Sitting at Crystal Cove in my beach chair on this perfect California day, I kept thinking it was far too perfect. It felt more like the Caribbean than California. This Independence day weekend promises to be fine for all of our tourists. Funny that so many Californians head up to the mountains to "get away from it all." We just all trade places, like the people on the trains in the Little Prince.
I've been reading a book for a little while now, called Beauty School in Kabul. It is a great read, and time passed quickly in the sun. So glad I took my brollie and sunscreen or I'd be charred. As it is, I am nicely toasted.
With my job, I usually have my summers off to do some sort of crazy project. This is the first year I don't have anything lined up. I thought my baking business would see me through, but I think that is on hold--not given up, it is still a valid option, but not what I want right now. This morning, my dentist suggested another cycle tour. I'd love that, but want to go foreign--like Cuba or Amsterdam. Right now I find myself in the danger zone of a serious case of ennui--bored crazies. Not yet, but I have a whole month until my work starts back up. Suggestions? Help me get into some trouble!
When I got to JE's work this evening, it was still fairly warm out there. We had a good run, until mile 4.5, when I ran out of water and would have given my kingdom for a bucket of drinking water. We walked the rest of the way and guzzled a liter of water when we got back to the car. It was a fun run at any rate.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Day 272:
(Blogger was down last night, so I couldn't post. Sorry)
There was a moment this evening when I was transported back to my cycle tour. It was just as the sun set, the light in the sky right now is almost exactly the same as when I was out there. Who knew that I'd be getting a lifetime of amazing memories with that. Glad I did it, so glad.
At sunset, JE and I were riding down the trail toward the back bay. The sky was brilliant with orange melting into blue. The river reflected it upwards. So beautiful. Twenty miles today, nice and easy.
Just before I rode to JE, I did my swim. Forty eight laps with a speed lap every 4th lap. During my second set, every first lap was a recovery lap exaggerating my rotation and reach. Second lap, a right arm pull. Third, left arm and last was a speed lap.
As I was finishing up my swim, a couple girls stood at the gate of my condo complex pool asking to be let in. Association members have pool keys, but we get a lot of riffraff from a nearby trailer park. I ignored them and kept swimming but someone else let them in. Of course when I see them, they are running topless to the hot tub. When I look at them again they were sitting in the hot tub eating McDonald on the edge. Walking back to my house I stopped by the clubhouse and found a meeting going on there. I spoke briefly with the board about what I had just witnessed and was told to go call security. I was also told that on Friday, we would be getting new security who would be getting out of cars to check the pool, etc.
My association bill had just come today, so I opened it up to find the number for security. I was already feeling like I pay far too much money for that kind of crap to go on around here, but when I saw the bill (JE takes care of bills around here), our association fees have gone up $40, plus a "special assessment" adding yet another $43 per month. Grrrrrrrrr.....
Get this: When I called security, I was routed to a voice mail box that hadn't been set up yet. Yah, I'm grumpy about that. Really really grumpy. Why are we paying all of that money?
Perhaps I should only swim in the early morning.
Chipotle for dinner.
There was a moment this evening when I was transported back to my cycle tour. It was just as the sun set, the light in the sky right now is almost exactly the same as when I was out there. Who knew that I'd be getting a lifetime of amazing memories with that. Glad I did it, so glad.
At sunset, JE and I were riding down the trail toward the back bay. The sky was brilliant with orange melting into blue. The river reflected it upwards. So beautiful. Twenty miles today, nice and easy.
Just before I rode to JE, I did my swim. Forty eight laps with a speed lap every 4th lap. During my second set, every first lap was a recovery lap exaggerating my rotation and reach. Second lap, a right arm pull. Third, left arm and last was a speed lap.
As I was finishing up my swim, a couple girls stood at the gate of my condo complex pool asking to be let in. Association members have pool keys, but we get a lot of riffraff from a nearby trailer park. I ignored them and kept swimming but someone else let them in. Of course when I see them, they are running topless to the hot tub. When I look at them again they were sitting in the hot tub eating McDonald on the edge. Walking back to my house I stopped by the clubhouse and found a meeting going on there. I spoke briefly with the board about what I had just witnessed and was told to go call security. I was also told that on Friday, we would be getting new security who would be getting out of cars to check the pool, etc.
