ENJOYING | my morning workouts. I am on day #111 of my Peloton Streak and I am enjoying all the different workouts I can choose from each day. It does not get boring. 

ADJUSTING | to warmer temperatures outside. The “early morning run” it has to be again – very soon. 

TRYING OUT | these new Pro Hair Ties. I fell victim to Instagram advertising (I bought these with my own money), but I am already convinced that this is a really awesome product. You can adjust the circumference (depending on hair thickness) and they have an”easy release clasp” so you are not ripping out hair when you pull them out. Since I go between hair down and ponytail a lot, these might be real life hair savers! LOL

WEARING | my Birkenstocks. Hooray, it’s sandals season.  

READING |  Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris.

EATING | homemade vegetable Thai Red Curry (with quick-cooking brown basmati rice). It’s been on regular rotation on our meal plan recently, because it’s so easy and just so delicious.

DRINKING | mostly coffee, tea +water these days.

WORKING ON | a more regular blogging schedule.  Blogging is – and will forever be – my favorite social media platform and I want to spend some more time here. Anything you’d like to read about?

FEELING | relief over the guilty verdict (x3) in the Derek Chauvin trial. It’s not really justice, because this shouldn’t have happened in the first place (and George Floyd – and countless others! – should be alive today), but it sure does feel like a step in the right direction and a warning to every police officer to not abuse their power, because it does come with consequences.

HOPING | that this conviction will lead to more meaningful police reform. Police is supposed to be our “friend and helper”. Police is supposed to serve, not “rule” over citizens. 

GIDDY | to watch my plants grow. It’s the little things, people.

LOOKING FORWARD TO | getting my second Pfizer shot next week. Jon got his second vaccine dose this week and I am just so thankful for science and excited that vaccinations are moving at such a good pace in this country now. Everybody 16+ is eligible now, so go get your shots!!

What is currently going on with you?

CELEBRATING | my birthday and many other March babies this month. So many wonderful people have birthdays in March.

EATING | marble cake. I always bake a marble cake for my birthday (from my Mom’s recipe). What’s your favorite birthday cake?

(so) THANKFUL | that I got to see my dear friend Tanja and for everyone else who reached out for my birthday.

SLACKING | a bit in my running routine this month, but making up for it by doing more strength and yoga sessions. It’s all good!

(kindly) ASKING | for some really positive vibes for a friend. She could really use them.

REMINISCING ABOUT | the epic skiing vacation that my whole family (my parents and sister + family) spent in the Italian Alps/Dolomites exactly 5 years ago (I’ve been getting these pop-up reminders on social media). I hope we get the chance to do that again sometime! 

MAKING | Kaiserschmarrn — a fancy name for a shredded German pancake. Well, the original recipe for a Kaiserschmarrn calls for whipped egg whites and raisins and is usually served with a side of fruit compote, but I think you can call any shredded pancake with a dusting of powdered sugar Kaiserschmarrn. The one pictured above has just mixed berries (mixed into the batter).

DRINKING | coffee from my new favorite coffee mug.

LOVING | the camera on my new phone. Holy smokes, it’s impressive.

FEELING | a little stressed out by work right now. I don’t want to go into details, but let’s just say delegating, distributing work, and communication is an issue in our office sometimes.

EXCITED | about the new laptop that I picked up from IT at my office this week. I always seem to get the hand-me-dows, but at least the (new-to-me) laptop I got is a serious upgrade from the clunky Dell latitude that was already 8 years old.

ELATED | that Jon’s first vaccine appointment is scheduled for next week. Finally! 

HOPING | that I will also be getting an appointment soon. Governor Newsom just released a statement that everybody over the age of 16 will be eligible after April, 15 here in California.

What is currently going on with you?

RELIEVED | to be hearing positive, ‘boring’ news out of the White House right now. I feel like I can finally let up on paying attention to the news 24 hours a day. Well, I mean, I am still paying attention to the news, but I don’t have to be outraged at every single instant. Joe Biden has a rough road ahead of him (I am currently reading the chapter in Obamas book, where he talks about how hard the Republicans were making it to actually govern), but I am hopeful that this administration will move us in the right direction.

RELISHING | the morning sun that shines into my window in the kitchen. 

USED | some of my sourdough discard to make these delicious sourdough discard apple-cinnamon waffles. ICYMI, here is the recipe.

SWITCHING | back to baking bread in the Dutch oven again. It makes these beautiful, perfectly round loaves with a beautiful crust, and I am in love.

LOVING | the coffee sock* that we bought for our Chemex coffeemaker. I originally got it as a backup in case we run out of filters (which almost happened a few weeks ago), but we might just switch to the coffee sock permanently once we’ve used up our filters, because it’s a pretty awesome green alternative to single-use filters. 

DRINKING | coffee + tea. 

