Oh You Thought I Might Relax Tonight? You're Cute :)

Its Thursday, and I realized that I haven't written anything in a couple of days. Its been a little crazy at work, and therefore they are expecting me to work ALL DAY instead of posting on blogger. I know, I work for slavedrivers. I will also probably be here late today but that's ok because I gave away my shift at Target. I know you are thinking I will be doing something fabulous on my night off.... perhaps you think I will be taking in some after work drinks, or going to the gym, or even maybe going on a little date with J. Well, you would be wrong. Mama needs to clean the apartment. No, seriously. It is OUT OF CONTROL. I got home last night and looked around like I was seeing it for the first time and thought, do I really live here?? Not good folks. Not good at all. There are piles of clothes in the bathroom, bedroom, closet, and in front of the washer. The kitchen contains zero clean dishes, and the sink is broken and apparently overflowed last night when J tried to clean up, so there is nasty water residue on the floor. (He attempted to clean it up... with an old shirt... and didn't nearly get all of it. I guess he thought it would evaporate since I stepped in a puddle when I got home, but to be fair to him I also left it there. What?? I was tired!) The living room is a cloud of pet fur, and the bedroom floor is covered in feathers from my feather bed that has a hole in it. Needle and thread? I don't understand..

The last time the apartment had a good cleaning was, um, before Christmas. It was my New Years resolution to be better at cleaning. Needless to say, that resolution and I parted ways at the speed of sound. Every time I do a really thorough cleaning, I promise myself to never let it get like that again. I say that I will do a small cleaning every day or every other day so that it always looks good. It's yet to happen that I keep this up more than a week or so. I live in a really nice apartment, one that I fought over with J because even though its expensive, its worth it. It has black appliances and countertops, brushed nickle fixtures, big bedrooms, and lots of windows. I'm not treating it right. So tonight when I get home, there will be no drinks or date or even the gym. I will scrub, vaccum, wash the floors/sinks/tub, dust, and, ahem, take down the Christmas tree. I heard a nasty rumor that some people actually took theirs down in January. I choose not to believe this nonsense.

The Full Post

I already told you the highlight of my weekend, but there were other good things I wanted to share as well. First of all, I went to the GYM!! For the first time since August! I woke up early on Saturday and went to spin class before Target. Then yesterday I went and did the stair-stepper for about a half hour. Before I stopped going, the stair-stepper was my new challenge. I have long ago mastered the elliptical and while I think its a great workout, I don't find it totally challenging. I need to do it for at least an hour to really feel anything. Even though the machine tells me I burn more calories with the elliptical, I am definitely more worn out after the stair-stepper. (And spin... the class can be absolutely brutal but I love it.) Saturday I ate really well, but yesterday I went out for Thai and felt like total crap afterwards. Not like food-poisoning crap or anything, but more like the way I usually feel made even worse because now I know I can feel so much better. Does that make sense? Anyway, I have leftovers in my fridge and I don't even know if I will eat them because that's how different the feeling was. I was tired, and dragging, and uncomfortably full. We went to the mall after and I felt sluggish and gross. NOT how you want to feel while trying on jeans. (Even though they were WAY out of my price range and I wasn't planning to buy any, but I would still like to feel hot and pretend like I can afford $160 jeans, thankyou.) Anyway, other than that it was a fantastic day off, and I so wish I could have a full day off more than once every couple of months. I am so jealous of people who get weekends. I haven't had weekends in a LONG TIME. Hopefully this summer.. everyone cross your fingers for me :) And I also had a margarita yesterday, which cannot be understated. It was heaven in a fancy glass.

I'm about to leave work, late due to a late meeting, but whatever. They are paying me more so I guess I need to stay when asked. I hope I make it to the gym because I am dragging again, but maybe its what I need.

Weekend Tidbit

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend, because I definitely did. I will write more about it later, but the one thing that stood out for me happened at Target. (I can hear you all sighing, thinking "JEEZZZ she talks about Target wayy too much.." but this is a good one, I promise!!) A man and his two daughters came up to my register and one little girl handed me a bag of carrots and told me they were hers. I said, "Oh really, you like carrots?" She smiled a huge smile and said, "Yes!! We dip them in hummus, its my favorite snack!" I could have hugged her father right then and there. It was really nice to hear this after seeing one too many meltdowns over soda and candy bars. And not one thing in their cart was unhealthy. And the kids were smiling, and fighting over who got to hold the carrots. So for the people who say kids won't eat healthy, it CAN'T be done, well.... I bring you the adorable blond girls, both under the age of five, who were at check lane 26 this past Saturday.

No, I Didn't Use Drugs. Its The Maca.... Or The Greens... Or Something.

