Gearing up for marathon #3: Music Matters May 20, 2013

I can’t imagine trying to walk an entire marathon without having some kind of distraction – someone to talk to (like dh) or some music…and sometimes both. I remember that during my first marathon, when I was starting to have trouble moving along, I put on my headphones (which I’d kept nearby but hadn’t deployed) and told dh that I just needed music to get my feet moving properly.

Music has always been a big part of my life. Growing up, I listened to a lot of late 70′s/early 80′s soft rock, then new wave, followed by punk & electronica, followed by grunge…and on and on and on. In other words, I have fairly eclectic tastes. The only music I just can’t deal with in quantity is country music, although I appreciate that it’s extremely popular. Growing up in the Washington DC area, rap and go-go music were staples while I was in high school, alongside all of the Bon Jovi, Guns’nRoses and various other late 80′s bands. Again – eclectic.

When I was lucky enough to win an iPod shuffle from MyKindaRain two years ago, I put that little pink cutie into circulation right away. I had gotten a new iPod (regular size) earlier in the year, but the shuffle has the distinction of being extremely compact and clippy: you can just clip it on whatever you’re wearing and it tends to stay put. Naturally, I loaded up the pink cutie with fun stuff and adjusted my playlist as I had the time and inclination. I actually have a bunch of new stuff that I need to put on there (including Passion Pit’s “Take a Walk”, which has the double-whammy of being a local band AND a song that’s totally thematic for a walking marathon).

On yesterday morning’s training walk – a brisk 5.1mi jaunt around the town’s lake – I got an interesting mix. And yes, there were several repeat artists, but that just speaks to the fact that the pink cutie knew that I was in the mood for some extra Muse. (lol)

• “Every Me, Every You” – Placebo
• “Help I’m Alive” – Metric
• “Believe What You’re Saying” – Sugar
• “Supermassive Black Hole” – Muse
• “Assassin” – Muse
• “This Time Is Ours” – The Bravery
• “Newborn” – Muse
• “Teeth” – Lady Gaga
• “Left To My Own Devices” – Pet Shop Boys
• “Boys Boys Boys” – Lady Gaga
• “Seattle” – Public Image Ltd
• “Get The Message” – Electronic
• “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – Jeff Lynne/Eric Clapton (Concert for George Harrison)
• “A Forest” (Tree Mix) – The Cure
• “So Hard” – Pet Shop Boys
• “Pablo Picasso” – David Bowie
• “I’m Still Standing” – Elton John
• “Push It” – Garbage
• “Evil Woman” – ELO
• “Hollaback Girl” – Gwen Stefani
• “Don’t Bring Me Down” – ELO

Of course, not all of those songs have the perfect beat to walk to, in terms of setting a specific pace and keeping a beat. However, I have songs mixed throughout with that type of pace setting (like some of the Lady Gaga, Metric, etc.), and even songs like “Don’t Bring Me Down” have a strong beat that allow you to walk in time. This may seem a bit silly to a skeptic saying, “But that’s not a good walking song!” Well, I counter with: sure it is. The reason why is this: any song that allows you either to keep a good pace OR to distract you from how you’re not feeling so fantastic in those moments when your calves, hips or knees aren’t fully cooperating is TOTALLY doing its job. And, ultimately, any music you bring with you should match what you like to listen to.

So, that’s one sampling from my playlist. There’s tons of other stuff on there, and I have a bunch more that needs to get loaded up before September’s walk. If you have your own favorites, feel free to share! Or, if you’re looking for something specific (say, an electronic song with a strong beat that you can walk or run to), let me know and I’ll see what I can suggest from my catalog (or the inventory of music in my head) that might get you on the right track.

<pleading>Lastly, if you’re interested in sponsoring me for my walking marathon, you can donate via my Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk support page. All donations are tax-deductible and your donations support the cancer research and treatment provided at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. </pleading>

Crock Pot Baked Beans & Kielbasa May 14, 2013

I loves me some baked beans. There’s something about the sweet flavor, the instant protein rush of taking in all those beans…just the sheer yumminess. Some things are definitely comfort food, and (before the kids nixed it) we used to have baked beans somewhat frequently during the summer. Of course, I wasn’t making my own beans – I was popping the top on a can of Bush’s or some other brand, since it was infinitely easier than making my own and sitting by the stove for a few hours.

