With the start of a new school year (and the start of a new event season at the bookstore) I always get motivated to start new projects and reorganize my days. I find myself wanting to embark on new reading goals, cook more elaborate dinners, start going to the gym regularly again, and get the apartment clean and organized. Call it the wanna-be-academic version of the New Year's resolution.
But to be honest, this year my urge to start over again mostly comes from the fact that I've hardly been home for the last couple of months. Six of the last seven weekends have been spent traveling, with the last being a mammoth weekend in Seattle, where we visited family, went to an amazing wedding for a high school friend, and got stuck two nights in Chicago trying to get home after Hurricane Irene. All of these trips were wonderful and I wouldn't trade them for anything, but Labor Day weekend was the first weekend in ages when I finally had time to sleep late in my own bed, relax around the apartment, and get a few things done. It was heavenly.
So now that things are getting back to normal around here (I'm introducing Paul Farmer at a massive sold out event on Wednesday night...who ever thought I would have a life where that was normal?), I'm back on the blogosphere. I want to say I'll be blogging every Sunday night, and checking things off my Thirty Things list like crazy, but that seems overly optimistic. So let's just say I'll be around more. And if you run into me out in the world, remind me that I have a lot of cookies to bake if I'm going to finish Great Cookies. Then request your favorite kind.
Oh, and I almost forgot: Since the last time I wrote, I had my 28th birthday. Less than two years to get the rest of my list done. Yikes!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
My First 13.1
Six weeks ago I ran my first half marathon, the Run to Remember in Boston. I thought it was a good choice for a first half because it was close by, flat, and mostly on terrain I knew. It started at the seaport in Boston, headed through downtown to the Charles, along Memorial Drive to Harvard and back (the same route where I did most of my long runs), and then back through downtown to the start.
I'd trained for it for fourteen weeks, and even still I had no idea how it was going to go. After a chilly, rainy spring, the week of the race started to heat up, and by Sunday it was warm and humid. I'm not sure what the temperature was before the race, but the humidity was about 80%. Not something I deal well with.
The first half was great. Since there's a long out-and-back along the Charles, we got to see the leaders of the race on their way back while we were still on our way out. I think they were somewhere around mile 8 when I was somewhere around mile 4. Amazing!
By the time I got to mile 8, it was getting warm. It had been cloudy all morning, but the sun had come out, and there wasn't a lot of shade. Around mile 10, when we were heading back over the Longfellow Bridge, it was really hot, and you could see a lot of people pulled off to the sides, some of them being checked out by EMTs. I didn't feel great, but I never felt like I was in danger of not finishing.
Things started to fall apart for me after that. I had to stop and walk several times (before that I'd only walked through the water stops). I still never felt like I wasn't going to make it, but it was getting a lot harder. Fortunately, I was able to run the last mile or so without stopping. Seeing Greg with my father- and sister-in-law just before the finish line was a great boost, and I crossed the finish line at 2:21:13. I'd been hoping for under 2:20, but given the circumstances, I had nothing to complain about.
So now I can check off part of #10. I still want to run a marathon someday, but I don't know if it will be before I'm 30. It's a huge time commitment, and I want to be sure I can really devote the time and not injure myself. I'll get there someday, though. In the meantime, I start training for my second half marathon (hopefully the Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon) tomorrow. I like following a training schedule a lot, since it adds structure to my weeks, and I know I can get a better time in cooler weather. Plus, this time I'm hoping to run with some family and friends, which will be the first time I've done a race that wasn't by myself.
(In other checklist news, I've been doing a bit of baking, although not enough. Tonight's ginger macadamia nut crisps are delicious.)
I'd trained for it for fourteen weeks, and even still I had no idea how it was going to go. After a chilly, rainy spring, the week of the race started to heat up, and by Sunday it was warm and humid. I'm not sure what the temperature was before the race, but the humidity was about 80%. Not something I deal well with.
The first half was great. Since there's a long out-and-back along the Charles, we got to see the leaders of the race on their way back while we were still on our way out. I think they were somewhere around mile 8 when I was somewhere around mile 4. Amazing!
By the time I got to mile 8, it was getting warm. It had been cloudy all morning, but the sun had come out, and there wasn't a lot of shade. Around mile 10, when we were heading back over the Longfellow Bridge, it was really hot, and you could see a lot of people pulled off to the sides, some of them being checked out by EMTs. I didn't feel great, but I never felt like I was in danger of not finishing.
Things started to fall apart for me after that. I had to stop and walk several times (before that I'd only walked through the water stops). I still never felt like I wasn't going to make it, but it was getting a lot harder. Fortunately, I was able to run the last mile or so without stopping. Seeing Greg with my father- and sister-in-law just before the finish line was a great boost, and I crossed the finish line at 2:21:13. I'd been hoping for under 2:20, but given the circumstances, I had nothing to complain about.
