Half Marathon Training and Diet Adventures

OH LOOK! A cute dog photo that has absolutely nothing to do with this post. Charlie, hard at work. Clearly, me and my sister were hard at work as well, photographing our dog in our new office space. PURPLE WALL---> My idea. 

Oh such exciting times! I'm on a new diet! I'm training for my second half marathon! I'm quietly ignoring my extreme anxiety over my grad school loan and my visa situation! Also, exploring expression through excessive use of exclamation points!

I supposed despite the fact that I am absolutely starving right now, you could say my new diet is going well. And it's only for two weeks thank God. Though, two weeks is a long time for one to go without crusty, delicious bread, salted caramel gelato, and more than one cup of coffee.

Can I introduce you to the FODMAP elimination diet? You really don't want me to. This is not a fun, new, interesting "lose weight now!" kind of diet. This is the kind of diet you really, really don't want to go on. The kind you have to go on because your GI doctor told you it may help and you're seeing him in a months time and you know he's going to ask about it. And if you are one of those diet-loving kind of folk, you are a sick individual if you just want to mess around with this one.

I mean for Christssake, I can't eat onions or APPLES. Or wheat, lactose products, or more than one cup of coffee....WHYGODWHY? Though I totally cheated today and had one and a half cups of coffee. I'm practicing my rebellious nature. Also cheating.

Additionally I thought it'd be so much fun to try no booze for 21 days before my half marathon in Napa on July 21st. Alcohol can be a common irritant of Crohn's and also makes me nice, fat and round. But happy. A happy round. The kind of gal everyone loves and enjoys. Maybe when I'm done I'll be skinny and bitter! Aren't you EXCITED?!

So yes. That's, like, totally my training right there. Eating low carb, gluten free, dairy free, and cutting out a lot of really yummy veg I actually like and enjoy. (No but seriously...if you are someone going on this diet for fun, we can't be friends. WHY would you voluntarily give up garlic and onions? Do you not like life??)

Oh and running. I do get up a few mornings a week and see how far I want to go that day. My main goal for my second half marathon (whaaaaaa? Who am I? So unlike the lovely, squishy, wino sloth you've grown to love and depend on) is to be able to run the whole thing. The last one, that you can read about here, I was able to make it running ten miles then had to resort to the painful walk-run method. When you're pretty new to the running game, and you're in the midst of your very first half marathon and have never tried the walk-run method during training...I really don't recommend busting it out then. Everything just seizes right up and you feel and look like an 80 year trying to walk after years of debilitating arthritis issues.

Course...then again, I am someone with Crohn's...so naturally I am an 80 year old who acts like I'm trying to walk after years of debilitating arthritis issues. Life, eh? SOMUCHFUN. Can I have wine now?

NO. Staying strong.

OH LOOK! That was my mid morning snack yesterday. Perfectly good for my diet. 1 oz of cheddar cheese (no lactose in aged cheddar--THANKGOD), and 1 oz of Nut thin crackers that are dairy and gluten free.

Funnily enough, this snack was totally enough for me yesterday, mid-morning. I think it's because my stomach definitely requires smaller amounts and is generally just a bit of a grouch when it comes to food on one of my running days.

It's still overcoming the shock that I'm actually participating in physical exercise. I've shocked my stomach into stupidity and grumbles of protest.

Today was not a running day for me. So of course, with the lack of calorie burning activities, I am STARVING. Totally makes sense right? I ate a very paleo-happy breakfast...which goes well for the most part with a low FODMAP diet, and should technically keep me satisfied for longer than an hour with all the delicious fatty goodness in it. But it didn't. LIES.

OH LOOK! My Instagrammed photo. Follow my food adventures and obsessive pictures of my dog here:   http://instagram.com/lindsaydinsyday

I just made this recipe up. And it turned out BALLER. I am a cooking genius. Bow before me. Though my photography skills suck.

Recipe:

Pan on stove, melt 1 teaspoon of bacon grease, keep pan on medium heat. Beat two eggs in a bowl, add splash of unsweetened almond milk. Pour eggs into pan, use scissors to cut small bits of chives into pan on the egg mixture.  Add small, washed, torn up pieces of spinach, roughly a handful, to the mixture in pan. Use thin spatula to break up pancake-like consistency and move eggs around a bit in pan. Add a few pinches of Himalayan salt, not cause you need to but cause it's f*ing delicious. Add about 1 oz of smoked salmon torn up a bit with your hands. Lick fingers. No one is watching, it's fine. Toss eggs a few times. Turn off heat and remove pan from burner. Set aside. Toast one piece of Udi's Gluten Free White Bread, butter up with some delicious local butter, and then add egg mixture on top of buttered bread. Sprinkle a bit of lemon juice from an actual lemon on mixture. Real stuff, people, you should try it sometime. Way better than the lemon juice crap kept in a plastic container in the fridge.  Enjoy your meal with that extra cup of coffee you shouldn't be having!