Recently, I reached a point where I crazily thought that making baked beans and kielbasa would be something the kids would finally embrace. It’s beans! They (sometimes) like beans! And kielbasa! They love kielbasa! (Feel free to put on Bill Cosby’s “Chocolate Cake for Breakfast” routine here, to get the appropriate tone of voice.)

Alas, the kids gave this one a meh rating ONLY because dd just can’t deal with things being in sauce or mixed or touching or OMG THERE ARE FOODS NOT BEING SEPARATED BY MILES OF SPACE. As I recall it, ds ate it well enough, but he’s a bit dubious about beans, so this really ended up being more of a me-and-dh kind of meal. I have to say that’s entirely THEIR LOSS. This not only came out well on night 1, it also reheated beautifully. So, if there are leftovers: fear not! Put ‘em in the fridge and reheat later in the week and all shall be well.

Also worth noting, this is possibly veganizable if you can get smoke flavor or a bacon flavor that doesn’t have any meat in it and you substitute the turkey kielbasa with a vegan sausage of some kind AND you have a vegan solution for Worcestershire sauce. (I know that sounds impossible, but vegan cooking requires resourcefulness and persistence, and it’s often quite yummy in its own right.) You could probably also meat-it-up with a beef or pork kielbasa, if you’d rather go in the other direction. I prefer the turkey kielbasa for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the lower fat grams per serving and the greater likelihood that the flavor of the sausage will work with (rather than over top of) the other flavors.

As saucy as you wanna be…

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 8-10hrs on LOW (but can go 11-12 on LOW); 4-6hrs on HIGH

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

8 oz uncured, uncooked bacon

1 pkg (typically around 1lb) turkey kielbasa

three 15 oz cans cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp dry mustard

1 cup maple syrup (I use grade B, but you can use grade A)

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp powdered ginger

1-1/2 cups water

Make It Happen

1. Coat the inside of a 4-5qt crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Chop the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the crock pot.

3. Cut the kielbasa into 1/4-inch coins and add to the crock pot. Stir to combine.

4. Add the beans to the crock pot. Stir to combine.

5. In a bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Then add them to the crock pot and stir to combine.

6. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10hrs (or easily up to 12hrs) or on HIGH for 4-6hrs.

20 books and 20 lbs (week 19): EHRMAGERD May 9, 2013

I was really hoping that giving myself a challenge like this – losing 20lbs and reading 20 books in one year – would somehow force me into the discipline of posting weekly about my progress. AND THEN I HIT A WALL SHAPED LIKE SALMAN RUSHDIE.

Holy cow.

This. Book. Is. Slow.

I’m speaking of course, of “Midnight’s Children”, Rushdie’s 1981 novel about the life and times of some of the children born simultaneous with the creation of India as an independent state. I had originally reached for “The Satanic Verses” (which I’d bought when it first came out and almost immediately put down because I had trouble getting into it). DH deflected me to “Midnight’s Children” because he’d heard it was an easier read than “Verses” and he had enjoyed “Midnight’s Children” when he read it. He failed to mention that it was on his SECOND attempt to read it that it stuck. Sigh.

I’m finally past the 2/3 mark in the roughly 500pg novel, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Expect that this will not be a positive mark in my review, when I finally FINISH THIS BOOK and can move onto book #5 for the year. (Which I really need to do, lest I just bonk on this part of the challenge.)

As far as the attempts to lose weight go, I’ve spent the last few weeks trading up/down 1-2lbs…or sometimes even just a few oz. I haven’t done anything dramatic to my diet, and trying to get more walking time in to train for my Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk in September has been only semi-successful. Work commitments for me and/or DH have done a good job of derailing a lot of our best shots at training time.

We’re now 1/3 of the way through the year and I’ve dropped a little more than 1/3 of my goal – I’m down about 7lbs right now. Of course, I still feel like I’ve plateaued, so I have to do more there.

