englandsword

We had to wake up at 5:30 on Saturday (3:30 Pacific time!!) to fly in my dad's plane up to Aurora, Illinois for my great-aunt's funeral. She was a nun, so it was super Catholic. Funerals are serious. But honestly, I never met my great-aunt and knew almost nothing about her, so I mostly just felt bad for my grandpa losing his sister. My brother flew us back -- he got his pilot's license last year (at age 19!). I'm so proud of him. My dad got his pilot's license when he was in the Army so my brother has always wanted to get his, too. The flight was beautiful, and my brother did a great job! Today we mostly just hung out on the porch or inside, escaping the over-100 degree temperatures. We watched baby brother play in his pool and watched Wall Street 2. And I got to work out. I haven't recorded my workouts in a few weeks because I got so busy. I've still been working out, just not quite as much. I've made sure to lift weights and at least squeeze in 20-30 m...

It's weird, but I've been bored of food lately. Does that ever happen to you? It's not like I'm just bored of the food I usually eat, because I tried to think of what I really would want to eat -- anything -- and couldn't really think of anything. I went to Trader Joe's today with the full intention of grocery shopping and only walked out of there with a box of Dr. Praeger's veggie burgers. I looked at things I had thought about buying - hummus, edamame, salsa, sweet potatoes... and just didn't feel like it. Oh well, I'm sure a day full of veggie burgers and grapefruit (that's all I have right now, seriously) tomorrow will inspire me to go back to the grocery store and stock up. Yesterday's workout: 50 minutes bike Weights/strength: hamstrings, chest, back Today's workout: 40 minute walk 10 minutes dance 10 minutes bike Weights/strength: squats, glutes, quads Today's food: 1. 2 steamed sweet potatoes 2. Dr. Praeger's veggie burger...

I have a super good reason for not posting for the last several days -- my computer died! =( It's very sad. But good news... I got a new one. So I'm back. But of course I didn't back up my shit so I have to figure out how to get the stuff off of my hard drive, which luckily was not affected (the logic board had problems, whatever that means). I had a ridiculous week. Great, but busy. This week I had my intensive improv 201 classes, five auditions, went to a bunch of improv shows, a few networking events, a cold reading class, worked on my demo reel, and work for my sales rep job. I did manage to lift weights and walk a little every day but my cardio definitely suffered. I just could not find the time. I finally got some time today to have a nice workout, though! Exercise: 45 minutes bike 20 minutes dance Weights/strength: inner/outer thighs, squats, abs stretching foam rolling Food Diary: 1. Dr. Praeger's veggie burger 2. Quinoa salad with spinach 3. Seitan 4. Edamame ...

I'm so proud of the way I used my time today. I fit in a lot! First of all, I woke up with perfectly feathered bangs. I didn't keep them that way, but it's almost a shame because I'm sure girls really tried for this a few decades ago. Awesome! This morning I did laundry, which really takes a while, so I feel accomplished when I do it. I also vaccuumed my whole apartment! Yay, good for me! I went to Target to pick up some essentials. Then I headed to SAG for a screening of True Blood and an interview with Sam Trammel, who plays Sam Merlotte on the show. It was really interesting and it's always cool to hear from working actors. I went grocery shopping (at TJ's and the normal store) to kill time before my reservation at the 11:00 show at UCB. It was a great show! So in one day I did plenty of exercise, cleaned, did laundry, did actor administrative work, ran multiple errands, went to a SAG event, and went to an improv show. Kaboom. Food Diary: 1. Green smoothie - ...

My legs are STILL sore. Still sore. They're better than yesterday and the day before, but I still feel it. Yesterday I went to orientation at SAG in the afternoon. I wore my yellow Target dress with my new purple Habitat for Humanity t-shirt (thanks, Mom!) and my leopard-print Target sweater I've had forever that I put on when I got cold. It's only been in the 70's here so it does get chilly at night! By the way, I put my hair in braids and pinned them on top of my head. That's why my head looks lumpy. It looked cute in person. I love yellow and purple, it's such an unexpected color combination. I wore my gold camel-print Keds. Love these shoes. Today I went to the Actors Network and tonight some friends came over and we watched Bloomington. It wasn't even my idea - my friends wanted to watch it. They are awesome. =) Yesterday's workout - 10 minute walk 10 minutes bike 10 minutes dance stretching light foam rolling (so sore!) Today's workout - 30 min...

