(hi)

I'm still here...have been caught up in a bit of a storm at work, but hopefully it will slow down soon and I will be back to enchanting you daily. In the meantime...I'm that cat, and my work is that dog.

I miss you.

Does all of this Superbowl talk have you craving Chinese food?

Who am I kidding? Everything makes me crave Chinese food! 

I used to work at a place where 75% of our group was comprised of people from China. When we would order out and say we were getting Chinese food, they would all laugh at us and say “that’s not Chinese food”, because they came to work every day with a beautiful layered concoction of rice, meat and vegetables. (Note: they were also all thin…coincidence? I think not).

So no, the fried everything and heavily-sauced meat mixtures aren’t really “Chinese food”, but they are delicious (and fatty and ridiculously high in sodium, etc)

Enter WW recipe for beef and broccoli. Let me tell you something:

MAKE THIS. It tastes just like takeout!!!

Make it for your husband/wife/kids/mom/friends/enemies or anyone else in the universe. It’s flawless.

Get these things:

2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch, divided   

1/4 tsp table salt     

3/4 pound(s) uncooked lean trimmed sirloin beef, thinly sliced against the grain   

2 tsp canola oil     

1 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided     

5 cup(s) uncooked broccoli, florets (about a 12 oz bag)   

1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced (I couldn’t find any, so I used powdered)  

2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste   

1/4 cup(s) low-sodium soy sauce   

1/2 cup(s) water   

Mushrooms (optional, about half that package)

Sesame seeds

Beer (to drink while you cook…treat yo self!)

Once you have all that, do this:

• On a plate, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and salt; add beef and toss to coat.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick wok or large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Add 1/2 cup broth to same pan; stir to loosen any bits on food on bottom of pan. Add broccoli and mushrooms; cover and cook, tossing occasionally and sprinkling with a tablespoon water if needed, until broccoli is almost crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Uncover pan and add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• In a cup, stir together soy sauce, remaining 1/2 cup broth, remaining 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch and water until blended; stir into pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
• Return beef and accumulated juices to pan; toss to coat. Serve. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Aw, yeah

And so I creep (yeah)

I think I came up with the MOST innovative of ideas yesterday. Fact is, my building is about 0.1 miles long, separated into 3 sections by double doors. It is also 6 stories high, and I live on the first floor.

My workout (after my run) was to run/walk/run (the three sections) down one floor, take the stairs to the next level, walk/run/walk down the next floor, stairs up again, run/walk/run, etc. Every other set of stairs I used as an opportunity to stretch my calves and hamstrings. If I hadn’t just come back from a run, I would have run the whole hallways.

Same thing on the way down. When all is said and done, it’s a little over a mile (not including the stairs).

The pros:

• If the weather is crappy, it’s not like I have to wait for a hallway to open up like a treadmill.
• If I hit a stinky patch of hallway, I sprint through (speedwork!)
• It’s safe.
• No hills.
• It couldn’t be any closer, and I’m always less than 0.1 miles from my door (and water/bathroom/etc).
• Stairs=crosstraining!
• When the doors between the sections are open, it looks like The Shining, which scares me, which creates adrenaline and makes me run faster, thus increasing my heart rate.

The cons:

• I feel like I’m creepin’
• No fresh air and nothing to look at.
• The Shining hallway concept FREAKS me out. Like…FREAKS ME OUT.
• If people see me, I have to stop and walk because…well, it’s weird what I’m doing, right?
• Those random smelly hallways are very smelly.

I feel like this is a good alternative to keep things fresh (well, maybe not so fresh in the hallways with my sweaty self running through) or when I just want to do a mile or so, but how long do you think I can keep this up before someone notices? And if they do, is it wrong? I mean, I don’t see any “no running” signs in the hallway…

I went for a 2.5 mile run yesterday, and again I had wooden, numb feet after ~1.5 miles, which got progressively worse despite my stopping a few times to shake them out. Once they start falling asleep, I can’t get them fully awake again until I’ve stopped running.

Why does this happen? Why do they fall asleep right as I’m hitting my stride and no longer gasping for air? You are pissing me off, feet.

