Pressing On

Don't get me wrong - I was happy enough to sleep in last Saturday, wake up at a leisurely hour, and watch the National Marathon finishers while drinking my second cup of tea! This little break from self-punishment has done me well. The problem is that I have a 10-miler coming up in two weeks and I am probably going to be undertrained!

My current attitude is Oh Well. I'll finish, and probably easily. Will I have the best time? No. Will I have MY best time? Nah. Do I really, really care? In the grand scheme of things? Not in the slightest.

In fact, I'm seriously thinking of taking the hottest summer months off from running and focusing on weights, pilates, and yoga. I mean, why the hell not?

Feeling Good

The Wings have clinched their playoff spot and continue to dominate the League with a 3-2 win over Philadelphia last night, after being down two in the second period.

I've run three days in a row and had two great yoga practices as well.

I'm eating well - mostly clean, a few Cadbury eggs, but the main thing is I'm not sweating it!

The gorgeous afternoon sun haloed all the dust particles on my coffee table, so I whipped out the supplies and cleaned my entire apartment. I feel light and clean and airy.

I feel good.

Back in the Saddle... sort of

Lately I have not felt like doing anything productive. All I want to do is lounge around and read my book, watch movies, cook, go on walks. Running? Happy Hour? Eh.. I'll pass.

I was afraid this might happen. Is it as simple as inertia? Is is that my body, now at rest, wants to stay at rest?

When I'm in high training mode my life is a model of productivity. My flat is clean and tidy, I'm a machine at work, evenings are overscheduled and yet I'm early for everything. But now that I've stepped back from racing, I've become a total Type B. I don't want to be anywhere at a particular time. I skipped yoga this morning not because I didn't want to practice but because I didn't want to practice at 10:30. I just wasn't ready. I don't want to look at the clock or make any firm commitments.

See? This is why I'm always going 100mph... because if I slow down I'm afraid I'll settle in at zero.

Just One More Day Please!

I have had a nice little break from my running and yoga routine. Both Wednesday and Thursday after work I got in bed instead of suiting up and hitting the pavement. On Wednesday for the first time I can remember I took a two-hour nap. Thursday I didn't sleep but got a lot of reading done and stayed cozy under the covers with the windows thrown open and the cool air coming in.

And today... I just want one more day to go home and get in comfy clothes and chill out. So I am going to skip my usual Friday afternoon yoga class. Tomorrow I'll pick it up again with a relaxing run, Sunday back to yoga, and I'll get back on the (slower moving) wagon. I do have a fun run coming up in a few weeks, after all! But just for fun.

I have a new love

Pandora.com

OMG. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Basically, you just type in the name of a song or artist that you like and it will compile a playlist for you with similar songs/bands. And it's free. I typed in "Liz Carroll" and am listening to the most awesome mix of Irish and bluegrass music... stuff I've never heard before.

SWEET!

Reining in my freak

Lately I have been acting like (more of) a control freak (than usual). It is annoying me and I'm sure it's annoying my friends. So, my rememdy is to go home after work and open all the windows and pile lots of blankets over myself and take a nice long nap without setting my alarm clock. Wake up, do some yoga, and commence the annual spring purge... cleaning out closets and cupboards always brings me the sense of control I crave without having to take it out on other people. Trip to Goodwill is scheduled for Saturday.

Dream

I dreamt that I was attending a funeral, but the way we walked into the church was the way you'd walk as if you were in a wedding. Then it was all outside, and I was in the front row of the outside church and even though it was daytime I could see two moons that were full. They were beautiful, but the earth was orbiting so fast that I couldn't get a good photo of them.

Okaaay...

On the metro this evening were two couples and another man, all middle aged. At first they were talking a little bit of business and then the man started raving on about this restaurant they were all going to. He was saying how amazing the food was, how much everyone was going to love it... how he ALWAYS eats at this place whenever he's in town.

Okay, said one of the others, what's it called?

Oh I don't know, the man replied flippantly. But I love it.

Nice Day

It's gorgeous outside! Sunny and warm but dry. Perfect for a walk down to Cleveland Park to meet Matt for an iced vanilla chai and catch-up conversation. Then later I'm going to meet another friend down at Eastern Market to wander around, pick up some things for dinner, and watch The Sopranos. Yes, I'm wayyy behind on this one... just starting Season One, but I'm hooked :-)

Oh, in between those two things I will go for a nice leisurely run with absolutely no pressure to meet mileage or pace goals. Just a relaxing run in the sunshine to improve my health and mood. I can't wait for it!

Feelin' Good

Ahh... just woke up from a nap and found myself surrounded by cats and bathed in the sun. Life is good. I'm going to have a very mellow night... a yoga practice here at home, some wine, a movie (Violette - will post review afterwards), my book, and an early bedtime.

I feel really good about my decision to drop out of the National Half-Marathon. In fact, I am looking forward to my run tomorrow afternoon with no pressure to run fast or meet mileage goals. Running is something I started doing to feel better about myself. I want it to be a source of confidence, strength, and solitude, not masochism and stress.

Let's hear it for being healthy..

Done

That's it. I've hit the wall in my personal life. I am tired of moving full throttle at every single thing I want to do. Nothing is fun anymore. I have no residual energy. I'm tired.

I have decided not to run the National Half-Marathon. I have decided to continue with the plan to run the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler.

I am not only at peace with my decision, the decision comes as an enormous relief.

That is all.

Why Is It That

1. I can be wearing a size four pant;
2. My boss can say I look skinny lately;
3. All my male co-workers notice and LOVE my new haircut;
4. A good male friend can tell me I look especially hot;
5. My dentist can say I look fabulous and what have I been doing to myself;

... and STILL it's possible to feel squishy and large and lazy.

I seriously hate being a chick sometimes!

Back from Santa Fe

Santa Fe was great... a nice long week of reading, siestas, hiking in the canyons, skiing in the Rockies, ceviche, enchiladas, and beer.

I'm thankful to get back to my routine (I AM, after all, a creature of habit) and starting to get anxious about my half-marathon coming up on the 21st. I had a 9-mile run schedule for Saturday, but being the day after a vacation, I ran six miles and was going to head out for the longer distance today. Unfortunately, we had a massive snowfall last night and the sidewalks are covered with ice.

So, my plan is to do a bunch of Sun Salutations today (check), run easy (4-5 miles) tomorrow, try for nine on Wednesday, off Thursday, yoga Friday, ten miles Saturday, and then I will be back on track.

Flexibility is key. After this weekend I will only have one more weekend before the big 13.1....

Miscellany x3

- Today on my way home from work two different people on my metro car ran into people they knew. That kind of thing is so coincidental and yet so DC. It's like a big small town. I run into people I know all the time!

- I thought I was scheduled to run 4-5 miles today but then realized that my training log called for 7 miles. After running nine on Saturday and seven on Monday I was dismayed and almost turned in where I would close the loop for my regular 4.5mile course, but then I got my mojo back and decided to keep going. As I was struggling to run up a tough hill approaching the zoo, a man passed me coming the other way, walking, and said, "That run is doing what it should, my lady, because you look GOOD." Whoo! I pounded up that hill and finished grinning in 1:15:07.

- I have applied to speak at two conference coming up this spring and summer. One in New Orleans and one in London. Have absolutely no idea what my acceptance chances are. Wish me luck.

On Health

As I walked home from the yoga shala this evening I started contemplating health and my attitude towards my own health. It is, I feel, a slightly skewed and counter-productive attitude at times.

When I think of my health objectively, I realize that I should be pleased. I'm rarely, if ever, sick. I get maybe one cold per year (knock on wood!) and can count on one hand the number of headaches I suffer from per year. I rarely have physical pre-menstrual symptoms (though I can get a little teary during that time of the month). I can run 10+ miles at a time without stopping and regularly practice a very tough form of yoga. I don't have a car and walk everywhere in the city. A 2-mile walk during lunch at work or a similar length haul from the metro is like nothing to me.

I haven't known my weight in years but at last check I was hovering around 135lbs, which is perfect for my 5'7'' frame. I wear a size six pant and a small on top. My skin is clear, my nails don't break. I drink plenty of water. I get plenty of sleep and have no problem waking up before 6am daily for my fast-paced and, at times, stressful job. I eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and protein but don't deny myself the occasional treat.

