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Happy Sunday! Today’s post comes a little late as I had two outings today. First, I got coffee with a new friend, which I discuss below in the Health Queen section, then Boyfriend Alex and I went to Boot Barn to each pick up some cowboy boots for our upcoming Nashville trip. After being out of the house for 5ish hours, I simply could not go on without a nap. I am well rested now, though, got my new boots on, and ready to get into this week’s Weekend Update:

Pilates Review

This week’s Pilates schedule was thrown off a bit due to being sick for part of the week and sore for the rest of it. However, there were still some great classes, and I continue to try to convert every person I meet into a Pilates Princess.

Tuesday: Suspend 1.5 with Maesy

This was my first Suspend class at Club Pilates. The “1.5” worried me, but after learning last week that all the specialized classes were 1.5, I felt a little braver signing up. This was also my first class at the Pentagon City location. Maesy is my favorite instructor and also happens to teach at the Pentagon City location. She was a little confused about seeing me there because she usually sees me at the Alexandria studio. She also warned me that she usually teaches harder classes at this studio. She wasn’t kidding.

In Suspend classes, you are basically using your own body weight, mostly using the TRX straps, to workout rather than adding any extra weight. We did some scary things like squatting while holding onto the straps, letting ourselves fall back, catching ourselves with the straps, then using our arms to pull ourselves back to standing. Another super hard one was when we were sitting on the floor with our feet in the TRX straps so they were hovering off the floor. Then we pushed off the floor with our hands next to our hips so that our butts and legs were both hovering. Then we crunched, pulling our hips back through our hands then pushed forward, extending into almost a backwards plank.

Again, feel free to donate to my Venmo so I can buy my own Pilates equipment to demonstrate.

Thursday: Reformer Flow 1 with Hannah

On Wednesday, Boyfriend Alex and I were both deathly ill with a mystery illness that made us so tired and our bodies ache. (It wasn’t COVID; we checked.) So, I was considering cancelling my Thursday class, but by the time I got around to it, I was out of the 24-hour window to cancel without a $15 fee. So, I rallied and forced myself to class. Luckily, this was a level 1 class, so it wasn’t too bad, but Hannah is a very good instructor and still pushed us. I definitely felt weaker than usual due to the fact that I left my deathbed for this class. But, I was able to almost do a teaser (I had to grab onto the foot bar at the last second to hoist myself the rest of the way) and I’ve found that my slowly developing abs are a real help in holding a plank for a minute, which used to be an impossible feat.

Friday: Reformer Flow 1.5 with Wade

Fridays class was also at Pentagon City – two classes there in one week! This class was taught by Wade, who I’ve had as an instructor once before and have previously described here as a “funny flight attendant.” At the beginning of class, we started with some diaphragmatic breathing, which sounds fancy, but it’s just inhaling for three counts and exhaling for five. The woman next to me told the instructor that she didn’t understand. A lot of Pilates is about moving with the breath, so it’s one of the basics you learn pretty quickly. Also, since she was confused and we weren’t doing anything other than breathing, it was pretty clear that this was her first class.

No shade – everyone has to start somewhere. But this was a level 1.5 class. The instructor explained that most people stick to level 1s when they are first starting out because they focus on the basics. But he told her that if she gets lost, to look at me to know what to do. Sooooo, you’re saying I am good enough to be an example of doing it right?? Ring, ring, who’s there? Oh, it’s Club Pilates calling. They want me to become an instructor and – What? Also the CEO?!

Cheese Quiz

Boyfriend Alex and I were making plans to hang out with our friends Kira and Ean when Alex came across an Instagram ad for a new place opening in DC where you could play a “mini game show”. We got there and were paired up with another couple to make our team (named Cheese Quiz) of seven. We were to compete with another team – a group of five of the meanest-looking girls you’ve ever seen and a husband and (pregnant) wife. The mean-looking girls turned out to be actual mean girls. They were mostly mean amongst each other – at one point, the “host” was cosplaying Steve Harvey and going down the line asking each team member something about themselves. He asked one girl, “What’s your favorite color?” She said, “Purple.” He said, “I wouldn’t have thought that,” and the girl next to her yells, “Why, because she looks so masculine?” and laughed obnoxiously. She said that about her own friend! They also took a few jabs at us, but we got the last laugh because we won!