I have thoroughly searched Dr. Internet (my main source of medical information, obvi), and there does not seem to be a general answer for this problem. I’ve also gotten some advice from you lovely running folk. Some say shoes, many say lacing, some even say spinach (actually, no one said that but I’m kind of craving it).

I have tried the following (to no avail):

-Different shoes (2 different brands, totally different types of sneaks)
-A slower pace
-A different stride (smaller, faster steps rather than bounding steps)
-Treadmill, road and trail
-Inserts (blister festival after 1.5 miles, and when I took them out the sleeping started, but I don’t know if it’s because I took them out or because it had been 1.5 miles. Classic chicken/egg scenario.)
-Different walk/run patterns
-Stretching before
-Not stretching before
-Hills/no hills
-Lacing my shoes from the top down (so awkward-looking)

-Lacing my sneaks super tight
-Lacing my sneaks super loose

I really do get a lot of suggestions about the lacing, but I’m fairly sure it’s not a circulation problem. It seems to be more of a nerve that is getting pressed thing. I would like to find that nerve and get that nerve a cup of coffee.

Side  note: I know I just said I don’t think it’s circulation and this may not have anything to do with anything, but I remembered that when I was little, my feet used to fall asleep when I would play outside in the winter with my friends, and then I would fall. Luckily it was winter in Massachusetts so I would usually fall onto a pile of snow. However, it got a little embarrassing (I was probably like having a narcoleptic friend…now you see me, now I’m laying down), so my mom took me to the doctor, who made the great rule that I had to come inside every 20 minutes for a foot rub and a sock change. That time interval is strangely similar to the current troublesome time interval. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled blog post…

I have a couple more options to try before I have to go visit the podiatrist (who has the huge fun purple chair):

1. Try inserts again, but with my shoes tied very tight so they don’t slip and cause blisters
2. Try the inserts after 1 mile
3. Try one more type of laces (Xtenex), which don’t tie and are stretchy.

Abrupt stop.

I found Ice Cube's 'Good Day'

The fact that someone took the time to do this blows, stimulates and otherwise makes my brain happy.

CLUE 1:
     “went to short dogs house,
       they was watching Yo MTV
       RAPS”
Yo MTV RAPS first aired:
               Aug 6th 1988
CLUE 2:
Ice Cubes single “today was a good day” released on:
               Feb 23 1993
CLUE 3:
      ”The Lakers beat the Super
       Sonics”
Dates between Yo MTV Raps air date AUGUST 6 1988 and the release of the single FEBRUARY 23 1993 where the Lakers beat the Super Sonics:
      Nov 11 1988    114-103
      Nov 30 1988    110-106
      Apr    4 1989    115-97
      Apr  23 1989    121-117
      Jan  17 1990    100-90
      Feb  28 1990    112-107
      Mar  25 1990    116-94
      Apr  17  1990    102-101
      Jan  18  1991    105-96
      Mar  24  1991    113-96
      Apr  21  1991    103-100
      Jan  20  1992    116-110

CLUE 4:
Dates of those Laker wins over SuperSonics where it was a clear day with no Smog:
                Nov 30 1988
                Apr   4  1989
                Jan 18  1991
                Jan 20  1992
CLUE 5:
     “Got a beep from Kim, and
         she can fuck all night”
beepers weren’t adopted by mobile phone companies until the 1990s. Dates left where mobile beepers were availible to public:
                 Jan 18 1991
                 Jan 20 1992
CLUE 6:
Ice Cube starred in the film “Boyz in the hood” that released late Summer of 1991, but was being filmed mid-late 1990 early 1991 and Ice Cube was busy on set filming the movie Jan 18 1991 too busy to be lounging around the streets with no plans. Ladies and Gentlemen..
The ONLY day where:
Yo MTV Raps was on air
It was a clear and smogless day
Beepers were commercially sold
Lakers beat the SuperSonics
and Ice Cube had no events to attend was…
        
          JANUARY 20 1992
      National Good Day Day

Exactly

Childhood memories (new series!)

Sometimes I remember the most random shit about my childhood.

Today I remembered that my mom always used to say, “keep that up and I’ll put you in traction.”

