review

A year in review: 2019

January 3, 2020 filed under: my so-called life, recap, review

I cannot believe how fast 2019 came and went. If I had to sum the year up in a few words, it would be the year of reuniting with family and friends. I got to go to Germany in the spring to see one of my best friends get married, I reunited with not one, not two, not three, but four old friends, and attended my nephew’s first communion.

I got to hang out with some “local” (as in, Californian) friends this year, I kept running many miles and also added cycling to my routine. In October, we were able to go back to Germany a second time last fall to surprise my parents for their birthdays.

I started this year with being furloughed for 5 weeks, but also finally secured a permanent position at my job, and Jon and I went on a few weekend trips this year. Here’s what else happened in 2019.

JANUARY

In January, I welcomed the new year. I recapped our Christmas and my year of running 2018. I was furloughed and a bit consumed by it. For Tuesday Topics, I talked about how I fuel for a run and how I deal with stinky running clothes. I shared a list of things I wanted to do in 2019.

FEBRUARY

In February, I chose my word for the year. I shared our 2018 spending report. I also talked about why I (still) love running and the books I read in January.

MARCH

In March, I celebrated my birthday and got a new bike. I shared my favorite moments of the previous year. I talked about my sleep and my favorite non-fitness hobbies. I also spent a weekend in Southern California with my friend Tanja and took my first spinning class.

APRIL

In April, I shared my favorite cross training activities and my travel carry-on essentials as I was getting ready for my trip to Germany. I shared my Germany bucket list and then traveled to Germany and saw one of my best friends get married and reunited with a few more friends that I hadn’t seen in a while.

MAY

In May, I was able to attend my my nephew’s first communion. I posted a recipe for an amazing tortellini soup and Jon and I went to see NKOTB’s Mixtape Tour. I also talked about how you survive your first cycling class.

JUNE

In June, I talked about what you can do to get over emotional jetlag and shared some more memories from my trip home. We spent a day in Napa with friends and I shared some thoughts on running for Global Running Day. We also tried a new gnocchi recipe.

JULY

In July, we had a big earthquake in Southern California that we felt in Sacramento. Jon completed his first 5k at the Davis Moo-nlight Run. I shared some awkward & awesome things, showed you some new running products that I had tried, and spent the last weekend of the month in SF to run the SF Half Marathon for the 4th time.

AUGUST

In August, I made milk rice a lot, because it’s my favorite summer treat. I talked about the intricacy of friendship and took an overnight trip with Jon to the North Bay. I also posted about my favorite running shoes for Tuesday Topics.

SEPTEMBER

In September, I told you about my 6 favorite skin care products and explained how I pick which book to read next. For Tuesday Topics, I shared my thoughts on taper time and running pet peeves.

OCTOBER

In October, I shared how to pull off a birthday surprise when Jon and I traveled to Germany to surprise my parents for their 70’s birthday party. I also talked about staying sane at the grocery store, shared some of my favorite Friends quotes, and why you should read books (and watch movies) in their native language. I posted about what else was currently going on in October.

NOVEMBER

November was NaBloPoMo and I participated for the last decade, so I wasn’t going to break the streak. I told you about my parent’s ‘Oktoberfest-style” birthday bash, shared some of my little everyday luxuries, and answered some of your questions.

For Tuesday Topics, I talked about my warm-up routine and how I budget for races. We spent a weekend in Ventura and I finally showed you some pictures of our duplex. I organized the 4th annual Secret Santa Mug Swap and asked for your addresses again in my Holiday Card Roll Call.

I compiled another fun list of German idioms and told you who I am at the moment and what I am thankful for in 2019. I shared a few recipes for German Chicken Fricassee, Greek Gyro Salad, super-simple, super-delicious apple cake, and light spinach pappardelle alfredo.

DECEMBER

In December, I shared our Thanksgiving weekend with you. I posted a Christmas Wish List (just for fun!) and talked about the holiday season. I shared how we spent Christmas this year and what else was going on in December.

Share some highlights of 2019 with me in the comments! And thanks for always reading and commenting here. Your support means the world to me.

