theinbetweenismine

just a girl living the expat life

Archives for June 2017

June Favorites

filed under: monthly favorites

1. I got this flavor of Sorbabes Sorbet for free at Safeway a couple of weeks ago. It was one of those ‘free items’ to try (through the Safeway app) and I usually pick up the free items, whenever they offer one, because WHY NOT? It’s free and you can try new products! Well, this was a winner. This sorbet is so yummy and refreshing. I might have to purchase it again (but only on sale, because this stuff is expensive. Naturally.)

2. I had my Bernardo Maverick Sandals for quite a few years and I probably should replace them soon, because I wore the crap out these shoes, but I still love them so much. I’ve gotten so many compliments on them, too. Not exactly cheap for a pair of sandals, but they’re leather and I’ve had mine for at least 8 years!

3. Have you done Fitbit challenges? I don’t know about you, but I love them. I love knowing that my friends are active and it does motivate me to go for a walk on my lunch break or in the evenings (especially on the days when I don’t run) knowing that other people are counting their steps, too.

4. I am (forever) on the search for a really good mascara (a makeup-whiz, I am not) which is easy to apply, gives length and volume for my scanty lashes, doesn’t clump and holds up well throughout the day without flaking or rubbing off. I recently picked up the Covergirl Supersizer Fibers and I must say, it’s really pretty good (once you get the hang of working that weird brush). What’s your go-to mascara?

5. I’ve finally been going back to our local Farmers Market on Sunday mornings and I love it. The Farmers Market is open year-round, but I especially love going in the summer when it’s bright and sunny early in the morning and people are out and about. It’s such a cool atmosphere. Not all produce is cheaper at the market, although some definitely is, but I just love knowing that the food that I am purchasing was grown locally. Do you go to a local Farmers Market? What do you love most about it?  

6. Have you tried  Organic Popcorn with Olive Oil from Trader Joe’s yet? It’s a great snack to have on hand.

 

Thinking out loud

filed under: linkup, Thinking out loud

It’s my first time, but I am participating in the Thinking Out Loud linkup today, because I’m itching to write, but haven’t had time to work on a full blog post.

I don’t know how you usually run your blog or if you draft blog posts in advance or how that all works for your posting schedule, but I mainly aim for three posts a week and I constantly have a ‘draft document’ going where I jot down all my blog ideas, write and re-write my thoughts, and keep links that I want to share at a later point.

It so happens that I’ve been unprepared for the last couple of days, none of my drafts are ready to publish, but I want to post something and I do have some random thoughts I might want to share with you. So, Thinking Out Loud Thursday seems to be a good opportunity, yes?

+ I’ve been watching the news during my workouts on the mornings when I go to the gym. It’s a sick little habit, because these days, 99% of the time, the news aggravate me, but then I am on the treadmill blowing off steam at the same time, you see. It’s like the only way I can consume news right now, if I want to stay informed (which I do!).

+ Staying on the topic of news, the way some Republicans argue healthcare (or lack thereof) makes me so mad. I tweeted this HuffPo article yesterday “I don’t know how to explain to you why you should care about other people” and I can relate to it so much. If I hear one more Republican talk about “access to healthcare” (NOT actual coverage, because that would mean that you have to be able to afford the healthcare you theoretically have “access” to) and giving people choices to “tailor their health insurance to their needs” (which means people (women!) who undeniably will have more health care needs than others will ALWAYS be disadvantaged), I am going to scream. Why is it so difficult for people in this country to understand that creating a support system for ALL, a system that is supported by everybody and that supports everybody, is the way to go? What is this ‘me, me, me’- mentality? (Please, if you have any solid argument, enlighten the ignorant European in me, because I can’t for the life of me understand that mindset!)


+ I had this splendid idea back in April to not only get a long-overdue hair cut, but also throw some color in the mix. Switch things up a little bit, you know?  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but you guessed it, now the color has faded and is growing out and while I am not in need of a trim yet (I usually go quite a few months between trims), I do want to cover up these darker roots that are showing up, or better still, get my hair colored back to my original color so that I don’t have to deal with these root issues. So, do I go to the hairdresser to get my color changed back or do I consider a home-coloring attempt to fix this?

