Monthly Archives: June 2022

Having Some Fun With Setting Up My Place (or Now I Can Plan Out More)

Posted on June 30, 2022 | Comments Off on Having Some Fun With Setting Up My Place (or Now I Can Plan Out More)

A lot of getting my new place set up was put on hold until my floors were redone.  And as I wrote yesterday, I finally can get some furniture things delivered or planned out now that the floors are done. And this part of moving and living in a new place is definitely much more fun than the stress I was having with the move back in April. Of course, I am still finding more and more things that either I need to get or want to replace, so I’ll be working on this phase of my new place for a while. I lived in my old place for 12 years and I felt like I was always making changes or upgrades. And now that I have more space, that means there are more opportunities to decorate and make the space my own.

But because I can finally start getting more things bought and planned out, I knew I needed to really figure out what I want and which stores I would be ordering things from. I did order a lot online, but there have been some things that were at stores and I do like to see things in person before buying if I can. So when I was looking for a bench for my entryway, when I found a very basic and simple one at IKEA I knew I would want to go to the store to see it in person. The store isn’t super close to me, but it’s not unreasonably far either. And my friend Robert came with me so he could help me make decisions and we could have some fun wandering around the store.

The IKEA in Burbank is the largest one in the US. I had been to the old Burbank location, but this one is about twice the size. So I knew we would be there for a while and that there would be a lot of walking. But we were both prepared for that and we knew we might find some really cool random things.

We spent a lot of time just looking around at the different display rooms they have set up even though we didn’t need anything from most of them. One of the things I did want to look at besides an entryway bench was a display cabinet I was thinking about getting for next to my tv. I’m glad I did look at them in person because I realized they would not be the right thing for me and they wouldn’t go with what I already own. I realized after leaving the store that it might actually be cheaper for me to just get a new tv stand, so I’m now shopping around for those. But I didn’t think about that when we were in the store.

We did find the bench that I had been looking at online, and it seemed like it would be a good fit for what I need. I don’t need anything crazy, just something to sit on to put on shoes or for me to put my purse down. And after we found that and noted the item number for later, we started looking around at more random fun things.

I wanted to make sure I didn’t go too crazy with buying stuff, so I tried to limit what I considered. I did get some new organizers for my kitchen plus a few fun little decor items, but there were other things I was looking at, like new food storage containers, that I decided to wait on getting until I was sure I wanted something new.

We ended up being at the store for a few hours, and I was getting tired as we were leaving. We did make one quick stop at the little cafe to get slushies since it was a really hot day and I figured that would be a good treat to have on my drive home. And I’m glad I didn’t get anything too big since the box for my bench just fit into my car and I don’t know if I could have made a bigger box fit.

As soon as I got home, I built the bench. It wasn’t too hard to put together, even with the minimal instructions that you get. And while I need to organize the shoes I have there so it’s not as cluttered, I think it looks pretty nice.

I also got the organizers in my kitchen drawers, and I’m glad they fit because I forgot to measure the drawers before we went. But they ended up being perfect! I haven’t taken the decor things out of their boxes yet since I still need a place to put them, but I’m still happy with what I got because they were not expensive at all.

It was a very successful outing to get things for my condo. I got some things I needed and some things I just wanted. But they all are making my place feel more like my style and I know that as I add some more of the bigger items I’m looking at it will just continue to get better!

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One More Step Closer To Being Done (or I Can Finally Add In More Furniture)

Posted on June 29, 2022 | Comments Off on One More Step Closer To Being Done (or I Can Finally Add In More Furniture)

While the bulk of the renovation on my condo was done before I moved in, there have been a few things that needed to be completed after I moved. Most of these things are things that we noticed after I moved in such as a cabinet handle needing to be adjusted or other minor things like that. I’ve been told over and over that having a punch-up list after a renovation is normal, so I had expected this. It did feel sometimes like I had a really long list of things to have done, but most of them were very small things I wanted to be corrected so they weren’t a huge deal.

But there was one thing that needed to be fixed that was a bigger deal than others. My floors had to be redone due to an error with the installation. It wasn’t something that made my floors too horrible while I lived with them before they were fixed, but if they weren’t redone they would have had much bigger issues in the near future. So there was no other option than to have them done again. And my contractor agreed, so he ordered the new floors and we had to wait for them to arrive since they were being shipped from overseas.

The arrival date of the floors was up in the air since there were so many travel factors to consider, so I had no idea when the floors would be done until a few days ahead of time. And because I am living here now and I wasn’t going to stay at a hotel or anything else, I knew I would be living through it.

Fortunately, the contractor brought in a very big crew to work on the floors so they were able to do the majority of the intense work within one day. They had to remove my floors, sand down the concrete because there was glue on them, get the new floors, plan out the pattern, lay them down, and put my baseboards back on. There were other things that would need to be done after that, but they were able to get all of that done within a single day so I wasn’t living without floors for a few days or anything like that.

