Heard on my run today

"So, we don't have a lot of money and we don't have access to a lot of money... so, we could have access to HIS money, then we could do something things with it..."

Uh... I bet you could, buddy...

Bald Headed Women

When you see one, you think "cancer patient."
Rarely is it a fashion statement of choice.
But when you live in Brookline, you never know.
Fashion statement can be highly likely.

Drama, Drama, Drama

Drama at work all over the place.
I don't even know where to start.

Starting Over?

I went out for a one mile run to test the ankle. It wasn't too bad. The inside of the ankle was cranky, the front of the ankle was a bit annoyed, but the outside of my foot hurt. I mean, WTH???

I think it just needs to get worked out since I haven't done much in a month. I plan on running a mile a day, maybe if it feels good half way through, add another half mile. And then I'll ice to 10-20 minutes right after I get done and see how it goes.

I can't do nothing. I have been sitting around for a month - ok, I've biked and walked and a few other things but they don't really count.

Time to shower and study Chinese. I am so behind.

Happy Father's Day

I guess it's not fair to say that I am thinking of you today. Because I think about you almost every day. And by that, I mean... oh... 9 out of 10. Ok. Maybe I think about you at least once a day.

Wherever you are, I think you are doing ok since I haven't heard from you.

I miss you.
Every day.
More than you can ever know.

Coming Back Slowly

So, it's been a little over a month since I injured my ankle at Sugarloaf Marathon. In that time, I have managed to get in a few rides on the trainer, two runs where I should have thought better of it and not run, and some walking and training with Scary Trainer.

I know that the ankle is getting mch better because right after the marathon, I couldn't stand one-legged on my left leg much less do all the balancing exercises that Scary Trainer gave me. It was worse then my first session with him almost a year and a half ago! But over the last month, I have almost reach peak stability. The marked improvement was amazingly noticeable.

So today, I am going to wrap the ankle and go out for very very slow mile and see how it does. I think it should be okay but I still have some twinges and pain once in a while.

And depending on the day goes, I'll think about starting my streak up again. Or course I have to think about The Plan since I have a marathon to think about in August.

2009 Restaurant Review #9: Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, San Francisco, CA

Turns out that Roy's Hawaiian Fusion is a chain. But they are not on the East Coast, so as far as I was concerned, it was brand new.

I didn't know what to expect but it was basically a lot of Asian fusion with a fruity twist. They had everything sushi to steak, and a very extensive wine list. I think that most places in the Bay Area must have an extensive wine list.

Anyway, we ordered a lot of crazy delicious and fresh sashimi and sushi!

For dinner I had the Alaskan Butterfish. It was so good. I thought the tangy soy sauce vinaigrette took away from the delicate flavor of the fish and overpowered it a bit but the texture of the fish was everything I remembered from the last time I had Alaskan Butterfish as Blue Ginger about 4 years ago. If it is on the menu, order it. It came with a little triangle shaped pile of jasmine rice.

I couldn't finish the dinner even though it was a very reasonable portion because I had eaten too much sushi and sashimi! GAH!!! I should have known better.

I did not have any dessert. A perfect no-dessert week. Happy happy.

The menu at this place was very interesting and I think I would go back. If I ordered the Alaskan Butterfish again, I would tell them to hold back on the soy sauce a little bit so that I can actually taste the fish.

2009 Restaurant Review #8: The Press Club, San Francisco, CA

I am not sure if I should put this on my restaurant list but the concept was very interesting.

When I first heard "press club" I thought it had to do with newpapers and magazines, etc., and that was what the decor would be like.

But no. What a surprise. The Press Club refers to the pressing of the wine. It's a place you go for wine tastings and you also order food. The walls are lines of wine bottles in a modern open clean decor. It had comfy seating with coffee tables instead of dinner tables. They also had long bars with stools where you could line up for tastings as well. I thought, "wow, what a concept! This would work well in Boston!"

We tasted two Mt Eden Vineyards wines, a 2004 estate chardonnay and a 2003 cabernet sauvignon. The daughter of the owners was there and she talked to us about the wines and how their vineyards is south of San Francisco, which means warmer climate and what that does to the fruit, etc.

The chardonnay is made in the burgundian style and it was fabulous! I am hopiung we can find some in Boston. They are going to be bottling the 2006 pretty soon and I think we should get a half case and hold it for another 2-3 years and see what happens.

The cabernet was different, very light and very dry. I think it needed to sit for longer than we had time for. I wasn't thrilled but I was bummed out we had to leave early because as I sipped, the flavor and the character of the wine changed.

