Coupon post!

It's been a while since I wrote a good coupon post! But I picked up a few things today and needed some blog material, so here goes.

It was Super Doubles week at Harris Teeter - all coupons double in value up to $2. So a $1 coupon takes $2  off the price, a $2 coupon takes $4 off the price. There are some great deals to be found during Super Double week!

This type of trip really only works under a few conditions:

1. If the deals are amazing
2. If it's economically feasible to make a whole trip for five items
3. If you're sure you can get in and out of the store with no impulse buys

For me, having the store only about a mile away and spending hardly anything in gas (love my scooter!) makes these trips worthwhile. Accumulating three or four things on the VERY cheap for my stockpile works better for me than making massive trips where I'm purchasing bags and bags of items.

But yeah, you have to be willing to make a trip to the store to get those couple things on rock-bottom prices. For me, today, two things made this trip worthwhile: the low price on the multi-vitamin (they work best when you take them continually so I snap them up on sale whenever I can) and the low price on the Wisk (I'm low on laundry detergent and refuse to pay $11.99 and up for full price!)

Here's the breakdown (all coupons double):

Wisk: $6.99 reg/$3.99 sale - $1 coupon = $1.99
Satin Care shave gel: $3.29 reg/$2.79 sale - $1 coupon = $0.79
Natural Instinct hair color: $8.49 reg/$6.99 sale - $2 coupon = $2.99
Advil LiquiGels: $5.19 reg/$2.99 sale - $1 coupon = $0.99
One-A-Day Women's: $7.29 reg - $2 coupon - $3.29
TOTAL (full price) = $31.25
TOTAL (sale prices) = $24.05
TOTAL (after coupons) = $10.05

That's a great savings and all things that I really needed (but will NEVER pay full - or even sale - price for!)

Acclimatizing

Having grown up in the frozen north I have had a difficult time adjusting to the hot, humid summers here in the (technical) south. Every year I vow to do a better job - not to wimp out running, to get over my insecurity and wear sleveless singlets, to embrace tank tops. Last year I had no choice but to run through the worst of the 100+ degree days because I was training for the 200-mile Ragnar Relay.

This year I'm not training for an event but I do intent to keep up my mileage. I'm taking a new approach to acclimatization - less air conditioning! I think sometimes I have a hard time adjusting to the heat because I'm constantly going from a freezer to an oven. So far, I've only used my air conditioning at night. During the day it's open windows and a fan, and it's been nice. Sure, it's warm, but it's summer! It's supposed to be warm! (This is my attempt at having a good attitude about sweating where I sit).

I'm hoping that the lack of contrast will help my body adjust and thus I'll perform better and feel better. I will keep you posted on the success (or not) of m strategy.

Pushover

Ever since the perfect storm of blisters, over-training, and a massive loss of confidence several years ago that culminated on the eve of the Cherry Blossom 10-miler and caused me to drop down to the 5k (and eventually skip the race altogether) my mantra has been "I don't do events."

I love running, yoga, and lifting weights. I feel like a rockstar when I can just lace up my shoes and go. "Training", however, puts me into a bad space. I get obsessive. I track weather, miles, meals, morsels, feelings, failures. Instead of releasing anxiety, training adds to it. So, I forewent formal events several years ago and just run for the fun of it.

Lately I've been dipping my toe back in. I started with the 200-mile, 12-person Ragnar Relay last September (which was more fun than I'll admit!). And now I have two consecutive weekends of races coming up in May.

So far I've been able to train without obsessing but I might have to cut my losses and go back on an event-diet once these two are past!

Tourist Season Starting!

The cherry blossoms are trying to bloom and the first rushes of tourism have begun. The National Mall is much more crowded during my afternoon runs and traffic is getting a bit worse. Soon I'll have to avoid one of my main running routes - around the Tidal Basin - due to the crowds.

But for now, I'm still tolerating the influx rather well. I'm still in the phase of the tourist season where I can appreciate living in a city where so many people from all over the world want to come and visit. I see people taking in the sites and sounds of the monuments and remind myself to slow down and enjoy life. I vow to help people with directions and commit other helpful acts.