So why don't I EVER feel healthy? Why do I feel that any pinchable bit of flab is a health failure? Why does my internal monologue run so negatively? Why do I feel like being "healthy" is a dream to which I can only aspire and never attain?

Partly, I admit that I don't see physical health as a lifelong journey. I see it as something that is accomplished in it's entirely and then maintained. So I get frustrated that I can't attain this magical place of health and instead I feel like a gerbil on a wheel, chasing and chasing and going nowhere. This attitude makes the pursuit of health very un-fun.

It's difficult to celebrate the battle victories (a mileage record, a new yoga posture added, a healthy meal instead of a burger at happy hour) because I haven't won the war.

It's tiring, living this way inside my own mind.

Dilemma

I am so fortunate to work in the middle of two great neighborhoods. I'm a few blocks from Little Ethiopia and a few blocks from Adams Morgan. Great restaurants and cafes, great people watching... just... great!

There is a new shawarma place on 18th St that I am dying to try (mm.. shawarma... reminds me of waiting in a massive line to get some from the street vendor in Vienna at 2am after coming back from a night on the town with my new - and brief - friends, Raimund and Elisbet) except that there used to be a gourmet hot dog place (triple vomit) in that storefront.

I am afraid of residual hot dog particles contaminating my shawarma. Somehow I think that my phobia has reached new heights...

Travel Bug Hits Again

Last night I dreamt that I had taken an exotic vacation to Eastern Europe. My travel in that part of the country is thus far limited to one city - Prague - but I obviously can't wait to go back.

In this dream, I flew to Lithuania and then took a quick train ride to two North African cities (Marrakesh was one... can't remember the other) and returned to Lithuania to await my friends.

Man... I wanna GO somewhere.

Nothing in Particular

I ran in bare legs for the first time since fall! My pasty white legs, but bare nonetheless. Having no in-between running clothes suitable for balmy winter days like this, I dusted off my running skirt, threw on a long-sleeved top, and hit the pavement. My times have been great lately. Here's a sample of my times for my "normal" (that is, base-building) 4.5-mile hilly route around my neighborhood:

January 9 - 47:50
January 15 - 46:04
January 17 - 44:48
January 22 - 44:44
January 30 - 45:16
February 2 - 43:33
February 9 - 43:59

I am happy with those times. They include stopping at traffic lights (should I stop my watch? I never do) and maybe an occasion 5-10 seconds here or there if I'm nursing a cramp.

Later this week I will start the actual mileage-building portion of my half-marathon training.

Slowing Down

With training season in full swing I find my life starting to move too fast. Too many weeks with obligations every night, too little time to just read or work on my own projects. I haven't been sleeping well, haven't been cooking for myself, haven't been enjoying the present because of being anxious about/worried for/hurrying to get to the next thing.

Starting NOW I am making a concerted effort to slow my life down. That includes taking breaks from certain regular commitments and just saying no to invitations that I feel obligated, but don't necessarily want, to accept.

I've made it this far through the winter without catching a single cold, and I don't want something like that, borne from fatigue or malnurishment, to derail my upcoming race. I need to try to take care of myself for a while.

Not Helpful

I realize that you might be alarmed to see me speed up when approaching an intersection where the light is about to turn red, but DC has these wonderful countdown signals that tells you how many seconds you have left to cross the street. So, yelling "Watch it! Watch it!" at me as I try to cross makes me hesitate and then I end up standing still in the middle of the intersection as the light turns green. That's really not preferable. So, next time, please just let me run. I know what I'm doing.

For the record, I just ran a personal best training run: 4.45 miles in 44:33 which includes about a minute of waiting a stop lights. That's a full minute and ten seconds faster than my previous best time on this course!

PUMPED

Tomorrow is the Wings/Caps game here in DC and I cannot be more excited. The Wings only play in DC once every other year or so. I got my ticket last October as soon as the schedule was posted - and I dropped a pretty big chunk of change on a great seat.

The Bruins softened up the Caps' star player for us with a brutal hit into the boards, but I'm pretty pissed about that, actually. We like to crush teams when they're at their best, not when they're already on their knees. Victory is so much sweeter when it's against a prepared opponent.

Tonight after work I will be picking up the materials for my sign. I'm going to meet a friend at the rink early and will try to take some photos of practice and what's sure to be a romantic and memorable marriage proposal from the Wings' captain, Nik Lidstrom. Next blog post might be from my new home in Sweden!

What I'm Eating

I have been craving nothing but fat lately. And so my usual modified Precision Nutrition diet has been replaced by a sort of freestyle Mediterranean diet. Currently I am sitting at my computer with a bowl of Greek yogurt topped with almonds and blueberries. Later I will feast on all manner of olives, roasted peppers, roasted garlic (whatev, I'm alone tonight), sundried tomatoes, red wine, more nuts, and cheese.

I did stop short of buying desserts at the store today, though. Fat is what I need, not sugar.

Eat what your body is craving, that's what I say - just as long as it's a genuine nutritional NEED and not a whimsical WANT (at least most of the time!).

If you'll excuse me... I need to go put together a platter of snacks and settle down with my book to watch the rain.

Why didn't I do this sooner??

Today I had my hair cut. DRASTICALLY. It is SHORT. I have always loved my long curls but lately they have been looking shaggy no matter what I try, so I opted for health over length and love the results.

My hair barely touches my shoulders now but it is bouncy and so cute! The curls look totally different than they did long - real ringlets now. I love it! I also took the shade a little darker and am happy with the results.

How much you wanna bet that everyone at work will think I'm either in love or recently broken up? Hehehe. Whatever they think, I don't care. I love my new look.

Semi-Annual Cable Dilemma

Once again I am considering cancelling cable. It's a demon I fight, a total time-suck. I have no problem with TV watching. I think watching the news is a responsible thing, and even a little escapism can be healthy. But I have a real problem with channel-surfing a mindless staring... so I am starting to think that a little hiatus would be healthy.

But the thing is - that really doesn't solve anything. Like... you can't be proud of yourself for avoiding chocolate cake when you never have any in the house. So instead of cancelling cable, I think I am going to keep it but try something revoluationary such as exerting some control over the situation.

Plus, NHL playoffs are coming up and while I do get an old-school satisfaction from listening to games on the radio, I don't want to be even remotely divorced from the action and, eventually, the sweet, sweet victory.

Cute Story

On Monday, the day before the Inauguration, I was running my hilliest route which is a 4.7 mile loop down Wisconsin Ave, around the National Cathedral, down Massachusetts Ave to the Naval Observatory, and up 34th St/Reno Rd back home. It's a tough course but I was feeling up to it.

Heading down Massachusetts I noticed a motorcade heading toward me. About ten police cruisers were escorting three large tour buses northbound. Motorcades are not unusual in DC, especially in light of the major event that was taking place the next day, but I glanced over and wondered for a second what that was all about.

Well, this morning I ran into a co-worker who said that he saw me running on Massachusetts Ave on Monday. I laughed and asked if I looked strong. He said he thought so and that the 400 National Guardsmen he was escorting thought so too!! He said they suddenly became very interested when he said he knew me. Hehehe! I thought that was cute.

It's funny how many people I work with have seen me out and about running in the city. It's good incentive to stay strong and resist the urge to stop for a breather or to stretch.

Speaking of which, I've had very, very consistent times lately and am proud of my progress. Now if only I could get my yoga practice back....

Iron Chef

While in Philadelphia last weekend I had the opportunity to dine at Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant. I chose the 7-course omakase with beverage pairing, and despite my copious notes, I will absolutely not be able to do the meal justice in this write-up. But for those who are curious:

Amuse Bouche:
Whipped sweet potato and goat cheese with chili flakes. This was sent compliments of Eric Ripert, the chef at the Ritz-Carlton where I was staying. It pays to make reservations using the hotel concierge!

First Course:
Moet et Chandon champagne
Toro (fatty tuna) mixed with crunchy shallots and garlic topped with caviar with a yoyomama Japanese plum to cleanse the palate.

