Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2008 has come and (almost) gone. What fun, what merriment, what crazy gifts! It was nice to be back in Tampa for a much-needed break.

We actually opened our gifts on the 21st, since that's the only time my sister could do it. Besides, we like to do things early around here.

S got three sweaters from me (one new, two *slightly* used), Mom got warm socks to help ward off frostbite in the frigid north known as Indiana, and I gave Dad the coolest gift ever--an ice cube tray that creates ice in the shape of guitars. And it even had a bass! I know it was a good gift, because he immediately posted on Facebook about it.

We certainly know how to have a good time around here, whether it be with flashlights or with word games!











Many fiercely competitive games were contested on this board.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Paying off the "Mortgage on my Mind"

I've always thought of my student loans as a kind of mortgage on my mind/brain. I was one of those naive students who took out loans for grad school without really thinking about what that would mean after I graduated. I mean, I knew cerebrally that I would have to pay them back one day, but I never thought about specifics--how long it would take or what kinds of sacrifices I would have to make in taking on this kind of burden.



When I saw that first statement and realized just how substantial the numbers were, it was overwhelming. After a while I just couldn't think about it anymore or I would start to feel ill. I vowed to do everything I could to pay off the private loans (which have much higher interest rates than the federal loans) as quickly as possible. And I'm proud to say that I've reached a huge milestone in this endeavor.

As of today, my private student loans are entirely PAID OFF! My final payment went through this morning, and it is an awesome feeling. It took 4 years and payments totaling roughly $38,700 to accomplish this. [Edit: It took exactly $38,427.80]

*Fist pump* Yeah!

[And a big thanks to M, who is in the same boat, for being so supportive]

Deck the Halls With Chubby Penguins

Blurry backgrounds--I can make blurry backgrounds now!  Yay!  Yes, I finally bit the bullet and bought a better camera. Not that I don't love my point-and-shoot, but I've wanted to be able to take more than two kinds of pictures (with flash and without flash) for a while now.  So along with millions of other patriotic Americans trying to stimulate the economy, M and I went shopping on Black Friday.  For ourselves.  And M bought me a dSLR.  He's the greatest!

I'm still very new to learning the "science" of photography, and so far the camera is still smarter than me, considering photos I've taken in the automatic mode look much better than those that I've taken in the manual mode, but hey--I've only been doing this for 4 days now.  

Also in the spirit of Black Friday weekend shopping for my family myself, I went to that land of sparkly, shiny goodies, Crate & Barrel, and brought home holiday cheer in the form of the cutest animal ornaments you've ever seen.  And I can make them stand out even more with blurry backgrounds.

I VOTED!

It went pretty smoothly--M got in line at 5:45 a.m., I joined him at 5:52 (running a tad late!), the polls opened at 6:00 a.m., and we were finished at 6:38. Getting there at 5:45 was key, though--when I showed up, just 7 minutes later, there were at least 50 people behind M. We were probably about 80-100 people back from the start of the line.

Here's the line at about 6:05.

Apple Gateau Breton

I made this Breton apple pie today, and it was excellent.

I had a bagful of apples that I had purchased a week ago and didn't really like in their raw state (the texture was too mealy for me). This happens to me a lot when I try to buy apples. So I was looking for a recipe that not only used a bunch of apples (like your traditional apple pie), but would also change the texture of the apple to something more pleasing. This recipe did that, due to the fact that you cook the apples on the stove before baking them in the pie. And it's also different from a typical pie in that you bake it in a cake pan, and the dough is a little sweeter and crunchier (like if you crossed pie dough with cookie dough).

Bottom line: it was delicious. I love the crust and love the taste & texture of the apple filling. The end result was totally worth having to peel all those apples. And I love any reason to use my dutch oven.

Boston Trip Part 2: Quincy and Beantown

The day after getting our fill of must-see-at-least-once-in-your-life historical sites in Plymouth, we made our way to Boston via Quincy, a *town* just south of Beantown. [Yes, I took a 3-month hiatus from blogging. No, I don't intend on explaining why. Just accept it.]

