Out and about in LA

Drinking leads to the Mt. Wilson trail (again!)

2012-02-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

A pattern seems to have emerged - meet certain friends for drinks at Amigo's in Pasadena, drink a potent margarita that makes my lips go numb while my mind latches on to crazy suggestions, and then somehow find myself in the quaint little town of Sierra Madre, CA in order to 'conquer' the Mt. Wilson trail. Just like back in May, right? This morning, however, was just a practice run to work up to the 2012 Mt. Wilson Trail Race. Last year, I ran it illegally, my first and only bandit run to this day. I plan on running it as a legitimate participant this year!

But back to this practice run. Our margarita-drinking friend is a fiend and has been running the trail on a regular basis since November, and he threw out the proposal last night - meet up at 10:00 and run 4.3 miles up, up, up, with a gain of 2100 feet. When we arrived at Sierra Madre this morning, I confess that for a brief moment I hoped that our friend would have forgotten about the idea he proposed. No such luck! Before we started the climb, I felt just like I did on race day last year - pretty damn nervous which seems silly because I knew that I could turn around or stop or walk at any time. However, the trail is a beast and intimidates me psychologically as well as physically! We started in town, climbing up a steep hill that leads to the trail, and then we were on the trail. It was a pretty perfect day, overcast but not cold, and everything was still green, flowers blooming even, unlike the trees and brush in May which have already turned golden. Rob took off at a strong pace, leaving Michael and me trailing along behind. I hoped to make it at least 2-3 miles up the trail and then turn around when Rob was on the downhill. However, when we met up (he going down, I still trudging up), he told me that I was almost at the top and encouraged me to continue. So, I did, in his company! And then we headed down, soon meeting up with Michael who was also close to the top, so we all three headed back to the turnaround. Finally we began the long run back down the hill. I always forget how the downhill presents its own set of challenges, different from the uphill trudge, and is faster but not necessarily 'easier'. I probably would have walked a bit more on the downhill, but it was chilly and I had to keep running to stay warm!

We made it back to the car around 12:00, put on more clothes, grabbed some food and bragged about our run. Okay, no bragging rights. We (I) mainly moaned and groaned as we talked about the challenge of Mt. Wilson and how humbling it is! However, I was psyched that I actually survived the entire 4.3 miles through a combination of running, walking, shuffling and gasping. It wasn't pretty, but I made it!

Before we departed, we made plans to do the run all over again in March. Craziness must be contagious.

Stinkday

2012-02-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

*Updated with correct grammar!

Today, being Wednesday, is commonly known as "Humpday". I have named this particular Wednesday, however, "STINK" day because of a very unfortunate encounter between this creature:

And this one:

(Nice tongue, I know)

Yep, I let Gus out this morning to go pee, and when I went to let him in, I thought I saw him tugging on some black thing in the corner of our yard. The entire neighborhood has been smelling like skunk, so I knew, pretty much immediately, that he had been fooling around with a skunk. As he ran towards the house, freaked out, I had the good sense to close the door on his face. Not before, however, a good whiff of the skunk stink filled my nostrils and made me want to puke.

Seriously, I have never in my whole life smelled something so awful. And my dog now smelled awful. And I needed to go to work in 30 minutes, so how was I going to deal with this?

Oh, yeah, that's when I woke up Michael exclaiming "FUCK, Michael, FUCK, I can't believe this, FUCK". We washed him, threw him in the pool, washed him again, and then put him on a lead outside. Gus, meanwhile, was shaking and had also proceeded to puke all over the back door (dry-heaving, we suppose). I didn't blame him - I felt like throwing up myself which is why I left the house without eating breakfast or drinking coffee.

The skunk, by the way, was still in our backyard, so Michael called Animal Control who came and took the animal away. In addition to the skunk, a raccoon also decided to visit our yard. Honestly?! What the hell is going on?!

I, meanwhile, went through my day feeling quite sorry for myself. First of all, I stunk. I'm not sure if anyone else truly smelled me, but I could not get the memory of the smell out of my mind. Isn't it strange to think of the connection between smell and memory? I believe that Proust writes eloquently about taste and memory. This, unfortunately, was not quite so pleasant as his story because I felt nauseous all day long. I did, however, use the incident to illicit sympathy from my students. Isn't that terrible? Total emotional blackmail.

However, I did gain some important information from one of my students - she said that leaving a can of ground coffee around the parts of the house that smell (because we did have those) would absorb the odor. I went to the supermercado right after school and cleared out the coffee section. Actually, I just bought two cans, but she was right and I'm now giving her an A. Which she already had, but, hey, I like to pretend to bribe students.

At this point, the victim of Pepe Le Pew is still a bit stinky, but I don't want to puke in his presence, so that's major progress! He will not, however, be sleeping in our room. Pobrecito - it's been a rough day for all of us.

January review

2012-01-31T19:53:00.000-08:00

Happy end of the month! A part of me hesitates to produce a "this-is-what-I-did-in-January" report because then it reduces all of the experiences and emotions to a handful of final products. So, we'll see if I nix this month-in-review thing before I become obsessed with some report to myself. On the other hand, since I do want to focus more on the triathlon thing, I am interested to see if there are changes from month to month, not so much in my overall performance but in my attitude towards the whole swim, bike, run thing.
I did, however, want to start the 2012 year and an actual training cycle with a different mindset - a bit more serious one - and I also decided that to improve overall, I needed to focus on the bike portion. My swimming skills aren't super awesome, but in the whopping two triathlons that I've finished, I don't completely suck at the swim. I do, however, suck in the saddle. To that end, I have spent plenty of time going to spin classes, but, more importantly, I was in the saddle a whopping FOUR times this month. Okay, that makes it obvious to anyone that I do not pretend to be a biker chick, but it is about three times more than I rode last year in January, so I'll take it as progress. Additionally, for each ride, I had a great time and even thought to myself, "I could learn to love this!".
The other change for 2012? I am determined that I will not suffer an injury (love that I think that I have absolute control over that). Last year, I endured two months without running, and I would very much like to avoid that happening. With that in mind, I have resigned myself to being a low-mileage runner. Not that I am limiting myself to two or three mile runs (nothing wrong with that, by the way), but as a weekly average, I barely break 15 miles and sometimes don't even hit double digits for the week. As a result of the focus on biking and on not injuring myself from running too much, I am quite convinced that my running game has suffered. To add to the sense that I'm a failed runner, I haven't even signed up for a running race/event for 2012 which makes me feel totally lame. At this point, a part of me fears that I will lose my running mojo and not remember HOW to kick it into gear, and then another part of me realizes that such a fear is complete nonsense. Sort of nonsense.
At any rate, I am realizing that it is impossible for me to truly balance the swim/bike/run thing and feel content with every single skill set that I do or don't have. Mainly don't have.
As for not suffering an injury - in addition to lower mileage than makes me truly euphoric, I've committed myself to continue to see the chiropractor, to weights and to pilates! I'm not 100% that the chiropractor's snaps truly help all of my IT band/joint/problematic body issue(s), but it does make me feel that I am being proactive and I do feel better on runs following visits to him. Lifting weights hasn't gone too well since I only lifted weights once in January. Maybe I'll do some tonight?! I know, however, that I need to continue to do strength-training exercises for my knee. Finally, I attended my first pilates class in 5 years last week, and the experience was transformative! I left feeling stretched out, as though my muscles and joints were finally in line. Mind you, my abs were screaming the next two days, but I really liked the class. I can't do yoga because so many poses put stress on my knees (I know that it is probably not yoga's fault but my own since yoga is miraculous for everyone - eye roll over here), but pilates rocks!
Two final notes - okay, maybe three.
One other change I wanted to make this year was to connect with a "tri-community" here in Southern CA. Let me first say that just hearing/reading that phrase sort of makes my skin crawl a bit for a few reasons. One is that I am still a newbie when it comes to the "tri" thing. Secondly, community means people and that means that I have to socialize, probably with random strangers, and talk about myself and about them and relate to people that I don't know well. I don't consider myself a social idiot, but I don't revel in meeting new people. So, this goal definitely pushes me out of my comfort zone. However, I met the challenge that I set for myself and joined a facebook group (I hate facebook, but that's an entirely new topic) and have now gone out on two group runs during which I actually spoke to interesting people. This coming weekend, I am planning/hoping to hook up for a ride. Now that will be a new experience as I actually ride WITH people!

Shew, that was a lot of talk about my body. Moving on, one of my other goals for the year is to try out two new recipes a month, and at least one has to be from one of the many cookbooks that we possess. I made it until Sunday without meeting this goal, and then I ended up cooking a new chicken dish from Good Meat, a cookbook that I gave Michael for his birthday, and trying out this pumpkin and feta savory muffin recipe. Both were pretty much successful - the chicken was a cardamon roasted chicken for which we also got to use the mortar and pestle that I gave Michael for his birthday last year (hmm, see a trend?), and the muffins are a healthy snack to eat during the day, packed with butternut squash (not pumpkin for us), kale and feta cheese. I do feel that they could use a bit more fat in them - maybe I'll add some bacon grease?!

One final note about January - I did have a pretty rockin' birthday and am, so far, enjoying my 40's. I still don't see myself as middle aged, but I do have to recognize that I'll be there sooner or later! While it would be rude (I think) to talk too much about presents, I will say that I scored with these two in particular:

A 5-inch Shun Nakiri knife that is one of the most awesome things I've ever used in the kitchen, maybe even out of the kitchen. I do worry about my fingers though!

Ah, Patagonia sweaters, how do I love thee? I was given this in bordeaux rather than seaweed (color shown above). I also think that I should be a Patagonia model. They clearly haven't discovered my talent!

Rest day: Good for the mind, good for the body

2012-01-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

(I randomly changed the name of my blog - we'll see if it sticks!)
I am enjoying my last Sunday of somewhat sustained calm for the next few weeks or months as a new semester gets underway tomorrow and I pick up another class to teach. While January is not yet over, I am mentally lumping the last two days in with February, which looks to be a pretty crazed month. That will be in stark contrast to the past few weeks which have given me ample time to nap, eat and drink well, play a lot, and train pretty hard.
On that last note, I must acknowledge that I went from minimal tri training (zero) to over-training. Perhaps it connects to being a forty-something-female and the sense that I need to do as much as possible soon now at once!? But I suspect that it has more to do with the fact that I would like to actually RACE, for me, the Wildflower Tri this year, rather than be content to merely finish it. Since the past two weeks presented me with tons of free time, I decided to fill too much of that time with training hours. Today, since my body pretty much rebelled on me yesterday after a 2-hour hike in the Santa Monica Mountains, I am taking a very unscheduled day OFF which was supposed to happen on Tuesday. I had planned to spend part of the morning in the saddle, actually meeting up with a group (gasp!) for a training ride. The decision to cancel the ride had nothing to do with my fears of meeting random people and looking/feeling inept and had everything to do with the fact that my body felt exhausted, especially my left leg (IT band and shin issues suddenly coming into play).
And so, I made a strategic choice: Take the day off to focus on resting and on preparing for school tomorrow. I love that I have to "focus" on resting!
Sometimes, however, I find that it is more challenging to just stop and take a break. In my ideal world, I would happily (and healthily) balance the demands of work, grade everything my students hand in within 24 hours, while also training something like 2 hours a day. To add to that, I would eat well and sleep 8 hours every day. Or, if I couldn't sleep 8 hours, then I could function well on 6 hours of sleep a night. Oh, and I would have a great relationship with friends, colleagues, students and, obviously, spend quality time with my dogs and husband (does anyone else kind of hate the word "husband"?). I can live with a certain amount of chaos in my life and don't get too hung up on the idea of a perfect equilibrium in my life, but I've also come to accept that the idea 2+ daily hours of swim/bike/run at this point is completely unrealistic given my life and priorities and physical limitations, like a terrible knee and general joint issues.
On that note, I've had to recognize the obvious: I am a training wimp.
So, on that note, I'm giving my legs a major break today with lots of time on the sofa as I watch the X-Games (Shaun White is a beast!), lament Nadal's defeat in the Australian Open, and prepare for classes and meetings next week!

A random week

2012-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

I could very easily get used to my schedule this week which has included sitting around the house grading exams for a bit, then taking a short break (to snack, look at the dogs or let them out and maybe even play with them, waste 10 minutes or so on the interweb like I'm doing now, or do some light housekeeping, like fold laundry), then returning to grading, then taking a longer break to go for a bike ride or to make lunch, then grading more, and then taking another long break...
Maybe not the most productive lifestyle, but it really works. Now, if only I could find a way to do this all the time!
Okay, that's an impossible dream, so I will bask in the fact that I have a break from my 'real life' this week which has allowed me to definitely switch around my usual schedule. A few changes from the norm:
- Going out on a Sunday night! That is something that almost never happens because Sunday is "crunch" time as I cram to prepare for the week, but I discovered that Sunday night is a great night to go out because it is such a low-key evening in most restaurants.

- Working out mid-morning or early afternoon is such a treat. The pool is set up competition-length, so I can get a more exhausting workout. Also, biking mid-day, mid-week is super fun and other cyclists seem nicer than the weekend riders. Maybe that's my imagination? Finally, I get to attend spin class with Rod, the most awesome spin instructor ever on Friday morning at 8:30 am!

- Along the same theme, trying out a new class. Somehow, having more mental energy from putzing around all day means that I can push myself to try something new, like Pilates last night. That was a great experience, and I hope to repeat it soon!

- Taking our dog Milo to the vet for his recent and unexplained weight loss. Apparently we've had him on a starvation diet since his bloodwork is normal. Don't I feel like a terrible pet owner?

- Brunch on a Friday morning followed by a pedicure - that plan is in the works for tomorrow. Can't wait to be a "lady who brunches". It might actually remind me why I *like* to work, but pretending to be a lady of leisure for a day isn't a bad thing.

The other major positive about the week is that, with the exception of Sunday's splurge (in every way possible), we have returned to a more "normalized" eating pattern. The past 6 weeks or so have been filled with too many celebrations and vacations, so we ate out more than usual as we celebrated two birthdays and the holidays, traveled to places with good food, and enjoyed socializing with friends and family. Now, we have no excuses about the lack of time or company or special events, so we are back to preparing meals en casa which is much easier on the pocket book and the waistline. Hopefully this will not just be the product of a 'random' week but will become the norm again as I return to a more hectic routine starting Monday!

In the meantime, I'm back to grading essays.

Over the threshold

2012-01-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

Ah, well, here I am at 40, looking it square in the eye thanks to help from this:

Not a great picture, but the important detail is that there is an ENTIRE bottle of wine in that glass. Yep, that was one of my many awesome presents (a few others included a good bottle of wine, a bottle of tequila, a 40 oz bottle of Mickey's malt liquor) from an extended Friday night happy hour. Needless to say, on Saturday morning I truly felt Hank Williams Jr.s' line when he sings "Hangovers hurt more than they used to". At that point, I was still in my 30's, but what's a day or two?
Adding to the mix, Michael and I enjoyed our own celebration on Sunday night at Jar, a very "LA" restaurant in my mind. That was a major extravagance but well worth it - after all, I'm never going to turn four zero again. We've been to Jar before, but it had literally been years since our last outing there. I did, however, still remember the Porterhouse steak well from that last visit! From our experience, there is always an interesting crowd, usually plenty of pretentious Hollywood types or the older-guy-much-younger-woman-couples peppering the restaurant. This time, we sat between a pair of elderly gentlemen who talked about food and travel the entire meal and a young, super hip but totally silent couple who spent way more time looking at their phone than talking to each other. Talk about a diverse crowd! I was really craving a good steak, something that we don't often eat but that this place is known for (I had the porterhouse on my palate, I suppose). Michael indulged me, and we split an enormous "tomahawk steak" that was cooked and cut on the bone. I think we surprised our waiter by finishing the entire steak - but it was for two people! We also split dessert, a butterscotch pudding with salted carmel on top. I think that it was one of the most memorable desserts that I've had in a very long time. In fact, the entire meal was pretty awesome - so much so that our waiter even commented to us, "You've just had the perfect meal!".
I think I agree.
Lest one think that all I did was eat, drink and be merry all weekend long, I did log in a spin, swim and a run. Someone told me that I *had* to run on my birthday, at least 40 minutes, one minute per year. I ended up with a 50-minute run which felt good (actually, it kind of felt like hell since I started with a crazy uphill for about a mile or longer). I did feel good afterwards, however!

A look back at the 30's

2012-01-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

Well, if I had anything on my before-I-turn-forty bucket list, it's a bit too late to worry about it now since that day is rapidly approaching. Holy cow!

Source

I fulfilled the only urgent to-do-before-I-turn-forty item yesterday - went to the DMV and renewed my license! I only had to wait an hour too, which wasn't bad. When I left, the line just to pick up paperwork was about 10 people deep. Crazy!

Before I reflect on the nature of turning 40 and what that means, let me just say that I am leaving this decade in a better place than where I was when I entered it. I feel that I actually became somewhat of an adult over the past 10 years, and not just because I finally met one of society's standards of measurements by getting married. In every other way, I still fall into "irresponsible" category (no house, no kids, I don't even have a car to myself these days). However, I do feel that I've changed for the better, just like a fine wine improves.

Seriously though, I'd call myself a late-bloomer without any hesitation. I was pretty much a disaster throughout my 20's, so things could only look up. Fortunately, they did!

Not to reduce the decade to bullet points or a quick paragraph, but looking back, I can see significant moments that have shaped how and where I am now. For instance:

- Moving from Seattle to Monterey, Ca. That was a hard decision, and there were so many times in the years following the move that I questioned the decision. However, it WAS exciting to live in California, an experience that I never planned or necessarily wanted. I explored the Central Coast and got to know the Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur (one of those must-see places!), Santa Cruz and even San Francisco, which was an easy weekend get-away.

- After 3 years in Monterey, moving to the LA area where I've lived in 3 areas or neighborhoods, all very different. Again, I never imagined that I would live in Southern Ca nor that I would stay here for going on seven years nor that it would feel so much like "home" to me.

- Getting hitched! After a whirlwind two years of bicoastal flights and long weekends together, Michael gave up his super urban New York lifestyle. It still amazes me that what started as a great fling in Colorado at some friends' wedding gained serious traction, and, well, here we are. Cheers to that!

- Adopting Gus and Milo, obviously! What a game-changer that was. I was so dog-crazy a few years ago that we even started the search to buy a house so that we could get a dog. Note that I said A dog, not two. But we ended up with two pretty fantastic mutts who are great travel companions, accompanying us to San Francisco, Seattle, annual trips to Colorado and even to Texas! And they are our daily companions too, enriching our lives and sometimes driving us crazy.

- After bouncing around job-wise, I've seemingly become more responsible and stable on that front and have taken on new roles and different challenges. It has been a great experience to grow professionally and personally at a place of work, and I do feel lucky for that.
- The 30's have definitely been marked by a range of travel, near and far. While there are large swaths of the state of California and the American West in general that I have yet to explore, I do know some places quite intimately thanks to yearly pilgrimages (Boulder, CO and San Francisco come to mind) and have been north and south on the 5, east and west on the 10, the 15, and highways in between with stops in Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Plus, a few trips to Spain and France and Ecuador. Peripatetic indeed!
- Other changes are more subtle - better food and drinking as I've developed a taste for dirty martinis and good beer, in addition to wine of both colors; creaking bones and more grey hairs but still enjoying fairly good health; a penchant for REI, Patagonia, and 'gear' in general; dressing better for work (that's actually kind of a bummer) while keeping up a great t-shirt collection and sock collection; doing more 'couples-things' while still being an individual; getting to run again; living in a one of the most boring towns in the world that happens to have access to so many adventures.

Maybe because I am so content with where I am now, I don't have a list of improvements for myself for the next decade. While, yes, I am still not perfect and probably won't ever be (ha ha - the "probably" is a joke), I don't need dramatic changes in my life. If they come about, positive and negative, I hope that I can manage them without a kerfuffle*, but maybe a bit of chaos will keep me on my toes, lest I become TOO content with my life. That is the delicate balance for me, but I've struck a nice equilibrium at the moment.
We shall see how long I can sustain it!

Kerfuffle - A commotion or fuss.

Year of the bike!

2012-01-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

Two things before I begin to flesh out this idea. First of all, I know that 2012 is actually the "Year of the Dragon". Following the rabbit (2011), it sounds pretty ferocious! I suppose that powerful would describe it more accurately. Secondly, I had already framed this year in such a way well before I saw the Specialized bike on Friday night.

