Offically a Vampire (and how to survive on only the Hampton Inn Continental Breakfast)

How appropriate that just in time for Halloween I've turned into a Vampire. I'm fully adjusted to the night shift, so I'm up all night and sleep all day. In some ways it stinks- it's creepy in the command center at night, I miss the sun, and it's hard to sleep during the day because the hotel is so loud. On the other hand, it's nice because when I wake up at 3 pm before my shift, it is light and I run outside. Yesterday I checked out the Hammond Trail I parked on the Arcata end because it was closest to my hotel. It took me a while to get into my run. The first mile or so is on a really rough road, it's hilly, and you are surrounded by smelly cows on both sides. There was also a roaring headwind. But then the trails turns into a lovely paved bike/pedestrian p[ath through the woods and then by the ocean. Once you get to the long ocean the path splits, a dirt trail runs right along the water, while a paved trail goes more inland. I ran 30 minutes out and then turned around. Next time, I'd park in McKinleyville to avoid the first mile of rough road.

Today I was completely exhausted so I decided to just work out at the hotel so I could sleep an extra 30 minutes. To break it up mentally, and because my ankle has been a little funky, I did 20 minutes each on the elliptical, treadmill, and bike. The hour just flew by! The other funny thing about the night shift, is that it has forced me to eat only food from the hotel continental breakfast. Nothing is open when I'm driving home from work early in the morning, and I want to maximize my sleeping and working-out time in the afternoon before I head in, so I don't want to take the time to stop anywhere. So here is what I've been eating the last 4 days. at 6 am when I get back to the hotel from work and the breakfast is open: a belgium waffle. I add chopped banana and almonds to the batter to make it more interesting and nutritious.

at 5 pm after I work-out and before I head to work: oatmeal which I took from the breakfast and refrigerated. I add almonds, banana, and a hazlenut creamer to make it more interesting. 9 pm snack in the command center: yogurt I stole from breakfast midnight: mini cinnamon raisin bagel with peanut butter and honey and an apple. 3 am snack: apple or banana It totally reminds me of when I was studying abroad in college. We had no money, so when we were traveling we would stuff our pockets at the hotel breakfast . Especially if they had the little packets of Nutella. But tonight is my last night as a vampire and I am very much looking forward to getting back to a normal sleeping and eating schedule.