I woke up this morning feeling GREAT. I don't know if its the fact that I haven't worked at Target all week, or the smoothie I had before bed last night, or the maca powder in my smoothie this morning, but I'm a ball of energy right now. I'm never like this, (I mean, NEVER LIKE THIS,) so its a great feeling. If I could feel like this every day, my life would be complete. I'm thinking maybe I will do the green smoothies at night more often. I didn't put any maca or hemp protein in it last night, just fruit, spinach, peanut butter and chocolate. It was so good. I also had sprouted wheat toast with an avocado and tomato on top. Its one of my new favorite things :)

I was thinking about what I've been eating, and it dawned on me how drastically my diet has changed in the past few weeks. I always thought I was eating well because I would make sure to get as much organic foods as I could, but at the end of the day I still was not getting nearly enough fruit and vegetables. Since deciding to try to eat as Raw as possible, there is no way I don't get enough. Just this morning I had 6 pieces of fruit and a huge handful of kale in a smoothie. I had a salad for lunch, and I will probably have another smoothie for dinner. Its crazy. And if the energy that I have today is an indication that its finally paying off, then its totally worth it. I cannot explain how fabulous its been to not be so tired. Usually I'm dragging around at this point in the day, praying that 3:30 comes, and cursing Target because all I want to do is nap. Let me tell you, the LAST thing I want to do today is nap. I'm actually ok with going to Target because it will get me moving. (Provided my customers follow the rules I posted a couple of days ago, lol.) AND... sit down, I don't want to cause anyone to pass out... I think I am going to wake up early tomorrow, on a SATURDAY, and go to spinning before Target. That's right. I said it. I have Sunday off, and I plan to go to the gym again, but probably for an elliptical workout and some ab work. I used to have a 6 pack. I would like that back please. I am going to lunch Sunday afternoon with a friend for some very un-Raw Thai food, but its all good. I'm sure I will have a couple of smoothies to balance everything out.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!!

The Rut

First things first. I am IN LOVE with the smoothie creation I made for breakfast. It was: 2 bananas, 1 mango, 2 kiwi, 1 handful of kale, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and then of course hemp protein powder and maca powder. It tastes like peanut butter banana, which is one of my favorite snacks. Even J liked it, he asked me to save him a glass. He is usually a good sport and tastes the smoothies, but he has never asked for his own glass. Points for me :)
Now onto other things. I have come to the realization in the past week that I have become LAZY. I was not really aware of this because before the second job, I was going to the gym at least 3 times a week. Then when I started the second job, I didn't have time for the gym but I was working 70 hours a week and therefore I was justified in spending my 2 nights off a week in bed, catching up on sleep. Now, last week and this week I have only been working 3 days at Target. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This gives me 4 nights off, and what have I been doing? Running some errands after work, and then going home and right into bed for a nap, dinner, shower, back to bed for the night. Why am I not cleaning my house? Why am I not going back to the gym? I don't know. Yesterday I wanted to go, but my body had a mind of its own, and before I knew it I was waking up at 7:15, already in pj's, and then in a bad mood for the rest of the night because I felt so lazy but wasn't motivated to do anything about it. So I have a tentative plan. Today after work J and I have to go to the bank. When I get home, I am going to CLEAN MY HOUSE. It really needs it. Tomorrow and Saturday I have to work, but I have Sunday off. So Sunday, I am getting my ass to the gym. And hopefully Monday night as well. I have a wedding coming up in April and a general NEED to lose about 20 pounds, and its not going to happen by laying around watching Grey's all night every night. I mean, the gym has TV's on each cardio machine. I can watch Grey's there. Its not the end of the world.
I hope that by posting this here, I will be forced to do exactly what I said I would do. I guess we will see tomorrow if I started. I'll see if I wake up to a clean house.

Sorry Coffee, My Feelings Have Changed And I Want To Break Up

So I started to write a post yesterday, but when I was about halfway through I decided I didn't like it so I have it saved. When I have time, maybe I will revise and pass it along. In the meantime, I have something exciting to tell you :)
For those of you who don't know, I work 2 jobs. Its supposed to be a full time job and a part time job, but Target just loves me so much that they usually give me almost-full-time hours. So on an average week, I am working about 70 hours. This on top of the fact that I am not naturally a super energetic person, and I seem to require more sleep than most, and I am usually dragging around as a result. Coffee has been my very best friend these past couple of years, but lately I have wanted to try something else. I don't like to be that person who has to rely on a huge cup of caffeine every day, not to mention that the jittery feeling isn't fun, and it has usually worn off by lunchtime. This leaves me sleeping at my desk for part of the afternoon, and I don't think my superiors appreciate that. In fact, I'm pretty sure its frowned upon. Anyway, I have been reading a lot of blogs and articles about natural ways to increase energy, and came across Maca powder. It was mentioned by a few different people so I looked it up and found that among other things, it is supposed to "combat fatigue." I found it at Whole Foods, ($25 a pack, damn..) and mixed it into my smoothie yesterday. Now let me tell you, this stuff on its own smells and tastes like vomit, but since it calls for only a teaspoon, its fairly covered up in the smoothie. And coincidence or not, I was bouncing around in my chair during work yesterday. I didn't get sleepy till just before I left work. This is HUGE. NEWS. I am trying it again today to see if it really is the powder doing it. If it is, and if you are like me and tend to be sleepy a lot during the day, I suggest you try it. I researched it online, there are no known side effects, and it is Raw, kosher, vegan, organic.... it covers all bases. (Just make sure to only use a teaspoon, I think I accidentally put more than that in today and I am not enjoying my smoothie as much as usual.. vomit flavoring anyone?)
Anyway, everyone have a Happy Wednesday and if I have time later, I will revise and post from yesterday.

