Mass Exodus at the Office

Another coworker put in her 2 weeks notice. I knew this was coming because she had told me a while back that she wanted to move back to California to be closer to family. She's the sixth person that'll be leaving in the past 2 months. Meanwhile, I'm approaching my seventh year work anniversary in October.

I needed to get some steps in, so I marched myself to the gym this evening. I made myself a deal...you only have to be there for 30 minutes and then you can go home. I did 15 minutes on the elliptical and then ran on the treadmill for the other 15 minutes. I was kinda surprised of how crowded the gym was on a Friday night. Anyway, afterwards, I walked around the block to DSW and browsed. I saw that boots were coming out...fall is just around the corner!

National Root Beer Float Day and Shoulder Day

Today is National Root Beer Float Day.

Oh, yes.  There is such a thing. I got an email from Human Resources today informing me of this news. And even better, the department bought several cartons of vanilla ice cream and bottles of root beer so we could make our own. I'm not a huge fan of root beer so I was happy to have some ice cream at the end of the day, after my 2 PM conference call.

My boss informed me that after adjusting the budget, she was able to find some funds to pay for my cell phone. Hmm. That's cool.  Well, I'll have to tell Dad when he gets home from vacation since my phone is still under the family plan.  Heh.

Day 19: Shoulders, done! Spin class, check! I wasn't sure if I'd be able to hold myself upright on the bike when standing up. With the arm and pool workout from yesterday, I was kinda sore today, but I mustered the strength to just keep it moving. I have the Leg Day and Performance workouts left and then Phase 1 of Crush60 will be complete, which is nuts!  Time flies when you...sweating like crazy.

Oh, and I'm loving the Jaybird earbuds that I bought yesterday. Definitely money well spent.

Day Off: Arm Day and New Earbuds

Whoo hoo, day off! It was really productive too.

• Went to the gym after breakfast and cranked out Day 18's arm workout. Blah.
• Went to Costco to get some groceries. The cashier gave me crap about using my mom's membership card. "Are you on the membership account?  Memberships aren't transferable." Blah blah blah. Ok, ok. I'll check with my parents when they get home from vacation.
• Went to Best Buy to return the Plantronics earbuds (they kept slipping out of my ears when I'm on the treadmill, so annoying! And I didn't think the battery life was anything special) and pick up a set of Jaybird ones. Hopefully third time's the charm. We'll see tomorrow. (I know I said I would wait to see what the raise situation was at the office, but I told myself that I need these for the gym)
• Went to the pool in the evening. I debated on going to the community outdoor pool, but the last time I went, there were kids coming in and out of the lap lanes. I ended up going to the Aquatic Center that I used to have swim team practices. I got a lap lane to myself in the deep end, so that was really nice. Whew, I'm out of practice, but I made it through 30 minutes before I gave myself permission to get out. Maybe it's because I had already done an arm workout earlier in the day. I was proud of myself for doing a few 100 m IMs. :D

I finished watching Gone Girl earlier this evening. Wow, that was 50 kinds of messed up! Well done, but way too creepy to watch ever again.

Empties #9 and Rest Day

I gave myself a rest day today and promptly took a nap after work. It was glorious. Hah. Julie informed me that a storm went by during that time. What? That was news to me. I was totally oblivious. I went over to my parents' house when I woke up and hung out with her for a little bit. She had part of a sub to share anyway.

I have accumulated several empties these past few months. I was most proud of finishing a black Jordana pencil eyeliner. The Softsoap liquid soap smells like fruit punch. I also finished up some samples: Honey by Marc Jacobs and Taylor by Taylor Swift perfumes and an Urban Decay mascara. I don't think that the Listerine did anything to whiten my teeth, but at least it gives you fresh breath.

Good Performance Review and Day 17

I received an “exceeded expectations” rating from my supervisor on my annual performance review. She actually rated me higher than what I rated myself ("met expectations"), so that was an unexpected surprise. It's unclear what the budget situation is, but I hope there's room for raises. I already know what I'll buy for myself when that money comes in: some new Bluetooth headphones. I'm just not impressed with the two sets I've bought so far.

As for working out...Day 17, done! I definitely sweated my little heart out today...that's why they call it a Heat workout. I did everything except the incline walking after work, went home to feed RJ, went to spin class, and then did the incline walking. Getting out of bed tomorrow should be interesting.

Looks like Mom and Dad are having a fun on vacation. They better squeeze all the fun in before they have to come home on Saturday.

Chest Day and New Workout Gear

Traffic going to the gym was very very light (I guess the world is sleeping in), so I was able to zip there with time to do some grocery shopping before my 8:30 AM spin class. Afterwards, I went to Sports Authority, armed with a 20% coupon. I was thinking of getting a new swimsuit, but nothing was really fitting right, so I gave up and went to Marshalls and Target instead. I had much better luck at those places and ended up with some new workout clothes and sports bras. Target had 20% off Champion shirts, which was too good of a deal to pass up!

Then I went home, at lunch, hung out with RJ (although he was more interested in napping while laying belly up under the ceiling fan), and then eventually went to the gym for Day 16: Chest. It was actually not very crowded in the weights section, but I did have to ask some young men if they could move their gym bags so that I could use the machine. Hello, that's what the locker rooms are for...blah.

My cousin asked for some help on her resume so I tackled that after going to the gym. And I think the rest of the evening will be parked on the couch watching the other movie that I borrowed from the library: Gone Girl. Oh, and laundry. I need to do laundry.

I tacked on another picture of Dingo from yesterday's BBQ. He was totally soaking up all the attention. :)

CrossFit Class and BBQ

Julie and I were the only people in this morning's CrossFit class, but that worked out in my favor because there were some exercises that I needed to learn (power cleans, thrusters, etc.) and it was better to have that individual attention to make sure that I got the movement right and I wouldn't hurt myself.  I have a feeling that my shoulders are going to ache tomorrow, but talk about a confidence booster, knowing that I learned something new and got a serious workout in.

After getting cleaned up at my parents' house, we wandered over to my cousin's place. He was having a BBQ with friends and invited us. One of the friends brought her dog, Dingo. He's a very friendly pit bull mix. The lady is moving back to Australia, but she first has to find a new home for Dingo. We're all plotting on how to get him to stay with my parents or my cousin. It would have to be a collective effort. He's such a sweet dog.

Michelle made CT a flourless chocolate birthday cake, aww!

I borrowed Man of Steel from the library on Thursday. I started watching it before I left for the airport to pick up Julie yesterday and finished it tonight. Meh, it was alright. Not as good as some of the Marvel films. Henry Cavill is obviously very handsome, but it wasn't enough for me to love the movie. My favorite part was the end, hah.