friday +/-

Oh, but this has been a long week. Between my lingering cough, a lull at work, and obsessing over marathon training I'm ready for one long nap. It's a good thing today is Friday! Here're your good and bad for week, starting with the bad so's to end on a better note.

- My lingering cough. When I take deep breaths, there is a distinct wheeze down in my lungs. Also, I sound like a seal. After much concern from my co-workers, I made a doctor's appointment for Monday.
- I already miss Digital Projects. Wah, wah, wah.
- My social life has taken a dive, what with me being sick and all my friends being pregnant. Let me tell you, you do NOT want to be the person that gives a pregnant lady a chest cold. Bad karma, ahoy!
- Howard Zinn died on Wednesday. I heard him speak last year and was amazed at his eloquence, intelligence and compassion. He'll be greatly missed.

And now for the good.

+ I ran 20 miles, which was awesome and made me feel excited for and confident about the Austin Marathon all over again.

+ We finished season one of Battlestar Galactica, and then promptly ran out and bought seasons 2 and 2.5. We're addicted, y'all.

+ Tomorrow, Nathan, Amy and I will be taking part in the first ever Adventure Race at SFA. It's a short race (3 miles of running, 2 miles of biking, and 40 yards of swimming) and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully this will be the first of many!

+ The weather this week has been pretty awesome. I love being able to comfortably run outside again, and Seamus loves going to the park after work.

Happy Friday, and here's to a weekend full of spontaneous adventures and quality times. See you Monday!

a long post about a long run

Yesterday morning I ran 20 miles. It was my second time ever running that far, and even though it took me four hours instead of three a half (as it did the first time) I finished in much better shape.

Since I've been sick the last two weekends, and since the Austin Marathon is quickly approaching, I took vacation time and spent the hours I would normally be librarian-ing at my desk on the trail and the street, pounding out my long run. An odd way to use vacation time, yes, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

I decided to combine two routes that I often run, both of which are five miles long - Lanana Creek Trail, and a loop through a hilly neighborhood. There is a point where the two routes almost meet and so, in order to keep things interesting and to give my knees a rest, I ran the neighborhood loop once (5 miles), then the trail (10 miles), then back to the 'hood (15 miles) and finally back to the trail (20 miles!). It worked perfectly - each 5 mile section felt like a little victory and I didn't get too bored.

And guys! I was feeling awesome for most of my run. My chest cold is still lingering, which is mostly why my pace was so slow (nearly a 12 minute mile pace, overall - ouch!). I wanted to run faster, but each time I tried to speed things up, I'd breathe deeply and then - coughing fit. So I had to keep it slow (and run with a cough drop in my mouth). It was nice - relaxing and easy, laid back and fun.

And then I got to mile 17.

This was right about where my body started to get all rebellious. "What the hell are we doing?" it said. "We haven't run more than 10 miles in weeks, and you want us to go 20? Are you crazy?" Yes, actually. I am. For the last two miles, I had to take a few walking breaks - 20 seconds here, 30 there - but when I saw that I only had a half a mile left, all bets were off. I even picked up the pace! And when I was finished, I was finished. Twenty miles. Boo-yah.

Needless to say, I'm feeling better about the marathon. Also, we're already more than half way to our fundraising goal for Doctors Without Borders, which is both amazing and humbling. I'm especially loving the comments people have been leaving - our friends and family are witty and generous. A winning combination, and I am so thankful for all of you! I've got one more long run planned and then before you know it will be MARATHON TIME! I can't wait!

recipe: iced oatmeal cookies

I'm so glad I renewed my subscription to Vegetarian Times! Since it's a monthly magazine, the recipes and articles are usually holiday related and seasonal, which can be pretty inspiring. The first thing I made from this month's issue were the Vegan Iced Oatmeal Cookies. They were delicious - chewy and sweet, with a hint of lemon - but while baking them, I found a typo! The first step of the recipe instructs you to mix together flaxseed and water in a small bowl and set aside - but then it never tells you what to do with the flax! I edited the recipe below (my comments and changes are in bold) so you can see what I changed (and what I did with the flax!).

I meant to bring these to work but I'm only somewhat ashamed to admit that Nathan and I ate the whole plate of them by Sunday evening. Tsk, tsk! 

VT's Vegan Iced Oatmeal Cookies 

Cookies: 
2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp vegan margarine, softened (I use Earth Balance)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup applesauce or prune puree (I went with apples)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries (three cheers for cranberries!)