The highlight of the night for me was during a game of trivia. For each trivia clue, we would know the first letter of the answer, and whoever buzzed in first would get a chance to answer. If they got it wrong, they were blocked from guessing again, but anyone else could buzz in and steal. For this question, the answer started with a Z. The clue was something like, “Used to secure a buttonhole…” and the other team buzzed in, cutting him off. She guessed “zipper” like a fool, and I buzzed right in with the obvious “zig zag stitch”. Not saying my sporadic hyper-fixation periods of being really into sewing won the game for us, but that answer was worth 100 points, and we won with a 100-point lead, so you do the math.

Health Queen

Friday was a busy day because I also had my first meeting with my new diabetic coach. We met to talk about my goals of coaching and for her to get to know more about me and where I’m at going into coaching. She also gave me homework! Which I love! They had sent me a diabetic health journal, and in this journal, I am supposed to log my food, when I give insulin, and anything out of whack with my blood sugars. I am supposed to do this every day for three months. This homework sounds inconvenient and hard, but I’m kind of looking forward to it. Along with homework, I’m a big fan of data, so this is a win win because this homework results in data.

After one day of tracking, I realized that my carb-to-insulin ratio was too aggressive. I made a minor tweak in my settings, and the next day, my blood sugars were in range for 80% of the day! I’m usually somewhere around 50-60%.

I also made a new diabetic friend this week. It was perfect timing because on Monday, I was feeling bad for myself, overwhelmed with life and diabetes, and was thinking, “I am the only one who is going through this.” Then, on Tuesday, I met Michelle, a fellow diabetic, and we made plans for coffee. We met up and talked for nearly two hours, discussing life with diabetes and encouraging each other. I left feeling so understood and happy to have a new friend (and follower – hi, Michelle!)

Baking it Megan

Saturday night, Alex baked a big pan of chicken strips to shred for meal prep throughout the week. I was tasked with shredding the cooked chicken and thought to just toss it in the KitchenAid with the paddle attachment and just let it do its thing rather than shredding it by hand. Since I had already gone to the trouble of lugging the KitchenAid out of the cabinet and onto the counter, I decided to do some baking as well. I started with a recipe Alex had found on Instagram of Red Velvet Protein Crumbl Cookies. If someone could explain to me why, every time I bake with protein powder, nothing rises, that would be great. And it’s not my baking soda because I have already swapped it out, hoping that would be the easy fix. So, although they tasted great, they were a little more like red velvet protein pancakes rather than cookies.

The protein pancakes cookies required pumpkin purée, but only a half cup, so we had a ton left over. I decided to make some “healthy” pumpkin muffins to dwindle our supply. I love a good pumpkin muffin; however, when the recipe called for whole wheat flour, I should’ve known I was in enemy territory. Anything whole wheat just kind of tastes like dirt to me? I don’t know. Alex likes them, but I am not sold.

Entertainment Weekly

Due to the aforementioned deathly illness that stormed through our household on Wednesday, we did not go to the movies for our usual date night. We did, however, watch The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes at home. I have been waiting to watch the movie until I had read the book, so when I finished the book Wednesday afternoon, we wasted no time in watching the movie that night. This is an interesting Entertainment Weekly because I can review both the movie and the book together.

I liked the book; it was an easy, quick read, and the story definitely had me hooked right from the beginning. However, I gave this book three stars out of five only due to the use of exclamation points throughout the book. This is just a personal preference of mine, and I by no means condemn any writer who uses exclamation points – I use exclamation points all the time! (Case in point). However, the amount of exclaiming in this book was a little excessive. Just makes it feel a little too YA for me. Still enjoyed the story, though!

After just coming off of the book, I was very annoying throughout the movie, pointing out what had been changed in the screen adaptation. Although, it wasn’t much. Just little tidbits here and there that were a little different. The changes made sense for a movie – the actual Hunger Games wouldn’t have been very exciting to watch if the timeline stayed true to the book. The one thing I wish they would have kept from the book was the timeline between Coriolanus and Lucy Gray’s romance. They changed their first kiss to after the games. In the book, they had their first kiss the night before the games, which solidified that Coriolanus wanted her to win not only because he would get the prize money but also because he was falling for her. He doesn’t feel as attached to her in the movie as he does in the book. Towards the end of the book, Coriolanus is thinking to himself that if he ever gets married, he will get married to someone he doesn’t really care about or preferably someone that he hates so that no one will ever have the opportunity to control him or hurt him the way Lucy Gray did. In the movie, he seems a little colder but not to the level of writing off love forever.