Second Course:
2007 Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand
Rainbow snapper carpaccio sliced thin over a garlic ginger sauce with cilantro

Third Course:
2006 Andre Boname (white)
Sashimi salad over microgreens

Fourth Course:
Apple mint syrup

Fifth Course:
2007 Riesling
Halibut with seaweed wrap over buerre blanc and lobster (my favorite course)

Sixth Course:
2007 Merlot
Parmesan-crusted lamb with pignoli ratatouille

Seventh Course:
Sake
Sushi tasting

Dessert Course:
Portuguese Madeira
Chocolate mint mousse cake with a chocolate caramel sauce

Morbid Premonition

I'm not sure why this is suddenly happening, but every time I cross the street I find myself thinking, "A car could come screaming around the corner and take me out and I wouldn't even know what hit me." And then I get all shaky and nervous and jumpy. It's so weird and I don't know where this random death anxiety is coming from.

So for now I'll just be really careful when I'm walking, especially in my daily jaywalk across U St to get tea, and most especially when I'm running. I always watch cars at intersections and try to make eye contact with drivers. I never assume that they see me. I always wear my Road ID. But until this weird morbidity wears off, I'm going to be extra cautious.

Soup

I made the most delicious (and simple!) lentil soup last night! At the risk of sounding like a completely elementary chef, I will post the recipe, which I made up. The whole thing, from veggie prep to boiling/reducing the broth, took about thirty minutes. And though I have had zero appetite since my food poisoning episode on Monday I took some to work with me today and made sure to get it down so that I can go out for five miles this afternoon.

3 carrots, peeled
5 celery ribs
1/2 large yellow onion
5 cloves garlic
2 Tbsps butter
2 cans low-sodium lentils
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

Melt butter over low heat and add chopped onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Stir to soften. Increase heat to medium and add crushed tomatoes and lentils plus half the tomato can of water. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. Season as necessary.

High fiber, high protein, low fat.

Too simple for words. I feel silly even posting this. But it really turned out well, and though I wasn't hungry at all, it tasted good and I do feel more alert having eaten.

It's very cold (in the 20's) but I will layer up and head out there after work. No rest for the weary.

Unintended Hiatus

Sorry guys for not posting in a while. After the trip to Philadelphia, which included the most amazing 7-course meal at Morimoto's (no not paid for by the conference - I wish!) I came down with a pretty bad bout of food poisoning and have been laid up in bed for the past 24-hours.

I will blog my best about the meal here in a day or so, but understand that there's no way in freaking hell my words can do it justice.

I am supremely frustrated with the lack of consistent running and yoga in my life since BEFORE Christmas. My weight is stable, which is good, but for me running and yoga are about more than weight - they're about stress relief, strength, cultivation of the mind. I have a begin-training date of February 1st for my March half-marathon and would like to hit the ground running (pun intended) but unless I can get my ass in gear these next few weeks, I am basically going to be starting from scratch.

Dining in Philly

I'm here in Philadelphia attending a conference at the Ritz-Carlton. It's cold here, but I manageed to get a good 4+ miles in along the river yesterday, which was promptly ruined by two huge slices of pizza. Oh well. It was worth it.

Tonight I have a reservation at Morimoto's restaurant. I'm hoping for the seven-course omakase with beverage pairing... I will take copious notes and let you all know how it was!

What I'm Doing Differently

I can't figure out how to get the countdown ticker thingy to work, but if I could, you would see that I am running the National Half Marathon on March 21st. It's going to be a slow, hilly course and it's about time to start training. Having just come off a half-marathon last October, I have been thinking about my training methods and whether or not they could be improved. Here is what I'm going to do differently:

Eliminate Pre-Training: To get ready for Detroit last year, I took two months of "pre-training," which basically turned out to be base-mileage building. The problem was that mentally I felt like I was already "in training" and thus by the time I entered ten weeks of official training, I was burned out. This time around, I am going to elimiate the pre-training period and go right into official training on February 1st. In the mean time I will work on consistency and building endurance without the mental stress and dietary changes that come with training.

Tweak The Diet: For Detroit, I did pretty well cleaning up my diet and eliminating alcohol and sweets, but I didn't modify the core of my diet, which is basically a relaxed version of Precision Nutrition. This time, I will still eliminate sweets and alcohol but I will also increase protein, fish, and leafy greens.

Weight-Train: Weight-training can be tricky for runners, as a fatigued upper body can seriously hinder speed (your upper body is what propels you forward, especially on hills). BUT, it's important to have a strong upper body and weight training can reduce the likelihood of injuries. So, my weight work will be negatively correlated to my mileage: as mileage increases, weight work will get lighter and less frequent.

Track Mileage and Speed: I really need to be more deliberate about this if I am going to hit my pace goals. Training for Detroit without a watch was pretty much pointless. I ran okay, but couldn't really predict my time or track my progress, so it was difficult to know if I should be proud of myself once I finished.

Reduce Taper: Something weird happened when I was training for Detroit: I got sick just before my taper started. So, effectively, my taper lasted two weeks instead of one, which made me fall short of my total mileage goals and messed up my last chance for a long run. Since I plan to increase my overall miles (both total and long run) to prepare for the National Half, this will mean that taper will be shorter, probably only five days instead of seven. Plus, the fact that I'll be out of town for a week in high elevation three weeks out means that I won't have the luxury of a long taper right before the race.

not bad for the first timed one

So, in keeping with one of my resolutions, I replaced my watch battery and timed my run.

I did my normal/easy run, a hilly loop around my neighborhood. It comes to about 4.45 miles, and I did it in 47:50.

That time includes about 90 seconds of waiting at various traffic lights and 5-10 seconds of doubling over, nursing a sidestitch.

Pretty slow, but not bad. I haven't run since Christmas Eve and am feeling a little thick around the middle. A week or so of clean eating and consistent running/yoga practice, maybe 3-5lbs shaved off, and I should be able to cut down that time significantly.

Photos and Reflections

I'm finally back in DC and ready to get back into my routine - namely running. I haven't been out in over a week and I feel it. Tomorrow will be my first run under my new year's resolution to track my time and mileage. I'll have to scale back the miles a little... so maybe 3-ish will be a good start.

Iceland was amazing. Here are some things I loved about my trip and the country itself:

Skyr (Icelandic yogurt): thick, creamy, rich in protein and low in sugar, Icelandic yogurt makes American yogurt seem like liquid candy.

Authenticity: My Golden Circle tour guide mentioned this and I really feel it's true, that Icelandic culture and Reykjavik itself are just naturally cool, hip, and trendy. Nothing is necessarily designed to promote tourism, it's just that tourists are now realizing that Iceland is awesome. I really got the feeling that the City Center was a place where Icelanders live, work, shop, and hang out - not that the main streets were designed with tourism in mind. Makes for a very genuine and authentic travel experience.

Water (hot and cold): The hot water is endless and cheap, being heated geothermally. The cold water is pure and tasty, probably safer than bottled water since it comes directly from the glacier.

Bjork: I found that that the singer's name is actually pronounced "bee-yershk" and not "bee-york" as I always thought. Who knew?

Also on this trip, I learned that it's okay to:
*Travel to a foreign city and never set foot in a museum;
*Travel to a foreign country and not pick up a single word of the language;
*Not drink on New Year's Eve;
*Sleep through my wake up call (a couple times!)
*Not check my work email (this was hard for me!)

Reykjavik


The mid-Atlantic rift runs straight down the middle of Iceland. The Eurasian and North American plates are separating at a rate of 2.5cm per year.


Gullfoss - the Golden Falls


Gullfoss


The Blue Lagoon


The Blue Lagoon



Fireworks


More fireworks


More fireworks!

NYE Re-Cap

So, I have a while before my airport shuttle comes and there is internet access at the tourist information center next to my hotel. So - here is the post you've been waiting for!

I had gotten the scoop on New Year's from David, my Golden Circle tour guide, so I was basically prepared for the flow of the evening.

After returning from the Blue Lagoon, I grabbed a quick lamb kabob for dinner and headed back to my hotel to catch a nap before the festivities. Well, that didn't happen... so I passed the time watching American movies on the television in my room. I knew that Icelanders wouldn't be out in the streets until almost 11:30pm, as they would be inside watching the traditional year-end re-cap of the year's news and events.