It was weird seeing the concrete after they sanded down the glue. I had seen the concrete plenty of times during the renovation, but this was with my paint on the walls, and my furniture and other decor. Things were moved around so they could work on the floors, so that was a bit odd too. When you are used to something being in one place and it’s in another, you just feel turned around. But I’m glad the floors were fixed and I have the exact same floors as I had before, just now the issues that were happening are gone.

There are still a few more things to fix around the condo, but nothing is as big as getting the floors done. So I can finally start working on getting even more set up in here. I have put off getting some new furniture or delaying the delivery of things I have ordered while I waited for the floors. But now they are done, I can finally work on getting my new stuff here. And it does feel like there is an endless supply of new things I am getting. I am learning more and more that some of the furniture I have had for a while doesn’t really work in the new space. I don’t have to replace everything right away and I am going to live with some things for a while until I replace them, but I am shopping and looking around. If I find a good deal, now I know I can order something and have it come because I don’t have to wait for the floors to be done again.

I’m hoping the rest of the punch-up list gets done soon because I am really ready for everything to be done. It feels like I’m so close to having it done, but I also know that as a homeowner there will always be an endless list of things to do, fix, change, or plan out.

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A Fast Photo Shoot (or Getting To Meet Some Co-Workers)

Posted on June 28, 2022 | Comments Off on A Fast Photo Shoot (or Getting To Meet Some Co-Workers)

With all of the jobs I’ve had in the last several years, I have rarely ever met any of my co-workers. I have worked remote jobs for about 8 years between a few different companies. Some of them are based in LA but still had remote work. So I might have met some people I worked with in person, especially since I have been referred to these jobs by friends of mine. But it’s not uncommon for me to have worked a job for quite some time and never met anyone I work with in person.

But with my social media job, since that company is based in LA and there have been a few different things they have done outside of the standard work, I’ve had the chance to meet a few more of my co-workers than I would have otherwise. And last week was another chance that I had to meet some people I’ve worked with for over a year that I have never seen outside of a Zoom screen.

We had a photo shoot last year for work photos, but we got another chance to take new photos. Last time, they were taken through The Headshot Truck and we worked from their offices. This time, the photos were done at the TSMA studio. And I was excited about that because I have never been to the studio space before. It’s in downtown LA, and because my shoot was just after rush hour in the morning, it didn’t take me too long to get there.

My shoot was the first one of the day, so it was just myself and my friend Ben (who is the COO of the company and who referred me for the job) at the studio while we waited for things to start. I was excited to be able to catch up with Ben outside of our texts, phone calls, or Zoom meetings so I didn’t remember to take other photos while I was there. But it’s a great studio space and perfect for our clients who need to get photos taken for their accounts.

The next person to arrive was the photographer, who is the senior content creator for the company. I had actually met him earlier this year when I helped out with a photo shoot for one of our clients. Then one of the account managers who I had only seen on all-team Zoom meetings arrived, but he was also busy working so I didn’t really get a chance to talk with him much. And the last person who arrived while I was at the studio was my direct manager. This was the first time that she and I were seeing each other in person, which I didn’t realize at first since we are in multiple on-camera Zoom meetings together each week. But I thought about it and realized that there would not have been a time we would have been together in person before so I mentioned it. And I think she had the same reaction that I did. She thought about it and then realized that was right, which was crazy!

We all had some time to chat about random things while we waited for everything to be set up. While I love working from home and it makes a lot of things easier for me, it can be odd to realize you never really see your co-workers. So I enjoyed a bit of social time while things were getting ready.

Since my appointment was first, I did go first for the photos. It was a pretty quick shoot since we were inside the studio with controlled lighting and conditions. We didn’t have to worry about shadows or the wind affecting things. And since they are work photos, they don’t have to be as perfect as headshots have to be or with as many different looks. I think the actual photos were done in about 5 minutes, maybe a little more. But it was super quick and then I was told I was all set.

It would have been cool to get to hang around a little longer to chat with everyone there, but I did have work that I had to get back to. But there were a few things that I was going to text my manager about when I got back to work, so I was able to tell her in person so I could take some next steps as soon as I got home.

I haven’t seen the photos yet, but hopefully they came out ok. I know I can be really hard on myself and how things look, and it’s really tough when I have to do my own hair and makeup compared to when there is someone professional doing them. But again, these are just work photos so I don’t have to be perfect. And if they are really amazing, maybe I could use one as a new headshot. But I am planning on new headshots soon anyway since I am very overdue for some updated ones. And even if I don’t love them, I’m so glad I finally got to meet some of the people I work with in person so they aren’t just faces on my screen.

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Some Ups And Downs With My Workouts (or Feeling Better and Worse)

Posted on June 27, 2022 | Comments Off on Some Ups And Downs With My Workouts (or Feeling Better and Worse)

I was looking forward to this past week of workouts because I knew I would be feeling better again. I always am happy when I get past the pain and nausea and can feel normal again. But as it has happened so many times, I was expecting a better week and then things took a twist.

