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!

long night, not over yet

Whew, finally home. On the way back to school I snagged another apple and my water bottle for the bus.

I decided to take a picture of it balancing majestically on my Beckmann's bottle for a bit of a visionary feast ;)

Also, I packed a snack of a little mess:  1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup fiber one, a few chopped almonds and a handful of frozen fruit (blackberry/raspberry/blueberry medley!). The frozen fruit actually kept it cold for a couple hours till I was ready for a snack- Ideal.

Unfortunately I forgot to take an 'in progress picture' so you can check out my dirty dishes :( sorry

Part of the reason I think I was distracted from taking a picture is I was between classes and all ready to work on my paper. I thought I had brought everything I needed and it turned out that I Didn't bring the paper with my thesis and all the quotes (complete with page numbers) I planned on using, as well as the prompt- D'oh! At least I had the opportunity to gaze at this:

I knew that I had to crack into my Arnold's stash at some point today and just the thought had sustained me through my long class. I got home at about 7:30 and couldn't decide what type of sandwich I wanted... well, I couldn't make Two! So I had one of each I was craving-open faced :)

The first has mustard, turkey, mozzarella, artichoke hearts and spinach. Sammie #2 got a super generous spread of homemade babaganoosh, parmesean, some celery for crunch, and more spinach. Both were on Amazing Arnold's Double Protein bread. This bread was so light and fluffy, with the texture of seeds and whole-wheat goodness. I think it ended up seeming lighter because I grilled on one side, flipped, and added the toppings to each so that they would heat through and the cheese would get all bubbly. I think that this would be a great lunch too due to all the protein- I mean, there was 14 grams in the bread alone; not to mention cheese and turkey, and even artichoke hearts! I feel beyond full and satisfied.

Of course, that doesn't mean I won't be back for a yogurt snack later (I ended up going for gingerbread again last night)- especially since I'm on page 2 of 9 for my tri-term of fun and excitement! But first, on to comment on some fave ladies;)

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!