Back on the road again

After a bit of a break, I'm back traveling for work again. It has actually been about 6 weeks since I flew out of the Seattle airport. They've switched up all of the security lanes and now the TSA Precheck line is right where I usually walk in. So this morning I had my first experience with this line.

I was able to walk through a simple metal director with my shoes and suit jacket on. My laptop and my bag of liquids were kept in my bags. All I had to do was just put my bags up to go through the scanner. I fly so much that I can get through a normal security line incredibly fast. But total time through the precheck line? 10 seconds. It was insane. It feels strange not being groped or going through a full body scanner to fly!

So now I'm on my way to Dallas, with a brief layover before heading to RDU. Now I know we're in this advanced technological age but for some reason the fact that I can connect to the wireless on flights still boggles my mind. And yes, I still do not completely shut down my phone. And to think I have yet to bring down a plane with my phone on airplane mode!

I'll be in NC for about a week this time, given that I have client meetings again next Monday. It'll be good to see my parents in Chapel Hill over the weekend, particularly since they are a bit down from having to put our dog down to sleep a week and a half ago. Putting a pet down is always hard but I think the whole ordeal makes my parents think about getting older and what the end of their lives might be like.

Boo age. Yay mole.

Since moving to Seattle, I'm definitely more active than I've typically been, given that I walk a total of about 50 minutes a day to and from work. Yet I've gained about 10 pounds since moving here! I blame that whole slow down of the metabolism thing that comes with age. Apparently this damned age thing means that to simply maintain my weight I have to work out more and eat better? Damn you age, damn you! So in January I started trying to work on this in terms of working out beyond my walk to work and trying to watch what I eat a little bit more.

Now I'm not someone who could ever cut out carbs completely (um, hello Asian?), but I'm just trying to have them for lunch instead of dinner. I probably still have some carbs for dinner a night or two a week, but I'm focusing on a dinner of proteins and veggies the other 5 nights. I've also significantly cut down on dairy intake, though yes I still have cheese now and then. But gone is my habit of 3 or 4 greek yogurts a week.

So these slight eating changes plus working out just 2-3 more times a week means I lost five pounds last month. I need to lose 5 more, would like to lose 10 more, and would love to lose 15 more... though 15 is a stretch. I should probably try to find another yoga and/or pilates studio in order to keep this going. And in the same spirit, I guess I should pass on this new product I saw on the shelves the other day:

It's a little portable compartment with Nutella and bread-sticks. Honestly how could you say no to something so delicious and small and cute?!?! Though I laugh at the name... not the words so much, but the punctuation. Nutella and Go! Though ok, I guess I could get excited enough about Nutella to warrant the exclamation point. Because my love for Nutella is such that this is another viable option:

However given that I passed on the cute Nutella, I did treat myself to a pretty awesome dinner last night. I went to a chef's table tasting with 24 other people in the back room of what many call the best Mexican restaurant in Seattle, La Carta de Oaxaca. It's the type of place where you have abuelas making fresh tortillas in the back. One of their most famous dishes is their mole, a dish many consider to have originated in the Oaxaca region of Mexico. There were about 5 dishes during this chef's table dinner, but my goodness their mole...

I've never really been a mole fan, as most of the mole I've had has been too sweet. However, I discovered last night that I've just never had really good mole. Their mole was amazing... just such a complex, rich, smoky blend of flavors. When I came home I was intrigued and looked up a recipe online. Check out Rick Bayless's recipe. Twenty seven ingredients! Holy moly! Or is that Holy mole? (Har, Har, I crack myself up.)

I started this post talking about my weight loss and ended it talking about a dinner where I ended up so full that this asian had to pass on tasty rice that was still left on the table (sacriledge!!!).

Sigh.