8 Weeks to Optimum Health

I'm in the middle of a health regimen. I do this every now and then, when I realize my body's full potential to be a great little machine. It's a cycle through which I'm constantly going...exercise, yoga, veggies, smoky bars, vodka tonics, late nights, wait what happened?

See, nightlife and late-night pizza is the easy route. It's fun, it's easy to do, lots of laughs and stories the next day... but my pockets are always empty and my head often hurts. Shades down till noon, no trips to the gym, you get the idea. Ick.

So I'm back in health mode. And nothing gets me in health mode better than my favorite book, "Eight Weeks to Optimum Health," by Dr. Andrew Weil. I love this guy. He's a Harvard educated physician who leans toward homeopathic remedies where they apply. And the truth is, they apply all over the place. "8 Weeks" isn't a diet like the Zone or the Atkins. It's a way of eating, sleeping, breathing, walking, living, etc. that's as pure and natural as possible. He dispels a bunch of myths about dieting. It's not about deprivation, it's about knowing what's good and bad for you.

I'll admit this isn't easy for me. I have a HUGE sweet tooth! I LOVE candy and things that contain hydrogenated oils, mmmmm. Why do they have to taste so delightful? But knowing how detrimental bad food can be helps a lot. That's why I pick up "8 Weeks" on a regular basis, just to remind myself I don't have to eat through impulses and urges. And not to freak too much if I cheat, just to understand and reaffirm what my goals are.

Top 10 things I know I don't need so I daydream about instead:

1. Wheat Thins with cheese on top- a whole box

2. Oreos and other Nabisco treats

3. Peanut M&Ms

4. Cool Ranch Doritos (my favorite beach food)

5. Mozzarella sticks

6. Mother's brand sandwich cookies

7. Peanut Butter & Chocolate ice cream from Baskin Robbins

8. Baby Ruth candy bars

9. Home Run pies (I know, it's utterly shameful)

10. That third glass of vino

Been doing pretty well so far, except last night Bobby and I split an Icee at the movies and then shared a pint of Chubby Hubby. Oops. Today is a new day!

Today's pic comes from Chico, CA. I was 18 and my friend Jessa and I got our first tattoos on a whim in between frat parties. We were sooooo proud! My dad was not.

Naysayers R Us

So I've learned a lot about how people act when you start up a blog. For example, if they don't like something you said, or they just don't like you, they'll post it in the comments section. And that's ok, because blogs aren't all about rosy flowers and praise and happy times. It's a forum for discussion... and as a new member of the on-air world, my skin thickens with each passing day.

But then you get the weird anonymous posts that are either 1) lewd, 2) mean, or 3) misleading.

1) Lewd is lame, and it's either underage boys, green-eyed monsters, or just lonely adults looking for some online fire. The third scenario is clearly the worst. Might I suggest a nice run on the beach?

2) Mean is just, well, mean. Who wants mean people around? I don't. And I know you don't.

3) But what really gets me is the dude that posts in the comments section as ME, and says things I would never say, just to upset my readers. What a bummer. There's really nothing I can do, because I said at the beginning of this little blog project that I wouldn't resort to turning off comments. I really like your comments, and I read them religiously. But what I can do is refrain from posting in the comments section at all. That way, if there's something posted by me, you can rest assured it wasn't me. I'll try to stay on top of taking out the other crap too. You guys don't deserve to read that shit when you come to my house.

Ok, now that we've cleared that up... here's my pic of the day (from my favorites vault). I really don't understand this one, or remember it for that matter. Long live the SarahCam!

I'm also trying to figure out if certain food consumption before bed increases instances of vivid dreams. I dream abundantly every night, but sometimes they're bad dreams. Aside from the obvious stress culprit, I think it might be what I'm eating. Thoughts?

I crave a tuna melt like never before.

So Kevin and I were just talking about our shared love for tuna melts. More specifically, the tuna melts they make over at the New York Street Cafe, which is half a block from our TechTV studios. For some reason, these tuna melts take an exceptionally long time to make (15 minutes of salivation is just unnecessary, don't you think?), but oh, the reward is so very satisfying.

Now, because of our conversation, I must have a tuna melt before I wither up and die right here. Hold the onions, please.

I've gone back and forth from love to hate and back again with the local restaurants and cafes around our offices and studios. Inside our main office building is a basic run-o-da-mill breakfast/lunch cafe called Cafe Moda. When I first started working here, I was totally dependent on Moda to keep me alive, for I had absolutely no time to actually venture BEYOND my building for nourishment.

