I've officially been told to clean out my cabinets. Aka, I must get rid of all the "bad" food. Not that I really have anything bad in my cabinets--it's mostly clean despite the lifetime supply of nuts that was gifted to me for Christmas. Oh, and then there's the fruit--that's the main thing I'll miss going into prep. I was recently introduced to some new (to me) fruit finds--hello, dates!--and I'm sure as heck gonna miss them. Great source of energy for the gym, but they have no place in prep. Sigh.
Today was my first official day back at work after Christmas vacay training at Total Performance. I made a trip there after work planning on running 4+ miles. Keyword: planning. That is definitely not what happened. Let me preface this by mentioning that I've been running with my training shoes...and yet I'm flatfooted. Call me a fool! It's taken a toll on my calves/shins--I KNOW the importance of good running shoes. After all, I used to run cross country and track (indoor and outdoor). I just don't like the weight that comes with shoes meant for "stability" purposes. It's like running with a brick (complete over-exaggeration) tied to each foot. Come on now--you'd think that after decades of specially-designed running shoes that they would be able to come up with a lightweight shoe that's both effective and attractive (yes, I prefer my shoes to be awesomely pleasing to the eyes).
But anyway, back to what I was saying I blame wine for my all over the place stream of consciousness, this evening I finally laced up my running shoes again. Literally. The last time I wore them was during the mud run with Megan! And I promptly threw them in the wash to detox them (can shoes shrink in the washer?). Verdict: my shins felt less pressure during my definitely not 4 two mile run, the first mile feeling great. Unfortunately, my lack of a proper hair tie lead me to ending my run early--falling ponytails can be a damper to a run for sure. That, and around that 2 mile mark my legs were feeling the pressure from running in inappropriate shoes for the past couple weeks. Nothing too severe though--I'll be back in action in the morning!
And...back to all things prep--definitely not ready. I hate to be that "after the New Year" girl, but seriously, I'm going to enjoy the last day of 2011 as much as possible. I'm gonna make December 31, 2011 my b*tch--don't know how that's gonna work exactly, but I intend to sleep in January 1...seeing as I have the day completely off. Outdoor adventures anyone?? Oh, and anyone want an endless supply of unsalted nuts? I think I have cashews, almonds, a few peanuts... And you think I'm not serious! Now if only all this wine would go away in the next few days ;)
PS. Sorry for a lack of pictures--my Mac was having problems so it got wiped clean last week. I still haven't had the chance to upload all the pics from my camera--I knew there was a reason I never clear my memory card! I promise that and my music collection will be up to par in no time (hopefully)!
...That I get a second gym membership! Oh, and also that I get back to this blog! Sorry for the long hiatus, I really have no good reason for not keeping you all up-to-date. Well actually, that's not entirely true--I blame long days at work and 2-3 shifts per week in Richmond for my lack of blogging. In case you aren't already aware, I have been working at the Loft in Richmond 2-3 days a week, which meant an hour commute each way, and a total of 4 overnights at my brother's apartment over the course of about 8-10 weeks. Yikes!
New Gym
But back to my first statement--I finally gave in today and joined a second gym! Now, normally this would not be something on my "please purchase" list at all, but Gold's just isn't cutting it for me these days. The hours are not long enough--yes, I generally tend to get in my morning workout around 5am, but any later and it gets pretty busy. That, and I get annoyed very easily, and thanks to the ever-friendly Toni, people now mistake me for being approachable during my workouts. Skip forward to the afternoons and there really isn't a good time to workout because there's always somebody using the equipment I want. Even with the expansion Gold's did last year, there really isn't enough room for non-traditional workouts (aka Crossfit and more agility-based workouts). My new gym, Total Performance, is great (if you live in the Cville area, check it out!)! 24-hour access, plenty of space, less crowded, and lots of familiar (and new) faces! I have the pleasure of knowing the owner who was kind enough to work out a great plan with me, seeing as my Gold's membership doesn't expire until June. This just works out SO well, because I have a couple friends who have been wanting to put me through torture new (to me) Crossfit workouts, and now Pleasants can keep an eye on me while I make my way to the stage.
I should have bought this when I had the chance.
