Bookish Journal #5: A Typical Not So Typical Day

Today was one of the more chaotic days in my life. I had to take my cat in for surgery and then had two press events before going to work at night. I love being a freelance journalist because it means I have the time to be a part of the movie industry that not many people get to do.

First off though, I dropped my cat Pan off at the veterinarian to be spayed at 8 in the morning. I admit that I was incredibly nervous about leaving her for the first time. I have never thought myself to be maternal but in so many ways this cat has become a soul mate of mine and I was worried. But the deed had to be done so I hugged her goodbye and took the subway downtown to the first event.

Earlier this week I saw a screening of 'Stoker', a psychological thriller of sorts from critically acclaimed director Park Chan-Wook. It stars Mia Wasikowska as a young woman who discovers a dark past about her family as well as haunting secret about herself. Nicole Kidman plays her fragile mother and Matthew Goode as her seductive uncle. Today's press event included interviews with the director, Goode, and supposedly Wasikowska but she failed to show at the last moment which is typical of these events unfortunately enough.

Director Park was so inspiring to listen to as he spoke about his interpretation of a script and the message he wants to get across to audience. Goode is simply a great guy who was quick to defend his performance in 'Watchmen', even though that had nothing to do with this movie. You'll be able to read the interviews in full on The Daily BLAM soon.

Afterwards I had to go uptown to The Playwright Irish Pub for the press day for '21 And Over', a new comedy by the writers of 'The Hangovers'.  Usually press events are held as expensive hotels such as The Waldorf or The Ritz-Carlton, but this one was held at a bar! I loved the set up of beer cups, mardi gras beads, with poker chips and cards. 

I was most excited to meet Miles Tellers, who plays Miller in '21 And Over' because of his previous roles as playing Willard in 'Footloose' both on broadway and in the 2011 remake. Against popular opinion I love the hell out of the remake, especially the character of Willard because he was always my favorite part of the show and Tellers portrayed him perfectly. At the end of the interview I was able to tell him this and he signed my blu-ray of 'Footloose'. He also complimented me on my Iron Man phone case and called me a "pretty nerd". Another celebrity crush met!

Right after this interview I had to race across Manhattan to pick up Pan from the vet and bring her home. She has a shaved stomach and isn't feeling well, but is especially pissed for having to wear a collar around her neck. She is still however as feisty as ever playing with her toys so I'm not worried.

And so that is a typical day for me, in the way that none of my days are very typical. I don't have a set schedule which makes life interesting. If you're been keeping up with my latest blog posts then you'll notice that today I did not mention the detox I have been currently doing. I realized that after I felt so sick yesterday that I needed not to put so much stress on my body. I will continue eating better and eating as clean as possible, but I'm going to add coffee back into my diet (Thank god!) The detox was worth it because I did lose weight and I learned more about how to balance my diet. I just did not enjoy eating the same foods over and over again.

That's all for tonight, until next time!

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5 Day Detox: Day 3

Today has been a weird day with the detox. I have not been following the plan as closely as I could be because 1.) I feel like I need to eat more and 2.) I'm was not really in the mood for the meals today. Instead I ate

Breakfast:

Oats with blueberries, strawberries, chia seeds & cinnamon

Snack:

Hummus and celery

Post gym snack:

Kashi Honey Almond Flax Bar 

Dinner:

Egg white omelet with green and red peppers and tomatoes with seasoning

Snack:

Handful of white cheddar all natural popcorn

11pm:

Another egg white omelet

Frozen grapes

At 11pm and I was still hungry, which makes sense because I really didn't eat that much today. I also did an hours worth of work outs at the gym:

• Elliptical Machine for 30 minutes, 3 miles, 375 calories burned
• Stair Master for 10 minutes, 33 floors climbed, 80 calories burned
• Treadmill for 20 minutes, 1.67 miles, 185 calories burned

Today I was just left tired and hungry all the time. Everything I ate was off the Detox menu except the popcorn & Kashi bar but I couldn't stick to it because I wasn't in the mood for the food. I was hungry but had no apetite.

Good news is I lost 3lbs in 3 days, but I know I have to be more organized with all this. In any case, I'm exhausted and going to bed<3 p="">

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5 Day Detox: Day 2

Today was my second day doing a 5 Day Detox and my goal was to make sure I eat more because yesterday I don't think I ate enough and as a result I had a migraine by the end of the night and was starving. To cure my hunger I ate some frozen grapes and drank more green tea. 

