Friday Feast

This has become almost an embarrassingly poorly named blog in its lack of daily-ness. I'll try to feel less pressure to impart so much information (like this beast of a feast) so that the blog entries can be shorter and more frequent (snacks!) and provide a more steady flow of entertainment.

I arrived to work forty-five minutes late today with a very bloody sock, having survived a Red Line electrical fire (or at least lots of smoke) and feeling incredibly grateful. Lots of awesome things have happened recently and lots of things that had the potential to go very wrong were avoided, mostly with the help of others.

First, I'm grateful for having completed Reach the Beach (RTB) last weekend as a member of the Brunch Bunch - appropriate since brunch is my favorite meal... probably because it justifies eating two meal's worth of food in one sitting. Anyway, RTB is this crazy whirlwind of a relay race, where your team runs continuously until they reach the finish line on the beach, in our case from Cannon Mountain to Hampton Beach. It turns running into a team sport. You sleep outside or in a wildly decorated van (e.g. a team named "We Got the Runs" had Pepto Bismol and bedpans attached to theirs) with other people you could know well but could also potentially meet as you are loading your stuff in the van together to embark on this absurd voyage. It is probably one of the craziest running events because it involves far more communication, logistical planning, and maintenance of good personal relationships than other seemingly crazy running adventures, such as marathons. So naturally, we jumped in, sneaker-donned feet first.

As a kid, I had no idea adults did things like this. I thought there was some threshold you crossed in the process of growing up when you didn't feel the need to be silly or creative or mildly insane anymore. I've no idea where this came from because my parents, aunts, uncles and their friends set a very fun-loving example, but regardless... this was an awesome realization. I'm grateful that adults aren't always grown-ups!

My 19 miles were really enjoyable. I was third in our "batting order" (meaning we maintained the same order for all three legs we each ran) of runners and following two fast teammates, so there was definitely pressure to move it. My new Brooks kicks and a little sibling wager that my average mile time would be less than 75 seconds slower than my (gazelle of a) brother's average time also kept me moving. There's also nothing like gorgeous fall scenery and good music to add to the therapy of sneakers pounding the pavement. The entire Brunch Bunch was there to greet me at the end of the first 5.6 mile leg, which was totally awesome, and send Meredith, Queen of Running Playlists, off on her journey.

My second leg was in the darkness, so I got to use my other new running purchase - a wicked sweet reflective vest. Suddenly, about two miles in, I smelled skunk. This was horrifying. All I could imagine was getting sprayed by it, smelling vile and being voted out of the van... forced to get to the beach on my own. Thankfully, my headlamp (not only fuctional, but also quite fashionable in this part of the world) prevented me from stepping in the skunk road kill as well as some other large, unidentified roadkill later on. I'm grateful for that little headlamp and my team mates, who were always a welcome sight, providing water at the halfway mark and words of encouragement at any opportunity.

I'm grateful for having made it through my third 8.6-mile leg at the end which included several large uphills.

One article about the RTB in Massachusetts had testimonials of people who'd done RTB, but my favorite included a comparison of sushi and RTB. Basically he says that when you describe sushi to people who've never tried it, they scrunch up their faces and say "Ew, raw fish." He said he got similar reactions when describing RTB to people who have never run it - you pay money to run on little to no sleep, spend long hours in a van with potential strangers with no showers or real bathrooms available, and for that matter rarely any actual privacy in which to change clothes. "The first words out of their mouth are typically, 'What's wrong with you?' If you're not a runner, I wouldn't expect you to understand. In fact, if you said you did, I would ask you the same question. But imagine doing what you love for an entire day, 24 hours with no distractions and you could bring along a big group of friends. That raw fish is starting to sound pretty good now, isn't it?"

I know you're still wondering about the bloody sock, but there are more things that I'm grateful for before we get there.

In a flurry to catch the train on Wednesday morning, I accidentally abandoned my new Brooks sneaks! I have always wondered how people could possibly lose their shoes when I saw them on the street, as if the person had suddenly been abducted... and now I am that person. My only excuse is that I was wearing flip flops so it wasn't like I was running around, clueless and shoeless. However, said sneakers were rescued and are safe and sound, waiting for their next jaunt. I'm grateful for their rescue and rescuer.

Also on Wednesday, while purchasing snacks to help me endure the four hours of Public Health Law awaiting after work, I almost lost my work computer. Apparently you shouldn't leave it on the counter next to the conveyor belt if you want to keep your job ...or your dignity. I'm grateful for the woman behind me who reminded me to take it with me.