We decided to make a stop here because Quincy was the home of John Adams. And I admit, I didn't know that until after watching the HBO series (which was fantastic--I highly recommend watching it). The Adams National Historic Park consists of three homes at two different sites as well as the visitor center, which is at a different location entirely. You actually park in a garage at the visitor center, then purchase tickets for a timed tour. The cost of the ticket is only $5 and well worth the convenience of being shuttled between the visitor center and the home sites.

The first site shows you two houses: where John Adams was born, and where John & Abigail began their married life and their children (including John Quincy Adams) were born. The trolley then takes you to Peacefield, which is the house in the photo. It's really hard to imagine this place as it was 200 years ago, when Quincy really was out in the country and Peacefield was actually peaceful. What the picture doesn't show is the major highway just yards away and the constant roar of vehicle traffic. The property is still gorgeous, though, and our park ranger tour guide was very knowledgeable (as they usually are).

After returning to the visitor center, we walked over to the United First Parish Church, where the Adamses attended services. We pretty much had the place to ourselves and sat in the Adams' pew as our guide told us about the church. We then went to the basement, where John & Abigail and John Quincy & his wife are buried. It's quite a strange experience to be in a tiny crypt just barely big enough to fit four burial "vaults" (I don't know what the correct term is), two of which are the final resting place of former Presidents. It was quiet, peaceful, and intensely personal--no metal detector, no concrete barrier, no plexiglass separating you from them--we and our guide were the only ones down there, and I rested my hands on the cool concrete vault that holds the second President. This is the type of experience you will not have in Washington.




We then drove into the city (which wasn't too bad in the early afternoon) and checked into the Park Plaza hotel. And what do you do when you're in a city you've never been to before? You take a Duck Tour of course! Normally we'd shy away from such a blatantly touristy activity, but sooooooooooo many people told us that we should do it that we capitulated. And despite the group quacking (too-often encouraged by our driver), it was fun and a great way to get a quick overview of the city as well as sail along the Charles River, which provides a great view of the skyline.

You probably can't pick me out in this picture, but I'm right above the "N" in Boston (and you'll have to read backwards).

We explored Boston mostly on foot, which is very easy to do if you love to walk (like we do). Plus it means you don't have to feel guilty about eating ice cream every day (like we did). But even our legs couldn't complete the Freedom Trail. We made it to the U.S.S. Constitution, where we had one of the worst tours I've ever had in my life, but we turned back without having visited Bunker Hill. It's okay. I can read about it online.

But back to the ship--the tour could have been really interesting if our guide had known, well, ANYTHING about the boat. Seriously. My faith in the U.S. Navy has been seriously shaken after witnessing the lack of knowledge displayed by one of their seamen, who supposedly had worked on the ship for several years. And it was only his second-ever time giving a tour (he probably tells that to every group), but come on! Don't you guys have to meet even the most minimal requirements to become a tour guide? I didn't learn a single thing, as evidenced by the fact that I can't remember anything that he said. Thank heaven for the internets.

Museums tend to be hit-or-miss for me, and after being spoiled by the free Smithsonian museums just footsteps from my workplace, I hesitate forking over multiple Jacksons (if people can say Benjamins, I can say Jacksons, TYVM) to stare at *art* that I will never understand. "Ooooh, look--a giant baby head! I don't get it, but look!"

We gambled on the Museum of Fine Arts, and I'm happy to say that it was, indeed, worth the cost of admission. First of all, the place is huge--you could spend a whole day here if you looked at everything. Second, they have a room full of gorgeous kimonos. Third, you can watch Sumo wrestling on TV there (and see related artwork, of course). We also paid a little extra for the visiting El Greco exhibit, which was great.

What next? Fenway. That's where the Red Sox play baseball, and it's one of the oldest stadiums in the U.S. M didn't burst into flames or anything, but hearing people constantly say "Well, as long as you're not Yankees fans, it's okay," caused us to break into bouts of nervous laughter. Since I'm a neutral party here, I did most of the talking. But even M would tell you that Fenway was a very cool tour, regardless of where your loyalties lie.