So, around 11:15pm I left my hotel to start making my way up to Hallgrimskirkja, the big church I had visited on my second day. It's a very high point in the city and I knew it would be a good place to watch people and the fireworks.

How strange it was to walk along empty streets in a major city on a night like New Year's... you would have thought it was 5am on a random weekday. There were literally about fifteen people on the streets between my hotel and the church circle. David was right! Everyone really was inside! It was creepy! But by the time I got up the hill, more and more people were coming out. Fireworks had already begun, in fact, I had been hearing them since about 8pm!

So, the first thing that happened was that some idiot climbed onto the very tall statue of Leif Eriksson in the middle of the square and promply fell off. When he hit the ground, he absolutely did not move. At all. And so, a few minutes later, the ambulances arrived and carted him away. I have no idea if he was a tourist or an Icelander... whoever he was, he spent the night in the hospital and I hope he's okay. There was a big pool of blood where he landed, which I took a picture of.

The fireworks came in waves, and with little regard to safety. I don't think there were any 'official' displays... rather, it seemed like everyone and anyone was setting them off. Huge rockets were being launched from only 20 feet away, and as far as the eye could see explosions lit up the night sky. After about ten minutes, the whole city was blanketed with smoke. Wave after wave of fireworks, everywhere, totally relentless... it was loud, people were spraying champagne, lighting sparklers and crackers, rockets launching from what seemed like the middle of the crowd.

It was unbelievable and now I see what they mean when they said that Icelanders spend more money on fireworks for New Year's Eve than Londoners, even with just a fraction of the population. I was breathing smoke and feeling the heat of embers, my ears were ringing... and at some point my feet became ice cubes, my hands were numb, and my teeth were just clenched together, not even chattering anymore... I was so, so cold, but almost afraid to leave my spot under the statue because I didn't know where the next rocket would come from!

I tentatively made my way through the crowd, needing more than anything to get warm. On my way down the hill, I saw David! Small world, Reykjavik, but I didn't wave him over.

I was almost back to my hotel when this guy approached me. He was drunk and English was not his first language, so I had a really hard time understanding him. He kept trying to ask me a question but I couldn't tell what he wanted to know. Finally he started sniffing and repeated, 'In the nose! In the nose!' and it occurred to me that he wanted to know where to buy cocaine!! I told him I was very sorry but I didn't know anything about that. To make sure I understood, he whipped out a small bag of the powder and showed it to me. I repeated that I was sorry but I couldn't help him, and he stumbled off on his way.

I made it back to my hotel without meeting my fate, and crawled into bed, frozen to the marrow. It's true... Icelanders really do know how to celebrate... and fireworks on the Mall will never measure up.

NYE In Reykjavik

Oh. My. God.

The New Year's Eve celebration last night was like nothing I have EVER seen in my life. Icelanders know how to celebrate... let me just tell you that.

Today is a long day, I am flying to JFK but not getting on my flight to DC for various reasons. I'll be on the east coast until Saturday night. Unfortunately, I might not have enough time to blog until then, but when I do I promise you guys will get the full NYE scoop plus photos and reflections from the trip.

Until then, I must get packing. Happy 2009!

I Like it Hot - Blue Lagoon

With today being my last day in Iceland I needed to priorize my activities. I cancelled my riding tour in favor of a trip to the Blue Lagoon, and it was a wonderful decision.

The cold Arctic wind was whipping but the milky blue waters were warm. I floated around inside first before braving the outdoor lagoon. GLORIOUS. The silica and algae made my skin feel baby-soft, but wreaked havoc on my hair. In a minute I'm going to go pour half a bottle of conditioner on it, so that should help.

Dinner tonight will be sushi, then a nap before venturing out for the fireworks and bonfires. Icelanders set off about 1,300 tons (that's right - TONS) of fireworks each New Year's Eve, so it should be an extravaganza. More on that after the fact.

So, for a couple hours tonight after midnight I will be hanging out in 2009 while the rest of y'all are stuck in the stone age, practically!

Northern Lights

We drove an hour into the middle of Iceland last night and saw a glimpse of the Northern Lights, a neon green swath along the horizon, streaking low into the sky. It was a bit cloudy so the show wasn't spectacular, but still!

Despite the clouds, the stars were unbelievable. I've never seen stars twinkle and glitter the way they were last night. Almost flashing!!

Blue Lagoon is later today... stand by!

Dinner

I got word that our Northern Lights trip for tonight is a go! So I went out to grab a quick bite beforehand.

I found my way to a grungy but delicious pizza shop not far from my hotel. The walls were chalkboard and full of messages and designs. I ordered a 12'' pepperoni pizza and it came with a wheel of parmesan cheese, dried herbs, habanero and garlic oil. The boys behind the counter performed complex tricks on their yo-yos between orders. It was pretty quiet at 7:30pm but I imagine that the place gets packed wall to wall after the bars close!

The owner spoke perfect English and helped me iron out a plan for New Year´s Eve... more on that to come. Apparently Iceland (with it's 300,000 people) spends more on their fireworks displays than London (with it's 12 millions) does!

Now I'm going to chill for a bit before I get picked up and we head out of Reykjavik and into the pure, black Icelandic night.

Evening Update

I am going to take the opportunity to update on my evening while there is no queue for the internet..

Still waiting to find out whether or not the Northern Lights tour is on for this evening. It has been cloudy lately and they have been cancelling tours, but my hopes are high.

I passed a few hours reading my murder mystery at an English pub. Whatever, don't judge me! I had a craving for creamy English beer after the mediocre Viking beer I had last night.

I remember visiting a Starbucks after a few days in Shanghai... the city was so completely foreign to me that I just needed to be someplace where I recognized the menu! I sort of had that feeling this evening.

If it's too cloudy to see the Northern Lights I am going to try to have dinner either on the harbor at a restaurant called the Sea Baron, which is supposed to have amazing lobster soup, or at Vegemot, a trendy vegetarian restaurant in downtown Reykjavik. No matter what, you will get the details for sure...

Cafe Post and Observations

This will be a quick post since I'm at the hotel and don't want to tie up the internet. It was a bit of a lost day today, but still a nice one. I didn't quite obey my wake-up call and so by the time I got moving couldn't book any day tours. Instead I took a little cafe tour with my Icelandic murder mystery, starting at Mokka, the oldest cafe in Reykjavik, and then heading to Kaffi and Te, where they remembered me from my first day.

I like to try to be a regular at a place when I travel. In China I visited the same bar every night before heading back to my hotel, and by the end of my trip we were taking photos together and they even hung one on the wall, so I was told by a friend who visited there after I left.

I finished up at a little cafe/bookstore along the main road, so full of tea and pastry that I couldn't do much but watch Icelandic life go by outside.

Observation: Icelandic fathers seem to be very involved with their children! I can't tell you how many single (well, I don't know if they are single per se, or just alone at the time) men I saw pushing baby carriages. I saw several male couples with kids, and the street vendor I watched for about an hour from inside a cafe had his little daughter with him and passed the time between customers playing games with her. David, our British tour guide from yesterday, had his 4-year old son Gabriel with him because school was closed. (David moved to Iceland in 1985 but said it took him forever to learn Icelandic... he only became fluent about five years ago!).

Last night's dinner was pretty mellow. I went to an Indian restaurant and feasted on lamb curry, cheese-filled naan, mango chutney, and some of the garlickiest naan I have ever tasted... all washed down with a Viking beer (bottled and brewed in northern Iceland). The beer was okay... I prefer rich and creamy English and Belgian beers but this one was okay.

Tonight I am schedule to leave Reykjavik and see the Northern Lights, but it's a bit cloudy and the trip may be cancelled. Hear's hoping we get to go! And tomorrow morning I am schedule to go horseback riding... then hopefully we will all visit the Blue Lagoon in the afternoon!

I can't wait to post pictures of all this!

Third Day

Well, I got my days mixed up and Trent and David actually arrive TOMORROW. With that new information in hand I booked myself on a day trip to the Golden Circle. We left at 9am, before sunrise, and started with a stop at the geothermal power plant just outside Reykjavik. Sounds exciting, right? Actually, it was VERY interesting! All power in Iceland is either geothermal or hydro-electric, and it serves them well. Though Iceland would be great for harnessing the wind's energy, they haven't even needed to tap that resource yet.