The one area where things really have been coming together nicely is with my #plankaday. As of yesterday, I had 3 consecutive weeks of #plankaday for at least 2min! I consider that a nice victory, although the next step beyond this is to aim for 2:30. Ouch. I can feel the ab burn even before I get down to my forearms!

So, in summation, life has been busy, but when I’m not at work or doing stuff with the family, I’m hip-deep slogging through “Midnight’s Children”. I will finish this book soon (before it finishes ME), and then I’ll grab book #5. With any luck, I’ll even manage to drop another pound or two and find my way off this plateau (in a positive direction, of course!).

All fired up: fused glass jewelry making at Luke Adams Glass April 26, 2013

A few years ago, a friend got me into jewelry making – beading, primarily using wire and often using glass/crystal, gemstones and metal beads. There are times when I think that bracelet she helped me make that first day was just the gateway to a far larger addiction, one that I thought culminated in my filling my own bead box (or BoB – Box of Beads). My BoB is the equivalent of a chunky rolly-carryon suitcase, and it’s filled to the gills with stuff.

Even so, when a Groupon came into my inbox last year for a one-hour fused glass jewelry making class at a glass workshop not too far from my house, it seemed like a gimme. My sister agreed to come along and I bought the deal. Months later, after many months of saying “We need to use this thing before it expires!” and several emails from Groupon reminding me that this thing was sitting in my account unused, I went online to schedule. Since the workshop – Luke Adams Glass in Norwood, MA – uses the online Groupon schedule system, it was insanely easy to sign up for the class on their calendar. BIG PLUS.

The cozy store by the “hot shop”

And then came the class itself. We were about 8 people, all newbies looking to make a new piece of shiny-shiny for ourselves. The instructor was quite friendly and showed us around – to the area where they blow the glass (hot!) and then into a side room that functions as a storeroom and class area. At a large high-top table, plastic bins of many colors of glass sat waiting for us, along with cutting and separating tools. A board on the wall served to demonstrate how combinations and shapes change when the glass enters the kiln and gets fused. It becomes easy to see – although still incredibly hard to grasp – how square cuts turn to circles and yellows turn to reds and oranges.

Before & after samples of fused glass ideas (click to expand)

The class covered the making of a single piece: a pair of earrings, a pendant for a necklace, a ring, a focal point for a cuff bracelet or a bangle bracelet with 5 or 6 beads (depending upon required length). More pieces could be made for a nominal added cost (typically $20), and there was enough time in the hour to get instruction and make two pieces. For my part, I decided to throw in the extra $20 and make both a necklace and a six-bead bracelet. The necklaces automatically come with a silver-plated chain, and you can pay more for a sterling silver chain. You make the glass portion of the jewelry, and once it’s out of the kiln, the folks at Luke Adams take care of the gluing, mounting and other associated work required to turn the glass into something wearable.

Pendant – before fusing

After fusing…lovely!

Bracelet components, pre-fusing

So pretty!!

I have to say, one hour isn’t nearly enough. I could’ve stayed for 3 hours. 5 hours. It was a ton of fun trying to see what combinations I could come up with, and my fauxCD was nicely challenged by the need to make precise cuts and snap things just so in order to make sure that I didn’t turn the glass into something resembling poorly scooped Jell-O. (Which I also did, by the way.) It was so much fun that when I was on Groupon the other day, buying access to MOAR STARBUCKS (yeay!), I saw a deal for a one-hour glassblowing class that yields you an ornament or paperweight. A quickly placed tweet to my sister and off I went, buying yet another hour of time at the studio.

I can’t wait. We’re heading over there in early June, and I’m sure it’s going to be fantastic. Naturally, I can’t afford to do this all the time, but I have to say that it’s terrifically fun expanding my knowledge of media and trying new ways of making jewelry. Sure, I didn’t fire the items myself (students put their pieces on a shared kiln tray and the Luke Adams folks handle it from there), but I don’t need to watch the glass fuse to know that I made original pieces that I already LOVE wearing. Even more fabulous than the compliments I get from co-workers, I have the self-satisfaction of knowing that I made what I’m wearing and I got to learn something while making it. That’s just cool on so many levels…

More examples of what they offer in their store:

The shiniest pumpkin patch ever?

