My Six Week Mission -- week two

Two weeks ago, it was time for me to renew my contract for pilates sessions. Instead of opting for the one month, eight session package as I had been doing, I signed up for the twelve session package. To coincide with the start of my current set of sessions, I decided to start a six week mission to lose ten pounds. While losing ten pounds would make a noticeable difference on a shortie such as myself, ten pounds is a mere drop in the bucket in relation to the forty pounds I am aiming to lose. Losing forty pounds would put me into the 'normal' range for acceptable BMI. It would still be the higher end of normal, but it would be a vast improvement. I think I'd be content at my goal weight. When I think of losing forty pounds however, it seems insurmountable -- that's a huge number! But breaking that number up into smaller amounts seems possible and is keeping me motivated.

For this first ten-pound phase, I've been working on embracing the principles of Intuitive Eating. To put it plainly, I like food too damn much to stick to any traditional diet plans that tell you exactly what to eat and that banish certain foods entirely. I like keeping my dining options open. Also, the second someone says I "shouldn't" or "can't" eat something, is the same second I want to binge on the item. With Intuitive Eating, however, making peace with food and rejecting the good vs. bad mentality is a key component to success. I must admit, since starting this approach to eating I haven't had nearly the amount of cravings I usually have for things like sweets, chips or fast food. And when I do eat those types of things, I eat far less of it than I used to.

Diet is only part of the weight loss equation; exercise is key as well. I'm having a tougher time in this area. Currently, I skate for one hour a week and take a hour-long pilates class twice a week. My intention the past two weeks had been to add at least two cardio sessions. I failed miserably with respect to that. I kept up with skating and pilates, but didn't go anywhere near the treadmill or elliptical.

Overall, however, the mission has not been a failure. Wednesdays are my weigh-in day and as of this morning I am five pounds down from my starting weight. Knowing that I am halfway to my immediate goal has psyched me up.

My focus for the next two weeks: getting back on track with the C25K program.

It's a WeeMee!

Credit goes to Weezermonkey and Tater for starting this craze. It really couldn't have come at a better time. You may or may not have noticed that I had taken my actual picture down in my profile. FogCityDweller, being the great friend that she is, reminded me that it wasn't such a great idea to have my photo posted in light of what I do for a living, especially since I occasionally post about "The Agency".

His Super Sweet Sixteen

Sixteen years ago today, when I was a mere 16 years old, my nephew J was born. Happy Birthday J! It's hard to believe how quickly time has passed and much he has grown. The picture at the left was taken at my wedding last year; he has to be at least a couple inches taller by now. Yay for J breaking the curse of shortness in our family!

Why 'Gossip Girl' Rocks

What other show could use the same, simple line in two episodes aired consecutively and have its use be even more awesome the second time around? The line: "I'm Chuck Bass." I can't wait until season two.

Friday in the FiDi

When I was in eighth grade, my class took a trip to Wells Fargo Bank and the Pacific Stock Exchange as part of our Junior Achievement program. Staying true to the nerd I was, I had a pretty strong interest in business, particularly the stock market at the time. It was the late 80s after all. Greed was good. After stepping foot inside of the stock exchange, it became a dream of mine to someday work there, wearing a goofy jacket and yelling “Buy! Sell!” on a daily basis. Little did I know that eleven years later, I would actually be working for the Pacific Exchange, Stock & Options (PCX). I wasn’t a broker, like I had imagined, but I was a surveillance analyst in the regulation department. I intended to work there just while waiting for my bar exam results, but even after passing the bar I decided to remain on as an analyst. I loved working at the PCX … at least for the majority of the time I was there. It was only at the very end of my time there that I was less than happy. Most of my unhappiness stemmed from an uncertain future at the PCX. The combined forces of 9/11, the implosion of the dot-com industry and the inevitable shift to purely electronic trading left the exchange on very unsteady ground. And when CEOs continue to get huge bonuses while their employees are denied raises or laid off, it does not contribute to a pleasant working environment.

One of the things I loved about working there was the location. The office is located in the Financial District. A ten minute walk in either direction and I could be at Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach or the Embarcadero. There are tons of cafes, restaurants, bars and shops nearby. There is also an endless supply of interesting people to watch. Don’t get me wrong, I did my fair share of bitching and moaning about BART delays, bike messengers acting as deadly weapons, weirdo perverts on the street and the flood of Marina-ites in the FiDi. Deep down though, I really loved the hustle and bustle of it all. I really am a city girl at heart.