My association bill had just come today, so I opened it up to find the number for security. I was already feeling like I pay far too much money for that kind of crap to go on around here, but when I saw the bill (JE takes care of bills around here), our association fees have gone up $40, plus a "special assessment" adding yet another $43 per month. Grrrrrrrrr.....
Get this: When I called security, I was routed to a voice mail box that hadn't been set up yet. Yah, I'm grumpy about that. Really really grumpy. Why are we paying all of that money?
Perhaps I should only swim in the early morning.
Chipotle for dinner.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Day 270: Perseverance
In a brief chat, via text with a friend, I discovered a whole train of thought on perseverance. He was saying he has no talent for music. Talent or no, the man can play a mean guitar and a killer keyboard. The reality is: if he puts his mind to anything, it gets done and done very well--including med school. He took it as a personal challenge when someone told him he would never get through med school, he now works as an ER doc.
I have another friend who is a high water mark of living for me. One day he told me that he recognizes that I could do anything I put my mind to. So flipping flattered by that. But right now, right this moment: I don't know what I want. I do know that I do now want to be in charge of baking 200 pies every day. I am not a factory worker. The fun is in the discovery and problem solving of something rather than recreating it, again and again. Re-creation, holds no power for me. I guess I am a one hit wonder, of a sort. I will perfect recipes, trial and error until I find perfection and that will be enough. But how do I build a business on that principal? Yes, I have a gift and talent for baking, but do I have the perseverance to build a business around it? Perhaps I just do what I can as I am able and worry about having to make 200 pies when I have an order for 200 pies. For me, it is all about the adventure--as pointed out by friend RH while waiting for JE's haircut.
I think that is the reason I love my job as a tailor for theaters. I have never made the same thing twice. Each show, I work with different designers, fabrics, designs, even venues and people. Actually that is not true--I once made the same dress x3 in varying shades of green--it was floral print--the exact same dress--the exact same placement of each flower x3. yes, I get obsessive, sometimes...
This evening JE had a haircut in Dana Point. After his appointment, we drove down to the marina and went running. The jetty is covered with birds at night. There was so much ruckus from them and a few sea lions. The marina is crawling with rats-I wouldn't eat there if I were you!
I have another friend who is a high water mark of living for me. One day he told me that he recognizes that I could do anything I put my mind to. So flipping flattered by that. But right now, right this moment: I don't know what I want. I do know that I do now want to be in charge of baking 200 pies every day. I am not a factory worker. The fun is in the discovery and problem solving of something rather than recreating it, again and again. Re-creation, holds no power for me. I guess I am a one hit wonder, of a sort. I will perfect recipes, trial and error until I find perfection and that will be enough. But how do I build a business on that principal? Yes, I have a gift and talent for baking, but do I have the perseverance to build a business around it? Perhaps I just do what I can as I am able and worry about having to make 200 pies when I have an order for 200 pies. For me, it is all about the adventure--as pointed out by friend RH while waiting for JE's haircut.
I think that is the reason I love my job as a tailor for theaters. I have never made the same thing twice. Each show, I work with different designers, fabrics, designs, even venues and people. Actually that is not true--I once made the same dress x3 in varying shades of green--it was floral print--the exact same dress--the exact same placement of each flower x3. yes, I get obsessive, sometimes...
This evening JE had a haircut in Dana Point. After his appointment, we drove down to the marina and went running. The jetty is covered with birds at night. There was so much ruckus from them and a few sea lions. The marina is crawling with rats-I wouldn't eat there if I were you!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day 269: Vacation
Friend Swantje (Svanteeya) has a house near the Backbay. While she is away, she has asked that I tend her little garden in the back of the house and pick her pole beans. I cycled there this morning and spent some time on her garden swing. She is one of my favorite people of all time. When her garden is producing, she disappears into her garden and comes back with a handful of this or that and throws it all together. She has a knack for food. My favorite are her pickled beets.
