Yesterday was on of those strange days when time moved too quickly while being slow at the same tome. I went to Koko FitClub again and I managed to walk .84 miles in 17 minutes. I've now walked a total of 7.25 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes. I feel pretty accomplished since I haven't been walking that much.
Today was a ballet day. I made it through the whole class without using my ankle braces! I'm hoping this will be a continual thing because it makes me feel so much better to not have to wear them. I felt a lot better today in class than I have in a while. I think the weight lifting at Koko is really helping. My arms didn't feel as tired today when I had to use them a lot.
I've been doing laundry and organizing my kindle today, so I feel accomplished even if I don't have anything to really show for it. I did figure out that my kindle will inform me when it runs out of space. I had to delete one of my bibles from it because it was taking up too much room. It won't let you make notes or highlights when it is out of memory! How cruel! I do have over 3000 books on my device at this moment, so I wasn't too surprised.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Short Update
I braved the stores today and went to Target to buy some more workout clothes. I was able to get most of them on clearance because they are bringing in the long sleeve shirts and long pants. I also stopped by the craft store and spent more than I probably should have on some fun craft supplies to get a head start on Christmas presents. I have one thing to say: If there will be a cash register problem, it will happen in my lane.
I moved lanes 3 times in ten minutes. I really hate shopping.
I went to Koko FitClub again this afternoon, this time without my friend Meagan. I ended up walking .79 miles in 16 minutes. I have now walked a total of 6.41 miles in 2 hours 27 minutes 17 seconds. I'll update you tomorrow!
I moved lanes 3 times in ten minutes. I really hate shopping.
I went to Koko FitClub again this afternoon, this time without my friend Meagan. I ended up walking .79 miles in 16 minutes. I have now walked a total of 6.41 miles in 2 hours 27 minutes 17 seconds. I'll update you tomorrow!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Being A New Vegan
Hello again and welcome to the wonderful world of Marjorie.
Yesterday was my mom's birthday, so my family went out to eat for lunch. I haven't mentioned it before on this blog, but I recently decided to become vegan. I started out in April, but I had a few really bad slip-ups, so I count myself as being a vegan since July. I feel so much better after taking animal products out of my diet. I used to eat dairy at every meal. I didn't realize how much I was eating until I stopped eating it. It was A LOT.
My favorite foods to make at the moment are:
1. Angel hair pasta with tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, olive oil, and Cajun seasoning.
2. Black beans, brown rice, medium salsa, olives, daiya mozzarella shreds on top of spring mix.
3. Hummus and sweet potato chips (favorite snack).
My favorite foods to eat at restaurants:
1. Vegan black bean burger (if they have it)
2. Salads (without the cheese, meat, and oil and vinegar dressing on the side)
3. Mushroom burgers (without cheese and not grilled in butter)
It can be a challenge to find foods at restaurants, but some places (Like Applebee's, Long Horn Steakhouse, etc.) will even charge you less if you take the meat off your order. Many salads can be made vegan by taking off the meat, cheese, and/or egg and substituting oil and vinegar for the dressing. Also, there are usually appetizers that can come with celery or carrots (like the chicken wings at Applebee's) so you can eat those if someone orders that for an appetizer. Smaller restaurants can be harder. Most of the foods here are doused in cream sauces and topped with fried oysters (that's what you get living so close to the coast) so it can be tricky. If you order grilled veggies, ask if they are made with butter, because they usually are. Same thing with mashed potatoes and grilled sandwiches and buns.
Yesterday I ended up with a veggie wrap (it was delicious) and sweet potato fries. Sadly, all their deserts were milk based, so I couldn't have any. It was a great birthday meal for my mom though.
I went back to Koko FitClub with Meagan today and afterwards she took me to this great smoothie place/ restaurant called the Nutrition Company. It was one of those places that you walk in and you think, "fit and healthy people must come here". They had a dizzying number of smoothies to choose from and teas, juices, coffees, shakes, snacks, breakfast foods, and real foods to stare at as well. I got this tropical storm smoothie and I'm not sure if I liked it. It had some sort of protein powder or something in it with a slight grassy/ fake aftertaste that I did not care for, but the main flavor of the smoothie was great. It was mango-y and kiwi-y and strawberry-y and perfection! I think I'll try the peanut butter one next time to see if the stronger flavor would cover that protein-y taste. Or maybe a juice. I kinda want to go through the whole menu and try everything just to see what it tastes like!
I wandered around my yard for a bit and found some great flowers I wanted to share with you.
I also found some blue jay feathers on the ground. It looked like they had gotten into a fight. They were really beautiful.
And... our lemon tree has fruit on it this year! First time! Hopefully they will be yummy. We'll need a ladder to pick them!
I only walked a little bit yesterday because I had ballet class and was tired, but today I walked a bit around the yard and did the elliptical machine at Koko.
Yesterday was my mom's birthday, so my family went out to eat for lunch. I haven't mentioned it before on this blog, but I recently decided to become vegan. I started out in April, but I had a few really bad slip-ups, so I count myself as being a vegan since July. I feel so much better after taking animal products out of my diet. I used to eat dairy at every meal. I didn't realize how much I was eating until I stopped eating it. It was A LOT.
