sooo over it

So it's a good thing I finished ;)

I'm way relieved. I just finished formatting and finishing checking grammar and other errors (actually, my favorite part) on my tri-term. Overall I'm really pleased with it- this should be what matters; however, in school, you do work for a grade. Alas. UC Santa Cruz only just implemented letter grades a few years ago. It used to be based on teacher evaluations. Some believed it actually encouraged better, more thorough work- But it made it really hard to get into grad school so they 'caught up with the times.' 

I ate the other half of the above trail mix I bought at the cafe a couple of days ago and then had a yogurt and apple to round out the tri-fecta (wow, I'm so fixated on tri's because of that paper, haha).  Unfortunately I was too preoccupied to photo it this morning. 

I finished just in time to catch the end of Price is Right; I guess Drew Carey is an alright substitute, but how I miss good ol' Bob Barker! Now, time to relax, print my paper, and check some blogs. I'm hoping to get in a quick version of Meghann's bootcamp today. It might have to be an indoor version unless the weather clears up a bit. I also still have other schoolwork to do, but the stress is off!

In preparation for very wet weather my mom sent me rain boots! I feel like an awesome lumerjack and had to share- thanks mom. Actually, she doesn't know about this blog. Do your family and friends know about your blogs? How did they react to it, both at first and in time? I keep vacillating between wanting to share with my mom/sis/friends and wanting to keep it just amongst the blog worlds because I feel like I can be exceptionally honest. 

Update (2pm): I was so glad I finished that I decided to go on a five minute walk to the park down the road. I took my book for my class tomorrow with me in hopes that I would still be feeling motivated. Well, a different sort of motivation took hold: the motivation to move! I didn't do much, but I was inspired by Meghann's bootcamp work-out. I did a few jumping jacks and then eased into various body weight strength exercises including: pushups (on my knees :( I can do more that way, but I'm slowly working my way up), squats, crunches, reverse push ups, step ups, reverse crunches (which kicked my butt), and about 5 short suicides. I only did about 15 of each exercise, but I didn't stop in between and it felt good to be outside and get my heart rate up (for however short a time) after being trapped inside with the tri-term.

Yup, this is what I turn into after lack of sleep/paper stress- it's attractive, I know.

Also, I wear contacts or glasses pretty much 100% of the time; I have incredibly poor vision.

Look at the SIZE of this pear (capitalized in order to emphasize the tiny-ness!). I saw them at new leaf and was so amused that I asked the staff about them. Well, score one for customer service- they gave me a couple of them for free! They're really good. They taste a little smoother and sweeter than a regular pear. I don't quite remember what they're called, but it starts with a 'v'.... haha, sorry. I'll check next time I'm at the store.

For lunch I had a sandwich with turkey ham, swiss, babaganoosh, spinach and tomato on two slices of Arnolds High-Fiber bread. It's just as good as the protein variety but has a heartier taste- perhaps it's just because I didn't toast it? Either way, I love them both for different reasons; but this lunch benefitted from the extra fiber as opposed to extra protein. On the side I snacked on celery filled with babaganoosh- I'm trying to use it up before it goes bad.

Off to go turn in that paper and go to a couple classes- fun fun. See you later!

over the hump?

For me? Not quite. Just a warning: posting/eating may be a bit sporadic today. I actually slept a bit better which is great because I need to be mentally rested to be able to focus on this tri-term I'm writing (40% of my grade-eek!). I have the length of the paper but don't feel like I've really addressed or proved my thesis effectively- I've hardly gotten to my argument yet! Looks like a bit more writing and then some hardcore editing is in order. Woke up a bit early to use the restroom, but I decided I'm just going to stay up and do something for Me for about a half hour- probably check blogs while watching the news, that'll start the morning off right ;)

Made a cup of PG Tips black tea with half a packet of equal in it. Usually I like my tea black but I felt like making it more of a treat/spoiling myself this morning. When I visit my boyfriend in England everyone makes so much fun of me- apparently it's unheard of to drink black tea! I also have a big ol' cup of water and a bowl of trail mix within munching distance for some brain food. I should probably divide the bowl into portions because, though I've gotten better at estimating and portion control over the years, there's something about nuts/dried fruit that always leads to confusion; probably just cause they're so yummy!

Last night I ended up having one of my favorite yogurt flavors: caramel apple. This lucerne brand seems to have little bits of apple in it; very tasty and not too sweet for a flavored yogurt because they're going for the taste of a tart green apple. 

sleepless

hmmm, 413 a.m.... odd.... I'll use this sleepless night for some quality paper writing time I guess and hope to get to bed early tomorrow. I'm also cutting out all caffeine after 2pm. It never really affected me before (and I worked at a coffee shop!) but at this point I'm willing to try anything! Does anyone have any more natural remedies for sleeplessness?