Totally FODMAP free, gluten free, dairy free and super yummy.

Last night I had steak and a sweet potato with melted coconut oil on top. So this diet isn't totally horrible. I just miss my crap food.

It's okay...before I left DC this weekend, I made sure to head over to Pi Pizzeria and got their appetizer of crusty bread, roasted garlic head and butter. SO AMAZING. Ate the whole thing. By myself. Then attempted to plow through a deep dish pepperoni pizza. Only got two slices in before I needed to be rolled out.

Have I ever mentioned that I love food? Could you tell?

Anyways....training. Yes. Love it. Things have been going pretty good. I hit certain miles on certain days where everything just clicks and I am LOVING it. Then other days where I feel positive and good and want to hit a certain mark and it just can't be done. The mind is a funny thing. It really can throw you for a loop sometimes.

With my run tomorrow I'm going to bust out a new runner's toy, a belt that has four water bottles attached for even distribution. I only used one water bottle for my first half and finished it within the first 6 miles and then had to rely on the water stations. Personally, I like to have my water and my fuel strapped to my body in case of emergency.

Just worth mentioning, my favorite fuel for long runs is GU Energy Gel in Vanilla, and it is not okay for my currently FODMAP free diet. So trying to figure out what I want to do in this situation...press on and use it anyways in hopes that it won't matter much on my elimination diet or find something else. I will be done with the elimination phase about a week before my half mary and should be able to use it then, but not sure I want to try something new now at this point in training. Damn. ALSO...why did I never know they do a SALTED CARAMEL gel?!? Mind blown.

So I get to practice that belt out on a few runs before my actual race. Hopefully it's better than actually holding the water bottle in my hand (it has a hand strap with it). But I have come quite accustomed to having that bottle strapped to my hand, so we'll see.

If you didn't already know before, I'm doing this run to raise money for Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. I pledged to raise $4,700 and I'm only about halfway to my goal. I still need to raise about $2,220 before July 10th. I can still raise money after that, but I've committed and signed papers and they will have to take the remainder out of my bank account on the 10th to make sure they have what I've said I would raise. I want it all raised by the 10th, personally. Then I can go into my run with the knowledge of having raised that money...so DONATE today! It's for a fabulous cause that's helped millions of us Crohnnies out there. I really appreciate them for the research they're doing and because, though you may not know it, millions of children and young people are struggling with Crohn's and Colitis right now and the CCFA is THE organization that has loads of resources and support to help those kids out. I was diagnosed when I was 14 (maybe I'll do a post on that topic sometime soon...) and was never aware of the kind of support I could have gotten from CCFA. Wished I could have. They are a major help to me now with support groups and doctor resources online. So ummm, yeah...donate here:

http://www.active.com/donate/napaNATIONAL13/VTLWeldon

My donation page is pretty awesome. Took me ages to figure out how to set it up, even with explicit instructions on how to do so. I kind of suck with computer stuff. If anything, you should donate in amazement that I managed to set up the page at all. And that I'm on my SECOND freaking half marathon.

Shock and awe.

Cheers,
Lindsay

P.S. I'm also doing a 50/50 raffle to raise money, but the drawing for that is on the 4th of July. So not much time left, but check out the event page for fun photos that are sure to make you feel better about your life. You're welcome. https://www.facebook.com/events/292843077528107/

Let the Grad School Mayhem Begin

It's official. I'm going to drama school this fall. (Funding pending, of course.)

Commence the freak out.

Not at all stressing of course. Just...you know....EXTREME hyper excitement, bordering on insanity. Mainly because I should secure my funding and get my first check into the school in about...oh....two weeks. Not at all insane. I'm just going to be drinking excessive amounts of wine tonight. I got this. Not like I'm trying to raise $2,500 more dollars for my half marathon charity run this summer either.

DONATE HERE: Lindsay's Awesome Run Full of Delight and High Expectations

I really should have tried harder to win the lotto. Because everyone knows that is a solid financial decision.

