Pieces of Me

As a few of you have pointed out, I'm slightly behind on the blogging front.  I've been in the weeds, just trying to manage some resemblance of a work/school/social life balance.  Slightly overwhelming, but I'm alive.  Sorta.

(Source)

Even Cooper's feeling the burn:

Thankfully, there's an end in sight.  I take my International Business final tomorrow night, then I'm officially on summer break until August.  Boy do I miss the days when summer meant sleeping in and laying out at the pool.  For us evening grad students, life just goes back to the the regular 40(ish) hour work week.  Go crazy!

Since no summer break is complete without a road trip, I'm kicking mine off with a quick jaunt to Philly next weekend to see Elena.  I can't wait and I'm super excited to see her recently purchased townhouse.  So proud of you E-dubs, you're a real adult now!  Way to leave me in the dust!

Other than that, this week should be pretty uneventful and spent playing catch up from last week's hot mess.  I have to get back to the gym, and resume that whole getting in shape project I took up earlier this year.  I'm throwing around the idea of possibly doing a 5K this summer or early fall, even though I'm still having some issues on the running front (now in my hip -- I'm officially 80 years old).  Maybe having a race deadline in sight will help me push through my issues...

And last but not least, happy Mother's Day!  My mom is in California right now (life is tough, right?) so I went the traditional route and sent her this mix of lilies from Cosentino's:

Puuurdy.  On that note, the parental unit, who have been traveling/working in Asia these past few months, are coming back home to DC this Wednesday.  Hallelujah!  It's been a long time since I've seen them and I'm tired of checking their mail.  Joking -- I'm just excited to have you guys back :)

xoxo,

Olivia

Time Management 101

Lucky me is spending the evening at the Acura dealership getting an oil change, state inspection and the bump on one of my tires looked at... I have a feeling that last item is going to be pricey. Eeep!

Anywho, I'm always amused with how people pass their time in the waiting area. It's an interesting study in time management and multi-tasking. A few people are focusing on business stuff, which is smart since we're all stuck here basically doing nothing. I'm doing business stuff, too -- reading for my International Business class. Go me!  And then there's a person clipping their nails and tweezing their eyebrows.  Personal grooming in public = not alright.

I'm sure I'll doze off in a few but for now happy being productive. What a random post!

Xoxo,
Olivia

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Up, Down & All Around

Yesterday was my first Monday back in the work-school routine, after a couple of weeks off due to the snow and a holiday. I'm really enjoying class this semester (I'm pursuing my Master's in International HR Management at Georgetown), but 12+ hour days are always draining. At least I get it all over with on Monday, right? So glad I decided to take one class versus two this semester -- I'm much happier. Hooray!

Working out is still going pretty well, and I'm happy overall with the progress of getting back in shape. It's a slower process that I expected though, which is a little frustrating. I guess I still feel like the younger-me, who could just bounce back from a break and be fine. Not so much these days. I'm also trying to be good about finding a balance when it comes to working out, since I have a habit of going a bit overboard (going to the gym twice a day, feeling guilty if I miss one day, etc.) and then getting totally burned out and giving up all together. Last week I ended up going to the gym 6 days, mostly because I didn't have class and I had some extra time on my hands. This week I'm aiming for 4-5 days, which is plenty. I'm not making quite as much headway with the 8k training, but I did get 3 miles (walk-run) done on the treadmill last Wednesday. I've been mixing my workouts between cardio (swimming, elliptical and treadmill), and weight-training (free weights, circuits or BodyPump), so I'm not bored (yet). If you haven't tried BodyPump, I totally recommend it... I wasn't able to walk for two days after doing it on Saturday, but it is an awesome total body workout and the hour goes by quickly.

I'm already excited for this weekend. On Saturday, I'm hanging out with Jen (my high school BFF). Jen lives in Baltimore and we don't get to see as much of each other now that we're both in grad/law school. We always have a blast, even if most of our time is spent giggling and making immature comments. We definitely bring out the high-school in each other! On Sunday, I'm off to look at bridesmaids dresses in Dupont Circle with Sarah and her family. Looking at dresses will be fun, and I'll get back to you on the trying them on part (bridal sizing is not a girl's best friend!). I'm excited to see Sar-bear, and to hear about how the wedding planning is going thus far.

This is a bit random, but I stumbled across a section of Yelp! called "Out & About the Metropolis" and it's given me some great ideas for fun stuff to try out in the DC area. Although I'm from around here, I still haven't seen everything and I definitely haven't taken advantage of all the "cultural" stuff. I think first on up on the list will be Twins Jazz in U Street (I've heard great things) and when the weather gets warmer, the Pimlico Race Couse. 

Doesn't it look like a great way to spend a spring day? 

xoxo,

Olivia