Monday’s workout is normally a 3 group class, but it was a smaller class size for some reason so it ended up being a 2 group class. But because the cardio workout moved back and forth between cardio and the rowers, it still felt a bit like a 3 group class.

For cardio, we 3 blocks on the treadmills or bike and 2 blocks on the rower. The first block on the treadmill and bike was all about 30-second intervals going between a push pace and a base pace with an all-out at the end. Blocks 3 and 5 were all about the all-outs and had 30-second all-outs and either a 1-minute or 45-second recovery after. For the 2 row blocks, we had a 2-minute row for distance both times, but we were supposed to keep the strokes between 22-24 per minute the first time and 24-26 the second time. I was feeling pretty good on Monday, so all the cardio work went well for me. I didn’t do anything crazy, but it was so much better than the week before.

On the floor, we had some timed blocks and some regular blocks. For the first timed block, everything was 30-second intervals. We had single-arm low rows for one interval that were supposed to be on the straps but I used weights instead. And for the other, we had 8 squats and then we could rest for the rest of the 30 seconds. Blocks 2 and 4 were the same with core work. It was supposed to be on the Bosu, but I did them on the floor. We had bicycle crunches, alternating superman, and single-leg v-ups. Blocks 3 and 5 were also timed blocks. For block 3, we had close-grip chest presses for 30-seconds, and then for 1-minute, we had to do 12 lunges and then got the rest of the time to rest. And for block 5, we had step back low rows for 30-seconds and 45-seconds to do 10 skier swings and rest. The floor block felt like you never really had rest, but just like with cardio it was a good challenge.

Wednesday was not a good day for me. I was feeling better from the food poisoning I had, but I was still very weak and dehydrated. I debated about taking the day off and made my decision that morning. But I was feeling ok and knew I could do the workout at a lower intensity.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks that were similar. For the first block, we had a 2 1/2-minute hill climb where we increased the incline/resistance level every 30-seconds. The resistance level I ended on was 1 higher than what I normally use for my all-out, so it wasn’t too bad. Then after the hill, we had 1-minute intervals with a base pace, push pace, base pace, and all-out. The second block had a hill as well, but it was for 2-minutes instead. But since we started 1 level higher than the other hill, we ended at the same level. Then the intervals after that were 75-seconds each except for the all-out which was 45-seconds.

On the rower, we were timed with cardio and started the first block with a 2 1/2-minute row. Then we had either squats or a 1-minute row for the 1-minute intervals. We followed that same pattern for the second block with the 2-minute row to start and then either squats or a row for the 75-second intervals. I did my best with the rowing, but I took quite a few breaks because I was just feeling so weak.

On the floor, we had rep ranges for the exercises. For the first block, we had lateral steps, which I did as lateral lunges and single-arm bicycle presses. And in the second block, we had lunges and bird dog low rows. I did have to go much lighter with the weights I used for all the exercises, but I was able to do them.

Fortunately, while I was still a little weak on Thursday, I was doing significantly better than I was on Wednesday so I was able to do a bit more. The only downside was due to the very muggy weather we have been having, my hip was feeling really sore. But that’s much more manageable for me.

For cardio, we had a run/exercise block. We had a distance to do and then after each distance, we had 10 step-out squats. The distances weren’t too long, so most of them took me under 2-minutes for each one. And at the end of the cardio block, we had 3 all-outs that were 30-seconds each.

For the rower, we started with a 4 1/2-minute distance challenge. That would be a long challenge for me no matter how I was feeling, but when my hip is bothering me I know I can’t row for that long without breaks. But I didn’t need too many breaks, so I considered that to be a win. The second block was the same length, but instead of a distance challenge, we had rounds of a 45-second all-out row and 30-seconds of a recovery row. The goal was to match the distance from the first block, and I was surprised to see that I actually did about 50-meters more in the second block. I guess that recovery time really helped me. And the last block matched cardio with the 30-second all-outs.

And for cardio, all the blocks were timed. The first block had front squats for 45-seconds and bicep curls for 30-seconds. The second block had deadlifts for 45-seconds and shoulder presses for 30-seconds. And the last block had hand-release push-ups for 30-seconds and shoulder taps for 30-seconds. None of the blocks were super easy, but I think the hardest one was the last block because my arms felt like jello at that point.

By Friday, I was finally feeling like I had gotten past feeling a bit weak, but I did still have a bit of hip pain. But since that’s something that is a part of my everyday life, I was ready to try to push myself. And this workout had a lot of repeating blocks so I did get a chance to work on improving what I was doing throughout the workout. It was a 3 group class and each section of the room had 3 blocks. But we were switching between blocks so we were not in any part of the room for too long.

For cardio, all 3 blocks were the same. Everything was a 30-second interval including the recovery within the block. We had a push pace, a push/all-out pace, an all-out, and a walking recovery. And then we repeated that within the block. So every block had 2 push paces, 2 push/all-out paces, and 2 all-outs. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you only have 30-seconds to recover during the block it feels a lot harder.

