Fantasy Geek
Even though I have my reservations ( which I explained here), I'm starting to get pretty excited about the release of part 1 for The Hobbit. I'm going to start re-reading it here within the next month or so. I read this book faster than any of the others as I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the others a lot too, but this one is the easiest of them all to read and I remember really loving the story. It's been 10 years though, so I don't remember much. Also in reading, I've dug into a box of old comics and been enjoying reading a few in the evenings. They're just as good as they were way back when :) I wanted to get into Green Arrow a bit and learn more since Justin Hartley played him on Smallville and is one of my favorite characters from the show.
Not much to report at this time. Just working and coming home mostly. Occasionally getting to the gym. Playing WoW a bit more again. During our 2 week heat wave I got out a bit more since I don't have AC. Finally saw The Dark Knight Rises and I very much enjoyed that. It didn't feel like 3 hours at all. Well developed story with an unexpected twist and the action was spread out well enough to hold your thrill and attention and let you relax between them.
I think I've decided to buckle down and by 2-3 new pieces of furniture. A couple of standing cabinets and maybe also a dresser. I'm tired of stuff lying around because I don't have storage. It also means more things sitting out to get dirty and need to be cleaned :P
I'm ready for Fall. I've been wanting to bake apple turnovers and cookies but it's been too hot. I'm ready for nice days with cool evenings and the crisp air carrying the smell of leaves and other foliage/soil in the air. We don't really get too much of that in San Diego but it can happen. I at least get the feeling of Fall at some point and know it's here. Plus, I'm really wanting to wear my waistcoats again to work, but it's been too warm for that and the forcast has us spiking into the upper 80's again this week then dropping down to the high 70's for a while. It also makes drinking tea more enjoyable when it's cooler.
Speaking of tea... I drink it often, at least a cup almost every morning. My boss told me about Teavana so I went and checked it out last weekend. That place smells amazing! It's all loose leaf tea and when you go there are usually 3-4 samples that you can taste. When I was there they had a blend of two chai's, served hot, and a blend of their Strawberry Lemonade and Blueberry Bliss, chilled. Both were just amazing so I bought a scoop of each one (non blended). I also bought a scoop of plain white tea to add to each of those as I drink them and get the health benefits. It seems pricey at first but I think it's going to average out that it will cost me about $1 a cup, which isn't bad. If I factor in that I can get two infusions from some of them then it's even less. Now that I've finally gone loose-leaf I don't know if I can go back to tea bags! Haha, I'm sure I'll still enjoy my Bigelow Earl Grey, Tazo Chai, and Twinnings Irish Breakfast teas. But once those are depleted I may just stick with loose-leaf variations.
Lately I've realized the importance and impact of being healthy. Back when I got my "clean slate" which deemed me non-diabetic I let my diet slip back towards what it was again. I immediately started feeling worse and like I wasn't 100%, physically. I've reeled it back in again although I've never been a crazy carb-counter. I still have carbs but they almost always come in the form of multi-grain or whole wheat now. I eat a lot of protein, drink my teas, been having a banana every day in the morning, and generally not eating junk or unhealthy (processed, fatty, "fake") foods. I don't really know why I slipped back. Maybe just to say "Ha! Take that!" but it really wasn't for the flavor or enjoyment. I mean, yes, that stuff does taste good but healthy food tastes really good to me too. The only one I understand is the breads. I love bread! Oroweat's Buttermilk is very good! So are sourdough english muffins... But I really do love the foods I eat. Chicken and hamburger (90-93% lean) make up 95% of my meat intake and other foods that are part of my meals a lot are: spinach, various cheeses (not that healthy), beans, various veggies, some fruit, and yogurt. I'm also getting back to making sure my water intake is at least 48oz (including my tea but hopefully soon not including it). Not the 64 they generally recommend but it sure makes a big difference than if I'm only getting a glass a day. I'm not counting what I get from food, either, or other drinks (unless it's tea or something like Gatorade). It being (mostly) pure water is really important it seems (for me). It's amazing how adding that one thing to your diet in a larger abundance can improve you in different ways.
I've been working at this post for a while so I'll end it with my hike! We weren't hiking for a few weeks on account of the heat but yesterday Todd and I did a new hike up in the Laguna area. The book calls it the "Agua Dulce Loop" but it's really just a made-up loop of the various trails in the area and how they cross/intersect. It was a gorgeous day in the mid 70's with a few puffs of clouds in the air. It's still very green up there and the landscape on this side is different than where we are used to (near the seasonal lakes). The forest was more dense and we walked through it instead of skirting along the edge like the trails in most places up there. The wonderful smell of pine was pretty strong and there were whiffs of another sweeter smell that we got now and then but I don't know what it was. It was pretty active, too, we passed at least 20 mountain bikers, several hikers, and a few on horseback. People out on the trails are always courteous and friendly! Now I just need to get my photos and GPS tracking from my last two hikes up on my alltrails.com account so other folks can learn about the hikes!
