Hump Day randomness

It's time for some mid-week ramblings.

• I’m always looking for new, fun and functional (i.e., soaks up massive amounts of sweat) headbands. When I came across Spandits!, I immediately loved their funky patterns. I kept debating which pattern I wanted to order. While I was deciding (I’m not the best decision maker), I participated in a “name the new pattern” contest. And, my name for the pattern, White Noise, won! Because of my fabulous naming abilities, Spandits! sent me a headband in the pattern. And, I’m in love. I love the fun pattern. I love its sweat-soaking abilities. And, now my decision is made. I’m ordering multiple patterns.
  
  Disclosure: I received a free headband from Spandits! because I helped named the pattern in a contest. That’s it. I’m just writing about it because I really like it. These opinions are entirely my own. 

White Noise winner

• Two of my favorite things are wine and baseball. So, when I heard the Rays are having a girls’ night out at the Trop with a wine tumbler, wine and baseball (duh), I thought they created the event just for me. They didn’t. But, I can pretend. Girls’ night out is Aug. 15 at 7:10 p.m. The Rays are taking on the Seattle Mariners. Use code GIRL3 here to get a $25 lower reserved ticket that includes a Rays wine tumbler and one glass of wine.

• The Bruno Mars concert is in three weeks! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! So much for keeping my cool. But, I’m super-duper excited. Love that little guy.
• Klout is a tool for measuring your online social influence. I look at it occasionally, and I’m not entirely sure what it tells me, but I did find this quite humorous (although I’m sure my parents are crying).

Charlie Sheen is my number one influence.

• I saw a movie in the theater for the first time in months recently and saw "Wolverine." I never expect to like the X-Men movies, but I always do. I also recently saw "Pitch Perfect," which I adored and didn't expect to, and the Katy Perry movie, "Part of Me," which I didn't expect to like and loved. Thanks for not meeting my expectations, movies!

Do you wear headbands? Have you ever named one? Do you like wine? Baseball? Have you seen any of those movies? What did you think?

10 Things Thursday

1. I still adore the treadmill. I ran a fabulous 5K on it last night and watched the Rays vs. Red Sox game (Yay, Rays!).

2. Because of my new-found love of the treadmill (and the gym in general), I really want to join one. But, I wonder if it’s worth it. I run with my running group the majority of the time, so I probably wouldn’t use the glorious treadmills that often. I do like having other cardio options and not feeling like heat stroke is eminent, though.

3. I haven’t worn anything besides gym clothes in four days. I also haven’t worn any makeup or done anything to my hair besides piling it up on top of my head. This is what happens when you work remotely by yourself and only go to the gym, take your dog for a walk or go to Target (sorry, people of Target). You’ll be happy to know that I do make the effort to brush my teeth and put on deodorant.

My office look for the last four days.

4. There are many things I miss about working in an office (people, supplies, phone headset), but one of the things I miss the most is a decent chair and desk. This recliner and end table setup I have going on is not doing my back, neck or shoulders any favors. Ouch.

5. Dogs sleep A LOT. I become aware of this when I’m at home all day. Lazy girl does nothing all day. I can barely get her to open her eyes. I will not feel bad when I have to leave for work again (well, feel bad about leaving Chloe …).

You're interrupting my 18-hour nap.

6. My boyfriend stocked up on all my favorites while I’m here visiting.

What more does a girl need?

7.  Are you looking for the best damn race? Well, I suggest you check out the Best Damn Race. It's Feb. 1, 2014, in Safety Harbor, Florida. I ran this race earlier this year, and I had so much damn fun. If you want to join in on the fun (and you should), you can use the code BDRBLOG to save $5 when registering (it's good for July and August).

8. I have some Amazon gift cards saved up, and I realized the best way to spend these is on running shoes! Duh, right? So, I started looking at the Brooks Adrenaline GTS (my love), and I found these beauties ... just not in my size. Now I'm stalking Amazon waiting for my big-foot size to be in stock.

Source

9.  I continually confirm this, but I keep doing it: I hate long car rides. Any drive that takes more than two hours needs to be flown in a jet. So, I'm really looking forward to the 8-hour drive back to Florida. GAH.

10. I adore Twitter and Instagram. If you want to follow me there, I'm behold_turtle.

Do you belong to a gym? What's your favorite piece of equipment? What two favorite items would you want someone to have around if you were visiting? Do you like road trips?

A month in bullet form

Since I disappeared from the blogging world for a month, I'll catch you up on my life in bullet form (it's better that way, trust me):

• I spent a weekend in Savannah. I went on a ghost tour (appropriate since it’s the most haunted city in the US), and for the first time on a ghost tour, I actually got a little scared. I still don't believe in ghosts (I’m waiting for them to prove it to me), but I still like hunting them. I blame those cheesy boys from "Ghost Adventures."

