Out of everything that's different about living here one of the best is that I haven't heard anyone shouting at each other. At least twice a day my parents ended up bickering, usually over something stupid, and I was SO TIRED of hearing it and occasionally having to intervene. The peace and quiet has lowered my stress level an incredible amount, and I no longer have to worry about an argument erupting in the next room, breaking my concentration in the middle of an complex and/or urgent request that requires all of my attention, or when I'm on a call with vendors or colleagues.

I also am getting more exercise, although no luck with actual weight loss yet. I've been to the gym 3 times in February and can report that I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. What limits me the most is boredom - when I'm on a treadmill it's fine, but walking the streets of NYC always gave me new stores to look at, people passing, cars streaming by, lights to pay attention to, random happenings going on, etc. It occupied my mind and made me WANT to get out in the city.

Treadmills? Not so much. Yeah there are TVs but I need more than that to want to continue moving for more than 20 minutes at a time.  Today I walked on the boardwalk at the ocean and it was lovely but again, kind of boring. I really have to work on something that works for me in a static environment. 

For now I'm still focusing on small goals around the apartment and trying to cook healthier. Last week was yogurt since I was busy the weekend prior but today I made Filipino chicken adobo with mushrooms, leeks, and rice. I have the three components (chicken, veg, rice) in separate containers so it will be a quick assembly line when I grab dinner in the 10 minutes I have to microwave something, but it's got to be better for me than what I used to eat (cheese quesadillas, takeout, and buffet food).

Here's hoping I start to see some weight loss soon!