A Case of the Runs

This entry is a little bit personal... Do you judge a runner by their clothing? I fully admit to having done this. Before I was brave enough to take to the streets to run, I'd do full on 4-6 milers on the track. Yes, it's a bit insane to run that many loops, but I was comfortable with the track and figured I could stop at anytime without worrying about going too far astray. In my track rendevouz, I used to see a lot of people logging around in full-on sweats. Even as a newbie runner nearly five years ago (wow -- has it been THAT long?), I stuck to athletic shirts and shorts on my runs. After all, even in the morning, Los Angeles is still warm enough to do that. And then, I'd start making assumptions about people running in sweats. Oh, they must be a football player training for hot conditions (I saw this a lot in high school). or This person must be trying to lose water weight quickly (e.g., a wrestler). or... here it is: Oh, a jogger! I think most runners would be at le...

I am fortunate enough to have grown up in an area full of diversity. However, I never knew this would result in me finding a counterpart of Jewish descent. I remember when I found out this piece of information and was in awe that someone so fundamentally different from me wanted to hang out with me. Especially given that Jewish lineage is passed on through females, so a male Jew dating a non-Jew female is kind of a no-no. But years have passed, and I've attended Rosh Hashanah dinner and celebrated "not-Christmas" with "The Ukrainian"'s family. I feel fortunate to be able to get schooled on the ways of others. What does this have to do with Canter's Deli ? Well, this place has been a Jewish hang-out (entertainers included) since the earlier parts of the 1900's. And here's the front of it today, visible from West Hollywood: We walked in, and I was immediately taken aback by the bakery items! I didn't even notice the person who was t...

Inspired by some almond bars I ate recently , I was on a quest to find a recipe for an almond bar. Well, I wasn't having much luck on Google , so I settled for ANY kind of almond bar I could find. I finally found one at Allrecipes.com . This was my last baking endeavor of 2010, poorly documented because I had a breakup to tend to (not mine!) and a puppy to take out to potty. Above: I actually rounded up everything before I started... for once! Ignore the oil, pepper, and salt in the background... those are definitely NOT a part of this recipe! By the way, the "pork fu" container actually contains sugar. Above: I wish I had taken a picture of the bars before cutting them (it came out beautifully clean), but this will have to do. I put them in clear treat bags with curled ribbon for "The Ukrainian"'s family. Above: This was my camera 's best attempt at getting a shot of the texture. I was a bit stunned at how pale these almond bars are, but they ...

I don't like making these, it's a fun tradition, right? Key word: fun . This means I won't stress over these too much. These are more like... guidelines! I get the sense that 2011 will be a good year, whether or not I adhere to these. I have always liked odd-numbered years more than even. ------ Before we get to 2011, let's talk 2010. Here's what I wanted to accomplish : "2010 will be yet another busy year, and an important one at that. My main goals... are pretty obvious: progress in school and career... Other things I want to do are to keep racing, read more non-management books, become more aware of the world, watch less "junk TV," cook more, and take better care of my health. These are all things I had been doing in 2009 and just want to intensify in the upcoming year." How did I do? Well, I took the loosey-goosey route last year, so I can't cross off items (which is why I did it differently for 2011). But... - school: Wrapped up some c...

Here's another installment of my Random Photo Entries (this is a long edition -- click photos to make them larger)! I haven't felt much like blogging over the holiday (I have means of posting still), but I am falling behind on my photo-posting, so here's the scoop: Above: Elf hat = volunteering to hand gifts out with Santa for about 300 disadvantaged/special needs kids. There was a wide array of reactions such as skepticism, crying, cuteness, and gift-giving. Above: Walking out with Santa. Above: A few days later, Mammoth -bound in the rain... I found this fruity oatmeal at McD's... wow! Above: Bakery in Bishop, CA. Along with their delicious homemade bread, their veggie sandwich (shown here) was truly the best veggie sandwich I've ever had. It was simple -- lettuce, tomato, alfalfa sprouts, red onion, avocado, swiss -- but grand. Above: The store-front. Above: It was sooo snowy that chains were required, and even then, it was slippery. Thank goodness for handy...

Still catching up on dining I did in October. =/ In honor of Mrs. McWang's (undisclosed number) birthday, "The Ukrainian," Mr. McWang, and I went to Maison Akira in Pasadena, CA for dinner. Here are all the fancy-pants dishes we had. This restaurant was Frenchy and not really "Akira"/Japanese at all, in my opinion. Thanks to Mr. McWang for his flashlight (gotta start carrying around one of those for dark restaurants like this one!), which made the pictures look so much better. Wish we'd thought of that sooner! Above: Our free appetizer: potato-mozzarella balls. Above: Having just run nearly 22 miles that morning , my hungry self ordered two half-sized salads. On the left is a truffle oil one that was just plain greens in some pretty fragrant oil. And the right is a candied-walnut salad in an Asian dressing. Above: I can barely remember who ordered this, but doesn't it look fancy? Above: Mrs. McWang's lobster bisque. It smelled very muc...

Update: written 7/15/10 This item has gone from a "wish item" to a "gear review" in a mere two years! For "The Ukrainian's" birthday in July, I decided to order him an Endurance Bag. He had mentioned that he was thinking about a new gym bag. I saw him looking at some as we were shopping together. As luck would have it, the Endurance Bag warehouse was closing for the summer, so I got free shipping. However, this compelled me to get a bag of my own. So given the size and weight of this package, it was a savings! The "ultra" version of their bag is $49.95. Not cheap for a bag, but it's not like I've ever bought a gym bag before. My first was from my company and the second from my sisters (see picture below). Plus, the ones we were looking at in the store were already in the $30-range... Above: Three years ago... (pic credit goes to Tea Time) Above: The shipping shot. Above: All (over)packed! So here's a picture of my packed Endurance...