• I spent a long weekend in Biloxi. The area is so pretty, and everyone is so nice. And, I did something amazing: I ran my longest distance ever on a treadmill. The hotel gym had adequate air conditioning, a fan on the treadmill, a TV on the treadmill, and a great view of the pool and gulf (a nice change from my craptastic condo gym).

• My dad visited over the Fourth of July, and we went to five baseball games in five days. We also saw the Rays win five games, including a sweep of the Chicago White Sox. If that wasn’t sweet enough, I also got a batting practice ball and photos with Raymond and DJ Kitty.

• I participated in a two-week boot camp that I adored. I’d still be doing it if it was still happening.
• I did another spin class, and I really, really liked it this time. I think my bike was adjusted just right this time. That, in combination with a fabulous teacher (my sweet and talented friend, Danielle, from running group), made it pretty awesome.
• I tried a hot yoga class for the first time, and I sweat a ridiculous amount. And I wanted to laugh almost the entire time. How in the heck are you supposed to grab your arm if you can’t get a grip due to profuse sweating? I mean, this is a really humorous situation. Apparently, laughing is frowned upon in these establishments, though. But, I went back a second time. And, I’m going to a class tonight. Mainly because I have a Living Social deal for a month of unlimited classes. Well, and I kind of like it. And, I get to see this girl, which makes it awesome.
• After the group fitness adventures, I decided that it’s definitely for me. I love the camaraderie, motivation and encouragement from working out in a group setting. It just makes it more fun.
• I fell in love with this song. Please do not judge my musical taste on this (although you’ve probably lost any hope in me having decent musical taste since I like Justin Bieber). The good news is I know it’s terrible. The bad news is I sing along and car dance the crap out of it. (Note: It could be offensive to some.)

 

• I’ve officially entered into the “eat-all-watermelon” season. Peaches are my favorite fruit, but I crave watermelon, and I want to eat it every day while it's in season. 

Have you been to Savannah? Biloxi? What is your farthest distance on a treadmill? Do you adore mascots as much as me? Tried a boot camp, spin or yoga class? Do you have the urge to giggle at yoga?

Things that Rock Thursday

It's that dreaded day of the week again. But to make it better, let's talk about things that rock, OK?

Carmex

I'm a lip balm and lip gloss lover. I put it on at least 10 times per day. I think it's an addiction. 

I'll try any balm or gloss. But, only the favorites get a repeat purchase. And, my all-time favorite?

Source

I'm a longtime Carmex fan. I remember my mom always having a tub of it in her purse. My brother and I would dig our fingers in and spread it our lips.

Thankfully, they make it in tube form because the tub always kind of grossed me out. But, it still moisturizes and protects lips better than any other balm or gloss out there, in my opinion. And, I should know since I've sampled thousands.

Fun work outings

For working at an accounting firm, we do some pretty fun things.

Take yesterday, for example. We had an all-hands meeting. Probably doesn't sound that fun, right? Well, put that meeting at Tropicana Field (home of the Tampa Bay Rays). After the meeting and lunch in the center field restaurant, head on out to watch the Rays win. And, add in some Rays bucks to buy drinks, snacks or a shirt (like me). Pretty sweet workday, huh?

My office (for the day)

Your turn: Are you a lip gloss or lip balm addict? Have a favorite brand? Do you have fun work outings?

Things that Rock Thursday

Thursday, yuck. This one hasn't been that bad, I guess, but I'm tired and somewhat grumpy, so I need some things that rock to cheer me up.

A new fan configuration in the craptastic gym

You may remember my genius setup to keep cool in a way-too-hot gym. 

 

This worked pretty well, but I was always a little nervous that the fan might fall off of the elliptical (the last thing I need is to be indebted to the craptastic gym for a new fan).

So, when I ran last night, I tried a new configuration.

Not only did I not worry about a crashing fan, I ran in comfort for 2.5 miles!
 

Look folks! I didn't sweat ... much (I'm pointing
at the lack of sweat on my shirt).

All-Star Game festivities

I’ll try to cool it on the baseball talk after this. I know I haven’t been able to shut up about it lately, so I’m sorry if baseball isn’t your thing. It is my thing, and the Fan Fest rocked my world. So many interactive exhibits, baseball memorabilia and just cool stuff. 

I started my life as a die-hard Oakland A's
fan because of Jose Canseco.

I didn’t go to the game, but it was cool to see the stadium where I spent my summers growing up showcased to the nation. It was also cool to see Rays’ players David Price and Fernando Rodney each pitch a scoreless inning (this says a lot considering the American League pitchers gave up 8 runs). 

