trying a little harder

Because I have this little addiction to shopping and because I've been succumbing to every little urge, I've had to find other ways to be a recessionista.

Basically, I've been trolling craigslist for free services - specifically a free haircut.

I ended up getting a simple blunt haircut by a student at Seven Salon that turned out pretty well, aside from taking a really long time (nearly three hours!) It'll at least tide me over until I feel like actually paying for a haircut!

During my search, I also found another salon seeking hair models for a blow out class. Since it didn't involve any cutting or color, I volunteered and was glad I did!

The teacher apparently really liked the density and texture of my hair because it really holds the style and she asked to keep me on file as a hair model. She anticipates holding these types of styling classes for their employees about once a month.

Complimentary blow out once a month? Yes please!

thundering hooves*

Dude. Are my thighs so thunderous that I can't even fit them in my new JBrand Lovestory jeans? I actually have to get down on the ground to pull them up!

When did I turn into one of those girls?

My gf she has a pair too and swears they'll stretch out. I really hope so.

Once they're on, the waist is fine if not a little loose. But those thighs.. I swear I may need to grease up my legs before trying them on again.

*Thundering Hooves is actually a meat biz. I've always been tempted to order from them... Prolly not a good idea since I can't fit into my new jeans.

long weekend part iv - you win some, then you dim sum

Monday:

Woke up pretty early to start the long ride home. Got to Richmond just in time for lunch!

It's not a trip to B.C. if I don't get to stop at my favorite joint, Fisherman's Terrace. I always get a little overzealous when it comes to ordering dim sum - eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach!

At the top of the list was soup dumplings - filled with pork, fresh scallop and shark's fin in a rich and flavorful broth. I can eat these all m*thaf*ckin' day! They're so good they make me cuss.

And you can't have dim sum without have at least one variation of the shrimp dumpling - we had two! One had chives in it and the other had scallop with shrimp. Mmmmm...

Hunny Bunny and I ate a whole bunch of other stuff but I was too busy crammin' my face to bother taking any more pictures.

P.S. Will the lo fans please stop dousing everything in soy sauce?? Dim sum is not meant to be dipped in soy sauce. It's tasty enough as is. That is all.

long weekend part iii

Sunday:

The rest of the group decided they wanted to get one more day of snowboarding in before the end of the weekend. Luckily, since I knew I would only be up for one day of riding and made plans to attend a yoga class and get a massage. Both were yummy and relaxing.

Sometimes I find spa massages a little too frou frou. Call me crazy but I like to be worked the hell out when I get a massage! This gal seriously knew what she was doing - none of that gentle, sweeping motion crap.

After stopping at Cows to get an ice cream cone, I made my way back to our condo. Bodies were sprawled out every which way. Everyone was exhausted though Hunny Bunny aka Mr. McBarfy was surprisingly alert so we decided to head out for dinner back in the Village.

Since the wait for a seat but 45 minutes away, we went down to the shops to see what they had available. Twenty minutes later, I was trying on this Burton Gore-Tex jacket. (I seem to always get caught up in blue whenever I look at new snowboarding gear. My old Roxy coat is also blue.)

Sadly, they didn't have my size.

Happily, I found it online for $50 cheaper when I got home. No tax. No shipping. No regrets.

Now I need new pants!

long weekend part ii - valentine's day

Saturday:
HB is not exactly known for his romantic gestures. This Valentine's Day was no different. Spent the early part of the day attempting to revive my inner shred Betty. Not so much. I'm just thankful that I'm not quite back to square one. In fact, I'm definitely back to where I ended the last time I rode. Muscle memory? Perhaps. Refusing to let HB doubt my mad skills? Heck yeah.

Anyway, after several runs I wasn't falling. That much. Anymore. And by then HB was only yelling at me a little bit.

Not to be outdone by the morning's festivities, the rest of the day proved to be even more wondrous. During our stroll through Whistler Village, HB treated me to an artery clogging treat - poutine!

This mouthwatering load of smothered and covered goodness has truly mystical powers - I was in a daze after making mouth-love to fries covered in cheese curds and gravy and hot sauce.

Dinner was mostly uneventful. Because of V-day, all the Village restaurants were booked so we decided to stay in and make dinner in our condo. HB's bff's non-gf made a lovely roast that HB stole from me after I barely ate half.

All this was followed by a rousing game of Texas hold 'em. And lots and lots of drinking. Which led to this:

Not exactly HB's crowning moment.

He'll probably kill me after he realizes that I've exposed his weakest moment. D'oh! Not that he doesn't deserve to feel a little chagrin.. It's not like he didn't go barfing over the balcony. To be honest, I've never seen him that trashed before. And I never want to see it again. Icky.

P.S. At least he finally got his hair cut. I have no idea what his latest obsession with hobos is all about.

long weekend part i

Thursday:
Made Hunny Bunny promise that we would stop at the Lululemon outlet on the way to Vancouver. Promised that I wouldn't take too long. *fingers crossed*

Friday:
Late start to a long drive. Went on a last minute morning run with my dad. Had a little breakfast with the folks and then went to pick HB up.