WANT.

For anyone else interested in checking out Luke Adams Glass – they have their own store at the workshop, and you can sign up for classes through Groupon or right there in the store. They seem to offer deals through Amazon Local Deals and Living Social, or you can pay full price right through their website or by signing up at the studio.

Disclaimer: Neither Groupon nor Luke Adams Glass provided anything in exchange for this post; I wrote this on my own, under my own steam, and solely because I WANTED TO WRITE THIS TO SHOW MY SUPPORT OF A WICKED COOL LOCAL BUSINESS. The Groupon deal used to take this class was paid for 100% by me and my sister, without any additional offsetting by a third party. All opinions expressed above are my own.

Panzanella April 21, 2013

A few years ago, my sister and I were walking out of a spa visit in Harvard Square when we happened upon a farmer’s market. We both oohed and aahed over the tomatoes and other wonderful items on display, and she suggested that I put together some of the items to make a panzanella.

Panzanella???, I responded. She then went on to explain that it’s a bread salad that can be used to showcase some of the wonderful seasonal items you can get during the summertime. Of course, with kiddos that love bread, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese, this is a great dish all year ’round. You can use this as a light entrée or as a side dish, and it’s easy enough to make in bulk to have as a side for parties. It’s also easily scalable; if you don’t want a lot, just get a smaller bread and half everything else (one pint of cherry tomatoes instead of a quart, 1/2 lb of mozzarella instead of a full pound, etc.).

Note also that you can substitute chopped tomatoes for the cherry tomatoes and cubed mozzarella cheese for the mozzarella pearls; I use them because they’re time-savers. For the cherry tomatoes, I strongly recommend either doing this when they’re in season or getting some of the NatureSweet ones; flavorless cherry tomatoes do nothing but add color to the dish, so you want ones with flavor.

Given that the flavors here all pretty much stand on their own, also make sure that you’re using an olive oil that you really LIKE. We tend to use Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil, if that’s any help.

OM NOM all year long, but especially in the summertime!

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 0! None! Zilch! (yeay)

Serves: 6 as a main dish, more as a side dish

Ingredients

1 loaf fresh ciabatta bread (or other similarly large, crusty bread)

2 pints (1 quart) cherry tomatoes (or 4-5 large tomatoes, cubed in 1/2″ cubes)

1 english cucumber

1 lb mozzarella pearls (or 1 lb mozzarella, cubed in 1/2″ cubes)

8-10 leaves fresh basil

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

Make it Happen

1. Chop the bread into roughly 1/2″ cubes. Place them in a large serving bowl.

2. Wash the cherry tomatoes and dry them carefully. (I use a paper towel). Add the dry tomatoes to the bread and stir to combine. (Drying them prevents them from turning the bread into a soggy mess.)

3. Wash and chop the cucumber into 1/4 – 1/2″ cubes. Add them to the bowl and stir to combine.

4. Separate the mozzarella pearls and add them to the serving bowl, stirring to combine.

5. Wash, dry and roughly chop the basil leaves until they are in no more than 1/4″ pieces. Add them to the serving bowl and stir to combine.

6. Drizzle some of the olive oil over top of the mixture and stir to combine; add the remainder of the oil and stir to combine further.

{At this point, you can season further and serve or cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator, to bring out at a later point in the day. This is a perfect item to prepare in advance of a party. If you want to do most of the prep in advance of a big meal without taking up space in the fridge, simply move the mozzarella to the LAST step.}

Oh, Boston you’re my home (now) April 15, 2013

It’s hard to put into words just what today meant to me. I’m not a native. I’m a transplant from Washington, DC, and I didn’t even marry a Bostonian – I married a native of New Hampshire. But, in many ways, I’ve become a Bostonian over the last 16 years that I’ve lived here, and it’s home to me as much as DC is home. (For a native Washingtonian, that’s saying something BIG.)

