A (very) small plague of grasshoppers

As I was coming home from the grocery this evening with 5 heavy grocery bags in hand, I was attacked by a grasshopper as I was trying to get into my apartment building. He was sitting just outside the door and hopped to my bag, then off the bag, onto the door. I started to open the door while he was sitting there, but somehow, from the door, he went around, in front of my face to the brick facade just at eye level. He then jumped back down to the ground, ready to start again. He was very aggressive. I wonder what they feed the grasshoppers around here...

Boot Camp -- Final Day

Yesterday was the last day of triathlon boot camp. It was a choose-your-own-adventure bike ride. We had options for 28, 40, 56, 80, and 95 mile loops. You may assume that I'm crazy enough to do one of the long rides. You would be...wrong. I managed the 40 and even opted out of a "big climb" option. What this means is that boot camp successfully kicked my butt.

Today was a much needed rest day.

Boot Camp Update

It's almost October. I should not need sunscreen. However, I should also not be out three hours longer than I planned.

The triathlon boot camp session was great with some running form analysis. I hadn't planned to do the 22 mile ride to the marina, but, as they say, "everyone else was doing it." So I did. We did about a 1.5 mile swim, give or take, and then faced the ride back. It was a really nice day with perfect weather. I was really surprised at the amount of sun I got (and not necessarily in a good way). But I felt good the whole time and was really ready for some food and a nap when I got home.

Another lesson learned--the Power Bar Berry Blast Fruit Smoothie is really not bad when you're tired and need some energy. It tastes like the old Flintstone's vitamins at other times. The vanilla Power Bar goos always taste like cake batter. I still can't decide if that's good or bad.

Boot Camp

This weekend is triathlon boot camp. This evidently means that the tri club exercises more than usual. In large groups.

Tonight, this involved about 15 of us running around downtown Nashville drawing odd looks from the tourists. Great fun!

The Simpsons

The Simpsons have been on for 2/3 of my life.
That is all.

Easy week

I've been taking it easy this week--trying to let my body catch up on some rest, but it seems that the next few weeks should be good building weeks leading up to the last race of the season. I'm pretty excited.

I took a short trip (yesterday and today) to give a talk on the stuff I've presented at the last few conferences I've attended to a small group of people that have a lot of experience in the area. In the meantime, I got to visit with Kennet and his beautiful family. I even braved (and enjoyed) Mexican food for the evening (Mexican food--not something I've ever been really attached to, and I've had lots of mediocre to bad experiences).

Back to the grind tomorrow.

Shortage

Friday morning, before I left for Indiana this weekend, I heard there was a gas shortage in Middle Tennessee. I didn't think much about it because I had just under a half-tank of gas. However, I went for a run and started looking for an open station, I started to get worried. I passed 6 gas stations around my apartment and none had gas.

Jeremy did some searching and found that it was a Middle Tennessee problem and told me that if I could make it to Kentucky, I could find gas. I had just over a quarter tank which I conservatively estimated to give me a range of 60 miles. I kept an eye on the gauge and started taking every exit once I got out of Nashville. I didn't use air conditioning and I drove slow and got further than I expected before I decided that I needed to make a decision to keep going or go back to Nashville. Fortunately, a guy was filling his tank with a portable container and I was able to ask him how far away he went to find his prize. It was just 5 miles up the road in Kentucky.

So after waiting in line for about a half hour, I made it to Indiana safely with plenty of gas to spare. People waiting in line were generally very polite and patient--unusual for such circumstances. Also unusual is that the gas price wasn't gouged. I paid less than what was being charged in Indiana.

I don't know what the current gas situation in Nashville is. Rumors say that deliveries are on the way and that they aren't. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but the grocery stocks were low this evening when I went.

Needless to say, I'll be walking and biking when and where I can.

Realization

I didn't watch Beverly Hills 90210 the first time around, yet I was swamped with the overwhelming marketing of the show and tabloid exposure of the actors. I appropriately swooned at pictures of the cast. The guys were super-cool and the girls were beautiful--not just beautiful, but unattainably beautiful.

Fast-forward to the second round of 90210, which I refuse to watch on premise. Again, the cast, well, they're all beautiful. Also unattainably so, but in a different way. Jezebel posted these pictures and I was shocked at how "beauty" has changed in a relatively short time. Does the new cast look healthy? Ack!

And what happened to jeans and t-shirts??

