Epic Chinese Dinner

I've been a terrible poster lately. I kind of just feel blah and like I don't have a lot to say. Unless you want to talk about Harry Potter, in which case I'm there. 

So instead, I thought I would just post about 10 pictures of the insane chinese dinner we had in Toronto. I just embraced my white girl-ness and just took pictures of everything. Everyone at my table thought this was funny. Along with my accent.

 First up is the random meat course! There were like 4 types of meat. I didn't know what any of them were. Also, you know that Coke and wine are mine! I was so psyched for coke and alcohol, y'all don't even understand. I started stealing cokes from other tables by the end.

Course 2: Shrimp/Crab? Poof! There was rice in there. It was not terrible.

Course 3: scallops and some veggies. That is a little fried rice noodle nest and is actually really tasty!  

 

Course 4: Shark Fin Soup

I tried this b/c it is a delicacy and super expensive and special occasion food(for example the last time my MIL had this was at her wedding 40 yrs ago!) but I felt really terrible about it. I find the fishing of shark fins to be pretty unnecessary and cruel. I know I also eat meat and dairy, so it isn't like I am being un-hypocritical here. I just had a moral/ethical problem with it.

For the record, it wasn't very good. It tasted like ham/chicken broth but with a gelatinous texture. The texture really grossed me out and I am not someone bothered by mouthfeel (which is a totally gross and awesome word used in my cooking classes that I try to use all the time.) 

Course 5: mushrooms. I don't even know. A lot of these courses that look like they have this kind of clear/shiny sauce taste the same to me. I am not a huge fan of the sauce flavor, so it all tasted kind of vaguely the same. 

At one point during this course one of my table mates turns to me and says "Do you know what you are eating?" Me: "Oh, God. What? Don't tell me!" Her: "Fungus!" Oh, yeah that's fine. I knew that. 

Course 6: Duck

Yes, we are still eating.

Course 7: Lobster and crab. 

Tasty, but let me tell you how difficult it is to crack a lobster claw WITH CHOPSTICKS! The entire table was entertained by my efforts. Finally they told me you are allowed to just pick it up and eat it that way. 

Courses 8,9,10

Cake-which was amazing and I started looking around at other tables to eat theirs

In the background you can see rice in a lotus leaf and noodles.

Then it was the traditional Chinese dessert of bean paste. It is like a black bean soup with sugar. It is fine, but it is not dessert!

It took roughly 5 hours to eat all this!! I was exhausted from eating. I took pics of everything b/c I find it so interesting and SO different from my regular life. I just embrace not knowing what is going on or what I'm eating.  I've learned what to eat and what not to eat! 

Anyone had a crazy dinner like this? Have you ever eaten for 5-6 hours?? What is the weirdest food you have ever tried? 

ETA-I took pictures of the food for the entire table (10ish people.) So each plate for each course was a very small amount of food. One shrimp, 2 small pieces of duck, etc. Each course was about the size of 1/2 my fist or so. Christina asked how we could eat so much! It is a looooot of food, but spread out over hours (and hours and hours) and in small increments. It is like going to a party and just snacking the entire time. It was still quite a bit of food and I was pretty over it by course 3!

Today

I feel like all my posts start with the word "ouch" or "OMG, I'm dying".

But guess what? I am dying from the ouch. Yesterday we did a BUNCH of dead lifts and lower back stuff. Y'all know my lower back is the most effed up part of my effed up body. I honestly shouldn't have done them all, b/c I don't want my back muscles any tighter. I want my abs stronger to balance (and to show off my banging 6 pack.) Now I can barely walk b/c even stabilizing my body hurts. I can't bend at the waist.

In good news, that is the only part of me that is sore so I guess my arms are getting used to non-stop pushups and legs are ok with jumping lunges. Victory is mine!

This is what dying feels like

You guys. My arms. I have never been this sore in my life-even after the hellish first day of high school softball where we had a practice that lasted for 6 hours.

Yesterday at boot camp we did the following arm killing things:

*3 sets of assisted pushups. These were both awesome and terrible. Basically one person is doing push-ups and the other person is a spotter. You loop a strong, rubber belt around your middle and your spotter helps lift and lower you. So you can get all the way down into a push-up without using all your body weight. This is my main problem with pushups-they are fantastic exercises, but I just straight up am too weak to get far enough into the move to benefit.

I can not tell you how sore my arms are right now.

*two sets of sprints with the same bands/spotter holding you back. These entertain me though they are tough!

Then three sets of:
*kind of a tug of war thing where one person is pulling the rope through and the other person is holding the end with resistance, but also walking to the puller. Like if you were pulling something heavy out of a hole or something. (So basically 6 sets b/c half the time you are the puller, the other half the pullee.)

*pulling a tire with 20 lbs of kettle balls in them. Using the TRX handles at our shoulders, we would take a huge step forward into a lunge and bring the back foot up. Then take a big step lunge with the other foot. Until you die.

*Weighted squats-leaning back holding onto a TRX handle you can lean back into a squat in a new and painful way! We did these holding a 10 lb kettleball.

*Shoulder presses with resistance tubing. These would  be better for me if I could actually stretch the tubing!