The first April after I moved to the Boston area, I worked in Copley Square and didn’t quite get why I got Patriots Day off (Patriots Day – what’s that?!) until I realized that my office was at the finish line and there was no earthly way employees could get to work en masse on the Commonwealth-wide holiday. So, I did what any other local would do: went drinking with friends at a nearby pub and then took a break to stand in front of the Hynes Convention Center cheering on the runners who made their way down the homestretch of Boylston Street headed for the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

I quickly caught on to how it works: even if you don’t know someone running, you root for everybody. You latch onto something about the runners and you give them the gas to make it those extra few blocks until they can finally drop from exhaustion. You clap and cheer – screaming at the top of your lungs. You see someone flying by you wearing shorts made to look like their country’s flag and you shout out a personalized cheer (“Ciao, Italia!” got a huge grin from one runner). You read their shirts that tell you their names and you call them out – verbal juice for these amazing individuals.

You see, while the media covers the winners of the races – the people who claim the medals – they completely miss the other winners. Everybody who runs the race is a winner, as are all of the charities they run for. Once you get outside the small “elite” pack of runners, the overwhelming majority of bib-holders are running for a charity. These are usually medically-related, like Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the fundraising minimums are stiff – typically in the low-to-mid four figures. These runners have been marathoning long before they got into their running training, holding fundraising dinners, raffles, auctions and whatever else it takes to make it happen.

And then came the year when I decided to do my first marathon. I knew I couldn’t run it because my knees would never make it, so instead I walked it. I did it under the auspices of the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk because I would get to walk the same hallowed course that the April runners get to tread. I would go where they went and do what they did (albeit in a far longer stretch of time). The first year, I was in tears coming down Boylston into Copley because I didn’t know if I could finish…but I had to. The second year, I was exhilarated because I came into the finish line STRONG, beating my personal demons back. This third year…I will be somber. And sad. But I will finish, because that’s what you do.

When I was first contacted by a frantic friend, texting me concerned that I was in or near the city, I had no idea what was going on. I was in meeting starting right around when the explosions occurred, 50ish-mi south in Providence, RI, and I didn’t have a clue of what was happening in my adopted hometown. Once I heard, I went numb. Then I panicked – wondering where my friends were. I had frequent twitter correspondence friends at the finish line, like Elizabeth Comeau from Boston.com and Adam 12 from RadioBDC. I had friends of many years near the finish line, who were celebrating the Red Sox win with their traditional Marathon viewing. And I was scared for all of them.

As I checked Twitter, people started to give check-ins and tweet back messages that they were okay, since the cell system was so overwhelmed that Twitter was working where SMS was failing. It would be hours before dh would hear that the members of his triathlon club from our local Y were all okay – painful hours of wondering and waiting.

I can’t describe adequately how I feel right now. I’m numb. I’m sad. I’m horrified. I’m angry. I’m devastated. I’m so filled with hatred for whoever did this. I’m so proud of the City of Boston and everyone who claims a piece of it tonight. You don’t have to be FROM Boston to get why it’s a big deal, or why Patriots Day should be important to all Americans, or why the Boston Marathon is so…INCREDIBLE. So I’ll just leave it at this:

I will walk my 26.2 in September, treading in the same footsteps as those who ran today, and I will remember how lucky I am that I can do that. I will remember how lucky I am that all my friends escaped this without so much as a scratch. I will grieve for those who are lost and I will send my wishes into the stars that those who are injured are able to heal quickly. And I will continue to marvel at the awesomeness that is Boston and feel so lucky to be a part of it.

In defense of Taylor Swift April 14, 2013

My first exposure to Taylor Swift was a few years ago, when dd and her BFF were captured on cameraphone video performing “Love Story” at day care. Suddenly, dd was obsessed with Taylor Swift and we HAD to have her CD’s and we HAD to have them on repeat. All. The. Time. It was around this time that I saw La Swift herself on the MTV Video Music Awards, performing “You Belong With Me” in the subway and on the streets of New York City – the year that she was famously interrupted by Kanye West as she came up to accept an award.

Over the course of the next few years, Taylor Swift became part of the heavy rotation in both our cars, since she was kid-safe alternative to dh’s favored metal and a musical alternative to my standard in the car (NPR). Our ds soon became so enamored of her singing that he memorized words and titles for his favorite songs, often throwing hideous fits in the car if we didn’t let him hear the end of a particular tune.