Now, I do not by any means consider myself to be a "biker chick". I bought my lovely Fuji - lavender with floral details- a few years ago. At that point, I thought that running would be a taboo activity for the rest of my life, and I wanted to find another activity that would allow me to push myself physically. Cycling or biking did not, however, immediately WOW me. In fact, I felt like a nervous wreck every time I went out on the bike, sure that I would fall and be subsequently run over. And I did fall - a lot. It took me a very long time to master clipping in and out. Fortunately, a car never hit me and the only thing that suffered great damage was my ego. By the end of the summer, I felt a bit more comfortable on the bike, but I couldn't say that I had developed much of a skill set. The following year, biking 'took' a bit more. I went to a clinic in San Francisco and learned how to climb and descend correctly, and it also helped my confidence on the bike. It wasn't until last year, however, that I actually started to log in regular weekly miles and put time into spinning classes to build strength. Training for Wildflower served as the main impetus to spend time in the saddle, but as I put in more miles and grew accustomed to shifting the gears and my weight, learned when to push and when to hold back, I found that I actually enjoyed the experience. I never thought I would get to that point, so I was happy to call that success! Additionally, I managed to mount and dismount properly during the two tris in which I participated and didn't do anything too rookie-ish. Again, that was success to me!
All this aside, maybe the best part about the bike is for me is that Michael and I can share experiences together. Last year, we started to explore more local routes, and we also headed south and west and tootled along the coast on our bikes, taking in some wonderful scenery on PCH. We also traveled to Colorado with the bikes strapped to the top. In Boulder, we were able to appreciate the roads for their bike-friendly nature (huge shoulders!), and from Frisco, CO, we climbed up to Vail pass to enjoy the sweeping views that it afforded us.

Now that I finally feel competent on the bike, I'd like to push myself on it. Yes, I'll continue to ride just to log in miles and to ride further (I'm a total weenie on the mileage front), but I'd also like to focus on strength and speed this year. More importantly, I would like to ride with friends or a random group. I don't mind riding solo or as a couple, but I know that riding with a group would help me improve - I would have to push myself a bit more. While it might feel like I'm just beginning again and my ego will suffer as I huff and puff and barely keep pace, I know that it would be a great challenge physically and also in a more general sense since I would have to agree to ride with people. And then talk to them before, after and during the ride. Ack!

So, that is the focus for the year. Which is why I am happy to say that I have already been in the saddle a whopping two times this year! Once last Saturday and once yesterday. Yes, I'm lame but I'll take that as a successful step. I think that it was the end of January before I got out on the bike last year! Last Saturday's ride was a good "get back in the saddle" experience, and yesterday?! Well, I now regret not going further, but I realized that a Saturday when everyone else is inside watching football is the PERFECT moment to go for a nice, relaxed ride. The weather was great, there were no cars out, and it was a lovely experience overall.
I'm now hoping to have many more of them this year!

Especially if I get a new bike.
(Thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not covet....)

2012 is a blur already!

2012-01-14T16:25:00.000-08:00

Hitting January, mid-month, it occurs to me that the month and year seem to already be in overdrive. The weeks back to school/work have been full of meetings, classes, general busy-ness, and Michael and I have tried to keep our social card somewhat full without overdoing it. The three-day weekend has actually provided me the opportunity to take a step back. While I do need to grade, plan, write an exam or two and grade some more, the extra day is a much-needed buffer. We haven't traveled and our plans are minimal, which is perfect for a productive weekend - painting and drawing for Michael, grading for me, sleeping and eating for the pups!
Not that it's been all work and meeting some of our responsibilities around here. I've decided to embrace our Friday night out "rut" as not a rut but as the perfect way to enjoy the end of the formal work week. We rarely make a huge evening of it, sticking to some place local and fun. Last night, I was in the mood for decent bar food, so we made our way to The Fat Dog in Montrose, a fun little neighborhood that is very close and convenient. Before drinks and dinner, we stopped at the local bike shop to pick up a tire that needed some tweaking. While Michael was paying, I unfortunately saw this beauty:

Source

I'm kind of obsessed now.

After I salivated for a while over it, Michael pulled me away - or the idea of dinner and drinks motivated me to salivate over something else. The "Fat Dog" experience did not disappoint! We went there for the first time in December when we had no power and were desperate for a good drink and decent food, and we really enjoyed it. This time around was the same. Good food and drink - no complaints from us.

Today has been full but fun - running errands this morning and working on and off this afternoon, but it doesn't have the rush feel that sometimes happens on weekends. I just went out for a short but fun ride (not on the beauty shown above), and since all of Southern CA must be watching the NFL playoffs, I was almost the only one on the road - or so it seemed!

So, yes, it's been nice to slow down the pace this weekend. Not to the point that I don't have a pulse, but I'll take the breather!

Current obsession: Downton Abbey

2012-01-06T15:43:00.000-08:00

I was on the verge of falling into a deep funk. Not only did I have to return to WORK, which really isn't bad except for the grading papers part which just might kill me this next week (so behind! how does it happen?), but I found a new love, by total chance, and then this love affair ended far too soon. See, upon our return from Colorado, I started browsing Netflix's instant movie options and stumbled upon this random series, Downton Abbey, which came highly recommended for me based on my preferences and movie-watching habits. The people or computers at Netflix gave it a whopping 4 stars. I was skeptical, but I figured that we could give it a try.
In the past week, we raced through the episodes. Needless to say, I was HOOKED. British period piece, beautiful clothes, well-acted and written, and a total soap-opera? As quickly as we began the series, it ended. I looked for Season 2 on Netflix, but nothing.
And then, this morning, I checked Slate.com and there was an entire article dedicated to "Downton Abbey". Season 2 begins on Sunday! I could not believe my luck. Okay, I am obviously the only person in Los Angeles, maybe in the US, who was completely clueless about this series since it won not one, not two, three, four or five Emmy awards but SIX! Apparently those people making decisions about a good mini-series got it right this year, and I didn't even know that!
So, my Sunday evenings are now blocked out and life has meaning. While I would probably have been a scullery maid with terrible hair, posture and skin if I had been so unfortunate as to live in 1914 or so, I find it completely satisfying to watch this series. And if those designers at Anthropologie had any sense, they should make a Downtown Abbey line of clothes or clothes AND housewares, and then they'd have all sorts of middle and upper-middle class American women looking ready to go out for a garden party! I don't plan on wearing a party frock Sunday night, but I'll happily drink beer, enjoy some good, old-fashioned drama and be thankful that I don't actually live back then!

Source

Looking backward and forward and sideways

2012-01-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

Cheers, cheers to 2011 which was over about 36 hours ago now! The main thought as tomorrow looms over me in a menacing way is that I need to seriously detox from the holidays and maybe from the year? Perhaps 2012 will be easier on my liver? That would be a good goal, but I'll pause before I commit to that.
I often hesitate to do a "Top 10 List" of a week, a year, a month, but there is something nice about reflecting on a year and the experiences that defined that year. When I think about 2011, now well in the past tense, it seems that the year flew by. Time is no longer marching along but seems to whirl at a quick pace, faster and faster with each year. Maybe that's what happens as you get older? Michael and I spent large chunks of time visiting family and friends, here in CA and other places near and far (Colorado, Texas, Las Vegas, the East Coast...). While I have 'family' fatigue at the moment, over the past 12 months we enjoyed connecting with different cousins, siblings, nieces and nephews and other blood relations. Michael and I are also thankful on a regular basis for the awesome dogs with whom we share our lives. It's cheesy but true!
As for great discoveries or major moments of the year, we did have a few highlights:

Exploring the Central Coast (Paso Robles and environs) with my parents and on our own.

Trying new places to eat that quickly became favorites: La Cabanita in Montrose and Umami Burger in LA come to mind!

Avery Beer. Amazingly good. Need I say more?

Source

The Wildflower Triathlon was one of the most amazing experiences for me. While I can't repeat the thrill of the first time experience, I am looking forward to another awesome experience this May.

For both of us, feeling stronger, more comfortable and more confident on the bike! While I still don't *love* cycling, I think that I'm getting the hang of it.

Almost losing Gus, our dog, dealing with the stress of that and now spending a fortune on his special dietary needs! He's pretty much fully recovered for which we are very appreciative. (Although I'm not loving the farts right now for which I'm pretty sure he is responsible.

(I know, both of "the boys" are in the photo, but they're so darn cute that I couldn't help including them. Plus, Tweedle De and Tweedle Dum - I do think of them together.)

There are countless great moments, some momentous, others small and quiet - 5 years of a shared life, frequent walks and hikes, some great runs and races, drives to the coast just to see the water, sharing a bowl of spicy noodles, laughing at myself, hitting the 100,000 mile mark in the car right around Santa Fe, playing in the snow. Yep, 2011 did not disappoint!

2012 holds plenty of promise this early in the year. A leap year. And an election year, which is both good and bad as the over-information can overwhelm. However, it is also an Olympic year, and I am already looking forward to the Opening Ceremony in London! On a personal note, I will be turning one of those significant numbers that end in -0, and in order to make the big four zero an awesome year, I signed up for the Boulder 70.3 which will either be a triumphant moment or a agonizing 'defeat' (do other people remember the Wide World of Sports "Thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" clip?). We'll see how that all goes! Finally, major travel plans if all goes well (Chicago, Pacific Northwest, Nicaragua).

There are plenty of unknowns that are thrown into the mix, but that's the exciting part as I look ahead, anticipating a great year.

Christmas in Boulder

2011-12-31T12:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm back in sunny CA where it should hit 78 or 80 degrees today. Perfect weather for the Rose Parade which ruined my morning outing to the Pasadena farmers' market. Cancelled today even though things (Parade, Game...) don't happen until Monday. Totally unfair.
I should, however, back up and wax poetically about the white Christmas that we spent in Boulder, CO. We arrived last Wednesday night, snow just starting to fall in the early evening. By the time we woke up Thursday morning, about 12 inches had accumulated. Exciting! It was the lightest, fluffiest snow that I've ever experienced. I tried to make a snowball to throw at a certain person, but the snow didn't even stick together. Crazy! We depended on the kindness of a brother-in-law to chauffeur us around town since our awesome Toyota Camry wasn't quite up to the task. I spent most of the first few days oohing and aahing over the snow and also complaining about the cold! Still, we did brave the elements several times with the pups who LOVE the snow:

(Gus is too busy eating snow in the second photo to pose for the camera. As I look at these photos now, I wish that I had spent more time in the snow! Agh - I hate those regrets.)

We seemed to celebrate Christmas for several days, a non-stop eating, drinking, and present-opening fest. The best present that I received, hands-down, were a bunch of socks from one of my in-laws. I realize that socks don't necessarily scream "Awesome present!", but these do! THREE pair of awesome SmartWool socks and a pair of cycling socks with "Colorado" stitched on them - I hit the motherlode with that present, and my brother-in-law may now be my favorite family member ever.

Given the snowfall in Boulder and our aborted ski efforts in Taos, Michael and I were pretty determined to go skiing while in Boulder. Nothing crazy, like Breckenridge or Keystone, but we figured that a nice day at Eldora, a local ski place, would be perfect. We went up last year to Nordic ski, but we both wanted to try out our downhill legs, despite years and years away from the slopes. So, we (and half of Boulder) geared up on Tuesday and headed up the mountain. By 10:00 am, we'd already gotten in two runs - success on the green runs at least!

Not to sound like one of my students, but I felt like yelling "OMG! This is so FUN!". I was really nervous about trying to downhill ski again, since my last run, on March 23, 2003 (I found the tag on my ski pants which I hadn't worn since that day) ended with a torn meniscus. Well, we started out on the easy runs and didn't challenge ourselves with anything beyond a blue slope, but as we spent more time on skis, we both relaxed into the movement and had a spectacular time. I think that I had forced myself to forget how much PURE fun skiing is because I thought that I'd never ski again. Thank you again, Dr. Hatch, for my new ACL (and thanks to the cadaver who gave up his ligament).

By noon-ish, we were tired and hungry, so we settled into a relaxing lunch in the lodge. The food was so-so, but the Bloody Marys were damn good and strong! After that, we were pretty much toast - tired and relaxed. So, we did two more runs before calling it a day. It was the perfect way to end our time in Boulder! We are also jonesing to ski again soon - maybe here in SoCal?!

Ah, the post-Bloody Mary relaxed state!

Heading back out to ski - yes, I look like an alien with the goggles on!

No trip to Boulder is complete without lots of good food and drink. We skipped some of our standards (Snarfs, a great sandwich shop, and Lucilles, a rockin' brunch place), but discovered a few new favorites. One place, Bitter Bar, replaced a great Asian restaurant. We were disappointed that the Happy Noodle had closed its doors, but Bitter Bar served up good food and drinks and had an awesome happy hour! I have also continued my love with Avery Brewery. I almost fell OUT of love with Avery on Christmas Eve afternoon because it was closed (in fact, most bars in Boulder were closed on Saturday afternoon which was an outrage!). However, we made it back on Monday night, and it was worth the wait. I discovered a crazy-strong beer called "The Beast" which has 16.83% alcohol. It is definitely a might fine sipping beer.
All-in-all, a stand-out trip to Boulder, CO and a great way to enjoy the Christmas break. Now we just need to toast both the old year and the new year, and our celebration will be complete!
Cheers!

Lazy days in Taos

2011-12-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hello winter break, Christmas break, holiday season, whatever-you-want-to-call-it!

Taos, NM

I survived the final week before break which is always packed with preparations as we try to leave town as soon as possible. In this case, our departure was Saturday morning, bright but not terribly early (7:30 am rather than 6:00 am or something horrible like that). We arrived in Flagstaff, AZ Saturday afternoon and enjoyed an early dinner at the Beaver Street Brewery - it came as a recommendation, and I'd definitely pass the recommendation on! Pretty good food and great beer!

We pushed on to Taos, NM on Sunday, arriving mid-afternoon. The drive through New Mexico always blows my mind - I definitely feel that we are somewhere in the wild, untamed, still uncivilized West, to a certain degree. The colors and views are amazing. Neither of us had been to Taos, and the drive from Santa Fe north treated us to more views and oohs and aahs. We were happy to arrive Sunday afternoon, not just because we were tired of the car but also because a huge storm was supposed to hit the region. We planned on a relaxing Monday - take a snow day and be lazy. We we woke up on Monday, Michael commented "This is the thinnest 12 inches of snow I've ever seen!". I think the snow may have dusted Taos, but that was it! So, we spent two relaxing days here, sort of waiting around in anticipation of snow and then we just embraced total laziness, drinking margaritas and beers at noon, taking naps, strolling around town, reading for pleasure, drinking plenty of wine at night and enjoying the company of family (we are here with siblings)! Poor Michael has listened to me bitch for the past six, nine, twelve months about how I want a REAL vacation. Well, this definitely meets the definition of a vacation. We didn't even get on the slopes because we didn't want to wake up early, gear up, deal with traffic, get fitted for skis... Talk about lazy!
To add to the sense of total relaxation, my sister-and-law and I went for a massage yesterday at some spa here in town. I signed up for a "Muscle and joint massage" out of curiosity - I know the full-body and deep-tissue experience and thought that this would be something quite different. It was, and it was AWESOME! I would rank this as one of the best massage experiences ever, and I'm not being hyperbolic. It was not full-body - the therapist focused on specific parts of my body that I talked to her about before she started - my left knee, of course, being a problem area, and then my shoulder area which seems to carry all of my stress! While not all of the massage was 'relaxing' because she stretched me out and put me in uncomfortable positions, my body has rarely felt so stretched out, relaxed and completely functional, without any ache, pain, or tightness. I'm now wishing that I could get one of these a month just to keep my body feeling great!
In addition to the massage and to being lazy around the house we rented, we've also spent a few hours at the Taos Inn which boasts a great bartender who whips up strong margaritas and bloody marys and excellent food. Also, I'm back on the read-for-pleasure-bandwagon and have plunged into Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, which, while I don't know if I *LOVE* it, I am enjoying it as a good vacation read. It hasn't all been over-indulgence as I did get out for a very cold run when we arrived and this morning. Shew, that's a way to wake up!
Despite the lack of skiing, I would still call this a very good start to Christmas break 2011! We head on to Boulder, CO, so more fun and relaxation will follow - and maybe even a few runs on a local slope?!

Renewed faith in life and running

2011-12-12T20:19:00.000-08:00

After my negative rant/whine extraordinaire on Saturday, I now feel like a complete ass because the weekend pretty fantastic, half-marathon included. Yippee skip! Also, I am now confident that I will survive the next 2.5 days of work and will then breath a huge sigh of relief. This is the final stretch of THIS time of year, and I plan on taking full advantage of 2+ weeks of vacation!
As for the weekend, everything came up roses. Michael and I were total movie nerds, watching the final disk of the LOTR trilogy - the director's cut. Even though I had seen it before (like everyone else in the world?), watching the entire trilogy again was completely satisfying and quite tragic and "The Return of the King" is really well done. Even though I knew the ending, it still made me sad. On Saturday night, we opted for a period piece, the most recent cinematic interpretation of "Jane Eyre" which was great! I always forget how different Charlotte Brönte is from Jane Austen - talk about Romantic with a capital "R"! Souls, spirits, mysticism, freedom, the individual, love... Yes, I ended up in tears at the end! It has been several years, maybe 20 (see, several), since I read "Jane Eyre", but maybe I should venture back through those pages? I hate it when a movie prompts me to read the book, it makes me feel guilty for not having read the book. But, in this case, I'll give myself a pass since I really DID read the book, albeit a while ago.
As for the Sunday morning race - it ended up being a real "race" rather than a pathetic and miserable slog through 13.1 miles! The weather was chilly but perfect - as much as I love a sunny race, the overcast sky made for a pleasant run. Adding to that, the run was well-organized, flat and fast! It also offered up a taste of an area that I don't know well at all - Oxnard, CA! My love of strawberries has bred a certain familiarity with Oxnard, more or less the "Strawberry Capital" of Southern CA. I had not, until now, ever wandered down its fine streets! While some of the course took us through a random industrial office area, we also ran by fields, schools, and great neighborhoods, ending at the Oxnard waterfront - which I didn't even know existed! The local support was amazing - there were bands, plenty of water stops, port-a-potties at several of the mile stops. As for the run? I couldn't believe how great I felt throughout the race! I tried to run a relaxed pace, not too fast, not too slow. I also had the good fortune to meet up with Kalli around Mile 6! She was looking good and ended strong!
Regarding my final time - it was a surprise to me. I hoped to run a sub-2-hour and crossed the line plenty under that, much to my total surprise and delight! After stumbling around happy yet a bit dazed, I returned home to pizza, an ice bath for my legs (KILLER) and then a nap - all contributed to my recovery! I was even able to pull it together to look 'appropriate' for the evening's festivities - the annual holiday party (on a Sunday night - really? How is that a true party?).
As for the week, I am sticking to my plan to take a needed break from running and can't wait for the break from school that will be here sooner than later. However, I've revised my view of running - I *heart* running, training, non-training, the races, and, of course, all the pain and anxiety involved. That said, I do look forward to 2012 as a new year that will offer new challenges. Looking back, I've enjoyed some amazing experiences this year that connected to running, in one way or another, and I can't wait for more!

December and running ruts

2011-12-10T15:14:00.001-08:00

I'd like to shirk my sense of responsibility and blame how I feel right now about running and other aspects of my life (work burn out?) on: the fact that it's December, we had weird weather a week ago, and I simply feel crazy busy and just want to get the hell out of dodge. Nice, right?! This is not an ideal mindset going into a, gulp, half-marathon tomorrow which will be the longest distance I've run in recent years. In fact, my last half was about 7 years ago. I would like to say that I took the opportunity to focus and train well, but that would be a blatant lie. So, yeah, we'll see how the run goes. I would like to aim for a sub-something-minute mile pace, but I would also like to actually enjoy the experience and be happy with my performance, either sub-whatever or sub-par.

The "enjoy the experience and be happy with my performance" is good advice for me to take, especially considering a serious lack of focus on my part. Still, it amazes me that even when I don't really put the time/effort in, I find it frustrating when/if I don't feel that I've run my "best".
The 5K I ran last week represents this perfectly! Initially, I signed up for the race hoping to run a fast 5K, a distance that I don't particularly like too much. As race day approached, we experienced bad weather and much uncertainty, and I should have changed how I was framing this run mentally (should have, should have, should have...), especially when we woke up on the later side with fairly foggy heads from a wee bit too much vino and we crossed the starting line about a minute after the gun went off. This was Michael's first 5K, but I wanted to run fast, so I ditched him and ended up having a so-so experience, running somewhat slower than I hoped/expected. Hindsight is 50-50, and looking back, I see that running with Michael and just viewing the race as an opportunity to have fun would have been advisable. I'm going to try to take that advice tomorrow as I slog my way through 13.1 miles.
I will say that it's not just my racing mojo that seems to have hit a hard spell. Thursday's run marked one final sign that my running game is in sore need of rejuvenation. While I pounded out 6.5 or so miles without a huge issue physically, I found the mental release to be zero, zip, nil, and THAT was what I needed most. My seventh period class put me in bit of a foul mood (not because of the students but another reason played a role) and then I got home and discovered that one of our dogs had decided to help himself to part of an expensive chocolate bar (he is fine, by the way). So, I hoped and expected the run to be a zen moment for me, after which I would feel trouble-free and enjoy a clear mind. THAT did not happen - instead, I was still fuming about my end of day encounter. So much for the healing powers of running.

