I have discovered Mark Bittman's cooking videos on YouTube from The New York Times. Oh wow. He wrote one of my favorite cookbooks, How to Cook Everything, and I read his articles in the Times whenever I see them. But I didn't know he did videos! I watched Super-Size Me last night (first time I'd ever seen it), and that gentle reminder (ha ha) to eat better is really carried over into The Minimalist food philosophy. Everything looks easy and delicious. GOOD STUFF!
I think this video is proof that I really need a food processor:
Watch this and tell me you don't want to rush out and make this steak RIGHT NOW:
Mmmmmmmm.... I am finally inspired to cook again!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Le Siiiiiigh
You know what's weird? For practically my whole life I have had really dry skin. (This is not the weird part.) Dry sensitive skin that would break out if I even touched it or looked at it, and heaven forbid I slap some sunscreen on it. That was just asking too much. The burning!
Anyway, about a month ago I started using some salicylic acid treatment to try to clear up some really unattractive blemishes. So I'm using that, along with a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide treatment that I've used forever, and Eucerin Redness Relief Extra Super Duper Seriously Gentle Cleanser (something like that anyway). That's my entire routine. And now my skin is OILY. It's like a gross greasy oil slick by noon. I don't know what the hell is going on. Now none of my stuff works because it's all made for dry skin. I don't even know how to take care of oily skin, this is outside ALL of my experience. I actually bought some cleaning towelettes at Costco tonight and they seem to have cut through the oil but for how long?
Is it the salicylic acid? Or the working out = more sweat = oily skin? Hormones? (Those are pretty regulated, but, well, who knows?) The weather? Are the gods trying to make me crazy? Oh oh oh, maybe it's stress. Nah, couldn't be that. Must be something else.
Anyway, about a month ago I started using some salicylic acid treatment to try to clear up some really unattractive blemishes. So I'm using that, along with a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide treatment that I've used forever, and Eucerin Redness Relief Extra Super Duper Seriously Gentle Cleanser (something like that anyway). That's my entire routine. And now my skin is OILY. It's like a gross greasy oil slick by noon. I don't know what the hell is going on. Now none of my stuff works because it's all made for dry skin. I don't even know how to take care of oily skin, this is outside ALL of my experience. I actually bought some cleaning towelettes at Costco tonight and they seem to have cut through the oil but for how long?
Is it the salicylic acid? Or the working out = more sweat = oily skin? Hormones? (Those are pretty regulated, but, well, who knows?) The weather? Are the gods trying to make me crazy? Oh oh oh, maybe it's stress. Nah, couldn't be that. Must be something else.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
A Little Overwhelmed
Real Estate is overwhelming. My internet browser currently has tabs open for zillow.com, realtracs.com, my realtor's info sheets, google maps in street view, mortgage calculators, and, well, there's always facebook to distract me when I need a break.
Condo or house? Sacrifice location for price or go big because the interest rates are so low? Pay an association fee or take on maintenance and yard work? How much work am I willing to do to make the place move-in ready? Is this really the best time to buy as far as the market goes? Is this the best time for me to buy as far as personal finances go? Will I have a job in six months? How much space will I need in five years? Will I be in the same city in five years? And most of all, why am I doing this????
Normally if I were so uncertain about something that would be a big red flag to not do it. However, when it comes to the subject of buying a house, I think my uncertainty is probably really common and I just need to CALM DOWN.
Condo or house? Sacrifice location for price or go big because the interest rates are so low? Pay an association fee or take on maintenance and yard work? How much work am I willing to do to make the place move-in ready? Is this really the best time to buy as far as the market goes? Is this the best time for me to buy as far as personal finances go? Will I have a job in six months? How much space will I need in five years? Will I be in the same city in five years? And most of all, why am I doing this????
