I was sick with a nasty weirdo flu for almost two weeks, making me very swamped in all parts of my life. Regular colds & flus are always worse with me than most peeps due to my sinuses and susceptibility to laryngitis.
I've been taking pictures but haven't had a chance to fully edit all of them and upload etc. Some are from the sickly perspective of 'just take a picture already and get it over with', not very excited about those.
I'll be uploading when I can, trying to catch up and hopefully get back to doing one each day.
I started doing my C25K again but developed a problem with my right knee causing me to have to stop all that. My right knee has always been a little bitchy troublemaker since I was a little kid and messed it up. Le sigh...
Week 1 Run 2 of C25K and I went even though it was raining. It's sort of like I'm the pod person version of myself, LOL.
I'm soooooooo glad when I got my new gear I was smart to give in to the fact that in this part of the world, running in the rain was inevitable. When I replaced my 8 year old Nike Air Pegasus, I went for the Nike Air Pegasus 27 GTX. GTX as in Gortex. Puddles be damned! Luckily, they come in a cool charcoal color with hot pink accents, awesome!
I already owned a really nice compression zip-up from Old Navy but wanted a hoodie to cover my head in the rain. I looked all around but a good running hoodie costs some moola. In the end I opted for the above Asics running hat for a mere $20. I really don't like how I look in hats. Plus it's hard for them to stay on my head. I have a big noggin and loads of thick hair. Even this hat, with its adjustable Velcro at the back, tends to ride up a bit as I move. Also, hats make my big cheeks stand out even more making me look all pointy headed. [le sigh] This hat is totally worth enduring any hangups lurking inside my great big noggin. It kept my head dry and that brim keeps the sun and rain off my face and eyes. I could see the rain rolling off the sides of the brim as I ran. Not once did any get on my face. I do feel like a horse with blinders on but I think that's why it works so well.
Now, I just need to figure out my pants situation, cause it's a situation [insert Jersey Shore accent]. I'm currently wearing my compression, slightly bootleg, workout pants from Old Navy that were a steal. But the regular is too long even in my runners. The back drags on the ground and today they soaked up all the rain on the ground working their way up so that the entire bottom 1/4 was soaked. I do have a pair of running legging type pants with the zips at the ankle and they fit great, I was able to buy them in short sizing, but I feel too exposed. It's like running in footless tights. I feel naked.
Taken with: iPhone 4S
Apps used: ProCamera, Camera+, iWatermark
My first steps on my way to my very first Couch to 5K run! I've started, o-my-gosh. If you told someone who actually knows me, they would think you were talking about someone else entirely.
For most of my life, if some workout or training involved running of any sort, I would be the first to bitch and moan. Totally would figure a way around it somehow. I even got my first CrossFit trainer to let me row instead of jog with Y around the block. I'm sure I had a really good reason for him. My mindset when it came to running was: I hate it! No way!
Recently, I came across c25k.com and discovered a 9 week running program. It basically takes any old couch potato, like myself, off their ass and over a 9 week period safely gets them running a 5K or 30 minutes. No joke.
Did my research and it seems like it works. What finally did sell me was Robert Ullrey's Podcasts. This dude is awesomeness! When he decided to do the program he made weekly podcasts to use on your runs, FREE! Besides providing great tunes for your run, he lets you know when to switch from walking to jogging, your halfway point (so you can turn around if you need to) and motivates you along the way without being annoying and all laid out to the C25K running program so you can progress each week. Fab!
I'm an iPhone 4S girl so I'm using the Nike+ GPS app with Robert's podcasts. I just take my iPhone, put on my headphones, start a new run in the app and go. Everything is then tracked to my Nike+ running account online auto-magically. Today it laid out my route, gave me stats for calories burned, distance, time, elevation, fastest & slowest mile as well as average pace. Cool! With this kind of information you can really see how you are progressing and set some nice goals for yourself.
I'm super impressed with the Nike+ GPS app, Robert's podcasts and myself! What makes this so great is that you go at your own speed and if you need to repeat a week, please do. You move on when you feel ready. I've had my share of troubles with my back, hips and knees and although I'm all recovered, I am extremely careful about what I do to my body. I never want to deal with those injuries or pain again. So I go slow. I wear proper shoes, stretch before and after and I don't over do it.
I'll keep you updated as I go through the program.
Whoo, go me!
Taken with: iPhone 4S
Apps used: ProCamera, Camera+, iWatermark
A snippet of our mantelscape. As some of you know from his blog, my husband goes by Yesmar online, which happens to be his name backwards. My name starts with the letter Z and Z has been a long time nickname from friends and family. Also, when writing out our name together it naturally tends to come out as Ramsey & Zarina. I think you get the idea. Basically since we met, we have been Y & Z. I basically love this and take it as fate more than coincidence.
