my boss here. This place makes liquid nitrogen ice cream, and if you have never had any, go out right now and find a place for it. The fact that this ice cream begins as a liquid, and is then frozen in small batches, just for you, makes it the creamiest ice cream I have ever tasted. I tried a similar place, NiceCream in Arlington, VA a few years ago, and I never forgot about it. The only bad part about having a hand-made batch of your own ice cream is, it’s impossible to get samples.

Going here is like dinner and a show. If you consider ice cream as dinner. (It is.) They hand-pour your flavor (I love the Nutella and Cookies and Cream), and then they pour liquid nitrogen on it to create a smoke show. Last time I was there, the guy even threw some toward us to make us laugh. It feels like cold water, but it doesn’t get you wet. So bizarre.

They have some strange flavors as well, like Maiz Con Queso, and Fresh Avocado, but I stuck with the classics here. Cannot recommend enough. It is a staple for all of my SoCal trips now.

Salt & Straw, Venice, CA, Weird, Delicious Flavors and Samples

Aesthetic (4) Flavor (10) Texture (8) Overall (7)

After a 4-day whirlwind work trip, I had a day to myself to spend on the beach. I threw an apple and a beach towel in my backpack, picked up an iced coffee, then hit the sand.

(Side note about the coffee: GO TO PHILZ!! They even have two shops on the East Coast in DC. I got the famed mint mojito iced coffee and it was TO-DIE-FOR. Not only is the coffee amazing, but they buy only the highest quality green beans AND they have a generous donation program to Food4Farmers and World Coffee Research, to incorporate conscientious care for everyone in the supply chain from farm to cup. Caffeine + fair trade = win-win. Read all about their values for their workers and farmers, and environmental protections here.)

Anyway, as great as my coffee and apple were, by 3 pm I was starving. I walked along the beach from Santa Monica to Venice, and I was doing some window shopping when I realized a line of people across the street. Like any good New Yorker, I gravitated to the line. If people want it, it MUST be good, right?? Well my New York instincts did not steer me wrong – it was ice cream!! And boy was it amazing.

I read the tips online as I waited in line, and saw that I could ask for as many samples as I wanted, and that I could order a “split scoop” so I could have multiple flavors, but without overloading on ice cream. Samples are super necessary because the flavors here are exotic and ever-changing. I tried everything from 24 Blackbirds’ Lavender Truffle, to Roasted Strawberry Coconut, and about 4 others. I basically told the guy I love weird flavors, and he let me try every single one. I was already full by the time I got my cup! I decided on a split scoop of Avocado & Oaxacan Chocolate Fudge (SO creamy and refreshing), and Black Olive Brittle & Goat Cheese (best flavor ever, with bits of crunch). This was the perfect afternoon post-beach snack.

Guys, this place is a must-go-to. Also, if you really love ice cream, join their Pints Club and get five brand new flavors delivered to your door every month!

That’s it guys. #30Years30IceCreams lives on for the whole year! I’ll keep you posted as I hit up some new places. I have 3 months left of my 30th year! How many flavors can I fit in that time?

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Big City Living

Moving in New York

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I know you were all anxiously awaiting the denouement (SAT word!) of my Apartment Moving Saga, and I’m happy to give a quick update, but the conclusion Is still forthcoming. Long story short: we have a new apartment! And it even has wifi! I can finally post on my blog from home!

That’s the good news. Bad news: our oven doesn’t work in the new place and our old apartment has f*cked us over with our security deposit (no surprise there). Anyway, at the very least, I have learned a lot. I have learned enough to NOT MOVE EVER AGAIN. Or at least not again in the near future.

I’ve lived in New York City for 7.5 years, and miraculously I have only lived in 3 (now 4!) apartments in that span of time. However, that does not mean I have not embarked on many many more apartment hunts than that. Ultimately, I have only moved those few times (yes, every 2-3 years is few in NYC), because moving SUCKS. Not only does moving suck, but moving in New York is literally. THE. WORST.

I’ve compiled a not-so-short list of why apartment hunting in New York sucks, as well as my expert tips, gleaned from years of experience, as to how to combat the list of terribles.

  • You can only look for an apartment 2-3 weeks in advance. Yes, I said WEEKS. If you look for an apartment before this time, they will want you to move in too soon (an impossibility due to the cost of rent), or, the apartment will already be taken by the time you want it. Of course this causes anxiety levels so high that I have been self-medicating for months. I assure you, this is normal. When you need to give your current building at least 2 months of notice before vacating, yet you cannot begin searching for a place until 2 weeks prior, you have at least a month to sweat it out, thinking about all of the ways you will fit your worldly belongings into a cardboard box in Times Square.
    • How to combat this: booze. Lots of it.
  • When you go to view an apartment, you need to have at least $9,000 in your bank account ready to go, as well as a credit score over 700. No, you didn’t read that wrong, that is 3 zeros. And yes, I mean for a 1-bedroom apartment, not a house. You need at least the first month, last month, and security deposit. When a one-bedroom apartment costs $3,000 on a good day, you’re looking at close to $10K
    • How to combat this: be rich? I dunno. This is a tough one to combat. Probably just have no savings account and live paycheck-to-paycheck for months after moving.
  • You need documentation of your entire life. Most recently, the building asked for a two-page application listing bank account numbers, savings account numbers, previous building information, etc. They also required my most recent bank statement. Also, my previous two year’s tax returns. Also, my last two pay stubs. Also, a letter from my current building vouching for me. Also, a letter from my employer stating my position and salary. They also required this from my emoji-bf. My coworker recently submitted an apartment application where they asked for his college transcript. He had not been in school for years.
    • How to combat this: Be prepared. And try not to piss off your current building too much because asking them for a letter of recommendation will get very awkward. Yes, I know from experience.
  • Every apartment you see will be missing something you really wanted. How to find a diamond in the rough? Make a list of non-negotiable things you are looking for before you embark on a search. Apartments within your budget are all going to look terrible. It is possible that you need to adjust or modify this list as your search proceeds. However, it’s a good idea to know what you are looking for, so you don’t get swayed after seeing dump after dump of apartments. Example: “Yes I was looking for an elevator building with a dishwasher, and this is a 5th floor walk-up with no dishwasher… but I can actually fit a full-size bed in the bedroom as opposed to the last 5! Let’s take it!”
    • How to combat: Make a list. Stick to it. Or at the very least, exhaust your search before modifying your expectations.
  • Broker fees are the biggest waste of money ever. Don’t be a fool, do you due diligence. You can probably find a great place without paying a fee. And it may mean raising your budget by $200/month. But in the grand scheme of things, you’ll be paying your broker at least $2,500, so why not put that money into your apartment, and not to some rando you’ll never speak to again? One of the main reasons I liked the apartment I’m currently writing this from is because the broker had friendly banter with me about how brokers’ fees are useless and dumb. I liked him immediately (and I did not pay him anything).
    • How to combat: DO NOT PAY A BROKER’S FEE. SEARCH HARDER.
  • Brokers are slimy conniving pieces of crap. Oh look, a follow-up from the last bullet point. I am making a generalization because it is true. And yes, this is separate from the point above. Here I am talking about the no-fee brokers. By no-fee, I mean, you are personally not paying them. However, they are still getting paid by someone, which means they are driven solely by commissions, and not by your actual wants, needs, and stated demands. Example: Me: “Yes, our budget is $3,000/month. Elevator, possible doorman, 69th street to 97th” Broker: “Well I have a place just outside of your price range in the area you’re looking. It’s $3,400/month, 3rd floor walk-up, on 107th street.” WTF.
    • How to combat: Be firm. Be clear. Do not waver. Do not be gaslit. Remember your list of demands!
  • A security deposit is really an aspirational amount of money you hope to see again but probably won’t. They say it’s to make sure you keep your apartment nice. According to a quick google search, you should get your money back unless they need to pay for repairs for damage other than normal wear and tear. However, this is absolutely never the case. In fact, when I typed into google “New York Sec” the first populated search was “New York Security Deposit Law.” And no, I had never searched for this before.
    • How to combat: Kiss your money goodbye. The good news is, there’s an emoji created specifically for this phenomenon: dollar bills with wings. Flying away.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you in the future. If not, remember, I feel you. And misery loves company. Let’s chat.

