Napping & Other Bandits of Time.

What up bloggies! Sorry I’ve been so m.i.a. this week. I have some excuses prepared! The truth is, it’s not that I’m (purposely) neglecting the blog world. It’s just that I’m a busy, busy college student with a grueling schedule. For elaboration on my school’s weirdo philosophy, see here. I have definitely stretched myself thin this semester. Oy! So in my free time, this what I can be found doing:

• Napping, napping, napping! I can’t seem to get to bed until after midnight nowadays, and since I teach at a high school in the early mornings (which requires getting up at 6:45), I seem to be always in need of more sleep. This is especially essential before rugby practices.
  

  The essentials for the walk: scarf, iPod, greek yogurt.

• Smiling over random happenings in my day, like getting a text from my roommate Dicky saying, “Erica thank you so much. Your salad is soooo good” (I didn’t take a picture, but I layered spinach, roasted brussels sprouts, black beans, corn/peas/carrots, & avocado. He was skeptical, but ended up loving it.) In return, this Taiwanese boy taught me the proper technique for making pancakes, which I was totally unaware of (you have to wait for the bubbles to stop bubbling? really? It’s a testament to the instant-gratification culture of the USA, really, that me, this American girl who should be able to make pancakes like it’s her job, had been too impatient to wait for them to fully cook before flipping.)
• 

  Spinach with roasted brussels sprouts and nutritional yeast.

  •  Attempting to fit “legit” cooking into my life. I can’t remember the last time I actually planned out a dinner! Usually I’ll just sautee lots of veggies, add some protein, nutritional yeast or goat cheese, and put it on a huge pile of spinach. Or I just use my dining dollars and eat the yummy (most of the time) food my school has to offer.
• Reveling in life’s funny coincidences. I discovered that a male acquaintance of mine will be living in the house next to me next school year! I can’t remember if this before or after we made out. Regardless, I’m thrilled about it.
• Socializing with the guests that appear in my 6-person apartment. It does wonders for expanding my circle of friends! (see above. hehe!)

• 

  Rachel just wrote an article on the best music for getting it on. Coincidentally, much of that music is what we play in our apartment on a regular basis.

• 

  Im so glad my college doesnt have high standards for showering, or my post-rugby stench might be considered rude.

• Chatting with far-away friends about our crazy iives, and how we survive them. Sample quote from me: “I can’t believe he abandoned you during your first rave on ectasy! He should have stayed in a jail a little bit longer.”

• 

  Miss you! Dont do anything stupid.

• Playing rugby, loving my ruggers, and simultaneously being reminded of just how dangerous the sport is. Our team has just been rocked by the recent death of the University of Texas Women’s Rugby captain. It’s a shocking wake-up call for college rugby, and especially for our team since some of our players were playing when that injury occurred.

• 

  Looks epic, but that is me making a not-so-low (aka not-so-safe) tackle two years ago, when I was a rookie rugger!

Then again, the danger is what makes the rugby bond so strong.

Luckily, all I usually get are bruises.

•  Listening to the Smokey Robinson channel on Pandora Radio. It’ll turn your frown upside-down and heal your soul.
• Oh, and eating! Yes. How could i forget?

Salad with mixed greens, roasted brussels sprouts, black beans, & nutritional yeast.

Brown-speckled banana, just the way I like them.

Vegan sampler of salad & lentils!

Breaking the vegan streak with yogurt.

Did I devour that already? Oops. It was yummy.

A Mocha Blast from the school coffee shop. Note the cute eco-friendly cups! Theyre compostable.

You knew it was only a matter of time! Green monster smoothie with spinach, orange, vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, & coconut on top!

More salad. How lovely these brussels sprouts look!

Plain greek yogurt with cinnamon & a pear.

Yellow cake ice cream. Nom nom!!

Well that’s all I’ve got for now.My weekend is sure to be full of paper-writing, partying, & rugby playing; I’m hoping for sunshine to accompany them all!

Questions:

Do you like the rain?

We got a thunderstorm the other night, and it was so refreshing because it NEVER rains in Colorado!

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten lately?

My college’s dining hall has started serving gluten-free pancakes at its midnight breakfasts, so even the gluten-free drunk kids can get their drunchies on! They’re actually quite tasty, and I enjoyed some last night. Clarification: Not drunk. 🙂

Feeling Foggy

Have you ever had days where your mind feels more than a smidgen awry, and you think, “Who the hell am I?”

Of course, I could be feeling foggy for many reasons. Shall I count the ways?