But what I will remember most about Boston is the aquarium full of penguins. They don't have just one little tank of penguins--they devote the entire first floor to them!!!! M had to finally drag me away to look at the other exhibits. "Just 10 more minutes! I can't leave now--it's feeding time!" M also had to restrain me from *adopting* one from the gift store, despite my protestations that he would fit in the car and could live in our bathtub.

My Second Race!!!

Today I ran my second race ever--a 5-kilometer affair (that's 3.1 miles for you uns who don't do metric). It was the inaugural 5K Run for the Rainforest sponsored by the Amazon Conservation Team. I know, I know--saving the rainforest seems so "old school"--but apparently it hasn't been saved yet. Well, I did my part.

The race started and ended in Ballston, and we ran portions of the W&OD and Custis trails. I had never been on either of these trails, but at least they were paved and mostly shaded by large trees. Parts were very hilly, though, so that was challenging. And it was a hot, muggy morning.

I felt pretty good the entire race. I held back for the first two miles, but the third mile I really stepped it up. My unofficial finish time was 35:27, but it was really more like 35:00 even, since we started in the back of the pack (this was not a chip race). That put me at about an 11:25 minute/mile pace, which is almost exactly the same pace at which I ran the 8k back in March. I felt like I could have done it faster, though. Next time! And that next time happens to be next Saturday, when I run a 4-miler. We'll see how that goes!

I'd also like to give a shout-out to my cousin V, who I got to hang out with a little last week. V, this one's for you!

Boston Trip Part 1: Plymouth

About a month ago, I ventured into the state of Massachusetts for the first time ever. Now I guess I have to admit that it does, indeed, exist. [However I am not yet prepared to admit the existence of such states as New Hampshire or Maine. Not until I see them for myself, that is. ] Seeing as how I had never been there before, and not knowing when I would get back there, I decided to do it up right. This means being more of a tourist than I normally like (did someone say Duck Tour?--more on that later). And what do you think of when you think of Massachusetts? Well, if you're like me, it's Pilgrims, Puritans, and Patriots. And the Pilgrims came first.

Plimoth Plantation is a "unique" place. First of all, it's not in the actual location where the first Pilgrims established a town. Because duh, that's where modern-day Plymouth is. So the plantation has been recreated a few miles down the road from Plymouth. After checking into the John Carver Inn and surveying our cheap digs (but passing on the Pilgrim-themed indoor pool), we headed to Friendly's for lunch and experienced our first taste of New England. After all, we hadn't gotten out of our car since getting gas about 350 miles back. Hearing our waitress's heavily-accented English definitely signaled that we had crossed some sort of invisible line. The restaurant was filled with octogenarians, undoubtedly "the regulars" who actually live in the town, but I bet it fills to the brim in the summer with tourists like ourselves.

We drove down to the Plantation, paid the first of what was to be many entrance fees over the course of a week, and prepared to travel back in time. But it was a little bit of a letdown. The place was nearly deserted, save one school group and a few other history-lovers like ourselves. We were the only ones in the entire theater watching the introduction video! And that's where I learned the most, since the rest of the plantation wasn't exactly educational for me, due to the fact that you have to *interact* with people to get any info out of them. What a chore! M and I quickly discovered that we are not the type of people who enjoy chasing down role players and asking childish questions ("Soooo, what are you making there?") in order to elicit some small gem of information. I quickly resigned myself to taking pictures of scenery and animals and vowing to watch that PBS Colonial House series again.

We first visited the Wampanoag homesite, where the people are NOT, I REPEAT NOT, role-players. They choose to work at the plantation, continuing their traditions, in order to educate visitors about the people who lived on the land when the Pilgrims first landed. One thing I did appreciate about the plantation was that they didn't gloss over any of the conflict between the Wampanoag (and other tribes) and the English. There was conflict. It existed. And the relationship was complicated, to say the least. The romantic picture of a joyful Thanksgiving where the Indians and the Christians broke bread together in thanks and friendship is just a child's fantasy. Even the plantation's logo represents this awkward coexistance very well--the Wampanoag man and the English man are presented in profile form, facing away from each other. In the video, this logo comes to life, as you see the two men walk toward each other and then pass each other before being frozen in one instant in a small frame. You get the feeling that interaction between the two was necessary and inevitable, but it was never comfortable. The uneasy cohabitation of the land wouldn't last long--someone would end up on top. And we all know how that story ends.