New Competition
Speaking of the stage, I finally figured out exactly when the new competition is--May 5. I'll be competing in my first (OCB) show, and you better believe I'm nervous! All the shows I was looking at prior to this were promoted by organizations on a lesser level than OCB. I already feel like I'm being thrown head-first into unknown territory. Luckily, this time around, I have even greater support from my friends. Last go-round, my friends still went out and drank (which I don't blame them), but they did not understand why I couldn't have "just one drink." Well, it's not just that one leads to two leads to..., but also it's empty nutritional value or straight-up carbs depending on the beverage of choice. This time, it's going to be a little different.
So today I swung by TP (Total Performance) and met up with Kevin--I dropped off my meal plan/workout journal and he's rewriting my plan for the next few months. January starts tapering off all the additional foods I've incorporated into my diet...and the alcohol. I can't lie, I'm going to miss it just a bit--I've gotten used to having a social drink or two or five when out with friends, but I've gone without it before, so I'm sure I can do it again.
A day of cleaning offset by a glass of wine
New Swag
Ha, not really. But with Christmas just a few days ago, it's in good taste that I mention the amazing time I had with my family and friends. I was the difficult giftee for my mom this year, so essentially I got a toyboat load full of money. My brothers each got me giftcards, one accompanied with wine (which must be consumed soon--see above) and one with a decent iPod portable speaker set--hello dance party in the bathroom! My mom got me a couple watches suitable for running and working out (but even though she swears they're different, they're the same model, just different colors and priced differently in accordance). Regardless, thanks Mom! Christmas is not complete without coffee or tea, and lucky me--I got both! Just a lot of little things from the fam, but some of the best gifts came from friends. My bestie, Katie, created the sweetest photo book for me, full of pictures she took from Facebook (can you say stalker?! hehe)--I for sure teared up while flipping through it. The two pictures that really touched me were one taken during her wedding dress hunt (and find!) and one of my sister-in-law and me at her wedding captioned "Past Bridesmaid, Future Maid of Honor." Sweetest gift ever! Oh and not to mention that I'm currently curled up underneath my new warming blanket!! So. Warm. Don't. Want. To. Move. Ever. Apparently I'm easily pleased!
Mom's gift from my bro & sis-in-law--great idea!
Mom: "No seriously, you have to read it!"
Wine cork reindeer from Bestie and Mrs. Cole
Tabletop reading
The rest of my time home was filled with puppy loving, puppy playdates, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, bowling, and bestie time. Unfortunately, I only have pictures of this guy, and not the rest of the festivities...
Mailperson? Not sure if I need to be politically correct here. But regardless, you heard right--I sort of suspect that my mailperson is stealing my good mail. As in, every correspondence from Loft--coupons, Style Rewards, etc. Where are they?! And I'm still waiting for the Pure Protein variety pack that I won a few weeks ago, but they did say it takes 4-6 weeks. So that's probably normal. I just want fun mail instead of no mail or worse--bills! Yikes!
Anyways, I didn't make it for round 2 of cardio tonight, but I was definitely working it at Loft today! Let me tell you--prepping for Black Friday sales is insane! Add in that half the new girls are lazy when it comes to keeping the back room organized and markdowns that were missed from last week and I became a bit more than stressed. If it were any other week, fine! But it's the week of Thanksgiving/Black Friday and we really just need it to run smoothly! ...Not that it won't, but I just get very particular about things sometimes. I got a LOT done though! The store is looking G.O.O.D!
In other news, Fear Factor (FF from now on) audition tape planning is going pretty well! Just need a team name that's sure to wow.
And lastly (yeah, I'm tired--short/pointless post)--can anyone recommend any songs for my gym playlist??
I have a confession--yesterday I stopped into work to fill out an expense report and got sucked into helping with store set (aka changing around the entire visual presentation of the store). I actually LOVE the visual aspect of my job, and it definitely helps that corporate sends us documents of how to set the store for the most part. Or at least how to set the new product--the old product is more of a "where do I fit this in" kinda thing. But since I wasn't planning on being out of the apartment for a couple hours, I was starving when I got back. And I had previously purchased a $1 bag of gummy bears from Target earlier in the day. First, I had about a serving atop some frozen FF cool whip. That turned into the whole bag. A food coma and shame immediately set in. I've had prouder moments. Did I mention dinner was Afghan food and a couple beers?