We were only there for 45 minutes before going to dinner. But I would definitely want to go back there and spend some time. They have food you can order - cheese plates, sliders, etc., to go with the wine.

2009 Restaurant Review #7: Viognier, San Mateo, CA

Viognier was an interesting place. It is in San Mateo which is half way up the freeway between San Francisco and Redwood City, were we are staying. And I was happy to know that it was awarded the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2008. Luckily, the vendor rep and I both like good wine so she always makes sure we go somewhere with a good wine list!

We were off to the side in the back at 1 large tables and 2 additional four top booths which made things a little less "group" feeling. I noticed that it was a little louder than I liked.

So this place also has many little stores of books and craftsy type things, baby things, cards, etc., outside of but attached to the restaurant. I had picked up some cards but then I had to go downstairs to buy them and I couldn't find the down escalator (but I found the up escalator) and it was becoming a lot of trouble so I didn't bother getting them. Anyway...

They have a really good wine selection. But I started out with a glass of Cragganmore neat with a side of water.

We were given a set menu where you pick 3 or 4 courses. And if you wanted 2 appetizers, that was okay too, as long as it was within the 3 or 4 courses.

So, I started out with the Sweet Corn and Crab Soup. It was a light creamy soup with a few bits of crab meat in the center. It was also a pretty light greenish color that was quite lovely. And the flavor was delicious. The portion size was surprisingly substantial.

The soup was followed by yet another appetizer, the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare, which I thought was a bit of a disappointment. Instead of the crisp asian flavors that usually come with tuna tartare, I had a profound taste of mayonnaise instead. I found myself wanting to add some salt for a little flavor. But the tuna was quite fresh.

The main course was a Pan Seared Diver Scallops on a bed of charred early corn relish, and finished off with a champagne lemon butter. This was very nicely done. Three medium sized scallops on an equally restrained bed of the fresh corn relish which was delicious. I found myself wishing that the portion of corn relish was a bit larger. I found it interesting that the main course was so small. But that was ok since I had no desire to overeat.

I skipped the cheese course and the dessert course.

The food here was excellent and I would definitely go back. The ambiance and decor were also very nice and the service staff were all attentive without being cloying.

2009 Restaurant Review #6: Mistral, Redwood City, CA

On Monday, I went with a group of people I worked with to Mistral's Restaurant and Bar in Redwood City, CA. It's right around the corner from the Sofitel and I didn't even know it was here. I was told that I had gone there a few years ago, but let me say once more that large chunks of my memory have been erased, never to be retrieved.

We got there 15 minutes before the kitchen opened but they were very gracious, showed us to a nice table, and immediately started paying attention to us.

They have a good beer, wine and scotch collection so I started out with a glass of LaPhroaig neat with a side of water. Interestingly, when you ask for a side of water, they bring you a side of water, even if there is another filled water glass given to you before they bring you the side of water. This seems to be universal at every restaurant but it has happened without exception. Anyway...

For an appetizer, we started out with the Fritto Misto that had calamari, rock shirmo, artichokes, green beans and onion strings with two sauces - spicy aioli which wasn't all that spicy and a cocktail sauce that was also a bit "meh." And what can you say about Fritto Misto? It's fried. The interesting part about this was that they had other things on it besides calamari which means things much more interesting than your standard plate of fried calamari.

For dinner, I had the special - Alaskan Halibut on Tomato Risotto. Good grief it was delicious! The fish was flaky and velvety and melted in your mouth. It was a very substantial piece of fish, too. And the tomato risotto was delicious. The tomatoes gave it a reddish hue and the flavor was tangy. I would have never thought to put tomatoes in risotto but I thought it was a very nice combination and set off the fish quite well.

For dessert, I had nothing. If I am going to eat relatively well, I might as well get rid of any and all extraneous food items. And I thought dessert was a good place to start.

I am glad I found out about this place. It's so close to the hotel! Other than the hotel, which has wonderful food by the way, it's nice to have another alternative without having to hit the busy freeway!

California. Again.

What a week. I've been in California all week for work. Headed out on Monday morning, landed in the afternoon - easy but long fight as usual. I head out this afternoon to fly back home. In between then and today, we have sat in a room with about 12 of my nearest and dearest colleagues listening to a database vendor talk about their products, and the issues we might be having, any concerns, questions, etc., from our company perspective.

They feed us breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Early mornings and late nights.
Needless to say I am exhausted and I can't wait to get back home.

I did try our 3 new restaurants on this trip though:

1. Mistral
2. Viognier
3. Press Club for Wine (does that count?)
4. Roy's Hawaiian Fusion

They were all pretty good so I will be writing up about them soon.