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Big City Living

Waitress the Musical

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Last night I had the opportunity of a lifetime, Not only did I see two of my all-time favorite performers in a musical on Broadway, I also had a personal backstage tour of the theater and sets, and a private Q&A with the an exec. for the Nederlander Organization, which owns 9 of the most iconic venues in New York City, including the Gershwin, currently playing Wicked, AND the Richard Rodgers Theatre, currently playing Hamilton.

Hamilton, Shmamilton, though, amirite?? JK, I know I’m not right. But I was most excited last night to go to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre to see WAITRESS, currently starring Jason Mraz and SARA BAREILLES. I don’t know how many of you have been sleeping on these amazing voices, but I will tell you, go listen to them NOW. I linked up there to their Spotify pages.

I’ve been a huge fan for AGES. When I was 20 years old, my oldest friend took me to Jason Mraz’s concert. I remember it like yesterday, when Jason Mraz had played an absolutely incredible show, but he hadn’t played one of his largest hits at the time, The Remedy. Then, as an encore, he came on and played an incredibly unique, extended acoustic version. It was mind-boggling. And Sara Bareilles… where do I begin with my love for her!? She began her musical career in a capella, and I have followed her career for years. Her voice is unreal. Also, I was addicted to The Singoff when she was a celebrity judge. Then my best friend from high school surprised me with tickets to Sara’s show at the Theater at MSG a few years ago, and I became an even bigger fan, if that’s possible. She has the clearest, most amazing voice, and it’s even better live than recorded.

Just over 8 months ago, for my sister’s and my birthdays, my mom promised to take us to a Broadway show of our choice. But when my mom had hip replacement surgery, our plans were temporarily delayed. Then 2 months ago, my friend (the one who took me to see Sara Bareilles), alerted me that Sara Bareilles herself was coming back to star in Waitress, a musical she wrote the music to. AND the tickets were going on Amex Presale THAT DAY. I knew in my bones that this HAD TO BE THE SHOW.

I quickly started a group chat with my mom and sister, and we somehow miraculously decided on a date. None of us got much work done that morning. Unfortunately, there were only two weeks when Jason and Sara (yes, we are on a first-name-basis) were going to perform together. And we couldn’t find a date in that window. But then, miracle of miracles, Jason Mraz decided to extend his run an extra two weeks and we got to see them both!

The Backstage Tour

I have a very close family friend aka family aka my sister’s godmother who lives in New York. When she heard we were going to see Waitress, she asked to come along and happened to mention having a Broadway connection. She asked if we would be interested in a backstage tour before the show. WHAT?!! DUH.

We arrived at the theater two hours before show time and met our new best friend, let’s call him Mike. He showed us inside and explained the most pressing question I had read about all over the internet: How do they get a “freshly-baked-pie” smell piped into the corridor when you enter the theater? ANSWER: THEY BAKE A PIE. EVERY NIGHT. Also, obviously we asked about who eats it (the staff) and where they keep them (in a freezer next to the jerry-rigged convection oven/cabinet).  Mike then took us into the theater and onto the stage. He explained how Waitress was a very prop-heavy show, and sure enough we saw hundreds of props and innumerable pies, which we later saw and recognized in the show!

Mike explained how each individual show brings everything with them, from lighting, to rigs, and even the FLOOR! Each show’s floor and tracking is made specific to the dimensions of a theater, and needs to be completely replaced if they change theaters, which also explains why theater changes are so rare. He explained how Hamilton has basically taken the Richard Rodgers Theater off the market for years, which is good for profits, but gives them one less venue to offer other shows. Then, he walked us underneath the stage, which is the only way to get from stage right to stage left and vice versa. He showed us the wardrobe, seamstress, and washing machines, which had a flood recently, leaving Sara Bareilles with a sopping wet dress for the performance. After the tour, Mike brought us into the auditorium and answered our questions for almost an hour. I learned how all ushers are in a union, and how to become one (be in a family of ushers, work well with people). I also learned horror stories and trends of specific shows’ demographics (A Night in Paris tends to have a problem with incontinence, and Sponge Bob is filled with millennials, and the theater always smells like weed by the end). He also answered questions about how they kick shows out of theaters if they aren’t doing well, and what happens to actors when a bigger name decides to stay on longer, like in our case with Jason Mraz (the other guy still gets paid, they have great unions).

I am now an expert in all things Broadway. Ok, maybe not an expert but I know a lot more than I knew two days ago!