As is wine investment. I may need to take out stock in my favorite wineries. Are they even publicly traded? Do I even have a clue what I just said? No. Pulling stuff out my ass at this point. Just making really good decisions about healthful living and solid financial investments, is the name of my game. Clearly.

More on grad school abroad later...when my brain is working properly.

Cheers,
Lindsay

Sunday Confessional (That's Never Posted on Sunday, Apparently)

This post was originally crafted on Father's Day, such a good time to do a 'Sunday Confessional'. Confession: I got my taste for excellent scotch from my Dad. He knows the good stuff. Though Johnnie Walker Blue is not quite my first choice all the time...I'm more of a Woodford Reserve kinda girl. Bourbon over scotch...sometimes. And Jameson whiskey is always a standby for any night, any occasion.

You'd think I'm 50 instead of 28.

Now to my Sunday Confessions (which are more like Tuesday Confessions, but that just sounds silly. And I'll post these things whenever I damn well get around to it. Sunday I was busy watching Man of Steel and helping my Dad eat lots of delicious food. Good times):

1. I have already had a few conversations with my sister last week about "do I have this book in real format? should I buy it on kindle or buy the book itself? I'm not sure if I actually own it already." The problem with be an obsessive book buying addict. I really don't know all the books I have. Someday, I'll compile a list. Maybe someday soon.

My pretty sister and me. I appreciate this photo most of all because  for once, my head is not looking 3x the size of hers...which is actually is. I wear men's x-large caps, FYI.

2. Got a cavity filled on Thursday morning, the day after I had returned from five days in London. They had found the cavity, just a small surface one, the day before I went to London. By the time I got it filled, despite always brushing, flossing and using mouthwash daily, because of my trip to London and my insatiable sweet tooth when there, it had increased considerably. I've also gained five pounds. I can only tell that because....

3. within five days of being in London, I've gone up in cup size. No lie. Me + visiting London = weight gain every time. I think I'll be better when I live there....swear.

4. While going through customs in Toronto airport on Wednesday, looking all greasy, grumpy, frumpy, agitated by Canada's completely ridiculous customs format (3 step process: step 1-scan your ticket, do you have a bag? yes, go to step 2. Step 2-sit down and wait an exorbitant amount of time waiting for your name to appear on a screen, name on screen? yes? go to step 3. Step 3-Wait in line at the usual customs check point...totally lame), I managed to get hit on by the customs officer. He barely asked me the necessary things needed to be asked when going through customs. When we hit on the topic of my being involved in theatre he kept insisting that I should take him to a show in Toronto since Rochester, where I live, is not far. He even wrote down his number for me...which I promptly lost when going through security scan. Ummm, fairly certain that him and my Dad could have bonded over college memories together cause he was definitely his age.

5. Friday. My sister and I got some ice cream after lunch before heading back to work. I always ask for a "kiddie" or "baby" size because I want SMALL. Instead they look at me, take my adult size into consideration, and hand me an ice cream usually the size of my head. But seriously, ice cream makers, I want a cone the size of what is appropriate for a 3 year old. WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME? And by that I mean, I did indeed eat most of my extra large ice cream and the proceeded to act high the rest of the afternoon. Me and Lauren had a serious case of the giggles and barely got our work done. At one point we were dancing through the warehouse (my Dad owns the company where we work) and my sister sang out "I want to do an interpretive dance of all the things in the warehouse!" Now I suppose that's a confession for my sister, but I was really egging her on the whole time. We spend a lot of time together, considering we both live at home and work in a very tiny office together. Often my "date nights" are out with my sister to get sushi or see a movie. And she even has a boyfriend. IT'S BECAUSE I'M AWESOME. Cute, single, Henry Cavill-lookalikes take note.

CLEARLY sugar addicts. Consuming the goods from Alice's Tea Cup in Central Park, NYC.

6. My sister insisted I add my triumphant success with Champagne bottles this weekend. BTW, as part of my job at Folger theatre, I had to open Champagne bottles frequently. I was a PRO. Seriously. I could uncork around 30 bottles in under 5 minutes. When it's free champagne night at Consort, you better well have those bottles ready! Well I brought Champagne to my brothers house for Father's Day brunch on Sunday and while I was preparing our mimosas, I took the cage part off of the bottle and then went to prepare the orange juice. Not sure why I didn't just fully open the bottle, but did you know? When you take the cage off the top of a Champagne bottle, the pressure on the cork is left to build under the cork and within 30 seconds...POP...off it went. For half a second I seriously considered doing my "DC tuck and fall to the the ground because some body's got a gun" move. After getting lectures from every...single....member...of my family I won't be making that mistake again.