While I'm not on prep, I still get the feelings of guilt when I make such a nutrition faux pas. Today's sole purpose is to combat the excess cals and sugar and attempt to feel better about my waning body image. Luckily, the gummy bears are gone. And I ate the last of my processed food, so upon my next grocery trip, I'm sticking to the perimeters rule--shop the outer walls of the store which contain more real food. Complete with real nutritional value. Oh, and 45 minutes of cardio this morning helped a bit. I think round 2 at the gym is in order tonight. After all, Thanksgiving is coming up and I can't be feeling all gross and puffy before I attempt to avoid the bad foods. Blowing diet for a holiday meal is overrated. As long as there's turkey, I'll be okay (and luckily I hear there's going to be asparagus too!).
Speaking of holidays, my wish list is sort of pitiful. Although I realized today that I possibly want need a new macbook--I'm tired of the spinny beach ball taunting me numerous times a day! Other than that, I repeat--pitiful! (Dear family--if you're reading this, I know that request is far-fetched and don't actually expect a new laptop.) I think my list of gifts to get others is longer than my list for myself, but there's nothing wrong with feeling generous!
Anyways, here's to hoping I make it to the gym for cardio round 2 tonight! I'm off to work--40% off pre-Black Friday?? This must mean that Black Friday deals are going to be crazy good/the store will be organized insanity!
On another note--a friend and I fully plan on getting on Fear Factor! Hopefully more to come regarding this random tidbit of info...
Happy Monday! Good news--I made it through the Crossfit workout my friend put me through, and then some! He was nice enough to send me plenty of links to youtube videos of the workout we would be doing, the Cindy. I am a COMPLETE Crossfit amateur. As in, never done a Crossfit workout in my life up until Wednesday evening. I went into it a little lot wary and intimidated. I walked out of it pretty darn confident...and beaten down physically!
Cindy
If you're never done Crossfit before, or you've just never done the Cindy WOD, it's this"
1 clean and jerk/press
5 pull-ups (or ring rows upon fatigue)
10 pushups
10 air squats
Repeat for 10 sets, increasing clean and jerks/presses by 1 rep each set.
We only did 7 of the 10 rounds, and by the time that last round came around, I was struggling to get the bar above my head for the press portion of the clean and presses. Luckily, I had a decent "instructor" who emphasized the importance of throwing your full body into the movements--after all, it is a total body workout. It's definitely something different than I'm used to, since I lift to target certain body parts on certain days and am unable to "throw my full body into it" for lack of actually working the targeted body parts.
The Crossfit workout was challenging for sure, and although intimidated by some of the other workouts mentioned, I think I would be open to trying another one again. Apparently there's one workout that's purely 150 wall balls--yikes! Although, thinking about it outside of the gym, not fresh after just having gone through my first WOD, it does seem a bit less intimidating. Just a bit though.
Other Fitness Happenings
What else have I been up to since then? Well, checking in/working out with Pleasants, for one. And this was the morning after my Crossfit workout--not my best idea ever. My body fat percentage has crept up just a bit--nothing too alarming, but I really need to focus on adding more protein to my diet. Most days I'm go, go, go, especially when I have to drive to Richmond for work and stay at my brother's apartment overnight. I feel a little ridiculous packing an entire cooler of food for less than 48 hours, especially when I'm not on prep. My nutrition could definitely be better, especially going into the holidays, but I'm making up for it with my energy expenditure--I'm in off-season, and yet I'm still at the gym for 1 - 1.5 hours 7 days a week. I feel very unproductive and puffy when I skip a day.
That being said, I really am trying to embrace my 3 day split, but I tend to enjoy 4 day splits better--chest/tris one day, shoulders another, back/bis another, and legs the last day. Pleasants wants to see me doing a 3 days split of chest/shoulders/tris, back/traps/bis, and legs. I prefer working shoulders separately and don't necessarily think this is impeding my progress, but if it is, I take full responsibility for it.
New shoes make working out that much better!
On top of my muscle-building splits, I've been trying to get the most out of my cardio, and even took it outside of the gym yesterday. Three friends and I went hiking at the local Humpback Rocks yesterday--one of the friends being Jared, the Crossfit warrior (ha!). Umm, let's just say that to him, hiking up this thing is beasting up it and nothing short of running up the last, steepest stretch. Unfortunately, Megan took all the pics and I took none, so I'll have to wait until I get those from her to show you all the amazing view.