This morning my stomach felt incredible cramped, which is probably because of my body went 24 hours without salt, sugar, or bread. My meals included 

                                                        

                                                          

    Breakfast:

Oats with cinnamon, strawberries, & blueberries

Snack:

Frozen Grapes

Lunch:

Spinach with egg whites & lentils

Dinner:

Green peppers, red peppers, broccoli, lentils stir-fry  

At the Event:

Seltzer water, 2 Appetizers (1 grape on top of cinnamon toast chips & dollop of cheese)

10 pm Snack:

Smoothie (chia seeds, almond milk, strawberries, & kiwi)

Hummus & Celery

Tonight I ate when I was hungry and I did really well on my night out! There was an open bar at the Kenneth Cole event I went to but I only had Seltzer water & two appetizers. Afterwards Pietro and I stopped at McDonalds but I didn't eat a single fry (whoohoo!) I don't miss coffee (surpassingly) but I am craving bread like no tomorrow. 

The best part about this experience is really learning how to cook vegetables and how affordable produce is! Do any of you guys eat clean, vegetarian, or other specific diets? (Not including pizza diets!)

  

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5 Day Detox: Day One

Today I started a 5 Day Detox created by Nikki Sharp of Stay Sharp and Be Strong. I had found Nikki originally through her popular Instagram account where she posts motivating pictures of a healthy lifestyle as well as Before/After pictures people have taken as a result of using her detox.  After weeks of reading the success stories I decided to purchase the Detox Plan for $8 through PayPal, after which one can download the 20 page PDF file onto any device.

I was iffy about paying money for a detox plan when there are so many available for free online. What finally convinced me with this plan however, is that the main goal is to not actually lose weight, but to teach you how to balance your meals in order to achieve the correct amount of nutrition. I am a vegetarian, and have been for almost 3 years now, but I never really learned how to eat a balanced diet. I know I don't eat enough protein and I consume way too many carbs. I've been very lethargic lately which I want to kick in the butt.

Every day this week I will blog about doing this detox, how easy or difficult it is and of course my results at the end. 

My cat Pan super excited about the groceries

The Food: My biggest concern about buying the detox (as well as many other readers on Nikki's blog) is how expensive all the ingredients are. Turns out there is a pretty big list of things you need to buy in order to make the meals. Below is the complete list and the prices I paid for each (if I bought them). You won't know how to make the recipes or what to eat when so I don't feel bad for giving this information out, if anything it will only encourage potential detox-ers. If I don't include the price, it means I haven't purchased those items yet.

Food Shopping List

Herbs: Basil, Cilantro or Coriander/ Mint

Spices: Cayenne Pepper ($1 for 5.5 oz), Cinnamon ($1 for 5.5 oz), Ginger Powder, Turmeric

Extras: Green tea ($2.59 for 20 bags), Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($3.99 for 375 ml), jar of tahini, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar ($1.29 for 1qt)

Fruit: Strawberries ($2.50 for one box), Blueberries ($1.67 for one box), 3-4 Apples ($3 for 4), Kiwi ($2 for 4)

Protein: Almonds ($8 for 16 oz), Firm Tofu ($4.99), Chia Seeds ($18 for 16oz), Black Beans ($1 a can), Lentils ($1 a can), Quinoa, Plain Oats ($1.59 for 16oz), Egg Whites ($3.99)

Produce: Lemons ($.50 each), Spinach ($4.99 for large bag), Limes, Cucumbers ($3.99 for pack), Broccoli ($1.67 for one bunch), Red Peppers ($1.56 for 2), Avocados (5 for $6.25), Asparagus, Tomatoes ( $1.56 for 2 large ones), Carrots ($1.99 for pack), Mushrooms ($1.99 for pack), and Garlic ($2.99 a pound)

Lunch Salad

So a grand total with all of that is $90 which is pretty damn expensive for my taste. However, I was able to get a great deal on most of this (as you can tell). The real killers for me were the Chia Seeds for $18 and the almonds for $8. But the chia seeds bag is pretty big and will last me a long time, as will the spices and extra ingredients. This also seems like a lot of food for only 5 days and will last me much longer I'm sure. Considering how much I've previously spent on Starbucks & eating take out, I am 100% okay with this price, however I did not buy all the ingredients as to cut down on costs.

