2013 The Jungle Run!

Me after my first 1/2 marathon!

I ran my first half marathon this weekend! I was a little worried about registering because I didn't "train" for it..at all. But I do run 3-4 times a week, so I figured how hard could it be? My reason for eventually deciding to do it was that I know for sure I can walk 13 miles, so even if I couldn't run the whole way, I'd still make it to the finish line eventually. So what did I have to loose by trying right?

I did follow a few tips that I found online though, including what and when to eat the day before, how to prepare the day of the race (by hydrating, and eating energy-packed carbs, and stretching etc.) and deciding on realistic goals for the race itself.
I also utilized the "pacers" during my run. They were runners carrying signs with guaranteed finish times. Like 1:45 (an hour and 45 minutes) or 2:35 etc. (That was my main problem in the 10K I did a couple months ago, not being able to pace myself.) I couldn't believe the difference it made! It was so much easier to run 13 miles at a set pace than 6 miles trying to keep up with whoever was in front of me. I started with the slowest pace runner with a finish time of 2:35 (just to make sure I'd make it) and then moved up one every couple miles afterward if I thought I could handle it.
Anyway, I don't have my official time yet, but I was somewhere between the 2:10 and 2:15 pace runners when I crossed the finish line. I didn't have a time goal for this first race, so I'm neither impressed nor disappointed with my time. My only goal was to finish, and I did it!!! I Did it!!! And I am very happy about that:) Here is a little photo gallery of the race (in order of events)! Enjoy!

Getting pumped at the starting line!

The Pace Runners

And we're off!

The faster runners go first.

Going strong!

Self portrait while running!

Woohoo more than half way done!

This made me laugh.

Getting really tired now...

One lap around the track and I'm done!

Got lots of encouraging texts from friends and fam!

I made it! I finished!

My hat got a little sweaty though...

My piece of victory cake! Banana. Yumm!

My Library

My Little Library

So I rearranged my living room to create a little "library" for myself. I've always wanted one, ever since I was 10 years old and reading Nancy Drew Mysteries. The first library I fell in love with was the Troy Public Library. The second was the one in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. (The latter is still my dream!) But it's never worked out. I've either lived in a small apartment, or had too many roommates.
But I decided that I can't keep waiting around for the perfect situation or I'll never have one. So I just took all my bookshelves and put them all on the same wall, and am making the most of the space I have. I also moved the desk and so I have a nice little library "nook" in my living room. It's pretty awesome I think. I love feeling surrounded by books, I love to organize them, and to pull one out at random to browse through. I love all the different kinds there are, and subjects they cover. I love how some are old, dense and musty, while others are light, and easy on the eyes. And I love them more when I know they are all MINE. Wahaha! They are like treasure, only not as shiny, and worth a lot less:)
The ironic thing is that since I've always been so limited on space, I've been very selective about the books I keep. So much so that I only have enough books now for 2 of my 4 shelves! I couldn't believe it! Who would have thought I would have so few books? Amazing.
I'm sure it will fill up in no time (I have next months book club book on it's way right now), but it's all I can do to keep myself from going to the used bookstore and loading up! It's taking all the self control I have.
Anyway, I finally have my library I've always wanted, and while it's small, and not quite perfect, I love it just the same!

Independence Day

My fourth of July plans are relatively simple this year. But I think I've got all my patriotic bases covered. Hope you have a great one too!
(I'm switching my vegetarian day to today instead.)

New Recipe!

I haven't been cooking much, but my mom came over for dinner the other night, and I made lamb in my cocotte (a cast iron pot). I kind of made up the recipe, but I cooked it the way my Aunt in France taught me to (except she made rabbit, which was delicious!) and it came out SO tasty! Both mom and I were surprised at how good it was. The cuts of lamb weren't great (but they were cheap!) but even so it was really yummy. I seasoned the meat with salt, pepper, and cumin, fresh garlic and rosemary then I braised it in the pot, then I slathered it with dijon mustard, and threw in a couple extra sprigs of rosemary and baked it for like...an hour or so. It was a pretty easy recipe, it just took a little while. But it was worth it!

