Last night, after my run, I wanted a quick and light dinner. We have been noticing the Wine Institute of New Orleans (cleverly shortened to w.i.n.o.) a block from the hotel since last year but we had never quite made it there. Last night was the night.
It is a really cool place that is not only a bar but offers classes year round. The tasting area was like nothing I've ever seen. You go in and start a tab by exchanging your credit card for a w.i.n.o. card that looks like a hotel room key. Then there are all these bottles of wine attached to spouts with prices above them. The price displayed is for a 1oz. tasting portion. When you pick one you want to try, you stick your card in, select a 1, 2, or 4 ounce portion, and stick your glass under the spout. It was really cool because you could try lots of different things, which I did. I tried a Shiraz that was $6 for 1oz! It was delicious. But I definitely didn't need a full 4oz portion of it.
They also have a tapas and cheese selection, so we got some bruschetta and a plate of three delicious cheeses. It wound up being a bit expensive, but that's what per diem is for. We're definitely going back next week (and potentially all following weeks as well). It was awesome.
I wish I could buy bottles of wine and still carry my luggage on the plane. Boo.
It's Friday, so we're leaving the office at lunch to head back to Charlotte for the weekend. Yay! We have to come back Sunday night, so the weekend will be short. I'll be attending Carrie's going away party Saturday afternoon/evening, so I won't have much extra time, but I did all of my required cardio this week, so all I have to do is lift once to meet my quota this week...which means I can avoid the gym. I'm also going to bake something for the party and do a lot of cleaning around the house. Good times. Hope you all have a good weekend!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Salad Phase?
I didn't think that going through a salad-craving phase was possible, but I think it has happened. Lately, when we go out to lunch, even when we're at places where there are pizzas and pastas and sandwiches, all I want is a salad. It's making my 'one salad a day' plan pretty easy. It might have something to do with how effing hot it is here in the afternoon. But anyway, today for lunch I had an absolutely delicious salad. I'm pretty pleased with myself actually.
Let's go back to last night now. After work, I did an easy 65 minute cardio walking (uphill walk) and then we went to a brewery for dinner. I didn't get any beer, but I did have a side salad that had dressing that was a homemade beer vinaigrette. It was tasty. I ordered pecan crusted chicken, which came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. I swiftly ate the salad and all of the asparagus and then ate only 2/3 of the chicken and about half of the mountain of potatoes. And I avoided dessert. I feel like I did pretty good yesterday.
This morning I got off to a good start by getting up to do 15 minutes of easy cardio (bike) and then lifting. I plan to do another 45 minutes or an hour of cardio after work tonight before I head to dinner. I may go off on my own for dinner tonight because I'm starting to get a bit tired of my travel companions. And this is only week 1 of 4. There's a wine bar that serves tapas and cheese a block from the hotel, so I'm thinking of trying that out. Hopefully I'll like it, because we're staying at the same hotel next week and I could possibly make a return trip.
Let's go back to last night now. After work, I did an easy 65 minute cardio walking (uphill walk) and then we went to a brewery for dinner. I didn't get any beer, but I did have a side salad that had dressing that was a homemade beer vinaigrette. It was tasty. I ordered pecan crusted chicken, which came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. I swiftly ate the salad and all of the asparagus and then ate only 2/3 of the chicken and about half of the mountain of potatoes. And I avoided dessert. I feel like I did pretty good yesterday.
This morning I got off to a good start by getting up to do 15 minutes of easy cardio (bike) and then lifting. I plan to do another 45 minutes or an hour of cardio after work tonight before I head to dinner. I may go off on my own for dinner tonight because I'm starting to get a bit tired of my travel companions. And this is only week 1 of 4. There's a wine bar that serves tapas and cheese a block from the hotel, so I'm thinking of trying that out. Hopefully I'll like it, because we're staying at the same hotel next week and I could possibly make a return trip.
Last night Blake sent me some pictures of Norman being naughty. Excuse the quality, as they are from his phone.
