today was certainly a reality check for me.
reality check #1: alarm blares at 5:45. i turn off alarm and roll over, still in vacation mode. then wake up frantically at 7:02. i’m late for my first day back!
reality check #2: i’m a graduate student. i don’t have set hours – just self-imposed hours. i am not late. oops.
relax.
smile. 
meditate. (for 5 minutes – one of my 2011 goals!)
zen.
ahhhh…..
reality check #3: when i got to work i discovered my inbox in a sad condition: 75 unread messages. (note: these 75 messages are what’s left after filtering out non-work related/fun e-mails. in other words, i have 75 work-related e-mails that i must deal with today). barf. other than the overflowing inbox, my desk is exactly as i left it:
***end complain-fest***
i’m happy to say that i actually got to work before 8:30 (which is when most of my lab-mates get in), i have read and dealt with or delegated for later all of my 75 emails, and i had a fun evening event planned!
some of my friends from my program decided we should get together tonight for a quick & early dinner to catch up from our breaks! we planned to go to sunroom cafe on state street. LOVE. it’s a pretty small restaurant on the second floor of one of the state street stores (i’m not even sure what’s underneath it) that serves amazing fresh meals. i already knew what i was going to get – my usual: portabella mushroom sandwich (grilled portabellas, roasted red peppers, grilled red onions, mozzarella) with a side of tabouli. SO. GOOD.
but when we got there we saw a sad sign that said that they closed at 4pm today and would re-open at 7am tomorrow. well, that didn’t help us! so instead we went across the street to rising sons deli – a little place serving laos and thai food. it was most of our first time and i was pleased over-all. i stuck with a sure thing – pad thai. i snapped a quick photo on my iphone to share with you!
the restaurant was really small, but service was great. when it first came out, the pad thai was pretty dry, but i added a little soy sauce and chili paste and then it was delicious and spicy. most of my friends were pretty pleased with their meals too. overall, i’d give rising sons a B-. the food was good, but really, nothing to get super excited over. there’s certainly better (similarly priced) thai food in madison. i’d go back if i was with someone who wanted to, but i probably won’t choose it again.
full disclosure: i paid for this meal entirely on my own and i was not compensated in any way for this blog post. as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
it was so nice to catch up with my girls. i haven’t really talked to any of them over the holiday break besides quick texts or g-chat messages, so we had a lot to catch up on! also, one of them is leaving tomorrow for puerto rico for almost 2 weeks, so i’m glad i got to see her before she left!
now i want to share something fun with you guys… when i arrived at my apartment yesterday, i had a fun package waiting outside my door!
my friend, stacy, has an awesome shoe blog that you should definitely check out. a few weeks ago, she hosted a giveaway from wanted shoes, and I WON! a free pair of shoes, that is. so, allow me to introduce you to my new dakota boots!
woooo! thanks stacy & wanted shoes! i love them.
it was kind of snowy and gross here today, and i didn’t want to take the chance of ruining them the first time i wore them, so i resisted my urge to sport them today, and wore my fake uggs from target instead. but, here they are on me before i left my apartment (hey, i can at least see how they would have looked with this outfit, right?).
[ok, so i haven't really gotten the hang of the self-timer photos yet...]
ok, now it’s off to attend to one of my 2011 goals: running 500 miles in 2011. it’s already the 4th day and i have 0 miles logged. oops. that will change tonight with the help of THE BIGGEST LOSER PREMIER! what can i say, i’m hooked to this show. since i don’t have tv, and am too impatient to wait for the show to be posted online the next day, i go to the gym to watch it! it’s TWO HOURS, so i should be able to knock off at least a few miles from that goal of 500, huh? well, maybe i’ll do a little elliptical or stairmaster in there too to keep things interesting!
i’ll let you know how it goes!
random note: if you like the decemberists, you can listen to a full sneak peek (sneak hear?) of their new album on npr here. i listened to it while i was working this morning & i can’t wait to buy it!
question: anybody else go to the gym to watch television? it’s certainly a good motivator for me!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I do watch t.v often when I work out! I have gone for specific shows but since I like to workout in the morning, I just watch what is on! Fresh Prince of Bel-Air! Nothing better!
i was tempted by saved by the bell this morning, but then i watched some hgtv shows instead. it was less embarrassing! not judging on the fresh prince though!