• My head’s a little shaken from my rugby game this afternoon. We were missing a couple of key players, so it was rough and everyone got considerably banged up.
• I was drunk on Friday night. Not that unusual for a college student, but I don’t drink often, and I didn’t plan for it while eating dinner (read: did not eat bread to soak up the alcohol!) so 2 shots and I was done for.
• I pulled an all-nighter to write a paper on Thursday night. In my defense, I had dance rehearsals & performances every night that week, and I didn’t start the paper until 1 a.m. Ok, that’s a pitiful defense.
• I’ve been listening to Ree Drummond’s The Pioneer Woman on my iPod. Ergo, my head is spinning with dreams of my own real-life romance with a cowboy.
  
• My mom and my sister are coming to visit in a week, so I need to finish my final paper for class before they arrive. Good thing analyzing Ramakrishna’s mystio-erotic spirtuality through the lens of Hindu masculinity will be an exciting paper to write!

Who the hell am I?

School-produced vegetarian goodness! That blue dot conveys how local the ingredients are; I think the blue is the closest?

The dinner that was not sufficient to withstand alcohol a couple hours later. Being a lightweight is both a gift and a curse!

Not just an egg..

An egg on top of a spinach, onion, mushroom, & chickpea salad. It was lovely.

And yes, it was really sunny that day! Hence the summery, east-coast-y dress. Topped with a J.Crew sweater, no less. You can take the girl outta Connecticut...

Pear & PB oats. I stirred in a spoonful of plain greek yogurt at the end that made them really gooey!

Golden delicious.

Orange. It tasted amazing when I was very slightly hungover.

Roasted brussels sprouts! It's been too long.

Post-rugby spinach with chickpeas, brussels sprouts, & nutritional yeast.

Despite the fog, here’s what’s making me happy at the moment:

My roomate did not pick up ORGANIC spinach like I asked, but for the first time I'm having Popeye-mascot-branded spinach!! How cute!

On that note, the apartment fridge is STOCKED. Can you spot the questionable purchases?

Not only did I roast brussels sprouts today, but I prepped my smoothie for tomorrow morning!

I enjoy creeping on my roommates playing frisbee. The mountain background is irresistably epic!

And last but not least…

I can't wait to keep listening to this on my way to school tomorrow! Yum.

Questions:

Anything not-so-nice about your weekend worth ranting about?

What is your opinion on frisbee?

 

(Random) Food & Facts

I didn’t come up with anything creative to say today. I felt like a frustrated, angsty teenager.

So I decided to go with it, and take a myspage-worthy survey instead.

Oh, and to scatter it around food. Enjoy!

Instant oats with apples, cinnamon, & PB

Regret Something You Did In The Past? (Who starts with that question??)
Yes, but why worry about what you can’t change?

Green monster smoothie with banana, spinach, vanilla protein powder, soy milk, & cinnamon

Country You Wanna Visit
New Zealand, Thailand, Denmark…

A brown green monster with strawberries, spinach, vanilla protein powder, soy milk, & cinnamon.

Way You Wanna Die:
After a long and very fulfilling life.

Like Thunderstorms?
They don’t happen often in Colorado, so any type of rain brings back a whole bunch of memories. Yes, I enjoy them.

Greek yogurt with apples, oats, & cinnamon

Get Along W/ Your Parents?
Yes. So well that they probably know too much about my life at this point.

Greek yogurt with banana, cereal, soy milk, honey, cinnamon

R U A Health Freak?
One could say that 🙂

Spinach with chickpeas, onions, & goat cheese

U Think Ur Attractive?
Why yes, I do. And so should you, whatever high school girl you are who wrote this!

Salad, quinoa, potatoes

Do You Believe In Yourself?
All day, erryday. All I do is win.

Spinach with bell pepper

Wanna Get Married?
Eventually, and hopefully just once.

Vegetarian lettuce wrap from Jimmy John’s

Wanna Go To College?
I do, now let’s hope I graduate with my dignity intact.

Spinach with red bell pepper, almonds, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, ginger dressing

Shower Daily?
Not always. Oops.

(Vegan) African Peanut Soup, green beans, agua fresca

Want Kids?
One day, but not at all soon!

A brown green monster with strawberries, spinach, vanilla protein powder, soy milk, & cinnamon. Side of Hinduism reading!

When Do U Wanna Lose Your Virginity?
Oh man, that ship has sailed…

PB & J with a fortune tucked in there by a mischievious teammate 😉

Do U Hate Anyone?
I can honestly say I do not, and that’s a great feeling. Even if I did, I wouldn’t make a fuss about it.

(Nighttime) Green monster smoothie with banana, spinach, vanilla protein powder, soy milk, & cinnamon

Can You Unwrap A Starburst W/ Your Tongue?
I’ve never even tried. Should I?

