That's what I get...

for leaving my freshly washed, hair-free, black pants on his couch.

Magical Tupperware

Did you know that if you take a nice (soft) peanut butter sandwich and put it in a tupperware container with nice (crispy) graham crackers (in an effort to conserve space in your already stuffed work bag), then leave them all day, by 2pm they will have magically switched properties, resulting in a not-so nice (crispy) peanut butter sandwich and not-so-nice (soft) graham crackers?

Not so yummy.

Podcast #11

The new podcast is available! Get it here or download here.

On today's show:

Why Thanksgiving and Exercise Don't Mix

My first hockey game!

Movie Review: Walk the Line

Dreaming of Running...

I think that I am feeling guilty about not participating in the 1st Annual BRPTT. I couldn't go Thursday because we didn't get to my parents' house until about an hour before the big meal. Friday was shopping. Saturday it was COLD and it snowed Friday night, so there was nowhere clear to run even if it hadn't been COLD. Then Sunday morning it was raining and we left super early to make it back to Chicago before the start of the Bears game. I thought I might have one last chance after we got back to Chicago, following the Bears game. But I took at a two hour nap instead.

The guilt obviously took over, because last night I dreamt that I was running a 10k....that went through a restaurant. That's right, part of the course was through a restaurant. We went up and down in between the tables and then outside. The terrible part was that the course was not marked. at all. So when I lost the people in front of me (because they were flying; it was a dream after all), then I couldn't finish the race. I asked a volunteer where the finish line was and he didn't know. So I got in a bus to take me to the finish line. It was only 6 feet away from where I had been standing. It was blocked by a big truck, which is why I didn't see it. I immediately went to complain to the race director about the fact that there were no course markings. She told me that no one else had a problem and that, in fact, someone had broken the world record. She refused to give me a finisher's medal because I didn't finish the last six feet. Then I remembered that I only needed to finish 5k to complete the Pippin Trot and then I woke up.
***********
UPDATE: Check out the "article" that Shore Turtle linked to in the comments.

Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

It is 7:47 p.m. I have been awake for 15 hours. Yay shopping. Had a good time shopping today, although the women that were buying clothes at Marshall Fields and paying at the cafeteria counter were uncalled for. And get this: one paid by CHECK! What is this, 1990? All we wanted was a fruit smoothie. After waiting for 10 minutes while the cashier chatted up the customers about their purchases, we were informed that they don't make smoothies that early because of the fruit. (whatever that means). So Prince E got some coffee. Very irritating.

I am trying to decide if I will be able to participate in the Pippin Trot tomorrow. It is has been bitter cold here in Michigan since I got here Thursday morning. I had hope that I could use the new treadmill my parents bought today, but due to some unforeseen problems during the assembly, it will be exchanged in the morning.

Yummy.

As seen at Blonde Justice:

You Are Mashed Potatoes

ordinary, comforting, and more than a little predictable You're the glue that holds everyone together.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

This is fitting, because I have been known to fill 7/8 of my Thanksgiving plate with mashed potatoes. The other 1/8? Rolls!!

I hope he meant flour...

I was riding up in the elevator to my apartment. The only other person in the elevator was a very elderly man. I was carrying a grocery bag. Here is the unedited conversation.

Old Man: Been out shopping?
Me: Yes. I bought some eggs.
Old Man: Do you need anything else...that...I might have?

Absence of Crumbs Leads to Creativity

Over the weekend, we went to Costco and bought a giant bag of frozen chicken breasts. A bag of this type usually lasts me a long time. Last night, I was all prepared to make some sort of chicken delight, when I realized that, although I had the chicken, I was out of ingredients for the "delight" part. I have about four recipes that I am capable of making, but was out of the necessary components of all of those recipes.

Since I was pressed for time, what I really wanted to make was the easy "dip chicken in flour, then milk, then bread crumbs and bake" recipe. But without bread crumbs, I didn't know what to do. I rummaged around in the cupboards until I found it...shining like a beacon of light...the one and only...Cheerios.

Not really owning any appropriate cooking utensils, like one of those little mallet things, I proceeded to bash about 1 1/2 cups of Cheerios, using the back of an ice cream scoop. Pretty effective. I did my regular dipping process and the now-powdered Cheerios stuck to the chicken pretty well.