Update: Good actual morning! I ended up getting to sleep a little after 5 and wrote around half of my paper! I'm now rushing rushing to school because Wednesday is my early start-late night day. I woolfed down a bowl of oats (HATE rushing food) and since I"ve been seeing a few other bloggers put cereal on it for a bit o texture I decided to try. Unfortunately all we had are rice crispies and they ended up being a bit of a sog-fest haha! I'm bringing an apple and some almonds to section with me and should be back home later with a bit of time to vaccuum and such. Hope you're all having an exciting hump day- let's make it through so the week's half over ;)

Update: My section was good- except it's nearly too early to think. Plus, as I got out I got to see this:

Yes, that would be my bus (and I, not on it, haha). Luckily it's a really nice day out. Sunny and bright but very cold and slightly windy. Crisp and fallish, I'd call it. I walked home with a view of the bay in my sights. It was really gorgeous and the perfect way to sort my paper thoughts and clear my head before having to come home and write some more! Only I kind of wished I had a hat which covered my ears after about a half hour, but I was a few steps away from home, so it wasn't bad at all. 

For lunch I needed something I could just stick in the oven and forget about till it was done.

I made a pizza on a whole wheat tortilla with chicken, spinach, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and 'no-salt garlic and herb' spice. It was warm and satisfying- perfect for a blustery day.

Off to write some more- I really want to get this done so I can relax tonight- plus, I still have two more classes to go so this is sort of the opportunity... Hope your wednesday's going by quickly!

long rainy day

Hey everyone- we're watching wheel of fortune right now so I'll attempt to keep this relatively quick. I have been lazy all day and am feeling pretty gross about it. I've either been sitting in class or sitting on the bus and am trying to remind myself that sometimes these days just happen :(

Snacked on an apple while bussing it to school. I forgot to take a picture, so I went ahead and posted the one I tried to a while ago showing just how thoroughly I enjoy a good apple!

My first class was great. I got our first tri-term back and ended up doing really well, so hopefully that will take some pressure off of the next one! Unfortunately, that's not the class for which the current paper I'm working on is due... alas. I knew that I needed some good brain fuel for my meeting with the T.A. about this paper so I stopped by the cafe for...

some trail mix fun and excitement

This mix consists of sunflower seeds, raisins, cashews, peanuts, and dried blueberries.

 Throughout the day I finished about half of it. While walking to the library (in the rain!) I also had half a sandwich.

Ham, swiss, lettuce and tomato on Marble Rye

This bread was amazing. In fact, it's pretty much the reason I chose this sandwich as I usually don't love ham. I really dislike eating on the run, but some days there's no other option.

My meeting with the T.A. helped a ton!! The paper's still going to be a lot of work, naturally, but I'm comfortable with my thesis and excited with where it could go. Plus, I offered the T.A. a bite of my trail mix And shared my umbrella- he owes me ;) We got so wrapped up in the topic that, by the time I looked at my phone/watch, I was late for my huge lecture! Well, I'm gonna admit it to you guys- I ditched *shrug* I had been damp and lazy all day and was underdressed for the cold, and by the time I made it to where the class was I spotted the only bus that goes to my house. What's a gal to do? 

Plus, I was way too excited to come home and make some brain food. I grilled up 5oz of salmon that I had seasoned with copious amounts of dill and a bit of spicy brown mustard. Being part Swedish, I love me some dill! Since I had the grill pan out already I prepared white asparagus my favorite way- they become so sweet and tender when grilled. I also sauteed up zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, onions and garlic and laid it all on a few cups of spinach. The healthy fat in the salmon should keep my mind active for a late brainstorming extravaganza- and I may be back for something sweet later... guess we'll see. But for now I'm going to lurk a bit and check my fave blogs!

fire and ice

Yum, something hot and something cold- I definitely wanted this to help get me through my paper brainstorming tonight. Yup, those are three separate novels you see (actually three different translations of the Same one, oh joy) along with a Giant mug of Rooibos tea. I used to work at a coffee shop and we had a couple of oversized mugs for decoration and to put things in. I thought it would be my size so I asked the boss if I could have one! Thanks a lot, now I have a mug which holds 20 oz. comfortably!! Next to the mug of doom is just over a cup of chilled, lowfat peach yogurt. Usually I'm not a huge fan of sweetened yogurts (I'm a greek/plain advocate) as they have always seemed Too sweet; however, recently I've started having a cup or so at night for some extra protein and they're alright- as long as I brush my teeth right afterwards or else I feel the sweetness lingering. 

Sweet dreams- till tomorrow!