Had to include a truly respectable fam photo. My brothers know how to rock it. Obviously, I am the one with the impressive strength in the family.

7. Another one for Friday. The ice cream high day. Lauren was complaining about invoices getting moved around her desk and I was commiserating as well due to my pens and post-its being stolen from my desk. We decided the best way to deal with this situation, working for a company that is made of mostly men besides us two, that the only way for the men to keep their hands off our stuff is to cover everything in tampons. We'll use them as paper weights and mix them in with our pens in the cup holder. GENIUS. And obviously, after that gem of an idea introduced, we are no longer allowed to consumer sugar.

I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't take us seriously. For realz yo.

That's it for this week's Sunday Confessional...maybe next week I'll post it on Sunday. GENIUS.

Cheers,
Lindsay

Sunday Confessional

**NOTE: This was originally supposed to be posted on Sunday when I was in London. However, I do not know how technology works and therefore it did not go up then. So just pretend it's Sunday and let the humor wash over you like a gentle rain while you enjoy your hot coffee and pancakes. 

I feel like I need to have a weekly "Confessional" post. Purge myself of all the stupid stuff I've done that week and to make others just feel dandy and smart about all their decisions in life. Unless you're doing drugs. Even I'm not that stupid. Stop it.

Fun side fact: Raised Catholic and when to Catholic school until I was 10. Did not understand the point of confessional every month. I actually made shit up to confess because I couldn't come up with any good examples in my real life (probably the start of my self-involvement. In my world, I am a darling angel.) Some examples: "Ummm, I broke a vase." "I lied to my Mom about it." Repeat that every month. I wonder if the priest ever caught on or just thought I was a household deviant.

1. Past weekend. Went to a bachelorette party where, when I was not even drunk, I proceeded to chuck my iPhone into the hot tub. Nothing really tops the humor in hearing four girls screeching "where is it? I GOT IT, I GOT IT!" We're adults, and we know how to party.

2. Monday. Decided I would be going on a diet to lose ten pounds by end of June, just in time for one of my best friend's wedding where I will be attending dateless. Promptly opened a bottle of red wine. Probably doubled my calories for the day. Diet win.

3. Tuesday, no coffee, only two cups of tea. Attempted to lock front door of house by clicking my car key fob at it. Seriously.

4. Tuesday. Convo with sis: Her-"I really wish I lived back then." (In regards to the 1920s in Syracuse) Me-"I don't wish I lived then. But I do wish I was the doctor's companion and could travel back then for a little fun."  .........yup. Crickets.

5. Tuesday. Sis and I could not figure out if the spot on the carpet was dog pee. Stuck my nose in it. Definitely dog pee.

6. Wednesday. When I was driving around looking for food after my dentist appointment, I actually said out loud to myself "I need something to put in my mouth to counteract this cleanliness." I pulled over to have a good laugh. Couldn't figure out who to call to relay the dirty joke I told myself, so I'll just leave it here.

7. Wednesday Night. Found leftover package of Marshmallow Peckers from bachelorette party. Talked my little sister into making a s'more out of them. Couldn't stop making penis jokes in front of my parents. This is what happens when you live at home as an adult. Good, wholesome, family fun. I do believe I told my Mom that my marshmallow was a ten-second man.

Cheers,
Lindsay Xxx

Preparing for London

My plane flies off tonight to London, connects in Toronto (a first for me, never flew through Toronto airport before) and then I'll be landing in London at 10am Friday morning. This will be my first time flying with an airline that's not Virgin Atlantic or British Airways, so I'm more nervous than usual. Have already packed a small carry-on in case they lose my luggage somehow.

I'm quite jittery about my audition as well. I'm going over for an audition with a second grad school (oh I didn't tell you did I? On my last trip I auditioned with one grad school and got ACCEPTED. Baller. So no matter what, I will be heading over for grad school in the fall. But this second audition is still très important to me.) I've looked at this school for several years now and really respect the school and the course. Additionally, unlike a lot of US schools, this school does a full day audition. Six hours, or around that, of workshopping my two audition pieces. That right there is a beautiful thing. Something I really appreciate, considering my CV (resume) is not as varied as I'd like, for someone heading off to grad school for acting. It really gives me an even playing field with people who have a more extensive theatre history or even have their undergrad degree in it (I did love getting my BA in English but I really wish I could have tried harder at doing a double major with theatre as well.)