Looking at all of this, it signals to the obvious: I need to take a break from running. Gasp! So, from December 12-December 30, I plan on skiing (downhill and Nordic, if possible), walking, hiking, maybe some indoor rock-climbing, snowshoeing and ice-skating, and more walking and hiking and lots of hanging out with friends and family and dogs.

Now, I just need to get through 13.1 miles tomorrow and 5 more days of work, and then life will be grand!
Then, come January 2012: Swim, bike, run!

Birthday celebration!

2011-12-07T20:35:00.001-08:00

While much of the energy and 'buzz' at this time of year is due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas crush, one of my favorite moments in December is whatever we do to celebrate my better half's birthday. My birthday is in January, so we are really into the birthday celebration, and then for Christmas, we actually don't exchange presents. It seems kind of ba-humbug of us, but it actually makes our birthdays way more fun (more gifts!) and then we don't have to stress about MORE presents for Christmas. One other fun aspect, to me, is that whoever's birthday it is also has the pleasure of exchanging ONE gift to the non-birthday person. See, win/win!

Probably the best gift that I ever gave Michael was a few years ago when he had one of those significant birthdays that end in -0. I bought plane tickets out to Colorado and we went to a Broncos game. They actually won too! Most of our celebrations are more low-key, but we still have a great time!
This year did not disappoint, although we tried to keep a more flexible attitude, especially when we still did not have power on Friday evening. I ended up cancelling our dinner reservations for Saturday night because I couldn't imagine getting ready for a nice dinner while cursing the lack of heat and electricity and feeling like a drowned, dirty rat. That would not have been at all conducive for a merry celebration. I was, in fact, feeling a bit dismal about the whole birthday thing on Friday night. After all, I had planned on a LOTR evening with a viewing of the director's cut of "The Return of the King", one of Michael's birthday presents. That obviously didn't happen. As for Saturday, we were supposed to kick off the day with a nice 5K run, but I was in no mood or mindset to get up and go for a run in the morning.

Well, the morning came fairly early. I rolled around and asked Michael what he wanted to do - stay in our warm bed or get out of the bed and get ready for a RACE! Somewhat to my disappointment, he chose the latter. Gasp. So, in a disorganized manner, we quickly prepped for the race - he sported a new running shirt that I had given him, just for the occasion (and for his birthday!), and before heading to the race, we grabbed coffee and a scone at Starbucks - which was packed with people STILL out of power! I think that we arrived at the race about 15 minutes prior to the start which I almost never do! This was Michael's first race, and I had done the 10K last year and knew that the 5K route would be a fun course for the both of us. We separated, but I did think about him, and once I crossed the finish line, I ran back to meet up with him and ran to the finish line with him. He respectfully ran under 10-minute miles which was great for a first race! Major high-five.

We were both in good spirits, and even coming home to a cold and dark house could not dampen our mood. We decided that the best thing we could do would be to leave the house. Rather than picking some of our usual favorites (Venice, Santa Monica, the Malibu beaches and north of there), we ended up in Japantown. This is embarrassing, but it was my first exploration of J-town. We stopped in some random giftshops, poked around in a supermarket and bought a few items, Michael picked out some birthday desserts from a pastry place (I wasn't sure about them, but it WAS his birthday), and we ate noodles at Orochon, a noodle place, obviously. It was a super fun experience, but the noodles were SO f-ing hot and spicy that I really couldn't eat them. I would take a bite or two and then my lips would start to burn, so I'd wait a few minutes and then foray into the eating process again. Despite the weird desserts and the mouth-burning noodles, it was a GREAT experience! I often forget that Downtown LA offers so many interesting places and experiences.

Note to self: Must take advantage of cool experiences more often!

For the evening, rather than trying something new and unusual, Michael opted for a recent favorite: Palate Restaurant which is in Glendale. We actually went there last year for the first time on his birthday! It's a really great place - the front is a fairly formal restaurant and the back is a wine merchant/cellar with a bar and a few tables and the menu focuses on local, seasonal food. We opted to sit at the bar which was SO much fun. There, we proceeded to over-order and then eat every single bite and drink really good wine. It was the perfect end to a pretty great day. Okay, maybe coming home to a nice warm house was the perfect ending (sorry!).

Now I just have to wait another year to spend the perfect birthday celebration with this random dude!

Wind storm and gratitude

2011-12-04T16:22:00.001-08:00

Oh, yes, Thanksgiving was more than a week away which means the ubiquitous "I'm thankful for..." moment has passed me by. I did, however, assign my students a short essay with that topic, and one of them noted that they had similar assignments when they were in first grade. Nice.
As for Turkey Day, it was a great weekend. We braved the crowds of LAX, which ended up being lighter than we expected, and made it safely to Texas. Over Thanksgiving, we enjoyed much good food and drink (lots of good drink). In addition to the usual turkey, we stuffed ourselves on Friday, eating Mexican food for lunch and dinner, once on "our" side of the border and the other time on the "other" side. Good times and lots of margaritas!
We also made the most of our travels! The first photo is from our layover in Houston - damn, those beers are Texan-sized!

Upon our return to LA, our bags were delayed for no reason at all. So, we got a drink at the Encounter bar, this crazy, futuristic 60's-style bar/restaurant (it looks like something out of "The Jetsons!"). Instead of being angry and impatient about our bags, I totally chilled out:

Now, back to the theme of gratitude. It's a timely topic since I found myself more grateful than ever yesterday afternoon when we walked into our house and discovered that we had POWER for the first time in 60+ hours! Power meant heat, lights, heat, refrigerator, heat, washing machine, heat. Did I mention heat?! I realize that we don't live in the Northeast, so losing power for 2.5 days doesn't have quite the same bite that it could, but our house had settled into a rather cold state, not budging much above 58 degrees (or something like that - maybe 55?!). I spent the past few days wearing long underwear, Smart Wool socks and a beanie as I wandered around the house!

All of this made me hyper-aware of the fact that:
1. I obviously could not survive well if suddenly transported to a different time period where heat was not common.
2. I am totally lame.
3. I am totally lame.

Despite days of some grumbling and feeling 'on edge', I tried to be appreciative of the fact that we did NOT have any major damage, unlike many, many people in the Pasadena area who were not so lucky. Michael and I also enjoyed a few candlelit nights of backgammon (I emerged the winner one night while he completely routed me the next) and good conversation. I try not to take for granted the fact that I consider myself lucky in many ways, but this served as an important reminder, especially when it comes to living and sharing a life with a person whom I actually like and with whom I enjoy spending time. I do believe that the regular day-to-day humming along of life can mask whether or not you actually like the person that, in theory, is your partner, in one way or another, but when you have nothing else but candles and conversation, then you sure as hell had better enjoy each other's company!
So, we did survive the crazy, record-breaking windstorm of 2011, and we both enjoyed a serendipitously unexpected day off work on Thursday. I have experienced snow days before, when I lived in Philly and Seattle, but never a 'wind day', so this was something new. Michael and I spent much time in the car driving around so that we could charge our cellphones. Crazy, I know!
Friday was a bit complicated at work. We still did not have power on Friday, nor did many of my students. I took my cellphones and other electronic items to work and plugged them in; so did many of my students! Needless to say, very few people (I include myself in this group) could focus on Friday. I think people's emotions ranged from giddiness to frustration to anger. While we resorted to bar food on Thursday, we were determined to eat in house on Friday. We still had eggs and a few other items that we could cook up on the stovetop which did still work thanks to the gas stove. Cooking by headlamp and candles - almost like camping! Especially considering that I wore multiple layers. I think my teeth were still chattering:

Finally, on Saturday - bliss, oh, bliss, our power came back on! I would like to say that I'm a more profound person, but I was ecstatic when we walked into a WARM house. After avoiding being in our house for a few days because of the chill that set into my bones as soon I walked into the house, it delighted me to feel welcome in my own house and to not pull on my long underwear to hang out on the sofa!

So, we still have a little shrine that we resurrected in order to remember our 2.5 day 'ordeal'. Please note the bottles as our candle-holders!

Having my cake and eating it too

2011-11-22T20:04:00.001-08:00

This is NOT actually a post dedicated to eating, although that would certainly be timely, seeing as Turkey day is not merely 'right around the corner' but UPON us! (How did that happen? Holy crap!)
I've been thinking about the either/or dichotomy that I often set up - it has to be this or that, X or Y, ying or yang, law or order. Never both.
I began thinking about this earlier in the year when I was tutoring a student from another school for a few weeks. I hesitated to tutor this student and then agreed for a variety of reasons. Initially, I found tutoring to be... not boring, but not as fun or interesting as teaching a group of students. With a group, the students' personalities play off each other and they often learn from each other. Tutoring an individual student does not, obviously, offer the dynamic atmosphere of a classroom (in its ideal "zone"). However, as I tutored this student, I learned to appreciate the one-on-one with a student, getting to know a student without the social currents that often run through a classroom. On the day of the last tutoring session, I was quite sad to say good-bye to this person, a reaction that I did not anticipate.
At this point, it seemed like a good idea for me to revisit the notion I held that so many things in life fell into the either/or category. Why couldn't I handily teach a class AND tutor a student, and find both of these experiences equally satisfying? And to feel, in both cases, that I failed in my duty when said student/s don't perform as well as hoped on certain standardized tests?
Along the same vein, I often view running and racing as either/or activities, that it has to be one or the other. Why can't I enjoy BOTH - running and racing? They tap into different energies and satisfy me in distinct ways. Rather than fighting with the notion that it must be either/or, I've recently decided to embrace both. Running, after all, is the daily, meditative activity that is a 'healthy' activity and will satisfy the soul. Racing, on the other hand, is the exhilaration and the devastation, the putting yourself all out there. To be honest, I prefer the daily or weekly running, heading out the door and hitting the trails, losing myself in thoughts. However, I can't deny that I love the excitement of race day. Everything about it - waking up, worrying about the time, getting the bib, trying to be aware throughout each mile, pushing myself to the finish.
So, as I reexamine my worldview (weltanschauung!), I'm trying to fit the concept of "both" into my life. It's expansive, this new way of interpreting life, as I suddenly find that more options are viable. Perhaps I'll eventually want to narrow my vision, but for now, it's kind of exhilarating that my interpretation of life has opened up, that I can have the ying and the yang to make that perfect circle.

Bad and brash decisions

2011-11-19T15:14:00.001-08:00

So, as a teacher, I know that people banter around the concept of "make good decisions/choices" when working with the youth of today (I love using clichés like that!). As much as they might roll their eyes - and I might too - there is something to be said for that advice. I, unfortunately, like to push it off on others rather than follow it myself. This week offered plenty of evidence to support my less-than-stellar decision-making abilities. Usually, I can blame alcohol consumption for bad choices (just what we tell kids about alcohol), but this week I don't even have that useful excuse on hand.
Just to give you a few examples of these bad choices...
On Thursday, while walking our dogs, some bug stung my leg - the back of my thigh. It was definitely not a bee, probably a wasp or yellow jacket? At any rate, it hurt like a bitch, as they say. This happened around the 4 o'clock hour, and I had a spin class to attend at 4:45. Did the sting prevent me from attending? Why, of course not! As I was halfway through class, it did cross my mind that exercise after an insect sting was not, perhaps, advisable. Sure enough, when I returned home and researched said topic, several websites came back with the "Do not exercise!" imperative. I survived, however, so it looks as though I don't have an allergy.
I can excuse Thursday out of sheer ignorance - I've never been bitten by wasps or yellow jackets before!
Friday's lack of judgement belongs to another category: brash decisions. The first one occurred about mid-morning. Clearly my blood sugar had spiked and I was feeling GREAT! So, when an email entitled "Oxnard Half-Marathon" enticed me to open up its contents, I was drawn into the idea of a half-marathon and impulsively decided HELL YEAH! So, I signed myself right up. Then, I thought about the time that I have between now and the half-marathon and realized that I need to get about a 10-mile run in between the next two weeks so that I can finish the half-marathon in 3 weeks. Ahem. I've obviously become trigger-happy when it comes to races, and this just showcases how problematic impulsive choices can be.
The final brash decision came later in the day, revolving around dinner choices. I admit that we have become somewhat lazy in our household - between Michael's class schedule and my... (I don't have a reason) stomach, we've been doing take-out and/or eating out more than usual. Now, I haven't cared too much about this slump, but we had just ordered out pizza on Thursday. There were a few pieces left, but we decided that there wasn't enough for dinner. So, what did we do?
We ordered ANOTHER pizza. From the same place!
I realize that this last decision is not, for some people, too shocking, but it seemed to epitomize my laziness.
It was, however, the perfect accompaniment to the movie "Bridesmaids"!
So, do I have any regrets about these decisions? The "good" part of me would like to affirm that yes, I do, but to be honest, I had a great spinning class on Thursday, I will love getting my ass kicked in a few weeks as I struggle through the half-marathon, and the pizza last night was worth it.
In terms of dinner, I am going to start anew - just as soon as we go out for Mexican food tonight!

Friday randomness in Starbucks

2011-11-18T17:41:00.001-08:00

So, Starbucks is kind of a love/hate place for me. Personally, I'm not ga-ga over their coffee drinks. In fact, I don't really drink their coffee and I take that as a point of pride. Coffee snob? Yes, yes I am!
However, I've developed a once or twice a week habit/ritual of going to Starbucks for a chai latte. I've come to realize that this habit is less about the drink and more about taking a walk, getting outside, being off campus (not by much, but still), and just not DOING something for work. It's usually a hurried affair - a swift walk to and from Starbucks, but it gives me a mental break in a way.
The other aspect that I like about the excursion is that I see "normal" people - meaning, non-work people. I'm not saying that I work with a bunch of crazies (although there might be one or two who would definitely benefit from good meds), but we're all kind of awkward, nerdy people in one way or another. I walk to Starbucks, and there is a whole 'nother world of people out there - business men and women, stay-at-home moms, office types taking a break, kids of different ages, retirees. Some people go there to have a meeting, others are reading, hanging out with their pet, or just socializing with a friend. It reminds me of my life during the summers, when I can languish around and see people in the middle of the day in the middle of the week.
I occasionally will run into a colleague or the random student on a latte run, but it is highly unusual for me to open the door to Starbucks and a stranger (to me) call me by my first and last name (the maiden name - although that's a different topic). I did not recognize this woman at all, and then she identified herself, first and last name as well. WOW - talk about a blast from the past. I think that we went to kindergarten and first grade at the same school and took piano lessons from the same teacher, but then our lives went their separate ways. While our parents see each other socially, I went off to study and live in a variety of different places and she did the same.
So, I couldn't believe that we ran into each other in a Starbucks in what is more or less Pleasantville, a far cry from the place that she and I grew up along the South Texas border. I was even more amazed that she recognized me, but I'm terrible with names and faces. Apparently I haven't changed since 4th or 5th grade? That could either be a good or a bad thing! It means that I haven't blossomed into a cool, sophisticated LA-type. Nor have I aged beyond belief and recognition? Apparently I've mastered a classical look - at least for myself?
I returned to school shaking my head over the encounter. It's not every day that I randomly bump into someone from my childhood - talk about a different place and time!

A gloomy Saturday

2011-11-12T17:00:00.001-08:00

It is 5:00 pm, and almost officially dark. While I love the time change in the mornings, it does depress me a bit that night draws close so quickly these days. However, when I remember that I used to live in places that get dark at 3:30 or so in winter (Philly and Seattle), I try my best to not complain too much. And, even in sunny LA, there is something comforting about the sense that the year has moved on and that I can hibernate a bit because it is fall.
As for today, it has been the fastest Saturday EVER. Okay, slight hyperbole there, but how is it that my weekdays seemed to stretch out forever, and then today I'd like to add a few more hours to the experience? I feel that I just woke up but here I am, changing so that I can look respectable enough to go out and be in the public eye?
As for the day? I'd call it lugubrious. What a great word, right? And not one that I can often use here in Southern CA.
The word has all of these negative connotations, but was lovely to enjoy the gloomy weather from a warm house for most of the day! It rained a few times throughout the day, but at one point, I looked out the window, and all of these whispy, low-lying clouds were moving through and around the San Gabriels. It was so beautiful, and I do love that I could take in the view right from the kitchen window.
Sometimes, I love living where we do.

Running by numbers

2011-11-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

So, I tried to cast all of my fears, doubts, worries from Saturday aside.
Yesterday morning, I woke up bright and early, 5:15, very appreciative of the extra hour of sleep. The time change also meant that I wouldn't be driving south in the dark - double yay! It was strange to head to the race as a driver - Michael is my one and only supportive crew, so I missed him yesterday morning! I felt a bit stressed about the drive, the weather and about a bazillion other issues. However, I made it pretty easily to Huntington Beach, aka "Surf City, USA", and a beautiful morning greeted me. All I needed to do was wait and then run.
The race began promptly at 7:45. While I tend to hang back and not worry about scoring a choice spot for the start, I knew that I wanted to actually RACE this 10K and not just run it. There were two reasons pushing me to "race". First of all, I ran the "Huntington Beach Distance Derby" last year and loved the experience. At that time, it was a five mile race, so they changed the distance this year to a 10k. With that in mind, I thought that it was possible that I could shave some time off my last 10k which was around the Rose Bowl.
So, I felt pretty anxious at the beginning of the run and tried to navigate that fine line between pushing myself enough to start out fast and strong but not run out of gas. At a certain point in the first mile, I tried to refocus: not that I wanted to slow down, but I wanted to have a positive experience, even if it meant that I didn't run faster than the last time. Eventually, after all, I will cease to run any faster, and I don't want every run (or race) to feel like a bitter disappointment because I can't continue to beat my last time. So, I tried to center some of my thoughts on being thankful for being out and about on a gorgeous Sunday morning, running on PCH, which they had closed down for the race! I occasionally took in the waves crashing along the beach, watched the surfers bob in the water, admired some of the dogs that were playing along PCH.
In the meantime, I also kept my focus on my pace. It seemed like I had started out at a fast pace, and I hit Mile 1 around 7:30 or 8:00. I wore my watch, but it's not digital, so I had to 'guesstimate' the time. I knew, however, that it was 15 minutes at Mile 2. For me, that is SUPER speedy! It concerned me somewhat that I started out at a 7:30 pace, but the course was so flat that I couldn't help it. I kept the pace, even for Mile 3 which did incline slightly, and at Mile 4, I looked at my watch - around 30 minutes? "Holy crap!" was my main thought. For miles 5 and 6, we had to turn around, and at that point, I felt the headwind. No wonder the first two miles were so fast! Also, the weather turned a bit and rain began to spit down on us. Still, I felt great, and when I saw a woman who had passed me at the beginning, I realized that I was closing in! At Mile 5, I decided to challenge her a bit - I pushed my pace and caught up with her and then slowed down for a bit while I ran right with her. Then, I decided to push it just a bit more to see if she could keep up. She couldn't! Success! I kind of feel like an asshole for finding it SO satisfying that I passed her. But, she was definitely younger and she wore a t-shirt tucked into her leggings - I feel like only a real badass should sport such an 'outfit'. And, if I passed her in mile 5, she obviously wasn't such a badass!
The last mile (or half mile) - I worried that I'd suddenly bonk in a big way, which would have devastated me. That never happened, and I crossed the finish line at 47:30, running strong, even at the end. I was super jazzed about my time because it is a PR for a 10K. Mind you, this was a fast, flat race, so I'll tip my hat to the course, from which I definitely benefited.
Final thoughts? I definitely enjoyed running in a somewhat familiar place that still feels like a "destination" with its beautiful scenery. It was NOT, however, nearly as fun as the Lasse Viren run last weekend. Maybe the focus on time and on a final "product" detracted from the overall experience? Maybe I missed the social aspect that was such a treat before and after the race last week? Maybe I missed being able to fully celebrate and share the experience with Michael?
These are interesting questions to ponder, especially as I think about the question: Run vs. Race.
Do other people see a dichotomy between running vs. racing or am I alone in that? It is definitely fun to actually feel that I've "competed" (in my limited definition of the term), but I'm not sure if a pure focus on numbers (speed, mileage and whatnot) will continue to leave me fulfilled.

