How good is your sense of direction?

I already mentioned the story I'm about to share on my Facebook fan page (which, ahem, you would know if you are in fact a fan), and FnF reader, Elizabeth, suggested I blog about it, too. I'm sure this won't come as a surprise, but I am absolutely horrible with directions. Horrible. Yesterday after work, I heard a man, obviously a tourist, tell his two little boys, "I hope we're walking north because I want to take you to this famous deli, called Katz's!" Oh no, oh no, I thought, they are going south! Faaar south. Occasionally when I overhear a conversation and know someone is heading in the wrong direction, I will offer my unsolicited help. For whatever reason though, I didn't last night, and I felt totally guilty about it afterwards. It was freezing outside, and the dad and his two sons were at least a 15-minute walk from where they needed to be. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.

It is a sin not to help someone with directions in this crazy city, especially when it's cold out. Lord knows I had to ask a million people for directions when I first moved to to New York. Hell, I still do on occasion when I'm in a 'hood I don't frequent often. But I guess that's the difference. I ASK people for help, and even though I've lived here for over five years, I'm not embarrassed about it. (Well, except when I'm entertaining out-of-town guests). There is no way that man asked anyone for help--he was just too far away from his destination. Eh, men.

It's a wonder I can navigate my way around Manhattan. It took me forever to be confident on the subway--just look at that map! One time I got really lost driving my boyfriend home from the airport. Umm, we were in Lexington, KY--the city I lived in for 18 years! I was incredibly embarrassed, especially because we hadn't been dating that long. I had hoped he wouldn't discover my ditzy side until much, much later. Oops.

Surprisingly though, I drove to four different cities in Pennsylvania for a John Gosselin story when I was working as a tabloid reporter, and managed to do OK. I didn't have a GPS or a Blackberry, so I had to find random Kinko's stores and print out the maps. Of course I got lost a few times, but I was pretty impressed with myself. Hmm, maybe I need to pretend my life job is on the line every time I need to go somewhere. Despite my lack of sleep on that fun little excursion (can you hear my sarcasm?), I suppose I was more alert than normal, which is something I should practice more often.

What about you guys: How is your sense of direction? Have you ever been lost in New York?! It's the worst!

Do you eat the same foods over and over?

I do, I'm a creature of habit. I've eaten oatmeal for breakfast for the past two weeks, and I don't know how many 6" turkey subs on wheat bread with cucumbers, green peppers, swiss cheese, lettuce and just a few jalapeno peppers for lunch. The order is always the same, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm actually enjoying what I'm eating or if it's just a reflex.

I worked late last night, so my boss offered to buy me dinner. (Yes, folks, FREE FOOD). I was in the mood for sushi, and typically my order would be: edamame, cucumber roll, two pieces of eel sushi, one piece of salmon sushi and one piece of black pepper tuna sushi. I almost went with my usual order, but decided to switch things up at the last minute. Here's what I got:

I ordered from an all-natural, organic Japanese restaurant in Soho called Souen. I started off with part of my usual order--a cucumber roll. The organic rice added a different twist though. It had a softer texture than white rice, and it definitely tasted healthier. I liked it.

My entree was two pieces of salmon wrapped in rice paper with a side salad. This is where I mixed things up. The old Ellen would never have gone this route, but I'm glad I broke my stale routine. It made the meal more exciting and enjoyable, and lord knows I need a little variety in my life when it comes to food.

After all this, I'm still thinking about getting my usual turkey sub for lunch (Subway's $5 footlong is just so economical because it can be split for two meals). I know people say that eating healthfully doesn't have to be expensive, but those people are damn liars. All of the health/food blogs I read feature meals that have at least eight different components in them. I can hardly afford milk and eggs these days, so sprinkling coconut, brown sugar, almonds and fruit on top of my oatmeal is just not realistic. Liars I tell you.

So tell me: Do you eat the same things over and over like I do? Or do you mix it up?

Self-medicating with cookies and chocolate

Today was not a good day. Today was the kind of day where I just couldn't remember why I'm even here. When are things going to get better? It feels like never. As much as I (usually) love New York, there are times when I want to just move to the suburbs somewhere, get a comfortable, low-stress job and chillax one good time. But, I know that's not what I really want. Plus, I'm no quitter. I'm like Rudy—all heart, motherf*****! 

Lately, I've just been feeling out of control. I have so much to do, and there's never enough time in the day to get it done. (Why I took on another unpaid writing assignment is beyond me?!) I love being busy, but there's a good and bad kind of busy. Lately, it's been the bad, not-sleeping-enough kind. 

Plus, I'm still waiting on overdue paychecks, and my plantar fasciitis is slowly coming back due to the fact that I'm wearing my tennis shoes way past their expiration date. I don't know when I'll be able to afford a new pair either. Lord, I hate being broke. 

I was feeling quite down after work, but I forced myself to the gym. My foot is in pain, so I did a light elliptical/bike workout. I knew I didn't have anything good in the fridge, so afterward I stopped by Subway for a $5 footlong (the other half will be tomorrow's lunch). I remembered I had a FREE coupon for a cookie in my wallet, and you know I couldn't let that go to waste. Along with my sandwich and complimentary cookie, I also had a few pieces of chocolate, which I might add, I got for FREE in the makeup goodie bag I got last week. I felt more pleasure than guilt after eating my after-dinner treats, so I suppose it wasn't such a bad thing.

My boyfriend will kill me after reading this confession. We're both trying to get back on a consistent, healthy track. However, even with the chocolate, my calorie count is still pretty low because I only had a cup of low-fat popcorn and an apple for lunch. (Today was a scarf down anything-you-can-get-your-hands-on at your desk kind of day). Not the healthiest, but I'll do better tomorrow. I will, pinky promise. 

Tell me: When you're feeling blue, what do you turn to for comfort?