Awkward and Awkward Thursday: Where’s the Juice?

This week has been an especially frustrating one, and all of my frustrations revolve around juice.

Think I’m crazy? Don’t worry, I do too. Let’s start with awkward part one, from the beginning. I arrived at work Wednesday completely pumped to start a Jus by Julie three-day cleanse. I LOVE juicing, and my friend had said this was her favorite one.

When I realized at 8 a.m. that Jus by Julie had sent me an order confirmation but no tracking information (which they had referenced would follow), I immediately sent an email and also gave their receptionist a call. I won’t bore you with the play-by-play, but essential I reached out by phone, email, Twitter, carrier pigeon, you name it, and judging by their latest tweet, the company was indeed on vacation.

I tried to reach Jus by Julie all day.

After 4 p.m. I finally sent an outraged email outlining all of the reasons it was inconsiderate and poor service for the company not to get back to me. The email in itself was awkward. I do not get angry. It’s not something I do. But here I am, very angry, and feeling completely outside of my skin because of it.

I received a phone call immediately. The person on the other end sounded a bit annoyed and  explained that something was wrong with their delivery tracking, and I would get my juice the next day. Seriously? Was that five-minute phone call so difficult? This tells me two things:

1. There is not reward in being a calm and collected, friendly customer, which is so disappointing. Hours of this approach got me absolutely nowhere, but when I got angry I got answers.
2. The FedEx issue was, as I suspected, a widespread problem yesterday. In this case, a blast email or even a tweet to explain the issue and tell customers to be patient might have been a good, considerate idea. I mean, one thing I loved about the idea of this cleanse is that it is delivered early enough to start on the same day. I literally ate nothing the first half of the day thinking they’d get back to me before lunch on my delivery ETA.

After the awful 8 hours of lack of customer service, I thought surely they would apologize in a genuine way and even offer something extra, or an added incentive for a follow-up order. I’m not a freebie-hound, but this was the first time ever that I really felt it was something I deserved. You shouldn’t upset people who are giving up solid food to enjoy your product, it is just unkind, and disappointment coupled with extreme hunger should be compensated.

Today I received my juices “on time,” and was happily drinking through my cleanse until awkward part two happened.  I got to juice 4 and realized that my juice 5 was missing from the fridge at work. Almond Breeze. I was actually excited to drink it and have been anticipating it all day. I considered blast emailing my coworkers to call a search for the missing juice. Other people are cleansing this week as well, I saw a ton of BluePrint bottles in the fridge, surely my juice was taken in error and could be returned. This sounds silly, but understand that i am consuming six juices for the day – that is all the nourishment that I get, and one is missing! And it’s my favorite one! Juice #5 on days 2 and 3 is a different  juice. A petty thing to complain about in a life where I feel all-around blessed, but it felt tragic. It still does. Go ahead, laugh at me.

The Jus by Julie juices are awesome, and I’m really enjoying them, but I feel like I will forever associate this cleanse with feelings of stress and frustration. And lots of awkward.

Awkward and Awesome Thursday: Mid-Summer Check In

Oh boy – where do I start?

AWKWARD

It has been so long since I logged in to Christina Does, that I forgot my password, and was locked out of my account for too many attempts to get in!

It has been SO long since I logged in to Christina Does, that once I was logged in, I realized  Wordpress had upgraded to a sleeker design, and was so distracted that I could not find the button to create a post.

It has been SOOO long since I logged in to Christina Does, that I’ve received three CSA veggie deliveries, and cooked countless “farm to table,” delicious meals – and have not shared a single one.

AWESOME (with some more awkward thrown in for good measure)

I’ve visited Florida, got a haircut that I love (for once!), planned and executed a FABULOUS bridal shower and bachelorette party for my sister, got sunburnt TWICE, attended a Fourth of July BBQ, saw one of my best friend perform in NYC, workworkworked, FINALLY had brunch at La Birreria in Eataly, learned A LOT about solar energy even though I don’t own a roof, cooked (pesto, pickled radishes, lamb/mint meatballs, watermelon/mint salad, etc.), had the most amazing date at Hospada on the Upper East Side…the list goes on. If this all feels like a run-on sentence, good. That’s what my life feels like right now, so this is the best way to share it with you!