I get to go back to Charlotte tomorrow! And we might try to get on the 2:30 flight instead of the 4:00...which would be fabulous. Yay!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
More from New Orleans
Yesterday I completely intended to get a salad at Juan's Flying Burrito for lunch. I really did. But then I was hungry by the time we got there, and we had to wait 45 minutes for a table, and by the time the menu came, all I wanted was a burrito. So I ordered one. I got it without the rice, so it was basically a grilled chicken and multiple veggie wrap, but it was not a salad. I tried.
For dinner we changed plans, so at least I didn't have fried chicken. We went to an Italian place by the hotel and I had some steamed mussels and baked chicken. And I managed to only have two pieces of delicious bread. I also used my 'one dessert per week' allowance for a piece of tiramisu. It was tasty. And better for me than the fried chicken I thought I'd be having, so it was an all around success.
Side note: I wore my new pink dress last night (see post below) and I am in love with it...so I went to the website and ordered the same dress in a brown print. They also have it in orange, but I'm afraid of how that would look on me. I'm thinking bad. Damn my pale skin and reddish hair.
It wasn't a lifting day today, so I decided to sleep in. I'm going to run after work today. Yesterday I did an hour and fifteen minutes of cardio in total and I lifted, so I was awesome. And I've already gotten a good start on my healthiness today because I had a salad at a Greek restaurant for lunch. Yay. And it's Wednesday, so there's only two more days until my weekend at home. The client finally gave us some information this afternoon, so I'm even a little busy. Good times.
For dinner we changed plans, so at least I didn't have fried chicken. We went to an Italian place by the hotel and I had some steamed mussels and baked chicken. And I managed to only have two pieces of delicious bread. I also used my 'one dessert per week' allowance for a piece of tiramisu. It was tasty. And better for me than the fried chicken I thought I'd be having, so it was an all around success.
Side note: I wore my new pink dress last night (see post below) and I am in love with it...so I went to the website and ordered the same dress in a brown print. They also have it in orange, but I'm afraid of how that would look on me. I'm thinking bad. Damn my pale skin and reddish hair.
It wasn't a lifting day today, so I decided to sleep in. I'm going to run after work today. Yesterday I did an hour and fifteen minutes of cardio in total and I lifted, so I was awesome. And I've already gotten a good start on my healthiness today because I had a salad at a Greek restaurant for lunch. Yay. And it's Wednesday, so there's only two more days until my weekend at home. The client finally gave us some information this afternoon, so I'm even a little busy. Good times.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Out on the town and whtnot
I worked out for a full hour when we got back to the hotel last night, as penance for the entire pizza I ate for lunch. Carrie had selected an off-the-beaten-path Mexican restaurant for dinner, so we set off to the slightly less touristy part of the French Quarter.
As we approached the restaurant there was a sign outside that read "Closed the day and evening of August 4th." And so, New Orleans continues to destroy any plans that we make in an attempt to make it fun. We walked around a bit and settled on Margaritaville, which is a complete tourist haven. We sat in the bar area where there was a blues guitarist playing, so that was slightly more legit than sitting in the main dining area. But it was still sad. The salad I got for dinner, however, was delicious (and I successfully made one meal yesterday a salad, I rule).
We went back to the hotel early-ish because Carrie insists that we'll be out later tonight. If the Gods above don't destroy our plans again at least. I read a bit last night and then was asleep by 10:30. I must have slept weird on my hip though, because it was unhappy this morning.
I was good this morning and got up to do a 15 minute light cardio warmup and then lift. And I had a mostly reasonable breakfast of cheerios, honeydew cubes, OJ, and a very small croissant (sometimes you just need to sample the local fare, right?). We're hitting up a truly delicious Italian place for lunch later and then God knows what for dinner (I think it's going to involve fried chicken though, so the chances of me eating a salad of any kind today are slim). I'd like to get in another hour of cardio between work and dinner tonight, so hopefully that will work out.
It's Tuesday...so even though the week is going slow, I still get to leave here in 3 more days (I'll only get to be home for less than 48 hours before I have to come back though. But it's something).
