Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Brrr...

... it's cold! Last night there were crazy high winds and (with the wind chill) it was like -15 degrees, or something crazy like that. The winds caused my electricity to go out for a little while and my car doors were frozen shut. I HATE not having a garage!!!!! I was so spoiled before and now I HATE brushing snow, scraping ice and fighting to get the door open. Grrr... why can't it be spring yet?

Anyway, I skipped my workout tonight. I had a meeting tonight after work (yeah, I'm one of those "joiners" who get involved and decide it's a good idea to be a part of committees) that finished around 7:30p.m. Now, if you've had on CNN lately you'll know all about the Detroit mayor scandal. Technically, he's not my mayor since I'm a 'burbs girl, but I'm still proud to be from the "D". Tonight he had his apology on live TV and we turned it on after our meeting. One perk in my industry, there's always a TV close by. Not that I had high expectations, but it was worse than I thought. His wife was by his side and even spoke to the city. Good grief - no signs of a big apology diamond on her finger, but I'm sure it took some major persuasion for her to be there.

By the time I got home, it was after 8 p.m. and I was hungry. The snack in my bag wasn't going to sustain me through a workout, so I declared it a rest day and went home. I'm getting fearful for the 5k -- the weather, not the actual race. Last year it was 5-degrees and I'm going to bet this year is going to give it a run for its money. What was I thinking? Oh well, it'll be fun and it got me moving again.

Better get going to I can get ready for tomorrow. Geez... is it the weekend yet?

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Sticking with it

I totally was not feeling the gym tonight on my way home. But, the 5k looms before me so somehow my car steered itself over to the gym. Earlier today I was kinda hoping to get an outside run in since it's been warmer (a whole 45*). Unfortunately, it's raining like crazy and it gets dark too darn soon. So, the gym it was.

I started running on the track and, for some reason, was just in a pissy mood. Knowing that I needed to just keep going and my mood would mostly likely change, I turned on some Kid Rock on my iPod and kept going. I can't say I was in the best mood ever when I finished my 3 miles (about 9:30 pace), but I wasn't quite as grumpy. I finshed with some ab, arm and core work on the mat. I'd like to get some weight training in, but I decided it would probably be best to focus on cardio, do the 5k and then incorporate weights back into my workouts. Honestly, I was afraid I'd be way to sore and the race wouldn't be as fun.

Anway, gonna turn off the computer and read for a bit before heading to bed. Night!

Monday, January 28, 2008

Don't anger the travel gods

On Sunday, JP left for his company off-site in Lake Tahoe. He just got there this afternoon. Poor guy, he's convinced the travel gods don't want him there!

His plane was delayed in Detroit, so they (he's traveling with a bunch of guys from his office) automatically missed the connecting flight in LA to Reno. They can't get another flight until 5 p.m. The weather wasn't that great, and the wind was brutal. He said at one point, the wind took the plane and when he looked out the window he was looking at the ground. Now, he travels a lot, so when he says he was scared, I know it was bad.

They finally arrived in Reno and rented an SUV to drive the rest of the way to Lake Tahoe. Suddently they had to turn around because the road simply disappeared. They missed an avalanche by approximately 1 minute. They turned around to head back to Reno and just missed a second avalanche. Not able to be on the roads, they called it a day and stayed in Reno.

This morning, they attempted again to head to Lake Tahoe. And, again, they had to turn around. The SUV was too light and couldn't make it through the snow. They went back to Reno to purchase some chains for the tires. He was amazed at how much snow there wasy -- the most he's ever seen in his life! I read online today that the area got about 3 feet of snow yesterday.

Finally, this afternoon they made it. Okay, the excitedment should be over, right? Nope. Halfway through a business meeting the ground starts to shake. All of the Calif.-based guys' cell phone start to beep. Why? Because they get earthquake alerts on their phones like we get Detroit Piston's updated scores. There was a brief, 3.5 quake.

Everyone is safe so it's okay for me to say, this is kinda funny. I mean, come on, that much on one trip? Needless to say he can't wait to get home!

Anyway... back to my normal life. I had a cross-training day today - 45 minutes on the ellipitcal and a few laps to loosen up/cool down on the track. Lots of stretching and some push-ups/crunches yet before bed. I have a lot of work to do before I'm back to my old self, but I'm trying not to get frustrated. On the bright side, it's suppose to be warming up this week so hopefully the 5k won't be too bitter cold! Keep your fingers crossed!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

The Perfect Week

It's been busy since I last got a chance to (okay, the last time I willingly sat down on my laptop if I didn't have to) blog. The Detroit Auto Show was my life after getting back from Vegas. It all went well and the pre-party event was a blast! JP has pictures on his camera, so I'll have to post those later. Rock stars, famous designers, sweet cars, open bar... sometimes going to work isn't too bad... :)

This week, I only worked one day and fully enjoyed the time off. I didn't even think about work! Not looking forward to reality tomorrow morning. Here's some highlights of the week:

Monday -- Off for MLK Day. These are my initials, so I always joke that this is my special day. Relaxed around the house and did some laundry, tidied up, went to the gym (that 5k is creeping up quickly) and made dinner for JP who wasn't as fortunate as others and had to work.

