I was contacted by Vega Protein Powder about getting some free samples of their product as well as giving my readers and followers some samples.  Now, you all know that I eat (drink? use? mainline?) protein powder every morning in my oatmeal, and I also often make a protein shake after workouts, depending on if I remember or have time.  So when they asked if I’d like some samples, I said sure.  I mean really, this blog is obviously taking off:  free protein powder, free shoes, free Saucy Soiree tickets.  I’m raking it in here, and YOU can say you knew me before I was big.  (Unless you’re just meeting me now.  Too late.)

(Go here to see a hilarious bit from The Office about protein powder.)

Honestly though, it’s fun, but of course I write for me (for me, not for you.  Don’t forget!)  I won’t say no to free samples, but (and I know everybody says this, but it’s true) I would never push anything on you, and I won’t lie about liking something that I don’t like.

So here’s the deal.  I have no idea what this stuff is like, because I haven’t gotten my samples yet, but you can sign up for a bit of junk email and get a free sample for yourself.  Maybe it’s terrible, maybe it’s awesome, but it is probably worth trying if you are a protein powder user like me.  And it’s 100% plant based—so if that is a concern of yours, you’re good to go!  (Though the small print implies it might be made in a facility that processes chocolate which might contain dairy and soy, so depending on your level of paranoia/seriousness you’ll want to be wary, as with anything processed.)

Go here to sign up for your free sample.

Okay part two.  I promised you kitties.

My kitty!

And that is the funniest thing I saw on the internet this week.  Can anybody top it?

What a cutie pie! He’s getting too big to hold upright on my lap without his legs bending.  And yeah, I’ll just admit, I actually do really enjoy holding the darned baby.  He’s super cute and his feet are very soft and his legs are all squishy.  He almost weighs as much as my cat now!

I went over to hang out with Laura and Benny yesterday afternoon.  After that Chris and I had a reservation at Five Bistro.  We had been once before, several years ago and remembered it was fantastic.  The menu changes daily and they use local ingredients.

I had the trout.  Oddly off the menu, even though the menu changes daily.  I was afraid to ask.  We split the pork belly appetizer and Chris had the beef tenderloin.  It was delicious, but we thought a bit overpriced.  I know it’s not a huge difference between a $25 and a $30 entree, but somehow it feels like it.  For instance, I wanted to try the caesar salad (off menu also, $9) but just couldn’t bring myself to order a $9 salad.  Weird, right.  $7 I wouldn’t have questioned it.  Oh well.  Dinner was delicious however.  And I know restaurants have really small profit margins, but I guess we just felt it was too much.  Like I said, delicious though.

Afterwards we walked a couple of blocks to Gelato Di Riso.  I had the pistachio and coconut flavors and Chris had mint chip and chocolate.  Mine were good, but not the greatest combination together in one cup.  (Two flavors, one cup?)

Then we came home to try to beat the storms, plus I wanted to try to get to bed early for the 5k.  That didn’t actually happen, as the storms rolled in around 11:00 pm and kept me up well past midnight, but it was a valiant effort.

I learned a new trick.  Place magazines on couch.  Cat magically appears.  (Though I apologize, cat did not fit entirely into camera frame.)

Anyway, I’ll write about the 5k later.  Suffice it to say it was not in any way entirely downhill and that running is hard.  31:17.  Not my best, but my best effort on the day.  Now it’s time for a pedicure, rehearsal for a gig, and dinner and listening to bassoon excerpts. 

And Happy Father’s Day to my dad—may he reach his 10000 miles for the year soon if not already!

edited to add a picture:  Even though I think most people are posting pictures of them and their dads and generally just trying to get attention on various social media platforms that their fathers won’t even see…I know my dad does actually read my blog, at least on occasion.  I also know that he’s seen this picture before and honestly I suppose I’m doing the same—we paid enough for our wedding photos, best to keep using them, right Sarah Crowder? ;)  But whatever.  It’s my blog and I’ll be a hypocrite about it if I want to.

I barely remember this.  I was so nervous about walking down the aisle that I think I almost blacked out.  I found the whole ceremony to be terrifying—all those people looking at me.  Weird, right?  Oh, see, there I go, talking about myself.