A Crepe Birthday

My friend Daniel celebrated his birthday last Friday. So we had a get together at my house. It was mostly the old Bean Team (all the people that lived in our house on Bean Ave), and my mom was there too. I wanted to make him a birthday cake, but he is literally the best baker I know, and the idea of making him a cake that he could make better was not very appealing. So I did something totally different, that he would never make, in hopes that it would be a fun departure from what he's used to. So....I made a cake out of crepes!
Not to brag, but I do make a pretty mean crepe. My aunt in France gave me some great pointers last time I was there, and I have finally acquired a "feel" for making them. My grand creation was a strawberry and Nutella layered crepe cake, with home made bourbon caramel sauce, and home made Irish coffee (made with whiskey, creme, and coffee) ice cream on top. The only hiccup was that I didn't know you aren't supposed to refrigerate Nutella, but luckily mom came to the rescue and fixed it while I made crepes. It's a tough cake in the sense that you can't really make it ahead of time (I did a test run a couple days before, and it tasted no-so-great after it had been in the frig overnight). It needs to be fresh, so I had to make it right then. But it didn't take too long, and it was fun to put it together.
For what it lacked in finished appearance, I think it made up for in flavor. And best of all, I think Daniel liked it:) I don't have a picture of the sliced cake from the actual birthday, so I am showing a slice of the "prototype" I did a couple days before. It wasn't as good, and the caramel was grainy, but it will give you an idea. The final product was much better;)

My Little Cheep Cheeps

Proud Parents:
Cheep Cheep (on left) and Cheeper (on right) 

