Spin Cycle 09/28/06

When you need music quickly for Spin, the greatest fall-back is DISCO.
Here's the ride:
1. Play the Funky Music - Wild Cherry
2. Got to be Real - Cheryl Lynn
3. Jungle Boogie - Kool & the Gang
4. That's the Way (I like It) - K.C. and the Sundhine Band
5. Boogie Nights - Heatwave
6. You Ought to be Havin' Fun - Tower of Power
7. Shing Star - Earth, Wind and Fire
8. Dance to the Music - Sly and the Family Stone
9. Love Train - The O'Jays
10. Lady Marmalade - Labelle
11. The Sound of Philadelphia - MFSB
12 - Funkytown - Lipps Inc.

Well, who doesn't like disco? Class went great. I was worried that I wasn't going to have enough time to get to my Training class, but I made it there with time to spare.
I am glad to be back in the office (never thought I'd say that), but I felt so detached without internet access all day, for 4 days.
Surprisingly enough, I actually have some work to do.
So, on that note, over and out....

The class today was a snore-fest, same cast of charecters, though I'll add a new one:

Mr Bad Breath - this guy sat directly behind me, and I could smell his stinky breath all day. GAG. It was torture.

The morning instructor was interesting though. In the span of an hour, he made reference to John Candy in Trains, Planes and Automobiles, Enemy of the State, Catch Me if you Can, Clint Eastwood and Mission Impossible. Can't say much for the rest of the day....

Tomorrow's session doesn't look any more promising. There will most likely be a new batch of persons who will play the same characters. Can't say it beats being in the office though, with the lack of internet and all.....

I have to pick some spinning music, and quick!

Checks and Balances

Lost another 1.6 lbs over this past week. Not bad. I had to get weighed in tonight at another facility because I am not at work until Friday this week. I am at a training through Thursday this week at a local hotel. Gotta love training sessions. I'll give the run-down of the people in my class:

The Sneezer/Cougher - the person who sneezes and coughs the entire day. Shut-up and stop spreading your germs bee-atch.

The Snorter - this person chooses not to blow their nose, rather, he chooses to snort his boogers back at regular intervals - discusting.

The Know-it-all - this person thinks he/she knows more than the instructor, and does not hesitate to let everyone else in the class know this.

The Starer - this person seems to be looking at you everytime you look up. WTF are you looking at?

The Candy-hound - this person eats all the hard candies in the little bowl on the table and ends up with a big pile of wrappers in front of him/her. He also crunches the candy.

The Small Talker - this person from out of town, usually sitting next to you, talks about the bad traffic in Boston, and the lovely weather.

The Techie - this person has his/her cell phone, blackberry, laptop, and ipod out, and on, all at once. Oh, and he doesn't put the phone on vibrate, and it rings during the class.

The Calories Don't Count at a Conference Person - this person eats at least 2 croissants, maybe a bagel, has numerous cups of coffee and goes back for more at lunch.

and last but not least, the Annoying Question Asker, who asks qustions always about the next topic that is going to be taught, so the instructor has to answer, I'm going to get to that in a minute. This is the same person that asks the instructor for Word versions of the templates and documents so she can "cut and paste" them into her documents. Um, isn't that plagerism?

Ah, the characters are colorful - moreso than the content of the training course, that's for sure.

Happy Rosh

Be Silent and DO NOT FART

I find this video remarkedly funny - I know, it's childish, but hey, who doesn't LOVE a good fart?

Another delicious creation

Stuffed peppers
Preheat oven to 375-400.

1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Saute in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat.
Season w/ S+P

1 small yellow or red pepper chopped
1 cup black beans, rinsed
2 ears of corn, kernels removed
1 cup shredded, cooked white meat chicken
1 cup cooked barley
1/4 cup Taco Seasoning
Add to pan and cook through, 10 minutes, stirring occaisonally.