I'm grateful for the pumpkin beer awaiting me after class.

So. The bloody sock. That's more fun said in a British accent - My bloody sock! I was trying to juggle too many things walking out of the house this morning and didn't have an arm to reach out and stop the storm door in that slow motion moment where I knew it was going to hit my ankle (you know what I'm talking about). Unfortunately, it took out a rather substantial bit. Although unsightly, I'm grateful that I'm wearing old socks and it didn't hurt too much especially when the Red Line started smelling like electrical burning and smoking shortly thereafter. I couldn't find out if there was actually a fire, since apparently issues on the Red Line are so commonplace that boston.com doesn't cover all of them. Regardless, I got to take a lovely, albeit unexpected, stroll through the Financial District this morning without getting rained on. The gratefulness continues!

And finally... I'm grateful that it's Friday. Have a lovely weekend!

Shame Shame Shame, Cheese Curds, and Couches

What a mish mash. I foresee this happening a lot now that I'm back in school, but still want to nurture this little tot of a blog, which, as it has been pointed out... is not so "Daily". Apologies... but hold on to your hats because this one is a long entry, full of awesomeness.

"How's school going?" you ask. I think it's going to be another good semester. One of my classes is the core course law requirement, and the professor is pretty amusing. He's a lawyer, so he's well spoken - a great lecturer and discussion starter - very entertaining and good sense of humor, if a bit of an "interrupter." An amusing tidbit from this week was when he was telling us about all the silly laws still on the books in Massachusetts, and everyone knows they're silly, but it's even more silly to waste time and taxpayer money repealing these laws.

                     Prof: For instance, it is still a serious crime in Massachusetts to have premarital sex.
                     [SILENCE]
                     Prof: How's THAT for ruining your weekend?
                     [RELAXED LAUGHTER]
                     Prof: You're all going to jail!
                     .....
                     Prof: Just kidding. Jail isn't full of fornicators. It's full of people who
                             ACCOST their fornicators.

This should be interesting. I'm ready and fully caffeinated in preparation for class number two tonight!

Before school started, to end my summer with a bang, I went to Madison, WI to visit the lovely Cristina. Brief history of our friendship: we were on the same floor during our first year of college and luckily also in the same first-year seminar. She was the feisty, intelligent girl from Vermont, not afraid to question anything our classmates and professor said and a great friend from day one. So obviously I had to go see this town she'll be in for awhile while completing her PhD in sociology ...and being generally awesome.

In case you hadn't heard, Wisconsin had some pretty big stuff happen earlier this year, when their governor tried to impose major budget cuts, hitting unions especially hard. Gov. Walker proposed drastic increases to the amount they were expected to contribute to their health care as well as taking away the vast majority of their collective bargaining rights. According to Wikipedia, people were mostly upset because he never mentioned these intentions in his campaign AND no one likes having their rights taken away. Not surprisingly, people protested, often chanting, "Shame, shame, shame!" which has become a Wisconsin-ism. Also not surprisingly, Cristina was on the forefront - featured in this wicked awesome video as well as lots of other media. Imagining 100,000 people camping out in the frigid "Square" (aka Madison downtown) as we biked through it in its early fall, bustling-but-not-nearly crowded state was difficult. Watch the video though - these protests were amazing. They're gearing up to recall him this winter, when that's finally possible.

And now - a photo montage of my time in Wisconsin! It mostly involves food and drinks... cause we like to eat good food and drink... well, pretty much anything. (I feel like Marshall from How I Met Your Mother <- scroll up just a little to "Cat Funeral" video to fully understand how funny that is.)

Shamefully (or, joyously) all of the following were eating in a 24 hour span, though technically not one day:

Pre-Grilled phase of the excellent Veggie Breakfast Sandwich

...and post grilled. Includes Wisconsin Cheddar, naturally.
Yum!

Cheese Curds! Consuming more Wisconsin Cheddar later that night...
in a dark and romantic setting.

And MUCH later that night, a trip to the diner.

Wonderful Willaby's Waffles... oh yeah, and us!

Meet Ethel, Cristina's hilarious dog:

Here she is, on a futile mission to get 

a mysterious toy at the bottom of the basket. 

Eventually, I tipped the basket over for her.

Victory! ...and the only way I could get her to stay still enough for a photo.

Meet Cristina's ginormous tomato plants:

They are the envy of the neighborhood.

...gives some perspective on their ridiculous size.

We were productive, too!

Inspecting the Glow-in-the-Dark merchandise Michael's had to offer
...on our quest  to complete their set of terrificly huge champagne flutes.