For the most part my little patio garden is devoid of any living things besides those that creep or crawl....or shimmy (is that what snails do?). But every spring, for the last 3 years I have noticed that a couple birds (actually 4 last year) seem to find my hanging spider plants an ideal location to nest. But never before has it resulted in chicks. The first year it rained and a gutter broke and practically washed all the dirt out of the pot along with nest. Last year a ornery old cat came and knocked the plant over,  (I still don't want to think about what happened after that).
So this year I made sure I moved my hanging spider plant to be both out of the rain, AND in a place that felines can't reach. And just like clock work, my little birds came back! There were only two this year (I had 2 doves also last year, but I think the cat ate them because there were feathers....lots and lots of feathers...)
And sure enough they made a little home in my spider plant! When I got home from Alaska, about two weeks ago the pair, Cheeper (Momma bird) spent most of her time in the nest, while Cheep Cheep (Poppa bird) spend most of his time "cheeping" at me and trying to distract me from said nest.
Then about a week and a half ago I was outside watering my plants when I heard the weirdest noise. It was like a high pitched screeching noise. Kind of like an "eeeeeeeeee". Then as suddenly as it began it would stop. Meanwhile Cheep Cheep was practically having a heart attack and jumping all over the place, fluttering around me, and getting much closer than normal. That was when I realized I was getting awfully close to the nest with my watering can. So I backed away and took a seat at my patio table and waited. Soon Cheaper was back, and she took a sort of incremental path to the nest watching me the whole time while Cheep Cheep was STILL jumping around making a racket and trying to distract me. She wouldn't fly up there if I was looking right at her, so I had to hide behind my sunglasses and turn my head a little in the other direction. Then she'd go from her lookout on the fence to the olive tree....wait, and check on me...then from the olive tree to the bistro table.....wait, check on me again....and then quickly up to the nest, where I immediately after heard "eeeeeeeee".
My birds had babies!!! Hooray! I was super excited. It sounded like two or three, but I never got close enough to actually look in the nest because I was afraid that Momma and Poppa would have a heart attack and die, or worse, abandon their little ones.
For about a week after that as soon as I got home from work I'd open the sliding door and listen to my little avian family. And it was always the same routine. Cheep Cheep was the lookout, and first responder whenever I stepped outside on the patio. He was relentless in chirping at me and never stopped until I went inside. Cheaper was a diligent mother going back and forth, back and forth, with food for her babies. I think she trusted Cheep Cheep to keep me distracted because she never went out of her way to ward me off. She only made sure I wasn't looking when she flew into the nest with her mouthful of green little worms and insects.
I managed to take a photo of the nest from afar by holding up my camera, and zooming in, but it's not a great shot, and I didn't dare try to get any closer for fear of attack by Cheep Cheep.
And then on Sunday morning I noticed a strange silence outside when I opened the sliding door. I stepped out, and Cheep Cheep wasn't there to holler at me. I got close to the plant and whistled, but still nothing. I have no idea how long baby birds take to leave the nest, but it seemed awful quick. I looked around on the ground hoping I wouldn't find little chicks with broken necks anywhere. I didn't.
Then on Monday when I got home from work I almost got dive bombed my Cheep Cheep on the way to the front door. I was like "What the heck?!" as I hurried to unlock the door and rush inside. I peered out the window, and even then Cheep Cheep was fluttering in front of it trying to distract me. I tried to see if maybe somehow the little chicks got out of the nest but couldn't fly, but Poppa was having none of it. I gave up.
Then on Tuesday I was walking to the front door again after work and a little tan and brown striped bird flew up and crashed into my screen door, then got stuck fluttering in the corner of the building. It was swerving (as much as a bird can swerve) all over the place, half falling then, flying up, then tumbling back through the air. At first I thought it was injured.....but then came Cheep Cheep and Cheaper to the rescue (yes she joined in this time). They practically dive bombed me, and  there was birds chirping, and flying things everywhere, and me freaking out in the middle of it all. Finally Cheeparito (the baby) managed to remove himself from my doorway and I was able to dash inside. I spent the next half hour at my kitchen window watching the FedEx, UPS and mailman get harassed by the worried parents. It's much funnier when it's not happening to you. I only saw the one chick, so I don't know if there were others that died or what.
Yesterday I was finally able to grab a couple photo's of my little family or squatters. Cheeparito doesn't look like mom or dad, but he is also much harder to see on the ground than they are, so maybe it's to protect him. I am wondering if his feathers wont change when he is older. I've heard of some birds laying eggs in others nests, so that's a possibility too. Either way he's pretty cute.
As of yesterday he can fly...sort of. And all afternoon he fluttered around the yard and bushes and mom and dad were right behind him. Cheaper is feeding him still. Or maybe she is trying to teach him what to look for and how to feed himself.
You might be wondering how I can tell Cheep Cheep from Cheeper, and it's mostly based on behavior, and the fact that Cheeper always feeds the baby. She stays on the ground looking for bugs and whatever only paying attention to me when I am super close, while Poppa is always between us, and ALWAYS watching me and ALWAYS making noise.
Anyway, I don't know a darn thing about birds really, so all of what I've written is just based on what I saw. Who knows? I could have it backward. Maybe the dad's feed the babies and the moms do all the guarding? I don't even know what kind of birds they are! But I've enjoyed observing them and learning a little about them through good old fashioned observation. Here are a couple photos of the happy family!

Cheeparito in his nest.

Cheeparito outside my kitchen window

Cheeparito. What a cute baby!

Cheeper with an ant in her mouth for baby.

Poppa Cheep Cheep always on the lookout!

Haiku

I find that as I get older, I don't surprise myself as much as I used to. When I was younger, I was always coming upon some new thing or activity that I didn't know about before, and it was often surprising what things I actually enjoyed versus the things I didn't. I'm not saying it doesn't happen at all now, I mean who would have thought I would actually love kickboxing so much right? All I'm trying to say is that it happened much less frequently now. I feel like I've tried most things out, encountered most everything. Of course that isn't true technically, since there are millions of things to do and see, but in my little corner of the world and based on the other restrictions in my life (like having a job, and financial responsibilities), I feel I've sort of exhausted the novelty of everything. But then last week something strange happened.
I have been trying to go to bed earlier and get up earlier because I find that I am more productive in the morning than I am at night. Anyway it's been a challenge, but I think I'm finally getting there. And for some reason (I guess the reason being that I am not jumping out of bed at the last minute, and racing off to work) I have begun to notice things about the morning that I'm not sure I ever have outside of camping. And...(this is the weird part) I have begun composing haiku in the hazy time between dreaming and when my consciousness is first stirred. This is not on purpose. Meaning that I'm not trying to compose poetry (I don't even know how, nor do I read it!) But last Monday I had written my first haiku since second grade, and all before I was fully awake! To be honest, I might have still been dreaming. Isn't that the strangest thing though? I've gone 33 years without any real interest in poetry, and suddenly I'm writing it, and really enjoying it! Who would have thought? I've done two others since then it the same sleepy way. I think of them best before I am too awake. Once I'm up with a cup of coffee in my hand it's hopeless.
I don't know if they are any good (probably not), nor will I post them here (I have always had a fear about writing poetry and having others read it for some odd reason), but I just wanted to comment on how utterly surprised I am by this new facet of my life. Early mornings and Haiku...will wonders never cease?

