My Wednesday Off

Maggie and Matthew with Chef and Me.

Chef's grandparents ("granddad and Maggie") came into town today while on a West Coast cruise and they were nice enough to hitch a ride from port to the Farmer's Market with more family, Art and Lorna, to have lunch with us. The invite alone was enough of a reason for me to take the day off, so that's what it is.

It's a rarity to have a day off in LA on a weekday, and so I decided to take full advantage, in my weird way. I got up earlier than I do on work days, worked out, and headed to traffic court. I got there almost as soon as they opened to make absolutely positively sure that my ticket was dismissed (and it is now, but it was a good thing that I went down there). I then went to the grocery store, and just had time to unload before a very lovely lunch with the Loars. It's always great to catch up and I love hearing stories about what Chef was like as a kid. I don't get those enough :)

After that, we went to get some lovely orchids, because, well, why not? I found this one that looked like it
had painted leaves. I didn't see any other like it and so it had to be mine. Now to not kill it. . .

A wonderful, relaxing day off. Now back to work for two more days.

Vacation Day One: I'm staycating

It is officially here. The Ball is over. The majority of contracts have been signed (just a few more to go when I get back). My brain can take a break now. At least from work. I am officially on vacation until June 7th. No, I'm not going anywhere. And I'm so excited about it.

I'm taking the staycation, but I'm also vacating some responsibility for the week, so I'm staycating. My big plans include working out, writing, hanging out with Chef and playing with the kitties. It also doesn't hurt that Chef's birthday is in the middle of this time off. The big celebration? How about a metal plate heated to 425 degrees with a medium rare filet mignon that has a scoop of butter, salt, pepper and parsley on it? Sound good? Yeah, it's flippin' delicious. I was lucky enough to get a trip to Ruth's Chris for my birthday and we've been plotting our return visit ever since.

We also have a return trip to the Patterson House plotted out for another night of celebration and libations. Could this be any better? I get to spend time with the one I love and the kitties too.

The other good news is that after I get back, I spend 4 days in the office before I leave for a trip to see my girls in Indy. I am so ecstatic.

All this time off and I still have more plans. I'm going to finish reading my book and pick up Girl With a Dragon Tattoo after several people have recommended it. I am also going to try and knock some more out on my novel. Yes, that lingering novel. In fact, I've been working on it diligently for the last several weeks. More than 30 days to be precise. I actually made it through my entire pledge--getting up 30 minutes earlier and knocking out a little each day. It's a habit that I'm going to keep for a while. Let's see how much more I can knock out.

Okay, I'm off to clean and devein some shrimp for scampi dinner tonight. Mmmm. Delicious start to the staycation already!

Things I've Learned on My Summer Vacation

Not a vacation really. More like some time off. Well deserved, but it was more of a "use it or lose it" scenario than a calculated time off. But nonetheless in some non-consecutive and really nice mix of days and half days, I've learned some things.

• After my 10th viewing of "The Dark Knight" on HBO (I watch because I love it--oh, how I love it), I've come to the conclusion that if I were ever to be invited to a party thrown by Bruce Wayne, I'd say no. Mostly because every party he throws is interrupted by a villain and some innocent person always gets roped in to a hostage situation. It's a wonder that any respectable person in Gotham City still attends his cocktail parties.
• Alcohol in more than single doses makes even the best of diet and other restrictive measures non-existent, no matter how strong the original resolve.
• I can run. I mean, that I can actually run for logner than a block without someone chasing me with a knife. I ran first a mile, then 1.6 up a dementedly steep hill and then 2.5 miles. Without dying. Now I need to find a similarly slow running buddy to help me continue.
• It's fun to get into shape. The first wave of massive weight loss was more of a "take it off at all costs" kind of measure. This round is a "take it off and get toned up" bout. The weight seems to be coming off more slowly (probably because I have less of it to take off), but my body feels stronger than it has in years. Who knew?
• If Chef really tries to lose the weight and uses exercise (and not just his will power), he will probably kick my butt at our Biggest Loser contest. Last week he nearly doubled my weight loss for the week, but his previous indiscretions (see below) has left him at a disadvantage in the long haul. After 4 weeks, I'm at 3.9% and he's at 1.9%. I'm also down a total of 12 pounds in the 7 weeks of total trying (3 weeks without the contest). Not too shabby. And with our second round of boot camp starting on Tuesday, I'm sure to add some extra poundage to the total.
  

I've got more to learn with only one week of "use it or lose it" time left. I'm really looking forward to a long weekend and half days. I'm not looking forward to cramming at least 4 days of work into 2, but I think I can do it. Or lounge trying!