Icing: 
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

1. To make cookies: stir together flaxseed meal and 3 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk together oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Beat margarine, brown sugar and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (or a Kitchen Aid!) 1 to 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add applesauce, vanilla and flaxseed mixture, and beat until smooth. Stir in oat flour mixture with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add oats and dried fruit and stir to combine. Cover and chill for two hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. Roll cookie dough into golf-ball sized rounds, and place dough balls 1.5 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. (This recipe says it makes 24 cookies, but I only got about 16.) Flatten each cookie to 1/4 inch thickness with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies look dry on top and are just beginning to brown.

4. Meanwhile, prepare icing by whisking together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in small bowl until smooth; icing should be thick, but spreadable. (My icing remained fairly thin and never got the same frosty effect VT pictured. Still tasted delish, though!) Gently brush icing on hot cookies with pastry brush. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.

(I don't feel like typing out the nutritional info - if you want it, let me know!)

doctors without borders & a marathon update

First things first. You may have noticed the donation widget in the upper right hand corner of my blog. That's because Nathan and I have decided to use the Austin Marathon as an excuse to raise money for one of our favorite charities - Doctors Without Borders. From their website:

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)) is an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries. A private, nonprofit organization, Doctors Without Borders was founded in 1971 as the first non-governmental organization to both provide emergency medical assistance and bear witness publicly to the plight of people it assists.

Our combined goal is $1000, which I'm sure we'll be able to reach in three weeks. I'm hoping that this goal will not only raise some much needed funds for an awesome organization (especially in light of the recent earthquake in Haiti) but that running for something outside of myself will inspire me to finish the race. Because when you think about it, 26.2 miles isn't really that big a deal. I've been taking it so seriously - thinking about training, plotting our my weekly workouts, blogging my fears and hopes and rationalizations nearly to death (thanks for sticking around, by the way!) that a little perspective is definitely called for. So thank you in advance for your donations and your support (a huge thank you to those who have already donated! You're amazing!) and feel free to pass on the word.

And speaking of marathons... 

I've been sick the past two weekends, which has seriously cramped my running style. I've altered and rearranged my training plan so many times at this point that I don't even know if you can call it an actual "plan." After starting out so strong back in November and early December, I fell off the wagon at the holidays and have been struggling to get back on it ever since. I have to keep reminding myself that this is my first marathon, and my only goal is to finish. I've been keeping up with healthy eating, yoga and most of my shorter runs. I feel strong and inspired. And as long as I get two more long (18-20 mile) runs in before the end of next week, I'll feel prepared enough. That's the plan, and you know I'll keep you updated.

Thanks for reading and, if you can, for donating!

weekend recap - persevering

My glorious weekend of solo organization and activity was only half glorious. I got a ton done around the house, but I was not able to complete my twenty mile run. I wasn't even able to start my twenty mile run - on Sunday, I was hit with the worst of a hacking cough, the kind that doubles you over and makes you wonder if your ribs are cracking. I have created (yet another) contingency plan for marathon training, but seriously. Time is ticking here.

Friday: Nathan had left for his 24 hour adventure race that morning, so I took the dog for a walk after work and then saw FAME! with Sonnie and Mary. FAME! was bad. And not good-bad either. Just plain bad. Even the singing and dancing (which I thought would make it awesome, like on GLEE!) left much to be desired. C'est la vie. It was nice to hang out with my ladies regardless.

Saturday: Rode my bicycle to yoga, then took the long way home at a leisurely pace. I spent the afternoon cleaning, organizing and de-cluttering. I am happy to say that my closet and armoire are in the best shape of their lives.

You may notice that my shirts are sweaters are sorted according to ROYGBIV. I've been really into the color spectrum lately. On Saturday evening, Seamus and I went for a walk to Amy and David's new place. This is the first time they've lived within walking distance to us, ever, and it's nice to have such ridiculously local friends. They're still setting up their new place (which is huge) but Amy had arranged some old, ornate furniture she inherited from her Grandmother. I took a photo on the couch which is a little blurry because I couldn't figure out how to reset the auto focus feature until the following day. Blurry or not, it's still kind of cool.