The marine layer was low and cool as I headed toward the Newport Backbay and then up to Huntington Beach boardwalk. Even though my cycling jersey and bike are all red, pedestrians seem to get confused and not see me. So many times today, I had to shout out to people as they stepped in front of me--facing my direction. Vacation brain=nothing bad can happen to me because I am on vacation! The worst was a skateboarder who was looking straight through me and seemed to be hypnotized by my clanging bike bell. It wasn't until I was within 10 feet of him, shouting 'Heads Up!' that he jumped off his board, flipping it up to catch it. He missed the catch and bailed it in the middle of my path. Me, screeching my breaks, swearing my best good-girl swear--'Sheeesh!' His friend totally mocked me for that one. Can't say I blame him...
Lots of observations and people watching. Huntington Beach is great for that. There are some strange people in our world! Summer brings it all to the beach. I forget how crowded the boardwalk can be in summer and holidays.
Tonight, dinner: Chicken sausages, but I also found beretta in the market and bought some tomatoes and crusty bread. Just add basil from my "garden" and good olive oil. Caprese is one of my favorite things in the entire world. I also picked up some beautiful peaches and made a peach pie--JE's favorite. I have to admit, it was an experimental crust--100% whole wheat pastry flour. It was OK, not quite marketable, but tasty.
The marine layer was low and cool as I headed toward the Newport Backbay and then up to Huntington Beach boardwalk. Even though my cycling jersey and bike are all red, pedestrians seem to get confused and not see me. So many times today, I had to shout out to people as they stepped in front of me--facing my direction. Vacation brain=nothing bad can happen to me because I am on vacation! The worst was a skateboarder who was looking straight through me and seemed to be hypnotized by my clanging bike bell. It wasn't until I was within 10 feet of him, shouting 'Heads Up!' that he jumped off his board, flipping it up to catch it. He missed the catch and bailed it in the middle of my path. Me, screeching my breaks, swearing my best good-girl swear--'Sheeesh!' His friend totally mocked me for that one. Can't say I blame him...
Lots of observations and people watching. Huntington Beach is great for that. There are some strange people in our world! Summer brings it all to the beach. I forget how crowded the boardwalk can be in summer and holidays.
Tonight, dinner: Chicken sausages, but I also found beretta in the market and bought some tomatoes and crusty bread. Just add basil from my "garden" and good olive oil. Caprese is one of my favorite things in the entire world. I also picked up some beautiful peaches and made a peach pie--JE's favorite. I have to admit, it was an experimental crust--100% whole wheat pastry flour. It was OK, not quite marketable, but tasty.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Day 268: Rest day
Just got off the phone with my mom and dad. Mom has been in the hospital all week, crud in her lungs and she isn't a really well person. Dad isn't doing well either. I know it sounds callous, but my mom has spent a good portion of her life in hospital. It is motivation for me to keep on top of my own health. There is a lot of bad stuff that can happen by not making good choices daily. I need to keep those fun feast days at a minimum!
My dad was commenting that he really needed to get up on a bicycle and do something, but he just gets so winded. He has forgotten that our bodies build up the ability to go longer distances over time and with work. Plus he is old; quite possibly the oldest mas of his age I have ever known. Poor guy. But he still has a remarkably positive outlook.
We are going up to see them by the end of summer.
Plan for the week to move this body. This is my last week of plateauing. And I got my bike back with some sweet new gear! I know I lost my 80 miles in June running challenge, but my knee is still hurting--hate that!
Plan for the week:
Monday: AM: Yoga
PM: Go for a long spin!
dinner: Chicken sausage and Swiss chard which I grew myself!
Tuesday: AM: Run--long 6.5 miles
PM: Swim Long 2500 yds
Dinner: Potato Gratin and spinach salad
Wednesday: AM: Yoga
PM: Bike--recovery--easy does it
Dinner: pizza--akin to Mozza. Yummy!
Thursday: Run--recovery 5 miles
PM: Swim--speed--48 laps, every 4 intervals
Dinner: Teriyaki tofu with green beans and rice
Friday AM: Yoga
PM: Swim--recovery 48
Dinner: Pasta with pesto. Oh snap! I love summer basil!
