My Fascination Street: March 2013

Where Will You Travel to in 2013?

Mar 30, 2013

Today marked the official first day of my 2013 Eurotrip planning so I will write about the stages I am in in hopes that people who think a vacation is only for the rich or for their dreams can plan their own soon.

When planning a long overseas trip the whole thing needs to border on obsession especially if you're not rolling in dough. I always obsess, plan, research prices, the works in order to keep myself in check mentally and financially. Planning ahead lets me follow flight cost trends and I've always managed to go away for really cheap. Except when I flew to LA from NYC during Thanksgiving weekend for 48 hours to see Morrissey but....some things can't be avoided.

I learned that summer is the worst time to travel. To Europe at least. Not that I've ever been on vacation in the fall and the city was full of locals but the summer makes it worse. School is out so students AND teachers are running rampant. It's hot and sticky and it just makes for a bad experience unless you're heading to a beach town. The prices are also absolutely insane. Everything drops once you decide to go away after Labor Day Weekend which is perfect because it's my best time to travel. This works out well because if you're going to a major city, especially any in Europe, you really can't enjoy it wish sunglasses on. The architecture in those cities is amazing and everything stands out when the sun isn't in full effect. I did experience the awful heatwave that went on in the fall of 2011 when I landed in Paris but a little shopping did the trick. Any excuse, right?

I'll be adding some of my favorite sites for finding fares, information on getting around when you're in certain European cities and anything else I think may be useful for a new traveler. Be Excited! Get a passport and just GO!

30 Day Shred · detox · My Daily Workout

My Daily Workout- March 30, 2013

I'm going to blame my slacking on allergies and you will just have to accept it. Deal? Deal! This is my first spring in LA and I spent a few days in the past week doped up on Benadryl. I did try to walk a lot but for the most part I just wanted to rot on my couch with Netflix.

It changed a bit today when I got up really early and did the 30 Day Shred. Ouch! I'm so sore! I was also very exhausted while doing it because we did a late night pick up shot and I didn't get home until after 2am.

I'm also drinking my detox juice nonstop and I can already see my stomach begin to lose some of its bloat. I can also attribute that to the lack of carbs and sodium in my diet but I'd like to think the juice helps as well.

body · detox · eat · Health

Detox Juice- Gotta Love Em!

Mar 27, 2013

There are so many variations of detox and cleansing drinks that are said to be the best. The Master Cleanse is an old favorite of mine as are regular detox drinks but after years of drinking some on and off I finally settled on one that I love.

Every day I take a few shots of 100% lemon juice because I know it helps cut fat and with bloat. I also always have a shot of concentrated cranberry juice or a cup of the regular variety (so long as it's 100% juice) because I've already suffered from an awful kidney incident and am paranoid. I've cut back on soda in the past few months and drink about 160 ounces of water daily so I figured why not just mix them all? I did a quick search for detox juices and found that a lot of them contain green tea because it revs up the metabolism so I decided to add it to the mix.

I have been drinking this for months and I love it. It's bitter but I haven't had sugar in coffee or tea for years so I'm used to the flavor. I've usually just made single serving mixes but since I want to drink a lot more of it I made a massive jug of it.

I don't go by a set recipe but to be safe I had the water filled up half way, used half of the cranberry juice and then a quarter of the lemon juice. I also heated up 4 cups of water and used 4 tea bags. I mixed everything together while the tea was still warm and voila. The only thing I don't like is the amount of carbs in cranberry juice but I have to ignore it since I actually need to drink lots of it.

I'm planning on always having one of these made in my refrigerator and hope that you will too! It's a nice alternative to just drinking water and it's doing something good for your body with very little effort.

airplanes · musings · travel · trips

I Love Airplanes

Mar 21, 2013

The act of flying is one of the most therapeutics things ever. Buying a ticket, the 24-hour check in, walking down the jetway and then finally taking off--it all amazes me. I'm afraid of grounded heights but not of flying. Watching cities dissapear as we head up above the clouds is my idea of a happiness.

dieting · eat · food · Health · SBD · south beach diet · weight loss

Dieting or “Dieting”

Mar 20, 2013

I am addicted to food. I love it. I hate it. I want it. I wish it didn't exist. ADDICTED! My relationship with it isn't the best because of what it does to my body. Moderation isn't something I really liked doing and that didn't help much in this department. As much as I love to eat there is a sense of pleasure and accomplishment that I always used to get whenever I resisted something or only ate a baby handful of food for lunch. While I’ve never been rail thin my super thin upper arms, amazing bone structure in my face and my protruding collarbone were something I always wanted to keep.

And then suddenly I turned 30 and my body said fuck it. EAT! ENJOY IT! And I listened. I listened to it so much that in two years I slowly gained 30lbs. Oh the horror! The shock! I blame a slight shift in my mental state for all that since I was kinda happy and not being obsessed with barely eating could have had a lot to do with it but with 9.5 months of living in LA under my belt I am very happy to say that I’ve gotten rid of 20 of those pounds and I vow to never ever gain them back. I mean, I have an entire wardrobe that I have spent years putting together and not only can I not afford and entire new one I wont be able to find 95% of the these items in another size. S0 in an effort to stay a healthy weight that my closet agrees with I’m starting up this little section. It will be filled with sarcasm, a bit of insanity (it hasn't gone away completely) and probably a couple of food porn photos every now and then.

Please note: I have a lot of friends that always have something to say about my cray relationship with food and say “healthy eating, portion control, moderation” etc is what I need to do. Everyone knows that. EVERYONE! But if it was that easy to follow gyms wouldn’t make so much money in December and January. And in terms of moderation well, if anyone has ever gotten drunk then they can’t talk.

budget traveling · Europe · travel · trips · vacation · virgin atlantic

Follow Me Down The Rabbit Hole

I’ve always been fond of airplanes and travel thanks to constantly riding in one when I was younger. I’ve never not had a passport and feel like kid in a candy store whenever I’m near an airport. Needless to say I am a certifiable airport nerd. Luckily my ability to travel helps me be around them a lot. The past few times that I’ve gone to Europe I’ve had to country hop in order to visit friends and check out some sites that I’ve always wanted to see or revisit some favorites and that always required a tight schedule and budget. My last lengthy trip spanned 4 countries, 9 cities, 8 plane rides, 3 train rides and no sleep and I managed to do it all without missing a beat. Being a frugal traveler goes a long way and I’ll be sharing some of my tips here. My thinking is this: When I’m on vacation I will not deprive myself of anything. Booze, food, cheesy touristy things--it’s all going to happen. I always work my butt off the months prior to a trip and usually come back with just enough money for the airtrain (when in NYC) but it’s all worth it. The memories I’ve made on all those trips always put a smile on my face and remind me to plan my next escape.

People at my current 9-to-5 are amazed by my stories and assume that I was able to do it because I had money. Not so my friends! The only way I was ever able to go anywhere was when I earned the money for flights, trains, hotels, hostels, apts, etc. Nothing was given to me and I hope I can give anyone who thinks they can’t afford something hope that they really can. To a travel expect this will be a bit of a bore but to a novice I hope it’ll light a spark that will just grow and grow until they finally that that trip they thought they’d never be able to take.

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