I think it helps that I don't take metro too much anymore. Being on my scooter, while hot and somewhat dusty at times, offers a pleasant veil to the hectic crowds and slow-moving paper farecard users of the train system that is, by far, the most annoying aspect of summer.

We'll see how long my patience lasts, though. I'm sure you'll all be hearing about this again.

Museum Day!

Every year I make a resolution to spend more time seeing the sites that are so close to home. There were two exhibits at the National Gallery of Art that I've had on my list and a sunny Sunday seemed like the perfect time.

I got a little behind schedule after wandering around the wrong building by accident, but finally made it through the glittering tunnel connecting the East and West building and found the photographic manipulation (before photoshop!) exhibit that I wanted to see. It was crowded - a harbinger of springtime tourism! - so I only saw about half the exhibit just for the sake of avoiding the throngs.

The most interesting (manipulated) photos were the vintage political propaganda: images of Stalin with smoothed wrinkles to make him look more commanding and less frail, a group shot of Hitler, Leni Riefenstahl, and several others with one person cropped out - the person suspected of sleeping with the married film-makers, etc.

I stopped by the David-Apollo for a few minutes (not as grand as the Florentine David!) and stumbled across one of many of the statues of Diana house in the Gallery.

Last on my list was to browse the pre-Raphaelist paintings but the clock was ticking toward a meeting with a girlfriend at Teaism. And good timing; I was a little museum'd out by that point!

Ambar

I love where I live not only for the gorgeous rowhomes and rose gardens and proximity to all the best sites in the city but also for the ever-growing supply of restaurants, bars, coffee-shops, and specialty bakeries and gelaterias. New restaurants open faster than I can try them!

So tonight, to celebrate the occasion of having a lovely friend in town, I made reservations at one on my list: a Balkan restaurant down the street.

From the webite I gathered the dishes would resemble Mediterranean tapas and I supposed if one had to make a comparison that would be fair.

We started with the bread basket - fried sourdough and cornbread with three different spreads. The best one appeared to be a roasted red pepper/goat cheese chunky dip with a bit of heat to it.

From there we ordered a set of three mushroom crepes with a bechamel and gouda sauce, followed by a deliciously moist chicken thigh with mashed purple potatoes and roasted red peppers. The skin was crunch and the meat falling apart.

For the finale we went with the spinach risotto topped with baked shrimp. This was the highlight - the risotto was so cheesy and the shrimp perfectly cooked.

A pair of martinis (voda for me, gin for her, both dirty) complemented the fantastic meal.

Running (or not) in the rain

I'm generally an advocate of exercising outdoors no matter the conditions. This is more challenging for me in the summer when I feel oppressed and heavy from the heat than in the invigorating cold of the winter. But rain, sun, cold, ice, snow, or wind... I think it's important for those committed to fitness to stay on schedule.

1. Exercising outdoors in adverse weather helps you grow as an athlete. Every time you push yourself, be it through adding distance or intensity, your mental ability to overcome challenges imrpoves. A windy run one day makes the next one a little easier. Confidence grows and you find yourself say "If I could run those miles on THAT day in THOSE conditions then I can definitely do THIS today!"

2. Every day - and every workout - counts. Skip a day here, cheat on a meal there, and suddenly skipping and cheating become the norm rather than the exception. Routine is key and scheduled days off are sufficient. Try not to play the shuffle game with your days off. Look to the future in order to look to a past filled with consistency in training days.

3. Braving the elements sets apart those with a deeper drive and provides deeper rewards. When you make a commitment to fitness that's based in a desire to improve yourself holistically rather than from a place of vanity moments of physical discomfort become opportunities for both inward and outward growth.

A girlfriend and I recently made plans to hike some of the Great Falls trails this past weekend. We woke up to rainy, misty, dreary weather but decided to go ahead with our activity anyway and I'm so glad we did. Not only did we have a refreshing, healthy day we had the park all to ourselves and a great conversation as well. I wouldn't have traded any of that for a morning cooped up inside.

Amazon Prime

Quite possibly one of the most exciting things I've done recently is join Amazon Prime. I may never have to go to the spawling suburban Target ever again! No more treks to Annapolis just to buy Barry's Irish Tea! Forty (plus!) pounds of cat litter delivered to my door!