As we approached the restaurant there was a sign outside that read "Closed the day and evening of August 4th." And so, New Orleans continues to destroy any plans that we make in an attempt to make it fun. We walked around a bit and settled on Margaritaville, which is a complete tourist haven. We sat in the bar area where there was a blues guitarist playing, so that was slightly more legit than sitting in the main dining area. But it was still sad. The salad I got for dinner, however, was delicious (and I successfully made one meal yesterday a salad, I rule).
We went back to the hotel early-ish because Carrie insists that we'll be out later tonight. If the Gods above don't destroy our plans again at least. I read a bit last night and then was asleep by 10:30. I must have slept weird on my hip though, because it was unhappy this morning.
I was good this morning and got up to do a 15 minute light cardio warmup and then lift. And I had a mostly reasonable breakfast of cheerios, honeydew cubes, OJ, and a very small croissant (sometimes you just need to sample the local fare, right?). We're hitting up a truly delicious Italian place for lunch later and then God knows what for dinner (I think it's going to involve fried chicken though, so the chances of me eating a salad of any kind today are slim). I'd like to get in another hour of cardio between work and dinner tonight, so hopefully that will work out.
It's Tuesday...so even though the week is going slow, I still get to leave here in 3 more days (I'll only get to be home for less than 48 hours before I have to come back though. But it's something).
Monday, August 4, 2008
Picture Time
Because I'm in New Orleans at a client's office with nothing to do, I thought I'd post some pictures of things that I bought at the mall yesterday. As you all know, I have a fondness for dresses. And there were a lot of dresses on sale at Ann Taylor, so I got these two. One for work and one for play. Bonus: play dress completely covers regular bra straps. Rejoyce.
At Ann Taylor Loft, I got a pair of lounging around shorts and this necklace. I've been wanting a long silver necklace for a while and this was on sale and tax free so it won.
The fact that there is a Body Shop in the Charlotte airport is both awesome and awful. I always spend money there. I was about out of my favorite moisturizer, so I needed to restock. This stuff smells so damn good, but it only comes in travel size, so I only use it when I travel. And then I'm there and I see that the same line offers a good smelling body moisturizer with SPF 15. In travel size! I always use SPF 15 moisturizer every day at home (Lubriderm), but I hadn't been able to find a travel size one. Problem solved. Now I use my favorite on my legs and at night and the SPF stuff on my arms and chest during the day. Yay!
I also want to add a shout out for my new favorite CD, Sugarland's new Love on the Inside. I used to not know anything about country music, and even though I'm still planted firmly in the mainstream variety, I really like their stuff, and this is a great CD.
At Ann Taylor Loft, I got a pair of lounging around shorts and this necklace. I've been wanting a long silver necklace for a while and this was on sale and tax free so it won.
The fact that there is a Body Shop in the Charlotte airport is both awesome and awful. I always spend money there. I was about out of my favorite moisturizer, so I needed to restock. This stuff smells so damn good, but it only comes in travel size, so I only use it when I travel. And then I'm there and I see that the same line offers a good smelling body moisturizer with SPF 15. In travel size! I always use SPF 15 moisturizer every day at home (Lubriderm), but I hadn't been able to find a travel size one. Problem solved. Now I use my favorite on my legs and at night and the SPF stuff on my arms and chest during the day. Yay!
I also want to add a shout out for my new favorite CD, Sugarland's new Love on the Inside. I used to not know anything about country music, and even though I'm still planted firmly in the mainstream variety, I really like their stuff, and this is a great CD.
Ok that's all of the fun pictures I have for now. I'll update tomorrow about our activities around New Orleans tonight.
In New Orleans
Lat night, as if God knew that I was already going to have a shitty month, our flight was delayed by an hour and a half and my stomach was killing me. Awesome. But we arrived in New Orleans safely and got to bed around midnight. I didn't get up to go to the gym this morning because we got in late last night, but I'm going to cardio it up once we leave the office today.