I’d better step away from the computer now 🙂

I was talking about blogs with my friend Jen last night, and we were also talking about the blogs of other people we know.  She recently started reading Natalie’s blog, The Sweets Life (which is fantastic!), and actually made a couple of the recipes for a recent dinner party.  (We met Natalie at the Marathon Relay in November.)  Anyway, one of the comments Jen made was that my picture to text ratio was great and made my blog easy to read, and her only complaint (beside the fact that my blog overlaps a bit at the top of the page, yeah, sorry about that, and someday I’ll figure out how to fix it) was that sometimes my cat pictures were just a big blob of cat, without a delineation between cat and couch, or perhaps between cat belly and cat head.

I told her that there was no couch.  Just cat.

Cat eyes and flash do not mix well.  She looks like evil kitty here.

I think this is one of the pictures Jen was referring to.  Where does the cat end and the blanket and pillow begin?  Who knows…who cares??

She’s looking right at me here.  Judging me, as usual.  “Why are you always pointing that striped thing at me?” (My phone case is striped on the back.)

I’m so very tired and I need a nap.

Okay.  My cat may be just a wee bit overweight.  🙁

I was using my foot to pet her.  She was totally enjoying it, even though she was trying to pretend she wasn’t.

Self portrait.  Hannah and cat.  I sent this to Leslie who responded with…

Cat under a papasan chair.

And that’s about it for me.  Aren’t you really just relieved I’m not blogging about oatmeal today?

I forget when we started referring to the fatness as “the ham.”  Possibly before we started referring to her as the fatness (short for “her royal fatness”).  It was before Stephen Colbert coined “Ham Rove”.

Her body does resemble a ham.  Though it also resembles a football.  Or mashed potatoes.

Yeah, I know.  It’s Friday night, and I’m at home furiously texting and tweeting with one of my friends, and she made me this drawing.  I love it.  It’s better than her birthday drawing from the last blog post, because it involves my own picture.  Thank you!  (Oh, and she used my original instagrammed photo, and then I re-instagrammed it.  I think some hipsters may have been harmed during THAT operation.)

(and I apologize for the french sarcasm yesterday.  I mean, I don’t really speak french, but I’m not as dumb as I act.)

(and you all know I love my cat more than any sane person should.  her fatness is one of my favorite things about her.)

I already posted this to a facebook album last night, but I figured it would make a lovely Friday blog entry.  I presume you are all familiar with the concept behind "Stuff on my cat."

I was sitting on the couch watching some TV while waiting for a friend to call to go hang out.  My cat came to sit by me, and I got creative.

First I just took a picture of her because she is so darned cute.

But then I figured, why not?  And set the remote on her back.  She didn’t seem to mind.

Next the computer mouse (yes, I like to use a mouse for my laptop, it’s easier.)

Things started to get out of hand here.  After this I attempted the towel with ice pack but the ice pack kept sliding.

And after this I ran out of stuff—I would have had to get up to get more stuff to put on her and if I’d done that she likely would have gotten up.  I feel I did pretty well though!

And now I’m off to play a rehearsal and concert of the Music of Led Zeppelin with the St Louis Symphony :)  What are you doing this weekend?

While I was at work yesterday Chris sent me a video of our cat, which I was (naturally) delighted by.  I’d show you the video but I doubt you’d appreciate it (we’ll pretend that’s the reason, not because I’m not in the mood to figure out how to do that).  Basically it is the fatness sitting on Chris’s lap, and him trying to get her to look at the camera.  There are some cat noises as well.  Anyway, I forwarded it to a couple important people, and then Leslie sent the following picture back as a response. 

The gym yesterday was awesome.  I hadn’t worked out with Mike in two weeks, and hadn’t really worked out that much either way.  He planned a well rounded workout that would help my shoulder but (ideally, he said) not leave me so sore I couldn’t walk the next day.  I’m sore today, but I think (knock on wood) that he was correct in his assessment, because it’s a good "I had a great workout" sore rather than the "I’m going to kill my trainer" sore I’ve had in the past.  We also had a discussion involving what might have caused the shoulder injury in the first place, as he apparently missed the memo that I thought it was something I did at the gym that was exacerbated by extreme violin playing.  He thought it was violin playing all along.  I think it was both, and I recall it hurting really badly that one day.  That said, if he read my blog (hem, hem) he’d know.  I don’t understand why everybody I know doesn’t read my blog on a regular basis.  Because I do—when I meet somebody who has a blog, I subscribe to their blog and read every time they write.  Is that just me?

But I digress. I promised you a quick post about kitties.  Here are some more pictures, some just that a friend sent me, and the last one an instagram of my feet and the fatness (and our awesome c. 2000 television!)