Normally if I were so uncertain about something that would be a big red flag to not do it. However, when it comes to the subject of buying a house, I think my uncertainty is probably really common and I just need to CALM DOWN.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Happiness
I know I've been quiet lately, and it's been sort of bugging me that my blog has been sitting here all lonely and un-updated, but things have been busy (er - sorta) and I haven't been in a writing mood. Don't take it personally. Work has picked up again, I've been watching very important TV shows online such as Brothers and Sisters (ugh, worst season finale EVER) and Ghost Hunters. (YAY! I forgot how much I like that show. It is so creeeepy. But I'm not a fan of Ghost Hunters International- it's too sensationalized. And there's that girl who calls everything "Crazy!" And I can't decide if it bugs me because she's annoying or because I say "Crazy" a lot and I don't really want to be like her. Wow digression, moving ON.)
I had a really good day today. I woke up happy and energetic and the whole day just went that way, which I guess hasn't happened in a while. I don't know if all the working out is finally paying off in a massive energy rush or if my sleep schedule has evened out a bit with a prudent run of Ambien, but I feel like a whole new person. I am on fire! I can take on the world!
Tonight I was reading the June issue of The Atlantic, and they had an article about happiness and the Harvard Study, which has been following a group of men around since they were in college in the 1940s. A bunch of these men are still alive (in their 80s now) and the very detailed psychological records have found some really interesting correlations between happiness and how long you live. The article is fascinating, and it's available online here if you feel like reading it. Be warned: it is very VERY long and I have to admit I haven't finished it yet but it's one of those things that are probably digested better in little chunks instead of the whole thing at once. Like a cheesecake.
So, the secret to a long life of good mental and physical health include: mature adaptations (I'll get into that in a minute because to me that's the interesting part), education, stable marriage, not smoking, not abusing alcohol, some exercise, and healthy weight. If you have 5 or 6 out of the 7 you statistically have a good chance of living a long happy life. As the article pointed out, there were surprises as to what makes you healthy. Cholesterol doesn't matter when you get old. And growing up with a level of financial comfort doesn't matter over the long run, and neither does your childhood temperament (like if you're shy or awkward or whatever, thank God, this is a good sign for me!), but relationships are KEY. You have to maintain good relationships and trust. Fascinating stuff.
So the whole mature adaptations part is really interesting. Apparently there are different levels of how a person adapts to different levels of discomfort (and maybe you learned all about this in a psychology class somewhere, so just skim it): how a person defends themselves from psychological challenges can reveal things about your entire quality of life. For example, a person who is really bad at adapting to these challenges would be in the worst-off group which includes people who are paranoid, have hallucinations, and seem crazy to anyone but themselves. The next group are the "immature" adaptations which include passive-aggressive behavior, acting out, and generally acting like a kid in high school. The next group has "neurotic" defenses, which is where I'm guessing most adults fall. This behavior includes repression and intellectualization (Woody Allen anyone?). The fourth group, the one we're all working towards, are the "mature" adaptations, which are healthiest. This category of defense mechanisms include humor, anticipation (planning for discomfort), suppression (you're not going to think about it anymore right now- who knew Scarlett O'Hara was so on the ball?) and sublimation.
So you basically want to move through these stages of adaptation (and maybe just miss the first one completely) over the course of your life. According to this study, most of the men in the study started using mature adaptations as they got older. So you really can't predict how a person who acts like a jackass at 20 is going to act at 50 if they are progressing along this path of adaptive maturity. I think this explains a lot about relationships. While a lot of people feel like they grow apart in relationships, and it is probably because their adaptive capabilities have either grown at different speeds or someone just stopped progressing completely (and this is not a new idea), now there's a REASON for it. There's a psychological field that studies it and books have been written about it and that has to be sort of reassuring and validating, right?
I'm sorry if this reads like a book report. I just think it is really interesting, because while a lot of adults I know act like they're in high school I never knew there were levels of maturity mapped and tied to psychiatric disorders. I'd really love to know if women have the same predictors that men do, although I have a feeling they're probably very close. So back up there a few paragraphs I gave you the secret to a mentally and physically healthy life. Go write them down and follow them (and better yet, read the article) and I'll see you at 90!
PS I have way too much pride to post this as an embedded video, but if you really want to see something totally silly and ridiculous, watch this Craig Ferguson opening from last night. And if you're going to watch it, you have to watch until at least 53 seconds because it's just... STUPID. And FUNNY And oh yeah, is that supposed to be Harry Potter??? If you don't like that, well, go find SNL's Motherlover short (I'm not even going to bother linking to that one because NBC kills links so fast), because that too is FUNNY! And WRONG!
