Boot Camp

I am incredibly sore. So sore that I walk down stairs like an old lady, gripping the handrail for dear life, for fear that my legs will buckle. Why am I practically crippled? Because I had my first session of boot camp last night. It was 90 minutes of non-stop squats, lunges, push ups and jumping jacks in the middle of Central Park. That being said, the workout was really good. It KICKED my butt, but I wasn't the only one gasping for breath and collapsing during some of the drills. I'd say I'm in the middle of the pack. Only 5 more sessions to go (it meets on Tuesday and Thursday for 3 weeks).

Why in God's name did I sign up for this? Because I have been very lazy, and also because I have 2 weddings to go to this summer and need to fit into a bridesmaid's dress. A fuchsia and champagne colored bridesmaid's dress. Sigh...

Houston

They say that everything is bigger down in Texas. After a short weekend visit to Houston, TX, I can whole-heartedly stand behind that statement. Cars are bigger in Texas (I had requested a compact car, but somehow ended up with a very large sedan), highways are bigger in Texas (at least 6 lanes of traffic for me to weave through), portions are bigger in Texas (there is a reason why Houston is one of the fattest cities in the country), and the Vietnamese population is bigger in Texas than in NYC or Boston (resulting in excellent Vietnamese food -- see photo at right).

We only had 2.5 days in Houston, arriving around midnight on Friday, and leaving around noon on Monday. The reason for this trip? Because the BF and I are both thrifty -- I had an expiring airline companion certificate, and he found a FANTASTIC deal for the Four Seasons in Houston (only $125/night!). So, what did we do during our short trip? Some lounging by the pool, a visit to Johnson Space Center (NASA), wandering around Rice Village, and seeing some really quirky outsider folk art. And, interspersed with all of the preceding, LOTS of food. Texas sized portions of food. We also saw some interesting signage while in Houston:

1. Outside of a relatively upscale looking restaurant in Rice Village. I guess this means that this is a problem, hence the sign telling people what NOT to bring into the restaurant.

2. This is the name of an overpriced pregnant mom/kids clothing store (also in Rice Village). It seems that in Texas, a woman's work consists of the 3Bs: Babies, Birth and Breastfeeding. Looks like I'll have to get a move on if I want to do a good job!

3. We saw this sign at "The Orange Show" which was totally random, but really fun to visit. Houston postman Jeff McKissack created The Orange Show in honor of his favorite fruit and to illustrate his belief that longevity results from hard work and good nutrition. This guy was a real fruitcake who really loved oranges. It makes for some interesting and very whimsical folk art.

I mentioned earlier that we ate a LOT of food. Here are some photos from Ragin' Cajun. It is crawfish season. Super messy, but also super yummy!