this, of course, is more for my own remembrance than anything else. asterisks denote something i particularly enjoyed. follow this advice at your own risk.
MOVIES:
Speed Racer
Marley and Me
(500) Days of Summer
The Goods
BOOKS:
Bernhard Schlink, "The Reader" *
Michael Cunningham, "The Hours"
Tim Winton, "Breath"
Susan Shapiro, "Speed Shrinking"
my birthday and celebration of it were fantastic.
friday morning i had a personal training session. originally i had a massage scheduled at burke williams, but decided to cancel in favor of really ringing in my 30s as healthily as possible.
that went out the window when Jewels brought me donuts. before this indulgence, i hadn't eaten sugar in 7 months. they were yummy!
i had lunch with my sister (an eating theme on that day, yup) and did some shopping for new workout gear. turns out when you work out 5 days a week you do a lot of laundry, and having a scant 5 sports bras wasn't cutting it.
i headed in to work to drop some stuff off, then went to santa cruz, where i rode the giant dipper roller coaster. by myself. i'm not such a fan of roller coasters, but it was a nice little adventure. i cruised some shops downtown before going to the hotel where i was staying the night. my friend Nicole drove up from santa barbara for my birthday weekend, so that was awesome. we all went to dinner at hula's which was totally over-the-top cheesy and i loved every minute of it. ooooh, and the cocktails! delicious.
saturday morning i was up too early cause i was so excited! almost 25 friends showed up at the beach for sunning, food and drink. Jewels brought my fave ice cream cake on dry ice (!) and we BBQd on the beach with a little portable gas grill. it was amazing, all of it.
i gathered everyone up and took photobooth shots with almost everyone (sad: the boardwalk arcade no longer has the photochemical photobooths, just digital) individually and then all who were game hopped on the giant dipper. (my second time in two days!)
i wasn't anxious for the day to be over, so a bunch of friends headed to my house to eat and drink and chat. i was exhausted by the time everyone left about 11p, but i had such a wonderful weekend!
and now, i'm procrastinating finishing up packing for maui. my plane leaves in about 3 hours. ostensibly, i'm headed for a wedding of a good friend of mine from high school, but i'm staying 10 days. monday he invited me to the rehearsal dinner for this friday, so i begrudgingly headed to macy's to find something suitable. surprisingly, i was in and out in less than an hour with something i'm comfortable wearing. losing 60# (okay, 59.2#) is awesome, but i truly have nothing to wear. my trainer created several travel workouts for me, and i actually intend to do them. my suitcase is ridiculously heavy, and is likely 50+#. i can't recall the last time i brought workout gear on a vacation.
tomorrow, i turn 30.
i said it.
i didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal for me, but twice today i kind of panicked thinking about it. i don't know what about that number scares me, or if folks around me are making such a deal about that i end up feeling like i should be more apprehensive about it than i am.
i think for me, the end of my 20s signifies growing up more so than any other number has. like, once you reach this b-i-g number you're supposed to have everything figured out, personally and professionally. and i'm working on both of those things currently, and having success with both of them.
what i can say is this: i am healthier than i was a year ago, i weigh less than i did a year ago, i am overall happier than i was a year ago, and i am prouder of myself than i was a year ago.
here's to aging gracefully.
this, of course, is more for my own remembrance than anything else. asterisks denote something i particularly enjoyed. follow this advice at your own risk.
MOVIES:
Grey Gardens
The Wrestler
Irene in Time (perhaps the worst movie i've ever seen)
BOOKS:
Susan Jane Gilman, "Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress"
Mishna Wolff, "I'm Down"
Chris Cleave, "Little Bee" *
MUISC:
Billy Bragg & Wilco, "Mermaid Avenue"
Wilco, "Wilco (The Album)" *
Common, "Be"
Peaches, "I Feel Like Cream"
Solid Gold, "Bodies of Water"
Soulja Boy, "!SouljaBoyTellem"
Asher Roth, "Asleep in the Bread Aisle"
Kid Cudi, "A Kid Named Cudi"
Various Artists, "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs"
Young Money, "Every Girl" (single)
Silversun Pickups, "Swoon" *
Silversun Pickups, "Canvases"
Silversun Pickups, "Pikul"
Silversun Pickups, "Remixes"
Silversun Pickups, "Acoustic Set"
Kid Cudi, "Make Her Say" (single) *
Comic Book Heroes, "Catch Me if You Can" +
Gossip, "Heavy Cross" +
Jaimee Paul, "Cry Me a River" +
Natalia LaFourcade, "Ella Es Bonita" +
Owl City, "Fireflies" +
Carlos y Alejandra, "Explicame" +
+ denotes iTunes free download