Do You Think You Can Sing?
Not to toot my own horn, but I have a lovely first soprano voice. I’m not in a choir anymore, so it hardly gets used.

Soft serve & cobbler. Mmm.

Can You Open You Eyes Underwater?
So well that I never bother to close them. Ha!

Eat Whatever And Not Worry?
Hah! Good one. No, and that’s a reason why I have this blog. But I’m almost thankful for that!

Coconut layer bar.

Can You Whistle?
No, but it’s not really on my list of priorities. I can’t snap my fingers, either!

Can You Walk In High Heels?
I can even run in them! Sometimes. If I’m sober.

Do You Sleep With The Light On?
No more than a desk lamp, when I’m waiting for my roomie to get home.

Watching rugby on a sunny day is a legit way to get sunburned.

Do You Like Super Spicy Foods?
I can’t even handle “medium” salsa! I wish my taste buds were stronger.

I live with REALLY hungry boys.

Can You Multitask?
Oh yes. I like to think that my generation is particularly skilled at it.

My toenail is bruised.

Touch Your Nose With Your Tongue?
Nah.

What do you do with a huge box of bouncy balls??

Can You Fit In Your Locker?
I could in high school, but I haven’t had the urge to try that lately.

You stay sunny, Colorado.

Do You Spit?
If I’m feeling particularly phlegmy on a run. And only if no one is looking!

Can You Taste The Difference Between Pepsi And Coke?
No.

If You Could Wish 4 Anything…What Would You Wish?
World Peace! Really. Let’s get on that. And better animal rights.

What Kind Of Perfume Or Colone Do You Wear?
Marc Jacobs Daisy, which I’ve had for years. It takes forever for me to go through perfume!

What Kind Of Soap Do You Use?
I think I’m washing with a cheapo Softsoap scrub nowadays. But it smells nice!

What’s Your Favorite Scent?
Campfires. No competition. (I don’t think they bottle that scent, though.)

Would You Choose To Live Forever If You Could?
Probably not, but if I could benefit the world somehow by being immortal, I would.

A concluding myspace mirror shot, obvi!

Answer me a question, would ya?

Have a wonderful day!

Life of Erica

Do you ever read or watch something that was popular years before, and even though it’s a good decade after it came out, you still want to chat about it like it’s hot off the press?

This is one of those times.

In a nutshell: An Indian boy survives 227 days after a shipwreck, while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a bengal tiger. He happens to be very spiritual, practicing 3 religions (Hinduism, Islam, Christianity) all at once, and also the son of a zookeeper.

A good part of the book was filled with elaborate, technically detailed descriptions of the process of staying alive in a lifeboat. I did not like this. But I highly enjoyed the spiritual imagery.

What does this have to do with anything?

Well, this weekend, my rugby team spent 10 + hours in cars traveling to the southwestern corner of Colorado to play a game (which we won). In my opinion, both road trips and rugby games are a great time for reflection and revelation.

Uhhh…why?

Well, think about it. On a roadtrip, you’re passing new landscapes….

If you’re lucky, you’ve got a mix of old and new friends.

You may stumble upon familiar landmarks.

(If you’re me, you may not be hungry for tamales and end up eating an apple, a pear, an orange, and 2 apple-cinnamon muffins for dinner without complaint, over the course of 5ish hours.)

On a roadtrip, you may get to your destination to find that it’s better (or worse) than you expected.

Better: mountain views, fluffy grass, 60 degree weather in March

Worse: field is behind a bowling alley, the opposing team plays and talks dirty

Comparing this new location to home is ok.

(Conclusion: Colorado Springs’ mountain views are prettier.)

You may want to play around a bit in the sunshine.

(If you play women’s rugby, that just means you’ll emerge a bit more scuffed up at the end)

Then you can explore the local dives…

Thanking God/Allah/Krishna/whateveryouplease for vegetarian options at a brewery…

As well as for the appetite for ice cream to fuel the 5 hour drive back home.

You may even encounter some blatant messages along the way.

(some are not necessarily to be obeyed)

And though you may come home physically worse for wear…

The reflection and revelation takes hold, some way or another.

What’s a good book y’all have read recently? What did you learn from it?

What I Ate Wednesday!

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It’s about time I jumped on this bandwagon, eh, bloggies? 🙂 I have not one, but two days for y’all!

(Funny that this week’s icon has a faint image of sushi in the background; you’ll see that farther down!)

But first things first.

Wednesday!

Free fruits + veggies, plus some unpictured mini pizzas

Spinach, pear, walnut, & blue cheese salad

(Blue cheese and me? Not friends.)