A change in the air

2011-11-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

The weather has definitely signaled a new month, as rains and colder temperatures hit Southern CA. We lit our first fire of the fall/winter season last night, and I, for one, am looking forward to falling back this evening (or morning) so that it isn't dark when I leave the house for the long walk to work. I had hoped for some snow tipped peaks today, and while there must be snow on Mt. Baldy and some of the higher peaks, no such luck right around our whereabouts. Still, the day after a rain storm makes me appreciate living where I do - it has been a gorgeous day. We just walked the boys around the neighborhood and enjoyed the clear, late afternoon sky.
The cooler temperatures and more fall-like chill in the air also informed our weekly farmers' market run. While I continued to buy tomatoes and strawberries through to last week, this week, I stocked up on apples, a few persimmons, and tons of root vegetables. Yep, it is no longer early fall! We'll be making soups around here soon.
Speaking of the weather, it is supposed to rain again tomorrow, which I would normally welcome, but I am hoping that the rains hold off at least until later in the afternoon. I am running a 10K - my first in a while (!) - and would like to enjoy a rain-free run. It is a selfish hope, I realize, because we can always use the rain around here. For myself, I know that I would enjoy the run a bit more if I don't have to deal with weather.
But, if the weather doesn't cooperate, it should be a great run, no matter what - flat, which will hopefully translate to "fast" for me, but I don't want to bank on it. I did this run last year, but they changed the course a bit - it used to be a 5 miler and now it's a 10k. A part of me wishes that it were still a 5-miler so that I could compare my performance. I guess I'm being picky these days, complaining about the weather, not satisfied with the course...
Obviously I need to 'get over it' and just run!

"Race" Report: Lasse Viren 2011

2011-10-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Waking up groggy and with a headache on a Sunday morning (thanks the martini the night before - possibly?) did not exactly motivate me to hop out of bed, full of energy and ready to go. But, I did haul my butt out of bed and started on the coffee and a somewhat healthy breakfast, hoping that this, along with an Advil, would better prepare me for the day. Not the best start and it certainly did not forebode that the day would unfold splendidly!
By the time Michael and I were headed west, the sun was up, greeting a beautiful day, but the temperature stayed stubbornly around 48 degrees. I kept my eye on the car thermometer, wondering how much I was going to freeze on the run or whether I should wear my old blue Patagonia top (circa 1996) for the run. We found parking on PCH, ooohed at the scenery as we walked to Sycamore Canyon Campground, and shuffled along to stay warm.
The main thought running through my mind was not "Oh hell, I hope that I can finish this thing!". If it weren't for the chilly weather, I probably would have turned over that thought time and again. Instead, I kept looking at my watch, wishing that the 9:00 am hour would arrive sooner than later, so that I could get moving! Finally, the hour arrived! It was time to race, or merely run, depending on your definition. I told Michael to expect me in 2 hours - I set the bar low for my expectations! While I would be running along trails and through canyons, he planned to cross PCH and hang out on the beach. I envied him for just a moment! Putting aside such thoughts, I peeled off my top layer, begrudgingly, and tried to improve my position before the race organizer/announcer called "On your mark, set, go!". No gun, just a running start.
As for the race? It seems like a blur, but I will call it a 'race'! I definitely started out on the slower side, unsure of the pace that I should try to set for myself, and cautiously feeling out the dips in the rocky trail as we wound our way through the canyon. At a certain point, remembering someone saying "The first six miles are uphill and and the last six are downhill", I decided to kick it into gear. My only chance of moving up was to push on the uphill - from experience, I can actually pass people on the ascent! I didn't actually notice much of an uphill, more rolling hills, until I hit miles 5-6 when there was a nice, looooooonnnnnnggggg climb. Lovely! I stuck to my plan, pushed myself on the uphill and managed to pass a nice group of people, and then I kicked it on the downhill. At that point, I was elated with my performance, and was ready to call it a day, but no such luck. Many more miles remained... Fortunately, my body and mental will/resilience (or whatever) held up over the last few miles. I tried to enjoy the run, feeling the trail, especially when I returned to the familiar territory that I traveled the first few miles (it was a "lollipop" course), but by miles 10, 11 and 12, my mind was entirely focused on one thing: the finish line!
Which I crossed at 1:50 and some change. I was psyched about finishing and being able to walk, and there was a nice group of people who gave me a few high-fives and/or hugs as we shared the post-race high. We chatted over bananas, pretzels and other post-race goodies. It was a low-key event on the whole, which made me appreciate the entire race experience that much more. Even better - I love the t-shirt! I can't wait to wear it!
Post-post race - a somewhat relaxing lunch at Neptune's Net, something of a seafood dive along PCH, just south of the race. A nice cold beer and a plateful of fish and chips later, and I felt that life could not be more perfect on a Sunday afternoon.

Unprepared, at best, but here goes!

2011-10-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

I actually looked for another word on an on-line thesaurus, but things like "unrefined, unrehearsed, off the cuff, dashed off, extemporaneous" just did not seem able to replace how I am feeling about a little 20k trail run that I am undertaking tomorrow. It is not 'unplanned' because I signed up for the Lasse Viren run four to six weeks ago. At the time, it seemed like a good idea - and it wasn't even an impromptu, drunken decision! I signed up when I was totally sober, maybe even on a school/work day!
But, here I am, the race is now tomorrow, and I definitely feel unprepared to run 12.4 miles of trail.
At the same time, I'm also pretty excited about the race. It is a GORGEOUS weekend here in Southern CA, I've been slightly inspired by watching students haul butt at their cross country meet, and I know that I'll have some great views during the "race" tomorrow. I'm hoping to get something like this:

Source

Add to that, it will be something of a social experience since I know several people going/participating, so I can give myself points this weekend for being an extrovert! An all-around win-win situation.
Leading up to this week, I've felt a bit nervous about my knee which has a history and can be kind of tricky. I scheduled an appointment with the knee doctor for Tuesday, hoping for the best but not totally confident that he would say, "Yes, you should keep running!". Well, that was more or less what he said - he wants me to continue to be active (I don't know if that is so that I will continue to return to see him or if it is for my mental/physical health, but I'm not sure that it matters...). So, based on that recent assessment, I have far more confidence in my knee, and I went out and enjoyed an short but awesome last night, a good way to top off a crazy-busy week.
So, despite my reservations about lack of training this fall, I am pretty psyched about the run tomorrow. I have no aspirations to run fast, but I plan on enjoying it. Hell yeah!

What happens in Vegas...

2011-10-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

...doesn't always stay in Vegas!
I'm definitely 'lifting' an ad for STD (sexually transmitted disease, for those "not in the know") testing, billboards that I've seen around town.
It is, however, an accurate description of our trip to Vegas, Saturday to Sunday. A quick trip, but it has had a somewhat lasting impact. Maybe not long-term damages or major regrets, but I've felt completely "off" this week. It doesn't help that we've been dealing with the car and I had a doctor's appointment that included a cortisone shot straight into my knee which knocked me on my ass.
But, back to Vegas, which was awesome but exhausting! It's been five years since we've been to Vegas, so the quick trip over the weekend was, I suppose, overdue. We arrived in time for lunch and ended up at China Poblano, a relatively new restaurant that is the creation of José Andres, a Spanish chef who trained at elBulli, that mecca of molecular gastronomy (now closed?).
As for China Poblana - we had a GREAT experience! And it didn't seem like a very "Vegas" experience (whatever that it). The idea is small plates, emphasizing, obviously, the cuisine of Mexico and China. Some of the plates involved the fusion ethos, but others were pretty traditional. We started out with some drinks that I could have sucked on all day long:

My drink has the corn husk as 'garnish' - it was awesome. I don't know what it was, but it tasted great. Michael's margarita was served with salt foam, and it was a fantastic margarita. The food was also damn good - we had a variety of Chinese and Mexican food: a tamal wrapped in swiss chard rather than a corn husk or banana leaf; a yummy shrimp dish; a duck tongue taco and a beef tendon taco. We definitely went out an a limb on the tacos, and while I can't say that I was necessarily crazy about the tacos, the flavors were interesting, to say the least.

We waddled out of the restaurant, back down the Strip, quite content with lunch. And that was only meal number 1.

Dinner was pretty fantastic too... Lots of courses, probably the best black cod dish I've ever had, an amazing cheese course, and a fantastic Sauternes that accompanied the cheese and chocolate at the end of the meal. It was great to share the experience with my brother and his wife. Also, Vegas on a Saturday night brings out an interesting array of people!

After a too-short night of sleep, Michael and I woke up early, determined to leave by 10:00 am. With that in mind, we showed up bright and early as they were opening the doors to Bouchon, Thomas Keller's bistro in Vegas (yes, they have one in NYC and now in BH). The server asked us about drinks and I went for a traditional cup of strong coffee - no breakfast cocktail for me. As for the food at Bouchon - it more than lived up to my expectation of a great breakfast. I honestly think that I had the best waffles that I've every had in my life - sourdough, light but dense... And I ordered a side of bacon, and they brought something like an entire of PLATE of the stuff! Someone else enjoyed his meal as well!

After stuffing ourselves again, we left Las Vegas around 10:30 and booked it back to LA. However, we did bring a few things back from Vegas. The extra pounds that we must have brought back! And ta-da:

Extra goods from Bouchon! A blueberry muffin that was pretty damn good, some bread pudding thing, and a pain au raisin. I'd give two thumbs up, except for the pain au raisin, which needed more butter.

Overall, no complaints about the weekend, although it is funny - as we packed up to leave, a wish to stay a bit longer fleeted through my mind. Once we got in the car, however, I felt nothing but relief about leaving. I also felt exhausted - not that we had a crazy, wild time, but the constant stimulation of noise, crowds, people drinking, shouting, celebrating, gambling, shopping is a lot for me to take. Also, as we left, I realized that I had felt a bit like a lab rat - while we certainly stepped outside to walk down the Strip, it doesn't feel like you are "outside". The crowds contribute to a constant sense of claustrophobia on my part.
So, all-in-all a success. No gambling, so we didn't win or lose, which is fine by me, and we controlled any other impulse that the bright lights might have brought on!

Sin City: Here I come!

2011-10-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

I'm already prepping for the 24 hour visit that we have planned to Vegas - plopped down on the sofa, ice packs on my knees and a super dirty martini keeping me company! It definitely feels like Friday, and I have zero complaints about that!
Tomorrow morning, we'll head out on the earlier side of noon and try to arrive around 1:00 - perfect for a late-ish lunch. After we stuff ourselves (maybe at Bouchon if we are lucky), it should be time to check into our hotel and settle in for the afternoon/evening, during which we plan to eat and drink more. We will also see some family, the "real" purpose of this quick trip, so I'll have a bit of bonding time. Win and win!
As for Vegas, it is a bit like Whole Foods - a place that I love to hate, but for different reasons. The whole premise of the city is fairly disgusting, and I'm not talking about the sex, gambling or the historical gangster piece. No, I'm talking about the idea of building a city in a desert and draining resources of surrounding areas just so that the flashy lights, the canals and water shows, the pristine pools, and all the electricity pumping through can keep it up.
Talk about wasteful - that is definitely the bigger sin here.
And talk about hypocritical - I will definitely be crying into my drinks all night tomorrow!
While I think that 24 hours is just about the perfect time span to spend in Vegas, it won't give us the chance to visit my favorite part of that city: Red Rocks Canyon. It's actually outside the city, but almost worth a trip by itself.
Not, however, worth sitting in traffic on Sunday afternoon for hours and hours because I insisted on a hike to cleanse my spirit, tainted from the glitz and plastic fakery of Las Vegas. No, I'll take all of that grime back home with me, along with a possible hangover!

Student presentations + Running = Not a great idea

2011-10-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

After taking a few days off to rest the calf and the knee, I was determined that today would be the day: run, run, run! The weather cooperated for an afternoon run, so I tried to head out as soon as possible. The calf felt pretty good, ditto for the knee, but there was another major issue that I hadn't foreseen: my stomach. Now, I have a very high tolerance for food, and I trust my stomach to digest without too many issues. Well, apparently, it (my stomach) has its limits, and I learned what some of those limits were today.
In fact, they seem to come in the form of multiple taquitos/flautas, tacos de carne asada, cake and also a sketchy churro (just one) con chocolate. Now, this assortment of foods is not a part of my regular diet, but in recent days, I've definitely been eating more random 'stuff' than usual (yesterday, for instance, I ate empanadas, carne asada, tacos de pollo, tacos de pescado and sancocho, a stew thing).
Why would I do this to myself?
Definitely a sacrifice - the whole 'taking it for the team' concept. In this case, the 'team' would be a class project, the ubiquitous "food as cultural expression" experience.
While I felt a bit like the calf, fattened up for slaughter, I also thought that I had waited long enough between my last bite of a churro and that I could fly through a nice, easy run.
Ha! I did finish up the run, but not without having to stop a few times so that I wouldn't throw up while running uphill or down as multiple food stuffs sloshed around in my stomach and threatened, time and again, to do more than just "slosh".
I survived the run without puking on my shoes, so I'll count it as a successful venture on the trails!

Sunday ride - Instant cure for a foul mood

2011-10-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

After a week that was short (thanks to a 3-day weekend) but felt terribly long due to many after-work-obligations-for-work, the weekend finally arrived, and I couldn't have been happier. I/we had major plans: a longish bike ride Saturday morning and a longish run Sunday morning or afternoon. It ended up that we switched the ride and run which worked out quite well. I was, however, pretty pissed yesterday morning - we decided to do a ride around Irvine Lake in the OC (yes, we drive to ride and yes, I know that it sounds idiotic, but I do like to ride places that have nice wide roads, huge shoulders and rolling hills, and our little neighborhood does not offer these in abundance), but on the way down, about 30 minutes into the drive, I said "Shit, we have to turn around. I forgot the helmets." And I had forgotten the helmets. This is what happens when you have gear scattered throughout the house.
So, we scratched that plan, returned home and opted for a run along the Arroyo. I planned to run back home from our starting point, making it a 10-mile run or so. As soon as we started out, I knew that it wasn't going to happen - my calf was incredibly tight. Call me paranoid, but the last thing that I wanted was to end up stranded 5 miles from home (and no cellphone to call for a ride). So, I tried to content myself with a 3.5-4 mile run, but it felt pretty lame to me. What was even lamer was that I did not focus on the fact that it was a lovely Saturday and I had the good fortune to be out and about. Rather, I stewed in my negative mindframe for the entire run, and then when I got home, I obsessed about tight calves and bad knees, looking up every possible website on both calf issues and osteoarthritis (the back of my knee is bothering me again and I like to self-diagnose).
I decided to focus on the possible ride this morning and found a great route - a loop that would take us to some nice rolling hills and not much traffic. We set out, AGAIN, for the southland, and arrived at more or less our destination, which was shrouded in a very thick fog. I'm happy to call myself a light-weight when it comes to the whole bicycling culture, and this is just one example of that. Because it was a new and unknown route, I didn't feel super safe about biking in the fog. I cursed and probably would have stomped my foot, if I could have.
Michael, however, suggested that we head to the coast since we at least know plenty of routes in Newport and environs. We arrived in Newport and started to gear up. I continued to curse because it was rather chilly, but he told me "You'll warm up" - that was a nice way of telling me to shut the f-up, which I needed at that point. From Newport, we set out and more or less followed the route described here, which I found on the way to Newport.
Can I just say that the ride was AWESOME! We were along a bike path for part of it, which was beautiful, and then we climbed a bit, only to be rewarded with a lovely downhill. Nice shoulders and good roads for most of the ride.
Before heading back home, we stopped at A's Market, and treated ourselves to a scone and coffee. The scone was just what we/I needed - fat and sugar? Yes, please. I did start to crash as we got home, as my need for protein kicked in.
Fortunately, all of this erased the crappy way that I was feeling about the entire weekend. It's obvious that I need to adjust my attitude, but October may not be the best month to try to be all 'zen'. Maybe I'll tackle all of this in June when I'm on summer break?
Back to my Sunday afternoon - I do have to dedicate a few hours to grading and planning, but knowing that I had a great ride makes that so much easier. Here's to a good Sunday ride and maybe a great week!

An almost-perfect fall weekend!

2011-10-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

"Almost-perfect" is kind of a lame way to describe a great weekend, but considering that I did spend a few hours (not nearly enough) sitting on my butt, grading papers, it would be hard to say that it truly was a chocolate-syrup-topped-with-a-cherry type of a weekend. I'm now suddenly talking about sundaes, which have nothing to do with fall weekends. Not even metaphorically!
Back to the perfect part of the weekend - it actually felt like a fall weekend here in Southern CA! Not quite as much last year when we went to Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park and spent a night in one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. I am a sucker for the alpine lake experience, no doubt. We briefly flirted with the idea of a return trip, but homework for Michael called and grading papers definitely loomed over my head.
So, we stayed home and enjoyed a great 3-day weekend! As I said, there was something autumnal in the air, which is definitely not always the case here in Southern CA during the month of October. Often, the Santa Ana winds kick up and the temperature rises. However, a crazy winter storm mid-week put me in a fall-ish mood, and the weather - cool at night and warm but not hot during the day - did put my mind to a change of seasons. The Halloween decorations that have begun to pop up around our neighborhood and others also help contribute to that feeling of "fall is here!".
As for our weekend, we ate well, and we both worked a bit, but the best part of the weekend was spending time outside. Since we nixed a camping trip, I entertained the idea of a great hike, and that WOULD have been pretty awesome. However, I also considered our busy schedules these days and decided that a lazy weekend might be appreciated, especially by Michael, who has lots of late nights these days. Still, we did get out and about, and we took advantage of the good weather!
Michael has started to run a bit with me, which is such a new and different experience, in a great way. He doesn't identify himself as a "runner" (neither do I, for that matter...), but I think that he'll soon trounce me. We've been running the occasional 5K around the Rose Bowl, but on Saturday, we ended up on the Arroyo Seco trail in Pasadena. It's funny - I tend to run all of the horse trails that are accessible from our house - just a block or two away - but I almost never venture over to the Arroyo Seco. After our Saturday experience, however, that MUST change! It was a great experience, and Michael far preferred it to running around the Rose Bowl which does, I admit, get rather boring. We did a 3.5 mile run or so, and then he drove home, leaving me to hoof it back. The run home was pretty uneventful, although much of it was uphill - we're talking a few miles of lots of uphill pushes! I decided that if it didn't kill me, it would make me stronger. As I came to the end of my more-or-less 9 mile run, I thought "I can't believe that I ran 10 miles after a longish swim and bike ride! I'm AWESOME!". I almost never think of myself as "awesome", so that was a nice thought, brief as it was.
After Saturday's excursion, we ended up taking the bikes out on Sunday. I am embarrassed to say that it's the first time I've been in the saddle since the end of August. Crazy! Especially considering that the Tour de Colorado should have inspired us. It was a short but really great ride - my legs felt strong and fresh, even after my Saturday run, and there was NO traffic on the road, so I felt pretty safe. Michael and I had fun chasing each other - sometimes he would lead, other times I would lead. While we aren't biking enough outside, I could feel the results on the hills of the crazy-kick-ass spin classes that we've - not that I 'dominated' the climb, but I did enjoy the hills and felt strong enough to push myself, rather than just hold on until the end.
So, a weekend of good weather, good eats, and lots of time outside - I'll consider that a success!
Now I just can't wait for the next one!