RECAPS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS:

2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.

My 6 favorite skin care products

September 9, 2019 filed under: beauty, review

I wish I was more fancy with my skin care routine, but alas, I am not. I am not a beauty blogger. I don’t have “extensive” knowledge about beauty products and, like most of us (I would assume), I have been switching and trying new products ever since puberty.

I go through phases where I am totally into all things skincare, I research and read up on brands and search for beauty blogs and recommendations from other bloggers. Then, I fall into my old habits and just stick with what I know.

I know some people drop a pretty penny on high-end skincare products, but I don’t have that kind of money, so I sometimes splurge on something really nice, but I also use a lot of drugstore products (and some of them are pretty good, IMHO).

Here are 6 products I actually use:

Micellar Water – I use Garnier All-in-1 Micellar Water* facial cleanser and waterproof makeup remover first in the evenings to get the grime and makeup off my face. It works in a pinch by itself, but I like to follow up with a foaming facial cleanser.

Facial Cleanser – My go to is the Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser*. I have tried other cleansers in between, but this one is gentle, it leaves my skin soft and hydrated and doesn’t make me break out. What else would you want from a cleanser?

Moisturizer – I use St.Ives Timeless Moisturizer for sensitive skin* at night and the Aveeno Hydrate and Protect SPF 50 Sunscreen* during the day (for the SPF, of course). I love both of them and have been repurchasing them, without going to something different, for at least 2-3 times now. Don’t change what ain’t broken.

C-Serum – I’ve been using the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum* for brighter, healthier skin underneath my moisturizer and makeup in the morning. By itself, it can feel a little drying right after application, but I love the citrus scent and it works well underneath my moisturizer.

Exfoliant (once or twice a month) – The Dermalogica Multi-Vitamin Therafoliant* was recommended during my last facial (which was over a year ago), but I’ve been using this every other week and really like it. It’s a great exfoliant, it makes my skin feel soft and makes it look fresh and clean.

Save for the last two products, these are all drugstore brands. If I am blown away by something fancier, I am willing to invest occasionally, but most of the time when I’ve tried more expensive brands in the past, they didn’t really live up to the hype and I went back to my drugstore products.

As always, I love to hear what you’re using, where to splurge and where to save in the skincare department. Leave your recommendations in the comments, please & thank you.

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the websites.

What I read in July

August 5, 2019 filed under: books, review

I read two books in July, hooray! It’s a miracle. J/K. Just happy to see that I invested some of my precious time in two good books last month.

The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us about Ourselves by Eric R. Kandel (★★★★☆)

Knowing many people with (diagnosed) mental disorders, I found this book fascinating in how it described (in layman terms) what was actually happening in the brain, because it’s hard to grasp what the processes are that lead to anxiety, depression, or other mental illnesses.

It’s – not surprising, but nonetheless – fascinating to better understand how tediously everything in our neurological system is organized and intended to work together, and how “easily” this system can be disrupted. It makes you wonder how anything in the body actually works hand-in-hand and well most of the time.

All we ever wanted: A Novel by Emily Giffin (★★★★☆)

Emily Giffin picked an important and timely topics surrounding social media, privilege, and racism. The story centers around a student from a well-off family, who’s being accused of circulating a provocative picture of a female classmate with immigrant background. The story is written from three different perspectives: the male student’s mother, Nina, the female student, Lyla, and her father, Tom. I thought this book was well written and definitely thought-provoking. The way Giffin chose to end this story left me a little bit disappointed (you’ll understand if you read the book), but it still gave me a lot to think about as the book raises issues of class, wealth, entitlement, and just how far parents will (or should) go to protect their child.

What did you read in July? Anything you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment, and then add me on Goodreads to keep in touch.

Monthly recap | March

April 5, 2019 filed under: my so-called life, review

READ

Reading is still slow…. still reading the same book (all month. Sigh). I actually had to re-borrow it from (a different) library because I didn’t get through it in 3 weeks.

COOKED

I’ve cooked modified versions of this tortellini soup. One time, we used ground beef instead of sausage, another time with had spinach tortellini and extra spinach instead of kale. This is such a quick and delicious dinner!