And one more thing--I threw up some 35# dbs doing chest press on Saturday! Could have done 40#s but I needed a spot, just in case. Next time!
Thanksgiving Week
Family get-togethers are definitely interesting with my family. And I'm sure this year will be no different. In contrast to last year, I'm actually more excited to work off the food I eat than I am excited to eat it. That being said, Gold's is open at 8am on Thanksgiving day and then normal hours Black Friday. You best believe I will be in there both days doing what I do best!
In pictures, the things that I'm looking forward to:
Sending Thanksgiving cards.
Seeing a lot of this gent--maybe in a less provocative pose...?
Baking more of these next week!
In less than two weeks I will be on the road going up north, accompanied by these sweet treats. Hopefully I won't get into any of them, because they're not actually for me!
Fun fact: Before you get on with your lives/Mondays--I can't be the only person that still looks for the Indian with the shooting star...
Well, not so much temporary or permanent, but rather temporary and permanent. I still haven't readjusted my schedule/time management skills, so it has been quite some time since I last blogged on a regular basis. Add onto that internet connection problems for the better part of a week, too. I promise I'm getting there though--I just recently read skimmed through the 400+ new blog posts that racked up on my Google Reader! Here's hoping that doesn't happen again! And in this new vow, I also promise to get back to commenting SOON!!
Holidays...?
Before I really get into the temporaries and the permanents of this post, here's a not-so- brief recap of the past few weeks. Halloween has come and gone, but not without some fun and festivities. A pumpkin carving get-together was a must at Megan's house with a group of old and new friends. As always, my overachieving lead me to this masterpiece:
Hardness: 4 out of 4 pumpkins!
Let's see that again, shall we! One picture just doesn't do it justice ;)
Now I don't know if it's my old crappy, but cheap apartment, or if it's normal, but this sucker didn't last too long. Started molding and getting smelly after about a week. Finally, when my roommate and I couldn't stand the smell, it died a slow (or fast?) death in the dumpster. But hey, I have photographic evidence of its magnificence and that's all that counts!
More Halloween weekend festivities included a dinner, Guitar Hero, and drinks.
Sometimes I love getting all glam--and not for work!
Insert your own caption here.
And then of course Saturday night was the night to get decked out! I may have outfit repeated from last year, but I swear I wore it better this year!
Last year.
This year.
Believe it or not, but last year I was also The Little Mermaid one night. Or attempted it. Umm yeah, don't worry--I'm not going to bother horrifying you and embarrassing myself with those photos. Just checked back for them, and not only am I extremely pasty and pretty drunk, but I'm not in the best shape either. Not that I was in bad shape, but I had other goals at the time (aka having too much fun that more times than not involved alcohol).
Retail Therapy?
So yes, Halloween has come and gone and now it's November! Which brings me into the temporaries. As you all know, the full-time job didn't work out, but now I'm working on other plans. This involves a lot of working at Loft, which I DEFINITELY don't mind! For the past few weeks, I have been averaging over 30 hours, which is almost unheard of in retail unless you are a manager. While I'm hoping to make this somewhat permanent (though in another store, same company), I'm temporarily helping out our Richmond store at Short Pump through the holidays. Which means I've been bumped back up to sales lead! Pretty much, this is the only way I can keep that title at this point in time, and since I'm trying to move up and hopefully work my way into corporate, I am more than willing to do anything to get there. Well, anything within reason.
Hello, Holiday!
This is what 120+ boxes of shipment looks like...
For those of you that are not too familiar with Virginia, Richmond is about an hour away from Charlottesville. Luckily, I'm only working there 1-2 days a week and my brother lives downtown there, so I can stay with him when necessary--thanks bro! Also, it helps that I get generously reimbursed for gas. That just means more money for my moving fund!
Which brings me to the first "permanent" of this blog post. I'm looking to move sometime in the new year. I would prefer that it be sooner rather than later, but according to my assistant manager, the company as a whole "cleans house" after performance reviews come out in April. On the one hand, if the temporary traveling sales lead position takes me through holiday, my assistant manager will be on maternity leave soon after so I can remain a temporary sales lead through most of February and into March, probably. From there, April is only a few (short?) weeks away. And my lease goes into May. On the other hand, I would really love to get settled into a new city before then with a new position--I'm hoping a co-manager position. But really it's all up in the air with the availability of positions before April.