So, it was a good place to pass twenty or so minutes on a guided tour while waiting for the sun to come up.

Our first official stop was Gullfloss, an absolutely breathtaking waterfall in central Iceland. To get there, we drove deep into the cold, rocky, mountainous highlands of Iceland. It's COLD in there!! And the landscape looks more like a moonscape, all crevasse and mountains with swaths of snow carving wintry patterns down the slopes.

After the waterfall, where I warmed up with a bowl of lamb soup, we went on to visit the geysers - which erupt about every 8-10 minutes! It was really cool to walk around the milky geothermal pools, the bubbling natural steam vents, every so often a geyser shooting up into the air. And yes, the water is hot - about 100-degrees celcius. Yes, I touched it!

After the geysers we stopped at Thingsvill (I really need to double check these spellings) which is where, until about 1750, Iceland's government held court. It's also where the president's summer home is and ALSO happens to be the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which are ripping apart from each other at a speedy 2.5 centimeters per year.

Let me tell you... you wouldn't want to lose your footing hiking around this place. It was gorgeous, though, high in a mountain valley, big chunks of ice floating down the river, the plates shifting imperceptibly underfoot.

It was dark by the time we turned back to Reykjavik, and I unwound with a shower and some tea and caught up on the unfolding situation is Israel. After the decadence of Saturday and Sunday nights' dinners, I think I'm going to play it cool tonight and just get something simple. There are about a million thousand pizzerias within six blocks of my hotel, so maybe I will see what all the fuss is about.

Well... I'm off to another night in the Arctic Circle... blog atcha later!

Second Dinner

Last night's dinner deserves it's own post, and I have an hour at the internet cafe to make sure I have enough time to write about everything!

I had been reading about this restaurant called Fish Market and the bright, young chef who runs the kitchen. Well, it turns out that Fish Market is about four doors down Adalstraeti from my hotel, so there I went for dinner last night.

I had the presence of mind to photograph each course, so look for pictures when I return home later this week.

They sat me upstairs at the bar overlooking the open kitchen, right in front of the sushi/raw bar chef's workstation. When I say 'chef,' please realize that I mean an Icelandic kid who looked about 14! He was assembling beautiful sushi platters and was very cute, but very focused, and didn't return my impressed smile.

The walls were lined with leafy bamboo and a slice of bamboo trunk served as the stand for my chopsticks. I decided on a first course - grilled puffin. The puffin came topped with a single slice of smoked eel that was wrapped around a mango chunk and accompanied by two fried dumplings. The puffin was blood-red and fatty, similar in texture to duck but with a taste all it's own. The eel was tender and the mango bright.

As the sushi chef continued to work in front of me, I noticed that he would garnish his shrimp sashimi with what looked like red berries, red but slightly fuzzy and about the size of blueberries. I asked him about them: kamasuke, he told me, Japanese plums. He held one out for me to try. Sour and pungent with a seed, they were not delicious.

That said, I'd like to let him taste my kamasuke.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Dinner. For my main course I ordered salted cod, an Icelandic classic, and it was served in cherry juice with a 'Christmas salad' (microgreens) and Jerusalem artichokes which were vaguely potatoey. Nuts and dried cherries were in the sauce, which perfectly complimented the cod. The first time I ever had berries with fish was at Hook in Georgetown when Janice, AVE, and I each sampled a perfect bite of raw tuna topped with a single blueberry and drizzle of blueberry juice.

Oh - I wanted to mention the fish-cooking method I observed, sitting by the open kitchen. The portions of fish were draped over a rod that was laying about one inch above red-hot coals of some kind. The fish were seared that way for a few seconds on each side, and then served. I have never seen a technique like that before.

I finally asked the sushi chef where he learned to make sushi. He said, 'Here!' So, we have a young, serious Icelander making sushi that could pass muster at any restaurant I've ever been to... it was very interesting.

And dessert - oh yes... there was dessert. I ordered the 'Premium Selection,' advertised in the menu as 'One for All and All for One.' I had definitely bitten off more than I could chew... literally. Out came banana creme brulee, banana custard, two scoops of sorbet (one cinnamon custard and one green tea), and banana wrapped in pastry dough and then deep-fried. My goodness. It was heavenly.

For wine I had two glasses of a nice, simple Cote du Rhone, which was refreshed directly from the bottle. All this food, plus eye candy, for a mere 11,100ISK or a little under $100.

Not cheap, but well worth every krona. And as you all know, I am not a souvernir/possession collector, so when I travel I prefer to spend my money on food (and drink!)

Second Day

Before I tell you what I did today, I need to tell you what I had for dinner last night! As I strolled up and down Skolovordustigur (I had to refer to my guidebook about four times just to type that word out!) looking for a place to eat, a sign on the sidewalk caught my eye: WHALE MENU. I went in.

This was the three-course offering at the Hereford Steikhus:

Lobster soup with chive sour cream
Whale steak with roasted root vegetables and haricots verts
Skyrs

The soup was amazing - salty and creamy with big chunks of lobster. The whale steak was cooked rare, very smooth and rich and very filling. I was nervous at first, but I liked it. It had a taste all it's own... not like beef or lamb. Strange though... whales are obviously mammals, however, I sort of felt like I should have been eating something with the consistency of fish, since I was eating... seafood... but not really seafood... the animal lives in the sea... but it was red meat. Anyway, I guess I can add that to the list of strange regional foods I've eaten.

Skyrs is a traditional Icelandic dessert made of a custardy yogurt type base, which is delicious, and in this case topped with diced poached pear, a scoop of raspberry sorbet, and a hardened coffee-caramel swirl. Two glasses of red wine to accompany, and the entire thing came to a tidy sum of 6,8000ISK, or a little over $50. A bit of a splurge, but I certainly didn't break the bank!

Today my plans to go to the flea market were foiled since it wasn't open. I looked through my guidebooks and combined the interesting parts from three different self-guided walking tours. I started along Reykjavic harbor where the fishing boats came in. I wandered up the main street all the way to Hofdatun St and photgraphed the Hofdi, where Reagan and Gorbechev met in 1986. The street names here are impossible to read or retain, so I had to pretty much constantly refer to my map throughout my walk. I tried to be surreptitious about it, though. I always yell at my mom for whipping out the map in public when we travel together. I prefer to try to blend in... though I know that I usually scream AMERICAN! without saying a word.

By then I was starving so I stopped for a pastry and hot chocolate and warmed up a little before proceeding to the Hallgrimskirkja church where 400ISK gets you a trip up to the tower for some of the greatest views in Reykjavic. I did some shopping along the way to the statue of Ingolfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland who was apparently a fugitive from Norway.

I picked up a few gifts after that and headed back to my room to shower and regroup before dinner.

The sunlight situation here is not so bad. It's weird in the morning. When you wake up (I mean when you wake up naturally), it's impossible to discern whether it's midnight, 4am, or 9am because it's pitch black no matter what (Reykjavic is a small city and there isn't much light pollution). But once the sun starts coming up, around 10:30am, things feel totally normal, and though the sun sets around 3:30pm, it's light for about another hour after that, which is not too far off how it is in DC in the evenings these days.

I'm about to head out for a drink and dinner here soon. I can't wait to see Trent and David tomorrow morning... not sure what we have planned but I suspect a spa trip to the Blue Lagoon is in the works for at least one of the days.

First Day

Well, I found my way to an internet cafe so I can write a proper post. Usually I keep handwritten journals when I travel but maybe this time I will just try a blog chronicle.

Arrival was uneventful. Lots of waiting at JFK airport, but once we got in the air the flight went quickly and smoothly. As scary as it was to find myself in a foreign country all alone and with no one waiting for me, getting to my hotel was surprisingly easy. I bought a ticket for the Flybus which took me to a hotel shuttle. Check-in was easy enough, though I was STARVING and scarfed down a power bar while waiting for my room keys.

I crashed for a few hours and woke as the sun was rising. After only a few hours here I already feel fairly acquainted with Reykjavic´s city center. The streets are narrow and windy in places but my hotel is at a strategic location and easy to find my way back to. Plus, with only 300,000 people in all of Iceland (approximately 60% of whom live in or near Reykjavic) and that it's very much off season, the streets and shops are basically empty.