For the rower, all 3 blocks were also the same. And we were timed with the cardio so again everything was a 30-second interval. We started with medicine ball work with good mornings, ground to presses, and squats to front presses. Then we had 30-seconds to get on the rower and we followed the same idea as cardio with the push, push/all-out, and all-out row. The medicine ball exercises were good and I only made minor modifications. But on the rower, even though we were only rowing for 90-seconds at a time, my hip was bugging me so I did have to take a few quick breaks.

And on the floor, each of the 3 blocks had 2 exercises. For one exercise, we had a rep range to work toward and for the other exercise, we had a set number of reps. In the first block, we had a range for uppercuts with power and we had a set number for walkouts to plank shoulder taps. In the second block, we had a range for clean to front squats and a set number for squats to high rows on the straps. And in the last block, we had a range for sumo squats with upright rows and a set number for cossack squats. I did a few random modifications on the floor when my hip was bothering me more, but nothing had to always be modified. It just depended on how I was feeling.

Considering that I had a weird setback during the week, I think I did pretty good with my workouts. I didn’t have quite the week I was hoping for, but I still was doing much better than I had the week before. And all I can hope for is that this coming week will be even better for me.

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Almost Needing To Take A Test (or At Least An Appointment Made This Quick)

Posted on June 24, 2022 | Comments Off on Almost Needing To Take A Test (or At Least An Appointment Made This Quick)

I don’t know if it matters how many times you move, I feel like there are always a few things that you forget to change your address on. But I feel like I have more of these forgotten things because it has been so long since I moved. One thing that I did remember to change before I moved was the address on my driver’s license. That was a very simple change to make and I was able to do it online. But they said they wouldn’t be sending me a new license at that time. I didn’t think too much about that at the time because I don’t think they actually need your address on your license for much, and if someone official needed to look things up, I feel like it would be noted in a system that it was changed and they didn’t send me a new license.

But maybe the reason why they didn’t send me a new license was because mine was going to expire this year. I didn’t realize that until I got the renewal notice mailed to me (fortunately, mailed to the new address), but it made sense when I thought about it. And because you will need a Real ID soon to fly domestically (or bring a passport), I figured I might as well get the Real ID when I was renewing anyway.

It’s been a while since I’ve had to do anything with my license, but it was easy enough to do most of the work online and I made an appointment. The only downside is that all of the hours are during work hours, so I had to arrange to take some time off. But I was hoping that it wouldn’t take too long.

I got to the DMV and had to wait a bit for my number to be called up. I know it would have been longer without an appointment, but it was still about 30 minutes from the time I checked in until I was called. I gave all my paperwork to the woman behind the counter and she asked me if I had already taken the written driving test again. I was so confused because I had no clue I would need to do that again and I was not prepared at all. She stepped away and had to get some more information about my renewal.

I guess the policy is that if you get a Real ID within 60 days of your license expiring, you don’t have to retake the test. If it’s more than 60 days before the expiration date, you do have to take it. I submitted my paperwork and set up my appointment 62 days before but my appointment was within 60 days. So I guess there was some debate about which date they had to go by. Fortunately, it was decided that they should use my appointment date so I was saved from having to retake the test. Honestly, if I had to take it again, I have no idea if I would pass. The questions they ask are really specific like how many feet away from a stop sign can you park and then the choices are all similar answers. But I don’t know if many people would know if it’s 25 feet or 30 feet since most people just park so far away.

After that was settled, I had to pay for the ID and get a new photo. I have no clue how it turned out because it’s not on my paperwork and I won’t get my license in the mail for about a month. Then I had to get a paper temporary license to take with me and that line was in the testing area. There were so many people taking the test and looking so stressed out, so I think a bunch of them were people who didn’t know they would need to take it that day. I’m glad I was able to escape that, but I think that in the future I might review the written tests online before going in just in case I have to take it again.

Even though I had to wait for my appointment and there was a bit of a delay with figuring out if I needed to retake the test or not, I was out of the DMV within an hour, so I didn’t have to take extra time off and was able to just use my lunch break early. And I know the appointment could have been much longer if I needed to take the test. So I was probably pretty lucky.

Hopefully, whenever the next time I have to renew comes up, either I don’t have to take the test then or I will be notified enough in advance so that I can really feel prepared for it.

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All Set For Another Musical Season (or I’m Glad I Can Continue This)

Posted on June 23, 2022 | Comments Off on All Set For Another Musical Season (or I’m Glad I Can Continue This)

I’ve had season tickets for the Pantages (or Dolby) for several seasons. As I always write in my posts about the shows, I really enjoy going out to the shows and they are such a fun night for me. The group that I have gone to the shows with has changed a few times over the years and sometimes there are 4 people in the group and sometimes there are 2 people in the group. But no matter the group size, it’s always a fun night out.