Oh yea, and with pictures (which I’ve also been spotty on updating these days). This is my first time embedding photos from instagram, and I am totally geeking out on how easy it is:

Beach day:

http://instagram.com/p/bfQ3Mmt4Hk/

Jamie’s parents’ house was infested with baby tree frogs:

http://instagram.com/p/bYwlLit4Jy/

My sister was a beautiful bachelorette:

http://instagram.com/p/a4T36HN4Jt/

Heaven:

http://instagram.com/p/Z1aiswt4Fs/

Jamie bought an ugly shower curtain. I want to kill him for it.

http://instagram.com/p/Zknx9PN4If/

…So yes, that’s all for now. I hope your summer is as busy as mine, partially because that would mean that you don’t really care that I’m neglecting you and my blog. I promise to return to a regular schedule (eventually), stick with me!

 

 

Awkward & Awesome Thursday: Compliment Your Cab Driver?

AWKWARD

• I keep forgetting the password to my blog. That MIGHT be why I haven’t posted in two weeks. Every time I get the motivation to share something, I try to log in so many times, that I have to reset my password, and then wait until WordPress will let me try again. I usually lose interest by that point…so sorry readers, for my shotty short-term memory. I’m working on it!

• Boyfriend has a new job that is much more demanding of his time than the old one, and I’m learning how much he really does keep me on track to living a productive life. Case in point?
  • I have watched far too much Kardashian nonsense in the past two weeks
  • I have been surviving on take-out and leftovers because I just cannot motivate myself to cook for one person
  • There might be more random shoes and clothing (clean) strewn around the bedroom than usual. But at least I’m still making the bed every day, right?

On the up side, I have been a bit more focused on my work and maid of honor duties, and I have been going to the gym more than usual.

AWESOME

• Sonas Denim is offering a discount to ChristinaDoes readers! Use the code love2013 for 20% off. I’m really loving these unique patchwork jeans, and am still debating if I want to order some skinnies in black, white or grey. Thoughts?

Sonas Denim Polk Street Ultra Skinny

Sonas Denim Nopa Skinny

Sonas Denim Broadway Skinny

• I loved the article in the New York Times yesterday showcasing compliments to NYC taxi drivers. This one really made me think – there have been a handful of situations where I’ve actually written down the driver’s information with the intent of complaining to 311, but I never knew that there was also a section for taxi riders to complement their drivers!  

After three years of living in this amazing city, I have probably come across every type of cab driver possible. For every few awful drivers (incessantly talking on cell phones, taking the longer route, break-slamming, being creepy to the point that I get out and take the subway, etc.), there has been at least one amazing cab experience. Three or four specific situations come to mind, where the driver either did me a favor by picking me up while he was off duty because it was raining, did everything he could to re-route out of bad traffic or had a conversation so good that I felt like I was exiting a therapy session as I entered my apartment. I cannot wait to compliment my next good driver – they get a letter of praise in the mail when you do!

I want to hear your awkward and awesome cab driver stories! Please share in comments!

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Awkward & Awesome Thursday: Concust and Almost Homeless

AWKWARD

• I have a concussion. I hit my head with a door on Sunday morning, simply because I am clumsy and was tired, and I woke up Monday with a bruise and lots of fun symptoms like dizziness, nausea, headaches, etc., which annoyed me enough by Wednesday to finally go to the doctor. The diagnosis? “You have a mild concussion. Rest your brain.” No TV, no computer… pretty impossible. So the headaches are here to stay for a while.

• To add insult to injury (quite literally, pun intended), silly me had an eye exam directly after being diagnosed with a concussion. This was my second eye exam ever in my short lifetime, and I’m pretty sure they never gave me the eye drops that make your vision blurry for two hours the first time around. So, I left the doctor, went to work, and strained my eyes for a while, giving myself the hugest headache known to man. Someone call the karma police, seriously, this is not in any way fair. 

• Our lease is up at the end of March, and Jamie and I have no idea if we’re staying or going. That’s okay in New York though, it’s oddly hard to plan a move more than two weeks in advance because of how quickly apartments turn over, but the planner in me is FREAKING OUT.

 AWESOME

• Everything “awesome” has to do with fitness today. Awesome #1: hot yoga (also awkward). I’m a super beginner at yoga and probably shouldn’t be doing it in normal temperatures, but I’ve started going to hot yoga once per week. I can’t do half the poses, and I have to leave the room once per class – I am admittedly not yet a yogi – but I absolutely love it. I think I could sit in child’s pose the whole 90 minutes and still sweat it out more than a normal workout.