Tuesday -- My birthday! I did go into the office, but wasn't very motivated. Had lunch with co-workers and left early. Hey, this really is my day. JP and I went to a nice, romantic dinner. My gift 1 of 2 was the Nike/Ipod thing so I can become a high-tech runner. I always thought it was cool, but my geek gadget boyfriend has been dying to get this for me. It's super cool, I just need to get a holder for it since I'm not a fan of Nike running shoes. I tried it out one day at the gym, but I'm afraid to lose it. It worked great and I'm super excited about it. More bragging about it to come!

p.s. Gift 2 of 2? A diamond necklace ... I just picked out which one I want, so it is on the way. I figured this way my birthday celebration gets extended. :)

Wednesday -- Slept in, went to the gym, took a nap, went out for drinks and dinner with a college roommate. Shouldn't everyday be like this?

Thursday -- Had a doctor's appointment and then my mom and I went shopping. Two thumbs up for post-Christmas sales. I always loved that my birthday fell about a month after Christmas. I always got so much more stuff because my mom could get it all for super-cheap.

Friday -- Went to the gym, took a nap, had a birthday dinner with JP's family. Cheers to my new found favorite (although I was working like a dog in Vegas, I did find time to experiment with some new cocktails) -- pomagranate martini's.

Saturday -- Absolutely nothing. Isn't that what Saturday's are for?

Sunday -- Took JP to the airport, went to the gym, went shopping. I "need" a dress for JP's brother's wedding and couldn't find anything today. Bought some truffles at a new candy store in the mall, totally negating the work I did at the gym earlier.

All in all, it was a great week. Nothing special, but it was perfect for me nd something I really needed before my head exploded. My Christmas tree is still up but I'm not feeling the motivation to take it down yet. I'm just proud of myself for getting some laundry in the machine.

Hope everyone had a great weekend -- enjoy the last few hours!

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Working Hard in Vegas

I've been working hard since I got to Vegas on Thursday and I'm glad to say I'm just about finished. The events for tonight are finished and I only have a few small things to do tomorrow before I head home. What have I been doing since I got here? Well...




Just kidding! I'm in Vegas for the Consumer Electronic Show. The largest trade show in the world! I wish I could tell all about the cool, up and coming gadgets but the truth is I never had time to walk the floor. In fact, since I arrived on Thursday morning, I've only been outside of my hotel twice. I know that's very sad, but it's the truth. We were based in the Venetian and another site outside of the Las Vegas convention center, which other people worried about while I worried about everything at the hotel. It'll be nice to see real daylight tomorrow, instead of the fake sky in the casino! :)

The "other convention" as it's affectionately named, was always at the same time as CES. However, the geeks apparently weren't comfortable with it and complained so it was moved to another location (plus, the hotel space wasn't large enough to handle the ever growing expo) and pushed back a few days. Now, it only overlaps the last few days of CES.

I asked a bartender what the craziest thing he's seen during AEE. He smiled and said it was too vulgar to repeat. I also was talking about it with a hotel manager and he said that some things are a little out there, but some things aren't that crazy. They do have robes at the enterances of their hotel so those without enough clothing in the appropriate places can enter. Hmmm... can you imagine being told that you are too scantly clad to walk through a Vegas hotel and casino!

Well, it's only 8 p.m. here, but I think I'm going to pack up my stuff and go to bed! I'm sleep deprived and over caffinated. Good night!!!

Saturday, January 05, 2008

The Price to Workout...

Rarely while I'm on the road do I work out -- unless I'm training for a marathon. But, I thought since I was going to be in Vegas for so long and over the weekend I'd have time. I crammed all of my workout gear into my bag (I actually managed to get everything into a carry-on).

I'll pumped and guess what. At the Venetian, where I'm staying, it costs $35/day to use the gym. Seriously, what the heck! While my client is expensing his gym costs, I just don't feel comfortable doing it. While it's not my ideal workout, a lot of walking is easy to do in Vegas... guess I'll just strap on my shoes and go for a walk.

Well, gotta get back to work. Happy Saturday!

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday season!

We rang in the new year in Chicago with JP's family. We went to a great seafood house and were treated to a four-course dinner. It snowed like crazy which looked beautiful from the cozy inside. However, it was a bit much for JP's dad and his dad's girlfriend who are use to the gentle island breeze. :)

Our week in Chicago consisted of lots of shopping (the tradition is the ladies go shopping and the guys go do other stuff...), eating, drinking fabulous wines and lots of laughing. My French speaking skills were put to the test and I was given until July for my "test". My French consists of a few words and basically no phrases so I have a lot of work to do.

This morning, JP went with me so I could fly out to Vegas. We were little (pretending) city dwellers taking the train to the airport. I do have to admit that I was okay with leaving the FREEZING cold of Chicago (and eventually getting back to Detroit where I can drive my car around as much as I want to...) to the approx. 50-degree weather in Vegas. While I'd like to say that I'm enjoying the sights and sins of Vegas, I've been working almost non-stop since landing.

Anyway, I'm going to wrap up so I can get to bed. I'm feeling a little cold coming on and I refuse to let it get out of control. Goodnight from Vegas!