Sunday: This is when the real hacking cough thing started. For the last few days, I had a tickle in my throat. On Sunday, it bloomed into a full fledged cough. I decided to reschedule my 20 miler (again) and spent most of the day on the couch, eating cough drops and reading Middlesex. Not too terrible, actually. Nathan got home from his race around 2pm and we took the dog to the park, where he regaled me with racing tales while I tried not to cough on him. It was a very pretty day and being outside made me feel a little better.

Another thing that made me feel better: baking iced oatmeal cookies from the latest Vegetarian Times (recipe post coming soon!). I actually found a typo in the recipe, which was exciting and not too hard to overcome. The cookies were delicious.

So far, Monday has been off to an okay start. I'm hoping my cough disappears completely by tomorrow morning, because seriously - I have MILES to RUN. Until then, I will be drinking water, eating clementines, and getting as much sleep as humanly possible. Wish me luck. I'll need it.

friday +/-

Vegan french toast at Brooklyn's best breakfast joint, Boneshakers!

As it turns out, there is a + and - of every situation. For example, Boneshakers - a cafe catering to bicyclist AND vegans - exists, and this is awesome! This blessed existence, however, is limited to Brooklyn, which is not good news for a hungry vegan in Texas. Here are some more +/- examples of this past week:

+ Clementines are delicious, in season, and high in Vitamin C! - Which is necessary because I've had and/or have been fighting a cold all week.

+ It's the first week of school at SFA, which is always an exciting time of fresh starts, new beginnings, and notebooks just waiting to be filled. - I am not taking any classes this semester because nothing really worked with the my schedule. Also college students need driving lessons, bad.

- Nathan left for Bastrop this morning, so he can take part in a 24 hour adventure race with his brother and two other dudes. I will miss him, but + welcome the chance to have a weekend to myself. Also, Seamus will be with me for both companionship and protection. Seriously. Look at this dog. He's dangerous!

+ I received my new job description today and half of it sounds fine, similar to what I was doing in Digital Projects. Yay for that. - The other half is probably going to make me want to hide under a rock. Trying to stay positive though, so... + I will most likely need to go to Austin for additional training. I love any excuse to go to Austin!

And here's just a bunch of +'s, because I am generally a + kind of person: my legs are sore from the 20 cumulative miles and the three yoga classes I've already completed this week, and there's still tomorrow's 90 minute yoga class AND a long run on Sunday to look forward to; I've been eating really well all week and feeling great because of it; I've been de-cluttering and reorganizing my closet all week, and am already rediscovering things I didn't even know I had; I started reading Middlesex and so far, so awesome; have I mentioned lately how much I love my boyfriend? Because it's true. I do.

Hope you have a mostly + week. See you on Monday!

dream world

I've been having crazy dreams the last three nights, and I'm not sure why. Not good dreams, either. I tend to lean towards the horror genre when it comes to my sleeping hours. Here are the latest three examples:

Sunday night: I dream that Nathan has a second girlfriend named Becky. He is very matter of fact about this girlfriend, as well as unrepetent. When we wake up, I causally tell him over coffee that his friend Becky called the day before. He looks confused, and asks, "Who?" Well played, Nathan. Well played.

Monday night: A zombie dream. I often have zombie dreams, which is why I shy away from zombie movies. Alas, we listened to the audio book of World War Z on our drive back to Texas, and many of the details from that story worked their way into my dream. This time, I was hiding in a house that was being attacked by hordes of zombies. It was terrifying and there was no way out - until we discovered that, when we sang, the zombies all fell into a fitful, moaning sleep. So we raced around the house, singing at the top of our lungs (apparently zombies like off-key singing, because even in my dreams I'm no American Idol) until they had been disarmed. Then, still singing, we left the house, stepped around them, and raced for safety.

Last night: I went to SeaWorld, where there were offering chances to walk a dolphin. Basically, you entered a room with a large pool that was filled with dolphins on leashes, took a leash, and walked the perimeter of the pool while the dolphin swam alongside you. I wanted a turn, but the attendant told me the current group had just entered and walks were ten hours long. Instead, I went to another room where another attendant was teaching people how to butcher and prepare dolphin meat for human consumption. Naturally, I was horrified by this and proceeded to lecture everyone present about how dolphins just as smart us, asking how they could rationalize eating one animal (dolphins, chickens, etc) and not others (dogs and cats).

Moral of the story: My brain is a very weird place.

puppy love

puppy love, originally uploaded by madame.furie.

