Embracing Fall

October 7, 2011. 

Clothes Rainbow

If I organized my closet, I'd have a rainbow of clothing.  I explained this (among other things) to my mom this morning, as we had coffee in celebration of her birthday.

"You know, I have a decade old green t-shirt from the rec center I used to get kicked out of everyday, that I can wear under a gray cashmere sweater, and match it to my green diesel shoes."

Why do I have countless other green shirts and two pairs of green diesel shoes?  I do not know.  

I learned today that my new job has a uniform; a "hanes looking" t-shirt repping the program, with any pair of dress pants I have.

I'll have a total of three shirts.  I'm going to have to get creative. 

October 6, 2011.

ps I got the job!

The interview boots from Day 4 must have worked.  I got the job.  I start on Monday.

Day 5 shoes are oldies, rarely worn, not extremely comfortable, but match my "I got it on, Kawasaki" t-shirt with a motorcycle on it.  Location of photo: Sweeney's Saloon, while eating the poor man's special. Photo by Brian.

October 5, 2011.  I got the job shoes.

Day 4

October 4, 2011.  Interview shoes.

These boots are super comfortable and are my "go to" dress shoe.  I need to get black polish however, as they are a bit rough around the edges.  This reminds me I need to get winter boots this year.  First things first; I need a job.  I wore these boots today for a job interview I had.  #Movingforward.

I'm going to see Esperanza Spalding tonight.  I am geeked!  I was able to get discounted tickets from living social, so I've not totally broken the bank.  If you don't know who she is, check her out. More soon.

The Shoe Project

There's a stereotype about women and shoes.  Being the obedient woman that I am (insert sarcasm among other things here), I do have quite a number a shoes.  While I don't have flats, pumps, or wedges... I do have plenty of running, casual, and awesome shoes. 

Some folks keep their shoes in the closet.  Others on shoe racks, doormats, shelves, or bins.  I keep several pairs by the door, but the rest I keep in my kitchen drawers.  In talking with a friend of mine, I learned not only that it's weird to keep shoes in your kitchen drawers, but also was challenged on if I wear all of these shoes or not.  "Yes I do" I immediately thought.  But in truth, I probably don't.

And so started "The Shoe Project."  Each day, for the month of October (conveniently one of the longer months), I will wear a different pair of shoes.  I realize this makes me seem like a materialistic, rich, jerkface, but rest assured... I'm not.  I just happen to have a lot of shoes, many I got on a big discount.  And..."a lot" of shoes is relative, right?  I mean, "a lot" to some folks might mean in the hundreds.  "A lot" to others may mean 10.  I think I'm somewhere around 30.  Maybe more, I'm not sure.  

Everyday, I plan to take a picture of my shoes and post it on facebook for my friend to see.  I was thinking this afternoon, while fishing with another friend of mine, that maybe I should post them on my blog too.  Here is day 1-3.  I'll update the blog as often as I can.  

October 1, 2011.  Stinky running shoes that matched the pink bra I wore while volunteering at a bike race.

October 2, 2011. Back of right shoe is tainted with bike grease.

October 3, 2011.  Fishing Lake Nokomis in sandals.  Caught nothing.

A Spoonful of Peanut Butter

Helps the medicine go down?  Well...kind of.

Some mornings, J and I go to the gym.  We usually do 30 minutes of cardio, and then follow it up with 60 or so minutes of lifting.  It's a drag to get there some mornings, but once we get going, it's great.

I'm the kind of person who needs a lil something in my belly before I can run around.  When I run a race (like this coming Sunday, actually), I like to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich about 2 hours before race time.  If we get to the gym by 6 or 6:30am, there's no way I'm getting up 2 hours earlier.  I tend to rise about half an hour before needing to be at the gym, and finding nutrients is always a fun thing.

I'd say my go-to pre workout food is a spoonful of peanut butter.  Anything more, and I'll get a stomach ache.  Anything less, and I'll feel dizzy and weak.  Oh, and when I remember, I also take a scoop of N.O Xplode in a glass of water.  Apparently it's supposed to make me stronger.  We'll see.

Now that I need to be really mindful of my spending, I need some more food suggestions.  A week or so ago, I was with some folks who posed the question "What would you eat if you were homeless and only had 2 dollars a day?"  Another person took this down the route of "And you were homeless, on drugs, addicted to alcohol, etc..." Being stubborn/defensive, I of course had to chime in and say that not all homeless people are addicts.  But that's not the point of this story... The point is, what would you eat on 2 dollars a day?  I know people survive on less than that, but let's just start with this for the sake of the story.

If I only had 14 dollars a week to spend on food, I would probably go to Mississippi Market to get some grains.  I would likely get granola, brown rice, and maybe some quinoa or barley.  I'd also get some dried beans for protein.  I'd then head to super target or rainbow for some fruit and veggies (whatever was in season and the cheapest).  If I had any money left over, I would buy a bucket of ice cream.

A friend and I are supposed to sit down any day now, and talk about how to eat on a budget.  I did buy a book a few months ago on that same topic, but that was when I was gainfully employed and "eating on a budget" was more of a choice than a necessity.  I'm not down to the $2 a day thing yet, but I think it's important to think about how to stay fueled without breaking the bank....and doing so especially as someone who is active most days and needs adequate protein, nutrients, etc. 

Suggestions are encouraged from foodies, athletes, starving artists and moms.  All other opinions/suggestions are welcomed as well.  Thanks!

Love's in Need of Love (ASAP)

I try to steer away from "song of the day" because I feel lazy when I post someone else's video, rather than writing about what's on my mind and in my heart with my own words.

"Love's in Need of Love" by Stevie Wonder was my SOTD yesterday afternoon.  After Troy Davis got executed last night, it seemed even more appropriate.  Have a listen.  And then go hug somebody.  

There's a lot going on in this world, and it's easy to overlook things, forget or ignore people, and keep on "moving forward" without really paying attention.  A good hug can go a long way.  Trust me.