Pre-Show

Our new BFF, Mike, introduced us to Chris, the house manager, during our tour. He told us to “see Chris” before proceeding to our mezzanine seats “in case Chris found some other seats available.” Well guess what? HE FOUND THEM. We got AMAZING SEATS. ROW SEVEN. We were forever indebted. Chris came to check on us and we thanked him a million times. He told us we were “where we deserved to be.” Oh Chris, you’re too sweet. But wait, speaking of sweet, he brought us mini pies of each flavor offered! FO FREE!! And they were AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS. Highly recommend the salted caramel and Oreo flavors.

The Show

OMG. I don’t even know where to start. I laughed. I cried. I smiled the entire time. Even through tears.

Sara, she takes my breath away. She is just amazing. I could sit for hours and watch her in basically anything. She could sing Mary Had a Little Lamb and I’d still be there for it.

And Jason Mraz. UGH. So good. The rest of the cast was amazing as well, and the show was so fun! The music was FAB, as I knew it would be. Sara was nominated for a Grammy AND a Tony for it, which is well deserved. It’s so catchy I’m listening to it right now! The original soundtrack is good, but OBVI I prefer the Sara version.

I don’t know what else to say besides that my hands hurt from the amount of clapping I did in my standing ovation I gave Sara. GO SEE THIS. You will not regret it. Try and go in the next two weeks to see Sara and Jason in action together! Dynamic duo.

What. A. Night.

Photo ON THE STAGE. Incredible.
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Big City Living

Moving Apartments: A Saga

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And a saga it has been. If you were wondering what I’ve been doing with my time while neglecting my blog, here you go. Let’s start at the beginning.

The News

Our current building has a policy stating that we must give 30 days Notice to Vacate if we do not planning on staying in the apartment. Depending on which document you look at. Some places say 60 days. They are supposed to give a renewal offer at 75 days until the end of the lease so the tenants can decide.

Our lease began on February 1st. At the beginning of December I realized we still did not have a renewal offer. I emailed our building. They said OOPS. And sent us an “offer” to stay and pay $550 more per month. Emoji bf took a screenshot of the offer and sent it to me with the caption “LOL.”

And LOL we did. We laughed so we didn’t cry. And then of course I wrote them back saying thanks but no thanks. We decided we would have to move. And by decided, I mean, we realized if we wanted to eat for the next year, we would need to find a cheaper roof over our heads. A cardboard box in Times Square was a possibility.

After informing the management company we intended to leave, they told us our lease was over on the 29th of January. SURPRISE!!! In case you’re thinking, “but aren’t there 31 days in January!?” then you’re thinking the same thing as I was. Maybe it was a mistake? NOPE. Our building company wrote our lease to go from 2/1/17 to 1/29/18. And we signed it. Our fault. Sorta. What kind of sheisty sh*t is that though? I made it very clear with a strongly worded email, signed Esq., that we would not be paying for a full month of rent if we were vacating early. They reluctantly agreed. But when our January rent charge showed on our account, do you think they prorated it as promised?? I’ll let you guys guess.

The Hunt

The Hunt was complicated by the fact that you cannot search for an apartment in New York until 3 weeks before your move date. More on this in my next blog about apartment hunting tips and tricks.

Unfortunately, 3 weeks before our mandatory evacuation of our sky-high-rent apartment, emoji-boyfriend was out of town. And then 2 weeks before our move, I was out of town (Seattle and Vancouver, remember?). We realized we would have to search for an apartment separately. Tricky, right?

Emoji-man was on the west coast and I began looking at apartments every day. I became addicted to apartment listings. I was more excited when I got a push notification from Streeteasy than when I got a text from my long-distance boyfriend. I went to sleep dreaming about square footage and the perfect apartment with an IN-UNIT WASHER DRYER. Of course I then woke up and realized that if I wanted an apartment with a good location AND a stove we would need to pay more than $3,000/month. (Yes, there are apartments I went to see that were going for $2,700, were 400 square feet and had solely a hot plate and sink as a “kitchen.”)

After visiting approximately 20 apartments of varying quality on a scale of horrible to horrendous, I finally found a diamond in the rough, IN OUR PRICE RANGE! Miracle. Literally. I took a video on my phone, and sent it over to emoji-bf. He was impressed as well. He said we should take it. I texted the broker within an hour of viewing the place and told him we were ready to move forward.

The Application

Our broker emailed me and said, “So excited you’re interested in the apartment. I now need every single document about your life ever written, plus a promissory note for your first-born child.” JK. But it was just shy of that. They asked for an application, plus pay stubs, bank statements, savings account numbers, checking account numbers, a letter from our current building, a letter from both employers, a copy of our ID’s, a credit check with an associated online payment system, and tax returns for the previous two years.

While my boyfriend attempted to get all of these documents together from the west coast, I had to act as nice as I possibly could to get a recommendation letter from my current building, who I had just gotten in a rent argument with, 3 days prior. FUN!

Finally, we got these documents together and I submitted them. We also had a minor setback when my employment verification letter did not state my salary and I had to resubmit it. Why were the pay stubs and tax documents not sufficient to show this? I will never know.

APPLICATION APPROVED!!!

The Lease

FINALLY. Approved. Done now, right? WRONG. We needed to both sign the lease, and bring them two certified bank checks, one for the first month of rent, one for the security deposit. Easy. No problem. But no.

Emoji-bf was out of town, remember? So he couldn’t sign. And I don’t have $6K+ sitting in my bank account. Also, I was leaving town on the Thursday of that week. We were approved on a Monday. I asked our broker about the lease. He said we would get it Tuesday end of day. 3 pm Tuesday: no lease. I asked again. Broker said he was sorry but the lease guy wasn’t in the office. He would be in touch Wednesday morning. Wednesday 3 pm: no lease. Again, I called the broker around 5 pm and told him I was nervous because I was leaving town the next day. He said no problem. I can sign electronically, only one signature needs to be original.

11 am Thursday, we get the lease. It is 27 pages long. This is not an exaggeration. I go through every page on my lunch break and sign in 18 places. I scan it and send it back. An hour passes. I get a phone call from our broker saying that my boyfriend needs to sign the same copy, and I “took up too much of the signature lines.” He asked me to redo it. Unfortunately, I was already on my way to the airport so I told him my boyfriend would write small. Problem solved. Finished. Right? WRONG AGAIN.

The Move

I could have started my blog here. After all that mess, my emoji bf was convinced we would be finished with the saga. Just two nights ago he said to me, “we should be good, right? We have the apartment and we have the mover booked.” And I said, “Well… a lot can still go wrong.” Guess who was right…

ME! ME! If you guessed me, you were correct!

