Tai Chi Center of Chicago: Tracy Von Kaenel
I’ve been going to yoga classes at the Tai Chi Center of Chicago for almost two years and it is truly my sanctuary. I refuse to go through my stressful work week without attending class with Tracy! I head home afterward a more peaceful, calm, and focused person. Continue Reading →
Chilly
I’m chilly. My toes and hands are cold and I’m inside the house! Boo to the newly cold and crappy weather season. Especially since I’ve decided running in 30 degrees or below weather is not an option for me – I don’t have the right clothing for it and no money to buy it right now. :( I think I might have to get back on the eliptical but I’m really not looking forward to it – I’ve decided its too boring to work out at the house… I do like the eliptical but its not like being in a gym – there’s nothing going on and less motivation to stay on it. As we speak I’m watching my favorite show The Biggest Loser and sitting on my butt…I think the cold weather is really messing with my attitude. I just want to be warm and cozy. Help!
Running, Sick, Happy Halloween
You heard it here folks…I’m still running. 2 days til I can say it’s been 2 months! ;) It’s October and I’m sick and it’s 36 degrees out and I am still running (big thank you to Melissa G’s playlist because this morning it got me through the cold without giving up.) Today was unusually hard…so I bet I’ll have to take the next couple of days off and drink lots of tea and eat lots of soup. Everybody send me your healthy good energy…send me the good vibes. haha.
Let see, what’s new? It’s winter, I’m running, oh and p.s. Kurt Cruse moved into our basement! Justin flew down to Tampa on Friday and drove back with him and Chloey the cat (who was very unhappy to meet us at first, but I think she might be getting used to us now. ) Kurt and Bobby have both been sick since the beginning of the weekend so I assume that’s where I got it…although it could be my co-workers…everyone is coughing and sneezing around here too. Bring on the Halls and Dayquil…maybe I can wipe this thing out before it gets too much worse.
This weekend – well, actually Thursday – the Halloween parties begin…and I’m not really a costume-dresser-upper…so hopefully I don’t bum people out at these parties. haha. My cousin’s wife Jen is having a costume party for her 30th birthday at Brownstone and then Friday I’m having dinner at Bridget’s place since Linnea is in town, but I’m stopping by another costume party at Chicago Art Department at some point that evening…so I can see the closing show for Night of the Living Artist – Halloween/Closing Party and drop of a piece of art that I’m donating to their annual fund raiser: Growing Up CAD. Should be fun and exhausting weekend!
What’s everybody else doing for Halloween?
Orbitz Go Go Green 5K
So this weekend Bobby, Jess Large, and I got up on Saturday morning and did the Orbitz Go Go Green 5K at the Peggy Notebaert Museum in the freezing cold and rain! It was fun though and I’m glad we went…good cause and some exercise to start the weekend off right. We just got the times back and they were:
68 ROBERT ARGEANTON 337 24:36 7:55
224 JESSICA LARGE 377 31:52 10:16
225 MICHELLE FIOCCA 336 31:52 10:16
This is actually 2 minutes slower than I did the last one but lets face it – it was freezing and raining in our faces! haha. I logged my time on my Nike+ widget though and it showed that Large and I were very consistent throughout the race so I’m glad we stayed at a good pace and didn’t walk at all. Go us! (I did forget to turn off my Nike+ so the down hill spiral at the end is me walking and waiting for the lady to take my chip off and walking to the snack table. haha) Anyway – good times had by all! Next Sunday is the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K that I’m running with Large. Lets see if we can beat our time! I think we might run the 5K and walk the rest. :)
Playlist Help Requested…
I have tons of music – for which I love and adore but maybe overplayed to the point that it’s not working out for my morning run. Does anyone have a great “power” song that they like to workout to? I am going to try and compile a new playlist that is just super intense and upbeat and inspirational….this is totally doable. I heard Huey Lewis + The News in the car this morning and decided that one is the first one I’m putting on there, “I Need A New Drug” (Watch the YouTube Video)…I know it’s totally, um, Ghost Busters-esque…maybe I’m a sucker for the oldies. ;)
Anyway let me know what you guys suggest! And thanks in advance!
Bucktown 5K ;)
Today Bobby and I ran in the Bucktown 5K! It was fun and I think we both did good considering our short amount of training or a total lack thereof in Bobby’s case. We both had our Nike+ in our shoes and calibrated them with our ipods yesterday so that we could track our time/miles/calories (the reason my info there says I only ran 4.8K instead of 5 is – I think – because I calibrated it wrong last night. I have to fix it tomorrow or Tuesday morning when I run again.