For a while I blended in with the school group, since then I didn't have to ask any questions due to those darn inquisitive children doing the work for me, but they were moving soooooo slooooowly that we had to move ahead. After pausing to snap a few pictures of turtles sunning themselves on a rock, we moved on to the English part and the role players. Maybe they were short-staffed, or maybe they just don't hire a lot of people for the off-season, but the Pilgrim role players were pretty scarce. We found one guy applying some kind of mud to a roof, another guy walking with a goat, and two men sitting on stools along the main drag (arguing with some kids that the new year started in March, not January), but that. was. it. The place was abandoned. But it was very scenic, and I got to witness some very cute baby goats at close range. In the gift store I picked up a booklet of bread pudding recipies as well as a biography of Anne Hutchinson, the woman who stuck it to the Puritans. Truly an amazing person! That book was my favorite souvenier of the trip.

Next we drove back to Plymouth and toured the Mayflower reproduction that's docked in the harbor there. We walked past Plymouth Rock, but it is currently being renovated, so we couldn't see anything. The Mayflower was interesting, and there were role players there as well, but this time they were much more talkative. Below the deck, it is hard to comprehend that hundreds of people crammed into such a small space for such a long journey. I can only imagine the horrible stench that must have inhabited that place. All for what? To have the freedom to practice their religion how they wanted. It is sad and ironic that then certain groups who enjoyed this freedom turned around and denied it to those who believed differently than themselves. And yes, I am aware of the difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans.

We sat by the water and enjoyed the afternoon for a little while, then walked back to our hotel and had dinner at the restaurant in the John Carver Inn, the Hearth & Kettle. My expectations were fairly low for this place, but I was pleasantly surprised, and my nut-encrusted cod was quite tasty, as was the Sam Adams that accompanied it.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Quincy

Two years ago we were just engaged . . .

Two years ago yesterday M asked me to marry him. How time has flown since then!

And when I got home my darling МУЖ had roses waiting for me. I love him so.

The three things I learned last week.

1. Old people shouldn't be allowed to drive. Because when you're waiting in line for gas in New Jersey, they will rear-end you and then claim it was because they were "looking for their credit card." [Um, is that a valid excuse in ANY state in the union?] Yep, take the keys away from granny. I'm totally an ageist when it comes to who should drive (neither the very young nor the very old).

2. A hitch is very effective at preventing your bumper from being damaged during a rear-end collision at a slow speed. Because my hitch (just the receiver) sticks out further than my bumper, my bumper has nary a scratch. I can't say the same about granny's car. Her front license plate was bent pretty badly.

3. How NOT to order coffee at Dunkin' Donuts. Apparently, words that have one definition in most English-speaking countries take on new meaning when you cross the threshold of Rachael Ray's allegedly favorite place to get a cup of joe. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "I'd like a medium coffee, please."

The Debbie Downer at Dunkin' Donuts: "How do you take it?"

Me: [Resisting urge to respond sarcastically "In a cup"] "Oh, just a
regular coffee please."

The DD at DD: "So one coffee with cream and sugar?"

Me: [Confused] "No, no, just a plain coffee."

The DD at DD: "So one coffee with sugar."

Me: [Really confused] "No, no, I just want a plain black coffee. With
nothing in it. No cream or sugar."

So a word to the wise: if all you want is for a Dunkin' Donuts employee to pick up a cup, pour coffee in it, and immediately put a lid on it, you literally have to explain it that way. Asking for it "regular" or "plain" will get you nowhere. But another word to the wise: just get your coffee elsewhere, unless you like really, really weak coffee that tastes terrible.