Yesterday was the 23rd. We are supposed to move on the 27th. After weeks of chasing down the building management company for a sample Certificate of Insurance for our movers (I didn’t even make a separate section for this, but suffice it to say, it was a battle in and of itself), the management office finally wrote me back. The management guy told me that I should tell my mover to be in touch directly with him. This made me feel a lot better, since it took the building 11 days to get back to me, and we only had 4 days left until our move. JK this did not make me feel better at all. I am 99.9% sure that our movers will never hear back from this guy.

Anyway, in the same email as the COI conversation, I asked about how to get the keys for the apartment. Logical question to ask, 4 days before the move., right? Should be a simple answer. But as you have learned already here today, nothing has a simple answer.

The building manager told me to be in touch with the super. The super’s name and number was on the front page of our “Welcome Packet” (really a 40 page warning packet about the dangers of lead poisoning) that came along with our 27 page lease. I found the packet and called the number on the front. A young girl picked up. She said it was the wrong number. I check the number again. Called again. Same girl. Same wrong number.

4 PM: I emailed the management company.

Me: “Hey soooo either there’s a 10 year old girl answering our super’s phone and lying about who she is, orrr the phone number is wrong.”

Building Manager: “How about you try this other number with a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LAST 4 DIGITS.”

Me: “Ok cool, I have nothing else to do with my time at my job. I’d love to.”

Me: “Hi, are you the super? I’m moving into the building on Saturday and the management office told me to contact you about getting the keys.”

Super: “What? That’s impossible.”

Me: “Um, no. Yes. What? Yes, we are moving in on Saturday, the 27th? We signed a lease two weeks ago.”

Super: “Well that can’t be, because you can only move Mondays through Fridays. It can’t be Saturday. I knew nothing about this. No.”

Me: “Well our lease actually begins on Saturday. And we already have a mover booked and paid for, over $1,500.”

Super: “I understand but that is just not possible. Who wrote the lease, who told you that?”

Me: “Who wrote the lease? The building management company! How can I make this work? Should I contact the building manager again?”

Super: “Yes, thank you goodbye.”

Well guys, I wish I had a happy ending to this story. But this is how the story ends for now. I have called the building manager, where I got a voicemail message, because of course I was not told the super’s real number until 4 pm, so this whole exchange went down “after normal business hours.” Then I emailed the building, but there is no answer at the time of this blog’s publication. I didn’t sign my emails to the new building with an Esq. yet. I am trying to stay on their good side. We haven’t even moved in yet! Or gotten the keys…

Anyway, does someone have a place for emoji bf and me, and all of our belongings, beginning Saturday? Any roomy cardboard boxes on spacious corners near an express train? Preferably Upper West Side? All suggestions welcome.

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Travel

Seattle and Vancouver

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I have been neglecting you guys!! My loyal blog-readers. Well I am back, hopefully with a vengeance. Things in my life have been crazy recently, between realizing we couldn’t afford the crazy rent increase for our apartment, trying to find an apartment within 2 weeks’ time, applying for an apartment… ok, this whole apartment business deserves its own blog post, which is coming soon.

Anyway, I’ve been busy. And one of the reasons is because I’ve been gallivanting around the west coast of the US and Canada with my best friend. I know, I know, play the world’s smallest violin for me. Too bad, so sad.

I had a blast. I can’t share all of the details from my trip on here because, quite frankly, you don’t want to read them. But I will give a highlights reel in bullet-point form, because lists are easier to read, and hopefully this way you don’t skim through all of my hard, carpal-tunnel-inducing work on LongLegsBigCity.

