I'll take you in my backpack

6/2/13 Wow, so it's been a little while since the last post. Whoops! Didn't mean to let that happen! Since my last post: I've had a birthday...I'm dangerously close to mid-thirties, I've had a great week in the gym (PR's in back squat, front squat, snatch, and clean & jerk!), I've made some pretty delicious recipes...in my hotel room (that has no kitchen!), and I've spent time with some amazing people in my life (including supporting a friend who was doing a surprise (not so surprise) flashmob! I guess there's no need for more writing since I summarized it all in one sentence. I'm impressed! So, let's start with salmon. I made a delicious Herb Crusted Salmon from one of my favorite paleo sites,  PaleOMG . I did all of this in a hotel room with no kitchen so trust me it's easy! I used a toaster oven to bake it! Here's my finished product, it was delicious! Moving right along, the flash mob. This was wonderful and so exciti...

12/20/12 I don't know about you, but I'm really putting in an A effort to prepare for the end of the world. This morning I went to the Zombie WOD (6am) and completed the "End of the World" WOD (although we later figured out that it was a little early since the world is going to end US time, not Japan time. Still, better to be early than late to something like this. After work today I went to get my final Cocok's pedicure of 2012. Festive of course. How can one focus on the impending doom of the world ending when there are happy snowmen and snowflakes on their tows. I find the task daunting, I instead am thinking about hot cocoa with marshmallow mountains. My final step to prepare for the end of the world is this. Printing my boarding pass. That's right folks, I'll be airborne when the said incident is scheduled to occur, in transit to the US. If you ask me, this seems like the best place to be, as far away from the mass hysteria and gathering of c...

12/18/12 Special thanks to my dear friend Natassia, I have a new flavor to add to the "collection"...Rum Raisin! Found somewhere in transit from mainland Japan and Okinawa!

12/9/12 I'm shocked that it has taken me this long. Embarrassed even. But here it goes. I've been meaning to investigate the process of unlocking my US iphone for some time now and just haven't gotten to it. Until today. The purpose (for me) would be to have the ability to use it overseas when I travel for more than just a wifi device. So, if you are an AT&T customer and interested in the process here you go. It's simple and takes minutes: First you need to fill out a simple form on AT&T's website. You need basic account information and the IMEI number (this can be found by going to Settings then General then About) Form to request your iphone be unlocked Now you just patiently await AT&T to get back to you. They indicate they will get back to you within 7 business days And here is the link to check the status of your unlock request: Check your unlock request Best of luck saavy travelers! 12/15/12 *Update* Just received the email toda...

12/1/12 It's no big surprise that I'm a bit of a mileage points ho. I'm a very dedicated United mileage member. I've attained the highest elite status with them (affording me upgrades on international flights, access to the elite lounges, and just a better all around travel experience) and I intend to keep it! Recently I discovered the process of elite status matching! How fabulous. So, if you have Elite status on United you can call some of the airlines and go through a process (some require fees) of getting your status matched with them. I'll provide the information here and where I had success. American Airlines Offers elite status matching (no cost) if you are a United 1k member with very little leg work. Just call 1-800-882-8880 and find your way to a customer service agent to request Elite Status Matching. They send you an email, you send the requested credentials (a screenshot of your recent United Account info, A copy of your United Mileage card, and ...

11/23/12 cups and dishes Rather than flocking to the nearest Best Buy or Walmart (they don't even exist here, and if they did I still wouldn't be there!) I went running in the opposite direction of Americans! I ventured off to the Tsuboya Pottery Festival and Kokusai Street (note: nowhere near the BX madness!) chopstick holders Tsuboya became a pottery village because of the quality of the dirt (perhaps they call it clay, I'm no potter). Because of this crafters started settling here, and up popped this little village of amazing artisans. The Tsuboya Pottery Festival was hosted at a local school in the outside school yard. On a beautiful day this would have been wonderful to stroll around. Unfortunately today was less than "beautiful". It was rainy, and that combined with this wonderful clay/dirt resulted in my shoes getting little works of art formed on them. I look forward to scraping it off tomorrow when it finally dries! It was really neat to se...

11/10/12 Barbells for Boobs is an amazing event that utilizes Crossfit to raise funds for mammograms for young men and women. We did Amazing Grace. 30 Clean and Jerks (135#/95#) for time. This exact time last year I was really getting started on my Crossfit adventure. In 2011 I used the 35# bar and added a 5# plate to each end. I struggled through the event, but finished with a time in the 6-7 minute range. Today, in 2012, I did the WOD prescribed, 95#. Wow, what a difference a year makes. Instead of struggling to put 45# overhead, I had doubled the weight. Yes there were struggles, but I never once overlooked the journey that I had gone through to get there. I couldn't have been happier to do this event again at Shogun Crossfit...some of the faces have changed, but the underlying spirit has not. It is like nothing else. As a team we did an amazing job fundraising, but it's not too late...we can still continue to raise funds...there is no limit to our goal and every...