So now I can check off part of #10. I still want to run a marathon someday, but I don't know if it will be before I'm 30. It's a huge time commitment, and I want to be sure I can really devote the time and not injure myself. I'll get there someday, though. In the meantime, I start training for my second half marathon (hopefully the Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon) tomorrow. I like following a training schedule a lot, since it adds structure to my weeks, and I know I can get a better time in cooler weather. Plus, this time I'm hoping to run with some family and friends, which will be the first time I've done a race that wasn't by myself.
(In other checklist news, I've been doing a bit of baking, although not enough. Tonight's ginger macadamia nut crisps are delicious.)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
A London Interlude
I fell off the blogging bandwagon this spring, but our schedule's calming back down and I'm trying to get back in a Sunday night routine. Let's see how that goes.
Although I've completed two of my goals in the last month or so (more on that later), we also just got back from an amazing vacation in London, so I thought I'd write about that this week.
I had been to London once several years ago with family, but Greg had never been and we were excited about wandering around the city and seeing the sites. We did a lot of the touristy things (Tower of London, some museums, a Thames River cruise, a West End show) but we also spent many hours just wandering the streets and taking in the city. Here are some of my favorite finds (By the way, Greg and I are bad camera owners and forgot to charge our real camera before we left, so we pretty much only have crappy cell phone photos.):
Other highlights of the trip included a performance of Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe (featuring Geoffrey from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...I kid you not) and second row seats to Pygmalion starring Rupert Everett and Diana Rigg. Honestly, does it get any better than that?
I think after this trip that London is officially my favorite city I've ever visited. We had an absolutely amazing time, and we're both glad to be back home, but in the back of my head I'm already making plans for our next trip. Besides, our leftover change and Oyster cards are neatly tucked away, ready to be reused. :o)
Although I've completed two of my goals in the last month or so (more on that later), we also just got back from an amazing vacation in London, so I thought I'd write about that this week.
I had been to London once several years ago with family, but Greg had never been and we were excited about wandering around the city and seeing the sites. We did a lot of the touristy things (Tower of London, some museums, a Thames River cruise, a West End show) but we also spent many hours just wandering the streets and taking in the city. Here are some of my favorite finds (By the way, Greg and I are bad camera owners and forgot to charge our real camera before we left, so we pretty much only have crappy cell phone photos.):
In Trafalger Square there's an amazing vertical garden that replicates Van Gogh's A Wheatfield by Cypresses. It's a little hard to see, but here's the original for comparison:
A very cool monument to women's roles in World War II.
This picture's hard to see, but it's one of my favorite random things we saw. At the intersections near Wellington Arch, between Hyde Park and Green Park, are traffic signals with a place to press for a walk light, and a couple of feet higher, a place to press for a horse crossing light. Awesome.
One of the stores near Harrod's had a massive window display dedicated to Alexander McQueen dresses to celebrate the retrospective that's current at the Met in NY. Absolutely stunning.
Other highlights of the trip included a performance of Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe (featuring Geoffrey from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...I kid you not) and second row seats to Pygmalion starring Rupert Everett and Diana Rigg. Honestly, does it get any better than that?
I think after this trip that London is officially my favorite city I've ever visited. We had an absolutely amazing time, and we're both glad to be back home, but in the back of my head I'm already making plans for our next trip. Besides, our leftover change and Oyster cards are neatly tucked away, ready to be reused. :o)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Halfway to Goal #3
I started reading Anna Karenina back in December, and I just hit the halfway mark. I've been reading a lot of other things in between, mostly because I was intimidated by the more than 800 pages that make up #3. on my list. And because I usually have one novel and one nonfiction going simultaneously, I've pretty much just been reading nonfiction for the last three months (Peter Hessler's latest book about China, Gabrielle Hamilton's memoir, Sarah Vowell's book about Hawaii's annexation, and about half of the Best Writing on Mathematics 2010, among others).
A few weeks ago, though, I got totally obsessed with The Morning News's Tournament of Books, and my fiction reading list exploded. So I picked Anna Karenina back up in earnest, and instead of reading 10 or 20 pages at a time, I've been diving right in. And loving it! I don't know what took me so long to get into it, but when I got over how long it is and how "important" it is, I can't seem to put it down. I'm pretty sure the second half will take me way less than the four months that the first half took. :o)
In other updates, I made the most beautiful black & white cookies last weekend:
A few weeks ago, though, I got totally obsessed with The Morning News's Tournament of Books, and my fiction reading list exploded. So I picked Anna Karenina back up in earnest, and instead of reading 10 or 20 pages at a time, I've been diving right in. And loving it! I don't know what took me so long to get into it, but when I got over how long it is and how "important" it is, I can't seem to put it down. I'm pretty sure the second half will take me way less than the four months that the first half took. :o)
In other updates, I made the most beautiful black & white cookies last weekend:
A few of them looked perfect, just like you'd see in a professional bakery. The rest...well, there were the vaguely football shaped:
And then there were the sadly disfigured:
But they were all delicious. As are the macaroons I made this afternoon. They're not very interesting to look at, but tasty and surprisingly easy. Almond paste, sugar, egg whites, and a little bit of salt. That's it!