Homemade apple tarts (check out the fall leaves acting as top crust)
...and Cristina's new glasses.  Sure. They go together.

The Tea Tree. They had so much tea that Cristina had
to transform this easel into tea shelves. 

This was our "Next Morning" photo post Bougie Night:

How many bottles of bubbly can YOU find? Answer: Just enough.
And for all of you hookah lovers - try the raspberry.

And sadly the trip came to an end.

Note how large these people are relative to the plane. I could see lots of the pilots' controls, 
and was practically close enough to tell if they needed a breath mint.

And lastly, let's all breath a sigh of relief that our living room finally has a couch, and no longer requires sharing of the nice chair or taking turns in the camping chairs that were occupying our living room.

September 1 Longfellow

I know, I know - I got wicked original on the title of this one. 'Tis quite boring, but it might be nice when trying to look back if the posts with the photos from the Longfellow are easy to find. Call me crazy.

Anyway, this morning was quite the adventure. I woke up extra early to get to leave early on my half day - woo!  However, that was not in the cahds. After enduring many absent-minded backpack nudges by an energetic middle schooler, I learned that the Red Line decided it suddenly had a fear of going over the Charles, so all of the trains refused to cross, or even get near, the Longfellow. Well. Isn't that lovely?

They really DO look like salt and pepper shakers!

Actually, it is! I had almost forgotten that I wanted to start photo-documenting the river's fall transformation today, and this was the perfect reminder! The Red Line was just looking out for me... and this lovely blog... and all of you. Unfortunately all of these people (and their high heels and suitcases) had to suffer at our expense:

There is so much exercise going on in this picture. Such a lovely sight for public health nerds everywhere. Oh yeah, and no colorful foliage yet!

I bet she is wishing the Red Line is working... or that motorized wheeled suitcases had been invented before motorized wheeled beer coolers.

These lovely helpers of the foliage-photo cause were thanked via photo feature!

Still summer in the colors of the leaves.

Stay tuned for more photos of pretty pretty Charles and Boston. (And these are pretty cool, too!)

Mean Irene

Mean Irene threw minor snafoos in the original plans for the big wedding this past weekend, but she couldn't rain on our "parade." She did rain on the wedding, however. As Sarah pointed out in her excellent speech, rain on a wedding day brings happiness, so we found the bright side in all those dark clouds. Celebration ensued :)

Check out these photos of downed trees all around us in ze lovely Quincy (pronouned Kwinzee for all of you non-Massachusetts natives). Fortunately, no one has been hurt or houses damaged for the most part. If anything, it's been an excuse to use our grills, clean our freezers and refrigerators, live by candlelight and play board games for a few days. That's pretty lucky, if you ask me.

And just for the record, even with its tempting lights and outlets and TVs, we happily avoided the Sly Fox!

First top ten list!

Top ten ways you know fall is on its way (in no particular order):

1. My first school book, Designing Health Messages (no, not "massages" - don't get too excited), arrived in the mail yesterday. Expect enthralling blog entries in the future on said topic. I know you're pumped.

2. I saw very early foliage in the Berkshires this weekend. None hath been spotted in Boston yet, but I'm planning to photo-document the Charles starting September 1, at least weekly, inspired by those who kept track of the massive pile of snow in Framingham that survived into June... and also because walking over the river is awesome.

3. Teachers are being sillier as their vacations wind down. 

• Exhibit A: My father has been making more of his special jokes than usual, and laughing more than usual at his own sense of humor... eliciting eye rolls from us, and more laughter from him.
• Exhibit B: A certain music teacher devilishly swapped my salad for the food trash (not as obvious as one might think since the two were in the exact same tupperware container) as a practical joke. I did not notice as I quickly packed my bag, but lucky for both of us, he remembered to switch them back.

4. Dave and Molly are getting hitched this weekend. In the early days of summer, it seemed so far away, and once it was here, fall would be so close... and now it's here. Time to celebrate :)

5. The air conditioner is no longer vital to attaining sleep.

6. I can walk to work in my work clothes without arriving here drenched in sweat... and have luckily dodged all of the birds thus far. 

7. As a former vegetarian and general fruit/vegetable junkie, I can't help but notice that apple prices have "fall"en* = it's apple season(ish). Mmm homemade apple crisp.

8. The sun sets much earlier. Boo for shorter days to come!

9. The "School" filter on my Gmail has come back to life after summer doldrums. Orientation is fast approaching, Jessica - sharpen those pencils! 

10. Back to school sales are on. Ain't nothing like a new notebook. 

*Note: Dad's sense of humor didn't fall far from the (apple) tree. Oh God, someone stop me!