Core out 6 small red or yellow peppers.
Fill peppers w/stufing, and bake until peppers are wrinkled, about 20-30 minutes.

Yummy, and 4 points/pepper......

NOTE: If I had cilantro, I would have used it in the recipe. I just didn't have any fresh, so therefore, it's not in it there.
Secondly, I served the peppers with fresh, sliced avacado, which melted a bit and made each bite nice and creamy. Avacado, 1/4 of a medium avacado = 2 pts. It's good for you fat :)
A squeeze of lime juice is also nice over the pepper as well (0 pts :))

Spin Cycle 09/21/06

R+B baby, and some early funk. That's the theme.










We're talking Sly, Commodores and Stevie, Earth Wind + Fire etc.... I forgot how good the Commodores were, and Sly + the Family Stone. They have so much going on in their music with riffs, fills and pauses. It's no wonder so many artists steal their riffs and loop them in to their songs....


Here it is:
1. Who's that Lady? - The Isley Brothers
2. Sweet Inspiration - The Sweet Inspirations
3. Love and Happiness - Al Green
4. Out of Sight - James Brown
5. Superstition - Stevie Wonder
6. Thank you (Falettinme be Mice Elf Again) - Sly & the Family Stone
7. Lady (You Bring Me Up) - Commodores
8. Baby Workout - Jackie Wilson
9. September - Earth, Wind & Fire
10. Stand - Sly & the Family Stone
11. Sing a Song - Earth, Wind & Fire
12. Too Hot Ta Trot - Commodores
13. You can Make it if you Try - Sly & the Family Stone
14. Brick House - Commodores
15. I Pity the Fool - Bobby "Blue" Bland
16. Are You Lonely for me Baby - Freddie Scott

I had more than 1 student ask me to burn it for them, so obviously, this one went over well. I am not surprised. If this music doesen't move you, I don't know what would.

Anticipation

Anticipation of my first weigh-in after doing Weight Watchers for 1 week.

I lost 1.8 lbs. Not bad, considering my goal is about 10 lbs.

Hopefully between the Weight Watchers, my spinning and yoga, I can get rid of Stomach roll #1 (aka Max) and Stomach roll #2 (aka Louise).

More next week.

Feel good story

This link will bring you to a truly amazing story: reunion
Holocaust survivors Hilda Schlick and Simon Glasberg, brother and sister, were reunited after 65 years. The reunion was made possible by Hilda's grandsons, who did research on the internet and found Simon.
I love stories like this.

3 sayings I hate:

1) The thing of it is is

2) The pot calling the kettle black

3) 6 of 1, half dozen of the other

Thank you.

Shameless Plug

You can check out the 2 most beautiful kids in the world here: Shiner
(I'm biased, cause I'm the mom)......

Spinach scare - Recalls

From the FDA:

FDA Statement on Foodborne E.coli O157:H7 Outbreak in Spinach Updated 9/15/06

As part of the agency's continued commitment to keep the public informed of food safety issues, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is providing this update on the outbreak involving spinach.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is continuing to alert consumers about an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in multiple states that may be associated with the consumption of fresh spinach and fresh spinach containing-products.
Based on current information, FDA advises that people not eat fresh spinach or fresh spinach containing-products that are consumed raw. Individuals who believe they may have experienced symptoms of illness after consuming pre-packaged spinach are urged to contact their health care provider.

At this time, Natural Selection Foods, LLC, of San Juan Bautista, California, is recalling all of its products that contain spinach in all the brands they pack with "Best if Used by Dates" of August 17, 2006 through October 1, 2006.
FDA continues to investigate whether other companies and brands are involved.