I also live in New York City, so this may change the availability and the price compared to where you live. I have a ton of specialty health food stores near my apartment so the ingredients were all accessible to me. 

First Day Evaluation: I feel great! The whole day I have had energy and I haven't had any headaches nor have I felt lethargic. The recipes were also super easy to make, which is a relief on my part. I am not a cook and I don't have a great history with cooking meals properly (i.e. burning food). However, I personally think I did a job well done on preparing my food for the day.

Dinner Stir Fry

Breakfast was a simple oats & berries combination, lunch was a salad, and dinner was a veggie & tofu stir fry. At 9pm I was hungry so I ate an apple with cinnamon, but now it's nearly 10pm and I'm hungry again. I'm not sure what I'll eat to curb this, probably some more salad. 

The key is to remember that this is a detox, not a daily meal plan. So after 5 days I can incorporate more foods. This is also the first time in my life that I will be eating totally vegan. Normally I have a lot of dairy (such as eggs and cheese) in my diet and a ton of bread. After this week I plan on adding eggs and a little bit of cheese into my diet but I'd like to continue not eating processed food or adding artificial sweetener to everything I eat. However, for the first time today I did not get a headache from not drinking coffee which is strange.

My biggest challenge this week will be the events I'm attending for work. Tomorrow night I will be at a  Kenneth Cole event with free cocktails, and alcohol is no go for the detox plan. Then non Thursday I will be going to two press events with expensive free food so eating "clean" at both places will be very difficult. Especially ignoring the delicious desserts they always have. I also am not allowed to have coffee either! 

However, I'm veyr motivated to keep at this and I'm ready to make a change!

You can read more about Nikki's 5 Day Detox on her site, read the testimonials, and check out her Instagram for the Before/After pictures people sent her!

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Yoga Class Review: Life in Motion: Hatha/Basic

Life in Motion: Hatha/Basic with Nikki

Life in Motion is located 2744 Broadway between 105^th and 106^th street in the second floor on the Upper West Side, New York.

Studio Environment: As I walked up the stairs, before I even entered the studio, I came across signs that said neither coffee nor shoes would be allowed beyond this point. I contemplated this forced coffee ban and found myself secretly enjoying it as I left my shoes in one of the provided cubbyholes. Once I entered Life in Motion, I was immediately drawn into a place of warmth and comfort. The floors are carpeted and there are minimal decorations on the walls, proving less is more. The woman behind the desk gave me a short tour of the spinning room, the changing room as well as the mats and blankets for us to use. The exposed brick wall brought comfort to the room while the other two walls featured full-length windows with colorful drapes hanging from the high ceilings. The noise from Broadway was muted, and did not distract me during the class. The temperature remained warm, and cozy, which relaxed me instantly.

Instructor: Nikki is a sweet and friendly person who arrived early and welcomed everyone, even latecomers. Through out the class she remained focused on the breathing and movement with very little to no allusions to religious or spiritual practices. She was a comforting teaching and brought a sense of safety her students.

Class: There was a mixed demographic in my class composed of six other woman of different ages, ethnicity, and levels as well as two vastly different men. Nikki started off with having everyone tell their names and if they have an injury or physical ailment to be aware of before we start. The class was very fluid and calming with moves that were basic yet challenging at a consistent speed. This was good for a beginner, but it would require someone to have taken a yoga class before to understand how or what was going on.

The class was 90 minutes long with a good amount of time dedicated to warming up and Savasana at the end. Nikki reassured each yogi to do poses at the level in which they were comfortable with. She was hands on with her students constantly realigning their poses and providing helpful feedback. There was music playing but quietly so that I hardly noticed it was there.

Overall: This was the first yoga class I have taken since moving to New York City and previously I had been with the same instructor for years. Nikki provided a safe and welcoming environment and I would recommend her class to anyone who has some basic knowledge of yoga. The atmosphere of Life in Motion is homey and inviting, a quaint little getaway in the midst of a bustling city. 

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Work Out Deals From Old Navy & Target For Cheap!

Today I went shopping with my mom since I'm visiting my family Jersey, and I found some awesome gear on work out clothes!