I wandered the main streets for a few hours, bought some Icelandic chocolate at the grocery store (which is called BONUS, with a garish pink pig´s head in place of the O), found some great hot chocolate and a liqueur truffle at Kaffi and Te, wandered down to the harbor, and tried to decide what I would be doing with myself tomorrow, my second and last day to myself.

But first, I needed to run an errand. Silly me - I didn't bring a bathing suit to Iceland! Who could forget such a thing? It´s the Arctic Circle in December, seems perfectly logical to pack a bathing suit. Duh! But, Trent reminded me of the amazing Blue Lagoon and assures me that soaking in the geothermally heated pool is positively glorious... so I took a cab to a shopping mall and found a cute black bikini.

Can I just stop myself and say that the clothing boutiques in Iceland are amazing? So chic and trendy and unusual. And, there is a grocery store in the mall.

Once I got back from my errand I chose to get a few more hours sleep... now I´m pretty much on schedule with Icelandic time. With the rest of the evening I´m going to wander around a little more, find a cocktail and eventually dinner. I will be taking copious notes on what I eat! Tomorrow I intend to hit the famed Flea Market down by the harbor (OMG... The Simpson´s just came on in the internet cafe! In English!) and maybe take one of the walking tours mentioned in my guidebook. I want to wait for Trent and David to try the ice bar, nightclubs, and excursions.

Oh - I wanted to mention - printed on each of the Icelandair headrests was this:
The throne of Odinn was named Hlidskjaff.
We simply call this
Your Seat.

I loved that!

Well... it's way early for dinner by European standards but I´m starved... so I may defy tradition (but beat the crowds) and eat something. Stay tuned for another post tomorrow!

Hello from Iceland

Just a quick note - don´t want to tie up the internet! I arrived in Iceland just fine, the flight was super easy. A movie, a few Simpson´s episodes, and I was there. Getting to the hotel was also uneventful... and I immediately crashed out.

I have more to say but I will try to find an internet cafe so I am not a net-hog... anyway... I´m off to run a crucial errand... more later...

Last Post Stateside

Merry Christmas! This will be my last post until I land in Reykjavic on Saturday. I will have internet access in the hotel so stay tuned!

This was an indecisive morning. I got up determined to run 7 miles, then promply went back to bed. That lasted all of twenty minutes. I got dressed and headed out the door but spent the first three miles debating whether I should go for 7 or cut it short at 5 miles. I really hadn't decided what I was going to do when I hit the point where I either needed to go straight for 5 miles or turn right to add the additional loop.

I went straight.

Now I'm home and am going to get packing and cleaning... stay warm, everyone. I'll be in touch from Iceland!

Feeling the Christmas Spirit

This morning I and two armed escorts took a quick trip down to the National Mall to see the Christmas trees. The National Tree and Menorah were on display, surrounded by cute little trains and smaller trees donated by each state and territory.


It was fun to walk around and see everything... and I am officially on leave! Heading out in a bit for dinner with relatives in Centreville, then it's home to start cleaning and getting organized to fly up to the Artic on Friday.

Recommended Reading

There is a great post over on Skwigg's blog right now about various diet/nutrition/workout plans. Skwigg is an expert on such things and has a vast amount of experience to draw on... take her word for it!

Shakin' It

Tonight two girlfriends and I went to a Christmas party in the 'burbs. A couple hours in and we were ready to go... but not ready to go home. After some discussion and a few false starts, we ended up at Andalu in Dupont Circle, a hip-hop club that I'd seen but never been inside of.

We had a few beers and before I knew it I had left my white self in the dust, found some attitude, and was busting moves on the dance floor in my skin-tight red dress and knee-high boots. Please do not be misinformed - I do not have moves. Whatsoever. But I do have the ability to make fun of myself and my rhythm is great, so I have fun and can pass for a decent dancer.

Somewhere towards the middle of my loss of self-consciousness, a beautiful black guy reached his hand past my two girlfriends to ME (Why? Doesn't he know I can't dance?) and led me out to the middle of the floor where we proceeded to get it on. Tastefully, of course. It was awesome. He was hot. The music was pumping. I felt sexy and edgy and fun, polar opposite of the lame loser I usually feel like, being the first to show up and first to leave most places.

Lezlie and Carrie found dance partners too and we grooved for a while before the deafness overtook us and we decided to split. My ears are still ringing a little, but it was the most fun I've had in a while.

Hack Cough

My cat Natasha loves to suffocate me.

She'll walk on my desk between me and the keyboard and drag her tail underneath my nose, across my upper lip. I get a big inhale of cat hair. Yummo!

Resolutions or Why I Hate Facebook

Yes, I did it again. I joined Facebook only to deactivate my account within hours. Something about it just gives me the heebie-jeebies. I am not comfortable with that level of exposure and random people from my past trying to contact me.

Also, the word "friend" should never be used as a verb.

So anyway, that brings me to some of my New Year's Resolutions. One main one is that I want to be more protective of my time. I want to spend time with people I really enjoy being around and not feel obligated to make or keep social plans that I feel are draining.

I also resolve to keep track of my running. This means that I will need to replace my watch battery and record my mileage. I hope to improve my speed and endurance over the next year and maybe even try for some personal bests in upcoming races. I can really only hope to accomplish this by being diligent about my records.

By April, I hope to buy a piano.

Yoga Breakthrough

This evening I had one of my strongest yoga practices ever. Maybe it was because David, the owner of the studio, was practicing next to me! Or maybe, finally, after years of persistence, my stubborn body is starting to open up.

I was not blessed with a naturally flexible body. I have open shoulders, but that's about it. My hamstrings are about one inch long on a good day. So really, the only thing I have going for me as an Ashtangi is the will to work on things that are too hard for me.

Specifically, I felt really strong today in Utthita Hasta Padanghustasana. What happens is, you hold this posture for five breaths (except without the instructor supporting you).


Then slowly move to this posture and hold for five breaths.


Then you move to the first posture again and just exhale one time into a forward bend over the outstretched leg. Then you straighten up let go of the toe and hold the leg extended and unsupported for five breaths.


Then you switch sides. This little sequences comes right in the middle of the standing postures in the Primary Series and is very difficult. Not only does it take strength in the extended leg but it takes strength in the arms and in the supporting leg. Keeping the standing leg straight is very difficult. It's all very difficult. Yoga is very difficult. But today for whatever reason, I felt long and strong in these postures!

Afterwards, I tried to go to the hardware store to get a nut for my banjo. Somehow one of the nuts came off of the bolt that secures one end of the armrest onto the pot, and now the armrest is halfway falling off. How this happened, I do not know. But given how old the instrument is, the hardware store people were baffled and could not find a proper nut to fit the thread. Oh well... it's still very much playable, but the loose armrest is slightly annoying.

Disturbingly Alluring

Lately I have been rekindling my love affair with Nick Cave. I might be posting a few of his videos in the future.

This is "Where the Wild Roses Grow" with Kylie Minogue. I've posted the lyrics as below. Nick writes murder ballads, and so tenderly. Now, there is nothing remotely appropriate about romanticizing homicide... so how come he draws me in?

Nick Cave is hot. He seriously does something to me.
CHORUS:
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
As she stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the colour of the roses
They grew down the river, all bloody and wild

When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped the tears that ran down my face

CHORUS

On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
I said, 'Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?'

On the second day he came with a single rose
Said: 'Will you give me your loss and your sorrow?'
I nodded my head, as I layed on the bed
He said, 'If I show you the roses will you follow?'

CHORUS

On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he stood smiling above me with a rock in his fist

On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die'
And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth

CHORUS

Comfort

The Lord says,

"Be not afraid, I am with your always;
I have called you by name;
You are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flames burn you.
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

Isaiah 43: 1-3

Change of Plans

I have to make an emergency drive up the coast this morning and will be staying overnight. So I won't be running the Jingle All the Way 10k tomorrow morning. I'll make up the distance on Monday.

May or may not be updating Twitter (sidebar to the right).

Everyone have a safe and warm weekend.

