Attention, Attention!!

Hear ye, hear ye!!

lauren-wood.blogspot.com is now lauren-sap.blogspot.com!

Yeaaaaah!

Love it.

Great Day Yesterday = Long Day Today

I am so sleepy.

Yesterday was a long day full of lots of fun things...but silly me, I didn't get home until about 12:45 and then had to get up for work! I'm usually very good about going to bed on time.

But I couldn't help myself! First I went to the dog run with the puppies, then I went to a little garden party thrown by a dear friend of mine, then had a coaching with the amazing Lady Jo, and then finally I went over to my friend Erin's house to spend some time with her before she and her beautiful family move to Phoenix, AZ. We played this crazy card game and I really got to see how competitive her husband is. It was kind of hilarious. I think my favorite part was when he picked up his cards and said "ooo, Daddy liiiiiiiiiiiiike...." I'm so glad I got to see her before she left. And I am putting it on the blog so it's official: I AM COMING TO VISIT. :)

I'm so grateful for my friends. You're all so sweet and wonderful and just so so good to me. Thank you for that. I hope you know that you're always in my heart and on my mind, even if we don't get to chat as much as I'd like.

Anywho...just wanted to give you all the fabulous details of my Memorial Day (Memorial Day always makes me think of the musical PARADE. Do you know it? I was in it in Boston and all day I just kept repeating Mary Phagan's line in my head "Mr. Frank? Happy Memorial Day." in a southern accent. ...oh, actors.) and tell you that you're THE BEST BLOG READERS EVER!

Side note: Auditions coming up. Thursday and Monday. Scared. Excited. Other feelings too.

Lovies!

Cannot. Decide.

I think these four are my favorites? Maybe? I am having serious trouble deciding. Any thoughts, blog world?

LW_107

LW_110

LW_111

LW_02

Tell me, help me!! Pleeeease!

Lovies.

Quick Share:

Got new headshots yesterday. My wonderful friend Nick Gaswirth shot them.

Here's a sneak peak...

Obvi, this won't be my headshot, because I was laughing like a crazy person. There's a funny story to go along with this shot, but it's one of those "I guess you had to be there..." things. Two words: garbage truck.

It also gives you an idea of what the new hair looks like...but in the sun, it looks more red!

Lovies!

New Hair Proves Who Your True Friends Are

So on Saturday, I had my hair cut and colored. It looks pretty nice. I'm in this awkward place of trying to grow it out from super short...so it's not going to be perfect (in my opinion) until it's back to at least chin-length.

Anywho, recently I told this story on a friend's blog:

Ok, so MAYBE I've been going to Starbucks a bit too often.

I almost just hugged my Starbucks guy.

I saw him standing on the sidewalk (RIGHT OUTSIDE STARBUCKS, LAUREN: CONTEXT CLUES!) and he's all smiley and making eye contact with me. In my head, I'm like "I know this person..." and then he said "hey!" and for a brief moment, I just assumed he was a friend of mine that I couldn't remember how I knew...And I started going in for the hug and then remembered "he gives me my drink every morning; I do not know his name". And so I just sort of throw my hands up in a "what a surprise to see you!" sort of way and give a big "HIIIIII!"

Of course, then he's like, "oh, you just made it in for Frappuccino Happy Hour!" and I'm just smiling and giggling in that awkward way as I run inside my Starbucks, kicking myself.

Crisis basically averted. But now I'm definitely re-evaluating how often I go to Starbucks.

So this morning, I go into Starbucks and Starbucks guy waves at me. I wave back. I get up to the line and he's like "oh I like what you did to your hair! it's really cute!" (either he's gay or has a crush on me...I haven't decided which yet...) Anyway, I thank him, we chat for a moment about how the world didn't end on Saturday and I go on my merry way.

Get to work.

Hours go by. I see both my bosses, my supervisor and some co-workers.

Nobody comments on the fact that my hair is significantly darker and not as crazy as it was on Friday.

...for real...my Starbucks guy noticed. I only see him for like 2 minutes maybe 3-4 days a week. (YES I KNOW I NEED TO COOL THE STARBUCKS HABIT!)

Erin and Whitney totally noticed when they saw me yesterday. See? Friends notice hair changes.

Starbucks guy is my friend.

Even if I don't know his name.

:)

Lovies!

Detoxification

Isn't that word kinda yucky?! Detoxification. I mean, I know it's actually a GOOD thing. To detoxify...whatever, but it just sounds so...ugh.

Well, that's what I'm doing. I am doing a 3 day cleanse called Kaeng Raeng. It's a vegan, gluten-free (peanut free- for anyone with allergies) detox. Basically 3 "shakes" a day, and then as much raw fruits and raw veggies as you want.

Today is Day 2. It's going...fine. Yesterday morning I was like "nope, no way I'm going to make it three days on this. no. freakin. way."