Pruuuunes!

Cafe au lait with soymilk

(One of my best friend’s names, Jasseigh, is on my mug)

Oatmeal with protein powder, maca, & prunes (yeah…our fruit supply is officially depleted)

Tuesday!

Sushi with avocado, cucumber, red pepper, scallion + pineapple

Tea x2

Mixed greens & carrots with artichoke hearts & an egg, drizzled in balsamic vinegar

Banana, side of Arabic

Whole wheat molasses bread with peanut butter, orange

(Didn’t even need the orange that morning; that bread filled me UP!)

Monday (dinner)

Mixed greens & carrots with nutritional yeast & socca

Cut to: mountain scenes!

(They’ve been camera-shy lately. Boo!)

End scene: sleepy roommate.

That’s all for now, folks.

What was the highlight of your Wednesday?

I was able to identify Meatloaf’s  “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” at Trivia Night! The song is great…as long as you don’t picture Meatloaf himself doing what he’s singing about. Hehe 😉

Woohoo! Wednesday.

I’m high on endorphins, folks. Get excited, it’s gonna be a great day!

Today’s (morning) workout: WSU week 2

I love circuit training.

(An earlier pick to show you  my awesome kicks. Oh, and the nice friend I’m on top of.)

Today’s breakfast: Green monster.

I love spinach.

Yesterday’s breakfast: Blood orange & greek yogurt.

Signs of talking with the boy toy too much: I prefer coy smiles over teethy ones.

Yesterday’s lunch: Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich & Pickles

(Tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, red onions, & feta on savory pumpkin bread!)

Today’s agenda:

• Gym
• Class
• Grad school fair (!)
• Ballet
• Rugby
• Endless reading
• Sleep

Some food in there, too. 😉

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!

What are you up to?

Back to School

It’s amazing how long it’s taken me to even partially recap Vegas. Scandalous clubbing pictures aside, all there’s left to show you is some eats from the journey home!

Though I was kind of still full from my pina colada earlier that day, I bought a cup of tortilla soup from the Wolfgang Puck Express in the airport, mostly because it included goat cheese.

In fact, I was quite disappointed when my gentle command of “You can keep plopping that on!” to the serving lady went unheard. Still, it was delicious!

I applaud Frontier Airlines for the free cookie, too 🙂

I’m not too proud of my dining style during my Vegas “recovery day” at home. Meals were bland like this:

(I thought putting it next to the magazine would make my Daiya cheese & salsa tacos look less sad.)

And meals were random like this:

I wanted Shrimp Lo Mein. Badly.

Other bad choices: frosted flakes, cheese dip, tortilla chips, and way too much coconut ice cream.

But it’s ok, because my roomies came home eventually and made crepes!

Sauteed carrots, bell peppers, & onions + goat cheese. x3. plus another crepe with butter & sugar.

Now, despite our brief mishap with pulling floor tiles out..

We’re pretty much back to normal!

I started today with a green monster smoothie. The perfect way to kick off a detox, I do say!

spinach, 1/2 banana, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, almond milk, cinnamon

I actually blended it the night before and stuck it in the fridge overnight. Bad idea! It doesn’t taste the same when it’s not fresh, and I had to add some honey to sweeten it up.

Lunch was a glorious reunion with two standbys: tofu and veggies.

Coconut tofu, mushrooms, water chesnuts, & spinach, sauteed in coconut oil & balsamic vinegar

I took a nap in this same sunny spot following lunch!

I had a loooong afternoon at ballet and then in the gym trying out a new routine (Fitnessista’s 2011 WSU!), so I came home in dire need of protein. I looked for the greek yogurt…

But I made the mistake of having one of my male roommates pick it out at the store, and he got the “traditional” variety that has not a lot of protein and lots more fat. I don’t know if I’ll get around to eating this, since protein is such a huge part of why I eat greek yogurt!

 

I opted for more tofu and an orange instead.

I packed dinner to eat while doing reading later on! Making to-go meals is kind of fun.

Sauteed carrots, snap peas, mushrooms, & goat cheese with olive oil & balsamic vinegar

See? Detox. It’s on.

I leave you with photos of another rugby 21st birthday party!

(February is full of them, and I’m not complaining!)

The birthday girl making good choices.

More maturity.

Cake.

Shots. (the resulting face)

^And me, somewhere in the center of it all 🙂

I hope everyone had a good Presidents’ Day! Did y’all get the day off, and if so, how did you spend it?

Still class for me (although I did just get a break, so I can’t complain!); the only sign of the holiday was that my ballet teacher was decked out in American flag pictures and colors 🙂

Hours in the Day

 

Hey y’all! How was everyone’s Thursday?