I think I'm most nervous about the fact that for this audition I have to do contrasting pieces. My modern piece I am unmoving on. It must be this one comedic piece I love. So that means my Shakespeare/Jacobean piece must be dramatic. I do have one from years ago that I did for Central, read about that absolute gem of a time here. But I just feel much more comfortable with any of my comedic pieces than I do with dramatic ones. I do love my speech from Measure for Measure (Isabella, scene 2, act 4 "To whom should I complain?") but I know there's a lot of work I need to do on it and how I approach it.

This audition will most certainly be a learning experience.

Anyways, in preparing for this trip, I wanted to share with you all that it takes for me to get out of the house and on to the flight over. I tend to obsess over what I pack and how to pack it. If you are heading over to London, it's as important how you pack, as what you pack. As soon as you're off that flight, unless you're rich, you need to haul all your stuff onto public transportation. I just discovered the Heathrow Express, which is the best thing ever and despite being more poor on this trip, I'll still be throwing down the $40 to shorten my trip into London. It's the height of luxury for those who can't really afford luxury.

So I have packed my very large purse with things I need to grab while in transit and on the plane. A large carry-on with a book, my journal, a few necessities for the overnight flight that I don't need immediately at hand, but somewhat accessible (face wipes and that such thing), a change of clothes and my running equipment because this is a carrier I've never flown on before and I'm always very paranoid about my luggage getting lost.  My large luggage bag has rotating wheels which are perfect for running with luggage, which one will always do when getting to and from the airport in London, and is only 2/3 full. I left it this way so that on the way back I can throw all my clothes in it and leave the carry-on to store some gifts for friends (or...ahem...chocolate and tea for myself...).

Here's a few crappy photos from my iPhone:

 This stuff is included in my carry-on and my luggage: luggage--mini shower supplies (can't resist, they're so cute!), seasonal allergy medicine (don't know what London's spring will be like, it's been 8 years since I've been there in the spring), makeup supplies and a massive container of the best body lotion ever. Carry-on: book I borrowed from British friend, Wolf Hall (having difficulty getting through it. Historical fiction hasn't ever been something I've really gotten into, but I'll be working my way through it on the plane I suppose, when not having panic attacks about my monologues), my journal, a folder full of all the important information customs may ask for (flight info, address of where I'm staying, audition letter from school, etc, etc) and my London A to Z guide. Even though everyone uses Google Maps nowadays, I find that using the guide is still more helpful as Google Maps has been known to be wrong and I've never been lead astray by London A to Z.

Mainly for my purse I have a baggie for all my liquids--contact solution, hand sanitizer, perfume in a small container with roller, waterproof liquid eyeliner (necessary for long flights), mascara, gum, deodorant, lotion, Q-Tips, hair comb, Tylenol, chap stick and Vaseline, tums and Prilosec (I am a Crohnie after all. I can handle my heartburn situation at home without drugs at the moment, as long as I'm really good with my food, but I can't really stop myself from OD'ing on tea and biscuits when in England, so drugs are necessary), Iron and other meds, my plays, sunglasses (one is for running, the other is just plain necessary for being anywhere outdoors), small notebooks I record food/money spent/running log, small purse with British pounds in it and my passport.

I absolutely will use every bit of what I've packed. My clothes have been reduced down dramatically from what I would normally take. But I'm trying not to be the usual over-packer that I am, and I never really wear all the clothes I bring. I'll spare you a photo of that.

What would you bring on a trip overseas? See anything missing that you absolutely have to have with you?

Cheers,
Lindsay Xxx

P.S. No headphones for this trip due to the fact that I threw my phone in a hot tub (oh yes I did) at my friend's Bachelorette party, needed to dry it out in a bag of rice and now have a piece of rice stuck in the plug hole for my headphones. I am awesome in every way.

Doing Your Thang

My little sister and I have been talking lately about having a fitness "thang". You know...you're thing you do that you work at all the time, maybe you've worked very hard at being awesome at it, have all the fun accessories, read the books, read the blogs...it's your "thang".

Lauren, little sis, has decided that cycling is her thing and has gone at it full swing. She's got the cool, fast road bike, a weekly cycle goal (40 miles a week, 200 in total before June 21st) and she even has a really sweet helmet and matching riding cloves. I'm a bit jealous.