The owl couple are the sweetest wedding favors I've ever received, given to us at my friend's wedding a few years back. They were handmade in Peru, I believe out of tiny gourds, and have sterling silver accents. So awesome!
Taken with: iPhone 4S
Apps used: ProCamera, Snapseed, Camera+, iWatermark
After doing Y's photo I came up with the idea of doing my half as well. I'm very happy with how these turned out and I hope to get these printed out and framed. It was very difficult to try and match my face to Y's and to get the tones to coordinate. The difficulty with matching my face mostly stemmed from having to take an "end of the arm" photo of myself. Made for a very different image size to work with. However, taking this kind of photo was much easier on the iPhone 4S with its reverse camera. I could at least make sure most of my face was in the shot. This original image is now my new avatar most places (see my profile pic).
We took these in front of our Robin Hager painting entitled, Indian Warrior, which Y purchased when he used to live around the corner from him in San Francisco.
My 7 year old niece was over recently and was delighted by the progress I have made in my studio. It's the first time she has been able to go in there as it had been a disaster all this time. I've been finally organizing all my stuff and playing with different arrangements and ideas. My main hold up is I can't decide on paint color/s. I usually like an all white studio as I work with colors and don't want the wall paint to affect/shift the colors. However, after living in such a grey part of the world for almost 3 years, I am toying with the idea of actual color on the walls. I am maybe halfway to completion at this point. However, when she saw my wall of colored pencils, I became, even more so than usual (heh heh ), the coolest aunt ever!
Inspired she looked around my studio and decided on my Domo O'kun as her muse and model. She then drew this rendition of Domo-kun performing karaoke in a groovy rainbow world.
We recently returned from a long deserved trip to my beloved San Francisco. While there, we ate ourselves into bliss, reminisced at our old haunts and I got a fabulous haircut with my long time hair guru, Addison, of Addison Salon. No one does my hair like he does!
If you are, or plan to be, in San Francisco here are just a few recommendations:
Red Door Cafe: French Toast Josephine. GET IT! Lives up to all the hype.
Freanch Toast Josephine
Y and a very "special" cup of coffee
Y had some coffee served up with massive humor and I had an amazing ice tea with fresh mint. Service is fantastic and fun. This place is tiny, no more than 12, so be prepared. We went on a weekday late morning and had no wait. This is what you expect of fun funky SF breakfast experience.
Dinner:
The Elite Cafe: OMG! A must do! Get a reservation and order this:
When we returned home my new Rx glasses were ready. They are by the Japanese brand, Kamuro.
style: anillo
color: K60E
me with new hair & new glasses
*It's very hard to get a good shot of my hair because it's so black.
a better view of the texture in my hair
I am also trying out some new bifocal contacts, so far they seem promising. Haven't been able to wear contacts for a couple of years now. It's awesome because I can actually see when applying my eye makeup and makeup in general. It makes a major difference, LOL!!!
me in bifocal contacts
Ys first reaction to the photo above of me in contacts was that I looked like a Cylon because of the circular light reflection in my eyes. I'm hoping he meant the humanoid version and not the toaster version. Gotta lurve your geek.
My hair was reaching my waist, as I had been growing it out since it had been butchered, and Addison cut it to where he could fix it, which ended up shorter than we originally hoped. To get my hair cut so drastically and get new glasses in the same week was a bit too much all at once. Even myself in contacts was too much. It's taken a couple of weeks for me to recognize myself in the mirror and feel happy with everything. It was such a drastic change that I started to question my decisions. Luckily, Y was around to reassure me. Y actually picked out my glasses as I could not see what they looked like on me when I tried them on. He picked out the perfect pair! These are the first non-lucite glasses I've owned since childhood. I love how they are a modern nod to cat glasses. I love classic cat glasses but they look horrible on me. These are a perfect blend of sass and modernism.
There are a few items making their way into my life which I am regarding as New year/New Gear and some other items which have been hanging around for a bit which fit into my Dusty Gear/This year category.
Two areas of focus for both Y and myself in 2011: Health and Organization.
We are out of shape.
Need to trim down.
Decided to live in reality.
Have given up on the fantasy shortcut.
Due to so many moves over the past few years, unpacking and setting up fully was never realized.
Our offices and studios need major help.
We are determined to organize and beautify.
I plan on sharing both the gear and effect it has on these two current areas of focus. Hopefully you can add to the ideas here by sharing your gear and effect as well.