I've got a sinus infection

Yeah, the reason I've been m.i.a. for a while is that I've been sick. :( I came down with a really bad chest cough 11 days ago. Then it moved up to my head, and I've been really congested ever since. Last weekend, it got really bad, and the pressure was so intense that I thought my head was going to explode. Seriously, I can't remember the last time I've been in such pain. It was terrible.

After googling my symptoms (which include toothaches--my molars are incredibly sore, and I can hardly chew on one side), I was 99% sure that I had a sinus infection. I couldn't get in to see the doctor until today, and she confirmed my self-diagnosis. I'm now on the Z-pack antibiotics and I also bought a neti pot, though I haven't used it yet. I'm still a little intimidated by it. :)

6-Month Anniversary & 2941 Restaurant Review

Yesterday was 6 months that we've been married! Crazy--it's gone by soooooooo fast. Such a special occassion deserved a special meal, and we definitely found that at 2941. The restaurant is in Falls Church in the first few floors of an office building. Doesn't sound like much, does it? But the building is actually on a lake, and the walls facing the lake are solid windows at least two stories high. It really is quite lovely inside, and you don't even realize that you're in a commercial building. Photos here.

We're not usually fans of French cuisine, but the offerings at 2941 were not sauce-heavy nor too exotic (I'm sure snails are lovely, but they are not for me), which are normally my complaints about this type of cuisine. On the contrary--the food was incredibly light, while at the same time packed full of flavor. The wine list was 60+ pages long, so we asked the sommelier to suggest a California cabernet sauvignon, and he made a great selection for us. I think many people are intimidated by wine lists, and my advice is to ask for help! If there is a sommelier available, put his/her expertise to use! Just give them a price range, tell them what food you plan to order, and give them a general idea of what you're looking for, and they are more than happy to suggest a great pairing.

After ordering, we received an amuse-bouche, which was comprised of Yukon gold potato, citrus crème fraîche, and a tiny bit of caviar. It was a delightful bite! I started with the candied beet salad, because whenever I see beets on a menu, I cannot help myself! I love beets. My salad contained several different types of beets in vibrant colors along with apple slices, blue cheese, and candied pecans. M started with a half portion of the gnocchi, which was very light. For the entrees, I had the duet of veal (tenderloin and short ribs) with a purée of fennel and some fried chickpeas. M had the rabbit, which was sliced into medallions and came with lemon raviolinis. Both entrees were cooked perfectly, very tender, and not gamey at all. The portions were filling, but we didn't feel stuffed.

For dessert, M had the apple tarte tartin, and I had the chocolate praline parfait. Both were nice, but they weren't my favorite part of the meal. We also received two small cheesecake bites with grapefruit on a plate with a candle (we told them it was our anniversary when we made the reservation). When we were finished, the manager came over and asked us if we wanted to tour the kitchen and meet the head chef. How could we refuse? So we followed him back into the kitchen, and my first impression was that it was huge! So many people hustling and bustling around the space. We saw the chef's table, which looks like a fun experience, but it would be very loud to sit there for dinner! We finally got to meet Chef Bertrand Chemel, and he was very nice. And very young! We didn't tarry for long, since we knew the chef was busy. It was a great way to end our celebratory meal. I'd definitely recommend 2941 for a special occassion when you don't feel like going into the city.

Spring is here!

I love my neighborhood. It's so pretty in the spring. This street in particular caught my eye. Unfortunately, it also caught a lot of rain & wind before I could get out there with my camera to take a picture, so the blooms were much more impressive than they are here. It's still purty, though.

Second game: Better, but not there yet!

Isn't this a blast from the past! Sadly, it's the only pic I have in digital format from my "golden era" of volleyball. I should really scan all the prints I have, since they are fun to look at. Oh, to be 21 again! Well, I really don't want to be 21 again. I just want to be able to play like I'm 21 again. :)

We had our second game tonight. Since my sports goggles aren't ready yet (some "mishap at the lab" with my lenses, they told me this morning), I wore my regular glasses. It wasn't so bad, and I could actually see! Oh, sweet, sweet vision!