Basically, I just hadn't figured out how to make the drinks/shakes taste good. They say you can just add water. But I found, if you just add water, it tastes like powder. (insert Lauren's "YUCK" face here) There are also directions where you can add milk/yogurt, but then it's not vegan and there's more calories. They also mentioned frozen fruit/ice. I liked that idea. So I tried just adding ice and some sliced (unfrozen) strawberries. I still wasn't having it.

Then I went to the Natural Market on my way home (an organic food store that I seriously fell in love with yesterday) and they had some frozen organic blueberries AND these super cool frozen fruit purees! Nothing added, just pureed strawberries or pureed watermelon, etc. So for my dinner shake last night, I added the frozen blueberries and pureed strawberries and FINALLY I could drink this stuff.

And the whole time I've been munching on bananas, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots...whatever I can find that's raw!

It's only the middle of Day 2, so I don't know that I've seen "results" yet, but it's amazing to think about how much junk I put in my body on a normal day....and looking at what I've been eating the past day or so in comparison... I mean, whoa. It's amazing my body hasn't just exploded from NASTY stuff. And I don't even think I'm THAT bad of an eater...but yeah, I like fried stuff sometimes...and sugar and caffeine. And I eat a lot of processed foods; whether it's cereal or cheese or cookies or breads...I don't always buy organic/not processed stuff. I just haven't cared that much. (Sorry super organic people...)

Regardless of my "results", I think this will at least make me pay better attention to what I'm putting in my body every day. Hopefully even that will make a difference.

But I'm hoping that afterwards I'll just feel FABULOUS! :)

I'm not recommending this one just yet...but I'll let you know, my dear followers.

Have you ever tried a detox? Did it work?

Tonight - Lounging Lotus (restorative yoga) with Feefs! Yoga with Feefs is super fun. And she's never tried restorative, so I'm introducing her to it today. :)

Then tomorrow, puppies have a vet appointment (Poor Charley...I'm so afraid of what they'll tell me about his legs...he's hardly walking now.) and then I have a haircut/color. Mind you, I'm trying to grow hair OUT...so I'm sure the cut won't be a big change. Basically just cleaning it up and taking some weight out. I appreciate the Italian, thick hair...really, but sometimes it's like "whoa...could you chill out, crazy hair?!". Yeah. I even say that. (No I don't.)

Ok! Hearts and Lovies to you all!

Whoa. Big. Deal.

I deactivated my facebook.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I did it. And I fully intend to keep it deactivated until at least November 1st. I'm putting this in public on the blog so if I come back before, y'all can yell at me.

I'm sure you're wondering why...and I have my reasons, and they're weird and silly and superficial and I think it's better I don't share them. Except to say, I just need a break from it.

I'm still on twitter, if y'all wanna follow me there...but there's no need, really, because I think I'll be blogging A LOT more often since I don't have facebook to take up all my time.

I will go back eventually, I'm sure. But I'd like to see how I do without it. I'm also curious to see who I stay in contact with... It's interesting to think about what the world was like before facebook...and though I've still got my cell and my email and what-have-you...I think this will be a very good way for me to break away from the whole technology take-over that's happened.

Anywho...if anyone needs my cell/email/whatevs, just comment and ask me!

PS: Abby - if you see this, what is that nail thing you're talking about? I got all depressed and bit my nails until they were dead since my manicures were failing. I want to hear more of this magic nail thing.

PPS: Seriously? I don't have facebook anymore. This is crazy.

Lovies!

Biking Adventure!

So Sunday I took out my bike for the very first time! I got it for Christmas. It's an AWESOME looking bike.

A Pacific Oceanside Cruiser

And mine has a little wicker basket on the front and a bell and it's adorable.

And I got this pretty little helmet that kind of matches the flowers on the bike (which are too small to see in the bike photo...I apologize.

Yeah! I'm like adorable on this thing.

So Sunday I decide to christen said bike and helmet with a trip down from my apartment on 181st Street to the pharmacy on 96th Street (where I get my prescriptions...why, you ask, do I go to RANDOM 96th street when I do not live/work in said area? Long story. Perhaps I will explain at the bottom of this blog if I'm in the mood.) thinking this will be a quick/easy ride.

I choose to take the Greenway (the huuuuuuuuuge long path along the west side of manhattan...no cars, perfect place for me to get used to the bike!). For the most part, it's pretty flat and I had no terrain issues. But I notice...man, it's hard to pedal this dang bike. Like, for a flat path, this is taking a whole lot of effort. I'm probably a little over a mile into my ride when I realize this, but I keep going.

So I get to my first biggish hill and I'm like "LAUREN DON'T LET THIS HILL BEAT YOU! STAY ON THE BIKE!!" (to myself, naturally...so as not to scare away the other people on the path) and with a WHOLE lot of effort, I did. So proud, Yay Me, I think! I'm such a good biker.

So we're about 2.5 miles in to this right? And it's taken me like 18 minutes to get this far and I'm like "hey, this is supposed to be FASTER than running...what's the deal?!" and I look down ....and I see why it's taking so long.

My tires are basically flat.