The adult brain: Still learning

2011-10-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

After spending a few years of my adult life in the education field (such a lame expression, by the way), there are certain buzz words in the teaching world that we banter around, for better or for worse. A few of these phrases that came to mind this weekend were "teachable moment" and "life-long learning".
I'll start with the latter, considering that the years continue to move along and our brains, whether we like it or not, slow down a bit, not quite firing on all cylinders. I don't put myself into the geriatric group, but I'm aware of the need to continue to learn, grow and stretch my brain and also my sense of self. While life-long learning may include common concepts such as attending night or weekend classes, brushing up on language skills (oui, oui! which I'm not doing), reading a challenging book (that's also on my to-do list, but not currently happening), I also like to include other aspects of life experience that don't fit into an easy adult-education-class box. These vary from learning how to ride a bike with clipless pedals (shew - that was a long process) to adopting dogs and changing my life, to a certain degree, to accommodate them. On occasion, I like to do a quick inventory to check on my capacity to learn or not.
Last week, I did experience a pretty major moment of insight. After spending two different nights tossing and turning because of random work emails, I realized that when I'm angry, I tend to play super nice rather than show my claws and fangs. Instead of responding with anger, annoyance or frustration, I tend to default to the "just be nice" mode, which, I learned in a short span of time, is NOT really effective. Not that I'm going to become a major jerk and slam people with a scathing email, but I've now decided that I will wait until the next morning to reply to any tricky emails. See, the teachable moment at work!
Over the weekend, the learning moments were more reminders or confirmations rather than experiences of major self-enlightenment. We actually went out with different people on both Friday and Saturday night, perhaps a new record in my recent social life. I can revert to my more introverted tendencies when school resumes, but this reminded me that I like people (shocker, I know!) and that it often opens up my eyes and broadens my experience to be social. Friday night involved good Mexican food and strong drink along with said company, and on Saturday night we actually went to a music fest. Not that I've *never* been to a music festival, but I confess that it has been a few years. This experience was good and fun, and hit that learn-about-yourself note, or confirm-what-you-know-about-yourself note. I felt very uncool and middle-aged. WOW. The uncool part I knew and I can embrace it, but the feeling middle-aged is new and not exactly fun. However, I'm going to try to embrace that part too, since it is a sign of what is to come! Aging, more grey hairs, creaking joints. Okay, that's the negative - I know that there are many positives too! Being wise, for example.
Finally, despite all of the evidence that supports the idea of learning from experience, it never ceases to surprise me that I just don't learn some things. Or maybe it's selective memory? At any rate, year after year, it never fails. I survive September more or less swimmingly, and then October hits me like a ton of bricks.
So, yeah, that is where I am. Learning, sometimes. Not so much the other times.

Over already: the Dog Days of September

2011-10-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

September seemed to pass in the clichéd 'blink of an eye', and it is now October. While September is marked by highs and lows, as the school year begins, bringing with it the usual ambivalence - high hopes and excitement about the new year mixed in with some dread and also nostalgia for summer days. Forever the optimist (okay, not really), I love the beginning of most months, the promise that they hold, but October is particularly promising, offering up the possibility that the weather might change and I'll have to pull on a sweater or fleece on occasion. Probably the only time of the year that I find myself cringing at the beginning of the month is springtime, strangely enough.
The last week of September presented a bit of work stress which resulted in some very restless nights of sleep, or lack thereof. I did, however, learn a valuable lesson that most people already know: when I receive an email after 5:00 pm, I should not reply until the next day. Just wait. I also realized that I am so happy that I don't have a truly stressful job or life. I think that it would kill me, or I would be so sleep-deprived that people would just take me for a zombie.
September was also a bit remarkable in that we settled into very new schedule at our house. Michael is taking classes at night, so I find that the afternoons, after work, are packed as we try to walk the dogs, cook dinner, maybe go for a run or take a spinning class. When he leaves for his classes, I then crash out on the sofa and try to plan and/or grade. After a summer in which we spent so much time together, it is strange to be home alone for hours on end. The dogs and I have bonded, but I think that they still prefer their male 'food-giver' to me. And, despite my attempts to stay on top of my work load, I find it more and more challenging to do so. It *IS* October now and the piles of quizzes and essays have gathered, and I am inching closer and closer to that edge of "I-will-never-be-caught-up". Once I hit that point, I feel behind all year long.
Activity-wise, I'm still running but not swimming. Also, I've avoided any true cycling since the Santa Barbara tri. Lame, I know, but at first it was really hot and I wouldn't dream of biking in 90 degree weather, and now the days are growing shorter and shorter, especially as we try to accomplish so many things between 4:00 - 6:30 pm or so. However, Michael and I have continued our spin class addiction and maybe even upped the ante a bit. We have started to attend the occasional 90-minute Sunday class, which sounds like hell but is a great workout. Because it is longer, we don't push quite as hard, so I don't even want to puke during the class. Win and win. I do, however, have a new teacher/trainer crush. We had a random substitute for a class on Wednesday, and this guy, Ron, kicked our butts, making us do intervals for 45 minutes. He was INTENSE - from his general demeanor (kind of like a drill sergeant with crazy tattoos), to his style (not using the mike but just barking out commands) and even the music he played (nothing nice and "poppy"). It was both awesome and awful, but I'm now obsessed with attending more of his classes.
Finally, we've eaten a good amount of Mexican food throughout the month, and last night was no exception. We had a great night out on the town at one of our favorite Mexican places, Amigos, in Pasadena. Good food, a strong margarita, great conversation. What more could we ask for?

Do the right thang!

2011-09-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

So, every other year or so, I sign up for a CPR/First Aid class and then watch three hours of my life slip away, three hours that I'll never get back, sitting in a room with other people, playing around with modified dummies and masks. Sounds like kinky fun, I know! The worst part of the training are the baby manikins - totally weird:

Creepy, right? Source.

My major take-away from the entire experience is to call 911 on a land line! Attending the class also informs me of how much I just DON'T know about CPR and first aid. In other words, it reinforces my sense that I would be fairly inept.

So, why, then, do I put myself through these three hours of scintillating information?

On more than one occasion, I wish that I had extensive training or that I knew outdoor/wilderness first aid. In the meantime, however, despite my poo-pooing whatever I may or may not learn during the training, I actually do have some faith that I might know how to react in case of an emergency, even if it is theoretical knowledge at this point. Therefore, I might be able to respond appropriately. At the very least, I might stay calm and not freak out. At the very least, I'll know how to call 911!

And, the other thought is that this training, in one way or another, is some sort of social responsibility. Since I have the opportunity to take the class, with no charge to my person, I really owe it to myself, people I know, and even people that I don't know, to have this very general knowledge.

Whether I have to use it or not is another question altogether! Our instructor even said that he hadn't ever performed CPR on a person, and then he followed up that statement with "Thank goodness!".

To be honest, I hope that I won't have to respond to a situation, but I also hope that, if the situation should arise, that I'll know HOW to deal with it.

My jet-setting lifestyle: 25 hours in Boston

2011-09-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

So, I've now recovered from it, but over the weekend I took the red-eye to Boston from LAX, arrived Saturday morning at 6:00 am, and then hopped BACK on the plane Sunday at 7:00 am and returned to LAX around 10:00 am. In between those hours of travel, I attended a 40th birthday party - major celebration!!
An added bonus to the trip was that Michael and I spent Friday afternoon and early evening around Venice Beach, grabbing sushi before he dropped me off at LAX. It was bizarre, though, because I went from this:

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To something more like this:

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Both places definitely have their charm! It was especially nice to step out of the airport in Boston and reach for my fleece. The air had a chilly bite to it, and it totally felt like fall, even though the leaves had yet to change. It was nice to have that sense of being in the Northeast and reminded me of the years that I spent in Philly.

I flew on Virgin America, my first experience with that "hip" airline, and I would definitely pay more to fly the friendly skies with Virgin America again. The seats were small, but pretty much everything else about the flight was pretty damn awesome.

As for the 24 hours in Boston - it seemed crazy when I bought the ticket, but this is a friend from college whom I've known for going on 20 years (Yikes! That sounds like a lot of years!). I did not see much of Boston, except for the Jamaica Plain neighborhood, but I took a nice long walk through a pretty cool cemetery.

As for the party on Saturday night, it was low-key in all the best ways - people from different parts of her life, eating pizza at a great place called Bella Luna and talking about anything and everything - Lisa, kids, dogs, work, school, travel, racism, politics, aging...

After talking until late into the evening, I crashed and then woke up a very few hours later, brushed my teeth and headed back to the airport. Just a few hours later, I stepped out into the sunny, breezy Los Angeles air. It was a nice welcome back - and it sort of seemed that I'd never even left!

Trying the new and unknown

2011-09-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

I've decided that even though summer has ended, that doesn't (or shouldn't) mean that my spirit of adventure is quashed! So, while during the week, I've tried to transition to a more professional look these days, the weekends are still reserved for fun.
Case in point:

The first picture, obviously, is Day 1 - back to the grind! Don't I look like I'm miserable? I actually was pitting out my shirt because it was an unbearably hot day, but I did have fun being back in the class!
The second picture was taken on Saturday when I participated in my first ever "Mud Run"! Somehow, hanging out with a random group of really funny people and running (and crawling) through mud pits seemed like the perfect antidote to the whole "I'm-an-adult-thing". I will admit that I was nervous before the race - there seemed to be a LOT of unknowns. I was meeting up with people whom I didn't really know, so would it/I be awkward? Would I suddenly try to be competitive and be a jerk? Would I twist an ankle or tweak my knee as I scaled an 'obstacle' or would I just get stuck in the mud?
Michael, my trusty photographer, accompanied me, which went above and beyond the usual call of duty, but he's a winner like that. When we arrived at Irvine Lake, thunder and lightening greeted us - SERIOUSLY!? I could not believe it! Rain in September in Southern CA?! I figured that I'd be getting wet and muddy at any rate, so what did it matter, as long as the lightening let up.

Once our team ("We Got the Runs" - nice name!) started, the race was a blast! There is something joyful and childlike about running around, jumping over walls and crawling in mud. By the end, however, I was more than ready to exit the mud and shower off!

On our way back to LA, we stopped at Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs, a hotdog place in Orange County. That was a serendipitous discovery - as we were driving around strip mall hell, we luckily spotted a sign and it piqued our interest. A Chicago-style hotdog, a sausage and an order of fries later (Michael and I split everything), I was in a comatose state.
It must have been because of that comatose state that I fell completely asleep during the drive home and Michael ended up missing an exit and driving almost to LAX! I woke up to signs pointing to Redondo Beach rather than Pasadena.
Again, that was also a new and different way to get back to Pasadena (cough, cough)!
Maybe I won't always embrace the new and unknown, but there is something exhilarating about meeting a challenge head-on. Whether it is a new start to the year, meeting new people, or pushing myself physically, getting out of my comfort zone keeps me sharp and makes life more interesting. And while there are plenty of times when I'll opt for the familiar, I do know that I *need* to step out and greet the "known unknowsn" (thank you, Donald Rumsfeld) with open arms.
I will, however, happily return to the comfort of a shower (or two)!

Summer's end (Redux)

2011-09-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

My first "Ode to the end of summer", my last post, was pretty much an ode to my slovenly side, something that really doesn't deserve too much recognition. Also, I have tried to fully embrace this last day of summer, despite knowing that summer is expiring, sighing its final, dying breath.

So, I give you, in brief, our Summer 2011 wrap-up:

June started out with high hopes of adventure, which we put on hold while this guy dealt with a bladder stone operation:

He recovered before our whirlwind trip to the East Coast. In two weeks, I bounced between DC, Delaware (of all places, where I learned how to manage people, at least in theory), NYC, Rhode Island and Boston! We spent lots and lots of time with friends and family, and I suffered the loss/theft of my laptop.

Back in SoCal, we celebrated our 5th year wedding anniversary with an epic hike to "The Bridge To Nowhere". Soon, however, we were on the road again and in Colorado where we spent time in Allens Park, Boulder and Breckenridge, visiting with more friends and family. We also played a lot!

We collapsed upon our return to CA, before steeling ourselves for more family and friends - visiting US this time around! And I capped off the summer with my last feat of physical endurance for a while - the Santa Barbara Triathlon.

In addition to the rather intense activity of coming and going and going and coming, I read a few good books (like this and this series). It was, obviously, not the most intellectually engaged summer that I've had, but I feel okay about that.
I also spent way more time in the saddle than I ever had before, so I'll chalk that up to success. My bike and I are almost friends now, although I still don't understand him/her/it! Along the same vein, I attended many morning spinning classes, most with Rod, who is a total spinning guru. This morning, I attended my final class given by Rod, at least for a few months, and I wanted to die. Or to kill him. Seriously. How is it possible that I've worked hard all summer and I'm still a lame-ass in the saddle?! Okay, moving on...
Michael and I also discovered a few new loves. First of all, there is Umami Burger. It is, quite simply, amazing. I think that I could eat there every single week. That did not happen, and we actually haven't been there since (GASP) July. Must go back.

While in Boulder, we also fell in love with a few local products. First of all, there is this granola that is pretty kick-ass:

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We particularly like the sweet cranberry pecan flavor.

Thanks to our bus 'booze cruise', we discovered Avery Beer, and I am now obsessed and buy it whenever I see it in California. "The Reverend" is one of my favorites, and it has nothing to do with the fact that I feel like a naughty school girl when I drink it!

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Finally, there were a few other highlights that added to our summer fun. I'm a fan of summer sports events, but usually the non-traditionally American sort. This summer was a bit of downer, considering that a few of my favorites lost (Rafa, the US Women's soccer team), but I *did* enjoy following the Tour, and Cadel Evans is my new boyfriend.

On the food front, we indulged far too much in pizza and other less-than-healthy choices, but we did add to our own repertoire when we purchased a Weber charcoal grill. It has revolutionized our cooking/grilling experience, and most of our cooking this summer seemed to involve throwing fish, chicken or an elk/bison burger on the grill. Great fun, especially because we can look at the sky turn crazy colors as we wait for the food to cook. Lots of oohs and aahs!

This wasn't a summer in which we explored totally new and exciting places, but familiar stomping grounds were good to visit. Also, spending time with family and friends and bonding over beer or a Colorado 14-er (like Mt. Lincoln) enriches our lives and serves to remind me of the importance of those relationships. Finally, Michael and I enjoyed having time together. This is certainly a gift that we've tried to take advantage of the past few summers, knowing that his schedule may not always be so open.

So, tonight, while there will be some panic on my part as I freak out about documents and classes and students, we will definitely celebrate summer's last evening!

Summer's end

2011-09-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

I really should be working on my course descriptions, the syllabus for one of the classes, and general planning for the 2011-2012 academic year. Gearing up, in other words, for next week when the proverbial "rubber hits the road", and I am back in the classroom! See, this will be my experience:

Source

Okay, so my students are a bit older and don't look at me with such adoration. Other than that, my teaching experience exactly mirrors this photo!

(This isn't helping me at all....)

Obviously my summer has pretty much ended, so I need to get OVER IT. The greatest challenge as I transition from summer break to school has nothing to do with the idea of work. Surprisingly, there is that little rush that comes with being back on campus, returning to the classroom, and seeing students and colleagues again. It is quite comforting, in fact, to find that my brain cells still whirl along and enjoy a bit of stimulation.

The hardest part, for me, about returning to work is dressing the part. After 3 languorous months in which I lived, for the most part, in flipflops, Patagonia capris, Patagonia t-shirts and Patagonia dresses (slight obsession, I know!), I now have to return to the adult world, at least in terms of personal appearance. We had meetings last week, and I tried to cut a somewhat professional profile, but on Tuesday, it's D-day: Wake up early, shower at the beginning of the day, try to 'do' my hair and even leave the house with make-up scattered on my face. I seem to have slacked off on these sorts of habits over the summer, wallowing in dirt and sweat on a regular basis.

However, since I don't want to mourn summer's passing before that has even happened, I AM enjoying my weekend, damnit! We had totally blown whatever budget we thought that we had this summer, and we've continued that trend this weekend, eating out on Friday night, Saturday night and brunch today. Shameful, I know! I also just cut up a watermelon, which I plan to finish off by this evening, while indulging in my last "Law and Order" marathon viewing session (the whole DVR thing is terrible!). We should also eat the rest of the Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche that is going to be the last ice cream that we buy for the next several months!

Yep, that, in a nutshell is my summer: lots of eating out, lots of eating ice cream in, not showering, sweating plenty, and wearing flipflops.

Next week just might kill me!

Santa Barbara Tri (aka "I am SUCH a rookie!")

2011-08-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially over for me with the Santa Barbara Triathlon over and done with and an almost full day at the "office" today. Side note: I can't believe that Mondays now have relevance in my life. That's both a good thing and a bit of a downer.
Back to the race recap, however!
Like most things in life, there were positive and negative aspects to the Santa Barbara Tri, some of which had to do with the tri itself (the course, organization, etcetera) and others that had to do with me. From my end, it was a bit of an organizational disaster. This is where my rookie status totally comes into play!
First of all, I packed up all of my gear on Friday night, but Saturday morning I went through all of the equipment and had a minor panic attack because I couldn't find the timing chip. That was my first "Oh shit" moment. Fortunately, I located it - mixed in with my goggles and swim cap.
The other major mishap on my part was that I forgot my bike wedge (the little bag with important items such as spare tubes...). It was NOT with all of my other gear, and when we arrived in Santa Barbara, Michael dropped me off and I rode my bike down to the transition area, gear in tow, trying to arrive ASAP. As I was riding down the bike path, I realized that I'd left the wedge in the trunk of the car. If I'd had my phone, I could have called Michael and asked him to bring it to me, but I didn't have my phone and we hadn't planned to meet up until before the swim. By that point, there would be no way that he could get the wedge to me. Not having the wedge basically meant that if I had a flat tire, I would be screwed. Well, who was I kidding? Even if I had all the gear, if I had a flat, I'd still probably end up walking my bike back!
All of these details put me on edge, and then when I arrived at the transition zone at 6:20, they announced that we had 20 minutes - not 40 (!!) to be out of the area. Fortunately, despite my less-than-early arrival, there was plenty of room for me to rack my bike. As I looked at the other bikes on the rack, I felt like a kid with a tricycle who was going to try to ride with the big kids on their 10-speeds. Definitely a more competitive group than I experienced at Wildflower! Once I racked my bike and geared up in my wetsuit, I headed out of the transition area to the beach. At that point, it struck me that it WOULD be a beautiful day for the event, so I should try to not focus on the fact that I suddenly felt very unprepared to be racing for several hours without a break.
I also started to freak out because I couldn't find Michael. It was a fairly small race, but I just couldn't see him. I realize that I am an a adult and all that, but I do depend on seeing my one and only fan before a big race! Fortunately, he found me - he'd been on the other side of the start line looking for me there, while I'd been hanging out on the other.
After words of encouragement from Michael and a quick dip into the ocean before my wave started, I was as ready as I was ever going to be to go and I even managed a smile:

My wave, Women 35-44 started around 7:41. It wasn't a brutal start, thank goodness, and I managed the swim quite well. Here is my POWER start into the water:

The swim was, surprisingly to me, my best leg. Not in terms of time or anything like that, but I was super relaxed and enjoyed the experience! I ended up swimming the mile in 39 minutes which was about 2-3 minutes slower than I ideally wanted, but I wasn't the last woman out of the water into my transition zone. And that was pretty much my main goal!

Here is a smile for Michael who managed to position himself as I was coming out of the water and on my way to the transition zone:

As per usual (meaning, same as the last tri), my transition time sucked big time but overall the times were better than my t-times at Wildflower. To be honest, I don't practice transitioning, and I know the old adage "Practice makes perfect". Also, I definitely lather up with sunscreen, and to me, it's worth it to lose a few seconds or an entire minute to protect my skin. One major mishap in THIS transition - I put on my cheaper pair of sunglasses, proceeded to frantically get into my biking gear, and then stepped on my nice pair of sunglasses. After some muttering of curses to myself, I was out of the t-zone and on my bike:

There were things to LOVE about the bike leg - it was beautiful and the scenery was nice and varied with some rolling hills, some climbs, views of the coast and of inland chaparral, and it was fairly well-marked. It was, however, an open course, which meant that there were cars and other cyclists sharing the road, which wasn't a huge issue, but I did feel that I had to be on guard, especially with the cars. It ended up that I needed to be more on guard with the cyclists. As I was coming to the end and taking a left-hand turn with some speed, an idiot decided to ignore the volunteer who was telling her to stop, so she went straight and almost caused me to crash into her!

Small issues like that aside, I did enjoy the bicycle leg, and I did not have any bicycle malfunctions. For that, I have to thank the Tri Gods! Also, I tried to push myself throughout the 34 miles, and I even passed a few people! I ended with a time of 2:13 which, for me, isn't bad, especially considering that we had 3 good climbs, the last of which was significantly longer (over a mile) and hit a pretty steep incline.

Once I transitioned to the run (only 3:00 minutes for that transition - record time for me!!!), I started with a good pace but the main thought was "This is not fun." Despite the total negative mental sound track playing, I knew that I could pass quite a few people if I focused. I also managed a smile for Michael:

The run was along the Santa Barbara boardwalk and it was a straight out-and-back with just a few small hills along the way. It was also open to other 'traffic', same as the bike course, which was kind of annoying at times because a lot of other people were clueless or just inconsiderate (I'm so negative, I know!). I was pretty pleased with my pace, especially when I hit the mile 5 turn-around and it looked as though I would finish the 10 miles under 1:30. I also left just a enough in the tank so that I could pick up the pace for the last mile, although I definitely look a lot less perky than when I started out but I finished in 1:28:37 - definitely under 1:30!