We ended up losing the match, but WE WON A GAME! And it was my kill that gave us game point! It felt fantastic. The team we played was much different than last week's team. This team was stronger at the net with a consistent hitting & blocking presence. Definitely my kind of play--I was actually able to play at the net, jousting and blocking. I had one awesome solo block. But my blocking percentage was probably still in the negative, considering my errors. And I didn't get many sets, so I didn't hit much (except for that one game-winning kill), but oh well! At least it was FUN tonight. And while our passing (mine especially) needs definite improvement, we are coming together better with each game.

VOLLEYBALL: After a 6-year hiatus, I'm back on the court

Wait, I thought this post was about volleyball. Why the picture of basketball players? Good question, imaginary reader. I'll address that in a sec.

First things first--I've joined a league! I really missed playing volleyball and thought it might be fun to get involved again. But shortly after signing up, I was hit with a wave of anxiety. I haven't played since 2002, I had no idea what it would be like, whether I would be the worst person on the team, or whether I would even remember how to play. Another concern was that only two people out of our six knew each other. The rest of us were complete strangers! How do you just throw 6 people together and tell them to play without even a practice first?

Well, at least I didn't embarrass myself. :) I did okay, and my passing, while not perfect, wasn't too bad. I'm definitely not comfortable in the back row, so I tried to be really aggressive when receiving serve (not letting anything drop in front of me), and I didn't shank any serves either, so yay for me! Digging I knew would just be a matter of luck, so I just did the best I could and even managed to get under a few. Hitting was another story. The setter and I didn't connect very well, which I expected, since we only had 5-minute hitting line before the game. Three or four sets in a hitting line is just not enough to get your timing down after 6 years. And my blocking was terrible. I was way off the net and my footwork was non-existent. But since few of our OHs were even setting the block, I was really just running along the net like a madwoman. :)

Our opponents were the "Socias," a team that has played together for years, according to the people in the know, and they masked their game play by speaking nothing but Spanish. Sneaky! Although I could understand a little, like when I heard them yell "Primera!" Hey, I know that! That means first! Wait a minute, that means we sent the ball over on the first hit--we sent it over on one! Not good! Not good! We towered over them, but they were extremely scrappy and picked up almost everything we sent their way. We ended up losing, but we showed a marked improvement from the first game to the second (after adjusting our rotation slightly), so that was something to be proud of.

Now about that picture. One difficult thing about the game is that, um, I COULDN'T FREAKING SEE. Silly me thought that I could just go in there and play like I did in college, like I did 6 years ago, like I did when I had perfect vision. Sure, I thought about the fact that I got glasses in 2003 and wear them almost regularly now and don't even watch TV without them, but I figured that since I'm not blind without my glasses, I could see the court well enough without them, right? Wrong. It's amazing I even made contact with the ball last night. I just sort of ran towards it, hoping I wouldn't miscalculate the distance and either have the ball hit my face or fall short. I was terrified of whiffing it.

So what are my options? I guess I could wear my glasses, but I'm worried about getting hit in the face, having the lenses shatter and injuring my eyes (not an unfounded fear, either). Or I could get contacts, but that would involve a bigger life change than I'm willing to make, especially for one hour every Tuesday. Plus the fact that they could still pop out in a game. Definitely seen that happen before. I could have surgery, which I intend to do one day, but my eyes are still changing, so it's too early says my doc. What's a girl to do? She looks to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, that's what she does! She gets GOGGLES! Personally, I think the goggles will be a good look for me. Let's be honest. I've always been a little nerdy, so we're not charting new territory here. And I think there might be the added bonus of intimidation. If you saw a person staring at you across the net through her goggles, you might be a little freaked out. That's what I'm counting on. By the way, great article on the topic here.

Lest you think I'm joking, I ordered them today. Now, I didn't go old school. The frames I picked out look more like the sunglasses they wear on the beach circuit, but the dark frames & clear lenses will still look ridiculous. I did splurge for progressives, so at least I can also use them as sunglasses and will be great for running outside in the summer. Check back for pics of me in my new eyewear!