In case you’re wondering about the title, today there were not enough hours in the day.

Usually, I’m pretty accepting of the 24 hours that comprise the time in which the Earth makes a single rotation on its axis.

(Confession: I just looked that fact up. I couldn’t remember if days had to do with the sun? or…the moon?)

Last night, things were deceivingly deliciously normal. I went to bed (teehee) with a brownie drowned in coconut milk:

(Not the best I’ve ever had, but a good compliment to the newest episode of Greek!)

I’ve been so, so good about going to the gym every morning during the school week, but this morning, it was not happening. Too little sleep and too much desire to stay immobile. Last Thursday, I also took it easy…I hate school-run yoga (the instructors are so boring and never figure out how to work the music!) but I took it that week anyway. Maybe I should just do the same every Thursday?

I cleaned my dirty self up with a white shirt, blue jeans, & uggs. So classically American! Oh, except for the exquisitely bold Jordanian keffiyeh around my neck.

I actually had an impromptu meeting with one of the school’s Arabic professors today. What a lucky coincidence! Mumtaz! [Excellent]

I walked out the door with this monster…

spinach, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 banana, 1/2 scoop protein powder, coconut milk

Today, my professor asked me, “Are you eating parsley for breakfast?”

I was happy to explain what I was slurping down, and made the girl sitting next to me try it. She liked it, obvi 🙂

Note to self: Don’t leave your notebook on your apartment’s living room table. Philosophical ramblings and other remarks may appear:

Haha, thanks roomies!

After class began the epic quest to find an off-campus house/get a lease signed for next year. Oy vey!

In short…lots of frustration, lots of politics, lots of unfortunate girl drama. We’re still on the edge of our decision, but I think we’ll pull through all right. Details later!

I finally got home at 3 PM (I had breakfast at (9:30 AM…thank goodness it was filling!) to make a quick lunch:

What a change from the past few days, right?

Asparagus, grape tomatoes, tempeh, & chickpeas, sauteed in olive oil & balsamic vinegar and topped with nutritional yeast. I also added in some ginger, garlic powder, and tarragon leaves while cooking. Yum!

Then I had to rush out again for more lease questing, a meeting, and a study group. My dinner was an apple and an orange since I was on the go all evening. Bad, I know! But now I’m home, stressed, and not hungry. All I want to do is read some lovely blogs, watch Desperate Housewives, and get the sleep necessary to both exercise and ace my midterm tomorrow.

Wish me luck and have a fantastic Friday!!

Peak Treats

This is the view from outside of my on-campus apartment. What more could you ask for?

Pikes Peak was looking especially gorgeous this morning, when I dragged myself out of bed at 6:45 AM to tackle the rugby weights sesh that I skipped out on last night. I was astonished to have the weight room all to myself…until the “student supervisor” walked in while I was finishing up and I found myself face-t0-face with a random hookup from last year. Needless to say, I blushed, hurried through my stretches, and blazed outta there.

I microwaved some dark chocolate instant oatmeal (three sisters brand) that I had brought from home for breakfast, with a sliced banana and a (later) scoop of peanut butter. I can’t remember the last time I made oats in the micro! I’ll have to get better at the morning routine so I can get back to the stovetop method. However, when you’re rushed for time…

I’m so grateful that eating breakfast in a 9 AM class is not looked down upon at this school. Schlupping my bfast into a thermos is addictingly convenient, especially when I can refill it with too-strong coffee made by my professor! I was buzzing all morning.

Came home to get my snacks packed for class at the middle school:

Apple, almonds, orange

Another great day at school! I’ll fill y’all in on my class soon, I promise.

Had some bread when I got home:

Then went to the gym to hop on the treadmill and get my cardio for the day! I just wanted to walk, so I searched around and found this workout on Tina’s blog. It’s a sweaty one! I powered through it, stopping only to attack embrace a friend I hadn’t seen in months. Feeling the love was so good, I found some more friends to mull over life with for the next few hours. But eventually,a girl’s gotta eat!

With the aid of some coconut oil, I proceeded to chop and fry a whole green pepper…

And took a closer look at the huge container of spinach in the fridge…

Never mind. That is definitely not fresh anymore.

Moving on, I added some cabbage mix that I found in the fridge, leftover tofu, and an egg…

Voila! Lots of veggies and protein, perfect for after-gym. Plus a little bit of the apartment’s candy stash for dessert…

Teehee.

Here’s more of my Pikes Peak photo shoot from today:

What more could I ask for?

Question: What do you see in the distance when you step out your front door?