Natural Selection Foods, LLC brands include: Natural Selection Foods, Pride of San Juan, Earthbound Farm, Bellissima, Dole, Rave Spinach, Emeril, Sysco, O Organic, Fresh Point, River Ranch, Superior, Nature's Basket, Pro-Mark, Compliments, Trader Joe's, Ready Pac, Jansal Valley, Cheney Brothers, Coastline, D'Arrigo Brothers, Green Harvest, Mann, Mills Family Farm, Pro*Act, Premium Fresh, Snoboy, The Farmer's Market, Tanimura & Antle, President's Choice, Cross Valley, and Riverside Farms. These products include spinach and any salad with spinach in a blend, both retail and food service products. Products that do not contain spinach are not part of this recall.

E. coli O157:H7 causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop a form of kidney failure called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death. To date, 94 cases of illness have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including 14 cases of HUS and one death.

At this time, the investigation is ongoing and states that have reported illnesses to date include: California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The affected products were also distributed to Canada and Mexico.
FDA continues to work closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local agencies to determine the cause and scope of the problem. As part of our investigation, we will test packages of spinach from confirmed cases of E. coli infection.
FDA will provide daily updates on its investigation. Please check this site for updated information.

Update from Sunday September 17th, 2006:
Two (2) Recalls FDA has been informed that River Ranch, of California, is recalling packages of spring mix containing spinach. River Ranch obtained bulk spring mix containing spinach from Natural Selections. The following brands are involved: Farmers Market, Hy Vee, Fresh and Easy. Products that do not contain spinach are not part of this recall.

Asians reign supreme

Ok. Nothing much to write home about last night on the opener of Survivor.

Couple of things:
The Caucasion team blows.
Cowboy is a freaking Genious.
The Asians come out as the strongest team.
The African Americans did the right thing by getting rid of that bobo Jazz guy. He was lame.

A couple interestings thing I picked up on. The Asians are super sensitive about their ethnicity, and, it was interesting that the AA's picked the caucasion guy to go to Exile Island, because he stole the chicken from the Asians.

I DVR'd it, and need to go back and watch it again. I missed some of it while I putzed around.
I need to see if I am correct in my assessment that no one person stood out as being a major tool....

Stuff It

Eggplant, that is.
So, I mentioned before that I have started Weight Watchers. While I'm doing it to drop the last few pounds of lingering baby fat, I'm doing it more to get my portions in order.
Here's a dinner I made for myself.

Stuffed Eggplant
I happened to have this variety from my CSA, I believe its called the Fairy Tale variety.

















It is light purple and streaked with white, medium sized and a bit thinner than your big, dark purple Aubergine.
You could use any variety really.








Anyways, I started with 2 medium eggplants, halved them, and scooped out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh to make a sturdy "boat" like shell.

This is the first time I have ever used Pam cooking spray. I usually use olive oil. Just one of the adjustments I need to make. Instead of cooking in the olive oil, I will use it as a finishing touch.
You are supposed to have at least 2 servings of oil a day to keep up with Vitamin E production, etc.

I sauteed the eggplant w/ S+P for a bit to brown it, then added chopped onion and minced garlic, and cooked that down.
I had some cooked bulgar wheat, which I added in, along with some crumbled feta and chopped fresh basil.
When the stuffing was done cooking, I stirred in 2 tsps of extra virgin olive oil and adjusted the seasoning with S+P.
I then filled the eggplant shells and baked them for about 20-30 minutes.
It was great, and relatively low on the "points".
Weight Watchers does everything on points. Based on the Total calories, grams of fat and grams of dietary fiber, you can come up with a point value for any food. Foods higher in dietary fiber and lower in fat have a lower point value.
Veggies are virtually all 0, except some which have a higher sugar content. Fruits are usually 1 or 2 points, again, based on sugar content.
Based on 1 cup measurements, here is the breakdown for the stuffed eggplants.
Cooked Eggplant = 0 points
Cooked onion = 1 point
Cooked garlic = 0 points
Bulgar wheat = 2 points
Feta = 3 points for 1/4 cup
Basil = 0 points
Olive oil = 1 point per tsp
I used about 2 cups of the Bulgar, so when it was all said and done, split between the 4 eggplants, it was like 3 points per eggplant. I had a half of an eggplant.
And, it was very yummy.
You could really do this with Zukes and Squash as well. You can also mix up the grain you put in, using brown rice, barley, millet etc.