I had a really good day today. I woke up happy and energetic and the whole day just went that way, which I guess hasn't happened in a while. I don't know if all the working out is finally paying off in a massive energy rush or if my sleep schedule has evened out a bit with a prudent run of Ambien, but I feel like a whole new person. I am on fire! I can take on the world!
Tonight I was reading the June issue of The Atlantic, and they had an article about happiness and the Harvard Study, which has been following a group of men around since they were in college in the 1940s. A bunch of these men are still alive (in their 80s now) and the very detailed psychological records have found some really interesting correlations between happiness and how long you live. The article is fascinating, and it's available online here if you feel like reading it. Be warned: it is very VERY long and I have to admit I haven't finished it yet but it's one of those things that are probably digested better in little chunks instead of the whole thing at once. Like a cheesecake.
So, the secret to a long life of good mental and physical health include: mature adaptations (I'll get into that in a minute because to me that's the interesting part), education, stable marriage, not smoking, not abusing alcohol, some exercise, and healthy weight. If you have 5 or 6 out of the 7 you statistically have a good chance of living a long happy life. As the article pointed out, there were surprises as to what makes you healthy. Cholesterol doesn't matter when you get old. And growing up with a level of financial comfort doesn't matter over the long run, and neither does your childhood temperament (like if you're shy or awkward or whatever, thank God, this is a good sign for me!), but relationships are KEY. You have to maintain good relationships and trust. Fascinating stuff.
So the whole mature adaptations part is really interesting. Apparently there are different levels of how a person adapts to different levels of discomfort (and maybe you learned all about this in a psychology class somewhere, so just skim it): how a person defends themselves from psychological challenges can reveal things about your entire quality of life. For example, a person who is really bad at adapting to these challenges would be in the worst-off group which includes people who are paranoid, have hallucinations, and seem crazy to anyone but themselves. The next group are the "immature" adaptations which include passive-aggressive behavior, acting out, and generally acting like a kid in high school. The next group has "neurotic" defenses, which is where I'm guessing most adults fall. This behavior includes repression and intellectualization (Woody Allen anyone?). The fourth group, the one we're all working towards, are the "mature" adaptations, which are healthiest. This category of defense mechanisms include humor, anticipation (planning for discomfort), suppression (you're not going to think about it anymore right now- who knew Scarlett O'Hara was so on the ball?) and sublimation.
So you basically want to move through these stages of adaptation (and maybe just miss the first one completely) over the course of your life. According to this study, most of the men in the study started using mature adaptations as they got older. So you really can't predict how a person who acts like a jackass at 20 is going to act at 50 if they are progressing along this path of adaptive maturity. I think this explains a lot about relationships. While a lot of people feel like they grow apart in relationships, and it is probably because their adaptive capabilities have either grown at different speeds or someone just stopped progressing completely (and this is not a new idea), now there's a REASON for it. There's a psychological field that studies it and books have been written about it and that has to be sort of reassuring and validating, right?
I'm sorry if this reads like a book report. I just think it is really interesting, because while a lot of adults I know act like they're in high school I never knew there were levels of maturity mapped and tied to psychiatric disorders. I'd really love to know if women have the same predictors that men do, although I have a feeling they're probably very close. So back up there a few paragraphs I gave you the secret to a mentally and physically healthy life. Go write them down and follow them (and better yet, read the article) and I'll see you at 90!
PS I have way too much pride to post this as an embedded video, but if you really want to see something totally silly and ridiculous, watch this Craig Ferguson opening from last night. And if you're going to watch it, you have to watch until at least 53 seconds because it's just... STUPID. And FUNNY And oh yeah, is that supposed to be Harry Potter??? If you don't like that, well, go find SNL's Motherlover short (I'm not even going to bother linking to that one because NBC kills links so fast), because that too is FUNNY! And WRONG!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Sometimes...
Sometimes it is really good for me to remember that there are things out there a whole lot bigger than I am.
Sometimes it is good to feel really small.
PS. See those little dots above all that green grass? Those are cars. This dam is so big I can't capture the scale of it in pictures (but click them anyway to see the nice big version). Okay, we're not talking Hoover Dam or anything, but still it's big enough to be impressive.