Once I got to be a little bit older (and nerdier, and more of a pain in the ass), I researched what traction actually was (picture below) and went as far as to ask my mother to further clarify her threat.

“So Mom…when you say that, do you mean you will hurt me enough to make it so I need to be in traction, or do you mean you will physically restrain me by taking me to the hospital and literally putting me in traction yourself?”

Her response: “Ask me again and you’ll find out.”

(I never did find out…I was brave, but not stupid. My mother is bad ass.)

ALSO, while looking for a Google image of traction, I found this wonderful blue thing. It says “You wrap it around your neck and then go to town with the handheld pump until it’s inflated enough to relieve pressure caused by pinched nerves, tension headaches and osteoarthritis.” I NEED IT. I want to "go to town with the handheld pump"!

Fooooood

I feel like I haven’t posted food pictures lately…very unlike me. It’s certainly not because I’m not eating any.

Breakfast today was a cherry smoothie: cherry yogurt, frozen cherries and pomegranate juice. It was simply delightful, and I didn’t take a picture because my phone is getting overrun with pictures of smoothie ingredients.

Lunch today is a Weight Watchers recipe for a cold tomato/mozzarella/basil/pasta salad that I found to be a zillion times better heated up, combined with a couple of ounces of lemon garlic pork tenderloin I had left over.

I have such conflicting feelings about hot cherry tomatoes (heated up hot, not spicy hot). My mouth is telling me I should eject it simply for the texture (so smushy and that hot, squirty juice…barf), but my taste buds overrule that decision because they are always delicious. Always!

Weekly Weigh-In

Lost 0.8 lbs.

Considering the food and drink massacres that happened on Friday and Sunday…I’ll take it.

Also, ran 5.5 miles…not enough.

Meh.

My apologies (not really)

To anyone who can’t find any food to eat today, it’s because I ate all of it yesterday. Yes, all of the food in the universe was consumed by me. And, no, I didn’t track a bite of it. Nor did I run…and for that one day in time, it was all good. It’s not the first “eat everything/track and do nothing” day I’ve ever had, and it won’t be the last. It was planned, it was necessary, and it was awesome.

In addition to the Patriots playing in winning their last game before yet another magnificent appearance at the Superbowl, I had my monthly Cards with Canucks…where, you guessed it, I play cards with my favorite Canucks (my mom, my aunt, my cousin) and a couple of my other friends thrown in for good measure (and more betting money).

I’m not going to go into full drawn out delicious detail about the menu options, but I will just leave you with this picture, from Round 1 of Operation Eat Everything. Feel free to focus on the bag of celery if it makes you feel better.

Other things that happened yesterday/this weekend:

-I took the biggest digger in my living room yesterday and was lucky enough to have two of my best friends witness it. We're talking fully horizontal, legs still running while they're in the air, absolute face plant into the back of the sofa followed by a slow melt down to the floor kind of doozy. I've busted into spontaneous laughter about 7 times today just imagining what it must have looked like.

-I went to a brewery on Friday night for a tasting and tour. Loved it.

-I then followed that up with dinner with my lovely friends followed by a superb hour of watching other people sing karaoke at the bar. Heavenly.

-On Saturday I learned that my super awesome new car is JUNK in the snow, but I took it as an okay to bench myself during snow storms going forward.

-On Saturday night I stayed in, made a lovely WW recipe of caprese pasta salad (seen above in the middle) and some pork tenderloin, and watched The Shining for the zillionth time. Still terrifying.

“Danny, come play with us. For ever and ever and ever………..”

(no more on this post…the author has run screaming from the room)

The little things

Not only am I normally a ‘glass half full’ type of girl, but I’m also a “be thankful you have a glass at all and stop looking for things to complain about” person.

In truth, terrible shit happens to people all the time and you can absolutely take the time (it’s not hard to do) to find the reasons why something sucks. However, it’s just as easy to find the silver lining, for lack of a better phrase.

I’m not going to get all preachy on you, but I will show you some of my day-to-day silver linings.

1. Towel Warmer: Someone very awesome gave me this for Christmas and what a treat it is! Each morning, I step out of my shower and wrap myself up in warm snuggly goodness. I pretty much look like a fabric softener commercial, towel all up around my shoulders with a blissful smile on my face.

