Space dramas and cats are my two favorite things. Gosh, I wish there were some way to combine them into an epic video and OH WAIT LOOK.
Chef boyfriend and I both have terrible springtime allergies. While spring is my favorite time of year, it is simultaneously my most miserable. In addition to the general scent of nature, my sinuses are angered by perfume, most cleaning products, scented deodorant and anything meant to smell like flowers. So I'm going to take a crack at making these DIY "Vicks" vapor shower disks this weekend.
I love, LOVE! alfalfa sprouts. I put giant fistfuls of them on my salads and sandwiches. Unfortunately, the people at the farmer's market say they're out of season. So I'ma sprout my own sprouts, thank you.
How to make infused vodka. Yes.
Do you like seeing what people keep in their kitchens? I'm always curious. Is that weird? Anyway, Angela from Oh She Glows is dishing what's in her vegan pantry and I am Oh So Jealous.
I have always been absolute crap at following up after job interviews. They'll call me if they want me, right? Right??? No? Oh. Huh. Useful Life Skill: How to follow up on a job interview (without being annoying).
If you're planting a garden this year, it's (past) time to get those seeds going! I'm cheating and buying plants from a greenhouse, but if you're the seed-starting type, this DIY greenhouse looks perrrrrrfect and so easy.
And for those of us who still don't own any grown-up jewelry because we're insufferably cheap (hi): Precious Gem Jewelry for Non-Precious Girls.
And lastly...
Dear Gamer Nerds,
Is anyone still playing Skyrim (I am), or have you all jumped ship for ME3? No matter.
This is amazing.
Enjoy your weekend!
30 Before 30: Run a 5k Race - 24th Annual Lady White Rose 5k
30 Before 30 is a list of 30 new things that I'm trying to accomplish before my 30 birthday.
On April 21st I ran my first 5k race – the 24th Annual Lady White Rose 5k! The whole thing actually went off much better than I anticipated. My goals for this race were as follows.
- Finish.
That's it. Mission accomplished!
On Saturday morning, I woke up at about 7:15, suited up and scarfed down a light breakfast. I was worried about eating too much and feeling gross while I was running, so I just had a nanner and some peanut butter in a wrap.
I was super anxious about arriving late and maybe having trouble parking, so we left at 8am. We live just outside of town and arrived at the YWCA by about 8:15. The race didn't start until 9 and I'd already picked up my race packet so yeah... maybe a little premature.
(Ok, so there were actually about 100 other runners standing 6 feet to the left, but it made for a cute photo.)
Fred and I milled around for awhile and I warmed up a bit. Does no one warm up for these things? I saw a few women jogging up and down the block, but by and large everyone was just standing around. Maybe it's not cool to warm up in public before races? Maybe they all snuck into the alley to do some stretches? I still don't know.
At 9am someone made some opening remarks that no one could hear. I was able to make out some stuff about sponsors and "...roads NOT closed... careful!"
And then we were off! I was pretty proud of how well I paced myself. My secondary goal in addition to just finishing the thing was to finish without having to walk, and I pulled it off. I ran the first half at a pretty slow pace (4.5 - 5mph or so) and picked it up a bit after mile 2. It was pretty frustrating to have so many people passing me from the get-go, but I ending up running past a lot of them as they were walking after the first mile.
The real trouble came in the last few blocks. The route took a turn around a corner and the flagger there was enthusiastically shouting out words of encouragement. "Alright, ladies, last quarter! Almost there! Good job!"
"Last quarter mile? F-yeah! I got this!" I thought. So I gunned it. I gunned it not realizing that just before the finish was 2 blocks on a steep incline. Whoops. Guess I should have checked out the route in advance.
By the time I reached the top and rounded the corner to where I could see the finish line, I was light headed and praying for death. It was with sheer force of will that I was able to pull my shit together enough to avoid faceplanting in the middle of the road and eating all of my teeth.
Fred managed to record my finish. If it looks like I'm about to throw up and pass out, it's because I totally thought that I was about to throw up and pass out.
In case you didn't catch it, my final time was 34:52. I'm not the fastest thing on two legs, but I was still pretty proud of it for my first race. I had absolutely no idea how long I'd been out and I was estimating closer to 40 minutes, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the clock. (Note to self: Get a watch.)
(Look at that handsome boyfriend.)
After the race, I stuffed a bagel into my face and we hung around a bit to watch the winners in each age bracket take their prizes. Then our friend Leah texted us to say she was going to be downtown with her kiddos and did we want to hang out?
Well sure! Who needs showers? So we spent the next few hours walking around the city's "Go Green" festival.
Jonah and I tried on some hats.
We hung out with some Alpacas.
And several delicious beers were had. This is called "post-race recovery".
All in all a very successful day!
Friday Linkage: Proper Opossum Dignity Adventures
Reminder! Fred and I are running in the PA Warrior Dash on June 16 and raising money for St. Jude Children's Hospital! Our goal is $250 each, but obviously the more we raise the better. If you're looking for a place to plunk down a few philanthropic dollars, St. Jude's is a great option. My fundraising page is here and Fred's is here if you would like to contribute!
On with the links.