Saturday: AM Run--speed work 5 miles
Dinner: Apricot chicken and rice
My dad was commenting that he really needed to get up on a bicycle and do something, but he just gets so winded. He has forgotten that our bodies build up the ability to go longer distances over time and with work. Plus he is old; quite possibly the oldest mas of his age I have ever known. Poor guy. But he still has a remarkably positive outlook.
We are going up to see them by the end of summer.
Plan for the week to move this body. This is my last week of plateauing. And I got my bike back with some sweet new gear! I know I lost my 80 miles in June running challenge, but my knee is still hurting--hate that!
Plan for the week:
Monday: AM: Yoga
PM: Go for a long spin!
dinner: Chicken sausage and Swiss chard which I grew myself!
Tuesday: AM: Run--long 6.5 miles
PM: Swim Long 2500 yds
Dinner: Potato Gratin and spinach salad
Wednesday: AM: Yoga
PM: Bike--recovery--easy does it
Dinner: pizza--akin to Mozza. Yummy!
Thursday: Run--recovery 5 miles
PM: Swim--speed--48 laps, every 4 intervals
Dinner: Teriyaki tofu with green beans and rice
Friday AM: Yoga
PM: Swim--recovery 48
Dinner: Pasta with pesto. Oh snap! I love summer basil!
Saturday: AM Run--speed work 5 miles
Dinner: Apricot chicken and rice
Day 267: Feasts
My posts seem to be getting hung up in my email. I sent this last night. Sorry!
Los Angeles again today. We are traveling home currently, and have
utterly exhausted ourselves. Je and I walked all over the area between
the convention center, the historic center and the fashion district.
So many of the buildings in the historic center are really beautiful.
Los Angeles again today. We are traveling home currently, and have
utterly exhausted ourselves. Je and I walked all over the area between
the convention center, the historic center and the fashion district.
So many of the buildings in the historic center are really beautiful.
We took our guests to Griffith observatory and took twenty million
photos then headed down Hillcrest to Little Doms. Apparently Dom's is
a star-studded hotspot. While we were waiting for our food, Ryan
Reynolds pulled up in a Nissan Leaf with Olivia Wild in the passengers
seat. While we were eating, Larry David walked out and waited for his
car from valet. The parappadel with fennel sausage and peas was really
good and it wasn't as pricy a venue as I would think considering the
clientele.
After dinner we chased down the Kogi truck for second dinner. Our
guests are leaving tomorrow and had a weeks worth of eating to do in
one night. After Kogi? Pinks of course! 'Frankly' I think pinks dogs
aren't worth the rave. Dogs, when steamed in a natural casing, get
really chewy--kind of yucky. Better to grill the suckers.
Training? I feel like a gustatory athlete which I equate with feeling
nauseously overfed on far too rich foods. Maybe I'll try out a
watermelon diet for a few days just to settle things down...
My body aches from apathy and walking around so much. I'm guessing I
walked about nine miles today.
From a tiny little handheld piece of technology with more power than
O'Hera would have known what to do with
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Day 266: Foodie's LA
Savuer Magazine dedicated an entire magazine about food-crazed Los Angeles. This issue has been read thoroughly by both JE and myself, and left in the car as a reminder of all those amazing little places to go visit whenever we get up there. There is a problem with this issue, however. There are SO MANY MORE amazing places to find really interesting and good food, I can't imagine having to edit for that issue. What got cut?
Today, we, with our house guests, made our way to LA-- to places I hadn't been before. That beloved magazine became part of our tour guide. The cover shows a pizza covered with baked squash blossoms and burrata. Yes, that was delish, but the chicken livers with capers and bacon? Holy Cow!!! A-maze-ing! I got the speck and olive tempanade pizza with buffalo mozza. So good. During our caprese course, I may have shed a tear--I don't think I have ever had anything so good in my entire life. They roast sweet little tomatoes, still on the vine and add a little pool of pesto and excellent olive oil to the oh-so-fresh-mozzie. Part of what made this place so amazing, was our server/bar tender. He was so kind, helpful, and generous with his time--and they were super busy!
After our meal, we headed up to the Chinese theater. What a beautiful building! We wandered around the Hollywood wax museum, and took a few fun photos. I'll post later on this entry, but right now it is really late.
We wandered Hollywood Boulevard, people watching and taking in the walk of fame and all of its craziness. I counted three Michael Jacksons sharing the same block of cement!
Around 7, we loaded onto one of those topless vans for tourists and went cruising around Beverly Hills, Belle Air, and Hollywood. There was a weirdie on a bicycle who had decided to take issue with someone sitting in the back of the van. He chased us down 3 times, before we finally headed up a long slow hill, that proved to be too much for him. But he had been giving us the finger, riding by screaming obscenities, and calling out berating names. The rest of the tour was fun, not great, but fun. Ya get what ya pay for, and we had a hugely discounted fare.
On the way home, we stopped at another place from the magazine. This one in Korea town called Kyochon. The idea is Korean fried chicken. We ordered fairly simply, but it took about half an hour or more to get out food. Something was amiss, the whole place reads like a fast food joint. The chicken was good, though the best Korean fried chicken I have ever eaten was in Korea. JE and I wandered into this little hole in the wall restaurant because in the front window was a vast display of hot fresh fried chicken. We got the full chicken deal and as we sat waiting for our chicken, we started seeing a familiar mustachioed, bespectacled man in a clean white suit and little black bow-tie. We got our chicken to go, and went to the park and devoured it. It was crisp and hot and running with juice. The chicken itself was very small and tender, unlike any KFC stateside!
Not much in the way of training today. I had some orders that went out this morning before we left, including a carrot shaped carrot cake to honor Mo the dog, who was voted as runner up a best bike shop dog competition. Carrots are Mo's favorite food.
Today, we, with our house guests, made our way to LA-- to places I hadn't been before. That beloved magazine became part of our tour guide. The cover shows a pizza covered with baked squash blossoms and burrata. Yes, that was delish, but the chicken livers with capers and bacon? Holy Cow!!! A-maze-ing! I got the speck and olive tempanade pizza with buffalo mozza. So good. During our caprese course, I may have shed a tear--I don't think I have ever had anything so good in my entire life. They roast sweet little tomatoes, still on the vine and add a little pool of pesto and excellent olive oil to the oh-so-fresh-mozzie. Part of what made this place so amazing, was our server/bar tender. He was so kind, helpful, and generous with his time--and they were super busy!
After our meal, we headed up to the Chinese theater. What a beautiful building! We wandered around the Hollywood wax museum, and took a few fun photos. I'll post later on this entry, but right now it is really late.
We wandered Hollywood Boulevard, people watching and taking in the walk of fame and all of its craziness. I counted three Michael Jacksons sharing the same block of cement!
Around 7, we loaded onto one of those topless vans for tourists and went cruising around Beverly Hills, Belle Air, and Hollywood. There was a weirdie on a bicycle who had decided to take issue with someone sitting in the back of the van. He chased us down 3 times, before we finally headed up a long slow hill, that proved to be too much for him. But he had been giving us the finger, riding by screaming obscenities, and calling out berating names. The rest of the tour was fun, not great, but fun. Ya get what ya pay for, and we had a hugely discounted fare.
On the way home, we stopped at another place from the magazine. This one in Korea town called Kyochon. The idea is Korean fried chicken. We ordered fairly simply, but it took about half an hour or more to get out food. Something was amiss, the whole place reads like a fast food joint. The chicken was good, though the best Korean fried chicken I have ever eaten was in Korea. JE and I wandered into this little hole in the wall restaurant because in the front window was a vast display of hot fresh fried chicken. We got the full chicken deal and as we sat waiting for our chicken, we started seeing a familiar mustachioed, bespectacled man in a clean white suit and little black bow-tie. We got our chicken to go, and went to the park and devoured it. It was crisp and hot and running with juice. The chicken itself was very small and tender, unlike any KFC stateside!
Not much in the way of training today. I had some orders that went out this morning before we left, including a carrot shaped carrot cake to honor Mo the dog, who was voted as runner up a best bike shop dog competition. Carrots are Mo's favorite food.
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