10.11.2010

Dang, I Love Random Weekends

A few of you out there have actually read a few or *gasp* many or most of my posts since I launched fivenineteen in September 2009.

Somehow, my weekends end up just as quiet - or just as busy - as they are supposed to be.  It fascinates me how sometimes a jam-packed weekend is as relaxing as one with close to zero plans and a veg-fest on the couch or here with the laptop.

Those of you - all two or three of you - who read this Blog regularly - may remember over Labor Day weekend, for example, how I had zero plans.  This weekend was a whole different story.

And yes, it's a fivenineteen double-shot bonus weekend, for here's yet another post.

Majorly awesome school classmates reunion (girls night potluck)
I started posting awhile back about "the ones who really know you."  And we've expanded this 3 or 4 times a year potluck gathering outward - this past Friday we had 10.  10 of us who know eachother back to elementary school and junior high years, so ready to burst with conversation and laughter we never made it to the dining room table nor the wonderfully remodeled living room our hostess C has in her gorgeous home.  Nope - it was all about hanging out in the kitchen and the kitchen island with munchies and wine.  One of those amazing nights where "all of a sudden" it's midnight.

This, my friends, is food for my soul.  I come away from these gatherings so energized and refreshed!

Gym workout
I probably didn't get to sleep until 2am early Saturday following that potluck. I was so awake and happy it was hard to get to sleep.  I shamelessly love to sleep in on weekend mornings - but hopefully not past 9:30am or so otherwise I feel I'm wasting the day away.  I lounged around in the PJs and made some coffee - oh the delicious luxury of lingering.  I made a pot of Seattle's Best Coffee Henry's blend as it was on special at the grocery store.  Forza coffee is still my hands down favorite brand but I'm trying to be a tad bit frugal (despite the fridge and phone both putting my debit card into overdrive last month) by finding other brands which don't have that overly roasted bitterness Starbucks is known for.  And how awesome to pull those coffee beans from MY NEW FRIDGE/FREEZER.  Halle-freakin-lullejah! 

After a few cups of coffee and a light breakfast I hauled my ass down to the gym for 45 minutes on the treadmill (walk-run intervals) plus some free weights and side crunches with the fitness ball.  It's just a 5 minute drive from my house, and I have not been going as regularly as I was a few months ago.  Every time I get my bill I think, sheesh, just go!  The recent remodel/upgrade is amazing.  So I brought my iPod and just hit the treadmill for awhile, like I was doing when I was training for my first 5Ks last year.  It felt good to get back on the treadmill, watch some hockey on the CBC channel on the treadmill TV and rock out to my iPod. Too bad there weren't any hot guys - or any guys - playing squash on the courts in straight shot view from the treadmills.  I figured more people would be in the gym on a Saturday afternoon given the weather was yucky.

Lo and behold who should flag me down from the upper interior balcony but my past trainer, Bruce, who worked my butt off last year for a few months.  He's a great trainer and had the most creative, weird-ass but effective ways to change around the weight machines to isolate areas like triceps, hamstrings or pecs. And he introduced me to the medicine balls as well as planking.  I was so sore at work those next mornings I was probably walking around like I had ridden a horse all day.  Good stuff.  Hopefully I'll be able to carve out more time/dollars to have him train me a couple of nights a week like last year.  Middle age is a reality blast in both the face and body and I need to rebuild lost muscle tone in a huge way.  And -ahem- where are those Jillian Michaels DVDs?

Karaoke...and Country Music on a night out - combined
Collective gasp/faint anyone?  Here's the deal.  I love music - anything but country.  And karaoke?  Fugeddaboudit. Seriously.  I had a shitty experience at a work related function with alcohol-soaked karoake at a restaurant (as an observer, not participant) at an impressionble time just out of college and it really soured me.  I have a lot of great friends who enjoy doing karaoke but they know it's just not my deal.  And I love music but country is probably way down on my list of loves.

So how was this night different?  I changed my tune - no pun intended. This night was karaoke but backed by an aweome live band with a huge audience of 800 or so.  Not the pre-recorded karaoke with porn star rejects in the cheesy videos.  Yes, I have no opinions.

This was the final round of a country music karaoke competition at the Snoqualmie Casino, about 30 miles east or so of my suburb.  What a superb facility - and huge!  My friend T's boyfriend D was a finalist (wow!!) in this contest and it was absolutely amazing to be there.  It was my first time meeting him and he did a great cover of Guitars, Cadillacs (Dwight Yoakam as I learned).  It was fun being there even if I wasn't totally familiar with everyone's songs other than a John Mellencamp, Shania Twain or Carrie Underwood song that's more mainstream pop/rock.  And D took 7th out of 17 and got an awesome cash prize!  He has a CD and a music video out so he's no stranger to the industry.  It was wonderful to meet him in person and  cheer him on!

It felt great to brush off two things I don't normally care for - country music and karaoke - to support a friend and her boyfriend plus have a fun night out.  And a couple Tanqueray and tonics helped too.

Silpada jewelry
Can I do this - take this on as a side business?  How much freaking spare time do I have?  Am I crazy?

I love all the party-based home shopping lines - Tupperware, PartyLite, Pampered Chef, the list goes on.  I've probably hosted a few parties over the years and attended many more as a guest. And loved it.  The jewelry is fantastic.  Most of it is sterling silver based which is perfect for my skin tone. 

I met up with a consultant over coffee this afternoon and have a lot of reading to do.  We'll see how this pans out.

HOCKEY
So when I mentioned I have a hockey game tonight to the Silpada friend I met with for coffee this afternoon she asked how old my hockey kids were.  How HILARIOUS to clarify that...it's actually ME that plays!  Not kids! Holy crap, how funny!  I haven't had to clarify this since I marched into a proshop 7 years ago with a list of equipment to buy - convincing the shop associate it was for ME, and not kids. Don't all middle-aged suburban blonde women around here play hockey?  

I love my new team.  We've got a ton of potential and played 1000% better than our inaugural game last week.  Nowhere to go but up! 

I had THE funniest Fail tonight in warm up. We were doing the typical "corners" drill, where you split into two groups in the corners and take turns skating out, catching passes and taking shots on our goalie to warm him up. Been doing this for years.

Well, I missed catching one of my passes but the puck was somehow at my feet and I thought I'd do a cool quick turnaround and continue toward the net. The turnaround was cool but as I started forward again I must have caught an edge because I went SPLAT belly flop on the ice and landed spread eagle . Dang, the poor girls took the brunt of the impact. Could be some bruises tomorrow.

And I broke a nail too later on.

That's a good game in my book...along with a few cool bruises.

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