Doesn't Look Like Burnt Brownies, Does It?

Once upon a time, there was a girl who liked the idea of baking a lot, being as addicted to sweets as she was, but never really baked. And when she did try to bake, she never really found much success. During her first feeble unsupervised attempts, she made brownies from a box... three times. And three times her friends at the fire department had to come to shut off the smoke alarm. Inside the oven, the mix in the nine by nine pan was smoking. Oops.

Contrary to her lack of skills behind the wheel of an automobile, she couldn't blame this on genetics. She was raised on homemade goodies. In fact, for many years they followed her in parcel boxes all around the country and across oceans. Her mother had talent in the kitchen. More recently, her sister had proven she could design and deliver an entire Thanksgiving feast from start to finish with distinction (albeit an hour or two later than planned). The Christmas cookie tradition was carried on by her sister as well. Amazed, she really did wonder when her sister developed such skills.

The girl moved to New York and then, eventually, to Baltimore. In New York, she found a very receptive audience fpr her sweet experiments--kids and roommates--and, with practice, the results slowly started improving. She even had some signature cookie treats. (That pecan pie, though, was a good reminder that a pastry chef she was not! It may have even smoked a little...)

Baltimore brought time, interest, an appreciative patron, and a critic. She was living amidst people genuinely interested in the actual make-up, taste, and presentation of the product they put in their mouths. Food was the center of choice, conversation, and nourishment. She was able to learn and try, take encouragement, and accept criticism. And, finally, the mark was moved up. The critique was more advanced than the basic idea to follow the time suggested in the recipe to avoid a smoky house. It even helped her to peek her interest to cooking categories beyond baking.

It's amazing what a little belief and interest can produce. A fancy looking turtle cheesecake (all ingredients from crust to caramel made from scratch) to start!

Dueling Sister Blogs

Dedicated to my older sister, LearnerGirl...

You didn't name it as a challenge. In fact, I'm not even sure you knew I had a blog. But, that means little now--because I can read the words between all of your lines.

I accept your (undeclared) challenge--

I will write a post every time you do... because, you're right. We don't talk as often as we could and you can have my reactions to food, life, learning, and all that falls in between, too.

Post on, Bean!

That Time of Year

In the past eight weeks, things in my life changed... a lot. Two jobs, one car, no monthly credit card bill--all possible mostly because of the generosity of some very good souls and the willingness of strangers to take some risks.

Last year, I set resolutions around this time. I made a few, didn't come close to others... but still this time of year is a time to think of what you might want the coming year to bring, not by chance but by your own actions.

Still on the top of the list is getting in and remaining in shape. This blog started as a way to record my efforts. On the blog, I've dwindled away for months at a time without posting; the same is true with my running. Motivation goes up and down. December, actually, was a great month for me--when I started my new job at the University of Maryland, I joined their new, super swank gym with a friend. My commute is better the earlier I leave for work, so every day for almost three weeks I went to the gym, usually running a couple miles on the treadmill. I hope to keep that up.

I plan on keeping a budget for the first time in my life.

I want to travel to another continent--South America or Africa. I have said that for a couple of years now, but I hope to actually do it this year. I'm thinking October would be a great time to go.

Maybe this year I can go three for three...

Back At It!

So, yes, I know.... I've taken a rather long break. If you look at it, you'll see it's practically the entire summer. Can you guess why?

My first summer in Maryland was H-O-T! and I stopped running.

At first, I didn't want to stop. I would go out in the cute summer digs I recently reclaimed from storage. My intentions were pure. Intentions, however, do not equal a destination or even continued motivation. I made it down the hill upon which this house rests and partially up the next... and turned around, covered in sweat, feeling like a lousy buck. Soon, I didn't even make it to the door. I never thought I'd learn that there is actually something worse than cold weather running.

Seasons change. The story moves on.

I wish running was more like opening an abandoned book. You see that old book on your shelf and finger through the pages and remember exactly where you left off, so you can just begin again. I know it won't be like that. I'll struggle... again... wish it were easier... again... ponder why exactly such torture is necessary... what is it all for?

I made my answer slightly easier by signing up for the Celtic Solstice, a 5 mile race, in December. I ran it last year miserably. What kind of difference does a year make? I'll be able to tell you in minutes!

In the meantime, I have some things planned for this blog--food stories of how a girl who lit brownies on fire three times in a row in college (and, yes, the fire department came twice) learned to make and bake, revisiting old places and old characters, a commentary here and there, and maybe even the end to that Baltimore 10 miler I promised. Stay put, please--leave the running to me!