Fresh Fish

We signed up for the Cape Ann Fresh Catch Share. It runs for 12 weeks. We signed up for a half share which is 4-6 pounds of whole cleaned fish every week for $180. That comes to about $3 a pound. That is CHEAP. You get whatever the fishermen catch that week. And you go pick it up at a designated location.

Tomorrow is our first week. And since I am going to San Francisco for work in the morning, Joseph will have to pick it up. Our pick up between 4 - 6:30 pm on Mondays. The good thing is that it's on the way home from work, and just over 2 miles from our house. The bad news is trying to get out of work every Monday to pick it up.

I am psyched. We've been eating a lot more fish lately. There is nothing like Fresh Fish. Nothing. So delicate and soft, the flesh just melts in your mouth.

Since the fish comes on the bone, Joseph and I will test our fileting skills. His idea of how to filet is different from mine, right down the the kind of knife to use. Jeez. We'll see how it all comes out.

Who are you calling a liar???

Drama drama drama at work.
First lesson in life: Never ever cross an Angry Korean Woman

So, I am in charge of updating some technology guidelines at work. We have a whole slew of them. I have about 17 sections to update. About 5 of them have been doled out to other people who are responsible and they are in charge of gathering the experts together, collecting feedback and opinions and settling on a direction for the next 6 months to 3-5 years. And if you are talking about doing this with a lot of very talented, very senior, very opinionated technical people, it can take a while and is harrying at the very least.

So on the 8th, I sent out a bunchaemails to a bunchapeople about this activity, to which most of them replied. Except for one arrogant conceited egotistical person who I can't stand dealing with because it's like walking on eggshells. And so after a few days, I start to get a little panicky and ask the super-admins to give me back authority to the system that I have to update. They respond that it's done and they copy "C" who never responded. So C responds with something snarky like, "Well, I guess you tried to contact me using telepathy...blah blah blah..."

So I respond like a civilized person that I wasn't sure if he was too busy, away on vacation and this is a lot of work, etc etc etc.

The next thing I know I get an email from his boss who I will call "K" who says... "this is an important job and one which we do not relinquish lightly and nor would be want to...etc etc etc... And oh btw, if you profess to have sent an email, then I would like you to send me those emails with the dates and times, etc etc etc..."

What?
WHAT???

ARE YOU CALLING ME A FREEKIN LIAR? YOU FREEKIN ASS?????
And for the record, this is NOT an important job... the role is one of a glorified data entry person. And if you knew what you were talking about you would know that!

If I could have, I would have crawled my way through the computer lines, ended up coming through his monitor, reached my hand down his throat, pulled his tongue out and wrapped it around his neck and choked him.

HELLOO!

So I send the following email:

"K.
I delete my send folder every day unfortunately or I run out of room.
I would be glad to provide you with it if I had it.
If you are calling me a liar, then I guess my word is as good as C saying he did not get it.

As I stated to C, I will be more than happy to make him steward again. All he had to do was answer my question [of whether or not he wanted it back because I knew he was very busy]. I do not know if he is busy or what so what I thought I was doing was being considerate of his time. This is very time sensitive and a lot of work so it is understandable if he is too busy.

I will go in and make him steward.
I would like you to know that in fact, a year ago, it was I who asked C to take over this area as I thought it something he could add a lot of value to. That opinion has not changed.

If you want to discuss on the phone, I am at my desk. My extension is...

And as for vouching for my honesty, you can probably poll just about everyone I work with to get an opinion. I would be happy to supply hundreds of names.

I am only replying thusly because I read distrust in your email that I had ever sent it. If I am misinterpreting, please excuse."

And wouldn't you know... no response. Just like a coward.

So, the next day I was still fuming! I bombed into my boss's office to rant and rave my tale of injustice and woe. Of course, he confirmed the guy is an ASS. Then I found the original email I had sent to C in my inbox - and forwarded it to K. I usually have all emails default to sending a copy to myself. And I know that if it's still in my inbox, the person never responded and I have to follow up. But this time, since I was emailing so many people with so many return receipts and so many original copies, I ended up deleting most of them. But luckily, I still had this one! Anyway, I forwarded the email to K. He was out in TRAINING. I hope it's training about discretion and how NOT to call people LIARS. In fact, I told him I wasn't just FORWARDING the email, I was adding it as an ATTACHMENT in case he thought I was lying, and fabricated the email and made the whole thing up.