After I finished up with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I started on something that has been on my TBR forever: The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. I’ve read two books by Lucy Foley: The Guest List. which was one of my favorite books – I did not see that twist coming; and The Paris Apartment, which I hated. So, I’m hoping that this one takes more after The Guest List.

We remedied our loss of Wednesday movie night with Thursday movie night. We saw Mickey 17 – a movie that follows Mickey (Robert Pattinson), who has signed up to become an “expendable” – someone who repeatedly dies and whose body is reprinted in the goal of establishing life on a new planet. The movie was original and different, and I feel like I would have loved it, except for one thing: almost everyone in the movie is British or has some sort of accent. In real life, Robert Pattinson is (famously) British. Yet, he is the only one with an American accent, and a weird one at that. It completely distracted me throughout the whole thing. WHY could he not have been British?? Mark Ruffalo’s character also had a strange speaking pattern, which made me think he was channeling both Elon Musk and Donald Trump. It felt like they were both trying something new with their acting in this movie, and it was too much for me.

Luckily, Alex took the day off of work on Friday due to our possible plague exposure, so we were able to watch the next episode of Yellowjackets before our big win at the game show. First, we must discuss how Tai was able to summon the sleepwalking dark Tai when it came down to her shooting Coach Scott. I have been wondering if dark Tai may be the one we are seeing in this season, especially when she was willing to murder a rando because it was “fate” or whatever. So, knowing that she is capable of channeling that dark version of herself makes my theory hold a little more water. Of course, in the Wilderness, Coach Scott is spared from the firing squad due to Akilah’s vision in the poisonous gas cave, choosing instead to keep him prisoner (that was a very strange sentence to write). To keep him from hobbling away, Melissa and Shauna slash his ankle (the one still attached to his body). In the present day, Misty and the unlikely team of Shauna and Walter are launching an investigation into Lottie’s death. Both visit Lottie’s father, who has dementia, and bamboozle him into letting them into his home for some good old-fashioned snooping. My favorite quote from this week comes from young Misty as she’s saying goodbye to Coach Scott: “You were my first boyfriend… my first amputation…” Misty, you nut.

Finally, to wrap up the Entertainment Weekly section, we watched To Catch a Killer on Netflix. Eleanor (Shailene Woodley) is a Baltimore cop who is assisting the FBI to catch a mass murderer who begins his spree by sniping 29 people on New Year’s Eve. This movie gave me a Silence of the Lambs vibe, which is one of my favorite movies. I really liked it, and it inspired me to think that maybe I could be a cop. That thought lasted for about 10 minutes, though when I remembered that cops probably can’t work from home and take naps during the day.

Rant of The Week

As someone who loves to be the hostess with the mostest, my rant this week is on the disregard this generation seems to have for the sanctity of the RSVP. I personally believe that the rudest thing one can do is RSVP “yes” and then back out. I have been guilty of this myself. I avoid it at all costs and am always terrified that the person who I’m bailing on will hate me forever, but I do my best to rectify the situation by scheduling another hang or, if appropriate, providing a gift in my absence. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think that is too much to ask. Whether it is a game night or my wedding, if you RSVP “Yes”, I expect you to be there. My feelings will not be hurt if you say “Maybe” and don’t show up. Or a “No” is even better – no hard feelings whatsoever. If you cannot commit to being there, don’t RSVP “Yes”. Especially if the event you’re committing to involves travel or lodging. If a trip is planned and an Airbnb is booked for 10 people, 10 people better be showing up or at least paying their share.

I tried to find an example of maybe a vindictive king or queen who had someone beheaded for RSVPing and then ghosting, but either no such royal found that a fitting punishment, or it has been scrubbed from the internet. Personally, I think we should bring it back to the 18th and 19th centuries when, according to ChatGPT, a missed RSVP would result in “isolation, exclusion, and the destruction of one’s reputation”.

In’s and Out’s

In:

Winning game shows

Cowboy boots

Diabetes (so hot right now)

Out:

Bullying your friends

Whole wheat flour

Robert Pattinson not being British