• Awesome #2: Pilates reformer. I’ve been taking classes for about three weeks and I’m pretty much addicted. If you’re not familiar, Pilates reformer is different from regular Pilates mat workouts. The reformer machine uses springs for resistance and really helps you achieve stretches and positions you cannot do on your own. My goal is to strengthen my core in order to improve other things such as my posture and running.

That’s all I’ve got this week. I feel pretty boring, so to compensate, here are some awesome pictures of the lovely Giovanna and me from last weekend, courtesy of Photobot 3000:

Awkward & Awesome Thursday: The YouTube Heavy Edition

AWKWARD

• I tried my luck at my first 90-minute hot yoga class this week. Never mind that despite hydrating thoroughly I still got dizzy and had to curl into child’s pose multiple times, the awkward is that my neon pink sports bra bled bright pink through my white t-shirt, onto the white towel, etc. Has this ever happened to you? I’ve washed this bra so many times, but I’m wondering if all the extra color could have been from the Color Run many many months ago. Regardless, walking around with the pink outline of a bra painted on your back is certainly an awkward way to end your Tuesday.

• There is a cars-hitting-cars epidemic going down on my street. I’ve seen a total of THREE cars carelessly bang around others in order to fit into parking spaces (or get out of parking spaces) where they don’t belong. I keep my car in New Jersey and you can bet big money that I won’t be leaving it on the city streets any time soon.

• This morning there was a dog barking his head off outside of an unopened pet store like he WANTED IN. Homeboy was craving his kibbles and bits, I guess. I passionately regret not videotaping it and uploading to Vine.

AWESOME

• Whitening your teeth with banana peels. Barefoot Blonde explains how in this YouTube video:
   

  
  Also, I read that if you have trouble opening bananas – you know, when the stem gets all bendy and just won’t break – you should do it like a gorilla would: pinch the BOTTOM of the banana, it pops right open! This was enough to amaze me, but I’m easily amazed.

• Three weeks ago I switched jobs, returning to the job that I LOVED but left about seven months ago. Last week, I was eating out with a friend and our waitress brought over two flutes of champagne from, “the gentlemen at the bar.” Oh, the excitement! My thoughts: I don’t even look good today, no one ever randomly buys me a drink, I only see this happen in movies! I looked up and saw two old colleagues at the bar, wanting to wish me good luck on my return. It was so sweet, I was tickled pink. This was a moment that I will not soon forget.

• Bad Books! I saw Bad Books at Bowery Ballroom last night and they KILLED it. I was able to take one decent video from the show:

If you’re not a fan yet, you can stream their whole album on their website. Give it a listen and you will be hooked.

Awkward & Awesome Thursday: A Period of Transition

Well hello there! It has certainly been and awkward and awesome past few weeks. I am in a bit of a transition, so haven’t had too much time in front of the computer outside of office hours.

Last week I had dinner with a friend, and we wound up discussing how our twenties feel like an awkwardly constant transition. I found myself embracing this notion, saying that this is how things are supposed to be. By the end of dinner, I think we both walked away with a feeling of confidence in the unknown. As long as each “next step” makes a little more sense than the last, I think it is safe to say we’re moving forward.

Tomorrow marks the close of a short chapter in my journey. On Monday, I will return to the company I left only six months ago. I could not be happier; I feel like I am going home.

On a lighter note, here are the awkward and awesome occurrences of the last few weeks.

AWKWARD

• As you might know, I currently take the bus to work. Even though I could take the select bus I take the local for two reasons:1) it’s closer to my apartment by a whole two blocks 2) it’s less crowded and I can sit and read my nook. Yes friends, I am a very lazy girl at eight in the morning. Anyway, that isn’t even what is awkward. Starting about two weeks ago, they turned off the flashing blue lights on the select bus. One local bus runs to about every three or four select buses. Usually I know when I see the bus five blocks away if it is one that I can get on or not, but now I am left with false, high hopes when I see a bus in the distance. It isn’t until the bus is right in front of me that I realize that I have to stand in the cold for longer, because of my illogical laziness.