I've always thought that Ashley Judd was a rather smart, sassy and likable lady. I was, however, unaware that she is apparently also a superhero and her superpower is to eviscerate misogyny with language. High five, lady. High. Five.
A Game of Boners.
How to make it through a rough patch.
Who hasn't fantasized about living in an Airstream camper? You haven't? Well then just GTFO of my internet. I'll take this one, please, with a side of cross-country adventure.
5 steps to up your Personal Dignity Quotient (PDQ).
I once had a little window herb garden and I loved it very much. Alas, the cute vintage Pyrex containers that I thrifted were a might too shallow and my kitchen window a might too shadowed and *SNIFF* my herbs just didn't make it. When I eventually live somewhere with HUGE windows just GUSHING natural light (because I will, dammit) I'm so doing this window garden. So cute! So simple! So pretty!
Videos!
I loved Where The Hell Is Matt, so I was psyched when Steve of one of my favorite exercise blogs, Nerd Fitness, decided to undertake making a similar video where he exercises all over the world. How fun!
Proper Opossum Poetry Corner. That is all you need to know about this.
Happy Friday, friends! Let the Wild Rumpus Start!
On with the links.
I've always thought that Ashley Judd was a rather smart, sassy and likable lady. I was, however, unaware that she is apparently also a superhero and her superpower is to eviscerate misogyny with language. High five, lady. High. Five.
A Game of Boners.
How to make it through a rough patch.
Who hasn't fantasized about living in an Airstream camper? You haven't? Well then just GTFO of my internet. I'll take this one, please, with a side of cross-country adventure.
5 steps to up your Personal Dignity Quotient (PDQ).
Videos!
I loved Where The Hell Is Matt, so I was psyched when Steve of one of my favorite exercise blogs, Nerd Fitness, decided to undertake making a similar video where he exercises all over the world. How fun!
Proper Opossum Poetry Corner. That is all you need to know about this.
Happy Friday, friends! Let the Wild Rumpus Start!
5 Reasons Why Everyone Should Take Up Running (at least a little bit)
In training for my first 5k race, I’ve learned that I am a terrible self-motivator. What was good enough to get my ass moving yesterday will not be enough to drag me away from Downton Abbey today.
Also, I am apparently a sucker for The Pep Talk. I am constantly telling myself new stories to convince my inner couch potato that it's worth it. And you know what? Once I'm up and going it totally is. The challenge is in the getting up.
If you, like me, need constant reminding of the many reasons why you should get off your ass, here are the five that top my list.
Running burns fat. Let’s just get the vanity right out of the way. If you run and eat a healthy diet, you will change your body composition. I’m not saying you’ll lose weight (that depends on a lot of other factors) but you will absolutely burn fat and build lower body muscle. If you’re trying to get in shape, a solid half hour to an hour of cardio every other day will put you on the right track.
You’ll feel like Rocky. 1) Make a playlist of power songs, 2) Put on some workout clothes that make you feel sporty, 3) Run farther or faster (or both!) that you ever have and 4) Release a ferocious battle cry and give yourself a high five.
 |
| Aren't you glad you did your cardio? |
You might have to actually run from something someday. If you can run a quick half-mile, you can get away from 99% of the people who would ever want to lay their nefarious, grubby hands on you. “Run like hell” is a self-defense strategy that tends to be glossed over, but it's a totally valid way of avoiding both muggers and zombies.
Endorphins. Because of The Happy. “Runner’s High” is totally a real thing in the real world, and although it usually requires sustained strenuous activity to get to that sense of utter euphoria, any exercise beyond about 30 minutes is going to start releasing endorphins, and endorphins are some good shit. They improve your mood, increase your stamina (so that run suddenly becomes a bit easier) and relieve pain.
Running is like meditation for twitchy people. I am filled with soul-crushing panic by even a few minutes of idleness. MY TO-DO LIST. LET ME SHOW YOU IT. Running is as close as I will probably ever come to meditation. I put on my headphones, zone out and focus on my breathing, the pace of my footfalls and the repetitive machinations of my limbs. It’s calming.
And if all else fails? Tell yourself a story. On Monday I might be prepping to compete on Out of the Wild, on Wednesday I'm training to survive in a Resident Evil style zombie apocalypse scenario and on Friday I'm just running towards my first cocktail of the weekend. You do what you gotta do, right?
What motivates you?
Electric Pow Wow
Two things that have been on my radar precisely never: aboriginal pow wow music and dubstep.
That was before A Tribe Called Red. Because this is kind of awesome.
Alright, alright. I lied. I have listened to dubstep before.
That was before A Tribe Called Red. Because this is kind of awesome.
In 2008, DJ’s NDN, Frame and Bear Witness founded the Electric Pow Wow. In 2010 they added 2 time Canadian DMC Champ DJ Shub to the crew. Electric Pow Wow is a bi-monthly club night dedicated to showcasing Aboriginal DJ talent and Native urban culture and is aimed at creating a space for Aboriginal people. These four veterans of the Ottawa music scene come together to create an eclectic sound made up of a wide variety of musical styles ranging from Hip-Hop, Dance Hall, Electronica, and their own mash-up of club and Pow Wow music.
Alright, alright. I lied. I have listened to dubstep before.
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