The season that is coming to an end has been an odd one. Obviously, the shutdown and having no shows for so long was weird. But then Dani, who has always had season tickets with me, moved away from LA. For the shows since she moved away, I have had a few different friends come with me for shows and I have really loved having friend time since that is something that I don’t get to have that often.

But when the new season was announced, I wasn’t sure what I would do. I couldn’t renew my season tickets since Dani was the ticket holder and I wasn’t going to ask her if she would still just send me the tickets. That’s not fair to her and it makes things a bit more complicated. And I wasn’t sure if I was going to renew my tickets. I didn’t know who might want to get a full season with me. I had asked a few friends and a bunch of them said they would go to a few shows, but they weren’t interested in a full season. So I figured I would just go to some of the shows and not all of them.

But when season tickets went on sale for everyone and not just renewals, I decided to take a look at the options and how much it would cost to get seats similar to what I have had each season. And the price wasn’t too bad. It was about $55 for each show, which is what they normally are. And I think the coming season looks pretty fun. There are some shows I’m more excited about than others, but overall it looks like a good season.

Since I had more information about pricing and where we could get seats, I decided to reach out to my friends again to see if anyone changed their mind about getting a full season. I also have another friend who has season tickets on her own, so I could have always switched which nights I usually go and try to get tickets near her. But I was hoping I could find someone who wanted to go on the weekends since that’s easier for me.

And my friend Jodi, who went to 2 shows with me so far, decided that the full season would be a good deal and she and I just got our season tickets! We aren’t in the same seats I’ve had before since those are still being held for the renewal that Dani could do. Eventually, they will be released but we didn’t want to have to wait since you would have to time that out perfectly. But we found really good seats in the mezzanine that are still on the side but more centered compared to the seats from the past seasons in the orchestra. But since the theater isn’t too big, sitting in the mezzanine is still close to the stage. And I’m used to sitting higher up now because that’s how my tickets were for the Dolby.

I’m so excited to have another season of musicals lined up! And I’m excited that I found a friend who will be enjoying all the shows with me for the next year because it’s always more fun to see the shows with someone else!

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Sometimes I Feel Cursed (or At Least I Think I’m Feeling Better)

Posted on June 22, 2022 | Comments Off on Sometimes I Feel Cursed (or At Least I Think I’m Feeling Better)

I finally got through being in a lot of pain and nauseous. As I wrote about before, it was really rough on me this time and I wasn’t able to get a lot of relief from things that usually help me. But I made it through and I was so happy that I was feeling better and like myself again. And on Monday, I felt pretty great. I wasn’t 100%, but I only had a few moments of minor pain or nausea that could have been attributed to anything.

And I don’t know if what I was feeling on Monday was the end of what I deal with each month or the start of something new. But all I know is that on Tuesday I was feeling horrible. It was similar to what I was feeling not too long ago that really took me by surprise. But there were a few differences. It hit me really quickly and it was pretty extreme. I had some moments where I really wondered if something could be seriously wrong with me, but then the symptoms got a bit better. It was a constant up and down all day where I would feel almost ok and then I would feel like I was going through something really serious.

I’m pretty certain that I had food poisoning. I don’t know what could have caused it, but because of how quickly it came on and how it went away, it didn’t feel like a stomach bug since those usually take a bit more time to work through your system. I have no clue what I ate that could have caused this. Everything I ate right before I got sick was something that I normally eat. But I know that even if I ate something from the same container the other day, I could have gotten something that happened to go back or affect my body differently. And I’m going to have to guess that’s what happened but I will still be cautious about what I eat for the next few days. I already did double-check all the expiration dates on the food I have and everything should still be good. I didn’t throw out anything I have, but I’m going to just be a bit more cautious and aware in case I feel like this again.

I hate how I felt so horrible right after spending more time than I would have liked being in pain and nauseous. It didn’t feel fair that I just got through something to have to deal with it again. But I’m glad that it seems like this was a quick bug and that I’m feeling much better. I do feel a bit weak, as I normally do after any sort of sickness, so I know I will have to just be careful and try not to overdo too much in my life. But I also am so tired already of feeling sick and I just want to get back to my normal life and enjoy the few good weeks I have before I feel sick again.

The bad days I have seem to last forever and the good days I have seem to fly by. So when I have an extra bad day that wasn’t when I expected it, it just makes me feel like there’s something really wrong with me or that things are working against me. I know that I’m not cursed, but it does feel like that at times. But I am grateful that I know this is a temporary feeling this time because there are so many people with medical conditions that feel like this all the time. And I know what it’s like to deal with things like pain all the time and how it really can take up your life. So I am grateful that this isn’t what I have to deal with every day and that I should be fine now.