My favorite foods to make at the moment are:
1. Angel hair pasta with tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, olive oil, and Cajun seasoning.
2. Black beans, brown rice, medium salsa, olives, daiya mozzarella shreds on top of spring mix.
3. Hummus and sweet potato chips (favorite snack).
My favorite foods to eat at restaurants:
1. Vegan black bean burger (if they have it)
2. Salads (without the cheese, meat, and oil and vinegar dressing on the side)
3. Mushroom burgers (without cheese and not grilled in butter)
It can be a challenge to find foods at restaurants, but some places (Like Applebee's, Long Horn Steakhouse, etc.) will even charge you less if you take the meat off your order. Many salads can be made vegan by taking off the meat, cheese, and/or egg and substituting oil and vinegar for the dressing. Also, there are usually appetizers that can come with celery or carrots (like the chicken wings at Applebee's) so you can eat those if someone orders that for an appetizer. Smaller restaurants can be harder. Most of the foods here are doused in cream sauces and topped with fried oysters (that's what you get living so close to the coast) so it can be tricky. If you order grilled veggies, ask if they are made with butter, because they usually are. Same thing with mashed potatoes and grilled sandwiches and buns.
Yesterday I ended up with a veggie wrap (it was delicious) and sweet potato fries. Sadly, all their deserts were milk based, so I couldn't have any. It was a great birthday meal for my mom though.
I went back to Koko FitClub with Meagan today and afterwards she took me to this great smoothie place/ restaurant called the Nutrition Company. It was one of those places that you walk in and you think, "fit and healthy people must come here". They had a dizzying number of smoothies to choose from and teas, juices, coffees, shakes, snacks, breakfast foods, and real foods to stare at as well. I got this tropical storm smoothie and I'm not sure if I liked it. It had some sort of protein powder or something in it with a slight grassy/ fake aftertaste that I did not care for, but the main flavor of the smoothie was great. It was mango-y and kiwi-y and strawberry-y and perfection! I think I'll try the peanut butter one next time to see if the stronger flavor would cover that protein-y taste. Or maybe a juice. I kinda want to go through the whole menu and try everything just to see what it tastes like!
I wandered around my yard for a bit and found some great flowers I wanted to share with you.
And... our lemon tree has fruit on it this year! First time! Hopefully they will be yummy. We'll need a ladder to pick them!
I only walked a little bit yesterday because I had ballet class and was tired, but today I walked a bit around the yard and did the elliptical machine at Koko.
Yesterday: .08 Miles in 2:04 Minutes
Today: 1.15 Miles in 24:23 Minutes
Total: 5.62 Miles in 2:11:17 Minutes
Where I am in middle earth: I have crossed the Great Road from the Brandywine Bridge and I have entered Tookland. I found out from Meagan today that she is catching up to me! I felt a little bad for leaving her behind, but I'm sure she'll be out-walking me soon!
Until next time!
Monday, October 7, 2013
Autumn is Starting and Walking Progress
I think Fall finally started today! I woke up and the sun
was shining and it was cool! Fall is my favorite season, which is ironic
because we don’t have much of a Fall around where I live. I just turned on my
ipod to blast Juanes and opened up all my windows to let in the fun cool air.
I made my second trip to Koko FitClub this morning with my
friend Meagan. It wasn’t as intimidating this time and it was really exciting
to do new exercises. My legs didn’t hurt as much on the treadmill. It still
took me a pretty long time to figure out what parts to move on the machine when
I had to do new moves. I’m a little surprised how many upper body exercises there
are compared to lower body, but I guess it will level out the further along I
go. I love that I can see my workout
stats online so I know what I need to work on the next time I go in.
Other coolness is that they gave me a free towel for liking
them on Facebook. It’s orange! Everything there is either orange or black with
white accents. It’s nice, but I wish it were a different color. Orange is not a
color I tend to wear… I only have 2 or 3 orange things in my wardrobe at all
(It’s mostly black and blue) so I suddenly have this bright color that I’m not
entirely sure I know what to do with. It is pretty cool that they gave us so
many free gifts when we signed up: a fitness bag, ear buds, a pouch, a T-shirt,
a water bottle, a bracelet, and a visor. It makes me feel like I joined some
super-secret orange-themed group of awesomeness.
SO, back to topic. I walked .71 miles today in 15 minutes.
In total I’ve now walked 4.39 miles in 1.75 hours. I’ve now crossed the Water
and I’m headed toward Tookland. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to walk a little
farther in the next few days. It is sad that I’m not even halfway through day
1!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Eternal Spirit: I Discovered a New CD
Time for a little something different: Music.
Music is a big part of my life. The last 5 1/2 years were spent as a music student, studying music every day with every fiber of my being. I love many different genres and styles, but my favorites are usually Classical, Folk, New Age, Oldies, Pop, and Symphonic Metal. I'm also a huge fan of church music and I've been involved with my church choir since middle school.