Like not flat, obvious flat, that I would've noticed before I left.

But flat like, I can squeeze the tire and make a major dent.

Well...I'm already half way there....

So I just keep going.

And it SUCKED.

But thankfully, only 2 blocks from my pharmacy is a BIKE STORE, where I fill up the flat tires. And then try riding again and I'm like "HOLY DIFFERENCE, BATMAN!" So I ran my errands with glee.

And then I rode on the street for awhile! Like SUPER BRAVE of me cause I think it's about the scariest thing in the world to ride your bike on a NYC street. But at this point I was like "gosh, I'm pretty pooped, I don't think I want to ride the 5 miles back. I'll just take the subway!"

So I carry sweet bike down the subway stairs. Which is no easy feat, but I had anticipated that I would be doing this at some point with bikeybike so I was mentally prepared. It was awkward, but I did it. I get down there, swipe my card, go through the emergency door thing...there are no uptown trains at this station today.

.....

REALLY?! Well screw this, I'm not carrying my dang bike back UP the stairs. I'll go down one more set of stairs, ride the train DOWN 4 stops to get on a express train to take me HOME.

Which I do. And I actually did pretty well with all that. Found some elevators and things to get me to the right platform, blah blah. All is well.

So then I get off 2 stops early to pick up some stuff for dinner, put it in my adorable wicker basket, and ride my bike from 168 back home to 181.

What an adventure! What a ridiculously unplanned MESS ...that ended up being just fine.

But still. Next time? Check tires and subway schedules.

Lessons learned for Biking in NYC.

LOVIES!

Ok, Ok, Ok...

I unprivatized it!!

Enjoy world of random people!

Lovies!

Maybe?

Ok, so MAYBE I'll un-privatize my blog. (Yes I'm aware that is NOT a word.)

I only did it because I felt strange about certain particular people reading it...not as much the WORLD reading it... PLUS if there were any more mean bloggy stalkers left over from last year, PRIVACY got rid of 'em! HA HA!

I fell in the shower this morning. Like an old lady. It hurt. I'm fearing a brain hemorrhage now.

Lovies.

Privacy

I can't decide if I want to make my blog public again, or keep it private.

I keep hearing of all these people who read it before and they're all sad they can't anymore...I tell them to just give me their email address and I'll add them, but they forget or what have you and...I don't know. I just felt strange having my world/inner most thoughts on display but...then why did I have a blog at all if I had an issue with that?

I don't know.

What do you think?

Wave Hill - My New Camera

So, I got this awesome new Canon Rebel for Christmas this year. And I was so excited to start using it! Then I realized...I have no idea how a "real" camera actually works.

I was determined not to use it on just the automatic settings because I thought, "well then what's the point of having said fancy-schmancy camera?"

So...for 4 months, it just sat in its case.

So finally, a friend from my job at Williams Sonoma, who is a photographer, offered to give me a little lesson. So last Sunday we went up to this ....park? Botanical Garden? I don't even know what it was. But it was called "Wave Hill".

Take the 1 train all the way to the end in the Bronx (242nd street). Walk 10 more blocks north and all the way west. And there you have, Wave Hill.

Middle of nowhere, as far as NYC is concerned. I'm fairly certain I was in Riverdale...but this cannot be confirmed.

Regardless of where it is, it is BEAUTIFUL. We just walked around and I got some lessons on shutter speed and blah blah, whatever, I don't remember, did I mention it was REALLY beautiful?? And that the weather was basically perfect that day? Yeah. Awesome.

Ok, but here's a sample of some pictures from the day:

Can't take credit for this one. Friend was showing me a different type of lens. Can take credit for the shoes. Those are my feetsies!

I got excited about the pattern on this pot. And the purpley flowers inside it.

This house reminded me of New England.

Gotta love Ivy.

My interpretation of a shoe shot.

The other side of that house...but, really, look at how that guy is sitting in front of it. Hilarious.

Can I have this in my backyard one day? Ok, thanks.

So, all in all, I learned some stuff and hopefully this means that now I will actually USE my camera. But, I'm a slow learner so if anyone wants to give me more tips/lessons, I'm TOTES up for it. :)

Lovies!

5K Photos!

Well, I said photos to come! So here they are:

On my way to the starting line!

Got there early enough to take a picture before the huge crowd pushed up against that little ribbon. There were 6,600 runners! YEESH!

Towards the beginning... That's why I still look so happy- hadn't hit any of the hills yet!

Right before I crossed the finish line! Artie had some trouble focusing the camera on my speediness.

DONE!!!!!!!!

Me and my racing partner! Who left me behind probably less than a minute after the race started. Haha. But after he finished, he was able to take pictures of me, so I don't mind! Plus I was listening to my tunes the whole time!

My number. I got there pretty late during registration, which is why I'm so high up there! But I actually was one of the first at the starting line.

Ahh, the Bronx Zoo! Thanks for letting me run my first race all around ya!

Hip hip hooray! My first 5K!