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Default ThumbnailFeeling Sick And Unmotivated (or Trying New Things To Feel Better) Default ThumbnailFeeling Sick Just Isn’t Fun (or I Was Already Doing Nothing) Default ThumbnailReally Tired of Feeling Awful (or For Some Reason This Month Is The Worst) Default ThumbnailAnother Attempt At A Reset (or Feeling Sick Got Me Into A Bad Routine) Default ThumbnailPushing Through Feeling Off (or Hopefully This Doesn’t Last For 3 Months) Default ThumbnailSleeping Away The Day (or Sometimes The Pain and Nausea Are Just Too Bad)

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One More Show At The Dolby (or Almost The End Of A Long Musical Season)

Posted on June 21, 2022 | Comments Off on One More Show At The Dolby (or Almost The End Of A Long Musical Season)

Because of the pandemic and things being shut down, the musicals I’m seeing right now are still a part of the 2019-2020 season. It’s still weird to think that we are in a season that started so long ago and the reason why some of the shows are at the Dolby and not at the Pantages was that “Hamilton” was supposed to have a long run in LA. They still had a longer run, but I think it was cut short since they missed so much time. But things are starting to get back to how I am used to them for my season tickets. But there was still one more show at the Dolby that I went to this past weekend.

I was actually really looking forward to this show. “Pretty Woman” is one of my favorite movies and I couldn’t count how many times I’ve seen it. And when it’s on tv and I’m looking for something random to watch, I will watch it and just start at whatever point it is at. I know the movie so well from seeing it over and over again and I thought the musical version could be just as fun.

This time, my friend Marie came with me to the show. We’ve never been able to see a musical together, but we are both musical fans, so I was glad it worked out that she could take the extra ticket. She also loves the movie “Pretty Woman” as much as I do so that was perfect! And I didn’t know this until we went to the show, but she had never been to the Dolby before! It was so awesome that she got to see the inside of the theater in person to see where the Oscars are held each year.

Our seats were in the same spot as the other shows after the shutdown, but the section we were sitting in wasn’t as crowded as the other shows I went to. It was nice to have a bit more room around us so I didn’t feel quite as packed in. They do still require masks and the ushers were quick to remind anyone who let theirs slip that they needed to wear them properly. But it’s a bit stressful for me to be in big groups, especially indoors. I did have a bit of an anxiety attack, but I think it went away quickly because the seats next to me were empty and I could focus on having some space near me.

The show was fun. It was silly and upbeat, which is exactly what I expected since the movie is the same way. I loved that they had a lot of costumes that were the same as in the movie. The polka dot dress, red opera dress, and opening outfit were perfect matches from the movie. And I think one of my favorite parts of the show was during the opera scene because they had some of the actors singing the opera live and it was so beautiful and powerful! I had goosebumps after they were done singing.

I think the parts that were toughest for me were when they were exactly like the movie. Maybe it’s because I know the movie too well so I knew when the lines were exactly the same as in the movie. And then you start mentally comparing what it was like in each performance. I didn’t want to compare things, but my brain kept doing that. But I think there were more original lines than copies and there were new things in the musical that wasn’t in the movie. For example, there was one actor who played a lot of the narrator-type parts and I loved him! And there were fun dance numbers with the cast that were so enjoyable!

Overall, I really did love the show. Just like I feel with the other shows I have seen, this was a nice escape from the world, and seeing a performance with other people is such a special experience. And I was just so happy and in a great mood when I was watching the show. And one thing that makes me really happy is when I can tell the cast is having a good time in the show. And it was clear they enjoy the show and have fun performing. Even when little things went a bit off, you could see their passion in their performances.

I’ve got one more show in this extended 2019-2020 season and that will be back at the Pantages. I don’t know when I’ll be back at the Dolby for another show, but I have enjoyed my time seeing performances there. It’s a very different stage, but it’s still awesome. And it was always fun to know I was seeing a show in the same space where the Oscars happened. But now, I’m ready to go back to the Pantages and feel like things are back to how I’m used to them again!

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Default ThumbnailThe First Dolby Show Of The Season (or Having Some New Things And Some Familiar Things) Default ThumbnailKicking Off A Musical Season (or Seeing A Cartoon Brought To Life) Default ThumbnailAnother Musical Season (or Enjoying A Repeat Musical) Default ThumbnailThe End Of My Musical Season (or Finally Enjoying Phantom) Default ThumbnailAnd Another Season Of Musicals (or The Next Season Will Be A Bit Different) Default ThumbnailAlmost The End Of The Musical Season (or Watching An Audience Fall In Love With An Actor)

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Surviving My Workout Week (or I Knew It Would Be Bad, But Not This Bad)

Posted on June 20, 2022 | Comments Off on Surviving My Workout Week (or I Knew It Would Be Bad, But Not This Bad)

As I wrote about this past week, I was dealing with a lot more pain and nausea than I typically do on my bad weeks. I was pretty shocked about how bad things were for me, especially before I was able to get more anti-nausea meds. Just my day-to-day stuff was difficult enough for me. Doing my workouts felt almost impossible during this past week. But I tried to make it work the best that I could.

Monday’s workout wasn’t a good one for me. I knew it probably wouldn’t be good, but I think it was a bit worse than I expected. And I think this might have been because of the type of workout. If I was feeling good, it would have been a nice challenge. But because I was feeling so off, I really struggled.