So the count:
Cookies Made - 24
Recipes to Go - 130
Sunday, March 27, 2011
It's Been Too Long...
I haven't posted anything in a while, mostly because nothing much new has been going on. Lots of cookie baking, training for my half marathon, and every once in a while staring at my Rubik's Cube until it makes my brain hurt. Nothing really worth writing about. But I'm trying to get back in the groove, so I'm posting a quick update (i.e. pictures of cookies that have been on my camera since I last wrote).
Cookies made - 22
Recipes to go - 132
Now that warm weather's coming, I'm excited to get some other things crossed off my list, like climbing the Bunker Hill monument, visiting the Boston Harbor islands, and maybe, just maybe, watching a Red Sox game from the Green Monster.
Chocolate Vanilla Moonstones:
Made these for February book club meeting. Nondescript, but tasty.
Made these for February book club meeting. Nondescript, but tasty.
Cinnamon Toasties:
True story - I made Greg have his morning coffee in one of our prettier mugs so I could take a picture of the last biscotti. He drank the coffee, I ate the biscotti and almonds. Teamwork!
Oatmeal Walnut Crispies:
Made the version with chocolate chips for book club's March meeting.
I've made a few others in the past month or so that I didn't remember to take pictures of. So my progress to date is:
Cookies made - 22
Recipes to go - 132
Now that warm weather's coming, I'm excited to get some other things crossed off my list, like climbing the Bunker Hill monument, visiting the Boston Harbor islands, and maybe, just maybe, watching a Red Sox game from the Green Monster.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
I Finished One!
Last weekend, friends from work and I went to afternoon tea at the Park Plaza in downtown Boston. It was a cold, windy day, so hot tea and good company were exactly what I needed. Sadly, I forgot to bring my camera with me (even though Greg reminded me twice before I left), but I'll try to snag some from my friend Katherine and update soon.
The Park Plaza was hosting some kind of conference that weekend, so when we got there, all the open lobby and lounge space was full of very young people in suits. I was glad the restaurant where tea was being held was far away from the chaos. It seemed like the tea had been relocated because of everything else happening in the hotel that day, because we were kind of tucked away, and the staff wasn't the most responsive, but it was a beautiful dining room and the meal was amazing.
They started us off with a tea-infused port, which was stronger than I'm used to at two in the afternoon, but was surprisingly refreshing after the cold walk. The tea I chose was a light version of Earl Grey (my favorite), flavored with lavender, and it was absolutely delicious. Kari tried a version of Russian Caravan tea, which was unusual and smoky. That's one I may have to experiment with on my own. The meal included a still-warm scone with jam and clotted cream, four tiny finger sandwiches (though no cucumber...what's that about?), some really yummy little pastries, and lastly a tea-infused creme brulee.
In spite of how awesome the food was, I think my favorite part of the afternoon was the other group that was having tea at the same time. It seemed to be a mom with two little girls (seven? eight?), celebrating one of the girls' birthday. They were all dressed up, and completely adorable, and it was really cute when the staff brought out dessert with a sparkler in it. What a perfect girls' afternoon out in the city!
So I know this was something to check off my list, but I had so much fun, I hope to do it again. Maybe a yearly tradition has been born!
The Park Plaza was hosting some kind of conference that weekend, so when we got there, all the open lobby and lounge space was full of very young people in suits. I was glad the restaurant where tea was being held was far away from the chaos. It seemed like the tea had been relocated because of everything else happening in the hotel that day, because we were kind of tucked away, and the staff wasn't the most responsive, but it was a beautiful dining room and the meal was amazing.
They started us off with a tea-infused port, which was stronger than I'm used to at two in the afternoon, but was surprisingly refreshing after the cold walk. The tea I chose was a light version of Earl Grey (my favorite), flavored with lavender, and it was absolutely delicious. Kari tried a version of Russian Caravan tea, which was unusual and smoky. That's one I may have to experiment with on my own. The meal included a still-warm scone with jam and clotted cream, four tiny finger sandwiches (though no cucumber...what's that about?), some really yummy little pastries, and lastly a tea-infused creme brulee.
In spite of how awesome the food was, I think my favorite part of the afternoon was the other group that was having tea at the same time. It seemed to be a mom with two little girls (seven? eight?), celebrating one of the girls' birthday. They were all dressed up, and completely adorable, and it was really cute when the staff brought out dessert with a sparkler in it. What a perfect girls' afternoon out in the city!