  • Flight actually left on time. WHAT? Crazy. Yes, this requires its own bullet point. I highly recommend JetBlue to absolutely anyone. Also, their points NEVER EXPIRE. And they have free wifi! And legroom! This trip was off to a great start.
  • Late night happy hour at Toulouse Petit. Their menu touts that it was rated 5th Greatest Restaurant in the USA by TripAdvisor. It was good but that is very aggressive.
  • First Day: Food tour of Pike’s Place Market. Highly recommend, yet again. I’d been to Pike’s Place before, but I learned so much history from the tour guide! Also, we got to eat at 6 different places (Daily Dozen Doughnut Co., Elleno’s Greek Yogurt, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Pike Place Chowder, Chukar Cherries, Piroshky Piroshky AND Etta’s Seafood). How could that be bad??
  • Drove to Vancouver. Holy hell that took a long time. Who knew that border-crossing lines took long than Disneyworld pre-fast-pass? We arrived 2 hours later than planned. Thank goodness we bought $30 in gas station snacks for the 3-hour (turned 5-hour) drive.
  • Our air BnB was awesome!! It was an adventure trying to get the keys though. There was a fire exit involved. Also, the way the host gave us the keys… he just left the door propped open? For how long, no one knows. I made my friend come with me and check every closet and shower (there were 2.5 bathrooms!) for a hiding serial killer. Spoiler Alert: there were no serial killers.
  • The Parking pass our Air Bnb guy gave us for the parking garage (one of the reasons we picked this air bnb) clearly stated 6-hour-parking all over it. Also, the spots in the garage said that. We were worried all weekend that we would be towed. Air bnb man did not speak English very well in his messages and his response “Sure! 😊” to our question “The parking pass says 6 hours. Can we park there overnight? Will we get towed?” did not help. Spoiler Alert #2: we were not towed. PHEW!
  • Discovered 2 liquor stores within 3 blocks walking distance. Purchased booze at said liquor stores. This also came in handy later.
  • Hooked up to the wifi, googled best dinner places. Found a place called Gringo. The reviews for the food were FAMAZING, and they had drinks called “White Girl W@$sted” and “Poor Man’s Sangria.” We knew we had to go. The wait was 45 minutes AND it was raining. But after 20 minutes, we were tipped off that we could go inside and take tequila shots while we waited. Game changed. Food was AMAZING (especially after the tequila shots).
  • Day 2: Hit the free gym in the condo complex first to sweat out some tequila. Works every time. Pro Tip: Running on a treadmill with a hangover is bad in every country. Even with the lights dimmed.
  • It stopped raining! Tried to go on a walking tour of Vancouver. Couldn’t find the fountain meeting place. Asked inside a museum. Was informed that the plaza was “re-landscaped” aka paved over, and there was no fountain anymore. Still couldn’t find the walking tour. Did come across a man cleaning a public restroom. He found a Livestrong Bracelet in the toilet. Remember those? We gave up on the walking tour.
  • We decided to instead give ourselves a walking tour on our way to brunch. Great compromise. We walked around downtown and then ended up at Lamplighter Pub for a Bluegrass Brunch. It was amazing because they served poutine and did a bluegrass version of Hit Me Baby One More Time. It was already a great day.
  • We walked alllll the way to Granville Market mostly because we had time, and it had stopped raining. Also, because I had just eaten poutine. Granville was adorable. Lots of food booths, but after our 80-minute walk we were tired.
  • We took a cab back to our condo. I LEFT MY CELL PHONE IN THE CAB. Uber doesn’t exist in Vancouver, so we had no way to track it. Of course my cellular data was off because I was in Canada so I couldn’t call it. I tried to track down the cab from my credit card charge, but it wasn’t even pending yet. I found a Parking Police Person. I asked her what to do. She told me to try and remember what color the cab was, and find the company to call based on that color. Unfortunately, I thought it was blue and my best friend thought it was yellow. Also, I didn’t have a phone to call a company. My best friend google-image-searched Vancouver cabs, and was CONVINCED it was from a company called Black Top Cabs based on the photos. I scheduled a cab by using their website. Two minutes later, a cab pulled up, and it looked just like the one we were in… but it wasn’t. I asked the driver to call dispatch and ask about a cab coming from Granville where the customer left a phone. Sure enough I hear someone over the radio say “Yep, I’ve got it.” (WTF!?). The dispatch said “Either you can go get it or he can bring it to you but he may charge a $15 delivery charge” (aka like $12 American). I am not an idiot so I said PLEASE PLEASE BRING IT. I prepared to wait on the street for a while. Less than 3 minutes later, the guy pulled up with my phone. I handed him $20 American, and he seemed thrilled. It worked out for both of us. Cue the 3-minute walk to the liquor store because I REALLY needed it at that point.
  • Pre-drinking at the condo. Planning out Spain girls’ trip for May. (SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!) Googled “Best Indian Food in Vancouver.” Discovered Salam Bombay. So. Delicious.
  • We wanted to go dancing and failed miserably the night before, so we tried harder the second night. We even waited in a non-moving line at a club. We eventually gave up and started wandering looking for a bar. We came across Relish The Pub. We saw a woman dancing like crazy inside. Just one woman. She was a bodybuilder. She did bodybuilding poses every 2 minutes within her dance marathon. We knew it was up to us to join the party. They had an amazing DJ who played all of our requests. We danced for 3 hours straight. We got 14,000 steps after midnight. My Fitbit registered more than 2 hours of “aerobic activity.”
  • At one point in the night, my friend pointed to the floor and said “look.” I looked. It was $100!!! In American money, nonetheless. She told me later she thought it was $1! This paid for our next night.
  • Late night shawarma.
  • Meaning well, we set the alarm to go to the gym. It didn’t happen. I checked my fitbit. Remembered the 14,000 steps after midnight. Decided it was ok.
  • Drove back toward Seattle. Both of us had Global Entry so we got to drive in the fastpass Nexus Lane. It saved us at least an hour at the border!
  • We stopped for a stretch break and walk at Deception Pass. Photos do not do it justice. SO. BEAUTIFUL.
  • Lunch in La Conner, WA at Santo Coyote. We had amazing (and inexpensive) food this whole trip.
  • Relaxed at my bff’s house for a quick bit, while her psycho-energetic-puppy jumped all over us. Then we googled “Best Ice Cream in Seattle.” I can’t help myself! #30Years30IceCreams will stay with me forever. We met up with one of her friends at Kurt Farm Shop, where we had cheese ice cream, and many other unique and delicious flavors. It left a weird film on the roof of my mouth, but besides that, it was pretty darn good.
  • Even with this bullet list, is this blog getting long? I think it is. I’ll try to wrap up. We did so many things!!
  • Day 4: MLK Day. Hike up Little Si with Charlie (the girl puppy with a boy name). She was happy we brought her. The views were amazing! A totally clear day in January in Seattle. Complete miracle.
  • I met my best friend’s boyfriend at dinner. We went to Tai Tung, which is famous for being Bruce Lee’s favorite restaurant. He even has a table dedicated to him. But more importantly, I got to meet my BFF’s bf. This is important because I have a history of hating her boyfriends. I know hate is a strong word, but it’s entirely appropriate here. Anyway, I actually liked this one! MIRACLE. Also, he picked up the tab. Doesn’t hurt. We made him take home the leftovers.
  • Went to VERY divey dive bar called Joe’s. VERY. Divey. Cash only. They don’t even have a website for me to link. I was introduced to pull-tabs. We won $4!! We spent $20… but still. All drinks paid for by our found Benjamin.
  • Late night 2nd Dinner at Ba Bar. Vietnamese. Pho. Moscow Mules at Late Night Happy Hour price. Who could ask for more?
  • Day 5: SEGWAY TOUR OF SEATTLE!! Y’all know I love to Segway. The tour guide kind of sucked, but Segway-ing is so fun it didn’t even matter. Plus, we got a Groupon! Plus, it wasn’t raining! PLUS, it was called Magic Carpet Glide. It couldn’t be bad.
  • Lunch at Ivar’s. Fish and Chips. So. Good. Plus the view was amazing. It still wasn’t raining!
  • Stopped at Tiffany’s. Had to make sure my BFF knows the kind of ring I want. You never know, right? 😉 LOL
  • Spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch watching Sex & the City DVD’s to round out a perfect trip.
  • My flight back to NYC left EARLY! JETBLUE FTW. 21 days ‘til my next flight. Also JetBlue because I am now a loyal customer.
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Miscellaneous

Jury Duty

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The first of Jury Duty is: you complain about Jury Duty.

In an effort to not go against the rules, here we go: let me set the scene. It’s last Wednesday, the temperature in New York had been hovering at an inhuman 5 degrees Fahrenheit for a week already. The weatherman was warning us of certain death to come the next day. Ok, not certain death, but a BOMBOGENESIS. Now don’t get me wrong, I work for 1,700 rabbis and that term was CLEARLY biblical in origin, but I had never heard of it. All I knew was, it was cold AF and the meteorologists I follow on twitter (shoutout @jimcantore) were comparing it to a blizzard-hurricane combo. What in the literal f***.

I left work on Wednesday praying for a snow day… until I realized I wasn’t going to work the next day anyway. I had jury duty. My coworkers kept telling me that in this impending storm, the courts were sure to close. Call the night before, they said. If schools close, the courts will close, they said. They were wrong.