I crossed the finish line at 4 hours, 29 minutes and 55 seconds. Pretty much what I had aimed for - 4:30! It was great to be greeted by my one and only fan and give him a big sweaty hug and kiss. Then, we loaded up and headed home! I was ready for my ideal post-race celebration: a cold beer, a huge sandwich from one of our favorite sandwich places (Dave's Chillin' and Grillin' in Eagle Rock) and some down time with our favorite old men:

Final "Hurrah" for the Summer!

2011-08-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

Like most of this summer, our (or my) final, epic "Summer 2011 experience" did NOT include too much sitting around and relaxing. Back in May, when I signed up for the Santa Barbara Triathlon, I, in all of my foolishness, thought that we could go up to Santa Barbara and enjoy a lovely weekend before the summer officially ended. The triathlon experience would give me an exclamation point with which to dramatically close the summer, but then we could hang out, chill, stay in a swank hotel and have some romantic time together.
As we blew our summer "fun" budget on unexpected expenses such as a new computer for me and major surgery for our dog AND as we found ourselves craving time at home to hunker down and get back to a normal routine, the idea of a long weekend in Santa Barbara held less and less appeal. So, when I started to make plans for the triathlon, we decided to go up on Friday and return Saturday after the race. The 3-day weekend extravaganza turned into a very brief getaway.
Even though my grand ideas were quashed, it WAS nice to get out of town. The heat is well in the triple digits here. While I don't want to complain about the weather since we've had a mild summer so far, escaping to the coast, even for a day and a half, felt like a reprieve. Also, Santa Barbara is a pretty ideal place to go for a day or so. It is close enough to LA that it isn't difficult to get there, but it also has a very different feel (mid-sized town rather than urban sprawl). Oh, and one more minor detail - the scenery is gorgeous with long stretches of coastline, great beaches, dramatic cliffs, surfers that you can see from the road.
We ended up leaving mid-morning which gave me the chance to get in the saddle for a nice and easy ride before the race. We both had our bikes tuned up, and I wanted to get a feel for the improved ride before the race. We coordinated our departure time so that we would arrive in Santa Barbara just in time for lunch at Taquería la Super Rica. Despite knowing deep in my heart that Mexican food on the day before a race probably wasn't the best idea, I couldn't pass it up. The food was damn good, and we left totally stuffed. I picked up my race info, attended a pre-race clinic that reviewed the course and the transition zone (good stuff for me to hear), and then we headed back south to our luxurious accommodations in Camarillo, a town known mainly for its outlet mall, about 40 minutes south of Santa Barbara. Friday night, we met up with a friend at an Irish Pub where I proceeded to stuff my face with fish and chips. Again, probably not the ideal meal pre-race, but I figured "Oh, what the hell".
While not, perhaps, the most relaxing way to spend the day before a rather intense race, hanging out and being social definitely focused my energy on something other than worrying about the race on Saturday morning. Looking back, it might have been better to worry a bit more about the race throughout the summer. Or, if not worry about it actively, then to be more focused about my training.
Hindsight, at this point, is 20/20, and while there are some aspects of the event that, if I could, I would hit the 're-set' button and try to improve upon the experience, but on the whole, it WAS a pretty awesome way to end the summer. I am now totally exhausted and my body HATES me, especially my thighs, but there is a great sense of accomplishment that comes after swimming, biking and running for a combined (and slow and painful) 4.5 hours! This was definitely one of those "learning experiences" that provided plenty of positives and negatives from which to glean.
I kind of hate to say this, but I'm glad that the tri is over, and I feel quite ready to leave summer behind and begin the 2011-2012 academic year!

Distance Swim Challenge!

2011-08-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

Before the summer comes to its end and I return to meetings (next week!), I have one final, totally selfish, "It's-all-about-me"moment. No, no, no, I'm already married, and we aren't renewing our vows anytime soon, so no Bridezilla moments.

I have something much more fun planned: The Santa Barbara Triathlon Long Course! I decided that competing in/participating in a tri would be a great way to end the summer and kick off the new year. I made that decision back in May, before the 2010-2011 academic year had even ended and the summer begun. At the time, it seemed like a brilliant decision, but as the summer months have rolled along and I've experienced some lackluster training mixed in with some pretty great rides and runs, I was inches from panicking. Especially after my really crappy performance swimming only 750 meters! A day or so after the deplorable swim/run in Boulder, I signed up for a 1.2 mile open water ocean swim. I know, kind of crazy deciding to swim over mile when I could barely survive the 750 meters. But, I thought that I would have time to train and motivate and it would be 6 days before the tri. I thought that if I could manage to finish the swim, it would give me the confidence boost that I severely needed going into the Santa Barbara Tri.

First of all, a little about this crazy swim...

The OptimisSport Distance Swim Challenge offers a nice array of distances that vary from 12.6 miles (seriously?!) to the much shorter 1.2 mile swim. I, obviously, had set the bar quite low at the 1.2 mile swim, but I was just fine with that.

I was somewhat nervous last night, but I kept telling myself 2 things: a. I didn't care about my time at all, I just wanted to feel strong in the water and swim. b. Even if I get exhausted like I did in Boulder, I can't drown because I'll be wearing a wetsuit and I can just stop and rest, bobbing up and down.

This morning was fairly low-key, despite the earlier than usual wake-up call at 5:40 am. Michael and I enjoyed coffee and breakfast and then we headed west to Venice Beach! Before we found parking and I picked up my packet, we had to make an emergency stop - I needed to find a bathroom ASAP. That has never happened before an event - not like that at least! The Venice Beach public bathrooms were definitely not the nicest, but I felt extremely relieved afterwards. I was also happy that I hadn't had that incident while swimming. I don't even want to think about it - gross!

As far as events go, this one was low-key. It doesn't seem that as many people get out for a swim as they do for run/walks! I picked up my packet which included a brand-spanking-new swim cap and the usual odds and ends (an energy bar, a drink, lots of pamphlets that promoted other events...), and around 8:20 or so I put on my wetsuit and then took a quick dip in the ocean. The water felt GREAT!

Here I am getting ready:

This is my "I'm-intense" look, otherwise known as my game face:

Anyway, our swim started at 8:45 - it was pretty casual and much less intense than the start that I experienced in Boulder. It took me a while to actually start to swim - I didn't go and ATTACK the waves ferociously! But once I started to swim, the water felt pretty great, no one kicked me in the face or grabbed me, and my strokes and breathing seemed well paced and normal. Mentally and physically I settled in to swim for about 40-45 minutes which is what happened. I don't have my official time at this point, nor do I care. All I can say t is that I felt good throughout the swim and even tried to kick it in at the end a bit. I probably did swim longer than the 1.2 miles because it is hard for me to stay on course when it is an open water swim that has bouys that are so far apart, but I'm fine with that!

Overall, it was an awesome experience, and I definitely feel prepared for the Santa Barbara Tri next weekend. Obviously there are certain issues that might affect the experience, but at the very least I feel confident about the swim.

So, swim, bike, run - here I come!

Colorado adventures - Summer 2011

2011-08-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

So, we've now been back two weeks, and I finally feel organized enough to review and reflect upon our annual pilgrimage to Colorado. We often find ourselves following the same routine when we visit Boulder, and although we hit up some of our favorite spots (Snarfs for sandwiches and Spruce Confections for coffee), we also tried to spend less time and money eating out on this visit, so we did not go to all of our favorite places. It also seemed to me that we didn't hike as much as we often do when we are in Colorado, but we did manage one epic climb at the end of our stay!

The focus of the trip was to visit family and friends, and we did spend lots AND LOTS of time with family and friends and varied up our visit a bit by spending two nights in Allens Park, CO, a tiny stop on the way up to the tourist hell that is Estes Park (we drove through Estes Park and then left immediately!). We took Gus and Milo and stayed in a fairly rustic cabin!

I also spent some time hanging around on the climbing wall! Michael's nephews were like spider monkeys as they scampered up multiple routes. I was a little less youthful, but I had a great time climbing! It was the first time in a few years that I'd climbed, so I didn't mind too much that my muscles tired easily. One thing that I love about climbing - you don't have to be an expert to enjoy the activity.

Another trip highlight - the "booze bus tour" that a group of us took. Here is our group, hanging out in the back of the bus!

This was after our Avery Brewery 'tour' - not that it was much of a tour of the brewery, but we did drink some mighty fine beers. I hadn't finished one of my tastings, so they let me take it on the bus where I finished it en route to our next brewery. I was obviously having fun and had started to feel the effects of the beer!

Michael and I are enjoying some liquid refreshment at the last brewery, Upslope.

And then there was the Boulder Stroke and Stride. Not one of my better moments, at least in terms of the swim, but the scenery was pretty beautiful. Here we are before the race - it's pretty casual.

I had a fairly strong start - I'm wearing the gray swim cap. I tried to ignore all of the people who were sporting Ironman gear (like the guy with the purple 70.3 cap right beside me), but that should have been a clue that it was going to be a competitive field.

Exiting the water after a slooooooow swim!

The transition! I would probably have a better time if I invested in a 'race belt', but I like being old school with the pins that hold up the bib.

The sky was pretty phenomenal - maybe that helped motivate me through the run?

Ah, almost at the finish line - with a nice downhill slope to push us along. That DEFINITELY helped!

Anyway, after lots of good times in Boulder, we went up to Breckenridge which is a mere 5,000 feet or so higher than Boulder! I thought that I had acclimated to the altitude, but the change in altitude pretty much destroyed that silly belief. The weather was fantastic in the mountains - chilly at night, and up to 70 or 75 max during the day. Perfect! We spent a few days in Breckenridge with my side of the family - aunt and uncle, cousins, and my parents.

On the penultimate day of our trip, we 'bagged' a 14-er thanks to my parents' request and/or insistence. A few years ago, they climbed up Mt. Democrat which stands at 14,148. Mt. Lincoln, another 14-er (or a mountain that is 14,000 feet or higher) is along the same trail, and they tried to summit BOTH in one day, which would have been an admirable feat. Unfortunately, the high winds served as a major deterrent, so they turned back. This year, however, they were determined to summit Mt. Lincoln, and Michael and I accompanied them, sometimes cheerfully, sometimes a bit more begrudgingly!

It was a beautiful day for a long hike, and we enjoyed some spectacular scenery along the way. Here we are approaching the trailhead:

This was early enough in the hike that I'm actually smiling, although I do think that the smile is a bit forced. The altitude was pretty tough - starting at around 12,00 and hiking a mere 2,000 feet UP.

At this point, we were on the ridge, approaching Mt. Lincoln, and it was COLD and WINDY! The views definitely helped, but I also focused on moving along so that I didn't get too cold!

But, we all eventually made it to the summit at 14,286! This is my third 14-er, and not that I'm a total peakbagger, but there is something rather thrilling about summiting a mountain. I believe that we felt more relief than any kind of triumph once re reached the summit. The descent was almost more difficult than the ascent (we were tired, it was rockier than I remembered and that was hard on the feet and joints!), but a hot bowl of soup and a cold beer followed by a nap helped me recover rather quickly!

Finally, on Friday, our very last day in Colorado, Michael and I managed to motivate ourselves to get on our bikes. This was the first trip that we had taken our bikes, and we both really enjoyed all of the miles that we covered in the saddle. We rode from Frisco to Vail Pass, a 22-mile round trip experience with a 1,600 foot climb. THAT was tough, but it was a great bike path and we felt pretty happy once we arrived at the pass:

The best thing about this bike ride? Once we started back from the pass, it was all downhill, obviously, so we cruised down and fully enjoyed the ride!

It seems that we just returned from Colorado yesterday, and in other ways, I feel that we've been settled into our typical routine at home for a while now. Either way, these photos do remind me of the good times and the mini-adventures that we had on this particular Colorado trip!

New shoes!

2011-08-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ah, it's either the end of the summer season or the new fall season, but no matter how you look at it, people are snapping up sale items or gearing up for the change in weather. My new shoes, however, do not fall into the school/work category. Oh, no, of course not! Why be pragmatic and actually think about returning to work and professional attire while I still have a few more days of flip-flops and t-shirts?

That said, I *did* go out and purchase a new pair of shoes last week. They were on sale, fortunately, but still cost a pretty penny. However, I am going to view them as a good investment, shoes that I will wear pretty much every week, at least once or twice. And so, TA-DA:

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I bring you the Louis Garneau Women's Multi LG MTB Shoes!

While I already owned a pair of cycling shoes that I've been using for spinning classes, the studio only has two bikes that work with my shoes and the cleats that they have (LOOK cleats, which are specifically for road bikes). So, for the past few months, I've dragged myself and sometimes Michael to the studio at least 15 minutes before class started so that I could ensure that I would be on one of the two bikes that worked with my shoes. Let me tell you, what should have been a stress-releasing experience was more often than not terribly stress-inducing because I would feel so pressured to arrive early and to GET THE BIKE!!!

Last week, finally, I broke down and bought these shoes with SPD cleats so that we can approach spinning classes with a slightly more relaxed attitude, at least in terms of our arrival. Michael and I both decided that this purchase probably lowered my blood pressure by a good 50%. I'd call that a healthy investment!

While I'm excited to not have to kill myself or fight with another person just to get the right bike, it seems absurd to me that I now possess TWO pairs of cycling shoes. Hmmmm... I consider myself someone who sort of "dabbles" in cycling, but as I amass more and more gear, I will eventually try to see myself biker chick, just like this (for inspiration):

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Errands, errands and more errands

2011-08-10T15:40:00.001-07:00

So, it's hump day! I believe that I now have 2 more remaining until summer ends. I know, I know, I can't complain, so I'm trying to blithely enjoy the waning days of August. Apparently, the newsfolk are calling it "FAugust" here because of the lower-than-usual temperatures. I almost didn't even write that because that might tempt FATE in a big way. You know, the Santa Ana winds will bite us in the ass in a big way come September and October.

Despite not being at work, I am actually trying to stay productive in one way or another. This week, since Michael has returned to work, I am attending to different errands. It's great to take care of some of this stuff now when I have more free time, and it almost makes me feel like a model wife. You know, running errands and tending to household matters.

On Monday, I braved the traffic to the West Side, made it to Venice and then waited while the RackSolid guys performed their magic and fixed our rack. Yesterday, then, I spent hours in the dentist's chair, as they cleaned my teeth and dealt with two small fillings. Half of my face was numb for an hour or so afterwards, but it definitely wasn't a deep filling so I didn't drool all over myself too much. I did make Michael take me out for a Happy Hour beer - we were at our 'favorite' local well with all the over-sixty-year-olds. Welcome to my life.

Today was MUCH more eventful however! First of all, I went to an 8:30 spin class that is taught by this really awesome instructor, Rod. He has to be in his 40's or 50's, and it's obvious (to me, at least) that he actually BIKES. Like rides outside. Because of that, he makes the spin class feel like a real bike ride which I love, love, love. He even uses visualization to motivate people: "You're going through a light and it's changing so you have to sprint through it!" or "There's a big dog chasing you up the hill!". Talk about motivation! The only down side to Rod's class is that I usually want to puke at a certain point in the class, especially when he makes us do lots of wicked intervals. Like today, of course. It was brutal, and then we ended the class with a sprint interval, high cadence but with resistance, and from there we went right into a climb - no recovery from the sprint! It was a brutal class, but I survived. I am definitely going to miss Rod's classes when school resumes.

The 'to-do' item up for today: Get the car detailed!

I swear, we've been talking about it for months, and once we returned from Colorado with our dog-hair infested interior and dead-insect covered exterior, we decided that it was time. Again, since Michael is actually working these days, the onus fell on my shoulders to take it to the car detail place in Pasadena and sit around for a few hours. Rather than sit on my butt the entire four hours, I meandered down to Colorado, where there were a few business establishments. I ended up at Starbucks (or Starfucks, as I sometimes like to call it) and ordered some frothy thing.

The best part about the Starbucks experience? I was wearing a t-shirt from Intelligentsia Coffee, a much less ubiquitous coffee purveyor that prides itself on the high quality of its coffee and on the experience that it gives its employees and customers. So, I ordered my frothy drink thing, and the barista took my order and then asked me "Do you work at Intelligentsia?!" I'm sure she was surprised that an Intelligentsia employee would slum it at Starbucks - it's probably forbidden in their contract. I must have ruined her day when I said "No." For me, it was a funny episode, and I thought about the headline "Intelligentsia employee secretly loves Starbucks".

But, if she had really LOOKED at me, she would have immediately known - I'm way too old and I have zero tats.

Still, it was nice to think that someone might think that I'm cool enough to work there!

As much as I'm not a Starbucks fan, I did enjoy hanging out there instead of the auto-detailing place. They did, however, clean and polish our car, so we have an almost-new looking, super snazzy Toyota Camry. Oh yeah!

On tap for tomorrow: A Costco run. I hope that I survive the experience and that I don't cave and buy 10 packages of potstickers!

A safe trip home!

2011-08-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

So, I can't believe that it's August 8! I know that this statement is a total cliché, but it does seem to me that the summer months have 'flown by'. I can't decide if that is positive or negative. I suppose it indicates that I haven't been bored too often, but I doubt that I win points for "mindfulness"!

Before the full Colorado update, I will say that we survived the 14 or so hour drive from Breckenridge, CO to the greater Los Angeles, CA area on Saturday. We know the drive well and can predict some of the dips and turns in the road. Overall, it's a beautiful drive, except when we hit Vegas. At that point, we are so close but still a few hours out, so the final push feels particularly painful.

Last year, we hit Sunday night Vegas-to-LA traffic which was HELL. The only thing that lifted my spirits was when we passed BMWs that had overheated and the bachelorette and her friends were sitting on the side of the road, looking grumpy and disheveled, not a tiara in sight. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person, but I really hate the whole "I-must-celebrate-MYSELF-for-twelve-months-straight-because-I'm-getting-married" thing.

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No doubt these mean-spirited thoughts do come back to bite me in the ass. Karma is a bitch, especially when you are on the road.

Karma, on this occasion, came in the form of a Yakima bike rack that fell apart on us while we were cruising down I-15. We heard some strange and inauspicious sound, and it seemed as though my door or window had popped open. I asked Michael to exit ASAP, which he did - fortunately we were close to an exit and could pull into a service station. There, we inspected the bike rack and realized that the driver's side of the rack had become completely loose. This wouldn't have been such an issue, except that we had our bikes strapped to the rack and the car was packed as it was. Fortunately, we squeezed the bikes into the backseat, once we removed the front and back tires. Our dogs weren't very happy to share their space with some bikes, but they only had to travel an hour with such limited space.

On our part, we were relieved that we hadn't lost the entire roof rack. Whenever I imagine that possibility, I have a mental image of our rack and bikes all over I-15. There would have probably been a huge accident to boot. I seriously cringe when I think about it!

Knowing how terrible the situation could have been, we were quite grateful to arrive home all in one piece.

We also learned an important lesson - bike racks are not infallible, and we need to check ours out at least once a year. The good news is that I went back to the rack store today (Rack Solid in Santa Monica - I totally recommend this place!), and they did not chide me nor tell me that I was going to need a new rack. They did have to replace a part and reinstall the system, but now it is as good as new. So, we are back in business, ready to road trip, bikes and all!

Goodbye Boulder!

2011-08-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

We aren't leaving JUST yet, but soon, very soon. We might have time to fit in one more ride tomorrow morning (fingers crossed). And if I'm really a bad-ass, I might go to the climbing gym at 6:00 am. Yes, it's crazy, but the climbing gym opens at 6:00 Wednesday-Friday or something like that. Only in Boulder, CO! I swear, if I lived here, I would bike in the morning and climb in the afternoon every day that I could.

We've spent tons of time hanging out with the family which has been pretty awesome. Thanks to going to the climbing gym with some of Michael's nephews and his niece, I even managed to build up a small iota of "coolness". They even said that they couldn't believe that I was a mean teacher. HA! If only they could see me in action. I have totally tamped down on my teacher voice and attitude over the summer, but I have few doubts that it will return as soon as I need it!

In addition to some nice rides on the bikes and hanging around looking like this (Source):

(Okay, that isn't really a picture of me, but I really did love playing around at the climbing gym. It was so much fun!)

... I also participated in the Boulder Stroke and Stride, a swim-run race, last Thursday!

I originally signed up for the 1500 meter swim/5k run option and was brimming with confidence until I arrived at the Boulder Reservoir, the race site. Suddenly, the 750 meter lap looked about twice as long as I thought that it was. Also, I had opted to not wear a wetsuit because the water temperature was quite warm, and that turned out to be a huge mistake. I learned a very important lesson: Wetsuits are not just to keep you warm! I swear, I've been swimming this summer, but just the 750 meter lap exhausted me, and my time sucked in a major way. Note to self - Wear a wetsuit when it's an option! I'm not sure if it was the swimming or the constant jockeying for position and having people kick me and elbow me, but I swam one lap and was out of the water. I couldn't believe how slow my time was - 20.45! Whatever, I was happy to be out of the water and transition to my running shoes. I had obviously changed my race from 1500 swim to 750 swim (which was totally legal - I just had to let them know at the end of the race).