A Study in Jellies

I haven't painted in months. Part of the reason is that I paint outside on my patio, and its been winter. And the other half of that is that I just haven't been in the mood. But today was spectacularly sunny and warm, and it just so happened that I didn't have much to do. (OK, well I do have stuff to do, but...) And I suddenly felt inspired to paint!
My muse? Jellyfish, and the idea of making up a new method of painting. I know, it's weird, but that just  my crazy brain works! I don't know why it thinks what it does. I just do my best to go along with it.
Anyway, I gave it a shot. I have to say I am (mostly) pleased by the results...the only disappointment is that the (acrylic) paint looks so much brighter and prettier when it is wet than it does when it dries. I haven't figured out how to keep the colors vibrant, or maybe I'm going about it all wrong and have to think in brighter and lighter colors when I initially paint. At any rate, thanks to Instagram and their awesome filters, I was able to tweak the paintings to look just how they did when they were wet and fresh and...brillant. (Not intellectually brilliant, but in terms of color intensity;)
Anyway, these are the manifestations of my random mind on this very lovely Friday afternoon. I.e. here are the results of certain impulses that just happened to fire in my brain earlier today....Making something physical from only electrical/chemical energy (well, and some paint too). I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Brains are awesome!

Study 1

Study 2

Study 3

Oh Crafty Me!

A while back I was looking for a wallet that could hold my expensive $1.99 calendar/planner, and some other items I have floating around in my purse. I despise a messy purse, and try to clean mine out completely at leas once a week. The thing was I couldn't find anything that wasn't either too big or too small, too wide or not wide enough. So I decided to make one. I found a video on YouTube, found some fabric that I had (yes, it's a Christmas print) and pulled out my sewing machine. It took about 15 minutes to measure, cut and attach interfacing, and about 5 minutes to actually sew. That was it. In twenty minutes I'd made myself a little wallet. And it came out pretty great I thought for my first try! The print is a little askew, but that's how it was when I bought it (it was .50 cents a yard I believe). Pretty sweet hu?

Oh Christmas Tree!

Bringing the 'lil guy home!

Squeezing through the door!

All the while the reindeer is watching us:)

First ornament of the season! Bacon!

And finally the tree topper!

Christmas is here! Christmas is here!!!

Thanksgiving

This year I had a relatively quiet Thanksgiving. Just me, Mom and my Sweetie. He decided to go play soccer with a bunch of his friends so that left me with the morning free. So I went for a really nice run outside. I haven't done that in a while. Run outside I mean. The weather was warm and sunny and very summery, but it at least looked like fall. The leaves (well, some of them anyway) are falling, and while there is still a lot of green, there are  some really spectacular burst of color here and there. And along N. Santa Cruz Ave, by the grocery store there are these really huge trees, with equally huge brown leaves that crunch under my feet when I run over them. And it's quite breathtaking when a big gust of wind rustles the branches and the leaves spin and fall all around.
I cooked my second turkey, and am pleased to announce that I cooked it the right-side-up. I may have mentioned this before, but it has always seemed counter intuitive to me to lay the bird on it's back. At any rate, I thought long and hard about it before setting it in the pan, and managed to do it correctly. I also made a few other sides, potato stuffing (a brilliant recipe that I acquired from my old roommate), and green beans. Mom brought over pilaf (my Pepere Joe's recipe) and a kale salad, and a pumpkin pie.
I watched football, and was very disappointed to see the Lions loose. I really wanted them to win. And that was pretty much it. Like I said, it was quiet, but nice;) Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving too!