The weekend was short, but fun. Friday night, we went to dinner with some work people, and then hosted a Wii party. We played some Rock Band and then some 4-player Mario Kart, which was very fun. Saturday morning we hit the lake so Blake could ski and we could locate a house that he wants to buy. "House" is actually a strong word; since it would be a second home, it is currently a double wide that I would tolerate for a few years and then knock down. But I'm pretty sure we won't be doing that...I'm trying to not get involved in any more joint real estate ventures until we are bound by the laws of marriage. Or at least engaged.
We also did our regular errands Saturday. We won an air mattress from the Teeter for spending $40 there each week for 16 of 18 weeks. This is one of the first giveaways that we actually wanted to win. We could use an air mattress. We also relaxed and played some Wii together.
Sunday I was too lazy to go to the gym, and I had a lot to do before my flight, so I skipped it. I did go to the mall for Tax Free Weekend and get a few sale items at Ann Taylor without paying tax, so that was nice. I also found a travel-size moisturizer with SPF 15 at The Body Shop in the airport, so that was a big score. Basically I had a boring and completely average weekend, but that's what I wanted since I have to be in New Orleans forever.
It's hot here and the client has basically nothing ready for us to work on. I get to leave at lunchtime Friday. Let the countdown begin.
The weekend was short, but fun. Friday night, we went to dinner with some work people, and then hosted a Wii party. We played some Rock Band and then some 4-player Mario Kart, which was very fun. Saturday morning we hit the lake so Blake could ski and we could locate a house that he wants to buy. "House" is actually a strong word; since it would be a second home, it is currently a double wide that I would tolerate for a few years and then knock down. But I'm pretty sure we won't be doing that...I'm trying to not get involved in any more joint real estate ventures until we are bound by the laws of marriage. Or at least engaged.
We also did our regular errands Saturday. We won an air mattress from the Teeter for spending $40 there each week for 16 of 18 weeks. This is one of the first giveaways that we actually wanted to win. We could use an air mattress. We also relaxed and played some Wii together.
Sunday I was too lazy to go to the gym, and I had a lot to do before my flight, so I skipped it. I did go to the mall for Tax Free Weekend and get a few sale items at Ann Taylor without paying tax, so that was nice. I also found a travel-size moisturizer with SPF 15 at The Body Shop in the airport, so that was a big score. Basically I had a boring and completely average weekend, but that's what I wanted since I have to be in New Orleans forever.
It's hot here and the client has basically nothing ready for us to work on. I get to leave at lunchtime Friday. Let the countdown begin.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Yay for Friday!
Yesterday I was so good about working out. It was even raining when I left the office but I went to the gym instead of directly home. Yay! Today I'm peacing from work at lunch because I don't have much to do and because I have to suffer in New Orleans for the next month. I'm going to go home and have some lunch, do a few kettlebell circuits, do some Wii Fit strength exercises and cardio, take my weekly power nap, and get in a few hours at the Humane Society. Way more productive than I would have been in the office.
Tonight we're having dinner with some people, then hosting a Rock Band/Mario Kart party and then heading to Howl at the Moon for some dueling piano bar action. Tomorrow we're going to make a quick trip to the lake in the morning and then tackle some errands. Sunday I have to my laundry and cleaning because my flight leaves Sunday night. Even though I've been trying to not spend all of my money, it is tax free weekend here so I may go to the mall and just see what Banana has to offer. Good times.
I don't really have much to contribute here other than that my mood is going to take a swift downturn starting next week, so be prepared for that. Ugh. I really don't want to go back to that hellhole. I have to forget about how awful it is so that I can still enjoy my weekend.
Have a good one.
Tonight we're having dinner with some people, then hosting a Rock Band/Mario Kart party and then heading to Howl at the Moon for some dueling piano bar action. Tomorrow we're going to make a quick trip to the lake in the morning and then tackle some errands. Sunday I have to my laundry and cleaning because my flight leaves Sunday night. Even though I've been trying to not spend all of my money, it is tax free weekend here so I may go to the mall and just see what Banana has to offer. Good times.
I don't really have much to contribute here other than that my mood is going to take a swift downturn starting next week, so be prepared for that. Ugh. I really don't want to go back to that hellhole. I have to forget about how awful it is so that I can still enjoy my weekend.
Have a good one.
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