Cold Rainy Run

I just got absolutely soaked, but the very large oatmeal cookie I had for lunch and the 10k race I'm running on Sunday dictated that I do not take any unscheduled days off, even if it's pouring outside and the intersections are flooded.

Ah well. Running in poor conditions is quite rewarding, actually.

Now I'm off to the yoga shala (yes, I'm pretty fanatical about exercise these days), having finally dried off and thawed out, thanks in part to two cups of some lovely jasmine tea I picked up in Chinatown the other day.

Two weeks to Iceland!

Ladies: In Case You're Lonely...

I snapped this picture at the grocery store today:

Dining Companion

Earlier this week I had the pleasure (it's always a pleasure) to have dinner and drinks with my dear friend Tracy. Tracy is a famous author, journalist, classicist, and reviewer of books and I never feel more sophisticated and classy when around him.

Due to an event for which he was in town, we met at his hotel, the infamous Mayflower (of Eliot Spitzer fame). I debated wearing a blond wig but decided that, ultimately, brunettes are more mysterious and alluring.

We started off in the lounge with cocktails and spent some time catching up. But we were hungry - and most of our time together, when we have it, is spent over food and wine - so we talked about a few options and decided to try Cafe Promenade, at the Mayflower itself.

Our choice was one to be savored.

My warm arugula salad with wild mushrooms and fried Parmesan cheese in a shallot sherry vinaigrette was delicious. Tracy opted out of a salad course.

For the main course, I ordered what turned out to be a very generous portion of seared Ahi tuna crusted with wasabi and sesame seeds over baby bok choy sauteed in lemon grass essence. The tuna was cooked perfectly - that is to say, barely cooked at all - and the bok choy bedding was tender and nicely seasoned.

Tracy ordered asparagus ravioli which came beautifully presented with a yellow pepper coulis, pesto, and black olives.

This was paired with a domestic Franciscan pinot noir, strong and bold, a lovely compliment to both our courses. The bottle never stood a chance.

I ordered dessert, rather unabashedly: the "Opera Cake" - coffee soaked almond cake layered with mocha butter cream and chocolate ganache. Sort of like tiramisu wrapped in chocolate cake. The ever-restrained Tracy took one modest bite, I polished off the rest.

The evening ended on the early side, which is customary for us since we're both early risers. I went home full of tuna and cake and wine, happy to have spent the evening in perfect company.

The Luxury of Anxiety

What follows is going to be a totally self-indulgent post about the anxieties afforded to those who have few-to-no real life responsibilities. Just bear with me.

My 7 mile run yesterday totally wore me out. My hamstrings and arms were already fatigued and the distance took a lot out of me. I couldn't eat enough today, was constantly hungry, and now can barely keep my eyes open. My mind says - THE DEFINITION OF YOGA IS DEVOTION but my body says rest.

I'm getting really anxious about Iceland. This always happens right before a big trip. Instead of fantasizing about the glaciers, the ponies, the lagoons, the hot springs, I'm worried about finding my hotel, finding my friends, whether I'll be bored, how I will communicate... and... the money.

Five weddings this year have pretty much kept me constantly in the hole (flights.. hotels... dresses.. rental cars.. gifts... times five... GAH!) and now with Christmas season here, I am really trying to be frugal HERE so I don't have to be frugal THERE.

Yes, this relates to my yoga dilemma. I really feel like I need to conserve classes (I pay for a ten-class card) because I'm not sure when I'll be able to purchase a new card. I can easily go through one and a half class cards or more per month - that really adds up and it's really hard to take a good practice when I'm panicking about not being able to afford it. And the other thing, of course, is that I want to present as a loyal and faithful student. Skipping classes doesn't lend itself to that, not to mention it makes me feel out of control, lazy, sloppy, and generally worthless.

I'm not very good at being kind to myself. But apparently I'm not very good at pushing myself, either.

Yes, I realize that I don't have kids. Or a mortgage. Or a spouse. Or medical bills. Or an invalid loved one who I support. I realize that I'm having anxiety now because I live a pretty carefree and independent life. But it's anxiety nonetheless... and I hate it.

:( :( :(

Run Report and Wedding Pics

My 7+ mile run this evening was slow and steady. Emphasis on slow. I just could not make myself run fast! The culprit? Keith's brutal yoga class yesterday, I'm sure of it. I woke up this morning with screaming hamstrings and fatigued arms, likely from holding chaturanga for a million thousand breaths each (and this posture occurs about 25 times in the entire Ashtanga primary series).

It's the hamstrings and upper body that are largely responsible for propelling the body forward. So, when those elements are tired, a run will suffer. The bright side is that my pace WAS steady and I felt strong on the hills.

I don't have them all just yet, but here are a few pictures of the lovely bridesmaids from the November wedding I stood in. The first one is the bride's sister and me. The second one is the bride's sister, me, and the groom's sister. That's us after the ceremony, chillin' in the Hummer stretch limo after the ceremony. We drove around, drank champagne and wine, ate sandwiches and cheese dipped in cheese (you kinda had to be there - and we were starving!), eventually taking pictures before the reception. Ain't we purdy??

Rainy Day

So, even though it was cold and pouring rain, like a good little yogi I didn't skip class this morning.

I did, however, leave the house without an umbrella and got totally soaked walking to the shala. To top it off, I discovered (the hard way) that my shoes HAVE HOLES IN THE BOTTOM and by the time I got to class my shoes, socks, and feet were cold and soaking wet.

And then, after a particularly brutal class, I got to put cold wet socks and shoes on and walk another mile home in the rain.

Now all I want is a mug (hahah!! I mistyped "hug" for "mug" there... Freudian slip, hm?) anyway, a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows and a kitten in my lap for the rest of the afternoon.

Back to the Routine

Last week was pretty laid-back at work, but tomorrow everything should be back to normal. It was nice to have a little break from the grind... but, being the control freak that I am, I look forward to being back in my routine.

In other exciting news, my favorite runner, Catherine Ndereba, "easily won" the Great Australian 15k. News article is here (but it mostly focuses on the male winner, Haile Gebrselassie).

Menu

Thanksgiving 2008

Appetizer - warm brie with brown sugar and walnuts, crackers, fresh apple
Soup course - hot pumpkin puree topped with sage and pumpkin seeds
Salad course - spinach and arugula with walnuts, fresh pear, and goat cheese in a spicy mustard vinaigrette
Main course - salmon baked in tin foil with tomatoes, shallot, lemon juice, rosemary, and thyme. Quinoa with feta cheese and pumpkin seeds
Dessert - pumpkin pie
For satiation - three bottles of organic Malbec

Lezlie, Mary, and I had a wonderful, mellow, food-filled afternoon. We caught up, got to know each other better, gossipped about boys, and talked at length about those things for which we are thankful.

Thank God for good friends.

Thanksgiving

Should be a nice day. I slept in and am about to go out for seven miles - hills first, then I'll finish up mostly flat and with a nice downhill stretch of sidewalk home. I alreay made the first course (pumpkin soup) and should easily finish the rest of the prep work for the salad and main course in about half an hour. Then I need to do some light cleaning and ambience... and then... wait on my two lovely girlfriends to arrive!

DGR

Every day, Matt and I send each other our food intake for critique and commiseration. Mine today is a little erratic:

5:45am - oatmeal
8:30am - apple
10am - low-fat cottage cheese
(so far so good!)
Noon - handful pretzels (was waiting for my colleague to come back so we could go eat lunch together
1pm - TWO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES AND A SCOOP OF CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM. One of my colleague's onion rings.

Yeah... I fell off the wagon a little. But at least I knew what I was craving and just ATE it, instead of eating a several-hundred-calorie meal and THEN ordering dessert. If I have a light salad or soup for dinner, I will probably still be at or maybe even under my target caloric intake for the day.

Heh. A girl's gotta indulge every now and then, right?

Totally Shameless Post

I love Asian films.

I love long hair.

I love Tony Leung Chiu-Wai in all ways and with all haircuts (especially his steamy scenes in Lust, Caution).

I love his intense, knowing smile and gentle eyes.

DAMN.

