gettin’ things done

The Americorps motto is Getting Things Done. My teammates and I have been using it semi-ironically every five seconds.

Somewhat by necessity (I don’t finish at work til 6:30 or so, and generally feel as if I’ve run a marathon by the time I do), I’ve gotten very productive in the mornings before work. Tuesday was a ridiculous example.

First I made lunch for that day, Tuesday. That isn’t that impressive.

A pita caprese! On paper, this is really all wrong. It mixes ethnicity (Turkish bread with Italian salad), it involves refrigerating tomatoes (blasphemy!) and letting liquids soak into a pita (mush!). But I had leftover caprese salad and practically antique pitas.

And actually… the oil and balsamic and basil and tomato juices soaked into the pita and it was aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawesome.

Rounded it out with a Yoplait and a plum.

It was definitely NOT enough food, which I knew when I packed it. To get some protein on, I snagged some trail mix at work.

But wait, there’s more!

I also made Wednesday’s lunch, which was another repeat (though with a slight variation) of the salad I’ve been lovin’ on all week:

Mixed greens, farmer’s market arugula, fresh farmer’s market green beans, olive oil and lemon dressing (which leaked all over my bag arrrrgh) and today I gave it a protein, fat, and crunch oomph with some walnuts.

It was RIGHT NICE! With a yogurt and a muffin.

Tomorrow, Thursday, (if I get my bum in gear), I’m planning a pre-work workout. So I made lunch for that day, too!

I’m planning a highly sophisticated protein-rich post workout beverage (by which, of course, I mean chocolate milk), as well as:

Beautiful farmer’s market red pepper slices and PBJ! The first classy PBJ earlier this week (farmer’s market bread, almond butter, and blackberry preserves) was so fantastic that I had to repeat it.

Cut on the diagonal. Cause that tastes better. Obviously.

If I haven’t sufficiently impressed you with my morning organization, let me add that I also got in an invigorating 3-mile walk in the park AND made dinner for Wednesday (but that’s a separate post).

Having done all that, I sat down to start my actual work day. I had time to make stovetop banana oats and holy crap, man, look how gorgeous this bowl of oats was.

Topped with a spoon of almond butter, mega ripe bananas, oats, water, and milk came together in this hot, UNBELIEVABLY creamy, incredible potion of deliciousness.

The other Thing I Got Done Tuesday which was of seriously DIRE need was…

… I got my hurr did!

Back story: in a somewhat (very) foolish act, in an effort to be an accomodating houseguest, I agreed to accompany my step-aunt to her neighborhood beauty salon… in Taiwan.

The woman who cut my hair spoke NO ENGLISH. I, alas, speak no Mandarin. Depending entirely on the whims of my step-aunt, who decided I needed a “new look”, I docilely sat and let this woman… experiment on my hair.

I ended up looking… a bit like an anime character.

I vowed not to cut my hair for a year.

But it was growing out in rather unfortunate ways, as you can see in the following pictures (more from our delightful Saturday afternoon in Oldtown!)

By the water with Erin, who lent me her very cute sunglasses…

With Steve, trespassing strolling on the pier. Not intended to be a booty shot, more meant to show the general unfortunate stringiness at the bottom of my hair.

So Erin and Carolyn, my teammates, had gone to Graham Webb Academy to get their hair done. It’s a fancy school for stylists who later go on to pretty classy salons. Erin and Carolyn both looked fierce- I’ve spent previous weekends admiring their new looks. It was good enough for me.

I went in, and after confessing my story to them, the stylist and the supervisor chatted over my scalp (“What did…?” “… Is that a triangle in her hair"?”) and then, after telling me I should probably only let people I can communicate with cut my hair from now on, they cut me this little number.

Total fantasizing, but does this…

… somewhat resemble this?

I can hope.

Anyone have any great bad haircut stories?