April Goals, Week 3: Commitment

I promise that I’ve been eating and exercising and I owe you an update on that stuff soon. I just had my last midterm and now finals are looming, PLUS it’s spring and it’s so nice out that I’ve avoided my computer just a bit.

But I’ve had some fun adventures to share such as a trip to New York where I stayed in the smallest room ever that didn’t have a ceiling:

And enjoyed a delicious shake from One Lucky Duck:

Then I went on to LA where I got in a nice long walk along the beach.

And then I finally went on a girl’s trip to San Luis Obispo where I didn’t take too many pictures because I was eating, chatting, and laughing too much.

All of this traveling means that I haven’t been stretching or foam rolling as much as I should. I’ve definitely let my commitment get away from me. So I’m thinking of adding another goal on top of continuing to stretch and foam roll for the month of May.

While it’s fun to switch up goals every month, I also think it sometimes doesn’t give us quite enough time to develop the habit that we’re striving for. Especially if it’s a tougher goal, it’s easy to let it go at the end of the month. There is power in the commitment we make each month that drives us and when that commitment is gone, sometimes that goal slides away along with it.

Even though I am training for a marathon, I am not one of those people that loves running and can’t wait to lace up my shoes. Especially now where our training runs are long, I don’t always want to go. Finals are coming up, we have a wedding to plan, there are birthdays to celebrate, etc. But I put on my shoes and I get out there and sometimes the runs are as awful as I expect them to be and sometimes they are awesome. Either way, I get my butt out there and do it because I committed to doing it and I know it will make for a better race, keep me healthy, and is quality time to spend with Alex.

Showing up – whatever that means for your goal – can seem daunting. But once you do it enough, it becomes ingrained in your behavior pattern and suddenly you find that you have plenty of room to do it. So don’t shortchange yourself and let go just because it’s hard. Just show up and go from there.

Here’s a great link from Zen Habits on when to quit your habits (the answer is when you don’t want to anymore!)

The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.
Vince Lombardi 

Commitment is an act, not a word.
Jean-Paul Sartre

Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.
Paul J. Meyer 

Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.
Peter F. Drucker

My First Ever Blogger Lunch at Delarosa

Happy Monday Wednesday everyone. I meant to get this post up on Monday, but it just didn’t happen. I’ve been a little little sluggish this week; I’m not sure if it was staying out until 11 pm on Friday night (I know, party animal!), running 12 miles on Saturday, or the time change, but I moved as slow as the blackstrap molasses that I put in the barbecue sauce I made this morning. (The recipe is from Ashley at edible perspective, and it’s divine.)

Or perhaps I’m still climbing out of the food coma that I went into on Sunday after dining at Delarosa with the group of critics that write for Oomea.com, a newly launched restaurant review platform. I applied to be a critic for Oomea about six weeks ago, and have been writing reviews for them since. If you live in the Bay Area, or are planning to travel here soon, check out the site to find reviews written by a cultivated group of bloggers (including yours truly). I don’t plan to write very many restaurant reviews here unless it’s a very special or unique meal, but please check out the site if you’re interested on what I have to say about the SF food scene!

In all honesty, I was nervous about this lunch. Though I’ve been writing here for a few years, I haven’t claimed to be a blogger. I have been a student, a fellow, an employee but I never bring up this little place I come a few times a week. I have a lot of thoughts on what it means to step up and own my thoughts here in a more public way, and the responsibility and privilege that entails, and I plan to share them here later this week.

But today I wanted to just share a few shots of the wonderful food at Delarosa that I was invited to partake in. Thank you so much to Oomea for hosting such a wonderful lunch for all of us to connect! It’s a funny thing to be at a lunch with all bloggers – I didn’t have to surreptitiously pull out my camera to snap a photo. Of course, I forgot my actual camera, so I had to make do with my phone.

We started with a pea bruschetta and burrata bruschetta with honey and hazelnuts. The pea bruschetta was so colorful and appropriate for spring (or maybe Christmas). The burrata was creamy and indulgent.

There were also two salads, a “beet Carpaccio” with truffle oil and arugula and a kale Caesar (unpictured as I couldn’t partake due to the anchovy dressing).

The next course was a smoked mozzarella and eggplant pasta dish. Although it was a touch oily, the smoky flavor of the mozzarella was bold without being overwhelming, and the eggplant was silky smooth.

My absolute favorite dish was the fried Brussels sprouts. It came with a caper aioli, but they didn’t need it. They were perfectly crunchy and had the perfect amount of bitter bite. I could eat them all day! I mean, I know fried is fried, but they’re probably healthier than chips, right? RIGHT?!

We also had two beautiful thin crust pizzas. One had a variety of mushrooms which I enjoyed, but the cheese overwhelmed the mushroom flavor and it felt greasy overall to me. But the burrata margherita was divine. I don’t eat cheese that often, but when I do, I like it to be good. The burrata was creamy and mellow, a perfect complement to the fresh basil and tangy tomato sauce. The crust has a nice crunch and didn’t get too soggy at the tip. (I’m also looking at their menu now and realizing that they have a pizza with no cheese and vegan cheese as an option as well, so it’s good to know it’s vegan friendly!)

And last but not least, we had some amazing desserts. A molten chocolate cake, a creamy vanilla gelato with olive oil and salt, and the famous de la rosa donuts with three dipping sauces. I restrained myself to a few bites of each one so that everyone could have a taste, but it was tough!

The whole day was so much fun; Oomea also needed new headshots for the website, so a photographer came out and did a photo shoot at the Palace of Fine Arts. I walked around a bit beforehand and snapped a few of my own. I hadn’t actually walked the whole lagoon before! My best headshot is now on my updated “About” page, so please go check it out. Many thanks to Quan Pham for making me look way less awkward than I felt!

Please note: The lunch provided by Delarosa was paid for by Oomea. All opinions about the food are my own.