What I loved most about my time at the PCX, however, were the people I met. My boss, Karen, was fantastic and everything one could want in a boss. I met some of my dearest friends while working there. Whenever I feel blue at my current job, I always think that the experience at PCX spoiled me. That if the people I met there were here instead, things would be much brighter.

Last Friday, I met up with two of my PCX cohorts, D and M. Technically, the PCX is now the NYSE, but that’s a boring story. Let’s return to the fun. I met them both at our usual spot: the parking meter in front of the building. It is entirely appropriate that the office is located on Bush and Sansome Streets, as bs’ing on that street corner was part of our daily ritual. Our fourth partner in crime (or regulation), R, wasn’t able to make it, which was a slight bummer. But I was still ecstatic to see D and M; I hadn’t seen any of them at all since my wedding over a year ago. I've always believed that your closest friends are those people you can pick up a conversation with right away, no matter how long you've been apart. D and M are definitely those types of friends. M received a well-deserved and overdue promotion last year and was too buried in work as a result to join us for lunch. So after a mini-catchup session with M (who is looking super fierce these days), D and I headed off to Bistro Burger for burgers, brie, mushrooms and frings. Over lunch we gabbed about anything and everything, including D’s upcoming wedding. I’m so excited for her! We also spent a fair amount of time reminiscing about some of the more colorful characters from our past such as our drinky ex-VP, the “little beady eyed guy”, some pervy security guy in a Kangol hat, my IT stalker and a certain rotisserie chicken loving broker.

After lunch D took me over to the trading floor. I was shocked when I walked onto the floor; it seemed to be a shell of the place it had once been. Back in 2000, on my first day on the job, the trading floor had been full of people, loud voices and flashing screens everywhere. Now there are only 2-3 companies still using the trading floor. There were maybe a couple dozen people milling about. As the closing bell rang, we met up with another one of the old timers from back in my day and chatted with him for a bit. We even saw the rotisserie chicken loving broker! I did my best to skulk past him; I was responsible for him being slapped with a rather large fine several years ago. I don't think he likes me very much. Then D took me back to her office where I hung out at her desk for a while, just as I often used to do. M, unfortunately, was still tied up with his gnarly project, but managed to get away long enough for one more lengthy chat down at the parking meter. Before we knew it, it was time for all of us to part. After hugs from M, along with a promise of drinks next time I’m in town, I walked with D over to the BART station. More hugs and promises to get together again soon ensued. Then D went down the escalator as I was left to ponder, “What if I had stayed at the PCX?”


From the BART station I walked over to the Ferry Building at the Embarcadero. The marketplace hadn’t been opened yet when I worked in the FiDi and I was itching to see what it is like. It’s filled with many yummy shops that sell many yummy things. It will take me several return trips to try out all the yumminess it has to offer. On this visit I tried gingerbread cupcakes and hazelnut parisian macarons at Miette and smores bites and fleur de sel caramels at Recchiuti. Raves for all. Raves for everything that Friday afternoon actually.

Only in the IE

San Francisco tends to have a lot of crazies and craziness associated with it. The phrase "only in SF" is pretty common one to hear after seeing some of the weirdness that happens.

This morning, however, I had an "only in the Inland Empire" moment. As a point of reference the last "only in the IE" moment I had involved CHP using their patrol vehicles to corral a large group of rogue sheep onto the shoulder of the I-15. Seriously. I couldn't make something like that up.

This morning's moment involved:
1. A Euro-trash looking dude pumping gas into his newly leased car, shirtless with his stunner shades on. At 8:20 a.m.

2. This was immediately followed up by my having to wait for a huge-ass tractor to lumber through the intersection before I could be on my way.

So in sum: city with noveau-riche wannabes + tractors on the road = the IE.

Oh Happy Day!

I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things at work & home post-vacation and have two more SF related posts to write, but at least there is bliss on the foodie front.

Anthony Bourdain has three books coming out!
Descriptions of each

And Gordon Ramsay's LA restaurant will be opening in a matter of weeks!
Menu and reservation info.