An unfortunate throwback to Civil Rights era

I am having trouble starting this post because what we witnessed was so discouraging and mind boggling and  there is so much to say. Much like the blank note book page from school, I'm letting the blank computer screen be intimidating. Let's just start at the beginning.

Viernes Taco Night in Quincy was accompanied by some lovely guests, tasty beers, and not so tasty margaritas - lesson learned: no need to mess with the recipe you know and love. After filling up on tacos and Funfetti cake, we walked a whopping three minutes to The Sly Fox, the closest watering hole we had yet to try.

Upon walking in, we observed what seemed to be a scuffle between two patrons and the two bartenders. There were many people around, none of whom seemed to be concerned with said scuffle, which was difficult to really understand with music playing loudly. I also was distracted due to being baffled by how small the inside was, based on the size of the whole building, and mildly disappointed by the lack of live music their sign advertised.

After ordering drinks, Jessica said something about having walked into the Civil Rights era, which I thought was a nod to the building's age. I'm not sure when, but at some point, I caught on to what she meant.

We had narrowly missed witnessing the patrons, two women married to each other, pecking (slang for "quick kiss" just in case my grandparents - Hi Doris and John! - read this post) at the bar, as many married and unmarried couples often do. One of the bartenders responded by asking them to stop, which the couple questioned. The bartender said, "We're trying to keep it country in here." and then refused to serve them. The women called the police, and unfortunately we are unaware of the final outcome of this event.

Though rather difficult to restrain, we did not dump out or throw our drinks in the faces of the bartenders or ask the clientele if they even agreed with what the bartenders did. Instead... we eavesdropped (or at least I did!) on the nearby conversations. While outside to make a phone call, Jessica heard the above outlined by the two women customers and while inside with Ben and Amanda, I heard the bartenders defending their actions and confirming that their reason for refusing service was based on the fact that these two women had kissed and not on the fact that they were excessively drunk or rude, which could certainly not be said about all of their patrons. Sad to say, after the customers had stepped out to talk with the police, some of the clientele had voiced their approval of the bartenders' actions.

Now, refusal of service is a sticky issue. Our country has a rather recent and shameful history of refusing service to lots of different people and most notably based on skin color. The Federal Civil Rights Act protects customers based on race, color, religion, or national origin and does not include sexual preference. Most states have drafted additional laws, all similar in that they more or less support businesses in refusing services for legitimate business reasons only, meaning business owners can, for instance, ask customers damaging their property to stop and leave. The other common thread is that businesses must apply their policies equally to all of their customers... not for nothing, but these two weren't the only ones kissing in the bar and no one else was asked to leave for their displays of affection.

Firstly, these bartenders need to watch George Carlin's educational stand-up about how we're all the same. Because no one likes to be ostracized or excluded for their choices and we all share much more than we realize. Secondly, these women have money and - SURPRISE - it works just like everyone else's! Not only were the bartenders bigoted, but that's just bad business sense. Not only does their money work like everyone else's, but so does mine. And it won't be spent there again.

Boycott The Sly Fox.

Treats and Heats

One of my oldest friends, Danielle, is also one of my perfect running matches in the world. I have yet to find another, so at this point, it's a monogamous relationship, at least on my end. Running soul mates? What a silly idea... anyway, moving on. We have identical strides and also, seemingly, levels of motivation. There are the exceptions when we have to drag each other up the last (or first) hill, but it's generally an ideal little match. We have established a pattern of running, showering, and heading out to eat for what Danielle calls a "big, fat salad" and now that we're older, usually a margarita/glass of wine or several.

When we were younger, however, Danielle would laugh at me, still out of breath and drenched in sweat from our jaunt around town, inhaling a cookie or brownie, lovingly supplied by our parents. Turns out, I was probably just fueling mitochondrial growth, or, in real world terms, preventing muscle fatigue. In this exciting article found by Amanda, mice who were fed flavanols from chocolate ran longer on the treadmills and had more mitochondria in their little biopsied mouse muscles than other mice fed only water. Obviously, there are lots of question marks - is the effect the same in people, does it work with the delicious chocolate we all love or only the flavanols extracted from the chocolate, etc. If these results do translate over to people and entire chocolates, the researchers say it means eating roughly one Hershey Kiss (or half square) of dark chocolate per day to maximize efficiency, rather than the "more is better" mentality we were hoping for. Boo. I had imagined a chocolate only diet and let me tell you, it was divine.

Either way, chocolate and running are both awesome, and this had to be shared.