Any day...

Any day with beautiful weather, a good run, and a giant cupcake cake is a good day.

**Note: not the actual cake, but it looked a lot like it...mmm...tons of icing and not so much cake. I should mention that the image is from Capital Cupcakes.

Missing Moosie

I'm not entirely sure when my cat turned into a pinhead, but it seems that he has. It doesn't stop me from missing him and his glorious belly.

Music City Tri Race Report

The short version: I've never been so miserable on a swim, a bike, or a run. Combine the three and you have a recipe for a really tired and achy Sarah.


The long version: The leftovers from Hurricane Ike came through Nashville in the last 24 hours. There were wind gusts for 35-40 mph. The lake was extremely choppy with 2-4 foot waves and the race was not wetsuit-legal. I saw this as a bonus for me, being the strong swimmer and all, and I was eager to get going. It turns out that the swim was really difficult. It was easily the worst conditions I've swam in. I've been in bigger waves, but they were in the ocean and came with some regularity so you could get a rhythm. There were two turn-around buoys. When I reached the first one, I looked up and it was further away than I expected, like I had swam past it. I looked up again and noticed it was even further away and I realized that it had become loose. About then, I noticed the mass of people behind me make the turn--their race just got cut really short. I kept swimming and fighting the water and finally managed to get close enough to shore that walking was going to be more effective and they announce that the swim was cancelled due to the runaway buoy. The good news is that, according to a team member on the beach, I finished with the first group of girls in the collegiate wave. The bad news is that I used a lot of energy to do so and all the work was for nothing.


The race was then changed to a bike-run with a swim transition start. We waited in the wind cooling off for about 30-45 minutes before starting. The bike was really windy and the headwinds and crosswinds were killer. My bike would swerve 2-3 feet with the gusts. I questioned my sanity while crossing the two bridges. Because of the mass start, most of the ride was really congested and I saw several wrecks on hills where people were passing 3-4 abreast. Hill wrecks are dangerous because of the potential for traffic coming over the top. Scary stuff. I also saw more flats on this course than I have in my years of racing combined. Fortunately, I managed to avoid disaster, but yet again, used much more energy than usual for that distance and felt the consequences in the run.


There's not a lot to say about the run. I think the course would have been a ton of fun if I wasn't beat going into it, but I was beat and it was still really windy (and felt like it was getting stronger). When the wind would whip up, it was strong enough to stir up debris and I was very happy for my sunglasses. My goal for the run was to not lose too many places, but keep comfortable. I'm not sure I managed either.


It was a really tough race. I don't know where I finished and, honestly, I'm not that concerned with it. Today is to be chalked up to a mental-toughness day. I'm just happy I finished the race.

List

I had a whole list of things that I wanted to get done today.
I managed very, very few.
I think I underestimated the amount of time and effort involved in "rest and prep for race".

Early morning tomorrow.

Extremes in Weather Reporting

First, the NOAA warning for Hurricane Ike - Harrison County

NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THE STORM SURGE...AND POSSIBLY ENTIRE COASTAL COMMUNITIES... WILL BE INUNDATED DURING THE PERIOD OF PEAK STORM TIDE. PERSONS NOT HEEDING EVACUATION ORDERS IN SINGLE FAMILY ONE OR TWO STORY HOMES MAY FACE CERTAIN DEATH. MANY RESIDENCES OF AVERAGE CONSTRUCTION DIRECTLY ON THE COAST WILL BE DESTROYED. WIDESPREAD AND DEVASTATING PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGE IS LIKELY ELSEWHERE. VEHICLES LEFT BEHIND WILL LIKELY BE SWEPT AWAY. NUMEROUS ROADS WILL BE SWAMPED...SOME MAY BE WASHED AWAY BY THE WATER. ENTIRE FLOOD PRONE COASTAL COMMUNITIES WILL BE CUTOFF. WATER LEVELS MAY EXCEED 9 FEET FOR MORE THAN A MILE INLAND. COASTAL RESIDENTS IN MULTI-STORY FACILITIES RISK BEING CUTOFF. CONDITIONS WILL BE WORSENED BY BATTERING WAVES CLOSER TO THE COAST. SUCH WAVES WILL EXACERBATE PROPERTY DAMAGE...WITH MASSIVE DESTRUCTION OF HOMES...INCLUDING THOSE OF BLOCK CONSTRUCTION. DAMAGE FROM BEACH EROSION COULD TAKE YEARS TO REPAIR.