My running is definitely almost my thing, but I'm not quite sure if it'll stay my thing. I've always had a hankering for yoga and martial arts to be the center of my fitness expertise. But really, deep down, I just want to be one of those people that enjoys and participates in all kinds of physical activities. I definitely did not grow up that way. Like a vampire to sunlight, I saw it as a death wish.

Until of course Buffy the Vampire Slayer came along and that's where my yoga (Sarah Michelle Gellar was a fan) and martial arts (Buffy's official thang) obsession came in.

But for now, I'm just trying to be open minded about other physical activities and give them a go.

And now I can't feel my ass. God, biking is hard. Soooo hard. I have found an 8 mile run easier. Okay, okay, it has just been my first day. But damn my butt is sore. And my ego bruised as my sister goes flying ahead of me and beats me home by 10 minutes while I'm still huffing and puffing like a couch potato who's never been outdoors.

Granted, she has explained to me that her bike is a road bike and therefore is meant to go faster than the mountain bike I've been using today. But still, I want it to feel better because I run, damnit.

I completely understand and accept that biking uses different muscles than running does. Which is often why people recovering from running injuries usually switch to biking. Even though it's hard, I'm determined to make this a regular thing. Especially since money is tight currently, the amount I save on gas, small it may be, will ease my stress a bit.

We did about 10 miles today just riding to and from work. We come home for lunch so that adds on the extra miles. It is only a 2.5 mile ride from our house to the office but I have never been more irritated with living in a hilly village. Fuck hills. They're stupid and if they don't make my ass rock hard by August I'm calling it--biking is a fraud.

Additionally, something my sister mentioned to me that is so true about biking, specifically the side effects that come when one uses a mountain bike for....not mountains. They're heavier and harder than a street bike, requiring a much greater effort to operate....and goddamn am I raging hungry after one 2.5 mile trip. There went my breakfast-poof, there went my lunch-poof. And I have pms right now, so essentially....I am going to eat EVERYTHING THERE EVER WAS.

Honestly, running hasn't even jacked up my appetite like that. I really don't feel like good things are going to come of it. I've enjoyed running several miles and still feel okay with my doctor-restricted small, carby portions of food my stomach can adequately digest. Today, on the other hand, I was all like "WHERE IS MORE FOOD? GIMME." Except caffeinated excessively and with really crazy helmet hair. I'm like every one's childhood monster under the bed, but with leggings and a powerful odor. (Oh yes, I stunk today. Didn't even really sweat that much. I sweat buckets when running and barely smell worse that a wilting rose.)

So the jury is out on this one folks. But again....fully expecting to be able to bounce quarters off my ass by Labor Day. Actually....I don't really know what that means, I heard it in a rap song. REALLY STRONG BUTTOCKS, I want amazing thighs and a butt I can place things on like a shelf. I really don't think that's asking very much, do you?

Courtesy of my little sis.
She is way cuter...but can't escape the dorkiness. Also, YES we get to go home for lunch every day and play with that cute button, Charlie. BE JEALOUS.

Cheers,
Lindsay Xxxx

P.S. If you'll kindly take note of the shirt I'm wearing in that tiny, upper right hand corner photo. Yes, it is a beer tee-shirt. I have been huffing and puffing all over town in a beer tee-shirt. HEIGHT of sophistication. Don't you wanna be me?

Blogger Love and A Love of Randomness

Neat-o, I was given a blogger award thingy-mer-bob.

Really just something to help blogs recognize bloggers they like and get other readers to check out some blogs they may not already follow.  I actually go through my favorite blogs to find what they read. If I like reading your stuff, then in all likelihood I'll probably like the blogs you follow with a passion. (Exemption being when the blog is predominately about pushing products...often they'll just push other blogs that do the same. I do follow one or two run blogs that seems to have 10 sponsored posts for every 1 regular post from them. Good writing is why I still read the few blogs that follow that pattern.)

Anyways, I do love a good award that encourages random facts! I love reading other bloggers posts where they just list random stuff mainly because it's fun to get a little insight into their worlds without a whole lot of narrative. Some people are good at narrative, and some aren't. But I always love a good sharing session that doesn't make me feel nosy.

This LIEBSTER award was given to me by Taylor from Running Across the Pond, thanks Tay! I googled the award just to see what other explanations I could find for the origins of the award and the first blog that came up gave a great description: "The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. What is a Liebster? The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome." That's a paragraph taken straight from the blog We Loved Here. (The link takes you to the post where they got the award as well.)