The cardio wasn’t too bad for me because I knew how to manage things. We started with a 4-minute progressive block starting at a base pace and increasing each minute and ending at an all-out. Then we had a minute to recover and then we had a 90-second progressive block with an increase every 30-seconds. The second block was the same as the first except we did the 90-second progressive block first and the 4-minute progressive block second.

On the rower, the main part of the rowing was a crew row. A crew row is when everyone on the rower is rowing together, and that’s what made this workout so difficult for me. I knew I would struggle to keep up and I would need a lot of breaks. But I just tried to stay in sync with the others on the rower when I was able to row. The rower pattern was similar to cardio with a 4-minute progressive block and a 90-second progressive block. The strokes per minute went up every minute or every 30-seconds. And the second block on the rower was the same as the first but in reverse.

The floor was probably my best section in this workout even though I did a lot of modifications. I had to modify every exercise we were supposed to do. We had kneeling shoulder presses to stands which I did as lunges and then as shoulder presses separately. We had single-leg deadlifts which I did as regular deadlifts. We had balance bicep curls which I did as regular biceps curls. And we had bear planks with arm raises which I did as bird dogs. I tried to keep each exercise as close to what we were supposed to do, so I think that made it not as bad as some of the rest of my workout.

Wednesday’s workout was another tough one for me. As I wrote in my posts last week, I was really hurting and very nauseous. And because I didn’t have my anti-nausea medication in time for this workout, I just had to work through it and do what I could. I know I must have looked horrible because some of my friends in that class asked if I was ok. But just like the other workouts when I feel horrible, I just do what I can and try not to be too down on myself.

The cardio blocks were powered focused, and the first block had something I don’t think we’ve done before. The first block started with a 1-minute push pace and then we had a 15-second all-out. Normally, all-outs are at least 30-seconds, so to have a 15-second one was different. We then had 90-seconds at a base pace, but it could be a base pace lower than normal since we typically have walking recoveries after an all-out. We repeated this pattern for the rest of the block. The second block was a similar idea but we had 30-second all-outs and 2-minutes of a base pace after the all-outs. For both blocks, I did use my regular resistance levels, but I was pedaling a lot slower than normal.

On the rower, for both blocks we only had 200-meter rows. Between the rows in the first block, we were supposed to do lunges with a medicine ball but I did regular lunges without it. And in the second block, we had squats to front presses and then bicep curls with the medicine ball. For that block, I was able to do the exercises normally.

And we had 2 blocks as well on the floor. The first block had goblet squats, hip bridges, and sit-ups with rotation. I didn’t go too heavy with the weights, but I did try to get close to the normal weight I use for the hip bridges since I have been working on increasing my weight for that exercise. The second block had low rows with weights, pullovers, and mountain climbers. I used the bench for my hands for the mountain climbers, but that was the only real modification I had to use for the floor.

On Thursday, I finally had my anti-nausea medication, so that helped a lot with how I felt in class. I was still doing a lot worse than I normally do on my bad weeks. And I was feeling so out of it that I almost forgot that I had a workout that morning and was thinking I should sleep in. Fortunately, I realized what day of the week it was when I was turning off my alarm, so I wasn’t running late.

For cardio, we had 2 blocks. The first block had 45-second push paces and 1-minute walking recoveries. And for the push paces, we were at a pretty high incline. The second block had 1-minute push paces and 45-second walking recoveries and the incline was still high but slightly lower than from the first block. For both blocks, my resistance level on the bike was higher than what I normally do for my all-outs.

For the rower, we were timed along with cardio. So the first block had 45-second all-out rows and the second block had 1-minute all-out rows. And when cardio had their walking recovery, we could fully rest and recover. Normally, we have recovery rows where you row slowly. But I really appreciated the time to sit still and rest. And somehow, I was always able to row the entire time we had all-out and I was able to keep my distance almost the same each time. I really thought I would struggle more with the rower, but maybe my medications were kicking in by then.

And on the floor, each block focused on one specific exercise. The first block focused on lunges and the second block focused on single-arm chest presses. We first had a rep range to do on one side, then we could rest. Then we did as many reps as we could on the same side. Then switch sides. So you really got to fatigue on each side. I didn’t use a weight for the lunges since I hold onto the wall, but I did use my regular weight for the chest presses which made it extra hard with how many reps we had on one side. And we ended the floor with 30-seconds where we could pick a core exercise, and I just did regular crunches.

Friday’s workout was repeating a workout that we had done on the 1st, so I had done this one before. Of course, when I did the workout that time, I was feeling ok. This time, I wasn’t as bad as I had been earlier in the week (thankfully, my medications were finally working and helping), but I wasn’t doing as well as I had been before. But I was glad that I was finally feeling like I might be over the hump of feeling horrible so I could do a bit more.