On Your Mark, Get Set...

GO!
I officially wrapped my first Christmas present of the season last night! That's right! Wooo Hooo! Yipppeeee! Hoooray!!! I know it's abnormally early, but there are two very good reasons why I went ahead and did it anyway. 1.) I felt like it, and 2.) This first present has to be very carefully mailed to the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and I have something else I have to send up there tomorrow that happens to be perfectly suited to wrapping it in.
Ok...and I may as well confess I listened to some Christmas tunes while I was doing it....and I may further confess that I have put out a couple of Xmas decorations out a wee-bit early (in the form of cute little candle holders that I got last year at Pier 1)....But that's it. I swear....
At least till I get home tonight:) Yay Christmas!!!!

P.S. Don't forget to take a moment to admire my super cute snowman scissors I got:) Just looking at them makes me happy:)

Fall Back

Sunday marked the switch to the "fall back" portion of Daylight Savings Time (is that supposed to be capitalized?).
I like that it is a little brighter when I wake up, and doesn't feel so much like the middle of the night as I shuffle into the kitchen to make my emotionally comforting but technically ineffective pot of decaf coffee.
But I do not like the fact that it seems so much later in the afternoon when I get off of work. It makes me feel that I've somehow been at work twice as long as normal...I mean it's practically nighttime by the time leave!
I don't think it would bother me so much if I didn't have to go to work. But oh well I guess.
It wouldn't be so bad if it was at least cooler and more "fall" like, because then I could feel all warm and Christmassy inside. But noooo. It's been like 80 degrees and sunny. Apparently nature did not get the memo that it's called "fall" back for a reason. If I was meant to be wearing shorts and flip-flops to work it would be called "summer" back. Whatever. Actually it's probably not natures fault. We are the ones causing global warming. And at the rate we are going Santa is going to have to buy a yacht if he wants to continue living at the North Pole.
Speaking of Christmas, only 49 shopping days left! I've been collecting (and creating) Xmas gifts all year, but I made my first holiday Amazon purchase yesterday! Ahhh...I love giving presents! And I have a Christmas CD in my car...He he he...I know it's way too early but I don't care. It makes me happy when I drive to work in the morning. Hopefully the weather gets festive soon, so I can better enjoy the long dark nights that lay ahead! Even if it doesn't, I *guess* I'll survive. After all it's practically Christmas!!!

A Light in the Dark

Yesterday was Halloween. Normally I'm a big fan of holidays, but for some reason other than the dressing up, Halloween just doesn't do much for me. Maybe it's because I never did it as a kid, so I don't even have the warm fuzzy feeling of acquiring a hoard of candy from perfect strangers for free. Maybe it's because I'm not into scary/gross looking things like chainsaw murderers and severed heads. I mean if I'm going to spend money on decorations I want them to be pretty and happy, not looking like they've been pulled out of a dumpster by homicide detectives. Yuck. Anyway, to not be a total party pooper, I do like the "3 year old" version of Halloween, i.e. cute jack-o-lanterns and dressing up as furry animals etc.
But anyway last night, I decided to stay in and...hide from trick-or-treaters instead of dressing up and facing the crowds. Lol. Not very festive I know. But we didn't get any trick or treaters last year, and I'd purchase two bags of candy which I ended up eating half of, so this year I thought I'd just buy no candy and hide.
Anyway, since I didn't want to have the lights on I just closed the blinds and lit a bunch of candles. It was really cool, and even a little spooky when the wind blew through the cracked window. I had the fireplace going, and managed to cook dinner in the dark (very difficult to do by the way, especially chopping things with a sharp knife), baked my BF some special Halloween cookies, and then I sat in my reading chair, sipped a glass of wine and read half of my book for book club. It was awesome!
I often light candles around the house, but rarely do I ever actually only have candle light to see by with all the other lights off. It was a cozy sort of experience albeit difficult from a practical standpoint. It's surprising how thoroughly a little flame can take the edge off the darkness. Even one candle can cheer things up dramatically. It's comforting in a sort of instinctual way. It got me thinking about the olden days, before electricity. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of electricity, and technology and flushing toilets and all of that, but I think there are trade offs for those things that we aren't even aware of anymore. I mean, we don't even experience nighttime really. We just extend the day with lights inside our homes until we are ready to go to sleep. But last night almost felt like camping. I could feel it getting darker and darker out. It was pretty cool.
Anyway, I really enjoyed my quiet night at home, and even though I didn't go anywhere, it actually felt like one of the most Halloweeny Halloweens ever! It was dark and windy and a little rainy out, and kind of spooky, but also bewitching.