The two-day free shipping really can't be beat, nor can the monthly free Kindle book downloads (it's technically a 'borrow' but you never have to return it).

I haven't had much luck with the free Prime videos but that's more to do with Netflix's outstanding selection (I've yet to find anything on Prime that I can't find on Netflix already).

My order history is so random: a tea kettle, cat litter, two classic rock CDs (for the road trip), some tea, three books. But all things that I would either have to make a single-purpose trip to the grocery store for or trek  out to Northern Virginia.

The price ($80/year) works out to be advantageous if you would have otherwise spent about $6/months on shipping. I beat that for six months just on the cat litter.

Hi Matt

According to my stats, my long-stagnant blog has three main feeder sites (that is, sites from which my readers come): two porn sites (??) and stillwaitingfortherunnershigh.

To all my readers who come from Matt's blog - hello there! Matt and I go way back and he's the main person who still checks in and pokes me for more posts.

The problem is, I'm boring.

I go to work. And then two things happen: I come home and go for a run, or I work out at the office gym after work and come home.

I might check out a happy hour special with a friend or go to a museum. But mostly I just hang out with myself and my significant other, enjoying the neighborhood, trying to get healthy, and planning my next trip.

I have nothing to say (and mostly pornographers arriving to read my words, apparently!)

But you know, there's something nice about blogging. Maybe I'll try to find my mojo again, especially given that I have a two-week roadtrip coming up. I'll be bound to have some blog-worthy experiences to share, right? Right??

In Defense of Condo Fees

Buying a condo can be a smart move. Condos are generally less expensive than single-family homes. This makes them ideal of a first-time homebuyer to get into the market. There's less upkeep and expenses are shared among the association.

Shared expenses come in the form of a monthly association fee. Many people feel that this fee is pointless but I would argue that, for what you get, condo fees are a bargain.

Consider my monthly fee of $325.00. This is on top of my monthly mortgage payment. Everyone in the building pays a fee calculated based on provisions in the DC Code. The Board of Directors of the building does not set the fee. Most of the fee derives from the association's expenses and is more if you have more square footage.

So, for my $325.00 per month I pay for:

• All building common utilities (hallway lights, outdoor lights, water in the community laundry room, gas for the stoves and dryers.) The only utility bill I pay myself is my own electricity usage.
• All regular building maintenance (weekly cleaning, monthly pest control, lawn care, trash removal, snow removal)
• All building repairs (repairs to damage caused by 'common elements' such as a leaky roof, painting/general  upkeep, replacing things like the garden hose if it leaks, changing the locks as needed, etc)
• Master insurance policy premium
• Master savings account
• Management company to handle the contracts/services and pay the bills

It's easy to forget just how much it takes to run a building, especially an old building, and even a building without 'luxury' amenities such as a pool, weight room, or concierge. 

I don't have exact numbers, but I can't imagine how paying for all utilities, lawn care and supplies (even if you don't outsource), repairs, pest control, etc would come to too much less than $325 per month for a single-family home that would most likely be 4-5 times the size of my condo.

And let's not forget the convenience factor: my association fee is auto-debited from my bank account every month and the services magically happen. I don't have to worry about finding or scheduling contractors for repairs. I don't have to do any of the lawn care. Snow and trash remove themselves. Bills get paid on time and in full. Maintenance happens sometimes without me even noticing. 

Condo living - and fees - comes with a community aspect that is really nice for someone like me who lives on  their own and would prefer to share some expenses with others. If the roof starts leaking a group of people put their minds together, vendors are at the ready - many of whom have more knowledge of this building than I do - and I benefit from living with a community of people who want the best for our awesome home.

Sick Kitty

My cat Elena doesn't feel good. She's hypersalivating which, for a cat, isn't normal at all (though growing up with our beloved black Lab, Daisy, who drooled like it was her job, the whole thing feels reminiscent).

It's so hard to figure out the extent of a cat's issue, though. Is she eating normally? Well, I have two, so who the hell knows. Plus I can't remember when I fed them last (they free-feed dry food so I just top off the bowl every day).