+ My sister had a pretty crappy month of June. First she had her bike stolen (on her anniversary, of all days!), then her husband was in a (minor) car accident. My nephew had a minor concussion and was in the hospital for two nights, then my niece got sick with gastrointestinal issues and then last weekend her kitchen flooded and caused a short-circuit (which probably ruined her dishwasher). Ugh, I mean, it’s really enough for one month, don’t you think?  I am really hoping July will be a much better month for her! As always, I feel guilty for not being closer and able to help out. Sigh.

+ Do you also struggle with the fast passage of time? I can’t believe we’re halfway through 2017. I am trying to stay mindful and in the moment, because I know that this is where perception of time slows down, but I also know that I want to do more, see more and make more memories and planning for all that is hard sometimes without getting lost in all the possibilities, but also restrictions (financial, time, commitments). Maybe I just need a proper vacation?

What’s a random thought on your mind today?

(Still) Hangin’ Tough

filed under: love, music, nostalgia

A few Saturdays ago, it was that time again. Time for some love, peace and good old nostalgia! I had tickets to the Total Package Tour with Boyz II Men, Paula Abdul and – most importantly – NKOTB!

I mean, they played 5 miles from my house, so it was absolutely no question that I HAD TO GO (but I also totally would have driven to the Bay Area again to see them, as I have done in previous years, of course!)

I went to the concert by myself. Again. But honestly, I didn’t mind. I mean, I invited J to come with me (and he has gone with me on various occasions in the past), but I had absolutely no problem whatsoever doing this for myself, by myself.

Untitled

J dropped me off downtown around 6:30 p.m. and I made my way to the new Golden 1 Center. The new arena is huge and some seating is way up there under the ceiling (if you recall, I had seats there with my parents for Paul McCartney last fall!), but this time I had a great seat down on the lower level (not super-close to the stage, but close enough!) with a great view of the stage. I was so excited.

I was excited to see Boyz II Men (again!) and Paula Abdul as opening acts. They did a great job getting everybody warmed up, but of course, we were all there for NKOTB (ok, minus the guy in the row behind me who was clearly there for Paula! He kept screaming her name and I do admit, I enjoyed her performance more than I thought I would.)

Finally, 9 o’clock rolled around and it’s time for NKOTB. Yay! It had been too long.

The show started out with their new single ‘One more night’. Typical pop stuff. Yaddah, yaddah. I don’t think their music is the GREATEST (never have), but I do enjoy it and it’s ear-worm material for sure. Overall though, I am much more a fan of these five guys, who have come so far, and what they stand for: loyalty, love, and peace. They’re all about giving back.

Untitled

The show was amazing. I said it before, I think they have become better entertainers with age. Everybody was just in such a good and positive mood, even though the terrible attack at the Ariana Grande concert in London had just happened! But what else can musicians/entertainers do but carry on and keep spreading their music and positive attitude?

They performed all five of their new songs and then a nice mix of more recent songs (from the last decade) and also some very old songs, some dating back all the way to 1984! It was awesome!

They also played a couple of songs from lesser known albums like ‘Dirty Dawg‘ (from their 1994 ‘Face the Music’ album) and even ‘This one’s for the children‘ from their Christmas album (in the middle of June, ha!), which I had never seen performed on stage! Very cool!

Untitled

There was a woman in front of me, probably my age, who never had the opportunity as a teenager to see NKOTB in concert and this was her first time… after 25 years! I mean, you can’t beat that kind of ‘dream come true at last’-joy that she exhibited! It was amazing!

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

If you made it all the way down here to proceed and judge me, to roll your eyes and tell me that you think that NKOTB are stupid (wouldn’t be the first time I hear it) or that it’s embarrassing that they’re still touring or anything like that, I am just going to tell you right now that I DON’T FREAKIN’ CARE ONE IOTA.

I hope that you have something in your life that brings all the smiles and joy and all the good feelings to you because boy, do we need them in this day and age.

Now, where are my fellow blockheads?