At Old Navy everything I found:

Bobble Water Bottle 34oz for $5.99 (Originally $12)

A running winter hat with built in head phones $4.97 (Originally $19.94)

It has surprisingly great sound!

A sports bra for $4.99 (Originally $16.50)

A tank for $1.97!!!! (Originally $16.94)

 M.A.S.H. & Beatles Baseball tees, for $1.97 each! (Originally $19.94 each)

Excuse the cat photobomb

At Target I also found these:

A Champion Advanced sweatshirt for $7.48 (Originally $24.99)

A Champion Fleece for $7.48 (Originally $24.99)

A Champion hoodie for $10.48 (Originally $34.99)

The grand total was $47.30 for 9 items of quality clothing. I am terribly proud of this batch of purchases because I am a girl on a budget! 

Where do you guys go for great deals on clothes?

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Gaiam Yoga Sale at Target 1/20 thru 1/26

Hello fellow yoga enthusiasts! I just wanted to share quickly with you that Target is having an awesome sale this week on all their work out supplies, namely Gaiam products!

Gaiam yoga can be expensive, and the $17 is a deal compared to the $20-$30 price tags they have on Amazon. All of their products are on sale as well, including head bands, blocks, bags, straps, socks, and more. So if you fitness fiends are looking for quality (and gorgeous) equipment to use, drop by a Target this week!

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Walk Jog Run App Review

I was very excited when I discovered that the people behind WalkJogRun.net had made an iPhone app. In college I would document my runs on their site to determine how far my work out was and approximately how many calories I burned.

With this app I am able to plan my run ahead of time in my neighborhood to make sure I do a full 5K, or I can run without a plan and see how much distance I covered when I'm done thanks to the GPS. When I "Finish" a workout I am given a synopsis of my work out including a map of where I went, the distance, the pacing per mile, the duration, and how many calories I burned. 

After each run I like to take a screen cap of this data (minus the map to prevent stalkers from seeing my run) and pair it with a picture something I saw on my run. I then share the collage on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to document my progress. The app is updated regularly and I have not experienced any glitches yet.

I live on a tight budget but the WalkJogRun app is worth the $4.99 price tag, even for someone like myself who never purchases apps.

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Fit Desk Stationary Bike Review

The FitDesk was very easy to assemble, especially for someone like me who is not often trusted with any sort of machinery at all. The directions were simple, the pieces were organized and it took less than a half hour to complete. My favorite aspect is how sturdy it is: I’ve had it for a few months now and it has stayed together perfectly since. I’m not afraid of falling off or it falling apart at all, no matter how hard I’m pedaling. The padded mount where you can attach your laptop is just as secure and stable. It gives me no worry about keeping my computer safe, something I take very seriously considering how much I use it on a daily basis. 

 The FitDesk is also compact and can be stored in the closet of my tiny studio apartment in New York City. For those of you who live in a city where space efficiency is a constant worry, this is the only piece of exercise equipment you'll need at home. It’s my perfect work out machine because I am easily motivated to exercise with the promise of watching Netflix or playing a video game. It provides just as intense a work out as running or hitting the elliptical machine at the gym, and is worth every penny. A few of my friends have bought them from my recommendations and each has loved it just as much as I have. It’s the secret ingredient for getting into shape this convention season! 

 The FitDesk can be found at for FitDesk.net for the price of $224.99

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Fitness Review: Ballet Beautiful: Body Blast DVD

This Body Blast DVD is part of the Ballet Beautiful Collection and came out in 2012. Ballet Beautiful was created by Mary Helen Bowers, a professional ballerina, who wanted to provide "techniques to build and maintain the beauty, strength and grace of a ballerina." I have never done a ballet work out before but the cover boasted a work out that would leave me with lean and toned muscles instead of bulky ones. 

I am all for this!

The work out includes a "15 Minutes Ballet Beautiful Body Blast", a 15 minute "Swan Arms", and Butt Series Part 1 and 2. (This is not a porno, I swear). I am now obsessed with these workouts. The Swan Arms kicked my ass the first time and this is the greatest work out my arms have ever had. The moves are graceful and simple yet they leave me sweating my sore the next day. They are also so simple that I don't need the DVD to do the work out if I'm short on time or away from my computer. 

The Body Blast is short enough that I don't feel like quitting half way through and the Butt Series are like pilates on speed. I had to do the moves in front of the mirror to make sure I was doing them correctly enough because there was no way I looked as graceful with my ass in the air as Bowers did. 

