well, after working a long day today, I went out for a run. I'm running out of time (pun not intended) as I've mentioned before, so at this point, I've thrown the Couch to 5K out the window... My last run was 20 mins straight through, ended up being 2.12 miles and I felt OK at the end, so I decided to go for 25 mins this time and see how far I ended up going. I essentially ended up hating my life for the last 10 mins because my stomach was upset that I had consumed an energy bar 30 mins prior and I felt like I was really slowing up for the last 7 mins or so, but all in all I made it 2.6 miles in 25 mins and that works out somehow to 9.5 min per mile, so I guess I'm still doing OK.
Also, I thought I'd see what my resting heart rate is just cause... I can't find out from those stupid blood pressure machines because I have an irrational fear that they're going to go haywire, never deflate and chop my arm off, so my heart is always racing. So just sitting here, the resting heart rate is 48 bpm... I think that rates as "healthy", but I suspect that it just means my heart is as lazy as the rest of me.
Also fate dictated that I would stop working tonight after the internet glitched 3 times and then I couldn't get my login to register any more. Guess that means I should go to bed! :) G'night all.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
screwwed, yet still going...
so, I am facing impossible odds towards finishing, with decent "marks," the quarter at work... so I'll be working mostly every waking moment. I'm taking a break tonight, tomorrow night (St. Paddy's) & wed (climbing, yay!)... and will go to a party Sat night. Otherwise, I will be working. Working, working, working, working, working....
Well anyway, as part of the working push, I stayed up until 1:30 AM last night & ended up getting 4 hours of sleep. My big problem is that I haven't really done well with the whole training thing and the Cherry Blossom 5K is on April 5... that's 3 weeks away. EEK! So I figured I could give running a try today. Due to lack of sleep, I was highly skeptical that this would even work since my scheduled run was 20 mins straight through (first time I've done this since September). Doom! The first half-mile I was pacing at 8 mins/mile. Then for the second half-mile, I developed a stitch in my side I started pacing out to average 9:30 mins/mile. Things were not looking good. Traditionally I have mental issues at this point... I don't wanna do it, I'm not gonna make it, I won't be able to keep it up.... etc, etc. But I had set myself to go as far as the mile point, turn around, and then see how far past the start I could go in 20 mins. As it turned out, my normal breaking point never came. I just kept plodding along. After a while I felt like I was plodding, but in the 20 mins, I went 2.129 Miles and it averages out to about 9:30 min/mile. This is pretty darn good in my book - especially since last year I paced out at 11:44. That's marked improvement and it feels good. Guess I won't be running an 8 min mile for the race! : ) If I do the same as last year and pace out a little faster than my normal (i.e. faster than 9:30), I might have a hope of being in the top 100 of women. That would be cool. The absolute best part was that eventhough, by all intents and purposes, I should have been grumping at myself by the end... I wasn't. I was a little slower, but I was warmed up and the stitch had gone away and I really stopped because my watch said to. I felt like I could have kept going. I'm sure that if I had to run it today, I could complete the 5K with no worries. This makes me happy. I did learn one lesson though... I can't spend the day drinking tea & soda before I run. Most of the last mile I spent with my fingers crossed that I wouldn't wet my pants... If I need caffeine for race day, I might look into a pair of Depends. Also, I need to stop losing my form (i.e. losing my concentration) in the middle, otherwise I'll crap my knee out.
Well anyway, as part of the working push, I stayed up until 1:30 AM last night & ended up getting 4 hours of sleep. My big problem is that I haven't really done well with the whole training thing and the Cherry Blossom 5K is on April 5... that's 3 weeks away. EEK! So I figured I could give running a try today. Due to lack of sleep, I was highly skeptical that this would even work since my scheduled run was 20 mins straight through (first time I've done this since September). Doom! The first half-mile I was pacing at 8 mins/mile. Then for the second half-mile, I developed a stitch in my side I started pacing out to average 9:30 mins/mile. Things were not looking good. Traditionally I have mental issues at this point... I don't wanna do it, I'm not gonna make it, I won't be able to keep it up.... etc, etc. But I had set myself to go as far as the mile point, turn around, and then see how far past the start I could go in 20 mins. As it turned out, my normal breaking point never came. I just kept plodding along. After a while I felt like I was plodding, but in the 20 mins, I went 2.129 Miles and it averages out to about 9:30 min/mile. This is pretty darn good in my book - especially since last year I paced out at 11:44. That's marked improvement and it feels good. Guess I won't be running an 8 min mile for the race! : ) If I do the same as last year and pace out a little faster than my normal (i.e. faster than 9:30), I might have a hope of being in the top 100 of women. That would be cool. The absolute best part was that eventhough, by all intents and purposes, I should have been grumping at myself by the end... I wasn't. I was a little slower, but I was warmed up and the stitch had gone away and I really stopped because my watch said to. I felt like I could have kept going. I'm sure that if I had to run it today, I could complete the 5K with no worries. This makes me happy. I did learn one lesson though... I can't spend the day drinking tea & soda before I run. Most of the last mile I spent with my fingers crossed that I wouldn't wet my pants... If I need caffeine for race day, I might look into a pair of Depends. Also, I need to stop losing my form (i.e. losing my concentration) in the middle, otherwise I'll crap my knee out.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Prepares to be stoned... (with rocks, not that other type)
So recently there have been a number of things flying around, like Holder calling us a "nation of cowards", etc, etc... which were well summed up in this article by Jeff Adair. After several weeks of pondering and secretly thinking, "gee, they're right, and I've thought that all along," I feel that we currently live in a nation of people afraid to speak what they truly feel... perhaps for fear of "offending someone else." Should we blame the Political correctness movement of the 90s? Dunno. All I know is that I had thoughts this morning, thoughts that I will share in just a moment, and feared that if I voiced them I would be either flamed online or publicly stoned... Am I really scared of what others think of me? No - if you know me well, you know I have very little regard for that. There's still something about the atmosphere of our country that makes me feel like I shouldn't say certain things. So here're my thoughts of this morning...
Last night I was talking to my mother in law about how parents don't give kids much outside time anymore (she was suggesting creating a fenced "secure" area that was just purely nature with a place off away where parents could sit & still watch, but childrens could run free without fear - kinda reminds me of a dogpark) and this led to a discussion about whether kids are really less safe today than when I was growing up in the early 80s, or is it all a reaction due to media fear-mongering that if you let your kid out of your sight for 1 second they will be scooped up & stolen and or you'll get the rotten-parent of the year award. This got me to thinking... Maybe kids are somewhat less safe these days if left to their own devices to play in neighborhoods because not many people are home anymore. It seems like a double-income household is more the norm these days, and so not many people are ever home. If fewer people are home, there are fewer eyes in any given neighborhood to watch out & make sure everything is ok. I've felt for a while that double income families are what have led to the decline of a "neighborhood" as it was stereotypically defined in the 20th century.
This led me to think this morning that maybe, inadvertently (and this is the part that will get me stoned), part of this economic meltdown can be linked to and blamed on the feminist movement. Don't get me wrong.... I am glad that I can drive a car & not be arrested, unlike in Saudi Arabia.... but ok, so women used to predominantly stay home, take care of the house, raise the kids. I've spent some time staying home between jobs. It sucks. You know why it sucks? Nobody else is home. None of my friends or neighbors are around during the day & I feel isolated. I can easily imagine that if one person of every household was home during the day, we'd all go stir crazy, talk to neighbors, go over to "borrow a cup of sugar" and end up staying for an hour chatting over a cup of coffee or keeping each other company while doing the laundry. I know that not everyone in a neighborhood would get along or be friends, but there might be more cohesion and more of a community interest in knowing what's going on outside your four walls. OK, so feminist movement gets into full swing... big push for women in the workplace. The push gets so big that eventually, socially, you feel like you're a martyr if you're female & don't have a job. So it starts slowly, double income families start popping up more and more. Double income means more money free to spend. More money leads to some people upgrading the American dream from a house & a car to a nice house and an expensive car. Americans have been ill-disposed to the "keeping up with the Jones'" demon, I think since this country began... so now more normal people have more stuff, and more normal people feel like they need more stuff because other people have that other stuff. So we turn into a consumer economy. Then, it's not enough to have a job as a woman, but now the new status thing is the power-jobs in the 80s & 90s. MORE MONEY! But since we make more money, we need to look like we have more money to impress other people or because at this point we feel like we're entitled to it. So then people start pushing to get more stuff or bigger stuff or better stuff and the credit companies feel like it's not risky anymore, credit cards begin getting more prevalent and we're now able to EASILY buy stuff we can't afford. YippEE!!!! MORE stuff! And then we're not happy with the nice simple house when we can buy a big mansion-looking thing, that has dropped into our price range because builders figured out where they could cheap out on materials. And so it got to be a thing for normal middle-class people to go in for the faux luxury stuff that's out of their price range because we got too far away from the reality of hardship and too used to the money of double income, so people were more willing to stretch to get that better thing and more companies were willing to stretch and extend risky credit because they're also too used to the money.... Then Boom. So I'd really like to see a socio-economic study done to see how much, if at all, any of this really stemmed from the feminist movement and the huge push for women in the workplace. OK, begin the rock throwing now.
In other news, I strongly believes that Teavana's tea called Matevana, should be renamed to Crack-vana.
Peace out. If you don't hear from me again, you'll know the raging feminist mobs have gotten to me. It's not that I don't like being able to work or think that women should stay home.... but if one person from every household worked and the other would stay home, then it would be interesting to see how much companies might scream that "there aren't enough workers available".... hmmm...
Last night I was talking to my mother in law about how parents don't give kids much outside time anymore (she was suggesting creating a fenced "secure" area that was just purely nature with a place off away where parents could sit & still watch, but childrens could run free without fear - kinda reminds me of a dogpark) and this led to a discussion about whether kids are really less safe today than when I was growing up in the early 80s, or is it all a reaction due to media fear-mongering that if you let your kid out of your sight for 1 second they will be scooped up & stolen and or you'll get the rotten-parent of the year award. This got me to thinking... Maybe kids are somewhat less safe these days if left to their own devices to play in neighborhoods because not many people are home anymore. It seems like a double-income household is more the norm these days, and so not many people are ever home. If fewer people are home, there are fewer eyes in any given neighborhood to watch out & make sure everything is ok. I've felt for a while that double income families are what have led to the decline of a "neighborhood" as it was stereotypically defined in the 20th century.
This led me to think this morning that maybe, inadvertently (and this is the part that will get me stoned), part of this economic meltdown can be linked to and blamed on the feminist movement. Don't get me wrong.... I am glad that I can drive a car & not be arrested, unlike in Saudi Arabia.... but ok, so women used to predominantly stay home, take care of the house, raise the kids. I've spent some time staying home between jobs. It sucks. You know why it sucks? Nobody else is home. None of my friends or neighbors are around during the day & I feel isolated. I can easily imagine that if one person of every household was home during the day, we'd all go stir crazy, talk to neighbors, go over to "borrow a cup of sugar" and end up staying for an hour chatting over a cup of coffee or keeping each other company while doing the laundry. I know that not everyone in a neighborhood would get along or be friends, but there might be more cohesion and more of a community interest in knowing what's going on outside your four walls. OK, so feminist movement gets into full swing... big push for women in the workplace. The push gets so big that eventually, socially, you feel like you're a martyr if you're female & don't have a job. So it starts slowly, double income families start popping up more and more. Double income means more money free to spend. More money leads to some people upgrading the American dream from a house & a car to a nice house and an expensive car. Americans have been ill-disposed to the "keeping up with the Jones'" demon, I think since this country began... so now more normal people have more stuff, and more normal people feel like they need more stuff because other people have that other stuff. So we turn into a consumer economy. Then, it's not enough to have a job as a woman, but now the new status thing is the power-jobs in the 80s & 90s. MORE MONEY! But since we make more money, we need to look like we have more money to impress other people or because at this point we feel like we're entitled to it. So then people start pushing to get more stuff or bigger stuff or better stuff and the credit companies feel like it's not risky anymore, credit cards begin getting more prevalent and we're now able to EASILY buy stuff we can't afford. YippEE!!!! MORE stuff! And then we're not happy with the nice simple house when we can buy a big mansion-looking thing, that has dropped into our price range because builders figured out where they could cheap out on materials. And so it got to be a thing for normal middle-class people to go in for the faux luxury stuff that's out of their price range because we got too far away from the reality of hardship and too used to the money of double income, so people were more willing to stretch to get that better thing and more companies were willing to stretch and extend risky credit because they're also too used to the money.... Then Boom. So I'd really like to see a socio-economic study done to see how much, if at all, any of this really stemmed from the feminist movement and the huge push for women in the workplace. OK, begin the rock throwing now.
In other news, I strongly believes that Teavana's tea called Matevana, should be renamed to Crack-vana.
Peace out. If you don't hear from me again, you'll know the raging feminist mobs have gotten to me. It's not that I don't like being able to work or think that women should stay home.... but if one person from every household worked and the other would stay home, then it would be interesting to see how much companies might scream that "there aren't enough workers available".... hmmm...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Culinary Crepe-riffic Masterpiece
So tonight I decided I wanted to cook since we'd both be home and I hadn't thought about it enough to get something ready in the slow-cooker. So I thought about it and got inspired on my way to the grocery. IF I could find pre-cooked shredded chicken or something of the sort, I'd try concocting crepes. I didn't find shredded chicken, but I found Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Cuts (perhaps the longest product name known to man...). Game on. I collected the ingredients listed below (those not already in my kitchen - aka anything perishable), and set to work mincing to my little heart's content using my electric mini chopper (LOVE IT!). All in all, it didn't take too long since the chicken was already cooked and etc. Let me say "yum". Also surprisingly moist enough that it didn't need a sauce or gravy over top. Just a little sweet and then rich with the brie & herbs and garlic & spinach & chicken. If you try it, let me know what you think. (note: normally I make 5 lbs of pulled chicken & stockpile it, but I haven't done that in a while).
Light Savory Crepes #123
* Binkle's Crepe Recipe
*6.5 oz. Brie
*1.5 C sliced mushrooms (minced)
*3 cloves worth of minced garlic
*2 cups baby spinach
*1 package (6 oz.) Oscar Meyer Deli-Fresh Chicken Breast Cuts (or 6 oz. of precooked chicken) [also minced]
*2 Tbsp Herb de Province
*1-2 Tbsp olive oil
*2+ Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
*1 C red grapes quartered
Mince Mushrooms and Cooked Chicken. In large skillet, saute garlic and spinach and Herb de Province in olive oil until spinach is 2/3 way cooked. Add minced mushrooms, chicken, and red wine vinegar & continue to cook ~5 mins. Add grape quarters. Warm through. If you only have one skillet, transfer mixture to another pan to keep warm on low heat. In large skillet, make a crepe covering the bottom of the pan (should get 4-5 crepes out of Binkle's Crepe recipe). Cut up brie into small bits. Once crepe is ready, place a quarter of the brie on the crepe while still in pan to partially melt. Add crepe filling into center of crepe over top of brie. Roll up, serve, and prepare second crepe in same manner.
This should serve 4 to 5 people. If serving 4 and get 5 crepes, then divide 5th crepe into 4 pieces, and roll with filling of fruit preserves for after dinner munchie.
If you want nutritional info for the filling, click here.
Light Savory Crepes #123
* Binkle's Crepe Recipe
*6.5 oz. Brie
*1.5 C sliced mushrooms (minced)
*3 cloves worth of minced garlic
*2 cups baby spinach
*1 package (6 oz.) Oscar Meyer Deli-Fresh Chicken Breast Cuts (or 6 oz. of precooked chicken) [also minced]
*2 Tbsp Herb de Province
*1-2 Tbsp olive oil
*2+ Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
*1 C red grapes quartered
Mince Mushrooms and Cooked Chicken. In large skillet, saute garlic and spinach and Herb de Province in olive oil until spinach is 2/3 way cooked. Add minced mushrooms, chicken, and red wine vinegar & continue to cook ~5 mins. Add grape quarters. Warm through. If you only have one skillet, transfer mixture to another pan to keep warm on low heat. In large skillet, make a crepe covering the bottom of the pan (should get 4-5 crepes out of Binkle's Crepe recipe). Cut up brie into small bits. Once crepe is ready, place a quarter of the brie on the crepe while still in pan to partially melt. Add crepe filling into center of crepe over top of brie. Roll up, serve, and prepare second crepe in same manner.
This should serve 4 to 5 people. If serving 4 and get 5 crepes, then divide 5th crepe into 4 pieces, and roll with filling of fruit preserves for after dinner munchie.
If you want nutritional info for the filling, click here.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Running Update
It'll be interesting to see how this idea of "using the Couch to 5K interval training to increase my speed" works out.... Currently I'm training on week 5... Brisk 5 min. walk, 3 min. run, 90 sec walk, 5 min run, 2.5 min walk, 3 min run, 90 sec walk, 5 min run.... Saturday's run was a tad bit disappointing, I wasn't feeling 100%, I didn't want to get my butt in gear and I kept choking on my own spittle (iiieeeeewwwww....). Saturday I was slow. This was irritating since I'd been doing short runs at 7-8 min mile paces.... Today was much better and I was able to clock myself better. It went as follows:
Basically, here's my theory... I like running, but I have a short attention span. So I'm thinking that i'll be able to do longer races if I get faster because I can go farther in the same amount of time.
* crosses fingers *
- 3 Minute: clocked at a 7 min. mile or 8.44 mph
- 5 Minute: clocked at a 9 min mile or 6.5 mph
- 3 Minute: clocked at 8.25 min mile or 7.25 mph
- 5 Minute: clocked at 10 min mile or 6 mph
Basically, here's my theory... I like running, but I have a short attention span. So I'm thinking that i'll be able to do longer races if I get faster because I can go farther in the same amount of time.
* crosses fingers *
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The New Experiment....
So after seeing what I have deemed to be proven results by improving my diet and increasing my vitamin and vegetable intake (well, duh...), I am now on a kind of naturally improving my well-being kick and have run across this article about Omega-3 Fatty Acids. And once again "well, duh..." I mean, people have talked about Omega-3s for quite a while and I had noticed, but it seemed like such a side note... and honestly, I wasn't sure it was anything more than another hype thing. I'm still not sure it's anything other than hype. It does seem like a giant ad for that one company, but there are also a lot of facts and scenarios presented that have made sense to me. I'm thinking it's worth a try. J has been saying he wants to eat more fish. So we'll try to work more fish in per week and I'll see about finding fish oil supplements (know I have some cod liver oil up in the closet somewhere...). The plan is to try this for a couple of months and see if I notice any difference in how I feel, in the Fuzzy-head syndrome I've been experiencing of late, and in my overall anxiety and mood swing levels. Eeeeee!!! *claps and dances * It's always fun to have a new experiment to try on myself.
*Shhhh...* Don't tell....
Funny story: As you may or may not know by now, I'm a bit paranoid that people will think I'm up to something. Dunno why. I get freaked out if a cop car passes me going the other way with lights flashing because OBVIOUSLY he is going to make a U-turn and come after me even if I'm driving like a granny.
So today I brought in a Sugar Free French Vanilla Coffee-Mate and some Bigelow White Chocolate Kisses Tea. The coffee mate actually makes the tea taste respectable & pleasant. I realized that I had nothing for portion control - no measuring spoon. So I figured an old Coca-Cola cap looks about 1/2 Tbsp.... I'll use that. So now I have a bottle cap that's crusted in fine white powder, a desk that's semi-covered in fine white powder (the stuff gets EVERYWHERE!!!) and it looks like I've been cutting a line at work. Great. : \
So today I brought in a Sugar Free French Vanilla Coffee-Mate and some Bigelow White Chocolate Kisses Tea. The coffee mate actually makes the tea taste respectable & pleasant. I realized that I had nothing for portion control - no measuring spoon. So I figured an old Coca-Cola cap looks about 1/2 Tbsp.... I'll use that. So now I have a bottle cap that's crusted in fine white powder, a desk that's semi-covered in fine white powder (the stuff gets EVERYWHERE!!!) and it looks like I've been cutting a line at work. Great. : \
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thanks, Mom
I'm becoming strongly convinced that my mum & dad raised me too well. At least, I figure most of my critical skills that I cherish have come from them. I think about myself a lot... I like to call it introspection. I figure out what's bothering me, why it's bothering me, where it comes from, and then figure out a way to either fix it or work around it. I've learned over the years that this is a skill that is not common. The other thing I've gotten from my upbringing (I presume) is, to borrow Obama's phrase "Yes I can!" This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's let me be able to do most anything that I set my mind to, because I don't really believe "I can't"... Any instance of "I can't" that crops up in my life, I recognize as "I don't want to take the steps necessary to do it". Right now I can't do the uneven parallel bars, but I have no doubt that if I worked on it, took classes, and trained, that I could. "I can't understand economics and finance" is really: "the stuff irritates me and I just don't want to bother with learning about it." Really, I can't honestly think of something that I believe I couldn't do (with the exception of that just stated - is that a paradox?). As such, since I believe everything I can do is a learned skill, I have two big issues: A) stupid people irritate me to no end and B) I lack empathy when people have certain shortcomings.
Regarding A), I'm not talking about stupid as in low IQ. People who aren't smart don't bother me at all. It's people who say "I can't...." and therefore remain stupid that irritate me. I ran into that a LOT when I was teaching and I still run into it when dealing with dancing. There's not a lot of "Learning" that can't be achieved by just working on it.
Regarding B), I have a hard time when people are consistently late or insensitive or always "having issues" or etc, because, at least to me, time management, dealing with other people, and coping skills are all LEARNED skills. I have a really hard time feeling for people in certain situations because they really do have the power to "fix" their situation and just choose not to because they say they "can't".
So, thanks Mom & Dad... I'm really glad that "I can"... I don't know how you got it into me, but I'm glad you did. Now I just have to figure out how "I can" have more empathy... or maybe I should just say "f- it" and let everyone else drown in their own "I can't"-ness. hmmm....
Regarding A), I'm not talking about stupid as in low IQ. People who aren't smart don't bother me at all. It's people who say "I can't...." and therefore remain stupid that irritate me. I ran into that a LOT when I was teaching and I still run into it when dealing with dancing. There's not a lot of "Learning" that can't be achieved by just working on it.
Regarding B), I have a hard time when people are consistently late or insensitive or always "having issues" or etc, because, at least to me, time management, dealing with other people, and coping skills are all LEARNED skills. I have a really hard time feeling for people in certain situations because they really do have the power to "fix" their situation and just choose not to because they say they "can't".
So, thanks Mom & Dad... I'm really glad that "I can"... I don't know how you got it into me, but I'm glad you did. Now I just have to figure out how "I can" have more empathy... or maybe I should just say "f- it" and let everyone else drown in their own "I can't"-ness. hmmm....
Another Beginning
So I got back from New Years' with this grand scheme of blogging my little heart out and talking about all sorts of cool random stuff. as that continued to happen, the cool stuff kept piling up & then I'd put off writing until I could sit down and do that justice. That has not happened either and at this point it's time to just sit down, say "F- it!", sweep all that stuff under the carpet and pretend there isn't an unsightly lump in the middle. Let's try this again. Today's topic is "My favorite downfalls."
So here it is, in no particular order, My Favorite Downfalls:
So here it is, in no particular order, My Favorite Downfalls:
- Peanut butter - yes, this whole recall has been a nightmare from hell for me.
- Cheese - I've been finding myself craving all sorts of cheese products, particularly cheese & tomato, aka ravioli, pasta dishes, pizza, etc...
- Good bread (well, really, any bread) - it makes me fart & I should avoid it, but I just can't say no. The best: I had some 'Popovers' the other night (a-MAZ-ing... aka Yorkshire pudding)
- Garlic - no description necessary
- Pad Thai - the cheesy food that cheesy Americans always order at Thai places... It's my comfort food. What can I say?
More to come later, I'm sure. By my downfall of this exact moment would be Doritos.. classic, nacho cheese Doritos (classified as a cheese downfall). This being said, I've still been doing reasonably well... I'm waffling right around 135. Not steady enough to feel like I'm allowed to indulge in my PB Milkshake that I promised myself, but I'm almost there. I'm down from the line between a size 16/18 to teetering on the line of 6 to 4... This makes me happy. Please keep in mind that I'm not intending to brag. Peek into my brain: I mention this stuff because I can't comprehend it. I feel like I need to get some sort of grip on reality. I remember looking at size 6/4 jeans and thinking "what kind of stick insects can fit INTO those???" Then I'd pick up my pants and they'd look normal. Now I pick up my size 6 or 4 and they look the same size as the 16s that I used to have. I guess I don't quite look the same in the mirror, but I look the same as I THOUGHT I looked. Also, I sit down on the toilet and I SWEAR my thighs squish the same distance over the sides of the seat. I know there must be a difference, but I can't get it into my head and I'm honestly quite worried that if I don't keep trying to convince myself of what size I really am, I could maybe turn into one of those skinny girls who're always saying "I'm fat" and trying to do something unhealthy. I've also found that I'm very self-conscious about going to the bathroom right after dinner. I'm worried that people will think I'm bulimic. Really, all people should be worried about is that I'm psychotic and have a massive disconnect between my head and reality! : )
Thursday, January 8, 2009
American Auto Industry v. American Porn
This week the American Porn industry asked congress for a bailout. I'm just about fed up. I was against the bailout of the auto industry because it's their own fault that they designed cars that they THOUGHT americans wanted and didn't design cars that americans actually wanted. I feel the same way about the porn industry. Until they start producing stuff like this again, I will NOT support a bailout for them either. (Note: safe for all ages, one of my favorites, works well if you have ragtime playing in the background... ; ) )
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
My Teeth Will Be Happy.
Woot! I just succeeded in signing up for a dental plan and it comes with a free vision thingie too. Goodie. I'll just wait until I get a dental card in the mail & then go about setting up appointments. It really is time.
Also, I gorged like nobody's business for about to weeks and held steady, weight wise. Yay. I'm back to being good though... does anyone know what those Indian Sweet Lentil Balls are called? Ah well.
So Inauguration is coming up and I feel a war brewing... I think Jonah really wants to go to an official Inaugural Ball type thing to be a part of history. I really just want to be at a real ball, so I'd prefer to go to the Glen Echo Inaugural Ball - it's only $20 and there'll actually be dancing. Here is a good example of why I don't want to go to one of the "real" balls. It's not just the article... I checked out most of the balls and there are almost no details, when there are details, it looks like for the $150 you spend to get in, you get 2 cocktail weenies and there is no mention whatsoever of any sort of dancing. Heck, they don't even tell you what kind of music will be played if any. Which really leads one to believe you stand around to see and be seen and probably get packed into the room like sardines. Ugh. Why? We shall see what happens.
Also, I gorged like nobody's business for about to weeks and held steady, weight wise. Yay. I'm back to being good though... does anyone know what those Indian Sweet Lentil Balls are called? Ah well.
So Inauguration is coming up and I feel a war brewing... I think Jonah really wants to go to an official Inaugural Ball type thing to be a part of history. I really just want to be at a real ball, so I'd prefer to go to the Glen Echo Inaugural Ball - it's only $20 and there'll actually be dancing. Here is a good example of why I don't want to go to one of the "real" balls. It's not just the article... I checked out most of the balls and there are almost no details, when there are details, it looks like for the $150 you spend to get in, you get 2 cocktail weenies and there is no mention whatsoever of any sort of dancing. Heck, they don't even tell you what kind of music will be played if any. Which really leads one to believe you stand around to see and be seen and probably get packed into the room like sardines. Ugh. Why? We shall see what happens.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Natural Wonders
Christmas was good. Got a Wii from my amazing husband. Yay! More about that some other time.
I think it's a really good thing that I have an East-facing window at work. At least it's nice for that short time right before sunrise until right after. Then from just after until about 9:30 or 10, it's hellish since the sun is right in my eyes even though I've rigged up a visor-headphones system. I digress. I don't know if it's normal, or if it's just the way that I am, but no matter how down I'm feeling, it really helps to see the sunrise. It's peaceful, it's gorgeous, and it's astounding. It just makes me stop and reevaluate everything.... I mean, it makes me realize that there's a lot more to everything at minor people problems, like money, or bills, or time or have-tos or any of that shit. I really need nature, be it sunrises, or rocks & trees and streams to realize that I get way too caught up in the little stuff, the people stuff, the things we create to make ourselves miserable because it seems like we're not happy unless we're miserable if that makes any sense. I'm so glad that we live where we live now. Our old apartment was kinda scrubby-urbans sprawlish. You had to seriously go a ways to find much that was natuaral. Now we live in an area that's more suburban by just a little bit. Sure, we can't exactly walk to the metro anymore (actually, we can, but it would take 45 mins), but I can walk two streets behind me and get a heavily wooded glen to stare at. After a 5 minute drive, I can be lost in a marshy nature preserve (great for bird watching - and it's where I mainly go running). Another 15 minutes and I have a choice between a park trail with another marsh on the potomac and a lake with a nature trail. God, I love rocks, trees, & water... and wind.... I love to go out and let the wind buffet me on a day that's a reasonable temperature. Mmmmm....
I think it's a really good thing that I have an East-facing window at work. At least it's nice for that short time right before sunrise until right after. Then from just after until about 9:30 or 10, it's hellish since the sun is right in my eyes even though I've rigged up a visor-headphones system. I digress. I don't know if it's normal, or if it's just the way that I am, but no matter how down I'm feeling, it really helps to see the sunrise. It's peaceful, it's gorgeous, and it's astounding. It just makes me stop and reevaluate everything.... I mean, it makes me realize that there's a lot more to everything at minor people problems, like money, or bills, or time or have-tos or any of that shit. I really need nature, be it sunrises, or rocks & trees and streams to realize that I get way too caught up in the little stuff, the people stuff, the things we create to make ourselves miserable because it seems like we're not happy unless we're miserable if that makes any sense. I'm so glad that we live where we live now. Our old apartment was kinda scrubby-urbans sprawlish. You had to seriously go a ways to find much that was natuaral. Now we live in an area that's more suburban by just a little bit. Sure, we can't exactly walk to the metro anymore (actually, we can, but it would take 45 mins), but I can walk two streets behind me and get a heavily wooded glen to stare at. After a 5 minute drive, I can be lost in a marshy nature preserve (great for bird watching - and it's where I mainly go running). Another 15 minutes and I have a choice between a park trail with another marsh on the potomac and a lake with a nature trail. God, I love rocks, trees, & water... and wind.... I love to go out and let the wind buffet me on a day that's a reasonable temperature. Mmmmm....
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Binkle's Patented Shopping Workout
Yesterday, in a panic that I wouldn't get everything done before I leave tonight (not happening by the way - dang ice-storms-in-mountains, but now I just get to relax...), I took part of the afternoon and went shopping and ran errands. It seems normal and mundane, except that I literally ran errands. There were two or three different instances where I needed to hit 3 stores in a shopping center, so I parked in the middle of all three and then ran from my car to the first, ran back, ran to the second, ran back, ran to the third, ran back, etc.... They seemed like short little bits compared with what I normally run, but maybe I was running faster than normal? I don't know. All I know is that my legs and a$$ hurt today. Sore. Wow! Then to top off the workout, I found a case of duralogs, 6 pieces at 5 lbs each = 30 lbs. So I picked that up, carried it around with me and then carried it out to the car. Oh, and yeah, there was the large bottle of laundry detergent too. It was a good workout.
There are two things at play here:
1) I hate carts - I hate getting stuck behind them, I hate making people stuck behind me, I hate them - so for years I've made it a point to not buy anything that I can't carry (except rare occasions where it's unavoidable, i.e. bathtubs, couches, etc.). I use a hand basket if they are available, or I bring my own bag and hope the stores don't think I'm trying to steal stuff as I shove items into my bag, or I balance things precariously as I rush to the register.
2) I believe in "if you don't use it, you lose it." and have a theory that if I get used to a sedentary lifestyle without lifting, moving, bending, etc... then I will lose the ability to do those things. I don't want to be one of those people who can't get up off the floor. It may happen some day, but I'll try to prolong the inevitable. For a while I was seeing a chiropractor who specialized in Biomechanics and he said the muscles used for supporting the knee as it bends past a 90 degree angle and responsible for keeping it in line tend to be very weak in westerners because we don't do movements that require it very much. It was really very fascinating to learn about all the physics in musculature while talking with him. If I ever have a mid-life crisis, I'll probably go back to school for Biomechanics.
Random rant of the day: Frickin'! I've been waiting for about two weeks for my Donut Panic Woot shirt to arrive and the Fed Ex tracking estimated that it comes today. Goodie! Just in time for our trip! Well, no, I checked the tracking and it was delivered to the local post office today and will probably come in tomorrow's mail. Looks like I'll have to wait until next Monday for my precious shirt. Dagnabbit! My preeeccioooouuuusssss.... *hissing while stroking hands together*
There are two things at play here:
1) I hate carts - I hate getting stuck behind them, I hate making people stuck behind me, I hate them - so for years I've made it a point to not buy anything that I can't carry (except rare occasions where it's unavoidable, i.e. bathtubs, couches, etc.). I use a hand basket if they are available, or I bring my own bag and hope the stores don't think I'm trying to steal stuff as I shove items into my bag, or I balance things precariously as I rush to the register.
2) I believe in "if you don't use it, you lose it." and have a theory that if I get used to a sedentary lifestyle without lifting, moving, bending, etc... then I will lose the ability to do those things. I don't want to be one of those people who can't get up off the floor. It may happen some day, but I'll try to prolong the inevitable. For a while I was seeing a chiropractor who specialized in Biomechanics and he said the muscles used for supporting the knee as it bends past a 90 degree angle and responsible for keeping it in line tend to be very weak in westerners because we don't do movements that require it very much. It was really very fascinating to learn about all the physics in musculature while talking with him. If I ever have a mid-life crisis, I'll probably go back to school for Biomechanics.
Random rant of the day: Frickin'! I've been waiting for about two weeks for my Donut Panic Woot shirt to arrive and the Fed Ex tracking estimated that it comes today. Goodie! Just in time for our trip! Well, no, I checked the tracking and it was delivered to the local post office today and will probably come in tomorrow's mail. Looks like I'll have to wait until next Monday for my precious shirt. Dagnabbit! My preeeccioooouuuusssss.... *hissing while stroking hands together*
Many Apologies & Happy Holidays!
I think it's safe to say that none of you are getting Christmas/Hanukkah/generic-holiday cards this year from us. New Years cards - maybe. Random, January Happy-the-holidays-are-over kind of cards? Most likely. : ) Yeah, we're running behind, but I think I got everything else done. Not much has been going on here except holiday prep-work. We did go and freeze our tuckases off for the lighting of the national Menorah on the Ellipse in from of the White House. That was fun. Got free Latkes, Sufganiyots (jelly donuts), and apple sauce though. Then we headed up to get bar-eats at the Old Ebbitt Grill. They have really good food and I was surprised that the prices were comparable to somewhere like a TGI Fridays or some such. My drink cost more than my sandwich and I'm not sure how I feel about that. At least I got to try a good Hot Toddy. Yum!
Here's some holiday cheer for you all... a Winter Wonderland courtesy of Cake Wrecks Blog, and some Latke art!!!
Here's some holiday cheer for you all... a Winter Wonderland courtesy of Cake Wrecks Blog, and some Latke art!!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
uh....
So I just found out that my happy little morning clerk at the 7-11 also works the registers at Target in the afternoons or evenings. I find this out as I'm in the check-out line... HIS check-out line... with two new packs of underwear. Not only does the man have my morning drink-habits memorized, but now he also has an intimate knowledge of my underwear. Hmmm....
Monday, December 15, 2008
Help, HELP! I'm trapped!
So it was an eventful weekend. I still have not started holiday cards, so don't get worried. They will most likely end up being New Years cards. I also have not started wrapping (which will consist of throwing things in gift bags or boxes to minimize paper waste) or the making of Rum Balls (consequently they will be strong again this year).
We did start the weekend off with a viewing of Washington Revels, which does a Holiday show every year that follows a different holiday tradition of a particular location and time period. This year's show was based in a 19th century French Canadian frontier town. It was nice and reminded me of Dave & my trip to Canada when they mentioned Poutine! : )
Saturday my friend, Adi, took us trap shootingat Bull Run Regional Park. We took the 40 minute gun safety class which turned out to be a two hour class. Then we signed up for some of the Wobble Trap games. That part was fun. I'll have to go back when it's warm out. The only thing that wasn't fun was waiting the hour for the games and taking the 2 hour class because it was quite cold out. Ah well. I found it something more than mildly amusing, but then again I feel the same way about shooting galleries (the ones with the bar scene and targets that make things happen like the piano player plays or the vulture ruffles its feathers) in amusement parks. I'd do it again for a hoot. I definitely have to beat down my recurring thoughts of "there are a million and one different ways this gun can kill me", but eh...
Saturday night was our Vintage formal dance for which I got to wear my slinky black dress... I still hold that the dress was only labelled four, but I don't care.
We did start the weekend off with a viewing of Washington Revels, which does a Holiday show every year that follows a different holiday tradition of a particular location and time period. This year's show was based in a 19th century French Canadian frontier town. It was nice and reminded me of Dave & my trip to Canada when they mentioned Poutine! : )
Saturday my friend, Adi, took us trap shootingat Bull Run Regional Park. We took the 40 minute gun safety class which turned out to be a two hour class. Then we signed up for some of the Wobble Trap games. That part was fun. I'll have to go back when it's warm out. The only thing that wasn't fun was waiting the hour for the games and taking the 2 hour class because it was quite cold out. Ah well. I found it something more than mildly amusing, but then again I feel the same way about shooting galleries (the ones with the bar scene and targets that make things happen like the piano player plays or the vulture ruffles its feathers) in amusement parks. I'd do it again for a hoot. I definitely have to beat down my recurring thoughts of "there are a million and one different ways this gun can kill me", but eh...
Saturday night was our Vintage formal dance for which I got to wear my slinky black dress... I still hold that the dress was only labelled four, but I don't care.
It was a good time with fantastic people as always. I was sad to find out that my favorite old guy, Roger, is planning to move away to Cincinnati within 6 months... Boo! I also must admit that there was more food than you could shake a stick at & I nibbled so much that I nearly got sick during a Waltz. I think that's the sign of a good party!
AH-Ha~! Hahahahahahaha.... I just now, while writing, uncovered the solution to a mystery that has been plaguing me for weeks now.... I feel quite a bit like Nancy Drew (or I feel quite dumb, I'm not sure which). So my iPod has been randomly turning on before I touch it for the morning and it keeps going to a particular playlist (Calm International). My purely scientific brain (that has a degree in Physics), had one of two thoughts.... something in my purse is hitting the "ON" button or it's haunted. Most likely option is "it's haunted" - obviously by some benign spirit since it keeps choosing the Calm International playlist. Just now I put together the fact that I keep finding it on in the mornings and that it's ALWAYS the same playlist - I decided to check the alarm settings. Yes, indeedy, the alarm clock feature is still turned on and set to go off at 8AM on that playlist. I am brilliant. It must have been doing this since Thanksgiving. *grumble* : )
Sunday night ended the weekend with joining my sister & her family for the walk-through light show at Brookside Gardens. It was fantastic to drive into the site and listen to my little nephew pipe up "lights!" He doesn't have many words, but that was loud and clear! I love the holiday season, I love lights. I always have. I'd wear lights if I could. Actually, I have worn lights, now that I think about it...
Oh well anyway, it's been so unbelievably and uncharacteristically dreary here this year that I really, REALLY need the lights this year. I went out & bought 400 more lights to put on out back deck (400 lights do not go as far as you'd think). Darn! The rain's back. I'm going to bed & pretend like I don't see it. : ) For the record, I'm going to try to cook my meatloaf in a crockpot tomorrow. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Sizable Update (or update concerning size)
Three nights ago I was cleaning and pulled a few pieces out of my "skinny clothes from freshman year swing dancing" box... The two ultimate skinny dresses that I had both fit! Yahoo! So I pulled those out of the box to put in my closet. Yesterday I tried on my senior prom dress. THAT FITS TOO! Here's a pic of my senior Prom:
I will probably end up seeing if I can wear it to the annual Strauss Ball at Glen Echo this Spring. I am right on the border of a 6 and 8 in pants, depending on the brand and cut.... I just went and bought myself a size 4 dress for the formal on Saturday. That makes me happy. I don't think I've ever owned anything that's a size 4.... Also, I really wanted to lose the extra 7 lbs until my goal weight (135), but I'm really not sure I should. I'm looking good and feeling good and I'm the same size I was 10 years ago when I was 127 - meaning more muscle. It really confirms to me though, that I can probably never go by conventional weight charts and BMI indexes and such. I'm not quite in the "normal" weight range for my weight, or maybe I'm just on the line... it seems to depend on which chart you look at, but I'm right at the line between normal and overweight... and I'm a size 6-ish? Doesn't make sense. All I know is that major support bras are fast becoming my best friend since I've lost a lot of mass in that area and now, wellllll.... let's not go there. Age + weight loss and you can do the math. : )
Oh, and FYI.... I'm having to get rid of almost everything in my closet, so if you're ~ size 12, let me know. I can probably pass along some good stuff!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Can I get a USB port installed in my head?
Right, so i just had a totally random day full of those moments when you just WISH you had a little spycam attached to your glasses so that you could take a split second photo of that thing you're seeing that will be gone before you can blink.... This is the reason that I carry my point & shoot camera with me at ALL times... so I can whip it out and take pictures of those totally random or fascinating or "you wouldn't believe me if I told" you moments... Like this picture.... it was taken on the Washington Beltway.... yes, that's right, I-495.
or this one of my window buddy the other day:
Yesterday was full of those. Unfortunately, the instances yesterday were so fleeting that it was impossible to get a picture even if I whipped the camera out because they were already gone. I generally have a photographic memory and wish there were some way to download all the little snippits of images in my head. So I was walking past a Starbucks and this man and woman were seated at a table in the front window. They were having an animated conversation and the woman just makes this face (the type of face that would be a good black mail photo), gesticulates wildly and laughs. A) can't whip a camera out because the people would freak out B) can't whip a camera out because it's already passed. Later, I was driving home and a burgundy 1960s VW Beetle is driving behind me. I'm enjoying watching it in my rear view mirror. It makes the same few turns that I do. I come to a relatively isolated intersection that has little traffic and there's a white 1960s VW beetle sitting at the stop sign. I don't have a stop, turn the corner and watch in my rear view as the Burgundy Beetle turns past the White Beetle and form a perfect picture. Too dangerous to whip my camera out. I find myself wondering if they smiled and waved at each other in camaraderie as they passed.
or this one of my window buddy the other day:
Yesterday was full of those. Unfortunately, the instances yesterday were so fleeting that it was impossible to get a picture even if I whipped the camera out because they were already gone. I generally have a photographic memory and wish there were some way to download all the little snippits of images in my head. So I was walking past a Starbucks and this man and woman were seated at a table in the front window. They were having an animated conversation and the woman just makes this face (the type of face that would be a good black mail photo), gesticulates wildly and laughs. A) can't whip a camera out because the people would freak out B) can't whip a camera out because it's already passed. Later, I was driving home and a burgundy 1960s VW Beetle is driving behind me. I'm enjoying watching it in my rear view mirror. It makes the same few turns that I do. I come to a relatively isolated intersection that has little traffic and there's a white 1960s VW beetle sitting at the stop sign. I don't have a stop, turn the corner and watch in my rear view as the Burgundy Beetle turns past the White Beetle and form a perfect picture. Too dangerous to whip my camera out. I find myself wondering if they smiled and waved at each other in camaraderie as they passed.
Friday, December 5, 2008
T-giving in 2 sentences and Skinny Pants hell
It was nice to go home over Thanksgiving and see family and I got some excellent thrift-storage in which resulted in two vintage winter coats for a grand total of $16. It was also very stressful due to various family situations on both sides and ridiculously irritating driving conditions on both the way up and the trip back. (I lied... 3 sentences)
So yesterday was a weird day... Don't know how well anyone reading this knows me (some very well, I'm sure), but I'm occasionally prone to psychotic irrational anxiety attacks - my brain turns into my enemy and I can't shake a thought or a feeling even if I know logically it doesn't make sense. Grrr... hate those... and yesterday was one of those days. Since we got back from T-giving, J has been a goodly bit down because he was stressed about the past week and family matters and stressed because he doesn't know the outcomes AND stuff was going down at work because it's just one of those times. So he was unseasonably quiet & "down" for a couple of days. Randomly, because I'm brilliant like that, I get this idea in my head yesterday morning that he's been quiet & withdrawn because he's mad at me. This pops into my head at, like, 7:30 AM... then it grows and persists and grows and persists and spirals out of control into a panic. (I'm suspecting that these happen when I'm under other stress and just can't get a productive outlet...) Perfectly timed, J was working his A$$ off yesterday in a different lab where he has no contact with the outside world and took no breaks until about 5:30 PM.... so of course I took the lack of communication as evidence that he was mad at me. The whole while I KNOW that it's not the case. I know it and I can't convince myself out of those attacks. Grrrr.... hate my brain. Fortunately, when I did get to talk to him last night, I was confirmed that he was not mad at me and all was well.
On a happier note, I am currently in skinny pants hell. The pants that I bought about 2-3 months ago are getting embarrassingly big on me again (grrr...), so I'm in the market for new pants. The easiest solution (accomplished tonight) was to go to Kohl's and get smaller sizes of the ones that I got before (they were on sale!). While there, I figured I'd try to find some others since two pair is just not quite enough diversity - and then I decided I hate pants. See, here's the problem: almost anything designed for people my age is very plain and stuffy and BORING; anything not boring is usually to be found in the Juniors dept; Once you find not-boring, you need to weed out the stuff that looks like something a 12 year old should wear (pink sequined butterfly applique) from stuff that's acceptable for a nearly-30 (maybe braided leather accents on the butt-pockets); then you try the pants on and it's probably cut so low that your goods will hang out or pop out if you attempt to move; next if all goes well and the pants fit, then the pocket placement is probably half-way down the thigh (pockets should be placed on the butt to accentuate, otherwise you look deformed); lastly, once the pants fit and pocket placement is right, you've probably stumbled across a pair of pants that are "skinny" aka designed for people with toothpicks for calves or peg-legs. No normal human should wear "skinny" pants, especially not men. That's my rant for the day. : )
So yesterday was a weird day... Don't know how well anyone reading this knows me (some very well, I'm sure), but I'm occasionally prone to psychotic irrational anxiety attacks - my brain turns into my enemy and I can't shake a thought or a feeling even if I know logically it doesn't make sense. Grrr... hate those... and yesterday was one of those days. Since we got back from T-giving, J has been a goodly bit down because he was stressed about the past week and family matters and stressed because he doesn't know the outcomes AND stuff was going down at work because it's just one of those times. So he was unseasonably quiet & "down" for a couple of days. Randomly, because I'm brilliant like that, I get this idea in my head yesterday morning that he's been quiet & withdrawn because he's mad at me. This pops into my head at, like, 7:30 AM... then it grows and persists and grows and persists and spirals out of control into a panic. (I'm suspecting that these happen when I'm under other stress and just can't get a productive outlet...) Perfectly timed, J was working his A$$ off yesterday in a different lab where he has no contact with the outside world and took no breaks until about 5:30 PM.... so of course I took the lack of communication as evidence that he was mad at me. The whole while I KNOW that it's not the case. I know it and I can't convince myself out of those attacks. Grrrr.... hate my brain. Fortunately, when I did get to talk to him last night, I was confirmed that he was not mad at me and all was well.
On a happier note, I am currently in skinny pants hell. The pants that I bought about 2-3 months ago are getting embarrassingly big on me again (grrr...), so I'm in the market for new pants. The easiest solution (accomplished tonight) was to go to Kohl's and get smaller sizes of the ones that I got before (they were on sale!). While there, I figured I'd try to find some others since two pair is just not quite enough diversity - and then I decided I hate pants. See, here's the problem: almost anything designed for people my age is very plain and stuffy and BORING; anything not boring is usually to be found in the Juniors dept; Once you find not-boring, you need to weed out the stuff that looks like something a 12 year old should wear (pink sequined butterfly applique) from stuff that's acceptable for a nearly-30 (maybe braided leather accents on the butt-pockets); then you try the pants on and it's probably cut so low that your goods will hang out or pop out if you attempt to move; next if all goes well and the pants fit, then the pocket placement is probably half-way down the thigh (pockets should be placed on the butt to accentuate, otherwise you look deformed); lastly, once the pants fit and pocket placement is right, you've probably stumbled across a pair of pants that are "skinny" aka designed for people with toothpicks for calves or peg-legs. No normal human should wear "skinny" pants, especially not men. That's my rant for the day. : )
Monday, November 24, 2008
kiss my copyright, b!$@#...
Hmmm... with all the years that I've been involved with IP (Intellectual Property) I've never really had much use for it, other than the fact that the people who need it pay me. Having worked in IP, it has made me a little more sensitive to different IP issue and I'm now doing a lot of heavy-duty research to try and not step on other people's IP toes when I start up my side-venture next year. Never, NEVER would I have thought that I would be involved with anything IP related personally. It's interesting. So a number of years ago I took this picture of Binghamton from the top of a building where my friends' wedding reception was:
Another friend in B-ton was doing the B-ton wikipedia site and asked if he could use it and I said "yes, just cite me"
The other day I found out the following...
Pay attention to the top banner... it changes.
http://www.broadwaybinghamton.com/
Then today I was sent this...
http://www.nysegsolutions.com/AboutUs/
Notice where the large picture is on the left.... I think it's a stock photo of a light bulb now, but that was a cropped version of my picture this morning.
I'm going to talk to the Broadway people... I don't mind people using my pic - in fact I think it's kinda cool that people like it and are using it and passing it around. I DO mind that I'm not getting mentioned - if they just put a note that I took the picture, I'll be happy. The thing I mind even more is that the NYSEG site used it. I've written to them already, which is why the picture is no longer there.... (I feel kinda like it's a "dance, monkey, dance!" situation. hehe... things happened FAST since it may have potentially been a legal issue for them). So i wrote to them just asking where they got the photo and said I'd be willing to discuss it if they'd like to use it still... but really, It'll be interesting to see where it came from. I really, really hope that it's just a small-town, not so worried about the legal stuff kind of thing. I hope it's NOT that they bought the image from someone. That would make me mad.
Remember kids: Intellectual property is an important thing and ALWAYS make sure to get permission before using someone else's toy unless it's a stock photo bought from a reputable source... ; )
The other day I found out the following...
Pay attention to the top banner... it changes.
http://www.broadwaybinghamton.com/
Then today I was sent this...
http://www.nysegsolutions.com/AboutUs/
Notice where the large picture is on the left.... I think it's a stock photo of a light bulb now, but that was a cropped version of my picture this morning.
I'm going to talk to the Broadway people... I don't mind people using my pic - in fact I think it's kinda cool that people like it and are using it and passing it around. I DO mind that I'm not getting mentioned - if they just put a note that I took the picture, I'll be happy. The thing I mind even more is that the NYSEG site used it. I've written to them already, which is why the picture is no longer there.... (I feel kinda like it's a "dance, monkey, dance!" situation. hehe... things happened FAST since it may have potentially been a legal issue for them). So i wrote to them just asking where they got the photo and said I'd be willing to discuss it if they'd like to use it still... but really, It'll be interesting to see where it came from. I really, really hope that it's just a small-town, not so worried about the legal stuff kind of thing. I hope it's NOT that they bought the image from someone. That would make me mad.
Remember kids: Intellectual property is an important thing and ALWAYS make sure to get permission before using someone else's toy unless it's a stock photo bought from a reputable source... ; )
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Raunchy
J just got home last night from a week long business trip. After saying hi, he says, "I have to bring something in the house and there's a story behind it." My thoughts: "uh-oh." So in he comes carrying a big box. He says, "So I was talking to the guy I was getting the box from and I said 'I'm going to put my wife's holiday present in here and then write: Laura's present, do not open. So then she won't look in it.' And the guy said 'If you do that, she's SURE to look in it! You should write: Old Newspapers or something.' and I said that wouldn't work because you would probably throw them out, so I'm wondering what I should write on the box so you won't open it." Really a strange conversation, but here's the result:
The artistry of the lettering leads me to believe that J missed his calling as a graphic designer. I just gotta love that man o' mine. : )
Friday, November 21, 2008
Resolutions Addendum
Alrighty. With picking up my new resolutions, I've been thinking about health in general. It's kinda scary. There are so many harmful or potentially harmful products out there. I am really starting to consider all of the potential impacts of the pervasive use of plastics. Sometime this past year, studies came out showing that polycarbonate leeches stuff into the water and food stored in it and some such. Then with all of the melamine stuff coming out of China recently, my happy little dream world of "I'm sure no one would sell me something that can harm me or cause long term effects" has been shattered. As a result, last spring I stopped using my favorite Polycarbonate water bottle. (on a side note, I've also been considering ditching those ziplock/glad food containers in favor of the pyrex ones with lids... dunno.) Why is it my favorite? - the lid. It has this flip-top lid where you press a button and the lid flips open and then it has this perfect sipping portion and then you just swing it closed again and it locks. The main advantage is that it keeps the drinking area covered and therefor clean during one of my inevitable Kluzt moments when I drop it in a big pile of mulch or whatever. You can also open & close it one-handed for easy use while driving. This lid is CRITICAL for me. Then last May, Jonah's cousins came down and introduced me to "Smart Water" - which has electrolytes added for anyone who doesn't know. I really liked that idea. I'm kinda a camel in that I go a long time without drinking, and then drink a lot all at once. I probably am constantly teetering on the brink of minor dehydration. I need to change that. So anyway, whenever I feel dehydrated I now grab a smart water. Then that turned into grabbing a smart water on my way to work - every morning. Then the piles of water bottles to be recycled and the thought of money wasted has been seeming like a big waste. It really is a big waste. Yesterday, I was motoring around Target looking for a thermos or a reasonable facsimile thereof and GLORY BE! I found my old polycarbonate water bottle now made in stainless steel (like this but with the same lid as the original)! Praise whatever!!!! Now I can have my water, save money, hopefully not die from it (the bottle was made in China... should I be worried?), AND have no moral dilemmas about undue waste. *does a little dance*
Also, I picked up a stainless steel 24 oz. vacuum mug so that I can make tea and take it with me on trips. I think I still need a full scale thermos, but eh. I'm a fan of tea. I love tea. It's a great soda substitute, especially if you get a flavored type. Today's tea of the day: Republic of Tea 'Wild Blueberry' (Fine Black Tea with Sweet Blueberries) So my plan for a WHILE now has been to get a mug or thermos, make tea & then take it with me on road trips because you can barely ever get good tea in convenience stores (the only one I've found that's decent if you actually like tea is Gold Peak Unsweetened).
Addendums to Resolutions:
Also, I picked up a stainless steel 24 oz. vacuum mug so that I can make tea and take it with me on trips. I think I still need a full scale thermos, but eh. I'm a fan of tea. I love tea. It's a great soda substitute, especially if you get a flavored type. Today's tea of the day: Republic of Tea 'Wild Blueberry' (Fine Black Tea with Sweet Blueberries) So my plan for a WHILE now has been to get a mug or thermos, make tea & then take it with me on road trips because you can barely ever get good tea in convenience stores (the only one I've found that's decent if you actually like tea is Gold Peak Unsweetened).
Addendums to Resolutions:
- drink my own water
- increase tea intake/decrease soda intake
- limit soda intake to lunch only
- start to moisturize more regularly
This week I've done pretty well on parts of my resolutions and not so well on others. J's been out of town on business travel and so I've been pretty good about exercising since it is all my own schedule. I have not been so good about cooking in since I'm the only one and haven't really stayed in. Last night I went to a place called Mackey's because they have a Guinness Steak & Mushroom pie (I tooooootally miss steak & ale pies from Scotland). It was good, but not the same AT ALL. *sigh * I'd also say I'll be better about cooking in next week, but it'll be T-giving and the only night we'll be home is Monday. Maybe I'll cook Monday? Dunno.
Funny self-deprecating story of the day: this is why I claim only to be a physicist-poser... So I get that new stainless steel water bottle and this morning I fill it with Brita water from the fridge. I go to grab the bottle and come away SHOCKED at how cold it is... anyone with a physics degree SHOULD expect that. It's metal, & metal is not an insulator. *hangs head in shame * Mental note... new sewing project will be to make a fabric coozie for my water bottle.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
I think I'm the only one...
I must be the only one in the history of man to hate, and I mean HATE, the story of Romeo and Juliet. I wish there Shakespeare had a broken home so I could say to him (if he were alive) "a plague on both your houses!" Seriously. I have no comprehension of how people like that story. It's depressing and aggravating and is all a result of massive mis-communication and idiocy. I have only ever met one version of R&J that I liked and that's the Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. I believe that the only reason I like it is because it's artistically well done enough that I can get past it and ignore the story. I bring this up because I just caught an episode of Lux Radio Theater that was a rendition of Madame Butterfly. I was very excited since I have never seen the show and you hear about it all the time. People rave about it. I liked it clear up to the end.... When (BEWARE: SPOILER) she kills herself on her father's death sword. All because of a stupid, frickin' MISCOMMUNICATION! Argh! it irked me to no end. I felt like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls the football away. Stop doing this to me, people!!!!! I haven't liked any movie versions of R&J (except the one stated before), I don't like West Side Story (go ahead and gasp in chagrin - I know you want to), and I don't like Madame Butterfly now that I've heard it. It's once again a poorly masked rehashing of the R&J story and it looses me once more. Grrr.... I feel cheated and betrayed.
Exercise Recap
So my training went pretty well yesterday. I timed the walk/runs and the direction of my travel just right such that the middle walk (It's W-R-W-R-W in an 8-5-5-5-7 relation this week) happened just at the right time to walk around the observation deck over the marsh. I got a happy little viewing reward that way, yay! The marsh is sooooo pretty regardless of time of year. I think I like cattails. Well the first run went well. I remembered to focus on my form - mid-foot strike, heel touch, roll & push-off; keep feet pointed forward; try not to over exert my ankle muscles; & bent-knee landing. It felt good. I think I was slower again. I think I get slower when I focus on form, but it's definitely better for my joints, especially that friggin' left knee. On the second run, my mind wandered and I had to pull it back to the task at hand because I could feel my feet turning back out again. I like barefooting because it really does force you to have a biomechanically good form. If you are off, you hurt or at least don't feel perfect. If you are on, you feel just fine. I'm still sore through the back of my calves a little - they're tight - but that's indicative that I was still overcompensating with my ankles and just not keeping it all loose. That'll get better over time. This is why I've been starting out slow again - so that I can get the right form down again so I don't blow my knee out.
In other news, I just put on my super skinny skirt from the end of HS, the beginning of college. It fits! I'm quite pleased. I'm happy that I'm getting back into running because if I do more running and dancing, hopefully it'll firm up my butt & thighs some more. *crosses fingers* We'll see. I'm not complaining about the quantity of muscle that I have already... it's been established that I have more muscle now than last time I was this size because I weigh 15 lbs more than I did then. That's at least SOME progress that was made over the last 10 years. Ah! I also went climbing the other day. That felt kinda good. I don't think I like most of the people at my gym though. They're not very social. I think I need to find myself a regular partner. I was happy to find out that the main strength I lost was in my fingers. They got fatigued well before any other part, so that's OK I guess. That's one definite thing that's great about taking up running as a form of exercise - you can do it ANYWHERE. Not so with climbing. Next week is T-giving as you all know and I'll be home for 5 days? Yeah. So I'll just pack my five fingers and my jogging pants and go! Yay! Hopefully this time my mum won't worry about me exerting myself in the cold. Parents always worry, I guess. : )
Speaking of Five Fingers... if anyone feels like getting me a random senseless gift, I'm jonesin' for those light blue/green ones featured on the front page.... ; )
Ah, I also entertained myself by taking Retro Pinup pics of myself last night. That was fun. No, I'm not posting them on here. Needless to say, if anyone wants any pin-ups done for them, let me know. I love it! I also do head shots & I really, really want to try recreating the effects of 16th century paintings with my camera. Let me know if you're up for a shoot!
In other news, I just put on my super skinny skirt from the end of HS, the beginning of college. It fits! I'm quite pleased. I'm happy that I'm getting back into running because if I do more running and dancing, hopefully it'll firm up my butt & thighs some more. *crosses fingers* We'll see. I'm not complaining about the quantity of muscle that I have already... it's been established that I have more muscle now than last time I was this size because I weigh 15 lbs more than I did then. That's at least SOME progress that was made over the last 10 years. Ah! I also went climbing the other day. That felt kinda good. I don't think I like most of the people at my gym though. They're not very social. I think I need to find myself a regular partner. I was happy to find out that the main strength I lost was in my fingers. They got fatigued well before any other part, so that's OK I guess. That's one definite thing that's great about taking up running as a form of exercise - you can do it ANYWHERE. Not so with climbing. Next week is T-giving as you all know and I'll be home for 5 days? Yeah. So I'll just pack my five fingers and my jogging pants and go! Yay! Hopefully this time my mum won't worry about me exerting myself in the cold. Parents always worry, I guess. : )
Speaking of Five Fingers... if anyone feels like getting me a random senseless gift, I'm jonesin' for those light blue/green ones featured on the front page.... ; )
Ah, I also entertained myself by taking Retro Pinup pics of myself last night. That was fun. No, I'm not posting them on here. Needless to say, if anyone wants any pin-ups done for them, let me know. I love it! I also do head shots & I really, really want to try recreating the effects of 16th century paintings with my camera. Let me know if you're up for a shoot!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Is it just me?
Is it just me or is it colder out? Sounds like a stupid question since the winter weather just started showing up, I know. See, here's the thing. I know winter has come sooner than last year, but I've also lost 50 lbs of insulation. I'm guessing it's a combination of being colder earlier and my lack of insulation, but I am COLD lately. Last year I probably wore socks only whenever there was enough snow to risk getting it into my shoes (i.e. a handful of times). This year I've not only started to wear socks already, but have upgraded to knee socks. This has two benefits... 1)I am warmer from the knee-down and 2) my Eczema is not attacking me as ferrociously as in previous years. For anyone interested, I have been getting Eczema on the back of my calves and sometimes up my legs, but only in the winter. As soon as the temperature changes and the humidity drops, it kicks in. This year... not so much. Is it that I'm eating better and perhaps subjecting myself to fewer allergens and thereby not exacerbating things? Is it purely that the additions of knee socks is, as my friend suggested earlier, keeping more moisture on my skin and thereby not letting it dry out as much? I don't know if I'll ever really get the answer to either the cold question or the Eczema vs. knee socks one. Oh well, off to run & see f I succeed in not puking up the potato and vegetable soups I ate for lunch. Goodie!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Begin at the beginning
So I've made the first however many steps to getting out there and running again. Learning from my mistake in September of just trying to go a gung-ho 3 miles without getting my form back in shape and almost blowing my knee out, I decided to stat almost from square one again and found a Couch to 10K program that I plan to follow. I'm starting at week 3 because I really can already walk for 30 minutes straight regularly... and the 3 minute jogs are well below me too. the 5 minute jogs today were a good start because I can do it easily, but I did try to go Gung-ho again and was able to realize by the end that I have to pay stricter attention to my form the next 3 times that I go out on this week's planned run/walks. I also found out again why I love running outside. Total zen experience... in the winter I barely come across any other people at the nature preserve and today I saw a fox standing in the trail ahead of me and staring at me. Fortunately he/she scampered off into the brush well before I got there. Hopefully it wasn't rabid. It felt good. I'm gonna be a little sore in the muscles though.
Also, since my velour jogging pants from last year outgrew me... & since I haven't been able to find cute replacements, I bought myself my first "track suit" - pants charcoal with BLINDING magenta piping and then a BLINDING magenta jacket with charcoal accents. Hopefully this will help with visibility if I have to run in darker near-road conditions. I feel like a bit of a tool, but it is comfy.
Warning for any male readers: girl stuff coming next (aka bra-reviews)
On other news, we went to PSU this past weekend. It was, at best, a comedy of errors involving a clogged toilet, a roll-away cot that was nowhere-to-be-found, and a 3 or 4 different plans to hang out with another couple that never came to fruition. The final nail in the coffin of my experience was that, as I was getting ready to drive home at 7:30 AM so Jonah could make his soccer match, my bra broke. MY BRA BROKE! Normally I wouldn't care, but this is the end of a moderately irritating weekend and it was a really expensive bra from Victoria's Secret called The Wave that was purchased as an every-day luxury item. If a Hanes $10 bra lasts me two years, the Victoria's Secret one will be a nice luxury that is more comfy and more support (or so the theory went). Pros: The Wave is the most comfy bra I have ever put on, it has convertible straps so that it can be racer-backed or halter, was constructed in such a way that you don't get indents across your back-flab, and was "secretly" leopard print on the inside eventhough it was utilitarian otherwise (yes, guys, we like funky stuff inside because it makes us feel like even something boring and functional can be a little wild). The cons: it greeeew... over time the foam that was the base stretched or grew or something so that it got too loose around and it BROKE... I went to put it on the same way I put on every other one and the strap came off. For only the second time in my life, I returned something used. (the first was a pair of shoes from target in which the soles appeared to be made of cardboard and nearly had a hole in them by the end of the first day). I took the bra back to VS because I've only had it for about 3 months and the strap fell off. This is either a design flaw or a defective product, clearly, and expensive to boot. The store people were very nice and credited me most of the original price (seemed fair since I had used it for 3 months) and I exchanged it out for the Very Sexy Multi-Way Bra. Aside from the fact that it gives a pleasing shape, I'm not sure where they get the name "Very Sexy" for it, but it also has convertible straps (in fact it came with a second pair of clear ones and a halter extender), came in skin color, is super comfy, and has removable padding. So far I'm happy enough. Let's hope this one lasts. : )
Also, since my velour jogging pants from last year outgrew me... & since I haven't been able to find cute replacements, I bought myself my first "track suit" - pants charcoal with BLINDING magenta piping and then a BLINDING magenta jacket with charcoal accents. Hopefully this will help with visibility if I have to run in darker near-road conditions. I feel like a bit of a tool, but it is comfy.
Warning for any male readers: girl stuff coming next (aka bra-reviews)
On other news, we went to PSU this past weekend. It was, at best, a comedy of errors involving a clogged toilet, a roll-away cot that was nowhere-to-be-found, and a 3 or 4 different plans to hang out with another couple that never came to fruition. The final nail in the coffin of my experience was that, as I was getting ready to drive home at 7:30 AM so Jonah could make his soccer match, my bra broke. MY BRA BROKE! Normally I wouldn't care, but this is the end of a moderately irritating weekend and it was a really expensive bra from Victoria's Secret called The Wave that was purchased as an every-day luxury item. If a Hanes $10 bra lasts me two years, the Victoria's Secret one will be a nice luxury that is more comfy and more support (or so the theory went). Pros: The Wave is the most comfy bra I have ever put on, it has convertible straps so that it can be racer-backed or halter, was constructed in such a way that you don't get indents across your back-flab, and was "secretly" leopard print on the inside eventhough it was utilitarian otherwise (yes, guys, we like funky stuff inside because it makes us feel like even something boring and functional can be a little wild). The cons: it greeeew... over time the foam that was the base stretched or grew or something so that it got too loose around and it BROKE... I went to put it on the same way I put on every other one and the strap came off. For only the second time in my life, I returned something used. (the first was a pair of shoes from target in which the soles appeared to be made of cardboard and nearly had a hole in them by the end of the first day). I took the bra back to VS because I've only had it for about 3 months and the strap fell off. This is either a design flaw or a defective product, clearly, and expensive to boot. The store people were very nice and credited me most of the original price (seemed fair since I had used it for 3 months) and I exchanged it out for the Very Sexy Multi-Way Bra. Aside from the fact that it gives a pleasing shape, I'm not sure where they get the name "Very Sexy" for it, but it also has convertible straps (in fact it came with a second pair of clear ones and a halter extender), came in skin color, is super comfy, and has removable padding. So far I'm happy enough. Let's hope this one lasts. : )
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Things that make me mad...
Yeah, I know... that's a very positive sounding title that just makes you WANT to read this, huh? Anyway, I've come across a number of things in the past year or so that have just made me alternately want to celebreate and then throw things angrily. The first instance is a couple of years back I went to the Solar Decathalon and saw all sorts of new innovations. One that seemed very implementable to me was an inductance heating stove. Super cool! A changing magnetic field sends all the electrons spinning in the metal pots and pans (eddy currents, yay!) and then you get heat... It takes very little electricity as opposed to a heating coil on a normal electric stove. But later, I was doing a search and found this patent from 1973... 1973!!! WHy aren't these standard in houses already?!?! I can see not replacing a gas stove, but electric stoves should have been replaced by these already. So that made me mad.
Then I heard about a car company in Indian working on making cars that are driven by compressed air. It a super cool idea. So new, so novel! Oh wait... I found this... History of compressed air engines. Now someone please explain to me why we're so much better off now that if we had just spent the past 80 years improving the technology on this.... Thing that made me mad #2.
Now, just a few days ago, I foudn this on BoingBoing: 1958 TV show about global warming
I really give up. There's so much we could have done and should have been doing to prevent the environment from going the direction that it has. It all makes me mad, it makes me sad. I get worried when I hear somenoe in the policy realm talking about the next energy technology. They seem to think along the lines of ONE. ONE new technology. What we need to be doing is making a comprehensive study of the entire US and pair that with feasibility studies for different technologies. Let's face it. Solar energy is not the answer for Pittsburgh, Seattle, or Binghamton. But it would be great to imprlement in Nevada. Wind turbines would probably do much better on the tops of mountains or on unobstructed plains areas. Aren't there a couple of more places that we could put in Hydro plants? And who does the US rail system suck so much? I have ridden the train once (amtrak). It rocked. There was no waiting, no security lines, more spacious than a bus, and you didn't have to stay in your seat the whole time. The main gripe I have about the trains is that it doesn't go everywhere I'd want. When it does, it takes longer than a plane (well duh!) but they don't have as frequent of schedules, so I can't get an overnight trip on a 16 hour train ride. If I could spend 8-10 hours of that trip sleeping, I'd totally pay that much for a ticket that takes that long. Well, that's it. I'm done. No more ranting. Take a nice bath & hit the hay I guess.
Then I heard about a car company in Indian working on making cars that are driven by compressed air. It a super cool idea. So new, so novel! Oh wait... I found this... History of compressed air engines. Now someone please explain to me why we're so much better off now that if we had just spent the past 80 years improving the technology on this.... Thing that made me mad #2.
Now, just a few days ago, I foudn this on BoingBoing: 1958 TV show about global warming
I really give up. There's so much we could have done and should have been doing to prevent the environment from going the direction that it has. It all makes me mad, it makes me sad. I get worried when I hear somenoe in the policy realm talking about the next energy technology. They seem to think along the lines of ONE. ONE new technology. What we need to be doing is making a comprehensive study of the entire US and pair that with feasibility studies for different technologies. Let's face it. Solar energy is not the answer for Pittsburgh, Seattle, or Binghamton. But it would be great to imprlement in Nevada. Wind turbines would probably do much better on the tops of mountains or on unobstructed plains areas. Aren't there a couple of more places that we could put in Hydro plants? And who does the US rail system suck so much? I have ridden the train once (amtrak). It rocked. There was no waiting, no security lines, more spacious than a bus, and you didn't have to stay in your seat the whole time. The main gripe I have about the trains is that it doesn't go everywhere I'd want. When it does, it takes longer than a plane (well duh!) but they don't have as frequent of schedules, so I can't get an overnight trip on a 16 hour train ride. If I could spend 8-10 hours of that trip sleeping, I'd totally pay that much for a ticket that takes that long. Well, that's it. I'm done. No more ranting. Take a nice bath & hit the hay I guess.
Believe it or not....
Just a quickie thought... I love podcasts and I LOVE Old Time Radio... My latest podcast trend has been the Lux Radio Theater. They took current Hollywood movies, abridged them so that the story would fit within an hour and have room for commercials. I think it was a double advertising ploy - to get people interested in the movie and to get in advertising for Lux Soap. I have to admit, it seems effective. Several times I've wanted to go rent the movie and I'm totally down with seeing if Lux Flakes and Lux Toilet soap is still available. They've convinced me that it's a good product?
The most interesting thing though is that you hear voices of famous people talking to you and, I guess because you don't see the B&W or grainy picture, it doesn't register that this was a long time ago. It doesn't register that most of these people have passed away until I think about it later. I've gotten to hear Cecil B. DeMille announce the shows and talk to ME and tell me about his new productions. Just this episode I got to hear the real Mr. Ripley speaking (from Ripley's Believe It or Not)... and I never thought about the fact that there probably WAS a Mr. Ripley. I got to hear about and then discover a famous 1920s tiger tamer by the name of Mabel Stark. Really, we were all shocked by the incident a few years back with Sigfried and Roy... but I guess we're all too sheltered. Mabel was attacked, mauled & sent to the hospital 16 times by 1936. (her career lasted through the 50s). Very interesting.
The most interesting thing though is that you hear voices of famous people talking to you and, I guess because you don't see the B&W or grainy picture, it doesn't register that this was a long time ago. It doesn't register that most of these people have passed away until I think about it later. I've gotten to hear Cecil B. DeMille announce the shows and talk to ME and tell me about his new productions. Just this episode I got to hear the real Mr. Ripley speaking (from Ripley's Believe It or Not)... and I never thought about the fact that there probably WAS a Mr. Ripley. I got to hear about and then discover a famous 1920s tiger tamer by the name of Mabel Stark. Really, we were all shocked by the incident a few years back with Sigfried and Roy... but I guess we're all too sheltered. Mabel was attacked, mauled & sent to the hospital 16 times by 1936. (her career lasted through the 50s). Very interesting.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Samhain Resolutions & Halloween 2008 Wrap-up
Last year, I accidentally made Samhain resolutions. By accidentally, I mean that I made a plan and it came like a shot out of the dark via random coincidence and it all happened right around the beginning of November (right after Samhain). As a result, I decided retroactively that I had Samhain resolutions. Now, the one really nice thing about using the Celtic New Year, as I've mentioned before, is that you can make a plan to eat healthier BEFORE all the opportunities to gorge... hence you can realize "hey, I should have at least a glimmer of self-restraint" and thereby you do not have as much "making up for it" to do later.
I think this is a grand idea. I spent a lot of time the past two weeks trying to THINK of new resolutions and I wasn't having any luck. Luckily, the shot out of the dark came again this year. So here we goooooooooooo.......!!!!
I think this is a grand idea. I spent a lot of time the past two weeks trying to THINK of new resolutions and I wasn't having any luck. Luckily, the shot out of the dark came again this year. So here we goooooooooooo.......!!!!
- Start a small side business making custom clothing - market to the local DC metro area, tap Etsy, and diversify. You want it? I'll make it. Costumes, period-inspired everydaywear, steampunk. You got it!
- Cook more and eat more veggies. I miss cooking. I say my excuse is we don't have enough time. BS! I am a culinary wizard and need to get off my lazy ass & just hit the grocery every day. Expect to see more random concoctions like the Salmon Salad appear - if I really liked it, I'll share.
- Train up for the Boo! Run 10K in October.
- Do more work on trying to figure out how to balance work, play, relaxation, and social. I still suck at it.
- Find a dentist
- Work on those last 10 lbs and maybe toning more.
- Wear more hats.
Now as far as Halloween goes... we had fun as always, but the much-anticipated DC101 Party, 
which always has awesome costumes because they offer a several thousand dollar grand prize, was a total bust. I think I'm done with it. Maybe all the people who make the normally fantastic costumes have caught on that they weren't going to get anywhere because it's always something pop-culture that wins. Maybe they realized this and went elsewhere. Maybe they were all in a Halloween funky like I was this year and didn't decide to do much. All I know is that they weren't really there. J & I were Sweeney Todd & Mrs. Lovett as planned. Lori reappeared as her sshett-ghost. Our friend Adi came out and made himself Charlie Brown using black duct tape on a yellow shirt & Jenn was an asian masseuse and Wilson pulled out his mad-1-hour costume skillz and came as Toadstool from Super Mario Brothers. It was fun hanging with friends, but the party sucked and a guy in a white button down shirt and a brown vest who called his costume "McLovin'" (from the movie Superbad) won the $3K. I am peeved. For $3K the giant Dildo that someone MADE should have gotten the prize at least (Rabbit dildo was 2nd runner up). So anyway, the verdict is that I should have made plans to just stay at Greg & Jessie's because it was more fun eventhough I Greg didn't make it home before I had to leave. Stupid work.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Cooking with Binkle, Ep.1
Well, I got inspired last night to cook at home. I don't like recipes so much. I like to experiment... I thought: "Vegetables, I need Veggies..." and then thought: "dinner salad!" and wandered into Trader Joe's. First things first - pick a meat. I really wanted to grill up some Salmon, so I headed to the meat section to see what was to be had. Here's what I came up with:
Dijon Cider Pistachio Salmon Salad
1 package Herb Dijon Salmon Fillets
1 Bag Baby Spring Greens Mix
1 Bag Raw Pistachio Nutmeats
Apple Cider Vinegar
Manchego Cheese
White muchrooms
Vine ripened tomatos
Maille Old World Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
I used 1.5 C of salad greens per salad, tossed on a handfull of mushroom slices crumbled up. I split 1.5 fillets of Salmon between the two salads - maybe overkill, but eh.... I tossed the pistachios in my mini processor and chopped them up and put about 1/4 C chopped pistachios on each salad. added 1/4 C shredded manchego per... then 5-6 quartered tomatos. Lastly, I mixed 1/2 C Cider Vinegar with about 1-1.5 Tbsp of Maille in a bowl and mixed them together to make a dressing and poured half over each salad. It was A) filling, B)divine, and C) relatively low-cal, but flavorful. Go try it. Make sure not to over-grill the Salmon. Enjoy!
Dijon Cider Pistachio Salmon Salad
1 package Herb Dijon Salmon Fillets
1 Bag Baby Spring Greens Mix
1 Bag Raw Pistachio Nutmeats
Apple Cider Vinegar
Manchego Cheese
White muchrooms
Vine ripened tomatos
Maille Old World Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
I used 1.5 C of salad greens per salad, tossed on a handfull of mushroom slices crumbled up. I split 1.5 fillets of Salmon between the two salads - maybe overkill, but eh.... I tossed the pistachios in my mini processor and chopped them up and put about 1/4 C chopped pistachios on each salad. added 1/4 C shredded manchego per... then 5-6 quartered tomatos. Lastly, I mixed 1/2 C Cider Vinegar with about 1-1.5 Tbsp of Maille in a bowl and mixed them together to make a dressing and poured half over each salad. It was A) filling, B)divine, and C) relatively low-cal, but flavorful. Go try it. Make sure not to over-grill the Salmon. Enjoy!
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