So the next morning, as all of my coworkers snuggled in bed in their PJs with hot coffee in mugs… I put on 4 layers of clothes and snow boots, and trudged through wind gusts and horizontal blowing snow down to Chinatown. Don’t get me wrong, I’d LOVE to serve on a jury. As an ex-attorney who has watched every episode of law and order 100 times and still has a pretty adamant hatred toward police, I can think of nothing I’d rather do more than explain to my fellow jurors what “innocent until proven guilty” and “beyond a reasonable doubt” means. I had dreams of 12 Angry Men, but with me as the holdout juror that convinces everyone else that a man was clearly innocent. I have incredible distrust for authority in general, and that extends even further against the police. In other words, there’s pretty much no way in hell I’d be picked for a criminal jury. I have “pre-emptive strike” written across my forehead in red permanent marker. However, this is what made my jury duty trip even more frustrating. I knew it was for naught! Maybe next time I’m called, I can just send them this blog as evidence and skip the blizzard-hurricane trek downtown. But even worse, I was selected for a jury in civil court. BO-RING.

But, I did it. I didn’t have a choice. I had a jury summons that said, “PREVIOUSLY ABSENT, MUST SERVE.” In red. You see, I had been called for jury duty before. Twice, in fact. The first time, I was going to be in London on the date of service, so I requested my automatic one-time adjournment. The second time I was summoned I was going to be in Costa Rica. But there’s no automatic second adjournment option, so I just didn’t show up. I know, I know, world’s smallest violin playing for me and my worldly travels. Point is, I had to go to the court house this time, bombogenesis or not.

I got down there and sure enough, there in the hallway were 100 other of my soon-to-be-closest-friends. We all complained together. It was a grand old time. Once we were let in the waiting room, there was a woman who told us all about jury duty. She is the equivalent of a “fluffer” in porn. Getting us all ready for the big show. Another simile: she was like the warm-up comedian before the live taping of The View; she got us HYPE for what was to come, and she thought way too highly of herself and her power trip. Maybe I should have used that second comparison first.

Anyway, this woman was obnoxious. She told us approximately 118 times that if we were unable to serve, we needed to go across the street and request an adjournment. Not too many people left. In hindsight, I am 90% sure this is because no one wanted to go outside, period. The bombogenesis was in full effect and I was monitoring the auto-text messaging from NY Courts as various court closings came through to my phone. New York City was never one of them. And then we sat.

And then we continued to sit. Jury duty is a lot of sitting. Thankfully I brought my kindle. But even better, jury duty is PRIME people watching. It would make a great case study. Over 100 people in a room, trapped and waiting, antsy and half asleep. The guy behind me started the snore. The woman next to me took out a Joel Osteen book. It was going to be a longggg day.

Soon enough, I made friends. This happens pretty much everywhere I go. There was a girl who was a nurse at NYU who was semi thankful to be in jury duty dong nothing versus in the ER dealing with bombogenesis fallout. And my friend Mrs. Joel Osteen was a nursery school aid/home business entrepreneur aka skincare pyramid scheme participant. Yes, she asked for my contact information. No, my skin has not improved.

After 4 hours of sitting and waiting, a state of emergency was declared for New York City. The volume of chatter increased as we discussed what that meant for our fates. Our warm-up comedian came out of her side office, and told us that there was only one judge in, and he didn’t need us. She told us we were getting credit for time served. (I know that’s the incarceration term, not the jury duty term, but same thing.) CHEERS erupted from the crowd. Some guy in the back wished our warm-up comedian’s grandson a happy birthday. She thanked him. I wondered how they got so close in 4 hours’ time.

I picked up my paper proving my service, quickly took a photo of it and uploaded it to the cloud so as never to lose credit for my time, and I sloshed my way back to the subway. In my four hours in the dungeons of civil court, a foot of snow had fallen. I finally arrived home around 3 pm, left to ponder all of those criminals I didn’t get a chance to save from jail. Maybe next time. In 7 years.

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Fitness

New Year’s Eve Midnight Run

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Last night I froze to death. Ok, maybe not to death, but pretty darn close. Oh, and Happy New Year everyone!! Last night I made one of the dumbest decisions of my life (and trust me, I’ve made some dumb ones), and I ran the Midnight Run with New York Road Runners in Central Park. Only problem: it was 10⁰ Fahrenheit, FEELS LIKE -7!! Wind gusts of up to 21 mph. For those of you non-Americans out there, that is -22⁰ Celsius. What. The. F*ck. I guess a lot of (less crazy) people chickened out, because the race was sold out at 5,000-person capacity, but according to the website there were only 3,988 finishers. Hopefully those 1,012 people decided not to come, and did not die of frostbite somewhere before the finish.

Here’s why I ran the race: I’ve always wanted to but I never had someone to do it with, my friend asked me to, I didn’t really have any other plans, and I didn’t want to drink two nights in a row. You see, we always go out the night before New Year’s Eve because it is so much cheaper and less crowded in NYC. It’s called Practice New Year’s Eve. More on that next year.

All of the reasons I ran the race did not take into account the weather. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to worry about that, I mean, it is midnight in December/January in New York… maybe I have a few screws loose. I definitely lost a few screws last night in the cold so I’m missing even more now. I have a new appreciation for those people in A Mountain Between Us who got stranded on a mountain after a plane crash.

The race was to begin at 12:00 am, but there was a complimentary pre-race party at 10 pm. However, since that party was OUTSIDE, my friend and I decided only to go the last 30 minutes. She came to my house at 9:30 to reflect on Practice New Year and talk through our various outfits. I say outfitS plural, but in reality, we wore all of them. On top of each other. Here’s what I ended up wearing, from the bottom up:

  • Sneakers with a light on them.
  • Ski sock to my knees.
  • Black capri leggings (but there was no skin showing).
  • A padded sports bra (gotta keep the jewels warm).
  • A tank top.
  • A long sleeve thermal.
  • A half zip pullover.
  • A full zip hooded jacket with full neck collar.
  • A down running vest.
  • A ski buff to cover my face.
  • An ear-warmer headband.
  • Running gloves.
  • An additional pair of gloves.

My friend wore two pairs of socks and two pairs of leggings. I didn’t. I regretted that decision.

We left my apartment and headed to the park, where five thousand other crazy people joined us at Rumsey Playfield for the pre-race party. I have never seen so many people dancing to a live DJ. I mean, literally EVERYONE was dancing. We had to. It was the only way to attempt to stay warm. According to my Fitbit, I logged a 17 -minute outdoor bike ride. But no, it was just furious dancing to Despacito to try and keep circulation in my toes.