I got hooked on Taylor's blog, Running Across the Pond, when I was doing a search for running blogs and just happened upon hers, which also is on my favorite subject ever, living in Britain as an expat. We also tweet back and forth furiously about certain YA books we're hooked on. Nice to have another book pusher friend who gets me hooked on more series...not that I need anymore books, but you seriously need to pick up two YA series: Divergent series and The Mortal Instruments. Really good reads.

So yes, check out her blog. She even has lots of tips about wedding planning in the UK, what it's like to marry a British guy, handling the job process in the UK and lots of other random topics outside of that stuff.

The Rules:
1. Thank and link back to the blogger who presented you with the award.
2. List 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions you were asked.
4. Write 11 questions for your nominees.
5. Present a Liebster blog award to 2-5 other bloggers.

11 Random facts about me:

1. I am not too keen on the idea of pregnancy and having the babies. HOWEVER, I do absolutely relate to pregnant women and can talk about anything health-wise with them and connect on that level. I am never bored talking about pregnancy. If anything my Crohn's Disease has a lot of freaky similarities to pregnancy issues, which I won't go into here. But I certainly have recommended a lot of remedies for pregnant friends in the past because of the issues I've dealt with having Crohn's.

2. Downward Dog is extremely difficult for me to do for longer than 30 seconds. I have twigs for arms.

3. When we were kids and moved into a new house in Minnesota, my parents let me and my sister decide what color we should paint our rooms. Up until that point, in my head, I always imagined that my favorite color was black or pink, but for some reason that day I said my favorite color was purple. This pissed my sister off because she said that was her favorite color and a big fight ensued. Well I got the purple room and she chose green. To this day, purple is my favorite color ever and if I didn't love wearing black so much, I'd probably be decked out in purple. My room here in NY is purple and so is a lot of my furniture, luggage, shoes, purses, and nail varnish. When I want to win a fight, I go all the f* out.

4. Taylor's random facts got me thinking about music...of which I can't honestly recommend anything to you. If you read Miranda Hart's book "Is It Just Me?" I think one of the chapters is all about knowing nothing about music, having a few favorite oldies and just in general loving one-hit wonders and pop music in general. That chapter perfectly describes me. I am not fashionable at all when it comes to music. My main things I listen to outside of general pop music is John Mayer (only artist who I've followed from the beginning...and I don't think that it's cool to admit to liking him, currently...cause let's be real, he's acting a bit wacky these days. Don't care. If you've ever seen him in concert he's MAGICAL.) I also admit to owning several compilations of Rat Pack music. Give me Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Dean Martin any day of the week. That goes for modern musicians singing music from that era. Love me some Buble and Jamie Cullum.

5. I enjoy several kinds of moderately expensive whiskies, scotches, and cigars. I blame DC for these tastes.

6. I'm obsessed with pit bulls, the dog breed. We owned one for years, Hannah (or Hannah-Bear) and it wasn't till I moved to DC and worked with a dog walking company did I learn about breed stereotypes and how horrible pit bulls can be perceived. The first dog I'll get when I have the place and the money will be a rescued pit bull. I mean, how cute is this:

Such a princess.

In the winter, she legitimately liked wearing clothes because she was quite sensitive to cold weather. 

7. I currently oven somewhere around 250-300 books that I have not read yet. I used to use libraries all the time, but then I worked in book retail for 4 years (Barnes and Noble College, Barnes and Noble, Borders) and developed the habit of using my discount because "oh this looks good...and I know I want to read it at some point. Might as well buy it now." Or I just got a lot of mass market paperbacks for free.  Some day I will finish reading them all, damnit. Course that hasn't stopped me from buying more. On my recent trip to London, I brought back 6 new books and only a tiny bit of chocolate. Clearly, I have issues.

8. Doctor Who and Buffy will forever remain my favorite TV shows of all time. And Veronica Mars comes a close third.

9. I've had Crohn's since I was 14 and it wasn't until I was 28 (last October) that I actually met another person with the disease.

10. If you had just met me, you'd be shocked to know how many times I've been naked or half naked in front of people. Streaking was practically a requirement to graduate from my university...everyone had to do it at some point. And my roommates and I just happened to enjoy doing it often. Sometimes one was just drunk enough to have to walk, not run...and possibly need to sit down....at midnight in the science building. Then explain to the nice security campus officer that, yes, we are fine and on our way back to our clothes now thankyouverymuch. Additionally, while at university, I also acted in a play in my underwear. That my parents came to see. They were very proud. Why can't I put these things on my resume?