• Every girl I know is on Weight Watchers. I’m sure it’s awesome and it works and all that great stuff−because so many people wouldn’t be on it if it didn’t−but good God I feel like a fatty. Tuesday night I went out to dinner with three ladies who are all on WW, and they decided to split a panini and a wrap between the three of them. They were concerned about splitting something cut in half between three people, so they proceeded to order both sandwiches “cut in three, or not cut at all.” That poor waiter was so confused I thought his head was going to spin and fly across the room. I kept it simple with a smoothie, but forgot to ask my girls how many points I was consuming. If you are also on Weight Watchers (oh, I bet you are!), you should read a lovely little blog called City Skinny Life. I read it even though I’m not on the plan, because she goes to lots of my favorite NYC spots.
• My birthday is on Superbowl Sunday (this Sunday).  I can’t remember if I shared this already, but as you know, I’m lazy, so I’m not going to check back-posts. You can let me air my frustrations again, or you can move on to the “AWESOME” section. I was a cheerleader for 11 years, but no, I do not watch football regularly. I don’t even know who is playing on Sunday, and I do not appreciate that my friends will likely “take it easy” Saturday night to prep for the big game, and that my brother will likely not even acknowledge my birthday day-of. The last time this happened (my 21^st birthday), I tried to embrace it and get my friends together at our college’s sports bar for the game. Epic fail. Happy 21^st birthday, Christina, you have three friends who like you more than they like football. This time around I will not try to compete with the game. Thank goodness for boyfriends who don’t care about football either – they make it all okay.

AWESOME

• Influenster is at it again – they sent me three huge bottles of  Palmolive® Fresh Infusions™.  They smell so good! I gave my favorite one (Lime Basil) to a friend at work, and tried the other two (Lemon Thyme, and Ginger White Tea) at home. First impression? These soaps are super bubbly. I loved that I didn’t have to keep going back for more when tackling my dirty dishes. I washed my hands with the soap too, and it wasn’t harsh or drying (and my hands smelled hella good). I’d definitely spend $2.99 to get some more.
  
• This BuzzFeed post on the 17 things that all New Yorkers fear. So true! Especially numbers four and six.
• The Meatball Shop. I’ve mentioned, I know. I love this place so damn much. I’m doing a Skillshare class called Show Us Your Balls: Meatball Making with The Meatball Shop. So far I’ve watched some training videos from Meatball Shop co-founder and executive chef Daniel Holzman, and I will perfect the art of the meatball! Awkward fun fact? When I got veggie balls during my two-week vegetarian stint recently, I chose the pesto sauce, which is apparently served cold. Someone with me motioned for the closest staff member and asked him to microwave the balls, to which he responded, “we don’t have a microwave,” and continued to justify why I should enjoy my cold balls. I’m 90 percent sure that man was Daniel Holzman. I love him a little.

Awkward & Awesome Thursday: The Late Edition

AWKWARD

• “Earth to Christina!” I take the bus to work when I’m too lazy to walk, and today I guess I was also too lazy to get off near my office because I wound up staying on for one extra stop. The truth is I was completely engrossed in my daily dose of Instagram.
• I’ve been eating a vegetarian diet since Tuesday, and I am STARVING 24/7. How do you herbivores do it? I’m sure my stomach will shrink down to vegetarian size eventually, but for now I’m chowing carrot sticks like nobody’s business.
• How is this for awkward – my boyfriend Jamie thinks he is getting me a Nespresso machine for my birthday next month. When I told him I didn’t want one at all, let alone for my birthday, he told me I could choose between that or six months of a cleaning service for our apartment. My Romeo…
• I’m an awful blogger and have not posted any photos from my trip except for my street art photos from Berlin. I will get to it, I promise! Here is one taken in Lucerne, Switzerland to hold you over:

AWESOME

• I’m jumping on the bandwagon and making a 101 in 1001 list on the Day Zero Project. My list, so far, can be found here. I’ve slowed down in actually making the list because I want to think it through. When it’s full I will post it on here! For those who don’t know, 101 in 1001 is a challenge where you create a list to complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days. Creating goals and achieving them is fulfilling enough, but being able to physically cross them off a list? Icing on the cake. Boyfriend made fun of item number six, because I put making a list on my list of things to do [AWKWARD].
• Before the holiday, Influenster sent me a big, beautiful golden gift of Ferrero Rocher® chocolates. I put most of them out to share with my office, and reserved a tiny emergency stash for myself. The shared chocolates were gone in less than 20 minutes, the last of my secret stash was eaten today.