We had 3 blocks for each section of the room. For cardio, the first block was a 4-minute progressive challenge. We started between a base and push pace and increased each minute, ending with a 1-minute all-out. For the second block, we had a 4-minute distance challenge where we kept things the same for the entire block. And the goal was to get to the same distance from the first block, which I was able to do. And the last block was a bit shorter with a 1-minute base pace, 1-minute push pace, and 1-minute all-out.

On the rower, each block had a specific row distance and one medicine ball exercise. I did have to make modifications for each medicine ball exercise, but at least it wasn’t because I was nauseous. The first block had 200-meter rows, the second block had 150-meter rows, and the last block had 100-meter rows. The exercise for the first block was supposed to be single-leg halos, but I did the halos just standing. The second block had lunges with twists, but I just did the twists while standing (my hips were a little sore, but I think that was due to sleeping funny). And the last block had tricep extensions that were also supposed to be single-leg, but I did them standing.

And on the floor, we had one weighted exercise and one body weight exercise. And for the weighted exercises, we had a range of reps we could do so we could try to experiment a bit with how heavy we could go. The weighted exercises were single-arm shoulder presses, suitcase deadlifts, and double crunches. I was hoping to try to go heavier with my deadlifts, but the weights that were one set heavier than what I use weren’t available and I knew I couldn’t go even heavier. So I just focused on trying to go slow. And the body weight exercises were dead bugs, bird dogs, and back extensions. And we ended the workout with a 1-minute plank hold.

I’m glad I am past this past week of workouts. They were pretty bad for me, and I hate that I ended up being so unprepared for how difficult they would be. But I did them the best I could, which is all I can ask for. And while this week might be a bit of a struggle toward the beginning of the week, I should be feeling normal again very soon!

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Default ThumbnailThis Is The Workout Week I Expected (or I Knew It Would Be A Bad Week) Default ThumbnailWorking Through My Workout Week (or At Least I Knew This Was Coming) Default ThumbnailA Better Workout Week Than Expected (or I Like When Things Aren’t As Bad As I Thought) Default ThumbnailAnother Painful Workout Week (or Swapping One Pain For Another) Default ThumbnailA Short Workout Week (or I Guess I’m Glad This Happened On A Bad Week) Default ThumbnailJust A Normal And Good Workout Week (or Using My Workouts To Get Out My Stress)

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Still Feeling Sick (or This Will Be Another Short Post)

Posted on June 17, 2022 | Comments Off on Still Feeling Sick (or This Will Be Another Short Post)

I know I just wrote about how miserable I was feeling this week. Unfortunately, that’s continued through the rest of this week. I have been really struggling a lot and I just can’t seem to make myself feel better. I’ve been trying all the things I have figured out in the past plus the new things I have just gotten to try to not be in as much pain or feel as nauseous. I am glad that I was able to get my anti-nausea medication in the mail yesterday so I was able to start taking that and it does help a bit. But I’ve just had to think of this week as a bit of a loss.

I really wanted to go out and do some fun things after work because my schedule had the availability for it. Instead, I have been spending so much time on my couch and in my bed. I’m even having to work from bed a bit because I am in so much pain. I hate doing that because it’s easier to work sitting at my desk. But when the pain is so bad that you can’t sit upright, working from bed has to be done. I probably should invest in a little surface I can put my laptop on to make working from bed easier. But I also don’t want to think that I will have to do that too much since it’s usually such a rare thing.

And when I’m in so much physical pain, I know my mental health takes a hit. I’m trying to do the things that I enjoy that aren’t causing me more issues. I’ve been reading a lot before and after work, and that’s a nice distraction. I haven’t been stressing out about things that aren’t as important or necessary right now like being perfect with cleaning. My condo isn’t messy, but I try to do some cleaning every day so it doesn’t pile up. But I’ve been letting it slide this week because I just don’t feel like it.

I know that this will be temporary and I usually don’t feel this bad. And I guess it’s good that I didn’t have anything I had to do this week. When my parents were here last month, it was when I was in pain and nauseous, but it wasn’t this bad. If it was, our visit would have been a lot worse. So I guess if I have to be miserable, it’s good that I’m not having to take things off of my schedule. And I know that it’s unlikely that next month will be like this, so I should be able to not have a week where I just can’t do much. But even though I know that, it doesn’t help when I really feel like this and it seems like this won’t end. But I do know that it will end and I’m almost at the end of when I should be feeling like this. And I can’t wait for it to be over so I can move on.

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Default ThumbnailIt’s Another Short Post Type Of Week (or Sorry About This) Default ThumbnailI Didn’t Think I Was This Sick (or This Will Be A Short Post) Default ThumbnailAnother Attempt At A Reset (or Feeling Sick Got Me Into A Bad Routine) Default ThumbnailFeeling Sick And Unmotivated (or Trying New Things To Feel Better) Default ThumbnailAnother Sick Day Post (or Sorry For Two In A Row) Default ThumbnailSorry For A Short Post (or Hopefully I Feel Better Soon)

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