PPS. You know, I thought I'd posted pictures of this dam months ago, but I sure can't find them anywhere. Leave a comment if your memory is better than mine and you know where they are. My aging brain has given up and is ready for me to sink into bed with a book and sigh of relief. I'm really quite tired.
PS. See those little dots above all that green grass? Those are cars. This dam is so big I can't capture the scale of it in pictures (but click them anyway to see the nice big version). Okay, we're not talking Hoover Dam or anything, but still it's big enough to be impressive.
PPS. You know, I thought I'd posted pictures of this dam months ago, but I sure can't find them anywhere. Leave a comment if your memory is better than mine and you know where they are. My aging brain has given up and is ready for me to sink into bed with a book and sigh of relief. I'm really quite tired.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Whoa
Feeling very Keanu Reeves tonight. Dude. Where does the time GO?
I think having a social life puts a serious crimp in the blogging time. But I've been having so much fun. Last night I met some friends at Iron Fork 2009. This was a charity event with the main focus being an Iron Chef style competition and then there was loads of food sampling from different restaurants around Nashville. Is it sort of weird that, given the huge variety of dishes to try, my favorites were Qdoba and Whole Foods? SERIOUSLY? Good thing there isn't a Qdoba on my side of town, I'd eat there too much. We had such a good time. The competition was boring (and very brightly lit for TV cameras) so we pretty much ignored it, ate lots of food, sat around and gossiped, and I drank WAY too much. (On a school night! I'm too old for that stuff! Shame on me!)
The event was hosted by the Country Music Hall of Fame, so we went upstairs to this other room (oohhhh, I wish I knew the name of that room) where there was a huge scary looking tower pointing down from the middle of the ceiling and pretty much everyone who walked in had to walk under it and look up and then we'd all giggle how the thing was going to fall down and crush people, ummmm, we were pretty drunk. There were lots of pictures of country singers on the walls- PROBABLY THE HALL OF FAME- and I hadn't heard of about 90% of them. One of the vendors there had snap bracelets (remember those from about 1988?) and there were some really mature snap bracelet wars. I don't know how long we were up there but by the time we came downstairs everybody was GONE (we're talking hundreds of people!) and they were tearing down the kitchen area. It was like a time warp! But this is how it goes when I hang out with this group, we tell stories and gossip and laugh our asses off and then realize that OH 3 hours have gone by.
I am really curious about the Country Music Hall of Fame now, I'd never been before and it looked pretty interesting (even when I was sober).
The other aspect of my life taking up a big chunk of non-work time: the personal trainer. She's fantastic. Tonight I bit the bullet and signed up for personal training until the end of August. If I were doing this by myself I would NEVER work myself as hard as she does. I am sweating and huffing and puffing and red in the face and probably VERY SEXY by the time we're done but who cares? It's the gym. I'm working my ass off and it is fun. Since last Tuesday I've lost 4 lbs, half of that body fat and half lean muscle tissue (I bet if I hadn't been so hung over and drinking water all day long my numbers would have been better). My third official session was tonight and she upped my time and level on the elliptical, my height on steps, my reps on abs, and added some new abs exercises. She keeps things interesting and the time goes by really fast. I'll be working with her twice a week and then I'll get in cardio another 2 or 3 times a week and I'll be a lean mean muscle machine. Or something like that- I've got a long ways to go but this is the thing that is really going to make a difference for me. I paid for it and she's waiting for me so I have to show up- that alone is hugely motivating.
I've been volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters for 8 or 9 months now, and my Little and I have completed the paperwork so that we can do stuff over the summer. I have so much fun with her. She's very shy but since Christmas she's finally been comfortable around me. The last time I hung out with her at school she told me that I'm going to be her Big Sister FOREVER, until I pass away. Which I thought was hilarious because it was obvious she'd just learned the term "pass away" and I started laughing and she got tickled so there we were sitting in the library giggling about death when the principal walked in.... NICE.