Also I had a hard time shutting mine off because I didn’t have an armband (I’m not sure Nike has come out with an armband for the new ipod nano – this is the old one) – I was trying to grab it out of a zippered pocket and since it’s the first time I’ve used it I had to fumble with it for a bit…that could be part of my big dip in pace at the end of the race (I had already crossed the finish line and was walking to the food tent)…that is my hypothesis – who knows! ha!.
Anyway long story short – I did the 5K in 30 minutes and Bobby did it in 25 minutes (official times to come later on the website since we had time chips attached to our shoes for this race). We both are happy we did it and know we can do better if we continue to train. This Nike+ thing is super cool because I am able to set up a training schedule for my next 5K and track my progress and goals and calories burnt…its motivation for me, so I’m glad it exists. I am signing up for another race today – The Hot Chocolate 5K – it’s on November 2. Even if I do 30 minutes again I hope I can be more consistent and not struggle as much with my breathing. I want to be stronger.
As an added bonus we saw Sang-woo, Rich, and Mike at the race so we chatted for a bit and decided to walk over to Moonshine and have some breakfast. We walked home a little bit ago and my legs are super sore…ouch!
“Getting Back on the Horse”
Today is the 18th day I’ve gone jogging at 6AM for about 3 miles, since Sept 1, 2008. :D Jessica Large has gone with me a lot of these days but this week she has been sick so Mon, Tues, Wed I went all by myself…which I find to be very fundamentally different and motivational for myself personally! I was smiling this morning when I got halfway around the route just thinking wow I never would’ve thought I could get up and do this THIS early, without hitting snooze, without complaining…but I think I like it. No, I really like it. And I CAN do it, and it’s not so bad! It’s actually refreshing and gets me ready for the day…I need everybody’s support to keep it up though, because usually I don’t make it past two months without “falling off the horse” again. If I can make it past that 2 month mark then I’ll be on my way to a healthy happy body. :)
And kudos to my dad who is doing this with me from Ohio – getting up every day and working out on his Schwin Airdyne Bike for 30-40 minutes! Good work dad!
This map is my jogging route (the point on Bell Ave is my house and the point on Wolcott is Large’s house) – and p.s. google maps rocks for having sweet routing capabilities. Wish me luck – I have to do this!
New Shoes, Zappos, MBT, Cellulite
So I got some new shoes in the mail yesterday (this is the most amazing part about the situation – my order from Zappos.com was expidited at no cost to me to “overnight” status)…I literally ordered the shoes and they were on my doorstep within 24 hours and I didn’t even pay or ask for it. So big kudos to Zappos.com. I mean we all hate paying for shipping and especially for shoes which may not fit and we might have to send back (which is the current situation)…always an annoyance, but in this case not at all. Sweet.
So I ordered these MBT Staka Sandals for one because they are kinda cool and innovative and two because they are supposed to be good for my physical health + strength….they put the weight of my body in the correct position and placement and take stress off of my spine and knees…they are also supposed to burn more calories and as a bonus firm your buttocks. haha! So even though I usually take fashion advice from the Dawes and she told me, “No way these are ugly and look like orthopedic shoes”…I was like you know what I”m gonna go out on a limb here and try them out anyway. lol. (But thanks again to the Dawes for always being as honest as possible so that I can weigh my pros and cons. he he.)
Like I said they showed up in literally 24 hours…they really aren’t bulky looking with jeans (you only see the toe part which is pretty sporty looking) and I took a walk to lunch today and seriously felt a difference…its a weird combination of exercise and stability…its almost like you are floating when you walk but also definately using different leg muscles.
Anyway I believe they are a half size too small because the straps and things are all very tight on the top of my foot in a sort of uncomfortable way…so I think I am going to send them back and try one of the other styles to see what I like best. Especially with free shipping and 365 days to return from Zappos.com. Ding~! I win~!
Happy Hoop Day 2008!
Happy Hoop Day 2008 Chicago! August 8, 2008 is the second international World Hoop Day celebration and hundreds of hoopdance enthusiasts around the globe will be making sure thousands of people are introduced (or re-introduced) to the physical and mental benefits of the hula hoop.
HooperPower has planned a fantastic celebration tonight in Wicker Park~!
August 8
Wicker Park
1425 N. Damen Ave.
5-8pm
They will be giving away over 75+ FREE hoops to Chicago WHD participants, DJ Dustin Harris will be spinning tunes and we will have HooperPower merchandise for sale too with proceeds going to WHD, Inc.
World Hoop Day Inc. efforts ensure that children at schools, youth organizations and those living in poverty will have hula hoops to play with and to keep them mentally and physically healthy.
