A union rally on Wednesday to a bike rally on Sunday( not really but it felt like one!) Aside from creating recipes, working out, and eating clean, I have a regular 9-5 well, 8:30-4:30. I work for Yale University, as a medical coder for Urology within the Department of Surgery. In layman’s terms, I read about, mostly, the male genitalia; vasectomies, circumcisions, kidney stones, etc. Chances are if you stop by my office, you may catch me watching a graphic video on YouTube about a urological procedure, or a diagram of the male anatomy aka peenies. I share an office with another woman, who I can best describe as elegant. She doesn’t swear, she’s soft spoken, she is just delicate. Basically, my opposite and as you can imagine, she is learning a lot from me. She recently learned about a Prince Albert, she was appalled to say the least.

As an employee, I am part of a local union, Local 34. Long story short, our contract is up this year and we need to start negotiations for a new contract without losing our current benefits. Also, the Yale Graduate Students want to be unionized and for the first time in history, a union chapter has been created for them.  On Wednesday, we rallied from a church on the green in New Haven to the Omni Hotel, 800 of us . Rep. Rosa DeLauro, New Haven Probate Judge Jack Keyes, and Attorney General George Jepsen were all present to support the movement.  It was a powerful moment that will be time stamped as part of Yale’s history, and I was there to show my support. I left inspired…

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2016/03/10/geso-rebrands-itself-local-33/

Thursday was sushi night, I love sushi and I love sakeeeee! I recently bought seaweed paper so that I can start making my own sushi, I just need a sushi mat. Lots of avocado and mango rolls will be rolled. I have a feeling they won’t look as pretty and I can’t even come close to the presentation this place had. Just look at that picture! They made a tiny teepee surrounded by a tiny log fence, I have never seen anything like it. Delicious rolls, quality sake and a table setting with plush pillows to lean on.

Grapefruits, Oranges and Lemons;  Limoncello. Grain alcohol, a gallon sized mason jar, citrus and a peeler (a good one)- that’s all you need, so simple! I choose grapefruit, one of my girls went the traditional route with lemons, while the other choose oranges. A good way to try a little bit of everything. Bottomless sangria was provided and a fresh mozzarella demonstration, as well. Both tutorials were simple and gave me more inspiration for my menu planning.  I never would have thought that I could make my own fresh mozz, now i know I can!

Fitness instructor in training, that’s me! After being asked by my local gym if I would be interested in teaching a 30 minute core class, I thought about it – I realized it meshes perfectly with the dream I am trying to chase.  Coincidentally, the opportunity arose when my blog was birthed, and I don’t believe in coincidences, it’s usually an omen. I did my research on the company that offers the training, I wanted to know if I could teach at other facilities, I wanted to know every little detail. The plan is to use this core class as a stepping stone; build clientele, network with fitness gurus, weigh my options of becoming a personal trainer. These are all the things I thought of when I signed the contract to become certified. I completed a full day of training and the next step is to send in a recording of me teaching a class. Be on the lookout because I am going to openly invite my supporters to participate in a FREE core class. I am looking to inspire others and be inspired….

As you may know, last week I tried my first spin class. Today, Sunday, I went back and was ready for that bike rally. The gym requires a 24 hour bike reserve, when I originally enrolled the class was fully booked and I was #3 on the waiting list, A WAITING LIST! This morning I received an email confirmation that a bike reserve was available. I found a seat I liked with a clear view of the instructor and not a bunch of asses in the air.  I like to copy the instructors stride to get a feel for how my stride should be. I was enthusiastic about my second ride! Then the music came on, 80’s rock music that is. It was somewhat of a buzz kill, until Alanis Morissette “Ironic” came on. Irony at it’s finest. I pedaled my ass off during that chorus. I wish it was karaoke spin, I would’ve sung to the class. Although the music selection wasn’t to my liking, I kept my momentum and pedaled way beyond my first spin, 17 miles! Woohoo! I love setting the bar and exceeding it more and more. I couldn’t just spin for the day, I choose to hit the barbells in an hour power class immediately following spin. Needless to say, I left the gym beat but stronger than when I walked in that front door…..