After the chicken was through baking, Prince E arrived home. Now would come the real test of my new found cooking creativity. I pretended like nothing was out of the ordinary and tried not to watch him as he tasted it. "MMM, that is good! What did you put on it?"

Victory. All thanks to my favorite cereal.

Podcast #10

Get it here or download here.

The Spirit of Thanksgiving

Mitch Albom on why Thanksgiving is such a fantastic holiday:

You just sit on the couch, or sit at the table, and you laugh and eat and laugh and burp and -- ta-da! -- you are credited with knowing the "true meaning" of the holiday.

Read full article here.

The Good News.

Michigan Men's Basketball is 1-0.

Simba says "Go Blue!"

Worth a thousand words...

I saw this over at Blonde Justice.

Go to Google Image Search and type in the city and state/province of the town where you grew up, no quotation marks. Then select the picture you like best from the first page of results and post it on your blog. Here's mine:



Next do the same with the town where you currently reside. My result:


Next your name, first and last, but no quotes. My result:



Next your grandmother's name. My result:


Next your favorite food. My result:


Next your favorite drink. My result:


Next your favorite smell. My result:


Lastly, your favorite song. My result:

Podcast #9

Podcast #9: get it here or download here.

On today's show:

Hear what Simba is really made of

Triathlon training obsession?

Though the weather outside is frightful...

Podcast #8

Get it here or download here.

Simba's New Toy

Day one of triathlon training

Movie Review: Must love dogs

photos courtesy of Prince E

Happy Birthday to Kiki and Hedgie!!!

Podcast #7

Podcast #7 now ready for your enjoyment here or download here.

Did I make it Oprah?

The new triathlon training book I am reading.

Movie review: The Island

More Elephant Seals!!

Podcast #6

The new podcast is up! Get it here or download by clicking here.

In this episode:

Simba's new friend

Secrets to a Successful 5k

My big news revealed!!

Secrets to a Successful 5k***

This is what I did the day before my Run Forrest Run 5k in Monterey, California. Something must have been right, because I ran my second fastest 5k ever and my fastest race since April.

1. Spend the day in a car driving down Highway 1 getting a little carsick from all the twists, turns, and uphill/downhill combination.

2. Eat two servings of french fries, ice cream, and a cheeseburger.

3. See cute elephant seals.



4. Walk approximately 150 stairs in the Hearst Castle.

5. Get completely dehydrated at least three times during the day.

6. Drink lots of pop, including caffeinated pop late in the evening.

7. Start the two hour ride back to the hotel at 9pm.

8. Get pulled over by the police because your driver is doing 90 in a 65.

9. Become giddy with excitement/adrenaline when he doesn't give you a ticket because of your sweet personality and winning smile.

10. Go to sleep at 11:45 pm.

Update: I forgot one!! In the morning the day before the 5k, do the following: go to the beach and ooh and aahh at the Pacific Ocean. Look at the peaceful, calm water and decide to dip your hand in to see if it is cold. Then get drenched up to the knees by a big wave that you don't see coming. Return to the hotel to change clothing. Wear your running shoes for the rest of the day because you don't have any other dry shoes with you.

***I am not a running expert. I do not recommend using any of my secrets. This is supposed to be funny. Don't try these things and then get mad at me when you run poorly.

Podcast #5

The new podcast is up! Get it here or here.

In this episode:

Did Simba have a fun Halloween?
I contemplate a new kind of training program.
Big news is a big secret for now.

I love you more than cheese...

From NBC5.com:

Mice Apparently Sing For Their Sweeties

ST. LOUIS -- Male mice apparently serenade their sweeties.

Researchers have known for decades that mice make high-frequency sounds undetectable to human ears. But the new research has found the squeaks are more complex and interesting than previously thought.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis said the males presumably use the tunes for courtship. One researcher says the sounds seem "a lot like bird songs."

Researchers have provided recordings altered to make the mice audible to human ears.

If the analysis is confirmed, mice will join the short list of animals that sing in the presence of the opposite sex. The other animals include songbirds, humpback whales, porpoises, insects and, possibly, bats.

The findings appear online in the journal Public Library of Science Biology.