Not feeling it

Hey there

Really long time, no blog, huh?  Why?  Well I haven’t been feeling it.  There are a number of things nagging me lately about blogging, but I haven’t been able to quite formulate my thoughts in a way that doesn’t sound overly negative or critical.

In general, I’m not sure I fit (if ever) in the HLB (Healthy Living Blogs) community mainly because I don’t subscribe to the same approach to healthy living as many of the others (many whom I’ve met and truly like).  It feels like instead of just writing my daily ramblings for whatever they’re worth, I feel compelled to almost market myself.  That’s a loaded statement that needs some more explanation, which I may give at some point.

What does this mean?  Well, truthfully, I’m not sure.  Maybe just writing this is the kick-start I need to start blogging again or maybe it’s time for a break.  Time will tell, right?

And since I can’t help myself,  I have to share a picture of bean at the SF Ferry Building Farmer’s Market this past Saturday.  When all else fails, post cute photo of baby

HLS: to go or not to go

Hey there!

This week has seemed…weird.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m feeling a bit off.  Maybe it’s due to weaning from breastfeeding (less oxytocin hormones?) – not sure. 

On a happier note, it is Zach and my 3 year anniversary today!!!  Amazing  

We have plans for a decadent dinner out on Friday night:

Anyway, I started to notice that Healthy Living Summit comments are surfacing for 2012.  I was able to attend in 2011 and have made the decision to not go again.  There were a few wonderful aspects of my experience last year: meeting and rooming with Jillian of Sprinkle Massacre (she’s faboosh, btw); getting one heck of a swag bag (I’m a sucker for free food goodies that I actually enjoy); visiting / exploring Philly (and seeing an old college friend).

My reasons for not attending this year are in large part due to the ‘negatives’ of last year:

•  I assume it won’t be near SF, therefore will require a plane ticket and hotel fees –> mucho dinero = blah
•  I now have Sawyer…not that this would hold me back if I wanted to do something, but if I’m going to be away from him for a weekend or longer, I want to make sure it’s worth it
•  HLS wasn’t what I wanted/hoped for:
• No structured fitness classes – only loosely schedule runs (guess what, not everyone likes running )
•  Only 1 short day of activities – it’s a big commitment to fly to the other side of the country for approximately 8 hours of a conference
•  I didn’t learn much else that could not have been gleaned from reading the recap posts off my Google Reader
• It felt very cliquey and there was no impetus to meet others
• Lacked a definitive upfront schedule (I ended up booking an early AM flight on Sunday only to find out there was a brunch scheduled that day)
• Based on the 2010 Chicago HLS recaps, I had a different set of expectations for 2011, and from what I’m told, 2010 was enjoyed more by the attendees

Let me add that I did have a nice time overall and was particularly happy about meeting some fabulous ladies who I’ve had the pleasure of seeing again since then.  And quite frankly, there are probably things I could have done to have a more enjoyable experience, but I figure for the cost/time/effort, meh, not worth it this go ‘round.

How about you?  Are you planning on attending 2012 HLS?  I think we should all just meet up in the middle somewhere and spend the day wine tasting…ha!

….aaaand literally since drafting this up, I see that it is in Boston.  Well heck, that just throws me for a loop!  Why?  Because bestie is in Boston so I could bunk with her and maybe just try to meet up with some of the gals I’ve met before and skip the actual conference part.  Hmmm, something to think about, no?

What I wore and how I blog

Returning from vacation stinks   My work emails are beckoning me to look at them and my mind is thinking “where is my Mai Tai?”  Yep…gonna be a looong day.

I have tons of pics to share with you, which I will do after I download (and censor..haha) and also figure out how to better upload pics to WordPress.  Does anyone know how to upload pictures so that I can put multiple on one row?  Or even insert a photo player montage???  Help!

Just before my trip, I reached out to the blogworld to help me find the right dress-shoe combo for my friend’s wedding.  The choices were listed here.

You all seemed to love the one-shoulder dress, and wouldn’t ya know, it was a big hit!

Hubby and Me, The Beach House, Poipu, Kauai

You like?  Our drive from the North Shore took forever so I was happy that I opted to wear a casual dress for the ride down and then change in the parking lot.  Yes, I’m classy like that.  But I had a feeling this dress would have been a wrinkly mess otherwise

I must show you my hair too though.  Humidity and my hair have been in a war since I was very little.  For that reason I wanted to wear it up in something simple, classy, and not too stuffy.  With just a little bit of direction to the bestie, she was able to execute this:

Messy chignon

I loved this look!  Thanks A

More on the wedding later…

While away, I actually did read all my blogs.  And one that I came across had me rolling.  It was oh so true!  Eden of Eden’s Eats had a guest blogger write up a post on “Sure Fire Ways to be a Superstar Health Blogger.”  Now if you read Eden, you know she is snarky, funny, clever, and sarcastic (which I love).  She managed to find a guest blogger that embodied all that and more in this post.  I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m going to copy her words (giving credit to Abby and Eden!!!) and add my take

Eden’s / Abby post in italics (remember to read with a sarcastic tone).

