Not Ling Ling!

Ling Ling has died!


Ling Ling was the last giant panda at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo and he died today at the age of 22.

Here's a picture of Ling Ling and me outside of the Ueno station last month.


Speaking of Ling Ling, I'm totally craving some Ling Ling brand potstickers now. I bet they still sell them at Costco.


The Ling Ling brand is also 22 years old and is in good health.
Interestingly, the Ling Ling brand was named after the same panda that died today!

I get what I want

I had been craving a Mcdonald's sausage egg mcmuffin since yesterday morning. I settled with a Starbuck's breakfast sandwich but it just didn't cut it. So today, I made a run for the closest Mcdonald's (on the pier) during my 10 minute break and I managed to make it there and back in 11 minutes. Hurrah!

Success has never tasted so greasy...Mmm


GLORIOUS!

City Mouse and Country Mouse hit the beach!

Emily drove over from the Tri-Cities this weekend to visit and we had the grandest adventure. We took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went to Discovery Park, which is the largest park in Seattle. There are some nice trails and a fantastic beach (pacific northwest styled beach). Here are some pictures from our afternoon.

Sometimes Beauty can be a Beast

I would like to thank my co-worker Chelsea for making my week. She just sent me the best article EVER:

Argument Over 'Top Model' TV Show Ends in Stabbing

SEATTLE -- An argument that broke out while several women were drinking beer and watching "America's Next Top Model" at a south Seattle apartment ended in a stabbing. Police say one woman told another she was too loud Wednesday night and that led to punches thrown and hair pulled. During the fight one woman took a paring knife out of an apple and stabbed the victim. Police spokeswoman Renee Witt says she was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition. Police are looking for the other woman.

(source: http://www.kirotv.com/news/15983995/detail.html)

By "woman" they actually meant "skinny asian boy who can pass for a woman" cause lord knows I hate when people interrupt my top model. I don't ask for too much from my friends except for silence from 8-9pm every wednesday night. I never thought about stabbing someone into silence though. Genius. Tyra would be proud.

Sicko

I still felt sick after lunch at Redfin yesterday, so I took a few hours off of work to get some rest at home. I took a quick shower when I got back to the shire, changed into my jammy jams, and hopped into bed. I pretty much slept for the next 19 hours, getting up only to vomit and to drink some apple juice. I even missed dinner!

I haven't felt this sick in years! I think it's a horrible comination of flu and fever. I'm still in a good mood though since Em just confirmed with me that she's visiting this weekend. Hurrah!

I took the day off of work today to get some much needed rest. There's nothing more comforting than being cocooned in blankets, watching 7 hours of high-def Food Network and eating chicken noodle soup, chocolatey animal crackers and tapioca pudding.

cough

So the good news is I'm still in a good mood from yesterday. The bad news is all the positive thinking from yesterday didn't prevent me from getting sick like a lot of people I've been around. I totally didn't see it coming too since I was so focused on trying to be positive yesterday. Oh well.

It hurts in my lungs. Hope it's not bad.

TGIM

Happy Monday!

I'm trying something new today. I'm using positive thinking and affirmations to set myself up for a good work week. Instead of complaining about how much I hate Mondays and that the work week is going by too slowly, I'm thinking about how great things are. It's working already! I feel super!

I've also been listening to The Weepies which has mellowed me out. I'm also listening to Matt Costa - Mr. Pitiful (don't let the name fool ya, it's good!) :

bad songs happen to good people

Do, do you got a first aid kit handy?

It's one bad song after another! I have another annoyingly catchy song stuck in my head and I intend to listen to it on repeat today until it goes away like "Lollipop".

The video kind of reminds me of Britney's Oops I did it again video with all the wriggling.

I hope "Damaged" gets stuck in your head too, betches : )

Slow day

Has this day been slow for everyone else, or is it just me?



modest mouse is getting me through

gotta go to work
gotta go to work
gotta have a job

bad songs happen to good people

Everyone knows I have a soft spot in my heart for songs about inanimate objects. In the past, I've become obsessed with Milkshake, Lip Gloss, Ice Box and Umbrella. Each of these songs were on repeat for weeks. Despite her knowledge about my condition, AR recklessly introduced me to Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" this morning.

This is horrible, the song has been on repeat for the past hour and a half. I predict this will last a week.

I can make it juicy for ya...

A note to my neighborhood elders

To the old lady driving in front of me this morning -

The proper way to make a lane change:
1) Check your side mirror.
2) Turn your head and check your blind spot.
3) Use your turn signal.
4) Change lanes!

The improper way to make a lane change:
1) Slow down to 15 mph when the speed limit is 35 mph.
2) Slowly drift into the next lane when a car is already there.
3) Freak out when the person you almost crashed into honks at you.
4) Freak out again when I honk at you for returning to your original lane where I am trying to speed up.
4) Continue driving at 10 mph...