And then after I sent the above email, C sent me another email saying that maybe he never got it because people in his own group have sent him emails in the past which never got to him and it could be OUTLOOK. Uh... HELLOOOO... YA THINK??? Oh, and that he does NOT want the responsibility and the additional work.

I forwarded it that one to K, too.
So does someone have EGG on their face?
And does someone need to have a chat with another someone and vice versa about going off and calling people liars before checking all the facts???
I think so.

I will let you know if I hear from him.
Of course, I probably won't.

But no one. NO ONE. calls me a LIAR and gets away with it.
My memory is long...

Old Debts

Ever have someone you wanted to thank for the past... oh... 35 years?

Yeah.
Thirty Five Years.

I have someone.
Been thinking of them for a while.
And wondered how I could find them so that I can thank them.
And then... I found them.
And I am thinking of thanking them.
Haven't done it yet.
I wonder if the will get it or undertand where I am coming from.
Or even remember what they did.
But they will know the impact it had on me.
And I wonder if they have enough depth to understand.

I am thinking it's time to write that email and see where it goes.

It's all about the diet

Calories in and Calories out.
I hate to say it but it's true.
And every single time I prove it to myself by doing it,I have to admit that this simple formula works.

Something else that I've discovered this week... if I eat within my guidelines for protein and carbs, I hit my caloric limit.
Every single time.
Scary Trainer definitely knows what he's doing, that's for sure.

Right now, I am getting at least 120 grams of protein a day.
For Carbs, I am limiting to:

2 days of 50-90g
2 days of 90-130g
2 days of 130-170g
1 day of 200g - kind of a cheat day but in a healthy and controlled manner. This also assumes that I will be doing some sort of physical activity everyday and a longer, harder day on this last day.

I am also back to eating 5-6 meals a day. As long as I eat dinner by 6:30 pm, I am okay until I go to bed and get up the next day.
If I miss this time, then it's a pigfest.

This week has been very very good.
Next week I am traveling to San Francisco for work. I have days and days of vendor meetings and events. I hope that I can control myself. It's hard when you travel because you can't control what is available. So after the first day or two, I end up just giving in. I am praying for some will power. Sigh...

Ankle Update

It's getting better.
Yesterday I had a Scary Trainer session.
My one-legged balancing exercises were much more stable
And the shooting electrical forced-muscles-working pain wasn't there like before.
The only time I felt any kind of stress or tension was when I did a lunge.
And today, it felt so much better.

Tomorrow is another Scary Trainer session and right after that, I have a session with Chris the MT for an hour just to work on my legs and ankle. If the workout goes well and Chris doesn't find anything wrong, I might be able to start running next week.

Which is good because of my work travel and I will need to do something to fend off the vendor-sponsored diet-killing meals.

Blast from the Past

I got a Facebook chat with a friend from High School. Wow. He is in Myrtle Beach on vacation as a promise to his 14 year old daughter who graduated from 8th grade. Anyway, he works for IBM in Raleigh where my company also has a major site.

He has 3 children (girl boy girl) and the oldest is going to be in NYC working in Harlem for Americorps. After that she will be going to DOOK Divinity School. In spite of the lofty meaning of all this, my friend and his wife graduated from Carolina so it's hard to take. LOL!

If he visits up here, he will ping me.
If I ever get down his way, I will ping him.
He is one of the nicest people I remember from the old days.

This is so cool.

The bazaarest thing

I looking in my wallet this afternoon to see how much money I had so I could stop by the farmer's market and get some herb plants.

And there wasn't a single dollar. There was change but no bills. All the credit cards were there, even my Starbucks card. But no bills.

Could I have mindlessly used every single dollar bill? Not something I usually do. But I could have, you never know.

Very strange.

No Credibility

Ok. So if you are some sort of recruiter or trying to sell services for people who are looking for jobs, do NOT send me an email that says:

1. "Do not job hunt at work. No matter how bored you might be." Huh? First of all, THIS IS WORK you are sending your unsolicited email to. And I am never bored at work.
2. "There are a lot of people who are bored due to less work and sit around playing games and doing basically nothing because there is little work to be done in an economic downturn." Huh??? Well, in an economic downturn, people get laid off, there is no stop to the work and everyone is doing more than their fair share. And if you are THAT bored, you got laid off a long time ago!!!

And on that note, I deleted with wild abandon. How credible is an email like this? And you want my business???

My Friend Hank

I work with him. And not even really. He was put on a special project that touched my area. I was glad I wasn't dealing with it at the time. But of course I'm dealing with it now since he handed it off to me in January. Then there was another project. And then we started taking Chinese together. And even though I still sorta don't work with him, even though I do, we're friends. And by any measure, we're pretty good work friends as far as work friends go.