Ridiculous

Never doubt the maturity of elected officials! Almost made me thankful I left New York...

A View From The Back

Oooh! What a feeling!

Today was the Baltimore Ten Miler Race Steph and I signed up for so long ago. We had a love/hate relationship with the training for this race... it seemed I loved to hate the structure demanded of the training as much as I appreciated it for the Cherry Blossom. Given, this race was different; I already knew I could finish and not topple over at the end. As the days (many filled with rain or heat reaching levels I never need) turned to weeks, the goal of finishing in an hour and forty minutes became less and less important. This week I came to the conclusion that I just wanted the race to be fun... to celebrate that my training period has entered a remission and to let go of the idea that running is a chore... Running over the summer will be an act of enjoyment without the pressures or concerns of making a specific mark.

Even with expectations of a pace or a PR lifted, I wondered this morning if the race could be enjoyable. The weather looked grim--the doppler showed heavy rain and possible lightening moving in with mild heat. The course was certainly hillier than the Cherry Blossom--forging ahead on the hills would be par for course. But Steph had decided to run along side me, instead of jetting off in her typical gazelle manner. All factors considered, we strategically planned to walk and run. I suggested five minute runs at a 9:30 pace and one minute walks at a 17/18:00 pace (a combination that I had become comfortable doing my solo trainings on the hills of Baltimore county).

We chose the comfortable route--to use the facilities before we began (smelly but worthwhile choice). The skies opened as our chips hit the pad; the course inside the park would prove to be very wet. Our place was at the end of the pack. Far from crowded as we worked to find our stride, it gave us the chance to enjoy the setting we were in, which would be more difficult to notice on the return climb to the the finish. There were the characters of our race--people who knew they weren't winning so they decided to enjoy it--a joggler and racing jump roper, other run/walkers, and true recreational participants. We overheard people talking and laughing as we passed by.

We stayed the course with our plan... our miles varied by entire minutes, most likely depending on whether one or two walk periods fell within a mile and the number of hills we encountered. The race was fairly flat for Baltimore; I remember several small to medium sized hills along the way and Steph was willing to concede it was a 'hilly' course. We cheered the speedy cheetahs on their return. We viewed specks of color moving around the circular lake, many in front of us and some behind. We thanked the police officers as we passed by the streets they were preventing cars from passing. We smiled for the cameras, running in stride as we passed. We couldn't escape the commissioner or his recruits (see a future post for more on that), and appreciated the spirit of the game and activity. We picked people off (mostly on the uphills), and I felt a sense of pride knowing I was not among the heaviest of breathers.

I felt good until mile 8, and then I was tired. At that point, though, we had started taking some of the walks out of the plan... The ever-ever-so-sly Steph suggested we only walk on an upwards incline, which seemed logical to me... Funny how it turned out that, with the exception of the final mile climb, I remember more downhills than up (even though I know that is highly improbable). The last mile was painful involving the skies welcoming us back with a heavy, squishy-in-the-shoes, downpour, a hill that inched on forever, and hard miles that seemed to go on forever. It wasn't so bad that I wanted to quit altogether, I suppose, but Steph's extra shot of motivation definitely inspired my legs to remain in running mode.

Steph said the race was long, measuring in on her Garmin at 10.33 miles. At 10 miles, our time for the race was 1:39:43, thereby breaking my goal and previous record. The official time will be a bit longer, but it still will be faster than my Cherry Blossom pace. The time really didn't matter to me, though. I crossed a threshold today; it was not that I had a PR (a nice side feat), but that running did NOT seem like a chore. I will think back to the camaraderie of the day--runners together--Steph and me--in the storm making their way. Even in the rain, and maybe because of the rain, and certainly because I had Steph at my side, I liked it... and that's a memory worth keeping.

Favorite Quote of the Past Week

Masters of Disaster

So Bobby Jindal makes fun of “volcano monitoring”, and soon afterwards Mt. Redoubt erupts. Susan Collins makes sure that funds for pandemic protection are stripped from the stimulus bill, and the swine quickly attack.

What else did the right oppose recently? I just want enough information to take cover.

-Paul Krugman, Conscience of a Liberal Blog

Time: 29:31
Place: Goucher Loop
Weather: high 50s, rainy
Distance: 3.35 miles
Feeling: I wish I had an internal pace machine...
Overall grade: B+