I WILL honk at you again, lady. I remember what you and your beat up Mazda look like.

To the old man walking his cat this morning -

Your cat DOES NOT want to be walked. It's apparent that your cat is not having a good time if it refuses to move when you attempt to drag it across the crosswalk by it's leash. Pick it up and take it home. And, who the hell walks their cat!?

To the old man who feeds the birds outside my home-

Thank you for feeding the pigeons every Thursday with your bagfuls of stale bread. I'm sure everyone in the neighborhood is thrilled that the pigeons have become so plump and that the pigeon population has multiplied these past few months. Have you noticed that they've been pooping a lot more too... on ME. I've been shat on twice since I've moved into the neighborhood.

STOP FEEDING THE PIGEONS. They can scavenge for their own garbage. If you don't stop, I'm going to have to report you for illegal dumping. According to Seattle.gov, the "Accumulation of rotten, decaying garbage attracts rats and other disease-carrying creatures. Dumping hazardous waste exposes humans and the environment to health problems and ecological decay. Illegal dumping is also associated with other forms of illegal activity. If tolerated, it sends a message to violators that it is okay to dump garbage in your neighborhood or community. decaying garbage attracts rats and other disease-carrying creatures."

I will no longer tolerate your illegal activity and I WILL report you.

Oh, and by the way... there's already an old lady who feeds the pigeons every Sunday. She offers crackers that look are a lot more popular than your nasty bread. There's also a woman and her daughter who feed them on Monday, so really, you can stop. You're not helping anyone, you're not that special and you're not as altruistic as you think. That, and I have no problem reporting all of you to the authorities.

I might as well eat lard

My sister's friend Shara is trying to gain weight too. She forwarded this article to me : How to gain weight

Here are some tips they recommend:

Tips for Increasing Calories While Keeping a Healthy Diet

• Add cheese, nuts and dressings made with olive, walnut or canola oil to salads.
• Eat starchy vegetables such as potatoes and corn more often.
• Go for dried fruits or fruit juices as healthy higher calorie snacks.
• Add cream or cheese sauces to fish and baked chicken breast.
• Choose herbs and spices to increase the flavors of your food rather than relying on salt.
• Add powdered milk to soups and sauces to offer calories and protein.
• Spread Peanut butter on whole grain bread, apples or celery sticks to get a great source of protein and calories.
• Stick with healthy desserts, such as a bowl of berries with whipped topping and lot of chopped nuts.
• Spoon healthy salad dressings on sandwiches and as a dip for vegetables.
• Dip whole grain bread into olive oil, walnut oil or flax seed oil. If you don't care for much meat, add legumes such as black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans as protein sources.
• Pick dark chocolate as a treat. Dark chocolate has antioxidants that other sweets don't have.

What healthy choices!
Might I add a few...

• Drink melted butter instead of water.
  
• Move less.
• Fry all your meals.

DONE!

Spit Mark

My coworker Chelsea got a virus on her computer yesterday and today one of the tech guys described the bug as "Polymorphic". It totally reminded me of Elisa from Project Runway. I wish she had stayed on the show longer.

Speaking of Project Runway, how shitty is it that the show is being moved to Lifetime!? Heidi needs to throw a Naomi and get the show back on Bravo before November!

I don't trust Steve Pool

I trust weather.com and weather.com says it will be sunny until Sunday. We should see highs up to 71 degrees on Saturday. Weather.com also advises me to "Plan a Scenic Drive" on Saturday. Perhaps I will, Weather.com, perhaps I will...

Ready, Jetset, Go!

I think I caught something when I was in Asia. No, not SARs. I caught the travel bug!

I'm itching for another vacation. Maybe I can go sometime in September or October. This time for two weeks hopefully. I'll see what my boss says.

I want to go to Spain and Morocco. Or maybe a trip to Australia and New Zealand would be fun too.

Weight Gain Disaster!

Sorry for not updating the blog in a while.

So, it turns out I've lost 5 pounds since I left for Asia and am now down to 130. My fat percentage has gone down too, from the 9%-10% range to the 7%-7.5% range. I'm looking emaciated again like I did last year at the same time! Crap.

It might be the stress from a breakup (even though it wasn't a nasty breakup). Or maybe it's the stress from having to work again after a wonderful and relaxingl vacation. Either way, it's time for some drastic measures...

I would like to proudly announce that I'm current on the inverse-Jared Subway Diet! I'm aiming to eat a footlong Subway sandwich (currently promoted at $5 a piece) at least 3-4 times a week. Carbs carbs carbs!

If this doesn't work...my last hope is the Paula Deen butter diet. But until then...wish me luck!