This first one is a Dusty Gear/This Year health item. I originally bought this so I could ride my bike in the winter back in 2009. A great idea never realized, until today.
Stella finally got her winter/indoor makeover. We used to live near a lake with a riding path. I'm way too much of a scaredy cat to ride on the streets with cars so... hellooooooo, indoor trainer! Makes me sound all pro, LOL. I purchased a CycleOps Mag trainer at REI with the yearly member discount coupon of 20% off and used my accumulated dividends for a super sweet deal.
I've got her setup downstairs across from my office so I can see her while I'm on my computer. Calling to me.
Hey Z! A quick ride, yes? C'mon! 5 minutes. YES!
Only two things:
1. Wow, she's a tall mount and worse dismount. Need to figure that out. Do I need a step to get on and off? hahahahah
2. In front of the stove when it's been heating the downstairs, not so good. In front of the sliding door for fresh air and a backyard view brilliant.
Stella's going to be real good to me this year. I can feel it.
What's your new or dusty workout gear helping you out this year?
Better yet, do you have a tried and true secret weapon?
I hope everyone had a very happy holiday filled with love, happiness and some wishes come true. We celebrated our first holidays in our new home and as husband and wife. We managed to find the perfect tree for ourselves, out of the blue, the week before Christmas:
It's number 34. This not only solved the need for a modern look for us but it flat packs away, is made from recycled & recyclable aluminum, made in Seattle (lucky us!) and we will own it for all the years ahead making it very Eco friendly. I already owned those green strung lights but eventually I want to switch them out to white strings and add some "fancy" type lights akin to those that look like stars or snowballs. We saw some great ones in Paris which we would have scooped up were it not for the voltage and plug differences. I found the icicle ornaments at Micheal's. I need to get better hooks as these were tiny and were too easy to pop off. Luckily the icicles themselves are very sturdy having survived a few death leaps to the hardwood floor.
Y+Z Reindeer: Pottery Barn reindeer decked out with mini ornaments found at Micheal's.
This year I used a large round vase to hold the Christmas cards. I really like how it worked. It was like a giant colorful ornament and I could add/pull out cards to show people very easily without the usual cluttered display. I thought of adding "snowflakes" to the bottom of the bowl but resisted knowing they would probably end up everywhere and guess who would have to clean them up.
We picked up these Eiffel Tower cards in Paris during our honeymoon.
Skully Santa made his usual appearance. This year he actually has a hat that fits. I think it's a baby hat, also found at Micheal's.
We bought this in Paris on our honeymoon as our first ornament.
The heart says Noël.
Our friend Ivett surprised us with this awesome gift. She hand painted this ornament for us! Y is a Siamese cat (like Zira) and I am the black kitty (I've always thought of myself as a former black cat). Notice the Seattle Needle skyline and Y's tail making the L in Mr. Lucky.
This is the back. Notice my tail making the M in Mrs. Lucky and the heart on our new home. When I opened the package and beheld this I started weeping because it's so wonderful and so much thought was put into it. Even the color choices; blue for Y and Pink for me, our favorite colors. I've known Ivett since college. I have the best friends! She is a very talented artist specializing in avian and wilderness art. Check out her site: AvianAndWildernessart.com
Z Stocking
Y Stocking
Zira Stocking.
Notice the attached felt fish. The stocking says, "Treats For A Nice Kitty" and has two pockets in the front as well as the main sock pocket. Found this at the Macy's Holiday Lane store. Could not resist.
Our Christmas Eve Dinner:
Grass fed New York steaks, grilled asparagus and my famous creamy garlic mashed potatoes.
Holy Smokes this was a wonderful surprise!! We had been to dinner at Bellevue Square (local mall) with my mom and my niece. We walked out of the restaurant and with no clue of what was happening, toy soldiers and majorettes were handing us blow horns. It was a big party that happens every night at 7pm during the holidays. After Christmas they do a New Year's every night (Celebration Lane) through the 31st. Tons of kids (big and small), music, Snow queens, Mouse Kings, Drummers, Sugar Plum Fairies, AMAZING! They even make it snow. I only had my iPhone so my photos & video aren't so good as it was night but here is a promo video:
Can't wait to take advantage of the Snowflake Lane next year for Santa's arrival and nightly party with my niece, of course. I'm sure we will also hit the Celebration Lane as well.
It finally snowed while we were around to enjoy it! We missed the previous snow this year. We were in Paris. We left Paris and it then snowed there. Totally thought we missed out on snow this year. My niece and I created Snowball the snowcat in our front yard. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrr or actually Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
We finally had our first fire in our fireplace. I have now mastered creating a roaring fire. Wow, it's hard work. That's what I get for wanting to learn how to do it.
