SPENDING | a lovely late afternoon at the local coffee shop. I would really like to go and support this place more often, but man, $6 for a small cold brew with a splash of half-n-half is steep.
LOVING | the view of palm trees and beautiful blue skies. It doesn’t get old.
EXCITED | for my parents who got solar panels installed on their roof. They’ve made so many energy-efficiency upgrades to their house this last year (new windows, solar panels, a new heating system) and I am sure it was well worth it!
EATING | walnut levain (yum) with cold cuts and a Caprese side salad for dinner.
DRINKING | water + NUUN.
ENJOYING | marathon training. So far, everything is going great. I am trusting the process. I’ve been able to stick with my training schedule and completed all prescribed training sessions without hiccups. The long runs are getting longer, but the distances are still familiar. I am hoping to keep up the confidence as the training progresses.
PROUD | to join the ‘comma club’ once more. I reached strength 1,000 classes on the Peloton platform in August. The milestones just keep coming :)
BUYING | a new couch. It was high time to replace our old couch in the living room because the frame was about to break. We decided to buy a sleeper couch because we want to be able to use it in case we ever have any guests. We don’t really have enough space to have anybody stay over, but it’s still nice to know there is an “option” now. Sitting on this new couch drives home how worn-down our old couch was. We sit up so high!
READING | I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (for the CBBC). I am behind, my digital loan expired and I have to wait to re-borrow it, but I am determined to catch up and finish.
LOOKING FORWARD TO | another day of fieldwork in September. We’ll repeat the TLS survey of a deforming levee road in the Sacramento Delta. The first survey was in July and we’ll compare this repeat survey to the previous survey to compute a 6-week difference map.
What are you currently eating? Looking forward to?
coco
September 1, 2024 at 3:31 amthe family had taco two days in a row and love it! They’ve asked to have it every two weeks. We joked that the girls like messy food! I comply and very satisfied as the chef of the family. I am enjoying simple meals, like salad and soup today. usually the day of my long run I don’t have much appetite, so just eat what feels right, my body will catch up later.
It’s so good to support local business. I like to buy things from street vendors when I can, when they look hygienic.
San
September 1, 2024 at 3:27 pmSalads and soups are my go-to for sure!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
September 1, 2024 at 4:15 amI just got done having breakfast with a bowl of yoghurt and plums and then a Brötchen with cheese and mortadella.
I would love to spend some time in a coffee shop as a change of scenery from the home office but I agree… 6€ for a coffee. Crazy.
Had to google what walnut levain is. Never stop learning.
San
September 1, 2024 at 3:28 pmYum! I just got some plums from the Farmers Market – gotta make plum cake once a year :)
Haha, I used to not know what levain was either… but it’s really good :)
Michelle G.
September 1, 2024 at 7:28 amYour new couch is gorgeous! You make me want a new couch so bad! When I sit on ours, I practically sink to the floor.
San
September 1, 2024 at 3:29 pmYup, we were practically sitting on the floor. It was time :)
Elisabeth
September 1, 2024 at 9:01 amLove the new couch. Years ago we had the most disgusting couch; we’d bought it new but it was cream microfiber and looked so gross after like a year. Ugh. When we moved into our house (7 years ago), we bought a new couch and it looks the exact same as when we bought it! Textured grey for the win!!! I lived and learned that cream with kids is a no go.
I hate spending so much money on coffee out, but I do treat it like an experience. It’s like going to the movies or paying to go to a museum, for me. Every time I do it, I feel a surge of doing something special for myself. For years I never went to a coffee shop and now I average 1-2 times/month and I just…love it. But I know what you mean. For the same thing at home it would be like 20 cents. In that case, my husband tells me, I’m paying for the experience. You might be able to find another coffee shop that’s equally lovely that’s cheaper? I find prices can vary WILDLY.
San
September 1, 2024 at 3:31 pmHaha, I can see how a cream-colored couch is not the best choice with kids. I actually wanted grey but the color wasn’t in stock and we didn’t want to wait 10 weeks for delivery, so this light-beige it was.
You’re right, a visit to a coffee shop is an experience and we do shell out the money every few weeks. I merely wanted to point out the huge mark-up for something that costs relatively little when made at home. Unfortunately, all coffee shops I’ve recently been to are that expensive here in CA… but I do keep an eye out for other places I haven’t tried ;) Thanks for the suggestion!
Sara
September 1, 2024 at 9:33 amWay to go on the comma club!!! That is AWESOME! I’m glad your marathon training is going well. My dad was a marathon runner and he would use his long runs to work out problems in his mind. I’ve always been someone that is just trying to figure out when it will be over when I’m running. What do you do when you run?? I feel like you have such great tenacity to workouts that I want to know more about how you approach them mentally!
San
September 1, 2024 at 3:34 pmGreat question, Sara. I definitely am like your dad and do a lot of thinking on my runs. I don’t know, I feel like when I am out and about, my mind is free to wander and it really distracts me from the physical activity. Sometimes more than other times, but yeah, I usually run through a lot of thoughts when I run… sometimes it’s working out a problem at work, thinking about my to-do list, or thinking about a challenging situation. It depends on what’s going on in my life. And sometimes I just listen to music and enjoy the ‘ride’… (and just to be completely transparent, I also do have runs where I am trying to figure out when it will be over LOL)
Melissa
September 1, 2024 at 8:13 pmYour new couch looks great. Isn’t it funny how we are prepared to put up with things for ages, and then once we finally deal with it wonder why we waited so long! That coffee is expensive (I mean, it’s not even a latte where they have to froth the milk?).
Nicole MacPherson
September 2, 2024 at 4:57 amThat Caprese salad looks great! It’s warm here again so I think I’ll make a pasta salad tonight.
I have a lot to look forward to – we have a big trip planned in October, and it’s coming up fast!
Stephany
September 3, 2024 at 9:45 amI love your new couch! I felt the same way when I replaced my couch, although mine wasn’t as old as yours. It makes a huge difference!
I’m currently looking forward to the next few months! Fall is my favorite time of year (even if it’s still disgustingly hot here) and I’m feeling rejuvenated as we enter my favorite part of the year.
Lisa's Yarns
September 3, 2024 at 11:14 amThe prices at coffee shops have increased so dramatically! I know that is the case for most consumer goods but wowza. My Starbucks latte is so freaking expensive so I am glad I have been on a routine of only getting one/week for over 10 years now!
We are eating a lot of fresh produce since we are in peak produce season now! I am loving the fresh corn and watermelon in particular. I got to have some tomatoes from my sister’s garden last weekend and they were SO GOOD.
That is awesome that your parents got solar panels. I wish we had a roof line/sun exposure that would make solar panels make sense for us but we just don’t.
NGS
September 4, 2024 at 6:15 amWe were originally going to buy a sleeper couch, but the furniture guy said that it wasn’t a good couch or a good bed and to just buy a regular couch and a nice air mattress and it would end up being cheaper in the end. So that’s what we did! We actually rarely use that air mattress, though. I sometimes wonder if we would have used a sleep sofa more often.
Congrats on your milestone! I stand by the idea that Peloton should pay YOU for all your free advertising!
Anne
September 13, 2024 at 4:00 pmOh, man, a sleeper couch! I haven’t had one for years. But reading your post and the comments makes me think that maybe it’s time to start thinking about replacing my 16 year old couch? I mean, I only sit on part of it but… hm. I also don’t like the color. Did you buy from a local place, or a nationwide retailer?