Heart Rate Monitor

Walking surrounded by nature is a secret pleasure of mine. I only enjoy it when the weather feels good; most of the time my friends and family think I am too prissy to be outdoors. Not today! Kristey met me for our four mile walk and we chatted away. She wants to try and walk again after work one day next week.

I wanted to bring my new Polar F6 heart rate monitor (HRM) on the walk, but I got home too late last night and by the time I wound down, I was too tired. Calibrating this HRM takes concentration. Let me let you know that this is an investment at $110. (Rob has one from Polar that is around $400.) My F6 came with a wrist unit and a coded transmitter that you strap on your chest which sends heart rate signals to your wrist unit. Ooh, Geekville! I couldn't find the new green tea color in town after calling several places. Pink is pretty, too.



Polar has an explanation why you should have a HRM. Here is the American Heart Association guidelines for determining your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR), too. Mostly, I am going to use it as a tool to help me work more efficiently. I read an article where this guy thought he was working hard then found out he needed to step up his activity level. From there the weight he'd been struggling to lose finally started to fall off. Also, this will help me when I plateau and let me know to vary my activities and target zone for my heart rate. Getting geeky about fitness is introducing a whole new set of vocabulary that for sure.

I was able to get a catnap in later in the afternoon which felt wonderful! Normally I catch up on Saturday mornings. Oh - a teaser for you - some time I will let you know what I bought this afternoon that will help in my branding of Sarah Sprinkles for Project AGOL. What could it be, my lovelies?
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Heart Rate Monitor

AGOL is Asian?

It has been a few months since I have walked the woods just miles from my apartment. Kristey was already there by the time I arrived. Her new friend was nowhere in sight. I found out later that she was horrified that we would begin our walk at 8:30am. She was lucky because last year we started at 7:30am! We blissfully completed our own four mile circuit with me noting a lone red dragonfly along the way.

My friends always want me to bring my Pretty Boy Dog, but it would be more hassle than happy for either of us. He's getting on in years and he hates other dogs. It would be stressful to try to control him every third mile when we would encounter other dogs. He wouldn't make the whole circuit. He's a spoiled aging gentle doggie. Belly and back rubs are more his style.

When I got home, I saw another flying creature. This time it was a large needle dragonfly flying near my door. What kind of messages are my winged friends bringing me? I had no time to think about it more until hours later on my way to see my hairdresser Michelle.

I bought a musical card for Michelle that played Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive and I tucked in her pictures of her kittens I had taken last weekend. She wants me to take pictures with her more sophisticated camera next time I come over because she says I take good shots...

It has become a habit to stop at the bubble tea place a few doors down where I ordered the same flavor of jackfruit with mango fruits gels and boba (tapioca pearls). The Vietnamese guy behind the counter asked me how I knew about jackfruit. I told him I was half Filipino and with a face full of surprise he asked me, You're Asian?! I almost died. I said yes and how I was born in the Philippines and had lived the first 11 years of my life there. His lady helper heard this last bit and said to me, You're Asian?! OMG. Were these people blind? Did they not see my chinky eyes? I called Angie and Tawny to ask them if they knew I was Asian. We had a great laugh.


(To their credit, I am only HALF Asian...Still, give me a break.)

Ended up at Tawny's with her family for a very non-Asian dinner of cheeseburgers. I was a nuisance to her in the kitchen, but I was a good helper in setting up the table and making sure everything was on there. Stayed late enough to remember that they had to get an early start to go to Universal Studios tomorrow. Walked back across the complex to my doggie who waited for me like an irate parent. Apparently, the only allowable fun in his book is with him. Good thing he is cute...That's all I can say.
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AGOL is Asian?

Important Cupcake Ingredient

My cousin Angie sent me this last week and I didn't know quite what I was reading at first. I thought she was asking ME the question, but rather it was an excerpt from an article...

You said that you sometimes bake cupcakes, but have had trouble with getting the frosting right. Which recipe(s) do you usually use? What's been your best cupcake baking experience?

Everyone at work goes nuts when I made Lickety Split Strawberry Cupcakes. It’s a tacky
Pillsbury Bake Off recipe, but they love them. You add sour cream and eggs to a box of that pink, strawberry-flavored cake mix. You fill the cupcakes up part way, drop a teaspoon of strawberry jam on top of that, and then cover that with a dollop of the cake batter. Although the recipe doesn’t call for icing, I think they benefit greatly from a good slathering of cream cheese frosting. I also top them with red sprinkles, because cupcakes should always have sprinkles.

...When I read the last line, I laughed out loud for a long time. Sometimes she can really really make me laugh. I haven't made cupcakes in a while and my unused cupcake tree (see above sample pic from Amazon) holds almost two dozen delicious cups for display and enjoyment. First though - we must have Sprinkles.
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Important Cupcake Ingredient

Oodles of Googles

Google can turn anyone into an Attention-Ho and that includes me! For someone who avoids attention, I sure am heading into it. Look what I discovered when I googled Sarah Sprinkles:



The results startled me. I wasn't expecting a picture of my youtube entry. Once I got over the shock, I thought it was really neat. So what does an Attention-Ho do? IM her buddies and ask them to google her. Yup. My friends were good sports and loved it.

Work kept me busy today especially when Bridget was out most of the day and worked from home so she could take care of her son. My boss was occupied as well and didn't demand a lot. It was a good day to be at work. Busy with not a whole lot of demands.

Tawny IM'ed me and told me that she "swirled, tapped and buffed" her mother with the BareMinerals make-up. I haven't heard those words in a while. I love the make-up and have not regretted my switch to it at all.

Most of my evening at home was spent troubleshooting something on my computer that I installed. I read page after page of possible errors and solutions on their online forum and found one plausible answer. It actually worked! Let's see if it sticks. I'll let you know later. Sometimes being geeky pays off. Just ask Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.


Leaving you with a joke I made up this morning as I was making my hot tea:

Q - What did Earl Grey say to Jasmine when he was courting her?
A - Don't be Chai, dear!

Oodles of Googles

Self-Portrait

A Self-Portrait by Sarah Sprinkles

Self-Portrait