Is she in pain? Cats don't whimper or make noise when they're in pain so it's hard to tell. I've been trying to compare her mouth with Natasha's mouth to see if the gums are swollen but by now they're both so sick of me poking around that they're avoiding me.

Is she lethargic? Cats sleep 18 hours per day, so it's really hard to tell if she's sleeping more than usual. She slept all night with me and is asleep right now. But that's not abnormal.

So I made an appointment with the vet but they can't see us til Thursday. In the mean time I'll wait and see. I bought some wet food in case it looks like she's starting to avoid hard food.

My poor baby girl. Here are some of her toes just for fun. Kitty toes!

Feeling Blech

I have very high expectations for how I should feel on a daily basis. So when things start to go just a little bit awry I get anxious.

Not hopping out of bed wide awake in the morning? I must need to overhaul my whole sleep routine!

Feeling the 1pm slump? Not eating the right thing for lunch!

A little scratch in the throat? Time for a strict one-week regimen of anti-inflammatories and nasal decongestants!

I just have no tolerance for feeling anything but strong, alert, and healthy, and I feel like any little glitch in my state of being means I've done something wrong. It means that there's something I need to fix. A supplement, more meditation, more (or less) exercise, something! It must be under my control!

This afternoon, though, I'm taking a break from all that. I'm drinking a beer and sitting in front of the TV. I feel tired and worn out and instead of kicking myself into gear to fix it I'm going to take a cue from my body and just chill.

It's hard, though, because it's not doing something. 

Adjusting Expectations

Summertime running is really hard for me. I'm a cold weather lover and a December morning run leaves me feeling bright and energized. I can recover quickly and my pace is brisk.

In the hot weather I feel heavy and slow. A run in hot, humid weather drains me of energy. I don't feel strong or athletic plodding along in the heat.

So ordinarily I would scale way back on miles during the summer or not run at all. But this year I've committed to running a relay with a team of people at the end of September so I've had to figure out a way to endure the heat and humidity.

Part of the reason I've been successful thus far is a simple change in expectations. I've become happy just to finish my intended distance. I've stopped comparing how I feel during the summer to how I feel during the winter. I've stopped beating myself up over a slower pace or longer recovery.

And you know what... I've started to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment that comes with conquering the conditions. Anyone can run when the weather suits them; it takes commitment to run when the weather doesn't. 

All Wound Up

It's 3:36pm on a Thursday and I'm all wound up. I think this is how most people feel at this time on this weekday but for me the feeling is new.

Generally I get home from work about this time and aside from running, all I want to do is relax in a quiet apartment with a book or crossword. I don't want to talk to anyone, I don't want to go out. I'm drained and need to re-energize in solitude.

Thus, I've never understood how people can go straight from the office to happy hour, or come home for a quick change and then run out to meet friends. It's as if their work makes them feel like a coiled spring.

My work generally makes me feel spent after eight or nine hours.

Except for Thursday, my telecommute day. Make no mistake, I WORK that day. I may be at home, but I'm busy. Yet at the end of my telecommute day I feel wound up, like I need to get outside and do something. It's unusual for me to feel that way during the work week.

This must be what other people feel like every day.

Feeling Good

I'm in a groove lately and what's different about this one is I am enjoying it rather than giving into a feeling of foreboding that it's all temporary, a ruse.

• My health is great. I finally have a handle on some bad eating habits that have been plaguing me for years. Running is rock solid consistent but not punishing. I'm supplementing with plenty of yoga. I don't have any aches or pains. I feel lean, strong, and healthy.
• I'm having fun at work; feeling confident in my abilities yet still challenging myself.
• Though I've kind of fallen off my 2012 photo project my photography has been pretty good lately. I sold two prints that I'm proud of.
• I've begun playing Irish music again albeit at home. I've been struggling with the banjo for some time so this afternoon I picked up my whistle and played for an hour straight, having a blast. I think maybe I'll just rekindle my relationship with the whistle - it's fun, it's how I started, I feel more confident and more eager to play with something familiar in my hands. Each tune doesn't feel like an uphill battle, better in my head than in reality. It's nice.
• I love my scooter now that the cold weather has broken. It's fun to zip around (safely) without shivering and having numb fingers. I finally scheduled the test that will get me my full motorcycle endorsement. It will be nice to have that done and over with.
• I have some travel coming up - one family trip complete with baby and dog and one trip just J and I, a drive through upstate New York to Toronto for him to attend a conference and me to just chill. Then the whole summer stretches before us with sailing, running, road trips, and relaxing on the books.
• The Red Wings clinched their playoff spot so I still have that to look forward to.
• And... I don't know. I just have a feeling of optimism and for once I don't think stating it will jinx it.