Not much to report at this time. Just working and coming home mostly. Occasionally getting to the gym. Playing WoW a bit more again. During our 2 week heat wave I got out a bit more since I don't have AC. Finally saw The Dark Knight Rises and I very much enjoyed that. It didn't feel like 3 hours at all. Well developed story with an unexpected twist and the action was spread out well enough to hold your thrill and attention and let you relax between them.
I think I've decided to buckle down and by 2-3 new pieces of furniture. A couple of standing cabinets and maybe also a dresser. I'm tired of stuff lying around because I don't have storage. It also means more things sitting out to get dirty and need to be cleaned :P
I'm ready for Fall. I've been wanting to bake apple turnovers and cookies but it's been too hot. I'm ready for nice days with cool evenings and the crisp air carrying the smell of leaves and other foliage/soil in the air. We don't really get too much of that in San Diego but it can happen. I at least get the feeling of Fall at some point and know it's here. Plus, I'm really wanting to wear my waistcoats again to work, but it's been too warm for that and the forcast has us spiking into the upper 80's again this week then dropping down to the high 70's for a while. It also makes drinking tea more enjoyable when it's cooler.
Speaking of tea... I drink it often, at least a cup almost every morning. My boss told me about Teavana so I went and checked it out last weekend. That place smells amazing! It's all loose leaf tea and when you go there are usually 3-4 samples that you can taste. When I was there they had a blend of two chai's, served hot, and a blend of their Strawberry Lemonade and Blueberry Bliss, chilled. Both were just amazing so I bought a scoop of each one (non blended). I also bought a scoop of plain white tea to add to each of those as I drink them and get the health benefits. It seems pricey at first but I think it's going to average out that it will cost me about $1 a cup, which isn't bad. If I factor in that I can get two infusions from some of them then it's even less. Now that I've finally gone loose-leaf I don't know if I can go back to tea bags! Haha, I'm sure I'll still enjoy my Bigelow Earl Grey, Tazo Chai, and Twinnings Irish Breakfast teas. But once those are depleted I may just stick with loose-leaf variations.
Lately I've realized the importance and impact of being healthy. Back when I got my "clean slate" which deemed me non-diabetic I let my diet slip back towards what it was again. I immediately started feeling worse and like I wasn't 100%, physically. I've reeled it back in again although I've never been a crazy carb-counter. I still have carbs but they almost always come in the form of multi-grain or whole wheat now. I eat a lot of protein, drink my teas, been having a banana every day in the morning, and generally not eating junk or unhealthy (processed, fatty, "fake") foods. I don't really know why I slipped back. Maybe just to say "Ha! Take that!" but it really wasn't for the flavor or enjoyment. I mean, yes, that stuff does taste good but healthy food tastes really good to me too. The only one I understand is the breads. I love bread! Oroweat's Buttermilk is very good! So are sourdough english muffins... But I really do love the foods I eat. Chicken and hamburger (90-93% lean) make up 95% of my meat intake and other foods that are part of my meals a lot are: spinach, various cheeses (not that healthy), beans, various veggies, some fruit, and yogurt. I'm also getting back to making sure my water intake is at least 48oz (including my tea but hopefully soon not including it). Not the 64 they generally recommend but it sure makes a big difference than if I'm only getting a glass a day. I'm not counting what I get from food, either, or other drinks (unless it's tea or something like Gatorade). It being (mostly) pure water is really important it seems (for me). It's amazing how adding that one thing to your diet in a larger abundance can improve you in different ways.
I've been working at this post for a while so I'll end it with my hike! We weren't hiking for a few weeks on account of the heat but yesterday Todd and I did a new hike up in the Laguna area. The book calls it the "Agua Dulce Loop" but it's really just a made-up loop of the various trails in the area and how they cross/intersect. It was a gorgeous day in the mid 70's with a few puffs of clouds in the air. It's still very green up there and the landscape on this side is different than where we are used to (near the seasonal lakes). The forest was more dense and we walked through it instead of skirting along the edge like the trails in most places up there. The wonderful smell of pine was pretty strong and there were whiffs of another sweeter smell that we got now and then but I don't know what it was. It was pretty active, too, we passed at least 20 mountain bikers, several hikers, and a few on horseback. People out on the trails are always courteous and friendly! Now I just need to get my photos and GPS tracking from my last two hikes up on my alltrails.com account so other folks can learn about the hikes!