Many of you have likely heard me go on about the sessions I started with 5 Rings Fitness back in JulyMy 90 days will be up in early October, and the results have been pretty fantastic so far. My range of motion, strength and stamina have all gone improved significantly and continue to do so. One of the most wonderful things about everything James has been showing me, is that it’s super easy to do at home and keep up with. All I need is a kettlebell and the knowledge he’s given me, and I’ll continue to improve.

While my diet has been tweaked a bit, it hasn’t required me to make any significant changes. He’s shown me a lot about nutrition (it’s almost creepy the amount of information he has in that head regarding all these topics).

The only “downside”: needing to buy new clothes because some of what I own is starting to get a bit too roomy (jeans especially… I’ve gone from a size 15 to 10 already). POOR ME.

Another couple of points on James and 5 Rings Fitness:

1. He never, EVER, sets you up for failure; he’ll work with you no matter what you’re starting point is — just listen, follow through and you’ll certainly see results.
2. Pain is bad — if it hurts to do it, stop and do something else. This is different from what you see on TV, kids. More “work smarter, not harder”. Mind, you’ll sweat, but you’ll love doing it.
3. One of my ultimate goals, and one that James has for you as well, is to strengthen the body’s “core”, not just build muscle tone everywhere hapazardly. And let me tell you, he’s got a great method that combines fun strength and cardio workouts combined with amazing body stretches that’ll get you loosey-goosey from head to toe.

Believe me, I could go on and on… and I will, but I’ll save more for another day. If you’re at ALL curious about 5 Rings Fitness, feel free to ask me questions or contact 5RF directly. A great way to get started would be to sign up for a Basic Membership, and that’s just $50 a month. There are classes in the morning, and some evenings/weekends as well (schedule; the Saturday morning class is an excellent starter).

Misc links:
Video: Hannah V Reviews 5 Rings Fitness
5 Rings Fitness on Twitter; on Facebook.

Originally published at Opheliac9. Please leave any comments there.

On Monday morning, I was checking Facebook briefly while getting ready for work. I came across some, well, disturbing posts from a good friend of mine, Mikael Rudolph. Heartbreakingly, it turns out that he has Therapy Related Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

In January 2008, he was diagnosed with colon cancer, but beat it. Then his sister passed away late last year. Now this. When they’re able to get it into remission, he’ll be up for a bone marrow transplant. He checked into the hospital this afternoon for a three- to four-week stay.

I know most, if not all of you, have had your lives touched by cancer… be it yourself, friends or family. While there will certainly be a benefit coming up for him, if you want to help out, his favorite charity is RESCU (Renaissance Entertainers, Services, and Crafters United). You can donate either in his name or to the foundation itself to help others in similar situations (donation page is here).

Additionally, if you haven’t already, sign up as a potential marrow donor on the Be The Match Registry. Thousands of people with leukemia and other diseases are in need of matches, and you could help. If you happen to be a match for someone, it doesn’t cost you a thing to donate.

If you want to get in touch with Mikael and are on Facebook, here’s his page.

He’s one of the most determined people I know and is surrounded by loving friends so I know he’s not going to take this lying down. If ya have some good vibes or prayers to send, I’m sure he’d appreciate them.

Originally published at Opheliac9. Please leave any comments there.

I haven’t been keeping up on LJ, blogs etc even remotely… so if anything big and/or crazy has happened in your life recently let me know!

Better yet, let’s hang out tonight… anyone down for an after-work happy hour at Nick & Eddie?

Originally published at Opheliac9. Please leave any comments there.

1. You can ONLY answer Yes or No.

2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages or comments you and asks. -- and believe me, the temptation to explain some of these will be overwhelming as nothing is exactly as it seems.

Now, here's what you're supposed to do. . . Copy and paste this into your notes, delete my answers, type in your answers and tag as many of your friends as you'd like to.


