Today

Today I feel:

[X] delerious from lack of sleep
[X] totally in love with my staff (aka my small army)
[ ] energetic
[X] lonely
[X] liked
[X] addicted to coffee
[ ] in love with my job
[X] awkward
[X] excited for Top Chef in 33 minutes!
[X] that big changes may be coming soon

This morning, I received an email telling me that Yahoo! Photos was closing, so I had to move all of my digital photos to Flickr. As I sat there and looked at all of the photos I took of all of my old friends and from my many travels, I suddenly felt nostalgic for the adventuresome person I once was. The person that would randomly buy plane tickets to developing countries. The person that had such clear life and career ambitions. The person that dated and lived in the present and didn't go home after a 14 hour day and only to do more work at home...

Now, chained to a desk and a cell phone, this person seems only a distant memory; buried deep under piles of paperwork and orientation schedules. The constant dual between my ambition and my desire for happiness never ending... Not knowing which path to choose. Could I ever be happy not being a super hero?

Beyond exhausted!

It's been 15 days straight since I've had a day off...

I have at least 18 more days to go...

Each day: at least 12 hours...

Sigh...

SOMEBODY GET ME SOME COFFEE!!

Who keeps punching me?!!

I woke up this morning, took a shower, brushed my teeth, got dressed... The usual.

Only today, when I looked in the mirror, I saw that I had a black eye!

I have no idea why. And no, I was not in a bar fight!

I guess it's allergies or I'm sick or something. But this is the 5th time this has happened this summer!

sigh....

I miss my dog ...

The Workout

Those of you that read my blog somewhat frequently know that one of my goals for the rest of the year is to get in better shape. (and lose a little weight)

I've half-tried to do this a few times. But the problem is a simple one: I'm lazy. Very very lazy. And I don't particularly enjoy exercising. I'd much rather watch videos and eat.

I'm really committed to achieving my goal though and I decided that the only way that I will actually stick with it is if I literally remove all obstacles and make it as easy and convenient as possible. So, I decided to make one of my spare bedrooms into a fitness room, and went on Craigslist to find some good stuff to fill it.

I already had an exercise bike and ab ball. So, I was primarily looking for some type of home gym. And boy did I find one!!! And a great deal too!! The only problem was that the guy that was selling it was really really sketchy, even by Worcester standards. Oh yeah...and the fact that I had to carry all of it up 3 flights of stairs to my apartment (thanks for helping Katie and Amy!!!!), and try to put it together all by myself.

Normally, I'm pretty good at assembling stuff. And in typical guy fashion, I rarely look at instructions. But, this thing had 37 pages of instructions!!! And over 200 pieces!!! It took soooo long.

Finally, I got it all assembled (it took about 5 hours!) and it is ready to go! The only problem is that I'm too tired and sore from carrying it all upstairs and putting it together to actually use it for at least a few days haha.

Oh, and I also finished furnishing and decorating my sunroom last week. I love it!

I Heart Food

I like to experiment with different flavors and to try to create my own recipes when I cook. Usually it doesn't turn out to be anything special...just average. Not super delicous, but not terrible or inedible.

But every now and then, something turns out so good that I'm just totally blown away!

First there was Peppered Chicken Sauteed in a Peach and White Wine Reduction.

Then, there was Chris' Famous Butter and Garlic Stuffed Steak: a cardiologist's dream! (I'm anxious to try this out with truffle butter...if someone buys me some, I'll cook it for them =p)

Most recently, there was Prawns Sauteed in Homemade Ginger Plum Sauce. Mmmmmm!

But tonight... Best of all! Chris' Chiang Mai Masterpiece - a fairly simple hot pot type dish inspired from the memory of something I ate a few times while in Thailand. Basically, it's just a hodge podge of different flavors: leeks, rice noodles, chicken, trout, homemade fish balls, bean sprouts, cabbage, shitake mushrooms, and a beaten egg, all cooked in a pot of chicken stock, then drained, and covered in my special spicy sauce. OMG!! Best thing ever!!!

I just love food so much :)

Top Chef Update

Whoa! Tonight's episode was so good! And 15 minutes longer than usual!!