 

5 favorite summer treats

filed under: food, Friday Five, link love

Hey, it’s 9 am and it’s 80 degrees (28°C) out already. We’re just coming off a week-long heatwave here in the Central Valley, with temps reaching into the TRIPLE DIGITS for multiple days in a row. That must be a near-record and let’s just say: I am not really cut out for this kind of weather, but I do try to embrace summers here as much as I can.

In order to beat the heat, here are my five favorite summer treats:

1. Smoothies. Is this considered a treat, because it’s actually healthy? I don’t know, but I love smoothies in the summer (especially with all the fresh fruit available!).

2. Ice-cream. That’s a no-brainer, right? Who doesn’t love ice-cream in the summer? I don’t discriminate, by the way. I take ice-cream, gelato, popsicles, sorbet…. anything that comes out of the freezer… but chocolate chip is my favorite!

3. Ice-cold Arnold Palmer. There is nothing more thirst-quenching than a nice big glass of iced tea sweetened with lemonade (I like two parts tea, one part lemonade).

4. Iced coffee. I usually drink my morning coffee hot year-round, but I really enjoy some cold-brew coffee over ice in the summer. My favorite add-ins are milk and a splash of vanilla syrup.

5. Watermelon. I am not a fan of cantaloupe or honey melons, but give me watermelons all (summer) day, every day! They are my favorite. Preferably chilled. So juicy and good.

What’s your favorite summer treat?

I am linking up with  Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0 Linkup

Currently | June

filed under: currently

looking forward to a long 4th of July weekend. 

feeling sad (and helpless) about all the bad news lately. When will this stop? Can’t we just all “disagree with each other peacefully”? (Quote from Shadi Hamid, author of the book “Islamic Exceptionalism” which I immediately put on my to-read list!, heard on NPR the other day.)

enjoying my Sunday morning trips to the Farmers Market. I just love the atmosphere, the fact that people are out and about on a Sunday morning and shopping local, and all the the fresh, local produce, of course.

eating a bunch of new light and tasty summer dishes. We’ve adapted our meal plan to the scorching temperatures that we’ve been getting here lately. Hit me with your favorite healthy summer recipes in the comments! Any good food blogs you recommend?

drinking smoothies again. It’s totally a summer thing for me, but I enjoy them pre- or post-workout. Good way to start your day!

hoping for my running mojo to come back a little bit. Every mile felt unusually hard the last couple of weeks.

watching baseball. Mostly. The Red Sox are doing well this year (SF, my second favorite team, not so much!). I miss Big Papi though. Dustin Pedroia (he’s from Woodland, CA — around the corner from here, by the way!) can never leave or retire. Just sayin’.

celebrating the Golden State Warriors’ NBA Championship win. They battled the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third year in a row. They won in 2015, were defeated last year, but earned the title again this year. J and I used to watch a ton of basketball way back when the Sacramento Kings were still somewhat successful. We are more focused on baseball now, but we still usually watch the NBA finals.

reading A world without you by Beth Revis.

mourning the death of my former piano teacher. My sister informed me last week that she passed away on June, 9th at the ripe old age of 103 (← I know, right!?). Of course, I knew that this day was coming. I mean, she wasn’t getting any younger. I had kept in touch with her by writing cards a couple of times a year ever since I moved to the US and I did visit her one last time a couple of years ago. I knew that I was probably not going to see her again, but still, the news of her passing did fill me with sadness and a whole lot of nostalgia. I took lessons with her for many years and at the end, she didn’t even charge me anything anymore, because we mutually enjoyed each other’s’ company. She was a very lovely lady and she’ll always have a special place in my heart. Apparently, she talked about me the last week before her death, because she always mentioned to everyone that one of her former piano students still sent her cards from America! That made me smile.

anticipating the harvest of all the little tomato buds that are growing on a ‘stray tomato plant’ in the backyard. I hadn’t gotten around to planting my (potted) vegetable garden yet, when I discovered that a lone tomato plant had ‘planted itself’ in a patch of dirt behind our house. I don’t know how it got there, but I am definitely taking care of it now. It seems to like the spot that it has picked out.