Dream

Last night I dreamt that I was running the National Half marathon and it all kinda went to shit. I couldn't see the road markers very well and was never sure if I was on the right course. At one point I looked down and realized that I was wearing regular shoes - ballet flats and socks - instead of running shoes. And then at one water stop, which was inside (?) I tried to change into running shoes but they were two different brands, and I knew I couldn't wear those because I would get injured or something.

Then, at one point, after mile 4 I was at home and I checked my watch and realized that I had been running for six hours but had only gone four miles. So I just decided to quit because I knew I would never make it 13.1 miles... and was faced with my first DNF* and so dejected. I was wondering how I was going to explain that even though I had set an early fast pace it was still taking me hours and hours to run what I should have been able to cover in forty minutes.

Weird. And really, it's waaay too early for me to already be getting anxious about a March 2009 race.


*Did Not Finish

This Day Was MO

At work we have an abbreviation that we use very prolifically: MO. It stands for Mental Observation, and is traditionally used to describe a subject who is a little off and needs to be held for psychiatric evaluation. So, we will say, "This person is MO" and it's more polite than annoucing that he's totally fucking nuts.

But really, it means that the person is totally fucking nuts. It can also be used affectionately, or to describe situations. My whole day so far has been totally MO, whacked out of it's gourd. Unfortunately, I can only post one aspect of the day here as two others are work-related and one is a little too personal to post (i.e., could really hurt a person's feelings if they stumbled across the blog).

So, there was this older couple stalking me on the bus this morning. I kept catching the husband staring at me, and then they not only got off at my stop but followed me the two blocks I walk to work before turning down 17th St as I entered the office parking garage.

Then, this afternoon at 3pm as I was again waiting for the bus, just after having deflected an aggressive and high homeless person who cornered me and totally invaded my personal space to ask for change, I saw the husband walking up the street. He walked straight up to me and said, "I was on your bus this morning. My wife has been watching you go to work for two weeks!"

UH. Okay. So it turns out he is in town visiting his daughter and has had to go to my place of work for various reasons... including one time when he apparently crashed his car in Dupont Circle! "I just conked out at the wheel!" he said matter-of-factly.

Wow. Then he tried to find out where I live, that series of questions I expertly dodged. Weird. It occurs to me that yesterday morning the wife DID sort of cross the street in front of me in the morning, after departing the bus, and say, "Have a great day!" but I assumed it was just a nicety. I did not assume that they had been studying my routine for a significant amount of time!

Now I'm home and hanging out with my feline unit, catching some downtime before yoga class. Hopefully AVE will show up and we'll dine on our usual sushi and wine, if not, I have a whole bottle here at home... which won't be nearly enough...

What the heck?

It is seriously cold in DC right now. In fact, this morning, it was TWENTY DEGREES warmer in Iceland. That is just wrong.

It occurs to me, as I contemplate my upcoming excursion to the Arctic Circle, that I have absolutely no idea how to dress for those conditions. What do you wear to an ice bar? What do you wear 4-wheeling on a glacier?

Hopefully my dear friend who I'll be traveling with, and who has already visited Iceland, can shed some light.

Speaking of lights... I can't wait to gaze at the Aurora Borealis. Over and over again. What a way to ring in the New Year.

Empty Me

Empty me
Of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition
And the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me
So I can be
Filled with you
-- Chris Sligh

I am always terrified that I don't know my motives, and that they're darker and more selfish than I can acknowledge. And then I fear that the things I desire will either not be given to me or they will be given and taken away as punishment for my selfishness.

It's a very infantile view of God and consequences, but I'm a spiritual infant, so there.

A real world example of this is my fear of being offered a job that pays me better than I am paid currently. Even if the job was an incredible opportunity to do good in the world, I have this fear that I'll be given the job and then fired because, deep down, somehow the dominant motive for taking the job is the money I would be making. And since the love of money is a sin, it only makes sense that I would be denied that which I sinfully desire.

This sort of thinking really freezes me up. I just want to naturally want to be selfless, loving, and pure of heart, and yet I'm never sure that I really want those thing or if I'm really chasing selfishness and possessiveness and control and all those things that make people ugly. The scary thing is, it can be difficult to tell the difference.

I would give up every material thing to know God.

More Racing

Well, I didn't think I'd have another half-marathon on the calendar so quickly. My fault, however, for chiding some co-workers about short distance running... one came right back at me with a challenge to run the National Half-Marathon in March. So I think I will - and follow it up with the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in April.

T'will be a nice cool down, I suppose.

I think I might even dust off my watch after the first of the year and train for a time goal. Ambitious!

Tonight I'm going to have my usual yoga/sushi with AVE ritual... and then tomorrow I'm going to try to run a significant distance (7 miles), my first since the Detroit race in October. But I'm not gonna push it. Then, a friend from Baltimore is going to come visit and hopefully we'll have a nice time... I'm gonna try to find something for us to do in town, but haven't started thinking about what just yet.

Misc.

I'm home from South Bend and the fifth (and final!) wedding of the year. It was flawless. The bride looked gorgeous, and so did her bridesmaids (if I do say so myself). I'll post pictures when I get them.

I'm still trying to get back into the swing of a regular running and yoga routine. My goal is to average an easy 20-25 miles per week while practicing yoga 2-3 times per week with one or two days off. I want to leave some flexibility, but I also don't want to start from scratch when it's time to start training for my spring race.

This afternoon I twisted my ankle just about 2 miles out from the finish. Last time something like this happened, I played it macho and ran home anyway. Two hours later my ankle was twice it's normal size and I couldn't flex it or my toes. A trip to the emergency room resulting in three days on crutches was required. I had to take two weeks off running. I learned that lesson, and this afternoon just hobbled home, gently, and will ice it a bit later. I should be okay.

It'll be nice to have the day off tomorrow. I have nothing planned except some reading and an evening yoga class. Maybe I'll take a walk downtown or something. But really, I'm so worn out from travelling and weddings and family and half-marathons that I really need some down time.

Flying

I'm leaving town for a long weekend. No blog posts until Sunday night/Monday.

Be good while I'm gone... don't do anything I wouldn't do!

Katfotos

Natasha loves boxes. Best if they're just a teeny bit too small for her, but any enclosed space will do, really.

















And... a gratuitous pic of the girls as itty bitty kittens...

Eggs!

"Probably one of the most private things in the world is an egg until it is broken."

MFK Fisher, The Art of Eating

I love eggs. And I happen to be very good at cooking them. Creamy, fluffy omelets require a creamy, fluffy attitude on the part of the chef. Fisher says elsewhere that, "[An omelet is] never to be attempted by a nervous, harried woman, one anxious to slap something on the table and get it over with."

She's right. The secret to cooking great eggs is low heat and lots of patience. This is how I make an omelet. I crack three eggs and use one whole one and the whites from the other two. I add a shot of whole milk and whip with a fork until frothy. Meanwhile, a skillet is warming (not heating!) on the stove. I always use butter for eggs and not oil.

To the side I have my filling completely prepared. This is crucial, as eggs take constant watching in order to avoid over-cooking them (a common mistake) and you don't want to become distracted with chopping and shredding. (I can thank Rob for instilling in me the understanding of the mise en place)This morning, I had sauteed spinach, garlic, and shallot in butter and set it aside.

The skillet warm and butter melted, I pour in my egg mixture. The eggs SHOULD NOT SIZZLE when they hit the pan. I sncrease the heat ever-so-slightly, and wait. And wait. I resist the urge to touch my cooking eggs. Eggs are very fragile and do not hold up well under a lot of handling.

When I can see the edges begin to firm, I gently pull them away from the side with my spatula, letting the uncooked egg-soup on top fill in the space I created. This continues, working my way around the skillet, until the eggs are mostly cooked but for a thin layer on top.

I carefully flip them ONE TIME. This will be the only time I flip my omelet. I then decrease the heat, and pile my filling on one half of the eggs. To my spinach, shallot, and garlic I added cheddar cheese and smoked salmon.

I carefully fold the omelet so the filling is covered. The skillet is removed from the heat and covered, letting the residual heat melt the cheese.

I slide my omelet directly from skillet to plate. Do not try to lift your omelet with a spatula to transfer it to your plate - this may compromise the structural integrity of your meal.

Finally, I garnish with parsley or pepper as desired, and eat along with a glass of milk or juice, tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.