After 3 days of counting points, etc, I have to say I feel great. Its been an adjustment with my portions etc, but I generally eat healthy foods, so content has not been an issue.
Well, the true test will be next Tuesday when I have to get on the scale again.....I'll report back about it then.

I've got gas

and I filled up for under $40!
Woohoo....full serve, 2.49/gallon.....nice.

To wave or not to wave

My husband Rob just sent me a hysterical email. He told me that for some reason he loves waving at the people who stand and have election signs at intersections. He also enjoys honking the horn as he drives by. He doesn't cares who the person is, what party, or anything.

Personally, I don't beep and wave. I'm more likely to flip them the bird, or pick my nose at them. I drive by and think (out loud): SUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!

:) thank you.

Tucker Sucker

So, Tucker got voted off Dancing with the Stars last night, BIG SURPRISE. You know, I really hate that I've become a Reality show junky. My only saving grace is that I watch the shows where they actually have to do something, like Idol or So You Think You Can Dance, and Survivor, which starts again TONIGHT! I don't necessarily agree with the premise, RACE vs RACE. In fact, I think its downright dumb, but that's not going to stop me from watching (unlike GM which pulled their sponsorship). I'll report back with my thoughts tomorrow....

Spin Cycle 09/14/06

Bonjour! and Ola!
Today's spin class brought to you by the Latina Cafe, a Cuban restaurant and club in Paris.
I visited there for work and stayed in Paris for the weekend. My colleague and I went to the Latina Cafe for dinner. The restaurant is upstairs, and the club is downstairs. They pipe the music throughout the place, mostly international or "world" as the call it with a Latin feel to it. They sell double CDs entitled Latina Cafe and package them with Disc 1 as the Restaurant, more mellow, and Disc 2 as the Club, more upbeat.
For some reason, my students really go for the Latin music.
This morning, I used Volume 3, el Club disc.
Good stuff, if you like Latin music.
The CD is called Latina Cafe Tercero Volume
Here is the breakdown:
1. Que Palo Es Ese - Los Van Van
2. El Cuarta Dl Tula - Truco and Zaperoko
3. Santa Barbara - Celine Gonzalez
4. Demasiado Corazon - Willy Deville
5. Campo - Sidestepper
6. Romo Dao - Los Sabrosos del Merengue
7. Descarga - Gerardo Fresina
8. Felicidade - Suba
9. Ensaneia - Choc Electique
10. Sune Sigh Say - House of Gypsies
11. When I'm with You - Lego
12. Damelo - DJ Gregory
13. Latin Quarter - Barrio Children
14. Fatmazeau - Bagatelle

Volume 3 is definetly the best of the 3 volumes (in my humble opinion).
Check it out........

Tucker Carlson CAN'T dance

Wow. Tucker Carlson can't dance. Not that I thought he could or would be remotely good. He was downright awful. Disturbing. Scary. Painful.
I'm talking about Dancing with the Stars, last night. I actually didn't get through the whole show without falling asleep. However, I did get to see Emmit Smith, and Mario Lopez, both danced well. Mario Lopez is my pick to win the whole thing.


It occured to me, as I slipped out of my warm bed into the freezing cold air of my bedroom this morning, that we have not had the central air system running for quite some time. This is good.
My electric bill last month was 100$ less than the previous month. It was a rough season for cooling our huge (ha, ha, ha) house. Hopefully it wont be as demanding on the heat this winter. You never know, living in New England.
The mornings are cold here now, and I have used the heated seats in my car all week....

