Day 121: Running on the Beach

It's been a good 15+ years or so since I've been running on the beach. Cory and I challenged ourselves, but after 10 minutes I was exhausted. Running on sand is so much different than running on cement! We ended up walking, then meditating. It was the first day of the Santa Ana winds, so all the sand whirling around kept hitting us hard - not to mention it was extremely warm and humid - and we ended up going home much earlier than we wanted to.

Update on My Firsts: Travel Adventures

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, so apologies for not checking in and keeping up with these firsts. Business has picked up for me, so I've been juggling a few projects while attempting to keep my sanity and "me" time. Also, I've been doing some traveling and busy doing "firsts" that I haven't been able to do any writing.

Some of the "firsts" I've done these past couple weeks include:

Day 99: Cried Hard During a Movie

Cory and I love to watch movies, whether it's going to the theater or renting from Redbox. We usually watch comedies or hero/action movies, but we've been hearing great things about 12 Years a Slave, so Cory decided to rent it.

That was one of the hardest movies I think I've ever had to watch. If you plan on watching it, get a box of tissues ready. There was a point where I didn't think I could finish it because it was just so heartbreaking. What's even more heartbreaking is that so many of the things that happen in the movie still occur today.

Director Steve McQueen did a phenomenal job of capturing the emotions of each character and really drawing you into their struggles. Brad Pitt was a producer and also had a cameo role towards the end of the movie. Lupita Nyong'o certainly deserved the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Day 98: Pleasure Reading In the Middle of the Work Day

I read alot of books, but 99% of them are non-fiction and self-help books. I rarely read a fiction book, and pleasure reading during the middle of the work day has never crossed my mind. I do keep to a strict schedule of work...kinda, sorta.  I wanted to finish the book I had blogged about before, and I was itching to find out what happened to one of the characters, so instead of waiting until all my work was done before curling up to relax, I started to read right after I checked email in the morning.

My Type-A ego kept yelling at me to get back to work. How dare you read a book when there is work to do?!?

I ignored the voice and kept reading. It felt good to rebel...

Day 97: Detour to Starbucks

When driving to my second office (Starbucks) there are usually 2 routes that I take, and there was construction on the route I chose this day. I had to take a detour, which led me down a road I've never been down before. It almost felt like I was in a whole different neighborhood. Well, technically I was, but it's funny that I've been down the other streets in this area but not this one.

I really should explore the area where I live more often!

Day 96: 12 Hour Day

Day 95: Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookie