71 - wednesday

I think I've caught the bug.

I went for my first post-marathon run tonight, just a quick 2-mile loop around my neighborhood.  I told myself I'd take it slow after the marathon, and ease back into a routine, but damn did I run fast tonight.  sub-8:00 miles.  that's WAY faster than I have run before...ever.

so what was my natural reaction?  I registered for the amica newport marathon on sunday, october 17.  here we go again! I ran the half at this event last fall, and had the greatest time ever training for it because I got to do all my long training runs on the actual course.  it winds along ocean road and up bellevue avenue past all the mansions.  gorgeous.  the late summer/early fall weather made for some awesome runs. then came race morning: 37 degrees, sleet, gale-force winds whipping the rain in our faces and pushing giant waves over the seawall and onto runners on ocean road.  it was AWFUL.  people were running in trashbags; they had to set up a special triage tent at the finish line to treat runners for hypothermia.

worst running weather of all time  

my rationale is that the weather cannot, short of a tornado, be worse than it was last year.  I've got nothing to lose and so much to gain - and I'm excited to have a new running goal now that seattle is behind me.

70 - tuesday

my uncharacteristic approach to the start of grad school (let it happen, get organized later) is biting me hard in the behind this week.  I'm all over the place - taking notes on the back of printouts, showing up late to class, you name it.  my worst offense: keeping my calendar in three places.  my blackberry, ical, and planner have turned into three mismatched, incongruous pieces of the same puzzle.

one of my meetings got cancelled tonight, so I took advantage of the free time to organize my schedules into something concise and user-friendly.  I'm now the proud user of a google calendar.  this is a major win-win because it synchronizes automatically with ical AND my blackberry, meaning it doesn't matter anymore which one I use because it all ends up in the same place.  how cool is that??  sometimes technology blows my mind.

69 - monday

the next time I go on a trip and think, "the redeye isn't such a bad idea," please knock some sense into me.  the redeye is a terrible torture device designed to completely ruin the two days that follow.

I landed in boston this morning at 7am after making a quick connection in cali (uneventfully, though may I add my two cents: that the san francisco airport has one of the most illogical layouts in the world), and have been going nonstop ever since - from the airport to the train home to providence, then to class and straight afterwards to work.

the restaurant is closed on mondays, and so I don't go hungry they pay for my open tab at the irish pub next door (and who said they never did anything nice for me?).  I always get the same thing: the swiss chicken panini with truffled fries.  this photo is blurry because it was the first thing I ate today and it was after 3pm.  I was too deliriously hungry and happy to see truffled fries to hold the camera steady.

68 - sunday

in case you're wondering what heaven on a plate looks like, here it is.  if you want to know what it tastes like, I suggest you get your butt to seattle and head straight - do not pass go, do not collect $200 - to portage bay cafe.

we promised miriam we'd shop around the neighborhoods for her, to help narrow her apartment search, so today we dragged our slightly-hungover, very tired selves to the university district.   before we could get down to business (finding the law school on uw's MASSIVE campus, finding miriam a home), we needed sustenance.  last time I was in town, I wanted to try portage bay because I'd heard the breakfast was otherworldly.  I was with my mother, however, and she prefers wine to breakfast, so we took the time to tour the vineyards outside of town.  not that I regret that decision one bit, but my curiosity for this restaurant was as strong as ever.  

oh my sweet lord, this is some heavenly stuff.  there must be happy drugs mixed in because it transcends description.  I had three eggs sunnyside-up, three pieces of pepper bacon, homefries, and two massive organic whole wheat pancakes.  none of which sounds that surreal, but believe me, it was.  ordering pancakes, waffles, or french toast earns you a trip to the toppings bar - organic syrup, dried fruit and nuts, fresh peaches, pears, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, whipped cream.  at one point in the meal, marissa looked up at me across the table and exclaimed that she was physically and uncontrollably shaking because she was so pleased.  now THAT'S a good breakfast.  

67 - saturday

MARATHON DAY!

with Marissa outside our hotel - mile 14.8, still smiling!

all smiles because I JUST RAN MY FIRST MARATHON!

I cannot BELIEVE I just ran a marathon!!  the weather could not have been more perfect - 54 degrees at the start, overcast but not humid or windy.  my legs felt great and didn't start to tighten up until around mile 18.  I decided at 19 that the only way I was going to make it was if I switched up the game plan and did some walking.  so, from miles 19-26, I alternated running for one mile, then power-walking for one minute.  I finished in 4:29:02.  about 15 minutes slower than I would have liked, but you won't find me complaining - for a first timer, especially a previously injured one, that time is not too shabby at all :)  

there was a post-race beer garden - I still don't understand the appeal of beer after a long run - but I opted for a banana and a gatorade and returned to the hotel for a looooong, hot shower and a looooong, blissful nap.  

marissa and I headed north to ballard for a celebratory bar crawl, starting with tex mex at one of my favorite restaurants, the matador.  I drank way too many mojitos and margaritas and ate an obscene amount, but hey! I just ran a marathon! anything goes.  

the weather cleared up in the afternoon, giving us this stunningly clear view of mount rainier from the bus

66 - friday

we spent today expo-ing, exploring, but most of all: eating.  

I went for a quick jog in the early morning rain (thanks for living up to the cliches, seattle) before we hit up the expo to get my race number.  then it was off to pike place market in search of good eats.  we did a LOT of walking today, which I'm glad for because my legs were feeling awfully tight/sore from being cramped in a tiny plane for seven hours.

mixed bag from my favorite spot in pike place market: the daily dozen donut co.

farmers market veggie heaven.  oh, if only I lived in seattle...

then, just when everything was going to plan, I got an e-mail from emily that just about gave me a heart attack: she isn't going to make her flight in time to check in (they don't let friends pick up race packets), so she isn't coming anymore.  of course, this sent me into a total tailspin.  she's the seasoned marathon expert and I'm the first-timer.  I was counting on here to talk down my nerves tomorrow, answer all my stupid questions about pace and stretching and whether or not it's safe to take four aleve over the course of the race and what if I poo in my shorts?!?!?  I was hyperventilate-in-a-bag panicking.  nearly in tears (for the second time in as many days).  

good thing marissa is here.  she knows me better than almost anyone - her prescribed remedy for my pre-race panic?  doing what I do best - putting my nervous energy into getting hyper-organized:

she also reminded me that:

• I am prepared and have trained hard
• I will not poo in my shorts
• four aleve sounds like kind of a lot, but at least she'll know how many I took for when I'm in the gutter and the emergency staff call her to find out what my deal is
• my outfit, all turquoise and yellow, serendipitously matches my race number PERFECTLY.  which must be a sign that I am going to rock it.  

so now I'm feeling much better, but I'm still a total bag of nerves.  I don't know HOW I'm going to sleep tonight..

65 - thursday

I'm in seattle! 

I had THE WORST travel experience of my life today (delayed train, missed flight, lost bag, stuck on the world's longest standby list, tears, fighting with rude airline agents, flight change, gate change, security breach, two trips through security, weather delay, and THEN a 6-hour flight) but I am grateful to the point of tears that I made it to seattle, and my bag made it too!  I flew alaskan air and my bag flew american.  I wonder how dallas is this time of year.  I guess only my bag can say for sure.  

my bag is in seattle!

64 - wednesday

the first thing I've learned about grad school is that things that were awesome about undergrad (an entire first week of doing nothing but debating the finer bullet points of an obnoxiously long syllabus) don't exist in the graduate-professional world.  we spent twenty minutes on expectations and hit the ground running with analyzing policy papers and working through our first readings.  grad school does have awesome first-week perks like free dinners at night and free coffee and pastry in the morning, but it's only to lessen the shock of how much work it is.

it's a looong flight from boston to seattle - 3100 miles.   luckily, my books came today in the mail (!), so if I can stay awake it looks like I'll be doing quite a bit of reading to pass the time in the sky.  I'm taking the redeye on sunday night from seattle-san fran-boston, so I will not even pretend for one minute that I'll be doing anything on that leg of the trip but sleeping uncomfortably and possibly drooling on the unlucky passenger sitting next to me.

... that's right, seattle TOMORROW.  marathon SATURDAY.  whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

63 - tuesday

it's official:  race week is here.  I'm off to seattle, and here's what's coming with me.

well, most of it at least.  my umbrella is already in my suitcase, and I refuse to take it out because if I do, I WILL forget it.  guaranteed.

that giant blue thing is the a high-density foam roller that I use to keep my it bands loose.  this generally involves me awkwardly rolling around on the living room floor while becca looks on in amused bewilderment.  it takes up a third of my suitcase, but aside from my sneakers and race waiver, it's one of the most important things I'm bringing.  (that, and my slippers, duh.  necessary self-pamper item.)

62 - monday

today was my first day of graduate school!  I don't think I've been this excited since kindergarten!

the brown ed department lives in this gorgeous building.

I was on time (early!) for my bus, played nice with others, made some friends, gave an ad hoc campus tour, and ate not one, but TWO free meals.  the second one involving cake.  I missed the post-orientation, open bar reception because I had to go to work (a complete disaster, but I digress), but that's totally fine because I'm tapering and I'm not supposed to be drinking anyway.

tomorrow I have class for real, and I could not be more excited.

unrelatedly: happy summer solstice!  becca and I celebrated with a glass of wine on the patio (did someone say something about not drinking?), a few slaps at the resident mosquitos, and the requisite oohing and aahing at a perfectly hazy, orange-to-pink-to-deep purple summer sunset.  A+ day.

61 - sunday

today was exciting because I got to use one of my favorite science words: turgid.  meaning, erect and hydrated.  ever brought back a vase of flowers or a potted plant from the verge of death just by adding or changing the water?  turgidity.

I cooked father's day dinner tonight for my dear old dad, and used a few of the things I picked up at yesterday's farmer's market.  the rainbow chard had wilted significantly overnight in my fridge, so it needed perking back up (don't we all, now and then).  I snipped off the ends and plunged them into a vase of cool, fresh water, and headed off to the grocery store.

sad, floppy chard.

when I got back, voila!  they sprung right back to life and were looking ready to be chopped and sauteed with garlic in olive oil.  yum.

farmer's market, part two

what to do when I get home with a haul of yummy ingredients from the farmer's market?  make myself a delicious lunch...obviously.

olive crostini with goat cheese, roasted tomatoes and baby portabellas

two summers ago, I worked for the addiction psychiatry group at the state's adult mental hospital.  one morning my boss came into my office with a loaf of seven stars olive bread, and as I had never had it, she gave me the loaf to try.  the whole loaf!   I am making a one-time, major confession here:  I ate the entire thing before I even left the office.  

60 - saturday

I walked down the hill to the lippett park farmer's market this morning.  it's a gorgeous, summery day - 80 degrees, breezy, and not a cloud in the sky.

the takeaway? two HUGE, colorful bunches of rainbow chard (a big personal fave) from arcadian fields in hope valley ($2.50/each = $5); half a pound of narragansett creamery's atwells gold cheese ($8.25); an olive loaf from seven stars ($5.25); and a pound of bomster scallops (worth their weight in gold.  hands down the best sea scallops available....anywhere.  period.) from block island/long island sound ($15).  they vacuum-pack and flash freeze the scallops at sea, so they're never rinsed or soaked in preservatives, unlike anything you'll find in a grocery store.  they're so good you can just slice a raw one into ceviche and eat it on the spot.  total: $33.50.

59 - friday

I guess all these months of hard training are paying off...

...because I found this little gem tucked into the door handle of my car when I came out of the grocery store this morning.  HAHA!

58 - thursday

ever since I ended my training relationship with clif bars and made the switch to gu (the chomps are my fave, by the way), I've been trying to figure out what my preferred flavor is.  there are 10 to pick from, so it's not exactly an easy choice.  mint chocolate? disgusting.  and it turns out that I far prefer the orange flavor in chomp form (it tastes like the lollipops my doctor used to give me when I was a kid) over the gel.  I've narrowed it down to three that I like: jet blackberry, tri-berry, and lemon sublime.

I made a leap-of-faith purchase of of a case of lemon sublime at citysports last week having never before tried it.  at the marathon next saturday, they're providing vanilla (I'm operating under the assumption that it's gross) and jet blackberry on the course, but I'll still carry some tri-berry and lemon sublime in my fuel belt.

the lemon sublime tastes like a gatorade popsicle, or how I imagine gatorade fun-dip might taste. it's just the tastiest.

(slightly comical confession: I ate a pack of the orange chomps the other night for dessert, as if they were fruit snacks.  don't judge.)

57 - wednesday

I just burned the crap out of the roof of my mouth.

the coffee shop on campus makes an incredible "grown-up" grilled cheese, using narragansett creamery's atwells gold cheese and seven stars bakery's olive loaf.  it's a guilty pleasure that sustained me through many thesis nights as an undergrad, and I fully intend to continue enjoying it as a grad student.

normally, my reaction after burning the roof of my mouth to raw shreds would not be to continue inhaling the insulting food, but this is no ordinary grilled cheese.

I came into the coffee shop tonight with a plan to photograph this heavenly dish, but instead ate it with such ravenous abandon that I not only burned myself, but also forgot that I wanted to photograph it until it was gone.  fail.

I guess I'll just have to have another one another time...

56 - tuesday

last fall, buddy broke his back and had to have reconstructive spine surgery in order to save his life.  he spent a whole week in the dog hospital, and when he was finally allowed to come home we were instructed to give him "aquatherapy" - to put him in a full bathtub and support his belly while he practiced kicking his back legs.  the problem is that buddy hates water.  when he was five months old, he fell into the pool and got trapped under the cover and almost drowned, and ever since there's been no getting him to swim.

since my brother's been home, he's been giving the dog swimming lessons.  this amounts to two steps:  first, putting him on the top step, getting him wet, then letting him get out and shake.  for this he gets a carrot.  second, putting him all the way in, walking him across the shallow end, and having him swim across to the steps.  for each lap he completes, he gets half a piece of cheese.  when they started he could only do one lap before he got too tired and started to sink; now he's up to two.  and when it's really hot outside, he gets on the top step by himself and lies down, just to cool off.  major progress for a dog who it used to be impossible to get near water.

tonight was cold, so we only did step one, but he did great.  he doesn't cry or panic or hide once he gets out - just calmly gets on the step, lets me scoop water all over him, then gets his treat.

the swimming has definitely made a difference in how he feels.  before, he used to wait to be carried up the stairs because it bothered his back and hips.  since he's been swimming, he bounds up and down the stairs without any trouble.  and isn't he the cutest all wrapped up in his towel?

55 - monday

I made the executive decision today to designate mondays as thankful days, in the form of a gratitude list.  every monday, from today onwards, I'll list five things that I'm grateful for that week and that day.  I even got a slight head start last week, when I was super grateful/excited to have the keys to our new place.  I've been all kinds of stressed and whiney this week so taking a minute to pause and be grateful seems appropriate.

the gratitude list:

1. our unbelievably cozy, awesome new apartment.  we're finally fully unpacked and settled in. the sun rises on the other side of the house, and the neighborhood is sooooo quiet, which has led me to the life-altering discovery that I am, in fact, quite capable of sleeping in past 6am.  jackpot. (...this is extremely problematic when I have someplace to be in the morning.  like work, for instance.  but I digress; this is a list of thanks, not gripes.) 
2. the proximity of the saturday farmer's market at lippett park to our new apartment.  it's one of, if not THE biggest in the state, and it's a less-than five minute walk.  this weekend is supposed to be gorgeous weather, and I know exactly where and how I'll be spending mine.  I need fresh ingredients if I'm going to give the new kitchen a proper christening, right?
3. awesome, supportive friends who will get on a plane just to cheer me on.  even though miriam can no longer make it to seattle, we'll have plenty of time to visit her later - she's headed to uw law school in the fall.  marissa and I chatted for a while on the phone today and got ourselves into an excited frenzy for our weekend vacation.  even though the purpose of the trip is the marathon, seattle is one of both my and emily's favorite cities and this will be a first trip for marissa.  can't wait to explore and play!
4. my family.  all of whom put up with me shamelessly using their house like it's a public library.  I DID fold some towels yesterday, if that counts as helping out in exchange for their awesome free wireless internet.  
5. most of all, t, who always finds a way to bring me back to center when I am stressed and spinning out in all directions, about evil internet technicians and grad school loans and work and a million other little annoyances.  whether it's a five minute phone call or an hour on skype, knowing that he's doing well makes everything else I have going on seem so much more bearable.  I only hope that I am as helpful to him as he is to me.  

this is seriously how dark it is in my room at 7am.  waking up is IMPOSSIBLE.

54 - sunday

now that I've officially put 50 miles on them (and officially love them), may I proudly introduce you to my new running shoes.... (drumroll, please) .....ladies and gentlemen, the mizuno waverider!

they are some kind of seriously wonderful, and don't eat my feet like my old nikes did.

I could not be happier that I took the advice of the awesome sales team at rhode runner - they took the time to measure and evaluate my stride and find me the perfect shoe.  it turns out I was wearing a half-size too small, hence the bleeding, despite the shoe feeling like it fit correctly.  the half-size difference makes the new ones feel huge, but for summer or long distance (aka, marathon) running the feet swell so much that you have to buy a half-size up or regret it.

53 - saturday

I am going to say this once, and calmly.

verizon communications is ruining my life, and I hate all the lying liars who work there and the dirty lies they tell.

good little blinking modem/router! you look like you're doing exactly what you're supposed to do!  except, you aren't doing anything, and no one knows why.

back story.  when we moved on tuesday, we called verizon to let them know, and they promised us service by friday.  at 5 on friday afternoon we were still without, so becca called again and was reassured that there was no problem and the service would be activated at midnight.  annoying, but fine, we thought: we'll live.

saturday morning, we still had nothing.  after a whopping two HOURS on the phone with these people, they confessed that actually, yes, there was a problem, and a technician would have to come out to evaluate.  of course, there's no weekend technician, and because no one knows what the problem is, they require a nine-hour commitment (8a-5p) for someone to be in the apartment for if/when a technician comes.  but becca and I both work those exact hours, meaning it's going to be another freaking WEEK before we can maybe - maybe! can you believe that?! - get connected.  oh, and they want us to keep paying them in the interim.

now, I am occasionally saintly-patient for absurd and uncontrollable situations, but I have a deployed boyfriend who I very much need to communicate with regularly, for both our sakes.  I am starting grad school in a week and have homework and financial aid stuff to do that requires the internet.  and I couldn't help it, I LOST IT at the "department supervisor" (yeah, right) in india who very impolitely insisted that one of us just magically stay home from work to make this happen "at our convenience."  I let him know just exactly what I thought of convenience and his customer service and that he was losing our business.

let's just say we're shopping our options - and thank God my parents live close by so I can get online at their place (the free dinner isn't bad, either).

52 - friday

I had such a bizarre day today.  for starters, my chef-brother joined the culinary team at the restaurant until he can find a permanent job in boston.   today was his first day.  this makes me his kind-of boss (sweet karmic redemption for years of torture!!!!!!!).  very weird.

without saying too much or going too far, the day ended with me at the police station helping bail a friend out because of something that far and above qualifies as ridiculous and very nearly not his fault.  VERY weird.

I had a dinner date with my mom (awww) and she called as I was leaving the 'clink (wtf) to see if I could pick up a bottle of wine on my way home.  which is the precise moment when I had an overwhelming, undeniable, irresistible craving for:

that's right,  traffic-stopping craving for mike's light hard lemonade.  I, michaela, drinker of gin and tonics, seven-and-sevens, and bottles of wine with attractive labels (never-drinker of cosmos, screwdrivers, or any other sugary concoction), was feinting for a mike's.   I can't be taken seriously.

51 - thursday

I can't take it anymore.  I know we just moved, so there's a grace period before the first big grocery shopping trip can happen, but we are all out of coffee.  that is code red problematic.  for the past three mornings, I've felt/behaved like this:

tonight, at the fine hour of 9:30, as I was thinking about going to bed, it dawned on me that if I didn't take control of this situation immediately, I was teeing up for a fourth morning in caffeineless hell.  so I went night grocery shopping.  my list was for coffee and nothing else, but of course I walked out with $72 worth of food.  what's important is that I will no longer LOSE IT on the highway at the other drivers around me, or have the urge to crawl back into bed and call in "sick" for the fourth second time.

 
I opened the can as soon as I got it home.  don't you just love the way fresh coffee smells?

oh, and I also filled my fruit bowl with these teeny, delectable georgia peaches.  t and I won't get to go peach picking this year because of his deployment, but I am sure looking forward to getting some fresh picked peaches next spring when he's home.  because he'll be home.  you hear me, uncle sam?

50 - wednesday

my aunt martha, my godmother, has no children of her own and so spoils me rotten.  oh, does she spoil me.  and I do not mind it one bit.

she is engaged to a wonderful greek man named michael (which occasionally makes for mistakenly-sent-to-me text messages, haha), and every summer they go together to greece for 3-4 months to see his family.  martha is the kind of person who has an eye for great gifts.  she'll buy something she knows is great even if she doesn't yet know who the lucky recipient will be.  and she always sends the most thoughtful thank-you, or happy birthday, or just because, cards.  she rocks.

my mom's birthday was two weeks ago, and though I pouted at the kick-ass gift martha got for her, I was CONVINCED that my pouting was totally subtle (t will argue here that if I'm experiencing any emotion it's all over my face, no matter how well I think I'm keeping it to myself).  anyway, she sent her a goody bag of these hand creams from athens that I love, and happen to have run out of.  my not-so-subtle pouting was apparently noticed by the right people (I know - I sound so whiney, but I swear, I didn't say anything to anyone!), because this week she sent me my very own (and may I note, more deluxe) bag of treats.

they are the perfect reward for the successful kicking of my hand-eating habit.

look, t, healthy hands!

49 - tuesday

moving day is finally here!

for all the flak I gave the prior tenants of our new apartment for the size of their couch, we still had to take the front door off our old place to get our couch down to the moving truck.  that'll teach me to criticize others.

so long, #14.  you were a good apartment while it lasted.

because becca and I both worked all day, we couldn't start moving until 7.  this made for a very late night - we didn't finish until after midnight!  what an exhausting day, but we are so glad to be in our new home.

(we won't have internet in the new place until the weekend, which means I can't blog from home, and will be updating from work this week.  bear with me.)

48 - monday

I am officially the proud owner of a new set of keys to a new apartment!  we're moving tomorrow, and we've been running around like mad over the past few days trying to pack everything up.  tonight, we met our new landlord for a final walk-through and the handing over of the keys.

we first saw the place months ago, and took a handful of pictures then.  the couple who lived here prior were packrats.  there is just no term, polite or otherwise, to more accurately describe the state of the apartment during their tenure.

what, you think this looks nicely decorated?  the sheer depth of that couch doesn't intimidate you?

............now do you believe me?

needless to say, becca and I were feeling slightly apprehensive going into tonight's walk-through.  we remembered liking the place a whole lot when we initially looked at it, but all we had to go by in terms of room dimensions and overall sense of the space were the few photos I had.  

so imagine our great relief to walk in and see...

TA DA!

their stuff is gone, the place feels huge!  we just could not stop remarking again and again to one another that we don't know how we're possibly going to fill all the space.  we're so relieved and the place looks fantastic.  can't wait for the big day tomorrow!!

47 - sunday

my leetle baby sister is a high school graduate! ...that makes me REALLY old.

I could not be more proud.

46 - saturday

my sister's grad-stravaganza weekend is here.  she is a complete chocoholic, so for her big graduation dinner tomorrow night, I made her this dramatic cake from bon appetit - and followed the recipe to the letter.

so, remember this? 

oh, sweet, sweet, chocolate redemption.  I tempered chocolate like a pro (ha! told you I could!):

made two dark chocolate 2" tall layers that I halved horizontally, to make a 4-layer cake:

milk chocolate sourcream fudge frosting.  omg.

yeah, it's kind of a gorgeous cake.  my baking prowess has been reinstated.  I can't wait to decorate it tomorrow! 

45 - friday

if my posts had titles, today's would be: women with power tools.

I consider myself a fairly handy lady, and as t will attest, while I am not exactly bob the builder, once I get the hang of things I can certainly hold my own.

some fine flawless examples of my handiwork include:

amateur - drilling level bracket holes

jv - wall-mounted bracketless shelf

varsity - molly bolt wall-anchored wrought iron weathervane

but looks can be deceiving.  becca and I are moving on tuesday, so we're packing this weekend.  which means everything has to come off the walls so I can spackle the holes...

if at first you don't succeed, drill, baby, drill?

cat's out of the bag.  ahh!  looks like I have some fixin' up to do.