Weird promotions

OK, I know I said I’d cool it with the baseball talk, but I guess I lied because this is baseball-related. The buzz around town since the Rays announced their 2012 promotions: the Zim Bear. What is a Zim Bear?, you ask. Good question. It's a teddy bear with Don Zimmer's face (Don Zimmer is a senior adviser with the Tampa Bay Rays and has been in baseball since 1949).

Players took photos with the Zim Bear. Collectors said it was so weird and creepy that they had to have it. The paper said people were going to line up 4 hours before the gates opened to get their hands on one of the 10,000.

It so happened that this was one of the games my dad and I attended. We wanted a Zim Bear, but we really didn’t want to stand in the heat of the Florida summer for 4 hours. We decided we’d tough it out for about an hour and a half (and prepared with umbrellas, towels and Gatorade). We arrived at the stadium to this. 

Yes, we were the first in line at Gate 5.

So, we got our Zim Bear. And, it's crazy, creepy and weird (and still in the package ... in case I can sell it for millions of dollars).

Baseball and running: two of my favorites

Being the terrible blogger that I am, a lot has happened, and I haven’t posted. But, never fear (or do fear), I’ll update you now.

My dad came to visit, and we went to six Major League Baseball games in six days. It rocked. It especially rocked when I caught a home run ball. OK, I didn’t technically catch it. It landed in our row, and I bent down and picked it up. Still awesome nonetheless.

It made it rock even more that my favorite Rays’ player, Desmond Jennings, hit it.

It got even more rockin’ when the usher for our section brought over a card, said to fill it out and to take it to Gate 4 at the end of the game. Why? Desmond Jennings would sign his home run ball! Rock on.

The other games rocked as well, but this one in particular rocked the most.

During this baseball streak, I managed to get a gigantic blister on my heel from shoes that I’ve had for years. That was really unexpected and random and annoying and painful. It also prevented me from running for a week.

After the baseball streak, I flew back to Kansas with my dad so that I could attend more baseball-related events. The All-Star Game is in Kansas City, and they had a 5K and Fan Fest that were necessities (in my opinion, at least).

I need things like this, obviously.

Thankfully, my blister healed enough that I was able to run once before the 5K. My dad took me to his gym, and I ran on a treadmill in comfort (adequate air conditioning and fans). See craptastic gym, this is a possibility.

The All-Star 5K was awesome and horrible at the same time. I’ll post a full recap when I get the photos from my official race photographer, Dad.

Unfortunately, all of the baseball awesomeness is over and I’m back to the regular routine of working. But, routines can be good: like the routine of going to a baseball game every day. Sigh ...

Rock 'n' Roll St. Petersburg Half Marathon, Feb. 12: race review (Part 1)

Well, because I’m being extremely wordy, I decided to break this review in two. Part 1 chronicles the day before the race (race expo, preparation) and Part 2 will chronicle the actual race and aftermath. 

Going into the Rock ‘n’ Roll St. Petersburg Half Marathon, I was scared. I'd heard the horror stories of other Rock ‘n’ Roll races, and I questioned why I signed up for this race in the first place. Oh, yeah. It was local, convenient, a flat course and my training group had a plan for it. So, I went for it. 

I was still a little nervous when I heard they were charging $15 to park for the free expo that you had to attend to pick up your race packet. It took place at Tropicana Field, my summer home and home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Technically, I think it was Tropicana Field charging for the parking (their policy is to charge for any nonprofit event taking place there), not the Rock ‘n’ Roll series, but come on. This had to be disclosed in the contract Rock ‘n’ Roll had with Tropicana Field. And, they should have nixed discussions there or agreed to pay for the parking, in my opinion. 

With my dad at my summer home

Thankfully, as I mentioned, this is my summer home and I’m very familiar with the area, so I had my boyfriend drop me off outside the parking lot so I could walk in and pick up my packet. I noticed many others doing this same thing.

Once inside, the packet pickup was easy, organized and quick. And, it happened in the outfield of a Major League Baseball field (major bonus in my book).

Once I grabbed my race bib, I moved easily on to grab my T-shirt and swag bag. I like the T-shirt (and it fits — a bonus). The swag bag was OK — nothing too exciting.

Since I didn’t really need anything (and with my boyfriend and my dog waiting patiently outside), I kind of sped through the expo. I grabbed a few freebies: a 5-Hour Energy (love this stuff), soy ice cream products (a fudge bar and an ice cream sandwich that I split with my boyfriend — we both thought they tasted a little funky) and the major score: a carton of almond milk. Yes, a full-sized carton.

Since the entire expo was on a baseball field, it was spread out nicely. And, even though I went on Saturday afternoon, it wasn’t crowded (or didn’t feel crowded due to the large space).

After the expo, we hit Starbucks, the dog park and had dim sum for dinner. Even with plans for an early bedtime, I didn’t make it to bed until 11:30 p.m. for a 5:30 a.m. alarm … or so I thought.