Holy crap I am so sore today. I'm guessing it must have been the cheerleading jumps but seriously, my legs are not working right today. Even just attempting to sit on the toilet caused me to shout in pain (in a public restroom, no less. I am not responsible for other people's perceptions!) Tonight I went to the LA Actors' Tweetup - I went through the professional photos and found one of me. I'm talking, what a surprise. After that I went to a show at UCB. Once again, I'm full of surprises today. I got something cool in the mail today -- My Bloomington DVD! Awesome picture, I know. But if you want to watch it, it's now available for rental on Netflix! A friend from college wrote on my Facebook wall today that she went to her local video store in Costa Rica, where she's in the Peace Corps, and found Bloomington on the shelf! Isn't that incredible!? I watched Step Up 3 today while working out -- it's great workout inspiration! Everyone is in great shape...

My audition and improv show both went great on Sunday. I meant to write a recap that night but my internet wouldn't work. I also meant to take pictures and I totally forgot. =( I loved my improv show. It wasn't perfect, of course, but it was fun and I was happy with my work and I think I used what I learned over the last couple weeks. I can't wait for 201 to start on the 20th! I also thought it was pretty cool that I had my show and then the next show on the same stage featured Tim Meadows (of SNL, The Ladies Man, etc). Today I enjoyed a nice long workout and a good foam rolling session. I cleaned my apartment a little and Skyped with my mom then headed back to UCB tonight to see a few shows! Sunday exercise: Weights/strength: upper back, chest Exercise: Weights/strength: inner/outer thighs, triceps, deltoids 20 minutes dance 35 minutes bike Today's food: 1. Spinach and lima beans with BBQ sauce (I took a picture of this but it looked terrible so I'm not sharing it...

I bought a foam roller! It's bigger than I thought it would be. That's my shoe for reference. No, it's not a tiny shoe next to a regular-sized foam stick. It is a normal-sized shoe next to a huge foam stick. I started foam rolling today. Here's an article with an overview of some ways to roll: http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=475832 I was focusing on that hamstring/butt muscle I pulled last month and wow, some weird things are going on in there. I don't know what exactly, but it is crunchy and painful and gross. My last few days have been great! Thursday was so busy I actually did not fit in a workout. =( Oh well, ya gotta have rest days. I had improv class, then an audition, and then went to a couple shows at UCB in the evening - How to Live with Chelsea Peretti, with Sarah Silverman as a special guest, and an improv show. Both shows were hilarious! I am so obsessed with UCB now. On Friday I had my last day of class and then went to Abbot Kinney First Frid...

Wow, what a busy week! I am loving my improv class but it's been weird having a schedule! I've been doing my weight workout first thing in the morning and fitting in my cardio later in the day after my improv class. This recap will be very brief -- despite a very busy week, I'm happy with keeping up my healthy habits. I'm still fitting in my workouts and I am really enjoying the mini-meals that I announced last week I'd be trying. I think it helps me control portion size if I know that I get to eat again soon! Thursday: Weights/strength: triceps, deltoids, chest Rest day from cardio Friday: 40 minute jog Weights/strength: upper back, hamstrings, obliques stretching Saturday: 60 minute hike at Runyon Canyon Weights/strength: quads, glutes, abs stretching Sunday: 30 minute bike Rest day from weights stretching I've had something to do in the evening every day. On Thursday I went to a Miss California party with one of my roommates, who is interning for a company th...