Bobby 5K
Bobby randomly decided to run in a 5K tonight. It’s the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge in Grant Park – it’ll help raise money for the Bears Care Foundation. He sent me this pic and of course I had to be cheesy and post it on my blog. he he. ;) He is so cute.
Bears Care will receive a donation from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation in connection with the Corporate Challenge. Charitable giving is a key component of the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge Series, with locally-designated donations at each of our 12 events in six countries on five continents. More than $1.5 million has been provided to not-for-profit organizations in worldwide Corporate Challenge markets since 2005.
Living the Life
So today I was typing back n forth with Kurt on IM, like we do every day (almost seems like he’s right next door or down the street ~ ahhhh the sweetness of IM)…anyway I was telling him that last night I went to Rene’s place for taco night and all the girls from work came and we drank margaritas and talked and played cards until late and tonight after work I was going to meet up with my good ol’ web editor friend Nicolette (that I worked with for two years at SAIC) at the Lovely Bake Shop. I was saying how I was gonna finish up some stuff and bike over there since it was such a nice day out, and he said “Well aren’t you just livin’ the life?” and I was like “huh?”
But then after a couple seconds I got it….and I AM living the life. I’m designing websites by day (which I must say is pretty much what I’ve wanted to do with my life), I’m going to themed dinners with co-workers (next week is Italian night at Libby’s), I’m doing yoga with Tracy Von Kaenel once a week, I’m meeting old friends for coffee and buscuits (and corn chowder), and biking to and from work….and although things are non-stop…life is good and interesting and I’m happy. This is like a 360 from last year in the burbs, working corporate, having no social life, sinking into my couch with depressed thoughts and no motivation.
My heart is happier today and that feels awesome.
And I hope you all are finding happiness too, because you deserve it.
Lucky Bean Tree
I went out to IKEA with Bridget today since she was looking for an outdoor table and some curtains and I got this Lucky Bean Tree…it is so cute! I just googled it though and found out it can get to be really big. Crazy…I guess I might have to get a larger pot than the one I bought today.
This weekend was Lance and Casie’s wedding in New Orleans! So sad we couldn’t make it, but Bobby had to work all night on Saturday night (midnight to 9AM)….boooo! I’m excited to see pictures, I hope everything went really well and they are happily married. I’m sure it was a fun party, knowing Lance!
So, Friday night, unexpectedly I went to the Long Room with Rene, Lee, Barrett, Bridget and John and ended up going to Swig in Wicker Park after that to meet up with another co-worker and friend of mine, Jessica Schoolman and her boyfriend Chris. That bar ended up being way more expensive than I thought, but I did have a fun time and they have awesome tater tots. Then Saturday morning after Bobby worked all night he came home in a strangely good mood and cooked my breakfast! yay! Eggs, toast, grits, and coffee! His big work weekend “deployment” went better than expected and he told me all about it. :)
Then we went to help Mandy move the rest of her furniture over to Winget’s place. It was so cute, Justin got Mandy roses with a little note that said welcome home! I’m so happy they are happy, I really like Mandy too. :) Then they took us to lunch at Blackie’s Bar & Grill for some delicious burgers and came home for a much needed nap. I just love sleep when I need it so bad….that nap was awesome! Bobby slept until 7:45PM and then I woke him up so he could experience “Earth Hour” with me and turn off all the lights for an hour and do our part for the environment. We actually went for a drive to see if we could see any difference in the city skyline….and it did look dimmer but I think there were a lot of people that didn’t know about it and didn’t participate. Still Chicago decreased it’s electricity usage by 5% over that one hour (8-9PM) which is equal to 840,000 pounds of carbon dioxide not being emitted into the atmosphere. So good job Chicago…but from the looks of it, we could’ve done a tad bit better….
Then today I went to IKEA in Schaumburg with Bridget and braved the masses (I swear that place is like the suburban vacation spot on the weekends…it was a traffic jam at every corner) but we had a great time and found some good stuff! I’m ofcourse in saving mode because we’re buying the condo so all I bought was my Lucky Bean…but I was really holding back. IKEA has so much cool stuff that I want!
It was a really nice weekend! yay! I’m really looking forward to this Friday…going out to Colorado to see Amy + John and do a little skiing (although I’m still just as terrible as the first time I skied.) I may need to take a lesson this time, instead of just taking pointers from Bobby. I can’t seem to find the “free as a bird” feeling everyone else seems to have on the slopes. I”m more like a scared little chicken hopping around and falling and getting upset. haha. We’ll see how my skiing goes…if all else fails I’m sure it’ll still be a really nice weekend to hang out and talk and catch up with old friends. :)
I’m gonna go watch some serious TV and then hit the sack. Goodnight ya’ll.