We all headed to the race corrals around 11:50, where were given our final race instructions “stay warm and don’t die.” Ok, maybe he didn’t say exactly that, but I was too cold to listen. At midnight, our own private fireworks show started in Central Park, which was pretty darn awesome. The fireworks went on for FOREVER. And after 4 minutes, I was ready to start running, i.e. I was losing feeling in my extremities. We finally crossed the start line at about 8:40 and then we were off! The fireworks were still going off overhead, so I was trying dodge people who kept stopping to turn around and look to the sky.

The race course was the middle 4 miles of Central Park, and I know that park like the back of my hand. I know every hill and turn, thanks to many many Wednesdays with lululemon Run Club, and training for, and finishing the Shape Half Marathon back in April. I was well-prepared, but also, I had never run in temps like this before. It was NOT easy. Around mile 3, it started to feel like the entire course was uphill. This was my first race ever without music or headphones, because I wanted to take it all in. Luckily, that also made it possible for me to listen to people around me. When I was struggling up the mile 3 hills, I heard a few people around me also lamenting the hills, and I was glad I wasn’t alone. The combination of cold cold air to breathe, and cold muscles made it much more difficult than any other day.

My two favorite parts of the race:

  1. At mile 2, there was a dance party. A random DJ set up and people stopped right on the race course to dance around. There was also a champagne (apple juice) toast. However, I think it had been sitting out there for a few minutes because it was COMPLETELY frozen. I had decided before the race not to have water during, because I was scared of how cold it would be, but I couldn’t resist a slushie/icey of apple juice. I shaved off a bit with my teeth, decided it was not a good idea, then continued running.
  2. Running without headphones meant I was able to tell all of the police and volunteers Happy New Year. I gave countless high fives and I was able to laugh along with all of the conversations. One group of girls was asking people around them to tell their New Year Resolutions, which I thought was a cute idea. I almost yelled out mine but realized I was running very much ahead of their pace, and I couldn’t afford to slow down in the temperature.

When the race was over, I met up with my friend and we decided to take the subway home instead of waiting outside for a (few and far between) cab. Unfortunately, our clothes were WET at that point, and while it was warmer underground, it was still freezing. Literally. My friend had icicles on her eyelashes and she said she saw ice in my hair. After 20 minutes of waiting for a train, they made an announcement that due to a stalled train at another station, there would not be any trains. THANKS MTA. We called an Uber. Can you say SURGE??

When I got home, I peeled off my 6 layers, and stood in a steaming hot shower for 20 minutes. I also didn’t wash my hair because I was afraid to have wet hair. I put on long johns and continued to shiver in bed for about one hour, blowing my nose and coughing the whole time. I finally made it to sleep around 3 am, and I was SURE I would wake up sick this morning. But 2018, the surprise is on me, because I feel awesome! And I woke up with 12,400 steps already on my Fitbit so I don’t feel bad at all about sitting in bed writing this, as my Fitbit yells at me every hour to move. NOPE. NOT TODAY.

I will be teaching Spin tonight at the YMCA though. Top songs of 2017. Who’s coming??

Happy New Year to all of my subscribers, and readers who are not subscribers. To you latter category of people, stop procrastinating and hit subscribe; it can be your New Year’s Resolution!

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Fitness

Runstreet Art Runs – My 2017 New Year Resolution Success

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The countdown is on! Literally! The new year is a few hours away, and I promised you one last blog post for 2017 about successfully achieving a 2017 Resolution of mine: Finding something fun and new and different to work out. SUCCESS! Enter: Art Runs with Runstreet.

People tend to make resolutions about working out more, or eating better, and I won’t go into why these are bad resolutions, since I already talked about that once this week. But to quote one of my fav instructors at Peloton, Robin, as she said on Wednesday, let’s make a resolution to “stop doing sh*t you hate,” and that’s exactly what I set out to do this year.

I love to work out. I work out more than 90% of people I know. Ok, 95%. Here’s what I like about it: I have fun. I feel much more energized when I finish. I get a sense of accomplishment. I achieve goals. I get stronger. Oh, and I get to eat more.

But going into 2017, I was beginning to lose my very first reason I work out: I wasn’t having fun anymore and I was BORED. I still felt accomplished and stronger, but since I wasn’t having as much fun anymore, it was starting to feel like a chore. So my 2017 resolution was: find something new that makes me excited again for physical activity.

Here’s what I knew: I loved teaching classes, because I liked the people and atmosphere of community. I had taught too many classes on the bike and wanted to move around a little. I liked being in fresh air. I wanted something different. I loved selfies and posting on Instagram.

I really didn’t know how I would combine all of those things and then miraculously, I got a follow on Instagram from Runstreet aka Marnie Kunz. (Check out that Instagram link and see if you can spot me a lot of times!)

Marnie is the writer and creator of Runstreet Art Runs, which she says is “a way to encourage runners of all levels to explore beauty around them and learn about local art and artists.” I was totally sold. She linked to an upcoming event in her Instagram bio, and I signed up immediately. I was not disappointed.

Basically, a group of runners meet up at a designated spot with Marnie, a certified running coach, and Marques Jackson of Filles Garcons Photography. We drop off our bags, socialize and meet each other, and then hit the pavement. We explore neighborhoods from Queens to Brooklyn to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, keeping an easy jogging 10-minute mile pace, and we stop every once in a while to gaze at amazing street art, and learn a bit about the murals and the artists from Marnie. The whole time we run, we talk, smile, laugh, and take photos – both amateur ones on our own cell phones, and real amazing quality ones snapped by Marques, who runs along with us (all photos below by him).

I have many favorite parts about Art Runs, but one of the big ones is exploring neighborhoods I have never seen before. Marnie herself found that the best way to learn the city and explore neighborhoods was by running through the streets. In fact, that’s how her Instagram started, by documenting the art she saw as she explored. Two weeks ago, I did a Holiday Art Run with Runstreet and I made sure to turn my Nike+ app on to document our route. It definitely was not my fastest run documented on the Nike app (probably due to the many photo breaks and readjusting of my Santa sweater… it was a HOLIDAY run, after all), but I wanted to be able to look back afterward and see where I had run. That holiday run was in Williamsburg, a part of Brooklyn I hadn’t spent much time in before. I have also done runs with Marnie on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, SoHo and Crown Heights!