Although I was glad to be out of the water and happy to actually pass people rather than fight in the water, the run still felt rather painful. I'd like to blame everything (especially the swim) on the altitude, but I ended up crushing my goal time of 24:00 minutes, putting me at a fairly respectable 8:00 minute mile pace. Instead, I pounded out a very surprising 23:20 5K and placed 2nd out of 14 women in my age group!

I did not know this until the following day, however, so I spent most of the evening obsessing about my crappy swim time and sulking. I love focusing on the negative!

All that healthy and active fun aside, one of the highlights of the visit was a "Booze-Cruise on a Bus" thanks to Banjo Billy's Beer Bus Tour. We went to 3 local breweries in this lovely chariot:

It was definitely a fun experience! My favorite brewery was our first stop, Avery. I liked everything there that I tried, especially some of their Belgian-style brews, and it's now on my list of top 5, maybe top 3, breweries. Sadly enough, Avery beer is not cheap, but I suppose that is to be expected.

We will be moving on tomorrow as we head to Breckenridge, CO to enjoy time with my side of the family and to cool off! We are looking forward to MUCH cooler temperatures (the high is supposed to be in the upper 60's!) and to a nice long and high hike on Thursday, if the weather cooperates.

Pictures will follow too!

Trip to paradise

2011-07-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

So, we are on the road again, but there is considerable less running around from place to place to place. Currently, we find ourselves in Boulder, CO. This is our annual or semi-annual trek to what is a paradise for many people. At the very least, people who are "into" the active lifestyle would describe Boulder as something of a Mecca. While I would be loath to put myself in the same category as anyone here in Boulder, I do understand and appreciate how friendly the town/city is to people who are into running, biking, hiking, climbing and other outdoor adventure activities. So, just like every time that we come to visit, a twinge of envy makes me want to leave my half-way decent job and all of that responsibility stuff and just move out to Boulder to become a really awesome biker, climber, hiker while I work at REI and/or a coffeehouse. Never mind the fact that I am pushing the big FOUR ZERO. I am absolutely certain that with time a company - or several companies - would sponsor me once I became super awesome. And I would definitely ride with this team:

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This is, of course, Team Garmin Cervélo, only the 2011 Tour de France Team Champions. They are based in Boulder, CO, as are a plethora of other teams and groups. I think that I saw one of their riders out today. Or it was just some dweeb attired head-to-toe in Garmin slogans riding a Cervélo bike.

Not only do I envy the people for their total bad-ass factor and their amazing lungs and legs, I have major road envy. Just this week alone I've put in around 40+ miles on the bike and might even put in another 20+ tomorrow. I consider it a good week in the LA area if I get 20+ miles on the bike! But it is so EASY here - the drivers are bike-friendly, as are the roads, with their super nice wide shoulders and bike lanes, as they ondulate through the countryside just outside of the town limits, offering great scenery that I can drink in for hours.

Michael asked me today on our ride, "Would you move just for this?"

Hell, yes, if I didn't have to worry about things like money.

In the meantime, I will pretend that I'm almost as cool as all these über-fit, active people, and maybe I'll appreciate my trips to this outdoor Mecca even more than all those geeks who just live here!

Celebrating a milestone

2011-07-18T10:47:00.001-07:00

So, Michael and I have crossed the five-year threshold of marriage! Exciting, I know! We've definitely had some excellent times in those five years and plenty of perfect days, and we've weathered a few trials with grace, on the whole. Michael now fully understands that he needs to feed me and walk me if I'm in a terribly grumpy mood. See, I'm just like our dogs!

We ditched notion of the romantic presents a few years back, settling a more pragmatic approach - joint presents. The bike rack for our 2nd wedding anniversary marked the beginning of that trend, and in the following years we've bought a tent and also taken a major trip (that was last year!). This year, our major purchase was FAR more exciting:

In case you were wondering what it is, we bought covers for our bikes. We will be taking them out to Colorado, and we thought that it might be nice to cover them for the drive. This way, they won't be completely covered in bugs! I know, isn't very romantic, but we're pretty excited about the 'bike defender', as it's marketed. I also cheated and did buy Mike an actual present - new cycling shorts! He's been wearing these really gross ones and hadn't experienced the wonder of a good biking short. He is now hooked!

In terms of celebration, we returned to our new favorite burger place in Hollywood on Thursday night. For a moment, I worried that it wouldn't have that "OH WOW" factor like we experienced the first time that we ate there. That, however, was not the case - we enjoyed every single morsel of the burgers and fries that we split (2 burgers, 1 order of fries). After dinner, we returned home and then these guys showed up:

If you've seen the musical Avenue Q, then you are familiar with "The Bad Idea Bears". They are little beings that come and fill your brain with bad ideas by making them sound like excellent life choices. They usually attack younger people, adolescents, for example, who decide to throw a huge-ass party while their parents are out of town and they are convinced that their parents will never, ever find out. So, in our own case, we didn't throw a massive party, but we returned home, opened up a bottle of cabernet and proceded to drink almost all of it. That kind of killed all of my motivation when I woke up on Friday, not with a rager of a hangover, but just low-energy enough that I didn't want to do anything all day except nap.

Fortunately, we did recover and bounced up early on Saturday morning - our actual anniversary day! We had a jam-packed schedule - morning hike with work friends and then head south to Corona del Mar to visit family for the evening. At a certain point in the day, I feared that we were trying to be too ambitious, but we managed to hike the 10 miles to the "Bridge to Nowehere", despite numerous river crossings thanks to the (it has been a VERY wet year). The hike took us here, the renowned "Bridge to Nowhere". More on that hike to come...

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After the hike, we sped home, showered, changed and headed south. We spent a lovely evening catching up with family whom we hadn't seen in over two years, and then Michael and I slept like the proverbial logs at their place in Corona del Mar. We woke up at a decent hour and headed out for a 25+ mile ride, from Corona del Mar down to Dana Point. Parts of the ride looked like this:

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The ride was great with the exception of riding through Laguna Beach - total nightmare on weekends, apparently! We experienced tons of traffic, jerks driving cars that acted as though cyclists shouldn't be in a lane, plus lots of pedestrians and tons of traffic lights. At one point, I actually thought that I was going to not clip out and, therefore, fall to one side because there was a red light and we had to stop on an uphill incline. It sucked! With the exception of Laguna, we enjoyed the ride - lots of nice hills but stretches where you could go pretty fast and a good road to be on. Parts of the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) even had bike lanes which was a total treat!

Although we didn't have a romantic weekend to commemorate five years of wedded bliss, spending time with friends and family and being so active that our bodies are in full protest mode (my arms hurt from hiking?!) seemed like the perfect way to celebrate this anniversary. The only thing that really could have improved the weekend is if the US Women's team had actually won the f-ing World Cup!

Well, cheers to us, and better luck next time to Team USA!

East Coast photo tour

2011-07-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

So, most of our time was spent walking, eating and museuming. Here are a few highlights that we were lucky enough to record:

Here we are in the National Gallery, posing for a couple's photo - I think that we managed to get more photos of the two of us together than usual! There is a trend to the National Gallery photos - Calder! They had the most wonderful Calder ROOM! That's right, an entire room dedicated to Calder. It was bliss - and so much fun! I was pretending to be one of his animals - a bull, to be exact.

After DC, we took the train up to NYC. Upon our arrival, a very unfortunate occurrance happened that made me feel like a total urban rookie. I left my laptop on the train, and when we went back for it (5 minutes later), someone had taken off with it. I cursed myself for the rest of the trip. Actually, I'm still kicking myself.

Anyway, we cancelled all of my credit cards, just in case, and I changed my account information for all of my on-line stuff, just in case. It was crazy - I was completely dependent on Michael for all of our expenses. Not that I had planned to go off on a spending spree without him, but the knowledge that I had ZERO purchasing power was strange!

After dealing with that, we wandered around the West Village which seems to have been populated by rather trendy stores like Polo, Juicy, Marc Jacobs over the past 4-5 years. Where did all of the cool, unique stores go? Ugh! We did, however, like this promotion for the New York Sports Club, a gym, obviously. If you can't read it, it says "Politicians, get in shape for your next scandalous photo". Too funny!

The first night in the city, we actually left the city, sort of, for dinner, meeting up with a friend of Michael's in Brooklyn at this amazing restaurant called "Vinegar Hill House". I want to go back - the food was so terrific! We enjoyed being in Brooklyn and experiencing first-hand some of the hype. I will say that this restaurant does deserve the rave reviews for its fresh, local food. Yum, yum. I'm still thinking about the pork chop and the salted carmel custard that we shared.
The next day, Wednesday, we spent walking all over Tribeca and Soho. I actually ventured out for a sweaty, sticky run along the Hudson River. It was kind of gross but felt good. Once we/I cleaned up, we headed out for coffee at one of my favorite haunts from my Philadelphia days: La Colombe, an incredible coffee place. They still serve their coffee in these wonderful ceramic cups, just as I remebered it, and my only regret was that we shared the croissant. I definitely could have devoured my own!

Post-coffee and croissant, we wandered around Soho, stopping in the Camper store, the Patagonia store as seen below (my dress was Patagonia too!). The most drool-worthy store of all, however, was the Soho Icebreaker store - or "Lab", as they call it. Talk about coveting absolutely everything they had in that store! No pics and no purchases, but that's the way it goes. I think that the loss of the computer was hanging over me, since I will probably have to replace it, sooner or later.

After a few more days of walking, eating, visiting with friends, going to musuems, we headed to Rhode Island on Friday for a low-key weekend that consisted of more walking, eating and visiting! The scenery was quite different from that of the big city, however. We both managed to get sunburned, but it was too bad, lucky for us. We/Michael also went fishing early on Sunday morning and managed to catch a blob of seaweed!

All in all, very good times. These photos don't really complete the trip, but they capture snippets of specific moments and memories. For Michael, who lived in NYC for 13 years, the trip definitely took him back, but it is good to know that he doesn't miss the city. And as much as I loved being there, the West Coast feels much more like home to us, and as I said in my last post, boy, were we ever happy to return!

Home sweet home!

2011-07-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

It seems that I have 'travel fatigue'.

So much for being worldly and "peripatetic". After getting up at 4:50 am to catch a train in Rhode Island into Boston and then taking the T to the airport and then flying from Boston to LA via Kansas City and finally fighting with traffic for about 45 minutes (not that bad, I suppose, considering that "Carmaggedon" is coming!), we were both MORE than ready to walk into our home, greeted by two ecstatically wagging tails. The trip was great but exhausting because we were on the move so much - DC, Delaware for me, NYC and Rhode Island in just under 2 weeks. It didn't seem overly ambitious when we originally set the schedule, but by the time Friday morning rolled around and we were on yet another train, this time headed to Westerly, RI, we both felt slightly frayed around the edges.

It wasn't just feeling that we were constantly on the move that exhausted us. When we returned last night, Michael identified that he was tired of visiting with people with his statement that he was looking forward to not socializing. I hadn't given much thought to it, but then I realized that he was right - for every single night of the trip, we spent time with friends and family (or I spent it with workshop colleagues). Don't get me wrong, it was lovely to see people and catch up - especially for Michael who was able to see friends from his New York days.

I think, however, that we both enjoyed a night to sit in front of the TV and watch mindless crap, eat a huge homemade salad, and talk about and to the dogs.

I also jumped for joy when we looked at the temperature as we landed at LAX - low 70's! I walked outside and almost kissed the dirty sidewalk because I didn't break out into an immediate sweat even though I was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt.

Oh, California, it is so good to be back! Maybe I'll even consider myself a true Californian one of these days.

Travels and a new bag!

2011-07-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the East Coast and happy July 4th to all!

Shew, it is HOT and HUMID! People said that it wasn't quite so bad early in the week, but today, around the DC area, the heat has picked up. I can certainly feel it, being that the LA area experiences such low humidity. Fortunately, there is plenty of air-conditioning too, at least where we've been so far. We will be in Rhode Island at the end of this week, so I have no idea how the heat and humidity at a quaint beach town will play out.

In the meantime, a quick run-down of the trip:

We left at an ungodly hour on Tuesday morning, waking up at 3:45 am. The trip was painless, however, and we arrived in DC's Reagan Airport which was a great place to fly into - smaller than Dulles and it offered great views of the DC monuments. My first thought as we arrived in the DC-area was "Everything is so green!". I forget that it does rain in many places during the summer months.

On Wednesday, I actually took the train to Wilmington, DE. I must admit that I love, love, love traveling by train, and I would say that the lack of trains in CA (and the West in general) is one of the major flaws of the area when compared to the East Coast. The train experience takes me back to my 20's when I lived in Philly, had no car, and went almost everywhere that I wanted to go by train.

As for Wilmington, DE, I spent 3 days, more or less, sequestered in a Doubletree Hotel at a conference for my annual dose of professional development. The hotel was fairly nice, but it was in the most random place - on the side of some crazy highway with nothing much around it. The conference/workshop, however, delivered the goods! I learned so much and had so much to think about and chew over thanks to the information and the discussions that we had. Before leaving for Delaware, I felt totally disgruntled about this conference that was going to interrupt my summer experience. However, it was AWESOME! I feel that it gave me specific tools as I begin to manage adults next year, and it also raised my awareness about current trends and ideas in education. It was also fantastic to talk to different people about their experience/s and schools.

Now, I'm back in the DC area, doing a bit of touring and a lot of hanging out with family. We've been to the National Gallery and the Phillips Collection, and tonight we'll go to the Mall area and watch the fireworks. I loved visiting both the National Gallery and the Phillips Collection - it had been at least 11 years since I'd visited either one of those museums. I was also happy to introduce Michael and his family to the Phillips Collection - they'd never even heard of the museum, and it really is one of my favorite museums of all times and places. It has a fabulous collection of art but also offers an intimate experience that is SO different from the usual experience of a major museum.

Finally, I must talk about my BAG! I decided that a new bag was in order for the trip. As much as I love the Patagonia bag that I've used for everyday purposes the past 4 years or so, I wanted something that less "sporty". So, I invested in this Orla Kiely bag that I found on sale:

Michael's snarky comment was "That looks perfect! You can lose lots of things in there." I did not hear him complain a bit, however, when I carried his sunglasses, wallet and our bigger camera all in this bag, along with two books, my own sunglasses and my wallet. Who's laughing now?

So far, the bag has served me well, and I am completely happy with the investment!

Daytripping for a Sunday pilgrimage!

2011-06-26T18:27:00.001-07:00

Yes, Sunday does seem to be the appropriate day of the week to visit some holy site. Yesterday, Michael and I were looking at a wide-open day and considering our options. So, after a not-too-early morning that involved buckwheat pancakes and a run, we loaded up the car - dogs and humans in tow - and headed northwest! While a drive to Santa Barbara (90 miles, give or take a few) seems like a long haul for a day trip, it IS a beautiful drive and totally worth it. Especially if you have a few choice places to pay homage to!

We arrived in Santa Barbara around 11:30, just in time for the line to not yet have wrapped around the block at Taquería la Super Rica. My first Super Rica experience was on the drive up for the Senior Trip at the end of the year. One of the other faculty members in the van suggested that we make a stop, and the other chaperone and I did not protest one bit. So we arrived about 30 minutes late - big deal? It was TOTALLY worth it. The food is amazing at this little place. Apparently Julia Childs used to frequent the taquería when she was in Santa Barbara. Who can argue with that? A fairly humble abode for such highly esteemed cuisine:

Source

Since that first time there, I've raved about Taquería la Super Rica to Michael, and apparently I convinced him that it was worth it just for a drive up. That's right - drive 90 minutes, eat some amazing food, and return to our corner of the world. It wasn't such a quick trip since we did have to wait to order and then wait again to pick up our food. Michael agreed, however, that the food was unbelievably good. Not heavily seasoned or sauced - just extremely fresh. I also think that the homemade tortillas are key. While I waited, I was enthralled, watching the woman pat out the tortillas, press them down and then cook them up. Anyway, we went with "La Super Rica Especial" which is just a big mess of cheese, pork and peppers. I've never had anything like it at a Mexican restaurant, and it's just all goodness. Since we had the dogs, we got our order to go - went to a park by a local school and licked our plates clean.

After THAT pilgrimage site, we headed back south and stopped at the original Patagonia retail store in Ventura, CA. We had been there once before, but we decided that we should return. This was the store that Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia and über-climber, surfer, outdoorsy dude, environmentalist, all-around bad ass, opened in 1970. It has obviously been upgraded since then, but the original shed where Chouinard made his climbing gear is still there. Seriously!

I was taking a picture of Michael and Gus and Milo outside the store, feeling like a huge dork, when this guy comes skateboarding down the street, stops and asks us if we want to go to the back of the store and see the original shed! I was surprised and felt like an even BIGGER dork at that point because obviously he picked up on my slight Patagonia obsession. I asked about the dogs, and he said, "Oh, bring them on back!". See, THIS is why I LOVE Patagonia.

Here is the lame picture that I took of Michael in front of the store:

And then here I am at the "tin shed" - I was so excited to be there! So were Gus and Milo!

After the excitement of visiting the (ORIGINAL!) Patagonia store, we ended up taking a walk on the beach and watched lots of surfers catch a wave or two. And as I'm writing this, I'm wishing that I could quit my 'real' job, move to Ventura, work at Patagonia and go surfing every day. Even though I don't surf!

A few notes on June

2011-06-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Life has slowed down to a fairly luxurious pace these days. My main question of the day is: do I swim before the water polo team practices or after? Usually it's after, which explains the lovely tan-line that is developing, despite my efforts to remain as pale as I possibly can (and that is pale!). Also, after weeks of procrastination, Michael and I got our butts back on the saddle after a month-long hiatus from biking (we do not cycle; we bike). The good news is that the Angeles Crest Highway finally re-opened after a massive mudslide dramatically closed it off about 15 months ago or so. After a bazillion dollars in repair, it's now a great place to bike, if you can handle the crazy elevation gain and the equally crazy descent. And sharing a fairly narrow road with lots of traffic. No super crazy rides for us - but we did gain something like 2,000 feet in 5 miles. That was painful on the bike!

A few other highlights these days:

- Gus is wearing the cone of shame which we find very entertaining! I know that we shouldn't, and we are mainly thankful that he has made such a great recovery. He started to lick the stitches and on Sunday, we noticed that two of them had come out. So, we 'coned' him. He doesn't seem to mind the cone as much as we thought that he would, but he does run into walls and eating is more of a challenge than he would like. He should get the stitches out on Friday, and then he will be a 'free man', more or less.

- I have enjoyed some pleasure reading these days, although I really need to crack a few more challenging books this summer to stimulate my brain cells. However, I would definitely recommend Just Kids by Patti Smith, This Is Water by David Foster Wallace, The Private Patient by PD James and am currently reading Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carré.

- Along the same lines, Michael and I are watching movies rather than TV shows (although we do watch an episode of Law & Order once a day thanks to our DVR). A few notable movies we've seen recently: Mother (not to be confused with a 1996 Albert Brooks film), is a Korean suspense thriller that was sharp, intense and quite bizarre at times; Flame and Citron, a movie about the Danish Resistance during World War II which was good but definitely not great and seemed to want to be a gangster movie at times; Dr. Zhivago, which definitely fits into the "epic" category, all 3 hours and 20 minutes of its sad, sad story; and last but not least, Barton Fink, a movie that I probably haven't seen in 18 years or something ridiculous like that and that I should watch at least once a year now that I live in the LA area. It is SUCH a great movie! Best Coen Brothers' movie? I'm still a sucker for Miller's Crossing, but this one might actually trump it.

- We enjoyed another weeknight out on the town with a family friend who also works in the "Independent School World". We ate mediocre Thai food and swapped lots of shop talk. There are times when I fantasize about quitting my job, but then these moments make me wonder if I could ever enjoy anything as much as working with teenagers, school curriculum and program development and talking about crazy colleagues!

- Mentally packing for our trip to the East Coast! We leave next week for a bit of a whirlwind tour of DC, NYC and Rhode Island. I am mixing business and pleasure as I do have a workshop to attend in Delaware, but we also plan to spend time with family and friends and enjoy the urban chaos of NYC and the peaceful sleepiness of a small Rhode Island beachfront town.