River Walk

Given my last post it will not surprise my faithful readers to learn that I've been investigating new options for running this summer. And I have to run through the summer (as opposed to taking the summer off or running on a treadmill to avoid the heat as I've done in the past) because I'm contributing to an eleven-man team running 198 miles from Cumberland, MD to Washington DC this September.

The Navy Yard neighborhood has been slowly undergoing a revitalization, starting with the building of the baseball stadium and culminating, most recently, with the renovation of a 0.85-mile long river walk.

I can run from my home to the end of the river walk and back in about 3 miles. If I do the river walk twice it lengthens the distance to about 5 miles, which is great.

It's so nice to, as I did today, wake early and jog along the misty river, watching the herons stalk their breakfast and the university crew train alongside fisherman. It's nice to have a little bit of nature so close to the hustle and bustle of the city.

This is my new favorite route.

Tourons

Tourist season tests my patience! Don't these people know that I have a routine and they're disrupting it? Tax revenue benefits aside, how the hell can a family of three manage to take up an entire sidewalk AND not hear my strongly announced "Passing on the left!" as I try to jog by?

Good lord people. Don't you know that some of us actually live and work here? This is our home. You come and make use of the city but you don't love it like I do.

This is only the beginning. March. I'm already aggravated.

(For those who are wondering, 'touron' = tourist + moron).

The Monacle

This afternoon J and I had a really nice time outside in the sun taking advantage of our neighborhood.

First, we walked from my house ten minutes down the road to the US Botanic Gardens where I really wanted to see the orchid exhibit. It was lovely! There's something about an orchid - delicate, detailed, and unusual.

Then we walked through the Grotto and past the carillon, bells ringing, to The Monacle, a 60-year old bar tucked in behind the Senate office buildings. It's a small, cozy, dark bar that really fits its name.

One dirty martini (me) and bass draft (him) later, we strolled home fifteen minutes up First St SE back to my place, grabbing some Thai takeout on the way.

The weather was perfect - sunny and in the mid 50's. Great for spending the afternoon outside and finishing off with a cocktail, home early enough to feel mellow and relaxed for the evening.

2012 Photo Project - February - Silhouette

Ugh. I'm way behind on my photo project for no reason except laziness! The first half of February was supposed to be spent photographing images in silhouette. Finally I decided to march myself down to the National Mall to see if I could capture the planes flying in low across the Washington Monument. Unfortunately when I got down there I realized that planes were departing across the Mall instead of arriving. This means that the planes were much higher in the air when they crossed the monument than they would be if they were incoming. Oh well. Enjoy!

Cooking!

My President's Day Monday didn't start off quite according to plan but I'm back in the saddle and ready to go. I have a full day of cooking planned that will be fruitful but easy.

Sausage and Peppers:
Dice one green, one red, and one yellow pepper along with one large sweet onion. Peel one head garlic and toss all with olive oil. Spread on cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove casings from 5-6 mild Italian sausages and break apart. After 25 minutes, place on cookie sheet and into oven with vegetables for another 25 minutes (50 minutes total for the veggies, 25 minutes for the sausage).

Remove, toss together, serve hot.

Simple Roast Chicken:
Remove giblets and rinse one whole fryer or roaster chicken, inside and out. Loosen skin and tuck lemon slices and peeled garlic cloves between the meat and skin. Stuff one lemon, halved, and additional garlic into the cavity. Spread softened butter over skin, salt and pepper to taste.

Roast in a 350-degree oven according to chart for chicken's weight.

This should do it for lunch and dinner all week... throw together some wild rice or a salad as a side dish and slice off some of the chicken. Easy and delicious!