Michelle snagging a treat

Chanelle after a heated discussion on the best way to eat Ferrero Rocher

Who else does this? Chanelle (pictured) and I eat our FRs layer by layer

…And then there were none

• Jamie says the last awesome thing for this post should be that I’m hanging out with him. I’m out of “Awesomes” for the list, so I’m calling it a night. To make it a little more interesting, here is an awesome (OK, maybe a little awkward) picture of Jamie and his sister’s dog, Bunny. Cue the ooos and ahhhs:
  

The Scary Snowman

Exactly one week until Christmas! I have been so busy prepping for the holiday and my trip to Europe, that I haven’t had quite enough time for a real blog post. Don’t worry though, I have a nice backlog of posts to share with you after the holiday – including a recipe for some killer tandoori lamb meatballs.

In the meantime, here’s a funny video of a scary snowman. I especially like the 1:18 mark in the video, where one woman is instantly ready to defend herself – fists up! I wouldn’t want to scare her on the street.

Enjoy!

Awkward & Awesome Thursday: The Travel Edition

AWKWARD

• Everything going right, for once. I am writing this post from a terminal in the airport, where I am, oh, about THREE hours early for my flight to San Diego. Who shows up at the airport three hours before a domestic flight? Someone who knows that anything that can go wrong while traveling will. Well, the powers that be are challenging my pessimism, and I can’t say I mind being early.
• The man sitting next to me at the airport bar (where I was eating breakfast, not drinking, at 10:30 a.m.) tipped the bartender .18 cents. No dollars, not even a quarter of a dollar – .18 cents. I know, because the bartender laughed and made a big deal of it after he left the establishment. I get it, the food is over-priced, but really man? C’mon.
• Traveling to San Diego in late November is tough. When I get off the plane, nothing that I’m wearing will make sense. I pretty much had to pack 1.5 wardrobes for the next five days.

AWESOME

• VACATION! Goodbye New York (I won’t miss you) and Jamie (I will miss you). I’m off to spend five very feminine days with my sister. Wedding prepping, brunching, shopping, etc. Sorry readers, the blog posts may be sparse—we will see! I’m extra psyched to see Sly (sister’s fiance) and Onyx too! 

This is Onyx

• I joined ThreadFlip and am obsessed. Feel free to shop my closet. 🙂

Awkward & Awesome Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has to be, hands down, one of the best holidays ever. Who doesn’t enjoy a good feast with people you love? Most of my Thanksgivings have been spent at my parents’ or an uncle’s house, with my whole big, Italian family, cousins and all.

This year, I’m doing something different. And on that note, let’s dive into this week’s awkward and awesome.

AWKWARD

• I’m hosting Thanksgiving today. In my shoebox Manhattan apartment. Ok, it’s just Jamie, his parents and me, so we’re not packed in liked sardines, but when the “what should we do for Thanksgiving this year?” conversation came up a few weeks ago, this was the farthest thought from my mind.
• There is a 17-pound bird in my “easy bake oven.” Manhattan kitchens are miniature. I have a thin, short refrigerator, a dishwasher one-third the size of the one at my parents’ house, and my oven is…the size of a 17-pound turkey apparently. I’ll let you know how this works out. 
• There is no hustle-bustle buzz. It feels so strange not being in a big house surrounded by my entire family.
• No candied sweet potatoes for me. Candied sweet potatoes are my late grandfather’s specialty, and my mom has done a beautiful job of keeping the tradition alive. If there is any food item I am sentimental about, it’s them. Mom, if you’re reading this, I’m expecting you to save me leftovers!

AWESOME

• I didn’t have to deal with traveling on the most traveled day of the year. After all of my horrendous run-ins with NJ Transit over the past three years, I am so very thankful to not be standing on any trains today.
• I’m cooking (ok, helping cook) my first turkey – and really putting this kitchen to the test. I love cooking new things, and Jamie’s mom is a great teacher, so today will be fun.
• I made stuffed mushrooms. Mmmm. Check ‘em out.
• I’m with people I love, there’s food on the table, and I’m seeing my family this weekend. I’m thankful.

What are your thanksgiving traditions? Give me the awkward family stories, those are the best.