Out and about in LA: LACMA and Umami

2011-06-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

I've decided that this past Thursday marks the *true* beginning of summer, after several false starts. I finished up the "College-essay-writing-workshop" at noon, took my lucrative earnings from the 2-day event and went out on the town! It wasn't the most beautiful evening, but Michael and I enjoyed leaving our small corner of the world to head into "the city". Adventures awaited us!

We had tickets at LACMA (LA County Museum of Art) to see the Tim Burton exhibit. I'm always torn in regards to my feelings towards LACMA. Their Magritte exhibit, a few years ago, was pretty fantastic - maybe one of the better museum exhibits that I've ever seen, which says a lot.

Here is the entrance to the no-longer new addition to the museum - the Broad Contemporary Art Museum.

Before our viewing time (6:00 pm), we wandered around some of the other exhibits and took photos. Here is Michael, admiring the view of the Hollywood Hills.

And we finally entered the exhibit! I felt pretty un-Goth and not very artsy-fartsy. The best part of the exhibit may have been the entrance, as pictured below. The exhibit itself? I would give it a B-; the props from different movies were very cool, especially the glove with the scissors from the movie Edward Scissorshands. I admit that I am not a total Tim Burton fanatic, so that probably influenced my experience because a lot of the drawings/illustrations seemed fairly repetitive. It also annoyed me that there was little to no information regarding specific pieces - just general information about Burton's career that different rooms supposedly showed. You know, 'The early years" and then "Early successes"... Why not give more information about his influences? Very frustrating.

Still, I had fun posing for the camera here, trying to be scary and creepy!

By the time we walked through the Burton exhibit and also stopped by a few other exhibits that also lacked background information, we had built up an appetite. Museuming is hard work! We did have time to stop by the La Brea Tar Pits, where they portray a woolly mammoth perishing while a baby looks on. It is a tragic scene, and I shed a tear or two.

So, dinner...

We tossed around a few ideas - tacos, French bistro, sushi... And then a brilliant idea occurred to us: Umami Burger!

Umami Burger is an LA chain that opened up a few years ago. A friend told us about her experience eating there, and we would occasionally think about eating there, but then another place would take priority. Thursday night, however, seemed to be the perfect opportunity for the Umami experience. We headed to the restaurant on Hollywood, the space that used to be Cobras and Matadors, an old favorite tapas restaurant of ours until they changed their menu and raised all of their prices. It went under, and Umami Burger opened up in that space.

The crowd was typical Silverlake - very young, urban with lots of tats. Again, I felt pretty conservative and boring with my fleece.

We each ordered a burger - Michael got the Umami burger, the signature burger, obviously, and I ordered the port and stilton burger. The restaurant chain has quite the buzz because they make high-end burgers and don't let the customer make ANY substitutions. It's also responsible for making the word/concept "umami" as part of the LA vernacular. I had no idea what umami was before our friend told us about the place. There isn't an easy definition, but generally it means "the fifth taste".

At any rate, the burgers were amazing! Michael took a bite of his burger, looked very serious for a moment, and then proclaimed "This is the best burger I've ever eaten.". I challenged him, so he then backtracked a tad and said that it was ONE of the best burgers he'd ever had. I have to admit that his burger had just a small edge on mine, but they were both excellent. The total experience was pretty blissful, and we are already trying to plan another visit to Umami Burger!

End of the year and thoughts on summer

2011-06-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

Before I begin to ramble on - Gus is home and seems to be MUCH better! Poor guy. We are so happy that he is back with us and that he is clearly better than he was over the weekend.

Now, back to the 'real' post...

There is that ubiquitous quote "A picture is worth a thousand words" which at times is true and other times is just a cliché. However, I might agree with that saying when I consider the following photo:

Don't I look so academic? Graduation is now over a full week in the past, but only just now do I feel ready to embrace summer and the opportunities that it offers. Before I move to that topic, I will briefly sum up the school year as one of the best I've had in terms of teaching and administrating (what an awful verb, by the way.... "to administrate". I suppose that "to administer" sounds slightly less managerial and uptight and opens up to a wider variety of meanings, but I really do mean "to administrate"). Leaving the administrating thing aside, I had a GREAT time in the classroom with my students this year. They were funny and sharp, and I felt quite lucky to walk into the different classrooms every day.

The end of the year has sort of rolled to a sputtering stop with all of the meetings that we had last week (and a few that continue to this week). Also, I find my thoughts already wandering to next year. It will be a year of changes and transitions. Different classes to teach (although many of the same students from this year), a new administrative position and a change in office. I have spent a few hours this week packing up my current office, a process that I've made easier by trying to toss out as much junk as possible. I also agreed to help with a "College-essay-writing workshop", a commitment that I almost regret now. It is a short workshop, just two days, fortunately because I have a group that is reluctant to talk and/or reflect.

In other ways, however, I definitely feel summer's pull: Michael and I spend our evenings watching movies until the late hour of 10 pm, we went to an 8:30 am spinning class today, and I am about to sink my teeth into a PD James mystery that I expect to finish by tomorrow. At the very latest. Life is not bad!

There is, however, a brief moment of panic that sets in when I consider the days that stretch out before me. On the one hand, I wonder how to fill my time in a meaningful manner. Usually, I try to schedule summer school, professional development and plenty of other 'growth' activities that will make me feel like a productive member of society. Last year, for example, the day after our last meetings, I left for a conference, and then when I returned from that, I started teaching summer school immediately, and then Michael and I had a rather epic trip. This summer, while I do have one workshop scheduled, it doesn't seem overly intense, and the same can be said for our travel schedule. I believe that the free time that looms ahead scares me just a bit. Again, the thought "How to fill this time meaningfully" jangles around in my head.

And maybe that is the point? It will be an interesting experiment to see how happy, relaxed, or uncomfortable I feel with so much free time and a more open summer schedule.

Summer's delay!

2011-06-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

Seemingly...

Of course, if we consider the 'true' calendar definition of summer, June 21 or something like that, then there is no delay. However, I wrapped up my last day of meetings on Wednesday and fully expected to bounce out of bed on Thursday, wiggle my toes, and suddenly feel the thrill of summer as it unfurls.

There have been a few glitches in this idealized world of mine, however.

First of all, I do still have some work that I need to focus on. I finished up one or two items on Thursday and even had a phone call from work to me at home (WTF?!). This next week, I will help out with a workshop, and eventually I have to pack up my office so that I can move to another space. Joy oh joy!

Then, there is the case of the weather. While I understand that other parts of the country are suffering through record heat and I have no grounds for complaints, the "June gloom", typical of this time of year, has NOT been burning off by mid to late morning. Instead, it hugs tight to the San Gabriels until about 4:00 or 5:00 pm. These gray days leave me feeling seriously unmotivated to bike or hike!

Finally, we've had a serious household crisis around here in the form of one of our dogs' health. We adopted two mature dogs a few years ago, so we knew what we were getting into, more or less, in terms of many years together. However, that knowledge really didn't prepare me for the reality of dealing with a major health scare. After 2 trips to the vet in 24 hours, our dog Gus is feeling somewhat better, but we will be taking him to clinic again on Monday for surgery which we hope will be uncomplicated. This incident has scared Michael and me, and I've shed plenty of tears because of worry, panic and assuming the worst. Gus has stones in his bladder, but one has blocked his urethra, more or less, and that has made this a much more serious situation than it would be. He is on major pain pills and to describe him as "low energy" would be an overstatement. Somehow, his low energy seems to have infected the entire house - we are all on alert, in one way or another, and I feel like talking to Michael only in whispers so that we don't disturb poor Gus.

The surgery also postponed/cancelled a random trip that we had hoped to take as a summer opener. We first planned to go to Utah and hit up Zion and/or Bryce National Parks. Then, after much discussion, we scratched that idea and settled upon the Channel Islands. We even had reservations for a campsite, a boat ride and a kayak. This little trip is on permanent hold with Gus's surgery. As Michael said, the islands will always be there.

As for Gus, I'm more than happy to play nurse for him to make sure that he is as comfortable as he possibly can be.

Here he is, in more spry spirits:

Hanging out en casa...

This is "Gus the Flying Nun". Michael likes to dress him up on occasion!

Chilling on the sidewalks of Boulder, CO!

Signs of summer

2011-06-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

There are definite indications that full-on summer mode is just a day or two away! Some of the more obvious choices to mention include graduation on Sunday night, finishing up grades for the year, and rather suddenly finding myself with such an inordinate amount of free time that I can take random naps (like today) and drink martinis on weeknights (like last night). I do still have plenty on my plate for the next few months - it's a myth that teachers take the summer completely off. Another sign of summer I could mention is "June Gloom", that strange LA weather phenomenon that almost makes me wish for a heat wave.

However, I would like to mention a few signs in my own life that indicate that summer is pretty much here. This isn't a top 10 list, although if I ramble on too much beyond that, then I'll condemn myself for self-indulgence. Here goes:

1. Sleeping in just a little bit!

I know that 6:30 am doesn't sound terribly luxurious, but giving myself the extra 45 minutes on a regular basis feels quite indulgent!

2. Along the lines of sleeping in, walking the dogs in the morning.

Michael claims that task during the work-year, so it feels like quite the treat to stroll through the streets and horse paths with our dogs. It tends to be more fun than the afternoon walks too because the squirrels are out and about, so Gus and Milo are usually very excited during the morning walk.

3. Lunch at home.

I love being able to spend the time to make a nice lunch en casa. That also feels like a luxury! So far this week, I've made scrambled eggs with feta and spinach and also open-face cheese sandwiches.

4. Moving all of my work shoes to the back of the closet!

Seriously, I just have open-toed and casual shoes strategically placed, while all of my other shoes are crammed in the back. I hope to not touch them for 3 months. Actually, I can say the same for all of my work clothes. I've banished them for now!

5. Beginning a summer reading list.

My reading habits have suffered greatly over the past two months, so I need/want to kick into gear. I am finally finishing up "Just Kids" by Patti Smith and am more than ready to move on to something different.

6. Fruit!

One of the pluses of living in Southern CA is that we do have good fruit year-round, but there are certain items that make their annual come-back around this time of the year. So far, I have eaten at least 3 watermelons by myself and a few pounds of cherries. Yes, it is summer indeed!

7. Ice cream?

I confess that I do like ice cream, but Michael and I try to control what could easily become an addiction by leaving our house free of ice cream. Somehow, that understanding has shifted, and I've been purchasing lots of Haagen-dazs ice cream for our consumption. Yesterday, I decided that enough was enough, so I bought Dulce de Leche frozen yogurt. I believe that we finished the pint last night!

There are more formal plans for the summer, but these are a few of the everyday joys that I've encountered now that classes have officially wound down. Yes, summer has definitely arrived!

Sacrificing myself for the job!

2011-06-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned, I returned from the camping trip with major windburn issues. My face was bright red, felt raw and stung, and was dry and peeling in a weird way. I am not a high-intensity lotion person, so I used what I have around the house, but it didn't seem to relieve many of the symptoms. Fortunately, by Saturday, my skin felt and looked almost normal.

Good thing, because I had to attend the Baccalaureate ceremony that night, and I preferred to not schmooze with parents looking too rough around the edges. In fact, by the time I set out, I looked half-way presentable and even wore a pair of black patent heels. A few parents complimented me on my pants which fall into the "dressy" category. That means that I pull them out of my closet about twice a year. I found myself very appreciative of these pants by the end of the evening because my zipper was down while I spoke to a small group of 400 parents and students, but no one noticed. Thank God because I would have resigned on the spot if it had been obvious.

By the end of the evening, my feet were killing me, and I had blisters on both of my feet, near the heel. This could have presented a problem yesterday when I had to dress up YET AGAIN. Having to look dressy and professional two days in a row? Talk about a sucky weekend! Don't get me wrong - I love clothes, but I gravitate to my Chaco or Dansko sandals, easy knit dresses, Patagonia t-shirts, sweaters and fleeces... Yesterday, I put on a mini-fashion show for Michael before he finally approved a silk dress and slingback sandals for graduation. Not that it really matters what I wear since we spend most of the evening in the obligatory cap and gown, but I did want to look presentable before and after (especially for the after-party for faculty and staff! Tons o' fun!). So, all was well, until the end of the evening by which time I had developed terrible blisters on the front of my foot! Seriously, my shoes hate me, or my feet hate my shoes.

Fortunately, I am home today, and moleskin is covering my entire body as I try to recover from the demands of the last week.

Need I say that I am so ready for summer?!

Hello to June!

2011-06-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

So, May seems like a blur at this point, marked by two rather epic events for me (Wildflower Tri and Mt. Wilson Trail Race). In between those fun challenges, reviews, exams, and plenty of end-of-the-year prep filled my time. I "celebrated" the arrival of June here, at El Capitan State Beach, north of Santa Barbara:

Source

Beautiful, right? I know that it's a professional photo, but it really is one of the most beautiful places in CA, although there are lots of those "one of the most beautiful places" around here! Anyway, from Tuesday to yesterday, I woke up and could see the blue of the Pacific Ocean as I stuck my head out of my tent, and I participated in activities such as surfing (I even stood up on the board for a millisecond!), kayaking, yoga, a sunset hike, and several walks to the beach pictured above, and enjoyed beers and conversation around a campfire! It sounds like a total retreat, right? As if I were at a spa for a few days to rejuvenate...

Well, I also ate off dirty plates by the second day (impossible to really clean plates while camping), drank bad coffee, endured crazy winds thanks to which I am now suffering from wind burn, wore stinky clothes and felt grimy in general... Oh, and I was there with about 100 angst-ridden teenagers. Okay, not really angst-ridden, but yes, 100 teenagers.

Ah, good times - the annual Senior Trip. And then I returned yesterday and picked up exam packets, which I have yet to touch but really need to power through so that I can turn in grades on Tuesday.

Doesn't my life suck?

Just kidding!

The trip with the kids really is in a stunning part of the world, and we do enjoy some amazingly fun activities. This year, the kids were GREAT and there was limited drama, to my knowledge, and no injuries, which counts as a minor miracle (injuries = time in ER for chaperones). The wind was a bitch, but overall, I would call the trip a success. It does mark one of those final moments of the year, and for the seniors, of their high school experience, and can be a time for the students to hang out with friends and classmates and bond and maybe even reflect on the "high school experience". For the adults (the chaperones), we also hang out and bond and enjoy time with students and colleagues.

Still, I can't describe my happiness when I walked down our street and was welcomed by our wonderful dogs and Michael. A massage, a shower, pizza and a great night's sleep in a bed have made me feel pretty much back to normal.

Now, I just need to make it until Wednesday, the final day of meetings, and then the true celebration of summer's arrival can begin!

Mt. Wilson Trail Race - A decision made over margaritas!

2011-05-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

It seems that drinking margaritas often emboldens me to make decisions that my normal, fairly pragmatic self would never make. First case in point: a few years ago, while drinking margaritas with Michael in a foreign country, we decidedthat it would be a great idea to get married. Almost five years later, I definitely count that as the best decision of my adult life, and almost every time I raise a salted rim to my lips, I make a silent toast to that cactus juice queen, tequila.

Source

The most recent occasion in which tequila played a central role in an inspired decision was this past week. Michael and I met some friends/colleagues (another couple) at a Mexican dive in Pasadena. The guy in the relationship is an avid outdoorsy person and is quite the runner; the female is also a runner, but she and I share very similar woes - ACL surgery and some issues post-surgery. Anyway, it's now a tradition for them to run the annual Mt. Wilson Trail Race which takes place over Memorial Day weekend. I originally wanted to run the Mt. Wilson race, but then I had my months of major foot/knee injury this past year, so the date came and went and the race filled up. After talking to them about the race on Tuesday night and listening to their encouraging "You should do! Yeah, yeah, yeah!", I woke up around 5:30 am on Wednesday morning and ran up a brutal hill. That was my condition - if I could force myself to get up and run more or less 2 miles up an ass-kicker of a hill, then I would show up Saturday morning for the race. I don't know if many people have seen the musical "Avenue Q", but this musical mentions these little figure called "The bad idea bears" that come to you when you've been drinking and they make you think that a horrible idea is a really great idea.

That was kind of how I felt yesterday morning when I arrived in Sierra Madre, CA, a lovely little hamlet in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains. The Mt. Wilson race is apparently the second-oldest trail race in the country, started in 1908. I arrived without a number, but hoping that a cute new haircut and my sad eyes would convince the race director to give me a number. Or that one of the few 300 racers wouldn't show up and then I could run as he/she. No dice - the race director held firm and encouragingly said that I could sign up for next year's race in February.

Well, I had not dragged my ass out of bed at an early hour on a holiday weekend only to be turned away so easily. Rob said that a friend of his ran the race illegally last year, so I determined that I would jump in the race just a few blocks up. Which was exactly what I did - when I saw Hilary, I started to run behind her. After running around a bend, we suddenly transitioned from a street to a road and then trail. This was my first trail run experience, and I had no idea what to expect, although I knew that it would be an "experience". Hilary even called it 'terrifying', yet here I was, running it not even for a time or photos but just for fun. As the trail lost NO time in ascending swiftly, I decided that I was certifiably CRAZY. Somehow, a 2,000 foot climb in 4.3 miles seemed like an impossible task, but turning around was equally daunting because we were running single-file. At times, the trail widened and other times it almost seemed too narrow for one person, and the thought of a misstep and a fall did make me shudder on several occasions. Meanwhile, the climb up, up, up was fairly relentless, but once I passed the 2.3 mile marker, I thought that I could probably make it the rest of the way. It was a joyful moment when I reached the turn-around and the boy scout troop (no idea what number) cheered me on and told me "Run around the pole! Run around the pole!". I happily ran around the pole and then headed down, down, down.

While the ascent was often broken up with periods of walking on my part, the run was terrifyingly fast as the mountain seemed to pull people down at a lightening fast pace. I felt that I was racing along, but it seemed that all the people whom I had passed on the way up just flew by on the descent. I was more than happy to let them pass at that point. Again, the idea of falling and flying off the mountain held little appeal to me!

It was a great run down though, and it felt strange when my feet transitioned from trail to pavement. I ran most of the way towards the finish line, and when I was two blocks out or so, I ducked off the street and hopped on the sidewalk, slowing my pace down to a walk. If I had officially run the race, I would have finished in about 1.41 or so, which seems slow for an 8.6 mile run, but then when I throw in the 2,000 feet up, that sounds like a much better time! As usual, when I was finished, I felt so elated! It was also great because I did know 4 other people running, so I enjoyed cheering for the 2 people I knew who came in after me, and also clapping and shouting for other individuals who were finishing. I rarely hang out at races as a spectator, but I do know how it lifts the spirit to have people, even if they are strangers, cheering you on.

I would definitely call the Mt. Wilson Trail Race an "experience". Like Hilary said, there are moments that are terrifying, especially when the racers in the front start to come down and what is a trail for 1 person suddenly becomes a two-way thorough-fare. My body feels pretty wrecked today - sore in placed that I would have never expected, like my neck and shoulders - but I have no regrets about it and would love to run it legitimately next year!

Finally, no photos of me, but here is a placard of the trail that is posted up in downtown Sierra Madre:

Source

Finally, that was a crazy 'first' for me - not only was it my first time on the Mt. Wilson trail, but this also counts as my first trail race, and I might officially be hooked!

The end is near!

2011-05-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

I realize that "The Rapture" was supposed to happen last Saturday, but no such luck. In my own school calendar world, however, the end does not refer to an apocalyptic event but to that final day when the campus is final free of children, big and small, and we (the faculty) can finally exhale. There are different ways to measure "the end" - is it graduation? The last day of meetings?
Personally, I will exhale on Sunday, June 4, around 9:00 pm. At that point, graduation will have concluded (nice use of the future perfect tense! How often does that happen?), the students will hopefully be on the bus, and then I will wave goodbye to them as the bus doors close and the buses pull away. And then, at that point, the students no longer in my charge. At that point, I will go to the faculty gathering and drink wine and eat lots of coconut shrimp, if there are any left.
In the meantime, yesterday was the last day of classes, and I have my final review session with my intermediate students today in about 30 minutes. They have been GREAT classes. This year, rather than spending the entire final week or two reviewing, I assigned a project. Now, almost any teacher will tell you that the IDEA of a project is often better than the final product. I had major doubts about this project as the students waded into it, and I began to regret that I had not given them more review days. Suprisingly, the final projects were excellent! They were fake news reports; many of the students took a current event and then totally embellished it. One student had me rolling in the aisles of the class with laughter thanks to the "infomercial" for "Bigote en una lata" (Moustache in a can) that he included in his news report. It was actually a great way to end the year with these students.
In the meantime, I am quite excited about the holiday weekend. Major plans abound!