I ate a delicious salad last night for dinner:
Chopped heirloom tomatoes
Chopped Cukes
Chopped Red peppers
Bulgar Wheat
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
S+P

The tomatoes of the season are just about done :( but the corn is still going strong.
I have an abundance of green peppers and think I am going to bang out some relish....didn't do any pickling this season, because the variety of my CSA was so great. The melons have been super sweet as well. Coming up, winter squash :)

On another note, I've joined Weight Watchers through work. Everyone thinks I'm nuts, but I really do have a few pounds to loose that are lingering from when I was prego w/ Louise. I just need a reality check with my portion size etc. They gave me a goal of a 12 lb loss, but I was thinking more like 8-10 lbs. I'll keep you updated.....

Underwear IS fun to Wear

I don't know what is worse, forgetting to pack your underwear in your gym bag, or forgetting to pack your bra in your gym bag.
Forgetting your bra is just downright lame. Even with boobs as tiny as mine, forgetting your bra is a total hastle....come in tokyo, if you know what I mean.....Forgetting your undies is just downright gross. It just doesn't feel right. NO GOOD.

If you are still reading, I have an etiquette question for you.
Is it acceptable to stick your finger into your ear to itch it in public? How about a pencil? How about a car key? How about an earphone (pic from mit.edu)?

Spin Cycle 09/07/06

I threw this playlist together just yesterday. Short weeks are tough. All of a sudden it's Tuesday, and I've got no playlist to ride to.......I forgot my iPod on Tuesday and Wednesday and so I had planned to just ride to a previous playlist. Then yesterday, I got inspired and made this ride, burned it onto CD and rode to it this morning. Got alot of positive feedback on it. Love when it works out that way!

1. Go-Go Gadget Gospel - Gnarls Barkley
2. Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
3. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
4. Save Tonight - Eagle Eye Cherry
5. Mint Car - The Cure
6. Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
7. Mad About You - Hooverphonic
8. Breathe (2 AM) - Anna Nalick
9. Take Your Mama - Scissor Sisters
10. Trouble - Ray LaMontange
11. Waiting on the World to Change - John Mayer
12. Here it Goes Again - OK Go
13. Know Nothing - Travis
14. Walkin' on the Sun - Smashmouth
15. Brighter than Sunshine - Aqualung
16. Look What You've Done - Jet

Crikey!

For some reason, I am really sad about Steve Irwin aka, the Crocodile Hunter's, death. It's not like I watched the show on a regular basis or anything, but there was just something about him that I liked, and respected. However, my husband Rob, put it best, Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword......What a way to go, man, that sounds like it was awful! A sting ray's spike through the heart? Oy vey.

On another note, I did my first Sodoku this weekend. Rob is a Sodoku master, and I have always kind of poo-pooed them. Why the change of heart? I don't know, but I banged one out Friday night, and haven't looked back. I obviously started with "Easy" puzzles. Last night, I moved into "Mild". However, I was watching Prison Break and then Vanished, and so, I was distracted to say the least.

Which brings me to Vanished. I love this show. I think it is very well done. The story is all over the place, and I'm not quite sure where its going. It is getting all freaky with the religous references, but, I'll deal with it. The only thing I don't like about the show is the woman who plays the reporter - Rebecca Gayheart. She is frigging annoying. I'm digging the main FBI guy, played by Gale Harold. I had never seen him in anything before. He is a real looker, but I'm not so sure I dig the way they have him wear his hair on the show....whatevs....


We went to a wedding this weekened in NJ in the throws of a hurricane. The wedding had to be moved from the place it was originally supposed to be held do to a power outage. The Sheraton Hotel where everyone was staying was able to accomodate the wedding. It worked out better for us, since we didn't have to schlep to another facility to attend the wedding, in the middle of a hurricane. The weekend overall was a schelp: Friday, 4 hrs down to the Catskills to my in-laws. Saturday, leave the kids and drive 3 hrs to NJ to the wedding, in the middle of a hurricane. Sunday, drive 3 hours back to the Catskills. Monday, drive 4 hours back home from the Catskills. Too much.
Anyways, back to the daily grind, or lack there of....web Sodoku here I come!