Scary. I really hope the best for all.

On the other hand, sometimes fears get out of hand and need to be quelled by the media. Fort Collins seems to be on top of this with the following headline and equally entertaining article:

"Hurricane Ike expected to have little impact in Fort Collins; weather set to improve next week"

Fantastic! We're thrilled for you, Colorado!

Signs from the Locker Room

No shaving in the sauna or steam rooms

Improvement

I put the workout bar on the left so I wouldn't constantly be blogging about my workouts and have people say, "I really like your blog. It sounds just like you, but you only talk about your workouts. You should blog about other things." So, I've been trying to not bore the public with workout details unless it's really necessary. It's necessary tonight.

I did the normal Strider's run, but ended up running most of it by myself because the others were doing 8 miles. I tried to stay relaxed and smooth and when it felt like I was being squeezed about the chest, I tried a visualization technique--I pictured a giant fireplace bellows puffing my lungs full of air. It worked! I don't know if it was visualization or the fact that I wasn't yapping away at someone while I was running, but I finished the course 4.5 minutes faster than I did the last two weeks. Yea!!

It doesn't change my running catchphrase:

I'm a puffin'!

Or my running mascot:

Photo from Wikipedia Atlantic Puffin photos.

Welcome Back!

Please, please, please make your comeback as open and graceful as Dara...

...and kick some ass.

Fame

A few outstanding Olympians are still in the news nearly a month after the games ended. This means that some less popular sports are getting a bit more time in the spotlight, which is a good thing. The thing that irks me is that it seems that the only way our society knows to show appreciation to people is by putting them on TV. This would be fantastic if it was simply interviews and endorsements, but scripted television gets hokey and seems to be an option for at least one athlete (I put SNL and The Simpsons in a slightly different category). It would also be nice to see endorsements from these athletes at some point between Olympic games.

Why can't we let these people go about their training and outstanding athletic endeavors and keep them in the news and spotlight with better coverage of these sports in non-Olympic years rather than let them slip into obscurity only to be rediscovered four years later? I'd much rather watch fencing, track and field, swimming, water polo, or even equestrian events than baseball anytime.

I'll try anything once...

The Omnivore's Hundred, which I first found via Fark, which linked to Foodproof, which has descriptions of all the items, making for a quick reference for things I had no idea what they were. I finally found it posted on Daily Pie and I thought I'd continue the fun.

"Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/ linking to your results."

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk
45. Malt whiskey from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Quarterbacks!

My favorite quarterback, Drew Brees won his opening game against Tampa Bay today. Yay!

Kyle Orton, another Purdue alum, started for Chicago. Unfortunately, they're playing the Colts, so I have to root against him.

Go Boilers!!

Race Report -- Old Hickory

I did the Old Hickory Sprint Triathlon this weekend. The format for this race is a bit different from other tris because the swim is far away from the transition area and they split up the run into two 1.5 mile runs, so the order is swim, run, bike, run. It's actually an advantage for me because of my relatively poor running abilities. The weather was great for a race--overcast and not too hot. I had picked up my packet the night before the race so I knew were to go and I didn't have to get there as early and fight with a line at check-in. I felt really relaxed (after getting to the race--I'm always a little anxious on the way).

The swim start was time-trial style where one person starts at a time based on a seeding time provided by the racer. It's been a while since I've done a 400 yd open water swim and I was conservative when I registered and ended up starting around the middle of the pack. It was kinda nice to be able to watch others start and to not have the mass of people to fight through (though that has its perks!). The water was warm and I really felt good and passed a bunch of people. Jeremy was surprised to see me out when I got out.

I wish I had taken a towel to the swim-run transition.

The first run was uneventful except for the fact that I passed someone in my age group (and a few others), but yes, someone in my age group--I think that's a first for me!!

The bike was really good. I think I was passed by two guys--one of them from Vandy (Go Nick!!!). I alternated between trying relax and spin and being really competitive and passing folks. I was trying to remember that I still had a run but my logic was that it was a really short run and I could survive that. There were a couple momentum-killer hills and I managed on most of them to pick a good gear that didn't involve too much work on my part. It seems like most of the course was uphill, but I know that can't be the case. In the last two miles, I had a little battle with a 50-something guy. He really didn't want me to pass him. I finally managed to make my move on a little roller hill. Fun!