She often partners with vendors and stores, so we finish with a place to warm up (or cool off, depending on the season), and with snacks to munch and juice to sip. Also, we hang out afterward and talk, which is my most favorite exercise. Also, her runs tend to have themes! I did one that was Hip Hop themed, where we were able to submit songs before the run and she added them to a playlist that bumped along with our feet the whole time. She also had an Ice Cream Art Run, which happened to be during #30Years30IceCreams. So obvi I had to go. It did not disappoint.

And last, but definitely not least, everyone is SO NICE. Every single person I have met through Art Runs has been incredibly sweet. I gained at least 15 new Instagram followers, and we often comment on each other’s posts and hug when we first see each other at the next run. In fact, I went on an Art Run after an ankle sprain, when I thought it was better but ultimately ended up stepping on it wrong and re-injuring it. Everyone was fast to stop, and incredibly concerned. A few runners offered to stay back with me, although I managed to tough it out the last mile (do not recommend this).

I love nothing more than a goodie bag or a keepsake. And after each run, we get a Dropbox link with all of Marques’ amazing photos, which become souvenirs, Instagram posts, AND viral advertising for Art Runs. V smart business model. All of the photos in this blog post are by the talented Marques aka Filles Garcons. Sometimes, a photo of me even gets on Marnie’s Instagram. Here’s me on top of an ATM, ankle brace and all. It got 419 likes!

Moral of this story: 2017 Resolution was a SUCCESS. And if you are like me and you’re looking for a FUN and ACCESSIBLE and ACHIEVABLE 2018 Resolution: look no further than Art Runs. They have a run on Monday, January 1!! It’s a Resolution 5K + Yoga. I can’t make it to this one, but I’ll probably be at the next one! Use your LONG LEGS and explore this BIG CITY. Try it out and tell me what you think!! Happy New Year everyone!

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Long Legs and other Personal Problems, Miscellaneous

Resolutions

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Christmas is behind us, which means New Year’s Day is upon us. And nothing says January 1st like a resolution that will fail by February 1st, amirite?? As a fitness instructor of 11 years, I can tell you for a fact that the gym is about to be PACKED for 3 shorts weeks. And then it will empty out again.

But to be perfectly honest, I don’t hate resolutions OR “resolutioners,” as I call the 3-week gym goers. I understand wanting to better yourself, and trying to set a benchmark and a starting point. You’ve all probably heard the phrase “diet starts on Monday!” Well a resolution is just a yearly “diet starts on Monday” with a more memorable date, because it’s literally the first day. I am generally pretty sarcastic about these people who make and fail at resolutions time and time again. But the reason I mock them is not because I think what they are doing is wrong, I just think they are using the wrong method. Also, TBH I love when the gym is full for a few weeks, it makes my Spin classes completely full and a lot more fun! But do I love showing people how to set up their bikes knowing that they will not get on one 48 weeks of the year? Not as much.

So in my very humble opinion, what is the right method, if I am so sure that this is the wrong method? The right way is to not set yourself up to fail. When I worked at lululemon, we did a lot of work in our orientation and training on goal-setting. I know, I know, so culty. I will post about my experience working there another time. Anyway, the goals of the employees are actually posted in the store on display for customers. It’s true, ask in any lululemon where they are, and they are happy to show you. What does this have to do with resolutions? Well for one, there is accountability. Your goals are literally on display! And secondly, they really do not want you to fail because then everyone will know. So they set you up to succeed. The four things they tell you before you brainstorm and write your goals are: make them concrete and measurable, start big, and then break it down to make the short-term ones attainable, make them positive, and begin making changes immediately. They also say to write them down and post them on the wall of your job. Maybe you don’t have to go that far, but it’s not a bad idea to write it down and stick it on your bathroom mirror, or on your desktop at work on a post-it. Anything to keep it in the forefront of your mind and keep yourself accountable.

My lululemon goals from 2015! I found them in my email. Most of them still stand. And I actually achieved (or am still working on) my 1 and 5 year ones!

I feel like it may come as a surprise to some of you that I am a fan of resolutions, but I am. I like to set goals for myself, and honestly, a resolution is just a positive goal to change your life for the better. Also, PLEASE remember guys, a resolution does NOT need to be body or health-related! And it shouldn’t be something you hate. This should go without saying, but people do it all the time. If you hated pizza, would you resolve to eat it? Ok, bad example everyone loves pizza… If you hated broccoli, should you resolve to eat it? NO. Eat another vegetable you like! If you hate running, do not resolve to run. It’s simple. And again, it does not need to be “eat healthy 5 days a week” or “work out more.” Plus, TBH, these should not be resolutions anyway. Eating to fuel your body, or working out to lower your cholesterol should just be things you want to do to live better and respect yourself. But I digress.

So what are my resolutions this year? I always make a few so I have a backup if I fail (LOL). This year I have one new one, and two rollovers from last year. I am writing them here to keep myself accountable:

  1. Plan myself less; have 1-2 FREE nights/week.
  2. Get back in the pool and start swimming again. At least twice a month, hopefully once/week.
  3. Do more weight training to become stronger. At least once/week, hopefully twice/week.

The first one is my top priority, but I already feel like I may fail, especially since I just found out I’m already double-booked for weddings on September 2, 2018! I am going to work really hard, though. I feel like every single night of my life is planned, and I never get a chance to relax. On July 17th I wrote a blog about how I did nothing that whole weekend. Not only was that a lie (read my blog to see why), but July 17th was the last time that happened.

The second and third ones are rollovers. I resolved to do them this year, too. I failed. So what? Don’t be embarrassed by failure, just try again! Maybe this next year I will do better because I’ll live closer to a gym where I like their classes. Or maybe I’ll buy a swim cap and goggles to get one step closer to achieving my goals. Maybe I’ll do that right now so I can start making moves to achieve my goals. And I love to swim! See, these resolutions do not need to be painful.

Some examples of super not painful resolutions, all of which have been resolutions of mine in the past few years:

I love to work out, but I was tired of everything I was doing. So this past year, my main resolution was to try new things and find something new that I really enjoyed. And I did! Art runs. More on that later this week.

I want to inspire you guys to make a resolution and try to stick to it. Maybe it’s as simple as “put the laundry away on the same night as you fold it,” or maybe it’s tougher like “run a half marathon by year end.” Either way, it always feels good to achieve something, even if it’s something fun. Start using those vacation days, even if they’re staycation days, and start doing nothing! Resolutions can be fun. 😊

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