2010 was an amazing year for us. Filled with surprises (our new home being the best surprise), love (our marriage especially), adventures (from Lake Geneva to Paris) and visits from family and friends. We really feel blessed.
In 2011 we hope to continue on this path and build on this wonderful foundation. New things are afoot business-wise (check out Calific.com for something Y & I are working on together). We are trying to really focus on our health this year. Paris let us know how far we are from our 20s, it wasn't just celebrating my birthday either lol, and how sedentary we have become since leaving San Francisco.
I wish us all a happy, prosperous and healthy 2011!
We are back from our honeymoon in Paris. It was wonderful and I have much to share with you regarding Paris and our wedding for that matter.
We have been back for a week but I caught some sort of head cold as soon as we got back. It made my head feel like a 500 pound anvil atop my body and laid me out for a week. Better AFTER the honeymoon for sure but still sucky.
I'm now in the midst of getting the house ready for our first Christmas in our new home and as husband and wife. The last nine months have been a whirlwind of amazing and wonderful!
My shops have been closed for most of 2010 and although I do miss it, I also have enjoyed not being a slave to it. It's very strange not having to make post office runs everyday at this time of year. I'm now revamping everything about my business and how I was going about it. Thinking whether or not to re-open. If I do, I will be doing things very differently. One of the cool things I experienced in Paris was checking out Tmode, a handmade fashion and decor expo that was taking place up the street from our hotel in the Marais district. It was very inspiring and it made my creative juices flow. There were many jewelry designers and it was a bit of an ego boost to see that so many styles/concepts I have been putting out for a couple of years were being shown here in Paris. It felt like a stamp of approval in a round-about sort of way. I'll take it. [wink] Y said, unprompted, that I could easily show my stuff next to the beautiful wares showcased at the event. We are now trying to figure out how to retire to Paris.
It was my third trip to Paris and I discovered so many new places. Much to share, so stay tuned.
Had a wee date with Y last Sunday. I've been going through a bunch of my stuff and I turned up one of my old favorite tee's. I haven't worn this in ages. Back before Y and I had actually met or I even knew of him, he had seen a picture of me in this tee. One day, after we had already started dating, we were having lunch at Max's at the Opera Cafe in San Francisco when Y looked over at me in this tee and said, "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to be in front of this shirt." .......... [butterflies]
Here's the original photo Y saw:
(Z ~ circa April 2006)
Now 4.5 years later, we are soon to be wed. He makes me happy like in fairy tales.
Y emailed this to me today with the subject line, "This made me think of you."
That really is me!! As much as I try to be brave, phobias are teh suck :(
I was bit by a Brown Recluse in college and am missing some flesh from that experience so that didn't help. I was extremely lucky but the scars are a constant reminder that all spiders must DIE!! DIE!!!!!! DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On another note, there is much going on here so my blog time has suffered. I'll catch up when I can. Until then, I hope life is treating you all well.
The lovely and intriguing Tuesdai of "...a reflection by Tuesdai" has been posting a wonderful series entitled "Interviews by HER" featuring different bloggers from the blogosphere.
All the good hair ju-ju sent my way worked!!! I just came back from my first haircut with Rosie and I am a happy girl!
Me just before I left to get the cut:
Me after my cut:
I asked Rosie to cut a good amount of length off for the summer (it grows really fast) and to really give me some volume up-top (I'm a product of the 80's, whadda ya gonna do). Basically, to add more rock 'n roll to my hair. It's hard to see because I'm wearing a black tee but I have heaps of texture, loads of volume all around and my hair feels light. I have one product in my hair and I could not believe the volume it gave me that I purchased some on the spot.
The salon has recently switched from my beloved MOP products to KEVIN.MURPHY. I was worried as I loooooooove my MOP Basil Mint Shampoo (which is all I have used in my hair for the past two years).
I've tried loads of products, including MOP products, to add the volume I've been seeking but nothing really works in my heavy coarse hair. Today Rosie put ANTI.GRAVITY in my hair and I can not tell you how flipping amazingly this stuff works. It's oil free so it doesn't feel like there is any product in my hair and it looks like I have photo-shoot volume without the teasing or sticky/tackiness of mega hairspray. Plus it smells like lavender aromatherapy without overpowering my hair with perfume.
I still have loads of Basil Mint Shampoo (it lasts for months, BTW) so I will wait to try the KEVIN.MURPHY shampoos but I am excited to do so. MAXI.WASH was recommended for my hair. FYI, it seems like these products have a high price tag but they last for months as you only need a tiny bit to get the job done. You can check around for better deals as well.