Busy schedule + forgetting a paper plate = this.
I'm excited for the coming weeks at work! Holiday is by far my favorite season in retail, although the busiest. Fun colors, fun people (sometimes), and just the air about the season. Slight panic, excitement--it's a bit of a thrill. Add in the excitement of getting to meet the Regional Vice President and possibly one (or two!) of the company's executive directors, and I'm BEYOND stoked! That's something I would not have the opportunity to do if it weren't for my commute to the Short Pump store. It pays to be flexible!
Muscle Mania
My workout program is once again temporarily revamped. For the next few weeks, it's 5 sets of 5 reps, heavy sets! Am I nervous? Nah. Am I amped? Yes, definitely! Although, my first words to this were "Man, now I have to make more friends at the gym, so I can have a spotter when I need one." Ha! I'm really not against making gym friends, but many people who go to "workout/lift grrrrr" spend wayyy too much chatting between sets. And I really don't need anyone ogling me when I'm working out and thinking that I'm coming onto them by asking for a spot. I kid not! The guys at the gym that I frequent think that if you walk one foot closer to them to re-rack weights you are pretty much asking for a comment from them. Uh, let me check--No!
The only thing I'm nervous about regarding heavier lifting is looking more awkward than I already do. I'm about 80-85% sure that I have decent form, but there are some things that have been added to my workouts that I am not really that great at--deadlifts, I'm talking to you! So heavier = more awkward = "Look at that chick that clearly doesn't know what she's doing!" I'll be okay, promise!
Oh, and if that's not intimidating enough, a new friend wants to put me through a Crossfit workout. He said he likes to judge his progress against this video:
As if I've EVER done a clean and press in my life! I may not come out of this workout unscathed! He's putting me through it on Wednesday evening, so if you don't hear from me on Thursday, I died a quick death.
It feels good to be back!
And an epic comeback to Words With Friends! 126 points!
I am ready for the day! Just got back from the gym a bit ago--hit chest and tris, and BOY am I going to feel this tomorrow! Speaking of the gym, my training has been a little weird, but GOOD!! Ever since I postponed on my competition yet again, I feel like I have a renewed motivation. I am excited to get big (muscle, not fat!) and I've been working my butt off to make sure I don't slip too far off track. My goal really isn't supposed to be to lean out at this point, and I really haven't been aiming for that anyway, but at the same time, I do want to see my body fat go down a bit more and I want to see my body mass remain fairly constant.
I'm hoping a low hat will make me unapproachable to the creepers at the gym...
I have not been hitting any two-a-days, though this does make me feel guilty at times, but my plan right now does not require two-a-days. I'm still sticking to my 5am wake up call, because that's when I feel like I am at my best. Nutrition surrounding my workouts has changed too, and I think for the better. My protein shake has been moved to directly after my morning workout instead of before. Before, I am supposed to have protein and carbs, but I find that 2 rice cakes with 2 tbsp of peanut butter does the job. Although I may cut out the peanut butter, still wary of fats.
Since changing this up though, my energy has been through the roof! I honestly can't remember a day since Kevin moved that I had stayed at the gym until 7am. I usually get there right before 5:30 and am done by 6:30-6:45. Well all this week, that has changed. The clock hits 7 every morning and I am either still at the gym, or just leaving--gotta love it! Part of this, though, is because I'm no longer wary about being on time for my job (because I am no longer "stuck" in it). And speaking of which, some job related stuff actually made it's way to my WILW list! I meant to do a post last week, but I'm still catching up on reading blogs, and was trying to scratch that off my to-do list before I posted again. So without further ado, I give you:
WILW: Confused Blogger Edition... This week, here is what I'm loving:
My Loft manager, Caroline--I can honestly say I have never had the pleasure of working with a manager sweeter and more accommodating than Caroline. When I was going through the difficult time with my failure at a full-time job, Caroline was so understanding. And the sweetest part is that she totally didn't have to be. I felt like I had left her high and dry to replace me when I had only just stepped into my leadership role at Loft. I kind of felt like I had let her down and put her into this time crunch of a situation to find someone to replace me. But when I approached her that fateful Monday that I decided the full-time job just wasn't my thing, she was so compassionate that it's not even funny. Side note: when I get super stressed out, my emotions go haywire, so what I wanted to be a normal conversation with Caroline turned into exactly what I expected, a bawl-fest on my part. Word had already spread a bit that I was unhappy at my new job, but this was when I decided that throwing in the towel was the hard but better decision. I asked if she would give me more hours at work while I figured things out finding a new job (she had already found a replacement for me, as was expected), and she assured me that she would. She is even keeping me in my leadership role while my replacement finished training and my assistant manager goes on/comes back from her vacation (so another 2 weeks-ish). I couldn't ask for a more generous manager!