11. Between the ages of 12-16 I went through a very odd "goth" period. I tried to wear black all the time, was desperate to dye my hair black (thanks for not allowing that Mom!), and listened to metal and angry rock music. Sadly, I was too happy, smiley, bubbly to be accepted into the goth crowd. Yes, I actually smiled too much. At one point when I was 16, I was washing all my black clothes and bit of bleach accidentally got in (highly suspicious, Mother) and ruined ALL of my clothes. I just said f* it after that, and my mom has hardly contained her excitement anytime I wear something of color since then.

Questions from Taylor:
1. What character from a book/movie/TV show do you feel you are most like and why?
Jess (Zooey Deschanel) on New Girl. Mainly because I kind be an awkward human being that does weird things like sing my emotions and can't talk to boys like the adult I am.

2. If you were given the chance to live (safely) in outer space would you go? Why or why not?
Yes! Because that would definitely be an extreme kind of travel, which I love to do. Also it'd be fun to see all the ways to live up there in space. What's space food like? Where's the bathroom? Can I go exploring? I would totally be into that. Which is also why I'd like to take this opportunity to enter my name into the hat for the next Doctor Who companion.

3. What's your favorite kind of sandwich and what toppings do you add to it?
Kind of lame, but grilled chicken slices with avocado, red onion and a bit of salsa on top. Yum!...if I could eat any of that fibrous material right now, I totally would...stupid Crohn's.

4. What was your longest plane journey and where did you go?
9 hours and off to London. Never been farther and that flight was only 9 hours because we took a long route because of weather. Normally a trip to London from the east coast of the US is about 7 hours or just under.

5. Do you prefer spontaneity or plans and schedules?
When I travel or am on vacation I prefer spontaneity and don't like to plan anything...but that's because it my daily life I prefer LOTS of plans and scheduling...which usually doesn't end up going like I want.

6. What would you name the 8th Harry Potter book if you were writing it?
Harry Potter and the Aurora Years (but seriously...how awesome would that be?!)

7. Who taught you to ride a bicycle and do you remember learning?
I do not remember learning but most likely my Dad or my Mom...I definitely wouldn't have let my older brothers teach me something like that. They would have let me fall and left me for DEAD. Brothers are evil when you're a kid. Now they're okay.

8. What were the last items you purchased at the grocery store?
Basil, lemon, tomatoes, strawberries and shortcake. Made dinner and dessert for my Mom and sister last night.

9. If you made a time capsule for you to open in 10 years, what items (at least 5) would you put in it?
My journal, my favorite non-fiction book "The New Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz, my flip cam with some videos on it from me and my sister (rapid fire 20 question game), Twinkies to see if they last, a picture of me and my family to see how we've changed. It sounds kind of conceited to have a lot of focus on myself, but it encourages me to see how I grow and change over time.

10. Do you prefer firm pillows or squishy pillows?
I prefer a lot of squishy pillows piled up to make them almost-but-not-quite firm.

11. What's something you've done that was so completely out of your comfort zone?
I was in a play years ago where I had to make out with another actress on stage. It was extremely difficult, especially since I hadn't been in a serious relationship and the director telling me to "kiss her like you'd kiss your boyfriend" was of no help whatsoever.

For this award, I nominate:
Stephanie from Close Encounters of the Librarian Kind

Natacia from Treks and the City

Caraline from Dancing with Myself

**All bloggers I know in real life, love their blogs, and want to use this award to peer-pressure them into blogging more muwahahahaha!

Here's what I want to know about you:

1. Has there been a book that you've had intense feelings about either of intense rage or overwhelming happiness? If so, what book?
2. Where in the world do you want to go next on vacation and where would you never want to visit?
3. What would you make for dinner in order to seduce your celebrity crush?
4. What talent do you wish you had?
5. What's the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
6. Someone is hitting on you in a bar, what's your best shut-'em down line?
7. What was your first date like?
8. How did you find out about sex? Have you...found out about how babies are made...? Oh dear...
9. If you had to pick one place to live forever, where would that be?
10. What is something that you always keep in your purse or bag?
11. What's the most interesting food you've eaten in the world?

Hope they get swept up in the love of randomness!!

Cheers,
Lindsay Xxx