My home bakery

Last weekend I spent several hours in the kitchen baking cookies. I tried a couple new recipes, with mixed results. The first cookie, the poppyseed cookie (Mohn Kichel) was more like a scone than a cookie. In fact, it would be an excellent companion for afternoon tea. But as a cookie it just doesn't cut it. Here are some pictures of toasting the poppy seeds and then rolling out the dough (it is a quite beautiful dough).

The second cookie was my first attempt at making Hamantaschen. These are little pocket cookies that can be filled with just about anything. I made the dough according to the recipe, and it ended up being very spongy. I would try to roll it out, and it would spring back into place. I certainly got a workout trying to tame that beast. I tried to follow the recipe for the filling, but I didn't like the result at all, so I just substituted chocolate chips or chopped dried fruit. I didn't have any jam or preserves in the apartment, or I would have used those.

Next time I think I'll use my mom's sugar/butter cookie recipe for the dough, since I know it tastes delicious and is very easy to roll out. Here are the results side-by-side:

MY FIRST RACE!!!!!

See that woman in black waving her right hand? I was flying by at such a fast pace that even my husband couldn't get a clear picture of me with the camera. I guess we need a faster shutter speed. :)

Today I ran in my very first race EVAH. It was the St. Patrick's Day 8k here in downtown D.C., and I was one of the 5,000+ runners. Apparently most people don't choose the 5-mile distance for their first race, because I got some very strange looks from people when their question of, "Oh, is it a 3k or a 5k?" was answered in the negative on both counts. My response? Go big or go home.

It was an incredibly cold windy morning, and we had all lost sleep from the night before due to the time change. My running buddies and I shivered in the freezing cold before the race--it was miserable. But once we got going, we warmed up right away. Those first two miles were the easiest of my life. I had been told by several "veteran" runners that the race day adrenaline would give me a boost, but I had no idea that it would be that much. In fact, the race was pretty pleasant for the most part. The last mile was difficult because we had a headwind, it was slightly uphill, and there was one more turn right before the finish line which was hard mentally (it's difficult to see the finish line and then have to turn and run down a block and back before actually making it to that finish line), but overall I felt great for most of the race.

I was hoping for a 12:30/mile pace, but I actually bested that by more than a minute! Before the race, I had only dreamed of finishing under an hour, but my final time was 56:53. Woo-hoo! What next? Maybe this?

Travelzoo can save you $$$$.

I just saved my in-laws $1,000 on their upcoming vacation. That's not a typo. How did I manage such a feat? The answer is a little website called Travelzoo. They list tons of deals on hotels, flights, vacations, etc., all in one convenient location, so you don't have to scour the Internet for deals. I subscribe to their weekly emails, and it just so happened that I saw a 50% off deal for the Atlantis Resort. Knowing that my in-laws had made travel arrangements to go to Atlantis for my mother-in-law's 60th birthday in June, I forwarded them this info in the hopes that they could get the discounted rate.

My father-in-law called last night. They were able to cancel their earlier reservations and make new ones with the 50% Travelzoo discount, saving them almost $1,000. I've never heard him so giddy. Needless to say, I will be in their good graces for quite a while after this. :)

Someone is wrong on the Internet!

Don't you ever find yourself as the arbiter of right and wrong in the virtual world?

Bathroom of my dreams

I found the perfect bathroom, but it's located in Pennsylvania. I don't know who designed the "spa" rooms at the Bedford Springs Resort, but they obviously know me, because they had my style down to a T. Everything from the colors (pale blue, cream, white, and dark wood) to the floors, the walls, and the fixtures was just beautiful. I wanted to cut the bathroom into little pieces, take it home with me, and reassemble it. I could have just sat in that bathroom the whole weekend, it was that amazing.

Welcome to waffleweave

Another blog. Does this world really need another blog? In my search to find available names to register, I came across many blogs which started off strong only to be abruptly abandoned. Last post November 2004? Well, you gave it a good three months. Hopefully that sad fate will not befall this noble, selfless act of contributing my scholarship to that endless archive of information, the Internet.