Eating noodles out of a cup on break. I forgot a plate!
The job hunt...kinda--It's official, Charlottesville has a major lack of full-time employment, or anything remotely relevant/worth my time to apply for. In my job search, I have come to find that most posting on online job search websites are: a. scams, b. too good to be true, or c. attempts to lure college grads into a subpar job for little money and long hours. Fail. And while I do have a 4-5 hour long interview with a new home company coming up, I think it's in my best interest to work toward my medical sales certification. This is where the "love" part comes in--medical sales is a lucrative job, and I've applied for some positions, but they all ask me follow-up questions including the dreaded "Are you certified for this position?" My answer has typically been "No, but would definitely obtain such certification upon hiring." Wishful thinking, but not what they want to hear. So, I've decided to be proactive, and with the (financial) help of my mom, a training packet is currently en route to my apartment. I have to pass a test in order to earn my certification, and seeing as I haven't taken any anatomy classes since high school, it was only practical to purchase the training kit. Don't worry--this isn't a scam, it's one of the 2 certifications possible that most companies look for. So slowly but surely, I am getting there!
A life/job-search related decision--In addition to good ol' Cville having no relevant full-time jobs, it has been losing its appeal to me. I think I'm ready for some new adventures (well, as adventurous as one can be when they don't care for drinking and are pretty much a homebody nowadays). I have been realizing a few things:
Most of my friends are trickling out of town, such that in a couple years, I probably won't have many friends here my age since most of the ones I know are students at UVa.
Charlottesville is not a young city, with the exception of the University. It's more of a city where you would settle down with your family. There are not many "young jobs" as I like to refer to them, and almost anything I find here will have me in a similar situation as the job fail--working with all married women/people, and most with kids. Not that I have anything wrong with any of that, but I would prefer to have some people my age with whom I hang out.
I feel claustrophobic here. I know that last year around this time I had already made the decision that I was staying, but I just want out. I've heard on numerous occasions that "Charlottesville is a small town" and while I don't do anything crazy to get a reputation, I don't want my resignation to come back and bite me in the butt (although I do not plan on pursuing a job in the same field--EVER).
That being said, I have officially expanded my job search outside of Charlottesville and actually outside of Virginia. I don't think Charlottesville has enough opportunities at this point in my life, I know that I don't want to be back home in Virginia Beach, and I definitely don't want to be in some small rural area, nor do I want to be in Richmond. But I do want to remain somewhat close to some of my family, so we will see. I plan on having the medical sales certification taken care of in a month, and then I will start applying elsewhere (not that I'm not applying for anything now).
Fall weather & flavors--and actually being able to enjoy them (kinda)! I have yet to order a salted caramel mocha at Starbucks, though I desperately want to! But my room is adorned with seasonal scented candles, room spray, etc. My oats are decked out with pumpkin flavors galore! I have a loaf of sweet potato bread somewhere in my kitchen (shhh, don't tell anyone!). Overall, fall is treating me pretty well, although I could do without all the dreary rain!
Beautiful fall morning!
Followed by a cloudless night :)
Holiday season--yes, it's officially that time in retail land. Holiday 1 came upon us just the other week, and so far I am loving what I am seeing! That being said, it's taking a lot of restraint to not buy everything in sight! I gave myself a $200 limit, but I really need to start saving money since I have no idea where my job hunt will take me. And I'm in the mood for some out of town roadtrips in the coming months!
With all these life changes in store/in progress, it's hard to look past a day at a time currently. So with that said, I do not know when and where my first competition will be, but I know that as the pieces of my life start to fall into place, my training, motivation, and energy can only get better. 2012 is the new year for my competition, and I can only imagine how much stronger--both physically and mentally/emoitionally--I will be when I finally step foot on that stage!
What are you loving this week? Have you ever decided your city didn't have enough to offer you and made a life transition--how did it go??
