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IRL

IRL, Wk 7

What was I up to this past week? It’s been a few years since I’ve been able to really de-stress and not worry about certain on-goings in my life. This past week I was able to discover some new motivation, had lots of great food, and went hiking again.

Monday was rather late to start, actually most of the week I could say that the average time I woke up AND got out of bed was 10:30 am. That is quite the departure from getting up at 6:45 am every weekday. I was looking forward to meeting up with some co-workers to “celebrate” our final day of employment with [redacted]. We met up at Septembers Tavern in Rancho Cucamonga around 3:45pm. If you’re ever in the area and in the mood for something other than Buffalo Wild Wings and want a nice selection of beer, visit Septembers, and make sure to try the Bang Bang Chicken.

Beige Van's high top shoe, All weather MTE edition.
Thoughts? Tweet at me and let me know.

Afterwards, I went out with my sister for some retail therapy. I didn’t really need any of the items I purchased that evening, but it is nice to buy something for yourself here and there. A Target run later, I had a new pair of gym shorts, a new dinner bowl to replace the one my dad broke a few days ago, a 12 pack of 805 ale, and 4 black tumblers (this last one not sure why, but I liked them).

TUESDAY

I don’t recall much of the morning, probably cause I slept in that day. I was not hungover, I usually know when to stop so I don’t wake up hungover in the mornings. Anyhow, I did go out for a hike this day to a trail I’ve never been to. Would I go again, yeah, but probably not any time soon (maybe). The Ettiwanda Nature Preserve trail as it’s called was quite the challenge as most of the trail was up-hill and most areas of the trail were covered in stones and loose rocks. I need better shoes for hiking…

View down Ettiwanda trail in Fontana, California. There are shrubs and vegitation on either side of the trail. Off in the distance is the Inland Empire valley.
Nice views and great ending (below)
Water is cascading down rocky steps into canyon below. A tree and vegetation are located a few feet away from the water.

I was not alone on this outing of course, my good friends Diego and Sandro were there to provide support (well mostly Diego, thank you for going Sandro, it’s been a minute since we hung out!). The hike was well worth in the end as the views were spectacular, and there was plenty to see. Finishing off the day, we went to Applebee’s with just enough time to enjoy 15 minutes of the Happy Hour menu. I recommend the Tex/Mex Shrimp bowl with Cilantro rice. 8/10.

WEDNESDAY

My friend and former co-worker, Liza celebrated her birthday this past week. We of course had already gotten together on Monday to wish her well and had dessert (well most of us anyways). She was out of the country this day. Of course I woke up late this day, a drink here and there the past two days catches up with you right? I was on FaceTime with my sister, Vanessa, for a half hour or so while also getting ready for an outing. I made plans to visit my sister’s gym later after she was off work and see if I would potentially get a membership (spoiler: I did).

My other outing for that afternoon was again with Diego, but another of our friends tagged along, Emmanuel. We went out to West Covina to explore IKEA, which is probably one of my favorite places to just visit. Prior to walking the showroom, we stopped by Wendy’s for a quick bite. Spicy nuggets are back so there were no questions there what to get, oh and a spicy chicken sandwich. We didn’t get anything at IKEA (no impulse buys here) but we were also on a time constraint (sorry we left after 5 Emmanuel). The rest of the evening was spent in 7 Days to Die, but I got off around 10 to hit the gym.

The gym was quite interesting, we went just after my sister’s shift was over. As part of their [Planet Fitness] black card perks, you can bring a guest with you, so my sister brought me along after I shared an interest of finally going to the gym. The facilities were quite nice and the overall environment was welcoming, I did just over an hour and a half of cardio on the treadmill and one of the cycling bikes. The stair master, well … we’re not gonna talk about the stair master.

THURSDAY

I did sign up for a membership to Planet Fitness this day. Partly because of a “no contract” promotion but I was glad to take that first step towards a healthier life style. I did not go to the gym this day, but I did take the time to spend 30 minutes doing cardio at home with one of the workout sessions in their app. Around 5 pm, I went out for dinner with my mom and sister. They both wanted a buffet experience so we went to Paradise Buffet in Montclair. The food was pretty good, but something about the serving of lo mein noodles had me visiting the bathroom a few hours later. 5/10.

After returning home, I was in and out to go hang out with Diego again. We went to watch the Sonic the Hedgehog movie at Edwards by the Ontario Mills Mall. No spoilers here. The overall movie was nicely done and the live action image of Sonic was great, given the original trailer release. 7.5/10. I am looking forward to the sequel.

A TV playing a video from Offline TV.
YouTube in bed, yep.

FRIDAY

Whew- this is quite the post. I was up and out of bed by noon after being contacted by Diego if I wanted to go to IKEA again with an old friend, Christian. We had lunch at the IKEA food court before taking another trip through parts of the showroom and marketplace. Christian on the other hand was busy with customer service. Glad that everything worked out at the end, he got a defective sofa replaced.

Given that it was Valentines day, we did notice the uptick of PDA but nothing too crazy. Most places were sold out of flowers and other “last minute” gift items. I went on another Target run later in the evening with Diego was to replace a water bottle I left in Christian’s car and to grab another pair of shorts. Christian if you’re reading this, I left my water bottle in your car… also I found the parts for the laptop. We went to the gym around 9 pm then went to Corky’s after for a quick bite. Looking back, I should not have had that much Cholula hot sauce that late at night.

SATURDAY

Of course my stomach is messed up from the night before right. I was up at 7:45 am to hit up the Claremont Loop trail with Diego, my sister, and possibly my mom. My sister did not wake up… so I did the trail with Diego. Took just over two hours, hopefully in the future I can bring that time down. He then took me to a different trail in the same area that had a steeper incline and steps. I would like to hike that trail, but maybe in a month or so, need a bit more cardio to get a bit in shape.

The rest of that afternoon was a shower, a nice oatmeal, and a nap soon after. If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for taking the time to read this mess of words. Check back next Sunday for more.