Enter the new song I heard today for the first time: Eternal Spirit
I was teaching my mom how to download songs from Amazon and she handed me this CD called Eternal Spirit by Ana Hernandez. (You can listen to samples here) It is the New Zealand Lord's Prayer with drone, voice, and flute. In the link above to the video, you can see how Carla DeSola's choreography captures the flow of the words and music into a vibrant living dance.
The CD Starts with "Mother Ann's Song": a haunting track with a tolling bell and vocals that set the mood of the album. This would make a great track in a movie soundtrack for a funeral march or procession into a graveyard. "Eternal Spirit", the album's title track, is next. The drone and flute are a perfect Segway into the contemplative atmosphere of this song. The third track is named "Heartbeat/Meditation No.1: Cedar". It is the longest piece on the disk at 13:51 and continues the contemplative mood set in the first two tracks with the drone and steady "heartbeat" and improvised flute. "Slender Ships" is the fourth track that evokes the ocean with actual ocean waves crashing on the shore (not something I'm a big fan of in my music, but it works well enough that I don't hate it). If you are into that sort of thing, this is the track for you! Again, the vocals are done in a haunting chant-like style. "Meditation No.2: Bamboo" is a really cool piece. The flute and freetone (a chime in the xylophone family, apparently) evoke a picture of a beautiful meditation spot in China with a sense of melancholic longing. "Canon" sounds like it could come from one of the many Celtic/Medieval/Renaissance albums I own and is based off Gregorian Chant. My only complaint is that it is not long enough. "Aleynu L'shabey'ah: It Is Ours to Praise" again utilizes Ana's haunting voice and introduces us to the Tibetan Singing Bowl! (And yes, it does need to be capitalized because singing bowls are one of the coolest instruments out there!). This song leads straight into "The Atlantic Ocean" without pause. This nearly ten minute song returns us to the ocean with the low hum of the singing bowls. Altogether, this is a very quiet, meditative, and pensive album. It would be great for meditation, prayer, relaxation, or quiet listening.
I wanted to share my new discovery with you and I would love to know what you think about it.
In other news, I didn't end up walking today or yesterday because I'm tired and my poor legs need a break. I'm headed back to Koko FitClub tomorrow with my awesome friend Meagan, so I'll continue with my walk to Mordor on the morrow.
Take a look at my awesome hair! I did this while I was listening to my awesome new music and didn't realize how cool it looked until I looked into the mirror. The angle is a bit awkward, but I wanted you to be able to see it from the top and side to get the full effect.
Music is a big part of my life. The last 5 1/2 years were spent as a music student, studying music every day with every fiber of my being. I love many different genres and styles, but my favorites are usually Classical, Folk, New Age, Oldies, Pop, and Symphonic Metal. I'm also a huge fan of church music and I've been involved with my church choir since middle school.
Enter the new song I heard today for the first time: Eternal Spirit
The CD Starts with "Mother Ann's Song": a haunting track with a tolling bell and vocals that set the mood of the album. This would make a great track in a movie soundtrack for a funeral march or procession into a graveyard. "Eternal Spirit", the album's title track, is next. The drone and flute are a perfect Segway into the contemplative atmosphere of this song. The third track is named "Heartbeat/Meditation No.1: Cedar". It is the longest piece on the disk at 13:51 and continues the contemplative mood set in the first two tracks with the drone and steady "heartbeat" and improvised flute. "Slender Ships" is the fourth track that evokes the ocean with actual ocean waves crashing on the shore (not something I'm a big fan of in my music, but it works well enough that I don't hate it). If you are into that sort of thing, this is the track for you! Again, the vocals are done in a haunting chant-like style. "Meditation No.2: Bamboo" is a really cool piece. The flute and freetone (a chime in the xylophone family, apparently) evoke a picture of a beautiful meditation spot in China with a sense of melancholic longing. "Canon" sounds like it could come from one of the many Celtic/Medieval/Renaissance albums I own and is based off Gregorian Chant. My only complaint is that it is not long enough. "Aleynu L'shabey'ah: It Is Ours to Praise" again utilizes Ana's haunting voice and introduces us to the Tibetan Singing Bowl! (And yes, it does need to be capitalized because singing bowls are one of the coolest instruments out there!). This song leads straight into "The Atlantic Ocean" without pause. This nearly ten minute song returns us to the ocean with the low hum of the singing bowls. Altogether, this is a very quiet, meditative, and pensive album. It would be great for meditation, prayer, relaxation, or quiet listening.
I wanted to share my new discovery with you and I would love to know what you think about it.
In other news, I didn't end up walking today or yesterday because I'm tired and my poor legs need a break. I'm headed back to Koko FitClub tomorrow with my awesome friend Meagan, so I'll continue with my walk to Mordor on the morrow.
Take a look at my awesome hair! I did this while I was listening to my awesome new music and didn't realize how cool it looked until I looked into the mirror. The angle is a bit awkward, but I wanted you to be able to see it from the top and side to get the full effect.
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