Currently… A post on “things of the moment” for me (#11). [Inspired by Marcia and other bloggers.]
State of things: This year continues to fly by. I can’t believe that The Husband’s party and the NY Marathon are done for the year. Next up Thanksgiving and Christmas and then it’s a wrap. Crazy! Work has been a bit insane. We had a bunch of management shake ups and I have a new boss and a new boss’ boss and a new boss’ boss’ boss. Yup, my small company has that many layers! Seems to be going OK so far, but each day starts with a wonder of what may happen today. I am really looking forward to some downtime over the holidays. But first, I have to buy some gifts. Like most of them. Ugh.
Books: I read Americanah for my book club (which I sadly had to miss). I also read X by Sue Grafton and then realized I missed W is for Wasted so I read that one, too. The Husband realized that we missed V is for Vendetta, too, so we bought that one. I also finally read Kate Atkinson’s A God In Ruins which I LOVED. I also read Andie Mitchell’s It Was Me All Along which I heard about on Jessica Murnane’s One Part Podcast. I totally related to it. Ever struggle with food and emotions? You should read it, too. I am reading Every Day by David Levithan for book club. So captivating. Have you read anything I should check out lately?
Movies: I saw Hector as a part of the Chicago International Film Festival. Good but De-Press-ing. As The Husband said, “It was a realistic movie about a homeless man. What did you expect?” He’s not wrong. We will probably see the new James Bond flick while it is still in theaters. Have you seen anything good lately?
TV: The Husband and I started watching Downton Abbey finally. To his great chagrin, he loves it. And I do, too. We also caught up on Homeland, so we are watching that weekly, too. I am enjoying this season. Anything else good for us to put on our list?
Website/Podcast: I have been loving Reply All and the mini-season of Start Up. I am very impressed with Gimlet Media (the new company that produces these and Mystery Show.) There were a few conversation starting episodes on Reply All recently including one where one of the hosts takes a microdose of LSD and heads to work and one about a dog stolen “over the internet.” Check it out. Have you heard anything good lately?
Run: Since my last quarterly running round up, I ran the Prairie State Half Marathon, cheered for Chicago Marathon, ran the Run 10 Feed 10 (10K) and my 16th NYC Marathon. I did all three of these last year and was slightly slower in the first two and barely faster in the marathon. That said, I ran strong and positive and had a lot of fun. Given that I am not winning any of these races, that is what matters. I did come in third female at R10F10 but that is because my friend Michelle got lost. Today, I am doing a club team cross country race and I have one more half marathon on the calendar (and maybe an 8K) to close out the year.
Non-Run Workouts:Â I have been hitting pilates, nearing my 200 workout goal on the J & J 7 minute work out and walking a bunch. I went to Well and Good’s Chicago Fitness Biathlon with a class at Exhale and Flywheel. I also tried Iron and Oar – a new rowing/fitness studio in our ‘hood. I loved the rowing part and will try to incorporate the series into my non-running workouts this winter. The weights portion was a bit too much for my back and I needed pain relief cream for a week. No more kettlebells for me. Have you tried anything new?
Food/Drink: My cupboard runneth over again with great new products from cool companies. I am OBSESSED with La Croix’s la Cola cola flavored sparkling water. I gave up soda 4 years ago so this is a lovely, healthy substitute. I tried (read: inhaled) all of Lush Nuts’ new nut mixes and will have a holiday giveaway soon. They are SO good! I have been sharing my Yummari Endurance Nuggets that I got from their Plum Alley campaign. I am trying bars from Art of Raw (so far all are delish!), new flavors from Raw Crunch, Energems and the seasonal peanut butters from Wild Friends. Have you tried anything awesome lately?
Beauty: OK, bear with me here. There may be something in it for you… or at least a chance of something. Don’t worry, I am not changing my ways or branching out into yet another area of blogging. However, as I was hiding things cleaning up for The Husband’s birthday, I realized that I have a zillion awesome, and not inexpensive, beauty products that are creating dust here. This collection of creams, potions and polishes has a retail value of ~$250. I have received most of these products in giveaway bags at events and in sampler kits for the blog. One of my goals for the rest of the year is to de-clutter some closet, drawer or cabinet each weekend. One of you is in luck. I will send this mother lode of beauty goodies and an Awesome RuMe “The All” tote (it is folded in that pouch) to one lucky reader. This could be an awesome stocking stuffing box for the guys out there, too.
The Winner is… Judith R! Want a chance to win? Leave a comment on this post and tell me what you are currently up to and which type of beauty products you *need* now or tell me something that is going on for you “currently.” Want an extra entry? Like my page on Facebook or follow on Instagram or Twitter and leave me a separate comment telling me you did. You can also get an extra entry for pinning the giveaway image (above) and commenting with your Pinterest account. Winner will be selected with Random.org in order of comment on Sunday 11/22 at 9 PM CST. Winner will be notified on Monday 11/23.
Excitement: I am excited about all of the fun things that we are already planning for 2016! Including running the SF Marathon to celebrate the 20th anniversary of my first marathon in San Francisco in 1996. What are you excited about?
Pet Peeve: Rudeness, secrets and political people at work. Can’t we all just get along? What is irking you lately?
Wish(es): After the terrible events in Paris on Friday, I am wishing for peace and safety in Paris and everywhere. What are you wishing for?
What is keeping you busy these days? Please share in the comments!
PS. Don’t forget to enter my great giveaways.