Then a fun maybe 0.1-0.2 mile sprint!

Then! Two minutes of ab planks. After all that arm work Abs? Fine. Arms? Shaking like you wouldn't believe.

During, I feel like I'm going to die. We are moving quickly through the exercises and then on to the next ones so you never get a break to catch your breath. I feel like if I could just have 20 seconds b/t things to rest I would be able to do more reps.  And at the end I feel 1) I could've pushed myself harder and 2) I'm going to die. Can someone carry me to my car and then drive it home? The trainer did make me feel better. He said I should be exhausted and barely able to do each rep. So that's good, I guess.

It is definitely a different experience! We are in a park and close to a side road, so whenever we start warming up I feel like a self conscious nerd. He also has music playing  while we do jumping jacks (which you may remember from 30DS I haaaate). Let me tell you, mid workout I have no idea where I am, if music is playing, etc.

Today, my right arm is CRAZY sore. I'm a little worried I have sprained my elbow. I'm a regular sprainer, so this isn't really unusual and I'm sure it will be fine in a few days. Just part of the fun of having ligaments made of silly string. I can't bend my arm much past 90 degrees without it hurting my elbow/tricep. I can't feed myself!! My elbow can not move my hand to mouth! This might be a good thing, actually.

Have you ever sprained something? An elbow? I'm old. Have any remedies besides RICE? 

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!
**yes Megan, I will allow LJ posting ; )

Why am I so dumb?

I've been hobbling along, trying to get back into running after my wonky hip flexor started bothering me. I did ok on my first run-a little sore, but that is pretty much my baseline. So I went a bit further the next day. Felt tired and like I had no cardiovascular fitness, but my hip wasn't feeling too bad.

Until yesterday. I am such an idiot. I knew I shouldn't run and that I was likely asking too much of my janky body. But, I thought I would at least try to do a super short run. I couldn't really tell if I was trying to use hip pain as an excuse not to run or if I was right and it would legit hurt. Guess what: IT HURT. All the way around the top of my thigh. wtf? It hurt even when I was just landing on it, like the muscles and ligaments were trying too hard to just keep my thigh from, I don't know, exploding. What is that even about?

 I did McGyver this sweet ice pack thing. I wanted it tight and to wrap round my leg, but it wasn't staying put. So I used my super sexy SI belt to cinch it. Just cinch it!

My dog decided this was weird and she should sit on my chest instead of my lap-that is her furry head, not mine. My hair is way sweatier and greasier.









That is a Smart Temp Hot and Cold pad and they are awesome. I use them all the time. They are squishy and stay cold for quite awhile. I usually have 5 on hand at all times, no joke. They do eventually break and the gel stuff squishes out. I think I am single handedly keeping this company in business.

Dear Smart Temp: Call me! Send me your products. I love you!
 
It is so frustrating. Randomly, my leg felt better when I was full on running (versus the slow ass trot I usually do) but I can't maintain full running at all  for very long. I guess I'm back to working on my core and hip strength. I do exercises for my back every day but more for maintenance than to get stronger. Busting out my stability ball!

Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful and almost 80 degrees which is my heaven. I love warm weather! I will probably just walk outside so I don't continue to hurt myself. I do love being outside though : ) Currently trying to talk M into an anniversary trip next month to the beach. 

YAY

I ran and it didn't hurt...much. My leg and hip still feel a little sore. I've only walked for almost 2 weeks and I stretched for like an hour. But I wasn't hobbling! I wasn't moving very fast, but it counts.

Jillian Michaels: Sadist for Hire

I really think that could be her resume. Her entire resume. Level 1 has been boring me and I've been getting tired of it. So I watch Level 2 and think "yeah, if I use light weights I can do that!"

hahahaha. Level 2 should be subtitled Death via Planks. I'm panting and dripping sweat. Which is just sad really. I should be able to do this for 25 mins! It is getting easier, but not that easy. I have decided to just enjoy Level 1 for my remaining 2-3 days.

Slacker

this has been me this week. A slacking eating machine.

I have reasons. Good reasons. But meh. I had a nasty infected tooth that got up into my maxillary sinus. How lucky am I to have a husband who can name my sinuses? And then tell me stories of CTs he has read that were sinus infections that infiltrated the brain. INFILTRATED THE BRAIN. THANKS SO MUCH, HONEY. SUPER HELPFUL. And when I get grumpy and sick, I think I should eat everything.

So I have been pretty low key in terms of running/shredding. Yesterday I did bowl, so I'm counting that as strength training. Until yesterday, every step I took jostled my head and made my face and teeth throb. I'm back to 30DS today. I have to say, I'm pretty bored of Level 1. I'm thinking of trying Level 2 soon. So far I have done it 7 times in 10 days which isn't too bad. I knew there was no chance of me doing it 30 days in a row. Above all I have to worry about my back and knees, so there are days I just can't do it. (like after bowling, omg, huge mistake. leaning over throwing 10 lbs balls. always a smart choice for people with lower back problems. ow.) But I'm trucking along b/c I put it out there. I know all 10 of y'all are just dying to see my results!