Can You Tell It Was a Bad Weekend At Work?

I want to begin by saying that not every day/weekend is like this. In fact, this was really a perfect storm of events that all happened in a single Saturday/Sunday, but I want to prevent them in the future. A preemptive strike if you will. So read, laugh, cry, sympathize with me, but whatever you do, please reference this list before your next trip to your local Target/Walmart/Grocery Store. The employees will LOVE you.





1) Coupons. I am all for coupons. I went through a good year long period where I was an avid coupon clipper, and one time I planned so well that I saved over $100 on a shopping trip. So if you come through my line and you have 7000 coupons, I am all for it. But with this being said.... PLEASE KNOW WHICH COUPONS YOU WANT TO USE. There is almost nothing more aggravating to a cashier than to stand there and wait after ringing up your $250 order while you dig through an envelope of coupons to find your $.50 off the laundry detergent. Because first of all, in the scheme of $250, making it $249.50 is not worth wasting 5 minutes of my time, and everyone else behind you and their time. And second of all, when you triumphantly emerge from your coupon mess, holding the wrinkled offender in your hands, I am no longer happy that I'm saving you money. I am looking for any reason not to be able to use it because you made me mad. So it better not be expired, it better be for EXACTLY what you got, or else I'm not letting it slide. Have it ready beforehand, and you will avoid all this.


2) DO NOT lean over and take the bags while I am filling them. It doesn't "help." Most of the time I'm not done with the bag, your arms come over into MY space in an awkward way, and get in the way of everything I am trying to do, and no, it is NOT helpful. If we are all done and you want to ask to make sure you got everything, or peek over and check for yourself, this is fine. I'm not perfect and I have totally forgotten to give someone a bag before. But don't just think you can reach over and take it. Let me do my job, thankyouverymuch.


3) Do not leave your cart, (buggy, basket, whatever you call it,) in my lane or at the end of the lane and leave because you think you can carry all the bags without it. I don't care whether you can or not. You pass the cart terminal on your way out. It is pure laziness to leave it there, its rude because this means that I need to move it, (and do you think I have time for that when I'm ringing up literally hundreds of people a day?? No I do not,) and it gets in the way of every single other person in line behind you.


4) If you and your significant other come through my line and you decide in the 2 minutes it takes to complete your order that I am really cool and you both seem equally eager to hang out, and you BOTH give me your separate cell phone numbers, well.. I am going to think you are swingers. And I am not going to call because even though it makes us prude, J and I just are not into that. Call me old fashioned. And if you are not a swinger, you totally came across as one so maybe don't be so creepy next time.


5) I know that I'm wearing a name tag, but it really creeps me out to have you call me by my name. I've never met you before, so saying "Hi Rachel!!" catches me off guard every time.



6) If you are coming to return something, please bring the entire thing. DO NOT come to me with one pair of socks out of a pack of three and demand to exchange that ONE pair with the itty bittiest hole in them for another 3 pack. I'm just not going to let you. And when you storm off all mad because now its my fault that you need to go find the other 2 pairs, I have no sympathy for you. I'm simply laughing at you as soon as you are out of range.



6.5) Along with that, I am also laughing at you if you come to me with one thing to return from the dollar spot. Especially if you let it slip that you live a half hour away and can't believe you had to come all the way back because your grandson didn't like it. Did it ever occur to you that getting that $1.08 back does not equal the cost of gas for an hour long round trip? Throw it away and call it a loss.



7) And last but definitely most important. Please wear something that covers your bottom half. I do not like to look up from my register and see that you decided to wear a short coat with absolutely NOTHING underneath, bent over your cart so everyone can see your everything. The customers in my line don't like to see it either, and I'm sure the words, "Oh my God that woman has no pants on!!" were not words she was ever planning on uttering in Target. (Or any public place other than South Beach for that matter.) Poor girl. She was way to young to see that, and the offender was WAY too old to not be wearing at least a pair of underwear.



So yes. These are all true stories of my weekend. Some are specific to this weekend, some happen every single day. (I'm hoping/praying/crossing my fingers that #7 never happens again. It was life changing, and not in a good, Maca Powder way.) I'm positive that none of my fabulous readers are guilty of any of these things. But for the rest of the troubled world, I'm hoping you will pass it on, because its back to work on Friday and I just don't know if I will live through it. I feel a stroke coming on..