Kissed any one of your LJ friends? --- yes
Been arrested? --- no
Kissed someone you didn't like? --- yes
Slept in until 5 PM? --- yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? --- yes
Held a snake? --- no
Ran a red light? --- no
Experienced love at first sight? --- yes
Totaled your car in an accident? --- no
Been fired from a job? --- yes
Fired somebody? --- no
Sang karaoke? --- no
Pointed a gun at someone? --- no
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? --- yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? --- no
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? --- yes
Kissed in the rain? --- yes
Had a close brush with death (your own)? --- yes
Seen someone die? --- no
Played spin-the-bottle? --- yes
Sang in the shower? --- yes
Smoked a cigar? --- no
Sat on a rooftop? --- yes
Smuggled something into another country? --- no
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes? --- no
Broken a bone? --- no
Skipped school? --- yes
Eaten a bug? --- yes
Sleepwalked? --- no
Walked a moonlit beach? --- yes
Rode a motorcycle? --- yes
Dumped someone? --- yes
Forgotten your anniversary? --- no
Lied to avoid a ticket? --- yes
Ridden on a helicopter? --- no
Shaved your head? --- yes
Blacked out from drinking? --- yes
Played a prank on someone? --- yes
Hit a home run? -- no
Felt like killing someone? --- yes
Cross-dressed? --- yes
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? --- yes
Eaten snake? --- no
Marched/Protested? --- no
Had Mexican jumping beans for pets? --- yes
Puked on amusement ride? --- no
Seriously & intentionally boycotted something? --- no
Been in a band? --- yes
Knitted? --- no
Been on TV? --- yes
Shot a gun? --- yes
Skinny-dipped? --- yes
Gave someone stitches? --- no
Eaten a whole habenero pepper? --- no
Ridden a surfboard? --- no
Drank straight from a liquor bottle? --- yes
Had surgery? --- yes
Streaked? --- no
Taken by ambulance to hospital? -- yes
Peed on a bush? --- yes
Donated Blood? --- yes
Grabbed electric fence? --- no
Eaten alligator meat? --- no
Eaten cheesecake? --- yes
Eaten your kids' Halloween candy? --- no
Killed an animal when not hunting? --- no
Peed your pants in public? --- no
Snuck into a movie without paying? --- no
Written graffiti? --- yes
Still love someone you shouldn't? --- no
Think about the future? --- yes
Think about the furniture? --- yes
Believe in love? --- yes
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? --- no

So my dining companion and I were looking to get our grub on last Sunday night: It was about 10:30PM, but we figured, “Hey, this is a big city, this isn’t a problem!” Oh ho ho! While not a huge hurdle, we did run into some frustrations that led to the idea for doing this little series and future investigative work.

That night, we stopped in at a favorite of mine, Nick and Eddie, only to find that even their bar menu wraps at 9PM on Sunday evenings. Damn! We stuck our head in over at Joe’s Garage, only to get a similar story. Thankfully, my compatriot in hunger mentioned Chiang Mai Thai’s late-night happy hour so I gave them a call and confirmed that they were still serving food before we hustled down there, stomachs ready to be stuffed.

While our actual entree ended up coming to the table first, we waited a few more moments for the appetizers to come to the table before digging in.

We started things off with an order of the Fresh Springrolls with curried beef (comes with two per order, $5) as well as what turned out to be a ton of their Burning Wings of Fire (big plate of 12 tasty wings, $9). Certainly, both were devoured quickly. *Note that app prices do not reflect the great happy hour that runs 10PM to 12AM Sunday through Thursday.

Considering that we ordered two big appetizers, we decided to just split an entree: Garlic Pepper Stir Fry (with chicken, $13), served over white rice. Very, very peppery and really hit the spot for my craving of spicy food. The chicken was moist and tender, the veggies seemed pretty fresh and not overcooked (I hate limp broccoli).

To drink, I went for the “Urban Monk” (Stoli Blueberi Vodka with lime, orange and mango juice, $7.75). While tasty, think I’ll just stick to the wine and beer lists next time… the flavored vodka made for an interesting mix that was actually pretty good, but I’m not really into paying 8 bucks for a cocktail (I live close to the 19 Bar, home of cheap and strong drinks).

All in all, I was a very happy girl when we left: Full of delicious, fairly-priced food. And since we loaded up on apps first, I had leftover stir-fry for lunch the next day. This will definitely be on my list of places to hit up if I’m looking for a bit of spice late at night. I attempted to take pictures with my little cam phone, but no dice: it’s pretty dark in there at night.