So I know this was something to check off my list, but I had so much fun, I hope to do it again. Maybe a yearly tradition has been born!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
I'll never be this good...
Earlier this week I was looking up some author information on the Princeton University website, and the homepage had this amazing video about a student who organizes a Rubik's Cube tournament on campus. These folks are amazing!
In other news, I'm three recipes ahead of my last post. Last weekend I made Cardamom Cornmeal Biscotti (not really photographable, but surprisingly tasty) and Snickerdoodles. I think these might be my favorite cookies from the book so far. Very easy, and so delicious!
Today I made the Chocolate Sugar Snaps. They were supposed to come out looking kind of like a chocolate version of the snickerdoodles, but they didn't really work that well. They're still tasty, but a little too fudgy for me. And I thought the dough was really hard to work with, even after having chilled. So even if I had time to remake recipes, I don't think I'd try these again.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
A Very Smoky Kitchen
It's been kind of a terrible week, since I've been sick with a really bad cough. For some reason this season it's hit me a lot harder than it has in the past. Greg pointed out yesterday that I'd spent three of the last seven days in my pajamas, mostly on the couch, so that tells you something about how gross I've been feeling.
Luckily, last night I finally started to come out of it. To celebrate, I decided to make use of the Star Wars cookie cutters we got for Christmas. I made the Classic Sugar Cookies from Great Cookies, including all three of the variations.
Luckily, last night I finally started to come out of it. To celebrate, I decided to make use of the Star Wars cookie cutters we got for Christmas. I made the Classic Sugar Cookies from Great Cookies, including all three of the variations.
The storm trooper is the classic recipe, Yoda is the pecan version (with obligatory green sprinkles), Darth Vader is chocolate flecked, and Boba Fett is cinnamon swirl. I actually think they came out much too dry and not very flavorful. They may have been rolled out too thin, especially the plain batch. And honestly, I just don't much like sugar cookies.
Today, still feeling much better than I had been, I tried the Chocolate Coconut Devils for tomorrow's book club.
They are just as chocolatey and delicious as they look. And I love the fact that they have a little bit of almond extract for an unexpected flavor. The only problem was that I didn't have any baking parchment, so I just went with wax paper, not realizing it would fill my apartment with smoke. Oh well. In my defense, the picture on the wax paper box is over a baking sheet covered with wax paper and chocolate chip cookies. But now I know for future baking projects. Wax paper ≠ Baking parchment.
An update on the cookie project:
Cookies made - 13
Recipes to go - 141
Yikes, I might be in trouble. New rule: Make cookies every weekend, and volunteer for every church bake sale I can find!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Mind Games
I mentioned last week that I recently dug my Rubik's Cube out of a drawer, and since then it's been taunting me. I made some progress on it a while ago, and kind of forgot about it. Here's how it stands now:
I remember reading somewhere once that the key to solving these was to go layer by layer, so I'm in good shape with one layer done. But I haven't been able to figure out what to do next. I've only spent about 5 minutes at a time looking at it, though, so I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out. And no, I really don't want hints or links to solutions. The math part of my brain that's been lying dormant since I left grad school almost three years ago is up for the challenge.
In other news, I've officially decided to do Boston's Run to Remember, the half marathon through the city on Memorial Day weekend. Originally I had been leaning toward the Wallis Sands Half Marathon at the beginning of May, since I have family who are running it. But I haven't been running much the last couple of weeks because of weather, traveling, and a nasty stomach bug, so I don't think I'll be ready to start a real training plan for another couple of weeks. Plus, doing one at home means fewer travel expenses, and I can rest up in my own bed the night before. So barring any major problems, 5/29 is the day I become a half marathoner!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Restarting
I really like to have a normal routine. Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to the gym, Wednesdays I go to ballet, on the weekend I clean, grocery shop, and cook. So as much as I love the holiday season, I also love getting back to life as usual in January. So far I've gotten back into my normal workout routine, and I feel like I'm able to cook and eat much healthier (and usually tastier) meals.
And now I'm getting back to blogging. I've made minimal progress on my Thirty Things over the last month, but I haven't forgotten them either. I'm currently trying to decide which half marathon to sign up for this spring, I recently dug my Rubik's Cube out of a desk drawer, and I'm about 200 pages into Anna Karenina. Even just reading over my list again tonight, I'm getting excited to do a lot of new and fun things this year, and I'll be sure to post here more regularly as I get them done. Here's to 2011!
And now I'm getting back to blogging. I've made minimal progress on my Thirty Things over the last month, but I haven't forgotten them either. I'm currently trying to decide which half marathon to sign up for this spring, I recently dug my Rubik's Cube out of a desk drawer, and I'm about 200 pages into Anna Karenina. Even just reading over my list again tonight, I'm getting excited to do a lot of new and fun things this year, and I'll be sure to post here more regularly as I get them done. Here's to 2011!
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