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Another busy weekend

Jul 19th, 2010
by gazelle.
5 comments

I think that one of these weekends, I’m just going to hole up in my house, turn off my phone, not check my email (ha ha ha ha) and refuse to go out.

I am exhausted. The last few days have been BUSY!

On Wednesday, we found out that, at long last, the architect has a job! He wasn’t ready to announce it, as all the background stuff wasn’t done yet, but we celebrated anyways (of course).

Thursday, I made him take me out for dinner, since he could no longer use the “I don’t have a job” excuse (even if he hasn’t yet been paid).

Friday, I yoga-ed in the morning (it was SUCH  fantastic class – and my shoulders were SORE then next day), and then started the three day process that is otherwise known as ‘making parmesan cheese.’ Then, I took the architect out for dinner to celebrate his new job. As you do. We had some delicious New Orleans-style food, drinks, and I had this banana bread pudding with whiskey caramel sauce that was out of this world.

Saturday, we went training running, and then I made my kick-ass neighbor drive me all over the suburbs so I could buy a cheese cave (aka a wine fridge) in which to age my hard cheeses. Then, I started making chevre (as you do).

Then, I made lasagna (with fresh, homemade ricotta! woo!). Then I collapsed in a heap on the sofa & fell asleep.

Sunday, the architect & I headed out to meet some friends at the Banks-Vernonia trail. The newly employed architect & I biked, our friends ran (eight miles! woo!), and then we all went to the Helvetia Tavern for fantastic burgers & a post-workout beer.

I was wiped out, people! This is too much activity for me! So, I hid in my house. But not very effectively, apparently. I was found, brutally forced to put on a bra & shoes, and dragged, kicking & screaming down the street to the Fixin’ To for afternoon beers. (My friends are so mean!)

The night ended much later than I would’ve preferred, especially considering I had to be to work at 7 AM this morning and the architect had to be to work by 8! (Let’s just take a moment to bask in the beauty of that statement…the architect, after 20 months of unemployment, briefly interrupted by a couple paying contract jobs, had to go to work. A job. Where they will pay him in cashy money.)

Sigh….only 3.5 more days until it starts all over again! I think I need a vacation from my life for a bit.

Weekend of Domestic Bad-assery!

Jun 28th, 2010
by gazelle.
2 comments

I had a pretty short weekend (only TWO DAYS!) due to being at a work conference on Thursday and Friday. Fortunately, I only have to work three days this week before having a six-day weekend (yay for vacation)!

I did make the most of my only two days off (I don’t know how people do that – it’s full of the crazy).

Saturday started off with homework, but then moved on to some quality garden time. I’ll have picture updates for you later this week, but it’s looking awesome. Everyone is really appreciating the sunshine!

Saturday afternoon, I made some salsa (thanks for the recipe, kick-ass neighbor!) and guacamole and then headed off to a really fun birthday party. Such a great time AND perfect weather for an outdoor party.

Sunday was also awesome. I got up pretty early because I knew it would be a busy day. I headed to the farm stand that has opened up in my ‘hood (lots of local produce, as well as a few not-local things – such as Canadian tomatoes) and picked up some berries.

At home, I made some cheese – my most successful mozzarella to date! (The architect & I marinated half of the cheese in olive oil, garlic, parsley & red pepper flakes – YUM.) The architect made a loaf of bread, and then a few friends stopped by for a jamming extravaganza!

Between the four of us, we made nine jars of strawberry jam, nine jars of raspberry jam, and 5,000,000 tiny jars of blueberry jam (maybe 17 jars total, 12 of which were 4 oz size). Then we ate cheese (brie + jam + fresh bread = heaven!) and jam and bread and drank some wine and celebrated our accomplishments.

For some of the participants, it was their first real canning experience! AND, every single jar except one sealed! Yay!

After everyone left, the architect & I sat out in the garden and finished our wine – a perfect end to a fantastic day.

(This post is a great reminder that I need to get a LOT better at documenting and then actually uploading the pictures!)