Because there hasn't been nearly enough Seamus on the blog lately.

weekend recap & marathon update

I was sick all weekend. A head cold mostly, which came in waves and settled right beneath my eyes. It felt like I had been punched in the head repeatedly and I ended up skipping two runs and a yoga class, which was incredibly disappointing but incredibly necessary. Things I did accomplish: made two new recipes from Veganomicon (one of my goals for OH TEN) and a delicious cake by the Voracious Vegan; attended a thank you dinner in honor of the professors who wrote letters of recommendation for myself and some friends; went to Lufkin and bought new running shoes (finally!); visited Amy at her new pink house; and finished an excellent collection of stories by Alice Munro. Not bad for feeling like death.

But this not running thing - this is cause for concern. As I'm sure even a cursory reader of The New Me knows by now - the Austin Marathon is February 14th, and I still have a lot of work to do before I take my place at the starting line.



That's my plan for the next three weeks.Three more long runs, shorter runs that work on speed and endurance, and lots of yoga so I stay flexible and strong. Not pictured: a super healthy diet with lots of fresh fruits and veggies (so I don't get sick again), protein (to repair my muscles) and healthy fats (I started putting flax seed on my morning cereal - three cheers for omega 3's)! If I follow this plan as closely as possible, I think I'll be ready enough for the big day. Remember: this is my first marathon. I'm not trying to beat a time or break a record. My goal is simply to survive. Crossing the finish line at something more than a crawl would be nice, but is not necessary. Not this time, anyway.

I read a great mantra the other day on the blog of another woman who just ran her first marathon: Pain is temporary. Quitting is forever. I'm sure I'll be repeating that a lot on the 14th.

the future is overrated

Yesterday my Library Director distributed a memo to the library, informing us of organizational changes that would be taking place as of February 1st. I had spoken to her a few hours earlier, and had suspicions that something like this would happen, so I wasn't completely surprised. Basically, the department which I have worked in for the last two years, and of which I have served as Director since July, is being dissolved. Digital Projects will be folded back into the East Texas Research Center (where it began five years ago). Most of my department will be moved to the ETRC and a few of us - myself included - will receive new titles and job descriptions.

Here is what I know so far: I will stay in the same office. My new title will be Archives and Repository Librarian. I will still help with the development of TIDES, but I don't know how much control or authority I will have. Some of my new duties will include the University Archives (analog and digital). The rest is yet to be revealed.

Here is how I feel: I am not taking this personally. I know that the end of this department has nothing to do with me or my role as it's Director. I'm bummed that I am, essentially, receiving a demotion, because I have a big ego and also because I don't feel I got a fair chance to spread my management wings. But them's the breaks. There's not much I can do now except wait for my new job description and then try to do the best job I can with whatever I'm given. And that's the last I'm going to say about that. I don't really blog about my job for a reason and no matter what else changes, that will remain the same.

Some things, you see, are sacred.

marathon update, and the best pizza crust

One month until my first marathon! I'm starting to get nervous, mostly because of those three weeks I basically took off from training over the holidays. Since we've gotten back to Texas, I have worked out every day - five freezing miles on Friday; 90 minutes of yoga on Saturday; 10 terrible miles on the treadmill on Sunday; more yoga on Monday; and - finally - 7 solid miles last night. I went to the Rec Center and decided it was high time to challenge myself, so I did a speed workout. Three miles at a 9:00 minute mile pace, with 10:30 miles in between. It went by surprisingly quickly and at the end of my workout I felt strong enough to walk another mile at a 7% incline. This is awesome, mostly because I am getting some of my confidence back. The marathon will be conquered yet!

I've also been paying attention to what I put in my body (as my diet also suffered during my lengthy and indulgent holiday travels). Drinking tons of water, no alcohol during the week, and lots of fruit, veggies and raw almonds. It's amazing what a healthy diet and regular exercise can do for a person! This morning I even woke at 5:15 in the morning - without the help of an alarm - made a pot of coffee, and worked on an essay that's finally ready to be submitted to some journals. It's official - Chrissy is back!

I promised you a recipe, and it's a simple one. Simple, but delicious. During the week, whenever I chop veggies for dinner, I have a container I keep in the fridge where I put a little extra of whatever's on the menu - diced onions, sliced peppers, a little spinach. At the end of the week (or whenever the container is full) we make a homemade pizza and toss everything on top. We used to make a basic crust with white flour, but in an effort to bump up the nutrition in everything we eat, I've started making a whole wheat crust with flaxseed. It's not as traditional, but just as delicious - and really healthy, too! Enjoy.