WATCHED

“Happy Feet” (for the first time!)(★★★★☆)

So cute! I really enjoyed this one.

“Christopher Robin” (★★★★★)

This movie was so lovely. I urge you to watch it sometime.

Do you see a pattern? I’ve been watching quite a few children’s movies lately. I just need something uplifting and feel-good at the end of the week. Nothing too sad or dramatic or action-packed.

Oh, and I watched an episode of “Tatort” (translation: “crime scene”), which is a German crime series, at my friend Tanja’s house last weekend and it was so fun because I hadn’t watched an episode of that show in a long, long time.

LISTENED TO

I’ve listened to “Pod Save America“ (the only podcast I will regularly listen to) and also downloaded “SkimmThis”, the podcast that goes with The Skimm emails. News compressed into a roughly 10 minute (week)daily pod. Maybe I can manage that?

BOUGHT

I feel like I bought a lot of things this month: flights, a bike (well that was technically a gift, but if you’re married, it comes out of the household budget), hotel reservations, dresses. Does spending money make you uneasy sometime?

RAN

I ran 55.5 miles this month. I rode my bike a couple of times and then I threw in a cycling class with my friend Tanja last weekend (which was awesome and I might start doing that more often for cross-training).

GOING-ONS

+ As you know, I had a great birthday. In fact, I had a pretty good birthday month!

+ I’ve ridden my bike to the Farmer’s Market and I can’t wait for the weather to be more agreeable to bike riding.

+ As mentioned in my Currently post, I finally booked my flight(s) to Germany and I couldn’t be more excited to finally go home for a visit again.

+ I went shopping for dresses this month (I’ll have a wedding and communion to attend in Germany) and man, I have a hard time finding something that I like. I used to enjoy weekend shopping trips, but for some reason, spending hours upon hours going through clothes’ racks has become less and less appealing to me. Where do you shop for clothes these days?

+ My position was advertised earlier this month. (I am currently on a term appointment that cannot be converted, but I have to apply to a new “vacancy”). I didn’t expect this to happen before the summer, but I am glad they’re getting the ball rolling early.

+ I got to work on one of my favorite projects at work this week and that, of course, made this whole month awesome.

+ I spent the last weekend in March visiting my friend Tanja in SoCal. It was nice to get away for weekend. We got some (much needed) girl time and we had so much fun! I’ll tell you all about it in a separate post (because yes, it warrants its own post!).

How was your March?

Monthly recap | February

March 1, 2019 filed under: my so-called life, review

READ

This month was slow going. I only finished one book, This might be the place. Woomp. Hoping to pick up my reading pace again in March.

COOKED

I found this Chimichurri beef and rice dish online and loosely followed it but substituted the ground beef with steak. It was delicious, fast and so satisfying. You need to try this.

WATCHED

Parenthood (★★★★★)

Gasp. I know. You all have probably finished that show a long time ago (twice over), and to my defense, I was totally on track to finish it myself, before I fell off the bandwagon, as things go.

As I mentioned, I don’t watch that much TV (except for news), so it’s hard for me to find the time to keep up with shows, even if I love them, even if I am invested in the characters. But I watched an episode (or two) this month and I am determined to keep going until I finish it, damn it.

Did you hear about the Morgans? (★★★★☆)

I took J’s advice and just “put on a movie” one Saturday night and randomly landed on this 2009 movie with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. Actually quite entertaining and just what I needed. Have you seen it?

Ratatouille (★★★★☆)

I am usually not a huge fan of animated movies, but I’ve come to appreciate some of the ‘adult’ wit and humor in some of them. It’s just nice to put one of these on in the background and get an occasional laugh out of it.

I also watched the Oscars last weekend (did you?). I was a little underwhelmed, some of the big actors/actresses were MIA and since I haven’t seen any of the movies that were nominated, I didn’t have any stakes in the game.

LISTENED TO

I’ve been listening to “Pod Save America“ and also downloaded a few episodes of “This American Life“, which I’ve enjoyed on and off in the past.

BOUGHT

Well, what did I buy this month? Not much. I bought a new screen protector for my phone, because mine cracked (but luckily protected the phone screen, as it was supposed to).

We also finally had to replace the filters in our Berkey water filter (after 3+ years! This is consistent with what they advertise) and they’re not cheap, but I gladly spend that money for years of clean, filtered water!

RAN

I ran 53 miles in February and I’ve seen a bit of an improvement of my paces, which is really cool to see. Sometimes it seems like progress takes forever, but discipline and consistency usually pays off. I took 204,769 steps, which is an average of 7, 313 per day. That’s better than last month. I’ll take it!

GOING-ONS

+ I finally went back to work on January, 28 because the president caved to Nancy.

+ I went to a workshop in Denver for a week at the beginning of the month and it was so, so good. We don’t get to do this nearly often enough. Every conference or workshop is a hassle to get approved when you work for the government (just ask me again about wasteful government spending, it’s not happening in our office).

+ We went out to dinner with the couple we saw for Christmas Eve and we had a great time. We hope to meet up soon again.

+ I got our taxes done, woot! And to my relief, we pretty much came out the same way as last year. We’re getting a few hundred dollars back (which actually showed up in my bank account today!), which is nice, but it’s not a big enough refund that would make me ‘rethink’ our withholdings. I think I got them pretty much nailed down.

+ I found out this month that I am probably – oh, only after 14 years of working here – will finally get my permanent position this summer. I feel like I’ve run a marathon at this job (and then some extra miles). Remind me again why I stuck it out? Oh yeah, because I (mostly) like what I do here.

+ I spent a day with my friend Susi in the snow in the Sierra foothills, which was fun!

+ Here in the Central Valley, it’s been a pretty rainy month. It’s good, we need the rain but it’s always like this: we get none or too much at once. Another flood warning was in effect the last couple of days.

How was your February?

* #notanad, This is not a sponsored post. I have not been compensated by the brand or anyone else for linking the products/websites.

Monthly Recap | January

February 2, 2019 filed under: my so-called life, review

I am trying a new blog feature this year which was inspired by the monthly recap posts that my blog friend Stephany was sharing last year. I liked the idea of a monthly recap so much that I decided pick up the idea for my blog. I’ve tweaked the format a little bit, but I am excited for these recaps. They’re mostly for me, I guess, but I hope you’ll enjoy them too.

Read

I read four books this month, two fiction, two non-fiction (which I will review in a separate upcoming post, as always). The two novels I read were Every Note Played, which I enjoyed very much, and The Incendiaries, which I didn’t care for too much. The two non-fiction books, Tomorrow Will Be Different and This Is the Way The World Ends are both must-reads in my book!

Cooked

Remember that I said that I would like to try new recipes this year? I can already recommend the two that I tried this month: Fish Florentine and an adapted version of this Tuscan Lentil Stew. Both were very good and will definitely get a spot in my recipe binder!

WATCHED

I watched more TV than usual (also due to the shutdown situation). In a regular week, I usually just watch some news every night and then MAYBE one movie or a show on the weekends. January was definitely an exception. Here’s what I watched (besides the news, which I was also glued to a lot):

Salt Fat Acid Heat (Netflix) (★★★★★) – This is a mini-series and I wish there were more episodes to watch. I was never someone who watched cooking shows, but this was super-intriguing.

Lila Lila (★★★★★) (on Amazon Prime) – This is a German movie and it was nice to watch something in German for a change (I hardly ever do). I don’t know how to describe it but German movies have a different ‘flow’ than American movies. I feel like they’re “slower” and they don’t fill every single second with words or action.

Sing (Netflix)(★★★★☆) – I had heard about this (animated) movie before. I am not the biggest fan of animated movies, but this was supposedly quite funny: an optimistic koala tries to save his theater with a singing contest featuring a timid elephant, a teenage gorilla, an overworked sow.

Saving Capitalism (Netflix) (★★★★★) – Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor and Professor, takes his book and his views to the heart of conservative America to speak about our economic system. I am a sucker for these kinds of documentaries.

