Blogger time (edited at 10:30pm)

I have tons to write about! I really wanted to write yesterday night but I had to wake up INCREDIBLY early so I held off on it. I was in my tired state too, so that should have made for an interesting blog. But this will have to do.

- Pismo Beach Retreat
I freaking LOVE Pismo Beach. It is the place that I would want go to for weekend vacations. I didn't realize how close it is to LA - I wish TMV would go! But I don't really feel like pushing a beach house rental on them because I don't know how many people would do it and a ski cabin seems to be more worth it. The house we stayed at was nicely decorated. I would kind of want to decorate my future apartment the way they did - the walls were nice paint colors and everything was so CLEAN and NEW looking! I love houses that have a garage on the first floor and then you walk up to your living room/kitchen and then you walk up to your bedroom! I would totally want that. Also, the weather there is my FAVORITE weather ever - fog all day! So wonderful. The beach is much more isolated than the other SoCal beaches we frequent, and there are SURFERS!

The food was not as great as my officer's retreat but whatever. The first night I felt a little more anti-social so I just went upstairs instead of drinking. I was planning on going to sleep but then I saw an empty bedroom with a TV! So I started browsing channels and somehow got sucked into THE BIGGEST LOSER.

So the Biggest Loser is a pretty addicting show. At least for someone like me, who kind of likes reality shows and LOVES to see how people exercise. I've heard about this show but never bothered to watch it, and now that I've seen two episodes, I'm ordering myself never to watch another episode again. It's a well-produced show, but I know it's TERRIBLE for me - so terrible that I am going to cut myself off from it. This is the same principle I use for Nutella - I've never had Nutella plain, because I am certain that if I ever did, I would end up eating jars of it for dinner.

So The Biggest Loser if you didn't know is a reality show where they pick obese people and stick them in this competition of who can lose the most weight. You win $50,000 I think, but MOST IMPORTANTLY you gain a healthier body and self-esteem. They have doctors and trainers, one of which would probably make me cry. Her name is Julliene (sp?) and she says things like "Don't you DARE walk. Just try it. I'll make you run, I swear" and this is at a point when people are saying things like "I'm about to fall off!" I also notice that some of the things they make the contestants do are beyond my own capabilities. For one, there is no way I would ever attempt to run at 10 mph on a treadmill because I'd just fly off.

BUT why it's evil: the show is just a giant ad for tons of shit! 24 Hour Fitness is written everywhere and I hear that they advertise a bunch of "healthy" foods. So knowing me, I'd probably see them advertise some sort of oatmeal and rush out to buy a Costco-sized box of it. But, the good thing is that show is VERY inspirational. As I watched them exercise, I just started doing crunches too.

The second night was much more fun for me. I was the DJ for the night! Which was SO fun to do because then I wasn't obligated to dance, I could just sit at a chair, and I LOVE choosing music to play. I also didn't really have to drink, and the little that I had didn't do much to me. A lot of people would come by and say that I was a good DJ, which made me SUPER happy. :D It was more fun with this group because they liked listening to old 90's music and some actual oldies because they could sing to it. The only time I actually felt really terrified of pissing off the crowd was when I was told to play the Cha Cha Salsa, and I had never heard the actual song before - I've just heard people sing it. So when there was a lull in the middle, I just switched the song and EVERYONE got SUPER pissed because they hadn't gotten to do the "throw your hands up and clap!" part which is understandably the best part. Everyone was like "WHAT?!?!" but then the beginning notes of Journey's - Don't Stop Believing came on and everyone was like "OMG YEAHHHHH!" so I was saved from an angry drunken mob.

- Cooking a REAL meal
My friend Brian came over last night and we studied a little before going to Trader Joe's. I didn't realize that planning to do something at 5:30 meant eating dinner which led to "OH we're eating dinner together?!" "I THOUGHT that was IMPLIED, Melissa" AHAH So now I know. So yesterday Brian helped me make MY FIRST MEAL EVER! He accurately predicted that we would eat at 9:30, because the damn bus never came. I think we waited like 30 minutes for the 51. Shopping on Sunday also really sucks because everything is gone and they don't have anything in the stockroom. Brian is a really good cook and we made:
- Salmon with miso sauce and a lime
- Pasta with tomato sauce, mushroom, onions, and chicken
- Corn
- Red wine

SO GOOD! I was super happy to actually eat A MEAL! In my kitchen! Honestly, Brian did most of the work, at least all the stuff on the stove which is the thing that I don't really know how to do. But he was very nice about giving me tips (a little oil when boiling pasta) and letting me do things to make me feel like I was contributing. HAHA

- First Practice
So the reason I had to wake up early today, 4:30AM EARLY to be exact, was because today was the first morning crew practice! We have it M, W, F, Sa and we meet at 5:00. I actually ended up waking up at 4:00 and just doing light dozing so I wouldn't miss my alarm. When I was getting up I felt terrible but by the time I brushed my teeth, I was pretty excited. The good thing is that it's so early that you're not even hungry for food so there's no need to eat breakfast. We carpooled to the marina and then actually got on a boat to row :D I think most of the people had gone to afternoon practice so they at least knew how to do the strokes. I had class/wasn't able to so I was like kind of like ... what ... but I think most people were still starting off at the same level. I thought it was pretty fun, although next time I am going to wear a sweatshirt because it was FREEZING. We got back at 7:30ish and I ate half a bagel and tried doing some things before I succumbed to my tiredness and just went to sleep for an hour. Got up for my accounting class, then came back and hung out with Brian. SO YAY! First practice! I hope I get much better at rowing otherwise I will feel really sad about myself and probably just quit. Now I can cross something off my Berkeley Bucket List

Which reminds me, for some reason at Pismo Beach, the idea of bucket lists came up. A lot of Berkeley people were seniors so they were discussing all the things they want to do before they graduate. I have a list (on the right!) but I always thought of it as "things to do" rather than "bucket list." Why have a fancy name for it? And people would think of a few things, and then be like "help me think of more!" which I don't get because I don't think it really belongs on the list if it's not something you REALLY want to do, in which case it should come to you pretty easily! It's interesting that a lot of people shared the same things. I guess for Berkeley specifically I would want to:

- Eat at Chez Panisse (HOPEFULLY when I get an internship offer! Or maybe a full-time job offer would be more appropriate)
- Eat at that Ethiopian restaurant on Telegraph (I think I'll plan this for next week)
- Take all the buses (mainly the 7 and 52L)
- Explore past the Rockridge Bart Station on College Ave.
- Explore the restaurants further south on Telegraph, past the shadier parts of town
- Go on a date
- Go to a concert in the Greek Theater
- Attend a football game
- Do the Hammer time dance at a party (somewhat jk)


That's about it. I am feeling very terrible right now because I unintentionally stood up a guy. I think he's pretty pissed. AHHH *cries*

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Edit:

I TOTALLY forgot but I also started this craz for an AMAZING combination of really thin pancakes, Trader Joe's Midnight Moo, and a scoop of cookies n cream ice cream. Most delicious thing EVER. I ate like seven pancakes yesterday and I didn't even feel too guilty.

Also, jogging on the beach is just as fun and carefree as it seems