Stuff I want: happy birthday to me (part 4): I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want

Feb 16th, 2010
by gazelle.
9 comments

So – I have been shamelessly asking for stuff I want. I don’t know yet if it has yielded any fruit other than a significant increase in spam.

But let me tell you what would really make my day.

My birthday is next Wednesday – 2/24. What I really want? Is someone to do a trail run with me & then have brunch & bloody marys after.

It’s true that I like stuff. (And if you want to buy me stuff, I wouldn’t say no. You can go here, or here, or here or even here for ideas.)

But what I’d like most of all? Is a running buddy for 8ish muddy, muddy miles. And perhaps a little bloody mary at Stepping Stone after.

Anyone feel like taking a mental health day Wednesday?

Training Goals – 1/4/10 – 1/10/10

Jan 3rd, 2010
by gazelle.
4 comments

Training Goals – 12/28 – 1/3

Monday: weights – SUCCESS! Go me!

Tuesday: indoor bike trainer – 30 minutes – FAIL! Due to the freak snowstorm, by the time I got home, I had lost all motivation.

Wednesday: weights + elliptical – FAIL! I am lazy.

Thursday: rest – SUCCESS! Once again, I totally rocked the rest day! Go me!

Friday: easy New Year’s run – SUCCESS! I ran 3 miles at a 10:32 pace.

Saturday: bike – SUCCESS! I rode 20 miles at about an 11 mph speed. I also realized, after looking back through my records, that it was the first time I had ridden 20 miles in a row since May 2008 (failed century ride, where I actually rode about 55 miles). I was so traumatized after that ride, that it was a few months before I did anything but bike commutes at all.

Sunday: run – 7 miles - SUCCESS! I actually ran 7.78 miles at just over 12 minute mile – all those cough stops really slowed me down. Thanks to my best running buddies for walking whenever I needed it! I have felt pretty good the rest of the day, though, and I really do believe that this cough is on its last legs.

Training Goals – 1/4 – 1/10

Monday: rest

Tuesday: weights + elliptical

Wednesday: run – 5 miles

Thursday: weights + elliptical

Friday: run – 5 miles

Saturday: swim lessons + bike if I’m not dead after my swim coach is done with me.

Sunday: run – 8 miles

Woo! Happy New Year’s Eve

Dec 31st, 2009
by gazelle.
Comments are off for this post

I know everyone’s talked this to death, and it’s not even technically the end of the decade until next year, but whatever….a new number is showing up in the 10′s place tomorrow, so bite me decade purists!

I was not afraid of the end of the world or Y2K ten years ago. I was MUCH more interested in partying like it was 1999. Because, well, it was!

I had lived in LA for just over four months, and other than my roommate, didn’t have that many friends. So we got all gussied up (we bought new dresses for the occasion) and went to the party at the bar down the street. There was a cover, and that cover got us some free (really crappy) food & a free champagne toast at midnight. We had to pay for our own beers.

BUT – before we even mosied down the block, we started celebrating with our brothers & sisters around the globe. I believe we first toasted (with our signature Captain & Diet) with the Moscovites when they hit midnight. And we toasted with Paris & London & all points between before heading to the bar just after toasting with the New Yorkers.

I can’t lie and say that we drank moderately that evening (on the off chance that the world was going to end, I was going out in style), but I can say that I did manage to kiss a NUMBER of men at midnight. No one wanted to be left out.

I wish I had pictures of that evening, ’cause we were pretty, but they’re all stubbornly NOT digital images, and I’ve never bothered to scan them in (maybe if I remember later, I’ll update this post).

It was a good time. Although I don’t think either of us enjoyed the “Y2K hangover” we experienced the next morning.

I am assuming that tonight will be a LOT more mellow (partially because the emails regarding tonight’s celebration have all had the word ‘mellow’ in the subject line), but I think it will be just as fun, even if I end up kissing fewer men this year! :)

I hope everyone has a fun, safe evening, with a special shout-out to my 1999 partner in crime.

Happy New Years!

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