3 Türken und ein Baby (Netflix) (★★★★☆) – another German movie. Light, humorous entertainment: the lives of three dissatisfied Turkish brothers running a family bridal shop turn topsy-turvy when one of them finds himself in a situation where he has to care for his ex-girlfriend’s baby.

Along Came Polly (TV re-run) (★★★★☆) – I like Jennifer Anniston and Ben Stiller and this movie is just fun to watch. I catch re-runs of it every now and again.

Listened to

I mentioned before, I am not much of a podcast person, so don’t expect a lot of updates in this category, but I still want to mention it, if I listened to something worth recommending. As previously stated, I am enjoying the podcast “Pod Save America“, where former Obama staffers discuss the political events of the week.

Bought

Because of the shutdown and no money coming in, I really didn’t shop much (other than the necessities) this month, but I did get these awesome running leggings (that I mentioned in my “monthly favorites“) on clearance (+ sale) from Old Navy. I also bought this amazing European-style bread that I mentioned in my “Currently“-post, but I’d totally count that as a necessity rather than a splurge.

Ran

I ran 71 miles in January. That’s on the higher end of my average monthly mileage. I know it was due to me being furloughed and having more time on my hands. If I am frustrated, I run. I took a total of 192,326 steps with an average of 6,204 steps (or about 3 miles) per day. That’s not quite where I want to be, so I’ll have to keep an eye on that number.

Going-ons

+ As many of you know, I was furloughed for five weeks. While I can’t say that I ever get bored and definitely had time for things that I usually don’t find much time for, the not-knowing when I’d go back to work (and into paid status) was chipping away at me mentally. January felt forever long.

+ I got my annual checkup right before Christmas and the results from my blood work were all normal, hooray!

+ I kinda fell off the bullet journal bandwagon last year and only used it on and off during the second half of the year. I wanted it to be an organizational tool as much as I wanted it to be a creative outlet, but I just didn’t put the effort in. But I read over and over again that it can take a while until you find your groove with a bullet journal and I am not ready to give up on it quite yet. For 2019, I am planning to change my approach a little bit to make it work better for me.

+ I gave my hair an at-home dye job and it turned out quite well, if I dare say so myself. I just can’t justify spending $150 at a salon all the time.

+ I received my Mom’s Christmas package in the middle of January and while it was about 4 weeks late, I was so happy that it arrived at all, packaging intact and no contents missing.

+ We had two visitor’s in January (which must be some sort of record, because we hardly ever have visitors, let alone two in one month!). At the beginning of the month, J’s friend came to visit from Portland for the weekend, and then, J’s Mom came up over MLK’s holiday weekend.

+ I found some unexpected extra time to work on my knitting this month. It’s been slow going (even though I usually get more knitting done during the winter month than the rest of the year), but I am making progress with my triangle shawl.

+ Before the shutdown, I found out that I’d be switching supervisors at work. I was very happy with my previous supervisor (I have known and worked with her for all the time that I have been with the USGS) and I wasn’t very happy that I’d be forced to switch, but I had my first meeting with my new supervisor this week when were finally asked to come back work and I am optimistic that things will work out with him.

+ Two days after we went back to work, we already received partial backpay for the time we were furloughed. That was a huge relief (especially since we don’t know what’s going to happen in two weeks, when the next budget deadline hits).

+ We had some rain but we also had some beautiful, sunny winter days here in Northern California. When the skies are clear, I can see the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada on my runs!

How was your January?

Year in review: 2018

January 3, 2019 filed under: reminiscence, review

Another year is in the books. It’s hard to sum up a year, but as always, I’ll try. Like last year, I created this little infographic.

2018 was a mixed bag. Some things didn’t go as planned, some things were frustrating as hell (especially politics), but we also had some wins this year.

I got to see two good friends get married, I got to turn a URL friend to IRL friend, J and I celebrated 12 years of marriage, and I ran my fastest half marathon yet.

We sold our house but found a great new place to live, and while this year ended with me being furloughed (again), we also ended this year on a good note!