Problem with captive audience cafes like this is everything inside them is too expensive. I grew to like Moda less and less. $6.00 for half a spinach salad? Hell no, I won't pay! And I didn't want anyone else to either. So I founded a company-wide protest group, TSAM (TechTV Staffers Against Moda). Many joined, but quickly fell from TSAM grace as their bellies ached and clocks ticked. TSAM is now officially on review with the Board of Directors because of insider trading (yes, I crossed the picket line. I was so hungry!). So, Moda's back. I love spinach salads. Whatever.

Then there's the NYSC across from the studios. They, too, have what I consider to be ridiculous prices when it comes to simple avocado sandwiches. For a good month, I refused to enter their premises. I chose instead to live off the soda crackers and Cup-o-Soups stocked inside our studio kitchen. But slowly as my body began to eat itself in protest of salt-in-a-cup snacks, I gathered up my pride and slithered back to NYSC for an avocado sandwich. Now, I'm in there almost every day. Sometimes for just a sumptuous peanut butter cookie, other times to devour the mighty tuna melt. Today is all about the latter.

So anyway, I think the moral of my story is that I'm weak and lazy and choose to spend my hard-earned $$ rather than pack a lunch. But I'd like to think I'm also paying homage to my local cafe. I don't know... I'm just really hungry and I need a f***ing tuna melt before I freak out.

Today's pic clearly represents my endless enthusiasm for my job, and of course the nook game we like to call "King of the Hill. " Two people stand on the edge of the nook. They push each other till someone falls. The winner does a little dance. I'm really good at this game.

The English Language is Sneaky.

Ever wonder why some words are either spelled or sound exactly the same, but mean different things? I do. Who's responsible for this?

Ok, there's close and close.

Close to you,
Close that door.

Or, read and read.

I read that book last weekend.

I'll read that book Friday.

Um, how bout deer and dear.

My dear, you look ravishing.

The deer are grazing.

She breaks bread at dawn.

My car's brakes squeal and it annoys me.

That thyme goes in my stir fry tonight.

It's time for me to get the hell outta here.

So I'll see you tomorrow.

I'll be heading out to sea when the moon's full again.

As she leaves, a man knocks into her and spills wine all over her
dress.

Wanna run and play in the leaves with me?

Ow...my back so hurts right now.

Baby got back!

We might be late cause we gotta pick up the beer tap.

Tap dancers amaze me.

You're so mean. Go jump off a cliff.

My dear, whatever do you mean by that?

I'd like a piece of that action.

Peace, man.

That's quite a rite of passage.

Make a right here at the light. Oh damn, you missed it.

I could go on and on...it's addictive! Have more?

Today's Word is Apoplectic.

My boss, Paul Block, wrote that on the whiteboard in my cube. I had to look it up. Then I had to wonder why he was experiencing apoplexy. But isn't that a great word? I consider myself an officer of the grammar police, but I'm constantly humbled by how many words I've never uttered before.

Here's another one (let the uttering commence!):

ozocerite- A yellow-brown to black or green hydrocarbon wax, found in irregular veins in sandstones and used in making electrical insulation and polishes.

I'd also like to bring back an exclamation whose popularity seems to have waned sometime before I was making exclamations:
"Egad!"
That just makes me laugh. Next time you're surprised, please exclaim that.

Moving right along, does anyone out there have credit card debt? Yeah, me too. I've had a nice big chunk of it since my college days, when I signed up for the now defunct "Webmiles" credit card. Oh, I could go into the whole thing, but let's just say I was young and naive. At the time, web-based miles seemed tres cool. What Internet bubble? Funny how when companies go out of business, miles disappear. And I was buying everything from gas to groceries on that thing. Silly girl.

Anyway, I'm almost done picking away at my credit card debt. I eagerly await the month when I can run free through the daisies and have money for things like DSL and more RAM!! Stupid credit card.

My favorite words to date:
Bangladesh
Rubies
Extravaganza
Cheyenne

My least favorite words:
Sleuth (I have taken issue with it ever since my Nancy Drew days, it was written at least once in every book)
Arachnophobia (I have this phobia, the word itself reminds me of spiders, there is nothing good about it, all bad)
Phlegm (spelling is all over the map and I got sick typing it)

Today's pic is my best impression of a flippant, yet thirsty, lady: