so not technical

sometime after May 30, this blog may disappear. blogger told me to migrate my account, but when I made the attempt, it told me that my account didn't exist. um, I'm no techie, but I can read and fill out forms. neither of those abilities helped me out in this situation. if this blog goes away, I'll make a new one.

left = Seiji; right = Max trying to eat the pack&play...of course.

I forgot my gym clothes today. that's super annoying. I was going to run out and buy some new ones, then head to the gym, but when I realized that I'd also have to buy shoes of some sort, I dropped that idea. instead, I resigned myself to skipping the strength workout (I'll have to do it Saturday or Sunday) and ate lunch at my desk. I had masaman curry with brocolli, asparagus, and tofu - best nearly instant dinner ever. I decided that I'd cruise the internet for a good strength training regimen for runners, and I came across a website called fitsugar. it looks pretty fun. that's where I'm headed now. strength workout tomorrw, "long run" on Sunday.  seeya!

sometimes you need a little extra oompf

so, monday was my first day of 10k training, but it was a rest day (I took my dog on a long, brisk walk). I'm not making that up, by the way, I'm following a real schedule that was put together by someone other than me, and on the first day, you rest. hence, Tuesday was my very first run of my very first 10k training plan.

a month ago (or so) I stopped eating most carbohydrates (I know!). I skimmed a book, titled, Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, and it convinced me to cut out all unecessary carbs. so, out went bread, rice, crackers, sweets & etc. it was hard at first, but I've gotten used to it. for me, the key was to eat a tiny sweet at least once a day to keep the other cravings at bay. I also allow myself a cheat day, but I don't go crazy (unless you call eating a veggie samosa crazy - I don't, I call it crazy delicious).

anyway, my boss brings in a home-baked treat every Monday morning. I NEVER eat them. however, I heard SO MANY yummy noises coming from near her office door the other day (which happened to be a Tuesday, but she wasn't here Monday and she's that committed to baking for the office) that I buckled and took one of what looked to be a fairly thick chocolate cookie. I ate it on the way to my son's daycare where I was scheduled to make butter with his class. I decided that it would be extra fuel for my very first official 10k run.

the cookie was so amazingly delicious that as I had the first bite in my mouth, I nearly pounded the steering wheel and said out loud in my best Special Agent Dale Cooper voice, "That is one damn fine cookie, Diane." I got the link to the recipe today - it was that good. the chocolate cookie looked thick because there was peanut butter hiding inside. for me, that is a very nice surprise.

since yesterday was a run day, today was a rest/cross train day. I went to a spin class during lunch and came back beet red and feeling like my face was pulsing. I had a meeting at 1pm, which meant that I had to bring my lunch and pulsate throughout the meeting. even though I was already sweaty, I got soup because nothing else in the cafeteria was calling to me. have you ever heard someone tell you that if you're hot you should drink or eat something hot because it will cool you down? well it works, I swear it did. as soon as I began to eat the soup, I began to cool off, and it wasn't because I was just normally cooling off. I'm usually a pulsing hot mess for at least 45 minutes after working out.

new post, new goal, new obsessions

wow, I have been away for a LONG time. what's been going on? oh not much, just experiencing sheer insanity. but that's OK because where it counts my life is a placid, happy place.

I just signed up for my very FIRST race.  yeah, I used to run cross country, winter, and spring track when I was a teenager, and although I did continue running through much of my adult life, I've never run a community organized race.

so why now?

I tend to be a sucker for magazines placed in the impulse section of the check out line and I let myself buy one about every six months. yesterday I bought and read a running magazine (Running Times). it made me nostalgic for my running days. today I signed up for the Runner's World 10K in Bethlehem, PA. it doesn't happen until the third week of October, so if I can't run 6 miles by then, then I just totally suck.

this is the featured photo of Bethlehem. it looks "enhanced" to me (Technicolor?).

actually, considering the fact that I haven't run regularly since month five of my first pregnancy, there's a pretty decent chance that I won't finish this 10K. it amazes me, when I consider my history of compulsive running and exercising, that I haven't fallen back into that pattern AT ALL since Henry's birth, four years ago.

but now I have an official completion date for "getting into shape." John has signed on to "support me" in this endeavor. I have found inspirational words on a website called, Run Injury Free with Jeff Galloway.  nothing can stop me now! well, nothing except my tendency towards torpor.

I'm alive!

here I am! I think I may be emerging from a lack-of-sleep induced black hole - with some good news, to boot. I found my whole body ugg. it's not form-fitting, and it doesn't have sleeves like a snuggie, but it is AWESOME.  it's a faux-fur throw from restoration hardware.

my advice is, "get one now. you may not think you need it, but once you have it, you won't be able to imagine life without it." for those who have children or pets, it's exactly that feeling you get when you think about how much more simple your life would be without them (children and / or pets), but then you realize you can't even imagine how empty it would be to go back to your life before you had them (children and / or pets). these throws may end up being my go-to wedding gift (for when there's no registry, of course). to get the best deal, find an outlet and purchase when they're on sale. they are pretty dear, I'm not going to lie - mine cost $58 after a 20% discount on top of an already discounted price - but they are SO worth it that I want another one! the desire for a second one isn't rational. it's a wholly emotional reaction to how wonderful the first one is. they're heavy (in that great blanket weight way), super-soft, look great on a couch, and oh so uber comforting. mine is the mink color. I'm about 5'3" and it's the perfect length for me. I can't think of a better way to spend my winter than curled up on my couch, with a fire going in the fire place, and reading a book. kids? what kids? husband? what husband? dogs and cat = extra fur supplement to my faux fur. 

I'm sorry sheepies

I apologize, but you have beautifully soft locks and hide that clad my feet and legs and make me all warm and cozy. I am so happy that I can wear you. my only sadness is that I don't have a full-body suit. I know that those are "bad" thoughts, maybe even "perverse," but I live in a stone house, and I need all the coziness I can get.

my vote is old and stupid

ok, I couldn't hang with the dynamic view. I didn't know where the links were. I didn't know how to post. I didn't know where the pages went. ai yi yi.

is it just too confusing, or am I just too old?

so yes, I am a blogger hold out. not having moved my site over to an application like tmblr and my own domain makes me feel like I'm still using an aol email address (no offense). but I did take blogger's suggestion to make my blog views "dynamic." I think it looks pretty cool (and I know it would be even better if I'd make some regular entries), but it's sort of confusing. for example, it took me nearly a minute to figure out what I had to do to write a new post. but that's neither here nor there for you, dear reader. what I'm wondering is, is it obvious which entry is the newest entry? do you get confused when you land on the page, or does it all just make sense to you?

I was recently out riding with a virtual stranger for work, and we totally bonded over food. andy, who was driving me around (letting me tag along with him as he worked), is Korean and he told me about what sounded to me like the most wonderful place in the world, Jeju Island. as andy described the island to me, it was evident that he thought so too, and then once he actually began to reminisce about his experience there, he got all dewy eyed and daydreamy. sigh. so Jeju island is not simply beautiful, it's also uniquely delicious. you go there, hang out on a rock and drink soju, while women dive (haenyo) without oxygen to bring up super fresh seafood snacks for you. they go down armed with only masks, nets, knives, and wet suits. it's not only a lovely time, but apparently very sustainable as well. andy said it was such an impressively awesome experience that even though he ingested a decent amount of soju, he didn't feel drunk at all.

image via zumaworld.blogspot.com

I've been having some serious escape fantasies lately. I think it's the lack of uninterrupted sleep in my life.

so have you noticed that Korea is the new Japan?  it seemed to begin with electronic appliances (tvs & etc.), then went on to cars, and now it's pop culture all over the place. for me, it's like having a new psyche in my world to adjust to. it strikes me as dark. the funny thing is that Japan has never felt foreign to me. maybe because I grew up with it, but I also see it as an inviting culture (at least its arts culture). Henry has been watching something called Eon Kid. it's Korean, dark, creepy, and terrifying. I've tried to get him to give it up, but no dice so far (thanks, John!). the protagonist is a kid, with the power of an iron fist.

 

I don't want to be ethnocentric, but Eon Kid freaks me out. why can't henry just watch innocent Fruits Basket?

it might be a bit girly, but John LOVES it, so...?