Quick Facts
Located in Calhoun Square
3001 Hennepin Ave #109E
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 827-1606

Business Hours: Everyday 11:00 AM -1:00 AM
Full menu until 11:00 PM

Happy hours:
Sunday-Friday 4:00-6:00 &
Sunday-Thursday from 10:00 PM-Midnight

Next time: Rinata

Originally published at Opheliac9. Please leave any comments there.

This Wednesday at 6:30 PM I’m going to take my friend Tyler from Idaho to the Red Dragon for dinner and drinks… you are hereby invited to join us. If you’re at least considering it, drop me a comment or email so I have a rough guess of how big of a table to get. It’d be great to see you! It’s been a while since I’ve seen a few of ya.

Originally published at Opheliac9. Please leave any comments there.

So in “celebration” of 4/20 I thought I’d start up on season 4 of Weeds. (Mind, the only thing besides some macaroni & cheese I’ve ingested this evening was a glass of wine, though I have been living vicariously through friends on Facebook and text.) I love this show. And it’s been so long since I’ve watched it, I’d forgotten how freakin’ awesome it is.

Once I’m through with this season (I have episode 9 queued up, but it’s officially passed Late now), I have season three of Dexter to view.

On Hulu, I’ve subscribed to Sarah Connor Chronicles, Dollhouse, and Kings. All fantastic.

So, what are you addicted to on TV these days?

Originally published at Opheliac9. Please leave any comments there.

I’m just about done reading Natsuo Kirino’s first novel, Out. It’s actually the second one of hers that I’ve read now (the first being Grotesque). I knew after that first one that I was hooked on Kirino’s writing, but I waited quite a while to pick up another one of hers because Grotesque was incredibly dark, and I’d read that all her books reflected that as well.

While the plots themselves are brutal enough, it’s like she strips the good out of people so all that’s left is the hideous, selfish and despicable parts that you loathe but can’t stop reading about.

When I finished Grotesque, I was in a weird place. There are little characteristics in myself, as well as other people I know, in characters of hers; seeing that made me feel something indescribable. It’s really that a person can spend all this time trying to get rid of a part of their self, only to find themselves confronted with it full force. It’s both appalling to me to see that side, as well as appealing in that I can learn a bit more about personality characteristics and mannerisms when they’re exploded into the full characters she portrays.

Anyway, I ought to work now. Do you have any recent favorite books weighing on your mind that you’d like to share?

Originally published at Opheliac9. Please leave any comments there.

I have a friend coming to visit for about two weeks come the end of the month, and I’ve been compiling a list of possible places to check out while he’s here… can you think of more? I’m sure you can, so fork over those ideas! I’ll update my list as we go. Certainly, if you think something already listed is either a big don’t miss place/thing to do, or something to pass on, let me know that too… and feel free to include events that are going on (he’ll be here from 4/27 to 5/11).

Food & Drink (including clubs)

19 Bar
Bar Abilene (Guacamole & margaritas)
Black Forest (for liver pâté & beer on the patio if it’s nice enough)
Bob’s Java Hut
Bolt (for Chamber night, Thursdays)
Craftsman
Duplex restaurant
First Avenue
Ground Zero (Saturday nights)
Grumpy’s
Hard Times Cafe (thanks @mrbispo)
Hell’s Kitchen
Jasmine 26
Kieran’s & The Local
Matt’s (for Jucy Lucy’s, of course!!!)
Midtown Market
moto-i
Nick & Eddie
Nye’s
Pancho Villa
Pizza Luce
Punch Pizza
Quang Deli
Red Dragon
Saloon (For Hard Monday)
Sebastian Joe’s
Spyhouse
Strip Club (restaurant, mind you)
Town Talk Diner
Triple Rock (Thanks for the Bacon Wednesday reminder @mrbispo!
Uncommon Grounds (Go for the chai — thanks @mrbispo)
Uptown Bar

Out & About

Big Brain comicbook store
Guthrie
MIA
Minnehaha Falls (thanks Lexinatrix!)
Minnesota Zoo
MOA
Science Museum (thanks Lexinatrix!)
Sculpture Garden
Taylors Falls - hiking (thanks @josefbig)
Treehouse Records
Uptown Theater for a Saturday Midnight Movie
Walker Art Center for Free Thursday (thanks @newcoventry)

Originally published at Opheliac9. Please leave any comments there.