SHARED | my 2021 Fringe planner last week, in case you’re curious which planner I am using this year. It’s a simple, no frills planner, but that’s just the way I like it.

(still) READING |  A promised land by Barack Obama. It’s really good, but it’s slow going (and admittedly, I haven’t spend a whole lot of time reading this month), but you definitely need to read this book. Put it on your list. So many insights.

LISTENING | to the constant hum of my work laptop’s cooling fan. I know, I am pushing this old laptop to its limits and I am hoping to get an upgrade soon. 

EATING | mashed potatoes with sauerkraut, and I recommend you give this a try. Trust me, it just goes so well together. 

UPDATED | the blog post for my barley soup recipe with this better photo, after someone recently asked me if the recipe was on the blog. It is, and you should make it sometime!

SMILING | because my outdoor runs make me happy. We had a few fairly warm days (as per usual in February in California) and I’ve been taking advantage.

WEARING | my favorite running/yoga pants from Old Navy (which I get so many comments on). Yes, I love them, too :)

LOOKING FORWARD TO | my birthday week in March. I am planning to take a couple of days off, just because I can!

What is currently going on with you?

 

FEELING | cautiously hopeful for the future of this country. Watching the inauguration last week and seeing sane tweets from our new president (and his press secretary) in the last few days make my heart so calm and happy.

LISTENING TO | the rain storm that finally came through the valley last night (thankfully, no damage around here and not power outages in our neighborhood, but more rain to come the next few days!).

ENJOYING | our beautiful California January skies. (We desperately need more rain, but of course, I’ll take a blue sky when I can.)

LOVING | our fake TV-fireplace a little bit too much.

WATCHING | Schitt’s Creek. You guys, we finally started watching this show. I know we’re way late (as we are with most shows, if we get around to watching any shows at all), but so far, we’re enjoying it. I mean, it’s funny. I am not sure I am getting the hype yet, but I am willing to give it a little more time.

READING | A promised land by Barack Obama. Man, he’s a good writer (which doesn’t surprise me). But this book is dense. I am not getting through it as fast as I was expecting, but it’s utterly fascinating.

EATING | a warm, steaming bowl of steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast (most days).

DRINKING | (pots of) camomile-lavender tea. 

LEARNING | to appreciate some of the Peloton yoga and (sleep) meditation content. I am usually not someone who can relax and “do nothing” easily, but these shorter classes have given me an appreciation for just being “still” for a little while.

(super) EXCITED | about my Peloton Century Club t-shirt that I received in the mail this month. I’ve been using the Peloton app since August of 2020 and everyone, even the app users, get a Century Club shirt when they reach 100 workouts in any one category (it was “rides” for me, closely followed by strength classes).

MISSING | a more regular running routine. I currently only run once (sometimes twice) a week outdoors and I am looking forward to early morning runs again when the sun rises earlier and it is light out before I start work.

BUYING | coffee filters for $20. Ugh. Who’s been hogging all the Chemex coffee filters? I’ve been trying to get them for a few weeks now and finally had to order them online for a steep price because they were out of stock everywhere. What’s up with that?

WEARING | sweatpants and hoodies. Don’t tell me you are actually getting dressed these days.

What is up with currently?

DRINKING | Stumptown Coffee again!! Jon got a shipment for his birthday – pssst, it was from me! Totally unselfish gift, of course! Haha, I am glad that he’s always happy to share with me! – and we’ve been enjoying our morning cups of “Hair Bender” over the weekend. It’s so, so good. Oh, and also…

LOVING | the new mug that came with it. Seems like just the right replacement for my beloved “Thinking Cup”-mug that I accidentally broke last week. 

EATING | sourdough Greek yogurt blueberry crumble muffins for Jon’s birthday. I am telling you, it’s worth starting a sourdough starter just to have sourdough discard to use up in baked goods. The texture of these muffins was somewhere between a scone and a muffin, a little chewier, not quite as soft. They were so delicious. 

READING | Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. It’s the first fiction book I’ve read in a while, and it’s a nice change of pace.

APPRECIATING | the week of (use or lose) staycation that I was able to take last week. I hadn’t really planned to take any more time off this year (before Christmas), but I am for sure not wasting any earned vacation time if I can help it. I didn’t really “do” much, it’s not like we could really plan anything or go anywhere, but I was able to sleep in a little, get some outdoor runs in, I took my (road) bike for a ride, and also took a few naps here and there. Glorious.  

WATCHING | Hocus Pocus! It’s Halloween time – what else do you expect me to watch?

LOOKING FORWARD TO | the holiday season. Although I know it’ll be sneaking up on me again (as it somehow always does) and I am not sure yet how we’re going to spend the holidays (probably by ourselves, I am guessing), I feel like it’s always a special time of the year. 

ENJOYING | these extra-warm fall days while they last. It’s not normal for Northern California to have temperatures up into the 90’s and no rain at all by the end of October, but since we can’t do much about it, I am embracing the late-summer feeling for a little longer.