I think having a social life puts a serious crimp in the blogging time. But I've been having so much fun. Last night I met some friends at Iron Fork 2009. This was a charity event with the main focus being an Iron Chef style competition and then there was loads of food sampling from different restaurants around Nashville. Is it sort of weird that, given the huge variety of dishes to try, my favorites were Qdoba and Whole Foods? SERIOUSLY? Good thing there isn't a Qdoba on my side of town, I'd eat there too much. We had such a good time. The competition was boring (and very brightly lit for TV cameras) so we pretty much ignored it, ate lots of food, sat around and gossiped, and I drank WAY too much. (On a school night! I'm too old for that stuff! Shame on me!)
The event was hosted by the Country Music Hall of Fame, so we went upstairs to this other room (oohhhh, I wish I knew the name of that room) where there was a huge scary looking tower pointing down from the middle of the ceiling and pretty much everyone who walked in had to walk under it and look up and then we'd all giggle how the thing was going to fall down and crush people, ummmm, we were pretty drunk. There were lots of pictures of country singers on the walls- PROBABLY THE HALL OF FAME- and I hadn't heard of about 90% of them. One of the vendors there had snap bracelets (remember those from about 1988?) and there were some really mature snap bracelet wars. I don't know how long we were up there but by the time we came downstairs everybody was GONE (we're talking hundreds of people!) and they were tearing down the kitchen area. It was like a time warp! But this is how it goes when I hang out with this group, we tell stories and gossip and laugh our asses off and then realize that OH 3 hours have gone by.
I am really curious about the Country Music Hall of Fame now, I'd never been before and it looked pretty interesting (even when I was sober).
The other aspect of my life taking up a big chunk of non-work time: the personal trainer. She's fantastic. Tonight I bit the bullet and signed up for personal training until the end of August. If I were doing this by myself I would NEVER work myself as hard as she does. I am sweating and huffing and puffing and red in the face and probably VERY SEXY by the time we're done but who cares? It's the gym. I'm working my ass off and it is fun. Since last Tuesday I've lost 4 lbs, half of that body fat and half lean muscle tissue (I bet if I hadn't been so hung over and drinking water all day long my numbers would have been better). My third official session was tonight and she upped my time and level on the elliptical, my height on steps, my reps on abs, and added some new abs exercises. She keeps things interesting and the time goes by really fast. I'll be working with her twice a week and then I'll get in cardio another 2 or 3 times a week and I'll be a lean mean muscle machine. Or something like that- I've got a long ways to go but this is the thing that is really going to make a difference for me. I paid for it and she's waiting for me so I have to show up- that alone is hugely motivating.
I've been volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters for 8 or 9 months now, and my Little and I have completed the paperwork so that we can do stuff over the summer. I have so much fun with her. She's very shy but since Christmas she's finally been comfortable around me. The last time I hung out with her at school she told me that I'm going to be her Big Sister FOREVER, until I pass away. Which I thought was hilarious because it was obvious she'd just learned the term "pass away" and I started laughing and she got tickled so there we were sitting in the library giggling about death when the principal walked in.... NICE.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Rain
The weather for the past 3 days has reminded me of England. And Scotland. And Amsterdam. And if I'd ever lived in Seattle, I'm sure I would be thinking of that too. RAIN. 4 to 5 inches so far and it just keeps coming. I have a lot of lamps on and candles lit and it just doesn't seem to do much to counteract the dreariness.
I've been reading the Twilight series again (I'm on day 5 of that binge and halfway through Eclipse) (for those of you not in the know, that's over 1200 pages of Vampire/Werewolf/Romance goodness) and listening to Muse, so I'm really WALLOWING in this dark weather. For the moment it's sort of fun instead of depressing, but if the sun doesn't come out in a day or two I'm going to have to start pulling out uplifting stuff or I won't be able to get out of bed by Wednesday morning. Bring on Pollyanna and the Annie Soundtrack! No, that's just overkill.
I have to admit I was sort of productive today in spite of the gloominess. I ran errands and went to the gym (30 minutes on the elliptical- 400 calories and 2.2 miles- go me!) and downloaded music and in a minute I'm going to go put away all of the CDs that have built up in my car and switch them out. To top off the evening I'm going to drink a bottle of wine (ha ha, maybe not) (well, maybe) and watch the Tudors. It is just that kind of day!
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