Can you guess what I was doing during the car ride? Texting Mango to order sale items from eLuxury on my behalf! It was an additional 50% off the sale price after all... Not to mention she had an additional 25% off discount too!

For under $60, don't you think the JBrand Lovestory jeans are a must have?

And I kinda love these Y-3 flats. I need comfy shoes after buying all those high heels during the holidays! I'm all about balance.... D'oh.

Two hours later later we arrived at Lululemon heaven and I spend a short (or long depending on who you ask) hour deciding if I really need another yoga top and calling Mango to see if she also didn't need another yoga top. I finally concluded that no, I didn't need a new yoga top but that I did need a new running jacket, sports bra top and yoga pants!

All were 50% off or more. Natch.

Stopped at the Duty Free shop as we crossed the border to pick up some tax-free booze. That's when I realized they now carry Smashbox! I had to pick up their primer and fan brush.

We finally reached Richmond, B.C. for a comforting lunch of congee and noodle soup. I also grabbed some yummy snacks at the nearby bakery including my favorite pastry of them all - Hot Dog Buns!

I know, it sounds totally weird but it's sooooo good.

No more shopping for the rest of the drive because my iPhone doesn't work in the land of Canucks.

Oh Whistler, my dahling... Did you miss me? I missed you!

...to be continued...

unsatisfied, now satisfied

Lunch was uninspiring and small. And since I'm banned from shopping, the only walk I could take was to Top Pot Doughnuts.

It was beautiful and delicious and fattening and yummy and sweet and perfect.

And I only had half - Mango had the other half.

cherry go pop

I am no longer a QVC-virgin.

Instead of watching the Grammys, I spent much of Sunday night being convinced that I absolutely need smashbox products to make my life better.

Twist my rubber arm and see what happens? I finally succumbed to buying the Halo Hydrating Perfecting Face Powder. The deal sealer was when they threw in a full size brush with it for a few bucks more.

I thought it was really neat because the product is actually solid and you have to turn the cover to shave off as much product as you need.

Gawd. I feel like trash because I even took advantage of their four month Easy-Pay. I pretty much just put the thing on lay-away.

LOOK AT ME. What have I become? Next thing you know, I'll be buying dolls and ordering jogging suits from them. The floodgates have been opened.

To be continued....

i did it!

...cue Rocky theme song

I completed my first 5K run of the year in not-so-record time. (I can't believe the 1st woman to finish was done in 18 minutes!)

Anyway, I think I did okay - finished in 35:04 minutes. Although not very impressive, considering that I haven't been running at all it was quite a feat. I seriously thought it would take me a good 45 minutes!

Sure, I felt like stopping for a vomit break but I muddled through somehow and was a mere 30 seconds behind my short-legged cousin Mango. After picking up a bunch of post-run freebies, we headed off for a hearty breakfast - chicken fried steak with gravy on the side.. Mmmm...

who/what/wear:
pink jacket - Stella McCartney for adidas
top - lululemon
running pants - nike
running shoes - nike
neck gator - columbia

ack

This has gone too far. I must be crazy! I just signed up for the Love 'em or Leave 'em 5K Valentine's Day Dash taking place this weekend.

Hold me. I'm scared.

who knows

I'm not really sure if my outfit worked. But I have so much new stuff in my closet and I want to wear it all. At once.

who/what/wear:
hoodie - F21
cami - Lanvin
skinny jeans - J Brand
flats - Tory Burch
necklace - F21

I love my new necklace, even though it's a little more fabulous than I normally do... Most of my jewelry is understated but I just had to have those stars!

I tried channeling a little bit of Gwen Stefani's rock-n-roll queen style, but I don't think I'm quite there. It would've worked better if I had worn some glam heels in place of my flats. And maybe a more polished do.



Sadly, I think I ended up channeling Lindsay instead.

zzzzzzzz...

get in shape girl

I'm really trying to get myself motivated. I kinda hate exercise. Yeah yeah. I feel good after I'm done but I still hate exercise. And while I do yoga regularly (twice a week), I've realized that I need to put a little more oomph in my routine if I want to shed some of the extra layers that don't come off with a little zipper.

Not to mention the fact that I'm tired of old Chinese hags telling me I'm a portly beast. STFU. Thank you.

Did I really gain 20lbs in the last year or so? Gawd, I hope not. I have 9 months to look aisle-walking-worthy.

So on Thursday, I have an appointment for my first private Pilates lesson at Club Pilates - they were having a special intro for newbies. I've done mat Pilates here and there but have always been interested in the machines. Maybe they're the magic bean I need to ignite my inner fox. Rowr.

In addition to yoga and Pilates, I've signed up to do two 5K runs next month. Yep. I've put it out there. In public. There's no turning back now. I have approximately 5 weeks to get myself ready.

Did I mention I hate running? I've only been able to drag myself out once a week for the last couple weeks - running about a mile each time. I hate running.

The goal here is to do at least one 5-8K run per month because running for the sake of exercise and health is not motivation. But running for the sake of not embarrassing myself by coming in last is!

I'm starting with the St. Patrick's Day Dash. Are you in?