(still) WEARING | shorts and t-shirts. 

FEELING | a little anxious regarding the upcoming election. Just me? I want to be hopeful, I am hopeful that things will turn out alright, but man, I was thinking the same thing 4 years ago and you all know what happened.  But I am…

EXCITED | to hear that so many people have already voted early, including us!

BUYING | a new microwave. Ours finally bit the dust. I contemplated for a minute if it was worth trying to repair it, but I honestly think it was about 10 years old and I was not sure I should be meddling with electric appliances (and getting it repaired would probably have cost as much as a new one). I did the right thing, right? 

STOKED | to participate – or should I say keep carrying the torch? – for NaBloPMo again, starting next week. It’ll be my 15th year. Call me committed. Who’s joining me?

What is currently going on with you?

LOVING | my new spin bike. I’ve had it for almost three weeks and have been on it almost every day (I only skipped a couple of days when I opted for outdoor runs). This will be great to have during the fall and winter months, I already know it!

LISTENING TO | the Peloton instructors’ playlists. Haha. Have any of you guys tried the German rides yet?

ASKING | for some good vibes for a dear friend.  

DEALING | with some heartburn issues again. Do you think this could be psychological with everything going on this year? Ha. I am pretty convinced it’s caused by low stomach acid in my case and it’s very annoying. I was good for a while and haven’t really changed my diet, so I have no idea where this is coming from again. So over it.

READING | Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary Trump. Have you read – or are you planning to read – it?

EATING | pizza with tomatoes and arugula. So good, you should try that.

DRINKING | hot tea for the first time in a while. We had a couple of days of more moderate temperatures and if you know me,  I’ll take any excuse to make hot tea. However, it’s supposed to heat up again over the weekend. It’s not quite fall here yet.

WATCHING | the sunrise.  I was able to get out for a couple of early morning runs to the river again recently because air quality has finally improved. I hope we won’t get any more bad fires, in fact, we could use some rain soon.

FEELING | depressed about the death of RBG and what this means for the court and the country, and

MIND-BOGGLED | by the fact that so many Republicans, first and foremost Mitch McConnell, have no spine or moral compass. Shameful.

WORRIED ABOUT | what will happen in November. We cannot have a repeat of 2016, and I am just so worried that Trump won’t leave the White House if he loses.

AMAZED | that it’s almost been a year since Jon and I flew to Germany to surprise my parents for the big birthday party. I have no idea where this year went and I miss my family. That’s all. 

LOOKING FORWARD TO | fall. Are you?

WEARING | Jon’s Fitbit in addition to my Garmin, because I want to compare step and heart rate output. Because I am weird like that. 

What is currently going on with you?

STICKING TO | my bi-weekly grocery run schedule, but damn do I wish I could go wander the aisles of Home Goods or Michaels again. Target is my only exception (as I go there for grocery and household items) and it’s as close as I get to just “window shop” the aisles at a store right now.

EATING | peaches. I always forget how good they are when they’re in season. 

DRINKING | smoothies. (Or should these count as “eating “?)

WATCHING | the Democratic National Convention and really liked some of the speeches. I know, Biden/Harris might not be your first pick (or even your second), but we need to elect them. Period. (And yes, I’ll also check out the Republican National Convention this week, but just to see what’s going on. I am not sure how long I’ll be able to stomach it. Did you read that a “half Of RNC’s Planned ‘Key Speakers’ Are Trumps“?)

WONDERING | how people have time to keep up with IG posts, stories, AND now reels. Please tell me your secrets. I feel like I am always ‘behind’ (please don’t put any important information in your stories, because I am afraid I’ll miss it. Haha.)

BUYING | another 25 lbs bag of rye flour because the baking shenanigans are continuing. 

WORRYING | about the fires in California. I don’t know if you can see it on our backyard table in this first picture, but it was ‘raining’ ash in many parts of (Northern) California last week and the air quality from all the different fires that broke out after all the lightning showers was awful. It seems to get worse every year.

TRYING TO | exercise outside when I can. It’s been a little tough lately and being chained to the house by bad air quality on top of the Corona quarantine feels like a double-whammy.

HOPING | that I can take my bike for another bike ride very soon. I got my tires filled up a couple of weeks ago, but the hot temperatures and recent smoke from the fires have prevented me to take it on a ride again. 

ADORING | the beautiful butterflies (and occasional hummingbirds) that I’ve seen around our bougainvillea in the last few weeks. 

WEARING | shorts, tank tops, and Birkenstocks – all day, most days. What’s your quarantine uniform?

READING | A long way home by Saroo Brierley. 

SENDING | snail mail. I’ve had some odd experiences with the Postal Service again recently, but with everything going around USPS politically, I am still trying to support the Postal Service.  Also, real letters and cards > bills and advertisements.

What’s going on with you currently?