I started my intensive at UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade)! I'll be taking improv classes there from 11-2, Tuesday through Friday for the next two weeks. My first two days have been really fun and enjoyable. I like my teacher and I'm impressed with the program and how they're easing us into it, with each lesson building on the previous one, expanding our skills instead of just throwing us into a situation and having us fail until we get it. I've been waking up and doing my strength exercises in the morning and coming home and doing my cardio after class. So far that's been working well! Last night I went to a friend's house to watch the season finale of Glee. They sent me home with some guacamole, hummus, and the last of a bag of pita chips, so I ate some of those today. I don't really think they're healthy but as a rare indulgence they are super tasty! Then when I got home my internet wasn't working, which is why I didn't post last night. Stupid T...

I wanted to focus on my 8-week recap yesterday so I didn't talk much about what I did this weekend. On Friday I went and saw Pirates of the Caribbean 4 at 9:30 in the morning. That is definitely the earliest movie I have ever seen! I went as part of the internet TV show Movie Review Round Table, so you can see the review: I hope you watch it and like it! I liked doing the review and I plan on taking part again in the future. But I did more this weekend than think about pirates. Though I spent plenty of time daydreaming about Captain Jack. Saturday was kind of a dumb and frustrating day but Sunday was fun. I went to the Studio City Farmers' Market with my new roommate. We saw pretty peas and a super weird-looking orange. Oh, and look what I saw when I was walking to Whole Foods! Hugo's Tacos is now serving vegan soft serve. I haven't tried it but I know vegan soft serve can be a bit hard to come by so if you're interested and in the area, check it out! On Sunday nigh...

Eight weeks ago (Here's my original post " Confession: I wanna get buff, " and recaps for week 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 , 6 , and 7 ) I said I wanted to get buff. I didn't really set up goals, though -- I wanted to see it more as a fact-finding mission. But now that it's been eight weeks, it seems like a good time to evaluate what I've been doing and where I want to go from here. I went through every blog post from the past eight weeks, looking through my exercise and food logs. Here's what I came up with: Week 1: 390 minutes of cardio, 6 days of weights Week 2: 480 minutes of cardio, 6 days of weights Week 3: 395 minutes of cardio, 5 days of weights Week 4: 155 minutes of cardio, 5 days of weights Week 5: 35 minutes of cardio, 4 days of weights Week 6: 275 minutes of cardio, 5 days of weights Week 7: 330 minutes of cardio, 5 days of weights Week 8: 285 minutes of cardio, 5 days of weights I have to say, I'm pretty happy with this. Week 5 was affected by ...

I mentioned that I went to the premiere party for the Diary of a Wedding Planner webseries on Tuesday. I just saw some of the professional photos, so I figured I'd do an outfit post for Fashion Friday! I wore my red Target dress that I wrote about last week and added a black studded belt, black headband, black tights, and my Franco Sarto boots. And I uploaded a couple more of our photo booth pics. We went a little photo booth crazy. What can I say? We actors are obsessed with ourselves. Today's food/exercise: Exercise: 45 minutes bike 40 minute walk/jog - I jogged to Whole Foods and walked back Weights/strength: biceps, triceps, abs stretching Food Diary: Breakfast: Cracklin' Oat Bran with almond milk Lunch: Corn chowder; 5 or 6 pieces of dehydrated tofu Dinner: Homemade soup with split peas, celery, and carrots Snack: Pumpkin smoothie Aaaaand lastly, I have a design question for all y'all. Design is related to fashion, right? So I got the proof for my book, but now I...

I've been out of the house so often that I want to make more easily transportable snacks. I love jerky so I decided to try making some tofu jerky in my dehydrator! I bought a few packages of tofu at TJ's: Sliced them up and coated them with Bragg's, ketchup, garlic powder, paprika, and a little apple cider vinegar. I let them marinate for about an hour and then dehydrated them for about eight hours. They taste delicious! But next time I'm going to slice it thinner (I didn't know how much it would shrink down - not that much, actually) and try and make it BBQ flavored. What it really tastes like, actually, is fried tofu. I would definitely recommend dehydrating your tofu instead of frying it! Exercise: Morning: 10 minutes bike, 10 minute danceathon weights/strength: hamstrings, obliques Evening: 20 minutes bike weights/strength: shadow boxing, glutes Food Diary: Breakfast: Cracklin' Oat Bran with almond milk Lunch: Corn chowder Dinner: Yesterday's split pea s...