A Packers Story

My new Packers bracelet!

Last Sunday my BF and I donned out Packers gear and headed for a quick walk around the outdoor market we have every Sunday morning downtown. I had my Charles Woodson jersey on, he had his Aaron Rodgers one on so we had both the offense and defense covered.
Anyway, we were just heading into the market when we heard a honk and a "Go Packers!" We turned and saw a man, and a little girl in an SUV giving a thumbs up. We smiled and waved back. (I love it when we meet fellow fans.)
We continued into the market, and as I was perusing a fruit called ju-ju- beans (or something like that), the same man walked up with his daughter and said she had something she wanted to give me. She was probably about 9 years old, and kind of shy, but she handed me a green and yellow rubber bracelet that says "GO PACK" in big black letters! It was so cute, and such a sweet gesture!
I was so surprised and was immediately smiling from ear to ear as I thanked her for it. I felt like I won the lottery! It turns out they weren't even on their way to the market, but decided to park and find us so she could give me the bracelet anyway. Isn't that the cutest thing you've EVER heard? It totally made my day! I'm still wearing it even now.
I don't care what anyone else thinks, I know Packers fans are the BEST!

Blame it on the Rain

First rainy morning on my patio of the season!

Despite the fact that I've already had a couple challenging moments this morning, I am in a fairly good mood. This is surprising since my modus operandi when confronted with a "problem" is to dwell on it obsessively and clench my jaw until I have a headache. But not so today. Despite my frustration I am actually feeling pretty good. I think it's because it rained this morning for the first time in....oh geez, months for sure! It was a light barely-there rain, but it still rained, and it was lovely and cool and invigorating. And I believe it soothed my brain just enough to keep my chin up. It's the first day of rain...yay!

Dinner Party Success!

I had my Leif Erickson soiree last night, and it went off without a hitch! It was super fun! I really like making up new recipes and trying things out. And I was finally able to use my little amuse bouche dishes I got from my mom from France 3 or 4 years ago! For those of you who don't know what amuse bouche dishes are (I certainly did not before I got them) they are little single appetizer dishes, and they come in all shapes and sizes (see the white dishes below). The food came out pretty well (see above for menu, and below for photos). My idea with the food was a more sophisticated version of classic "bar" food, (i.e., wings, pretzels, hot dogs, etc.) since we were drinking beer. And we tried a bunch or really neat beers too. The most unusual was called Saison de Buff, and it was made with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. And boy could you taste it! It wasn't something I'd drink a bottle of, but the small glass I had paired well with my cheese appetizer, and I bet it would be great for cooking.
We also tried a couple pumpkin ales, and a few other seasonal beers. It's clear why they are considered fall brews. They were all of the darker variety, and nutty, with hits of fall spices, and even a little smokiness. I generally prefer IPA's, but it was nice to change things up a bit. And I have a couple extra bottles left over that I am going to save for Thankstoberfestoween! Hooray!

We ate, and drank, and even watched a History Channel documentary about Leif Erickson! All in all it was a really fun night, and a nice first ever Leif Erickson Day celebration!
Here are some photo's from the "party" (lol, there were really only three of us, my mom, my friend Kelly and I.)

Ambiance

The Menu

My pumpkin patch!

Da Beers.

A nice pair.

Pretzels and Honey/Thyme Brie dip

Cheers!

Cheezy

Thanksgiving meatballs and gravy.

Learning about Leif 

Buffalo pinwheels on cole slaw

Hot Dogs!!!

Chicago style;)

Bad picture but delicious Pumpkin Soup!

Cinnamon roll and home made grapefruit sorbet/ice cream.