On the last run, one of my teammates was letting me know where others were on the course. It was nice to think that I could still chase people down and I took off with that in mind. Unfortunately, my lungs had almost had it. I sounded like the Little Engine That Might (Keel Over at any Time). I managed to pass a few women, though none in my age group, and finish strong. Jeremy and others were supporting me in the last quarter mile, giving me a little boost to finish.

Overall, it was a fun race and great to be out with the Vandy team again.

Back to it next week!

Happy Birthday Auntie Alex!

You Rock!

heh.

Book Review

I recently listened to Sarah Vowell's The Partly Cloudy Patriot on tape (MP3, rather). She manages to convey the importance of events and put into perspective why it is that we preserve historical locations and tolerate their innate campiness. Her descriptions of these locations almost make me want to go on pilgrimages as I did with the family years ago. I'm sure I could better tolerate the drive from Indiana to Yellowstone now than then. Yellowstone was the trip where I learned to sleep in the car.

So, remember all those bizarre facts the 8th grade history editors put in the preface of the book to make pre-teens think they wanted to learn about history?

"WTF? There are giant lobsters in Massachusetts Bay? They were how big? OMG! I think I want to learn about history!"

Do you remember getting to the page about the giant lobsters at the end of the year and not even noticing that there were giant lobsters discussed with all the really terrible writing that was going on that you quit reading months before? Yeah. I do. I actually marked the page, finally figured out why, and frankly, didn't give a rats ass.

What Sarah Vowell does in this book is provide a long, long string of those interesting tidbits into a story where you're distracted from the fact that you're learning something and just enjoying the narrative. It doesn't hurt that she has people like Conan O'Brien and Seth Green helping with the reading. It's definitely worth a read if you get a chance though I would recommend the audiobook over the text version for the same reason that I will only read David Sedaris on audiobook.

The Hermitage

Reminiscent of vacations of yore, while my family was visiting Nashville this weekend, we went to visit Andrew Jackson's home, The Hermitage. This trip was slightly different from the old vacations though--my sister and I had a say in where we visited. I've always been a little fascinated with General Jackson. As described in history class, his life seemed like a breath of fresh air after the stuffy profiles of the previous presidents. Maybe 'fresh air' isn't the right phrase, given his life, but at least the (woefully incorrect) description of the homesteading duellist was enough to catch the attention of a second-grader already disinterested in history.


Back to vacations: I remember hours of trudging around various historical sites as a child, bored, sunburnt, and tired. I remember later trips where we did more trudging around and I, as a teenager, was bored, sunburnt, tired, and absolutely horrified at the thought of being seen with my parents at a historical site. For this visit, I was just tired from walking around so much, but at least interested in the story being told.


The visit was good, in general. The price of admission gets you in to see a short film about Andrew Jackson's life and the land, an audio-guided tour complete with headsets, and free reign to walk around on the grounds and listen to the audio tour until your legs fall off or you start dancing to the questionable soundtrack of the audio tour. There's a lot to see and there's been considerable effort in preserving the home.


There are a number of pet peeves that I encountered during the visit:

1. Historical films neglecting to acknowledge the fact that the subject is dead by pretending that the film was made during the time period being discussed rather than 1983.
2. A glossing over of unpleasantness (in this case, the hardships of the slaves owned by Jackson--at least they acknowledged that he owned slaves).
3. Modern conveniences (air conditioning, electricity) installed in historical sites--after they were considered a historical locations.
4. No water conveniently available for visitors and vending machines charging $2 for a bottle of water. Unacceptable.
5. Period costumes. Wear matching polo shirts and ditch the air conditioning. Seriously.

The people were very friendly and very knowledgeable. While a little campy, the audio tour offered flexibility that couldn't be met with a guided tour. I got to cuddle with Texas while he flirted with the ladies in the historical costumes. I got to make/hear comments to/from Mom and Jenn about poor decorating choices made a long, long time ago. Mostly, I got to spend time with the family and I was very content (and tired) at the end of the day.

Texas in Tennessee

Texas and his mom and grandparents visited me this weekend. I don't think he really got a flavor of the city because he's still enjoying the flavor of his toes too much. We really tried to wear him out and mostly succeeded in wearing ourselves out. I was really happy to get some auntie time with him. We had lots of cuddles and noms. We also missed the other aunties very much!

Cuddles.

Noms.