(Sorry for the fuzzy photo. My camera wouldn't focus - probably because the battery is about to die!)

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust with Flax Seed 
(adapted from sparkrecipes.com)

Ingredients: 
2.25 tsp. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water
2 c. white whole wheat flour
1/4 c flax seed meal
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp agave nectar

Directions: 
1. Mix the agave nectar with the warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top and let sit 10 minutes until foamy.
2. In large bowl, mix flour and flax seed meal with salt.
3. Add yeast mixture and mix until all flour is incorporated. Knead for approximately five minutes.
4. Cover and let dough rise for 20-30 minutes in a warm place (I usually stick the bowl on top of my dryer, which is in the kitchen).
5. Roll out dough on a pizza stone. Prick the crust with a fork several times and bake in an oven (preheated to 350 degrees) for 10 minutes.
6. Remove crust from oven and cover with sauce and your choice of toppings. (In the above photo, we have adorned our pizza with GimmeLean sausage, fresh spinach, onions and marinated artichoke hearts.)  Bake in oven for another 10-15 minutes.
7. Devour!

keep it like a secret

I know I promised you fun New York photos and inspiring, celebratory text, but the truth is that it is my first day back at work in three weeks and I'm buried in many tasks that need my immediate attention. Never fear - I'm making progress, and will be back to my regular blogging schedule soon. In the meantime, maybe you've heard of this little thing called The Bloggies? Where you vote for your favorite blogs in a bunch of different categories? And maybe you want to vote The New Me for Best Kept Secret? Maybe?

You're the best!

and we're back

In a sense, that is.

We're back home, having arrived late Thursday night. Friday and Saturday were spent organizing the vast amount of new stuff we acquired in New York (my parents went a little crazy for Christmas this year) and last night, I had a few friends over for a big pot of soup. Yes, in a funny twist of fate it turns out Texas is experiencing an arctic blast, the coldest weather this area has faced in over 14 years. So we leave 18 degree weather only to come back to... 18 degree weather. Life is funny sometimes.

I have to go back to work tomorrow, and while I am not really looking forward to 40 hours a week in the office (or any office, for that matter) I'll be happy to return to my normal routine. I am so glad to be home - my bed! My kitchen! My trails and grocery store and soup night! - but I still feel slightly unhinged, a little aimless and uncertain about what, exactly, I'm supposed to do next. This is due not only to the end of vacation, but to a lot of things - the beginning of the new year, wondering if any of the schools I applied to will accept me, changes a-foot with friends and family. As much as I make goals and lists and plans, and follow through on most of them, I never really know what I'm doing. I never really feel in control. Life is funny sometimes, and has a way of surprising you.

Tomorrow I'll start writing posts with photos again - these walls of text are a little unnerving - and I'll be back to my old self, or my latest New Me, because let's be honest - they're basically the same thing. I hope you're having a good weekend and a great start to OH TEN. Until then!

happy new year!

Sure, I'm a day late. But when you spend New Year's Eve having a dance party in a Bronx apartment with your best college friends, jumping around and drinking champagne until six in the morning, the first of the year is not quite as shiny and exciting as it should be. Instead, the first of the year is spent moving your sister from her apartment in Astoria to her new apartment in Harlem while fighting bouts of dizziness, and then sitting on a couch while watching three movies (What Stays in Vegas, House Bunny, and American Dreamz) and ordering two meals to be delivered to the door so that you can move as little as possible. Looking back, it was actually a pretty good day.

As we are still on our never-ending vacation, Nathan and I are spending the next few days couch surfing and catching up with old friends. On Sunday evening, we'll head to Long Island one last time to see my parents and pack up our Christmas presents, and then at the crack of dawn on Wednesday we begin the long drive back to Texas. I'm excited to return home. I love vacation and traveling, but I also love my routine - running and yoga, cooking my own food in my own kitchen, sleeping in my own bed and spending time with my Texas friends. I am a creature of habit, and I'm ready to return!

But first: a day and night with another group of college friends, a trip to the Museum of Modern Art to see the Tim Burton exhibit, a reunion with Seamus (who spent the New Year with my parents - they are too kind) and my friends from high school, and as many episodes of Jersey Shore and Little Miss Perfect that I can squeeze in before we leave reality TV behind for good. I hope you're having a great OH TEN! Now if you'll excuse me, I haven't showered all year and desperately need to break that habit. xo!