Anyway, he's a long time military guy. He's in the reserves now. He's a colonel, which is something pretty hard to achieve and one I was remotely a part of; the goverment came to interview me about him right before he got promoted. Hank thinks I told them too much when I told the government that I thought he was a good guy. And it did raise a few eyebrows, I will admit. Anyway...

He is leaving next week and will be deployed in the Middle East somewhere for 6 months. I know that with what he does, he will be relatively safe. What safe is relative in a war zone no matter how safe you think you might be.

So, I wish him Godspeed.
And I pray that he stays safe and comes back home to us whole.

Wouldn't Ya Know?

It was supposed to rain later in the day. And of course, I forgot my umbrella. Even though Joseph left it in plain sight for me right next to my pocketbook and verbally reminded me to take it, to which I replied I would.

So after lunch I went and bought an umbrella at South Station. Just so I wouldn't get caught in the forecasted rain on my way home.

And here I am walking out the door, past the time the rain was supposed to have started and no rain.

NO RAIN!!!

Random Thought: Lo Mein

I'm so glad there isn't a fast food quick wok type of Chinese place near my house. If there were, I'd be getting fat on pork lo mein!

Reporting In

Ok. I am now reporting in daily to Scary Trainer on my food intake. Daily. Every day. Hmmm.

Yesterday was a good day. I was below 1600 with 120g of protein, less than 100g of carbs. I sort of let the fat grams ride. Not worried about it going to high because I tend to eat low fat without much effort.

I've discovered once again what I knew to be true: the busier I am, the less I eat. Even when I'm hungry, it never registers more than a few decibels in my brain so I ignore hunger signals. Yesterday I was busy until about 9. And then I went to bed.

I also have reaffirmed that sit down dinners are killers. When I eat while busy, a half sanwich and a bottle of water is goo enough. But when I sit down to EAT, I load up the plate and have 2 glasses of wine. It's a half day's calories in one meal. Problem is that I usually only have a quarter of a day's calories left by the time I sit down to eat.

So, I think thats the key.
Keep busy.
Have a half sandwich for dinner.

I wonder how I can count the sushi lunch I'm going to have today when my friend Lilly and I take our friend Hank out before he deploys for 6 months.

Post Marathon Blues

All I gotta say is that I think I am having a bit of depression from not having any marathons lined up. For the first time in my life, I actually did something I never thought that I would. Ok. Make that the second time. Hmmm... ok. Make that the third time....

Whatever. Anyway, after running 2 marathons four weeks apart, I am feeling a bit lost. The only thing I have scheduled is in August - The Leading Ladies in South Dakota. As it is, I haven't even signed up for it yet. I might have to do some personal travel around that time, everything is up in the air (which I can't stand) and so, if I am here, I plan on traveling out there, and running that race.

Then I got into the lottery for St. George but that is not until the first week of October. I'd like to run Steamtown but that is the second week. So, do I run St. George or Steamtown?? And then my Good Friend Cher thinks she might be doing Columbus which is the third week of October. And they had to go and change the second half of the course so it is now mostly downhill. Ugh. That makes me want to do Columbus even more!

So between August and October... what? Nothing! The only thing that I can think of is Clarence De Mar which is the last weekend of September. So that means there are marathons that I want to run 4 weeks in a row. Now what??? No idea what to do.

So, now I have to find something in mid-September. Of course, there is always Reach the Beach but it's not a marathon. And I've been only a driver for a lot of years now. And the course is pretty hellacious looking! Even from the front seat of a van!

The other issue is that my ankle strain is hanging on and hanging on, just like that damn Energizer Bunny! GAH! So now, I am biking this week. The ankle made me break my streak of working out every single day, too! I don't know which is worse, not running or breaking my streak! I will try to do some small runs next week along with the biking and see how it holds up.

Got the Neck Figured Out

It's the mouse. The damn computer mouse.

On Saturday, I stayed away from the computer.
Last night, I got back on the computer for a couple of hours. I got off the couch and my neck hurt like it all git out. It went back to square one!
And the minute I suspected it, I held the back of my shoulder and a part of my neck and moved my thumb and forefinger like I do when I click the mouse or click the fingerpad clicker on the laptop. And sure enough... I could feel that muscle moving... all the way up from under my arm, to the back of my shoulders, to the top of my shoulders, right to the base of my neck! ARG!!!!!

So, now I need to use my big ball mouse with my right hand.
And I have to stay away from the finger pad!
Of course, this means that I can't sit on the couch mindlessly playing video games!