 2. This is a double good thing: My new L.L. Bean hearth-side slippers in persimmon (fun color alert!!!) topped with my fat-ass lap warmer. Oh, and the Pats.

 3. The view from my office window. (My birdseed brings all the squirrels to the yard.)

4. Finding and taking pictures of random vanity plates in parking lots that make me giggle, then walking into the restaurant of said parking lot and having my friend ask if I saw Ploopy. Mind melding.

 5. Wearing fun jewelry, like my octopus!!! My friend Steph got this for me, and I was honored that someone would see this and think, “Tammy.Needs.This.”

There are many, many more things that make me stop and smile throughout the day…what are yours?

Reasons why I ruled last night

I had FLARP (fantastic ladies’ awesome running practice) planned with my friend Tobey. Both she and I are competitive and would therefore never cancel FLARP for weather purposes, so I knew there would be no excuses.

Seeing as it was hovering around 23F and windy enough to blow your socks off, we discussed the possibility of only doing 2 miles, but secretly we both knew we’d do 3. And you know what? At the end of 3, when we had just run the final bit uphill with wind in our faces and I had a legit line of snot running from my nose to my ear (which was frozen), we got to our cars and at the same time both sighed, “awesome.” Because it really was.

My feet kept falling asleep while we were running (why does that happen? I don’t like it) and I had to stop a couple of times to wake them up. I’ve tried different shoes, tying them looser/tighter, different socks…what else? It happens after about 2 miles. At the end I ran the final 1/4 mile with both feet completely dead. It was scary (I kept thinking I was going to take the biggest digger because I couldn’t see or feel the little bumps on the sidewalk) but BOOM. Did it.

We did concede to skip the 5 minute cool-down walk in light of the weather, which made my feet wake up while I was driving. That was not awesome.

When I got home, somehow I didn’t feel tortured enough, so I found a 35 minute ballet barre workout to do. HARD, especially on just runned-on (ran-on?) legs, but awesome.

Hot shower, hot meal of mushrooms, onions and a black bean veggie burger and warm bed.

The end.

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Cough...point..." hey look over there!!!" (weigh-in)

Confession: I totally distracted you yesterday with my pretty purple smoothie and dark thoughts about solitary shoes and dead kittens, but if we’re being straight up here (which we are) I had my weigh-in yesterday.

I gained 4.4 pounds. Curses.

HOWEVER, I did track all of the foods I ate allllllll week long (I did not go over my allotted points) and I did go out to dinner the night before weigh-in where I consumed about 7 truckloads of sodium. So there’s that. I’m not going to get discouraged; I’m just going to keep going.

On the bright side…I ran a little over 6 miles, right on target.
 
Oh, scale. You can be such a dick sometimes (as illustrated below).

Is it just me? Yeah, I think it probably is.

What do you see here?

I saw this in my parking garage the other night and had to wonder; am I the only one who thinks only bad things when I see a lone shoe abandoned somewhere? Sneaker on the side of the road? Oh, a runner must have gotten hit. Beat-up woman’s flat in the parking garage? OH, some poor girl was probably abducted while coming home late and was carried away kicking and screaming. Tennis shoes tied up and hanging on an electrical wire? Some cute little nerdy kid was probably getting bullied and the bad kids made him take his shoes off. (To add insult to injury, his mom was probably pissed at him because he lost his shoes and they were expensive).

Let’s just fully cross over the line then and get it all out, shall we? Truth: when I see an abandoned box or bag on the side of the highway or the woods I also assume it has (hopefully not) dead kittens in it. I don’t stop every time because my logical sense tells me it’s unlikely, but I do look for movement just in case.

My mind. It’s not always a swimming pool full of rainbows.

p.s. I spend the majority of my time on highways visually following the paths of skid marks to find the collision marks on the guardrails or in the soil. I also look for blood. Ok, it’s all out I think.

Today's smoothie brought to you by the color purple

Blueberry yogurt, sweet cherries and blueberry pomegranate juice. Additionally, purple straw and purple underwear (not pictured).

 Antioxidants like whoa.