I love this workout and I highly recommend it to everyone wanting an non scary work out DVD experience (Hello Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred). Good news is, you can own it yourself for only $8.86 over at Amazon.

Stars: 4.5

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"I Don't Want To Be Anything Other Than What I'm Trying To Be Lately"

Hello guys!

I'm currently writing from a Barnes and Noble cafe on the Upper West Side on a Sunday afternoon. I have a warm coffee amid piles of paper and chilly rain outside. It is, not so oddly, a perfect day.  Yesterday I went for a long run in Riverside Park, which was the first time I've been able to do this. It was a simple act, but being able to run two blocks from my apartment to the park was something I've wanted to do for years, and it was exactly as I had always hoped it would be.

I used to run a lot but life got in the way, so I downloaded an app to make sure I don't overwork myself too soon. It is called '5k Runner: 0 to 5K run training' and can be bought on itunes HERE. I find the app useful because it gives me visual instructions as well as a voice command that can be used with my own running music. The app also only has you running 3 days a week, so it won't intimidate new runners. 5K cost $2.99 to download, and even though I normally don't like spending money on apps I am very glad that I chose this one.

Manhattan is the land of food and runners. I can order any kind of take out known to man to my apartment door at 3 in the morning but I can also run through Central Park with devoted (and often beautiful) runners who inspire me to keep going. All in all, life is very good and pretty quiet. I still don't have a working fridge and no internet in my apartment but I don't mind the loss of connection so much. I'm glad that when I go home I curl up with a book or write instead of scrolling away endlessly on tumblr. 

Currently

Reading: 'Rules of Civility' by Aror Towles. I found this book at the Strand in Union Square (a favorite place of mine) and immediately knew I had to buy it. According to the back cover it's about a young woman named Katey who befriends a wealthy but troubled banker set in 1938 New York City. My dream novels have three requirements: set in my favorite city, a WWII time period, and a troubled romance. Throw in the fact that it takes place on the Upper West Side, I am so excited to see where the book goes. I'm only about 20 pages in, but thus far I'm enjoying the writing style.

Listening To: This past week Pietro and I were invited to see 'Rock of Ages' on Broadway, and I'm happy to report that it was much better than the movie. I have always found theater singers to be more talented than others in the entertainment industry which is why the play succeeded compared to it's film adaptation. My favorite track is 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot', however, that was always my favorite 80s song to begin with. Check out the whole cast album on Spotify! Also, I have been listening to 'Fuck You' by Lily Allen and 'I Don't Want To Be' by Gavin DeGraw quite often. Both songs are acting as personal anthems lately =P

Watching: This week Pietro and I also went to go see a screening of 'Anna Karenina' with Kiera Knightly and Jude Law. The movie was different than what I was expecting and although it fulfilled the intentiona of the director, I still found it lacking. My main complaint is that Knightly was not a good fit as Karenina and it should have been played by someone older, such as Winona Ryder.  I also have been continuing my 'Will & Grace' marathon. When I first moved to the city I started watching the complete series and now I have just started season 5, which is where Harry Connick Jr shows up on a white horse in Central Park. Needless to say I am a happy camper.

Wanting To: Buy pin up dresses from Modcloth.com. Last night my mom and I were emailing each other links to all the dresses we wanted and lamented on the prices. If I wasn't saving money I would have definitely have bought two dresses by now.

Saw This Week: Yesterday I was reminded of the upcoming Disney short film titled 'Paperboy' which is described as:

"The short follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office. With only his heart, imagination and a stack of papers to get her attention, his efforts are no match for what the fates have in store for him."

I mean really, this sounds exactly like my dream movie. WWII era New York city featuring an adorable romance, paper and a woman who happens to look exactly like myself? My friends have been very kind to humor me by saying she does look like me, but really...the resemblance is uncanny.

I wasn't going to dress up for New York Comic Con this week, but maybe I should just put together her outfit and walk around with a paper airplane. Nobody except myself will really get it...but that never stopped me before.

That's all for today folks! You should keep an eye out for changes coming to this blog! It's getting a complete makeover and I'll be updating more than once a week plus some upcoming giveaways! I've got to get out of this bookstore because somebody just set fire to a spinach quiche and it smells awful.

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