And so, this is their exposure to her: a pretty blonde girl with a sweet voice and an ability to make infectious pop with twang.

Our exposure to her – mine and dh’s – is far different. Of course, you can turn off the TV, ignore the magazines and newspapers, and generally try to shut yourself off from the world, but that’s unlikely to happen these days. So, what we see (in addition to the loveliness that draws in the kids like a siren’s song) is a girl who’s under fire for her penchant for high-profile serial monogamy. Apparently, it’s still fashionable to treat women (at any age) as though searching for love makes her some kind of harlot.

The public (through the media) gleefully chucks men like George Clooney on the shoulder, wink wink nod nod, about his long series of female companions, declaring him a “terminal bachelor” and always dropping hints about the low likelihood that his current flame will stay lit forever. But no one ever drags him over the coals for any of his relationships ending. It may be that he’s just that nice of a guy and his relationships just cool off over time, so it’s really nobody’s fault that he’s been in so many relationships over the years. But then why is it okay to get all over Taylor Swift for having had several high-profile relationships of her own? No one refers to her as a “terminal bachelorette”; they make jokes at her expense and warn their sons to stay away from her because she’ll write a song about their break-up.

Sure, La Swift has dated pop royalty and Hollywood stars – the “It” boys from both sides of the pond. So what is really driving all this bile? Is it because she writes her own songs? Because she plays her own music? Because she’s already dated more young, desirable men than many women can match in multiple lifetimes?

It really comes down to two things: Sexism and a Mean Girl Society.

Sexism: I can come up with more examples than Clooney to show that Swift is being targeted in a fashion that the public rarely ever targets men. The few men who get such treatment often are chastised for more than just their dating habits (like John Mayer, the singer/songwriter and former boyfriend of Swift’s, whose erratic and often self-indulgent behavior garnered more than his fair share of tabloid headlines). She gets called out when men with similar serial dating patterns are put on pedestals for their ability to acquire attractive stables of ex-girlfriends. When Kristen Stewart did whatever it was that she did with Rupert Sanders, her “Snow White and the Huntsman” director, she was put through the meat grinder for cheating on her hot actor boyfriend, Robert Pattinson, and far less grist went into the mill over Sanders cheating on his wife Liberty Ross (the mother of his child). As my 3-1/2yo ds is fond of saying: “NO FAIRS!!!”

Mean Girl Society: La Swift has racked up quite the list of ex-boyfriends, and their total hotness quotient is usually measured in fairly high numbers. [Editor's note: I'm not attracted to 99% of them, because several of them are nearly half my age, and their mileage is just too low for my personal taste.] She seems to have too much going for her. She’s pretty, she’s talented, she seems to be a genuinely nice person…and she dates all these cute guys. To all the people crying NO FAIRS in their own right, they feel like pulverizing her spirit publicly through tabloid stories and award show zingers is fine…but there’s a point at which you just need to lay off. She hasn’t done anything wrong, and probably the overwhelming majority of those taking pot shots would far rather be in her shoes.

Frankly, I shouldn’t even need to wag a finger at people for stuff like this. It’s just that I don’t want my kids growing up thinking that it’s okay to do this to someone else, and I certainly don’t want it to happen to either of them. Taylor Swift lives a remarkable life, I’m sure. She seems to be simultaneously all over the globe, recording, performing, talking, having her picture taken…ubiquitous. I can’t imagine the pressure she’s under when trying to maintain friendships, much less romantic relationships, when the demands of her current career probably keep her in constant motion. Having been her age (seemingly too long ago) and remembering what it was like balancing a simple enough day job with friends and dating options…I don’t know how I’d handle what she deals with. She’s probably doing the best she can. And if she isn’t, that’s NOBODY’S BUSINESS BUT HERS.

So let’s stop rooting against her. Sure, she’s talented. She’s pretty. She does seem to be a really nice person. Are those reasons to take cheap shots? Nope. So let’s just STOP, because the only joke right now is how pathetically she’s being treated by the media, and it’s not a damn bit funny.