But I know that a lot of Eden’s readers are into recipes and whatnot and I didn’t want to bore her readers any more than necessary. So even though I follow none of these tips myself, here are a few things you can do if you want to have a popular “healthy” blog and get a lot of comments:

• Take lots of pictures of food, even if it’s a piece of fruit or a bowl of cereal. People like food porn.  [Shanna: Agreed, but I don't think I'll be taking a picture of a banana anytime soon.  You know what they look like.]
• Focus on something that has been around for decades—oatmeal, Nutella, a certain vegetable—and act as if you not only discovered it, but reinvented it. [Shanna: hahahaha.  Oh so true.  I notice this with nut-butters as well.  I'll praise food, but not in an o.m.g. I am so creative to have mixed granola in my greek yogurt sort of way]
• Train for a marathon—the kind you run in, not the kind you DVR to watch on a snowy Saturday afternoon—or do some sort of short-term challenge. Ex. 30 Days of Minimal Oxygen or 100 Days of Foods with Three Ingredients or Less [Shanna: now this is one thing you will never see on my blog.  I will not be training for a marathon in this lifetime.  Maybe that makes me an uncool blogger, but what can I say, running ain't my thang!]
• People will sell their soul for free stuff, so host lots of giveaways that require people to comment, Tweet, “like” you on Facebook and recommend your blog to at least a dozen other people. Then instruct them to tell you about each and every step.  [Shanna: I've done a handful of giveaways and some I just ask for one comment.  Others (like my shoe giveaway) I asked for more.  Admittedly I was curious just to see how many comments I'd get ]
• Come up with nicknames for things, as healthy living bloggers have a language that includes words like nooch, bloobs, etc. [Shanna: no nicknames here...hmm except I do say add some peppa (pepper)]
• Review products, as people will often base their own purchasing decisions on the opinion of a semi-anonymous person with great pictures (see above.) [Shanna: I don't review products for the blogworld but for my friends and family that eat similarly.  For instance I know my bestie and my Mom would appreciate PB2 and La Tortilla Factory low-carb (50 cal) tortillas.]
• Pose a question at the end of each post that includes something about oatmeal preferences, smoothies or body image. You will get comments. [Shanna: my end-of-the-post questions aren't all that interesting.  I realize that.  But if I don't care about the answer, why ask the question?]
• Become very interested in finding new things that “taste just like the real thing” instead the actual real thing (ex. spaghetti squash is not spaghetti, peanut flour is not peanut butter, flax eggs are not eggs, etc.) [Shanna: I LOVE spaghetti squash for what it is -- something you can douse in marinara ;)  I also appreciate PB2.  As for majority of the foods, please just bring on the real thing]
• Apologize often if you miss a day of posting or haven’t been commenting much on other blogs. Your sincerity will be appreciated, as others often do put their lives on hold in anticipation of your posts. [Shanna: haha..funny one.  I have apologized but have no machinations that others wait for my post or my comments]
• Spend copious amounts of time reading the “big” blogs and leaving insightful comments in hopes that the “big” blogger will in turn read your blog, declare it genius and refer their thousands of readers to your page. Good luck with that. [Shanna: I read about half of the "big popular blogs" and only post if I have something to add.]
• Adopt some sort of “ism”  or extreme behavior, whether it’s veganism or a love of meat, excessive exercise or a hatred of activity. You get the idea. Either way you go, your posts will justify the behavior of some readers who were in doubt as to whether butter is wonderful, butter is the devil, etc. You will get comments. [Shanna: If you haven't noticed, I don't really align myself strongly with anything on my blog.  The reason(s) why is for another post entirely]
• Never really take a definitive stance on anything and remain vague when asked about a hot button topic—unless it’s oatmeal or kale, as every time someone says they dislike either item, a baby bunny gets run over by a lawnmower. Remember that.  [Shanna: similar to above, this needs more explanation.  But let's face it, no one wants a baby bunny to die.]
• Claim to only write for yourself and declare time after time that you would continue to spend six hours a day taking pictures of all your food and logging every gram of trans fat you eliminated from your day even if nobody read. [Shanna: Nope, the reason I started was to share my fast/easy low-cal recipes and love of shoes, vino, etc with family, friends.  The fact that anyone reads is a darn nice perk that I kinda like ]

So how do you eat your oatmeal?  KIDDING!

What’s a trend you see bloggers doing that you find a wee bit forced?